Remel awoke before sunrise the next morning, chilled. The fire they'd lit at their feet had gone out, and Remel's sleeping roll was coated with frost.
She launched out of bed, shivering violently, and went about getting the fire going. It took much longer that usual, on account of the fact that her hands weren't really working.
By the time Thrynn awoke, the fire was crackling merrily, and Remel had started a pot of tea and a pan of scrambled eggs. He rose and Remel realized he wore only breeches and an undershirt, but he looked just as warm as ever.
"Put-t-t on a jack-k-ket," she shivered, holding her hands closer to the fire. "You're making me c-c-cold."
The burly ex-bandit chuckled and tossed his jacket around her shoulders instead, instantly lending her warmth. She sighed happily and pulled it tighter around her shoulders.
"So, what's the plan?" He said, poking at the eggs. "You know where to find this guy?"
"Well, no," Remel admitted. "But I'm sure someone will." She swatted Thrynn's hand away and dished him a plate of eggs, which he proceeded to eat with his fingers. Remel grimaced and grabbed a fork from her pack. "I noticed a market just a little ways from the inn. The stall owners should know something. If not, we can try the innkeeper again."
In truth, it took longer than anticipated to find the location of the elusive Gulem-Ei. Finally Remel traced him back to the Winking Skeever. The innkeeper glared at her when she entered, Thrynn looming over her shoulder, but she ignored him and focused her attention on the scrawny Argonian tucked in a corner booth.
"I've been looking for you, Gajul-Lei," Remel said, crossing her arms and trying to look imposing. The Argonian looked her over and sneered, then looked at Thrynn and wiped the smile from his face.
"What can you people possibly want from me? I told Mercer I won't deal with him anymore."
"We need to know about a piece of land that you brokered, Goldenglow Estate. Who was the buyer?"
He chuckled. "Now, now, I don't give that information out. Privacy is sort of important in this line of work."
Remel stood a bit taller. "We're running out of time," she snapped. "Tell us who it was, or it's going to hurt."
His eyes got a little wider and he gulped. "You can't kill me," he said, voice quivering with uncertainty. "I'm the only one who knows that information."
"I never said kill," Remel said, injecting as much venom into her voice as she could muster. Behind her, she heard Thrynn crack his knuckles.
"Okay, all right, I'll tell you!" He seemed to shrink back in his seat. "The buyer was a woman with a big bag of gold. She never told me her name. All she said was I could have a share of it if I would broker the deal. That's it!"
Remel gestured for Thrynn to take a step back. "You better be telling the truth," she warned, and turned away.
As soon as they got out of the Winking Skeever, Thrynn gave Remel a concerned look. "You don't really think that's all he knows, do you?"
"No," Remel said glumly. "But I don't think he's going to talk. We don't have anything to hold against him."
She sighed and glanced around, spotting a flat part of the roof of the inn. She pointed. "Let's get up there and wait to see if he goes anywhere."
They trailed the argonian to the East Empire warehouse, and Remel broke through the door while Thrynn distracted the guards. Sneaking by the guards who roamed the halls of the warehouse was no easy feat, but working together, Thrynn and Remel managed to trail Gulem-Ei through the shelves piled high with goods and through a small cave, into a larger cavern that led deep into the mountain below Solitude.
"Great," Thrynn whispered as they gazed into the cave. A few ruffians sat around a fire, chatting, and Gulem-Ei was nowhere to be found. "What do you say? Sneak by? We'd have to go in the water. Or—" he gestured to the bow on Remel's back. "You can give that pigsticker a try."
Remel gazed at the bandits for a while. The last time she'd killed a man, she'd been sick to her stomach for days, even though that man had tried to kill her. But they needed information from Gulem-Ei. Just talking to him wouldn't do it. They needed a show of force, to prove that they meant business.
With a quiet sigh, Remel drew her bow and carefully knocked an arrow.
"You got it," Thrynn said encouragingly. "Remember to breathe deep before you shoot."
She did as he said, took a deep breath, and released the arrow.
It flew directly through the first ruffian's throat, and he toppled over with no more that a quiet gurgle.
"Nice," Thrynn whispered.
The other bandits reacted instantly, drawing weapons and shields and heading toward their location with angry shouts. Remel panicked and knocked another arrow, letting it fly without aiming so carefully; it went wide and splashed into the water, as one of Thrynn's bolts took a bandit in the thigh.
"Breathe," Thrynn said, and knocked another arrow.
Remel did as he said and followed suit. Another steel-tipped shaft drove directly into the remaining bandit's heart, leaving just the one Thrynn had shot; he ended them quickly with a well-placed shot to the chest.
Remel's heart pounded and her legs shook like jelly as she realized that they'd done it—the first fight, at least. She looked at Thrynn and smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.
"For what?" He whispered back.
Remel began creeping forward, holding her bow at the ready, as she tossed back, "for the advice, dummy."
Thrynn chuckled.
They made their way through the rest of the cavern like that. Only once did Thrynn have to sheath his bow and draw a pair of swords, charging at the bandits with a ferocious cry, as they got too close to Remel's hidden sniping spot.
