Here's Chapter Two of The Vestige!
"You there! Wet one!" Is the first thing Alva hears from the moment she steps outside the tower. With a confused expression she looks around for the source, and when she eventually looks to her left, she sees a lone Khajiit in High Elf armor. He beckons her to come closer. "Welcome to Khenarthi's Roost, friend." He says. "The hurricane must have been very disorienting. So many injured, confused..." Then he lowers his voice and leans a bit closer. "Keep your voice down. Try not to draw attention."
"I— What are you talking about?"
"Razum-Dar is here on a mission of some... delicacy. You are just what the Baandari ordered."
"I am?"
Razum-Dar nods in response. "Between your hands and Raz's good looks, we are certain to see this through."
"Hmm. What kind of help do you need, exactly?"
"First, a question. Where did you come from?" He asks.
Alva's heart skips a beat. Scenes of Lyris and Coldharbour flash in front of her. A shadow falls over her face, her eyes grow dark. "Coldharbour." She replies. "Molag Bal's realm. He plans to invade Tamriel."
"A Deadric Prince, you say?" Razum-Dar says hesitantly. "Raz has a nose for lies, but you seem clean as an ocean breeze. Hmm. If anyone else asks you... where will you say you came from?"
The High Elf looks around. They are surrounded by the rubble of ancient buildings, there are tents set up for Elves and Khajiit alike who seem to be recovering from injuries and other Elves and Khajiit in Dominion armor who are helping these poor souls. From as far as she can see along the shore, there are shipwrecks after shipwrecks. Then, considering the look on Razum-Dar's face, she replies. "I'm a Dominion soldier who survived the shipwreck."
"Yes, lie with confidence." He smiles. "A straight face, and a gleam in your eye. Well done! It is very good right now to fit in. Your sudden arrival? It does not fit in, you understand?"
Alva opens her mouth to say something in return, but she stops short. She narrows her eyes at him, and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Who did you say you are?"
"Just a friendly Khajiit, privileged to see someone drop from nowhere and land in sea."
"I— wait. You saw that?"
"This one did! A shame you cannot do it at will. You could make piles of coin, sell tickets!"
Alva looks back at the sea, suddenly she feels the dampness of her clothes and the cold on her skin. Absentmindedly, she hugs herself. "How long ago did that happen?"
"You don't know?" Alva merely shakes her head, earning a peculiar look from the Khajiit. "It was only a few hours ago—"
"Only a few hours?" Alva asks, whipping her head towards him again, now with a hint of hope in her eyes.
"Yes."
The corner of her mouth goes up slightly. It really puts her mind at ease now she knows that Lyris isn't on her own for days on end already. It is a big contrast to what the Prophet said, but then again, he did also say that 'The voyage between worlds disrupted all sense of time and space.' "Why are you helping me?" Alva asks suddenly.
"Because you are no soldier, which is useful. You can speak with the locals; assure them we are not invaders or marauders. Now, come. Let us try to fit in."
"Very well."
The next few days have been the most exciting days in her entire life! After Razum-Dar introduced her to a couple of people, he wanted her to start investigating. So, that's exactly what she did. Along the way she practiced her magic on alits and skeevers and thunderbugs. Nasty creatures, these thunderbugs, they sting. And be sure not to come near them while they're near their nest, they will chase you to the other side of the island! Alva knows. She could've been at the Temple of the Mourning Springs so much sooner but she was too busy fighting off thunderbugs. At least this way she managed to create blasts of radiant heat at will, it's an easy move—well, it's easy now she got the hang of it— where she conjures a ball of fire she shoots at her target.
It might only be a small feat for an accomplished mage, but to Alva it's a big step. So, with her heart filled with a newfound determination, she entered the Temple of The Mourning Springs together with Gathwen, a Wood Elf, to save her master. After fighting off different kind of skeletals and avoiding spike traps in the great hall of the tomb, Alva already had a difficult decision to make. Another sacrifice has to be made to stop Uldor from overrunning Khenarthi's Roost with an army of undead. After a heated discussion, it was Rurelion who sealed himself in the tomb and Uldor was sealed away once more.
