{"id":2645,"date":"2023-09-06T14:27:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T20:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=2645"},"modified":"2023-11-23T19:39:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T02:39:53","slug":"chapter-9","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-3\/part-i-horizons\/chapter-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 9"},"content":{"rendered":"
Home<\/a><\/div>\n
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 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The entrance to the bridge hugging the ravine\u2019s north side was barred by a metal gate. Harald grimaced as he approached it, wondering whether he would now need to demonstrate his lock picking skills – or lack of same – to Ulkarin. Happily, though, and to his complete surprise, the door swung open without complaint.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone\u2019s oiled this, recently I think,\u201d he told Ulkarin. \u201cDidn\u2019t you say this mine was abandoned?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulkarin shook his head. \u201cWhat I said was that I imagined<\/em> not much mining was going on after the flooding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Of course. In that case I think we\u2019ll want to be extra careful going in. I have a feeling that our \u2018friend\u2019 is still holed up down here somewhere. Otherwise this gate would have rusted, what with all this moisture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLead on, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald readied his sword, dropped down into a crouch that would afford him what little measure of stealth he could manage, and stepped through the gate. His first impression was that this walkway seemed none too solid; on the other hand, there was a half-wall – a guardrail of sorts – along its outside edge.<\/p>\n

At least if I lose my footing to dampness or moss I won\u2019t be automatically doomed.<\/em><\/p>\n

The walkway curved right and then left, out of sight around the mountainside. Harald felt a bit uneasy to be proceeding blind, but from above he hadn\u2019t seen anything that looked like a break or collapse in the walkway. He raised his shield a little higher, spikes at the ready, and continued on.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Just around the rock outcropping he saw that his caution was well-warranted. Mists rose up from below, saturating the wood and affording vines and moss an outstanding opportunity to grow. Not only could a person get tangled up in the vines, but portions of the walkway had suffered damage at some point. The external rails had been broken off, probably by rock falls, and the structure itself hung from the ravine walls at odd angles.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d pray for safety right now but I\u2019m almost afraid to shift my weight to take to my knees. Who knows how solid this thing is?<\/em><\/p>\n

The sounds of wind blowing through the ravine and heavy timbers creaking beneath them masked the shuffling of approaching feet until it was almost too late. Harald had been peering down between the platform\u2019s boards, wondering what the chances of survival would be in a ravine this deep, when motion above and ahead of him caught his attention and he jerked his head back up, startled. A corpse with a war axe was bearing down on him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are!\u201d Ulkarin said from behind him.<\/p>\n

The corpse\u2019s first blow caught Harald slightly off-guard; even though he had his shield up the axe caught it awkwardly and his arm rang from the shock of the impact. His sword, however, landed solidly once, twice, staggering the creature each time. Harald heard Ulkarin\u2019s axe slicing the air just to his right, but it was a long reach even for such a large man, and the axe didn\u2019t connect. It didn\u2019t matter, though; Harald landed one more blow which pushed the corpse over one of the unguarded sections of the walkway. It plummeted to the bottom of the ravine.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I\u2019d better pay more attention,\u201d Harald said, wincing as he rotated his left shoulder. \u201cThat\u2019s going to ache later on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get around this corner,\u201d Ulkarin said. \u201cIt\u2019s really close quarters for me and I don\u2019t like the way the wind\u2019s blowing.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was true, too: in this area the walkway was tucked almost completely under a large overhang – not too bad for Harald, but Ulkarin\u2019s head would likely brush the undersurface of the stone unless he walked perilously close to the outside edge. There was a tattered banner affixed to the outer support here, and it was whipping in the breeze. The only thing working to their advantage was the fact that it wasn\u2019t raining. At least their chances of sliding off the edge were lessened.<\/p>\n

