Under Autumn Skies: An Elder Scrolls Novel
Greg J Miller
~O~
Chapter 20
Tirdas the 5th of Frostfall 4E49 Evening
It had been very near to dark by the time that the Guild Fighters parted company with Blackwater and the Legionnaires along The Orange Road. Though the cloud cover had been starting to break in the western sky, there was still enough of it overhead to obscure the fading daylight and bring about the effect of an early sunset. The taller oaks and pines that crowded the roadside between that location and Chorrol also served to darken the path ahead a little earlier than expected.
Not so far from where the road forked just east of Chorrol's stone walls, Blackwater and the soldiers left the beaten path and headed off into the forest, travelling north-west toward the ruins of Hrotanda Vale. Forester, Monika and the others continued onward along the road.
In stark contrast to the earlier parts of the day, that latter portion of the afternoon had passed without trouble or notable incident. The journey along The Orange Road remained fairly uneventful since the encounter with those goblins by that small lake.
The grim looking skies threatened to rain upon more than one occasion over those past few hours, but the clouded heavens failed to deliver anything more than a few light drops.
There had been no wolves or other troubles along that winding stretch of road. At one point, a startled fox bolted across the road headed southward. Another time, a pair of deer by the northern side of the road took flight, disappearing off into the woods. Aside from that, the only indication of wildlife had been the sounds of the birds in the forest.
It would have been less than half an hour before the combined group split in two that they finally encountered a Legion rider along the road. The Legionnaire was outward bound from Chorrol on patrol. After exchanging pleasantries, the soldier was informed of the unfortunate demise of one of his comrades. He was also advised of where the fallen man could be found and apologies were offered for not being able to do more than that.
Since Blackwater kept his own counsel, rather than discussing his immediate intentions. It came as something of a mild surprise when he called an unexpected halt along the road. He advised that they'd stop for just five minutes, then announced that he would be leading the Legionnaires through the forest to the north from that location.
Before he departed, Blackwater reiterated his instructions to the Guild Fighters. Of course, getting to Battlehorn Castle as soon as reasonably possible was the priority. Even though it shouldn't have been at all necessary, he again reminded them to avoid making any mention of the Aldmeri Dominion, speaking only of a gang of dissident High Elves looking for ancient Ayleid artefacts. After that, he was on his way with those other four Legionnaires.
As Forester and the others continued on toward Chorrol, the fading light soon became more of an issue. Masser had yet to rise in the east. Even once it was up in the sky, the thicker cloud cover in that direction would prevent the glow of that moon from making much difference. The crescent of Secunda occasionally peeked through the broken cloud, but it hardly provided enough light for anyone to see by, with the possible exception of Ras'Dar. The eyes of a Khajiit were far better adapted to seeing in near darkness.
Still well short of Chorrol's tall walls, they paused as a torch was lit. Maplewood carried the burning torch and walked beside her husband near the head of their procession. The single torch was enough to serve their purposes. They only needed to keep the road in sight as they continued onward.
Though the road had been damp here and there along the way, without even trying they'd managed to avoid any passing showers. Of course, that had been more a matter of luck than anything else. From look of the sky, that circumstance could have changed at any moment.
Coming up the rise to where the road forked, it was already too dim to see the dark shadow of Chorrol's stone walls looming beyond the trees. The fork to the right skirted through the forest to the north of Chorrol, eventually coming to the northern gates of the city, just near the guildhall. The fork on the left followed a path east of the city, connecting to The Black Road at Weynon Priory.
Aside from acknowledging instruction, Janus Loran had hardly spoken since leaving Lindai. Approaching the intersection in the road, he dared to speak up, keeping his question as brief as possible. "Which way are we going?"
Monika released an audible sigh.
Forester spoke before she said anything. "Well, given the possible urgency, I expect that we shouldn't be stopping at the city or wasting too much time. Heading directly for The Black Road would be the best course of action."
No one offered any direct disagreement to Forester's suggestion. A few moments later, they turned off toward the south taking the left fork in the road.
After just a short while, Rena spoke to her husband. "I s'pose it's gonna be pretty late by the time we get there." Since she'd never actually been to that place, she wasn't really so sure of how far it was.
Forester nodded to himself. "Yes, I expect so. Even if we kept going without a break, I'd imagine that it would easily be the middle of the night before we reached the castle."
