Chapter Seven
Recuperation
Brynjolf was just beginning to nod off in his chair when he heard the familiar sound of stone scraping against stone as someone opened the secret entrance to the Cistern. He sat up straight and looked around. The Cistern was quiet; everyone had long since gone to bed. Everyone but Vex, that is. He could see her sitting on her bed, her blonde head bent over a book. Brynjolf took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Half past two in the morning. Vex always had been a night owl.
Brynjolf worried about Irina. It had been hours since she left; she should have been back by now.
Just then the hatch to the secret entrance opened and someone began coming down the ladder. A few grunts of pain alerted Brynjolf that all was not well. He stood up from his chair just as the person fell from the ladder and crashed to the floor. Brynjolf was at Irina's side in seconds and carefully rolled her over. Her leather armor was soaking wet and her face deathly pale.
"Lass, what happened?" he said, his brow creasing with worry. "Vex, get over here, now!"
Irina opened her eyes and looked at him, but she didn't respond at first. Brynjolf felt Vex come along side him, and it was she who noticed the blood on Irina's side.
"She's hurt," Vex said.
"Let's get her to her bed," Brynjolf ordered. "Run and get the kit, and a lantern." Vex left to carry out his orders and Brynjolf gently took Irina into his arms. She moaned softly in pain when he moved her, but she didn't protest beyond that. He carried her quickly to her bed and laid her down. While he waited for Vex to return, he began unbuckling the straps of her armor so he could get a better look at her injuries.
"Lass, what happened?" he asked her again.
"Not quick enough on my feet," Irina muttered, attempting a smile.
Just then the door to the Flagon burst open and Vekel rushed in. "Hey, Brynjolf word just came in that…" he paused when he noticed something was going on. "What happened?"
"She had a bit of a tangle," Brynjolf answered. He managed to get Irina's cuirass off, and he pulled her under shirt up far enough to see the slice in her flesh. Dark bruising had already begun to form across her rib cage. "Lass, are any of your ribs broken?" he asked her.
She nodded. "I think so."
"Brynjolf," Vekel said again. "Word just came in…Goldenglow's been hit. Big fire blazing out on the island."
Brynjolf arched his eyebrows in surprise at Irina. "You did it, lass? The job's done?"
Vex returned in that moment and set a lantern on the nightstand beside Irina's bed. Then she began taking a closer look at the wound.
Irina's hand fumbled with the pouch on her belt, trying to get it open. Brynjolf took over for her, pulling out a purse of coins and a damp piece of parchment. "What's this?" he asked.
"The contents of the safe," she answered.
Vex looked up sharply and frowned, then exchanged a bewildered look with Brynjolf. "That's all that was in it?" he asked Irina. She nodded. Brynjolf mirrored Vex's frown as he unfolded to parchment and read the letter inside. "It's a bill of sale," he realized after a moment. "Aringoth sold Goldenglow? What was that idiot thinking? He has no idea the extent of Maven's fury when she gets cut out of a deal. But I'm certain he'll find out." He examined the letter, noticing that there was no buyer's name on it anywhere, just an odd symbol that looked like a sword over a black circle. "Any idea what this symbol might be?" he asked Irina.
She glanced at the paper and shook her head. "No, I've never seen it before."
"Blast," Brynjolf muttered, and then he sighed. "I'll check my sources and talk to Mercer. Hopefully something will turn up. How is she doing, Vex?"
"She's got a broken rib, but she might avoid stitches if she can stay in bed for a day at least. Nothing that can't be fixed."
Brynjolf let out a breath of relief and gave Irina a smile. "You did good, lass. You got the job done and you made it back in one piece, more or less."
"What now?" Irina asked.
Brynjolf chuckled lightly. "Now you rest and get well again. Don't worry about a thing until I tell you otherwise, all right?"
She nodded. "Sounds good."
Brynjolf stood up, making room for Vex to do her work. As he turned away from the bed, he saw Rune leaning up on one elbow in his bed nearby.
"Brynjolf, is she going to be all right?" he asked, worry evident in his tone.
"Rest easy, lad, she'll be fine," Brynjolf assured. "She just needs a day or two, and she'll be back on her feet in no time."
