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<\/p>\nAndante looked around, trying to spot the birds he could hear, but all he could see were a few gleamblossoms and phosphorescent rocks. It was much lighter, though, and a breeze on his face had him turning in the direction of a very narrow tunnel.\u00a0 He motioned to the others to follow and then worked his way through the tunnel uphill into a huge cylindrical cave.\u00a0 There was an opening at the bottom of this cave but he instead followed the path that spiraled around the perimeter, toward the increasingly cold air blowing in from above. He looked up and winced at the brightness of the vivid blue sky seen through an opening at the cavern\u2019s roof.<\/p>\n
The path they were on led to a ledge fairly high up a slope overlooking a small, bowl-like valley ringed by mountains. The trees were mostly conifers, and the air carried their scent along with that of a few lingering gleamblossom plants near the cavern\u2019s edges. Farther down was tundra-like undergrowth scattered in amongst the rocky terrain, as well as the skeleton of a mammoth or some other huge animal. The valley was stark, but beautiful, and Andante stood enjoying the view while he waited for the others to emerge from the darkness.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is incredible,\u201d Serana breathed. \u201cIt\u2019s like a whole other world!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is,\u201d Brynjolf agreed. \u201cBest remember where this spot is, though. I would hate to stumble back into it by mistake. That\u2019s a long way down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood observation,\u201d Andante agreed.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s make a marker.\u201d\u00a0 There was loose stone everywhere in their vicinity; he took a few moments to create a small stack of them, wedging a piece of cloth between the topmost stones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere. Not quite a bandit\u2019s cairn but with any luck we\u2019ll see it before tumbling in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on,\u201d Serana said, starting to pick her way down through the scree. \u201cThe bow has to be in this valley somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andante stopped her. \u201cWait, Serana. Let me lead. I promised Valerica I would keep you safe and while I realize it seems highly unlikely I do have at least some semblance of integrity about promises.\u201d And as he heard a rumble behind him he turned and pointed an accusatory finger in Brynjolf\u2019s direction. \u201cAnd do not <\/em>laugh at me, sir. I won\u2019t have it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t dream of it, lad.\u201d\u00a0 His barely-contained grin said otherwise.<\/p>\n He looked around a bit more, then pointed toward a series of stone arches, some intact and some collapsed, that led from the floor of the valley up toward a low spot between the hills. \u201cSee those over there? I\u2019m thinking we should head that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cGood catch. They\u2019re shaped like the Wayshrines, a bit. I\u2019ll bet it\u2019s part of the old initiate\u2019s trail.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante started down the dirt path before him, intending to go that way. Before he had gone too many lengths, though, he was distracted by a trail branching to the right, hugging the hill they were on.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s check this out first,\u201d he said, starting down the path to his right.\u00a0 \u201cWho knows whether we\u2019ll be back here again. I\u2019d hate to miss something important.\u201d<\/p>\n It was cold and misty in the valley, but it smelled wonderful to Andante, particularly after having passed through the close and dank Falmer nests.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t paying attention to much aside from the sharp tang of pine, and thus nearly ran into the saber cat sleeping in its den over the crest of the next hill. \u00a0It had clearly only recently taken down the deer whose carcass lay just beyond, and was sluggish, busy digesting its first meal from the hunt. Thanks only to that, it took the three of them just a few moments to dispatch the beast.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you mind very much being a little more cautious, lad?\u201d Brynjolf grumbled. \u201cHonestly, sometimes you are more like Dynny than I would have imagined possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante chuckled. \u201cI am sorry. I was too distracted by the clean air. Because you\u2019re right; the concentrated odor of Falmer is bad.\u201d He grinned at Brynjolf and readied his axe, picking his way slowly and carefully around the trail\u2019s next corner.<\/p>\n Around a clump of trees at that corner was a cave opening with a single Falmer sitting outside, a vibrant patch of gleamblossom just downhill from it. He tsk\u2019d, held up a hand to stop the others, then crept backward a few steps.<\/p>\n \u201cFalmer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Really?