Chapter Eighteen

Delphine led the way, dropping into a crouch as the sound of great wings filled the sky. Gaeolin saw the beast circling through the falling snow. “Lorkhan’s eyes! Look at that big bastard!” She turned to them, motioning them to stay low. “Keep your heads down. Let’s see what it does.”

“We should attack now, while it’s distracted.” Inigo suggested. Delphine shook her head.

“Stay under cover. We came here to gather information.” Gaeolin peered around a boulder, seeing tendrils of light rising from the mound. The dragon circling overhead opened its maw, shouting with an authority he could taste.

“Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse!” Gaeolin could feel his blood flare with heat at the words. A part of his mind went alight with understanding. “Slen tiid vo!” A billow of power descended, sending the layers of soil cascading across the hilltop. 

From within the mound came the sound of creaking bones. A skeletal dragon crawled forth from the dust and snow, a strange glow enveloping the fossils. The dirt and magic began to cling to its frame, flesh reuniting with the long dead owner. As his scales finally ceased to glow, the now very much living drake looked up to the black dragon and spoke.

“Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?” Alduin, my overlord! Has the time come to revive the ancient realm?

“Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir.” Yes, Sahloknir, my trusted ally. Alduin turned his head, fiery eyes locking with Gaeolin’s. He stood out in the open now, glaring at the beast. Delphine watched, sure he had lost his mind. “Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu’u koraav nid nol dov do hi.” So, my false Dragonborn? I do not recognize you as a dragon. He began speaking common, voice even more guttural than before. “You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah.”

Gaeolin stood his ground, reaching deep within himself. “Hi mindol pahlok zu’u? Zu’u tinvaak ni do nil lot, Alduin.” You think me arrogant? I do not speak of empty greatness, Alduin. The dragon considered him, clearly surprised by his response. 

“Ful boziik, goraan fahliil. Sahloknir, krii daar joorre.” So bold, young elf. Sahloknir, kill these mortals. Alduin gave a mighty flap of his wings, flying off to the west as his ally attacked. Inigo and Delphine rushed from their hiding place. Gaeolin rolled away from a bite, dropping his sword in his haste to escape. He drew his bow and shot. Inigo cut at the Sahloknir’s haunches, causing the dragon to snarl. 

“I am Sahloknir! Hear my voice and despair. I see that mortals have become arrogant while I slept.” The beast laughed. He took flight, circling around to breathe frost across the plateau. Delphine and Inigo dodged the chilling blast by the smallest fraction of time. Gaeolin continued to fire, one of his shots catching Sahloknir in the base of his wing. “Ruth!” He cursed as his altitude fell. He landed, the impact causing all three of the fighters to stagger back. “It’s to be a real fight, then? Good!”

“Come on! This is our best chance!” Delphine jumped up, running at full speed to the beast. “For the Blades!” Gaeolin froze for a moment, the battle cry nearly costing his head when the lizard’s tail whipped around. He ducked, retrieving his sword before rejoining the fight. Inigo relieved Delphine, cutting mercilessly with both of his swords. Gaeolin joined him with an impressive flurry. His blows landed swift and sure. Sahloknir drew his head back, bellowing in fury at the pests who had somehow begun to gain an advantage. He lunged forward to devour Gaeolin.  

The elf dodged, taking the chance to leap into Sahloknir’s crest. His feet nearly slipped on the scales while the creature reared in alarm. It’s eyes rolled up in their massive sockets, frosty plumes snorting from the armored nostrils. Gaeolin balanced in spite of the attempts to unseat him. Waiting for just the right moment, he held his blade tight.  Sahloknir opened his mouth. Gaeolin swung his weapon down, jabbing up into the roof of the beast’s maw.

A final bellow gasped from the drake. Gaeolin jumped down, turning to see the corpse crash to the earth. Delphine put her sword away, Inigo running to stand by his friend in victory. 

“I’ll be damned, you did it! That was well done. Come on. I’ve been dying to get a closer look at one of these buggers.” Delphine made to approach the body. 

Inigo motioned for her to wait. “I’d stay back for a moment.” 

“Wait… What’s happening? Gods above!” 

Gaeolin could feel fear threatening as Sahloknir began to shimmer. The snow turned to cold rain as the air started to warm. Flames consumed the newly revived flesh, hot threads of energy rushing towards him. He bowed his head. He thought of a single word. 

Kaan. The goddess, who’s trees grew tall around him. The warm power met him softly this time. His mind didn’t burn, a strange calm filling every inch of his body. An understanding began to pour over into his soul. He could feel the presence of a party of elk, grazing in the distance. A pack of wolves called to the moon that lit the night. Gaeolin closed his eyes, feeling peace. He sank to the ground to sit. He hadn’t felt this tired in ages.