Rune looked relieved to hear that, but he didn't relax, continuing to lean on his elbow as he watched Vex tend to Irina. Brynjolf had noticed that Rune seemed to be taken with the lass. Instead of feeling glad about that and happy for Rune, Brynjolf felt his chest constrict at the thought. He swallowed hard and shook his head as he walked to his room. What a strange feeling to get over something like that.
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Irina watched Brynjolf walk away, and then she closed her eyes for a moment while Vex cleaned the wound in her side. The blonde thief pressed a little too hard, and Irina winced, sucking air through her teeth.
"Owe," she said and opened her eyes to see Vex glaring down at her.
"I want to make two things perfectly clear to you," Vex said, her tone not to be trifled with. "One: I'm the best infiltrator this rat hole of a guild's got. So if you think you're here to replace me, you're dead wrong. And two: you follow my lead and do exactly as I say. No questions, no excuses. Do we understand each other?"
Irina returned the glare, though hers was not as intense. "I understand you just fine," she said. "But I don't think you understand me. I'm not here to replace you."
"Good, then there shouldn't be any problems in the future, am I right?" Vex said.
"That's right," Irina said flatly. Of all the people in this place, why did Vex have to be her nurse? She closed her eyes again and turned her head away, deciding that further conversation wouldn't be any more cheerful. Vex was one to be avoided, other than for necessary business.
Irina glanced to the side and noticed Rune propped up on his bed, watching her with a worried expression. She gave him her best smile, which he immediately returned, looking more reassured.
As soon as Vex was finished cleaning the wound, applying a healing potion and a bandage, Irina was left alone, to her great relief. All she wanted to do was enter the blissful realm of sleep and forget about everything for a while, and that's exactly what she did.
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When Irina's eyes fluttered open the next day, the sun was shining through the large vent in the ceiling of the Cistern, casting a beam of light through the dust and water droplets in the air. Irina raised her hand up to block the glare, but changed her mind instantly when she felt a pulling ache in her side. She lowered her arm with a soft groan.
"Hey, good to see you awake," a familiar voice said close by.
Irina glanced to the side and saw Rune sitting on his bed facing her, his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked.
"It's a couple hours after noon," Rune answered.
"Oh, that late?" Irina tried leaning up on her elbows and groaned again.
Rune sat up straight and scooted to the edge of his bed. "I don't think you should be getting up just yet. You need at least a full day of bed rest."
"Right, I get that," Irina agreed. "But I have other needs, too."
"I can bring you anything you need if you're hungry or thirsty. What would you like?" He stood up and came closer to her bed.
Irina smiled slightly. "That's sweet of you, Rune. But what I really need at the moment you can't help me with, I'm afraid. Unless you can point me in the direction of the latrine."
He blushed instantly and glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, right, of course. It's just down there."
"Thanks," Irina said. "But I'll still take you up on those other offers. Whatever you bring me I'll be grateful for."
Rune grinned and then headed toward the kitchen.
In the privacy of the tiny closet that was the latrine, Irina examined her injuries. A lot of linen was wrapped around her torso and she didn't want to mess it up, but she could see that the gash from that guard's axe must have been pretty long if the size of the bandage covering it was any indication. She lightly pressed her fingers against her side and sucked air through her teeth in a wince of pain. That was a bad idea.
After she was finished in the latrine, Irina gladly returned to her bed and got into it carefully, propping her pillow against the wall so she could sit up. She sat there for a few minutes alone, curiously observing the goings on in the Thieves Guild headquarters. Several people were gathered in the kitchen area, talking, laughing and even arguing. The muffled voices of a couple different conversations floated to Irina's ears, but she could not make out the words. On the other side of the Cistern she could see a man practicing his archery on a sack dummy. Irina watched him intently for a moment. Across the distance it was too difficult to tell his accuracy, but she was quite impressed by his form and fluid movements as he drew each arrow, nocked it to the bow, pulled the string and released. Irina could tell a master archer when she saw one. She had to make a point of meeting him. Perhaps he wouldn't mind giving her a few tips; she was always eager to improve her own skill.
