And here we go, chapter 8. I know, the suspense was killing you. Took a bit longer than i would have liked to get this out, but hopefully the chapter itself will make up for that.

As always, feel free to leave any and all feedback. Enjoy!

Winterhold's Finest

Chapter 8: Ghosts of Yesterday

"Well, would you look at that?" Tolfdir said, looking at what they had found. It was a large glowing orb, held suspended by some unseen force and shrouded in some kind of magical field. They descended the wooden stairs and walked up to the strange orb.

"I've never seen anything like this before. What could it be? And why is it buried so far beneath Saarthal?" Tolfdir said to himself.

Revan was about to reply when he heard growling behind him. Turning around, he saw a draugr that had been sitting on a small throne rising up from it. This one looked much stronger than those they had faced previously. Its helmet and armor seemed to be made of stronger materials, and it was glowing the same color as the orb.

"Certainly doesn't look happy to see us, does he?" Brelyna asked, fire forming in her hands. The draugr let out a growl, then charged at the mages. Brelyna launched a volley of firebolts it, hitting it in the chest multiple times.

But while the force of the bolts had stopped the momentum of the beast, no visible damage had been done. Rolling its shoulders, the draugr let out a raspy chuckle. "Alright, let's try this then." Revan said, stepping forward and releasing twin streams of lightning at the draugr.

Once again, while the lightning arced all across the draugr's body, no damage was done. Revan kept up the pressure, but as his magicka reserves ran out, the lightning began to fizzle out. Cutting off the streams, Revan quickly dodged the retaliatory swing from the draugr's sword.

"Nothing's working. How are we supposed to kill this thing?" Revan said, panting as he backed away.

Tolfdir looked over at the orb floating behind the draugr. "I have an idea. Keep it busy, and I'll try to drain its power." He said, moving towards the orb.

"Might be easier said than done." Revan said, drawing his sword as the draugr advanced towards him. Letting out another growl, the draugr raised its sword and brought down on Revan. Revan's blade clashed with the draugr's, and it took all his strength to keep it from taking his head off. The two struggled for several seconds, the two blades locked together.

But while the draugr was undead and thus never got tired, Revan had severely drained his strength when he tried frying the draugr. Slowly, Revan's blade was pushed back, even as he fought to hold it up. Sweat beaded on his brow as he struggled, but his arms were shaking slightly now, threatening to give out at any moment. Seeing his only option, Revan ducked under the draugr's blade and rolled away as it came crashing down.

Getting back on his feet, Revan swung his sword down on the draugr's back. He was stunned however when the blade was stopped just before connecting. Pulling the sword back, Revan swung again, this time intending to cut off the draugr's head. But once again, his sword was stopped just short of its target.

As Revan attempted a third strike, the draugr suddenly reached out and grabbed the sword blade. Revan tried to pull it back, but the draugr's grip was too strong. Letting out another raspy chuckle, the draugr ripped the sword from Revan's grasp, causing him to stumble forward. Before he could even think about fighting back, an undead hand grabbed his throat and hoisted him into the air.

Struggling in vain against the vice grip around his throat, Revan's vision began to grow dim. He thought he could hear Brelyna shouting his name, but he wasn't able to respond. As his vision darkened, he saw the draugr's face before him.

"Nu, dir sahlo fahliil." {Now, die puny elf} The draugr said in its raspy voice as its grip tightened. Revan's world turned black….

The next thing Revan knew, he was on the ground, gasping desperately for air. Still figuring out what happened, he saw that the draugr crumpled in a heap in front of him, his sword embedded in its back. He felt someone kneel down next to him and check him for injuries.

"Revan, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Brelyna asked nervously, still checking for injuries.

Revan had to cough a couple times before he could speak. "Yeah, I'm fine, I think." He said hoarsely. He coughed again. "Is it finally dead?" he said, gesturing to the draugr.

Brelyna nodded. "Yes, I think it is. Tolfdir was able to drain some of the orb's power, which seemed to weaken it. And as you can see, I had to borrow your sword."

