Rabbit Hunting
It is him! I knew it! Ariadne donned a dark grin. This time you're not getting away!
Calisto had just launched a fireball on the path ahead, although she could not see any target for his assault. She was coming on the path right behind him. If she acted quickly, she could get him before he even knew it.
Where would be the fun in that? At least I want to see his face when I kill him!
She was about to announce herself, prepared to send Arcana galloping. She thought of how glorious it would be to shower him with flame while still on horseback. Oh, she would probably look spectacular! Worthy of a painting.
But Calisto's stupid mouth was quicker.
He let out a whooping laugh, like a madman. "Aren't you a quick little rabbit!"
He was hunting rabbits?
Then another voice, somewhere behind the trees in the direction where he was firing. Ariadne could not make out the words. A female voice, in any case.
Yes, of course. He had meant that metaphorically.
Ariadne cursed the heat on her cheeks. This was not the time to start feeling stupid. Especially when no one—thankfully—had not been listening to her thoughts.
"No," said Calisto in response to whatever the voice had said. "I don't expect you do. But, you know, prolonging the inevitable will only make this more enjoyable for me."
My words exactly! Ariadne slid off Arcana, quietly. She could sneak up on him, after all. He wasn't exactly one for fair fights, either. Plus the surprise in his face, that would probably be worth seeing.
Either way, a quick death will be too kind for him. Oh, if I only had a few days. Make that weeks!
Some part of her, deep inside, stirred at the thought. A primal feeling. Arousal.
Hold it, girl! I'm losing the plot again.
She shook her head to clear her mind and started to walk toward Calisto quickly but silently.
He was slowly approaching the voice behind the trees. Running his stupid mouth. Who was it that he was talking to?
Probably some hapless old woman he simply decided to torment for his own sick amusement. But then where were his cronies? She counted three horses but only one man.
Who gives a damn!
She was grinning ear to ear now as she approached. He did not notice anything, fully absorbed in taunting his would-be victim in the shrubs. Whoever she is, I will give her a big hug for thanks! This is going to be much easier than I anticipated.
A bit too easy?
Never mind! The satisfaction would be worth it. She planned to have him turn around just before she did it, so she could see his face. What she was going to do was to grab his head on both sides and release two strings of lightning bolt. Such a maneuver fried the brain pretty effectively. Yet probably hurt like all hell in the brief moment.
Yes, that sounded just great. The way the beautiful bastard had made her shiver with erotic pleasure in her dreams? Well, Ariadne suspected he would be providing her with that in real life after all!
Good girl, that's the spirit!
Another shake of her head. This was no place to be distracted by her dysfunctional mind.
"I will make a confession, though," Calisto said. "Maven did not want you dead, exactly. Tell you the truth, the message she sent around was kind of vague." He shrugged. "But I'm sure your death will be sufficient for the woman."
Almost there, just a few steps . . . The anticipation was killing Ariadne.
And no later than perhaps two steps from Calisto, she heard a noise from behind her. Running steps, and the clink of armor.
Oh, for fuck's—
She spun around, furious, to see Erik emerge down the road. Sword out, ready to rush into his swift and pointless death.
Without thinking, her eyes wide with alarm and ire, Ariadne tried to futilely wave the man away. Then she remembered Calisto and swung back around.
To find the bastard staring at her with something like surprise.
"Well," he said.
Ariadne thrust out her hands to fry him, but Calisto was faster. Just one hand out, and Ariadne was flying across the air.
What the—
That was no spell she was familiar with!
As she landed, there were nothing but curses in her mind.
Fool! Gods-damned stupid oaf of a man! She could have roasted the bumpkin there and then. Perhaps a passingly satisfying consolation, that.
But first there was Calisto to worry about.
Ariadne quickly kicked herself off the ground, a ward ready at the tip of her tongue.
Calisto stood there, now back to his smug self.
"Ariadne," he said. "Fancy seeing you here."
Runa Fair-Shield, whether in the art of battle or the art of love, was nothing if not quick and precise.
As soon as she realized that another person, or perhaps persons, had entered the equation, she realized as well that the opportunity she had been waiting for had arisen.
She had to admit that the process of deciding how to surprise this young buck had not yet come to her. But seeing that the arrogant welp was taking his sweet time, she'd not yet panicked.
But this, this was something different. A chance the like of which she'd not dare hope! Elated, she thought she owed this other person, whoever it was, a hug afterwards.
