Chapter 59

After making sure the place was secure and quickly wrapping me in a blanket from one of the tavern's beds, Serana ran up into the college to get Niik.
I had my head covered too, but not so much for the cold. It was so I didn't have to look into their eyes.
I wish I could face that snow outside and just leave. Anywhere would be better than staying here all alone.

The door swung open, "Mara have mercy…" A woman gasped as the sounds of steps filled the tavern.

I looked up to see Mirabelle standing in shock with another mage from the College.
He came to my side right away to check if I was okay, then with a quick motion from his hand, the firepit became a roaring blaze, filling the room with a warm light.
This whole time I kept my eyes sunk into my quilt or fixed on the wall, but with the fire now ablaze, I could see shadows of the town folk hanging from the ceiling.

"Are you alright?" The man asked, piling on more of the quilt that was hanging off of me.

"Arch-mage…" Mirabelle stood aside from the door.

I turned my head to watch Niik enter. Serana was right behind him as he looked over the population of Winterhold.
"Where are the students?" He asked calmly.

"Arniel took them on an excavation the day before last, they're not expected for another week" Explained the man helping me.

"Take Faralda and Phinis with you to retrieve them"

"But Master Havod…" Mirabelle started, sounding delicate with her words. "Tolfdir, he's… This storm is dangerous for a person his age"

Niik didn't respond.
When he walked past me, I could see from the corner of my eyes that he was studying the townsfolk, looking up into their lifeless eyes.

The elderly man, Tolfdir offered to take me to the college before he goes to retrieve the students from their excavation.

"I'll take her" Serana stated.
I felt so pathetic being carried about. But I was freezing. My clothes were still wet, the tavern only kept the wind and snow out, and I'm about to be carried back into the blizzard.

As we passed by Mirabelle at the door, she pressed her hand on me. A warm green light spread from her and engulfed me. I don't know what it was but it felt nice.
God bless magic I suppose.

"Actually, Mirabelle. You head back too" Niik ordered.

"You need me in case of-"

"All I need, is for you to do as I ask!" Niik snapped back. I could hear the fire in his voice. "If the killers are still in the city, I don't need Anyone getting in my way! You will escort these two back to the college and send word to the other Jarls about what happened here, is that understood?"

I'd never seen Niik yell to any of his staff before. Mirabelle was taken back by it too, but she meekly nodded, said "Yes Arch-mage" and followed Serana and I into the blizzard to return to the college.

Serana helped me get into warm robes as I sat on the bed.
Unlike me, Sersana didn't need to be told about the underclothes as she could tell on sight that the uniformed robes wouldn't be enough on their own. It's a bad day for me when a woman who's not felt cold in thousands of years knows more about staying warm than myself.

I tried to stand up, but Serana had her hand out as if to stop me. "I'm not going to sleep, Serana. I was just cold"
She may know about keeping warm, but I guess regular sleep patterns are a little out of her practice. Not that I could face sleeping anyway. Anytime I shut my eyes for long, I just see their lifeless faces.
"I rode through Winterhold with your mother just a few days ago… Everyone was okay…" I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of the first seconds of walking in that tavern. "I'll be back in a minute" I took a step towards the door and felt Serana getting ready to follow me out. "Bathroom" I explained.

"oh… I'll just… wait outside for you then"

"Eh, no… I'm good, thanks…"

"are you sure?" Serana looked back to the dorm entrance. I'm sure there's only one way in, so as long as she keeps her eyes on that door, no one will attack us. "How long will you be?"

"Just a minute, don't worry"

Serana tilted her head, looking confused.
"How can you have a bath in just a minute?" She asked.

I shut my eyes, exhaling deeply.
"I meant, I need to go pee" I saw her looking ready to object, so I nipped that on that bud right away. "Not in a bath!" I told her that latrines and baths share a room in the future.

"I see… I'll just wait here then…"

I nodded, feeling heat flush in my face as I made my way to the back of the dorm.
Serana's concern for me is sweet, but she makes being discrete about human matters impossible.
The 'bathrooms' in the college were cramped and always freezing. The stone seat has a wooden rim on it, which is slightly better I guess.
But the college is high above sea level. At any moment a freezing gust of wind could draft up and make me leap off.
Thankfully, that didn't happen this time. Serana would have heard me yelp, and I don't need her charging in thinking I'm in danger.
Using the fabric of my robes to grasp the handle and open the door, I made my way back into the hall and started heading back.

