Sera turned the Ayelid artefact object over in her hand with disinterest, it was old, shaped with four thin spikes opposite each other, a platform between them, a white stone beneath it and then a platform below linking the spikes. Sera did not know its purpose nor did she care for it, truthfully she was not even sure she cared much for the gold it might warrant her. Two days down and here she was standing outside Matthias Draconis' house with uncertainty when she should be making her way to Kvatch.
This morning when the young thief had awoken in her hovel it had been to find a small, neat pile of dark hooded robes lying by her bedroll. It was a stark reminder of several things, her unwilling membership of the Dark Brotherhood, her future task for them in Kvatch and Lucien LaChance's ever watching presence. She looked up in surprise when the door opened and a moody looking Matthias exited. He regarded her with equal surprise and glimpsed the Ayelid statue before she hid it back in her knapsack, cursing her foolishness as she did.
"I guess you didn't want breakfast then," he greeted her bluntly, "but you've brought the statue so I assume you want to make some money."
The Imperial was a little surprised at the Breton's cold tone; shouldn't he be happy to see the statue? 'Is he annoyed that I waited the two days?' she wondered in puzzlement. 'Was I not allowed some time to think about whether to trust him or not?'
Sera frowned back at the older man and commented calmly, "shall we go to this dealer of yours?"
He nodded. "He'll be at the Roxey Inn," he explained gruffly, "let's go." He started walking quickly, forcing Sera to move swiftly to keep pace with him.
They escaped north of the city to a cool but sunny morning, grey clouds hung in the distance over the grand forests threatening rain later but for now it was dry. Sera tensed when Matthias led the way over a narrow crossing in the river to the ruins of Vilverin. She remembered forcing a dagger into the back of the Redguard Dorian's skull in a moment of rage and felt sick.
She caught a flashback of the zombies that had attacked her after and looked ahead to where Matthias walked; he had found her that night ill from the rot and stumbling towards the city. "I can give you coin for that remedy you bought for me," she offered.
He paused and gave her an angry look, further startling her. "If you have to," he grumbled before he turned ahead once more, leading the way north.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded as she followed after him. "Why are you angry? Because I took the two days I said I would to get back to you, I came didn't I? And I brought the stupid artefact!"
"Yes, you did," he retorted calmly, "and there is no need to yell about it, I'm not deaf. You came for the coin and now we're going to get it."
"What?" She looked at him in confusion and then annoyance. "Why is that a bad thing?" she queried heatedly. "You're here for the coin too! I never denied being a thief and you knew that when you helped me, so don't start looking down on me now, you're doing this behind your master's back, your morals are no better than mine!"
"He's not my master just my employer," Matthias growled, "now we're here so be quiet, I don't know what you're yelling for anyway."
"You don't know," the blonde stated sardonically as they approached the wooden inn, "did you get out of bed on the wrong side this morning?"
"No, did you?" he queried coolly before he pushed open the door.
Sera sighed angrily before following after him. Once she was within she immediately regretted it as they were greeted by a familiar Breton whose blue eyes widened at the sight of her before he gave an amused smile. He appeared alone, his small group of mercenaries were not in sight but Sera suspected they were near.
"A thief who tormented dear Umbacano, Brucetus was right about you," Claude was quick to jest.
Sera gritted her teeth as she failed to hide her irritation whilst Matthias glanced from Claude to her and then back to Claude. "Know her do you?" he quipped coolly.
"Only briefly," Claude confessed with a sad, mocking smile, "I could have known her more but she refused my offer of a drink."
Matthias' lip twitched slightly as a smile threatened to show at the remark. "So I've no need for introductions then," he murmured.
"Actually I never did catch our fair thief's name," Claude said with a grin.
"Nor do you need it," Sera retorted icily, as unimpressed with his charm as she had been on the night of their first meeting.
He folded his arms and commented flatly, "well I don't deal with the nameless as Matthias here knows." He nodded pointedly at the frustrated looking Breton who sighed.
"Call me Rosa," the blonde lied.
"A fake name I'm sure," Claude said with an unimpressed blue eyed stare.
