Longest bloody chapter by over a thousand words. It's 8784 words on my word processor. I have three more days of school left. Then I get two weeks off! YIPPEE! I'm jumping for joy and not being sarcastic for once! Anyway! Here's the chapter, please enjoy (That was not sarcasm) and review to tell me what you think of it. If you think it's a piece of complete and utter trash, then say so. If you think it's awesome, the say so. ONWARDS!
Aela,
Your absence is troubling, as is your continued silence. You have been gone for over four weeks, far longer than necessary. Please reply with all haste possible. If we hear no word from you, I will send someone to bring you back.
Aela didn't read any further. She expected it to contain much the same as the first letter from Kodlak. This was the second she had received in just as many weeks. The only difference in this one was the threat of someone being sent to bring her back. Instead, she unfolded the second letter.
Aela,
We are worried sick about you! You've been gone nearly four weeks! You had better reply to this letter or I will personally drag you back to Jorrvaskr myself. I will drag you by the hair if that's what it takes! You have a week. If you are not back or I do not hear from you by next Mondas, I will come to Riften myself!
Farkas
Aela scrunched both letters up and threw them into the fire. The courier looked at her, waiting.
"What?" Aela demanded.
"They both asked for a reply. The old man said to wait until I got one and the other one said to beat one out of you if I must." The courier said nervously.
Aela threw back her head and laughed, "I'd like to see a milk-drinker like you try!" She turned back to her tankard. Ignoring the courier. The man left at a run.
Aela sighed. She was tired of sitting around. She'd finished all the jobs days ago. Now she was waiting on Echo to get back. The truth was, she was worried about the little Khajiit. Why did I have to loose my temper with her? Aela thought.
"Where have you been? Just look at you! Soaked to the bone! You must be frozen! You better have a good explanation!"
"Um... The Blue Palace was nice and toasty?" Echo said as she tossed a pouch full of jewels in the air, catching it in a hand covered in rings.
"Hmm... Well, that's an explanation, at least for now. Still, you are soaked. Wet clothes off and in front of the fire before your short attention span gets stolen." Maria told her.
"Ooh! A bird!" Echo said sarcastically and put her boots, gloves and hood in front of the fire.
She went into her room to get changed. Vipir was staring at her.
"What? I'm not that good looking." Echo said as she pulled her armour off.
"How much did you steal?" He asked pointing to the pouch and the rings on her fingers.
"Dunno. A thousand or so worth of gold. The guards were lazy." Echo said and went back out into the kitchen.
She pulled the rings off and put them in the pouch and gave it to Maria. Maria weighed the pouch in her hand.
"It's not light. How long did it take you and where did you get this much gold?"
"About an hour. Once I found Elisf's personal safe it took me two minutes to stuff that pouch full. The lock was fun." Echo said.
"Elisf's personal safe? And you thought the lock was fun? How many picks did it take you to open it?" Maria asked incredulously.
"Six? Seven? Only took a minute to crack. It was fun. There's still plenty in there. Really, it was a blast." Echo said with a shrug.
"A minute to crack? Seven picks? Fun? Fun?" Maria confirmed.
"Yeah..." Echo said cautiously.
A grin spread across Maria's face.
"Vex is going to be miffed. She used to try to open that monster every time she came here. She only got it three times. She gave up years ago."
"I found some other interesting information too. Some maps and documents that looked interesting. I could be wrong. I can't read much after all."
Echo handed Maria a large waterproof satchel. Maria opened it and examined one of the documents.
"Delvin, Vex and Bryn will have a field day with some of 've tried to break into some of these buildings numerous times. Is this the floor plan for the Thalmor embassy? All of these were supposed to be kept in Alinor! This one has secret tunnels and all! You will be in Mercer's good books for sure after this."
"Um... I was thinking... maybe if we didn't tell anyone I got the documents. And we didn't say exactly how much gold I got or where from? I was thinking, maybe The Blue Palace would suffice? I don't want to be golden child or anything. The guards were a lazy bunch today too." Echo added.
Maria considered before nodding.
"Between us then." Maria agreed.
"You have to tell Vex you broke into Elisf's safe though."
"Maybe. You know how much I love to be annoying. I'm going back out. There's something I want to take a look at." Echo said.
"Put your wet gear on then. I'm not even going to ask what you're investigating." Maria said and gave the documents back to Echo.
Echo put them in her room and pulled her armour on. She pulled her hood up and went back out into the pouring rain. She ran down the hill, careful not slip, and turned into a side street. She climbed onto a roof and ran past another street. She climbed down in front of the inn. She looked around and went in. She ducked behind someone as Minette came out of the back room.
"Hello Echo. Weren't you supposed be gone already?" Gormlaith called.
"We got delayed." Echo said vaguely.
She stood on a chair and tried to see over people's heads. She cursed and climbed onto the table. She found who she was looking for and made her way to a table in the corner. Hakon was looking around the crowed room for someone too.
"Fancy seeing you here, hey Hakon?" Echo said.
The Dragonborn glanced down at her and went back to searching the room.
"Not now Echo. I'm... Wait. Echo? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Riften with Aela? What happened? Is everything alright? Where's Alea?" He asked.
"Relax. Slow down and I'll try to answer all your questions if I can. Yep, it's me. I'm not going to tell you what happened because it would take too long. I'm not going to tell you what I'm doing because it would also take too long. Everything's alright, at least now. Yes I should be in Riften with Alea. Aela is in Riften and knows I'm here." Echo said bitterly.
