The icy wastes to the west of Winterhold deserved their name. Mile after mile of desolate ice fields, a few feet of snow laid over it.  A first look would leave the observer with the impression that it was lifeless. They would be wrong. There were snow bears, ice trolls, and many large packs of wolves. They preyed on the rabbits and elk that roamed the wastes, feeding on the sparse vegetation of the plains.

 

They were not a threat to the group. As Tolfdir had said, there were seven experienced warriors, one master wizard, and sixteen apprentices who might not have been the mighty mages they would someday be, but still had offensive spells at their command. Until by mid-afternoon, when a dragon descended upon them. It was blue, and Nora was betting that it was an Arctic dragon, and not the lightning breathing kind. Either way, fire would be effective against it.

 

The beast circled around, letting out a loud roar that was meant to terrify its prey. The students on the whole looked well terrified, but J'Zargo joined the companions and Tolfdir in bombarding the dragon with spells and arrows. Sofia and Lydia were hit with freezing breath, enough to knock them to their knees, though they were soon up and taking the dragon under fire. The dragon fell quickly with five mages throwing fire at it, and even some of the more frightened of the students were now sending spells into the monster. With a last croak it fell from the sky, shaking the ground with its fall.

 

Nora felt the energy coming over her. She would have preferred not absorbing the soul in front of the students, but she had no choice in the matter. The Dragonborn rose into the air, levitated by the energy, as the pleasure and the pain hit every nerve. She landed softly on her feet as the overflow came out in a circular wave.

 

“Splendid, splendid,” said Tolfdir, walking over to look at the dragon. “Your group certainly is as advertised.”

 

“And if you had been making this journey without us, your class of future adepts would be smaller. Maybe much smaller.”

 

“I hadn't thought about dragons when I planned this trip,” admitted the instructor. “I've never seen them out here before.”

 

“Well, they're a fact of life on this world now,” said Nora in exasperation. She looked at the sad face of the old man and couldn't stay mad at him. He was such an old dear, and she could tell by his expression that he felt awful about putting his young charges in danger.

 

The rest of the day passed slowly, riding across the wastes. The very very cold wastes. Nora was shivering in her furs, whether from real cold or because of the psychological feel of being in such an Arctic environment she couldn't tell. What she did know was that her face was cold, and she was determined to ask her Nord friends what they did to protect their noses.

 

The party made camp on the edge of a fairly large patch of pine forest. A well-made fire pit awaited the group, along with wood that had been chopped, and soon there was a roaring fire to warm them. Some of the apprentices cooked food for all, getting them out of a guard shift for the night. It was decided that there would be four shifts of five sentries. The first would have one of Nora's people and four apprentices, the others two and three.

 

Nora sat with her floor mates and a couple of her party on one side of the fire, absorbing her double portion of food. And chatting with the young students.

 

“That was very brave of you, J'Zargo,” she told the young Khajiit. “You were determined to help us take down that dragon.” Not that we really needed you to, thought Nora, but she wasn't about to tell the young cat that.

 

“J'Zargo was raised as a warrior in his clan, and would not shame them by hiding when there was a battle. This cat hopes this serves him well when he is a battle mage, no.”

 

“Is what we heard about you true?” asked a young Breton woman, Brenda Ashhart, sitting on the other side of the Khajiit.

 

“It depends on what you heard,” said Nora, not really wanting to go into a telling of her life once again. “If it was flattering, then of course it was true. If not, then I emphatically deny it.”

 

That brought forth laughter, but the curious young mage was not one to be dissuaded. “I've heard that you are Dragonborn, and not from this world. Is that true?”

 

Nora looked over at Tolfdir, hoping the man would come to her aid. He surprised her. “Go ahead and tell them, Nora. It would be good for these young people to know that there is more to the Universe out there than Nirn.”

 

So Nora told an abbreviated version of her story, passing over many of the events. And the questions began.

 

“Do you have any children, Nora?” asked an Imperial woman, one Violeta Nidicci.

“I had a son, Shawn. I went looking for him when I awoke from cryo the second time, only to find that he had been revived sixty years earlier. So I was looking for a young boy, and found a sixty-year-old man.”

 

“I can't bring myself to believe you, Nora,” said a Nord woman, one Helvi Sea-Storm. “I think you are just telling us a story so we will think you special.”

 

Nora sat up and glared at the woman, making the Nord avert her eyes. She hadn't wanted to go into details, but being called a liar set her off. Not that she couldn't lie with the best of them when it was necessary, but she had told the truth.

