Mutiny in the Ranks
Sotek immediately took charge.
“What! Kul-et, sit down, Aela up on the ledge, move yourself and stay down”. He helped Aela quickly climb on the ledge seconds before Twilight came into the cave.
“So, this is your home then?” She asked as she looked around the cave.
“Yes, of sorts. Allow me to introduce everyone, Twilight this is Arraza, and that’s Zeech. Arraza, Zeech, I have the ermm… Is this business or pleasure?”
“Pleasure”. Twilight said as she walked past him, giving a slight hiss as she passed by his ear.
Sotek couldn’t help but grin.
“You know, even that sounds like a threat. Arraza, Zeech I have the utmost pleasure to introduce Twilight”.
She nodded her head slightly, then sat next to the fireplace.
“Now we have been introduced, I wish to talk to Tekos, in private… That means you fuck off, the pair of you”.
Sotek’s eyes went wide for a split second.
“Right you two, back on sentry, and check out the steps, but stay close”. In a hushed whisper he looked straight at Kul-et. “Please stay close!”
Twilights eyes fixed on the bed rolls and turned towards Sotek with a perplexed look upon her face.
“Strange, there’s three of you and yet, there’s four bedrolls”.
“Ermm yess… I like my comfort”.
“I was half expecting all the bedrolls to be together”.
“What? Me and them? No, we work together, I don’t mix business and pleasure”.
Twilight threw on the fire three logs then sat down on the double bedrolls while Aela watched on with dagger like eyes. Twilight huskily called Sotek over to her.
“Well I do…”
Sotek cast a quick look at Aela who was hiding on the ledge but peering over the top of it, staring dagger like straight at him, then he gulped loudly. He walked confidently over to the bedrolls where Twilight was then sat alongside her. She instantly laid down and rested her hand on his knee startling him.
“Whoa, hang on there, girl”.
“Girl? By Sithis, it’s been ages since someone’s called me that. What is it? What’s wrong?”
Sotek leaned over her then apologetically held her hand.
“Look, I can’t do this”.
“Oh? Why not?”
“Because… Look out there, they’re out there somewhere, and you have no idea where. For all you know they could be in a cave like this one, resting until dusk. I need my game head on. With you, I can’t be that hunter. I need to be him. Do you understand?”
“Yes, but tell me something. Is there another?”
“Another what? Reason?”
“Another girl”.
“Yes, there is, and she’s close. She’s always close to my heart”.
“Is she worthy of you?”
Sotek smiled at her then gently squeezed her hand.
“Worthy of me? What an odd thing to say. Yes. She feels at times that she isn’t, but then she tries harder. That in itself, makes her worthy”.
“Ok, but if I find out that she isn’t, then I’ll kill her. Make sure she knows that”.
With that she got up then at that precise moment Shadow Walker came in.
“There’s a trail all right. It does go past the pass”.
“Great, and we left it unguarded. Fine we’ll head that way. Tekos, what route will you go?”
“I’ll head up the Seven Thousand Steps then find a route down the south side, from there go through Helgen, then pass around Falkreath to the sanctuary”.
She nodded her approval to him, then rested her hand on his chest. “Good, we’ll follow from the southern side, good luck”. As she headed outside she paused. “Tekos, one last thing”.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Kiss me”.
“Pardon?”
She turned to face him then stepped forwards, so she was inches from him.
“I said, kiss me”.
Sotek softly held her cheeks in his hands then gently tipped her head forwards, she closed her eyes as she saw him do the same, but then she felt him lovingly kiss her forehead.
“That’s as close as you’re going to get I’m afraid. Now if you excuse me, I have to get the others organized”. He then walked outside leaving Twilight, Shadow Walker and Aela who was still in hiding, in the cave.
The moment he stepped outside he could have screamed, instead he cursed out quietly.
“Oh, bloody hell”.
“What in Oblivion is more like”. Kul-et grumbled. “Please, don’t tell me you two did anything”.
“Aww sshut up. What namess did I give you two?”
Kul-et just shrugged her shoulders.
“Hell, I dunno. Sasha any ideas?”
“Yea, dumb ones”.
Sotek groaned out loudly.
“Oh great…”
Inside Shadow Walker looked oddly at the Collector while Aela looked on from her hiding spot.
“What for Sithis was that about?”
“I was testing him. He’s telling the truth, he’s in love with someone else. Find out who. I want a word with her”.
“Who? How do you know he is?”
“No one kisses someone like that, not with that much care unless they’re in love with someone else. Now your job is to find out who. That’s something else he’s right about, you are bloody stupid”.
As she stepped outside Sotek cast a quick glance at her, then he issued his orders.
“The others will be moving out soon, one of you take the bridge, and the other get over to the stables. Remember, talk to no one and stay out of sight. With some luck if they are watching they might think the place is deserted, may the shadows hide you. Get going”. He then turned to Twilight. “We’ll hang around here for a few hours then head up the steps. Good hunting. Hey, take care”.
Twilight slowly walked up to him and rested her palm on his cheek.