"What are you doing here?" Hakon asked again.
"I could ask the same of you."
Hakon sighed and sat down. Echo sat across from him.
"After you left... Kijora, Calder, Lydia and I went after the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Then things really began to move. Now we need information from here." Now he had Echo intrigued.
"What information? Where is here exactly? What are you going to do?" She asked.
"Sometimes I forget how young you are. Then I forget why people think you're older. The horn wasn't there. Someone had already taken it to test me. They turned out to be on our side. Now..." Hakon leaned in closer to whisper something to Echo. "Now we're investigating the Thalmor. We want to know what they know about the dragons' return to Tamriel. I'm infiltrating the Thalmor embassy tonight-"
Echo stood up suddenly, "Hold that thought." She said and ran out of the inn.
Echo sprinted through the rain, which now was pouring down heavier than ever. She burst through the door, surprising Maria who was still in the kitchen.
"Wet clothes off!" Maria yelled as Echo ran past.
Echo riffled through the documents and pulled out the embassy plans. She ran back downstairs and down to the inn, slipping and sliding on the wet stones. She ran over to the table Hakon was sitting at and found him talking to Gormlaith. Both turned to face Echo and the girl froze in shock. She tried to say something but no words came out. She was a fool not to see the similarities between the two.
"What do you want Echo? This is my-" Gormlaith began.
"Brother. Hakon. I know.
"You know Echo?" Hakon said in surprise.
"Not well but I know her. From what I've been told she thinks after dawn is late to rise. How do you know each other?" Gormlaith asked.
"She does have a ridiculous sense of late. Somehow Echo found her way into the Companions."
"Two brothers and a sister. That means... Tiaan wants to meet... Kijora?" Echo muttered.
"Have you met Kijora?" Gormlaith asked.
"A few times. Is Kijora here?" Echo asked.
"In the room. Don't look so disappointed. Why did you run off?" Hakon asked.
Echo scowled at him and pulled out the floor plans. She laid them on the table and sat down. Gormlaith read something on the documents and quickly covered them with her hands.
"I have no idea what's going on here. I want to know, but here is not the place. Your room, where we won't be disturbed." Gormlaith hissed.
Echo nodded and folded the plans. She followed Hakon and Gormlaith into a room. Calder was cleaning a sword inside. Hakon went out into the hallway and knocked on a door.
"What?" Kijora grumbled.
"Get up Ki. We've got something we need to discuss in my room." Hakon told her.
Lydia came into the room. She saw Echo and Gormlaith and looked at Calder in surprise.
"It's not noon yet. Now get out before I run you through." Kijora groaned.
"So she still sleeps with a dagger." Gormlaith said with a smile.
"Hasn't she always?" Calder said.
"Noon has been and gone. And would this be your dagger?" Hakon said.
There was the sound of rustling and Hakon yelped.
"I'm no fool, dragon boy. Now get out before I gut you like a fish." Kijora growled.
"By Talos! Get dressed and get into my room now!" Hakon snapped.
"No." Was the smug reply.
"Sounds like Kijora has grown even more stubborn." Gormlaith said and went to help Hakon.
"Just the way I remember you little Ki. Trying to be so much like your big sister. I see you added in your own personal touches. Guess how many daggers I sleep with?" Gormlaith teased.
"Dunno. None?" Kijora grumbled.
"Four. And under the pillow? That's original."
"Wrong. And you don't sleep with four. You're a shitty liar. You know why I only ever slept with one dagger, sister?"
"Why? Do you trust in-" There was a thud and the rest of what Gormlaith had been about to say was cut off.
"Because I know how to defend myself and cause a lot of pain in the process. Now get out!" Kijora growled.
Gormlaith came back into the room rubbing her neck.
"So she doesn't take off after me." Gormlaith said with a smile.
"You of all people should know, the only person Kijora takes off after is herself." Calder said.
"Get up! In my room now! It's about you know what." Hakon said.
"Out!" Kijora growled.
Hakon came in, grinning.
"She's coming. As you can see, little Ki... Well she's still Ki but not so little any more." Hakon said with a shrug.
Kijora came into the room, pulling on a shirt. Only one arm was in the sleeve. The other was in a sling. Kijora took a gulp from a bottle lying on the floor. She saw Echo and stopped.
"What's she doing here? That git is meant to be in Riften. Another words, a long, long way from here."
"She found something that she thought might be useful to our mission." Hakon told her.
"You told her about what!" Kijora shouted.
Hakon winced and looked at Gormlaith. The elder sister shook her head sympathetically.
"Echo has just as much reason to hate them as we do. I said we were infiltrating the embassy and she ran off somewhere and came back with something that might be very useful." Hakon said.
"Why do you hate the Thal-" Lydia clamped a hand over Echo's mouth.
Echo tried to bite her hand but Lydia didn't release her.
"Do not say that word. They have ears in the most unlikely of places." She warned.
Echo nodded and Lydia let her go. She had a number of small punctures in her hand from Echo's teeth.
"Why do you hate them exactly? Why would you hate them like I do, besides Ulfric being your uncle and all?" Echo asked.
Kijora stood up suddenly and took a step towards Echo but Gormlaith put a hand on her arm and shook her head. Kijora sat back down with a growl and a curse.
"We all have good reason to hate them. Now is not the time. Why do you hate them?" Gormlaith asked.
