Chapter 91

The weather had shifted to a cold, windy snowfall. The old bridge swayed above the river as Gaeolin and his friends tested the strength of the boards. The snow was coming down in large flakes. Inigo grumbled as one of them landed in his eye, making him blink and shake his head.

“This silly soft fluff will be my end if it keeps taking cheap shots like that!” He huffed.

Faendal turned to him, the pair falling behind a bit as he spoke. “It is only snow. I always thought you were tougher than this.” He was only teasing, his thin smile giving away the joke.

“Normally, I do not mind the snow. However, as with flying insects, I prefer to appreciate it from a greater range than on my eye’s surface.”

Auroth glanced over his shoulder, seeing them fall behind. “Keep up you two! If you lag behind like that, we could get separated if the weather gets worse. I don’t fancy the idea of hunting for you in the snow.”

Gaeolin took the lead, treading carefully on his left leg. Though his wounds had healed, he would be lying if he claimed to be at his best. His hair fluttered in front of his eyes as he scanned the path ahead. If the map the Skaal had given them was accurate, they should be turning south soon. The beast stone was supposed to be relatively close. He had hoped to get Frea to come with them. She definitely knew the land better than they did. He shivered as a sudden wind came down from the mountain. He waited for Auroth to catch up with him.

“Are you okay, Elmond?” The Altmer looked at him with surprise. Gaeolin had never called him by his given name in friendly conversation before.

“I am. Why do you ask?”

“I remember that Teldiga’s appearance unsettled you. I have been trying to give you a good amount of space. I’m worried I am asking too much of you after that. You could have stayed with the villagers if you wanted.”

The high elf shrugged. “Would have made for a dull time. Besides, you might need me on this trip. How you managed without me before, I’ll never know. You and Inigo get into so much mischief.” He gave a rare smile. “Thank you for your concern, but I promise I will be fine. She has been on my mind. I am not too proud to admit to that. The situation is strange to me, but I made a promise to you, and I aim to fulfil it.”

“That isn’t what I meant.” Gaeolin stumbled to clarify. Again, Auroth waved the words away.

“I know what you mean. You are a good friend, Gaeolin. I do not know which is more impressive; that I earned your trust, or that you have earned mine. I cannot imagine anywhere I would rather be than traveling with you and Inigo. However,” he smirked, looking back to where Faendal and Inigo were still horsing around, “if things get any more domestic around here, I might have to take a break from all of you. Before you know it, your little girl will be tagging along on our little adventures.”

Gaeolin gave a soft chuckle. “I bet she isn’t so little anymore. She has been growing like a weed lately. I may not recognize her when I see her next.”

Auroth shook his head. “I don’t think you will have as much trouble as you think. And I promise you, she will recognize you. She loves you dearly.

“I’ve been thinking,” the Bosmer began, “what do you think about this business with Delphine? I know nothing about the Blades, or their history. Surely, in your studies and travels you have heard something about them.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Would I be doing the right thing by helping them?”

Auroth stopped, the broad nature of the question leaving him unsure how to respond to it. “It is difficult to answer that. Things are never so clean cut. Historically? I think most people would agree that the blades have served in ways that fall under the traditional definition of ‘good’. It is more a question of ‘Who and what are the blades now?’ They are no longer the order of knights who once defended the Imperial monarch. What Delphine is trying to resurrect is something much older. To slay dragons? Is this a venture that fits the terms honorable and heroic? Does this mission have virtue? I am sure that those who lost their homes to Alduin and his swarm would say yes. The question you ask is very abstract, Gaeolin. There are too many things I do not know for me to give you any specific guidance. My best advice? Listen to yourself. You know what is right, and you have already challenged your own biases before. Do what you feel you should. But be ready to face the challenge that what you know now may not be true as time passes.”

Gaeolin felt less than reassured. “You’ve spent too much time with Neloth…”

“You’ll get no argument from me.” Auroth shuddered at the name, “If I never have to work for him again, it will be too soon.”