Rena took that suggestion on board. "Sounds like a fair way off. I reckon we'll need to stop for a rest before then."
Alex spoke up. "We could cut across just south of Chorrol. It would be a little shorter."
Monika expressed her own view. "Not on a night like this. Better to stick to the road."
Forester responded. "Yes, I must say that I agree. Stopping at the priory for a brief rest might be the best option."
Mixed murmurs of assent, along with the silence of certain others of the group, served to convey the general consensus as they continued trudging along the road by torchlight.
A little further along the road, a rustling noise from the forest drew Ras'Dar's attention. As he slowed and took hold of his bow, the others came to a state of alert.
An owl took flight from the trees and flew off into the darkness. Once the Khajiit decided that there was nothing else to be concerned about, they were on their way again.
Only a short time passed by before Rena spoke again. "Can't say that I like spectres too much… now that I've met one."
Forester's mild smirk wasn't obvious by the dim torchlight, but it was evident enough in the tone of his response. "What makes you think you haven't met a Penitus Oculatus agent before?"
Maplewood looked back at him, her frown reflected in the torchlight.
Forester suppressed the urge to chuckle. "You might recall that Redguard assistant in the Consulate at Sentinel."
"I figured he was just a… an informant or a spy or something. Not an actual agent."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Though I might not be able to say for certain that you met any of them, I can certainly suggest that were indeed other Penitus Oculatus agents in that city."
"I s'pose."
"Even though I can't say for certain, I'd imagine that there might well be agents of the Penitus Oculatus in Skingrad that we've already met."
Rena returned an ambivalent grunt of acknowledgment and returned her gaze toward the dark road ahead.
Throughout that brief exchange, both Monika and Alex remained quiet. They were certainly close enough to hear all of it, but chose not to add anything. In any event, the extent of their insights closely paralleled what Forester had already said.
Of course, Ras'Dar would have heard it all as well. However, he really knew very little of such things. Even if he did know anything, he most likely would have kept it to himself. He just kept marching along behind, trying to keep his senses alert for unexpected troubles.
Loran kept to the rear of the procession and maintained his silence, remaining fully aware that he was not the most popular member of the group at that time.
With the shadow of the priory's taller structures coming into view up ahead, Forester suggested stopping along the road for a moment. No one needed to ask why they were stopping. The reason was obvious enough. They each dispersed to go relieve themselves behind the bushes just outside of the settlement.
Shortly afterward, they passed by the small crop fields at the eastern edge of the settlement. From the road, the dim glow of lamplight was visible in the windows of the upper floor of the priory. It was the same with those two farmhouses at the back of the settlement. The windows of the chapel were only barely illuminated and stabling facilities appeared dark and unattended.
As the Guild Fighters passed by the first farmhouse, a face appeared briefly in the window on that side nearest the roadside. The smell of tobacco smoke was evident before anyone really noticed the old farmer sitting outside on the porch and puffing away at his pipe.
Though it was too dark to clearly see, Monika anticipated that the farmer was watching them with interest. "Fighters Guild. Just passing through."
The old man just returned a silent nod from the shadows as they passed by.
A horse stirred at their approach. It sounded slightly agitated as the group passed by the shed of the stables. It didn't seem that anybody else was around to be disturbed.
Forester indicated the shelter of the buildings just ahead, where the road passed through the archway beneath the priory house. Even though it wasn't raining, it was a good place to settle for a rest.
They were all feeling a bit fatigued, hungry and thirsty as they settled by the cool stone walls of the priory house. Rummaging through their rations, items were withdrawn to attend to two of those things. A short rest would help with the other matter, but everyone would still be feeling quite worn about the edges by the time they reached their destination.
Washing down what she'd just eaten, Rena looked up to the dark sky. Only a few of the brighter stars flickered through the gaps in the broken cloud cover overhead. The crescent of Secunda had just disappeared behind some cloud again. A glow behind the clouds in the east indicated that Masser had to be up, but it struggled to cast any moonlight over the land.
She gave voice to her thoughts. "It must be what, nearly eight or a bit after?"
Still chewing upon a mouthful of food, Forester returned a noise that conveyed his casual agreement.
Ras'Dar had been looking to the skies as well. "It is difficult to see, but this one also thinks it is just before or just after that hour."