"I have my own reasons to hate the legion and them. I have reasons to want to cause as much trouble as I can. And hands up who doesn't know what I do best." Echo said. Everyone but Kijora raised a hand.
"I was being sarcastic. Causing trouble is what I do. That and being sarcastic and annoying in my spare time." Echo said with a grin.
"All this joking around and wasting time is great and all but if you don't give me a good reason why I was woken up I will go back to sleep. Then I will go to Castle Dour and kill every Imperial soldier there with my bare hands. Then I will torture general Tullius until his screams can be heard all the way over in Windhelm in whatever way I see fit. Then I will kill him too and hang his body above the gates." Kijora growled.
"And I do not doubt you could do it if you were uninjured. Show them the plans." Hakon said to Echo.
Echo spread the documents out on the floor. Kijora moved closer for a better look.
"Secret tunnels, back ways, the lot." Echo said with a grin.
"Where did you get these exactly?" Gormlaith said.
"The who, where, how, why and what isn't important. The only important thing is I got them, no one but us and one other person know these even exist and I didn't steal them." Echo lied.
"I'd say most of this isn't on the official plans. I doubt even Elenwen herself knows about most of these. Why would they build a way in from the roof? It makes no sense. They aren't that stupid." Kijora said in amazement.
"In the roof? Where? I wonder what they keep locked up in there?" Echo mused.
Gormlaith and Hakon looked at her. The two looked so similar yet so different.
"I didn't kill anyone, if that's what you're thinking. To date, the only people I killed were ones that wanted to kill me! Besides, they owe me big time." Echo protested.
"Read my mind." Hakon said and went back studying the plans.
"I better be careful then." Kijora muttered.
Calder whispered something to her. Kijora hit him lightly with annoyance. Calder hit her back and Kijora elbowed him hard in the stomach. He doubled over, winded. When he recovered he hit Kijora in the arm. Kijora swore and grabbed her shoulder.
"Watch it! Or do you want a knife in the gut?" She hissed.
"Stop it, both of you." Hakon warned.
"She hasn't changed much. You have though, brother. What is going on?" Gormlaith said.
Kijora glared at her sister and continued her whispered argument with Calder.
"The stories about the Dragonborn, the Nord hero with the power to absorb a dragon's life force. The one who would defeat Aduin the World Eater. It's true." Hakon said.
Gormlaith looked at him in confusion. Echo watched on in amusement, keeping a careful eye on Kijora and Calder's argument in case it turned nasty.
"So? Wait. You mean... You're the Dragonborn? Does uncle know?" She said in disbelief.
"Not that I know of. We've been careful to cover our tracks, although sooner or later he'll find out."
"Why did you leave Windhelm? Have you ever killed a dragon?"
"Kijora had an argument with uncle. He didn't want her to stay in the army. As to killing dragons, I'm the Dragonborn. I've killed dragons." He said.
"Next time, I'm coming with you. You still haven't told me why you are in Solitude. What are you up to?"
"We plan to infiltrate the Embassy tomorrow night. Elenwen is throwing a party for the rich and powerful. We need to get in there, find out what they know about the dragon's return to Tamriel and get out again. We have a contact who has a contact inside. A bartender of some sort. He can smuggle my armour and weapons in but only mine. Our contact got hold of an invitation. They can only get me in and that's it. Once I'm in, I'm on my own." Hakon told her.
"On your own? Maybe I could help there?" Echo suggested.
"My contact definitely said her informant can get only one person in."
"In which case, not even I want anything do with this. Even I know getting mixed up with them. is a bad idea. They're more dangerous than skeevers." Echo said.
"Are you scared?" Kijora said mockingly.
"Of that lot? I'd be a fool not to. So would you. I am not going through that again. Nah-ah!" Echo said and shook her head.
"Good. Echo, thank you for these. They will be a great help. Maybe, because of you assistance, I will not tell the Harbinger where you are." Hakon said.
"You better not!" Echo snapped.
"I do believe what my brother meant to say is; get out!" Kijora growled. Echo happily obeyed. She preferred not to be any where near Kijora. Something about her still wasn't quite trustworthy. Echo shivered and went to find something illegal to do.
Echo sat up and stretched. She crawled out of her bedroll, careful not to wake the snoring Vipir, and made her way to the kitchen. A tired looking Maria was eating breakfast.
"Morning. What did you find yesterday?"
"Some old... Acquaintances. Difficult night?"
Echo grabbed some bread and cheese and began to eat.
"We've dealt with most of Tiaan's major injuries well enough for them to be less worrying. Given time and care they should heal. I'm still concerned about the knife wound and the gash on her stomach. What have you got planned for today?" Maria asked.
"A very late night that will probably turn into an early morning. Don't be suspicious. It's just a break in. I've had my eye on this place for a few days. Some old hermit is rumoured to... Fine! I'm breaking into the East empire ware- you still don't believe me, do you?"
"Not one word of it. What are you really up to?" Maria said with a smile.
"Let's just say it's going to be a long night, there is a possibility that I may die but it ain't likely and I may or may not come back with any goods."
"What? Why? You better come back in one piece because I don't want to explain to Bryn and Mercer why two of the Guild's better thieves came back in shreds." Maria warned.
"Relax! It's only Castle Dour. I want to have a proper sniff around there. I'm going down to the inn to see Minette." Echo giggled and pulled on her armour from where it had been drying by the fire. She flicked her hood up and ran outside.
The rain had slowed to a light drizzle overnight. Echo skidded down the hill on the slippery cobblestones.
