Chapter 42 - When hunter becomes prey

Falaere

Night of 24th Hearth Fire, The Winking Skeever inn, Solitude

Even as the carousing in the inn slowly died down and its denizens went to sleep, Aenndis and I talked; two fugitives who somehow cheated their own death, recounting and sharing their experiences ever since the fateful events that turned their lives upside down. I never thought I'd get to meet him ever since my escape from Falinesti; when I fled, there was almost nothing left of the kinship that used to exist between us. Over the years on the run from the Thalmor, he gradually became but a distant memory. Meeting him here, of all places, sporting the face of a completely different man, no less... I was still reeling from the shock.

But did I regret meeting him again, after all those years?

Not a bit.

The two of us might've had our differences, and we nearly parted ways for good when I got engaged to Ilmar... but I wouldn't just discard the memories of everything we lived through together. Back then, I wished to reconnect with him and forget any bad blood between us... and tonight it did come true. Although the circumstances could've been different.

"So you've been on the run this entire time, like I was." Aenndis shook his head. "And I thought you were dead, that those Thalmor bastards got you too."

"They didn't, though they came too damn close on a few occasions." I admitted. "Look, I wanted to see you but with all the Justiciars chasing after me... I might've as well turned myself in. Besides, I'd put you in danger too."

"It's okay, I get it. I do know a thing or two about being a fugitive." Aenndis replied. "I'm just surprised the Thalmor was willing to pursue you all over Tamriel, even to hostile territories."

"It's all due to Ilmar's father; nobody gets to scorn his son and live, especially not a low-born mongrel like me." I chuckled humorlessly. "To this day, I can't help it but wonder what kind of terrible things my father said to him to warrant an execution of an entire family." It hardly mattered since nothing could justify this cold-blooded murder... yet I found myself thinking about it.

"Sometimes it's simply a means of intimidation; you take a group of people and summarily execute them because of a crime they didn't even necessarily commit, simply to instill fear and deference to the folk. And when the Thalmor think of us as lesser beings it gets easier to do... I've seen this happen way too often." He sighed. "Resistance is pointless; the message is pretty clear."

"You know, there's one thing that used to bother me. I remember hearing the Justiciars that were involved in my family's execution when I was hiding from them," That got Aenndis' attention. "One of them said that Ilmar didn't know a thing about his father's order. I just- What did he say when the news reached him? Did he even-"

"If he knew, he wouldn't do a damn thing about it because loyalty to the Dominion and his father mattered more to him than his relationship with you." Aenndis snapped... and moments later his eyes widened as he realized what he just said.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Aenndis never liked the idea of a Thalmor officer courting me, even a level-headed and civil one like Ilmar was. But the reaction he showed when I mentioned his name, even over twenty years after my escape from Falinesti... it certainly did raise some questions.

Of course, this little mystery paled in comparison to the events to come...

„Sorry, it's just- Even if he was a somewhat decent man, he still serves the murderers of our people. I have no words of sympathy for him."

"Of course, I understand that. But I just keep wondering – things ended so badly between us the last time we talked. What if I hadn't left him that day? What if I'd seeked him out instead of hiding around Falinesti? I could've-"

"You would've achieved nothing, maybe except becoming a slave to Ilmar's family." Aenndis interrupted with a blunt honesty. "I'd done some digging in the, uh, incident at your residence; it was the same modus operandi as with the purges elsewhere in Valenwood. Thalmor is getting rid of opposition, real or potential. Your father made himself an enemy, not because he called off your marriage with Ilmar... but because he withdrew all support of pro-Thalmor government and threatened to spread word of their atrocities. So Justiciar Lithandil decided that he needed to die... and ordered an execution of the rest of your family, just to scare off other 'insurgents.'"

Father had already discredited himself among most other clans by his continued support of the Dominion; no telling if anyone would take him seriously. Yet Thalmor came to a conclusion he could've become a threat in the future and decided to 'nip the problem in the bud'... and burned the whole bush too, just to be sure.

It seemed clear that nothing I could've done would've been enough to save my family. Yet I couldn't stop thinking of the man that used to be very dear to me. "...And Ilmar?"

Aenndis shook his head. "At the time Justiciars came to your house, Ilmar was well on his way out of Valenwood." He then elaborated, seeing my surprised look. "You see, Lithandil thought his son wasn't commited enough to Dominion's cause and that him courting you was a 'display of weakness unbecoming of a proud Altmer.' So he decided to send him to Summerset Isles for 're-education...' and we both know what that means."

