The Last Dragonborn

Chapter 11

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I left the palace and headed to Calixto's House of Curiosities. I had never visited the museum before in all of my time in Windhelm. I had always found Calixto to be a little strange and had avoided him. The chance to ask about the amulet however was too good to pass up. I slipped out of the palace and set off through the dark city, leaving the liveliness of the party behind.

I stepped out into the cold and shrugged deeper into my cloak. Halfway to the museum I was regretting my rush to leave the palace. The cold bit through the pretty dress and I missed my warm and very functional armor. If I wasn't in such a hurry I would have returned to the palace and changed. Hopefully I wouldn't be out long.

I knocked on the door.

The door opened and Calixto blinked at me in surprise.

I flashed a smile that I hoped was charming. "Is the museum still open?" I asked hopefully.

Calixto seemed surprised but quickly recovered and flashed a smile. "Of course my lady," he said and he stepped back with a theatrical bow as I entered. "Welcome to the House of Curiosities! I offer a brief tour for a few coins, or you can simply browse at your leisure."

I stepped inside and glanced around. Calixto may call it a museum, but it looked mainly like a bunch of junk jumbled together on a few bookcases. I turned back to Calixto. "How did you assemble this collection?" I asked, feigning interest.

It was the right question to ask. The Imperial man smiled happily. "My sister and I inherited a modest sum of money. We decided to travel and seek out whatever adventures we could find. As we journeyed across Tamriel, we encountered tales of exotic and wondrous artifacts. We decided to collect as many as we could. My sister passed away some years ago, so I settled down here and opened the House of Curiosities. I think she would be happy to know that our collection has brought smiles to faces both young and old."

I would have been surprised to hear anyone, young or old had ever come to the House of Curiosities and smiled, but I kept my opinion to myself. I reached into my pocket and palmed the amulet. "Do you know anything about this amulet?" I asked him, holding it out for him to see.

Calixto stepped close. There was something about him that made me want to have more space between us, and maybe have my hand on a knife. I couldn't say what it was, maybe it was just because he seemed slimy.

He took the amulet from me and I worked harder than I needed to in order to make sure our skin didn't touch.

He held the amulet up to the light. "Let me see... ah, yes. This is the Wheelstone. It's an heirloom symbol of power in Windhelm. Traditionally it's carried by the court mage. I would... eh... be interested in acquiring it. If you're willing to part with it, that is. For a piece like this, I could pay... 500 gold?"

I frowned at that. Once again someone had mentioned Wuunferth, the court mage. I was going to need to have a conversation with him. I turned back to Calixto. "If it's a Windhelm heirloom traditionally carried by the court mage, shouldn't the court mage have it?" I asked, blinking up at Calixto innocently.

Calixto frowned and he closed his fist around the amulet. He wanted it but if I didn't agree to sell it he would have to make a scene. "Wuunferth?" he said casually. "Bah. It's purely ceremonial, and he has not use for it. Besides my lady," he said. "I wouldn't want to be the one to give it to him. He gives me the creeps," he leaned close to me and I fought the urge to lean away from him. "They say he dabbles in necromancy," he warned me conspiratorially.

"Well thank you," I said holding my hand out for the amulet. "I'll keep that in mind."

Calixto's jaw tightened and his eyes went flat for a second and on instinct my hand moved to my waist but I didn't have a sword. Then the moment passed just as quickly as it came and he flashed me a smile that left me wondering if I had even seen the moment at all. "Suit yourself, but I'll warn you, if you don't bring it to Wuunferth, it's only of value to collectors. Good luck finding anyone else who would appraise it so highly." I nodded but was already moving towards the door. "Thank you for visiting My Lady, come back again soon," he called jovially.