She slid into the inn. It was almost empty except for a few off duty guards who were about to leave, a drunk mercenary and Kijora. She was sitting at a table in the corner in nothing but a breast band and trousers, glaring at anyone who so much as glanced at her. Echo sat down.
"You're up early. It's barely even dawn yet. That's way before noon." Echo said.
"Don't push it kid. I got absolutely no sleep at all last night. Three bloody guesses why." Kijora growled.
"Um... Because Hakon won't let you come?" Echo guessed.
"And you wonder why I hate you. I'm a soldier. You learn to sleep past that kind of thing. Pain, when there's enough of it, you can't ignore it." Kijora said with a grimace.
"Why? What happened? Forgot how to kill things?" Echo teased.
"No. I fell of my stupid bloody horse out hunting and dislocated my shoulder." Kijora growled, massaging her right shoulder. It was covered in a collection of dark blue and black bruises, some fading to grey or green.
"Where's Hakon?"
"Asleep, like most of Skyrim."
"Did he find anything useful on the plans?"
"Not a lot." The idiot still won't let me come. Now, if you insist on sticking around, shut up."
Echo decided not to stick around and went to find Felicity.
Vipir was spinning a silver coin. He hadn't heard Echo come in. She crept up behind him and put a hand over the coin. She flipped it up in the air and caught it.
"Heads or tails?" She asked.
"Tails." Vipir grunted.
Echo opened her fist. On the coin was a strange symbol. Echo looked at the other side. It showed a wolf howling at the full moon. She tossed it back to Vipir.
"Nice coin. We'd you find it?" She asked.
"Just a little trinket I pick pocketed." He said.
"Hello Echo. Did you steal much last night?" Maria asked as she came downstairs.
"Nope. Too risky. I ended up getting bored and chasing my own tail."
"Really?"
"No, but a guard was chasing his." Echo snickered.
"I'm not even going to ask. Is Evalin still down there?"
Vipir nodded.
"I'll be back." Maria sighed and went downstairs.
"Get upstairs now Evalin! You've been down here far too long. When did you last eat?" Maria said.
Echo couldn't make out Evalin's muffled reply.
"I thought so! Get upstairs and eat something or I will force feed you. Then you can go to bed. You're asleep on your feet. Healing while falling asleep? Now that's a recipe for a mistake and in this business, mistakes can be fatal. I thought you knew that."
Evalin said something and Maria stopped her telling off for a moment. She said something in reply.
"Then I'm taking over. Agreed?" Maria said quietly. Echo could tell by the look on Vipir's face that he hadn't heard the rest of it.
"Agreed." Evalin said tiredly.
"Maria and Evalin are just confusing." Echo said and shook her head.
Vipir nodded and went back to spinning his coin. Echo tried to snatch it again but Vipir whipped it out of her reach. Marcus came running up the stairs.
"You're both wanted downstairs." He said and ran back down.
Echo pushed ahead of Vipir. She hadn't been downstairs since Tiaan had spoken to her almost three days ago. Evalin, happy with Tiaan's condition after all the arrows had been removed, had moved Tiaan onto a bed.
"Amazing. Absolutely amazing." Muttered Maria.
"Where- where am I? And who the hell are you?" Tiaan said weakly. She shot a quick glance at Echo. Her eyes sharpened for a moment.
"I'm Evalin. You were in a fight down at the warehouse. Maria bought you here. You've been out for nearly a week, Tiaan." Evalin said and moved aside to let Maria closer.
"Wait... You mean... I haven't had a drop of ale, mead... or wine for a week? That has to be... a record." Tiaan said weakly. She tried to sit up. Maria helped her. Tiaan shook her off with a grunt.
Evalin nodded to Marcus and he moved back. Something prickled down Echo's spine. There was tension in the air but everyone in the room was at ease.
Tiaan began to cough. Maria gave her a glass of water. Tiaan tried to raise it to her lips but her hands shook too much. She let Maria help her. Vipir smiled slightly and Tiaan glared at him.
"What happened?" Tiaan asked.
"We think you were attacked. The injuries looked like a sword or knife fight. You also had a few poisoned arrows in you." Maria said. Echo felt the tension growing and shifted uneasily. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
Tiaan breathed in deeply and gasped. She put a hand over her bandaged ribs.
"You cracked a fair few ribs. We set most of them enough for them to heal on their own but some are proving a little more tricky. Take it easy." Maria advised.
Echo gasped suddenly and staggered back. Vipir caught her before she fell. Maria looked at them in alarm.
"Let go of her Vipir!" Maria warned but it was too late. Echo pulled herself from Vipir's grasp and turned to face him. Her eyes were amber. She kicked Vipir in the stomach, sending him flying back. She shook her head as if trying to get rid of a fly. She looked at Tiaan and her eyes flickered back to normal for a second before returning to amber, brighter than before. Evalin moved to grab her but Maria held her sister back. Echo gasped again and fell to her hands and knees panting. Evalin went to help Vipir up while Maria watched Echo.
"Are you alright? Can you hear me Echo?" Maria said clearly. Echo nodded and shivered.
Evalin came back to stand beside Maria. Tiaan muttered something. Echo looked up at Evalin and Maria. Her eyes were piercing ice blue. When she spoke, the voice that flowed from her lips wasn't her own. It was ageless, neither young nor old, male nor female.
