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<\/p>\nIn the dark, it took Dag a few minutes to find the stairs leading down to the lower level of boardwalk; but she knew she was in the right place as soon as she got there.\u00a0 The lower part of Riften was seedy-looking, mildewed, neglected.\u00a0 The canal that had once been a busy thoroughfare had long since been blocked off to shipping, leaving its waters more stagnant than not.\u00a0 Without a fresh lake breeze to clear the air, it smelled of fish. Dead fish, to be exact; dead fish that had overstayed their welcome. It also smelled of the brown sludge that accumulates at the bottom of a pond and other scents she couldn\u2019t \u2013 and didn\u2019t really care to \u2013 identify.\u00a0 Walking around the boardwalk she found an apothecary shop and several homes, and marveled at the idea that anyone would find this an acceptable place to do business, much less to live.\u00a0 Around a corner, in a spot mostly obscured from view, was an open metal gate set into the curve of the stone wall.\u00a0 A wooden door beyond that gate opened into what could only be the Ratway.<\/p>\n
It seemed pitch dark on the other side of the door before her eyes could adjust. \u00a0The odors from outside were worse inside, cloying, almost making her retch. She moved forward, slowly, by following the wall with one hand. Cobwebs dangling from the ceiling kept catching her hair, and from the scuffling sounds it seemed certain that there were skeevers afoot and gods knew what else. She was grateful that she couldn\u2019t see her feet; she really didn\u2019t want to know what was on the floor. She heard a creaking, followed by a crash, and froze; but nothing came out of the darkness at her, so she breathed and moved on. Dag wasn\u2019t afraid, but she certainly wasn\u2019t enjoying being there.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Not far ahead in the twisting corridor, Dag saw torchlight flickering around the corner. As she walked into the light, two scruffy men turned and drew their swords.\u00a0 \u201cWell, look what we have here,\u201d said one, drawing himself up into a threatening pose. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just hand over your coin?\u201d<\/p>\n
She was in a narrow corridor, and they had room to move.\u00a0 They had weapons drawn, and she did not.\u00a0 It was a poor situation to be in. She held up her hands. \u201cWhoa there. I\u2019m just looking for the Ragged Flagon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man snorted.\u00a0 \u201cBrynjolf\u2019s been sending idiots like you down here for years looking for their hideout. But they never counted on me being at the entrance.\u201d Something about his tone made her give the two a closer look; they were greasy-haired, ragged, and hungry-looking. For years, you say? Uh-huh, she thought. You\u2019ve been here for years and you think they don\u2019t know about you. Sure.<\/p>\n
Dag wasn\u2019t in the mood for more puffed-up egos just then. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just let me through, ok?\u201d she threatened, drawing her sword and gathering her flame magic in her left hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve killed dozens like you.\u201d Dozens was an exaggeration.\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 Well, alright, it wasn\u2019t an exact figure, but it probably wasn\u2019t too very far off.<\/p>\n
To her utter surprise, the man backed down. \u201cOk, no need to be rash,\u201d he gulped. \u201cIt\u2019s ok,\u201d he said to his companion. \u201cLet her through.\u201d Dag pushed past them warily, listening for the attack she expected to come from the rear. It never came; they had simply moved down the hall to an alcove. Huh, she thought. I must look like I\u2019ve had enough. I certainly feel that way. Grinning, she continued down the corridors.<\/p>\n
The place was, as she had thought, infested with skeevers. The big ugly rats were everywhere.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t take more than a hack or two with a sword to put down, but it was tiring.\u00a0 Another distinctive scent caught her attention, though; in one area the floor was covered with a slick of oil. She smirked. No wonder the two thugs had been a bit nervous about her having a flame spell ready. Stepping back a few paces, she fired a shot at the oil and watched it erupt and race down the hall.\u00a0 When the flames died, Dag found that a great many skeevers had, as well.<\/p>\n
