![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-23-1.png\")
<\/p>\n\u201cUgh,\u201d Serana whined as they jumped down from the bottom step onto the surface of the Soul Cairn. \u201cThe smell here.\u00a0 Let\u2019s try to handle this quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
It does smell like death, Andante thought.\u00a0 Bones, sulphur, ancient dust \u2013 death.<\/p>\n
The ground on which they stood might have been soil or might have been finely powdered bone or ash, he couldn\u2019t tell. There was some grass, dark grass that looked dead, although there was no way to tell for certain. Those trees that dotted the landscape were definitely dead, or at the very least stripped of leaves. There were plenty of structures:\u00a0 odd stone circles, small buildings, sepulchers perhaps, cairns, and a great many huge stone towers.\u00a0 Andante couldn\u2019t tell whether the upright stones were meant as grave markers or not; many had circular holes at the top, but others were solid, thick slabs. Most prominent, though, was what seemed like a castle far off in the distance, with an enormous wall stretching out to either side and two towers from which pillars of light reached skyward.<\/p>\n
It was an eerie, dark place, the Soul Cairn, with patches of vaguely-glowing fog hugging the ground. The sky was a deep purple hue with the few clouds floating in it a lighter, almost lavender color; they seemed to be lit from beneath by the pillars of light emanating not only from the castle but from other tall, ominous-looking towers. \u00a0Here and there, small pools of the same purplish energy sent tendrils of light skyward. Lightning crackled across the sky, and the thunder reverberated with nothing but the stones and few structures to absorb its resonance.<\/p>\n
There were other points of light, too, some of which were moving and some definitely humanoid. Small balls of light with long, sibilant, trailing tails like the Wisps on the surface of Nirn swam through the air at shoulder height, circling around them without aggression, as though watching in curiosity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I wonder what these are.\u00a0 Spirits?\u00a0 If Serana\u2019s mother was right, maybe they\u2019re what\u2019s left of spirits that were mostly used; not really people any more, but soul energy nonetheless.\u00a0 Gods.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know which would be worse: finding Dynjyl in here or not finding him because he\u2019s one of these.<\/em><\/p>\n Andante stepped around one of the wisps toward a spectral form that was staring at one of the standing stones.\u00a0 The specter, a man dressed in common farm clothes, turned to look at Andante.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least the pain is gone,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He sounded distant, uncaring, almost defeated. Then he turned back to stare at the stone again.<\/p>\n Andante frowned and walked silently down the hill, past the skeleton of a mammoth or some other large creature.\u00a0 He looked to the right and saw another spirit, standing atop a rise just in front of a steaming fissure.\u00a0 He walked up to the woman, who said \u201cGet out while you can,\u201d and then turned away from him.<\/p>\n There were other specters about, none of them aggressive but all sounding confused or depressed.\u00a0 One said \u201cHow could they trick me like this?\u201d\u00a0 Another told them to stay away.\u00a0 One man, sitting atop a low wall, asked in despondent tones \u201cIs there no end to this nightmare?\u201d<\/p>\n Gods.\u00a0 I can\u2019t imagine.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf hadn\u2019t made a sound as they\u2019d walked along the path, but he\u2019d been looking from side to side, scanning the area.\u00a0 Andante felt his jaw clench as he watched.<\/p>\n He\u2019s looking for Dynjyl.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what to look for or I\u2019d be looking, too.<\/em>\u00a0 Andante couldn\u2019t see Brynjolf\u2019s eyes, but the tight way he held himself as he searched told him all he needed to know. It had to be difficult.\u00a0 Beyond difficult.\u00a0 It had to be dreadful, and painful, and frightening.\u00a0 I\u2019m nervous, myself, and he wasn\u2019t my lover.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI think we should make for that castle, or fortress, or whatever it is.\u00a0 The one with all the light,\u201d Andante murmured to nobody in particular.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, there\u2019s something going on there, for certain,\u201d Serana answered.<\/p>\n He scanned the area before moving.\u00a0 When he looked to his left, everything appeared very purple, moreso than other parts of the landscape.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething\u2019s going on over here as well.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look.\u201d<\/p>\n As he walked he saw energy arising from the ground, a shimmering purplish-blue curtain of light that stretched across the landscape as far as he could see. Behind it were towers, and standing stones, and other structures; but when he tried to cross the line of light he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a harmful wall, but it was as solid as if it had been built from the Jerall Mountains arrayed in a line.