#got daensa

She should have known. This was an ancient nord burrow, of course something would eventually happen, be it good or bad. And this time she had no one to blame but herself.

“Sansa, are you alright?” Brelyna asked concerned. The dunmer had managed to get on the other side of the gate and was already pressing against it, searching for her friend.

“Yes, I am fine”, Sansa assured her, waving her hand to disperse the dust the mechanism had disturbed and blown into the air. Quickly her eyes scanned the walls and ceiling for any sign of a hidden lever or chain to raise the gate again. “Can you see any mechanism to open the gate from your side? I don’t think there is one on mine.”

“Wait, I’ll take a look.”

“What in the world was that racket?” Tolfdir’s voice echoed through the hallway. “Is everything alright?” Sansa let out a relieved sigh. Thank Kyne, Brelyna did not need to go get the others. Sansa had no interest in being left alone in this small space, especially with the ominous coffins mounted to the wall opposite her.

“Master Tolfdir”, Brelyna called. “We’re here. Sansa is trapped.” A moment later, the weathered face of their teacher appeared on the other side of the gate.

“How in Nirn did that happen?” The old mage asked, as he too began looking for a hidden mechanism. Sansa pressed her lips together, knowing full well it had been stupid to just pick up an amulet in a nord burrow. But what was done was done and her parents had taught her to take responsibility for her mistakes.

“I picked up an amulet”, she told them. “Immediately after, the gate closed.”

“An amulet?” Quickly the old man shuffled over and motioned Sansa to show it.

Glaring down at the archaic piece of jewellery, as if all of this was its fault she held it up towards the gate, mindful that no strain was put on it.

“It must be important if it was protected by such a mechanism”, Tolfdir thought aloud. “Can you perhaps utilise it somehow?”

She looked down at the thing with a mild feeling of disgust. Who know how long it had been down here. How many insects may have laid eggs in or on it. She shuddered at the thought of putting it on or even touching it more than she already was.

But she had gotten herself in this mess and she would get herself out of it. So she pulled her hood over her hair and gently put the crude amulet around her neck.

There was an instant reaction.

Not with the gate but with the piece of wall the bust had been mounted on. Carefully she stepped up to it, feeling rather than seeing the resonance between the amulet that sat thrumming against her chest and something behind the wall.

“There is something behind that wall”, she told them, excitement bubbling up. “There’s some kind of resonance.”

“I can see it”, Tolfdir confirmed. “Fascinating. Whatever is behind the wall must be connected to the amulet. Try casting a spell”, he advised. “It might disrupt the resonance and reset the mechanism.”

Sansa cast a questioning look at Brelyna, but the dunmer could only shrug. So she fully positioned herself in front of the wall, sank into the current of her magicka and cast a Frostbite spell on the wall.

There were many things she had expected to happen: nothing at all, for her spell to be nullified, or thrown back at her, for it to trigger another trap. But not for the wall to crumble like loose soil. For a moment she stood dumbfounded but only until she heard the metal gate retract. Brelyna was beside her in an instant, following her line of sight into the space behind the crumbled wall.

Both easily made way for their teacher, who inspected the new pathway with great interest.

“Well, would you look at that”, the old man marvelled. “This appears to lead somewhere.” And then with a spark of adventure in his eyes and a somewhat conspirational tone he added: “Let’s see where it leads.”

Sansa and Brelyna shared an incredulous look.

“Master Tolfdir, are you sure?” Brelyna asked worriedly as she scrambled after the old man.

“This part of the burrow has not been secured yet”, Sansa agreed. “It’s likely there will be draugr or worse down there.”

“Brelyna, Sansa, you are bother excellent students”, Tolfdir told them happily, “but I am always surprised by your lack of sense for an adventure. We will stay together and be watchful and I assure you everything will be perfectly fine.”

Oh, Arya would love him, Sansa grumbled to herself. That was exactly the sentiment her sister shared.

“There is nothing wrong with being cautious”, she argued.

“Of course not, dear child”, Tolfdir agreed. “But never let caution get in the way of discovery. This part of the burrow must have been sealed of for centuries, even millennials. Now that we have uncovered it, time is of the essence.”