That contract regarding Baron Herbert Iovanovic and his eldest son, Darius, the Lord''s scion, and Na-Baron... I shudder at the mere remembrance! For one, it wasn''t even a contract in the strictest sense, according to the traditions and doctrine of the Dark Brotherhood; it was, in fact, a double assassination ordered by Duchess Nephatah Indarys. Additionally, this mission seemed like the most difficult task of my life till then. Despite being fully aware of my skills—skills I knew could handle the job—I was young and still inexperienced enough. Especially regarding life in the wild and its surroundings!


    The matter that unsettled me the most was the certainty that I was about to commit two politically motivated murders, ordered by a mortal who had arrogated to herself the power to decide life and death over others. A dreadful premonition gnawed at me, warning that Mephala would disapprove of my actions, whether I executed them personally or merely planned and directed them.


    Something in the Duchess''s gaze during our last meeting also disturbed me; her behavior, the way she looked at me—there was something off. She dismissed my brother''s services too quickly, and this didn''t sit right with me. I started to wonder if she had already grown tired of us—the so-called Morag Tong—and whether, perhaps, she had already decided we were no longer of use. But no matter how uneasy I felt, one thing was certain: my brother''s life and position rested on the success of this mission; or so I firmly believed in those uncertain days...


    I returned to the Sanctuary, troubled and filled with ominous forebodings, and I locked myself in a room with Cicero and Pontius to consult with them and plan the execution of the contract. The Duchess advised me to seek the support of the Baron''s younger son, the young Sullius. According to her opinion, he was destined to inherit his father''s position in a certain situation and was directly interested in the mission''s success. While Pontius was excited about having a potential ally within the targeted family, Cicero was cautious and suggested that we should not reveal our intentions and identities to this young man. He also advised delaying the planning of the action until we were sufficiently informed about the baron''s residence and his family.


    Following Cicero''s opinion, I went to Arkay''s temple library to make notes on the two key points. From the Cyrodiil Nobility Yearbook, I learned that the baron hailed from an old family, with an unbroken line of warriors stretching back centuries; their reputation as skilled and fortunate fighters was well-known. The Empire had entrusted this family with the defense and control of the southeastern frontier, where Black Marsh bordered Cyrodiil; their residence was a wooden fortress along the Panther River. The Illustrated Atlas of Tamriel revealed that the stronghold stood on a small hill, surrounded by a swampy, forested expanse, with only one road leading to it—a narrow, winding path that cut through the flooded marshes, occasionally crossing wooden bridges or platforms.


    I also discovered, to my unease, that the baron was half-Orc; his mother, a renowned Orc princess from the north, had married into their family. Intrigued, and troubled, I spent some time reading about Orcs and their way of life, particularly their mysterious strongholds hidden deep within the mountains. What truly unsettled me, however, were the Wise Women of Orc society—especially since, according to the Yearbook, the baron''s mother was still alive. And it was to be expected that she was such a Wise Woman... This worried me deeply, for I had read that these female shamans were highly skilled in various magical disciplines, with the art of Illusion being one of their specialties. I dug deeper into their practices and discovered they held Malacath in the highest regard. All Orcs revere Malacath, their patron and protector—harsh though he may be... But, please, friends, show me a benevolent Daedra, if you can! The Wise Women, however, manifest a complete devotion to Malacath, one that borders on fanaticism; I also found rumors of a secret cult among them, an obscure doctrine known only by Orcs and linked directly to Him. This cult''s influence was said to reach far beyond their hidden strongholds, though few knew its true scope.


    Armed with this new knowledge, I returned to the Sanctuary that evening, eager to resume the mission planning as soon as possible. Cicero was waiting for me in the garden, just by the porch. That struck me as odd, as he had rarely left his lair since he had been appointed Keeper, and only for justified reasons. Pale and visibly agitated, his eyes darted around nervously before he approached me. He asked me to come to his den—the sarcophagus room. I stopped, surprised, and looked him in the eye. Cicero, who used to forbid anyone from entering Mother''s quarters, now stood before me, looking like an eager puppy, begging me to accompany him there!


    I asked him, with authority, what was going on and why he wasn''t following his usual schedule. He met my gaze with a triumphant, yet shocked expression, his voice low and soft as he whispered, "Dear sister, our Mother has spoken to me! And She wants to speak to you too; She asked me to bring you to her urgently!"