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u00a0 Some sort of magical barrier.\u00a0 I guess we won\u2019t be going that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Serana agreed with him.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s keep moving.\u201d<\/p>\n They headed back to the path.\u00a0 The hissing of steam rising from fissures was joined by a low rumbling, a muffled roar that might, he thought, have been coming from one of the nearby buildings. He didn\u2019t stop to investigate, though, for ahead of them another specter sat atop a large stone, his posture one of despair, or perhaps fear.\u00a0 Andante approached him.<\/p>\n \u201cMust \u2026 stay away from the Keepers!\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cMust stay away from the Keepers.\u201d He sounded terrified, almost desperate; and Andante couldn\u2019t get anything else out of him.<\/p>\n Andante turned to Serana.\u00a0 \u201cKeepers?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Maybe Mother will be able to tell us something if we find her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s out of his mind with fear of them, whatever they are.\u201d\u00a0 He shuddered.\u00a0 Bad enough to be trapped here.\u00a0 But to be trapped and lose the ability to think clearly? I can\u2019t imagine it.<\/em><\/p>\n The next soul approached them, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must help me find my Arvak! He doesn\u2019t deserve to be in a place like this! He\u2019s such a good horse.\u201d The man was clearly distressed. \u201cWe came to this horrible place together and were attacked by monsters.\u00a0 I told him to run. Please, he\u2019s such a loyal creature, and he\u2019s been running so long. You have to save him!\u201d<\/p>\n It was clear that the man didn\u2019t realize what his situation really was.<\/p>\n Your horse is dead, my fine sir, and so are you.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll keep an eye out for him, lad,\u201d Brynjolf murmured from behind him, in comforting tones.<\/p>\n Oh thank you, loverboy. I didn\u2019t know what to say, not at all.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cA place like this will change you,\u201d the ghost muttered. Then he turned and walked away across the steaming fissures, shouting. \u201cArvak?\u00a0 Arvak! Where are you? Arvak, please come back! Come back!\u201d<\/p>\n Andante looked at Serana, and then at Brynjolf, and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing we can do for him, not right now anyway. We have to keep looking for my mother,\u201d Serana said.\u00a0 Brynjolf simply nodded, and went back to scanning the horizon.<\/p>\n The wall they had seen from the portal was not, as it had first appeared, attached to the castle.\u00a0 That, Andante could see, was still a good way off.\u00a0 The wall was a hundred paces or so away, and the castle and its lights were visible through a large gateway just in front of them.\u00a0 He trotted to the gateway, obviously a grand entrance to something with its matched staircases flanked by greenish banners.<\/p>\n Banners. In the Soul Cairn.\u00a0 I wonder whose banners they are.<\/em><\/p>\n On the far side of the wall, the stairs led back down to another large, open plain. Just before them was a dark stone platform atop a pointed archway through which ran the path they\u2019d been following.\u00a0 Another ghost stood leaning against the structure, and a wisp made slow circuits around it.\u00a0 The ghost looked up at Andante and said, \u201cLeave me be,\u201d in as defeated a voice as he\u2019d ever heard, just as movement to their left caught his attention.\u00a0 A spectral horse galloped past and disappeared into the steam hugging the dead landscape.<\/p>\n Andante turned to Serana again. \u201cArvak? Do you suppose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt must be, but I don\u2019t know how we would capture him.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante sighed.\u00a0 This is just depressing.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be happy to leave it behind.<\/em><\/p>\n The farther they trudged into the wastes, the louder it got.\u00a0 It seemed to Andante as though the lightning was more frequent, the hissing of wisps sharper, and the rumbling of thunder echoed by a moaning in the ground itself.\u00a0 It was less and less clear where the path lay, and Andante feared that they were crisscrossing the landscape rather than walking in a straight line toward their destination; still, they grew ever closer to it, slow though their progress was.<\/p>\n As they passed another of the small outbuildings Andante heard Brynjolf\u2019s deep brogue, a question comprised of a single word breaking the silence with the uttermost gravity, like a stone dropping into a still pool.<\/p>\n \u201cDynjyl?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante whipped around to look behind him.\u00a0 There, on a small rise, stood a ghost, staring at Brynjolf.\u00a0 It seemed wary, not quite confused but definitely surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2026 do you know my name?\u201d came a crisp, deep voice, a voice that bristled with authority in spite of its hollow echo. \u201cDo I know you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d Brynjolf said, his voice cracking with emotion. \u201cIt really is you. By the Eight.