{"id":1518,"date":"2022-02-15T22:27:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T05:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=1518"},"modified":"2022-02-18T18:21:49","modified_gmt":"2022-02-19T01:21:49","slug":"chapter-14","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-ii\/part-i-past-and-present\/chapter-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 14"},"content":{"rendered":"
Home<\/a><\/div>\n
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 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was definitely a barrow. The metal doors opened into a huge hall, lofty and filled with closed caskets and ritual tables. Qara pointed toward a metal gate at the far end.<\/p>\n

\u201cGotta find the lever for that,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah but you know we\u2019re going to have\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

A heavy sarcophagus lid crashed to the floor. Qara sighed as a draugr stepped out of the darkness, its blue eyes glowing with hatred. \u00a0She stepped forward to engage the ancient man, sending him back to his eternal rest in a few quick rounds of attack. Sounds behind her, though, said that Chip was busy.<\/p>\n

Two more draugr had erupted from their coffins and were attacking Chip. He had one of them well in hand, but the second was approaching him from behind.\u00a0 Qara sprinted across the room, not bothering to hide. The draugr was completely focused on Chip, though; she took it by surprise and dispatched it quickly. The other draugr laughed at Chip.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that the best you\u2019ve got?\u201d Chip snarled. He whirled, reaching under and behind the draugr\u2019s raised shield. A moment later it fell. Chip loosened his shoulders and turned to grin at Qara. \u201cSo yes. We had company. Now then, where\u2019s the lever?\u201d<\/p>\n

She snickered. \u201cI figured that\u2019s what you were going to say. Well, let me check over near the gate, first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She moved toward the gate. There was one remaining draugr, standing upright in its sarcophagus. Qara drew her daggers again and ran to attack it.<\/p>\n

But the draugr had no spark of life left in it; her attacks landed and left deep slashes in its mummified body.\u00a0 She tsk\u2019d, embarrassed to have attacked an inert body. As it was, though, it served to draw her eye upward to the pull handle embedded in the side of the sarcophagus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is it. It\u2019s a strange place to put a lever, but at least we can get through now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cLead on. Unless you want your big, strong brother to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara shot him a disgusted look and, when she saw he was grinning, stuck her tongue out at him. She smiled to herself as she moved down the sloping passage and through the wooden door at its end, into a large barrow.\u00a0 It was good to be spending time with Chip, even in such tense circumstances.<\/p>\n

Chip sniffed. \u201cCareful,\u201d he whispered. \u201cSome of these aren\u2019t quite dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can tell this because\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey smell different. Don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

They moved through the barrow, down and around corners, sneaking up to those draugr that seemed to have a spark of life yet and putting them down with stealthy attacks. It was surprisingly noisy to Qara\u2019s ear, since both of them had soul-capturing daggers; but the draugr seemed not to notice the sounds.<\/p>\n

It seemed as though they\u2019d been walking forever. Qara was about to heave a loud sigh when Chip spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we looking for, again? Seems like an age since we started this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA book. The Heart Chamber<\/em>. It\u2019s supposed to be in the Dwemer ruin but I have no idea how close we are to that. We just need to keep searching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah. Right. I\u2019d almost forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd try to keep me from going around in circles, if you don\u2019t mind,\u201d she murmured. They\u2019d entered a circular chamber, with a central pillar and exits on all sides. It was far too easy to end up going back the way you came, in these chambers, and they didn\u2019t have time to waste.<\/p>\n

Chip tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the central pillar. \u201cOne around there,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The draugr was dressed in full, surprisingly-intact robes. Qara was able to take it down with a few quick slashes, happy that she hadn\u2019t needed to fight it fully awake.\u00a0 She looked around.<\/p>\n

\u201cDead end? Odd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUp there,\u201d Chip said, pointing to a chain on the wall. It was hanging beneath an inlay of a fox, and would have been particularly hard to spot if the draugr had been actively fighting them.<\/p>\n

She nodded, and reached for the chain. Flames erupted from either side of the plaque. Qara barely dodged backward in time to keep from being roasted alive; and because Chip was standing directly behind her she crashed into him, moving him back out of the flames as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ok?\u201d she asked him as he patted at his clothes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. A little singed here and there, but nothing too bad. Now what\u2019s that chain for<\/em>, I wonder?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I\u2019d pulled it before the fire happened. I guess not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip shook his head. \u201cNope. Look down there. Old, worn-out trap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara looked down and tsk\u2019d again. Chip was right; there was a raised, round stone embedded in the floor. The usual symbols carved into the pressure plates in these old barrows had long since been worn down to where, unless you were specifically looking for them, you would miss them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like an idiot,\u201d she grumbled, reaching across the stone to pull the chain. This time she heard the sound of mechanisms grinding into place. \u201cLet\u2019s go see what we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

