Celeste's first day at the College of Witerhold was not what she expected it to be. Not even close. When she approached the bridge that leads to the College she was happier than ever in her life. She made all this long way from Riften to Winterhold, and even though she was madly tired, she couldn't hide the smile when she saw imposing old walls. At the foot of the stairs she was met by an Altmer mage named Faralda, who at the beginning tried to scare her away. Only after Celeste convinced her she'd come to study not to harm mages, Faralda finally let her take the entrance exam. It was not a challenge for Celeste to summon the Flame Atronach – Wylandriah taught her well.

"Sorry for the inhospitality," she said while they climbed the bridge toward the College itself. "We have to take extra precautions with all of this hard-nosed Nords around, who still trying to blame us for everything."

She glanced at her blond hair. "No offence."

Then she passed her to Mirabelle Ervine, pretty Breton woman, who showed her a living chambers in the Hall of Attainment.

"Why did you decide to come here?" Mirabelle asked once they left the Hall of Attainment.

"Wylandriah, the court wizard to Jarl Laila of Riften, send me here. I was her Apprentice for a couple of years," she answered.

"Oh," the tone she used to say it told a lot to Celeste.

She was aware of her preceptress' reputation among mages. Wylandriah was rather odd. Always in her laboratory, busy with some new magical experiment, which is likely to end with a local explosion. Sometimes she truly wondered why Jarl Laila still hadn't kicked her out. However, she was a good woman; Celeste knew that better than anyone did. All her childhood, up to the sixteen years old, Celeste spent in the Riften orphanage. When she was out, she was completely lost. No friends, no family, no money. Wylandriah took her as her assistant when she was eighteen. Two years between she prefers not to remember. From early childhood, Celeste was fascinated with magic. Some nights, lying in bed, she dreamt of throwing fire and ice at those who hurt her. But she was just an another poor orphan so all her dreams was destined to remain dreams. Until she met Wylandriah. Somehow she saw potential in her, despite the crust of despair and pity. She started to teach her magic and turned out that Celeste was quite talented girl. Through she liked her life in the Mistveil Keep she did not like Riften a bit. Dirty, rotten city that held too many unpleasant memories. Orphanage that she saw every time leaving the Keep reminded her that she was and will always be just an another orphan.

"There's no future for you here," Wylandriah said to her. "And can't teach you everything. I think it's time for you to move on."

A lot of people didn't like her, even was afraid of her. Mostly because of a whole set of oddities, but sometimes just because of her status. Celeste really doubted Wylandriah's behavior though. When there were no people around she becomes calm and thoughtful and Celeste had a lot of pleasant conversations with her. She suspected that her teacher's eccentricity was all about scaring unwanted people away so she can be alone with her experiments.

So she was ready to face College mages' disapproving and alertness. Wylandriah wrote many letters to College asking about weird equipment and telling them about her questionable achievements. Because of her chronically forgetfulness those letters were a mess. She made a lot of mistakes in them and always jumped from topic to topic. Celeste tried to fix those letters but Wylandriah was always vehemently against any interference in her writings. "You'll ruin my whole idea!" she said. Does she need to say that Wylandriah rarely got any response?

Lost in her thoughts, Celeste didn't even notice how Mirabelle took her to the Hall of Elements - educational space.

"You can join Master Tolfdir's lesson now, if you want," she said as they stood near gates to the large hall with a well in the center that glowed with a blue light. «But if you tired you can return to your chambers and start your lessons tomorrow."

"I'm not," Celeste said goodbye to Mirabelle and entered into the hall.


This is how she ended up here. In the Saarthal ruins. It was naive and childish maybe, but when she thought about herself as a student in the College, she imagined alchemy classes in the basement, books with forbidden conjurings, practicing complicated spells with other apprentices. Maybe her mind was spoiled with her own dreams, but she definitely had higher expectations than digging up the old ruins. The most ridiculous part - she wasn't even allowed to dig! Master Tolfdir brought them here simply to watch. He said that this was dangerous here, but she understood quite well - he just doesn't want them to disturb other mages.

"This is nonsense!" she said to the danmer student named Brelyna Maryon, who was hanging around ruins with her. "What are we supposed to do here? They don't even allow us to touch things!"

"What did you expect? We just fresh apprentices," it was obvious that she was disappointed no less than Celeste, but sucked it up.

"But this doesn't mean that we're useless! You know something about magic, don't you? You wouldn't be able to get in here otherwise."

Celeste was outraged. She knew she wasn't a great mage and in the soles of no good to the teachers, but still she spent three years being court wizard's assistant. She was capable in handling artifacts. And more than capable to stand for herself in case of danger. Wylandriah's experiments were far more dangerous than some dusty old ruins. Maybe they don't trust her because of Wylandriah's reputation? She felt rage boil even more. Yes, Wylandriah was a bit strange, but she also is a good person and talented wizard! Jarl trusted her and counted on her, that should count as something, right?

"Calm down," Brelyna said wearily. "Shaking the air with wouldn't help you".

"Didn't you offend with such treatment? We aren't children!"

"Actually acting like this make you sound more like a child," Master Tolfdir appeared from behind the shadow of the collapsed column. There was no hint of insult or shaming in his voice, but Celeste was ashamed anyway. Next to him stood a woman, wrapped in dark clothes. Hood of her cape hided her face. There was something about her, something alarming and dangerous. Shivers went down Celeste's spine.

"Lady Devour, let me present you two of our newest students: Celeste from Riften and Brelyna Maryon of house Telvanni," he pointed at them, turning to the mysterious woman. "This is Lady Magdalene Devour. She came to us from afar specifically to visit these excavations.»

