CHAPTER XI
Magoza had awoken early to find that Nora, the old lady was gone and the inn seemed oddly empty of anyone, even the innkeeper. All she found was a note that had been carefully placed on the table in front of her, under an empty tankard. She moved the drinking utensil, before she picked up the note and read the words written on it.
You have a long journey ahead of you young one. Remember that while there are strangers out there that will wish you harm, there are also friends amongst the strangers. Now go forth, your destination awaits you. - Nora
The young Orc folded the note back up as she stepped outside and looked around. She saw the innkeeper and owner, Mralki walking back over to the inn. He looked over to her, his posture and face giving away that something was amiss.
She gripped the note tighter. "Is something wrong?" she asked him, frightened that Burag had somehow found her.
He nodded his head slowly. "Nora, the old woman that told you stories yesterday. She passed on last night." He looked away. "Before she left to return to the farmhouse, she told me to let you sleep undisturbed, as a favour to her."
Strangely, the news made her feel empty, detached. She had only known Nora for a very short time, but still she should feel at least something.
Magoza swallowed hard. "Did she feel any pain?"
He shook his head. "No, it was in her sleep."
She unfolded the note and read it one more time. The way it was written seemed to suggest that Nora had not expect to see her again, before she continued on her journey to Winterhold. The note also indicated that Nora might have known more about that journey, than she could have possibly known. It was far too late to find out what she had and hadn't known now.
Without further thought, she moved past Mralki, leaving the village behind for what could be forever.
While Tam had returned to Bruma, it had only been for a short while. The Altmer had to retrieve not only the finished helmet she had ordered from the smith, but also to acquire gear so that she could return to what remained of Cloud Ruler Temple, in a more permanent fashion.
After making her way back to the old fortress, she set up the tent she had purchased, and put together the iron rods she had bought to make a sort of spit roast. She then headed out to find some wood. There being a forest practically on the doorstep meant she was back in minutes. All that was required was food, but that would be easy. All she had to do was head out until some wolves attacked her, then she could simply bash them with her steel warhammer. Hunger problem solved.
As she once again looked out across Cyrodiil, a feeling of nostalgia struck her. For a long time she had lived here in this place, for a long time this had been her home. Many times she had looked out across the land in awe at its size, in awe at it's beauty.
How long she would stay here she didn't know. It could be for the next few weeks, it could actually be until she died, whenever that might be. However long it was, she wanted it to mean something, Sshe wanted to feel as though everything that had happened hadn't been in vain. Unfortunately, it had been.
The Altmer looked down at the steel-plate helmet she held in her hands. Its Nordic design, with the small wings arching backwards off of the brow above the eye pieces, echoed the ethnicity of the one who smithed it, matching her plate armour as though it always belonged.
She sat down and cast her gaze back to the land before her. It was not the place it had been. It now had the stench of the Thalmor. Their foul corruption had seeped into the very air, or at least that was how she felt.
As the day passed, Tam felt hunger begin to grab at her belly, so she headed out into the forest. She tried and failed to get a fox before it ran off. She felt that knowing the bow, or at least being magic literate, would have helped her immensely in this. Alas however, she was not. Blunt was her forte, not blade or anything else.
Back when she had been first sworn into the Blades, they had attempted to teach her how to use the Akaviri katana. When she had proved not proficient in it, they had tried a large two-handed Akaviri version. Eventually they had given up, as she never truly got to grips with the elegance in using the weapon. Instead, she preferred to bludgeon things.
Eventually her hunting became more fruitful. She found an already wounded fox, deeper into the pine forest. With one quick blow to end its suffering, she picked it up and slung its corpse over her shoulder. Half an hour later, she had it over the spit roast. The smell of the cooking meat was mouth watering.
With all she could eat devoured, she kept the remains of the fox on the spit over the fire, occasionally turning it so that one side didn't burn. Perhaps tomorrow she could eat some more, though it was more likely that the fire would go out at some-point and disease would begin to set in. Though, in the coldness of the highlands, diseases tended to be quite lethargic, taking much longer to take hold.
With nothing more to do, she walked over towards the tent, uncoiled her leather and fur sleeping roll, before dragging it out in the open. She laid down on it and stared up at the sky as the clouds scrolled gracefully overhead.
Her home may have been destroyed, all the Blades may have been hunted almost to extinction. But right at that moment, she felt at peace.
"Having fun?" a masculine voice asked from out of nowhere.
Tam sat up suddenly, her attention focused in the direction of where the voice had come from. She gripped her warhammer ready to fight if she had to.
Instead of finding an enemy, however, she saw an old friend. His face one that she had never expected to ever see again.
His name was Albus, and he was a Cyrodilic Nibenese man, with black short cropped hair, and a slightly wrinkled tanned complexion. Long ago, he had been a recruit in the Blades and she had been his mentor. In the events leading up to the end of the war, and the destruction of Cloud Ruler Temple, she had lost track of him. She had heard little about him since. One of the stories she had heard from another surviving Blade, who she had now lost contact with also, was that his relative newness within the Blades meant that he was an unknown to their enemies. This had granted him an almost anonymity from the Thalmor. Another thing she had heard, was that he had settled down with another Cyrodilic woman. Though as to where, she had never found out.
