Hunting the Hunter Ch. 08

A crack and another gurgled scream later, and she was still beneath him. He whirled, barely missing another arrow which cut the air next to him. The other hunter was firing at him....he heard the snarls from the makeshift pit beneath them...he didn't have time.

With another snarl of anger and frustration he shifted, crying out involuntarily from his human throat as the pain shot through him in a whole new way, making his weaker, human body tremble in shock and exhaustion.

He grit his teeth and pushed off the wall he'd half collapsed against, lurching forward to grab the chain of the gear, wrapping it around his wrist and hauling with all his might. Metal screeched, and someone...Mirisa he thought, roared, and something hot ran through him, burning. Making him gasp as a scream of pain lodged in his raw throat.

He released the chain and spit the ring from his mouth with a cough, sliding it onto his finger, and stumbling away into the darkness of the hall. He hoped they were far enough away as he twisted down a narrow, side corridor, collapsing onto the floor, focusing on the ring, trying to will the fool thing to work.

It came a little easier this time...a little...though it took too much from him, nearly drained him, as weak as he was.

He turned his head to see two hunters run down the corridor he had left, only pausing to glance toward him, and not seeing him. They didn't know he had the ring. Small mercies, he thought bitterly.

Somewhere far away the cries and screams of men melded with the snarling roars of lions...the sounds were getting farther away.

Good, he thought. They were escaping. They would know where to go. And he was sure Cyrus had escaped and would lead them to safety.

He grimaced in pain, and tried to pull himself together, to heal himself. He felt a faint tingling in his limbs, but it wasn't enough. There was something else...something he couldn't heal...something in his blood. Poison? He swallowed a groan. He had to get out of here. If he passed out,where he was they'd find him for sure.

His legs trembled beneath him as he fought his way to his feet, hoping the enchantment on the ring would last long enough to get him outside.

The journey was long and torturous...though it seemed the hunters had left to follow the others. He was glad to not have to contend with them, but not a little fearful that if he was poisoned, he would be left to find help on his own. If he was near Chorral he might have gone to the fighter's guild...or to Ina's friend, the innkeeper in Cheydinhal, but he was more than a day's travel away from anything.

He smiled bitterly as he dragged himself along the wall, hoping to hell he was moving in the right direction, following the scents of the hunters which he hoped would lead him out of the maze of halls. He understood now why she'd dragged him around to meet so many people...even that Altmer, Honditar, would be a more than welcome sight right about now. Fat lot of good it was doing him though.

He was panting by the time he finally reached the entrance, unsure of how much time had passed. He had to pause often...each step was like having a knife plunged into his leg, and the longer he went the heavier his body felt until it was as if he was dragging a minotaur behind him.

The scent of the clean, cool air as he stumbled through the heavy doors was enough to propel him forward, half stumbling, half crawling into the woods. He tried to catch the scent of his pride, but he was too exhausted, dizzy and disoriented...so he focused on aiming his body away from the old ruined fort, and toward the alluring smell of fresh water and clean air.

At some point, he knew not when, his legs finally gave out, unable to support his weight and he felt himself collapse with a shudder. There was grass beneath him, broken light above, and the scent of lavender...there were worse places to die, he thought absently as he closed his eyes and slipped into darkness.

**

The weird didn't end when Inanna awoke. Twiggy had taken them on, it seemed, and chaperoned them all the way to Chorrol. Once there it was easy enough to shepherd them all to the fighters guild, once it was dark of course. It was all a bit weird, yes, but all's well that ends well. However, the growing sense of foreboding she'd managed to ignore had managed to make itself irrefutably known now that the sense of imminent danger was no longer providing distraction.

There was something worming around in the back of her head whispering something was wrong. Too bad it wasn't also giving details...just murmuring loud enough to piss her off something fierce.

Back on the upside of things, Modryn didn't give her much trouble when they arrived in Chorrol, and gave her none at all in front of Bellane and the kiddies. He set them up in the underground store rooms since that was the safest place until they knew what was what. One entrance in and one out, and only the local fighter's guild members knew about it: A trap door hidden behind the sword racks, through which she happened to be passing at just that moment.

