“Let’s go,” Mira said.
Katla jumped at Mira’s hand on her shoulder. She’d been focused on a chapter in the Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition. She wasn’t finding anything about the Order of the Fire Queen, but the section on High Rock and its people was fascinating. She realized how little she knew of High Rock. Of Bretons.
Tara read a lot about Nord culture. Maybe she should do the same regarding Bretons. Would it bring her closer to Tara again?
“Did you find them?” Katla asked.
“Yes. Let’s go,” Mira said. She had her serious face on again, but there was something else, too. A glint of excitement.
“Aren’t we going to read them?”
“Come on,” Mira said. “Now.” She patted her robes.
“You have them in your robes?!”
“Come on,” Mira repeated.
They walked quickly towards the exit, which was a long way off. Katla felt like she was crossing the entire city of Falkreath. The Imperial Library made the library in Wayrest look small.
At least twice the size, the library blinded one with its white marble floors. Bookcases of a deep, rich wood lined the walls and rows of them sat in the center of the library.
Tables for reading the books, as no one was allowed to take a book from the place, dotted the sides and edges of the bookcases. Fabric chairs and cushioned benches were also scattered about.
Plush rugs sat under each table and chair, buffering some of the noise created by walking across the marble.
Mira’s heels clicked as they approached the exit. A distinct blue wall of magic covered it.
Katla remembered the warning they were given when they first came to the library.
“No books may be removed from the library,” the ancient looking mage had told them. He’d been an Imperial, with a wide face and nose, his hair a mix of gray and white. He had more wrinkles on his face then Katla had ever seen on one person.
“The barrier will detect if you try and remove one,” he continued. “You don’t want to find out what happens if a book is detected.” The smile on his face made Katla think he wanted someone to be caught.
“How are we getting past the barrier?” Katla whispered.
A grin spread across Mira’s face. “You don’t think their little magic can stop me, do you?”
They’d spent two weeks combing the library for the books Mira said they needed. Every day they exited through the barrier. Mira must have studied it as they’d passed through.
Katla held her breath as they stepped through. Mira had waved her hand with a subtle movement a second before stepping through.
Nothing happened. Katla exhaled.
“Told you,” Mira said.
Back in Katla’s apartment, Mira sat in the chair by the window. The one Tara sat in when she visited.
Tara, Katla thought. Mira couldn’t stay. Tara was coming over.
“Why don’t you start on Breton Nobility After the Three Banners War and I’ll start on Thoughts on Oblivion and Pocket Realms,” Mira said. She shifted, as if getting more comfortable.
“You need to leave,” Katla blurted out.
Mira frowned. “Why?”
“Tara is coming over. She could be here any minute,” Katla said.
“And she doesn’t want to see me,” Mira said. She sighed. Sadness fell over her face.
Katla nodded.
Tara needs you.
Tara still wasn’t over Oblivion. What had happened there.
You! Magic! All you ever do is hurt me with it!
She wasn’t over what Mira had done to her as a child.
“She’s still healing, Mira,” she said. Katla couldn’t imagine Mira as a child, commanded by her parents to perform magic on her little sister.
If she’d had a younger sibling, would she have gone through with such commands? Surely not, Katla thought. She couldn’t know, though. She was guessing, assuming she was a better person.
Nothing but pain! This whole fucking family!
Young Mira wasn’t the woman Katla now knew. Could she ever help Tara see past the pain Mira had caused?
Mira stood. “Right, I’ll leave.” She looked tired, all energy drained.
“I’m sorry, Mira,” Katla said. “She’ll come around.”
Mira waved her hand, as if dismissing her. “I’ve earned it.” Her eyes looked guilty.
“Please read Breton Nobility After the Three Banners War,” she said. “Keep it safe. If we lose it, we may never find another copy. Besides, we do need to return it one day.”
Mira straightened her robes. “It’s got a detailed history of when families became nobles. Who they married, who was granted titles by kings, queens, any of the ways someone became a noble. Take the list of order members we have and see if you can trace them all. See if their last names changed over time. Should give us more members to find.”
Mira started collecting her things, the satchel she’d traveled with, the other book.
