~ Chapter 9 ~

Dragon Rising

Luz squared her shoulders and helped Eda to her feet, not taking her eyes off Sanguine as he meandered around the dais, toward the steps, tossing the draugr's head back and forth between them.

"You're a crap juggler," she said, flexing her fingers around the mace.

"Luz," Eda muttered, cautionary.

But Sanguine laughed, taking the steps in a bound and a skip, horns sprouting from his head, his robes turning from shimmering purple cloth to ruddy-black leather, a golden amulet melting into existence around his neck as the handsome face turned red and black, like a bruise, golden eyes gleaming as the short dark hair turned into long, molten tresses of obsidian.

Bare feet softly padded across the burned stones, and the floral scent of mead and wine seemed to echo from the very edges of the room, a hint of flutes and harps just behind his voice.

"You're not wrong," he said, leaning down from a now towering nine-foot, muscular frame. "Not a talent befitting a Prince, you see."

He handed her the head, already shrinking into a grotesque wooden ball, carved into the shape of a skull, yet perfectly balanced.

His smile made her feel light-headed, and her skin prickled again.

"More of a… peasant's frivolity, don't you agree?"

"What do you want, Sanguine?" Eda demanded, pulling Luz behind her.

"Eda, my old party pal," Sanguine laughed, throwing his arms wide. "Can't I take an interest in an old friend's pupil?"

"Since when do you care about anything that isn't lewd and drunk?"

"Such a low opinion of an old friend." Sanguine made a show of peering over Eda's shoulder at Luz. "Don't worry, Lady of Owls. My interest is purely selfish. Go on, Luz. Claim your prize."

Eda made to speak but a spark of green energy flickered over her from Sanguine's pinched fingers. She grasped her throat, soundlessly sputtering at him.

"Shush. Let her make her own choices."

Luz glanced at the tomb where the ancient Nordic chieftain had been interred. Inside, a linen-wrapped slab of stone rested, shoved to the side when the draugr had released itself.

She reached in and scooped it up, tucking the mace into her belt. Turning back to the Prince and Eda, Luz started as Sanguine was beaming at her, inches from her face.

"Congratulations, Lucaeda Noctis. You've won!"

"No thanks," Luz said, pushing by him.

"What?"

Luz stood in front of Eda, clutching the dragonstone to her chest. "I said no thanks."

Sanguine drew himself to his full height, looking down his sharp nose at her. "No?"

"No, thank you."

"Who do you think you are?"

"Someone who isn't afraid to be a puddle." She gripped the magelight staff from over her shoulder. "Because with Eda as my rain, I can make a decent-sized pond. Maybe even a lake."

Sanguine's lip curled. "That… is a horrid analogy." He snapped his fingers and the staff in Luz's hands warped and twisted, the amber crystal turning to a bloody-red rosebud.

"You're nothing without a staff. Might as well use mine."

Luz dropped the staff. "I said no."

"We had a deal."

"Okay, so if it's mine, that also means that it's mine to not accept. Besides," she said, grinning at Eda. "It was never my intent to take your staff, nor use it."

"But you have." Sanguine's pleasant smile had faded. "You used the staff to win, like I knew you could. Like you had to."

"No, Prince Sanguine. I used wits and courage - and a mace."

There was a tense silence before Sanguine's curled lip dispersed into a laugh. "I'd expect nothing less from an apprentice of Eda's." A long, clawed finger lifted her chin so that she was forced to look down her nose at him. "The defiance, the arrogance…"

His breath was like honey liquor or spiced rum - she couldn't tell - but there was a hint of malice to his tone that somehow made her think of blood.

He held her chin like that, drawing closer until his eyes filled her whole vision. She couldn't look away, and the overwhelming presence of the Daedra started to feel like her lungs were filling with water.

"Wine," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. "They're filling with wine, mortal girl. A deal with a Daedra - a Prince - is not so lightly tossed aside."

