Chapter 7: I fought the law and the law won

"I'm not going to make it through today. Go on without me."

"I find it hard to believe this is the worst thing you've ever experienced. You're not getting out of this no matter how much you complain."

Miraak didn't reply.

They didn't leave Vlindrial Hall until almost noon and even that was a mistake. The sun was far too bright as if it knew how sick he felt; it was clearly a premeditated attack. Gods what he would give to just crawl under a rock and stay there for the rest of eternity. Maybe Mora would take him back if he apologized…

An attempt was made to look presentable, but the lingering signs of sickness were still present. The black stubble on his jaw and dark circles under his eyes did little to enhance his sickly pallor. The bruising didn't help either. It had been millennia since he'd felt this hungover. Aleaksi, on the other hand looked almost chipper. There was a spring in her step and a sparkle in her eyes. He hated her for it.

The events from that morning didn't help either. Of course, this wasn't the first time he'd woken up next to a woman half-dressed and certainly not the first time with Aleaksi. But when they did have to share bed space, it was out of necessity, not because he followed her to her bedroom in a drunken stupor. What had he been thinking? Well, that was the problem, he hadn't been thinking at all – he had blacked out. Ugh, what a mess.

That stinging sensation had to be his pride tinged with disappointment. How was it possible that she recovered so fast from being sick? He heard her throw up before they left – most of the city probably did. He thought for a moment. Surely that wasn't what was bothering him. That seemed far too simple.

No, this was something else that went beyond his sluggish recovery. It was an important question that was glaringly obvious: had they not been drunk, would he have finally made a move and would she have accepted? There was physical attraction and he knew it. Aleaksi wasn't sly at all and he'd caught her staring on multiple occasions. It happened more often when they first began traveling together; her blush gave her away every time. He was amused by it at first and even reciprocated her interests but for some strange reason, he was unable to broach the subject. As articulate as he was, he couldn't form a sentence that properly conveyed his appreciation for her ass in leather riding gear and it bothered him. Instead, he'd insult her or make a snide comment to deflect the conversation.

Perhaps it was her personality that irked him. So sunny and oblivious yet peppered with bouts of psychotic rage when the right buttons were pushed. If it wasn't for her penchant of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or rushing into things, she would have been much more tolerable. But if she disappeared, well…that would be unfortunate-

He stopped that train of thought before it went somewhere more confusing.

Maybe it was all in his head and she didn't think of him like that at all. He might be a monster in her eyes, but he was too busy panting like a dog to see it. Most of his thoughts were purely carnal so who's to say this entire fixation wasn't just his need to get laid? It had been a while.

…or…

Maybe her staring was out of curiosity and the fact that she had the social fluidity of sandpaper. He was the only Atmoran still in existence, so curiosity was understandable. When they entered a room, he felt the eyes of the crowd dart toward him instantly. There were always questions, but he took it in stride; a firm greeting, and confident speech ensured most enjoyed his company.

He'd process all of this later when he could focus on more than just the pain in his head.

"We need to go back to the Inn." Her words broke through his thoughts.

"Aleaksi no. We had enough last night."

"Not for drinking. We need to ask about the woman that got killed. Apparently, she had a room there. Kleppr is enough of a sleaze we'll be able to bribe him for the room key." She waved him off.

He could see her logic, but he wasn't entirely convinced.

"Fine then but no drinks." He said firmly.

"No promises."

They approached the inn and pushed open the door. The interior was dark and cool lit only by a few lamps. An older man with white shoulder length hair stood behind the counter cleaning a glass. He hadn't made an appearance the night before but Aleaksi knew him.

"Finally come to settle your tab, have you? It's a decent sized one this time."

She smiled and took a seat. "You know I'm always good for it, but I do have a few questions. I take it you know about the woman getting killed the other day in the marketplace?"

"I don't know damn thing. I was in here the entire time. Now pay what you owe, or I'll report you." He snarled but she wasn't deterred.

She rummaged through her pack for a moment, pulled out an ebony ingot and set it in front of her. His expression didn't change but his right eye twitched.

"My bag is feeling a bit heavy. Could you help me with that…?"

He looked around the room cautiously then picked up the ingot and stashed it behind the counter. A moment later, he slid a key forward.

"I didn't say or see anything – is that clear?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about Kleppr, I just came in here to pay my tab."

"Right. Now get going."