Tolfdir joined the two apprentices and helped Brelyna pull Revan to his feet. "Are you alright my boy?"

Revan nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for weakening that thing when you did. I'd have been a goner otherwise." Looking over at the orb floating before them, he continued, "So, anyone have any idea what this thing might be, or what it might be doing here?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen anything like it before." Tolfdir said, walking over to the orb. "I don't recognize these designs at all, but I will say that whatever this thing is, it's fascinating. Who knows what it might be, or what it might do."

Tolfdir turned to Brelyna and Revan, who was now standing on his own. "I don't dare leave this unattended. If you two could please get back to the College and inform the Arch-Mage of what we've found, I will find Arniel and we'll see if this thing can be moved."

Revan nodded. "Sure, we'll let the Arch-Mage know." He moved towards the door behind the orb, moving stiffly due his battle with the draugr. He opened the door, revealing another torch lit passage. After a short walk, they emerged into a small chamber. The floor was overgrown with weeds, and dominating the room was a wall with strange carvings on it.

Revan approached the wall curiously, not sure what the carvings were. They were nothing he had ever seen before, almost as though whoever carved them had used claws to do so. As Revan got closer though, he thought he heard some kind of chanting, but as though from a distance. His head began to hurt the closer he got, so he stepped back. As he did so, the chanting stopped and his head stopped hurting.

"Are you sure you're alright Revan?" Brelyna asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Revan said. "Did you hear something just now?"

Brelyna shook her head. "No, I didn't hear anything. You're sure you're alright?" she said, still sounding concerned.

Revan thought for a minute. "Yeah, I'm sure. Come on, we should get back to the Arch-Mage."

Continuing past the strange wall, Revan and Brelyna came across another iron door. Opening it, they found themselves back in the excavation area. Ahead, they could see several figures looking around. As they got closer, Revan could see that they had found Tom, Onmund, and J'Zargo. An idea came to him, and he motioned for Brelyna to stay quiet. She gave him a confused look, but when she saw the mischievous look in his eyes, she understood.

Revan pulled out his bow and strung an arrow. Aiming very carefully, he waited until Tom had stopped to examine a chest lying on the ground. Revan released the arrow, which whizzed past Tom and hit the wall in front of him. With a surprised yell, Tom whipped around and summoned his wolf spirit. Stepping out of the darkness, Revan tried his hardest to stifle his laughter as Tom realized who had shot at him.

"Revan, why….you….you….." Tom stammered, unable to find an appropriate insult.

Revan walked up to Tom, tapping him on the chest with his bow. "We're even. For now." He said, laughing at the shocked expression still on his friend's face.

Tom stared at Revan for a moment, then began laughing. "I guess you got me Rev. Looks like I have my work cut out for me." Pausing to wipe his eye, he continued, "So how did you two get here? You were on the other side of the ruins."

"Long story, I'll have to fill you in later. Right now, Brelyna and I need to get back to the College. You might want to head back through that door and see if Tolfdir needs any help." Revan said, gesturing to the door he had come from.

Tom nodded, though with a confused look on his face. "Alright, I guess you can fill me in later. But what might Tolfdir need help with? What did you guys find?"

Revan shook his head. "We'll talk later. See you back at the College." He said as he began walking out of the chamber, Brelyna right behind him.

Tom turned back to Onmund and J'Zargo. "Well, might as well go see what they found, eh?"

Onmund nodded. "Must be something really important for them to go back to the College. Maybe they're going to get the Arch-Mage?"

Tom shrugged. "Guess we'll find out. Come on guys."

"By the way, do you think the bet is still on?" Onmund asked as they opened the door leading back to Tolfdir.

….

The trip back to the College was thankfully uneventful, which Revan was ok with as he was still hurting from his encounter with the draugr guarding the strange orb. The sun was beginning to set as they crossed the bridge into the College, and the wind was picking up. He and Brelyna reached the main gate, which opened for them.

