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Brynjolf was in the study when Andante found him.\u00a0 Sitting silently, staring at the open ledger and maps on the desk, he\u2019d found one of Andante\u2019s spare robes and shed his armor in favor of that, and the sight of him made Andante smile. Brynjolf turned his head slightly when he heard Andante approach but gave no other response.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look comfortable, loverboy,\u201d Andante murmured, coming up behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks can be deceiving, lad,\u201d was the quiet answer.<\/p>\n
Andante had seen how hard it had been for him to leave the Soul Cairn, to travel from Castle Volkihar to Solitude.\u00a0 He\u2019d been uncommonly quiet all the way, even when they\u2019d been attacked by Dawnguard bounty hunters as soon as they set foot on land, bounty hunters who had been joined by the Thalmor patrols at Northwatch keep.<\/p>\n
That battle had been enough to make anyone thoughtful, in Andante\u2019s mind.\u00a0 He had been startled when Brynjolf suddenly transformed, right there in front of him, into his massive Vampire Lord form and began shredding Thalmor, shouting \u201cI! Will! Kill you!\u201d at the top of his lungs, in time with the strokes of his claws.\u00a0 He had, himself, transformed and begun lobbing life-draining spells at the soldiers, only to find himself suddenly back in his human shape and wounded by a silver arrow from the bounty hunter, its poison coating causing him to revert against his will. It had taken him a few minutes to dispatch the hunter and then resume his Lord form to help Brynjolf finish the Thalmor; but as he had done so, the Justiciar they fought cast flames at them and he found himself backing away in a panic.<\/p>\n
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Brynjolf had finished the battle on his own.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t seemed to notice that Andante was shaking, by the time it was over, and for that Andante was grateful.\u00a0 All the way down the peninsula to Solitude, he\u2019d gnawed on the thoughts.\u00a0 Why flames? Why am I suddenly terrified of flames?\u00a0 I know we\u2019re weaker to them, as vampires, but fire has never frightened me before.<\/em><\/p>\n Nothing has frightened me, before. Not really.<\/em><\/p>\n What is going on?<\/em><\/p>\n They\u2019d both fed well, but carefully, on the way back to Proudspire Manor, neither of them wanting to attract attention by leaving a trail of bodies.\u00a0 They\u2019d made certain to calm their victims, and only take some blood from them, not drain them dry.\u00a0 Andante had been looking forward to the warm bath, and had enjoyed it well enough, but had, oddly, not indulged in any of the skooma he\u2019d been thinking about.<\/p>\n Brynjolf had joined him in the bath, for a short while, but only long enough to get clean and warm.\u00a0 He\u2019d barely made eye contact, and hadn\u2019t shown the least interest in anything else.\u00a0 Andante wasn\u2019t surprised, really, given what they\u2019d been through in the Soul Cairn.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t felt especially playful, himself.\u00a0 It just felt good to rid himself of the stench that seemed to have followed them home.\u00a0 He\u2019d even scrubbed both their armor before going to find Brynjolf again. His housecarl would have done that, if he\u2019d asked; but instead he\u2019d sent her off for an evening of her own.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s face was calm, but set in a mask the likes of which he hadn\u2019t seen since the days before they\u2019d become close. His own was probably its equal, he thought, that professional mask that revealed nothing, a necessity for thieves and assassins alike.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I don\u2019t mean to make light of it. I\u2019m feeling a bit rattled myself.\u201d<\/p>\n He stepped up behind Brynjolf and placed his hands on the neck and shoulder muscles that felt as tight as steel bands, and began massaging them gently. Brynjolf flinched at the first touch, but then began to relax into it, just a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cThat whole thing was terrible,\u201d he grumbled. \u201cThe whole thing. The only good to come of it was getting the Scroll.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante found a particularly tight knot in Brynjolf\u2019s shoulder and leaned into it with his thumbs, forcing it to release.\u00a0 Brynjolf groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s painful. But good. You know what I mean. I didn\u2019t know how tight I was.\u201d<\/p>\n I did.\u00a0 Before I even touched you.\u00a0 It must have been hard, saying goodbye to Dynny for a second time. I don\u2019t even know what it\u2019s like to have to say goodbye. But I can imagine it, right now, and it hurts.<\/em><\/p>\n Andante worked Brynjolf\u2019s shoulders and back in a way they\u2019d both come to associate with an inevitable, playful movement toward the bed. Brynjolf made satisfied sounds as the massage relaxed him. But Andante didn\u2019t feel playful.<\/p>\n He stopped, thinking of the Keepers, with their blue eyes in a field of black vapor, and shuddered.\u00a0 There was something important about that, and he felt as if he was so very close to remembering what it was; but the memory simply wouldn\u2019t come, like a sneeze that refused to release. He did know one thing for sure, though. He was afraid. And he hated it.<\/p>\n He also hated the situation he was in. One the one hand, there\u2019s me. Whoever that is. On the other hand, there\u2019s Dynny, or what\u2019s left of him. And Dagnell. I probably know where she is, but I don\u2019t know for certain. Almost nothing I can do will accomplish anything but tear him apart some more.