Chapter 144: Trouble

I shared what wisdom I could about both the thu'um and she` hai before Alontar and I bedded down for the evening. The next morning we mounted up again and continued on our way between the mountains on the slow path back to Skyrim. The resistance did not waste any time at all with the knowledge they had been given. Even as we were leaving countless messager birds were released with copied scrolls containing the spell matrix for [shape stone] along with the plan Nahir and the others had hashed out.-

The details were incredibly simple. They were going to strike multiple locations in a single night. Specifically those at the coast and Cyrodillic southern border. They were going to clear out the few Thalmor still guarding those locations and cut off reinforcements from the entire southern and eastern directions of Hammerfell. This meant that the Thalmor would have to either press down from the northern and western parts or try to take those locations back from the sea. As if that wasn't bad enough for them the resistance had no intention of wasting this momentum. If the plan goes decently well they plan to claim the entire Alik'r desert and coastline to amass the people of Hammerfell properly for pressing towards Skyrim and Highrock.-

I wished them luck since I'd be halfway to Skyrim at least by the time they moved. I'd like to say the path was great and exciting but that would be a lie. Traveling great distances were rarely all that interesting when you weren't actively seeking anything that fit that description. This applied doubly in the mountain passes. The most exciting thing that we had to deal with was the sleet storms and occasional bit of wildlife that was on the path that was not expecting people on it.-

"I'm surprised your familiar hasn't arrived yet. It's been almost a month and a quarter right? Even the slowest gryphon should have crossed that distance in this time." Alontar said idly watching a pair of hawks flying up above us one day.

"I commanded it not to come through our connection. The first time I've ever had it reject an order." I said calmly.

"Ah, your first disagreement. Everyone with a bonded gryphon has to eventually deal with it. The beasts are proud and headstrong by nature. If it believes it should do something that it's owner disagrees with there can be some clashing of wills." he said with a knowing look.

"It's safer in Skyrim. There are people who will take care of it in my absence. It isn't absolutely safe of course but far safer than here." I say honestly.

"That's true enough. It must miss you terribly though. Familiars can get rather broody if their owners are missing overly long." he said with concern.

I held my hand over my chest as I felt the connection.

"I'll call it as soon as we cross the Druadach mountains. I don't want it anywhere near Hammerfell." I say with a sigh.

"A pity. I am rather curious what such a creature would look like." he said before letting the matter end there.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" A loud female voice screamed from around the ridge.

We exchanged looks before pushing out mounts to round the ridge after I cast a [life detect] spell. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. After that incident with the resistance I wasn't taking anymore chances on people hiding nearby to ambush us.-

As we neared the ridge we heard the problem before we saw it. There was battle on the other side. Rounding the ridge gave us a visual on the problem and I was rendered speechless. Against all common sense there was a carriage being fought over. The two sides of the conflict are what made me speechless. It was mostly Breton. I didn't need any time at all to understand what we had stumbled across. A noble, likely an emissary of Highrock, getting waylaid on the journey back to the province. Probably by some political rival. The attacking force was too well equipped for bandits.-

Heavy fine quality armor and weapons, refined movements that spoke of extensive training and solid discipline.

These were soldiers.

As for their target? A soft pale Breton woman and what appeared to be her daughter cowering in the filigreed carriage. I considered ignoring this obvious matter of political intrigue but the woman spotted us and lit up.

"Ugh, well there goes that plan.' I thought with a sigh.

"Give me a moment. This won't take long." I say to Alontar as I dismount from my toad.

"Wuld Nah!" my voice thundered as I accelerated towards the fray at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.

I drew out my blade and before the effect of the shout even ended removed one of the obviously not bandits heads in a smooth clean stroke. My feet pivoted and my blades tip blurred forward into the throat of another before being effortlessly torn free and swung at another. I moved like a wind made flesh as I danced through the forces avoiding the ones on the woman's side and dispatching the attackers with ease. All in all it took me no more than a minute to kill all twelve of them. -

I rotated my wrist aggressively to flick off the blood on my blade before turning without a word to return to where my toad and Alontar with his horse waited.

"Wait! Ser please hold a moment!" the woman called in a hurry as she clamored out of the carriage.

I stopped with an internal groan as I could practically feel the trouble that was coming. I looked at the woman fully for the first time. She was pretty all things considered. Fair pale skin, long braided red hair like silk and wearing a light blue dress that looked almost as expensive as a horse. Her face was soft and angular with an ever so slight point to her ears that all Breton have from their mixed race ancestry.