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<\/p>\nIt was the deepest part of the night when Sayma made it to Solitude and slipped into the Winking Skeever.\u00a0 Even a period of meditation in the darkest corner outside the inn had not settled her nerves even though she could feel Nocturnal\u2019s presence. For a moment or two she considered going to wake the owner and renting a room; but she knew she would get no sleep. Instead, she found a table in the corner and sat down behind it. She stared unseeing into the flickering candlelight while the child within her danced a furious dance and her own mind raced, and pondered, and feared.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I absorbed a dragon\u2019s soul.<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s the only explanation. Dardeh was nowhere in sight. He\u2019s the Dragonborn. He\u2019s supposed to be the only one who can do such a thing.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n But we share the same bloodline. He was convinced that I absorbed some of the energy from that dragon we killed together. I didn\u2019t believe him then. But I do now.<\/em><\/p>\n She started to tremble, as she had several times on the journey from Dragon Bridge to Solitude. The baby once again thrashed and rolled as if she wanted to be born that very moment; but it was too soon, and Sayma knew what the early stages of labor felt like. No, this was simply the child reacting to her own agitation. Once again she fought to calm herself.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not Dragonborn. I can\u2019t be. I\u2019m bound to both Nocturnal and the Night Mother and I can\u2019t also be Dragonborn. There\u2019s only one, and it\u2019s Dardeh. Right?<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh had asked her, when the three of them had slain a dragon in Falkreath and she had suddenly understood the words Dardeh had been Shouting, whether she could now use them herself. It had been apparent on that day at least that there was no force within her capable of turning those words from language into form. There had been no innate understanding of how the power of the words could rise up into her chest and burst forth from her mouth as a cloud of frost. She closed her eyes and focused, knowing that she could not allow such a thing as a Shout to emerge from her here in Solitude \u2013 in the middle of the night, no less \u2013 but sensing that if she could<\/em> Shout now where she hadn\u2019t before she would feel it somehow, that connection between the words of Dovahzul and the essence of her own life force, and would know how the thing could be accomplished. That was what Dardeh had told her; and she had no reason to doubt him.<\/p>\n She held her breath for a moment, waiting for something to happen. There was nothing other than the wild drumming of her daughter\u2019s hands and feet against her abdomen. She sighed, and opened her eyes, and rubbed her belly slowly in a motion that had calmed the younger Brynjolf before he\u2019d been born.<\/p>\n Hush, little one.\u00a0 It won\u2019t be much longer, now, and you\u2019ll be able to dance in the sunlight alongside your brother. I wonder if you\u2019ll also have red hair like your father\u2019s. Or will you resemble me, with black hair? And what shall we name you? Perhaps we will name you after both of us. Qara \u2013 black, for my black hair. And Lana \u2013 for your father. Red.\u00a0 Qaralana.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n She smiled down at her belly and rubbed it once more, and the child began to settle.\u00a0 That\u2019s it then? Qaralana. That makes you happy? So you shall be called. I think your father will approve.<\/em><\/p>\n But having settled on a name for the soon-to-be infant didn\u2019t settle Sayma\u2019s mind very well. It was hard to shed the memory of squinting against the brilliance of the energies flowing around her, and the horror of realizing that there was only one person in the area who might possibly have absorbed it.<\/p>\n What does it mean? What can I do?\u00a0 Do I tell Dardeh and Roggi? Even more to the point, do I tell Brynjolf?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n She saw him in her mind\u2019s eye, hoisting their son up into the air with a hearty laugh as the child giggled and squirmed in his arms. He\u2019d been so happy of late, at least most of the time. Part of that, she knew, was that the Guild was operating smoothly, the newer members settling into their work and doing well. He kept telling her that it had been better ever since they\u2019d settled matters with Nocturnal, and that it was in large part due to her efforts; but she knew better.\u00a0 Brynjolf was a natural born leader, no matter how little he liked it.\u00a0 It was his steady, calm influence that made things work as well as they did; that, and the fact that he felt much more free to travel about the province these days, keeping contacts fresh and keeping an eye on developments in the world.