Chapter 25: An Unexpected Find
WARNING: POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING - MENTION OF RAPE
"Okay, so tell us about this woman who had wanted to find out if you were Dragonborn," Torygg spoke. "What was she like?"
"She was as tough as they came and nearly willing to agree on most things with me."
"Most things?"
Zacharius smiled. "There was one matter where we didn't agree, but we'll get to that. Right now, what you need to know is what our working relationship was like during the whole adventure. It turns out that her own intel was pretty good. Grandfather managed to match his visions with what she had discovered. And she was surprised that I knew as much about her organization as I did."
Lydia began to rummage through the remains of the dead dragon collecting any scales and bones that looked valuable to the pair. The excitement from their battle with the colossal beast kept her blood pumping, which got her ready to face any new threats that might appear as Zacharius and the mystery woman were talking. Of course, she was worried about the possibility of the black dragon reappearing. If it had the power to revive dragons, would it be possible for it to just swing on back around and resurrect the dragon they had just gone through the trouble of slaying? Thoughts like that were troublesome.
"So," Zacharius started. "I guess we'll start with your name."
"My name is Delphine. I'm one of the few remaining members of the Blades."
"The Blades? You mean the Emperor's original bodyguards back before the murder of the Septim Dynasty?"
"You know your history, I see?"
"My family has a connection by blood to Caleb Secus, the man responsible for stopping the Oblivion Crisis and aiding Martin Septim in relighting the Dragonfires. We know he was allowed into the Blades to help Martin out."
Lydia turned around upon hearing that. I forget, did he say something about that to me?
"That's rather surprising. But there's more to the Blades than that. We remember what the others do not: that we were originally Dragonslayers. However, the war left our order scattered and torn apart. There are very few of us left."
"What happened?" Lydia asked.
"The Thalmor happened. Thirty years ago, they slaughtered most of us and forced the rest into hiding. I've been here in Skyrim, hiding under the radar while investigating the dragons."
"Do you think you've discovered what the dragons are doing? Why it is they are coming back?"
"I have only theories right now. That's why I was trying to find you, Dragonborn." Delphine looked at Zacharius.
"Consider me found." Zacharius joked.
"Now that I know that you're the real deal, I'd like to discuss what our next step would be."
"What's your plan?"
"I want to investigate the Thalmor. Specifically, I want you to infiltrate their headquarters here in Skyrim."
Zacharius clenched his fists, getting a reaction out of Lydia. "The Thalmor, huh? I'm rather conflicted about that right now."
"And why's that?"
"Because the truth is they are hunting me, as well. Why do you think I'm wearing a helmet that covers up most of my face? If I break into the embassy, there's a chance that they'll know who I am."
"And if we don't break in, we'll never know what they know about the Dragons. This is our best chance."
"I know. I just need to be careful about this." Zacharius looked up towards High Hrothgar. "I'm going to drop off the horn of Jurgen Windcaller while I'm out here. I'll be back in Riverwood tomorrow to hear your plan."
"Very well. You'll know where to find me, Dragonborn. Just be careful." Delphine warned before walking away.
Zacharius sighed. "I should probably console my grandfather's journal about this so that I know what to expect." He turned back towards Lydia. "Lydia, let's get going. I want to be back in Riverwood by noon tomorrow."
"You got it, my Thane." Lydia nodded, hiding her own look of concern. If the Thalmor are after him and he goes into the Embassy, he could be captured or even killed. As his housecarl, it is my duty to protect him. I have to find some way to help him. With these newfound thoughts, Lydia followed her Thane, resolved to find some way to help him in this situation.
Back towards Falkreath, Scarlai had walked in silence, for the most part, analyzing his new pupil. Andrew looked as if he wanted to start the conversation, but was unsure about where to start. The young Imperial was perhaps thinking about all of the questions he should be asking about the blood mages. It would only be natural since he was just a fledgling.
"You want to ask me something?"
Andrew's look of concentration broke as he acknowledged Scarlai. "What? Oh, yes. I was wondering about something."
"Go ahead. I can answer any questions you have."
"You said that we were the last two blood mages. But what happened to the others?"
"They were all killed by the Thalmor. I barely survived, myself. But everyone else..." Scarlai went silent, feeling a horrible memory flood back into him.
