![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-7-1.png\")
<\/p>\nThe Bee and Barb was a busy place the next morning. Every available space was packed with folks enjoying breakfast. Dag paid for a bite to eat and sat on a bench near the door, watching people.\u00a0 There was a handsome young mage to look at, seated across the entryway and speaking to everyone as they walked by, so breakfast and the view were pleasant enough. So had her sleep been once she had finally dropped off.\u00a0 It had taken hours, though, as she gnawed at the task the Jarl had asked of her. There was absolutely no way she could take out a skooma operation alone.\u00a0 She would need backup. She only knew one person in Skyrim she could remotely ask for help, with no assurance that he\u2019d even be willing.\u00a0 Before that, though, she would have to find his ancestral shield.<\/p>\n
Dag finished her breakfast and walked out toward the sunny marketplace. It had rained a bit overnight and the air smelled fresh and wonderful.\u00a0 Most of the market vendors were at it already, and people were shopping or visiting. Red was back at his stall, setting out his big red apothecary bottles and scanning the area.\u00a0 He saw her approaching, she was certain of it, but he didn\u2019t meet her eyes or acknowledge her in any way.\u00a0 Yes, she thought, he has simmered long enough.\u00a0 It was time to see whether he would pay his extra hands well, or not.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Without looking at her or even asking what she had decided, Red stepped closer to her and said, quietly, \u201cGlad you\u2019ve come to your senses. Let me know when you\u2019re ready to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dag had to bite her lip and fight down the urge to smack him. It irked her that he had assumed she would be back. But it was also still the case that he was bigger than her. A lot bigger, in fact.\u00a0 And presumably he had coin to share.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are we doing this, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s someone who wants to see him put out of business permanently,\u201d he said, unsmiling. \u201cThat\u2019s all you need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t really expected an answer, but it never hurt to ask.<\/p>\n
Dag was fairly confident she could do what he was asking of her.\u00a0 She could pick a lock well enough, and while pickpocketing really wasn\u2019t her best game she had bought a lone invisibility potion in Windhelm. And she really did want to build up extra funds for the border crossing. She sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk. Let\u2019s get started.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-7-2.png\")
<\/p>\n
Red became a salesman; bright, irresistible green eyes, brilliant smile, the very essence of smooth persuasion.\u00a0 It was as sudden and complete a transformation as she had ever seen. Dag had to admit it; he really was good at this. He started his Falmerblood Elixir spiel again while Dag circled around to stand beside the market\u2019s stone wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody! Everybody! Gather round; I have something amazing to tell you that you simply must hear! No pushing, no shoving, plenty of room.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Dag waited until everyone\u2019s attention was on the big redhead, then eased quietly behind Madesi\u2019s stall, crouched down, and started working on the lock to the stand\u2019s sliding door.<\/p>\n
Brand-Shei snorted. \u201cWhat is it this time, Brynjolf?\u201d So it was Brynjolf, then. Good to know.\u00a0 She worked the lock, desperately hating every second that went by and dreading the loud snap of a broken lockpick.\u00a0 It took her a number of tries, pushing at the pick gently and backing off at the slightest hint of resistance. It was a tough lock, for her, but it finally opened.\u00a0 The strongbox itself was much easier to pick. It opened with a click she was sure the entire city must have heard, but nobody seemed to notice it over Brand-Shei\u2019s complaints.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Brynjolf. Last time it was Wisp Essence, and it turned out to be nothing more than crushed nirnroot in water.\u201d\u00a0 Dag scooped Madesi\u2019s ring out of the strongbox and slid the storage door closed, then downed her invisibility potion and crept around to the space behind Brand-Shei\u2019s stall.\u00a0 He was sitting just outside it, but close enough that she would be able to reach him as long as Brynjolf kept him distracted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell that was a simple misunderstanding,\u201d Brynjolf replied smoothly.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the genuine article.\u201d\u00a0 On he went, extolling the virtues of his genuine Falmerblood Elixir \u2013 just imagine the magical powers the Falmer must have had! All this could be theirs for only twenty septims each — while she held her breath, hoped, and slipped the ring into Brand-Shei\u2019s pocket.\u00a0 The instant it was in she skittered away, outside the stone wall, and stood to take a deep breath and calm her pounding heart. Invisibility potions only worked briefly, and if you touched something the illusion was broken; she\u2019d been more worried about those few moments than anything else about the scheme.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-7-4.png\")
<\/p>\n
Brynjolf had obviously kept one eye on the whole operation, because as soon as she stood he said \u201cWell, that\u2019s all the time I have for now; I\u2019ll be back tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 Some smiled and flirted and fluttered at him while he packed away his bottles, and others walked away muttering and shaking their heads.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a waste of time,\u201d grumbled Brand-Shei.\u00a0 \u201cI knew I shouldn\u2019t have waited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brynjolf finished stowing his Elixir and then approached her with the barest hint of a grin; no longer the charming salesman but the cold con artist she had spoken to earlier. \u201cWell I guess I picked the right person for the job. And here you go. Your payment, just as I promised.\u201d Sure, she thought sourly. Congratulate yourself, Red; our success was all your doing. Bravo, sir.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what made you so sure I could pull that off?\u201d she hissed quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m no thief.\u201d<\/p>\n