Just past the overhang the walkway hung precariously on either side of another outcropping, this one beneath their feet. Some of the wooden planks had broken loose, including the guardrails. The supports sagged outward alarmingly, and the guardrail looked as though any pressure on it would send it down into the ravine. Harald was hurrying to get onto the rock – if nothing else the mountainside wasn\u2019t likely to fall – when in fact some of it did. He screeched to a halt at a grinding sound, narrowly missing three large boulders that fell from above, crashed through the gap in the broken guardrail and further loosened one of the other nearly-collapsed sections. No wonder the walkway seemed so dangerous. It was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe floods must have loosened the rocks,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cLet\u2019s get this over with quickly before the whole thing comes down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been going on for awhile by the looks,\u201d Ulkarin agreed, pointing ahead. Wooden walls had been placed on the inside as well as the outside in several spots where rockslides might be most likely. Beyond them, the platform dipped downward, took several very sharp turns, and then rose to meet a suspended bridge spanning a deep, narrow cut in the mountainside. The angles of the path made it easy to spot the walking corpse waiting for them there just before the bridge.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Harald rushed to meet the creature head on. It saw him coming and raised its sword to hammer down on Harald\u2019s shield; this time, though, Harald was ready and neatly blocked the blow, following with a pair of sword strikes of his own. On the second – his backswing, really – he moved slightly to the right as he always did. He stepped backward. Suddenly, half his foot wasn\u2019t on a solid surface. A bolt of sheer panic struck him like one of the boulders he\u2019d just dodged: he was near to stepping out into the void left by a section of missing guard wall. The sudden shock had him raining blows down on the corpse like a madman. Without knowing how he\u2019d done it he circled around the corpse to the inside, and nearly stepped into a hole where he hadn\u2019t expected one, on the inside edge of the boardwalk. He took down the undead man just in time to regain his balance and grab a panting breath or two.<\/p>\n

Shuffling footsteps behind him and the whoosh of an arrow flying by had him whirling around to face another zombie. It had apparently been across the suspended bridge near the mine entrance, but now it was determined to push Harald off the edge into the ravine. Harald, though, was still fully in the grip of the fury that near-death had inspired, and he blocked, bashed, and pierced without thought other than \u201ckill it.\u201d In the end, Ulkarin sent an arrow through the corpse\u2019s head just as Harald bashed it with his deadly spikes, and it fell.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ulkarin came up beside him as he gasped to get air and calm the unexpected shock-induced rage that had boiled up. \u201cSorry about being not as good with the bow,\u201d Ulkarin said, grinning broadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well,\u201d Harald said between pants, \u201cthese quarters are too close for that axe. I almost fell off a couple of times myself, and I\u2019ve just got a sword.\u201d He straightened up and grinned back at Ulkarin. \u201cThanks for that last arrow. Sometimes I get going and it just saps my strength. I don\u2019t know how much longer I would have had the energy to fight that thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve seen that kind of thing before,\u201d Ulkarin said. \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me you were a berserker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald blinked, stunned. \u2018<\/em>And a bit of a berserker you are, too, highborn or not.\u2019 That\u2019s what Loke told me. That\u2019s two in a row. What in the world is this, anyway?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought I was,\u201d he told Ulkarin, hoping he looked unconcerned. \u201cI just take after my father, I guess. He was something of a warrior in his younger days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2019s his son, from the looks of it. Now let\u2019s get going before this platform decides it can\u2019t hold a couple of big men with heavy armor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n

He trotted up the ramp and across the gently-swaying suspended bridge, trying not to shudder at the finality of the depths over which they crossed. Fortunately, it was a short span and they arrived at the mine\u2019s doorway in moments. Inside, a ramp led down to a metal gate beyond which he saw a lantern atop a table. He pushed open the gate, dropped into a crouch, and eased himself into the room. Behind him, Ulkarin made a distressed noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stench!\u201d Ulkarin whispered. \u201cIt\u2019s worse in here than it was outside!\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald smirked, happy that Ulkarin couldn\u2019t see his face. It did<\/em> smell bad inside; the almost-overpowering reek of death was concentrated inside the mountain. But an odor was the least of their worries, as far as he was concerned.<\/p>\n

Not far from the entrance, a platform to their left held a torture rack and a coffin, as well as a few crates and a table with an uneaten meal and few odds and end on top. Harald grimaced. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t bode well, does it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was another suspended bridge across the mine, just past the torture rack. Harald looked across it, sighing as yet another shambling corpse approached them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup,\u201d Ulkarin said.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take Harald more than a moment or two to dispatch this enemy. He was surprised. Perhaps it was all the recent practice he\u2019d gotten that was making him better. Or maybe this one had been weak.<\/p>\n

There was a pathway on the other side of the bridge; but on this side, past the grisly torture setup and down another ramp was another dimly-lit area, this one set up for alchemy. Harald headed for it, not only out of interest but because the darker areas beneath them could well conceal enemies. He didn\u2019t feel like being surprised yet again. It was unremarkable. Aside from the alembic there were some hard-to-find ingredients and several finished potions. Harald scooped these up without a second thought. If they belonged to a necromancer, they didn\u2019t belong out in the open.<\/p>\n