With that she got up and headed toward the rooms in the back. Whoever the woman was, she paid for the nicest dwelling and had been here for a few weeks. Aleaksi quietly unlocked the door and pushed it open trying not to draw attention. Miraak stepped inside and began opening drawers; he made it a point to not disturb anything but a moment later he found a journal. The book was small, worn and inconspicuous. Most of the pages contained uninteresting details that listed day to day interactions with the inhabitants of Markarth. From random bits of information, they were able to identify the woman as Margaret an Imperial Spy working for the Legion. The book seemed to contain nothing relevant until the last page. The scrawl of handwriting indicated the final passage had been written in a paranoid state and contrasted greatly with the neat orderly sentences from the other pages. She had witnessed something.

Meeting at the Treasury House later today. Took them long enough. These people act like they own everything.

Thonar Silver-Blood is the younger brother, but he's obviously the one in charge. Makes all the deals, bullies local landowners into selling to him. Even employs that wispy girl at the door to deter "trouble-makers" like me.

General Tullius is growing impatient, but I'll bring back the deed to Cidhna Mine. On my life, I won't allow a group of Stormcloak sympathizers to own the prison to the most notorious criminals of the Reach. They say no one escapes. Why? Is it really that secure?

Maybe I've played my hand too soon by rushing the confrontation with Thonar. There are shadows around every corner in this city, and I know I'm being watched…

"She knew she was going to die, and she kept at it." Aleaksi mumbled to herself as she glanced over the page "what could be so important that they'd risk killing her in broad daylight?"

"Perhaps it's not a matter of what, but who." He pointed out "we need to go soon. We're not supposed to be here."

She nodded in agreement and stashed the journal. "Right…now onto Weylin."

"Who?"

"The guy that killed her. I remember that much from last night. He lived in the Warrens and worked as a smelter. How I remember that, I don't know."

They left the Inn but were stopped shortly after by a city guard. The man seemed aggressive and on edge. He approached them slowly and pointed at Aleaksi in an accusatory manner.

"You. I've seen you snooping around. Asking questions."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She denied with a blank face.

"I'll say this only once: back off. You don't want to know what happens to troublemakers here." He growled in response.

She crossed her arms but didn't back down. "You have no evidence that I've done a damn thing. I went inside, paid my tab from last night and that's it. I'm not trying to cause trouble."

"You're finding it and that's bad enough. This is your last warning – for both of you. We keep the peace here. Stay out of our business."

Once the guard left, Miraak sighed and gave her an annoyed look "'For both of you'? Great. Maybe we'll be cell mates."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've been to jail nor will it be the last." She shrugged.

He stared at her a moment longer and blinked. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"At the moment, not really. Let's just say people are very weird about accidentally killing chickens in Riverwood. How was I supposed to know the entire town would lose their shit about that? Next thing I know, I'm waking up in cart next to that bastard Ulfric Stormcloak and we're headed toward Helgan."

He opened his mouth to respond then thought better of it. This would lead to more questions and that was a winding, chaotic path.

"Right. Now that we've been threatened about not meddling, lets go do it some more." She muttered as they headed toward the mine.

As they approached the Warrens, the outlook of the area drastically changed. They were in the lower part of the city where the industrial heart of silver mining and human rights violations beat strongly. An acrid cloud of burning metal hung in the air choking out the life out of all nearby vegetation. The smelting pits tainted the water with toxic runoff and the workers themselves didn't look much better; barely skin and bones, most of them paid little attention to the strangers as if they were used to be scrutinized while working. Aleaksi was appalled and silently vowed to change things. Miraak took notes.

The doors to the Warrens were depreciated at best. As they pushed them open, a screech announced their presence to all within. A dirty man wearing rags leaning against the wall looked up at them then spit on the ground.

"The Warrens isn't a place for your type. What do you want?"

"Did you know Weylin?" Aleaksi questioned getting straight to the point.

"Yes, I know everyone who sleeps here. I'm the one that passes the keys around. I guess someone else will be taking his room now. Whats it to you?"

"We need the key to his room."

"Sorry but you don't exactly belong here. Why don't you go on back to your cozy home above ground? Makes it easier to ignore us when you can't see our faces." He smarted.

Miraak stepped forward, grabbed the man and roughly shoved him against the wall. "We weren't asking."

"Alright alright now biggin don't get upset. Here. Take the damned thing. I've got enough on my plate as it is." He held up the key and Aleaksi took it.

"Thank you. It's been a pleasure doing business." She smiled pulling Miraak's arm back.

