Disclaimer: Bethesda roxors my soxors. Lol roflcopter! -winces-
A/N: Whoo, this chapter was fun to write. And I wrote basically the whole thing during my free period at school. Whoo!
Destrina peered around the corner, then looked back to Rock. "I see him. The one with the Argonian chained to his wrist?"
Rock-In-The-River nodded, suppressing a hiss. "Yes."
Destrina frowned. "He's very alert for someone on guard duty. Strange." She scratched a note in her journal, frowning.
"What should we do?" Rock asked.
Destrina shut her journal with a snap and tucked it back in her tunic. "Well, we want to get past him, don't we? In order to see what's behind that door?" She frowned in thought, then grinned impishly. "I've just had an idea. Wait here."
Rock-In-The-River raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, but he stayed in place as Destrina stood up and walked, bold as day, towards the sentry. The Dunmer stiffened at her approach.
"Move along, n'wah," he rasped, sounding bored, "I haven't the time to deal with vagrants."
Destrina smiled pleasantly. "Actually," she said cheerfully, "I just wanted to know something." She inclined her head behind and to the left of the Dunmer. "Is that the time?"
The Dunmer turned, confused, then sank to the floor, stunned.
"Okay, Pebble," Destrina called, lowering her mace, "You can come out now." She rifled in the pockets of the unconscious Dunmer and found the key for the Argonian slave, who had been watching with wide eyes.
"You are much fools being," The female Argonian breathed in wonder. "But Oon-Wai the thrice-blessed in freedom thanks you greatly!" She bowed low, her nose almost touching the floor.
Rock-In-The-River helped her stand upright. "What goes on back here?" He asked, motioning to the doorway.
Oon-Wai nodded, thinking. "Slaves and much strangeness, honoured sera. Pink things - and brown things," she added, with a meaningful look towards Destrina, "Go in but none come out. I," she tapped herself on her scaled chest, "Be here for guarding with the guard, not see much. Behind, friends of Oon-Wai know much better. But scared to tell they may be." She looked at the key in Destrina's hand. "To free them they also might be thrice-grateful, thrice-blessed."
Rock made a strange hissing and clicking noise, and Oon-Wai nodded, then turned and loped off.
"What was that?" Destrina asked.
"Argonian language," Rock-In-The-River said shortly. "I told her where to hide." He looked stubbornly at the door and refused to elaborate.
The door was locked, and the slave-key did not work on it. While Rock-In-The-River picked at the locks, Destrina checked on the fallen sentinel.
"Hrm." She said, sounding worried.
"What is it?" Rock said, not looking up from the lock.
"Seems I didn't hit him hard enough," she said, conversationally. "He's coming around."
Rock sighed, then resumed his picking of the lock. "Is there something you could do, Redguard? Because I'm a little busy here."
"Of course." She smiled at the fallen Dunmer. She placed her too palms together, and said gently, "I'm sorry for what I must do. I hope you can forgive me." She smiled, then placed her open palm on the Dunmer's forehead. He lolled, then stood up, his eyes sharp and hostile.
Rock whirled, blade in hand. "Redguard, what did you…" He stopped when he saw Destrina's self-satisfied grin. "What did you do?"
"Magic," she smirked. "Not bad for a mere healer, hey?" She nodded at the door. "Open yet?"
"Almost," said Rock, looking suspiciously at the Dunmer. "What did you do to him?"
Destrina waved a vague hand, and the Dunmer turned around and stared sullenly out at the empty canalworks. "A mixture of a calm humanoid spell, a domination spell, and an illusion. He won't remember anything once the spell wears off." She paused, then added thoughtfully, "He might wonder where 'his slave' has gone, though."
"When will the spell wear off?" Rock asked nervously, as the lock clicked open.
Destrina looked a little concerned, but shrugged. "In about five minutes, so we'd better hurry."
They swung the door open and stepped inside, not knowing what to expect. Three Khajiit and an old Argonian snapped to attention before they saw who exactly had walked through the doors.
"More game for deh wizards?" The Argonian asked ponderously.
"Heh," one of the Khajiit snickered, "Fools they be to walk this path." The Argonian silenced him with a glance.
"Forgive Rashjaad," the old Argonian said, "But here death and fear is all dat we know."
Rock-In-The-River flattened his frills and gave a small bow. "Greetings, elder."
The Argonian looked amused. "Elder, yes, but greetings not. You should leave, freed ones, and quickly."
Destrina held up the key. "But we've come to free you."
The Khajiit that had spoken wheezed out laughter. "Fools they be indeed!" Though he was silenced by a snarl from one of the other Khajiit, he continued to smirk.
The old Argonian slave looked long at the key in Destrina's hand. "It would be death for us to free us. Here, at least, we live."
"Though livin' be hard, at least be livin'," one of the other Khajiit offered.
Destrina looked to Rock, at a loss, but the Argonian assassin was simply nodding. "You did not see us, den," Rock-In-The-River said simply, "And you certainly did not tell us anything about the not-slaves who have been brought here, speaking with no tongues."
The four slaves fell into a horrified silence. Even the caustic Khajiit looked too scared to speak.