"You found all of your friends dead," Andrew replied.
"Yes."
"How did they die, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Stab wounds to the chest; all through the heart. They missed my heart by a few inches, but they had also imbued their blades with poison. I wasn't able to fight back against it back then."
"Fight back against poison?"
"Yes. The blood a blood mage takes from his victims can strengthen their bodies in different ways. For example, absorbing an Argonian's or Redguard's blood can let you be resistant or even immune to things like poison and disease. I only managed to find some Argonian blood after I began my quest to hunt down those responsible."
"And did you get them?"
"Yes." Scarlai turned towards Andrew. "Are you hunting someone down, as well?"
"Huh?"
"Remember, we shared blood with each other. There are absolutely no secrets between us, anymore. I know everything about you, and while you don't realize it, you know everything about me."
"I do?"
"Yeah, so don't worry about not remembering anything from my memories. They'll come to you naturally." Scarlai reached into his travel bag and grabbed a black book, holding it out to Andrew. "For now, how about you take this back."
Andrew looked at the book and saw the name etched on the book. His eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you get that?"
"I got it off the man I killed on my last mission, Alain DuFont."
"Alain? I was hunting him down, actually. He stole that book from me a while back. I'm surprised he even kept it intact." Andrew opened the book and scanned through the pages.
"Well, I suppose you're glad that you got that book back, then?"
"You bet I am. There were so many things in it that I was using to polish my assassin skills. Plus, it turns out that my ancestor hid a lot of his old stuff from the Dark Brotherhood all around Tamriel. I plan on finding everything one day."
"Until that day comes, I will help you train. As the only other surviving blood mage, I can help you control this dark secret and learn to use its power. But first," Scarlai looked at the town of Falkreath appearing overhead. "I'll handle the talks with the client. You can gather any supplies we might need. After this mission is completed, I will be taking you somewhere to help you train."
Andrew nodded. "Gotcha." Andrew headed for the general goods store while Scarlai headed to the inn. The roaring fire in the center of the room welcomed Scarlai to the place of rest as a bard applied their trade to the populace that came to drink. Scarlai's eye immediately caught a tail from one of the patrons, immediately recognizing them as their client. Scarlai walked and sat down next to the merchant, not eliciting a reaction from the Khajiit.
"You reek of blood." The merchant spoke. "I assume you are the one I summoned?"
"I am."
"Hmm. I didn't want to perform such a filthy ritual to summon an assassin, but I didn't exactly have a lot of options. I'll make this brief. I want you to kill a Dunmer in the forest east of here. He has been pursuing me from my homeland and I am certain he means to kill me."
"Any evidence of this claim?"
"Look around me. See any armed guards? This assassin has already disposed of my escort. I've been hiding here in the town to avoid a dagger in the back. The only comfort I've gotten is that he hasn't tried to kill me in the cities. So far, he hasn't tried to come after me in Falkreath itself. I told the Jarl about his presence and he has advised his guards to keep an eye on suspicious characters. Unfortunately, that might include you. Watch yourself while you're in town."
"Anything else I need to know?"
"Yeah. I want proof of this man's death before I bring upon payment. Either bring a piece of him or his entire corpse to me. If I don't see that the bastard is dead your organization won't get a single septim. Is that clear?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now you should probably depart and bring his life to an end before I miss my deadline. If my employers don't get their goods, I'm gonna be skinned alive."
Scarlai wasted no time asking any more questions as he headed out the door. He had his mission, but he also had some doubts. While the merchant seemed calm the entire time, Scarlai could hear his erratic heartbeat. Either he was scared of his pursuer or scared of him. Scarlai knew how likely of a possibility that would be, given his intimidating presence and dark aura. But something else seemed off about the Khajiit. There was a familiar smell that Scarlai couldn't get out of his mind.
I'll investigate this after completing my contract. He thought as he stepped out of the town. The guards around him looked intently, watching out for his actions. Scarlai simply kept still and smiled at any guard he faced, knowing full well that he was not going to cause trouble for anyone in Falkreath at the moment. Eventually, Andrew returned to him with a full satchel of potions, rations, and poisons.