I knew too well; years of indoctrination to turn 'troublesome individuals' into willing and obedient servants of the Dominion.

"Whatever Ilmar used to be is now gone forever. He'll have become just as ruthless and cruel as his fellow Justiciars; if you met him now he'd toss you into dungeons without batting an eye... or worse. I'm sorry if this was too much; I thought you deserved to know."

So that was the end to our romance... Even though part of me still wanted to seek him out I knew that would be suicide. Ilmar, as I knew him, was gone but except a brief jolt of dull pain in my chest, I felt almost nothing at all; I mourned him years ago, even before I learned of his fate.

"Carwien? Is so-"

I didn't let him finish.

"Please, don't. Carwien is dead, has been dead for twenty five years. Let her rest in piece, Malborn." Aenndis visibly flinched at my use of his alias. Why, though? We were both different people, shaped by years of misery, spent running from an implacable enemy. There was no sense in trying to go back to the 'good old days' or resurrect our old former personae that we abandoned in the name of survival.

Fortunately, Aenndis- No, Malborn seemed to understand. "I guess you're right. It's too dangerous to mention our real names; you never know who might be listening in." He chuckled half-heartedly. "Not like I'm not used to using fake names after running with Delphine for so long."

"Heh, is that even her real name?"

He gave me a deadpan look. "I'm not in the position to answer that. You should know, since you're one of us, apparently."

"Just for this one job, actually." I shrugged. "I'm better suited for this kind of work than the other candidate Delphine considered." And wasn't that the truth... Enclosed in that set of Orcish armor, Farlas was about as subtle as a bull in a pottery shop.

"I can imagine, she wouldn't stop pestering me to make sure everything was ready. This must be really important for her."

"Not just her," I clarified. "Continued existence of this entire realm is riding on this."

Malborn made a face. "Now you're pulling my leg. What could the Thalmor possibly have or know that could bring about an end of the world?"

He thought this was a joke but I was about to prove him wrong.

"Well, since we're in this together I might as well tell you... but keep it to yourself, alright?" Then I proceeded to tell him about the return of the dragons, about Alduin and Helgen, the Dragonborn and the Greybeards, my visit to Shroud Hearth barrow and visions of the future that plagued me ever since, and finally ended with the purpose of our little excursion to the Thalmor embassy. Secretly, I still had my doubts about Delphine's reasoning; true, Thalmor might be powerful but I didn't think even the most capable of their sorcerers could bind a being like Alduin to do their bidding. Regular dragons were powerful on their own and they treated Alduin like their superior... or it appeared that way to me, at least. But since Delphine wouldn't listen unless we brought an actual proof of that, breaking into the Embassy was the only option.

To anyone outside of our little circle, this tale might've been too far-fetched to be believable, especially the 'visions' portion of it. I hoped Malborn would have an open mind... though the prolonged silence that fell once I finished recounting the events that brought me to this point raised some doubts about that. He didn't outright laugh at me either though, so that was a good sign.

Just when the quiet was starting to grow unnerving, Malborn cleared his throat. "I must admit, I found everything you told me to be completely ridiculous at first... but if a fairytale is capable of scaring Delphine, of all people, then there must be some truth to it, right?"

"Dragons are no fairytale, I can assure you." I told him. "The black one, Alduin, is bringing them back to life. I'd seen it with my own eyes, just like Delphine. And if Thalmor aren't involved with him," And I found that to be highly unlikely. "They might know who is."

"Makes sense; Elenwen and her agents know everything that happens on the Imperial side of the province... if they don't have a hand in it, that is." Malborn mused. "But know that I think of it... You said this 'Dragonborn' of yours can kill dragons for good and I presume it's his task to deal with this 'Alduin.' Wouldn't it make more sense for him to retrieve the intel he needs? Why do his job for him?"

"Because unlike him, I actually have a fair shot at getting out of the Embassy alive." I explained. Well, 'fair shot' meant 'slightly better than nil' in this case, but he didn't need to know that. "If he goes in, he'll get caught... or worse."

"How can you be so certain of that?"

"I saw it in my dreams." The flat stare of his told volumes about his thoughts on my answer. "Don't give me that look, Malborn. I already saved Farlas once thanks to those visions; one night I dreamt of him falling to his death... and the next day it almost happened while we were exploring an old crypt."

