The Hammer and the Anvil: An Elder Scrolls Novel
Greg J Miller
~O~
Chapter 14
Tirdas the 16th of First Seed 4E49
Monika awoke with a mild start. She quickly realised that Alex was not in bed. In fact, she soon realised that he wasn't even in the room and nor were his boots. She hadn't heard him leave. She got up and dressed quickly. She was thinking it was unusual for him to go off too far without saying something. She'd thought that he might have just gone to the bathroom, but he wasn't there.
She soon realised that there seemed to be no sign of her mother about either. It was downstairs in the kitchen that she found a message left on the bench. It indicated that her mother had left early to return to the Temple District. It made no sense to her that Alex would have left the house without firstly waking her.
The previous evening, they'd waited for a lengthy period as the temple healers had tended Nikulas. By the hour of eight, Elwyn had sent Monika and Alex back to the house. As she'd told them, there was nothing they could do there. It was all up to the healers. She intended to remain a little longer before following them home. It was just after ten by the time that Elwyn returned. Monika had heard her return and rushed down to speak with her. Elwyn had told her that her father was doing much better, but he was remaining with the healers overnight.
Monika's thoughts were interrupted as she heard a noise outside the back of the house. She peered out through a back window to see that Alex was in the vegetable patch. It looked like he was planting the seedlings that her father intended to plant that morning.
Monika headed outside through the back door. She picked her way through the vegetable patch toward the northern end. She spoke quietly. "Morning."
Alex looked up with slight surprise. "Good morning." He kept to the task at hand.
"I was wondering where you'd got to." Her expression remained neutral.
Alex nodded slightly. "You looked like you needed your rest." She had tossed and turned fitfully during the night, only seeming more restful by the early hours. "Your father wanted to get these in the ground this morning."
Monika looked up to the lightly clouded sky. "Is this the right weather for that?"
Alex shrugged mildly. "Should be okay."
"Mother has gone back to the temple."
"Yes, I spoke with her as she was leaving." He continued with the seedlings.
After a short pause, Monika spoke again. "I'm thinking about going back over to the Temple District." She noticed that washing had been hung out to dry. It was another indication that her mother must have been up quite early.
Alex glanced up again, but kept working. "I am nearly finished. Should be done in just a few moments."
Monika nodded silently, watching him work.
After a few moments longer, Alex had stood and brushed away the loose soil from his hands and trousers. He seemed satisfied that the task had been completed. He looked to Monika. "Have you eaten?"
"Not really hungry."
He didn't press the matter. "I should clean up, then I will be ready."
Monika returned a vague smile and a nod.
Alex washed his hands at the water barrel and checked the state of his clothing. They seemed clean enough, aside from mild staining at the knees of his trousers.
They went back inside the house through the back door. Alex had paused in the kitchen area to take some water. He'd spotted the apples in a bowl and persuaded Monika to take one to eat along the way.
They were soon out on the street and headed for East Boulevard. Rivergate Street was lightly crowded at that time of the morning. That circumstance continued all the way down to Eastmarket. It was not that long before the start of the business day. That accounted for some of the foot traffic. There were also quite a few children on the streets. Presumably, they were headed for the schoolhouse. Some were accompanied by a parent. Some walked on their own or in small groups. Some of them rushed toward their destination. Others dawdled.
As Monika and Alex neared Northwind Traders, she'd suggested stopping briefly at the store. Alex agreed, anticipating her thoughts. Roberto and Francine were inside the store at the time. They'd advised that they already knew about Nikulas and that Erika gone off to the temple healers with her mother. With that information in mind, Monika and Alex had quickly continued on their way.
Before too long, they'd arrived in the Temple District and returned to the building where they'd left Nikulas the previous evening. As it passed, they'd gone no further than the front door. Erika and her mother were just coming out as they arrived. Monika was just a little surprised to see that her father was with them.
Monika shook her head. Her expression indicated her mild confusion. "I… I thought… What's happening?"
Elwyn responded with even tone. "Your father's ready to go home."
Monika frowned. "But… but, what did the healers say?"
Elwyn looked her daughter in the eye just briefly. "They've done everything they can, for the moment."
