The Brothers Moonborn

Six

With no guards to help us catch the crazed killer stalking the streets of Windhelm, Farkas and I prepared ourselves for any outcome.

Once night fell, we had made our way into the Stone Quarter. Farkas volunteered to patrol the area surrounding the inn, which left me to watch the marketplace. While I was more than sure that the killing would take place in the market, Farkas didn't seem so convinced. Since it didn't require both of us to watch one place at a time, and it would be suspicious if we did, we had split up.

If something happened, we just had to hope that the guards would step in and help if we could not reach one another.

Bundled in my cloak, I leaned against the chest-high wall that separated the blacksmith's shop from the market. The chill had set in about an hour ago, but I kept myself warm by hunkering down. Not only did it help preserve any heat left in my body, but it also helped me hide from any prying eyes.

Once this was all over, I would have to write Ylva a letter to tell her about everything.

Ylva. Gods, I missed her so much already. We'd only been gone for a few days, and yet it felt like weeks. Strange. We'd spent so much time apart not but a few months ago, but this felt different. Maybe it was because I was the one out in the world while she remained at home with our children. Was she worried for me? I hadn't sent a letter yet, and I had told her that I would do what I could to write to her as often as possible. Would she worry that something had happened?

It was probably for the best that I hadn't written to her yet. If she knew I was chasing after a murderer, she might have a reason to worry.

I sighed, watching my breath crystalize in the air. The moons were bright tonight, and green light streaked across the sky like flames. It was beautiful here. I could see why Ylva's father had wanted to settle down here so long ago. Ylva told me that her father loved to stargaze. This was certainly a good Hold to do that in. Nothing but snowcapped mountains and fir trees for miles. Mountain air that freezes within the lungs, makes the nose hurt, but wakes up the tired mind.

I suppressed a yawn. My mind may have been awake, but my body was ready for the warm bed back at the inn. I'd been standing out here for more than three hours, waiting for a killer who didn't seem to want to come. Had he caught wind of our plans?

Just as I had started to worry that the Butcher wasn't going to show up, the sound of light footfalls caught my attention. I stood up straight, following the sound to see a High Elf woman out for a midnight stroll. She hugged her arms close to herself, her cloak pulled taut across her narrow shoulders. She had come from the pathway to my left, on the side where another Altmeri woman sold weaponry. This High Elf had her hair tied up in twin buns on the top of her head, and her slanted eyes were hooded as she kept her face toward her feet.

She didn't seem to notice the second pair of footsteps stalking behind her.

To be fair, the second set of footfalls was almost imperceptible. To the untrained ear, it would be easy to miss. But as someone who had spent a great deal of time in the wilds, hunting prey, I knew how to listen for this sort of thing.

I jerked my head to the side where the footfalls were coming from, seeing a small silhouette creeping like a thief in the night. I couldn't see his face thanks to the hood he kept over his head, but I could clearly see the knife in his hand.

"Stop!" I shouted, pushing off the wall to stand in between the woman and her stalker. "Drop the knife!"

In response, the man before me slashed upward with practiced ease, cutting a gash into the side of my face.

My face lit up like dry kindling, and I had to bite back a curse as sticky blood sprang from the wound. I recoiled, but not before I shoved the woman behind me. I then grabbed my sword off my back, blinking the tears out of my eyes while I stared this man down.