Chapter 32

Sundas, the 3rd of Sun's Height, Year 202 of the 4th Era

The name of the illegal arena was the Forgotten Hole. The name of the huge blond with the wild hair and the painted chest was Burly Orryn. He turned out to be the bouncer and manager, but not the owner. He was also the first in line to join the Dragonguard. She had hoped to get five or six additional warriors for today. She had a lot more express interest. Fortunately, Torvar was present and was able to help her sort the wheat from the chaff. She hired eight of them immediately at his recommendation at mercenary rates including Burly Orryn. The rest she told that the Dragonguard was still hiring and that she would send her drillmaster by tomorrow to see who could make the cut. Torvar also told them to pass the word along. Before noon was apparently a slow time at the Forgotten Hole.

As she was interviewing potential recruits, she overheard bits and pieces of Harrald Law-Giver talking to Burly Orryn. The real owner of the Forgotten Hole was Sibbi Black-Briar. Sibbi was Hemming's younger brother, technically half-brother according to Karliah. He was currently serving time in the Riften jail for murder. Since the Black-Briars could easily afford the weregild, that meant that either Jarl Law-Giver or Maven wanted him in jail rather than free. Harrald's questioning about Sibbi grew increasingly loud. Then he got a grip on himself and changed the subject to the Forgotten Hole's connection to the Thieves Guild. Burly Orryn started describing Brynjolf and Sapphire in detail. Daenerys recognized both of them from Karliah's list of potential Nightingales. Daenerys found the shocked expression on Harrald's face amusing, but from his argumentative tone, he was still in denial about how deeply the rot went.

When she added her newly acquired mercenaries to the Riften Guard and her own men, she now had seventeen warriors under her command, plus Harrald and Barbas. More than she expected to have when she left Snow-Shod Manor. There was the downside that they had never fought together before, but she felt she had more than enough to fulfill her part of the plan. Which was a good thing as it was time to be moving.

"Everyone, listen up!" The room grew quiet. Perhaps Shouting had improved her ability to yell as well? "We're moving out now! Riften guard, I want you in a wedge in front. Harrald, Lydia, Aringoth, and Torvar, you're with Barbas and me in the middle. New bloods, you're bringing up the back. We're heading to the Shrine of Talos. I explain more when we get there."

Everyone moved. It wasn't the organized march of the Dragonguard on the road, but they all kept together. Daenerys gave the sun a glance. Not quite noon yet, so they were right on time.

"Why do I have the feeling that we're not just going to the Shrine of Talos to pray?" asked Harrald as they walked quickly through Riften.

Daenerys glanced over at him. She could try to deny things, but there wasn't a point. "Because you're not a fool, Harrald Law-Giver. You have just been deceived by people you trusted. That's not your fault. It's happened to me, more than once."

"You mean Maven, don't you?" Harrald scowled. "Sibbi was always a bad seed. There is something wrong with him."

Daenerys shrugged. "If you say so."

"That Burly Orryn is half-mad. He's not wearing armor even now."

"I won't argue with that." she agreed pleasantly. Harrald knew better than she did that some Nord berserkers charging into battle wearing nothing but warpaint. She would have to admit that wasn't quite sane, but the Nords hailed them as heroes. Daenerys raised her voice. "Hey, Orryn would you say you are half-mad or three-quarters mad?"

"I'm all the way mad!" he bellowed back at her. "I have tea with Sheogorath every Turdas."

Everyone but Harrald broke out laughing at that. Even Barbas made that choking bark that passed for his laughter.

"Gods help us," said Harrald. "What else do you have planned for today?"

"Ask me again when get to the Shrine of Talos." To her surprise Harrald stopped asking questions after that although he seemed deep in thought. Daenerys kept her eyes on the streets. More than once they passed other Riften Guards, but none of them tried to stop her troops. In fact, some of them saluted as they passed. They had to push their way through a small crowd as they passed the Temple of Mara. Noon on Sundas was one of the more popular times for the faithful to visit the temples, and the Temple of Mara was by far the largest temple in Riften. Thankfully, the crowds gave way for them and they soon arrived at the Shrine of Talos.

The main feature of the shrine was a large statue of Talos standing head and shoulders above the tallest Nord. The statue depicted him as a warrior, not an emperor. He was wearing ringmail, a cloak, and a winged helmet. His visage could best be described as stern. He was poised standing over an enormous serpent and preparing to thrust down into its head with a two-handed sword. Daenerys guessed that the statue was probably based on one of the many heroic deeds of Tiber Septim. To the left of the statue was one of the axe-sword things that was the holy symbol for Talos. She would have to ask Nura what the symbol of Talos was supposed to depict when things weren't so rushed. Was it supposed to be the head of an axe? Or was it the hilt of a sword that was thrust into the ground? The latter seemed to make more sense. Thrusting a sword into the ground could be an act of claiming dominion over a land. For that matter, the snake that was depicted in the statue might not be one of Tiber Septim's deeds. Snakes were a symbol of Sithis, the Nord god of chaos and evil. Or maybe she was reading too much into things? The statue was also surrounded by butterflies flittering about. That almost certainly didn't have a deeper meaning.

