{"id":982,"date":"2021-08-08T21:47:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T03:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=982"},"modified":"2022-08-05T11:58:52","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T17:58:52","slug":"chapter-15","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-ii-starlight\/chapter-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 15"},"content":{"rendered":"
Home<\/a><\/div>\n
Previous<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vilkas\u2019 voice caught him before he got past the Gildergreen. He snarled silently before answering.<\/p>\n

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

Vilkas cleared his throat. \u201cWe have to go north, and it\u2019ll save time if we just go through the Underforge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip sighed, feeling embarrassed. He truly didn\u2019t even know where they were headed; he\u2019d just angrily started for the gate. It would in fact save them a lot of walking if they just ducked out the mostly unknown passage. He turned to face Vilkas and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood idea. And who knows. There might be enemies watching for us to leave by the main gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

A minute later they were in the Underforge, facing each other across the basin still colored by Aela\u2019s blood. Vilkas stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo say it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhatever it is you need to say to me. Get it out of your system before we have to watch each other\u2019s backs in battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip frowned at him, considering. Vilkas had a point. He\u2019d been a thorn in Chip\u2019s side from the start, but at this moment they shared a goal and its risk. Vilkas deserved some answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve taken every opportunity to ridicule me, Vilkas, ever since we met. I don\u2019t understand it. I don\u2019t deserve it, either. It wasn\u2019t my fault Kodlak died and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vilkas nodded. \u201cI suppose you\u2019re right.\u201d He sneered. \u201cBut you came into Jorrvaskr acting like you were entitled<\/em> to be a member of the Circle. You\u2019re just a boy<\/em>. Farkas and I have been here forever; Skjor and Aela longer, and Kodlak \u2013 well, there was a reason we called him the \u2018old man.\u2019 And the others were also here before you. You needed to be shown where you stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip should have been livid, as he had been only a few minutes earlier. Yet somehow, he found Vilkas\u2019 frankness calming, in an odd way. He nodded slowly, and began speaking slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right. I am young. I haven\u2019t seen twenty winters yet. And yet here I am, Vilkas, and I don\u2019t know why. That\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever wanted, is to know why I am a werewolf. Our brothers on Solstheim couldn\u2019t tell me. Nobody here has been able to tell me, and I can\u2019t ask my da or my uncles, who know about practically everything else. It stinks<\/em>. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve been following Aela\u2019s lead, and that\u2019s why I did what Kodlak asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vilkas said nothing, but watched. Chip couldn\u2019t read his face, so he just kept going.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I say I\u2019ve been to Hircine\u2019s realm I am not being metaphorical. Here,\u201d he said, pulling out the totem and handing it to Vilkas. \u201cI had this from Lord Hircine himself as a prize. I\u2019ll use it when we fight, if we\u2019re in a scrape, to make up for my own lack of experience. You\u2019ll see.\u201d Vilkas examined it closely and then handed it back to Chip.<\/p>\n

\u201cVilkas, I know you\u2019re the wisest of us now. And the strongest. Oh maybe not in physical strength,\u201d he said when Vilkas raised an eyebrow. \u201cI\u2019d be willing to bet Farkas out-muscles you. But it takes more than just muscles to be strong. I told you, I won\u2019t stand in your way. You\u2019re the leader. But you don\u2019t get to call me the name my mother gave me, especially<\/em> not in anger. My best friend is King Ulfric\u2019s son and even he doesn\u2019t get to call me Brynjolf. That\u2019s my father\u2019s name. I am making my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood,\u201d Vilkas said. \u201cI need to think on all of this. In the meantime, we\u2019re heading to Driftshade Refuge. Southeast of Dawnstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d Chip said. \u201cAnd let\u2019s create a little terror.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip somehow lost Vilkas along the way. Perhaps he\u2019d run into a bandit as they passed Snowpoint Beacon. Chip had reached Driftshade, standing behind what once had been a corner tower; but as he stepped to his left, backing out from behind it, a Khajiit lookout on the upper wall stood and reached for his bow. Chip couldn\u2019t afford to wait for Vilkas. He snapped an elven arrow into position and loosed it, watching in satisfaction as the Khajiit fell dead.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Another man emerged from the shadows of the doorway just below where the Khajiit had been standing. He scanned the area quickly, spotting Chip and making a beeline for him. Once more, a single shot from Hircine\u2019s increasingly-powerful bow took the man out. As Chip searched the body, he heard Vilkas approaching from the crest of the nearby hills. He pushed open the door to the fort, wanting to get inside before any other patrols could spot him. Vilkas would catch up.<\/p>\n