She couldn't move, and Luz felt her already rapid heartbeat start to pound in her ears.

"I could kill both of you now, disrespectful little snipes that you are…"

She couldn't see straight. The weight in her lungs made her want to choke, to vomit, something, anything to get it out.

But she couldn't move.

Sanguine's hand wrapped around her neck, fingers like sun-warmed iron, tightening. "But then… I wouldn't be able to witness the strife and triumphs you cause. I'd be a terrible audience member if I killed all the actors, hmm?"

Just as it had felt like it lasted forever, the weight in Luz's chest left her, his fingers gone from her throat and the handsome man with dark hair stood before her, horns gone, staff in hand.

"Fine," he said, dismissively. "I'll look after your prize. There will be a day when you need it. Just beg for my aide, and it will appear to you." He turned and started walking back the way he'd come. "I so look forward to seeing it. Until then, eat! Drink! Praise my mercy… and my curiosity, Little Puddle."

And with that he was gone, stepping through a portal of purple and red fire, the sound of music and laughter vanishing with him.

"Luz?" Eda asked, her voice returning. "Are you alright?"

Luz nodded. "Yup."

She doubled over and vomited, knees shaking.

Eda nodded and rubbed her back. "Just remember, kid. He's one of the pleasant ones."

Luz looked up at the moons through the pine trees as she and Eda walked through the forest at the foot of the mountain. The builder's secret tunnel at the back of the tomb had led them to the clear opposite side of the barrow from Riverwood, but without any camping gear, the night was a bit too cold for it to be wise to stay.

"I can hear you thinking," Eda said, not bothering to look over her shoulder. "Care to share?"

Luz sighed. "I… have so many questions."

"It's too late for that," Eda snorted. "Maybe tomorrow."

"No, that's fine. I'm not sure I'm ready to ask some of them, let alone hear the answers."

"Wisest thing you've said," Eda said, holding for a step so the pair could walk together. "But I think we can both manage one."

"Why didn't this do anything?" Luz held up the amulet of Kyne from around her neck, eyes misty. "Mami always said the Divine's looked out for us. But now… I'm not so sure. Papi died of a sickness that would never heal. The priest called it a Daedric Curse, but Papi didn't… he was just a scout for the Legion, long before he had me. Mami was the healer, but nothing she ever did helped. Why would he be cursed?

"And now that I think about it, she stopped wearing her amulet after he died and…"

Eda let Luz fall into silence, letting the girl to her feelings for a moment while her own thoughts wandered back to Valenwood, and the old cottage in Summerset.

"A lot of people," she said at length. "Never meet a true Daedra, let alone a Prince of Oblivion. Many pray to them, or ask them for things, and with the right offerings, sometimes they get those things. But there is always a cost.

"He could feel your desire for power. Not in an egotistic way, just your desire to help. He loves corrupting the best intentions. Keep in mind, it's not malice. That's Calvicus's domain. No, like Sheogorath, he's just a supremely powerful immortal entity with nothing better to do than screw with the rest of us.

"The Divines gave up all their power to give us this." She knelt and plucked a flower from the dirt, handing it to Luz. "They don't have a lot left, but work subtly with what they have. Daedra still have all their power, and many abuse it just like any mortal in their place would.

"She did protect you. She gave you courage."

Luz sniffed and smiled. "Thanks, Eda."

"Don't mention it." The witch forced a scowl. "I mean it. Not a word. Or I'll eat your tongue."

Luz laughed and grabbed Eda around the waist in a crushing hug.

"No, ew," Eda said, trying to push Luz away. "Get off. What is this? Stop it!"

They rose late to join the other villagers around the inn's fire - many too hungover to give Eda more than a polite nod and wide berth - and after getting some bread and apples for the way back to Whiterun, set off northward again.

Martin complained bitterly about not getting to go with them to the barrow but cheered up a bit when Luz let him swing her mace around.