The old friend of mine didn't seem convinced. "Sorry, but this is just... too difficult to believe."

"You'd do well to keep an open mind." Then, an image flashed before my eyes; a scene from the vision of the Embassy. As always, it didn't make much sense then but now I understood. "And be careful around a woman named Tsavani; you might be familiar with her, yes?"

Seeing Malborn's jaw drop, quite literally... it made for a comical sight. "How did you-"

"I told you, it's the visions." I allowed myself a victorious smile. "Now, do you have any more questions or can we get down to plotting?"

Malborn stared at me with his jaw hanging for a solid couple moments before collecting himself. "Oh, right- Let's get down to it, then."

Farlas

25th Hearth Fire, Pinemoon cave, the west of Haafingar

The directions to the vampire lair I received from Sybille proved more than sufficient; all it took was to follow the blood on the ground.

Lydia and I set out early in the morning, after some preparations that included stocking up on Cure disease potions and a visit to Solitude's Great temple. Fighting vampires was no joke as even the slightest mistake could get you killed. The previous evening I read the tome I got from the court wizard for hours and it taught me a lot of useful tricks; too bad the extermination job would be the first opportunity to try them out. If there's one thing I learned about casting spells, it's that without practice, newly learned spells were likely to fail. Needless to say, that's the last thing a mage needs when fighting for their life.

By the time the trail of blood had brought us to our destination, it was high noon. Perfect timing; if one of the bloodsuckers decided to flee, the relentless sun would scorch it dead.

"So we're here," I said quietly as we stood before the gaping hole in a rock, the entrance to the vampire lair. "Any last minute tips for killing bloodsuckers that I don't know of?"

"Just one," Lydia replied. "Vampires are a lot more durable than mortals; can't die of blood loss and usually shrug off all but the most serious of injuries. Unless you break all its limbs at once, a crippled vampire is still dangerous. Their only real weakness, besides fire, is the head; run it through or cut it off and a bloodsucker's done for good."

"I'll be sure to remember that." I grinned. "Now, let's get this done."

The first obstacle after entering the cave was a chamber occupied by a number of wolves. If I were to guess, the vampires used them to guard the entrance and warn them of any danger, if the torches installed around the chamber were anything to go by. How they did it hardly mattered; they were in our way... and since I couldn't use the Kyne's peace Shout without alerting everyone (or everything?) in the cavern of our presence, we had to get rid of them the hard way.

Since Lydia was a better shot than I was, the task fell to her. It turned out to be a good call as she managed to take down three of the beasts before they noticed our presence. We had to backtrack out of the cave to make sure the vampires wouldn't overhear the scuffle at their doorstep while we eliminated the remainder of the pack. Despite our best efforts, however, there was simply no way to avoid making any sounds.

Clatter of blades, growling and pained yelps and howls of the wolves; all these sounds carried far throughout the cavern so even after the pack was killed off, we couldn't be sure the vampires wouldn't also come out, drawn by the racket.

So we waited... and learned soon it was the right call.

A single figure emerged from the darkness, pacing around the now empty chamber. The female vampire inspected the corpses of the guard beasts, muttering something to herself. I couldn't make out the words at the distance but it was clear she was furious.

In the meantime, Lydia nocked back another arrow and took aim.

"It took weeks to train those damn mutts; so much time and effort, all for nothing!" The vampire spat out, outrage clear in her voice. "Whoever did this, I'll make sure they suffer!"

She stood up and turned to retreat... and that we shouldn't allow.

Lydia let the arrow loose.

The low whizz of the bowstring caused the vampire to whirl around and face us. My heart almost stopped when I saw those glowing red eyes of hers peer straight our way; we've been found out and now we'd have to fight through a whole horde of the bloodsuckers.

Luckily for us, Lydia's arrow ended up lodging itself right in the vampire's eye. The monster made a quiet, strangled sound and collapsed lifelessly in the dirt.

"That worked out nicely." Lydia remarked dryly. "We were lucky the thing came out alone otherwise things would get hairy fast."

"Nice job taking her down." I complimented. "Reminds me to work on my archery skills once I get back to Jorrvaskr."

"You'd better; you cannot rely on your Voice all the time." The housecarl said. "Aela can give you some pointers if you ask her but you won't learn much by shooting up practice dummies. Going out hunting with but a bow and arrows would be ideal-"

"Point taken." I interrupted her. She was starting to ramble and that was very dangerous with a whole gaggle of bloodsuckers nearby. "We should get moving before her friends get an inkling of what's happening."

