BONUS CHAPTER

The sun was low in the sky and the water shone a brilliant gold in its light. Karianna walked through the cemetery and into the marketplace looking for something to pass the time. There weren't any jobs for her to do and everyone else was busy with little jobs within the Guild headquarters or training. Brynjolf had promised to take her on a job that night but until then, she had nothing to do. She was just thinking about how it would be nice to have a place to go in Riften besides the Guild or the Bee and Barb when she saw the posting.

For sale: Honeyside Manor

Includes: Porch, kitchen, bedroom, garden, Alchemy lab and Enchanting lab.

Price: 8,000 septims.

Talk to Jarl Laila Law-Giver in Mistveil Keep.

Without another thought in her mind, Karianna snatched up the parchment and headed over to Mistveil. All of those amenities for only 8,000 septims? It was practically a steal! Plus, she was tired of having to hole up in the Guild or in various inns around Skyrim. It was time the Dragonborn had a place she could call home. She had just walked past the guards when she heard her name called. She turned to see a group of burly men walking in her direction. Guards? No, they were too armored. Bounty hunters? Possibly, judging by their weapons.

"Look, fellas, there's been a misunderstanding," Karianna said with a sweet smile as she tucked the parchment away. "I know there's a slight bounty, even though I don't know what it's for. How about I pay you the bounty and we-."

She broke off when the men surrounded her and drew their weapons.

'Shit,' she thought to herself. 'If I fight back, the guards will arrest me. I'm not spending a night in jail just because a bunch of thugs decided to pick a fight.'

"You're coming with us, girlie," the obvious leader of the troupe growled.

"You sure I can't give you some gold and we call it even?" she asked hopefully.

Two of the men stepped forward and grabbed her by the arms. She struggled at first but their grips were too tight.

"Fine if that's how it's going to be…," she muttered.

Looking around, she saw people watching. Some had even popped out of their windows to watch the Dragonborn and Guildmaster being hauled away by a group of thugs. That's when she got an idea. Rarely did she use her Thu'um, even in a full out battle she tried to rely mostly on whatever weapon she had in her hands rather than the power of the Voice. This time, though, she decided to make an exception.

She carefully aimed for an empty window to her left and took in air needed for the Shout. "ZUL! MEY! GUT!"

The Shout appeared as a ball of energy which flew through the air and burst when it hit the windowsill.

"Hey Skeever butt!" called the unknown voice that always appeared when she utilized the Shout.

The men immediately turned towards the source of the voice and Karianna used this distraction to summon another Shout.

"FIEM! ZII! GRON!" she shouted.

Suddenly her vision hazed and turned blue and all feeling was lost. She began running as fast as her feet would carry her in this form amidst the startled cries of the townsfolk and bounty hunters. She rounded the corner and ducked out of sight but was disappointed to see them running straight for her. She sprinted behind the houses and found herself in the cemetery, directly ahead of her was the mausoleum which housed the secret entrance to the Thieves Guild. With a glace back, she ducked into the mausoleum and pressed the button to open the entrance and pulled the chain as soon as she was inside to close it.

"Stupid brutes," she panted as she leaned against the grimy walls.

That's when she heard the grinding sound of stone on stone and saw the dying, golden sunlight appear through the ceiling as the entrance was being opened. Standing on the other side were the same men and they seemed angrier than ever. With a curse, she kicked the hatch open and jumped down, not bothering to use the ladder. She heard the voices of the Guild members cry out in surprise but ignored them as she ran for the weapon rack where her Elven Warhammer was hanging.

When she turned, it was a full out battle between bounty hunters and thieves. Niruin was unleashing a volley of arrows and managed to wound a couple of the thugs which allowed Vex to take them out with a well-placed dagger. Karianna rushed forward and brought her hammer down onto the shoulder of one of the men who had grabbed her and reveled in the sickening crack the bone made as it snapped. The effect was immediate and caused the man to drop his sword and double over in agony which allowed her to slam him in the side of the head. She turned and watched Brynjolf take out the last of the bounty hunters.

"What was that about?" he demanded as he stormed over.

"They tried to arrest me in the marketplace. They weren't guards, and when I offered to pay off whatever bounty they were after, they grabbed me," she explained. "Soooooooo… I ran."

"And you led them back here to our secret hideout?!" Vex shouted.

"They're dead aren't they? There's no way for them to reveal the location," Karianna said defensively.

"Besides, Vex, this place isn't exactly hidden," Rune pointed out. "Simply avoided by the general populace."

"Well… I'm just glad you're okay," Brynjolf told Karianna. "Now help us clean up this mess."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," she muttered sarcastically.