"What would your mother say?" Eda asked, skipping out of the way of Martin as he ran circles around them, mace above his head, chasing imaginary scamps. "Giving a weapon to a child?"

"A tomb-robbed enchanted mace," Luz emphasized, before snickering. "Probably wouldn't approve in any case. Mami hated violence. Didn't stop her from using one of her clogs to beat up this bard who kept flirting with me though."

"Sounds like my kind of lady," Eda said. She paused for a minute. "In my experience, those who are capable of violence and dislike it are some of the most dangerous people out there. Means they've committed it before and have chosen not to do it again."

"My Mami?" Luz waved Eda away. "Not a chance. She met Papi in the Legion when she was a healer. They both gave it up to run an inn when they had me."

Eda just hummed, but let it alone.

Rounding the bend in the road, passing the meadery, Eda and Luz spied black smoke roiling up from a tower down the road.

"Wonder what happened there?" Luz asked, bending down to pick up Martin and give him a piggyback ride.

"Nasty-looking fire," Eda muttered. "Could be anything really. Stormcloaks finally making their move on Whiterun, or just some sod who tipped the oil in the fire instead of water. In any case, not our concern. We get this dragonstone to Ol'Gruffy and Whats-his-name, and then we leave."

"Okay, Eda," Luz said, but her eyes couldn't leave the smoke and her worry remained.

Making their way through Whiterun, there was a strange tension for the day after such festivities. Though Eda chalked it up to the city having too much to drink last night, Luz couldn't shake the feeling that something was hanging over them, and she kept glancing skyward.

"What are you looking at?" Martin asked, having looked with her each time she'd done it, as they climbed the last of the steps to Dragonsreach.

"Just… bad feeling."

"No more bad feelings," he said, scrambling down from her back. "And no more leaving me behind. I miss all the fun stuff."

"I gave you that ball."

"Yeah, but it's not actually the guy's head, Luz."

"But it is."

"But not really."

"Yes, really. He shrunk it down and everything."

"Hush it, you two," Eda said, crossing the bridge. "Not a word about our little misadventure to anyone inside."

Luz and Martin nodded but kept arguing - albeit, vaguely - as Eda sighed and stalked up to the guardsman at the door. "Oi, no lollygagging!"

The guard - who'd been almost asleep on his feet - jumped, spear coming to the ready.

"Gods, don't do that."

"Stefan?" Eda recognized his voice but wasn't sure if she should be wary or not. The young man had always been a jovial guard, if a bit of a stickler for orders. "Well, glad to see you survived Helgen."

"You too," Stefan said. "Hey little guy," he nodded to Martin. "And not so little or a guy." He nodded to Luz who smiled politely and glanced at Eda for a cue.

"What are you doing here?" Eda asked, gesturing to his fresh yellow Whiterun Guard uniform.

"Well, it's a long story-"

"Short version," Eda said. "I'm not interested but I am curious."

"Fair enough," Stefan replied. "Well, got out of Helgen with Hadvar. Fought a bear. Got laid up in Riverwood for a day or two then came here. Got stationed at the Western Guard tower, Hadvar headed to Solitude, then a dragon hit us this morning. Ran here with another two - one didn't make it, other is inside talking to the Jarl."

"I said the short version," Eda said, frowning.

"What do you mean, a dragon?" Luz asked, shock overriding any concern for who Stefan was and why he knew Eda. "Like, a big black one?"

"Nah," Stefan said. "Didn't get a great look at it. Just ran. Starting to rethink this whole guard thing if there's going to be dragons about. Pay's good though." He cocked his head at Luz. "Hey, you actually seem kind of familiar. Are you from Helgen?"

"Ah, nope," Luz said, but didn't have to worry about any other explanations as Eda grabbed her arm and hauled her inside. "Okay, nice to meet you, bye!"

"Balgruuf," Eda yelled, storming up the stairs to the great hall. "I've got your damned stone. I need to get going."

