FIVE PROMISES
If I thought the look in Elisif's eyes was bad, I was not prepared for the disappointment in Astrid's. Thankfully, she had me tell her the bad news without an audience. She stands behind her table where the map of Skyrim remains before her. Usually, she obsesses over it. Scouring with her eyes where her next contracts are and just where the marks are hiding. All the while her deft fingers poke and prod at the city names and surroundings, drawing an invisible map that only the assassin of her choosing will see. But today there's no glee over an impending murder. No puzzle to carefully place together. Her face remains drawn and reserved, but I've always been good at noticing the eyes.
"He killed him?"
"No pulse." I confirm. I lean back against the cool, damp, wall. You can tell you're in a cave based on the moisture and strange mildew smell down here. I can't say that I missed it. "His wife weeping over him. It was obvious, not like I could walk over there and ask to slit the corpse's throat."
"No, that would be obtuse." Astrid sneers. "Even if we told the contract we did it, he wouldn't believe it."
"Not with the news swirling around."
"That bastard." She spits the echoing words I kept repeating when I got here. I was in a rage. It took Festus and Veezara sparring with me to get me to calm down. But in the deep, dark hours of the night I did let a few tears of frustration fall. When I was tucked away safely in my bed. "This is all political maneuvering. I knew Ulfric was angling to be High King but didn't know he'd do something as ballsy as this."
"No."
She runs a hand through her dirty hair, as if she hasn't washed in days. It took me that long to get back here and based on the cranky members, I'm guessing they haven't slept either. We all know what might happen. A contract gone and no coin to show for it. But sometimes, the askers come back to request compensation. It's not often, and only happens in unique circumstances, and I'd say these were unique.
"Now what?" I ask, quietly, as if that would soften the blow she's about to deal me.
"I sent the letter yesterday." Astrid pins me with her pretty eyes. "We wait. I don't know what he'll want but you better know he'll get something out of this. He wanted to parade the assassination of the High King around and that didn't happen."
"He's a prominent figure?"
"I don't know. I never got the name." Astrid curls her lip in disgust. "Get some rest, you look like you took a run through Oblivion. I'll deal with this mess."
My heart thumps a little harder, as if reminding me it's there. I was coiled tight, like a snake ready to strike this whole time. I thought they would blame me. I thought they'd cast me out. But everyone is bearing the burden of my failure as if it were their failure. That shocks me. If I fucked up this bad in the orphanage, I would have been gone. I was gone. Here, they prop me up like the family I never had. I give Astrid a sharp nod and walk back to my rooms, hoping she doesn't sense the fear on me.
I don't have sticky hands. I can't just go accumulate the fourteen thousand on my own like I dream to. Yet even now, wrestling with my horrible thoughts in bed, I think I could do it. Just strike out and join the Thieves Guild. They're desperate for members so maybe I could learn a thing or two from them. But even those thoughts slip away as I remember the little lad I used to be. A few times I got too close to my target and got a terrible beating afterwards. One day I woke up and could barely see out my swollen eyes. It took a kind Khajiit healer on the edge of Solitude to fix me up. And after that she gave me bread, making me promise that I would never get into that situation again.
No, I'd rather gut them and take all they have. But if I go on a rampage like that, I'd be sealing my own warrant with the guards. I would be caught red handed without the backbone of the Dark Brotherhood to support me. So, my only option was to stay here and wait for the low contracts to trickle in. Stupid shit like killing a cheating husband and his mistress. Or, slaughtering an employee who stole some coin from their place of business. I won't get much for it. Most were only forty of seventy septims at their highest. Chump change.
No, now I'm left with the thoughts of the man's glowing green eyes and horrible hair. The man with the feathered coat who walked out the Blue Palace with a vendetta in his eyes. One he got. One that he stole from me. The last thing I think before sleep finally takes me, is that I would love to wipe the smirk off his face. It would only take a few well, intentioned slices and I'd be done. It would be lovely. It would worth the fourteen thousand he stole out from under me.
Few days later, the buyer showed up. Knocking on our door with such pompous entitlement like we were a Jarl ourselves. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Festus stopped his crowing about some new contract he was on. Veezara merely looked up from his sulking spot on the ground, as I liked to call it. Even little Babette peered around the corner from the bunk rooms, a few extra healing potions in her little hands.
