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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you ok, Dar?\u201d Roggi asked him, his brow furrowed into a deep frown.<\/p>\n
Dardeh looked up and around for what felt like the hundredth time since they\u2019d stopped to rest near the word wall. There\u2019s someone here. I can feel it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a little tired, truthfully,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not what has me on edge. Ever since we made it up here to the top I\u2019ve felt like someone or \u2013 something \u2013 has been watching us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re seeing things nobody else can see, again?\u201d Roggi said, looking concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cI can feel it, too,\u201d Toralf said, shaking his head. \u201cThat\u2019s why I keep telling you we\u2019re not done with the vampires, not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t feel like vampires,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cIt feels like there\u2019s someone watching us.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced once more at the tops of the dragon carvings, as though he might be able to catch a glimpse of whatever eldritch being was hiding just out of sight.<\/p>\n Roggi looked up, as well, and then shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know what you two are sensing. I guess I\u2019ll just have to take your word for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh sighed. It was hard when the person you trusted most in the world couldn\u2019t really share what you were going through. He shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. It sounds crazy, but I\u2019ve spent enough time around spirits lately to recognize the traces of a person when they\u2019re not visible.\u201d<\/p>\n Toralf chuckled. \u201cWell, I can\u2019t see it, but I can feel it. Whoever it is. That\u2019s why I know there are more vampires in here somewhere. They\u2019re wrong, and they need to be – unmade- and sent on their way. That\u2019s what it\u2019s telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled. \u201cI\u2019m glad it\u2019s not just me, then. That\u2019s kind of a relief, to tell you the truth. Thanks, Toralf.\u201d<\/p>\n They started back down the length of the long chamber toward the circular staircase, Roggi and Toralf discussing where they might have missed something. Dardeh didn\u2019t pay attention to them. He was too absorbed with trying to tease out whatever energy it was around them.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sorry we disturbed you, whoever you are. I hope Toralf\u2019s right and we\u2019re doing what we need to be doing. It seems to be my place to put things back in order the past few years. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t just your blood a vampire wants,\u201d Roggi said as they wound their way back toward the bottom. \u201cIt\u2019s your mortal soul.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh stopped to stare at him, startled. It felt as though warning bells and war horns were sounding in the very fabric of existence around them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in the world prompted you to say that?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t know. We\u2019re fighting vampires, and\u2026 well\u2026 It just came to me, that\u2019s all. It\u2019s something my da used to say. Why? Is it important?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Yes it is.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh rubbed his chin and paced back and forth a few times. For a moment the significance of what Roggi had said was tantalizingly out of reach. Then, just as it had been the first time he\u2019d recognized a word in Dovahzul, the tendrils of meaning connected, twined about each other in a strong grasp. \u201cAnd do you know why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, that\u2019s why I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho else wanted our mortal souls?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026 oh!\u201d Roggi\u2019s eyes grew wide. \u201cAlduin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I don\u2019t know what that means, exactly, but it means something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you need to kill all the vampires, too, Dragonborn,\u201d Toralf said matter-of-factly. \u201cSave the world from the undead.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh laughed. \u201cThat would be quite a feat, wouldn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Huh.\u201d\u00a0 He took a few more paces and shook his head. \u201cI would have said maybe it\u2019s that I need to kill the strongest vampire, the way I killed the strongest dragon, but Andante\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off. There truly was something important about the thought, and the connection, but he still couldn\u2019t put his finger on it.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Andante already killed the strongest vampire. And now he\u2019s dead, too,\u201d Roggi said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026 that means someone else is strongest now. Who\u2019s that?