Author's Note: Sorry for the delay (I made it longer than normal in hopes of earning some favor back perhaps?). On the bright side I have written a bit ahead so at least for awhile there won't be a delay in updating (and I may post a special holiday bonus chapter tomorrow).
Captured
The second camp was smaller than the first, only five members total. They were stationed in a cave at the base of a large hill. Vilkas came up with the plan and it worked exactly as intended (even if he had repeated it several times in great detail, including the explicit instruction "no fires"). It had been late evening when we'd made the approach, on the cusp of the vampires gaining their full strength, but we'd beaten them before they'd gained the advantage.
Vilkas and I looked over the camp for any information they might have been carrying or valuables worth taking back to the guild or taking as trophies. Sadly their gear was sub-par at best and the only bit of parchment any of them carried simply said "head to Whiterun."
The next several days were spent hunting clans, most of them no bigger than two or three. It turned out vampires were not like wolves, and preferred to hunt alone. In groups they were powerful, viscous, and deadly against enemies. The only problem: when their were no nearby enemies they were just as nasty to each other.
Vilkas and I began to work well as a team despite the silence that so often existed between us. At least it had changed over time from angry or uneasy to comfortable. At times on the road I could almost forget he was there. In battle, however, I was increasingly aware of his presence, the way his body moved, his tactics. Despite the large sword, his hard hitting and quick methodology of cutting down his foes fit mine quite well and I was often reminded of our first duel together.
After about two weeks on the road I knew things were about to finally come to a close in the vampire-magnet phase of my life.
"Well, we'll camp here for the night. The last two camps are east of here, bigger clans. They may join together. Regardless, they looked older, more experienced. It is unlikely they will travel over the open plain. They will probably circle around this way or to the south. Skirt the mountains until they're forced into the open. More of our brothers will meet us tomorrow and we'll begin attempting to hunt them, trying our best to split them up."
I nodded. My wounds had progressively begun to ache so that now it was an ever present pain but I knew better than to complain to Vilkas. I'd been called a milk-drinker enough already and our quest was almost at an end. However, lately I had also avoided anything to relieve the pain. A health poultice would likely do no more good than the previous ones, only able to do so much, and anything else might make me too drowsy for any stray midnight visitors that often liked to scout our way as we camped at night.
Vilkas took first watch and I fell into an uneasy sleep, feeling too hot to be comfortable for the first time in the cold country. I watched the Nord keep watch, facing away from me until my body could no longer resist the exhaustion bearing down upon it, and gave way to sleep.
I was woken in the night but Vilkas frantically tugging on my armor. "Wake!"
I did, feeling stiff and heavy. Slowly I began to rise from my blankets but it was too slow for Vilkas who yanked me to my feet. My legs shook beneath me and I went to reach for my armor but the Nord pulled me forward before I could reach it.
"I have your bow and sword but we must move now!" he said and began practically dragging me away from camp, my foggy brain still attempting to catch up.
"What's...what's happening?" I asked, slowly gaining my legs.
"Vampires, they seem to have come to us. There are too many for us to handle alone and unprepared."
"Why...weren't you...on watch?"
"They used magic, a whole line that made them invisible and I - I did not see through it. I barely noticed until we were nearly surrounded. If we are lucky -"
It was then that I too, began to see past the masterful illusion spells. My mother had taught me to try to see the tale-tell signs but in the dark with vampires who had centuries to learn the art? I couldn't exactly blame him for having missed it, werewolf senses or no. There were at least thirty vampires holding a perimeter and closing in on our location, all holding up the spell in an arch around them.
They were still a little bit away from the camp and we were quickly closing the distance between us and their line, aiming for an opening we could only hope they wouldn't cover. One or two we may have been able to dispatch of before their surreal speed would have them all descending upon us. We had been only minutes before that had happened anyway.
Vilkas reached over to me as we sprinted, thrusting my sword into my hand. Sword, singular, which meant that he'd left my short swords and daggers. He still carried my bow on his back but we'd be lucky if we had enough distance to use it.
We reached the line with only two near us, Vilkas wasted no time, his momentum allowing him to slice clear through the middle of a fellow Nord while barely slowing him. A wood elf to my right got her neck slit as I continued to race just slightly ahead of my fellow Companion. Vilkas quickly caught up and as we sprinted for Whiterun (judging by the way he was leading me).
