Chapter 36 - Search and rescue

Night of 21st Hearth Fire, The Rift

Like any other person, I always welcomed a chance to take a breather every now and then. But after three days of sitting around in Darklight keep doing nothing, I was growing restless. Especially with Janus' court breathing down my neck, so to speak. I had to do everything I could to keep my comrades away from them to avoid any confrontation, particularly Theo because of all four of us he was the one most irritated by their suspicious attitude. I had a feeling that some in the court, Brexto being the first to come to my mind, would use even a minor incident to have us all booted out of the keep. Knowing the unfortunate past of Janus' clan, I understood their concerns but I would not tolerate any kind of underhanded plots from them.

Aressius seemed to hit it off rather well with the keep's mortal inhabitants; I assumed it was him being a former priest of Arkay that made them less wary of him. At least they would get used to our presence quicker that way. As for Theo, he was... around; I didn't know what he was up to, not that he would tell me anything but I was fine with that, as long as he wasn't causing any trouble. Since there was scarcely anything to do, I mostly busied myself with training and teaching Laelette about vampirism; mastering the perks and managing the drawbacks, including the bloodthirst. She seemed more receptive to my teaching than before which was definitely a good thing. After seeing the ways of the real world beyond her hometown she would need every advantage to survive; I couldn't be there all the time to watch her back since I felt I was about to have responsibilities of my own.

Which brings me to the latest scheme that Janus devised; both to secure a steady flow of coin to his coffer and to make the locals more accepting of his clan's presence. In many ways it was similar to what clan Anthotis was doing back in the day... except the 'unsavory elements' in Skyrim included markedly fewer vampires and many more bandits, murderers and similar despicable characters. Someone had to keep them contained, preferably behind bars, and since the Nords of Skyrim were too busy fighting the Empire (and each other, occasionally), Janus decided to take this task upon himself.

It was rather simple. The keep still had large barren, unused space in the undercroft that could be converted into a prison. With brigands roaming the land unchecked since the war drew away all available manpower and resources, the local leaders would pay to have their criminals taken care of. A regular tribute combined with the supply of blood from the scum of Nirn that would be forever trapped in the keep's dungeon? The prospects of such plan were very promising. However, that depended on whether the authorities were willing to deal with vampires. Which also meant we would have to somehow earn their trust first; another load of work in the long run.

I suggested to Janus we could simply seek out and raid bandit lairs; none of them would be powerful enough to stop us, anyway. Janus thought of it too though and ultimately rejected it; there were too damn few of us. He feared that we would spread ourselves too thin which would leave us vulnerable to the inevitable reprisal. I sincerely doubted the local bandits would organize themselves into some kind of large force just to take us out but I got his point. It wouldn't be smart to put ourselves at risk when we had barely established our foothold here.

But in any case, such plan wouldn't be put in motion until much later, when the construction progressed into the next stage... whatever that was. Sometimes I hated Janus' flair for secrecy.

In any case, the walls around the keep were about halfway to being restored and buldings around the main tower only had their foundations finished a while ago. It would take a couple more months before the defenses were completed. A lot of time to kill...

But fortunately (depends on the point of view, of course) today I wouldn't have to worry about having nothing to do.

Earlier this evening I got an unexpected visit from Forentus, of all people. I knew too well it would be naive to think he might've changed his mind about me joining Janus' clan yet the man remained remarkably civil during our brief conversation even though we only talked business, foregoing any pleasantries.

The Darklight keep was due to receive another shipment of lumber from nearby Heartwood mill yesterday. The timbers didn't arrive yet, though. At first, Janus assumed the personnel had trouble preparing the shipment for delivery; the logs rarely arrived in time, I was told. But a couple hours ago, one of the lookouts saw a plume of smoke rising from somewhere on the banks of lake Honrich... in the direction where Heartwood mill was situated.

This couldn't have been a simple coincidence. Janus thought the same and he decided to send me to investigate the place... along with the bald Nord from his court, one that was yet to say a single word to me.