“You be careful as well, he’s a sneaky bastard. Good luck”.
Sotek nodded then started heading back into the cave, but just as he got to the entrance he stopped then turned to Twilight who was crossing the bridge.
“Hey, hold up”.
“What?”
He walked over to her confidently, then grinned like a half-crazed animal. “How about a wager? I bet I beat you. Say, a thousand gold”.
“You beat me?” She spoke loudly at Shadow Walker almost like she was angry with everyone. “Can you believe the nerve of him? You beat me? Really? Fine, I’ll bet you alright. Ten thousand gold and you sleep with me. If I beat you, I get ten thousand gold and you sleep with me”.
Sotek gulped then nodded.
“Ok, but what if I win?”
“Ten thousand gold, and I will do something for you. Within reason”.
“Agreed, we have a deal. Good luck, Twilight”
She smiled then carried on across the bridge. As she approached the other side she cast a quick glimpse at Kul-et who hid by the bridge, then looked back over her shoulder to Sotek.
“And to you”.
As he entered the cave once more he was suddenly confronted with Aela who had previously climbed down and was just inside the cave. He guessed straight away that she heard everything, due to the intense hateful stare which he was in the process of receiving.
She slapped him across the face before he even got to say a single word.
“What the hell was all that about you bastard”.
“Oww, for crying out loud. Ok, it doesn’t look good but, think about it. If she beats me, I’ll be dead anyway. If we’re gonna get out of this then we need her on our side. I need her to keep Huinzi under control.
Aela turned her back to him, then counted in her head. She struggled to prevent herself from screaming at him, but she managed to keep her temper.
“Right…What exactly are you doing? Do you even know?”
Sotek walked up behind her the held her gently by her shoulders.
“Yes. Ok, I didn’t account for her, but she’s going to be useful. You told me to fight, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m fighting, but I can’t win this facing them all head on. We have to be smart, cleverer than what they think we are. She’s going to keep the Shadowscales out the way. You will see, and I will explain everything. But for now, we have to move”.
She turned to face him then rested her head in his chest like she always did.
“We’re still going over the mountain?”
“Yes, I know none of you are happy about it, but tough. That’s the only way”. He went to the entrance of the cave then looked out across Ivarstead. As eight Shadowscales headed off towards the pass Sotek silently counted them. Then another twelve headed towards Riften with Twilight and Shadow Walker. “Bloody hell, they had over twenty here. We’re well out numbered”.
Aela peeked around the corner, her heart sank the moment she saw them all.
“By the nines, Sotek we can’t face that lot! What the hell are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t account for any of this”.
Aela gave him a bit of a hug to steady his emotions.
“Hey, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you got us this far. Come on, don’t forget everyone’s counting on you. You got to stay strong. It’s still the afternoon, rest up, your no good to anyone like this. I’ll wake you up just before dusk, get some sleep”.
A few hours later Kul-et and Sasha headed back to the cave. Once the three of them ate, Aela gave them the bad news.
“We’ve ermm. We counted at least twenty Shadowscale’s who have pulled out of Ivarstead. Half went to the pass, while the others headed to the new passage. The one Sotek told them about”.
Sasha groaned.
“You have got to be joking? Twenty?”
Kul-et however started to panic.
“What? That’s not a hunting party, it’s a goddamn invasion. By the nines what the hell are we going to do?”
Sasha shrugged her shoulders.
“Simple, it’s over. We get the hell out. In Windhelm we can get a boat to Vivec. We’ll hide in Morrowind, that’s our only hope”.
Aela was furious with Sasha for the suggestion alone.
“I was born here, I lived here and loved here. I am damned if a bunch of no good lizards are kicking me out of Skyrim”.
Sasha snapped right back at her.
“Then you’ll die here, as you surely will. It’s over, we’re too outnumbered. It doesn’t matter how good you think he is Aela. We’re fucked”.
Kul-et turned around to Aela.
“She’s right, we can’t win this. Aela there’s just too many”.
“Kul-et? Not you as well! He stood by you, damn it”.
“I’m not saying we abandon him, I’m saying we can’t win. If we carry on we’ll die, or at least you will. I’ll get dragged off back to Blackmarsh. As for Sotek, not even Hircine will know what they will do to him”.
Sasha laughed.
“You know exactly what they will do to him, tell her. She’s his partner, she deserves to know his fate”.
Kul-et sat alongside Aela then gave out a sigh.
“He’ll be sacrificed to the hist”.
“Tell her how”.
Kul-et glared across to her.
“You’re bloody enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I love being hunted down like a rabid dog. It makes my day more Interesting. Tell her how he’ll be sacrificed, go on”.
Kul-et drew a deep breath, then spoke slowly so Aela would fully understand.
“He’ll be tied up between two trees by his arms and legs. Then they’ll skin him alive. All his scales will be cut away, but he won’t die they’ll administer healing potions and health. Just enough to stop the wounds from killing him. Over the course of three to five days, insects and birds will tear his flesh from his bones. He’ll scream for days. We have to run. Morrowind, that’s our best chance. His best chance”.
