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Chapter 55 - Rescue
20 First Seed, 5E 3
Yssha's day started off as had become her routine. Seridur woke her at eight, bringing her dragon-tongue tisane, which she drank as she groomed herself for the day. Breakfast at nine, then Seridur briefing her on her clients for the day.
"It's going to be slow, I'm afraid," he began. "Your ten o'clock is a Justiciar Lord named Sorcalin and his bodyguard, here on leave from Valenwood, but after that ... something's come up, and the rest will probably cancel or just no-show."
Yssha refused to get her hopes up. Sorcalin wasn't exactly a common Altmer name, but it wasn't all that unusual, either. She reached for her pad and charcoal. "What is it?"
"A couple of Imperial fleets showed up overnight sometime - they're standing at anchor offshore, just out of weapon range. The High Commanders are in an uproar."
"Then I will have to hope those two are ... adequate."
"They paid the extra for stamina potions, and the Justiciar doesn't want me to prep you - says he can do it himself - so you should be okay. Want me to have some extra guards standing by, just in case?"
Yssha shook her head, with a don't-bother hand gesture, then wrote again. If it was Uncle Sorcalin, she didn't want to make things difficult for him ... and she'd prefer to get Seridur out of the line of fire, as well. It was thanks to him, after all, that she was no longer being tortured. "Would like gleamblossom tisane after, then."
"Figures." Seridur chuckled. "I'll bring 'em down when they arrive, then head for Anitra's Specialties to get you some fresh gleamblossoms."
Yssha gave him a smile of thanks, and he left.
Seridur greeted the only two clients he really expected, showed them down to the sub-basement, and excused himself to go buy a treat for the Dragon Lady. "The guards and she are expecting you, my Lord, so just go on in. Her eleven o'clock and most of the others have cancelled, so take as long with her as you want."
"Those Imperial fleets?" Sorcalin asked. When Seridur nodded, he said, "I probably shouldn't indulge myself, but a single Justiciar visiting from Valenwood wouldn't be much use. Go ahead; we'll see ourselves out when we're done."
When Seridur was out of sight, they looked around. This special unit didn't hold many prisoners, but there were a number of guards, mostly looking bored at the occasional scream. Andreius counted ten, and there might be that many more out of sight, plus however many were in Yssha's suite.
There turned out to be three of those, and the senior stood when they entered. "Lord Sorcalin and bodyguard?"
"Yes," Sorcalin replied. "Sergeant Seridur said we're expected."
"Yes, my Lord." The trooper bowed. "Just a final reminder. You can do pretty much anything non-harmful to her that you want, but she's not to be injured. She screams in pain, and we check. We've been around her long enough to know her sounds."
"You're here to protect her?" Andreius asked in surprise.
"Mostly," the guard replied. "That, and add some finishing touches if her clients aren't quite enough to satisfy her."
"I don't think you'll need to worry about either one," Sorcalin assured them.
Yssha was on her bed, reclining as Seridur had coached her, when the Justiciar and bodyguard entered her room, and she caught familiar scents. Andreius looked like himself, but Sorcalin looked more aristocratic than usual, and as arrogant as a real Thalmor. She stood, smiling, and embraced both, purring.
Sorcalin gestured her to silence before remembering that wasn't necessary, and spoke softly enough the guards wouldn't be able to hear through the closed door. "Are you all right, youngster?"
Except for her tongue, she was fine, so she nodded.
"Good. We're getting you out of here. Let's try 'porting, first." He took her hand and Andreius', focusing on his childhood hideout. Not much to his surprise, the wards blocked him, so he shrugged. "We do it the hard way, then. You're unarmed, no armor, and can't spellcast or Shout, so stay behind us as much as you can."
Yssha nodded agreement. She could grab a weapon, but there was no way she'd be able to wear Altmer-sized armor, so in this case, there was almost nothing she could do.
Andreius grinned at his partner, unsheathing Moonbeam. "Let's do it."
Sorcalin nodded, then led the way back to the outer room, where he cast a paralysis spell on the guards, and Andreius killed them. Yssha disapproved - these guards had become hers - but she couldn't object. Once they were dead, she took a glass sword from one, then followed her honorary uncles out of the interrogation suite for the first time in ... how long? She had no idea. More than days, probably not years ... weeks? months?
A quick glance assured Sorcalin the sub-basement door was closed, so he moved toward the cells and the guards there. It wasn't long before they were spotted, and the guard drew his sword, moving toward them. "Who are you, and what're you doing with her? She ain't supposed to be out of her suite!"
Neither bothered replying, Andreius attacking immediately. The guard blocked with his blade, which did him no good, since Moonbeam cut it in two and continued moving, to nearly remove the guard's head.
Yssha felt useless, watching as her uncles slew Thalmor soldiers with blade and magic. The only action she personally saw was when one briefly got past Andreius, and she had to block with her sword, then Andreius spun, and took the guard's arm off, spattering her with blood.
It probably didn't take any longer than a fight against an equal number of bandits, but for Yssha, it dragged on for what felt like an entire dungeon run. At one point, she saw the couple of cells that had been set up as a tannery. Two pelts were still on tanning racks, several others bundled on a nearby table. These were hers, and she wanted them, so she memorized teleport points. She would definitely be back, as soon as she had a place within her range to put them!
With all the Thalmor dead, Sorcalin took their hands again and cast a teleport spell.
