Two sets of feet rushed through the forest, rustling the leaves up. As they did, wild beasts stopped their day. They lifted their heads, one by one. Bird wings flapped. Hooves beat the ground. Branches snapped.
Mori's and Yvaine's long flaxen hair rippled after them like water as they ran through the woods, bare feet deftly finding way between twigs, acorns, vines and fallen branches.
Wolves caught up. The timber-furred shadows moved along, following at the witches' side.
Yvaine knew roughly where the bandit hideout was supposed to be. She directed Mori. Mori was spreading her consciousness, looking for that twang of a werewolf's presence.
Nothing.
They leapt over a little stream. A bandit woman saw their flight. Before she could sound the alarm, a bear tore her down.
Wolves killed another. Soon, a third died to Mori's spectral claws.
"We must be getting near!" Yvaine shot the words out between harsh breaths.
"There!" Mori changed direction.
Howling of wolves intensified as they made their way to a clearing. Another bandit was sitting perched on a rock to the side.
Mori pointed at him.
Birds swooped in, engulfing the man. Feathers and screams filled the air. Frost eagle's talons ended the struggle, cutting through the man's neck.
"Where?" Yvaine, gasping for breath, stopped next to her sister.
"Below the ground. Use this," Mori pointed at the bloodied corpse with eyes missing, "to make a good runework."
"But...I'll have to close my eyes! What if they kill me?"
"I won't let them," Mori's eyes hardened. Wolves started trickling into the clearing, making a protective circle around Yvaine. Birds fluttered up to sit on the branches and more beasts dispersed into the underbrush around the clearing.
Mori took her bow off of her shoulder. "Start the runes. I will deal with anyone approaching."
XXX
They were trapped.
Vilkas and Farkas stood side by side, shields raised, blocking one entrance to the round room with empty coffins and dead draugr. Bjorn and his guard were blocking the other.
Both entrances were swarming with bandits.
The other fighters made a ring around, offering the possibility to switch if any of the shield-bearers got injured too badly.
Falco brought a few crossbows with them.
It wasn't enough. Even though they could shoot from behind the shield-bearers, there were just too many bandits left.
The hostages were rounded in the centre of the room, huddling together.
"Bravo, bravo!" clapping could be heard from one of the pathways.
Vilkas narrowed his eyes. A hooded figure was approaching, but stopped far enough to not get endangered.
"You managed to get in, cut through Rigel's most trustworthy guard, cut off her head, kill my competitors and even release the hostages! But, my dearies, your adventure ends here."
"That voice sounds familiar," Bjorn grumbled.
"Indeed. Isn't that the creep Mori had found by the stones?"
"Creep. What a low way to call me. But, as you have made a fatal mistake of not taking your most powerful with you, you will just serve as more fodder for me. No more hiding behind girls' skirts."
The hooded man lifted his arm. With a flick of his wrist, the draugr in the room with them started rising.
"Hold the door!" Skjor commanded.
Vilkas could hear the fighting behind him rise. With a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. One of the bandits at the front charged them.
Farkas slammed his shield into the bandit. Vilkas stabbed with the saex. While the man staggered backwards, holding his bleeding stomach, the twins stepped back into the blockade.
A draugr clashed with someone from Lakeview right behind their backs.
"Cut them down! Don't let the shufflers attack the shield-bearers!"
"Watch out!" Farkas shoved Vilkas, raising his shield over his brother.
BOOM!
A grinning skull engulfed in frosty dark flames hit the shield. It exploded. Pieces of broken bone flew everywhere.
Someone used the chance to stab Farkas.
The chainmail on his side blocked the hit well enough, but Farkas still grunted in pain.
Stop overthinking! Just do what you need to do here!
Vilkas steeled his resolve.
"Still doing good? We can't have that, can we," the necromancer complained. He raised a hand. Lightning crackled around his fingers.
Welp. That's that.
Before he could even finish the thought, a giant thunderbolt flashed through the air.
It hit them both.
Vilkas made an uuf noise. Then, he realised he was not dead. He looked down. The little effigy on his belt was slowly dissipating.
But it looked like one use item.
The air rumbled as the ravine in it made by the lightning mended together. All of them, bandits and fighters both, screamed in pain. The sound was so loud. It felt like Vilkas' ribs were being torn apart from the inside.
"Still hiding behind girls?"
