Jack crouched low, staying close to the wall.  If he was lucky than he could sneak around unnoticed.  High Elves usually thought of themselves as superior beings.  They wouldn't be expecting anyone to have the balls to sneak around.  Which even he had to admit that he never would have himself, until now.  Even with all the magic he knew, it would never be as strong as a High Elves abilities.  Their DNA just had a stronger connection then other races, except for maybe the Bretons.  Jack crept up to the first door, listening to a man tell someone suspiciously.  "Did you see those robes march in this morning? Who're they with? More of the Emissary's treaty enforcers"?  Another voice that sounded more feminine, answered dryly.  "I hear, they are here about the dragon problem". 

The male voice sounded almost relieved as he replied.  "Ah, good. I've been wondering how we're suppose to defend this place from a dragon".  Jack turned his gaze from the empty hall to the door, listening even harder.  The feminine voice, chided out hopefully as she said.  "If a dragon does show up, maybe we'll get lucky and it will eat the mages first. Might give us enough time to kill it".  They shared a brief chuckle, while Jack frowned.  Either they were talking about the mages at the collage, or they had no magic themselves.  Jack risked a peek around the open door to see they were two Thalmor soldiers.  Both were wearing a full set of light golden armor, but he could only see the man with a steel blade at his hip.  The female guard stood behind a counter making him unsure what she was carrying. 

The man patted the counter, telling the woman sweetly.  "Well, I better get back to my post now. See you after"?  The woman rolled her eyes, but gave him a smirk.  Jack watched them closely.  This might be his chance.  The man turned, walking away toward a hallway at the back of the room.  While the woman, straightened up behind the counter.  As the man vanished down the hallway, the woman moved toward a table to grab a piece of cheese from a plate.  Jack felt torn, but didn't have time to think.  He had to act fast or lose his chance.  Slipping into the room, Jack slowly crept up behind her.  He had lost his dagger in the fight with Mirmulnir, but flexing his fingers, he silently casted the spell for a bound dagger.  Jack dreaded this part.  She probably didn't deserve this... but he couldn't risk her alerting anyone. 

Standing up, Jack quickly covered her mouth, pulling her back against his chest as he brought the dagger around to slide the blade across her throat.  Jack held her firmly as her hands grabbed his arm in pure terror, before they fell limply to her sides.  Jack kept his eyes on the wall, until she fell silently.  Then he carefully set her down in a chair at the table.  He didn't want her armor hitting the floor to alert anyone close by.  So, he set her up to look like she fell asleep at the table.  Jack felt terrible about it, but would she have spared him if the roles were reversed?  Crouching low again, Jack crept off soundlessly toward the far wall.  Pressing himself against the wall to peek out into the hallway where the man had left.  Jack bit his lip nervously.  He could just barely see the mans armored arm sticking out from the wall farther down.  The guard must have been leaning against the wall.  His back was turned to Jack. 

Jack crept down the hall, listening to every sound and feeling like he was going to be caught any second.  When he was close enough to the guard, Jack held his breath.  His grip tightened on his bound dagger and he slowly rose up.  The guard sniffled softly and Jack quickly sank his blade into the mans neck at an awkward angle.  The guard reached for his neck in shock, trying to say something out loud, but his voice was too raspy from the wound to reach anyone.  The man fell to his knees, before falling forward across the floor.  His armor clanking loudly against the cement floor.  Jack froze, his whole body waiting to hear movement or voices.  Nothing.  Letting himself sigh in silent relief, Jack propped the guard up into a slumped sleeping position against the wall.  He hoped that anyone passing might find a sleeping guard less suspicious, than just a dead body on the floor. 

Jack glanced to his right and noticed a door.  He didn't know where it went, but he had to find Elenwen's office.  Sneaking through it, Jack shivered at the blast of cold air.  The door had lead him out into a large courtyard that was surrounded in high iron bars.  Creeping out to peek over a low stone wall, Jack quickly observed the area.  In the center of the courtyard was a smaller building that looked very promising.  It had more than enough guards, and not just any guards... but Thalmor wizards.  They were all dressed in black hooded robes with gold trim.  None of them carried weapons, which made Jack feel sick.  That just told him that they trusted their magic to get the job done.  Jack looked around for places he could hide, but even in this evening light the snow made it too bright.  So, he counted how many wizards were on patrol. 

Jack counted five.  Jack shook his head in defeat.  He couldn't sneak around with that many patrolling.  Too many eyes that might catch him.  Jack stopped the spell for his bound dagger and silently casted the spell for his bound bow.  He was a good archer.  This was his best chance.  Backing up a bit from the wall, Jack drew back the bow string.  He had to do this fast.  When the wizards all seemed to be looking in different directions, Jack took aim for the nearest wizard.  Releasing the arrow, Jack watched it shoot through the air and sink in right between the wizards shoulder blades.  The wizard was dead before he even hit the ground.  The wizards body fell to the ground behind a wall with just the soft crumpling of snow as a sound.  Another wizard that was near, looked up perplexed to find the wizard gone from the wall. 

Jack shrank back to the stone wall as the wizard casually made his way up the steps.  This wizard looked around suspiciously for a moment, as he moved toward the last place he saw the other wizard.  Jack hoped the arrow in the wizards back had time to disappear as the wizard spotted the body.  The wizard bent down to touch the bodies shoulder, mumbling out with worry.  "What happened"?  The wizard shook the dead body, when he went still.  Jack risked moving out to take aim as the wizard's hand touched the bloody hole between the dead bodies shoulder blades.  Jack quickly drew his bow string as the wizard started to turn to look in his direction.  For a split moment their eyes met, before Jack released the string.  Sending the arrow between the mans eyes.  The wizard fell back across the ground and Jack swiftly moved to a new spot. 