But first things first.
She exploded out of from behind the foliage and went straight for the man, her blade raised by her side for a jab. His back was turned, looking at some people—seemed to be two from what she could gather although her sights were elsewhere—ahead, and just a short rock-toss away.
Grinning with the anticipation of sweet retaliation, Runa picked up her pace to make that final lunge—
And without turning, he almost haphazardly waved a hand over his shoulder, and a blinding flash came wriggling her way. Only her fast instincts allowed her to swerve to the side enough to not catch the entire string of lightning.
Still, it fucking hurt!
Blinded by the pain, she lost her footing and crashed off to the side to meet that already familiar turf once more.
That's Runa!
Erik watched in shock as his friend, who had quite unexpectedly—expectedly unexpectedly in a way only Runa would—dashed out from nowhere, crashed to the ground from the lightning this mage guy had flung at her.
And before her appearance, Erik had barely managed to overcome the confusion from first encountering Ariadne's furious glaring as he'd been on his way to help and then watching her flung down like a doll by this same mage fellow.
He felt he had once seen magic like that, but could not presently bring to mind where and when. Was it normal, he didn't know. Just seemed different, somehow. But then he didn't really know much about that stuff to begin with, and wisely tried to stay away from mage types.
Now, it seemed, that was no longer an option.
He could not deny it, he was genuinely worried. And so he needed to act quick.
No shame in taking cover sometimes.
Ariadne scowled. Calisto's expression was even more smug after that stunt—as if taking down a sword-wielding barbarian took any kind of skill.
"So you have come to face me, little one. That's brave."
"Brave—" Ariadne muttered. Feeling the heat gather up at the crown of her head as she prepared the spell. "THIS!"
Calisto threw up a ward which blunted her firebolt. The explosion buckled his knees, but he remained upright. Feeling enough magicka within her, Ariadne jumped off the ground and followed the bolt with a string of lightning of her own
Calisto's magical shield held. He was smiling still, but a hint of strain shadowed it.
As Ariadne's power waned, she threw herself to her left to avoid the likely reprisal. And as soon as she did, Calisto let down the ward and blasted a wall of fire where she had been standing.
I'm faster! she though gleefully. She snatched a small vial of magicka potion from her boot and quickly tossed it in.
"You are powerful, girl. I give you that." Calisto cocked his head. "Perhaps you and I do not need to be foes."
"Maybe you're right," Ariadne said, still on the ground but ready to pounce up in a snap.
Calisto paused. "I'm serious. You and I, we could do wonders." He laughed. "Darling, you have no idea. Such a future has been shown to me it would—"
Enough of your blathering. She's been practicing the Wall of Flames, an expert level spell. While Faralda would have scolded her dearly for such presumptuousness, Ariadne herself had no doubt she was ready. She was just too good for the College's painfully slow curriculum, it wasn't her damned fault!
In any case, she was ready to take Calisto down for good. Yeah, there was no need for them to be foes. They wouldn't need to, with him in the ground!
She leapt up with a scream and cast the spell. Fire pouring out of her hands. Oh, it felt simply amazing to have that tremendous power course through her! She wore her biggest grin yet.
She was powerful! She was perhaps the most talented destruction mage ever born! And coupled with her beauty, her intelligence . . . the world would yet tremble at her feet! Ariadne the—
Calisto raised a hand and vanished.
"Fuck-rat!" Ariadne screamed, letting the outpour of fire simmer out. The ground aflame where Calisto had been standing.
Runa only had her blessed quick wits to thank. She'd seen the sheet of flame just in time to roll away from it. Her side was already on fire from that thunderclap that had struck her earlier.
What the Oblivion is wrong with this girl! Did she not see I was still here before throwing her magical crap this way! She spat. Fuckin' mages.
Ariadne stood there, fuming. It always had an emotional effect when the energy of a spell settled back in your body and mind, but this felt different. When she'd been practicing the spell—in secret—she'd taken note of this but not made much of it. Now that she was in the middle of action however . . . The rage she felt inside her, it was something she had not expected at all and could barely control. She felt she needed to take it out on someone. Right now! On any-goddamned-body!
As everything suddenly grew silent, Erik carefully took a survey from the behind the tree where he had bravely hidden himself.
There was Ariadne, standing there watching dwindling flames. No sign of the other mage.
Where's Runa! She'd gone down where the ground was now in flames. Feeling the jab of worry, he rushed out from behind the tree to run and see. Mages be damned, this was his little sister!
