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<\/p>\nIt seemed to Agryn Gernic that the old mage, Tolfdir, was pleased that they had gotten rid of the anomalies in Dawnstar. It was a huge relief, as well, because Edwyn managed to tell him about it without so much as a hint that they\u2019d also leaned hard on the Jarl to support Elisif at the Moot.\u00a0 Agryn had been concerned that Edwyn\u2019s burgeoning ego would lead him to brag about what had, after all, been an elegant little bit of intimidation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tolfdir, however, thanked them effusively and then admitted that he had another issue that needed to be addressed. \u00a0A former College member had gone rogue and was creating problems along the border near Falkreath. He was concerned that what little goodwill the College had left in the world could be squandered even further if people associated such a person with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll take care of it,\u201d Edwyn had said quietly. \u201cIt\u2019s right on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agryn hadn\u2019t been surprised that Edwyn had agreed to deal with the problem. It was rather his job now, after all, what with being the Archmage. But Edwyn\u2019s second statement had confused him.<\/p>\n
What is he up to now?<\/em><\/p>\n After they\u2019d left Tolfdir and made their way out of the Hall of Attainment, Agryn cleared his throat. \u201cI thought we were on our way to Windhelm?\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn smirked. \u201cIndeed we are. And from there we will take a carriage and travel to Falkreath in comfort. Besides, the fewer people who know that I am planning a visit with Stormcloak, the better, wouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I suppose you\u2019re right,\u201d Agryn nodded.\u00a0 He rubbed his chin and gave Edwyn a sideways glance. He couldn\u2019t think of any good that could come of confronting the Jarl of Windhelm, but it was very easy to envision all the things that could go wrong.<\/p>\n Maybe I can make this new assignment work to my advantage.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t suppose I could convince you to skip the Windhelm business and go directly to Falkreath?\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn turned to stare at him, and Agryn\u2019s internal alarm bells began to ring. He hadn\u2019t seen Edwyn look so irritated since the last time he\u2019d spoken about Brynjolf of Riften.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. You could not. Why would I want to do such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn shrugged. \u201cI just think we\u2019d be better off focusing our efforts on some of the smaller holds, where the Jarls are more susceptible to influence. With time being a dwindling commodity, you know? \u00a0Stormcloak isn\u2019t going to suddenly back down and say \u2018oh yes, Archmage, of course you and your lovely wife should have the throne.\u2019 If he\u2019d been going to do something like that he would never have decided to earn himself a terrible reputation by killing Torygg.\u201d<\/p>\n As soon as he finished speaking he knew he\u2019d made a mistake. All the years they\u2019d known each other, Edwyn Wickham had said that he valued Agryn\u2019s judgment, his straightforward advice, and his willingness to speak up. Agryn had always believed him when he\u2019d said those things. Lately, though, Edwyn had seemed different, somehow; more impatient and less understanding.\u00a0 And right at this moment the anger in his eyes was bright as a flame in spite of the illusion spell making them appear their usual light grey color. He looked as though he might explode at any second.<\/p>\n Agryn raised his hands before himself in an apologetic gesture.<\/p>\n \u201cNo need to get angry, Edwyn. It was just a suggestion. I couldn\u2019t help but note how close we\u2019d be to the Dragonborn\u2019s home if we were to go pay a call on the Jarl of Falkreath. And of course he no longer has the Redguard housecarl to protect him. It might be a perfect opportunity to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEnough!\u201d Edwyn shouted, making Agryn flinch. \u201cWe are going <\/em>to Windhelm!\u201d His lips drew back into a snarl, nearly exposing his fangs.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, alright, you win. We\u2019ll go see Ulfric Stormcloak.\u201d\u00a0 Agryn shook his head and rubbed one hand over it. \u201cI don\u2019t understand it, but we\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Edwyn said, as calmly as he could. \u201cWe shall. In fact, we shall leave immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn turned and swept out of the courtyard toward the bridge to Winterhold.\u00a0 Agryn watched him for a moment; then he shook his head and followed.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the second or third time he\u2019s lost his temper with me lately, and for no truly good reason. I\u2019ve always done what he\u2019s asked, without question. <\/em><\/p>\n He stepped out onto the bridge and shivered as a gust of cold air off the Sea of Ghosts caught him full in the face.<\/p>\n For hundreds of years, I\u2019ve done that. Perhaps I <\/em>should be questioning more often.