<\/p>\n He even traveled with Roggi for awhile. That was a revelation. Of all the things I would never have expected, their friendship probably tops the list. It\u2019s a true meeting of the minds, between them, and it makes me happy to know that.<\/em><\/p>\n She must have dozed off thinking about them, even as disquieted as she was. The sounds of people stirring near the bar and at the tables had her opening her eyes. She squinted up toward the windows.<\/p>\n Early. Before seven at the latest. He\u2019ll be coming up from the warehouse soon. Maybe I can intercept him before he gets involved with the day\u2019s business. <\/em><\/p>\n She pushed herself up from the table and made her way to the bar to purchase a boiled cr\u00e8me treat. She grinned as she nibbled it on her way out the door, thinking of Andante and his affinity for all things sweet. He\u2019d been her best field assassin after the fire at the old Sanctuary \u2013 for reasons they all understood much more clearly, now – and in spite of everything that had happened between him and Brynjolf she missed having him in the Brotherhood.<\/p>\n A number of people shuffled up the hill past her as she left the city.\u00a0 One Argonian who she vaguely recognized passed, peering at her. She pulled her hood forward a bit. It had been a long time since the day she\u2019d impersonated the Gourmet to eliminate Titus Meade\u2019s body double, but people who lived on the streets tended to have long memories and sharp eyes, and she didn\u2019t want to take any chances.\u00a0 A group of merchants followed a bit behind him, giving the Khajiit encampment superior smirks. She sighed. Nobody had decided yet that the end of the war meant that Khajiit were welcome to do business in the cities. They probably should be.<\/p>\n Finally she spied the Argonian she\u2019d been waiting for, trudging his way up the road. He looked up at her and flinched a bit but slowed to a stop when she approached him.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Gulum-Ei,\u201d she murmured. \u201cOur mutual acquaintance asked me to check in with you and see how business was going.\u201d<\/p>\n Gulum-Ei gave the shifty look he\u2019d given her so many times, clearly weighing how truthful he needed to be.\u00a0 He opened his mouth and then shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cBest tell me, my friend,\u201d she murmured. \u201cBrynjolf will not be pleased if he finds out you\u2019ve been holding out on him. You know better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed. \u201cI was very pleased to have shipments coming in again after the hostilities ended. Things were getting back to normal.\u00a0 Our mutual friend should have received several deliveries of coin by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we have,\u201d she said. \u201cListen, you should probably know that he is my husband. So yes, I can verify that we\u2019ve gotten the coin. I can also reassure you that he\u2019ll listen to my assessment of how truthful you are being.\u00a0 It seems that things have started dropping off again, recently.\u201d<\/p>\n Gulum-Ei blanched, and swallowed hard. She was sure he was running their most recent meeting through his memory; the one in which he\u2019d tried to give her the brush-off before Brynjolf had intervened.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they have. There are pirates hitting shipments again. Not as many as there were, but enough to disrupt the flow of goods somewhat. The warehouse is becoming a bit bare. I\u2019ve heard rumors that someone \u2013 someone powerful — is trying to use the Blood Horkers to corner the market on shipping. If any of you have any connections\u2026\u201d he trailed off and wrung his hands together nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cThis would be a good time to use them.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let him know.\u00a0 I think between us we have some pull.\u00a0 Thanks, Gulum-Ei.\u00a0 Sorry I didn\u2019t have anything to trade this time. I\u2019ll make sure the Guild knows how cooperative you\u2019ve been.\u201d<\/p>\n The Argonian nodded nervously and scurried up the hill toward the gates.\u00a0 Sayma sighed, and headed for the docks.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not that I don\u2019t believe him. I just don\u2019t trust him.<\/em><\/p>\n There was an East Empire Company guard patrolling the docks in front of the warehouse; he assured her that there was nothing there for her and that she should leave. She smiled, and nodded, and stepped away long enough to invoke her Nightingale invisibility.\u00a0 The guard frowned and turned his head as she passed him, perhaps catching her scent or a whisper of air displaced by her movements, but he shrugged and moved down the dock and she let herself into the Warehouse.