Huddling against another corner of the stone wall, Jack peeked out again to observe his new layout.  He had three more wizards to take out.  However, from this new spot, he could only see two.  Jack cursed silently under his breath and ducked back behind the wall.  The two wizards were too close together.  He couldn't hit one without alerting the other.  Jack glanced around the pathway he was on.  He could follow it around to see if he could find the third wizard.  He didn't see much of a choice.  The more he took out now the better.  Sneaking off around the path, Jack spotted the third wizard.  He was pacing the length of the path and back.  Over and over like it was keeping him warm.  Jack drew his bow string, waiting for the wizard to pace closer to the building.  He hoped to hide the body with another good shot to knock him down and out of sight. 

Only the wizard deviated from his endless pacing at the wrong moment.  Catching Jack's arrow in his shoulder instead of his chest.  The force of the arrow knocked the wizard off his feet to slump against the wall.  Jack let out a low curse as the wounded wizard yelled out to the others.  "SOMEONE'S HERE"!  Jack reluctantly drew his bow string again and sent a second arrow into the wizards neck.  One of the wizards from the courtyard, suddenly told the other one sharply.  "Spread out! Find them"!  Jack dropped low to stay hidden.  They hadn't seen him yet.  He still had a chance to fix this.  The ground shook and a loud growl bellowed out from the courtyard.  Jack risked a quick peek to see a large Frost Atronach.  Jack slumped back against the stone wall, biting his lip nervously.  He hated those things.  They were damn near impossible to kill up close. 

Jack took a deep breath and stiffened.  He smelled burning ash?  Turning to look back the way he came, he saw a Flame Atronach gracefully hover a few feet away.  Jack stayed still, simply staring at the flaming woman like creature.  How long had she been there looking at him?  The Flame Atronach tilted her head curiously, before raising her hand to fling a fire ball at him.  Jack rolled away to the other side of the path, before propping himself up to shot it with an arrow.  The moment his arrow plunged into her chest, her burning body dimmed out and she fell back across the snow.  The Flame Atronach's body surged in one last burst of flames and Jack winced upon hearing the wizard who conjured it, yell out.  "Over there"!  The ground began to shake as the Frost Atronach bounded toward the steps behind him.  On his other side, a wizard ran up the other steps with his hands prepared to cast whatever he needed. 

Jack made up his mind fast between fighting the Frost Atronach or the wizard.  Since the Frost Atronach was much harder to kill than any Flame Atronach... Jack took his chances with the wizard.  Jack drew back his bowstring and shot a quick arrow at the wizard, but the wizard was prepared.  Sending up a ward shield to block it with ease.  Jack heard the loud thudding getting too close and turned on his heel to shoot an arrow into the Frost Atronach behind him.  The arrow sank into the Frost Atronach's face, staggering it back a little.  Jack whirled around to shot another arrow at the approaching wizard, only for it to be blocked again.  Jack cut off the spell for his bow and quickly drew his glass sword.  He couldn't win this fight with magic alone.  Raising a hand at the Frost Atronach, he conjured the spell for flames. 

The Frost Atronach let out a pained howl and retreated backward, until the flames stopped touching him.  Giving Jack enough time to raise his sword to block the wizards bound sword as it came down at him.  The blades clashed and Jack mustered up his strength to kick the wizard in the gut.  The wizard gasped, staggering back clutching his stomach.  Jack was thankful for all Mark's training now.  Cutting the spell of Flames, Jack snapped his fingers toward the ground at the Frost Atronach's huge feet, creating a Fire Rune Circle.  Then turned his full attention on the wizard.  The wizard straightened up to block Jack's aggressive swings for his throat and legs.  The wizard began to back up in a panic and Jack conjured his bound sword into his other hand as his Fire Rune circle exploded behind him. 

Bits of water and steam shot everywhere as the Frost Atronach tried to cross over it.  Killing it instantly in a burst of heated flames.  Even as his back became soaked, Jack didn't take his eyes off the wizard.  Swinging his bound sword at the wizard's legs, the wizard blocked it with his ward shield.  Jack felt the sword hit the shield and immediately swung his glass sword for the wizard's neck.  The wizard jumped back to miss it and made the mistake of trying to plunge his sword into Jack's chest.  Jack crossed his blades to catch the wizard's blade, then pushed the blade up and away, before bringing his sword down to slash across the wizard's stomach.  The wizard's shield and weapon vanished as he jerked back to watch his blood dampen his robes.  The wizard pressed his hands to his chest, conjuring a bright light that Jack recognized. 

The son of a bitch was healing himself!  Jack couldn't allow him to do it.  Rushing forward, Jack slashed out with his glass sword.  In one clean cut, the wizard was decapitated.  The wizard's headless body sank to the snow covered ground and Jack let out a sharp pain cry as something plunged into his side.  Jack's bound sword vanished as his concentration broke and he lost his grip on his glass sword.  The wizard behind him tried to push the dagger in deeper, but Jack throw his head back to brake the wizard's nose.  While the wizard let out a groan and clutched his nose, Jack quickly yanked the elven dagger from his side and ran it into the wizard's chest instead.  The wizard fell to his knees, trying to heal himself too, but Jack pulled the dagger across the wizard's neck cleanly. 

Jack watched the wizard fall down dead, before staggering to grab the stone wall for support.  His side was bleeding badly.  Dropping the elven dagger, Jack placed a hand to his side and conjured the spell to heal himself as he glanced around.  He expected more guards to arrive with all the noise they had just made... but the courtyard was suddenly as silent as a graveyard.  Gathering himself together, Jack stiffly made his way toward the buildings entrance.  He wanted to rest, but he wanted to get the hell out of here more.  He just had to find Elenwen's office, before reinforcements arrived.  To Be Continued...