{"id":1427,"date":"2022-01-15T22:55:33","date_gmt":"2022-01-16T05:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=1427"},"modified":"2022-01-20T22:15:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T05:15:17","slug":"chapter-11-brynjolf-and-dale","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-ii\/part-i-past-and-present\/chapter-11-brynjolf-and-dale\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 11 – Brynjolf and Dale"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, no<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brynjolf stared at Agryn\u2019s golden eyes and nearly flinched at the intense, unwavering stare he had in return. It wasn\u2019t like him. Agryn had always deferred to his former status as the unofficial leader of the Volkihar clan, even after he\u2019d taken the potion that removed his vampirism. After all, Brynjolf had taken a major part in the battle that killed Harkon, and had nearly taken down the former Archmage, Edwyn Wickham, as well.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d talked about it often enough over the years. Agryn Gernic could make a strong case for being the Lord of the Volkihar himself. He\u2019d been Edwyn Wickham\u2019s closest lieutenant and in a direct line of vampiric ancestry from Harkon himself. But Agryn recognized the more immediate claim Brynjolf had, as the closest lieutenant to Andante, the vampire who had served as Lord so briefly after Harkon\u2019s demise. Both of them had been vampires before encountering Harkon; but Harkon created Andante as a Vampire Lord, and Andante had passed that status on to Brynjolf. Their standing in the bloodline wasn\u2019t as direct as Agryn\u2019s, but it was valid. Edwyn Wickham, on the other hand, had simply entered the castle and announced that he was the new Lord after Andante died. He\u2019d never been fully accepted as Lord by the rest of the clan, perhaps because of his attitude, but especially after he\u2019d murdered the venerable Altmer scholar, Vingalmo. Brynjolf had been not only accepted, but supported \u2013 even by Serana herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as I\u2019ve told you, Brynjolf,\u201d Agryn had said on several occasions. \u201cEven with Serana leading the day-to-day operations at the castle both she and I recognize you as the legitimate successor to that throne. I was too closely associated with Edwyn, and they all despise Edwyn. Besides, I don\u2019t know who I can trust there aside from her; and therefore I choose to trust nobody. This arrangement suits me perfectly. Perhaps some day when you\u2019re no longer here I\u2019ll take my place on that throne. Until then, we\u2019ll continue to do business as we have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d worked together seamlessly for all these years, watching each others\u2019 backs to ensure both the safe passage of goods throughout Tamriel and the peaceful existence of the Volkihar. Additionally, Brynjolf made sure that Agryn had a certain amount of access to information from High King Ulfric\u2019s court. That information came through circuitous channels but they were channels Brynjolf trusted; he made sure to pass along those things that were important to share.<\/p>\n

Agryn held to the old standards of the vampiric orders from days gone by in Cyrodiil. It was to his advantage to do business with the living and not thin their ranks too much; therefore Brynjolf was never in any danger from them. He would have offered his neck in a pinch \u2013 he distinctly remembered what it was like to be a vampire and be hungry \u2013 but they\u2019d never taken advantage of him in that way. For the past nearly sixteen years Brynjolf had only needed to ask, and his wishes were fulfilled.<\/p>\n

For all these reasons, he was stunned at Agryn\u2019s attitude.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWas I not clear, Brynjolf? I said no, I will not turn you again.\u201d Agryn\u2019s posture and his entire demeanor said that he would not be moved. \u201cI cannot imagine a set of circumstances in which such an act would not be an unmitigated disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf was about to object, but Vyctyna interrupted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is a much nicer way of saying what I\u2019m thinking, boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you lost your mind<\/em>? Are you completely nuts? First of all, you went to Oblivion and back to turn human again!\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf nodded. That was true enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond, even though I never met Andante face-to-face, from everything I\u2019ve heard about him he would be so<\/em> mad at you if you did this. He wanted you to be human to be with your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf nodded again. \u201cHe did. But my children are grown and no longer need me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyctyna snorted. \u201cOh, now that\u2019s just bullshit, boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTyna,\u201d Agryn said in a warning tone.<\/p>\n