Obviously, neither of us was happy about this arrangement. Thaevarr, as Forentus called him, didn't have to speak to let it be known he didn't trust me. I'm afraid to say the feeling was wholeheartedly, completely mutual. I couldn't be sure he wouldn't use the first opportunity to stab me in the back, thinking he would eliminate a threat before it could even truly manifest itself.

Alas, refusing was not an option.

I doubted the whole thing was a false alarm given the banditry was running rampant in the absence of guards. Ignoring a possible emergency wouldn't win us any favor. Not to mention Brexto and his cronies would use my possible refusal as an excuse to have me and friends ejected from the keep. They still saw us as a threat... and I wanted to prove them wrong.

Our trek to the Heartwod mill had passed in almost complete silence. Thaevarr was either a man of few words or it was due to my presence but he almost didn't speak over the course of the journey, never saying anything that didn't relate to our mission. It didn't escape me that he chose to stay behind me, no doubt to keep me in his sight.

If he was going to be that way, fine. As long as he didn't get in my way I could live with that.

By the time we arrived to our destination, it was almost completely dark. Almost, because the mill was iluminated by flames that fed hungrily on the houses where the mill's owner and his workers lived.

I paused for a moment to behold the scene of utter carnage before me. It was no accident, that much was clear... and the dead bodies littered all over the place confirmed my suspicions. Heartwood mill fell to the bandit raid, a particularly violent one; the way the corpses were mutilated told volumes about savagery of the invaders.

Though there was really no question about what happened there, Thaevarr ordered me to investigate closely anyway, not in a very polite manner, too. I doubted there would be any clues as to who exactly did this or that we would find any survivors out there. I complied anyway, though; I didn't like being commanded as a lowly servant but given the circumstances there wasn't much I could do about it.

The search went about as well as I expected. I didn't explore the houses very thoroughly as they were still burning but a quick peek showed that the interior was stripped bare of anything of value. Heartwood mill was one of the Darklight keep's main suppliers and made some hefty coin from dealings with Janus. The bandits must've learned of that somehow since lumber mills were hardly an attractive target for raids under normal circumstances. Anything valuable was stolen and everything else either set aflame or smashed to pieces. The cart with the most recent shipment lay on its side, one of its wheels smashed to pieces. Horses that were to pull the cart were slaughtered, large chunks of meat cut from their bodies. The sawmill itself was set on fire as the bandits were apparently unable to break its machinery.

The invaders were merciless during their onslaught as was evident by the number of corpses they left in their wake. All of them belonged to the mill's workers. Thaevarr quickly noticed that the mill owner and his family were absent; I wasn't acquainted with them so I had to take his word for it. In any case, there were two options; either they somehow managed to save themselves by running... or the bandits took them hostage, which would make our mission a lot more complicated since there were almost no clues to follow.

It turned out the fortune was with us as only a while later, Thaevarr was pulling a survivor from a shed that miraculously survived the raid. A young lad barely out of his teen years, thoroughly bloodied but alive... at least alive enough to shed some light on what happened here.

Alas, whatever the lad witnessed had left him severely traumatized as he tried to fight Thaevarr despite having little strength left. It didn't help that we were vampires, either, much to the Nord's frustration. Instead of answering his questions, the survivor tried to get as far away from him as he could.

I chose to intervene before Thaevarr could hurt the boy by accident.

"Be a good boy and start talking."

The lad stiffened instantly as I spoke to him, quietly but firmly. The vampiric charm had already begun to take hold, making him docile and compliant.

"They came in two, three hours ago... we were getting ready to send the logs you asked for on its way when the bastards attacked... We tried to fight them off but they were too many, like a swarm of locusts... We didn't stand a chance; they killed all of us... even those who surrendered..."

"How did you survive?"

"I got cut up pretty bad in the fight but-" In truth, his wounds weren't nearly as bad as he said. "I managed to get away and hide while the bastards were too busy looting the place... before they could finish me off..."

"What about Leifnarr and his family?" Thaevarr pressed. "What happened to them?"

"Master rode to Riften a couple days ago to buy some supplies but hasn't returned yet." Either something in the city delayed him... or the brigands got him as well. "And his wife and son... They hid in their house when the bandits came..."

So it was possible the bastards burned them alive in their own home... damn it.

