For several days I did what I had to: avoided Martin at all costs. It wasn't difficult. He hadn't yet been able to decipher much of the Mysterium Xarxes, and of that amount not nearly enough to need me for anything. The Blades moved a desk into the Great Hall and put it near the fireplace, and that was where Martin spent all of his time poring over that accursed book. I, on the other hand, made sure to stay outside as much as I could. Mostly I trained. Sometimes with Baurus, sometimes with the other Blades, and sometimes alone. It kept me out, and it kept me occupied.

I also kept a close watch on what was happening in Bruma. So far, there weren't any more signs of new spies and no Gates had opened nearby. They were still weakened from the fight at the shrine. I had no doubt that they'd be back, and soon, but for the moment Martin was safe.

"Mar. Focus," Baurus chided, swinging his sword in my direction.

I dodged the blow easily. "I am focused. Are you?" I swung around, avoiding his defense, and stopped my blow short, merely tapping him on the side of the neck. I smirked. "Dead."

He stepped back when I lowered my blade, frowning and rubbing his neck. "I'm still not sure how you do that."

"You try being an enemy of the Camonna Tong for eight years and see what it does to your focus."

"Mara!"

I glanced over to see Martin leaving the Great Hall and walking hurriedly towards us. I immediately tried to mumble a farewell to Baurus, but he hooked his elbow around mine and swung me back to stand next to him.

"What's gotten into you lately?" He asked.

"It's nothing."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Mar, if it was nothing you wouldn't be trying to bolt. It's just Martin."

"Exactly," I muttered, half-hoping he wouldn't hear. He did, and he gave me a quizzical look in response.

Martin finally caught up with us. He looked drained, but there was bright excitement in his blue eyes.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"I've made some progress with the Mysterium Xarxes, finally!"

Baurus finally released my arm. Bowing to Martin, he said, "I'm of more use elsewhere at the moment, your highness. Please excuse me." He left without another word.

"All right," I relented once Baurus was gone, "what have you found out?"

Breathless, Martin told me, "I've learned that the Mysterium Xarxes is both the gate and the key to Camoran's Paradise. In some sense, the book is Camoran's Paradise."

"How is that possible?"

"Mankar Camoran bound himself to the Xarxes when he created his Paradise, using dark rituals which I will not speak of further. A gate can be opened from the outside, however. It will be more difficult, as I will have to temporarily bind myself to the book. But I believe it can be done."

I stared at him for a good long while.

"Are. You. Insane?"

"What other choice do we have? I'm the only one who knows how," he said.

Frustrated, I asked him, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Yes. The Xarxes mentions four items needed for the ritual, but so far I have only deciphered one of them: the "blood of a Daedra Lord."" He sounded hesitant. "In fact, Daedric artifacts are known to be formed from the essence of a Daedra Lord, from whence they derive their great power. Not an easy thing to come by, obviously."

"Obviously," I echoed with a sigh. "Where would I even start looking?"

He explained, "The only way to obtain a daedric artifact is through the cults devoted to each of the Daedric Lords. The book "Modern Heretics" is the best introduction to daedric cults. The library here has a copy if you need it. Meanwhile, I will continue working to decipher the arcane items needed for the binding ritual."

I quickly found myself in the library, spending several hours going over the book Martin suggested. It detailed the cult that supposedly had a shrine of Azura somewhere in the northeast part of Cyrodiil. I didn't like it, but at least it seemed promising. That is, until I read where it actually was. In the Jerall mountains, near Lake Arrius and the shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. If they hadn't abandoned it completely, they'd probably be prepared by now. It was likely they'd set up a trap for anyone who came back and started poking around in the area.

So that was out.

Where in Oblivion was I supposed to go?

Asking for rumors of Daedric shrines was difficult, especially now, but finding any feasible rumors was even harder. With Gates popping up all over, few people wanted to be openly associated with the Daedra, even the scholars who might have been more understanding before. Every single one of them was tight lipped about it. The handful of stories I did get led me west, where I wound up in Skingrad. I'd heard there was a shrine nearby, but I didn't know where it was or who it was for. It was my only lead, though, and there was no way in Oblivion I wasn't going to do everything in my power to find it.

The Mages' Guild in the city was a dead end. Either no one there knew about the shrine or they weren't telling. I was at the point where I was almost certain I'd have to go out and search the surrounding area on foot, and that seemed like a very bad, if not extremely dangerous, idea. Leaving the guild, I headed back down the crowded street. It was the middle of the afternoon, and the city was bustling with people. I needed to get out and think of a new plan. Time was short.