Vyctyna shook her head \u201cWell I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m not sorry. It just is. They\u2019re just barely grown. Of course they need you; and besides, what about your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf felt himself flinch. \u201cShe\u2026\u201d He grimaced. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. If neither of you will do it, I\u2019ll go to Serana instead!\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn sighed. \u201cAnd you\u2019ll have the same response from her, Brynjolf. I\u2019m certain of it. And before you start having any other thoughts, no, you can\u2019t get Babette to turn you, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was stunned for a moment. \u201cHow\u2026 do you know Babette?\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyctyna tsk\u2019d. \u201cReally<\/em>, boss? Do you really think we wouldn\u2019t have contacts in the Brotherhood? Babette has been around nearly as long as Agryn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn shot her a quick grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026uh\u2026\u201d Brynjolf was taken aback. He had<\/em> been thinking of Babette as a fallback. It would have taken some finagling to get in touch with her \u2013 after all, he couldn\u2019t very well ask Sayma to deliver the message \u2013 but for just a moment he\u2019d been formulating what he would say to Delvin to get him to deliver a note through his back channels.<\/p>\n

So that won\u2019t work either. Vyctyna doesn\u2019t act like much but she knows me well.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, Brynjolf,\u201d Agryn said quietly, \u201cand possibly more importantly, I don\u2019t even know whether your body could take another such change at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf was stung. He climbed through the high mountain passes, regularly, on foot and in the cold. Sometimes he took a carriage if he was traveling within Skyrim, but mostly he did those errands on foot as well. He was in fine condition.<\/p>\n

He harrumphed. \u201cYou mean I\u2019m old, don\u2019t you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn finally cracked the tiniest of smiles in his direction. \u201cNo, friend. I\u2019m<\/em> old. I mean that it takes many years \u2013 sometimes decades of them \u2013 to make a powerful vampire under the most normal of circumstances. Some don\u2019t survive the turning. Some become feral. You\u2019ve seen those. Some go mad.\u201d He sighed. \u201cSometimes, even the strongest go mad eventually. You saw what happened to Harkon and Edwyn, and that was only one transformation for each of them. Who knows, perhaps eventually I will go mad myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAggie!\u201d Vyctyna cried, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Clearly, she\u2019d never pondered that possibility before. Agryn gave her a sympathetic look, but then turned his attention back to Brynjolf.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brynjolf frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t buy it. I just don\u2019t. How was my situation \u2013 my status as a vampire – possible, in that case? I was nearly as strong as Andante after he turned me. I was a Nightlord not long after that. And then we both became Lords. That didn\u2019t take decades. It barely took months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyctyna had wandered away shaking her head, but she called back over her shoulder. \u201cGood blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean Andante\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, boss, I mean yours. Something about you was able to take on all of Andante\u2019s strength right from the start and that only happens once in awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn turned to look at her. \u201cHmm. You may be right. It\u2019s not surprising that Brynjolf started out strong, but there must have been something else that allowed him to be that advanced\u2026\u201d He paused, rubbing his chin in thought. Then he turned back to Brynjolf. \u201cRegardless of that, we simply can\u2019t risk turning you again. It might destroy your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf sighed as memories of the last few weeks with Vitus ran through his mind. It\u2019s probably true, now that I think about it. He changed form three different times, and at the end he told me he couldn\u2019t control his killing urges anymore. Maybe he was actually damaged by the turnings, too, even if he wasn\u2019t as damaged as some weaker vampires.<\/em><\/p>\n

He shrugged. \u201cBlast. I suppose you\u2019re probably right about this. And after all, both of you know more about being vampires than I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to see that you recognize the obvious, Brynjolf,\u201d Agryn said with a smile, relaxing as he did so. \u201cBut tell us why you wanted this at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t even want to think about it, much less\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIs something wrong between you and Sayma?\u201d Vyctyna asked. \u201cDon\u2019t even try to pretend we didn\u2019t hear you change the subject earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf blew out a deep breath. \u201cYes, well\u2026 alright then. Before she came to Skyrim, before she met me, she had a \u2026 partner. A first love. Back on Stros M\u2019Kai.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh she\u2019s from a long way off, then,\u201d Vyctyna said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but that was twenty years ago. That man and their best friend got on the wrong side of skooma, which, um\u2026 Let\u2019s just say it\u2019s been a touchy subject between us over our lives together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddicts?\u201d Agryn asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. They pushed her away and she ended up here just looking for a new life. She found me.\u201d He grimaced. And she found Roggi, and Dardeh, and the Dark Brotherhood, and who knows what else? Ah what am I thinking\u2026 it\u2019s not as though I haven\u2019t kept things from her as well. <\/em>\u201cAs far as she knew, both of them were dead and gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Vyctyna asked when he paused.<\/p>\n

