Chapter 94

Tension held the world like a vise. Gaeolin had an arrow knocked, though there was quite some time before their group even dared to reach the top of the hill. The sickening green light of the corrupted Water Stone filled the night sky as they approached. All tread softly. Auroth had gone to extreme lengths to muffle his armor, having spent nearly half an hour reciting a litany of enchantments before the trek. Teldiga had rejoined them from her otherworldly retreat. Rather than burden herself with silencing spells, the Breton had instead chosen to levitate herself a few inches from the ground.

Inigo and the two Bosmer had to settle for old-fashioned methods of stealth. Their light steps made progress slow. Thankfully, the position of the moon made long shadows to ease their ascent. The sounds of pick axes and hammers rang down from the monument just as they had from all of the other stones they had freed from the spell of Miraak. The mantra they chanted sent a chill down Faendal’s spine. The sensation of being held in that trance had not yet gone from his memory. Even with the cold, none of the group gave a shiver. Their focus prevented such an involuntary motion.

Four workers stood in the freezing water of the shrine, while a pair of cultists stood watch in their faded robes, and eldritch masks. Gaeolin and Faendal drew back their arrows, taking care to wait for the breeze to whisper the distance their shots would drift in its arms. They let out their breaths together, letting the arrows spring forward like silent assassins. Faendal’s shot struck one of the cultists directly through the throat, the shaft stopping after passing through until only a quarter of the projectile remained on the entry side. Gaeolin’s stuck firmly in the back of the other’s skull. After only a moment, both bodies slumped to the cold ground with the slightest of dull thumps.

The laborers, in their trance, seemed not to notice as they carried on with their work. Teldiga made her way to inspect one of them closer. “Hmmm… Miraak may have managed to ensorcel them, but he did a poor job. They are so vacant. I’ve seen undead with better motor skills.” She grumbled as her subject of study began the next stanza of the chant. “And what kind of egotistic fool makes his thralls recite such a pompous speech? It’s pathetic and attention seeking.”

“I agree.” Auroth commented. “That is why it is so important to free them from this fate. They deserve better than such an indignant existence.” He held his hand out to the stone, his eyes closing as he focused on the magics within. “This one is bound stronger than the last we freed. It would seem he is trying to resist your thu’um.”

Gaeolin placed his bow back upon his back. “He underestimates my resolve then.” He reached into his mind, feeling for the power of the words. The wind started to rush toward him from all sides. The water at his feet began to steam as his eyes gained a fiery glow. “Gol Hah!”

The words slashed out toward the stone, sounding as if they had been a roar from a dragon itself. The magic of Miraak’s curse seemed to writhe like a beheaded snake. The column of green light flickered. The ground began to tremble, the water of the shrine becoming distressed as a warning of the retaliation to come.

A lurker burst from the water with a growl of hatred. This one seemed even more mutated and alien than any other they had encountered. Its right appendage was not arm like, but rather like a tentacle. Razor sharp teeth lined the suckers on its underside. The many mouths were covered in a malicious looking slime that the adventurers were sure would spell death if they were to be injected with it. Teldiga smirked, raising her hands with fire dancing on her fingers. “You think you’re going to scare us with all that noise?” She sent forth the fire, the flames going blue and green as they reached the creature. It howled in agony as the spell began to make its flesh peel. Auroth rushed forward, bringing his hammer above his head to strike at the beast’s knee. Meanwhile, Inigo rushed in with Dawnbreaker. The golden light of the sword flashed with a startling brilliance as the blade met flesh.

Gaeolin drew back for a shot. His heart lurched in surprise as the string of his bow snapped. He tossed the weapon aside, drawing his sword as he ran toward the foe. Faendal sent a steady stream of arrows to try and distract the lurker while the others fought. Auroth’s hammer crushed the other leg and brought the beast down. Teldiga used her magic to hold it still. In a synchronous motion, Inigo and Gaeolin each sunk their blades into its heart and head. The corpse shuddered for a moment, then fell still in death.

The last of the green light had faded to leave the dark blue of night untainted. The field of stars shone brighter than it had since they had set out. It seemed almost as if the word itself had let out a sigh of relief. Faendal picked up Gaeolin’s bow, inspecting the wood and metals of the limbs for any damage.

“Bhi an tádh leat.” (You were lucky.) He handed the bow to Gaeolin. “There are no cracks or weak places that I could see here. A string is easy enough to replace.” He looked from Gaeolin’s bow to his own. “I have a spare, but it is too short for your bow.”

Gaeolin tied the larger portion of the severed string around the weapon with a loose loop. He swung it over his back before responding. “I suppose I will have to make do with my sword for the time being. I’m not surprised it has worn out after all we’ve had to deal with on this island.”

