Alright. This was the guy.
The older man, Uraccen, who apparently only got arrested for being a father of a Forsworn who was involved in the Keep's kitchen attack, pointed him out to Bishop. And breakfast hasn't ended yet. It was hard to organize so many people after all, so apparently, the meals usually took more than an hour. That served Bishop very well.
He needed to get a weapon. He needed a shiv.
The man he was supposed to see was named Borgul the Beast. Ridiculous fucking name. But once Uraccen pointed him out, Bishop knew who he was. He was one of Madanach's. At least Bishop was pretty sure of it. That guy was walking around the private cell often, even talking to the bars, likely to Madanach himself.
And this guy was apparently making shivs. Great. But Bishop needed to get close to him for both reasons, so it was probably for the best.
Borgul was on Orc, of course he was, and he was sitting in one of the smaller rooms in a dead end. There were guards only in the corridor leading to it – Borgul was apparently left alone inside. He must have made that happen somehow. Maybe these were the guards that supported Madanach?
In any case, Borgul was not entirely alone. He had other prisoners around him who were eating alongside that man. That made things a bit more difficult, but Bishop had expected as much.
The guards let him into the room, but he knew he had to be wary.
"Hey. Are you Borgul?" He nodded at the Orc when he stepped inside the room and everyone quieted.
"Who wants to know?" The Orc scoffed at him.
"Me. Obviously," Bishop rolled his eyes. "I need something. I hear you can provide some… protection," he quieted down his voice on the last word.
"Hmm… who says?" The Orc scowled.
"People," Bishop shrugged. This was annoying. He almost forgot how much he fucking hated dealing with people like Borgul. There were plenty of haughty paranoid nimrods in the bandit clans that just made every interaction such a fucking painful slog.
"What 'people'?" Borgul continued to question him. Again with this shit.
"Does it matter? I just need the… thing," Bishop again lowered his voice when he said it. He was tired of dancing around the fucking subject. "A shiv."
"Hmm… you're the noble killer, right?" Borgul narrowed his eyes at Bishop promptly. Good. The reputation shit was working. Bishop hoped that word would get out quickly and it did. He was saying it in a very crowded room after all.
"That's right," Bishop nodded. He almost sounded proud when he said it, even if it was a lie. Actually, it was true, but it applied to a noble far from here, namely Sibbi.
"Why do you need a shiv? Planning to use it on someone?" The Orc was relentless.
"No, I'm planning to gouge my own eye out," Bishop rolled his eyes again. "Look, I don't like being unarmed. I want protection if someone gets uppity with me. That's it," he grumbled.
"You're worried about that? I wouldn't be, you're not much to look at," the Orc chuckled meanly and the others promptly joined him in merry amusement. "'No' doesn't mean anything here, so we really have a lot better catches to pick from," he scoffed.
"That's not what I meant," Bishop groaned. "And do you seriously rape people here? Everyone's gotta be fucking desperate and starved for touch in this shithole and you still can't get them voluntarily? That's fucking pathetic," he smirked at the Orc. Alright, maybe he shouldn't insult him, but it was pathetic.
Surprisingly enough, a few of the people sitting by the Orc smirked too, subduing their amusement as best as they could.
"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?" The Orc snarled at him.
"Exactly what I said, I don't think it was that hard to understand. So… the shiv?" Bishop retorted. He was not going to grovel in front of these guys, that would have ruined the reputation he had carefully cultivated through the night with one sentence. And he couldn't really help it. This fuck was annoying him. Besides, this was usually the attitude the bandits used to respond to the best. Nobody did any favors for a fucking pushover.
"Who did you kill?" The Orc's scowl was permanent now, but he didn't address the insult anymore.
Well… this was awkward. Bishop couldn't tell him, could he? If this man was allied with Madanach and Madanach was contacting Nepos the Nose, then Bishop allegedly killed the Orc's ally. Who was their enemy then? Would anyone believe him if he said he killed a Silver-Blood? Probably not, right?
"None of your business," he shook his head at last. "Everyone's in someone's pocket here. I'm not saying."
"Paranoid and scared and still trying to act like some big tough killer," the Orc scoffed.
"Think whatever the fuck you want. I just want my shiv," Bishop shrugged. As if he was the only paranoid one here.
"It's not yours until I get something in return," the man finally gave Bishop an opening. Good. He needed to find out how to appease this guy.
"Such as?"
"You're the killer, right? This should be easy for you. There's someone I need to get rid of," the Orc mused. "I saw you talking to him, in fact. An older guy. He's planning to take business away from me. Planning to make his own shivs, but he doesn't have a way to get silver for himself yet."
Crap.
Bishop did not want to kill Uraccen. He was here unfairly and he seemed like a decent guy. He needed to figure out another way. Or maybe…
"How am I supposed to do that without a weapon? Give me one now and I'll kill him," Bishop nodded. He could just go straight for Madanach then and avoid this altogether.