"Can you tell us anything about the attackers?" I asked "Anything that could help us track them down?" Worst case scenario, Leifnarr's family was already dead. We couldn't do anything to help them... but we could take down the bastards responsible for this massacre.

"I overheard them talking-" The boy coughed, spitting a bit of blood. "Talking about 'their man' over in Morrowind, that some people in there would pay some good coin for a child slave... I think they took Gralnach with them, plan to sell him to slavery!"

The only people in Morrowind who deal in slave labor were House Dres and anyone connected with them. I thought the eruption of the Red mountain would be a crushing blow to Dres' as its wealth was dependent on agriculture, the main thing they used slave labor for... and which was ultimately destroyed by the eruption. Apparently, I was wrong.

"What about the boy's mother?"

"The bastards took her too; I don't what they plan to do with her but it can't be nothing good... Listen- " The lad babbled on. "We heard rumors of slave dealers hiding in a secret lair near the borders with Morrowind... If you set out now you might catch them!"

I glanced at Thaevarr who only shrugged. "Don't think we're getting anything else out of him."

Turns out that's where he was wrong. "East of Riften... main road leading to the borders... that's where I would look-"

He was cut off with a pained groan when I hit him with a burst of healing magic. Nords usually despise magic and mages... but the lad before me was hardly in a position to argue.

Unfortunately, he was in no shape to make it to safety on his own and we couldn't drag him around with us if we ever had the chance of catching up with the raiders. Which meant someone had to get the lad somewhere safe... and the closest such place I could think of was the Darklight keep.

"We can't just leave the boy in here." I muttered just loudly enough so Thaevarr could hear. "Take him back to your fort; I'll handle things from here."

As expected, the Nord didn't take kindly to my suggestion. "Out of the question! We were supposed to investigate together!"

"Unless you have the stomach to let this boy die out here, then it's simply not going to happen!" I argued back.

"You must be out of your mind if I let you walk around unsupervised-"

That did it.

Ever since being introduced to Janus' court, all I got from them was accusations and suspicion without ever doing anything to provoke this kind of treatment. I tried to ignore it at first... but now, I had enough.

For a brief couple moments, my face morphed into the shape similar to the grotesque visage of a Vampire lord. Given the way he flinched away, Thaevarr certainly didn't expect such a thing.

"I am not asking for your permission, Nord!" And my voice became noticeably deeper, too.

This usually happened when something, or someone, managed to truly piss me off. I managed to get my rampant abilities under control before things got out of hand.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. "I'm simply telling you what will happen; I'll chase the brigands down and wipe them off the face of this world, then bring Leifnarr's family back. You will escort the boy back to our keep; if I don't find him there once I come back, I'll make sure everyone knows you let him die."

Before the Nord could even think of a response I took off into the woods, my body dissolving into a swarm of bats.

Gralnach knew what fear was.

Growing up on a lumber mill in the middle of nowhere, he knew there was plenty to be afraid of in the surrounding woods. Hungry wolves, rabid bears, giant spiders... and sometimes even people. Like evil witches that were said to snatch up kids that strayed too far away from the house, or the 'Thalmor.' Gralnach didn't really know who those were but since people he knew were terrified of them, there must've been nothing good about them, either.

Alas, nothing he had experienced so far could be compared to the large band of big mean thugs that invaded his home.

As soon as the bandits attacked, the mill workers cried at him and his mother to hide inside their house, in the cellar. Gralnach thought everything would be okay, that the workers and the guards would chase away the bandits and that all he had to do was wait until the battle was over.

Alas, he couldn't have been more wrong.

Soon after all Oblivion broke loose, some of the thugs broke into their house, smashing everything to get at all valuables inside.

Gralnach couldn't believe it was happening. Da didn't return from Riften that day, like he was supposed to, and now these mean strangers were ransacking his home. If Ma wasn't with him, he would've started crying. The entire time this horror was happening he prayed to gods that the invaders wouldn't find them.

Alas, they were left unanswered.

Once the trapdoor fell down, knocked off its hinges, he knew it was over. The strangers quickly flooded the cellar and went to grab him and Ma. He tried to defend himself but a single blow in the head knocked him out cold.

