Part 4 - Kings
Chapter 25
Coming Home
XxXxXx
3E 431 – Chorrol, Cyrodiil
Nevano walked along the Black Road, every footstep getting heavier and more apprehensive. He hadn't been home since he had been shipped off to Morrowind over three years ago. He hadn't even been able to write. At first he had been watched closely because he was a released prisoner. Despite being told he was released and pardoned, there was no such thing. He had been watched by more than one party, was still being watched, his every move and current whereabouts whispered in secretive circles that he took to learning illusion spells and the finer points of sneaking. After he had saved the entire damn province, he had been watched closely because he was now a hero…no one wanted to let him slip away. He didn't want any of that to travel home. In his heart he was still a skittish orphan, adopted by the champion of the Fighters Guild, a simple mer who wanted nothing more than to be free. Now he was more captive than he ever had been.
A few well placed bribes and favors called in from a few that he would almost call friends had transported him to the Mages Guild in Cheydinhal. Hopefully he could make it out and be halfway to Chorrol before anyone could figure out where he went.
His feet knew the way. Even after several years of being away, his feet placed precisely along the road as if they had walked this way yesterday. He took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the forest. He had missed the Great Forest. He wasn't normally big on forests, he often felt claustrophobic with trees pressing in all around him, but he had grown up in the Great Forest. He had spent countless days scrambling up the trunks of the massive hardwood trees and pretending he was a big cat leaping from limb to limb. When he grew older the games took on a more serious edge. He wasn't a big mer with the ability to withstand taking hit after hit and keep fighting. He had to learn stealth and agility to keep from getting hurt and what better way to learn than running through the trees, stalking his prey silently and efficiently. The Chorrol guildhall often ate pretty well with all the deer he brought back, the animal never once seeing him. This forest was his ally, it protected him and provided him everything he had ever needed later in life. Now it welcomed him home.
Before he could push open the city gate, a girl came bursting through, crashing into him and nearly taking them both to the ground were it not for his quick reflexes spinning them around, allowing him to keep his feet and set her down. Thank Azura she was a petite little thing or else they both would have eaten dust.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" He coughed out, trying to regain his breath from when she crashed into his chest.
"Sorry, sir!" The girl snapped up crisply in a salute. "Important business for the Fighters Guild!"
"Fighters Guild hm?"
"Yessir!"
"Oreyn snapping his fingers then?"
"He's a stern man."
"That's…an understatement." Nevano snorted. "Good luck, kid. Get going though. He's not a patient mer."
Nevano watched her scamper off down the road south. She was certainly an eager recruit, obviously brand new with that sort of professional eagerness. Older members were far more laid back and only saluted if Modryn started growling. Or if the guild master made an appearance. Burz gro-Khash would roll his eyes and Azzan would laugh if someone tried that with them.
Slowly he made his way through the gate. It felt strange walking through Chorrol, like it was his first time in a new city and not returning to the place he considered home. It used to be that when he came this way people would greet him by name, some more enthusiastically than others, and a dedicated group of children would follow him, begging for stories or for him to play with them or for the occasional treat he may or may not have gotten for them. It was like feeding ducks. Toss them bread once and they always came back. Now he was invisible, save for the one or two curious looks shot his way from the more nosy citizens. He kept his hood pulled low over his face, ignoring the city guards hailing him as a stranger. He just hurried along, suddenly desperate to be home.
Home.
He had dreamed of this moment for three long years. The long nights listening to the ash storms howling outside, his weapon in hand, was when the loneliness and homesickness hit the hardest and he had squeezed his eyes shut and desperately wished he knew a spell to transport him back home, to his family.
Family.
He smiled. He did have a family here, didn't he? He hadn't really thought about it before now. He had always been alone, or so he had thought. He had been such an angry child when Modryn first took him home and it had taken several years before he had calmed down enough to be even remotely considered civilized company. Modryn had never once made a huge deal out of it, which had helped, but then none of the other members had either. They were a group of rough and tumble fighters. An out-of-control elf child who simply didn't know how to socialize didn't rattle any of them. If anything they had been there to help bring him back down to a calmer state. They had accepted him. For the first time in his life…he had had a family. He couldn't wait to get back to them.