"Nah, you figure it out. You should be able to handle it," the Orc smirked.
Perfect.
"Fine," he huffed.
He was fucking done with this. He needed to handle this shit differently. He hated doing this, but he didn't care so much so that it would stop him. He turned on his heel and left the chamber, marching towards the south gate.
He never liked being a rat.
But he had to think about Aeyrin and himself. He needed to play this properly.
He stopped by the familiar guard at last who only nodded at him.
"Borgul the Beast is Madanach's ally and he steals silver from the mine and makes shivs," Bishop instantly started.
"Hmm… alright, this is… more interesting. We haven't gotten that information. Borgul has always some guards around him, but they're not the most trustworthy. Did you get your shiv?" The guard nodded approvingly.
"Not yet. I'm kinda hoping you can stash me two of them. If you do, I promise, Madanach won't live to see another day," Bishop proclaimed in determination. He could do this. With two shivs, there was a good chance he could tamper with the lock of the private cell. He had no idea how he was gonna get there unseen – it was kind of out in the open, but he was gonna figure it out later. He was sick of this shit and he needed to move things along.
"Interesting," the guard smirked. "If what you're saying is true, we might be able to make a deal here. For now, I'll investigate Borgul. Your girl might even get something to eat."
Thank the fucking Gods.
"Go work now," the guard was clearly pleased, but he tried not to let it show too much. "Come see me during dinner."
Fuck, more mining again. But he knew his tip was right.
Now he just had to bide his time a little more and think about how to approach the cell.
…
Aeyrin was feeling worse and worse during the work shift.
She was sweating so much, exerting herself so much, the little water she got before was useless. The heat and the effort made it all pointless to even try to drink as little as she had. Her whole world was blurry and spinning. Anu was by her side, at least, but there was not much he could do to help her.
She really felt on the verge of passing out.
She was entirely convinced now that it was the Silver-Bloods' plan to let her die here. They clearly didn't care about the dragons or anything else, not when it came to their revenge.
She barely felt like she could perceive what was happening around her before she felt a hand on her elbow, stopping her from the mindless motions of mining. For a moment she thought it was Anu again, but she soon realized the hand was armored.
"Can you hear me? I said stop and come," a man behind her growled impatiently.
She didn't even care. She had no idea what this was about, but she didn't care what the guard was gonna do to her. She was gonna pass out soon anyway.
She barely noticed Anu's concerned but oddly hopeful face. She didn't know what it meant, she just let herself be dragged away by the guard.
They walked for a while before they reached one of the empty alcoves of the mine. There was a man there. And by his feet, there was a tray filled with bread and cheese and even some jazbay grapes. And a large pitcher of water with a goblet next to it.
Food. Drink. But what use was it? She had seen it all around but she couldn't eat.
But a moment later, the man who was in the room raised his hand and lit it up with white light.
She saw the light in front of her eyes a second later. She let out an instinctive sound of protest, but nothing came out.
Oh! She was silenced. Could she even dare hope that this was in order to have her eat and drink?
The man approached her next and slid his hands to the nape of her neck. She felt fumbling, then she heard a click. And then, she was free.
The guard behind her suddenly clamped a chain to her neck and held the other end firmly. But she didn't care. She didn't care about anything now but the food and the water. She didn't wait for any indication from them and she pushed the mage out of her way. Then she fell to her knees and grabbed the pitcher of water.
She ignored the goblet completely as she started to drink directly from the pitcher. The water was trickling down her chin, but that was fine. There was plenty of it. She drank until she couldn't anymore and by the time she was done, half of the pitcher was empty.
Then she attacked the food like a wild animal.
"Heh, must have been pretty desperate," the mage smirked. "Her man sure as fuck took his time."
What? What was he talking about?
Eh, who cares?
Food!
She almost felt like she would choke on the food any second, but she couldn't stop. She was starving. And she was going to drink the other half of that pitcher right after she devoured the food.
She did wonder about what he said though. Was he talking about Bishop? Where was Bishop? What was going on with him? And what did they mean: 'he took his time'? Time with what?
She would have asked, but she was silenced, so she cocked her head at the man to signal that she was interested in what this was about.
"It's none of your concern, prisoner," the guard barked at her.
Ugh. She was really starting to hate those guards, but she promptly went back to eating. The last thing she wanted with her meal was another lash of the whip.
The concerns of food and drink were slowly dwindling though and she found herself unable to stave off the worries any longer. Seriously, where was Bishop? Was he in another part of the prison? Were they treating him like this too?
But she couldn't really ask, could she?
She finished the food so quickly she was sure she would have a stomach ache. But it was worth it. And after that, she gulped down the rest of the pitcher without stopping. The mage didn't even have to renew the spell with how fast she was.