"Are you ready?" Scarlai asked, keeping his smile up for the guards.
"I am." Andrew nodded. "Let's depart."
Over on the other side of Skyrim, Errick found himself tiptoeing towards the Thalmor's carriage, keeping his ears open for the sound of approaching footsteps. As far as Errick could tell, the foot soldiers in the front were merely waiting in position to continue moving, waiting on their charges to return to the carriage. The soldiers behind them had gone to escort them into the woods, likely to keep an eye out for assassins or thieves. It wouldn't be trouble for Errick if he felt the need to approach the merchant for information, but for now, he needed to play it safe. Investigating the carriage as quietly as possible was the best step towards finding out what was going on. Moving towards the door of the royal carriage, Errick cracked the door open to make sure no one else was in there. Sure enough, the carriage was empty, gaining a smirk from Errick as he snuck inside. The inside of the carriage was embroidered with extravagant gemstones and gold, with comfortable seats made from the finest materials. Errick rolled his eyes at the merchant's continued extravagance in everything about him, making a mental note to remind him of his botched business operation that Errick had a hand in shutting down.
"Let's see," Errick smiled as he found the merchant's handbag, digging through it to find an invitation to the Thalmor Embassy. Apparently, they were hosting a party in two days, around the same time that Errick and his team would be handling the interrogation of Gulum-Ei. "Hmm. Maybe I should acquire this and take a look at this party, myself." Errick folded the invitation and slipped it into his coat pocket before continuing to dig into the bag, finding a quill and ink bottle. His smile grew wider as he quickly took the quill and ink and began to write on the ceiling of the carriage, happy he got a chance to remind the poor man of his greatest mistake. Aside from the invitation and the moment of entertainment Errick could find nothing else of value, and noticed that the Inquisitor's handbag was not in the carriage. That either meant he took it with him or he just didn't have one. That was annoying to Errick, who would have wanted to know if the Inquisitor had any information on his former partner, or if he had acquired information on Errick from her. He sincerely hoped that she hadn't fallen into his hands during the interrogation process. If she had been under the Inquisitor's interrogation tactics, Errick swore that he would kill him for it.
"Wait," A voice outside got Errick's attention. He recognized it as the merchant's voice and knew that now was the time to make his exit. He quietly snuck out from the other door, glad that no one else was there waiting for him. The merchant continued as Errick got back on the ground quietly. "I really must know why it is you agreed to come along with me to the Embassy."
"I already told you," The Inquisitor spoke. "I simply decided to escort you since our destinations were the same. There is no secret motive."
"Are you sure about that?" The merchant inquired. "I for one find it all too suspicious that the Thalmor Inquisitor of all people decided that traveling alongside a well-respected VIP like myself was a good idea. You usually tend to travel alone with only your men to keep you company."
"My motivations do not concern you. Now, I suggest that if you don't want to go to the Embassy with a broken arm that you keep your mouth shut for the rest of this ride." The malice in the Inquisitor's voice was apparent to Errick, who decided at that point that there would be one last thing he would do before leaving. Quickly reaching into one of his pouches, he pulled out a metal ball with a fuse sticking out of it. He attached it to the back wheel of the axel and conjured a quick flame, lighting the fuse to go off within five seconds. With his handiwork all set, he took off like a bandit, remaining silent as he escaped back into the treeline.
"All right, Inquisitor." The merchant spoke, not attempting to hide his fear. "Let's just keep going to the Embassy. We could all use a stiff drink, I'm sure." As soon as the door opened a loud noise could be heard, and the carriage tipped over slightly as the back axle broke and splintered. The Thalmor escorts were caught by surprise as the carriage seemed to topple over for a moment, spooking the horses pulling it to their destination. Immediately they broke into a defensive position, keeping their eyes peeled for any attackers. The Inquisitor quickly went and investigated what had happened. Kneeling down he saw that the back wheel had been completely blown off and had splintered into several pieces. Metal fragments were present within the wood, tipping the Inquisitor off over who their attacker was. A cry from the merchant made the Inquisitor stand up and rejoin him, seeing his horror as he looked at the ceiling of the carriage. Someone had written a message of sorts in black ink, almost carved into the wood by a quill.
Gro-bash.
