He proceeded back to the north gate, nodding to the friendly guards Brynjolf had posted outside it and entering the city.<\/p>\n
That had been bad enough.\u00a0 Then, after he took care of the contract on the wayward priest \u2013 a ten-minute job that had required nothing more than a bit of stealth and a dagger drawn silently across the man\u2019s throat, from behind – he and Brynjolf had returned to Volkihar.\u00a0 All the way back across Skyrim they\u2019d been followed.\u00a0 Andante kept feeling the sensation of being watched; and he would turn to see three figures, far behind them, far enough that he knew they couldn\u2019t pick him out with their mortal eyes.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/3-2-15-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re being hunted, lad,\u201d Brynjolf had said yet again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know we are, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose aren\u2019t Dawnguard. Why are they after us, in particular? They don\u2019t know who exactly is shooting the sun. They can\u2019t possibly know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andante chewed on the inside of his mouth. \u201cWell there is Babette. But I can\u2019t imagine why she would have sold us out. She\u2019s a vampire herself and would have had far too much to lose if we\u2019d failed.\u00a0 And she benefits from our success. Aside from that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from that, it\u2019s Ondolemar\u2019s thugs. That\u2019s all. Just a group of people hunting for Vitus Perdeti to take him down for everything he\u2019s done in a lifetime.\u00a0 Nothing to worry about at all.<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019d urged Brynjolf to run faster, worried that the posse would start gaining on them and be able to see that they were on the right track. Once they started running, though, the worries fell away. They raced each other down the roads, over the tundra, and across the river, laughing, slowing only when they reached the outskirts of Solitude and were able to dash into Andante\u2019s house and exhaust themselves in the warmth of the steaming tub.<\/p>\n That was a nice evening, Andante thought.\u00a0 He was very affectionate.<\/p>\n He cast a sideways glance at Brynjolf and smiled.\u00a0 He had been, too; murmuring in Andante\u2019s ear, his touches gentle and soft, his eyes and mouth playful, an unusual display for him that for just a few moments had Andante wondering again whether Brynjolf was actually thinking of Dynjyl.\u00a0 And then he had decided that it didn\u2019t matter. He\u2019d told Dynjyl that he would take care of Brynjolf and if this was what it would take to keep that promise, so be it. The alternative was to tell him that his wife was alive, and lived in Dawnstar, and was beautiful and desirable and terrifying, and leading the Dark Brotherhood.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t bring himself to tell Brynjolf those things.\u00a0 Not yet. He still didn\u2019t know what to do with the knowledge he had.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t even told Delvin yet.\u00a0 Roggi didn\u2019t know yet.\u00a0 Nobody but him knew that Dagnell was in a cozy home in Dawnstar. He\u2019d abandoned himself to the feeling of Brynjolf\u2019s skin next to his own, Brynjolf\u2019s lips slipping along his neck, down his chest and his torso, and had known that he didn\u2019t care whether Brynjolf was thinking about him, or Dynjyl, or Dagnell, just as long as he was there.<\/p>\n They had made it back to Volkihar only to turn around and leave again, back toward Riften.\u00a0 Andante had reported to Garan Marethi to let him know the vampire they\u2019d been sent to eliminate was dead.\u00a0 He assumed that, as lord of the castle, he might be consulted about what he thought might be necessary to do next.\u00a0 Instead, Garan had surprised him, unpleasantly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Dawnguard will, no doubt, soon become even more of a nuisance now that Auriel\u2019s Bow has been recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no doubt.\u00a0 They\u2019ve already started following us around.\u00a0 I had a very unhappy encounter with one of them just outside Riften.\u201d<\/p>\n Garan nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to strike a crippling blow against them before they can muster more men against us. They\u2019ve holed up in Fort Dawnguard.\u00a0 Killing their leaders should discourage them from an out-and-out war with us.\u201d<\/p>\n He stood there, his look expectant, as though he was certain he needed to elaborate no further.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you want us to kill them, is that it?\u201d Brynjolf asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy yes, of course that\u2019s what I meant,\u201d Marethi said.<\/p>\n Andante felt his ire begin to rise.