Raerek sat down by the fire in his quarters. He knew Hroki well, very well. He saw a lot of potential in her and knew she was worth so much more than anyone else in Markarth. He saw something in her no one else could. She was as feisty, tough and intelligent as she was beautiful. In truth, he loved her. But he knew these feelings would never be reciprocated, so he pushed them aside. He was far too old for her, older than her own father. However, feelings like that don't just go away so easily. So when he found out she had died, he knew he had to find the killer and make them pay.
That's when he found the entry in the diary he was looking for. Raerek tore out the page from the diary.
He threw it in the fire and watched as it burnt to ash, and disappeared. A wave of relief washed over the old man.
Degaine waited, and he waited. Every week it was the same operation. The food would come in, and so would the Skooma. A guard who was friendly with Madanach would bring in the package and sneak it into the food. The mercenaries never even noticed. They were too focused on stopping escape attempts, not drug smuggling.
However, when Degaine saw Duoch's expression he knew something was wrong.
"Where is it?!" Duoch said tearing the food apart to find the bottles of Skooma. It was pointless, there was no Skooma.
"What's going on? You want the guards to here you?" Braig whispered grabbing Duoch by the shoulder.
"It's not here! Bastards, Bastards!" Duoch said thumping the ground.
"Did you look properly?" Odvan asked, noticing the commotion.
"Of course I looked properly you fool! It's not here" Duoch kicked a bucket across the ground.
"Calm down...or else" Braig warned the man.
"Or else what?" Duoch squared up to him, pushing into him.
"Or else I'll put you down" Braig squared right up next to him as well.
After a long deathly silence Duoch backed away, smirking. He didn't know who he was messing with. Braig is an animal.
"Alright so it's not here. We'll just have to tell Madanach" Braig said addressing the prisoners.
"Well I'm not doing that! I haven't got a death wish" Grisvar said holding his arms up in the air.
"Me neither. That's insane" Odvan continued.
"Who is going to do it? Someone has to" Uraccen declared.
Everyone went silent, eyeing each other to see who was best. Madanach was completely unpredictable. Telling him that the drug packages hadn't arrived could send him into a fury.
Suddenly, everyone's eyes fell on Degaine.
"Who doesn't he do it?" Grisvar yelled, pointing to the drunk.
"Yeah he hasn't met Madanach yet either" Duoch added.
It was true, Degaine still hadn't met Madanach. Not that he particularly wanted to. He had heard the stories; blood sacrifices, head on pikes, Daedra worship. The man sounded insane.
"You're right. It's time he met him, and now is a better time than any" Uraccen said.
"Don't I get a say?" Degaine finally spoke.
"Their right. You do have to meet him at some point. Might as well be now" Braig said, leaving Degaine on his own.
"But..." Degaine was about to but it seemed fruitless, everyone had already made up their minds.
"Fine...I'll do it" Degaine threw the pickaxe aside and barged past the crowd. Borkul, the lumbering mountain, cleared the way for Degaine to head through. He could feel the eyes on the back of his head. It felt like a suicide mission.
"Ok...that's most of the smelter workers done. Who's next?" Emilie asked as Roggar looked through the timetable in the journal.
"Erm..." he uttered.
"What did you do?..."
"I think...maybe"
She sighed. "What did you do?"
"I lost the timetable" he admitted, gulping.
"Seriously?! I gave you one task..."
"A very complex and innovative task" Roggar added.
"I guess we'll just...wait for whomever to arrive then"
"Looks like we don't have to. Endon is waiting outside" Roggar said pointing to the redguard man standing outside.
"And...Are you going to bring him in?..."
"Oh right yeah"
Endon
Emilie: Endon...you're a Silversmith in Markarth? Right?
Endon: That's correct. Same as my father and his father. My daughter's an apprentice. My wife runs a jewellery stall too.
Emilie: Thanks, I'm still getting used to faces. Did you know Hroki well?
