Chapter XCII – Life's Greatest Illusion

It still felt like none of this was real.

He looked down at his hands, stained with blood. He saw the clothes on his leg and the side of his shirt singed and for some reason, he thought about what a fucking shame it was. They were good clothes. Expensive. From Skingrad. And that suddenly felt important for some reason as he knelt in the snow, defeated.

He knew he would die soon.

The assassin said so.

He thought he knew what it was like to be marching for his death. He still had hope to take Gabriella by surprise. He forgot how bad this was. He forgot the feeling he felt in Dawnstar.

On his knees, in front of this very same man, knowing that he would kill him.

"Gabriella," the man gasped, his voice trembling. This time, it didn't feel like his grief would be to Bishop's advantage. It just promised a more painful death.

He expected it anytime now. Any second.

"You… you have no idea what you're doing to me!" The man yelled. "I needed her! I needed Cicero! You're ruining everything that we do for you."

Bishop didn't feel like he registered those words for a while. His mind was just empty and slow, waiting for the strike to come. But it still didn't. And he had to force himself to really hear the words.

What?

He didn't understand anything. The man was right. He had no idea what he was doing. He was just sitting there, staring at the assassin panicking above him.

"I thought I could work with the mess you made, but I can't," the man threw up his arms angrily. "And what about Babette? Fuck! There's no other way. You need to be dead. That will be the only way to make things right."

Uh-uh. Sure.

What was happening? Should he attack?

He didn't feel the same instinct now. Maybe he was all out of that instinct. It ran out when he killed Gabriella. Bishop now just raised his bloodied hand, curious if he could.

"Do not even fucking think about it if you wanna live," the man snarled.

Wait… what?

Bishop got a sudden urge to laugh. He was kinda glad that only a brief amused chuckle came out. Maybe it wasn't just Cicero who was insane. This guy could take the fucking trophy for that.

"Is this fucking funny to you? Ugh!" The man snarled. "Do you understand what you just did? All my efforts will be wasted here unless I can kill you."

Bishop wasn't able to actually speak. He wanted to ask why the man hadn't killed him yet. Then again, he didn't really want to be killed. And he wasn't sure what was happening anymore.

Was he really going insane? He felt like this every time these lunatics got close to him. Nothing made sense. First this guy was trying to kill him, then he said he should not attack if he wanted to live, then he was gonna kill him again. Maybe if Bishop waited long enough, he would make up his mind. It was a decent chance it would land on 'not kill'. Like a coin flip.

Sure. Sounded so fun to have his life decided by a coin flip.

"What is the matter with you?" The man snapped at him again and he actually waved his hand in front of Bishop's eyes as he'd been delirious. "Did Gabriella do something? Always impressive."

Oh she did something alright.

Fuck! No! He couldn't let this guy kill him! Not yet. Well it would be great if he avoided that fate altogether, but first, he really needed to find something.

He quickly turned around and began to rummage through Gabriella's belt pouches. He was instantly yanked back by his elbow though.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Leave her alone! You've done enough," the man yelled.

How was Bishop still alive? He didn't get it. But he knew what he had to do.

"The antidote," Bishop growled the first words able to leave his constricted throat. He had to get it somehow. He knew he would be killed any second now, but he had to…

"She doesn't have it. I have it," the man snarled. "She gave it to me so that if you tried something, you'd face consequences."

What?! No! He was gonna kill this fucker and take the antidote. There would be no 'facing consequences'. Not when it came to Aeyrin's life.

But the change in Bishop's disposition and his snarl must have alerted the man.

"Calm the fuck down. Of course I'm gonna give it to her. But not yet. She's safe like this while we deal with this mess."

What?

"Are you fucking insane?" Bishop couldn't help it. Nothing made any sense now.

"Fuck," the man growled. He seemed exasperated. But he did squat on the ground right after to get to Bishop's level. He looked around first, really carefully, as if to gouge if anyone was listening. Weird thing to do when he was yelling just a second ago.

Bishop flinched away instinctively. It was gonna happen soon.

But instead, a black gloved hand was extended to him, as if in greeting.

Bishop didn't dare to meet that hand. Nothing would make him do that. But the next words uttered by that man did leave him doubting everything. And feeling like he was really going insane.

"Gaius Maro. Penitus Oculatus. Currently undercover."

…

This all felt like a bad joke.

Maybe it was some Daedric Prince messing with him. Nothing else would really make sense. And there were no explanations coming. At least not yet.

Gaius Maro. Possibly related to Commander Maro. Bishop did find his eyes familiar before and now he remembered where he'd seen them. He couldn't see any other features of the man though – he was entirely hidden by that fucking assassin getup.

'Undercover'. Yeah, sure. Bishop would have to be dumb as fuck to fall for that.