\u201d Serana said, not quite keeping her voice from becoming an irritating whine.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Sorry. I\u2019ll try a frost cloud on it and see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re right behind you,\u201d Brynjolf murmured.<\/p>\n The frost cloud confused the Falmer enough that Andante was able to slip behind it and take it out with a couple of quick axe blows. He stood, looked up at his companions and shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cToo easy. I dread what\u2019s inside.\u00a0 Assuming that we want to look.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course we do,\u201d Serana replied, her arms crossed. \u201cWhat if that\u2019s the entrance to another Wayshrine?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u00a0 Well here we go.\u201d<\/p>\n The cave into which they crept was a chaurus farm.\u00a0 There was a pen, directly in front of the entrance, in which one hunter hovered.\u00a0 Andante slipped past it, following a narrow pathway to the left.\u00a0 He turned to see whether the others were behind him, and then nearly jumped out of his boots as a short figure ran by him on his left, snarling. Serana had reanimated the Vale saber cat from outside, and it was rushing to attack the chaurus hunter that had just burst from its cocoon.<\/p>\n In the narrow confines of the pathway, beyond the edges of which he could not see in the near-total darkness, it was a fierce and dangerous battle.\u00a0 Brynjolf pushed past Andante, smashing at the beast; Serana cast her life-draining spell at it, and Andante tried desperately to find an opening with his axe.\u00a0 The cat, taking most of the damage by virtue of having gotten there first, finally fell to the hunter\u2019s mandibles, giving Andante the opening he needed to strike the finishing blow.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t see anything else in the cavern, aside from the remaining hunter flying aimlessly about in its pen. He decided to leave that, and anything else that might be in the pen with it, alone.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s something else in here, but I\u2019m also sure it\u2019s not a Wayshrine. What a waste of effort,\u201d he grumbled, leading them out into the light and turning right to continue along the hillside.<\/p>\n Not far beyond the cave, around a bend in the path, there was a series of toppled pillars much like the ones he had first seen.\u00a0 He followed them up another rise, through birches and conifers. There, in the far corner of the valley, was another Wayshrine, its Prelate standing sentinel beside it.\u00a0 Andante smiled as he approached.<\/p>\n \u201cWelcome, initiate,\u201d the Prelate greeted him. \u201cThis is the Wayshrine of Sight. Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with his enlightenment?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n As the Prelate turned to cast his spell, Andante nodded to Brynjolf for help getting the ewer off his back once more.\u00a0 Stepping into the Wayshrine, he dipped it into the water and sighed. The thing was getting heavier already, and there were three more Wayshrines to go. This one contained a portal that, if he peered into it, seemed to lead back to the Wayshrine of Enlightenment at Darkfall Passage.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s another taken care of, but it\u2019s not where we need to go,\u201d he said, wrestling the ewer onto his back once more. \u201cGuesses?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf pointed back down the valley. \u201cYou had the right of it the first time, I think.\u00a0 Back down the valley, on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n They made their way carefully around the perimeter of the bowl-like valley, stopping only to dispatch another saber cat and one angry frost troll that came barreling down on them from the heights. The arches Andante had seen from the opposite hillside lined stone stairs that wound their way toward a narrow pass.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like Ivarstead,\u201d Brynjolf said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIvarstead. The Seven Thousand Steps up to the Throat of the World.\u00a0 Have you never seen that in all your roaming around Skyrim, lad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. That.\u00a0 Well yes, of course I\u2019ve been through Ivarstead, Brynjolf, but I paid no attention to the steps. What business does a man such as I have with a monastery?\u201d<\/p>\n Serana chuckled. \u201cThere is that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly,\u201d Andante grumbled. \u201cYou two. The lack of respect is remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n They climbed up toward the narrowest portion of the pass, a sheer cut through the face of the mountain.\u00a0 Andante\u2019s shoulders were aching from the added and awkwardly uncomfortable weight of the Initiate\u2019s Ewer, and he was shifting them about, looking down at his footing, and not paying the slightest bit of attention to what was before him until a freezing gob of spider venom caught him full in the face. As a vampire, the venom\u2019s poison had no effect on him, but its cold stung and it blurred his vision.