Ariadne's feral cry stopped him cold.
"Come out, you coward!" Ariadne screamed.
The rage, she could feel it shifting, changing from within her but remaining just as potent. She could use this! She could do anything with this kind of ardor.
But the damned bastard was gone. Ariadne gritted her teeth in a snarl.
"Where did he go?"
She spun around so fiercely that the sword-boy started. Then there was that admittedly very pleasing look of worry, even fear, on his face as got a look of hers.
"He's gone!" she spat. "And it's because of you!"
"Me?"
"Me?" she imitated, making her voice that of a dullard. "Yes, fucking you! Didn't I tell you to stay back with your useless damned toys!"
He was staring at her with eyes wide. The sodding simpleton. Gods, one flick of her fingers and he was a pile of ashes! I'm tempted! So tempted. What reason is there not to? Who's going to stop me? Who can stand in my way!
"Runa!" the bumpkin cried then, his eyes darting past Ariadne.
Well I'll be damned.
Runa limped out. The hissy fitting magic-girl spun around to regard her with flaming eyes. Hey, I ain't the cause of your troubles, glare fucking elsewhere!
It would seem that it was Erik who was the reason behind all her fussing. Runa had an inkling of the chain of events but could not be bothered to analyze it further. Personally, she was just glad to be in one piece.
Well, sorta. She winced at the fierce smarting in her . . . well, half her fucking self, really.
What she was actually curious about was what Erik was doing with this lass. Pretty as the lil' firecracker was—Damn pretty, now that I'm looking at her. The pouting doesn't hurt, either!—she didn't exactly come off as his girlfriend.
Well, the way she's talking to him she does, but otherwise . . . not his type at all.
"Erik," she said. "I can say with all honestly I did not—" She winced. "Did not expect to see you here."
"I can just about say the same," said Erik, walking closer but not without a wary glance at the girl. "Although I'm here looking for you. So this is lucky."
The mage glared at him.
"Lucky is right," Runa said. "I daresay he had the best of me for a while. Reckon you folks might have even saved my pretty little hiney."
"What were you doing," the girl snapped, "fighting a mage to begin with?" She gave Runa's blade a petulant glance. "With a sword!" Might as well have said teaspoon.
"I'll have you know," Runa said, "that I had another one too."
The mage snorted. "Fool."
"Aye," Runa drawled. "Can't say that hasn't crossed the mind of late."
"You're hurt," Erik said.
"Ah, this." Runa hissed. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing!" Erik said, looking her up and down with an expression she'd rather not have seen.
In fact, she'd avoided looking at herself as well. Decided to keep it up, too.
Then Erik looked at the mage.
"What?"
"You can heal too, can't you!"
She afforded him a murderous look. Then looked at Runa. Grunted. "Fine."
A strange feeling, that magical healing stuff. Sort of like a potion but . . . odder. A tingle someone might have considered unpleasant but she . . . actually kind of liked. And having a pretty young thing do it for her . . . Not bad.
Now what the hell is she grinning at!
Ariadne finished healing the fool of a woman. Well, if she was honest about it, it wasn't her that was to blame for Calisto getting away. In fact, had this other fool not rushed to help, this one would have done Ariadne a solid favor distracting him.
But there was just something immediately dislikable about that face and demeanor of hers!
Still, Ariadne vowed to try. Now that she could feel the rage slowly abating, she would do everything she could to be that good Ariadne again. The one that got along with people. Even oafs like Erik.
She gave a curt smile. "There, as good as new."
"Thanks!" Runa said. Now she could look down and only see her leather armor a bit scorched, torn a bit at places. She wasn't sure which tears were old and which were new. When will they come up with spells to fix those!
"Thank you," Erik said as well.
The mage gave him a glare. Maybe a bit less poisonous. "Sure," she muttered.
"Didn't catch your name," Runa said, offering her hand to the woman. "Mine's Runa. Runa Fair-Shield. Might've heard of me."
The mage gave her a look of somewhat haughty puzzlement. As if, how would I ever have? She looked at the hand, as if considering if the offered gift was worthy of her. Then she gave hers, a surprisingly big paw for a slight albeit tall girl. "Ariadne."
"Oh!" Runa said. "But I have met you. Remember, some years ago at the College?" Yeah, she had thought there was something familiar about her. She was more grown up, but as cold and proud as she'd come off then. "You were practically a child."
