Chapter 22 –Loose ends
Arquen had not noticed, that she had fallen asleep. The warmth of the strong warrior and the slow steady rising of his chest had lulled her to sleep. And she only woke when his movement had stopped and she heard his voice coming from far away.
"Hey wake up! By Nocturnal's tits! What are you? Twelve?"
She opened her hazel coloured eyes and blinked a couple of times, confused to where she was. The walls surrounding her were cut out of natural stone and lit up with an eerie red glow. Caman set her down on her feet carefully, not removing his arm from around her waist to keep her steady. And she still held on to him for dear life, feeling not yet fit enough to walk on her own.
"Where are we?"
She asked looking into his eyes, which now looked like wet moss.
"Home!"
The Altmer offered, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder. Arquen turned and her heart nearly skipped a beat. She was standing in front of the ancient black door, the entrance to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary.
"Here our ways part!"
Caman said shortly, prying his arm away from her, even though the female was not yet willing to let him go.
"You're leaving?"
"I did what I was told to do. Make no mistake. If I see you ever again, I'll give you a facelift. One you'll not like!"
He turned to leave, but she grabbed the sleeve of his chainmail shirt.
Across the Corbolo River, in the market district of the town, a man in dark clothing entered the Newlands Lodge. He looked around the public parlour, before choosing a table in a shadowy corner. One, where he could overlook the whole room. He sat with his back against a wall and facing the door. A lesson he had learned so long ago when he had been a young man. Never sit with your back towards the door. He pulled a silver amulet from his neck and started to play with it. The enchantment of the amulet was gone, he could very faintly feel the magic vibrating through it.
Sorilkad has always been such a talented mage, it's almost a shame he wastes his talent on necromancy.
Lucien had been very impressed by the effect, the Dunmer had put on the small trinket. Through its power, it had given him the very convincing appearance of a ghost. Lucien had liked that part of the game. He had fooled them all with that little trick. And he had left them in the believes, that he was dead. It would have been so very easy to reveal himself and take back his rightful place as a Speaker. And yet he could not bring himself to do so. What the Black Hand had done to him, they couldn't have made it more clear that he had been exiled. He would not march back there like a dog that had been beaten by his master, yet happily whacking his tail when he comes back. No. If they wanted him back, they should seek him out. But he wasn't sure if he even wanted to come back. True, the Brotherhood had been part of him for a long time now. But he had died for them, he was free now, was he not? He could start over now. He sighed deeply, shaking his head in resignation.
"Curse it all to Oblivion..."
He muttered before ordering himself a bottle of Cyrodiilian Brandy. He had done what he came for, sought out vengeance and ended a contract he started so long ago. Now all he wanted was to get drunk and maybe have a little fun.
The pair of Dunmeri assassins had no trouble finding the abandoned house, they were looking for and entered it silently. It made Uvani wonder though, how this Sanctuary could remain hidden for such a long time. That abandoned house was more than only a little obvious. At least the front of his Sanctuary was beneath a well-maintained mansion. Carefully he opened the basement door and led the way down the dark corridor. Both mer froze however as they heard a voice call out.
"You can't do that!"
Both Dunmer looked at each other with alarm. Both had not anticipated anyone down the corridor. Uvani summoned his magicka and his fingertips heated up slightly as he inched forward. Behind the last bend, a man replied darkly.
"I can do so much more bitch! Don't you think I would ever hesitate only because you have a stinking cunt between your legs? Scum is scum!"
"Funny coming from you!"
The woman hissed back. Uvani's scowl only deepened. The voice of the female, it sounded eerily familiar, even though the echo of the tunnel distorted it a little. A brief glance towards Alor told him, that his Silencer had recognised the male. He had paled a bit. With a light growl, the old mer let a small ball of fire appear in his palms and stepped forwards into the red glow, only to stop dead in his tracks yet again. A giant Altmer warrior had grabbed a smaller Altmer female by the throat, forcing her to stand on her toes while he was cursing quite colourful profanities at her. He couldn't see her face, but Alval didn't need to see it, to know who the female was. She wore a telltale black robe, that was too short for her and revealed bruised raw ankles.
That's the Altmer, Ungolim spoke of...Verhane!
It shot through Alval's mind and his brows furrowed together even more.
"What are you doing here?"
He finally snapped, the fireball in his hands growing in size and changing its colour from orange to almost white. Caman whirled around in one fluid motion, keeping his iron grip on her and drawing one of his twin swords out in the same movement. The female elf clamped her hands around his wrist, trying to pry his fingers open, while her gaze flickered towards the two Dunmer. The fear written over her features turned into a shocked yet surprised expression, as she spied the older Speaker, and then into a silent plea for help.
"Uvani!"
