{"id":702,"date":"2021-04-15T19:13:30","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T01:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=702"},"modified":"2021-05-07T11:51:38","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T17:51:38","slug":"chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-ii-starlight\/chapter-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

Chip was nearly flying by the time he scrambled his frantic way out past the Whiterun stables and crossed the road.\u00a0 He\u2019d never run so fast in his life; and yet as deeply as he breathed, as often as he\u2019d run before, he simply couldn\u2019t maintain speed for long the way his sister could. He slowed to a stop between and just past the Pelagia Farm and the western watchtower, gasping for breath, doubled over with his hands on his thighs.<\/p>\n

I have got to get there. Now! I have to get to Uncle Dar!<\/em><\/p>\n

Now I understand why Da loved being able to run fast. It had to have been like being set free from\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2026 wait.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chip stood, even as his heart continued pounding, and glanced about in all directions to be certain nobody was watching. He started thinking about what it felt like to shift into his more powerful, much faster form. It had always started with his heart pounding, just as it was doing now.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know whether I can do this on my own, or whether it always has to be at night, but if there was ever a time when I needed those legs, it is now.\u00a0 I have to\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

He gasped, nearly screamed, as the sudden pain ripped through his chest and was followed by the now-familiar cracking, breaking-and-reforming sounds of bones shaping themselves into those of the huge, red-coated werewolf.\u00a0 From deep inside the great creature he felt its overwhelming urge to howl and willed it to be still, to move, to run, <\/em>just as hard and fast as it could.<\/p>\n

There was a path straight ahead of the wolf, up over the side of the mountains that marked the boundary between Whiterun Hold and Falkreath Hold.\u00a0 Chip knew that this was a longer, tougher route than it would be to simply run down the road to Gavrostead and turn up the hill to Mammoth Manor; but the werewolf headed straight for the mountains. It would stay away from the city guards that would hunt it down on sight.\u00a0 It barreled up the switchbacks, into the snow, and crested the top of the hill.\u00a0 In front of it was Bleak Falls Barrow.<\/p>\n

He knew of Bleak Falls Barrow from Dardeh. Long ago, Dardeh had delved into the barrow to clear out the bandits and draugr, and to retrieve the gaudy yellow claw-thing that still sat collecting dust on the Riverwood Trader\u2019s counter.\u00a0 The problem was that this barrow continually attracted more bandits, and they often patrolled the plaza outside the barrow\u2019s ancient doors.<\/p>\n

Such was the case on this day.\u00a0 The werewolf heard a woman\u2019s voice yelling \u201cWhat was that?\u201d and raced up the stairs toward the sound.\u00a0 As he reached the top step, an arrow flew out from the left and caught him square in the shoulder.\u00a0 He ran snarling toward the archer, then raked the claws of his powerful right paw across her neck. She crumpled into the snow and he finished her with his teeth, devouring all that he could before the shouts of two more bandits sounded from behind him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He snarled at them, rushing the first man and knocking him off his feet back against the stairs leading to the plaza.\u00a0 This man was stunned, the breath knocked out of him. He writhed in the snow for a moment before the werewolf ripped his abdomen open and feasted on his entrails.\u00a0 The final bandit, an archer, approached slowly from above.\u00a0 The werewolf grinned at him, dashed forward, and flung him off the platform with a powerful blow.\u00a0 The man flew through the air and over the side, striking one of the stone buttresses about halfway up and dropping to the snow like a stone himself.\u00a0 By the time the werewolf reached him, the bandit was dead.\u00a0 The werewolf ate him, too.\u00a0 The whole encounter had taken only a few moments, but the wolf felt strengthened, renewed, and more powerful.\u00a0 It dashed down the far side of the mountain to the edge of Lake Ilinalta and headed west at top speed.<\/p>\n

From somewhere inside his alternate form Chip admired the decisions that the wolf had made. The north side of the lake was unpopulated. He would have to swim to get past the ancient, mostly-submerged ruins about halfway down the lake\u2019s length; but overall this route was likely the safest of any they could have taken.<\/p>\n

