{"id":937,"date":"2021-07-31T11:30:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T17:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=937"},"modified":"2021-08-04T13:41:48","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T19:41:48","slug":"chapter-13","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-ii-starlight\/chapter-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 13"},"content":{"rendered":"
Home<\/a><\/div>\n
Previous<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

He crept closer to the door of Redoran\u2019s Retreat, his mouth watering and his rage burning. The wolf inside was hungry to take revenge on the Silver Hand for Skjor\u2019s death. Chip had promised his other self fresh meat once they\u2019d retrieved the fragment of Wuuthrad and meted out a bit of rough justice on their waiting foes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was dark enough inside that it took his eyes a moment to adjust. In the meantime, he sniffed the air and extended his hearing. Somewhere off to his left, a voice muttered about wishing he could change wood to gold. Chip smirked, but focused instead on a dog wandering around the cluttered space at the far end of the passageway. He took a slow and careful aim on the dog and released; the dog yipped once, and fell dead. A woman emerged from the corridor beyond the dog\u2019s corpse, and walked slowly across to it, looking down and gasping.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs someone there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nope. Nobody at all.<\/em><\/p>\n

He drew his daggers \u2013 Grabber and what had been Skjor\u2019s Skyforge steel dagger. It was his dagger now, and he intended to baptize it in the blood of a Silver Hand. He slipped forward, hugging the deepest of the plentiful shadows in this place, and circling around behind the woman. His father and Delvin Mallory might have despaired of getting him to become a proper thief, but he knew they\u2019d be proud to see how well he\u2019d learned the lessons of stealth if they could have seen him creeping up on the bandit. It took only a single quick combination of strikes to end the Silver Hand. He looked at Skjor\u2019s dagger again, turning it over in his hand and then wiping it clean on the bandit\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n

A good blade. A really good blade. <\/em><\/p>\n

There was a locked chest on a platform just past where the dog had died; Chip picked it open eagerly, hoping but not really expecting to find the Wuuthrad fragment.<\/p>\n

Not that it matters. I am going to be taking out everyone in this place and then I\u2019ll check every corner. They are going to pay for what they did.<\/em><\/p>\n

The chest contained only coins and a few pieces of gear that he would never use even if he\u2019d been inclined to carry the extra weight. He shrugged and readied his bow, following the sound of the first bandit he\u2019d heard toward a narrow tunnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was he thinking?\u201d the voice muttered.<\/p>\n

Chip reached a bend in the tunnel and stepped carefully out into the opening, ready to fire. He watched, surprised, as the Silver Hand walked back and forth across the tunnel\u2019s mouth several times without noticing him. Past him, a broad stone wall had been pierced with a window of sorts; flickering light from behind it told him there was a cook fire back there somewhere.<\/p>\n

Alright then, if you\u2019re too stupid to look around, I don\u2019t care about bagging you with a stealth bowshot. It only takes one.<\/em><\/p>\n

He released the bowstring and the bandit dropped a moment later.<\/p>\n

An angry expletive from a room just beyond the fresh corpse drew Chip\u2019s attention. The movement of a nicely-backlit figure in a window-like opening made it easy for him to snap a quick shot at the Silver Hand. It didn\u2019t kill the man, though; and Chip dropped back a step or two to wait for the attack he knew was coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I heard something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip waited, silently; and a moment later the man came out from behind the windowed wall and into the tunnel. He was looking from side to side, anywhere but in front of him where Chip stood. Chip tsk\u2019d and released the arrow he\u2019d had at the ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure did,\u201d he announced as the arrow sank into the man and pushed him back a step.<\/p>\n

\u201cUgh. Lucky hit!\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, well then how about these instead?\u201d Chip snarled, pulling out his daggers. Once again, he stepped forward slashing like a whirlwind.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t expected the bandit\u2019s remaining strength, nor the sudden, blinding pain of the man\u2019s enchanted glass sword slicing through the front of his armor and into his chest. He turned for a final flurry of dagger strikes, almost in panic as his field of vision narrowed to two tiny pinpoints. Grabber sank into the bandit\u2019s chest and stuck; Chip released his grip on it in favor of casting healing as quickly as he could. He exhausted his magicka and still bled; but at least his eyesight returned to something close to normal and he wasn\u2019t gasping for breath. He had potions in his pack, and made quick work of taking several of them.<\/p>\n

He retrieved Grabber from the Silver Hand\u2019s body and grimaced. \u201cGetting a bit too sure of myself, I guess. You were more than I expected. But this is what you and all your kind are going to get from me, after what I saw at Gallows Rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