"I'm glad made it back safely. Why don't you go on ahead and find the Arch-Mage? I'll take our stuff back to our rooms, and then I'll join you, alright?" Brelyna said as they walked inside.

Revan nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan." He said as he handed her his bow and quiver. She took them and headed to the dorms, while Revan crossed the courtyard to the Hall of Elements.

Revan pulled open the doors leading to the Hall, and was immediately sent flying back as someone rushed outside. Revan hit the ground heavily, and in a slight daze looked around for the one who had run into him. Lying near him was one of the senior apprentices, but Revan did not recognize him.

Groaning and clutching his head, the apprentice looked over at Revan. "Don't you know to watch where you're going?" He said.

Revan got up gingerly, the aches from his fight in Saarthal returning full force once more. "I could say the same to you." He said, holding out a hand to the apprentice.

The apprentice accepted the hand grudgingly, and with Revan's help stood up. "Well, I suppose I could have been a bit more careful. Thanks." He said, brushing the snow off his robes.

Revan saw that the apprentice had dropped a bag, and its contents had spilled out onto the snow. "Here, let me get those for you." He said, scooping up several books and putting them back into the bag. As he did so, he noticed that several of them were very old, and looked quite valuable.

Pulling the drawstring tight, Revan held the bag out to the apprentice. "Here you are. Hope none of these are damaged; some of them look very valuable." But as the apprentice reached for the bag, Revan heard a distant voice behind him.

"Orthorn! Where did you run off to? I swear, by Malacath, I will find you." The voice said. Revan recognized it as the voice of Urag Gro'Shub, the Orc librarian. Realizing where the book had come from, Revan pulled his hand back.

"What are you doing? Give those to me!" Orthorn said, who was starting to panic. "Quick, before that old fool gets out here!"

Revan shook his head as he drew his sword. "I don't think so. These belong to the Arcaneum, and I won't let you take them." He pointed his sword at Orthorn. "But if you turn around and leave right now, I may delay Urag long enough for you to disappear."

Orthorn looked like he was about to attack Revan, but with Urag not far behind, his courage failed him. "Fine, just take them. This isn't worth the trouble. Just please, keep him busy for a few minutes."

Revan nodded, and Orthorn turned and fled out of the courtyard. Revan put his sword back in its sheath and turned back just as Urag burst out of the Hall.

"You! Where has that miserable Orthorn gotten to?" he said angrily, two Storm Atronachs close behind him.

Revan held up the bag of books. "I'm sorry sir, but he got away. He did leave this behind however. Is this what you are looking for?"

Urag grunted. "More like let him get away. Probably for the best though, or at least best for him." Urag held out a hand, and Revan gave him the bag. "At least you managed to get these back. Some of these are priceless. Now, if you'll excuse me." The Orc said as he turned and walked back into the Hall, the Atronachs trailing behind like faithful dogs.

Revan shook his head in mild amusement before following the librarian into the Hall. Once inside, he turned left and ascended the stairs leading to the Arch-Mage's quarters. At the top was a wooden door. Revan approached it and knocked.

After a few seconds, he heard a voice inside say, "Come in."

Revan opened the door and stepped inside. Looking around, he had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. The Arch-Mage's quarters were very spacious; bookshelves lined one side and were filled with all manner of books and scrolls. Looking around, Revan saw Savos Aren sitting at a desk with a book in his hands.

"Ah, Revan, good to see you again. What can I do for you?" Savos said, closing the book he had been reading.

"Sir, I've just come from the Saarthal excavation, and while we were there, we found something." Revan replied.

Savos stood up from his chair. "Yes, I remember that Tolfdir said he was taking the junior apprentices there today. Well, what did you find? I assume it must be something important."

Revan thought for a moment on how to describe the orb they had found. "Well sir, we're not really sure what we've found. It's some kind of large orb that was surrounded by an energy field. We were able to lower the field and gain access to the orb, but we really have no idea what it is or what it does."

