They ran up over the nearest dune to the north. The night was so clear and the air so still that everything along the feet of the mountains was clearly visible, including an area with dense, bright fog along the base of buildings, far to their northeast.
“Is that it?” Brynjolf asked, pointing toward the fog.
“I don’t think so. We’re supposed to go due north from Al Shedim and that place we can see is way off. We can go exploring if you want, though. It’s probably full of wealth.”
He shook his head. “No. I think we need to focus on finding this Cowl and getting it back to Nocturnal.”
She nodded. “Maybe we can all rest a little easier then.”
“Aye.” They trotted along for a few more moments. “You know this is about more than just Dynny, don’t you?” he asked quietly, surprising her.
“What do you… oh! Look over there!” Sayma interrupted herself, pointing ahead.
In the depression behind the dune they were on were two lighted areas. Nearest them was a fountain of magical energies glowing pale blue. More importantly, to Sayma’s mind, was the lighted gateway, high up on the hillside.
“That looks like a place you have to be careful getting into, to me. If I were hiding something important, I’d hide it in a spot like that. What do you say?”
“You’re leading. Whatever you want to do, I’m behind you.”
She grinned at him. “I’ve heard that before, Red,” she laughed, sprinting away from him as he grunted.
They ran past the fountain and up the side of the hill toward the gate. The sandstone brick walls enclosed a narrow walkway leading toward a larger building at the rear, one that looked very reminiscent of Al Shedim, with a wedge-shaped doorway and narrow, carved pillars along either side. Sayma dropped into a crouch and crept closer toward it, and was about to enter when Brynjolf tapped her on the shoulder and shook his head. He pointed to the rocks high along the right side of the narrow canyon and headed in that direction.
She followed him up onto the boulders beyond the right-hand wall until he stopped and turned to her.
“I saw movement in there. Between the walls.”
“Really? I couldn’t see anything.”
Brynjolf sighed. “My eyes aren’t as good as they were when I was a vampire but they’re still sharper than they were before. There’s something moving around in there and it’s low to the ground.”
“The cheetahs?”
“Probably. I think we need to try to get around them.”
Oh good. She told me they’ll kill anything that moves.
“Tell you what. Let me go ahead and see if I can find a way in. Follow me. Unless you hear me scream, in which case you’ll know it’s not safe.”
She was about to proceed when Brynjolf laid a hand on her arm and turned her around. His expression was somber and his eyes intense.
“I know you were joking, but it wasn’t funny. Be careful.”
She was disoriented for a moment. This was the most serious he’d been with her since they’d left Dardeh and Roggi’s house. She could see nothing aside from complete sincerity in his eyes.
And his eyes are still beautiful, no matter how well they see.
What is going on here?
“Of course. I’m always careful, Brynjolf. Trust me, I have no desire to be clawed.”
“Right. Go ahead, then.”
She crawled forward, over the boulders and to the end of the nearer of the two walls. The closer she got to the wall, the more her nose wrinkled; there were definitely animals on the other side of that wall. It wasn’t just their droppings she smelled, for as cats were wont to do they took pains to bury their waste; but there was a definite, warm, animal smell coming from just over the sandstone wall.
Saber cats are bad enough. I want to avoid these.
There was a gap there, between this entry corridor and what looked like a narrow pass beyond. She glanced left, back out toward the desert, but only for a moment before she ran as fast as she could through the gap and into the canyon. Behind her, she heard angry snarls. All she could do was run, leap over the boulders trying not to fall, and hope fervently that the cats would not follow and that Brynjolf had made it safely into the gap as well.
Her heart was beating as fast as it ever had by the time she was forced to stop and catch her breath. She stopped, hands on knees, gasping for air; she listened for the sound of animals behind her but heard nothing. She listened even more closely for the sound of a man screaming and once again, thankfully, heard nothing. Her breathing slowed, gradually, and then she jumped nearly out of her skin as a voice startled her badly.
“That was interesting,” he said, appearing from behind a pillar of rock next to her.
“Bryn! You nearly gave me heart failure!” She glared at him, angry to be on high alert again and thankful beyond belief that he was unharmed.
“Heh.” His eyes twinkled. “Sorry. Those cheetahs took a bit of convincing before they would let me through.”
What?
“What… did you do?”