“Are you sure you would not rather borrow my bow, Gaeolin? I do not mind.” Inigo offered the ebony recurve. Gaeolin could see that in spite of his claim of being willing, there was a bit of hesitation in the gesture.

“Thank you, Inigo. But I couldn’t take your bow. I know how fond of it you are. I promise, I will manage until we are able to get a new string.” He turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder. One of the men who had been working near the stone stood there. His expression was one of confusion.

“Excuse me, but what happened here? Where are we?” He was an Imperial, his face marred with wrinkles and mottling from long days in the elements. “The name is Palevius Lex.” He gestured behind himself to the others. “My crew and I stopped off for shore leave from our ship, the Borealis.” He faltered, “I… don’t know how long we have been here. The ship was moored off the Western coast. Have you seen it?”

“We came here from an inland pass,” Faendal replied, “I’m sorry to say that we have not seen any ships since we left Raven Rock.”

Teldiga stepped forward. She knelt by the pool of water the stone stood in, casting a hand over the mirror-like surface. Her eyes shone with a pale green as images of a ship took form in the water. “Your ship waited for three weeks. Some crew searched the shore, straying in as far as the ruins of Fahlbtharz. Two were killed by Reiklings before it was decided that your group could not have survived. The remaining crew set sail, but a few days later were sunk by a great storm.” Her eyes dimmed as the images faded. “I am sorry. None from your ship live.”

Palevius face fell even further at the news. “May Stendarr return their souls to Aetherius safely. These are sad tidings, but we are glad to know what became of our friends.”

Auroth traced a circle in the air, bringing forth a shimmering blue portal. “This gate will take you to Raven Rock. You should be able to find passage to Windhelm, Blacklight, or even Daggerfall from there.”

The sailor gave a nod in thanks. “We appreciate your kindness, travelers. Safe journey to you.” He motioned to his comrades and led them through the portal. As it faded from existence Inigo sent Auroth a murderous glare.

“You mean to tell me, that all of this time that we have been traveling together, you could have summoned one of those and saved us days of walking?”

The High Elf shrugged. “It takes a lot of magicka to cast, so I try not to make it a habit. And besides,” he smirked, “the walking helps you work off all of the sweet rolls.”

Gaeolin was about to comment, when a roar split the air. A dragon swept down from the Northeast. Fire rained from its mouth, setting the ground aflame only feet away from the group. Teldiga brought a hand up, a spear of ice forming from thin air. She launched it toward the wyvern bringing her other hand up to charge a second attack. Her first bolt missed when the beast banked to the left. Auroth joined her with lightning, sending arcing bolts upward into the sky.

A light snow started to fall, causing the lightning to miss its mark more frequently. Inigo and Faendal had already started sending arrows. Gaeolin stood waiting for the dragon to land. He could do nothing at the moment without his bow. He thought his moment was near when he heard the creature let loose a pained snarl. One of Auroth’s bolts of electricity had hit the mark. It seemed as thought the dragon was losing altitude. Gaeolin readied his blade, calling on his voice as the drake descended. “Su Grah Dun!”

He felt his arms lighten, his whole body feeling as though he could take flight if only he jumped high enough. The sword was like a feather in his hand. The dragon sensed his shout and turned to come straight for him. Gaeolin brought his sword in front of his, gripping the hilt with both hands. He wore an expression of stone. Soon, the dragon would land and he could end this.

But the dragon showed no signs of slowing. What started as resolve began to turn into fear as he realized that this dragon fully intended to crash into the ground. He leapt aside just as the beast began to come down. The ground shook with the force of it, and dirt, stones, and snow flew high into the air. Auroth had managed to jump down behind a small ledge, his back pressed against the stone as he avoided the hail of debris. Inigo and Faendal continued to shoot at the dragon, getting several hits in before it recovered from its landing. Auroth jumped up, bringing his hammer down on the nearest wing with all his might. There was a sickening crunch as the massive hammer broke the bone. The dragon snarled and howled, trying to gain purchase on the attacking elf with its jaws. Gaeolin took his opportunity to climb onto the back and run up to the head. As the drake tried to throw him off, he drove his sword down through the back of the crest with all his strength.

The dragon flailed, a final puff of smoke and fire escaping its maw with the last breath. The body came crashing down with a strange amount of silence. Gaeolin landed softly, the blood on his sword causing little tendrils of steam to rise into the air. He could feel the air starting to warm as the dragon’s soul started to leave the corpse. He felt the power flow into him, making his tired body feel slightly more youthful. Inigo stood near him, his face wearing concern at the look of relief on his companion’s face.

“That soul smelled like molten metal and lizard gizzards. You smell like a lizard gizzard wizard.” He gave Gaeolin a friendly pat. “I am just saying.”