Heaving a sigh, Diamond lets her armor slide from her arms and examines her shoulder. A small hilt about the size of her pinky fingernail is pressed against her skin. Surrounding it is a patch of blue strands, like someone injected blue dye into the tiny veins just beneath the surface of her skin. Frowning, Diamond tries to peel the metal disc away from her arm, and feels a sharp pain.
Back in the sanctuary, Diamond and Veezara were greeted by the other members highly concerned. Diamond faintly remembers Veezara carrying her, then Babette fed her a drink with a healing potion. No one asked them about meeting the Faceless Women; besides it being obvious how it went, Diamond was the one who suffered the most wounds and thereby has the most information.
Gritting her teeth, Diamond wedges the flat of her knife blade under the crossguard and forces it up. Diamond screams into her teeth as the pain races through her, making everything go black for a moment. But she keeps pushing, as hard as she can, until the hilt lifts from her skin enough for her to her fingers around it. Attached to the bottom of the disc is the blade as thin as a needle.
Diamond gags, grasps the hilt in her fingertips, and pulls one last time. This time, the needle-point blade comes free. It's as long as her littlest finger and smeared with her blood. She ignores the blood running down her arm and holds the hilt and the needle up to the light above the sink.
Judging from the blue dye in her arm and the needle-point blade, the faceless woman must have injected her with something. But What? Poison?
Diamond shakes her head. If she wanted to kill her, she would've just stabbed or shot her. Whatever she injected Diamond with must not have gone into effect thanks to Babette's poison.
Someone knocks on the door. Diamond doesn't know why – this bathroom is shared, after all.
"Diamond, you in there?" Veezara's muffled voice asks.
"Yeah." Diamond calls back.
Veezara looks better than he did an hour ago – he carried Diamond all the way back to the sanctuary with only a minimal of three stops for rest. He washed the blood from his mouth, and some of the color has returned to his face.
Diamond puts the needle blade at the edge of the sink.
Veezara look from her to the needle-point blade in her hand to the line of blood running from Diamond's shoulder.
"Gross." He says.
"Wasn't paying attention," Diamond says. She sets the blade down and grabs a paper towel, mopping up the blood on her arm. "You say anything to the others yet?"
"I've told them my story, but they're more eager to hear yours." He says smiling. "Wait, you yanked that out of your own arm?" he points to the needle. "God, Diamond. Do you have no nerve endings or something?"
"I think I need a bandage."
"You think?" Veezara shakes his head. "You should get some ice for your face, too."
Diamond touches her jaw. It is tender where the faceless woman struck her – she'll need to drink another potion and put healing salve on it so it doesn't bruise.
"Babette have some salve I could use?" Diamond asks.
"Don't bother. Let it bruise; apart from your wound, it'll show the other members the fight you put up." Veezara says.
"A fight I ended up losing." Diamond growls fisting her hands. "Some assassin I am."
"Diamond, Astrid won't degrade you. We were both ambushed, and you put up more of a fight than I did. Heck, she knocked me unconscious in ten seconds. I'm sure you'll be fine."
Diamond can't help but smile at Veezara's attempt to cheer her up. And rationally speaking, he did get knocked unconscious; and the fact that Diamond had put up most of the fight shows just how tough she can be. She glances up at her reflection. Her jaw is swollen, and fingernail marks are still on her arms. Disgusting. Still, Diamond exhales before heading out to the main chamber where Astrid has gathered the other members. Veezara follows after her.
Upon spotting them, Astrid runs over to Diamond. "Oh thank the gods you're alright."
She doesn't embrace Diamond, not that Diamond expects her to. So she simply nods, smiles and steps past her to post in front of the other members. She waits as Veezara joins the members, and Astrid comes to stand with her at the front of the crowd.
"We've only got what Veezara told us. But you're the one who fought face-to-face with the . . . faceless woman . . ." Astrid starts.
"Irony in itself." Diamond snickers.
"So what happened?"
