Chapter Seventy Three

House Telvanni had always been more concerned with attaining knowledge, rather than sharing it. As far as Auroth was able to tell, his host was no exception to this rule. Neloth was possibly the most intelligent person the Altmer had metoutside the Imperial College or the Aldmeri Academy. His age was a feat in itself,stretching over quite a large swath of history.

However, any attempt to discover what had brought the famed wizard to the island, or what his purpose in observing Miraak’s construction projects was, were shot down before they could be more than thought of. Even the students and staff  of Tel Mithryn proved to be walled to all prying questions. Talvas had gone nearly white when he had approached him.

“That’s a question better suited to the Master. He doesn’t really share his work with us. And between ourselves, I don’t think it would be smart to try and learn about his secrets. People don’t live long after finding out too much about Master’s projects.”

Auroth scowled. “So you just follow a man who doesn’t even trust you enough  to tell you what you are supposed to be doing?” He received no answer, but hadn’t truly planned to. He made his way to the small corner of the tower that his host had set aside for him. Shifting some scrolls off a bench, he allowed himself a moment to sit and think. How could he manage to find out anything if Neloth was going to keep  side stepping the questions? As his mind wandered, he began to feel something strange. 

There was a soft murmuring coming from a sealed door to the right. As with most of the spore homes that the Dunmer favored, the door was actually a mass of fungal tendrils, guided into the shape of an organic portcullis. Auroth could sense frightening power inside, shrouded by a darkness that was deeper than seemed natural. It was quiet, with the exception of a slight whisper coming from the dark. The High Elf squinted, readying a spell to light the room.

“You know, it is quite rude to poke around in someone’s home without permission,” Neloth countered his spell with a flick of the wrist. “You are the curious one. Pestering  my staff, interrogating my apprentice… I had expected better manners from you.”

Auroth smirked. “That’s your mistake, not mine.” He bowed to the master, “My apologies, Master Neloth. It will not happen again.”

The Drow cocked an eyebrow at him. “What drew your attention to this room?”

“The magical power within it, of course.” Auroth turned back to the darkness. “The feeling that comes from the room  is not the same as the rest of your experiments. It is older, more powerful.”

“And what do you suppose the source of this power is?” Neloth smiled, clearly enjoying testing his guest.

“My First guess would be a Daedric Prince, or at least one of their servants.”

“Or perhaps an artifact,” Neloth grinned. “Very well, I will confess to possessing a daedric relic. A powerful book of forbidden knowledge from the library of Hermaus Mora himself. One of the Seven. A Black Book of Apocrypha.”  

Auroth stood frozen. “You realize how dangerous those books are, don’t you?”

Neloth ahnugged, “I find that the most useful knowledge is often most dangerous, In any case, I know that these books are the key to finding the information you need about Miraak, and his rise to power,” The wizard let his gaze wander around the laboratory, “I wonder what the Dragon Cult must have thought when they first heard about his little rebellion. A young upstart like him, having the nerve to spit in the face of creatures as mighty as the Dragons. How he came to know of his Dragonborn powers, and then to hone them so well at that age. I have no doubt that most of his skill was owed to Mora’s influence.”

Auroth frowned. “According to legend, the Dragon Blood was a gift from Kynareth. If Miraak was the first, why would he use a goddess’ gift for such a selfish and cruel war?”

“You think he was the first man corrupted by power?”

“No, but I would have thought that the Divines would have intervened before he caused such destruction.”

Neloth let out a cold laugh. “The same way they helped stop the Oblivion Crisis before thousands of innocents were slaughtered by Dagon’s hordes? The way they jumped to stop Molag Bal during the Planemeld? As I recall, the other princes did more to help mortals during both of these disasters. Besides, you are forgetting the ever so precious free will that they gave us.” He seemed to recover from his rant, letting out a sigh, “Suffice it to say, I am not surprised that he was smote by a fellow Dragon Priest instead.”

“So you think Hermaeus Mora taught Miraak a shout to help him fight the Dragons?”

“I know that he rose from a simple, lowly priest, to having the entire Cult and a great many Dragons back him into his fortress on Solstheim. They leveled his temple, the bones of Dragons littering the surrounding slopes to this day. I hardly think they would have gone to such trouble if he had not posed a threat to them.”

Auroth looked back to the room that held the book. “So… You think that what my friends and I are looking for is in that book?”

“No,” Neloth shook his head, “My book would be quite useless to you. But, I know where another can be found.”

“Gaeolin needs the knowledge that Miraak gained. It is the only way we can stop him from bringing his abominations to Nirn.”

Neloth’s expression grew dark. “Now that is a dangerous path indeed. Hermaeus Mora gives nothing away for free. Your master may end up just like Miraak.” He scratched is chin. “Two power hungry dragonborn, both mad and bent on their own desires… it could be interesting.”

“I’ve told you, he is not my master.” Auroth sneered. “And he’s nothing like the tyrant we talked about yesterday.”

“Perhaps not yet. But if you are determined to place your fate in his hands, you should come with me. I have not been able to reach the book you seek. Maybe together, we can unlock the secrets the Dwemer left behind.”

The Altmer blinked. “The Dwemer? How do they tie into all of this?”

Neloth shrugged, gathering some supplies as he replied. “Forbidden knowledge was something of a specialty of the dwarves. You don’t think they would have just left it alone, do you?”

“Just tell me where to go. I’ll get the book myself.” Auroth didn’t enjoy the thought of having to deal with the Dunmer for any longer than necessary.

“I ‘m afraid it’s not that simple. If it was, I would already have the book. It seems the ancient Dwemer discovered this book and took it to study. I found their ‘reading room’ in the ruins of Nchardak. The book is there, but it is sealed in a protective case which I wasn’t able to open.” He turned to face his guest. “But perhaps the two of us together will be able to get at the book. To Nchardak then! Follow me.”

The wind drove the ash toward the coast as the pair set off on their journey to the ruins. Auroth tied a rag around his face to protect from the particles, hating the setting more each time he was forced to endure it. Neloth strode ahead of him with not so much as a flinch. Upon closer observation, the ash and dust seemed to swirl around him, as if some force were pushing it away.

Their path took them downward, the gentle slopes guiding them toward the shore. The waves lapped against the ash and sand without care for anything more than that they had done so since the beginning of the earth. Neloth proceeded along the cost, rambling to himself. Auroth paid the man little attention. Most of his thoughts were caught up on the book they were trying to retrieve, and the Daedric lord who owned it.

The very thought of a Dragonborn, corrupted by a Deadra, was terrifying. Neloth was correct in saying that the Dragon Cult would have considered that a very serious threat. ‘What would Gaeolin be like if tempted by that kind of power?’ As much as he might want to consider Gaeolin better than what the Telvanni wizard seemed to presume, he knew that Gaeolin was not immune to the allure of darkness. He still held a strong hatred for Altmer, though had made great strides in trusting him. He had proven before that he would rend the world for his daughter, and perhaps more so for his lover. Could a man driven by that much love be trusted to do the right thing if it put that love at risk? He was brought out of his thoughts by the sight of the dwarven city, it’s towers half submerged in the sea ahead.

“The dwemer certainly knew how to build for the ages. ” Neloth mused. “These towers have outlasted their creators by millennia. The book is housed within that dome. I had to clean out the riff raff the last time I came here. I have no idea where they come from.” As he spoke, the movements of a group of scavengers caught Auroth’s attention.

“It would seem, Master, that today is going to be no different.”