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take her long to make her way through the main warehouse and into the grotto behind it where Gulum-Ei kept the goods he skimmed on behalf of the Thieves Guild.\u00a0 She knew the best route, she\u2019d long since learned how to move nearly silently, and best of all she knew there were far fewer mercenaries guarding the area now than there had been the first time she\u2019d come through. \u00a0The war had thinned the ranks everywhere.\u00a0 When she reached Gulum-Ei\u2019s private warehouse, in the very back of the grotto, she looked around and frowned. It wasn\u2019t empty, not by any stretch.\u00a0 It was, however, far emptier than she would have expected given the recent resumption of trade. She checked the shelves, finding nothing worth taking herself \u2013 nothing small and valuable.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh,\u201d she said quietly, just as though she had Brynjolf standing beside her. \u201cThe slimy bastard was telling me the truth for once. So something\u2019s definitely going on. Good to know.\u201d<\/p>\n She slipped out past the several fat horkers in the cave just beyond, and made her way out into the outskirts of Solitude.\u00a0 Her next stop would be in Dawnstar, and she intended to take the ferry rather than ride the long way around. She took a moment to walk down to the edge of the fjord, gazing out at the Katariah, still at anchor even though the Emperor no longer lived to use it. Sayma grinned.\u00a0 I suppose someone must maintain it; otherwise it would be a marvel to think it still floats. And to think I did that. I wonder who will be next to own the ship. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll find out soon after the Moot names a High King here. If they ever get around to doing that.<\/em><\/p>\n She sent Shadowmere ahead to meet her in Dawnstar and made her way to the ferry. The child was quiet during the entire trip; perhaps the gentle rocking served as a sort of cradle to her. Whatever the reason, Sayma was grateful for the respite from her constant movement.<\/p>\n She disembarked and walked the short distance around the shoreline to where the Black Door rested deep in its crevice.\u00a0 She stopped for a moment, as she always did, at the spot where Andante had left the mortal world, sending a mental greeting to him in the Evergloam. It was a cold spot, and bleak, and very lonely overlooking the frozen hills, huge ice floes and nearly barren islands that hugged Skyrim\u2019s border. She supposed that Andante\u2019s existence must have felt equally bleak at that moment, for him to have taken such extreme measures with it. She shuddered, as much from the chill as from her own grey thoughts. As much as she respected her own position as Listener, Sayma still hated being cold above almost all other things and was always glad to have an excuse to leave for Riften.<\/p>\n It was not, however, cold in the Sanctuary itself. The great fireplace on the lower level kept things a comfortable temperature even on the most frigid of days.\u00a0 Sayma walked quietly into the upper level and looked around.<\/p>\n Cicero was, as usual, standing before the Night Mother\u2019s coffin, muttering to himself. She smiled. It had been a good choice, to let him live. The man was clearly not in his right mind except for brief flashes of lucidity; but he was devoted to the Night Mother and kept in good repair the ancient corpse that was her conduit to this world. Looking left, Sayma stopped for a moment and inhaled in surprise.<\/p>\n The alchemy garden Babette had established not long after they had moved the Brotherhood to Dawnstar had been doing well. Right at the moment the more gaudy of the ingredients \u2013 deathbell and nightshade, for example \u2013 were in full bloom. The cold light from today\u2019s cloudy skies shone down through the skylight onto the garden, highlighting those showy purple flowers and making the chaurus eggs next to them seem to glow.\u00a0 The alembic on the nearby alchemy station also glowed, and bubbled with what to Sayma felt like a homey sound.<\/p>\n To her left, someone had installed a small shrine to Sithis, the candles on either side of it making its circular stone backdrop shine with the color of blood.\u00a0 It was an appropriate placement, she thought, within sight of the Night Mother\u2019s huge sarcophagus.<\/p>\n I never thought the Sanctuary could look\u2026 pretty.<\/em><\/p>\n She descended the stairs to find Nazir seated, as he usually was, at the long table in the center of the space. It might have given the impression to others that all he ever did was eat. The fact was that in spite of making much of his own age, Nazir was in perfect condition and was deadly. He took a central seat because he was effectively in charge of the Dark Brotherhood, just as Brynjolf had been the one who handled day-to-day operations in the Guild when Mercer had still been alive.