<\/p>\n You shouldn\u2019t talk to me that way, Marethi.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a good choice. I still think you wouldn\u2019t be a match for me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDid I hear you correctly, Garan?\u201d he said between clenched teeth.\u00a0 \u201cYou just gave us an order<\/em> to kill the leaders of the Dawnguard. Is that correct?\u201d<\/p>\n The old Dunmer shrugged. \u201cThey are the problem. They need to cease being a problem.\u00a0 Killing them would be the one obvious way to accomplish that goal.\u00a0 Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n You don\u2019t give me orders. I am the Lord of Volkihar Castle.<\/em><\/p>\n Andante\u2019s anger must have shown on his face, because Brynjolf reached out to touch his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can do that. Can\u2019t we, lad?\u201d Brynjolf gave Andante\u2019s arm a squeeze and glanced up at Garan Marethi.\u00a0 \u201cWe just need a night to rest a bit and then we\u2019ll go back to Riften.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t be too much of a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stared at him.\u00a0 You too, Bryn?<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s expression was almost pleading, almost \u201cplease don\u2019t make this difficult.\u201d\u00a0 Andante\u2019s gaze flickered from one golden eye to the other.\u00a0 He wanted to be angry, still.\u00a0 He wanted them, all of them, to recognize that he was in charge, that he was the lord of the clan, that he was to be deferred to.<\/p>\n But it just isn\u2019t going to be like that, is it.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 They do at least know not to cross me completely but I suppose it\u2019s too much to expect vampires this ancient to change their behavior overnight.\u00a0 And we are the ones with the clearest reason to be in Riften, after all.<\/em><\/p>\n He released the tightness in his shoulders, drawing a deep breath and letting it out.\u00a0 He gave Brynjolf the smallest of smiles, reassurance that he would not create a scene.<\/p>\n He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we can do that, Garan.\u00a0 As Brynjolf said.\u00a0 We\u2019ll go back to Riften tomorrow and see what we can do about this.\u00a0 And you\u2019re right; getting rid of them will make life easier, at least for a time.\u00a0 I can\u2019t imagine that they will be organized enough to get back to full strength immediately after we take them all out.\u201d<\/p>\n So they had returned to Riften.<\/p>\n The night they got back, Andante had waited until Brynjolf was asleep to once again slip into the Ragged Flagon to find Delvin.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t put it off any longer.\u00a0 Delvin knew that the courier had been sent.\u00a0 He knew that the message had been delivered.\u00a0 He would send people of his own to hunt down Andante for an answer if he didn\u2019t get one in person, soon, because he\u2019d needed to go to great lengths to find the courier in the first place.<\/p>\n He slid into the chair opposite Delvin and said \u201cSo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose you\u2019re waiting for me to say \u2018so what\u2019 now, right? Alrighty. I\u2019ll do that.\u00a0 So\u2026 what?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smirked. \u201cSo the courier arrived, while I was there, and there\u2019s no doubt in my mind.\u00a0 She\u2019s the one.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowed. \u201cYou\u2019re positive about this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe got to \u2018Nilheim\u2019 and suddenly passed the job to me. Couldn\u2019t keep the surprise off her face when she read it. And then she out and out told me the job was in a place she\u2019d prefer not to visit. I\u2019m completely certain. Aside from the fact that I never really met Dagnell, only saw her from a distance, you know \u2013 back before I really knew you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well,\u201d Delvin said, rubbing his chin. \u201cListener, is it? I heard that the Listener was the one who pulled off a hit that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDelvin,\u201d Andante interrupted him, shaking his head. \u201cI know, and yes, you\u2019re right, and please don\u2019t talk about it.\u00a0 Ears on walls, and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin looked embarrassed. \u201cYes, of course. And I should know better.\u00a0 Astrid got me to spring for some funding for\u2026 Never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAstrid?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe previous Listener. I assume you never met her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou would have remembered. Ever go into the Sanctuary in Falkreath?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I\u2019ve only walked past the ruins of it.