Murphy's Law

Chapter 48

Lucy caught Emmet as he stumbled, helping him stay upright. They found themselves trapped on a large platform, no uncurling bridges, no swinging corridors leading off of it, just a Word Wall on the far side from where they appeared, and another pair of Seekers appearing to study it. They were able to catch the pair by surprise, dispatching them quickly. Emmet made his way over to the Wall, curious to see what Shout was inscribed upon it.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

Emmet blinked and rubbed at his eyes as if trying to rub the tiredness away so he could focus. "Uh. Looks like some sort of magic armor?" He committed himself to learning it, wondering if it was possible to use a protective Shout on someone other than himself. He'd certainly give it his best shot, anyway. Lucy pressed a hand to his back as he gazed out at the towering pillar across the shifting black ooze that tried to pass as an ocean. He could see what looked like patches of thick black smoke, with tentacles dangling down from them, all around the pillar. "That must be where Rex is," Emmet sighed. "But how are we supposed to get up there...?"

"I-"

"Look out!" Kitty screamed, pointing at something making its way toward them. They scrambled back as it swooped down to land- the platform was a decent size, but not especially large. Emmet gasped, freezing in place. It was the dragon Rex had ridden when they first met. It dropped down onto the platform, eyeballing the three of them cautiously. Emmet couldn't believe their luck. While Lucy and Kitty prepared for a fight, Emmet stepped toward it.

"We came to help Rex," he said before the beast could ask any questions, and hoped it would believe him. He meant it, after all. It cocked its head at that, giving him an almost suspicious look.

"You were not expected yet."

"We were rather hoping to catch Mora off guard," Kitty explained, catching on to Emmet's plan. "Obviously that didn't work out too well, but here we are!"

The dragon was silent for a minute longer before finally nodding. "I will take you to my master," it agreed. It lowered its head, allowing the three of them to climb onto its back.

"We came with another," Lucy said as she settled into place behind Emmet. "Benny, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Would you have seen him anywhere?"

"I have," the dragon rumbled. "But he is beyond your help."

"What do you mean?" Kitty demanded.

"Hermaeus Mora has trapped him in a cage even he cannot escape from, and if a Daedric Prince cannot free himself, what hope would a mortal have?"

"Can you take us to him anyway?" Emmet asked. "Even if we can't help him... I want to see that he's alright, that he'll be alright."

"Very well," the dragon agreed after a moment. They held on tight as it launched itself back into the sky, beating its wings hard to get itself aloft again. It soared away from the towering pillar they were certain Rex was waiting upon, weaving its way through Apocrypha's towering stacks of books and scrolls. After a few minutes, they finally spotted a tiny island covered by an intricately-wrought cage. The dragon landed on top of the dome; whatever it was constructed of, it was durable enough to hold the beast's weight. Benny flinched back, eyes wide in surprise before he gave his friends a wide grin.

"You're okay!"

"What happened?!" Emmet asked, ignoring the way Lucy grabbed for him as he slid off the dragon's back and onto the cage, lowering himself to solid ground.

"Mora happened," Benny sighed. "He didn't want me helping you, although it looks like you didn't need my help anyway." He grinned a bit. "Not that I even doubted that, but you know, never hurts to have backup."

"The dragon-"

"Sahrotaar," said dragon interrupted.

"Sahrotaar said there was no way you could get out..."

"There is, actually," Benny murmured softly. "He's right in that I can't do it on my own; I'd need your help." He caught Emmet's gaze, then looked up to the girls. "You'd have to say my name."

Emmet only looked confused, but Lucy and Kitty seemed to understand. "But we've said your name a few times since we got here, why-"

"His daedric name," Lucy interrupted. Benny nodded.

"Oh." Emmet frowned. "But why would that make a difference?"

"It's a long story. I promise I'll tell you later. You two." He turned back to Lucy and Kitty. "Don't say it til this mess with Rex is straightened out, okay? That needs to be taken care of first. I'll be fine until then." Lucy nodded solemnly.

"Come on Emmet, let's go," she called softly, holding a hand out to him. He nodded and climbed back up, accepting her help as soon as it was within reach. She hauled him back up, and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze once he was settled back into place. "We'll all get out of this okay," she tried to assure him. Behind her, Kitty nodded emphatically. He gave them both a weak, tired smile.

"Okay. Let's finish this."