FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

For once, Nusha was the one who didn't want to sneak around.

Karme had suggested that they climb over the wall, like they had when they escaped Bruma, to get inside the countess' castle, on the assumption that news of their escape would have spread here by now and that the guards would be suspicious.

Nusha said if that were the case, they would be apprehended in the castle, anyway. Better to find out while they still had a chance to flee.

"We're just going to have to disguise you," Nusha said.

It proved to be quite easy. Karme had changed dramatically since her last time in Bruma. She was thinner, hardier, and dressed in baggy Orcs' clothes instead of finery. All Nusha did was tie her hair back tell her to keep her head down. Thankfully, the stolen shirt hid the amulet well.

They left their horses at the stables and reluctantly approached the gates of the city. Nusha worried that they still looked like escaped criminals, but it was too late to turn back now.

The guards stopped them at the gate and inspected their bag, which contained nothing but the stolen Septims.

"You're travelling awfully light. What's your business in Bruma?"

"We're visiting the Mages' Guild," Nusha said.

"You don't look like mages."

"We get told that a lot."

Nusha gave her best attempt at a non-threatening smile. The guard seemed perturbed but let them in.

"We've had a lot of nonsense here recently," he said, "so don't go messing around. We don't tolerate it here in Bruma."

Nusha nodded deferentially and they were let inside.

They wasted no time and marched straight to the castle.

"We have information on an Akaviri artefact," Nusha said to the guard. They were told to wait to be called in to see the countess.

"I really hope she doesn't recognise me," Karme muttered.

"We're going to have to tell her about the amulet," Nusha said. "I have a feeling she won't just hand the diary over to anybody."

They waited in the cold outside the castle, huddling close for warmth. Nusha kept looking around, worried that some citizen of Bruma might figure out who they were, and send the guards after them. But when the castle guard eventually returned, it was to invite them in.

Countess Narina Carvain was a tall Imperial woman, effete and puffy from a life of luxury. She was pale, almost sickly-looking, as if she never dared brave the cold and spent all her time indoors. She wore a dress of blue silk, and her throne had an animal pelt thrown over it in a slapdash attempt at paying homage to Nordic culture.

She gazed down at them from the throne--there were quite a few steps to separate her from her subjects--with a wry smile on her lips.

"My guards thought I should put you straight in prison," she said.

Nusha tensed, looked around the room. But the guards weren't waiting at the door to apprehend them if they tried to escape. Carvain, for all her grandeur, was giving them an honest audience.

"I hope you did not believe that you would be able to slip in here unnoticed. News of your activity is spreading quickly throughout Cyrodiil. I believe the Imperial guard may have been... overly zealous in their treatment of you. Karme, you wield the Amulet of Bonebreath, do you not? The amulet that I requested from you long ago."

Karme said nothing, so the countess continued.

"It is now a considerably more dangerous object. Of course, if you had given it to me in the first place, taken it out of the hands of that bumbling drunkard Svaknal, we would not be in this situation. But few heed my wise words, and many fall prey to folly as a result. I know why you have come here. You seek passage to Pale Pass, so that you might dispose of the amulet. Am I correct?"

She posed the question in full confidence that she was, accompanying it with a self-righteous grin. Nusha was surprised at her knowledge of the artefact, but it made sense given her penchant for Akaviri objects.

"Yes, my lady," Nusha said.

"Well, as I'm sure you can imagine, I am not going to simply hand over the directions to Pale Pass without gaining something in return. I have told you of the Draconian Madstone before. As I am sure you have guessed, I wish you to acquire the Draconian Madstone. I will give you the directions to Pale Pass on the condition that you retrieve the artefact for me."

She stood up, stroked the fur on her throne with an eye that suggested to Nusha disdain for the Nordic customs and people that surrounded her.

"You may be tempted to rid yourself of the Amulet of Bonebreath and be on your merry way, but I can assure you that if you attempt to do so I will have my men hunt you down and personally escort you back to the Imperial Prison. Nobody escapes the Imperial Prison, they say, though you proved them wrong. But so far, nobody, in the long history of the Empire, has lived to escape it twice."

"We accept your offer," Nusha said. She was growing weary of this. If the countess had this all planned out, did she really need to hold court for so long?

"Of course you will. You have no other choice. My herald, Tolgan, will give you the information you require, and escort you out of the city. I am afraid your horses have doubtlessly already been seized, though they were never yours to begin with, were they? Fear not. Tolgan will lead you out of a secret exit where two steeds are waiting for you. The men from the Imperial City will be informed of your dramatic escape from Bruma, and that you were last seen heading to Cheydinhal."

