The sound of fast, armoured running rang out on the battlements below the highest wall.
"It is more of the skeletons." said Aralina. "They are approaching the lower door to the tower."
"I'm not fighting them on the stairs. Set them alight before they reach the tower." Eldaline ordered, and sent down a fireball she had prepared earlier.
The mysterious skeletons were confused by the fireballs, which now flew from two directions, as some arrived from the wall above
And some from the flame atronach that had just appeared on the wall beside them.
As her enemies in the courtyard turned to more of the mysterious sticky puddles, the flame atronach became the sole target of their attack, for the Elves and Skavild were out of reach.
Perhaps the skeletons had never met a flame atronach before, or perhaps they were a badly-organised dead rabble.
As you know, being an intelligent and well-informed person, flame atronachs are quite dangerous when destroyed. And if you did not know it, I am glad I told you.
As a consequence of their enthusiasm, most of the skeletons were simply standing too close to her when eventually she ceased to exist upon Mundus.
And so, so did they.
"Damn you!" said Ondolemar. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to summon an attractive one?"
"I would like your attention. Ondolemar, I am sure you can retrieve your favourite flame atronach again. She usually comes back. Aranwen! Your head wouldn't hurt if you didn't use it as a weapon. Rufus, for the last time, there is no toilet in this courtyard. Skavild, as you were. Put your hand down, Flopsy, I don't have time."
"I want you all to turn out your pockets and hand in whatever you were writing in the library."
Aside from one or two questions Eldaline had for her staff as they made their way down the castle stairwell, they were looking forward to being outside too much to argue with any of the Second Archivist's theories.
And some of them didn't argue because they didn't quite understand.
"And to conclude," said Eldaline, once outside and back on the castle bridge. "I would like to congratulate Flopsy on being the only person to have obeyed my instructions not to write with any quills in the library. But somehow, this spell masquerading as the fictional Daedra Feyfolken was still able to twist your thoughts so that you had an argument with a small stuffed bear."
"Yes, Second Archivist, I did. It won't happen again, I promise! Isn't it nice to be outside again? But it is still so warm. And the humming noise is still humming."
As they approached the causeway that led to the source of the humming noise in the north, they were set upon by more of the strange dissolving skeletons.
"The quill, or quills, had nothing to do with the magical literature we have all produced." Eldaline explained, as they laboriously cleared a path through the attackers.
"We are caught in a snare. A trap made of perfectly ordinary but incredibly powerful magic, which has preyed upon our thoughts and used them against us."
"And so," she continued. "This snare spell is not Daedric in nature. The Daedra have their own thoughts, and no understanding of ours. Anyway, in the storybook about Feyfolken... Perish! Fall before me and die grovelling to your betters, pathetic abomination! What was I saying, Skavild? Flopsy?"
"In the storybook, Second Archivist." said Ondolemar.
"Of course. Thank you. The daedra Feyfolken placed new thoughts in Thaurbad's mind, from its own perspective. This spell has used ours. It has no understanding of our fears and our passions, it has only imitation. Does everybody understand my theory? It is not conclusive proof, I must stress."
Rufus fell over again.
"No, Second Archivist." said Ondolemar.
"Well, that is for the best, because then you will remain unbiased in the study. What about everybody else?"
"So, if I understand," Skavild explained. "This Snare thing took things out of our memories and threw 'em back at us, without really understanding 'em itself?"
Aranwen said, "It said things about my father."
Aralina added, "And the doll called Count Spoonface began speaking to us, even though we are responsible adults."
But Ondolemar said, "But I accidentally wrote an epic about the All-Flags navy."
"Auntie Eldaline, my face hurts." said Rufus.
"Yes." Eldalined sighed. "I didn't think you were particularly interested in the All-Flags navy, Ondolemar. That is where my theory begins to leak. And speaking of leaks, this sticky goo appears everywhere. What were you thinking about over the last few days?"
"Talos worship, and Nothing, Second Archivist." said Ondolemar.
"I'm going to go and play on the building site!" Rufus yelled.
In the absence of anything better to do, they all went to play on the building site.
"What did the human Skavild write in the library, Second Archivist?" said Aralina.
"I rather think that is not relevant and we should be concentrating on the significance of the All-Flags Navy." said Eldaline.
"Yes Aralina, that's not important right now." said Skavild.
"Da, these houses through here are funny."
"Skavild," said Eldaline. "This is my doing. I was thinking about about when we were exploring the Chantry of Auri-El and met the Snow Elf."
"I was thinking about it too." said Skavild.
"Well, this supports my theory, at least. And this Snare is good at reproducing architecture."
It appeared that the scattered ruins were undergoing excavation. Or under construction. It was impossible to tell. The hum was now a little louder, and now seemed to be pulsating slightly.
"By the burning thighs of Phynaster!" Eldaline said. "Warm cloaks, everybody."
"It only looks a little blizzard ahead." said Skavild. "It'll be gone before you know it, why have you Elves always got to make such a fuss about the snow?"
"I once made a snowmer." said Aralina.
Aranwen had said little since leaving the castle behind. The others assumed she was embarrassed about having once had a father.
"Auntie Eldaline, it's not even cold." said Rufus.
"You're right, it isn't. All right. Then don't put your warm cloak on. See if I care."
"Where are we going?"
"To find whatever is humming, and kill it." said Eldaline.
"Are we nearly there yet?"
Eldaline did not feel qualified to answer this question. The ruins stretched out before them and there was no sign of an end to the ancient arches and paved walkways. From the direction of the distant hum, white towers and shining turrets rose from behind tall white walls.
She's quiet now, Skavild thought. She's going to start waving her arms in a minute.
To be continued.