He entered the guildhall and was greeted by a big orc. He recognized the bright green giant right away as Lum gro-Baroth. He wasn't actually part of the guild, his older brother Kurz was, but he hung around so often that no one really made the distinction anymore. He was Lum, the friendlier half of the orc brothers.
"Welcome to the Fighters Guild! Can we help you? Start a contract? Join the guild?" He said brightly. Nevano's heart sank when Lum didn't recognize him right away but quickly chased it away. He had his hood pulled low over his face, what did he expect? He could use this to his advantage; make his entrance a bit more…interesting.
"I'm looking for Modryn." Nevano realized with a start how rough his voice was. How hadn't he noticed this earlier? In Morrowind, his ash scratched throat had just blended in with all the other rough voices but hearing it compared to voices that slid out on clean air it sounded…not his own. He barely recognized himself. Well…that would help with his plan at least.
"Oreyn? He should be in soon." The orc tapped on a protruding tusk. "If you don't mind waiting a few minutes."
"I'll wait."
It was easily the longest wait of his life. It was a little unusual for Modryn to not be in the guildhall at this time of day but he could be working on a big contract or working with a guild member on something. It didn't make the wait any easier for Nevano, who desperately wanted, no, NEEDED, to see Modryn again, the only father figure in his life, the only one who had the slightest inkling what he was feeling or could understand what he was going through.
The door opened and Nevano jumped. Modryn walked in, followed closely by Sabine and the Donton brothers. His heart leaped into his throat and he clenched his hands to keep them from shaking. Suddenly he wasn't so sure. Did they even want him back? He had been gone for a long time, things had moved on without him. Suddenly he wanted to run away. Just…run back to Morrowind and go back to being dead to them. Then Modryn pinned him down with a red-eyed gaze that demanded to know who he was and why he was here. He knew he couldn't run now. He had to plow on.
Instead of greeting him in common, Nevano stood up straight and greeted him in the formal way in the Ashlander tongue. It was not commonly spoken, even among the Dunmer. The formal tongue was often reserved only for rituals among the Ashlander clans. It consisted of ancient Chimeri words that required twists of the tongue that most people couldn't hope to accomplish. He knew Modryn would recognize the significance of it, even if he couldn't understand all the words. He was also fairly confident that even Modryn wouldn't recognize his voice.
Everyone in the guildhall was trying, and failing, to appear like they were busy and not listening in but he could have heard a dagger slice a hair in the hall.
Then Modryn answered in the same tongue, a slightly less formal greeting, all in Velothi, no Chimeri, and it was a bit rusty from disuse. Nevano rather doubted there were many Ashlanders in Cyrodiil to practice on, especially since he hadn't been there for them to lapse back into their native tongue. Feeling a little heartened that he wasn't ejected out of the hall outright, Nevano switched to common.
"I bring news from the east."
"News? What kind of news?" Sabine broke in, earning a red-eyed glare from the champion, "You mean from Morrowind?"
"The Nerevarine!" Viranus said before his brother could stop him. "You mean about the Nerevarine!"
"I believe you know someone who was sent to Morrowind?"
"Nevano! What do you know of him?" Lum jumped in, "Tell us! You better not have done anything to him!"
"Tell us!" His brother Kurz growled.
"ENOUGH!" Modryn's impressive bellow made them all flinch back. "By Azura, what is wrong with all of you? Sit down and shut up!"
"He's alive. A long, hard journey, through Vvardenfell and even Mournhold. He's faced kings, gods, assassins and some of the most gods' damned ugly monsters the world has ever seen. You thought the goblins here were ugly…" Nevano smiled, his plan was working. Nervousness and eagerness made his stomach flip around. "But…"
"But…?" Modryn growled, glaring at the others to shut up.
