I wonder whether there\u2019s anything I can do to salvage my marriage. She\u2019s right; I would never hurt her, not purposefully. Maybe it will help if she knows I was actively looking for a cure.<\/em><\/p>\n He shook his head.<\/p>\n Maybe I\u2019m a fool. <\/em><\/p>\n Not only had he become a vampire again, he had a legitimate claim to be head of the clan. That was bad enough.\u00a0 But on top of that, he\u2019d started what looked like it could become a highly successful skooma operation practically under Sayma\u2019s feet.\u00a0 Even though he\u2019d done it for the best of reasons \u2013 to wean the Thieves Guild away from Maven Black-Briar \u2013 his wife would have very little patience or tolerance for it if she found out.\u00a0 He sighed and continued across the plains, wondering what he was going to do and why, once more, he\u2019d managed to fall prey to the excitement of change and danger in spite of himself. \u00a0Mercer Frey would have been sneering at him, telling him that he was never going to be the type of man who could be in charge of anything.<\/p>\n And he\u2019d be right. Some lives just can\u2019t be fixed. Some people just aren\u2019t worth it. The more time that passes, the more I understand why Vitus chose to stand in the sun.<\/em><\/p>\n Even as dark as it was he was comfortable with the familiar landscape. This far side of Whiterun Hold, east of the mountainous Reach and south of the spine of mountains along Hjaalmarch\u2019s border, was very uneven, dotted with rocky outcroppings, cave openings, and small groves of pine and spruce. They made excellent hiding places for deer and elk, which meant that they were also excellent hiding places for bandits and large predators; as such Brynjolf always passed them as cautiously as he could. He was in just such a cautious crouch when the fog lifted around the crest of one such hill, revealing a large mound in the center of a grove. Curious, he edged forward until he could discern that it was a large tent.<\/p>\n He listened closely, but heard no heartbeats. He could see a roll near the top of the shape that told him the front tent flap was wide open. There was no light from a fire, no glowing embers shedding a small, protective circle of light.\u00a0 He would have expected at least embers; everyone knew that fire was the best way to keep predators at bay.<\/p>\n Even this kind of predator avoids fire.<\/em><\/p>\n He kept pushing closer until it was obvious that there was nobody in the camp.\u00a0 He made his way to the door of the tent, eased inside, and turned on his light.<\/p>\n It had been set up for a long haul, this camp, a fact made obvious by the presence of a full-sized wooden dresser well-stocked with cheese and bottles of mead.\u00a0 A broom fallen over onto its side also spoke of a lengthy stay. Brynjolf frowned, puzzled. There was no good reason for a camp this solid to be in the wilds with nobody there to guard it.<\/p>\n He went through the place, opening drawers and books, getting down onto his knees to peer under the bed. He was pondering taking one of the bottles of mead for himself when he spotted a piece of paper on the dresser\u2019s lower shelf.\u00a0 He unfolded it, hoping that there would be something written there that might give him a hint. As he read, his eyes opened wider.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve done it! I\u2019ve made the greatest discovery of the year! I\u2019ve found several artifacts that may indeed point the way to the Daedric Vault built by the Imperials at the end of the Oblivion Crisis.\u00a0 However, it seems that the fools who own that museum in Dawnstar, the one that idiot Silus founded, have their own plans for my discovery.\u00a0 I\u2019ve fought off two of their goons so far and I am sure that there will be more.<\/p>\n There had to have been someone here. I wonder how long it\u2019s been.<\/em><\/p>\n He stepped back outside the tent and started scouting around it for some hint of what had happened.\u00a0 There was nothing in front of the tent aside from a completely cold firepit.\u00a0 On the far side, though, the ground dropped off toward a stream. Just down slope from the tent, Brynjolf found what he\u2019d been looking for.\u00a0 There was a deep hole, the soil around it suggesting that it was a fairly recent excavation.\u00a0 At the bottom lay a chest \u2013 open, and completely empty \u2013 and a body, face-down.\u00a0 It had clearly been there for some time, for the flies were swarming and the area smelled of rotting flesh; and yet not long enough for the body to have been picked clean. He opted to leave it face-down, not wishing to see what was on its underside. Brynjolf could see a great many dark spots, obviously the remnants of spilled blood but old enough that their scent hadn\u2019t reached him.