Chapter 22

Morndas, the 27th of Midyear, Year 202 of the 4th Era

Daenerys studied Vignar Grey-mane. The man loved to talk as his colorful report on the wonderful city of Riften had clearly demonstrated, yet now that the conversation turned to Karliah he was strangely hesitant. "So… how did you meet this Karliah?"

"Well, I didn't want to stay in the jarl's manor because Jenassa and Torvar wouldn't have been able to reach me that way, at least not without being noticed. So, I took an upstairs room at the largest inn in Riften, the Bee and Barb. I didn't just lock the door to my room. I hung bells on the doorknob on the inside, and I made a little tower out of plates and mugs behind the door. I have no clue how she managed to open the door without making a sound, but I woke up with her sitting down on my bed. She said she wanted to talk."

Daenerys nodded slowly. Now Vignar's hesitation was explained. She would be equally disturbed after waking up with a stranger in her bed. The squidskulls weren't the first assassins to target her, nor would they be the last. She knew that most thieves, spies, and assassins lacked skill. They were merely bold or desperate enough to steal and betray. Others, like Varys's little birds, were merely being used. Most of the assassins that had tried to kill her had simply been hired knives. Yet, some had been competent. What Vignar described of the Thieves' Guild of Riften didn't sound that competent, and yet they hadn't been shut down.

Karliah was something else altogether. She had opened a cleverly trapped door without making a sound. That brought to mind tales she had heard of thieves, spies, and assassins both skilled and magical. The Faceless Men were feared across Essos. In Tamriel they had similar boogeymen, the Dark Brotherhood. She knew it was a contradiction in terms, but she had hoped to find a trustworthy thief. It appeared she had made contact with a dangerous one. She couldn't help but be suspicious. While the quiet competence of Karliah was the complete opposite of the brazen and suicidal direct assault of the two squidheads, she obviously had the skills required of a master assassin.

"I see," said Daenerys. "Apparently my housecarls insisting on having guards watching over me at all times is not misplaced. Vignar, I owe you an apology. I sent you after wolves. You ran into a bear. I'm glad she just wanted to talk, shield-brother."

"So am I," agreed Vignar with a fragile laugh. "It happens, shield-sister. I hear that on your first mission you got sent out for wolves and found a whole Falmer nest. There are much better ways to wake up with a strange girl in my bed, but I survived."

Marcus Verres and Sofija found this funny and laughed.

Daenerys didn't think it was clever or funny. This Karliah could have easily slit Vignar's throat or robbed him blind. Vignar had clearly understood the implied threat. That's why he was laughing it off with typical Nord bravado. Daenerys fought to keep from scowling. Karliah had opened with a threat. It was a tactic she was very familiar with using herself. During her early years as a ruler, she had often led by proudly displaying her three dragons. Looking back that had been a mistake. To be fair, when she had been starting out, she had little but the threat of her dragons to rely upon. She had also hadn't known any better. Eventually, she had learned not to lead with threats. While threats might cow enemies into submission, threats did not make allies into friends. She had also learned never to make a threat that she was not fully prepared to follow through. In her later years of ruling, she had grown wiser and held her dragons back when negotiating. The mere fact of their existence was threat enough. Karliah was too skilled to be inexperienced. So, was she desperate or fully prepared to follow-through?

"Oh well, she doesn't know what she missed out on. I'm like a fine brandy. I've improved with age." Vignar chuckled at his own joke and continued his story. "Karliah had a Dunmer accent, but she used a hooded lantern to shine a light in my face while leaving her own in shadow, so I can't swear to her race, or even give any kind of description except that she was a tall and skinny woman. Then she described both Jenassa and Torvar to me. She asked who I was working for and what we wanted from the Thieves' Guild. I decided that, under the circumstances, truth was the best option. I told her that I was with the Dragonguard, and that killing dragons doesn't pay our bills, so we clear out bandits and old Nord barrows for money. She laughed when I said you wanted us to find an honest thief in Riften to deal with the traps and locks. She said that if she wanted to steal from people honestly, she'd be a noble, a merchant, or a tax collector."

Camilla made a sputtering noise at that. "Tax collector I can understand, but there is a world of difference between driving a hard bargain and stealing. Even Lady Targaryen haggles. She's quite good at it."

