Briani P.O.V.
…x.X.x…
The ride back to Winterhold was as uneventful as the ride to Fellglow. However it was easy to talk to Cayn, and I found that despite my efforts to remain detached from any conversation he managed to weasel the thoughts from my mind and the words from my tongue. A few times it surprised me how simple it was for him to draw me in, but every time I pushed the thought from my mind and kept silent.
At least until the next exchange came along, at least. I consoled myself by telling myself that if he trusted me with information like him being dragonborn then anything that may slip by would hardly be worth panicking over.
I couldn't tell him about my father yet, though. But every day I hid it became more weight on whatever was between us, and I felt that as soon as I revealed the truth the weight would fall and crush everything. It was a vicious cycle, me convincing myself that I would tell him and then deciding all the time that had already passed made it too much to bear. At this point I know it is going to be ugly when he found out. But still I keep quiet.
"Dragon got your tongue?" Cayn's voice broke through my thinking again, and I jumped.
"No." I shot him an I've-got-it-already look. "Some people just know how to go ten minutes without talking."
"Huh." He shrugged, a childish grin spreading on his face. "That's weird. It never occurred to me. What has occurred to me is that we've been riding through the same forest for two hours and, frankly, the thrill of it was lost after the first fifteen minutes. In fact, I almost wish a dragon did have your tongue, 'cause it would certainly give me something to do rather than trying to get you to talk for two days. Which, in case you haven't noticed, is rather difficult."
I couldn't keep the smile from twisting the corner of my mouth. "I have noticed. Although you're right. It is fairly boring." I made a show of peering into the forest. "Unfortunately I don't see any dragons, unless they're hiding behind the trees. I guess some wolves-" I glanced back at him, now completely incapable of hiding the wicked grin splitting my face. I was, however, successfully hiding the magic snowball forming in my hand. "-or a certain Nord would do."
The snowball flew straight and true, hitting him solidly in the cheek. He blinked widely at me for a moment, his mouth gaping open. But the grin quickly reformed, a glint of mischief sparking through his eyes.
"Well," He drawled, swirling his own snowball into existence. "I see a small Imperial girl that would also do nicely." He flashed a smirk, and the freezing ball was flying towards my face. I dodged it, falling flat against my horse's neck, who shook his head unappreciatively.
"I'm not that small!" The indignant cry erupted from me. "And it doesn't even matter, because now it's one-to-zero." Unfortunately, as soon as the words left my lips a snowball struck me in the shoulder when I went to sit up. I heard Cayn's raucous laughter, and he retorted.
"One-to-one. And you are small. You come up to, maybe, my shoulder." He was still laughing when my second snowball hit him in the eye. "Ah! But I have to give it to you, you have excellent aim." He grinned and I could see another icy ball swirling in his hand.
"But you're so tall!" I griped loudly. "It wouldn't even be fair. You're tall even for a dumb Nord. I take that as a challenge. One-to-two!"
To my shock, Cayn swerved his horse in front of my own, bringing us both to a halt. I gawked at the massive ball of icy magic in growing in his hand, and I had to leap from my horse to get away, landing sprawled in a snow bank on the side of the road. "Two-to-two!" He called triumphantly.
"Dirty move!" I gasped, scrambling out of the snow. "It didn't even hit me!" I shot my next snowball while I was still talking, catching him off his guard and sending him likewise tumbling from his horse
"That's what you get for calling me a dumb Nord! And whoever outlawed dirty moves was very unwise. Alduin wasn't above dirty moves when he fus-ro-dahed me off a cliff. You challenged me, remember!"
"Well no fus-ro-dahing, whatever that is. That sounds a bit painful."
"Making rules now?" His eyes glinted impishly. "No pushing you off cliffs, then. But what about this?"
"FO KRAH DIIN!"
I was sent tumbling by his voice, buffeting me with icy winds. When I felt myself stop moving I opened my eyes and saw that I had been sent flying twenty feet, and was now half-submerged under a heavy blanket of fresh snow. I popped out of the snow, staring wide-eyed at him. "Was that a damned Shout?" I yelled. I summoned two massive snowballs and the mock fight continued. "I'll show you what happens when a silly dragonborn messes with the blessed of Magnus!"
I laughed at the sight of two icy balls slamming into him, knocking him on his behind with a deflated whuf. He glowered at me playfully. "Oh, so you want to play that game? Well I'll have you know, Alduin died from an ice spike in the face. My ice spike." He rolled away, firing more snowballs.
I snickered even while being pelted. "Well I'm mighty disappointed in his performance, then. I'd expect him to put up some kind of fight."
The fighting escalated until we were whirling around each other, stirring up what seemed like the entire forest. Soon we were both crusted with ice, panting and halfheartedly chucking snow at each other until we collapsed. We lay on our backs side by side, staring up at the blue winter sky. I shivered.
