"We're ready," Dragonborn," Balgruuf told me solemnly when I returned to Dragonsreach. "Just say the word."
"Everything's in place?" I asked.
The Jarl nodded. "As I promised, my men stand ready. The great chains are oiled. We wait on your word.
"Let's go trap a dragon," I told him, my voice grim.
"My men know what to do. Make sure you do your part. I'm putting my city in your hands."
I nodded and followed both him and Irileth up to the back of the palace and through a set of great double doors. On the other side was a large room, the far end open to the sky in a wide balcony. It was more than big enough to trap a dragon. I hoped.
"You do have a plan for luring a dragon here, yeah?" Balgruuf asked me, his tone betraying his nerves about the whole situation.
"Yes. Just make sure your men are ready once I get him here," I said.
I stepped out onto the balcony and looked up at the sky. Behind me, I heard the Housecarl shouting for everyone to get into positions and the sound of hurried footsteps as they rushed to comply. I took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"Odahviing!"
My Shout came out loud as a clap of thunder. Several of the guards staggered back and stared at me in shock.
For several minutes, there was nothing. I squinted at the sky, searching for any sign of him. Balgruuf sighed. Then one of the guards asked in a hushed voice, "Hear that?"
I did. It was the sound of giant wings pumping the air. I turned my head just in time to see a red dragon soar down toward us from the side. All of us standing on the balcony hastily stepped back, but one of the guards was too slow. The dragon swooped down and snatched him up in his claws. As the dragon gained height again, I saw the man fall toward the earth in the distance.
"Steady!" Balgruuf shouted at the other guards. "Steady, now! Keep under cover until it's down!"
When Odahviing made another pass for us, I shouted Dragonrend at him and he came crashing down onto the balcony with a boom that I swore shook the whole palace. As before, I practically fell to my knees, gasping in pain. Damn it, the ancient Nords had made it look so much easier than that!
As the dragon shook himself out of his daze, I gritted my teeth and scrambled to my feet.
He bared his fangs at me as he roared, "Dovahkiin! Here I am!"
"Get back! Get back!" I heard Balgruuf shout at his men. "We need to trap it, not kill it! Wait until it's well inside!"
I staggered backward into the room, ducking to avoid the flames he spat at me. He crawled forward on his wings and hind legs, following me deeper in. That was when I felt my back press against the door leading into the palace. My heart pounded. The dragon opened his jaws again to release another jet of flame, one that I wouldn't be able to avoid.
That was when an enormous wooden bar swung down and clamped around his neck. The dragon's eyes widened in shock and he shook frantically at it. The binding didn't budge.
"Nid!" He roared, furious and perhaps a little afraid.
"I think it's holding!" One of the guards shouted.
"Horvutah med kodaav. Caught like a bear in a trap…" Odahviing sounded almost ashamed. I took several steps toward him and he looked at me with dark gray eyes. "Zok frini grind ko grah drun viiki, Dovahkiin." When I didn't respond, he shook his head slowly. "Ah. I forget. You do not have the dovah speech. My… eagerness to meet you in battle was my undoing, Dovahkiin. I salute your, hmm, low cunning in devising such a grahmindol – stratagem. Zu'u bonaar. You went to a great deal of trouble to put me in this… humiliating position. Hind siiv Alduin, hmm? No doubt you want to know where to find Alduin?"
"Where is he hiding?" I asked him, stopping before his face and crossing my arms.
"Rinik vazah. An apt phrase. Alduin bovul. One reason I came to your call was to test your Thu'um for myself. Many of us have begun to question Alduin's lordship, whether his Thu'um was truly the strongest." He hesitated. "Among ourselves, of course. Mu ni meyye. None were yet ready to openly defy him."
"So. You were telling me where to find Alduin?"
"Unslaad krosis. Innumerable pardons. I digress. He has travelled to Sovngarde to regain his strength, devouring the sillesejoor… the souls of the mortal dead. A privilege he jealously guards. His door to Sovngarde is at Skuldafn, one of his ancient fanes high in the eastern mountains. Mondoraan, pah ok middovahhe lavhraan til. I surely do not need to warn you that all his remaining strength is marshaled there."
