Chapter 6

It was early Sundas morning and a certain brown-haired Elf was snooping around the Waterfront District. Brie was proud of her ability to go mostly unnoticed if she tried hard enough, and this morning it was working out well. She had bribed a beggar earlier to spill that there was an impromptu meeting in the Garden of Dareloth and if she hurried she might just be able to eavesdrop. She had paid the beggar generously to keep things their little secret and had been given a gummy, toothless grin in response.

"Aye dearie, thank ye."

Now, Brie was squashed between a bush and a stone wall, straining to listen to a nearby conversation. She couldn't place the voices, but at this point it didn't matter. She wasn't trying to catch anybody, just mess up with their plans.

"She should be back any day now," a deep male voice spoke in a hushed tone.

"Does she know about the traitor?"

"No, she doesn't. We'll tell her when she gets back."

"Getting that statuette is a high-risk job," argued a female voice. "Why did you trust a newbie with it?"

Brie knew immediately what statuette they were referring to. After the sudden death of Lady Llathasa a statuette had been commissioned in her likeness. She almost laughed at the thought.

That's a whole lot of trouble to go through just for a hunk of marble.

"How are we going to frame Myvryna though?"

"Once Ariana comes back she's going to plant it in her house and tip one of the guards off. They'll inspect her home and when they find it then she's done for."

"It just sounds too easy," the same female voice spoke.

"It will work," the male voice argued firmly.

"If you say so, boss."

It was too perfect. Brie listened with her keen Elf hearing as the group began to disperse. She waited until she was absolutely sure they were gone before leaving her hiding spot.

Excellent, she thought smugly as she strolled towards the Bloated Float Inn to grab a bite to eat. As soon as they plant that statuette in Myvryna's house I'll sneak in and take it for myself.

Brie was disappointed that she hadn't found out more about who was behind the break in to Lex's quarters. However, she had observed that the citizens of the Waterfront District appeared to be in better spirits.

As they should be, since what few precious coins they had taken away had now been returned.

She didn't agree with Lex's approach to smoking out the Gray Fox but the damage had been done. Most citizens avoided the watch Captain like the plague and had few nice things to say about him. Brie knew this information by striking up conversations with random locals, and almost everyone at the Waterfront District had something unpleasant to say about him.

When Brie wandered into the Inn she was greeted by the grinning Elf with wildly crazy hair in crimson clothes. He eagerly gestured for her to have a seat at the bar and Brie complied.

"Welcome, welcome."

"Thanks," Brie smiled, and she glanced around for a moment.

"Lex isn't here."

"Oh," Brie responded, and she shook her head. "I wasn't looking for him."

"Sure, sure."

Brie was confused by Ormil but she ordered herself an ale and the soup of the day. Within a few minutes she began tucking into a steaming bowl of clam chowder, which was surprisingly good.

I can see why Lex comes here so much.

"So," Ormil started, and Brie glanced up at him. "You and the Captain seem pretty close."

"You think so?" Brie responded, unamused. "You've seen us eat dinner here like what... four times?"

"Yeah but I know Lex, we go way back-"

"You talk like you're his friend," Brie shot back.

"Not a friend, no," Ormil laughed, and he ran a cloth along the wooden counter. "Just a long time acquaintance."

"Then... do you know why he's such a loner?"

Ormil's smile faded slightly, and he shook his head.

"I wish I knew. He's a good man, if a little bit too serious most of the time."

"He's never been married?"

"No, not that I know of."

"It's just strange. Lex acts like an old man but he's not even thirty years old."

"I agree. That's why I'm glad you're working with him."

Brie was silent for a while, he thoughts far away. She finished up her bowl of soup while musing over her conversation with Ormil. Eventually she finished her drink as well and decided to wander around for a while, waiting for something interesting to happen.

After growing impatient, Brie quickly ran back to her apartment to retrieve her cowl. It was a brand-new item she had picked up a few days back. She figured that as long as she was working against the Thieves Guild she needed to be careful about her identity being leaked. Once her long black coat and matching cowl was securely fixed on her body the Elf dashed back to the Waterfront District to do some more snooping.