I suddenly felt something being pressed into my hand. When I looked, I saw that it was a crumpled-up piece of paper. Whoever had slipped it to me was long gone, and the people around me in the street carried on with their business. Curiosity got the better of me and I quickly slipped out of the crowd. Once I was alone, I smoothed out the note. To my surprise, the entire thing was written in Daedric script. I frowned.

You are looking for the Daedra. The Daedra are looking for you.

My master is waiting.

Beneath the words was a hastily-scrawled map that I recognized as being of Skingrad and the surrounding area. North of the city was an X. A shrine? I didn't like it, but what choice did I have? I needed to find one of the Princes' artifacts, and that meant bartering with a Daedric Prince. That note might have been my only chance.

I waited until dark before taking the road north from the city. There was no one else around and the only sounds I could hear were those of my own footsteps. Once the road turned east I left it and continued north, out into the dense fields of grasses and soft-purple winter flowers. The fields soon melted into the woods and the trees concealed hills that I had to climb. I wondered for the hundredth time exactly which Daedra wanted me out here and, more importantly, why.

Just when I was beginning to think that I was walking in circles, the woods broke at a large clearing. Numerous candles were set on boulders all around, dripping wax in long yellow tendrils. The statue of the Prince itself was massive, its gray stone worn from prolonged exposure to the elements. It depicted a large, horned man holding a tankard and resting one foot on a skull.

A small Bosmer man was the shrine's sole occupant. He was dressed in stained brown robes and his pointed ears stuck out from his thinning gray hair. When he saw me approach he gave me a grin.

"You came." He chuckled and gestured to the statue. "Come. Master Sanguine has been waiting for you."

I approached hesitantly.

"Ah, yes," a voice boomed from the statue. The words sounded drunkenly slurred. "The little mortal. I know what it is you seek, and I can grant it. In return I would have you perform a service for me."

"And what kind of service would that be, exactly?" I asked, crossing my arms and feeling more wary than ever.

The Daedric Prince let out a long, distressed sigh and said, "The Castle Leyawiin is a dull, dreary place. The mistress is an especially somber soul, and she's holding another pathetic excuse for a party. I want you to… liven it up. I'll give you a spell to use on the Countess and her guests that I think will make the party much more interesting. You should probably try to be inconspicuous. Or they might kill you. Oh, and the party is by invitation only. You'll have to find a way in."

Leyawiin? It would take me weeks to get there. "When is the party?"

"Now."

Now? "You can't expect me to walk–"

The voice laughed. "Who said anything about walking? Have fun."

There was an explosion of light. When it faded I coughed and waved my hand to disperse the golden smoke that floated around me. It made my head spin, and I shook it to clear it before looking around.

I was not at the shrine. Instead, I was surrounded by buildings whose outside walls were painted in bright greens, oranges, and yellows. The air was hot and muggy. Lampposts lit the streets with flickering firelight. Ahead was the stone wall of a castle. Men and women in fancy clothing passed through the main doorway and into the brightly lit hall beyond.

Sanguine had not left me out in that regard. Oh no. He'd somehow magically dressed me in an exquisite royal-blue gown. The overskirt was slit down the front and embroidered with silver threads in winding, intricate swirls. Ropes of pearls and sapphires embellished the top of the bodice, formed a circlet and necklace, and served as a long belt that hung nearly to the ground. The wealth of gems on me made my head swim. My hair was pulled up into a nest of thick curls, leaving a few strands loose to frame my face. I was sure, with all of this, I certainly looked the part.

I just hoped the guest list wasn't too heavily controlled.

I followed the guests through the gate and toward the front door. A guard stood watch, checking every person that entered the castle's interior.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, barring my way. "I don't remember you on the list."

"I'm sure it must be some kind of mistake," I said in as smooth a voice as I could manage. Inside I was shaking. Getting into a confrontation with a guard went against every one of my instincts.

"I don't know who you are, and I'm not all that sure about you, but..." He looked me over and his wary gaze melted away with a sigh. "You're dressed for it. Can't imagine dressing up for any other reason. Go on in."

I flashed him a smile and tried not to hurry past him too quickly.

The entrance hall was made entirely of white stone. Tall, elegant columns were draped with green banners patterned with knotted designs or images of rearing yellow horses. Statues of grim, robed figures were set in alcoves along the walls. A black iron chandelier hung above a long green and gold carpet. A set of stairs led up to a short corridor and into the throne room. The crowd inside was huge, milling about both in the throne room and in the entrance. Every one of them was, on closer look, just as adorned as I was, all in jewel-toned finery.