He arrived at the westernmost tip of the lake still in werewolf form, waiting to return to being human Chip before he could rush in to find out whether his uncle lived or not. For that was what he feared most. \u00a0His parents feared for Dardeh\u2019s health. Dardeh had been visibly ill the last time Chip had seen him. Even Farkas had suggested something might be wrong. It was vital that he get in there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As if in response to his agitation, and without any warning whatsoever, his body doubled over with the pain of reverting to his human form. When he was able to breathe again, and see<\/em> again, Chip hurtled across the last few yards of distance and vaulted onto the back deck, bursting unceremoniously through the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Dar?\u201d he shouted, realizing too late that he should have lowered his volume inside.\u00a0 He crashed in through the storage and smithing room, and out past the kitchen.<\/p>\n

There were three people there, chuckling at him.\u00a0 Roggi stood in front of the fire. Chip looked him over, quickly, and decided that the man looked like he\u2019d been through Oblivion in the last few days but was otherwise alright. As he had expected, his sister was in the chair farthest from the fireplace, quiet but all in one piece. And in the other chair, bathed in firelight, was Dardeh. Chip felt the horrible, crushing anxiety he\u2019d been feeling drop away in a rush so overwhelming that he thought for a moment his legs might give out from under him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, here I am,\u201d Dardeh said, grinning up at Chip.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip felt as though he\u2019d run headfirst into a boulder.\u00a0 His mouth fell open. Dardeh\u2019s greeting had been a wispy, rasping, pitiful imitation of the deep sounds he usually made. Chip swallowed hard, trying to force his own voice out past the knot in his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour voice! Are you sure you\u2019re alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cYeah. I\u2019m fine. Or at least I will be. I\u2019m just going to be a lot quieter than I used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi touched him on the arm. \u201cWe need to talk, Chip. A lot happened just before you got here.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze flickered to the side and Chip\u2019s followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cQara!\u201d He grinned happily at her. \u201cDa told me that Ma sent you because she was worried too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana nodded, slowly. \u201cYeah. She did,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cI got here yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip\u2019s grin faded as he saw how pale she looked. \u00a0He looked back and forth between Roggi and Dardeh, his brows furrowing into a puzzled frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, so tell me what\u2019s up.\u00a0 Da sent me to Whiterun to fetch Lydia. But Farkas says she\u2019s in High Rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi burst out laughing. \u201cSee, Dar? That\u2019s how bad it was. You know it\u2019s serious when Brynjolf threatens to sic Lydia on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh\u2019s eyebrow rose. \u201cFarkas, eh? How is that old man doing these days? It\u2019s been years and years since I\u2019ve seen him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip was about to blurt out a smart remark about Farkas looking younger than either Dardeh or Roggi, but paused. If Dardeh didn\u2019t know that Farkas and Vilkas \u2013 and Kodlak, for that matter \u2013 were werewolves, he wouldn\u2019t know they hadn\u2019t aged. He\u2019d already had his own father poking at the edges of the truth. Chip simply wasn\u2019t ready to deal with his family knowing that Dardeh wasn\u2019t the only supernatural being in it anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s, uh\u2026 fine,\u201d Chip said, looking at Qara and then shooting a quizzical glance at Roggi. Roggi shook his head. \u201cHe most definitely remembered Lydia, in very<\/em> glowing terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh had been taking a sip of whatever was in his tankard, and sputtered, nearly choking, at that comment.\u00a0 Roggi stared at Chip for a second, then looked at Dardeh; and the two of them started roaring with laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, doesn\u2019t that figure?\u201d Roggi said between guffaws. \u201cAll these years we\u2019ve wondered\u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cGood grief,\u201d Qara mumbled. \u201cI don\u2019t even want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip found himself snickering, too. \u201cWell, Vilkas didn\u2019t seem awfully pleased by the reminiscing, either. \u00a0I may still be a bit wet behind the ears in that department but even I don\u2019t need it spelled out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cYou even smell a bit like a wet dog, Chip. Don\u2019t tell me you swam to get here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip had to suppress a shudder at the sound of Dardeh\u2019s voice, a shadow of what it had been; but he also didn\u2019t want to give himself away. \u201cYeah, actually I did. I took the shortcut up over the mountain, which didn\u2019t save much time when I fell in trying to get around Ilinalta\u2019s Deep. Sorry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Roggi said, \u201cIt\u2019s good that you\u2019re here.