<\/em><\/p>\n Except, maybe, to give him the castle, and the future he said he wanted.<\/em><\/p>\n Maybe.<\/em><\/p>\n He leaned forward and kissed Brynjolf\u2019s neck, gently, then moved around and seated himself at the foot of the man\u2019s chair, facing away at an angle.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d Brynjolf\u2019s tone was one of surprise.<\/p>\n No wonder. I stopped where I usually proceed. I kissed where I usually bite. I just can\u2019t do that right now. I need to think.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf reached out and turned Andante around so that he was facing squarely away from him.\u00a0 It was Andante\u2019s turn to moan as Brynjolf\u2019s much larger hands began kneading away the tension in his neck and shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the gods you\u2019re good at that, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n He heard a small chuckle behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cWell now, why are you so tense?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante sighed.\u00a0 I can\u2019t tell him. I don\u2019t know enough to tell him anything and there\u2019s enough on our plates already. But by all the gods I wish I could.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like it when you\u2019re upset, Brynjolf.\u00a0 I thought you knew that. I\u2019m wondering what ridiculous thing we\u2019re going to need to do to get that third scroll. And if the truth be told I\u2019m angry at myself. I almost left you on your own fighting the Thalmor. There\u2019s something about Thalmor that makes my hair stand on end.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf harrumphed. \u201cDid I look like I needed any help, lad? I\u2019m strong enough. They deserved every claw they got. I try to stay out of all these politics, except to see where we can turn a profit from it, but I don\u2019t like the damned Thalmor either. There\u2019s something just wrong with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf rose to his feet and tugged on Andante\u2019s hand, pulling him up as well.<\/p>\n \u201cAndante.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a long trip to make tomorrow. I can think of better ways to spend the rest of tonight than worrying about things.\u201d<\/p>\n To Andante\u2019s complete surprise, Brynjolf led him into the next room, slid his arms around Andante\u2019s waist and pulled him forward to kiss him. It was gentle, utterly unlike either the playful or the fierce moods they usually spent on each other.<\/p>\n When it was finished, Andante smiled and nodded, then followed Brynjolf toward the canopied bed behind them.<\/p>\n This is what I need tonight, too.\u00a0 I just wish I knew who you just kissed, Bryn \u2013 me, or Dynjyl.<\/em><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n The Arcanaeum comprised an entire floor of one of the towers at the College of Winterhold.\u00a0 Like everything else there, the tower was circular and thus so was the Arcanaeum; and as unlikely as it was to think of bookshelves and secretaries lining circular walls, that was exactly what the Arcanaeum held.\u00a0 The entire place was full.\u00a0 A sunken central study area \u2013 pleasantly appointed with chairs and low tables rather than the stiff, formal arrangements of furniture in some halls of learning \u2013 was ringed by an inner wall pierced with half-circular openings. Other comfortable, intimate seating areas filled the space between that inner wall and the collections themselves. There were books everywhere: in piles, on tables, lining the window ledges in the central wall, and most importantly at the back of the room, on the main desk, being overseen by an imposing old mage.<\/p>\n Andante looked around with an odd and yet familiar sense of belonging.\u00a0 He liked reading; he felt comfortable around scrolls and books and journals. He\u2019d even spent most of the days waiting to become a vampire, ill though he\u2019d been, engrossed in a book. In spite of not knowing anything about his own past he felt certain that he must have spent a fair amount of time in such places, for he was well-educated enough, knew the histories of things to a decent extent.\u00a0 He grinned and made his way directly through the space toward the chief Archivist.<\/p>\n Urag gro-Shub, the Archivist at the College of Winterhold, was old. Ancient, even. He had no hair atop his green head; what he did have left, on the sides, was grown long and pulled into a knot at the back. His substantial, white beard didn\u2019t quite hide the teeth that looked their great age and definitely didn\u2019t do anything to conceal the appearance of a very long, sharp nose or the great fangs that rose from his lower jaw.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t an ordinary thing, to find an Orc who was also a mage; not unheard of by any stretch, but unusual.<\/p>\n But an Orc who was also the chief Archivist, the keeper of the great library of the College, now that was a good fit, Andante thought.\u00a0 If I were at all inclined to be intimidated by librarians or archivists, this would be the one to do it. <\/em><\/p>\n Urag greeted them in what might easily have passed for a friendly tone in his mind, but which sounded a lot like the warning growl of a carnivore to anyone else. He looked up at them from his chair behind the main desk, and grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the Arcanaeum, of which I am in charge. Disrupt it, and I will have you torn apart by angry atronachs.\u00a0 Now, do you require assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante couldn\u2019t help himself. He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. We\u2019re here hoping that you can help us find the whereabouts of an Elder Scroll.\u201d<\/p>\n The Orc gave him a strange look, stranger than the look he might otherwise have expected to get with such a question.