He looked at each of them in turn. \u201cAnd a little while ago I hired a new guy to help with the manufacturing side of things. A Redguard. Former pirate. Excellent cook, and he picked up our recipe without even breaking a sweat. He\u2019s an addict, but he\u2019s got it under control for the most part, same way as Andante did.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Agryn\u2019s eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look at me like that. Yes, he was also an addict. You wouldn\u2019t ever have noticed it, though, because he was a vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnnnnddd?\u201d Vyctyna asked again, staring him down.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s like a dog with a bone. She\u2019s not going to let me wiggle out of this.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTurns out that he\u2019s the long-lost first love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Agryn said. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf nodded. \u201cYeah. Even better? It turns out that his last name is Sendu. Same as the name Sayma took for herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOuch, boss,\u201d Vyctyna said. \u201cThat\u2019s harsh.\u201d She walked over to stand in front of him and wagged her finger in front of his face. \u201cAnd you were mad, and you thought you\u2019d get back at her by becoming a vampire again, is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cVyctyna, behave yourself,\u201d Agryn snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Aggie, he needs to hear this,\u201d she said, glaring at Agryn with a level of ferocity Brynjolf had rarely seen from her.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s formidable all on her own. I wouldn\u2019t want to get on her bad side.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right, aren\u2019t I?\u201d she said, turning back to stare at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n

He shook his head and laughed. \u201cShor\u2019s beard, lass. Alright, you win. Yes. I was angry. I still am. But I suppose she\u2019s not to blame for him turning up again. It\u2019s just that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What is it, exactly? It\u2019s not as though she thought she\u2019d ever see him again. It\u2019s not as though at that point she thought she\u2019d ever see me again, for that matter. She picked a name that gave her a little bit of comfort at a difficult time in her life.<\/em><\/p>\n

And somehow knowing that doesn\u2019t seem to help me feel any better.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know what to do about him being around and so close, yes? I can understand that,\u201d Vyctyna filled in.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he responded, knowing full well that while that was part of the truth it wasn\u2019t the thing that was eating at him. He glanced at Agryn.<\/p>\n

Agryn\u2019s not buying it, though. He\u2019s better at reading me than she is.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd somehow you decided that being a vampire again would solve this problem for you?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n

Brynjolf felt his temper flare a bit; but he knew better than to confront someone as strong as Agryn. The fact that neither of them had ever hurt him was no guarantee that they wouldn\u2019t, if provoked. He threw up his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes! No! I don\u2019t know, Agryn,\u201d he growled. \u201cIt would be something<\/em>. Something that was mine<\/em>. Being Guildmaster isn\u2019t mine; I took it over when Sayma left it behind, and before that I was second-in-command for so long I can barely remember anything different. Second. Not first. If Andante had lived I\u2019d have been second-in-command, not first. But being a vampire, on my own? That would be mine. I had a little taste of that about the time you and I met each other. It felt good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not good enough to make up for possibly losing your family, Brynjolf,\u201d Agryn said in a tone that left no room for argument. \u201cThat\u2019s a treasure you can\u2019t replace with taking a few necks. And thus no, we will not turn you again. Not now, not ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t even think about it, Bryn,\u201d Vyctyna added. \u201cAnd you<\/em>,\u201d she said, poking a finger into Agryn\u2019s chest, \u201chad better stop scaring me with things like \u2018maybe I\u2019ll go mad some day.\u2019 You\u2019re not Harkon and you\u2019re not Edwyn. Cut it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Agryn chuckled. He reached out and pulled Vyctyna closer to him, smiling down into her face. \u201cThat\u2019s true. But Edwyn was my sire, and my closest friend for several centuries. It\u2019s hard not to wonder how much of the crazy got passed along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf watched the sparkle in each of their eyes as they gazed lovingly at each other. Sayma and<\/em> I were looking at each other like that just before Coe \u2013 no, Coyle \u2013 shocked her into passing out for a moment. I guess I should give her the benefit of the doubt. <\/em><\/p>\n