But…

This guy did let him live in Dawnstar. Why else would he have done that? No other explanation was there. But could the Penitus Oculatus really infiltrate the Dark Brotherhood? He expected things to be the other way around. After all, somehow, Cicero escaped his imprisonment. That couldn't just… happen. Not easily. Bishop knew by now that the Brotherhood generally avoided Dragon Bridge, at least lately. And they were assured that Cicero would never be able to escape on his own.

Of course he wouldn't. He would never leave his beloved corpse mommy behind.

So what the fuck was going on? If Maro made such strides as to have an agent inside the Brotherhood, why keep it from Bishop and Aeyrin whenever he updated them? This was too out of the blue. Too unbelievable.

Yet Bishop continued to hesitate for some reason. There was enough doubt to stop him from what he knew he had to do.

Gaius Maro told him they couldn't speak outside by the lake. Bishop had no idea why. Gabriella was dead. But the man urged him to return to the inn.

So he did. He marched inside the inn in a strange daze. The man at his back didn't have a weapon drawn anymore. Bishop could attack. Sure, he was unarmed, but he could. He could try something. And then get the antidote for Aeyrin from him.

But… what if that didn't go as planned? What if he would get killed and then waste this tiny little chance that the man was telling the truth? Bishop was supposed to be killed. Why wouldn't this guy do it, if it was really what he wanted to do. What was he playing at?

This was so fucking frustrating. Bishop felt like everything around him was just some bad dream. And no matter how fucking stupid it was, the only comfort he found was clinging to that faint hope that, for once, this assassin was not tricking him or blackmailing him.

Fuck, how he wished it was true.

"Get inside that room, just in case someone comes," Gaius commanded, pointing to one of the empty rooms.

"I have a room here," Bishop gestured to the other one. He wanted to be there, see if Aeyrin was alright. And when the time was right, he wanted to force this guy to cure her while he could actually see him do that.

"That's the first place she'll check if she comes looking," Gaius growled.

"'She'?" What the fuck? Who was he talking about?

"Just get in there. We have a lot to talk about and possibly not much time," the man ordered him again.

Fuck. Fine. He wanted answers. And whatever it would take to wake Aeyrin.

He walked into the designated room and Gaius followed, closing the door behind them. This was fucking weird. The inn was entirely empty. No innkeeper, no Orc. It was eerie. Like this whole place was just a playground for the Brotherhood right now.

"Sit down," the man pointed to the bed.

"I'm fine," Bishop scoffed. If the guy made one wrong move, Bishop needed to be ready.

"Trust me. Sit down," Gaius scowled. "There's a lot we need to discuss."

At least it was 'discuss' and not the whole 'you need to die' bullshit. What the fuck was that? Why did he keep saying that while he reassured him he could let him live and cure Aeyrin?

Bishop let out a sigh and sat down on the bed. There was a strange sense of resignation in him. It's been exhausting. He wanted to be ready to fight. He wanted to have the urge to just jump this guy and strangle him. But oddly, that was not what he felt. It was disturbing.

"Where is everyone?" He frowned. He and Aeyrin weren't the only ones in this building.

"I'll get to that. It would be best to start at the beginning. With what happened in Dragon Bridge almost eight months ago," Gaius nodded in determination.

Eight months ago? That could be around the time they brought Cicero in. What did happen?

"Like my father, I'm a Penitus Oculatus agent. I wasn't part of his unit, I never dealt with the Brotherhood. But when I came to the outpost on another business, I caught my father in the interrogation room, trying to get information out of Cicero," Gaius explained.

So what? He thought torturing assassins looked like fun so he joined the unit? Or was he the one to free Cicero?

"That was when I heard the voice for the first time," he said almost wistfully.

"That lunatic's voice? Stays with you, I guess," Bishop scoffed. He could still hear that one screeching sometimes. 'Tell me about Mother's sweet words, Listener.' Ugh.

Fuck… wait. He didn't mean…?

"Not Cicero," Gaius shook his head. "The Night Mother."

The man let the fact sink in while Bishop only stared at him incredulously. What the fuck? This really was insane. Maybe he was dead and this was some kind of weird afterlife illusion. That was… fucked up.

"Are you actually trying to fucking convince me you're this… Listener bullshit? That you hear a fucking corpse talk?" Bishop scoffed. That was crazy. Not only was it crazy that such a thing would even be possible, but him? Seriously? This weird-ass corpse would really choose the son of their enemy? A Penitus Oculatus agent?

"It's real. Do you think the Brotherhood would have an Era-old tradition based on a lie? I heard the voice. I am the Listener," Gaius nodded.

"You?!" Even if Bishop was willing to entertain the prospect of this shit being real, why the fuck would it be him?

