Chapter Five
Alinja, Erik and Meeko traveled to a cave called Wolfskull Cave. Inside they were greeted with mages and necromancers who majored in all three types of destruction spells. They were burnt, frozen and shocked, but they thought their tactics through this time and managed to fight their way to a tower where several necromancers had their arms raised in a worshiping position towards a large ball of light bluey-purple light. As they neared the tower, a mage stepped out of the shadows. She had her entire face painted in the shape of a white skull. She summoned some type of green magic to her right hand. She sent forward and ball of green light that hit Alinja.
"Argh!" She cried out as her muscles stiffened and refused to obey her commands. "I…can't…move…" she stuttered through tightened lips.
Erik stepped forward and Meeko barred his teeth and got into a striking position.
"Uh-uh-uh." The mage warned, baring a light blue, icy spell in her left hand. "One wrong move and your friend over there gets an icy spear straight into her brain."
Meeko savagely barked, but Erik snapped his head to him. "No, Meeko. Down."
Meeko growled, but lay down reluctantly. Erik glared at the mage. "What do you want?" he asked gripping his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The mage smirked evilly. "Just stay right there. Boys!" She called behind her and a few other mages came out and circled around Alinja, picking up her paralyzed body. She tried to resist, but her efforts were in vain.
"Where are you taking her?!" Erik demanded, trying to keep his voice under control. He had to keep calm. Alinja actually taught him that. In the midst of chaos, keep calm.
"You don't need to worry about that." The mage replied and once her comrades had disappeared into the tower behind her with Alinja, she switched the spell in her right hand to another ice spell. "No hard feelings." She casted an ice storm spell and Erik and Meeko were flung off the edge of the building they were standing on. Turning, the mage felt satisfied that they both fell to their deaths and followed the other mages up to the top of the tower.
Alinja couldn't see what had happened to her two friends, but her heart was pumping hard. She didn't hear fighting. Perhaps they were paralyzed too, why would they only paralyze her? The mages carried her up a spiral of stone staircases until they reached the top, where the necromancers were worshiping the light. The master necromancer came forward and took Alinja's stiff body. Taking her to a small square platform in front of the light, she turned her body so that she was standing and then bound her hands behind her and behind a tall wooden pole that was placed in the centre of the platform.
"E…Erik…" Alinja croaked.
"Hush, child." The master necromancer said, finishing the binding. "You are to be part of our ritual to raise Queen Potema."
Alinja had no idea who Queen Potema was, she was never taught much history as a child, but the fact that this Queen was somehow associated with mages and necromancers; she couldn't be the best Monarch. The master necromancer strode in front of her, joining the circle of mages around her. Raising her hands in the worshiping position again, she chanted:
"Wolf Queen. Hear our call and awaken. We summon Potema!"
The other mages replied, "We summon Potema!"
"Long have you slept the dreamless sleep of death, Potema. No longer. Hear us Wolf Queen! We summon you!"
"We summon Potema!"
"As our voices summon you with the blood of this innocent virgin binds you Wolf Queen!"
"Summoned with words. Bound by blood! Summoned with words. Bound by blood!"
A mage walked up to Alinja's recovering body. She gripped her iron dagger and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll try to make this quick."
Alinja watched her raise the dagger high above her body. She shut her eyes and waited for impact. And it came. The iron blade was driven deep into her gut. Alinja's eyes widened as her body went into shock. This was how she was going to die? As part of some ritual to summon an ancient Queen she hadn't even heard of? She could taste the blood creep up her throat and slowly drip out her mouth. The mage ripped the dagger out of her roughly and she squeaked a sound of defeat. Her vision blurred. She felt the blood from her gut soak her undergarments and pour down her stomach and leg. She felt like she was standing in a pool of warm water.
Her thoughts suddenly turned to Erik. To Meeko. To Mralki. To everyone back home in Rorikstead. Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn't believe she was never going to see them again. She wanted to go to Mralki and tell him that she was sorry for killing his only son, his only child. She wanted to run her fingers through Meeko's soft, shaggy grey fur and hear him bark once more. She wanted to go back to the grave of his former owner and tell him she was sorry for killing his last friend to roam Tamriel. And Erik…the tears dripped freely down her face when she pictured his face. His warm smile. His messy orange hair and shaped beard.
"Erik…" She whispered.
"Alinja!"
She blinked slowly. She thought she could hear his voice. She must be in the final stages of dying as she was hearing voices now.
"Alinja!"
Her brow twitched slightly into a frown. The voice was louder and clearer.
"Something's wrong." The master necromancer said, in an eerily calm voice. "There's an intruder."
Alinja wanted to keep her eyes open to find out if it really was Erik or if she was imagining everything in a delusional hallucination, but they were so heavy…as she closed her eyes, she heard the sound of fighting. Spells going off, iron blades crashing against each other and savage growling and screams. She forced her eyes open in time to see a husky leap onto a mage and rip her throat out.
"Meeko…?" Alinja's voice was barely audible.
The dramatic cry of a nord caught her attention and she raised her gaze to see Erik charge up from the staircase, sword raised and slashing down his enemies desperately. He came to the master necromancer and glared with pure hate at her. It made Alinja scared. She never wanted to see that face again…and the way she was going, she never will again. Closing her eyes again as she heard his sword crash through the necromancer's chest. She heard footsteps run up to her and felt the wet licks of Meeko on her face.
The binds around her wrists suddenly came loose and the effects of paralyze spell wore off as she fell limply onto a strong, furry body which gently rested her to the ground.
"Alinja!" She could hear Erik's voice. Strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her so she was half sitting.
She forced her eyes open slightly again. "Erik.."
"Shh," he hushed, breathing heavily, "don't talk."
Tears were streaming nonstop down her face, she could barely talk. "I…I" She gasped for breath. "I'm sorry…"
"I said be quiet!" The sternness of his voice caught her by surprise. She looked into his eyes and could see that he was holding back tears of his own. "I'll get you fixed up." He then cracked a slight smile. "I'm sorry too…I know you probably didn't want to be saved."
She found comfort in his teasing tone. It was good to see him one last time.
"Alinja!" He shook her violently. "Hang on! Don't go to sleep!" She felt her body getting lifted off the ground. "Stay with me, Ali," Ali. That was the first time he called her that. She felt herself drifting to Aetherius. Erik was saying something but she couldn't make it out before she saw black.
"I love you."
**Dedicated to my grandmother, Brenda Louise. Another victim on breast cancer. May you rest in peace.**