\u201d Toralf asked.<\/p>\n They both looked at Toralf for a moment, stupidly, as though they couldn\u2019t believe he\u2019d been the one to ask the most crucial question. Dardeh turned and stared at Roggi.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know. Roggi doesn\u2019t know either.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNo idea,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cWe don\u2019t exactly move in vampire circles. But I\u2019ll bet I know who could find out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBryn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Not directly, but he does have connections.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf nothing else he might be able to tell us whether this really is important or not. Hmm.\u00a0 Let me think on this for awhile. In the meantime we need to find the rest of the group that\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n They backtracked all the way to the door by which they\u2019d entered the ruin, and found nothing. Toralf kept shaking his head, though, insisting that there were more vampires here somewhere, and Dardeh was inclined to agree. They started back up, making certain this time to double check every nook and cranny for hidden passages or undiscovered levers. It wasn\u2019t until they\u2019d reached the chamber with three handles in its center that Toralf yelled, \u201cIn here!\u201d<\/p>\n One of the stone slab doors had opened onto a passage they had not checked on their first trip through because of being otherwise occupied with skeletons.\u00a0 At the far end of it, in a very dark area, there was another pull handle mounted in the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Toralf. I would have looked all day and not seen that,\u201d Dardeh said, giving the handle a yank. What had looked like just the end of the tunnel ground upward to reveal a set of iron doors just beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we go,\u201d Roggi said.<\/p>\n It was definitely a lair of some description on the other side of the doors, a rough cave rather than a carefully excavated barrow.\u00a0 Even as dimly lit as it was, Dardeh could see puddles of blood and cast-aside bones on the floor just beyond the short passage they were in.\u00a0 He readied his swords and moved forward, crouching at the opening to peer left. There was a cart near the doorway, with something truly unsavory-looking on it. On the other side of the space a woman sat, humming mindlessly to herself.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t feel like taking any chances. If she\u2019s just some innocent woman, Talos forgive me.<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh rushed forward.\u00a0 Just before he reached her she turned to stare at him. Her bright yellow eyes gave Dardeh all the reinforcement he needed; as she tried to rise from her perch he attacked. He was fresh and she\u2019d been surprised; it took only one set of blows to kill her.<\/p>\n \u201cBehind you!\u201d Roggi shouted.<\/p>\n Dardeh whirled to see Toralf rushing another female vampire. She was trying her best to drain his life force; but Toralf\u2019s attack on her was brutal, and brief. She dropped to the ground almost instantly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ok, Toralf? She didn\u2019t get you, did she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNah, I don\u2019t think so. I\u2019ve got potions, anyway. I\u2019ll drink one when we get out just to be on the safe side.\u201d<\/p>\n There were two bodies piled in the corner, one a hunter and the other a mage of some type.\u00a0 Roggi looked them over and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess they were next for butchering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else is in here? I still don\u2019t feel like we\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n They poked around the room, and in one of the darkest corners Dardeh found a pedestal with yet another pull handle.\u00a0 Activating it raised another stone barrier on the opposite end of the cave, revealing a passage that looked like it led back into the barrow proper.<\/p>\n The chamber beyond was curious. There were three exits, one with several gates barring the way and the others each with one. The remains of a pillar that had long since collapsed dominated the center of the room, and next to the rubble on the floor was a lever. High on the walls, animal plaques were inset on either side of the gates, but there were none of the familiar rotating plinths in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cStrange,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see any obvious traps. Toss that lever and stand back,\u201d Roggi suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, but you\u2019re in charge of healing if I get hit with poison darts or some such nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh threw the lever and braced. All that happened was the raising of the first metal gate just opposite them. He entered the newly opened space and found a pull chain to his left, with a bear above it.