At first glance I saw nothing at all. Then my eyes were drawn to a small flick of movement next to one of the back pillars supporting the house that sat above. Stopping in place, I tried to identify it.
A tail, but one much heavier and thicker than that of a khajiit.
Argonian.
I gazed into the shadows, as only a highly skilled thief was capable of doing.
It wasn't Hears-the-Wind. This Argonian was female. Her armor was as black as night, very form fitting, but light enough to be flexible for ease of movement. Her hood blocked her face completely from my view, the only way I knew she was Argonian was from the tell-tale tail.
I stared deeper in, willing the shadows to allow me more sight. Yes, I could now see the insignia on her chest piece and shoulder cops.
Dark Brotherhood. On a mission maybe? Perhaps. Well, it's no concern of mine- wait, what was that? She's not alone?
I directed every drop of my focus towards her, and the shadows very slowly and reluctantly began to pull back, as if fighting to keep their position. Whoever her companion was, they had far more strength than she when it came to drawing the shadows in for concealment.
I could make out a form. Human. Male. He was facing her in conversation that consisted of silent whispers.
Concentrating as much as possible, I narrowed my eyes to slits and directed my focus in one last burst.
Viro. I should have known.
It wasn't much of surprise. Before I left for this assignment, I was given a dossier on each member of the crew. Viro's was probably the lightest, we had at least four times more information on Alex than we did on him. But the one notable item listed among the extremely few placed him as a member of the Dark Brotherhood for several years, though the exact dates and his rank were unknown.
Also not mentioned were the circumstances of his leaving. I'd thought it odd because in that guild once you're in, it's usually a lifetime membership. Of course, 'lifetime' for them is often a much shorter duration than the rest of us, but still someone just quitting is almost unheard of.
There has to be some sort of interesting story behind it. Maybe if the opportunity presents itself on this trip, I'll ask him about it…
They appeared to have finished their discussion and I saw her pass him an object wrapped in a dark cloth, which without even looking at it, he quickly shoved into his bag.
I started to walk towards them, and she turned to face me.
What in oblivion is that?!
She was wearing a mask that covered the lower half of her face. Not the typical black cloth ones often used to conceal one's features. This one was just weird. And disturbing.
It was made of a hard material. Metal? Bone? Designed to look like a snarling grimace that went from ear to ear, all I could see was a long row of extremely sharp teeth. Not Argonian teeth, and surely not human.
They were all much longer and of equal length to each other. Thin, wavy and very sharply pointed like daggers. Teeth that had a singular purpose, to pierce and tear at flesh. Daedra-like teeth. Very disturbing…
She took a couple silent steps back from me, then disappeared as the shadows enveloped her.
Viro remained.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes, I've been ready." I felt a slight shiver run through me, despite the warm weather. Those teeth… I knew it was just a mask, but still I suspected I'd probably see them again in a nightmare or two. "Who was that?"
"Just an old friend. C'mon, let's go." He headed straight to the hidden trap door in the ground that was just one of the many leading to the outlaw's refuge we had just left earlier. Crouching down, he glanced around quickly before swinging it open.
"Why are we going back? Did you forget something?" I asked.
"Itinerary." He started to lower himself down into the hole in the ground. "Need to know a few things such as which boat we're taking and from where. Also, we'll need passes. Unless he expects us to crate ourselves and pretend to be cargo."
I chuckled at the thought.
Attractive, charming and a good sense of humor. Thank the divines I'm going with him and not that ill-tempered, arrogant—Wait, why is he looking at me like that?
He had paused, standing on one of the top rungs of the rope ladder that led down. He wasn't smiling back. The look on his face was more like one who was mildly puzzled.
"Ummm… You are just kidding about the cargo, right?" I asked uncertainly.
His expression had returned to its usual one of neutrality, and he offered me a quick one shoulder shrug before continuing his way down the ladder. I followed, pulling the thick, wooden door shut behind me.
Of course he's kidding. He's just messing with me for fun. He couldn't possibly be serious… could he?
Well, either way, there'd better be passes. There's no way I'm travelling to Summerset stuffed in a dark, cramped wooden box.
The possibility of having to share a box with Viro occurred to me, making the thought a little more palatable. But still…
We had reached the bottom and started to head down the dark and damp corridor that contained a lingering odor made up of dirt, mold and cat urine. I crinkled my nose and started to remember why this entrance was rarely used.
