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<\/p>\nDagnell slipped into Riften the back way, when it was as dark as it was going to be and she could hide in shadows.<\/p>\n
Or, rather, it was the front way. She swam out to one of the piers and crept up its ladder.\u00a0 She had considered circling around the stables and taking her own back stairs, to the deck at Honeyside; but if the Guild was after her that would be the obvious place for them to be watching.\u00a0 They might even have stationed someone inside; she didn\u2019t harbor any illusions about their willingness to simply let themselves in if Mercer told them to.\u00a0 Any other approach would require her to face a set of gate guards, save one: going through Black-Briar Meadery.\u00a0 She had discovered that quite by accident, one of her first days in Riften, when she\u2019d passed the lower door; one could simply go through the meadery\u2019s lower level and up the stairs to the main entryway.\u00a0 She\u2019d had some odd looks, that day, but nobody had tried to stop her.\u00a0 It was her best bet.\u00a0 Once again, she was grateful for the enchantments on her gloves.\u00a0 She could have picked the Meadery\u2019s lock without them, but the additional boost allowed her to slip inside, up the stairs, and out again in record time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dag had purposefully waited until she knew Balimund was likely to have quit work for the day.\u00a0 She was fond of him, with his raspy voice and his perpetually cheerful greetings to her, but she really didn\u2019t know whether he had any associations with the Guild and didn\u2019t want to chance it.\u00a0 There was nobody else on the streets but the usual complement of city guards, and they weren\u2019t difficult to avoid by slipping in and out of concealed spots in the marketplace. Once she was in the gates of the Temple\u2019s grounds, she bolted for the sarcophagus entrance.<\/p>\n
It ground open.\u00a0 As she waited to drop down through the old sewer opening, her mind and her heart were racing, wondering how she and Karliah were going to explain themselves to Brynjolf and Mercer, how they would survive the confrontation.\u00a0 She reached for the opening to the sewer.<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t budge.<\/p>\n
They had locked her out.<\/p>\n
For a moment, her chest constricted.\u00a0 They locked me out.\u00a0 They don\u2019t want me any more.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been rejected again.\u00a0 I\u2019m alone again and even worse, I\u2019m in danger from the people I most wanted to see again.<\/em><\/p>\n No, idiot.\u00a0 Think.<\/em><\/p>\n She thought about it.<\/p>\n Mercer thought he had killed her.\u00a0 He had absolutely no reason to suspect that she was even in the world any longer, much less that she might have teamed up with Karliah to work against him.\u00a0 No, he had barred the door to Karliah, fearing that she would attack him there.<\/p>\n Ah, but what if he\u2019d made up some wild tale about Dag, the way he had about Karliah?\u00a0 What if he hadn\u2019t told them that she was dead?\u00a0 Who knew what she might have become in his stories \u2013 perhaps they all thought she had attacked Mercer, instead of the other way around?<\/p>\n There was no way to know.\u00a0 All she knew for certain was that she was locked out.<\/p>\n Dag turned and made her way to the lower level of Riften.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t have blocked the entrance to the Ragged Flagon.\u00a0 People actually went to the Flagon for drinks, especially the laborers and less-affluent townfolk who skulked about the periphery of the city day and night.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t afford to close the Flagon.\u00a0 She walked into the Ratway and made her way across the drawbridge to the Flagon\u2019s oddly-placed entrance.<\/p>\n Karliah approached her as soon as she got inside.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re here. I think some of these people are beginning to suspect who I am. Are you ready to face the Guild?\u201d<\/p>\n Dag thought for a moment.\u00a0 Vekel was by himself, for once, sweeping the floor around his bar.\u00a0 \u201cIn a moment,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI need to check on something first.\u201d<\/p>\n She approached him quietly, hoping not to attract any other attention.\u00a0 \u201cVekel,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n He looked up at her and startled. It was the first time she\u2019d ever seen his face break out of its noncommittal mask. Well, that tells me just about all I need to know, Dag thought.\u00a0 He sure wasn\u2019t expecting to see me here.<\/p>\n Vekel was nothing if not smooth.\u00a0 He had to be, in his line of work; he heard things, as bartenders do, and needed to be able to keep them under his hat. He went back to his sweeping and his usual placid expression in just seconds.<\/p>\n \u201cWell I see you\u2019re back.\u00a0 You and Mercer were gone so long that Brynjolf even went out looking for you.\u00a0 Delvin and Vex were running things for awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0 No, Vekel, trust me. Brynjolf wasn\u2019t looking for me, he was looking for Mercer.