Two Graves - The Song of Nephiah and Brelyna

Chapter 2: Sparks in the Dark

A sharp pain in the back of the head took Brelyna back into the world of the living. The darkness and blurriness took a moment to subside as she opened her eyes. As she tried to feel her head wound she noticed that she couldn't move. Panic descended upon her and forced her eyes open and the blurriness to pass.

She lay on a stone table, her arms and legs spread out and locked firmly in iron cuffs that were worked into the table's surface. She scanned the room quickly to see if she was alone, her short ponytail stuck to a small pool of blood on the table's surface. Nobody there. Not that she could see, there were many dark corners in the cave that the few dimly flickering torches could not reach. With a sigh of relief she tried to pull her arms out off the cuffs, see if there were weaknesses in the iron or the locks. There were none.

"Stupid stupid stupid!", she whispered to herself. She could have left well enough alone. She could have abided by the College schedule like everybody else. But no, she just had to try a spell two years of learning too advanced for her. Too powerful for her to cast even with the help of the strongest potion. She just had to devise a theory on how to make the potion stronger to be able to cast a spell she had no business messing with yet. What was she trying to prove?! She wasn't even sure the glowing mushroom would have made the potion stronger! "Stupid stupid stupid!"

Her mind was racing with thoughts of self depreciation as she retraced the multitude of decisions that led her into this dire situation. A growl echoed through the narrow hallways that led to the chamber. Not too close but close enough to snap Brelyna right back into reality and focus her mind. Again she pulled against her restraints.

"Maybe fire?", she said still whispering. "I could try to melt it away?" She snapped her fingers, sparks appeared. "Come one, flame, please..." She snapped again multiple times. "No wait! The molten metal would burn my wrist off! Focus, Brelyna, focus!" She snapped her fingers again. "Also, stop talking to yourself."

Another snap. Glittering particles appeared over her hand and faded away as they slowly fell to the ground. "Wow, this is hard when you can't move your arms. So that's what Faralda meant when she said it's all in the shoulder." She pondered for a moment. "Damnit, Brelyna, focus!" Another snap.

An ice spike formed, hovering over her opened palm. It was cold, but it took a lot of concentration to keep it formed, especially while fixed in this position. So her forehead was glistening in sweat. Ok... now how do I get you to hit that lock..." The cuff her hand was in prevented her from lifting the arm off the table's surface so directing the spike anywhere but up would be quite the trick. She twisted her wrist as far inwards and outwards as she could but all it would do is point the spike away from the table or right at her face. "This isn't going to work, is it..."

With a sigh of disappointment she let her head fall back onto the stone table. This was when she realized, she still had a bleeding head wound from when she was knocked unconscious. The sudden numbing pain made her lose hold of the spike which shot across the room only to shatter a makeshift alchemy table and several vials that stood on it. "Damnit!", she said in a whispered shout. If they didn't know she was awake before, they did now. Wouldn't be long.

Several loud grunts and moans echoed into the chamber, they were closing in. In panic Brelyna looked back at her right hand, trying to focus. She made a fist, then rose only her index finger as if pointing at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, the noises came closer and closer. A little ball of snow started to form and dance on her fingertip. She opened her eyes and pointed her finger towards the lock on the cuff. The ball quickly became a ray of ice that hit the lock continuously.

Not long after however the ray dissipated as Brelyna's concentration was broken by the shock caused by the growl that seemed to come from something hidden in the shadows within the room. Her breathing got faster, her eyes widened as she looked into the dark corner the noise came from. Slowly a half lit grimace immerged, then the creature stepped into the light. It was a Falmer holding a blood stained sword. Overtaken by panic Brelyna abandoned reason and started to rattle against her restrains trying to break free. As the creature slowly stepped towards the table, two more Falmer stepped out of the shadows, one of them wielding a makeshift magic staff.

They took position around the table as one of them raised their sword over her stomach. In terror Brelyna realized what was about to happen. "No please no!", she uttered breathlessly as the Falmer raised his sword further.

A twang, a swoosh, a wet cracking noise. It was over so fast, Brelyna needed a second to realize that only two Falmer remained looking over her. They turned towards the shadows. Another twang, another cracking. This time the Falmer's pierced skull landed on Brelyna's chest before the lifeless body slithered to the ground. The staff wielder charged an ice spell and fired in into the darkness several times. Then it stopped. It tilted it's head and listened closely to the silence.

Another arrow shot from the shadow. The creature quickly ducked, cast a cloud of spinning ice around itself and leaped into the darkness with a bone chilling battle cry. A few noises of metal hitting metal were heard in quick succession. Brelyna stared into the general direction of the invisible scene. Finally the noises stopped and the head of the creature flew out of the dark corner, hit the floor and rolled out of view. Brelyna had followed it with her eyes but was now looking back into the darkness.

Another creature emerged, a different creature all together. A Dunmer woman in badly stitched together hide armor that seemed to be self made. A bloodied iron sword in one hand, a hunting bow in the other, dust and drops of blood all over her face and clothing. Wild, uneven black hair that was cut off just above the shoulder. Cut off by a blade, not scissors by the looks of it. A scar on her cheek and lip.

She stepped closer to the dead bodies she had just produced and took a knee beside one of them. She lay down her sword and took the Falmer weapon. Upon feeling it's weight and the sharpness of its blade, she sheathed it, leaving her old sword on the ground.

She was a savage. Dirty, unrefined, uncivilized. She was the most beautiful woman Brelyna had ever seen. Her heart was pounding, but it wasn't from fear any more. Well it was from fear but a different kind. Or maybe the same kind. Brelyna found it all very confusing. "Um... hello?", she hesitantly said. The stranger stood up and looked at her. "Would you mind?" She smiled nervously and waved with her restrained hands as best she could. The stranger stepped closer to the table and looked down onto her. She pondered a moment. "Please?" Finally the stranger produced a dagger from her belt and began to hit the locks until they broke open, one after the other. Brelyna sat up and rubbed her aching wrists.

The stranger stuck the dagger back into her belt and looked down onto the table. She looked back up and grabbed Brelyna's chin to turn her head to the side. Brelyna wanted to say a great many things, her mind was overloaded by a thousand questions. So many it left her speechless. So she just stared silently at her savior, eyes wide open like a five year old that is seeing the stars for the first time.

The stranger let go of her chin, took a bandage out of a pouch on her back and quickly wrapped it around Brelyna's head, covering the wound. Who was this woman? Why did she feel so incredibly safe when this stranger's hands were touching her face? Was she in shock? Was it the adrenalin and the near death experience? She was covered in dust, sweat and Falmer blood. How in Oblivion could she smell that nice?! Why was this all so confusing?! A thousand questions and all she could do is stare. The world stood still for a moment while Brelyna's head was carefully bandaged. She just stared into her savior's focused, task driven eyes, her heartbeat slowing down, her breaths becoming longer and deeper, the various noises from all around her fading away. Finally the stranger finished the bandage. A moment of silence, the stranger seemed to size her up.

'Azura!' Brelyna thought 'She is expecting me to say something, isn't she! Um... um... damnit!' After another moment of awkward staring had passed the stranger looked into a dark corner of the room. 'She is going to leave, Brelyna, say something, anything!' The stranger looked back at her. Brelyna took a deep breath. "Sooooo... is... is this really how you smell?"

And with that the stranger turned away and headed back into the shadow she came from. Brelyna closed her eyes and shook her head. A thousand questions she had and what did she ask? "Stupid stupid stupid!" Brelyna jumped off the table and ran after her. "Wait!"