\u201d\u00a0 What\u2019s going on? I feel like I\u2019m being interrogated.<\/em><\/p>\n Delvin apparently picked up on Andante\u2019s rising discomfort at being questioned.\u00a0 He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cWell.\u00a0 No wonder we couldn\u2019t find her, she really was right under our noses, just like I said.\u201d He grinned. \u201cClever thing. Of course now the question is what we do with this choice information.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let Roggi know, of course.\u201d\u00a0 Then, to Andante\u2019s surprise, Delvin leaned forward and lowered his voice again.\u00a0 \u201cLet me ask you a thing, Andante.\u00a0 How long is it that you\u2019ve been working for the Brotherhood, again?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante frowned.\u00a0 What an odd question.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOh, let me think.\u00a0 Two, two and a half years? Something like that.\u201d\u00a0 Unless you count my time in Cyrodiil, in which case it\u2019s a couple of decades.\u00a0 We won\u2019t count that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHuh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Why do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure. It seems like a lot of things happened right around the same time, though, or a little later than that. Mercer Frey, Dagnell becoming Guildmaster\u2026\u201d He looked directly into Andante\u2019s eyes. \u201cYou joining the Brotherhood and the Guild. All of it. It\u2019s hard to keep track of what\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n Gods. What an odd feeling. What does he know that I don\u2019t?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it is.\u00a0 Well let me ask you something, Delvin. What do you think I should do next?\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin shook his head again.\u00a0 \u201cNothing. Let me talk to Roggi and see what he thinks, and then we\u2019ll decide.\u00a0 Bryn has to know, but the question is how and when. Until then, keep him busy.\u201d Delvin smirked, and raised an eyebrow. \u201cAlright?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYes. I can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll just bet you can.\u201d Delvin shook his head and muttered. \u201cNever thought I\u2019d see the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stood and patted Delvin on the shoulder. \u201cIt\u2019s ok, Delvin. There are many strange things going on in the world right now. I\u2019m hardly the strangest of them.\u201d<\/p>\n He waved and left the Flagon, to return to Brynjolf\u2019s side.<\/p>\n And now they were approaching Fort Dawnguard. Andante scanned side to side, moving quietly through the shadows cast by the mountains and towers, from bush to bush and behind boulders whenever he could.\u00a0 He grinned, thinking about the first time he\u2019d been here.\u00a0 Still vulnerable, aren\u2019t you. And here come the vampires.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou know, there really isn\u2019t any way for them to know they\u2019re being hunted if we go invisible for a bit,\u201d he whispered to Brynjolf.\u00a0 It looks like such a well-fortified place, and it is, but it\u2019s vulnerable because they haven\u2019t posted guards along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked up at the fort and frowned. \u00a0\u201cI see one guard, up there,\u201d he said, pointing toward the first of the towers, \u201cbut if we sneak past we should be fine. Probably don\u2019t need to go invisible quite yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante nodded, and continued around the corner and around the base of the tower.\u00a0 There was a small encampment of farmers outside the walls of the castle, and Andante made for that, his greatsword at the ready, hugging the base of the mountains as best he could. They\u2019d almost made it past the first tower when the cry he\u2019d been hoping not to hear rang out from above.<\/p>\n \u201cBurn it! Burn the vampire!\u201d<\/p>\n Andante froze, scanning the area for an attack, but nobody came toward them.\u00a0 Five heartbeats, ten went by, but they weren\u2019t approached.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn,\u201d Brynjolf muttered. \u201cSorry, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. I wonder if some other vampire is here. It doesn\u2019t make sense that she would alert everyone to us and then not attack. Let\u2019s just keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n They slipped behind the tents, hoping that smoke from the fire would cover them well enough to get past, and up to the fortress\u2019 entrance.\u00a0 Andante paused for a moment, then drew a breath.<\/p>\n \u201cLAAS-YAH!\u201d<\/p>\n The auras of several people lit up before him, but they all seemed to be from the farmers, some resting inside their tents and others moving around in the small garden patch outside them.