<\/p>\n \u201cListener,\u201d he said, looking up at her as she approached. \u201cIt is good to see you. I hope the slay goes well?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to say it did, Nazir, but the fact of the matter is that the little one here is keeping me a bit more close to home than I\u2019m used to,\u201d Sayma said, rubbing her belly.\u00a0 I want to tell you what I actually slew, Nazir, but I don\u2019t want to make our lives any more complicated than they already are. <\/em>\u00a0\u201cIn fact, that\u2019s why I\u2019m here. I don\u2019t know exactly how I\u2019m going to handle things for the next few months. The time is approaching fairly quickly and, well, you remember what it was like when wee Bryn was born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Nazir said dryly, wrinkling his nose. Then he chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Listener. I have nothing against children so long as they are someone else\u2019s. It\u2019s just that my ears are more attuned to\u2026 adult screams than infants\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. I understand completely. But now that I\u2019m based in Riften\u2026 I don\u2019t know what to do about this. About us<\/em>. About\u2026\u201d she turned and glanced up the stairs toward the Night Mother and Cicero. \u201cAbout her.\u201d<\/p>\n Nazir rubbed his chin and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, we operated for a great many years without a Listener. Now don\u2019t get angry,\u201d he said, holding up his empty hands as if to ward off an attack. \u201cI\u2019m not saying we don\u2019t need you. It\u2019s obvious that we do. But people do continue to send us contracts without going through the Night Mother. Those, I know how to handle. There are plenty of us now, and Babette and I keep our eyes out for any promising new recruits.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma nodded. \u201cGood. I was hoping you\u2019d say something like that.\u00a0 I\u2019m not abandoning the Brotherhood. I\u2026\u201d She thought for a moment and frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t think I can <\/em>abandon it, regardless of my feelings in the matter. But my visits here are going to be much less frequent. You were the one who accomplished things before I got here and I have every confidence that you still are that person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo long as you listen to \u2013 her \u2013 every so often, Listener. Make sure we\u2019re on the right track. I don\u2019t want another repeat of Falkreath.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeither do I, Nazir. Thank you for your understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n She returned to the stairs and walked up them, slowly, noting how much more energy it took than it had even a few days prior. It really wasn\u2019t <\/em>going to be long now, and she really did need to take care of this business and get back to the safety of Riftvale. Her body and mind both remembered how every bit of energy and attention would be drawn inward, to her core, whether she wanted it or not, toward the great endeavor of bringing a new person into the world. It was vital that she be in the safest surroundings possible for that event.<\/p>\n She approached Cicero as he was delivering a poem in a sing-song voice. She made certain to step around beside him where he could see her clearly and not be startled. While she had every confidence that he would never purposefully hurt her, Cicero was as deadly a man as walked Nirn and she took no chances around him.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Cicero,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Listener! How wonderful it is to see you again! Cicero has been taking very good care of our dear Mother.\u201d The slightly too-bright eyes over an enormous smile told her that today was most definitely not one of his more lucid moments.<\/p>\n She smiled at him. \u201cI know you have, dear. Now if you wouldn\u2019t mind, could I have a few moments alone with her? I\u2019ll make sure nothing bad happens to her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Listener,\u201d Cicero said, wriggling away toward the garden. \u201cWhatever you wish, Listener. I will await your wishes, Listener.\u201d\u00a0 He disappeared down over the stairs, and she could hear him talking to himself all the way through the Sanctuary.<\/p>\n She chuckled and then turned to face the huge coffin and the ancient corpse therein. She knelt as if meditating, and opened her mind to the Night Mother\u2019s contact.<\/p>\n \u201cYet another child has prayed to their mother,\u201d Sayma heard.