Dragonborn Rising Ch. 06

Chapter 6 - The Betrayal

*****

The journey took me two days in all. Though having my own horse meant I could technically travel a little faster, in reality I barely moved any faster than the cart. Digging my heels into the ribs of my horse barely had it trotting along, and I could forget about a canter. I was left thinking horses native to Skyrim were hardy beasts, built for the cold, but not made for speed.

Though it was still light by the time I made it to Windhelm, it was fading fast, and I didn't particularly want to ride during the evening. The temperature dropped the further north I travelled, and while it was a bleak, desolate but rather beautiful landscape, I didn't want to be caught outside during an evening. I'd probably be dead by morning.

I made it to Winterhold by the lunch the next day and left my horse at the inn, paying the innkeeper a few septims to give it some food and look after it if I wasn't back by the evening. Heading back south, I had a map and a rough idea of where Snow Veil Sanctum was, and thanks to the fact the land was rather flat and white, any sort of burial mound did stand out.

Despite my Nordic blood, I still kept my coat wrapped tight, the wind whipping snow into my face, and the breeze would have stopped even the hardiest of travellers after a couple of hours. Thankfully I found the ruin, Mercer standing at the top of the steps that would lead us inside. Walking down to the entrance, there was a door covered in a mural that I certainly couldn't decipher. I figured it was locked, and it was Mercer who stepped forward.

"They say that these ancient Nordic burial mounds are sometimes impenetrable. This one doesn't look too difficult. Quite simple, really. I don't know what all the fuss is about these locks. All it takes is a bit of know-how and a lot of skill. That should do it. After you."

I gave him a look, as I didn't particularly want to take the lead, but figuring I shouldn't particularly argue, as he still looked rather pissed off, I unsheathed my sword and led the way. He warned me Karliah would have been smart enough to reset all the traps, so I stepped carefully, my eyes constantly moving side to side, up and down, while I stepped so softly, I'm sure Mercer wanted to order me to hurry up.

Having never explored one of these ruins before, we soon ran into... creatures, monsters, I'm not sure, but Mercer called them draugr. Asking what they were, he said they were undead, ancient Nordic warriors, who always seemed to guard these sort of ruins. All I could say is that they were ugly motherfuckers, tough to kill, and I was certainly glad that I had Mercer there for help.

There were an endless number of traps too, and I'm sure it was only my prayers to the Eight that kept my head on my shoulders and all my limbs attached to my body. But I certainly bloodied my sword alongside Mercer, and we even seemed to make a decent team. His prowess with his dual blades left me wondering what he did before being a thief.

Entering on chamber, after killing all the draugr inside, he mentioned that the wall on the far side was a 'word wall'. "What's a word wall?" I wondered.

"I'm not sure as the words on them are written in a language no-one understands."

Walking towards it, I'm sure I started to hear... chanting. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Chanting."

"You losing your mind already, Ragnar?"

Getting closer still to the world wall, it started to glow. Not the entire wall, just a small section of the writing. "What in oblivion is going on?" I muttered to myself. The closer I stopped, the brighter the glow, the louder the chanting. And then a word popped into my head.

"Zun..."

"What was that?"

Pointing, I said, "On the wall here, the glowing bit, it says 'Zun'."

"What glowing bit?"

Looking back at him, I asked, "You don't see it?"

"I don't see a damned thing except a fool looking at a wall he can't possibly read."

I'm sure the word meant something, though why it glowed, why I heard chanting, and why I could apparently read one of the words, I guess I'll never know. It was bloody weird, but I put it to the back of my mind as I joined Mercer at the exit of the chamber.

We fought our way through more draugr, avoiding more traps, and I grew in confidence the further we travelled. It had been quite a while since I'd fought so often, so quickly, and was amazed I'd come out relatively unscathed, particularly as I wasn't carrying a shield. Mercer killed a lot of draugr too, and I think was psyching himself up for the inevitable showdown with Karliah. I was just interested to see exactly who she was.

Walking down a wide hallway, lights illuminated as we strode cautiously, Mercer now at my side. Murals lined each wall to the left and right, thought I wasn't sure exactly what they were meant to depict. Ahead was an enormous door, covered in more murals, and there also appeared to be a special lock and puzzle to do.

