Chapter Sixteen:

The Voice of a Dragon

"Hiding will not save you!"

Sahloknir's Thu'um was intense and kept me on my toes, mostly because he breathed both fire and frost. I thought they could only breathe fire, but Sahloknir proved me wrong pretty quickly.

We spread out, hoping to attack Sahloknir from all sides. But in one mighty sweep of his tail, we were all catapulted backwards into the snow or the rocks.

"You mortals have grown arrogant while I slept!" Sahloknir unfurled his giant wings and launched himself into the air. "I do not fear you, Dovahkiin!"

Sahloknir banked and breathed fire onto the ground. We had to dive out of the way to avoid it. I waited until the Dragon came around for another attack and then ran into his path.

For a brief second, we locked eyes. Sahloknir's jaw dripped frost, letting me know the Shout he was about to use.

I breathed deeply and readied my own. I hoped I wasn't just being stupid. "Fus Ro Dah!"

Sahloknir met with Unrelenting Force and was blasted backwards. It was hard to believe that such a massive being could be blown away by a simple shout, but, then again, it was a Thu'um.

He hit a jagged rock and roared, frost spewing from his mouth. The Dragon glared at me, but a corner of his mouth turned upwards.

"Your voice is strong... for a mortal." He growled and got onto his feet. "It's to be a real fight then! Good!"

I ran at him, my sword raised. Aldren leapt from atop a rock, his twin daggers raised. Delphine was sprinting quickly up to Sahloknir's haunches. Milos and Hiemdall were coming at Sahloknir from both sides.

And yet the Dragon was still confident.

Again, Sahloknir swept his tail around. Delphine didn't dodge in time and was slammed backwards. Aldren stabbed his blades into the Dragon's tail and held on for dear life as he was thrown around into the rockface. Sahloknir stepped to his left and brought the claws on his left wing down on Milos, pinning him to the ground. Hiemdall stabbed Sahloknir's right side, and so the Dragon's neck slammed hard into the young Nord.

I quickly ran up the wing that pinned Milos to the ground and stabbed my sword into it. The wing became useless as I raked my sword through the wing and leapt off. Sahloknir roared in anger and attempted to take to the skies, but he fell short and hit the ground hard.

He spewed frost at us, but we all managed to get away. Aldren was still on Sahloknir's tail, nearly forgotten by the Dragon.

"My Voice has been silent for too long!" Sahloknir finally flicked Aldren off of his tail. Aldren was only able to bring one of his glass blades along, as the other was stuck fast. "Dovahkiin! Your voice is no match for mine!"

"We'll just see about that!" I brought my blade down and embedded the blade into the side of his face, hacking about three times before Sahloknir's wounded wing pinned me. "Ow! Okay, wasn't the best idea!"

Milos charged forward. Sahloknir breathed fire at him, and Milos was barely able to get out of the way. It was apparent that keeping my companions away from me was on the Dragon's "to-do" list.

Once my companions were a fair distance away, Sahloknir opened his maw and attempted to bite my head off. I managed to angle away just in time, so he only ate snow and dirt. Sahloknir spat it out and tried again, only to fail once more.

But this time, it wasn't because I moved away.

A fireball slammed into the back of Sahloknir's head. Roaring in anger, Sahloknir swept his tail around to hit his new assailant, but missed.

"You'll have to do better than that, you overgrown gecko!" It sounded like an older man's voice, and not one I was familiar with at all.

Sahloknir was hit with another fireball, but this one had a bit of chain lightning with it. The Dragon grabbed hold of me and tossed me high up into the air while he dealt with the new person. I fought to stop spinning around, and tried to focus on how the hell I was going to survive yet another fall.

As I neared the ground, I shouted, "Wuld!" and landed on my side. I ended up rolling for a bit on jagged rocks that cut deep into my flesh. I cried out in pain, but managed to get to my feet. It wasn't done yet.

Somehow, the Dragon had kept my companions at bay while he fought the newcomer. I quickly hurried to his aid. I didn't pay much attention to who he was, since I was mostly focused on the Dragon. I planted my foot firmly on a rock and leapt towards the Dragon. I missed, but I managed to land in-between Sahloknir and the newcomer.

"Fus Ro Dah!" I shouted.