The hall emptied into a two-story room. There was a drawbridge that had been raised, from the other side; if she hadn\u2019t stopped at the opening she\u2019d have simply fallen to the floor a story below. That bridge was undoubtedly the crashing sound she had heard.\u00a0 She was going to have to find a way around to the other side from below, and she didn\u2019t relish the idea of dropping down a level.\u00a0 There was no help for it, though. \u00a0After what seemed like an eternity of looping around the lower level, dispatching more skeevers and an unarmed man who punched incredibly hard, Dag found the stairs up.\u00a0 The raised bridge blocked all obvious access to this room, save the stairs, and anyone trying to use them would have had to make it through the unarmed man to get there.\u00a0 It was a pretty safe spot for an organization that didn\u2019t want unexpected visitors.\u00a0 She lowered the bridge, then looked around for the source of the muffled voices she heard.<\/p>\n
In this ridiculously laid-out sewer system was another absurd entrance, a ramp leading down half a level or so to a door with the tiniest slivers of light oozing out from around its edges.\u00a0 She eased it open just enough to slip in silently and close it again, and blinked.<\/p>\n
This was a dreary place, dimly-lit, dirty, full of randomly-piled barrels and crates layered with dust, surrounding a pool of stagnant water into which condensation from the stones above dripped at irregular intervals.\u00a0 Alcoves around the pool were largely empty and full of dirt and cobwebs.\u00a0 A few random planks led over the pool to a beaten-down echo of the circular boardwalks at street level.<\/p>\n
At the far side of the area from Dag was a sign, behind which she could just see a bar with several people hovering around it.\u00a0 It had to be the Ragged Flagon. How appealing. Dag crossed over to the boardwalk and moved as quietly as she could to just behind the sign, then listened.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGive it up, Brynjolf. Those days are over,\u201d said the bartender, whose face she could see from her vantage point. He was fairly young, and not at all bad looking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m telling you, this one is \u2026 different,\u201d she heard Brynjolf say, in a tone she hadn\u2019t heard him use before. He sounded thoughtful, maybe even genuine.<\/p>\n
A gravelly voice answered. \u201cWe\u2019ve all heard that one before, Bryn.\u00a0 Quit kidding yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time to face the truth, old friend,\u201d the bartender added. \u201cYou, Vex, Mercer, you\u2019re all part of a dying breed.\u00a0 Things are changing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dag edged out from behind the sign, to find that an older Breton man with a shaved head, seated quietly at a table near the bar, was sizing her up. So much for stealth.\u00a0 Near him, leaning up against one of the supports with her arms crossed, was a gorgeous blonde Imperial who looked like she could knife Dag in the back without changing her current position. Both of them were dressed in full, dark leathers with multitudes of pouches and pockets. Neither of them said a word, nor did they take their eyes off her.<\/p>\n
Brynjolf was standing by the bar. He had ditched the green robe and was wearing the same leathers. Ah, now here is the real Red, she thought.\u00a0 The armor suited him like a second skin, much more natural than the gentleman\u2019s outfit. \u00a0He hadn\u2019t looked at her yet, and she hadn\u2019t made a sound; but he backed up a step from the barstools and spoke. \u201cDying breed, eh?\u00a0 Well what do you call that, then?\u201d<\/p>\n
That is damned uncanny, Dag thought.\u00a0 He senses when people are near him. And he\u2019s a lot better at it than I am, the ass.\u00a0 All eyes in the room turned to her.<\/p>\n