<\/em> \u201cWell I\u2019m sure they are quite capable of doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded, then scanned the area to make sure they weren\u2019t being watched.\u00a0 He dropped his voice to a whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, I like you, so I\u2019ll tell it to you straight.\u00a0 I know that\u2019s Karliah over there. There\u2019s nobody else it could be. Brynjolf and the rest are in the Guild, and they\u2019re ready to cut you down.\u00a0 I know you have a damn good reason for siding with her, so I hope you can give it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag felt as though the blood was draining from her.\u00a0 Well, I knew it was likely.\u00a0 The Guild takes care of its own. They were told a tale, and they had no reason to doubt it, and they were just getting ready to do what they always do.\u00a0 But it hurts, it really does.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI do, Vekel.\u00a0 I hope they\u2019ll listen.\u00a0 And thanks for the heads up.\u00a0 I really appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n She and Karliah walked slowly toward the entrance to the Cistern, Karliah with the translation of Gallus\u2019 journal out, visible, in her hands.\u00a0 That physical evidence had to change minds.\u00a0 It just simply had to.\u00a0 Otherwise, they were walking to their execution.\u00a0 They might be, anyway; she didn\u2019t know whether they could stay all of those hands long enough to tell them about the journal. If they couldn\u2019t, they were lost; she was a good fighter, but the numbers were not in their favor.<\/p>\n As they rounded the corner, Dag saw three figures, nearly obscuring the light.\u00a0 Coming from the dark hallway, her eyes wouldn\u2019t adjust quickly enough to see their faces, but it was obvious who they were.\u00a0 Vex, on one side.\u00a0 Delvin, on the other.\u00a0 And in the center, nearly obscuring the light, looming and radiating menace in a way she\u2019d never felt before, was Brynjolf. All three of them had daggers drawn.\u00a0 That big glass dagger, Dag thought, oddly detached.\u00a0 He\u2019s not going to use it on Roggi. He\u2019s going to use it on me.<\/p>\n She thought she heard a sharp intake of breath, as she blinked, her eyes adjusting to the room\u2019s lighting.\u00a0 Had he thought she was dead?<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d better have a damned good reason for showing up with that murderer!\u201d Brynjolf snarled, staring directly at her. His eyes were narrowed, icy cold.<\/p>\n Dag felt numb, miserable.\u00a0 Oh it hurt.\u00a0 It hurt so much to see him looking at her like that. No, my friend, she thought.\u00a0 Karliah isn\u2019t a murderer, and you\u2019ve been lied to.<\/p>\n If Brynjolf didn\u2019t have a level head there was a good chance the death she nearly experienced at Mercer\u2019s hand would turn out to be merely a death delayed. \u00a0She had never seen Brynjolf fight, had never seen him do much of anything physical, truthfully; but at this moment, looking at his stance, his readiness, she was confident he could shred her to ribbons before she had a chance to draw. \u00a0She scanned the room behind him; there was no sign of Mercer. They had all gravitated to Brynjolf once again.<\/p>\n Karliah spoke, her voice steady and confident. \u201cLower your weapons.\u00a0 I have proof that you\u2019ve all been mislead.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag desperately tried to make eye contact with Brynjolf, a silent plea for him to hear them out, but he had shifted his gaze to Karliah. She watched him struggling with his temper.\u00a0 She had seen it before, when she challenged him in front of the Guild and he\u2019d swallowed the urge to punish her for it. Slowly, he sheathed the dagger.\u00a0 Dag fought not to sigh audibly.<\/p>\n \u201cNo tricks, Karliah, or I\u2019ll cut you down where you stand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo tricks, Brynjolf. Mercer\u2019s been stealing under your noses, for years. I have proof.\u00a0 Here\u2019s Gallus\u2019 journal; I think you\u2019ll find its contents quite disturbing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see,\u201d Brynjolf said, his voice full of distrust.\u00a0 As the rest of the room stood in collective anticipation he started reading; and as he did, his expression slowly changed from anger to shock, to confusion and disbelief, and then to something she couldn\u2019t decipher. Was it grief?<\/p>\n \u201cThis is impossible. It can\u2019t be. I\u2019ve known Mercer too long.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up, looked back and forth between Karliah and Dag, questioning.<\/p>\n Dag couldn\u2019t form words.\u00a0 She just nodded at him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true, Brynjolf,\u201d Karliah said sadly.\u00a0 \u201cMercer\u2019s been stealing from the Guild for years.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked torn between anger, confusion, distrust, and a need to know.\u00a0 He looked at Delvin.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only one way to find out if what the lass says is true. Delvin, I\u2019ll need you to open the vault.