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a little amazed I didn\u2019t smell the body before I saw the tent, actually.\u00a0 It\u2019s been here awhile. Well this has to be the man Melka was talking about, an archaeologist searching for Oblivion-era items.\u00a0 He\u2019s dead, so he can\u2019t help me.<\/em><\/p>\n And Silus is dead, too.<\/em><\/p>\n He remembered Andante telling him about Silus Vesuius and how he\u2019d met the man while working to get Mehrunes\u2019 Razor, the Daedric dagger he favored the entire time Brynjolf had known him. He\u2019d killed Silus on Dagon\u2019s orders, then grabbed the Razor and run away from the scene, leaving Dagon\u2019s Dremora on guard for the two of them to encounter much later while looking for Dimhollow Crypt.\u00a0 He chuckled thinking about it, remembering Andante\u2019s consternation at both getting lost on the mountainside and needing to clean up his own mess.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that was years ago now,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cAnd this body\u2019s been here for awhile. What are the chances that anyone actually took the things back to Dawnstar?\u201d<\/p>\n He started walking east once more, frowning, his mind working at the problem. The chances of an excavation holding something like a plant were slim to none. But maybe he would find dried leaves, or seeds, or something.<\/em> Anyone worth his salt would take a rare item out of a place they looted, especially if it was something that could be sold at a high enough price. Before he even realized he had decided to do it he had turned north, toward the pass where Labrynthian lay.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth looking into; I\u2019m headed east anyway. It\u2019s not as though anyone\u2019s waiting for me to turn up back in Riften.<\/em><\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n \u201cSo tell me, Dragonborn.\u00a0 What have you to report?\u201d<\/p>\n It felt like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu to Dardeh, standing here before Ulfric\u2019s throne, making a report.\u00a0 This time, though, Ulfric was looking him directly in the eyes with an expression of true interest, not looking somewhere out over his head, ignoring his presence, or trying not to snarl at him. And he was happy to be making the report. To his complete amazement, he was actually pleased to see Ulfric.<\/p>\n How far we\u2019ve all come.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe only Jarls we haven\u2019t spoken to are Jarl Laila in Riften and, well, the obvious one,\u201d Dardeh said.<\/p>\n Ulfric gave him a small smile.\u00a0 \u201cI hadn\u2019t expected Jarl Elisif to vote in my favor, regardless. But perhaps, if she finds herself alone, she might be persuaded.\u00a0 Assuming, of course, that the Archmage will allow it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Ulfric, you won\u2019t have to worry about that,\u201d Roggi said.<\/p>\n Dardeh turned to look at Roggi.\u00a0 He still seemed a bit pale, and a bit weak and unfocused to Dardeh; not surprising, given how close he had come to death.\u00a0 It had been a very long and careful trip for them from Winterhold to Windhelm.\u00a0 At several points Dardeh had felt his nerves starting to fray with the slow pace they needed to take.\u00a0 But Roggi wouldn\u2019t have been in such a bad condition if not for him; so he had swallowed his impatience, lent an arm for Roggi to lean on here and there, and kept them both safe from wolves and ice wraiths until at last they\u2019d arrived in Ulfric\u2019s court.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, Roggi?\u201d Ulfric asked quietly. \u201cWhat has happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dead,\u201d Roggi said flatly. \u201cAs we suspected, he was after Dar\u2019s blood. He came after us in Winterhold, and chased us up onto the roof of the College.\u00a0 Dar killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a sharp intake of breath followed by a long pause.<\/p>\n \u201cDragonborn? Is this so?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded, answering without taking his eyes off Roggi.\u00a0 \u201cYes. Lord Edwyn Wickham is no more. He almost killed Roggi, Ulfric, and I think you can imagine what that did to me. I\u2019m afraid that instead of bringing him to justice I turned him into a pile of ash. He may well have flown all the way to the Red Mountain by now, the way the winds were blowing.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh spared a momentary glance at Ulfric, who was frowning deeply. \u201cAre you well, Roggi?