Nikulas spoke with a measure of confidence. "I'm fine."
Elwyn shot her husband a sharp sideways glance.
He amended his claim. "Well, I'm about as good as they can make me. Better'n yesterday, anyways."
Monika opened her mouth, then closed it again, before speaking. "Should… should you be up and walking about? It's a long way across town."
Nikulas shrugged. "Told me to take it slow. Reckon I can manage that." He affected a mild grin.
The group soon departed the temple area and slowly made their way back across town. Despite Nikulas' protestations, they maintained a notably sluggish pace, pausing at every street corner. They intended to stop in at the store along the way. Elwyn had made it clear that they'd be stopping there for a while. That was more for the benefit of her husband. She also made it clear that Nikulas would be resting properly once he was home.
It was well past midday by the time that Forester and Maplewood had finally made it all the way back to the gates of Sentinel. The steady march from the township of Tigonus had been long and tiring. At the least, it had remained free of unexpected adversity or incident.
It had rained briefly during the previous evening that they stayed at the tavern in Tigonus. It seemed to have cleared to intermittently overcast cloud by the morning. Forester was rather glad of that circumstance. He held no liking for walking the roads in the rain.
During that previous evening, the people of Tigonus had seemed friendly enough. It seemed that the township mostly survived upon the trade of ores from the mines and the produce of the surrounding farmland. Of course, much of the trade went south to Sentinel.
Without any expectation, they had spoken of their missing Fighter's Guild comrade and her blacksmith brother. As anticipated, no one they spoke with knew anything of that.
As they departed Tigonus that morning, they gained a better view of the place in the morning light. The township looked as though it had probably been more substantial during times gone by. Beyond the two main streets of the township, there were a number of older stone ruins. The remains of a defensive wall still stood in a few places about the surrounding farms.
It seemed more that those ruins might have been only decades old, rather than from much earlier times. Although the locals had made no clear mention of it, Forester suspected that Tigonus might have been a regional power before The Warp in the West. One of the several regional localities that had become folded into Sentinel's expanded claim in the wake of that event.
Not all that far from Tigonus, they encountered a slow moving wagon fully laden with ore. It was headed in the same direction, but moving at a pace of no more than an amble.
Further along, the road had been just as quiet as the day before. The only difference being that there was nobody waiting to ambush them along the roadside that morning. They'd not seen those Vigilants of Stendarr that they'd encountered the previous day.
Maplewood had noted that none of those Vigilants had offered their names during that encounter. She also noted that none of them had even mentioned one another by name. If that bothered him at all, Forester had offered no indication. It was already clear enough that he held no affinity for them and didn't trust them far at all.
By the time that they'd passed the road that led to Ayasofya, the skies had almost cleared of cloud and the day had grown notably warmer.
Hours had passed before they had encountered anything or anyone else along that road. They'd eventually passed a couple of farmer's wagons outbound from Sentinel in the later part of the morning. By that time, the spires of Sentinel's palace and temple were in sight.
Both Forester and Maplewood were suitably weary by the time they passed through the main gates of Sentinel. They held some tentative plans in mind that required further discussion. Most of the long march had passed in relative silence. Before doing anything else, they'd intended to head back up to the Seaview Inn to eat and rest.
The Seaview was not especially crowded as they entered. That was probably not unusual for that time of the day. Any midday crowds would have been and gone by then. A couple of Bretons sat over one side of the tavern and a small group of Dunmer sat about a table over the other side.
Tallie was tending the main counter. After exchanging a friendly greeting with the Redguard woman, Forester and Maplewood ordered something to eat and drink.
Hodge had heard the familiar voices and came out from the back room. He looked to the pair of Guild fighters. "So then, how did it go?"
Forester's expression was somewhat grim. "Not exactly as expected."
Once they had their food and drink, Hodge followed them over to a free table to speak further with them. Forester and Maplewood had briefly explained the incident involving the set up with the Vigilants of Stendarr along the northern road. Hodge had expressed his own distaste for the Stendarr devotees. He'd mentioned that they used to come into the tavern harassing the customers a few years back, but not so much during recent times.