The hour was late and the place dimly lit, so she wasn't worried about anyone seeing her slip out of the cellar or out of the hall. Plus whoever was passed out and snoring on the table would give her cover. As she neared she caught a glimpse of tusk-like fang jutting up from a heavy bottom jaw and figured she could guess who it was. She shook her head. He'd never learn.

"Where are you off to?" A deep voice rumbled from the dark. She paused at the door and glanced over her shoulder at the big, scowling Dunmer. What was it that thief had said to her? 'Can't sneak a sneak'? Hell, leave it to a fellow Dunmer to get the drop on her. Again.

"I have a quick errand to run while I'm in the city. I won't be long."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Sorry, hush-hush-cloak-and-dagger type stuff. You know how it is. One day I'll tell you all about it."

He grunted, which she took as permission to go on her way. "What about them?"

"What about them?"

"You gonna fill me in on that too?"

She shrugged. "They're well behaved enough, and the little ones will obey Bella and the older kids. And she won't be any trouble. She's good people, you'd like her...don't get any ideas though." She grinned. He snorted. She turned to leave, but then paused with her hand on the door. Her expression turned serious. "The red head, Mori, she's mine. I claimed her the other night." He raised a brow but said nothing. "If anyone causes any real trouble it'll be her...you're kin now...so...you know the drill." He looked at her, his expression unreadable, then nodded and turned away.

"Well hurry the hell up, I'm not a fetching wet-nurse" she heard him grumble as he clomped up the stairs to his office and as the door swung slowly closed behind her. She smiled fondly to herself and with a shake of her head slipped off into the chill, silent evening.

**

The drop went off uneventfully and she was on her way after a few brief moments of friendly chit-chat. He seemed distracted, like something was doing with the guild and he was anxious to get back to it. Which was fine, since she was too distracted by that still present, yet vague, sense of foreboding rolling around in her gut. It didn't leave her in the socializing mood.

She was passing the chapel, cutting around back through the cemetery, when something caught her eye. She veered, and made for the chapel wall, turning around the side of it, and hiding herself behind one of the buttresses. It wasn't hard considering the atmospheric fog rising from the earth was giving her plenty of cover. A moment later she had her knife against a slender blue-black throat and was looking up into red, glowing eyes.

"What the hell?" She snarled.

Glistel regarded her evenly, "Oops," she drawled, "looks like you caught me."

"And if I hadn't caught you?"

She smirked and shrugged.

"Bitch."

She chuckled. "Maybe. But you 'caught' me fair and square."

"What? Are you suggesting you let me catch you."

She shrugged again, carelessly, as if there weren't a knife pointed at her larynx. "I've been able to stay out of jail longer than you have."

Inanna snorted."Only 'cause you actually pay them those ridiculous fees. I'd rather cool my heels for a couple weeks than be party to that blatant extortion." Inanna shook her head and removed the knife. "You never answered my question. What. The. Hell."

"I was paid by a Breton from the Imperial city to watch you. He's got all the cities under watch from what I gather."

Inanna cursed under her breath. That was the thing about guilds. They provided contracts, but their members were free to do a little freelance in the side so long as they didn't shirk their duties. Conflicts did happen sometimes. Like now.

"Delatour, right?"

"I don't know. It seemed gauche to ask for names, and he wasn't stupid enough to provide it."

"Medium height, sandy brown hair, brown eyes, impeccably dressed, puts on a few more airs than your average Breton...likes charm spells. He thinks he's a slick mother-fucker..." She growled lowly.

She pursed her lips. "That could describe a number of Bretons, but yes, that sounds about right." She grinned sideways. "He tried to use a charm spell on me to bring my price down. He didn't seem all that surprised that it didn't work."

"I bet."

"So, what do I tell them then?"

Inanna sighed. "The truth I suppose. I'm here to meet with my contacts, crashed the night in the fighters guild, and am headed to Kvatch in the morning to dispatch a contract for them."

"That's the truth?"

Inanna smirked. "Sure. It's also convenient cover for my real business in Kvatch...but that's none of your business. Say hi to Armand for me when you're in the capitol." She paused before turning away, and gestured at the Dunmer woman with the tip of her dagger, "Oh, and if I catch you again, I'm not going to be so cool headed about it. Understood?"

Glistel smirked and nodded, and slipped back into the dark of the cemetery.