Presently someone close at hand passed before her vision, and she refocused her eyes on Brynjolf, who sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Good afternoon, lass," he said. "Feeling rested?"
"More or less," Irina said with a nod.
"Well, I've come to check on you, to see if we should send for a mage," he informed, and abruptly pulled back her blanket a bit so he could lift her shirt and check her bandaging.
Irina flinched and grabbed his hand as a tingle of apprehension ran through her. He glanced up and met her eyes, one eyebrow arched slightly.
"Sorry, lass, do you mind?" he said. Without waiting for her answer, he pulled his hand from her grip and resumed his task.
This time she let him, watching closely as his nimble fingers confidently unpeeled her bandaging. His brow creased slightly as he examined the wound in her side, the reddened edges of flesh already beginning to knit back together. Goosebumps rose on her arms at the light touch of his fingertips brushing across her bruised ribs.
She let out a slow, steadying breath. "You seem to know what you're doing, I'll give you that."
A faint smile touched his lips, but he didn't glance away from his task. "In this line of work I learned long ago how to be my own healer. Most of us here have." He finally looked up and met her eyes. "Well, what do you think, lass? Should I call the mage, or would you rather tough it out on your own?"
The thought of spending days in bed did not appeal to her, and she almost told him to send for the mage. Would he then think her weak? Would he think her a little child unable to cope with a bit of pain? She wanted to impress him, to show him that he had made the right choice in recruiting her. She didn't want to disappoint him. So she shook her head with all the confidence she could muster.
"No, I'm sure a mage isn't necessary; I'll be just fine soon enough."
His brow furrowed slightly upon hearing that, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Are you sure?" he asked.
She only nodded in reply.
"All right then." He replaced the bandage with a fresh one, and then she leaned forward slightly so he could rewrap the linen around her. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?" he asked her once he was finished.
"Rune's bringing me something, actually," she answered.
"He seems rather taken with you," Brynjolf observed as he glanced toward the kitchen.
Irina smiled. "He's a sweetheart. He's done a lot to help me feel more at home here. He told me you mentored him, taught him everything he knows."
Brynjolf nodded. "Aye. The only thing the lad new how to do was toss a fishing net over the side of a boat."
"He said you rescued him from the streets. I'm curious; the Thieves Guild doesn't strike me as a charitable organization."
He blew a sputtering breath between his lips. "Trust me, we're not."
"Then why help him?"
"I'm not heartless, lass," was all he said in answer.
"I…didn't mean to imply that you were," Irina said. "Sorry."
He waved it away. "Truthfully, I helped Rune because he reminded me of myself once upon a time."
"Someone took you off the streets?"
Brynjolf nodded. "Our late Guild Master, Gallus. He gave me a second chance at life. When I saw Rune almost frozen to death on the street in Windhelm, it just seemed like the right thing to do."
She gave him an admiring smile. "Not heartless at all," she agreed. "So, where is this Gallus, what happened to him?"
"He died, a long time ago." He sighed softly and glanced around at the Cistern. "This place really hasn't been the same since then. He was the best, Gallus was."
Just then Rune returned with a bowl of porridge, an apple, and a mug of hot coffee. He set them down on the nightstand beside Irina's bed. "You're in luck, it was Brynjolf's turn to cook this morning," he said.
"Oh? Is Brynjolf a good cook?" Irina asked.
Brynjolf shook his head in silent disagreement.
"One of the better ones here," Rune insisted. "Yes you are, Bryn. Better than Vipir."
Brynjolf chuckled. "Everyone is a better cook than Vipir. When it's his turn to cook I usually eat at the Flagon."
"Which one is Vipir?" Irina asked. "I haven't met him yet."
Rune pointed to a brown-haired Nord wearing a sleeveless version of the Thieves Guild armor. "That's him there. I think he really wants to meet you."
"Oh? Why's that?" Irina asked.
Brynjolf chuckled deep in his chest.
"He fancies himself a ladies man," Rune said. "He's had his eye on you since you walked in here."
"Oh really?" Irina said with a smile, staring across the Cistern at Vipir. "He's not half bad looking, I suppose." She looked back at Brynjolf to see a slight frown on his face, but he quickly wiped it away. "What?" she asked him.