"Can't say that I do," Ariadne replied, seeming to take some exception to the allusion to her age.
"It was the time I dropped by with—"
It was one of those rare moments, when you were just thinking of someone and that someone just appears that very same moment.
"Well, I'll be buggered!" Runa said. "There she is!"
Quite the sight awaited Ariela once she arrived at the scene.
She had been concerned with the sounds of arcane battle—she could swear she had felt the profound energy it had emitted—and been rightfully afraid for the well-being of her comrades. If it was indeed Calisto they had been fighting, she did not know which would come out stronger, him or Ariadne. And honestly, she though Erik would have been better off staying back from that showdown!
But here they were both, now, in one piece. With no sight of Calisto. Where did he go? Was it even him?
The bigger surprise, still, was the third person there. At first she did not recognize the woman, having shorn her braid to a stubble, but the unmistakable swagger of Runa Fair-Shield soon became glaringly apparent. Ariela felt unexpectedly elated at the sight of her. Only then realizing how much she had been missing this woman that she'd only known for a few days two years ago.
She took off running.
Ariadne looked over her shoulder and found the scholar girl rush into sight.
"Runa!"
"Ariela! Well, now I am surprised!"
Ariadne raised a brow as the scholar slammed right into the woman, Runa, and then they were embracing.
"I've missed you!" Ariela said.
"You have? I mean, yeah, me too lass." She patted Ariela's back, somewhat awkwardly. "Missed you, I mean."
What were they, old friends? Far as Ariadne knew, the whole time the scholar had spent in Skyrim she'd spent at the College. No friends, far as she knew, if the other bookworms there didn't count. Certainly no sight of this woman.
But, yes, now that Ariadne thought of it, this Runa character had been with her when she'd arrived. But they couldn't have known each other very well before that. Keeping that in mind, they sure acted like they went way back.
Wait, why am I even thinking about this? What do I care.
Runa patted the little scholar's back. Felt she had to hold back her strength so as to not break her. "Damn, girl, do you eat?"
Ariela pulled back and studied her. Grinned. "Sounds like something you would ask."
"I'm serious, you need some grub." She jabbed at her ribs. "You're like a hare after a long winter."
"Oh, Runa. The winter has indeed been long!"
"I'll bet! Spent this whole time holed in at that frozen wasteland?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Crazy gal!"
Ariela smiled. She had nice smile, if all too rare. "I'm glad to see you alright!"
"Yeah, well," Runa said, rubbing at her side that still had that ghost of pain. "This time it was pretty damn close. Twice," she added, giving Ariadne a look.
The girl, clearly understanding, first gave a glare, then a shrug.
She had almost killed Runa. Then again, just after possibly saving her. Guess that's as far as fair'n'square goes.
Ariela looked from one to the other. "So you two have met?" There was a touch of worry in her expression for some reason.
"Aye," Runa said. She grinned at Ariadne. "And well met, I may add." She gave a wink.
Ariadne sniffed. With a shake of her head, she turned around to wander off a few paces.
"Okay," Ariela said with hesitation. "I see."
"Well I, for one," Erik chimed in, starting to feel like an outsider, "am glad to see everyone in one piece." That was a good enough contribution, he thought.
"What even happened?" Ariela asked.
"It was Calisto."
"It was?" she cried. "What happened?"
"Him and Ariadne traded . . . er, blows, and then he just disappeared."
"Where did he go?" Ariela looked at Runa when she asked that.
Runa shrugged. "I dunno. Down a warren?"
Erik snorted. "He didn't look like a rabbit to me."
"No," snarled Ariadne from behind them. "More like a rat!"
"A pretty rat," offered Runa.
Ariadne shook her head, sullen. "Well, he's gone now."
"Damn," said Ariela softly. "It's important we find him. I think."
"There!" Runa cried.
Everyone started, Erik reaching for the sword sheathed on his back again.
There was her other blade! Right where that girl Ariadne was sulking. "My other blade!"
Everyone calmed back down. She snorted, what did they think she had meant?
Runa marched over, stopped briefly in front of Ariadne to smirk at her. "Excuse me." And she reached down by the girl's feet to pick her weapon up. Once done, she gave Ariadne another smile. "See, I had two." And she sheathed that one at the opposite hip to the other one.
Feeling whole again, she beamed at the others. "Where were we?"
Ariela's heart was winding down once more. Damned, but the woman had scared her! Missed Runa as she might have, she could still be quite the erratic character to be around.