\u00a0 Get something to drink and we\u2019ll all have a talk. There\u2019s no other way you\u2019ll ever understand why Dar sounds the way he does now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was hard for Chip to judge the passage of time as he learned what had happened earlier. Roggi talked, mostly, reminding him in broad strokes about Dardeh\u2019s journey from Markarth to Falkreath, via Helgen and High Hrothgar.\u00a0 Dardeh interjected here and there, his raspy voice filling in the gaps that Roggi wasn\u2019t clear on, or had gotten wrong. Eventually the story ended up at the previous afternoon, when it had become clear that somehow the mantle of Dragonborn had passed from Dardeh to Qaralana.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo do you have any questions, Chip?\u201d Dardeh asked quietly. \u201cYou two will need to pass the information on to your mother, and she\u2019s \u2013 well you know she\u2019ll want details.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip rubbed his chin. \u201cYeah. Yeah, I guess I do.\u00a0 Why us? I mean our family? Why not, I don\u2019t know \u2013 Harald\u2019s<\/em> family? I mean King Ulfric can Shout, why wasn\u2019t he Dragonborn? He\u2019s a full Nord, not half-and-half like the three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi shook his head. \u201cWe don\u2019t really know for sure, Chip,\u201d he said. \u201cBut Dar had a few answers from some interesting places, a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cYou two don\u2019t know much about your grandfather, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a lot,\u201d Qara agreed. \u201cOnly that he died when Mama was tiny, and he wasn\u2019t really around for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded again. \u201cThat\u2019s right. But would it surprise you to learn that I met him, a couple of years before you were born, Qara?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 thought he was dead then?\u201d Qaralana said, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was,\u201d Dardeh told them. \u201cI met his ghost. And he told me that I had to kill \u2018both of them.\u2019 He wouldn\u2019t specify who.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh then embarked on the tale of Dadarh, and Jine, and how their parents had helped break a curse to put an entire town of Alik\u2019r settlers to their final rest. He told them how he and Sayma had returned later, to give Jine his last wish. \u201cJine told us that we had to end it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo wait,\u201d Chip interrupted, not quite following. \u201cYou said the first one you had to kill was Miraak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe First Dragonborn. Right. After that I was called the Last Dragonborn. And then I killed Alduin, the World-Eater. \u00a0I thought that he was the \u2018other.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi nodded. \u201cI thought that, too. But Dadarh \u2013 your grandda – said that the \u2018other one\u2019 was Ulfric. He\u2026\u201d Roggi sighed. \u201cHe was Dark Brotherhood. He had a contract, and he failed when he was killed himself.\u201d Chip exchanged a confused glance with his sister.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t follow this any more than I do. It\u2019s just too confusing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThen Roggi and I and your Da fought another enemy,\u201d Dardeh said quietly. \u201cHe was trying to become the new Emperor, back before Ulfric was High King. I thought that maybe once he<\/em> was gone, that was the end of it and I\u2019d never feel that voice telling me to \u2018finish it\u2019 again. But I was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time it was Roggi\u2019s turn to gasp. \u201cWhat? What are you talking about, Dar? I thought that had stopped years ago!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh looked into the fire and sighed. \u201cIt did stop, for awhile. When it started up again, well\u2026 I didn\u2019t want to worry you about it. I kept it to myself and thought about it. When it started getting really bad again I had my answer.\u00a0 I had to kill the first Dragonborn, Roggi. The \u2018other one\u2019 \u2013 the one we were looking for all these years – was the Last Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was dead silence for a few breathless moments. Chip\u2019s mind was racing. All of this had been a huge amount of information to absorb in one sitting and now the implication was that his Uncle Dardeh was\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not<\/em> going to kill yourself, Uncle Dar! I won\u2019t allow it!\u201d Chip blurted out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd neither will I,\u201d Qara announced quietly.<\/p>\n