Delphine stared in disbelief. “So you really are… I… it’s true isn’t it? You really are Dragonborn.” She offered to help him to his feet. He took her hand, reluctantly standing. “I owe you some answers, don’t I? Go ahead. Whatever you want to know. Nothing held back.”

Gaeolin met her eyes. “You’re a Blade, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “How did you know?” 

“The battle cry kind of blew your cover… “ Inigo quipped. 

Gaeolin brushed some dirt off of his pants. “My grandfather served as a Blade. He fought during the Oblivion Crisis. My father told me he had all sorts of sensational stories.” 

“Really? That explains why the Thalmor would attack your village then.” She scowled. “They went after us like it was their sacred mission. They probably assumed your father had taken up the family oath.” 

He didn’t care for more speculation. “Anyway, did this reveal anything new about the dragons?”

“Quite a lot,” she began, “though it gets us nowhere further. I was just as surprised as you to see that big black dragon here.” 

“I’ve seen him before. He was the Dragon that destroyed Helgen.” Gaeolin peered into the mound that had been Sahloknir’s tomb. Gold and gems sparkled from the dirt. It seemed the dragon cult had been courteous enough to bury their master with a portion of his hoard. 

Inigo leaned down to help collect the spoils. “To think you owe him your life…”

Delphine pondered the information. “Interesting. Same dragon…” She sighed, flailing her arm as she paced in frustration. “Damn it! We aren’t getting anywhere.” She stopped, glaring at the boys. “Are you listening?”

Gaeolin shrugged. “Yes, but I didn’t think it was necessary to leave the loot to hear you rant.”

“We were paying enough attention to know you were just complaining.” Inigo added with a cheerful tone. He pocketed a sapphire.

“Great… We kill one dragon, and you both lose your sense of urgency.”

“No, we haven’t.” Gaeolin stood. “I just need to live in the meantime. Gold helps with that. So, what’s our next move?” 

“We need to get to the bottom of this. Honestly, the Thalmor are our best bet. If, by some stretch they aren’t involved, they’ll know who is.”

Inigo cocked a furry eyebrow. “What makes you think the Thalmor are bringing dragons back? It seems pretty foolish of them to resurrect a race that humbled the ancient nords for centuries.”

“Nothing solid, yet. But my gut tells me it can’t be anyone else. The Empire had captured Ulfric. The civil war was on the cusp of ending. What remains of the basis of power in the empire stabilizing, ripe for fortification and consolidation. The Emperor could have built up his armies with recruits from Skyrim without as much resistance. A sense of unity could have returned to the provinces. But then a dragon attacks, Ulfric escapes, and the war is back on. And now the dragons are attacking everywhere, indiscriminately. Skyrim, and the Empire are weakened.” She met his eyes. “Who else gains from that but the Thalmor?”

Gaeolin saw her point. The more he turned it over, the more convinced he became. “So, we need to find out what they know. Any ideas?”

“Just one,” she began, “We need to get into the Thalmor Embassy. It’s the center of their operations in Skyrim. But, it’ll be locked up tighter than a miser’s purse. They could teach me a few things about paranoia.”

“And how do you suggest we get in there?” The elf felt anxious at the prospect. 

“I’m not sure yet. I have a few ideas, but I’ll need some time to pull things together.” She Made to head down the hill. “Meet me back in Riverwood. If I’m not back when you get there, wait for me. I shouldn’t be long. Keep an eye on the sky…” Her face wore a warning. “This is only going to get worse.”  

As Delphine left them, Inigo came to stand by his friend. He looked back to the bones of the drake. “If I were a dragon you would terrify me. Anyway, Delphine is a blade, eh?” He sneered. “She doesn’t seem that sharp to me.”

Gaeolin didn’t reply to this. He ached from head to toe, his arms screaming after the fight. “She’s good in a fight though.” He turned to the Khajiit. “What say you to a drink and rest at the Braidwood?” Inigo nodded, leading the way down to the inn. 

Gaeolin bought their rooms, leaving his companion to drink. He was more in need of the sleep. The cheap bed had a simple straw mattress, covered haphazardly with bear pelts. The pillow was hard, but he didn’t care. It only took moments for him to fall asleep. His dreams were haunted by Alduin’s wings, sky growing dark as the dragon lord burned the plains of Whiterun, turning south for Falkreath. 

He was running through trees. Fire licked his heels as the moons shone down on him. He could hear a woman shouting behind him. Her voice was cold and commanding. 

‘Leave none alive! Alinor cannot ignore Imperial sympathies. Burn the village. The port is all we need.’