Day Thirty

Turdas arrived too early and too brightly for me and the driver as our heads and stomachs were not up for the trip. The bad part about the trip was the constant reminders of the night before that the two of us left in puddles alongside the bumpy road. That and Lydia eating all those damn stinky cheese sandwiches and smiling at us the whole time. The good part was that the driver did not feel like talking and I was able to sleep a good part of the way. By the time we reached Winterhold, it was nighttime and I was feeling more like myself.

We had dinner at the inn. Lydia kept asking me about Shavina and Kharjo and if I thought they should be allowed to be married. She said there was obviously something between them. I made some clever remark about how the Thalmor should not have a monopoly on torture and everyone should be allowed to get married. From her cold stare I did not think she got my joke and we finished our meal in silence.

Afterwards, it had grown dark but not too late so we headed towards the College. We passed by a couple arguing. It turned out they were siblings. Ranmir stalked away to get drunk, leaving his sister, Birna to tend the shop. He did not get too far before a dragon suddenly roared overhead and struck down at the people on the road, including Lydia and myself, with a column of icy breath. Guards came out from everywhere with their bows to join us. I noticed a few people running from the College with their hands glowing. They must be mages but I was surprised they were actually running towards the fight.

The dragon circled and landed on top of the Jarl's longhouse. Everyone started shooting their bows except for Ranmir who only had a dagger in his hand.

"Birna," he yelled back, "Get inside the shop! It is too dangerous out here!"

Ranmir was still blue and shivering from the first attack. He seemed to be trying to distract the dragon from his sister's location by running but he did it too well. The dragon aimed another blast towards the running man then flew off to circle again. When the frost cleared I saw Ranmir lying still, partially frozen to a rock in the road.

"Ranmir!" cried his sister. Someone from the College grabbed her and pulled her into her shop just as the blood dragon passed again. Lydia took shelter beneath the shop's walkway then loosed arrows in its wake.

It took some time, possibly the dark made it difficult for the guards to aim, but between the arrows and the fireballs from the mages, the dragon was finally forced to land. Several of us rushed in and hacked it into submission. Its soul tasted bitter, leaving a foul tang behind. It must have been one nasty bitch of a dragon.

After the attack and the death of the brave citizen, I did not feel up to meeting any mages tonight, despite their help with the dragon. Ranmir looked like he could have been a good drinking buddy. I checked into the Frozen Hearth for the night. Everyone inside was stunned by the man's death. He must have been not just a regular, but well liked. Some of the guards had seen me absorb the dragon's soul and I overheard one remark loudly how all this talk of a Dragonborn and still the dragons were free to kill wherever. I got another bad taste in my mouth. I bought a round of drinks for everyone then went to bed.

Day Thirty-one

The next morning after a breakfast of pheasant and grilled leeks we headed for the College. I noticed the skeleton of the dragon remained though it has been picked over by trophy seekers. Ranmir's body was long gone and residents were busy repairing the roof of the Jarl's longhouse. There was no sign of Birna but a black ribbon was tied on a post outside the shop. I did not know why his death was bothering me so. Perhaps because it was a dragon that had killed him or maybe because I actually knew his name, unlike the nameless, faceless guards I had seen killed like at the watchtower. I tried to put it out of my head. I needed all my attention to keep an eye on a whole building full of mages.

I went up the ramp towards the College but I was stopped at the top by an Altmer mage in a blue robe that radiated an aura of Destruction.

"Cross the bridge at your own peril," she said haughtily. "The gates will not open for the likes of you."

I felt my rage already rise to the top but I used my superior willpower to calm myself. "Didn't I see you help fight that dragon last night?"

"I did. My name is Faralda. It is the third dragon to attack this area, though this one was particularly nasty. We are researching into why they have returned but so far, little is known."

"May I enter the college? I may be able to shed some light on that."

"Perhaps. What is it you expect to find within?"

"I have vital information about these dragons and I'm hoping someone within may be able to help me sort it out."

Faralda scoffed. "Of course we can help. But not just anyone is allowed inside. Those wishing to enter must show some degree of skill with magic. A small test, if you will."

"I think it's obvious I have what you need," I said, using my most charming, under-garment shedding smile.

She sneered as if catching a bad smell. "You have an odd perception of the obvious because I don't think anything of the sort."

I straightened to my full height, "What about the Dragonborn?"

"Do you truly have the voice?" she asked, suddenly leery. "Show it to me, and you may enter."

"Show it, eh, well I... oh, you mean a shout. Fine. Ready?" I unleash my newest word of power and set her hair on fire.

She bounced off the wall and patted her head until the flames died. I've noticed some women react strangely to men of power. Her attitude suddenly warmed, no pun intended. "It is true. I think there is much we can learn from each other. You may enter."

