U.O.T.W. Chapter 40 Madman's Clue

  • That evening Sotek and Aela made their way to the college library to seek out Urag the librarian. As they entered the vast circular room,  Aela’s pace slowed down to a stop as her eyes gazed around the hall. Rows and rows of book cases lined the outer wall while several circular book cases formed an inner circle which held even more books.

    “I thought the Harbinger was joking when he said Arug had lots of books. I’ve never seen so many”.

     

    Sotek sniggered quietly as he gave her a playful nudge in the back.

    “Well you’re not exactly the type to read books are you”. He then pointed to an Orc who was sitting at a large ornate wooden desk. “There he is, Arug”. As Sotek let Aela lead the way he hid a faint smile as he watched Aela approach the Orc.

     

    “Arug, we spoke earlier…” Aela stated as the Orc sat up in his chair after placing a book on the top of the desk.

     

    The moment Aela came within close hearing distance of his desk, he called out shattering the silence in the library. 

    “The names Urag. Urag Gro-shub. Alea the Buntress”.

     

    Aela paused as she watched the Orc who stared disdainfully at her. She winced as she whispered back to him.

    “Sorry, Urag… We spoke earlier?”

     

    Urag burst out laughing causing Aela to scowl at him.

    “Oh I’m messing with ya”.

     

    A second later Soteks broad grin was replaced by a groan as Aela elbowed him in the stomach.

    Reptile

     

    Urag bellowed loudly as Sotek’s face screwed up from the blow.

    “You got a live one there. Best you keep an eye on her. Anyhow… I’ve been studying these bones and scales for you and came across a few books from dragon lore. It’s a collection of facts and mostly fiction about dragons and their history. After the great dragon war someone actually managed to craft items from bones and scales like these”. As he spoke he held up the scale and bone that Sotek gave him earlier. “Here, you go have a read of these”.  He handed over to Sotek the three books about dragon remains before sending him off to a chair by a small corner table. “Right. That’s you sorted, over there and have a read”. As Sotek started to walk off the Orc shouted out at him. “And don’t make a mess. I’ve had it with you students coming in here messing up my system”.

     

    He then looked hard at Aela before pointing across the hall to a separate alcove which had a stone bench in it along with a small wooden table.

    “You get yourself over to the camber over there. I‘ll be back in a minute”. He then called over to Sotek as he shuffled away. “We will be gone for a few hours but we will be back”. Aela gave Sotek a shrug then headed off to the bench where she was told to wait.

     

    A few seconds later he suddenly reappeared then walked her through a doorway to a small candle lit room. At the far side stood a small desk with two chairs while near it was an open fireplace blazing away. Tall bookshelf’s lined the walls filled with tattered old books and manual scripts, lore from a hundred places dating back a thousand years. Once she entered the room he promptly locked the door behind her while his eyes fixed on her face.

    “Why are you here?”. He demanded as he threw the key on a small table by the door before walking briskly to the desk.

     

    “Why is that door locked” Aela replied angrily as she pointed at it. Suspecting some sort of trap, she sniffed at the air but quickly decided there was no one else around, just him and her. “Damn you answer me”. She openly glared at him knowing he was no threat. That fact, she was sure of.

     

    He just looked at her forceful angry attitude and laughed.

    “I know damn well what you are, I also know that Sotek isn’t. Maybe you prefer to talk with him sitting here as well. Shut the hell up and sit down. Now that doors locked because I’m damned if I’m letting anyone else know what I wished I didn’t”. He was just as angry and didn’t want someone else to know about their conversation. Aela quickly realized it wasn’t hostility which caused him to lock the door, it was fear. “What the hell did you do?”. He demanded as he sat on the edge of the table and crossed his arms. All the while his unblinking eyes fixed on hers.

     

    Aela yelled back. All she wanted was someone to give her a straight answer but instead she found herself in the situation of being an unwilling participant in yet again another series of mind games. This time however she had enough.

    “I haven’t done anything so you can go screw yourself. Unlock that bloody door”.

     

    All the Orc did was sneer at her.