"I'm going to invent the sink first, Serana" I announce as I approach my room. "I can tolerate poor hygiene on the road, but buildings on this scale should be better equipped" I entered my room and saw Serana sitting at my desk with an open book in front of her.
"You and your books…" I mutter as I grab my weapon belt from my damp clothes. "What you reading anyway?"

Serana didn't answer. When I glanced at her, she was hunched over, engrossed in what looked like the first page.

"I thought you were a fast reader" I teased as I nudged her shoulder. I glanced at the book. It was huge. Like four bibles stacked corner to corner. "Where did you get that?"
All I could think about was J'zargo borrowing fancy literature from Urag and getting clean-up duty for not returning them in time. Hopefully, Serana knows what she's getting into if she messes with Urag's books.
But Serana didn't answer.
"You're scaring me" I nudged her shoulder, she still didn't respond. "Serana? Serana!"
I pushed her more, she still wasn't reacting.
"Stop being weird!" I demand, pulling her face to look at me. "Oh, shhhh-!" I backed away. Her eyes were wiggling as though her sockets were slithering with worms. "S-Serana talk to me!" I held her face, even tried slapping her. "NIIK! Mirabelle! Someone!"
I wanted to get help, but I didn't want to leave her alone.

The black worms in her eyes started to slither out towards me.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to pull them, but they tangled around my finger.
"gross!" I cried. They were like long coiling leaches reaching out for me.
Where the hell did they come from? The more of them I pulled from her eyes, the more appeared.

I felt something touch my arm. I looked just for a second and saw a shiny black snake-like thing trying to worm around me.
"F-fuck off!" I smacked it away, recoiling from it and Serana. "What!?" The book on my desk was standing up on its pages as more of those thick slimy snake things were reaching out for the ones in Serana's eyes.
I draw Dawnbreaker and sliced at them.
They evaporated on contact with the sword, but it only led to more coming out of the book.
Out of desperation, I tried shutting the book cover over.
There was no resistance from the black snake things, they just vanished as soon as the pages shut.
As soon as they did, the room was filled with the startling and frighted sound of Serana gasping for air.

Her eyes were normal, but her face was terrified. The moment she saw me near the book, she pulled me away.
"Stay back, that thing… I, I don't know what it is!" She grabbed the book and tossed it out of the room, then hurled lighnting at it from her hands.

Any chance I got I tried to see into her eyes. They were dark red, but no wormy things.
"What happened?"

Serana told me that after I left, she noticed a book on my desk.
"It looked interesting, I was curious" She shivered, curling up between her shoulders and taking me further away from where it now lay on the floor. "I only read the first few words and then these… tentacles wrapped around my neck, trying to pull me in"

"Well I saw…" I cringed just remembering it. "They were in your eyes, Serana. Wriggling"

Serana pulled her hood down past her nose and started shaking her head.
"No no no no!"

"They're gone now, you're fine…" I'm glad she couldn't see my smirk. Immortal vampires can be put out by the idea of things going in their eyes too it seems.
But still, whatever that book is, it's creepy as hell.
Whether creepy directly means dangerous, I can't be sure. But I'm sure not going to let it near any of my friends.
Except for Niik.

"I hate to say this, but we need to get the book"

"And throw it in the sea?"

"maybe, but I think we should let a few wizards look at it first"

Serana shot fearful, daggerlike stares at the black book.

"The tentacles vanished when I shut the cover over" I assured her. "I think it's safe so long as we don't read anything from it. So we're using Elder Scroll rules going forth" Just as I was about to retrieve it, Serana took my wrist and pulled me back.
In a quick motion, she removed her cape and tossed it over the book before carefully wrapping it up tight.
She then stood back, watching it from afar.

"Need me to pick it up?" Having lived through it, she was far more terrified than I.
I lifted the book and pressed it tight between my chest and arms, trying to keep it so the pages couldn't open, even a little.

As we came out into the blizzard once more, it suddenly dawned on me that Serana and I were alone.

"Where's Barbas gone?"

"He was with Niik when I saw him. Maybe still in his quarters?"

"He's probably scratching at the door trying to get out" Dear ol' doggo has trouble with doors. "Wonder what would happen if I wished he were here. Would he suddenly get the power to open doors?" I snickered.

