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The path Karliah had mentioned wound around the base of one of Riften\u2019s outer hills.\u00a0 Dag could see one of the rings of standing stones, much like the one she and Roggi had seen near Whiterun, farther up on the hill; but that was not her destination.\u00a0 Brynjolf and Karliah stood by a single stone, a large one, with a symbol carved on it.\u00a0 Dag frowned.\u00a0 That symbol.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen it before.\u00a0 As she approached, it came to her. It was the same thing that was on the hilt of Gallus\u2019 Nightingale sword, a circle with six arcs below it, vaguely reminiscent of a bird with outspread wings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the headquarters of the Nightingales, cut into the mountain by the first of our kind,\u201d Karliah began.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve come here to seek the edge we need to defeat Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was a temple of sorts, she explained, a shrine to Nocturnal. \u201cShe is the mistress of night and darkness, and the patron of every thief in Tamriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d Dag said. \u201cYou\u2019ve mentioned this before, and I still don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 Temples seem like the last things thieves would be involved with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Nocturnal is not one for worship, not in the traditional sense. She influences our luck and in return demands payment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cIt sounds like a Guild contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karliah nodded. \u201cNow you\u2019re beginning to understand.\u201d She then opened the door to the cavern and led Dag inside, with Brynjolf following.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is Nightingale Hall,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cI heard about this place when I joined the Guild, but I never believed it existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that it was just a myth was seeded on purpose, to deflect attention,\u201d Karliah said, as they wound down and around a corner to the left. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Brynjolf? I can almost hear your brow furrowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just trying to understand why I\u2019m here, lass. I\u2019m no priest, and I\u2019m certainly not religious.\u00a0 Why pick me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Karliah called back to him. \u201cIt\u2019s not about religion, Brynjolf. It\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven more to the point, why pick me?\u201d Dag said. \u201cI\u2019m nobody, truly nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why in the name of Stendarr am<\/em> I here? Dag wondered.\u00a0 I have no idea what they\u2019re talking about, all the talk of Daedric things is making me nervous, and this isn\u2019t getting us any closer to snuffing out Mercer.<\/p>\n Brynjolf shot her a sharp look, and shook his head.\u00a0 She frowned back at him. Hey, Red, that\u2019s my opinion.\u00a0 I\u2019m not a leader in the Guild, but you two are.<\/em><\/p>\n Ahead of them was an odd room, an antechamber of sorts, with three stone pedestals engraved with the same symbol as the standing stone outside.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019ll proceed to the armory and don your Nightingale armor,\u201d Karliah said, \u201cwe can begin the oath.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing Karliah was saying made any sense to Dag. She exchanged a confused look with Brynjolf.\u00a0 He just shrugged and walked to the stone Karliah indicated.\u00a0 Well, ok, she thought, I\u2019ll play along.\u00a0 Each of them stood by one of the stones.\u00a0 Suddenly, Dag found that she had, in her hands, a set of armor of the darkest hue, almost a blue-black, with a short cape attached to the shoulders. Its aura nearly rang with the hum of enchantments. Body armor, boots, gloves, and a hood with an attached face mask.\u00a0 She was so startled that she almost dropped it all on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is this<\/em>?\u201d And where did it come from? This rock?\u00a0 How in the world\u2026?<\/em> Dag was beginning to feel extremely unsettled. \u201cKarliah, what is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n But Karliah and Brynjolf had already slipped into the dark armor and were moving down a hallway to the right of the armory, so Dag did as well. \u00a0I suppose it won\u2019t harm anything to put this on, she thought, but it certainly is strange.\u00a0 It was form-fitting, silent, and with the masks and hoods on all that was visible of each other were their eyes.<\/p>\n Dag stood and admired them all.\u00a0 I have to admit, it looks good on us. It was beautiful armor, and it might as well have been made especially for each of them.