"Peace, Camilla," commanded Daenerys. Vignar's news was too important to get distracted by jokes and bickering. "Let him finish his story."

"There's not much more to tell," said Vignar. "She wants to meet with you one-on-one."

"Well that's not going to happen," said Sofija.

Daenerys frowned briefly at anyone else making decisions for her. However, she was trying to encourage Sofija to come out from behind her shadow. This was a step in the right direction and should be supported. "Sofija is correct. You probably haven't heard yet, Vignar, but I was attacked by two assassins in Ivarstead. I don't think Karliah is working with them, but I would need a compelling reason to meet alone with a mysterious stranger. I will be glad to meet with her privately, but I will have at least my housecarls with me. Where and when does she want to meet?"

"She just said that she'd be in touch." He spread his hands and shrugged. "I don't think I'll be falling asleep easily tonight. Can't even drink properly if I might be woken up for a midnight chat, but maybe I'll get at least a kiss out of it this time."

"We'll set a guard on your tent, Vignar." She saw he was about to object. "Not just for your safety. It will say something about her skills if she can get past guards."

"We should increase the guards around your tent as well, my thane," said Sofija. "It only takes a sharp knife to make another door into a tent."

Daenerys shook her head. "Lydia is already standing watch outside with four guards. Barbas is watching inside with Faralda, you, and my servants sharing my tent. Barbas only pretends to sleep. That's more than enough security on my tent. We're marching long hours. The men need rest, too."

Sofija nodded her agreement. "As you say, my thane."

Marcus Verres cleared his throat before speaking. "Can we back up a bit? You doubted that she was working with the squidskulls. Why? Vignar said she was a Dunmer. That's a connection."

Daenerys shook her head. "We don't know for certain that she is a Dunmer. Vignar did not see her face and accents can be faked. To answer your question, their methods are completely different. Whoever is behind the squidskulls has power. He, or she, is bold and direct, but also wasteful. The men who attacked were loyal unto death. It takes power to attract the kind of loyalty that people will throw their lives away for you. Possibly religious power, because they acted like zealots. However, they were mages, so I would guess secular. It's also arrogant and wasteful to send mages like that. Karliah was completely different: cautious, professional, skilled. She's a planner. These thieves in Riften call themselves a guild, and they show cunning with their layered defenses. A guild has a guildmaster. I would venture to guess that Karliah is either the guildmaster herself or she reports directly to him."

"Huh," said Vignar. "That sounds plausible. So, you think these two… squidskulls? are working for Maven Black-briar then."

Daenerys shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know if she commands that kind of loyalty, but you did say that Torvar got threatened with the Dark Brotherhood if he crossed Maven. Maybe she merely has the money and the contacts to hire fanatical assassins. Isn't there a group of Dunmer assassins?"

"The Morag Tong," said Faralda. "But they're nothing like the squidskulls. The Morag Tong are part of Dunmer culture. The great houses of Morrowind are always fighting among each other. Sanctioned assassinations are a way to keep the fighting from escalating to open warfare. They post writs and the target knows about the writ. It's very formalized. They are also supposed to stay within Morrowind, not that they haven't gone outside if the money is good enough. However, they're professionals, not fanatics."

"Thank you, Faralda. Regardless of who they are, both Karliah and the squidheads made the same mistake. I don't like people trying to kill me, and I don't take kindly to threats. Not to me. Not to my people."

"Um, my thane?" asked Sofija. "Could that be Karliah's intent? To provoke you?"

"Possibly, but that doesn't feel right…" It took a bit to sort through what her intuition was telling her. "She's highly skilled. If her goal was simply to provoke me, I think she could have done so without revealing her existence. No, she wanted to talk. I think they Thieves' Guild and Maven probably think the same thing that Vignar does, that I plan on cleaning up Riften."

"We're not?" asked Camilla looking lost. "I mean, isn't that why you sent spies?"

"No," said Daenerys firmly. "I would prefer to just pass through Riften. The problems plaguing Riften are deep and entrenched. Even if I crushed the Thieves' Guild, exposed the Black-briar family, and replaced the jarl, it would only start to fix Riften's problems. As soon as the Dragonguard moved on someone else would move in and the cycle would start over. Believe me, I know. When I conquered Meereen, I thought I could simply free all the slaves by right of conquest. It took years and the assistance of the Red Temple to bring stability to Dragon's Bay. I don't have a few years to fix Riften."