    “Your marked by both Hircine and Sheogorath. And so is he… But the big kicker is, he don’t know! But you do, so what the hell have you done? Tell me or get the hell out. It don’t matter to me one way or the other”.

     

    She slumped down in the chair, feeling tired and mentally beaten.

    “Can you help?” She looked up at him pathetically but he just sat on the corner of the desk watching her,  waiting for her to say something.

     

    He talked quieter with a touch of empathy to his voice as he knew he had her cornered.

    “Tell me what happened, then we will see”.

     

    Aela took a deep breath as her eyes fixed on the fireplace.

    “My feelings.. I started…. It happened one night, after an incident. We were outside on the plains of Whiterun. We ended up sleeping together”. She felt dirty having to explain everything, she so desperately wished she was back home.

     

    The Liberian snorted with contempt.

    “You and him? Had sex? You two? That’s a load of crap. I can’t help you, I’m sorry. My advice to you is simple, run. Run and hide. Their coming for you, two Daedra. And all because of you… Well they aren’t going to get to me. Nope I won’t, I refuse to get involved I am involved but I refuse to be… Bye”. He waved his hand at her, dismissing her from his audience then he got up and made his way to the door and started to unlock it.

     

    Aela stood up facing the back of him, desperate for his help she yelled at him.

    “But it’s true! On the plains… It was my first time!”

     

    He stopped and turned to face her, then relocked the door before leaning against it.

    “Your first time? So you had sex, big deal…  Why did you?... Did you drink too much?... Did it because he paid you?... How much was your virginity worth?... Fifty?... One hundred gold? …Why?”

     

    Her face cringed at his comments, angrily she turned her back to him.

    “It wasn’t like any of that, we made love..”

     

    He paused as her words played about in his mind.

    “Well that’s a different story to what you said earlier, so we’ll try again. What happened?” With that comment he relocked the door then walked casually back to the desk while he scrutinized her.

     

    “We were on the plains camping out. My feelings and his were growing for a few weeks before that night. That’s when we made love however the next day I told him that it was a mistake. I told him that we couldn’t be anything. That second night however that’s all I wanted… Him. I tried not to but that evening I told him to go to my room. That’s when we had sex again. Since then we’ve been an item”.

     

    “And the big crunch happened when?” He was waiting for her to add something. Something she left out.

     

    Aela sighed due to all her fight having left her. She mumbled out her reply as best as she could.

    “The second night Hircine came to me. He told me it couldn’t be… He told me to give him up, but I couldn’t. I love him”.

     

    “There it is!!!” He yelled excitedly as he slammed his hand on the table completely catching Aela off guard. She wasn’t one to be easily startled however she was caught totally unaware. Empathizing her surprise, a loud gasp escaped from her lips while at the same time her hand shot to her chest as if to aid in the control of her breathing. Oblivious to her shock, he continued in his excitable rant. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for”. He clapped his hands loudly and rubbed them together vigorously. As he spoke his voice suddenly became extremely high in pitch. “Now things make sense. Well we don’t want that do we, sense is kinda boring and so normal!!!”

     

    He was clearly overjoyed with something but Aela had no idea what it was she had said.

    “Was that what you were waiting for? Me to say I love him?”

     

    The librarian who now seemed somewhat taller than Aela remembered, seemed to be in a near hysterical state. His voice now shouted out in a high spine chilling pitch far more suited for a little girl screaming and his entire mannerism seemed far more erratic as he rapidly paced around the room. 

    “What?? No, no, no… That comes later, oh definitely later. Now don’t you worry, I got a plan for that… Nope, the bit that interests me more so at the moment is Hircine told you to give him up…”

     

    He rubbed his hands together as cogs in his mind started turning, weaving a web like plan.

    "Now all I gotta do is figure out why… Hircine isn‘t bothered much about werewolf’s being with prey. You’re a werewolf and he’s your prey, well he is isn’t he? Racial intermixing he don’t give a hoot about... All he cares about is ‘Hunt this, kill that. Rabbit!!! Where??? Kill it!!!…No, no, no!!! So It’s got to be him… This Sotek character…… You moron!!!!”. He stopped dead in his tracks thinking deeply. “I’ve heard that name before, we’ve met before… Now when was it?... Oh my!!!... Really???... Am I sure? Yes, if I say so…” His features change into a near hysterical madman wearing a massive grin all over his face.