"She'll never win. The only reason she's not already dead is because I like to play. It's fun toying with her. Oh! No no no! Not this little girl! She was just the easiest to take right now. What a strong mind she has for one so young! Already she begins to fight!" Whatever was speaking through Echo laughed coldly and stepped closer to Tiaan.
"You were lucky your friends were there to save you this time. Next time you may not be so fortunate." The voice said with annoyance. Tiaan kicked out at Echo but the girl jumped out of the way with unnatural speed and balance.
"Cowardly, as usual. Doing your dirty work through others. You never change." Tiaan growled.
"I change when it's needed of me." The words were strange coming from Echo's mouth. It made them even more chilling. Tiaan swore.
"Let go of her. You want to kill me, then do it." Tiaan sighed.
"Hm... While the offer is enticing... I would much prefer to defeat you when you are at your best and I would like to do it myself, not through a child. But there is something I will do now." Echo darted forward and touched Tiaan's chest with a finger. Tiaan gasped in pain. She grasped her ribs in pain as her breathing became sharp and ragged. A fiery, blood red rune glowed where Echo had touched her. Tiaan's fists clenched as she began to shake. The thing controlling Echo laughed. The laugh was cut off by an annoyed snake-like hiss.
"She is almost strong enough to force me out. But I must say, this girl is an interesting one. Whatever it was that took her over and then deserted her, leaving her mind weak and undefended enough for me to control with ease, I would very much like to know what it is. I warn you, find it before it is too late." The voice said and faded away.
Echo crumpled to the ground shivering. Evalin and Maria rushed forward as if a spell had been broken. Evalin moved to help Tiaan while Maria tried to coaxed Echo to sit up. Echo just kept shivering. Tiaan grunted in pain again.
"Maria! What's happening? What did that girl do?" Evalin yelled.
"I- I don't know! I don't think it was Echo that did it." Maria said.
One of Tiaan's hands flew to the rune burned into the skin on her chest. It was no bigger than a thumbnail but it glowed as if someone had set fire to it. Tiaan groaned again. Echo's head jerked up, as alert as she'd ever been. She shot to Tiaan's side and crouched between Maria and Evalin. She looked up at Maria expectantly with emerald green eyes. They were full of curiosity shadowed by fear. A spark of amber flashed through them and Echo shivered. Echo looked from Maria to Tiaan and back to Maria again. Maria just looked at her in confusion. Echo held her hands up and looked at Tiaan again. Her eyes shone with frustration.
"Go ahead. Do what you must." Maria said.
A feral growl tore through Tiaan. Echo's eyes narrowed to a determined glare. She hissed in answer to Tiaan's growl, as if it were a challenge. She placed one hand over the rune and grabbed Tiaan's hand with the other. Her eyes closed as a storm of memories broke through. That first night with the companions, waking to two strangers standing over her, man or milk drinker on that second night. Then the next lot of nightmares and the crystal someone had pushed into her hand. Who was it? Echo pushed through the haze and the name came to her. Aela. Echo latched onto those two thoughts. She summoned every memory she had of Aela and her strange crystal with the wolf tooth suspended inside.
Aela woke with a start. She grabbed her knife and sat up. A strange pulsing glow illuminated the room. A wave of heat pulsed across her chest. Aela looked down, squinting against the glare. She untangled the silver chain from her hair and drew the crystal on the end up to eye level. The chain was glowing with an eerie silvery light. The crystal itself glowed green. A spark of amber light shot through it and a wave of uncertainty and fear that wasn't her own hit Aela. The amber disappeared and the fear was replaced by a raw curiosity Aela knew all to well. Blue sparked through the light and a wave of anger and hate hit her. An arrow whistled through the air. Angry yells sent fear through Aela. Another arrow sailed through the air. A girl screamed. A wolf snarled. Aela felt the thrill of tracking her prey. Someone screamed again, the bloodcurdling scream of an animal that knew it's death was staring it in the eyes.. Aela tasted blood. A pair of pale blue eyes stared up at her, filled with cation and distrust. A wave of searing fire burned down her back and a fiery red glow lit up the room.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time, pup?" She murmured. Aela closed her eyes and let the memories come.
A wave of emotion and memories hit Echo in a tidal wave of fear, anger, hate, desperation and a desire for revenge.
What have you gotten yourself into pup? A familiar voice said. Echo wanted to run towards the owner of the voice and curl up by a warm fire, surrounded by familiar voices laughing and joking. At the same time she wanted to hate the speaker. She pushed all personal disputes from her mind and focused on the raw emotion. She felt her finger tips begin to burn. Someone grabbed her shoulder and tried to pull her away.
"No! Not now! Not when I am so close!" The thing screamed. Vipir tugged harder and harder at her arms. He managed to pull her fingers away from the mark on Tiaan's chest and the voice yelled in triumph. The green glow in Echo's eyes intensified and she wrenched her hand away from Vipir and back to Tiaan. She maintained the contact for a second longer before falling to the ground exhausted. The light in her eyes flickered from green to sapphire blue. She stood up and hissed at Vipir. Her eyes burned with pure anger, fear and hate. She ran at him and kicked. Vipir leaped back out of the way with an unnatural grace. Echo hissed and ran forward. She slashed. No matter how many times Vipir avoided her she just kept going, punching, kicking and scratching with wild ferocity. Suddenly Vipir snapped around to watch Tiaan, momentarily shocking Echo into stopping her murderous onslaught.