"Who in the gods name would be here this early? I haven't even had my cup of coffee yet." Nazir muses. The tall, rugged, Redguard saunters across the room but Astrid has him beat.
I feel my heart pounding. My palms sweating. I take a long look at the mural of Sithis above us. Its shiny glass pieces all forming the puzzle of our true leader. I say a silent prayer to her, our Unholy Matron, then to him, our leader, our god.
No one really told me who Sithis was. So, I had to read about him. From what I know, he likes to stay in his own realm and doesn't come out much. I sigh softly, knowing it's too much to hope for. If only he would today. Every step to that door is louder than it should be, and I can only attribute that to my family watching me at my back. Nazir claps me on the shoulders. "Even though we had some skirmishes here and there, I did like you Rune."
"You too." I give a half-hearted smile and go on. No one else says a word as my boots crunch into the dirt.
Astrid looks like death. Her face pale and deep, dark circles pool under her eyes. "No. I'm not agreeing to that."
"It's all a part of the contract." A snake-like voice hisses. I round the corner to finally see out the doorway. What I find is a tall, lithe Argonian man dressed in a polished suit. More polished than anything I see in Skyrim. Here, people like big furry, fluffy coats to strut around in. This guy had to be used to humidity.
His snake-like eyes pin me. "You. You're the one I'm here to collect." He scribbles down something on the scroll he's holding. "Let's be gone."
"What's going on?" I ask.
Astrid opens her mouth in shock and looks at me. Words have confounded her. She's so frail, so terrified. I'm sure if I had some supernatural hearing I would notice her heart about to give out. Afterall, the Dark Brotherhood was her bloodline and if I get kicked out then who in Oblivion is going to help bring us back to infamy?
"Get your things Rune." The Argonian squints at the paper. "Allister. Otherwise known under the alias of the Forest Shadow. We leave now."
"Not until you tell me what this is." I stand tall, staring down at the guy over the bridge of my nose.
He just huffs. "You failed the contract, so we come for recompenses. My master has directed me to take you down south to Valenwood. We leave immediately because we have only a month to get there. Master does not like to be kept waiting." He goes back to scribbling on his scroll.
"Why. Why not take anything else? Are you looking to torture me?" I feel the heat of anger flaring in my chest. Fine. If this asshole wants to kill me then at least man up and do it now before we get anywhere near the sticky waters of the south. I'd rather die before being dragged through the marsh with bugs and parasites that were sure to infect me. Truly, if this guy wanted to string me up as an example why not do it here?
He doesn't even look up. "My master will have use for an assassin such as you. Get your things and return to me. We will be leaving promptly. Or," His eyes flick up again, "I'll make you."
Behind him I see a ragtag group of brawn. A tall, thickly muscled Nord man with a yellow beard. A Redguard who looks like he could eat him with the chest span he held and the few inches he had on the Nord. Scariest of all though, was the Dunmer woman sitting on the back of the cart. Her long, inky black hair covers half her face. Her clawed nails dig into the wood with barely restrained aggression. I don't need to see the startling eyes to know she was turned into the undead.
"I need to talk with my boss first." I slam the door shut and turn on Astrid. She's still gaping. "What is this?"
"I got word the other day. I thought I could convince them otherwise but he's stubborn."
My heart quickens. I don't have many options. By our laws, whatever the asker wants needs to be recompensated. Now or later, it doesn't matter. Especially not with the fourteen fucking thousand contract that I blew. "I have to go." I say hoarsely.
She nods, still in shock with her eyes glazed over. Her mind slowly comes back to life. I see the cunning woman just beneath her exterior start to wake up. "You're still with the Brotherhood, you always will be. I'll write more letters, try to bargain down your time there."
"What does he want with me?" I hiss, she knows more than she's let on.
"I don't know. He probably wants you as his personal assassin." She muses. "Just go. You know how to kill and what to do. If things don't look well." She curls her pointer finger and tugs, miming cutting her own throat.
It would be against our codes, but if only Astrid and I knew that these fools took the wrong turn in a doomed carriage, then I shouldn't be punished. I'd just be right back at square one. "I'll be back then." I pat her shoulder. "Thanks…for…" I look around. Have I really spent ten years here? Have I really whittled away my youth until I was damn near thirty? Was I truly this scared to leave? "Everything." I settle on.
Truth was, without her, I'd be without coin. I wouldn't know how to fight. I probably would have been killed by the strangest creature out there and no one would have known me well enough to tell my story. I'd just be some unfortunate orphan kid who got even unluckier.