\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Roggi nodded. \u201cYes. Thank you for asking. I do need some time to rest, though. I hate to admit it, but it was a near thing, and I\u2019m not nearly as young as I used to be. I was glad I had my own private dragon to protect me. So yeah, I\u2019ll be around to complicate your life a while longer, Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very good,\u201d Ulfric said. \u201cI\u2019m relieved to hear it. So I shall make arrangements for the Moot, at last. I hope to convince Elisif that it will be better not to stand in our way, especially now that she is a widow again.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send word when the affair is to happen. Both of you will be my honored guests at the\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Ulfric trailed off.<\/p>\n Dardeh was vaguely aware of the fact that Ulfric had stopped speaking, and could feel his gaze on the two of them.\u00a0 But he couldn\u2019t stop looking at \u2013 and smiling at \u2013 Roggi.<\/p>\n I came so close to losing you. But you are still here. And everything\u2019s going to be all right.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Ulfric,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe I am going to get this big Nord of mine home and into a comfortable chair in front of the fire.\u00a0 With a bottle of mead.\u201d<\/p>\n They said their goodbyes and left the castle.\u00a0 Dardeh helped Roggi up into the carriage and then, after paying the driver an exorbitant amount of coin to make an extra stop at their house rather than make them walk from Falkreath, climbed up into the cart with his husband.<\/p>\n He kept watching Roggi, all the way back. Roggi was clearly tired, and subdued.\u00a0 Dardeh realized that he hadn\u2019t \u2013 not for a single moment \u2013 felt the usual twinge of jealousy and anger he usually felt when speaking to Ulfric.<\/p>\n Huh. It\u2019s almost like it doesn\u2019t matter anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n About halfway home, he found himself speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, can I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n He should have thought better of it, but for some reason it seemed important to get the issue clarified. Before he could stop himself, the words spilled out.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you and Brynjolf ever\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi blinked, three or four times, and stared at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat? What are you asking me?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh felt himself flushing. \u201cI know it\u2019s a strange thing to ask but I always wondered. He\u2019s a good-looking guy, you spent some time together, the two of you, and you\u2019ve always been close, as long as I\u2019ve known you.\u00a0 I just thought\u2026 well\u2026 I don\u2019t know what I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stared at him for a moment and then broke out into peals of laughter, slapping his knee.\u00a0 It was the most animation Dardeh had seen from him since the rooftop in Winterhold, and in spite of how embarrassed he was to have asked the question, he delighted in hearing Roggi\u2019s laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re asking if we slept with each other, Dar?\u201d\u00a0 He laughed loudly for a while longer, loudly enough for the carriage driver to turn and give them a curious look.\u00a0 Roggi waved him off even as he snickered.\u00a0 He turned back to Dardeh and shook his head with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Dar. Bryn\u2019s like a brother to me. He was very ill when I went to take care of him and, eh, I don\u2019t know. We\u2019re not each other\u2019s type. It honestly never even crossed my mind. I\u2019m sure it never crossed his. We slept in the same bed a couple of nights, like you and I did before we got together. He needed someone to be nearby. But that was all.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi leaned forward and took Dardeh\u2019s hands in his. \u201cDardeh, my love, when are you ever going to stop worrying about this?\u00a0 I\u2019m not going anywhere. \u00a0Not ever. I\u2019m yours.\u201d\u00a0 He sat back up and chuckled again. \u201cBut I have to say I needed that laugh. I have a feeling he\u2019d laugh about it too.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled. He hadn\u2019t really been concerned about it; it was just something he\u2019d always been curious about. In fact, he felt a lightness in himself that hadn\u2019t existed since before his mother had died. It felt odd, not being tied up in knots on his way back from seeing Ulfric Stormcloak.\u00a0 Maybe things would be alright after all.