Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Chapter 213 Black Light Tower

"Maggie, and you too... get out of the way, I need to leave!"

"Don't be like that, Xiao Yiya. We haven't seen each other for four years, don't you want to talk to me?"

My sister-in-law probably wasn't in the mood for this. She threw her fork on the ground, waved her hands, and a terrifying, icy energy slowly gathered around her. The entire foyer seemed to instantly transform into a freezer.

"Don't force me! You...they...they want to turn Mother into..."

"The Black-Winged Witch? My dear sister Sylvia! I think we've come at just the right time. What do you say, Lord Locke?"

Iya failed to scare Maggie away, so she yelled at me again.

“You! Listen to me, no matter what sweet words this woman has said, she is lying to you! They are looking for sacrifices. Sacrifices! Do you understand? Kill you, and my mother can turn into a monster.”

I nodded.

"Of course I understand, that's why I hope to see your mother as soon as possible."

I think Ia is a fool, and I suppose Ia thinks the same way about me.

"You're insane, and Mother's insane too. You're all insane!"

“He’s not crazy, little Iya, and he can heal your mother, believe me.”

"you're lying!"

Maggie looked hurt.

"You brat, in such a short time, you've accused me of lying twice. You'd better explain now whether I've ever lied to you even once in my life, or do you think you're all grown up now and that your Aunt Maggie can't handle you anymore?"

I instinctively took a half step back, because the air around this woman seemed to have turned scorching hot. To be honest, I felt that both of their magical abilities were superior to mine. Although I was skilled in both magic and martial arts, and might not necessarily lose in a real fight, I was likely to suffer some losses.

It's best to avoid fighting if possible. When I travel the world, I always believe in winning people over with virtue.

"Ladies, please don't be impulsive. Let's talk this out. Miss Iya, please rest assured, I am not a sacrifice, nor do I intend to become one. I bring important news, but this matter is difficult to explain in a few words. However, I can guarantee that after hearing this, your mother will definitely give up on transforming into a crow demon... uh... a black-winged witch."

"Did you hear me, little Iya? Hurry up and lead the way!"

Maggie said she'd let someone else lead the way, but she swaggered ahead. Seeing that we weren't going to let her off the hook, Iya had no choice but to follow dejectedly. When we reached the corner of the stairs, she leaned close to me and whispered.

"Are you stupid? Hurry up and run away now."

I was too lazy to explain further, so I just shook my head. Iya stomped her feet in frustration.

"If you die, don't blame me for not trying to warn you."

Maggie turned her head back with a grin.

"If he dies, some people will be heartbroken."

The Black Light Tower wasn't large, probably only big enough to house twenty or thirty people. We encountered seven or eight monks along the way, all dressed in dark-colored robes. Maggie greeted everyone she met; even two people she clearly didn't know were pulled aside and chatted warmly for several minutes. She was truly a devoted follower.

Iya sighed and, as she stepped onto the stairs leading to the fourth floor, she once again suggested that I run away.

“If we don’t run now, we’ll miss our chance. The people living on the second and third floors are all beginners, they’re not very skilled and can’t stop me. If we split up, Maggie can only catch one at most. But it’ll be a different story on the fourth floor.”

Is Maggie very strong?

"The most talented of Esmoridae's direct disciples, don't you think?"

"How would I know? I've never fought her."

My sister-in-law rolled her eyes at my joke, but after those few words, her last chance to escape was gone. Maggie's hearty laughter suddenly burst out. She lifted the front of her mage's robe and ran towards a crow witch.

"Dear Camilla, I miss you so much!"

"Maggie! How is the teacher? Is she here too?"

"The teacher is very kind; she asked me to deliver the letter."

"Show it to me quickly."

"The letter isn't for you, it's for my sister Silvia."

The crow witch named Camilla seemed quite disappointed.

"I see... Didn't the teacher have anything to tell me?"

"You keep calling me 'teacher.' Doesn't Sister Camilla have anything to say to me?"

The crow witch cawed loudly and reached out her claws to touch Maggie's forehead.

"How old are you? Why do you still act like a child and need to be coaxed? I'm just worried about interfering with the teacher's work."

"The teacher had nothing else to do but deliver a letter to Sister Sylvia."

"She's on the rooftop terrace of the tower; I suggest you don't disturb her for now."