<\/p>\n \u201cArrgh!\u201d<\/p>\n Serana flew past him on one side and Brynjolf on the other, and he wiped his eyes clear in time to watch them crash into a group of at least four frostbite spiders. The first three were average-sized and took next to no time for Brynjolf and Serana to kill.\u00a0 Andante sprinted past them as they were finishing up, and ran headlong into their brood mother, an enormous, revolting creature with far too many eyes.\u00a0 He had drawn his axe already, but grabbed for the Razor as well, slashing, ducking and weaving, whirling in a dual attack until an opening allowed him to slam the dagger down into the spider\u2019s brain.\u00a0 It shuddered, and then collapsed into a heap.<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t I tell you to be careful, Andante?\u201d Brynjolf grumbled from behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t give me a hard time, Brynjolf,\u201d he answered. \u201cI\u2019m not in the mood.\u00a0 This ewer is the most awkward thing I\u2019ve ever had to carry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it won\u2019t be anywhere near as awkward as me trying to carry you out of here if you get hurt,\u201d Brynjolf said quietly.<\/p>\n Andante looked at Brynjolf\u2019s expression and immediately regretting having snapped at him.\u00a0 Hurt. Or killed. It wouldn\u2019t just be awkward, it would be like reliving Dynjyl\u2019s death. I won\u2019t do that to you. <\/em><\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right. Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Serana sighed. \u201cNow if you boys are done bickering, could we continue? It\u2019s really very much too bright out here for my taste.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante grinned at her. \u201cI hate to say it, Serana, but you\u2019re also right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWatch it, Andante. I\u2019m beginning to think that you may even like the lass,\u201d Brynjolf chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t hold your breath, Brynjolf,\u201d she smirked.<\/p>\n Andante chuckled and turned to walk through the remainder of the pass, the walls of it only barely far enough apart for the three of them to walk abreast if they\u2019d been inclined to do so.\u00a0 He stepped over the crest of its highest point and stopped, his mouth falling open for a moment.\u00a0 Then he moved out to take in the view.<\/p>\n Before them was a blindingly white expanse of frozen valley, cut deep into the heart of snow-covered, craggy mountains. \u00a0Enormous sheets of ice hung down from numerous lips of rock, with several impossibly tall waterfalls feeding a river that ran along the center of the valley. Ice flanked both shores of the river, with swift-flowing, greenish-blue water in its center and steep crags beyond. \u00a0Next to Andante, and in both directions, leading along the shores and up into the mountains beyond, were more of the ruined pillars they\u2019d been following, as well as a smattering of intact archways. It was silent save for the faint roar of the waterfall.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is beautiful,\u201d Serana said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is.\u201d He turned to smile at Brynjolf. \u201cI told you I could appreciate beauty when I see it.\u00a0 This is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes were shining. \u201cNo wonder they called themselves Snow Elves.\u201d<\/p>\n There were two ways to proceed, and Andante suspected they would need to explore the whole valley in order to find the three remaining Wayshrines.\u00a0 The nearest intact arch, however, was to his left.\u00a0 He turned, and walked slowly down the slope toward it, enjoying the quiet progress along the edge of the river, considering how awe-inspiring it might have felt to be an initiate who was looking for enlightenment as he trod the same pathways.<\/p>\n My, my, Andante.\u00a0 Aren\u2019t you philosophical today? Well they certainly would never have taken the likes of me under normal circumstances, would they?<\/em><\/p>\n He laughed at himself as he looked up the path, leading up a small rise to what was clearly another Wayshrine. \u201cThose things are everywhere, aren\u2019t they?\u201d he heard Serana murmur behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve reached the Wayshrine of Learning, Initiate,\u201d the Prelate told him. Andante agreed to honor the mantras of Auri-El, and added water from this shrine to that already in the ewer.\u00a0 As he turned back toward the river, the Prelate sent him on his way with \u201cAuri-El bless you, child, for you are a step closer to the Inner Sanctum and everlasting wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante half-bowed and started back down the trail. Wisdom is nice, but I want the bow. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThat one had two portals, back to the two Wayshrines we\u2019ve already found,\u201d he told the others. \u201cI guess Gelebor wasn\u2019t kidding when he said they can be used for transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n He stopped to consider their next move.