    Still glancing around suspiciously, he continued, "In fact, Our Lady has been speaking to me every night for some time now. I told Rasha about that, but he just laughed in my face, said they were just dreams of a confused mind, and told me to rest more, to stop imagining things. But I''m not dreaming, dear sister—our Mother is truly talking to me! She wants us to return to the old ways, to abandon the false path we''ve taken. And I, Cicero, am the bearer of Her message! Today, She asked me to bring you to her!"


    I took a deep breath, gently grasped his hands in mine, and looked him directly in the eyes. I could easily see into Cicero''s simple, honest mind—there was no deceit there. His love and loyalty to our Mother were clear, as was his unwavering devotion to carry out Her wishes. There was no trickery, no pretense in him; he believed wholeheartedly in every word he said. I released his hands and said softly, "I believe you, Cicero. I''m certain that Our Lady is speaking to you, but we must proceed cautiously. First, we need to understand the true meaning of her words. Only then should we consider sharing them with the others."


    "Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, my beloved sister," Cicero sighed gratefully, his voice trembling.


    With tears in his eyes, he hugged me tightly. I couldn''t help but gently stroke his hair, holding him a little longer than I probably should have... But it was that kind of embrace one gives to a helpless child unexpectedly struck by a cruel illness... Because deep within his soul, I once again felt the Void!


    I passed into this dreadful realm for the second time in my life, though I had not truly wished that... My curiosity, my carelessness, got the better of me and drew me to walk into the Darkness—or perhaps better said, into the realm beyond Darkness—once more!


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    On the far side of the plane bathed in the dim rays of the Black Sun, amidst the silvery webs, the Mother first appeared. Withered by time and sorrow, full of compassion and love, She spoke to me and wept. I lingered in Her cold embrace for a while, until, from the uncanny mist embroidered with false luminaries, came Her Highness—the Queen of Oblivion.


    Oh, my friends, this avatar of Mephala is truly magnificent! But also disdainful and merciless towards mortals of any kind... The Mother held my hands tightly as She stayed with us, and the Queen... The Queen stared at me coldly, offering no pity as She dictated Her will. I shivered, filled with repulsion; but the monarch was adamant and didn''t wish to spare me of the ultimate and greatest misery.


    The Mother wept, yet the Queen remained resolute and grim under the web spun by the Spider—who, of course, was there as well. The Spider would never miss such an opportunity to reunite the Trinity!


    Finally, my mind returned from its unpleasant and dangerous journey; I wasn''t as terrified as I had been the first time, but I was still overwhelmed by a confusing blend of emotions—too complex to fully express. However, I will try to enumerate some of the clearest: I felt boundless love for the Mother; a profound respect that could easily be mistaken for fear toward the Queen, the great schemer and ruler of all that exists in the dark realms of the Daedric plane; and disdain, mingled with rejection, for the supreme Spider, who ensnares us all in its deceitful webs.


    And right then, after the three aspects of Mephala were reunited in my honor, I was struck by a vision so strong that nearly made me faint. A sharp precognition overwhelmed me, granting a blurred glimpse into the future of the Dark Brotherhood. In that vision, I saw myself—soulless, yet exalted—seated as the High Priestess of Sithis'' cult, ruling over both men and mer from an ivory throne. A mad Cicero sat at my feet, purring like a contented cat, whispering fervently to our Unholy Mother. I trembled with unease, yet a strange excitement thrummed within me, for I beheld the grandeur of my apparition in the Grand Plaza of Bravil, right near the statue of The Lucky Old Lady. I also understood, that the souls of the three of us—mine, Elsie''s, the accursed one, a wanted murderer and thief; Rasha''s, the False Speaker of Cheydinhal, a glorified thug; and Cicero''s, the Holy Keeper, madness incarnate, and a tool of the divinity—would form the matrix from which the new Brotherhood would emerge. The new Dark Brotherhood, the one without a Listener, the one that would shape Tamriel according to Her will...


    While I was still shivering under the weight of my vision, my beloved Mistress, Nocturnal, appeared in a hurry and started to talk to me; I listened with indifference to Her hasty plea, which tried to explain to me that everything happening was entirely my fault and that She was in no way involved in these events, which were more related to a band of criminals than to the reasoning of a superior being like Herself. I grinned in Her face and declared that, besides being a monster, She was above all a cowardly monster. I also asked Her not to bother me again until the final act of this sinister play was fully performed... Lady Luck didn''t giggle shamelessly as usual but simply said, "When everything is over, come and rest for a while in your mansion from my realm... Courage, little dove!"