They backtracked into the circular chamber, which now had an open exit with the telltale teeth of a raised gate showing just beneath a fox plaque.\u00a0 She sighed. Would have been nice if I\u2019d seen that on the way in.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it, sis,\u201d Chip said quietly, as though he\u2019d read her mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just makes me mad,\u201d she whispered back. \u201cDidn\u2019t Delvin teach us to always watch for traps?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but even Delvin gets caught sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt one eyebrow rise. \u201cAnd when have you ever seen that happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2026. uh,\u201d Chip said. \u201cOk, never. But he doesn\u2019t exactly go out a lot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d she said, pointing at the floor in front of them. \u201cSo make sure you step over this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

She heard Chip snicker.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t seem very funny after what felt like several Ages more of wandering the barrow.\u00a0 They stepped over a number of additional traps: pressure plates, tripwires, and pools of oil directly beneath suspended firepots. \u00a0The longer they walked, the more tense she became.<\/p>\n

We are kind of in a hurry, here. I already put us a couple of days behind by going to get Chip. Why does this place have to be so huge?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At the bottom of a long ramp, they found a set of iron doors with a lock trap attached to the floor, easy to disable for someone trained as a thief.\u00a0 The space beyond the doors was beautiful: still far beneath the surface but lofty, its ceiling supported by a surprisingly intact system of beams and stone, and with stairs on either side leading to upper levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s in here?\u201d Chip whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cDraugr,\u201d Qara replied, moving to attack the one standing sentry just up the stairs to her right, its back to her.<\/p>\n

This should be easy, she thought, creeping up to do her usual stealth attack.\u00a0 She was wrong.<\/p>\n

The draugr turned, glaring at her and reaching for its nasty-looking battleaxe.\u00a0 She\u2019d injured it, that was clear; but she hadn\u2019t wounded it enough to slow it down. Worse yet, it leaned back, inhaling deeply.<\/p>\n

Oh no.<\/em><\/p>\n

It Shouted. Unrelenting Force still had all of its power even coming from the shriveled mouth of a long-dead draugr. Qara stumbled backward, and the draugr\u2019s battleaxe sliced into her leg, narrowly missing the bone.<\/p>\n

\u201cQara! Back into the stairwell!\u201d Chip shouted, running past her to attack.<\/p>\n

She did just that, backing up behind the iron doors and frantically expending all of her modest pool of magicka on closing the massive slice in her leg.\u00a0 Through the door she watched in awe as Chip brought out his ornate bow and fired. The first powerful shot sent the draugr scurrying up the nearest stairwell. It turned back toward Chip, drawing breath in a way Qara recognized. She was about to call out a warning to her brother when he released a second arrow that cut the draugr off in mid-Shout, before its first word was even fully formed.\u00a0 A third arrow finished it off.<\/p>\n

She reached into her pack for a final healing potion, shaking her head. It wasn\u2019t just that Chip was an outstanding archer. She\u2019d known that already. It was the speed and power that he put behind that bow that had her slightly shaken.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, thanks to you. But that was close. If he\u2019d been even the tiniest bit closer I\u2019d be hopping around on one leg.\u201d She rubbed her thigh to make sure the blood was still flowing properly. \u201cI have to say, you weren\u2019t kidding about that being a special bow. A lot of what makes it special is you firing it, but… wow, Chipster.\u201d<\/p>\n

She expected him to laugh, or grin, or somehow shrug the praise off in the way he usually did. Instead, he nodded with a grim expression. \u201cI told you. It\u2019s Hircine\u2019s bow. It becomes more powerful as I hunt. I wasn\u2019t kidding about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara shuddered. He really wasn\u2019t kidding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m glad you have it in any rate. Let\u2019s get going again.\u201d<\/p>\n

She decided to ascend via the stairs on their left, opposite where the draugr had been growling at them. There was a door up there, and she wanted to know what was behind it. For all anyone knew the book about the Heart Chamber might be tucked away in an unimposing corner of the barrow.<\/p>\n

