Chapter 32: The Wellspring
The sounds of the dying thunder shattered the absolute quiet of her unconscious state. The world seemed to be reasserting the fact that it was still in existence and was forcing her to recognise it with the throbbing pain that now crept back into the base of her skull. Her head swam and she felt as though her whole body was floating. She squeezed her eyes open and found this was at least partially true. She was lying on white shining scales. Great leathery wings on either side beat rhythmically.
"Hwit," she said in a voice thick with exhaustion.
"Lie still, my sister," came the booming tones of the white dragon, "It has been quite a balancing act keeping you and your fallen companion from slipping from my back." At these words Emily hastily sat up, clinging to the great scales as best she could. Lying a foot from her was Serana. She was unmoving, her chest a mess of burns.
"Serana," cried Emily, scrambling across to where she lay. She was still, her chest unmoving, her eyes closed. Emily clutched at her, willing the necromantic healing spell to form at her fingertips. But her magicka was spent and there came only a few golden tendrils that fizzled out long before they could reach her skin. She tried again and again with little success, her actions becoming more fevered and desperate. She felt helpless and clutched Serana to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over.
Hwit circled about the wreckage of the tower. It spread far across the fields and some of the stones had landed as far as one hundred metres away. With each full circle he came lower, easing the descent for the sake of his passengers. Something blue and glinting caught Hwit's eye and the great white dragon dropped lower, veering off to one side. Emily held on tightly to Serana's prone form as the dragon's taloned paws slammed into the earth and his wings lowered. Yet she remained, showing no inclination to dismount or move from the vampiress' side. Instead she stroked Serana's hair, holding her close, begging her to wake with each sobbing breath. When she finally looked up the dragon was looking at her with piercing blue eyes.
"Hwit, what can I do?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"Look to the ground, Emily," Hwit responded. Emily looked and saw the scarred earth, the great stones sticking up out of the ground. A few remnants of Miraak's throne lay scattered across the sundered land. And in the midst of all this water bubbled up from below the land that had hidden it from view for millennia. It was crystalline, clear and bubbled over the rocks and dirt. Yet for all the dust that lingered in the air, thrown up by the tower's destruction, it remained clear.
"It is the wellspring," said Hwit, a note of reverence in his voice as he sank to the ground, "Sought by man and beast in the days of old before the druids sealed it away. It lay hidden for so long." Emily knew what she wanted to ask the old dragon but she dreaded his response so instead she gathered Serana up in her arms. Every muscle cried out for rest as she slid down off the dragon's back. The ground was uneven and she staggered to the water's edge with Serana. She looked at it a moment, silently willing it to be more than simple water. Then she plunged in. The water came up to her chest and she carried Serana to the centre, submerging her so that only her head remained above the water's surface. There was no healing light, no glowing power that engulfed them. No tingling sensation like she might have expected. Perhaps the magic was gone, extinct like its practitioners. Once more tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks as she bent forward, kissing Serana's brow tenderly.
"If only I had been quicker," she whispered, "If only I could have protected you better." There was silence, broken only by the faint whisper of the wind and the water rippling around them.
"I think I told you before not to worry about me, didn't I?"
Scarcely daring to look, Emily raised her head. Serana smiled faintly. Her red eyes spoke mainly of exhaustion and, perhaps, relief. One hand rested on her chest whose wounds had paled considerably. The marks left by the tentacles were faint now and, as Emily watched, continued to recede. Only when she moved did she notice that her own wounds had been healed. Hwit watched them from the shore.
"The wellspring runs with the same magic it held so long ago," he said, "That much is evident. What will you do now, my sister?"
"I think it's time we went home," said Emily, turning back to Serana, "Back to Tamriel."
"But what of Earth?" Serana asked. Emily shook her head.
"I might have been born here, grown up here," she replied, " But that doesn't make it my home. I belong in Skyrim. With you." She touched her brow to Serana's. Serana smiled then, putting her arms about the Earthling. Emily held her as tightly as her tired muscles would allow, burying her face in her hair. She looked up suddenly and Serana gave her a questioning look.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The portal, there can't be much time left until it closes," said Emily, "How will we get back?" Hwit raised his head.
"Where does this portal lie?" he asked.
"In Norway," Emily replied, "In the mountains near Bessvatnet." Hwit stretched his head out over the water so his eyes were locked with Emily's.