They'd again examined their suspicions of Hlaran, Dufont and the unnamed wagon driver. It remained difficult to reasonably determine the complicity of the old Dunmer or the priest. Hodge didn't know Dufont at all, but he didn't find it too difficult to imagine that Hlaran might be involved in some sort of suspicious activities.
In response to Maplewood's query, Hodge had advised that he knew the location of Hlaran's High District house. It was down near the amphitheatre, across the street, third house from the end. He'd mentioned that the old Dunmer had an office in the palace, but he was hardly ever there. By Hodge's reckoning, Hlaran could be anywhere at that time of day. He suggested that his wife might know where he was.
Forester advised of their intent to confront both Hlaran and Dufont. Maplewood suggested tactful questioning might be more the case.
Hodge had lamented that Captain Broder was unable to exert any influence outside of the Quarter, but still suggested it might be a good idea to share what they knew with him at the earliest opportunity. In any case, he recommended proceeding with caution. He wished them luck and left them to finish their food.
Forester had eaten rather more quickly than usual. The way he was struggling with his drink seemed to affirm that circumstance. "I think we should probably go to the temple first and speak with Dufont. We can expect that he'll be easy enough to find."
Rena tilted her head. "I was thinking that maybe you could go do that and I could go after Hlaran."
Forester's expression appeared to indicate he was struggling with indigestion. "I'm not sure that's the best idea. Perhaps, we should stick together?"
Rena wrinkled her nose. "If we split up, there's a better chance to get to both of them this afternoon."
Forester's expression indicated resistance.
Rena continued. "You'll be fine at the temple and I'm sure I can handle Hlaran. In fact, I'll probably do better on my own."
Forester opened his mouth to protest. His furrowed frown conveyed enough.
Rena expanded. "Look, Hlaran will be likely to let his guard down with me."
"He's a bit of old lecher." Forester warned.
Rena grinned. "Exactly. It'll be easier if you're not there. I'll get him to talk. Maybe, I'll get him to slip up and give up something that he knows."
Forester wiped some ale from his beard, then continued to smooth it in thought. "I don't know…"
Rena resumed. "Look, I'm not suggesting anything else just yet. You go have a word with Dufont and I'll go find Hlaran. Find out what they know and meet back here." She paused in response to his continued frowning. "I'm not leaving my weapons behind, just in case."
Forester slowly nodded. "I suppose. I still recommend keeping your wits about you."
"Always." Rena smirked and finished her drink.
After a few moments, the pair had departed the Seaview Inn. Forester headed northward toward the Temple of the Divines. Maplewood headed south to look for Edril Hlaran.
After stopping for a short while at the store, Monika and Alex had gone back to the house with her mother and father. Erika stayed at the store with her husband.
Nikulas had remained in a difficult mood once they'd returned home. Elwyn had wanted him to go upstairs to lay down and rest. He'd grumbled about spending too much time lying around and resisted. The middle ground was found in that comfortable chair that he favoured.
It wasn't all that long before Nikulas had grown restless. He'd soon remembered that he'd been planning to get those cabbage seedlings into the ground that morning. Alex had tried to put his mind at ease on that matter, indicating that he had already attended to that task earlier, before they had set off for the Temple District.
Unfortunately, that only served to inspire Nikulas to want to go outside and take a good look for himself. Elwyn had chastised him and told him to stay right where he was. Alex volunteered to tell him all about exactly what he had done and how he had done it. That seemed to alleviate the immediate issue, if only for time being.
Alex had noticed that some measure of strain appeared evident between Monika and her mother. Although his attention remained focussed upon his conversation with Nikulas, he had overheard snippets of the other muted discussion. It seemed that Monika had been pressing her mother for further details of her father's condition. For the most part, it appeared that Elwyn had provided only minimal answers in short evasive responses. All the while, she kept trying to busy herself with seemingly unnecessary household tasks.
That tension between Monika and her mother had eventually been interrupted by a knock upon the front door of the house. Edwyn had arrived at the house during the late morning, just before midday.
