Chapter 6 – Enemy Of The Empire
Camri and Ariel emerged from the forests of the Imperial Reserve to gaze across the West Weald. The sun was just beginning to set, bathing the undulating hills in an eerie twilight. A faint glow came from Skingrad, to the south, from the huge torches that burnt constantly outside the castle. To the west, atop a large hill, the city of Kvatch could be seen, also emanating a gentle orange glow.
"We should rest for a while" Camri said, gazing around. "Then we'll make the push to Skingrad under the cover of darkness"
Camri spotted a campsite a few hundred metres away from them. Two men could be seen in the camp, one sitting at a campfire, the other patrolling the perimeter of the camp. Camri pointed it out to Ariel.
"Good or bad?"
"They're bandits" Ariel said. "I imagine they will attack us on sight"
Camri drew his bow and began walking quickly in the direction of the camp. As he got closer, still unsighted, he lay down in the grass and held his bow horizontally. Nocking an arrow, he aimed and fired. His aim was good even in the reduced light and the arrow struck the patrolling bandit in the chest, knocking him to the ground unconscious. The second bandit got up and started running towards Camri, but Camri quickly reloaded and fired again, taking him down.
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"Ariel, I never asked you" Camri said suddenly as the pair sat at the campfire. "How did you become involved in all this?"
"I sensed that something was wrong in the south, something to do with the Empire" Ariel said. "The closer me and Horunn got to Cyrodiil, the more clear it became. I sensed that you were in danger in Morahame, and that I couldn't let you be killed. And that's how it began"
"And you are not worried about the repercussions this might have? Interfering with the affairs of the Empire?"
"Camri, I am no friend of the Empire" Ariel said. "For too long they have been trying to take me prisoner, to use my powers to help them in affairs like this. And even before they started coming after me they knew about my powers but did nothing to protect me"
"The Empire has changed" Camri said earnestly. "The Septim dynasty looked after the people. The new dynasty looks after the wealth. The Emperor cares only for three things – himself, money and the Imperial Legion. If one thing becomes of this, it's that we can show everyone what he's doing to the Empire. Maybe it will lead to revolt and the Elder Council regaining power. Who knows"
Camri looked at Ariel as she gazed south towards Skingrad. For the first time since they had met he realised how beautiful she was, possessing the delicate features and fair hair that only a Breton could possess. He felt strangely protective of her, the wayward mystic who had spent her life on the run from every organisation in Cyrodiil.
The pair of them sat in silence for a few minutes before Ariel turned to look at Camri.
"This secret entrance into the castle that you know" she said. "Where abouts in the castle does it come out?"
"In the dungeon" Camri replied. "It's a secret door that looks like a stone wall from the outside. But from the way we're going in, it's clearly a door. It's locked but I know where they key is"
"Where is it?"
"It's inside the city, which might make things a bit more difficult. I left it on the balcony of a manor in the city. The owner never leaves the inside of the house, so they won't have found it"
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Camri and Ariel approached the city of Skingrad from the north. They were going to enter by the east gate that led into the city from the castle, the gate that led into the most lightly-guarded part of the city. There would still be guards to get past, and Camri couldn't run the risk of being recognised. He had instigated a riot in the city, which had resulted in the deaths of many guards and citizens. He was not welcome in Skingrad.
Camri produced a small phial of a blood-coloured liquid that he had mixed at the campsite. It was made from water and a few flowers, with a bit of flour added to give it consistency, but to the untrained eye it looked like blood. Camri poured the liquid onto his hands and began to wipe it over his face and down the front of his leather cuirass.
"Alright, let's go" Camri said, discarding the bottle. He began to limp towards the gate, breathing deeply, leaning on Ariel's shoulder for support. As soon as they got near the gate, the two guards ran to help him.
"By the Nine, what happened to him?" one of the guards asked, taking Camri by the arm.
"I found him out in the wilderness!" Ariel said in the best Imperial accent she could muster. "He won't talk, I think he is in shock. I'm taking him to the healer at the temple"
"Very well" the guard said. "I do hope he is alright"
The pair were granted access to the city, and as soon as the gates had been closed they both darted behind a building, off the main streets. Camri had spent long enough in Skingrad to know the guard patrol routes, and he wanted to avoid them.
"Follow me and tell me if anything looks dangerous" Camri whispered to Ariel. She nodded to show that she'd understood as the pair began running quickly through the back gardens of the houses of Skingrad. Eventually, Camri reached a well and motioned Ariel to stop.
"Are there any guards nearby?"
Ariel looked around then shook her head.