"I was just as confused and shocked as you are, believe me. But it was… a feeling I never felt before. I knew my purpose then," he said reverently.

"Oh. Right. To become an assassin instead of an Imperial spy. Sure. Sounds fucking fun. I guess your father took it well," Bishop scoffed.

"He did when we agreed on a plan. I had no idea what I just heard, so naturally, I told him. And then this all started. I convinced Cicero I am devoted to my new calling. I proved my worth by pretending to steal the Night Mother and deliver her to the Brotherhood. They thought I was defying my father, my people, while in truth, this was all orchestrated by us. All of it. I was taken into their old sanctuary near Dawnstar, stuck there with the Night Mother, listening to her orders and relaying them to the assassins. I planned to get Cicero out with my new family, only to ask father in secret to accommodate the rescue. I needed him. I needed as many allies as possible in the Brotherhood so that they would finally grant me access to their main sanctuary. So that I can finally learn its location and reveal it."

That was… what?!

"You are tricking the entire Brotherhood including their fucking magic corpse?!" Bishop sputtered. He was dreaming, right? This wasn't real.

"That's… the strange part. I am tricking them, but the Night Mother doesn't seem to care. I know she knows of my intentions, but she still helps me gain everyone's trust," Gaius shrugged.

"What? That's fucking dumb as the Void! Why the fuck would she?!" Bishop scowled fiercely. That was insane. He felt somehow even more confused than before, despite getting some explanations.

"Strange, right? But I learned by now that she is anything but predictable," Gaius sighed. "Only my father and a select few know of my mission. I am a deserter for the Penitus Oculatus officially, but some know what I am doing. Now you know too."

"This is the part where you tell me I need to die again?" Bishop scoffed. Did he now know too much? He still felt like he knew sweet fuck-all.

"No. Well… you do, but don't panic. I will get to that," Gaius nodded.

Oh sure! Why the fuck would anyone panic when they were told they were gonna be fucking killed?!

"This is where it gets difficult. There are those in the Brotherhood who do not honor the old ways, who do not think that me merely being the Listener warrants their trust. Especially when it comes to my previous occupation."

"Which you still claim to do," Bishop scowled. Was he an assassin tricking the spies or was he a spy tricking the assassins?

"I do, yes, but they think I left that behind when I found purpose in my new role. I can't blame their reservations, but it makes things difficult. I have precious little allies in the Brotherhood and I am not allowed into the main Sanctuary. Do you know who my allies are?" Gaius gave him a dark look.

"Cicero," Bishop mumbled. If what he was saying was really true, the reaction to Cicero's death and him sparing Bishop did make more sense.

"And Gabriella," he sighed. "Veezara was starting to speak up for me as well before something happened to him. Do you see now what you are doing? You are preventing us from ending this once and for all."

"I am fucking fighting for my life here! Talk to me when they find you out. I can guarantee you, they don't like being tricked!" Bishop growled at him.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Gaius snapped back. "I was going to intervene! I needed Gabriella! But before I could…"

"How the fuck was I supposed to know that?! You expect me to wait for my death when I can strike. Maybe if someone fucking told me what was going on, I could have…"

"That's why I'm telling you now," Gaius interrupted him. "Enough is enough. I can't have you ruining everything like this. It needs to stop. Your unexpected success against the assassins prolonged our mission considerably. But we can still fix it. This could all be over soon."

"Over how?" Bishop frowned. If only he could believe this. It seemed too good to be true to think of this whole mess being over.

"When I finally get access to the main sanctuary, I will learn of its defenses and report to my father. We will end the Dark Brotherhood at last when our agents storm the place. But for that, I need to earn my place there," Gaius sighed.

What did that mean?

"I thought this would have happened a long time ago when I brought them all a contract from the Night Mother. A very important one," he shook his head. "But even that wasn't enough. I keep helping with it, working with those that trust me, just so that they can say I was integral, while I know their real target is not going to be… real. But I would prefer if it did not come to that. If I get to the Sanctuary before that, a lot of trouble can be avoided. A lot of death. That was supposed to happen now. There is an Orc here that needed to be… disposed of."

"You came for the Orc? Seriously?" Bishop scoffed. Why? Who the fuck was he to warrant a contract?

"Don't concern yourself with the Orc. What is your concern is that you were at the worst place possible at the worst possible time. When Gabriella saw you here, her plans changed and I had to pretend to go along with them. Some are convinced you are the reason for all the deaths, which I know to be true. I tried to deter them from thinking this, but there was no deterring them. So I agreed. What else could I do? You are right here. What could I possibly say in your defense? It's not even about wasting time anymore. The Orc was disposed of and there was no reason not to kill you, not for Gabriella and Babette, grieving for their lost Brothers. Gabriella wanted us all to do this together to avenge our Brothers. She said that she would make you compliant and harmless at last by holding your wife hostage with one of Babette's poisons. And… well… you know how that worked out for her. I was going to interfere with my own plan that would have spared my ally, but now that is moot. And there is only one way out of this."