Marcus shook his head. "Someday, I really want to hear about these conquests of yours that you just casually toss out like setting a fox among the chickens." He sighed. "However, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we believed you had some great plan you were holding back to fix Riften. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't think that in Riften as well. I think we might end up in a mess regardless of what you want. By now everyone in Riften knows you're coming. They're probably all expecting you to do your hero thing. If I were a thief or a Black-briar, I'd be pretty nervous about now. Nervous people do foolish things."

Daenerys frowned. Marcus was right. She could say she was just passing through Riften until she was out of breath, but apparently no one would believe it. The gods didn't even need to meddle. Human nature would cause enough trouble on its own. Maybe she should have brought her entire army instead of leaving half the Dragonguard behind in Ivarstead.

.oOo.

Daenerys was awakened in the night by Barbas barking and growling. Faralda lit up the tent by conjuring magelight. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that Aana and Raina were huddling together shaking in fear while Sofija stood naked in a crouch with a conjured sword in each hand. "Barbas? Why the barking?"

{There was a woman near the tent, not one of your guards. Dunmer by her scent. Probably Karliah.}

"Dunmer female outside," Daenerys relayed to Sofija. "Armor up and we'll see if Barbas can follow her trail."

Sofija bowed. "Yes, my thane."

Raina hobbled over still not dressed herself. "I'll help you, m'lady." Despite her obvious fear from being awoken by a possible assassin, her handmaiden didn't hesitate to assist her. Raina worked quickly and efficiently helping Daenerys don her skysteel plate armor.

Daenerys made a point to meet her handmaiden's eyes. "Thank you, Raina. Get dressed and keep Aana company. We'll be back shortly one way or another." While the girl wasn't a fighter, she was a survivor, and she was still with her after facing a dragon attack. Raina was certainly devoted. Daenerys wondered if the face sculptor in Riften could heal Raina's broken ankle. One session with the faceshaper would cost as much as a good horse, but it was something to consider. She pushed that idea aside and left the tent. As she did Faralda fell into place on her left and Sofija on her right. The camp was awake and soldiers marching about in organized patterns searching the camp.

Lydia thumped her armor in salute. "We didn't hear anyone, so we don't know what happened."

"Barbas smelled a Dunmer woman closeby."

"From inside the tent?" asked Lydia.

{I had my nose poking out from under the tent,} explained Barbas as he ran around sniffing the ground. He paused for a moment, gave a happy bark, and then headed toward the perimeter of the camp. {I got her scent now!}

"So, she did make it past our sentries and into camp?" asked Daenerys.

"Yes," woofed Barbas with his nose still to the ground. Once they passed the camp boundary, he led them in the direction of the woods they had passed through the previous day.

Daenerys followed after Barbas along with Faralda, Sofija, Lydia, and quite a few others joining them. She wasn't that surprised that the trail led into the woods. The field they camped in had some low bushes and long grass, but nowhere to hide from a determined search. Especially with Faralda casting magelight frequently at any potential hiding places. Daenerys considered telling Faralda to back off, but the intruder had already kicked the hornet's nest. The entire Dragonguard was marching around with torches. At least magelight lit up their way so they weren't stumbling in the dark.

Once they entered the woods, Barbas led them through the trees for a short distance before he paused. He shook his head and then sneezed. {Damn that evil bitch to Oblivion! She used hound's bane.}

"What is hound's bane?" asked Daenerys. She had a pretty good idea based on the name and the way Barbas kept snorting and shaking his head.

"Just what it sounds like," said Aela speaking up for the first time. "It's a mix of strong-smelling liquids you scatter along your path to throw off dogs, wolves, or any animal that tracks by scent. Ground peppers and other common herbs can be used, but there are potions as well."

{The bitch used a potion. It smells like skunk and ice peppers with magic in the mix.} He rubbed his snout on the grass as if trying to rub out the hound's bane.

Daenerys sighed. "If Barbas can't track her any longer, we're not going to find her like this. Everyone, you did good. You chased her off before she could do any harm. We've spent enough of our night chasing the wind. Back to bed everyone." Then she looked at Aela, deliberately pointed a finger at her and then gestured into the woods ahead of them.

