Chapter Two
Bolts
Agmaer, Marena, and Tharstan entered. A huge circular hall was in front of them. Sunlight shone through an opening in the roof far above them. Crates were lined on the walls, some opened, some still closed. But none of the three noticed anything of theeir surroundings; their eyes were drawn to the man in the center of the hall.
A Redguard, already past his prime but still with heavy muscles visible under his thick armour, a clean shaven head and a black beard, and piercing silver eyes was scowling at them. The heft of a huge war-hammer poked over his shoulder. Isran, probably. He began to speak: "So who are you? What do you want?"
That voice... Marena's guts seemed to be grabbed by an invisible fist and wrenched around a few times. The blood was pounding in her ears but couldn't drown the soft yet rasping voice out. It was a bad, horrible, unbelievably stupid idea to just walk in and join the Dawnguard. What was I thinking? But if she got her revenge, it maybe, maybe would be worth it. She took a deep breath and was relieved when she noticed Agmaer's fear. At least she wasn't the only one who was scared of Isran.
"Answer."
Tharstan gulped audibly and took a step forward. "We want to join the Dawnguard."
"Got a fire in your belly to kill vampires, eh? Good for you. But look around - there's really not much to join yet. I've only just started rebuilding the order." He snorted. "Well, you're a beginning. What's your name?"
"Tharstan Dead-Bane."
"Dead-Bane? We'll see. Former Vigilant, eh?"
Tharstan nodded.
"I was one, long ago. They laughed at me for being prepared, 'exteme' as they called it. Too soft, all of them. And look where it got them."
"Many good fighters died during the attack!"
"Being 'good' doesn't help if you're not ready. I'm sorry for their deaths but it's a hard world we live in. Always prepared for the worst, that's why I'm still alive and that's what we need. But at least you came here. Maybe you're not as weak as the others. And who are your companions?"
Marena took a tiny step forwards. "My name is Marena Salian."
Isran stared right in her eyes for an eternity, in which she tried to keep calm, show no weakness, and give nothing away. Finally he grunted. "You've got fire. What can you do?"
"I'm an alchemist and..." Good with a dagger? That sounded ridiculous.
"Hmph. We'll find something for you. Alchemist? We don't have a lab yet but it's already ordered and ought to arrive tomorrow. Then you can start brewing."
"I..." She licked her lips. "I had actually hoped to be rather active."
"And what could a scholar possibly do on the field? Throw books?"
"I'm a fast learner. I mean - not only with books."
"We'll see. You there, boy. Stop skulking in the shadows and step up here. What's your name?"
Agmaer had slowly backed away to the entrance. Now he was forced to do a tiny step forwards."I'm, uh... my name is Agmaer, sir."
Isran scowled even more. "Do I look like a 'sir' to you, boy? I'm not a soldier, and you're not joining the army."
"Yes, si... " He managed to correct himself and almost whispered: "Isran."
"Didn't I tell you to step forward? Hmm... Farm boy, eh? What's your weapon?"
"Uh, my weapon? I mostly just use my pa's axe, when wolves are attacking the goats...or...something." His voice grew quieter with every word.
"'My pa's axe', Stendarr preserve us." The Redguard sighed. "Don't worry, I think we can make a Dawnguard out of you." He walked to a crate and pulled out three crossbows. "Here. Help yourself to some bolts and later armour, maybe. Durak" - the grey-haired orc who told them about the crossbows in front of the castle had entered - "will show you how to use them."
Each recruit received a heavy weapon and grabbed a dozen short bolts, then the Orc led them through the castle. It was pretty dark. The hallways and rooms were big, with a high ceiling, the walls lined with crates and barrels. Yet it seemed rather empty. Marena managed to look in what was probably the dormitory, a huge room that contained less than a dozen field beds. She wondered how many members the Dawnguard actually had, and if they were enough for her goal. Well, time would tell.
Durak led them past the dormitory down a hallway, until they arrived in a huge cave. In one corner was a small training area with a few dummies. Marena spotted some kind of entrance, probably leading farther in the mountains. Suddenly she jumped at the sound of aggressive barking and growling. At one side of the cave was an animal pen.
The orc scowled at the noise. "I'm sorry. Sceolang and Bran are trained to spot the scent of a Vampire. Something must've upset them. Anyone afraid of dogs? You know they smell fear."
Marena tried to smile. "I've had some unpleasant encounters with hounds. The kind that leaves bite marks."
"Still, they shouldn't react that way. Don't you worry, they're locked away. You first."
"What?"
Durak took the crossbow from her. While holding the weapon in his left hand, he took a bolt in his right and put it in a narrow slot, at the same time grabbing a lever and pulling it back. The bowstring was drawn tight. He raised the crossbow, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The bolt hit one of the dummies in the bull's eye painted on its straw-filled belly. Then the orc reloaded and shot agin but this time much faster in one fluid motion that spoke of long practice. The next dummy received a bolt between the eyes.
"Here. Let's see how you're doing."
Marena mimicked Durak's moves. Her hand was quivering under the weight of the crossbow, but after some fumbling she managed to place a bolt in the slot. Drawing the string back was even harder. She decided to aim for the dummy's chest, lifted the weapon to eye-level, and pulled the trigger. The crossbow jerked and nearly flew from her arms while the bolt missed the target completely. The Breton sighed, but Durak's eyebrow rose.
"Not bad, for the start. Raise the weapon again." He adjusted the way she held the crossbow. "Legs farther apart. Again", he commanded.
This time, she managed to keep the heavy thing under control while the bolt ripped off half the dummy's face. Marena groaned - she had aimed for the chest again.
"Keep training. First time is never easy. Next!"
Marena watched with growing envy as Agmaer hit the dummy twice, once in the chest and once in the groin. The young Nord's smile was as broad as the Fort and his anxiety had obviously vanished when Durak beckoned Tharstan to give it a try.
It made her ridiculously happy to see he was even worse than her. "I think I'll stay with my mace", he murmured after the fifth missed shot.
"We also have some axes with special enchantments against leeches for you boys", said Durak. " 'course you can try it too, Marena. Well, it's almost noon and I'm sure the others want to get to know you. What do you think about an early lunch?"
The two men eagerly nodded, but Marena said: "Can I stay here for a while and practice? I'd like to do a few more shots."
The orc shrugged. "Suit yourself. The dining hall is just down the long corridor."
When they had left, Marena briefly closed her eyes. This was going to be harder than she had expected, but she didn't know what else to do.
...valuable...
The long time had left the memory of him unmarred; she could still see the smirk on his pale face while he looked at her with these eyes, feel how it stripped her soul bare until she felt like nothing more than the worm she was compared to him.
...as long as you desire...
Oh, she had recalled his words so often they seemed almost meaningless to her. He hadn't lied that day when he granted her immunity until you leave my realm.
The other's voice mixed into his, shouting: No, not that one, icebrain! Didn't you listen? She's not to be harmed.
Marena opened her eyes. She readied her weapon without really paying attention.
She imagined he was standing there at the platform.
He was smiling.
The bolt hit the dummy between the eyes.
A/N: Uh...sorry? For both the delay and the rather uneventful chapter.
HappyHamster: Thanks both for the advice and the encouragement.
I'd like to hear your opinion. And any suggestions on chapter names.