\u00a0 Above the gate directly in front of him was an eagle.<\/p>\n \u201cOk, so I pull this chain and then what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut here,\u201d Toralf called from the other room. \u201cThere\u2019s a bear over one of these gates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. Coming right up.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh pulled the chain and heard a mechanism operating. Then he heard Toralf laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhee,\u201d he called. \u201cA lever.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh returned to the main area to find that indeed, the gate that had been on their right as they entered had raised, revealing an alcove in which a floor-mounted lever rested under an eagle plaque.\u00a0 He was just about to throw the lever when the tiniest movement to his left caught his attention.\u00a0 There was a stone chair in the deepest shadows, and the draugr sitting in it was waking up.\u00a0 Dardeh jumped, drew his swords and slashed the creature to death before it could get fully upright.<\/p>\n He was getting ready to sheathe his swords when Roggi said, \u201cWhat was that?\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh had missed the matching stone chair against the other wall, and the female draugr seated there was almost ready to attack. Dardeh took two whirling steps into her and cut her down.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Roggi. Saved my hide yet again. Well, I saw an eagle over the middle gate. What do you want to bet this opens that gate?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot taking that bet, Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo kidding. Why bother putting in such an elaborate entrance if the solution to opening it is so obvious?\u201d<\/p>\n The middle gate had risen, revealing another pull chain beneath a dragon emblem. The plaque above the final gate was very worn, but appeared to be a fox; beyond the gate was a set of double doors. They returned to the central room and worked their way around the broken pillar\u2019s debris to find that the final gate in the room had opened.<\/p>\n Dardeh paused at the doorway. The fox plaque he\u2019d expected to see had broken from the wall to rest just beside its matching lever. He drew his swords and entered the chamber, expecting to find draugr guarding the lever. He was not disappointed. He caught the first completely by surprise and took it down with one blow.\u00a0 The second rose and took a deep breath. Dardeh saw its motion and dropped to the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cFUS- RO DAH!\u201d it cried in its harsh voice; but Dardeh was low enough to have escaped most of the Shout\u2019s impact. He rolled forward, popped up to his feet and rained blows on the draugr until it collapsed.<\/p>\n \u201cNicely done!\u201d Toralf said from the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Dardeh grinned.\u00a0 He threw the last lever and made his way back into the central room. \u201cWonder what we\u2019re going to find down at the end of this passage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVampires,\u201d Roggi said flatly.<\/p>\n The doors swung inward to reveal a large chamber of the same design as the main portion of Shriekwind, partially collapsed on their right. There were three forms immediately visible: someone standing with their back facing Dardeh, and on the far side of the space at least two others behind a table. There appeared to be a body on that table, and Dardeh decided it would be better not to ponder what they were doing to it.\u00a0 A deep voice from somewhere past the ruined pillar said \u201cWhat was that?\u201d and all Oblivion broke loose.<\/p>\n Dardeh laid into the nearest person, an Orc. He didn\u2019t bother to find out whether the man was a vampire or a thrall; he simply cut the Orc down. He heard the sound of a conjuration spell being cast and watched in horror as the body atop the table began rising from its deathbed.<\/p>\n \u201cNever should have come here!\u201d\u00a0 The woman\u2019s harsh voice caught Dardeh\u2019s attention and he turned to face her just as Toralf ran past him on the right.\u00a0 The next moment he was in agony.\u00a0 It was, in fact, a vampire, and her life-draining spell was doing a fine job of pulling him apart bit by bit. Toralf took a huge swing at the vampire, breaking her focus long enough for Dardeh to slip out of the way to the right.<\/p>\n He almost ran into Roggi.\u00a0 There was another vampire at the far right of the chamber, near the back, and she was casting the same draining spell at him.\u00a0 Roggi was too quick for her, though; he kept just ahead of her aim and closed on her. Just as he took a swing, though, her spell caught him full-on.\u00a0 He grunted in pain.<\/p>\n \u201cLucky hit,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n Dardeh saw red.<\/p>\n \u201cYOL \u2013 TOOR SHUL!\u201d<\/p>\n The vampire fell forward, enveloped in a ball of flame.