Not a surprise, but it wasn't as if I had much choice in going, did I?
"Zu'u lost ofan hin laan… Now that I have answered your question, you will allow me to go free?" He asked, sounding hopeful.
"Not until Alduin is defeated." I started to walk back towards the door. Somehow, I needed to find a way into this Skuldafn.
"Ah, well. Hmm… krosis. There is one… detail about Skuldafn I neglected to mention."
I hesitated. "What is it?"
"Only this. You have the thu'um of a dovah, but without the wings of one, you will never set foot in Skuldafn. Of course, I could fly you there, but not while imprisoned like this."
I turned around, snapping, "And you expect me to just take your word for it?"
"Ahraan. You wound me, Dovahkiin. I may not tell the whole truth, but I am no liar. Go and see for yourself. Zu'u ni bo nol het. I will be here… unless Alduin returns before you do."
Jaw clenching, I looked away. On one hand, letting that dragon just go was dangerous, to say the least. Normally I'd never have even considered it. On the other, if he was telling the truth about Skuldafn, which he likely was…
I looked back, eyes hard, to see him watching me expectantly.
"You have reconsidered my offer, hmm?" He asked. "Onikaan kron? You will release me – ro laan – if in return I promise to take you to Skuldafn and stop helping Alduin?"
"Fine. Don't make me regret this," I growled.
"Onikaan koraav gein miraad. It is wise to recognize when you only have one choice. And you can trust me. Zu'u ni tahrodiis. Alduin has proven himself unworthy to rule. I go my own way now. Free me, and I will carry you to Skuldafn."
Nodding, I made for the set of stairs leading up to the mechanisms controlling the trap. As I did, one of the doors opened and Farengar poked his head in. The mage's eyes went impossibly wide at the sight of the dragon before him.
"Incredible!" He hurried outside. "Uh… sir, you have no idea how long I have waited for such an opportunity! I would be most appreciative if you would permit me to perform some, ah, tests on you. Purely in the interests of the advancement of knowledge."
Odahviing glared down at the human with a look of distaste and snarled, "Begone, mage. Do not test my promise to the Dovahkiin."
Farengar was already moving, and Odahviing strained his long neck trying to keep him in sight.
"I assure you, you will not even notice me. Most of them are hardly painful at all to a large dragon such as yourself."
"Farengar, very bad idea. Even for you," Irileth called.
"Surely you wouldn't miss a few scales… or a small amount of blood…"
"Joor mey!" The dragon snarled. "What are you doing back there?"
He suddenly roared, spitting fire up to the ceiling as he threw his head back. A moment later I saw the mage hurriedly dash across the room, back into the palace, and slam the door shut behind him. I had to lean against the wall as I stifled a snort of laughter.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I climbed up to the top where one of the guards stood by the controls for the chains.
"I can't believe I'm still alive," he breathed.
Nodding at the chains, I told him, "Open the trap."
He stared at me. "You sure about that? You want to let that dragon loose after all the trouble to catch him in there?"
When I nodded, he looked down over the edge at Balgruuf, and shouted, "This seems like a really bad idea to me."
"Carry on, soldier. This is all part of the Dragonborn's plan."
The guard sighed. "All right. Your funeral. Someone else is gonna have to help you get him back in there again." To the men on the other side, he called, "Get ready to open the trap!"
As I hurried down the stairs again there was a loud clanking noise as the bar unhooked from around Odahviing's neck and lifted back up toward the ceiling. He shook his head and grinned widely.
"Faas nu, zini dein ruthi ahst vaal."
"By the all the gods," Irileth gasped, drawing her sword.
The dragon just turned around, a feat made difficult by the semi-enclosed space, and lumbered back out onto the balcony. I followed, Balgruuf and Irileth close behind. Once I was out there, Odahviing looked down at me.
"Saraan uth," he said to me. "I await you command, as promised. Are you ready to see the world as only a dovah can?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
He chuckled. "Zok brit uth! I warn you, once you've flown the skies of Keizaal, your envy of the dov will only increase."
