Skyrim: The Thief Chpt.13

Chapter 13 – The Sapphire Heist

Before...

“WAIT!”

Talon’s heart stopped, expecting his life to be ceased at any moment. But as soon as that word hit his ears, he slowly opened his eyes. The pickaxe was just touching his nose. Looking past the steel pick, he glanced up at the second thief as she looked to her left.
“What?” she ordered puzzlingly, confused to why her comrade would say such a thing. As she spoke, the first thief made his way over to them, picking his dagger up off the ground as he did so.
“Let him go” he instructed, placing the blade back in its sheath. Through the gap in her cowl, he noticed the second thief’s eyes widen.
“Let him go? Are you serious?!” she questioned heatedly, her eyebrows furrowing.
“Just trust me. Get off him” he directed once more, looking down at Talon with reassurance. Glancing down at her captive, the second thief let out an ireful sigh and stood up, allowing Talon to do the same. Once on his feet, Talon brushed himself down, looking back and forth between the thieves who had been stealing from his satchel mere moments ago. Too scared to say anything, Talon could only watch as the first thief approached him, looking him up and down probingly.
“How did you do that?” the first thief asked, crossing his arms as he studied the teenage Nord.
“D-do what?” Talon asked nervously, stammering as the first thief’s eyes made contact with his own.
“You took my dagger and I didn’t even notice. Where did you learn how to do that?” the first thief questioned invasively, his eyebrows narrowing beneath his cowl. Scared, Talon gulped before answering.
“Umm...I...I taught myself to do it. I swear” he responded, his breathing increasing rapidly. The two thieves exchanged poignant looks before looking back at Talon.
“So, you’re a pickpocket?” the second thief questioned next, causing Talon to glance at her.
“Yeah. I-I guess so” he answered, mentally kicking himself for stammering again. A brief silence passed between the three of them, the sounds of birds flying overhead and the wind blowing attempting to break the silence.
“Well then, I guess we have a lot to talk about” the first thief finally answered, his previously hostile tone becoming more tranquil and upright. Reaching up for his hood, the first thief pulled it back revealing the face of a teenage Redguard. With his hood pulled back, his closely shaved head was exposed. Copying the first thief, the second thief was revealed to be a Bosmer of the same age. Her hair was a light shade of ochre, one side shaved whilst the rest was brushed to the right. Her left ear had two gold earrings near the top. On her face, she had light red war paint going across the bridge of her nose and two separate lines on either side of her head, each one reaching from her eyebrows to her cheeks. Judging by her eyebrows, Talon could not tell whether she was scowling at him or if it was just natural. This thought quickly exited his mind as the Redguard approached him.
“I’m Finn. And you are?” he introduced, holding out his hand expectantly. Warily, Talon took hold of his outstretched hand and shook it.
“Talon” he replied, letting Finn’s hand go after a few seconds. He glanced over at the Wood Elf, cautiously doing his best to avoid eye contact as she crossed her arms.
“And that bundle of joy is Dana” Finn introduced for her, earning a threatening glance from the Bosmer. Talon gave her an awkward wave before turning back to the Redguard.
“Why are you letting me live?” he asked, praying to Talos that this was not a trap. For all he knew, they could stab him in the gut at any moment.
“Because I think you may be of some use to us” Finn answered, a small smile appearing on his face.
“Just because I pickpocketed your dagger?” Talon asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“Exactly. We have a fort just outside Skyrim. I’ll explain everything when we get there” Finn justified, handing Talon his satchel and gesturing for him to follow. As the two thieves headed off, Talon stayed put, causing them to stop a few feet away from him.
“Well? You coming?” the Bosmer asked irritably, still angered by the fact the Finn had allowed him to live. Glancing back in the direction he had come, Talon thought about his family. After the storm last night, he had been considering returning home that morning. Then he considered what he would be returning to. His father would be angrier than ever. His mother would be the same way. But what if he did not return home? What if he did go with these new acquaintances?
“Talon?” Finn called, confused by Talon’s long pause. Hearing this, Talon turned to face them, letting out sigh before he answered.
“Yeah, I’m coming” he accepted, quickly catching up with them as they continued on their way. Little did he know that he would come to regret that decision. For he had no idea how badly it would affect him and the ones he loved.

Now...