\u201d He paused a moment, took a deep breath, and then nodded. \u201cYes, you know me, lad. It\u2019s been so long, and you can\u2019t see my face.\u00a0 One moment.\u201d\u00a0 He pushed his hood off his head back onto his shoulders, then reached a hand out toward the ghost on the hill.<\/p>\n \u201cDynny, it\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long pause.<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf merely nodded.\u00a0 There was another long pause, what felt to Andante like an eternity, while the spirit stared.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m confused. You look so\u2026\u00a0 old. I hear your voice, I see your scar, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stood, frozen like a statue, feeling helpless, and felt his heart rise up into his throat.\u00a0 It\u2019s been more than twenty years, Dynny. He\u2019s not a young man any more.\u00a0 Look at him, though. It\u2019s still your Brynjolf.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026 our\u2026 Brynjolf.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time, my friend. I forgot you\u2019ve never seen me with a beard.\u201d\u00a0 He stepped closer.\u00a0 \u201cAnd yes, I\u2019m much older now. Forty winters, I\u2019d wager, if not a couple more than that. You\u2019ve been here half my life, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBryn!\u201d Dynjyl stepped closer and crossed his arms, then peered at Brynjolf.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2026 really is you! I think. You\u2019re\u2026 not dead, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you here, then?\u201d\u00a0 The shade of Dynjyl leaned forward, so close they were nearly touching.\u00a0 \u201cWait, your eyes. Your eyes should be green. Are you a\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Dynny,\u201d Brynjolf said, quietly.\u00a0 \u201cA great many things have happened since we last saw each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Dynjyl shook his head, peered at Brynjolf once more, and then shook his head again. When he spoke, his tones were businesslike, very matter-of-fact, as though they\u2019d spoken to each other just the day before. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say to that. How very absurd of you. But it\u2019s the only way you could be here, unless you\u2019re dead.\u00a0 Well, then.\u201d<\/p>\n His face broke into a slow smile, and his voice softened.<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf.\u00a0 I can scarcely believe it. I never thought I\u2019d see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf gave him a small smile. \u201cYou haven\u2019t changed, have you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot any more than you will have in twenty more years, foolish man, not with what you\u2019ve done to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n Dynjyl tilted his head to one side and examined Brynjolf again. \u201cSo. Tell me. The Guild?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I hardly know where to begin.\u00a0 Gallus is long dead, gone to Nocturnal. His successor is dead as well, only more recently and he most likely went to the Void if the gods are good. And I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe is the Guildmaster, Dynjyl,\u201d Andante said, stepping forward. There is absolutely no reason to get into the matter of Dagnell, not right now. Neither one of you needs to deal with that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cGuildmaster! Really?\u201d Dynjyl\u2019s brows rose.\u00a0 If not for the fact that he shone as all spirits shone, Andante would have sworn that his eyes were sparkling at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, lad, don\u2019t be telling him lies,\u201d Brynjolf grumbled at Andante, even while continuing to gaze at Dynjyl.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Second.\u00a0 You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re still the only Guildmaster I\u2019ve ever known, Bryn,\u201d Andante said, turning to look full at Dynjyl.\u00a0 His mouth fell open for a moment.<\/p>\n By all the gods.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like looking in a glass.<\/em><\/p>\n The two of them stood there, staring at each other.\u00a0 Dynjyl was a Nord, and Andante Imperial, and thus their faces had a slightly different structure; but the dark hair was the same, the mouth was the same. If I had my illusion going our eyes would be the same, too.\u00a0 No wonder.\u00a0 No wonder I remind him of this man.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDynjyl,\u201d he said slowly, not completely certain he knew how to begin, \u201cI\u2019m Andante.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s obvious that I\u2019m a vampire too and I\u2019m also in the Guild.\u00a0 I wanted to tell you that, well, your wife\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n A look of pain flashed across the man\u2019s face, briefly.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she also dead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, she\u2019s not. She\u2019s very much alive. I thought you might like to know that. She\u2019s older, like Brynjolf, but she\u2019s very\u2026 lovely. In spite of that. I \u2026 had occasion to meet her some time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n To Andante\u2019s utter astonishment, Dynjyl looked at him for a moment, then tossed his head back and laughed long and hard. \u201cI see that some things haven\u2019t changed. That\u2019s very good to know. Thank you, Andante.