“What I always do. Created a distraction. I managed to convince one of them that the others were a threat. Just long enough to slip in behind you.”
Her mouth fell open. “Are you telling me that you used your Nightingale power… on a cat?”
“I tried. Figured it was worth a shot. It didn’t last long, but I managed to make a break for it while they were confused. They don’t think the way we do.” He chuckled and pointed ahead of them. “Let’s get going. And I’m sorry for startling you.”
“Well. I’m…” She stopped and stared at the grin on his face, and didn’t quite know what to say. Arrogant bastard, isn’t he? Proud of himself, too. And rightfully so, I have to admit. “I’m impressed. Astonished, but impressed. And I’m glad you’re alright.”
It was a very narrow corridor before them, more a ravine than anything else, with high rock walls and a sandy path. Only a few plants clung to an existence in a place where the light had to improvise a route to the canyon floor. The pass followed a gentle s-curve, then split just short of a large structure built into the mountain beyond. The path to the right seemed to lead directly to the structure, and Sayma would have gone that way without thinking; but she stopped and pointed forward, looking at Brynjolf with one eyebrow raised, looking for another opinion.
He peered into the darkness for a bit and then turned his head to one side, closing his eyes, clearly listening.
“No,” he whispered at last. “I’m pretty sure there are more of them up ahead. We’ll be eaten. Try the other side.”
Sayma nodded. Syloria had warned her that they would need to get past the cats somehow because they would attack; and she was positive, having heard the snarls, that she didn’t want to test that idea. She circled around to the left branch of the canyon and started climbing.
The passage to the left led up a steep slope, boulders covered with sand, and it was a rigorous climb. They moved slowly, but silently; Brynjolf seemed to climb easily, and Sayma grumbled silently to herself that she was that much shorter and slighter, her struggles to reach handholds that much more strenuous. I don’t want to look foolish in front of him. I’m the Listener after all, not a mountain goat, but still.
I guess if I could climb those hills in Coldharbour, though, I can climb this.
Finally she pulled herself out onto the uppermost level of rock and found herself midway between two tall, square towers of the same design as Al Shedim: smooth stone blocks with Daedric lettering inset panels. The towers didn’t appear to be connected; there was in fact a large prominence of mountain between them. There was no door into the left tower, and while there was a gap in the rock nearest the right tower, it was blocked by a large grate.
“Where’s the other side of this?” she whispered to Brynjolf. “I didn’t see anything from the desert that looked like this and I’m sure it’s not Al Shedim – that’s in the other direction.”
“I have no clue. Can you see anything on the other side of that grate?”
She scrambled and jumped up the last few boulders to stand next to it.
“Yeah. It opens into some kind of plaza. I can’t see the cheetahs but I can smell them.”
There was a quiet chuckle beside her as Brynjolf hauled himself up onto the highest rock. “You have the nose and I have the eyes, I guess. Let me see if I can bend these or something.”
He grabbed for the metal gate and pulled as hard as he could on two of its pieces, his face turning red. Nothing happened. He finally released them and gasped for a breath.
“Not a chance. How do we get in there, then?”
Sayma stood staring at the bars for a few moments. There had been any number of places on her way to this place that had seemed impassable; things she had known about and needed to get to that didn’t appear to exist. Only one thing had worked to get her through them.
“Let me try something.” She raised her left hand, gathered her magic, and cast Ancient Vision.
As it always did, the spell made a ghastly loud noise followed by an explosion. The grate between them and the tower disappeared. Sayma moved forward, tentatively, and stopped just beyond the point where the grate had been. She waited for a moment or two, and then another; and as expected the spell dissipated.
“Sayma!” Brynjolf hissed from the other side of the gate. “You’ve left me out here!”
She turned to smile at him. “I know, Bryn,” she whispered. “Listen, those cats are down there and there are lots of them. I can see them moving around. There’s only one amulet to find. I can sneak down and get it and meet you back at the split in the canyon.”
“You can’t do this alone!” he said between clenched teeth. “That’s why I’m here with you. Cast the spell again and let me through!”
She shook her head. Still as stubborn as ever, and I’m glad of it, but you’re wrong.
“Bryn,” she said quietly, reaching through the grate to pat his arm. “I am completely muffled in this armor. I have the Shadow Stone. And…” she hesitated and sighed.