Diamond sighs. "We were simply waiting for her when the arrow came shooting right at us. Without a word she immediately began to punch and kick and flail. Didn't even want to talk to us. I assume she just called the meeting just to take us out; because she seemed ready to face more than one opponent."
"She probably called us there so that she could kill us, and show Astrid how powerful and merciless their group can be." Veezara adds.
"Except that their orders were to intimidate. They didn't kill us because hurting our pride stings more than a bite of a blade. They told me to tell you that Skyrim is their territory now, and we might as well give up. They've already slandered our name enough." Diamond reminds. "Astrid, she was good. She took us both down singlehandedly. And by now, honestly it would take a miracle to bring us back to the top."
"Well that does it!" Arnbjorn snarls. "They've made their decision, I say it's time we give them our regards!"
"Not so fast you blubbering oaf!" Frex hisses. "We don't even know where their sanctuary is! Not to mention they'll be expecting us now that they've struck us first. Like they won't see our retaliation coming."
"Frex is right." Astrid says. "It's clear The Faceless are shrewd. They have a propensity to predict what will happen in certain situations. We need to gather more information and make sure we're one step ahead of them."
"And how do you propose we do that? Who's to say they know we're trying to figure them out, and they're sending out all false information?" Veezara says.
"Well now you're being paranoid, Veezara." Nazir speaks. "Just because you got knocked out within ten seconds, doesn't mean much. Diamond managed to put up a fight."
Barely, Diamond thinks, and only because she said I had some talent. If she had orders to kill, she would have.
"I'll try and see how discreet I can be at gathering information. Until then, avoid them at all costs." Astrid says.
"You mean we should just run?! We'll look like whelps!" Arnbjorn barks.
"We were lucky Diamond and Veezara came home alive, husband. I don't want to lose anyone at the hands of them." Astrid says. "We'll mind our own business for now, and when I'm confident I have enough knowledge, then we'll talk about taking them out. Understood?"
"Hmph."
The members then dismiss and Diamond was about to head to her bed when Astrid calls her over. Diamond internally groans but turns and follows Astrid to the desk outside her room.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, especially after your encounter, but I need your assistance with a matter of a more . . . personal nature." says Astrid.
Diamond walks up to Astrid and sits in the chair on the other side of the table against the wall. "Is something wrong?"
"It's Cicero. Ever since he arrived, he's behaviors been . . . Well, erratic would be an understatement. I do believe he is truly mad." Astrid explains. "But it's more than that. He's taken to locking himself in the Night Mother's chamber, and talking. To someone. In hushed, but frantic tones. Who is he speaking with? What are they planning? I fear treachery."
Dia rubs her forearm and shifts her feet. "Astrid, you're being a bit . . . paranoid."
"Maybe so, but healthy paranoia has saved this Sanctuary before, and my gut's telling me that demented little fool is up to something."
"So what do you want me to do?" Diamond asks crossing her legs.
"Dear sister, I need you to steal into that chamber, and eavesdrop on their meeting." Astrid advises. "It'll be no use clinging to the shadows. They'll see you for sure. No, you need a hiding place. Somewhere they'd never think to look."
Astrid smiles slyly.
"Like inside the Night Mother's coffin."
Diamond jerks her head up and doesn't hide her look of shock and repulsiveness at Astrid. If Astrid seemed offended, she didn't show it.
"But that seems so . . . disrespectful." Diamond stutters.
"Be that as is may, we have no other choice. You need to remain unseen!" Astrid retorts.
"I barely escaped with my life against the Faceless, and you want me to do this?!" Diaond argues.
"I gave you my apology in advance; and you're the only other person I can trust."
"Not even your own husband?"
"He's already rallied with The Faceless, if I mention this to him, he'll storm in there without thinking. Now go! Before they meet." Astrid commands.
"But - !"
"And report back to me with whatever you've learned." Astrid finishes.
Diamond purposely groans in annoyance as she rises from her seat.
"Go, quickly. Before Cicero and the traitor meet." Astrid rushes.
