They rode the boat to Ebonheart, then to Vivec, where they got a silt strider the rest of the way to Balmora. They would have walked, but there wasn't time enough, and Chaos was tired.
"Wake up, serjo. We're here."
Chaos woke with a start. She gazed around wildly until her eyes settled on Big Helende. She sighed in relief. Big Helende looked down at the girl she considered like a daughter and gave her what seemed to be a much-needed hug. Chaos relaxed into the embrace and hugged back.
"Bad dreams?" Big Helende said once they parted.
"Don't tell Sugar-Lips."
"I won't."
Chaos usually didn't care who did and didn't know about her frequently disturbing dreams, as long as they weren't Temple, but Sugar-Lips was a Khajiit, and the Khajiit had their own radical superstitions about dreams, so Chaos always avoided mentioning her dreams to Sugar-Lips, Ra'Virr, Rabinna, or any other Khajiit.
"Come on, let's go."
"Wait."
Chaos shrugged off the extravagant robe she always wore, revealing a green common skirt, and a white shirt with a green vest. She put on an almost complete set of chitin armor. Everything but the helmet and shoulder pads. She sheathed her Last Wish at her side and wriggled back into the robe. Big Helende was impressed. The armor was completely hidden. She stood up, the robe swishing around her feet.
"We need to stop by Caius' house. He'll want to know about this, if he doesn't already."
"Okay. South Wall first."
"Okay."
They crossed the Odai, passing the council club that was the site of the infamous Balmora Bloodbath. They went under an archway and past a cluster of urns to the South Wall Cornerclub. Chaos noted the absence of Sottilde from her usual post near the door, nodded to Arathor as she passed him, and smiled at Sugar-Lips when they came around the corner to her.
"May you walk on warm sands, serjos," Sugar-Lips greeted them.
"And yourself, friend."
"Where is Sottilde?" Chaos asked before Big Helende had a chance to say more. "I noticed she was missing."
Sugar-lips' face fell. "She was in Tel Mora on a job for me. Those n'wah Camonna Tong got her."
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
"It is in the past. Habasi does what she can to avenge the death of her friend."
"That's why we're here," Big Helende said. "What else do you know about these Camonna Tong attacks?"
"It is worse than Habasi thought when she wrote you. It appears the n'wah have allied with the Dark Brotherhood. The Camonna Tong hit the Thieves Guild, while the Brotherhood hits the Morag Tong and Fighters' Guild. The Camonna Tong and Dark Brotherhood help each other out when needed and otherwise stay out of each other's way. Our only hope is to get the Mages' Guild on our side. We also need to appoint more bosses for protection. Pelagiad, Suran, Caldera, and Molag Mar, to start, all get bosses. Every Thief ranking Bandit or higher is now eligible to become a boss. Habasi has written to Gentleman Jim Stacey and Aengoth the Jeweler, asking them here to Balmora so the new bosses can be elected."
"Why not get the mages and the fighters and Morag Tong on our side?" Chaos asked. "I know they don't like us, but while we're all being attacked, maybe we should stick together. Surely they'll see that too."
"Eydis Fire-Eye will never agree, Habasi fears. Sjoring Hard-Heart is stupid, but in charge. Percius Mercius, Habasi thinks, might see the logic and agree if he were still in charge, but alas, he is not. And the Morag Tong would never shame themselves to ally with the outlander Thieves Guild."
"Is it worth a try?"
"Is it worth a life?" Big Helende shot back. "Any Thief proposing this to any Fighter or Morag Tong would surely be killed. We are marksmen, sneaks, and negotiators, not warriors. No Thief stands a chance in open combat against a Fighter. The Mages are our only hope."
"Wake up, serjo. We're here."
Chaos woke with a start. She gazed around wildly until her eyes settled on Big Helende. She sighed in relief. Big Helende looked down at the girl she considered like a daughter and gave her what seemed to be a much-needed hug. Chaos relaxed into the embrace and hugged back.
"Bad dreams?" Big Helende said once they parted.
"Don't tell Sugar-Lips."
"I won't."
Chaos usually didn't care who did and didn't know about her frequently disturbing dreams, as long as they weren't Temple, but Sugar-Lips was a Khajiit, and the Khajiit had their own radical superstitions about dreams, so Chaos always avoided mentioning her dreams to Sugar-Lips, Ra'Virr, Rabinna, or any other Khajiit.
"Come on, let's go."
"Wait."
Chaos shrugged off the extravagant robe she always wore, revealing a green common skirt, and a white shirt with a green vest. She put on an almost complete set of chitin armor. Everything but the helmet and shoulder pads. She sheathed her Last Wish at her side and wriggled back into the robe. Big Helende was impressed. The armor was completely hidden. She stood up, the robe swishing around her feet.
"We need to stop by Caius' house. He'll want to know about this, if he doesn't already."
"Okay. South Wall first."
"Okay."
They crossed the Odai, passing the council club that was the site of the infamous Balmora Bloodbath. They went under an archway and past a cluster of urns to the South Wall Cornerclub. Chaos noted the absence of Sottilde from her usual post near the door, nodded to Arathor as she passed him, and smiled at Sugar-Lips when they came around the corner to her.
"May you walk on warm sands, serjos," Sugar-Lips greeted them.
"And yourself, friend."
"Where is Sottilde?" Chaos asked before Big Helende had a chance to say more. "I noticed she was missing."
Sugar-lips' face fell. "She was in Tel Mora on a job for me. Those n'wah Camonna Tong got her."
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
"It is in the past. Habasi does what she can to avenge the death of her friend."
"That's why we're here," Big Helende said. "What else do you know about these Camonna Tong attacks?"
"It is worse than Habasi thought when she wrote you. It appears the n'wah have allied with the Dark Brotherhood. The Camonna Tong hit the Thieves Guild, while the Brotherhood hits the Morag Tong and Fighters' Guild. The Camonna Tong and Dark Brotherhood help each other out when needed and otherwise stay out of each other's way. Our only hope is to get the Mages' Guild on our side. We also need to appoint more bosses for protection. Pelagiad, Suran, Caldera, and Molag Mar, to start, all get bosses. Every Thief ranking Bandit or higher is now eligible to become a boss. Habasi has written to Gentleman Jim Stacey and Aengoth the Jeweler, asking them here to Balmora so the new bosses can be elected."
"Why not get the mages and the fighters and Morag Tong on our side?" Chaos asked. "I know they don't like us, but while we're all being attacked, maybe we should stick together. Surely they'll see that too."
"Eydis Fire-Eye will never agree, Habasi fears. Sjoring Hard-Heart is stupid, but in charge. Percius Mercius, Habasi thinks, might see the logic and agree if he were still in charge, but alas, he is not. And the Morag Tong would never shame themselves to ally with the outlander Thieves Guild."
"Is it worth a try?"
"Is it worth a life?" Big Helende shot back. "Any Thief proposing this to any Fighter or Morag Tong would surely be killed. We are marksmen, sneaks, and negotiators, not warriors. No Thief stands a chance in open combat against a Fighter. The Mages are our only hope."