I cursed my luck. Ajira and I had arrived back at the bandit stronghold to find a guard posted at the dock. The orc held a steel longbow that looked puny in his hands and was in heavy metal armor. Apparently I'd offended fate, because I couldn't be sure I'd ever faced an opponent to match his size.

Ajira shifted and peeked over the withered bush we were hiding behind. "How is Han-lu going to get past him?"

I shook my head. "I don't think we could sneak past. The moment he hears the boat moving, he'll start shooting and warn the others." I glanced at the bandit again. "If I had that bow, we'd be golden."

"Oh," Ajira cried out in an excited whisper. "You could summon a bow."

I rolled my eyes. "It's one thing to summon a sword or an axe, but a bow bends and flexes, not to mention I'd also have to summon arrows. It's a much more complicated spell and I only mastered it after four years of practice. There's no way I could do it now."

We waited, trying to think of something else. The wind started picking up, threatening an ash storm. There was always the option of walking back the way we'd come, but neither of us brought it up. We really preferred taking a boat.

As the ash started kicking up, we both wrapped our heads with our scarves again. I noticed, that the Orc took off his helmet and did the same before moving to a short wooden structure by the dock that would shield him from the storm.

"Okay, I have an idea." I handed Ajira my satchel and staff. "Once he's dead, meet me at the dock." I paused to add an afterthought. "But if I die, you're walking back."

I crept around the bush, relying on the storm to cover any sound I made during my approach. The structure the Orc was in was a little dugout facing south, providing a view of the docks. I crouched behind it and took two rocks in hand. I threw the first into the lake, making a splash. This drew the Orc out of the dugout. He started scanning the beach. I threw the second rock, hitting the dock. He turned with his back toward me, drawing an arrow.

I stepped out and snuck right up behind him and summoned a heavy mace to my right hand. The mace connected with the Orcs right knee and caused the joint to snap. He buckled to his knees, his howl of pain drowned by the wind. I brought the mace back around and clobbered his helmet, but he took this blow. Dazed, he reached around, trying to point his arrow at me, but I stepped right behind him and performed a choke hold.

He dropped his bow and grabbed at my arm. To keep him from scratching me, I put all my weight on his back and pushed his face into the ground. He used one strong arm to push himself back up, giving his other arm room to grab at mine. I held on tightly, bruising my arm on the edges of his helmet, but I knew if I let him pull my arm off, my chances of survival were grim. His grip weakened and slowly, he slumped face first to the ground. I held the choke a few seconds longer than necessary. It paid to be cautious.

When I finally stood, I waved to Ajira. She sprinted to the dock and tossed my things in the boat. Before following her, I decided to strip what gear I could get from the orc. I didn't dare take the time to remove most of the armor, but I took the helmet and placed it on my own head. Even with the extra padding of the scarf, it was far too large to fit properly, but would fetch a fine price. I pulled the bow out from under him, and the quiver of arrows from his back. He also had a sword on his thick belt. I took my knife and cut the belt, sliding the whole sheath off.

Ajira stared anxiously as I ran for the boat with a sword in one hand, a bow in the other, and a helmet shifting loosely on my head. Under other circumstances, it might have been humorous. I tossed the stuff into the prow and waited for Ajira, who was standing on the edge of the dock. "What are you waiting for?"

"Ajira is nervous on boats."

I gasped in the frustration of the moment and stepped past her onto the boat. "Well we're leaving now, so you'd better get on board." She panicked when I untied the boat from the dock and fell to her stomach, pushing herself backwards, easing herself into the boat. As soon as she was seated, I rowed, pushing us into the lake.

"Wait," Ajira demanded. "If you lose sight of the shore in the storm, we will be lost." Her claws sunk deep into the wooden seat.

I tried to stay within sight of the shore, but said, "Don't worry. The water flowing into the river will pull us, I think."

"You think? You think? Ajira does not like this answer."

I shrugged as the shoreline disappeared. "Nothing we can do about it now."

