Burning Today Options

[Olen]

Some of you probably remember my last piece, Yesterday's Shadow and that it had a rather unsatisfying ending. I spent the summer rectifying this and now have a sizeable sequel/ completion to it which is itself now finished. It would probably be better to read Yesterday's Shadow before this as it would make more sense, however you should get by without it. If anyone wants I'll put a synopsis here, though Yesterday's Shadow isn't very long so you could just read it here (enough plugs yet?)

Anyway without further ado:

Burning Today

Prologue

Dervas wore boots while he worked. Shoes didn't last long in the decaying mixture of blood, vomit, drink and drugs which floored The Black Guar. The dark man had finally passed out and for the first time Dervas dared look at him. A worn man with a broken soul. Who are you? The Black Guar didn't get passing trade – the mixture of pushers, heavies and racketeers who made up most of his patronage didn't appreciate strangers. In the first hour the man, who now lay face down on the table, had knocked two out cold and broken another's arm. They left him alone after that and he them. Dervas wiped the remains of a line of sugar off the bar and nodded to the bouncer who went to move the man to his room.

Someone knocked at the door. Dervas ignored it. They knocked again, for longer this time. He cursed and went to tell whoever it was where to go. It was late an he didn't need any more trade. He pushed open the door, a curse dancing on his tongue. A sack crashed to the ground, gold clinked within. A Breton in black clothes stood in the doorway.

“What's his tab?” There was no need to ask whose.

“Sixty.”

The Breton showed no surprise, and counted out the gold. “Listen,” his tone offered pain if Dervas didn't, “You keep giving that guy drinks, drugs, whores, whatever he asks for okay? For him happy hour doesn't end, tabs never have to be paid. Push as much as you can into him. Don't worry - I'll be round a couple of nights a week to pay you. That sack,” he kicked disdainfully at the one he'd just dropped, “Contains a thousand drakes, payment enough I'd say. If he asks don't tell him, just give him more drink. Understand?”

Dervas nodded, his mouth was dry.

The man disappeared into the night.

Dervas walked back into the bar. He looked towards the dark man's room. Who are you? he thought again, And what have I gotten into?

[Olen]

11. Choice

I sat bolt upright. Instantly awake. The tail of some nightmare evaporated with the dawn sun under the shutters. I didn't feel rested, but in the night I had come to a decision. I was running blindly, in Firewatch I might have thought I'd escaped the bonds fate had on me but I'd been wrong. At least this time I would find out as much as I could. The caravan was weak, I would find out how weak, and where best to hit it. It didn't take me long to pack, all I had were the clothes on my back, the sword and the sack of stolen gold. If I was going to be attacking the caravan I would need some armour at least, and a change of clothes once these were soaked in blood. I pushed open the room door to find Balas standing at the bar.

"Morning," he said.

I nodded, "I'm leaving today. Where can I buy stuff in Helnim Wall?"

"What sort of stuff?"

"Some supplies and some armour. And some information."

"I won't ask," he said, "Try the market for your goods, just go left out the door. For information... well I can guess. Telvar Senim knows everything that goes down in town, he's the smith, I dare say he'll be at his forge in the market."

"Thanks," I said and left. He looked slightly put out that I didn't tip him but I doubted I'd see him again.

The sun was low above the eastern moors, the morning haze chilling its blue light. I turned left down the main street and was almost immediately in the market, though the small collection of stalls in a hollow beside the inn was worthy of the title. Most of them were closed, or only just opening. The smithy was on the other side, I could hear the clatter of hammer on anvil. I walked towards it and bought a few bags of food on the way. When I arrived at the forge the smith didn't look up.

I coughed, "Telvar Senim, I believe?"

The burly dunmer stopped hammering and brushed some dirt from his apron, "What's it to you outlander?"

I put twenty gold pieces down on the anvil.

"You've got my ear," he said, but grudgingly.

"I'm interested in buying armour."

"Yes?"

Dour local, I thought. "What do you work in? I want lighter stuff, I need travel quickly."

"Depends how deep you're pocket is, and how long you have to wait."

"If you have any ready made-"

"I'm a smith, of course I do but I make them for dunmer not your sort. None of them would fit you. If you want them now I have an old leather suit should fit you, or some plate but it needs repairing."

"Can I see them?"

Telvar nodded and raked though one of the many chests behind him, when he turned he had two suits of armour, "This is the plate," he handed me a pauldron. Good thick stuff."

He wasn't lying. It felt like it would happily stop anything short of a falling tree, and even then it might. It also weighed an astonishing amount. I shook my head, "Too heavy."

"Fair enough," he handed me the leather. It was good quality stuff, a bit on the heavy side because the hides were thick and coated in a hard lacquer of some sort. But it was a nice piece, well looked after too.

"This'll do," I said trying not to sound to enthusiastic. I didn't really want to sacrifice too much protection for lightness and this was a good excuse not to, "How much?"

"Two hundred and fifty."

"No. As you said it won't fit your usual customers and there aren't any boots. The greaves are a bit flimsy too."

"You said you wanted to travel quickly. You need to move your legs freely. Two fifty or you can go elsewhere, outlander."

"These are worth about one fifty, but," I forestalled his protest, "I hear you know plenty about what's happening in this part of the world. Two hundred and you answer some questions of mine."