\u00a0 She knew very clearly that the voice was only audible to herself, in her head just as vivid as though the corpse\u2019s mouth was moving. She heard it as a series of long, dry, drawn-out phrases. She knew the words by heart. The Black Sacrament had been performed; she was to meet with, in this case, a grief-stricken chef here in Dawnstar, take his gold, and eliminate whatever target he specified. \u201cSo begins a contract bound in blood. Hail the Listener!\u201d the desiccated voice finished. \u201cHail Sithis!\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma nodded, her gaze focused on the floor before her. \u201cIt shall be done, Mother. But\u2026 there is another matter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. The child.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma found herself on her feet, startled that the Night Mother knew what she intended to say. Her hands flew protectively to her belly.<\/p>\n \u201cY-yes. She will be arriving soon. I don\u2019t know how I can continue to serve you as the Listener,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d the voice breathed. \u201cQaralana. A fortunate name for a fortunate child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you know?\u201d Sayma said. Or perhaps she merely thought it. Sometimes it was hard to tell, when speaking to this ancient woman.<\/p>\n \u201cI know all things regarding the Listener. And the Listener\u2019s daughter. Black as the Void itself; red the color of blood. A fortunate name for a fortunate child,\u201d she repeated.<\/p>\n Sayma found herself trembling as Qaralana once more began her eager dance. It\u2019s black and red for me and Brynjolf. That\u2019s what it means, nothing more.<\/em> \u201cShe is anxious to meet the world, Mother,\u201d she whispered. \u201cBut it is too soon. And I am too tied to the Thieves Guild. I do not know how I can continue to do your bidding.\u201d<\/p>\n The most remarkable thing happened then. The Night Mother began chuckling, the humor sounding eerily in Sayma\u2019s mind like the rattling of an angry snake. \u201cMy dear Listener,\u201d the words followed, slowly and almost painfully as her words always did. \u201cBeside us is a book. Read it and you will know the truth. All will be well. Come to me when you can. Nazir will handle the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n And she went silent.<\/p>\n Sayma turned around to survey the area, confused.\u00a0 She saw only a brazier near the Night Mother\u2019s coffin, and only some ingredients near the alchemy station.\u00a0 But across the way, on a small table where Babette sometimes spent her time, there was a book.\u00a0 She picked it up and looked at the spine, which read Sacred Witness. <\/em>Inside the cover, the subtitle read \u201cA True History of the Night Mother.\u201d\u00a0 Sayma sank down onto one of the wooden chairs nearby and began to read.<\/p>\n It was written by someone named Enric Milres, and told of his encounter with the Night Mother in the city of Sentinel.\u00a0 She skimmed quickly through most of its discussion on the leading theories about the Night Mother, for they were typical scholarly chest-beatings of the type she disdained. But then she came to a place where the author described the Mother\u2019s own words.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a thief, long, long ago, back when the Thieves Guild was only beginning. It\u2019s such a bother to sneak around a house when performing a burglary, and many of us found it most efficacious to strangle the occupant\u2026\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n The hair on Sayma\u2019s neck rose as she read further, for the woman\u2019s tone was unmistakable as that of the Night Mother she knew.\u00a0 She had suggested to the new Guild that they form a segment \u201cdedicated to the arts and sciences of murder,\u201d in the same way they had infiltration specialists, pickpockets, and the like. But the Guild had thought it would be bad for business.<\/p>\n She remembered the tone of Brynjolf\u2019s voice from all that time before, as he had said \u201cwe don\u2019t want them killed. Bad for business,\u201d and a chill ran up her spine.\u00a0 He\u2019d been giving her the standard line, the one the Guild had used for Sithis knew how many generations. And had probably never questioned.<\/p>\n And both she, and the Night Mother before her, had broken with that Guild agreement. The Night Mother, according to this account, had branched out into the business of murder, leaving as her calling card both a white and a black stone, one over each of the victim\u2019s eyes. Sayma looked up from the book and across the room at the grinning, desiccated corpse, and smiled.\u00a0 And I taste their blood. It\u2019s not a tangible calling card, but you know what it means, don\u2019t you?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Alright. I\u2019ll stop worrying about the future. Something tells me it will work out the way it\u2019s meant to.<\/em><\/p>\n She sighed and closed the book, placing it back on the table. Then she retrieved Cicero, said goodbye to Nazir, and left for the Dawnstar Inn.