“Come with me, Sister” – Rohssan smiled at Lena when Lena enquired about throwing knives at the Fighting Chance. She led her to the basement of the shop that was set up as a training room and an armoury. “You might like this as well” – she handed Lena a shortsword of dull metal without shine. “This does not reflect light quite as much as most metals, and unlike ebony, it is effective on ethereal beings as well as corporeal. Wraiths and ghosts and such” – she clarified. “Of course your Honorblade does the trick as well, but it’s quite heavy, whereas this sword…” – she handed it to Lena – “feel for yourself.”

“Wow, fast and light like a… steel shortsword?” – Lena made a few thrusts at the dummy.

“Exactly” – Rohssan nodded. “The same make as your Shadowhunt.”

Lena smiled recalling Garrus noting in awe that he’d never seen a steel bow take out a massive orc with two shots… Even without the enchantment, Shadowhunt wasn’t just any bow.

“So… The Blade of Woe and the Sufferthorn have the same qualities, too” – she smiled at Rohssan. “Your work?”

“Some of it” – Rohssan smiled back. “But I am mostly a supplier. The Sufferthorns come from another smith – Elven metal is not my speciality. I work iron and steel, with ebony core or silver coating, where necessary.”

“Worked to a dull finish so as not to reflect the light” – Lena turned the Assassin’s shortsword in her hand – “and to be effective on ethereal beings. A coating.”

“There’s more to being a smith than just repairing your gear” – Rohssan grinned with satisfaction. “Those fine iron and steel swords that I offer to the general public – they have ebony cores with just a thin layer of iron or steel, so you get higher durability with a reduced weight. And they sharpen better, too.”

“I still have a few of those” – Lena nodded. She looked through other weapons on display, noting that each had a “durable” version – with an ebony core, she realised.

…

“Traven wants me to ‘supervise’ a group of battlemages and storm Silorn” – Lena was telling Hauk over lunch at The Feed Bag. “He wants some special black soul gem that’s supposed to be there – and he stressed repeatedly that all that mattered was that gem. I smell a rat” – she turned over her steak with suspicion.

“He will sacrifice the battlemages again” – nodded Hauk. “We should meet with Iver, this is exactly the sort of mission he was talking about.”

“But you will come too, won’t you?” – Lena looked at Hauk with a question.

“Of course I will” – he nodded. “It’s bound to be a trap.”

…

They found Iver training in the basement at the University – he already knew about the mission.

“I’ve been expecting you” – he smiled at Lena. “There will be three of us, but the others do not fully understand the danger yet, I’m afraid. But if you too are coming, Hauk, that will help.”

Hauk gave him one of his famous looks – naturally, and Iver mirrored it exactly. Twins.

“We’ll see you at Silorn then” – Iver concluded.

…

It was late afternoon but Lena and Hauk decided to get going towards Skingrad and Silorn and stay the night at an inn along the way.

“The Imperial City Council finally released the funds to build three new bridges over Lake Rumare” – Hauk was saying as they were walking to the stables to pick up the horses. “And it is amazing how quickly these things can get built once the payment is forthcoming” – he smirked. “Have you seen them? The new bridges?”

“I was surprised by the one at Fort Homestead, yes” – Lena nodded. “Suddenly I didn’t have to cast waterwalking on Roach as we could just cross the lake over a bridge! Where are the other two?”

“Fort Urasek and Fort Caracus, more or less” – Hauk pointed East and North. “And a small bridge to connect the City Isle proper with the lighthouse.”

“So that you can actually cross from the City Isle to the Waterfront without going through the City and the infamous tunnel!” – Lena said excitedly.

“Infamous?” – Hauk looked surprised. “It’s just a tunnel.”

“Yeah, well, it’s got cells and guards asking questions” – Lena wrinkled her nose.

Hauk smirked but didn’t say anything. They picked up their horses and crossed the Talos Bridge towards Weye, turning South aiming to take the Gold Road. They stopped at The Old Crow Inn just at that intersection.

…

“Mmm, you look like someone who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty!” – the innkeep smiled, looking over Lena’s attire. “I need someone ‘taking care of’, if you catch my meaning” – she winked. There was usually only one way the Dunmer wanted things “taken care of”.

“Yeah, I read you” – smiled Lena. “Who is it?”

“My ex-lover” – Ladonna looked angry and disgusted. “He left me – for an Orc!!”

Ouch, that must have hurt.

“You must kill him! And her! Kill them both!” – she exclaimed, completely unconcerned by the presence of an Imperial soldier in the inn. “I shall reward you well for your trouble!”

“Ok, I’ll look into it” – Lena said making a note in her journal.

“Do more than just look!” – Ladonna urged her. Here was another scornful woman of the dangerous kind.

…

“Hauk, I am pregnant” – Lena dropped the bomb at dinner.

“Whaaa-?” – Hauk looked up from his mutton. “How long?”

“Not long, a couple of months, perhaps?” – Lena looked uncertain. “I can’t even feel it yet.”

“So… what are you going to do?”

“Err… carry it to term?” – Lena went red.

“That’s not what I meant!” – Hauk focussed on Lena rather than on his thoughts. “I am not suggesting termination. I was wondering if you were going to pause adventuring for a while.”

“No!” – Lena was indignant. “Whatever made you suggest that?! No!”

“Whoa – don’t start breathing fire now!” – Hauk was taken aback by the intensity of Lena’s reaction. “I was just… well, never mind” – he was going to say something, but then reconsidered. “Adventuring it is.”

They didn’t discuss it any further, but Lena noticed Hauk talking to the innkeep who was first shaking her head, but then nodded and brought out several strong healing potions that Hauk stashed in his pack. Lena sighed – was everyone going to treat her as an invalid now? And even worse – was she going to feel like an invalid in a few months’ time?

9 Last Seed

“This is quite a nice area” – Hauk pointed at a high arched wall set across the Gold Road half way to Skingrad. “Wolf’s Borough. Have you been here before?”

“I might have, but I don’t remember” – Lena was looking around, not recognising any of it. “I don’t think I’ve ever really rode along this stretch of the road – I would always take a shortcut through the wilderness.”

“Then let’s stop and look around” – Hauk steered his horse to a pasture, he clearly knew where he was going.

“You seem to be very familiar with this place” – Lena looked at him with suspicion.

“You could say that. This is where I grew up – we lived on a farm just behind that building” – he grinned at Lena’s surprise.

“What?!” – she laughed. “And you never said anything?”

“It never came up.”

Wolf’s Borough stretched all the way from the Gold Road to Fort Vlastarus and had several shops, farms and towers. It was something between a farm and a town.

“What happened to the farm where you grew up?” – Lena asked as they walked around.

“After our parents died, we sold it, as neither Iver nor myself saw ourselves as farmers. The new owners have changed a lot of things around, it is barely recognisable. And no, we are not going to say hello.” He looked at Lena just as she was about to suggest something with a look of mischief on her face.

“Oh” – she said with disappointment. “Well… But at least we should explore that fort.” And she went right in, not giving Hauk an opportunity to protest.