I've been writing for years, but this is my first attempt at fanfiction - and also my first attempt posting on this website!
Please review! It's the only way I'll know if I suck!
Hope you enjoy Kedi's story.
All characters belong to Bethesda, except Kedi and Nock. They're my babies!
Prologue
She chased the murderer through the frozen night air of Windhelm. One more girl had died while most lay in their beds sleeping. She was the second elf girl to die since the young Breton woman had offered to help the guards catch the killer.
She had heard the screaming, but being inexperienced with healing magic meant she had arrived on the scene too late to save her. The killer was smart, too – leading his pursuer through the winding streets, out the back gate and down to the docks, instead of along the long bridge that sat outside the main gate with so very few places to hide.
Tonight was the night she had finally discovered his identity. With the reassurance that she would do their job for them, the guards had become lax in their patrols, and she had finally gotten the chance to pick the lock on his door. There was something about him that hadn't sat right with her since she spotted him amongst the crowd at the first crime scene, and once she picked the lock on the chest above his bedroom and opened the leather bound journal, his desperate scribbles and maddened scrawls had left no doubt as to his insanity and guilt. The vile journals had been stowed in her pack, and she had left to confront him – too late. The elf's screams had echoed throughout the town as she had shut the door.
As the killer's footsteps slapped against the wet stone of the docks, his pursuer reached the bottom of the steps that had led them there and, seeing the absence of the dock guards, continued her chase. The cold darkness and the fog coming off the sea seemed to swallow up the light that burned from the torches set in the walls, and the woman could only follow the sounds of his footsteps as his clothes blended in with the grey blanket of fog.
She finally started to near him, but he sharply turned and ran down the wooden boardwalk, taking the woman by surprise. The boardwalks were dead ends, he had nowhere to go. She followed him quickly but cautiously, ready for a fight. She had just slipped the dagger from her belt when she heard the splash.
Her golden eyes scanning the surface, she refused to believe the man would be mad enough to jump into the icy water. But sure enough, after a moment, she spotted his head bobbing up and down in the water as he raced for the shore at the other end of the bridge.
He was a strong swimmer, fast. There was a huge chance that he would make it to the shore, and his knowledge in magic meant that he would be able to warm himself and survive the frozen waters.
She couldn't let him escape; she had to continue to chase him. However, it was less likely that she would survive the trip back.
The killer reached the halfway point between shores, and the woman made up her mind. She had no choice.
She jumped.