She tries to talk sweet to me, tries to follow me back to my rooms, and when that doesn't work, she goes out and berates my new crew. I just pack the very few things to my name and sling my bag over my shoulder. The people I worked with, grew up with, only give me solemn stares and nods as I leave. We didn't want to say anything to each other. And I prefer it that way. To break the silence was to admit that this might not go well for me. I might be doomed to watery grave not of my making.
When the dirt crunches beneath my feet and I haul myself up on the carriage, the Nord man grunts. The Redguard to his right actually has something to say. Nice to see they weren't all brainless on this ride. "Made the right choice."
"I hope so." I let my bag fall to my feet, keeping an eye on all their hands. The Nord keeps his on his knees. Redguard cracks his and the Dunmer sinks her nails further into the wood. Finally, the Argonian sits next to me after another word with Astrid, and the old looking guy at the helm of the carriage leads the horse on.
"Got any names?" I lean back, making myself comfortable. At least enough to get the vampire chick to chill out.
"I am Bah-Tei." The Argonian says smoothly. "That is Bjar." He motions to the Nord. "Azani." The Redguard. "Idris." The Dunmer with the hateful eyes. "Our carriage driver, Erald."
"Nice crew. So, we're just going straight there? No pit stops?"
His face goes smooth. "We will rest on the border to Cyrodill for the night. After that, we make our way through to the outskirts of Bruma then to the Imperial city. I should be in contact with my master at that point as to where we will head next. Worry not, Shadow, I'll make sure you get there in one piece." He smiles cruelly at me.
Bjar chuckles. Azani joins in. Idris only leans forwards and sniffs the air. "He reeks of death and fear."
"As he should." Bah-Tei confirms.
I can't really cower, don't really want to, I keep my posture straight and a look of boredom on my face. Little do these freaks know I need one good night, just wait for them shut their eyes for a little slumber and I'll have them all dead. I have to hide my smile when I think about slicing each throat. Don't want them to get wind of it and spoil the surprise.
I made five promises to our Unholy Matron as we neared our campsite. It was somewhere out in the thick forest. Wolves were already howling. Birds were still singing. I only pray that she heard my pleas when the carriage halts.
"Get the campsite ready." Bah-Tei commands. Bjar and Azani get off immediately. "You." Bah-Tei points to Idris. "Get some food."
He doesn't have to give her another word, she just leaps from the carriage and bolts into the thick forest. "I'm guessing she's a blood sucker?" I have to ask.
Bah-Tei gives me a long look. "Why, yes, how perceptive of you." His smile is like a cold blade ready to kill. "As for you, please make yourself useful. I know you can hunt. So, go out there and get us food for the night."
My mind lurches. "You trust me?"
Bah-Tei chuckles. "Of course not. I have a spell cast over everyone. If you get too far, it will just force you back into this radius. You know the repercussions then. Now go."
How interesting, he had the spell casted on everybody here. So, I'm guessing the brains and brawn of the operation were being held against their will like me. It gave me a few ideas to muse over as I open my bag and retrieve my arrows. The bow already slung over my shoulder feels familiar in my hands. "I'll be back soon."
"And if you would, Rune, get me something juicy. None of those rabbits, maybe something a bit larger, yes?"
I have to bite my tongue to keep from making some smart ass remark. I was already on thin ice here, didn't need to make it worse. I walk off into the forest.
It was silent out here. As if all the animals knew a predator was in their midst. But the longer I sit in my tree, quads burning from crouching, the more I'm able to pick up on what she's doing. The Dunmer, Idris, stalks the forest. Her glowing eyes almost act as lights of their own, illuminating the ground and animals that scurry around. I almost suck in a beath when she moves.
Her speed, her agility, her precision. Damn. That's what Festus wanted from me for so long. Just to get the damn target, that was the first step. Then just jump up onto a damn box without stumbling. Run the damn mile without stopping. This woman has everything he wanted from me. Too bad, he never thought to turn me into a bloodsucker.
No matter how elusive and appealing those thoughts are, I still shudder as she sinks her fangs into a flailing rabbit. Her shoulders twitch as she pulls more blood from the creature. There can't be much with its size. The plump body splats on the ground when she drops it. I can't sink back into the shadows as she turns, her eyes pinning me.
"I didn't know you were privy to spying." Her voice is like ice.