I brushed up close to her, "I may hold you to that."

Faralda smiled, not unpleasantly, "I trust your concubine here will not overly mind."

"Concubine!" Lydia shouted, "I'll have you know I'm his housecarl as Thane of Whiterun, you high-eared, snobby bitch!"

Faralda's hands suddenly flamed to life, "Watch your mouth, lowbrow Nord, before I find out if the horkers below enjoy eating roasted slut."

"Now, now, ladies," I interjected, "There's plenty of Thane to go around. You won't even have to take turns. But that will have to wait until later, this is no time for a squabble. Misunderstandings happen all the time. That's why we are at a College. To learn things, about life and about each other."

Lydia settled a bit, looking at me strangely, "What are you saying?"

"Did that work?" I asked. "Did I sound worldly? I'm practicing. I'm sure there's some brainy wenches inside that would love experiencing a practiced tongue."

"What a pig," Faralda said. "You have my apology, housecarl, and my sympathy."

"Thank you, Faralda. At least you found out now," she turned to me. "Can we go now?"

"Sure, now that you've ruined it." I lead the way towards the school.

"Seek out Mirabelle," Faralda called out, "Let her deal with you."

I followed the ramp up to the College. At one point, part of the ramp had nearly crumbled away leaving only a narrow walking lane to negotiate. You would think this would be an easy fix for these all-powerful wizards. I lowered my expectations even more.

I found what must have been the entrance to the College. A huge statue of a mage was fixed in the center of the walkway. I grabbed the arm of the first person I saw. She had a crazed look in her eye and a voice to match.

"You believe Restoration is a valid form of magic, don't you?" she asked.

"Mirabelle?" I asked.

"Don't you?"

"Yes, okay, it's valid. Are you Mirabelle ior not?"

The mage pointed to a woman near the main doors. She was standing next to a Thalmor wizard. What the Nines is a Thalmor doing here? Had they followed me here as well?

The crazed mage continued, "As I was saying... What the..."

Lydia grabbed the mage by her collar and pushed her on her way. "Is that a Thalmor over there?" she asked me.

"It sure is," I said. "We'll be cautious. They may still be looking for me, but word may not have reached him here."

"Unless he's here looking for you."

I loosened my sword but left it sheathed. "They bleed like everyone else. Let's go."

I eased closer to Mirabelle. They were just finishing up their conversation but it appeared it has nothing to do with me or the Dragonborn. The Thalmor was only getting on her nerves and she reminded him he was an observer, nothing more. He stomped away like a petulant child and I got the woman's attention.

"New recruits, huh?" she said. "Well, we could always use new students. If you follow me, I'll take you on a tour of the College..."

"Actually, I'm here looking for information," I said to her before she could walk off. "I am the Dragonborn and I need help locating an artifact. It has to do with all these dragons and how I can help stop these attacks."

"Dragonborn? I suppose Faralda knows what she's doing to have let you in." Mirabelle looked skeptical, but continued, looking at Lydia. "And who is this?"

"This is Lydia, my conc..." I heard a dagger exposed to the air. "Eh, my companion, traveling companion, that is, and housecarl. A Dragonborn can't rightly be expected to do everything for himself, can he?"

"I suppose not," Mirabelle said, "Normally I would take you to Savros Aren, our Arch-mage, but he is busy right now with an experiment of some delicacy. Speak with our librarian, Urag, in the Arcaneum. Perhaps he can help you in the meantime. It is through this door and to the right."

I thanked her and we found the Arcaneum with no trouble. The hard part was finding the librarian. The only one there was an Orc sitting by the desk pretending to read. How cute, sort of. Perhaps he would know where I could find Urag.

I stepped up to the Orc. "Excuse me, Orc. Do you know where I can find the librarian? You know, the one in charge of all these books, named Urag?"

"I am Urag, Nord, and this is my Arcaneum," he said gruffly. "You could say this is my own little world here. Disturb anything here and I'll have torn apart by angry atronochs."

What was his problem? I wondered. Someone must have offended him. Great, now I have to deal with him. "No need to worry about that, my friendly Orc. I was told to come and ask you about anything you might have on Elder Scrolls."

"Elder Scrolls? Did Ancano send you? He's been asking for the oddest things. Psijic Order. Magnus. Now Elder Scrolls? Tell him I don't have time to look for those, if I even had any."

Lydia took a seat nearby, sensing this was going nowhere. I felt the same, so I changed tactics.

"Really? I don't know who this Ancano is, but he sounds like an ass."

"Most Thalmor are," he agreed.

