Chapter 22: Two Dunmer Walk Into a Bar

"That is going to leave a scar." Frokwulf was crouching outside of Nephiah's cage, looking deeply unhappy about the fresh wound on her face.

The cut burned under her eye, down to her chin, heating up her entire face. She didn't let him see her pain. She had trained herself to hide it the second she realized he took pleasure from it. She could tell from the most subtle changes on his face, his stance, how he enjoyed her pain, how it bothered him when he was denied a reaction. Things so subtle, she was the only one to notice them for nobody else knew him that well. Over time the threshold where she could not contain it was beyond the things he could do to her. And he did try. But she didn't exist, nothing he did to her mattered. So she could revel in those little victories, however insignificant they were.

"Is everything alright?" The necromancer approached them, having settled his dealings with the elder vampire.

Frokwulf got to his feet. "I don't suppose you can..."

"Sorry.", he got interrupted. "I do not deal in matters of life, you know that."

He looked down to the slave in the cage, she was staring motionlessly onto the floor. "Well with one exception. But she is not it." He gave off a quick laugh.

"We will have to postpone then. She needs to heal." Frokwulf crossed his arms.

"No. This has to happen now. And I need a living subject as a conduit."

"We have dozens of living subjects available."

"Yes... Slave, look at me." Nephiah didn't react to the necromancer's voice.

Frokwulf took note and intervened. "Slave."

Nephiah looked up, her face purposefully void of expression.

"So she only listens to your commands?", the mage inquired.

"Yes. Or the ones I tell her to. That's how I make your merchandize as well."

The mage laughed. "You know, that never ceases to amaze me."

"She is mine." Frokwulf didn't respond to flattery.

"Well let's just say that if I do not perform this ritual now, our entire enterprise is going to crumble. You have some interest in avoiding that, yes?" The mage looked him in the eye with a superior smile.

Frokwulf looked down at Nephiah. "Why her?"

"I don't know." The mage looked back down as well, her gaze was still upon him. "There is something..." He pondered as if trying to find words. "Fire? No. A certain... aura." For a moment he looked confused. "Are you sure you have her tamed?"

"Without question."

"Hm. Well she will do is all I can say. It will be painful, but no lasting damage will be done, I assure you." He bowed down to Nephiah, moving his face close to hers. He was surrounded by an eerie pocket of cold air. She could see his eyes under the hood, giving off a faint violet glow.

She was terrified.

"You will suffer for me, won't you, child."

Nephiah awoke with a short scream, jumping into a standing position, knocking over the chair she was sitting on. Sweating and breathing heavily, she looked around, trying to get her bearings.

The tavern was empty, both Brelyna and the girl weren't there.

Ambaryses help was sweeping the floor in the corner. Daylight was seeping in through the cracks in the door. "Your friend left a while ago. Said to tell you to wait for her.", the man holding the broom said.

"Where is Sophie..." Nephiah uttered.

"The girl? Left as well."

She took a menacing step towards him, he instantly raised his hands in surrender, still holding the broom in his right. "Of her own free will, I swear! Said something about flowers and stormed out!"

Nephiah's stance relaxed, she put the chair upright and sat back down. She liked the place better now that it was empty.

The door opened, instantly inviting a swell of cold air. "Nevrith! You're awake!" Brelyna entered and sat down opposite of her.

"Nevrith...", Nephiah uttered annoyed.

"Shh, we are in disguise...", Brelyna whispered, smiling back at her.

Nephiah crossed her arms and leaned back. "All right then, um..."

"Eravani."

"...Eravani."

The help looked at them, noticing the odd conversation.

"Where have you been?"

"Don't be mad at me."

Nephiah raised an eyebrow. "Mad?"

"I went to see Wuunferth."

Nephiah's eyes widened, she untangled her arms and put both hands on the table. She tensed up. "Alone?!"

"Yes, I posed as a courier like Suvaris suggested, was no trouble at all. I thought it best to get the lay of the land. You know, so we know who we are dealing with before we start punching him. See if we have the right man."

