Chapter 24:
A Whole New World
Emily and Serana blinked into the blinding lights that swirled around them, shimmering and shifting like a heat haze. Emily felt Serana's fingers tighten their hold. She brought a hand up to shield her eyes. Their boots touched solid earth and slowly the light began to fade. They found themselves standing before a stone archway at the top of a mountain, looking out over the mountainous landscape. Dominating their view were two large lakes separated by a rocky ridge. The moon, much smaller than its Nirn cousins, shone like a beacon over the two lakes.
"So, this is Earth?" said Serana, taking Emily's arm as she looked out over the impressive vista.
"Yeah, this is it," Emily replied, gazing in awe at the land she left behind so long ago, "Those are lakes Bessvatnet and Gjende. It looks like the portal took us to the very spot I travelled to Nirn from in the first place." She reached into her pocket and took out her phone, hastily switching on the device.
"What are you doing?" Serana asked.
The battery had fallen to three percent as Emily hurriedly switched on the GPS.
"I'm just going to," she said, tapping the screen and bringing up a menu, "There..I-." The screen went black just as the words, 'Location Marke-,' flashed across it. "Damn it," she swore. Serana was watching her, bemused, as she pressed the power button on the side repeatedly, hoping for a response. The phone's screen remained black and lifeless.
"I was trying to set the GPS to mark this location," Emily explained, "We'll just have to hope the command went through before the battery died."
"So, what do we do now?" Serana asked.
"We'll need to head Gjendesheim," Emily replied, "There's a lodge there near the visitor centre. We'll be able to stay there for the day. After that we'll need to head to the city. It's where we're most likely to hear anything about Miraak."
"What's the name of this city?" Serana asked.
"Oslo," Emily replied, "It's the capital city of Norway which is where we are now."
They followed the well-trodden hiking path which led down from the archway. It still glowed with a blue shimmering light, showing it to be active. Serana cast one last look back at it before it disappeared from sight.
"So, this city," said Serana, turning back to Emily, "Is it anything like London?"
"In a lot of ways, yes," Emily replied, "But from what I remember it's a lot cleaner. Less gum stuck to the pavement and not as much rubbish lying in the gutter."
"You always spoke of it so glowingly before," Serana noted. Emily smiled.
"Yeah," she said sheepishly, "Well, Sera, you ever hear that saying…about the grass always being greener on the other side? I guess it's a little like that."
The path they trod was rocky and vegetation was sparse. A thin layer of snow covered most of the ground and the plants that poked through were small ground cover plants and tussocks of thick dry grass. The small stones moved under their boots and skittered down the dry path ahead. Emily glanced up at the night sky. The moon was high and she guessed it to be around midnight. She moved the dial on her watch to the proper time.
They crossed a small streamlet which ran down the side of the mountain. They stopped as they noticed they were not alone by the shallow waters. Moonlight glinted on curving antlers as the reindeer lifted its head from the water, warily watching the two vampiresses. Then it turned and took to its heels, descending the mountainside at a seemingly impossible clip.
"It's a lot like Skyrim up here," Serana noted.
"That's why it took me a little while to realise that I wasn't on Earth anymore," Emily replied, "I just thought I'd taken a wrong turning on the hiking path."
They followed the reindeer further on down the steep slope, taking a much slower pace and picking their way carefully over the rocks. As they went further down the vegetation grew more plentiful and the snow lay only in small drifts in the lee of the larger rocks. Grass covered the ground in great swathes and they could see the buds of the small yellow mountain flowers dotting the landscapes peeking between the blades.
"It's not far now," Emily said as they rounded a bend in the hiking path, "There's a cable car station somewhere along here."
"A cable car?" Serana questioned.
"It's how we're going to get down off this mountainside," Emily replied. She paused. "Hmm, they…probably don't operate this late at night. We might have to take it anyway. There'll be a control box."