She croaked out, her voice a mixture of hope and disbelieve. Caman's eyes narrowed dangerously, while his gaze went from Altmer to Dunmer before he suddenly let go of her throat. Arquen slumped back against the wall gasping for air. The older Dunmer's eyes shifted towards her briefly, before he focused on the warrior again, trying to figure the tall mer out. Recovering quickly, Arquen made an unsteady step towards Uvani but was blocked by a thin sharp blade of Caman's second sword, which he had drawn out in the blink of the eye. She froze immediately, sensing that Caman's patience with her had run thin, while the warrior's green eyes finally fell on Alor, who had fallen a bit behind his Speaker. A grin spread across the Caman's even features.
"Oh look who we have here. The little asshole."
He greeted the young mer with a cheerful voice. Banus took an involuntary step backwards. Alval, sensing his Silencers discomfort, took a bold step forward, bringing himself between the young elf and the tall mer, the fire spell in his hands again changing colours from white into an angry blue. By now, he could feel the heat of the flames on his face.
"I'll turn your bones to ash!"
Alval sneered angrily, his eyes shining crimson with fury. But Caman only chuckled.
"Ohhh, a spell. I'm so scared!"
Uvani growled darkly, the fire engulfing his hands only growing, ready to burn that infernal Altmer into a shrivelled up little corpse. And yet Caman laughed out loudly before his voice turned suddenly dark and serious.
"Drop that shit, N'Wah. You'll end up having a sodding blade through your fucking spine. And then I'll rape your fucking corpse! Ohn vith'ez morfijin bunjiro!"
Uvani's glowing eyes narrowed on the Altmer.
"I'd like to see you try!"
The Dunmeri Speaker almost growled, accepting the challenge. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he readied himself to release the deadly spell on the insolent mer. And then suddenly his fire died out and he straightened up, meeting Caman's grin with an emotionless stare, the angry glow in his eyes gone.
"Juli wiu! Zexem'uma skrel!"
A gravelly yet menacing voice came from out of the shadows. Banus whirled around, startled by the sudden noise but stopped dead in his tracks, as he saw the tip of a glowing glass dagger being pressed into Uvani's side. A grin appeared on Sorilkad's face as he looked the young mer over, before pressing the tip of his free index finger against Alor's chest.
"Get back, asshole!"
His voice was calm, almost emotionless, as he released enough energy to let the Silencer tumble against the wall.
"What do you want from us?"
Uvani asked grumpily, holding both hands up, to show the two strangers that he had let his magicka die out. His eyes flickered briefly towards Alor, who groaned in pain, holding his chest, where the shock spell had hit him. It was a glance that held both a warning to stay down and the unspoken question if he was ok. Banus only nodded, before his gaze fell to the floor again.
Caman straightened up to his full height with a sigh, finally sheathing his swords.
"Actually we are helping you lot of fucktards!"
He answered nonchalantly before he turned to Sorilkad.
"Let the sucker go, he will not cause us any trouble."
The gaze of his green eyes fixed the Dark Elf Speaker for a long moment.
"Right?"
Satisfied that he received a sharp nod he turned towards his friend.
"Any trouble in the prison?"
Chuckling Sorilkad shook his head.
"Pet was a bit too vocal for my liking. Fixed that issue."
He paused pointing his thumb towards Uvani and his silencer.
"Surprised to see this bunch of idiots tough."
Caman shrugged, while Uvani stepped past him with an angry frown on his face and reached for Arquen. Instantly the woman leant part of her weight on her fellow Speaker, who steadied her with an arm around her waist. She looked terrible enough for him to be concerned.
"Why would a mage and a warrior help us? You are not part ..."
Caman held up his hands.
"If you say, family, I believe I have to kill you..."
"Part of the Brotherhood."
Uvani finished, putting some emphasised on the last word while glaring up into Caman's face, a silent challenge. Caman turned towards Uvani and squared his chest, letting his muscles play a little under his armour. With a smirk he started:
"Because you little..."
He was cut off by Sorilkad however, who squeezed himself between the two mer, pushing Caman back.
"Because of reasons."
He finished his big friend's sentence, before bowing his head slightly.
"But I see we are finished here."
He turned Caman around pushing him towards the tunnel.
"What reasons!"
Uvani snapped.
"What reasons could a barbarian and a necromancer have?"
"Lachance..."
Arquen said next to the Dark Elf Speaker, her voice barely a louder than a whisper.
"But why?"
A grim smile appeared on Sorilkad's face, while he fixed his cold, calculating gaze on the woman.
"Let's just say, we are extended family. That's all you need to know."
With that, he gave the assassins another small bow, before turning on his heels and disappearing into the tunnel. Caman started to follow the mage but stopped next to Alor, bowing down to the smaller mer.
"I'm already looking forward meeting you little bugger again."
His low voice rich with confidence as he patted the young mer's cheek.
"See you little asshole."
With that, the High Elf straightened and sauntered up the corridor, following his friend out of that tunnel. Uvani shot murderous glances after them until he was sure they were gone and turned towards Arquen.