Not that Mercer was worried. "Ah, it's one of the infamous Nordic puzzle doors. How quaint. Without the matching claw, they're normally impossible to open. And since I'm sure Karliah already did away with it, we're on our own. Fortunately, these doors have a weakness if you know how to exploit it. Quite simple, really."

I'm not sure what he did, but it took about a minute for him to work at it before there was a couple of clicks and the door started to open. "Karliah's close, I'm certain of it. Now let's get moving."

Following him into the next room, I probably took half a dozen steps forward before I heard the sound of an arrow fired. I felt a slight thud into my chest, looking down to see an arrow sticking out of me. "Well, that's not good," I muttered.

I'd never been shot with an arrow before, so didn't really know what I should be feeling. I was amazed at the lack of pain. What I didn't expect was for all feeling to leave my body, and I pretty much dropped straight to the ground straight away. I could still move my head at least, managing to lift it to see and hear what happened next.

Karliah appeared to blossom out of thin air, bow raised, arrow nocked, waiting to fire. Mercer didn't remain still, never offering a target, but he didn't close in on her either. He was cautious. "Do you honestly think your arrow will reach me before my blade finds your heart?"

"Give me a reason to try." Her voice was soft... almost kind. I'd go so far as to say beautiful. Strange...

"You're a clever girl, Karliah. Buying Goldenglow Estate and funding Honningbrew Meadery was inspired."

"'To ensure an enemy's defeat, you must first undermine his allies.' It was the first lesson Gallus taught us."

That didn't sound like someone who would have murdered him. Did it? "You always were a quick study."

"Not quick enough, otherwise Gallus would still be alive." She sounded utterly heartbroken saying those words. What the hell was...

"Gallus had his wealth and he had you. All he had to do was look the other way."

Bastard. That fucking son of a bitch, cocksucking, motherfucking bastard. Oh, I had about a million thoughts all at once, of what I was going to do to that bastard... Once I was capable of moving at least.

"Did you forget the oath we took as Nightingales? Did you expect him to simply ignore your methods?"

Nightingales? What in oblivion are Nightingales? What was I now neck deep involved in? And how was it in any way tied to the Guild? Not that it mattered. What did matter was that I'd been lied to, and I'd fallen for it hook, line and sinker. I'd been a damned fool, not listening to that little voice that was telling me something was not quite right with Mercer. The rest of the Guild was fine. I had a good laugh with them. But something about Mercer had always rubbed me the wrong way, I'd just never been able to put a finger on it.

Karliah disappeared, I assume taking some sort of invisibility potion. I'd heard of such things before. I'm not sure where she went, but she promised that, next time, she would kill him. I was left thinking I probably wouldn't be around to see it. Oh well...

Mercer stepped forward to stand over me, looking rather pleased with himself. "How interesting. It appears Gallus's history has repeated itself. Karliah has provided me the means to be rid of you, and this ancient tomb becomes your final resting place. But do you know what intrigues me the most? The fact that this was all possible because of you. Farewell. I'll be certain to give Brynjolf your regards."

Luckily I still had the power of speech, but all I could do was say, "Fuck you, Mercer." That made me feel better.

I didn't feel the blade slide into my body, thankful that whatever I'd been poisoned with had left me with next to no feeling. Content I was going to die, Mercer sheathed his blade and disappeared from view. To be honest, I thought I was a goner too, particularly once I slipped into unconsciousness.

*****

When my eyes opened, they did so because of the searing pain in my chest, enough to make me groan rather loudly. But that meant I was alive, not that I was particularly overjoyed at that moment. It felt rather cold, and the ruin had been rather warm, looking down to see my armour had been removed and my wound sort of healed, my body wrapped in white cloth.

A figure stood up from the nearby fire and crouched down next to me. "Easy, easy. Don't get up so quickly."

That voice. A man would never forget a voice like that. "Karliah?" Then I felt myself get a little angry, lifting myself up slightly. "Hang on a second, you bloody well shot me!"

She gently pushed me by the shoulder back onto the bedroll, which explained at least a little of the warmth. "No," she said kindly, "I saved your life. My arrow was tipped with a unique paralytic poison. It slowed your heart and kept you from bleeding out. Had I intended to kill you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Well then why didn't you shoot that fucker Mercer then?"

