Skyrim: The Nightshade Assassin

Here With You

Chapter 36

"No Nazir, wait! I see a body in the water!" Babette cries out, stopping the Redguard from pushing the coffin through the glass. "It...it looks like..."

"It's probably just a corpse," replies Nazir, and continues to push the coffin.

"Stop, Cortana is in there!" Babette screams before the coffin crashes into the melting pond, suddenly recognising the body. Me.

It's cold. I can't breath, at least not anymore. I cast a waterbreathing spell before freezing this pond with Frost spells to avoid drowning. My cuts and burns sting once it comes in contact with water, the ice gradually melting.

I hear Babette, but her voice is barely audible, like someone trying to wake you up from a dream. Before my lungs start to burn and I'm trapped into the ice, finally, I'm pulled out of the water, breathing again. "See, I told you it was her! Now get Kaito out of that coffin. Thank gods you didn't crush her."

Kaito...he must be alive. That's a relief.

"Well I don't see you helping, you stupid she-devil," Nazir grunts, heaving the Night Mother's coffin out from the pond. I slowly open my eyes. Everything is burned to ashes.

Babette scoffs. "I'm not exactly built for manual labor. Now come on, you almost got it!'

One last pull and the coffin is on the dirt. Kaito bursts from the opening, barely soaked in water, and rushes to me, who is wet and smelly. He cradles me in his arms if I'm about to die or something. He sighs of relief when I cough up water, and throw up to the side.

"By Sithis, you're alive..." Nazir mutters, and Babette is covering her mouth.

"You're bleeding..." she croaks, staring intently at my disgusting appearance.

As I said...you'll be giving the gift of life, whispers the Night Mother, and I immediately choke. Does she mean...

"Wait, now..." I reply to her, and Kaito obviously heard her voice. I forgot about that, and finishes off my sentence for me.

"She's arriving now?" Kaito asks me, leaving Babette and Nazir's jaw hang wide open. Mine as well, but it's more of a horrified stare.

Then, I begin to feel a sharp pain, and it hurts that a scream forcibly bursts from me, startling them. "She's...she's going into labour? Right now? RIGHT NOW?" she screams, and rushes to her room. Nazir coughs in disbelief, standing there. Babette shouts from the hallway. "Go boil some water!"

"Calm down," I weakly tell Babette as water pools at my legs. "Not yet."

Thanks Night Mother, for telling me the bun in the oven is just about ready right this second.

After a few hours, my face feels hot, and I grip Kaito's hand as Nazir does what he is told. The pain is so unbearable, I almost lose consciousness. I probably have, who knows, I just keep randomly waking up. I think this is the first I've seen Kaito ridiculously worried about me. Before my vision fades to white, then back into reality, and pass out again, I see his face getting even paler and paler.

Babette returns with an armful of potions and a blanket, holding them like a child. "Everything and half my ingredients were crushed by the debris. Dammit!" the vampire observes, slipping to excited to frustrated. She at least has colour in her skin, but this time she's pale as snow. "But..."

"But what?" I weakly say. It feels as if I've been running for hours. I can't wait to just get this overwith and find a new sanctuary. I'm squeezing Kaito's hand so tightly, I think it's turning purple. Breathing heavily, my head hurts from the quick breathes of oxygen.