Morndas 1 Sun's Height 203 4E 8:00 AM
"Daughter, approach me," Mother's voice filled my head as I entered the public room for breakfast. Her tone was displeased. I swallowed nervously wondering what could have caused her anger. I knelt before the stone coffin trying to ready myself for Mother's words.
To my surprise, the doors of the mighty resting place swung open. "Enter." My heart was beating a thousand times a minute as I stood. I felt dizzy from nervousness as I entered the shadowed tomb. The doors swung close leaving me in total darkness with the corpse matron.
There was really no space for me in here. When I had entered before at Astrid's command, I had casually leaned against the Night Mother's body while waiting for Cicero to unwittingly reveal who his accomplice in betraying Astrid was. Now I feared to show such disrespect. I stood as straight as I could so that I was not putting any of my weight on either the coffin's interior or Mother. I noticed that I had edged up onto my tiptoes and tried to relax, but could not find enough purchase to really do so. My arms were firmly pinned to my sides giving me an almost comical military stance.
"I gave you an order, daughter," the Night Mother said. A soft unearthly glow surrounded the body so I could make out her features. The Unholy Matron's eyeless gaze bore into me; they were judging and finding me unworthy. Her mental voice was slow and raspy as if she struggled for the air needed to speak. "I told you to rebuild. In eight months, you have given me only two children. Two! There are many unclaimed kin in Tamriel. Why have you not brought them to me?"
"I am sorry, Mother!" I stammered. "There's so much about the Brotherhood and the Old Ways that I do not know. I don't want to fail you by choosing poorly."
"It would be preferable than nothing," the Night Mother scowled. Her tone turned thoughtful. "Normally, I would expect you to obtain advice from the Keeper or the Black Hand. I must admit that sweet Cicero is not the most reliable source for delicate matters. Very well. I will be merciful this time. I have a special contract for you.
"Go to the Imperial City in Cyrodiil. Within the Imperial Prison far below the White Gold Tower, you will find the One-Eyed Orc Prisoner. Retrieve him and bring him before me. When you meet him, ask 'What is the color of the night?' and he will respond, 'Sanguine, my sister.' It will prove that you are my children and are trustworthy."
"Thank you, Mother," I said making a small bow with my head. It was the most I could move.
"I am not finished," the Night Mother said sharply. "You must achieve this goal before the tenth of Last Seed, the anniversary of the Emperor's death. If you wait until after, the prisoner will have been executed. You may take whomever you wish as assistance except loyal Cicero. He must remain here for this. You may not tell him your goal."
I bit back the urge to ask why to her restrictions. You didn't ask the Night Mother why. You obeyed. The stone coffin swung open signaling my dismissal and I stepped back. At least I hadn't been roughly ejected like last time. I bowed. "As you command, my matron."
Cicero was waiting near the shrine. He was excited as he danced from one foot to the other. "What did Mother say?"
"I have a special job," I told him. I was busily calculating how much time I had. Last Seed would be next month, so I had about six weeks to get down to Cyrodiil, past the blockade of Jerall Mountain Pass, into the most heavily guarded city of the country and into the most heavily guarded prison to retrieve a prisoner whose name I didn't even know. Oh, not to mention that I had to bring the man, if my target was even male since Mother hadn't specified, back alive. Depending on how long he had been interred down there, he could be weak from lack of fresh air, exercise, and good food. That wasn't much time at all.
"Cicero, go rouse Babette. She needs to hear what I have to say," I said. Cicero scurried to obey. "Brothers and sisters," I called as I walked down the stone steps to the eating area. Nazir, Meena, and Aventus were already looking at me. They had noticed my interview with the Night Mother. "The Night Mother has summoned us once again."
Cicero returned with a sleepy eyed Babette. Everyone gathered around the dining table and sat solemnly as I spoke. "I must go to the Imperial City for a special mission. Nazir," I nodded to the Redguard, "I wish for you to accompany me."
"Why not loyal Cicero?" the Keeper complained. "Hecate always takes Cicero."
"There's no way we can get down there and back for you to take care of Mother," I explained trying to be mindful of Mother's command. "Your duties as Keeper must come first, brother." Cicero looked at me suspiciously for using the phrase brother. We hadn't treated each other as brother and sister for months now.
I looked at my family. With Nazir and me gone, who could I leave in charge? Meena? Cicero? I had to take Nazir; he was the one who was good with contacts and how to find the people you needed. He was calm and cool under pressure; I could rely on him no matter how insane things might get on this mission. I could go alone, but I immediately rejected that idea. I work best when I have someone to watch my back.