“And what?” He was clearly angry, his brows so furrowed they nearly met in the middle.
“I’m still the Agent of Stealth, my dear. I can remain invisible for a long period. Nocturnal didn’t take that away from me when I left Riften. I need to use it now, and maybe it will show her that I’m still worthy of it.” She reached for his nearer hand and squeezed it. “You used your power getting us here safely. Now it’s my turn. Let me do this, Bryn. I’ll meet you in front. It’ll be fine.”
Brynjolf looked as though he wanted to explode. Finally, though, his shoulders lowered. He took a deep breath and expelled it, and nodded.
“Alright. It seems I have no choice in the matter. Be careful.”
Sayma turned back toward the tower and jumped down into the paved area below, invoking her Nightingale power as she went. She landed on the tile surface and immediately crouched, blinking out of sight, and felt sorry for Brynjolf in the rocks above. It was unnerving to watch your partner suddenly disappear, even under the best of circumstances.
Huh. He is my partner right now, isn’t he.
She smiled even as she moved forward into danger.
There were rows of the same pillars they’d seen in Al Shedim’s outer courtyard, dark red stone at the bottom and lighter stone above. By wriggling in between them she was able to reach an opening in the base of the tower and slip inside, and discovered that what had seemed like a solid structure was more a partially-enclosed plaza. Immediately to her right was the back of a pedestal, of the same design she had seen holding the first bust of the Gray Fox inside the eye of Cyrodiil. The problem was that she couldn’t squeeze past it to find out what it held. She would have to venture farther into the place; and that was going to be a dicey proposition. There were cheetahs beyond it: beautiful, fat, orange cheetahs pacing back and forth, clearly aware of her presence even though they could not see her. They were easily as long as she was tall and probably three or four times her weight, and she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with them.
She turned back from the pedestal and into the corridor. An alcove directly behind her held a chest, but she passed it by; it was more important to find the amulet while her invisibility might save her. She whipped around the corner and nearly ran headlong into one of the cheetahs, and only by freezing and holding her breath was she able to avoid it.
After a few heartbeats she snaked her way forward, between the walls and the pillars, hoping to get to the front of the pedestal before her invisibility failed. There were a great many cheetahs in the place, and the farther into it she went the more agitated they became, snarling and switching their tails in angry slashes. She took a deep breath and rolled herself around the end of the stone wall, to face the front of the pedestal she’d been trying to reach.
There was a strongbox inside the pedestal.
Please don’t be locked. Please have the amulet. Because as soon as I touch you I’m going to be visible and I don’t know whether I can get hidden again before I am cat food.
She reached out, took a deep breath, and lifted the cover of the strongbox. There was in fact an amulet inside it, as well as a hefty pile of coins, all of which she scooped out with a practiced motion of one hand. She closed her eyes and threw the heavy chain over her head, half expecting the agonizing rake of razor-sharp claws down her back at any moment.
Instead, there was a viciously loud explosion. Sayma’s eyes flew open and she whirled to look out over the plaza.
Absolutely nothing happened.
Must have been a magic explosion. It’s the amulet.
She slowly uncurled herself to a standing position, because her invisibility was broken and there was no time left for her Nightingale power. I could use the Standing Stone but they all know I’m here. I have to test this thing to see if it works. I have to do it. There’s no point in hiding.
She stepped slowly out into the open.
The cheetahs that had been racing back and forth before her looked at her and then wandered away, toward the brazier-lit edges of the open platform before them and down over stairs at its far side. They seemed as unconcerned as any animals she’d ever seen.
And a good thing, too. Look at those fangs.
Each cat had fangs the size of an ebony dagger. She shuddered to imagine what they would have done to her if she’d been unsuccessful.
But I wasn’t. I did it.
She returned to the chest she had bypassed and took its wealth. There was a great deal of it, too: two circlets, a beautiful ring, several flawless gems, ingots of precious metal, coins and several empty soul gems. It was a good haul for a single chest, and she smiled thinking of adding it to the collections back in Ben Erai.
Now let’s hope Bryn is still in one piece.
She left by way of the path not taken earlier. It was wider than the steep route up the other side, and mostly flat, and would have been very easy to travel. But she passed at least five of the big cats patrolling this passage, and mentally thanked whatever twist of fate had left Brynjolf’s sight and hearing so sharp after becoming human again. The cheetahs would have made short work of both her and Brynjolf if they’d made the mistake of coming this way.