 

“Can I give a demonstration, Master Tolfdir?”

 

“Of course, my dear. As long as you don't kill or injure anyone.”

 

“Just a little show,” said Nora, pulling out her small data projector and setting it on the ground. “You all may want to shift a little to get a good view.” And thus began the long version of her presentation, a fifteen-minute journey into another world.”

 

“Amazing,” said Tolfdir, eyes wide as the holo faded. “The wonders of your world, and the terrors.”

 

“J'Zargo wants to know what kind of magic was used to kill those cities.”

 

“No magic. Science. A hundred years before my time some men discovered how to split the atom, releasing immense power.”

 

“What are atoms?” asked Brelyna.

 

“The smallest particles that make up everything,” said Nora. “Though they turned out not to be the smallest after all, and they could be split into smaller particles, releasing energy.”

 

That started a discussion about the nature of the world. Nora stopped herself from laughing at some of the absurd notions of this culture, though she was also surprised at how close they were to the truth, barely missing. Finally the fatigue of the day started getting to everyone and they started heading to their tents.

 

“I have something for you, Nora,” said Tolfdir, yawning. He held three identical spell tomes in his hands. “Tomes of Thundering Hooves. I thought they might help you in your journeys. One for each of the mages in your party.”

 

“What do they do?” asked Nora, turning one of the tomes in her hands.

 

“You cast the spell on your horse, and it allows the beast to run much faster, while using none of its own resources. It only lasts about ten minutes or so, but you can cast it over and over and make twice the distance, maybe three times, in a day than normal. And as a bonus, the horse can run on water.”

 

Nora stared at the tome in shock. This spell gave her party the potential to travel three times the distance in a day as previously. But she could see a problem. “So, we can get three horses up to speed and leave the others behind?”

 

“Oh no, my dear,” said the old Mage. “It also affects those horses close to you. So if all three of you cast it, your entire party, including pack animals, will move faster.”

 

“And how much?” asked Nora, sure that such a largess would cost her.

 

“Nothing,” said the old Nord, smiling. “It is my gift to you, from an old man who wishes to retire someday to Sovngarde, and not have to worry about some damned dragon ending his existence.”

 

Nora jumped up from her seat on the log, got on her knees, and wrapped the old man in a hug. “Thank you so much, Master Tolfdir.”

 

“We had a meeting, and all of the other instructors will have tomes for you. Useful spells that are not commonly taught in the College. Now, if you will let me go, I need my sleep.” The tone of the old man's voice told Nora that he had enjoyed having an attractive woman giving him a hug.

 

The next morning Nora was up with the last shift, watching as the students pulled themselves out of their tents and into the cold of the dawn. Nora and her shift had built the fire up to a blaze, hot tea brewing and breakfast cooking. Many of the apprentices groaned as they moved, not used to sleeping on the ground. Smiles attached themselves to many faces as they homed in on the heat and the scent of food.

 

“J'Zargo couldn't sleep through the mating calls coming from your tent, friend Nora,” said the Khajiit, an evil smile on his face.

 

“Sorry, but I have nightmares every night. The, um, mating rituals, drive the nightmares away.”

 

“You might want to talk with Drevis Neloran when you get back to the College, Nora,” said Tolfdir, rubbing his eyes. “Illusion magic deals with dreams, and he might have a cure. But oh, to be young again.”

 

The group rode through the day across the wastes, seeing more patches of forest, including one very large grouping of trees to the north. Now it was starting to make sense how so many animals survived on the icy wastes. There were enough forests to provide food for the herbivores, and thus to the predators. The sun was starting to set when they reached Saarthal, not visible until they were almost on top of it, concealed as it was by the surrounding rocks.

 

They rode the horses down a number of wooden inclines that had been erected to reach the level where the entrance to Saarthal was located. At the bottom was a camp, with a stable that had been built for the horses of the College. It really didn't have enough room for all of the new mounts and pack animals, but they were placed two to a stall to accommodate them all and get them out of the cold. The pair of grooms working the stable started unsaddling and rubbing down horses, and after watching them for a few minutes Nora thought they were in good hands.