"If I'm in trouble you'll know it" Camri said. "I'll be quick"
Camri clambered up onto the stone wall circling the well then leapt at one of the houses, his fingers gripping a narrow ledge that ran around the building which served no obvious purpose other than to accommodate a few hanging baskets. Camri pulled himself up onto the ledge then began inching his way along it, back towards the high street.
"Guard!" Ariel whispered loudly at him. He stopped a few feet short of the corner onto the high street as a guard walked past, then continued along the precarious ledge. Soon, it met a balcony which hung over the high street. Camri leapt onto the balcony, ducking down and looking around for danger. He crouch-ran along the balcony, using light footsteps so as not to wake the residents of the manor. Reaching the end of the balcony, he took a huge leap, clearing a wide gap and landing on the balcony of the next manor. As he landed, he ducked down and turned around. There, between two of the balcony's balustrades, was a large, rusty key. Camri picked it up…
"Camri! Behind you!"
He heard Ariel's voice cutting through the still night air and spun round. On the high street below, at the other end of the balcony, a guard was staring straight at him.
"Everlight!" the guard bellowed. Camri leapt off the balcony, landing roughly on the street, then jumped to his feet and raced towards Ariel's hiding place.
"Any ideas how we can get out of here?" he asked her between breaths.
"Get us back to the gates" Ariel replied.
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The Tiber Septim Hotel, Imperial City
Wearing civilian clothing, Eldred watched General Seminus intently. Seminus was sitting at a table on his own, drinking ale from a tankard. The bundle of papers was lying on the table in front of him, loosely bound with string.
Eldred and Villars' plan to get the papers from Seminus was ingenious. Eldred was going to take the papers when Seminus got up to go to the bar to get his tankard refilled. But the problem was not being seen by Seminus, it was being seen by everyone else in the busy bar. The citizens of the Imperial City were law-abiding folk and would not hesitate in reporting anything suspicious to the guard, or even taking to arms and taking on Eldred themselves.
That was why Eldred was going to make it look like a dead drop, which was why Villars had given him a bag containing 500 Septims. Seminus would leave his table, and Eldred would take the papers, leaving the bag on Seminus' table. The citizens knew that dead drops were used by the Dark Brotherhood, the Thieves' Guild and other shady organisations, and knew well not to interfere with their affairs. They would think that Eldred was an agent acting for one of these organisations and leave him alone.
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The Elven Gardens, an hour later
Villars sat in his home in the Elven Gardens, impatiently waiting Eldred's return. He had had to move his operation to his home – the citizens of the city were beginning to wonder why the Office of Imperial Commerce had been closed to the public for the last few days.
There was a knock on the door. Instinctively drawing his sword, Villars got up and walked over to the door. He opened it cautiously and was greeted by the sight of Eldred clutching a bundle of papers.
"Excellent work, Eldred" Villars said, taking the papers from Eldred and inviting him in. The pair both sat down at the table as Villars leafed through the papers – most of them were maps of Ayleid cities or passages of Daedric script translated into Tamrielic.
"Right" Villars said, passing half of the papers to Eldred. "Let's get reading and see what our man's up to"
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Camri and Ariel raced through the back streets of Skingrad towards the gate that led to the castle, the guard who had seen Camri pursuing them. However, the guard's armour was weighing him down and he was not as athletic as Camri or Ariel, so they soon lost him.
Soon, they came into view of the gate. The two gate guards saw them, drew their weapons and raced towards them. Camri brandished his sword in front of him.
"Either you can trust me that I am a competent enough fighter to be able to kill you both and let me pass, or you find out for yourselves and die!" Camri shouted to the guards. Next to him, Ariel raised her arms and threw them forward in the direction of the gate, forcing it open.
"I might need some help, Ariel" Camri said, turning to Ariel as the guards continued to advance towards him.
Camri charged at one of the guards, delivering an enormous downward swordstroke, which knocked the guard to the ground, then swung his sword two-handed to the left, decapitating the other guard.
"Come on!" he shouted to Ariel as he raced out of the gate, Ariel following him. They made it out of the city onto the trail that led up towards the castle, but there were two more guards stationed outside the city who gave chase to them immediately.
"Damnit" Camri whispered to himself. He knew where he was going from here, but needed time. Time which he didn't have with two guards chasing him.
"Camri!" Ariel called. "Get past the arch!"
The pair carried on running, under a colossal stone arch that led onto the bridge that crossed the gorge that marked the eastern point of entry to Skingrad. As they reached the bridge, Ariel turned around and held her hands up, facing the stone arch. Camri guessed what was about to happen, but still couldn't quite believe it when it did – as Ariel lowered her arms, the entire arch collapsed with a deafening roar, kicking up an enormous dust-cloud. Debris tumbled down into the gorge with a loud rumble.
