The fogged state between awakening and dream was one Reyes was seldom in. Usually, he would bring himself directly and quickly from sleep, as was prudent and natural to someone who had spent most of their lives on the streets. The past week, however, had seen a change in this instance. The traveling was hard and tiring, and Reyes often slept deeper than his instincts told him he should.

That morning it was especially hard for him to awaken. As he felt the early morning sun slip across his forehead, Reyes mind, as was routine, awoke. His eyes opened, and his breathing increased to its normal rate, but a part of him still seemed asleep. His vision was unfocused, and although the sun was glaring in his eyes, he hardly noticed it. He had a dull sense of admiration for the beautiful early morning sun and the sky around it, and with it came a peculiar sense of purpose.

Then his eyes gradually focused, and he roused himself and Under-Leaf, who was still fast asleep.

'Hopefully.' Under-Leaf grunted and smiled wearily at Reyes' 'Good morning.' The Argonian rose to his feet and helped Reyes prepare a fire from the little wood that was left in the area after the fire they made the previous night. The bone-white ashes still retained a barely detectable warmth that Reyes felt while they were packing the dry twigs and over it. They then began to cook some nix-hound meat over the tiny fire.

Edris Valyon and his accomplice emerged from the tents soon after. Their master wrinkled his nose at the slightly burnt strips of meat, but made no comment.

After they finished breakfast, they packed up the guars and continued on their way to Molag Mar. The weather wasn't as bad as it could have been, temperature wise, and ever so often clouds drifting out from the Ascadian Isles provided them with shade on their journey. The sun sparkled on the gleaming ash, seeming gentler than the scalding heat that had burned the party's backs the past few weeks. Reyes, who a few days ago had resigned himself to the hopeless and bleak life of slavery, admired the rolling sea of ash and rock around them, and thought although he would never taste freedom again, life wasn't so bad.

---

After an hour or so, however, Reyes' dreary demeanor had returned, and he trudged along the parched road, leading his guar, and occasionally sneaking a glance at Under-Leaf. His friend wasn't doing so well. It appeared that the wound on his leg was causing him much pain, as he gritted his teeth and walked in a limp as they progressed. Reyes looked for a fleeting moment at his master. Edris showed no indication of knowing of the Argonian's discomfort, and if he did, he showed no indication of caring. He stared straight ahead, his alert eyes scanning the sides of the road and his hand never far away from his broadsword's hilt.

His bodyguard, similarly alert, walked next to him. The silent Dunmer suddenly turned his head and returned Reyes' gaze. Reyes' heart stopped for a split second as he met those cold eyes, and he quickly looked away.

He brought his head up almost immediately, however, to the right. He had seen a flicker of movement over that rise, he was absolutely certain of it.

'What is it, slave?'

He looked back at the bodyguard, who was the one who had spoken. Edris, his bodyguard, and Under-Leaf all looked intently at Reyes, and the guars slowed their pace.

'Well, out with it.'

Reyes was taken aback, being directly addressed by this dark man whom he feared even more, possibly, than his master. He fumbled for words. 'I...I was sure I saw something...over-'

There was a sharp twang behind him, and he spun around to look, which was probably the luckiest thing he ever did. A blur shot past Reyes' ear and over his shoulder, and there was a wet sound of impact. The pack guar that Under-Leaf lead cried out in pain and alarm, and toppled over with an arrow buried deep in its thigh.

A bosmer stood on the crest of the rise. He held an iron bow in front of him. The bowstring still vibrated with a musical tone, and the bosmer's leather gloved hand was already withdrawing another arrow from the quiver he had slung over his back. Three brigands, two Khajiit and one Argonian, stood to either side of the bosmer, who seemed to be the leader.

'Hand over your goods and your lives will be spared.' Murmured the bosmer, just loud enough to be heard. His voice was steady and supremely confident.

The dark bodyguard acted once again in one smooth motion, sliding the arrow out of the quiver and fitting it to the string, drawing the string taut, the steel arrow aimed directly at the bosmer's chest.