The dark corridor he\u2019d been worried about wound further downward and into a cave lit by a small opening to the skies above, a leafless tree barely holding on to life in the small patch of daylight it created. They weren\u2019t that deep, then. He could see the remnants of ore veins, their surfaces scored by pickaxes; a chunk of green ore nearby told him that this probably was – or might have been – an orichalcum mine. An outcropping just past the tree also had a greenish hue in its spidery veins, but it didn\u2019t look like orichalcum to him. He stepped up to it and studied it.<\/p>\n

Malachite. I didn\u2019t grow up around a pair of former miners for nothing. So the Reach may look bleak but it\u2019s got some rich resources even so.<\/em><\/p>\n

The only ways out of this corner of the mine were back across the suspended bridge the way they\u2019d come, or through another metal gate. He tried the gate. Unsurprisingly, it was locked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm. I\u2019m not great with locks. Let\u2019s take the path of least resistance and go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The passage hugged the wall above the malachite vein, and down a ramp beyond it into a narrow and very dark tunnel. Planks lining the floor spoke of human occupation. If Ulkarin was right and there was a necromancer down here, he couldn\u2019t have found a more perfectly isolated spot to work.<\/p>\n

They rounded a bend into a wider corridor, its ceiling shored up by thick wooden supports. There was light beyond, but Harald didn\u2019t have a chance to register what was there because yet another corpse ran out from the darkness to attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay your prayers,\u201d Ulkarin murmured from behind Harald.<\/p>\n

The creature didn\u2019t seem too terribly strong, so as Harald beat it down he chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t say my prayers in the middle of a fight, Tiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI meant these two other guys,\u201d Ulkarin growled, as an additional pair of corpses emerged from the shadows. Harald watched from the corner of his eye as Ulkarin raised his axe and brought it down across the neck of the nearest enemy, making quick work of it. Then, as Harald finished off the first corpse, Ulkarin neatly lopped the head off the third.<\/p>\n

\u201cNicely done,\u201d Harald told him.<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t much to be seen beneath the hanging lamps aside from evidence of a mining operation abruptly left unfinished. Chunks of ore and mining tools seemed to have been simply dropped in place. The path branched ahead of them, one side leading to a partially-mined orichalcum vein and the other down another long ramp. Harald started forward but then heaved a sigh of irritation as another zombie rushed up the ramp toward them. He took a couple of swipes at the creature, swinging around it to avoid the wood axe in its hand. Then Ulkarin once more stepped in, bringing his monstrous battleaxe down across the dead man with a sickening crunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind you,\u201d he said calmly. \u201cAnother poor sod that I\u2019ll have to clean off my blade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald whirled to find a blue-eyed corpse staring malevolently at him and raising its sword. He growled back at it. He blocked the blow and then reached around his shield to skewer the zombie, using his own weight, a small jump, and the angle of the ramp to his advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many more of these damned things are there, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least one,\u201d Ulkarin growled, pointing ahead toward another hanging lantern. There was a waterfall nearby, emerging from the wall above and in front of them and dropping into a well-lit pool. The mineshaft turned left here, around a solid stone support left unmined; and from behind that emerged another corpse.<\/p>\n

Harald felt the irritation in the pit of his stomach fanning itself into full-blown anger. This was getting ridiculous and he wanted no more of it. He ran forward to meet his enemy with a solid shield bash and an intense overhand strike powered by pure spite. The creature crumpled to the ground and Harald stared at it, a bit amazed that he\u2019d taken it down so easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was quite the blow,\u201d Ulkarin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Harald murmured. \u201cI\u2019m not sure where it came from.\u201d He looked around and spotted a table with several small items on top, among which was a key that he scooped up eagerly. \u201cI\u2019m just glad it was over quickly. In the meantime, I\u2019ll bet this key unlocks that gate back where we were.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was also a smelter here, still warm, further evidence that this had been a working mine until just recently. This space was a dead-end, the openings where the water flowed in making a convenient vent for smelter fumes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to grab a pickaxe myself and see what baubles a fancy dig like this would have in store,\u201d Ulkarin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaubles. Interesting choice of words for lumps of orichalcum.\u201d Harald shrugged. \u201cI guess we go back and check that gate. There\u2019s nowhere else to go from here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnward, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Harald passed the pool, a harsh voice from somewhere beyond it cried out. \u201cHello? Who\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s our man.<\/em><\/p>\n