After the job was done, Alva decided to stay around a bit longer to support Gathwen. The loss of her master, of her friend, is hard on her and it is not something one needs to endure alone. The Bosmer cried silently against Alva's shoulder while she held her comfortably in her arms, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
The Shattered Shoals was the Altmer's next stop. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, the large beach was littered with shipwrecks. Many Aldmeri ships sank during the hurricane and the remaining survivors have come ashore here, and according to her coverup story Alva is one of them. She certainly looks the part, though. Her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail which is held in place with a bit of rope, her side swept bangs rest on her sharp eyebrows. Alva found a tattered, old High Elf linen robe she could switch for her even more tattered prison outfit she was wearing in Coldharbour. Thank Auri-El she could get out of these rags. Well, although she changed these rags for another rag, she is glad to get rid of the stench of Coldharbour. The only thing she has left of that place is her great sword.
A few steps along the shore, Alva heard a distance shout. "Can any of you hear me?" It didn't take long before she found the source of it, a Bosmer Sergeant named Firion. Soon thereafter, Alva found herself searching for Firion's wounded crew. Firion told her to find Torchbug Treacle to heal them, but as a Templar Alva contains healing powers. So, putting the little knowledge she has to the test, she decided to heal the other sailors herself.
Day soon changed to night when Alva went from healing sailors, to restoring a ship, to fighting Sea Vipers. This time Alva used her sword to fight the other Elves since the healing process earlier that day drained her magicka tremendously. But that definitely didn't stop her from swinging her sword around. If Lyris only could see her now, she would have been proud! The thought of Lyris is what keeps Alva so determined lately, but thinking about her for too long also makes her sad. And angry. But somehow, in a way, the sadness and the anger are a good thing. It's what keeps her going. It's what drives her to keep fighting and it fuels her attacks. This also made it easier to fight Zyklos, the Sea Viper's leader, and with this anger she stopped the ritual and the raging storm with it.
That night Alva stumbled back into camp where she first met Razum-Dar. It was late and she was exhausted and she was hurt from that day's battle, but winning another fight left her satisfied. And in the end, that's all that mattered. Alva hands over a bunch of fish she collected from the traps along the shore, to Ji'mada, an older Khajiiti shipwreck survivor who has taken it upon her to cook for the lot of them. "Thank you, Alva, dear." She smiles, patting the Altmer's cheek.
"You're welcome." Alva replies, snatching a piece of bread from a platter and joins some other survivors at the camp fire. It has taken some time for her to adjust to the area and its people, but slowly she opened up to them. They don't know she escaped Coldharbour, though, or what has happened to her, but she did tell them small things from her life in Summerset. And in return Alva would listen to stories of the others. Whenever she got time to spare, she would help Ji'mada with cooking. Other times she would collect herbs and fruits and fish, she would help the more experienced healers with small tasks or she would spend her time practicing her magic.
The next few days Alva occupied herself with helping other Elves and Khajiit in need. And by doing so, she made some new friends along the way. Juranda-ra really appreciated it when Alva helped her with the rat problem, Spinner Benieth praised her for helping the spirit heal the Great Tree. Officer Lorin seemed a bit skeptical of her at first, but after Alva helped her solve the Skooma problem at the Speckled Shell Plantation, things changed and everything turned out all right. Just helping other citizens is a nice change of pace. It's... easy. Easier and much safer than fighting Sea Vipers and the undead. Although Alva's skills improve faster while fighting, helping others with a simple task is just as rewarding. And the money she earned with it, is a nice bonus as well.
It's almost two weeks now since Alva escaped from Coldharbour. The Prophet said they would meet again, but how? When? This she did not know. And it was maddening. To keep herself occupied, Alva travels to Mistral where she joins Razum-Dar to fill him in. "This one has heard reports." The Khajiit says to her. "You've kept busy. Good! You fit in now more than ever. How did things go?"
"I put an end to the trouble in the Shattered Shoals and the Temple of the Mourning Springs, as you've asked." Alva replies, and the next few minutes she spends giving him all the details about the matters.
In return, Razum-Dar informs her of the goings on in Mistral. Apparently, there's an interesting political situation going on between the local Maormer and the new Aldmeri Dominion presence. There is a treaty which allows them to coexist on the island, but it's said that it's flawed and cannot hold.
That's why Alva is on her way towards the Silvenar to talk about it. Entering the Embassy, Alva immediately finds him since he's the only Bosmer in there. She shows him the token Raz has given her. "Most unexpected! It seems we have a mutual friend. May I ask, what brings you to Mistral?" the Silvenar asks.
"Our mutual friend thought you could use my help." Alva smiles friendly.