    And She left lightly, leaving a trace of sadness behind... No final embrace... No word of solace. No explanation! Nocturnal, who once enveloped me in Her eternal shadow and protected me, had now granted me nothing but a big lie followed by a quick departure. Was this all I was to Her? A fleeting memory for Her amusement? A tool handed without regret to Her beloved friend Mephala?


    I tried then to regain my composure and mental peace; it was very difficult because it is not easy for a mortal being to face any of Mephala''s manifestations. And Nocturnal didn''t help at all with all Her excuses, which sounded as hollow as the shadow itself... But Cicero was gazing at me with so much hope and love that I began to feel better and think about what we were supposed to do in the near future.


    "Come, brother!" I said to Cicero, who, puzzled, asked me to follow him to his nook.


    "It''s not necessary, brother... Our Mother has spoken to me!"


    He stopped as if stung by a wasp and looked at me with disbelief and fear.


    "The Words...?" he asked timidly.


    "Ah, the Words... oh yes, how could I forget that I must say them?" I bitterly laughed.


    "Darkness rises when silence dies!" I whispered and looked at him sadly.


    His eyes filled with naive, childish joy. I saw tears streaming from his pure blue eyes; he fervently squeezed my hands and said, "The Listener... We have a Listener!"


    "No, brother, I am not a Listener. I am the mother of a new family that will be born in the future, amid the snow and ice, far, far away, somewhere on the Sea of Ghosts shores!"


    "Of course! Of course, esteemed Lis..., beloved mother!" he sighed deeply.


    We both watched hand in hand the sun setting in the blood-red west for a while and then I said, "Come, brother."


    We went together to Rasha''s room, where Courtney and Garnag were keeping vigil over him. I stopped by my brother''s bed of suffering and said, "Goodbye, brother, and get well soon! For me and the Brotherhood! For our Mother as well..."


    Rasha moaned softly in his feverish dreams and seemed to want to open his eyes, but nothing more happened. I took then Courtney aside and entrusted her with overseeing the Sanctuary''s affairs, asking her to watch over everyone in my absence; I also insisted that she keep my departure secret for as long as possible. As I had perhaps already mentioned, something in Nephatah''s behavior unsettled me deeply and I decided to leave the town unnoticed and unseen... I apologized for the heavy burden I was placing on her shoulders, and though I was deeply troubled by this decision, no other soul around seemed fit for such a task.


    Together with Cicero, I then entered the basement of the old Sanctuary and, under some pretext, sent Pontius away. I took Cicero to the sarcophagus and, asking him to kneel, I uttered the Words of Initiation, beginning a cycle destined to last centuries, far beyond my time in this world. It was something special as he was the first in a long series of adepts; and maybe because Cicero was so deeply moved by the sacredness of the moment...


    Our Unholy Mother smiled at both of us, and at the end, I said, "Rise, First among the Faithful! Our Mother loves you the most among all her children and wishes to have you by her side always! I, Elsie, in the name of our Mother, now dissolve the Black Hand, which will never exist again! I, Elsie, in the name of our Mother, appoint you as the Keeper of our Lady!"


    Transfigured, Cicero kissed my hand and said, "I feel Her within me, my beloved mother, and I know She will never speak to me again! But I am so happy...


    "No, brother, our Mother will never speak to you again until you are entirely Hers; you must open your mind to Her, surrender your entire being... You must become the First Sacrifice! And then, She will always be with you, whispering in the silence, waiting in the shadows; you will be Her only vessel in this world. "


    Cicero began to smile and weep at the same time and I continued: "But beware, brother, and be patient. Our Lady will work Her will on you at Her own pace, in Her own time. Do not speak of what has happened here yet; first, let us settle the matters of the past. Only then, together, will we be able to guide our sisters and brothers to the true path of the Brotherhood."


    Cicero nodded, his arms wrapping around me in a warm embrace, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you, mother," he whispered. "I promise to be calm and wise, to understand our Lady''s will and ensure it is fulfilled."


    Thus began our collaboration that was supposed to be secret, a silent conspiracy meant to steer the Brotherhood back to its true purpose. However, for now, seeing to the Duchess'' request became my primary concern...