There was only one way forward.

The dark tunnel weaved and twisted its way through the rock but eventually we arrived at its end, finding ourselves on a broad ledge which ended with a downward slope to another chamber. There was no doubt this cavern was inhabited, as proved by numerous pieces of furniture, coffins, crafting tables... and a pile of bloody bones mingled with torn flesh situated at the far end of the chamber. My stomach heaved at the grisly scene. I was used to seeing blood after fighting bandits numerous times but this was just sickening.

And of course, we saw vampires pacing about, their deformed, hideous faces twisted in a permanent sneer. Their leader stood out clearly, wearing an ornate armor the likes of which I'd never seen before.

I already knew this was going to be a tough fight and without a proper plan, we'd end up being vampire food.

I gestured Lydia to follow me as I slowly withdrew to the tunnel. By some miracle, none of the bloodsuckers noticed we were there.

"How many of them did you see?"

"Three, at least." Lydia whispered back. "I don't know if you noticed, but there was a tunnel leading deeper into the cavern in the back of the chamber. There might be other vampires hiding in there."

I thought for a moment. "Okay, they don't know about us so far. Once we make our move we have to be quick; if we mess this up we won't get a chance to try again."

"What do you suggest?"

"You're a good shot; I'm sure you can take at least one of them bloodsuckers down before they realize they're under attack."

Lydia frowned. "And then what? Even if I manage to take down one, the rest of them will be on us before I get the chance to take another shot."

"Not necessarily." I pointed out. "I learned a Shout that gives me an ability to cross short distances in a blink of an eye. With good timing, we can take out two vamps in a single moment. All we have to do is-"

I stopped when I heard one of the bloodsuckers stop and sniff the air.

"Oh... I think they might've noticed. We have to act fast."

"Agreed." Lydia nodded, grabbing her bow.

We slowly crept back to the second chamber. Sure enough, the vampires were already prowling about, looking for the meat that so conveniently stumbled into their den. One of them was already stalking on the ledge we were on, with another one of its kind following closely behind. Judging by the appearance alone, I couldn't say how powerful they really were... and I didn't intend to wait to find out.

Lydia had already taken aim on the one in front, ready to loose the arrow. All she needed was a signal from me... and she didn't have to wait long.

Alright... it's now or never.

I gave her a curt nod as I slowly unsheathed my sword.

Lydia let the arrow fly as her target grew closer.

The vampire might've been on the verge of discovering us... but that one would never know because Lydia's arrow pierced his forehead, killing him almost instantly.

If they didn't know we were here before, they sure do now.

The other vampire appeared shocked as her comrade's head suddenly snapped back, with a shaft of an arrow protruding from its skull. Then its face contorted into a furious snarl.

Then I made my move.

Pointing the tip of my sword dead ahead, I uttered "Wuld!"

In an instant, the Thu'um launched me across the chamber... right into my intended target. The bloodsucker couldn't do a thing to keep me from skewering its chest. That might've seen like enough damage on its own to put the leech down for good. However, I didn't forget Lydia's advice and cleaved its head off, just to be sure.

Great, three vamps down so far... The real problem was presented by their leader, however, who began lobbing ice spikes at us the moment we made our presence be known.

"You'll pay for that, mortal worm!"

Lydia attempted to shoot him down, but the bastard evaded the arrow with almost no effort.

Oh boy, this one's gonna be tough...

Even more so when another couple of vampires burst out of the tunnel Lydia mentioned earlier.

… Shit.

It would've been so easy to burn them with Fire breath... Alas, my throat still throbbed and burned from using the Whirlwind sprint Shout. Until the pain vanished, all I could do was stop the relentless barrage of Destruction spells with a Ward, which could only last for so long... and it could hardly do a thing to stop the other two vampires that advanced towards me.

One of them had an arrow jutting out of its gut but it had absolutely no effect.

I figured it was time to try out some of the tricks from Sybille's tome; there was the hoping I wouldn't get skewered by one of the icy projectiles once I dispeled the Ward...

It was difficult to aim properly when under fire from a mage, and a vampire of all things. Though fortunately, the Repel undead spell didn't fail when I cast it for the first time. The glowing orb of bright light hit one of the attackers... and the effect was almost instant. The target abandoned all thoughts of attacking and destroying the intruders and turned back with a blood-curdling wail, as if in great pain.