<\/em><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t that long a trip from Winterhold to Windhelm, particularly if one was a vampire lord and could run like the very wind.\u00a0 The two of them didn\u2019t speak; but when a trio of frost trolls and a pair of ice wraiths attacked they exchanged a glance and fought like the well-coordinated team they\u2019d been for so long.\u00a0 Edwyn used his bow, as usual, while Agryn stepped in close to drain the adversaries and strike with his sword.\u00a0 Agryn got the last blow in on the final troll.\u00a0 As the beast dropped at his feet he laughed and turned to Edwyn, expecting the wry remark or burst of laughter that so often followed one of their victories.<\/p>\n \u201cWell done,\u201d Edwyn said, giving him a nod.\u00a0 \u201cNow let\u2019s be on our way.\u201d\u00a0 He passed Agryn without so much as another look and broke into a trot, disappearing over the rise that held the upper portion of Snow Veil Sanctum.<\/p>\n Agryn frowned.<\/p>\n Well done indeed. As always. <\/em><\/p>\n He brushed himself off before breaking into a run to catch Edwyn.<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well,\u201d Edwyn said, standing before the throne. \u201cHow very rude of our host to be away from his court. Don\u2019t you agree, Agryn?\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn sighed internally and considered what he would say.\u00a0 In spite of his better judgment he\u2019d tried to convince Edwyn to leave, one more time before they\u2019d entered the palace.\u00a0 Edwyn had ignored him as if he\u2019d said nothing whatsoever.\u00a0 Instead, he strode into the Palace of the Kings and made his way down the long, cold room, moving to stand before the steward and demand an audience with Ulfric Stormcloak. The man had shaken his head and crossed his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Jarl is not receiving visitors at the moment, sir,\u201d he\u2019d said calmly, exchanging a brief glance with Agryn.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it is very late. I\u2019m afraid you\u2019ll have to return another day when court is in session.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I am the Archmage of the College of Winterhold,\u201d Edwyn had told him, drawing a gasp from Agryn.<\/p>\n What is he thinking? How does it make any sense at all to let them know who is demanding to see him? Unless\u2026 <\/em>He rubbed his chin in thought. Unless it does. There\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with the Archmage stopping in to see whether he can do anything for the various Jarls. There\u2019s nothing necessarily threatening about that. It\u2019s not as though he\u2019s baring his fangs to this steward.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I will let him know that the Archmage was here inquiring into his health and well-being, sir,\u201d the man said without so much as raising an eyebrow. \u201cNow, if you\u2019ll excuse me. I am not as young as I once was, and it is well past time for me to retire.\u201d He looked each of them in the eye before making his way back down the great room and through one of the side doors.<\/p>\n Thus it was that Edwyn stood staring at the throne.\u00a0 \u201cI think, Agryn, that I should leave a message for the Jarl. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 thought you had already done that. I\u2019m not convinced it was the best idea to tell the steward that you\u2019re the Archmage, but I\u2019m \u2026 sure it will do no harm,\u201d he trailed off as Edwyn turned to stare at him once more.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm. Still.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to make his way back to the exit. \u201cI have an idea.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn followed him outside, not knowing what to think. It was fully dark, and the city was largely empty at this hour.\u00a0 Edwyn walked quietly through the courtyard and down the broken steps into Windhelm, taking the turn that led toward the old, decrepit graveyard.\u00a0 Agryn trailed behind him, confused until he spotted the lone guard enter the graveyard from the other end, the walkway that led to the wealthier homes in the city.\u00a0 Suddenly, Edwyn disappeared.<\/p>\n What is he\u2026? Oh no. Not the guard. Not really!<\/em><\/p>\n The guard\u2019s head suddenly bent to one side and he crumpled to the ground. A moment later, Edwyn Wickham shimmered back into visibility.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing<\/em>?\u201d Agryn hissed at him.<\/p>\n Edwyn smiled at him and picked the dead guard\u2019s body up with one hand. \u201cPreparing a calling card. What does it look like?\u201d<\/p>\n Before Agryn had a chance to object, Edwyn briskly headed back the way they\u2019d come, carrying the limp form of the guard before him.\u00a0 Agryn tried not to panic. It wasn\u2019t that the two of them were incapable of dealing with any opposition they might encounter. He himself was strong enough to deal with anything short of a silvered bolt to the heart, and Edwyn \u2013 well, Edwyn was his superior in many senses. But the recklessness of the move had him in a complete froth of confusion.<\/p>\n What is he doing? What is wrong with him?<\/em><\/p>\n Edwyn carried the body back into the Palace of the Kings and all the way down its length, where he tossed it onto the floor and stood staring at it.