The War of Domination

A Fortress Failure

"Why were they still alive? How did the siege fail? How did the Thalmor win Markarth?" Mallory thought as the questions filled her mind.

"Mallory!" A voice called out.

Mallory sighed as she turned to look at who called her. "What?"

"You never answered my question." Aela said looking at the commander with piercing eyes.

Farkas, Tovar, and Njada walked behind her next to the marching soldiers.

"I don't know Companion." Mallory said with a self disappointed tone. "By dumb luck Kirena could be in Markarth."

"And if shes not?" Farkas asked.

"Then so long as you help me in this war, I'll divert resources to finding her." Mallory answered.

"Well hurry up and do it." Njada said in a clear irritated voice. "The bitch needs to suffer for her treachery."

"You don't really think Kirena could do something like this?" Tovar asked, his normal slurred voice that Mallory heard before was gone. Instead it was clear and even.

"I think that we wake up in beds that aren't our own, with injuries we didnt know we had, and nearly all of our numbers dead except for two, who are missing." Njada said.

"Kirena could do all that and she doesn't have the heart to hurt to either." Farkas said solemnly as his thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

"So you think Aetrid did it then? That cunt couldn't even take care of Tilma properly." Njada said continuing to reinforce her point.

"You'd be very surprised then." Mallory said. "I know more damage done by whores, maids, and priests than a warrior or soldier ever could do."

"Whores have their mouths full and their legs open for them to cause anything." Njada smirked at her comment.

"If it wasn't for one whore, General Tullius wouldn't have been aware the Thalmor planned to attack Tamriel." Mallory said in response.

"Let her believe what she wants." Aela said ending the conversation. "But all of you will leave Kirena to me."

Mallory ignored the rest of the conversation as she continued to move forward.

Legate Quentin was talking with a scout before sending him off again. Mallory moved beside him and waited. Naturally she listened in and heard everything.

The scout had seen empty forsworn camps and signs of skirmishes on the road.

"How many did you pass?" Mallory butted in.

"Thirty ma'am." The scout answered.

"How many looked like they fought?" Mallory asked as something prodded her.

"None." The scout said with some disbelief. "All the camps looked like they just left."

"Where the skirmishes you mentioned near any camps?" Legate Quentin asked.

"No, they were all scattered." The scout said.

Mallory looked at Quentin as both were thinking the same thing.

"A large amount of camps, all emptied and basically bodies scattered everywhere with no signs of fighting." She said.

"A clear trap." Quentin said. "But why is it so oblivious? The forsworn are smarter than this."

"I'll send one of my men." Mallory said. "Have the scout show him this place."

Mallory then turned around and pointed to one of her commandos. "Wuuns! Up here, now!"