"Right. I need to die," Bishop scoffed. "Do you really fucking think I will let you, after what you saw I did to Gabriella?"

"Well… you would not be so lucky with me, but that's beside the point," Gaius shrugged. "You are not really going to die. Despite how much you jeopardized with your latest stunts, my father is… very impressed with your ability to dispose of the assassins, even if a lot of it was by luck. And you did make all of this possible in the first place. We do not sacrifice our allies like this. But there is another way. You will just… appear dead. To the world."

"You… want to fake my death?" Bishop scowled. Alright, now some of what this guy said before made a little more sense. He could have just said so before though!

"Exactly. When I 'kill' you after what you did to Gabriella, that will be another step towards gaining the trust I need. Killing the man that the Brotherhood was tricked by and the one they believe to be responsible for so many misfortunes that befell them… that will go a long way," Gaius nodded.

"So you 'kill' me, get access to that Sanctuary and actually end all of this?" It seemed too good to be true. "So… we just leave now? We can hide for a while, that shouldn't be too hard." They could go to Sky Haven Temple for a time. Nobody would be able to find them there.

"'We'? Who do you think will be selling this?" Gaius inclined his head to the wall to his left. Right behind that wall, Aeyrin was still undoubtedly fast asleep in the bed.

"Wait… what the fuck are you saying?" Bishop scowled. He kind of knew what he was saying. Fuck. He had no problem pretending to be dead and hiding somewhere with her, but… this?

"I think you know," Gaius sighed. "I can't just… say I killed you. All of this needs to be believable. I need to convince Babette that I really killed you and your wife will be doing the best convincing possible. If she really believes it."

"You're fucking insane! I can't do that to her!" Bishop snapped at him. That was… that was unthinkable. How could he ever do this to her? It would fucking break her! "Look, she can make it believable, she understands how much is at stake…"

"You don't seem to understand how much is at stake," Gaius growled. "Should I remind you of a certain poison that currently renders your wife incapacitated? Do you think that that would be where they stop if they find out you tricked them yet again? We both have everything to lose if we're found out and we cannot treat it lightly."

"No, wait, slow down," Bishop shook his head desperately. He couldn't even think about this. It was insane. They could come up with something else, surely. "Who's Babette? There's another one of you here?" It's what it seemed like. They would find some other solution. How about killing the other assassin and then… something.

"Yes. By my father's reports, you encountered her before," Gaius nodded. "A vampire. A child, though she is older than the rest of the assassins combined. She is my ally as well and she has been advocating for my access to the Sanctuary for a long time. Me and her were here to assist Gabriella in killing the Orc. Not that she needed help, but we were to serve as a distraction for the innkeeper. It's necessary here for the usual lack of patrons to use as alibi or distractions. But… once Gabriella saw you approach this place, her plans changed. I was around, waiting for her signal while Babette is waiting for mine in a nearby cave. She is watching the road to deter anyone else from interfering."

"What about the innkeeper? You killed the Orc, you made him poison the mead. What now?" Bishop scowled a bit, but he suspected he knew the answer.

"Casualties are… expected. There were far more unfortunate ones down the road," Gaius lowered his head somberly. "Babette will suspect that something did not go according to plan the longer we wait here. I have a good plan of action, one that she will believe. But if you want this to end, you need to follow it to the letter."

"Hold on, I… I can't fucking do this. We have to come up with something else…" Bishop stammered a bit. He understood. He really did. And Gaius's words terrified him more than anything. Would they really stop at only incapacitating Aeyrin if they found out he tricked them again? If they found out he knew about Gaius? And what would happen if somehow he managed to actually kill Gaius? This was what happened when Gabriella was grieving for three assassins. What would any of them do when they would lose five? Unless he could kill Gaius somehow and then find the vampire child… ugh… they would still all be after him. They apparently already treated him like some curse. Gabriella didn't even know that he caused the death of those three assassins.

This was insane. He needed to protect Aeyrin from their madness. He needed to protect himself.

Gaius's plan would achieve that.

But at what cost?

And why did he even believe that any of this was true?

It just… it fit with everything. With all that stuff that Bishop didn't understand. How did Cicero escape? Why did Gaius not kill him in Dawnstar? Why did he just grab Cicero and disappear? Why did the Brotherhood get so much more active now? Them having that Listener actually explained it.

Fuck.