 

The interior of Saarthal was warmer than the outside, barely. There were torches, magical light globes and a few good-sized fires all over the large interior. There was a maze of walkways, boards placed over areas where the stone paths had fallen. Hired workers and advanced students were busy cataloging the finds, hundreds of pieces, some of great value, others of no value at all except to scholars. Tolfdir brought them to one of the tables, where a faculty member named Arniel Gane gave a lecture on what the purpose of Saarthal had been and what they had found. Nora found the lecture of interest, though most of her followers appeared bored out of their minds.

 

“Master Gane,” she said, holding up a hand. “I've been in many Nordic ruins, and this one looks like none I've ever seen.”

 

“I would like to talk with you about the places you have been,” said Gane with a smile. “But to answer your question, most of the ruins in Skyrim fall into one of two categories. Tombs, and Dragon Cult Fortresses. Saarthal, while it does have tombs, had a different purpose. This was an Ancient Nord city. Thousands of people once lived and worked here. And it has many of the magical artifacts they once used. We're not sure why they left, but it appears that they packed up and evacuated in a hurry. Possibly the legends of Snow Elves sacking the city were true.”

 

Nora wondered if whatever it was that forced them out was still here, just waiting to manifest again and attack. The Sole Survivor was finding that many mages were just like scientists before the war on her world. So fascinated by their discoveries that they ignored the dangers that were staring them right in the face.

 

A few more researchers had presentations on their work. By the time the last had walked away there was widespread yawning among the group.

 

“We will be bedding down by the fire over there,” said Tolfdir, who then walked over to Nora. “You can camp where you want, if you desire privacy.”

 

Nora almost laughed. The old man was telling them that if they wanted to fuck half the night, get a room. And the room wasn't with the apprentices.

 

Soon after that the spirits of Saarthal came out, the glowing figures of long dead Nord men and women. They reenacted their daily activities, posing no threat to the living. Nora had to wonder what trapped them here, away from the afterlife most would have preferred. Something that had offended the Gods? Was there something she could do to send them on? Nora decided that attacking them wasn't the answer, since the spirits were not aggressive, and attacking one might set them all off.

 

The Dragonborn slept with Eldawyn that night, both pleasuring the other for an hour with hand and tongue. She felt satisfied at the end of that time. Eldawyn, who had been drinking heavily, fell into a deep sleep while Nora lay on the furs enjoying the after-sex glow.

 

“Nora,” said a voice she recognized. “May I come in?”

 

“Let me get decent,” she told Brelyna, and the Dunmer female laughed as she crawled in the entrance to the tent.

 

“Don't bother,” said Brelyna, a twinkle in her eye, reflected from the magelight in the tent. “I can't stand it anymore. My classmates are all so clumsy, so inexperienced, and I need the touch of an experienced lover.”

 

“You're sure? What you told me...”

 

“I had to get away from those awful old men, who cared for little else than planting their seed in me. But that doesn't mean I don't like sex, especially when it's between people who want each other to feel good.” The Dunmer stripped as she was talking, until she was almost naked. “Unless you don't want me, that is?”

 

Nora was up in an instant. The sex she had with Eldawyn had been nice, as always, but she needed more. She ran her hands over the smooth skin of Brelyna, her lips on the Dunmer's, her tongue probing the mouth of the other woman. She moved down the body of the young lady, taking a hard nipple in her mouth and teasing it with her tongue. Soon she had worked her way down and was lapping up the flowing juices of Brelyna's sex. The dark elf came in minutes, the sexual tension released. After that it was back and forth, each pleasuring the other, until both were worn out.

 

“That was wonderful,” said a breathless Brelyna, laying on the furs. “You really know what you are doing.”

 

“So do you,” said Nora with a chuckle. “So do you.”

 

The next morning there were more lectures, then the class was turned loose to shadow whatever researcher they wished.

 

“Why don't you help Arniel out,” said Tolfdir, pointing at a tunnel leading off from the main chamber. “We just opened that section up, and he might appreciate the help in searching and cataloging.”

 

Nora found the researcher looking over some crumbling stones, wielding a small probe and a whisk. “Master Tolfdir asked that I help you.”

 

“You. I remember you. Of course. I wanted to talk to you. But let me show you where to get started.”

 

Gane led her to a room that had sleeping furs on the floor, and Nora wondered if the man was going to try to seduce her. He wasn't bad looking, but Nora wasn't in the mood, and she prepared herself to reject him as gently as possible.

 

“See these artifacts over here?” he asked, and Nora breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you know the detect magicka spell?”

 

“Of course,” said Nora. It was the spell that had been cast on her so many times when mages wanted to read her magicka.