The cavern opened up into a large, spacious cave, packed with goods and guarded by a half-dozen of bandits. Remel nudged Thrynn and pointed to Gulem-Ei, conversing with the man who must have been the leader, evidenced by his higher grade armor. Thrynn nodded and slipped a little closer.
"I can handle the big guy," he whispered, "as long as you can cover me and keep the others from interfering. Do you think you can do that?"
Remel took a deep breath. She'd only been training with the bow for a month or so, but she was a natural; Niruin promised it was her Bosmer blood. As long as she could keep her calm and not freeze up, she could easily handle five bandits.
But with Thrynn's life on the line? How does he trust me so much?
"Are you sure? He looks like he's got a nasty swing," Remel said, nodding toward the leader, who had a menacing steel mace hanging by his side.
Thrynn chuckled under his breath. "Oh, trust me, little elf. I know what I'm doing."
"All right." She breathed out, trying to calm herself. She glanced around the cavern and spotted a ledge a few dozen feet away. "I'm going up there to get a better angle. Wait for my signal."
Thrynn nodded.
Remel climbed dexterously across to the ledge and perched carefully on the edge, drawing a few arrows and setting them on the rocks beside her. As comfortable as she was going to get, she knocked the first arrow and aimed at the bandit closest to Gulem-Ei and the leader.
Turning to Thrynn, she nodded, and let the arrow fly.
The next few minutes passed in a blur of intense focus. Draw, aim, shoot, draw, aim shoot; Remel dropped the attacking bandits one by one before they could interfere on their chief's behalf. At the first sign of violence, Gulem-Ei had retreated to a corner, and now he cowered there with his hands over his head. Remel ignored him, her gaze roaming over the bandits on the floor, looking for signs of movement. There were none. She'd done her job well.
She began to slip carefully down from the ledge, trying not to distract Thrynn as he circled the bandit chief. They both looked a little ragged, but the chief was much worse for wear; his armor was torn and bloodied in places, and the heavy steel was dragging him down. Thrynn, in his light Guild leathers, looked nimble compared to his opponent.
Remel dropped into a crouch about ten feet from them, her bow drawn and an arrow knocked in case she had to interfere, but Thrynn clearly could hold his own.
A few swings later and the bandit made a mistake, lost his footing, and stumbled—
Directly onto the tip of Thrynn's sword.
"I needed that," Thrynn said, wiping the tip of his sword on his breeches and tucking it away. "Been too long since I've had a real duel."
Remel stood from her crouch and emerged from the shadows, stalking toward the spot where Gulem-Ei cowered.
"Is this what you've been doing with the cut you owe the guild? Hiding it down here and treating with petty bandits? You don't deserve to deal with us anymore."
Thrynn drew his sword again and reached the argonian in a few steps, dragging him forward and throwing him onto the ground where he cowered, shaking, on his hands and knees.
"I'm sorry," he gasped, eyes darting between Thrynn and the felled bandit chief with terror. "I—I made a mistake. I see that now. Just don't kill me!"
"Give us the name of the Goldenglow buyer, and then we'll talk." Remel had to cross her arms to hide her heaving chest. Where was this burst of cruel confidence coming from? It would fade soon, and she needed the information from Gulem-Ei before then.
"Karliah, okay? It was Karliah!"
Remel didn't move, but Thrynn gasped audibly and took a stumbling step backward, the tip of his sword dipping dangerously toward Gulem-Ei, who cowered lower with a whimper.
"It can't be," he hissed. Before Remel could say anything to express her confusion, Thrynn hauled Gulem-Ei to his feet and drove the sword toward his chest.
"Wait," Remel murmured, and Thrynn heard her. Miraculously, he stopped, the sword point hovering an inch from Gulem-Ei's heart.
"He knew she was alive, all this time, and didn't think to tell us?"
Remel raised her chin, leveling a stare at Gulem-Ei, but addressing Thrynn. "He sees what happens when he crosses the Guild. I think he knows better than to try it again."
A beat passed as both processed what Remel was saying. Then Thrynn dropped the argonian and stepped back. From his knees, Gulem-Ei gasped a thank-you.
"Don't thank me yet," Remel warned. "You have to make up for what you held from us. It won't be easy."
"I'll do whatever it takes," Gulem-Ei said almost reverently, and Remel felt a flush of discomfort at the treatment.
"Where is Karliah?"
Gulem-Ei scratched his head. "She wouldn't give me a straight answer. All she said was she was going where the end began. I don't know what it means."
"Where the end began," Remel muttered, and rubbed her eyes. "All right. Thank you." She glanced up and saw that both Thrynn and Gulem-Ei were still staring at her. "That's all," she said pointedly to the argonian, who leapt to his feet with another muttered promise and fled.
As soon as he was gone, Remel turned to Thrynn. "Why did you stop?"
"Huh?"