He made his way into the cave proper, helping himself to whatever seemed of value. In the darkest corner of the space behind the windowed wall were more barrels, the cook fire, and a large chest. This one contained a large sum of gold, two excellent weapons that he could sell, a map of some kind and, at the bottom, a jagged piece of metal with one sharpened edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are, Wuuthrad! Now to get you back to Jorrvaskr.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just then his stomach growled, very loudly. He smirked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, yeah. I did promise. And I can\u2019t think of anything I\u2019d like better than to send a few of these particular souls Hircine\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe it was practice; maybe it was new strength born of the blazing anger that had been driving him ever since he\u2019d picked up Skjor\u2019s dagger to carry. It didn\u2019t matter. Not knowing exactly how he did it but with a seamless ease the likes of which he\u2019d not had before, he transformed to the huge red werewolf and devoured all of the Silver Hand in the cave, leaving not so much as a strand of hair behind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was quiet in Jorrvaskr when he got back; and, seeing nobody about, he wandered into Skjor\u2019s quarters. He could still picture the older wolf rising from his bed, and ground his molars together in anger to think that it was likely the last time anyone had seen him alive in this space. He moved around the room, touching items on the shelves almost reverently and scanning the titles of Skjor\u2019s many books. There was one on the table that particularly caught his attention. Picking it up, he saw on its spine \u201cThe Totems of Hircine.\u201d He flipped it open to read.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I thought I had Hircine\u2019s artifacts. I do. I have his bow, and his staff, and his ring. What else\u2026?<\/em><\/p>\n

The book described three more items that Chip had never heard mentioned. One, the book told him, was a carved wolf skull that could cause a great fear in others. The second, a carved thighbone, granted \u201ca heightened awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interesting. And the third? <\/em><\/p>\n

The third was a drum, said to be used by \u201cour forebears in the blood\u201d to \u201ccall their allies to them with its pounding.\u201d Chip wasn\u2019t certain what that meant, but it sounded a great deal like what the staff he carried could do. He stared down at the pages for a moment longer and then placed the book carefully down in the place it had been.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could have asked you about this, Skjor, but I\u2019m sure you had it here for a reason. Perhaps Aela can help me discover what it means.\u201d In the meantime, I need to get this fragment back to her and find out what we\u2019re doing next.<\/em><\/p>\n

When he returned to the great room upstairs, Chip found that Kodlak and Aela were both seated at the long table, eating. He nodded to Kodlak and walked past him to stand quietly at Aela\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been running interference for you around here,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s caught on to our little campaign. Yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip glanced down the table at Kodlak, who in fact didn\u2019t seem to notice that they were speaking. But if his own ears could pick up things at a distance, he wasn\u2019t going to place any great reliance on Kodlak\u2019s not being able to hear them. He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the fragment of Wuuthrad,\u201d he said quietly, making sure that Kodlak would know he\u2019d had a good reason to be hunting. \u201cNothing remains moving in that cave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes gleamed. \u201cAnother piece of glory. Good work, shield-brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched as Kodlak rose from the table and made his way toward the stairs down to his living quarters. Only after the old man was well out of sight did he speak again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s next? Give me a target.\u201d We want to hunt, the wolf and I. <\/em><\/p>\n

She gave him a perfectly predatory grin, and chuckled. \u201cIt\u2019s good that you\u2019re so eager. I\u2019ve caught wind that one of the brighter Silver Hand has been sniffing around Whiterun. If you can sneak into their camp and steal her plans, we\u2019ll have the advantage. They\u2019re holed up in Valtheim Towers. I assume you know the place?\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip gave her a grim smile. \u201cOf course. I\u2019ll get right on it. I\u2019m, uh, too full to need an evening meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aela chuckled. \u201cShow them no mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was dark as he approached Valtheim Towers, but there was such a brilliant aurora in the sky that he was concerned about being seen by the Silver Hand patrolling back and forth along the bridge. Across the river, high atop the far tower, he saw the white of a fur cloak reflected in the starlight \u2013 probably the chief. Chip got as low as possible behind some bushes and considered his choices. The guard passed by the center of the bridge several times without seeing him. A movement from the platform above the nearer tower caught Chip\u2019s eye. There was another of the Silver Hand, walking from one side to the other, making a perfect target of himself. Chip moved his bow slowly into position and carefully lined up his shot; then he held a deep breath and released. A moment later, the form on the platform dropped out of sight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One down<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He stayed in a crouch and continued toward the tower, keeping to its deepest shadows. There was a cook pot just outside the doorway, with a woman moving around near it. She stopped stirring the food and looked down the hill toward him.<\/p>\n