\u00a0 None of them came rushing out toward him, so he pressed forward around the tent and up the path.<\/p>\n \u201cCome back here!\u201d he heard from the direction they\u2019d been only a few moments earlier.\u00a0 He grimaced. Damn it.<\/em><\/p>\n Everything went sideways.<\/p>\n \u201cThere you are!\u201d<\/p>\n Andante swung around.\u00a0 There was a Dawnguard, a blonde Nord, fitting what was undoubtedly a silver-tipped bolt to her crossbow. Andante ran forward and brought his greatsword down on her as hard as he could.\u00a0 She staggered, bleeding, and her eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are routed!\u201d she cried. \u201cFall back!\u201d She ran back toward the tower, into a clump of bushes, and both Andante and Brynjolf sprinted toward her.\u00a0 Brynjolf got in at least three sword blows on her that did substantial damage to her armor but did not take her down.<\/p>\n Andante snarled and thrust forward with his sword with everything he could muster, just as the woman reached for hers and cried \u201cDie\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The blade slipped through the holes Brynjolf\u2019s blade had made in her armor. She arched backward over his sword as it emerged from the front of her chest and groaned as he pushed forward, then pulled the blade back out of her body, dropping her onto the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cYou<\/em> die,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n The farmers nearby were scattering for cover, shouting.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m getting out of here!\u201d one of them yelled.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone do something!\u201d another pleaded.\u00a0 Andante crouched into the shade of a nearby rock overhang and slunk forward, uphill, toward the entrance to Fort Dawnguard.<\/p>\n He ran headfirst into a woman who had taken shelter in the bushes near that same rock.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it,\u201d he growled.\u00a0 He had no choice but to raise his sword and slice the woman to the ground.\u00a0 One blow killed her, as she was wearing no armor at all.\u00a0 He froze, standing over her body, looking around for further signs of life and listening for movement; but it seemed as though all the remaining farmers had retreated downhill, back toward the entrance to the valley.<\/p>\n Andante sheathed his sword and turned to face Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was messy,\u201d he said. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want to end up killing civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Brynjolf replied.\u00a0 \u201cBut there was no help for it. I\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t listen to you. We should have just gone invisible and come up through. Would never have needed to kill a soul.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante shrugged. \u201cWell it\u2019s done now.\u00a0 Let\u2019s keep moving.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead of them was the wooden wall separating the fort from the valley below; but for reasons Andante couldn\u2019t fathom the gate stood wide open.\u00a0 He crept to the opening and peered around the corner, but there was no sign of life beyond them other than a deer that tried desperately to get out of their way once it saw the dim light glinting off Andante\u2019s sword.\u00a0 There were no guards, no lookouts other than the one they\u2019d already dispatched.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is everyone?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOff hunting for us,\u201d Brynjolf muttered.<\/p>\n Andante shot him a grin.\u00a0 \u201cNo doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n The sun was high enough, now, that it was beginning to be warm.\u00a0 Andante looked up toward the treetops and squinted into its glare, and pulled out Auriel\u2019s Bow.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I shoot it?\u201d he asked, aiming toward the blinding mass of backlit clouds.\u00a0 He could only make an estimate of where the disc of the sun lay.\u00a0 He ran through a mental calculation of how many blood-tainted arrows he had left.\u00a0 It would leave them very low if he took random shots at the sky and missed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019ll alert them that we\u2019re on the move if the sun suddenly goes black.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, good point.\u00a0 Never mind then. We\u2019ll be inside anyway. Let\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0 He swapped Auriel\u2019s bow for his usual one and pushed forward, up the steps of Fort Dawnguard and through the massive wooden doors.<\/p>\n It was empty in the circular lobby Andante had seen before.