"Who in Oblivion did this? How do they know about her?" The merchant panicked. "I told that bitch the brat wasn't mine! Why did she insist that I owed her a lot of money for that brat?"
The Inquisitor shook his head at the false alarm. Two of the guard came to join him, ready for orders from their superior.
"What's our order, sir?" One of the guards asked. "Should we send out men to pursue the infiltrator?"
"No," The Inquisitor ordered. "Knowing who did this, they've probably already left the scene. Bloody coward. Your priority is to get to Shor's Stone and ask if anyone there can repair our wheel. If you find any secret Talos worshippers, do not pursue. Simply write down their names and report to me.'
"Yes, sir." The two men ran off to their horses and made their way to Shor's Stone, leaving the Inquisitor and the others alone to guard the merchant. Errick Entius, the Inquisitor thought. I don't know what your intentions were doing all of this, but I'll be sure to come for you after I take care of Zacharius Morrigan. No one can escape from me forever. The Inquisitor looked out to the clouds and clenched his fist with determination, knowing he'll have to put up with this disgrace until they can get moving again.
*The Stranger walked into the Frozen Hearth Inn of Winterhold, knowing full well who to ask for information regarding the star he sought. Within the inn there were few patrons around, highlighting just how few people lived in the desolate hold. A man was passed out drunk at the table by the bonfire, and an Altmer mage was talking with the barkeep about one of his experiments that had gone awry recently. The Stranger walked over to the two of them, waiting patiently for their conversation to end before he grabbed the attention of the mage.
"Excuse me," The Stranger started. "Are you an Elven mage who studies the stars?"
The mage in question seemed to put up his guard. "Who sent you? The College? The Jarl? We agreed there would be no more questions."
"Azura sent me."
"Azura?" That seemed to put the mage on edge. "Gods, it's all finally coming back to haunt me."
"I suggest you cooperate. I need the star to stop a terrible evil that has come to this land."
"Really? Do you need a Daedric artifact, one of the artifacts made by beings considered to be evil, to stop an evil force? You must be a fool."
"Yes, I imagine there are many people in this land who would see me as foolish. But my adversary is going after Daedric artifacts, as well. I require the star to trap her, if not forever, then for long enough to expel her from your world. I am aware that you were once the apprentice of one who had experimented on the star. If you know anything, tell me now. The fate of your world hangs on your answer."
"Okay, relax. I've wanted to avoid this whole mess ever since it went out of hand. Look, many years ago, Malyn Varen had been conducting experiments on the star at the College, but Azura ended up cursing him during all of that. He began to hear voices and see things that weren't there. Eventually, he killed a student and began experimenting on their soul. For that, he was exiled from the College. He took a band of followers with him and went to Illnalta's Deep. It's an abandoned Imperial Fort just west of Riverwood. I'll warn you, it collapsed into the lake years ago. I wouldn't expect to find the star down there."
"I'm sure I can manage. Thank you."
"Take my advice, though. You're better off not going back to Azura when you get the star. Daedric Princes have a tendency to screw people over."
"I'll be fine. I have a plan on what to do with the star once I acquire it." The Stranger said smugly as he headed back for the exit to the inn.*
Back in the eastern forests of Falkreath, Scarlai and Andrew had found themselves evidence of a camp nearby. Crouching down behind a fallen log the superior assassin slowly lifted his head, noticing their prey. A small campsite comprised of a tent and a smoldering campfire lay within a small clearing of trees. Alone sat a hooded Dunmer, whose calloused hands and heavily armed presence indicated he was also a killer. This was the target they were looking for.
"I know you're over there," The target challenged. "Come on out. There's no point in hiding."
That voice...
Scarlai stood up and walked out into the clearing, slowly peeling off his black robe to reveal his Dark Brotherhood armor. His hood remained up as he approached cautiously, hoping that the voice that had spoken to him wasn't who he thought it was. Andrew slowly followed after, pulling his black sword from its sheath. He wasn't sure what Scarlai had intended to do, but he decided to be prepared for anything.
"So, that scaredy-cat decided to call upon the Dark Brotherhood to do his bidding?" The target stood up from the fire, turning to face his assassins. "I would have figured he would have sent word to his superiors for backup? To think he'd stoop so low."
