Disclaimer: All kudos for the settings and stuff go to Bethsada. Everything else to me.


Rock-In-The-River stepped into the room and smelt freshly-spilt blood. The Bosmer woman crouched by the dying Dunmer did not look up. She was kneeling beside the Dunmer in a pool of his blood. The Dunmer's eyes rolled sideways, and focused on the Argonian assassin. "Kill me…" He rasped. Rock-In-The-River swallowed, sickened, and drew his sword.

"Stan-deside," he barked at the Bosmer, levelling his sword at the back of the woman's head, "You interfere with de Morag Tong! Stan-deside!"

The Bosmer woman suddenly seemed to realise that someone was behind her. With nonchalant ease, she removed her hands from the man's stomach, taking with her a length of the man's intestines and a chunk of his liver. The Dunmer groaned in pain, far too weak to cry out. Rock-In-The-River stared, horrified, at the Dunmer's internal organs… then slowly, lifted his gaze to the face of the woman who held them. The Argonian was only given a split-second's glance, but that face was burned into his memory. He had barely time to open his mouth to call for the guards when the woman threw the liver and intestines to the floor and leapt away. Rock-In-The-River watched her go, stunned into silence. She was fast - she'd moved so quickly it was like watching a pale-brown blur slide across the walls and to the door, which opened and closed silently. Outside, it seemed that no-one else, not even the Ordinators, seemed to notice she was covered in blood. She was moving too swiftly to be seen.

Rock-In-The-River turned back to the dying Dunmer. "Kill me," what remained of the man whimpered, "Please…" Shutting his eyes to spare the tortured man some dignity, the Argonian brought down his sword and sliced the man's head from his neck. It was over in an instant.

With trembling hands, Rock-In-The-River cleaned and sheathed his sword, then took the Morag Tong writ of execution from his belt and held it up to the horrified crowd in the tavern.

"I come in de name of de Morag Tong," he said, his voice shaking, "Ishran Telvanno is executed." The Argonian swallowed and averted his eyes. "Call for someone to come and clean up dis mess."


Eno Hlaalu's eyes burned fiercely. Rock-In-The-River found himself cringing, expecting the guildmaster's wrath to fall on him.

"A Bosmer?" The guildmaster drew out the word in a rasp.

"Yes, sera," Rock-In-The-River bobbed his head. He'd just reported the execution - or rather, what there was left of it - to the guildmaster. He'd been reminded time and time again by his brothers in the Morag Tong that a former slave like himself was lucky to be accepted into such a prestigious line of work… Rock-In-The-River licked his lips nervously. He was most certainly in trouble, for letting something like this happen.

Eno narrowed his eyes and turned away, muttering darkly to himself, then turned back to glower at the Argonian. "Did she say anything?"

Rock-In-The-River shook his frilled head. "No, sera."

"But she was torturing him. Killing him." Eno put a hand to his chin in thought, and paced around the room. Rock-In-The-River stepped out of the way, and kept his eyes on the floor. Respect had been beaten into him - he knew the Dunmer craved respect more than anything. Respect born of fear.

"How could an outsider know anything about the Morag Tong's secret writs?" Eno said savagely, talking mostly to himself. "And why would a flighty gormless sap-elf want to intrude on Morag Tong business?"

"Sera?" Rock-In-The-River cleared his throat, "Perhaps…" He fell silent.

But the guildmaster turned. "What is it, Blind Thrall?"

"She may not have known about de writ of execution," Rock-In-The-River hazarded, "Perhaps it was a revenge killing."

Eno stopped cold. "You said you gave the final blow, Argonian."

"I did," Rock-In-The-River hastily corrected, "But de savageness in her eyes, sera, suggests she 'ad been planning to kill Ishran Telvanno from the beginnin'." He lifted his eyes from the floor to find himself staring straight into the intense gaze of Eno Hlaalu. But for some reason, he could not look away.

"Perhaps." Eno conceded, holding the Argonian's gaze. "But why did she flee when you threatened her? Why didn't she finish the kill?"

"I…" Rock-In-The-River's throat felt dry. "I do not know, sera." Eno sighed heavily, and looked away. Rock-In-The-River shivered, unsettled by the guildmaster's questioning.

"Can you remember what that Bosmer looked like, Blind Thrall?" Eno asked, pouring himself a glass of shein.

"Savage." Rock-In-The-River answered, the words leaping out of his mouth. "Mad."

For some reason, this impulsive answer made the guildmaster smile. "What makes you say that?"

Rock-In-The-River hesitated a moment. "Her eyes."

"Do you remember anything else about her?" Eno asked.

Rock-In-The-River shivered. "I will never forget dat face as long as I live, sera."

"Then you should have no difficulty with your next assignment."

The Argonian stared. "Sera…!"

Eno grunted. "I would rather have my best assassin on this, but she's on a pilgrimage for the Temple, and cannot be reached. So you, lizard, will do this." Eno leaned close, as though sharing a vastly important secret with Rock-In-The-River. "Find the Bosmer woman. Find her, and kill her." The guildmaster smiled, cold and unfeeling. "It may seem like a suicide mission, Argonian, but I have complete faith in you."

Rock-In-The-River felt like he'd been punched in the gut.


A/N:
TBC... but very much open to suggestions.