"Sod off."

Weylin's room was at the end of the dark tunnel. The smell seemed to get worse the further back they went. Dim light supplied by grubby oil lamps only elongated the existing shadows transforming them into sinister creatures. Most of the rooms seemed empty and those that were inhabited, were closed off. Rotted piles of hay lettered with skeever bones mashed beneath their boots as they approached Weylin's door; it was one of the few that opened silently.

Inside, a chair, a lamp and a small wooden chest were all the man seemed to have to his name. Another pile of filthy hay sat in the corner with a few moldy pelts. Aleaksi walked toward the chest and searched through it. A curious message on a note caught her attention.

You've been chosen to strike fear in the heart of the Nords. Go to the Market tomorrow. You'll know what to do. – N

Aleaksi frowned again. "Who the hell is 'N'? An Elf maybe?"

"What makes you think they're of the Mer?"

"They're not exactly fond of Nords."

"A lot of races aren't fond of Nords. Most of Tamrial still views them as savages. Have you ever read Alduin is Real, and He Ent Akatosh? That's right – 'ent', with a godsdamn 'E'."

"Hey now those are your people."

"No, they're not. My people died out four thousand years ago. Because one came from the other does not make them the same."

"Er, how so?"

"A caterpillar is not a butterfly."

"That didn't help."

They left the dank dwelling passing by the man that gave them the key. Aleaksi handed it back and even gave him some gold for his trouble. Miraak scoffed at her actions and she glared at him.

"If you could not mock me, that would be nice."

"If you could not give away our gold, that would be nice. Your charity is annoying."

"And your stinginess is obnoxious. We get to go home to a clean bed and a warm meal – they don't."

He ignored her comment as they pushed through the doors back into the daylight. Momentarily blinded as their eyes adjusted, the outline of a leather armor clad man greeted them. He had a sour expression that matched the nasty glint in his eyes. He walked up the Miraak and jabbed him in the chest; a bold move considering the significant height difference.

"You've been digging around where you don't belong. Its time you learned a lesson."

Mirrak growled but didn't say anything.

Aleaksi stepped between them "I'm gonna stop you right there - is this really so wise?"

The man backhanded her in a brief fit of stupidity, but his boldness was short lived as he soon found himself launched against a stone wall with a blade at his throat. He struggled until he felt the bite of the metal.

"Ugh. You mangy piece of pit-bait" he spat.

Aleaksi pressed on the blade causing a drop of blood to appear. "Talk or I'll send you to your gods!"

"I-I was sent by Nepos the Nose! The old man hands out the orders. He told me to make sure you both don't get in the way! That's all I know I swear!"

Aleaksi pressed further but felt a hand on her arm.

"As much as this little shit deserves death, guards are coming and you're holding a dagger to someone's throat." Miraak said in a quiet voice.

The red seemed to clear from her vision, but she didn't let go of the man just yet. She wiped blood from the new gash on her cheek; oh yes, he was a dead. Before she could act, Miraak separated them, shoving the man off the wooden walkway and into the shallow stream that ran beneath them.

"We need to leave." He hissed. "Blood will be spilled later."

She snarled in response, sheathed the dagger and followed without a word.


Back at home, they analyzed the information gathered from the day. The journal and the note sat in front of them on the kitchen table.

"Margaret discovered that the Thonar Silver-Blood was involved in something elicit at the Treasury House but died before she was able to uncover it at the hands of Weylin – the same guy who was working for someone called Nepos the Nose. Now I remember Weylin yelling something about the Foresworn before he died but…do you think there's a connection between the Silver-Bloods and the Forsworn? Surely not…that just sounds so…messy."

"Perhaps we should inform Eltrys of this information. He may understand the connections better than us. He is one of the natives after all."

"Yes, we should invite him to dinner. If we go back to the shrine, it's going to draw more suspicion. If anyone asks, he's been smelting ore for me as a service."

"Very well then I'll make the arrangements since you've sent Argis away. What are you going to cook?"

"Me? Oh no, we've done this before. Last time I made dinner you compared it to boot leather. You get to cook."

Miraak glared at her. "I did not. I said it was tough enough that we could stitch it together and wear it in place of regular armor."

"That really doesn't get you out of cooking."

"Perhaps we can send for Erik."

"No. He wouldn't get here in time. Look just make a soup or grill something. I know we've got bread in here somewhere unless you ate it last night."