'This hassle cannot not be worth the coin,' Sera thought in annoyance. 'Why am I even doing this? I could sell this to anyone for some coin! Or just steal some gold, why bother with all this trouble? It's not like Matthias, no, Mr. Draconis is showing any gratitude anyway.'
"What do you care?" she demanded. "Want to trade it to Umbacano or the guards?"
Claude laughed jovially at this. "Not at all," he assured, "if I did I'm sure you would only trade mine to your fellow thieves or worse in vengeance. Now come, you know mine, my full name, all I want is your first."
"Fine, it's Seraphina," she spat out angrily.
"Beautiful," he complimented, earning another glower for his troubles.
"Another delightful tangle is spun!" Sera looked about in surprise at the merry female voice but the only other female in the inn wasn't even looking their way. "An alliance with a Draconis is always an interesting prospect, depending on how it goes shall certainly depend on the path the spider takes." Sera looked about in suspicion but no one seemed to be talking and Claude and Matthias were both now looking at her in confusion. "Take care little thief, you tread the path of Nocturnal and Sithis both and before the sun sets there will be more paths upon which you walk. Too many and you will find a crossroads you cannot choose at."
"Who are you?" Sera demanded aloud. The voice was familiar yes but faceless and it alarmed her.
"Um who are you talking to?" Matthias queried quietly as he looked about the tavern cautiously. The Redguard paid no heed, continuing to gawk at the Breton owner who looked at the blonde with a frown, and the other Breton patron was too drunk to care for Sera's sudden outburst.
"I am the webspinner, I see all the threads one can choose, pluck but one and everything can unravel, weave too many and it's a tangle you can't unwind. I spoke with you when you first walked the path of death with LaChance, your path is not so dull and brief as the many insignificant flies of this rotting world. You have much potential, perhaps too much; will you be doom for those who guide you or saviour? The nightmare of the assassins, the unstoppable thief, or more?"
"I don't know!" she snapped back. "Leave me alone!"
"Matthias I know we have to deal with less than law-abiding people in these situations but they don't have to be crazy, just criminal," Claude commented dryly.
Matthias rolled his eyes in scorn before he grabbed the blonde by her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Who in Oblivion are you talking to?" he quipped.
She looked to him with frightened green eyes before jerking free of his grasp. She opened her knapsack, tugged out the artefact and shoved it into his hands. "Take it," she snapped, "I don't care about the money, I never bloody did. I just..." She shook her head angrily. "I have to go."
"Where?" he demanded.
"Who cares?" Claude remarked unkindly. "More coin for you."
"To Kvatch," she confessed without meaning to. 'Idiot,' she chided herself, 'sure he doesn't know you're an assassin and if you really do this he won't make a connection, will he? By Oblivion does it matter, does he need to know where you're going? Look at him; he thinks you're a lunatic!'
"Sorry," she said lamely, "I'm very busy, I had a lot of business in the Imperial City and now I have some in Kvatch."
"Stealing you mean," Claude commented sardonically, grinning when she glowered at him again. "I make no judgement," he assured, "I do much the same myself when it's profitable, although I find tomb raiding a more pleasant exercise."
Sera shuddered at that. "I'd rather avoid the zombies," she grumbled.
Matthias fumbled with the artefact in one hand, reaching out to grasp her wrist with his other. "Stay and get your share," he urged her.
She shook her head at him. "No, it's a long journey I should get going. I really don't care about the coin, I just wanted to help."
Matthias released her with a look of shock, which he quickly hid though he couldn't quite banish the dark flush creeping up his neck. "Alright," he murmured. "Kvatch is a good distance, are you going alone?"
She nodded with a small smile. "Yes but I'm quite prepared. I'll be back in the city after." She paused, unsure why she had bothered saying that, would it even be true? Would Lucien allow her to come back? Would she allow herself?
"Well maybe I can suggest somewhere for breakfast when you do," Matthias murmured.
"Breakfast?" Claude echoed rudely. "Should I have offered that instead of a drink then? My Matthias, you dirty dog-"
"Shut up Claude," Matthias grumbled, "let's get bargaining already."