Once he had taken measure of his father's current condition, Edwyn had tried to distract him with other matters. He spoke a little of a few issues that were being discussed by the Board of Associates and his expectations of how the Merchant's Guild might respond. None of it seemed terribly far-reaching in scope. It was just about how certain taxes and regulations were being handled. Alex only managed to follow some of it.
Edwyn hadn't stayed for all that long. He'd mentioned that he still had work that needed to be done. Some of it needed to be completed before the end of that day.
Shortly after Edwyn had left, Nikulas had gone back to discussing plans for his vegetable garden with Alex. Alex had a few suggestions about the lettuce. He had advised only planting half a row at a time, then waiting about two weeks between each subsequent planting, as well as offering a few other useful ideas.
At some point, Nikulas had actually nodded off on the chair. He'd only woken as he'd realised that Alex had fallen silent. Somewhat reluctantly, Nikulas had finally conceded that he was feeling fatigued and decided to go upstairs to rest.
After having detailed what needed to be done for Nikulas' lettuces, Alex had decided to go outside and make some preparations for planting the next morning. Part of his reasoning was that it might be better if he attended the heavier work of preparing the soil. That way, there would be no reason for Nikulas for exert himself. The actually planting of seed would be a relatively relaxed activity. Neither Monika nor her mother held any objection. In fact, Monika actually openly agreed with Alex's reasoning.
Once Alex was well out of earshot, Monika had tried to gain her mother's direct attention. She followed her into the kitchen area. "Are you going to tell me exactly what is going on? All of it?"
Elwyn only glanced at her momentarily. "What do you mean?" She busied herself with sorting the content of the larder.
Monika released a huff of a sigh. "You know exactly what I mean."
Her mother paused what she was doing to look her in the eye, but she didn't immediately say anything.
"What did the healers say?" Monika prompted.
Elwyn cast her eyes downward. "They've done what they can."
Monika shook her head. Her expression clearly indicated her exasperation. "What does that even mean?"
"Exactly what it means. They've done what they can for him. He just needs to rest and avoid exerting himself."
Monika shook her head again. "Done what they can. Is it something they can treat? Is he going to get any better? Is he going to get worse? Is he… is he going to…?" She didn't complete what she was thinking. She didn't want to say it out loud.
Her mother sighed in a resolute fashion. "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, to all of it." Elwyn paused before clarifying. "Yes, they can treat him. Each treatment will make him better, at least for a little while. Yes, he is going to get worse. There's nothing that can change that. And yes, sooner or later, he is going to…" She really didn't need to complete that statement. Nor did she really want to.
A short silence passed before Monika responded, speaking very quietly. "How long?"
"Days, weeks, months? The healers can't say."
Monika searched her mother's eyes. "Does he know?"
Elwyn looked away. "He knows. He just… he just… he's not thinking about dying. He just wants to keep thinking about living… for as long as that's possible."
Monika opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated before finally speaking. "Mother?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Elwyn turned away and started cleaning the kitchen bench top. Of course, it didn't need cleaning.
"Mother?" Monika pressed again.
"Not right now." Elwyn redoubled her efforts to clean the bench top.
Monika slowly turned away and stepped over by the back window. She quietly watched Alex through the window as he worked in the vegetable garden.
Rena Maplewood had gone down to the bottom end of the High District of Sentinel to find the home of Edril Hlaran. Hodge's directions had been clear enough. It was one of those large three level buildings of solid stone construction. At a glance, it was obviously the kind of place that immediately indicated the wealth of the owner. Still, it didn't really stand out all that much in that street. The houses upon either side appeared almost the equal. There was no sign indicating who lived there, but she was sure enough it was the right place.
Rena stepped up to the front door and knocked the heavy brass knocker. She waited a lengthy moment with no response from inside. She was just about to knock again when a younger Redguard woman answered the door with an expectant expression.
"Yes?"
"Is this the Hlaran residence?" Rena requested.
The Redguard nodded silently. She turned her head in response to the older woman's voice calling out from down the hall.
"Kiara? Who's that?"
Kiara turned her attention back toward the visitor.
"Rena. Rena Maplewood."
The older Dunmer woman came down the hall toward the door. "Who is it?"