\u00a0 Brynjolf turned to face Karliah and Dag suddenly felt very warm.\u00a0 My, my, she thought.\u00a0 That is a nice fit. He looked positively heroic in it.\u00a0 His Guild armor was attractive on him but this was hard to stop looking at.<\/p>\n Oh stop it already<\/em>, her sarcastic voice said. I thought you wanted to break his nose<\/em>.<\/p>\n Karliah paused before a doorway blocked by metal posts.<\/p>\n \u201cOk, lass,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got these getups on, now what?\u201d<\/p>\n Karliah nodded toward the bars. \u201cBeyond this gate is the first step to becoming a Nightingale.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWoah there,\u201d Brynjolf said, putting his hands on his hips, almost a defiant pose. \u201cI appreciate the armor, but being a Nightingale? That was never discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf, if we are to have any chance of defeating Mercer, we must have Nocturnal at our backs.\u00a0 If she\u2019s to accept you, an arrangement must be struck.\u201d<\/p>\n That makes sense, Dag thought. A Daedric prince is not going to do something for nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat sort of arrangement? I need to know the terms.\u201d<\/p>\n Damn these masks, Dagnell thought.\u00a0 I need to know the terms too, but I need to see your faces so I can tell whether you\u2019re being straight with me.\u00a0 This is beginning to sound too much like joining the Thieves Guild \u2013 now that we know about it we\u2019re stuck.<\/p>\n \u201cThe terms are simple. You become a Nightingale, and are given all the powers and knowledge that go along with being a Nightingale.\u00a0 You can use them however you wish, whether for your own purposes or to help the Guild.\u00a0 In return, you pledge to serve Nocturnal and defend the Sepulcher, both in life and in death. Once you die, your spirit is bound to the Sepulcher, until Lady Nocturnal determines that your contract has been fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked down at the floor, hands on hips, clearly struggling to come to terms with this situation.\u00a0 Finally he looked up at Karliah again.<\/p>\n \u201cAye,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cThere\u2019s always a catch. But I suppose at this point, there isn\u2019t much to lose. If it means the end of Mercer Frey, you can count me in.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag looked from him to Karliah and back again, mouth open.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this serious, Karliah?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou want me to bind my soul, assuming that I even possess such a thing, to a being I\u2019ve only heard of in tales and am not even convinced exists?\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 To say nothing of the obvious: of all the people in the Guild you might have chosen to bring here you picked me? I\u2019m \u2026 seriously, I\u2019m nobody. What about, oh, I don\u2019t know, Delvin.\u201d<\/p>\n Karliah crossed her arms over her chest. \u00a0\u201cDelvin wasn\u2019t even a consideration, Dagnell. Even if he had been, I can almost guarantee you he would have nothing to do with this. \u00a0His interests on this level lie\u2026 elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag had no idea what she was talking about. None. But it didn\u2019t matter, because Brynjolf caught her attention yet again as he shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re hardly nobody, lass.\u00a0 You\u2019re a Thane of the Rift.\u00a0 You\u2019re the one who Mercer raised his sword to.\u00a0 You got the translation for Gallus\u2019 journal.\u00a0 You have as much right to that bastard\u2019s neck as anyone else.\u201d He looked down at her, making sure she saw his eyes. \u201cI think we should trust the lass, and take the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag stared at him, wondering yet again how it was that this man was having such an oversized influence in her life.\u00a0 So I\u2019m to be a Nightingale? she thought.\u00a0 The three of us are taking over the role that used to be held by Karliah with Gallus and Mercer?\u00a0 How is this even possible?<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes seemed calm, decided, sure.\u00a0 Dag sighed.\u00a0 Well, all right, Red.\u00a0 You win again.\u00a0 You\u2019re the boss now, after all.<\/em><\/p>\n Dag nodded. \u201cAll right.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s crazy, but I agree.\u00a0 I\u2019ll do anything to get that skeever at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n Karliah nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOnce I have opened the gate,\u201d she instructed, \u201cstand on one of the stone circles.