Chapter 32
17th of Rain's Hand
"I Return my patients to your care, Commander." I said to Fasion Adus. "I will not instruct you to take care of them, for I know you take care of all your soldiers."
"They are alive and well because of you, your Grace." The Commander replied. "I will never forget that."
"We are in your debt." Salerne said. "Thank you for the care you have shown us."
"I am already missing you." I said as I hugged the twins. "You will be in my thoughts."
"As you will be in ours." Lilimia said.
"We are sisters now." Lilisara said. "It would not be proper if we were to lose touch."
"The Jarl of Whiterun will ensure that any letter addressed to me reaches me." I said. "And your Commander has promised me a summer reunion."
"As far as such a promise can bind any of us in these uncertain times, we will meet in the summer season when, it is my hope, the land is more at peace." Fasion replied.
"Do not forget your Grace's promise to marry a young couple in the summer season in Rorikstead." Lucia said.
"I do not forget, sister." I replied. "Should their young love persist so long."
"We love weddings!" Lilimia said. "They are so festive and full of hope."
"If you find that your path takes you through Rorikstead, you may judge the prospects of a summer wedding yourselves." Lucia said.
"The groom-to-be has promised to repair a damaged cottage at the edge of the village for him and his future bride." I explained. "We will track their wedding plans by the state of repair."
"What are the names of the young couple?" Salerne asked.
It took me a moment of thinking.
"I have no idea." I admitted.
"So much laughter will wake our neighbors." Aric said as he and Samuel approached.
The final farewells were concluded. Samuel gave each of the twins a small keepsake. Nora barely pried her eyes from Ganra who, unlike his usual self, talked to her and thanked her for her hospitality. Lucia and Salerne smiled and laughed and hugged. More sisters through bond of love.
Will Samuel and Nora revert to their former relationship after this intrusion of strangers? I wondered. Do they draw to each other only because there are no other options? In the absence of an abandoned cottage there was no way to predict.
Aric and Lucia escorted the column of elves past the Giant and his mammoths. There was a noticeable breakdown in discipline when one of the mammoths calmly walked up to Lucia for the requisite scratching, it's purring in delight clearly heard even from the house.
"The twins did not waste any time yesterday evening recounting the details of our dragon ride." Vilkas said by my side. "All sound and motion in the camp ceased when Lucia stepped out of the house this morning. They looked at her like a deity had landed in their midst."
"They treated you the same, surely." I said.
He laughed before he answered. "No. She looks the part. I do not. Though the Commander did ask me if the story was true. He shook me by the hand when I confirmed what he had heard."
"You are very brave." I said. "Or you are very much in love, which is almost the same."
"You say it plainly on the road, your Grace." Vilkas replied. "She is everything I dream of."
"Then cherish her, sir, and marry her." I answered. "None of us know the number of days we are given to inhabit this world. Do not waste any of them."
"Would you perform two weddings this summer your Grace?" he asked.
"I would perform three weddings if you could convince another couple of our acquaintance to acknowledge their feelings." I said, "and for these two weddings I at least already know the names of the participants."
"That should be some sort of advantage I would think." He replied.
The Whiterun guards turned at the sound of our laughter.
"They are away finally; with what little semblance of order they could claim after Lucia's demonstration." Aric said. "First the dragon ride, and now this. With the mammoth purring and the giant smiling at her I am surprised the entire company did not stop and worship her on the spot."
"It was a sight to behold, even from this safe distance." I said.
"You make too much of a trifle." Lucia said. "I have known him and his pets since this house was built. And the number of dragon riders grows daily." She said looking at Vilkas and smiling. "It will soon be quite commonplace."
"I was just expressing that same point to the Reverend Mother." Vilkas said.
"For your statement to be accurate, sir, you would have to considerably expand the definition of every word in that sentence." I replied.
"Let us not quibble over semantics, your Grace, since you may do me a great service in the near future." Vilkas replied.
"A service?" Aric asked. "What nature of service?" he asked, his gaze moving from Vilkas to me and back again.
"It is a topic for another time." Vilkas replied. "More pressing matters await your attention brother."
"Such as how best to use our six-day grace period." Lucia said, still eying Vilkas in a suspicious manner.
"I have turned my mind to little else these past hours, and I cannot see a path that does not begin with the whereabouts of the High Justiciar and his remaining forces." Aric said.
"Is it a good sign or a bad one that the second force you sent to determine their whereabouts has not yet appeared?" I asked.
"That is another question I cannot yet answer." Aric replied. "They may simply have failed to locate the Thalmor's location. They may be tracking a force on the move. They may have been forced to go to ground. They may be fleeing a hostile force. There are too many possibilities. I am confident that they can manage for themselves, whatever the circumstances. But it would serve us best if they were to appear soon with certain knowledge where we can find this pest of a Justiciar and his cohort."
"And having done so, what would we in turn do?" Vilkas asked.
"It is a fair question." Aric replied as Samuel approached.
"The orb is signaling." Samuel said.