"I promise you, the thought crossed my mind, but I never had a clear shot. I made a split-second decision to get you out of the way and it prevented your death."

"Well, thanks, I guess. Still don't like being shot though."

"I had an antidote and have managed to heal you as best I can. I assume it still hurts?" I nodded. "You'll have pain for a little while. I'm sorry, there's not a lot I can do about it."

I just collapsed back on the bedroll as she stepped back towards the fire, dragging a small log she'd found and placed it near my bedroll. "Still think you should have shot him," I muttered.

"The poison on that arrow took me a year to perfect; I only had enough for a single shot. All I had hoped was to capture Mercer alive."

"Hang on, what? Take him alive? Take his fucking head, more like it!"

She chuckled at my opinion though shook her head. "No... What's your name?"

"Ragnar. And I know yours, so that's the introductions done."

"I'm sure you've heard all sorts of stories from Mercer. What do you think now?"

"I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure. But I now believe Mercer killed Gallus, at least. I'm still not sure what your role in all this is?"

"It's a long story, Ragnar, and I promise I'll tell you all about it one day. But as to why I want him alive, he must be brought before the Guild to answer for what he's done. He needs to pay for Gallus' murder."

"Well, I don't think anyone would disagree with that motive, but how are you going to prove it?"

"My purpose in using Snow Veil Sanctum to ambush Mercer wasn't simply for irony's sake. Before both of you arrived, I recovered a journal from Gallus' remains. I suspect the information we need is written inside."

"Wait, his body is still inside?"

She looked away as she whispered, "What's left of him."

"Sorry."

She glanced at me and shook her head. "It's been a long time since that day. I'm sure Mercer no doubt mentioned our relationship. Yes, we were in love. But while that love remains, there is now a fury at what happened, and a sense that I will bring justice to Gallus and myself. Mercer must pay."

"Okay, the journal, what does it say?"

"I wish I knew. It's written in a language I've never seen before."

I held out my hand, thinking I might know. Opening the journal and looking at the first page, I immediately felt like an idiot. If she couldn't read it, what chance did I have? I could read, but I wasn't the most literate of men around, and the language used by Gallus was incomprehensible. "Do you think anyone out there would recognise it, and more importantly, be able to translate it?"

Karliah remained silent for a couple of minutes before she clicked her fingers. "Enthir! He might be able to help us."

"And Enthir is?"

"Gallus' friend at the College of Winterhold. He's the only outsider Gallus trusted with the knowledge of his Nightingale identity."

"I keep hearing about these Nightingales. Who or what are they?"

"There were three of us: Myself, Gallus and Mercer. We were an anonymous splinter of the Thieves Guild in Riften. Perhaps I'll tell you more about it later, like everything else I promised to tell you. Right now, you need to head for Winterhold with the journal and get the translation."

"You're sending the walking wounded to do this? I need to get back to Riften and alert everyone."

"I have important things to do, Ragnar. Most importantly, lay Gallus' remains to rest. But you are right, you do need to return to Riften, though only after speaking with Enthir. I simply don't feel comfortable revealing my whereabouts to anyone else for the time being."

"Can I have a few more hours shut eye?"

"Sure. I'll give you a shake when it's light."

I fell asleep pretty quickly, and I think she gave me a good few hours, as by the time she shook me awake, I think it had been light for a while. She had a few supplies so gave me something to nibble on. Asking how she would get around, considering her horse was dead, she admitted she usually walked everywhere, so once she had laid Gallus to rest, she would start to head south. My armour was nearby, so I tried dressing myself, but found spreading my arms difficult, enough that Karliah offered to help. Despite the situation, I noticed her eyes have a glance at my chest.

"You're younger than I'd imagine most who work with the Guild. Why did Mercer bring you along?"

"I may have been the one to stop your Goldenglow and Honningbrew operations."

She gave me a look; I think of slight admiration. "So that was you, eh? Colour me impressed."

"I'll have to explain to Maven everything too. I'm not sure of the relationship between her and Mercer." Karliah shrugged, so figured she wouldn't know either. "The more allies to bring him down, the better, I reckon."