Aela nodded and smiled. She faded into the woods and continued the search while the rest of them noisily returned to camp.

.oOo.

Aela showed up the next morning as they were breaking camp to report. It took a lot to break Aela's composure, but the Huntress was clearly agitated. "Shield-sister, I have news."

Daenerys glanced around. Breakfast was done and everyone was bustling about taking down tents and preparing to set forth. "Walk with me, shield-sister." She led Aela away from the camp and the woods through a field of tall grass that came up to her thighs.

Sofija and Lydia trailed after them staying far enough back to allow a private conversation. Barbas stayed by her side.

Daenerys glanced at Barbas, but he was doing what he had sworn to do, guarding her. Then she looked to Aela. "What is this news that has you so upset?"

Aela folded her arms under her breasts and scowled. "Karliah caught me. After you returned to camp, I went deeper into the woods and changed form. I circled around where she used the hound's bane and picked up her trail. It was easy. That's the problem with hound's bane. If a wolf or dog gets a strong whiff of it, then it will clog their nose. However, hound's bane has a powerful scent, and it can cling to the one who used it. That means if you're careful, you can follow the scent of the hound's bane itself. It's tricky, but I was managing it. She still left a difficult trail, backtracking, branching. I lost it a few times and picked it back up. Then she made it to a stream, and I lost her trail. The wolf was fading and dawn was approaching, so I headed back to report in. I reverted to human a little after the sun rose." She scowled again. "Karliah must have been following me the whole time. She shot me in the ass with an arrow!"

Daenerys had to force herself to keep a straight face. Aela's outrage accompanied by her obviously being alive and healthy made it hard not to laugh. Especially when Barbas was making the broken barking sound that passed as his laughter. This was serious. Karliah was a potential threat. She pushed down her mirth and focused on the details. "I see that you're not limping."

"She gave me a healing potion. After she tied me up, which wasn't hard for her to do because the arrow had poison on it. Whatever she used, it left me weak and unable to move for a short while. Not all that long, but long enough for her to bind my wrists and ankles." Aela sighed. "Then we talked."

Picturing Aela tied helpless and naked drained the humor away. Karliah was attacking and threatening her people. "You know, I'm getting rather tired of Karliah's methods of starting a conversation. If she wanted to talk, she should have just asked."

"I said much the same to her… after I calmed down. I said a lot of other things before that." Aela paused for a breath and then continued. "Karliah apologized. She claimed to be impressed we kept her out. Her excuse was that she wanted to 'take your measure,' but she took things too far."

"Including shooting you in the ass. You were already heading back. She could have as easily shot an arrow with a note or something." Hmm, was that a pattern? Was Karliah showing off instead of trying to intimidate? Or was there some deeper plan? "I'm missing something. Is making threats a Dunmer thing? I certainly agree she has gone too far. What exactly is it she wants?"

"She said she wants to talk," replied Aela. "But, not just anywhere. She wanted you to come to her alone and have a private conversation."

"The time to do that was before she threatened Vignar, before she snuck into camp at night, and before she shot you. Now, she wants to talk?"

Aela gave a sharp jerk of her head in agreement. "Exactly! Maybe you're right. Maybe it is a Dunmer thing. They are more open about threatening each other. Like their assassins, the Morag Tong, only taking writs where the victim knows they're coming. Regardless, now she wants to talk to you alone. I told her that wouldn't happen, especially not after two Dunmer tried to kill you in Ivarstead. She didn't know about that. So, she made a counteroffer. She offered her own son, Galdrus, as a hostage to your safety."

"Did she now?" That was interesting, but was it true? "And how do we know that this person is truly her son?"

"I met him. He's young. I'm not good with Dunmer ages, but he looks like he's just a teenager to me. His face bears her features including a very distinctive one. They both have eyes just as purple as yours."

"Hmm, I've heard people say that I have mer eyes. Is purple common among Dunmer?" It wasn't like she had met many Dunmer.

Aela shrugged. "I don't know many Dunmer. The ones I have seen all had various shades of red, so purple isn't that common. All three of you have very vivid purple eyes. It stands out, and not just that. The way Karliah and Galdrus acted together, especially when she told him that he would be a hostage for your safety, it felt real. He looked betrayed and then determined."