Yssha found herself in a dirt cave, an unexpectedly pleasant change from a Thalmor interrogation suite turned into a bordello room. Andreius took her jaws between his hands, and she felt the heat of a Healing Hands spell seep into her, then flesh regrowing until her tongue was whole. She swallowed a few times, surprised by how easy it was, again, then she tried to speak. "An ... Andreius. Sorcalin. Thank you." Her voice sounded strange, and being able to speak again was odd, but they smiled. "What ... how ... "
"Later, kiddo," Andreius said, smiling. "Get dressed first, then we talk." He pointed to a pile of dragonscale armor, complete with smallclothes and padding. She looked at it distastefully. "I have not worn anything in ... how long? Since I was taken."
"Two months and four days," Sorcalin replied. "I don't really want to ask this, but we need to know. What ... was happening to you?"
Yssha studied the pile of gear, trying to decide what she'd absolutely have to wear. Breastband and armor padding, definitely, but Talos had said he would modify her armor, so perhaps only the war-kilt for thigh protection and the shin guards and boots lower. She began dressing slowly, discovering the padding now included a knee-length linen skirt, a combination the Legion called a subarmalis. "Physically? Probably about what you would imagine. Rape and various other forms of torture, until about two weeks ago. Mentally, however, I was getting history lessons which shielded me from the physical. I knew it was going on, but my soul-guests shielded me from the pain and mental trauma."
"So Odahviing was right," Andreius said, with satisfaction. "The tempering was mental, rather than physical?"
"Precisely." Yssha winced. "I think it would have been easier the other way. Some of the things I remember from Alduin's thur-ship I ... cannot un-remember, much as I would like to. He fell from the heights of Akatosh almost to the depths of Mehrunes Dagon." Her voice took on an echoing tone. "I will not do the same, after the tempering. I know what temptations and dangers to avoid, the hard way."
"No, you won't," Andreius agreed. "Want some help, there?"
"If you would," Yssha replied. She could get into the armor by herself if she had to, but it was definitely easier with help. He fastened the war-kilt Talos had provided for waist-to-knee protection, then helped her into the cuirass, greaves, and gauntlets, and handed her her mace.
Then he smiled. "There - you look more like yourself. How do you feel?"
Yssha squirmed a bit, trying to get the cuirass to settle properly. "Awkward," she admitted then. "I had forgotten how heavy and restrictive even light armor can be. Though the kilt instead of rigid thigh protection may fit my combat style better."
Sorcalin chuckled. "After two months of wearing nothing at all, I think we can understand that. But you'll get used to it again quickly enough. And yeah, it probably will."
"It is reassuring, I must admit, to have the weight of my mace at my hip again. What is the plan?"
"As soon as you feel able to Shout, it begins," Andreius said. "Calling Odahviing will start the initial assault, then at noon, the big show begins."
"Big show." She felt ... she wasn't sure. She'd been out of touch far too long. "Please ... what is going on?"
"The end of the Second Great War," Sorcalin told her. "What's been happening while you were captive guarantees that. It starts when you summon the dragons, and Odahviing insisted you be close enough to see that part. They'll hit the city hard, except for the Palace; Marcurio wants to kill your two Justiciars personally, not risk them being killed by falling rocks or something. Then at noon, the ground assault begins. We have two Imperial fleets with two full Legions aboard, plus a large force of Argonians ready to come ashore."
Yssha nodded. "Then I have time to retrieve my pelts - at least the ones Nerissa did not give away or sell. I will be back shortly."
Before either of them could object, she 'ported to the cells. One of the prisoners saw her, and began begging her to release him and the rest, but since he didn't need immediate healing, she shook her head. "That will have to wait for the Legions, in about an hour and a half. My friends and I have no way to care for you, and if you are free when the fighting starts, you will undoubtedly be killed. Be patient for a bit more."
"Why're you here, then?"
"To reclaim the pelts Nerissa took from me. If I can find something to carry the loose ones in."
The prisoner grinned. "You'd be Dovahkiin, then. We heard the guards talking. Yeah, we'll wait for the Legion - and you should find a backpack in the storage room ... uh, to your left and about fifty feet away."
Yssha bowed her thanks. "My blessings on all the innocents here."
The man sagged in relief, and she moved away, to find the backpack. Once she had the loose pelts stowed, she touched both the full tanning racks, and 'ported back to the dirt cave.
Andreius gave her a resigned look as she stowed them and the backpack in the rear of the cave. "Are you ready now?"
"Yes." She moved to the mouth of the cave. "Od ... Ah-Viing! Dov...Grah-Aak!" Then, on impulse, "Dur ... Neh-Viir!"
Minutes later, she was both gratified and appalled as the largest group of dovah she had ever seen descended on Alinor City, in precise squadron formations, flaming and using Unrelenting Force.
Yssha watched the attack with mixed feelings. She was proud of the Skyguard's ability, dragons raking the city with fire and force, riders invisible at this distance but undoubtedly using distance weapons and magic to help kill Thalmor. At the same time, she knew such massive destruction was killing others as well as Thalmor, which she didn't like. And even though Seridur was a Thalmor, she bore him no ill will, and found herself hoping he would somehow manage to survive that inferno.
But she couldn't deny he'd changed her permanently, and she had no idea how she was going to cope. She had the sexual appetites of a healthy female dragon, in a society that strongly discouraged promiscuity, particularly in women. Even a priestess of Dibella, celebrating that Divine's more intimate rites, was often looked down on. Yet she'd gotten used to exactly that, and she had no desire at all to give it up If she even could, given what Talos had told her.
It would have been easier on her reputation if she were a man, she thought. They weren't supposed to be promiscuous either, but when one was, it was likelier to be excused, even sometimes admired. The two with her, for instance. They were attractive, and she was as certain as she could be without actual knowledge that neither of them had lacked for amatory partners. Yet she was equally certain they would be horrified if their "little Yssha" were to proposition them. So she wouldn't.