There was an off-key twang, and the arrow flew out of the Dunmer's hand, cartwheeled through the air and entrenched itself into the ash. The two pieces of the bowstring cut his hand like razors, and he lifted his face to cry out, but he had no time for pain. A split second later an arrow sheared through the bottom of his chin, through his mouth, and there was a sharp splintering sound as the shard shattered his skull and went clean through his head, the crimson arrowhead protruding out of the man's scalp and his blood spraying out in a cloud behind him, staining the grey ash red.

Edris swore and drew his sword, diving in behind the fallen guar. Under-Leaf had taken cover behind it at the first sign of trouble. Reyes knew that his only cover was behind that guar.

'Come here, boy.' Said the bosmer brigand, beckoning to him. 'We could use a good slave.'

Reyes looked at him, then at the guar. He seriously considered joining the outlaw, but he knew that Under-Leaf was still with Edris, and that the outlaws would most probably kill him for his disability.

Slowly, the bosmer nocked an arrow. And leveled the deadly point at Reyes' neck.

'Last chance.'

Reyes was paralysed with indecision and fear.

Then Under-Leaf darted out from behind the guar, hurling a round stone at the brigands. At the sudden movement, the Bosmer immediately aimed the bow at the Argonian.

A high pitched whistle screamed as the twang of the bow sounded. Reyes watched as the two projectiles crossed past each other. The rock arced through the air hitting one of the brigands square in the face, dazing him, but there was a gasp of pain as the arrow hit Under-Leaf. The Argonian half-ran, half-fell back behind the guar.

In the instant of shock that followed, the realization that the rock was a diversion broke through the horror, and Reyes launched himself across the ash.

The Bosmer was too fast. Already he had seen through the plan, and another arrow was tightening the string. Reyes realised that he had lost as soon as the Bosmer nocked the arrow.

There was no pain, but the shock of the impact knocked Reyes off his feet, and he collapsed behind the guar. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Under-Leaf, curled up on the ground with a hole through his wrist, calling his name in a scream the Reyes could not hear.

---

Reyes' vision was as black as night, and a palpable silence deafened his senses. He felt nothing except his own consciousness, starkly outlined against the abject darkness. So this is what it was like to die, He thought, and wondered briefly if it would have been different had there been room in his heart for belief in a higher power.

He was indifferent to time. He could not sense the passing of the seconds, hours, days and years. What was slowly trickling by might not even have been time at all. He felt no physical presence. He felt sure he was not seeing with his eyes, even if he still had them. The blackness weighed down on him like a suffocating blanket, but Reyes cared not. He felt no emotions. All happiness and hope had left him, but he had never had much of them in life anyway. What mattered was that everything else, fear, doubts, rage and sorrow were gone too. He did not fear the dark. That was impossible. All he felt was an all-enduring peace.

Slowly, something emerged from the darkness. At first it was just a disturbance, a warping in the fabric of nothingness. Then the warping took on colour, then many colours, scintillating in a cloud of vibrant light. With it came sounds, from distant, clear chimes to sucking, liquid noise that would have evoked nausea in the living, all merged together.

Almost imperceptibly, the colour sharpened and the sound grew clearer and separated. He could barely make out the heavy breathing of a guar, raucous, taunting laughter and sulpherous curses, mixed in with the light whistling of the wind.

His vision sharpened, and he dimly recognised Under-Leaf's reptilian face above him.

Reyes felt drained and tired as he let Under-Leaf sit him up against a nearby boulder.

'I thought you were dead.' Under-Leaf said, his voice heavy with relief.

'I thought so too.' Reyes replied weakly, and coughed.

'In fact, I can't see why you aren't dead. The arrow was going so fast it went right through you.'

Reyes looked down at his body. There was a faintly painful spot just below his heart. He lifted up his shirt. A layer of bright blood shone on his skin, but there was no hole. Reyes gingerly touched the area with his finger. There was no damage to his flesh.

'I don't think he hit me.' Reyes said, surprised. That bosmer looked lethal with a bow.

'He must have.' Under-Leaf replied. 'I saw it go through.' He looked at the broken arrow lying a couple of meters away. A reached out for it, and examined it carefully.

'No blood.' He said. 'Then why are you bleeding?'

'I don't think I'm bleeding, either.' Reyes said. 'I think that's your blood.'

Under-Leaf glanced down at the gaping wound in his left wrist, which he cradled in his lap. 'I think you're right.' He said.

