Thirty-six:

To fetch a bow

They returned to the fort after making a brief side-trip into Riften for their much-needed, and much desired baths, and sought out Dexion. Auriel stopped short at the sight of him with his eyes covered by cloth.

"Oh no," she groaned.

"Ah, you're back," he smiled a little ruefully. "You had a successful journey then?"

"Yes," Serana said, then peered at him. "Your eyes are covered..."

"I'm afraid I can no longer be of use in the matter, my friends," Dexion sighed a little. "I neglected the careful preparations required to read a scroll in my haste to read the first one. I thought I'd be able to allay the after effects, but... I was wrong. Now I'm paying for it."

"He's blind, Serana," Auriel sighed. "It my fade in time, it may not. Either way, we're going to have to find some other way of reading the scrolls."

"How much are you willing to risk to find Auriel's Bow?" the Moth Priest asked. "Because there is another way."

"Given the alternative?" Auriel sighed. "Tell me what I need to do."

"I can't guarantee you'll be free from harm," he warned. "Becoming blind could be the least of your worries."

"It's my risk, Dexion. Tell me."

"Scattered across Tamriel are secluded places known as Ancestor Glades. There's one here in Skyrim, in the Pine Forest. Performing the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth inside the glade should provide the answers you seek."

"What's involved in this ritual?" Auriel tipped her head a little.

"It involves the careful removing of the bark of a canticle tree, which will, in turn, attract the Ancestor Moths to you. Once enough of the moths are following, they'll provide you with the second sight needed to decipher the scrolls."

"Carefully gather the bark of a canticle tree," Auriel frowned slightly. "How do I go about do this?"

"In keeping with tradition, you must use a specific tool in the Ancestor Glade. An implement known as a draw knife. Every Moth priest is taught this ritual, but few ever get to perform it. You should consider yourself lucky... if it works for you."

Auriel sighed slightly.

"What about the scroll?" Serana asked. "Should... should they be read in any particular order?"

"From what I saw in the vision, the Elder Scroll which foreshadows the defiance of the gods with the blood of mortals is the key to the prophecy."

"Dexion, that doesn't tell us which scroll we need to use," Auriel said dryly.

"I'm sorry," he smiled ruefully. "That is all I can offer. I hope your journey goes safely."

"So do I..."

The blind priest reached out, and Auriel shifted a little so that he could pat her shoulder before leaving, then made her way out of the fort.

"So, where are we going?" Serana asked.

"Falkreath most likely. It's the only place other than the Rift that has forested area. Pine specifically... we'll probably be partway up a mountain."

"You're... not very happy about this, are you?"

"Not really, no. It just seems to be getting more and more complicated. It would be nice if things could go smoothly for a change." Auriel sighed a little. "Though I suppose that's too much to ask, all things considered."

Serana smiled ruefully.

"Yeah, well, it can't get-"

"Don't finish that," Auriel grimaced a little. "That's just an invitation to the gods to make it worse."

"Not feeling terribly optimistic?"

"I prefer the term realistic," Auriel snorted. "Blind optimism can be kin to foolishness, and I greatly doubt that we've reached the worst of it. That, I think, will come when we search for the bow. And of course any challenge that may follow after..."

"Do you ever stop thinking?" Serana asked after a minute.

Auriel smiled ruefully.

"My whole life is based on staying three or more steps ahead of the people who want me dead. So, no. Not really."

"I don't know whether to be impressed or.. feel sorry for you," the vampire admitted.

"Be neither. It is a skill I picked up out of necessity. I do not regret it, but there are days where I do not appreciate it either. Now, come on. The faster we're in Falkreath, the sooner we can find this glade."

It took a couple of days after getting to Falkreath to track down the Ancestor Glade. It didn't help that their path was dogged by vampires, undoubtedly sent by Harkon yet again. No doubt he wanted the scrolls, and the ability to read the full prophecy.

Finding a proper path up the mountain was not helped by these delays, and Auriel muttered a few threats against Harkon, mostly involving fire.

The glade, when they finally reached it, seemed small at first. There was no sign of anything that looked like a canticle tree, a draw knife, or a moth. Serana made a slightly disparaging sound.

"If this ends up being a wasted trip, your friend Dexion and I are going to have some words when we get back," the vampire complained.

Auriel frowned a little, studying, then made her way across the fallen log. This was too small to be such an ancient place, and she could feel the power buzzing nearby. A small stone corridor led them into the actual glade, and both women stopped to stare.

"Wow," Serana breathed. "Look at this place... no one's been here in centuries. I doubt there's any other place like it in Skyrim. It's beautiful."

