Black Sacrament

The sun's rays slowly illuminated the city, coloring it in warm shades. They crawled up the walls, trying to penetrate beyond the stone barriers to dissipate the semi-gloom of the streets. The roofs, covered with green tiles, shimmered slightly thanks to the moisture left after the night rain. Morning came to Solitude, filling it with life and the potential joy of a new day. People woke up. Those who had to work or stand behind a counter all day quickly ate breakfast and went out to the streets to breathe in the fresh air before starting their routine. – Please spare a septim... I have nothing to live on... – a beggar interrupted the blissful morning silence, extending a trembling hand to a tall elf who was known for her strange attitude towards customers' attire. The elf grimaced and snorted disapprovingly, giving the beggar an unfriendly look. – Not my problem! – the elf said and disappeared into the depths of the shop, annoyed as she slammed the door. The beggar rolled her eyes and weakly stomped her foot. No longer pretending to tremble, she walked briskly towards the Bards College, which was not far from the Blue Palace. Adjusting her greasy hair, the color of which was completely unclear, she suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky as if the gods were waving at her from there. But they weren't there, and her gaze clearly conveyed: if she had actually seen them, she would have shown them the most indecent gesture she knew, without feeling any shame for it. Not that she believed they had turned away from her. No, she believed they had never had anything to do with her since birth. Still, she used to have a fairly good position in the East Empire Company, and then, as she thought, she simply had bad luck. She didn't fall down, she slowly slid down the slope, with all the resulting consequences. She brought herself to the state she was in and blamed the gods for one thing only: that they didn't give her a sign in time to finally turn to an intelligence that was far from absent. And so she, from the Hepparchy Artorius, turned into a destitute Heppa, as some called her. But even in this state, she never stopped wearing different "masks" and finding the right ones for those she didn't know enough about. She tried to use her mind even now, to survive, and as soon as the opportunity arose, to leave the city and start a life from a more comfortable point. Sometimes the thought came to her mind: why not steal the necessary sum? But she dismissed it. After all, she didn't want to end up in prison with no chance of at least paying a fine in case of failure. So she preferred a more legal option, but one that was slower and more unpleasant. Why unpleasant? She didn't like most of the residents of Solitude, often she just wanted to take her short-lived interlocutor and kill him, just so that he would stop looking at her with either contempt or absurd pity. Finally tearing her gaze away from the sky, she sighed and continued walking towards the college. In fact, there was no need for her to go there, but she just went. Maybe to refresh her memories of the days when she was still very young and foolish. Or maybe just to stretch her legs. She didn't make it to the end, she was abruptly stopped by a guard. She looked at him in surprise, sincerely not understanding what was going on. – Did I do something wrong? – she asked, looking at the guard with wide eyes. – You look very much like a criminal... – he slowly said, stretching out his words. It felt like he was the criminal here, not Hepparchy. – What kind of criminal? – she asked, trying to escape from the clutches of the law. – You look like her, except maybe for your hair and cleanliness. – And what did she do wrong? Drops of sweat began to gather on her forehead. – Smuggling and theft from the East Empire Company, – the guard reluctantly replied. Hepparchy felt very uncomfortable. Had they not forgotten about that case yet? Yes, she was definitely not involved in theft, but still.. – I never did anything like that... And even if I did, I probably wouldn't be here in such a... state. The guard fell silent and hesitantly let the beggar go. After looking at her for a while, he finally walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Watching him leave, she exhaled and looked up at the sky again. What should she do? It seemed like just recently she was stealing money, although it turned out to be counterfeit, from the hands of those Argonians. And now she was wandering the streets aimlessly, in rags. And why did she let herself fall so low? She clenched her hand into a fist. The memory of how Jari-Ra betrayed her, portraying her in a bad light, came to her mind again. She wanted that scoundrel to suffer. Hepparchy knew how it could achieve this if she had the septims itself. The Dark Brotherhood would have done everything perfectly, maybe even planted evidence of her innocence if she could pay for it. But unfortunately, that was impossible. The only option available to her was to commit this dreadful act herself. She had been contemplating this option for a long time, she had a plan, but she was afraid. She didn't want to be noticed. She wanted to do everything carefully, unnoticed. And even though the plan was in place, she was afraid that everything would go wrong. What if she couldn't discreetly steal that expensive wine? What if the prepared poison didn't work? Argonians, after all, have a good immunity to them. And even if she ultimately just slit his throat, what if there were traces left behind? It was this specifically that she was afraid of, not the act of murder itself. But still, the more she thought about it, the more her fear receded. – Soon... Soon... – she whispered quietly and finally went back to the square. Beggary is also a job, and she couldn't be late for it.