That only left only one opponent that ran straight at me with its fangs bared.

In the meantime, Lydia focused her attention on the vampire leader; not a moment too soon because I really felt the ice impacting on my armor. Luckily none of the spikes went through the plates but it still hurt like a bitch.

It didn't mean I wasn't in danger, however.

There was definitely truth to the claim of vampires' superhuman abilities as I experienced first hand. My current opponent managed to land a solid hit on me before I could even put my blade up. Even after I recovered from the initia surprise hit I found myself hard-pressed to stop all the attacks coming my way. Neither was I successful at launching any counter-attacks. The damn thing simply dodged every swing of my sword; all I achieved were a couple glancing blows and those had no effect.

I couldn't have been more grateful when my throat ceased throbbing... and I took advantage of it right away.

"Yol!"

Imagine the shocked look on the bloodsucker's face when he was met with a gout of flame that immolated him from head to toe. I winced at the tortured screams that tore out of his throat and decided to put the poor bastard out of his misery.

One swing of the sword and his head was sent rolling into the dirt.

This left only the leader to deal with... and the bastard was advancing on Lydia, backing her into a corner. She had abandoned the bow in favor of sword and shield but it was little use against an opponent who possessed supernatural strength and speed. Worse, this was an elder vampire so Lydia was even more outclassed.

I didn't have a bow, Repel undead likely wouldn't have any effect on this bastard, my throat burned worse than a pyre after the use of Fire breath... but I'd be damned if I didn't try to take the monster down.

I charged just as the vampire was busy pummeling Lydia and had his back turned to me. I couldn't have asked for a better timing, or so I thought.

Instead, the damn bloodsucker turned just as I was about to hack at his chest and managed to stop my blade inches before it could make contact. While the smug bastard grinned savagely as he held the sword in a vice-like grip, not caring a whit that blood poured out of his sliced palm, I was shocked. How could one possibly something as powerful as this?

Then in a single lightning-fast motion, the vampire slammed his palm into my chest and sent me flying several paces back. The sheer force of the blow dented the chestplate of my armor and thoroughly rattled my ribs. The impact didn't help matters one bit; I felt for a moment as if I lost control of my entire body.

Needless to say it hurt, but at least Lydia took advantage of the vampire's distraction and rammed her blade hilt-deep into his back.

The vampire stared in disbelief at the tip of Lydia's sword jutting out of his ribcage. In hindsight, I should've known this wouldn't be enough to kill him. When Lydia grabbed the hilt of the sword and tried to go for another stab the vampire whirled around and punched her with a force that tossed her against the rocky wall behind her.

When I finally managed to get back on my feet, ignoring the pain the best I could, it was just to witness the bastard launching an ice spike through Lydia's shoulder. Letting out a pained groan, the housecarl collapsed on the ground, the sword clattering out of her hand.

Instead of finishing her off, the vampire fixed his attention on me. He simply stared with a wicked smirk on his face, as if daring me to make a move.

He's toying with us, I realized.

More of a reason to shove a sword down his gullet...

I closed the distance between the two of us as quickly as I could in my current state and began swinging away. It seemed useless at first as the vampire dodged every blow... but unlike the last time, I tried moving around instead of staying in one position, atacking solely from the front. It provoked the beast into lashing out on his own; I somehow managed to parry or evade those attacks.

Then I got lucky; at one point I stabbed forward, which the vampire dodged with ease, and immediately followed with a step sideways, quick rotation and a diagonal slash... and the bastard didn't expect that.

My blade tore a deep gash in chest.

Encouraged by the success I went for another attack... but then the damn thing just disappeared. Vanished into thin air.

I forgot the vamps could make themselves invisible. Damnit...

I looked around frantically, searching for any signs of the invisible foe approaching; sounds, footprints appearing in the dirt or strange shimmer of the air. Alas, it was almost impossible to see anything in the dim light of the cavern.

It must've appeared downright foolish, the way I paced around, turning abruptly with the sword pointed dead ahead of me. Then I backed up against the wall; I didn't want to give the bloodsucker a chance of attacking from behind. That would've been the end of me. Unfortunately for us, the vampire had all the time in the world to get the drop on me. He could've easily waited until I made a mistake... or got tired.

Yet for some reason, he didn't. Maybe it was because a duo of lowly, weak mortals managed to kill all but one of his underlings; such insult couldn't be left unpunished, could it?