The hostess herself wasn't difficult to spot. The Countess was dressed in an emerald gown trimmed with gold. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders in auburn ringlets. She had to be a few years younger than I was, but she held herself with an aloof sort of dignity.

I slipped through the crowd, trying my best to remain inconspicuous. It wasn't particularly hard, but I didn't want to take any chances. Sanguine said he'd given me some kind of spell to use on the guests. He'd told me no incantation, so I could only assume that he'd hidden it in written form somewhere in my dress.

The main floor of the throne room was taken up by guests dancing to a slow, stately tune, so I skirted around them and up to the abandoned balcony. There I found a small roll of paper that was tucked into my bodice. Unrolling it, I quickly scanned the Daedric writing written on it in such bold letters that the ink bled through. I frowned when I read the words stark reality. Stark reality? What in Oblivion was that supposed to mean?

Crumpling up the paper, I closed my fist around it and squeezed my eyes shut, keeping the vision of the words in my mind. The power from the spell started to tingle against the inside of my palm. Somewhere in the distance, the chapel bells chimed for midnight. On the last stroke, I opened my fist and released the power.

The paper exploded in a shower of rose-red light. Screams echoed up from below as the glare of the light faded to reveal a crowd of entirely naked guests. Including me.

The Countess's eyes lifted to the balcony and fixed on me. "Get her!" Her face contorted as she shrieked and pointed at me. "Get her now!"

I ran, ripping open a nearby door and dashing through. From the sounds of boots on the flagstones behind me, the guards hadn't been affected by the spell. Of course not. I heard them follow me as I tore down the torch-lit stone halls, searching for some means of escape. Every turn just seemed to lead me deeper and deeper into the castle. Finally I found myself in a small room, lit only by what light that filtered in through the doorway. It was filled with a number of boxes and crates and nothing else. Worse, it was a dead end. At least I couldn't hear the guards anymore. They'd be there soon to look for me, I was sure of it. I crawled behind one of the boxes.

"Sanguine," I hissed, "now would be a really good time to get me out of here."

At first I was met with silence. Then a snide little voice asked in my ear, "What's the magic word?"

I scowled. "Please."

I closed my eyes as light flared around me. When I opened them I was once again at the shrine, kneeling in front of the statue. I got to my feet, crossing my arms and glaring angrily up at the carved image of the Daedric Prince.

"A rousing success, mortal! And it appears you joined in the festivities as well," Sanguine crowed.

"You didn't tell me that that's what the spell would do."

"And where would the fun in that have been? You need to lighten up. Don't worry; your boring old clothes are in the chest behind you."

I pulled it open and rummaged through as he continued to ramble. "Wasn't it fun, looking like a princess for even just a little while?"

"No."

"Ah, well. Your prince was in another castle anyway."

I stopped, halfway through pulling my shirt out of the chest. No. It was a coincidence. I tugged my shirt on over my head.

"I suppose you'll want something for your efforts. Here." A long wooden staff appeared in my hands once I finished dressing. It was carved like a rose, complete with long thorns that I made sure to keep my hands far away from.

"If that's it," I said, "then I'm going."

"Tell Martin I said hello, will you?"

I froze. Then I turned, feeling numb with shock, but the statue was silent and the candles were all dark.

Martin was, as I expected, in the Great Hall studying the Mysterium Xarxes when I returned to cloud ruler temple. I approached slowly, unsure. Sanguine mentioning him by name had thrown me off. The more I thought about it, the more deliberate Sanguine seeking me out seemed to be. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Martin… I've got one of the Princes' artifacts."

He set down the book and got to his feet. The smile he gave me was hesitant.

"Let's see it," he said.

When I unstrapped the Rose from my back and unwrapped it, all the blood suddenly drained from his face. He grew very still.

"Martin? What is it?" I asked, feeling worried.

He didn't answer me at first. Instead he stared, almost uncomprehendingly, at the staff in my hands. When he finally did speak, his words sounded broken. "I thought I'd sent you to the Shrine of Azura. How did you get this?"

"I couldn't go to her shrine. It was too close to Dagon's." That wasn't important right now, however. "You know this staff, Martin. How?"

His expression of numb disbelief didn't change. "I once possessed it, briefly… a lifetime ago, it seems now… To obtain it, and then give it up… I won't ask what you went through to obtain this, my friend."

No, but I wanted nothing more than to ask him what in Talos's holy name had happened to warrant the haunted look on his face.