\u00a0 While there was clearly a path up into the mountains just opposite them, he decided to explore the entire near bank first. He trotted back down the shore and past the broken archways that marked the spot they had entered the valley. He could see where they needed to go, or at least he thought so: a natural bridge crossed the river at its far end, high up the mountainsides.\u00a0 The trail from where they had arrived, however, ran along the riverbank.\u00a0 He started trotting along beside the icy water.<\/p>\n At the far end of the valley was a staircase leading up into the mountains opposite them. He would have headed directly for it if not for an enormous figure patrolling the opening to its den.\u00a0 White, and with multiple eyes and protruding tusks like a frost troll, it also had two impressive horns atop its head.\u00a0 And it was huge. It wielded a great stone club like that carried by the giants in the rest of Skyrim.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to get under that club,\u201d Andante whispered to the other two. \u201cLet me try my bow first.\u201d<\/p>\n He took long and careful aim with his bow and fired several ebony arrows at the giant. It stumbled back a step.<\/p>\n Chaos erupted, then, as both Brynjolf and Serana rushed the beast.\u00a0 It stomped, sending shockwaves rippling down the shoreline, catching Brynjolf and making him step off-balance just as he was about to slash at the creature with his sword.\u00a0 It swung its club.<\/p>\n Time seemed to slow for Andante as he saw the heavy weapon descending in an arc that would crush Brynjolf\u2019s skull if it connected.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d he shouted, panicked.\u00a0 Then he called on the only word he knew that might push the beast back enough that its club would fall short.<\/p>\n \u201cFUS!\u201d<\/p>\n The shock wave was visible, travelling across the distance between them, and Andante held his breath as it caught the giant.\u00a0 It was only one word of the Shout, and he was far from being as powerful as Dardeh, but it worked; the giant stumbled backward one pace and its club struck the ground just a whisper in front of Brynjolf.\u00a0 Even so, Andante heard Brynjolf cry out.<\/p>\n \u201cGet AWAY from it!\u201d Andante screamed, firing more arrows as fast as he could.<\/p>\n Serana had backed around the side of the giant, and was using her vitality-draining spell from a safe distance, so he wasn\u2019t concerned about her, but Brynjolf either hadn\u2019t heard him or was ignoring him, standing to raise his sword and shield once more. Andante swapped his weapons in favor of his axe and the deadly Razor, and ran behind the giant.\u00a0 He hacked at it from the back, from a position of surprise, and was lucky enough to land a crippling blow with the Razor through its ribs, near its heart, as his axe bit into its opposite site.\u00a0 It toppled over.<\/p>\n Andante stood, panting, glaring at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy<\/em> in the name of Oblivion did you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf had his hands on his knees and was doubled over, sucking air.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to kill it. Why do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you I\u2019d use the bow!\u201d<\/p>\n Serana shook her head at Brynjolf.\u00a0 \u201cTry to be a little more careful, would you? Neither one of us wants to see you get hurt, Brynjolf. It would be even more awkward trying to drag you out of here than it would if Andante got damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante spun in the opposite direction. I don\u2019t want to talk to him right now. There\u2019s no talking to someone that reckless. I don\u2019t understand why he would behave like that, after what he\u2019s said about Dynjyl.\u00a0 Idiot.<\/em>\u00a0 The cold anger refused to leave him as he hopped across the small openings between ice floes in the river and began climbing the hill on the far side.\u00a0 As they neared the top of the hill, he saw a path leading left, at the end of which was another Wayshrine.\u00a0 To his right, he saw another path, rougher, running above another branch of the river.<\/p>\n Serana caught up with him first and pointed toward the Wayshrine.\u00a0 \u201cIf we open that one, we\u2019ll be able to get around this valley a lot faster.\u201d<\/p>\n He considered a snappy retort about how she could possibly know that, but then realized she was right.\u00a0 The other Wayshrines each contained portals to other places they had visited.\u00a0 If she was correct, this one would allow them to travel back to the other end of the valley without climbing back down the icy mountain. \u00a0This was the Wayshrine of Resolution, they learned from its Prelate.<\/p>\n \u201cAndante,\u201d he heard from behind him, as he waited for the shrine to grind its way open.<\/p>\n \u201cNot now, Brynjolf.\u201d\u00a0 Not now. I don\u2019t know when. I\u2019m angry.