"No way, you absolutely have to go. Let me explain slowly, this is really interesting."

Maggie ignored her suggestion and pulled a letter with a black bird feather attached to it from her pocket.

"Lord Lockel, you and Iya go upstairs. I want to chat with Sister Camilla."

"I think it would be better if you went with me to talk to him."

"Of course, but it'll be more interesting if you tell us yourself, won't it? Little Iya, open your eyes wide and prick up your ears, and tell us everything you see and hear."

The woman handed me the letter and the key to the terrace, then turned away to chat, ignoring me completely.

Even as we stood in front of the door leading to the terrace, Iya continued to try to persuade me.

“You asked for this. Anyway, it’s not me who’s going to die after we go through this door. You see that crow hag? My mother wants to become that kind of monster. I can’t just watch her turn into that. Now we have one last chance, and I need your cooperation. You pretend to be the sacrifice, and after the ritual begins, we’ll work together to kill her.”

You are such a filial and good girl.

I didn't answer. I simply smoothed out the wrinkles in my clothes, tidied the sword hanging at my waist and the longbow on my back, and carefully smoothed my hair and beard. After confirming that my appearance was in order, I nodded towards the door.

"Open the door."

It's difficult to pinpoint when the Blacklight Tower was built, but it has certainly been abandoned for many years, bearing the marks of time and showing signs of collapse in many places, including this terrace. The entire fortress is embedded in the cliff face, with the entrance hall at the foot of the mountain and the terrace serving as the courtyard at the summit. At the end of the courtyard is a door facing deep into the Gerol Mountains, possibly originally intended as an escape route. On one side of the cliff, at least half of the retaining wall has vanished, and what remains is crumbling.

The courtyard, roughly the size of two standard basketball courts, was arranged like a meeting hall. At one end was a waist-high platform, with a pergola, a long table, and three chairs. At the opposite end, near the wall, stood two thick wooden stakes, their tops decorated with some kind of deer bone and colorful bird feathers. Beneath the stakes was a chair, wrapped with thick hemp rope. I guessed this unusual spot was for offerings.

An elderly woman stood by the table, her shoulder-length hair a mix of black and white, but her back remained ramrod straight. She muttered to herself as she fiddled with bottles and jars, emptying and counting the materials inside, while carefully checking documents such as books or notes.

What I could see included the carcass of a whole snow rat, the hooked beak of a falcon, black feathers of some kind—I couldn't tell if it belonged to a crow or a crow witch—and the heart, liver, and flesh of some animal—judging from the color of the fat, it shouldn't be human or beef. There were also two sheepskins laid out on the table. Beside the table stood a wooden stand, on which rested a basin of water.

Hearing footsteps, the woman turned around and looked at us.

“My daughter, you’re back so quickly. So, this is the sacrifice you found? Let me see, he seems to be of decent quality, but it’s a pity he’s a man.”

It was obvious that she was Irina's mother. The mother and daughter had almost identical face shape, eyebrows, and eyes. Putting aside the age difference, Irina was slightly taller, had fairer skin, and a more upturned nose, which should be attributed to her father's Nord ancestry.

I bowed very respectfully, then stood at attention, ready to be scrutinized by my mother-in-law.

"Madam, I have been asked by Ms. Esmeralda to deliver a letter to you."

"How did the teacher know I was preparing a ritual? Did she think you were a suitable sacrifice?"

Huh? This doesn't seem like it can be understood that way, does it?

"Please read this letter first."

My guess is that Esmeralda recognized Irina as Sylvia's daughter, which is why she specifically requested my personal visit. She would naturally explain this in her letter. It's certainly better for my mother-in-law to get the information from her teacher's letter than for me to directly say I'm her son-in-law.

“The letter can be read after the ceremony; it’s getting late, and I don’t want to delay. You’ve come at just the right time. Now, sit in that chair.”

"Wait! Does Madam remember Irina from Sunshine Garden Fortress?"

Sylvia froze. She was trembling, the kind of uncontrollable trembling that comes with intense emotion. Just a few seconds later, she grabbed a staff and drew it in an arc behind me. A two-meter-high wall of fire roared up, the heat intense.

"I don't know any Irina! But since you come from that filthy doghouse, you're not leaving!"