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond the gate was a large room, reminiscent of the Cistern. Water flowed into a shallow pool, over which was a central stone circle with three arches leading to smaller, raised stone circles.\u00a0 Dag walked to the left-most circle and turned to see Karliah on the center arc and Brynolf on the other side of the room from her.<\/p>\n Then Karliah lifted her arms and shouted:<\/p>\n \u201cI call upon you, Lady Nocturnal, Queen of Murk and Empress of Shadow. Hear my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long, pregnant silence.\u00a0 The air felt heavy.\u00a0 Then there was the hum of energy.<\/p>\n Dag nearly fainted.<\/p>\n A shimmering blue ball of light, vibrating loudly with power, appeared over the central stone. A Daedric prince. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t just a tale, it was real. First dragons, and Shouts, and now a Daedric prince.\u00a0 And here she\u2019d thought bandits and gigantic spiders were frightening.<\/p>\n A dark, sultry voice said \u201cAh, Karliah.\u00a0 I was wondering when I\u2019d hear from you again. Lose something, did we?\u201d<\/p>\n Dag\u2019s small voice suddenly spoke up.\u00a0 Oooh, this is a sarcastic one, isn\u2019t it? A voice after my own heart.<\/em> Oh shut up, Dag told it.\u00a0 I\u2019m about to soil my new armor and you\u2019re happy with sarcasm?<\/p>\n Karliah went down on one knee, begged forgiveness for having failed in her duties, and asked for Nocturnal\u2019s aid.<\/p>\n I have no bloody idea what\u2019s going on right now, Dag thought.<\/p>\n Do you ever? <\/em><\/p>\n Dag ground her teeth.\u00a0 I never thought I\u2019d be in a position where I had the urge to strangle myself, but there it is.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re already mine, Karliah; your deal was struck long ago.\u00a0 What could you possibly offer me at this stage?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI bring you two who wish to transact the oath, to serve as your guardians in life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou surprise me, Karliah.\u00a0 This offer is definitely weighted in my favor,\u201d said the disembodied voice. \u00a0Dag had the disturbing feeling that she and Brynjolf were being analyzed, weighed in some way, against some standard of which she had no knowledge.<\/p>\n \u201cMy desire for Mercer Frey\u2019s demise outweighs any desire for power or wealth,\u201d Karliah murmured. There was so much behind that quiet little speech.\u00a0 Dag felt an involuntary shiver up her spine.\u00a0 I have a feeling that Karliah would be a fearsome opponent in a battle, she thought.<\/p>\n \u201cRevenge, is it?\u00a0 How interesting. Very well, Karliah. \u00a0I name your associates Nightingales, and restore your status to the same.\u00a0 I would suggest that in the future, you refrain from disappointing me again.\u201d<\/p>\n There it was again, Dag thought.\u00a0 Disappointment.\u00a0 Brynjolf had said the same thing to her. What an odd term to use for the act of failure, of breaking faith with someone or something.<\/p>\n Nocturnal and Karliah were speaking to each other, discussing oaths and obligations, and it all washed over Dag’s head in a blur of incomprehensibility.\u00a0 She stood and watched in a daze, almost as if from outside herself, as Karliah pledged all three of them to something she didn’t understand.<\/p>\n Three shafts of light poured through holes in the ceiling, surrounding each of them and illuminating the three circles of stone.\u00a0 Then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, Nocturnal\u2019s aspect hummed with power and blinked out of sight.<\/p>\n Karliah walked back down the stone arch before her, to the center of the room; Brynjolf and Dag followed.<\/p>\n That hardly seemed fair, Dag thought.\u00a0 Karliah wasn\u2019t the one who killed another Nightingale.\u00a0 Mercer was. She wasn\u2019t the cause of the disappointment.\u00a0 She glanced down at herself.\u00a0 So here I am.\u00a0 A Thane, a member of the Thieves Guild, and now a Nightingale.\u00a0 A thing of tales, something most of the Guild and almost all of the rest of the world thought didn\u2019t even exist.\u00a0 How is it that this kind of thing keeps on happening to me?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNow it is time to reveal to you the true extent of Mercer\u2019s crimes,\u201d Karliah said.<\/p>\n Dag made an inarticulate, strangled noise.\u00a0 \u201cAre you kidding? There\u2019s more?\u201d<\/p>\n And then Karliah told them a tale that, had she shared it a few hours earlier, Dag would never have accepted as anything other than the ravings of a lunatic.\u00a0 There was, in the place called the Twilight Sepulcher that Gallus had mentioned in his journal, a conduit to Nocturnal\u2019s true power.\u00a0 She was the source of the uncanny luck that allowed the Thieves Guild to be more than just a group of random bandits; she did not wield a heavy hand in the world, rather nudged events slightly.