"We need to find Calisto," she said with a slightly trembling voice, trying to sound steady.
"Why do we need to do that?" asked Runa.
"My question exactly," chimed in Erik.
"We," said Ariadne pressingly, rejoining the others. "Don't have to do anything. Meaning, you." She pointed at Erik and Runa in turn. "And you. We, on the other hand," pointing at herself and then Ariela, "have something we're kind of in the middle of. And we don't need your help, thank you very much."
Ariela suppressed a groan, feeling that compression in her chest and belly. "Ariadne," she said equably.
"What?" replied the younger woman sharply.
Oh, brother.
It had been a painful few minutes, but finally it seemed that even Ariadne admitted a little extra help might not be a completely disastrous idea. At least that was Erik's interpretation of the situation. He'd made sure to contribute as little as possible. Ariela, shy as she might have been, had a far sharper mind than he did so she was far better equipped to make the petulant young lady come around.
Runa, on the other hand, had also been content watching the two argue, saying precious little as well, but it seemed to Erik that she did so more out of curiosity than wariness. After all, it took a lot more than youthful petulance to deter the woman, if there ever was a chance of confrontation. She seemed to thrive on getting on people's nerves, sometimes. Luckily she had refrained from that this time.
Either way you looked at it, Erik felt happy about the conclusion. He was more than happy to help Ariela in whatever she needed.
Uh-huh . . .
Gods, that had been stressful!
This whole ride Ariela had been feeling increasingly strongly that she wanted Erik by her side in this adventure. And since he mentioned that it was Runa he was coming this way to look for, she had hoped against hope that they would find her and that she could join them too.
She could barely believe all that now become reality! So there was absolutely no chance she was going to let Ariadne's wrongheaded grouchiness get in the way.
That wasn't to say that just because she wouldn't hesitate to stand behind her convictions she did not also find it incredibly taxing to have to do so.
But she was content. As strong a presence as Ariadne had, she really wasn't all that hard to convince. While by no means dumb, she was not one to think things all the way through. Far more impulsive than she was deep. A woman of action. So pointing out the holes in her thinking was easy. Plowing through the sheer force of resistance and argumentativeness, on the other hand . . . That's what wore Ariela down. But she had persisted.
And, she thought with deep satisfaction, she'd won.
Runa was intrigued.
First of all there was Ariela's relationship to this Ariadne girl. They were certainly an odd pair if she ever saw one. Ariadne was a firecracker, no doubt, and one could have made the mistake of thinking that the externally most unimposing and mousy scholar would be ground to dust by the sheer power of the virago's tantrums.
Not so. Runa had seen that this girl had spirit, far more than she let show. Hell, she'd even seen the girl bash in the head of a Foresworn with a rock near her own size! But she also seemed to have grown and matured in this time. Which made sense. And with that maturity, came the calm to be able to handle someone with far more temperament than wits.
Another thing that intrigued her was whatever trouble Ariela had managed to get herself in. Runa hadn't even asked what this was about. Yeah, find this obnoxious Calisto fella. But why?
On the other hand, did she really even care? She knew enough to act, didn't she?
She shrugged. There'd be time to find out what this was all about. Main thing was that adventure seemed to await once more!
"Fine," Ariadne said, for the who knew how many dozenth time. "Fine."
And Ariela only simpered. Yeah, the woman had won. And she knew this too. Damned runt!
"One problem still remains, though."
"Yeah," Ariela said. "Where did he go?"
"Left his horse," Erik pointed out.
"What does that matter!" Ariadne snapped.
"Well, for one," Erik said, clearly intent on ignoring Ariadne's attitude, "It'll likely slow him down some."
"Yeah." Ariadne's cheek bunched. Of course. She would not blush!
"You know," Runa said, having thankfully kept her mouth shut for a while, "I feel he said something about a place."
Ariela's ears practically pricked up. "He did?"
"Yeah, he was saying something about some foreign sounding place." She thought. "Avan-something?"
Ariadne frowned. Suddenly she remembered. "Avangzand," she pronounced.
"Yeah! Yeah, that's it! Avan . . . gazt, or whatever."
"Of course!" Ariela cried. "That's what it was. Remember, Ariadne?"
The memory gave Ariadne a chill. Calisto's rant, when he had them prisoners. "Yes," she said with disgust. "I do."
Ariela rubbed her head. "Somehow the memory is unclear to me. What did he say again?"