"I know it well," he said, "That is the birthplace of my father, of Níðhögg. I will take you. But first, take shelter and rest. The sun rises soon." With that the old dragon got up. He turned his head this way and that as he surveyed the land. "I will keep from here any who may wish to intrude. Though your people have changed in many ways, their fear has not. You may rest undisturbed."
The land, scarred as it was by the tower's destruction, left many an overhang for them to shelter under. They chose one near the wellspring.
"When we were on Hwit's back," said Emily as Serana lay next to her, "I tried to heal you. But I couldn't. The magicka, it wouldn't come. Do you think I've lost it forever, Sera?" Serana shook her head.
"No, Em," she said gently, "Your magic will return in time. You were pushed far beyond your limits yet still-" Her hand rested on the side of Emily's face. "You still defeated him."
"And Maylene," said Emily quietly. She sighed. Serana shifted closer.
"Are you alright, Em?" she asked. Emily turned to face her. There was still a cut below her right eye that the wellspring's waters had not reached. It would likely scar but this bothered her little.
"I will be," said Emily softly. She looked up at the rocky overhang they sheltered under.
"I think I always knew deep down that there was something off about her, even when we first met," she said, "If I'd obeyed my gut instinct…" She shook her head. "But it took me a long time to figure out just how bad she was. She liked to manipulate and put down those around her. Make them feel small and weak. I think it gave her a sense of power. But I never imagined it would come to this." Emily frowned. "I thought that… if he had corrupted her," she said, "That I would somehow feel better. That that wasn't the real her I was fighting. Or maybe that would make me feel worse. I really don't know."
"And do you?" Serana asked, "Do you think he corrupted her?" Emily shook her head.
"He might have twisted her further," she replied, "By giving her the kind of power she craved. But it was always there I think."
"I wish there was something I could say to make things better," said Serana quietly. Emily turned back to face her. There was the slightest ghost of a smile on her lips.
"Having you here helps," she replied, "Knowing you're still here." Serana smiled back, one hand drifting through the burnt ends of Emily's hair. She passed the burnt hairs between her thumb and forefinger.
"You know, when I said I liked the look of your hair last time you burnt half of it off," she said teasingly, "There was no need for a repeat performance." Emily chuckled. "And I think when we get back we'll need to get you another set of armour."
"Speak for yourself," smiled Emily, "I think yours will take a little more than a patch job." Serana laughed softly, nestling closer to the Earthling.
"We should get some rest," she said gently. Emily nodded, reaching one arm around the vampiress. She felt Serana's breath at her neck as the vampiress buried her face there, her dark hair falling in small waves across her chest. The exertion of what she had undergone, the vast output of magicka and thu'um and the emotional turmoil finally caught up with her and she drifted quickly into a dreamless sleep.
They awoke at moonrise. Hwit had pushed his head in under the overhang the moment the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon. Cold air puffed from his nostrils.
"We should make haste," he said as Emily and Serana sat up to regard the nocturnal visitor.
"I have kept the mortals from this place but they grow ever more insistent," he continued, "Your battle atop the tower and its collapse did not go unnoticed."
"How close are they?" Emily asked.
"I have kept them out of the field," Hwit replied, "But there is a road close by. They are martialled along its length. It looks to me that they are preparing to march on our position."
"Then we'd better not waste any time," said Emily, getting to her feet. Though her muscles still ached she found she was able to stand unaided.
"How long will it take?" Serana asked.
"A few days if we keep over the sea where possible," Hwit replied, "There are nearly always favourable north blowing winds between Englaland and Norweġ."
Emily and Serana shouldered their packs. Emily was grateful now more than ever for the enchantments Serana had weaved upon them to protect them from most physical and magical damage. Aside from a few burnt edges and the strap of Emily's beginning to fray, they were intact.
They left the overhang and followed Hwit out onto open ground, having to move into a light jog to keep up with the dragon's great strides. He stopped and fanned out his wings, stretching them up towards the night sky before lowering himself to the ground to allow the two vampires to climb on. They sat just behind his head and Emily gripped the ivory horns tightly. She felt Serana's arms around her waist as the dragon's wings fanned high over his head. Then they swept downward with a mighty whoosh and they were lifted from the ground. Several more heavy wingbeats in quick succession brought them high enough above the field to see the road Hwit had spoken of. Even now a line of glowing lights marked the presence of the humans keeping vigil over the field. A few small groups had begun to make the trek across the field. Hwit roared. The sound up close was almost deafening and Emily and Serana watched as the humans below scurried for cover.