The path turned upward to follow the slope of the mountain. The wind started to grow calm, though the clouds and the snow made the light weaker. As the afternoon went by, the group found themselves being thrown into longer shadows. The cold was getting worse. Their weapons all wore a thin layer of ice. Auroth’s armor was frozen as well, along with the boots on their feet. Gaeolin was just considering having them stop for the evening, when the sounds of hammers and pickaxes met his ears. He turned toward the noise, looking South East.

A spire of eerie green light jabbed into the sky like a foul beacon. He pointed it out to his friends. Inigo reached for his bow. “Well, I suppose it is time for us to repeat our performance in Raven Rock now, I hope your voice is up to the challenge after wandering around in this weather.”

The company approached the Beast Stone with care. There was no way to know what they would find around the shrine. To Gaeolin’s surprise, they found the stones being worked by a small group of Reiklings. The little goblins toiled with stones that were in some cases larger than they were. They grunted and huffed, some wielding hammers and axes chanting Miraak’s mantra in their strange little language.

“Wafoo athaaaal. Bertifik a goroowala. Hra woong aba. Tika twafaara filik. Wilberk tikflaaar. Yuchaaa tungar cha tiweki. Bura warag faaanig. Tiri fuklik taaar aburak.”

Faendal watched in pity as one of the Rieklings dropped the stone it was carrying, letting out a pained scream as it pinned its leg against the ground. From the other side of the artificial pool that held the stone came a cultist. It carried a whip in its hand.

“Get up vermin! Lord Miraak’s work cannot wait for your clumsiness.” He brought the whip down. The crack brought forth another wail of agony. Gaeolin abandoned stealth. He rushed forward while the cultist had his back turned. He drew back his bow, aiming for the leather at the base of his enemies’ skull. The light twang of his string was soft, keeping just as quiet while the arrow sailed through the air. It impaled his foe with a soft thud. The Riekling, freed from its trance by the pain, looked up in confusion as its oppressor fell to his knees, clutching at the arrowhead that peeked from above his Adam’s apple.

Faendal rushed forward, letting his bow fall to the snow as he approached the wounded creature. It tried desperately to flee, but could not free its trapped leg. Faendal lowered himself, trying to look non-threatening. “It’s okay, friend. I mean you no harm.” The Reikling looked unconvinced. Faendal gave a gentle smile. “Ní dhéanfaidh mé dochar duit.” He held his hands out. They were open, in a soft gesture. The goblin calmed a bit, but still seemed hesitant. Faendal put his hands on the stone. The creature seemed to sense what the elf was doing. He held perfectly still while the masonry was lifted off of him. Gaeolin joined Faendal slowly, giving the same face of kindness. He removed a glove, holding his palm above the leg. It was discolored. With the comparison of size, the rock had surely broken the Reikling’s bone.

“Coinnigh go fóill.” He reached for his magic, wishing he knew more restoration than he did. The golden light left his hand, falling with warmth on the creature’s leg. It squirmed at first, but stopped when it began to feel the pain leave its body. It took a few moments for Gaeolin to complete the healing ritual. Once he finished the little riekling stared at them for a while. He reached into his loincloth, pulling out a small gemstone. It was a sapphire. It grunted in its language. Gaeolin could see that it was trying to repay him. He closed the beast’s fingers on the jewel. “There is no need.” It cocked its head, running over to one of its people who still worked. It pointed, tapping at the other Reikling’s leg.

“Takafala joo? Gelfek waroo habichaaal!”

Gaeolin nodded. He did not know exactly what the Reikking had said, but he could guess. “Don’t worry. I will help them too. You might want to find somewhere safe to hide though.” He put his hand on the little creature’s shoulder. “Teigh àit a cheilt.” The goblin nodded, running to seek shelter between the large stones to the east of the shrine.

Auroth and Inigo joined them. The Altmer eyed them both with a mixture of admiration and irritation. “Must you two always go out of your way to help anyone you meet?”

Gaeolin pulled his glove back on. “He needed our help. We would have had to deal with the cultist anyway. I saw no harm in healing the little guy as well. Besides, didn’t we just recently have a conversation about compassion? I must have missed the part where we agreed it should be conditional.”