Roggi knelt in front of his husband. \u201cDar\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh chuckled, and reached out to touch Roggi\u2019s face. \u201cI\u2019m not going to leave you, silly. But I did what had to be done. I killed the Last Dragonborn. He no longer exists. There\u2019s just me. Dardeh. I told you why. I had to break Herma Mora\u2019s hold somehow. He had Miraak, and he almost had me. Did<\/em> have me, to some degree, really. You saw it. Remember those three guards at the battle of Whiterun?\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip watched Roggi reach up with his own hand \u2013 shakily \u2013 and touch Dardeh\u2019s cheek in return.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I remember, Dar,\u201d he said solemnly. \u201cYou\u2019ve thought about this for a long time, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded.<\/p>\n

Qaralana cleared her throat. \u201cBut if Miraak was the First Dragonborn and you were the Last, Uncle Dar\u2026 what does that make me?\u201d Her eyes were pleading for an answer as she stared first at Dardeh and then at Roggi, back and forth.<\/p>\n

Dardeh smiled, and reached across the space to squeeze her hand. \u201cI guess that makes you the Next Dragonborn, Qara. And we won\u2019t know why until the gods show us why. All we can do is prepare you for whatever it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara sighed. \u201cI hate this. I don\u2019t know why it\u2019s happened to me. Why not Chip? Why not\u2026 Daddy? He\u2019s big and strong and I\u2019m small. Small-ish. For a Nord, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip had to bite his tongue. Because Da\u2019s a reformed vampire, that\u2019s why. His power was something different. And I \u2013 I am a werewolf, and Lord Hircine\u2019s tested champion.<\/em><\/p>\n

And I don\u2019t understand why, any more than Qara understands what\u2019s happened to her.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip headed downhill through the grasses, listening to Qara follow. He was not altogether sure this was a good idea. On the other hand, he had promised Farkas to take care of this problem, and Qaralana\u2019s presence might make it go faster.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They were on their way to the cleft between two tall outcroppings of stone, the entrance to an ancient burial mound. Dardeh had been there before, he had told them; he and Roggi had sent them on their way with an idea of the layout and a healthy supply of cure disease potions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you need to\u2026 what, exactly, in here?\u201d Qara asked as they approached the cave opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cKill the vampires. Specifically the leader, but I think Farkas wants them all gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara nodded. \u201cWell, at least that makes picking a target easy. If it moves, kill it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. Try not to get too close, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to warn me,\u201d she said, smirking. \u201cYou need to stay clear, yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip grimaced. \u201cYeah. I know.\u201d\u00a0 Not that a vampire is going to do anything to me unless it gets its fangs in my neck. And I\u2019ll turn before I let that happen. My fangs are bigger. <\/em><\/p>\n

Chip slipped into the tunnel and blinked as his eyes adjusted. The dim light came from a brazier atop a raised platform at the cavern\u2019s far wall. \u00a0There were a number of such platforms, each holding a sarcophagus.\u00a0 A cage dangled over the center of the room. \u00a0He could tell that this was a place of death; it smelled like the cellar he\u2019d found near the lake\u2019s shore \u2013 a scent that said vampires were here. Chip readied his bow, easing out toward the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n

Just in front of a massive stone support pillar was another brazier. Beside its warmth, and silhouetted in its light, was a lone person seated on a stone.<\/p>\n

He took careful aim at the vampire, feeling the energy from his bow flowing up into his arms, and smiled grimly as he released the arrow. It was a solid hit, but not a finishing blow. The vampire shrieked and jumped up from her seat, but not quickly enough to escape the arrow Chip sent flying in the next moment.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t lying when I told them I was an archer and they wouldn\u2019t find many better. Now to finish her off.<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get a chance to fire another arrow. The vampire went running away behind the giant pillar and casting a spell.\u00a0 Chip moved forward with his bow drawn; but before he could get into position Qaralana ran down the stairs ahead of him, drawing a huge breath as she went.<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/p>\n