 

“Then cast it on each of these objects in turn, then write down in that pad what readings you got from each piece. When you're done with that, come see me and we'll talk for a bit.”

 

Suddenly two of the blue spirits appeared in the room, a man and a woman. The spirits looked at the living pair, then approached.

 

What the hell is going on here? thought Nora, just before the female slid into her body and she found she had no control over her own actions. Or her feelings. Gane's eyes widened as the male spirit possessed him, then a smile grew over his face.

 

All Nora could feel at the moment was lust. Extreme, all-consuming lust, and she realized the two spirits had been lovers in life, who now wanted to renew those feelings in death while they had two subjects at hand. Gane moved to her and they were in each other’s arms. Their lips sought the others, and they kissed deeply, the possessed Gane pulling off Nora's clothing, having some trouble with the chain hauberk. Possessed Nora helped him out, and within minutes both were holding each other's naked bodies while hands and lips explored.

 

Nora knew she should have felt disgusted, violated, but the feelings of her possessor overruled anything she might have felt. Gane lowered her onto the furs, Nora opened her legs, feeling her genitals buzzing with anticipation. Gane went down on her, licking at her labia, kissing her clit, getting the juices flowing. She maneuvered into place and took his hardening cock into her mouth, taking him deep into her throat while her tongue worked over his balls. They kept this up until both were ready to burst, and Gane moved himself into position.

 

The man's large cock penetrated her tight pussy, an inch at a time as the tight tunnel opened up for him. With a final push into an organ slick enough with her emissions it slid in to the hilt, filling her. Gane started thrusting, gently at first, then working up to a steady rhythm. Nora rubbed her hands over the man's back as she breathed out heavily with each thrust. Again, she knew it wasn't her, but she had no choice, and her pleasure grew, until she was gasping out her passion. Gane kept thrusting, all the way in, his groin rubbing against her clit and sending waves of pleasure through her. And suddenly she came, pleasure exploding from her genitals and running through her body. Her vaginal walls clenched on Arniel's cock, and he came deep inside of her with a cry. She kept milking him, getting everything she could out of his cock.

 

Nora expected that the spirits would release the possession as soon as they rode the bodies to sexual completion. Instead, Arniel's dick stayed hard, and he kept thrusting, varying depth and speed, bringing her back to an orgasm in minutes. Nora rode the pleasure as the man fucked her for what seemed like hours. Gane came again, flooding her pussy with his seed, then lay there kissing her while his cock softened inside her.

 

The man finally rolled off, and Nora expected the possession would be over, when a familiar voice started yelling.

 

“What's going on here?” shouted Tolfdir. “Are you two out of your minds?”

 

The blue spirit rose from the body of Gane, who promptly passed out, and slid into the body of the old master mage. A smile came over his face, and Nora realized that the spirits were up for round two. Tolfdir striped, revealing an old but still fit body, his cock, not as large as Gane's but still respectable, standing proudly from his body. He lowered himself onto Nora, whose arms reached out to welcome her old lover back in another form. Tolfdir's cock slid into a cunt well lubricated with juices and sperm, and the man went to thrusting into her.

 

Different man, different cock, but the motions were the same. Nora was too lost in the haze of pleasure that hung over her to even try to protest. It was a kind of rape, and she really hadn't wanted it to happen, but the feelings of the two spirit lovers overrode everything. She came again, then once again, until Tolfdir grunted and came in her. And kept right on going.

 

Nora had a moment of panic when she wondered if this was ever going to stop. Or would someone else find them, to be possessed, and it would continue fucking Nora until she died. People joked about dying from sex, but the actual threat of it was not funny. Finally Tolfdir came again, rolled off of her, and the spirits left them.

 

The Dragonborn lay on her back, feeling the seed of two men flowing from her pussy and down her ass. Tolfdir was still breathing heavily, and Nora had to hope that he wouldn't go into a cardiac arrest. Gane's eyes opened, a confused expression on his face.

 

“I'm sorry,” said Gane. “I knew I was raping you, and I couldn't help myself.”

 

The slight smile still on his face belayed his words. Intellectually he might have hated doing what he did, but his emotions were telling him something else. An afterglow from the possession. Nora felt shame at letting something else control her, but the glow suffusing her body was real, and pleasant.

 

Tolfdir opened his own eyes, then cried out. “What did I just do? I had no control over myself. Will you please forgive me, Nora?”