Tam held out her arms and moved over to him, stooping down to his height of around five-foot-five, giving him a big hug.
"How are you?" she asked. "It's been so long."
He returned her gesture. "I am well," he said in return with a slight shudder in his voice.
Tam pulled away and looked at him. "Is everything alright?" she asked concerned.
"Everything is fine," he responded. "It's just seeing the old place like this."
The Altmer turned around and looked at the rubble of the old building. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She looked back at her old friend. "Last time I heard, you had settled down with someone."
He grimaced slightly, just enough for Tam to notice. "Yes, have a young family now."
Tam stared at him for a moment. Something wasn't right. "Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Just needed to get away for a while. Things are tough."
The Altmer decided not to probe any further. If he was having some marital problems, then it wasn't her place to intrude any further.
He looked around for a few moments, before turning his attention back to her. "So, how are you doing?" he asked.
"Not well," she told him truthfully, her posture sagging. "Thought things were going well, but the bastards wiped the place I was living completely out. Killed everyone."
Albus' thick eyebrows raised in shock. "The Thalmor are being a bit brazen aren't they?" he said. "Where was it you were staying?"
"Old, almost forgotten mining community off of the Orange Road. Didn't have a real name, though people had started calling Minestead."
"And the Thalmor just came in and wiped you out?"
"Pretty quickly as well. I only managed to survive because I was deep in the mine at the time. Had found an old passage into part of an old Ayleid ruin and was checking it out."
"That sounds awful."
"Luckily there were no children amongst us. Thank the Nine."
Albus frowned. "You should probably start referring to them as the Eight. You'd probably be noticed less."
"Maybe," she responded.
"So, did you report it as the Thalmor who killed them all?" he asked her.
"Too risky," the Altmer said simply.
"You're probably right. I did hear a rumour that bandits had wiped out a village around here. Maybe it was that one."
"That's probably what the official story will be."
"So How did you get away?"
"I got myself stuck in an old ruin."
"You got stuck?" he questioned.
"I know, it sounds convenient, but let me tell you that it wasn't. Not at all. I thought I was going to die in there." She shivered at the very notion.
Albus looked away into the distance. "Look, I have to tell you something."
"What is it?" she asked, her suspicion raised. She knew it was unlikely that it was coincidence that he was here.
"I have contacts that suggested the Thalmor had found you."
"Your a bit late then on that," she responded bitterly.
"Yes I know, but they know you're staying in Bruma. They are waiting for the right time to strike."
Tam looked out across the province that stretched out to the horizon. She realised that this was most likely the last time she would ever see it.
"Are you okay?" Albus asked.
"Will it ever end?" she asked rhetorically.
Albus rested his hand on her steel-plated shoulder. "You have to leave Cyrodiil. Why you came back in the first place-"
"Because they found me in Hammerfell!" she interrupted angrily. "Everywhere I go, they are there right behind me!"
"Be strong, Tam," he said softly.
"I wish I could," she replied. "I just want it to be over, Albus."
There was silence between the two for several minutes. The wind blew gently, but with a sharp touch of frost. Tam moved forward, heading down the steps. Albus followed.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"No idea," she responded. "Might just head north into Skyrim. See what's there. Might as well."
"You're going now?" he asked concerned. "Aren't you going to wait a little longer?"
"Why should I wait?" she asked back. "I've never seen Skyrim before, and I'd like to before I die."
"Die?"
"They'll kill me someday. I just hope I'm not responsible for any more innocent deaths."
"What about your gear?" he said pointing at her tent.
"If the Thalmor know I've been staying in Bruma, then this is one of the places they'll look for me. If they see camping equipment, they'll assume I'm coming back."
Albus reached into a small satchel he had around his shoulder. He gave her a small coin-purse. "Take this, and get some supplies from Bruma before heading off anywhere. Make it look like you're heading back here if you have to." He tapped her arm with his free hand. "Try to make something of yourself, get a fresh start."
Tam took the coin purse with gratitude. "Thank you."
"Look, I have to go," he told her, his voice starting to tremble. "The wife y'see."
Tam nodded in understanding. "Thank you for coming all this way to warn me." She smiled. "Maybe I'll go join the Companions of Jorrvaskr, make something of myself as you said." She took another glance at the destroyed Blades temple behind her. "Thank you Albus, I really mean it."
"Don't thank me," he said, his tone sombre. "Just make sure you're on the road north as soon as you can. They are looking for you."
"I know, and I do thank you."
After buying some salted food, and a large satchel to store it in, Tam headed off Northwards towards the Pale Pass, which lead to the province of Skyrim. She had decided to wear the helmet so that her identity was fully masked for no one to see.
During her walk from the ruins of Cloud Ruler Temple to Bruma, she had thought more on what she had said about joining the Companions of Jorrvaskr. The more she had thought about it the more it had seemed like a good idea.
Long ago before she had joined either the Blades, or the Imperial Legion as she had done before hand. She had pondered upon joining the Companions. It had never come to pass because she had joined the Legion instead. The reason was she had thought that a war with the Dominion was on the cusp of beginning. It hadn't, not then anyway. After serving for many years, an opportunity to become a member of the illustrious Blades had come along. She joined willingly.