She was greeted by a curious sight. Brie watched from the shadows as almost half a dozen guards lurked around the Waterfront District. She studied them with interest, wondering why they were there, and her brows shot up in surprise when she spotted a familiar face.

Lex was also present. He wore his full set of shining armour and he spoke quietly to another guard nearby.

I need to know what's going on, Brie thought with a small sigh. She chewed on her bottom lip while she watched the guards for a while.

How do I get his attention without giving myself away?

Lex began walking towards the wooden homes dotted along the Lake Rumare. Brie silently followed him, keeping to the shadows, and when he was far enough away from the other guards she hastily reached out and snatched his hand. She whipped him behind a stone wall and pressed her hand against his mouth before he could alert anyone and with her other hand she tugged the soft black material that was covering her face.

"It's me," she whispered quickly, watching as Lex's look of alarm turned to surprise.

Brie slowly pulled her hand back and glanced around, making sure nobody was nearby.

"W-What are you-"

"I'm up to no good," Brie cut in. "I have a bit of a time crunch so I'll get to the point. What are you and all those guards doing here?"

"There's been news of a stolen item from Cheydinhal."

"Lady Llathasa's bust."

"How did you-"

"I don't have time to explain!" Brie whispered angrily.

"Okay, okay. Well we have reason to suspect Armand Christophe is the one who has stolen it. We're looking for him."

"Armand? Hmm. Well I can tell you it's not him."

"It's not?"

"No. Listen... You're gonna have to get your guys to stop lurking around all these homes so much. I have to sneak into one of them."

"Why-"

Brie's severe look stopped Lex from asking anything else and he sighed.

"I'll get the bust back, okay? Just help me out. Don't try and find me either, I'll come to you when I'm done."

"Alright... I'll think of something."

Lex watched as Brie slid the cowl back up so her face was mostly covered and she slinked off towards the shadows again. He let out a deep breath, his thoughts whirling. This would be the first time they worked together as Brie acting in her thief role and the Captain of the guard wasn't quite sure what to think about it.

Brie waited for a couple hours before trying to sneak into Myvryna's house. The guards continued to linger about for quite a long time but from where she was hiding she could see that Lex was making an effort. He tried not to be too hasty in dispersing the watch so it wouldn't raise suspicions. Eventually the sun began to dip behind the mountains and the Elf was starting to grow impatient.

However, her waiting proved to be useful. It turns out Brie wasn't the only one waiting for the activity to die down. The dark figure didn't go unnoticed by the Elf as it began to slowly stalk towards the worn wooden structure of Myvryna's shack. She could make out the large lump of a satchel slung over their shoulder and Brie's face lit up as she realized it was exactly who she was looking for.

Brie watched the thief easily break into Myvryna's house and she dashed out from her hiding spot and crouched in the shadows nearby, waiting for them to leave.

The door opened again but this time the figure had ditched their cloak and hood. Long brown hair hung down the woman's back and she quickly glanced around as she shut the door behind her. Then she began to stroll away, whistling a small tune as she walked. Brie waited until she was completely gone before entering Myvryna's house.

After she let herself in Brie immediately began rifling through the sparse furniture. She opened a chest near the bed but she did not find the object she was looking for. For several minutes the Elf quickly ransacked the small home with great haste, eager to be away.

Finally Brie opened a cupboard and her eyes widened as she spotted the statuette. She picked it up, surprised by how heavy it was. Suddenly an arm clamped around her neck, holding Brie in a tight headlock.

"What the fuck?" Brie gasped as she was jolted backwards, and the statuette nearly slipped out from her hands.

"You're not with the guild," a female voice sneered. "Who are you?"

Her hold tightened as Brie wriggled her body, struggling to keep a hold of the statuette while also trying to get out of her assailant's grasp.

"Who are you?" The woman persisted.

G-Go fuck yourself!" Brie shouted, her voice muffled by the cowl, and she quickly pushed her body backwards with as much strength as she could muster.

The woman gasped as her back slammed into the thin wooden wall. The movement jarred Brie's shoulders and she was unable to hold onto the heavy statuette. It slid out from her fingers and crashed onto the ground with a sickening smash. They both paused for half a moment.

"Look what you did!" Brie huffed.