Bastard jumped me from the side, just as I glanced the other way, the soft, almost inaudible footsteps being the only warning before I found myself knocked into the dirt.

The vampire climbed on top of me, fangs bared in a vicious snarl, and immediately went for my throat.

In that very moment, I was reminded that the pain my throat was gone.

Just in time...

Just as the bloodsucker was about to bite down on my neck, I Shouted.

"Fus Ro Dah!"

The look on the bastard's face as he found himself blasted to the cavern's ceiling was priceless.

I quickly scrambled to my feet and grabbed the sword I dropped when the bastard bowled me over.

In the next moment, the vampire dropped to the ground, stunned by his impact with the ceiling.

I wasted no time and rammed the blade through the monster's neck as it attempted to stand up... then tore it out and followed with a slash to separate that ugly head from its body.

The headless corpse dropped back into the dirt, Lydia's sword still poking out of its chest.

Lydia...

I pulled the blade out of the bloodsucker's carcass and went to check on the injured housecarl.

She sat slumped against a wall clutching the injured shoulder as it still was leaking blood. The battered shield lay discarded beside her. She must've lost quite a lot of blood, given her pale appearance... well, paler than usual, that is.

"Is it dead?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"As dead as I can make it, yeah." I replied and knelt down to her, leaving her sword at her side. "Let me see the wound."

"The ice went straight through," The housecarl moaned. "I don't think I can move that arm."

"We should have some healing potions left still. But I have to check that wound first, just to make sure there aren't any chunks of ice left in there." That was one rule for healing open wounds; always clean it properly before applying potions or spells, check for shards of metal and pull them out if you find any, otherwise you run a risk of a massive infection wreaking havoc on the patient's body.

I wasn't sure if the same applied to hardened ice but I wasn't about to take any chances.

I used a magic light to illuminate the wound, one of a couple spells outside Restoration school that I knew. As far as I could tell, the wound was relatively clean except a few shards of chainmail Lydia wore under the steel plate which I had to take out. I took off my gauntlets and began pulling out the bits of ruined chainmail. Lydia sucked in a sharp breath yet except gritted teeth and a pained grimace she didn't make a sound.

I found myself admiring the housecarl; for all their strength and bravery, most men seemed to possess lower tolerance for pain, as strange as it was.

One of the bits of metal ended up deeper inside the wound. Lydia wasn't going to like this. "Sorry, this is going to hurt."

"You don't say," The housecarl gasped. "Cause I'm feeling just peachy right now."

Lydia would've kicked herself for such a 'breach of etiquette' but given the circumstances, she had the right to complain.

As I attempted to extract the small metal piece Lydia suddenly stiffened, attempting to sit upright. I assumed it was simply a response to the pain... until I noticed her good hand reaching for her sword.

She isn't that mad with me... right?

"Lydia, what-" I didn't get to finish as she thrust the blade right at me with an inhuman roar.

Acting on instinct, I ducked to the side and the blade passed harmlessly next to my head. Much to my surprise however, the weapon cut into something with a sickening squelch. I hazarded a sideways glance... and I saw the sword 's tip buried inside another person's open mouth.

My eyes widened in shock; I recognized the poor bastard as the vampire I hit with a Repel undead spell in a battle earlier. It completely slipped my mind that the spell could wear out... and the bloodsucker could return to ambush us when we least expected it.

I had no idea how Lydia could've noticed the damn thing creeping up on me but I sure was grateful for her timely intervention. Just thinking how close I was to becoming a vampire snack was giving me shivers.

"How does the steel taste, you bitch?" Lydia snarled and twisted the blade lodged in the vampire's skull, causing its limbs to twitch erratically. Then she tore the weapon out and let the dead vampire collapse in the dirt.

"Holy shit..." My voice shook a bit. "For a moment I thought it was me you aimed to skewer."

"Don't be ridiculous." The housecarl grimaced. "You can't die, remember? There's a lot of dragons out there you need to kill, after all."

To think that even in her current state, the woman was in the mood to joke... Not that I disapproved, of course. "Thanks for reminding me, Lydia. Now let me finish treating the wound, please."

I finished cleaning the wound as quickly as I could, given there was still blood seeping out of the torn muscle. Unfortunately, I found out that most potion flasks didn't survive the fight with the bloodsuckers; being tossed around like a ragdoll kind of does that. All we got left was a couple stamina potions and five or six flasks of a heavily diluted healing solution; ideal for gashes and bruises but for healing a hole in one's shoulder? Completely inadequate. There was one small bottle of a concentrated healing potion but I wanted to save that one for a true emergency.