"I see." Honestly, she was getting tired of this. "And if I was willing to go speak to her alone, not that I have agreed to it, where would we do this hostage exchange?"

"Galdrus is waiting just inside the woods. If I return and tell him to follow me, then he will."

"Hmm." Now wasn't that interesting? "Go get Galdrus then. I think that I will start by talking to him. Just to make sure there are no misunderstandings, bring him in under a flag of truce."

.oOo.

The flag of truce was a good precaution. Galdrus received a lot of hard looks from the Dragonguard as he was escorted into camp. One man spat at him and was immediately taken to task by Marcus Verres. Daenerys wasn't surprised by the hostility. Two Dunmer had tried to kill her at Ivarstead, and the whole camp knew someone had snuck past the sentries last night. Daenerys had her command tent set up again to interview Galdrus, but before she could interview him Barbas came running up to her.

{Hey, we need to talk before you interrogate our guest.}

Daenerys went down on one knee and scratched Barbas behind the ears. He reacted better when she treated him like a dog, and it let her talk quietly, so they weren't overhead. "What about?"

{The Dunmer kid, Galdrus, he's one of Nocturnal's.}

"The Daedric Princess of Night and Darkness?" That put a different spin on things. "I suppose it makes sense that he worships Nocturnal. He's either a thief, a spy, or an assassin."

{Probably a thief or spy. Nocturnal loves them and anyone who spends their lives hiding in shadows. Assassins, not so much. They belong to Sithis. Or maybe Mephala playing at being Sithis. Even Vile and I aren't sure about that, but that's beside the point. Nocturnal is more about mystery than murder. And he's more than a worshiper. I couldn't tell if someone just worshiped Nocturnal. He's got to be something more.}

"More? You mean he is a priest of Nocturnal?"

Barbas pressed his head up into her hand directing her scratching to behind his ears. {Oh yeah, right there. Where was I? Maybe a priest, but Nocturnal doesn't care that much for worship. If he was a priest, he would have to be a strong one. More likely he's one of her Nightingales.}

"Okay, so what is a Nightingale?"

{Means she gave him a bit of her power. Not sure exactly what gifts. I've known her followers to be so good at sneaking I can't find them, others could drain the life from someone, or step into shadows and step out someplace else. Anyway, the point is you might not be able to hold him.}

"Does this mean Nocturnal herself is involved?"

Barbas made the hacking bark sound that he called laughter. {About as likely as finding a drunk in bar.}

"Is there a reason that I'm running into so many Daedric Princes and their agents? Do you know what they want from me?"

{Hey, it's not just the Daedra. The Aedra are involved, too. Do you think Talos smiles down on everyone who asks nicely? Or that a dragon got put in a human body without Akatosh being involved?}

"I notice that you did not answer the question." Daenerys extended her rubbing farther down his neck. "Why are they all meddling in my affairs?"

{Says the woman who just got crowned Ysmir.} Barbas's tail started wagging furiously. {Oh… lots of reasons. You've got that whole doom-driven hero thing. You're a dov. Fate is wrapped around you. When you do something, what is and what might be get up and dance.} He gave a sudden shake. {And there's the whole end of the world thing. Most of us would rather see this world keep going.}

"Most?" she asked. "Some gods want the world to end?"

{Not so much want, as don't care too much if it ends or not. Some Princes would rather tip over the whole board than lose.}

"Is Nocturnal one of those?"

{Not her style. She's too aloof to throw a tantrum. She just wants a turn playing with the most interesting toy on the board.}

Daenerys frowned at that characterization, but she could use that to her advantage as well. She had already. Barbas was proof of that. "So, what would Nocturnal want from me?"

{I don't know. She's always mysterious. I'll warn you to be careful. Clavicus Vile likes to make deals. Nocturnal likes oaths. Be careful you don't sell your soul. If you sign your soul to her of your own free will, it will be binding.}

She knew that, but it was already too late. She'd already made a deal with Hircine. "Thank you, Barbas." She gave him one last rub and then stood up. "I'd better go see what Galdrus has to say now."