Fuck. Those oblivion-damned s'wit son-of-a-bitches. Fuck.

The guild hall was quiet when she arrived, and the sleeping orc somewhere else. She glanced around and headed up stairs to find Modryn sitting at his desk, staring at her as if he'd been waiting there since she left. She wouldn't have been surprised if he had been.

"Well?"

"Glistel followed me to the chapel. Turns out she's working free lance for the people trying to find me. I fed her a cock-and-bull story about you sending me to Kvatch." He watched her a minute then leaned forward to riffle through a pile of folders, pulling out one from the middle and tossing it in front of her as she sat down.

She read it. It was a contract to clear out a group of bandits from one of the mines. Apparently its new owner wanted to put the mine back into production. It was just outside Kvatch. She looked up from it.

"I'll send Gro-ba down when he gets back. He'll meet you down there, help you finish up. She resisted the urge to smile. Gro-ba was good people. He wouldn't say anything. And they all knew Ina or Gro-ba could do this one alone if necessary. They'd done it before. They almost always worked alone, but they had worked together enough that there wouldn't be anything strange about the arrangement. She nodded. "Where are you really headed?"

She sighed. "I'm loathe to admit it, but Des...you remember Des? Well Des wants me to see a witch about a cat, so I'm heading there to see if there isn't anything doing."

"A witch?" His brow shot up, suddenly looking very curious.

"I know. But what are you going to do. Things are getting hairy, and I don't want to risk lives if I can simply solve this by breaking a few eggs."

He chuckled. "They're sacred tenets...only you would compare those to eggs."

She scoffed. "Says the turn-coat out-lander."

He grinned at that. "Pot meet kettle, woman. Pot meet kettle." He leaned back with a sigh. "You watch yourself with them. Waste witches are at least honest about the danger you face when you deal with them, these imperial witches are all sweetness and light on the outside, you never know what you're going to get."

"You've dealt with them before?"

"They give us contracts sometime. Usually hunting for dangerous ingredients. Some of them seem like decent enough folk, and if you stay on their good side and watch yourself, then you should be ok. So watch your lip, hear."

She nodded. "I intended to. I had my share of run-ins with waste witches, so I know better than to take them lightly."

He smirked, but his eyes were hard. Or at least, serious. "How have you been?"

She quirked a brow at him. "How do you mean?"

"You look like hell. So I'm asking how you've been."

She let out a humorless laugh. "Well yeah. That sounds about right. I feel like shit. I'm exhausted. I can barely think straight...and I just feel...weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah. I can't think of a better word than that. Sorry."

He shrugged but said nothing.

She mimicked his shrug and slouched deeper into the chair and rubbed her forehead with one hand. "I don't know what it is. I want to say I'm just tired, or I'm just in the middle of some craziness right now...but I've been stretched further than this...dealt with stranger things...this is different. It's me...somehow. Sometimes...it feels like I'm wearing someone else's skin. You know?" She shrugged again. "I'm guessing it's just hormones gone wonky. But whatever it is, it's just...different...and weird." She smirked. "But I'm still young, relatively speaking...there's still plenty of things that'll be new to me I'm sure."

"you're not...sick or anything?"

"Nah. It's little things mostly. I get queezy, nervous, sweaty...giddy...all at unexpected times."

He grunted. "Might be right then. Don't ignore it though. Sometimes lots of little things add up to a big thing."

"Yeah."

He nodded then tipped his head to the left in a very odd way. She frowned, then pursed her lips and cast her senses out around her without turning. She felt a niggling off toward the stairs...she went after it and recognized the feel of it right off.

"Mori. What are you doing up here?" She did turn and glared at the stairs as the little ginger moppet appeared around the corner. At least she was dressed this time she thought with a mental eye-roll. She held a hand out to the girl, and Mori approached cautiously. Inanna just wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to her side.

"Mori, this is Modryn, he's the eldest son of my great-great-grand mother's great grand daughter." Mori screwed up her face.

"What the heck does that mean."

"Second cousin, twice removed." Modryn answered with a smirk.

"Cousin Modryn, this is my daughter, Mori."

"Welcome to the family, Mori."

"Thanks." She said softly, suddenly and uncommonly shy.