Beautiful it was; set between mountains, the glade had flourished due to the gap in the ceiling that let in shafts of sunlight. The trees soared overhead as they cautiously crept down several stairs. The canticle trees and draw knife both were at the center to the glade, and Auriel gingerly scraped some of the bark off, hoping that it wouldn't damage the tree any. The moths didn't swarm to her, but when she walked near some fluttering around, they immediately moved to swirl around her.

"Look at that," Serana giggled a little. "They've definitely taken a liking to you."

They were lovely moths too, pattered mostly in shades of subtle brown. As she walked around, more swarms joined her, and the air began taking on a peculiar feeling. A subtle anticipation. The moths landed on her in some places, and tickled her face and ears with their feet. It took a lot to not try and brush them off, or shake her head too sharply.

The shaft of light was almost blinding when she looked at it after several swarms had joined her, and Serana was covering her eyes somewhat.

"You think it's enough?" the vampire asked.

"Who knows... but let's try."

Auriel moved carefully down to the light, took a deep breath, then pulled out the scrolls. They left patterns in the air when she unrolled them, and her breath caught as visions assailed her mind A map. Directions. And then a wave of white. She staggered, and Serana caught her arms gingerly, trying to avoid flattening any of the moths that had landed.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "Almost thought you were going somewhere... You went as white as the snow."

"That was..." Auriel shook her head a little as the moths fluttered away. "Odd."

"I could see it in your eyes. You looked about a thousand leagues away," the vampire said. "Do you know where we can find the bow?"

"D... Darkfall... Darkfall Cave," Auriel said woozily.

"Then it's almost over," Serana sighed in relief. We can finally put an end to this ridiculous prophecy! Where is Darkfall Cave?"

"I can find it, but... I don't think I could give you directions..." Auriel shook her head a little, trying to clear it.

"Well, then we should get going," Serana said firmly. "We should get there before my father has a chance to track us down again."

"...You're a bit late there, Ser," Auriel murmured, pointing. "They have already."

"What?"

Serana turned, then pushed Auriel out of the way. As the Altmer was in no condition to fight, she kept her head down as Serana attacked the enemy vampires fiercely. When it was done, Serana returned to help Auriel stand up again.

"You really need to rest," she said worriedly. "Is there a nearby place where you can do that?"

"Lakeview... my house. It's... it's not far. I just need to clear my head some."

"Okay, yeah, come on. You can barely stand, let alone walk. Let's go rest there for a while."

Auriel nodded, worn out by the effort of reading the scrolls. Serana helped support her, and she kept her feet under her well enough to make it most of the way. She would never figure out why Farkas was there, but he showed up with impeccable timing, as her energy flagged, and gently picked her up.

"You two look like you've been moving for weeks," he said quietly.

"You wouldn't be far wrong," Serana replied.

"Auri?"

"M'okay," she murmured. "Just... tired..."

She had enough awareness to be of some use when they helped her out of her armor, but beyond that, the bed was the softest thing she'd felt, and she was out. Farkas was sitting beside her when she woke up, one of the many books she had scattered through the house in his hands. When she stirred, he abandoned the book to help her sit up. Absently she wondered if Serana had attempted to go on without her.

"...how long was I out," Auriel groaned as she leaned on him.

"A while," he murmured, smoothing her hair gingerly. "You okay?"

"Mmmmm, no. Not really," she sighed. "Reading an Elder Scroll, being chase by vampires, and tracking a weapon known as Auriel's Bow... no, definitely not okay."

He just hugged her, and kissed her forehead. Softly she slipped her arms around his waist, taking comfort in the warmth and feel of him. After a few moments, she sighed, and pulled away.

"As much as I enjoy this, I really shouldn't linger," she said apologetically. "I've probably set us behind more than a little because of this."

"If my father's tracking us," Serana poked her head in through the doorway and smiled a little, "he's doing a pretty bad job. We've been here a few days now, while you slept, and he hasn't found us. So it's fine if you need to keep resting up. It's a pretty nice place."

"You should eat something anyways," Farkas urged gently. "You're too skinny."

Auriel couldn't help but laugh a little ruefully; she really hadn't been taking care of herself all that well lately. Skimping on sleep and food to keep going didn't work terribly well for adventuring. She allowed herself to be talked into a large meal, and then pushed back to bed for some more rest.

It was nice to spend time with her husband again. Serana didn't seem to much mind the delay either; she was fairly impressed by the setup of Lakeview, and the number of books Auriel had collected kept the vampire very happy for the few days it took to recover from reading the scrolls. Farkas was solicitous, and cautious; he was trying to stay out of Serana's way and at the same time, not bother Auriel if she didn't want his attention.

It was actually a little amusing. They did have to leave eventually, but both women were better for the chance to rest and relax.