"Did you really have to frighten them like that?" Emily asked the dragon.
"It was a warning, nothing more," Hwit replied, "Had I truly wished to frighten them I would have gone lower and unleashed winter's breath upon them. They will not follow us now."
They rose higher until the fields became patchworks of green, the roads little more than serpents marked by the trail of traffic whose glittering lights gave the appearance of shimmering scales. And then the clouds began to obscure the land below and Emily had to squint through the damp air which coated her skin with water droplets. By now the dragon's wingbeats had slowed, favourable updrafts carrying them along.
At last they broke through the layer of cloud and met the comparatively still air above. The moon shone overhead, large and luminous, lighting their way. Serana looked up at it where it hung, full and round.
"It seems strange to only have a single moon," said Serana, "But I suppose no stranger than seeing two the first time you looked up at the Tamrielic sky."
"It was their size more than their number that got me the first time," Emily replied, "And how red Masser was. It seemed so…alien."
"What do you call your moon?" Serana asked.
"Most people just call it, 'The Moon,'" Emily replied, "Though I think it's also known as Luna, after the Roman goddess of the Moon," she added after some thought.
When next they caught a glimpse between the clouds they were flying over the vast meshwork of light that marked the city of London. The river Thames wound its way through it, the great bridge at Westminster stretching across like the coiled humps of some great sea serpent. On one side the great towering form of Big Ben rose higher than most of its brethren, the faint chimes of midnight carrying up to the ears of the three travellers soaring above. Then they had left it behind, entering the airspace over the vast expanse of sea.
For over an hour the way ahead remained blank and featureless. They talked to pass the time and took it in turns to make sure the other did not fall asleep from the sheer unchanging nature of the flight. Hwit told them of what England was like before he entered what he assumed to be an eternal sleep, when the last of Earth's magic fell into dormancy and with it, all creatures associated with myth and folklore.
"Why did it happen?" Emily asked.
"They ceased to believe in us," came Hwit's blunt response, "When a dragon instills fears in his mortal enemies he not only gains from them bounties in livestock and gold but also ensures his own survival. As time went by the mortals came up with other explanations for us. Sightings were declared hoaxes, meetings were put down to insanity. It is my belief they made a conscious choice to no longer believe. And so, one by one we fell asleep."
"What happened then?" asked Serana, "Surely the sight of sleeping dragons, unicorns and who knows what else must have been undeniable proof."
"We did not remain in sleep as you see now," Hwit replied, "The giants became great boulders and pillars of stone, the unicorns melted into the forest glades they once called home. And the dragons, we became one with the land itself. And so it was until Miraak woke us. Myself and my brother."
"And what will happen now?" Emily asked, "With Miraak gone?"
"You believe in my existence so I remain," Hwit replied, "Once you return to Tamriel, I cannot say." Emily said nothing. She felt contrite at this revelation.
"I sense your unease," Hwit continued, "You make the mistake of looking at the eternal sleep as though it were death. It is not. We live on, differently than before but we live. As part of the world itself. I made my peace with the idea long ago. Nothing ever stays the same forever."
As the dawn of the first day of their journey approached they reached the Netherlands, taking shelter in a sea cave. Hwit, whose great bulk would not allow for such a precarious landing as one on the rocks outside the cave, was forced to land on the cliffs above and his two charges made their way down to the cave. It reminded Emily strongly of the cave they had taken shelter in on Solstheim. It seemed to her, an age ago now. Lydia had caught small slimy fishes for a meagre meal. A torch wedged between to rocks had been their only source of heat and light and the sharp rocks had made for poor bedding. They passed much of the day huddled together, moving further into the cave as midday came and the sun reached its highest point in the sky. From inside, Emily heard the gurgle of the sea lapping between the rocks, the keening cry of seabirds and the distant bell that marked the presence of a small fishing vessel.
On the second night they struck out Northward into the North sea. They kept above a layer of cloud where possible and most of what little land Emily saw below was coastal, dotted with towns and villages whose boarders were shared with the lapping grey waves. As the moon reached its highest point the skies grew grey and ominous. They were forced inland by a squall as rain lashed them, plastering their hair to their heads and the torn remains of their armour to their skin.