"Babette is in charge while we're gone," I said cringing. Meena flattened her ears. I guess she felt a little insulted that as the next adult she hadn't been chosen. In reality, Babette was more mature and experienced. She was my best bet at things not falling apart while I was gone. Thankfully, Cicero didn't seem to care. His only concern with leadership had been in Falkreath in convincing the others that following the Night Mother was the right thing to do. He had no personal interest in being in control.
"What?" Aventus asked shocked. "Why Babette? That doesn't even make sense. She's a kid like me." He glanced at the vampire girl.
"I don't have to explain myself, Aretino," I growled. Better to keep this short than try to rationalize. "I am sure none of you will make it difficult for our sister while I'm gone." The ragtag bunch nodded. "Good. Nazir, pack your things. We will ride out immediately."
"Why not book passage on a boat?" Nazir suggested. He knew the difference between questioning a command and supplementing an idea with better options. "It would be easier than trying to deal with the borders being closed. We could easily find a shipping boat in Solitude."
"Good idea, but we're on a time crunch. What's the fastest boat we could hope for?"
"Three weeks assuming fair weather and there is one ready to sail," Nazir admitted. "But we're still looking at least a week, maybe ten days, if we go by horse. There's a lot of roundabout terrain we'll have to deal with as well as the normal unpleasant random encounters one has to deal with on the road."
"You and I are stealthy enough we should be able to either avoid or outrun anything that may hassle us," I said. "Meet me by the horses within an hour." Nazir nodded and ran to his room. I think he was excited to be chosen for this trip. I liked the Redguard, but we rarely spent any time together. We didn't have much in common other than murder.
Cicero joined me as I walked to my room to gather my supplies for the trip. "Is this because of last night?" he asked quietly. "Is that why you don't want Cicero to go?"
After my meltdown from observing the torture of the nameless woman, Cicero had carried me to my room. After tucking me into my bed, he had climbed in and continued to rain butterfly kisses on my face. One of them had landed on my lips. My hands had snaked up and held Cicero for a firmer kiss.
"Is that what you want?" Cicero asked relieved to have some direction on how to fix things. My throat was still too locked up to speak so I had nodded against him. "Tell Cicero if he must stop."
I didn't. I let Cicero make love to me slow and gentle. I held his gaze the whole time watching his intense, sincere amber eyes. When my orgasm came, it was with a long sigh instead of my usual screaming. The tension leaving my body was a blessing.
I was curled up in Cicero's embrace with his lips on my hair, when he asked, "Better?"
"Yes," I managed to whisper.
"Thank, Sithis. Cicero was scared the Listener suddenly couldn't talk like Mother." Cicero hugged me. I looked at the dried blood splatters on his face. Part of me realized it was insane to find comfort in the man who had horrified me with his joy of torturing an unknown woman, but the other, louder half realized that Cicero was the only one I trusted enough to be vulnerable with which was its own kind of madness.
"It's not because of that," I assured him. I knew I didn't have to explain further. I had given a straight answer; it was good enough for Cicero.
"It's not safe in the Imperial City," Cicero said drawing me into a hug.
"I know," I said resting my head on his shoulder. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"As long as Nazir knows that if something happens to the Listener, then he should not come back," Cicero said with complete sincerity. The darkness in his tone sent a shiver down my spine.
Morndas 8 Sun's Height 203 4E 1:00 PM
"We should reach the border in a few hours," Nazir said. "Any ideas of how we're going to get past the border guard?"
"No. My only thought is to scout and make it up as we go," I said sighing. I had thought about accessing one of my many hidden caches of septims. I have found gold makes many problems go away. Only the most honest of soldiers would not accept a small bribe to let two people cross the border. Especially since we were leaving and not coming in. As a Redguard and Imperial, it was unlikely we were spies for the xenophobic Rebels.
The problem is that much gold would make them remember us. And there was always the chance that the legate was either too honest to be bought or corrupt enough to take the money and send us to the executioner's block anyway.
That brought back unpleasant memories.
Middas 17 Last Seed 201 4E 12:00 PM
I fluttered awake to find myself in a wagon with three other men. One man was gagged and his hands bound behind his back. He looked like he was in his fifties. I could tell he wasn't a commoner; there was a sense of dignity about him despite being gagged. The rest of us had our hands bound before us. My head ached from where a soldier had clubbed me from behind. Ahead I could make out a small village with the Imperial banners flapping in the wind. Behind us was another wagon with more prisoners.
