I awoke under a heavy blanket of ash. After a stabbing fear of being buried alive, I flung myself to my feet, slinging ash in every direction. My scarf had tangled in my sleep and I tore it off my face. The storm was over, with only a slight breeze carrying the irritating flecks of ash. The place where I found myself was a huge valley surrounded by mountains. Lake Nabia was the dominating feature, taking up three fourths of the valley. The face of the water was covered in a moving skin of floating ash. There was a clear spot on the surface to the south where I assumed the river was steadily carrying the skin a few miles out to the sea.

Thirty yards up the beach and a little south from us stood a towering structure. It was a fortress no less than four stories high. It was made from an adobe material that matched the tan of the surrounding landscape and caused it to blend into the background.

I opened my map while Ajira awoke much the same way I had. No sooner had she thrown off her scarf then she started yelling, her voice hoarse from the dry ash laden air. "Never has Ajira been so miserable as she was yesterday. Ajira didn't come to Morrowind to get lost and die under a pile of ash. Ajira quits! Ajira will find work with someone else."

Ignoring her and studying the map, I realized what the fortress was and clamped a hand over her maw. "Ajira, I think that's the bandit fort the soldiers warned us about."

Her eyes widened with understanding and she removed my hand, whispering, "What should we do?"

I scanned the area to make sure we hadn't been noticed and took in the details. There was nobody outside the building and no sign of life. I noted a small dock with four row boats. "Didn't you say you needed to go south to Suran for your research?"

"Forget the research. Ajira is quitting the guild."

"Well, either way, we'll leave this place eventually. We can either go back the way we came or we can take one of those boats."

"You mean steal?"

"Unless you'd like to risk another ash storm."

Ajira glared daggers at me. "Fine, we steal the boat." She moved toward the dock, but stopped when she realized I wasn't following. "What are you doing?"

"I still have a job to do. Feel free to go without me. The river should lead right to Suran."

Ajira glanced between me and the dock. "But Ajira cannot go alone. Ajira cannot swim. She has never even rowed a boat."

I shrugged and looked at my map. "Then you'd better stick with me." I found a dot on the map that was marked Punabi and turned in the direction opposite the fortress. Ajira didn't follow me right away. I kept walking though, and she eventually fell in line beside me. At a glance, I saw she was angry, maybe even on the verge of tears. This surprised me. I turned to look ahead, afraid that any provocation might push her over the edge.

I should say something, I thought. But what? I reached into my bag and grabbed one of several small burlap sacks. This one contained dried plums. I held the the bag out to her. "Here, we can eat on the go."

Ajira sniffed, discreetly trying to get ahold of herself and accepted my offering. We also ate dried apples and strips of jerky from an animal I'd admittedly never heard of before. I worried when I drained the last of my water, but this was one place Ajira could help. She filled our skins from the lake and performed a spell to purify it. It was something I'd seen done before, but had never taken the time to learn myself.

There were several Foyodas leading into the valley from the north. I chose the one closest to Punabi and within fifteen minutes, Ajira and I were entering a rough wooden door into a dugout in the side of the valley. I expected the red light of fire or maybe just dankness, but what I saw was a smattering of blue crystals stuck in the walls of the tunnel that gave off plenty of light to see by. Ajira stopped as we passed and laid a hand on one of them, staring at its beauty.

I continued forward. As I came upon an opening into a cavern, footsteps rushed to meet me. A mage light appeared like a small sun over a Dunmer woman's head and the light reflected off a deadly spear head in the hands of a robed Nord.

I held up a hand to shield my eyes from the light. "Manwe I presume."

The Nord gritted his teeth in a sneer and Manwe spoke without leaving her defensive pose. "Who wants to know?"

"Han-lu and Ajira. We're guild mages." The Nord stood up and muttered something to the cavern ceiling before turning back the way he'd come. Manwe rubbed her temples.

"I've got nothing left to do with the guild. You can just turn around and go back where you came from." She turned to leave as though the matter was settled. Ajira backed up a few paces involuntarily, but I walked after her into the cavern. I thought back to the mages guild charter and tried to come up with something I could use for blackmail.

"Well that puts you in a rather awkward position, doesn't it?"

Manwe refused to turn and face me, but curiosity did get the better of her. "How is that?"

"Well," I explained. "Ranis still thinks you to be a part of the guild and as you know, guild members cannot commit crimes against each other. As you see it, you've given up the mages guilds protection as one of its members, meanwhile, I still have it."

Manwe came to a small laboratory set up in the cavern and stopped, turning to face me. "We don't need the guilds protection and we have no intention of harming you, so what is your point?"

I shrugged and looked at the nearest table, finding a plethora of glass instruments and potion ingredients. I nonchalantly placed my staff behind an expensive looking piece of glassware and scooted it toward the edge. "Well, if you settle your debts with the guild, you'll have protection from unsavory individuals like me."

Manwe summoned a flame to her hand to look threatening. "Don't even think about it," she warned.

I wagged a finger at her. "Nu-uh. Remember, I've got guild protection. You wouldn't want to bring Ranis down on your head, would you?"

