An Enchanting Tale

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

It was early morning by the time they entered the town's gates. Guards greeted the exhausted travelers.

"I used to be an adventurer like you then I took an arrow in the knee," he said.

"Yes, I believe we've heard that one before," Zolara snipped.

"Must have been from my cousin in Markarth."

"Actually, it was in Markarth," S'maash agreed.

They left the guard to his duty and entered the Bee and Barb to rent a room. After some much needed rest in their modest quarters, they woke to eat, drink, and discuss the next step of their journey. A lively bard strummed her lute, singing about the Dragonborn and his defeat of Alduin.

The surroundings were rather eloquent. An argonian married couple, ran the two-story tavern. Several chairs and tables lined the social area. Riften's patrons laughed, drank, and joked.

"What does the journal say," Zolara asked.

"It mentions something about an immortal soul. I am supposed to infuse the Heart of Lorkhan with something...." S'maash looked up from the journal. "An immortal soul? That must mean a dragon's soul, right?"

"Don't they resist soul trap?"

"Yes, however, they were not able to resist the Dragonborn's ability to steal their souls, a conversation I had with Farengar," S'maash remarked.

"Then, what do we do? Do we try to find the Dragonborn?"

"I am at a loss, and the journal offers no more advice; we must find an immortal soul, and then place the Heart of Lorkhan somewhere forgotten, but I, I don't...."

The young elf huffed and shut the book. His friend patted his shoulder.

"We should head back to the College," Zolara said.

****

Exhausted from travel, Zolara went to sleep in the Hall of Attainment. S'maash went to the Arcaeneum to redouble his study efforts. It was late and Urag had gone to sleep, leaving the elaborate library eerily quiet and dark.

"S'maash," the Wretched Abyss called.

Briefly startled, the wizard turned to engage Hermaeus Mora. "What is it? What am I supposed to do?"

"You are already aware. I will grant you a boon for the next portion of your journey. Behold, dragon soul trap," The daedric prince granted S'maash the ability to cast soul trap on dragons. "Go, now. Find a dragon and take its soul."

"Find a dragon? What?! That's madness, but even if I must fight one; what do I do then? How can the soul fill the Heart of Lorkhan if it is not intact?"

The Wretched Abyss vanished, and there was only silence. S'maash felt slighted with an impossible task. Grinding his teeth, he tried to take solace in the fact that he had at least received a partial answer. The following morning, he called Tolfdir, Brelyna, and Zolara for a meeting in the courtyard.

"So, what do you think," S'maash asked after providing the information.

"I believe you should do your best to carry out the task at hand. Find a dragon," Tolfdir said.

"Where is he going to find a dragon," Brelyna was incredulous.

They were pensive for a moment. "The Blades might know, but they are difficult to speak with," Tolfdir said.

"The Blades...Farengar made a similar comment to me once."

Faralda approached the group with a welcome interruption. "S'maash, you have a visitor."