To be prepared in case something attacked us on the way back to the city.

In the end I opted for a compromise; I gave Lydia three diluted potions which turned out to be enough to stop the bleeding and close the hole in her shoulder. To properly mend the wound however, a healing spell was required; a bit of a complication, considering Lydia's attitude towards magic. Thankfully, the housecarl ultimately agreed, though it did take a fair amount of convincing.

Once she was back on her feet we stripped the now-empty cavern of anything valuable we could carry. Of course, Lydia refused my offer to carry her share of the plunder to relieve her injured shoulder. I didn't suppose she thought I might swindle her out of her well-deserved loot; simply a matter of honor for the housecarl, and a Nord.

"Maybe you'd want to take the leader's head, as a proof of the deed." Lydia reminded me as we were about to leave the dreary place.

That was actually a good point, I had to admit.

A while later, the two of us were walking out of the cavern... the vampire leader's ugly head in a sack tied to my belt.

Elaith

25th Hearth Fire, Blue Palace, Solitude

Only three days until Elenwen's little party... and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

The days dragged on at ridiculously slow pace when I didn't have anything to do. All the time spent loitering around sitting on my backside when I could've been doing something useful back at the College... Alas, one does not exactly refuse the illustrious ambassador of the Aldmeri Dominion, not without running the risk of meeting an untimely end. I wasn't afraid of the old bat and she damn well knew it; the only reason I ever accepted her invitation, besides gaining and sharing knowledge with the attendees, was that Elenwen wasn't above hurting innocent people to enact revenge on those who 'wronged' her and I couldn't let that happen, especially with Ancano prowling around the College grounds.

And I had to admit that I was curious as to see why the ambassador decided to invite one of the Dominion's most outspoken opponents.

Nevertheless, no matter how useful it might be, the soiree at the Embassy was still an inconveience to me, especially considering how difficult it was to find something to pass the time.

Given my previous allegiances, one might think Castle Dour were an obvious choice. But what could I possibly do there? Gab with the soldiers? Help to plan Tullius' operations? I was a member of the College and as such I had to maintain my neutrality; the less I knew about the Legion's plans in Skyrim the better. Besides, even though I did resent Ulfric and his little militia for dividing the province and generally making a mess of things, Legion's campaign against the Stormcloaks was none of my business.

Tullius was wasting time slaughtering the wrong pig and regretfully, he would hear none of it if I told him, so focused on the troublemakers that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things and ignoring the true threat. I didn't forget the deal I made with him the day after Helgen, though... which reminded me I'd have to get around to it sometime.

Anyway, I even offered my assistance to Elisif's court wizard, trying to alleviate my boredom. It was refused though, as Sybille didn't have the time to 'chaperone' anyone. It seemed the old vampire was grumpier than usual... but if she wanted no help, I wouldn't impose myself.

In the end, I spent most of the day in the library at the Bards College, browsing through their collection. What they had was mostly works of literature and music and for the most part I skipped through it as I wasn't much of an art connoisseur. To their credit thought, there was an entire section dedicated to history books and memoires of historical figures... and that was when I ended up staying through the remainder of the day, reading through the works from that section.

There were some unique exemplars that I had not seen anywhere else...

I also had a conversation with the school's headmaster. Viarmo was your typical Altmer in appearance but that was about it. He had none of the arrogance and disdain for other folk his brethren usually possessed. In fact, I found him to be a pleasant conversation partner, if a bit too passionate about bardic arts for my taste. In fact, we started talking simply because he mistook me for a new apprentice. Apparently, prospective bards were on a short supply since the war started; it seemed everyone wanted a stab at the enemy, that being the Stormcloaks. Worse, one of the younger students went missing about a month ago, a wench named Illdi; Viarmo called for a search of the city, even the entire hold, yet the searching parties came up empty-handed. The spirits around the College seemed low after that though Viarmo didn't elaborate on that and I wasn't about to pry.

As the evening grew closer I decided to leave the Bards College and go visit the Blue Palace again. Maybe I could learn some interesting news.

Gods seemed to have a strange sense of humor because I happened to bump into general Tullius himself, just outside the building.

"What a surprise; good day to you, general."

"And what's so good about it, huh?!"

