Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter CXXX - The Price of Knowledge

Author's Note

Only twenty chapters left to go until the end of the second book! I am so excited to share them all with you, starting with what's coming in the next few chapters I can't wait to post ;) I hope you're all looking forward to it all too, and that you'll stick around for the third book.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy :)

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The rest of the evening at the cornerclub proved to be unexpectedly tame.

Or maybe that was only because Bishop and Aeyrin weren't drinking that time. Most of the Dunmer were certainly enjoying themselves, but the two of them left somewhat early to get a good rest at the Candlehearth.

The dawn came all too soon and they left the comforts of the inn to head straight to Winterhold right away. There was no more reason for them to dawdle in Windhelm.

Their plan was clear. They would arrive in Winterhold by the afternoon and spend another night at the inn – it was better that way – getting stuck on the ice fields in the north as the sun came down wasn't exactly pleasant, not even for Bishop who was almost impervious to cold. And that was saying something. The best time to head out for the hermit's cave was around noon, which they would do the next day.

Their journey got a little delayed by a very aggressive snow bear that gave them some unexpected trouble. Handling animals and bandits on their usual travels took significantly more time now when Bishop couldn't dispose of the dangers from afar, but they had to make do. One thing was for certain though. They would not go Scroll hunting into Blackreach until Bishop was fully healed – there was no way they were risking that. They knew all too well how dangerous Dwemer cities were and they didn't even want to imagine how much worse the crossroads between all of them, even deeper beneath the earth, would be.

They arrived in Winterhold a few hours before dusk and they headed straight for the inn. This would likely be their first visit there without stopping by the College, but there was really no reason for them to go there. And after everything that happened, they didn't really feel like sticking around to see the long-term aftermath. Hopefully the mages had learnt their lesson and the College was recovering safely now.

The Frozen Hearth was nice and warm, as usual. It had always been a welcome sanctuary from the cold outside, especially in winter. It was bustling with people that night and there was a general atmosphere of merriment. A lot of people seemed to be giggling and whispering about something covertly by their tables – it was almost like those gossiping nobles in Solitude. But the two of them hardly needed to, or wanted to, be concerned about that.

They took some much needed time to thaw out in the bath. Well, Aeyrin was thawing out, Bishop was just enjoying his time in the warm bath there with her. Then they headed back to the common room to get some dinner and warm themselves up a bit more with a tankard of mead.

But their pleasant evening was soon interrupted by a visitor. The second the door to the inn opened and Enthir walked in, he headed towards their table with a grin on his face.

"Hi there," he smirked. "Good to see you again."

"Hey, Enthir," Aeyrin smiled politely at him while Bishop only nodded in greeting. They hadn't seen him since Karliah died. Hopefully this wouldn't turn unpleasant. They could only hope that someone had already informed him and that he wouldn't be asking them about why she went silent.

"How are things at the College?" Aeyrin quickly asked to bring the conversation to a neutral topic right away.

"Fine, I guess," he shrugged. "Arch-Mage Faralda is whipping everyone into shape. Wants to make sure we don't dawdle with advancing our research. So many publication demands," he groaned in exasperation. "But I don't wanna talk about that shit here. I come here to unwind and do business."