The Crimson Assassin [Skyrim Fanfiction]

2: Unsure

A dewy tendril brushes across my cheek as I walk through the entrance of Bloated Man's Grotto. The muddy earth beneath my boots sinks as I travel over it. The air is filled with moisture, but it is cold at the same time. 

I listen carefully as I walk through the pathways. I can't hear anything except for the steady dripping of water. A drawn-out, breathy sigh escapes my lungs. I'm always plagued with worry over my good friend Sinding. Should anyone find him here, he'd be in trouble. 

I clear my throat. "Sinding?" I don't hear anything. 

"Sinding!" 

My pace picks up, and I unsheathe my Ebony Dagger. The silence in here is disturbing, and something about it isn't right. 

"Sindi-" my voice trails off as I see it. A small blood spatter on the ground, at the base of the stone stairway that leads to where Sinding usually resides. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" I whisper rapidly to myself. 

Something warm and sticky falls from the air above and splatters on my nose. I lift my gaze upwards, and I see blood running down a stick, dripping onto the ground below. "Oh, shit." 

I run up the stairs as fast as I can. "SINDING!" I shout, my voice panicked. 

Looking to my left, I see him. He's in werewolf form- as he usually is- and his breathing is quick and labored. He's laying in the grass, clutching his side. He manages to raise his head a little bit to look at me. "Hey...there..." 

I sheathe my dagger, and rush to his side. "Sinding! What the hell happened?" 

"Silver Hands." I grit my teeth and shake my head. Damn werewolf hunters. I always have had a bad feeling that they would eventually discover him. 

"Those bastards. Are there any left that I need to go eliminate?" 

"No... I defeated them." He chuckles a bit, wincing. "But they left their mark." 

"I can see that." I kneel down and lean over him to examine his wound. It's pretty deep, but it doesn't look like it's bleeding too heavily. 

"Why are you here, Jordas?" 

"Well, I was going to request your companionship for a little while, but you're obviously in no shape for that." 

"Ha." 

I sigh, my eyes darting around, looking for something useful. 

"Listen, I honestly have no clue what to do Sinding. I'm not leaving you here, though. You'll die of infection." I pause for a moment, thinking. "You're coming with me to Whiterun." 

"Are you out of your mind?! There's no way I can go to Whiterun! I'll be killed! Or worse..." his voice trails off.

"I know my way around it. I'll be able to work it out. Trust me. You do trust me, right?"

"...yeah." 

"Good. Now we need to leave. We're going to get you to Breezehome, so Vorstag and I can help you. I'll figure it out." I eye his injury. "In the meantime..." I raise my hand, and feel warmth spreading throughout my whole arm. Pale yellow light swarms around my hand, and I direct it at Sinding. The light absorbs into his wound, and then dies out. "A simple healing spell. That's the best I can do for now, friend." 

"Feelin' better already." 

"Good. Now let's go. Shadowmere's outside- we can't waste any time." 

-~-~-~-

Rain falls from the cloudy skies, and I can hear the rhythmic sound of it spattering all over the land beneath it. Water drips off my shrouded cowl, hindering my vision a bit. Sinding is seated on top of Shadowmere, and I am trodding along beside them.