"Just never saw a vamp in action." I give her an easy smile and plop down so my legs dangle from the branch. "You caught up in Bah-Tei's game too?"
Her eyes narrow into thin slits. "I was. Then I learned what wealth awaits me in the south." She spits. "You should do the same." She stalks off, not even asking if I needed any help or grabbing food for the others. Oh no, they save that task for the newcomer.
I get a few kills. A deer, and some rabbits. I figure the meatheads on board can use some extra flesh. Well, they might want it, but I plan to hoard most of this for myself. I'm just skinning another pelt when I hear the harsh stomping in the forest.
The trees even shake. I hear his heavy breathing before he says anything. "Bah-Tei wants you back, you should have been back an hour ago."
I don't look away from the bloody carcass in my hands. Bjar isn't a match for me, and I'll let him know it. "I'm busy. If you want to get your leash holder some food, take the deer over there." I jerk my chin.
"Kind of an ass, aren't you?"
I raise a brow and turn my head ever so slightly. "Have I offended you?"
"No, but you don't get it, do you? We get down into Valenwood and we're set for life."
I tear more skin off, little by little with the dagger of my choosing. "I would have had everything if they just parted with the fourteen thousand I was promised."
"Not my fault you screwed up."
I grit my teeth a little harder. "You really think that cesspool down south holds anything? I bet you the moment we get there they'll cart us off to the Summerset Isles to be some sort of slave."
Bjar balks. "Never. They would never do that."
I turn to stare him in the face. "Really? You think they'll treat us nicely? We get the scraps and our master here gets the whole damn deer." I motion to the carcass to my right. "He has a spell on us to keep us from running. What part of the word 'prisoner' don't you understand?"
"But he said…."
"All that meat going to your head?" I jest. "Come on, dude. He's going to sell us off. You and I? We look like a lot of muscle, a lot of hard-earned strength." I truly wasn't nearly as bulky as this guy. Sure, I had some muscle, but I was lither and more compact. Perfect for my speed and agility. "They want us in the mines or working on their farms."
"Valenwood won't let us with that treaty they have."
I cut the guy off again, not caring for these excuses. "Their Green Pact doesn't extend to the rocks in the earth, Bjar. I bet you all the coin I would have been swimming in this guy has different plans than what he's telling you."
That seems to shut him up. He stands in the forest clearing, his mouth gaping and working, trying to form words. "Get the deer, take it back to Bah-Tei and we'll talk later." I go back to skinning the rabbit.
Surprisingly, he does as I ask. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I can get to these people. I wouldn't have to kill them afterall. But watching Bjar's well-endowed body scrape up the deer and carry it back as if it weighed nothing, I would be a fool to underestimate them.
Dinner is awkward. We all eat around the makeshift fire Azani made for us. He has that thousand-yard stare going on as he sinks his teeth into the rabbit I cooked for him. Bjar keeps giving me weird looks, to which I ignore. Erald, our driver sits on the far side, gulping down his stew. Idris stands far away from us, facing the forest and staring at it as if she dared some monster to come out and fight us.
She'll get her fight soon. I stir the stew in the center and plop some more into Bah-Tei's bowl. "Thank you, sir. You will be rewarded well in Valenwood, I assure you." He smiles down into his food.
"What kind of rewards?" I ask quietly.
This rouses Azani. His dark gaze flashes to me. I have the distinct feeling that Bjar or Idris clued him into my opinion on this whole situation.
"Food, clothing, your own room. You'll be well taken care of." The Argonian starts off. "Our master has his grounds well taken care of. I assure you."
"And what will we do there?"
The silence could be sliced with nothing more than my fingernail. Everyone freezes, listening intently. Bah-Tei finally reads the room and slowly sets his spoon down into the bowl. "The master has specific tasks for you. You will complete them and be rewarded with a healthy helping of food and coin."
"What kind of tasks?"
His lips thin. "I don't wish to say because I don't know. Is there any reason for this line of questioning?"
"He thinks you're going to keep us as slaves." Idris rats me out. She doesn't even turn her face to look me in the eye when she does it. "Mining, agriculture work, back breaking things." She tilts her head and only then do I see her glowing golden eyes narrow into slits. "He kills people for a living, and he's scared of a little manual labor."
"I don't want to do anything against my will. I don't want to be held against my will." I shoot back. "In the Dark Brotherhood I'm treated as an equal and can turn down contracts as I see fit. This kind of shit is the stuff that wears you down because you don't have a choice."
