“Come with me, Nightingale” – Lucien appeared next to Lena as she came out of the Arcane University lobby.

“How did you know I’d be here?” – she gasped at him.

“Arch Mage Traven practically put out a bounty on your head” – he grinned. “He’s been searching for you through the Guild channels, and we do have a few Brothers among the mages. So I knew you were on your way here from Leyawiin.”

“And you loitered in the garden waiting for me” – Lena grinned at the mental picture of Lucien loitering.

“Cloaked, yes” – he smiled.

“All right, Agent of Stealth, let’s go.”

Lucien led her to his bolthole in the sewers under Arboretum – “Lucien’s Arboretum Underground Apartment”, as Lena took to calling it.

“Here – this is for you” – Lucien gave her a package when they were inside. “Now that Nocturnal wants her influence re-established, we should dress the part.”

It was only now that Lena realised what was different about Lucien – his robes. Still black, still unassuming and resembling mage robes, but now complemented by dark brown embossed leather rather than plain black, and with deep sanguine trim.

“Throwing knives” – Lena pointed at the top of Lucien’s boot. “Finally an alternative to the bow.”

“Well, I’ve had them for a while already” – he smiled. “But you need to learn to use them first. There are throwing stars, too – try A Fighting Chance in the Market District. There’s a lot more to Rohssan than meets the eye” – Lucien winked. “There’s an additional knife pocket belt to go over the robes as well, but I find it too obvious.”

Lena was trying on her new gear.

“And the enchantment? It feels the same.”

“It is the same” – Lucien nodded. “The same as the Black Hand robes, and reinforced with the hood.”

“So, still no shield enchantment” – Lena mused, slightly disappointed. It was clothes, not armour.

“You should be skilled enough not to get hit, if you are wearing this” – Lucien smiled. “Doesn’t always work, of course, but there are other ways to shield yourself.”

“Ok, Ok, I’m not complaining” – Lena grinned. “Who should we recruit as the third Nightingale?”

“We?” – Lucien raised an eyebrow. “That’s your job – Nocturnal gave this task to you personally. It’s your call.”

“But I thought because you’ve been her agent for a while already…” – Lena started.

“No-no, it doesn’t work like that” – Lucien shook his head. “This falls outside the Dark Brotherhood hierarchy, so we are equal on this level, as will be the third person. You don’t have to recruit from the Brotherhood either.”

“So…” – Lena started to understand how this worked. “You never said anything because it wasn’t up to you to bring Nocturnal’s influence into the Brotherhood – I am to do it, as well as to rebuild the Halls and to recruit the third person. While you…”

“I have my own tasks” – Lucien smiled. “You will learn of them in time, such are Nocturnal’s wishes.”

…

They sat down for dinner, and Lena told Lucien about her conversation with Corvus Umbranox and a pile of Thieves Guild “requests” that she had found in his desk. They had no interest in any of them, except the one from Rayenna.

“So it wasn’t the Thieves Guild who revealed the location of Deepscorn Hollow to Rayenna” – Lucien pointed out. “Hauk thinks it was Mephala, and I tend to agree with him. Which means we should be watchful.”

“But she is still a member of the Brotherhood, isn’t she?” – Lena looked up. “With one of the Sanctuaries?”

“She is still in Anvil, yes” – Lucien nodded. “Sa’sinar wanted to keep an eye on her, and who could blame him. Although it wasn’t his fault, a Silencer’s actions always do reflect on the Speaker – after all, she was his choice.” He paused. “Anyway, Umbranox’ abandoned house is ours – it’s one of the terms of the contract. The Countess was only too glad to see it change ownership and to ensure that no Thieves Guild member would set foot into it again. Have you searched it?”

“I’ve searched Umbranox’ room upstairs, but the downstairs area was boarded up, so I didn’t look there” – Lena admitted. “Should I have?”

“It has a basement, according to the documents… Could be worth investigating.”

Lena nodded, making a note in her journal.

“How have you been feeling lately?” – Lucien asked without changing the tone.

“What?” – Lena was surprised by the question. “How do you mean?”

“Exactly as I said it. Your health – how have you been feeling?”

“Fine” – Lena answered slowly, trying to figure out what Lucien was getting at. “The same as usual. Why do you ask?”

“Your pregnancy” – he took her hand, feeling her pulse, she noticed. “You do realise you are pregnant, don’t you?”

“I…” – Lena gasped. No, she didn’t realise it, yet. “No… How do you know if even I don’t?”

“I noticed a couple of weeks ago, in Skingrad” – he smiled. “Dibella’s training had been quite extensive, and I was young back then… I studied eagerly” – he smiled again. “I can sense things like that.”

“You? A student of Dibella?” – Lena recalled that Dibella had granted Lucien a blessing just recently – in Skingrad, in fact.

“In my youth, yes, following my mother. I didn’t need much convincing either, considering its nature.”

“But then something changed… for you are not a Priest of Dibella.”

“No, I didn’t take any vows” – Lucien agreed. “Other tendencies became evident…” – he was looking into the distance, remembering. “Then I joined the Brotherhood and stopped going to the temple. But I still remember what I’ve learned.” He looked at her with tenderness. “So, it has begun.”

“But…” – Lena was still digesting these revelations, both of her pregnancy and of Lucien’s ways of Dibella. “But I don’t know…” – Lucien seemed certain, yet she didn’t feel it yet. “How long have I been pregnant then?”

“Oh I could not tell that” – Lucien laughed. “I’m not a seer. Not that long, I should think, since it doesn’t show yet – and you yourself haven’t even noticed. But it will put extra strain on your health – which is why I brought it up. You need to be prepared – healing potions, food and blood, have it always with you.”

“Blood?”

“In case you run into a wraith or something” – he smiled – “and your vampirism gets triggered again. You have read about that in your great-uncle’s diaries, I hope?”

“I…” – Lena swallowed. “I have… But I ignored it at the time. Recessive Vampirism. I assumed it didn’t apply to me, since I had taken the witch’s cure. But it does, doesn’t it? Of course, this is what Vicente meant, this is why I’ve been needing blood sometimes…”

“You need to avoid going hungry for too long” – Lucien looked serious. “Hungry for blood, I mean, when your vampirism relapses. I know it gives you powers in battle, but it’s bad for the child.”

Lena was thinking of Molag Bal telling her that her child would be a vampire… if she allowed him to turn her into a pure-blood. But she didn’t. Would she still pass her infection to her child? She strained to remember what she had read in her great-uncle’s diaries, but there was no mention of children there. She hoped the child would not be tainted.

Lucien watched Lena’s sombre face, correctly deducing what she was thinking. He didn’t know whether or not the child would carry vampirism, and he was not aware of anyone else possessing such knowledge, so they would have to wait and see. He got up, walked over to Lena and embraced her, crouching next to her chair.

“Don’t worry about that” – he said in her ear. “We can deal with it. I love you.”