Alright, you win, <\/em>he thought at the other presence in his mind. He cleared his throat to get the vampires\u2019 attentions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I\u2019ll be going\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyctyna caught his attention. \u201cMaybe you should just take a night or two for yourself, boss,\u201d she said. \u201cGo visit Dardeh and Roggi. Or go up to Windhelm or something. Just get away from it for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf considered that for a moment. It wouldn\u2019t be such a bad idea, really; but\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m going to stay in the Cistern tonight. I don\u2019t want to leave it too long before I go back home, but I definitely need to cool off.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started toward the stairs and then turned back to smile at them. \u201cThanks for talking me out of it. I almost made a bad mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brynjolf hadn\u2019t been gone very long before Agryn blew out a large breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cTyna.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cDale\u2019s going to come report in about Solitude pretty soon. He was expecting to meet our other business partner. What are we going to tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyctyna crossed the room and opened up the cabinet that held their supply of blood potions. She cracked one of them open, pouring half each into two snifters and handing one of them to Agryn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think,\u201d she said, \u201cthat Brynjolf needs a little time to settle before he meets yet another vampire who might serve as a temptation. We can\u2019t have him turning again. It\u2019s too risky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so\u2026?\u201d Agryn took a sip from his drink.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d she said slowly, \u201cif he should ask, we will tell him that our business partner isn\u2019t doing well right now and needs a chance to get stable again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn nodded. \u201cGood. That\u2019s the truth, really. And in the meantime I\u2019ll send him out to deal with that feral in Rannveig\u2019s Fast. That one needs to be taken care of anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d Vyctyna frowned at the stairwell. \u201cI hate it when he\u2019s not doing well, Aggie. That man has had too much to deal with in his lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn nodded. \u201cTrue. Fortunately, he\u2019s human now. So that lifetime will be mercifully short.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was convenient that it was pitch black, Dale observed as he neared the old barrow tucked into the side of a ridge, and not simply because he was a vampire and therefore stronger at night. The other convenience was that this old barrow was apparently infested with souls who had not found their eternal rest; and these ghosts glowed, making them easy targets, even moreso at night.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He jumped down from the ledge he was on, and took down the first ghost he encountered in a quick flurry of blade strikes. He had the fleeting impression that the spectral Nord was happy to be released, as he cried \u201cI don\u2019t want to do this!\u201d just before crumpling into a pile of ectoplasm on the ground.<\/p>\n

Hmm. So that\u2019s what Agryn meant when he said this Sild is a sick man. <\/em><\/p>\n

Reanimating a corpse to use as a temporary assistant in battle was common enough among necromancers. Summoning Daedric-plane creatures for the same purposes was something many mages did, as was trapping the souls of defeated enemies in soul gems. He himself used a conjured gargoyle. But this was something different. This was even worse than the necromancers trying to restore Potema from the dead. There was something supremely eerie and innately wrong about subjugating the sentient \u2013 and unwilling – ghosts of defeated enemies.<\/p>\n

I suspect that nobody will weep over this Sild if I remove him from this plane of existence along with the vampire I\u2019m charged to slay. There are some things that are just wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

He grinned, amused with himself.<\/p>\n

Says the assassin.<\/em><\/p>\n

There was still another advantage to it being night, he realized as he headed for the stairway up to the old barrow. A distant – but still very loud – roar from just over the ridge made him happy that the dragon making it could not spot him easily. He was a skilled fighter and an increasingly strong vampire, but he harbored no illusions about being able to kill a dragon. That was something he would leave to the mighty Dragonborn he\u2019d heard so much about.<\/p>\n

Something tells me that I\u2019d not make much more than a tasty hors d\u2019oeuvres for a dragon. Just enough to whet the appetite for something more substantial \u2013 like a few fat horkers or bears. Or an entire Stormcloak patrol.<\/em><\/p>\n

After pushing open the huge door into the barrow, he stopped for a moment to look around in impressed silence. He\u2019d grown up around the remains of ancient Ayleid monuments, so generally the Nordic ones didn\u2019t render him awestruck the way they did some people. This one, though, was <\/em>impressive. The huge, cavernous space was well on its way to being reclaimed by Nirn, its floor covered in soil and those places where light shone in colored green with moss, ferns, and even a few pine saplings. Yet the towering stone pillars still bore the fine carvings and inlays that marked the space as a barrow. It must have been quite the sight when it was first carved out of the mountain around it.<\/p>\n