"Is it always so active?" I asked as we began to walk back to the house.
"I cannot remember it ever being active before yesterday." Samuel said.
"Would it not be simpler to simply wear one around your neck?" I joked.
The look on more than one face caused me to reconsider.
"I beg your pardon if my comment was not appropriate." I said.
"It was more prescient that inappropriate." Lucia said. "It is theoretically possible to achieve the same result by binding a minor Daedra to a soul gem that is infused with a portion of aetherial crystal and link the gem to the web of orbs."
"Has this ever been done?" I asked.
"No." Aric said. "Aetherial crystals are rare, the infusing is difficult, and the soul gems are prone to shatter. And until now I have never found it necessary or desirable to be in constant communication with anyone." He looked at me and smiled. "It would ruin the peace of the evening camp."
"It's use also does not go unnoticed." Lucia said.
We arrived at the Enchanters work bench where Aric retrieved the waiting message.
"Sophie, Collette and their force of irregulars encountered a group of Thalmor north of Kynesgrove heading west along the main road." Aric said. "They became suspicious when the Thalmor did not stop to question them, as is their custom when the encounter a mixture of races traveling together."
"Is it possible that they were not Thalmor but simply Altmer soldiers?" I asked.
"I understand your concern" Aric replied, "but Sophie and Collette have as much experience in these matters as anyone in Skyrim. They can distinguish Thalmor robes from those of a simple Mage. In any case, they decided to press the issue, and invoked the name of Talos, which removed all doubt."
"How many Thalmor?" Lucia asked.
"Eighteen" Aric said.
"What casualties to their band of irregulars?" She asked.
"Two dead and two wounded." Aric replied.
"What were the causalities to the Thalmor?" I asked
"Eighteen dead." Aric said.
"Gods." I replied.
"They are gathering whatever forces remain in Skyrim." Aric said. "These were traveling west from Windhelm. It at least points us in the general direction."
"They must have had a secrete base in Eastmarch we had not yet detected." Lucia said.
"When did this encounter occur?" Vilkas asked.
"Early yesterday." Aric said.
"How long will the High Justiciar wait for these men before he becomes concerned?" I asked.
"I do not know." Aric said. "The longer he waits, the better for us. We must find him. He must be convinced, either through argument, or bloody constraint, that his time in Skyrim is at an end."
"I am reminded of the words of Jarl Balgruuf regarding the fate of anyone who stands between two armies when steel has been drawn." I said.
"What was his opinion of their fate?" Vilkas asked
"It was not good." Lucia said.
"It is like a summoning." Lucia said. "You are no stranger to summoning; the feeling between the casting and the summoned creature forming, the sense that something draws near, and nearer still, until it appears. You draw it to you and bend it to your will. It is the same with drawing power from the earth, but the drawing is more active. It requires more effort and will. You draw power, and then use it to draw more, a cycle that builds, larger and larger amounts drawn with each cycle; until the final massive draught of power that you then use to cast your spell. Once you are proficient it takes very little time to draw a large amount of power."
I was stunned by what she described, what I saw her perform with my own eyes. Surly I was not capable of such a thing, on any scale.
"How do I begin?" I asked
"Place your hand upon the earth." Lucia said. "Recite the spell. Feel your own power begin to draw power from the earth, as if you were using your arms strength to draw a bucket from a well. Your power leaves, other power returns, in larger quantity. Release. Draw. Release. Draw. Count. Release: one. Draw: one, two. Feel the pulsation of power leaving and returning. Match the rhythm. Feel it grow. Try now."
I knelt and placed my hand on the ground, Aric's home below us as we stood in the hills above.
"Focus your mind." Lucia said. "Take a breath. As you exhale it, cast the spell, and send your power. Feel it begin. "Breath in and draw the power to you. We will begin with two cycles."
"What will I do with the power I have drawn?" I asked.
"Whatever you wish." She said with a smile. "Do not burn the house down."
I began to control my breathing. I inhaled, and as I began to exhale, I cast the spell.
"virtaa maasta" I said as I released magical energy into the earth.
It began as a pulsation beneath my palm that began to consume my arm. I imagined a drawing up, recalling my endless trips to the well near my now abandoned shack. I breathed in, and in so doing it felt like I breathed in energy from the earth. I exhaled again and sent a small amount of that borrowed energy back, only to breathe again and draw an even larger amount of energy, which began to flow past my wrist and up my arm.
"Now stand and cast." Lucia said.
I could not move for a moment. I was entranced by the energy moving up my arm, the feeling of power that began to course through me. I exhaled and inhaled again, as my entire arm was consumed by energy.
"Noxaura!" I heard. "Cast!"
I stood as my mind regained control and cast the spell I knew best.
Lucia stepped back as the bound sword blazed into life, far brighter than any I have ever summoned; the energy swirling around the blade was intense, almost painful to look at. Bursts of light appeared and flew away in a random pattern.
"Gods!" I said.
"Do not move." Lucia said. "Allow it to dissipate."