Diamond raises her hands and mumbles, "Okay, okay," as she trudges down the steps into the main chamber. She had half a mind to speak out against Astrid for once. Diamond's put up with her many fanatics before, but this is just plain weird and wrong. Even if it was from 'healthy paranoia' nothing good can come of this. One of Dia's worst fears is being trapped in a small space with a corpse.
She navigates her way up the steps past Lis' pit and into the Night Mother's chamber. The room itself has a big stain glass window that marks its part of the Sanctuary. The glass depicts a skull and skeletons to represent Sithis, with two Brotherhood banners on either side.
Diamond finds the coffin at the alter and notices it has a Novice lock on it. Thankfully Libby had shown her how to pick past it. She hears the tumbler of the lock click and the doors of the coffin open wide on their own. Diamond steps back as the wafting stench of decay skin and flesh infect her nose. She covers her mouth and gags as she steps back.
"Gods, fuck you Astrid." Diamond curses as she steps up to the coffin. "I'm sorry." She mumbles as she carefully places her feet and her arms around the Night Mother's body and pulls the doors closed with her toes.
There's a moment of silence, and all Diamond hears is the running of the water of the falls and the dropping of dew from the ceilings. The darkness of the coffin steals away any light, enveloping her completely. She tries to ignore the fact that there might be spiders and ticks crawling all over the corpse as she fears of Cicero being outside.
Soon there's the sound of humming and footsteps enter the chamber. Diamond steadies her breathing, slowly so that she won't inhale the stench of death.
"Are we alone? Yes . . . yes . . . alone. Sweet Solitude." He stretches out the words so long Diamond morphs his 'S' with the hissing of a snake. His maniacal laughter sends gooseskins across her arms and legs. "No one will hear up, disturb us. Everything is going according to plan."
Diamond's breath hitches in her throat. She tries to ignore the crawling sensation on her spine, not knowing if it's a spider or the chill of Cicero's banter.
"The others . . . I've spoken to them. And they're coming around, I know it. The wizard, Festus Krex . . . perhaps even the Argonian, and the un-child . . ." Cicero giggles.
Diamond leans more into the doors, her curiosity finally overtaking the nerves of the dead body she's practically hugging. Perhaps Astrid was right. Maybe Cicero is trying to rouse the Brotherhood into mutiny.
"What about you? He then asks. "Have you . . . have you spoken to anyone? No . . . no of course not. I do the talking, the stalking, the seeing and the saying!"
Cicero's voice tightens. His tone rises in volume to where he's nearly yelling. Diamond clutches the inside of the coffin tighter as her weight shifts the doors.
"And what do you do? Nothing!" he nearly screams. "Not . . . not that I'm angry! No, never!" He goes nearly quiet again after a deep breath.
Of course you're not, Diamond thinks.
"Cicero understands. Heh. Cicero always understands. And obeys." He nearly whines. "You will talk when you're ready, won't you? Won't you . . . sweet Night Mother."
"Poor Cicero. Dear Cicero. Such a humble servant." A whispered voice speaks.
Diamond freezes instantly. It was soft, seductive, and sultry. She felt no breath against her skin anywhere; but what scares her the most, it was inside the coffin.
Her body shivers from the top of her spine to her toes. Diamond slowly turns her head to the Night Mother, beads of sweat materializing on her forehead.
Her blood turns cold and her eyes widen as a pulsating light grows within the Night Mother; like someone had placed a candle in her and the flame is fighting to stay alive.
"But he will never hear my voice. For he is not, the Listener." She speaks. Her lips don't move, and her head stays slouched to the side. Diamond can't decide if that's better or worse.
The voice seemed to be more inside her head now, which feels even more intrusive. Diamond can't cover hears, which are ringing from the blood, and her heart is pounding. She swallows a lump in her throat and to fight back a wave of nausea. Her hands begin to shake.
Diamond nearly jumps when she hears Cicero again, realizing she's still in reality. Somehow.