Nah. I don\u2019t believe that. But if I miss it and we have to backtrack I will kick myself.<\/em><\/p>\n

Behind the door was more of the same: burial niches extending downward toward the level they\u2019d come in. Qara sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I don\u2019t believe the book\u2019s down there, and I\u2019m not ready for more draugr quite yet. Let\u2019s go along the balcony here and see what\u2019s at the other end.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t taken more than a few steps along the balcony when the thing she hadn\u2019t been ready for happened anyway. A draugr with one hand raised, flickering with magic \u2013 a draugr who glimmered like flame from top to bottom \u2013 came out of the shadows.<\/p>\n

Get the heck away from us! <\/em>she screamed internally.\u00a0 What came out of her mouth was Dovahzul.<\/p>\n

\u201cFUS- RO DAH!\u201d<\/p>\n

Its force, while strong, was partially absorbed by the stone columns between her and it.\u00a0 The draugr turned and came toward them again with a murderous hunger in its eyes. Without a word to her Chip dashed past, blades raised.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on! I\u2019ll kill you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The draugr cast its spell and the entire universe before her eyes erupted into flame. Qara slashed wildly, feeling a few blows land but not able to see or to tell whether they were having any real effect. She heard Chip\u2019s weapons landing, too; and she heard him shrieking from the pain of the flames. At last, she felt the draugr before her fall to the platform, only to discover that Chip had been fighting a second draugr attacking him from behind.\u00a0 It fell just a moment after the fiery creature she\u2019d killed did.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucky\u2026 lucky hit,\u201d Chip panted.<\/p>\n

\u201cFUS- RO DAH!\u201d came an explosive sound from across the open space between balconies.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear something?\u201d Chip asked hoarsely.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding me?\u201d Qara snapped. \u201cYou\u2019re the guy who can hear water running from half a league away, not me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The draugr was out of reach of a direct attack, so Qara grabbed her bow and took a shot at it. Her arrow landed without doing much damage; but it had located the creature in the shadows for Chip, with his much more powerful draw and much more substantial bow. He took it down quickly.<\/p>\n

Qara looked around at the two long, vaulted halls stretching out at right angles to each other and realized that she wasn\u2019t completely certain where they were. At the end of the balcony before them, though, was a large chamber, with several circular metal cages covering what she could just barely make out as descending staircases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis looks iffy to me,\u201d Chip whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pull chain before her dropped a drawbridge into place, allowing them to cross to the other balcony without descending. When she looked down from the head of the staircase on that side, she saw one of her least favorite things: a very large grid of flamethrower pressure plates. If they wanted to open those staircases and get down into the lower areas, they would have to somehow navigate around the grid. And she\u2019d had just about as many flames in the face as she cared to have for one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like it,\u201d she whispered to Chip. \u201cYou know what? That door back there led down, too. Let\u2019s go back and see where it leads. Maybe there\u2019s a safer way down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip snorted, but he let her take the lead anyway.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been right. The barrow was like any other barrow, twisting and turning in the darkness, surprisingly quiet but complete with traps including a smaller version of the flamethrowers in the main hall.\u00a0 It led around, and down, and then back up. They needed to jump over a tripwire that looked suspiciously familiar to Qara.\u00a0 Then they passed some dead draugr.\u00a0 She stopped, looking down at them, and then tsk\u2019d as she heard Chip chuckle behind her.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid Da ever tell you the story of the time he and his friend got completely lost in Redwater Den? Seems they went around and around at least three times before they found the pull chain to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHush,\u201d she snapped. \u201cYes, Daddy has told me that story. Is there anyone he hasn\u2019t told? Old people are like that. And yes, I\u2019m\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLost?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDisoriented, big brother. Dis-oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell don\u2019t be. We\u2019re right back where we started. There\u2019s the stairs where I shot the first draugr. Turn left, stay on the lower level and then turn right.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Qara did, grumbling to herself all the way.<\/p>\n

I hate feeling stupid. And I hate taking orders.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When they reached the edge of the pressure plate grid she stopped and looked around for movement. There was none; but there were plenty of coffins and darkened niches that were suspiciously quiet.<\/p>\n

Chip tapped her on the shoulder and, without saying a word, pointed to the right. There was, in fact, a way to get around the plates if they were fairly nimble and hopped over some debris. She nodded, and started in that direction.<\/p>\n

