Day Thirty-six

The next morning I expected some biting remarks from Lydia, now that she had had a whole night to think of some doozies. Instead, it was just business as usual with eating and getting supplies together for the walk to Morvunskar, which turned out to be not far from Witchmist grove. Lydia's silence is oddly disquieting. I did not know if she was mad or disappointed, or just plain tired from all the walking. I guessed like always I would find out later, most likely when I would rather not.

The road was clear with only a skeever attack to speak of near a ritual stone, probably some mage's pet left behind. I found Morvunskar, which was basically a large stone fort. Instead of Sam and wedding decorations, however, I encounterd hostile skeletons followed by even more hostile mages, five of them all totaled. Lydia and I waded through the sea of black robes and elemental magic until they were piled up in the blood stained snow.

"Charming little place your friend picked out," Lydia said. "Quite the reception. And you said this was planned by a friend? Are you sure you didn't steal his goat or bed his hag?"

I wished I could say for sure I did not but my memory was still a muddled mess. "Yes, I'm sure," I lied. She had enough ammunition already for years of needling.

While searching the mages I found two spellbooks teaching frostbite and candlelight. I read them and the instructions seemed easy and actually remained in my memory. I doubted I would ever use them but with all the unexpected things going on lately, I would rather be prepared. We only found one door to the inside of the fort so we used that.

Inside I could hear banging like at a blacksmith's shop. The interior was damp and dark. It was becoming more apparent that if Sam was here, he was taking his time with setting up the decorations. I followed the smithing sounds until I found two mages working a forge and complaining the whole time about having to do it. Even watching them briefly told me they had little experience at what they were doing. I was surprised their robes were not catching on fire. I decided it was time to show them what a real sword could do. I caught them by surprise and they barely had time to put up their wards before I beheaded one and cut the other down. She landed face first into their too cool forge. The smell of burning hair is nauseating. I grabbed an open book nearby and left the room. It turned out they were using a book called, 'Cherim's Heart', which gave a series of basic weapon forging instructions. I packed it away for my collection and we moved on cautiously.

We did not get too far before I spied a mage performing a ritual of some sort atop a flight of stairs. I doubted he was busy wrapping my wedding present so I laced an arrow with poison and sent it flying into his throat. I must have only grazed him because instead of dying, he turned around and advanced towards us, his hands glowing. From out of nowhere, three more mages joined him and the next thing I knew Lydia and I were in a pitched battle with ice shards, fireballs, and curses filling the dark halls. I took out two of them while Lydia and her summoned wolf take out the other two. During the fight I depleted my supply of potions, even one I had found on the floor while scrambling for position. Lydia shrugged off her pain but I could tell she had had a tough fight of it as well. It figured nothing but damn dirty mages would be at a party arranged for me. Sam was going to pay for this all right.

I went up the stairs to see if there was a door. At the top I froze as a magical circle appeared. I looked into its blue and white swirling mists and I could hear water running, like of a stream or river rolling over rocks. I could almost make out some scenery within but I did not want to get too close to whatever it was.

Lydia arrived next to me, "What is that?"

"I don't know. It appeared once I got up here. I think I can see some sort of misty grove inside."

"Really? Let have a look."

Lydia tried to peek around me but in doing so, bumped me closer with her prodigious hips. The circle became a vortex, sucking me into it. I reached out to grab Lydia for support but the force was too strong and it ended up pulling both of us in.

When my vision cleared, I found myself indeed in a mist-veiled grove, dimly lit but with decorative lanterns. The grass was lush and green and the trees were healthy and in full bloom. Idyllic, to say the least.

"Now this would make for a beautiful wedding," Lydia said. "Do you suppose Sam knew about this place?"

"If he's here, I hope he'll like it as a final resting place."

I saw a path and followed it across wooden plank bridges and over peaceful green hills. It lead to a clearing where I heard voices laughing and joking. Once it opened before me I saw a long table beneath hanging lanterns. Barrels of mead were set up and eight men were sitting around the table drinking and having a grand time. One of the men saw Lydia and stood up to shout, "Finally, the entertainment has arrived!" Followed by a chorus of whoops and hollers.

I did not hear anything after that because in front of me I saw Sam Guevenne, smiling and happy to see me. A wave of calm passed over me. I still thought he must pay for his misleading me, but I just did not feel like acting upon it. He must have done something to me, but he did not seem the type to know anything that powerful.

"I thought you wouldn't make it," he said jovially, "I was beginning to worry I was too subtle."

"Subtle?" I said, "You think an angry giant and a hagraven orgy is subtle? Not to mention I had to cross Skyrim about five times trying to track you down. You've got some explaining to do while I debate reasons not to kill you."

"Kill me? Now there'll be none of that. I just needed some reason to send you galavanting around the world, getting into delicate situations that only someone like you could deal with. You see..," A darkness swirled around Sam and the friendly drunk turned into a devilish looking Deadra, complete with red armor and horns on his head. "You can call me Sanguine, Prince of Debauchery."

"Now look here," I said, "I'm not falling for your illusions and I think..."

"You've proven quite entertaining. Watching you and your reactions has been the most fun I've had in a hundred years."

"Fun? I've got four feet of steel fun for your neck..." I still could not move.

"Oh yes, and here's your staff. I'm a lover, not a liar. Well, not all the time. By the way," he said, addressing Lydia, "Me and my friends have more merriment to plan but we'll gladly wait if you feel like earning a few extra septims with a little dancing and shedding of all that heavy armor."