Several hours must've passed since then because when he came to it was already dark outside. He had his hands tied up behind his back and one of the bandits carried his over his shoulder. Even if he wasn't gagged, Gralnach found himself too scared to resist, or even try and scream for help. He could only wonder what happened since he got knocked out.

What became of the mill? Did any of the workers and guards survive? And where was his Da while this all was happening?

Once his eyes got used to the darkness, Gralnach tried to look around without anyone noticing. He and his kidnappers were in a forest, a pass between two mountains. He could make out outlines of an ancient Nordic ruin on one of the hills. That was all he could distinguish before the column of bandits suddenly came to a halt and he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

He let out a high pitched yelp as he met the cold ground which shattered the illusion of him being unconscious.

For some reason, no one paid attention to him. Instead, the brigands seemed focused on a fierce argument that took place somewhere in the front. While Gralnach couldn't distinguish every words said, he got the idea of what was going on.

Part of the band, including their leader, wanted to push on and continue to the Broken helm hollow, which was probably where they came from. The others wanted to set up a camp in the woods. Gralnach hoped it would be the latter; he could slip away and get some help. Riften couldn't be so far from here.

All thoughts of escaping left him the moment his gaze drifted towards a small cart guarded by two men clad in leather and furs.

Even in the near dark he could recognize the dress his Ma wore that day.

She lay there, tied up and unmoving amidst the valuables the bandit stole from his home. Gralnach didn't know what those bastards did to her but she was still unconscious, her dress torn and tattered. Why wasn't she waking up?

As the argument grew in volume and intensity, the men guarding the cart seemed unpeturbed .

"Think those morons gonna start fightin' again?"

The other bandit chuckled. "Wouldn't put it past 'em. Heck, I wonder how we lasted this long without rippin' this gang apart."

"You can thank Rogen for that. The man might be a fuckin' prick but we wouldn't 'ave lasted so long without 'im."

"Yeah and he gets to pick the finest reward for it..."

The man scoffed at his comrade's complaint. "Who would you rather have in charge, eh? Hjar? The bloke tries his hardest to look tough but he's a pushover! Just look how long he's been arguing with the rest of them guys!"

"Yeah, I can see that." The other bandit snickered. "Gotta wonder why Rogen left him in charge."

"I wouldn't give two shits about that right now. I'd rather be back in our hideout; it might be wet and stinky but it's warm at least. Fuck, I can literally feel the draft from Jeralls freezing my stones off."

The brigands laughed. It was an unsettling sound that grated Gralnach's ears. After a quick glance around him, he realized he was completely unguarded yet he didn't dare move.

"Speaking of warm... I'd love to be in Rogen's place right now, 'specially when he's about to get this fine bedwarmer over here."

"You mean her?" The thug sounded alarmed as he gestured towards the still-unconscious woman on the cart. "Rogen doesn't mix business with pleasure, you know. If he wanted to get his rocks off he'd buy a whore; ain't no fun shagging a wench that fights you the whole time. Besides, she ain't lookin' like a brothel material; by the looks of her she'd be better suited for work at one of them farms in Morrowind."

"That's a damn shame 'cause she's a fine lookin' woman. I sure wouldn't mind havin' a go at 'er..."

There was something about the bandit's voice that sent chills down Gralnach's back. He didn't really understand what they were saying but he had a feeling it couldn't have been anything good.

"Don't know what you're thinkin' about, man but I gotta stop you right here. You remember what Rogen said? 'No funny business with the merchandise!' He'd rip your balls off if he knew wha-"

The man cut himself off when a sudden commotion echoed from somewhere in front. The rest of the bandits walked around shouting something, seemingly forgettin the earlier argument. It took Gralnach a couple moments to realize they were calling out a name.

"Hrothjolf? Where the fuck did you go, man?!"

"Aw shit! Didn't those idiots learn not to wander off?!" The creepy one, as Gralnach called him, hissed in irritation. "I'm gonna help 'em out; watch the wench and the kid, make sure the brat doesn't run."

Damn it. They knew he was watching.