It was almost too beautiful. It left an afterimage on my eyes as I moved it in a pattern I had practiced repeatedly in recent weeks. I let out a laugh as I turned to look at Lucia.
She had stepped back several paces and had cast a ward with her left hand.
My laughter ended in an instant. Her look was concerned. Wary. I thought she would be pleased with my success. She did not look pleased.
"Forgive me sister." I said. "I did not mean to alarm you."
"It is my fault." Lucia said. "I was unprepared. My first attempt was nothing like yours. I have never seen a first attempt like yours."
"I did not stop at the agreed upon point." I said, "I took an additional breath. Forgive me. The fault was mine."
"An additional ten breaths would not have drawn so much power on my first attempt." Lucia said. "It is not your fault. There is no fault to be found unless it is my fault for underestimating you."
The sword persisted.
"How long will it last?" I asked
"I am not sure." She replied. "Let us wait a bit longer."
"It is a very old technique." Aric said. "It is practiced to this day by those who still worship Hircine and other Old Gods of the Reach."
"The Old Gods?" I asked, not in the least bit surprised that he taught Lucia old magic. "Truly?"
"Yes." He replied, "Worship of the Old Gods is still common among Bretons, as well as those who can trace their heritage back to the Nedes."
"The Nedes." I said. "That ancient race from which you were sired."
"That ancient race from which we were both sired." He answered, "It would explain your affinity for the technique." Aric said.
"Affinity is one word to describe it." Lucia said. "It took me many attempts before I was able to draw upon any noticeable power. Runa showed no proficiency at all and did not pursue it further. Noxaura mastered it in a single attempt."
"It appears that we have identified one of your innate gifts." Aric said. "The ability to call upon the power of the Earthbones."
"I have never heard of such a thing." I said.
"It is an ability, which some call a gift from the Earth Mother, to draw power from the earth. It is referred to as Calling Upon the Power of the Earthbones. Such ability is commonly found among the Druids of Galen, and the Ward-Sisters."
"I am not familiar with either." I said. "Is there no part of my education that is not lacking?"
"You may know the Ward-Sisters by another name." Aric said. "They are also known as Beldaman Wyresses."
He was speaking of things that were thought to have been lost in the Second Era.
"You amaze me with your knowledge sir." I said. "You are a tome of information."
He smiled before he answered. "Your studies were directed elsewhere during your cloister."
"To be able to draw upon such power…" I began, the sentence dying unfinished. "These Druids and Ward-Sisters must have been worshiped in their own right. They could have conquered continents."
"They were, and remain still, predominantly Shaman and Healers." Aric said. "They are attuned to nature and venerate the ancient forest. Those who reside in High Rock away from the cities commune with the Forest God of the Bretons, Jephre the Storyteller."
"In High Rock." I said, "away from the cities. Such as the Western Highlands?" I was referring to the home of his youth, as he was well aware.
"Yes." He said. "My father was a Druid of Galen. My mother was a Ward-Sister."
His mother, who could trace her lineage back to Morihaus, the son of Kyne, and Magnus, the God of magic. Both his parents possessed the gift from the Earth Mother, the ability to tap the unlimited power of the earth. The power of the Old Gods. I had known he possessed old magic for almost as long as I had known him. No, I had not known. I had suspected. I had convinced myself. But to know, finally, beyond doubt. It should not have affected me as it did. I was unprepared.
His arms were around me before the shaking exceeded my control, his lips pressed softly to my forehead.
"There is nothing to fear." He said. "You are safe. The world is unchanged from a moment ago. We three are no different than when we departed Whiterun. Your view of the landscape is less obstructed, that is all. You are overcome by the panorama. Allow yourself a moment to adjust."
"You have had much to take in recently, sister." Lucia said. "More than anyone I know. I could never had endured what you have survived. You are one of the strongest women I know."
"Forgive me, sister, if I do not share your opinion of myself. My life recently has been defined by far too much shaking and crying to ever allow such an opinion to form in my mind."
"They are not signs of weakness." Lucia said, "they are signs of a functioning brain."
The laugh escaped my mouth almost when it formed. "My brain has done far too much functioning of late."
"My reaction to learning my heritage was much worse." Aric said. "Hamal's description to you has not begun to scratch the surface of that obelisk. If she told you that I was brash, headstrong, reckless, conceited, self-indulgent, she barely makes a start to describing the Godhood to which I had begun to elevate myself. You know that it was her, and others that saved me from myself. I can see for myself that you require no such saving. Lucia is right, you are one of the strongest individuals I have ever known."
I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest, as the shaking began to subside.
The sound of the door opening downstairs and people entering signaled that my infirmity must come to an end. Aric's arms relaxed as he stepped back.
"You are both very kind to endure these spells of mine without complaint." I said. "Thank you."
Steps on the stairs preceded Vilkas' appearance.
"The assassin in your stable complains of his accommodations. Are you certain that he requires both his arms and his legs to be intact when he is transported to Whiterun?"