"It is done." The thing possessing Vipir sighed. Vipir slumped to the ground. Something fell from his pocket. Echo snatched it up before it could hit the floor. She swayed but remained upright as the dark blue faded from here eyes, leaving her tired and weak. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She staggered over to Tiaan. Maria rushed to grab her before she fell. Echo sat beside the bed while Maria dealt with the shivering Tiaan.
"Water." Tiaan croaked.
Maria helped her sit up. This time she was somehow able to hold the cup herself. She put it down.
"I'm taking Vipir upstairs. He's fine. I think Echo hit him on the head a little too hard. Will you be all right down here?" Evalin said.
Maria looked at Echo.
"We'll be fine. Echo's just a bit shaken." Maria said.
Maria turned back to Tiaan.
"Do you know who or what it was that possessed Echo and Vipir a minute ago? Could it possibly have been the same person who attacked you down at the warehouse?" Maria asked.
Tiaan was about to answer when she subsided into a coughing fit. She doubled over clutching her sides in pain. Blood had soaked through the bandages in a few spots. The coughing faded and Tiaan sat there, gasping for breath.
"That... wasn't the... same person who... attacked at... the warehouse. If it was... I would have been dead by now. As would... you..." Tiaan wheezed.
"What happened when Echo touched you? You began to shake. Then Echo did something and it stopped. Both of you have a few questions to answer." Maria said with a glance down at Echo.
"I'd love to answer your questions Maria, but I have no idea what just happened as it is. You were talking to Tiaan, asking her what happened and then Vipir's lying on the ground and something big has happened that I know nothing about when I was right in the middle of it." Echo said.
"You do know this isn't the first time I've seen you do something like this before. After Tiaan-"
"Got drunk. Yeah, I remember when I woke up and you said I attacked you." Echo growled.
"The you ran off. Do you remember that?" Maria said.
"No... I don't remember that." Echo said quietly.
"We'll figure this out later then. How do you feel, Tiaan?" Maria asked.
"Tired and weak. I'll be fine with a good rest. Echo... I- Maria, get lost. I have an apology to make to Echo." Tiaan said as if it was taking her great effort to get the words out.
Maria smiled and left with asking any questions.
"Close the door and lock it." Tiaan handed Echo a key.
"Never too weak or tired to steal, huh?" Echo muttered.
"And you're any different? Just lock the door! When I said I felt weak, I didn't mean I don't have the strength to belt the crap out of you." Tiaan snapped.
Echo shrugged and locked the door.
"If you can beat me up, why can't you lock a door?"
"How the hell else am I supposed to make you do something I tell you to do if you know I can't hit you? Sit. I can tell you're tired too, and this might take a while." Tiaan sighed.
Echo sat cross-legged on the end of the bed. She tossed the key to Tiaan who caught it and slid it under the mattress.
"How long can saying sorry take? All you have to say is sorry and what you're saying sorry for. You don't even have to say what for! Sometimes, things are just too confusing." Echo grumbled.
Tiaan snorted.
"I quit apologising years ago, along with a few other things," Tiaan said darkly, "Everyone knows apologising is one of the things I don't do. The few times I've done it, I've taken my time. It's not an apology I have for you, although you probably think you deserve a few-" Tiaan stopped as Echo began to giggle.
"I know what you mean. Why say sorry if you don't regret anything? You say to people, I'm sorry to hear that, but you got no control over whatever happened in the first place. Why say something if you don't mean it? It's strange how much of what we think is so alike." Echo said.
"Don't push it. We are very different. I told Maria I was giving you an apology because she knows I won't give one if there's other people around. It's not an apology I have for you but an explanation. The full story is a long one I am not prepared to tell and one you are not ready to hear. Where to start..." Tiaan whispered.
"How about the start?" Echo suggested.
"No. That is something you do not need to know about. Only four people know of it. One is dead. One doesn't know it all. Two know only what they saw and heard, but they know far more than the first. I lied. The thing that possessed you and Vipir and attacked me down at the warehouse, they are the same." Tiaan paused to rest for a minute. She took another drink and pushed herself into a more comfortable position.
"It was someone I knew from my time back in Morrowind. We were close friends, very close. We grew up together. Then, something happened. The coward killed someone and framed another person for it! The coward lied to me! Betrayed us! Betrayed me!" Tiaan snarled.
Echo scrambled back in shock from the anger and hate in Tiaan's voice. Her eyes flashed dark blue. She slowly began to move closer to Tiaan, claws out. Tiaan reached out to touch her arm but Echo shrank back with a hiss. The blue flickered and wavered between dark and light like a candle flame. Echo swayed as amber and green sparked through the blue. The blue quickly began to fade. She inched closer to Tiaan. She swiped weakly at Tiaan's leg but Tiaan caught her arm. Echo hissed and wrenched her arm free. Specks of ice blue flickered through the green and amber. The colours wavered like a weak flame. Echo swiped again. Tiaan blocked her strike easily. Echo pulled free and the ice blue died. The green quickly followed and the amber dulled. Blood red and silver flashed and burned bright. Tiaan stared transfixed into Echo's eyes. The green and blue returned briefly but quickly died. Echo tried to scratch Tiaan again but she swayed and grabbed the edge of the bed for support. The red began to fade and the silver with it. Suddenly her eyes flared bright with sapphire blue, emerald green, amber, blood red, silver and ice blue. Echo swayed again and fell. Tiaan pulled her away from the edge of the bed as the light in her eyes died completely. She curled into a loose ball and drew in a shaking breath.