Before we could even get closet to spotting the city's lights another group came down off a slope we were sprinting toward and forced us to go right. As I began to lead our way around them I heard a shout of "now" and then a Vilkas cry out.
"Keep going!" he grunted before I could so much as turn around.
I stumbled but kept going, albeit at a slower rate. I tried to listen for the sound of him behind me but couldn't hear him. Before I could round the hill a voice called out, "Halt! Or by all means leave if you want your wolf to die."
I stopped and turned around, drawing my blade as I did. Several yards away Vilkas was on his knees, his head held up and a blade at his neck by a tall thin man in a long coat. It was impossible to discern his characteristics under the hood but I could feel a dark magical aura about him.
"Put the sword down," the cloaked man demanded and I thought I could detect a double tone in his voice that chilled me.
I looked down at Vilkas and up at the man, wondering how long he planned to let him live once I'd disarmed and surrendered.
"It's valuable, I wouldn't waste its blood here if I didn't have to," he said.
"Funny how I don't find that more comforting," I said.
"The sword, now."
I dropped the sword. Vilkas gave a low growl of disapproval as the man slowly ran his fingers through the roots of his hair before gripping on tight further up his scalp. The whole while the man's hooded gaze never wavered from me. I stood still as his fellows caught up and began diligently disarming Vilkas of my bow and his broadsword. Several came up behind me, patting me down to make sure I was equally weaponless. I didn't look away from the hooded figure as the roughly prodded and forced my hands behind me and tied them up. I was instantly reminded of the last time this had happened to me, how I'd woken up into a cart and almost had my head chopped off. Good times.
The same treatment happened to Vilkas though it looked like they were a little more forceful with him. They let his hands remain in front though they were bound in silver chains instead of rope. They then forced him to his feet and he stumbled and several of them had to hold him up. An arrow was protruding from his calf which was yanked out and hastily bandaged before they surrounded us and began herding us toward the nearby mountain base.
A few times Vilkas fell to his feet only to be spit at and roughly yanked back up as he growled at them low in his throat. His rage was a physical thing and it made me want to shy away from him. Though I would argue against the notion with him if it ever came up, I couldn't help but feel this was my fault. If I had only been able to avoid getting myself trapped and bitten by that vampire then none of this would have happened.
And what was worse was that I had brought my shield brother down with me. It was hard to watch Vilkas stumble and fall only to be mocked by our captors. Finally I sidled up close to him.
"Vilkas, let me help," I said.
"No," he said.
"Vilkas you can barely walk, please."
"No."
"Vilkas -"
"I said no!" he said and it was then that I could hear the hint of fear in his voice.
I wondered what caused it but there was the more immediate matter of him being possibly dragged by his hair (as they threatened) if he couldn't keep to his feet.
"I vowed to stand at your back so that no one could overtake us. Let me stand at your side now brother," I said.
Vilkas said nothing but nevertheless didn't stop me when I maneuvered under his bound arms so that I walked in a manner that was hard on me but would allow him to use me as support for walking. He did not shake me off or force me away but he did not attempt to lean on me either for several minutes until he stumbled and caught himself on my shoulders. I set my jaw and held to my feet steadfastly as he took a few deep breaths and regained himself. From then on he frequently leaned on my shoulders. I felt...touched that he allowed it (even if he didn't have much choice) though I was still glad he wasn't in heavy armor.
It was a slow process but eventually they led us to the mountains. We stumbled to make our way up the base, Vilkas having more and more trouble keeping his feet on the incline. Luckily we didn't go too far before entering a maze of caves tunneled out. I attempted to memorize the route but it was hard to see in certain areas that were less lit and Vilkas had begun to lean extra hard on me. Finally they brought us to a halt and the man in the cloak stopped, putting his hand up. He had the long, slender fingers of a dunmer.
"Take the wolf and put him in our holding cells. Leave the girl with me."
Vilkas slowly began to untangle himself from me but he wasn't fast enough for the others who roughly grabbed his arms and yanked them up. I focused on the dunmer so that I didn't have to watch them take him away, so that I could try to think of something other than the fact that he could still be bleeding, probably still was, that his would wasn't treated properly and could get infected and more immediately that I doubted he could walk much further on his own.
I looked around. The cavern was lit by several torches. The floor and walls were adorned with various carpets that would look more at home in a nobleman's house than a vampire hideout which led me to believe this was a stronghold for them. There was small decorative wooden table in the corner with three equally fine oak chairs. There were large bookcases along the furthest wall from the entrance. Though dark it appeared that on the far side there were two pathways, one that led down and the other led up.