The store room inside led to a downward staircase. When the door behind Chip opened quietly he verified that it was Vilkas; then he gestured toward the exit and got a nod in return. They crept down two short flights to a wooden door, which Chip eased open. There were at least two enemies in the large room beyond. Chip raised his bow. \u201cFor Kodlak,\u201d he whispered as he released the first arrow, which staggered but did not kill the woman he\u2019d aimed at. She headed for the Companions at a dead run.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver here!\u201d a male bandit yelled, moving out from the deep shadows. Vilkas pushed past Chip to meet the woman bandit head-on. He watched in stunned silence as Vilkas\u2019 massive swing put her on the floor; then he finished the job with a quick arrow while Vilkas moved down into the main complex to dispatch the male bandit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They could go straight ahead or left. Without speaking to each other, they both turned left into a partially-collapsed room filled with decrepit wooden furnishings. Chip was scanning the shelves for valuables when he heard a man say \u201cHuh?\u201d from the next hallway. Chip growled, raised his bow, and dropped the man with a single arrow to the heart.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re pretty good with that bow,\u201d Vilkas murmured.<\/p>\n

Chip grinned. \u201cTold you I was an archer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the next room, a short hallway, and a half-flight of stairs up they arrived at another closed door. Beyond it was a large chamber, several stories tall in the center with a solid stone balcony around the outside. Chip took one step forward onto the balcony and then froze; he could hear and smell another bandit to his left. The man had heard them as well, it seemed; Chip first heard the clanking of armor and a sword being drawn, and then saw the light-colored fur the man wore around his neck as he moved. Chip was able to catch the bandit with a single arrow, but the noise of him falling alerted a woman below them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Vilkas stepped out from the doorway to engage her as she hurtled up the stairs. This woman was one of the tougher Silver Hand Chip had met so far. Both Vilkas\u2019 greatsword and his own daggers seemed to have little effect on her \u2013 perhaps her armor had an enchantment, or perhaps she was just a talented fighter. Either way, the fight seemed to go on forever before she finally groaned and dropped against the railing that ringed the balcony.<\/p>\n

Vilkas moaned. Or, at least Chip thought he heard a moan. He scanned Vilkas, quickly, but saw no major wounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you alright?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Vilkas looked startled for a moment; then he sighed. \u201cIt\u2019s the blood,\u201d he mumbled. \u201cLet\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip stared at him for a moment. His own inner wolf was salivating at all the fresh meat they were creating; but he had the wolf firmly under control. It was too important to wipe these people out before indulging in any feasting. But, he realized with a shock, Vilkas had been trying to control his own lycanthropy as long as they\u2019d known each other. It must be an exquisite sort of torture to be in the presence of all these prizes.<\/p>\n

I never even considered that. He has some pretty strong willpower.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMoving out,\u201d he agreed.<\/p>\n

They took the stairs down and made a quick turn around the chamber. As with other parts of the old fort this was full of rotting and moldering wooden furniture, poorly-placed lamps, and crates that would be a real hazard in the dark. Beyond them a stairway led further downward to a long hall, with a doorway on the left a few paces away. Vilkas tried the door, but shook his head and mouthed the word \u201clocked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip grinned. He hadn\u2019t grown up around the Thieves Guild without learning anything; and while he\u2019d never be a master, this lock yielded to him almost immediately. On its other side was a bedchamber, with one bandit fast asleep. Chip drew his daggers and waggled them at Vilkas.<\/p>\n