"There is no other plan and no time. This will end it. For good. Isn't that what you want? What is a little pain for her in face of that? When this is all over, you two will be alive and safe. Isn't that what matters to you?" Gaius gave him an insistent look. But… fuck!

"How long?" Bishop growled.

"'How long' what?" Gaius asked.

"How long will she have to think I'm dead?" Fuck, even saying this hurt. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if the tables were turned. He wouldn't be able to take it. On the one hand, he hoped that Aeyrin was more prepared for losing him with her lifespan being longer anyway, but… he kind of doubted that. It was all too soon anyway. And on the other hand, the selfish and insecure part of him couldn't take her just… getting over it.

"I can't say. Weeks? A month? Maybe more. We need to keep you hidden the entire time. There is no way you can show yourself anywhere, you have no idea where the Brotherhood has eyes. They are everywhere. But I can make sure you are hidden. She… has to play her part. And the only way to do that is to make her think it's real. My actions can never be questioned by my Brothers and Sisters," Gaius sighed.

"But if she just… disappears after, that makes sense, right? They wouldn't think it's weird if she disappeared after losing me. She could stay hidden with me and then…" Bishop tried to reason with him, but he was promptly interrupted.

"No. It will be hard enough to hide one person so thoroughly, believe me. And you of all people should know. They told me why you were recruited. Don't tell me you were aware of being watched. Or that you were aware of Gabriella here. Think. Think of it carefully. How even if you're wary and ready for anything, you still find yourself woefully ambushed and unprepared. And don't think I don't know just how you killed the Brothers. When will your luck run out and who will pay the price? Are you really willing to risk that? Are you willing to risk making anyone even a little uncertain of your fate? Faking death is not nearly as uncommon as you might wish, especially when someone is on the run. If you take her with you, if she is nowhere to be found, the suspicions will only grow."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, he hated how convincing that was. He didn't want to do this to her.

"How do you know how they died?" Bishop growled. He fucking hoped he wasn't seen. But… Gabriella didn't know, right?

"The Night Mother told me. She knows exactly what happens to all her Children."

What? Seriously? The corpse reported him to Gaius?

"But… you choose what to tell the others? You don't have to tell them everything she says," Bishop scowled.

"True. And that is the only reason we are talking now. Why you are still alive," Gaius scoffed. "If I told them, they would actively hunt for you. You'd be long dead. For now, they had their orders to deal with you if you were seen, but they were not to distract themselves from bigger targets. Some though… they already feel like you are more of a target than their official orders say. Gabriella and Babette know when Cicero died and they know you and your wife were in Dawnstar at that time. They couldn't tell the others… long story, but they made sure to spread the theory that you might be behind the other killings."

"Why?" Bishop scoffed. Why did they want to pin the killings on him when they didn't know who did it?"

"I can't say for sure," he sighed. "I think it has to do with their pride. They can't accept that their Brothers died randomly on the road by wild animals or such. They do not accept that anything or anyone matches their skills. Only their own. And you… you had the potential to be one of them. Or they simply wanted revenge for Cicero and thought the narrative would turn other Brothers and Sisters to their suspected culprit. I tried to deter them from pointlessly pursuing you, but… I can only do so much without raising suspicion."

"So… the only way they'll leave me alone…" Bishop sighed. This was clearly just getting worse and worse. It needed to end.

"Not only that, but I am sure this will get me into the Sanctuary. It is a small sacrifice," Gaius gave him a reassuring smile.

It… may have been right. It wasn't a small sacrifice, but… in face of this…

"So… she'll be convincing as long as she believes it. How will you convince her?" Bishop scowled.

"Something you would not regularly part with should suffice, perhaps if you have an ehering or something like that," Gaius shrugged.

"Seriously? You think it will be enough?" He scoffed. "I doubt she will believe you unless she can see my fucking corpse. And do you realize what she will do to you?"

"I do," he sighed. What did that mean?

"She will come after you," Bishop growled. "All of you." This might actually put her in even more danger than not taking part in this.

"She has no way of finding the Sanctuary. And my father won't be of any help to her either."

That was… true enough. A little comforting, but not enough.

"What if I say no?" Bishop scowled, but again, he suspected he knew.

"Don't do this. Don't make this harder. I will keep trying to convince you, but… we don't have much time. And with Gabriella dead… I cannot justify letting you get away and keeping my cover. I told you, we don't kill our allies but… there is a lot at stake. And casualties are inevitable. It doesn't have to be that way. And before you think about anything stupid, I assure you, you will never manage to wake her up. The antidote is not on my person and before you could find it or consult anyone knowledgeable enough to recognize the rare poison, she would die of thirst."

What. The. Fuck?

Why was he so shocked by the ruthlessness of the guy pretending to be an assassin?