Nevano pulled back his hood, "He managed to finally get home. That…was more than enough for me."
They all stared at him in complete shock for a few tense seconds…then it was like the hall exploded. The noise made both mer in the room wince as noise assaulted sensitive ears. Nevano's ears were ringing as white light exploded in his head. Then he felt the air leave his lungs in a rush as he was lifted up off his feet by Lum picking him up in a monstrous hug. Sabine and the overly excited Donton brothers also leaped on him, the massive orc holding them all up and swinging them in a circle, laughing. Even Kurz was smiling.
Nevano was reeling. He had not expected this homecoming. Actually he didn't know what he was expecting. But this…they were genuinely HAPPY to see their long lost guild mate. They had MISSED him. They had truly missed him! They were family after all!
"Alright, that's enough!"
Unceremoniously Nevano was dumped on the ground, the humans all landing on top of him. "Ow…"
"You all have jobs to do. Get to it!"
Such was the seriousness in Modryn's voice that everyone scrabbled out without a single protest, leaving Nevano to face Modryn alone. Suddenly he felt nervous all over again. He felt like he was a small child again and was about to get in trouble for one infraction or another. He slowly got to his feet, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. Then a hand under his chin forced him to look up.
Modryn was never big on any sort of physical contact, unless it included smacking around an impudent recruit who hadn't been properly introduced to the champion's temper. Any sort of unwelcome touch was often met by a glare, which was mild, or a trip out the door to violently meet the great oak tree face first. So when Modryn drew him into a hug his brain went blank. Modryn's affection was the gruff sort, a slap on the back or shoulder, a rough smile here or there but this…Nevano started to shake, warmth blooming in his heart.
"I'm glad you're home, boy."
He was Nerevarine, the reincarnation of the Chimer general Nerevar, hero of Morrowind, killer of gods and a hardened fighter known in two provinces for his prowess in both swords and the bow. In that moment, all of that dissolved. Titles be damned. He was now simply Nevano, a child adopted by Modryn Oreyn. He choked on a sob and tears prickled his eyes as he clung to Modryn.
He was finally home.
XxXxXx
4E 201, 30th Last Seed – Blacklight, Morrowind
Nevano had requested that they arrive at night, something that the Dunmer crew had been rather happy to comply with. He planned on slipping from the ship under the cover of darkness before the Thalmor came to inspect the ship and be long gone before they had any idea there had been any extra passengers onboard. He glanced over to where Veleth stood, a solid, silent and rather frightening statue that had been silent the entire boat ride. Nevano had left him alone. Unlike Gunjar, who had been like an open book, he couldn't always tell what Veleth was thinking. So he stuck to staying curled up in his corner and wishing this damned boat ride would end soon.
"Don't like sailing?"
Nevano looked up at Veleth's voice. He hadn't moved at all, he was still a rock statue, but at least he was talking. "I despise sailing. There is nothing remotely enjoyable about it. I don't know how these men stand making a LIVING out of it."
Finally Veleth looked over his shoulder at him. "I'm not going to claim any fondness for it either."
Nevano smiled a little and slowly stood up on shaky legs and went over to stand next to Veleth, looking towards land in the distance, gripping the railing in a death grip. Of course, the horizon was dominated by Red Mountain. It had been perfectly visible on Solstheim but now it seemed impossibly large. He fancied he could even smell it.
"Moody bitch…" Nevano muttered as he stared at it.
"That's one way of describing Red Mountain."
"I got plenty more." Nevano shrugged. "Some good, some not. Lot of mixed emotions every time I look at it."
"I can believe that." Veleth sighed. "It's been interesting…realizing that everything my father said was true. Or re-realizing it. All the memories have been coming back slowly and I've seen what a fool I've been."