"My armor stays where it is," she says through gritted teeth, "Pigs. You're all just a bunch of pigs, aren't you?"

"I demand justice!" I shouted ineffectually.

"Now you've insulted your host. You two aren't as fun as I had hoped. You deserve each other. Now be gone!"

The world began to go black. I heard Sanguine laugh and say as I faded away, "Oh, and Ralos, I'll give Esmerelda the hag your best. Oh, wait, that's right. You already did!" More laughter from all the men. Everything went dark.

I came to on the floor of the Bannered Mare. Lydia jogged over to help me up. There was no sign of Sam or the grove or anything. Did any of that actually happen, I wondered hopefully.

"I thought you might not wake up," Lydia said, "Busy dreaming of Moira and her black-feathered sister?" She laughed.

So much for hope. "Didn't we make a deal about that?" I said, taking a seat at the bar. Hulda was busy putting away foodstuffs behind me.

"The deal was that I tell no one, not that I don't remind you whenever I felt like it. Here's your staff."

She thrusted the weapon at me and I flinched. I did not know what I was expecting but it was not a wooden staff with a flower on top. It was too pretty for all the crap I was put through to get it. "What does it do?"

"I don't know. It's your staff so I didn't want to use it with you still being unconscious. I would suggest, however, that we take it to Farengar and see if he knows, or at least use it out in the middle of nowhere where no one can get hurt."

"I'm more worried about myself getting hurt. And I wanted the staff for you, not for myself. It's yours. Do what you want with it."

Lydia seemed unsure of herself for the first time I could recall. She took the staff and looked it over curiously. "Oh, thank you, Tha...Ralos. In that case, eh, we should probably take it to Farengar, I suppose."

"What's wrong with you?" I asked as I stood, testing my balance. "You look like you think the thing's going to come to life and bite you."

She shook her head, "No, it's not that. You're sure you want me to have it? Not just to hold for you, but... you know, to have?"

What did she want, a receipt? "Yeah, it's yours. Ready to go see your boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend."

"If you say so. I saw how you two were looking at each other last time."

"True, he's handsome, in a way. Tell me, does a hagraven's claws grow like that or do they chew them to points?"

"Fair enough, I'll stop."

We went to Dragonsreach and found Farengar who was falling asleep at his desk in front of a large, dusty tome.

"Wha...What is it? Dragons?"

"Relax, Satin-robes," I told the wizard, "We just need information on a staff."

"Ah, my favorite housecarl and our illustrious Thane. I've heard of your recent, shall we say, dangerous adventures."

I looked straight at Lydia, glared, then back at Farengar. "Have you now?"

"Indeed," he chuckled, "I hear you slew three tankards of mead all by yourself before passing out and drooling on the floor of the Bannered Mare. You really ought to pace yourself. Whoever will we get to replace you? Perhaps that one-armed drunkard who kept speaking in the third person and petting the sock on his hand?"

"Finished, Wizard?" Lydia said loudly, cutting off the man's laughter. "We've done more than you have with you in here sleeping with one hand in a book and the other the Nine knows where. Now is there anything you can tell me about this staff?"

We're both taken back by her outburst but for once, I wished it had gone on a little longer. That was nice.

Farengar's surprise was replaced by awe once he set his eyes on the staff. He reached out with a shaky, bony hand and held it gingerly at arms length. "Where did you get such a weapon?"

"I won it in a drinking contest," I said, keeping it as simple as possible.

"No, really, how did you come about acquiring this? You can tell me, I'm a wizard."

"Seriously, that's how I got it. So what does it do?"

Farengar only shook his head, "The luck of the foolish never ceases to amaze me. This, wise Thane, is a Sanguine Rose. It is used to summon a daedra demon to fight for you. They are very powerful, though not always pleasant. Sounds like someone you'd get along with quite well."

"Be that as it may, it's not mine. It's Lydia's."

"That's right," she said, "and I'll be taking my staff back, if you don't mind."

Farengar reluctantly let it go, but his eyes lingered. "How much do you want for it? Surely, it would be safer here, you'd have to agree."

Lydia put both hands on the staff, "I don't know who this Shirley is, but no, I do not agree. It is mine and no amount of money will get it from me. As a matter of fact, let's see what this can do."

Farengar and I both jumped back as she held the staff aloft then struck the rose down towards the ground. A purple swirling mist appeared then dissolved, leaving a black, armored daedra looking very similar to Sanguine himself. He simply stood there looking at us.

"Remarkable," Farengar whispered.

"I am Kynval," it said in a raspy, metallic voice. "Shall I dispose of these two weaklings for you? They are no match for me."

Lydia seemed to ponder the question as Farengar's face turned whiter, then said, "No, I just wanted to see what I was dealing with now that I own this staff. You will be doing my bidding. You may go."

"I will go when my time here is finished. All will flee before my wrath!"

Kynval remained standing for another few moments then vanished with a gurgle and a clattering of his sword, which also disappears with him. The sudden departure made the wizard nearly leap over his map of Skyrim.

"I think that was a successful test," Lydia said. "Time for dinner, Ralos?"

"You're treat? You're on then. Have a good night, Farengar. Oh, and by the smell, you might want to check your clothes. I think you've soiled your satin."