Nephiah gave her a disapproving look. She disapproved less of Brelyna's initiative than of her making fun of her tactics. She exhaled audibly and relaxed. "So?"

"So I got to talk to him a little bit. Asked him about his magic. And here's the odd thing. He said he was a mage from the College."

Nephiah began to listen closely to Brelyna's report.

"Now I haven't studied the College's history. His name was never mentioned but he may well be. But. When he told me he specialized in Conjuration magic and I asked if he was a necromancer, he said that he would never do that for the College forbids it."

She paused, highlighting the importance of the statement. "The College does not! In fact it is the only magical organization that has NOT outlawed Necromancy. The Conjuration Master told us as much during orientation. He is definitely hiding something." Nephiah pondered a moment.

"Had I been there... I know what he looks like."

"Yes, well. Right now, if it's really him, he doesn't know that we know. We have time to find a way to get him to leave the city. Maybe catch him alone and off guard? You would have punched him!"

Nephiah crossed her arms again.

"As I said. There's no way we fight him here and live."

Nephiah looked to the door, a moment passed. "And I am expecting us to live!"

Brelyna reached across the table and put her hands down. "Both of us!"

Nephiah looked back to her mage, her arms still crossed. "I have to see him."

"Well aren't you the lucky one."

They were crossing the Grey Quarters, the sky was covered in white textureless clouds, most of the city was covered in snow, the brightness of it hurt Nephiah's eyes.

"Ulfric is going to give one of his speeches in a bit. His senior staff will stand at his side, including his court wizard."

They reached the street they had found the girl on earlier, Nephiah's eyes lingered on the empty spot as they passed.

"She ran out early." Brelyna said, noticing her interest. "I haven't seen her since."

"I may have made her an orphan." Nephiah's words were barely audible.

Brelyna took her hand. "I know."

A huge crowd had already gathered in the yard in front of the palace. Guards were placed at every alleyway leading to it, a garrison of Stormcloak soldiers stood in formation to the left and right of the massive doors that lead to the throne room. They formed a corridor at the end of which a wooden podium had been placed. The numerous conversations going on melded into a loud white noise that bounced back and forth the high stone walls that surrounded the court yard.

They found themselves a place close to the edge, standing on top of an old stone that stuck out of the wall. Whoever would exit those doors, they would get a good look.

"OU ou ou!"

Nephiah was still holding Brelyna's hand and her grip had begun to tighten. The yard was tightly packed, she didn't like it one bit. So many faces, so many threats, too many to monitor. She felt trapped, defenseless, the ancient stone walls closed in on her, seemingly squeezing the crowd closer together, closer to her. Her breathing got faster as her eyes widened and franticly rushed across the sea of people. It was cold, yet she began to sweat.

She felt a soft hand on her cheek giving her a nudge, enticing her to turn her head to the side. Her panicked gaze met Brelyna's big, red eyes, looking at her very calmly. "Can I try a spell on you?"

She gave no answer, her heart rate was too fast to focus.

Brelyna moved in and kissed her, a quick one to remove the icy crystals that had begun to form, the second one she made last. As their lips held contact, Nephiah's eyes closed. Her cheeks flushed, the noise of the crowd began to fade away, slowly, steadily. Her grip loosened, her hands moved around Brelyna's hips. She took in her taste, her smell, her texture, until all she heard was two hearts, beating in tandem. Eventually they detached and looked each other in the eyes.

Brelyna smiled lovingly. "This spell I learned from you."

"Dark Elf filth!", a voice echoed through the yard. A chewed upon apple was thrown their direction, it splashed on the wall behind them.

Nephiah found the Nord in the crowd that was angrily looking at them. She turned to charge him.

Brelyna instantly grabbed her. "Nonono! Look!" She made a head motion pointing at the two hundred soldiers standing in formation in front of the palace. "Not here!"

"What are you afraid of, Rolff?!" Ambarys approached, yelling at the assailant. "That those girls will take on an entire Stormcloak garrison?"

"I'm afraid of nothing!" The Nord yelled back. "Go back to where you came from!"

