Chapter Forty Eight

A pale blue mist crept over the waters of the bay. The stars were the only light over the glassy surface. On the arch above the harbor, lights glinted in the windows of the houses, Bard’s College, and Blue Palace. 

The fog parted as the longboat slid silently over the water. Gaeolin, Auroth, and Urmha painfully rowed, careful not to cause a splash with the wooden oars. Bai’lira and Inigo stood ready, Ebony bow and Crossbow readied for battle. From where they were, Gaeolin could make out the wreck of Jaree-ra’s ship. A fire was burning on the shore, an occasional flicker marking the scurrying of the thieves to try and salvage their situation. Urmha tapped his shoulder, gesturing to the shore several yards from their position. Gaeolin nodded, directing Auroth to start turning toward the landing point.

“Brace.” Gaeolin whispered. The wood skidded gently into the soft clay shore. He leapt out, pulling the boat ashore while the others joined him. “Okay, Auroth, Bail’lira, take up the rear until we reach the ship. Urmha will take the lead with me. Inigo…” He looked to his friend, almost unsure what to say. “Keep an eye out for spiders.”

Inigo gleamed, more than hoping to see some of the beasts in the marshes. “Yes, my friend. We will keep each other safe.” His eyes shone green in the night as he scanned the horizon. Gaeolin trudged toward the north with the younger bosmer close at hand.

“You’re sure this was the best plan?” He asked her. “We might have just knocked down a beehive, and made the swarm all the more deadly.”

Urmha shook her head. “No, this will work. That lizard is a coward. After something like this, if he doesn’t just lock up and stay at the wreck like an idiot, he’ll be scrambling to move his cargo and crew back to his hideout. I fully expect the first option. But if not, I know we can squeeze the hideout out of one of his cronies.”

The time for debate was long since over. They were near enough now to see the bandits flooding the island they had crashed into. A pair stood near a fire, seemingly directing the flow of chests and bags to a pair of boats on the shore. Gaeolin nocked an arrow, inspecting the fletches. This arrow seemed uncharacteristically sloppy. One of the vanes was skewed sharply, likely to make the arrow spin in an unpredictable way. He frowned, but then smiled as he remembered the time it had been made.

“Ma’isha made this.” He twirled it in his hand. “I can’t believe I hadn’t used it yet.” Urmha spared him a glance, the faint shadow of a smile on her lips. 

“Maybe you should look at it like a lucky charm.” She drew her dagger. “Wait here. Hold fire until you see the signal.” She took off before Gaeolin could object.

“Wait! What sig-” He put his hand to his face in irritation. Bai’lira growled next to him.

“If you don’t do something about her cavalier attitude toward teamwork, Bai’lira will have to tie her up and drag her along behind…” 

“I feel I should warn you,” Auroth began, “she’s not a pushover.”

The Khajiit grinned. “And this one said nothing of fighting fair.”

Gaeolin was about to pitch in his own thoughts, but saw Urmha sneaking along the edge of the fire in the camp. He squinted, watching as she approached one of the crew. She stood behind him, slitting his throat in a flash. He stood, drawing back a shot. His arrow flew swift and true, impaling the bandit in the neck before he could avenge his comrade.

Inigo led the charge across the wetland between them, drawing Dawnbreaker as he leapt into the fray. The gold flash that followed blinded the other thieves, making them fall easily to Urmha’s blade. Auroth cast a silver orb into the air. When it burst, three ghostly warriors appeared, swords cleaving into the fleeing bandits. After the last fell there was only the sound of the waves lapping the shore.

“Nice work.” Urmha nodded to Auroth. “You whelps fight well.” 

Inigo wiped his sword on a bandit’s shirt. “We make a good team. They did not know what hit them.”

“Yes, it is good that Gaeolin was so prepared.” Bai’lira muttered. “Perhaps, the next time the she-elf will be kind enough to describe the signal we should watch for.”

Urmha shrugged. “You did well enough. I figured you would know the signal was the first kill.”

Bai’lira squinted at her with a terse aura. “Truly, it is a miracle you have lived so long with that mentality.”

