The Wolf Queen Awakens

Chapter 18

Irkngthand was as horrible as Sapphire had thought it might be, in fact it was worse. She'd always avoided Dwemer ruins on principle – why fight all those automatons and Falmer when there were easier pickings in Skyrim's towns and cities? But she had no choice in the matter this time.

So there they'd been, making their way through a ruined city, fighting off automatons and Falmer, avoiding traps and seething as Mercer fled ahead of them. He'd left a shadowmark and bottle of Black-Briar reserve for them near the entrance, and Karliah even spotted him below them in the lower chamber.

"We're not too late," she'd gasped, relieved. Brynjolf had cracked his knuckles, growling.

"We've not caught him yet," he'd muttered. "If he gets those Eyes ahead of us..."

"We can't let him get away," Karliah had said, leading the way. "It's too important."

So on they'd battled, Karliah obsessing over the Key, Brynjolf over the Eyes and Sapphire... Sapphire just wanted revenge. He'd let her entire Guild get murdered to cover his tracks. This one was personal – although the coin from the Eyes would be nice too.

After slogging through a particularly densely infested settlement of Falmer, they finally arrived at a door, behind which could be heard the sound of tools on metal.

"He's still here," Karliah whispered.

"And so are the Eyes," Sapphire said, nudging the door open and creeping in. That was right, concentrate on the coin, on the gemstones, thinking of the shiny gleam of a sapphire took her mind off all the blood in the Cistern after the Thalmor had finished with it.

Despite everyone moving silently, somehow Mercer heard them. Grinning from where he was dangling from the crown of the biggest statue Sapphire had ever seen, prising the left eye out of it, Mercer laughed at where the three of them were crouching.

"When will you learn, Karliah, you can't get the drop on me!" Mercer sneered.

"Mercer!" Karliah shouted. "Give us the Key, Mercer. It's over."

"I don't think so, Karliah!" Mercer laughed. "Here, time for you and Brynjolf to get reacquainted."

A blast of some strange magic, and Sapphire threw up her hand instinctively, some power coming from her and she'd have said it was Nocturnal's had she not done the same thing when the Thalmor came, throwing up some sort of aura that had absorbed their magic and left her virtually unharmed. That same aura was buzzing around her now and Mercer's stolen gifts breezed right past her... but Brynjolf wasn't so lucky. He drew Chillrend and turned on Karliah.

"Brynjolf, what-!" Karliah cried, drawing her dagger.

"I can't stop, lass, I'm sorry!" Brynjolf cried, doing his best to not swing Chillrend at her but not entirely succeeding. Sapphire tried to grab Brynjolf's arm but he was too strong and just shrugged her off. Sapphire had no choice but to leave them both. Maybe if she killed Mercer, his spell would die with him.

"So, little Sapphire, you're still alive," Mercer growled, approaching with sword drawn. "Crawled to safety over the bodies of all those Thalmor like you did before, hmm?"

"I crawled nowhere, Mercer," Sapphire snapped, Nightingale Blade standing ready to avenge its former owner. "I stood and fought and I won. And I'll do the same today."

"Spoken like a true Nord. If only they let thieves into Sovngarde," Mercer sneered, his own Dwemer blade at the ready.

Sapphire had been raised on tales of Sovngarde, but farmers weren't warriors and both her parents had known Sovngarde wasn't for them. Wasn't for her either – not now anyway. Evergloam was her destination and Sapphire found she preferred it that way.