He sighed and pushed himself up from the table. So much to do and only a few short hours to do it. First things first though – send a message for Eltrys. Hopefully the man knew how to be discreet.

As dinner time approached there was a knock at the door. Eltys was greeted warmly by a sober Aleaksi and invited in. As she showed him in, she glanced around the front of the dwelling, hoping to deter any would-be spies. She showed him into the great room where they discussed the events from the day.

"When you leave here, please be careful. If they ask, you've been smelting ore for me as a side job. Those guards are paranoid and unfortunately, not as stupid as I'd hoped."

He waved her off. "I'll be fine. I grew up here. I know how to get around without being seen."

Aleaksi nodded. A moment later, Miraak announced dinner was ready. As they set at the table, she was pleasantly surprised at meal in front of here. Marinated venison with a side of baked potatoes and roasted vegetables accented with parsley; it was plated beautifully.

"Where the hell did this come from?"

"A deer I believe."

"You know what I mean. When did you learn to cook like this?"

"I'm allowed to have hobbies too." He took a bite and chewed slowly, savoring the flavor.

Eltrys dug in without hesitation; Aleaksi still sat in disbelief.

"Be honest - who did you sneak in here to do this?"

"No one. Now eat before it gets cold. We still need to discuss recent events."

"Yes…that is important." She took a bite; gods it was fantastic but he didn't need something else to add to his overinflated ego. She swallowed and turned back to Eltrys.

"We found some very interesting information today." She slid the note and the journal over to him.

He examined the journal first reading through the last few pages. "So, the clues point to the Treasury House, then. That makes sense. Thonar is involved in every facet of the city. Here's the gold I promised. Keep following the trail and there will be more in it for you."

He slid a coin pouch over to her, but she pushed it back. "Don't worry about it right now. This is something that may get worse before it gets better." He shrugged, put the money away and examined the note from Weylin. His eyebrows shot up.

"Nepos the Nose is involved? He's been in Markarth forever and he's well-respected among the natives of the Reach. Good work - although I have a feeling Nepos gets his own orders. There's no way he's acting independently. If you find out more, let me know."

Aleaksi finished chewing and wiped her mouth – this time with her napkin. Miraak was almost proud.

"Why would the Silver-bloods be working with the Forsworn? That doesn't make sense."

He shrugged. "because Thonar is a vile corrupt man that exploits anyone and anything he can get his greasy hands on and the Forsworn have something he wants regarding land control or political gain. Is there going to be seconds?"

"Yes, help yourself." She pushed a bowl of vegetables toward him "that all makes sense but there's still something missing here. Who is Nepos working for?"

Eltrys shrugged as he continued eating "Don't know. They used to have a leader, but he was captured and executed when the Stormcloaks came through. If he was replaced, I haven't heard anything about it."

"Damn. That means we'll have to pay both sides a visit." She looked at Miraak who was clearing away dishes. "I'll let you do the talking. Something tells me having a conversation with either of those men is going to be difficult and I don't want to stab anyone just yet."

"That is a wise decision."

As the evening came to a close, Aleaksi walked Eltrys out the door and wished him luck. It was agreed that they would meet at the Talos Shrine again, but only at night. The guards were already suspicious as were the Forsworn agents.

"I wish you and your husband the best of luck. You're both going to need it."

"He's not my- you know what, never mind. Thank you Eltrys. I wish you and your family well. Hopefully we'll be speaking again soon."

He shook her hand, smiled and left. For the first time, in a long time, he felt hope.


The next day started normally enough; people shopped in the marketplace, ore was mined and smelted but above that, the general feeling of paranoia lingered. Aleaksi watched the people milling about from the front entrance. Miraak joined her a moment later.

"You're awake before noon. What prompted this?"

"I actually woke up when you did. Couldn't sleep. What's that?" she asked looking at his mug.

"An Elswyre beverage made from heated water pressed through ground beans. I purchased it from one of the Khajiit caravans outside Solitude a few months ago."

"So…you bought skooma?" she made a face. "and yet you still look extremely healthy."

"No. I bought coffee. This is non-addictive and has a pleasant taste. Unfortunately, it can only be imported as Skyrim does not have the proper climate to grow the needed ingredients."

She grabbed his cup, took a drink but spat it out.

"Ugh. That is terrible."

"Some add milk or sugar to alter the taste. I prefer it black."

"You would like something that bitter."

"You liked my food last night."

"That's not the same as this and I'm still skeptical about that." She handed the cup back. "So why cooking?"