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n It was, mercifully, an overcast and very quiet afternoon when he arrived in Dawnstar. Mercifully, because Brynjolf knew he was going to have to break into the museum in order to look around, and he preferred to attract as little attention as possible while coming and going from the place. He made his way to the porch of Silus\u2019 house – the place that had doubled as a museum while he was alive \u2013 and carefully waited until the town guards were at the far ends of their patrols before letting himself in.<\/p>\n It looked as though the home had been decently cared for in the time since Andante killed its former owner. There were no great accumulations of dust; the embers of a fire warmed the space, and he could both see and smell food. Someone still lived there; he needed to move quickly.<\/p>\n He went to the rear of the home first, and looked around at the display cases: old, faded Mythic Dawn outfits, books, tattered scrolls and a few empty spots where parts of the Dagger had been according to Andante\u2019s stories. All of them had the look of things that had not been touched or moved in many years. At last he returned to the front of the place and squinted into the first case. A Daedric-make dagger, a note, and a key lay inside the display.<\/p>\n Hmm. Daedric? Maybe someone\u2019s trying to pretend that Mehrunes\u2019 Razor is here after all.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t an especially difficult lock to pick.\u00a0 When he lifted the lid, he could feel the enchantment on the dagger; he took it more out of habit than anything else. Of more interest, though, were the key and the parchment, which, he noted, had no dust at all on them when he scooped them up.\u00a0 He opened the note and found four lines of Daedric lettering.\u00a0 He sighed in frustration.<\/p>\n I can translate this, but not right now. I need to get out. These things were placed in this case recently or they\u2019d be dusty; but what does this key open?\u00a0 Is this what that archaeologist was talking about? How on earth am I supposed to\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n It was then, as he slipped the key into a pocket and closed the case, that he noticed the tapestry on the wall just above it. He\u2019d seen it when he approached, of course; but now he took a moment to truly examine the thing. It depicted a scene in the forest:\u00a0 a circular building with a statue of Talos on its roof stood in the midst of the pines, before what looked like a rocky background.\u00a0 In the foreground of the tapestry was a faint scroll pattern, annoying in that it was faint enough to let the scenery show through but opaque enough to obscure some of the details.<\/p>\n Even though he grew more anxious as the moments ticked by and his need to escape grew greater, Brynjolf stared at it. He thought he recognized the place. He hadn\u2019t ever spent a great deal of time at the western end of Falkreath Hold where Dardeh and Roggi lived. Most of his trips through had been just that: trips through, made as quickly as possible without stopping to become intimately acquainted with the area.\u00a0 Only Mammoth Manor itself was a place he knew well.\u00a0 Still, he thought that he had seen a building like the one in the tapestry, somewhere in that area.<\/p>\n I guess I\u2019m going to Falkreath before I go to Riften.\u00a0 If this key opens something there at least I\u2019ll be on the right track.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure what I\u2019ll be on the track to, exactly, but it\u2019s better than having no options at all.<\/em><\/p>\n He took one last scan around the room to be sure he hadn\u2019t left anything behind that a recent excavation might have turned up.\u00a0 Then he slipped back out the door, skittered away from the home, and straightened up to make the long trek south once more.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n He wanted desperately to stop at Roggi and Dardeh\u2019s home, to see whether they had returned yet \u2013 to perhaps have a moment of sanity with people he considered family before he had to finally admit that he had ruined his life, and Sayma\u2019s, and the children\u2019s.\u00a0 As he pondered the state Roggi had been in when he\u2019d last seen them, though, and the time it would have taken them to take news to Ulfric and then return to Falkreath, he realized that he shouldn\u2019t waste his time. Roggi had nearly been killed. They\u2019d be moving slowly.<\/p>\n At least if this is a dead end I won\u2019t end up raising their hopes too.<\/em><\/p>\n That in mind, he slipped down the road past Mammoth Manor and past the mill as well.