Scarlai attempted to remain calm, but something about his target was triggering some memories for him. He hoped it wasn't the case.
"Well, I can't die here. Not until I've fulfilled my duty to the people of Tamriel." The target pulled out his sword, ready to fight the assassins to the bitter end. "Draw your sword and die with honor."
Your duty to Tamriel? Scarlai could no longer deny it. The voice, the commanding presence, the familiar aura; it was all too familiar to him, even after his one-hundred and fifty-year exile. Scarlai motioned towards one of his ebony swords hanging on his back but changed the direction of his hand towards his chest. With a clenched fist he pounded on his ribcage, sticking his pointer finger and pinkie out. The target seemed to stiffen for a moment he found himself repeating the salute. Andrew was confused as to what was happening until Scarlai pulled his hood off. "After all this time, you're still hunting them down?"
The target pulled his hood off, confirming Scarlai's suspicions. He was a Dunmer around the same age as Scarlai, whose hair was braided in the front and long in the back. He possessed many of the same features he had when Scarlai had first met him, but now his face was marred with scars from multiple battles. If it wasn't for his voice and his aura Scarlai may have never recognized his old friend.
"After all this time, you're still finding yourself in the dark, Scarlai?"
"The Dark Brotherhood is a new thing for me, Mitsuki," Scarlai smirked. "I had spent my time in peace and quiet for a while. But staving myself off of blood for a century and a half didn't do me any good."
"Were you trying to starve yourself, then? My half-sister would not approve."
"You may be right about that."
Mitsuki sheathed his sword and walked up to his old friend. The two embraced temporarily before Mitsuki looked at Andrew. "So who's this? One of your comrades in the Brotherhood?"
"He is my student," Scarlai spoke proudly. "This is Andrew Secus. He's probably the only other awakened blood mage in Tamriel right now."
"So you're not alone, anymore?"
"Yeah." Scarlai turned to Andrew. "Andrew, this is Mitsuki. His half-sister Kedana was a blood mage I served under before the Order of the Red Moon was murdered."
"Nice to meet you, I suppose," Andrew responded. "I wish it were under better circumstances. We've been sent to kill you."
Mitsuki nodded. "I'm aware. I'm assuming, however, that Scarlai has an idea about why that cat wants me dead."
"Yes." Scarlai motioned to Andrew to lower his sword. "Stay your hand for the moment. I want to hear him out."
Andrew sheathed his sword and relaxed. "Okay. I take it you two are old friends?"
Mitsuki laughed. "Scarlai and I were actually bitter rivals. I wasn't a blood mage but the Order considered me an ally because of my ties to Kedana. When Scarlai first joined up with her I was very protective of her, but five years later and they were together."
Both Scarlai and Mitsuki's moods seemed to change almost instantly.
"But then, those bastards in the Thalmor got to her and killed all of the other members of the Order while I was away."
Scarlai clenched his fists. "I was left powerless as the poison had kept me paralyzed for a long time. I couldn't save her. When Mitsuki and I found her, it was a horrible sight."
Andrew looked up curiously. "Why?"
Now Mitsuki's fists were clenched. "It wasn't enough that they had killed Kedana and the others. Before their deaths, Kedana and all of the women in the Order were raped by the Thalmor. It was sickening."
Andrew's curiosity turned to horror. Scarlai looked back at Andrew and saw that he didn't seem to be with them. "He's seeing my memory of the event, now."
Andrew found his eyes closed, but he doesn't remember ever closing them. He opened his eyes to see a gruesome sight. In front of him stood a Dunmer woman. Her clothes were torn to shreds and her hands and feet were nailed to the floor. Her legs were spread far apart, and a pool of white, sticky liquid mixed with an even larger pool of blood. A giant gash in her chest revealed that her heart had been pierced by a sword. The light in her eyes was gone and had been gone for a few hours at least. Scarlai fell to the floor, crying out for his lost love.
"Scarlai!" Mitsuki cried out, running into the room and seeing his sister in such a condition. "No, not Kedana! KEDANA!"
Andrew blinked and found himself looking at Scarlai and Mitsuki. Neither of their faces showed their pain from the loss of one so close to them, but their expressions suggested that Andrew had instead been giving off a look of sorrow. "I... I saw..."