He looked back at Ulkarin, who nodded. In unspoken agreement, they dropped down into crouches, slinking back up the wooden ramp and around corridors until reaching the gate. Harald tried the key, gingerly slipping it into the lock to make as little noise as possible. As he\u2019d expected, it clicked and the gate swung open.<\/p>\n

They passed through a room containing a chest and a table topped by random items, and started down the earthen slope beyond. He shouldn\u2019t have been surprised that another pair of corpses rushed up toward them, but it did surprise him. He was beyond annoyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I hear it too,\u201d Ulkarin muttered.<\/p>\n

It took only a few moments for the two angry men to take down the two undead. Ulkarin took a particularly vicious swing at the second of them and nearly halved it; Harald\u2019s beating on the first one was only slightly less fearful. He sighed, ready to relax for just a moment, and then jumped as an ice spike just missed his face and splattered against the wall just short of Ulkarin. At the bottom of the slope, just beyond another table full of junk, there he was: an old man in black robes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFound you,\u201d Harald hissed, rushing down toward the necromancer with his shield at the ready. The necromancer cast another ice spike; this one struck the shield and stinging particles of ice flew off it, striking Harald in the face.<\/p>\n

It was the last straw.<\/p>\n

\u201cSU- GRAH!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Harald\u2019s Voice filled the cavern, rattling the suspended lanterns and the scattered mining equipment. He leapt forward, eager to end the necromancer\u2019s existence, pushing through the damage of the frost spell with his blade now magically-enhanced. The spellcaster\u2019s eyes widened in fear. In the time he took to prepare another spell Harald had landed three rapid strikes. With the fourth he uttered a loud cry, planting himself just in front of the necromancer and whirling, using the momentum, his mass, and the Shout\u2019s magical enhancement to land a savage blow. The necromancer\u2019s head flew off, disappearing into the dark, and Harald stopped, panting, removing his helmet and staring down at the headless body, still too angry to do anything else.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was something,\u201d Ulkarin said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d Harald hissed. \u201cJust\u2026 give me a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know what had come over him – again – but it made him feel sick to his stomach. I\u2019ve always been a quiet person. Calm. I was raised to behave in court, not slaughter people in wartime. What is this?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald breathed deeply and turned to look at his companion. \u201cI don\u2019t know where that comes from. I\u2019d barely even fought in an actual battle until a few months ago and now I\u2019ve taken heads. Quite a few of them. It just boils up inside, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulkarin shrugged. \u201cSome of us just do that.\u201d He cocked his head to one side. \u201cBesides, if the old tales are right and you really came from Atmorans it\u2019s just part of you. Be happy that you have the strength to do it. It\u2019ll serve you well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald thought about it for a moment and nodded. \u201cI hadn\u2019t looked at it quite that way before but you\u2019re right. It has actually gotten me out of a couple of really tough situations.\u201d He grinned, then, thinking about his extended family. \u201cNo wonder my \u2018uncles\u2019 wanted to be certain I trained hard. They probably knew I wouldn\u2019t be confined to a nice safe existence in\u2026 Well, never mind. Thanks, Tiny. I needed that perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulkarin snorted. \u201cTiny.\u201d He started checking the room, rifling through the necromancer\u2019s things.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. And that ice hurt.\u201d Harald cast healing on himself, sighing as the warmth of the spell soothed some of the icy aching in his bones.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, take a look at what I found,\u201d his huge companion said, handing him a tattered journal.<\/p>\n

Harald flipped it open and started reading. \u201c\u2026the others told me to conduct it on living persons, preferably a village or small settlement so that we can see the results of the spell and send a warning\u2026 What in Oblivion? There are more of them?\u201d He glanced up at Ulkarin, who shrugged. \u201cHe altered \u2018the master\u2019s\u2019 spell to give it a wider area of effect. That must explain the scorch marks and the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