Endon: No not really. I mean I passed her every now and again but that was it really...
Roggar: Where were you the night Hroki died?
Endon: At home
Roggar: Alone?
Endon: No, my wife Kerah was there and my daughter Adara
Emilie: So they can verify you were at home?
Endon: Well...my wife was asleep. She had...one to many pints of mead. My daughter can, she was with me
Roggar: Did you leave at all during the night?
Endon: *pauses* No I was at home, all night *drinks water*
Emilie: That's odd. You see we were talking to a smelter worker and he said he saw you hanging around the market...
Endon: Oh yeah sorry I did step out for a moment to go to the stall. Kerah said she forgot to lock up.
Emilie: I thought she fell asleep?
Endon: She did she...I mean she said it before...before she went asleep
Emilie: Hmm...
Endon: Is that everything? My daughter's waiting for me
Emilie: That's everything...for now. You can go. *Endon leaves*
"What is he hiding?" Roggar wandered.
"I don't know...but it must be big. He lied his way through all of that"
Degaine made his way down to Madanach's room feeling like it would be his last path to take.
He entered the room. To his surprise it was actually pretty nice, and large.
Madanach sat by a table, writing. He spoke without looking up from the page; "So you're the new recruit".
"Yes" Degaine spoke softly.
"Don't look like much. But then again, looks can be deceiving. I mean look at me. Most would assume I'm just some doting old man. They'd be wrong of course"
He finally turned around; "It would be there last assumption too".
Degaine gulped hard.
"What have you come here to tell me. I know it isn't good. Borkul doesn't just let anyone in and I highly doubt you beat him in a fight...no this is something serious"
"The Skooma didn't arrive. There was none in the package" Degaine looked down, expecting the worst.
"Well well" Madanach stood up "The tables have turned".
He walked over to Degaine.
"I'm not entirely sure why this has happened, but I'll get to the bottom of it. I have some of my best people in Markarth. They'll find out the truth, one way or the other" Madanach sat back down in the chair.
"I know you. A beggar, a drunk. Arrested for the murder of that young Nord girl."
"That's right but I didn't do it. I swear!"
"Oh I know you didn't. I know. And I can promise you freedom if you stick with me. Change is coming to Markarth. The blood of the Nords will decorate the walls of this hold. I will be leaving soon, and if you stick with me so will you"
"If it means freedom...I'll do it" Degaine spoke determinedly.
"Good. I knew you had it in you. But first I need to deal with this...situation. That takes time. So go before they all think I've killed you"
"Yes...sir" Degaine said before exiting.
Raerek studied the diary inside the Silver-Blood Inn, sipping on a pint of mead. It had six months worth of entries, one for every day. Most of it was rubbish, family arguments and teenage crushes and general nonsense. He flicked through the pages waiting for something to catch his eye but he couldn't find anything worth even talking about.
He sipped some more mead.
He thought about giving up, calling it a day and going back to bed.
That's when it happened. He dropped his pint to the floor. One word caught his eye.
He knew who killed Hroki.
Without a word he grabbed hold of the diary and raced out of the Inn. He needed to get this to Emilie, or the Jarl.
He walked as fast as he could, not running to avoid drawing attention to himself. He could feel the coldness of the night on his back.
Every hair on his body stood up.
He looked around him. He was completely alone.
"Thank Talos" he said as he turned a corner, the Understone Keep was in his view.
Then it hit him.
Like a thousand bricks falling down onto him; he collapsed to his knees in agony.
The world round him started spinning as he heard the footsteps behind him.
"No..." he thought as another whirlwind of pain came crashing down upon his head.
He collapsed to the cold hard stone. His face was cold. His breathing slowed down. He could hear his attacker's breath.
He felt the diary being pulled from his grasp. He tried to hold on, but he couldn't. He could see his blood.
He could hear the attacker going in for the kill.
Then, everything went black.