Aela stared across at Sotek, who was from what she could tell, still asleep.
“We can’t run, we have to fight. He’s got a plan, he’ll get us… Damn it, I don’t know. I wish Kodlak was here, Farkas, and Vilkas. I’m never going to see them again, am I?”
At that moment Sotek sat up. It was obvious to everyone he had listened in on their conversation.
“So, we run. Is that what you three really want to do?”
Sasha looked boldly across the fire at him.
“Yes, that’s our only choice. You know that. Kul-et agrees with me”.
“Kul-et, is that what you honestly want to do?”
Kul-et sat there silent but nodded at him. He slightly nodded back at her as if he understood.
“And you, Aela, what do you think we should do?”
She glared across the fire at Sasha as she spoke.
“I think we should have more faith in you”.
Sotek laughed at her.
“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Tell me what you think we should do”
“I think we should run. But that’s not what I want to do. I want to shout across the pass at them, tell them we’re here. Red, Scarface charge at them. We’ll die, but by Hircine we’ll spill blood as we die”.
Sotek cast her a smile.
“Well, you got the best plan so far. But, I want a more permanent victory other than dying in my foes blood. I tell you what, if it all goes to the four winds then we’ll do your plan. Kul-et, Sasha, who do you know in Morrowind?”
Sasha looked a bit thrown back by the question.
“Ermm, no one”.
Sotek smiled at Kul-et as he asked his questions.
“So, who could you go to for help there? What will you do when they find you? And they will find you both there. What then? Will you flee again? Fight them? What then? They do have agents there you know. Or you can come with me. Yes, there’s at least twenty of them, but we know where they are. They’ll be behind us and off our trail. We out maneuvered them. Kul-et, if you want to leave with Sasha you can, but you won’t even get to Windhelm, let alone see the shores of Morrowind”.
Kul-et cast a glance at Sasha, they both knew he was right, but they were both equally scared.
“We’ll follow you. I’m sorry for the way I acted. Aela’s right, we should have more faith in you. You haven’t done us wrong yet”.
Sotek smirked as he divided up the last of the food.
“So, what’s it going to be?”
Sasha looked across to the others.
“Let’s pack up. I want to see who’s the first to get killed on the mountain. I bet it’s Aela”. As she picked up her pack however her gold pouch fell to the ground. “Damn it, not again. Really?”
Sotek cast a quick glance at her, then took the pouch. Within a few seconds he fixed a new cord to it then handed her it back.
“You really think Aela will die first? No helping her along the way?”
“Nope, no helping her on the way. One hundred percent accidental, she dies first”.
“You’re on, I bet its Kul-et. One hundred gold. Aela don’t you dare get yourself killed before Kul-et”.
Aela growled at him then looked around her feet.
“Kul-et pass me that rock”.
“Why?”
As she spoke her eyes were fixed on Sotek.
“Because I haven’t got any and I wish to throw it at his head”.
“Don’t you dare, come on pack up. It’s getting dark, it’s time we moved”. As he went to leave he caught sight of Kul-et’s binds which she had cut with the arrow Aela had fired.
Sotek picked some of the rope up and weighed it in his hands. Funny, isn’t it?”
The others paused and watched on, but it was obvious that Sotek was waiting for someone to answer. Aela decided to play along.
“What is?”
“This Shadowscale”. As he spoke he pointed to the rope. “She was far more trained than those we encountered earlier. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“Well, maybe…” Aela paused. He was right, but she wasn’t sure what it meant, if anything.
“Maybe it’s a feint?” Sotek replied. “Maybe he doesn’t have that many and he has supplemented his ranks”.
“Hired thugs?” Kul-et asked. “Hang on… You said twenty Shadowscales. They can’t have that many here, else there wouldn’t be enough to cover the rest of Skyrim”.
“Well, we had better be more careful then. We won’t know if who we face is a real Shadowscale or not. Even if we seem to be wining a fight. It might be a trick”.
“As if we don’t have enough to worry about”. Aela grumbled.
Sotek smiled and gave her a wink.
“Well, that also means we have him worried also; else why resort to such methods?” Then he packed up what was left of his gear and headed outside. He cast a look at the steps then back to the other members of the group. Knowing moral was once again low, he tried to get them to relax by making a joke.
“Kul-et, I’ve a job for you, as we go up, count the steps. I want to know how many there actually are”.
Kul-et looked up the mountain trail then back at Sotek.
“Ermm, no”.
Sotek shrugged then took point but as he started the climb he counted out loudly.
“One… Two… Three... Four…” Once they were a few minutes up the trail, Sotek called them to a stop. “Hang on damn it. We got to go back, sorry”.
Aela looked up the stairway at him with concern.
“What is it?”
“I lost count, so we’ll have to start again”.
They all started laughing as Aela cursed jokingly at him.
“You bloody moron, shift it”.
Comments
By the [Nine] what the hell are we going to do?”
Damnit. Everyone's out to get into Sotek's pants now. You've been reading too much of Lis' and Karver's work.
... more