“Enough you two.” Gaeolin stepped between them. “We need to try and get along through this.” He turned to Urmha. “And no more running ahead like that. If you want to try and surprise the enemy, let’s all agree on how it’s done. My friends and I are not your crew. A little courtesy goes a long way.”

She scoffed. “Not really, just fits snug between the ass cheeks.” She held her hand out to the wreckage. “After you then. We’ll see if your precious planning is of any more benefit.”

Gaeolin tried to stave off the headache that began to threaten him. Urmha was definitely a complex person. He marveled at how easy it was to feel the strain of her company, only to turn around and find her behaving like a delightful companion. Maybe it was her age, maybe her background. She obviously had no trouble expressing her thoughts. She’d have to be forward as a captain. However, he found himself thinking that the temperament she possessed was going to be an acquired taste.

Inside the ship they found a few remaining crewmen. None gave them a lot of fuss, the last throwing down his bag and dropping to his knees. “Please! Take it, I just want to live.”

Urmha kicked him down on his back, leaning to put pressure on his chest. “Should have thought about that before you robbed me.” Her dagger scraped his jaw, removing the stubble that tried in vain to form a beard on the young Nord. “We’re looking for a few things. I was hoping you could help us find them.” Her voice was sickening in it’s sweetness. The young sailor seemed unsure how he should respond to her request.

“Um… I probably shouldn’t…” She pressed the knife into his chin, drawing a thick stream of blood. 

“I think it would be in your best interest.”

He squirmed. “Alright! Talos’s sake, I’ll talk!”

Urmha responded with a grin. “Better talk fast, before I hit a vein.”

“O-okay….” The sailor, befuddled and likely out of breath due to the boot compressed on his chest, gasped and tried to wiggle away from Urmha’s blade. “It was….uh….”

“I feel my hand slipping….”

“B-Broken Oar. The cave, north of here. It’s along the shore line.” The man breathed a sigh of relief when the dagger retreated back to it’s master’s side. “They took all the loot there, to the cave. Not sure what they plan on doing with it. I think Jaree was scoping out a few buyers-”

“Did they sell my sword?”

“Y-your what?” 

Urmha’s disposition switched. “I’ll strangle you with your own intestines! Did they sell my sword?!”

“I don’t know!” The man scanned the people standing behind his aggressor and realized he was on his own. “I’ve only been with the crew for a couple of weeks.” He swallowed. “P-please let me go, I promise I won’t tell.”

“Sure.” Urmha grinned. “You gotta piss yourself first.”

Gaeolin heard this and cocked an eyebrow. The sailor seemed just as confused. 

“Excuse me?”

“Wet your drawers like a wee little baby, and I’ll let you go.” She brandished her weapon,

the tip still tacky with blood.  “Go on then.” She must not have expected the man to go through with it, which is why she howled with laughter when he did. “Would you look at that!” She shouted, laughing at the reddened haze on the poor fools cheeks. “Better crawl on home and let mommy change your diaper.” Behind her Gaeolin shook his head, but he paused when he heard Auroth snicker. He shot the high elf a withering glance and he fell quiet almost immediately. “Run away you little pissant.” The group watched as the humiliated man stood on shaky legs, the front of his trousers damp and his cheeks about the same. 

As he took off running for the road, Urmha bent down and grabbed a discarded dagger from the wreckage. With a wrist flick, the knife found its mark and embedded itself at the base of the man’s skull. He gave a shriek before falling limp.

“I haven’t had that much fun since we ransacked the Fo’c’sle in Anvil.” Urmha gave Gaeolin’s shoulder a pat. “Old trick I learned from my dad, the old “humiliate, then decimate”. It’s the same crap the Dominion pulled when he was a boy.” Despite both having the same reaction, Auroth spoke up before Gaeolin did.

“The dominion?” 

Urmha stopped and turned on her heel rather nonchalantly.  “My father was enslaved as a young one. He didn’t talk about it much. I only found out after he died.” She noticed an uncomfortable twitch from Gaeolin. “Something in your eye?”

He shook his head. “No. Just…history.”

They returned to the boat, staying long enough to plot their course to the cave. 

“Wait a second.” Auroth said after a long stretch of silence. “Is that why you keep having a go at me, because I’m Altmer?”

“No.” Urmah responded. “I just hate your face.”