Ambarys stopped beside them and began to ignore the Nord. "That's Rolff Stone-Fist. A perfect example of what's wrong with this city. In a minute you will see a large Nord pass through those doors right behind Ulfric. That's his brother."

Nordic horns sounded, the crowd began to cheer. The massive doors rumbled deeply as they were pushed open. Two columns of guards passed through, then Ulfric, his right-hand man and his court wizard. Upon arriving at the pedestal, Ulfric stepped onto it and raised both his arms, the cheers of the crowd intensified.

Nephiah's eyes locked onto the man in the hooded robe. He looked familiar, but at that distance, any bearded mage in a hood would look alike.

Ulfric waved, making the crowd go silent. "Brothers! Sisters! Fellow Nords!" His voice echoed loudly across the yard. "I know the days are cold! The winter is long! The Empire has left us starving!"

Ambarys laughed. "Look at him in his fancy armor, talking about people starving. Yet when the hungry beg for help, his inaction speaks infinitely louder than his words."

"He's got quite the voice..." Brelyna said.

"You don't know the half of it."

"So let me remind you why we fight! We fight for the men who died on foreign soil for foreign goals! I fight for their wives and children, whose names they whispered in their last breath! We fight for we few who did come home, only to find our country full of strangers!"

The crowd cheered.

"We are Nords! The Empire would have our ancient ways wither and die! Our sacred traditions a distant memory!"

The crowd roared.

"And why? Because they do not possess the strength to rule in dignity! Because they fled from battle with their tails between their legs! That is NOT OUR WAY!"

The cheers became deafening.

"And we are supposed to pay for their cowardice? No! The true Nord will face his enemy on the field of battle, without fear! Like those brave brothers and sisters who fight for you this very day! Embedded in camps deep within their own land! In Falkreath, the Reach, and even Haafingar! Right outside the walls of Solitude, the Imperials too weak or too scared to do anything about it!"

The crowd didn't quiet down, yet he could still be understood.

"OU ou ou!"

Nephiah's grip tightened again. She had not heard a word of the speech, her vision fixed on the mage, analyzing his stance, his movement, the subtle changes in demeanor one makes without thinking.

And she began to recognize the man behind the hood.

"Holding hands really becomes an issue with you!", Brelyna said frustrated. She could tell that Nephiah wanted to go to him and subtly applied pressure to the hand holding hers to keep her from storming off.

"It's him.", Nephiah said without looking away from him. Then she looked to her side, to the force stopping her from doing what she needed to do, the fire in her eyes a mixture of pain and rage.

There was that look again, Brelyna thought. This particular look she had seen at the Stormcloak camp. And inside the Hall of the Vigilants. She shook her head ever so slightly.

Nephiah let go of her and pushed herself into the crowd.

Like swimming across a strong current, she pushed people to the left and right, making her way closer to the podium step by step, earning many angry looks from the people she shoved around.

Eventually she broke through the front line. The sudden appearance of an Elf with violence in her eyes made two guards draw their swords and point them at her throat, she stopped her movement.

Aside from the front row, the crowd didn't much notice, still cheering loudly.

The three men elevated by the podium looked at her, the large Nord standing behind Ulfric took a step forward, his hand on his weapon.

Ulfric seemed to weigh his options. Publically executing an unarmed Dunmer commoner would only serve to complicate the situation in his city, something he didn't have time for. He stretched an arm out to the guards, motioning for them to stand down.

"Fellow Nords!", he said to the crowd.

Then he looked at her. "And friends to Nords!"

If she moved, she would die. Nephiah knew it, Ulfric new it. He had given her a final warning, a chance to walk away.

She looked up at him, assessing the situation, the fire within her burning painfully strong. She knew this fight was a losing proposition, she was trying to figure out if she cared. A hand touched her shoulder from behind and turned her around.

Brelyna's face showed how deeply worried she was. She took her love's hand and pulled her back into the crowd.

The guards sheathed their blades, Ulfric continued his speech to fire up his supporters. "I promised you victories, and with your blood and your steel you have achieved them!"

Leaving the crowd at the opposite end of the yard, they found themselves behind the inn that had greeted them when they first entered the city.

