The Cure For Curie (Complete!)

Of Priests and Pain

"Rorlund, you can't keep me from questioning him. He knows where they are keeping the rest of his village." Lilelle pleaded with the priest.

"I understand that, believe me, I do. He is not in good shape. I've been working on healing him. He needs time to recover." The man answered as he cleaned the blood from his hands with wet cloth. He tossed the rag on top the table as he began to lead them up out of the basement.

Lilelle sighed heavily as she followed, Cosnach behind her. They let the priest escort them across the pews and up to the sleeping quarters for the priests maintaining the Temple of the Divines. Rorlund lifted his hands towards a small seating area, asking them to sit. Once settled he poured wine into silver cups, passing them around. Lilelle refused, setting her goblet a top the low table between them. Cosnach shrugged as he drank happily.

"You can ask me your questions." Rorlund spoke into the now uneasy silence. "I spoke to the man as much as I could before he passed out."

"Alright, but I will want to question him myself when he awakes."

"Of course."

"Where did he come from? Which cave are the necromancers holed up in?"

"The Thalmor Embassy." He uttered gravely.

Lilelle shook her head in disbelief. That couldn't be. The Thalmor would never let a group of necromancers through their gates. She had heard no news of an attack on the embassy, the last being her own infiltration when she had been working as an agent for the Blades.

"It's true. At least that's what this man claims. He told me that he managed to climb the walls and escape down the mountain."

"You said he was near death when he arrived?" She questioned. "How was he able to make it all the way to Solitude?"

"The body is capable of many things, as I am sure you are aware. When our very life is at stake, our bodies manage to perform miracles." Rorlund answered, turning back to his usual reverent tone.

"Let me see him, now." She demanded as she stood from her chair.

The priest stood to object, but Cosnach gently grabbed his robe. He shook his head at the man as he moved to finish his wife's untouched wine. She pushed passed Rorlund down the stairs toward the basement.

Lilelle rapped gently on the old wood door before slowly pushing it open. She could see the man sleeping, still bloodied and broken from his ordeal. The small room was dim, lit only by a flickering candle on the bed side table. She flicked her left wrist and a small ball of magelight burst to life above her. The man stirred but didn't wake.

She shook his shoulder gently but he shrugged her away. Lilelle checked the shelves for a healing potion, in the hopes it would be enough to pull him from the fatigues of his assault. With her back turned, she hadn't noticed him open his eyes or slip the dagger from his boot.

The sound of her ruffling through the cabinet drawers muted his boot steps on the grey stone floor. In a moment, the man shoved his blade deep into her shoulder, easily penatrating her leather armor. The man slammed her into the cabinet, her scalp split off the the splintered shelf.

Dazed, she tried to pull her elven dagger from her belt. He grabbed her wrist and wrenched the blade free. The man slipped his meaty fingers around her throat, squeezing her windpipe. Lilelle swung her fist, punching him hard in the jaw. His head snapped back as blood spurted from his mouth. He growled, as he recovered, slamming her into the cabinet once more.

Limp, eyes blurry, Lilelle tried to reach within herself to speak the language of the dragons. She inhaled as she readied the words. She spoke them as loud as she could manage, but it just wasn't enough. Her mind swam as she was hurled into the cupboard once more. She fell to the ground, her hands not fast enough to break her fall.

"You will cease your search, Dragonborn." The man whispered into her ear, as she tried to get her body to move. "We will not be stopped. Stay away from the embassy or you will die."

"I can't let you continue to kill innocent people." She sobbed through the mind bending pain blooming in her skull.

"Skyrim will know the true meaning of the goddess' power! She will crack the very heavens with her might. She will destroy the weak gods of the Aedra. She will cull the unruly herd of Daedra. She will wreak havoc in ways insurmountable. She will be everything!" He screamed into her face.

Lilelle could hear Cosnach on the other side of the door. He was pounding to get inside. She heard the sound of his axe cracking the wood. Finally, the force of his strength pushed him through. She watched through blurred vision as he swung his axe at her tormentor, the man's head tossed off across the room. Light erupted as the now dead attacker's body immolated itself into a pile of ash and dust.

"Lilelle!" Cosnach shouted as he lifted her from the floor. Darkness flooded in as her mind lost consciousness.