After that, things spiraled out of control pretty quickly. Alva went to investigate the matter of the treaty, since neither Harrani nor Ulondil were eager to present their copy. Eventually the Altmer managed to 'steal back' Harrani's copy Ulondil stole from her in the first place.
Anyway, Alva had a short interaction with the Green Lady before she entered hers and the Silvenar's home for further instruction. Alva's hand covers her mouth as she gasps. A red cloud of poison hovers over the lifeless body of the Silvenar on the ground. Alva kneels down next to him; her hands glow a bright gold and she gently press them on the Silvenar's chest in an attempt to heal him. Now, his chest glows the same gold. She closes her eyes in concentration, the red cloud disappears when the glow spreads throughout the whole room.
The door flies open, distracting Alva. She pulls her hand away, and the golden glow disappears instantly. The Green Lady frowns deeply at the scene in front of her, soon as she realizes the Silvenar is dead, her expression turns enraged. "No." She growls. "No!" The Bosmer examines his body before her head snaps towards Alva. "You found him like this?" She sneers. "What did you see?" Alva's taken aback by the hostility in her voice. "Answer me!" The Green Lady demands.
"He—he was dead when I arrived." Alva manages to reply.
"Don't lie to me! I saw the glow; I saw you were doing something to him."
The High Elf holds up her hands. "I was only trying heal him."
The Green Lady studies Alva intently, and after a short moment she turns her attention back to the Silvenar. "Then you know nothing! A thousand curses on this wretched island. They've taken my beloved!" Although her voice is filled with rage, Alva still hears a hint of sadness in her voice, and somehow, she can't help but feel saddened herself.
Alva can't say she truly knows the Silvenar. She has only talked with him for a few short moments, but still, his death affects her in a way. In all her time on Khenarthi's Roost Alva has seen so much death and destruction already. First Rurelion, then Firion's lieutenant and now the Silvenar. It truly amazes her how things seem so differently outside of Summerset. Alva always saw her home as a paradise, everything was so beautiful and perfect and serene. Not once was there a moment where she felt anything other than pure bliss. Except when her parents were scolding her for being a failure, of course. But apart from that? Only pure bliss. And now there is only death and destruction and betrayal. As a child she has heard plenty of stories about the lands outside of Summerset, but she never thought it would be any like this.
"Who would want him dead?" Alva wonders.
"None who'll survive the day." The Green Lady replies. "I am the unerring bolt. Once loosed, I cannot stop 'til I pierce my quarry's eye. Harrani knows her own city. If she won't tell you who did this, I'll shorten her tail until she does. Now go. Go!"
Alva gets back on her feet and hurries out of the house and runs straight back towards the Embassy where she informs Harrani. The Khajiit is surprised by the information and definitely eager to help. It takes some more investigating and another talk with Razum-Dar to find out it was Ulondil who hired an assassin to kill the Silvenar.
It was her and the Green Lady who found the assassin in an abandoned house just a few ways away, and after Alva heard what she needed to hear and gathered all the proof she can muster. She turns to leave again, but the Green Lady doesn't look like she's going to follow. The Elves share a look, and that's all it takes for Alva to know what is about to happen next. Quickly she closes the door behind her, and as she walks down the steps, she could swear she heard tormented screams.
Sometime later, the High Elf approaches Harrani, Ulondil and Vicereeve Pelidil at the bridge which leads to the Moamor Embassy. Uldondil looks up at her. "Ah, the errant deputy. I was just informing Headwoman Harrani of her apothecary's connections to the High Elves of Summerset Isle. Once the torture begins, we'll learn why the Dominion killed their own diplomat." He says.
Alva gives him a glare; she straightens her back and speaks with cold determination. "The Dominion has nothing to do with this. I know you are behind all of this."
"Excuse me?" Ulondil says offended. "Who do you think you—"
"—Your assassin said you ordered the Silvenar's death."
"My what? You mean the apothecary? I assure you; he was never in my employ—"
"— Your assassin bought Daedric blood from the apothecary and used it to kill the Silvenar."
Ulondil fixes his mouth in a thin line, his jaw clenched. He narrows his eyes at Alva, but she just glares back unflinchingly. "Oh, well done." He says eventually. The Green Lummox and her idiot husband lie dead. There's nothing you can do to stop us."
A small smile spread across Alva's lips, earning a nervous glance from Ulondil. "That's where you're wrong, ambassador." She says. "The Green Lady isn't dead."