 

“None of us had any choice,” said Nora, shaking her head as she sat up. “We were the victims of dead lovers who wanted to feel themselves giving pleasure to each other again. We were the conduits of their passion and had no choice. Besides, I actually enjoyed myself, as nasty as that sounds.”

 

“Well,” said Gane, smiling. “I have to admit that I have never had a pussy quite like yours. So tight. The possession is already fading from my mind, but the image of you clenching around my cock lingers.”

 

“We will not speak of this outside this chamber,” said Tolfdir, eyes still wide in alarm. “Have you heard of something like this happening before, Arniel?”

 

“No, sir. This is the first time as far as I know.”

 

“Then we will put this behind us,” said Tolfdir, his eyes still roaming over Nora's naked body. “And please put some clothes on, my dear. Before I have a heart attack.”

 

Nora cleaned herself off as best she could with some of the rags that Gane used to clean the finds in this room. She then got dressed, still feeling the eyes of the men on her. They might feel ashamed, but they had experienced what her body could do to them. And they would have trouble thinking of anything else for several days.

 

“Come, Nora,” said Tolfdir after getting into his clothes. “I wanted to show you a new area we have just opened. There are gates we cannot open, and I thought that you and your people, with their experience in delving ruins, might find ways to get through them.”

 

Tolfdir kept diverting his eyes, even when Nora was totally clothed and armored.

 

“Master Tolfdir. Stop beating yourself up. You had no choice.”

 

“But...”

 

“You enjoyed it? So what? So did I. The physical pleasure was wonderful, and the feeling of those old lovers bled through into mine. So don't feel ashamed. If anything we helped them.”

 

Tolfdir continued to shake his head, and Nora realized he would continue to blame himself no matter what she said. She thought of a way that might help, but she couldn't do it now.

 

Eldawyn, Lydia and Elesia waited for her at the entrance to the newly discovered section. The others were said to be seeing to the horses, making sure that they got some exercise. Some workers were already looking over the walls, shelves and urns, searching for artifacts. Tolfdir pointed at a closed gate that was blocking further access.

 

“I'll look it over,” said Nora, moving to the closed portcullis and looking for chains and switches.

 

Tolfdir nodded, averting his eyes from her, and Nora felt her heart breaking. Not that she loved the master mage, nor would she want a long-term relationship with him, but what he had done seemed to have damaged his kind heart. Maybe he thought she was disgusted with his age. Such was not true. When she had worked the stage of the Red Seat in Diamond City she had made more caps than the other girls, thanks to her athletic performance on the pole, and her willingness to handle the needs of all of the customers. They loved her good looks and her enthusiasm, something missing in most of the tired old whores that worked the district and Diamond City as a whole. Nora made a minimum of three hundred caps per sex act, sometimes as much as five hundred, and she had serviced men and women of all body types. Fat and skinny, young and old, while maybe not all being appealing to her, they were not disgusting either. She gave them their money's worth and they came back for more.

 

Her training in psychology told her that Tolfdir, besides just having guilt over the apparent rape of a woman he respected, was afraid that he disgusted her. Not true. And she needed to do something that proved as much to him.

 

The amulet was there, in plain sight, over a section of bricks in something that looked like a small doorway. Strange, she had looked at that section before checking out the portcullis. She cast detect magic on it and grunted as it showed a strong resonance like nothing she had ever seen. She asked Eldawyn to do the same. The elf stared at the amulet, then looked over at Nora.

 

“I've never seen a magical resonance like that. I think it’s the old magic. But I detect nothing harmful in it.”

 

Nora nodded and reached for the amulet, pulling it from the wall, which now glowed. And turned quickly as a series of spears rose up from the ground and sealed the entrance to the room.

 

“What in the world happened?” asked Tolfdir, looking in through another portcullis.

 

“I pulled this amulet from the wall and those shafts rose,” said Nora, looking closely as the piece of jewelry.

 

“Most curious,” said the master wizard, now looking at her with a twinkle in his eye. This was his element, seeking new knowledge, and not even his embarrassment could get in the way. “Where did you find it?”

 

Nora pointed at the wall, then got an idea. Putting on the amulet, she quickly pulled up a fire bolt and sent it into the wall. The bricks fell in, while at the same time the spears in the other entrance retracted into the floor.

 

“Most curious,” said Tolfdir, walking up to the opening and moving to walk through.

