Chapter 31

"He's not back yet." Nibani said, red eyes shifting away and back as she revealed her own concern for the missing thief. She welcomed Eiryn and Merthisan into her yurt for tea as well as conversation. After the unexpected warm welcome, they all sat cross-legged on rugs to share their concern. "Four days is a long time, and I fear something has happened to him. Kogoruhn is not for the feint of heart."

Eiryn frowned, fending off her own growing worries. "I know Saber is to undergo this quest alone, to prove himself-"

Nibani lifted her hand, knowing exactly the younger woman's thoughts. "Go. Find him. But he must return with the proofs to finish the Warrior's Test." She reached out to clasp Eiryn by the shoulder before she could turn away. "Remember there are Corprus beasts there. Kogoruhn is a place even our bravest warriors fear to tread."

"I'll need supplies." Eiryn replied grimly. "Arrows, healing potions…anything you can spare. I have gold to pay for it-"

"I'll need some things too." Merthisan spoke up behind her, and when the women looked back at him, he gave a broad grin. "What? Did you think I'd let the lass go by herself and take all the fun?"

…………………

A gentle breeze rustled hair across his face as Saber blinked against the bright sunlight. As eyes adjusted, he found himself lying atop a verdant hillside overlooking an open sea of grassland. Waves of green hurt his eyes as the blue sky hung overhead with puffy clouds drifting on a warm breeze.

Am I dead or is this just a dream? His last memories were the repeated feedings Nekros had taken, leaving him near death for days. How long had he laid in the dark, and am I now dead?

"Feryl." A voice spoke softly, almost as if the one surrounded yet also heard inside of him. Saber looked around, finding an Ashlander warrior standing not far, with gentle eyes of deep red and hair the color of midnight. Bright strips of red cloth wove in several braids matching the bright colors of his clothes. Arms cradled a Chitin bow as he patiently waited.

Enril…

The warrior nodded, tilting the head slightly out of recognition. Saber had no idea what Enril had looked like in life, yet somehow he knew this was his ancestral spirit. Now he stood before him, appearing as if in the flesh. The high arched brows hung over eyes masked in paint.

"Am I dead?" Saber dared asked.

"Not yet." Enril replied gently. Saber felt calmed by the voice, as if familiar, and reassured now he was not alone. He got to his feet, staring out to the expanse of land beyond the ancestral ghost.

"What is this place?"

The warrior stretched his hand out, "Memories. This is the Ashlands as it was before Dagoth Ur, before the Ashstorms."

Enril's memories, not mine.

Stunned at the dramatic green now before him, Saber tried not to blink for fear of waking up. Far off one could see Guar herds milling about grazing on the thick vegetation, while cliffracers hung lazily in the sky. Trees dotted the landscape, interrupting the endless sea of grass.

All the thief knew of the Ashland region was that it was a dead wasteland. How could things change so much..? Ah yes, Dagoth. He infected the land with Blight and ashstorms.

"Why am I here?" Saber asked him. He didn't have to ask that he knew the warrior had everything to do with bringing him to this place. In fact, Saber already knew the answer. Enril wanted to show him what the Ashlands were before Dagoth Ur, to show him what the land could be once again…

Enril lowered his chin. "To provide you some respite." He told him gently. "And to give you words of encouragement. Your Journey has only begun."

"Begun?" Saber almost laughed at the audacity. He sensed days had passed after Nekros had bitten him. When he awoke, he'd have a bloodlust and an eternity of feeding on others. "I would say my Journey has ended."

"You're not dead yet."

"Not yet, and what have I to live for?" Saber shot back. Memories of Eiryn and Merthisan's death brought rage and sorrow. "Am I to endure time without end as one of the undead…alone?"

Enril knew the younger Dunmer intended to walk into the morning sun once his change had completed. He sensed the ache of grief the young elf carried now, but also knew the truth of Nekros trickery. He had little time now in keeping Saber in this place- "Neither Blight nor Age can harm him."

"Meaning?"

"Vampirism is a disease, Feryl. You will not change."

Stunned, Saber immediately remembered what the wizard Divayth Fyr had told him. No disease or sickness would affect him. He'd never get sick, not even a common cold

"How-?" He shut his mouth again, again already knowing the answer to his question. Of course, vampirism was an infection, a blood disease. Being he would never get sick, he'd not change. Saber fought the growing despair well up inside. No escape from my torment? "I have nothing left to live for, Enril."

