Chapter 10 – Death in the Moors
Govegein stood on a ridge overlooking Morthal, he knew one of the masks was here, but he couldn't pinpoint where exactly. Reysi sat next to him, feet dangling over the ledge, watching the townspeople move in the night. Govegein noticed the ruins of a burned down house near the inn far across the town from them. His eyesight was getting better, it might as well have been daytime for him. He felt something else, something drawing him to the burned ruin.
"Hey, are you sure Aela will be all right on her own?" Reysi asked, looking up at the masked man beside her.
Govegein took the wooden mask off, it wouldn't help him locate the priest any sooner. "The moons are full tonight, Hircine's pull is strong. She'll be more at home prowling the swamps than stalking through the town."
"I don't like leaving her out like this."
"We're not leaving her out of anything, in the morning she'll find us and we can hunt down the priest."
Reysi pulled herself off the ledge, "Any idea on who it is?"
"None," Govegein growled. "Keep on your guard when we get into town." He led the Dunmer down the rocks towards a road leading into Morthal. They walked in from the south, two strangers, hoods drawn low over their faces. Reysi flashed a sweet smile to a passing guard patrol, and Govegein grunted. Soon enough they reached the aptly named Moorside Inn, a wooden bridge led up to the door over a small pond. The bridge continued, however, towards the burned down house. "Get us some rooms, I'm going to go and deal with something." Govegein watched his companion scamper to the inn as he continued down the bridge.
Govegein stood in the ashes of the house, they were only a few days old and yet he could almost smell the blood. People died in the fire, he could feel a set of eyes watching him. "Show yourself," Govegein commanded, looking around the bones of the house, watching the forest beyond. He heard the gasp of a crying child and spun around to find a little girl, sniffling in the corner of the house. "Woah, woah, hey there," Govegein said softly, crouching down to the girl's level. "I didn't mean to scare you. What is your name, little one?"
The girl sniffed again, looking up to Govegein, "I-I'm Helgi, but father says I shouldn't talk to strangers."
Govegein pulled off his hood and said, "My name is Beimiir, now we're not exactly strangers, are we?" The girl shrank further into the corner. "Okay, I realize I still cut a rather imposing image . . . especially in the dark."
"Y-your eyes," Helgi whispered.
The glowing red eyes widened in surprise before fading. "Sorry, I didn't know they were doing that," Govegein said, scratching the back of his head. "It's still new to me, but I think it has something to do with why I'm here. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I-I don't know," Helgi whimpered, "When I woke up there was smoke everywhere. I was so scared and it was so hot, s-so I hid." She seemed to begin to calm down and turned slightly towards Govegein. "Then, after a little, it got cold and dark. I was lonely then, but soon the other one came and we began playing hide ad go seek. I'm really good at it, she still hasn't found me."
"Who is this other one?"
Helgi smiled and began to fade, "I can't tell you, she may be listening. If you can find me, I'll tell you."
Aela padded through the mud and sludge of the swamp. Not her favorite hunting site, but it would have to do, the call was upon her. At least she could point herself in the general direction Govegein had pointed. She sniffed the air, gathering a myriad of scents, mostly swamp animals, but a few human traces prevailed in the mire.
The werewolf froze; a deer stood alert nearby, an island away. All other thoughts drifted away as she silently crept towards the lone buck. The dear's head slowly lowered, returning to its meal of swamp grass as she approached. Her scent was gone, masked by the mud of the bog, so she crept closer still. The mud popped as she sprung out of it, landing on the dear as it realized what was behind it. As she tore through the flesh, chomping on muscle and lapping up blood, human thoughts slowly returned to Aela.