Crap, she heard me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Heard, but didn\u2019t see, he realized as she moved slowly in his direction glancing from side to side. He took a shot at her; but it was close in, and his arrow had no real momentum behind it. She grunted in pain but didn\u2019t stop. Instead, she started toward Chip as he backed onto the cobblestones and pulled out another arrow. This one struck her in the heart, to bring her down.<\/p>\n

Inside the tower, a standing lamp one level up cast just enough light for him to make it up the stairs without tripping and throwing his face against the stones. From the open doorway at the top, he spied a guard patrolling the mountainside across the river. Chip frowned. An arrow could come from there to almost any spot in the complex. He tried to lob an arrow into the man but it was too far to gauge correctly; the guard turned and the arrow landed harmlessly in the grass above him.<\/p>\n

A wooden ramp sloped up to the bridge. Chip slid carefully up it and took aim on the bandit he\u2019d seen from the road below. This time it was much easier to reach the target; and even though the close range meant he needed to shoot twice, the bandit dropped dead in short order.<\/p>\n

The sounds, though, had alerted another Silver Hand, who ran across the bridge toward him just in front of the woman with the white cloak, who had come down from her tower. The first bandit dropped like a stone with a single arrow. The chief, however, did not. Chip unloaded several shots into her \u2013 probably caught by that very same fluffy cloak \u2013 and then growled and pulled out his daggers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou call yourself a Nord?\u201d she cried derisively.<\/p>\n

\u201cNope. I call myself a half-breed,\u201d he snarled, slicing at her so violently that he laid her throat open almost to the bone. And I\u2019m going to have you to eat, just as soon as I\u2019ve found your plans and taken care of the last guard.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was still just a bit too dark and a bit too far for him to hit the last Silver Hand across the way. He grinned, pulled out one of Hircine\u2019s arrows, and shot it into the general area of the guard\u2019s chair. The ball of conjuration magic that formed was followed by a howl, and a scream. Chip merely smirked and trotted across the bridge to find what he\u2019d come for.<\/p>\n

There was a rudimentary bedroom set up in the far tower. Above it were stairs up to the platform on which he\u2019d seen the chief originally, and beneath those stairs was a chest holding the plans Aela wanted. He then took the steps two at a time and found a bow that would be worth some extra gold. He looked around and had an unexpected moment of dizziness. It was too far up, this watchtower. Too open. And far, far too large a drop to the river below. He had a momentary vision of falling over the railing \u2013 falling, falling \u2013 and a huge shudder ran up his spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime to go, Chip,\u201d he mumbled to himself. \u201cYou\u2019re losing your composure.\u201d<\/p>\n

He walked out onto the mountainside and checked the dead Silver Hand lying there in a pool of his own blood. He closed his eyes again, and breathed deeply, willing himself to turn and consume all of these Silver Hands the same way he\u2019d done those in Redoran\u2019s Retreat. But nothing happened. He opened his eyes and snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo full, eh?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Lord Hircine. I\u2019d have liked to take these monsters for you, as well. I guess it\u2019s not to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019m the only one who never gets a decent night\u2019s sleep around here, Chip thought as he approached Aela\u2019s chambers. He could hear Farkas snoring robustly from across the building, and a lighter sound that was presumably Vilkas\u2019 night song.<\/p>\n

Figures Farkas would be the one who could shake the rafters, doesn\u2019t it? <\/em><\/p>\n

He wanted to laugh at that, but a glance to his right, toward Skjor\u2019s chambers, sent a sharp pain through his heart and made him feel just slightly sick. He didn\u2019t understand it, really. He hadn\u2019t known Skjor that long. But Skjor and Aela had planned that outing to celebrate him<\/em>; between that and the gruesome predicaments of the werewolves and werebears in that ruin, it felt personal. Cruel, and personal, and hurtful; and he wanted nothing more than to tear each and every one of the Silver Hand to shreds.<\/p>\n

Aela was breathing quietly; not necessarily snoring, perhaps not quite asleep. He reached out and shook her by the shoulder, gently; she rolled toward him and stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the plans,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect! Hopefully this will let us know more about their movements. I think we\u2019ve got them on the run. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip raised an eyebrow. \u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been hearing rumors of activity. There\u2019s a group of them out in Hjaalmarch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be happy to take care of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Run fast, my friend. We\u2019ll have the cowards on their heels.\u201d<\/p>\n