The sound of occasional chatter filled the Ragged Flagon as numerous thieves went about their business. With the occasional remark from one of the tables. Cynric Endell, Vipir the Fleet, Tonilia and Talon sat around it, each holding a pair of cards. In case you had not figured it out, these four thieves were participating in a friendly game of poker. Each player had a stack of gold on their side of the table, ready to raise the bet if they chose to. So far, only six gold had been bet, placed in the center of the table. Glancing around the table, Talon put on his best poker-face and placed four more gold in the center.
“I’m going to call” he spoke, reaching back to his cards with his one good arm. Tonilia glanced down at her cards and reached for her gold.
“I raise” she declared, adding fifteen more coins to the pile starting to form in the center of the table.
“Me too” Vipir seconded, placing thirty-five gold in the center subsequently. Looking down at his cards once more, Cynric sighed, knowing that his hand did not stand a chance.
“I fold” he resigned, placing his cards face down in front of him. Hearing this, Talon’s eyes darted to each opponent, doing his best not to grin as he placed down his cards and reached for his gold.
“I call” he repeated, placing thirty coins in the pile and reaching for his cards again. Eyeing Vipir him, Tonilia reached for her gold.
“I see your bet and I raise” she stated, placing sixty gold in the pile, causing both Talon's and Vipir’s eyes to widen.
“I call” Vipir countered, placing twenty-five gold in the pile. Talon glanced around frantically, hoping to catch his opponents out. But they had surprisingly good poker-faces. He decided to take a risk. What other choice did he have?
“I’m all in” he announced, placing his final sixty-six coins in the pile.
“All in” Tonilia copied, placing her remaining twenty-five gold in the center whilst changing vacant glances with the teenage Nord.
“Me too” Vipir finished, placing his final forty gold with the others. Reaching for the stack of cards, Tonilia placed five cards from the top of the deck in a row. There was a Queen of Spades, a ten of Hearts, a three of Clubs, a six of Hearts and a nine of Spades. Instantly, Talon and Vipir groaned in defeat, Tonilia had a perfect hand with one pair.
“Pleasure playing with you, boys” she stated, collecting her winnings and placing them in her purse. As she headed away, Cynric stood up and headed back through the entrance to the Cistern. Vipir sighed, standing up and following him. As for Talon, he remained where he sat, leaning back in his chair aimlessly. It would take at least another week for his arm to heal. And it was boring him senseless. Sure, he had Ailios and the other Guild members to talk to and the odd jobs were enjoyable. But they all seemed too easy. He really wanted a challenge. Something more challenging.
Little did he know that he would soon get exactly what he wished for.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he turned his head to see Ailios approaching his table, accompanied by two new faces. The first one was a Dunmer with shoulder-length black hair, her red eyes examining Talon as she approached. Carried on her belt was a blade’s sword, the steel shimmering in the faint light of the Ratways. On the opposite side of her belt, she had a large roll of paper. Trailing behind her was a Redguard with light brown hair reaching her waist, but braided behind her ears. On her face, she had a black tattoo which resembled tears rolling down her cheeks and past her mouth. On her belt, she carried dual daggers, both crafted from steel. Both strangers wore a set of Thieves Guild armor. As they sat down at his table, Ailios spoke.
“This is the guy I was telling you about” she began, causing Talon’s trademark smirk to appear on his face. He appreciated it when Ailios recommended him to other thieves. Glancing down at his broken appendage, the Redguard raised an eyebrow and turned back to face Ailios.
“Are you sure he can help with his arm like that?” she asked, gesturing to Talon’s sling.
“Trust me. He’ll never turn down a challenge” Ailios insisted, giving him a reassuring smile. Talon could not help but smile back.
“And what exactly am I being challenged to?” he questioned, eager to hear about the scheme they were planning.
“Talon, this is Leijah,” she introduced, motioning first to the Redguard, then the Dark Elf “and Karma. They need our help”
“Indeed. We have an arrangement which requires a pair of extra hands” Karma confirmed, a small smile forming on her lips. Hearing this, Talon raised an eyebrow curiously.
“What kind of arrangement are we talking about?” he asked, carefully leaning back on his chair.
“Straight to the point, huh? I respect that” Leijah commented, reaching into her pocket and placing an item in the center of the table. It was a type of corundum, glinting bright pink in the low light. Talon whistled with intrigue at the gem, easily noticed by Karma.
“Padparadscha, the rarest sapphire in all of Nirn. Worth at least four-thousand gold per carat” she informed, causing Talon’s eyes to widen.
“Wow” he exclaimed, astonished by the value of that one gem.
“Exactly. And if you help us, we could get even more of the stuff” Leijah continued, taking the gem and placing it back in her pocket. That was all it took to convince Talon. Placing the front legs of his chair back on the ground, he leaned in, wanting in on this plan.
“I’m all ears” he accepted, grinning slyly as the three of them leaned in as well.
“We got a tipoff that a Khajiit caravan would be coming through Whiterun Hold tomorrow with a fresh batch, all the way from Elsweyr. They’re going to try and sell it off to the Jarl of Whiterun” Karma explained, her three allies clinging on to her every word.
“What’s the plan?” Ailios asked eagerly.
“The last we heard, the Khajiit couriers are spending tonight in Falkreath. They’ll most likely stick to the main road to avoid suspicion about the cargo. If we keep an eye on their route, we’ll be able to take them by surprise” Leijah explained confidently, almost certain that their plan would succeed.
“How do you know their route?” Talon asked before Karma took the roll of paper out of her belt, unfurling it on the table. A line of ink travelled down the main roads, leading from the border of Skyrim to Whiterun.
“It wasn’t easy getting this” she recalled, doing her best to put on a smile.
“We need to ambush them halfway between Falkreath and Whiterun. If not, the city guards will be on us faster than you can say jailbait” Leijah advised, tapping a portion of the route on the map.
“One more question; how are we going to ambush them?” Talon asked, causing a smile to appear on Karma’s face.
“We had something in mind...” she began, instantly enticing Talon.  