Savos stroked his beard in thought. "Hmm, well, that certainly sounds like it could be something important. Is Tolfdir still in Saarthal?" When Revan nodded, Savos turned towards his wardrobe and pulled out a small pack. "Then I shall leave at once. You did well in getting back here so quickly Revan. Thank you for this information." Turning back to Revan, he continued, "Now, it's getting late, and you look exhausted. Go get some rest, and tomorrow I would like you to go to the Arcaneum and find out anything you can on this orb. Ask Urag if you need assistance."

Revan gave a short bow to the Arch-Mage. "Of course sir, I will." Stifling a yawn, Revan followed the Arch-Mage back down the stairs and out into the courtyard.

They had just passed the Hall of Attainment when Savos stopped and turned to Revan. "Oh, I almost forgot. While you were gone, a courier dropped off a package for you. I believe it's currently in your room."

Revan nodded. "Um, ok, I guess I'll go see what it is. Stay safe sir." He said. With a nod and smile, the Arch-Mage walked out of the College.

Confused as to what might have been sent to him, Revan opened the door into the dorms. He hadn't really thought about it until now, but he was immensely tired. I'm just glad this day will be over soon he thought as he made his way to his room. Yawning again, he opened the door and stepped inside. Sure enough, sitting on his bed was a small chest. Walking over to it, he saw a letter was sitting on top of the chest. His confusion growing, Revan picked up the letter and opened it.

Dear Mr. Revan Midley,

I hope this letter finds you well. I admit, I wasn't exactly sure where I might find you. I hired several different couriers to deliver this to you, but none of them could find you. I had one last idea however, when I remember you mentioning you might one day attend the College of Winterhold.

Several months ago, while cleaning out the attic of your father's shop to accommodate a new expansion, I came across this chest. I am not sure if you left it behind intentionally or if you merely overlooked it, but I thought it best to return it to you as soon as I could. I am not sure what might be inside as I did not wish to intrude if it is something private, but it appears to be quite old.

I hope you are well, and if you are enrolled in the College, I hope your studies are going well. Please do come visit someday; you are always welcome.

Warmest regards,

Ra'Mhirr

Editor, Black Horse Courier

Revan smiled as he read the letter, tears forming in his eyes. I'll come visit one day Ra'Mhirr, I promise. Folding the letter and replacing it in its envelope, Revan studied the chest. It was indeed very old, much older than him. He didn't recognize the designs that covered it, nor the inscriptions carved into the top. He was about to open it when there was a knock.

"Revan, are you in there? It's Brelyna."

Wiping his eyes hastily, Revan opened the door, revealing Brelyna and Tom standing outside.

"Come on now, I know you missed me, but you don't have to cry about it." Tom said, noticing the tear marks on Revan's face.

"What can I say? I was hoping you weren't coming back, but I guess I'm stuck with you for a while longer." Revan said with feigned frustration, causing Tom to laugh.

Brelyna let out an exaggerated sigh. "Sometimes I can't tell when you two are joking or not."

"The sign of a good friendship." Tom replied with a smile. Turning back to Revan, he continued, "So really Rev, what is it?"

Revan beckoned them inside and closed the door behind them. "I got a letter and this chest from Ra'Mhirr. He said he was cleaning out the attic of the shop when he found it, and figured I should have it."

"Ra'Mhirr, huh? How is that furball? Still writing that paper?" Tom said with an amused look on his face.

"Seems to be, at least from his signature. Didn't really say much though." Revan said, turning to the chest. "I was just about to open it."

Brelyna walked over to the chest to examine it. "I've never seen symbols like these before. What do you think they are?" she said, tracing some of the symbols with a finger.

Revan shrugged. "No idea. This must have been something my father had, or maybe my mother." He said, the last few words trailing off as he continued to stare at the chest.

Tom reached out and put a hand on Revan's shoulder. "You alright Rev?" Revan nodded, but continued staring at the chest. "Come on, I'll help you open it." Tom said, putting a hand on one side of the lid. Revan did the same on the other side, and after exchanging a look, they opened the chest.