 

Nora had looked through and saw the familiar passage with recesses for bodies, many filled with the ancient dead. She knew what that meant. Draugrs.

 

“Maybe you should let me and my people lead, Tolfdir. This is the kind of place we're used to exploring.”

 

“Perhaps you are right. But I will be close behind, ready to cast when needed.”

 

Nora cast muffle, then crouched down in a sneak position. She wanted to see and hear the Draugrs, if any, first, so she and her people could attack before the undead got in any licks. So far they had seen nothing, and the way seemed to end in a room with a stone table in the center and several sealed sarcophagi along the edges.

 

“Well, this sucks,” said Eldawyn, looking over at Nora. “Think there's a secret doorway here?”

 

Nora was just about to open her mouth when all of her friends froze in place. Her vision shifted, most of the colors leaving, and she started to try and revive her friends before something worse happened to them. That was when she noticed that someone else had entered the act, and she turned to see an Altmer man in unusual brown robes standing on the other side of the table, his eyes boring into hers.

 

“Hold, mage, and listen well,” said the man in an echoing voice. “Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching.” And with that the man disappeared.

 

Nora didn't like the sound of any of that. A chain of events that cannot be stopped? Judgment? Judgment for what? And who in the hell was the Psijic Order?”

 

“What happened?” asked Tolfdir, as he and her followers came back into real time.

 

“An Altmer appeared in front of me, saying he was from the Psijic Order.”

 

“Psijic Order? Why makes no sense at all. The Psijics had nothing to do with Saarthal. And why would they contact you, assuming it's true?”

 

Nora felt insulted that her honesty was being called into question. Of course, the alternate explanation was that the man who appeared had lied about his own background. The Dragonborn decided to go with that second.

 

“Who are the Psijic Order?”

“An ancient order of mages who lived on the isle of Artaeum,” said Eldawyn, her own eyes just starting to focus from the effects of the incident. “They were said to have originated on the Summerset Isles, and the Mages Guild would later form as a result of their efforts.”

 

“What did they want?” asked Tolfdir, in his curiosity forgetting all about his involuntary rape of Nora.

 

“He said that I had set in motion events that can't be stopped, and that I wouldn't be judged for that. But I would be judged for my actions ahead.”

 

“Curious,” said Tolfdir, his mind lost on the Psijics. “Well, if they did contact you, I would consider it an honor, since they only bother to do that with those they deem worthy. But then, what else could you be to them?”

 

Just then the lids burst from a trio of sarcophagi and Draugrs stepped forth. Nora almost shouted for joy. This was a very non-cryptic foe she could fight with abandon, and her and her people went to it with spell and sword, Tolfdir joining in with castings of his own. The Draugr stood not a chance, and one of the sarcophagi proved to be an entrance to further reaches of the tomb.

 

“How old is this place?” asked Nora as they moved through the opening and into the tomb beyond.

 

“Legend tells that this city was founded by Ysgramor,” said Lydia with religious fervor. “The Snow Elves coveted something said to be under the city, and sacked it. Only Ysgramor and his sons escaped, to go back to Atmora and rally the Five Hundred Companions. They took back the city and drove the Snow Elves underground, where they became the slaves of the Dwemer.”

 

“Very good, my dear,” said Tolfdir, smiling at Lydia. “You know your history, or at least the legends of such.”

 

“Oh no, Master Tolfdir. It is history, one for us Nords to be proud of.”

 

And in so doing, they created the Falmer, thought Nora, shuddering at the thought of those blind repulsive creatures. History was written by the winners, and of course the survivors of the winners would be proud. It was another tragedy for the loser, like so many others throughout the history of both worlds. But it occurred, what, over five thousand years ago, and the present Nords bore no responsibility. It was the way of both worlds, the strong rolled over the weak, and the weak only survived due to the actions of the strong that came to their aid. Nora had been one of those strong helpers on her world, and was determined to do the same here.

 

“We'll continue leading,” said Nora, looking back at the old mage. “And everyone needs to be quiet from here on.”

 

Her people nodded, and Nora looked back at Tolfdir, who finally nodded as well. The old mage was not experienced in dungeon delving, where stealth and surprise were paramount to victory.

 

The party ran into more Draugr along the way. Some shouted, sending out force or flames. The party handled them one by one or in small groups. There were traps, the most insidious of them the glowing runes that could only be seen close up. Nora was getting used to them, and set them off with the appropriate spells when they reached them.