\u00a0 Roggi followed just behind the flames, leaning into the vampire and chopping downward with his sword.\u00a0 Dardeh finished her off as she fell to the floor.<\/p>\n There was a great scream behind them.\u00a0 Both of them whirled around to see that Toralf was still fighting the first vampire.\u00a0 Roggi dashed across the space to help.\u00a0 Dardeh, though, shook his head in frustration. He felt far more winded by his exertion than he expected.<\/p>\n Suck it up, Dar. You\u2019re better than this.<\/em><\/p>\n He forced himself into a trot and reached the skirmish just in time for Toralf to land the last blow.\u00a0 The three of them stood catching their breath.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that the last of them?\u201d Dardeh asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI think so,\u201d Toralf said.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you two ok?\u00a0 Roggi? She didn\u2019t get you, did she?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi shook his head. \u201cNo, I\u2019m fine. She was trying hard but I avoided it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, let\u2019s get out of here.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had enough of this place. Toralf, well done. I\u2019ll make sure Korst knows how important you were to our success.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDardeh. My name\u2019s Dardeh.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned at Toralf and started for the exit from Shriekwind.<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n Agryn Gernic strode along the road west from Riften, wishing that it was anything other than a perfectly glorious day. The Rift was so much like the central portions of Cyrodiil where he had spent so many years with his lord Edwyn. He loved it.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s too damnably hot today. What a thorough stupidity, for a vampire to love the sun. <\/em><\/p>\n He toyed with the idea of invoking the fog to lessen his burning, but that part of him that had never quite let go of the things he\u2019d loved as a human didn\u2019t want to lose the sights of this day. It had been hard enough to send Vyctyna off to Solitude with Edwyn and Geor Mantel.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like not having her with him.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t trust Edwyn \u2013 not really.\u00a0 But Edwyn didn\u2019t even attempt to hide his admiration of the beautiful vampire; his eyes lit up whenever she was near.<\/p>\n \u201cI would never do anything to hurt you, Agryn,\u201d Edwyn had told him so many times. \u201cI value you far too highly. But you must understand that I have great appreciation for your taste in women. She is exquisite, and nobody could possibly say otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d always smiled, and nodded, and done his best to believe in Edwyn, who was his friend as well as his master and who had always had his own exquisite women. \u00a0But Vyctyna was the love of Agryn\u2019s very long life, and he wanted her by his side, always.<\/p>\n They\u2019d overheard things recently, while searching for a suitable double for Lord Wickham. People in Riften\u2019s taverns were full of tales from the culmination of the civil war, many of them involving someone called \u201cDragonborn.\u201d Agryn\u2019s techniques of persuasion were nearly as effective as Vyctyna\u2019s, if different. Through judicious use of septims and the strategic flashing of long white fangs, Agryn had learned a great deal from the people in the warrens under Riften and those in Beggar\u2019s Row. Some of those people had been present when Thalmor had gone on a rampage through the Ratway. They told him of a blonde Redguard who\u2019d been called Dragonborn by the old man who had lived in seclusion there for many years.\u00a0 That same Redguard man had returned to Riften sometime later and had been married in the Temple of Mara.<\/p>\n And then Agryn met Lucy, one of Riften\u2019s street women. She approached him, wondering if he was looking for company for the night. He turned to her to decline, and they laughed, each realizing that the other was a vampire. Once he explained that he was very happily attached but would gladly pay her usual rate for information, they\u2019d enjoyed a long chat in the Bee & Barb.\u00a0 Not only did Lucy confirm that the Dragonborn existed, and that he was a blonde Redguard\/Nord mixed race man, but she knew his name, and the name of his husband.<\/p>\n \u201cSee, the man who gave me the gift used to hang around with the Thieves Guild. He had a thing going with Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe redhead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the one. I spend time down in the Flagon looking for business, and I saw this guy Dardeh come in, sometimes with his husband. Sometimes his husband came in alone. Watch out for that one, by the way, if you\u2019re looking for them. He doesn\u2019t look like much up front but he\u2019s got something going. People are scared of him. They live out in Falkreath.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re certain of this?