Walk in the Shadows

Four

"Have you met Mercer yet?" asked a Nord man named Rune. He was the kindest member of the Guild I had met—besides Bryn, of course. We had been talking for quite some time. He had introduced me to other members like a Breton named Etienne Rarnis and other Nord men named Thrynn and Vipir the Fleet. Brynjolf had been too busy to introduce me to anyone but Rune, saying he had to go talk to Mercer before he showed me more of the Cistern.

I shook my head and glanced towards where Bryn stood, by a desk on the other side of the Cistern. He had been speaking to an older Breton man—I assumed it was Mercer—for nearly ten minutes. Judging by his tight expression and crossed arms, Bryn did not like what Mercer was telling him.

"Be careful, then." Rune touched a hand to my arm. "He's not one to trust outsiders."

"Is that why the Guild is having a rough time?"

Rune shrugged. "I don't know. I just know he doesn't like new members that he didn't recruit personally. He ain't too fond of lady elves, either."

I furrowed my brow, scowling. "And what, exactly, is his problem with 'lady elves'?"

"He never says. But I know he doesn't like them for some reason."

I rested my fists on my hips. "The guy sounds like a pompous jackass."

"Don't let him catch you saying that, or he'll throw you off the docks outside Riften personally."

"Thanks for the advice."

"Lass!" Bryn called from across the Cistern. His voice bounced off the moist, stony walls of the room. "Need to see you!"

I gave Rune a half-smile. "That's my cue. See you later?"

He returned my smile. "I hope so. Good luck, Femke." He gave me a double thumbs-up.

I walked towards Bryn, having to suppress a chuckle. Nice guy, that Rune, I thought.

I walked over one of the four interlocking bridges in the middle of the Cistern, meeting with Bryn and Mercer in the middle. The latter had his arms crossed over his black leather-clad chest, and a disdainful frown on his face.

Yep, I was right. Pompous little—

"Lass," Brynjolf said, interrupting my thoughts, "this is Mercer Frey. Our Guild Master."

"You'd best not forget that, either," Mercer said. His voice was nowhere near nice, having what seemed to be a permanent, condescending undertone. "Brynjolf here assures me you'll be nothing but an asset to us, but let me be the judge of that. We've already got a job for you."

"A job?"

"Yes, a job. You're expected to work. Didn't Brynjolf tell you that?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "What's the job?"

"Goldenglow Estate."

"Whoa, Mercer," Bryn said, stepping closer. "Goldenglow? Even our own little Vex couldn't break into that place. Are you sure—"

"I thought you said she had the makings of a true thief. If that's the case, she won't need to wade into this life. And if she dies at Goldenglow, then she wasn't much use to us, anyway."

I bristled. How dare he! "Now, just a minute—"

"I wasn't done." Mercer held an open palm to me. "Let me finish." He cast a glare at Brynjolf. "If you'll keep your mouth shut...."

Bryn nodded, but he had an irritated scowl on his face.

"Anyway," Mercer said with a roll of his eyes, "we need you to break into the estate, burn down no more than three beehives, and clear out the owner, Aringoth's safe. Got it?"

I nodded, although I could not help but be miffed at his attitude. "Loud and clear."

"Good." He started to walk back to his desk, but Bryn stopped him by clearing his throat.

"Mercer? Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes." He turned back to me. "Welcome to the Thieves Guild." And he left.

Wasn't exactly the welcome I was expecting.

Bryn scoffed. "Don't let him get you down, lass. He's always been like that. Just be glad you caught him on a good day."

"That is what you'd call a good day?" I let out a whistle. "I don't even want to know what he's like on a bad day."

"Chin up, lass. You'll do fine."

"What is Goldenglow Estate, exactly? Must be a bee farm, if they have hives."

"Goldenglow Estate is the Black-Briar family's main source of honey for their mead. It used to be the Guild's sweetest deal. The owner, Aringoth, used to pay for our protection, and in return, Maven allowed us to rob some of the shipments."

"What happened?"

"The shipments stopped coming in. To say the least, Maven is very displeased with that. She's hired us to teach Aringoth a lesson."

"By burning down his hives and stealing stuff from his safe."

"Exactly."

"So I'm supposed to go to the estate, burn down the hives, and then sweep the safe?"

"You can't burn down more than three hives. Do that, and it'll be Mercer who has to appease Maven."

I nodded. "All right. Don't burn down more than three hives. Anything else?"

"Vex was sent to investigate the estate before you came to Riften. She came back and reported that the whole place is swarming with mercenaries."

"Which is why you said she couldn't get in?"

He nodded, expression grim. "I can't believe Mercer is sending you in there."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've been thrown to the wolves. I can handle it, Bryn."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "If you have to, kill the mercenaries."

"What about the estate owner, Aringoth?"

"If you can get him to cooperate, great. If not... kill him, too. We can't afford to leave him alive if he won't cooperate with us." He sighed. "That's the last thing I want you to do. But it may have to be done."

"Got it."

"Before you go," He laid a hand on my shoulder, "see Tonilia back in the Flagon. She'll set you up with some armor. And..." He gave me a gentle pat on the back. "Welcome to the family, Femke."

I smiled a little. "Thanks, Brynjolf."

"Good luck on the job. Don't get killed."

I laughed. "I'll certainly try not to."

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A/N: My apologies for not updating in so long! I was so super busy last week, I had no time to write! But now, I've found a little more spare time this week, so thankfully, I have been able to update. I hope to get the next chapter for Victory or Sovngarde up soon, too, so that's good news for those of you who are waiting for that.
Thank you for being patient with me! Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed!
Love and sweetrolls!
~WG