"You have more than you can possibly imagine, Feryl. Now wake. They are coming for you-"

Who-?

………

Valos discovered Nekros had fed for the third time on the Dunmer, who now lay unconscious in his cage. The elf was bundled in his cloak, with arms folded near his chin as he curled up against the back of the cage's wall. Frowning, the Imperial didn't like how things were sorting out. Nekros was losing his sense of reason with this elf, even to the point of nearly killing him in the process of trying to change him.

If he cared so much for this wretch, why did he persist in draining him to the point of death? Valos knelt beside the Dunmer if only to check for a pulse. Three days had nearly passed. He should change soon if he didn't already show symptoms. Strange, that Nekros left him here rather than place him in one of the coffins in the lower levels.

The Butcher scowled, finding the elf still alive…though barely. Stranger still was the body remained chilled but not cold. The others had gone through a dying process, literally having no more breath, pulse, or warmth left to them. This one seemed to hang onto the last breath of life to the very end. Then again, Valos thought darkly, the Dunmer seemed to resist the thrall of Nekros up to this point. The others had fallen into some form of servility once bitten. This one continued to resist.

Strange, very strange indeed.

Valos cautiously leaned over the unmoving Dunmer, lifted the lip to better view his teeth, and found no change. Brows pinched into a tighter frown. Pulling back an eyelid also revealed the same deep burgundy hue as he had before. By now, the color should have changed to yellow or something other than this color. Even the pupils were unaffected.

Valos had cast spells to make him more acceptable to the Embrace. Not that he could ever tell a vampire this; but their 'condition' was nothing more than a blood disease. A simple cantrip to lower one's resistance to disease often assured the victim's embrace. So far, they had no problems with the others. They embraced easily within the three days. Ironically, a simple heal common illness spell was cast within the first three days of transformation; one could literally deter the onset of changing into a vampire. This one, however, had no means, let alone the strength to have such magicks. How is he was not altering in any way?

Footsteps sounded from behind him, and Valos found the regal vampire entering the dungeon once more. Changed into another outfit of velvets and silks, the vampire looked as if he belonged mixing with the Great Houses rather than plotting his plans in the darkness of this pit in the middle of nowhere. The finery of his clothes were made darker in the torchlight, making the reds and blacks appear more subdued.

"He's not changed, my lord." Valos told him. Nekros stiffened immediately. This was a good thing, the Butcher considered, at least now, perhaps he'd consider getting rid of this elf and they can move on to more rewarding challenges. Valos had joined in this questionable alliance for riches and power. Wasting time on this Dunmer was an unwelcome deviance from their coarse.

Teeth bared in a snarl. "What do you mean, not changed?" He growled.

Valos backed out of the cage upon his approach for fear of being caught in the confines of the cage with an enraged vampire. "I don't understand it, my lord…"

Apparently, neither did Nekros as he knelt over the still form and checked for himself. "Impossible…" He whispered. "How does he do this?"

Interesting that Nekros thinks his Dunmer has such powers, Valos thought darkly. "So now what shall we do with him?"

Nekros was staring intently on Feryl's still form, lost in thought before he finally answered in a low voice. "I shall keep him as a thrall…" he replied. "If he doesn't change, than he shall be cattle."

The Butcher chewed on a lower lip. Doesn't he notice that the elf resisted such mind control as well? Could Nekros be that blind-? "And if he doesn't-"

The vampire moved with all the speed of a viper. With a swiftness and strength that Valos barely had time to register before finding himself in a firm grip lifting him off his feet to leave him daggling in the air. Valos gasped and choked, stunned that Nekros could move so fast and hold him with so little effort. Fangs drew menacingly close to his throat.

"If he doesn't, than Feryl is mine to deal with!" Nekros snarled. "Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, my lord. Of course!" Valos dropped to the floor to rub his bruised neck, coughing against the pain left by the sudden, and to his estimation, unprovoked attack. "I was merely-"

"I know what you're up to, Valos. Do not play me for a fool." The creature hissed. The yellow eyes glared unblinking. "Consider your own usefulness to me and my clan before questioning my motives."