There were a number of candles and sconces lighting the way toward a rounded passage at its rear. Dale drew his blades and walked cautiously toward, and then into, the tunnel, dropping into a crouch once he reached the bottom of the first descent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There was another ghost just around the corner from him. It turned to stare at him just as he rushed forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay away! I don\u2019t want to do this!\u201d<\/p>\n

The ghost, like those outside, fell to Dale\u2019s attack easily. Dale stared down at its remnants for a moment, frowning. For all his earlier amusement about it, this really wasn\u2019t<\/em> right. Keeping these people\u2019s spirits here against their will was practically torture; and while the Dark Brotherhood was known to employ such methods on occasion he personally didn\u2019t like it one bit.<\/p>\n

Have some self-respect. If you\u2019re after a target, just take the target out and be done with it. Anything else is a cruel and needless self-indulgence.<\/em><\/p>\n

He knew there were those who laughed at him for having this viewpoint. For him, though, being an assassin was simply a way of earning coin, like any other occupation. He\u2019d needed to help his mother out, after all, and he did so by using his best skills. It was a matter of simply completing the assignment he was given and moving on to the next.<\/p>\n

The passageway he was in eventually opened onto a landing overlooking another great hall. This one was more formally designed than the cavern behind him; it was long and straight with niches along either wall. Through the mist that hung near the floor he could just make out a platform with a curved surface just behind it and what might be \u2013 if he squinted hard enough \u2013 a chest placed just in front of that surface. Of more immediate concern, though, were the apparitions stepping out from the niches.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of them crossed the room and stood staring at the niche before it. As Dale crept nearer it became aware of him and turned. Dale rose to attack, and the specter raised a mace to return blows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any choice. I\u2019m sorry!\u201d it cried out, trading attacks with Dale but eventually falling to his short blades.<\/p>\n

Once the ghost was down, Dale moved slowly toward the convex, ornately-carved wall. He was just about to step forward to examine the chest when a change in the color of the floor beneath his feet caught his peripheral vision. He crouched in the dim light to examine the place, to find that it was a dark-colored metal hatch, rigged to open downward from either side.<\/p>\n

A trap door, eh? Interesting. I\u2019m glad I spotted it.<\/em><\/p>\n

He hopped up onto the platform beside the hatch and checked the chest. There was nothing in it, nothing that would warrant crossing the hatch to get to it. But it was a large chest, and placed directly behind the hatch. Now that he was close enough to examine things he saw that the convex stone surface behind him was another of the dragon-language walls that were scattered across Tamriel, but primarily in Skyrim.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what it says. But I do know this chest has nothing to do with it. It was put here as bait. I\u2019ll bet this is how Sild gets his souls.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sorry to disappoint.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He looked around the hall, trying to sort out which way he should go next. A locked wooden door concealed a dead end holding another chest \u2013 a smaller one, but with a nice cache of coins and gems. Turning back toward the balcony where he\u2019d entered, Dale spotted a well-lit corridor entrance tucked back into the wall in such a way that he hadn\u2019t seen it coming in.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s see where you\u2019re hiding, Sild. Your visitor is my assignment, but you\u2019re going down, too.<\/em><\/p>\n

There was a metal gate at the end of the corridor; closed, but the lights beyond it told him that was where he needed to be. He nodded to himself. It was time to go on the hunt, and the first objective was the lever that would raise that gate. It was fairly straightforward. The only passage he hadn\u2019t yet explored wound its way up along two short flights of stairs, ending in a small room holding some collapsed furniture and, as he\u2019d expected, a floor-mounted lever. He threw the lever and whirled in surprise as the sounds of mechanisms triggering sounded not only from the space beneath him \u2013 which he had expected \u2013 but from directly behind him. There had been another gate, tucked just behind a carved pillar. The stone bridge just beyond its opening was tempting; he stared at it for a moment and then shook his head. He was on the hunt and needed to stay focused on his prey.<\/p>\n

There was another specter standing just beyond the gate he\u2019d opened on the lower level. Dale growled silently and dispatched the spirit, who like some of the others cried that he\u2019d had no choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he murmured to himself. \u201cI don\u2019t want to do this either. But I have no choice. Rest well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trail of lighted candles and wall-mounted torches led down through a twisting corridor and ended in a long room extending to his right. There was a wooden door just across the room in front of him. About halfway down the room was a fat stone column, with a closed metal gate on its left. To the right was an opening where another gate had been, or perhaps still was but in its open position. Beyond the opening he could see cages \u2013 the full-sized cages that would hold a human.<\/p>\n

