Chapter Fifty-two
An Unexpected Ally
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Irina Coldstorm gently massaged the spot just below her right collarbone, wincing at the soreness there. It had been a week since Mercer's blade had pierced her, and despite a healing potion she was still pretty tender, though thankfully she was no longer bedridden. Waking up shivering in Karliah's tent and being forced to stay there for three days recovering was not something she missed in the slightest—not because of the company, but rather the cold and discomfort. On the contrary, though it had been quite a shock to wake and discover that her rescuer was in fact the one they had meant to kill, Irina had found Karliah to be quite interesting company.
Irina winced as she slowly rotated her right arm, stretching her pectoral muscle, which caused more pain than actually touching the wound itself. The wound was nothing more than a tender scar now, but it would be a long time before her muscle would be back in shape. She hoped she would not have a need to shoot her bow any time soon.
Just then a figure slid onto the bench seat beside her where she sat at a table in the Frozen Hearth Inn. The Dunmer woman's violet eyes glinted from beneath her leather cowl.
"All right, I've sent a message to Enthir at the college. I made it sound urgent enough, he should come soon."
"Hope I can stay awake until he gets here," Irina quipped. The journey on foot to Winterhold had worn her out, and now that she'd been fed and was finally warm again, she was starting to get sleepy.
"It shouldn't take long," Karliah assured.
Irina sipped her warm cider, thinking about all the questions that she still hadn't asked the other woman. Karliah had been in a hurry once Irina had finally woken from a delirious state. She had taken the time only to explain that the arrow she'd shot Irina with had been poisoned with a special paralytic agent, which had prevented her from bleeding out, thus saving her life. She'd admitted that the arrow had originally been intended for Mercer, but since Irina had been in front of him, she couldn't get a clear shot, and had made a split second decision to get Irina out of the way. But she had only one poisoned arrow.
Irina couldn't ask many more questions after that, since Karliah was in a hurry to get to Winterhold. She wanted to meet some elf from the mages collage who could translate the strange writing in a journal of Gallus's that Karliah had found in the ruin next to the former Guild Master's remains.
"Karliah…why didn't you kill Mercer when you had the chance? You could have just shot him with a regular arrow and all this would be over with."
"I didn't want to kill Mercer," the Dunmer woman admitted. "Thus the reason I spent a year perfecting that poison."
"So you didn't want revenge on him after all?" Irina asked in slight confusion. "He was sure you were going to cut him from navel to nose."
"What I want for Mercer is justice," Karliah replied, her tone carrying a heated intensity that wasn't directed at Irina. "He lied to the Guild, killed Gallus, branded me a murderer and slandered my name across his network of contacts. For twenty-five years I ran, never sleeping in the same place twice and carefully covering my tracks." She snorted and shook her head. "Mercer doesn't need to die… he needs to feel the cold sting of fate as his life crumbles in front of him and he's hunted by the Guild."
"But how can you actually prove that he did all that?" Irina asked. "I doubt the Guild members are going to believe you; they've hated you for twenty-five years, and Mercer will just convince them you're making up a story to turn them against him."
"That's why it's so important we get that journal translated," Karliah explained. "I suspect that whatever information we need to convict Mercer is inside."
"I hope so," Irina said. She took another sip of her cider before glancing at Karliah again. "And…what if, next time you see him, you have no choice but to kill him?"
Karliah stared at the wall in front of them for a moment before answering in a soft voice. "Believe me, if it comes to that, and my back is to the wall, I won't hesitate."
Before Irina could reply, the sound of the front door of the inn opening drew their attention. A figure in mage's robes entered and glanced around as if looking for someone. Karliah raised her hand slightly, gesturing the man over. He pulled an extra chair up to their table and sat down.
"Karliah, by the gods, it is you!" he exclaimed softly. "I never thought I would see you again."
"Hello, Enthir," Karliah replied with a soft smile. "It is good to see you. I'm hoping you can help me."
"I will do my best of course, although I'm not sure what you would need that I could possibly provide."
Karliah withdrew a small book from a satchel strapped across her chest. "I was hoping you could help me with this."
The Bosmer took the book in his hands, his eyes widening. "You found it?" he exclaimed softly. "Gallus's journal?"
Karliah nodded. "But I can't read it. I was hoping you could."
Enthir opened the cover and slowly flipped through the pages, which were all written in a strange language Irina had never seen before. The wood-elf grinned and shook his head.
"This is just like Gallus. A dear friend, but always too clever for his own good. He's written all the text in the Falmer language."
"Falmer?" Irina said. "I didn't even know they had a language—let alone one that any civilized person would know."
"The Falmer were not always what they are now, young lady," the mage replied. "Once upon a time they were a great and noble race of Mer. Their language is one of the few things from their former glory that survives to this day."
"But can you translate it, Enthir?" Karliah pressed.
Enthir let out a deep sigh and shook his head as he continued to flip through the pages. "No, unfortunately I can't. But I do know someone who might."