Balgruuf, looking as if he had gotten no sleep, or had slept in his regalia, glanced up from a map rolled out on the table, surrounded by Proventus, Irileth, Farengar, and a Nord who looked like a younger and angrier Balgruuf.

"Eda, good. I have another request of you-"

"Not a snowball's chance in Oblivion," Eda snarled. She gripped the dragonstone and hefted it onto the table. "We almost got killed getting that, and we aren't-"

Balgruuf slammed his hand down on the map. "People are in danger, Edalyn! Do you think I like asking you for help? All the great Nordic heroes of the age are spilling each other's blood over a pointless feud, and so I have to make do with vagabonds like you. But that doesn't change the fact that you're capable, and right now I need that to save my people."

"What happened?" Luz asked, ignoring Eda's fuming. "Stefan said something about a dragon attack?"

"Another one," Irileth said. "Early this morning with the sunrise. Out of the mountains by all reports." She paused, mouth thin and eyes raking. "I'm loathed to agree with you on this, my Jarl. But she does have the most experience with these dragons."

"Besides the guy at your front door?" Luz was incredulous. "I barely escaped with my life."

"Arguable," Eda said. "I'm a pretty good healer."

"What?"

"Relax, I'm joking." Eda leveled a finger at Balgruuf. "But I'm not joking with you. No."

"I'll pay you."

"How much?"

"Eda!" Luz asked, her incredulity spreading. "Really?"

"He offered."

"But people are in danger!"

"If anyone is left," Eda said, inspecting her nails. "Look, this isn't getting some measly stone from some old dead guy, this is a living embodiment of fire and spite. That sort of complication costs you."

"We'll talk about it," Balgruuf said, standing, ignoring Proventus' sputtering. "I don't have much in the way of gold. But I might have other things to offer you, that might be of more interest to a mage of your caliber. If-" he held up a finger, locking eyes with Eda over the table. "If you defeat the dragon."

"Deal," Eda said, spitting into her hand and offering it to Balgruuf. "But I get to keep its bones."

Balgruuf spat into his own hand - making Proventus and Luz cringe - and clasped Eda's. "You can have the whole carcass, as long as it's dead and no longer setting fire to my Hold."

Irileth marched away from the table. "I'll meet you by the front gates," she called over her shoulder to Eda. "I need to get my men ready."

Luz took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Alright. Let's go."

"No way, kid," Eda said, taking Luz by the shoulders. "And don't think I'm not above asking Balgruuf to lock you two up until I come back."

"But, Eda, you don't know what they're like."

"I watched it torch Helgen just like you did-"

"Eda?" Martin asked, making both Luz and Eda realize that he had been standing behind them. "Are… you going to be okay?"

"Of course I am," Eda said, grinning. "I'm the most powerful witch in Skyrim. While that dragon is chomping on those lunkheads, I'll get him with some lightning. Be back for tea and cakes this afternoon."

"Well… I'm coming too," Martin said, squaring his shoulders and drawing the small dagger at his waist. "You're not leaving me behind again."

"Martin," Eda said, kneeling down to his level. "This is too dangerous for you."

"But you always say how grownup I am."

"And I mean it," Eda said, as her hand tousled his hair. "But this is too dangerous, even for Luz." She locked Luz with a pointed gaze. "Isn't it."

"Y-yeah," Luz said, trying not to show her own internal conflict. "I mean, I've already faced a dragon. Not something I'm too eager to repeat."

"See? She'll look after you while I deal with this." Eda stood and grinned at them. "Come on. Such dour faces. I'll be fine. Besides, the old lizard has probably moved on already."

"You think it's moved on?" Eda asked Irileth, the pair of elves eyeing the watchtower from behind a rock.

"No way to be sure," Irileth said, gesturing to two of her five soldiers. "You two, over that hill there and get down. Ready to fire if you see it and move if it comes for you. We've got a lot of open ground here. Best chances are to keep moving."

"Yes, Housecarl," the pair said and moved off at a low run.