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think that even if I did have one here I would let you see it? It would be kept under the highest security. The greatest thief in the world wouldn\u2019t be able to lay a finger on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was standing near one of the half-moon openings in the inner wall. He\u2019d been leafing through one of the many books piled up on its ledge, but looked up at Urag\u2019s words, his eyes twinkling.\u00a0 Andante grinned at him.\u00a0 I smell a challenge, Bryn.\u00a0 I have been learning from you, my dear. Watch me work.<\/em><\/p>\n He turned back to Urag and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I would hope nothing less than that. This is an archive, after all, and that is your function as an archivist. You preserve the world\u2019s knowledge, and presumably keep it organized. That also means that you, personally, must be an expert on what information has been amassed here and what other information has not been selected or, well, acquired <\/em>for inclusion in your collections. Am I correct?\u201d<\/p>\n Urag gro-Shub was like anyone else in a specialized occupation, pleased and a bit flattered that someone from outside his profession would recognize its importance; and he\u2019d been at his job for a very, very long time, hundreds of years by some estimations. He made another face that might easily have been the Orc equivalent of a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, then, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve come to the right person. I was told that you might be able to help me learn the whereabouts of an Elder Scroll. Can you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat seems to be a popular subject lately.\u00a0 If I\u2019d known, I\u2019d have kept the books right here behind the desk to save all the fetching. Well as it happens I can\u2019t help, really. Not since the last fellow was here.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante\u2019s internal alarms started clamoring, and he struggled to keep his expression from showing it. That had been the very last thing he\u2019d expected to hear.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last fellow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. The last guy. You must know him, right? Redguard. Short, but big around. Had blonde hair and mismatched eyes, green and gold. He asked the same thing, and I sent him up to see if he could find Septimus Signus. He\u2019s the real expert on these things even if he\u2019s a bit\u2026 crazy. I don\u2019t know whether your guy got the Scroll or not but he definitely beat you to the punch.\u201d He stopped and frowned, realizing that, perhaps he shouldn\u2019t have simply given out such information. \u201cI hope you\u2019re not out to get him or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, not at all\u2026 wait,\u201d Andante babbled, his mind racing. I know this. Could it possibly be?<\/em> Blonde hair, mismatched eyes. Dardeh?<\/em> \u201cBig Redguard? Did he by any chance say something about being Dragonborn?\u201d<\/p>\n Urag\u2019s eyebrows shot up. \u201cWell, now. How did you know that? As a matter of fact, he\u2019s the one.\u00a0 No idea where he is now, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be damned,\u201d Andante muttered. It\u2019s all the way back across Skyrim but at least we know where to find Dardeh.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cProbably. Now is there anything else I can help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante had been thinking about that very question all the way from Solitude.<\/p>\n He shot a quick glance at Brynjolf to see that he was engrossed once more in the book, and nodded, lowering his voice. \u201cWould you have anything about the Soul Cairn? Old materials, histories?\u201d<\/p>\n Urag snorted. \u201cAll of the materials here are old. That\u2019s why they\u2019re here. But yes. I have just the book you need.\u00a0 Give me a moment and I\u2019ll bring it out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n He heaved himself to his feet and walked across the room, directly to the cabinet he needed.\u00a0 There was no referring to indexes, or files, or other materials; Urag simply knew where the book was. He pulled it out, re-locked the cabinet, and brought the volume back to Andante.<\/p>\n \u201cHere you go.\u00a0 Try not to spill anything on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI know. Angry atronachs and all that.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n He flipped the book open and started reading as he wandered the room, finding a seat outside the inner wall.<\/p>\n Soul Cairn. Ruled by the Ideal Masters, yes, we knew that. Black soul gem, trapped soul, eternity, yes, yes. What else? It was once accessible via the voidgate of the Battlespire, but the link was broken when Mehrunes Dagon invaded during the Imperial Simulacrum, 3E 389 to 399.\u00a0 Ok, so we can\u2019t get him out that way, right? What else? The apprentice battlemage who passed through on a quest to free a fellow apprentice from Dagon\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Wait.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWait!\u201d<\/p>\n He found himself leaping to his feet as he stared at the pages.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, lad?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante jumped again, startled, finding Brynjolf peering over his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cI, uh\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He gazed at Brynjolf, wondering how much to say. \u201cI think I found something. About the Soul Cairn. Maybe\u2026\u201d He trailed off, looking at the emotion beginning to dance in Brynjolf\u2019s eyes. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s not inevitable, that souls stay there forever.\u00a0 Listen to this.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned his eyes back to the book.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019This hero freed many trapped spirits, and was aided by the Ideal Masters through the Emerald Gates into the Shade Perilous.\u2019 Well I don\u2019t have any idea what that means, Bryn, except for one important fact \u2013 souls have <\/em>escaped from there, before.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what happened to them when they escaped, but they have.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sat down at the nearby table, almost as though his legs were giving out from under him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt says: \u2018The Shade Perilous is a pocket realm of the Evergloam coveted by many Daedric clans\u2026 blah blah blah\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He turned the page. \u201cOk, here\u2019s another note, in a different hand.\u00a0 \u2018Shade Perilous is the main focal point of Nocturnal. It lies in Evergloam. It is one of seven realms Nocturnal possesses.\u2019\u00a0 And\u2026\u201d he flipped another page. \u201cHere\u2019s another note, in yet another different hand. The apprentice battlemage, the same one I was reading about before, I guess.\u00a0 It says he helped to partially liberate the Shade Perilous.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante sighed, then looked at Brynjolf.\u00a0 His head was inclined upward toward Andante, but had pulled his hood up. To hide his eyes, maybe?\u00a0 Is he upset?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Bryn. I thought maybe I could find something useful. This isn\u2019t, really. I shouldn\u2019t have spoken out loud.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to get your hopes up.\u00a0 I guess the reference to Nocturnal is interesting but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou did that for me?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smiled.\u00a0 I\u2019d do anything for you, Brynjolf.<\/em> \u201cWell, we were going to be here anyway and\u2026 I didn\u2019t like seeing him roaming around there, either.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know. Yes, I did that for you. I wish it was more useful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNocturnal. You know who that is, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell of course. She\u2019s the one we all\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHush. We don\u2019t want Urag to wonder if he has the world\u2019s greatest thief in his archive.\u201d Brynjolf grinned; that much Andante could see even under the hood. \u201cBut yes.\u00a0 Eyes open, and walk with the shadows.\u00a0 There\u2019s a reason we say that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it still doesn\u2019t help us do anything for Dynjyl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u00a0 I\u2019ll need to think on it, lad.\u00a0 Did you find out anything about the Scroll?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smacked his forehead. \u201cWhat an idiot. Yes, I did.\u00a0 Dardeh came here looking for it, awhile ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante related Urag\u2019s description as closely to word-for-word as he could remember.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s him. Well I guess that\u2019s our next stop then. Tell you what; let\u2019s go to Windhelm and get a carriage to Falkreath.\u00a0 Their house isn\u2019t far away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot Whiterun?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t get into politics much but I do know that the southern border is safer for people with, shall we say, Imperial connections.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante grinned.\u00a0 \u201cLike Maven?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell if you want to put it that way. She is Thane now, after all. But I\u2019ve also heard that there\u2019s been trouble around Whiterun.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s more than I knew. I thought Dardeh had gotten all of that settled.\u00a0 At any rate, he\u2019s our best lead for the Scroll. Let\u2019s head out.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante returned the book to Urag gro-Shub and thanked him for both it and the information on the Elder Scroll.\u00a0 Grinning to himself as he did so, he reached into his coin purse and pulled out a fairly substantial amount of coin, sliding it across the desk.<\/p>\n \u201cA donation to the archives, sir.\u00a0 Since I haven\u2019t any research material to offer.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n Urag thanked him with a toothy grin and scurried off to put away the book and, presumably, the coin.\u00a0 Andante chuckled to himself.<\/p>\n \u2018You always pay for your information, lad,\u2019 that\u2019s what he told me.<\/em><\/p>\n Andante turned to leave and almost bumped headlong into Brynjolf.\u00a0 He was smiling down from under his hood.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, lad,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brynjolf was in the study when Andante found him.\u00a0 Sitting silently, staring at the open ledger and maps on the desk, he\u2019d found one of Andante\u2019s spare robes and shed his armor in favor of that, and the sight of him made Andante smile. 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<\/p>\nPart II: Counterpoint<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nQuotations on Soul Cairn from the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (http:\/\/en.uesp.net\/wiki\/) and The Elder Scrolls Wikia (https:\/\/elderscrolls.wikia.com\/wiki)<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"