Six
Farkas
I watched the guards drag the thief away. Her body was limp between the two of them, the scent of her blood filled my nose. The stench made my stomach churn with emotions I couldn't identify. Blood rushed in my ears; my beast was restless at the sight of her, but this time I was untroubled. My grief was enough to silence him, even at the sight of the woman he so dearly wanted to… be near. He shied away from my pain of losing Vignar; I let it consume me if only to get a reprieve from the monster.
"What was she doing?" Aela demanded, pulling me from my stupor. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest. Aela was beyond disappointed I hadn't let her kill the thief when she had the chance. My heart pounded in my chest still; the image of Aela slamming the thief's head into the stones would be burned into my mind for a while.
"I found her beside Vignar's bed." I answered thoughtfully, turning my back on her. "It looked like she was…" I shook my head.
"What?" Aela slipped around me, stopping firmly in my path so I may not avoid her or the question.
"It looked like she was investigating." I admitted, veering around her.
"You should have let me kill her." Aela snarled back. My beast blood sent me an image of us kicking Aela across the market at the words, I brushed him aside. My beast didn't like the Thief being threatened, especially by another of our kind. I felt my eye twitch slightly, trying to explain to him that the thief did not deserve the respect he wanted me to give her. She was a thief.
"She might know something that could lead us to Vignar's murderer." I heard myself say, not sure how true the words really were.
"What if she is the fucking murderer?" Aela snapped back at me. I sighed.
"I know she isn't." I responded, meeting Aela's fierce gaze; she leveled me with a glare.
"How do you know her?" Her tone and eyes were now suspicious and narrowed in disgust, as if she had just caught me doing something lewd.
"I don't, she stole my coin purse outside of Falkreath when Vignar was killed. That's why I don't understand why she's here." Aela looked unconvinced, I felt like my head may explode.
"So you do know her." Aela's voice was tinged with disgust. "A thief."
"A thief that stole from me." My tone biting. "Are you even listening?" I didn't wait for her response as I continued on towards Jorrvaskr.
"Either way, we'll watch her hang in the morning. They'll string her up in the big tree, although the Temple will probably have another fit about it." Aela's voice was smug behind me; I didn't let myself tense. It would only confirm what she believed, so I didn't answer as we continued on. I didn't think she expected one anyway.
The market was dark as we stalked back up the steps. I nodded to a guard we passed on duty and pushed my way into the great hall. I growled when my eyes landed on Ria and hers mine. I rapidly looked away before I turned back to sulk towards Vignar's room.
I cringed when I heard Ria's voice behind me, only to realize it was Aela that had started a conversation with her; I sighed in relief. I silently thanked her as I scanned the bed for my pillow. I spotted it and tucked it under my arm; I was halfway to the door again when I froze. I turned back to the nightstand slowly, sure I had been seeing things.
Sure enough, sitting there on the night table beside where I had slept was the very coin purse that had been stolen from me only days before. I picked it up with shaking fingers. I recognized it immediately; I knew it was mine without looking, although I did anyway. It had the letter 'F' carved on the inside lip of it. After a quick count I even confirmed my entire sum was still intact.
I stepped back in shock. That thief… had left it? What on Nirn一? What was she trying to tell me? Was she trying to tell me anything or was I just crazy? I absently hooked it back into place on my belt before I turned back to the Guild Hall, a bit more dazed than before.
It was time I went to my own room.
I was halfway to the stairs when I noticed Ria again. She had obviously been waiting for me. I tried not to show my grimace and hurried my pace.
She was on me before I had reached the top of the stairs. .
"Farkas." Her voice was always sickly sweet when she said my name. I tried not to balk.
"Ria." I answered.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." Her words were soft, I felt her hands on my right forearm. I pulled away gently with a light smile.
"Thank you, that means a lot." I admitted, trying to scoot around her so I could get to the door.
"Is there anything you need? I know your brother isn't here to comfort you… you poor thing I'm so sorry." I would have believed her words, if not for her eyes. Never genuine, always calculating.
Ria was a member among our welps. She was an attractive imperial woman with short cropped brown hair and dark eyes. Her war paint had been recently wiped clean and repainted, I could tell. The smooth red lines were almost too clean on her face. I couldn't walk through this building without tripping over her.
There had been a time a few moons ago when Ria and I had shared a bed. Although it had been late at night and we were both deep in our tankards… I wasn't proud of it now, and regretted it every time I ran across her… which was every day. Obviously she was expecting something from me, something I would never give to anyone, let alone her.
That thief then? I heard the voice in the back of my head mock me in vain. I hardly stopped myself from sputtering.
"I need some peace and quiet. I just want to be alone." I admitted a little too quickly.
We both know that isn't going to happen.
I bit my tongue hard; we reached the door separating the guild hall from our quarters. I pushed it open and she followed me through it.
"Are you sure?" She pressed. I did my best not to show my irritation. "Maybe it would be better to have some company."