- The Next Morning, halfway between Falkreath and Whiterun-

A herd of deer passed over the fields, freezing on the spot as an unfamiliar sound hit their ears. The sound of wooden wheels creaking under the weight of a caravan. As the noise got louder, the herd ran off, darting away as fast as they could. An old wooden caravan passed along the road near where they had previously been grazing, the handlers completely oblivious to their past presence. The handlers were two Khajiits, both wearing dirty garments, further concealing the fact that their cargo was incredibly valuable. One was a male with black hair, slowly starting to turn grey at his old age. His companion was the opposite. She had a fair coat of chestnut fur, incorporating a small tint of bronze. She was young, maybe in her twenties. She sat alongside the older male as he guided the horse down the cobblestone road, the sound of chirping birds giving the ride a peaceful ambience.
“How much farther?” she asked, her voice a higher tone than most Khajiit voices.
“Not long now, Ri Ziri. About another hour and we will arrive” the male replied in a deep, crackly voice, a side effect of his old age. Sighing, Ri Ziri turned back to the road, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand. It was not all that bad though, she had always wanted to go to Skyrim. It was so different from Elsweyr. It felt nice to enjoy this foreign landscape. Just then, a strange sight appeared on the road. A young boy, somewhere in his teens, headed down the road towards them. As he noticed them, he started waving his one good hand, ushering for them to stop. Being kind, the older Khajiit could not help being concerned for this boy’s wellbeing. Pulling on the reins, the horse slowed to a canter. Until finally stopping alongside the black-haired Nord.
“How may J' Zhen assist you, boy?” he asked, his feline mouth warping into a smile.
“I’m trying to get to Whiterun. Do you know which direction I need to go?” he asked in return, mirroring J' Zhen’s kindhearted beam.
“We’re heading that way now. Could we give him a ride, father?” Ri Ziri considered, looking to J’ Zhen expectantly.
“Of course. Climb aboard” he seconded, sliding over to give the boy room at the front. If this was a normal visit, he would have let the boy sit in the back. But this cargo was of the upmost importance. He could not risk anybody finding out about it.
“Thank you so much” the boy acknowledged, struggling to pull himself up onto the front of the caravan with only one arm. With the boy seated, J' Zhen whipped the reins and the horse continued along the path, the sound of its hooves hitting the cobblestones filling the air again. Turning away from the road, J' Zhen studied his passenger, eying the unusual buckled armor he wore curiously. He swore he recognized it from somewhere before.
“What is your name?” J’ Zhen asked, immediately capturing the boy’s attention.
“Sorry, I’m Talon. You’re...J’ Zhen, right?” he guessed, recalling the name the elderly Khajiit had used when he pulled over.
“Indeed. And this is my daughter, Ri Ziri” he introduced, looking over to the female beside him.
“Are you new to Skyrim?” she asked, looking past her father at the teenage Nord. She had been hoping for some conversation to make the journey seem shorter.
“No, I’m just not that good with directions. I lost my map yesterday” Talon lied, doing his best to sound believable. And, as far as he knew, he was.
“We’ve just arrived from Elsweyr” J’ Zhen added, taking his eyes off the road briefly.
“No kidding? What do you think of Skyrim?” Talon asked, seemingly interested in their travel from one side of Tamriel to the other.
“It’s alright. We had to pass through Cyrodiil to arrive here. Nothing but rainforests and mountains as far as the eye could see” Ri Ziri recalled, remembering how drenched J’ Zhen and her had been whilst crossing the border into Skyrim.
“Must have seen some amazing things though” Talon considered, glancing up the road ahead as his cue came closer and closer. From a distance, he could see the faint sign of movement from behind a large sarsen up ahead.
“I have to admit, when travelling up the mountains, the view was quite spectacular. Have you ever-” Ri Ziri began before Talon’s call cut her off.

