“Precise and discreet, as usual” – said Ocheeva handing over the bonus. “We expect another contract soon, if you want it.”

“I do” – Lena looked determined. “I’ve been away far too long.”

“Nonsense” – Ocheeva smiled warmly. “He always knew you’d be back.”

Lena looked in Ocheeva’s amber eyes and saw her adoptive grandmother before her. She too could see everything plainly.

“How…” – she hesitated. “Why did the others allow him to appoint an absent Silencer?”

“He didn’t give them any choice. The Night Mother reluctantly agreed, the others followed. He was very busy doing everything himself, especially during the War there was a lot of work.”

Lena fidgeted.

“I suppose I should be going… I’ll be around, just leave a note upstairs when you need me.” She stood up to leave.

“Oh” – she sat down again. “There’s an ex-Shadowscale among the Skyrim assassins. Claims to be the last of his kind. I thought you might want to know. I’ll be going back there at some point, in case you need anything.”

“Thank you, dear” – Ocheeva smiled. “He’s just a fool. His cell collapsed or else he was made to believe that it collapsed, and now he thinks he’s the last one. They probably put him there on purpose too – without him knowing it. Not all Shadowscales are blessed with brains, you know. But I’ll send word, all the same.”

Ocheeva took Lena’s hand.

“Those robes suit you. Don’t worry about anything, dear. Things will fall into place when the time is right, and it isn’t for a while yet.”

Was that Lena’s grandmother talking? Or was it just the Argonian way?

…

The news of Lena’s reinstated rank spread quickly through the Sanctuary, not the least because she was wearing her Black Hand robes.

“Good to see you’re really back, sister” – Antoinetta Marie greeted her. “I’m glad you didn’t get killed… err… you know!” – she beamed at Lena. “I still think I should have Ocheeva’s job, and I don’t mind telling you this, since you know talent when you see it, too.”

This had become a running joke in the Sanctuary over the years. Antoinette Marie was ambitious, and believed herself to be an exceptionally talented assassin. While she certainly had her merits, she was… shall we say… too talkative. And her cooking made Vicente ill.

“I thought you were gone for good” – Gogron joined in. “I was probably the only one surprised when you reappeared. I’m not that subtle!” – he chuckled. “Is it true that you’re a Silencer? Have been all this time? Is that why Ocheeva and Vicente were out on jobs more often than usual? To fill in?”

Gogron was definitely not subtle – and not trying to be, either. “Bonus – what bonus?” – he used to say and chuckle. But he never missed his mark, doing things his way.

“Don’t you start, Gogron” – Telaendril gave him a tender look. Then turning to Lena, she added, smiling: “He’s such a brute! We’re all glad you’re back, wearing those robes. Even M’raaj-Dar, although he’ll still say that the new recruit isn’t fit to polish his boots…”

“We are also all glad to still be alive” – Teinaava hissed into Lena’s ear. He was the only one to mention the failed Purification. “After that Argonian heart, I wouldn’t take my chances against your Sufferthorn, Silencer.”

Vicente was crossing the hall when he saw them talking.

“If I could have a word…” – he smiled at Lena.

She followed him to his quarters.

“I know you cured your vampirism, but that cure has some negative effects, does it not?” – he smiled again. “And I don’t mean the looks – you obviously fixed that. That cure also leaves you weakened, your blood doesn’t regenerate as well as it should. You noticed it, no doubt.”

Lena was thinking of all those encounters with ghosts and liches that seemed to affect her far worse than anyone else. Like those ghosts in the Benirus Manor, and Hauk offering his neck to her afterwards. May be he wasn’t joking.

“You are no longer a vampire, but you can still drink blood – and assimilate it into your own, like a vampire. You don’t need it to survive, but you can still use it.”

That explained those sudden urges… It seemed Hauk wasn’t joking.

“Ah – but you no longer have the fangs. Or do you?” – Vicente seemed to have researched this topic very well. “Janus Hassildor and I had a long talk with your cure potion on the table. When Janus’ wife could not be saved by it, he had to rethink his own existence. He offered me the cure too – we go a long way – but neither of us wanted it in the end. We had no one among the living that we would want to grow old with.”

Lena was listening, and wondering just why she had been so eager to take that cure back then. She was young and inexperienced, she had assumed the cure would make her like before… and was bitterly disappointed when it didn’t. This was a lesson in not assuming anything and not giving in to wishful thinking. The witch had never promised to make her like before – she only promised to make her mortal.

“I just wanted to say” – Vicente saw shadows passing over Lena’s face – “now that you’ve taken that cure, you might need blood to recover from a bad fight.”

Hauk wasn’t joking.

“I have bottled blood here, as you know, just ask when you need it. Sister.”

Sister. Lena was really back with her family. And Hauk… he knew what an ex-vampire would need… and was willing to provide it. Lena finally knew who her friends were.