"Some nonsense about power. He's delusional, if you haven't already noticed."
Ariela, if possible, frowned even deeper. Better ease up on that or you'll be crinkly like an old lady by thirty. "Yes. And something else too. Why can't I remember?"
Well, it doesn't matter now. Have to figure out what this place is.
"In any case," Ariela said. "I've never heard that name before. It sounds Dwemeris. But to my knowledge it doesn't mean anything."
Sounded similar to Avanchnzel, which roughly meant "Eternal City", vanchn by itself meaning eternity, whereas with the "A" in the beginning it referred to endurance, continuation. Avan by itself, to her knowledge did not mean anything. Not avang, or any other variation she could think of.
"Like nonsense?" said Erik.
"Sort of. But course only fragments of the language have survived, so who knows. But clearly it's some place or another."
"Where could it be?"
Ariela shook her head. "I don't know. It's no familiar one, that's for sure. No Dwarven places of that name around." Gods, I hope he isn't heading over to Morrowind.
"You mean like a ruin?"
"Yeah. Like a ruin. There haven't been any new ones discovered, have there? Some excavation? I think I would know."
"Ahh!" Runa exhaled.
"What?" Ariela asked, her face shining with eagerness.
Excavation, well that did strike a familiar note. Just the other day . . .
Was it yesterday? Damn, couldn't have been! Could it?
"Eh, Runa?"
Runa snapped out of it. Whatever it was. In fact, she realized that she had already started the active process of blocking out the past few days, let alone their ramifications. Having killed the Nightingale . . .
Well, not the Nightingale. But no one knows that! Do they?
"Seriously, what's wrong?"
"What?" Runa shook her head. Forced a grin on her face. "Sorry, I need a drink. What were you saying?"
Ariela frowned. "You were saying."
"Huh?"
"I said excavation and then you said, aah!" trying to mimic her.
"Yes, yes, yes. Of course. Sorry. You see, I need a—"
"Drink"
"Precisely! You got any?"
"Sorry no."
"Ah." She tired to conceal her disappointment. "Yes, well. I just happened to visit an excavation I had never seen before just the other— yesterday?"
The light was back on the scholar's countenance. "Really?"
"Of course really. Yeah, in fact, it was awful Dwemer-y." Awful was right. How she loathed those bearded, lost bastards and the diabolic contraptions they'd left behind!
"Where was it?"
"Why right here. At the Rift. Right close to Avanchnzel."
"Avanchnzel, of course." Ariela gave a resolute nod and gave everyone a look. "That must be the one then!"
"What were you doing there?" asked Erik.
Don't ask. Runa shrugged. "Some bandits. They seemed to run the place, now that I think of it."
Erik thought Runa's behavior odd. More odd than usual. There was something she wasn't saying, he knew.
But he also knew he wasn't likely to get it out of her either if she'd decided to keep something from him. So he did not press it.
"That would be something new," Ariela said, puzzled. "An excavation started by bandits?" She shook her head. "No, impossible. And Calisto knew about it? That means whoever it was that he ultimately works for knows about it too. Is perhaps behind it."
"The Nightingale?" Erik asked.
Runa had a coughing fit. Erik narrowed his eyes at her. Definitely something off with her. He would need to try to get it out of her later.
"It's possible. The Brotherhood, or the Guild, whatever you call them, they at least would probably have the organizational power. I think. But the motivation?"
"What do you think?"
"How would I know! I don't know anything about that stuff! Organized crime, or whatnot. Their motivations. Their . . . schemes. I don't want to know. But now . . . I don't know if it can be ignored any longer."
Ariela felt so small. Remembering again how she had been abducted as soon as she'd stepped foot in the province. How Runa had told her that the person behind the abduction, man named Ramiianus Rato—she would never forget that face! Sithis take his soul!—was actually a well-connected trafficker. And based on the letter she had read with her own eyes just a couple days ago, it had indeed been her very own Guild that had ordered the abduction, and then they had sold her soul to a daedra-worshipping cult of necromancers . . . And now this. The Guild? The Nightingale?
Not to even speak of undead gods . . .
She didn't know what was going on. But she knew it was something bad. Something very, very bad.
"Doesn't matter who's behind it," Ariadne said, thankfully snapping Ariela out of her morose meditations. "What matters is whether or not Calisto can be found there. So let's stop wasting any more time and go after the bastard!"
There were no dissenting voices among the four.
The hunt would continue.