Chapter Nine: Ambush

Sornado and the rest of the group set their overflowing sacks down with a sigh, thankful to be out of the dungeon and back with the rest of the raiding party, even with the midday sun beating down on them and their tents. The Redguards who had stayed behind to rest stood up and gathered around, eager to see what had been brought back. Khali stood off to the side, clutching her little box. She needed to leave. She had what she came for, and it was time to move on. She planned to head deeper into Hammerfell for now. One staff piece had been here, so maybe the others were too.

Making up her mind, Khali trotted over to Sornado, and he glanced at her questioningly. "I'm ready to move on," she told him. "I need to get moving."

He stared at her, confused. "You do not want to stay for the rest of the raid?"

"No. I've already decided on my three items."

Sornado shrugged. "Very well." He led her to the table where the treasures had been spread out. "Take your pick."

Khali took the staff piece out of the box and placed it on the table. Next, she pulled the destruction spellbook out of her bag and placed the tome besides the piece of wood. Lastly, she walked over to where the horses were being kept, grabbed the lead of the one that had carried her, and walked it back to the table. "These three."

The general raised an eyebrow. "The horse?" he asked. "With some of these treasures you could buy a thousand horses."

"What good is a thousand horses to one traveller?" Khali asked. "This one will suit me just fine."

Sornado turned back to the table, inspecting the staff piece and the tome. "These are what you want? A stick and a book on magic?"

"And the horse," Khali added. "Is that acceptable?" She tensed, prepared to fight her way out if necessary. There was no way she was leaving without that staff piece.

Sornado shook his head. "No. That's not acceptable." He straightened up and faced her. "You saved the life of one of my men, and you are merely taking junk from this expedition." He untied a pouch from his waist and dropped it on the spellbook. The cloth pouch made a faint clinking sound as it landed. "Now it's acceptable. Please take these one thousand gold pieces as a thank you."

Khali stared at him, confused. "Why? I don't understand."

Sornado sighed. "You saved my brother's life. That is a debt I cannot repay with mere gold, but I still want to try."

Her ears pricked. "Dorson is your brother?"

"Not by blood, no. But we were raised together. I cannot imagine returning home without him. Please, take the gold, and if you need a favor, you merely need to return and ask for me, Khali."

Tail twitching, she smiled. "Thank you, Sornado. I wish you luck on the rest of your expedition."

He smiled. "I must thank you. Safe riding, Khali."

Within a few minutes, Khali was packed up and moving steadily across the dunes to the west, Sornado's calls of thanks ringing in her ears. It felt good to be thanked for something. It filled her heart and blocked out the dread that had become a constant factor in the last few weeks, making her hopeful. Even if she couldn't stop Jagar Tharn by herself, she had friends now.

Khali dosed contently at a small oasis, leaning against her sleeping horse. She clutched the staff piece still, afraid of losing it in the vast sandy dunes. The unnatural warmth coming from the wood made her fur stand on end, but she wasn't letting it leave her grasp.

"Khali…"

The Khajiit leaped up and drew her sword, a shing ringing through the night air. She squinted into the darkness, scanning the sandy horizons.

"Khali."

She whipped around, seeing a familiar face with black hair. "Ria!" she exclaimed, sheathing her sword. Looking around, she realized she must be dreaming again. Her horse hadn't moved when she leaped up, and the beast was still snoring softly.

Ria smiled, excitement in her translucent eyes. "You've retrieved the first staff piece! That in itself was not a simple task."

"Tell me about it," Khali said, rubbing her face. "Half of my whiskers got burned off."

Ria chuckled. "Well, I hope you are ready for your next task. I've found the location of the second staff piece. There was once a great maze, built by the Archmagus Shalidor to guard what he called Glamorill, which is the elven term for 'The Secret of Life.'"

"I've never heard of it," Khali confessed.

"It was also referred to as the Labyrinthian."

"That I've heard of." When Khali was a cub, she had heard tales of the mysterious maze where travellers disappeared as they sought after treasure and glory. "Isn't it to the north?"

Ria nodded. "But the precise location I do not know, but I recommend heading north. According to the old texts, Shalidor made his home in a fortress of ice. I doubt that he would have built the Labyrinthian far from his home."

Khali nodded. "That could be Highrock or Skyrim. I'm closer to Skyrim, so I'll head that way and ask around."

"Perfect," the sorceress said, seeming hopeful. "I shall leave you to it then."

Khali threw out her hands. "Wait wait! I wanted to ask if you could teach me how to use magic."

Ria seemed surprised. "Magic? Well I guess it couldn't hurt, but the gift of sorcery is hereditary. If you do not have the gift, you will never be able to cast a single spell."

"I know, but I still want to try it out."

"Of course," Ria smiled, looking excited to teach her. "First rule of magic: you must always-"

Suddenly everything was dark. Ria disappeared, along with the very ground Khali was standing on. Khali's eyes widened. "Ria?!" Was her magic spent? How would she find the rest of the staff?

An ominous green glow appeared in front of the Khajiit, and she instinctively drew her sword. A hooded figure manifested itself inside the green glow, red eyes staring out from the cloak. Khali's eyes widened and her tail bushed out. That stare was unmistakable.

"You have made a fatal mistake," Jagar Tharn spat, his voice sharp and piercing like a dagger. "Ria Silmane and her feeble powers are no protection for you, even if you did escape the sewers that I threw you in! I should have discorporated Ria when I had the chance, and I will not be making the same mistake again. I will use the same dream bridge that she uses, sending my minions across time and space to deal with you swiftly. Already they arrive, ones worthy of the attention you deserve. They will relieve you of the burden of the Staff piece you now hold. Give it to them and I will order your death painless and quick. Resist and I shall see you in such suffering that you will grovel for the sweet release of death!"

Khali opened her eyes and jumped up, breathing hard. She looked around, ears swiveling and tail lashing as she tried to shake the dream off. This was bad. Tharn was onto her, and Ria… Was Ria alright? She wasn't well educated in the realms of magic and didn't know if Ria would be able to contact her again.

She squinted into the distance, spotting a shadow.

That wasn't something she could focus on right now. She'd have to worry about it later.

Waking her horse, Khali quickly grabbed her things and jumped into the saddle. She didn't look back until the horse was galloping across the sand to the north. Her night vision not abandoning her, Khali spotted a woman shuffling along about a hundred yards away, following her at a slow but steady pace. The woman was wearing a blue and gold robe and had sagging, wrinkled gray skin that clung to her bones. She was clutching a long blue staff with a white gem perched at the top. The woman paused, shoulder length blood red hair whipping around her face and flowing behind her thanks to the desert wind. The woman raised her staff, her red eyes meeting Khali's, and a moment later a bolt of blue lightning shot out of it, heading straight for the fleeting Khajiit.

Khali yanked on the reins, forcing the horse to violently swerve as the lightning struck the sand where they had been moments before, sending sand shooting into the air as it made contact with the ground. Jagged lines sizzled across the dune, and Khali dug her heels into the horse's sides, forcing the beast into an all out sprint.

Khali didn't look back again.

Author's Note: Hey all! I wanna see how many of you know about Elder Scrolls: Arena monsters! Take a guess at what's chasing Khali. Tis spookyyyy