Not Alone (A Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

After my little episode I wasn't sure what to even say to Cerawyn, so I bid her good day and made the trek back through the city to the walls, then from there to the shelter of my tent. Flipping back the hood that I had drawn over my head in an effort to keep some of the rain off, I eyed the lengthy flash of light that lit the midday sky, wincing a bit at the enormous crash of thunder that followed. From outside I heard the neighing and stomping of horses as they moved nervously around their tethers at the stables, but Silsivhir was still in the exact same position as he had been when I had left the tent to talk to Cerawyn, completely unbothered by the weather.

I sat down on a corner of the table and watched his sides rise and fall as the sheeting rain ran in rivulets down his scales, thinking how nice a nap would be right about now.... I shook my head, banishing such thoughts from my mind. I would probably be interrupted the second I lay down, anyway.

Actually, I needed to replenish my stock of healing potions. Despite that they hadn't helped with the headache at all the first time I had tried them, I hadn't been able to resist drinking a couple anyway, just in case. Unsurprisingly they had done just about as much as the first ones, and now I needed more.

I pushed myself upright again, groaning not so much at the twinge in my head that the movement gave me but at the fact that I hadn't thought of my need for more potions sooner, like before I had walked back out of the city through the rain.

I drew the hood back up and headed back up the road into the city. As I passed through the gate I could see dimly through the heavy downpour that a group of soldiers was moving more barricades into place, so I decided not interrupt them by marching straight through the middle of their work. Instead I turned to the left and headed up the back road that led through the wall and passed a few of the houses in the Cloud District before circling around back to the marketplace.

As I passed Carlotta Valentia's house I glanced at the dark windows, knowing the place was empty. She was one of the citizens of Whiterun who had left the city before the impending attack, unsurprisingly. I knew that she wouldn't have-

My thoughts were cut off abruptly when something smacked into my back, knocking my hood off and propelling me forward so suddenly that I didn't even have a chance to resist, then spun me around and slammed my back into Carlotta's front door.

I started to take a swing at my attacker and managed to kill the momentum of my fist just before I punched Brynjolf in the jaw. "What by the Divines are you doing?" I asked angrily, attempting to shove his hand off of my shoulder instead.

He ignored my halfhearted attempt and continued pinning me against the door. He looked just as angry, I noticed suddenly. Without letting go of me he reached behind me and opened the door to the house, which I guessed had been locked before he arrived, and pushed me into the building, shutting the door behind us.

Taking advantage of the fact that he had let go of me, I took a couple rapid steps backwards in case he decided to try shoving me up against something else and almost tripped over the single lantern on the floor in the middle of the room. I moved around the lantern and raised an appeasing hand as Brynjolf turned to face me and lowered his own hood. "What do you think you're doing, showing up in the middle of a city that's under military control and about to be under siege?"

Brynjolf's visage darkened considerably. "You're lecturing me? Kisvar, do you have any idea what's been going on with the Guild lately? Any idea at all?"

I opened my mouth, then shut it again.

"I didn't think so. Gods, lad, if I didn't know you were the Guildmaster I wouldn't even believe you were involved with the Guild at all." He abruptly turned away and paced across the room, then just as suddenly whirled and walked back, pointing an accusing finger at me. "What in Oblivion happened to you after the Summerset Shadows attacked us in Windhelm?" He held up a hand, forestalling my answer. "I'll tell you. No one knows. You know after a situation like that we're all supposed to rendezvous back at the Cistern so we know where we stand. Instead you let the entire Guild sit around, picking locks and wondering when and if their Guildmaster would show."