"It's cold."
He kept his eyes locked on the sky. "Aye. It sometimes is up here in the north." He said sarcastically. I chuckled, and turned to look at him. His eyes were startlingly green, and I thought that they almost looked like they belonged in a different creature. Like a dragon perhaps.
"Look at this."
I cast two spells: A powdery snow ball puffed up in my hand while a magelight glowed to life in my other palm. I gently pressed the light into the snow, until they merged and the snow seemed to light from within, rainbow light reflecting from the countless prisms of the ice crystals. I threw it up into the air where the magelight hung for a moment, before it burst into multi-colored specks of ice. Cayn looked genuinely impressed at the sight.
"Wow." He said, the ice falling gently around us. "I couldn't do that in my wildest dreams. But watch this." He shifted, collecting more snow. He threw it in the air and Shouted again before it could fall.
"Tiid Klo Ul."
With every word the air seemed heavier, until I realized that the snow wasn't falling anymore. No, actually, upon closer inspection it was falling. Just very, very slowly. I went to turn my head and found that moving felt like swimming through syrup. I watched the snowflakes move sluggishly, and when I spoke my voice was low and drawn out.
"You… have… a… Shout… that… stops… time?"
When I finally turned to look at him again I saw with some irritation that he was grinning widely at me. "Yup." He said, his voice normal. "And it doesn't affect me." He moved at real time, piling snow on top of me until I was almost buried. I couldn't do anything but inch my hand forward, trying to swat him away.
"Not… fair…" I tried to sit up, straining all my muscles to pull myself up. Suddenly time broke open, and I realized that I was rocketing forward, my over-compensation of force sending me flying forward.
Right on top of Cayn.
My fall pushed Cayn flat on his back against the ground, and for a moment I was sprawled over his chest. I was painfully aware of his body underneath me, and I felt my face flush glaringly.
I hastily scrambled away from him, sitting up and then rocketing to my feet. Mortified, I was stuttering. "I- uh- sorry-"
"Hey, it's ok." He smiled, but he fidgeted uncomfortably as well. "You got me worse with some of those snowballs."
We stood awkwardly for a moment, and I was acutely conscious of the furious heat in my cheeks. "Ah… we should get going." I said after a time. "If we are to get back to the College in a reasonable amount of time."
He nodded slowly. "Yes, of course. Lets go."
We returned to our horses, mounting and starting along the road again in silence.
I refused to think about how much I preferred Cayn's chattiness to this self-conscious hush. I also refused to consider how much I enjoyed being with Cayn. It was as if all the Divines were desperately trying to tell me.
It could only end badly.
…x.X.x…
We arrived in Winterhold later that evening, and the sun was dipping below the horizon, turning the Sea of Ghosts red and orange and bathing the town in dusky light. It contrasted strangely against the blue focus lights beaming into the sky from the College, and I quickly decided that I would have to come out more often at this time of the day. Shut up in the College all day, it was easy to forget the outside world when we weren't traveling across Skyrim. When we entered the Hall of Elements I turned immediately to go to the Arcaneum; but not before I saw several other apprentices approaching Cayn with greetings. I felt a twinge of jealousy at how easy it was for him to interact with them. I quickly squelched it, reminding myself that it was best I stay distant anyways.
I ascended the narrow stairway, coming up into the Arcaneum. The smell of books surrounded me, reminding me of my father's study back in Cyrodiil. A sudden rush of memories assaulted me, and I gasped. I leaned up against a bookshelf, abruptly overwhelmed by the sudden reminders. It's behind you, I told myself angrily. No point thinking about it now. It'll only make it harder to move on.
I recomposed myself quickly, and continued on to the other side of the room. Urag Gro-Shub was in almost the same position I had left him in, leaning over a pile of books and documents on his desk. He glanced disinterested up at me, but when his eyes caught the books a hint of excitement entered his usually brusque manner.
"You have them." He said, stating rather than asking.
"Yes." I laid them out on the desk. "Do you know which one contains information on the Psijic?"
Urag perused quickly through the small stack of books before pulling one out. It was entitled "Night of Tears". How cheery, I couldn't help thinking to myself.
"This one may have something. You can take it and look through it yourself, but I know Tolfdir may want to look at it. You should go find him in the Hall of Elements. Him and Savos have been working non-stop on the Eye."
I thanked him, taking the book and taking my leave. I took Urag's advice and turned into the main Hall, and was pleased to see that Tolfdir was standing inspecting the floating orb. He was tenacious in his habits, and it seemed that once he got his teeth in a project he just could not let go.
"Hello, Tolfdir." I greeted him as I approached.