A lot easier and quieter to take this guy out with these than with a gigantic two-hander.<\/em><\/p>\n

He slipped quietly up to the man\u2019s bedside and slit his throat. No remorse, no guilt. You\u2019re a Silver Hand, and you have to die. <\/em><\/p>\n

Returning to the hallway, they followed it as it narrowed, darkened, and turned right. By the time they neared its end, Chip could barely see except for a sliver of light before them; but he could sense movement in the next room. He inched toward the opening and glimpsed a large chamber with a barred gate on its far side, with another member of the Silver Hand standing nearby.<\/p>\n

Vilkas tapped him on the arm and moved up beside him. Chip had been reaching for an arrow just then, and fired it off as Vilkas passed; but he\u2019d grabbed one of Hircine\u2019s arrows by mistake. Suddenly there were four of them in the very narrow, very dark hallway: Vilkas, Chip, the bandit, and a large and extremely angry werebear. Chip fired again, wildly, and sensed that he\u2019d struck his own werebear; the bandit it had been fighting slipped past and attacked Chip, only to fall, in the next moment, to another elven arrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t win this!\u201d came from the far room.<\/p>\n

Another one in there? Is Vilkas getting him? Come on, bear, get out of the\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The werebear bounded down the hallway, and Chip then heard the familiar sounds of claws ripping armor and flesh. He ran into the open chamber to find that Vilkas and the bear had the second Silver Hand pinned against the barred doorway. It took only moments for them to finish him off. The bear looked at them and plodded away to the center of the space before dissipating in a noisy ball of magic.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ok?\u201d he whispered to Vilkas.<\/p>\n

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

Chip threw the lever beside the bars, wondering as he watched them drop what might have needed to be locked in below behind these bars and a closed wooden door. When he opened the door, he was struck full in the face by the unmistakable scent of lycanthropes \u2013 werebears, most likely. He glanced at Vilkas, who nodded. He smelled it, too.<\/p>\n

They eased forward toward a dimly-lit space lined with barrels. Noisy breathing off to the right grew more and more noticeable as they neared the end of the hallway, as did the tangy scent of dead animal.<\/p>\n

They stepped out into the open. Chip caught three distinct impressions: there were two lycanthropes in a cage to the right, one living and one dead. There was a pressure plate in the floor, presumably attached to the deadly spiked wall just past it. And there was a bandit heading directly for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cFloor!\u201d he called out to Vilkas, trying to roll past the bandit and the trap so as to get a better angle of attack. He turned and raised his bow, but then watched the battle behind him for just a moment, admiring Vilkas\u2019 skill. That sword was heavy, and the woman was beating on it; but Vilkas stood his ground calmly, blocking until there was an opening and then laying the bandit open, not having exhausted himself with useless flailing.<\/p>\n

I guess there\u2019s a reason he\u2019s the master-at-arms, eh?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip stared sadly at the trapped werebear. He\u2019d learned his lesson with Aela; the ones who didn\u2019t revert on their own were too far gone to be set free safely. He met Vilkas\u2019 gaze and saw shared sorrow. Vilkas shook his head, and Chip sighed, turning to follow the passage downward through the cluttered ruins.<\/p>\n

A wooden door at the bottom of another half-flight opened into a large, rough-hewn cave dominated by what seemed to be a huge brewing vat. Before he could really take that information in, though, a Silver Hand on a platform next to the vat turned, spied them, and attacked. Vilkas growled \u201cMove\u201d and pushed past into the open, to meet the bandit. They were fully engaged when a second bandit appeared from the left, swinging.<\/p>\n