To get to Darkfall Cave, Auriel first led the way to Solitude, and then set out in a westerly direction through the mountains. There didn't seem to be a straightforward path to the place, but fortunately, they weren't terribly constrained by underbrush or other things.

Darkfall was like most other caves, dark and damp, with the occasional smattering of light. They found their way more by touch than sight, eventually making their way to a dead end wish a river rushing below, and a rickety bridge that led to nowhere.

"Down?" Serana asked.

Auriel sighed.

"So it would seem."

They jumped into the icy water, and did their best to stay above the water as the current carried them downriver, depositing them none-too-gently in a shallower stream bed.

"Remind me to never do that again," Serana groaned.

"Somehow, I don't think you'll need it," Auriel replied, doing her best to shake the worst of the water from her armor. There was no way she was going to walk down the badly lit corridor ahead squelching. With her luck, they'd have to go into ice and snow as well, and that was very much not happening.

They found, eventually, a dry path. It was somewhat better lit, due to someone having set up torches and a brazier recently, as well as a still flickering campfire, though there was no one alive around it.

"Why would anyone want to set up camp here?" Serana asked.

"Who knows," and Auriel shrugged a little. "The only ones who could tell us that are dead. And the air reeks of troll. Probably best to not linger and find out."

"True. Which way should we go?"

Auriel frowned; while she'd known how to get to the cave, she had no map of its interior, and thusly, could only guess.

"Let's try the lower path first," she said finally. "At the very least, we can double back if it's a dead end."

They headed down, following the planted torches and tipped braziers until they came to an underground lake, the place where the trolls made their home. Unlike the adventurers, neither woman was inclined to have such a threat hanging over their heads, and soon enough all the trolls were dead, enabling them to explore a little more thoroughly, a little more safely.

They found, at the far end of the lake, something that looked to be a small shrine... and a mer of no race either had seen before.

"Come forward," he said genially. "You have nothing to fear here."

He was pale as the snow, with golden eyes, his white hair cropped short, and he wore armor of a type that Auriel could not place. He was taller than her by several inches, though he carried himself with a somewhat mournful, almost diffident air that made him seem smaller.

"I am knight-paladin Gelebor," he introduced himself, bowing slightly. "Welcome to the great Chantry of Auri-El."

"This... cave is a temple to Auriel?" Serana asked.

The humor under the question made Auriel snort a little and elbow her friend.

"Auriel, Auri-El, Akosh, Akatosh," he shrugged a little. "So many different names for the deity of the snow elves."

"...you certainly don't look like a any Falmer I've ever seen," Auriel said after a stunned moment.

"I prefer snow elf," he said a little tersely. "The term 'Falmer' usually has a negative meaning to most travelers. Those twisted creatures you call Falmer, I call the Betrayed."

Which made sense; it was fairly common knowledge for most adventuring souls in Skyrim to know how the Falmer came to be. Auriel nodded a little in understanding, then sighed slightly.

"I hope you know why we're here, because the tale could be a while in telling," she sighed a little.

"Of course. You're here for Auriel's Bow. Why else would you be here? I can help you get it, but first, I must have your assistance."

"Of what sort?"

"I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur... my brother."

Auriel blinked a few times.

"You want me to... what? Why?"

"The kinship between us is gone. I do not understand what he's become, but he's no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed... they did something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow this to happen."

"Expecting protection from a god will be a long wait for a ship that may never dock," Auriel said dryly.

"So what did they do to your brother?" Serana interjected.

"They swept into the Chantry without warning, and began killing everyone without pause," Gelebor replied tightly. "The Chantry was a place of peaceful worship. I led a small group of paladins, but we were no match for the Betrayed's sheer numbers. They slaughtered everyone, then stormed the inner sanctum, where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur."

"...how can you be sure he's alive then?" Auriel asked.

"I've seen him. But something's wrong. He never looks in pain, or under duress... he just stand there, watching. As if he's waiting for something."

"And you never tried getting into the Sanctum to ask him?"

"Leaving the wayshrines unguarded would be an abandonment of my sacred duty as a knight-paladin of Auri-El," he sighed. "And an assault on the Betrayed in the Inner Sanctum would only result in my death."

"I will give you credit for sense, at least," she sighed slightly. "Tell me about the wayshrine."

"Here, I will show you instead."

His hand glowed with a soft light as he turned and approached what looked to be a shrine buried in the earth. The spell chimed from the sun symbol at the top, and Auriel stepped back as the entire thing slid smoothly upwards, revealing blank inner walls, and a small, dry fountain at its heart.

"Incredible," Serana murmured moving in for a closer look.

"This structure is known as a wayshrine," Gelebor said. "They were used for meditations and for transport when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to our initiates."

"What's the basin in the center signify?" Serana asked.