A portly Nord appeared from the shadows behind the countess' throne and gestured for them to follow him. Nusha bowed to the countess and clambered up the steps.

She felt uneasy about the whole affair. If this Madstone came form the same place the Amulet of Bonebreath had, it was not going to be easy to find.

* * *

"So the army was hiding out at Pale Pass?" Nusha asked.

The only things she'd heard about the Akaviri were legends and vague murmurings. She had heard the Tsaesci, the race that attempted to invade Tamriel the first time, referred to as 'serpent people'. It was either a racist exaggeration or simply a lazy description, she decided, but it did make her curious. Could they be related to the Argonians, transformed by something like the Hist?

"That's correct," Karme said. "This diary is written by a messenger who was trying to reach them. I'm surprised they managed to translate it so accurately. The countess is craftier than she seems."

They were making their way up a snowy trail, heading to the first landmark in the diary: Dragonclaw Rock. As they went Nusha pulled her cloak--graciously provided by the countess--tighter around her. This was not a place for Argonians. She felt her blood freezing over, and it took her several seconds to react to anything Karme said. She was glad for the horses, who were a hardy Skyrim breed, but she almost wished she was walking so she could get her circulation going.

"I'm a bit worried about this rock," Karme said. "What if it's been weathered away and it's no longer obvious?"

Nusha was more worried about the snow: it pressed and whipped around them, and if it kept on like this they soon wouldn't be able to see more than five feet in front of them.

"How long until we get there?" Nusha cried over the wind.

"No idea. It's two days by foot, according to this, but there's no telling how slowly the messenger had to go."

Two days? The horses didn't seem that much quicker to Nusha, but she supposed that on foot they would have had to stop several times already.

"I think I see it!" Karme cried.

Nusha could only see a faint black blob, but as they came nearer she could make out the curves more clearly. It didn't look very much like a dragon's claw in her opinion, but it was big enough to be the landmark. They dismounted and leant against the rock, which provided a wind shield. The countess had also given them packs with food, and Nusha ravenously dug into the bread and goat's cheese, the first proper meal she'd had in ages.

As they ate, the snowstorm died down, and an eerie calm fell on the place. Nusha thought it was no wonder that the pass hadn't been discovered yet: the Jerall Mountains were unsettling. Through the crisp air they could suddenly see far around them in every direction, and Nusha couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Her fears were confirmed a moment later. A ragged cry from the rock above her, and she rolled aside just in time to avoid the hooded figure plunging down at her with a knife. He landed on the ground, rolling nimbly and leaping to his feet. His hood fell back to reveal the face of an Altmer.

Nusha fumbled about on her person for a knife. She was still sluggish from the cold, and the man was already readying for another attack, raising his hands and muttering an incantation.

Nusha grasped the knife, but her fingers spasmed and it fell to the ground. His incantation was almost complete, so she ducked and head-butted him, knocking him to the ground.

"You!" Karme cried. They both stopped and looked at her. "You're that High Elf from Chorrol."

The man got up and sneered at her. "Yes, and you're that meddling girl who ruined my plans! Hand over the amulet now!"

Nusha shook her head. "It's not that easy. It won't come off."

He growled in exasperation and turned to Nusha. "I was the one who hired you to kill Svaknal in the first place! And now you've betrayed your mission!"

Nusha's head hurt, like it was blocked with ice. She was faintly aware of the fact that she might apologise to this man, but given the circumstances in which he'd approached them, she wasn't feeling generous.

"I don't care who you are," Nusha said. "The amulet must be taken to Pale Pass. It's the only way to get rid of it."

"Not if I kill you!"

With surprising speed he lunged at Karme, stabbing the knife in her arm. She swore loudly in Dunmeri and kneed him in the groin. He fell to his knees, and Nusha grabbed him from behind, pulling a blade to his neck.

"Move another inch and I'll kill you."

A blinding pain spread through Nusha's hand and she let go. He had managed to cast a spell without her looking, and he was leering towards Karme again. Nusha threw the knife with all her strength and it landed in his chest, stopping him dead in his tracks. He made a gargled protest and fell to the ground.

"Karme!"

Nusha was immediately at her side. The wound was deep, and her shirt was already drenched in blood. Nusha ripped off a strip of her shirt and tied it around as a makeshift torniquet.

"I'm fine," Karme said, wincing. "Really. Is he dead?"

Nusha briefly inspected the body. He was out cold, but still breathing.

"He won't be bothering us anymore. Do you think you'll be able to make it to the pass?"

She nodded and stood up with Nusha's help.

"Don't have much choice, do I?"

The amulet slipped out of her shirt and bobbed in the air. It was shining brighter than ever now, an eye of searing scarlet. They couldn't afford to waste any more time.