Nephiah pulled her hand back, and stopped.

Brelyna turned around. The look on her warrior's face spoke volumes. She was in pain and she blamed Brelyna for not letting her do something about it. She took a step closer and took her hands again. "We have to be smart about this."

"Smart!" Nephiah yelled. "Do you know what they have done?"

Brelyna had read the journal. She knew about the cold, calculating brutality Nephiah's captors had exercised. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like. And more importantly, she couldn't begin to imagine the things that were not detailed in the journal.

"My love..."

Looking into Brelyna's worried eyes, Nephiah's anger faded, yet the pain remained. Tears formed in her eyes.

"...we will end this, I swear to you."

A moment passed, Nephiah was torn, she still wanted to turn around.

The crowd behind them cheered yet again.

"Please...", Brelyna said, gently pulling her arm, begging her to follow.

Nephiah gave in.

The first public refuge was the inn. It was deserted, only the innkeeper stood at the counter.

They immediately proceeded to go upstairs to find a place to settle down. "Hey!", the woman yelled. "This isn't a shelter! Buy something or get out!"

They stopped.

"Ok?", Brelyna said annoyed, "Do you have pie?"

"Yes we do."

"Two slices then!" She turned to continue upwards.

"Gold up front!", the woman said harshly.

Brelyna moaned and angrily stormed to the counter. That woman was making the simple task of sitting down to calm her love insufferably difficult. "Here!" She slammed a fist full of coins on the counter, a lot more than needed.

The forceful gesture disarmed the innkeeper. "R-right away..."

Brelyna turned to Nephiah who was restlessly waiting for her on the steps, took her hand and led her to a table by the fire. Nephiah put her fists on the table surface and closed her eyes, trying to calm down.

Brelyna pulled a chair up beside her, sat down and put an arm around her. "You know what we'll do when this is all over? We'll move somewhere far away from the world of Man."

Nephiah looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "We'll build a house. Maybe on a lake. Imagine the quiet, you and I, sitting on the porch, overlooking a sunset that glitters red in the water..."

The image appeared in Nephiah's mind as clearly as if she was there, her heartbeat slowed down.

Brelyna sighed. "Do you see it? That must be what peace looks like."

They heard the door opening, footsteps of several people climbing the stairs. The event had come to an end.

"Hey!", the barkeep yelled, they looked towards the stairs. "Buy something or..."

"Not in a million years will I touch that sewer water you call spirits, Elda!"

"Bah!" Ambarys emerged from the stairwell and went straight for the couple, pulling up a seat, sitting down. He looked excited. "So." Both of them looked at him with confusion. "I saw you storm to the podium. That wouldn't happen to be the Nords with whom you don't want any trouble... 'yet'?" He grinned.

"None of your business." Brelyna tried to shut him down.

"Because if that's the case, those are a couple of very powerful Nords. The two that were standing behind Ulfric are even worse than he is!"

Nephiah looked up at him. When it came to the wizard, she could testify to that.

A Dunmer woman passed the table, carrying a lute, a big smile on her face. Ambarys got distracted. "Well if it isn't Luaffyn, the happiest Dunmer in Windhelm." He spit at her feet.

The smile on her face vanished, she continued to a corner, trying to ignore him.

"And all you had to do is betray your people! Your family!", he yelled after her. Then he looked back at the couple. "Excuse me." He got up and followed the bard.

Brelyna sighed again. "Yes. Very far away from here."

Nephiah squeezed her eyes shut.

A Nord in steel armor rushed past the table, it looked like he was trying to escape the well dressed Imperial that followed him. "No!", he yelled over his shoulder. "But you must know a few tales of nobility and courage! Look at you!"

"Listen. I do the deed, collect my gold, that's it."

"Alright? Gold for a tale then."

The Nord stopped and turned around. "You want to pay for my rambling on about killing bandits.", he said in disbelief.

"Yes!"

"...step right this way." They settled at a table in the back.

Nephiah closed her fists back up.

A man in a white apron came up the stairs, followed by the innkeeper. "I am not a servant, Elda! I cook, I keep the fire lit, that's all!"