Gralnach had half the mind to stand up and bolt, anywhere that was not here, really. But, to his horror his limb wouldn't obey him. He could only squeak in surprise as the thug hauled him to his feet.

"You better behave kid. I ain't in the mood for any funny shit, you hear me?!"

He was too scared to do or say anything. Little did he know things would get even more terrifying.

"What the-" A cry of surprise came from afar. "Eren?! I swear he was right behind me!"

"The fuck is going on?" Gralnach's 'guardian' muttered to himself, appearing more agitated with each moment.

"Regroup! Come on!"

"Don't go off on your own, damn it!"

"Guys? Where are you guys?!"

The cries grew more frantic as the search continued... but it was the horrible blood-curdling scream of utter terror that set the bandits off.

All around, weapons left their holsters.

"Shit! Somethin's pickin' us off!"

Gralnach would swear he heard something resembling a deep growl from within the forest. He gulped involuntarily. Was it wolves, bears? Or something even worse?

Then he saw it... with his own eyes.

There was a lone bandit with a mace, whirling around in an almost manic manner as he tried to find whatever hunted them. In the next moment a dark shape peeked out of the shadow and snatched him up. Gone within a moment; the poor bastard didn't even have the time to scream.

Then the mysterious shadow hunted down another man who strayed too far from the group... and then another...

Gralnach was on the verge of soiling himself with terror. He couldn't run, he couldn't scream for help, it was as if his body became completely paralyzed. Was he really doomed to just stand there with his feet rooted to the ground, waiting until the monster grabbed him, too?

The remainder of the bandit gang clustered on a small space clear of trees. Their numbers were cut down to half... in an impossibly short span of time. It was clear they wouldn't get out of this place alive.

No, Gralnach was sure they would all die there.

He never noticed the thug who handled him run away in a vain attempt to save his own hide.

The survivors brandished their weapons in all directions, frantically shouting over one another as they tried to spot the mysterious attacker. Suddenly a large swarm of bats flew right through the crowd. As the bandits tried to evade the small flying animals they unwittingly split up.

They couldn't have known this move would ultimately doom them.

As soon as they separated, the multitude of bats harrassing them suddenly crashed together in a bloody explosion. In the next moment a tall creature appeared; a two-legged bat-like monster with a pair of wings on its back and long claws, vaguely humanoid and absolutely terrifying.

Gralnach felt his legs turn into jelly at the sight of the... thing, whatever it was.

His knees gave out under him when the monster began relentlessly attacking every man in sight. Blood splashed all around as the sharp claws tore into the soft human bodies, rending them into pieces with seemingly no effort. In spite of being scared out of their wits, the brigands tried their best to kill the vicious creature... but the thing was so much stronger and faster than any ordinary man.

When the thing caught one of the men and tore his throat out with its spiky teeth, it proved too much for Gralnach.

The dark became pitch black and he passed out.

Saliyah

I preferred not to use the Vampire Lord form when it wasn't necessary. It reminded me too much of my kind's beastial inclinations. True, were it not for the boost in strength, agility and endurance I would've never caught up to the brigands in such a short span of time. Alas, with its superhuman abilities and beastly appearance came an unwelcome side effect; lessened inhibitions, as those poor bastards experienced first hand.

Once I transformed back into the human form I suddenly became aware of the pools of blood and chunks of flesh and innards strewn all over the clearing. As I stood amidst the mess of barely recognizable remains of human bodies I realized I went too far.

That wouldn't be a good first impression on the captives I was trying to save; would they even trust a monster that butchered human beings (though very rotten ones) in front of them with little restraint? It turned out I was incredibly lucky for both mother and her son were passed out, possibly having sleept through the entire fight.

I ran off to find my clothes even as I kept scolding myself for this reckless mistake.

A while later, just as I was buttoning up my coat I heard a shrill female scream.

Someone just woke up to a bloodbath.

I rushed back to the clearing and I found the captive woman sitting on a shoddy old cart struggling against her bonds, screaming for help. Not that she would ever get one here, in the middle of nowhere...

She was on her guard when she noticed me approach, eyeing me with thinly veiled suspicion.

"Who are you? What happened here?"

