Sorry for the delay. Got messed up in Chemestry beacuse of you guys... But don`t worry, I still love my fans
Reviews are golden
Chapter 3:
As Siris entered her room, still carrying her in his arms, he thought he had heard her purr.
"I hope that doesn`t mean she is waking up."
He gently laid her in the bed on the corner and tiptoed his way through the door again, closing it behind him.
"She needs some rest. After all she has been through, she deserves it."
- Making new friends, I see. – sounded a voice behind him
Siris jumped and turned around, already lifting his hand to his sword. The woman sitting on a stool behind him contepted herself by laughing to herself. Siris released the handle of his sword when he understood who she was.
"Black-Briar." He thought, lowering his hand. Why did a part of him wanted to reach for the sword and cut her to ribbons?
- Sit down, lizard. – she said, signaling to another stool. Siris would have usually kicked the person who called him "lizard". But you didn`t kick Maven Black-Briar and expect to leave Riften without the Hold Guard in your tail.
Maven Black-Briar. Probably the most influential being in all of Skyrim. She usually passed as a meek, unimportant owner of a small meadery. But when she began listing her spies, assassins and thieves, you`d wish you had never asked her that one favor.
Siris submissively obeyed. Maven took out a note from her pocket and handed it to him.
- I need this delivered to Solitude. Urgently.
- And… - Siris said, taking the letter and inspecting it. – What makes you think I will be delivering it?
- Perhaps the fact that I have half of Skyrim on the palm of my hand, and that you better have enough money to pay a food taster if you run away. Not that he will last long.
Siris turned the letter around. It had Maven`s seal of importance in it: a black wax seal with a black Nightshade flower.
- If that`s what I am juggling with, then I gladly accept. Now, if you`ll excuse me… - he said, standing up and heading for the door. – I have a very busy journey tomorrow.
- And Siris! – she said, prompting him to turn around. She didn`t even raise her eyes from the candle. – Try not to break the seal, this time.
Siris nodded, with that grin that made Maven want to make the Thieves Guild strip him naked of all he had. He entered his room and locked the door, for good measure. The last thing he needed was a visit from that lumbering idiot Maul in the middle of the night.
All done, he took of his coat, his leather armor and threw himself in bed, exhausted. In a few minutes, he was fast asleep.
00000
Dila woke up the next day feeling as if she had fired an arrow in her own eye. Her head was pounding, she was sweating from every inch of her body and… why was she sleeping in armor?
She tried to remember what the last thing she had done the night before. She could remember feeling happy, about dancing, about towers of silver and…
Of falling into Siris`s arms.
She blushed. What had she drunk?
She needed to wash herself. Her fur wet because of sweat was the last thing she needed. But where to find running water?
As she got out of the bedroom, she noticed Siris`s door was opened and that he wasn`t in the bed. His Dai-Katana and his Coat were still there, though.
She went down. Talen-Jei was cleaning something out of the floor with a mop.
- I hope that that isn`t my doing… - Dila said, half joking and half serious.
- No. – Talen said, stopping and drying the seat of his forehead with his shirt`s sleeves. – Someone else came here after you two left. He had a little bit to much mead, and, you know, what went in, went out.
Dila laughed, even though that did make her head hurt even more. She felt the urge to ask:
- Where is Siris?
- He`s outside. There`s a place in the back with a little natural water. He went to take a bath.
"Oh, that`s what I need." She thought.
- And where is it, may I ask?
- Oh, right through that door. – Talen said, pointing at the door. – And did you sleep well?
- I guess. Can`t remember a thing, though.
- You were clinging on me like an old man grabs his cane. After that, Siris took you upstairs.
- Thank you, and sorry for anything I said. I am really sensitive to drinking.
- Dully noted – he added, earning him another pained chuckle from the Khajit.
- I`ll be going, then.
She walked past him, and exited through the door. She went down a flight of stairs, as fast as her hurting legs would, and opened another door.
She was greeted with a small spring with a small lake and waterfall. She smiled and looked around.
- Looking for me? – came a voice by the cavern`s wall.
She turned around quickly. Siris was there, wearing only pants and drying himself with a small towel. Dila noticed there was a few scars of scars criss-crossing his chest. She quicly glanced away, beaming the waterfall.
- Ha ha ha. – Siris laughed, proceeding to dry his head. – No need to be ashamed. You didn`t see nothing special.
- Thank you for yesterday. – she said, still eyeing the small waterfall. – For carrying me up to my room, I mean.
