It was nightfall when we finally came across Kynesgrove, and I was glad to have Vilkas with me; our beast blood senses were keen. We had discussed going through the process of cleansing ourselves of the blood, but there was no time. Four eyes was better than two and the dragons were most active on the peaks at night, so Vilkas came with me – though I doubt I could have discouraged him. We left our horses at the inn as I could spy a dragon flying up along the northern ridge, large and dark against the moon. We crept forward and crouched, waiting in a copse of trees, barely daring to breathe.
“Perhaps we should break the oath, at least for cover and warmth,” Vilkas whispered to me. I was shivering and cold but I shook my head. To succumb to the blood now after so long without doing so was not a risk I was willing to put him through, brave soul or no. We huddled together, silent, waiting for the first rays of light come over the ridge.
Now I could see the round tomb ahead in the dawn’s light, and as the first rays peaked I glared up into the sky, then stared at the wheeling, circling dragon overhead. It was the same black dragon I had seen before – once on the chopping block, once in the tower…and once high overhead outside Whiterun. What bound us together? And why?
As the beast circled, roared, and called out in a deep growl in a language I did not understand, I shuddered at the accent of it, and Vilkas winced. I couldn’t understand what it said, but I didn’t have to – my bones knew some fell magic was being worked, some abomination that was perverting the very laws of our world to its own ends. So…this was the mage, was it? Another dragon, raising its own! Even while I heard the booming words of its Thu’um, I could feel the energy beginning to coalesce, and the mound ahead was starting to shudder as the ground began to tremble. I couldn’t see Delphine anywhere, but that didn’t mean much.
“Now or never,” Vilkas grimaced, reaching back for his bow.
I stepped out into view, not entirely certain what I would actually do as the huge dragon above was too far for me to reach, but at the very least I could maybe stop the ritual somehow. I drew my own blade and charged forward with Shout already swelling in my lungs.
But a stronger Shout from the dragon above brought me to my knees. Vilkas cursed and clapped his hands uselessly over his ears as the very earth shuddered by the bellowing of the black dragon above me. It was like…no, honestly, there’s no way to describe it. Unless you’ve heard a dragon using its Thu’um with the full malevolence of its black heart, you have no idea what it sounds like – and chances are you’d not live to be able to describe it.
Now my fear was for Vilkas; this wasn’t like any other dragon I had come up against. I waved back at him as the Shout erupted again, my ears ringing and my limbs feeling like jelly. The ground was shuddering beneath my feet, and then the tomb before me erupted in clods of dirt and stones.
I flew backwards, thrown like a child’s doll, landing on my back so hard my own Shout died as a rattly wheeze on my lips. I could barely hear anything, and I staggered drunkenly to my feet. From the hole in the earth, a dragon was rising; flesh was forming along its bones even as I watched, the rolling, booming voice of the dragon overhead continued to Speak.
I drew my sword, glaring up into the sky – no Shout was going to reach it, but I looked up into its reptilian eyes. It was the same dragon I had seen so long ago – it felt like centuries – when my head rested on a chopping block. It looked at me then as it was looking at me now; cruel and cold…and it knew me. Yes, there was no mistaking it this time. It knew me, and knew exactly what I was.
“Ivh-stahma, dovahkiin.”
The whole world seemed to shudder – Vilkas howled and writhed upon the ground like he had gone mad, and I could see Delphine now cowering behind some cover with her teeth gritted and her face twisted into a rictus of pain. I scowled, my knees shaking, but I held my ground. I refused to be knocked off my feet; I would bear the weight of the black Dragon’s Shout – if this was going to be my final hour, then I would let it be in defiance. I had killed dragons before, and I’d do it again.
The black dragon Spoke from aloft in words I did not understand, and the dragon that was now arisen whole and fleshed dug its claws into the ground beneath it. There was a mirthless chuckle from above as the black creature hovering overhead, just out of reach of my Shouts, spoke direct in Tamrielic.
“So, you do not even know the Dragon’s Tongue. You are unworthy of the title of your destiny,” the cold voice rasped; I narrowed my eyes at the dismissive tone the dragon took – worse than any insult.
“Come down here and see how unworthy I am, then!” I called back. I might have marvelled at my audacity at any other time, but not then. I was too angry.
“Not worth the breath of my Thu’um,” the dragon replied and then it turned its attention to the other dragon before me. ”Sahloknir, deal with this one. I have other kin to raise.”
“You run away?” I cried out, even more furious now. ”Come back and fight!”
But all my rage was impotent. The black Dragon merely glared at me with its baleful eye, and wheeled upon one wing, flying into the morning and leaving me behind.
Behind with a very old dragon, I must say, and I hadn’t forgotten. This was Sahloknir, and even saying its name seemed to stir something within my blood – an old name, an old dragon and no simple flying lizard as the others I had been fighting.
I cannot fault the bravery of either Vilkas or Delphine, though both were unmatched. Delphine fired arrows – few actually hitting the mark – while Vilkas came in from the side to try and score a hit along the flank. That still left me dealing with the business end of the dragon, however, and I dodged a nasty bite, trying for a cut across the nose. Still, battering with swords isn’t always the best way, especially when a dragon stretches its wings.
“Quick, before it takes to the air!” Delphine cried out, but already the huge dragon’s wings spread and struck downward. The force of its wings smote Vilkas to the ground, and I staggered backward as the dragon gained altitude.
I scrabbled to my feet, snarling. Arrows were useless, and I was still seething. I hadn’t had a chance to loose my Shout before, but I would use it now, even while the dragon wheeled overhead and bellowed in the Dragon’s Tongue. ”Let us see whose Thu’um is the stronger, mortal!”