"Not a fool." Nevano said. "It's hard to be the only believer when you're surrounded by thousands who think otherwise. Hell, even I didn't believe in me. Jorun was the only one who never doubted me. It seems that, even now, he hasn't stopped believing…even after I lost it, again. When I heard Adril say that, that he's now thought of as crazy, for simply believing in his friend, I wanted to comply with what you were thinking and punch him in the face."
"It probably wouldn't have been so bad had he not spread that lie around."
"Lie?" Nevano looked up sharply. "What lie?"
"He was the one who said you went to Akavir. He told me that little secret the last time I saw him some months ago." Veleth resolutely didn't look at him. "Said that you were so burnt out that he knew he had to do something, so he started the rumor that you had left for Akavir so you could get a break. Everyone bought it and quit trying to look for you."
"Jorun…I don't believe it. I'm not surprised in the slightest but…oh Jorun." Nevano closed his eyes, stunned.
"At first I didn't understand why he had done it. To me that seemed like…such a huge sacrifice, especially for one person. But I think I understand now." Veleth lifted one shoulder. "I met you and all the memories came back and I realized that he didn't just do it for a friend…he did it for someone he considered family. He understood why you did what you did, much like he understood my reasoning for staying in Raven Rock as long as I did. He didn't do it because you were a hero or because he felt he owed you for saving Morrowind. He did it because he considered you family. He never once thought any less of you for not coming back."
"It seems we both owe him a lot."
"And we both know he'll give that annoying smug look." Veleth sighed. "Because he was right and he knew it all along and we were too stubborn to see it."
"Unfortunately that's exactly what's going to happen." Nevano shook his head. "Now, before we get anymore into a sappy conversation that will irreparably damage both of our reputations. We need to discuss our plan of entry. I heard that there's a wall that surrounds Blacklight's harbor and the gate is manned by Thalmor?"
"Correct." Veleth seemed happy to change the subject. "Don't think about trying to climb that wall. It's taller than the Bulwark and in much better shape. You won't make it over without getting caught."
"And going through the gate like a normal person isn't an option either." Nevano shrugged. "We'll just have to go the other way."
"The other way? There is no other way." Veleth frowned. "What other way is there to get past that gate without getting caught?"
"Oh, that's simple." Nevano looked over at the nearest sailor. "Where's the smugglers tunnel?"
The sailor looked panicked for a second before he schooled his features into a blank look. "I don't know what you are…"
"Kid, EVERY harbor, beach, city, town, slum, castle, swamp and cesspit has a smuggler's tunnel or some other black market route that moves illegal cargo to and from places without getting caught by the guards." Nevano sighed, leaning against the railing. "You are perfectly well aware that Veleth and I are technically illegal cargo. So just tell me."
"…There's a man by the…"
"I'm not dealing with a middle man. I need to move quickly and NOT talk to anyone, or spend money, if I can help it." Nevano narrowed his eyes at the sailor. "This includes you. I am known to fix loose ends if I need to. Are you going to help or are you going to swim the rest of the way home?"
"There's a sewer grate by the third dock that's hidden by a pile of crates! Follow the sewer tunnel down to the fifth hole and it'll let you out on the other side of the wall." The sailor blurted out quickly, completely unnerved when the twin swords hanging at Nevano's hips flared briefly in warning. "Just be careful…it's pretty open where it lets out. Most people take the cave route but it's heavily watched by smugglers and they demand tolls."
"Thank you." Nevano relaxed his tone. "I'm not going to rat you out as long as you don't rat me out." He glanced at Veleth. "Oh, drop the look. Smuggling IS a problem. It's a pain, it's a crime…but it's a highly lucrative source of information and to be able to move when you don't want someone to see you. Smuggling has its place in the world. I swear you are such a stick in the mud that you make my arse cheeks clench."
"It's…"
"I'm going to stop you right there because I know what you're going to say." Nevano interrupted. "Remember, you aren't Captain of the Guard anymore. You aren't technically even in the Redoran army anymore. What we are planning on doing is breaking empirical law. We are committing the ultimate form of treason. Can you stomach that? Because if you can't handle lying, cheating, stealing and killing to see this through, let me know now."