The guard yanked her chain the second she put down the pitcher and he made her stand up. She did, her feet still felt wobbly, but everything was so much better. She was slowly regaining her strength again. A moment later, he proceeded to put that awful leather on her once more. She had the urge to fight him, but she knew there was no point in it.
"Come on, back to work, prisoner," he grumbled.
Well, there was not much else she could do, was there?
She just hoped that Bishop was alright.
…
"Fuck! Come quickly! They're fighting!"
Bishop ran out of one of the adjacent rooms, winded and sprayed with blood. He called out in the main chamber, the one that had the most guards and prisoners during their breakfast, but it was also the one that had the access to the private cell. He needed to get inside.
Last night during dinner, he went to see his contact. The guard said the Silver-Bloods were kind of content with his progress and that they sent a mage to feed Aeyrin. That was a fucking load off his mind. Then, the guy gave Bishop two shivs.
That was good, but he also said that Borgul was taken in for questioning. And since Uraccen was alive, Borgul's friends had a clear suspect on the rat in their midst.
That meant that Bishop had to act fast. He didn't sleep the whole night and he had his shiv ready. But nobody came for him.
Not until this morning.
One of Borgul's friends approached him during breakfast and told him to follow him. Bishop did so obediently. But he had to improvise. He knew he was walking into an ambush with armed men. Well, armed with shivs, at least. That was pretty logical.
So, as he followed the man, when he was pretty far from the main chamber, he just… grabbed him by the back of his head by the hair and smashed it against the cavern wall. That knocked him out. And it sprayed Bishop with a bit of blood. He had to think fast now.
He quickly ran back and called out about the fight. It was the only plan he had and he fucking hoped it would work.
It did. The guards and the workers rushed towards where he came from instantly. And in the chaos and confusion, he made his way back towards the private cell. Nobody was paying attention to him now. Nobody but his contact who had called out before that he was staying here to monitor things.
Perfect. Now it was only Bishop and his guard in the huge chamber, but he still didn't have much time.
He quickly knelt by the cell's door, intent to use the shivs to open it. They were really thick, but he would have to make do somehow.
But before he could, the guard approached him and produced a key.
What? That asshole had the key the whole time? Why didn't he say so? Why didn't he kill Madanach himself?!
But the Silver-Bloods did mention they didn't want to involve their own people. Whatever. At least this was quick. The man opened the door for Bishop and he slipped inside. The moment he did, the guard closed the cell behind him and locked it again.
Ah. Well… alright? He better fucking unlock it once the deed was done. This was gonna be quick. In and out.
Bishop tried to be quiet, though he quickly found out that he had gotten too used to his muffling ring. It was harder to stay quiet like this, especially without any sound here whatsoever – it was so eerily silent. And the chains connecting his wrists were the worst. He had to clutch them in one hand to prevent them from rattling.
He walked through a long winding corridor and past another door. Wait… another gate? Where the fuck did this lead? Why did Madanach have two gates in his cell? Maybe it led to another part of the prison though. Maybe he was some kind of in-between for communication between groups of his people.
But Bishop could not concentrate too much on that. He needed to find this 'king' quickly.
He reached a chamber next. It was… furnished. There was a desk, two cupboards, and a fucking bed. Huh. He had quite the setup here.
But where the fuck was he?
Before Bishop could realize himself, a sharp pain shot through his flank.
Fuck!
There was an old Breton man with Forsworn markings all over his body, though he himself apparently got some actual clothes, no matter that they were rags. He had boots and shirt and pants, unlike the rest of the prisoners, so Bishop could only see the markings on his face and arms. He looked much less haggard than the rest of the people here. And he looked fucking pissed.
"You think I didn't hear you? Are you the one that got Borgul taken?" The man snarled hatefully.
Bishop clutched his flank, feeling the blood on his fingers. He got shivved. Well, at least he was prepared. And this guy was fucking old.
But suddenly, the man's hand lit up with flames. He didn't have cuffs!
Bishop instantly lunged at him, shiv in hand. And before the king could cast his spell, Bishop lodged his shiv steadily in his neck.
The man let out a sickening gurgle and blood began to pour out of his mouth. Bishop kicked his stomach for good measure, letting him topple back onto the hard ground. He would bleed out in seconds.
Fuck. Good. This was done. Somewhat more easily than he worried. And quickly. Thank the fucking Gods.
Bishop was not gonna linger any longer. He needed to get out of here. He ran back towards the first gate, hoping that his guard was there.
But as he got near, he heard the voices.
"Come on! Look everywhere. We need to find him!" It must have been a guard calling out. Shit. They were definitely searching the main chamber too. He couldn't just emerge from this cell.
He peeked from behind the corner of the winding corridor and he saw his guard standing in front of the gate.