- No problem. – He said, walking past her and through the door. He suddenly stopped and turned around. – Listen, I`ve got to go to Whiterun. Do you want to come?
- I`d like that, yes.
Then we set off when you are ready.
He closed the door, and Dila was left alone. She took out her black cloak and started to peel the black leather armor away. When she was done, she slowly entered the water. She dove and came out with her crimson hair fully wet. After that, she merely sat on an edge of rock and waited for a few minutes.
00000
Siris had finished putting on his clothes. He then picked his sword and slung it on his back. He was ready whenever Dila was.
He went down to the bar, to pick something to eat. Keerava greeted him with a smile. She threw him an apple.
- Good morning. – she said, as he sat on the stool by the bar. – You just missed Dila. She went up to pick up her bow and said she would already be here.
- All right then. – he said, before taking a big bite in the apple.
- Tell me, Siris. – Keerava said, leaning on the counter. – How did you two meet?
- Yesterday. – he said, taking another bite. – She was travelling with her caravan. They were stopped by a few bandits down the road. Kiilled the whole caravan. Except her. The leader was going to, you know…
- Oh, I see. Well, you better take care of her.
- Oh, I don`t plan to stick with her long. I`m going to drop her in Whiterun. I have a message from Black-Briar. To be delivered for General Tulius in Solitude.
- Black-Briar, huh? – Keerava said. – Did she tell you to go alone?
- I don`t want Dila messed up in the affairs of that woman.
- What woman? – came a voice behind him. Siris closed his eyes and sighed. Keerava chuckled.
Siris turned around to see Dila standing behind him.
"Damn"
- What have you listened.
- You will not get free of me that easily. – she said, pupils slit.
- A lot, I see. Fine. If you want a part in Maven`s business, I won`t impede you. But don`t say I didn`t try to warn you.
- That`s better. I was afraid I might have had to ask at arrow-point.
Keerava chuckled again.
- Keerava. – Siris said.
- What?
- Zip it.
00000
They had left the city behind a few hours ago. Siris walked in front and Dila kept her pace behind him.
"Was he really thinking about leaving me?"
They strode alongside the road at a reasonably quick pace, and Dila didn`t even noticed the hours fly by. The thing that reminded her was the sudden rumbling in her stomach.
- You hungry too? – Siris said, turning around. It was about the middle of the day. – We`ll stop by the next inn and have some meat, okay?
- Yes.
About an hour after, they got to a small house on the road. They had been following the river for quite some time now. The inn had no name, and, as they entered, they noticed the bar was full. A nice Bosmer woman came and took them to a table. They ordered some venison.
- Are you able to pay for that? – the woman asked.
- Don`t question me. – Siris said, flipping a dew septims in his hand. – Just bring us the best you have. I`ll worry about the price.
As the Bosmer went away, Dila spoke:
- Do you have the money?
- Black-Briar wouldn`t want one of her best enforcers to starve to death, now, would she?
A few minutes of trying to talk with all the shouting in the place, the woman came back with two steaming plates of soft, lump, oily meat. Siris and Dila both ate furiously, without even talking. As they were about to pay, someone recognized Siris.
- Siris. – someone said, prompting Siris to sigh deeply.
Siris turned around and his eyes widened.
- Torbjorn. – he said, surprised. – What are you doing here?
- Nothing much. – the Nord said, walking over to the table. Dila noticed the inn had become quite silent. – What about you?
- Briar business. – Dila was noticing something strange in Siris`s manner of speaking. He was rigid, fingers opening and closing subtly, and his voice did not have that note of amusement it usually had.
- Oh, I see. So, now, not only did you break my business, but you are also bent on destroying others?
- Look, Torbjorn, with you running things the way you were, things would have gone the way they did pretty soon. All I did was speed things up.
- Yeah? – Torbjorn took out a knife and plunged it at a Siris`s hand, but it was no longer were it was, and the knife plunged into the table. Siris hadn't even looked downwards. – Well, I guess there are plenty of people in this inn that are not satisfied with the way Black Briar runs things.
Dila turned around and saw that the entire bar was looking at them, and silence rulled over them. She saw some going discreetly for their swords. Torbjorn was also accompanied by a few big men. By the color on their skin, they must have been Redguards.
- And they would be very happy with getting her so called "best messanger" out of the way.
- Leave. Now. – Siris said, with his voice filled with what seemed like a calm hate. – I have no more business with you, Shatter-Shield.
- Oh, but I do have business with you…
He let the words linger in the air before continuing…
- Shadowscale…