Ah. "Well, friend, I was told that your Arcaneum was exceptional. That is why I made a special trip here. But if you can not help the Dragonborn, I guess I will have to look elsewhere. Come along, Lydia."

Urag stood up quickly. "The Dragonborn? You? That changes things a bit, doesn't it? Wait here, I'll get what I have for you."

"That was clever, Ralos," Lydia said, "Who showed you how to do that?"

"What do you mean? I thought of it."

"It was Mirabelle, wasn't it?"

"No, I did it."

"Fine, don't tell me. Here he comes."

"Here's what I have, but don't get your hopes up. Some of the authors were a little... unstable."

I cautiously started reading some of the texts. There was only so much I wanted to know. One in particular stood out so I asked Urag about it.

"That? It was written by a scholar named Septimus Signus. He's the expert on the Elder Scrolls."

"Is he here?"

"He's a crazy one, to be sure. He headed North one day in search of some Dwemer artifact. Haven't seen him since. Some say he's alive. I wouldn't put it past him. He's crazed but too smart to just freeze to death."

"Do you know where he went?" I asked. "I need to speak with him."

"I'll mark on your map the last place he was rumored to be, but don't hold me to it."

I thanked him and left before he had a chance to talk more. He sure was chatty, for an Orc.

As soon as I left the Arcaneum I ran into a Khajiit garbed in one of their novice robes. He looked at my armor and sword and hesitated before talking.

"My name is J'zargo," he said, as if that should mean something, "You are new, yes? Have you mastered the Expert level destruction spells yet?"

"You mean like this?" I turned aside and shouted, "FUS RO DAH!"

The Khajiit's eyes were big circles inside his hood. "That, that is no spell I am familiar with."

"Really? Funny, that's the first one I ever learned. Come along, Lydia."

I left, but not before I heard the Khajiit trying to imitate the words of power. Silly kitty.

I purposefully avoided any other mages. I sensed something brewing in the cold halls and I did not want to get ensnared in its web. These mages would use anyone they could to further their ambitions. I had enough to do as it was. I had a new lead and a lot of ground to cover if I was to find a small mark on an entire coastline. At the end of the ramp, I passed Faralda and told her I had to leave.

"When will you return to us, Dragonborn? There were some things I was looking forward to instructing you in."

"I don't see myself returning any time soon. Magic isn't something I want to know more of."

"Who said anything about magic?" She smiled.

"I swear it's like a sickness," Lydia muttered as she turned herself North.

"I may have to pass this way on my way back, Altmer," I said, "Keep a warm place ready for me."

I left yet another desperate, yearning heart in order to fulfill my destiny.

Urag's directions were bad enough, but having to swim through all that freezing water was torture. I tried to stay on top of the ice as much as possible but there was no way to totally avoid the water. At least all of the bigger killer fish were dormant right now. I did not even encounter a slaughterfish in the icy water. Sometimes, however, just getting out of the water without going under was a trial. Some of those undertow currents would take you half a league under the ice before letting up.

I thought I was finally getting close when I saw in the distance a narrow boat on top of the ice. As I approached I did not see anyone nor did I see a fire.

"Hey look," Lydia said, "A cave. Wonder what's inside?"

"Not what, but who. It's probably Septimus but with all the bandits in Skyrim lately, you never know."

I opened the wooden, makeshift door of the cave and found a ladder waiting. I followed a short tunnel to a single open area dominated by a circular door obviously of Dwemer design with it's orangish metal and colored crystals. There was also a table and a bookshelf with a scattering of books. A mage approached as if he had been expecting us.

"When the top level was built," he said in a high-pitched whiney voice, "it was the maximal apex."

"Okay," I said cautiously. You never know what to expect when you're dealing with crazy. "Are you Septimus Signus?"

"There is a man called Septimus and he is here, cosmoslogically speaking I am also there. It is simple."

"What is that thing?" asked Lydia, looking at the door.

Septimus held his hands out to it, "This is a Dwemer lockbox. Ho, ho! It holds the secrets of a race so advanced even its simplest mind would make the clever Septimus seem like an infant playing in the mud."

"While playing in this mud," I asked, "Did you happen to have come across an Elder Scroll?"

"Elder Scroll, you say? If I may? I've seen enough of their fabric, warp air and time, it's sick. To have is to hold and as you see, it is not on me. But it is here, not near, on this plane, today."

"You need to lay off those mushrooms, Septimus Hallucinus. Can you help me get the scroll?"

"Shrooms are good for the sight, see things that aren't there I might. One block lifts the other, my friend, so both will benefit in the end."

"Shor's bones," I swore, "What do you want?"

"The key to this lockbox, it sits with the means to reading its secrets. They have much to teach and can be found with the Elder Scroll in Blackreach."