"You know I'm only buying it from you to sell to Umbacano," Claude bragged, "seems silly you having a middle man."
"Don't tempt me to cut you out," Matthias growled at him. "We both know it's simpler for me to sell to you, that being said don't think of short changing me and selling it for double to him, I know what this thing is worth and I know he only needs one more after it, and without them all they're nothing to him."
"Yes, yes," Claude said wearily.
"Well goodbye," Sera remarked hastily.
"Bye," Matthias grumbled with a nod.
"Goodbye sweet thief," Claude commented with a dramatic bow.
Sera gave him a rude gesture in response before she hastened from the inn. Out in the fresh air she felt slightly better, the voice was silent once more and she wondered if somehow she could have just invented it. 'No,' she thought firmly, 'it started near here at that shrine to Mephala.' She glanced to the north east where the shrine lay, it was tempting but she did not want to invite the voice to her again. She turned deliberately to the south west and started her long trek. Kvatch was a good distance away from the Imperial City, one had to go through the Great Forest where many beasts and Daedra worshippers lurked and then through or by Skingrad. Curious as Sera was about Skingrad she knew she had no time to dally there and would have to pass by the city and hope to see it another day.
She returned to the Imperial City, hurrying to her shack, outside which an impatient looking Armand greeted her. "Sera," he said with a look of surprise, "are you alright?" She looked flustered, her hair was tangled, she was breathless and her cheeks were red.
"I'm fine," she assured.
"Good, I heard about Roland, not a vampire anymore, but Seridur was." He looked at her pointedly but she resisted the urge to admit her role in that business. "Anyway, the Gray Fox has been looking for you-"
"Is he here?" she blurted out anxiously, interrupting the Redguard.
He shook his head as continued to eye her suspiciously. "No, he was here four days ago, had I known you had returned to the city I would have told you sooner. He was quite anxious about you, only said that word was to be sent to him of your return and that I was to compel you to wait for him."
Sera tensed at his words as she filled with guilt. 'I can't wait, Lucien made it clear when the killing was to be done and he made it clear what would happen if it wasn't. I don't know if I could face the Gray Fox regardless,' she thought sorrowfully, 'three people are dead by my hands now and only one was an accident.' She shuddered at the thought earning a further look of scrutiny from Armand. "Where is he?" she queried.
"In Bruma," Armand retorted.
Sera nodded. "Alright, well send word to him then," she said softly.
"That you will wait for him?" Armand demanded.
She nodded again. "Yes," she lied, hurting with the word.
He shook his head scornfully. "Alright then," he retorted before slackening his arms and walking off. He suspected there was a lot she wasn't telling him, and wondered why she and the Gray Fox had become separated. 'Something happened when they left here,' the Redguard thought, 'before even, they were quick to go after all.'
Sera waited until Armand was out of sight before she hurried into her hut. She picked up the pouch there in which she had hidden the robes Lucien had left for her, in it she added a few healing potions, the last of her coin and two daggers. She then changed into her thieves' guild's brown leathers with two long daggers at her side and headed on her way. Let her go on the assassin's business but let her still be a thief.
There was the bluff to Kvatch, in a way the hill was a welcome sight after all she had suffered to get to it. Wild boars, bears and wolves had all attacked her on her journey here along with bandits, rogue mages and foul creatures she had been unable to identify. She had made it by the skin of her teeth, and was now out of healing potions, covered in cuts and bruises and minus one dagger, which had gotten lodged too deeply in a bear's skull for her to remove.
She paused as she realised something was wrong, black smoke was billowing above the city. Alarmed, she hurried despite her pains, hastening up the path that wove around the city. Adrenaline drove her on, up and up until she came across a group of makeshift huts and scattered, panicking people. She tugged up the carmine hooded cloak she had pilfered from a traveller on the main road, wary that some of these upset and frightened people looked familiar to her.
"What's going on?" she queried aloud.
A balding Imperial in the grey robes of a priest approached her with wide, mad eyes. "Hope is gone. The Imperial line is dead. The Covenant is broken. The Enemy has won," he wailed at her.
She recognised him as a priest in the temple of Akatosh where she and her family had prayed on a weekly basis. "What are you talking about?"
