Lord of Souls: An Elder Scrolls Novel by Greg Keyes

Author:Greg Keyes
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780345530332
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2011-09-26T22:00:00+00:00

SIX

“Anything I can help you with, inspector?”

Colin looked up from the tome he was studying to find a bent and withered fellow in a burnt umber robe furnished with what was possibly a hundred pockets. His nose took up most of his face, but his keen blue eyes were what drew your attention.

“Professor Aronil,” he said, standing.

“No need for that, old fellow,” the mage said. “Are you finding what you’re looking for?”

“I don’t really know what I’m looking for,” he said.

“Well, that can either be good or bad, can’t it?” Aronil said. “But I don’t remember you as a browser, Colin. You always wanted to get to the point, to the answer. I don’t expect you’ve changed that much.”

“No, I don’t expect I have.”

Aronil peered down at the pages. “Pneumatology? That’s rather your strong suit.”

“Well, I thought so,” Colin replied.

“Is this about the flying city or what-have-you? Because the College of Whispers has the most up-to-date information on those things. I’ve just seen their most recent report—fascinating, really. The things aren’t bonewalkers—they’re more like flesh atronachs, although they don’t respond the same to arcane stimuli.”

“No, it’s not about that,” Colin said. “I’m assigned internally.”

“I understand,” the mage said. “I shan’t pry more.”

He began to walk away.

“Actually, I would welcome your help,” Colin said. “It could take me weeks at this rate.”

“Well, what’s the problem, then?”

“The problem is that something nearly killed me the other day, and I don’t know what it was.”

“Well, the ‘nearly’ part is encouraging anyway,” Aronil said.

“I don’t like my chances if I meet another one,” Colin said. “I don’t know if that’s even likely, but I always prefer to be prepared.”

“Tell me about it,” Aronil said, pulling over a seat.

“I was searching an apartment,” Colin began. “At first I thought it was a ghost—”

“Presenting, or had you prepared yourself?”

“I went there looking for spiritual remnants,” he admitted.

“So it was probably invisible to the untrained eye.”

“Oh, I’m sure of that,” Colin replied. “The apartment has a resident. I checked into him a little and he’s apparently never claimed his place was haunted or whatever.”

“And he isn’t a mage?”

“No.”

“Fine. Go on.”

Colin related the rest of the encounter, and the old Altmer just sat there for a moment, nodding absently.

“And afterward—the spirit you were looking for?”

“She was there. Not much left of her, though.”

Aronil stood and took a couple of paces. “You’re in dangerous territory here, Colin. I wonder if you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Just my job,” he replied.

“I can check that, you know,” Aronil said. “I am privy, if I wish to be, to any investigation our organization is running. And one of my charges is to make certain that the library of the Penitus Oculatus isn’t being abused in any fashion.”

“I’m aware of that, sir,” Colin said, as ice formed in his belly. “I don’t believe I’m abusing anything.”

“Last I checked, you were assigned to find any possible Thalmor connection with our current problem. This seems far afield from that, to me. How did you meet this thing? What did you hope to learn?”

He sighed.

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