"You're lying!" He accuses in a fit of panic. "She must be dead, or else she would have come for me! She's coming for me, isn't she?" Alva merely lifts an eyebrow in response, giving the Sea Elf the answer he most fears. "I... I'm a duly appointed ambassador of the Maormer people. The grounds of the embassy are sacrosanct, according to our treaty!"
Alva moves to follow him, but Harrani stops her by grabbing her hand. "This is madness." The Khajiit says to her. "There has been enough death in this city."
"It's clear the Maormer betrayed Khenarthi's Roost." Alva replies.
"This does not excuse mindless slaughter!" Harrani counters. "We are better than our enemies. You must apprehend him. Don't let the Green Lady cut him down like an animal! We must learn what the Maomor plan for Khenarthi's Roost."
Alva considers this and nods. "Alright. I'll go after him."
Harrani sighs relieved and releases her grip on the Elf's arm. "I trust you'll do what's best for my people. Now I must... apologize to Vicereeve Pelidil. Whatever the Dominion needs, we will provide." When Alva turns to head towards the Maomor Embassy, she meets Pelidil's eyes. They only look at each other, neither of them saying a word.
The Vestige enters the Embassy and immediately runs up the stairs, her heart skips a beat when she sees how the Green Lady corners Ulondil. Carefully, Alva comes to stand between them. She holds up her hands as if she's keeping a menacing beast at bay. "Green Lady." She says softly. She opens her mouth to say more, but the Bosmer interrupts her.
"Move. Unless you don't mind the spatter." She says through gritted teeth.
"What are you going to do to him?"
"I'll keep him alive for a time. He won't starve. His limbs have so much flesh to sustain him. Go tell Harrani the Maomor is dead. Leave me to my work."
"No." Alva replies. She's nervous, but determined. She will stop this. "This isn't justice, it's revenge..."
"Exactly." The Green Lady says. "And I'll have the blood that's due! What does this creature's life matter to you, anyway?"
Alva lowers her hands and looks over her shoulder at Ulondil who's cowering away, his back pressed against the wall. The Sea Elf's life matters very little to her, truth be told. But killing someone out of revenge is never an option, no matter what they did to you. "Is this what the Silvenar would have wanted?"
A shadow falls over the Green Lady's face, her eyes suddenly ablaze. "You dare speak for my Silvenar? I'll beat you with your own flayed skin! I'll smash your teeth to powder and choke you with the dust! You're ... You're right. Curse your bones, you're right. Take him away, before I lose myself."
The Vestige did not expect the sudden change of events, but thank Auri-El all the same. Alva grabs Ulondil by his collar and drags him out of the Embassy again and presents him to Harrani. Dominion guards shackle him as the Khajiit turns her attention towards Alva. "Thank you so much for your quick action."
Alva bows her head. "You're welcome."
The women exchange a smile, glad that this matter is dealt with. As if on cue, Zaeri, another Khajiit, runs up to her, telling her Sea Vipers have attacked Cat's Eye Quay. The defensive forces are thin, so they need all the help they can get, otherwise Mistral will fall.
Not hesitating one moment, Alva rushes straight towards the Quay and finds commander Karinith who directs her to urge civilians away from the fighting. The Altmer gets to it immediately, and after helping a Khajiit and another High Elf, Alva joins with Firion and Gathwen at the gate.
At the sound of someone approaching, Firion turns around. "What are you doing here?" She asks, and now Gathwen turns to look at her as well.
"Alva!" The other Wood Elf breathes relieved.
Alva reaches out to grab her hand, she gives it a little squeeze before addressing Firion. "I'm here to help."
"Are you in the mood to cave in some Sea Viper skulls?" Firion replies.
Alva's eyes widen at the sound of that, she giggles nervously. "I— I wouldn't say it like that, but I'm definitely down for some thorough ass whooping."
Firion shrugs. "Sounds good enough to me."
"So, one of the survivors said you're planning a counterattack."
"You feel that cold air rushing off the sea? Just like it was before the hurricane. We can't wait to cut off the snake's head. We are the Dominion counterattack."
"What can I do?"
"I sent my squad to scout Cat's Eye Quay. If they haven't learned what the Sea Vipers plan, we can poke around until we figure out what needs chopping. And don't worry, your wizard friend can seal the gate behind us."
"Shouldn't you hold the gate?"
"I'll hold the gate, if you think you'll need a wizard. Or you could bring a Dominion marine. Up to you."