He read more, and felt the sickening remnants of his overwhelming rage stir again. The necromancer had wanted to create living thralls, not corpses. But it had gone wrong. \u201cListen to this: \u2018the spell tore through the hamlet, searing the flesh of all that were in the way. I could hear the screams for days, from this mine.\u2019 That\u2019s foul, Ulkarin! Just foul!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat it is. The other sick part is that whoever this maggot\u2019s master was still lives and breathes. Who knows what may happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. Even if the spell is only meant to make living people obedient it\u2019s just wrong.\u201d He shook out his tight arms and shoulders, trying to rid himself of the last of his killing rage. \u201cThere\u2019s really only one thing to do right now and that\u2019s to go let Merosa know what we did. They can at least stop worrying about the undead wandering into town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get going, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They were almost back to the town\u2019s southern gate when Harald heard it. It was a familiar sound, huge and hollow, reverberating through the skies like the knell of doom. He looked out ahead, over the rooftops, and saw a familiar shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a griffon,\u201d Ulkarin said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen it around.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scream sounded once more. Harald shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Tiny. That\u2019s a dragon. I\u2019ve fought them before. Besides, griffons don\u2019t use Dovahzul and this one\u2019s definitely picking a fight. If it lands in town we\u2019re in trouble. Let\u2019s go!\u201d He reached for the magic-imbued bow the Nerevarine had gifted him and felt it humming in his hand. \u201cDamn. I wish Qara was here!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Qara?\u201d Ulkarin asked.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But Harald didn\u2019t have time to answer; the dragon was flying low over the Divide, coming straight for them. Harald ran for the bridge and slammed his helmet down onto his head, taking aim. His shot missed, but the dragon had spotted him and circled overhead, crashing down just behind him on the roadway.<\/p>\n

More startling was the explosion of magical energy beside Harald, out of which stepped the spirit of Shor – the same manifestation of power he\u2019d experienced while fighting the dragon near Bonestrewn Crest with Qara. The spirit Shouted: Unrelenting Force, sharp as a blade and broad as the surface of Harald\u2019s shield, the shock wave tossing the dragon\u2019s head up and back before it could unleash its own attack on a startled Ulkarin standing far too close to its deadly teeth.<\/p>\n

Ulkarin shared one quick glance with Harald and then reached for his battleaxe. Harald readied his bow again, watching in awe as Ulkarin calmly entered battle mode, all concerns set aside as simply as though someone had thrown a lever in his mind. The spirit conjuration beat on the dragon\u2019s snout, Ulkarin took a massive swing at its neck, and much to Harald\u2019s dismay the town blacksmith ran past yelling, and attacked the dragon with his simple iron dagger, wearing nothing more solid than his leather smithing apron.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Harald shouted at him; but realizing that it was pointless over the noise of the battle he gritted his teeth and started firing arrows as fast as he could draw the bow.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a lousy archer, but this is a magical bow and if that thing gets into the air again it\u2019s all I\u2019ve got, really.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just as he had that thought the dragon leapt into the skies, wings wide. It was close enough that Harald could see an arrow protruding from its neck and another heading for it – and he realized that the gate guards had entered the fray as well. Harald took another shot at it but missed; in his frustration he did the only other thing he could as the beast flew over him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIIZ!\u201d<\/p>\n

The plume of intense cold flew from him up into the air – and reached the spot the dragon had been a moment after it had passed. Harald swore loudly, happy that nobody could hear him over the humming of his magic and the roar of the dragon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It circled overhead again, scattering townspeople, and crashed to the ground again just in front of Ulkarin. \u201cThis ends here!\u201d the huge man shouted, taking a massive swing at the dragon who avoided the impact at the last second. The dragon snapped at Ulkarin and then at the spirit warrior.<\/p>\n

To Oblivion with it!<\/em><\/p>\n

Harald could see blood on the dragon\u2019s neck. He knew it was likely injured enough to stay grounded. He swapped the bow for his sword and shield and rushed forward, raking the spikes of his shield across the few openings he saw on the creatures neck and slashing at its head with his sword.<\/p>\n

Then the area erupted in an overwhelming flood of sound. The dragon screamed its magical attack in a wide area of shock, a series of rapid-fire explosions. The spirit warrior didn\u2019t even flinch; instead he Shouted Unrelenting Force once more. Ulkarin was yelling \u201ckiss my blade!\u201d again and from somewhere beyond the dragon\u2019s bulk the blacksmith howled in anger. Harald repeated his Ice Form Shout, striking his target this time. And that was enough; his blade and Ulkarin\u2019s struck home at the same moment and the dragon crumpled to the ground, defeated.<\/p>\n

The spirit warrior gave Harald an approving nod and dissipated. The blacksmith made a triumphant sound and trotted back up the wooden ramp to the bridge as though he hadn\u2019t just thrown himself practically into the mouth of a full-grown dragon. Harald removed his helmet and looked at the carcass, shaking his head and sighing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish Qara was here,\u201d he said again.<\/p>\n