{Wait,} called Barbas after her. {One more thing. If you plan to meet Nocturnal, I shouldn't come along. My master and Nocturnal had a backstabbing party a few centuries back. I might have been a bit involved. Nothing too unusual for Daedric Princes, but Nocturnal doesn't like me. Not like I could protect you from her anyway. I have only a fraction of my master's power.}

That was interesting information about his limits. Food for thought. Later. She gave him a parting scratch behind the ears. "Thank you, Barbas, for the warnings." She walked into the tent and found Galdrus being watched by both her housecarls and Aela. The tent was mostly empty of furnishings, but there was a folding chair and a small table waiting for her. Someone, probably Raina, had even left her a goblet of wine. She sat down and took a casual sip of the wine before getting started.

Galdrus held himself well, but it was obvious that he was still a lad. If he were human, she would judge him to be about fourteen or fifteen. Since he was Dunmer, he was probably a decade older, but he likely still had the maturity of a human teenager. He was clearly a mer with pointed ears, a sharp nose and chin, but his features were softer than most mer which hinted at a human father. His auburn hair was cut to irregular lengths falling about his shoulders giving it a rough look, but it was clear that he took great care of it. His black leather armor almost seemed to fade into the shadows of the room, but his bright purple eyes stood out.

Daenerys sat her wine down. "Well, Galdrus, I've heard Aela's side of things. Why don't you tell me yours?"

"There is not much that I can tell," he replied. He met her eyes briefly and then looked down. "You'll have to ask Karliah." He folded his arms. "Even if you torture me, I won't say anything!"

While he no doubt thought he was being stalwart and resolute, he just looked so young and naive to her eyes. Had she ever been that young? "Very well, if you have nothing to say, then you may go. I won't break a truce. Tell your mother that we won't be so lenient if she tries to sneak into my camp again."

"You're not going to talk to her?" asked Galdrus. The confusion on his face was plain to see.

Daenerys shook her head. "I'm afraid your mother overestimates your value. I really don't care about these games that the two of you are playing except that you stop playing them with me and the Dragonguard. I have nothing to gain by talking to Karliah."

Galdrus frowned for a long while. "This is a just a ploy to get me to talk."

"No," replied Daenerys. She stood up. Annoyingly, Galdrus was taller than her even if he was still a boy. "I don't have time for games," she said firmly. "You and your mother have given me no reason to trust you and every reason to distrust you. If Karliah wants to talk with me about something, and not just sneak around and attack my people, then she can find me. I'll be the one marching to Riften surrounded by two dozen armed men. I don't think she'll have a difficult time following our trail. Goodbye." She turned to Aela. "Escort him back to the woods and return to me."

Aela immediately grabbed Galdrus by the arm.

"Wait!" Galdrus cried as he struggled futilely against Aela's grip. "We can help you!"

Daenerys arched an eyebrow. "Really? I doubt it. Speak plainly and quickly. You've already held up today's march."

"We have the same enemies. My mother wants to take down the Thieves' Guild just like you do. That's why she wants to meet with you to work out an alliance."

So Karliah wasn't with the Thieves' Guild? If that was true, it was surprising. She certainly acted like a thief. "And she couldn't just come to me and say that?"

"She was going to. That's why she was trying to sneak into your tent."

"And just walking up and saying hello never crossed her mind?" She waved at Aela. "Let him go. He at least is talking now." She turned back to Galdrus. "And what does your mother have to offer me?"

Galdrus frowned. "Information. About the Thieves' Guild. Who are the real members, who they've bribed, where to find them, and more. I won't tell you details. You'll have to ask her."

"And why should I trust either of you?" demanded Daenerys.

"There will be oaths. They're binding, but that's why you must meet her. The oaths can only be made in a certain place."

And there were the oaths that Barbas had warned her against. "Must? I'll be the judge of what I must do. These oaths, can they only be made at a certain place, or in front of a certain being?"

Galdrus tried to hide it, but the shock on his face was clear. "I've said enough."

"Oh?" she asked with fake innocence. "But you haven't told me where to go to meet Karliah."

"My thane!" objected Lydia. "You can't be thinking of going alone."

"I am considering it. I may go if it isn't too far out of my way." Her advisors would object, but in the end they were her advisors, and it was her decision. She wasn't sure what to make of Karliah, but apparently she was only the intermediary. The invitation was actually from Nocturnal, and that was something else entirely.