Alva turns to Gathwen, who has been following the conversation attentively. "How are you feeling, Gathwen? Do you think you will be able to assist me out there?"
"You aided me at the Temple of the Mourning Springs. I'd be a fool not to return the favor—"
"You don't owe me anything." Alva says, creasing her brows to emphasize on that matter.
"I know that." Gathwen replies with a soft smile. "You've already proven your courage. If I'm to die in this battle, I'd rather be at your side than alone on this beach." The Bosmer takes a moment to look at the gate, she breathes in deeply and lets it out as a sigh. "But we won't let it come to that. If you hold the Sea Vipers attention, I'll do what I can to keep you on your feet."
"All right, come with me." Alva says, she nods her head at Firion, who returns the gesture, and enters the Quay with Gathwen close at her side.
The Elves dive head on into the fight on the beach. They defeat Sea Vipers left and right, saving civilians who have been captured as they go. They move quickly through the area; they meet with Eldhelas who hands them a page of Ealcil's research note. Some ways further they find Nistel in the tavern, Alva fears the worst when she notices she's not moving. "Oh, Nistel." She breathes softly as she kneels down next to her. "Alva, look." Gathwen says, Alva follows her gaze and sees another research note in her hand. The High Elf takes it from her, says a little prayer for Nistel and leaves again.
The women continue down the coast line. Alva is in deep concentration as she's fighting Sea Vipers, totally forgetting about Gathwen until she hears her cry out in panic. "Alva!" And when the Altmer turns to look what is going on, she sees she's surrounded by Vipers. Without any hesitation, Alva charges towards them. The first one she strikes down with a slash of her sword; the other two she attacks with beams of pure light. Somewhere due to the chaos of the moment, she loses her sword, but that doesn't stop her from protecting Gathwen. Using her bare fists, she knocks the last one of them down cold. Alva looks down at the bodies surrounding them, and collecting her breath she looks up at the Bosmer. "Are you hurt?" She asks.
Gathwen runs a trembling hand through her hair. "Just a little—watch out!"
Alva whirls around at the sudden shout of warning, and sees the tip of a sword coming her way. On instinct, she backs away, but unfortunately not fast enough. The sword collides with her waist, leaving a bleeding gash. She glances down at it before she engulfs her fist in flames and punches the Viper squarely in the face, and after a few more well-placed punches, she defeats the Sea Viper.
When Gathwen joins Alva's side, the Altmer quickly pulls on her robe to hide the gash on her waist. She collects her sword from the ground, before she turns her attention back to the fight around them. "Let's go."
Eventually they find a lone Khajiit inside the mine entrance. Since this entrance is collapsed, he directs them to another entrance to the line. Just when they're about to leave, he mentions a wizard gave him a piece of paper. He holds it out to them; it takes only one look to know it's another research note of Ealcil. Alva and Gathwen exchange a look before they head towards the Wind Tunnels where they find Ealcil. After getting instructions on how to proceed from there, Alva and Gathwen explore the mines and interrupt each of the totems they find, killing more Sea Vipers along the way. When they reach the exit of the mine again, they run into Ealcil's projection. The only thing left to do now is for them to deactivate the three horns surrounding the Atranoch outside. This way, they will stop the process completely.
Ealcil's projection fades away, leaving the Elves in the dark. Alva lets out a shaky breath, and uses her arm to catch herself against the wall. On instinct, Gathwen reaches out to steady her. "Alva, what's wrong?" She asks with her brows creased in worry. The Altmer wobbles slightly, her face twitches in pain and her hand flies to her waist, clutching it tightly. Alva grunts as Gathwen lowers her to the ground. Then she reaches out to pull away Alva's hand from her waist to find it shiny and wet with blood. "You're hurt." She whispers, and when she looks up at her, she finds Alva already looking at her.
"How bad is it?" The High Elf asks.
Gathwen tears open the gap in her robe even more to look at the cut on her waist. She breathes in sharply at the sight of it, but she recovers quickly and gives Alva an encouraging smile. "It's nothing a little healing can't fix." She lies.
"We... we don't have time for that." Alva protests.
"Then we'll have to make time for that." Gathwen replies.
"We need to stop the ritual." Alva breathes in pain.
"We won't be stopping anything if you're dead." Gathwen shakes her head, and reaches out to start healing but Alva stops her by grabbing her wrist.
"Gathwen." She says. Her voice is soft but clear, and the look in her eyes is one of determination.