He shook his head, offered her a smile and then stood up. "Eat your breakfast, lass. We'll talk again later." With that he turned and made his way to the other side of the Cistern.
"What was that about?" Irina asked.
Rune just shrugged in reply.
Irina picked up her bowl of porridge and began eating. It really was pretty good, for porridge. "Rune, can I ask you a favor?" she said after a while.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"I know you're not a courier, but I was wondering if you could deliver a message for me."
"If it's local I can. If not, I can find someone else who will."
"Oh it's local," Irina assured. "Just to the Bee and Barb, to my friend Lydia. She's probably worrying her teeth out by now. I just want to let her know that I'm all right."
"Of course," Rune said. "I can tell her for you, or I can deliver a letter, whichever you prefer."
"A letter might be best. Do you have something I can write with?"
Rune hurried away and returned a minute later with a quill, ink and parchment. Irina wrote a quick note to Lydia, assuring her that everything was fine and that she would be confined to bed rest for a day or two, and to stay at the inn for now and wait for her. When she was finished, she folded the parchment and handed it to Rune.
"Thank you so much, Rune, I really appreciate this."
He grinned. "No trouble, Irina. I'll deliver this right now." With that he left, using the ladder to the secret entrance.
Only moments later Irina spotted Vipir heading her way, a grin on his face. She smiled back as he approached her bed. "And you must be Vipir," she said.
His eyebrows shot up. "You know who I am?" he asked.
She nodded. "Rune pointed you out to me."
"Oh? What'd he say about me?" Vipir ask with a suspicious tone.
Irina shrugged. "Nothing really. Just that you're a bad cook. Oh wait, that was Brynjolf who said that."
"Did he now?" Vipir said, sending what Irina thought was a mock glare in Brynjolf's direction. "Well, I guess you've been forewarned, then."
"I'll reserve judgment until I've seen for myself," Irina assured.
"Oh, you're an adventurous one, are you?" Vipir said as he sat on the end of her bed, since there were no chairs nearby.
"Usually," Irina allowed. "When it comes to culinary adventuring, I'm usually up for it."
"And what other kinds of adventures do you enjoy?" he asked her, his tone somewhat suggestive.
Irina chuckled drily and shook her head. "I'm sure not the kind you're hoping for."
He sat back a little and spread his hands. "What? I wasn't thinking anything."
"Oh, all right then," Irina said, not believing a word of it, and her tone indicated as much.
"I've been hoping to meet you," Vipir said. "It's not every day that Brynjolf brings home someone he's so enamored with. You must be special indeed."
"Enamored with?" Irina said in surprise.
"He claims you're the best thing for us since old Gallus died. That was before my time, so that's saying a lot."
Irina glance around the Cistern, but Brynjolf was no longer in sight. She laughed uncomfortably. "Well, I don't know about that. I'm just a girl trying to make a living. I have no delusions of grandeur. Brynjolf can think whatever he likes. I just hope he knows how to deal with disappointment."
The words came easily from her mouth, but inside her stomach was twisting in knots. Brynjolf had such high expectations of her? She had already felt pressure to never disappoint him and to do what she could to impress him. Now that burden weighed even more. Maybe she would have to have a talk with Brynjolf. She didn't like being the subject of so much attention and scrutiny. Not just by Brynjolf, but everyone in the Guild.
She got so caught up in her thoughts about it that she didn't realize Vipir was talking.
"…for disappointment."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I said Brynjolf knows what he wants and he usually gets it. He rarely settles for disappointment."
Irina swallowed uncomfortably. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see then," she said in an attempt to end the conversation. Then she yawned, at first for show, but then it turned into a real yawn. "I think I'd like to get some more sleep now, if you don't mind. But it was really nice to meet you, Vipir. We'll have to talk again soon."
"You bet," Vipir said, standing up. "Any time. Oh, and welcome to the family."
She gave him an appreciative smile and then scooted down under her blankets and closed her eyes. She really did feel tired. Some sleep would feel good, and to disappear from reality for a while would feel even better.