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n She crouched down behind a tree, scanning ahead for the hunter who was her target.\u00a0 The man was supposedly just outside Falkreath, according to the contact in Dawnstar.\u00a0 It was hard for her to focus, though, given the conversations she\u2019d just had with Dardeh and Roggi.<\/p>\n She\u2019d stopped in for a brief rest before taking care of her contract, not knowing whether they would be at home. Lydia had greeted her warmly, and waved her up the stairs, where she found Roggi working at the alchemy table.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi. Hi. What are you cooking up?\u201d<\/p>\n He glanced at her and broke into a warm smile. \u201cOne second and I\u2019ll be done with it.\u201d He turned back to the table and stirred his mixture a couple more times, then straightened as it started bubbling in the alembic.\u00a0 \u201cOh, let\u2019s see, what have I made here\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at a group of small flasks on the stand nearby. \u201cA few lingering damage potions, paralysis, some resist magic stuff. Mostly for Dar. He\u2019s not any better with cold than you are and we seem to have been running into lots of ghosts and draugr and such.\u201d He grinned at her and placed his hands on the small of his back, leaning backward and groaning as his muscles stretched. \u201cI\u2019m getting old. Don\u2019t mind me if I take a seat; this back is killing me. But what brings you out here?\u201d\u00a0 He crossed the small space and sat down in one of the chairs.<\/p>\n Sayma laughed. It really didn\u2019t matter how much time passed, she would always hold\u00a0 Roggi near and dear to her heart for having made her feel wanted, and cared about, when she\u2019d been so numb inside that it was tough to keep putting one foot before the next. It was good to see him looking healthy, and rugged, and happy.<\/p>\n \u201cA bunch of business before I have to settle in for the home stretch,\u201d she said, rubbing her belly. \u201cShe\u2019s been anxious to get started, the past few days. And we\u2019re both tired of sitting on horseback.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019re sure it\u2019s a she, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty sure. I have a name picked out, and she seems to like it.\u201d She giggled. \u201cIf it\u2019s a boy he\u2019s going to be mad that I named him Qaralana.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi grinned. \u201cBlack and red? Seems appropriate. And how\u2019s Bryn doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine. Happy, even. It\u2019s \u2026 kind of amazing, really.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m stalling. I need to talk to him \u2013 to both of them really \u2013 and this is not useful. <\/em>She took a deep breath and expelled it forcefully, hoping some of her anxiety would leave along with it. \u201cListen, Roggi, I have a question.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShoot.\u201d He was still smiling, but it was fading.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t fool him. He always knows when something is up.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWere you two out in Dragon Bridge a couple of days back? More specifically, was Dar there?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned.\u00a0 \u201cNo. We\u2019ve been helping a group that wants to rebuild Helgen. So far all we\u2019ve done is clear out places around the hold where bandits and such have been trying to take over, while hired workers are chunking away at the rubble.\u00a0 Why\u2026 do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma closed her eyes. There was no way around it. She had to know what had happened, and Roggi and Dar were possibly the only two people who could tell her. \u201cBecause there was a dragon.\u00a0 And, uh, I killed it.\u201d<\/p>\n She opened her eyes to find an expression on Roggi\u2019s face unlike any she\u2019d ever seen. He was all business, serious, his eyes shadowed and his brow furrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Dar!\u201d he yelled toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet out here for a second, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe right there.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh clumped out of their bedroom and Sayma smiled to see him in ordinary clothing for once, rather than his heavy ebony armor.\u00a0 He smiled in return and took her by the shoulders to give her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.\u00a0 He pulled back in surprise and grinned, looking down at the belly which had quite firmly gotten between them.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone\u2019s getting bigger, huh?\u201d He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cGood to see you, sis. What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSayma killed a dragon,\u201d Roggi said quietly, his tone drawing Dardeh\u2019s attention instantly.