Walk in the Shadows

Thirty-Three

Solitude had been wonderful, but I was glad to be home at last.

On the last day of our honeymoon, I fulfilled my promise to Bryn, and we heisted several stores in the dead of night. No one had suspected anything the next morning, but we made sure to hightail it out of the city before anyone started pointing fingers.

After many days of traveling, Bryn and I had finally come within sight of our home. The trees around the crumbling path cleared a little, giving us a view of the front gates, down to the dingy stones and ivy breaking through the mortar. I chuckled under my breath, remembering what it was like when I first came to Riften, and how much I had changed in the past months.

"Something funny, lass?" asked Brynjolf as we jumped out of the carriage.

"Nothing, honey. Just... reminiscing."

The guards opened the front gate for us, and instantly I knew something was off within the city. There was a shift in the wind. Something had happened while we were gone. Something big enough to change the very air around the city.

As we ambled through the buildings, seeking the cause of the strangeness, Bryn and I came across one of Maven's personal lackeys, Maul—brother of our very own Dirge—strangling the stable master's helper in front of the Barb.

"Maul!" I shouted, and the brute dropped the poor Redguard instantly. The stablehand got to his feet and scurried back towards the gates, thanking me as he went.

"Oh," said Maul, facing me. His meaty arms crossed over his steel-covered chest, muscles flexing as he said, "you're back from... wherever you went."

"Why were you trying to kill that poor sod?" asked Bryn. "You ought to know better than that."

He responded by shrugging one massive shoulder. "A fella has to make money somehow. Hard when you're unemployed."

"Unemployed?" I asked. "But you work for Maven."

He laughed harshly, the sounds bouncing off the walls around us. "That's rich." His face became hard. "And also not funny at all."

"What are you talking about?"

His brow rose, eyes widening. "You don't know, do you?"

I gave Bryn a confused glance, which he returned. "Know what?"

"The day after you left, Maven was found dead in her office. Her face was still twisted in fear, like she'd been... scared to death."

My jaw dropped open. "Maven Black-Briar is... dead?"

Maul nodded. "Yeah. Hemming has been taking care of the meadery, and Ingun's been working to get her family's affairs in order. The guards have even allowed Sibbi to be released from prison. They said he's served his sentence, and he deserves to be with his family now."

I could not believe it. Maven was actually dead? The old hag finally kicked? I wanted to laugh, but I thought better of it. It would not be an acceptable reaction to finding out about something so morbid. "This is... shocking."

Maul nodded. "With Maven dead, the Black-Briars decided they didn't need my services anymore. I've had to start beating people senseless for coin." He cringed. "I'm better than this."

"You are, which is why I want you to return to the Guild," I said. "Be a lookout like your brother. We pay better than the Black-Briars, I bet."

"You do at the moment, anyway." He laughed a little. "All right, I'll do it. Thanks... boss."

After Maul left to go through the Ratway, Bryn and I took the secret entrance to the Guild. We stepped down the ladder and into the dark, smelly, and dank Cistern.