The Silencer

Chapter 12

I took a step toward the Khajiit, his form still and unmoved as his gaze followed my every movement.

"What does that mean?" My voice trembled slightly as I advanced closer. "Who are you?"

But Maiq remained silent.

"Oh my Bal." Amon's scoffing voice startled me, and I turned to face him, irritation prickling at the edges of my patience.

When I looked back, the Khajiit was already gone. "Are you talking to yourself now?" Amon's tone dripped with mockery, laced with a feigned concern that made my skin crawl.

"The Kha—" I stopped myself, biting back the words that would only fuel his ridicule. "Nothing."

"Are you sure?" His voice carried a dangerous hint of mischief, as if he found delight in my unease.

I met his mismatched eyes with a sharp glare. He stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his armor, exuding a smugness that set my nerves on edge.

"You are awake." I sighed, "That means we can finally go." I brushed past him, our shoulders grazing ever so slightly as I made my way toward the inn.

"Gather your things. We're leaving in ten."

As I packed my belongings and secured the mantle around my shoulders, my mind swirled with thoughts that threatened to overwhelm me. Dragons, an unknown company, and now, hallucinations?

This wasn't the life I envisioned within the Brotherhood.

Maybe choosing one family over another was a grave mistake.

"Let's go." Amon opened the door without so much as a knock, his composed demeanor unsettling me even further.

"Don't you know how to knock?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes as I grabbed my backpack.

"You said ten minutes."

I rolled my eyes, brushing past him once more. Our shoulders touched again, the contact deliberate, though I couldn't tell if it was meant to provoke me or offer some twisted reassurance.

"Ouch!" A child's cry of pain pierced the air, pulling me from my thoughts.

"That's what you get!" A little girl's voice responded, laced with a wicked satisfaction.

I glanced over, noticing the boy doubled over, clutching his crotch in pain—the girl's handiwork, no doubt. A smirk tugged at my lips as I patted her on the back before stepping out of the inn.

The cool evening air carried a weight of anticipation as Amon and I rode side by side, the road beneath us leading to Fort Kastav. The horizon was ablaze with the fading hues of sunset, the deep orange slowly giving way to the creeping darkness.

"So," Amon's voice broke the silence, a curious edge to it. "How does it feel to be an assassin of the Brotherhood?"

"Hollow," I replied, the word slipping from my lips like a sigh, filled with a silent resignation. My eyes remained on the horizon, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"Rather grim, don't you think?" he remarked, his tone tinged with amusement, as if he found pleasure in my discontent.

"More than it should be," I mumbled, straightening in my saddle as I fought to maintain my composure. "But that's what we do."

His silence unsettled me, and the longer it stretched, the more it gnawed at my nerves. "If you are thinking of leaving," My voice cut through the stillness, sharp and accusatory as I turned my gaze on him, a fierce glint in my eyes. "I could dismember you right here."