"Robin!" Called a distant voice.

"no…" I looked across the courtyard and saw the fluffy dog, half-covered in snow run towards me. "No, NO! That wasn't a Real Wish!"

"What are you talking about?" He called up to me, shivering away at my feet. "That orc put me out!"

"Thank god" I sighed in relief.
Poor Barbas though. His ears fell as he hung his head, thinking I was glad he was put out in the cold.
"Come with us, Barbs"

Serana held the main door open for me and Barbas to enter the college. No sign of angry old orc man, so he might be back in his library.
"You stay here and warm up, Serana and I have to go see the Orc"

The library seemed empty when we got there.
"Urag?" I called out, poking my head in. "I'm going to say a bad word… Urag?"

I could hear muttered grumbling from behind a shelf.
A little more investigating led us to find him rearranging books on a lower shelf.
I dropped the still wrapped up black book on the table and went to offer my help to Urag.
"Need a hand?" I picked up a few of the books on the floor as I knelt beside him. "Alphabetical, yeah?" I looked at the book's spine. "What language is this?"

"Daedric" He answered, putting away the fifth book since I'd sat down.

"Right…" I promptly sat the book backs where I found them. There's no way in oblivion I'll be any help to him. "We actually need your help"

Urag sighed as he picked himself up. I showed him to the table, Serana quickly and politely introduced herself but the courtesy wasn't returned.
"What do you have for me?" He asked, sitting down at the desk, staring at the cape.

"It's a book" I clear my throat. "It was in my room. We don't know how it got there, but it…" I kept my hand firmly over the top of the cape, stopping Urag from looking. "I can't stress this enough, don't open it. It attacked Serana"

Urag's unimpressed eyes shifted to my emotionally shocked vampire friend, who nodded back at him.
"Let me see it"

Serana was more nervous than I, but I know we can stop the tentacles simply by shutting the cover, so once we revealed the book to Urag, Serana and I backed away as he inspected it.

"Daedric" He muttered, tapping his finger on the strange letterings on the spine. "Says 'Knowledge' and 'Memory'…"

He traced his finger over the markings on the front cover. It just looked like an old symbol to me, but Urag seemed very interested in it, claiming this artefact may make a fine addition to Niik's collection upstairs. "If only we could learn more about it…" He sighed.

Serana and I looked at each other.
"Your father's cult…"
"Your dog…"
"And now this…"
We've been up to our necks in Daedra lately.
"Alduin is still out there, somewhere… With everything going on with the city, Niik's children, everything… where do we even start?"

Serana looked as helpless as I felt. With her father, the stakes were high but we only had her emotional dilemma to worry about.
With this, we've got a lot on our plate and the world just keeps adding more stuff.

"We can't burden Niik with any more" I declare. "If Urag keeps the book safe for now, we can investigate it further after we're done with everything else"

"I think our top priority should be to find out how the book got in your room in the first place" Serana merely glanced in the book's direction. "Eh, AH!" She backed away, covering her eyes.

Urag was staring at the pages, his eyes filled with those wormy things like Serana.
As before, I slammed the cover shut without staring at the pages too long myself, which seemed to save him.
The org snorted, rising up from the table feeling all over his head and neck. His green face was several shades paler than before, and his pupils contracted to mere dots in his fearful eyes.
Serana was scared when I asked what she saw. But maybe being so familiar with this Daedra, Urag might have been able to retain vital clues.

After taking a moment to catch his breath and compose himself, Urag patted me on the shoulder, thanking me for rescuing him.
But he didn't say a word. Instead, he walked to his desk and pulled out a blank piece of parchment and a narrow stick of charcoal.
He began scribbling, tracing out circles and wavy lines. The more he realised his drawing, the more Serana looked uneasy.

"That's what I saw…" She whimpered.

I held her hand, entwining our fingers to remind her that she's not alone as Urag finished his work.

"Are those, eyeballs?" I asked, looking closely at the dotted circles at the centre mass of wormy tentacles. "why do I think I've seen this before…?"
I remember vaguely. It was shortly after I met Niik. I saw something, just for a moment. It scared the life out of me.
"So much has happened so fast, things that happened a few weeks ago feels more like years…" I knew I never saw the book before, but I did see… eyes… It petrified me, but I could never be sure if what I saw was real or just a phantom of my own adrenaline from my first encounter with a dragon.