"She says her name is Rena Maplewood." Kiara stepped back from the open doorway to make way for the Dunmer woman.
"Hello, Llunela." Rena affected a pleasant smile.
The Dunmer woman took a moment to place the Imperial woman's face. "Oh, ah… Rena. That's right, we met down at the bathhouse, didn't we?"
"That's right." Rena affirmed. "I was actually hoping to speak with your husband."
Llunela raised her eyebrows. "Edril is out at the moment." Her eyes shifted slightly as a passing thought came to her. "Is it about what that priest told you? Did you find your missing friend?"
Rena shrugged. "Well, no. That didn't exactly work out. I was hoping to ask your husband a few more questions. There might be something else that he knows."
Llunela tilted her head. "Yes, well. I do suppose that he does keep a close eye upon what happens in this city. I'm really not sure when he'll be back." Her attention shifted, looking past Rena. "Oh, look. Here he comes now."
Rena glanced over her shoulder to see the old Dunmer coming down the street.
Edril Hlaran sported a toothy grin as he arrived at the front door. "Maplewood, isn't it? Where's the other fella, Forester?"
"Yes, you can call me Rena. Forester's busy elsewhere at the moment."
The old Dunmer's grin might have made anyone else uncomfortable, but Rena was already expecting it. "How'd ya go with looking for that friend of yours?"
Rena winced slightly. "Yeah, no luck with that. I was hoping you might be able to help with some other thoughts."
"Of course, of course. Come right in. We can speak inside."
Rena followed them inside as the younger Redguard closed the front door.
Further down the hall, Llunela spoke up. "I'll leave you two to talk business. Kiara, come with me." The two women disappeared further into the house.
Edril Hlaran guided Rena into a drawing room off to the side of the hall.
Once they were both seated, Hlaran spoke first. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
Rena declined. "Thank you, but no. Just came from the tavern."
Hlaran nodded slowly, casting his eye over her. "So then, how can I help?"
Rena did her best to ignore his leering eyes, without looking like she was making any effort to do so. "We have good reason to believe that the man who provided that tip about our friend was lying. What can you tell me about that wagon driver? The one that Dufont spoke of? Do you have any idea who he might be?"
Hlaran sighed and shook his head. "Dunno who he's talking about. Not one I've seen around before. Not one of 'em what works for the warehouse in town. Both of 'em are Redguard fellas. Dufont said he was a Breton."
Rena frowned. "A Breton?"
Hlaran shrugged. "That's what he told me at the temple. Didn't he say that, the other night? At the theatre?"
"No, not to us."
Hlaran frowned, then raised one eyebrow. "Well, that's what he said to me. Nothin' else special about him, 'cept he was Breton."
Rena accepted that. "What about the other businesses? Anyone else using different wagon drivers?"
Hlaran seemed to think a moment. "The warehouse in the plaza is the only one what runs regular drivers. Most go through him, 'less they use one of those freelancers that come and go. They're not usually the most reliable." He had another thought. "Local farmers usually bring their own wagons. Y'd think he woulda said if he was a farmer, though."
Rena digested that information, nodding silently.
Hlaran had another notion. "Now I'm thinkin' about it, that Breton fella what runs the warehouse down at the docks sometimes uses freelance types for his transports when he can't get no one else. Maybe it's one of his that yer lookin' for?"
Rena recalled that man from the second day they were in the city. "You know him?"
"Yeah, 'course. I've also seen him down at the bathhouse during the early evenings sometimes. Goes to the arena some nights too. Apart from that, he just works at the docks as far as I know. That's where you'll find him most days."
Rena shifted tack abruptly. "You heard of the blacksmith?"
Hlaran didn't react in any unexpected fashion. He seemed to think that she was talking about one of the blacksmiths that operated stores in the city. He appeared unaware of any other special meaning behind the reference.
Rena had pressed him a little further, hoping to provoke something else. Only once she'd pointed out that she'd heard occasional mention of 'the blacksmith' as though it might been a false name for someone in particular, did he pause to think upon it. He'd conceded that he had heard the same sort of thing in an odd turn of phrase, but hadn't given it any thought. He seemed reluctant to accept that there was any organised criminal gang operating in Sentinel. By his reckoning, if anything like that was going on, then he'd know about it.