\u00a0 Agryn stood well back, looking around nervously and listening for guards or anyone else who might approach. Just the dead body was bad enough; but Edwyn had, inexplicably, allowed his illusion spell to lapse and was displaying his deep golden eyes as though they were the most natural things in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm,\u201d Edwyn said, taking a few paces back and forth in front of the guard. \u201cThis is certainly disturbing enough, but I don\u2019t think it leaves a strong enough message. Let me think.\u201d\u00a0 He reached down and lifted the corpse once more, stepping up onto the dais and dropping it into the throne.\u00a0 The dead guard settled there with his head back and his neck exposed, the dark red fang marks prominently displayed.<\/p>\n \u201cThere.\u201d Edwyn grinned. \u201cI think that even that rather dense steward will be able to grasp the meaning of this message, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn stepped forward, hesitantly, running a hand up over his head. \u201cUm, Edwyn, far be it from me to question your decisions but are you sure it\u2019s a good idea to be alerting everyone that the Archmage is also a vampire?\u00a0 I mean, this leaves very little doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn smirked. \u201cPerhaps this will bring people to their senses, in that case.\u201d<\/p>\n Gods damn it; the man\u2019s lost his mind.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOr it could paint a gigantic target on your back, Lord Wickham. Don\u2019t you think this is a bit much?\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn chuckled. \u201cI believe that the calling card will have long since been removed by the time the esteemed Jarl of Windhelm and wife return to court, Agryn. What remains to be seen is whether or not the steward will have enough influence to change events here in Windhelm. Somehow, I doubt it.\u201d\u00a0 He stepped near to Agryn and clapped him on the back. \u201cNow then, you were anxious to get to Falkreath. Let us go rouse the carriage driver and be on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn followed his master out of the Palace of the Kings wondering whether they hadn\u2019t just made a very, very big mistake.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n They did not, after all, visit the Jarl of Falkreath.<\/p>\n What they did, instead, was to leave town as soon as the carriage dropped them off, and travel south along the mountain roadway toward the Hammerfell border gate. There was an inn of sorts just inside the Skyrim border, a hostel often used by those looking to be out of sight of the province\u2019s main concentrations of power as they traveled to and from the north. Edwyn had been certain that was where they would find their miscreant mage.<\/p>\n Agryn approached the bartender as they entered the place. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Edwyn making his way toward the back of the public room; and the sounds he heard told him that his master was walking up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cHello there,\u201d he told the bartender. \u201cWe\u2019ve had reports that there\u2019s a mage causing trouble in these parts. I wonder if he might be here in the inn?\u201d<\/p>\n The man raised an eyebrow at him and snorted. \u201cYou really think I would just tell you personal details about one of my customers?\u00a0 Even if I knew who you were talking about, buddy, it\u2019s not my business who\u2019s doing what as long as they pay their tab and don\u2019t cause trouble here in the House.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn sighed and reached for a pouch. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose\u2026\u201d He trailed off as sounds caught his attention before he could retrieve the bribe he\u2019d intended to offer.<\/p>\n He\u2019d been dimly aware of the regular thwack\u2026 thwack\u2026 thwack <\/em>of something behind and above him, but hadn\u2019t looked to see what it was. Now he heard the distinctive humming of a conjuration spell, followed by a series of much more closely-spaced thwacks<\/em>. He excused himself to follow the sound up the stairwell where Edwyn had gone.<\/p>\n On the wall across the open space above the public room, someone had mounted an archery target.\u00a0 There was a hooded man with a bow on his back \u2013 an elf, possibly, though Agryn didn\u2019t look closely enough to be certain. He\u2019d clearly been the source of the sounds they\u2019d heard at first.\u00a0 But now, Edwyn Wickham was rapid-firing his conjured Daedric arrows across the gap.\u00a0 Agryn squinted at the target and frowned. Edwyn was missing the center. Not by much \u2013 it would have been a major shock indeed to have him miss by much \u2013 but his arrows were landing a bit above the bulls\u2019 eye.\u00a0 The archer beside them seemed impressed enough, judging by the grunts he made after each arrow landed; but to Agryn\u2019s eye this was another sign that all was not quite well with Edwyn.<\/p>\n Suddenly there was a discordant twang of the bowstring followed by a woman\u2019s shout from below.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! Watch it, there!\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn swore, and dismissed his bow.