I withstood the blast of frost from the dragon’s pass – though my hands stuck now to the sword I bore and my blood felt as thick as porridge, I stood fast as it wheeled again and banked. I was gathering the power of my Shout, filtering it through my anger, and putting every ounce of vehemence I could into it.
“Krii Lun Aus!”
The dragon roared, wavering as my Shout hit it full and square. It was one of my favoured Shouts when dealing with airborne dragons as nothing else seemed to take them out of the sky. But now, the arrows could score a hit, and Delphine and Vilkas fired their bows. The dragon shrieked and carved a furrow in the ground as it tumbled out of the air, now dazed by the power of my Thu’um.
“Now, now! While it’s down!” Vilkas yelled, drawing his huge blade and charging forward. I hardly needed any encouragement. I even sped forward with the Shout I had been taught by the Greybeards which added considerable force to the thrust of my blade. I lodged the tip right in the monster’s breast, twisting savagely. Sahloknir shuddered, rearing up and ripping my blade out of my hand, then fell forward with its deathrattle hissing in its throat.
“We did it!” Delphine cried triumphantly. ”We – wait…”
I didn’t have to look, I knew what was happening. Vilkas had seen it before as well and was – well, not used to it, but at least he was aware of the process. And I? Well, I was still too enraged by the black dragon’s refusal to face me to care much about the winds rising, tearing at the flesh of the dead beast as its soul went from it into myself. I managed to dislodge my sword out of its body before all was nothing but another collapsing dragon’s skeleton, then I turned to face Delphine, my eyes still blazing.
“Now do you believe who I am?” I said, my voice colder than I would have liked. Vilkas looked at me askance, frowning, but didn’t say anything as of yet. Delphine herself stared at me a moment and then nodded, recovering herself as best she could.
“Yes, I believe you, Dovahkiin. And I salute you, as the last member of the Blades.” She struck her chestguard with her fist.
“Blade, eh?” Vilkas said with his frown deepening, his sword still in his hands. ”I wondered what an Imperial wanted with Dreema.”
“We have an oath and a duty, just as the Companions do,” Delphine shot back. ”I have sworn to protect the Dovahkiin, and I am the last, so that is what I shall do. And it seems we now know that someone is bringing the dragons back – I’m sure someone would probably benefit from that, the Thalmar in particular.”
I snorted. ”You cannot possibly think that the Thalmar wanted this.”
“Why not? They’ve made Talos worshipping a crime, have even gone so far as outlawed it, and that of course meant they were free to hunt down and kill my kin,” Delphine replied. ”Who else would benefit from it? You heard that creature, it was speaking in Tamrielic!”
“Yes, I heard it,” I muttered. Something in my voice made Vilkas look sharply at me again, but he went silent now and sheathed his blade. ”So, what now?”
“Well, the next step would be getting proof that the Thalmar are involved,” Delphine continued. ”That may mean…hm, yes, the Embassy may be a possibility.”
“Fine,” I replied tersely, then waved my hand at the dragon’s bones beside us. ”Arrange it; right now I’m getting back to Whiterun, get in touch with me there.”
Abruptly I strode off on my heel, Delphine staring after me. Vilkas said nothing until we got to Kynesgrove’s inn, and he brought out our horses.
“You don’t think the Thalmar would do any of this, do you?” he said. It wasn’t so much a question as a statement.
I grunted; my anger was easing off, but only just. ”Delphine wants to see Altmer as the ones to blame – and I can imagine why, they certainly have a lot to answer for! But no, I don’t. I don’t think they’ve raised up that black dragon. Not the way it looked at me.”
“I couldn’t understand what it said,” Vilkas said, swinging up into his saddle. ”But then, I didn’t really want to.” He was silent for several moments again, before he let the words finally come. ”I…don’t think I’m going to be much more use to you in your wyrd, Dreema.”
I blinked, looking up at Vilkas with a frown. He was looking away from me, his jaw clenched, his hands bunched into fists upon the reins. What a blow to his pride that admission must have cost him! He was a Companion – strong, sure, and loyal. He was my husband, my friend, and my confidante. He also wasn’t a fool – he knew that fighting dragons was now going far beyond his skill. He wasn’t a sneak-thief, he wasn’t a Dovahkiin. It’s a strange wyrd that switched our roles – he, the hardened Nord warrior was going to stay home worrying whilst I, the fragile female elf was off to kill dragons and save the world.
“You may be right,” I replied gently, clambering up into my own saddle and bringing my horse alongside. ”But we swore an oath together, and I will keep it. I will return to you once I see this length of wyrd to its end. I promise you this.”
I gave him the best smile I could, and we rode together toward High Hrothgar once more. I had a Horn to return, and Greybeards to greet. I would wait for Delphine’s next mad scheme – no, I didn’t believe the Thalmar had anything to do with this, but the last Blade wasn’t going to be convinced until I could show her, and perhaps as a result of that I could get more of her help, as she was very resourceful and cunning. Like it or not, our wyrd was knotted together now. I had allies, and that was a good thing to have. Especially after glaring into that black dragon’s eyes and seeing what it had refused to acknowledge.
The lizard feared me. For all its bluster, it was afraid. It had tried to kill me twice now, and for all its insults, it had not dared to touch down before me and fight. Why? Why was that? I was strong, yes, but I doubt I could have killed it. The only answer seemed to be that it thought I had something, knew something. I had no idea what that might have been, but I’d manage to find out. And that meant I wanted a word with the Greybeards once more.
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