The necromancer's hand rose again. Someone behind them cried out in pain. The hostages started screaming and sobbing.
Vilkas stabbed at another bandit. He knew it wouldn't help. But he refused to die without fighting.
High pitched screeching broke the sounds of battle.
"What the-" Farkas looked down.
Something brushed against Vilkas' leg.
The bandits started screaming, dropping their weapons or swinging wildly.
Vilkas also looked down.
A swarm of rats, skeevers and spiders flowed through the room, going this way or that. They didn't touch a single person in the room - but they sunk whatever they hand into the first bandit that came into view.
Horrible screams filled the halls as the creatures rampaged, eating the bandits alive.
"What? How did she get here? Where is she?!" the necromancer screeched. He summoned a wall of flame, blocking the beasts' approach.
A shriek tore through Vilkas' mind. Raging feminine shriek, shaking the foundations of his very being.
A ghastly vision of a stag ran through the hallway. It hit the firewall. High pitched noise of glass shattering filled the air.
The stag broke into a million light wisps. But the flame wall...flickered and died.
"No! Stay back!"
The necromancer was panicking, but Vilkas could see the animals were dying quickly in the fire he summoned.
Maybe we could break out on the other side now...
Someone screamed. Vilkas spun around, catching a hit of a rusty old sword with his arm instead of the back of his neck. Two draugr were right in his and Farkas' faces, stepping over injured fighters collapsed on the ground.
Farkas and Vilkas moved. Farkas swirled around, facing the draugr. Vilkas sidestepped, filling the entry alone, back against Farkas.
Just as the necromancer cleaned the last of the beasts with a gout of fire, the ground beneath their feet shook.
Deep rumble began rising from the earth around.
The stone shook. Then again. A deafening crack resounded through the halls.
The stone started moving. Slowly, the walls of the hallways began nearing each other.
"Bjorn! Let's go! She opened a pathway!"
Vilkas allowed himself a look over his shoulder. Indeed - a new way started opening, getting larger and larger before their very eyes. The stone screamed and screeched, sometimes even set off sparks.
But there was a way.
Farkas cut down one of the draugr. He moved in on the other. Vilkas stepped back. The walls of the hall had already moved uncomfortably close to his shoulders.
"You two! Move it!" Skjor commanded. Someone's footsteps hurried towards the new pathway. "Vilkas, Farkas, hold them back! Withdraw with the thane!"
Vilkas stabbed the unfortunate who tried to escape into the circular room. From the hallway, he could hear shrieks and screams of agony.
He whipped around for a moment, helping Farkas finish the draugr. They both turned back.
No need to watch the hallway anymore. It was almost closed.
"Let's go!" Bjorn called out to them.
XXX
The whole group dashed through the new tunnel as the earth and stone around them shifted, groaning heavily with the masses.
The ground was shaking. Rocks, small and sometimes bigger, dropped from the ceiling. Rumbles like those of some giant monster resounded deep from below them, followed by thunderous thuds.
The tunnel kept going upwards.
Vilkas shot one look behind - the tunnel was closing. Quite the distance from them, but still.
A pile of dirt caved. Daylight poured in.
Skjor helped the two recruits at the head of the group up, then started handing people to them.
He wouldn't wait for the twins.
Just as Vilkas was preparing to climb through the crumbling dirt, Bjorn reached down. "Come on!"
Once outside, Vilkas could feel his legs shaking violently. He sank to the ground, breathing heavily.
Farkas tapped his shoulders. "Did you know she-"
Vilkas looked up.
His eyes widened. Yvaine was sitting on top of a rock, stained with blood. No, not stained - painted. Her eyes shone like molten earth, just like her arms. Her hands were completely turned to lava, which then turned to blackened obsidian and red cracks running up her arm.
A circle of wolves was seated around the rock, watching everyone with hungry eyes.
Every branch of nearby trees was covered in birds, eerily quiet, staring.
Two massive elks stood at the edges of the clearing, antlers covered in gore.
For a few heartbeats, no sound other than the sifting of the dirt behind them could be heard.
A bird screeched.
With a threatening whish, an arrow flew from the underbrush, cut through the air and disappeared between the trees on the other side.
Someone's body made a thud.
A glint drew Vilkas' attention. He could swear he saw eyes staring at him from the bushes.
But there were none.