"Show me your face," the woman snarled, and she began grasping at Brie's cowl.

For the next few minutes a struggle ensued. Brie stubbornly kept her cowl pressed against her face, refusing to let it be taken off. The two women shuffled around the small apartment, crashing into furniture as they growled insults at each other. Brie was desperate to get away before their scuffle alerted the attention of more thieves' guild members, or the guards.

The woman shoved her hard, and Brie fell backwards, losing her footing. She stubbornly kept a hold on her cowl and hadn't anticipated the dresser being so close. Her head clipped the corner of it as she landed hard on her knees. Pain shot through her skull and Brie cried out. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to clear her vision but it was swimming.

"Gods…" Brie groaned, and she slowly rose to her feet.

There was movement from outside and Brie could hear voices.

"You're awfully violent for a thief," Brie gasped as she slumped against the dresser, feeling faint.

You need to get away, her mind screamed. Run. Anywhere!

The woman had stopped attacking her and was now kneeling by the statuette, trying to see if she could fix the broken remains. Brie reached into her coat pocket and her fingers brushed along a scroll of invisibility. She quickly unfurled it and relief washed over her as the magic began to set in. She took her only moment that the woman was distracted to make her getaway.

A guard noticed the door as it flung open but Brie was too fast for anyone to register that Brie was there. Adrenaline coursed through her body, blinding the pain as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her to her home. She didn't care if anybody followed, she just needed to get away from the Waterfront District. She also didn't care what happened to the thief who had confronted her and actually hoped she had been caught. However, something told Brie that a woman that easy with eager to engage in violence wasn't going to let herself get caught.

Brie's eyes began to water as she continued running through the streets, ignoring any curious glances she received. Her head throbbed painfully, each throb pounding into her skull so hard it nearly made her sick. More than once she stumbled and almost fell down, but somehow, she reached her apartment without much hassle.

Brie struggled to unlock the door for a few painful seconds. She sighed in relief as it finally opened and stumbled forward. She cried out as she fell and landed on her knees once more. This time she stayed there for a few moments, her chest heaving as she struggled to get her breathing under control. Then Brie fought with the cowl for a moment, desperate to get the too warm material off of her face. Sweat glistened on her forehead and her eyelids were growing heavy.

I should… go lay down… or something…

Her legs felt like liquid as Brie attempted to stand. Getting up was too hard. She slowly began to crawl towards the stairs but it was no use. The room began to spin and then suddenly everything went dark.

Lex was worried. He sat by himself at a table in the kitchens of the South Watch Tower. He had finished his breakfast almost twenty minutes ago and his eyes were glued to the door, waiting for Brie to arrive. The longer that time dragged on, the more worried he became.

I know she told me not to come to her, but it's Morndas morning and we're supposed to be starting our patrol.

The morning was late, and still Lex waited, trying to be patient as he began making his way through his usual route. Eventually it was an hour past when Brie should have started her shift and worry gnawed at the Captain's stomach. He couldn't bring himself to wait any longer and so after a brief discussion with a nearby guard Lex quickly departed his post in the Green Emperor way and began walking to Brie's apartment, hoping he'd find her there.

When Lex arrived at her home, his pulse raced when he checked the door and found it was unlocked. He slowly opened it and peered inside but it was almost completely dark except for the faint light that spilled through a thin crack in the curtains. It didn't look like anyone was home but Lex stepped inside anyways, hoping there'd be clues.

He tensed as his eyes landed on something on the floor. His hand instinctively reached for his sword as he strained to see in the dim light. Lex shuffled forward, slowly, prepared for the worst, and when the figure didn't move Lex frowned and walked closer. His eyes widened in alarm as he spotted Brie's wavy brown hair spilling out from underneath a black hood.

"Brie!"

Lex dropped down to his knees and hastily tugged his gloves off before reaching out to gently roll Brie onto her back. The Elf groaned but did not wake and so he cupped her cheek and called out her name again, feeling his heart race wildly in his chest. His fingers pressed against her neck, searching for a pulse.

"Brie... wake up, Brie."

Lex let out a sigh of relief as the Elf began to slowly open her eyes. What looked like a smear of dark blood had long since dried on her skull along her hairline and Brie still felt completely delirious and sick.