Monika sighed. "Yeah, gonna be a long night."
Forester and Alex remained quiet, still chewing on their rations. Though he was eating as well, Loran remained quiet for other reasons.
To the west of the open archway, a flickering torch drew attention. The silhouette of a Legion rider plodded along at a slow pace, headed along The Black Road in the direction of Chorrol. The rider never even noticed the group resting in the shadows.
Rena asked Monika a few questions about how far it was to Battlehorn Castle and what else was located in that direction. Still, that conversation remained brief and subdued. There wasn't much to say. There was little of note between those two locations, other than a long march.
Alex spoke up after a quiet moment. He had been thinking of some of Forester's previous conversations back at the encampment near the Ayleid ruins. "Did you see any female goblins at Lindai?
"I saw one." Loran responded without thinking of whether his voice would be welcome. The pause that followed seemed uncomfortable.
Forester spoke. "I actually spotted two of them. One appeared to be the shaman of the tribe. She wielded a totem staff that cast lightning. That one needed to be put down rather quickly, before too many of our own were injured. I believe that Frederick landed the final blow."
"What about the second one?" Alex prompted.
"Oh, yes. Well, that one was much smaller and presumably far less of a threat. I only noticed that the goblin was female, after I spotted the body on the ground. The battle was done by that time."
Alex frowned. "So, only those two, then?"
"Yes, as far as I could tell. Though, I do suppose that there might have been more goblins sealed up in the ruins down below. Perhaps, we'll hear something of that later."
Alex accepted that with a thoughtful nod.
They rested for a little longer in the shadows of the priory house. It wasn't going to make a great deal of difference if they rushed. Either way, it was still very likely to be the middle of the night by the time that they finally reached their destination.
By the time that they were ready to move along again, each of the Guild Fighters were still feeling somewhat fatigued, but the brief rest had helped. At the very least, hunger, thirst and other immediate concerns had been addressed.
Leaving Weynon Priory behind, the weary group of six headed out along The Black Road toward the north. They were not really all that far from Chorrol or the comforts that place might offer, but that's not where they were headed. They'd be turning off for the western highlands just before reaching the outskirts of that city.
As they continued marching along by torchlight, the breaks in the cloud cover had become more frequent. Perhaps, more so in the western sky than in the east. Some of the stars managed to peek through the gaps in the clouds from time to time. The partially illuminated crescent of Secunda also came into view as it worked its way westward across the sky. As Masser rose much higher in the sky, it did manage to cast some moonlight, if only briefly, whenever the clouds permitted. Of course, that wasn't nearly enough to properly light their way.
Turning west at the edge of South Chorrol, they could see that the Legion rider who passed by the priory a little earlier had arrived only just ahead of them. The soldier appeared to be speaking with a second rider just outside the main stabling facilities. Presumably, that other Legionnaire was just about to head out along the road.
Just south of Chorrol, the Guild Fighters marched past that broken tower with the ruins of the old Oblivion gate. Along that stretch, the terrain was only lightly forested near to the road, but the woods further south were far more dense.
Once they cleared the crop fields at the edge of South Chorrol, those woods to the north of the road appeared dark and thick in the shadow of the hills that rose up behind.
The road immediately ahead rose up with the rolling hills. A notably thicker copse of dark trees crowded the road just near the top of that rise in the road.
Just beyond that hilltop, the rolling terrain passed through a hollow of sorts before rising again toward the higher country. The woods to the south became more substantial, encroaching upon the roadside. The woodland area to the north of the road seemed almost as verdant as those parts of The Great Forest located to the east of Chorrol.
Heavy and low mist clung to those woods just north of the road that evening. That fog reached as far as where the road passed through the low point of the hollow.
Adjusting her torch and holding it a little higher, Maplewood passed a comment. "This fog's a bit thick around here."
Forester responded. "I suspect that the ground is somewhat wetter off in that direction." He indicated the woods just west of Chorrol's stone walls.
Rena glanced toward the north. The woods were dark in that direction, but as far as she could tell, there was nothing immediately obvious to explain his suggestion.
Monika spoke up. "The main sewers of the city come out on that side."
Rena made a noise that conveyed her understanding.
"By my estimate, that does seem like something of a waste." Forester chuckled lightly at the cleverness of his own comment.