It wasn't long before Emily caught sight of the cable car, the moonlight glinting on the sleek metal body. Serana looked at the cable car. It resembled something of Dwemer make but it was a good deal shinier. Above the pod-shaped body fitted with glass windows was a series of cables and rods. Emily's attention was instead taken by a squat metal building next to the cable car. She followed Emily over to the door where Emily peered in through one of the windows. The controls were deserted and she took a series of lockpicks from her bag. She jammed her pocketknife into the keyhole and inserted the lockpick.
After a few minutes of jiggling the lockpick she sat back.
"I'd forgotten just how much more…difficult Earth locks were," she said.
"Let me try something," Serana replied as she summoned ice around her fingers. She placed her hand upon the lock and held it there as the ice crept across the metalwork. It seeped deep into the lock. Then she took up her dagger and, with a well-aimed thrust with the hilt of her dagger, punched a hole in the brittle metal where the lock had been. She reached in and felt around for the handle. With a click the door swung open.
"Good thinking," said Emily as she got to her feet, "Let's see if we can get this hunk of metal up and moving."
Serana followed her into the control room. Emily crossed the room to the controls which comprised of several levers and buttons. She examined them carefully before pulling one of the levers. She looked out of the control room window quickly, eagerly searching for any movement. There was none, nor was there any reassuring rumble of machinery.
"Is something supposed to happen?" Serana asked.
"I must have missed something," Emily said thoughtfully, looking over the controls. Her eyes fell upon an empty key slot.
"We need a key," she said, "A small key to start the mechanism. Dammit. If the man who oversees the mechanism makes a habit of taking it home with him we'd better prepare for a long climb down."
They began to search the room, checking on desks and in cupboards.
"Would this be it?" Serana asked as she spotted a small red handled key hanging from the wall.
"Let's hope so," said Emily as she crossed the room and removed the key from the hook by the door. She inserted it into the key slot and turned it. Immediately the mechanism rumbled into life. Several lights came on along the length of the cables and inside the cable car itself which now swayed slightly from side to side in response to the rumbling machinery.
"Okay, we'd better make this quick before someone catches on to what we're doing," said Emily, looking at the series of levers, "You should get into the cable car. I don't know how soon after I pull this lever that thing will start moving. Normally the passengers wouldn't be the ones operating it."
"And if it does start moving immediately?" Serana asked.
"Then I'd better move fast," Emily replied with a wry smile, "Give me a wave once you're inside." Serana hesitated a moment before heading for the door. She hurried over to the cable car and pulled on the door handle. The door swung open easily and she jumped into the cable car. It swayed ominously and she clutched at one of the poles which ran from the ceiling to the floor.
"You'd better know what you're doing, Em," she said through gritted teeth. Then she waved out of the window to the control room where the Earthling was watching. Emily waved back. She must have pulled the lever for the cable car rumbled again and began to move, slowly at first but picking up speed.
Emily bolted for the door and hurried through it, boots skidding on the loose gravel. The cable car was moving off along the cables and she ran towards the platform. Serana was standing at the open door, watching her worriedly. Another jolt made her clutch the pole by the door more tightly.
Emily reached the edge of the platform and jumped over the yawning chasm. Below her the ground dropped sharply away. The next second the walls of the cable car surrounded her on all sides and she rolled to the ground, breathing heavily of air she didn't need. Serana closed the door and helped Emily up from the floor.
"You alright?" she asked.
"Never better," Emily smiled. She looked around. "Phew, we did it."
"Where exactly will this take us?" Serana asked.
"To the foot of the mountain," Emily replied, "From there there'll be a path that will lead back to the visitor centre and Gjendesheim. Well," she crossed over to one of the seats and sat down, "We might as well relax. It'll be a few minutes before we reach the bottom." Serana sat down next to her.
"So, Earthlings travel like this a lot?" she asked.
"Not an awful lot," Emily replied, "Only when they're travelling up and down certain mountains."
Serana looked out the window at the trees as they slid past. In the distance she could see the two lakes they had seen shortly after they left the portal. Beyond them were mountains and beyond that lay the unknown. Suddenly the world ahead seemed immeasurably vast. Vast and uncharted. Suddenly a voice rang out from somewhere close by. Emily jumped in her seat.