"Wha... Captain..."

Brie squeezed her eyes shut again and she reached up with one shaking hand, confused.

"What happened Brie? Do I need to take you to a healer?"

"Heal... healer? No...," Brie mumbled, her voice slow. "No I-I'm fine sir... jus'hit my head..."

Lex knew that something had gone wrong last night and it had something to do with Brie. He had been surprised to hear the news from a fellow Captain that somebody had tipped them off about Myvryna's house on the Waterfront District and they had found the smashed remains of Lady Llathasa's bust. He felt terrible as he watched Brie struggling to stay conscious in her injured state.

I should have checked on her the moment I heard the news, he berated himself internally.

Brie wasn't coming around anytime soon, and so Lex was silent for a moment as he thought about what to do. He decided to respect her wishes not to go to a healer and so after a moment spent hesitantly rummaging around the first floor of her apartment he found a small healing potion resting on a shelf in one of the cupboards.

He returned to the Elf and slipped his hand under the back of Brie's head. She groaned again but her eyes fluttered open ever so slightly as she weakly peered up at him.

"Drink this," Lex encouraged softly, and he pressed the vial to her lips.

Brie closed her eyes and drank deeply. After a moment the expression on her face grew softer and Lex smiled as she let out a deep sigh.

"Do you feel better?"

"Mmm," Brie murmured quietly. "Yeah... I'm sleepy."

"Okay, take it easy."

Lex glanced up at the staircase nearby. He assumed her room was on the second floor and so he slipped his arm under Brie's slender legs, gathering up the long black coat as he easily swept the Elf into his arms. Brie slumped against him, her head still throbbing dully, and her warm breath tickled his neck as she nuzzled her face closer. Lex ignored his racing pulse and focused on climbing up the stairs, which was easy to do since Brie weighed very little.

He was surprised by the contents of Brie's room. It was terribly cluttered, but there appeared to be some sort of order to her belongings. Against the far side of the room was a large, comfortable looking bed and two matching tables flanked each side. A plush fabric ottoman rested at the foot of the bed and what appeared to be a real fur throw had been tossed haphazardly across it. There was a large wardrobe resting against the wall to his left and its doors were flung open, revealing several articles of clothing. Some of them were on the floor or had been tossed onto the dresser nearby. There was also a dark green reading chair, matching foot stool, and a book had been left open on the armrest. But what surprised Lex the most was the wall to his right.

Every inch of the wall was covered by tall wooden bookshelves. Items of all sorts had been placed upon the dusty wooden surface ranging from small statues to crystal balls, dozens of books, handmade pots, scrolls, and other items that the stunned Imperial barely comprehended as he tried to focus on laying Brie down on the bed. It looked like she was a collector.

As he began to lower her down Brie tensed for a moment and her breath hitched in her throat. She tightened her hold around his neck as she felt her body moving. Her mind was cloudy and she wasn't sure what was going on.

"It's fine," Lex reassured her as he pulled the covers back and gently lowered Brie onto the soft mattress. "I'm just laying you down."

"Mm'okay," Brie mumbled, and she let out the breath she had been holding in.

Once she was in a comfortable position Lex tucked the blankets around her, his brows furrowed together in concern as he stared down at Brie's face. He didn't like that she had taken such a dangerous risk and had been injured.

Who knows how long she was passed out on the floor, he thought grimly as his eyes landed once more on the smear of dried blood.

He disappeared back downstairs while Brie snoozed, completely unaware of what was going on. A few minutes later the Captain returned with a small bowl of warm water and a cloth. He dipped the cloth into the water and lightly rung it out. Then he gently dabbed at the blood, his eyes glued on her face as he watched for a reaction.

Brie flinched once as he pressed too close to the welt that had formed on her head, mostly hidden beneath her hair, but she did not open her eyes.

When he was finished, Lex found another healing potion and left it on the table close to her bed. He watched Brie sleep for a moment, feeling a flurry of emotions inside. He sighed quietly and then reluctantly left the apartment and returned to the Watch Tower to continue investigating what had happened the night before, hoping to put the pieces together.