Brynjolf turned and sauntered toward her as she moved farther into the room, his gaze surprisingly open.\u00a0 He almost \u2013 not quite, but almost<\/em> \u2013 looked welcoming.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well<\/em>,\u201d he said, drawing out the second word. \u201cColor me impressed, lass.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t certain I\u2019d ever see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting here was easy,\u201d she lied. \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t looked like someone who didn\u2019t give a horker\u2019s ass any more I would have been killed<\/em>\u201d would have been the accurate answer, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing it.\u00a0 She wrinkled her nose. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know why I bothered. This place is a mess. Don\u2019t any of you people own a broom? Besides him?\u201d she said, pointing at the bartender, who was busy with his. The bar was neat and clean, she had to give him that much.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s face froze into a sneer, and any sign of interest he\u2019d had vanished from his eyes. \u201cIf you were looking for a palace, maybe you\u2019re not cut out for this line of work,\u201d he said, his voice venomous. \u201cOur methods involve secrecy and discretion.\u201d Behind him, Dag could see the other men in the room smirking at her.<\/p>\n Oh please, she thought, nodding. \u201cOf course. And everyone knows that you absolutely can\u2019t have secrecy and discretion without cobwebs, stench, and grunge. It\u2019s a requirement. I get it.\u201d Dag was pushing it, and she knew it, but she couldn\u2019t help herself. The men behind Brynjolf dropped their smirks and looked uncomfortable.\u00a0 On the other hand, while she wasn\u2019t positive she thought she saw the corner of the old Breton\u2019s mouth twitch the slightest bit.\u00a0 So maybe someone in this godsforsaken hole had a sense of humor?<\/p>\n Nobody was laughing, though. In fact, it felt like they were collectively holding their breath. It dawned on her; they were waiting for Brynjolf to react.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t just \u201crepresent\u201d the organization; either he ran it or was near the top of it. It figured. Persuasion was a great skill to have when people reported to you. And she had just challenged him in front of his people.\u00a0 Dag fought not to visibly swallow the knot that seemed to be rising into her throat. Good job, me.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf took a deep breath, glaring at her. So, she thought, he has a temper, not just an ego. Either he\u2019s going to deck me right now or he\u2019s going to tell me off and get my temper going.\u00a0 Fifty-fifty, and not a winning proposition for either of us.<\/p>\n After a moment he exhaled. \u201cHow about doing a little business for us?\u201d he asked, as though nothing had happened at all. She was surprised, and impressed. He had wanted to smack her, she felt sure of it, but he hadn\u2019t. Not everyone was capable of such self-control, at least among the men she knew. \u00a0\u201cSome of the local merchants owe our organization some serious coin and refuse to pay. I want you to explain to them the error of their ways.\u201d<\/p>\n You are not a nice man, Red, she thought. I\u2019m to be your enforcer now? \u00a0Why a skinny Redguard and not one of these big boys around you? She also, unfortunately, could feel her coin purse where it rested against her body and knew it was much thinner than it had been before she\u2019d rented that room for a second night. She had to at least find out what she might gain from this arrangement.<\/p>\n \u201cOk, so fill me in.\u201d<\/p>\n He relaxed just a bit. \u201cHonestly, the coin is secondary.\u00a0 I just want you to get the message across.\u00a0 Of course, you\u2019ll get a cut; we take care of our own.\u201d\u00a0 Our own, was it now, she thought with annoyance.\u00a0 Really? Did he think he owned her?<\/p>\n Dag\u2019s blood suddenly froze as though one of those nasty spiders had hit her full-on with a gob of venom. Of course he owned her, and she was an idiot. He\u2019d gotten her to do a shill job with him; he\u2019d told her more about his Guild than anyone on the street should know, and he\u2019d brought her to their headquarters. They couldn\u2019t very well just let her walk off like this had been a social call.\u00a0 Her brain shrieked. How in the world did I let myself fall for this? I got conned, by someone I already knew was a con man.<\/em> \u00a0This wasn\u2019t just an imposing but annoying man standing before her, but a very dangerous one.<\/p>\n She prayed that her face wasn\u2019t revealing her thoughts.<\/p>\n Brynjolf walked back over to the bar and motioned for her to take a seat at his left, while everyone else in the room went back to their business.\u00a0 He pushed a few coins onto the bar and said, \u201cVekel, please,\u201d nodding at the man behind it, who drew two flagons of mead.\u00a0 Dag hesitated, but the mead helped clear the knot from her throat, and she was grateful for that because, somehow, his proximity was unnerving.