The old Argonian shook his scarred head. "We say nothing of dat. We know nothing of what lies beyond dat door." He motioned vaguely to a door half-hidden by a screen. Destrina crossed the room quickly and tried it.
"Locked," she reported. She started looking around on the shelves and in crates and chests for the key.
Rock-In-The-River looked expectantly at the old Argonian. "What else do you not know about, elder one?"
Before he could answer, the striped Khajiit leapt forward and snarled in Rock's face. "Hrrssst! Speakin' no more, be we!" He extended his claws threateningly. "You canna help us, and you will return to dee col' of deh shackles or deh col' o' dee grave - by my hand or deh hand of the wizards!" he snarled and spat, kept suddenly at bay by Rock-In-The-River's drawn blade. "Huh! Think you scare me, lizard? Liddle blade not hurt. Wizard magic hurt. Hurt here," he tapped the side of his head, then purred. "But perhaps lizard misses slavery, perhaps? P'raps death be better, yes, maybe…" Suddenly, the Khajiit's eyes glazed over, and he toppled
Destrina hefted her mace in one hand, and shrugged. She then knelt down and murmured the same spell she'd used on the Dunmer outside.
Rock was trembling with rage. He spat on the fallen slave, then looked back at the remaining three, who were watching the scene with fear. "Friends, we do not have long. We seek to put an end to dese wizards' plans. Can you tell us anything?"
The old Argonian watched thoughtfully as the caustic Khajiit rose to his feet and stomped sullenly back to the corner, prompted only by Destrina's word. Then, he turned to Rock-In-The-River. "Know this," The Argonian said calmly, "By entering here you have brought certain death on your heads."
"We all die someday," Destrina said stoically. "Can you help us?"
The Argonian paused, then turned away. "I wish I could help you, freed-ones. But bound as I am by magic and pain, I can tell you nothing."
"Nothing?" Destrina looked back at the doorway. "But surely, you'd have seen something?"
The Argonian shook his head slowly. "I know nothing of these books," he said, waving a hand at the shelf beside him. "Nothing at all."
Rock smiled in understanding. "You do not know if the wizard reads them?"
The old Argonian smiled back. "I do not know that he uses them all frequently. I am sorry I cannot help you."
Destrina pulled something out of her pocket, then ran over to the books. She stared at them intently, then squeezed her eyes shut. "Rock, get them."
He raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"
"The books!" Destrina hissed, "Get them, quickly!"
"Which ones?" Rock asked, looking from the books to the healer.
"All of them!" There was a shout outside. Destrina winced. "The spell's worn off. Hurry!"
Rock grabbed all the books and staggered back out of Destrina's way. She was murmuring something under her breath, and holding something in her hand. A soul gem. Rock-In-The-River heard the shrill screech of a dying scamp, and there was a flicker of something in the air around Destrina's hand..
"Where's the shelf?"
Rock directed her, and Destrina gingerly placed the soul gem where the books had once been. Then she opened her eyes and stepped back. The books were back on the shelf - or, they seemed to be.
"An illusion," Rock breathed, awed.
"Won't hold if the wizard tries to read his books, though." Destrina said wryly.
The sentinel was at the door, trying to get in, but it was locked fast. The sentinel swore and cursed, and started hammering at the door.
The old Argonian turned slowly to face Destrina and Rock-In-The-River. "If you have means to escape, I tink you should use them."
Rock swore softly. The door was their only way out. Unless… He looked to Destrina. She looked back at him, and shrugged hopelessly.
"Nothing?" Rock asked. "Not even a scroll?"
"I have one spell," Destrina whispered as the sentinel outside decided to kick down the door, "But I don't know if it's safe!"
"Try it anyway!" Rock-In-The-River hissed. The door was buckling on its hinges.
Destrina looked back to the old Argonian. "We'll be back for you."
The old slave just nodded. "I can only hope."
Destrina grabbed hold of Rock's arm and shouted a single word. The world swirled in colours and shapes not meant to be seen with mortal eyes just as the sentinel burst in. Rock heard him cursing and swearing and reaching for them before sound meant nothing and there was nothing but the blurring of sight and the senses. All Rock knew for certain was that Destrina had a hand on his arm, and his arms were full of something heavy.
Something solid loomed! Rock staggered and fell, and the books flew out of his arms to thud gracelessly on the floor. Rock-In-The-River himself tried to right himself before crashing head-first into the opposite wall. He wisely decided to sit down and wait until his sight cleared and the nausea passed. He wasn't entirely certain he possessed all of his limbs.
"You know," Destrina said, sitting down beside him, her voice sounding as though it were coming from underwater, "I wasn't actually sure that would work."
Rock swore in Argonian until he felt a bit better. "Don't," he rasped, "Ever do dat to me again." He could see the linear pattern made by Destrina's cornrow braids. For some reason it fascinated his eyes. He tried to shake himself, but gave up, as that just made him want to be sick. Even more so.
"Trust me," Destrina said cheerfully, "I won't. It's only meant to be for one person, anyway. I was certain it wouldn't have worked, or that you would have been torn apart, or something. It's amazing you survived."