"You're awake," the blonde Nord to my left commented dryly. He looked like he was in his late twenties despite his cynical expression. "My name is Ralof. Not that it matters since we're all going to die soon."
Ralof calmly explained that he and the gagged man were part of the Stormcloak Rebellion and that his companion was in fact the leader, Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Eastmarch. The third man was a horse thief named Lokir who had accidentally gotten caught in the Imperial trap set for the Stormcloaks.
"You're the reason I'm here," I hissed at the thief. "If you hadn't stolen my horse, I wouldn't have had to chase you."
"We're not part of their trouble," Lokir insisted. "They'll let us go. They have to."
I had been traveling the Pale Pass and had managed to stay away from any trouble since leaving Bravil two weeks earlier. I had stopped for lunch and was gathering water from a creek when I had heard my horse scream. I had run back to my small camp to see a man trying to mount my horse. "What in the Void do you think you're doing?" I had shouted. This was before I had devoured my first dragon soul and could so such things without the nasty drawbacks I would learn to hate.
"Oh, shit!" the man had yelled. Instead of trying to ride my mount away, he had elected to grab the reins and run deeper into the woods.
I had pursued and almost caught him when we hit a ledge. I had tripped into him and we had tumbled over the side. I vaguely remember seeing my poor horse's wide eyes as she fell to her doom. Lokir and I had rolled down the cliff and landed near some legionnaires. One young, eager overachiever had clubbed me unconscious before I could explain what had happened.
Ralof and Lokir had started to argue about the validity of the rebellion, but I tuned them out as I looked at Ulfric. He had an aura of charisma I had not seen in many people. He was riding to his death and he sat like a king on his throne. The world didn't touch Ulfric Stormcloak with its problems. Instead, Ulfric Stormcloak commanded the world.
I lost my breath when Ulfric turned towards me. His gray eyes were as cold as steel and just as unrelenting. A small nod acknowledged my presence before he turned back to whatever thoughts he had been contemplating moments before.
"Why is he gagged?" I asked Ralof gesturing to Ulfric. Ralof explained to me how Ulfric had mastered a power called the thu'um and could use his Voice to create great power. In fact, Ulfric had used it to duel the previous high king, Torygg. I was curious as to why Ulfric had dueled Torygg, but there was no time to ask.
The wagons stopped and the prisoners unloaded. Names were called from a list until all the prisoners were named but me. "She's not on the list," a young Imperial who had introduced himself as Hadvar said, pointing at me. He looked about Ralof's age.
"I don't care. It must be a clerical error," the captain of the guard snapped. She looked like a typical overworked superior who had enough authority to get unpleasant tasks done with not enough resources to do it well. "She goes with the rest of them. We can sort it out later."
"Hey!" I shouted. "That's total bullshit. You can't kill me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I'm not with them either!" Lokir screamed, his eyes rolling around madly. "I…I gotta get out of here." The man made a run for it, but he didn't get a dozen paces before the Imperials peppered him with arrows.
"Anyone else feel like running?" the captain of the guard asked sarcastically. "I didn't think so."
"I'm sorry," the young man said. His eyes flickered away in shame. A soldier was taught to obey orders; to respect the chain of command at all times. It didn't mean he had to have pride in it. "I'll make sure your remains go back to Cyrodiil."
A priestess of Arkay stepped forward to give last blessings before the prisoners were beheaded, the favored method of execution of Imperials. We Imperials love a good beheading. It had all the showmanship of a hanging with the added spray of blood.
"I don't got all day, dammit," a rebel said disdainfully when the priestess mentioned the eight divines. The priestess walked away sniffing at the interruption. I doubted that the man would be mentioned in her prayers for the lost tonight. He proudly stepped forward to the chopping block. "My ancestors smile upon me, Imperial. Can you say the same for yours?"
The axe came down and the man's soul went to Sovngarde. The legate kicked the body over. "Next!"
"Any last words?" Hadvar asked gesturing for me to go next.
"Yes," I said stepping forward. "Fuck you guys." I ran towards Ulfric instead of stepping up to the block. I managed to grab his gag and pull it down. I was grateful those idiots had left the rest of us bound with our hands before us instead of behind like they had done with Ulfric. "You better use that damn Shout if you want to live."
Ulfric grinned at me. I found myself laughing back. He had a wolfish nature to him and was handsome for an oversized Nord. "FUS RO DAH", he Shouted, knocking several Imperial soldiers over.