Chip didn\u2019t dare fire in the direction of the main battle for fear of striking Vilkas. But the second bandit was far enough away that he made a perfect target. Chip\u2019s arrow buried itself into the bandit\u2019s chest in a direct hit, dropping him.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough!\u201d the first bandit wailed just before Vilkas\u2019 greatsword ended him. Before Vilkas could take a deep breath, though, yet another female bandit ran toward him from the left.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a disgrace to\u2026\u201d the woman began, only to be silenced as Vilkas, growling deep in his throat, turned from his last kill and swung in a fluid arc that might easily have been a part of the previous one.<\/p>\n

How did he do that? He didn\u2019t even have time to aim!<\/em><\/p>\n

Chip wasn\u2019t certain the space was empty, quite yet, and his own senses were slightly overloaded by the onslaught of scents beyond. He lobbed a wolf arrow into the room and waited, grinning in satisfaction in the next moment as he heard the wolf snapping at a bandit. He stepped out past the pile of bodies and looked left, where the fight was happening against a backdrop of snow, almost blindingly bright after the long stretches of dark corridor. It was over quickly enough.<\/p>\n

The original walls of this fortress\u2019 basement had been broken through and now opened into a snowy cave holding two cages, each with a werebear and a dead food animal inside. They were keeping the lycanthropes alive. It made no sense to Chip, unless their sole purpose was to torture the creatures. The werewolf heads on spikes just outside each cage reinforced that idea. He felt terrible. He didn\u2019t want to leave the beasts alive to suffer a slow demise from hunger, and yet he didn\u2019t want to free them or kill them, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust go,\u201d Vilkas murmured, obviously understanding what was going through Chip\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

The next chamber confirmed his suspicions. It was a fully-equipped torture room, complete with a dead werebear on the floor, joined in short order by the corpse of the man who\u2019d been overseeing its torture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy werebears, though?\u201d he whispered. \u201cI don\u2019t understand it.\u201d And he didn\u2019t, but he did know that he felt their deaths much more deeply than he\u2019d expected. There was something about them that tugged at him, the same way the bear he\u2019d had to kill with Aela had tugged at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but we\u2019re going to make them pay,\u201d Vilkas snarled.<\/p>\n

A moment later they had a chance to do just that. The room emptied onto a balcony overlooking a fireplace, before which stood two men warming their hands. Chip\u2019s first arrow struck one of them; but his armor was well-hardened and it took three shots to kill the man. Vilkas rushed down into the chamber and took out the second Silver Hand. As Chip approached, Vilkas surprised him by giving him the closest thing to a grin that he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeamwork, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the fireplace were stairs leading up toward the center of the fort, into a multi-story chamber with a platform just across from them. Chip took aim and fired; but the target didn\u2019t seem to drop. He shot again, and still he didn\u2019t see movement. Then he cursed floridly. What he\u2019d fired at was a practice dummy leaning against the railing, at just the right angle to be mistaken for a person.<\/p>\n

The Silver Hand bandits that were<\/em> up there, however, came rushing down. There was a woman and a very green Orc in barbarian armor. The battle was brief, but strenuous; when both their foes lay dead on the floor Vilkas and Chip stood, panting, and nodded at each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve done it,\u201d Chip said. \u201cI can\u2019t hear or smell anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye,\u201d Vilkas said. \u201cWe\u2019ve brought death to the Silver Hand, just as we vowed. And a fair bit of terror, too, I\u2019d wager. Now let\u2019s retrieve Wuuthrad and get back to Jorrvaskr. We\u2019ll want to pay our respects to Kodlak\u2019s spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah,\u201d Chip said, scratching his head as his inner wolf started agitating about meat. \u201cI\u2019d almost forgotten.\u201d He walked up to the platform and discovered, to his amazement, that he had in fact killed a Silver Hand with his first shot. The body lay on the floor in a direct line of sight between where Chip had been standing and the practice dummy. \u201cI\u2019ll be damned,\u201d he muttered. \u201cMy eyes tricked me, but I actually hit him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fragments of Wuuthrad had been arranged on a wooden table as though the enemy had been trying to figure out how to reassemble the broken weapon. \u201cLook at this, Vilkas,\u201d he said. \u201cWere they going to try to repair it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t work,\u201d Vilkas snorted. \u201cThey don\u2019t have all the pieces. Neither do we. That\u2019s why we have that special display for the ones we\u2019ve gathered over the years. Anyway, let\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n