I rowed us in the direction I thought we were supposed to be going in and lost track of time. Ajira clasped her hands and began to pray to the Nine Divines, unable to do anything else. Eventually, I felt a current pulling us along and I pointed us straight into it. The dust cleared more and more the farther we went, until we found ourselves in a pretty canyon. Alongside the river, green things flourished, but there was no room on the banks for a path. The canyon walls were steep, jutting anywhere from ten to fifty feet above the river.

I laughed as Ajira opened her eyes from her prayers. She grinned at me. "We made it?"

"It looks like smooth sailing from here on out."

Her eyes settled on my arm. "You are bleeding." I glanced over to see a couple of shallow bloody furrows in my arm.

"Must have been the Orcs finger nails."

Ajira made me stop rowing to tend to my injury. She carried a few travel size vials with a healing mixture and used her scarf for a bandage, hoping she would never need it again. We relaxed and let the river carry us for over an hour.

"Ajira," I began when the time felt right. "You may not respect my opinion, but I think you should stay with the mages guild."

Ajira was spread out as much as was possible in a five man row boat, catching the sun's warm rays. "Forgive Ajira," she said, "She shouldn't have spoken so harshly to you. You are much more than a thug. You are resourceful and dependable and Ajira misjudged you. But why should she stay with the guild? She will just be abused by Ranis some more. Ajira will be sent into the field to do things she is not qualified for. It seems like a bad idea."

"Well, after I give my report to Ranis, she'll have a new respect for you. Not to mention, on our way back from Suran, we'll be able to get all the samples you need for your studies."

"Do you really think Ajira can succeed in the mages guild?"

"Better than I can. I'm just in it for the money, remember?"

Ajira spread back out and said, "Maybe. Ajira can decide later. It is time for a nap."

I looked at the river in front of us. Seeing smooth, slow waters, I disagreed. "Nope, after that ash storm, it's time for a swim." I removed my boots and let myself tumble over the side of the boat. Ajira hissed as the boat rocked and she clawed at the sides to balance herself, her drowsiness replaced by adrenaline. The water was cold, but not unpleasantly so. Still, it came as a shock when it enveloped my body and I clawed my way to the surface, struggling to fill my lungs.

I swam beside the boat and let my grime wash away while Ajira berated me for my carelessness. I grabbed the back of the boat and gently rocked it. "You look like you could use a swim too."

"Don't you dare Han-lu!"

"Oh no, you're coming up on some rapids," I joked, shaking harder.

Ajira pulled the orcish sword from the scabbard and pointed it at me. "Ajira recommends you think twice about what you are doing."

I lifted my hands in the air and sank back under the surface, making the cat laugh. When I resurfaced, I saw something huge flying above the river. The creature swooped down and grabbed at Ajira's head, scratching her.

"Ow," she shouted in surprise. She dropped the sword and scratched at it until it let go. I hauled myself back into the boat, clothes soaking wet. The creature was reptilian and a sickly green color. It was as big as some of the largest eagles I'd seen in Cyrodiil and much meaner. I took the Orcish steel bow and nocked an arrow. I hauled back with practiced motions, but lost my grip on the string before I reached full draw. The first arrow soared far below my target. Ajira was yelling for me to hurry when I pulled the bow back a second time. This time, I got a better grip and drew smoothly. My back muscles strained and it took everything I had to pull it to full draw.

Staring down the shaft, I watched the creature dive for us, dipped the bow so I was aiming where the creature would connect with the arrow, and loosed. The arrow shot right through its thin body and the creature fell into the river, floating just behind us.

Ajira stared at it. "Nice shot."

"What in Oblivion is it?"

"Probably a cliff racer," she explained, feeling out the scratches on her head.

"Is it good to eat?"

"Ajira doesn't know."

I fished the carcass out of the river and plopped it in the boat. "Maybe we can sell it to a butcher in Suran."

Ajira gritted her teeth, but didn't argue. She'd finally come to accept that I was in this for the money.