Alex understood what was meant. "I agree. It would have been far more useful if the farms were closer to those outflows."
Forester responded to that. "Yes well, as I understand it, that is more the case with Skingrad. On both sides of the city, some of the best farming fields are situated below the main outlets. I imagine that circumstance was established a very long time ago. The prosperity of Skingrad's farming produce does go back quite far."
Though Alex might have been tempted, neither he nor anyone had anything further to add to Forester's musings as they continued forward.
As they passed through the lowest part of the foggy hollow toward the rise ahead, Ras'Dar slowed his stride and stopped. His ears twitched and his posture tensed as he stared off through the foliage of the dark forest to the north.
Since he was nearest, Loran was the first to notice and he paused at the Khajiit's side. He whispered quietly. "What is it?"
The others had also taken note of Ras'Dar's tense behaviour and stopped to look back at those two near the rear.
Alex took a few steps back toward Ras'Dar. He kept his voice low. "Anything?"
The Khajiit's ears twitched some more, and then he shook his head. "This one could hear the crows in the trees. Some way off."
"I didn't hear any crows." Loran immediately recognised the stupidity of his own comment. The hearing of a Khajiit was much more sensitive.
Without looking to Loran, Ras'Dar continued. "Crows have fallen silent. This one cannot see any reason for it. Too far from road to be disturbed by passing travellers. Perhaps, another reason."
Alex prompted him for something else. "What do you think? Is there something else out there?"
Ras'Dar shook his head. "Nothing that this one can see. Perhaps, nothing at all."
Since the Khajiit seemed unable to indicate any immediate threat, Monika settled the matter. "We should keep moving, then."
Without further delay, the group continued onward.
Even in the dim light, looking ahead to the west, it was obvious that the woodlands were already beginning to thin as The Black Road headed toward the higher country. Partway up the hillside ahead, well short of the top of the rise, the shadows of a rocky outcrop appeared just off the road on the northern side.
Forester cleared his throat. "Isn't there an old mining location just ahead?"
Monika responded first. "Yeah, the old limestone mines. It's just off the road up ahead. Near those rocks."
Rena chimed in with a question. "No goblin trouble? At those old mines?"
Monika responded. "Not that we know of. As far as I know, it's still boarded up. After the last time that outlaws tried to set up there."
Rena stifled a yawn with a sigh. "Hmph, seems like just about every place like that around Skingrad attracted those goblins spreading out from the forest."
Alex offered another comment. "We did encounter some ogres in the area, just recently. They had been causing problems at the farms near Battlehorn Castle." The implication was obvious enough. Goblins and ogres would probably not tend to share the same territory too well.
"Yeah well, don't want to be coming across any of them in the dark." Rena held up her torch a little higher as she looked ahead.
Nearing the shadows of the rocky outcrops where that old mining site was located, Ras'Dar became alerted once again. Noticing that the Khajiit had halted, each of the others did the same, looking off into the darkness for what might have drawn his concern.
He wasn't looking toward the location of the old mine. Ras'Dar's ears twitched as he looked through the fog toward the northern woods. If he could actually see anything, it wasn't yet obvious to anyone else in the group.
The eyes of the others flickered between Ras'Dar and the dark line of trees. The foggy woods seemed completely silent. Perhaps a little too quiet. The chill in the air served to set weary nerves on edge.
Loran stood by Ras'Dar with his hand upon the hilt of his blade. He couldn't see anything, but he suspected that the Khajiit might. He cautiously whispered. "Trouble?"
After a pause, the diminutive Suthay responded. "Khajiit cannot see anything… but Ras'Dar is certain that something lurks."
As Loran released a sharp breath, a yellowish light flared up amidst the fog. It sparkled briefly, then faded just as quickly. The apparition appeared no less than twenty paces from the roadside.
"Everyone, stand clear." Forester shouted the warning.
The threat was obvious enough to everyone present. That ethereal light marked the presence of a Will-o-the-Wisp.
Everybody but Forester had immediately drawn weapons and shields as they stepped back and adopted defensive stances. Forester busied himself with quickly preparing a suitable spell. Rena held her shield in one hand, keeping hold of the burning torch with the other. Everyone knew that conventional weapons weren't really going to do much good against a Will-o-the-Wisp. The flames of a torch might help, but the best option lay with Forester's skill with magic.