"You were going to kill him, and I told you to wait, and you...did." Remel shuffled awkwardly, realizing how strange the question sounded. "I just mean, we're still equals, right? Or technically, you're my superior, since I'm newer to the Guild. I don't even have my Guild tattoo yet." She nodded toward Thrynn's exposed arm, where the shadow mark of a circle inside a diamond stood in stark contrast to his pale skin.
"It's your mission," Thrynn said with a shrug, heading over to one of the shelves stacked with goods and pawing through them greedily. "Besides, you're a clever girl. I trust your judgment. If you say the slime ball lives, he lives."
"Hmm." Remel rubbed her arms and went to help Thrynn with the treasure.
The mood in the cistern was somber when Remel and Thrynn returned, though their presence coaxed a smile and a welcome back out of one or two thieves. She searched for a familiar grinning face but Rune was asleep; the gash on his head looked mostly healed now, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Remel turned to make a beeline for Mercer's desk, remembering his order to report directly back to him, but paused when she saw he wasn't there. Hoping he was out on business, so she could rest and recover before she had to see him, she looked instead for Brynjolf.
He was seated at the bar in the Flagon, and Remel's heart sank when she saw he was there with Mercer. Gulping, she steeled herself and strode forward.
"Guildmaster, Brynjolf," she said formally. Brynjolf hopped off his stood to greet her with a hug, but paused partway and patted her shoulder instead. Remel felt a rush of gratitude toward the old bear.
Mercer simply grunted. "I have...bad news," Remel began cautiously, looking toward the surly Breton. "We learned who the Goldenglow buyer was. Gulem-Ei said her name was Karliah."
The reaction was instantaneous. Brynjolf staggered back as though he'd been hit, and Mercer let out a long hiss through his teeth, gripping his flagon so hard Remel saw the metal bend.
"No," Mercer snarled, and this time Remel took a step back. She'd never seen such a look of animalistic fury, not since—well, not in a long time. "Not again. I won't let that bitch ruin our Guild again." He turned toward Remel and her heart began to pound, seeing a familiar tightening of his shoulders, but not quickly enough to duck away as Mercer grabbed her arms, holding her with a vice-like grip. "Where is she? Where has she gone?"
"He—he said she—she only said where the end began," Remel gasped. All the confidence she'd gained from the success, from shooting a wolf on the road, from laughing easily with Thrynn all through their travels drained out of her. She felt hollow, scared, like she had that first day, a shell of a girl waiting for someone to help her, to save her.
"Mercer," Brynjolf said, placing a huge hand on the Guildmaster's shoulder, and to her surprise, he let her go and took a step back. His face still looked like it was carved of stone, but was that a flash of remorse in his eyes? It was gone before she had the chance to examine it.
"Go get some rest," Mercer said gruffly. "I'll send Tonilia over with your payment."
Remel could only nod and scurry out of the Flagon.
In the training room, she found calm, of a sort, as her arrows plunged methodically into the targets.
Thwack.
What was wrong with her? Why did she freeze up at even the hint of an aggressive touch?
Thwack.
It was fine for an archer, but if she ever had to fight up close, she wouldn't stand a chance. All they had to do was grab her and she'd be as easy to skewer as a fish on land.
Thwack.
Who was Karliah, anyway? Thrynn wouldn't tell her, saying he wasn't there, he didn't know enough, to get the facts from someone else. Delvin knew better, he said.
Thwack.
Well, Delvin was already deep in his cups, and it'd be hours before he was sober enough to answer her questions.
Thwack.
A foreboding feeling haunted her since she set foot in there today, and whatever it was, Remel knew that whatever happened between Karliah and Mercer so many years ago was at the heart of it.
Thwack.
She wasn't even a full member of the Guild. Did she even need to know? Did she even deserve to know? Maybe all the action would flow around her, like a stream around a boulder, and she wouldn't have to—
"Good shooting, lass."
Remel gasped, tugged unceremoniously out of her thoughts, and swung the bow toward the door. She recognized the tousled red hair and lowered the bow; Brynjolf was smiling, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Thanks," she muttered, broken thoughts still swirling about in her brain.
Brynjolf nodded back out toward the cistern. "Niruin made soup. Care for a bowl while we chat?"
Remel hadn't even realized how hungry she was until he mentioned food, and her stomach growled loudly.
SHe followed him out to the kitchen and settled at the dining table, where a steaming pot of soup rested, surrounded by bowls. Most everyone had already eaten; only Cynric remained at the table, and when Remel and Brynjolf took their seats, he quietly rose and disappeared.
A funny feeling grew in Remel's stomach.
"I have some bad news for you," Brynjolf said once he was sure Remel had eaten a few bites. She realized he'd mimicked her own words, and her heart began to pound.
"Maven decided that she couldn't pursue a business relationship with your—with the Reavers," he said cautiously. "She wants them out of her hair, and out of Skyrim. When the leader refused to go back to Solstheim, she had them thrown in prison. They're set to be executed in two days."
The soup Remel had just eaten threatened to come bubbling back up. She covered her mouth with her hands, spoon clattering onto the table.
Dorei.