"Whoever said that?" Bah-Tei smiles. "You're putting words into my mouth. But that is to be expected, you haven't spent enough time in my company to gain any trust."
The birds start up again, filling the silence with their chirps. I stop stirring and slap some stew on my bowl. "Why not let me go then? If we truly have free will? Why keep us here?"
His eyes seem to blaze. I just sit and eat the burning stew, chewing slowly no matter how hot it is. I won't let this man stare me down and win. "You can come and go when you please, I only ask that you do not go far from here. You have to pay for your failure, so it is expected that there will be some enforcement."
Azani gives me a long look. Bjar seems to grow smaller. If only I could see the cogs turning in their minds. I'm sure they know now. Idris only stiffens her shoulders and darts away from us to barrel into the woods. The screech of something dying in the forest fills the clearing. Erald eats more of his stew.
Bah-Tei smiles. "I think that settles that. Get out the tents and set them up. We leave at dawn."
I don't sleep. I lay here next to Bjar and his gods awful snoring. Azani wasn't much better either but at least he was on the other side of the tent. Bah-Tei got his own private tent and Idris preferred to sleep in the forest. No clue what happened to the driver.
I keep flexing my hands, curling them in and stretching them out. These fingers are deft. I could kill a man with a quick snap to the neck. But the men at my right and at my feet hold a different story. I'd need my blades. One in my boot and the other under my pillow. I was surprised that Bah-Tei let me keep them.
"He has a protection spell." His voice is so soft I wonder if I'm finally losing my marbles. I move in my sleeping bag to hear Azani better.
"Come again?"
"Bah-Tei. He has another spell on us. We cannot do harm to each other." His dark brown eyes find mine. "The only way to get rid of it is to kill him. I don't think the spell extends to him."
Wow, what an oversight. "Are you in?"
"Fuck yeah, I am." I see his savage grin in the shadows. "Bjar told me all about you, what you did to get caught up with us. I don't think it was your fault. That flaming asshole is parading his kill around and you get punished?"
The mention of Ulfric nearly burns a hole through my heart. "If I could, I'd tear his head off." I hiss.
"Thought so."
"You believe what I was saying?"
"After tonight?" He snorts. "Yeah, I do. Bjar was hesitant and I think Idris finds herself invincible. She thinks if she gets caught up in the slave trade down there, she'll be able to get out easy."
"But we're going to a private estate."
"As far as I know." Azani confirms.
"We need to do it tonight. Once we get over the border, it's going to be much harder to get back in here."
Azani lies still for a minute while the insects outside sing in the deep summer night. "I don't think I want to stay here."
"Then go wherever you wish, let's just get out from under his thumb."
"Aren't you worried this will eject you from the Dark Brotherhood?"
Astrid's calming words come back to me. "No. Not at all. She'd be pleased come to think of it."
"The Night Mother." He muses. "I've heard her stories."
I won't blow Astrid's cover so I agree. "Yeah. What do we do? I can kill him if I get in there quietly. I'm guessing he's a mage."
"Yes, but there's also Idris we have to worry about. I think she'd come running."
"Easy," The pieces come to mind quickly. "You and Bjar tag team blocking her since she can't hurt you and I go in and slit Bah-Tei's throat."
"You make this sound simple."
I sit up and let the bag fall away, revealing the leathers I never took off. "Yeah, dude that is my job."
He smirks. For such a glum guy, he actually looks happy for once. Means I'm right, they're taking us somewhere we won't want to be. "Fine. Get out there and get ready. I'll get Bjar up."
The air is cooler when I go outside. Just as well. It reminds me of what I'd be missing if I go down south. Yes, I want to travel the world but on my own terms with my own gods dammed coin. Not from some private noble who has questionable intentions for us. I creep across the clearing and hear the soft snoring from inside the large tent. Opening the flap and getting in is child's play. I hear Bjar and Azani making their rounds outside, waiting for the vampire to come back and find out what's going on.
He's sitting on top of his cot in plainer clothing. His breathing is nice and even. Scaled hands on his stomach. He stops.
I pause, my boots sink into the ground but maybe I made too much sound.