"Who?"
"The court wizard of Markarth, Calcelmo. A word of warning though, he's not the most agreeable man. It may take some clever convincing to get him to share his knowledge with you."
"Why did Gallus even write his journal in the Falmer language?" Irina wondered.
Enthir chuckled lightly. "Besides the fact that there are only a handful of people in all of Tamriel that even recognize the language?" He shook his head. "I'm fairly certain he was planning some sort of a heist that involved a deep understanding of the Falmer language. Sadly, we never got the chance to speak about the details."
"How did he even learn the language in order to use it?" Irina asked.
"Well, ironically I pointed him in the same direction I pointed you. To Markarth and Calcelmo. I'm only hoping that whatever means he used to learn the language will still be available to you."
Karliah cleared her throat impatiently. "Speaking of which, we really should be going on our way. The longer we take the greater the chance for Mercer to escape and go into hiding."
Enthir stood up, handing the journal back to Karliah. "Shadows guide you, Karliah, and good luck."
"Thank you, Enthir. When this is all over I'll come visit you again. We have a lot to catch up on."
"I look forward to it." With a last smile and slight nod to Irina, Enthir left the inn.
"We should get some rest now," Karliah advised as she handed Irina the book. "I'll need you to go to Markarth and get this journal translated."
"You mean you won't be going with me?"
The Dunmer woman shook her head. "I have some other preperations to do that can't wait."
"Then how will I get a hold of you once I'm finished with my task?"
"When you're finished in Markarth, meet me at the inn in Dragon Bridge. If you get there first, wait for me; we'll need to do the next stage of my plan together."
Karliah stood up, followed by Irina. "Get some rest, Irina. This will all be over soon."
Irina sighed with relief when Dragon Bridge finally came into view as the sun began to set. She hoped that Karliah would know what to do with the information she was able to gather, which wasn't exactly what she'd been sent to Markarth for. Frankly she was tired of this whole thing. She wanted to go back to the Guild. She wanted to see Brynjolf again. Chances were Mercer had already told them all that she was dead, and if it weren't for Karliah she would have been dead. She wanted Brynjolf to know she was still alive. But Karliah had advised her to stay away from Riften and avoid other members of the Guild if at all possible. She didn't want the fact that Mercer failed in his attempt to silence Irina to get back to him. She didn't want her plans discovered before she could carry them out. Irina understood and agreed, but it wasn't easy.
She couldn't help but think about Brynjolf as she walked on and on for miles with no traveling companion to keep her company, no conversation to occupy her mind. She wondered how Brynjolf was doing thinking that she was dead. Did he grieve for her? Did he go on with life as usual? As much as she didn't want for him to experience the pain of her death—especially since it was unfounded—she couldn't help but hope that he did mourn her and miss her.
Those were the thoughts of her emotional side. Her intellectual side tried to point out that Brynjolf or his feelings didn't matter right now. What mattered was catching Mercer and bringing him to justice. The lies and back-stabbing had gone on long enough. She knew that, and she also feared for Brynjolf, and the others. If Mercer was capable of killing Gallus, and trying to kill her and Karliah as well, then what would stop him from killing anyone else in the Guild if he thought they were in his way? Knowing this was another reason she was itching to get back there. They didn't know the danger they were in, and she was one of only two people in all of Skyrim who could warn them.
But Karliah was right. They couldn't show themselves until the right moment when they had all the proof they needed to convict Mercer. Irina just hoped that Gallus's journal contained what Karliah guessed it did. She wasn't sure there was a plan B if this didn't work out.
It had been six days since Irina had parted ways with Karliah in Winterhold. Any number of things could have happened in the Guild since then. She just hoped that Mercer had played it smart and lied through his teeth, as he was so good at doing. She hoped that no one suspected him in any way, or else things would get dangerous. And it would still be a while before she and Karliah would make it back there.
The small town of Dragon Bridge was all but closed up for the night by the time Irina got to the inn there. It took only a moment and quick glance to see that Karliah had finished her business before Irina had, and was already waiting at the inn. Irina sat down at the table beside the Dunmer woman and put a stack of papers in front of her.
"What's this?" Karliah asked as she picked up the top sheet that was filled with the same strange markings that Gallus's journal had been written in. Only these ones were obviously rubbings of text written in stone.
"It's all I could manage to get," Irina admitted with a sigh. "That Calcelmo was a piece of work. I'm usually pretty good at persuasion, but that guy wouldn't give me the time of day. I had to sneak into his office after hours to try and find something else that could help us. This appears to be some kind of cypher used to translate the Falmer language. I tried to figure it out myself, but I never was very good at book learning. It's a mystery to me."
Karliah slowly leafed through the pages in silence for a few minutes, apparently trying her hand deciphering the strange text. After a while she sighed and set the papers down. "We're going to have to take these back to Enthir," she decided.
"I was afraid of that," Irina said with a small groan. "That's going to take forever."