\u201d Agryn asked, motioning to the Nord barkeeper for a refill for Lucy.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Sometimes I think these fools are getting too old, down here. They don\u2019t know enough to keep their voices low sometimes. And you\u2019d think at least Bryn would know better, what with there being vampires about.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled at Agryn, showing just enough of her dentition to reveal the fangs. \u201cI keep their secrets for them, when it suits me. But for a brother, especially one who doesn\u2019t make me work for the money? Yeah. That\u2019s where you\u2019ll find them.\u201d<\/p>\n And thus it was that Agryn was heading west to Falkreath, armed with the information he needed to locate the Dragonborn for Edwyn.\u00a0 He stopped to admire the day once more. The huge mountain before him was topped with a shroud of mist, as usual.<\/p>\n Bet it\u2019s a lot cooler up there. <\/em><\/p>\n He sighed. It was getting altogether too uncomfortable for him, standing in the sun, in spite of the very best enchantments on his armor. Agryn sighed, raised his hands, and used his magic to pull fog from the very ground beneath his feet. It was an immediate relief.\u00a0 He sipped some water and then broke into a sprint.<\/p>\n His luck held. Once in Falkreath proper he walked slowly around the town, his sharp ears focusing on each conversation, listening for any mention of the man he sought. He visited the inn and learned nothing; but when he spoke to the city guards posted outside the Jarl\u2019s longhouse his patience was rewarded.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we know Dardeh. He\u2019s a Thane here, in the Jarl\u2019s court. His housecarl is in town right now if you\u2019re looking for him. I just saw her go into the alchemist\u2019s shop a little while ago. Rayya. She\u2019s a Redguard.\u201d\u00a0 The man pointed down the street and then returned his attention to the chicken scratching in the road in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy thanks,\u201d Agryn murmured, slipping several coins into the man\u2019s hand before turning toward the far end of the street. The door of the alchemist\u2019s business opened as he stepped away from the guard. A Redguard woman emerged and started walking toward him, making it a simple matter to step out into the street and block her passage.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, madam,\u201d he said, trying to appear non-threatening. \u201cAre you by any chance Rayya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat I am,\u201d she answered, stopping just out of arms\u2019 reach. \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that you are the housecarl for the Thane called Dardeh. I have a message for him from my master and would very much like to speak to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayya stared at him, her mesmerizing eyes narrowed.\u00a0 She\u2019s suspicious. A very good housecarl, it would seem; quick of wit and wary of strangers.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re correct. But the Thane is not at home today, I\u2019m afraid.\u00a0 You\u2019ll need to come back another time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. Could you at least show me where he lives, so that I might find him later?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head. \u201cWe get many people looking for him, and not all of those have his best interests in mind. I would suggest leaving a message for him here, with the Jarl\u2019s steward. He comes here frequently. Or you could try the same at the inn, but I can\u2019t vouch for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI will do that, thank you very much.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry to have taken your time.\u201d\u00a0 He stepped back, clearing Rayya\u2019s path, and watched as she headed toward the other end of the town.<\/p>\n There\u2019s more than one way to skin a skeever.\u00a0 And I know several of them.<\/em><\/p>\n It was perhaps two hours later when Agryn crept silently up behind Rayya. He\u2019d followed her along the road northwest from town, to a large homestead at the western end of Lake Ilinalta.\u00a0 He could hear voices from within; but Rayya had shaken her head as she approached the house, and had instead walked past it, down to a dock on the lakefront. She was seated with her head hanging.\u00a0 He heard her sigh heavily several times as he approached.<\/p>\n She isn\u2019t happy. I don\u2019t know why, but I will use it to our advantage.<\/em><\/p>\n He approached in silence, cast his spell, and took just enough of her blood to do what he needed to do.\u00a0 A moment later he stood before her and, as he always had when creating a thrall, marveled at the awestruck devotion shining out from her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI will be in touch again, soon,\u201d he told her. \u201cIn the meantime you are to keep close watch on the Thane. I need to know everything about him; whether he is in fact Dragonborn, what he has done to earn this name. What are his strengths and his weaknesses. You will do this for me, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Master,\u201d she said, as he had known she would.