He lowered his head, resting it against the floor. "Amativ! Mu bo kotin stinselok."
I climbed up, sitting down on the back of his head and gripping his horns so that I wouldn't fall off in the air. The Jarl and Housecarl walked over and looked up at me.
Irileth shook her head and commented, "You're either the bravest person I've ever met, or the biggest fool."
"I'm not sure which one I am either," I said, laughing quietly.
Odahviing launched skyward at that moment, catching me off guard, and I hung on for dear life. The wind whipped loose strands of hair around my face.
As we flew away, I heard Balgruuf shout after me, "May Kynareth guard you while you pass through her realm!"
We landed on a ledge overlooking the massive ruined complex of Skuldafn. It was as close as Odahviing would dare to go. I stood beside the dragon as we looked down at the fortress.
"This is as far as I can take you," he said, his voice a quiet rumble. "Krif voth ahkrin. I will look for your return… or Alduin's."
When I nodded, he leapt back into the sky and quickly disappeared from view. As he did, I heard the nearby roars of several other dragons. He'd warned me about Alduin's forces. It seemed he wouldn't disappoint.
Crouching low, I drew my bow and crept down toward the ruin. A brown dragon perched on one of the stone arches ahead. As I approached, its eyes narrowed. I saw it open its jaws and hastily ducked behind a nearby pillar as a jet of flame roared toward me. I winced as I felt the heat from the flames around me. There was the sound of flapping wings and a loud roar. Popping out from my hiding spot, I Shouted up at the dragon and sent it crashing into one of the mountains surrounding the ruin. Rocks tumbled down from the cliff face. Not wanting to risk the dragon coming back, I ran, pulling open the door to the ruin and slipping inside.
Everything was Nordic in style, like I'd seen in Bleak Falls Barrow or Korvanjund. As with the other two, I heard the footsteps of the undead draugr roaming the halls. I slipped through as quietly as I could, not wanting to get into a fight just yet. From the footsteps, I could tell that there were a lot of them. Too many to risk confrontation.
At the end of the long, winding tunnels was a puzzle door. A lone draugr stood guard in front of it. I shot an arrow between its eyes and, once it crumpled, hurried forward and examined the body. In a bag on its hip was one of the claw keys, this one made of gold for the foot and diamond spikes for the claws themselves. Turning the rings to the correct combination, I unlocked the door using the claw, stepping through the archway and outside once the panel sunk into the floor.
A flight of ruined stairs led to the very top of the ruin. I ascended carefully, trying not to slip and fall as I climbed over the large chunks of rubble that littered the steps.
When it finally leveled out, I found myself staring at a jet of blue and gold light that roared into the sky from a massive basin set into the floor. Between it and me was a platform with stone steps leading up to it. On top I saw a black silhouette against the bright light.
When I approached, the figure wrenched what looked like a staff from the platform. The light abruptly died. When it turned to face me, I saw that it was wearing burnished armor made to look like dragon scales and a tattered cloak. A mask covered its face. I drew my sword.
I dodged left and right to avoid the crackling trails of sparks the creature aimed at me. It raised its staff too slowly to block the strike I aimed at it. There was the sound of tearing fabric and crunching bone as my swing cut through its neck. An eerie shriek emanated from it as it crumpled. An instant later there was nothing left but its armor and cloak surrounding a pile of dust. The empty eyes of the mask stared up at me, almost seeming to glare. Behind me, I could still hear the crackling of the sparks that no doubt still danced on the ground.
I retrieved the staff from where it fell. The whole thing was made of dark gray metal. Its head was designed to look like a stylized dragon, covered in intricate swirling patterns. Taking it, I climbed up to the top of the platform. Sure enough, there was a slot the correct size for the base of the staff. When I placed it in, there was a loud crack as the ground before the platform split apart. The pieces of stone sank down, swirling in a bright vortex as the beam of light reappeared. I stared down at it. It must have been the portal that Odahviing mentioned.
There was only one way in.
Steeling myself, I closed my eyes and jumped into the void below.