"By Sithis, Arquen..."
He started but out of impulse, Arquen pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face into his reddish hair and cutting him off. For a moment he tensed up with his scowl deepening, but then with a deep sigh, he put his arms around the shaking woman, trying to calm her down. He hadn't seen her this distraught ever since she became a member of the Dark Brotherhood. They both had still been young back then.
"He told me you were dead."
With another deep sigh, the Dunmeri Speaker pried her arms away from his neck, finally freeing himself from the hug.
"He tried, Arquen. But failed."
His eyes shifted towards Alor briefly, whose gaze was still fixed on the floor, visibly shaken.
"Thanks to my Silencer here."
The Altmer nodded, drawing in a shaky breath, before turning her attention first to the younger Dunmer and then to a silent figure standing a couple of steps back. Her eyebrows wandered up as she recognised the silent Breton.
"Valtieri?"
She asked, but the vampire only stared ahead with a blank expression, mouth pressed shut so tightly, his lips were only a thin white line. Beside the tall woman, Uvani raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"The Necromancer's doing."
He mused while taking a step closer towards the statue-like man. Right at that moment, a green flash lit up the vampire's eyes, before he stumbled forward with a low groan. He needed a couple of breaths before straightening up again. His eyes widened a little with surprise, taking his surroundings in.
"Speaker Arquen, Speaker Uvani...I...I'm sorry, that necromancer...he had me..."
Vicente tried to get his thoughts together but was stopped by Uvani's raised hand.
"We figured."
The experienced Speaker took a last good look around, straining his hearing to be sure, that the two strangers really had left the tunnel. As he was sure, he turned towards the door.
"We will talk about that matter later. First, we rest...and heal."
With that, he muttered the password and the ancient black door opened.
Two mer entered the Newland's Lodge, laughing and joking. The publican looked at the tall Altmer with a suspicious look, sending a silent prayer to each of the nine divines that Verhane would not cause any trouble at this ghastly time of night.
At least Verhane is out of his armour...always a good sign.
she thought, taking a closer look at the tall mer. He was wearing a dark green short sleeved tunic, revealing more of his muscular tattooed arms and a little bit of his well-chiselled chest. His friend beside him wore a similar tunic only in dark blue and it too revealed tattooed arms. The mer ordered each a bottle of beer before they sat down at the table, that was already occupied by a moody Imperial.
Lucien looked up as he saw his friends come in and a relieved smile tugged at his lips. They were well and safe and surely fulfilled their part to his utter satisfaction. His family was safe again. All of them. He emptied his glass just as they took their seats at the table. Caman cocked his head to the side and took a quick sniff at the bottle in front of Lucien before holding it against the light. It was almost empty. The Altmer raised a surprised eyebrow.
"Damn mate, you're drunk already!"
Lucien chuckled and took another sip.
"I'm fine. Feels strange though. Saving the family and not being part of the family..."
He put the small amulet in front of Sorilkad, who put it away into his pocket. With concern written all over his features, the Dunmeri mage looked over the table.
"So it worked? How did it go down?"
Lucien smiled.
"Splendid. That little bastard actually shat himself. You should have seen his face."
Sorilkad nodded slowly.
"Yet you are drinking yourself stupid. Lucien, do you really think you can fool me?"
The Imperial's gaze darkened for a moment before he took another sip of his glass.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Sorilkad drew breath for a lengthy answer, but Caman's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Not now Soril. Look at him. That guy has been through much the last months. Just let him have some fucking fun for a change."
The Necromancer raised an eyebrow.
"Best friends all of a sudden eh? I fear the worst."
He muttered while a mischievous smirk lit up the Altmer's face.
"Just wait a moment, I'll be back in a second."
He stood up and went over to the publican, while Lucien watched him talk to her.
"What is he doing."
Sorilkad shrugged, his brows furrowed together in a deep scowl.
"You don't want to know..."
From the counter, they heard Dervera Romalen giggle and Sorilkad rolled his eyes as he saw her hand feel over Caman's chest and biceps. Moments later she ducked down and handed the High Elf a black bottle. Caman smiled brightly at her, pressing a quick kiss on her cheek before returning to the table. He set three shot glasses in front of them and the bottle in the middle.
"Drinking time, boys."
He exclaimed, still beaming. Lucien took the bottle into his hand and looked at it curiously.
"What is that?"
"Cliff Racer."
Caman answered. Beside him Sorilkad groaned, remembering the last time he was on a drinking spree with Caman. Lucien looked up with a questioning look in his eyes.
"It's only for the bravest of souls."
Caman explained further.
"Cliff Racer is Firebrand Wine, Cyrodiilic Brandy, Flin and Sujamma."
With his eyebrows wandering up on his forehead Lucien put the bottle back on the table, where Caman grabbed it immediately and filled their glasses.