<\/em><\/p>\n As Andante added to the increasingly-heavy ewer he realized that Serana had indeed been correct. There were portals leading back to all the wayshrines they had discovered previously.\u00a0 He stepped out and surveyed the area.\u00a0 Ahead of them was an enormous, mostly-frozen lake. He shook his head and pointed back the way they had come.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see what\u2019s down there, first.\u00a0 I have a feeling about it.\u201d<\/p>\n He picked his way carefully down the icy steps and out along a narrow ledge overlooking the stream, and saw that his feeling had been correct.\u00a0 At the far end of the stream was another cave, guarded by another frost giant.\u00a0 He turned and glared at both of his companions.<\/p>\n \u201cStay. Put.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take it out from here.\u00a0 I\u2019ll conjure the Dremora and send it over if it looks like I need help.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf opened his mouth, as if to argue, and Andante cut him off, sharply.\u00a0 \u201cNo. I want you to stay put. Here. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s jaw clenched and his brow furrowed. It was clear that he was angry; but finally after a tense moment he nodded.<\/p>\n As far away as they were across the rushing waters, and as slowly as the giant moved, it took only a minute or two for Andante to bring the beast down.\u00a0 He had felt Brynjolf trembling beside him, the whole time, fighting his urge to rush into battle.\u00a0 He turned to sneer at Brynjolf before hopping across the rocks to check out its den.\u00a0 When he passed by Brynjolf on the way back up the hill, they looked at each other but neither of them spoke.<\/p>\n There was more than one way to get to the frozen lake, and Andante picked the longer of the two in order to be sure they weren\u2019t going to miss something important on the hill near the Shrine of Learning.\u00a0 The path led up stairs, through several intact arches, and out onto the surface of the lake. The sun was beginning to dip behind the mountaintops as they ran out onto the ice, making it even colder. The angle of the sun\u2019s remaining rays also caught the edges of the multitude of cracks running through the ice.\u00a0 Andante looked at it warily, and decided to stay near the rocky shoreline as he ran down the lake toward a structure at its far end.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes this ice look a little\u2026 thin, to you?\u201d Serana asked.<\/p>\n He was just about to turn and agree with her when there was an enormous explosion from the middle of the lake.<\/p>\n Andante would never have believed such a thing to be possible if he hadn\u2019t been witnessing it.\u00a0 A gigantic, golden dragon with dark markings along its sides erupted from beneath the lake\u2019s surface and rose high into the sky, sending great slabs of ice flying toward them.<\/p>\n \u201cLook out!\u201d Andante yelped, sprinting toward the broken pillar he could see at the far end of the lake. A dragon meant they would need some kind of shelter, no matter how minimal.\u00a0 He had nearly reached the pillar, stopping only to fire a useless shot at the beast, when he heard another explosion behind him.\u00a0 Whirling, he saw a second dragon fighting its way upward, and he groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cGET OVER HERE!\u201d he screamed, hoping the other two could hear him while knowing full well that the dragons\u2019 roars likely drowned him out.<\/p>\n Serana made it to the base of the pillar just as the first dragon circled around to attack.\u00a0 Thank the gods, she\u2019ll be safe. But where\u2019s\u00a0 \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll give no quarter!\u201d Brynjolf shouted, running out onto the ice as the first dragon landed before him.<\/p>\n It was a fire dragon.\u00a0 They both were.<\/p>\n The next moments lasted a lifetime, or so it seemed to Andante.\u00a0 The dragons took turns diving beneath the ice, emerging in unexpected places. They attacked from the air, and then landed to snap at Brynjolf and Serana with enormous teeth.\u00a0 Andante\u2019s dremora took the brunt of damage, as it had nothing to lose by attacking, but Andante heard Brynjolf crying out in pain from the flames and everything, for him, went cold.<\/p>\n He pulled out his most powerful arrows, those made with the heart of a defeated Daedra, and began unloading them into the dragons.\u00a0 He hid behind the pillar when they neared.\u00a0 Everything was a blur of healing, and conjuring, and Shouting when they were near enough to reach, and pulling, pulling, pulling on the bow as fast as he could make it fire. Dimly, he was aware of the sound of Serana\u2019s ice spikes smacking into dragon hide, and the metallic thud of Brynjolf\u2019s shield smashing snouts.\u00a0 He heard Serana shout \u201cthis won\u2019t end well for you!\u201d and a part of his mind wondered whether she was referring to the dragons, or to Brynjolf.