Auroth nodded at the retort. “Very true. I am glad to see that you are already taking my advice to heart.” He turned his attention to the stone. The water around it looked sickening. The light that pulsed from the column growing far more familiar than the group cared for, “Shall we get on with this then? I am certain we should expect the same sort of response as we did when we freed Faendal. A lurker, or worse…”

Inigo grimaced. “Let us hope the ‘for worse’ does not happen. I am sure the four of us will be able to manage though.”

Faendal jumped, rummaging in his bag. “What if it were five?” The others looked at him in confusion. He brought out the little bell. It was brass, shining in the green light with a magical brilliance. Auroth was about to protest just as he rang the note. The sound was a perfect tone, echoing through the air with far more volume than it probably ought to. The Beast stone flared brightly. A column of pages erupted from beneath the surface of the pool. They pulled tight before vanishing, leaving Teldiga standing in their absence.

“How may I honor your request, master Faendal?” She gave a curtsey. Looking around, the woman seemed to already know the situation. “If you are hoping that I might be able to free the stone from Miraak’s influence, I am sorry to say I cannot.”

Faendal shook his head. “No, Gaeolin has that part of the plan covered. I was hoping you could provide us with some extra fighting force.”

The Breton gave a nod. “Your wish is my contract, master. I should warn you. Lord Mora has noticed that Miraak has managed to attract the aid of some more powerful denizens of Apocrypha. We may be facing more than just your average lesser daedra.”

Auroth grunted, swinging his cudgel free of the sling on his back. “I am not surprised. Hopefully, he has not reached out to any of the other Princes’ underlings. The last thing we need is to have Dremora warriors against us.”

“I wouldn’t be too concerned about it.” Teldiga stretched her arms. “None of the other lords give their servants as much will and intelligence as Mora. I’m sure he only does this out of necessity. You can’t send creatures to obtain knowledge who wouldn’t know it if they tripped on it, can you?”

Gaeolin turned to the stone, trying his best to keep from laughing at the look on Auroth’s face. It wasn’t every day he dealt with someone as harshly witty as himself. “Are we ready?” He looked back, seeing that they were all in agreement. He faced the stone, reaching into his mind for the dragon tongue. “Gol!”

The word struck the stone with such force that the earth shook. It echoed off of the mountain, sending birds flying up from the trees. The ground began to shake as the newly built stone arches began to crumble. The pool began to boil. Green steam rose from the rolling water as the head of a lurker rose from within.

The group wasted no time. Teldiga closed to within fifteen feet, sending blazing gouts of fire from her palms. Inigo drew Dawnbreaker. The holy sword sang as it left the confines of its sheath. He slashed at the monstrosity’s leg, gold flames lapping at the putrid flesh. Just behind the Breton witch, Faendal took aim with his bow. He concentrated on the area below the lurker’s jaw. The monster gave a furious yowl as the arrows and fire attacked him. From the high ground, Auroth and Gaeolin sent their own help. The high elf was throwing massive balls of fire from his hands. They landed all around their foe, exploding wherever they struck to engulf several feet around them.

Gaeolin pressed forward. His shots were falling all over the monster’s face. The lurker attempted to swat away the relentless barrage, to no avail. It screamed in agony as one of Gaeolin’s arrows, as well as one of Faendal’s both landed in its right eye. It clutched it’s head, stomping around in a blind rage. Inigo took the opportunity, running up to stand just in front of the beast. He plunged Dawnbreaker into the slimy stomach. The sword flared with holy power. The flames of gold wrapped around the horror and began to consume it. Much to their disgust, it seemed to be melting before their eyes.

Just as it began to shrink down to her height, Teldiga walked up to the lurker. It looked at her with utter hatred. She held out her hand, palm facing the creature. “Your master is displeased. Pray that he is more merciful than we are.” A column of green flames burst from the ground beneath the lurker. Its eyes filled with what could only be described as terror. It tried to claw its way out of the fire, but was dragged back faster than it could manage to crawl. The beast howled as it slowly slid completely into the inferno. The emerald flames grew smaller, eventually fizzling out in the water with a subtle hiss.