The tunnel closed fully.
Yvaine let down her arms and closed her eyes. She spoke a phrase in Reachspeech. Vilkas managed to catch only a single word - sleep. The sinister glow died out, leaving only pristine skin behind.
She sighed and started collapsing.
Falco sprinted out. He caught her just in time. "Yvaine? Yvaine! Talk to me!"
Vilkas got up, legs still shaking. When he arrived to the circle of wolves, all of their eyes turned to him.
He froze.
The wolves blinked, all of them at once. They parted, allowing him entry. Vilkas knelt next to Falco and handed him a paper bag.
"Try luring her with these."
Falco looked. "She shouldn't eat so many," he grumbled, but plucked a piece of candy out nonetheless.
Yvaine's eyes fluttered open. "Is that icy candy?"
"It is, you rascal," Falco's voice cracked. "Weren't you supposed to stay at home?"
"You would have died," she mumbled. With the candy in her mouth, she snuggled to Falco and let him lift her.
Bjorn gave a lookover to their now ragged group, everyone covered in dirt. "Alright, let's get a move on, we're not completely safe still!"
"But-but what about the beasts?" one of the Companion recruits shuddered.
"They won't harm you," Bjorn said grimly.
Farkas stopped next to Vilkas, patting him on the shoulder. "Did you notice Skjor? He's been weird ever since we got out," he lowered his voice so only Vilkas could hear.
Vilkas' eyes moved just a little, because Farkas made sure to position himself in a way to allow Vilkas a look without turning his head outright.
Skjor stood behind, not reacting to the others slowly gathering and following Bjorn's lead. His eyes were trained at one particular spot. The spot where the arrow flew from.
Where Vilkas thought he saw eyes.
Skjor was shaking.
Falco also stayed behind. When Bjorn and the head of the group were far enough, he called out softly.
"Mori? Are you there?"
For a while, no response came. Then, a crow cawed.
"Won't you come home with us?"
"She's still mad at Bjorn," Yvaine mumbled. "Not at you, though."
"We miss you, Mori. Please. At least...at least before the winter comes. I'll make your favourite cakes."
The forest grew quiet. Falco sighed and turned to walk away. As he and the twins left, a crow cawed again above their heads.
A bit later, Skjor snapped out of his stupor.
XXX
From time to time, Vilkas looked up. He would catch a glimpse of a white crow every now and then.
It stopped appearing once they arrived at Lakeview.
XXX
"She's just exhausted," Greta calmed Falco down. He took Yvaine to see her immediately, and the twins and Erika followed. "Let her sleep it off and she'll be back to her mischievous self in no time."
"Thank you, Greta." Falco left Yvaine with the woman and motioned for the Companions to follow him out.
"Are you going to need healer's services?"
"Not the three of us, I think," Erika looked at the twins. They shook their heads. They did get hit, but nothing major, unlike the recruits who couldn't kill the draugr fast enough.
"Good. You can get food in the kitchen, then," Falco bid them farewell and went towards the manor.
"I'm sure Skjor will not want to see you two right now, since he couldn't show off in there with that longsword of his," Erika commented. "I'll go grab all of our shares. Why don't you two get us food?"
"Food sounds good," Farkas smiled.
XXX
"May I join?"
The Companions looked up. Deirdre the steward was standing by the door, holding her own bowl of stew.
Farkas immediately lit up. "Come, come," he scooted over.
She smiled. Warmly.
"How did you end up in there?" Erika was curious.
"Oh. My brother angered the syndicate. That's why I asked the thane to take him in. No one dares attack Lakeview, as long as the witches are here."
"They took it out on you?"
"Also on the madam. I am valuable to her." Deirdre grimaced. "Well, not valuable enough to protect."
"You were the steward, right?" Vilkas piped up.
"That is correct."
Vilkas tapped his knee. "And you look like you don't want to go back there."
"I don't," she frowned, then sighed. "But I don't really have a choice."
"How about you come work for us? We could use an accountant," Vilkas looked her in the eyes.
"I...really?" she certainly wasn't expecting that.
Before she could answer properly, Skjor walked in on them. "What do you think you're doing? Inviting a stranger into our midst?"
"She's not a stranger," Farkas countered. "I know her - she's reliable and trustworthy."
"A whore!"