\u00a0 He managed to loom, even while sitting on a barstool.<\/p>\n He explained that the three marks in question had gotten bold enough to refuse to pay what they owed.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re good for it,\u201d he said, \u201cbut they\u2019ll try to tell you otherwise.\u00a0 You need to do some convincing.\u201d<\/p>\n Keerava, the innkeeper at the Bee and Barb, was going to be stubborn, he told her.\u00a0 She should talk to Talen-Jei, the waiter, about how to get to her.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re well acquainted, if you catch my meaning.\u201d\u00a0 Dag couldn\u2019t help but grin at that, and thought she saw a glimmer of mischief in his eye in return. Bersi Honey Hand, owner of the Pawned Prawn down by the Black-Briar Meadery, had a big ugly Dwemer vase that would convince him if she threatened to destroy it; Haelga, owner of the Bunkhouse, had a statue of the goddess Dibella that would serve the same purpose.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d she said. \u201cI can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded, taking a swig of his mead. \u201cOf course you can, or I wouldn\u2019t have picked you for the job. Consider it an opportunity to demonstrate to everyone else how useful you can be. They aren\u2019t the types to just take my word for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag looked at him, pondering the great jagged scar running down his face, with its smaller companion just above.\u00a0 Whatever had done that, he\u2019d been fortunate to survive it, and with both eyes intact.\u00a0 She had the sudden overwhelming urge to ask a question. \u201cFalskaar, right?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at her, surprised.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re from Falskaar?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. The accent. You\u2019ve got a good ear, lass. Aye, I was born in Falskaar. Came to Skyrim when I was not much more than a lad. You know the place? Not everyone does. I barely remember it myself, except for the trees. They\u2019re like the trees here. Good for climbing, as I recall.\u201d<\/p>\n Try as she might, she couldn\u2019t picture Brynjolf as a child.\u00a0 And if his parents were still alive, what did they think of him now? Probably better not to know. She laughed to herself, finishing off her own mead. \u201cIf you\u2019re asking whether I\u2019ve ever been there, no; but I\u2019m from Stros M\u2019Kai.\u00a0 We had sailors.\u201d He raised one eyebrow at that, and she grinned. Yes, Red, we had sailors. Imagine all you like how I meant that.<\/em> \u201cYour voice was hard not to notice out there. Even over Balimund\u2019s hammering. \u00a0Falmerblood Elixir,\u201d she muttered, shaking her head.<\/p>\n \u201cHeh,\u201d he responded, grinning. \u201cIt brings in a bit of coin while I watch things. It\u2019s enlightening how many people like the idea of making love like a saber cat.\u201d<\/p>\n Was she crazy, or did he actually smile at her just a little bit?\u00a0 Did she see the slightest warming in those intense green eyes? He almost looked pleasant.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t buying it. She stood back from the bar and started away, then turned back toward him. \u201cBy the way. Not that you asked, but my name is Dagnell.\u00a0 Dag for short. You can call me Dagnell.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever hint of a smile he\u2019d had vanished, replaced by a glare. She feared she would giggle like a little girl but managed to contain herself. Some day she was going to push him too far; but today was not going to be that day \u2013 at least not if she could scuttle away from the bar quickly enough.<\/p>\n The older man met her eye as she passed. \u201cTalk to me when you\u2019ve proven yourself to Brynjolf.\u201d He didn\u2019t miss much. It was not a warm tone, and he didn\u2019t smile; but she thought she caught just a hint of amusement in his eyes.<\/p>\n In the dark, it took Dag a few minutes to find the stairs leading down to the lower level of boardwalk; but she knew she was in the right place as soon as she got there.\u00a0 The lower part of Riften was seedy-looking, mildewed, neglected.\u00a0 The canal that had once been a busy thoroughfare had … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-8-4.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart I: Survivors<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"