Eda rolled her eyes. "What's a nice Dunmer like you doing here, working for that old sod anyway? I've always wondered."

Irileth's red eyes glanced at Eda for a moment, before flicking back to the tower. "I have loyalty to my friends, witch. More than I can say for you. I respect the Jarl's decision to recruit you for this. Your magical talents are well known.

"But do not mistake that for approval. You and your kind have done more harm than good-"

"My kind, huh?" Eda bristled. "I don't have to be here, you know."

Irileth sighed, jaw clenched. "I meant 'mercenary' types. Only out for themselves. Never to see the value of loyalty and forthrightness."

"Oh, yeah. Much less insulting."

"Prove me wrong then." Irileth peered over the rock again, from beside the road. "I see someone moving in the tower. Maybe survivors. You three, with me. Witch," she tightened her jaw. " I know better than to give you orders. Mind my men, protect them if you can. But no matter what, bring that dragon down, understood?"

Eda smirked. "Just don't slow me down."

She made her way around the other side of the rock, making sure she cast her stoneskin spell. Could never be too careful.

The tower had seen better days, but didn't look worse than being a bit burned out, some of the walls crumbled in. It was hard to say if it was from the dragon or if it was just not well maintained.

As she drew closer, a man suddenly appeared from the doorway to the tower itself, ducking low and keeping his eyes skyward.

"No," he hissed, waving wildly at her. "Get back. It's still around here somewhere, in the clouds!"

Irileth appeared from behind a chunk of masonry, scrabbling over the rocks. "What do you mean, guardsman? What direction?"

There was a howling roar, echoing through the mountains, and the guardsman spun, eyes wide. "Kynareth save us! Here he comes again!"

"Steel yourselves," Irileth yelled, drawing her sword, a gleam of magic in her hand. "Where are your archers, guardsman?"

Eda didn't wait to hear about arrows. From what she'd seen at Helgen, steel wasn't going to do much, but neither was fire.

That left two elements at her command that might be of use.

Shoving by the guard, she bounded up the stairs to the top of the tower, just in time to see the shadow of the thing break through the clouds and swoop down the mountainside toward them.

"Alright, Stormy," she said, planting her staff and spinning, quickly chalking together a runic circle of summoning. "We'll call this even."

Thunder cracked as she planted her staff and the circle glowed with blue-purple light before a bolt of lightning bounded up her staff, through her arms, and up into the clouds, darkening them and spreading like a stain of ink.

Shaking off the feeling, Eda vanished her staff and grabbed two straggling crackles of lightning. Planting her feet, she held the lightning together, waiting for the dragon to come closer.

"Should we be doing this?" Martin asked, following Luz close behind as they both followed Eda, Irileth, and the troop of guards down the road to the watchtower.

"I just want to make sure she's alright," Luz said, fingering the pommel of the mace in her belt. "Besides, hiding from a dragon out here is a better choice than in a city."

"I guess," Martin said, likewise playing with the pommel of his dagger. "You really think she'll be okay?"

"What are you talking about?" Luz said, trying to hide her own worry under a poor mask of bravado. "She's the most powerful witch in-"

"Yeah, yeah, but that's against people." Martin stopped, kicking a rock ideally across the road. "This is… you know? A dragon? Where did they even come from? Two in a couple of weeks? The last well-known one was the giant avatar of Akatosh, in the Third Era. And that wasn't even a real dragon. And it was on our side."

"Hey, Martin," Luz said, turning to him and kneeling down. "Your mom is an amazingly powerful lady. She delt with Daedric Princes. What's a dragon to that?"

"Huh, yeah," Martin said, his face brightening with hope, grasping for a sense of stability. "She is a terrifying person."

"That she is," Luz agreed, unsure if she was just trying to convince herself or not.

Her sentence was punctuated with a roar that made them both spin towards the tower, quickly followed by a clap of thunder and a strike of lightning from the tower to the clouds.