They found the exit \u2013 a barred door \u2013 and opened it. Chip was trotting out alongside Vilkas when they passed the corpse of the first Silver Hand they\u2019d killed, and the werewolf whined loudly.<\/p>\n

Meat!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou go, Vilkas,\u201d Chip said. \u201cI\u2019ll follow along as quickly as I can. There\u2019s something I need to take care of. I promised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, you\u2019re not really going to\u2026\u201d Vilkas protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure am,\u201d Chip grinned, as the transformation process began. \u201cFeel free to join me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later he looked at Vilkas and saw the older man\u2019s admiration of him as a werewolf. Vilkas ground his teeth, though, and shook his head. As the werewolf bent to devour the corpse, he thought he heard Vilkas moan.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter. Meat.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He lost track of time, and of Vilkas, and of everything else while he retraced their steps through the fort, consuming all of the corpses he could find. There were probably twenty of them, maybe a few more. He wasn\u2019t certain. It didn\u2019t matter. He could feel himself gaining in power with each. He left the fort and consumed the Silver Hand he\u2019d killed on their approach. Then he started south, following the scent of Vilkas\u2019 footsteps and that of the corpses Vilkas had left behind, consuming each one he found. He ran into a pair of vampires that had taken down several Vigilants, and killed them, then consumed the dead Vigilants. He ran and ran, the celebration in his soul over having defeated the enemy growing louder and louder until\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWait!\u201d Vilkas had caught up to him from behind and was calling to him, panting.<\/p>\n

Chip stopped and howled up at the moon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cChip!\u201d Vilkas shouted, his voice commanding attention. \u201cStop. You have to stop. We\u2019re too close to Whiterun. You can\u2019t go back like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip looked down at himself and saw the huge, clawed hands and feet, the red fur, and the blood and gore splattered over all of them.<\/p>\n

Oh. Yeah. We can\u2019t, can we?<\/em><\/p>\n

No. I sleep.<\/em><\/p>\n

He sighed, closed his eyes, and endured the breathtaking but mercifully brief, searing pain as he reverted to his human form. He dropped to his knees for a moment to pray, feeling the warmth of Hircine\u2019s approval; then rose again, and nodded to Vilkas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks. I think I was getting a bit carried away.\u201d How do you do it, Vilkas? How can you keep from allowing that side of you to enjoy its existence? I\u2019ll never understand it, but it must take all the strength you have.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe just a little,\u201d Vilkas said with a lopsided grin, as they closed the distance to Whiterun\u2019s gate. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anyone eat that much in one go before. Not even Farkas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip laughed. \u201cYou\u2026could have joined me, you know,\u201d he said tentatively.<\/p>\n

Vilkas shook his head. \u201cNo. I have fought it too long to give in now. Not even for a success like wiping out the Silver Hand. There is too much grief involved to consider it a celebration. To have lost both Skjor and Kodlak, well\u2026 I would consider it a defeat if I gave up now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d Chip murmured, not wanting to say something that would irritate the older wolf. They\u2019d worked together like they\u2019d always been a team, and he\u2019d been genuinely impressed with Vilkas\u2019 skills \u2013 his strength, his fluid, graceful movements that conserved energy only to have it explode to its greatest effect. It would be a shame to argue with him now about being a werewolf.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d Vilkas said as if he\u2019d read Chip\u2019s mind. \u201cI don\u2019t hold it against you. Kodlak understood. It\u2019s probably obvious to you that both Aela and Skjor enjoyed everything about having the Gift. It\u2019s\u2026 personal, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip looked sideways at Vilkas as they walked up to Whiterun\u2019s gate. I may have misjudged him. I would have half expected him to start pressuring us to cure ourselves. <\/em><\/p>\n