Veleth narrowed his eyes, conflict written all over his face. Nevano felt himself mellow a bit towards him. It wasn't Veleth's fault. This was going to be the most difficult thing Veleth had ever done in his life, going against everything he had ever believed in. "It's not going to be easy. You are going to go against everything you believe in. You won't be the same after this…but think of Dreyla. You're going to do this to make life BETTER for her."
Slowly Veleth nodded. Nevano knew it wasn't a full acceptance but eventually Veleth would be able to handle it easier. Well…maybe he should amend himself a bit. Veleth would never be able to fully accept or even be good at the "sneaky stuff" but he could at least instill an understanding of it in the stubborn warrior.
"Ok then." Nevano clapped him on the shoulder. "Look, I know how hard it is. This will stretch the very limits of your sanity. But we can do this."
"Before or after we lose that sanity?"
"Sometimes it takes a little insanity to accomplish high treason."
"A little?"
"Ok, a lot." Nevano conceded. "Just…imagine the looks on the Thalmor's faces when we boot them out for good. A ghost from the past and an uptight guard captain. They will never see us coming."
"I hope not."
They were both quiet for a while, watching the shoreline get closer in the dying light. Nevano wondered if Gunjar had made it back to Skyrim yet. He hoped the young Nord would be ok. There was a lot of "sneaky stuff" that he would have to face. At least Gunjar was a bit more open-minded than Veleth was. He might be able to navigate it better. Nevano frowned suddenly, a random thought popping up in his head.
"I just thought of something."
"What?"
"Why was Gunjar waiting for a boat back to Skyrim when he would have just, I don't know, flown home on the back of that dragon?"
XxXxXx
True to being stuck on a rocking boat for nearly a week, as soon as Nevano stepped off onto the dock, he fell flat on his face, his sense of balance completely skewed. Veleth rolled his eyes and hauled him up by the back of his cuirass with one hand, ignoring the curse muttered in Velothi.
"I told you I hate being on the water. If Dunmer were meant to be on the water, we'd have fins and a tail!"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard your complaints the first ten times." Veleth rolled his eyes. "We need to move. The Thalmor don't waste time inspecting the arriving ships."
They hurried down the line of docks. Nevano noticed that the sailors were staying close to their ships and nearly every ship had a Thalmor Justicar standing guard nearby. Fortunately for them the Justicars were more distracted by grumbling, mutinous sailors to notice the two trying their best to like they belonged to avoid detection.
"There's the crates." Nevano said quietly, pointing towards a stack of crates that looked as though they hadn't moved in decades. Nevano was pretty sure they were rooted there by now. It was a fairly typical indicator of a smuggler tunnel. What always amazed him was that it was just oh-so glaringly obvious yet everyone would ignore it as if it didn't exist. Maybe it was because it had been there for decades that it now became invisible to everyone except those who were actively looking for it.
"Sewers?"
"Fairly common place to hide. Mournhold probably had the best sewer system to hide in, though it was also probably the most dangerous." Nevano found the grate and dragged it aside. "It connected the whole city, was filled with all manner of things that wanted to kill me and led to old Mournhold, which was quite possibly the most interesting place I ever got to explore…except it was filled with goblins. Those things get annoying pretty quick. With luck these sewers will be relatively well cleared if they're used as often as that sailor suggested they were. After you, Bull."
Veleth crawled through the grate and was quickly swallowed up by the darkness. Nevano looked around to make sure they weren't being watched before slipping in after him, making sure to close the grate behind him.
By sheer dumb luck they made it through the sewers without seeing anything and came out just outside the city gates. They quickly checked to make sure they hadn't been spotted.
"Nevano, listen." Veleth stopped him. "From this point on, you need to listen to me. Like Councilor Morvayn said, you won't be able to walk freely through the streets. Just…until we get a feel for how things really are, don't go wandering off alone. I don't want you getting into trouble."