“I’ll study the Oblivion book. I can understand it. Anything we learn about pocket realms will help me understand if Geonette has actually created one.”
“Are you teleporting back home?” Katla asked.
“I think that’d be safest…” Mira started.
The sound of a key in the front door lock startled them both.
Katla held her breath as she turned around. She wanted to tell Mira to leave now, teleport immediately, but her mouth remained closed, holding on to her breath.
The door opened and Tara stood in the doorway, holding a bouquet of flowers. Her armor shone, as if just cleaned. Katla glanced at Tara’s axes. They also looked clean. She looked into Tara’s eyes.
Something had happened.
“What are you doing here?!” Tara barked at Mira. Her eyes had narrowed.
“I’m leaving, Tara,” Mira’s voice was quiet. She almost seemed to be studying her, calculating how to keep her calm.
“We found the books we needed,” Katla said. She kept her voice soft. Tara met her eyes and Katla saw the anger subside. “I’m going to read one, Mira’s reading the other. She’s not staying.”
Tara nodded at her. She looked down at the bouquet she held. They were a mix of red, blue, and purple mountain flowers. “For you.” Her mouth held a sheepish half-smile. This couldn’t have been the entrance she had in mind.
“Thank you,” Katla blushed. She caught herself. “I’ll put these in the vase.” She nodded at Mira as she headed to the kitchen.
“It’s good to see you,” Mira said to Tara. Katla watched them as she cleaned the vase and filled it with fresh water.
“I’ll write you a letter with some information I’ve recently acquired,” Tara said. Her voice sounded clipped.
“I look forward to reading…” Mira said.
“It’ll be sent to your house. In Chorrol.” Tara’s tone was pointed.
Mira looked resigned. She turned to Katla. “I’ll let you know what I find out from my book.”
“I’ll do the same,” Katla said. She came out from the kitchen and hugged her.
Mira stepped back, gave her a smile, and then looked at Tara. “Take care.” She twisted her wrist and was gone.
Tara sighed. She sat down on Katla’s couch. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Seeing her makes me so angry.”
Katla sat next to her. She couldn’t think of anything to say in response.
Tara started removing her armor, unlacing and taking off her boots.
“Let me help,” Katla said. She unlaced Tara’s left bracer, then turned her and removed her right one. Tara stood and they both removed her armor plating, and underlying chainmail shirt. Under the chainmail, she wore a white men’s merchant style shirt. Her favorite kind.
She pulled off her armor kilt, a blend of leather and metal straps, revealing her undergarments.
Katla grinned. Those thigh muscles. “Did you not bring pants?”
Tara gave her a sly smile. “I can only stay for a few hours. Seemed pointless to bring any.”
Tara pulled her close, and buried her face in Katla’s chest. Katla wrapped her arms around her and they stood this way for a while. Tara pulled back, stood on the tip of her toes and gave her a kiss. “Can we just cuddle?”
They laid in bed together in silence, soaking up each other’s presence. Tara lay on her side, her arm draped across Katla’s stomach, who was lying on her back.
“What happened?” Katla finally asked. Tara rolled onto her back and looked at Katla.
“How’d you know?”
“Your armor is too clean. Axes, too.” Katla pulled in a breath.
“Did you kill someone?”
Tara held her gaze. “Lewin Vanne.”
Katla furrowed her brows. “Who?”
“The mage who attacked you.”
Katla reached out and ran her fingers through Tara’s hair. “You were interrogating him?”
Tara grabbed her wrist and kissed it. “Yes. He said things. Wouldn’t tell me what’s inside the stone. I lost it. Not very professional of me.”
“This is personal, not part of your job,” Katla said.
Tara sat up. She pulled the bed cover around her. “What books did you find?”
She didn’t want to talk about Lewin, Katla realized. Prying wouldn’t get her anywhere. Katla went along with the change in topic.
She sat up and leaned against Tara. “Mira has a book about pocket realms in Oblivion.” Tara flinched. “I’ve got one detailing Breton nobility after the Three Banners War. Mira wants me to trace the family names we know are in the order and find out how they became nobles. Plus, check if any changed their name, giving us more families to track.”