The four men stared at Teldiga, more than a little unsettled at her display of power. Inigo was the first to speak up. “Was that entirely necessary? We had the monster beaten. Why fill him with even more dread?”

“Come to think of it,” Faendal added, “what could instill more fear than dying?”

Auroth wore a grim expression. “Being sent to the feet of your master, whom you have betrayed, with only a sliver of your strength left. That lurker will be facing the full fury of Hermaeus Mora. One does not spit in the face of the Prince of Fates and expect a warm welcome when dragged back to his throne.”

Gaeolin could not even begin to imagine how terrifying Mora would be if truly angry. When he had met the Woodland Man in his realm, he had been frightened. And at that point, Mora had been calm. “I would prefer if you didn’t do things like that while you travel with us, Teldiga.”

The witch smirked, amused by his presumption that he could give orders to her. “I am not bound to you, Gaeolin. You, who would pre imagine yourself to be righteous. I must serve my master. His errant subjects must be punished. simply killing them in your world is not enough. They have turned against Him, their creator! I am obligated to speed them to their judgement.”

Faendal stepped in front of her. His eyes were sharp, and his lips drawn tight. “You will not do the work of your prince while under my contract. You are sworn to me for as long as I have you summoned. Do you understand?”

From his waist, the bell gave a soft peal. The brass flashed with light. Teldiga eyed the instrument, giving a curt nod. “As you command, my lord.” She bowed before moving away to sit on a stone nearby.

Gaeolin put his bow away. He could see two more Reiklings cowering a short distance away. He and Faendal knelt down, offering their hands as they had earlier, The goblin who had been hiding rushed out, chattering excitedly to its friends. He sent what seemed like a thankful expression to the elves before leading the others away. Inigo watched them go with his fangs showing in a smile.

“I wonder how this will change the way the Reiklings will interact with the Dunmer and the Skaal. Maybe your mercy will have positive effects far beyond our immediate situation.”

“One can hope.” Gaeolin replied. “Though, I think getting on with our mission to deal with Miraak will do more to help than this.

Auroth grunted in agreement. “Where shall we go next? The water stone is quite a long way.”

“The tree stone is at the summit of Miraak’s temple. It is not that far. We could try freeing it next.”

Teldiga stood. “You can try, but I fear that his temple and those who tend to it might make it impossible for you to undo his hold on the stone.”

Gaeolin knew there was logic in what she said, “All the same, we would be fools not to try when it is so near. We will pass it on our way west anyhow. I see no reason to avoid the chance.”

She gave a nod. “We will see.”

As they left the Beast stone, Auroth and Inigo took the lead. Teldiga followed them at a distance with a notebook in her hands. She would occasionally stop to inspect some plant they were passing, or look off into the distance with her eyes tight to catch some detail that was far away. Faendal and Gaeolin brought up the rear, discussing their newest companion.

“I don’t know if I trust her.” Faendal whispered. “She was very quick to return to what the Deadra would have wanted her to do.”

“We shouldn’t consider that so strange. In truth, I was surprised that she listened to you so easily.” Gaeolin considered her as she picked up a length of dried Scathecraw. “She doesn’t seem evil. She strikes me more as any student. The fact that she seems bent on ingratiating herself with Mora might simply be an extension of the desire to impress an instructor. No, I don’t trust her yet.” He gave his lover a smile. “But maybe I could learn to, in time. Let’s give her a chance.”

The group soon came to the slope that led up to the temple. The sounds of hammers and axes still ringing down from the workers above. To their relief, the labor was unsupervised at the moment. “The cultists must be worshiping their master below.” Auroth mused.

They approached the summit with their weapons ready. The slave masters had forced their workers to accomplish quite a lot since the last time Gaelin had been here. The dome above was complete, and the strange embellishments that were common throughout Apocrypha were being placed all around, Gaeolin eyed the Skaal that worked nearby.