"Two fifty."

"Done." It was a nice bit of armour and I needed answers. Still my money bag felt rather light as I put it away.

"Thank you, if you're ever passing by and need a smith," he tipped his head, "Anyway these questions." The money had warmed him rather, I wandered how much less I could have gotten away with, but at least he was talking easier than the ones in Firewatch... I shuddered.

"A slave train passed though here," I said recovering myself, "When?"

"They came in five days ago, left two days later. Well the train did but the leader fell out with his mercenary escort so they were here until the day before yesterday drinking."

"How big was it, when it left?"

"Twenty seven slaves I think. Ten handlers, one was a mage. The rest didn't look particularly good fighters, just Dres bully boys, not that they were officially Dres of course. They were headed for Alt Bosara, I'd say they'll get there in about four days, probably to take a boat south. You wanted to travel fast, you might catch them if you're quick, or if they're waylaid. Once you've robbed it if you have any weapons to sell then come and find me. The leader was a fetcher, not that I care much. Good time for your sort I suppose."

He'd mistaken me for a robber. That suited me just fine, especially seeing as he didn't care. "Why would it be so good?" I asked.

"All these killings," he replied, "You must have heard. They'll just blame it on the witch."

"A witch?"

"Well," he said, "Don't know for certain but Telvar, he hears things, knows people. A hunter told me he saw a lone witch headed towards Stent the afternoon before it made the jump to ghost-town. There's a few other rumours too, by the look of it she's working her way south from up north. Stent, Ness, Aldram, all a bit south of the last. I know Hmaga and Illern aren't widely talked about but there were a few barns burnt and a couple of people disappeared. Her if you ask me. Anyway if I lived in Irrith I'd be making a sharp exit."

"Why?"

"Look at the way she's headed. Bad one if you ask me but Irrith is the right sort of place for her; out the way, smallish; a village. They were all that way. And I heard that someone saw her a bit east of here," he saw my blank look, "Irrith is two days south east, suppose that's good for you. The caravan will be on a different road so she won't get there first." He laughed blackly.

"No, tell me more about this. How would I get to Irrith?" It had to be Renera, maybe I could help her.

"You don't want to go there," he saw my expression, "Well, it seems a shame to waste such good armour... Take the road south, the Irrith road branches off it just out of town."

"How certain are you that she's headed that way?"

"Well my source is reliable so the signs point that way but when a mage looses it who knows? Suppose she might have some worthwhile stuff to take." he tilted his head again.

I took the armour and left. Things had been simple. Now they weren't. The caravan was weak, I could catch it and it was as good a chance as I was likely to get at rescuing Varnan. If he reached the docks... well I didn't even want to think. But Renera, for it had to be to be her, was killing innocent civilians in the local area. Only I knew what had happened, and in truth I felt somewhat responsible. The problem was of my making, so I had to sort it.

But there would not be time to rescue Varnan.

But Renera needed me. After all the years it was her.

I took a seat on a broken crate and put my face in my hands. Both were good opportunities, but I could only take one. I should save Varnan, was that not what my aim had been? I saw the sense in it but that might damn who knew how many to death if I did nothing against Renera. She had known me, I'd been the last she'd seen before... whatever happened had happened. Maybe I could bring her out of it. It's beyond your depth old man. It was true. But what was also true was that I dearly wanted to go after Renera. That only made the decision harder because I knew that going after her may be the right thing, but if I did it would be that sharp streak of self interest shining though. I would abandon Varnan.

They say they were nailed to walls and left hanging from the trees. Men, women and children. The words of rumour slipped back. I knew what I would do, perhaps I had since the first mention of it. I would go after Renera, for better or worse. I would abandon Varnan. Again. I only hoped it wasn't entirely down to my own desire to see Renera again.

***

I reached Irrith the following afternoon but didn't go into town. It was set in a hollow in dense woodland miles from anything recognisable as a road; six finger country if I ever saw it. There were about ten houses, a few women were outside gossiping as they worked while the men saw to the guar. I guessed some would be out hunting so I backed a little down the hill and skirted round the village and into the forest where I sat against a tree and continued watching. Clearly Renera hadn't been here, the question was had she passed it by or was she still to arrive. Yet again I wandered at the wisdom of trusting Telvar. It wasn't that I thought he was lying, but I wandered about his ability to tell fact from rumour.

Even so I had made my way as quickly as possible to Irrith, so it was quite possible I had arrived in time. I settled against the mossy tree trunk and took off my pack. Should I warn the inhabitants? It had certainly been my plan but looking down at them I doubted they would be any help at all. At best they would get jumpy and things would seem wrong, more likely they would panic. The vale was the perfect ambush, I could wait at the top with a perfect view and remain unseen. It was just a case of waiting until she showed up.

And then what? She might kill a few before I got down. An acceptable risk though if it meant I could catch her, and with her engaged in the chaos I would have as good a chance as any to get close enough to strike. I wasn't sure exactly what I would do, maybe seeing me would be enough. I didn't believe it though. I stood again and looked down into the Village. Children played among their mother's skirts. Men cut wood for the fires, butchered meat. A simple life. It was only later that I saw the similarity to another village; one in Cyrodiil from many years before.

I watched, and waited.

This post has been edited by Olen: Dec 19 2009, 02:46 PM