 

I need to try out one of J'Zargo's scrolls, she thought. They were supposed to be used around undead, and here they were in a tomb full of them. She readied one, reading the scroll except for the trigger word. When the next group of Draugr came along Nora said the trigger word. And all hell broke loose. The fire shield formed well enough, but immediately started burning Nora. It also burned her friends, and Nora feared for their lives as well as her own.

 

“Get away from me,” she yelled to her people. “I have no control over this.”

 

She ran into the Draugr, casting healing spells on herself, determined to let the cloak do some damage to her enemies. The Draugr all fell, so the flame cloak as least did that, though is wasn't supposed to hurt the wielder or her allies. Finally the cloak went out, and Nora stumbled from the pain of her burns, cursing J'Zargo under her breath. Eldawyn and Tolfdir poured healing magic into her, then saw to the others, including themselves.

 

“Did you say something about J'Zargo?” asked Tolfdir.

 

“Yeah. The Khajiit asked me to test these scrolls, ten of them. I don't think he expected this kind of result.”

 

“I advise not using them again,” said Eldawyn, looking down at her scorched robes.

 

No shit, thought Nora. When they got out of here she would have words with the young mage in training.

 

There were two puzzles on the way. The first consisted of four sets of three of the animal carvings. That one was easy, since the animals they were to be turned to were carved on the walls behind each. The next was rather trickier, and turning one pillar to the proper symbol caused another one to turn as well, to the wrong animal. Nora was about to tear her hair out when she finally rotated the last one and everything was set. She pulled a lever and the last gate opened.

 

The party and Tolfdir entered a last room, in which a large globe, humming and glowing with power, rotated in the center. It caught everyone's attention, and when Nora cast a reveal spell she was shocked. The thing radiated so much energy that she could only liken it to a hydrogen bomb on Earth. Probably more powerful, and just as dangerous.

 

“This is amazing,” exclaimed Tolfdir, his eyes locked on the orb. “This must be the thing the Snow Elves coveted, and Ysgramor defended.”

 

A large sarcophagus popped its lid behind them, and a powerful Draugr emerged, while others loomed out of the shadows. Nora immediately cast fire at the largest, the one she was sure would be the most difficult to take out. Eldawyn and Tolfdir joined in that attack, while Lydia and Elesia took on the quartet that were converging on the party.

 

Elesia was her normal maniacal self, all offense, slashing like a madwoman into the Draugr. Lydia fought from behind her shield, taking and returning blows. The Draugr in the center shouted, knocking Tolfdir and Eldawyn off their feet and staggering Nora.

 

“Fus Ro Dah,” shouted Nora, her much more powerful shout taking the Draugr off its feet. She followed it, striking it down with Dawnbreaker before it could regain its footing. She then helped Elesia in cutting down her last opponent, then turned to see Lydia killing her final Draugr.

 

“What is it?” asked Nora of Tolfdir as she loked at the orb.

 

“I'm not sure, but it's beautiful.” Tolfdir was lost in thought for some moments, then turned to Nora. “You need to get back to the College and inform Savos Aren of this find. Ride quickly. This would be a good time to try out the Thundering Hooves spell. Cast it the whole way back and you'll be there by late evening.”

 

“Eldawyn, I want you and Elesia to stay with the master,” she told the Altmer.

 

“I should go with you.”

 

“I'll take Lydia and Valdimar with me. They would be fretting the entire time I'm gone, so they come. You're in charge of the rest. Make sure the students make it back to the College.”

 

Eldawyn didn't like the order, but she nodded. Nora clapped her on the shoulder, running back with Lydia on her heels. They saddled their horses and Nora and the two Housecarls were off. She cast Thundering Hooves as soon as they were on level ground, and the horses sprinted at an almost unbelievable speed for the next ten minutes. When the spell wore off the horses seemed as fresh as ever. She cast it again, and the trio moved through the day and into the night on the sprinting horses. Nora was impressed with the spell, thinking they could cover the distance in a day that would normally take three. The time savings would be great, and she could see going from Winterhold to Solitude in less than a week.

 

The party rode into town in the early evening. Letting her Housecarls stable the horses, Nora ran on up the bridge to the College. She pounded on the door to the Archmage's quarters, and was greeted by a barely dressed Savos Aren.

 

“Why are you disturbing me, Nora?” said the Archmage. “Did something happen?”

 

“You could say that,” said Nora, launching into a tale of old magics and powerful artifacts.