"Come on," Luz said, waving Martin to follow her. "Let's get to that treeline and out of the way."

Eda let the lightning fly as the dragon soared toward her, quickly channeling further magicka into a ward as the dragon took the hit and opened its mouth.

A gout of flame engulfed Eda, battering against her magical shield before abating, the dragon soaring overhead. The sky wasn't dark enough yet. She needed more time.

"Hey!" she yelled, arching two more bolts of fire at the dragon as he banked, turning toward the tower again. "Come on you over-grown Argonian. You want a fight?"

"Balaan paal? Zu'u fen du hin sil, kor lir."

"Oh, that didn't sound good," Eda muttered.

The dragon had finished its turn, arrows going wide or glancing off its scales, and they let out a terrible screaming roar, letting loose a firestorm across the ground, sending the guards scurrying for cover.

The tower shook as the dragon landed on it, great claws sinking into the stone, cracking the bulwarks.

Eda glanced over the side long enough to hurl a bolt of lightning down at it, then threw herself backward as the snake-like head snapped up at her.

"Come on, Stormy," she snarled, grabbing her staff and planting it, ward shimmering to life as the dragon crawled up over the edge. "Any time now!"

"Bolog joor," the dragon intoned, rearing up. It didn't matter that Eda couldn't understand him - the malice and sneering arrogance was baked into every word. "Uv dreh ni. Hi los pah kip."

It lunged and Eda braced, watching as the jaws of the beast clamped down on the shimmering light of her ward, the magic barely holding.

There was a twinge of static, and Eda felt her hair stand on end. A rumble of thunder shook the air, rattling stones on the ground, and she looked up, past the scraping teeth and jaws of the dragon to black thunderheads above.

The dragon snarled from its throat, working its teeth into the magic ward, cracking it as sweat started to bead on Eda's forehead.

Then the air broke, a blinding flash of light and sound that plunged to the earth, catching the dragon full in the middle of its back, coursing through its wings and claws and out through its mouth, battering against shield until it broke and hurled her from the tower cap in an explosion.

Luz was already running before the dragon slumped off the tower, falling with a crash of meat and bone to stonework, making for the falling trail of smoke that could only be Eda.

She and Martin came to the smoking crater in short order, skidding to a stop just at the of the singed ground.

"Eda" Luz half-tumbled, half-jumped into the smoldering grass, burning her pant leg on a small fire that Martin started to throw dirt on. She grabbed a potion from her bag and fumbled with the top.

"Good to see you, kid," Eda muttered, gritting her teeth. "I'll yell at you later about it. When my ribs have grown back."

There was anothher crack and lightning shook the tower again, sending crumbling masonry to crash into the dragon, who was slowly stiring, trying to rise.

One of its wings seemed broken.

"Where is he?" Eda asked between gulps of the potion. "Ughk. Not one of my better flavors."

"He's over there," Luz said, but she was drowned out by another pair of lightning strikes and the roar from the dragon. "What happened?"

"Unbound storm atronachs prefer clouds," Eda said, struggling to her feet. "Stormy is trying to kill the dragon. Just needed to give him time to build up his strength."

"Whoa," Luz said, watching another few bolts smash into the dragon, sending it stumbling. "That's amazing."

"Don't know if he's going to stick around though," Eda said, gripping her staff tight. "Get out of here, both of you."

"Oblaan strun zaam!" The dragon shouted to the sky, seeming to deflect a trio of lightning arcs by his voice alone. "Qiilaan nu us Mirmulnir! Lok Vah Koor!"

The visible force of air left the dragon's mouth with that, shooting to the sky, tearing a hole in the clouds.

The dragon rolled his neck down, eyes catching Eda even a hundred paces away. "Brit grah. You are brave, if foolish, kor. Your defeat brings me honor."

He lunged forward, bowing low to the ground, fire licking his lips.

Then Irileth leaped from the broken ramparts of the fortress, sinking sword and dagger into the dragon's hide, carving down across its neck in a spray of blood and a gargled roar.