***

There was almost no one at the port. Even the guard was asleep, leaning against the wall of the East Empire Company warehouse. The gray shadow of the imperial slipped towards a small room where some good wine could be found. Upon entering, she crouched down, listening to the surrounding sounds. Almost crawling, she approached the crates and carefully removed the lid from one that had recently been unpacked by Vittoria Vici. Finally, as quietly and carefully as possible, she took out the bottle and began to examine it. "Surilie Brothers Wine, 167 years old..." she whispered to herself. She nodded and stealthily made her way out of the port with the bottle, heading towards her secret hiding place that she had prepared before losing her position. There were no treasures there, but there were several vials of various poisons, potions, and a couple of precious gems. The hiding place itself was located near the stables, under a small cobblestone. Setting the stone aside and retrieving a small chest, she opened it and took out a vial with a worn label. It was the best deadly potion she had ever purchased, and she was ready to use it. The only thing left was to arrange a meeting with Jari-Ra.

***

— I didn't expect you to dare to meet me after that incident, — the lizard hissed as he sat down at the table. The only light in this small room in the cave came from a dimly lit candle, but it was enough to see the wine that Hepparchy was pouring. — I thought you were still angry. But believe me, I had to do it. — Let's not discuss this topic, Ja. I thought we had already closed it, — the empress sighed, pouring alcohol into the glasses. — I'm not angry, don't worry. I was considering starting to collaborate with you again. After all, even the poor have their... privileges. After all, informants are needed by everyone, aren't they? — That's true, — Jari-Ra smirked. — To your health, Heppa, to our new collaboration! — To our collaboration, — Hepparchy repeated, slowly drinking the wine and closely watching how the lizard drinks. — What a wonderful wine! Where did you get it? Considering your situation. — Everyone has their secrets, — the empress smiled. — What are your plans now? — No, no, Heppa, we don't discuss business over such a wonderful wine! And what a taste... Oh... Something's not right... — What's wrong? Did something happen? — I think... the wine... — the Argonian didn't have time to finish speaking. Rolling his eyes, he suddenly fell onto the table, dropping the glass from his hand. The candle went out. Hepparhia smiled wider. — Ah, it's a shame I didn't give you the antidote... Goodbye, my friend! Gracefully rising from the table, she looked at the corpse, smirked, and headed towards the exit, rejoicing in a job well done. Now she can sleep peacefully... Or at least more peacefully.

***

She was able to spend this night in the warm room of the tavern. Wrapped in a blanket, she sank into a half-dream rather than sleep. She couldn't fall asleep properly. At first, the sounds of lute and drunkenness on the first floor distracted her, and then just the wind. At some point, she was able to briefly leave the real world and enter a state of rest. Suddenly, she heard someone sit on a chair very close by, causing it to creak slightly. The beggar sat up abruptly on the bed and looked towards the sound, but there was no one there. She was about to lie back down when suddenly... — Can't sleep? — a not very loud female voice was heard from somewhere in the darkness. — Who's there? — Hepparchy asked, preparing to defend herself if necessary. — Does it really matter right now, hm? The stranger seemed to be mocking. Hepparchy was irritated by this. — It matters very much. Who are you and what do you want from me?! — Alright, I'll answer. My name is Astrid. I came to the city for an important task, but when I was about to leave the city to pass on information about the contract to my people, I found out that one Argonian had mysteriously disappeared after meeting a certain beggar... And, as it turns out, the client pointed me to him. — Client... Contract... The Dark Brotherhood?! So I... What do you want from me?! — What do I want? Just for you to settle a debt. — And how can I settle it for you? Do you need someone's death? Is it mine, by any chance?.. — You're clever, but not yours. Kill someone in this city. You have a wide choice! From the sister of that poor soul to the jarl himself... If any resident disappears here in Solitude within two days, we won't touch you. But if not... I'm sure you already understand. — Kill... – Hepparchy swallowed. Yes, she had recently taken someone else's life, but she had planned it for a long time. She had no time constraints, but now... She was afraid of what could happen. And she couldn't believe that the Dark Brotherhood had contacted her. — In two days, in the evening, I will be waiting for you at the stables. Don't disappoint me, you clearly have talent, — the voice spoke, as if dissolving with each word. — Wait! Wait! I... – Hepparchy quickly got off the bed and created a weak magical light, trying to see her interlocutor, but there was no one nearby. She stood in the middle of the room, looking into nothingness and trying to figure out what to do now.