“NOW!”

All of a sudden, Ailios and Leijah jumped out from behind the sarsen, heading over to the caravan as it continued down the road. Copying her actions, Karma leapt out from behind a shrub on the opposite side of the road. Too surprised to react, J’ Zhen was unable to stop Talon from grabbing the horse’s reins and abruptly tugging them back. The horse reared back on its hind legs, letting out a frightened whinny as it dropped back down to all fours, letting out a brusque snort. The three thieves quickly surrounded the caravan, each wielding their weapons of choice. Karma brandished her blade’s sword, Leijah held a dagger in each hand and Ailios flourished a simple iron dagger, just like Talon as he grabbed it from his belt. Surprised, both J’ Zhen and Ri Ziri turned and glared at Talon, their eyes narrowing sternly.
“Did I forget to tell you? I’m a thief” he revealed, his grin appearing on his lips.
“Why...you...you’ll pay for this!” J’ Zhen threatened, his crackly voice almost highlighting his anger.
“Just step down from the caravan, gramps. And nobody will get hurt” Karma ushered, using her sword to gesture to the ground. Begrudgingly, both Khajiit stepped down and were lead to the side of the road near the back of the caravan.
“I’ll keep an eye of them. Check the back” Talon instructed, nodding to Ailios. She and Leijah headed around to the back of the caravan, promptly pulling open the back doors and freezing in amazement at its contents. A large crate was placed in the back, filled to the brim with the bright pink gems, all glimmering in the light as it shone through the open doorway.
“It’s official. We’re set for life” Leijah confirmed, still transfixed by the sparkling pile of gems. Unwittingly letting his guard down, Talon turned to look in the direction of the open caravan door. Unobserved by him, Ri Ziri slowly reached down to her boot and took out the dagger concealed in the side. She looked to her father, hoping that he supported her willpower. Nodding with encouragement, J’ Zhen watched as his daughter carried out her plan. Before he could react, Talon felt Ri Ziri kick him in the ribs, causing him to spin in the opposite direction and fall to his knees. As he tried to stand, Ri Ziri took her opportunity and drove her dagger into Talon’s back and causing him to let out a rasping cry of pain. Hearing his cry, Ailios, Leijah and Karma each turned in his direction, their eyes widening in horror as Ri Ziri quickly retracted her dagger and pushed Talon to the ground, a profusely bleeding wound now revealed through the back of his armor.
“NO!” Ailios cried out, quickly running over to her friend’s body, accompanied by Leijah as she attacked the Khajiit. Raising her leg, she kicked the dagger out of Ri Ziri’s hand, brought back her fist and punched her straight in the face. Falling to the ground in pain, Ri Ziri looked up at the Redguard and hissed, her ears folding downwards in aggravation. As J’ Zhen ran to his daughter’s side, the thieves quickly placed Talon in the back of the caravan with the sapphires. Climbing in with him, Ailios closed the doors behind her and sat down beside Talon, cradling his head in her arms as he continued to bleed.
“GET US MOVING! NOW!” she called desperately to the front of the caravan, tears starting to form in her eyes as Talon’s skin became paler. Leijah and Karma quickly climbed up onto the front of the caravan, looking back to make sure the Khajiit’s were not trying to take back control. Karma hastily grabbed the reins and whipped them, causing the horse to whinny as it took off in a wild gallop, leaving the Khajiit’s behind in the dust. As the caravan rocked, Ailios closed her eyes as she let the tears roll down her cheeks, silently praying for her friend’s safety.