Inanna prayed and a moment later Uncle Assurban peered down at her and Mori. "Honored uncle, I'd like you to meet my new daughter, Mori. Mori this is my Great uncle Assurban, and my spirit guardian." Mori didn't look scared per-say, as she probably remember seeing him before during the summoning, but she was still looking a little timid.

"H-hello uncle Assurban." She offered, wide eyed.

He nodded and smiled gently. "Hello child." He raised a brow at Inanna, and switched to Dunmeri. "You've claimed her as your own then? You understand that it's highly unusual for those who have not yet had children to claim the orphaned."

She glanced at Modryn who watched impassively. "I know. But she needs someone now. And I think of all her family, what few she has, I can be the most help to her. She has something in her I recognize, something I have in myself, and she needs a close and firm hand to learn to control it, as I did. Hell, I had at least three hands, and that was barely enough. And before you make a smart ass remark, yes, I am controlling it. This can't wait until I get lucky and get knocked up. We could be talking at least another century. By then it will be too late."

He nodded. Then addressed Mori, who was watching with curious apprehension. "Young lady, your mother and I have just been discussing you. I reminded her that it was highly unusual for a person with no children of their own to claim the young of those who have passed. But she assures me that she feels she is best suited to your particular needs. Do you agree?"

Mori looked stunned, and looked around anxiously for the answer from the three dark elves watching her patiently. Finally Modryn took pity on her. "Just say what you think girl, there's no wrong answer...and what's done is done, you're stuck with her either way."

She opened her mouth, then clapped it shut again with a frown. She looked like she was thinking hard about it. Then looked back up at the ghostly figure, her eyes narrowed. "If it doesn't matter then why ask?"

"I'm curious how you see the arrangement."

"I agreed to it."

Inanna could see the tug at the corner of Assurban's mouth. "Yes you did. Was it under duress?"

"Define duress."

Inanna laughed, she couldn't help herself. "Mori, luv, just give the poor man an answer."

She was still eying him with suspicion. "I will when I get a proper question."

He chuckled. "It is my job to protect your mother, not just physically. This will be known by the others of her line, if it isn't already, and they will ask me many questions. I wish to know what to tell them, or what not to tell them. In either case I wish neither of you harm. They will want to know if you understand what your bond to Inanna entails. So I ask now, what do you think it entails? So that I might pass this on, where relevant, to your new kin."

She blinked and looked down at her feet. "Well, um...I guess it's like what she has with Desdemona, like they're family and they're always there for each other, no matter what. Like in the pride. I'm not related by blood to them but they're my pride and they come first. Talon always ticks me off, and I beat him up for it...but if he was in danger, I'd help him." She gnawed her lip and looked up. No one interrupted, so she continued. "And like how Inanna is with us now. Our Alpha claimed her, but she's always acted like one of the pride, and she claimed us too right? So she helps us, and we help her. And her making it so I'm her daughter means that I can call her relatives mine and make them part of my pride too. And so she can watch out for me and teach me stuff the others can't."

"What sort of...stuff?" Assurban pressed when she stopped talking. She looked to Inanna for guidance and she waved the girl on.

"Well...um, she showed me Daedric writing and talked to me about how to—ah, the best way to kill things that are bigger than me...and that sort of thing." She shot an inscrutable look to Inanna again and looked cautiously up at the spirit. He nodded sagely.

"And this is pleasing to you?"

"Yes."

"Well if you are content, I am content. May I bless you child?"

"Um...yes. Thank you?"

He gave her a kind smile and touched her forehead the way he'd touched Inanna's after the summoning, and murmurer his blessing in Dunmeri. A moment later a second spirit appeared beside the girl. She looked at Inanna and Inanna looked at her.

"Inanna!" She chided. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Kill me now." Inanna groaned. It was her great-grandmother. Queen of the self-righteous wise-women.

"Child," Assurban, said, gesturing to her grandmother, "this is your spirit guardian."

Inanna groaned and poor Mori looked more uncertain than ever. Her great-grandmother took the girl by the hand, and she saw Mori jolt. It was a weird sensation when they touched you, especially if you weren't used to it. "Don't be afraid child. I won't hurt you. I'm just cross with your foolish mother. You are an innocent in this."