The feeling in the air was one of absolute dread. Leola could feel it, and she could tell that all of her friends could feel it, too. Their last visit to Boethiah's shrine hadn't been a good one, and they were all deeply and sincerely hoping that the cultists set up there wouldn't remember them.
They approached, but saw none of the worshippers lurking about. There were four of them – Leola, Erith, Bottar and Shelur. The area around the shrine was completely empty, and they began to exchange confused looks.
"Shouldn't they be here?" asked Bottar.
"One of them mentioned last time that they were heading to Markarth – something about Molag Bal, maybe that's where they are?" asked Erith.
"They would not leave their shrine unattended," Shelur said. She hadn't met them, but as a Daedra worshipper herself – in a way – she likely understood the cultists better than any of her friends would.
"Then…where did they go?" asked Leola softly.
"Shelur, Bottar, you two head that way and see if you can find anything," Erith said, pointing. "Leola and I will head further up and see what we can find."
"You got it, Erith," Bottar said, gesturing for Shelur to come along with him.
"Erith, what are we looking for?" Leola asked softly as they ascended the steps to the main part of the shrine.
"Anything," said Erith. "Something they might have dropped, blood indicating an attack, maybe even just a lack of their belongings. If they've packed their stuff up, it won't be here. If they didn't, they didn't intend to leave."
"Alright," Leola replied. The pair walked around, and Leola's blue eyes scanned over the ground, looking for anything that could help. It was hard to imagine that, years before, her mother had walked on this same ground. What had her mother done here to prove herself to Boethiah? How had she obtained the ebony mail?
At the peak of the temple there was a statue which Leola assumed was of Boethiah. The woman appeared almost snakelike, and definitely frightening. Leola would hate to meet such a person in real life. At the foot of the statue, there was a spot on the ground with a swirling circular pattern, and in the middle was a post. Stuck to the post was a sheet of parchment.
"Erith, there's something here," Leola said, running forward. She plucked the parchment from the pillar and began to read it aloud.
'Leola, Erith, Aventus – whoever may be reading this.
I know you're hunting me. Good luck. I can promise you that if I don't want to be found, I won't be.
I know about your new mission. Good luck with that, too. I have Boethiah's piece of the soul gem and if you want it, you'll have to get through me first.
Regards,
Samuel.'
Leola's blue eyes widened and she looked up at Erith, whose own pretty brown eyes were also big. "How did he find out about the soul gem?" Erith asked.
"I – I don't know," said Leola.
"We have to find him – he can't have Boethiah's piece, we need all of them."
"What's going on up here?" came Shelur's deep voice, and the couple turned to see Bottar and the Orc approaching up the steps.
"Samuel was here," Erith said, looking intently towards Bottar. "He has Boethiah's piece – he must have killed the worshippers here to get it."
"Why would she give it to him after he'd killed all her people?" asked Bottar.
"Because the Daedric Lords value violence and treachery," said Shelur gently. "She would certainly admire his fighting skill if he managed to eliminate every single one of her people."
"The important thing is that he has the piece and we have to find him," said Erith, one of her hands clenching up into a fist.
"Erith, we can't go find him," said Leola. "Aventus is already working on that."
"Aventus is trying to find Samuel?" asked Erith, gently taking Leola's hand in her free one. "I thought he was trying to get Azura's piece of the soul gem?"
"Azura wanted us to kill Samuel in exchange for her piece," Leola replied. "That's who he and Minot are tracking right now and trying to kill."
Erith stared at her, wide-eyed. "Leola…you should have said so."
"As if you'd be okay with it if I did?" Leola asked, frowning. "I know you, Erith – even after what he did to you, you'd have said no. For Runa and the baby, if not anything else."
Erith went quiet, glancing away for a brief moment. "You're right," she said finally.
"We should get out of here," Bottar cut in, and as much as Leola wanted to convince Erith that having Aventus and Minot kill Samuel would be best, she appreciated his interruption. "If Samuel's been here, he could have people watching this place. We're not safe."
"I agree," said Shelur. "We should keep moving – head back to the docks and set sail."
"Very well, then," Erith replied, looking towards Leola. "If you trust that Aventus is doing the right thing, then I trust you."
Leola felt a smile come to her lips and she outstretched one hand to gently take Erith's. "Thank you," she said softly.
The group began to move back down the steps, an uncomfortable silence falling over them. Knowing that Samuel was even more of a threat than before made them all uneasy. Before, he'd been nothing more than an angry predator with the potential to become dangerous – now, he was compromising their mission and threatening their very lives should they try to stop him.
The trek back to Windhelm was a quick and quiet one. Nobody liked what was happening, so they seemed to be in even more of a rush to get matters settled. Before they knew it, the group was boarding a ship bound for Solstheim, Ulfric having paid to charter the ship for the group of them.
The ship was called the Northern Maiden II, and its captain was a man named Francois Beaufort. He was a bulky Imperial with chin-length blond hair and a wide, beaming grin. He spoke familiarly with Erith, who soon told Leola that Francois had lived at the orphanage with Samuel, Runa, and Aventus. He was loud, and when he wasn't doing something with the ship, he was full of stories.
Francois had two men working on the ship with him. The first was an Argonian named Teekos. He was tall and green and scaly, with little horns on his face and bigger horns coming out the top of his head. Leola had little experience with Argonians, having only seen them in passing, but took quickly to Teekos. He had a low, raspy voice but he, like Francois, was full of jokes and tales. He loved being a sailor; Leola could tell just by hearing how he spoke of his adventures with the others.
The second ship hand was a Redguard named Isleald. He was tall and slim, with dark skin and a hood that wrapped around his head. He seemed to be a silent type, speaking very rarely, but when he did speak, it was in a deep, booming voice. He didn't seem to have as many stories to share as his friends, but he fascinated Leola nonetheless, as most people tended to do.
The ride was lengthy, and the waters grew choppy. Before long, the three men were all hard at work on keeping the ship afloat. Erith, Leola, and Bottar waited below deck. Shelur stayed up top; she had little experience with the world outside her home and she was excited to be sailing for the first time.
When the ship ceased to rock as violently as it had been and the three below deck deemed it safe to head back up, they did so. No sooner had they reached the top of the stairs than Isleald tossed a wooden sword in Leola's direction. She barely caught it, fumbling slightly as it hit her hands but managing to get a grip on it before it clattered to the floor.
"Do you fight, Princess?" asked Isleald in his deep, accented voice.
Leola felt a warmth spreading through her cheeks. "Aventus has taught me a little," she said softly. "But not enough to hold my own, I'm afraid – there's just really no time. And he's only shown me how to use a dagger."
"We've still a good hour or two of sailing ahead of us," said Isleald, motioning for her to come forward. "Let's see what you know, and what I can teach you, in that time."