"Please Nils, it's hard to find a replacement, I am trying!"

"Why don't you do it? All you do is stand at that counter all day." He placed two plates with pie in front of the couple. "Enjoy."

He turned back to the stairs, the innkeeper kept following him. "I have to keep an eye on the door, you know that! Never know when some grey skin tries to leave with something that doesn't belong to them!"

"Why don't you let me do that then?"

"I... I'd rather not."

"Then excuse me, I have wood to chop." The door downstairs slammed shut.

Brelyna monitored Nephiah closely, taking note of how it was increasingly difficult for her to tolerate all the commotion. "Maybe we should leave..."

A Nord walked up to them with disgust in his eyes.

Brelyna looked up at him, instantly feeling uneasy.

"I like to go to the Grey Quarter at night and let them Elves know what I think of them. Then I come here to wash off their stink!"

Nephiah opened her eyes and sized him up. Then she looked to her right. "Now?"

"No..." Brelyna whispered.

"Now you bring your stink here.", the Nord went on, "Where is a Nord to go to escape your filth!"

Brelyna gave off a short laugh in disbelief.

The look on Nephiah's face darkened. She looked to her right. "Now?"

"No!"

"But maybe I shouldn't escape.", said the Nord, "Maybe I should follow the example that Ulfric set and fight the unwanted, foreign rabble that invades our land." He made fists.

Upon registering the more aggressive stance, Nephiah's eyes formed slits, following his every movement.

"Leave me alone!"

The bard crossed the room, followed by Ambarys. "You sing songs of Nordic values like you believe them! You know what those values are?! Honor! Loyalty! The exact opposite of what you are doing here! And for what?! A warm body to lay with?!"

The bard stopped and turned around. "What?!"

"I have seen how you look at that blacksmith! A Nord through and through! And you debase yourself for her affections!"

"I... I don't believe what you just said!"

"More of you!", the Nord yelled towards them. "Isn't it enough that I have to put up with that bard every day?!"

"Well, you are welcome to come to my tavern at night, Rolff!", Ambarys yelled back. "See how big you feel then!"

Rolff pressed his lips together and turned back to the couple. He pulled a chair up and sat down.

Brelyna looked at him, expecting nothing good to follow, Nephiah was monitoring him closely.

His hand suddenly swung up and implanted a steel dagger deeply into the table. "How about we take this outside.", he said in a threatening tone of voice.

Nephiah looked to her right.

"All right.", Brelyna said, her irritation giving way to anger. "But only a little."

Without hesitation Nephiah reached over, grabbed Rolff's right wrist and pulled his arm to her side of the table, making his chest impact on the surface, his head smashing into a piece of pie. Holding the arm in place, she quickly stood up and pressed the side of his face down.

"There goes breakfast." Brelyna sighed with a half smile.

Nephiah moved her head down to his ear. "How about we do this right here."

The room quieted down, everybody looked at them.

"How dare you!", Rolff said, clearly in pain. "Do you know who I am?! Do you know who my brother is?!"

She pressed down a little harder, he gave off a short scream.

Brelyna looked around, trying to find the right time to tell her to stop. It wasn't the time yet, she did enjoy the show somewhat.

So did Ambarys who spontaneously began to applaud.

"Yes.", Nephiah said in a menacingly calm tone of voice. "I know exactly who you are. What you do. Seen it up close." She twisted the arm a little more, making him scream again. "You have hurt people. And you liked it. And you hide behind your brother to keep them afraid. Coward." She twisted the arm behind his back, the darkness in her eyes showed her intent. "Call him. Call your guards. Call your army. See if they stop me from killing..." She twisted the arm to the breaking point. "...you."

A deep crack sounded, he screamed unintelligibly. White puffs of steam formed in front of his nose.

Nephiah shuddered at the sudden drop in temperature, it was as cold as outside, even though they were close to the fire place. As she noticed the complete lack of noise in the room, she slowly looked up.

Wuunferth stood in front of her, absorbing every bit of heat around him. His dark, hooded robe covered his eyes in shadows but by the purple glow beneath she could tell, he was looking right at her.

