Chapter 6

Morning came much too quickly, after Lilaena had spent much of the night tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. She missed her comfy old bed at the Order. Groaning, she forced herself out of bed and gathered her few belongings. She felt dirty, but didn't know where to find a bathhouse. Besides, she wanted to get moving. Once she had arrived at her new destination, whatever that might be, she would take the time to get cleaned up and relax. For now, she couldn't afford to wait.

Fortunately, a few inquiries in the tavern were all it took for her to find the guide she'd heard about. Apparently this woman was quite well-known in town. Lilaena knocked on the door of the modest looking home with slight apprehension. It didn't look like a place of business. An elderly Altmer answered.

"Hello, eh… I was told I can find a guide here," Lilaena explained to the woman, who appeared disconcertingly feeble.

"Oh, yes. That is my daughter, Estriel. You know what sort of guide she is, of course. Not your typical tour guide," the old lady explained in a shaky voice, her smile revealing several missing front teeth.

"Yes… I've been told she can transport people to different places."

"She can. It is amazing, what she does. She's a very talented girl, my Estriel. Come now, I'll take you to her," the woman placed a gnarled hand on Lilaena's shoulder and showed her the way down a short hall, to a room filled with various alchemy tools and what appeared to be a homemade enchanting table. A tall, graceful looking elf appeared out of the shadows, wearing typically drab civilian robes, her long blonde hair pulled up into an elaborate knot atop her head. For some reason, Lilaena immediately felt nervous. Something about this woman's presence made her uneasy. She glanced around, thinking she might discover the source of the foreboding sensation, but nothing really looked amiss.

The woman approached Lilaena silently and looked her up and down before speaking. "Hello…" she finally offered in a haughty tone, staring Lilaena right in the eye.

"Hello," Lilaena replied. She forced the warmest smile she could manage, hoping the guide wouldn't see through it.

"Who are you?" the guide inquired.

Lilaena almost gave her real name before thinking better of it. "I'm Amaire," she choked out, hating the feeling of being dishonest, and wondering how obvious it was to the guide. Amaire was her favorite cousin's name and the first that popped into her mind.

"I see. Well, as you likely know, I am Estriel. You are aware that there is a fee for my services, are you not?"

"Yes, of course. I have some coin right here," Lilaena held up the small pouch, praying silently to the gods that what she had scraped up was enough to buy her passage.

"And where is it that you would like to go?"

Lilaena swallowed hard, feeling a bit sick, as usual. She tried to think of the farthest place she could from Artaeum. "Morrowind," she blurted out. It had come to mind only because of her brief encounter with the old Dunmer just after having fled the Psijic Order.

"I do have a guide in Morrowind. She is located on Vaardenfel. Would this suit you?"

"Yes, that would be fine," Lilaena confirmed, thinking, Good – the more isolated, the better!

Estriel then eyed Lilaena again in the same manner as before. Was it haughtiness or suspicion? Lilaena couldn't tell.

"So, how do we do this?" Lilaena spoke up, trying to ignore the woman's piercing gaze.

Estriel ignored her inquiry. "Amaire. Is that what you said your name was?"

Lilaena nodded.

"Amaire… you have not come here alone. You know this, I assume."

Lilaena felt a cold wave of anxiety wash over her. Her palms began to sweat. She nodded again, hoping she didn't look as uneasy as she felt.

"I may seem a bit forward in this, so forgive me, but have you come here from Artaeum?"

"No," Lilaena quickly shot back, her knees suddenly threatening to buckle. "From Auridon." She felt as though she would black out at any moment.

"Ah, I see. Well I am originally from Artaeum. This will probably sound rather odd to you, but I can… sense things. Others. Everyone has a certain aura, and I can recognize those I've encountered before, especially some; some have a more …memorable aura. The child's father is one of these sorts – he is also from Artaeum."

Lilaena was ready to turn around and make a mad dash for the front door at this point. All she could do was shake her head 'no'. Her body was literally so wracked with panic that she was left speechless.

Estriel continued, "Oh yes; he is. He may have said otherwise, but he is, I assure you. Tall and thin with white hair and blue eyes - quite striking…" She could obviously see the recognition in Lilaena's eyes. She smiled. "You see, I do know. Is he aware of the child?"

"I… I don't know," Lilaena stammered. He wasn't aware, of course, but not being able to identify this woman's intentions, she wanted to tread as delicately as possible.

"Let us hope not. Of course, you've been told of what he does, the father of your child. What he practices."

"I know what everyone says he does," Lilaena couldn't help herself. On one hand, she was incredibly relieved that this woman's only intent was seemingly to engage in some juicy gossip about her former lover's pastimes, but on the other hand, she was so tired of hearing it. Maybe he did go around reanimating dead things – so what? Quite honestly, she already knew he was at the very least capable of it, because at one point during a stroll on the beach, he'd brought a dead mudcrab back to life in an attempt to amuse her. She'd found it in no way scandalous or troubling. He'd warned her against trying to duplicate his performance in front of anyone else, insisting she'd be persecuted for it, and that was the end of it. At no point had his intentions ever seemed even remotely sinister to her.

"I'm sure it's difficult for you to face. But you obviously believe at least some of it, seeing as you're here asking for my help." Estriel surmised.

Lilaena just shrugged. Whatever you want to believe, old lady… she thought.

"Don't worry, my dear. I'm going to make absolutely sure that you and that baby are safe. I won't even charge you. Just step over there," she pointed to a small platform in one corner of the room.

An odd combination of nervousness and relief swept over Lilaena. She positioned herself on the platform and waited. Estriel brought up her hands, which were surrounded with a soft, white glow. Deep in concentration, she began to recite a spell. Almost instantly, Lilaena was enveloped in a bright light, which was all she could see for a fleeting moment. And then, nothingness, for an indeterminate period of time. It was disconcerting, to feel as though one was in a vacuum – her senses were useless to her in this void. She became more and more alarmed as the moments passed. Had something gone wrong?