She came to a halt, swinging from her embedded sword, before stabbing with her dagger and bodily climbing her way onto the dragon's back, shouting Dunmeri curses all the way.

Eda gathered her hands, straining as she conjured the energy between her fingers, the snapping of ice accompanying the growing cold of the air around her.

Luz grabbed Martin and dove to the ground as Eda flung the spear of ice toward the dragon, driving home into its chest as it reared back, trying to get Irileth off it.

"Lir! Krif voth zin! Oblaan ol Zu'u du!"

"Die already!" Irileth yelled, clawing up the dragon's neck, holding on with one embedded dagger or her sword. "Life-fetching, mud-wicking lizard!" She gripped one of the horns on the dragon's head, but with a shake, her sword flew from her hand and she whirled around the horn, landing on its snout, staring into its eyes.

"Koraav hin dinok," he snarled.

Irileth drew a dagger from her boot and plunged it into the dragon's eye.

Luz covered her ears, sheltering Martin's head as the dragon howled in pain, rearing back again, sending Irileth flying.

She felt the air crackle again and watched as Eda balled another handful of ice and hurled it forward, impaling the dragon just next to the other frozen spear, knocking it back again with a crash.

There was silence for a moment, filled only with the ragged breathing of spent mages and dragons.

Luz scrambled to her feet, but Eda waved her off. "I'm good, kid. Tired, but good. Get to Irileth. That fall wouldn't do anyone any good."

She nodded and took off at a run, heading for the scrub grasses where she thought Irileth had fallen.

It didn't take long to find her.

Luz swallowed hard before pushing her hands down on the seeping blood from under the woman's armor. Irileth hissed but did nothing else.

"I'm not a healer," Luz said, wadding up a cloth from her bag and fumbling with the cork on a potion. "But Eda told me not to give potions to people with broken bones."

"Nothing, broken… I think," Irileth growled out. "Takes more than a… a fall to put me in the ground."

"Okay." Luz focused on the cork and got it out, spilling some down her hands. "Sorry. Here."

She lifted the potion to Irileth's lips and helped her hold it there while she looked over at the dragon.

It hadn't moved, and there was a terrible, rasping, sucking sound coming from its chest with every breath, each more shallow than the last.

"Don't feel sorry for it," Irileth said, using Luz's shoulder to haul herself into a seated position.

"I'm not-"

"I can tell," Irileth said, but her voice wasn't harsh or condescending. "I've seen that look before. I don't know much about the dragons, but I know that they are not like any mindless beast. They can be as cruel and heartless as any Man or Mer.

"This would have laid waste to everything in this land if given the chance. We stopped it. Mourn the loss of your innocence, but trust me when I say, it is a small price compared to the lives you helped save this day."

Luz helped Irileth stand, the latter holding her ribs. Eda walked over, staff still at the ready, Martin close behind. The guardsmen - those that had survived - gathered closer, swords and shields drawn, bows taut.

"Ahrk ful… fin lir," the dragon murmured. "Lahvraan fin Kendov, mah voth… lar ahrk lo…" A low, wet chuckle shook its body, steaming black blood pooling under its form, embers glowing within. "But not… gone. Timeless are we. Tiid Dohva. Nothing can stop…"

It's one good eye rolled around, glancing between Eda, Martin, Luz, and Irileth. "No… no!"

"Watch out!" Irileth moved to shield Luz as Eda crouched around Martin, just as the dragon's body began to catch fire, glowing hotter than the sun.

"Dovhakiin! Dur hi!"

There was a rushing of wind, the dragon's last wailing roar and Luz watched as flesh, blood, and scale burned away, swirling with all the colors of Skyrim's night skies, before pouring down onto Eda and Martin.

And then it calmed, the lights shimmering on Martin's skin for a moment before fading away.

The small boy looked down at his hands and then up at Eda before raising his fists high into the air.

"I just ate a dragon!"