She rose from the carcass and surveyed the area. A lone cabin sat nearby, silhouetted in the moonlight. Aela padded across the fen, the scent of death faintly pooling around the house. No light came from within the shack and the door was latched shut, but it took little effort to break through the rotten wood. As the door hit the ground, it blew up a cloud of dust and the smell of rot grew even thicker. Aela gagged at the smell as her eyes adjusted to the moonless gloom. Before her three bodies lay, horribly decomposed, with sacks covering their heads. Aela backed from the house, it did not hold her prey. The call of the hunt clouded her mind again as she darted deeper into the swamp.
Reysi sat before the fire, wishing there was a bard to play some music, as she waited for her room to be ready. She didn't think it would be taking this long, the only other patron was some woman who looked like she was having the worst time of her life. Reysi groaned as she stretched in her chair and decided to try talking to this other guest. The woman wore fur armor and was staring into a glass of Black Briar Mead as the Dunmer slid up to her. "Well, don't you look like you could use some cheering up?" she asked.
The woman grunted before her eyes drifted up to meet Reysi's. "Was it that obvious?"
Reysi smiled, putting a hand on the woman's back, "Why don't you tell ol' Rey here about your problems?"
The woman laughed before saying, "Where to even begin . . ."
"Let's start with your name," Reysi's hand drifted down to a dagger at her hip. If her companions took too long she might have to entertain herself with what was at hand.
The woman downed the rest of her drink. "My name is," she paused, as if she had to dig deep to find the information, "Anska. And if I were you I would keep my hand off my knife." Anska shot a glance at Reysi, "That is, of course, if you want to keep it, -chc- Dunmer." Her hand shot up and covered her mouth, lurching over the table. Her muscles tensed before she leaned back again. "Don't think I've ever actually drank this much before."
As Anska let out a disproportionately loud belch Reysi slid slowly away from the odd woman. "I guess I'm not getting anywhere with you tonight," she sighed.
Govegein stepped out of the ruined house, if the girl wanted to be found then she must not be there. He figured Helgi referred to her body in this regard. Her corpse would have been taken to the graveyard. Govegein vaguely remembered spotting some stacks of stones further beyond the house, well outside of town. He walked the path up a slope behind the ruin, he could still feel eyes watching him. Whether or not the eyes belonged to the living, he could not say.
At the end of the path the Breton found himself standing in the entrance of a graveyard. He walked through the graves, checking each one to see how old they were. None of the graves were recent, though the house had only burnt down a few days ago at most. He searched some more, this time looking outside the graveyard. It was not long before he found it, an unmarked grave, soil still freshly turned, in a small grove overlooking Morthal. The grave was shallow, Govegein had only moved a few handfuls of dirt before he found the small burned body.
"You found me!" Helgi shouted from the void. "Laelette was trying to find me too, but I'm glad you found me first. Laelette was told to burn mommy and me, but she didn't want to. Lealette thought she could take me and keep me, but she can't, I'm all burned up. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now."
As the presence of the spirit faded, Govegein heard a twig break in the woods. Turning, he saw a set of vampiric eyes glowing in the shadows. "Reysi? What happened at the inn?" he asked. The eyes pulled back as Govegein stepped forward. "Hey, what's wrong?" The vampire shot forward in a blur of claws and fangs, this was not Reysi. Govegein leaned back, hand whipping out and cracking along the vampire's face as she flew towards him. The blow knocked her off balance, though, and she tumbled into the snowy dirt.
The vampire twisted on the ground until she was on all fours. Her head whipped up and she hissed, "Mine!" before jumping at the Breton again. This time he took the leap and they both fell towards the town, rolling down the slope. The vampire tried to claw at Govegein's face, but his arms were locked in front of it and her claws did nothing against the metal. "My baby!" she screamed as she continued her fruitless assault on the black gauntlets. When the two reached the bottom of the slope, Govegein kicked his legs out launching the vampire over him and into the pond.