<\/p>\n \u201cVery good. Thank you, Rayya. I will see you again soon.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned and hugged the lake\u2019s shoreline until he was well past the manor house, then climbed to the road and began sprinting along it.\u00a0 It was time to join Vyctyna and Edwyn in Solitude.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n They found Korst on the stairwell inside Helgen Keep.\u00a0 Dardeh stopped him to report in.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve killed the vampires at Shriekwind, Korst. The reports were correct; there were a bunch of them in there and we found evidence that they were feasting on some prisoners and making thralls out of others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for loaning Toralf to us,\u201d Roggi added.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s an outstanding soldier. You\u2019re fortunate to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcellent,\u201d Korst said. \u201cThere\u2019s one thing off the list.\u201d He pulled his journal out and drew a line across the page.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me guess,\u201d Dardeh said with a grin. \u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course. Hmm.\u00a0 It says here that a group of necromancers have been causing trouble up near Brittleshin Pass. People can\u2019t travel through the mountain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing new there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but there are many more of them than usual.\u00a0 Go see what you can find out and report back to me.\u00a0 If you\u2019re willing, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSavard is out in the yard. Older man, but still excellent. Take him with you, if you would. He could use some training.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWill do.\u201d Dardeh started trudging up the stairs.\u00a0 Roggi trotted past him, then turned and laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou getting old, Dragonborn? Since when can I run past you like you\u2019re standing still?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled up at his husband. \u201cI think you\u2019ve proven yourself to be a good bit stronger than me, just recently.\u201d\u00a0 He wiped the back of his hand across his brow. \u201cI don\u2019t know, I\u2019m just feeling tired. Maybe we can stop and rest at the house before we head over to Brittleshin.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSure. Of course. Let\u2019s go collect Savard. I\u2019m sure we can put him up for the night and nobody\u2019s going to begrudge us a few hours of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n It was raining when they stepped back out into the yard.\u00a0 Dardeh spied Toralf, back at work on one of the training dummies.\u00a0 Practicing archery just beside him was a man with a long white beard.\u00a0 Roggi pointed at him, and Dardeh smiled and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you Savard?\u201d he said, stepping up to the man. \u201cCome with me. We have a warlock or two to take care of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOoo, watch yourself, Savard,\u201d Toralf laughed. \u201cThese two are trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you\u2019re a fine one to talk, Toralf,\u201d Roggi said, grinning.<\/p>\n \u201cWell! So they\u2019re finally sending someone to deal with those lunatics? Right then! Let\u2019s do this.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Toralf and winked. \u201cDid you keep count? I\u2019ll bet I can take down more wizards than you did vampires.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re on,\u201d Toralf laughed.\u00a0 \u201cLoser buys the mead.\u201d<\/p>\n The light was beginning to fade as they passed Falkreath.\u00a0 Dardeh was feeling more out of sorts as the minutes ticked by, and was very much looking forward to having a few hours in his own bed before they had to deal with necromancers and warlocks.\u00a0 Roggi kept slipping him glances, and as time went by the frown on his face got more and more pronounced.\u00a0 Dardeh got a bit more irritated with each of the glances.\u00a0 Finally, just as the last of the sun winked out of sight somewhere beyond the Reach, he turned and snapped at Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, just exactly what<\/em> is it that\u2019s bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n He heard the words leave his mouth, and regretted them instantly.\u00a0 He was about to begin apologizing \u2013 yet again \u2013 but his world suddenly turned red.<\/p>\n Dardeh fell to his knees.\u00a0 His mouth was parched, as dry as he\u2019d ever felt it.\u00a0 All he could see was a haze of red.\u00a0 He was dizzy, and reached forward with his hands to balance himself on the ancient cobblestones. He closed his eyes, gripping the solid warmth of the stones as tightly as he could.<\/p>\n \u201cDar!\u201d Roggi knelt beside him, the panic in his voice unmistakable.