They passed the second day in a small cave near the coast of Denmark. This one was dry and offered a more pleasant place to rest. Hwit remained on guard outside but he was careful to keep out of sight. His icy scales shone like beacons in the morning sun. He pushed his way into a copse of trees, uprooting several young saplings in the process and all that could be seen were his blue eyes burning in the shadows.
On the third night they reached Norway. Emily could see the great lake of Bessvatnet, its iron grey surface reflecting the clear night above. The moon hung pendulously over the lake, lending it a silvery cast. All around the lakes the mountains rose up like the ridges of some great crown. Their peaks were snowcapped, their sides steep. At the top of one of these lay the portal. Emily pulled her phone from her pocket, switching it on.
"Can you go lower, Hwit?" she asked, "I need to pick up the GPS signal." Hwit obliged and they flew lower. The GPS activated and Emily tapped on the last marked destination. The map zoomed out so both their current location and their destination could be clearly seen. Their locational marker stuttered for they were travelling faster than the tracking software was used to handling. It jumped about even as Emily held out the phone at different angles, trying to locate a better signal.
"It's no good Hwit, we'll have to land," she said over the sound of the wind, "I can't pick up our location on here reliably."
"Very well," Hwit replied as he closed his wings and dropped lower. They came to land on a large green expanse close to the lake. The grass here grew wild and abundant, lending the rolling green hills a shimmering quality as the wind blew cool and fresh. Flowering Reinrose and Alpine Catch-fly grew between the green blades while Starry Saxifrage grew in the crevices between the rocks.
"This is where I must leave you," said Hwit as Emily and Serana dismounted. He bowed his great head to them.
"Where will you go now?" Emily asked.
"If the great sleep calls me then I will lie down and become one with the land as I did before," Hwit replied, "If not, I will travel this world. There are many old haunts I wish to visit and if, in his travels, Miraak awoke any of my brethren I will seek them out. There may be others out there yet."
"And the Earthlings?" Emily asked. Hwit shook his head.
"I will not harm them," he replied, "If that is your wish. There are many secluded spots in this world that even humanity has yet to discover. Any brethren of mine that I find, I will bring there. It will be good to have company again after countless centuries."
"There's one more thing, Hwit," Emily asked, "Why did you save us, back at the tower?" Hwit looked at her with quiet bemusement.
"Is the answer not obvious?" he asked, "When you defeated Miraak, another of the dragonkind in mortal form, you proved yourself the strongest of our kind. You bested my brother in battle and you bested me with the weight of your voice. I acknowledge your power."
"But had you let us fall, then you would have been strongest," Emily said. Hwit shook his head, closing his eyes scornfully.
"Dragons do not believe in employing such low cunning," he replied, "It is beneath us." He looked at each of them in turn before unfolding his wings. "I wish you luck in your travels, both of you. Farewell." With that he rose up from the ground with great heavy wingbeats, soaring off into the night sky. Serana rested a hand on Emily's shoulder.
"We should go," she said. Emily nodded, inspecting the screen.
"We need to go west," she replied, "It's there, at the top of that mountain." She pointed to one of the snowcapped mountains. And with that they set off.
The way up the mountain was hard going. There was no direct path to the summit and they relied on game trails to find a less arduous route up the steep rocky crags. A mountain hare, disturbed by their footsteps, bounded along the path in front of them and dove into a thicket.
"They make it look easy, don't they?" Serana said as she turned to help Emily up over a rock.
"Horribly easy," Emily replied wryly, taking the hand offered to her, "At least we're almost at the top now." She shouldered her pack and followed Serana up the small dirt path that wound between lichen covered rocks and great thorny bushes. As they crested the next hill Emily saw the portal stone, the blue wavering light rippling like a curtain stirred by the wind.
"Race you," she said to Serana, suddenly feeling new energy in her step. Serana shook her head with a smile and hurried after her companion. It was just over twenty yards away when Emily saw it flicker. Her breath caught in her throat as she grabbed Serana's hand in sudden panic, bolting toward it. It flickered again, wavering, dimming.
"No, no, no," Emily cried as they bolted for it, "Just a little longer. Please."
Ten yards, the portal flickered, dimming further. Emily and Serana closed their eyes, leaping at the portal. They passed through, rolling over and over down the slope, tumbling across sharp rocks and dirt, coming to a rest by a large boulder. Emily opened her eyes and saw the moon, the single solitary moon above.