It took only a few moments for her to reach the place where the canyon split.
“Brynjolf?” She looked around but didn’t see him immediately. “Bryn, are you here?”
“Be right down.”
There was a small ledge partway up the rocks, with a small tree clinging to its edge. Brynjolf had scrambled up to wait beneath the tree’s slight shade, and Sayma had to admire his wisdom; if the cheetahs had attacked, or raced down the ravine after her, they might well have found him too. She certainly never would have seen him had he not called out to her. She smiled at him as he approached.
“You’re good at hiding, thief.”
He snorted. “I should hope so. And don’t ever do that kind of thing to me again. I didn’t follow you out here to be left behind.”
Sayma studied his face. There were so many layers of meaning that might exist in that statement. He didn’t seem angry, though, just frustrated that he’d had to wait and relieved that it had gone well.
“I won’t, Bryn. It was a good thing I did, though. I just barely got this amulet around my neck in time and if we’d both been there one of us would be dead by now.”
To his credit, he simply nodded.
“How are we getting out past the cats at the end, though?”
She froze.
“Damn. I didn’t think about that. Um…” She looked around, frantically. “Maybe there’s high ground out there near the gate. Gods, Bryn. I don’t know. What’ll we do?” I didn’t go through all this to watch you be torn apart when it’s almost over.
He shrugged. “Let’s see what it’s like when we get there. I don’t really remember what I saw.”
“Neither do I. I was just running.”
They walked, this time, rather than running down the canyon; and as they did so Sayma’s heart fell with every step closer to the exit. The walls closed in, the passage narrowed, and by the time she saw the first of the Daedric-inscribed columns the rocks on either side were sheer and vertical. There was no higher ground for Brynjolf to climb to.
She stopped just before the stone exit. There was indeed a cheetah running back and forth between the short walls they’d passed on the way in. There was only one of them, but it was a cheetah all the same, with fangs as large as the ones they’d left back in the canyon.
An idea popped into her head. She reached back, waving her hand.
“Bryn. Take my hand.”
“What?”
“Just do it. Take my hand and stand close to me. They won’t attack me. Maybe if we’re attached – you know, skin to skin and you’re really close? Maybe they won’t see you as different and we can make it out past them.”
She felt his warm hand wrap around hers, and then his large form step up to stand beside her.
“Good idea. Thank you. I think I may have a chance after all.”
She glanced up to see him smiling at her. It was just the small, one-sided smile he had so often worn but it was a smile nonetheless and she was happy to see it.
They walked forward, slowly and calmly, and Sayma watched as the remaining cheetah flopped down onto the tiled pathway. It looked up at her, seemingly unconcerned, and yawned.
Brynjolf let go of her hand and stopped moving. Before she could stop herself she was several steps ahead of him. She whirled, panicked, and waved her hand at him.
“Bryn!”
“No. It’s ok. Look at him.” Brynjolf moved closer to the cat, murmuring in that same low voice that she’d always thought resembled a big cat’s purr itself. “You’re not fussed about me are you, lad?” He kept walking, and motioned Sayma to follow. “You’re quite the noble beastie, and doing a fine job of guarding the place. We’ll just be leaving now. Thank you for letting us in.”
Sayma moved to stay as close to him as she could. The cheetah watched them, looking almost bored, and within a few moments they’d cleared it and were stepping slowly across the remaining tiles of the entryway and down the stairs before it.
If this cat doesn’t kill him, I’m going to do it myself. What in Oblivion was he thinking?
As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs Sayma dashed away, down the hillside and out onto the sand, and waited for him to catch up with her. She had all she could do to keep from screaming in her frustration. She heard him running up behind her, chuckling, and turned to stare at him.
“What kind of idiotic, horker-brained move was that, you great, thick-headed, red-haired Nord??” she snapped. “You might have been killed, right there! I thought we agreed to stay together!”
As soon as she said it, she regretted having said it. Brynjolf winced. Just a bit; but it was clear that he’d been stung and she wanted to take the words back.
“I…” he paused, and stared down at the sand for a moment, obviously considering his words, before looking back up at her and continuing. “I heard that magic explode, all the way down the canyon where I was waiting. I knew it had to have a range. I wanted to test the theory.” He shrugged. He started walking slowly back in the direction of Al Shedim, to the south.
