Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter CXX - Silence

"It all made sense to me."

A deep-voiced scoff reverberated in Bishop's ears. It was all a bit muffled though.

His head was throbbing in pain and his shoulder was stinging and burning. He wasn't even sure how he did that, but he forced himself not to move an inch. There were people there, clearly talking while he was supposed to be unconscious. If he let them know that he was slowly rousing, they would stop. It was quite a challenge though. He had an uncontrollable urge to squirm away from the pain. And after a second, he realized that his eyes were open, but he still couldn't see a thing. It took a bit before he realized that there was a sac on his head. Well... at least they wouldn't notice his eyes involuntarily fluttering open or closed. He just had to keep the rest of his body still as well.

"Have you heard that Orc screech? I'm surprised there are no contracts on him yet. Who wouldn't want to get away from that?" The voice spoke again. Bishop recognized that grey-haired lummox of a Nord. The one that Karnwyr had been so riled up about in Dawnstar. Now it didn't feel like such a mystery. A vampire or a werewolf. Or maybe something else. But definitely something dangerous.

"I know," Gabriella's familiar voice rang through wherever they were.

Where were they? Bishop could only feel cold stone under his lying body with some pebbles and grovel making it even more uncomfortable and even harder not to move. There seemed to be a draft there of cold wind. A cave? Or maybe a very neglected house with all that shit on the floor.

"I'm not saying it didn't make sense," the Dunmer let out a sigh. "Everything made sense. It's just... it was all very... convenient. Like he made it too easy."

Fuck. Had she figured it out? Did they know they were being followed? Aeyrin and the agents were probably hiding outside, wherever they were, waiting for Bishop's signal.

"'Easy'? We've been planning this for days. He's been much more trouble than the rest," another voice scoffed. Female. Most likely the green-eyed one, if Bishop remembered the voice well.

"Exactly. Now he just stays in Morthal with... odd regularity to the things he does. It's... not like him." He could practically hear Gabriella's suspicious scowl in those words. Fuck, this wasn't good. Should he crush the ring now and have the cavalry come to rescue him? No... that would be a waste. He hadn't learned anything yet. And she was still not sure, at least.

"What? One fuck and you think you know him?" The Nord man chuckled at her mockingly.

"That's not it," Gabriella scoffed in response. "It just... felt different."

It must have. He was giving them opportunities like he never had before. Not lately, at least. This talk was getting him worried. If they believed that this was a trap, who knew what they would do to him? His only comfort was the people outside, waiting for his signal.

"Mother provides," a different voice spoke. Jarringly high-pitched. It even sounded erratic. Bishop had never heard it before. "Mother calls her children to her. They can't resist the pull. The others weren't the right ones. Nobody heard. Nobody was chosen by the Mother."

What. The. Fuck?

What the fuck was that squeaky guy talking about? What 'mother'? 'Chosen'? The fuck did all that mean?

"This is the last time we're doing this, you insane creep," the green-eyed woman hissed through gritted teeth. "It's always the same. Nobody ever hears that shriveled up corpse."

"Blasphemy!" the jarring voice squeaked in indignation.

"I don't like this any more than you do, Astrid," Gabriella sighed. Good. Another name. Astrid. That was the green-eyed woman, probably. "He's been too much trouble to be worth this," she growled as she continued. Poor Gabriella. She was really peeved with Bishop, it was obvious. "But if we could really find the Listener..."