<\/p>\n He ran back past the pillar, around the side of the structure behind him, and realized that it was a dragon word wall, the type he\u2019d encountered many a time in other parts of Skyrim, Even as he recognized the word it contained \u2013 a word that would drain vitality in much the way they could already do as vampires – he whirled to continue firing at the first dragon, which was down and bleeding.<\/p>\n And so was Brynjolf.\u00a0 Andante saw him on a knee, swallowing healing potions while Serana fired ice spikes at the dragon with one hand and a healing spell at Brynjolf with the other.<\/p>\n The world went red for Andante, and whatever portion of him was a cautious, stealthy assassin shut down.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have said, later, exactly what he did, how many times he might have run out from behind the pillar to Shout ice at one or the other of them, how many blows he might have struck with his axe, how many times he had healed himself or how many dozens of Daedric arrows he emptied into them.\u00a0 But when he became aware, again, he was standing in the moonlight next to one of the gigantic corpses, and he felt as cold and hard as the ice upon which he stood.<\/p>\n He heard Serana approach, and blinked, and looked around.<\/p>\n We survived. At least Serana and I survived.\u00a0 Where is\u2026 \u00a0<\/em>Behind her, over her shoulder, he saw the familiar bulk of Brynjolf walking quietly toward them.<\/p>\n It was good to see the man nearing him, to be certain, but a large part of him wanted to transform, right there, and rip him to shreds. He stared at Brynjolf, his relief fighting with his anger and losing.\u00a0 Once Brynjolf reached him, stopping just barely out of reach, he could see a grim anger on his face as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you thinking?\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Out of his peripheral vision he saw Serana backing carefully away.\u00a0 Perceptive, isn\u2019t she?<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean? I was trying to kill the damn dragons. What did it look like to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a vampire, Brynjolf. They breathe fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shouldn\u2019t have allowed himself to be angry, but he did. His frown deepened, and his tone became sarcastic.<\/p>\n \u201cI noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long silence.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be sarcastic with me. It\u2019s not a good choice.<\/em><\/p>\n Vitus spoke. He spoke very quietly, but without any of the affection that usually colored the words that came from his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ever do anything like that in my presence again.\u201d The words were cold, tinged with threat. His tone was reminiscent of the one he had used to put Brynjolf in his place when they rested in Andante\u2019s cabin near the Nightgate Inn, except that there was no humor, no companionship in it, and no room for negotiation.<\/p>\n \u201cYou would have preferred I let them keep attacking you, is that it? Sorry, lad. I was here, with Serana, and you were up behind the rock.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I was. That was the safe place for a vampire to be firing Daedric arrows at the dragons. The conjured Dremora churl was available to take on damage at close range.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was starting to respond to the quiet threat he was hearing. His voice dropped into a growl. \u201cDon\u2019t tell me my business, Andante.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou had to take a knee, Brynjolf. More than once. They had you down.\u201d<\/p>\n They had you down. I thought I was going to be collecting ashes.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I am telling you,\u201d Brynjolf said, his eyes flashing, \u201cnot to tell me my business. I will take on a dragon if it suits me.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus\u2019 lips curled back from his fangs.<\/p>\n \u201cSo should I have invested in a soul trap spell, Brynjolf? So that you can be with your lover in the Soul Cairn when the next dragon turns you into a pile of ash?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf roared. \u201cHow DARE you?\u201d<\/p>\n Before Andante had a chance to react, Brynjolf had seized him by the upper arms, his grip more powerful than Andante had imagined possible. He had his own fangs bared, and leaned in so closely that Andante wondered if his was the neck about to be shredded.<\/p>\n \u201cHow dare you,\u201d Brynjolf repeated. \u201cAfter I put myself on the line just now you accuse me of wanting to be there<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante knew he should be quiet, and yet he felt himself speaking in spite of it, incapable of keeping the bitter sarcasm from his response.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Dynjyl? Yes. Why else would you take such a ridiculous chance with your life? And by the way, as unlikely as it seems you are in fact hurting my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019ll continue to do so,\u201d Brynjolf snarled. \u201cBecause it\u2019s the only thing keeping me from strangling you right now.\u00a0 Who do you think you are?