\u00a0 That conduit was activated, and likewise protected, by an artifact known as the Skeleton Key, and that was what Mercer Frey had stolen.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is why our luck has been fading for the past twenty-five years.\u00a0 Our connection to Nocturnal\u2019s power has been cut off. If it is not restored, it will continue to diminish, to the point of nothingness.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag thought about meeting the Guild.\u00a0 Brynjolf had said they\u2019d hit a run of bad luck.\u00a0 Delvin had told her the Guild was cursed.\u00a0 Vex had called it bad luck, too.\u00a0 All of them had mentioned this happening, slowly, over the last twenty-five years or so.\u00a0 It sounded crazy but there was too much coincidence to ignore.<\/p>\n \u201cThat,\u201d Karliah said, \u201cis why Mercer could rob the Guild vault without needing two keys.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes were burning with anger, but he did not speak.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s why he could get through the Nord puzzle gates at Snow Veil Sanctum!\u201d Dag blurted.\u00a0 \u201cThat skeever was trying to make me look bad for not being able to open them, but nobody could, without that Key!\u00a0 So it can open any lock?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Karliah answered.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s more than that.\u00a0 The Key is not limited to physical locks. All of us possess untapped abilities, the potential to wield great power, securely sealed within our minds.\u00a0 Once you realize the key can access these traits, the potential becomes limitless.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Oh my.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag thought back to the frightening ease with which Mercer cut through the draugr at Snow Veil Sanctum. Yes, that makes sense.<\/em> He was tapping into something then, something that had allowed him to be more than just the good fighter he probably was without it. She suddenly thought about Roggi, unexpectedly releasing enough anger to break Rolff\u2019s nose on little provocation.\u00a0 What if the Key could tap into something like that?\u00a0 She looked at Brynjolf.\u00a0 And what about something like the way he grabbed me, back in the Cistern?<\/em>\u00a0 Or the way I killed that Forsworn<\/em>?<\/p>\n Dag shuddered.\u00a0 The implications of this were enormous.<\/p>\n \u201cI think,\u201d she said slowly, \u201cthis sounds like a thing that nobody should have.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Karliah agreed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you understand.\u00a0 And now we must find Mercer and defeat him.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf spoke up. \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of research, and I think I\u2019ve narrowed down the location of the Eyes of the Falmer.\u00a0 It\u2019s an old Dwemer ruin called Irkngthand.\u00a0 We need to head there and stop him before he vanishes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Dag said.\u00a0 Finally. Enough of the standing around.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go get him.\u00a0 \u201cPoint me in the right direction and I\u2019ll meet you there.\u201d<\/p>\n Karliah and Brynjolf looked at each other.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore you leave, there\u2019s one more thing to discuss,\u201d Karliah said. “I think you should listen to Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n What?<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf stepped closer to Dag, one hand on his hip.\u00a0 \u201cListen lass, there\u2019s one more thing we need to settle before we take on Mercer, and that\u2019s the leadership of the Guild.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Why are you telling this to me? What do you need my help with? Is someone being obstinate?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked at Karliah again.\u00a0 I wish I could see their faces, Dag thought for what felt like the hundredth time.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore you arrived, Karliah and I had a long talk. Thanks to your efforts, Mercer\u2019s treachery has been exposed.\u00a0 After we deal with him, all that is left is to return the Guild to its full strength. As a result, we both believe that you have the potential to become the next Guildmaster.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag had another of the moments she was beginning to get used to, those moments where her head rang as though it had been struck by a warhammer.<\/p>\n \u201cDid I just hear you say you think I should be Guildmaster?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded.<\/p>\n Dag exploded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in Oblivion are you talking about, Brynjolf?\u00a0 Are you mad? Thanks to my efforts?