I felt the world shake and heard a roar. "Gods, is that what your Shout does?" I asked.
"That wasn't me," Ulfric said looking to the sky. He had a pleasant deep voice. "It's a dragon!" I looked up and saw a huge black beast landing on the tower we were standing by.
"Zu'u Alduin, zok sahrot do naan ko Lein!" the monster roared. It breathed in and released a blast of fire onto some legionnaires. They turned to ash. "VOL!"
"Lovely country you have here," I said sarcastically as Ulfric, Ralof and I ran into the relative safety of a tower.
"You should see us during the winter holidays," Ulfric shot back.
Morndas 8 Sun's Height 203 4E 4:00 PM
"We could wait until midnight. Stealth with the shadows on our side," Nazir suggested.
"And lose eight hours of travel?" I countered. I hated having a time limit. The pressure made it more likely that you would make a stupid mistake. I don't have a lot of patience, but I prefer to know I could take my time if I wanted.
"Better that than our lives," Nazir snorted.
I could make out about ten legionnaires milling about the border. There were probably a few more inside the towers that flanked the narrow mountain pass into the Jerall Mountains. With three shifts around the clock, there were probably a total of about fifty Imperial soldiers.
"We should have brought Meena to use as a distraction and left her behind," I thought out loud.
"My grandmother used to say 'wish in one hand, shit in the other and see which one fills first,'" Nazir said.
"Sounds like a wise woman," I laughed. "We might as well settle down and wait for a pattern to emerge." A small campsite was made. The two of us would take turns resting so we could travel tonight. Shadowmere had no problem traveling by moonlight.
"I hate to ask this," Nazir said, "but is there anything specific I need to know about your past before we get into Cyrodiil?"
"Probably," I said lying down on my sleeping furs. "I'll let you know when it comes up."
Tirdas 9 Sun's Height 203 4E 12:00 AM
Here's the funny thing about being an assassin. The best laid plans are boring as hell to retell. It's what you prayed for when you planned for your target.
When midnight came, Nazir lead his horse off the path a bit. We had already removed the saddle and bridle and hidden them for retrieval when we returned. The Redguard slapped the horse's flank sending it crashing through the forest. The two of us scurried off to the side while the Imperial soldiers came down to investigate the noise.
With over half of the soldiers trying to figure out what caused the loud noises, Nazir and I stayed to the shadows and managed to stealth pass the garrison. Once we were clear of view, I summoned Shadowmere again.
Nazir and I doubled up on the demon horse and rode into the night using only the red light of the mare's eyes to see.
Boring and exactly how I like it.
Fredas 26 Sun's Height 203 4E 8:00 PM
"I am so glad I didn't kill you," I said to Amaund Motierre. I had not had the privilege of meeting the man before. In Volunruud, Motierre's contacts had been Arnbjorn and Veezara. Strictly speaking, I should have been the one to make contact, but I had been sick from Cicero's beating and infection from a poisoned arrow. The second time Nazir had met Motierre in the Bannered Mare to confirm that we had completed the contract for the Emperor's death.
The Breton gaped at me in surprise. He had just entered his personal chambers in the White Gold Tower and had been ready to relax for the night. Motierre was not prepared for a shrouded armored woman wearing a cowl to be reclining in his favorite chair. Motierre was in his late thirties; old enough to be experienced politician but young enough to be ambitious. Even ambitious to plot murder. He was handsome enough, but the rich always can afford to be with their fine clothes and pampered lifestyles. I didn't like his arrogant scowl or the way his nose pinched as if he smelled something unpleasant.
"The Emperor asked me to, you know," I said nonchalantly as I played with a dagger. I made sure the steel flashed in the candlelight as much as possible. "He wanted for me to kill the man who ordered his death. Old Titus had no clue who it was, but he knew I could find him and hunt him to the ends of Nirn if I wanted."
"That is a thousand septim chair made of the finest satin and mahogany. Must you have your dirty boots splayed against it?" Motierre sneered. Clearly he was not as concerned about his safety as I wanted him. I lightly tapped my boots against the side of the chair before standing up. Just to prove a point, mind you.
"I need something," I said.
"I owe you nothing, assassin," Motierre walked so a personal dining table was between the two of us. He might not be showing fear, but he wasn't stupid either. Good. I like working with smart men better than stupid ones. Stupid people tend to think short term and react from emotions. Smart men understand that sometimes the long game is more important. "We had a deal and I kept my end of the bargain."