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and started walking toward the other side of the Cistern. Everyone else followed.<\/p>\n Delvin spoke first. \u201cWait just a blessed moment, Bryn. What\u2019s in that book? What did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt says just what Karliah just told us. Mercer\u2019s been stealing from the Guild\u2019s vault for years.\u00a0 Gallus was looking into it before he was murdered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow could he open a locked door that takes two keys?\u201d Delvin grumbled. \u201cCould he pick his way in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat door has the best puzzle locks money can buy,\u201d Vex said.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no way he could have picked it open.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t need to pick the lock,\u201d Karliah murmured.<\/p>\n What? Dag looked at her in surprise, thinking of Mercer at the entrance to Snow Veil Sanctum.<\/p>\n Delvin also shot Karliah a sharp look. \u201cWhat\u2019s she on about?\u201d<\/p>\n Dag\u2019s mind was racing.\u00a0 Mercer had opened the Nordic puzzle door, too.\u00a0 It was simple if you knew the trick, he had said; but there were three holes in that central lock, the one he\u2019d called a dragon claw keyhole, and she was certain there was no way he could have manipulated three picks at once without her seeing it.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did he do it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have a clue,\u201d Brynjolf said, mystified. \u201cI have a key, Delvin has a key, and Mercer has a key.\u00a0 That\u2019s all there are, no other copies, and it takes two of them to open the door. Use your key on the door, Delvin. We\u2019ll open it up and find out the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin walked to the door, inserted his key, and turned it.\u00a0 Dag heard a click; his key had done its work properly, but nothing else happened.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve used my key, but it\u2019s still locked up tighter than a drum,\u201d he said. \u201cNow try yours.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf used his key.\u00a0 The vault doors swung open, slowly, and he walked inside, obscuring Dag\u2019s view beyond him. There was a roar from the vault room.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the eight! It\u2019s gone! Everything\u2019s gone. Get in here, everyone!\u201d<\/p>\n Dag had never seen this room before, but even so the sight was dismaying. There were chests everywhere, all opened and empty.\u00a0 There were shelves with nothing on them.\u00a0 There was nothing in the room except for the containers that had once held the Guild\u2019s wealth.\u00a0 Mercer had taken it all.<\/p>\n Vex drew her dagger and started brandishing it about wildly. \u201cThat son of a bitch! I\u2019ll kill him!\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf whirled and locked eyes with her.<\/p>\n \u201cVex. Put it away. Right now. We can\u2019t afford to lose our heads.\u00a0 We need to calm down and focus.\u201d \u00a0His voice was strong, authoritative, and yet calm.<\/p>\n Vex stopped waving her dagger, but didn\u2019t sheathe it.<\/p>\n \u201cDo what he says, Vex,\u201d Delvin added. \u201cThis ain\u2019t helping right now.\u201d\u00a0 A part of Dag\u2019s mind noted that Delvin was most definitely next in charge after Brynjolf.\u00a0 He had the third key; he was the one backing up Brynjolf\u2019s orders at a crucial moment.\u00a0 Delvin was a mystery.<\/p>\n Vex slowly lowered her dagger and sheathed it.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, we\u2019ll do it your way. For now. But if I see that son of a bitch he\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded.<\/p>\n And just like that, Brynjolf has become Guildmaster, Dag pondered, marveling.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even take a deep breath.\u00a0 He just took charge by virtue of his character and his powers of persuasion, and Delvin backed him up on it.\u00a0 No bloodshed, no chaos, no power grab, no question at all, just the expressed need to deal with the Guild\u2019s problem.\u00a0 No Mercer Frey.<\/p>\n None of them knew where Mercer had gone, only that he had left and they hadn\u2019t seen him in days. And they knew that they were going to find him. \u00a0Brynjolf gave everyone an assignment. \u00a0Vex and Delvin would guard the Flagon.\u00a0 Thrynn, Niruin, Vipir and the others would guard the Cistern.\u00a0 If anyone saw so much as a hair on Mercer\u2019s head they were to come to him immediately. They all scattered, to do the things Brynjolf had given them to do.<\/p>\n Then he walked toward the Guildmaster\u2019s desk.\u00a0 And he motioned for Dagnell to follow.<\/p>\n Dagnell slipped into Riften the back way, when it was as dark as it was going to be and she could hide in shadows. Or, rather, it was the front way. She swam out to one of the piers and crept up its ladder.\u00a0 She had considered circling around the stables and taking her own … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-2-14-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Shadows<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"