"Once the initiate completes his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer into the basin at the wayshrine's center, and proceed to the next wayshrine."

"So these initiates had to lug around a heavy pitcher of water? Marvelous. How long would they have to do that?"

Auriel stifled a snicker, though not the wry smile of agreement.

"Well, once the initiate's enlightenment was complete, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum," Gelebor explained. "Pouring the contents of the ewer into the sacred basin of the Sanctum would allow him to enter for an audience with the Arch-Curate himself."

"All that just to end up dumping it out?" Serana's expression was skeptical. "Makes no sense to me."

"It's symbolic," Gelebor said with heavy sarcasm. "I don't expect you to understand."

Auriel snickered.

"So, let's get this straight," Serana frowned a little. "We need to do all that nonsense to get into the temple, so we can kill your brother and claim Auriel's Bow?"

"I know how it all sounds," he sighed. "But if there was another way, I'd have done it long ago. The only way to get to my brother is by following in the initiate's footsteps from wayshine to wayshrine, just as they did. The first lays at the end of Darkfall Cavern, a path that represents the lack of enlightenment."

"So, this would be the first," Auriel cocked her head a little. "How many more are there?"

"There are five in total, spread far apart across the Chantry."

"...are they all in caves?"

"Oh no," he smiled a little. "The Chantry encompasses far more than a few caves, as you'll soon discover. But before I send you on your way, you'll need the Initiate's Ewer."

He passed a silver pitcher over to Auriel, who sighed a little, and hooked it to her belt.

"We need to fill this at each wayshrine then?"

"Once you've located a wayshrine, there will be a spectral Prelate tending to it," Gelebor nodded slightly. "They will allow you to draw the water from the shrine's basin, as if you'd been enlightened."

"All right," Auriel sighed a little again, then nodded. "See you."

"This may be the last time we're able to converse," he warned. "If you have any questions before you leave, I suggest you ask them. Otherwise, all I can do now is grant you my hopes for a safe journey."

Auriel shook her head slightly, and headed up the steps; she had few doubts that she would see him again at the end of things. A portal had opened in the shrine, and cautiously, they stepped through.

"That... wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be," Serana admitted once they were on the other side. "Kind of soothing, actually. I feel a little warmer now."

They stepped out of the ruins of a shrine, and started moving into the cavern they'd been deposited in. Strange creatures lit up the hall, then vanished as they approached. Auriel was fascinated.

"The number of things I could learn," she murmured.

"Bow first, studying second," Serana reminded her.

"Yes yes, yes yes."

Along with the strange glowing creatures, the rocks themselves seemed to hold lines of luminescence. Auriel found herself wondering if it was paint, magic, or more plantlife.

And of course, there were Falmer. Or rather, the Betrayed. If they weren't so damned vicious all the time, Auriel would have felt more sympathy for them, but the damned creatures hated anyone that was not of their own race, and that made it harder to reconcile them with Gelebor.

The cavern and tunnels were, unfortunately, full of the bastards. But there was not only danger, there was also an odd sort of beauty to be found. Flowers Auriel had never seen bloomed with glimmering light, and a purple moss seemed to blanket a good portion of the ground. Auriel had to wonder if it was the work of the Falmer, their forebears the Snow Elves, or simply a natural evolution.

It made her wish that she could have shared this trip with Farkas as well. He would have enjoyed it.

Great blue stones cast more light as they went further in, and Auriel wished she dared pause to try and grab even a small one as a sample. At the least she was able to grab several of the flowers. They were beautiful, and if they lasted, perhaps they could be transplanted.

A bridge through a waterfall allowed them to continue the journey; Auriel muttered a few choice curses on the other side and had to take her boots off so that they could drain properly before they moved on.

More traps and creatures were circumvented, until they reached an immense cavern, where the oddest of the odd was finally revealed. Great cats and deer with hides of black and glowing green luminescence darted around.

"...makes you think a little of Blackreach, huh? Serana murmured coming up behind the elf. "Though we never saw anything like that..."

"It is impressive," Auriel murmured. "And I think we're almost to our first wayshrine."

"Good!" Serana said with relief. "Just four more to go after this. Hope you don't spill the jug."

"If you jinx me, I'll make you carry it next time," Auriel snorted.

Serana made a face, and they made their way down gingerly; one brush with a poison spewing plant was enough to convince both of them it was worth avoiding, and the only way to get across seemed to be a convoluted path from the bottom up.

"Welcome initiate," the spectral prelate greeted them. "This is the Wayshrine of Illumination. Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?"

"Yes," Auriel sighed.

She turned out the rest of his words, and rubbed her forehead wearily, glancing up only as the shrine was activated. She filled the ewer with a bit of water, then stepped through to the open portal to the next shrine.