He needed to talk to him.
"Psst," Bishop hissed.
"I'm not telling them where you are, but that was fucking sloppy," a quiet whisper reached his ears. Yeah, he knew it was sloppy. "Is the king dead?"
"Yeah, let me out," Bishop answered quietly.
"Like fuck I will," the man scoffed, his back still turned to Bishop inconspicuously. "They can't know I was involved. You're on your fucking own in this mess. I'm going back to the Silver-Bloods."
What? What did he mean 'on his own'? He was… still gonna tell them to send the investigators, right? And then Bishop would be set free? That better still be the fucking plan!
Bishop carefully snuck towards the gate, relying on the guard's large frame to cover him. It would, but he needed to be careful. He knew that the asshole was not gonna let him out, but he had hoped he would and that he would take him in for questioning or something.
"One of Madanach's shits will chase me off soon and will want to check on him. You're fucked. I thought you'd be better at this," the guard scoffed.
"You better fucking handle your end and the investigation," Bishop growled quietly.
"We'll see," the guard sighed. "This was a fuck up and they might get suspicious of me. We'll see what the Silver-Bloods say. Until then, I suggest you don't let them get to you."
What? How the fuck was he supposed to do that?! The guards had keys and they were searching everywhere. Those loyal to Madanach would definitely come see if he was alright, especially if they found out from the ambushers that Bishop was kind of messing with Madanach's people.
Shit.
Bishop quickly lodged one of his shivs into the lock and pulled, making it snap inside. It wasn't the best quality tool, but that was a good thing now, otherwise he wouldn't be able to break it. The tip stayed in the keyhole. Now they would have more trouble getting in.
He heard a soft smirk from his guard. Shit. He needed to do more. He couldn't let anyone get to him here. They would kill him. He couldn't rely on anyone just chasing him from the cell and 'arresting' him again for the murder. He couldn't know how anyone would react if they found out he killed Madanach.
Well… time for more drastic measures.
Bishop rushed towards the other gate and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge, of course. Maybe there was a key somewhere.
But he had no idea where this led. First, he needed to make sure nobody came inside this cell.
He promptly ran towards one of the cupboards and began to drag it across the ground. It was fucking heavy, but he had no other ideas. The heavier it was, the more likely he would manage to barricade himself here before he could figure out a way out or before the investigators would come.
He dragged it all the way to the front gate. Unfortunately, by that time, his guard was gone.
The sound of him pushing it further towards the gate promptly alerted another guard who rushed over to check what was happening.
"Hey! What the fuck?!" She yelled. Bishop didn't answer. He just continued to push the cupboard until it collided heavily with the bars.
There. One down, the second to go. They wouldn't be able to get in that way. Not without a battering ram, hopefully.
"Where is Madanach?! What did you do?" The guard yelled, but Bishop only turned his back on her. He could hear her keys fiddling with the lock as he rushed back, and by the time he pushed the other cupboard there, there was a crowd of people behind her while she only cursed loudly, still trying out her keys in that lock.
Heh. Good.
He had no idea how long he could keep this up, but what else was there? He needed to find his own way out now, probably. Even if the investigators came, it could take a long time. And these people were out for blood.
He was pretty fucked.
But at least he still had hope. Maybe he could survive all this.
He just needed to find his way out.
…
"Psst, Dragonborn, wake up."
A familiar voice roused her from her uneasy sleep. It was the middle of the night, surely, and Aeyrin had only had a bit of sleep. She was kind of sated, but she was starting to get thirsty again. She hoped she would get food again the next day.
But right now, she felt Anu's big hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.
"Hmm…" she murmured behind her mask. She didn't want to get up.
Anu didn't seem to mind. She felt his breath on her ear a second later, when he was clearly sure she could hear him. His whispered words sent a shiver down her spine and made her even more confused.
"Me and some others just got a word from one of our allied guards. Our king is dead."
What? What king? King of what? Anu never mentioned a king. He wasn't talking about Cael, was he? Cael called himself a 'chieftain'.
"This calls for drastic measures. We can't let it slide. We sent out messages to the clans and I'll be talking to the others here tomorrow, but I wanted you to know now."
Know what? What was he talking about? He wasn't making any sense. She was so tired. Everything felt confusing. But his words also brought a strange anticipation and alertness to her. She hoped, for a brief moment, that this was just a dream, but she was aware of herself and him more and more.
She went over the things he said in her head. A king. Dead. He would send... messages? And he would be talking to the others here? About what? She wasn't sure if she was having a hard time piecing this together or if she just… didn't want to realize it fully.
But she wouldn't be left wondering for long. She wouldn't be able to deny it for long.
He only whispered one more thing. But she was sure that it was that one thing that would not let her sleep for the rest of the night.
"We'll unite soon to enact our plans. The day's almost here."