If this smells so bad, imagine what the hold of a smuggler's ship must be like.
Oh, c'mon already. It was just a joke. You know that under absolutely no conditions whatsoever would Rune ever tolerate such a means of travel…
"So," I kept my voice low knowing how easily sound travels in corridors such as these. "Are you saying that right now, Rune is probably curled up in a box waiting to be loaded onto a ship?"
I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Not only because it was completely ludicrous, but also just the idea of the tall, obnoxious Altmer being crammed into a crate was rather amusing.
We had reached the end and Viro easily hurdled the three foot high rock pile that served as a barrier to the main refuge area.
Following, I heard him snort, though I couldn't tell whether he thought the idea amusing as well, or if he was just realizing how ridiculous it all sounded.
"No." He responded, quickening his pace. "Rune most likely just conjured himself a portal, stepped through it and arrived in Alinor instantly. He's probably sitting in a cozy tavern right now, having a good meal and drink so don't be too concerned for him."
As if I actually was?
"Be more concerned for us," he continued. "Because unfortunately, we don't have such options."
With that, we had reached the stairs leading up to the meeting room and headed in.
Everyone was now gone, except for two. Alex was still where we left him, and Severin had taken up Adrien's seat beside him. What remained of the bottle of brandy was now on the table between them, along with a couple of half full glasses.
"…your brother?" Alex inquired.
Severin looked down for a moment, shaking his head slowly. "I relayed your offer, but he refused, as I told you he would." He quickly paused before adding, "And to be honest, I think it's for the best."
Alex's only response was to nod silently.
The older Breton continued. "He's not one of us. Draven follows a different path. Your gold, well anyone's gold really, means nothing to him."
"That's a shame. His services could be... useful." Alex mused.
I listened with interest, wondering if this was part of whatever Alex was planning in my absence.
"Maybe in the short term. In the long term, it could end up destroying us." Severin shrugged. "Even Rune agrees that it would be a mistake to—"
"What is it, Viro?" Alex interrupted.
We'd been just standing in the doorway, and now Viro approached the table. I followed behind him.
"You can add my agreement as well." He and Severin exchanged glances.
Alex sighed. "Yes, well, thank you for making a special trip back here just to inform me of this. Unless there's something else?"
"I need the itinerary. And passes of course, or is this going to be a repeat of last time?"
Last time? By the Gods, he actually was serious about this.
"Oh, c'mon now, where's your sense of adventure?" Alex teased with a sly smile.
"Probably still in that crate at the bottom of the Sea of Ghosts where I left it when the ship sank." He answered dryly.
Severin snickered. I groaned internally. I now had my definite answer.
He better damn well have passes for us…
Still smiling, Alex reached into the stack of papers before him and extracted an envelope, which he slid across the table in our direction.
"Okay, but again, that wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know the Windhelm guard would detain the original ship?"
Taking the envelope, Viro shrugged. "And again, I never blamed you for that. I understand it's just the price of doing business. But just the same, that's a payment I'd rather not have to make twice."
He peered inside the envelope and partially pulled out the two passes so I could see them, before slipping them back into place.
Two passes. Of course, I was right about Alex just having some fun with me at the end of the meeting. He knew all along I was going with Viro, and probably found it amusing to watch me sweat it out for a few minutes. Real funny…
"Fair enough. Everything you need to know is in there. The important thing is that you and Observer leave here—"
I folded my arms.
Time to make a stand.
"I have a name, you know." I informed him.
He cocked an eyebrow in my direction. "Yes, thank you, but I was already aware of that."
Then turning back to Viro, he continued. "As I was saying, you and Observer
Sigh
should leave here before dawn. Make your way to Woodhearth, the ship is docked there. The rest of your instructions are included, just pay close attention to the notes I made on the last page.
It was a last minute deal, so I didn't have a chance to discuss it with you. However, it shouldn't be an issue, only a mild inconvenience perhaps. Just make sure it gets done."
Nodding, Viro tucked the envelope into the inner pocket of his armor and motioned me to follow.
We left the refuge through the more common entrance, and silently headed west across the Crescent river with the first breaks of dawn coming up behind us.