Vilkas got up. "Let's talk," he grabbed Skjor's shoulder and took him to the side. "What are you going to do if I die, hm? Will Kodlak run the accounts again? Or you? Do you remember the time all of us were scrambling for coin and didn't have enough food?"
Skjor just scoffed.
"And even so, are you intending to close me in Jorrvaskr and make me do the counting forever? I'm not good at it either. Imagine how much better our situation would be if we had an actual steward."
"You know full well why we can't do that," Skjor hissed at him.
"Why not? None of the recruits know. None of the pledged members know. The whole damned Whiterun doesn't know! She doesn't have to find out."
Skjor grew quiet, faraway gaze in his eyes. He was considering it.
Come on, accept!
"She's not just some whore, as you so gently put it," Vilkas decided to push more. "She is a trusted steward of madam Grim's. Basically running the whole operation. That is saying a lot about her skill."
"If we accept her, even if she doesn't find out, how are you going to keep Farkas functioning? You saw how he turned into a slobbering dog. As much as I don't like you two, you are good fighters."
"My brother is not stupid," Vilkas frowned. "He can keep himself together just fine."
Skjor mulled the idea over again. He sighed. "Fine. But see to it that she is situated so she doesn't find out."
With that, he left Vilkas standing alone. Vilkas huffed, looking into the starry sky. He circled his stiff shoulders and returned to the others.
"I got you that job, if you still want it."
"You convinced him?" Farkas' mouth dropped.
"Aye."
"Yes, please! I don't give a shit about madam anymore. She sold me out," Deirdre folded her arms. "As much as I understand her position, I still resent her for it."
"No need to fear that with us," Farkas grinned.
"Skjor wants you to live outside of Jorrvaskr, though," Vilkas sat back down. "He won't free up any space he could fill with whelps. We'll arrange something for you."
"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary," Deirdre leaned back, her tone shifting to professional. "I managed to save quite the amount at the manor. No, I was not as stupid as to leave it there - my brother had been ferrying it here. It's right there, hidden around the herb garden, courtesy of the little lady of this house. I believe she mentioned a hollow stump protected by a curse."
The companions exchanged looks. "That sounds like her."
"What did you promise her in return?" Vilkas couldn't help but grow curious.
"I will show her how to prepare makeup," Deirdre winked at him. "First she wanted me to stay here and help with her herbs, but I am no gardener and I believe I heard my brother mention a new addition. She begged to keep your lady sister," Deirdre inclined her head towards Erika, "as an aide. The good thane agreed because of her."
"You are well informed," Erika nodded respectfully. "I wonder how long it will take you to build a network in Whiterun."
Deirdre smiled sweetly. "Not long."
XXX
Vilkas didn't get much sleep. Farkas and Deirdre went at it for a long time, and while Erika slumbered like a log through everything, he wasn't so lucky. Morning found him sitting by the horse pasture, looking at the mist in the woods, heart and eyelids heavy.
Little footsteps approached. Yvaine sat down next to him and poked him in the ribs. "No broken bones?"
"No."
"You look like you didn't sleep."
"Not really."
"Well you know, you could have used Mori's room," she looked at him as if he was stupid. "Since your friends were having nightmares so bad they kept tossing around and screaming the whole night."
"I...don't think that would be proper," Vilkas wondered how he got himself into another conversation like this.
"Why not? I am the little lady and I say you can sleep there."
"What about your sister, though? Would she allow it? I don't think-"
"Oh she would. For you," Yvaine's face turned sly.
"You are far too certain with yourself," he scoffed.
Yvaine climbed onto his lap and grabbed his shirt, staring at him with her seemingly disturbingly large eyes. She neared her face to his, making the frozen colored eyes seem even larger. "Of course I am. And you are an idiot," she tried to shake him, but was too weak to do so. She made a hmmmph noise, let his shirt go and hopped back to the ground.
After a while of nothing, she flailed her arms. "She broke the fated sisterhood for you. For you and me, alright, but she did."
"Fated sisterhood? Is that why you are hiding your arm?"
Yvaine looked down. "Well...yes. I don't understand why, though. No one down here knows what it means," she pulled her extremely long sleeve up. It revealed a swirling tribal tattoo, going from the top of her hand to a half of her forearm.
It matched the drawing in the book to a point.
"What does it mean?" Vilkas looked up at the sky.