By now, people had heard the screams and began coming out of their homes. The vampire burst out of the water as Govegein drew his sword. He could hear the few onlookers gasp and whisper as more came out of their houses. Reysi stood in the doorway of the inn, vampiric eyes looking down on the feral vampire in the water. The vampire hissed again and leapt out of the water, readying her blood magic aiming at some of the onlookers. Govegein charged forward, embedding his blade in her gut and dragging her back into the pond. The frigid water began to boil from the sword's enchantment and the vampire screamed.
When the screams subsided, Govegein pulled himself and the vampire's corpse out of the water again. He burned as he used his magic to dry himself. A man pushed through the crowd shouting, "Laelette!" He fell to his knees in the dirt and snow, cradling the woman's head. "I finally found you," he whimpered, tears streaming down his face. "Now look what happened to you. Look at what she did to you!"
Govegein crouched and got the grieving man's attention, "Who? Who did this?"
The man looked up, wiping the tears from his eyes, "Alva," he said. "It had to have been her."
"Why," Govegein asked.
"Before she disappeared, Laelette began spending a lot of time with her. A week earlier and the two couldn't stand each other. The night she disappeared, she had left to meet with Alva. When I asked her about it . . . she said Laelette never showed up." Tears began to well up in the man's eyes again.
Govegein stood up, "I see." He locked eyes with Reysi and she nodded. Govegein walked past the grieving man and asked the crowd, "Who can point the way to Alva's house?" The crowd parted, several people pointing towards a small house on the other side of the lake. Govegein's eyes began to glow red as he and Reysi walked the dark streets, weapons drawn.
When they reached the house, Govegein pounded on the door, threatening to break through the wood. From inside a man pleasantly shouted, "One moment." When the cheery man opened the door, Reysi charged him, inhuman strength pinning him to a wall. "Wh-what are you doing?"
Govegein looked around the house, no sign of the woman. "Alva, where is she?" he asked, venom dripping from his voice.
"Why do you want her? If you hurt her." Reysi pushed harder, dagger now against his throat. "I'll never tell you!"
"Check the cellar," Reysi said. "Good place to hide from the sun."
Govegein grunted, descending a nearby staircase. His magika burned as he opened the door. It was a small room, well decorated though only a table in the middle of it. Atop the table lay a coffin and leaning against it with her back turned was a woman, apparently in the middle of dressing. "Hroggar, did you deal with those guests?" she asked. She turned to see Govegein setting fire to the cellar. "Ah, you must be the one who killed my Laelette. She was such a fun toy." Govegein charged at her, leaping over the table and swinging at her head. She stopped his blade with her hand, only releasing it when she realized the enchantment was burning her skin. "Don't think that I am as weak as her." In a flash, Govegein's hand shot out, grabbing the vampire by the throat and lifting her into the air.
"Do not think that you even register as a threat," Govegein said. He squeezed until he heard the crack of her spine and dropped the lifeless body into the approaching fire. The coffin had been turned over in the small struggle a journal lay beside it. Govegien picked it up before the fire could reach it. There were bound to be more like Alva, this could lead to them. Reysi dragged Hroggar outside when the smoke first drifted up and Govegein went outside to meet them.
"Wh-what happened," the Nord said, holding his head.
Reysi let go of him and Govegein said, "Alert your Jarl, we are going vampire hunting in the morning." A night raid would put them at a disadvantage, besides it had been a long time since Govegein could relax in a bed.
When Govegein and Reysi returned to the Moorside Inn, the place was once again empty. The people must have taken Laelette and her widower to the graveyard. "Where are our rooms?" Govegein asked. Reysi smiled and led him up to the second floor and to a room with a large bed in it. She hopped into it and smiled, patting it with one hand and beginning to take off her shirt with the other. "Alright," Govegein shrugged, beginning to take off his armor.
And there we go, Chapter 10. Probably should have named it 'our heroes get distracted . . .
Anyway, it's good to be back and writing, for however long this will go. Thank you for reading and as always feel free to leave a review . . . or whatever else you want to write in that little box that I believe may be below this text. I'm not sure, it's been a while . . .
