The rain finally abated around midnight, but in its absence a thick, heavy fog settled in over the city. Issana could see nothing beyond a few feet in front of her. On the other hand, it meant no one could see her, either.
She settled deeper into the darkness at the base of a stone wall. It was still cold, but at least it wasn't raining. She pulled her knees to her chest to stay warm and felt last night's wakefulness finally beginning to overtake her. Her eyes flickered.
She awoke to a damp, gloomy light in the eastern sky. The sun was hardly reaching through the dark clouds and fog. Issana shivered and felt aches blooming throughout her body from her uncomfortable sleep. But at least she'd slept, even it was only for a few hours.
Snilf was long gone. He'd said the day before that two beggars sleeping in the same area would only bring suspicious guards down on them, or worse. So Issana was on her own.
So far, though, it was going all right.
She got up slowly, wincing as the aches in her body spread. Her dress now smelled distinctly of wet cloth and clung icily to her skin. She felt an even stronger hunger than yesterday, coupled with a painfully dry throat. There was a stream of water running down the stone wall, so she cupped her hands beneath it and drank.
Food would be a more difficult task.
Once she had drunk her fill, she did her best to wring the water out of her dress. It did little. Her shoes were so ratty and waterlogged that she kicked them off and left them behind as she set out towards the market. They'd been rubbing her feet raw anyway.
The marketplace was far busier than yesterday. Even in the cheerless light of the morning, brightly coloured awnings stood gaily over stalls and carts as merchants began to lay out their wares. There were fruitiers, fishmongers, jewelers, farmers, alchemists; everything she could think of was there. Someone even had a dancing bear.
She wandered the awakening market for about an hour, peering cautiously into stalls to see what interesting things the merchants had to sell. Other patrons began to appear in the marketplace too, from richly dressed nobles to labourers dressed not much better than her. Within half an hour the market was in full swing, with merchants calling out their wares to passers-by.
"Imported goods from Morrowind!"
"Vegetables! Vegetables as crisp as a winter's morning!"
"Jewelry with legendary Argonian craftsmanship!"
Issana turned towards the last voice and saw a green-scaled Argonian leaning on his stand, not far away. The lizard-like man gestured to his display of necklaces and rings. "Greetings, honoured friend," he rasped. "Can I interest you in some fine jewelry?"
Issana stepped cautiously forward and looked at the gleaming treasures. Silver and gold set with all manner of precious stones glittered faintly in the dim light of the morning. "I wish," she replied quietly.
"Perhaps another day, land-strider," the Argonian replied with a smile that Issana thought was meant to be friendly, but with all those pointed teeth it looked anything but.
Issana shrugged. "I doubt it."
The market had distracted her from her hunger for a few hours, but now it was growing unbearable. She hadn't seen Snilf anywhere. Just a couple of carrots, she thought. No one will miss them. I can do it myself.
She started walking back through the crowded marketplace, threading her way cautiously between Riften's citizens.
"Ugh," said a voice. "What is that smell? It's like wet dog and - oh."
Issana froze as she felt someone's eyes on her. She looked up and saw a woman in rich clothes staring down at her. "Shoo, girl. Change your clothes or something. You stink of mud."
A heavily armoured man loomed up beside her. "Shall I get rid of her for you, Lady Maven?"
The woman shook her head. "Don't bother. I have other things to do."
Issana ducked away into the crowd and slipped quietly through it until she came to where she'd found Snilf the day before, across the road from Marise's vegetable cart. The dark elf woman stood waving some cabbages at passing men and women.
Issana darted across the road and waited until Marise was looking the other way. She crept towards the cart and reached in for a carrot or two.
A heavy hand fell on her shoulder. "I don't think so."
Issana turned and found herself staring into the darkened eye-slits of a guard's helmet. "No, I-" she began, but the guard seized her by the wrist. "A night in Riften jail will teach you a lesson about thieving, girl." He tugged hard and Issana was pulled after him. She wriggled in his grip, trying to free her hand, but he only squeezed tighter. "If you struggle, I'll have you in there for two nights."
Issana stopped fighting the guard's grip. "How's locking me up going to help?" she snapped. "I'll just be hungrier when I get out, and I'll still have no money. You're just going to force me to steal again."
The guard turned his helmeted face towards her. "Would you rather be hanged?"
Issana's momentary sense of rage evaporated. "No."
"Then don't let me catch you stealing again."
"That would be the idea…"
The guard ignored her and dragged her after him again. They left the marketplace quickly and entered Riften's dirty, wet streets. After several minutes through winding alleys, Issana looked up the road and saw the looming shape of Mistveil Keep, Riften's main fort, a walled, sturdy stone building without much adornment. The guard turned right as they entered the gateway, dragging Issana around the keep's base. A dark wooden door was set in the stonework and the guard pushed it open.
It was dark inside, lit only by a few flickering torches. Another guard sat at a chair in the entrance, some bread and meat spread out on a table. Issana's stomach growled loudly at the sight.
"What've you got there?" said the other guard.
"Thief. Caught her stealing vegetables out of one of the merchants' carts."
"Good. Keep those thieves in the jail where the damned Guild can't get their hands on them."
"Guild?" Issana echoed. "What guild? I don't know what you're-"
"That's enough out of you," the first guard cut in. "Take her down." The second guard rose and grabbed her by the other wrist as the first guard let go. He pulled her down a short flight of steps and into a long hall with iron-barred doors set at intervals along the side. He fished a keyring off his belt, opened one of the doors and hurled her in. The door swung shut with a clang.
The guard rapped his gauntlet on the bars. "Mind you don't cause any trouble down here, thief. I'd hate to have to give you a bruise on your other cheek." He strode away.
Issana watched him go before glancing around her cell. It was small, maybe six feet across and ten feet long. A pile of hay sat in one corner, but that seemed to be where the most putrid smell in the room was emanating from so she stayed away. A large rat poked its head out from beneath it and stared at her for a moment before disappearing again.
Issana felt a painful rumble in her stomach. She sat down against the cold stone wall and hugged her knees, letting her head sink so her forehead could rest against them. And she began to cry.
"Well, well," purred a voice from the cell opposite her. "Would you look who it is."
Issana hastily wiped her face on her damp dress. She peered through her bars. Across the hall, the man from her first night on the streets, the one with the skooma, stared back at her. He leered with broken teeth. "You're lucky these bars are here," he said. "Turning me down, getting me tossed in here. You'll pay for that."
Issana ducked away from the door and sat where he couldn't see her. It didn't stop his voice from carrying, however. "You can't hide. I know you're there. Just you wait, girl."
"That's enough!" bellowed the guard from up the stairs. "I hear one more word out of you, skooma-breath, and I'll knock a few more of your teeth out."
"You'd have to open the door to do that," the man jeered. "Let's see what happens!"
The noise of a chair skidding on the stone floor echoed through the jail. A moment later the guard stormed into the hall. Issana glanced out of her cell as the guard inserted a key into the skooma-dealer's door and swung it open. Two wet thuds sounded and two agonized yelps before the clang of the door signalled that the guard was finished. Issana saw him disappear up the stairs again and heard the other prisoner spit something out.
Issana shrank nervously against the stone wall and let her head sink forward again. Sleep would let her forget her hunger, for a little while at least.
Hopefully.
She really had no idea.