A musty smell filled the room, along with some dust that had been disturbed by the lid opening. Waving his hand over the chest to clear the dust, Revan pulled out the contents. A leather tunic and pants took up one side of the chest. They were clearly very old, and seemed to have gone through numerous repairs. Most of the leather was black, but various parts were a deep scarlet color, giving it a sinister look. There were also several pouches attached to the belt and a full hood on the tunic. Setting it aside, Revan dug out the rest of the contents. Several old letters, a couple of journals, and a matching pair of daggers came out, which Revan laid out on his bed. Many of the letters were so old the ink had faded to the point of them being illegible. The journals had fared much better, with only minor wear on the covers. Revan flipped one open to look inside the cover. Written in the corner were the words Varis Midley.

"Well, that confirms my suspicion about this stuff belonging to my dad." Revan said, flipping forward to a random page.

Turdas-

Kill went well. That old Breton never saw it coming. Snuck into his house, waited until he finished his shift in the mines, and slit his throat as he slept. Another soul joins the Dread Father. I plan to take some time off after this contract; a vacation sounds like a good idea to me right now.

Revan almost dropped the book when he finished the passage, the blood draining from his face. Tom finished shortly after Revan did, and he too was very pale. "Revan, I don't suppose your father mentioned he was in the Dark Brotherhood, did he?"

Unable to speak, Revan shook his head. Dropping the journal onto his bed, he fell into his chair, his face in his hands.

"I always looked up to him. He taught me just about everything I know." Revan said, his voice muffled by his hands. "He never did give me a straight answer whenever I asked him where he learned all his various skills, or what he did before he opened the shop. I guess I know now."

Brelyna walked over and knelt down next to Revan. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this Revan. I can't even begin to imagine how you must feel." She said quietly.

Revan was silent for several seconds before speaking again. "If it's alright with you two, I think I'd like to be alone."

Brelyna nodded. "If that's what you want, we'll leave you be. Come on Tom, let's give him some space." Patting his arm, she stood up and left the room, Tom right behind her. They closed the door and walked down the hallway towards their respective rooms. "I wish I could say something, anything, to make things better, but I don't even know where to start." She said, looking back towards Revan's room.

Tom sighed. "Me neither. I'm at a loss right now. I think he just needs some time to come to terms with everything. I may try talking to him tomorrow." He turned back to Brelyna. "Anyway, it's getting late. Good night Brelyna." He said, as he walked into his room and closed the door.

Brelyna stood in the hallway for a while after Tom's door closed, still looking towards Revan's door. I'm so sorry Revan. I wish there was something I could say or do to make things better she thought. Letting out a sigh, she went into her own room. I just need to let him know that I'm there for him, if he needs me. I'll make sure he gets through this.

…

Revan sat with his head in his hands for what seemed like ages, his thoughts in turmoil. Why hadn't his father ever told him about his past life? Sure, he might have reacted in a similar way, but at least they could have talked about it and things might turn out for the good. Now though, with his father long gone, Revan was left to suffer on his own.

Finally coming to a decision, Revan stood up and walked over to the chest. He picked up the stack of letters and threw them inside. Closing the journal he had been reading, he dropped it along with its companion into the chest as well. He grabbed the tunic and pants and stuffed them in as well. The only thing remaining were the daggers, and as Revan was about to drop them in, he hesitated. Maybe these will come in handy one day. Even though they were used by a murderer, maybe some good can come from them he thought, putting the daggers back on the bed.

With everything back in the chest, Revan picked it up and carried it outside. He crossed the courtyard and went out onto the bridge. The drop down to the sea below would more than likely kill anyone who fell, so Revan was extremely careful not to slip. Setting the chest down, he conjured up flames into his hands and set the chest on fire. When it was well-lit, Revan carefully pushed it over the edge of the bridge, and watched it fall until it landed in the sea. Satisfied with the results, Revan walked back into the dorms and into his room. Putting the daggers into the nightstand next to his bed, he disrobed and climbed into bed. Sleep soon overcame him, and he drifted off into his dreams.

Thanks goes to the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages ( ) for the Draconic language.