"I know." There wasn't a trace of sadness in his voice. "Blood mages can experience people's memories so long as they have some of their blood. Because it was your first time, you needed a powerful trigger to see my memories. Now, you could call upon any memory of mine whenever you wish."
Andrew clenched his fist. "Why do you sound so apathetic towards what I just saw?"
"Because I lived it. I know it doesn't sound like I care, but believe me, I still grieve for Kedana and the others. Kedana and I... had a special bond. Mitsuki and I avenged her years ago."
Mitsuki nodded. "Now, I continue the fight. The Thalmor have been trying to take out any force that opposes them. The Order of the Red Moon was a group of powerful blood mages who had the age and experience to eliminate all of the Thalmor. You two are the only ones left with that power. Then they went after the Empire since things were starting to crumble there. They attempted to get the Psyjic Order but those mages just went and moved their whole island somewhere that the Thalmor can't reach them. If someone doesn't step up, those damn racists will take over this whole world."
"So your interest in our client is that he's a Thalmor informant?"
"Yes. He's going to be giving them intel on an Imperial weapons shipment being made in Elsweyr. This intel could turn the tide of the war in Skyrim towards the Imperials, so the Thalmor want to know when the shipment's being hulled out. I managed to take out his guard but what he lacks in skill he makes up for in speed. I only just found him in Falkreath a day ago and was waiting for my opportunity to strike. That's when you two showed up."
"And we have been hired by the Thalmor informant to stop you." Scarlai nodded. "That's bad. He's asking me to bring your corpse as proof, and I don't want to have to kill Kedana's half-brother."
"I wouldn't want to kill you, either, even though I'm probably the only one in the world who could."
Andrew stepped forward. "I think I have a solution to this problem."
Mitsuki raised an eyebrow. "And what solution would that be?"
"You hire us to eliminate your target and the Thalmor he's meeting up with. This cat wants you dead just as much as you want him dead, so hire us to kill him."
"An interesting solution, but he still requires proof of my death and killing him in Falkreath while he has the guards on alert will only bring you trouble."
"Then we fake your death and leave him in a vulnerable state." Andrew reached for a dagger on his belt. "Two centuries ago, the Dark Brotherhood took on a contract for a man who wanted to fake his death. He had to offer up his mother as a sacrifice in order for my ancestor to perform the fake assassination. This silver dagger is tipped with a special kind of poison that puts its victim in a near-death state for about twenty-four hours. After the twenty-four mark, an antidote is meant to be administered to wake up the victim, or else they could be left to die. If we stab you in what appears to be a vital spot with it, the poison will give you the appearance of death and make sure no one else knows of your survival. Then, I'll shadow the cat when he leaves the city and eliminate him and his cohorts. So far, I don't think he knows about my involvement with Scarlai. I can take that to my advantage."
Scarlai smiled at the brilliant plan his student had come up with. Mitsuki rubbed his chin as he thought about Andrew's plan. "Are you sure you can handle the Thalmor? They're all highly trained to counter assassins."
"I may look young, but being an assassin has always been in my blood. I can handle a few Thalmor."
Scarlai faced his student. "Just be careful, regardless. You get stabbed through the heart and it's all over for you."
"I will." Andrew held out the dagger to Scarlai. Careful not to touch the poison, Scarlai grabbed the dagger and turned back to Mitsuki. "I'll make sure that when the Thalmor are dead we come back to revive you."
Mitsuki smiled. "You better not forget about me, or Kedana will come back from the dead just to curse you."
"That would be a sight." Scarlai chuckled as he came forth with the dagger, stabbing Mitsuki through the chest. His friend collapsed to the floor, looking as lifeless as Andrew had said he would. Scarlai quickly tied his robe back around the Dark Brotherhood armor and took up Mitsuki in his arms, starting to head back towards Falkreath. "Stay in the shadows. Make sure our client doesn't see you."
"Understood." Andrew departed away from Scarlai, preparing himself for the fight to come. This is my first real test as a student to Scarlai. I must not fail.
