Chapter Three: A Traitorous Contact (Tirdas/Morndas, Ninth/Tenth of Frostfall)
As soon as her sisters left under the cover of darkness, Nesta made her way down to the Ragged Flagon.
"So what's next in our grand scheme to take over the world?" she asked with a wry grin.
Delvin chuckled. "Whiterun is next on the list," he replied with a nod. "Same thing goes as before. You'll go scout ahead, lay the groundwork, and then Sapphire and Niruin will arrive to do the bulk of the heavy lifting."
Nesta nodded. She decided she wouldn't be staying with Aerenwen on this trip. Her sister had enough on her plate with all of the Dragonborn business, what with the end of the world looming over them. She didn't need to be implicated in Nesta's business and have her reputation tied to that of a thief.
"Brynjolf was looking for you," Vex stated. "Told you to come and find him in the Cistern when you arrived. Sounded important."
Nesta nodded and swigged down the last of her ale. "I'll find out what he wants and start making plans to leave for Whiterun tomorrow." She was growing tired of traveling, but with winter approaching, she'd rather get the business done sooner than later. The leaves were already falling off the trees, and the air had a chill to it, even in The Rift. She couldn't imagine how cold it was growing further north.
She found Brynjolf sitting on his bed in the Cistern, restringing his bow. "Vex said you wanted to see me."
He nodded. "Mercer was asking for you, and I didn't want you alone with him," he replied. He stood and pulled Nesta into his arms. "Your sisters get out of town alright?"
She nodded against his broad chest. "We didn't see any more Thalmor around once we left the Ratway, but they waited until dark in hopes of avoiding any who may be on the road."
"I went down there after you left," Brynjolf commented. "You lot can hold your own quite well against those elves."
Nesta chuckled and pulled away from him slightly. "It's not our first time having to go up against the Thalmor, unfortunately."
"I still don't know the details of that," he stated, glancing down at her curiously.
"I'll tell you the story sometime," she offered. "For now, let's go see what Mercer wants with me."
"Ah, there you are," Mercer stated with a slimy grin as Nesta and Brynjolf approached his desk. He glanced with disapproval between the two but didn't comment on their relationship. "As you know, the symbol on the promissory note from Honningbrew is the same that was on the bill of sale from Goldenglow. It would seem our adversary is attempting to take us apart indirectly by angering Maven Black-Briar. Very clever."
"Maybe we should recruit them," Nesta commented wryly.
Brynjolf shot her look, obviously not appreciating her sarcasm in Mercer's presence.
"You jest," Mercer replied, seemingly not bothered by the comment, "but they've managed to remain undetected for years from the looks of things. They're obviously well-funded, driven, and patient. They're just the sort we look for in our business. It's a shame they've chosen to make an enemy out of the Guild. They are going to pay dearly."
"If we don't know who they are, how are we going to arrange that?" Nesta wondered.
"Because even after all their posturing and planning, they've made a mistake," Mercer explained. "The promissory note mentions an alias used by one of our contacts, Gulum-Ei. Slimy bastard."
"Who's that?" Nesta asked, turning toward Brynjolf.
It was Mercer who answered. "He's our inside man at the East Empire Company in Solitude," the Guild Master explained. "I'm betting he acted as a go-between for the sale of Goldenglow and can finger our buyer. I want you to go to Solitude, shake him down, and see what you come up with."
Nesta started to explain that she already had an assignment in Whiterun and couldn't do this right now, but Brynjolf nudged her and discreetly shook his head. Instead, she told Mercer she would do it and followed Brynjolf back toward the Flagon.
Once they were in the storage room behind the tavern where the entrance to the Cistern was hidden, he spoke. "I can't believe Gulum-Ei is mixed up in all this," he commented with a frown. "That Argonian couldn't find his tail between his legs with both hands. Don't get me wrong, he could scam a beggar out of his last septim, but he's no mastermind."
"Who is he exactly?" Nesta asked.
"As Mercer said, he works for the East Empire Company out of their Solitude dock," Brynjolf explained. "Mercer set up a deal with him where he was skimming merchandise and coin off their shipments for us. As much as I dislike him, I'll admit, he did well. It was so lucrative, Mercer was even considering moving our base to Solitude at one point to save time, considering how poorly we were doing elsewhere in Skyrim. Eventually though, Gulum-Ei got greedy and cut us out of the deal. Started keeping more for himself. At first he claimed the shipments were light because of Imperial interference, but then a few years ago, it all stopped. He didn't even bother to contact us anymore, but Mercer didn't think it was a big enough problem to warrant tracking him down. Until now."
"Why is this all so important to Mercer?" Nesta wondered. "He doesn't seem to give a skeever's ass about the Guild."
"I think it's because it involves Maven," Brynjolf replied. "He's in Maven's pocket, and as far as she knows, he still calls the shots down here. If the Guild's relationship with Maven is ruined, his will be as well. He doesn't care about the Guild, clearly. He cares about what this will do to the favors Maven owes him."
Nesta nodded. It made sense. She didn't understand why Mercer hadn't been pushed out of the position of Guild Master. As far as she was concerned, Brynjolf would be much better at the job. "So he wants me to go to Solitude and question this guy. What does that mean for our plans in Whiterun?"
"Follow through with them," Brynjolf ordered. "Go lay the groundwork in Whiterun, and when the other two arrive, head to Solitude. You can check back into Whiterun on your way home with whatever you find out for Mercer. The Guild itself takes priority, in my opinion, and just because Mercer's got a hair across his arse about this whole deal with the meaderies doesn't mean the rest of us are putting everything else on the back burner."
Nesta agreed with him. "When I get to Solitude, should I expect Gulum-Ei to give me any trouble?"
At that, Brynjolf chuckled. "Trouble? He's one of the most stubborn lizard's I've ever met! You've got your work cut out for you with that one, Nes." He shot her a wink, and they began to make their way back into the tavern. "You'll have to buy him off, more than likely," he continued. "It's the only way to get his attention. If that fails, follow him and see what he's up to."
"Why would it fail?" Nesta wondered as they both sat down at the bar. "Sounds to me like he's a greedy bastard and would sing like a canary for a bit of coin."
Brynjolf shrugged. "From what I gather, he's in way over his head. Could be he's afraid enough of whoever hired him for this that he won't spill, but if you can figure out what all he's wrapped up in, you can use that as leverage." He paused a moment. "Just watch your back, Nes. There are thieves and then there's Gulum-Ei. No honor, no code at all. He'd shake your hand and stab you in the back with the other."
Nesta frowned. This sounded like it could get even more complicated.