"You are a brave soul, Lucien, are you not?"
The Highelf lifted his glass.
"To us. To the brothers of darkness."
The other two men lifted their glasses as well
"To the brothers of darkness."
Uvani stared down at what had been Mathieu Bellamont with disgust, holding one hand over his nose and mouth. He had not been prepared for the sight, they were greeted with. What remained of his former Silencer looked like it had been ripped apart by an angry Xivilai. His stomach had been shredded, strewn around him were pieces of his guts, flesh and muscles, a grizzly permanent smile was carved into his mouth. And he stunk. Of fear, death and faeces.
"By Sithis..."
Vicente Valtieri muttered standing beside the Dunmeri Speaker forcing his gaze away from the gruesome sight. He met Ocheeva's shocked eyes, who was still bound.
"Vicente..."
She muttered, her tongue flickering out to test the air, to see if the Vampire was real or just another apparition. With a growl, the vampire shook himself and hurried over to the mistress of the Sanctuary and finally freed her. She hugged him tightly as soon as he put his knife away.
"You're back."
She muttered.
"What happened?"
Vicente smiled at her.
"That's a long story. I'll tell you later."
And while Vicente worked on freeing the other members, Arquen stepped beside Uvani, looking down at the broken corpse.
"He had it coming."
She said after a while. Beside her, the Dunmer grunted in approval and turned around.
"What in all Oblivion happened here!"
He snapped over the buzz of conversation. Vicente and Ocheeva turned towards the Speakers. She bowed politely.
"Best we talk about that privately."
Ocheeva said, her voice forcefully calm. Her stern gaze met Vicente's concerned gaze yet again, as she continued.
"But first I'm afraid, we have to deal with one of our very own. Bellamont did not work alone. Antionetta helped him."
For a moment, Vicente's eyes widened, but then his gaze darkened with anger and disappointment.
"Where is she?"
Was all he asked, but before Ocheeva could answer, her brother walked up to her.
"I'm afraid, Sithis has already dealt with her."
Was all Teinaava said in a grave voice, pointing towards the wall. The eyes of the gathered high-ranking members followed the Argonian's outstretched fingers. There, with her back against the wall, lay the still body of the young Breton woman. Her eyes were wide and empty, her gaze still fixed on what had been Bellamont. A frown appeared on Vicente Valtieri's features. Her once golden hair had turned white.
"She died out of fear."
He said his voice stern and low. Beside him, Ocheeva nodded solemnly, before she turned her attention back to the members of the Black Hand. She would deal with Antionetta's passing later. Would address the rest of the Sanctuary later. But now, there were more important matters to attend to. Her tongue flickered out once more. She could smell Lucien's faint scent on the clothes of the female, as well as wounds that were concealed by the robe. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought back to the events. It couldn't be a coincidence that two high-ranking members of the Brotherhood suddenly stood in their sanctuary. Both looking worn out and tired. And while she led them down to her private quarters, it became clear to Ocheeva, that Bellamont had come close to wipe out the Black Hand as well.
In the early morning hours, Dervera Romalen stopped Caman as he returned from the bathroom.
"You're two buddies are seriously drunk."
She said to him as calm as possible. Caman gave her a genuine smile.
"I've noticed."
He purred.
"Though that's a nice way of putting it. They completely smashed."
Dervera scratched the back of her head almost nervously.
"You mind getting them into bed? I would like to close down."
Again Caman nodded; stifling a yawn himself: He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep himself in a long while.
"Aye, lass, sure thing."
With that, he slowly moved through the public parlour, towards their table. His friends were hanging over the wooden round, giggling like little kids and he had to shake his head with an amused smile. He had to admit, that killing a whole bottle of Cliff Racer might not have been the brightest idea. Now Caman was confronted by the fact, that he had to babysit two grown men. Very drunken, silly grown man. Lucien Lachance looked up at the tall Altmer, as Caman grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up nonchalantly.
"Come on, bedtime."
Caman said calmly, while Lucien put his arm around the Altmer's waist.
"My fair lady,"
The Imperial slurred.
"Ha you e'er h-heard the tale o'Mathieu Bella...mont an the great treachery o'Cheydinhal?"
Caman rolled his eyes while he grabbed Sorilkad on the other side, steadying the Dunmer by the waist. The Dunmer chuckled.
"LuLu I think the maid has a dick."
Both men burst out with laughter while Caman dragged them up the stairs.
Reaching their room, he put Sorilkad on a chair and Lucien on the bed. The Imperial immediately collapsed, causing Caman to finally lose it.
"Seriously? You two are fucking kidding me!"
He did not receive an answer, only a slight snoring came from Lucien, who had already fallen asleep. With a growl, he began to strip the Imperial naked, throwing his cloth into a messy pile on the floor.
"Bloody wanker! Can't even hold his liquor!"