And there was the smell of decay.<\/p>\n

Dale cocked his head to the side and listened hard. There were small sounds coming from around a corner at the room\u2019s far end \u2013 breathing, soft steps from side to side.<\/p>\n

Vampire. Here you are, my friend.<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the things he\u2019d learned early in life was to avoid being surrounded, or surprised. It was important to know exactly what was where, if at all possible. So he crossed the room and eased the wooden doors open. Stairs led upward to a landing where they doglegged to the right; and up just a few steps from that landing stood another ghost. Dale drew his blades as silently as he could and rolled forward to attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay away!\u201d the ghost cried. But such was the power of Dale\u2019s surprise attack that the ghost dissolved almost instantly.<\/p>\n

Glad I checked. I wouldn\u2019t have wanted this one to drop down on my head from behind.<\/em><\/p>\n

The upper level the ghost had been guarding was unremarkable; a small locked chamber yielded up a few baubles that would help support the d\u00e9cor in his mausoleum, so Dale was pleased with that. But the prey was below.<\/p>\n

As he descended back toward the main chamber, he heard the vampire muttering to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first kill is always the best. The blood has never tasted as sweet since.\u201d The vampire\u2019s voice was deep, with cultured accents, perhaps an Altmer. Dale couldn\u2019t tell for certain.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some truth to that. But I maintain that it\u2019s the novelty of that first taste that makes it seem special. After that, blood is blood just as bread is bread.<\/em><\/p>\n

He approached the lowered gate carefully. His intention was to conjure a gargoyle to distract the vampire, and then rush in to finish it off. He was just about to cast the spell when another voice stopped him cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on. You know you want what\u2019s in that chest! I know you\u2019re up there. Go get the treasure!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sild. He must have heard me moving around earlier. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI could hide down here forever,\u201d the vampire murmured. \u201cGather a few of the brethren. Strike out on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI think not,\u201d Dale said quietly, casting his gargoyle just past the open entrance. \u201cWe have other plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gargoyle roared. Dale wrapped the shadows around himself and moved into the space behind the closed gate, casting his drain life spell against the thoroughly-preoccupied vampire.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s stronger than I am, and he\u2019s in dwarven make armor. This could be tough.<\/em><\/p>\n

But the vampire was completely fixated on the gargoyle, blasting it with flames and striking at it repeatedly. Dale drew his blades and stepped up behind the vampire, using the gargoyle\u2019s roaring as cover as he stood and drew his blade across the vampire\u2019s throat. He crumpled silently onto the floor but, to Dale\u2019s surprise, did not turn to ashes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Not one of us, for certain.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bathe in your blood!\u201d<\/p>\n

The harsh cry came from the back of the chamber, between two of the large cages. Dale took a step back from the corpse beneath his feet and watched as the gargoyle, still working in spite of its damage, flew to the necromancer and began attacking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s rich!\u201d Dale chuckled. He ran forward with his life-draining spell in one hand and a blade in the other, and stepped into the space left by the gargoyle as it dissipated, having been defeated by Sild\u2019s flames. Sild turned toward him and began casting flames in his direction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The flames hurt, to be certain; but Dale was hunting for his own satisfaction this time and refused to allow anything to stand in the way of his success. He gritted his teeth and stepped closer, still casting life drain. The mage was wearing only the lightest of robes. After just three quick slashes at him Dale\u2019s spell finished the job, pulling the last of Sild\u2019s life energy from him. In a final gesture, Dale knelt to drain the corpse of what little blood it still held.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere, you sick bastard. You\u2019ll not trap any others against their will.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a nearby table was a journal confirming what Dale had suspected. Sild had used the chest as bait to lure unsuspecting adventurers or grave robbers onto the trap door, torturing those who didn\u2019t die in the fall for his own delight before killing them to trap their souls.<\/p>\n

This was a good hunt. Very satisfying. Now to get back to Agryn and Vyctyna. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   \u201cWhat do you mean, no?\u201d Brynjolf stared at Agryn\u2019s golden eyes and nearly flinched at the intense, unwavering stare he had in return. It wasn\u2019t like him. Agryn had always deferred to his former status as the unofficial leader of the Volkihar clan, even after he\u2019d taken the potion that … <\/p>\n

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