The Bosmer sighs, bending her head in defeat. "Fine. But you will let me take a look at you once this is over."
Alva grunts in response, which is a good enough answer to her. After that, they exit the mine. The High Elf's stomach drops at the sight in front of her. It's raining heavily and there is a chill wind that wafts through the clearing. "I've read about this in books but I never imagined it to look like this." Gathwen says, snapping Alva out of her thoughts.
Her heart is racing and the stinging pain in her waist makes it hard to concentrate on the matter at hand. She blinks away the black spots swimming in her field of vision and proceeds towards the first horn. The fight with the Serpent and Sea Viper doesn't go as smoothly as her previous fights, but after a few more swings of her sword and an occasional ball of divine fire puts an end to it. They continue like this until the last of the horn is deactivated.
There is a sudden shift in the wind, and the Atranoch's voice thunders in their ears. Alva hears a distant sound, not quite paying attention to it as her eyes are glued on the Atranoch. Every fiber in her being says to get the hell out of there, but she seems frozen to the spot. A hand grabs her shoulder, Razum-Dar turns her so she looks at him. He stands right in front of her, and although he's shouting at her, his voice sounds far away. "Alva, we need to get out of here!" When Alva doesn't reply to that, Gathwen grabs her hand and pulls her along. The only thing left to do to get to safety is jump in the sea. Raz is the first to jump, Gathwen goes second and Alva follows close behind. Taking a deep breath, Alva jumps off the cliff. Her vision goes black before she hits the water.
...
"There she is!" Razum-Dar exclaims when Alva opens her eyes again. Her expression twitches as she struggles to sit up. Gathwen's soft hands hold her arm and support her back, she smiles relieved at her.
"You scared us, Alva." The Bosmer says.
"I'm sorry." Is all she manages to reply.
"Raz has to say, you did a good job out there."
"From what I've heard, no Sea Viper was left to your mercy." Sergeant Firion says. "Oh, I wish I could have seen that!"
While Razum-Dar and Sergeant Firion continue about the battle, Alva slowly gets back to her feet. She looks around. The sky is crystal clear, there is not one cloud in sight. The sun shines down on Khenarthi's Roost, leaving her in a comfortable warmth. Things are so calm right now, as if nothing has ever happened.
"We won, thanks to you." Alva hears suddenly. When she turns, Gathwen has joined her side at the water. "The Elves and Khajiit call you a hero already."
Alva quickly looks away, trying to hide the blush that's forming on her cheeks. "I'm not— I'm not a hero."
"You are, though." Gathwen replies. "I've heard the others talking about you. I heard what you did at the Shattered Shoals, how you helped other civilians without expecting anything in return. While you were unconscious, Razum-Dar and Harrani were telling how you solved the treaty problem and put Ulondil into custody. Not to forget what you did at the Temple of the Mourning Springs. And then, just now with the Tempest? We will never forget what you did for Khenarthi's Roost. The Dominion should be honored to have you."
Alva's face has grown completely scarlet now. "Hmm." Is the only thing she replies.
Razum-Dar calls for the Elves and waves them over. "My friend!" Raz says. "How are you feeling?"
"I've felt better, but at least I'm breathing." She replies.
"Escaping death is a constant thrill, yes? Not so thrilling for the Maomer, of course."
"How did you know where to find me?"
"The Maomer are fled or dead, thanks to your efforts. Khenarthi's Roost is safe and voluntarily a part of the Aldmeri Dominion. So, if you must know? Razum-Dar keeps an eye on promising people."
"I..." Alva's taken aback by that; her cheeks turn red again. In the corner of her eye she sees Gathwen looking at her with a smug grin. 'I told you so' radiates from her face. Ignoring her, Alva turns her attention back to Razum-Dar. "So, What now?"
"The Maomer are like drunken uncle. Chase them off and they always come back. Next time Khenarthi will be waiting for them. Problem is, there are places that will not be so prepared."
"What places?"
"If the vipers are in numbers strong enough to assault Khenarthi, all of the southern seas are in danger. The Queen is in Auridon right now, beginning a royal visit." Alva tenses up at the mention of the Queen, but she recovers quickly. "Raz would ask you to head to Vulkhel Guard and report to Watch Captain Astanya ."
"I'll do that."
"Astanya can pass word to Her Majesty. Perhaps you can catch a ride on the Prowler. Raz hear Jimila plans to set sail, he suspects she may owe you a favor."
Thank you for taking your time and hopefully I will see you next time!