"We can't return to the Guild without that journal," Karliah insisted. "If we take a carriage it will only be a few more days. We should get a move on."
"Right now? It's dark and I've been traveling all day. It's been hours since I ate. I would appreciate a chance to rest first."
"You can eat some bread on the way and you can sleep in the carriage," Karliah insisted as she stood up.
Irina couldn't help a slight smile. At least she wouldn't have to convince Karliah that time was of the essence. As much as Irina wanted this all to be over as soon as possible, Karliah did even more so.
The journey to Winterhold took only four days via carriage. But since the carriage wouldn't travel over the pass into Winterhold that time of year, they had to walk from Windhelm the rest of the way, which added another day and a half to their travel time. Irina was quite road-weary by then, longing for a few days of rest and a real bed to sleep in.
They met Enthir at the inn again, only this time they used the inn's wine cellar, since it was quiet and they wouldn't have anyone looking over their shoulders. Enthir was surprised to see them again, and even more surprised by the rubbings that Irina had brought. He spread them out on a table and studied them for a few moments in silence.
"Can you make sense of them?" Karliah pressed.
"Yes, yes. I just need a moment to translate. It's very intriguing so far. But also highly disturbing."
"Disturbing?" Irina asked. "Concerning what?"
"Well, it seems that Gallus had suspicions about Mercer Frey's allegiance to the Guild for months."
Karliah's brow creased. "He never said anything," she breathed.
"Gallus had begun to uncover what he calls an 'unduly lavish lifestyle replete with spending vast amounts of gold on personal pleasures.'"
"'Vast amounts of gold'?" Karliah repeated. "Does it say where this wealth came from?"
Enthir studied the text for a moment before answering, then he nodded. "Yes. Gallus seems certain that Mercer had been removing funds from the Guild's treasury without anyone's knowledge."
Karliah sighed and rubbed her temples. "Why didn't he tell me about this?"
"Maybe he intended to," Irina said softly. "But he just didn't get the chance."
"Anything else, Enthir? Anything about…the Nightingales?"
"Hmm…yes there is," the Bosmer replied. "The last few pages seem to describe the 'failure of the Nightingales', although it doesn't go into great detail. Gallus also repeatedly mentions his strong belief that Mercer desecrated something known as the Twilight Sepulcher."
Karliah gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "Shadows preserve us, so it's true…"
"What's the matter?" Irina asked. "What is the Twilight Sepulcher?"
"I've never heard of it either," Enthir said. "What's Mercer Frey done?"
Karliah shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't say. All that matters is that we deliver this translation to the Guild immediately."
"Fair enough," Enthir replied. "All I want is the truth presented to the Guild. They respected you once, Karliah. You deserve better."
"Enthir…words can't express…" the Dunmer woman choked up.
Enthir held up his hand. "I know. You don't have to say anything."
"Farewell," Karliah said with a slight bow, then she turned to Irina. "Come on, we must hasten to Riften before Mercer can do any more damage to the Guild."
"I'm right behind you. Good bye, Enthir, thanks for everything."
Irina followed Karliah out into the street where they set off on their journey at once. It was midday, so they would likely be camping on the road before reaching Windhelm, but they'd spent too much time on the journal already. They needed to get back.
As they walked, Irina had a lot of new questions. "Karliah, what was that thing in Gallus's journal about the Twilight Sepulcher? Why can't you tell me more about it?"
Karliah sighed and shrugged. "I couldn't tell Enthir, but you've come this far with me, I see no harm in concealing it any longer." She took a deep breath as if she were going to plunge into a lake. "The Twilight Sepulcher is the temple to Nocturnal. It's what the Nightingales are sworn to protect with their lives."
Irina frowned. "With their lives? Why does a temple need that kind of protection?"
"Everything that represents Nocturnal's influence is contained within the walls of the Sepulcher." She shook her head, an expression of grief on her face. "Now it seems Mercer's broken his oath with Nocturnal and defiled the very thing he swore to protect."
"I never pictured Mercer being pious in any way," Irina admitted. "It doesn't really fit what I know of him—or what I know of thieves in general."
"I felt the same way when Gallus first revealed these things to me," Karliah admitted with a slight smile. "I think, given time, you'll understand what I mean."
"Yeah well, I think I'd understand better if less secrecy was involved."
Karliah frowned. "As a Nightingale I've been sworn to secrecy regarding the Sepulcher. I know the Guild doesn't do much to foster faith, but I'm going to have to ask that you continue to trust me."
Irina sighed but then nodded. "I do trust you. By all rights I shouldn't, but I do. I guess I'm just going to have to curb my curiosity." She gave Karliah a sideways glance and smile. "For now."
Karliah arched an eyebrow at her before shaking her head in mild amusement. "Perhaps one day I'll be able to answer your questions. But for now, we've got a lot of road to cover."
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Author's Note: Sorry there was so much cannon stuff in this chapter, guys. Unfortunately it's a necessary evil sometimes. I hope you enjoyed it anyway though. :-)
