Legends of Skyrim: The Sapphire Smuggler (BOOK THREE)

VI - Speaking With Silence

Snow Veil Sanctum was a Nord barrow, directly north of Windhelm. As Ji'ssa emerged from the snowy winds, she saw Mercer, standing above a tent, two bed rolls, and a dead horse. "Good, you're finally here," he turned to face the Khajiit, "I've scouted the ruins and I'm certain Karliah is still inside."
"You saw her?" Ji'ssa asked.
"No, I found her horse," he gestured towards it with his blood-stained sword, "Don't worry, I've taken care of it... she won't be using it to escape. Let's get moving. I want to catch her inside while she's distracted."
The two walked down the steps to the door of the barrow. It had an iron lock restraining the door itself, as if its purpose was to keep something inside. "They say that these ancient Nordic burial mounds are sometimes impenetrable," Mercer rolled his eyes at Ji'ssa's inability to open it, "This one doesn't look too difficult."
Kneeling, he produced an odd-looking lockpick from his pocket and slot it into the keyhole. It twisted as if it were the key itself, and opened instantly. "Quite simple, really," he stepped back as the locks, one by one, sunk back into the rock, "I don't know what the fuss is about these locks. All it takes it a bit of know-how and a lot of skill. After you, cat."
Upon entering, as with many other Nordic ruins, the two began the descent down a set of narrow stairs. At the bottom, coming through the first room, they both stopped as it contained several sarcophagi, all of which were already open. Three dead Draugr were lying face-down on the ground, and there was a chain on the right wall ready to open a gate. "Watch out for the spikes," Mercer pointed to a spike wall trap rigged, hidden behind some roots and vines, "Looks like Karliah reset all of the traps."
Ji'ssa took hold of the chain and pulled. As the gate scraped away from the rock, she rolled away, just in time to avoid the spike wall impaling her.

 Down a shorter flight of stairs, the two Thieves found themselves in a room with bone chimes hanging from the ceiling; around the room were five upright sarcophagi, four of which containing slumbering Draugr. "Bone chimes..." Mercer commended, "Clever. Rigged to wake the Draugr, I'd bet. Don't blunder into any of them."
Before they could reach the iron door on the other side of the room, Ji'ssa noticed a side corridor. Through it, on a plinth, oil slicked about the floor beneath it, was a model ship. She became transfixed by it, and decided to look closer. "What are you doing?" Mercer demanded, keeping his voice hushed.
Approaching, Ji'ssa saw oil lamps hanging precariously above. Observing the model closer, she saw that it was a recreation of the Katariah, the Emperor of Skyrim's own vessel. Her fingers itched to steal it, but Mercer caught her hand. "I know this type of bait," he warned, "That's weighted. As soon as the ship is lifted, the lamps will fall. Leave it, cat."
Her eyes shimmered desperately as she reached for one of her more heavy coin pouches. She held her breath as she prepared to make the swap. She placed the pouch on the edge of the pressure plate and, in a quick motion, rolled it to the centre as she lifted the model. Stepping backwards, she sighed as the lamps continued to swing. Stepping back, Mercer watched her, admittedly impressed. Still, the two pressed on through an iron door. Before it opened, Mercer quickly yanked Ji'ssa back as, from above it, poison arrows shot out and struck the stone stairs, barely missing the Khajiit's tail. "Thank you." she held out her hand.
"Keep your eyes open," Mercer sneered, walking through once the arrows ceased, "You'll get yourself killed."
Slowly lowering her hand, Ji'ssa cracked her neck once before following the Guild Master.

The passage beyond the door lead to a puzzle door at the far end. Ji'ssa had encountered these types of doors before; most of them required the correct arrangement of totem symbols using nearby clues, riddles found in books, or carvings found on corresponding dragon claws, artefacts made from various materials. "How quaint." Mercer rubbed his hands together.
Currently, the symbols were arranged, top to bottom, as depicting two hawks and one snake. Mercer almost flinched at the arrangement, but kept his cool as he looked at the door. "How are we going to open it?" Ji'ssa asked, "Karliah certainly already did away with it."
"Fortunately, these doors have a weakness if you know how to exploit it," he took the unusual lockpick and stuck it into the middle hole of three below the symbols, "Quite simple, really."
As he turned the lockpick back and forth, the third wheel spun once, and all three turned to hawks. Dust fell from the roof as the door slowly sunk into the stone below. "Karliah's close, I'm certain of it," Mercer readied his sword, not sure of what to expect, "Now let's get moving."
As the door finally descended, Ji'ssa looked into the next room. It was a series of terraces up to an upright sarcophagus, with a lowered gate behind it, and the chain to operate it to the right. The only thing in the final room of any interest was a skeleton on the floor, a dagger lodged in the back of its rib cage. Stepping through ahead of Mercer, Ji'ssa suddenly froze as she felt something sting her. Looking down, she saw an arrow implanted in her left breast. Mercer's eyes widened as she fell to her knees, he caught her and lowered her down. He couldn't hear what he whispered to her, in fact her vision was growing hazy. As he stepped away, leaving her paralysed against the cold stone, she began slipping in and out of consciousness. She thought she watched as someone stepped forward from out of the shadows.