\u201d<\/p>\n There was a brief moment of silence before Andante took a breath to answer.<\/p>\n \u201cI think,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cthat I am the man who offered Nocturnal whatever was left of his soul on your behalf, if she would free Dynjyl from the Soul Cairn.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf dropped his hands, his eyes wide. And just as quickly as the cold, deadly anger Andante had felt for a moment had flared, it dissipated. In its place was a deep sadness.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think,\u201d Andante said, very quietly, \u201cthat I could not bear to watch you go up in flames, Brynjolf. So please. Don\u2019t do that sort of thing again.\u201d<\/p>\n He stood, looking from one of Brynjolf\u2019s bottomless golden eyes to the other, knowing that he would never see reflected back to him the emotions that must be showing in his own.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t love me. And I offered up my soul for him. I would do it again if I thought she\u2019d listen. The least he can do is not make me watch him die.<\/em><\/p>\n He glanced at Brynjolf\u2019s red hair, and again saw the dragon\u2019s fire licking at it, reaching for him, trying to consume him, only his own deep reserves of fortitude and Serana\u2019s relentless attacks saving him. From the deepest part of his mind, another memory came to him.\u00a0 A woman, with flame red hair, wearing a black hood and black armor.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the briefest glimpse of her, from well back, as she fought to protect the building she was in, as it was being engulfed.\u00a0 He\u2019d howled with frustration, and fought himself not to run to rescue her as the others he could see were trying to do; but she had told him to flee and one always obeyed the Listener even if one was dying inside.\u00a0 He fought himself again, now, so that his face would not give away the fact that he was dying again, inside; so that Brynjolf would not see him trembling as if he was in fear for his own existence.<\/p>\n Go, Vitus<\/em>, she had told him. Go to Bruma; find out whether any of the others have gone there too. You\u2019re the youngest. The Brotherhood must survive.<\/em><\/p>\n The Listener.\u00a0 She died in the fire.<\/em><\/p>\n Alisanne.<\/em><\/p>\n I was in the Dark Brotherhood in Bravil.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Nocturnal meant when she said I have belonged to Sithis my whole life.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n By all the gods. No wonder I am always drawn to red hair. Red hair, black clothing.<\/em><\/p>\n No wonder I am so careful around the Listener. One always obeys the Listener.<\/em><\/p>\n No wonder the Thalmor\u2019s flames frightened me so much. And the dragons\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n No wonder.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 sorry, Andante,\u201d Brynjolf said, very quietly, reaching out to touch his shoulder gently. \u201cI should never have let my temper get the better of me. This isn\u2019t the first time it\u2019s happened. I should know better. And you\u2019re right. That was foolish on my part. That was no more careful than Dynny running to the top of Valtheim.\u201d He sighed. \u201cI\u2019ll take better care in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n No, Bryn. It\u2019s not Andante, not any more. It\u2019s Vitus. Vitus Perdeti. He\u2019s the man standing in front of you, the one who has been an assassin most of his life. But he loves you, Bryn. <\/em><\/p>\n His mind cast backward, trying to fill in the gaps. There were so many gaps, so much he didn\u2019t remember still, and he wasn\u2019t certain that he wanted to.\u00a0 He looked into Brynjolf\u2019s eyes, thinking desperately. Had there ever been anyone else? Anyone who had loved him, who he had loved; anyone else for whom he would have given up the very thing that made him unique?\u00a0 But there was nobody.\u00a0 Not even Alisanne; he\u2019d been fiercely devoted to her, had held her in awe, had offered himself to her, but had not loved her. There was only Brynjolf\u2026 and Andante.<\/p>\n He smiled, and reached out to cup Brynjolf\u2019s chastened face with one hand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ok, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not ok. It will never be ok. But as long as I can have you with me, I will make that be enough.<\/em><\/p>\n He waved to Serana, and scanned the shoreline for their next stop.\u00a0 And wondered why he felt so empty, even with so much more finally filling the spaces that had had nothing in them just a few moments before.<\/p>\n Andante looked around, trying to spot the birds he could hear, but all he could see were a few gleamblossoms and phosphorescent rocks. It was much lighter, though, and a breeze on his face had him turning in the direction of a very narrow tunnel.\u00a0 He motioned to the others to follow and then worked … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/3-2-7-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Counterpoint<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"