But… fuck, he was still giving him a way out. A fucking shitty one, but… what fucking choice did Bishop have? He didn't see any other way. He hated that, but… if this was really going to end it all…

"Understood," he let out a defeated sigh. If he felt like all his fighting spirit was gone before, this was on a whole other level.

"So… can we get to work? I know what to do," Gaius nodded determinedly.

"Yeah…" Bishop lowered his head. What else was there to do?

He couldn't believe he would do something so cruel to her.

But there was no other way. Gaius was right – the important thing was that they would both come out of this alive.

And all he could do was hope that she would be able to forgive him for the pain he would cause.

…

It still felt like a weird dream.

He wasn't sure where to look first.

When he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, it looked so… strange. His singed fancy clothes were gone and in their stead, he had an unpleasantly scratchy lazily embroidered doublet on and some linen trousers. It was all clearly low quality, but still made with some effort. Something a commoner would wear just to not appear like a beggar. Or maybe someone trying to appear like a commoner… he had no idea who the Orc was to wear such clothes. But now they were his. And his own outfit was given to the dead Orc in turn.

The other thing catching his attention was the hand.

That greenish severed hand that was gradually changing color, lines, fingernails, all the small details. The size fit, but Gaius was working on the rest. His own hand lit up with magic from time to time as he transformed the bloodied body part to fit Bishop's image with illusion magic. It already had some of his rings on it. And Gaius really better bring them back. Or give them to Aeyrin. Either way, this ruse was making Bishop uncomfortable every second.

Soon, the result became uncanny.

It really looked like his own hand. Fuck, that was disturbing. And he argued about this approach for a while with Gaius, but he lost that fight. It was unnecessarily cruel to Aeyrin, but… it was convincing. He knew they had to go to great lengths to convince Aeyrin of his death. He himself told Gaius that it wouldn't be easy. But, fuck, was it hard to know what was coming.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to take it in her place. She was strong, but… this?

Gaius even forbade him to be anywhere near to see her reaction. He said that the vampire would be able to discover his presence. He understood that and he wasn't sure why he wanted to torment himself with the sight of Aeyrin grieving, but… he just wanted to be sure she was… well, not alright, but… at least that she wasn't gonna do anything stupid.

Gaius kept reassuring him. He was confident that this was gonna work out for the best, but Bishop was getting more and more unsure of that.

But what choice was there?

"Alright," Gaius sighed. "We are done. She's dressed and ready?"

"Yeah," Bishop mumbled somberly. He had dressed her earlier. Throughout the process, he kept hoping she would wake up. They could just escape this place together. She would Shout Gaius to pieces and whatever the fuck would happen after, would happen. He knew it wasn't smart or safe, but he wished for that with all his heart.

But of course, she didn't wake up at all. Gaius assured him that the poison wouldn't kill her – it would just leave her like this, but it still hurt to keep watching her in this state and not doing anything about it.

He put all his trust into this man he didn't know. He put all his hope into his plan because he saw no other way out. But he still couldn't be sure. He was at his wit's end.

And now it was time.

"Come on. Let's go before Babette decides it's been too long. We have to hurry.

Yeah, yeah. He knew. Soon he would be locked in a nearby shack, hidden from everything until Gaius came back for him. He wouldn't even know if he could hope that he would come. Something could go wrong. Or Gaius could betray him and just leave him there.

But what else was there to do?

This was happening, whether he liked it or not. Soon, this place would be history. Aeyrin would be heartbroken and his own fate would be in the hands of a stranger claiming to be on his side.

A damnation of his own making. He kept thinking about things he could have done differently, though none came to mind. He had to kill Neeshka to protect Aeyrin from Thorn. He had to kill Sibbi to protect her too. And the assassins that came after… they couldn't be left alive to hunt them either. Maybe it was inevitable.

This illusion seemed to really be the only way.

No matter how much pain it would bring.

…

Gaius watched the flames somberly, the thick smoke soaring through the dark skies. The rain was slowly stopping, but even when it was stronger, it wasn't enough to douse the fire.

It was done.

Bishop was safely hidden and locked. Gaius even used magic to lock him. He knew the man wanted to follow the plan, but he wasn't so sure that his emotions wouldn't get the better of him and he wouldn't try to get out to see his wife's reaction, painful as it would be.

He himself was not looking forward to that moment. But this was a solid plan.

Bishop ruined too much. It had to be done.

He still couldn't believe Gabriella was… gone. He knew this would happen eventually. He would even be the one to cause it, but… he felt sorrow envelop him every time he thought of that.

The Night Mother was right. Maybe he wasn't ready to 'strike so viciously against those he knew', against those that stood by him.