"Aww, aren't you so sweet." Nevano grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not going to get into trouble. But good luck keeping me on a leash. I think I'm a little better a hiding than you are. But if it makes you feel better, I'll at least let you know before I go prowling around in the dark."
"Dammit, Nevano, this is serious."
"Well aware, Bull, but I stay stagnant in one spot, I won't be able to gather up the information I need." Nevano pointed out. "I know what I'm doing. Look, we'll argue about this later. Where are we going now?"
"…Military district." Veleth said after a moment. "It's late, really late but…"
"No need to explain." Nevano said.
Nevano let Veleth take lead at that point. The guards at the gate were Dunmer guards and did no more than nod at them as they walked through. They made it a few streets in before Nevano noticed something.
"You know, I've never been to Blacklight so…is it me, is it because it's dark, or is everything…slanted?"
Veleth chuckled. "Most cities and towns are laid out in a block pattern, all straight lines going north, south, east and west. Blacklight isn't. Rootspire is in the southwest corner of the city and everything else curves out from there like ripples in a pond. All the streets are curved. Nothing is straight here."
"That's….both highly confusing and incredibly appealing."
"When I was a kid I used to sit on top of the foreign building and watch visitors try to make sense of where they were based on maps." Veleth smiled, an actual true smile and not the grim curved line he often wore. "None of them ever figured it out. No map can help you. You just have to figure it out by feel."
"In other words, I'm going to get lost more than a few times?"
"Didn't we just have a conversation about you not going out alone?"
"Didn't I just tell you that you can't keep kitty inside all the time?"
"What is with you and animal references?"
"You can't keep me contained!"
"Gods, fine, FINE!" Veleth pinched the bridge of his nose. "If it keeps you from shredding the walls…just stay out of sight."
"And now WHO is using the animal references?" Nevano snickered, knowing he had finally won. "Don't worry so much, I've been staying out of sight for decades. I'll wear those lenses so no one sees my eyes just in case."
"You are chipping away at my sanity." Veleth grumbled. "Pretty soon I'm going to start…someone is coming."
Nevano knew that. He had heard the footsteps and while Veleth was talking had fled to a nearby alley and scaled the wall to the roof to get a better vantage point. He felt a flash of amusement when Veleth turned to where he had been moments before and blinked at the sudden empty space.
"Modyn? Is that…really you? What are you doing here?"
"Dalin!" Veleth said. "I….uh…"
Nevano nearly slapped his hand to his face. They hadn't worked on a good cover story and Veleth was not exactly good at this sort of thing. Subtly was a trait that had totally bypassed this kid. Still, he blamed himself. He stupidly assumed they wouldn't meet anyone this late at night
"Another mission that you can't tell me about?"
"Yeah, sure. We'll say that."
Nevano shook his head in dismay. Saved. Barely. They were going to have to work on that. Oh, he'd never make the man into a smooth-talker but he could at least teach him how to think quickly and how to actually lie his way out of a situation. How did this kid end up acting more like an Imperial and not like a Dunmer?
"So, are you actually here to do something useful or are you just here briefly before you go back to inhaling ash on that desolate spit of land?" Even Nevano had to wince at that.
"Don't even go there. I made my choice just as you make yours. I won't ever judge you for whatever choices you make and I would HOPE my oldest friend would do the same for me."
"You're right, you're right, I'm sorry." The mer called Dalin raised his hands in surrender. "Just…it's been difficult around here lately."
"How so?" Nevano perked up. Veleth was doing a better job at gleaning information that he gave him credit for, even though he strongly suspected it was purely accidental.
"Just rumors swirling around. The Thalmor are a pain but there's someone who fancies himself a hero who is making them mad. Now it's impossible to deal with them."
"I thought you liked stories about heroes, R'is."