"When you haven't eaten in four thousand years, but you've read every recipe in existence, the first thing you do is apply your knowledge and enjoy what you've been missing."

She thought for a moment. "I vaguely remember there being a lot of random food at home when we first got back from Solstheim. I feel like most of it was burnt. That was you?"

"My early attempts were not as successful as I would have liked."

"I'm surprised I didn't make fun of your for it. Then again, we weren't exactly talking. You were still in shock and acting weird and I wasn't about to provoke you – especially since we weren't exactly getting along."

"Learning to interact with humans again was exhausting let alone becoming familiar with an entire new culture."

"Well, at least you got past that. So, when do we pay a visit to Thonar and Nepos?"

"Not now. Its still far too early in the day for 'business'. I was thinking after lunch. We will stop by, act like we have an appointment and then question him."

"Do you really think they'll let us in just like that?"

"Yes. Sound confident. Project that you're meant to be there, and gods save anyone that holds you up because you're just that important. It works even better if you can act a bit impatient. People make mistakes when they're flustered."

"You could also just flirt with the woman at the front desk."

"That's not always successful."

"I've seen it work more often than not for you." She smirked. "I know that's how you've been getting those discounted alchemy ingredients."

He grinned "I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations."

They continued watching the people below; it was a quiet thoughtful moment.

"Miraak?"

"Hm?"

"What if they try to kill us to cover-up this whole thing? You know, like Margaret."

"Then they'll wish they hadn't."


They approached the Treasury House and pushed open the door. A young woman working behind the desk greeted them with a pleasant smile.

"Oh I recognize you – you're the outsiders. I'm sorry. We're only interested in helping our patrons."

Miraak stepped forward.

"We have a meeting with Thonar Silver-Blood."

"I'm afraid he's asked to not be disturbed. He has important business."

He leaned forward "Yes, we're his important business. Unless he no longer wishes to hear of investment opportunities in Dawnst-"

"Oh! That meeting! I'm sorry to keep you. Head right in."

He nodded and they walked toward the back door. An older servant woman smiled at them but there was something off about it; the warmth in her smile didn't touch her eyes.

As they entered the large room, a man that appeared to be in his late forties looked up from a ledger. He glared at them and shut the book with a loud snap.

"What are you doing here? I told them no visitors."

Miraak studied the man for a moment, sizing him up. Tensions continued grow; a moment later, he took a seat across from the man.

"I thought you'd be bigger."

"Is that why you came here? To insult and intimidate me? Well let me tell you-"

"If I wanted you dead, you would be. You know who we are, and you know what we've done."

Thonar opened his to retaliate but thought better of it. It had been confirmed the woman was Dragonborn - news had spread far and wide from Whiterun, but the man was still a mystery. Rumors swirled around him. He was supposedly Dragonborn as well but from a different time; a mage that returned from realm of Aetherius to combat the dragon crisis at the beckoning of Kyne. There was another rumor that said he was an agent of the Mehrunes Dagon, a dremora disguised as a man sent to cause chaos.

But speculation and rumor didn't matter right now. What did matter was reason, fact and understanding. At the moment, Thonar very clearly understood he was in an enclosed room with warriors that successfully killed dragons on a regular basis and despite his wealth and connections, he was just a man.

"What do you want?"

"We want to know about Margaret."

"The Imperial agent? That's right. I knew. How many dogs is the Empire going to send after me? This is my business. My city. You Empire lovers should learn to stay out of it!"

Miraak stared at him again; Thonar shifted in his chair.

"And what of the Forsworn?"

"They're crazy. Think they rule the Reach. Well guess who really runs things around here? Me. I own the mines. I make the coin pass to the right hands now does that answer your damn questions?" he was beginning to get his nerve back.

Miraak leaned forward but did not acknowledge the elevated inflection in his tone.

"Why did you send the guards?"

"What did you expect? That no one was going to notice you butting into business that wasn't yours? The guards know who holds the purse strings in this city, and I don't like snoops. Markarth is my city. You have no right looking into my business! Now get out!"

Miraak stood and took a step toward the man. For all his bravado, Thonar hunkered back in his chair; he'd gone too far.

Before any action could be taken, there was a blood-curdling scream from outside. Thonar pushed himself up from the table and ran out of the room. Aleaksi and Miraak followed. The scene was horrifying; Betrid lay face down in a pool of blood, next to her was the servant woman from before. A knife protruded from her chest.