It was silent, as they worked their way around the edges of the space, peeking into burial urns and blowing dust off potions they found along the way. Qara was a bit dubious about the potions, but having used up so many of hers just to get here, she\u2019d rather risk them being stale than be without anything at all.<\/p>\n

Since it was still quiet, she approached the pedestal placed centrally to the four caged stairwells and reached toward the lever mounted on one side of it.\u00a0 Qara looked at Chip, who shrugged and then nodded.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I agree. It looks suspicious but what else are we going to do, go all the way back out and tell them we didn\u2019t find the book? <\/em><\/p>\n

She threw the lever. As she had expected, she heard the gates over the stairwells open \u2013 at least those that were still operable. But as she had also expected, she heard multiple sarcophagus lids falling out onto the floor.<\/p>\n

A spell of some kind. They were made to rest until someone tried to invade their space, and here we are.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDandy,\u201d Chip growled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qara was lucky for once. She\u2019d had her bow at the ready, and as soon as the dust of falling lids cleared she fired at the first draugr that stepped out into the open, killing it. Then things got more complicated. There was a moment of dead silence, followed by the muddled boom of a draugr hidden somewhere in the murk, Shouting at Chip. They started firing at it, but the sounds of more sarcophagi falling open told Qara they were in trouble.\u00a0 As she was swapping her bow for her blades a heavy blow struck her from behind. The bow saved her, having not been quite in place; the draugr\u2019s greatsword slid down its length. But the force of the blow pushed her forward; she stumbled onto the pressure plate grid, where flames erupted around her again.<\/p>\n

She ran up the stairs nearby, healing herself as she went and straining through the dusty murk to get a glimpse of Chip. Judging by the amount of yelling he was doing, he had his own battles well in hand; just as well, since more draugr were following her up the stairs and around the balcony.\u00a0 She ran for a moment, until it was clear that she was outnumbered; then she jumped down onto a pile of debris and grabbed for her bow once more. There would be no up-close fighting with these creatures, not with only daggers. Qara and Chip exchanged one quick glance, and closed the gap between them.<\/p>\n

There were a few moments of sheer bedlam. The closest thing to it she\u2019d ever experienced was the day Chip had used his Totem staff to help take out the two giants near Barleydark Farm.\u00a0 They stood near each other, covering their backs by firing in opposite directions, Chip taking out the draugr above them while she dropped the stragglers on the lower level, one by one. They swiveled around to survey all directions, firing past each other without once speaking.<\/p>\n

Suddenly it got very quiet. Still, neither of them lowered the bows that had been protecting them so far. A noise caught Qara\u2019s attention. From near the lever, a lone draugr came shuffling out toward them from the open sarcophagus there in the center.\u00a0 This had to have been the lord, in life, of the other draugr. She drew, as silently as she could, and loosed a solid strike on it; and then she groaned in dismay as she realized that not only had she barely nicked the ancient man, but that at least three more of his guards had exited their coffins to protect their master.<\/p>\n

Chip dashed away from her, drawing the largest draugr away with him. Qara was horrified when it spat some kind of green liquid at him; but the poison didn\u2019t seem to affect Chip much, if at all. He dodged to the side and leapt for the back of the room. The great draugr followed, but stepped directly onto the fire plates and began to burn. She wanted to help Chip but found her own escape nearly cut off by the three other minions.\u00a0 One of them lobbed a fireball at her; she was just barely able to roll to the side and dodge it. She came back up onto her feet and bolted for the far end of the huge chamber, the words she\u2019d heard her uncle Roggi say so often echoing through her head like a sour taunt.<\/p>\n

Only a fool lets herself get surrounded. <\/em><\/p>\n

She turned back into the room and fired a couple of decent shots, injuring the flaming draugr more but still not ending it. She ran away, narrowly missing another fireball, and found herself practically on top of another foe. This one had only a single war axe; and while it caught her on a backswing, it caught her with the flat of the blade, not with its lethal-looking edge. She yelped, but finished the draugr off with a quick arrow to the head.<\/p>\n

Finally there was one left near her. Qara couldn\u2019t see or hear Chip, and that made her nervous; but the draugr before her was one that knew how to Shout. She got in the first Shout, her Unrelenting Force tossing the creature nearly the full length of the chamber. It fell behind some debris in the corner, and she crept toward it, hoping to catch it by surprise when it rose.\u00a0 A Shout erupted from the other side of the room, and she heaved a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