But it was his purpose. He had to destroy the Brotherhood for the good of everyone. Even the Night Mother, knowing his plans, did not attempt to stop him. He still wasn't sure why, but… some things were not for the mortal mind to comprehend.

He had to pull through.

He looked down at the elf laid down in the snow next to him. She looked quite peaceful in her forced sleep. That wouldn't last for long now. Babette would notice the smoke and flames soon.

It was only a matter of time.

He watched the burning inn for a while longer. It was a shame it came to this, but he knew it was the only way now.

And he could already see a small figure rushing down the road.

She stopped in front of the inn, watching it go up in flames for a while. There was no part of that building that wasn't enveloped in the fire.

Then, she turned around and spotted Gaius there in the snowbank, standing above the elf.

"Gaius!" Babette's gasp echoed through the area before she rushed towards him.

He stood there, stoic, angry, somber. The play was about to begin.

"What in the Void?!" The vampire's eyes were wide, shocked.

"He happened," Gaius narrowed his eyes hatefully. "See for yourself. I was too late," he gestured towards the lake.

There she lay. Gabriella. Her skull bashed in and her face deep blue.

"What?!" Babette stayed by his side, but she stared at the corpse in palpable shock. "Gabriella! No!"

"I'm sorry," Gaius let out a somber sigh. "He must have tricked her or caught her off guard. I came too late."

There was silence. Babette stared at the corpse, shocked and somber, before she looked up at him again. "What did you do?"

"I finished it," Gaius growled. "A painful death. The only thing that bastard deserved for taking her. Likely Cicero too. And who knows who else? You were right. We should have gone on a hunt. But it's done. I forced him back in, paralyzed him and… well…" he inclined his head towards the burning inn.

"Good!" Babette snarled hatefully. "Burn! Burn and let the Father's Void consume you for eternity!" She screamed at the burning building, tears forming in her eyes. She was much less composed than usual.

"He will never hurt our Family again," Gaius reached out and squeezed Babette's shoulder comfortingly. At least he still had her.

"You… you disposed of him," Babette nodded slowly, her eyes resting on the severed hand in his grip, laden with illusion magic. "It was a great service to the Family. Not just as a Listener. As a Brother."

"None of our lives will ever be threatened again, if I can help it," Gaius tried to smile, but it was difficult. He just meant for it to seem difficult, but somehow it really was.

"What about her?" The vampire looked down at the Dragonborn, snoozing peacefully in the snow.

"She is… not our target," Gaius sighed. "There is a lot to consider when it comes to her, I… didn't think we should make that decision. If the Father wills it, Mother will send us for her blood. But…" The dragons were still a valid reason to leave her alive, even if the Brotherhood wasn't that concerned about them.

"I understand," Babette nodded. "She was not meant to die. That's not what Gabriella planned. Are you going to wake her?"

"I will. Will you be ready?"

"Always, Listener," Babette raised her hand in determination, lighting it up with bright white light. Good. That was going to keep them from the worst of it, he hoped.

Gaius nodded and pulled out the small needle with the antidote. This was going to be unpleasant.

He inserted the needle into the elf's neck, slowly pushing to let the liquid seep in. He withdrew from her soon, and the second her breathing got ragged and eyes fluttered open, Babette's silence spell hit her.

The girl started to scramble in the snow in sudden panic. Her mouth opened and she was clearly either saying something, screaming, or Shouting. But no sound came out. Her frantic eyes turned to the source of the light waking her up – to Babette and the deadpan expression on her face. Then, her gaze turned to Gaius.

"It's done," he scowled at her with somberness in his voice. "It's over." He showed her the severed hand promptly.

The elf's eyes went wide at the sight. Her mouth remained open, but this time, Gaius predicted that she wouldn't even be making a sound if she could. That was… a painful thing to watch. There was so much hurt in her eyes.

Tears sprung to her immediately and she reached out for the illusioned hand with Bishop's rings on it. Gaius retracted it promptly though.

"Do yourself a favor and get out of this place. We all knew this was coming for what he had done," Gaius nodded. Fuck, the look she gave him. It was a good thing he didn't allow Bishop anywhere near this scene.

Then there was the predictable anger that crept on her face. It didn't go unnoticed by Babette.

"Do not try anything, mortal. We will kill you if you give us no choice. You have a rare chance to get out of here with your life," Babette snarled and brandished her short dagger, pressing it against the elf's back.

The girl began to look around frantically, everywhere she could, as if she was searching for something. She was still kneeling in the snow, tears streaming from her eyes and a desperate look on her face. And in the end, she actually decided to roll away from Babette's blade.