The sound Qara made was skull-splitting. \u00a0Dust flew. Chip cringed and clapped his hands over his sensitive ears, watching a shock wave radiate outward from his sister and wincing in pain until the echoes of the sound had died a bit. \u00a0Out of the dust, a skeleton wielding a war axe emerged to swipe at Qara. That was all it took to set Chip back in motion, firing a quick shot that dropped the skeleton.\u00a0 There was another, though, with a huge sword.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook out!\u201d Chip yelled, trying to shoot the skeleton but pulling at the last minute, as Qara darted past the creature. The shot went wild and clattered into the darkness. Chip ran down the stairs and toward the pillar, and breathed a sigh of relief as Qara whirled to disintegrate her adversary with a quick blade strike.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more!\u201d the injured vampire cried from a dark corner. Chip watched in satisfaction as Qara finished it off with a quick burst of flame.\u00a0 One last skeleton shuffled out from the corner toward Qara; but Chip already had an arrow nocked and almost nonchalantly used it to drop the undead beast.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThere. Done,\u201d Qara said.<\/p>\n

Chip raised his head and sniffed, sampling the air. \u201cNot quite. There\u2019s another one in here somewhere. I\u2019m guessing the back room Uncle Dar told us about,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d she asked, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you do that Shout?\u201d he replied with a wolfish grin. \u201cCome on, let\u2019s go check.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara poked him in the arm, but followed him up a set of stairs toward light that shone from behind an open sarcophagus. As he\u2019d expected, there was a roughhewn tunnel behind the former coffin. It doglegged to the right, and opened into a chamber holding a large cage, of a size that could hold a human \u2013 or a lycanthrope. To the left of the cage was another form.<\/p>\n

This has to be the guy we\u2019re after.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chip fired two arrows in quick succession at the vampire. After the first, it rose with a startled cry. After the second, it laughed and said \u201cI will feed again, today!\u201d\u00a0 Chip\u2019s blood almost froze. Two arrows from this bow \u2013 especially when the first had been a surprise attack \u2013 should have been enough to at the very least have this vampire on his knees. But it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

By the Nine, how strong is this one?\u00a0 Was Da this strong?<\/em><\/p>\n

Qaralana pushed past him and ran toward the vampire, yelling \u201cOh no, you won\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0 and casting flames at it. It turned toward her with a terrible smile and said \u201cI knew I smelled mortal blood!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qara yelped as an ice spike caught her in the shoulder. That was enough to shake Chip back into action.\u00a0 He shot the vampire again. This time it went down on one knee as Qara rolled to the left, but raised its hand and cast a spell.\u00a0 To Chip\u2019s dismay, what had been an indistinct lump in the corner slowly rose up, revealing itself to be a reanimated bandit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, ain\u2019t this a surprise?\u201d she said.\u00a0 Chip glanced sideways at his sister, but the vampire was still trying to regain his footing and Chip took that opportunity to shoot and kill the undead bandit. She dissolved into a pile of ash on the floor just as the room exploded into sound again.<\/p>\n