\u00a0 Agryn followed him down the steps into the public room, where the woman in question was opening her mouth to give Edwyn a hard time.\u00a0 She was standing in the center of a circular rug and just a few inches in front of her, one of Edwyn\u2019s arrows had buried itself deep into the fur.<\/p>\n \u201cYou almost hit me, jerk!\u201d she snapped.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t care if you practice up there but at least try to hit the target, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease accept my apologies. I am very tired and lost my grip on the bowstring for just a moment. I am glad you were unharmed.\u201d\u00a0 Edwyn\u2019s voice was charming, as usual, but Agryn could see the muscles in his jaw working and stepped up to take the woman\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me treat you to a drink,\u201d he said, tugging her away from Edwyn. \u201cPlease,\u201d he whispered, leaning close in to her. \u201cMy superior is not in a great mood tonight and I\u2019d like to make it up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Before she could argue, Agryn had her seated at one of the tables and had waved at the bartender to bring them drinks.\u00a0 He heard, rather than saw, Edwyn stomping back up the stairs and conjuring his bow once more.<\/p>\n \u201cYour superior,\u201d the girl said, \u201cis a walking hazard zone. He ought to be more careful, especially with that<\/em> kind of bow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know,\u201d Agryn agreed, frowning. \u201cI\u2019m not certain what\u2019s going on. He\u2019s usually among the very best with it. But never mind that. I was hoping you could help me. I\u2019m looking for someone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n For the next several minutes Agryn did something he rarely did any longer.\u00a0 Before he\u2019d met Vyctyna Tardif, Agryn had prided himself on his ability to charm others, especially women. It wasn\u2019t so much that he flirted, not really. He\u2019d never known whether it was his ability to be a sympathetic listener, or whether he just had a nonthreatening face, or whether his vampirism enhanced some natural quality; but for whatever reason he had always been good at drawing out information.\u00a0 He smiled, and nodded, and eventually had from the woman – who was, as it turned out, the inn\u2019s bard – the information that there was a hidden door in the basement that would lead them to a cavern.<\/p>\n \u201cThe creep you\u2019re looking for has been doing something in that old barrow,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI don\u2019t know what, and I don\u2019t want to know. But that\u2019s where you\u2019ll find him.\u201d\u00a0 She reached across the table and grasped his arm. \u201cThere\u2019s another entrance to it, down the road; but he\u2019ll be watching for people coming in from outside and won\u2019t be expecting anyone to come in through the inn. And be careful. He\u2019s a mage, and he\u2019s powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn smiled at her and nodded. \u201cI know. I probably don\u2019t look it but I\u2019m reasonably strong myself. And he,\u201d he nodded toward the stairs, \u201cis pretty much equipped for anything. Except for being pleasant today, it seems. Again, I apologize for his bad aim and bad humor. And thank you for the information.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn found his way back up to where Edwyn was practicing archery.\u00a0 The shots across the way were all clustered in the center, now; Agryn breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps things would be alright after all.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in the barrow nearby,\u201d he told Edwyn quietly. \u201cThere\u2019s an entrance in the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell done, Agryn,\u201d Edwyn said, dismissing his bow. He rotated his shoulders and took and expelled a deep breath. \u201cI\u2019m happy to have had some practice. I needed to work out some energy. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n The entrance in the basement was a wall that opened into a mushroom-laden cave. A doorway at the far end opened with a key Edwyn discovered atop a nearby pedestal; and beyond they found a barrow.\u00a0 Unlike many barrows, this one had specters as well as draugr but none of them were especially difficult to deal with.\u00a0 One draugr was seated on a throne; Agryn anticipated a real battle, but Edwyn\u2019s first arrow caught the ancient man and crumpled him to the ground without so much as a fight.<\/p>\n A lever on the back of the draugr\u2019s throne opened a gate to a multi-chambered area containing what Agryn thought of as the most tiresome of all ancient Nord puzzles \u2013 the rotating animal plinths.\u00a0 There were draugr there, and spirits, all of which tried to stop them as they moved through the chamber setting the puzzle to its correct position. None of them got much more than a scratch on either Agryn or Edwyn.\u00a0 When Edwyn threw the puzzle lever, however, things got interesting. The man they\u2019d come for \u2013 a Dunmer mage \u2013 flew out of the next chamber casting flames in their direction.<\/p>\n Clever. Flames. He may not have known we were vampires but he certainly picked the best attack.