'Does it hurt?'

'A little.' Replied Under-Leaf. 'I'll be fine.'

'It doesn't look like that to me. I can see daylight coming through it.' Countered Reyes. He gripped the ragged sleeve of his shirt and ripped it off. 'Hold out your hand.'

Under-Leaf winced and gritted his teeth as Reyes bound the cloth around his wrist. The wound was bleeding very badly, and before Reyes had finished, it was already soaked with blood.

'How's that?'

'Better.' Under-Leaf smiled. 'Thank you.'

'How long was I unconscious?'

'Only around ten seconds.'

There was another whistle, and a wet thump sounded behind the guar. The guar screamed in its hoarse voice, and its breathing grew more laboured and choked with blood.

'Damn!' cried the voice of their master, who was peeking over the guar's head when the arrow hit. His face was splattered with the guar's blood. He wiped the blood out of his eyes with his sleeve, then glanced at Reyes and Under-Leaf, and did a double take when he saw Reyes sitting up against the rock.

'You're alive!' Edris said. 'How did you survive?'

'I don't know, Master.' Said Reyes.

'How bad is your wound?'

'I don't have one, Master.'

'Don't play games with me, boy.' Edris said sternly. 'I've been in combat more times than I can remember, and there's no way you could have escaped at least moderate injury against odds like that.'

'He is not injured, Master.' Under-Leaf concurred. 'The blood on his chest is my own.'

'Impossible!' Edris exclaimed. 'Unless you have some sort of magickal talent. But even so, the slave bracer would have-' He broke off as another arrow hit the guar, and its breathing stopped.

Edris sat in silent thought for a moment. Then he reached into his shirt, and produced the key to the bracers. He handed it to the slaves. 'Unlock your bracers.' He said.

Under-Leaf stared at him, key in hand.

'Do it.' Edris said, then peeked again over the dead guar. There was another sodden impact, and blood sprayed out behind them.

Under-Leaf fumbled with the key, struggling to insert it into the keyhole on his bracer. Reyes took it from him, and unlocked Under-Leaf's bracer, then his own.

'Have you any magickal ability?' Edris asked Reyes as he massaged his wrist.

'No.' Reyes answered, a bit unsteadily.

'I have a moderate skill in Illusion, Master.' Said Under-Leaf.

'Are you able to conjure up apparitions?'

Under-Leaf frowned. 'I think, Master. I have not practiced in a long time.'

'Can you project an image of me? It must run out from behind the guar, then collapse as an arrow strikes it.'

Under-Leaf thought for a moment. 'I believe so, Master, but the arrow will fly straight through the illusion.'

'That's good enough. Now, when I appear to be dead, the bandits will undoubtedly try to get to you first, as slaves are worth a lot. As soon as they do so, we must all attack them simultaneously. I have no doubt that we will survive. The Bosmer seemed proficient with his weapon, but I doubt the others are anything else than a retinue of spectators.'

Reyes and Under-Leaf nodded their acquiescence.

'I will need to see your whole body the entire time, Master.' Under-Leaf said.

'Very well.' Edris stretched himself out into a stiff position on the ash. 'Hurry up. This feels ridiculous.'

Under-Leaf began to move his hands in intricate patterns in the air between himself and Edris, and a golden light emanated from them as he did so. Reyes watched as a pale mist appeared, swirling through the air and hanging low over the ground.

Reyes, aware that he may have to defend himself, looked around for some form of weapon. Besides the boulder he sat against, there was nothing suitable. However, he opened up a leather bag on the side of the dead guar, and felt around in it. He grasped what felt like a hilt, and removed the silver shortsword the Breton brigand had used a couple of days ago. He slashed at the air a couple of times to get the feel of it. It was heavy, but the weight may well add to the lethality.

As Reyes familiarised himself with his weapon, Under-Leaf completed the illusion. Lying on the sand (or appearing to) was an exact duplicate of Edris, except for the surface, which swirled and moved like smoke in a clear glass.

'I have finished.' Under-Leaf said to his master.

'Very well done.' Edris complemented Under-Leaf. 'This will serve our purposes well.' He rose into a crouch and shifted his weapon. 'Get ready.'