He takes another long, deep breath. Good. He's prime bait, prey under the heavy spell of a deep sleep. I make quick work getting to his head and slowly retrieve my blade. If I pulled it out quickly it would sing. Not that I need him to wake up for this. If he were Ulfric, I want him awake and ready to relish in his death. But this guy? He gets the quick and easy one.
The tip of my blade finds his throat when I feel his hand wrap around my wrist. I shove forwards, trying to push it in but I can't. It feels like I'm hitting solid rock. "What are you doing, Rune?" He asks so politely.
I jerk away, pull out my short sword ready to make quick work of him when he sits up. The tent rips away around me with a few slices. A knife pierces into the sides and it all falls to the ground. On the other side of the clearing are a gutted Azani and Bjar. Their sightless eyes stare up at the full moons above. Idris stands with Erald at her side. A knife in his hands and her eyes blazing while she licks the blood from her lips. The whole lower half of her face and tunic are stained red.
"Kill the person with the protection spell and it all goes away." Bah-Tei muses. "Good thing I wasn't the one to cast it." He shoves me back and moves to stand with his friends. I still, keeping my sword ready. There's three. I've fought worse odds before. I can get out of this. The only problem is Idris. With those fangs and that speed, she'll get me in mere seconds. I also have a sudden suspicion that Erald is the one to cast these spells. Based on the way Bah-Tei wraps his arm around his shoulder protectively, I know I'm right.
"Let me go." I hiss.
"And? What do I get from that?" The Argonian shrugs.
"I want my fourteen thousand."
"You aren't in the position to ask." He motions to the people next to him. "I would be wiser with your words if I were you."
"I'll kill him! I'll kill Ulfric Stormcloak. What about that? Your master, my contract, wanted the High King dead. He didn't get that. What about the next best thing?"
"You would do that?"
"I've been dreaming of it." Gods, have I. Ever since that night what seems like months ago, I can't get his gaze out of my mind. I want him dead. He took my kill, so I take his life.
"Vicious one." The Argonian's smile grows cruel. "Very well. You get your wish. I'll be headed south with the remaining cargo, and you get to try your hand at besting your usurper. I'll be in contact." He waves a hand.
I'm ready to open my mouth again. Charge him with my sword. But I can't do anything as a bag is thrown around my head and hands and arms wrestle me to the ground. I kick and spin, try to get out of it in all the ways I know how to. That only elicits the use of fists.
My head goes sailing back into the dirt with the first hit. The second has me seeing stars. I rear up, ready to take what's mine once and for all. This person's life. When they hit me so hard, all I remember is the cold, hard ground.
When I wake, I'm seething. Those bastards must have been in the forest waiting. That must have been where Idris went. She told them to wait until some commotion went down and charge in. I should have known better.
But it's hard to think on that now. My head hurts like a bitch. Yet, even with the pounding I can at least see my surroundings. The tall pines that pass us by. The way the carriage jerks on the uneven path. Gods damn it. I knew Bah-Tei was lying. I knew he was going to beat me up and throw me back on here. He won't let me go no matter what.
No clue who got me though. One eye I can barely see out of with how swollen it is. I can feel my puffy face but barely feel my hands cuffed behind my back. My cheek is pressed into the wood of the bench. Not pretty, not fun, I'd rather be in a brothel or a good skooma ring. And I know better than to go into those places.
"Hey, you, you're finally awake." A man with a trim beard, long blonde hair, and ice blue eyes peers down at me. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."
The other guy on the carriage shoots something back at him but the words are mumbled. My head feels dizzy with all this swaying and rocks we're hitting. I'm ready to throw up with the way the world is spinning. And even more so when I catch a glimpse of him.
Because I'm tied up on the side of the carriage and can't even wrap my hands around his traitorous neck.
Ulfric Stormcloak bound and gagged stares me down as if I were the most disgusting thing to find under his shoe. A little snarl on his face. And that's just as well because I'm seeing red. I yell, a pathetic, strained, battle cry, that betrays my true intentions since I have nothing left to live for. I lunge across the way, jerking the cart and ready to take down the whole thing with me. Ulfric falls underneath me but he's fighting just as hard. My broken and battered body takes a few more painful hits. But then it's like I'm free of it. The pain fades away and all that's left if the burning need to kill.
The other men yell in fear. The horse gets spooked and charges, taking us off the beaten path and violently jostles the carriage side to side as he gains speed. This is going to Oblivion real fast.
But if I kill the guy who got me here in the first place, I'll feel like I'm on cloud nine.