\u00a0 He slipped around its perimeter, taking care to hurry past the places where someone might see him from another room, and made for the staircase to his right. He\u2019d seen Isran on the balcony above him, before, and it was likely that the man might be there now.\u00a0 He slid up the stairs, looking back once to be sure that Brynjolf was behind him, for the man moved so silently that he wasn\u2019t certain.\u00a0 The balcony was empty, but Andante heard a heartbeat close by.\u00a0 He circled around to the first doorway on the right and peered in; there, heading toward a bedchamber, was Isran.<\/p>\n He must have been guarding all night, to be going to bed at this hour. Well good. That will mean he\u2019s tired and easier to take down.<\/em><\/p>\n Isran neither heard nor saw Andante creep up toward him. All he had time to do after Mehrune\u2019s Razor slashed across his back was to turn and exclaim \u201cwhere\u2019d you come from?\u201d\u00a0 Isran reached for his battleaxe, but Andante brought his axe around in a wide, sweeping attack that ended the man, dropping him to the floor like a stone.<\/p>\n Andante sheathed his axe, grinned at Brynjolf, and whispered \u201cYou\u2019ll excuse me for a moment.\u201d\u00a0 Then he knelt and fed from Isran\u2019s still-warm corpse.<\/p>\n \u201cDawnguard blood. Tasty,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cNext one\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d Brynjolf said, smiling.<\/p>\n They left Isran\u2019s bedchamber and moved counterclockwise to the next doorway, leading into a small dining area that had obviously been part of Isran\u2019s private quarters.\u00a0 Nobody was there, but voices from beneath them were clear. Andante paused, listening.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to be able to make a potion without tasting iron flakes,\u201d a man said.<\/p>\n Imperial, I think. His accent isn\u2019t as obvious as mine.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell, I can\u2019t help that space is cramped in here, Florentius,\u201d answered another man.<\/p>\n Nord? Dunmer? I can\u2019t tell. Obviously the blacksmith, though. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d also like to not have to smell troll all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Oooh, not just an Imperial but one who is quite particular about things.\u00a0 Don\u2019t like troll? Try undead dragons in the Soul Cairn. The scent of a troll will never disturb you again, my good man.<\/em><\/p>\n They turned back the way they\u2019d come, the sounds of the continued bickering beneath them fading as they moved along.\u00a0 Andante was pleased.\u00a0 If they were bickering, that meant it was less likely that they would operate as a cohesive group when he and Brynjolf attacked.<\/p>\n He got lost for a moment and found himself in a small torture room. It had clearly been used recently; the rack was more red than brown, there was a puddle of congealed blood on the floor, and a ribcage had been placed in one of the stone niches as a gruesome trophy.\u00a0 Andante snorted at that, laughing to himself that someone surely thought that a frightening display. They should have seen Volkihar before we cleaned it.<\/em><\/p>\n There was a small table in the corner, with items atop it.\u00a0 He was about to turn and leave, but one of those items caught his attention.\u00a0 He chuckled, then took the leather pouch and folded it up, careful not to dislodge any of the nasty torture tools from their pockets.\u00a0 He tied it up and slipped it into his own pack.<\/p>\n \u201cPresent for Roggi,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cLad. Good grief. He doesn\u2019t do that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA backup, Bryn,\u201d he interrupted, trying not to laugh aloud. \u201cDon\u2019t be such a spoilsport. At least nobody here will use them again.\u201d<\/p>\n Back on the ground floor, Andante heard muffled barks.\u00a0 He frowned.<\/p>\n The Dawnguard had trained huskies.\u00a0 He\u2019d run across them often enough before and wasn\u2019t happy that they were here.\u00a0 Unlike humans, the huskies were not easily fooled by illusion spells and not at all by clever clothing disguises.\u00a0 All that had saved him from several nasty encounters had been the stupidity or lack of observational skills on the part of those huskies\u2019 handlers.\u00a0 Andante wasn\u2019t happy that they were here now, and determined to get rid of them before doing anything else. It was clear that the dogs knew they were here, and it was bad that they knew it. They didn\u2019t need highly intelligent dogs ruining any chance of stealth they might still have.<\/p>\n The huskies were in an open-fronted pen just through an archway to his right. The fortress itself backed up to the mountains, and this opening led into a cavern; the floors were dirt and the roof supported by massive stone columns that looked naturally-formed.\u00a0 Andante\u2019s muffled footsteps got him into the pen, and allowed him to dispatch the first dog with a single blow.