“Please be okay, Talon. Please”

- Later, The Ragged Flagon Cistern –

Ailios paced back and forth in front of her bunk, leaving Karma and Leijah no choice but to watch her as she passed back and forth, the box of sapphires placed on the ground beside them. Talon had been taken by Brynjolf and Sapphire to be patched up, moved to another bunk so they would not have to watch. Ailios’ mind was racing, thinking of the state Talon could have been in at that very moment. What if he had not made it? Could she have saved him? She tried her best not to think about these questions, blocking them out of her head as Brynjolf approached her. Following her gaze, Karma and Leijah stood up from their chairs, preparing for the worst. They were feeling equally guilty. The heist had been their idea after all.  
“Is he okay?” Karma asked, her heart sinking as she acknowledged Brynjolf’s somber expression. Ailios covered her mouth in sorrow, praying to the gods that the worst had not happened. However, as a grin began to appear on Brynjolf’s face, she took her hands away in confusion.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself, lass?” he asked in response, stepping aside to reveal Talon heading over to them, looking as good as ever. Not only that, but his sling was gone, allowing his arm to swing freely at his side. Both surprised and relieved, Ailios ran at him and swung her arms around his neck, letting tears of happiness roll down her cheeks as he hugged back.
“Never scare me like that again” she beseeched happily, refusing to let him go for a second.
“I promise” he replied, unhooking his arms from around her and letting her go.
“What happened to your arm?” she asked, curious to how it looked good as new.
“I took a look at it whilst Sapphire fixed up his wound. He said it felt better” Brynjolf answered for him, proven by Talon as he moved it around, feeling no pain whatsoever.
“Forget about me. What about the sapphires?” he asked, looking past Brynjolf and Ailios at Karma and Leijah with concern.
“They’re in great condition. Tonilia said she could help us sell them off for a good price. We were going to bring them to her after you were patched up” Leijah explained, gesturing to the crate beside her and Karma.
“I’ll come with you. I feel like a game of poker. You coming?” Talon asked, turning to Ailios eagerly. Before she could answer, Brynjolf cut in.
“I need to speak to you first, Ally” he insisted, giving her a serious look.
“I’ll meet you there in a second” Ailios replied, stepping aside and allowing Talon to join Karma and Leijah as they headed for the exit to the Ragged Flagon. As soon as they disappeared from sight, Ailios turned to face Brynjolf.
“So, what did you need to talk about?” she asked, her smile vanishing as she saw Brynjolf’s concerned appearance.
“What’s wrong?” she asked again, her worry increasing as Brynjolf ran a hand down his face and let out a sigh.
“There’s something you should know about Talon” he began, instantly concerning Ailios as her eyes widened.
“Is there something wrong with him?” she asked worriedly.
“Nothing at all. That’s the problem” Brynjolf attempted to explain, causing Ailios expression to turn from one of worry to one of confusion.
“What do you mean?” she asked, crossing her arms at the appointed Guild Master. Checking to make sure nobody was listening in, Brynjolf began to whisper.
“When Sapphire and I were fixing his wound, we found that it had pierced him right through his spine. That should have killed him instantly” he explained, causing Ailios’ mouth to partially drop open.
“But...he’s okay. He’s alive” she spoke, causing Brynjolf’s tone to lower.
“Exactly. Not only that, but his arm needed at least a week to fully heal. And it was fixed in seconds when you brought him to us” he continued, puzzling Ailios even further as she looked in the direction Talon had walked.
“But...that’s impossible. What are we going to do?” she asked, looking up at Brynjolf hopefully, expecting him to have thought of a solution to the matter at hand.
“I don’t know, Ally. But if I were you, I’d be careful. That boy’s keeping something from us. And I don’t like it” he warned gravely before going silent. The sounds of hushed conversation and water droplets falling from above filling the air between them.