Hlaran conceded that a number of business operators were a bit on the shady side of things. He even commented that the bathhouse accommodated its share of sleazy activity, but he was certain that none of it was part of any criminal gang operation.
Rena had been studying his tone and reactions quite closely. As far as she could tell, he seemed to be telling the truth. At least as he knew it. She was actually hoping to catch him in a lie. That would have been more telling.
Hlaran had actually volunteered a different idea. He had thought that 'the blacksmith' sounded almost like the kind of name that a gladiator of the arena might go by. Though he quickly dismissed that notion. He'd been to the arena often enough and he hadn't actually heard of anyone going by that name.
Rena went on to ask about the Vigilants of Stendarr. Hlaran seemed fully aware of them. He didn't like them, but didn't really care one way or the other, as long as they didn't cause too much trouble for anyone. As far as he was concerned, as long they weren't keeping customers from spending coin or keeping the businesses from making taxable profits, he wasn't concerned what they were preaching. Hlaran had joked that his interests were more influenced by Arkay and Zenithar, the pursuit of life and profit.
Finally, Rena was satisfied that Hlaran had told her as much as he could. She'd decided that he probably held no knowledge of his part in leading them into danger. He had actually provided her with fresh things to consider. She thanked him for his help and politely excused herself from his household.
Leaving the Hlaran household behind, Rena stepped out onto the street and paused after just a few steps to collect her thoughts. She had a few ideas that she thought were well worth pursuing, but she decided that she'd better head back to the Seaview to compare notes with Forester before doing anything else.
Just as she started to move, an older Redguard boy had bumped into her with some force and then kept running on down the street.
"Hey." Rena called out, glancing back at the boy.
Just then, she noticed that her coin purse was absent. She spun on her heel and chased after him. He was headed down toward the end of the street. As far as she knew, it was a dead end. The boy disappeared down the narrow space between two houses. She surged forward after him. The boy had just about made it to the far end of the alley as she rounded the corner. He'd stopped in place, turning to face her. Just then, Rena felt something hard striking the back of her head. Her vision swam as she tumbled forward toward the ground.
Rena couldn't tell whether any time had passed. She was feeling sore and groggy. It seemed that she was being awkwardly dragged along the rough ground. She'd tried to open her eyes, but like the rest of her body, they failed to respond. She could hear two voices. They sounded like locals, probably Redguard from the sound of them. One might have been the boy.
"Not dead, is she?" That was a younger voice.
"Didn't hit her that hard." That second voice sounded older.
Rena managed to open her eyes just slightly, but couldn't see at all. She realised that there was something over her head. She still couldn't move. She soon recognised that her hands and feet had been bound.
"Get the potion onto that." The older voice spoke.
"But she won't be able to…"
"She don't need to drink it. Just let the vapours do the work."
Rena tried to hold her breath as the foul smelling liquid spilled over the fabric covering her face.
The older voice spoke again. "It'll be dark soon enough. Then we can move."
For Rena, it was already dark. Whatever it was that assaulted her nostrils, it was having a rapid effect upon her. The waking world quickly slipped away from her.
Alex had been sensing a tension between Monika and her mother ever since he had come back in from the vegetable garden. He was not immediately certain what it was about, but he suspected that it might have something to do with Nikulas. He also supposed that it might have just been some sort of mother and daughter disagreement that he was unaware of. Since neither of them seemed about to volunteer anything, he avoided broaching the subject.
During the afternoon, Francine had dropped in at the household after finishing up back at the store. That seemed to briefly defuse the tension in the household.
Still, Francine hadn't stayed for long. She just wanted to know that Nikulas was okay for the moment. She needed to get home to tend to the boys. She expected that Edwyn might be late coming home that evening.
Before the sun had set, Elwyn had set about preparing an evening meal. Monika had volunteered to bring in the washing that her mother had forgotten all about. She had put it out there before leaving for the temple early in the morning. As Monika stepped outside, Elwyn had recruited Alex to assist with cutting some vegetables. Even with Monika well out of earshot, Elwyn remained rather less talkative than usual. Alex just accepted the circumstance for what it was, only speaking as necessary.