We had reached the door to my room. I unlocked it and turned around to face her as I opened it. My shoulders almost touched both sides of the door frame making it easy to block her from forcing her way in.
"Ria, no thank you一"
She put her hands on my chest, I grabbed her wrists automatically so they couldn't travel anywhere else. It wasn't a hard grip, a light one, which she must have misinterpreted.
"I can help you take your mind off things for a while." Her voice was as smooth as honey. She tried to press herself against me but I held her at arm's length.
One thing she was good at getting from me: aggravation. Did she really think I was such a simpleton? Was she seriously suggesting that sex with her would make me feel better? I did snort this time. Did she think that I would be so easily manipulated to forget all my troubles so mindlessly? The loss I was trying to deal with would never be forgotten. Who was she to act like the cure to my pain? Ria thought she was entitled to me, as if her presence alone was enough to quell the hurt and anger that was tormenting me inside. Anger fizzled through me hot and white.
I still gripped her wrists; I shoved her away from me and my door. It was harder than I had meant, but still not hard enough to hurt her. I didn't let myself feel pity when rejection flashed across her face.
"I said no, get out of my face." I growled before I slammed the door in hers. I sucked in a deep breath, drinking in the silence of my own space.
What silence? My beast snarled, I took a deep deep breath.
I buried my face in my hands, rubbing my temples to try and dispel the headache there. Ria, at least, had been right about one thing… My brother wasn't here. I would find him. He needed to hear the news of Vignar's death from one of us, not from the gossip that was sure to be spreading like wildfire across Skyrim.
Vilkas had been due back to us two days ago, yet there was no sign of him. Skjor informed me that he was coming back from Windhelm; it must have been fate, for my true destination would be the College of Winterhold. Windhelm wasn't too far from that path.
I knew if there was any information about werewolves and imprinting, it would be there. That was at least the best place to start my search. Once I knew what it all meant, perhaps I could put a stop to it.
I figured my brother had been caught up in some kind of side job, which would explain his absence. I planned to leave early in the morning, long before the sun rose, long before Ria was awake, and long before they would hang that thief from the big tree.
XXX
The morning air was brisk as I made my way towards the front gate of Whiterun. For the third time, I counted through my mental list. After checking two more times, I knew I couldn't stall any longer. Part of me wanted to head up to the jail; that was exactly why I needed to get out of here. Something was pulling me away, it was but a small tug in my chest.
I made my way towards the stables, pushing through Whiterun's gates before I could change my mind. I needed to forget about the thief and focus on finding my brother first. I pulled my cloak around me at the chill drifting through the valley. I looked up, hearing the sound of wagon wheels upon cobblestones.
I had heard there would be a carriage waiting there until morning. What I didn't expect was the driver to be rolling away as I approached.
"Hey!" I called, thinking it was a little early for the carriage to be leaving.
I saw the driver look back before halting and waiting for me. His face was covered by a hat and scarf; a dark hood was pulled low over his eyes. His entire body was enwrapped in a black cloak; it was covered in a light layer of snow. He nodded to me, hand extended.
"Going to Windhelm?" I asked, this would be much faster than walking.
The driver nodded, I put some money into the outstretched hand and climbed into the back of the wagon. I set down my travel bag with a thud and slid my sword off my back. I at least wanted to be comfortable if I would be stuck here for the entirety of the day.
I propped up my feet and let my head rest against the driver's seat. I let myself doze in and out of sleep; my cloak fought the cold away from my cocoon. I could see my breath, even in the morning darkness. The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky. It was a cool gray, slowly turning to pink that would fade to light blue. The moons were fading from sight, the stars winking out one by one.
By the time the sun had begun to peak over the horizon, we had reached the Valtheim Towers. I expected there to be bandits and slowly gripped my sword tighter as we passed. The driver seemed weary as well, looking up at the towers ahead with unease.
I tried to smell what was on the wind, but it was on our backs. It didn't take long until we were watching the towers disappear in the distance. I tried not to be too concerned… yet it was concerning. These towers were always guarded by bandits and for the first time in my life it was empty.
Once we passed, we were downwind of the towers; there was one thing I could smell for certain.
"I smell blood." I muttered to the driver.
In response he slapped the reins down hard and we picked up the pace slightly. I waited, greatsword in hand. I had a bad feeling crawling up my back like a tiny spider. The thought alone made me shiver. Something wasn't right.
We took a left towards Windhelm at the fork; soon enough darkness had consumed us again as the forest trees enclosed us beneath its canopy. I had an uneasy feeling, the darkness here seemed darker than it should have been. We had only been shrouded in obscurity for a moment when I spotted a man blocking the road ahead. The driver had seen him too.
Our carriage skidded to a halt; the man's hood covered most of his features. All I could see was a slender nose and a grin that made me uneasy. He stood silently, I could have counted every one of his teeth.