I was taken aback by his angry response. The general wasn't usually this snappy with people, unless they deserved it. "Goodness gracious, Tullius; did someone piss in your brandy today?"

Only now Tullius seemed to realize what he said. "Apologies, I'm afraid you caught me in a bad mood."

"What happened? Lost another unit to the Stormcloaks?" I asked.

"As if!" Tullius snorted. "The only way Ulfric's rabble could defeat my men is with trickery and deceit. No, that's not what I'm mad about."

"Then what it is?"

The Colovian muttered something under his breath before answering "I'm being forced to cater to Lady Elenwen's whims, that's what's happening. She's throwing some kind of bash at the Embassy and expects me to attend too, for whatever reason. Can't help it but think it's her way of demonstrating the Dominion has us all under their thumb."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You're going too?! Hah, that is priceless!" I knew that Tullius loathed gatherings such as this, which seemed typical for most soldiers, now that I thought about it.

"Wait, so you were invited too?" The general chuckled humorlessly. "Almost makes me curious to know what warrants Elenwen's choice of guests."

"You and me both, general."

The two of us arrived at the Blue Palace's front door. Tullius opened the door and let me enter first; a true Colovian gentleman, I thought with a grimace.

We walked up the stair to the throne hall where the court would gather to discuss matters of importance. There was no such meeting at the time though; I saw Jarl Elisif on her throne, under the watchful eye of her housecarl Bolgeir, steward Falk going through some correspondence... and the infamous court wizard Sybille Stentor who was mid-conversation with a pair of strangers.

I recognized Farlas the Imperial immediately though the woman beside him was completely unknown to me. I couldn't help it but notice the state of disrepair of their armor... and was that a head the Imperial was holding?

"Put it away!" Sybille snapped. "I already know you succeeded at your mission, no need to present further proof; just keep it away from me, please!" A commoner might think the mage hated the sight of blood; I was one of very few people who knew that Sybille warred for decades with her cravings for blood, due to her nature.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to burn it somewhere." Farlas replied, doing as the wizard asked. "I've done what you asked of me. What of the payment?" Of course, the Companions business.

"I already dispatched the agreed upon sum to Whiterun; you'll have to ask your Harbinger for the coin." Sybille retorted. "Now leave me to my work!"

The Imperial turned towards the entrance, shaking his head in plain disbelief. There was something... let's say 'unusual' about him though I couldn't quite point my finger on it. It was hardly a cause for any concern.

"I find the man in the orcish armor... oddly familiar." Tullius muttered.

Farlas offered a nod of greeting, which I returned, but didn't speak a word otherwise. His companion, on the other hand, viewed me with thinly veiled suspicion. She happened to be a Nord which explained a lot.

"I'm not surprised," I replied to the general. "The man happens to be one of the three innocents your captain would've sent to the chopping block in Helgen had I not intervened."

Tullius made a sour grimace. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"A good commander should always exercise firm control over his subordinates." I recited. "How you could forget one of the fundamental lessons is beyond me; here's the hoping you will learn next time."

General was far from happy; the man always loathed being reminded of his blunders.

Jarl Elisif had finally noticed our presence. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, general."

Tullius gave a respectful nod. "What does Her Grace require of me?"

"For the most part, I would like to hear some news on the war... and the effort to bring the murderer of my husband to justice." Her voice audibly wavered.

Putting a grieving widow on the Jarl's throne was hardly a good idea to begin with. She didn't know her way around in politics and as such, it was steward Falk who managed the hold. Everyone knew it. So unless Elisif grew a spine soon, she was liable to be played like a cheap fiddle.

"But since legate decided to pay us a visit as well, we might first discuss the dragon crisis... and any progress made in the matter."

If the Jarl thought I already devised some miraculous solution to this problem, then she was in for some great disappointment. Alas since I was essentially being ordered to speak and refusing the Jarl would cast a bad light on me and my associates...

"Very well, my Jarl. Let us discuss my findings."

Author's note: Well, the bash at Elenwen's is approaching quickly, so we'll let them prepare for this shitstorm. In the meantime, the denizens of Darklight keep encounter some hurdles in establishing their operations... but that's a story for another time. :-)

Anyway, ladies and gents, this is the last update of year 2019. I guess many of you are celebrating already (it's still afternoon where I'm sitting) so I wish you all a good fortune in year 2020 - maybe it be less shitty than the previous one!

As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)