"I know," I said pacing along the table forcing Motierre to keep moving if he wanted to stay away from me. "But times have changed and I would like to propose a new deal. The Brotherhood needs a prisoner released from the Imperial prison. As a member of the Elder Council, you have the ability to issue a pardon. Especially since the country is under martial law with the Emperor dead and no successor."
"What prisoner do you need released? I will not make any promises, but I must admit that my curiosity is piqued."
"An orc with one eye," I responded. There were many times I wished the Night Mother would address people by name instead of just general descriptors. This was one of them.
"Oh no, not that one," Motierre said a little too quickly. "There is no way I could possibly have my name associated with that one." I wondered why Motierre knew the prisoner personally. There had been no hesitation when I gave a description and no name.
"There's no price too high," I offered carefully as I leaned on the table like Astrid used to do. Blank check is always a touchy offer. It's a clear sign of desperation and often you get a ridiculously high counter bid. I only make this offer when I sincerely mean no price is too high.
"No deal," Motierre countered. Still no hesitation. Who in the Void was our target?
"Let me put it this way. You cannot say no. You're going to help the Brotherhood or there will be death," I said.
"We had a deal!" Motierre said shrilly.
"I know and I respect that. Please believe me when I say I won't kill you," I said. I stood up with my hands held high to show no ill intent. Motierre sighed in relief. "But that doesn't mean I won't kill lots of people who are your enemies."
Motierre snorted with laughter. It was rather unrefined and made me suspect that he did not come from old money. "You…you are actually threatening me by removing my enemies? You're not very good with this, are you?"
"I know politics just fine," I said narrowing my eyes. "I make a long enough trail of bodies; the Penitus Oculatus will have to investigate. And your name will turn up as a suspect time and time again. Do you really want the personal guard of the Emperor to have their attention on you? With no charge to be responsible for, they have nothing but time. Someone had to order the hit on the Emperor who was killed by the Dark Brotherhood. Won't it seem strange that all these other politicians are being killed by the Brotherhood too? Wouldn't it be terrible if the Dark Brotherhood had made residence here in the Imperial City itself?"
I jumped onto a chair and launched myself onto the table. I skidded across the surface until I collided with Motierre. The two of us fell to the ground with me straddling the courtier. I slammed my dagger into the ground next to his head. "My blade is very thirsty, Motierre." I listed several families who had grudges with Motierre's. I made sure to name people who were only barely connected to him, close enough for him to recognize but not common enough anyone could know the information. Nazir had been very busy the last two weeks digging up dirt on Amaund. "I'll mow every last one of them down until I get what I want."
"I cannot release that prisoner!" Motierre said. Tears streamed down his face. The fear was in his eyes now. "I swear by the Eight I cannot! If my name was attached to his it would ruin me forever. All my planning would be for nothing. Surely you must understand that. But I can give you something else. Something just as good."
"I'm listening," I said.
"There's an old secret entrance. Not been used in centuries. The Blades used to maintain it for emergencies. With them gone, no one has thought of it for a long time. I know. I could give you directions for where it comes out by the lake. You could go in yourself and get your man."
"How do I know you won't betray us? Show us the door and then make sure an entire legion is there waiting for us?" I glared.
"Believe it or not, I am an honorable man. I keep my deals. I like having good relations with people who understand that too." Motierre was sweating heavily. He was having trouble breathing with me sitting on his chest. "I didn't betray you before. I could have had someone at the blind drop to kill your man. I could have betrayed you in the Bannered Mare. I just want to help my country and the old man was in the way of that. With the Elder Council in control, we can gain the people's trust back. Too many people of the Empire hated Titus for giving in to the Altmer's demands. We can forge a new strength and image they can rally behind. Please, you have to believe me."
"I believe you," I said after a small pause. Hell, I must have from the beginning or I wouldn't have come here to begin with. "Tell me about this entrance." I got up and offered Motierre a hand up. He accepted. The Breton gathered some parchment and a quill from his desk and sketched where the entrance was.
"Pleasure doing business with you," I said smiling as I tucked the paper into my belt pouch. I walked over to the open bay doors. I threw on leg over the edge. "I'm glad I didn't kill Rexus. I'm sure you were wondering why he wasn't in here kicking my ass. You'll find him naked and tied up in your room." Laughing at Motierre's disgusted expression; I threw myself out of the window. I used the Spectral Form Shout and safely landed on the street below.
It was time to meet up with Nazir and continue with the next stage of our plan. We had two weeks left to work.