"Oh, but how can I defend you?! How can I exert your will? If you will not speak?! To anyone!" Cicero says in frustration.
"Oh, but I will speak. I will speak to you. For you are the one." The Night Mother whispers. Diamond feels a scream clawing at her throat. "Yes you."
Diamond can't help but stare at her lips. Old and rotted, they flop away from her rotted teeth. She tries to find the slightest movement, something to show her that the Night Mother is alive. Something about finding movement comforts her. The voice inside her head is so intrusive that she can't help but try and believe she must be dreaming.
The light within the mother continues to glow.
"You who shares my iron tomb, who warms my ancient bones. I give you this task - journey to Volunruud. Speak with Amaund Motierre." The Night Mother says.
"Poor Cicero has failed you. Poor Cicero is sorry, sweet mother. I've tried, so very hard." Cicero cries. "But I just can't find the Listener!"
"Tell Cicero the time has come. Tell him the words he has been waiting for, all these years: Darkness rises when silence falls." She sibilates.
Diamond watches as the light inside her slowly fades away the instant the slightest scratch of stone upon stone rings in her ears. The doors open up and Diamond can only yelp as she falls back. With her trained reflexes, she rolls with her momentum into a backwards summersault landing on her feet inches from a shocked Cicero. Dread pools into her stomach.
"What? What treachery?!" he screams. "Defiler! Debaser and defiler!" He draws a dagger and Diamond is still to shaken up to even think about drawing hers. She still waits for the voice to speak again but nothing happens. Her hand shake violently that she doesn't even try and snap back at Cicero about defiance. "You have violated the sanctity of the night Mother's coffin! Explain yourself!"
Diamond tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Bile rises at the back of her throat, and she can't tear her eyes away from the Night Mother.
"Speak, worm!" Cicero demands.
Diamond manages to find her voice. "The Night Mother spoke to me!" she defends. Her voice shakes and she raises her hands in aegis. "She said, "I'm the one.""
"She . . . spoke to you?" Cicero's face debates for a moment before contorting into a fierce scowl. "More trickery and deceit! You lie! The Night Mother speaks only to the Listener! And there is . . . no . . . Listener!"
"Wait!" Diamond pleads. "She told me to tell you, "Darkness rises when silence dies."
Cicero's face goes completely placid, and Diamond's worried the words were made for him to signal to strike.
"She . . . she said that? She said those words . . . to you? "Darkness rises when silence dies"?" Cicero repeats. "But those are the words. The Binding Words. Written in the Keeping Tomes. The signal so I would know. Mother's only way of talking to sweet Cicero . . ."
Diamond takes cautious steps back as Cicero turns to face her. He suddenly claps and begins to dance.
"Then . . . it is true! She is back! Our Lady is back! She has chosen a Listener! She has chosen you! All hail the Listener!" Cicero cheers and laughs.
Then the door to the chamber opens and Astrid comes running in. Diamond feels her hands grab her shoulder and usher her back further from Cicero. "By Sithis, this ends now! Back away, fool! Whatever you've been planning is over!" she yells.
Diamond takes deep breathes to calm her abrupt heart rate.
"Are you all right? I heard the commotion. Who was Cicero talking to? Where is the accomplice?" Astrid interrogates. "Show yourself traitor!"
"I spoke only to the Night Mother!" Cicero interjects. "I spoke to the Night Mother, but she didn't speak to me. Oh no. She only spoke to her! To the Listener!" he points to Diamond and begins to dance again.
Astrid keeps a hand on Diamond's shoulder and steps in front of her. "What? The Listener? What are you going on about? What is this is lunacy?"
"It's true, it's true! The Night Mother has spoken! The silence has been broken! The Listener has been chosen!" Cicero cheers.
Diamond remains quiet as Astrid guides her outside the room. Cicero doesn't follow. When they're outside, Diamond's knees can't hold her weight and she falls to the floor, back against the wall.
Astrid kneels down and whispers gently. "When I heard Cicero screaming, I knew you'd been discovered. I feared the worst. Are you all right?"