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

Chip nearly howled in pain from the volume. Qara had Shouted the vampire down onto his back, and had missed a dagger blow, striking the metal cage instead with a loud clang.\u00a0 Chip stepped back and aimed his bow just as the vampire rose to his feet. This time, the single arrow was enough. The vampire moaned and dropped to the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the gods, Qara,\u201d he said, shaking his head. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t do that inside. It\u2019s hard on the ears!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know how it works,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cAll I know is I wanted him down, and the Shout happened. But since when are you so sensitive to noise? You\u2019re the one Mama was always hushing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip chuckled. \u201cYeah. Sorry. It\u2019s just\u2026 wow, it\u2019s hard to get used to the idea of my little sister being Dragonborn. No doubt about it, though. That Shouting stuff can\u2019t be confused with anything else!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was some pretty fancy bow work, too, if we\u2019re trading observations,\u201d she said with a grin. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a pretty fancy bow! Where\u2019d you find that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip had begun making the rounds of the room, gathering up anything that looked valuable.\u00a0 \u201cSolstheim,\u201d he said as nonchalantly as he could. It wouldn\u2019t do to give away his secret. People hated werewolves. \u201cI went there to see what was what after Uncle Dar started talking about Solstheim, and I ran across some werebears. They were guarding a shrine that had this sitting on top, so I took it.\u201d He knelt before a locked chest and started working at it. After the third broken pick, he swore.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere,\u201d Qaralana said, laughing and pushing him aside. \u201cI\u2019m the one who\u2019s had training. Let me do it.\u201d She knelt where Chip had been and, a moment later, stood and waved at the now-open chest. \u201cThere you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShowoff,\u201d Chip said. \u201cI guess that\u2019s what I get for refusing to be the good lad and following in my Da\u2019s footsteps.\u201d\u00a0 If they only knew.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d Qaralana said, almost absently, as she also moved about the place taking alchemy ingredients. \u201cWell my heart\u2019s not in it either, training or not. In fact, that\u2019s what I was talking to Mama about when she sent me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway,\u201d Chip said, straightening up after sliding the book he\u2019d flipped through back into its shelf, \u201cI guess I need to go talk to Farkas about the vamps, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara shook her head. \u201cWe need to get home first. Tell Mama and Daddy about what\u2019s happened.\u00a0 They at least need to know Uncle Dar is ok. I don\u2019t even know how to bring up what\u2019s happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip thought for a moment, then nodded. \u201cYeah. I agree. The vampires will still be dead in a few days. Let\u2019s go get the carriage from Whiterun to Riften.\u201d<\/p>\n

They left the cave and strolled southeast, toward the farm beside the east-west route across the hold.\u00a0 Chip was dying to tell his sister about what had happened to him in recent weeks. He wanted her to know about the trip to Solstheim, and why he\u2019d specifically gone to find the werewolves, and how he\u2019d found out something important about their family that, for all he knew, might be related to what had happened to her, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I understood why all of this happened, Chip,\u201d she said, almost as if she\u2019d been reading his mind. \u201cI\u2019m really confused.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chewed on the inside of his mouth for a moment, and slid a glance in her direction. Off to their left, he could see the giants that lived in the area, herding their mammoths through the tall grasses; but it was Qara who worried him. Qara was usually all smiles. Right then she looked as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it looks like it has something to do with our bloodline. I don\u2019t understand it, but it\u2019s the only thing that makes any sense at all. Listen,\u201d he said at last, just as they drew near the farm. \u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t think you should worry about Da.\u00a0 Telling him, I mean. I\u2019m pretty sure he\u2019ll understand what it\u2019s like to be\u2026 different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana looked at him and raised one eyebrow. \u201cReally? What makes you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip took a deep breath. He wasn\u2019t sure it was his secret to divulge, but after all, Brynjolf had <\/em>said that lots of people in Riften knew about his past.\u00a0 \u201cWell, see, not long ago he told me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And then it was as if the very gates of Oblivion had opened before them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs someone there?\u201d Qara yelled.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease! Someone, do something!\u201d a man called at the same time, from the farmhouse\u2019s porch. Chip whirled to see what was going on and found himself facing into a blast of flames.\u00a0 His eyebrows began to singe; he yelped and rolled back out of the way, barely missing being struck by a blade that hit the stone beside them instead.\u00a0 He caught a brief glimpse of dark armor and looked up to see that it had been Qaralana whose flames he\u2019d found.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry!\u201d she yelled, swinging her own blade at the assailant.<\/p>\n

Chip reached for an arrow and fired off a short-range shot at the Argonian who was attacking him; but in his confusion and surprise he had selected one of Hircine\u2019s arrows. The projectile itself grazed the Argonian, but just beyond it a werewolf materialized, howling at the skies.\u00a0 The Argonian turned in confusion, looking for the wolf, and was met by Qaralana\u2019s Shout.<\/p>\n

Chip reached for his blades, not trusting bow combat in quarters that had suddenly become very close in spite of being outdoors. The Shout had the Argonian flat on her back; the wolf was slashing at her and Qara was attacking with flames again.\u00a0 Chip rushed into the battle, slipping around Qara\u2019s left side to sink both of them into the Argonian. She went down, and the noisy explosion and rush of energy told Chip that his mother\u2019s shortblade had harvested another soul.<\/p>\n