\u00a0 All I did was follow Mercer\u2019s orders and become closely acquainted with his sword.\u201d<\/p>\n Karliah and Brynjolf just stared at her.<\/p>\n She stepped closer to Brynjolf and looked him squarely in the eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cThere shouldn\u2019t even be a discussion, Brynjolf. You should be Guildmaster. You are<\/em> Guildmaster. That\u2019s your job. You\u2019re already doing it. Good grief, half of Skyrim knows your name. And the half that doesn\u2019t is afraid of you anyway. You\u2019re that good.\u00a0 You started doing it the second you found out about Mercer and nobody so much as batted an eyelash.\u00a0 Everyone looks to you for guidance.\u00a0 Me?\u00a0 Are you serious?\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long, quiet pause in the cavern.\u00a0 Then Brynjolf sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n There was such sadness in that one word.\u00a0 It caught Dag completely by surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been at this game a long time, lass. A very long time. I\u2019ve stolen trinkets from nobles and framed priests for murder. I\u2019m good at what I do, maybe one of the best. But I\u2019m not a leader. Never desired it, don\u2019t want it.\u00a0 All the others \u2013 they look up to you. They admire what you\u2019ve done. They may not come out and say it, but I promise you it\u2019s true. And now they know that Mercer never genuinely cared about the Guild. That\u2019s a quality that you clearly possess. \u201d<\/p>\n Well, Vekel had said he liked her, but he was only one guy. And he was just the bartender.\u00a0 And Thrynn had told her that Vipir admired her, but that had more to do with her selection of physical parts than with any particular skill set she might have.<\/p>\n Dag stood there with her mouth open. It wasn\u2019t right. Based on what Mercer had told her about the chaos following Gallus\u2019 death, the place would have fallen apart a long time ago if Brynjolf hadn\u2019t managed to hold it together, maybe by sheer force of personality, finding recruits who could work together as the family he so obviously desired it to be. Mercer certainly wasn\u2019t responsible for its survival. But Brynjolf sounded \u2026 tired.\u00a0 Not quite defeated, but tired. Worn down. Dag studied his eyes, the only part of him she could see.\u00a0 They were sad eyes, tired eyes. I wonder when he last slept for more than a couple of hours, she thought.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d he had said.\u00a0 The sound of it kept echoing in her head.<\/p>\n By all the gods, she thought.\u00a0 Those eyes are breaking my heart.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m not the right person for this job, I know it down in my bones.\u00a0 But maybe if I can lean on him, and on Delvin and Vex and Karliah, maybe I can do it so that he doesn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n She took a deep breath. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense to me, Brynjolf. When I look at you I do see a leader.\u201d She glanced at Karliah, but Karliah wouldn\u2019t meet her eyes. She agrees with me, I know it<\/em>. \u201cBut if that\u2019s truly what you want, I will accept.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cAye, lass. Then it\u2019s settled. But it will be awhile before we can make it official.\u00a0 We need to defeat Mercer, and then restore the Guild to its full strength.\u00a0 I\u2019ll keep doing what I\u2019m doing until then.\u201d<\/p>\n And I\u2019ll keep trying to change your mind, Dag thought.<\/p>\n They agreed to meet at Irkngthand as soon as possible, and then started walking out of Nightingale Hall.\u00a0 Brynjolf walked beside her.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think we actually have a chance to defeat him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, lass, if you had asked me that yesterday, I would have said no.\u00a0 But now? Call me crazy, but I trust Karliah.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think she\u2019d lead us down a suicidal path.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if we don\u2019t succeed, well, I\u2019d rather die with some of Mercer Frey\u2019s blood on my hands than to say I ran away without trying.\u201d<\/p>\n I can definitely agree with that, Dag thought.\u00a0 Give my regards to Brynjolf, indeed.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to die, Skeever-Face.<\/p>\n The path Karliah had mentioned wound around the base of one of Riften\u2019s outer hills.\u00a0 Dag could see one of the rings of standing stones, much like the one she and Roggi had seen near Whiterun, farther up on the hill; but that was not her destination.\u00a0 Brynjolf and Karliah stood by a single … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-2-17-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Shadows<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"