Ulkarin came to stand beside him. \u201cSo I\u2019ll ask again. Who\u2019s this Qara?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald blinked in surprise. For some reason the question had caught him off-guard, and he felt himself flushing.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, well\u2026 Qaralana. She\u2019s my best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulkarin smirked. \u201cAnd what does that \u2018friend\u2019 have to do with the fact that we\u2019re lookin\u2019 at a dead dragon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald frowned at him. \u201cWhat\u2019s that smirk for? She\u2019s my friend, Ulkarin. We practically grew up together.\u201d He gathered up what little dignity he had available, lifted his chin, and cleared his throat. \u201cShe also happens to be the Dragonborn. I don\u2019t know whether you\u2019ve heard of that before, but she\u2019s the only living being who can absorb the soul of a dragon and thus make certain it\u2019s dead forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulkarin stared at him for a moment and then started snickering. \u201cThat\u2019s good, Harald. That\u2019s really good. Absorbing a dragon, eh? Good one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald felt his face flush again. \u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, sure. Whatever you say. Listen, Harald, you wouldn\u2019t be the first warrior who was looking for a little something extra after a big kill. Sounds like this girl would be it, if she was here. Nothing to be embarrassed about.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment Harald felt as if he\u2019d been struck in the head with a polearm. Stunned, he was, and not just by the fact that Ulkarin hadn\u2019t known about the Dragonborn. It wasn\u2019t even the total inappropriateness of the comment he\u2019d made. It was just the idea of\u2026<\/p>\n

Me, and Qara? Together?<\/em><\/p>\n

Suddenly his mind presented him with the memory of the evening they\u2019d shared a kiss. It had been before he\u2019d gone off to Markarth and ended up in Cidhna Mine, before she\u2019d learned she was Dragonborn.<\/p>\n

Before all the big things happened to us.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They\u2019d stood outside his house and stared at each other for what had felt like a lifetime before going inside his house. They\u2019d sat in front of the fire and talked, and then the curiosity of it all had gotten to be too much for him to bear.<\/p>\n

They all expected it. Everyone. She thought so, too. She even told me it was embarrassing for her as well, to have everyone just assume we would be together.<\/em><\/p>\n

So he\u2019d leaned forward and cupped her cheek in his hand, and had asked her \u201cmay I?\u201d and when she\u2019d answered with a breathless \u201cyes\u201d he had kissed her. And then, after a long moment, they\u2019d separated, looked at each other, and broken up into waves of giggles.<\/p>\n

Laughing at each other. Just like best friends do.<\/em><\/p>\n

But he remembered what it had felt like. Her warm, soft cheek. The whisper of her breath next to his. The velvety, sweet touch of her lips. He remembered, and he\u2019d thought about it off and on over the time between then and now. He remembered it, and was glad that Ulkarin didn\u2019t see the furious flushing on his pale skin, as they dashed up toward the church.<\/p>\n

Me and Qara.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then he thought about Dale Perdeti kissing her in the marketplace. He frowned at himself.<\/p>\n

Unless I\u2019ve completely ruined it.<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t find Merosa, but he did find one of her advisors, Entemon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve dealt with the undead, and the necromancer who made them. You shouldn\u2019t have any more sneaking into your town.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man beamed. \u201cGreat job! We can sleep without having one eye open, now that those ghouls are gone. And if you\u2019re curious as to what that mad mage was doing in those mines, the Bishop up at Evermore might spare some of his precious time to fill you in on those necromancers. They\u2019ve been a nuisance since forever. Before I forget, here\u2019s the gold for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald thanked him. As they made their way out of the church he scooped a handful of coins from the purse he\u2019d been given and handed the rest to Ulkarin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere. Ease the pain in your legs some more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s generous of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were a huge help and I have plenty of coin. You\u2019re quite welcome to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But these people knew about the necromancers for a long time and did nothing about it. I don\u2019t like that. They were sending us into danger and not telling us why. I think we should find out. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   The entrance to the bridge hugging the ravine\u2019s north side was barred by a metal gate. Harald grimaced as he approached it, wondering whether he would now need to demonstrate his lock picking skills – or lack of same – to Ulkarin. Happily, though, and to his complete surprise, the … <\/p>\n

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