"Oppmerksomhet, oppmerkshomhet," came the voice. They froze, listening as the voice continued. "Politiet er blitt tilkalt. Det er ingen flukt."
"Where's that voice coming from?" whispered Serana, "And what's he saying?" Emily listened a moment before replying. She knew only a smattering of Norwegian and what she knew was a bit rusty.
"They've called the police," she replied at last, "The guards. They say there's no escape."
"Kom stille," came the voice again, "Du blir tatt for avhør."
"They're asking us to come quietly," Emily translated after a moment's pause, "They want to take us in for questioning." She peered out of the window, "Dammit, what'll we do?" Serana took hold of her hand.
"We lay low," she replied, "We lay low and slip out the moment they open the doors." As Serana began to fade from sight Emily got what she was driving at and followed suit.
They stood up and looked out of the front window at the approaching cable car station. Several men stood outside dressed in high vis jackets. One was carrying a small device which he brought up to his mouth, speaking into it.
"Kom stille," the voice inside the cable car repeated.
The men on the ground shifted uneasily as the cable car homed into view, lights piercing the dark midwinter sky. A lever inside the control room at the base of the mountain was pulled and the cable car came to a shuddering halt. One of the men stepped forwards. He peered in through one of the windows.
"Den er tom," he said in disbelief before turning to a man in a light blue shirt who seemed to be leading the operation, "Sjef, det er tomt."
"Tømme?" said the man in the blue shirt, striding towards the cable car, "Umulig."
He pulled open the door as his men flanked him on either side. Two had torches and they shone them inside the cable car. The man had been right. Empty. The grass behind them rustled and one turned to look but saw nothing. He turned back to the empty cable car which the men were pacing around, examining from every angle.
"That was a close one," said Emily as they stopped several yards down the path and looked back as they faded back into view, "Thank goodness for invisibility."
"Where to next?" Serana asked.
"We keep following this road," Emily replied, "Towards the lakes. When we get nearer we should be able to see Gjendesheim."
The land they traversed was mostly flat, covered in a layer of coarse dry grass. They could see for miles as they walked. It reminded them both strongly of the plains near Whiterun with its bumpy hillocks and far reaching flatlands. Emily checked her watch every so often. One O'clock. Two O'clock. Three.
At last they caught sight of an area where the rolling plains became flat and glass-like, black waters reflecting the night sky above. Lights twinkled at the edge of the lake from several squat buildings.
"Is that it?" Serana asked. Emily nodded.
"That's it," she said. Then she paused. "Wait, I don't have any money," she said.
"I take it they won't accept gold?" Serana replied. Emily shook her head. She began rummaging around in her bag. She pulled out a worn old wallet.
"I hope it's still in here after all this time," she said, "I hope I didn't throw it….wait, here it is." She pulled out a small plastic card. Serana looked at it skeptically.
"A piece of card?" she questioned.
"This is my credit card," Emily explained, "If this still works, we have enough. If it doesn't, we're in trouble."
"I'm not sure how happy I am entrusting our safety to a piece of card," Serana replied as Emily handed her the card. She examined it from all angles.
"It's kind of hard to explain," said Emily as she took the card back from Serana. "Basically this is money. About all the money I have in the world and if this card still works, we have access to it."
She stowed the card back in her wallet and they continued on along the path.
Gjendesheim was comprised of four black slatted and roofed buildings. Two were small single storey buildings which Emily took to be either outhouses or the cheaper, more spartan end of the accommodation while the other two were larger two story buildings furnished with balconies at either end. They sat close to the edge of the lake and there was a stone path leading down to a jetty. They followed the path up to the building whose windows were still lighted. This building housed the booking office which was overseen by a woman with greying hair and a pince-nez perched on the end of her nose. She sat at a polished wooden desk and she was writing in a large dog eared ledger. Emily pushed open the door and they stepped inside. The woman looked up when she heard the door creak.
"Kan jeg hjelpe deg?" she asked. Here Emily's limited knowledge of Norwegian failed her and she lapsed back into English.