Currently, the priestess who might answer her questions, Nura Snow-Shod, was talking quietly with an old man. Nura glanced at her over the man's shoulder and gave her a nod. "You need to be going now, Bjik. I need to speak with the Dragonborn now."

"Dragonborn?" asked the old man. "Oh. Of course." He bowed deeply. "So sorry, Dragonborn." He stepped away and headed out.

Nura nodded at her. "Daenerys, looks like you're on time. It's not quite noon yet, but it's getting close. You said that you would recruit some men, but I didn't expect so many."

"Why not?" Daenerys spoke loudly enough for the men to hear. "These men were willing to fight just for prize money. Is it surprising that Nords would rather fight for honor? They'll still get paid, but now they have a reason to fight."

Nura laughed over the cheers of her men. "And this is why Talos has chosen you, Daenerys Targaryen. You see deeper than most, and your words call to the warrior in the hearts of all men. Talos is many things, but he is the god of warriors and good leaders."

That started more cheering from her mercenaries. Even the Riften Guards joined in.

"What I want to know," interrupted Harrald Law-Giver. "Is what is going on here. I think I've been patient more than enough."

Daenerys gave a little shrug to Nura. "Very well." She stepped forward to Nura and turned around to face everyone. That this put the statue of Talos behind her was a welcome bit of symbolism she was happy to exploit. She quickly scanned the group that was assembled.

"Before I explain, let me make one thing clear. I know the Riften Guard is corrupt. There are those within it that can be bribed and report more to the Thieves' Guild and Maven Black-Briar than the jarl. I also know that Sibbi Black-Briar owned the Forgotten Hole and the Thieves' Guild rigged the fights. I don't really care about the past. Right here. Right now. You all have a chance to be honorable, but if any one of you tries to slink away before this fight is done, the rest of us will cut you down like a cowardly dog."

{Hey now, that was uncalled for,} said Barbas.

Daenerys ignored Barbas knowing that all anyone else heard was barking. She kept her focus on the people in front of her. Her newly hired mercenaries were nodding approval as were most of the Riften guards. However, some of them wouldn't meet her eye. She made a note of their faces so she could keep an eye on them. "Now, as to what is going on, today we're going to destroy the Thieves Guild." She looked over to Harrald and waited a pause, but he didn't interrupt to claim that there was no Thieves Guild. "Even as we speak the rest of my Dragonguard is moving into position. They are blocking the exits to eleven different sewers. At noon, they will sound their horns as a signal and enter the sewers. Once in the sewers they will fight their way through the ratways to the Ragged Flagon.

"I know the Riften Guard has tried this before and failed. That's because the Thieves' Guild was tipped off and were already hiding. We also know something they didn't. Just a short distance from here in the cemetery is a tomb that holds the back entrance to the Thieves Guild. It's a long distance from any of the other sewer tunnels. Even if the Thieves' Guild wasn't tipped off, they could easily slip out the back. All that the Riften Watch found were beggars and people with no place else to stay living in the sewer. Not today. Today when the true members of the Thieves Guild try to sneak out, we will be waiting for them.

"We'll probably only capture the first few, after that they'll hear us fighting up top and slink back to hide in the sewers. I'm certain we'll have to go in and dig them out of their holes like rats. That's when you'll earn your pay. Warriors of the Forgotten Hole, I want you to take the lead. There will be beggars mixed in and people who live in the sewers because they have no home. I want captures. Not kills. All of you have made a living fighting each other for sport. You know how to take a man down, but pull your blows so as not to kill them. Today you will put that skill to good use." What she was saying was true, but she was exaggerating a little. All warriors learned how to pull their blows. She had learned it herself when training with the Companions. You didn't fight to the death in training duels.

There were cheers from her newly acquired mercenaries. "Yeah, take them down!" "Stick it to the Thieves' Guild!"

"Yes, yes." She waved her hands in a quieting motion. "Let's keep it down. We are trying to do an ambush here. Now, a few more instructions. "Torvar, you're on prisoner detail. Nura brought rope. I want you to make sure everyone is secured, and no one escapes. We'll sort the thieves from the poor after the battle is over."

Torvar gave her a serious nod and raised his axe. "I'll handle it Shield-Sister."