That means Chip\u2019s otherwise engaged, which means he\u2019s still alive. Thank the gods.<\/em><\/p>\n

Qara and the draugr she had engaged traded Shouts for several minutes. One of those ended with the draugr falling backward onto the flame plate and burning to death. She was about to relax when she heard a movement behind her; turning, she was horrified to see that the fiery draugr was still moving, and heading in her direction.\u00a0 Before she could get her bow into position Chip stepped past her and calmly finished the creature with a single arrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s done, then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you alright?\u201d she asked, grabbing him by the arms and looking him over.<\/p>\n

Chip grinned. \u201cYeah. Although things were a bit, well, hairy there for a few minutes. I\u2019m fine. Let\u2019s go see what\u2019s downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara held up one finger. \u201cAs soon as I get a sip of water. That was thirsty work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust don\u2019t go stopping for a nap,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cIf you fall asleep in this place you\u2019ll never wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a prayer of that happening, big brother.\u201d\u00a0 While she caught her breath, waited for her heart to stop pounding and had some water, she edged around the fire plates to check the body of the master draugr. Her eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d ask if you want an ebony bow, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this one is far more useful,\u201d Chip said. \u201cYou keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The circular stairwell went down. Down, down, and down. There were doors in a couple of spots, opening to corridors leading back to stairwells ascending to the chamber they\u2019d just left. In other spots the doors opened onto short corridors leading to another descending staircase; those, she took. Once or twice Qara looked back at Chip to see whether he was in agreement that they needed to keep descending; each time he simply nodded without asking her what the question was. She kept circling down until it seemed as though they\u2019d been walking down rickety wooden stairs forever.<\/p>\n

At last, the stairs ended. To one side was a connection to an ascending stair, but to the other was a short hallway with iron doors at the end. She turned that way, opened the doors, and found herself in one side of a cave filled with snow and ice. And it was here, at the far side of the cave, that she spotted the Dwemer column.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally!\u201d she cried in a hoarse hurrah.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDwemer. The book is supposed to be in an old Dwemer ruin, remember? That\u2019s a Dwemer column! I think we\u2019ve finally found it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat!\u201d Chip said, running his hand through his dusty hair. \u201cWhat year is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara giggled and started down the passage beyond the pillar. She was surprised to find wooden stairs and supports in the ice cave \u2013 the same sort of construction they\u2019d seen in the mine ruined by flash flooding. Someone had been staging some organized looting down here, for certain.<\/p>\n

Or it\u2019s Yngvarr and his men trying to find the book. But these supports look a lot older than that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The ice tunnel ended at a Dwemer ramp down to a closed door. There were two broken automatons at the bottom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, Chip. Can you even imagine how excited Harald would be to see this?\u201d She looked around the landing, carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew you\u2019d rather have him along for the ride,\u201d Chip chuckled.<\/p>\n

Qara was about to snap at her brother again, but then looked down at her feet and realized she\u2019d been searching for something small, but clearly Dwemer \u2013 something she could take back home to Harald. She felt herself flushing. It was true. It wasn\u2019t that she wasn\u2019t entirely grateful for Chip, but she had<\/em> done an awful lot of thinking about their big, blonde Nord cousin.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, sis,\u201d Chip continued. \u201cDon\u2019t tell me you two haven\u2019t ever\u2026 you know. You\u2019re the only girl I\u2019ve ever seen him light up over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChip!\u201d she gasped. \u201cWhat a thing to say!\u201d\u00a0 She paused for a moment. \u201cOk, so he did kiss me once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you kiss him back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara looked at her brother with slightly different eyes, realizing what a handsome man he\u2019d grown into and wondering for the first time ever whether he\u2019d ever had a romantic entanglement. She shook herself out of that line of thought. It wasn\u2019t the time, and it wasn\u2019t the place.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I did. Satisfied? And then we laughed at each other and went on with our lives. But we need to get going. Seriously. Be careful. We may find Yngvarr and his goons up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew<\/em> it!\u201d she heard him snicker under his breath.<\/p>\n