\u201d\u00a0 He looked back at Brynjolf, a mischievous smile dancing around his mouth. \u00a0Brynjolf\u2019s mouth was open just a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Have I shocked you, Bryn? \u00a0I\u2019m simply glad to know that she\u2019s still lively. I would have been very sad to learn that she was not.\u00a0 I was not the only one in the family to enjoy pretty men on occasion.\u201d He smirked. \u201cIf the truth be told I\u2019m quite certain she didn\u2019t like me very much. It\u2019s a hazard of arranged marriages, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. That\u2019s not true, Dynny,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cNot at all. When I took you back to her she was\u2026 heartbroken.\u201d<\/p>\n Dynjyl\u2019s face fell.\u00a0 \u201cIs that so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes it surely is.\u00a0 She was livid with me as you might imagine but she was just, well, heartbroken is the only word I have for it.\u201d He shook his head and sighed. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t have happened, lad.\u00a0 I should have protected you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBryn,\u201d Dynjyl said, softly. \u201cYou can\u2019t blame yourself.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t. And thank you for telling me that.\u00a0 It makes me sad to know that she was hurt but, well, we did care about each other, in spite of everything, and I am glad that she didn\u2019t hate me at the end. Truly.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n They stood there for a long moment, Dynjyl and Brynjolf, their faces sharing a million words that Andante knew he would never know, the wisps circling around them creating a fleeting pattern in the shape of infinity. Dynjyl smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf.\u00a0 It\u2019s so good to see you, my darling boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh gods. I don\u2019t want to hear this.\u00a0 But how can I not.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf, though, wasn\u2019t smiling.\u00a0 He looked deadly serious, guilty, and mournful.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it? Is it really? Even though I\u2019m the reason you\u2019re here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u00a0 Of course <\/em>it\u2019s good to see you. It\u2019s no more your fault I\u2019m here than it is my wife\u2019s.\u00a0 I was a fool, and I didn\u2019t listen to you, and \u2013 here I am.\u00a0 It would have happened sooner or later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDynny\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked like a man being torn in two by guilt, and by longing.<\/p>\n \u201cTruly, Bryn. You know it. If you really think about it, you know that\u2019s the truth. You told me as much. I should have kept to my bookkeeping. That\u2019s what I was good at. But I was an idiot and I wanted adventure and I\u2026\u00a0 \u201c<\/p>\n Brynjolf was looking at Dynjyl as though there was nothing else in all of creation.<\/p>\n Like he was the sun rising. That\u2019s what he said.\u00a0 He\u2019s never looked at me like that. And he never will.<\/em><\/p>\n Andante tried not to sigh audibly.\u00a0 He stepped backward a couple of paces, silently, to stand beside an equally silent Serana, and was shocked when she reached for his hand and gave it a brief squeeze.<\/p>\n \u201cYou what, lad?\u201d Brynjolf murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I loved you. You know that.\u00a0 I wanted to be where you were, no matter what happened, and I was quite willing to accept whatever consequences arose from that.\u00a0 Now stop being a foolish man.\u00a0 A foolish \u2026 old\u2026 man.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s head dropped for a moment, and he stared at the ground.\u00a0 Then he nodded.\u00a0 Andante heard him laugh, a single burst of amusement.\u00a0 He raised his head and smiled at the ghost.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I loved you too, Dynny.\u00a0 You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell of course I do.\u00a0 How do you think I\u2019ve kept myself happy all this time, wandering around this boring<\/em> place? I have plenty of things to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true enough. There were plenty of things. And I\u2019m not that old, lad.\u201d\u00a0 The corner of Brynjolf\u2019s mouth rose into a grin. Dynjyl\u2019s eyes flitted from Brynjolf to Andante and back again.\u00a0 Once more Andante could have sworn he saw a twinkle in them.<\/p>\n \u201cI can see that.\u201d He quirked one eyebrow. \u201cAs I said, it\u2019s good to know that some things haven\u2019t changed. But you are<\/em> old enough to call me lad and have it not sound ridiculous, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf giggled.<\/p>\n He giggled. He actually giggled. He sounds like a boy.\u00a0 And Dynjyl is such a sunny man.\u00a0 Light.\u00a0 Happy.\u00a0 He\u2019s nothing like me at all.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true.\u201d\u00a0 Brynjolf\u2019s smile faded.