Valos found himself tossed back to the floor like refuse as Nekros strode out of the dungeon. The Imperial glared, rubbing his bruised throat as he continued to think dark thoughts. Does Nekros think he is not vulnerable? Even if Feryl is not the threat, I am!

How easy would it be to stake that madman in the heart as he slept through the daylight hours? I could kill his entire clan without breaking a sweat! I have the means to kill these horrid creatures, and take their riches for my own. The Butcher's gaze settled back down on the unconscious elf, hating him all the more for causing him grief. Useless elves! And to think Nekros would elevate this one to join his clan, even above me?

Hate turned to seething rage as Valos moved closer. I should kill him, for Nekros' own good as well as my own. Dawn was arriving so Nekros would soon sleep, as would his minions. I could have my own kill-for-hires destroy them within the hour and be done with this mess!

Pulling the sleeve of his robe clear of his hand, he leaned over the unconscious elf to clutch his throat. Too bad he'd never wake up….

Something cold and sharp pricked his neck. The point of a steel blade sent a shiver down his spine. Too late, the Imperial realized the presence of someone behind him. In fact, it was two 'someones'.

"Be very still." A man's voice warned.

"What have you done to him?" A woman's voice gasped, shoving him aside to cup the elf's face in her hands.

The Dunmer's friends had finally arrived! Interesting they would come of their own free will despite the number of men they'd sent after them. Valos swallowed the laughter bubbling up his throat. The irony was incredibly amusing to him. Two humans to fight off an entire clan of vampires, and Nekros as well! But then again, they had managed to elude the band of mercenaries, hadn't they?

"I asked you a question-" The woman snarled, turning on him. She grabbed the front of his robe and hauled him to his feet. Despite her small size, she managed to shake him. "What have you done to him?"

Valos tried not to laugh. "I only did as my master bade me to do." He replied. He found Master Kendari ready to run him through with a sword. "He's lost some blood-"

Disgusted, the woman shook him away from her, causing him to nearly stumble to the floor. She knelt again beside the Dunmer, and tried to rouse him. "Saber? Can you hear me?" Placing palms over his forehead and chest, she closed her eyes, mumbling words of a healing spell. A warm glow emitted from palms and fingertips, bathing over the body.

Saber felt pulled from the comforting blanket of unconsciousness. The world that Enril had brought him faded into darkness, and now something tugged him reluctantly into reality. The edges of pain nipped at him, drawing him further against his will.

Not again…He felt hands on him and could only assume Nekros wanted to feed again- Didn't they have enough of my blood?

"Saber?" A familiar voice was calling to him. "Wake up! You need to wake up!"

The voice sounded familiar…

Opening his eyes, the Dunmer roused enough to see her tear streaked face looking down at him. Most of her hair drew back from her face in a ponytail, with loose strands tucked behind ears. Her eyes were moist, and stress lined her face in worry.

Eiryn? No…It can't be…. She's dead. Nekros killed her-

"Saber! Get up!" She told him sharply, nudging him this time to move. Hands pulled at him, forcing his body upright. Joints protested movement from remaining still for too long.

"We don't have much time, boy, and I'm not carrying you. Now move!" Another voice sliced into his confusion and the elf had to blink several times to see his old swordmaster standing before him, wearing a motley bunch of armor and his long sword held at Valos' throat. Merthisan?

Still weak, Saber moved automatically to sit up, well aware of the warmth of Eiryn's hands, the cold sting of metal on his back from leaning against the bars of the cage. He reached up, trailing fingers along her face to reassure she was, in fact, alive. Am I dreaming? Am I dead?

"What's wrong, Saber? We have to get out of here." Eiryn was trying to help him to his feet now.

A light chuckle brought attention back to Valos. "Yes, Saber, by all means, make your escape now. Nekros will find you soon enough." He smiled, unconcerned of the sword at his throat.

Something dark and sinister motivated from the Dunmer, who now found enough strength to get to his feet. Memories of Valos' ministrations brought rage, what the man did to Fargoth also goaded his temper. This…thing…had served Nekros-

"You bastard…" He snarled, moving past Eiryn to grab the man by the throat. The Imperial baulked at the sudden strength the elf seemed to have as air was cut off.

"Saber!" Merthisan's tone sharpened, "We don't have time. We need to get out of here."

"Where is Nekros?" Saber snarled at Valos.