Walk in the Shadows

Eight

I slept in the carriage on the way home. Instead of staying the night in the city, I saved money by curling up on a bedroll at the bottom of the wagon. It actually was not so uncomfortable. It was better than the bed I had back in Dawnstar, which had been hardly anything more than a board of wood layered with a couple deer hides.

We reached Riften by midmorning the next day. The sun was out, and a light breeze blew through the beautiful golden- and red-leaved trees. My father had always compared the trees in the Rift to those back in his homeland of Valenwood. Said that he wished he had settled here instead of in Dawnstar, where the only trees were needled ones and were nothing like the ones here.

I shook my head—and the painful memories of my father aside—and jumped out of the carriage. I thanked the driver for bringing me all the way, then headed for the door into the city.

"Halt!" said the guard. "You need to pay a visitor's tax—"

"This is a shakedown, and a load of horse—"

The guard held his hands in front of himself. "Okay, okay! Don't be so loud. Go right in."

I ducked my head, pulled my hood up, then went through the gates. Stupid guards. Could they not see that I was wearing Guild armor? Did they really want to mess with someone who had Maven Black-Briar at her back?

Speaking of Maven....

I found her standing by the marketplace, her hand on her chin as she observed the meat and vegetables from a Dunmer woman's food cart. As soon as she saw me, she dropped her hand and approached.

"Good heavens, what happened to you?"

I pursed my lips and dabbed a finger against the thick scab on my jaw. "Went through two levels of Oblivion, it seemed. But the job's finished. Here's the information you requested." I handed her the note from my satchel, which she took eagerly.

As she read, her brow knitted together, deeper and deeper as time passed. "This doesn't tell me much. All that identifies Sabjorn's mysterious partner is this odd little symbol." She pointed to the symbol at the top of the page.

"Yes, I've seen that symbol before."

"Well, whoever this mysterious marking represents, they'll regret starting a war with me." She handed the note back to me. "You should bring this information to the Thieves Guild immediately. There's also the matter of your payment. I think you'll find this more than adequate for your services."

She gave me a small bag full of coins. It weighed a ton, it seemed. I put it in my bag, nodded in thanks, then headed towards the secret Guild entrance. I had to speak to Bryn about this. Maybe he could identify the symbol now.

As I stepped off the ladder, I looked for Bryn in the Cistern. With it being so dark in here, and everyone's armor looking almost identical, it made it hard to find him.

In the end, I did not find him. He found me. He managed to sneak up behind me and tap my shoulder before I even knew he was there.

Bryn chuckled as I startled at his touch. "Word on the street is poor Sabjorn has found himself in Whiterun's prisons. How unfortunate for him."

I shrugged his hand away and turned around. A grin tugged at one side of my lips. "Yet very fortunate for Maven."

"Exactly! Now you're beginning to see how our little system works."

I pulled my hood down, still grinning. At first, Bryn was smiling, too. But then his gaze fell to the cut on my face, as well as the still-stinging venom spots spattered across my flesh.