The fire that Sahloknir was about to spew was launched backwards into his mouth, searing whatever the fire hadn't come from. Sahloknir roared in agony and stumbled, his wounded wing slipping under the ice.

I took my chance and rolled under his head, and then stabbed my sword upwards. It entered his jaw and went directly into his brain, and so I rolled away before his head could squish me.

Amazingly, Sahloknir was still alive. Breathing hoarsely, the Dragon's grey eyes bored into mine. His eyes were defeated, and he was accepting it. I wondered if, when I died, I'd be able to do the same.

I pulled my sword out. The Dragon whined in pain, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"Aaz..." he begged. "Mercy..."

I dropped my sword and put a hand on his head. I think my hand was about as large as his eye. I almost expected Sahloknir to make one final snap at me, but he didn't. The Dragon just looked at me.

"Praan, Sahloknir. Boziik, mul Dovah. Sahrot paal. Praan." I gently stroked the Dragon's head. "Rest, Sahloknir. Bold, strong Dragon. Mighty foe. Rest."

Sahloknir looked confused for a minute. "Ah. The language of the dov. Hin Thu'um los mul. Med Britsaviikzii. Your Thu'um is strong. Like Britsaviikzii." Sahloknir closed its eyes. "Balaan hokoron. Worthy enemy."

He shuddered for only a moment before I picked up my blade again and gently ran it across his throat, killing him quickly. I didn't know why, but I felt saddened by Sahloknir's death. Like a friend had died. Sure, he was someone I didn't know, and he had attacked me, but I couldn't shake the feeling. And somehow, I also no longer felt just fear for the black Dragon named Alduin. I was angry at him. Just thinking about it made my grip tighten around my sword.

"Well, I can honestly say I've never seen that before." The man behind me was a Redguard, with black hair in cornrows and a thick black beard that would make any Nord proud. His eyes were dark, and seemed stern, but had some softness to them. He was probably in his thirties or fourties, from what I could see, and he was wearing a strange robe with fur lined into it. Easily, he was a Mage. "And I've been around for a while."

I blinked. "What're you doing here? Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself..." The Mage bowed. "My name is Javin Kelco. I'm the Archmage of the College of Winterhold. As for why I'm here... Well, I heard that there was a Dragon spotted in this area, so I hurried to help, and possibly study it. These things are popping up everywhere in Skyrim, and yet finding them has been quite the bother!" He smirked. "Imagine my surprise to find not only a Dragon, but the Dragonborn!"

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, and realized that I was bleeding there as well as from the many cuts on my body. I probably looked like a mess.

"Erm... Well, follow me if you want. I need to find my companions and see if they're okay." I moved up the hill back to the burial mound, and Javin was indeed following me. I absently wondered if he was studying me like he'd wanted to study Sahloknir.

When I finally found them, Delphine's leg was being tended to by Aldren, Milos was rubbing salve on Hiemdall's arm from being burnt, and Milos himself had en extra cut that was likely to become a scar on his snout.

"Everyone still alive?" I asked, sitting beside Milos.

"Breathing," Aldren grumbled.

"Breathing!" Hiemdall announced with a grin.

"Fine," Delphine mumbled.

Milos grinned. "We're all alive. Who's the Mage?"

"Archmage Javin Kelco," the Redguard said, nodding to my companions. "Looks like you had fun."

"Join us next time," Milos said. "We get a lot of action here."

I crawled to the packs (which had been discarded during the battle) and looked for some bandages. I couldn't reach my back with a healing spell, and it'd be too much trouble to try, so some bandages would have to do.

"I can heal your wounds," the Archmage suggested suddenly.

"Y'know, that'd be—." I was rudely interrupted by Milos, who shook my shoulder urgently. "What?" I snapped.

"Remember the last time we killed a Dragon?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah... why?"

"Remember the orange cloud?"

I cursed harshly. "You've gotta be kidding me! I hope its like when the Greybeards were teaching me, and not like that! Maybe it was a one-time thing!"

I looked at Sahloknir's body. It was already becoming part of the orange cloud. I could see Aldren's dagger fall from Sahloknir's tail as the flesh disappeared. Finally, Sahloknir was only bone, and the orange cloud hovered over his bones.

And then, it shot towards me. Like before with Milos, it passed through Javin and slammed hard inside of me. And just like before, I was blasted backwards, overtop the rocks and several yards away into a snowbank. I felt like my body had caught fire, and when it was over, the snow around me had melted.