"We need a room, please," she said, "For two."
"And how long will you be staying?" asked the woman, likewise making the switch from Norwegian to English.
"One day," Emily replied. The woman raised an eyebrow.
"One, 'day?' she repeated.
"I mean night, one night," Emily replied quickly.
"I'll see if we have a room available," said the woman before turning to check a series of cubby spaces behind her. Each were labelled with a number and most were empty. She paused a moment before reaching up to the top row where a set of keys dangled from one of the cubby spaces.
"Number 34 is free," she said, dropping the keys into Emily's hand, "That will be one thousand, three hundred and fourty-three krone." Emily handed her the card and she inserted it into a handheld device which she then handed to Emily. Serana watched as Emily punched in four numbers. The woman caught Serana's gaze and gave her a disapproving look. Serana just raised an eyebrow and stared right back. The woman dropped her gaze a moment later.
"Right, that's gone through fine," she said, "Enjoy your stay. You're in building three."
Serana followed Emily back through the door and out towards the other buildings.
"What was that all about?" Serana asked as she looked over her shoulder, "She suddenly gave me such a glare. If looks could kill I'd be dead…again."
"She didn't like you looking while I put my PIN number in," Emily explained, "If someone stole my card and had that number they'd have access to all my money. It doesn't matter to me if you look but some people won't get that."
"I think I'm starting to feel how you must have done when you came to Skyrim," Serana replied. Emily smiled.
"Well, at least you've got your dashing guide here to show you around," she said, pointing to herself.
"Aren't I so lucky?" Serana replied in a teasing tone.
They reached room 34 in cabin no. 3 and Emily put the key into the lock and turned. The room was mostly open plan with the main room containing both the sitting area and a kitchenette. Only the bedroom and bathroom lay in separate rooms. A large window afforded them a view of the lake whose surface lay flat and mirror-like. A few clouds were scudding in from the mountains.
"How about I make us a cup of coffee before we turn in?" Emily asked as she lifted down two mugs from one of the cupboards.
Serana sat down on the sofa. It was a little lumpy in places and she shifted her position a couple of times to get comfortable. Emily handed her the steaming mug and she brought it to her lips. She grimaced at the strong bitter taste. Emily noticed and gave a slight chuckle.
"Not a coffee drinker?" she asked as Serana set her mug down on the coffee table, "Don't worry, I can make you some tea if you'd like."
"That's alright," said Serana as Emily flopped down next to her, "I think I'll go to bed soon. You coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be in in a minute," Emily replied. Serana got up and left the room, making for the bedroom. Emily sat, swilling the contents of her mug. She sipped slowly at the coffee, relishing the flavour she had not tasted in so long.
Several minutes later she set the now empty cup in the sink along with Serana's. The bedroom was already cloaked in darkness when she entered. Presuming her companion to be asleep she undressed quietly. The bed creaked slightly as she sat down to pull on her night things. She listened for a moment but all was silent. Once dressed she lay down, pulling the covers up around her. As she rolled over in bed Serana spoke.
"Where do we go tonight?" came her question. Emily's eyes found her in the dark. She was lying with one hand tucked under the pillow her head rested on. Though her body gave messages of restfulness her eyes were alert.
"Well, from what I remember we have to go down road 51," Emily replied, "We need to keep going until we reach a place called Beitostølen. From there we can get a bus to Lysaker."
"What's a bus?" Serana asked. Emily thought for a moment.
"Imagine the cable car but longer and instead of cables it runs on wheels," she explained.
"I take it then you've made this journey before?" Serana questioned.
"Once, when I was coming here, when I found the portal to Skyrim," Emily replied. Serana seemed satisfied with this answer and turned over. Emily nestled down into the pillow. She was on the edge of sleep when Serana spoke again.
"I'm a little…nervous..about all this," she said. Emily shuffled a little nearer, looping an arm around the vampiress.
"Don't worry," she said gently, "We'll be fine." She felt Serana's hand take hers beneath the covers.