"Good day." He said absentmindedly, still not taking his eyes off the orb. He was just as fixated as before I had left.
I tapped him on the shoulder trying to get his attention, but the orb was mesmerizing. It drew me in like it's power was a magnet to the magicka in my blood. I shivered. There were otherworldly forces at work, and I didn't like not knowing what they were.
Tolfdir whirled, as if I had broken a spell. "Briani! You've been gone! I trust you were helping Urag?"
I couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corner of my mouth at the old man's usual over-eagerness. "Yes. He says one of the books may have relevant information, if you'd like to look at it."
"Excellent! I would like to see it later, but to tell you the truth, I'm having trouble tearing myself away from the eye." Tolfdir turned back to the floating orb. "Would you mind if I made a few observations?"
I nodded for him to continue, and he obliged happily. "Well we've never seen anything quite like it. The runes on it don't match anything we know of. Not even Falmer script matches. We belief it is in fact an artifact of Magnus, containing his power. Hence the magicka radiating from it…"
I listened halfheartedly to Tolfdirs excited explanations. The orb made me nervous. If was strange to think that it originated from the same Aedra that had blessed me. It felt oddly malevolent. But my thinking was interrupted by a smaller, much more irritating distraction.
"I'm afraid I must intrude."
A tall High Elf was standing behind us, an irritated look on his face. His manner, his stance, and his language all screamed 'haughty prick', and I had the overwhelming urge to punch him in the face right there. No, Briani. I scolded myself silently. Let him talk.
He looked at Tolfdir, staring down his nose at the old man. "It is urgent that I speak with your associate immediately." I frowned. I wasn't used to being talked down to, but I knew that no matter where I was this discourteous man was pushing my buttons.
"This is most inappropriate!" Tolfdir protested. "We are involved in serious research here!"
"Yes, I've no doubt of it's gravity." The elf's reply was brusque. "This, however, is a matter that cannot wait."
"Well, I'm quite sure I've never been interrupted like this before… the audacity…!" Tolfdir's complaint came in the form of an angry mutter under his breath, barely audible. He turned to me, and I could see the irritation roiling in his eyes. "I suppose we'll have to continue this at some later time, when we can avoid interruptions." He said. I nodded, turning to the elf.
"I need you to come with me immediately. Let's go." He spat the words out, obviously expecting to be instantly obeyed. Unfortunately for him I was not so easily cowed.
"I don't understand what's going on." I objected. "I don't even know who you are!"
"Really?" The elf's brows raised. "Well let me clarify the situation for you. I'd like to know why there's someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order here in the College. More importantly, I'd like to know why he's asking for you specifically. So we're going to have a little chat with him, and find out exactly what he wants." He went quiet, not bothering to give his name. Somehow I knew this wasn't on accident. I did remember seeing him around the College though. To my knowledge, he was only an advisor.
"Aren't you only an advisor here?" I vocalized my doubts.
"Technically, this is true." He admitted. "But I still report to the Aldmeri Dominion, and I cannot ignore this situation."
I felt my blood run cold at the mention of the Thalmor. While I had never directly interacted with them, I knew they were woven irrevocably deep into the system of the Empire. And, knowing the insidious motivation of the Thalmor, they would certainly know of my disappearance.
Suddenly, I could not ignore the spark of malice in the Altmer's eye; did he recognize me?
"Let's go, then." I said, letting the cold dismissal edge my voice. I would not let this infuriating elf think that I designated him any respect. I followed him out towards the courtyard, but we turned before exiting. I thought for a moment we were going to the Arcaneum, but quickly realized that this was not the way. This was the door that led to the forbidden reaches of the College. The Arch-Mage's quarters.
At the top of the stairs was a wooden door identical to the one into the Arcaneum. The Altmer stopped, glaring maliciously at me.
"Now you are going to speak to this… Monk… and find out why he is here, and then he will be removed from College grounds."
I glared back, refusing to respond, and pushed open the door.
Inside was a curious sight. The room was beautiful, with a alchemist's garden in the center and various luxuries on the walls of the circular room. Savos was standing near the garden, and Cayn stood a small distance away, arms crossed, pacing nervously. In between them was the man that I assumed was the mage claiming to be Psijic. He wore the same robes as the man we had seen in Saarthal, and had an aura of power about him. I approached with the Altmer on my heels. Before I could speak I felt pulse spread through the room, like a wave of syrup washing over me and slowing me down. It reminded me uncomfortably of Cayn's Shout.
Cayn shot a panicked glance at me and I nodded, trying to tell him I felt it too. The elf and Savos froze, and I realized it was the same enchantment that had been in Saarthal.
"Please to do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm." The man's voice changed even as the spell spread, so that it sounded far away. "It is good to meet you in person."
