A Fool's Blade

Chapter 37 - Recipe For Disaster

"Jade? Is that really you?"

"Yes, Hadring, it is me."

"By the Gods. Where were you, girl? And what did you do with the ring from my vault?"

"Errr...well what happened was..." She needed to think of something fast, "I left the inn because I was kidnapped by the very man who stole that ring. He didn't realize there was someone else in the cellar with him, and when he did, he kidnapped me, hoping he could ransom me, but I escape. I've been trying to keep him off of me all this time."

"Did you get the ring?"

"Get the ring? I barely escaped with my life!"

"That ring is worth more than your life, I assure you. I expect you to pay me back for it."

"Because the small silver ring helped you around the inn for eight years."

"Hmph. I guess you've got a point. Do you remember what the thief looked like?"

"No. He stuck to the shadows and wore a hood, so I never got a good look at him." She said, her mind wandering to thoughts of the thief's red hair, emerald eyes, and thick accent.

"Pity."

"So how's business been?"

"The odd traveler on the road. But mostly just old Fultheim. Course there's the Orc. Long-term tenant, that one, taken up residence in your old room. For what he pays, I could afford to shut this place down."

"What's his name?"

"Him? Oh... Ah, name's Balablob or Malaclob, one of them funny Orc names. Talks real good, though. Not a savage at all. Said he's a writer. Don't know what kind of job that is, but it must earn him some pretty coin. He's paid up for the next few months. He mostly just hangs about. Goes down to the lake, sometimes samples the stores of wine in the cellar. Man can do whatever he pleases, far as I care. Why don't you go down there and see of there is anything he needs?"

"Yes, Hadring." She said obediently, walking down the steps to the cellar. Looking around she saw no sign of her old hay bed. Instead it the area looked fully furnished, even with tables and chairs, but with no Orc. Climbing through the trap door to the cellar, Jade searched around, spotting Balagog on the pier that stretched out into the center of the lake. Perfect. "The lake looks so pretty in the afternoon, don't you think?"

The Orc jumped a bit, startled by the sound of another voice. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can't be of help. I'm just here on... holiday."

"A writer on holiday?" She leaned against the frost covered, wooden railing, "I don't buy it, but I guess I would be cautious if I were you as well. "

"What do you mean by that?"

"Simple. I know your secret." Jade said sing-songingly, giggling.

"I'm sure. I have no idea what you're suggesting."

"So tell me Balagog, the last book you wrote, it wouldn't happen to have been Uncommon Taste, would it?"

"I don't believe I am familiar with the name. Like I said I'm only here on holiday."

"Oh? Well that's strange, considering the books is quite renowned through out all of Skyrim. Surely even a writer on holiday should of at least heard it once. I was just wondering if you had heard of the rumor about the author. The Gourmet."

"What exactly would that be?"

"That the Emperor will die. Murdered, by the Gourmet."

"What? The Emperor? But I... Oh. Oh, by the gods, no. No, you can't do this. You can't!"  Balagog turned to run back to the trap door, but never arrived due to Jade's arrow piercing his back.

"This is why I kill them in their sleep. They don't run when their unconscious and I don't have to worry about arrow retrieval." She mumbled to herself, pulling the arrow from the corpse, cleaning the red off in the snow. Grabbing one of the arms, she hulled the body back over to the pier, shoving the corpse into the lake. Lighting the arrow tip with a flames spell Festus had taught her, she fired it into carcass, setting it alight. Turning her back to the burning remains, Jade slipped back down into the cellar, heading up the stairs to inn, were she was greeted with familiar sounds of what seemed like drunken brawling. Isn't it just great to be back home?