<\/em><\/p>\n Agryn ran forward into the flames, ahead of Edwyn as he always did, wincing at the pain as he began draining the man with magic while slicing at him with his sword. The mage glanced at him as if taking his entire measure in half a moment; then he turned toward Edwyn and began screaming his rage. Agryn paused for a moment, the pain from his burns nothing aside from the flames of anger that were threatening to overwhelm him.<\/p>\n Dismissed. As if I have no value aside from being a place-holder.<\/em><\/p>\n I \u2026 am the right hand of the Lord of the Volkihar.<\/em><\/p>\n He bared his fangs and readied himself to strike.<\/p>\n The mage fell to his feet, a single arrow protruding from his gut. Edwyn approached the corpse, smirking, and dismissed his bow.<\/p>\n \u201cThere. Done. Now let\u2019s be off; I\u2019d like to check back in at Proudspire before reporting success to Tolfdir.\u201d\u00a0 Edwyn turned to leave, making his way through the corridor from which the mage had erupted.<\/p>\n Agryn stood staring at the mage for a moment. He heard Edwyn\u2019s footsteps retreating; then he heard the snarl of a draugr and the hum of Edwyn\u2019s bow being conjured yet again.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t quite seem to move his eyes, tear his gaze away from the corpse at his feet; nor could he make himself follow Edwyn to help him.<\/p>\n He looked at me and reckoned me of no value whatsoever, even though I was completely capable of rending him limb from limb. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAgryn!\u201d Edwyn shouted from the midst of his battle. It wasn\u2019t a sound of distress, or need, or desperation. It was merely a summons.\u00a0 Agryn shook himself into motion and ran down the passage toward the sounds of battle, only to watch in impressed silence as Edwyn fired two shots in quick succession that took down a spirit; it dissolved into a pile of ectoplasm on the barrow floor.\u00a0 Two similar piles lay nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn draugr split itself into three parts when I shot it,\u201d Edwyn said, dissolving his bow and brushing off his Archmage robes.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you might have helped.\u201d<\/p>\n You didn\u2019t need me, Edwyn. You haven\u2019t needed me for a very long time.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m \u2026 sorry,\u201d Agryn said. \u201cI was healing my burns. It took a moment. It doesn\u2019t look as though you had any real need of my assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn chuckled. \u201cProbably not, but one never knows with these ancient things. Some of them turn out to be nearly as strong as I.\u00a0 At any rate, let\u2019s be off. The exit is down this way, unless I\u2019m utterly mistaken. I believe that we are above the cave from which we entered this barrow.\u201d\u00a0 Edwyn opened the large, circular trapdoor in the center of the room and jumped down inside it without looking at Agryn.<\/p>\n Agryn watched his mentor\u2019s back disappear and heaved a sigh.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as though he expected praise; not exactly, anyway.\u00a0 But it would be nice if, just once in awhile, he wasn\u2019t taken completely for granted.<\/p>\n He stepped to the edge of the opening and hopped down.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n They\u2019d headed back to the north, Edwyn just enough ahead of Agryn that he wasn\u2019t able to press the issue of meeting with the Jarl.\u00a0 They had climbed up through the city, through the driving thunderstorm that developed as they traveled, and onto the roadway that skirted the edge of Lake Ilinalta when Edwyn stopped and cocked his head to one side.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you hear that, Agryn?\u201d he called back, apparently assuming Agryn\u2019s presence rather than confirming it.<\/p>\n Agryn listened.\u00a0 It was definitely a dragon that he heard, although not immediately near them.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir, I do. But I can\u2019t tell where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n They both stared into the night, looking down the length of the lake.\u00a0 Suddenly Edwyn grabbed Agryn\u2019s arm and pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cThere. Across the way.\u00a0 Did you know that the Hollowfangs believed that they could take the soul of a dragon by drinking its blood?\u201d\u00a0 Even as dark as it was, Agryn could see Edwyn\u2019s eyes flickering with a sort of avarice that he\u2019d never seen before.<\/p>\n Agryn blinked. \u201cSurely you\u2019re not intending to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t get to finish his question, for a searing pain took his left arm.\u00a0 He looked down to find a bolt protruding from it.\u00a0 But this was not just any bolt; it was, judging by the incredible burning pain that increased as moments went by, a silver-tipped bolt.\u00a0 He gasped and reached for it with his right hand, gritting his teeth together and yanking the bolt free.<\/p>\n In spite of himself he howled with the pain as the bolt ripped its way back through his flesh.<\/p>\n \u201cDie, monster!\u201d he heard a woman shout from just down the road.\u00a0 He hissed. Vigilants of Stendarr, three of them judging by the heartbeats, and he\u2019d been caught completely off-guard.