Under-Leaf gestured with his hand, and the illusion lifted itself up. It raised its illusionary sword, and charged out from behind the guar. There was another whistle as the arrow streaked through the air, and a realistic sounding thump as the arrow passed through it. Insubstantial, yet convincing blood fanned out from the illusion, and with a thump the illusion fell to earth, even raising a cloud of ash.

Edris winced. 'That was disturbing.' He murmured.

There was the sound of laughter from the other side of the road, and it grew gradually nearer. Soon, they were able to make out what they were saying.

'The idiot!' chuckled the soft voice of the Bosmer. 'Did you see him? He ran right out from behind cover! People just don't know how to fight these days.'

His entourage laughed uproariously.

'You check our new guar.' The Bosmer said to his henchmen. 'I'll get the slave.'

Edris and Reyes tensed as they heard the Bosmer's footsteps draw closer.

'Well, what have we here-'

In an amazingly agile movement, Edris leapt up, bringing his shining broadsword through the air in a brilliant arc, the sun flashing off the blade as it sliced effortlessly through the neck of the Bosmer. The bandit's head spun off his shoulders, landing neatly and conveniently in a basin of bubbling ashmire several meters away. The stumped neck of the wood elf fountained blood as it collapsed in a swirling whirlpool of dust, leaving only a large heap of ash behind.

There was no struggle to follow. The bosmer's compatriots were obviously just as dumbstruck as their victims by the disintegration of their leader, and immediately bolted for the hills.

Reyes and Under-Leaf emerged tentatively from behind the guar. Edris was staring blankly at the pile of powder that had been his adversary.

'What happened?' Reyes asked, baffled.

Edris said nothing, but walked over to the ashmire pool. He stuck in his gauntleted hand and felt around.

When he lifted his hand out, the head he produced was completely unlike the bony face of the bosmer. The skin had turned pitch-black, and polished black horns protruded from the sides of its head. The mouth, which was open, bared an intimidating array of long, razor-sharp teeth

Reyes started back from the grisly trophy. 'What is it?' he asked, his voice fearful.

'It was a Daedra.' Said Edris flatly. 'A daemon.' Even as he spoke theses words, the head fell apart and crumbled to dust.

'A- what?' Reyes was puzzled. Education was something he lacked.

'Beings which live in a world separate from ours.' Replied Edris gravely. 'They are evil and torturous, and it wouldn't surprise me if they would join brigands in disguise to inflict pain upon those of the mortal realm.' He disdainfully kicked the pile of ash in front of him.

Edris stood silently for a while. Then he walked off to retrieve the surviving guar, which was still on the other side of the road where the brigands left it. Reyes and Under-Leaf helped him to load what they could from the dead guar onto it. They then dug a shallow grave in the ash, and deposited the body of Edris' accomplice. Then they returned to the guar, whereupon Edris turned to them.

'You are free.' He said to them.

Reyes and Under-Leaf stared at him, then at each other. 'Why?' asked the baffled Under-Leaf.

'For one thing,' Edris said, 'you sustained a serious injury back there, and you would be a liability to me. Second, Daedra don't often come to Tamriel just to torment people. They don't like it here. It is more likely that the one who just attacked us was after one of us. If it is me, then I'm as good as dead. If its one of you, I don't want to endanger myself by keeping you.'

There was another moment of stunned silence.

'I will give you supplies.' Edris said, unbuckling two saddlebags and handing one each to Reyes and Under-Leaf. 'They should get you where you want to go. Molag Mar is just another day's travel, so you may travel with me for a time, if you wish.'

Under-Leaf got his voice back first. 'Thank you, Master.'

'My pleasure, but you can forget about calling me that from now on.' Edris said, with what appeared to be his first sincere smile since he purchased them. 'You may just call me Sir.'

Reyes fought to control his relief and happiness. He was free.

'You ought to have a look at that wound, Wet-Leaf-Under-Guar's-Arse.' Said Edris, noticing the bandage around Under-Leaf's wrist, which was practically soaked through with blood. 'I've heard a mixture of mazte and trama juice acts as a good disinfectant.'

Reyes could not contain himself anymore. He broke out in gales of laughter, much to the puzzlement of both Edris and Wet-Leaf-Under-Guar's-Arse.