It was clear that they were unwell. Their clothes were tattered, and their bodies thin and feeble from lack of food and drink. The cultists must not have been concerned with giving care to the entranced workers. In the center of the wicked pavilion stood the Tree stone. It looked even worse than the others they had encountered. The stone itself seemed to be turning green. The light that swam across the cracked surface was darker than that of its brethren. Gaeolin motioned the others to stay back, pulling in breath to prepare his shout.

“Gol!” The thu’um echoed off of the stonework, ringing in their ears as it tried to impose Gaeolin’s will on the magical stone. But, unlike the times before, the stone did not yield. The additions to the architecture remained as if to mock his attempt. The green aura clung ever tighter to the surface of the totem. Gaeolin scowled, taking in an even deeper gulp of air. “GOL HAH!”

The shout was even stronger than the last. It threatened to knock the scaffolds down, startling even the thralls who worked on them. But still the power would not leave the stone. Gaeolin slumped forward, his throat sore from the exertion. Faendal put his hand on his shoulder. “Well, we knew this might not work.”

Auroth swung his hammer up, bringing it to rest on his shoulder as he looked to the west. “I suppose we will have to deal with the water stone first. If we start now, we could cover a lot of ground before the day is out.”

Teldiga nodded her agreement. “We should try to be quick. It is unwise to travel the woods of Solstheim after dark.”

Inigo looked to her with his question ready. “Is that a general rule or do you have a specific example?”

She looked genuinely concerned. “Let’s just say that Hermaeus Mora is not the only prince who has followers on this island.”

They pressed on, following the sun as it sank toward the horizon. As the shadows of the trees grew longer, the whole company began to share the witch’s misgivings. Strange noises could be heard from the north. Not quite howling, and not quite screaming. It was hard to say what could be making them. Nevertheless, all were relieved when the sight of a small cabin met them.

“Maybe the owner would be kind enough to offer us shelter for the night.” Inigo allowed himself the chance to be optimistic.

Auroth and Gaeolin looked at one another sharing the same concern. “We don’t know that the owner will be willing, or even that we would be safe staying with them.” The altmer growled. “Rather than invite ourselves, we should try to find a place to make camp on our own.”

“Solid walls would be safer.” Teldiga jumped as more of the strange calls echoed down from the mountains. “Please trust me. Whatever may happen with the owner, we can make it right. It is unwise to stay outside in these parts.”

“You haven’t been on this plane for Julianos knows how long.” Auroth grunted. “How could you know anything about the local hazards?”

She sent him a withering glare. “My dear Elmond, what do you think one does in an infinite library? I was reading. There are terrors that hunt these woods at night that I can almost guarantee none of you have ever faced.”

Faendal tried the door, finding it locked. He retrieved a pick and probe from his pockets. With his ear pressed to the wood, he set to work. After a few moments, it became clear that the effort was not going well. His face grew steadily more red. Finally, he tossed the probe and pick to the ground, cursing. “This lock is far too complicated. We would need the key.”

“Maybe we could just knock?” Inigo offered.

Faendal shook his head. “There is no one inside. I promise you. It was far too quiet.”

With few options, Gaeolin pointed back into the trees. “We will have to seek shelter there.” He turned to Teldiga, who had already started to protest. “I am not dismissing your warning. But we cannot stay here. It is too exposed, and we can’t get into the cabin. Our best bet is to try and find a dense stand of trees that we can defend easily.”

She looked unhappy, but agreed nonetheless. The party went through the woods in silence. All were on the lookout. The sounds had stopped. From the tension that hung in the air, it was clear that no one took comfort in this. They were just passing through a stand of burnt pines when Gaeolin heard them.

He drew his sword and turned to see four men running toward them through the twilight. They were naked, save for very dirty clothes around their waists. He brought his weapon up, shouting for them to stay back.

An instant later, the whole party was fighting for their lives. The men screamed and grunted, the shouts turning to snarls as they took on a new form. All four shifted into massive, savage bears, ready to take down the foolish adventurers that they had chosen for their meal. Inigo snarled back, knowing the fight would be their hardest yet.