The place Aela had marked on his map was a cavern tucked into the side of a hill, alongside one of the many tributaries that criss-crossed Whiterun\u2019s plains. It was slightly overcast on this early morning, the perfect light for hunting wildlife, and Chip found himself grinning at the opportunity. It had been some time since he\u2019d taken normal prey with this bow, and he didn\u2019t want to lose Hircine\u2019s favor as a human hunter. He missed the first elk he shot at, but grinned anyway.<\/p>\n

Out of practice. Time to remedy that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was exhilarating, running west through the chill morning air. He passed several pairs of mammoth and heard saber cats screaming somewhere just out of sight, and smiled. The hunt was why he\u2019d never felt comfortable living in Riften proper. His father and his people favored a different kind of hunt; Chip needed to run, and see the wide spaces, and breathe the cold air. A small pack of wolves ran alongside him for a bit before being distracted by the chance to nip at some mammoths\u2019 heels; Chip laughed and silently wished them luck on their hunt. As he neared the range of hills that marked Whiterun Hold\u2019s northern boundary he got his first kill; a deer across the stream saw him but hesitated a moment too long. There was another kill, as well: a slaughterfish wriggled about just at the surface of the stream and was skewered by a quick, standing shot. Chip sighed in contentment. He\u2019d needed this simple hunt, removed from the weight of vengeance or anger or the expectations of other people.<\/p>\n

Finally, he rounded the edge of the hills at the rocky point where waters began dropping toward their eventual destination at the mouth of Solitude\u2019s fjord. Corpses impaled on upright spikes and skulls piled near the cave entrance told him that he\u2019d reached the place Aela had sent him \u2013 the cave called Orotheim.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He stepped through the cave\u2019s opening and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was the steady clanking of a blacksmith\u2019s hammer somewhere ahead and to the left, where the tunnel curved; he stepped into the corner and peered around it to survey the cavern. It had at least two levels that he could see, and the lower and nearer of them was where the smith was working. Someone else was busy doing alchemy on a wooden platform just above the smith.<\/p>\n

The smith started complaining loudly. He straightened up and turned around just in time to be struck in the throat by Chip\u2019s first shot. The woman on the platform immediately ran toward the dying man, but didn\u2019t seem to see Chip. A second person ran out of the opening beyond her, to join in the search for the enemy they couldn\u2019t see.<\/p>\n

Chip snickered. His father had taught him that sometimes, turning the enemies against each other was the best tactic. He only knew a few spells, but fury was one of them; and he cast it at the woman. The Silver Hand who\u2019d followed her out attacked instantly, burning her with a blast of flame. He wasn\u2019t expecting the arrow that cut him down a moment after he\u2019d killed the woman. Chip was checking the bodies for valuables when two more voices, through the passage beyond the wooden platform, started threatening him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Crap, they know I\u2019m here. Of course they do.<\/em><\/p>\n

He slipped through the opening and down the wooden ramp on its far side, his blades at the ready, only to be met by the leader and his huge maul. Chip laid into him, doing a fair amount of damage; but the maul did the same to him, and shortly he was gasping in pain. There was nothing for it but to flee back up the ramp and through to the other cave, healing himself. He turned, readied a wolf arrow, and learned to his relief that the chieftain hadn\u2019t healed himself. It took only a lone bite from the conjured wolf and one more arrow from Chip to finish him. After that it was mere moments before the final bandit followed suit, slumping to the cave floor before the wolf\u2019s snarls.<\/p>\n

The trip back to Whiterun was joyful. It was a glorious day, now that the early-morning haze had burned away. Chip ran, and laughed, and hunted. He took down a saber cat from across the stream and watched in glee as its body slumped and slithered down the side of the cliff. He bagged two deer as they ran, feeling the power in his bow growing as his accuracy improved. At the top of a crest he stopped, entranced by the view of High Hrothgar off in the distance, and sank to his knees to breathe a prayer of thanks to Hircine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Thank you, Lord, for the skill you\u2019ve given me to defeat the Silver Hand. And thank you for your continued guidance as I gather the riches of the fields in your honor.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before he\u2019d reached Whiterun, he\u2019d bagged at least four more elk. It was the best he\u2019d felt in weeks.<\/p>\n

