This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
JASH
The first fight against the Dark Presence would happen shortly. It was here that Saga would be tested. So was it any wonder that the morgue felt threatening to me? I had killed, eaten, and walked across countless corpses but this was different from any death I had encountered before.
Hircine, grant me the strength for this hunt. Grant Saga the ability to see through my illusion so that we could hunt together. I know it doesn’t feel right to hide secrets from those I hunt with, but such things can’t be helped.
“You’re religious?” Tim asked and broke me free from my thoughts.
“What?” I replied.
“It looked like you were praying just now.”
“I worship the hunt.”
“I thought you lived in the city.”
“I take time to hunt each deer season.”
Tim just nodded. Currently Saga and Alex were caught up examining Nightingale which left Tim and myself time to talk with each other. He would disappear soon so it was ours to gladly entertain him with words.
“I thought you were going to help them.” Tim said. “They were insistent that you help.”
My eyes went to Saga who was actively digging into Nightingale’s secrets and then to Alex who stood dutifully behind her. Both were familiar enough with each other that they hardly had to talk during the examination.
There were two women deputies in the morgue. One stood a few feet behind the agents while the other stood near the exit. The one close to the exit looked scared. Her fear would be rewarded with a quick death.
“It could be that my husband is more scared than he lets on.” I replied. “He has a reputation to uphold, after all.”
Tim’s laugh sounded joyful even while being in a room of death. Alex turned his head briefly to glare at us. Saga, meanwhile, focused on the task at hand. My love had taught her so well that she outshone him in this moment.
“I don’t think we should disturb Alex.” I smirked.
“No.” Tim replied and shook his head. “I don’t mean to pry but…do you deal with addiction issues? I could give you the number to a hotline.”
“What?”
Had he guessed that ever since I had arrived on Earth, my body cried out for Skooma and alcohol that had a good kick to it?
“I’ve never seen someone drink coffee like you do and not be addicted to something.” Tim said gently.
“Where I came from I grew coffee.” I replied and somehow stopped a sigh from leaving my lips. “It is more bitter than the coffee you serve here and yet it sold well. I could have lived a life of luxury off of the profits. I hoped that by tasting the coffee here I could figure out a solution.”
“So you’re not from New York?”
“I moved when I met Alex.”
“Do you plan to return?”
“Alex has trained Saga well. There is nothing holding him back now.”
“When you head back to wherever maybe I could visit you just to taste this life changing coffee.”
“It is ours to enjoy your company, then.”
I turned and Tim followed my gaze a moment later. In a pair of toothed forceps, held by Saga, was a manuscript page. Soon Saga should be able to see through my illusion if Hircine decided to bless me.
“That’s just like…” Tim said and rushed over to a binder. “Let me show you.”
The moment right before his fingers took hold of the binder, an otherworldly wind whipped through the morgue. Tim was barely able to yell something before he was gone. There was no bloodcurdling scream or blood.
He was just gone.
I felt my muscles loosen as if a great burden had just been torn from my shoulders. For other people a fight meant they showed a clear sign of fear. I was the opposite. Every time blood was about to be shed, I felt relaxed as if the entire universe finally made sense.
The time it took between Tim disappearing and Nightingale seemingly coming back to life my eyes didn’t have time to blink. It seemed that he threw Alex into the nearest wall, threw Saga into another wall, and brutally slaughtered the two deputies instantaneously. As if he didn’t even have to move to accomplish such feats.
Had one of the deputies screamed? I briefly went over the moment and realized that she had.
I bared my teeth at Nightingale as he moved swiftly towards me. If I hadn’t been a Daedric Prince, the abomination would have been able to kill me without effort. Since I had been granted immense powers, I was able to use his attack to get me in front of Alex.
Not that anyone watching would have been able to realize that. What they would see was Nightingale flinging me in front of Alex.
Once I placed myself in front of me husband so that Nightingale couldn’t harm him, the abomination looked bored. As if he were no more than a hatchling and me a discarded toy. I shouldn’t have been surprised as Saga was his real target.
Saga managed to crawl to the center of the room and hide under the one light. Nightingale would be blind to her presence which gave her mere moments to decide on a strategy. She looked at Alex. She then looked at me and I prayed to Hircine that she truly saw me in this moment.
The moment she turned away from me, I forced myself to accept the fact that she still hadn’t seen past my dryskin illusion. We would still have to wait for another moment. There had to be another time when she would see me as I truly was.
Saga made her move.
She raced towards her fallen gun just as Nightingale took notice of her. I prepared to stop Alex if she didn’t manage to kill the abomination. I breathed a sigh of relief when she shot the former agent at the last second.
I stood up the moment Nightingale disappeared.
“I’m fine, Saga.” Alex said when she tried to help him up.
“That was…” Saga replied and looked at where Nightingale had been.
Alex gave me a brief look. He knew she hadn’t seen through my illusion.
“Insanity.” Alex said.
“So what was that you said about him not being able to go to the Oh Deer Diner, again?” Saga asked.
“I don’t think the undead drink coffee.” I said before Alex could answer.
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