Cayn walked up to stand with me in front of him. "What did you do?" He demanded.
The man raised a brow. "I've given us a chance to speak privately, but I'm afraid I can't do this for long. We'll have to be brief. The situation here at your College is of dire importance, and attempts to contact you as we have previously have failed. I believe it is due to the very source of our concern. This object… the Eye of Magnus as your people have taken to calling it."
He was just like the man in Saarthal: To the point and authoritative.
"The energy coming from it has prevented us from reaching with the visions you have already seen. The longer it remains here, the more dangerous the situation becomes. So I have come here personally to tell you that it must be dealt with." The man continued.
"What does this have to do with us?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"You set this chain of events in motion in Saarthal. You must understand, the Psijic order does not typically… intervene directly in such events. My presence here will be seen as an affront to some in the Order, and as soon as I've finished, I will be leaving your College. I am all too aware that my arrival has aroused suspicion, especially in Ancano, your Thalmor associate." He said gently.
I eyed the frozen form of the High Elf. Ancano. I still wanted to punch him.
"Nevertheless, my order will not act directly. You must take it upon yourself to do so."
Cayn's eyes narrowed. "Why should we trust you or your Order?"
The man sighed, glancing at Ancano. I understood instantly, at an advantage due to my diplomatic training. This group was powerful. The Thalmor couldn't stand powerful groups not their own.
"I assure you we mean you no harm." He said simply.
I sighed in turn. "So what exactly is the problem?"
"As you may have learned, this object… the Eye… is immensely powerful." He said. "The world is not ready for it. If it remains here, it will be misused. Indeed, many in the Order believe it has already… Rather, something will happen soon, something that cannot be avoided."
A chill ran through me. We had felt firsthand the power that emanated from it simply by being in it's presence. To wield it like a weapon… the result would be impossibly horrific.
"What do you expect us to do?"
His answer perplexed me. "We believe your efforts should be focused on dealing with the aftermath, but we cannot predict what that will be. I fear I have already overstepped the boundaries of my Order, but I will offer this; Seek out the Augur of Dunlain here in your College. His perception may be more coherent than ours."
I was going to ask more, but a ripple passed through the room and the spell was broken. I suspected I shouldn't say anything now that Ancano and Savos could overhear.
"I'm sorry, were you about to say something?" Savos asked innocently.
"You must excuse me. I shouldn't be here." The man's voice was strained, and I could tell that the spell had required massive amounts of effort. He hurried away, disappearing down the corridor. Savos turned to me.
"I… I'm not quite sure what just happened." He said, bewildered. "A monk from the Psijic Order, here, after all these years and then he just… leaves." He shook his head. "I hope we didn't offend him somehow."
I shook my head obligingly, turning to leave. I gestured for Cayn to follow me, and we crept towards the stairs. I was shocked to see Ancano chewing out the mage.
"I will not let you leave until I find out what you're up to!"
Ancano's angry remark made my blood boil. I was aware that the monk was more than capable than dealing with him, but I couldn't stand the stuck-up elf. We snuck past them, not wanting Ancano's wrath directed at us. When we were alone in the hall I turned to Cayn.
"The Augur of Dunlain?" I said, my frustration erupting. "I don't even know where to begin looking!"
"Hmmm." Cayn was silent for a moment. "I think… I think we oughtn't tell Savos or Ancano about this. If that mage had wanted them to know he probably would've talked without the spell. But what about Tolfdir? Do you think he knows anything?"
I thought for a moment. Tolfdir definitely seemed the most trustworthy of anyone in the College. He also seemed slightly crazy, which could help or hurt us. "I think that it's possible." I conceded. "Let's go ask him."
Tolfdir was right where I had left him in the Hall of Elements. He turned at the sound of our footsteps and smiled at us widely.
"Is there something you need?" He asked, most likely seeing the worried expressions on our faces.
"Do…" I was slighty afraid of sounding batty. "Do you know where the Augur of Dunlain is?"
Tolfdir's smile grew even wider. "Well now, that's a name I haven't heard in a while." He laughed. "Goodness, it's been years since I talked to him. I suppose he's still down in the Midden, though I haven't checked in a while. Are you going to see him? Do tell him 'hello' for me, will you?"
I stepped back slightly surprised. "Where is the 'Midden'?
He frowned then. "Underneath the College. It's not the nicest place, so if you do decide to go down there do be careful."
I shot a relieved glance at Cayn. I thanked Tolfdir for his help, and we headed outside.
We had an old friend to visit.
…x.X.x…
Sorry for the long hiatus-break-type-thingy. So many storms! Although when I upload this I suppose will only have been like a week since last chapter.
:/
Oh well.
Hope you enjoy! Please rate and review, I love every comment! More to come soon, so stay tuned!
~ElderSkie