Daenerys hoped he got the message. Torvar knew the faces of many of the real thieves and she wanted them very well secured. She would hopefully have a chance to have a quiet conversation with him shortly. "Nura Snow-Shod will be with us. She can heal, so can I. If any of you take a serious injury, drop back and get healed. We should have enough men to cover you." She looked over to Harrald. "I want you to stay back with Nura and protect her. I don't want any harm to befall her."

Harrald didn't look happy about it, but he nodded. "I will do that, but we also need to talk."

"We will, Harrald Law-Giver, once we are in position outside the exit. I'm almost done here…" Daenerys trailed off as she heard the distant sound of multiple horns. Barbas heard them as well from his barking. "Or not! That's the signal! Something went wrong. The attack is starting now. Aringoth! Double time. Lead us to the crypt!"

Aringoth took the lead and everyone followed after him.

Daenerys gave a quick glance to Harrald. "Stay with Nura and follow after us at her pace. Hopefully, we'll still have time to talk." Daenerys left them both and hurried after the rest of the men.

As she left she heard Harrald complain. "I didn't hear any horns!"

Daenerys frowned at that comment. The sound of horns had been faint, but clear to her. No doubt, she had only heard them because of her werewolf senses. Hopefully, that wouldn't cause questions later, but she didn't have time to care. She needed to get her forces into position before every real member of the Thieves' Guild escaped out their back door.

Fortunately, their destination wasn't far. At the far end of the Riften cemetery was a small stone tomb backing up against the Temple of Mara. The tomb wasn't sealed. It didn't even have a door. There was just an open archway leading to a small chamber containing a marble casket.

"Alright, everyone spread out. According to my information, the lid on that casket rolls back to reveal a ladder directly accessing the Thieves' Guild. I want everyone out of sight of that doorway. Once the Dragonguard fights their way to the Ragged Flagon, I expect them all to come pouring out. I want to take them out here in the cemetery where we can surround them and overwhelm them with numbers." Everyone was still looking at her. "Move it! Now!"

Everyone started scattering around and quickly got out of sight of the main doorway. Daenerys moved a few of them around so that the Riften Guard and her newly hired mercenaries were intermixed. She made sure that Nura and Harrald were hidden off to the side and in back. Nura should be safe there, and she didn't want to talk to Harrald right now.

Before she could go, Nura grabbed her hand. "Talos be with you, Daenerys Targaryen."

Daenerys felt something touch her spirit with Nura's blessing. It also seemed to linger like a warmth in her amulet. She wasn't sure what Nura had done, but that blessing had been more than mere words. "Talos be with you as well."

She hurried over to the opposite side and waited. Now that they were in position there was nothing to do but wait. She wondered what had gone wrong. Why had the Dragonguard attacked early? Had someone been impatient and simply misjudged the time? Or had one of her teams been spotted loitering near a sewer exit? Or had someone tried to slip away to warn the thieves? Any of them were possible. This attack was inherently difficult because they had to cover all the sewer entrances.

As they waited, eleven different teams should be making their way through different sewer entrances. Eight teams of three on the smaller tunnels. Three teams of four on the main tunnels. As they progressed down the hallways, the teams would meet at the various intersections and link up. Eventually, they would all converge on the Ragged Flagon. From the Ragged Flagon the sewers divided into a maze of corridors called the Warrens, but the Warrens were a dead end. All of that was cover and concealment for the true thieves. There was a secret passage that led to the cistern where the Thieves' Guild was based and that connected to the back door they were watching. Technically, there was a second back door. That one led to Mercer Frey's house, but Karliah and Galdrus were guarding that entrance. So many different moving pieces. So many ways things could go wrong.

From inside the tomb came a grinding sound of stone on stone. She held up a hand singling everyone to wait. A brown-haired man wearing dark leathers poked his head out and immediately dove back inside. "Trap! It's an ambush. Back down! Back down!"

"Now!" shouted Daenerys, but she hardly needed to do so. Just about everyone rushed forward. She was too far in the back to see what happened, but it was quickly over. "Clear the path. Let me through."

Once she was able to enter the crypt, she found two men out cold. One was the man who had peeked through the archway. The other was a Breton with a shaved head. That one was probably Delvin Mallory. He was on the list as a possible Nightingale. So much for her plan for ambushing them out in the open where she could use superior numbers against them. "You two, take them to Torvar. Don't leave until they're tied up. We'll deal with them later."

Daenerys tried the hidden latch which was supposed to unlock the fake casket, but nothing happened. "They've locked it from the other side. Step back!"