No? How can you say you don't know her? Could it be that I've been fooled again? Could it be that this Iya and her daughter have no relation to my wife at all, and it's all just my imagination? After all, guessing doesn't mean guessing correctly. As someone in the know, Maggie has never admitted that I guessed correctly from beginning to end.

Sylvia stepped forward slowly and patted my cheek with her staff.

"I'll say it one last time, sit down in that chair."

I instinctively glanced at Iya beside me. The girl was glaring at me, practically threatening to say "you deserve it" in my face. But then she sighed heavily and nodded almost imperceptibly.

This isn't right. I dawdled toward the chair, wondering what was wrong. But even as I was firmly bound by those rough hemp ropes, I still couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Sylvia returned to the table, read the document again, and then washed her hands with water.

“Iya, prepare a basin of ice water for me. This wretched dog’s heart must be kept fresh.”

She was busy disinfecting the blade of the dagger with her fire tongue spell, completely unaware of the fierce and resolute look on her daughter's face.

Perhaps it was because her feet were off the ground that her intelligence took over again. I suddenly remembered that Irina had mentioned that her name was changed by Mrs. Steelmane after her mother's murder, so Sylvia really shouldn't know. But what was her name before she was seven?

“Emilia! Madam, it is Emilia! Born in the month of Hearthfire in the fourth age 178, the bastard daughter of Baron Tuya Sengard. When she was seven years old, her mother was drowned in Lake Irinata.”

The fire tongue spell licked Sylvia's hand fiercely, burning her so much that she threw the dagger to the ground.

"Who exactly are you? How do you know these things?"

“My identity is a little complicated, but simply put, I am her husband.”

Sylvia gave a cold laugh.

"Impossible! You can't lie to me! I've inquired about her more than once, she...she's long dead, killed by that woman!"

“No. She was renamed Irina, and was chosen by the Temple of Dibella when she was ten years old. She lived in Markars for fifteen years, and married me this year at sunrise. Please, read that letter, okay?”

"Where's the letter? Give it to me!"

Look down, do I look like I can move?

Sylvia didn't untie me; she simply pulled out the letter. She turned slightly to the side, letting the setting sun shine on the paper, and squinted as she read it silently. The letter was short, but she read it for a long time, until tears streamed down her face.

"You mean, my little Amy is still alive?"

"Although I did not peek, I think Ms. Esmeralda has already stated this in her letter. And Ms. Maggie can also testify that she has seen my wife."

"Maggie? She's here?"

Before Iya and I could answer, Maggie's loud voice came from behind the wall of fire.

"That's right, Sister Sylvia, I'm here! Oh my, that was so wonderful. It's a pity that the second half was blocked by your wall of fire, so I couldn't see it clearly. Little Iya, what were you trying to do just now? Don't think no one noticed."

Before she could finish speaking, Maggie strolled off, and the wall of fire parted to the sides, like a gate opening, only to close again after she passed. "That unlucky woman, what was she talking about chatting about? She's been secretly following us!" Sylvia didn't allow her to pose, lunging forward and grabbing her arm.

"Did the teacher really write this letter? Is little Amy really still alive? Camilla didn't send you to lie to me?"

"You and your daughter are bullying me! Do you think I, Maggie, am a liar?"

“That’s not what I meant. It’s Camilla. She doesn’t approve of me holding the ceremony… Never mind that. Just tell me, is it true? My poor little Amy, she… she’s still alive… Didn’t you go and find out for me back then? Didn’t you say that no one in that fortress knew who Emilia was?”

Sylvia stared intently into Maggie's eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably, as if she might collapse at any moment. Maggie helped her sit down in a chair and then instructed Iya to fetch a bottle of wine.

"The teacher definitely didn't mistake her. I've seen that girl too. Although her name isn't Emilia, anyone could tell from her appearance that she's your daughter. Let me tell you, on the first floor, your good son-in-law even mistook little Iya for his wife. Can you believe how alike those two sisters are?"

Maggie gestured and laughed for a while, and Sylvia's emotions gradually calmed down. After taking a couple of sips of the wine Iya brought, her mother-in-law's face regained its color. Only then did the three ladies look at me, still strapped to the chair.

"Oh dear! Lord Locke, I completely forgot about you. Iya, you silly girl, why aren't you untying your brother-in-law?"

This guy definitely did it on purpose!