Yvaine made an unhappy noise. "For me, it means I didn't get to have a mother or a father. Or friends. Or anyone. It means I had to go around, alone with my sisters, and fight scary things." She shivered. "I don't like fighting."
That's actually good, because I can't think of anyone or anything more terrifying, Vilkas thought of the moving earth and wet noises of crushed bodies. Then he stopped and remembered the skeevers and rats eating the bandits alive. Well, maybe the sister.
"I thought those were meant to be tribal?"
"No, not for us," Yvaine hung her head and hugged her knees. "We are...we serve. We serve the Reach, the Balance, the Wild. Or, at least, we ought to. And as such, we are alone. Like all Guardians."
She lifted her head. "I thought it was supposed to be so with yours, as well. But you have the wolf-men right in your midst. Is that what your people usually do?"
Vilkas' breath hitched. "How do you know about them?"
Yvaine shrugged. "We just do. There's this...feeling to them. Any beast-men. I don't think any witch can tell just like that, though. But Mori and I can. Orgoch too, probably. But she hated everyone."
Wanting to take the topic away from werewolves, Vilkas decided to pursue something that would turn Yvaine in a completely different direction. "You don't seem to like Orgoch too much. What about the other sister?"
"Mori. Mo-ri, that's her name, remember that," she poked him in the ribs again.
"Ow, stop that!" he swatted her hand away. Gently. "Tell me something about Mori, then."
She gave a sly grin. "You'll for sure win her over with honey. She loves that stuff. She's completely obsessed with sweets."
Vilkas arched an eyebrow. You're the one to talk.
"Never bring her milk. She gets sick if she drinks or eats it. She likes soft things, too. Feathers and fabric and fur. You should wash your hair with something nice," she gave his grimy look a displeased frown. "I can give you stuff for that. Flowy shiny hair, guaranteed. Deirdre swears by my mixtures."
"I was asking about her, not myself."
"True. Well, she also likes flowers. The blue ones the most. Or purple. Like lavender! She's really really nice, you know, she always brings me seeds or cuttings to try to grow. Then I weave wreaths for her to wear! But don't make her mad. She can be scary."
Vilkas nodded.
"Oh, she also likes her bow! You have a bow too, maybe you could go shooting together? Or go looking for springs and spriggan trees? She still likes to do that. What we should, you know. Wander around and make the good spirits stronger."
"You don't?"
"I like to help my friends around these woods," she spread her small arms, encompassing the whole of their surroundings, "but I don't like to go too far. I like it here. I like Falco. I like Bjorn too. And Greta. The goats and horses. I like to have a bed and to have warm food. I'll miss Deirdre," she sighed, but then grinned, "though her going means I have more excuses to visit you all in town."
"I thought you didn't like to go too far?"
"I can make exceptions for my friends," Yvaine gave a resolute nod. "Besides, I can ride on Mori's back. She can change into all sorts of animals, you know!"
Doesn't this confirm my leopard is this mysterious Mori, then? Most probably. But it would be good to find out more.
His next question remained unspoken. Farkas was coming, his heavy footsteps announcing him far ahead.
"Are you his brother?" she pointed at Vilkas. Her face lit up.
"Yea, that's my little brother," Farkas ruffled Vilkas' hair and then gave him some bread with cheese and ham.
"Would you stop doing that?" Vilkas grumbled.
"Nope," Farkas grinned. "What can I do for you, little lady?" he turned to Yvaine, obviously itching for his attention.
"He said I could ask you questions! I want to know why the people at the Grim manor wanted to eat the girls' kitties. I find that most vexing and disturbing."
"A-ha, it might sound like that, but it's something completely different," Farkas sat down.
"I don't need to be here for this conversation," Vilkas wanted to get up. Farkas grabbed his shoulder and pushed him down.
"No, stay. You'll learn some things you might find useful later," he flashed a bright smile, impish sparks in his eyes.
Vilkas grumbled something unintelligible.
XXX
"Here, this will help you sleep," Yvaine slipped a vial into Vilkas' hand as the Companions prepared to leave. "Don't have more than two drops at a time, though. You won't wake up if you do."
"Reassuring," he commented, but slipped the vial in his pack. "Thank you, lady Lakeview."
Yvaine smiled widely at the address, then skipped away, humming happily.
Vilkas turned to Farkas and Erika. "Let's go?"
"Let's go."
