The Raging Storm

Chapter Twenty-One: The Culprit

Kazmere Vale glanced around the sandstone corner to see how far away Savere was. Near the exit from Albatross, she paused and looked behind her to see if someone was following. He held his breath and pulled his head back just in the nick of time. She was a cautious one. She always had been since he first met her, fifteen years before. By the Divines, she was the one that trained him in the art of following unseen.

With a huff, she pulled her hood up over her white braid, climbed up the nearest stone building to her, and dashed off toward the eastern section of the Fifth Division. Why was she heading toward Lord's Highway, where the various Lord's estates were? Curious.

Following behind her on the streets wasn't an option, not with the amount of Crimson Guards that patrolled around. The more wealth in an area, the more guards patrolling. He needed to get onto the buildings above and follow from there. The option of using his Viberium powers to climb up was appealing, but the orange glow that pulsated from him would give him away in a heartbeat. Using his powers during the day hid the aura to an extent, but the night was fast approaching. He would stick out like a sore thumb. Stealth was imperative here. With a grunt, he grabbed a stone block jutted out of the nearest home, and hoisted himself up. It had been months since he'd climbed without using his powers. Ansel had always been a better climber.

He pulled himself up with a final grunt and crouched low. All of the Fifth Division spread out before him. To his left, Mount Sunspear sat behind the Crimson Palace far in the distance above. The Skyprison sat atop the mountain. He shivered at the thought of that cold, harrowing place. He would sooner die before he ever went back there. The switchback cobblestone roads that led up to the different Divisions were full of common people heading home for the day. Sounds from a bustling city winding down for the night reached his ears. A soft breeze brushed against his cloak and tickled his nostrils. The sun slowly descended over the horizon in the distance with the evening light enveloping Dawnsguard.

The hooded figure was already twenty yards off from him, hopping from clay roof to clay roof. He kept low and followed, keeping the distance between them. If Savere turned around, he needed to be able to drop over the side and hold himself there to avoid her gaze.

Over the next half hour, Savere occasionally peered behind her to see if anyone was following. Kazmere kept low while following and either laid down to dodge her gaze or dropped over the side of whatever stone building he was on. She hadn't given any indication she'd caught on to him yet. The far eastern section of the Fifth Division wasn't far off now. The question kept nagging at him while he followed. Where was she heading? The only place she could be going was to meet up with one of the Lords that ruled under King Vlidian. With every passing moment, he became more concrete in his feelings that Savere was the one he searched for.

The Fifth Division consisted of sandstone homes with clay roofs, other than the eastern section where the various Lord's estates were located. The district was known to the common people as Lord's Highway. The homes stopped when they meet the guarded sandstone wall that represented the entrance. The wall stood three and a half yards tall. From the wall on, large manors spread out over two leagues of lush green land. Some of the best in Dawnsguard, which was usually mountainous. The manors, made of marble, had a plethora of staff who tended the various grounds and maintained upkeep. He and the Foundlings had stolen from these Lord's manors on various occasions, all in the pursuit of gaining enough crimson marks to fund their revolution. Especially Lord Bomd's manor. That man had never increased security for some reason, no matter how many times they stole from him.

Kazmere watched Savere drop down from the clay-tiled roof before the sandstone wall. He made his way to the ledge, then laid down on his stomach to watch. She strode up to the four Crimson Guards that watched the western entrance to the Lord's Highway. She pulled off her hood. The front guard pulled out a key, unlocked the gate, and gestured for her to enter. She walked inside. Watching the way the guards greeted her, he knew deep in his heart that she was the one. Fury boiled inside of him. He stifled it with effort; he needed to see for himself who she was meeting. Then he would decide what to do.