She took a deep breath, inhaled, and Shouted. "Mul!" Mul meant strength. It was the middle word of the Mir-Mul-Nir, Allegiance-Strong-Hunt. It made her blows much more powerful for a short span of time, but it was also one of the most dangerous Words in her arsenal. It was meant for dragons, not mortals. If she used it to often, the strain would kill her. However, strength was just what she needed. She brought her mace down and slammed it into the locking mechanism, and again, and again.

The stone gave way with a sudden snap.

"Everyone help me push." Daenerys grabbed the lid of the coffin and shoved it back. Hands appeared beside her as others joined and they slid the lid off and back into a recess.

Her reward for moving the lid was for someone to try to shoot her with an arrow. She quickly ducked back out of the way. "Stay back." She reached into her beltpouch for a magicka potion, uncorked it, and guzzled it down. It tasted vile, but she could feel it start to work immediately. "Give me a moment for the potion to kick in, and I'll Shout down the tunnel. Barbas!"

It took a moment, but the daedra pretending to be a dog wormed his way through the warriors standing in the small crypt. {You bellowed?}

"I'm about to Shout. That should make the archer down there back up. When he does, I want you to jump down. It's less than two stories."

Burly Orryn laughed. "You're talking to a dog, and you called me mad."

{Yeah, yeah,} replied Barbas.

Burly Orryn shook his head in surprise. "Maybe, I am mad. He's talking back."

Daenerys was just as surprised at Burly Orryn. Had he understood Barbas? Or was he just commenting on the way he barked back when she talked to him? That was a question for later. Enough time had passed that she felt she could shout again. She leaned over the shaft and Shouted three words. Yol, the consuming hunger of the flame. Toor, the rage of a firestorm. Shul, the purifying cleansing heat of the sun. Each a primal force by itself. Together they exploded into the same devasting blast of fire that dragons used. She pulled away immediately to clear the path.

As soon as she did Barbas leapt through the opening.

"Go!" urged Daenerys. "Go! Go! Go!" She got out of the way and let everyone rush through. They were eager and it wasn't long until it was just herself, Torvar, Harrald, and Nura. "Torvar, once we're down use the ropes and lower the prisoners down. The Riften Guard are on the way, and I don't trust them to keep them secure."

Torvar nodded. "Got it, Shield-Sister. They might get a little banged up lowering them, but I'll handle it."

She gave him a nod. "Nura if – "

"I'm not made out of glass. I'm coming."

Daenerys laughed and headed down the ladder. A charred corpse lay at the foot of the ladder. She jumped over it and found herself in a large underground chamber. Karliah had called this place a cistern. It wasn't the kind that stored water in arid lands. It was built to hold the overflow that came during the spring rains so the sewage didn't back up into the streets. Even now during summer sewage flowed in from multiple pipes at the top of the room and pooled in the center of the room. While it was certainly hidden and out of sight, the place reeked. What did it say about the Thieves' Guild that they called a place like this their headquarters?

Multiple tunnels came off the central room and she could see the Riften Guard and her mercenaries exploring. A large vault door stood open and the room beyond was empty. Only about a third of her men were present. From the bodies on the ground, there had clearly been a fight. Two people had also surrendered and were sitting on the floor with their hands held behind their heads. She heard the sound of fighting and barking coming from a corridor off to her left.

"Everyone in here. Secure the prisoners. Secure the ladder." Daenerys heard some of them shout agreement, but she was already in motion.

She followed the sound of combat through a narrow twisty tunnel and found herself in a second cistern. Like the guildhall for the Thieves' Guild it was a large room with a central pool. However, this cistern was set up as a tavern complete with a bar at one end and tables scattered around the room. This could only be the infamous Ragged Flagon.

She saw some fighting going on in the tavern, but it was decidedly lopsided. Her forces outnumbered the few people who hadn't run. Daenerys spent the rest of the fight trying to restore order. The Riften guards at least fought together. The mercenaries she'd acquired acted like this was a sport. They were just as intent on chasing people who were trying to flee and hide as they were in taking out the few who were fighting back. Not to mention there were at least two corpses floating the sewage. She wasn't happy to see one of the dead was a woman. She really hoped that no one had killed the face sculptor. She ended up Shouting Fus to get everyone's attention. They had run out of rope, so she had her followers strip the prisoners naked and tie them up their own clothes.

The prisoners weren't yet secure when more people she didn't know started running into the Ragged Flagon. Her men quickly moved to engage them, and they started surrendering in mass. Not long later the Dragonguard started pouring into the Ragged Flagon like a bunch of angry ants who had their anthill kicked. Sofija and Mjoll the Lioness were leading the charge.

"Sofija! Mjoll!" Daenerys cheered. "Welcome to the Ragged Flagon!"