<\/p>\n Dardeh looked back at Sayma. \u201cWell, that\u2019s good isn\u2019t it? One less of the bastards for us to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma shook her head. \u201cIt\u2019s not just that, Dardeh. You weren\u2019t in Dragon Bridge a couple of days ago, right? I\u2019m not confused about that?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh shook his head. \u201cNo. Haven\u2019t been there since Solitude. Why do you\u2026\u201d It was obvious when the implications struck him; his eyes got very round for a moment. \u201cWait, are you saying what I think you\u2019re saying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Sayma said quietly. \u201cI think I absorbed it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh grabbed her by the shoulders again. \u201cYou think you did? Or you actually did? Because if it wasn\u2019t you we have a bigger problem than I would like to think about right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did, Dar. At least I assume that\u2019s what happened. It burned. There was\u2026 light. Everywhere. Like when you absorbed the one out here near the mill. And then it was gone, and I felt warm, and \u2026 there was nothing left of the dragon but its bones.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh let go of her and ran one hand down his face. \u201cBy the Nine. So can you Shout? Did you try, again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did try. Or at least I thought about it. There\u2019s nothing there, <\/em>Dar. I know the words, I just can\u2019t use <\/em>them for anything. Please tell me what it means.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh shared a long look with Roggi, filled with things Sayma could not decipher at all.\u00a0 Then he looked back at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what it means, Sis. But you and I share a father. The power must be in our bloodline. It\u2019s the only thing that makes any sense. At least if it was you absorbing it we\u2019re safe.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cFor a minute I had this unreasonable fear that somehow Miraak had returned. Somehow. But I saw him dead.\u201d\u00a0 He stared at her for a long while and shook his head again. \u201cI don\u2019t know enough about it, Sayma. You\u2019d think I would, but all I know is how this ability affects me. I saw a little of how it affected Miraak. That\u2019s it. I\u2019m really sorry I don\u2019t have anything more useful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm. Well I think I do,\u201d Roggi said, drawing both siblings\u2019 gazes. \u201cI think you keep this close to the vest. Don\u2019t tell anyone else what\u2019s happened, and keep a close eye on people around you. There have been some odd things happening around Dar lately and we don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a worrywart, Roggi,\u201d Dardeh snorted. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing odd going on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcept vampires and more vampires and people looking for you, specifically, out of all the people they could potentially be looking for.\u201d He frowned, looked at Sayma, and sighed. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s right and I\u2019m just a worrywart. But that\u2019s what I\u2019d say. Keep it close. Let us know if anything else strange happens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOk,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cThanks, guys. I just had to talk to someone about it. I mean, I don\u2019t feel any different. Just \u2026 ready to do this last job and get home.\u201d<\/p>\n And thus she had arrived, just west of Falkreath, creeping silently up behind a man in hunting garb.\u00a0 She watched him watching whatever his prey was, until she was convinced that he was thoroughly preoccupied.\u00a0 Then she used her powers to become invisible, slid silently up behind him, and slit his throat, dipping one finger in his blood and tasting it out of sheer habit while picturing what he might have looked like with one black and one white stone over his eyes.<\/p>\n It was all over, just that quickly.\u00a0 She whistled for Shadowmere and mounted.<\/p>\n \u201cTake us home, my friend,\u201d she murmured next to his ear.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019re all ready for a rest.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the deepest part of the night when Sayma made it to Solitude and slipped into the Winking Skeever.\u00a0 Even a period of meditation in the darkest corner outside the inn had not settled her nerves even though she could feel Nocturnal\u2019s presence. 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<\/p>\nPart I: Modulation<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"