After a short staring contest, she extinguished her flame and sighed. "If I pay the debt, will you leave me alone?"

I smiled, "There's a good chance you'll never see me again."

She nodded several times and told me to wait. Within five minutes, Ajirah and I were walking out the door with the gold. She didn't talk about it. The way I perform my task obviously didn't sit well with her. "What are you going to do about the Telvanni wizard," she asked?

"Probably much the same thing as I did with Manwe." I shifted my bag on my shoulder to adjust for the additional weight of the gold.

"Telvanni are different from Manwe. They are a noble and proud group and their wizards are treated with great respect. If you try to blackmail, he may have us killed. Telvanni are used to handling political tensions. They are not afraid of guild retribution."

"Then, if all else fails, I'll just have to kill him like Ranis asked."

Ajira shook her head. "Han-lu's plan is folly." She didn't speak again, as the place called Sulipund was a short walk from Punabi. Unlike the ramshackle wooden entrance we'd just left, Sulipund was made from stone. It was still dug into the side of the hill, but the top of the structure could be seen poking out of the hilltop. It's roof was a half sphere and coated with copper. Whether this feature was for decoration or some other purpose, I didn't know. The entrance had a stone overhang to shield visitors from the sun and wind. I was about to knock on the expensive wooden door when Ajira stopped me.

"Wait Han-lu. Ajira thinks she should be the one to talk to Llarar. You will just get us killed."

"Uh," I hesitated. She hadn't done much on this trip to earn my commendation. "Why do you care? You're just going to leave the guild."

She averted her face, staring at the ground. "You are Ajiras escort home. If you die, Ajira will be in trouble."

I nodded. "Alright, you can try, but if things get tense, I'm going to kill him and run."

The Khajiit growled, but knocked on the door. There was no answer. She tried knocking again before pushing the door open. There was a long hall made from the same tan stone as the outside. We entered, seeing no one in the torch light, but a voice from down the hall indicated that we weren't alone. Ajira looked at me nervously.

"You're leading," I reminded her.

She followed the voice up a curving flight of stairs until we found ourselves in what looked like a taproom. There were nearly a dozen people here. I expected to find dark elves, but there were also Wood elves and some humans. Most were gathered to a single area sitting so that they faced a single Dunmer wizard who was perched on a bar. I rubbed my eyes, to make sure I was seeing things right. I hadn't expected the building to be set up like this. There were doors all around this room, leading me to believe that the place was larger than the Balmora mages guild.

The Dunmer on the bar had been speaking to all the others, but stopped when he saw us enter. "What do you want?" Every head in the room turned to face us with mixed expressions. Most of the dark elves glared at Ajira, but some of the others looked excited or just surprised.

I nudged Ajira, prodding her to action. "Forgive our intrusion. We did not intend to interrupt. We have business to discuss with the great Llarar Bereloth."

The lead Dunmers expression softened somewhat and he waved us to a table behind the rest of the group. "Very well. If you will wait until I'm done with my lecture, I will see you."

Ajira bowed graciously and we sat where we were asked. Llarar continued his lecture. I listened, curious about what these people would be talking about. He talked about restoration magic and human and elf anatomy, occasionally taking questions from the group. I lost interest, but Ajira seemed riveted start to finish. She took out parchment and wrote notes on what was discussed. I passed the time differently.

I watched everyone in the room. All of them seemed like students. The lesson lasted well over an hour after we arrived and I didn't spot a single weapon larger than a dagger. The problem was that all these people were mages. I knew well enough that a mage didn't need steel to be deadly.

Still, in observing the crowd I saw two members whose mannerisms stood out to my trained eye. Llarar himself never fully relaxed on his perch. I figured he must be trying to study us as much as I was studying them. He might even be suspecting an attempt on his life. Such was the way of Morrowind's politics.

The other was one of his human students. The woman wasn't the only one to glance back at Ajira and I occasionally, but she was obviously on edge and didn't trust us. The rest of them seemed comfortable enough with a pair of strangers in their midst.

When the lesson ended, the students scattered among their tasks and Llarar beckoned us to a set of stairs behind the bar. Ajira took a moment to pack up her ink and notes before following. Llarar silently led us to a beautiful atrium room. I realized that I'd been wrong about the copper covering on the roof. Instead, the top of the atrium was made from a beautiful translucent stone that cast the room in a magnificent yellow light.

The room was spacious and served solely as Llarar's personal quarters with a bed, bookshelves, alchemy equipment and supplies, and comfortable study arrangements. He sank into an armchair behind a grand desk and proffered us to some chairs across from him.

"We don't often get visitors out here in the ashlands. I hope you understand that that is the reason I built Sulipund. That said, why have you made this tremendous journey?"

"Ajira and Han-lu were sent here by the mages guild steward in Balmora."

The wizard nodded. "I am familiar with Ranis Athrys. What is it she desires from me?"

Ajira assumed an air of reverence. "Ranis has heard of you too master wizard. She wishes you to join the Imperial mages guild. She believes there is much we could offer each other."