"The Imperial line is dead, and the gods have forsaken us. Where is our blessing? Where is our protection? Where are our gods? The Enemy triumphs, and we die alone," he moaned at her.
She turned from him nervously and continued up the path. As she walked she noticed that the people had the appearance of refugees, they were all sorrowful, some had tears trickling down their faces, others looked shocked and stood silent like statues. Seeing a half-normal looking Bosmer, she approached and queried, "what's going on? Why is there smoke?"
He looked at her dejected and said, "I really can't tell you what happened. I'm just lucky to be alive. I was in my basement. Suddenly there was a lot of noise and heat." He spoke very quickly as if deliberately avoiding reliving the memory. "I stepped outside, and the whole town was on fire, smoke everywhere. I ran for the gate. I got through the gate, and kept running through the woods by the light of the fires. I slept in the woods. I came back in the morning, and Kvatch was gone. There was nothing I could do. I just ran. If I hadn't, I'd be dead."
"When did this happen and how?" Sera demanded in horror. Kvatch gone? No it had to be an exaggeration, a lie!
"This morning I came back," he murmured, "the city was gone."
She broke into a run determined to see for herself, her fear for her former home overriding thoughts of Berich Inian, her would be victim. Her legs throbbed with the effort but she ignored the pain and pushed on until she reached the top of the hill where she halted again in horror. It was chaos, the earth was scorched black, wooden spikes and fences had been set up but whether to keep things out or in was unclear, the trees were dark skeletons, and the guards battled beasts Sera had never seen before. Strangest of all were the two curved, jagged horns growing from the ground, their tips stained in blood and the wicked looking ovular, stone shape that stood before the stone walls of the city, blocking the gates into Kvatch. In the centre of the ovular stone an amber and gold fire raged but it was like no fire Sera had seen before.
She snapped into action when a reptilian creature with a grey, beak like nose and a fan shaped head came charging at her on two feet with a snarl, claws outwards and ready to strike. She blocked its claws with two daggers, her only two daggers, and gritted her teeth as she felt her feet sliding back in the dirt with the force of its attack. It broke from her daggers, lowered itself onto four legs and charged into her, slamming her legs hard with its tough, large head. She fell back onto her rear with a cry, yelping when its claws slashed at her stomach. She thrust her daggers up, trying to strike at its throat but it dodged the blow.
With both feet she forced it off by kicking hard. She then rolled to her right, hastened to her feet and plunged down into its neck with both daggers and all her strength. She let out a gasp as it twitched and shrieked before finally going limp.
Yanking out her daggers she staggered upright in time to see the look of awe and disbelief an Imperial soldier was giving her. He was not just any soldier, she recognised him instantly, Savlian Matius, an Imperial she had once harboured a crush on as a little girl. He had a few more wrinkles and grey hairs since she had last seen him but despite the sweat trickling down his face he looked as handsome as ever in his Kvatch armour. She looked at the wolf of the city on his cuirass in fond remembrance; her mother had described the black wolf as the city's protector.
"You," Savlian called out to her, "who are you? This is no place for civilians," he added sternly. He was staring at her with a burning curiosity; she looked so like someone he had once been so fond of, a golden child of the city who had become lost a decade ago. 'It couldn't be,' he scorned himself, 'she would be older now, much older, and the nose is different, the chin too...' His thoughts trailed off as he thought of another who had vanished with her.
"Seraphina," she answered bluntly as she tugged her hood back up, banishing her bound golden curls from sight. She had purposely worn her hair up in a bun in an attempt to add a layer of disguise to her appearance, short of dying it with soot or ink she had little chance of hiding it and her telltale resemblance to Count Goldwine's vanished daughter. "And I am no civilian." She gestured pointedly to the carcass by her feet. "Now, what happened here?" It was hard to appear calm, her heart was pounding madly with a conflict of emotions, fear for the city and her family, fear at being recognised and yet an awful desire to be known as well, to throw herself sobbing at Savlian and beg him to see her and remember her. She wanted to forget what she had become, that she was thief and assassin both, a criminal and a sinner, the lowest of the low. If she proclaimed her birthright she could forget it all and be nobility once more, safe and...