"Why... do you hate this coward so much?" Echo whispered. Tiaan had to lean down to hear her.
"The coward is a traitor and a betrayer. An oath breaker that never breaks a promise. If the coward vows to kill you, it's either you or them. Every time we meet, it always ends in a fight." Tiaan said, her voice dangerously low. Echo's eyes sparked but their colour didn't change. Even if they had, she didn't have the strength to attack. Tiaan broke into a coughing fit.
"Why do you say was? Is the person dead? Was it their ghost trying to get revenge?" Echo asked weakly when Tiaan recovered.
"After the last time we met as friends, after I discovered the betrayal, among other things. Some of the things I did because of it... It hurts to think about them even now. Echo, you- Argh!" Tiaan growled. Her hands flew to the mark on her chest. Tiaan tensed and began to shake as she struggled with something. She grabbed the leather cord around her neck. On it was a wooden bead and a piece of some purple shell. Tiaan felt on it for something.
"No... Where is it! No! Shit shit shit! This is bad! Where is it?" Tiaan felt around for something. Echo's eyes flashed green. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver coin.
"You... mean... this..." She said faintly. Tiaan snatched the coin from Echo's hand and put it on the cord. Echo fell back, her strength utterly spent.
"So you found it..." The voice hissed.
"You." Tiaan growled.
An icy wind blew through her matted hair. Echo shivered.
"You were lucky. I had hoped that oaf would be smart or greedy enough to hide it, or at least put it somewhere he wouldn't loose it. The power of the coin had not yet caught him in it's trap. Unfortunately the girl is very curious. Then again, curious people do get hurt..." The voice trailed off into a laugh and the room suddenly grew warmer.
"That moron. I'll get you some day." Tiaan sighed. She gripped the coin so hard her knuckles were white. She turned to Echo.
"Echo, you have something inside you. Something dangerous, something powerful. Do you remember what you did?"
"No. I don't even know what you mean. I don't even remember what the ghost did to me. All I remember is falling to the ground. There was all this buzzing inside my head. Then it felt like someone put ice down my back. After that, nothing." Echo said tiredly.
"Is that all?"
"Um... There was a lot of tension in the room but everyone seemed happy enough. It kept getting worse and then I blacked out or something."
Tiaan sighed and put her head in her hands. Echo watched on in confusion. She wasn't used to seeing Tiaan like this. Tiaan was always annoyed, irritable, throwing empty bottles, drinking, yelling, growling, swearing and, above all else, always angry.
"The coward is right. You do have a strong mind. Unusually so for someone your age. I wonder why..." Tiaan muttered.
"I... dunno..." Echo mumbled sleepily. She wriggled into a more comfortable position and curled into a ball with her tail over her nose and her head on her hands.
"The coward is dangerous. Never- Are you even listening cat?" Tiaan looked at Echo curled near her feet. Her breathing was deep and even and her eyes were closed.
"Count yourself lucky. Not all of us can fall asleep so easily." Tiaan muttered.
Someone tried to open the door. Maria grumbled something. There was silence for a moment. Maria muttered something else and there was more silence before the door opened.
"Locking a door in a house full of thieves isn't going to achieve much, Echo. How did you get the key anyway?" Maria asked. Tiaan held a finger to her lips.
"Echo had more than a few chances to get the key, none of which she took. I'd say she was too tired to get it anyway. Catch." Tiaan tossed the key to Maria.
"I'm amazed she was so relaxed with only you in the room. After the last few times she's been too close to you, it hasn't exactly turned out well for her. She must be tired. Did Echo accept your apology?" Maria said.
"Not sure. She was half asleep through most of it. That's her problem though. The little thorn isn't getting another one." Tiaan said irritably.
"I'll take her up when I'm done with you. Drink this. It's for the poison." Maria gave Tiaan a cup with a mouthful of evil looking purple liquid. Tiaan swallowed it with a shudder. She gaged on the taste.
"Are you trying to kill me or something?" Tiaan growled.
"No, the opposite. Unfortunately that's not the last of it. Just be thankful Evalin is good enough with medicine to concentrate that sludge from a full cup to a mouthful." Maria poured something from a small bottle into the cup. Tiaan drank it and forced herself not to spit it out. It was worse than the first.
"Too bad she can't change the bloody taste." Tiaan growled as Maria refiled the cup. Tiaan drank it and choked on the taste. She forced it to stay down.
"That, is fucking foul. What does the woman put in that crap? My first guess would be skeever shit." Tiaan grumbled.
"I've never asked. It's probably the concentration that makes it taste horrible. Can you stand up? I need to redress some of those wounds."
Tiaan swung her legs over the edge of the bed with a grunt.
"Give me a hand." Tiaan grumbled.
"Stay there. This may hurt a lot." Maria warned.
"Tell Vipir about any of this, and I will kill you. Anyone, for that matter. It's bad enough I had to apologise to that twit." Tiaan growled as Maria unwound the bandage on her arm. Tiaan raised an eyebrow when she saw it.
"I recall giving the kitten a similar wound. Now I mention it... Our last knife fight. There's knife wounds in the exact same spots I held the daggers. There's also a long gash running vertically down my back from a sword." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. How did you know? Did Echo tell you?"
"I know that bastard well. It's just the thing I would expect." Tiaan said.
"Who was it that attacked you? Both earlier and down at the docks."