\u00a0 The second was loud, barking and snarling, and it took him several tense moments to drop it, moments during which his jaw clenched tighter and tighter.\u00a0 Brynjolf had apparently been watching his back, because he approached just as Andante left the pen.<\/p>\n \u201cToo bad that had to be done,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it is. But they would have given us away. Anything else around?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cThe trainer\u2019s just around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante nodded, and moved farther into the cave, peeking around the edge of a stone outcropping.\u00a0 The trainer clearly had heard something and was uneasy; she was pacing back and forth before a wooden platform with several crude tables and roughly-made chairs. It was going to be hard to take her by surprise, as much on alert as she was, but he would have to try.\u00a0 He slipped past the opening to a tunnel, stopping for just a moment to look into its nearest portions.<\/p>\n No. No time. The Dawnguard are here in the fort. I\u2019m not that curious.<\/em><\/p>\n He was lucky.\u00a0 The woman had stopped moving. She was standing behind a large boulder, staring through the dimly-lighted area between her and the arched opening to the fort, and Andante was able to move up behind her, unnoticed. He caught her in the back of the neck, his surprise attack taking her down with barely a sound.<\/p>\n Andante smiled at Brynjolf and bowed, with a flourish, toward the woman\u2019s corpse.<\/p>\n \u201cA snack, my dear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks. I think I will.\u201d\u00a0 Brynjolf fed for a moment and then rose with a satisfied sigh. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize how hungry I was.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante chuckled. I love that man. He doesn\u2019t realize how amusing he is, either. <\/em><\/p>\n They returned to the main fortress. Andante could hear heartbeats ahead of them but wasn\u2019t certain where they came from or how many people they might be coming from, so once again he used his Voice.<\/p>\n \u201cLAAS-YAH!\u201d<\/p>\n They were clustered, the Dawnguard.\u00a0 All of them straight ahead, and there were at least five of them that he could identify from the fuzzy auras his Shout had revealed.\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he had any doubts that they could defeat five enemies but he knew they had silver weapons and frost spells at their disposal.<\/p>\n But one has to be that alchemist, and another has to be the blacksmith. Neither one of them is going to be heavily armored, at least I hope.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to hope that surprise will do.<\/em><\/p>\n He turned to Brynjolf and inclined his head toward the room in front of them, holding up his palm with fingers extended to indicate that there were at least five enemies ahead.\u00a0 Brynjolf nodded.\u00a0 He probably knew that already, but just in case.<\/em><\/p>\n Moving a bit closer to the targets revealed that it was their main dining area, and most of them were seated at the table.\u00a0 Andante smirked.\u00a0 It was a further advantage to them that the Dawnguard would need to get out from behind the long bench seats to defend themselves.<\/p>\n He pulled out his bow and fired an arrow into one of the two closest targets.\u00a0 Much to his dismay the man did not fall. The Dawnguard armor was tough, and he hadn\u2019t taken that into consideration.\u00a0 Brynjolf rushed past him, into the enemies, and Andante fired two more arrows before snorting in disgust, grabbing his axe and the Razor, and sprinting into the next-closest man.\u00a0 It was a young man, inexperienced, and Andante had him down in two hits.\u00a0 For a fraction of a moment he wondered whether that had been the youngster he\u2019d accompanied in to the fortress on his first visit here and had a twinge of regret; but he had no time to stop and check the body.\u00a0 A large Nord was aiming at him with a crossbow, and Andante could see the silvery glint of the bolt the man had loaded.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no you don\u2019t,\u201d he growled, rolling out of the way of the shot and then springing up to attack.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on!\u201d the man yelled at him, swapping out his crossbow for a sword and shield.\u00a0 \u201cGods curse you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUndoubtedly,\u201d Andante answered him, slashing the man with the Razor and then timing his axe blow to slip it behind the shield, neatly burying it into the man\u2019s chest and dropping him to the floor.\u00a0 Andante turned to see another Dawnguard with a crossbow take aim on Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cBryn!\u201d he yelped.