The Altmer cursed under his breath, pulling the robe over the Imperial's head, messing up his hair greatly. When he was finally done undressing the assassin, he roughly pulled the sheets out from under him, before covering him up. He straightened his back and turned towards Sorilkad, who had been unusually quiet the whole time.
"What the fuck..."
He cursed, seeing that the mer had fallen asleep in the chair as well.
"Next time, I'll make sure those suckers are bloody naked when we start drinking!"
Moments later he had Sorilkad undressed as well. And he too landed in bed with the Imperial, who turned around and hugged himself to Sorilkad as soon as he sensed the warm body beside him. For the last time, Caman sighed settling down on the other bed, soon falling asleep himself.
In the late morning hours, Alval Uvani was pacing around in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. He hadn't gotten much sleep that night after they all shared their stories. Something did not match up. And it concerned the Dunmer greatly. Everywhere he went, these two strangers seemed to show up. First Ungolim, then Alor and now they assisted to free two members of the Brotherhood, even though they had no apparent ties to the Brotherhood themselves. That didn't make any sense. Uvani wrecked his brain, how these two might have gotten any information about the Brotherhood at all. And after what he had heard, a theory had formed in his mind, he did not like at all. One little detail had the Speaker concerned. One of them was a Necromancer and according to Vicente Valtieri, they had come across Lucien's dead body.
Has Lachance spoken to them from beyond the Void?
Uvani sighed and looked around the great hall. Someone already had gotten rid of the bodies, though he could still smell it, especially where the blood had pooled. Slowly he walked over to the stain on the floor, that held the faint outline of Bellamont. Ocheeva had told him, that it had been the ghost of Lucien Lachance who had claimed Bellamont. Uvani rubbed his hands over his face. It did not make sense at all. Had Lachance been sent back as the Wrath of Sithis?
"No... That cannot be."
He muttered under his breath. He once had faced the Wrath of Sithis himself in his youth. There had to be more to the story, he just had to find the missing link, that connected a warrior and a necromancer to the Brotherhood. Deep in thought, his gaze wandered around the room, until it fell upon the dagger that was still embedded into the torch. For a long moment, Uvani just started at the weapon without really seeing it, but then a visible jolt went through the Dunmer as he finally recognised the weapon. With a raised eyebrow he pulled the dagger out of the wood and stared at the blade.
"Scalding."
He whispered.
"But how..."
He turned around as he heard conversation coming from the private quarters and seconds later Ocheeva and Arquen entered the great hall. Ocheeva had obviously cared for the other woman's wounds since Arquen looked a lot better. They looked up as they saw the Darkelf standing in the hall, dagger in hand.
"Uvani?"
The Altmer woman looked at him questioning.
"Something amiss?"
The mage huffed and closed their distance holding the dagger up.
"Where did you get this?"
He asked, his voice low and his brows furrowed together deeply. Ocheeva gave him a light shrug.
"His ghost brought it with him."
A dark shadow crossed Uvani's face. There was something amiss indeed. This here was his dagger. He had given it to Alor as a bonus about a year ago. And Banus had lost the dagger to Verhane and his friend. According to Ocheeva and Valtieri, neither of them had ever been in the Sanctuary. Again everything pointed towards the Necromancer. He must have given it to Lachance.
You can find bedding in the Newland's Lodge.
He remembered the guard tell him in the night.
Newland's Lodge... maybe I should start looking into the matter myself. Maybe I can find that Dunmer there. Or his ghost...
He thought and turned towards the exit without another word.
"Uvani. Where are you going?"
The old mer's step faltered a moment, but then he walked on.
"Out."
Was all he said, leaving the two women behind baffled. After he was gone, Ocheeva turned towards Arquen.
"Is he always that grumpy?"
The female Speaker only sighed and nodded, asking herself what had been on Uvani's mind. He had looked rather shaken.
Outside, Uvani took a deep breath inhaling the cold but fresh air. It had started snowing overnight and the sky was a dark grey colour. He could smell the winter on the wind. He shook his head, making his way over the bridge and towards the main gate. The houses lining the street reminded him of Balmora. Similar design, which was no wonder, considering that Cheydinhal was so close to the Morrowind border. With these thoughts he entered the Newland's Lodge and looked around the public parlour, the gaze of his crimson eyes soon settling on a familiar face. Without a word of greeting, he sat down at a table, opposite a tall mer with flaming red hair. Caman looked up from his breakfast, light circles under his green eyes. Stifling a yawn, he said:
"Damn, you look like you've been the playmate of a Deadra."
A sour expression appeared on the Darkelf's face, who as well had deep circles under his eyes and was a shade to paler than normal. Uvani's scowl deepened.
"I can say the same about you. Drank a little too much last night?"
Caman chuckled and shrugged.
"You bet! I've always enjoyed a drink in good company. Makes women welcome a good fuck."
Uvani nodded absent-mindedly, letting his gaze wander through the room again.
