Disclaimer; I do not own anything except Melinda. She isn't the Hero of Kvatch.
Chapter 1 – A Brother Dead
Chief Investigator Carius Runellius smiled at Erline Lirrian, who had just finished speaking with the Hero of Kvatch. She sighed happily, turning with a smile to Carius as the Hero left, off to do other business around Tamriel. Carius noted they had been a fantastic help; no one else had dared come forward to help with the investigation.
But then again, everyone who tried to help had been turned down and sent away. Carius didn't want to see anymore civilians hurt, especially innocent people like Bradon Lirrian. He knew there was truth behind what Erline said about Bradon not being a vampire, but the evidence had been too solid and Raynil Dralas had been too convincing.
He wished he could've stopped Raynil in time. The Dunmer had killed two people… two, innocent people. And Carius blamed himself for Bradon's death. Erline and Captain Burd tried to convince him it wasn't his fault, but the guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders. He wasn't sure how he would get rid of that guilt… It was simply too hard and overbearing.
"Thank you so much for your help, Carius," said Erline graciously, turning to Carius with the biggest smile on her face. She looked as though she had finally found relief, which she had. She had known she was right, she had insisted she was right yet no one listened! The guilt Carius felt grew to the size of the Imperial City, and he struggled to hide his look of disappointment.
He managed a weak smile at Erline, readjusting his armour. His gaze fell on Erline's bed, where they had found Bradon dead. His eyes had been wide open, yet they showed that he had no life left in him. A greedy friend had cut his life short… Carius wished he could've stopped it.
Shaking his head, Carius pushed all his feelings of guilt deep down inside him and smiled more brightly at Erline.
"I'm glad the Hero of Kvatch came along when they did. They did what they had to do, Erline," Carius told her with a slightly stern tone in his voice, remaining the ever professional, calm and collected Carius, "Raynil Dralas was an evil Dunmer. I hope the Hero doesn't have any regrets or doubts in their mind… It wasn't their fault in any way."
Carius felt like a hypocrite. Mentally cursing himself and begging Zenithar for forgiveness, he watched as Erline nodded enthusiastically, clapping her hands together a little.
"I'm glad he's dead!" she exploded, startling Carius slightly. She looked back at where Bradon had been merely a day before; they had buried him in a pretty little place between two bushes outside the city walls. In a way, Erline was happy he was at rest. Then he wouldn't have to go through his life thinking about how he, Raynil and Gelebourne once had a friendship… and how he had grown to no longer trust either of them.
"I know that's a cruel thing to say, but… he killed the one man I loved. He killed two men in cold blood, all to satisfy his own selfish heart. I'm glad he's dead. At least he can hurt no one else or take anymore lives," Erline quickly reasoned, smiling a relaxed smile at Carius.
Carius found himself understanding Erline's hatred for Raynil. And how she liked that the Dunmer had been killed. Though she could never get her husband back, at least that slimy 'vampire hunter' could never walk again. That was enough to satisfy Erline.
Glancing at the open door the Hero of Kvatch had left not five minutes ago, Carius noticed night had fallen, and Erline looked quite tired. She hadn't had a proper night's sleep in a few days, and Carius realised he hadn't either. Captain Burd wouldn't be pleased if Carius was too tired to do any other investigations, so Carius decided to close the case and call it a night.
"Erline, I am afraid I must take my leave. The case has been solved; Raynil Dralas was the real enemy in this. I apologize immensely for the loss of Bradon Lirrian, Akatosh rest his soul," Carius told Erline softly, and she nodded in appreciation for his condolences. Turning to leave, the Imperial murmured, "Good night, Erline. Sleep well."
Erline called out a similar goodnight, closing the door behind Carius. Carius found the patch of light he had stood in vanish as Erline closed the door.
It was snowing lightly again, the snow falling in delicate little patterns from the sky. The air was crisp and clear, and a gentle breeze ruffled Carius's hair and nudged the snow a little to the left. Breathing in the air, Carius felt a little of tension lift as he walked out into the snow, up to the castle where the guard barracks were.
Captain Burd had suggested several times that Carius be his successor, as Carius was the one Burd liked the most. The only problem was, Carius wasn't actually a guard, or even a fighter. He could fight with a blade quite well, but he due to his wit, intelligence and perception, he was better suited for investigating of crimes in Bruma. A few months back, he had considered asking for a transfer to another city, like Anvil or Leyawiin; closer to the water.