'And what?' the blonde wondered savagely. 'Safe in a burning city plagued by beasts? Nonsense! Even if somehow I figure this mess out I will never be safe as Alexandra Goldwine in Kvatch, the Dark Brotherhood would have me in a day.'
"We lost the damned city, that's what happened!" Salvian confessed angrily. "It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed. Couldn't even get everyone out. There are still people trapped in there. Some made it into the Chapel, but others were just run down in the streets. The Count and his men are still holed up in the castle. And now we can't even get back into the city to help them, with that damned Oblivion Gate blocking the way." He pointed to the fiery oval that blocked the gates.
The Count, he was trapped in there? 'Grandfather,' Sera thought in horror. "Oblivion Gate?" she echoed.
He nodded stiffly as he wiped at his brow with one hand. "It just appeared and then all these monsters came out of it. My home... my goddamn home, in flames. It kills me that I can't get in there and DO something. We couldn't have been any less prepared for this. Seems like they came out of nowhere. There were just so many of them... If only I had a way to strike back at the enemy. But we can't leave the barricade until that Oblivion Gate is closed."
He turned as another reptilian creature came to attack and raised his sword with a brave cry. Sera was forced to lift her daggers once more as two moved at her. For a moment they were overwhelmed by the reptilian things and other creatures with pointed ears and long tails that attacked with balls of fire. The few guards that remained fought back bravely despite how tired they were. Sera moved as quickly as she could but she was burned by a fireball and her left arm was dealt a deep slash.
She was exhausted, sore and terrified as she lashed out with daggers, giving a scream of horror when she was forced to the ground and found her vision blocked by gnashing teeth. Claws, teeth and beaks worried at her from all sides and she could not seem to lift a dagger to fight back. She rolled, kicked and flailed in a wild attempt to free herself, terrified that she would be eaten alive. At last a dagger struck true, embedding itself in a creature's right eye. It pulled up and back with a wail giving her a gap to push through. She made it to her feet before a sharp pain rushed through her wounded right leg caused her to stumble and fall to her knees. She moved on her knees with a cry of desperation, swinging her dagger out at the creatures that tried to take advantage. She caught one of the fire throwing ones at the throat, and slashed it open. It dropped down dead immediately.
Savlian came to her aid, fending off the last foe before helping her to her feet. "This is no place for you," he said sternly. "We do not know how much longer we can hold. We sent men in there," he confessed, "suicidal but what other option was there? And then another volunteered in his madness but..."
"Captain Matius!"
He turned at the cry from a guard as did Sera. 'Captain?' she wondered dumbly. 'What of Captain Reldius?'
The fiery oval was trembling and the stone frame about it was cracking. There was a flash of blinding carmine light that caused them all to shut their eyes with a groan and then a loud crumbling sound. Sera opened her eyes in time to see the structure fall to ruins through her blurry, red tinged eyes. When the light dimmed down and the dust from the rubble cleared she made out the silhouette of two men supporting each other, a half-clothed male and another in cheap looking armour.
Sera moved to them, following in Savlian's eager wake.
"Menien!" a guard exclaimed as he rushed to help with the barely clothed male who was struggling to stand.
"You closed the Gate? I knew you could do it!" Savlian greeted the other male happily. "This is our chance to launch a counterattack! I need you to come with us. You've got far more combat experience than these men. Are you able to join us now? I can wait, but not for long. We've got to move quickly, before they have a chance to barricade the city gate."
The male looked at him wearily as blood trickled down his brow before he gave a single nod. Sera was finally able to take him in, dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin, somewhere around her age with a scar running down his nose and two more marring his right cheek. She was rigid as she took him in, the resemblance was uncanny, impossible, it couldn't be, not here, not now, it was impossible. The gods were toying with her, they must be! "Tt...Thomas," she croaked out.
He looked at her with icy blue eyes much like Sam's before turning back to Savlian.
"For Kvatch!" the captain yelled eagerly before charging the city gates.
The man raised his sword and hurried after the captain with the rest of the guards, giving no indication that he had heard Sera's voice.