     

    With that startling revelation which he kept to himself, he went to the door and unlocked it. Moments later Aela found herself thrown out into the library once more. The librarian stuck his head around the door and shouted out in the same deluded high pitch screech.

    “Leave it with me, soon be over. Well not too soon, one has to have some fun… Yes? No ? Look you can’t have all the fun around here, running around on all fours clawing, biting and howling. Then having ya boyfriend there sort out ya womanly needs… I want some fun too ya know, see ya soon”. Then the door gave an almighty slam as it shut.

     

    Upon noticing Aela standing in the corner of the room, the librarian called out to her from the other side of the study.

    “Ahh there you are, I wondered where you got to. Here, I’ve got two books for you. Their all about Daedra. Now there is one Daedra that causes nightmares you know, maybe she has something to do with it”.

     

    Aela turned around blankly looking at a wall as the librarian approached her.

    “There was a door here?” She stuttered as she pointed to the stone wall. “You were just here talking to me, here, there in that room”. She was trying desperately to explain but it sounded crazy to her let alone to anyone else as there was no door where she pointed, just a blank wall.

     

    The librarian just glanced at the wall before turning back to her.

    “Ermm yea as I was saying two books. Here you go”. Then he handed her the books and send her on her way back to Sotek. He found himself looking at the wall again before he headed off muttering to himself about Aela.

     

    Aela sat next to Sotek and blankly stared into space. She felt confused and disorientated.

    “I don’t feel right”.

     

    Sotek only needed the one look at her to know that she wasn’t herself.

    “It’s late, did he manage to tell you anything?” He asked as he took the books from her and escorted her back towards the Inn.

     

    “Late? it’s still evening” Then she looked up towards the sky. The two moons were already slowly drifting downwards.

     

    “Aela, it’s about three in the morning. You’ve been gone for hours”. He put his arm around her then lead her to the inn where he settled her down. She said nothing while her mind struggled with the evenings events. “Tell me in the morning, for now you get some sleep”. His last act before dawn was to kiss her as he settled beside her where he held her in his arms.

     

     

Comments

12 Comments   |   SpookyBorn2021 and 1 other like this.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  March 30, 2016
    Hahaha Sheo's cheese comes later. I was going to add it here but I thought that was too blunt.
  • Relycs
    Relycs   ·  March 30, 2016
    Pretty disturbing chapter, but where is Sheo's cheese?
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  June 23, 2015
    Sheo is definatly an awkward one to pull off if someone knows nothing about him. I suppose one other way would be to use a different type setting. I generaly use Itallics for mind conversations and whisperings.  Attempting to get across to someone who don...  more
  • Exuro
    Exuro   ·  June 23, 2015
    No disappointments here! for now...[evil Sheogorath voice]
    We all all know what Sheogorath sounds like and you defiantly capture his his speech pattern, but I was wondering for personal reference on accents in general, is how could you capture his O...  more
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  June 21, 2015
    I just hope I don't disapoint anyone... No pressure realy GULP!!!
  • Meli
    Meli   ·  June 21, 2015
    Looking forward to seeing how you write this one Sotek, he's quite the character
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  June 21, 2015
    That's not the last you'll see of old Sheo. He digs his claws well and truley into Aela and Sotek.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  June 21, 2015
    That's the second time I made that mistake. Moron....
  • Meli
    Meli   ·  June 21, 2015
    Yup, Sheogorath is definitely about right, can hear the voice from Skyrim and Oblivion saying those lines.
    Spotted one thing so far:
    “What?? No, no, no… That comes later, oh defiantly later. - I think you mean definitely, that one always gets...  more
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  June 20, 2015
    OH NO! How can Sotek NOT know that nasty Sheogorath was being all icky, cause Urag would never be such an asshole. Personality was spot on. 
    Poor Aela.