"I . . ." Diamond's throat tightens so that she chokes. "I don't know. It happened so fast." Diamond finds her hands still shaking. She clenches them into fists so Astrid won't see.
"Okay, let's all just take a deep breath." Astrid coos. "What happened? Cicero spoke to the Night Mother, but she spoke to you. Is this just more of the fool's rambling?"
"It's, true. The Night Mother spoke to me. She said I was "the one." Diamond says.
"What?" says Astrid with surprise. "So Cicero wasn't talking to anyone else. Just . . . the Night Mother's body?"
Diamond nods.
"And the Night Mother, who, according to everything we know, will only speak to the person chosen as Listener . . . just spoke. Right now . . . to you?" Astrid clarifies.
"Yes." Diamond speaks. Her voice sounds distant, like it's been a while since she's used it.
"By Sithis." Astrid swears. "And, what did she say?"
"I must speak to someone named Amaund Montierre, in Volunruud."
"Amaund Montierre? I have no idea who that is. But Volunruud . . . that I have heard of. And I know where it is."
Diamond pushes to her feet. "So, should I go to Volunruud? Should I talk to this man?"
Astrid leans against the wall and folds her arms. "Hmm. No. No!" she barks. "Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but you take your orders from me. Are we clear on that?"
"Why are you suddenly pissed at me?!" Diamond barks back. Her fury finally breaking through her confusion and shock. "You told me to go into the coffin."
"The Night Mother may have spoken to you, but I am still the leader of this family. I will not have my authority so easily dismissed." Astrid speaks.
Diamond sighs and folds her arms. She runs her fingers through her hair and closes her eyes for a moment. "Astrid, did I not just say before that we would need a miracle to overstep The Faceless?! Well this is it!"
"I . . . I need time to think about all this. Go see Nazir - do some work for him. Or go see Libby, I don't care. I'll find you when I'm ready to discuss the matter further." Astrid finalizes. She then turns and walks away, leaving Diamond with herself.
Diamond gets up and holds the wall momentarily. She peers into the next room at Cicero he turns his head abruptly that Diamond flinches. "Oh! You are the Listener! You are the Listener! I have served mother well, I have!"
Diamond eyes him with discomfort and speed walks out of the chamber, nearly plowing into Babette and through the front door. Outside, the cold air seeps through the fabric of her clothing and she pulls her jacket tight around her shoulders.
She slides her fingers through his hair and adjusts her ponytail. She wants to go to Libby. Riding a carriage would seem logical, but Diamond's so filled with stalled adrenaline that she can't stop herself. She walks faster. And faster and faster, until she's sprinting. The air rushing around her body. Pumping her arms, she runs down the hills, through Falkreath, until she reaches the carriage on the other side of the village.
Diamond nearly stumbles into the carriage but catches herself on the post. She pulls herself onto the wood and lays on her back, heaving air in and out of her lungs as beads of sweat form on her forehead.
"Are you all right?" the driver asks.
Diamond only nods and tosses a coin purse his way. "Riften." She breathes.
"Is someone after you? Maybe you should tell the guards."
"I'm fine!" she snaps, but she quickly retorts. "I'm fine. Just get me to Riften. Please."
The driver nods and turns around to face the front he snaps the reins on the horse and after a snort, Diamond feels the carriage lurch forward.
Libby leans against the wall to the open training room, holding back a wince of pain. Her shoulder throbs where Vex struck her. Now that she's been performing more important assignments for the Guild, Brynjolf's made her spend hours training. Vex is her trainer, they wiry Imperial second only to Mercer in skill with a blade.
"If you'd stop making mistakes, you wouldn't hurt so much," Vex says, pacing before her. "To your feet. It's time to dance."