True, Carius did like the snow, but it was cold and sometimes a little cruel. It was dark many times over the years, and not just at night. The snow blocked out sun and warmth; it was a beautiful, misleading thing. Carius knew that water could be just as misleading, if not more deadly, but he just preferred the water.
When he actually got the stones to do it, Carius would put in a request to transfer. Right now… Bruma was where he was meant to be. Keeping up a mask of cheerfulness when he wasn't on a case and another mask of a professional, serious, stern and suspicious, when he was working.
The castle doors came into view through the snow. As it began to swirl faster, Carius ran faster through the wind, getting to the heavy wooden doors. He managed to push them open in time as a particularity hard gust blew the snow against his face like little rocks. He slammed the doors shut, resting against the doors for a second.
For some strange reason, Carius was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to sob; to break down right then and there on the threshold, not even caring that there were two guards on either side of him staring at him like he had burst into the hall screaming words of a mad man.
Smiling at them both in a strained way, Carius left them, making his way quickly to barracks. He, Captain Burd and Gerich Senarel had areas screened off from the other guards. It was nice, but Carius wished there was another fireplace in the barracks; sometimes it could get horribly cold, and the blankets simply weren't enough to keep the men warm.
The only guard who never complained was Captain Burd, but being a Nord could have its advantages. Carius was merely an Imperial, he wasn't as impartial to the cold.
Ignoring the calls "Evening, Carius,", Carius made his way among the guards beds to his own little area, where he removed his armour and climbed into bed, putting his hands behind his head. He gazed up at the ceiling, picturing the night sky without any snow.
The job was starting to get to his head a little.
XXX
A petite figure walked through the snow to Bruma, carrying a basket of lavender. She donned a tan robe, the hood pulled down so it hung just over her brown eyes. Her longish brown hair spilled out a bit from the hood, cascading down her back.
She glanced down the lavender, keeping in a little squeal of happiness. She had finally managed to collect enough for the spell she was attempting to make; the Mages Guild wasn't having any of it. They all thought she was a bit… strange, so they turned her down a lot.
Hurrying to the Bruma Gates as the snow began to come down harder, Melinda Relda pushed the gate open with the help of one of the guards. There wasn't as much snow inside the city walls, but that would change very soon.
Walking past the chapel she could see another Bruma Guard, this one without a helmet. Melinda decided to brush it off; it was rather late and it had gotten dark. She reached up, pushing the hood down to reveal her small, heart-shaped face. She dashed through the snow, heading to the house she shared with her brother, Malven.
Malven Relda used to be a travelling merchant, but was attacked on one of his runs, permanently putting him out of his business. He sat at home now, making sure all of Melinda's alchemy things remained untouched by curious visitors and relatives. He would probably still be awake waiting for her now.
Nodding in acknowledgement at a passing guard, Melinda walked up the small steps to her front door; reaching under the cape she wore over her robe to extract her house key from her pocket. She let herself in and stepped into the house that was once originally owned by Lyra Rosentius.
"Malven!" Melinda called, taking her cape off to hang it over a nearby hook. She put her basket on the floor beside the door, calling again, "Malven! I'm back! I got the lavender!"
No answer. Instead, Melinda discovered she was breathing in a poignant scent, one that nearly made her dry-retch. It smelt of rust and… death. Melinda felt fear coursing through her, as well as a mild chill. Where was Malven? What had happened to him?
"Malven?" Melinda called again, stepped off the threshold into the main sitting room. She looked about cautiously, trying to breathe through her mouth to avoid the dead smell. Her eyes landed on something red and glistening coming from the dining room. "Malven?" she whispered, tiptoeing toward the dining room. She noticed splatters of blood around the room, like they had been purposely place there.
Now shaking with fear, Melinda stopped over the larger patch of blood, saying in a single breath, "Malven?"
Her eyes widened in horror as she looked at the dining table where she and Malven had sat almost six hours ago, enjoying a lovely dinner. Now, Malven was spread-eagled across the table, his chest hacked and his mouth and eyes wide open.
The front door banged open, a sharp, cold wind rushing in. All the candles were extinguished and Melinda's hair was blown about her face, but all she could hear was a distant screaming in her ears.