As he approached Aela\u2019s quarters to check in with her, he heard Kodlak\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are the young ones coming along?\u201d<\/p>\n

Farkas answered. \u201cSome are too<\/em> happy to fight. Their blood runs hot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip smirked. Well, yes, Farkas my friend. It does. But you knew that already. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when you were the same way,\u201d Kodlak answered dryly. \u201cThe more they train, the more they\u2019ll cool down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGosh, I hope so,\u201d Farkas rumbled. \u201cOtherwise there may be trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust have them focus on the calm in the battle. Control the rage, don\u2019t let it control you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip felt as though he\u2019d been struck by one of his own arrows. That may be the wisest thing I\u2019ve ever heard. <\/em>He knew the rage had been powerful in him, lately. It had come close to getting him killed several times, just recently. Kodlak wasn\u2019t speaking to me, directly. But I\u2019d be willing to bet he knows I\u2019m here and was speaking to me anyway. He\u2019s smart. No wonder he\u2019s the leader.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aela looked up as he entered. \u201cHave you been bringing the battle to the Silver Hand, friend?\u201d she asked quietly. \u201cI wish I could be there with you. Soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. They\u2019ve been dealt with. I took a great deal of pleasure in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent. You\u2019ve driven them into hiding. Keep this up, and we\u2019ll wipe them out yet. We\u2019ve heard rumors of another group, in the Rift. One last piece of Wuuthrad. Do you know Treva\u2019s Watch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course. My home is near there. I\u2019ll clean the place out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He\u2019d taken a day to rest and regroup at his home before heading out to Treva\u2019s Watch in a beautiful early morning sun. There was an older man sitting just outside the cave entrance Chip had intended to use, that led into the lower levels of the old fortress.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you the reinforcements?\u201d the man asked with a worried frown. \u201cI was expecting more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe left to help with the war,\u201d the old man said. \u201cAnd these filth bags swooped in and seized the place! My family is in there. They\u2019re everything to me. Get in there and open the gate, and on top of the posted reward you can have whatever items you\u2019d like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t here for a reward, but I\u2019ll be sure to open the gate for you. I\u2019ll see you on the other side.\u201d The only reward I need is seeing the Silver Hand gone<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Chip slipped silently into the tunnel and inched his way along it to the place where it turned up toward the fort. Three men stood at the landing, and none of them looked like an easy kill. He decided to try his fury spell again. It struck the bandit on the right, but as Chip scrambled back into the shadows behind a support beam, the sound of footsteps told him the man was coming closer, rather than attacking his fellows.<\/p>\n

Damn it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chip held his breath as the bandit emerged into the tunnel, looking about for an enemy. He turned then, and yelled \u201cHa! Found you!\u201d A moment later Chip breathed a sigh of relief as clashing swords and shields told him the Silver Hand were fighting each other. After a few moments there was a resounding groan, and a thud, following which two of the bandits emerged from the darkness and started looking around.<\/p>\n

Hmm. No space to sneak past. Time for a diversion.<\/em><\/p>\n

He had three wolf arrows left, and placed one just behind the two bandits. They turned to meet the wolf, of course; and as they did, Chip started sinking elven arrows into them. In the nearly pitch darkness he missed several shots, but the wolf had them too distracted to look around for him. He drew his blades and, creeping up silently behind them, took first one and then the other. The wolf ran up the ramp into the fortress proper and attacked another bandit; Chip followed and helped end that one, as well. The wolf he had conjured dissipated, but he continued up a stair to the right and found himself behind the smith he\u2019d heard earlier. The noise of the man\u2019s hammer masked any sound Chip might have made as he approached from behind and slit the man\u2019s throat.<\/p>\n

Not my usual style, but you\u2019re a Silver Hand and you don\u2019t deserve to die with honor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Through a nearby door was another set of narrow hallways and stairs, beyond which Chip could both see and hear a number of the enemy. He lobbed one of his two remaining wolf arrows past the nearest foe and then stepped back to consider his options while the wolf took point. It was far too confined and cramped for him to take on multiple enemies. He saw one man running out of the dark and shot him; but the one behind him had a two-handed weapon and looked tough. He fired one arrow and then stepped back a few paces to where he could plant Hircine\u2019s Totem. It seemed fitting that the Silver Hand should be defeated by an onslaught of the very things they hated most.<\/p>\n