They both let her, watching what she would do. They both had powerful magic to stop her if she tried anything. But the Dragonborn started to scramble in the snow, trying to get up through her frantic stumbling. Was she… running away? They even left her and Bishop's pack there as courtesy. She could at least grab those. Otherwise Gaius would have to figure out how to deal with those too.

She did not run far though. She actually ran right towards the flaming building.

"What is she doing?" Babette cocked her head at the behavior. "She's not gonna go in, is she?"

She might.

Bishop said as much. She would really need to be sure. And soon enough, they heard a scream escape her lips, followed by a thundering sound.

Gaius did not understand the Word, but he knew it was a Shout. The elf's body became translucent within a second. Bishop told him about this.

All she would find there was a corpse though. Corpse of the Orc, of the Gourmet, dressed in Bishop's clothes with face and skin charred beyond recognition. He was a very similar size to Bishop, fortunately. And Gaius made full use of that. He made extra sure that the corpse looked like Bishop had been the one burned to a crisp and left the body in his room.

The next moment was bone-chilling.

Desperate screams echoed through the area. Cries of pain and grief. Gaius hoped she couldn't be heard all the way to the cabin where Bishop was held.

Then there was silence again.

"She's not… staying there, is she?" Babette cringed a bit.

That was one thing Gaius was concerned about, but he hoped that her grief and anger would drive her forth. Likely for revenge.

There was another scream and Gaius wasn't sure if it was one of pain or grief. He heard that Shout again shortly after though.

And in a few moments, there she was again, running away from the flames. Good. She left. Gaius let out a sigh of relief. This could all just work out.

She stopped with her back to the fire, standing there, staring at them.

They should probably…

"TRUM!"

He was pretty sure he understood that Word. Or at least that was what it sounded like. She was Shouting again. What would this one do?

The dark skies around suddenly felt a lot darker and an uneasy feeling enveloped Gaius.

"Get her," he growled. Any more fighting needed to be prevented right now. Babette lit up her hand promptly with the white spell and she hurled it at the elf within a second. But Gaius didn't get to see if it hit.

Sudden instinct jolted through him and he jumped to the side. A horrible crashing sound almost deafened him suddenly and a white light blinded him for a second. He only realized what happened when he blinked away the confusion, now lying in the slushy snow, trying to see what was going on. A lightning bolt struck into the ground nearby. And another quite close to him again. Babette herself was hiding right behind a tall tree without touching it.

A second later, another bolt struck that tree and it caught fire. Babette instantly yelped and rushed away from it, but another one almost got her in her egress.

What the fuck?! Bishop said nothing about calling lightning down upon them!

And then he noticed the elf charging them with fury in her eyes.

"Babette!"

Fortunately, the lightning stopped. Babette got alerted to his call and she spotted the Dragonborn's charge too. She was unarmed, but Gaius wouldn't put it past her to be capable of a lot of damage in this state, even though she was clearly silenced again. She would have Shouted once more otherwise, he suspected.

Babette's hands instantly lit up in red light and a series of small orbs began to float towards the elf. Gaius was ready with a ward spell, but the girl was not.

She stumbled to the ground, into the slushy snow. Her back was already all wet from it and now her front was too. She just stayed down, soundlessly sobbing and crying while she curled onto herself surprisingly helplessly. She was clearly not numb to such losses. Not like Gaius was. Not like Babette clearly was after centuries. It was… a sight Gaius had not witnessed much. The assassins made a good decision when they never stuck around for the fallout of their missions. This was painful to see.

He had to steel himself though. He approached her steadily with the same somber tone in his voice.

"It had to come to this. I am sorry for your pain, but you are not our target. Leave this place when you can. He would not have wanted you to lose your life needlessly." He fucking hoped she wouldn't snap and run into the burning building without her protective Shout or something like that. He would check on her soon. Before he would pick up Bishop.

"Babette, one more and let's go," Gaius nodded at the vampire as he turned back towards her.

Babette cast another spell of silence to ensure their safe retreat. Then they both nodded at each other and their hands lit up with a purple light almost in unison. They didn't need to tell each other where they were headed – it was like an instinct to meet in the last safe location they designated for this mission. At least he hoped Babette thought of that too.

Their forms disappeared, but Gaius found it a little hard to move. He still stared at the girl, soaked in melting snow, sobbing and likely coughing soundlessly from what it looked like, too weak from the vampiric spell to get up. She would be safe soon.

But he still felt guilty.

He had no reason to. He was doing the right thing. He was saving both her and her husband. He shouldn't feel guilty.

But the sight… shook him a little. And an unpleasant feeling enveloped him when he looked at Gabriella's corpse by the lake.

He would have done this to her.

He was going to do this to all of them.

Delivering death seemed so easy when he didn't see all the pain that came after.

How much pain had he already caused?

And how much more was there to come?