The odd silence had continued as they ate. Alex had felt a little uncomfortable, but tried to maintain a positive disposition. He had complimented Monika's mother on what she had done with the meal and made some small effort to provoke friendly conversation. His efforts had little effect. Elwyn had excused herself early. She set aside some food for her husband and soon retired for the evening.
Later, as they settled in the guestroom, Monika had shared something of what she knew about her father with Alex. She didn't exactly say outright that her father was dying, but it was obvious enough from what she did say. Alex understood well enough and held some idea of how she must have felt. He didn't press the matter at all.
Malcolm Forester had been to the Temple of the Divines earlier that afternoon. He'd found Dufont easily enough. The priest had been perfectly forthcoming. In fact, he seemed somewhat eager to learn whether Forester had found his missing friend from the information he had previously provided.
Forester hadn't been in the mood for playing games of tact. He related the tale of their encounter with the local Vigilants of Stendarr along the northern road. He explained that the Stendarr devotees had been lured into going out ahead of them with information that encouraged them to believe that he and Maplewood were Deadra worshippers. It was largely due to Maplewood's association with the Vigilants of Kvatch that the situation was deflected from hostility.
Dufont appeared genuinely shocked. He sincerely apologised for having played any part in what had transpired. He offered as much detail as he could recall of the Breton man that claimed to be a wagon driver. He also offered anything else that he could think of that might be of any use. The priest intended to speak with the others of the temple, as well as the Vigilants of Stendarr. He seemed suitably disturbed that the temple had been misused in such a fashion.
Forester was inclined to believe that Dufont was being completely truthful. It seemed obvious enough that the man was intimidated by Forester's harsh stare. At the same time, the priest's indignation over being duped in that manner was clearly evident. He expressed his hope that Forester should find that man and anyone else he might be working with. He really did not want those kind of troublemakers coming in and abusing the trust of the temple.
Satisfied with what he'd learned from Dufont, Forester made his way back over to the Seaview Inn to meet with Maplewood. Given the amount of time that had passed, he'd expected that she would have already been back there by then. Since she wasn't already there, he suspected that she must have encountered some difficulty locating Hlaran. He settled in to wait for her.
By the time it was approaching sunset, Forester had become somewhat more concerned. He waited a little longer, before his patience had started to wear thin. Eventually, he decided to head out and go down to Hlaran's house.
Recalling Hodge's directions from earlier, he'd found the house easily. After negotiating with the Redguard housekeeper, he'd learned that Edril Hlaran was home and he'd gained entry and audience with the old Dunmer.
Hlaran was only vaguely surprised to see Forester. He was more surprised to learn that he was looking for Rena. He'd advised that she had left hours ago to meet with him.
With Forester's firm prompting, the old Dunmer had related everything he could remember of the conversation he'd had with Rena. That covered the wagon drivers, the man from the dockside warehouse, the Vigilants of Stendarr and Rena's theories about a mysterious blacksmith figure.
By Forester's judgement, Hlaran seemed to be openly cooperative. His idea about a gladiator at the arena even seemed plausible. That was something that Forester hadn't previously considered in that light. The Dunmer had also posed the notion that a coven of vampires might be taking people. He thought it made far more sense than the Daedra worshippers that the Vigilants of Stendarr claimed to exist. He seemed certain that there wasn't any organised criminal operation in Sentinel. In fact, he claimed it would be almost impossible for such a thing to operate without his knowledge.
Forester left Hlaran reasonably satisfied that he wasn't directly involved in whatever was going on. However, that didn't necessarily explain where Maplewood had gone.
From the details that Hlaran had provided, Forester considered the possibilities. The dockside warehouse would be unattended by that time. He supposed that the arena would still be operating for another couple of hours. Still, from their earlier conversations, he couldn't understand why Rena would have gone off on her own.
Rather than running off all over the city, Forester had decided to return directly to the Seaview. That's where Rena would be expecting to find him. He was hoping that he'd find her there waiting for him by the time he reached the tavern.
~O~