It was entirely too quiet in the ruin. It was particularly eerie to find more wooden ramps in the hallways, clear indication that someone else had been here in the much more recent past. They traversed the halls without incident and reached the end.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been led to a huge cavern, extending primarily to their left, and up. Qara was awestruck. It wasn\u2019t just the size of the place, or the mostly-undamaged stairs spanning its width. It was the construction halfway up the space that had her completely confused: a lofty, pointed arch reaching almost to the roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow. Would you look at that! But isn\u2019t this supposed to be a Dwemer ruin?\u201d Chip whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. But that\u2019s definitely a Nordic arch. At least I think it is. What is going on here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe the old Nords just decided to occupy this spot for shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be,\u201d Qara said. \u201cI was told that the northern part of this island used to be pretty frigid. Maybe the early folk built their memorials down here because they didn\u2019t have to dig it out themselves.\u201d A movement at the first landing on the stairs caught her eye. \u201cDraugr,\u201d she whispered, nocking an arrow.<\/p>\n

She watched in satisfaction as the arrow made an elegant arc of its own, coming to rest in the draugr and taking it down. She waited for it to rise again, but it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

There was another draugr, crossing from side to side, moving too quickly for her to get a good aim.<\/p>\n

Stop moving, already!\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

She dropped an arrow into the debris at one side of the draugr and waited for it to investigate. Then she fired at it once more, fully expecting that Chip would have to go finish what she\u2019d started. Instead, her mouth sagged open as the arrow struck home and the creature fell over backward, defeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting better, sis,\u201d Chip said quietly.<\/p>\n

She grinned as she headed for the stairs. She expected to find another whole cadre of undead awaiting them. Instead, she began hearing an odd chanting.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you hear that?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d Chip sounded uncertain. \u201cI hear the wind coming in through that hole in the roof but nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned to stare at him. \u201cYou don\u2019t hear the chanting? What on\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip pointed. \u201cCheck that out. It\u2019s another of those word walls, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure enough, when Qara tuned back she was astonished that she hadn\u2019t seen it before. It was a word wall, for certain; and this one had an odd glow coming from just left of its center. The closer she got to it, the louder the chanting became; and she found herself drawn to it. Finally, she was close enough to raise a hand and touch the glowing spot directly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Only once before had she learned a word from a wall. That had been YOL, the dragon word for fire; and Paarthurnax himself had lit the word with his own massive Shout so that she could learn it. Now, as she stood before this wall, the word and its meaning opened to her. Her mouth fell open and her eyes watered.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never done this by myself before. I didn\u2019t know that I could.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like something connects in your head, Qara,\u201d Uncle Dar told me. \u201cIt\u2019s the most amazing thing you\u2019ll ever feel.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

He was right.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Chip said, coming to stand beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a word wall, Chip. I just learned the word. It\u2019s \u2018glory.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean like a Shout?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot like<\/em> a Shout. It is<\/em> a Shout. Or at least the first word of it. MORO.\u201d She said it quietly, but there was still a rumble of power around them, and dust fell from the roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy. Don\u2019t want to bring that down on us,\u201d he said, looking up at the ceiling that already had one large hole to the sky above.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, it\u2019s just\u2026 this is the first time I\u2019ve learned one all on my own, Chip. Without someone else showing me the word, or sharing their own understanding of it. I did this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip smiled. \u201cWell I didn\u2019t see anything, and I didn\u2019t hear anything. Until you said the word, I mean. But I\u2019ve heard Uncle Dar talk about it enough to kind of understand. I\u2019m \u2026 glad I was with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara beamed at her brother, and gave him a hug. \u201cI\u2019m glad you were here, too.\u201d She stood smiling at him for several more heartbeats, not being able to find words that would be adequate to the moment. Then she nodded, and turned for the stairs.<\/p>\n

Her mood changed in an instant when they just barely escaped a Dwemer trap that sprang up out of a groove in the center of the staircase, its whirling blades looking exceptionally deadly.\u00a0 On that landing were several automatons, but none too terribly difficult to defeat. In fact, Qara was able to sneak up behind the spider and sink her blades into its mechanisms, causing it to explode in a cloud of blue magical light. The sphere that rolled out of the corner was a bit more of a challenge; it took both of them to dismantle the machine, and Qara took several tough blows in the process. But at last they were able to slink up the final set of stairs and through another set of Dwemer doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like this must be the place,\u201d Chip said. \u201cThe real place, I mean. Vizemunsted.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   It was definitely a barrow. The metal doors opened into a huge hall, lofty and filled with closed caskets and ritual tables. Qara pointed toward a metal gate at the far end. \u201cGotta find the lever for that,\u201d she whispered. \u201cYeah but you know we\u2019re going to have\u2026\u201d A heavy … <\/p>\n

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