"Greetings." The man deadpanned. "My lady has made the decision to spare one of your guilds. Congratulations for this opportunity. Whichever guild brings us the Dragonborn, or the location of the Dragonborn, will be spared. Otherwise your guild mates may not live long enough一"
Before I could move, the carriage driver had stood. He had pulled a giant bow from the space behind his seat. The oversized cloak, hat, and scarf fell away and after a moment I realized, not a he, a she.
One moment the man stood speaking, the next he was knocked back. Her arrow found his right shoulder, he stumbled back and she jumped down to the forest floor. I watched, frozen to the spot. The thief. She was here… and I had helped her escape?
The man began to laugh, I heard the woman's voice ring out.
"Where is she?" The woman spat, I barely got out a warning when she began to approach the man.
He gripped the arrow in his shoulder and yanked it out without flinching.
"Your weapons cannot harm me." He sneered, his hands were aglow with a conjuration spell. "As I was saying一"
The force of the summoning spell threw the woman back, she hit the carriage with a thud. I finally had enough sense to stand. I jumped to the ground, and deflected a spell with my sword before it struck her.
"Whichever guild fails will still have the honor of serving in her Majesty's army. A true honor." He keened.
I watched in horror as something with eight legs crawled from the summoning portal. The legs came first, then there was a grotesque human head. A woman's torso had been melded into a spider using magic by the looks of it. Her hair was long, flowing behind her in a spider ridden sheet of cobwebs and egg sacs. Her arms showed black veins running along them, and her face… her face was not human.
Eight beady black eyes seemed to scatter in every direction as the creature took in the world around it. They all fixated on me at once. Her mouth was replaced by two giant pinchers, although it almost looked like somebody had applied lipstick to the ends of them.
"Darling, please kill them for her Majesty's army." The man smiled with a kindness that made my stomach churn. That thing was much faster than it looked. The man turned towards the forest and clapped his hands.
"Time to play, my puppets!" The man grinned with glee.
In a flash it was above me, looming down in a blow that would surely have killed me. I sprang, rolling and stumbling away from the monster. It's front legs dug into the dirt where I had been, leaving a crater the size of my head. It reared back to strike again; I knew I wouldn't be fast enough this time.
An arrow found its place deep in one of the demon's eyes. I rolled away, finally taking the fighting stance I wanted. That thief was fearless, firing arrow after arrow. So far she had taken out three eyes on her own. A scream erupted from the monster, pained and angry. I slid beneath the beast, slicing it's belly open from below. It reared back, steel met bone and I cut off one it's monstrous legs, throwing the beast off balance.
I ducked, narrowly missing getting poison spit into my face. I stumbled, there was something stuck to my boot. There was a web holding me in place. I careened the other way, feeling the material of my armor being eaten through on my back as cold air was let in. I kicked my leg with all my might, I watched the thief go flying over my head. Her form hit a tree and she landed at the base of it with a thud.
I looked up, the creature was preparing to leap. It's full attention should have been mine, but it wasn't. I realized for a moment that the Thief hadn't moved from where she had fallen. The demon crouched to pounce, going in for the final kill.
The full fury of my beast blood was behind the blow as I leaped. My sword entered the beast woman's torso, where her heart should have been. I tore the blade through, severing her in half. We both fell to the ground, I watched in horror as the creature's mouth still sputtered acid. It splattered on the thief's arm, the pain woke her instantly. Her screams filled the clearing, my eardrums, until there was nothing else I could hear or feel but her pain.
Her eyes found mine for the briefest of moments, and then they were looking past me.
"Look out!" She warned.
I heard him then, a quiet step behind me. I could hear the metal whizzing through the air. I turned, meeting his blade with mine. Sparks clashed between us as metal met metal. I strained against him, he stood at ease, as if all my strength wasn't enough to faze him. Sweat beaded on my forehead and slid down my neck. This wasn't right, I realized after a moment that this thing also wasn't human.
The sound of twigs snapping drew my attention to the forest. I heard movement, and then I caught sight of a man loping towards us with a steel sword drawn. Behind him were others, I counted almost a dozen men and women combined. From the smell of them they were all dead, brought back to life by some sort of reanimation spell. At least that explained where all the bandits had gone.
"You are a warrior. You may still be useful yet." The man seemed pleased by this idea, looking me up and down. I should have been stronger than him, yet all my muscles combined didn't even make him flinch.. "Not everyone can give Blight as much trouble as you did Companion一"
"Fuck you." I grit through my teeth. The Thief's screams had quieted behind me, I glanced back to see her performing a healing spell on herself from behind a tree.
"One of you will have the opportunity to present the Dragonborn to her majesty. This is the only thing that will promise the safety of you and your guild. When you've found him… bring him to the capital and we will find you." The man smiled again, those perfect rows of teeth shining. "May the better man, or woman, win."
I glimpsed red on his palm.
"No一" I protested, but it was too late. The fury spell filled my head, my vision, everything. All I could see was red, red, red… and everything went black.
XXX
I know I should have posted sooner. I'm sorry to all of my little chicken nuggies out there. Please enjoy and know there is more on the way. :P