\u00a0 Across from the mill, set well back from the road but next to the brook that powered the mill\u2019s water wheel, was a place that matched what he\u2019d seen in the tapestry.\u00a0 Round, with a statue on its roof and a huge dead stump next to it, the Imperial-make building was covered with thick green vines and dark mosses. Around its base at regular intervals were inset niches, more than a man\u2019s height, places where adversaries might easily hide in the shadows. The multiple narrow windows \u2013 or perhaps they were arrow-slits \u2013 had no light behind them that he could see other than a bit of reflection from the rapidly-sinking sun.\u00a0 He approached the building, circling carefully around it to scout for potential ambushes before making a second trip around, close in, searching for an entrance.\u00a0 He found the doorway on the downhill side of the building, set into one of the niches and almost hidden by hanging moss.\u00a0 Fishing the key out of his pocket, he used it to unlock, and then open, the door.<\/p>\n This was definitely the place the archaeologist had referred to. But there certainly hadn\u2019t been any Daedric treasures, aside from the lone dagger, in the late Silus\u2019 museum.\u00a0 Someone had gone to some lengths to conceal the contents of this vault; and Brynjolf feared he might be about to meet that someone inside.<\/p>\n The door opened onto a ramp downward; the building itself had no floor at this level.\u00a0 There were lighted candles at either side of the ramp\u2019s bottom, which was surrounded by a fair amount of accumulated sand, but nothing else of any note. Through an opening, however, was a much larger circular chamber.<\/p>\n The embalming table and other accoutrements around the periphery of the chamber suggested that it was, or had been, a tomb. The center of the room was flooded, though, and water poured in from somewhere above. There was a small antechamber to his right, into which Brynjolf went. Damaged and overturned bookshelves held an assortment of Imperial arms and armor, in surprisingly reasonable condition. There was nothing remotely Daedric there, though, as far as he could see.<\/p>\n He returned to the main chamber and sloshed through the water to the far side, where there was an ordinary-looking lectern with a book resting atop it, both surrounded in an odd glow. He looked around for the source of the light and saw nothing; no opening above, no lamps or candles nearby. Crouching, suspecting some trap that would spring when he touched the book, Brynjolf slid it from the pedestal into his hands and opened it up. There were only a few words inside, written on the first page.<\/p>\n North of Cyrodiil, Southwest of Falkreath, evil lies buried. Now test your honor for the secret you carry.<\/p>\n Test my honor? What does that mean?<\/em><\/p>\n He closed the book and turned to check the rest of the room, but was startled by the flash of a spell being cast. At least six inky, black specters wearing Imperial helms over sickly red, glowing eyes blocked the exit.<\/p>\n Oh. Of course. I don\u2019t know how much honor has to do with this, but it\u2019s certainly a test. Let\u2019s go, then.<\/em><\/p>\n The first of them had a war axe and shield, and was no match for Brynjolf with his pair of Daedric daggers.\u00a0 The second, though, fired matched ice spikes at him.\u00a0 He grimaced.\u00a0 In spite of having a vampire\u2019s natural resistance to frost magic the spikes still hurt, and they still slowed him down. He ducked beneath the creature\u2019s raised arm, though, and managed to pierce it with one of his blades, only to turn and find four more corrupted soldiers facing him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I\u2019m here because I\u2019m trying to get rid <\/em>of this power. You boys are making me reconsider my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n He planted himself in the middle of the waterlogged space and began slashing as quickly as he could.\u00a0 One after another, the specters attacked; one after another he mowed them down.<\/p>\n He made another pass through the building, looking for anything like a clue, or a hidden passageway, or anything that might help him find the items the archaeologist had discovered in that chest.\u00a0 There was nothing aside from the clue he\u2019d gotten from the book.<\/p>\n \u201cSouthwest of Falkreath. That\u2019s going to put me somewhere near the pass to Cyrodiil and Hammerfell.\u201d\u00a0 He rotated his shoulders and bent backward over his fists, groaning as tight muscles released. \u201cI\u2019m getting too old for this. But I suppose I won\u2019t get any older unless I\u2019m successful, so let\u2019s get going.\u201d Then he snickered at himself. \u201cYou\u2019d think I had someone with me, talking out loud like this.