Rock swore for longer this time, then closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He had all his limbs. And his tail. But he was still going to be sick. So he said so.
"You're welcome," Destrina said dryly. After a pause, Rock felt her stand up. "Let's see what crazed Telvanni wizards read in their spare time, shall we?"
Rock-In-The-River gave a cry and nearly toppled as the room gave a lurch. "No! Barricade dee door first."
Destrina did so, dragging across the heavy chest and then pulling at the bed. It took a moment for Rock to reorient himself. There was a bed in here?
"Dis is deh room in deh Black Shalk," he said stupidly, as the magic was allowing his senses to return.
Destrina put the bed up on its end and jammed the legs against the doorframe. "Yes."
Rock frowned, then risked standing up, using the wall to support him. "Was dis a recall spell you used, Destrina?"
The Redguard smiled a clear white smile. "Don't be silly. What if someone else had been in here?" While Rock-In-The-River tried to accept this, Destrina added, "This was where you decided we should go."
The logic of the situation played hide-and-seek in Rock's fuzzy mind. "Where I decided? What…? How…?"
"Kidding!"
Rock swore in common this time.
Destrina looked amused. "It wasn't a recall spell, but it's similar. Sometimes fiddling with magic isn't a good idea, but I'd say it was good for me I like to experiment with spells."
The look Rock gave Destrina told her he clearly disagreed, but he had no real choice in the matter. She smiled in return, then knelt down and picked up the books, looking at the covers as she did so.
"Strange books for a wizard to use," she said, frowning, "None of them particularly seem very magical." She sat down and read one. Rock gathered up the rest, and had to agree. None of them seemed arcane - you could buy them at any bookstore. What made them so important?
"Oh my," Destrina was blushing, but her expression was horrified. "This is…" She winced, and put the book down. "Not pleasant."
Rock reached for the book Destrina had set aside as she picked up another. 'A Less Rude Song'. Rock had read it before, as well as 'A Rude Song', which had been smuggled all the way from Daggerfall. He could understand why Destrina was blushing. He opened the book and refreshed his memory, though he knew he'd be better off without the associated memories.
They say
The Iliac Bay
Is the place to barrel around
Without a bit of apparel on,
As advertised in that carol song
A tune that's sung as the west wind blows
About it lovely not wearing any clothes.
Ladies singing high notes, men singing lows,
Implying that the most luscious depravity
And complete absence of serious gravity
Can only be found in the waterous cavity
Of Iliac Bay.
It seemed quite harmless at first, Rock thought grimly, before it descended into this:
If you are the type who is more a sinner than a sinned,
You'll find it all in Morrowind.
He skipped a few lines, focusing on the refrains.
Whatever your odd needs: feathered, scaled, or finned,
You'll find it all in Morrowind…
If you find yourself with unkind kinship with your kin
You'll find it all in Morrowind.
With a smirk, Rock remembered how he'd taunted several Morag Tong victims into attacking him just by mentioning the possibility of an illicit affair between the victim and his mother, or the mother and a guar… or a nix-hound… or an Ogrim… Or all at once.
So, the wizard was a pervert? Indulging in a little reading on a 'touchy' subject? Rock closed the book, feeling that there was no great leap there. If the wizard felt that 'females' were of most importance, why shouldn't he read a book like this? Then Rock-In-The-River frowned, remembering something. The male Imperial that was dragged away - I'm certain that there was something more to his kidnapping and torture than just depravity…
Destrina looked up from her book, sighing. "'The Vagaries of Magicka' - you can find this in every Telvanni tower. What makes these books so important?" She looked through the other titles restlessly - 'Last Scabbard of Akrash', 'The Locked Room', 'The Poison Song', 'Palla'…
"We are missing something," Rock said, laying aside 'A Less Rude Song' and picking up the book at his feet. "Something obvious, which explains everything. Some kind of linking theme, perhaps…" He looked at the book's title, and felt a chill run down his spine. "Destrina, perhaps you should see this."
Destrina crossed the room and sat down beside Rock. "It was published by the Council of Healers of the Imperial University," she said, frowning. "What would a Telvanni want with that?" She pulled the book between the two of them, and they read together. Rock-In-The-River read the first sentence and felt a cold shiver, from his frills to his tail. Destrina was clearly thinking the same thing - she looked up and held his gaze.
"They wouldn't dare," she breathed.
Rock's frills reddened. "Dee Telvanni are wise. But they believe that wisdom is power, and power is right. They believe they have the right to do these things."
"This is more than just smuggling." Destrina's voice was low in terror. "Much more."
So this was why the females were important. This was why the males were separated from them. This was why the Telvanni went to such lengths to hide their activities.
Rock looked down at the book, and read the excerpt once more to himself.
After much analysis of living specimens, the Council long ago determined that all "races" of elves and humans may mate with each other and bear fertile offspring. Generally the offspring bear the racial traits of the mother, though some traces of the father's race may also be present. It is less clear whether the Argonians and Khajiit are inter-fertile with both humans and elves. Though there have been many reports throughout the Eras of children from these unions, as well as stories of unions with daedra, there have been no well documented offspring…