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it? Are you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh felt Roggi\u2019s hand on his forehead.\u00a0 It felt blessedly cool to the touch, and he leaned into it, gratefully.<\/p>\n \u201cOh gods, Dar, you\u2019re burning up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRed.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s red.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard harrumphed. \u201cYou people were off fighting vampires, right?\u201d he asked, his gravelly voice full of disdain.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you\u2019re surprised by this?\u00a0 By the Nine, sometimes I wonder why you young ones still have your heads attached.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Dardeh managed to ask, raising his head slowly as his vision cleared.\u00a0 Savard was shaking his head as Roggi frantically rifled through his pack.<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down, Roggi,\u201d Savard grumbled. \u201cIt takes three days. He has plenty of time. No need to break your potion bottles in your haste to cure the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stopped what he was doing for a moment; then he rotated his shoulders and took a deep breath. \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He looked into the pack once more and pulled out a bottle.<\/p>\n \u201cDrink this, Dar,\u201d he said, holding the potion out for Dardeh to take.<\/p>\n Dardeh felt as if his mind was swimming through molten stone, but he took the potion bottle and stared at it.\u00a0 I\u2019ve felt lousy since back in Shriekwind. I\u2019m really hot.\u00a0 Everything just went red \u2013 as the sun went down. My mouth is so dry.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n He started to laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Roggi asked, kneeling down to look him in the eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you picture it? A vampire Dragonborn?\u201d\u00a0 He laughed more, finding it hard to stop.\u00a0 My gods, he thought. Nothing would be able to stop me. Nothing at all. \u00a0I\u2019d be\u2026<\/p>\n He looked at Roggi\u2019s stricken expression and laughed again.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, love,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI have no desire to be a vampire. I\u2019m a little angry that one of them got me, to be honest with you.\u201d<\/p>\n He opened the potion bottle and downed its contents.\u00a0 It took a few moments, but the sickly heat of his fever gave way to the soothing warmth of the potion working to cure the disease.\u00a0 He sighed in relief and held out a hand to his husband.<\/p>\n \u201cHelp me up, would you?\u00a0 I was sicker than I realized.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bet I got scratched by more than one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi pulled him up to his feet and enveloped him in an embrace.\u00a0 They stood like that for a moment, silent; then Roggi pulled back and leaned over to pick up his pack once more.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t scare me like that, Dar. There really isn\u2019t anything funny about the idea of you as a vampire.\u201d \u00a0He shuddered. \u201cI\u2019m glad I had a potion on hand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m telling you, it takes three days,\u201d Savard grumbled. \u201cWe had plenty of time, so long as one of you knows how to cook a potion. Now, can we get going? I\u2019m looking forward to doing a little\u2026 extermination.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh looked at Roggi and started chuckling.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I think between us we could manage a potion or two.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad we\u2019re going to layover at the house, though. That was not pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n He started down the road again, walking slowly.\u00a0 The hours of illness had taken more of a toll on him than he\u2019d thought.\u00a0 Roggi stayed very close to him, and several times reached out as if to support him.\u00a0 He just smiled and shook his head.\u00a0 I\u2019m fine, Roggi. Or at least I will be.<\/em><\/p>\n But all the rest of the way home his mind churned, thinking of all the encounters they\u2019d had with vampires in recent weeks.<\/p>\n They\u2019re after me.\u00a0 They really are after me.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t get Toralf and they didn\u2019t get Roggi. They went for me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAre you ok, Dar?\u201d Roggi asked him, his brow furrowed into a deep frown. Dardeh looked up and around for what felt like the hundredth time since they\u2019d stopped to rest near the word wall. There\u2019s someone here. I can feel it. \u201cI\u2019m a little tired, truthfully,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not what has me … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/5-1-12-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart I: Modulation<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"