Libby pushes herself off the wall, knowing Vex would continue whether she was ready or not. For hours they danced, blunted practice swords whirling and clanging as they parry, riposte, and block. Of all Libby's teachers of combat, Vex is by far the best, as well as the most enjoyable to be with. She laughs, she jokes, she says things about men that make Libby's stomach hurt from laughing. When it comes to swordplay, though, she takes the dance seriously. The joy fades from her eyes like a fire buried in dirt. After an error, she'd explain to Libby what she'd done wrong. Should she react too slowly, or too foolishly, that'd be corrected as well. Sometimes Vex explains in great detail what to do, and when. Most often, though, she smacks Libby with her knife and let the pain do the teaching.
This practice is particularly brutal. Vex wanted to hone Libby's dodging ability. Denying her the ability to use her sword in defense, or to strike back, Vex swings and stabs with incredible speed. The problem is that Libby's initial reaction is always to block or parry, not dodge. Other teachers might have taken away Libby's sword, but Vex would have none of it.
"You'll learn to control your instincts, otherwise they'll control you," Vex says. Again and again the sword cracks against Libby's shoulders, her head, and her hands. Whenever Libby tries to raise her sword, Vex's other blade would shoot out, parry it away, and then slap Libby across the face.
At last, when both were exhausted and dripping with sweat, Vex called the training done.
"You're getting better," Vex says. "I know it's tempting to show off how good you are at positioning your blades, but sometimes, especially with stronger opponents, it's best to just get out of the way. Once you're reacting quicker, we'll work on integrating those dodges into your normal defensive patterns."
And with that, Libby is dismissed. Her teacher gone, she rubs her shoulder, a part of her wanting to massage it. But massages meant pain, and pain meant failure, at least when it comes to training with Vex. After all, is she would just dodge like she was supposed to, she wouldn't have a bruise on her. So she puts it out of her mind as best she can, wipes more sweat from her face onto her sleeve, and walks out of the training room.
With it being close to dusk, members of the Guild are about the Cistern. Cynric was over by the open archery station near the Vault, Etienne and Thrynn observing while Niruin was sharpening his blade. Libby sighs and kneels down at the edge of the moat and splashes her face with some of the cold water. She pats her face and feels a tap on her shoulder. Vipir stands over her with a rag in hand.
"Thanks." Libby smiles.
"Another rough day with Vex?" he snickers.
"You have no idea. And the fact that I have to meet Maven in an hour only ads to my anxiety. I can't go to her smelling like the ass of a mule." Libby says.
"We live in the Ratways. It is probably to be expected." Vipir reminds.
"Well still it doesn't hurt to look presentable." Libby takes down her hair and ruffles her fingers through it, feeling her follicles tingle in relief makes her sigh. She ruffles it more before flipping it to one side.
Vipir sits down next to her, his ankles dipping into the water. He leans forward, hands to his knees while Libby hugs hers to her chest. They sit in silence and Libby glances around the Cistern.
"You'd think those jobs would pay off by now." Libby murmurs.
"Things take time, Libby. Riften wasn't built in a day." says Vipir.
"Any advice before I meet Maven?" she asks.
"Besides don't muck it up?" Vipir teases, resulting in a punch to the arm from Libby. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just look professional, talk about only business."
Libby nods and pushes up from her seat. She hears her name called and finds Brynjolf walking towards her. "I'm about to head out, no need to remind me." Libby smirks.
"Actually, you may need to dely." He says, and Libby quirks an eyebrow at him. "You've got company."
Libby gives him a look of confusion for the briefest moment before she realizes his meaning. Libby peers over his shoulder, and he steps aside in time to find Diamond colliding into her and gathering her frantically in a hug.
"Diamond? Diamond, what's wrong?" Libby asks nervously.
Diamond only muffles into Libby's cuirass, something between sobbing and asking why she smelt bad. Libby gathers her in her arms and strokes her head, glancing at Brynjolf who only looks to her in surprise. Libby pets Diamond's head and kisses the crown of her head. She whispers, "It's okay," as she feels Diamond begins to shake. Libby guides Diamond through the Cistern and to the Flaggon, keeping an arm around her shoulder to shield from the Guild members.
The only word she managed to catch through Diamond's mumbling was the word: Listener.