\u00a0 He bent the shadows around himself long enough to heal his arm and find his way behind the woman with the crossbow that had injured him; then he rose up behind her and drained her dry, dropping the corpse in the road and whirling to meet the other two Vigilants with his sword and his spells.\u00a0 Strengthened by his kill, he was able to move quickly \u2013 far more quickly than they could aim and shoot their crossbows.\u00a0 The second Vigilant went down to his sword and magic. The third smiled grimly at him and took aim with her weapon. He laughed, transformed himself into a cloud of bats and leapt for her.\u00a0 She was so surprised and terrified by the sudden onslaught of bats that she stumbled; and he used that moment to reconstitute himself and tear her throat out with his fangs. He laughed and, out of habit, turned to speak to Edwyn.<\/p>\n Edwyn was not there.<\/p>\n The roar of the dragon, much closer now, had him whirling to see where the battle was happening.\u00a0 It was, in fact, on the opposite shore from where he stood.\u00a0 Agryn peered through the driving rain and while he could not see Edwyn, he could see the bright light that was Edwyn\u2019s conjured wraith, firing spells at the dragon as it strafed them.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it, Edwyn. What is wrong with you?\u201d\u00a0 Agryn checked both ways down the edge of the lake to be sure he was alone and then took his vampire lord form, in order to fly across the water and get to the battle as quickly as possible. He reached the shore and resumed his human form just as the dragon \u2013 a beautiful forest green creature with orange-tinged wingtips and underbelly \u2013 crashed to the ground a final time, high on a ledge above Agryn\u2019s line of sight.<\/p>\n He began scrambling and leaping his way up the banks.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see Edwyn, but he heard a cry of pain and annoyance, followed by some robust swearing.\u00a0 He popped up to the level of the carcass just in time to see Edwyn rubbing his mouth gingerly and shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you alright, Edwyn?\u201d Agryn called out as he pulled himself up the last few feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems that the Hollowfangs were wrong. It isn\u2019t possible to directly drain a dragon\u2019s soul in this manner. It\u2019s barely possible to get through their skin.\u201d Edwyn was speaking as if to himself, and yet was clearly aware that Agryn was present.\u00a0 He turned, slowly, to stare down at Agryn.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere were you, Agryn?\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Agryn had to force himself not to gasp at the expression on Edwyn\u2019s face. The Archmage hadn\u2019t refreshed his illusion spell.\u00a0 He was frowning.\u00a0 Because it was day, his skin was smoking and his armor steaming \u2013 not that this was unusual, but it was ordinarily masked by the illusion spell and was therefore all the more disturbing.\u00a0 He leaned forward, looming over Agryn and the wraith that had still not dissipated, a fact which Agryn\u2019s more analytical mind filed away as noting the extreme strength of Edwyn\u2019s conjuration abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the other side of the lake, dealing with three Vigilants of Stendarr. I thought you were aware of that. It\u2019s a good thing the first one was such a poor shot, in fact, or I\u2019d likely be dead by now. Those silvered bolts are awful.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn Wickham stared down at him as though he hadn\u2019t spoken at all.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is your responsibility to guard me, Agryn, unless I tell you otherwise. If not for my friend the wraith, here, I\u2019d have been fighting this dragon alone. See that you do not fail me again.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned away and made for the entrance to Brittleshin Pass, just uphill from where they stood. \u00a0Agryn found himself standing in shock, staring, needing to close his mouth which had fallen open at Edwyn\u2019s words.<\/p>\n Not a word about the fact that I nearly died. Again. Not a word. No acknowledgement that I barely took time to heal my wounds before dashing across the lake to help if I could. <\/em><\/p>\n He felt the bands of tension tightening around his forehead and a sickly, unpleasant, unwanted, angry flame beginning to burn in his gut.\u00a0 He\u2019d been annoyed with Edwyn so many times he couldn\u2019t possibly count, over a period of time so long he could barely remember when it had begun.\u00a0 He\u2019d always just put up with Edwyn\u2019s personality quirks because he believed in the man.<\/p>\n He was beginning to wonder whether he believed in Lord Edwyn Wickham anymore.<\/p>\n It seemed to Agryn Gernic that the old mage, Tolfdir, was pleased that they had gotten rid of the anomalies in Dawnstar. It was a huge relief, as well, because Edwyn managed to tell him about it without so much as a hint that they\u2019d also leaned hard on the Jarl to support Elisif at … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/5-2-8-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Resolution<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"