The Silencer

Chapter 25

My heart clenched at the name, a wave of nostalgia crashing over me.

Snowleaf.

I missed her dearly. The naive girl I once was, the innocence I had lost so long ago. My gaze lifted to his eyes, and for the first time, I saw it clearly-the solemn regret buried deep within the gold.

"I thought you died in The Catastrophe of Four Towers, thats what we were told. Seeing you again, I-" he sighed as he trailed off.

The Catastrophe?

"Drink." he urged again, his voice softer now, almost pleading. His eyes held mine, a silent understanding passing between us, and in that moment, the lines between captor and captive blurred.

I could feel the sickness building in me, the known sensation of the potion's grip loosening. The nausea rose, and I knew it wouldn't be long before my body rejected it entirely, purging it from my system. If only the captives beneath Clamcora had known this small, bitter solace. To just tell the truth.

Instead of accepting the bottle, I chose to let it all out, leaning on my knees onto the rich wood floor beneath me. The room spun around as I expelled the contents of my stomach, my breath ragged and uneven. Ondolemar stirred beside me, vanishing and reappearing with a plush towel. He handed it to me with a wordless gesture, allowing me to clean my face.

As I sat there, trying to regain my strength, the sight of the mess around me made my frustration grow. Suddenly, without warning, I was lifted effortlessly, my arms straining against the unexpected weight while my legs felt like lead, dangling uselessly.

"Let me go." I demanded, my voice barely more than a whisper, but he remained steadfast, his determination cold and unyielding.

Ondolemar opened a door to reveal a bathroom that was the epitome of grandeur. The floor was covered in polished marble tiles, streaked with gold and subtle veins of grey, creating an intricate pattern that sparkled faintly in the soft light. The walls were adorned with elegant mosaics, and in the center stood a grand bathtub, carved from pure white marble and edged with intricate, gilded trim.

He gently placed me into the tub, the cool water lapping around me providing a momentary respite from my dizziness. As his hands moved to unbuckle the shoulder piece of my armor, I mustered every ounce of strength I had left, forcing myself to stand straight despite the spinning world around me.

"Just leave." I pleaded, "Please." my voice trembling with a mix of exhaustion and desperation.

With just a slight brush of his cold fingers against my bruised cheek, he rose and left, leaving me in a sudden silence that felt unbearably heavy.

I tried to lift myself from the tub, but my legs were as numb as they had been moments ago. Not taking the antidote when I had the chance made me curse under my breath. I reached for the edge, pulling myself upright and leaning my back against it. With slow, deliberate movements, I began shedding the pieces of my armor, laying them outside the tub only to keep my tunic on. The idea of being fully naked in his house made me uneasy, especially with the door unlocked.

My head throbbed, the side effects wreaking havoc on my mind. My thoughts felt sluggish, as though they were too heavy to hold onto, but the clouds obscuring my judgment were beginning to clear. With a flick of my finger, I pulled the lever next to the tub, setting the ancient Dwemer machinery into motion with a quiet crack as the tub slowly began to fill with warm water.

Amon's silent warning echoed in my ears, his gaze before he leaped out the balcony lingering in my mind. His warning not to trust him.

If I had only listened...