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced down at his ruby ring and smiled. \u201cWho knows. Maybe I do.\u201d<\/p>\n He left the building and started down the hill toward the south.\u00a0 Once he was certain that he was away from sight of the road, he sank to his knees and closed his eyes in the dark.<\/p>\n \u201cI know I don\u2019t do this very often, Nocturnal, but I\u2019m trying to undo another stupid thing that I did. I think I did it for the right reasons; but it doesn\u2019t matter. I hope you\u2019ll see fit to help me on my way so that I can set things right once more.\u201d<\/p>\n Me, praying. What kind of state have I reached in my life that I would do a thing like this?\u00a0 I guess this makes me a Daedra-worshipper. Well, so be it. She\u2019s talked to me, at least. None of the others ever has.<\/em><\/p>\n He had no answer. He hadn\u2019t expected one; she was undoubtedly livid with him. But somehow it felt important that he acknowledge that he\u2019d made a mistake and intended to rectify it.<\/p>\n He rose and hurtled south through the dark, heading for the road to the pass. He was near the city of Falkreath when a figure stepped out of the brush and accosted him.<\/p>\n \u201cHand over your valuables or I\u2019ll gut you like a fish!\u201d the Dunmer demanded.<\/p>\n Brynjolf slowed to a stop and grimaced.\u00a0 I should tell him who I am. But I\u2019m in a hurry.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou know what? I don\u2019t know you. And I don\u2019t have time for this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you walk away from me!\u201d the man cried, rushing at Brynjolf with blades slashing.<\/p>\n Brynjolf snarled. In the next moment he found himself changing form, his wings exploding outward and his claws upraised, magic gathering between them. The Dunmer fell backward, screaming in terror; then he scrambled to his feet and dashed down the road just far enough to get out of reach, turning to taunt Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see you burn.\u201d<\/p>\n Had there been hair on his neck, Brynjolf was certain it would have risen at that. He wanted nothing to do with fire. But he was tired and hungry, and the idea of one of his own subordinates attacking him on the road was utterly enraging.\u00a0 He fired a blast of blood magic at the thief, then another; and on the third blast the mer crumpled to the ground, dead. Brynjolf fed, gleefully, draining every drop of blood from the corpse, before rising to fly away up the mountainside and along the road, searching for anything that looked like a cavern or a mine, or anything that might be his destination. He thought of Vitus then, and the last trip they had made together, Vitus killing everything in sight and draining it dry. His mood sank again.<\/p>\n This is what he was like. I have to stop this before I end up doing what he did. My family doesn\u2019t deserve that.<\/em><\/p>\n He passed by the cavern that he knew was connected to the lowest regions of the House of Troubles inn. That wasn\u2019t where he wanted to go. He had no business in Cyrodiil or Hammerfell at the moment, although he would have once he and Delvin had the skooma business fully operational. But for now, he reverted to his human form. Being outside this cavern meant he was close to people, and he didn\u2019t want to risk draining another one out of anger.\u00a0 He trudged down the road a bit farther.<\/p>\n Here.<\/em><\/p>\n He didn\u2019t so much hear the word as felt it. It was a warmth, a prickling of his skin, a knowledge that he was where he needed to be.\u00a0 He pushed through some thick shrubs, moving in the direction the voice had indicated, and saw nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere? By the Eight where am I supposed to go?\u201d<\/p>\n Here.<\/em><\/p>\n The voice sounded from above him, this time.\u00a0 He looked up at the rocky face of the western Jeralls before him, sighed, and began scrambling up the rocks.\u00a0 He made it to the top of the first boulder and felt a current of air just ahead and below him.\u00a0 There was a cavern, hidden from the roadway, its entrance more vertical than horizontal.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright then. Here we go.\u201d<\/p>\n He took a deep breath and jumped down into the hole.<\/p>\n He could have been flying. He could even have been running. Somehow he felt like doing neither of those things, his mood a far heavier load than he was used to carrying. He\u2019d walked instead, trudging his way east and slightly south, toward the plains. It was fully dark when he passed through Rorikstead and … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-19-1.png\")
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