Chapter Forty-One:

Gone Camping

Sventius was very cold when I checked on him next. Not because of the cold; because his body was no longer pumping his blood through his veins since his heart had stopped. But I remembered yelling at him and trying my damndest to revive him. I had picked him up again and continued forward, but I knew he was dead. I knew it. I just found it harder to believe than ever before.

Half an hour after Arnand met his fate, I felt my energy draining. I was so tired. I just wanted to lay down in the snow and start praying for help. But what good would that do? I wasn't sure if I'd snap and try to eat someone. It was a bloody miracle that I hadn't set Sventius down and—.

I shook that thought from my head. I knew I was still me. Secunda didn't affect me like Masser. It just hurt me. Maybe it was what was keeping me from giving in to exhaustion. I needed to keep going for Sventius.

But I was so tired.

I thought I'd closed my eyes just for a second to blink—to keep the snowflakes from stinging my eyes—but it was longer. Long enough that I could feel Sventius fall from my grasp and land harshly in front of me. I managed to catch myself on my knees, gritting my teeth at the pain shooting through them that the rocks below the snow had so kindly delivered.

Maybe... just... a little nap...

My ears picked up on something: some sort of whistling that wasn't created by the wind. An arrow shot out from the darkness and embedded itself in my shoulder. I hollered in pain and clutched at that area—.

Where's the arrow?

I looked down and spotted its shaft on the ground. Its tip was dull, but it would still be able to draw blood. I pulled my hand away from the area and examined it, noting the blood. Someone was close enough that they had made me bleed, but far enough into the darkness that I could hardly spot them.

My teeth clenched. I looked in the direction the arrow had come, eyes stinging with cold. "Please..." I said. "Please help him!"

Another arrow came through the snow and punctured my other shoulder. I shouted as the second actually entered my flesh and fell backwards.

I just wanted to sleep. So, so badly.

I was glad that, for once, the Gods seemed to be giving me a break.

"Who sent you?"

I woke up to that question. My arms were sore (as well as my knees), but I was mostly okay. I hardly felt groggy at all. In fact, I felt a lot better! Well, except for my arms... And my knees.

Anyway, I looked over at the person who had posed that question to me. She was a Nord, that much was certain, with dark blonde hair and light brown eyes. She wore very simple clothing and had a bow strapped to her back. At least three quivers laid in the room I was in. I was also tied to a chair.

The Nord was impatient for my answer, and shoved the chair over to make a point. I ignored the impact on my head (as best I could, at least) and glared at her.

"Who sent you?!" she repeated much more forcefully.

"Sheogorath," I replied sarcastically. "He wants his crazy back." The Nord rolled her eyes at me. "I wasn't sent by anyone! Where's Sventius?!"

"The elf?"

"Yes, the elf! Ever seen one?! Pointy ears, really tall—?!"

"I have seen them, thanks!" The woman grabbed the ropes that bound me to the chair and hefted it up so I was back in a sitting position, but she didn't release them. "Who sent you?"

I met her eyes, hoping that it would help. "No. One."

"You expect me to believe that you found me through coincidence?"

"I don't expect you to do anything at all, much less believe." I shook my head a bit to clear it. I hope she didn't give me a concussion... "If it helps at all, we were escaping from somewhere. That elf—Sventius—he helped me escape. I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I owe him. So please, tell me that you helped him!"

"I couldn't." I froze at her words. "He was already dead. I buried him after I took care of you." She paused. "I'm sorry. Did you know each other well?"

I shook my head. "No. We just met, but he helped me. I just wish he could've seen his kid again..."

"Maybe you can find them, and let them know where his body's buried?" she suggested.

I grinned. "But then you'll be as accommodating to those visitors as you are to me, right?"

Frowning, the Nord woman grabbed the ropes and untied them. I rubbed my wrists absently, shoulders no longer stinging. "My name is Angi. I'm sorry about your friend, and I'm sorry about, um, this."

"No problem. Did you, uh, send him off?"

"I did." Angi sat down in a chair opposite the one I had previously been sitting in. While she took her time watching me, I examined the place I had been held captive in. It was a modest, two-room shack. The only source of warmth that wasn't in the form of furs or blankets was the fire in the fireplace. A large pelt covered the doorway, but the windows were open and didn't seem to have shutters. I wondered how she could live so cold like that.

Then again, she's a Nord, I thought automatically. Now that I think about it, I rarely get cold much either...

"Where am I?" I finally asked her.

Angi gestured for me to sit. I very tentatively did so. "My little abode in the Jerall Mountains," she answered. "I used to live in Helgen, but..." She smiled faintly. "I needed a change of scenery."

"My thoughts exactly when I left Cyrodiil." She grinned at my response. "So, what prompts a Nord from Helgen to move into the mountains?"

"Like I said: a change of scenery."

"Scenery meaning soldiers?"

Angi's brow furrowed, her dark eyes hardening a bit. "I moved here from Helgen after my family was killed. At the time I couldn't stand to be around anyone. They all felt sorry for me and I didn't want them to. It was my problem, not theirs."

"Your entire family?" I realized that Angi was waiting for me to be like the people she'd just talked about. And as much as I wanted to apologize for something I wasn't involved in or knew nothing about, I didn't. I knew she didn't want that. "Who killed them?"

She seemed a bit relieved at that. "Two Imperials who thought they were above the law."

"Do you need me to—?"

"Already did," she interjected. "Part of the reason I'm living out here now. Thanks for offering though."

I smiled at her. "Then, would you mind letting me know the fastest way to get to the roads in Skyrim?"

"Of course." Angi stood and motioned for me to follow her. The sun was out, illuminating the snow around us. A lean-to had been built to keep firewood dry, I saw, and as we turned onto a rocky path, I noticed wooden stairs that led towards a pit that faced some targets.

"Those targets..."

"I set those targets up a long time ago. I shoot at them from time to time. Don't want to get rusty with my bow."

"Are you good? With your bow, I mean?"

Angi turned to look at me. The sadness of her family's passing was gone from her features, and instead an excitement and confidence had taken its place. "That I am. You know how to use one?"

"A bit. I'm not bad with it, just not excellent." I shrugged. "Can't be helped. Recently, I've been using my sword, but now all my weapons are missing."

Angi raised an eyebrow at me. "You never did mention why you came to my camp."

"I came all the way here?"

"Well, yes." She pointed to a spot on the path. "You were on your knees there when I shot at you. I shot you once for a warning. Lightly. The second was intentionally supposed to hurt you because you weren't listening to me."

I blinked. "You were talking to me?"

The Nord nodded. "I was. You were delirious. I knocked you out with that arrow."

"Awesome."

Angi paused and placed her hands on her hips as she looked at me. "I don't know your name, either."

I grinned and stuck my hand out, which she grasped. "Taryn. I'm Taryn."

"And your reason for being out here? You said that elf helped you escape. From where?"

"The Thalmor," I answered simply. "The Pale Pass has been blocked since the attack on Helgen. They were trying to find a way around it, and we ended up settling in Fort Pale Pass for a while. They wanted to take me back to Cyrodiil..."

"Caught crossing the border illegally, eh?"

"You could say that..."

Smiling, Angi said, "You know, I have a spare bow for practice around here. If you wanted, I could teach you a thing or two before you go. I won't mind the company."

"And I won't mind the practice." I grinned again. "So, where's this bow of yours?"