The sound was overwhelming. One after the next, were-creatures emerged from Oblivion to press forward into the Silver Hand\u2019s hideout. Chip could barely make out the screams of the humans over the howls of the beasts and the humming of magic; but as he pushed his way up the steps and forward, slipping in the spilled blood and gore, he had no trouble seeing that the Silver Hand in this part of the fortress had come to a sorry end. His ears rang for a moment as the beasts all dissipated with the death of the last man. Chip retrieved the Totem and moved on. He would come back to the bodies later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He wound his way silently through the maze of corridors, narrowly missing the pressure plate that would have had a spiked wall flying into his face. Just around the corner from that trap he heard a woman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh? Is someone there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip laughed and slammed the totem down into the narrow hallway. \u201cYes!\u201d he cried out. \u201cIt\u2019s Hircine\u2019s own champion and his friends!\u201d<\/p>\n

Once again the world around him exploded into a riot of noise, claws, howls, screams, and the overwhelming, maddening scent of blood. There was no room for him to fight, so he stood in back of the pack, his weapons at the ready, and laughed as they destroyed the remnants of the Silver Hand. For a brief moment, once the conjurations disappeared, Chip looked at the ruins of what had been living people a moment or two before and felt a tinge of guilt. Then he saw the cages in the room where they\u2019d been, and snarled, remembering the werebear at Gallows Rock. He would feel no more remorse for these people. There were three more of them, on a wide, circular stairway. Those he killed himself, quickly and brutally; and then he scooped the fragment of Wuuthrad from the chest they\u2019d left unlocked there at the top of the tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, my friend,\u201d he said, grinning. \u201cNow we feast, and give thanks to our lord Hircine.\u201d He closed his eyes and transformed eagerly, almost painlessly, retracing his steps through the fortress as an enormous, blood-red werewolf. There were more than a dozen Silver Hand bodies in the place. He consumed them all, feeling his strength growing with each one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In a store-room just off the exit, in an area he hadn\u2019t checked on his way up, he found three bodies of people dressed in common clothing. He sniffed them carefully.<\/p>\n

Not Silver Hand.<\/em><\/p>\n

No, my friend. But we eat anyway. Claim their souls for our master.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After he reverted to his human form and stepped outside to open the gate for the older man whose home this was, he discovered a few more Silver Hand along the walls. Between the two of them, it wasn\u2019t difficult to finish them off. Even the rough-spoken Nord who sneered at him from the top of a stairwell blanched when Chip said, \u201cRip me open, eh? Guess what. Everyone inside is dead. I ate them all. You\u2019re next.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t like lying to the old man, Stalleo, when asked whether he\u2019d seen the man\u2019s family. He didn\u2019t know, of course, whether the people in common clothes were they, but he had his suspicions. Stalleo would find them soon enough. Chip took his leave and rushed back through the night toward Riften, to catch a carriage back to Whiterun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He met Aela outside, just past Breezehome.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the fragment,\u201d he said quietly, handing it to her. She stared at him, and sniffed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you got more than that. You have a grim look about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I did. A good bit more. So now I\u2019m ready for more work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just then he felt the hackles on his neck rise. Aela glanced past him and nodded, and he turned just in time to see Vilkas walk past them both, heading for the gate without so much as an acknowledgment that Chip was there. Chip had to fight himself to keep a low growl from rumbling in his throat.<\/p>\n

I hate him. I really do.<\/em><\/p>\n

He wondered whether his feelings showed on his face, as Jon Battleborn, walking toward the center of town, looked at him with a puzzled expression. Chip nodded at the man and turned back to Aela.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is always more work to be done, Shield-Brother. But I fear that Kodlak has gotten wind of our recent efforts. He\u2019s asked to see you. My advice? Always be honest with the old man, but don\u2019t tell him anything he doesn\u2019t need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip nodded. \u201cThank you. I have some questions for him as well. I\u2019ll see you later, Aela.\u201d<\/p>\n

He left her side and started for Jorrvaskr. Maybe, if he had a private audience with the Harbinger, he would finally be able to learn how \u2013 and why \u2013 he had become a werewolf.<\/p>\n

Home<\/a><\/div>\n
Previous<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Home Previous \/ Next   He crept closer to the door of Redoran\u2019s Retreat, his mouth watering and his rage burning. The wolf inside was hungry to take revenge on the Silver Hand for Skjor\u2019s death. Chip had promised his other self fresh meat once they\u2019d retrieved the fragment of Wuuthrad and meted out a … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Chapter 13”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":653,"menu_order":13,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-937","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":980,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/937\/revisions\/980"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}