Isobel flipped a coin in her hands as she and Thrynn waited for Errick to arrive. The residents within Shor's Stone seemed to be having an argument with members of the Riften guard over at the mine. Isobel wasn't sure what was going on, but Thrynn had a guess that some nasty critters may have moved into the mine and that the guards were waiting for a good mercenary to handle it. The blacksmith in the town seemed to be the one affected by this the most, as he was sitting next to a cold forge instead of smithing some metal. Isobel sighed as she put away the coin.
"This is so boring," She complained. "When is Errick coming back?"
"There's no telling how long it will take him. We did take his horse with us, after all."
"He somehow managed to beat us to Riften by a whole day ON FOOT. I think he should be able to catch up with us by now." Isobel pulled out the dagger Errick gave her, grabbing a stick and beginning to whittle off chips from it.
"Well, he did say that the Inquisitor is dangerous. Maybe he got caught?"
"No way. If there's one thing I can say about Errick, it's that he always has a few tricks up his sleeves. He isn't going to get caught."
"I hope you're right." Thrynn acknowledged, quickly turning when he heard a twig snap behind them. His hand went for his sword in an instant, and it was already out of its sheath by the time Errick stepped into view. The Gentleman Thief saw his friends ready to attack him, and instead of freaking out he smiled.
"Well, I'm glad that your guys' instincts are still sharp." He chuckled. "Now, would you mind lowering your weapons and sticks there? We have to get moving."
Thrynn and Isobel sheathed their weapons and got up from their resting places. "So, what did you find?"
"They're having a party at their embassy in two days. I stole their invitation. They won't be getting in any time soon. I've also taken the liberty of slowing them down. Their carriage is out of commission, but they might be sending some men to the town to get some help. That's why we have to move now."
"Sounds like you've done us a service. The farther away we are from the Thalmor, the better." Thrynn headed back to his horse and hopped on. "Let's go. I know a shortcut around the settlement."
Errick hopped back on Frost, petting the white horse as it bellowed at the master's sudden boarding. "Good boy."
Isobel walked up to Errick with a mischievous smile. "So, are you going to try and break into that Embassy?"
"No. Why would I?"
"Well, because there's gotta be a lot of good stuff hidden behind those gates?"
"Yeah, but there's a ton of guards between me and the goodies, even more than the number of guards that guard the Emperor. And I only have one invitation. I wouldn't be able to drag you guys along."
"Didn't you say there's no job you couldn't accomplish?"
"Sure, but this isn't a job I can complete alone. Plus, after the Imperial City debacle, the Thalmor have me on their radar. I'd rather not draw any more attention to myself than I already have."
"So what are you going to do with that invitation?"
"I'll hold onto it for now. Maybe I can give it to some fool to use. Otherwise, I have no intention of going into that Embassy."
Isobel seemed to pout for a moment, but her disapproval of her partner's answer faded as she brought about a calm look. "Well, we do have a job to do, so let's get to Solitude. Gulum-Ei isn't going to stand around and wait for us." Isobel hopped onto Daisy and gave off a quick nod towards her companions.
Thrynn nodded back and began to ride away. "Let's go. The faster we move, the better." Errick and Isobel nodded and began to follow alongside their companion, unaware of the things that would take place over the next few days.
Outside of Falkreath, Andrew hid within the trees, watching as Scarlai led the merchant to where they hid Mitsuki. Andrew couldn't hear the conversation from the distance he was at, but he could tell that the cat was, in fact, happy with the service that Scarlai had performed for him. The merchant handed Scarlai a coin purse and began to walk away towards the road. Andrew took that as his cue to start his pursuit, moving at a distance far enough to not be caught. This was Andrew's first mission with the Falkreath branch of the Dark Brotherhood, and his first mission as Scarlai's apprentice.
Tonight, there will be blood.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, from that end sequence, you can expect things to go a bit south soon for our resident Gentleman Thief, Errick Entius. And when I say go south, I mean that he'll have to start doing things he doesn't want to do. A lot of crazy things are going to be happening soon. The most obvious things to point out are the infiltration of the Thalmor Embassy, but that'll happen within the next few chapters. There are some other things that will be happening with members like Akira and Scarlai in the next chapter, but there will also be some secret things that will happen. Be sure to stay tuned for that. Otherwise, thanks to everyone who's stuck around.