Bond Of Blood

Chapter 4

Astrid took a deep swig of the wine, savouring the taste before lowering her shaking hand onto the table, the tankard clutched in her fingers in a death grip. She would never admit it outright, but Morgan's last words had scared her to the core. She had been used to her joking around with the other assassins, she had forgotten that this woman had also slaughtered hundreds of mindless people without even bothering about why she had done it.

She took a shivering breath before speaking, not meeting the gaze of the Dragonborn sitting opposite her, instead looking at a small spider that scuttled across the dark wood of the table as she continued her tale.

"We have problems."

"What now?" Astrid muttered wearily as she looked up to see Nazir standing there with an expression that she had never seen him wear before.

Nazir was dressed in his usual Hammerfell/Dark Brotherhood attire, his scimitar held in his fingers tightly.

"They are at the door. We can hear explosions. They must be using magic and anything else to blast the rocks around the door to get through," Nazir reported softly.

"Then it's time," Astrid said as she stood up and unsheathed her blade. "Nazir, if I fall, get the others to Dawnstar."

"You can do that yourself," he responded with a hint of dry humour, and Astrid smiled a little as she walked past him.

Now that she was out of the main chambers of the Sanctuary and heading towards the one and only exit, she could indeed hear muffled explosions and even yells of encouragement coming from the attackers outside.

"Time to kill," Arnbjorn muttered as he came alongside his wife, placing a hand on her buttock and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Is there nothing else you think about apart from sex and blood...wait, I already know," Astrid replied as she spun around, pushed her husband against the wall and kissed him full on the mouth.

She broke the kiss and gave her werewolf husband a thankful smile before looking at the stairway that led to the exit. She was glad that Babette, Gabriella and even Cicero had left a few hours before, taking the Night Mother with them. It meant that somehow, the Dark Brotherhood may survive to fight another day.

If only she had come...

Astrid shook her head at that thought. She couldn't blame the Dragonborn for not being here, she had her own destiny and lifestyle, however insane it might seem to her. But she had still hoped that she had come, she would have proven useful...

"COME AND MEET YOUR END!" a voice yelled as they heard the unmistakable sound of the door toppling to the ground and a small avalanche of rock and debris follow it shortly after.

She narrowed her eyes as she heard multiple footsteps coming down the steps. If the Stormcloaks wanted her alive they would be sorely mistaken...

"COME ON!"

Astrid blinked as she felt Nazirs arm wrap around her waist and haul her upright. She stared at the body of the Stormcloak boy that had attacked her, her Blade of Woe stuck in his throat. The body of Festus lay nearby, the victim of said boy as he had somehow survived the immense waves of Destruction magic that the elderly assassin had been producing, and had managed to land a killing blow, the sword imbedded between Festus's eyes.

She had leapt onto the young man and had stabbed at him so many times, she had lost count, and had ended his whimpering sounds with a final stab at his bloody throat. But she had been caught by his flailing dagger that he had somehow managed to unsheathe, and she could feel the blood trickling down her body as she was dragged away by Nazir.