Was that\u2026an assassin<\/em>?<\/p>\n

He had only that moment to think before two dogs rushed into the area. The ground shook.\u00a0 Chip scrambled backwards, only barely avoiding being flattened by the huge thigh bone wielded by one of the giants he\u2019d seen only moments before. He saw the giant\u2019s gaze fixed firmly on Qaralana and knew the situation was dire.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What? Why?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cQara! Look out!\u201d She must have struck the giant with her Shout, or singed him inadvertently.\u00a0 We\u2019re in such trouble now!<\/em><\/p>\n

The conjured werewolf, having finished off its Argonian target, lit into the giant eagerly and loudly.\u00a0 Chip took one more step backward and felt the ground shaking again. His heart dropped.\u00a0 Just when it seemed nothing could have gotten worse, the second giant rushed in to protect its kin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The giant\u2019s club struck the ground again, raising a huge plume of dust but somehow missing Qara by a hairsbreadth.\u00a0 He heard her grunting, trying to get out of the line of fire; but there was a substantial tree directly behind her and she had nowhere to go.\u00a0 The two dogs were barking and snarling \u2013 at whom, he couldn\u2019t tell. The giants were shouting whatever imprecations giants favored. The werewolf was howling. And just to add a final touch, the beehive on the tree just behind the battle had been disturbed and angry hornets were swarming the area. It was a mass of noise, and dirt, and Chip couldn\u2019t tell whether his sister was still alive or had joined the assassin in the pile of black armor on the ground.<\/p>\n

What can I do? If I use my bow I might hit Qara! What can I\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Suddenly he remembered the staff he\u2019d gotten in the Hunting Grounds. The totem.<\/p>\n

Use this staff to call forth the spirit of the Wild Hunt when the need arises.<\/em><\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t imagine a greater moment of need.<\/p>\n

Chip grabbed the staff and hammered it down, sinking it solidly into the ground before him.\u00a0 A great cloud of conjuration energies exploded beside him.\u00a0 As the arrow-conjured werewolf dashed toward him out of the knot of battle, there appeared a cluster of shapes, all howling in a cacophony of noise: a werelion, a werevulture, a werewolf, and two werebears.\u00a0 All of them turned and attacked the giants in a mass of confusion the likes of which Chip had never seen. Not even in Hircine\u2019s Hunting Grounds had he been near such a battle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It seemed as though only a second or two had gone by before one of the giants, the nearer to Chip of the two, fell over onto its back.\u00a0 Chip had only a fraction of a moment to absorb the fact that it was down, that Qara had broken free and the other giant was chasing her, and that at least two of the werebeasts were heading that way.\u00a0 As the werevulture watched, he ran to the giant and attacked with his blades, finishing the creature and wincing once more at the explosion of sound as Grabber harvested another soul.<\/p>\n

He turned toward the battle just as Qara Shouted again.\u00a0 He watched in disbelief as the second giant flew up and completely over the well\u2019s crossbar, landing hard on its head near Chip and the werelion. Qara started casting healing on herself, the werelion ran forward to slash at the giant, and Chip stepped in to finish it off.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And still the battle had not ended. He couldn\u2019t tell what they were attacking, but Qara and the werebeasts were running east along the road, yelling, snarling and roaring as they went.\u00a0 Chip rose from the giant\u2019s side, shuddering, and after a moment of peering after the battle, pulled the totem from the ground. Whatever was left was probably wolves or saber cats, and they could handle those.\u00a0 He watched the energy spheres flare and die again as the conjurations dissipated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So that was the Wild Hunt, Chip thought as he trotted slowly eastward to meet Qaralana, who was still healing herself.\u00a0 I thank you for your boon, Lord Hircine. Without it, I probably would have no sister.<\/p>\n

Qaralana stared at him as he came alongside her.\u00a0 She glanced at the totem strapped to his back, and sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get going,\u201d was all she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Let\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   Chip was nearly flying by the time he scrambled his frantic way out past the Whiterun stables and crossed the road.\u00a0 He\u2019d never run so fast in his life; and yet as deeply as he breathed, as often as he\u2019d run before, he simply couldn\u2019t maintain speed for long the … <\/p>\n

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