"Have a seat," the dunmer said, not turning, but waving a hand to the table.
I sat down and he went and fetched a wine glass and filled it. Though cloaked, his movements were clearly graceful. He sat down, took a long slow drink from his cup, and then set it down. He lifted his hood and smiled at me and I used all my restraint to avoid cringing. Everything, from the aura of magic to that twisted smile let me know that this man was powerful and very dark.
"I suppose you may have wondered why we went through such trouble to find you my dear," he said.
"I have."
"While our little Auroman decided to join that group of cut-throats, it still remains that he is the tenth great grandson of our Maker, Auros. His very powerful and very well known though judging by your taste in allies I can suppose you've never heard of him."
"Sorry," I said shortly.
The dunmer smirked in a way that reminded me of the pictures of the daedra, how they seemed to look down on some of us mortals, the ones they took a second to muse at their oddities before crushing or enslaving to their will.
"My name is Brenovere, in case you will have need of it. In a week my Master, Auros, will be here to judge you. Your odds of living are exactly none. If he doesn't kill you he will end your mortal life."
I kept eye contact though my whole body wanted to get up and run, as useless as such an attempt at escape would be with my hands bound and weaponless in the depths of a vampire stronghold.
"He will want you to be...mostly in tact. But he has expectations, and those expectations are that his guests aren't...too comfortable. You did kill a good number of us, you and your dog, and he'll want to see you properly cowed for that. I'm sure you understand."
With the wave of his hand something slapped over my mouth and I realized it was a silk gag. I blinked but otherwise kept eye contact as he forced me off my chair with a flick of his wrist and the magic he easily commanded. He led me to the back and down the set of stairs. Torches lit as we passed and when we reached the bottom he abruptly dropped me to the floor.
"Seeing as how you've murdered many of my men and women, I find it only fair that you provide us with some sustenance. No more, no less. I will of course, go first, but each of my men and women here will follow. They will take their due, and I will supervise to make sure you are not drained and that they only take their fair share. Given that you took much more from us, I find it can be no more than your duty in penance to make sure what remains of us here survive."
There's at least thirty of them...how do they expect me to survive this? I don't have enough blood to -
"We won't be doing anything so barbaric as to biting you of course. Any teeth-on-flesh...well that's just so personal and therefore if that is to happen you can guarantee that right will be reserved for my master. But there are other ways to gain sustenance from a living one's life force. Sadly it is...a tad more painful."
With that he raised his hand, red shooting toward me and enwrapping my chest. It felt at first like a tight squeezing at my chest, like the corset my mother had forced me to wear when I came of age. Then daggers seemed to pierce my skin and travel through my veins, heading toward my heart and brain. Though it was surely a quick experience it felt like it took forever and I was sure that when the pain met my heart and brain that I would die. My muscles tightened and my middle thrust forward against my will as the spell ravaged my body. Finally it burst into my brain and heart where the pain exploded and I could no longer hold back the scream I hadn't even been aware I'd been holding. Finally it was over and the spell released me and I fell back to the floor.
The dunmer leaned over me, a look of pity in his eyes, "I am sorry, but it is best we get this over with now. But...perhaps I will make you a proposition first?"
I looked up at him, trying to flash him the anger that burned within me. I wanted no deals with him.
"Hear me out. You, you will be fed and kept alive until our Master arrives. Your wolf...well he's a liability and I'm afraid it would be against our assignment to keep him as well. After all, we aren't in the habit of keeping rabid beasts as pets."
They're going to starve him. Now that they don't need him to keep me he's expendable. Sure, the Companions may pay for him, but they'd just as likely attack the stronghold and Brenovere knows that's not a risk taken lightly.
"You can continue to be of service to me, and my second, come here Cairne," Brenovere said.
Carine, a particularly hairy Nord, seemed to appear almost out of nowhere. I wondered how long they'd planned what they would do to us when they caught us that he knew where and when to be.
"He will be your keeper, your feeder, and he will make sure no harm comes to you, in exchange you will make sure he is fed just as I am," Brenovere said. "You will come willingly but you will not tell your pet about this arrangement. This is not part of your punishment, just a choice to be made about our other boarder. Now...let us get on with the retribution for your actions, shall we?"
Cairne took a couple of steps forward, flashed me a smile of missing teeth, raised his hand, and I shut my eyes.