The Wolf Queen Awakens

Chapter 24

Nightgate Inn loomed up in the darkness, the agreed rendezvous for meeting up with Erandur and Aranea to see if they'd learned anything. Elisif hoped so, because other than the College, there weren't many other places where the location of an Elder Scroll might be recorded.

Thankfully, Erandur and Aranea were sitting at a table, looking like they'd just arrived, and from the magical artefacts on the table in front of them, it looked like they'd got somewhere.

"I can't believe you're in favour of helping him!" Aranea hissed.

"He's a lonely soul in need," Erandur said firmly. "Why not help him out?"

"Because he's completely insane!" Aranea cried. Erandur just shrugged.

"All the more reason to show compassion. Mara would have us be kind and understanding to the afflicted. I believe Azura's teachings say something similar?"

"Showing understanding to the afflicted, yes, not encouraging their delusions!" Aranea growled. "Erandur, he's a Daedra worshipper!"

"So are you!"

"Don't you dare bring Lady Azura into this..."

Elisif stepped into the light before this escalated any further, Ria at her side, Vilkas at her back and Farkas bringing up the rear. Erandur sat up as he felt a shadow fall over him and Aranea actually gasped to see her. Elisif realised she was still wearing the Jagged Crown. She'd got so used to the weight, she barely noticed it after a bit. Hastily she took it off and sat down, placing the Crown on the table. Erandur ran a finger along one of the teeth.

"Now that's a prize. Are those real dragon teeth? Where did you find it?"

"Korvanjund," Elisif said, still feeling excited and proud every time she saw it. "It's the Jagged Crown! The legendary lost crown of the kings and queens of old! Ulfric was after it, but now I've got it! Isn't it lovely?"

"She's been like this since she got it," Vilkas said wearily as he took a seat opposite Elisif. "Every five minutes it's been 'I've got a dragon crown, I've got a dragon crown, isn't it shiny?'" Vilkas rolled his eyes, before neatly dodging back as Elisif smacked his arm.

"It is shiny!" Ria said, smiling as she sat next to Vilkas. "You look like a proper Dragonborn in that, Elisif."

Elisif wrapped a protective arm around her Crown. Yes, yes she did, and the only way anyone was taking it off her was from her cold corpse.

"It's my crown, and I will treasure it always," Elisif said proudly. "Now. What did you find out and what..." There were two things sitting on the table, one square box and one spherical object. Both looked magical and possibly Dwemer, but Elisif hadn't a clue what they were. All she knew was that they weren't Elder Scrolls. "What are these?"

"That's a Dwemer Lexicon cube. That's some sort of tuning sphere," Aranea sighed. "Apparently we need them to find the Scroll."

"Well, that's good, right?" Elisif said hesitantly. Erandur patted her hand gently.

"Of course it is. We had the good fortune to find the world's leading expert on the Scrolls, and he gave us these, saying there was one right here in Skyrim and to use these to find it."

Which all sounded good to Elisif... until Aranea opened her mouth.

"He's a worshipper of Hermaeus Mora, quite, quite mad, and this Elder Scroll's at the bottom of a dangerous Dwemer ruin. Azura's visions mostly showed you being successful, with the Jagged Crown and everything, but there were a few futures where you died horribly and were eaten by the Falmer."