Quite a sharp, demanding tone for a damsel in distress... but she was confused and terrified so I let it slide.

"I'm the one who can get you out of this predicament; the only one, in fact." I held up my dagger to illustrate my point.

She cut the attitude rather quickly after that.

"I'm sorry, it's just... Please get us out of here before whatever made this mess comes back!" I had to stifle a laugh at the whole irony of the situation since I was the real culprit there.

It was quite a chore to cut through all the ropes the kidnappers put on the woman. She must've put quite a fight when the brigands caught her... or they simply liked the sight of a completely defenseless victim. Strangely, they didn't put nowhere as much effort into restraining her son. At least it made my job easier and quicker.

Especially when the kid was still passed out.

"They came in so fast our boys had no chance to hold 'em back... and once they broke into our house they began stealing everything of value that wasn't bolted to the floor." Grosta, as she introduced herself, recalled the events leading to her current situation. "They even found our stash of coin that we hidden away, almost as if the bastards knew where to look. And while our home was getting' plundered and we were fearing for our lives, my husband was off Talos-knows-where... shaggin' some wench, no doubt."

The way she spoke about her man, with such bitterness... It was almost as if she suspected he had something to do with the bandit attack. But that was none of my business.

"Listen, we cannot stay here. Who knows what might come after us out of the woods." It was a lie obviously since I was the monster she feared (not that she had any idea). But I had no way to be sure I managed to kill all of them; for all I knew one survivor could've made it to the base and alarmed the rest of his clan. Having another mob of vengeful thugs on my heels was the last thing I needed and I couldn't fight them and protect Grosta and her son at the same time... not without transforming.

We'd be safe once we reached the Darklight keep. Grosta's reaction to vampire presence in the fort was another problem to deal with... but we had other priorities.

"I'll take you to our keep; it's about the safest place in this part of the country."

Grosta gave me a scrutinizing look. "Wait, aren't you with that Imperial lord that took over the wrecked fort near Riften?"

The woman was smarter than I thought. "As a matter of fact, I am." I said a bit guardedly. "That a problem?"

"Oh I just didn't think one of them high and mighty folks would give a whit about lowly peasants such as meself." She didn't know Janus the way I did so I ignored that little barb. "But we don't have nowhere else to go so I might as well take you up on that offer."

"Let's be off, then. But be advised," I warned. "It's a long way."

"I'm stuck working the mill whenever that lout Leifnarr is out of the house." Grosta grimaced. "I'm sure I can handle a couple miles' trek."

I should've known better than to believe such bold statement.

It wasn't like Grosta lied about her endurance; for a housewife, she handled the journey through the rough terrain rather well. Since she had to carry her son Gralnach for the first half of the trek however, it slowed us down considerably. And things weren't much better even after the kid woke up. It turned out he handled the physical strain worse than his mother could. Fortunately no one seemed to be following us so we could afford to make a couple stops on our way to the keep.

Either the bandit clan at Broken Helm hollow had no idea what transpired hours ago or they didn't think it worth the effort to pursue whoever killed off half of their men. Luckily, because with the way our journey dragged on there was a chance they would catch up to us.

We managed to make our way to Darklight keep in the end... less than an hour before dawn.

Too damn close...

Hjorild and his men had been expecting us. I was surprised to find out that despite all his protests, Thaevarr took the surviving mill worker to the keep in the end. No doubt he informed the keep's guard that we would be coming.

The two of us were far from friends at this point... but it was a step in the right direction.

The vampire dwellers remained out of sight while Illia the steward accomodated the survivors from Heartwood mill. A smart decision on Janus' part; Grosta, her son and the still unnamed worker were still coping with the recent events. Knowing they would have to live in one castle with a bunch of vampires, though benevolent ones, was the last thing they needed.

As for myself, I had the unfortunate task to recount our mission to Janus personally. Needless to say, he was not happy.

"So the Heartwood mill is out of the picture and there's a gang of slave dealers operating in the Rift." The ex-count muttered, rubbing his eyes. "This is not what I wanted to hear."

"Is it that much of a complication?" I questioned. "You know we can beat back anything the brigand rabble can throw at us."