"Blackreach? Sounds scenic, to be sure. Where is that?"

"Under deep. Below the dark. The hidden keep. Tower Mzark."

"On the map, Mad Cap, and no more damn riddles. You're making my head hurt."

The old man took my map and with a flourish marked a spot not even close to where we were. Figured.

"Only I know how to enter. You will need these."

Septimus gave me a Dwemer sphere and an etched cube.

"Swear to me you will transcribe the cube for me and the Elder Scroll is yours to do with as you wish. Swear it!"

"I swear, old man. And this better not be another riddle or I'll be back to see if your head will fit in that lock. Understand?"

"Septimus understands more than you think, now leave my dig and take with you your stink." He turned away and went back to studying his lockbox.

As much as I would have loved to shut the crazy man's mouth for him, it was enough that he was quiet now and told me enough to get me started on getting the Elder Scroll, provided he had not totally fallen off his cabbage cart.
Outside, a storm was brewing. The wind was making the heavy snow fly sideways. I did not know if going all the way back to Winterhold was practical. There must be a place closer to hold up. We started off nearly back the way we came but found a disjointed ice floe to follow so we were able to stay out of the water. We skirted past a couple of horkers. I noticed Lydia's jaw tighten whenever she saw one now, recalling Faralda's angry comment at the entrance to the College. I could not help but laugh, and wonder, at how a wrestling match between the two would go. Clothing optional, of course. Faralda had the height but Lydia had a few pounds on her, especially in her wide...

"Hello," Lydia interrupted, "Can we keep going?"

"Oh, sorry," I said, "Just got a little lost in, uh, all those insane ruminations of Septimus. That's one loosely woven basket, huh?"

"Whatever. Look, there's a building up in those crags. Let's try there, this wind is going right through my armor."

I needed to focus on my footing so I tried to put that image out of my mind. Lydia's teasing was obvious but I would not fall for it this time. I had offered to warm her up enough times and been shot down. I took the lead, following a windswept path through the rocks. We must have been near some sort of Barrow or Temple because we were set upon by a troop of skeletons, some with bows shooting from higher ledges. Lydia summoned her spectral wolf and I laid into the undead with my sword. They were weak, however, taking only two hits before they crumbled into chew things for the wolf. I gathered their arrows since mine were getting low. Must have been all these dragon attacks. I noticed Lydia has a lot of iron arrows but those were crap. I would borrow those only if I needed to. They were not as bad as the splintery forsworn ones, but they were weak enough.

There was an alter with a skeleton on top of it but I could not tell who it was dedicated to. I found the entrance to the Temple but it was locked. Even with my hands half frozen the lock was easy to pick and we were in. I barely got three steps inside before a crypt in front of me broke open and a large, well-armored draugr stepped out, armed with a greatsword that was radiating frost. His eyes burned blue beneath a horned helmet. I decided to go after him like I did the Draugr in Bleak Falls Barrow. I quickly downed one of my regeneration potions, gagged back the taste, and charged the dead warrior.

My power strikes staggered him nearly every time. He must have been weakened from his slumber. Lydia summoned another wolf who grabbed hold of his leg and tried to pull him away from his crypt with vicious shakes of his head. The Draugr shouted something but I think I was too close and the power only blew past me. I kept up the attack, bashing him whenever he drew back his sword then bringing all my weight down with a follow-up downward slash. Lydia added the occasional fireball from one of her staves and in no time the draugr was down on one knee. One more blow sent him back to the dead. I had had more trouble with bears on the road than with these pumped up skeletons. I took his sword and checked a nearby chest. After unlocking it, I found gold, some Orcish looking arrows, a fancy glowing ring, and a book titled simply 'Calm'. The book turned out to be a spellbook, which I learned easily. It seemed harmless enough but when I tried it on Lydia it started but then fizzled before it completed.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked, suspicious at me pointing my hands at her.

"Nothing, I guess. I don't think we can stay here. It's not as warm as it looked like it would be. There's still snow and wind coming in from cracks in the walls. Feel up to making a run to Winterhold?"

"You're just anxious to back to the College to find Faralda."

"Jealousy is not your best look, Lydia. Understandable, but not attractive."

"Please, spare me your narcissism for one day. If we're going to Winterhold so you can see that elf bitch, then I want to go back to Riften in the morning. I forgot to return that bow to Dravin after I told Shavina I would."

"Shavina? Who cares about her? It's not like you two are friends or anything. Or are you?" I raised an insinuating eyebrow.

"What is your problem? You need to get a handle on yourself."

"I'm about at that point. I'm hoping Faralda will help me with that as well."