Once I was in my armour, weapons attached to my belt, we doused the fire and split up, Karliah heading back into the ruins, while I wrapped my coat tight and headed north to Winterhold. I attempted to get into the College, but the elf at the edge of the bridge was having none of it, though when I said I was looking for Enthir, I was pointed back to Winterhold and the inn there.

After introductions, he was very excited when I handed over the journal, though it was too good to be true to think he would have all the answers. No, but while he couldn't translate it, he knew what it was. Falmer language. "Who the bloody hell are the Falmer?" I wondered.

He gave me a very brief explanation about who they were before pointing me in the right direction. I was to head to the very westerly region of Skyrim, to a city called Markarth. There, I would find a scholar by the name of Calcelmo, the court wizard of the city, and he would have the answers, though he could be rather obstinate.

Thanking him for the information, I mounted my horse and headed south, as I was heading to Riften first. I stopped at Windhelm for the night, heading to bed early and sleeping for as long as possible, waking early and leaving just as dawn was breaking. The ride was harder than usual, as the pain in my chest lingered all the way. By the time I stabled my horse, I was exhausted again. Walking into the Bunkhouse, I headed straight upstairs, where Haelga was at her desk. She took one look at me and cried out. I probably looked like shit. I certainly felt like it. I don't even remember falling into bed...

*****

I woke up with a start, resting on my elbows, looking left and right. It was daylight, looking down to see my chest was still strapped, though the bandages looked fresh and the lingering pain had disappeared. I didn't feel sick. I felt pretty good actually. Looking left, Haelga was at her desk, busy writing in her ledger. "Hello," I said quietly.

I gave her a little fright, as I noticed her jump slightly before she turned around, a wide grin on her face as she immediately made her way to the bed, sitting down next to me. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. What happened?"

"You had an infection. Whoever healed your wound did a good job, but the blade used probably had some sort of poison."

"I think I must have had a double dose then. I took an arrow from one person and a blade from another."

"Gods," she whispered, immediately hugging me tight, "What happened?"

"We were betrayed. And now I have a job to do. I have to help clear someone's name and take revenge on the bastard who tried to kill me." I paused before asking, "Do I have a couple of neat scars at least?"

She chuckled in my arms. "Yes, Ragnar, you do. You're not going to rush off, are you?"

"No, I'll rest here today, at least. But time is of the essence. The man who tried to kill me has a hell of a head start and I have no idea where he is or what his plans are."

She pulled back to the blankets to join me under the covers, though she shuffled around a bit and eventually her dress was thrown onto the floor before she cuddled into me. I wrapped an arm around her at the same time. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Ingun helped too. She smeared something or other on your wounds. They appear to have worked rather fast."

"How long have I been out?"

"A day or so. Are you hungry?"

"I probably will be a little later."

"We'll eat here tonight. I'll have Svana cook us something and bring it up here."

Haelga barely left my side all day, and it was little surprise to me that we ended up naked. I was still feeling rather tired, but that didn't stop me from sliding a couple of fingers into her pussy as we made out, though I teased her by not bringing her to orgasm right away. I suggested she wait until after dinner and we went to bed. She pouted for a little while before whispering in my ear that she was probably going to pass out when she finally did.

Svana was quiet and shy when she brought dinner up to us, noticing the glance she gave me, as I sat at the small table in just trousers, my chest still strapped up. I could see the eyes linger on my arms and shoulders, and she blushed when I met her eyes, suggesting that I noticed her looking at me. She quickly made her way downstairs, much to my amusement.

Haelga chatted away about anything and everything, and I knew it was because she was worried about me. She'd accepted what I did, which was incredibly gracious, though I knew she'd prefer me not to do what I did. I still contemplated the Companions, but Haelga seemed to enjoy running the Bunkhouse. Something to think about...

We stayed up, sipping at some wine, and she finally asked what I was involved in. I figured I owed her the truth, so I explained everything that had happened since the Goldenglow job. I glossed over a few details, but otherwise, I was truthful in what I found myself involved in. She thought it was all a bit nuts, and was left wondering where the thievery was actually occurring. I wondered the same thing at times...