\u00a0 \u201cI wish\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, my dear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I could \u2026 hold you.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante turned, and walked away a few paces, bowing his head and closing his eyes.\u00a0 I know this is how it is.\u00a0 I know it.\u00a0 But by all the gods it hurts to hear him say that.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t, but it does.<\/em><\/p>\n Dynjyl\u2019s voice, once it came, was matter-of-fact but light.<\/p>\n \u201cWell you know I can\u2019t do that, Brynjolf.\u00a0 I wish it, too.\u00a0 But there\u2019s nothing solid of me, not anymore, and I\u2019m here for the rest of time so long as I stay away from the Keepers. Still, I can see you, and I can see that you have someone special, and that\u2019s good enough for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante\u2019s head shot up.<\/p>\n What did he say?<\/em><\/p>\n I can\u2019t bear to look at Brynjolf right now. Because I know it\u2019s not true and I can\u2019t bear to see it on his face.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDynny.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, dearest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re\u2026 looking for someone.\u00a0 Can you help us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPossibly.\u00a0 Who is it you need to find?\u00a0 Don\u2019t tell me it\u2019s Arvak.\u00a0 I can\u2019t begin to say how many newcomers have tried to reunite that poor man with his horse.\u00a0 It\u2019s like they don\u2019t even see each other when they pass. Very sad. I\u2019m glad I can see you, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye, lad. \u00a0So am I.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking for my mother, Dynjyl,\u201d Serana said.\u00a0 \u201cHer name is Valerica and she\u2019s a vampire. Like us.\u00a0 She may have been here for a very long time now.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how long it\u2019s been, exactly.\u00a0 It\u2019s a long story.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a pause.\u00a0 Andante still couldn\u2019t bring himself to face the group, so he simply scanned ahead.<\/p>\n Not that far now.<\/em><\/p>\n He wanted to be bitter, wanted to be thinking about how good it would feel to get the Scrolls and take out Harkon. Instead he found himself listening to Dynjyl\u2019s deep but positive voice, hearing his enthusiasm for something new to do, and he couldn\u2019t help but smile at it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that must be the woman they have imprisoned.\u00a0 Up in the castle. We can get there, but we\u2019ll probably have to fight some bone men on the way.\u00a0 Looking at all of you I think we\u2019ll have no trouble and, well, I\u2019m still pretty good with a bow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re carrying a spectral bow, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante grinned and fought to stifle a chuckle. Oh, Brynjolf.\u00a0 Think for just a moment.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter, old man.\u00a0 A spectral bow works just as well as a summoned one.\u00a0 Where do you suppose summoned bows come from, anyway?\u00a0 We abandoned souls are good for something, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante turned and smiled.\u00a0 I like him.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t, but I like him. Trapped in this desolate place and somehow he manages to be upbeat.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t ever do that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNot abandoned, Dynjyl,\u201d he said. \u201cTrapped.\u00a0 There\u2019s a difference.\u00a0 There are at least two people I know of who have never forgotten about you.\u00a0 So. Let\u2019s go find Valerica, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n Dynjyl grinned back at him, and waggled his bow in the air.\u00a0 \u201cWe shall.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked back and forth between them like a person who couldn\u2019t quite come to grips with what was going on.\u00a0 Andante wanted to laugh.\u00a0 What is it, Bryn? Can\u2019t handle the fact that we both recognize that you have good taste in men? <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCome on, loverboy.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLoverboy,\u201d Serana muttered, shaking her head.<\/p>\n Dynjyl laughed.\u00a0 \u201cLoverboy.\u00a0 Indeed.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShor\u2019s bones,\u201d Brynjolf grumbled.<\/p>\n \u201cUgh,\u201d Serana whined as they jumped down from the bottom step onto the surface of the Soul Cairn. \u201cThe smell here.\u00a0 Let\u2019s try to handle this quickly.\u201d It does smell like death, Andante thought.\u00a0 Bones, sulphur, ancient dust \u2013 death. The ground on which they stood might have been soil or might have been finely … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-23-2.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-23-3.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-23-4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-23-5.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-23-6.png\")
<\/p>\nPart I: Andante<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"