He thought for a moment about the exchange they\u2019d had beside Kodlak\u2019s body and frowned. He\u2019d been so angry at Vilkas, but\u2026 Vilkas had also been in pain.<\/p>\n

Maybe I should just give him a chance. He was just reacting out of grief. That didn\u2019t keep him from having my back in the fortress.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe others have probably prepared Kodlak\u2019s funeral by now,\u201d Vilkas said as they entered the city. \u201cCome up to the Skyforge to pay your respects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Chip said. He hadn\u2019t realized they would hold the funeral there, but it made sense. Where better to build a pyre than above the very forge that had prompted Ysgramor and his companions to build Jorrvaskr in the first place? He followed Vilkas through the darkened city and up the stairs to the Skyforge.<\/p>\n

He had to work not to gasp aloud. All of the Companions were there \u2013 and that he had expected. But so were the Jarl and his household, and Eorlund, and really anyone with any connection to Kodlak who could have been reached on such short notice. He felt out of place, really, as he approached the forge and heard Eorlund speak.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWho will start?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d Aela said.<\/p>\n

Chip knew they were about to perform a call-and-response ceremony, much like the one they\u2019d done for him when he became part of the Circle. But, sadly, he did not know the words. He would remain respectfully silent. Still, it moved him that Aela had offered to begin.<\/p>\n

Good. Good, Aela. I know you and Kodlak didn\u2019t always see eye to eye, so it\u2019s especially appropriate that you be the one to start the ceremony.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the ancient flames,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grieve,\u201d everyone responded, their timing scattered so that when Chip breathed \u201cwe grieve\u201d under his breath it didn\u2019t seem jarring at all.<\/p>\n

Eorlund spoke next. \u201cAt this loss\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weep,\u201d people responded. Vilkas waited, his voice joining Chip\u2019s a moment behind all the others. Chip felt a lump rise into his throat.<\/p>\n

Thank you, Vilkas.<\/em><\/p>\n

There was a moment of silence before Vilkas\u2019 firm voice rang out. \u201cFor the fallen\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shout!\u201d the assemblage returned. Chip couldn\u2019t get his voice to respond, much less to shout, but he closed his eyes and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for ourselves,\u201d Farkas said, his familiar tones making Chip smile in spite of the solemn moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take our leave,\u201d was the answer to his call.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take our leave,\u201d Chip whispered, just barely audibly. Even though it is far too soon.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aela stepped forward, torch in hand, and set the pyre alight. It surely would have gone up on its own, resting as it was just above the heat of the forge; but this was the symbolic thing to do and Aela performed it with dignity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHis spirit is departed,\u201d she said. \u201cMembers of the Circle, let us withdraw to the Underforge to grieve our last together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The congregants began to disperse. Chip knew he was expected to join the others, but somehow felt uncomfortable simply heading to the Underforge before they did. He was spared any indecision, though, by Eorlund\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have the fragments of Wuuthrad, still?\u201d the old smith asked. \u201cI\u2019ll need to prepare them for mounting again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Chip hadn\u2019t expected that. \u201cOh! Of course. Yes, here you go.\u201d He handed them to Eorlund.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. I have a small favor to ask of you,\u201d Eorlund said. \u201cThere\u2019s another piece. Kodlak always kept it close to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Would you go to his chambers and bring it back for me? I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m the best one to go through his things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip snorted. \u201cAnd you think I am? But of course, I\u2019ll do this for you. Seems like the least I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate it,\u201d Eorlund said, turning to leave.<\/p>\n