"Only children like that sort of thing. We live in a reality where heroes only make an already bad situation worse. The age of heroes is gone." Nevano quite paying attention once the conversation turned to more banal things, though he kept an ear out. He could tell Veleth was a little rattled at that statement. He didn't blame him; he was too. He had no idea what to make of that statement; hadn't this mer heard of the most recent hero out of Skyrim? The one who killed the dragon that wanted to destroy the world? The Dragonborn? That hero? He was very thrown off. He had no idea what to make of this mer. From the story Veleth had told him of R'is, he was a good kid, with a deep sense of honor if hauling his injured friend across Morrowind to save his life was any indication. What he saw in front of him was not the same mer he had imagined. With a silent sigh he shoved his misgivings aside. He was in no position to judge just yet. R'is had proven himself to be a friend in the past. He needed to trust Veleth's gut in this. Besides, R'is apparently hadn't yet come to terms with Veleth's extended absence. That was enough to make anyone cranky. Things would settle down soon and perhaps R'is would be a good ally to have around.
Nevano just wasn't going to introduce himself. Not yet.
XxXxXx
The rest of the journey across the city was silent, both of them on high alert. Nevano opted to stick to the shadows as they got closer to the military district, darting from alleyway to alleyway and climbing up to rooftops when the need arose. He used every skill he had learned from moving through the boughs of the Great Forest. He was silent as a shadow, even surprising Veleth a time or two. That would shut him up about going out alone.
Finally they got to their destination. The Military Justice building was a bland dark building that combined guard barracks and the offices of the guard. Its imposing nature reminded Nevano heavily of the Hall of Justice in Vivec. That Ordinator nest had had the same cheer that a graveyard at night did. This place wasn't nearly as bad but it was still full of guards. Despite his closest friends being a part of the guard, he still held a certain degree of wariness for the law. He had been cornered by guards far too many times for things he didn't do to feel fully comfortable around them anymore. Well…that wasn't fair. The guards were doing their jobs. The Empire and Vivec himself had ordered them to harass him. Still, he never knew if yet someone else had given them orders to try to bring in the heretic for yet another made up charge.
Veleth went over to him, a frown deepening the shadows on his face. Nevano felt himself tense up, reading the worried tension written there. Something wasn't right.
"He's here."
"How do you know?"
"See that window up there? Third story, second to the right."
"Yeah, I see it."
"That's his office. I can see light flickering in there." Nevano counted windows until he found the one Veleth indicated. Sure enough he could see the faint flicker of candlelight, the only window with light in it. "It's far too late for him to still be here."
"Nice stops at midnight…" Nevano said slowly. He twisted his jaw for a moment, thinking quickly. "Ok, you go on up. I'll climb up from the outside. Just unlock the window for me. The last thing we need to risk right now is running into a Thalmor in a narrow hallway."
Veleth nodded and hurried off. Nevano looked up at the wall before and rubbed his hands together.
XxXxXx
Veleth bounded up the stairs to his father's office, fortunately not meeting anyone along the way. He didn't want to have to stop and acknowledge anybody or have to struggle to make up a story about why he was here in Blacklight and why he was here so late at night. That, and he felt something was…off. Every since he stepped foot in Blacklight and realized where he needed to look, he had felt something was wrong. Now that nagging feeling had grown into a firestorm that had him running up the stairs three at a time.
"What the…Modyn?"
Veleth slammed to a halt before he could knock over the square shouldered woman standing in front of him. He knew her…Cruivah. Cruivah Ienith. She was a lieutenant under his father, one that he knew he could trust.
"What are you doing…oh forget it, you Veleths always turn up at the right time. Or the wrong time." She said. She glanced over her shoulder then lowered her voice. "I'm glad you're here though. Our hands are tied with these fetchers. They've been harassing Jorun for weeks about…things and it's getting worse. They're in his office now just…be careful."
Veleth nodded and made his way to his father's office, clenching his jaw when he heard raised voices. Wait, no, check that…one raised voice. Not his father's. He would know Jorun's raised voice instantly. The whole building would be quailing like kicked dogs otherwise. Still, he didn't like hearing any raised voices. He took a deep breath and let himself in.