"Dunno." Tiaan grunted as Maria put another of Evalin's potions on the wound on her arm. Maria put a clean bandage on the wound and unwound the bandage around her chest and stomach. This one was soaked with blood in many places.
"Whoever did this is skilled with a blade. Almost as skilled as you. The wound is identical to Echo's." Maria muttered.
Tiaan laughed but it was cut short by a gasp of pain.
"Fast, yes. Skilled? In a very different way. There are more ways than one to be skilled with a blade. You once said there was no one faster than me in fight." Tiaan said darkly.
Maria pulled the bandage off and whistled. Tiaan caught sight of herself in the mirror on the wall across the room and her face paled. She looked down at her side.
"That bastard..." Tiaan muttered.
"You should see the one on your back. It looks like a burn as well as a sword wound." Maria said.
Tiaan traced the stitches under her heart in silence. She murmured something in another language. Maria assumed it was Dunmeris. Tiaan often swore or said things in it when she was drunk enough. Tiaan ran a finger over the stitches on her side and stomach. She ran a finger over the two rapidly healing cuts on her neck and traced an old scar running across her cheek bone and another going over her eye. Maria had never noticed them before. Maria pushed them away as unimportant and began to bandage Tiaan's abdomen.
"No. Don't cover them." Tiaan said.
"What? Tiaan, I have too. You'll bleed to-"
"I said don't cover them!" Tiaan growled. Maria flinched but put the clean bandage down all the same. Tiaan rubbed the mark Echo had left on her chest.
"What did Echo do to you when she left that strange mark?" Maria asked. Tiaan just shook her head and muttered something in Dunmeris.
"Dunmeris?" Maria inquired. Tiaan nodded and said something else. Maria went to the other side of the room. She picked up another bottle and poured some of it into the cup. She gave it to Tiaan who looked at it suspiciously.
"What's it for?" She asked.
"A very powerful sleeping draught. Evalin didn't make it, I did." Maria said. Tiaan shrugged and drank it.
"Still foul, but not as bad as the taste of skeever piss." Tiaan grumbled. She lay back down.
"Evalin is going to send her apprentice, Marcus, down in a minute but you should be out before that. I'll take her up." Maria gently shook Echo's shoulder but all Echo did was flick her tail. Maria picked the girl up. Tiaan was already fighting sleep. Maria shook her head and carried Echo out. Echo stirred and blinked sleepily. She yawned and settled her head next to Maria's neck. Maria carried her into the kitchen. Echo purred sleepily when Maria walked past the fire. Maria smiled in surprise. It was the first time she'd ever heard Echo purr. Maria put Echo down on her bedroll. Echo wriggled into it and curled up with her tail over her nose.
"How is Tiaan? Did she take that medicine I gave you?" Evalin asked from the doorway.
"Yes. She said, and I quote, "This, is fucking foul." She thought it tasted of skeever droppings." Maria said. The two sisters sat at the kitchen table. Evalin had a scroll and some books in front of her.
"What are you reading about?" Maria asked.
"Possession and mind control. I want to know what happened down there. From what I've read, Echo should have been taken much faster than she was. Whatever attacked, it was after her as soon as she entered the room. I was a fool not to notice. Everything I've read also says that because of Echo's age, she should have crumbled immediately. A child of her age should have absolutely no defence against any kind of mental attack. With so many different beings fighting for control of her mind, Echo should have dropped from the sheer exhaustion of it all within minutes. Four forces trying to control a nine year old. It's too much for her." Evalin said.
"Echo is seven." Maria muttered.
"What? That's right. She's seven. Divines, I really need more sleep. Still... Seven! That is just... ridiculous! There is no argument what so ever against her standing that long against four different minds." Evalin said in disbelief.
Maria bit her lip in thought. She shook her head, "Only one person was trying to control Echo. The other three... I don't know what they were doing but they weren't outsiders to Echo's mind."
"Oh? And how exactly do you work that out, little sister?"
"I've seen it once or twice before in her. The green being did something to Tiaan that stopped whatever the ice blue did. What she did... She focused on something! Or someone! There's only one person I can think of that Echo knows anywhere near well enough." Maria said.
"She's had no training what so ever. I can tell. How close is she to this person? How long have they known each other?"
"Two months from what I can gather. They were close for about a week or two, very close. Then Aela, her friend, did or said something and now Echo hates the woman. Hm... Evalin... She focused on both a person and an object. It wasn't anything she knew well either. She- Oh Ev! What is going on here? You're the master of magic, not me. You know more about this than I do." Maria said.
"I'm just as blind as you here. We need to ask Echo, Tiaan and Vipir about it when they wake up."
"Impossible. Echo never remembers anything after this type of thing happens. Tiaan won't tell you. I will bet my sleeping draught recipe on that. If either of them tell us anything you can have it. Vipir won't remember much, if anything, either." Maria said.
"Then I dearly hope you are wrong sister. I want that recipe. Is there anyone you know who may be able to give us any clues at all?"
"No one. This is just-" Maria stopped as an earsplitting shriek rent the air. She looked at Evalin. Evalin was about to say something when an even louder scream ripped through the air. It was followed by a yell and another shriek.
I think we can all guess who is doing all the shrieking. Does anyone have any guesses as to who this mysterious ghost could be? I am very interested to see what you think. Please review! Yes, I am hyper right now and no, I have not had any lollies or soft drink for the last five hours. See you lot sometime that will probably be before next tuesday. Yes, I will update early, as well as on tuesday. Or at least I'll try. LATER!
ARROW OUT!