She instantly let go of Rolff, getting into an upright position, taking a step back.

He wanted to retaliate right away but his movement froze as he noticed the Court Wizard behind him.

"Leave us.", he simply said.

Everybody complied. Rolff left for downstairs in a hurry, so did Ambarys. Everybody else turned away and tried hard to direct their attention elsewhere.

Brelyna stared at him, his presence terrified her.

Nephiah's stance showed she was ready to jump him at a moment's notice.

"Sit with me.", he said.

He held his right hand up, it began to emit an orange glow.

Nephiah lunged forward and pulled the dagger out of the table.

"A-a-ahh.", Wuunferth said, warning her. His left hand had formed a fist, emitting tiny sparks of lightning that ran up his arm.

Patrons looked over and instantly forced themselves to look away again.

"Let's talk like civilized people." Rolff's chair moved close to his right hand without him touching it.

Nephiah lowered the weapon slightly.

He sat down.

Combat scenarios were running through her mind. Having witnessed what he can do first hand, she wanted her armor, she wanted her swords. She slowly sat down as well.

"Why don't we all put our hands on the table so we have no secrets." He put his hands down in front of him, Brelyna hesitantly did the same.

Nephiah sat motionlessly, her every muscle tensed up. She received a gentle nudge from the side, reminding her to follow suit. She stuck the dagger into her belt and complied.

"C-can we help you?", Brelyna said after a moment of gathering courage.

He looked at her. "Hillevi's courier, are you? You did seem awfully interested in my craft."

"I don't know what you..."

"You can drop the act."

And so whatever courage she had gathered was gone, Brelyna fell silent.

He looked at Nephiah, saw the fire in her eyes. "I know you. One can see that aura of yours through walls. If one knows what to look for." His right hand began to glow again. A subtle wrist movement pulled the glove off Nephiah's left hand, exposing the branding.

Brelyna gasped, Nephiah's focus was thrown off kilter. She felt exposed, vulnerable, her demeanor shifting from aggressive to defensive. She covered the scar with her other hand.

"I knew you would come eventually.", he said in an eerie tone of voice that sounded like an elder and a younger man were talking simultaneously. "Funny you should find me this very day."

He produced a piece of paper from his pouch and placed it in front of him. "I have lived for a very long time. Do you know what I have found? There are no coincidences."

He stood up. "I suppose we have business to settle, you and I."

He hit the piece of paper with his index finger. "Midnight. Tonight."

He turned his back towards them and calmly headed towards the stairs.

Within a split second Nephiah had jumped to her feet, taken the dagger from her belt and hurled it towards his head. And no sooner had she sent the blade on its trajectory than he had raised his hand, making reverse course. Nephiah had to evade to the side to not get impaled herself, it eventually got stuck in a wall.

Wuunferth neither turned around nor stopped walking down the stairs. "Temper, temper, my child. Midnight will come soon enough." His voice returned to sounding like the old man he seemed to be. Eventually they heard the door downstairs open and close, the heat of the fire returned to the room.

Brelyna exhaled loudly, her tense stance collapsing the second she heard the door close. She had held her breath for a while. "Damnit."

Nephiah slowly sat back down, her eyes still locked onto the spot on the stairs where he had left her field of vision.

"Well." Brelyna took a deep breath. "So much for catching him off guard." She ran a hand over her eyes, trying to shake off the adrenalin rush, then looked at her warrior who was silently staring forward, tears forming in her eyes. She quickly reached across the table and picked up the piece of paper. It was a map, marking a location outside of Windhelm. "All right.", she said, "That. Is a trap." She stuffed it into her pouch.

Nephiah still didn't move.

She reached over and turned her head to place a gentle kiss onto her lips.

"Want to go get him?"

Nephiah's gaze switched from empty space in the distance to Brelyna's eyes right in front of her. And as if that was an instant infusion with energy, she stood up, put the glove back on and headed to the exit.

Brelyna took another deep breath and pushed herself to her feet. Her knees were still shaking. "M-hm.", she said to herself, nodding reaffirmingly. "We are going to die."