"Where is he?"
He finally asked. Caman pierced his eyes into the Dunmer's face, while taking a big sip of his coffee.
"Listen. I'm not in the mood to play the fucking pronounce game! Where is who?"
Uvani sighed, trying to be patient with the arrogant Altmer.
"Lachance."
Caman leant back, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest, making his biceps muscles bulge, his gaze hardening.
"I don't know anyone by the name of Lachance."
He finally answered the older mer. Alval smacked his flat hand on the table in a sudden fit of anger. This man was annoying the living daylights out of him.
"Don't take me for a fool! I know he is with you!"
Caman chuckled.
"You guys butchered him! Left him to rot in his little cottage."
"No! I didn't!"
The Darkelf growled.
"And I never saw his corpse. I'm not stupid! Where is he!"
"I told you already..."
Caman started but was cut off by Alval, who was clearly angry by now.
"Then Tullius or however you call him. And stop playing with me, I don't have time for your games."
Still, Caman regarded him with a cold stare, thinking his options through. Finally, he unwrapped his arms with a sigh.
"Fine. Follow me."
He emptied his cup of coffee and went to the counter, calmly ordering two more cups, much to Uvani's annoyance. The grumpy Dunmer's patience was already running dangerously thin. Caman turned to the Speaker, pressing one hot mug into the other mer's hand.
"Here. If you want to talk to him, you'll need that. Raises the spirit."
Confusion crossed the Dunmer's face, but without another word, he followed the Altmer upstairs into their rented room. Stale air and the smell of alcohol hit him, as he entered and while Caman sat down on a chair, sipping on his own coffee, Uvani looked around. In bed lay the necromancer, still snoring softly. His naked body only halfway covered up by a crumbled sheet, revealing a scarred and tattooed body. Uvani raised an eyebrow, but before he could comment on the situation he heard movement in the little bathroom adjacent to the room. Moments later the door was opened and an Imperial came out. Uvani's eyebrows rose on his forehead with surprise. The man in dark linen pants was pale as a ghost, his dark hair tousled, messy strands standing in every direction or hanging in his face. Uvani couldn't help from grinning.
"You look like you just rose from your grave."
Lachance looked up, a thin, still red scar across his face stood in stark contrast to his pale skin. For a moment he considered Uvani with a surprised glint in his dark brown eyes before he sighed.
"I feel like I'm ready for the grave..."
His eyes narrowed on the older Dunmer.
"You too have seen better days, Uvani. You are getting old."
Uvani couldn't help but chuckle softly, pressing the cup of coffee into the Imperial's hand.
"But for a corpse, you still look good."
The Dunmer's eyes wandered over Lucien's body for a moment. There were some very prominent fresh scars, telling him a tale of what he had to endure. Silence settled over them, only distorted by Sorilkad's snoring. Then Lucien turned away and grabbed his dark tunic. Uvani shook his head, as he saw the scars on the back of the Imperial, asking himself what Arquen had been thinking. Of course, she had told him in great detail what she had done to Lucien.
"Damn for a couple of Speaker, your sure are silent!"
Caman teased from where he sat. Both turned towards him, the constant look of annoyance back on the Dunmer's face.
"Can we talk in private?"
He asked Lachance, who nodded in agreement.
"Breakfast?"
Moments later the two sat downstairs in a quiet corner, pots of coffee in front of them.
"What are you doing here? Especially since you are supposed to be dead?"
Lachance asked after a long time. Uvani shrugged.
"Actually I figured it was Bellamont after he tried to kill me."
"You were looking for revenge."
The Imperial concluded before they lapsed into silence again.
"How did you figure out I was still alive?"
Uvani raised an eyebrow, swallowing a piece of bread with a big sip of coffee. Then he reached to his belt and drew Scalding, placing the dagger on the table.
"You left a clue."
A smug smile tugged at the Imperial's lips.
"You recognised the dagger after your friends had taken it from Banus. That's how you knew he was an assassin, right?"
Lucien chuckled.
"Your new Silencer seems a bit timid."
Uvani shrugged.
"Still he can perform and he is a clever boy. I'm sure he will make a fine Speaker some day."
Another pause.
"How?"
Lucien drew a deep breath.
"No thanks to you lot, that's for sure. I turned to my friend Sorilkad early on in that whole affair. Hoped to find some answers … well and a hiding spot. He found me just in time."
Uvani raised an eyebrow.
"The necromancer?"
"He's more than that. He is a respected member of the Mages Guild. And studied in Sadrith Mora."
"You can call yourself lucky to have such friends."
"Especially after my family failed me."
Lucien said with a hint of pain and disappointment in his voice. Uvani only nodded in understanding. They finished their breakfast in silence and only after the second cup of coffee, Uvani finally said.
"There are still issues at the Sanctuary. One of your Slayers died out of fear. And it still needs a Speaker."