"Brilliant," I groaned. "So it wasn't a one-time thing... Thanks, Divines. I wonder if I run away from those clouds that it'll be less painful...?"

I got to my feet and returned to my companions after carefully finding my way down the rocks. Milos grinned at me.

"Nice hang time," he commented.

"Javin, can you please heal me up? I think I may have widened a few of the wounds with the fall."

He nodded and stepped behind me, then chanted a healing spell and put his hands on my back. I was extremely thankful that someone like him had come along.

"I... It's true, isn't it?" Delphine asked finally. "You really are Dragonborn." She snorted. "I owe you some answers, don't I? Go ahead. Whatever you want to know. Nothing held back."

I got my first question in a snap. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"I'm one of the last members of the Blades." Delphine smiled thinly. "A very long time ago, the Blades were Dragonslayers, and we served the Dragonborn, the greatest Dragonslayer. For the last two hundred years, since the last Dragonborn emperor, the Blades have been searching for a purpose. Now that Dragons are coming back, our purpose is clear again. We need to stop them."

Of course I knew about the Blades. Who didn't? Every child in Cyrodiil knew about them. The former sworn protectors of the emperor, until the last, Martin Septim, died defending Tamriel from Mehrunes Dagon. And then the Penitus Oculatus took over, since the Blades hadn't fulfilled their duty as the emperor's bodyguards. That was when even the Hero of Kvatch couldn't stop Dagon.

"What's our next move?" I asked.

"The first thing we need to do is figure out who's behind the Dragons." Delphine tapped her chin. "The Thalmor are our best lead. If they aren't involved, they'll know who is."

"Remind me... who are the Thalmor?" Aldren asked. "I haven't been listening to the world's events for a long time."

"The faction that rules the Aldmeri Dominion," she explained. "The ones who almost destroyed the Empire during the Great War, thirty years back. There's no worse enemy to humankind in Tamriel. The Empire barely survived the last war. The Thalmor don't intend to lose the next one."

"Why are the Thalmor after you?" I pressed, remembering her comment about "old enemies" back in Riverwood.

"Before the Great War, the Blades helped the Empire against the Thalmor. Our Grand Master saw them as the greatest threat to Tamriel. At the time, that was true. Maybe it still is. So we fought them in the shadows, all across Tamriel. We thought we were more than a match for them. We were wrong."

"And what makes you think the Thalmor are bringing Dragons back?"

Delphine frowned. "Nothing solid. Yet. But my gut tells me it can't be anybody else. The Empire had captured Ulfric. The war was basically over. Then a Dragon attacks, Ulfric escapes, and the war is back on. And now the Dragons are attacking everywhere, indiscriminately. Skyrim is weakened, the Empire is weakened." She narrowed her eyes. "Who else gains from that but the Thalmor?"

"That means we need to find out what the Thalmor know about the Dragons," Milos observed.

"Any ideas?" I asked.

"If we could get into the Thalmor Embassy... it's the centre of their operations in Skyrim... Problem is, that place is locked up tighter than a miser's purse. They could teach me a few things about paranioa..."

"So how do we get into the Thalmor Embassy?" I pressed.

She looked thoughtful, and then shook her head. "I'm not sure yet," Delphine admitted. "I have a few ideas, but I'll need some time to pull things together... Meet me back in Riverwood. If I'm not back when you get there, wait for me. I shouldn't be long." Delphine stood up painfully. Javin quickly walked over and healed her leg, so there was only a slight limp. She thanked him and then looked at me again. "Keep an eye on the sky. This is only going to get worse."

Delphine walked off, picking up her curved blade as she left. I had to admit that seeing her leave wasn't making me very upset at all.

"Hey, what did you say to the Dragon?" Javin asked, intrigued. "And what did it say back?"

"You spoke to it?" Milos repeated.

I nodded slowly. "I... Well, I don't know why, but seeing Sahloknir like that just..." I quickly shook my head and patted my cheeks, reddening them to make them warmer against the cold. "Even though he attacked us, I just felt sad to see him in pain. So I told him that he was a strong enemy and to rest."

"And...?" Javin made his hand go in a circular motion to help me along.