"The book must not be allowed to leave this library" Urag declared.

"What happened to letting Niik keep it?" Serana asked.

Urag made a face like he'd just been contradicted. I don't doubt his loyalty to Niik or the college. I don't think his loyalty is the reason.

"Niik drank daedra blood. You jumped into a hell portal, and I'm cursed…" I held my ring up to give it a small rub. "We're not the best at keeping things safe-… hmm?" I noticed Urag.

He was staring with a very low, unamused brow covering the topmost portion of his eyes as he clutched my wrist.
"You stole that ring?" He asked.

"S-stole?" I guess I technically did. "Y-yesss?"

"We looked everywhere for it, we searched the dorms, the students, even the staff, had the Jarl send people to look for thieves in the area, and to warn them of Lycan attacks!"

I felt my face turn red from embarrassment. Since it belonged to Niik, and I was going to see him anyway, I didn't think of it as such a big deal.
But I guess maybe I could have gone back downstairs to notify someone that I was 'borrowing' it.

"I'm so sorry!" I pleaded, giving my most sincere apology to him with my head hanging as low as I could bend over.

"Just get out of here" He grumbled.

"Yes sir!" I took Serana's hand again as I rushed to the library exit.

"Does he always talk to you that way?" Serana whispered as we reached the door.

"Yes…" I looked back at Urag as he hid the book away safe. Despite everything, I think he's a nice fellow. Just a little scary sometimes.

"Why not tell Niik?" Serana asked more openly once we were descending the stairs.

"Oh, Niik knows" I scoffed, deflecting her suggestion with a wave of my hand. "The whole college knows… even your mother knows…" I shot back a smug glance at her. "If you're gonna stay here, you'd better get used to the college's Grumpy Green Grandad" I laughed to myself.
But the vibes were cut short, as a snow-covered Vampire met us on the stairs.

"Hi, Niik…" My smile faded as I saw his grim look.

"Ladies" He walked past us, with little more than a nod to acknowledge us.

I held Dawnbreaker close to my hip and in against the wall so as not to ignite him as he passed by.

"Oh, Robin" Niik called from near the top of the stairs. "The college's gate is closed for now. If you have need of anything in town, please ask myself or, Serana if she's willing"

"Does that mean…" I have no reason to visit a ghost town. That he'd make such an offer made me wonder. However, I tried to compose my optimism. His face didn't inspire a lot of hope. "Did you find survivors?"

"The store… The homes, nothing was looted…" He narrowed his eyes, unable to figure it out. "They just killed everyone and left all the food, money and possessions…"

So they died for seemingly no reason.

"Was it to send a message?" Serana asked.

"Most likely" Niik sighed. "Nords oppose the practice of magic, and there's been call to close the college for a long while. But I don't imagine they'd go this far… This was probably directed at me"
Niik turned to make his way up the stairs.
As much as I hate to burden him with more, there was one thing I needed to ask.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up in a second…" I told Serana as I ran up the steps to give a small personal request to Niik. "Epony, is she dead too?" I felt so selfish and heartless for asking about a horse after everything Niik's had to endure today.

Niik's shoulders fell as he turned to face me. "I don't know…" He sighed. "I never searched the stable"

"You, didn't?" I took a step back, ready to jump over the gate if I have to.

"Nothing's alive in town, Robin. I already looked everywhere"

"But you just said…"

"I know what I said!" He cut himself off, holding a hand out to me. With his eyes shut, he turned his head towards the walls. "I can see Urag in the Library, I can see two of my mages sleeping in their beds… Trust me, I looked everywhere"

"You're telling me you can see through walls? Since when?"

"Since today" He looked me in the eyes as he told me to return to the dorm and not attempt to leave the college grounds until permitted otherwise.
With that, he turned his back on me and continued up to his quarters.

I met Serana in the foyer and we walked together back to my room.
When I asked about Niik's apparent x-ray vision, Serana told me that he has a dragon shout that can let him see the alive and the undead.

My heart wrenched for Epony. As sad as it is, she was my best friend from the Academy.
Had I known someone would attack, I'd have left Omnico to watch over her.
Even though Niik said not to go I had to see for myself. Luckily, Serana didn't need much convincing at all.