The smithy had emptied by the time Chip slipped down the back staircase into Jorrvaskr and then down the stairs into the living quarters. It was eerily quiet as he made his way down the hall one more time, this time continuing past the chair where he\u2019d last seen Kodlak, and going into the Harbinger\u2019s private room. He wandered through the space, randomly touching objects, sighing, and finally speaking aloud.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really sorry our last talk was an argument, Kodlak. All I really wanted was to know why I\u2019m the way I am, and I assumed you would know because you were the oldest and wisest. But I did what you asked me to do.\u201d It\u2019s still sad that our last words were tinged with anger, though. I wish it had been otherwise.<\/em><\/p>\n

He finally got serious about searching for the fragment. Kodlak had chests, tables with drawers and satchels in every corner of the room. For all he knew, the fragment might have been under a plate, or tucked under a pillow. He hadn\u2019t found it by the time he opened the drawer in Kodlak\u2019s bedside stand.<\/p>\n

There were a few odds and ends inside, including a journal that Chip lifted out and set on the bed. Beneath it was a familiar piece of broken metal with one sharpened edge; he retrieved that and slipped it into a pouch.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally. Now then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He picked up the journal to return it; but the clasp was loose and it fell open. Chip was about to close it when his own name called up at him from the page.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He sank slowly onto the edge of the bed, guiltily looking through the pages, his face burning. I shouldn\u2019t be reading this. These are his personal thoughts. But I saw my name\u2026 Maybe I\u2019ll learn what he couldn\u2019t tell me in person\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Kodlak wrote of his dreams of the former Harbingers, especially Terrfyg, the man who had first brought the gift of lycanthropy to the Companions. He had dreamed of facing the spirit wolf who had taken Terrfyg, in the company of a stranger. That dream had given him hope that he might have a choice, to go to Sovngarde rather than the Hunting Grounds when he died.<\/p>\n

He had spoken to the Circle about this. Chip smiled when he read Kodlak\u2019s description of Vilkas. \u201cThe boy is as fierce as a saber cat in battle, but his heart\u2019s fire burns too brightly at times,\u201d Kodlak wrote.<\/p>\n

Maybe we rubbed each other the wrong way because we\u2019re too much alike. <\/em><\/p>\n

Then his hair threatened to stand on end. Kodlak wrote of the day Chip had wandered into Jorrvaskr, looking for Lydia. \u201cIt was the stranger from my dream, the one who would stand with me against the beast.\u201d Chip\u2019s stomach tied itself up in knots and his heart began to pound.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Me? I was the one in his dream? And he expected me to be the one to help him cure his condition?<\/em><\/p>\n

I guess\u2026 I guess he did. That was why he sent me to kill the witches. <\/em><\/p>\n

Kodlak had been aware of what he and Aela had been doing, the whole time. He understood their motivations, but he worried. It was right here in the pages of the journal.<\/p>\n

Then Chip read something that made his blood freeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have high hopes for his destiny, as I realized that his appearance in my dream may indeed mark him as the Harbinger to succeed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip slammed the cover of the journal closed, put it back in the drawer, and closed the nightstand, then stood. The room started spinning around him; so he stood leaning against Kodlak\u2019s desk with his head hanging down, breathing slowly.<\/p>\n

No. It\u2019s impossible. It\u2019s ridiculous, even. He must have been closer to the end than we knew to even ponder such a thing. <\/em><\/p>\n

I have to get this fragment to Eorlund, as soon as it\u2019s light.<\/em><\/p>\n

He ran from the room and found one of the empty beds in the main bedchamber. He huddled beneath the cover, shivering, but sleep refused to come.<\/p>\n

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

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

Home Previous \/ Next   \u201cWait.\u201d Vilkas\u2019 voice caught him before he got past the Gildergreen. He snarled silently before answering. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Vilkas cleared his throat. \u201cWe have to go north, and it\u2019ll save time if we just go through the Underforge.\u201d Chip sighed, feeling embarrassed. He truly didn\u2019t even know where they … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Chapter 15”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":653,"menu_order":15,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-982","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/982","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=982"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1003,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/982\/revisions\/1003"}],"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=982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}