Llarar leaned back with a chuckle. "Of course there is." He was silent a moment. He tapped his chin theatrically as he thought. "Do you know how old Ranis is," he asked?

Ajira glanced to me, but I shook my head and she turned back to Llarer. "Ajira does not."

Llarar nodded. "Do you know how old I am?"

Ajira shook her head. "Maybe thirties or forties."

I smiled, having a good idea of what he was getting at.

"I am just past my three hundredth birthday. Dark elves can naturally live very long lives, but a secret of great wizards is the ability to extend your bodies usefulness even longer."

Ajira's eyes widened. "That was what you were lecturing about, correct?"

Llarers smile widened. "Yes. I'm surprised you understood."

Ajira bowed her head, uncomfortable to boast her own knowledge. "Yes, Ajira studies healing and alchemy."

Llarar nodded, an amused look on his face. He stood from his seat and paced in front of us. "Do you understand why the Telvanni wizards are so revered?"

"Ajira has heard of your great power and wisdom."

"Which is developed over centuries of learning," he continued off her thought. "You see, compared to me, Ranis is a young, power hungry upstart. She was born into Great House nobility, but seeks power from the ambitious Empire. She is a fool for selling herself to the short lived humans. She could have everything I have if she had the patience and the determination, but she is desperate for a shortcut." He stared Ajira in the eyes. "Perhaps you can learn something from this. As a Khajiit in Morrowind, surely you have been treated badly at times by the dark elves."He waited for her to admit it before continuing. "Do you know why so many elves think they are better than humans and beast races?"

Ajira shook her head, waiting with baited breath. "The reason, young Khajiit, is that we can easily accomplish more. A creature with a lifespan less than a quarter of our own can hardly hope to compete, especially in scholarly affairs. Many elves see themselves superior simply because they'll outlast the people around them by many lifetimes and this is doubly true for a wizard in my position."

He came to a stop behind his chair. "Because you have been so polite, I will allow you to leave this place alive. Few of my competitors are so lucky. I suggest you do so, I predict another ash storm soon after midday."

Ajira glanced at me and stood from her chair. I saw in her eyes that she was terrified I'd try to kill him, but after our talk, I was sure that would be a death sentence. I stood leaning on my staff. My mind spun with the conversation we'd just had and I tried to think of another move. Ajira had tried polite. Maybe I could appeal to his ego.

As we turned to leave the way we came I leaned over to Ajira. "If he was really so wise, I'd think he could turn this around on Ranis." Ajira gasped quietly and braced as if expecting a lightning bolt in the back. Llarar called after me.

"What was that?"

I turned as if surprised he'd heard. "Oh, um nothing."

The wizard left his desk to confront me. "You questioned my wisdom. Pray tell, what am I overlooking boy?"

I pretended to cower. "Well, you didn't even look at the contract. There are services promised to members of the guild and I just thought that someone as wise as you, especially being experienced in dark elf politics, would be able to get more out of this deal than some power hungry upstart."

I glanced at his face to see that he saw right through my innocent rouse, but he gave pause anyway. I did speak some truth and he must have been thinking it over. I took the contract from my satchel and offered it to him. I breathed a great sigh of relief when he accepted it. "Go wait downstairs," he ordered. "I'll call when I need you." His face had turned completely stern.

Ajira and I complied enthusiastically, happy to get out of lightening bolt range. We sat alone at one of the tables. Some of the students looked as though they wished to talk to us, but none approached. It took over half an hour before we were called back into the atrium. Llarar was writing as Ajira and I took our respective seats. The contract was set to the side, but I was able to see fresh ink where he had signed it. What he penned now was a letter to Ranis.

He ignored us while he finished the letter, folded it, and sealed it with candle wax and his signet ring. When he finally looked up, he held the papers out to me. I reached out to take them, but he didn't let go right away. I didn't dare move for the few seconds before he let go. When he finally did, he questioned me pointedly. "Who are you? What gives you the gall to goad an ancient wizard?"

"Well, my name is Han-lu Urshar."

"That's an ashlander surname, but you don't sound like an ashlander."

I didn't like talking about this, but I had the documents I needed. I just had to satisfy this dangerous wizard so I could leave. "My father was ashlander, my mother was actually Telvanni, and I was born and raised in Cyrodiil."

"What's your mother's maiden name?"

"Vules. Viressa Vules."

"Aha!" The wizard shouted, making Ajira jump. "Yes, I've met some of your relatives. They're on the east side of Vvardenfell, aren't they?"

"Sadrith Mora is where my mother came from, but I've never been there or met my extended family."

"Hmm, you ought to. You would be welcome in House Telvanni. You'd be given tasks worthy of your silver tongue and daring wit."

I was wary of telling more people that I didn't intend to stay here long. Instead, I just nodded and thanked him for the invitation. He told me to deliver the contract and letter to Ranis and offered us some preserved food from Sulipunds supplies. We left under friendly terms and as we walked away Ajira shook her head.

"I can't believe you pulled that off."

I didn't reply, but smiled. Ranis sent us here to gain advantage over a wizard. I secured my payment by convincing the wizard that he could gain power over Ranis. At the end of the day, it was just another racket for me.