We took the other stairs up onto the battlements that circle the courtyard. The snow was less intense now, but the wind was still going gale force.
Once above the gate, we stared down at the long narrow bridge about eighty feet below us.
Shoulder to shoulder, you could fit maybe four people on that bridge.

"How do you want to do this?" Serana asked. "I could jump down myself and look for you"

"No, she was my responsibility" I declared with confidence, but as Serana reached out to lift me, but I backed away. "I'd rather be on your back if that's alright…"

Serana shrugged and turned around, getting on one knee for me to climb on.
Feet around her waist with my arms over her shoulders and crossed over her chest, I felt far more ready to take this landing.
Although I do trust her aim, I was still nervous about falling all the way to the freezing sea below.

Serana stepped off, leaning forward as we fell.
My stomach dropped as I felt us fall faster and faster until hitting the ground.

Serana's legs absorbed the impact well enough, but the wet snow caused her to fall forward on her hands and bucking me forward onto my back, leaving me to stare up at the light grey sky, with the feeling that I just got beaten up.

"You okay?" I asked, feeling the wind knocked out of me.

"Are you?" Serana hissed, holding where her head hit the ground.

"Yeah…" I groaned in blunt pain as she lifted me by my arm. "Oh what the Christ!"

Serana and I looked back at the college. The gate was still descending and was only halfway down. We could have walked out no problem.

"How did you not hear that? Vampire!"

"It's windy!... Human!" Serana objected, pushing me back.

The gate finally closed all the way down and we stood and watched a shivering lecturer back away from the chain pull mechanism and rush off back inside without even seeing us.

"C'mon… let's hurry" I groaned.

Serana and I rushed across the bridge and re-entered the city.
I gave a slight bow to the tavern as we passed by and Serana muttered in some language I didn't understand.

Walking down the streets with it so quiet. Winterhold was never bustling as far as I've seen, but to see it empty was chilling.
Then we reached the stable.

Niik said he never saw any life, but I have to check.
Serana helped me pull the doors open and we looked inside.

"Epony?" I called out as we walked in.

The place was quiet as a crypt, but there were no bodies inside. No blood. No sign of any struggle at all.

"Maybe they took the horses to escape?" Serana checked all the way in the back while I stayed near the entrance.

They took Epony… They took my baby.
"They just activated my trap card…" I say with a deathly chuckle as I marched outside. "Omnico, I need you!"

"Hello, agent" My bronze buddy ball appeared before me as always. I squatted down on the snow to talk to Omnico at his level and asked if the tracking chip in Epony is still active. "Affirmative" He said.

"YES!" I cheered. "Omnico, Epony was stolen by murderers. Academy property was stolen, do you understand?"

Omnico buzzed for a moment, then the hatch popped open to allow the bolt action to take aim as well as a pair of crossbows.

"Epony will be returned" He spun around and started rolling down the street. All I have to do is follow.

"Game over fellas…" I clutched my sword. "Serana! We're going!"

Should we get Niik?
Nope. If I'm going to admit I left the college immediately after he told me not to, I want to have something to show for it. A few prisoners will do.

"Serana?" I looked to the back of the stable just as she was emerging from a back room holding a thick book.

"That was kinda reckless after what happened with the last book you picked up…" I tell her. "What you got there?"

"The ledger" She said, flicking through the pages. "And I figured out who has your horse…"

"Really?" I stepped up to read the page with her.
The latest entry was two days ago. College mages borrowed three horses including Epony, along with a wagon for their trip to an excavation site.
"They didn't even think to ask me?!"

"Perspective, Robin…" Serana told me. "At least she wasn't stolen by murderers. But more importantly, since this was filled out by the stable boy, we know this massacre happened very recently"

I blinked at her. Serana's good.
"Look at you, detective~" She didn't know what in the world I was calling her but took it like a compliment as it was intended. "I guess we better head back and- OH SHIT, OMNICO!"
I sprinted at full speed to call off the hit on Niik's students.

Author: Think I should start adding trigger warnings to the starts of these chapters?
Robin: Well so far you've covered murder, rape, torture, kidnapping, sexual grooming, suicide, demons and child deaths.
Author: … so we think that ship has sailed?
Robin: It's Sailed, Shipwrecked, Sunk and beyond Salvage at this point.