"By the gods, Betrid... My wife. They killed her. Damn Madanach. Damn his Forsworn backside." He was filled with a reckless rage; he didn't give a damn who they were or what they could do.

"Are you going to talk now or continue to stroke your own ego?" Miraak questioned in a calm voice.

"Shut up! Only the gods can judge me. You want to know what the Forsworn really are?"

"I think we have an idea but do enlighten us."

"They're my puppets. I have their "king" rotting in Cidhna Mine. He was supposed to keep them under control. When their uprising was crushed, I had Madanach brought to me. He was a wild animal, but a useful one. I offered him a stay from execution if he used his influence to deal with any annoyances that came up. Competitors, agents, idiots. So I've let him run his little Forsworn rebellion from inside Cidhna Mine. Now he's out of control."

"You mean to tell me that a rotten deal with a savage leader – who's also your sworn enemy - turned poorly for you? I'm shocked. Truly shocked." Miraak sneered. "Tell us more about this king."

"While we were off fighting the Elves in the Great War, Madanach was busy ruling over the Reach. Until Ulfric came and put them down. Something I'm sure neither of you knows anything about. Now, you've got what you came for – You and Madanach are animals, and I'll see you both rot to death in Cidhna Mine for this. Now get out of my house!"

Aleaksi turned to Miraak brushing off Thonar's threat.

"Do we want to kill him now or later?"

"Later of course."

Once they were outside, they checked for guards, but none appeared nearby; the chaos from the inside had not spilled into the street yet. They could still get away before being suspected of murder. The sun was beginning to set, but there was still more work to be done. Sine things had taken a turn for the violent, they went home first, donned armor then continued to the dwelling of Nepos the Nose.

When they entered the main hall, they were greeted curtly by a Breton woman dressed in servants' clothes. At first, they were turned away but a voice from the other room called for them. In the great room, they approached an old man with a large crooked nose sitting in front of the fireplace. He had been reading a book but now it sat off to the side. He turned to look at them and smiled as if he had been expecting them.

"Well, go on then. Ask your questions."

"We know about Weylin and the Forsworn. We also know you're the one who sent that thug." Miraak said.

"Ah, yes. You've both proven to be real bloodhounds. Well, you've sniffed me out. I've been playing this game for almost 20 years. Sending the young to their deaths. All in the name of the Forsworn. And I'm tired. So tired."

"Then why not quit?"

"Because my king told me to. Madanach. When the uprising fell at the hands of the Nords, they threw him in the mines. I don't know how, but he lives. I get his messages, and I hand out his orders without question."

"You're certainly forthcoming with your information." Aleaksi cut in.

"My dear girl, what makes you think you're getting out of here alive? You were seen coming in. The girl at the door is a Forsworn agent masquerading as a maid. You aren't the first one to have gotten this far. You won't be the last."

"Do you really think you can kill us?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Let us find out."

As if on queue, the servants in the room turned on them brandishing both weaponry and destruction spells. The Breton woman from the door charged Aleaksi but was stopped short by a blade to the chest. Miraak threw a fireball which caused a large explosion; in the small space the results were almost deafening. Nepos was thrown against a wall; the explosion killed him instantly. Once they were no longer under attack, they assessed the situation and left the building, locking the door behind them.

"This has gotten completely out of control – we need to find Eltrys and get him away from here. He'll be in danger if they've become that bold."

They ran for the Talos Shrine, the sun had set giving them some cover but the guards were still mysteriously absent. They pushed open the doors and were met with an appalling sight; Eltrys body lay crumpled in the middle of the room, a dagger in his hand and a suicide note next to him. A guard was kneeling next to him. He stood and turned toward them.

"What did you do to Eltrys?!" Aleaksi ran forward.

"Same thing we do with all the other natives who want to change things around here. We had a nice little deal going between Thonar and Madanach until you and Eltrys started snooping around. Well, you wanted to find the man responsible for those killings? You'll have plenty of time with the King in Rags when you're in Cidhna mine."

"Like hell we will! You corrupt bastards are going to pay for this!"

More guards appeared from the shadows including the original three that were present on the first day.

"I can take you – all of you!" she made a motion to unsheathe her sword but Miraak stopped her.

"No. Not yet."

"But-"

"Aleaksi stop. If we cut off the head, the body will die. This creature has two heads."

"Oh stop it with the cryptic bullsh- oh. Oh."

It dawned on her.

She grudgingly raised her wrists.

"Very well then. We submit."