Lucien looked at Uvani over the rim of his cup, his face void of emotion.
"There are two there at the moment, who are perfectly fine to deal with all issues."
"Sorry, but I'm not interested. I have enough to do with my own. Besides Cheydinhal had been entrusted to you."
"I was exiled, you remember?"
The Dunmer huffed.
"We were fooled and blind and obviously very stupid. All I can do is offer my sincere apology."
"You weren't the one, torturing me, Alval. And I know you well enough that you do not jump to conclusions easily. To your credit, Bellamont's plan was brilliant with a lot of work put into it. Still..."
He stopped himself, his gaze meeting the Dunmer's. The Darkelf sighed, looking down into his half empty cup.
"You cannot simply walk away from the Brotherhood."
Alval finally muttered.
"I know."
Again their eyes met before Uvani finally stood up.
"Think of it, Lucien. You belong to the family. As do your friends now to some extent. Please, come back home."
The Imperial nodded, but made no move, though the Dunmeri Speaker understood. With a nod he left the inn, heading back towards the Sanctuary. He understood, that Lucien needed time after all he'd been through.
The morning had turned to noon and finally to evening. And though things had quieted down greatly within the Sanctuary, Alval Uvani was still unusually restless. He hadn't spoken to anyone about the encounter, he had in the morning. And though he had hoped that Lucien would return to his rightful place as Speaker of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, the day had turned old without him showing up. By now, the old mer believed, that the man had indeed walked away from his family, too hurt by what they had done to him. He looked up, as he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes, realizing that his uncharacteristic nervousness had drawn the attention of both his Silencer and Arquen to him. They had already tried to question him earlier that day about what was wrong with him, but he refused to tell them. Instead, he told them, that he still felt the effects of his previous encounter with Bellamont. As night fell he finally walked up to Alor, who sat with Arquen, Vicente and Ocheeva at a table.
"Here you are, Alor. Prepare yourself for travelling home. We'll leave in about an hour."
The young mer rose nodding.
"Already?"
Arquen asked. Uvani turned to her, a stern look on his face.
"The Listener needs to know."
"But we still have to elect a new Speaker. I was already talking the matter over with..."
"That does not hurry, Arquen."
Uvani interrupted, still hoping that Lucien would return. He turned his attention back to his Silencer.
"Best we ride to Bravil as soon as possible. Oh and here..."
He handed Alor his sheathed dagger."
"I believe that belongs to you."
Alor's eyes went round as he looked at the dagger he had thought he had lost.
"How..."
He started but Uvani waved him away.
"That doesn't matter. Now off you go."
Caman found the Imperial assassin sitting on a bench on the small island in the Corbolo river shortly after nightfall. An uncharacteristic frown appeared on his even features, as he settled down on the bench next to him.
"Still here?"
He finally asked. Lucien only nodded, not taking his eyes of the ever-moving surface of the water. Caman's eyebrows rose in slight surprise. After the visit of the other Speaker, he had thought that Lucien would go back to his old position happily. Instead, the Imperial seemed deeply troubled.
"What's wrong with you? I thought you were happy?"
Again the man only shook his head and shrugged simultaneously.
"I don't know. I want to go back, but ..."
"Then go back. There are no fucking buts!"
Caman looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"You are scared!"
Finally, the Imperial looked up.
"No. Just confused. I needed time to think things through."
"I can take you along on some of my contracts if you don't want to part with us. I mean,I would enjoy my company too."
With a chuckle, Lucien rolled his eyes.
"Stay with you? Verhane you're nothing but trouble."
The Altmer grinned.
"I know. But at least I have fun."
Both men shared a laugh and looked over the river for a while each lost in their own thoughts for a while.
"Caman."
Lucien started after a while.
"As a Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood, I would like to offer you a place in our family. We could use a man with your talents."
Caman regarded him for a long while, surprised by that offer. When he spoke again, his voice was calm and stern.
"No, Lucien. I'm fine in the Fighters Guild...Besides, I still don't like assassins."
"Because one cut your ear off?"
Caman chuckled softly, his eyes lost in the distance.
"It's more than that, Lucien."
Their gazes met and after a long moment of silence, Caman sighed.
"Look Lucien. Sorilkad and me, we go back a long time. I met him when he was just a goofy kid and we grew up like brothers. Only that he was a rich kid and my mother, a Suran whore, struggled to keep us fed and dressed. When Sorilkad left for Sadrith Mora in his youth, I went to Vivec and joined the Morag Tong."
Lucien raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had suspected, that the Altmer may have had dealings with the Morag Tong, but never assumed that he had been an assassin himself.
"For a while, I made good money, supported the family and climbed the ranks until I held the rank of Brother. Then I got a contract, that changed everything. My target was Talghed Malur."
"Sorilkad's father."
Caman nodded.