"Easier said than done," she said. Then she smiled, looking over her shoulder at the Earthling, "But I'll try." Emily smiled back, burying her head in the back of the vampiress' neck as sleep took hold.
They woke several hours later as the already leaden skies darkened further. A snow had fallen in the time they'd been asleep, covering the ground in a layer of crisp whiteness. They dressed and packed away their things before leaving the cabin. Emily left the keys in at the main office. The woman raised an eyebrow as the dropped them onto the front desk.
"I guess you were not joking when you said you were only staying the day," she remarked as she got Emily to sign a small slip of paper. "Was everything to your satisfaction?"
"Yes, thank you," Emily replied.
They left Gjendesheim and followed a smooth road which led up out of the car park towards towards another road which stretched out ahead of them as far as the horizon. The mountains were now cloaked in fog, leaving only their bases exposed.
"I'm afraid this is going to be a long journey," said Emily. She looked around. "Unless." Her eyes fell upon something leaning against the wall of one of the cabins nearest the road. Serana followed her gaze. The Earthling was looking at a strange vehicle. It had two wheels and a metal handle which looked as though it served as means of steering it. Emily hurried over to the building and checked the bicycle. It looked to be in good condition and was secured only with a simple lock.
"I take it we'll be riding that," Serana asked as Emily wheeled the bike towards the road. Emily nodded.
"I feel bad about taking it, Sera," she replied, "But Beitostølen is a very long way. I'm not sure we'd make it by daybreak."
"Well, I guess we've already taken a cable car," said Serana as Emily got on the bike, bracing against the ground with one foot. Serana got on behind her.
"You comfortable enough back there?" Emily asked.
"It can't be worse than riding that broom of yours," she replied. Emily feigned a hurt expression.
"But Sera, you told me you like flying," she said in a mock injured tone. Serana chuckled.
"Come on, let's go," she said and Emily kicked off from the ground and began peddling.
The road to Beitostølen was indeed a long one. They were flanked on either side by silver birch trees with russet orange leaves. A shallow stream ran alongside the road but this had largely frozen over. The road itself was flat and was marked only at the edges. Mercifully traffic at this time of night was scarce and they came upon only one car. This one was parked at the roadside and the driver inside looked to be checking a small device he held in his hand. The beams from his headlights showed up against the relative gloom of the road.
"Is that another Earth invention?" Serana asked.
"It's a car," Emily explained, "People use them to travel long distances. If I had mine we could make this part of the journey in a quarter of the time. You're going to see a lot more of them as we get nearer to the city. They're fast too so you'll need to be careful."
"Are the Earthlings not in control of them?" Serana replied.
"Yes but they travel that fast, it takes time to stop them," Emily explained, "We'll just need to take care in crossing any roads, that's all."
At last they joined road 51 which was the main road running from Vågå in the North to Gol in the South. Even at this late hour there was more traffic on this road and several times they were forced to pull into the ditch as a car hurried past them, blaring its horn. The first time this happened Serana's grip on Emily tightened, her fingers digging into her ribs and they had to swerve out of the beam of the headlights and into the dark of the roadside.
"Are you alright?" Emily had asked of her startled companion. Serana had been quick to cover up her shock as best she could and asked, "What in Oblivion was that all about?"
"I'm afraid not all drivers are that courteous towards cyclists," she explained, "Thankfully not all Earthlings are like that." It had taken Serana a few moments to gather together her nerves before they could set out again.
The road was long and largely unchanging, signs showing the miles to the nearest rest stop serving as the only things to mark their progress. Before the night was halfway done their bones were aching. Though far more efficient than walking the bicycle was not built for comfort. At around midnight they stopped to rest. Serana sat down on a large rock at the side of the road. Emily sat down next to her.
"How much further?" Serana asked.
"Another couple of hours at least I'm afraid," said Emily which elicited a groan from the vampiress. "The bus will be a lot more comfortable, I promise," she added reassuringly, "And we'll have a rest between now and then. There's an Inn in the village somewhere if I remember correctly. Come on, we'd better keep moving."