"Follow me!" Camri said. He climbed off the side of the bridge onto the steep walls of the gorge. Looking above him, he could see Ariel doing the same. He slowly climbed down the rocky gorge then shimmied along until he was under the bridge.
There it was. A small wooden doorway, set into the rock underneath the bridge. Camri opened the door with one hand and climbed in, then took Ariel's arm and pulled her in behind him.
After crawling for a few metres, the pair emerged in a taller passageway, high enough to stand up in.
"What is this tunnel for?" Ariel asked.
"I have no idea" Camri replied. "Maybe it was built so we could get into the castle easily. Right, before we carry on you need to know what's happening. We're going to emerge in the jail. One of the cells in there has a trapdoor in it. It will be empty – it's always empty. If my map-reading skills are right, that trapdoor is what the map in the church was pointing to"
Soon, they reached a sturdy wooden door which signalled the end of the corridor. Camri took the key from his belt but hesitated before putting it in the hole.
"What's on the other side?" he whispered, turning to Ariel.
"We're safe" she replied. "The guard has just finished his patrol"
Camri turned the key in the keyhole and heard the lock spring open. Gradually, he pushed the door open. Torchlight from the jail flooded into the corridor.
"Over there" Camri said, pointing across the jail at an empty cell. "Now we just need to find a way of getting in there"
The pair crept out of the doorway into the prison, motioning all the prisoners to be quiet. They didn't want to alert the guards.
Ariel ran over to the gate of the cell they needed to get into, whilst Camri looked around the prison. It had been a while since he'd been in here. But then, someone caught his eye. A prisoner in one of the cells. It was a woman, someone who he recognised. She was the woman that they had brought into the Imperial City prison the night before Areen had broken him out. Camri approached her cell.
"How did you get here?" he asked her. "I saw them bring you to the Imperial City"
"They moved me" the woman replied. "Never explained why, just piled me into a caravan and I ended up in here"
"What did you do?"
"I got caught snooping around the barracks in Leyawiin. Like everyone else down there, I wanted to know why the entire Third Battalion has just been moved down to Blackwood"
"Blackwood, you say…" Camri said. "I think our paths have just crossed. I will come back for you"
"Hey! What about the rest of us?" a Bosmer shouted from another cell. "You gonna come back for us as well?"
"It depends if you want to associate with me" Camri said. "If they find out that I broke you out, they'll probably kill you"
"Why?"
"You remember the riots seven years ago? The ones that almost destroyed the city? I made them happen"
The prison fell into silence.
Ariel peered inside the lock of the cell gate then held her hand over the lock. A few seconds later, the lock yielded and the gate swung open. Ariel got up as Camri ran over to her.
"You moved all the tumblers and opened the lock…"
Ariel smiled at Camri. "You're starting to learn how I've managed to survive for so long"
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The pair descended through the trapdoor into a large stone room. It was cold and almost completely empty, lit only by a torch that Ariel had taken from the jail.
"What is this?" Camri asked, gazing around. Both their eyesights locked on one corner of the room – it was filled with books and scrolls, and a small desk.
"It's another place of research" Ariel said. "Remember what all these places we're being sent to are. Morahame, the church, they were places where the Marsh Spirit was being made, developed, whatever they were doing to it. And they kept moving because they kept being found out by the Empire"
"Hackdirt…" Camri said. "Hundreds of years ago it was raided by the Imperial Legion. They burnt the place to the ground, leaving only the church"
"Come on, let's see what's down here" Ariel said, walking towards the desk. On the desk was a small red book. Ariel opened it and began reading.
"It's a diary, written in Daedric" Ariel said. She turned to the last page and began to read out loud.
"The Empire are onto us. It was the explosions that alerted them to our presence. We thought that working right under their noses would somehow be safe, and it was until now. We are moving north, to a cave whose name I will not divulge. There, our work will continue"
"Is that it?"
"No, there's more but it's written in the Ayleid language… Where a lost god rests on her side, where you become free of the Empire's grasp"
"Is that what it says? That's helpful"
"It's a clue of some sort" Ariel said. "Remember what it said in the book in Hackdirt? Lost Meridia. There's a reference to it here as well…"
"Wait, go back to the first bit. Where did they say they were going?"
"To a cave north of here"
"And everything's written in Daedric… Oh, that's just not fair!"
"What?" Ariel asked, turning round.
"Me and a friend found that cave years ago. We found scrolls, written in Daedric. Then… Then my father burnt them all"