"Yes. And I just couldn't do that. His mother had died a couple of years earlier, I could not kill his father. I would have lost my brother, he would have never forgiven me if I did it. So I went to Sadrith Mora and warned Sorilkad of what was about to happen, then went into hiding. They found me early one morning in a dimly lit alley in Balmora and cut my ear off as a sign of my exile. I ran Lucien, for weeks, but they found me every time. One came close killing me."
The mer lifted his head and showed Lucien the thin white scar across his throat.
"And then I came to Cyrodiil and life got a lot easier. I want to keep it that way. Besides I really enjoy the Fighters Guild."
The lapsed into silence for a while, until Lucien turned towards the tall mer, fixing him with his gaze.
"Still you know our secrets."
Caman laughed slapping the Imperial on his back.
"And I will use them shamelessly to get on your nerves every time I'm here."
Lucien made a sour face.
"I had feared as much."
Again they laughed before Caman rose.
"Don't worry. I'm not one to share secrets. And my friends can always count on my help, even though they are with the Brotherhood."
He stopped and looked over the river. In the gloomy shadow of the great chapel, he saw the outlines of an old house.
"And now go. They are waiting for you."
Verhane said, his voice calm and stood up. Lucien looked up.
"Where are you going?"
The mer turned and smiled at him, his expression unreadable.
"Home."
"No Alval, you are not leaving!"
Arquen demanded, still not willing to let the matter go. The Dunmer sighed, again close to losing his patience.
"Arquen, there is nothing you can do to make me stay. I'm not making a decision right now. You can accept it, or not, I don't care."
Arquen glared over the table at her fellow Speaker ignoring the other three sitting on the table completely.
"You know very well, that we have to make this decision! And we have to make it now! A Sanctuary cannot go without a Speaker."
Uvani huffed, smacking his flat hand on the table.
"It's enough Arquen!"
He snapped, but stopped himself, looking past the Altmer woman. Sitting on the head of the table, his gaze flickered over to the door, and the dark figure that lingered on the threshold behind the High Elf. He almost smiled.
"Dear Sister. I don't need to make a decision. This Sanctuary already has a Speaker."
Confusion crossed her face.
"What do..."
She started but was cut off by a sudden chill that ran down her spine. She could feel eyes stare into her back and straightened a little, not daring to turn around. Her gaze was fixed on Uvani who slowly rose, a small smile tugging on his lips. Slowly the Dunmer walked around the table, followed by Arquen's gaze, and held his arms out to the side.
"Welcome home, Brother. I feared you would not come."
Lucien chuckled darkly beneath his hood and pulled his fellow Speaker into a warrior hug.
"And leave all the fun to you alone?"
Finally, Arquen turned around by the sound of the dark and hauntingly familiar voice, and her eyes went wide. Slowly the Imperial reached up and removed his hood, his dark cold eyes briefly meeting Arquen's. The Altmer swallowed.
"You really want to leave us so soon, Alval?"
Lucien asked, returning his attention to the Dunmer, who's smile widened a little.
"I had hoped, we could talk a little more."
The mer inclined his head a little.
"Now, if you insist, I think I could stay a little longer."
Slowly the Altmer woman rose, her gaze darkening, as she glared at the older mer.
"You knew?"
She hissed, to which Alval nodded.
"I had my suspicions. But you understand that you would be the last person I'd share my thoughts with. We already met earlier this day though."
He earned a sour face from the female. Lucien stepped around the table and put his hands on Ocheeva's shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he fixed Arquen with a cold stare.
"I reclaim my position and my Sanctuary! I'm above all suspicion and dealt with the traitor."
He paused a brief moment.
"You, however, are not welcomed here any longer. I want you gone by the morning!"
"Lucien... "
She began but the Imperial held his hand up to stop her.
"You should prepare for your journey. I have some important things to discuss here. Without you!"
Arquen had no words for that. And by the look in Alval's eyes no support from him either. She shook her head and whispered her goodbyes to the Dunmeri Speaker, promising him, to inform the Listener. When the Dunmer finally turned his attention back to Lucien he found the Imperial in a tight hug with the Argonian. A smile tugged at his lips. These Argonians had been with the Brotherhood for all their lives, Lucien was like a father to them. How relieved they must be to have him back.
Lucien freed himself out of Ocheeva's tight hug and turned towards Vicente.
"Good to see you back, old friend."
He said. The vampire smiled at the Imperial.
"Same here. But please. Next time, please don't use a necromancer on me."
Lucien chuckled and finally sat down at the table.
"I'm sorry it caused you discomfort, it just seemed to be the best option at the moment."
Vicente rolled his eyes, yet laughed.
"I will not argue. I'm back and there will be no second time I'll let myself be handle like this."
The vampire shared a long looked with the Imperial and Lucien understood. After a while he said.
"I believe we should call the Sanctuary together. I have some explaining to do."
Vicente nodded.
"It'll be my pleasure."