Jorun was sitting at his desk, appearing bored and completely disinterested despite the violently bellowing Thalmor who was inches from his ear. He didn't look up from the paperwork he was shuffling through; indeed he probably never even heard the door open. Veleth could only stare at the bizarre scene in front of him.
"I know you know something!" An absolutely incensed Altmer was screaming, his face purpling in splotches. "He's corresponded with you somehow and I WILL KNOW!"
"For the thousandth time, Ocanlil, the Nerevarine is in Akavir, thousands of miles from here." Jorun said in a monotone, as if he had said it a hundred times, flipping a piece of paper over. He sounded bored but Veleth could hear the spark of irritation hidden underneath the monotone. It took a lot to get Jorun upset over anything but that was genuine anger growing in there. He was a little surprised though. It was well after midnight and Jorun usually was far crankier than this at this time of night. "I don't know WHAT you s'wits had in Skyrim but you probably should have kept your mouths shut and it wouldn't have been stolen."
"You miserable old FOOL!" The Thalmor, Ocanlil, screamed, waving his arms around. "YOU KNOW SOMETHING! And WHO are YOU?!"
Veleth felt his stomach clench as the Thalmor spun on him. He had yellow eyes like Nevano but he knew Nevano would probably lob another stink bomb, or Truefire, at him if he ever dared utter that thought out loud. However Nevano at his worst was nowhere near as crazed as this mer currently was. Jorun also looked up. For a brief moment, he quirked an eyebrow, saying he was both highly confused and highly pleased to see his son there. Then he cleared his face back to that bored detachment.
"This is…"
"I was asking HIM, captain." The Thalmor growled. Veleth knew this was it. He knew he couldn't give away his real identity but he and Nevano hadn't yet worked out a good cover story. He tried to think of something but he was coming up blank. What would Nevano do? Azura's light was he really thinking that? That was more terrifying than the situation he was in. Then his eyes caught sight of the roster list and he noticed a few blanks.
"I'm just here to apply for the watch position." He blurted out.
"This late at night?" The Thalmor narrowed his eyes.
"Night watch position." Veleth hoped he sounded far more convincing than he felt.
"As I was saying, before you rudely interrupted me…" Jorun said, standing up. "I had an application appointment but you never shut up long enough for me to get you the hell out of my office so I can get some actual work done."
As Ocanlil exploded into another tirade, Veleth eased over to the window and unlocked the latch and shoved it open a little, hoping that Nevano would have enough sense to wait until the Thalmor left. He could see that his father was one wrong word away from snapping back and Nevano being added into the mix was only going to ignite the powder keg. Maybe he should relock the window and make Nevano wait a bit longer…
"Wait…" Veleth grit his teeth as the irate Altmer came right up in his face, quickly squishing down the urge to punch him in the mouth. "I know who you are. You are Jorun's brat. But you…you are supposed to be in Solstheim. What are you doing here? …You know something about the Nerevarine, don't you? He was in Solstheim and now he's here isn't he?! Tell me! TELL ME!"
Then something grabbed the Thalmor and he flew backwards out of the window in a shower of glass.
Jorun came over to stand next to him, staring out the broken window. " I have to commend you on getting rid of that annoying n'wah." Jorun sighed. "However I'm going to have a real hard time convincing that fetcher's brother that the wind did it."
XxXxXx
A/N: A family scare prompted an adrenaline-fueled, hyper stress, writing spree that spit out this in record time. Most authors that actually write for a living say that you should accomplish 10,000 words in a week. I did over 5,000 in a span of less than 12 hours. The scare fortunately resolved itself into nothing (whew!) but then I had to finish because there's something to be said for burning off nervous energy. I apologize for some jumblyness but I simply couldn't stop myself and I'm having a hard time reading through this chapter as closely as I normally do.