"He said that we were worthy enemies and that my Voice was strong. That was it."

Milos leaned back, finished with the salve. "So when'd you start to speak the language?"

"Since I could understand it, I guess," I said, shrugging. "I don't really know. It's hard to know since so much has changed within... what? Two weeks?"

Milos nodded. "Well, what're we going to do?"

"What d'you mean?"

"We can either go back to Riverwood and do what Delphine wants, or we could leave. We could do our own thing for a bit."

I hung my head and held it in my hands. Gods, that sounded great, but...

"We can't," I groaned. "We just can't. Dragons are coming back to life, and if that black Dragon keeps resurrecting them, no matter where we go, it'll catch up with us eventually."

"Or I will first," Aldren added.

"Or he will," I agreed. "Maybe we can do something to help, at least for a bit. We should play along with Delphine for a while longer, and then we can figure out what our next move's going to be."

Milos was silent for a moment. "You just want to see if you can kill some Thalmor, don't you?"

I grinned. "No, but that sounds great too."

Javin stood up and wiped his hands on a cloth. "Well, whatever you decide, I have a request—."

"You want to come with us," I concluded swiftly.

"Your powers of perception are envious." Javin smiled. "Yes, I wish to accompany you. I want to study Dragons, and what better way to do that than with the Dragonborn? Besides, you saved my life. If you hadn't Shouted at that Dragon when you did, I would be nothing but charred feet. And as the Archmage, I can use my connections within the College to aid us when we need it."

I shrugged and extended my hand. "Sure. Welcome aboard." When Javin grasped my hand and shook it, I smiled. "I'm Taryn Greystone."

"Hides-His-Heart," Milos said. "Milos to my friends."

"Hiemdall Jorganson, Companion."

"Aldren Ebor. I'm an assassin."

"Lovely to meet you all." Javin nodded to us and released my hand. "So, how much do you know about being Dragonborn, Taryn?"

I pursed my lips. "Well... Not much."

"During our trip, I'll do my best to inform you of what I know," Javin assured me. "I used to be a scholar and historian before I was Archmage. I admit, I miss teaching the younger Mages about all things to do with magicka and the history around the Nirn and Tamriel."

I gulped. "Perhaps we could just learn about Dragonborns instead?"

Javin nodded after only a moment of consideration. "Yes, of course. Anyway, where is your wagon?"

"We don't have one," Aldren growled. He was definitely annoyed about how talkative Javin was being.

"Well, that won't do!" Javin tapped his chin. "Young man! Hiemdall, you said your name was, yes? Come with me. We'll walk to Windhelm and purchase a ride to Riverwood. I can buy some parchment and a quill and send a letter to my fellow magisters to let them know that I will not be returning for some time. Now, if you would? I can fix that arm up while we're walking."

Hiemdall looked at me, shrugged, and stood up. "Okay, Beardsy. Let's go."

"I assure you, my name is Javin Kelco. Not 'Beardsy'."

"I give people nicknames," Hiemdall admitted. "So, in my mind, they have different names."

"Then what are everyone else's names?" Javin insisted.

Hiemdall pointed to Aldren. "Stabby." To Milos: "Milos." How original, I thought. "Lizard-girl."

"Stop calling me that!" I snapped, pointing accusingly. "You called me that when we were looking for that stupid horn!"

"Am I wrong?" he asked, shrugging. "C'mon, Beardsy. We should go find a wagon."

I suddenly regretted that Hiemdall didn't have fur, so I couldn't set it on fire. I frowned and got to my feet, and stuck my tongue out as the two were walking away.

"How mature," Aldren said sarcastically. "Worthy of the title of 'Dragonborn', surely."

"If you want it, you can have it," I grumbled. "Well, let's wait for a bit. I have a feeling that they won't be back for—."

"Hey! Hiemdall!" Milos ran to the cliff and looked down at the Mage and the Nord. He tossed his coin purse off of the cliff. "Buy us some food too, okay?"

"Got it!" Hiemdall yelled back.

I sighed. "Well, now they won't be back for a while." I hesitated. "Why didn't you just go with them to sell the crap we've picked up?"

"I figured I could sell it at the Riverwood Trader..." Milos smirked. "I want to see if a certain Imperial is still interested."

I think I heard Aldren gagging from where he was sitting. I think I wanted to do the same.