"It's not just the matter of defending this place, Sal." Janus grumbled. "Because we lost our closest supplier of lumber the construction works on the keep will be delayed and that means my plans on repurposing this place into a prison will have to be put on hold. Not to mention we'll have to depend on attacking bandit gangs to get coin even longer. We both know our coffers won't last forever."

"We can take back whatever was stolen from Heartwood mill." I suggested. "I know where the bandits are holed up; I could head there right no-"

"That can wait." He interrupted me. "I know you're very well capable of obliterating their little operation but I won't be so reckless as to send you there alone. We cannot afford to underestimate our enemies. Besides, do you think you can carry off all their stolen goods and coin by yourself?"

He brought up a good point, I had to admit.

"Let's wait for nightfall; then you can set out." Janus suggested. "Thaevarr will accompany you... and you may take some of your friends with you. What do you say?"

The chance for all of us to show up those arrogant bastards on Janus' court, one by one? Of course I would take that. And if it helped Laelette build up some confidence, all the better.

"Deal."

Farlas

Morning of 22nd Hearth Fire, Whiterun stables

While Bjorlam the carriage driver and the stablemaster were preparing the horses for the next journey, we sat on a couple of makeshift benches built near the stable house. Me, Lydia and Falaere, about to head off into the nest of vipers that was the Thalmor embassy. I wished there was any way to avoid this insane 'adventure' but as Delphine kept reiterating, it was our only lead. It was far worse for Falaere who decided to stick her own neck out for me, convinced that I wouldn't survive the break in. She never talked about it in any detail but she did have history with Thalmor, and none of it good. And now Delphine expected her to infiltrate Elenwen's heavily guarded villa to steal evidence that might or might not be there.

Since I wouldn't be going in I was trying to figure out a way to help out; any in fact. Alas, I had no info so Delphine's agent, 'Malborn' was probably the only one who could help us.

Or couldn't... we wouldn't know until we met with him.

This morning, we all got up early and headed to the stores to resupply. Back in Jorrvaskr, no one questioned me at all about going out armed to the teeth with a backpack slung over my shoulder. The Circle members knew about my job in Haafingar; as for the juniors, they were either out on a job or, in Njada's case, didn't give a damn which suited me just fine. I did have a word with Kodlak before departing; the old warrior reminded me to remain calm and composed when dealing with Elisif's court wizard. Apparently she could be very prickly when caught in a bad time (which seemed to be too frequent lately).

If she gets too aggressive, drop my name... she'll know better than try to start a war with us.

I didn't know what was going on between Kodlak and Sybille... but I reckoned it would come out sooner or later.

"How long before we reach Solitude?" I heard Falaere ask.

"I'd say two days, provided we don't run into any trouble." Lydia answered readily. "Usually, the carriages to Solitude take a stop at Rorikstead to stay overnight." I frowned at the name of the small settlement in the western part of the hold. I hoped I wouldn't have to deal with that boor Rorik; even weeks after, his scam came to my mind.

"I see." That was all the Wood elf said before going back to toying with her bow. Even an idiot could tell she was nervous.

"So, you all set? You need to get anything else before we go?" It was a poor attempt at a distraction but I couldn't think of anything else.

"I'm good." Lydia shook her head.

"I could use a couple Invisibility potions... but I'll improvise." I could see the uneasiness in her forced smile.

"You know we'll have your back, right?"

"How?" She questioned. "You can't get inside."

"That won't stop us from trying. We'll figure something out."

It seemed Fal calmed down somewhat after my words of encouragement. "I'm not a porcelain doll. I can take care of myself... but thanks."

It was at that moment when Bjorlam approached us. "Okay folks, the carriage is ready. Just say the word and we can be on our way."

My companions and I shared a look. There was no point in delaying this.

"We're ready."

Author's note: So, there's a little peek into Janus' future plans. Keeping the worst scum of Skyrim out from the world and having a lifetime of fresh blood supply; that's killing two birds with one stone! Next time, Elaith makes it to Solitude and connects with some of her kin, Dovahkiin and co. have another close call with a dragon and Sal and co. raid the Broken Helm hollow. So stay tuned!

As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)