\u00a0 But Brynjolf raised his Daedric shield as the man fired his crossbow, and the bolt bounced harmlessly off the shield and onto the floor.\u00a0 Brynjolf laughed. \u201cYou just made the last mistake of your life,\u201d he snarled, advancing on the man.<\/p>\n Andante sprinted past Brynjolf with his axe raised.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t beat m \u2013 \u201c the man boasted, his last word cut off by the impact of Andante\u2019s axe across his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cMercy!\u201d the last Dawnguard standing cried, running away.\u00a0 Brynjolf uttered the maniacal laugh Andante had heard before and chased him around a corner into another of the open-fronted wooden pens. Andante followed, ready to assist, but stopped to admire the sight of Brynjolf seizing the man by the shoulders and laying his throat bare.\u00a0 The Dawnguard gurgled as Brynjolf fed on him, the light in his eyes slowly dimming.<\/p>\n Brynjolf dropped the corpse to the ground and grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I\u2019m too full.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante threw his head back and laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell done.\u00a0 Very well done indeed.\u00a0 I most definitely have my match here.\u201d\u00a0 He looked around, listening for heartbeats, and heard nothing.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019ve done it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. They\u2019re not gone by any stretch but we\u2019ve surely slowed them down.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stepped up to Brynjolf and put one hand behind his neck, pulling him close and giving him the kind of kiss he\u2019d had in Redwater Cave:\u00a0 hard, insistent, and greedy.\u00a0 He could taste the Dawnguard man\u2019s blood on Brynjolf\u2019s tongue and savored it, and then nipped at his lip, drawing a bit of fresh blood.<\/p>\n \u201cOw,\u201d Brynjolf mumbled, taking Andante\u2019s shoulders and pushing him back a bit. \u201cWhat\u2019s this all about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all about excitement, loverboy,\u201d Andante said, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cSorry I hurt you. You\u2019re just\u2026 remarkable.\u00a0 I never imagined you would become so strong, so quickly, and, well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes sparkled, and he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI think we should head back to Honeyside to discuss this, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante looked around at the state of the fort, still full of cobwebs and clutter, and grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYes. I need a brandy, and a soak, and\u2026\u201d he slipped his arms around Brynjolf\u2019s waist, claiming his mouth again for just a moment, \u201cwho knows what else we might want to take advantage of before we head back to Volkihar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Brynjolf said, smirking. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n They were just about out of the fort, having stopped once or twice to take the fat coin purses left carelessly about on the Dawnguard\u2019s tables, when Brynjolf chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAhh, I was just thinking about how much fun it would have been to have Dynny along with us on this little excursion. It\u2019s just the kind of thing he would have enjoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante laughed. \u201cWell, I\u2019m not overly superstitious my dear, but something tells me that he was with us anyway.\u00a0 I told him we\u2019d be thinking of him.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why but I just feel confident that he knows and was probably laughing along with us.\u201d<\/p>\n They pushed open the door and stepped out into the sun. Andante grimaced.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe that\u2019s what it was, then,\u201d Brynjolf said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve felt like someone was watching us ever since we left Riften.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante\u2019s good mood vanished.\u00a0 He squinted into the sunny day and scanned the path before them, and the crests of all the hills surrounding the valley they were entering.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure that\u2019s what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019re closing in on me. Gods damn it.<\/em><\/p>\n It was beginning to be a bit ridiculous. It was bad enough that there had been a Dawnguard hunter waiting for him when he\u2019d gotten out of the carriage at Riften.\u00a0 He had run toward the mountains, into the trees, just as fast as his considerable speed would allow and the man had still managed … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/3-2-15-2.png\")
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