Now it appeared as though that joining the Companions might actually be a good idea. After all, would the Thalmor be stupid enough to openly attack the best warriors in Tamriel? Even with the Thalmor's overblown ego, they could not be that idiotic could they?
Her thoughts were interrupted by movement, caught out of the corner of her eye. She looked into the snow covered pine woodland to see a man approaching. As he got nearer, it became clear that it was Albus.
"Come to see me off?" she asked.
He stepped onto the road in front of her, avoiding eye contact. His face was full of dispair, his posture slumped.
Tam became unnerved. "What's wrong?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"What? Why?"
He looked up at her, their eyes briefly locking. He looked away again. "They have my family. I had to do it."
Tam felt like she had just been slapped in the face. It was clear who it was that had his family. It was the Thalmor, and he had lead them right to her.
A male voice spoke from behind her. It was full of malice and contempt. "That's far enough!"
She turned to see three Thalmor behind her, each in their brass coloured armour, each with their weapons drawn.
"You cannot escape us. No matter where you go we'll find you. No matter what you do we'll be there."
She drew her warhammer, ready to cave-in their skulls. "I'll die fighting," she said without emotion.
The lead soldier smiled. "Did I expect anything else?"
A bolt of lightening shot from his hand, striking Tam in the chest. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire as she staggered backwards. She recovered quickly as a second Thalmor swung his elven blade at her. Tam turned her warhammer sideways, gripping it tightly out in front of her, blocking his strike. With a quick swing forward, she smashed the base of the handle into his face, before taking a step backwards as the third who had managed to sneak up on her, tried to jab her from underneath.
"Too slow!" she spat, as she threw all the weight in her eight foot tall body into a swing. The end of her weapon smashed into the chest plate of the third Thalmor. He staggered backwards, the front of his armour was dented and cracked from the impact.
The second swung his sword, it connected with her gauntlet with a hefty force that vibrated up her arm. She let out a short gasp before swinging her own weapon at his head. It connected, his neck snapping like a twig from the sheer blunt force. He fell away to the ground as the armoured mage sent a fire bolt her way. She tried to evade, but it struck her on the shoulder, sending her crashing to the old road in a fiery explosion.
As she peered up, the third with the cracked armour stood over her, ready to put all his force into a stab aimed at her neck, where her helmet met her cuirass. Tam swung her warhammer clumsily upward as he brought it down, knocking his sword from his hands. As the mage, prepared another magic strike, she grabbed the leg of the Thalmor that stood over her, and pulled him down awkwardly on top of her as another bolt of lightening lanced towards them. It struck both of them, though most of the force went into the elven soldier. She cracked him hard in his exposed face with her armoured gauntlet, before pushing his limp form to the side.
Tam rose to her feet, staring down the remaining Thalmor who stood before her. She would allow him to make the next move, then she would counter him, then move in for the kill.
The armoured mage threw his sword to the ground, both his hands filling up with fire. As he released control, a single large bolt of fire flew at her. She threw her warhammer into its path like a spear. The fire bolt exploded as it struck the steel weapon, knocking it, spinning to the side. As it fell to the ground, she ran up to the remaining Thalmor and slammed her left hand into the side of his helmet, causing it to fly off, scattering onto the dirt below.
He sneered. "We'll find you!" he derided. "You cannot run. Give it up now!"
She gripped him hard by the sides of his face and stooped till she was at his eye level. "I will never give in to you!" she told him.
"We'll burn you out of whatever hole you crawl into. Whoever is near you will not be safe. Just like that hole you called a village off by the Orange Road. We'll find you and we'll kill you."
Tam spat in his face before she twisted his head sharply with a loud crack. As his body fell away lifeless, she turned to Albus, who was sat on the dirt near a tree, his head in his hands.
"You'll have to kill me!" he cried. "They'll think I had something to do with you escaping them. They'll kill my family!"
"Your family were dead as soon as they got their hands on them!" she said bluntly. "If they're not dead already."
"They said if I helped get you-."
"That they would let you live happily ever after?" Tam shook her head in pity. "They cannot risk word getting out that they're doing this. They'll be killed along with you anyway."
"Kill me," he repeated. "If I died with these Thalmor, then they might let them go."
"No," she put simply. "They won't."
She stared down at him, anger and despair filling her soul. He was living an illusion. His family were most likely already dead, and even if they were still alive, any attempt to try and rescue them would lead to their deaths anyway. All she could do was leave. Leave him to his fate, leave his family to theirs. There was nothing she could do now.
He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what to do."
"I cannot help you," she said sorrowfully. "I cannot, because they died as soon as the Thalmor got their hands on them. You know that."
"Go!" he said with a finality. "Go to wherever it is your going!"
Tam walked over to where her warhammer had fallen in the snow and picked it up. She briefly looked over to where Albus had been sitting to find he was gone. She glanced fully around to see him walking southwards, his posture slumped, his spirit destroyed.
"Goodbye," she said softly. "Good luck."
The Altmer turned, continuing northwards into Skyrim.
Updated 10/03/2014