She followed quietly along behind him, wondering how much more of a fool she could possibly be. I might as well have stood there and said Hey, Red, remember how we used to be married? Remember how I left you? My gods what a stupid woman I am sometimes.
Brynjolf cleared his throat and spoke again. “I’m sorry. I should have said something. That was foolish of me.” He turned and smiled at her, a sad, lopsided smile. “And yes, we agreed to stay together. I shouldn’t have let go of you.”
He turned back to the south. “Where are we headed now?”
Sayma was numb. Brynjolf hadn’t gotten angry with her. He’d actually apologized. But there was an entire world of distance between them, and she’d probably managed to make it a bit wider. Her mind was racing, and she struggled to focus on the question he’d asked.
“To be honest with you I’m exhausted. I want to go back to Ben Erai and rest before whatever comes next. I’m not even sure where we have to go.” I want to lie down. I want to get clean. I want to sleep for a million years. And I want to take back everything I said a minute ago.
“That sounds good,” he said, starting to trudge toward the southwest. “It’ll take some time to get back. Maybe we can sleep through the heat of the day.”
“Ok,” she said numbly, moving to catch up to him. “We can probably sleep in shifts. Or buy some extra blankets at the store or something to make a bedroll.”
“I can rest sitting on the floor, as long as I have my back up against something,” he said, walking briskly up the side of a dune. “Don’t worry about me.”
Sayma suddenly remembered waking up with a muzzy head and turning to see Brynjolf resting on the floor beside his own bed in the Cistern. It seemed like another lifetime ago, and it made her sad.
“I remember,” she murmured. “But that’s no way to sleep, and you need rest as much as I do.”
He turned and grinned at her. “You actually remember that? I’m surprised you remember anything about that morning.”
In spite of herself, she chuckled. “Bribe Gulum-Ei. That was almost all I took away from that conversation. But I do remember that you’re a real wonder.”
He laughed. It was a full, hearty laugh and her heart leapt to hear it.
“Yes, well. I certainly have given them more to whisper about in the past while. I can only imagine the tales that will be going around now. ‘Bryn’s left town again. Who’s he with this time?’” He snickered. “Some of them couldn’t quite get over the fact that I spent time with Andante.”
She didn’t want to laugh, but somehow his good humor carried over and she found herself chuckling anyway. She picked up the pace and started trotting back toward the town.
“You did more than spend time with him, Brynjolf.”
“That’s true,” he replied. “Ah, don’t be hard on the lad, Sayma. He was good for me. Don’t get me wrong, he was bad for me as well and I know that’s the case, but still. There’s something to be said for being reminded of being twenty years old when you’re closer to forty-two.”
He grinned at her and suddenly broke into a sprint, racing away from her over the dunes, obviously inviting her to catch him. Sayma laughed and broke into a chase.
He may have been a vampire but he doesn’t know how long a Redguard can run, does he?
The race didn’t last too long, for Brynjolf was in fact human again and was a tired human, to boot. Sayma had the massive reserves of stamina common to all full-blooded Redguards, so she caught up to him quickly. Still, when he finally slowed to a stop both of them were smiling.
“Ahh,” he said between pants for air, “that felt good. One of the things I miss about – you know – is running. Running and running, and we were so fast. That felt very good.” He worked at slowing his breathing for a moment more, then chuckled. “And now I really am tired. Let’s get back to town.”
By the time they stepped through the door into her tiny house in Ben Erai, Sayma was more than ready to rest. Brynjolf looked the same. They unloaded the loot they’d collected and then both peeled off boots and outer layers of armor. Brynjolf took it all up to the rooftop to air out while they rested. He came back down bearing a blanket.
“It was in a box up there,” he said. “I’ll toss it on the floor here. Give me one of those cushions for my head and I’ll be asleep in five minutes.”
“Here,” she said, climbing up onto the bed and pulling down several of the heavy tapestries hung on the wall. “Put some of these down too. That floor will be awfully hard otherwise.”
Sayma watched him getting settled as she crawled onto the narrow bed. Not much more than a few minutes later she smiled as she heard him begin to snore quietly.
Her own eyes began to close.
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that snore.
It’s a nice sound.