“Kill,” Tara said. Her jaw had tensed.
“What?” Katla stared at her. “Tara…”
A well of pain seemed to emanate from Tara’s eyes. Katla felt overwhelmed by the depth of it.
“I want to kill them. I want us to kill them.”
The pain was gone. Now, Tara’s eyes were cold. A look Katla had only seen when Tara was about to kill someone.
She shivered. When Tara killed to protect her, she felt safe, even admired Tara’s intensity. Now, looking at those cold eyes, she realized how dangerous this side of Tara was.
“I…I’m not sure we should be killing people,” Katla said.
“Why not?” Tara flared. “When we were first together, you were fine with killing any necromancer we came across.”
Katla swallowed. “I was. I was angry, Tara. Still grieving my parents.” Katla wiped a tear from her face.
I just…” She paused. This idea of killing order members was too new. Something had set Tara off.
“What did Lewin say to you?”
Tara’s eyes watered. She looked down.
“Talk to me, Tara,” Katla put her arm around her. “Please.”
“He called me a flame. Said I was special.”
“Flame?”
“You remember Mira was accused of being a raven in that town near the ruined tower?”
Katla looked at her and thought. Realization dawned. “Mira is a raven; black hair. You’re a flame; a redhead.”
Tara nodded. “There seems to be something to those of us born with red hair and green eyes.”
“Not a good thing, I assume?”
Tara shook her head. “He talked about a ritual. Different from the one in your parents’ journal.”
Katla looked at her hair. “I’m neither raven or flame. What does that make me?”
Tara gave her smile. “Lewin called your family traitors.”
Katla’s eyes widened. “Traitors…that means they left the order!”
Tara nodded. “I think so. He said something about the Hammerhearts coming in and out of the order. Maybe they weren’t necromancers anymore. Maybe they took that stone for a good reason.”
Could it be true? Could they be the people she remembered them as?
But, that cave under the house. The Molag Bal statue. What was the truth?
Katla leaned her head against the headboard. “I hope so. It cost them their life.” She felt her eyes water.
Tara put her arm around Katla and laid her head on her shoulder. “You remember them as good people. Hold onto that.”
Katla collected herself. For all Tara had said, she still didn’t understand why Lewin had caused her to want to kill everyone in the order.
“Why do you want to kill them?”
Tara lifted her head and looked in her eyes. “What if the only reason they’re trying to kill you is because you have the stone?”
“Okay.” Katla waited.
“What if I’m the one they really want?”
“Tara. That can’t be true.” It couldn’t be.
Tara sat up and leveled her gaze at Katla.
“I think it is.” Tara swallowed. “Lewin talked about wanting to watch the ritual for flames. The way he said everything…” Tara paused. She seemed to be gathering her strength. “What he said matches something said to me in Oblivion.”
Katla saw Tara’s lip tremble. What had Oblivion done to her?
“Even if I’m not the target, you’re in danger and I suspect Mira is now, too. I want the names of any new families you find.”
Katla nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll research, or maybe you or Mira can. I won’t make a move against anyone until I’m sure they’re in the order.”
Katla let a small laugh out. “How are you going to find the time? You spend all your time with the royal family.”
Tara gave her a serious look. “That’s why I want you to help me kill them.” She shrugged. “If you won’t, I’ll figure it out.”
Her face shifted and she gave Katla a soft smile. “Maybe I’m asking too much. Don’t feel pressured. I am going after them, though. I’m tired of them hunting us. Time to change things.”
“I’ll think about it,” Katla said. The answer would be yes. She couldn’t let Tara do this alone. Would Mira be willing to help, too? Would she kill anyone?
Tara leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you. For considering it. For letting me talk about Lewin. For putting up with me being gone so much. For everything.”
Katla kissed Tara back and their cuddling turned into something more intimate.
Afterwards, Katla made a lunch for them of broiled rabbit and potatoes drowned in butter. Time ran out after lunch. Tara was gone, back to the palace.
Katla breathed a sigh of relief as she sat on her couch. They’d made progress. Tara didn’t seem so far away.
She looked at the book. Names. They needed more names. How big was the order, really?
Time to find out.