One corner of his mouth twitched upward, his eyes cold.\u00a0 \u201cAh, but that\u2019s where you\u2019re wrong, lass. I know what I see when I see it, and I saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was annoyed at that.\u00a0 Yes, she knew how to do some things, but that was hardly her life\u2019s work. He didn\u2019t even know her. Regardless, though, it was a nice amount of coin he had handed her. It would buy her another night in that room, a fine meal, and enough mead to ease the lingering aches and pains, to say nothing of checking in with Balimund in the morning to see whether he had forged or acquired something better than an iron sword to sell her.<\/p>\n
Brynjolf stepped closer to her, a move that had her fighting down the urge to step back.\u00a0 He was too close. Again. \u201cThe way things have been going around here, it\u2019s a relief our plan went off without a hitch,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh really?\u201d\u00a0 That was a surprise. \u201cWhat\u2019s been going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBah.\u201d He frowned slightly and shrugged. \u201cMy organization\u2019s been having a run of bad luck, but I guess that\u2019s just the way it goes.\u201d She had to admit, she was curious; not only about what had been going on but why on earth he had just told her this.\u00a0 Before she could form a question, though, he nodded at the coin purse he had just handed her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut never mind that.\u00a0 You did the job and you did it well.\u00a0 Best of all, there\u2019s more of that if you think you can handle it. The group I represent has its home in the Ratway, a tavern called the Ragged Flagon. Find me there and we\u2019ll discuss your future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thieves Guild, Dag thought, unless there was more than one set of human vermin creeping about in the Ratway. The annoying thing, though, was the idea that he had any business discussing her future.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know what she had planned, but it definitely hadn\u2019t included needing help to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I\u2019m pretty used to fending for myself,\u201d she said. \u201cThanks for the job, though.\u00a0 You were wrong about my money, by the way.\u00a0 I did need the coin.\u201d\u00a0 He smirked.\u00a0 Yes, smirked, and then walked away just as the cityguard arrested a loudly protesting Brand-Shei for having the planted ring in his pocket. She felt a bit sorry for having framed Brand-Shei, but only a bit; the situation would work itself out eventually.<\/p>\n
Dag wandered around Riften for the rest of the day, spending some quiet moments walking along the roads outside the gate, sipping another Black-Briar mead, enjoying the breeze coming off Lake Honrich. There were prodigious numbers of butterflies and dragonflies along the banks, and the sounds of birds and an occasional wolf off toward the woods.\u00a0 Several good-sized fishing boats were docked near Riften\u2019s piers, farms dotted the roads along both sides of the lake, and there was a large house on an island, connected to the shore by a long stone bridge. It was all very pretty. She hadn\u2019t realized how tense the time since J\u2019hall\u2019s death had made her, and it felt good to recharge.<\/p>\n
She headed back toward the inn just before sunset.\u00a0 It was filling up, and noisy.\u00a0 The Argonian woman behind the bar greeted people with \u201cWelcome. If you\u2019ve got the coin, you\u2019ve come to the right place.\u201d\u00a0 Then she turned and bellowed \u201cTalen! Get your lazy tail out here and take care of the customers!\u201d\u00a0 A very green Argonian man wearing a very dirty apron scurried out from a back room.\u00a0 \u201cKeep your scales on,\u201d he muttered, and started taking orders.\u00a0 Dag tried not to snicker as she approached the bar and asked for another night in her room and a couple bottles of ale. \u201cSure thing. It\u2019s yours for another day,\u201d the Argonian woman said.<\/p>\n
Dag felt eyes on her back, and turned to see whose eyes they were.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-7-3.png\")
<\/p>\n
Brynjolf was leaning against the wall across the room from the bar. Arms folded, he was watching her, frowning.\u00a0 It was creepy, and she\u2019d had enough of him for one day. Dag strode across the room to him, not even bothering to conceal her annoyance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you to tell me something, Red,\u201d she snapped, \u201cin addition to explaining why exactly you\u2019re watching me whenever I turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you just call me?\u201d he growled, his green eyes narrowing.<\/p>\n
She nodded her head toward his hair. \u201cRed.\u00a0 It was the obvious thing to call you before I overheard your name, don\u2019t you think? You didn\u2019t exactly introduce yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes flickered for a moment, but he ignored her observation. \u201cAlright, I\u2019ll entertain you a bit more.\u00a0 Go on,\u201d he said, a sarcastic quirk at the corners of his mouth.<\/p>\n
Dag did well not to laugh at him. Entertain me?\u00a0 How full of yourself are you?<\/em> \u201cWhy can\u2019t we talk about that other matter right here and now?\u201d<\/p>\n His voice dropped to a pitch only she could pick up in the tavern noise. \u201cThe walls have ears, and you\u2019re being tested, lass. We\u2019ll talk in the Ragged Flagon. Come back when you grow a backbone.\u201d\u00a0 He sneered. It was a sneer, no question about it, an unmistakable and infuriating sneer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s really a shame that he\u2019s so big, Dag thought.\u00a0 He would flatten me in two seconds. Fifteen at the outside.\u00a0 Did it not cross his mind that she might have been otherwise occupied during the day?\u00a0 Or that she might not want anything to do with his \u201corganization,\u201d especially if he was in it?\u00a0 Or that she might not feel any burning need to pass his test? She turned away and strode to the stairs, then up to her room.<\/p>\n Dag tried hard to relax.\u00a0 The ale helped a little; but even after feeling sleepy enough to join the bed she tossed and turned, her dreams mostly unformed but all angry.\u00a0 After only two or three hours of unrestful sleep she sighed and gave up.\u00a0 Alright then, she thought.\u00a0 It\u2019s the middle of the night.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to find a caravan leaving town at the moment.\u00a0 Enough of his attitude; someone is going to see a little backbone right now.\u00a0 She slipped into her boots, grabbed her weapons, and left as quietly as one could over the creaky wooden floors, in search of the rats living in the sewers.<\/p>\n The Bee and Barb was a busy place the next morning. Every available space was packed with folks enjoying breakfast. Dag paid for a bite to eat and sat on a bench near the door, watching people.\u00a0 There was a handsome young mage to look at, seated across the entryway and speaking to everyone as … <\/p>\nPart I: Survivors<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"