The yellowish light of the magical creature flared up again, less than ten paces from the edge of the road. It immediately faded from view once again. It was obviously coming for them.
Forester indicated his intent with grim resolve. "I'll need a good clear shot at this thing."
The Will-o-the-Wisp became visible again just by the edge of the road. A burst of crackling and screeching noises came from the insubstantial creature.
It suddenly surged forward, moving very quickly. Forester had called up balls of flames that hovered above his palms. However, before he had any opportunity to act, the creature closed upon Rena, making contact with her shield and emitting a crackling sound.
She staggered and stumbled backward with a moan. During that brief contact, the Will-o-the-Wisp had drained some of her vitality. Nevertheless, she managed to keep hold of her shield and torch as she reeled. She'd tried to step back as she felt her strength draining away, but she didn't get far at all.
Monika quickly stepped forward, swatting at the creature with her mace. She didn't actually try to make contact with it. She was only trying to gain its attention. She stepped back just as quickly.
Rena had dropped down to one knee, still trying to hold onto her shield and torch and edge away from the glowing and crackling Will-o-the-Wisp.
Forester saw his chance and unleashed a fireball. The flames struck the creature and it made a screeching noise, flaring brighter for just a moment. A second fireball followed the first, producing a similar effect.
Monika shouted and stepped forward to take another swing at the Will-o-the-Wisp as Forester took a moment to prepare another volley.
Once she was clear, Forester launched another two fireballs. The potency of the second volley held more substance than the first one. That reflected his increased measure of intent.
Monika moved in again to distract the Will-o-the-Wisp as Alex tried to pull Rena clear of that activity. That gave Forester another moment to gather more fire to his hands.
Forester's third volley achieved the desire result. The Will-o-the-Wisp emitted a broken noise as it flared one last time and dissipated, leaving a gooey yellow coloured mess that fell down onto the road.
Ras'Dar resumed looking off into the fog to the north of the roadside. The tension remained in his posture.
Loran stepped nearer to the Khajiit. "Anything?"
After a brief silence, he responded. "This one cannot sense anything. Ras'Dar does not think so."
Though weapons remained at the ready, the others relaxed just a little.
Forester rushed to his wife's side, helping her up. "Are you hurt?"
Rena groaned softly. "Ah, yeah… no. Not really. Don't think so. Just feeling all weak and wobbly." She was still firmly holding onto both her shield and torch, though she appeared unable to raise the shield at all.
Forester returned a concern look as he whispered to himself. He noisily cleared his throat. "Allow me…" The suggestion was obvious enough.
Rena nodded and composed herself. A sparkling mist rolled down Forester's arms and hands as he cast healing magic over his wife.
Once he was done, he looked her over with a concerned expression. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah, a bit. Don't think it's that bad. Just need a moment."
Forester frowned. "I do think it might be best if we rested for a while."
Rena stood up a little taller. "No, I'm okay."
Monika interjected. "Forester's right. We could all do with a short rest. And you'll be much better if you sit down for a bit."
Rena slumped a little. "Yeah, awright. No point in arguing."
Forester indicated a cluster of rocks by the edge of the roadside that looked good enough for makeshift seats. He guided Rena over in that direction and the rest followed.
After taking some water, at Forester's suggestion, Rena rummaged through her pack to retrieve a healing potion. She didn't want to be responsible for holding everyone else up.
Alex stifled a yawn. "It must be getting late."
Monika responded. "Yeah, been a few hours since the priory… and it had to be heading toward nine by the time we left there."
Ras'Dar looked up to a clear patch of sky overhead. "Very near to midnight." Before anyone asked, he pointed to the sky and explained. "At this time of season, those two stars pass directly overhead at midnight."
No one challenged his assessment. It certainly felt like it was close to that time.
After quenching his thirst, Ras'Dar took it upon himself to act as a lookout of sorts, keeping his eyes and ears alert for nearby danger.
Once they were rested, they planned to resume their westward march into the Colovian highlands toward Battlehorn Castle. For the benefit of those that did not know, Alex mentioned that their destination was still the better part of two hours away.
In a weary tone, Forester expressed his hope that the last leg of that journey would remain trouble free. The subdued murmur of agreement from others reflected similar hopes.
~O~