Chapter 22

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After opening all of his Magica veins, Ammra told him to rest. Ammra reconjured the ward to prevent Hermaeus Mora from hurting him in the dream. When she pulled away, Miraak had fallen asleep. She gazed at him and smiled. "It is difficult to not like him..." she thought.

Ammra knew Miraak was being cooperative this far and he respected the agreement they made. However, she didn't expect him to be supportive. She remembered his words. If there was no way to destroy the orbs, perhaps she just needed to continue everything.

She sought The Priest of Mara, Erandur. As expected, he did not know at all the other power's whereabouts. However, he mentioned making the source instead of finding one. Mara was the Goddess of Love; two loving couples might be a source of her power. They had to love each other.

"Love is like a bridge. You cannot build a bridge on one side only, child," he told her.

Miraak recovered faster than expected, thanks to Ammra used her every drop of Magica to heal. Two days after the ambush, they could continue their journey and returned to Whiterun.

Ammra remembered how the spear damaged his inner vital organ. So, during their journey, she could not stop checking his condition every one hour. "Inner wounds are harder to detect and heal and might reopen if we are not careful!" she retorted whenever he told her she being too cautious. Miraak on the other hand enjoyed the attention he got.

It was evening time when they arrived at Breezehome. Ammra immediately did her favourite things: soaking. Lydia gave Miraak a questioning look because she noticed her stressed thane.

"She did not find what she wants." He told her.

Lydia stood to her feet and began preparing essential oil because she knew, her thane would ask for a massage whenever her mood was bad. A few moments later, Ammra did as she expected.

She told her finding to Lydia then grunted in annoyance. "That is nonsense! Love is just a temporary emotion. It is different from blessing or pure energy. It is not what my project needs." She complained. "How is such a weak thing considered to be a form of power?"

"My thane, I agree that love is something mystical. But I don't think 'weak' is a suitable word."

Ammra chuckled. "Lydia, even the strongest bond of love can lead to betrayal when faced with power and gold." She paused. "I don't believe in such a thing called love. It is just an illusion." There was a cracking sound and Ammra grunted in relief.

"Betrayal, my thane?" she inquired. "Did you happen to have someone who broke your heart? Your first lover?" Lydia asked with a soft and slightly joking tone. Miraak who happened to hear what they were talking closed the book he was reading and intently eavesdropping.

"I've never been in a relationship before and never will. As for the betrayal..." she paused. "Anyway, this reminds me of the children. Please tell Gregor to bring them to Solitude. Take some gold in the safe and hired all of the Companion to escort them." Ammra evaded the topic easily.

"Alright, my thane."

"I think I'll sleep now, Lydia. Many thanks." She told her and Lydia left her room.

What he heard from Ammra explained everything about her way of seeing relation. For someone as selfless as her to despise love was quite strange. Miraak found it quite intriguing.

The first Dragoborn had been spending his time in the study room ever since they returned. He found many letters from both sides of the Imperial Legion as well as Stormcloak. Both of them had been attempting to attract her to join their cause. Seeing what written there, it seemed both sides did not get what they wanted.

Miraak smirked when imagining their disappointed face. But then he was quite annoyed when he read some words that threatened her. He was not being nosy, but those letters were scattered everywhere. Some of it was used to prop the table.

If he was to overthrow both Elisif and Ulfric, things would be under control and Ammra wouldn't have to be bothered by these things. In fact, conquering Tamriel was his original plan.

Miraak started to retrace what he read from Ammra's journal. He remembered how her portal worked and perhaps he would find out the flaws. The plan of Hermause Mora became even more tempting for him. Little did he know though, that the Daedric prince was only directing what he wanted into a wrong dark path.

In fact, Hermaeus Mora did the same thing to his desire of escaping Apocrypha. He made Miraak believed that he could succeed but actually planning on Ammra to replace him instead. However, his plan was ruined by the younger Dragonborn. So this time, Hermaeus Mora would use them as subjects of his will as he made his way to get the orbs.

Meanwhile Ammra was still in her room. Thinking.

Compared to Whiterun, Solitudewasf far safer for the children.  With people like Aela, Farkas, Vilkas, and their shield-siblings escorting them, Ammra was certain they would be safe during traveling. With this thought, she tried to calm herself.

Nevertheless,  when she was about to fall asleep, the sight of how Miraak was attacked flashed inside her head, invoking a foreign wave of anger. She might prefer to idle for now while thinking of the next move, but her beast blood roaring, revoking the pain she felt when he was injured.

Ammra cursed under her breath as she stepped out of the bed. A few moments later she was ready in her light armor that she always put on during a mission that required her to be magically powerful but also sneaky. While Miraak was busily re-studying her portal concept, he did not notice Ammra snuck out and left the house.

She quickly made her way to the stable and secretly stole a horse—she was about to buy the owner was sleeping. Ammra got not time to be nice due to the adrenalin rush she felt.

She might dislike her beast blood, but there was a reason to keep it. It took a great struggle to control the shift but the sharp sense she got proved useful, especially now. As Ammra rode her horse through the night, she let the scent of mages that once attacked her showed the way. She was ready for a hunt.

Bloodshed was something she loved to avoid. But it did not mean she loved being hunted, attacked, or reminded by her past. She did not want enemies to hurt innocent people because of her. But on top of all, she did not want to see Miraak hurt. So, whatever Daedric prince those mages were serving, they would not see the next sunrise.

After an hour of riding, the scent led her to a shrine of Mephala inside a cave. There were ten mages inside. Alas, their robes could not protect them from the invisible blade combined with her agility and stealth. No blood stained the ground but muscles and veins inside the enemies' bodies were beaten to a pulp.

"Geez!" Ammra hissed as she felt the beast's blood stimulated her pride and encouraged her to hunt more. She found herself grinning in satisfaction. "Don't shift!" she told herself.

One of these mages had visited and in contact with other mages from the next locations. There were also many other scents. Many of them. But the place was quite far. If she was to hunt them, Ammra knew she would not return home in a few days. Thus, she started looting the camping material and supplies available for the next journey. Ammra moved fast.

The dawn was breaking when she stepped out of the cave. Ammra headed northeast, to the snow-covered land in the Winterhold area. With the beast blood enhancing physical strength as well as adrenalin, neither thirst nor fatigue could stop her. She rode nonstop for one and a half-day until one afternoon, she arrived before a huge entrance of a glacial cave. 

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