«Nice to meet you, my Lady" Brelyna said.

"Telvanni, hah?" Lady Devour's voice was unexpectedly pleasant, although slightly husky. "Nice to meet you too, Brelyna."

"What so important about this ruins?" asked Celeste and quickly added. "My Lady."

She can bet that she saw little smirk on Devour's face.

"I have information about an artifact down here," simply said woman.

Celeste was about to ask something else, but unknown man came to them and whispered something in Tolfdir's ear. His face became gloomy at once.

"Excuse me, but I must leave you for a moment. I'm sure Celeste and Brelyna can escort you to Arniel Gane. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Arniel Gane was one of the scholars they met here - he was expert in artifacts, she think. Or maybe not.

"Follow us, my Lady," Brelyna started to walk toward small corridors.

Brelyna was on the right side of Devour and Celeste on the left. Celeste couldn't define her race, no matter how hard she tried to look under the hood.

"Do you see well with this hood on your face?" she asked.

"Well enough."

This woman inflamed unexplainable curiosity inside of her. Devour moved like a predator of some kind. Gracefully, silently, as if she owned this place. Celeste didn't see queens but she's sure they move the same way Devour did. That makes her feel uncomfortable. She wanted to cringe to the smallest she can be just to avoid Lady Devour's attention somehow, but on the other side she just can't shut up. Urge to satisfy the curiosity seemed to eat her from the inside.

"Where are you from?" she tried to sound confidently, but made a poor job of it.

"You're the curious one, aren't you?" she grinned.

"Just like to ask questions, my Lady."

"Bad habit," she said very coldly.

It was amazing and terrifying at the same time how fast Lady's mood change. Second ago Celeste started to think they may get along and the next second she want to crumble under the ground. She forbade herself to open her mouth again.

Brelyna led them right to the Arniel Gane. He was standing in a small stone room near the wooden table, which was brought here by the mage himself. However, what really caught her attention was stone panel with nordic carvings on it. In the center of the panel was deepening, on which lay a talisman. It looked very simple: small piece of wood with similar carvings like those on the panel and old teeth on the leather scrap.

"What are you doing here?" he finally noticed them

"Master Tolfdir told us to bring his guest to you," Brelyna said.

"Magdalene Devour," woman introduced herself.

"Oh, Lady Devour," he become a lot more polite and respectful. What is it about her that made her so important to everyone? They started to talk about excavation, but Celeste barely listened. All her attention was on this talisman. Like it was asking her to touch it. She felt uncontrollable urge to take it.

"I'll show you the important places that we had already located..." she heard Arniel's voice but it seemed so far away. Before she knew it, her fingers grabbed talisman and lifted it up from the deepening.

Sound of metal scraping against stone filled the room for a moment. Still clutching the talisman in her hands, she turned around to see what she had done.

A steel grate blocked the arch in the wall that led into this room from the corridor now. Brelyna and Arniel were on the other side, but Lady Devour was still in this room with her - it seemed like the grating had grown out of the ground right before she could get out. She looked at her with undisguised indignation.

"What have you done?" she growled.

"I don't know!" Celeste felt a panic rising inside of her. "I just took this amulet!"

«You, kids, weren't taught not to pick up everything you see?" Celeste could tell that Devour was really angry now. Shit.

"Where did you find it?"

"Right here," she pointed at the panel.

Anger turned to puzzlement. Woman marched to the panel and Celeste jumped away from her way. She didn't want to make things even worse. It looks like her days at the College are over before they could even start.

"Are you alright?" Worried voice belonged to the Arniel. "We'll bring help!"

"No need," Devour said as she was examining carvings on the wall. "I think we're good."

What! They trapped inside a stone sell and she think it's alright?

"Put it on," she said suddenly.

"What?"

"Your amulet. Put it on."

Celeste paused for a few seconds. All attractiveness from the talisman was gone and she wasn't sure it's as harmless as it looked before.

"What wrong? Afraid?" She chuckled.

"No, I'm not!"

This jeer helped her to gather her strength. When she put this amulet on, another roar sounded as if stone was moving against the stone. She looked at the panel. It was enveloped in a strange shimmer that rippled like a lake into which a stone was thrown. Magdalene snapped her fingers and a fireball appeared on her hand. Within a second, she threw it in the panel. The panel shattered into pieces and fell into the passage that was hidden behind it.

«Now that's interesting," woman said without addressing anyone in particular.

"What is that?" Celeste carefully looked into the passage like someone or something can jump out from it.

"Have no idea. But I'm going to find out," Magdalene said and stepped in the passage.

Celeste was considering staying in here and let this woman investigate it by herself but her curiosity took her best.

"Wait! I'm coming with you," she sprinted into the passage after her.

"No, you don't," Devour said without even turning to her or stopping walking.

"Yes, I do!" She said in a more confident tone as she furrowed her brows. "After all, if this wasn't for me you'd never had found it!" She remembered that she was talking with powerful person and added "my Lady."

Magdalene was clearly not used to anybody disobeying her orders. She pursed her lips, thinking. Still with her hood on the face, in the dim light of torches on the wall she looked scary as never before. Celeste though for the first time that this woman may be really very dangerous. Deadly dangerous. And she pissed her off. Celeste swallowed.

But finally Lady Devour's faced a bit relaxed and she turned on her heels.

"Follow me, do exactly what I say. And don't touch anything," she moved further into the tunnel.

"Got it, my Lady," she followed her.

"Call me Magdalene for that matter."

"Alright... Magdalene."

It was unexpected. She got a feeling that Magdalene rarely put anyone on her own level. Although Celeste didn't feel like she was on her level. She still was a bit afraid and nervous so she kept her mouth shut and simply followed.