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Fall from High Rock	By : mistressarachnia Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Morrowind Views: 4940 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Elder Scrolls universe belongs to Bethesda. Alyssa Elbert belongs to me. I make no money from writing about her adventures.

Chapter List
- 40
- 41
- 42
Chapter
41: Tel Branora
Alyssa clutched her knees to her
chest, feeling the sway of the boat under her. She wondered vaguely if the
shipmaster wasn�t going in circles, but then again, she didn�t care. The
thought that she would never see Malcus again sent shivers down her spine. A
tear ran down her cheek but she wiped it away. There was nothing left for her
anymore. In the end, she hadn�t even been a good friend to him, much less a
good lover. She had become� everything he had hoped she would not. She was a
Telvanni mage, a member of a Great House which oppressed people who it did not
deem worthy of even the most basic of humane comforts. She had become nearly as
selfish and isolated as they were, in the end. She was hiding from the world at
Tel Mora, and when Malcus had arrived she had thought only of herself: her own
desires and shortcomings and need for forgiveness. How could she� She was not
worthy of the time she had spent with him.
She turned away, just in time to
catch a glimpse of land from under the horizon. There were shacks along the
shore, hardly the sight she expected from a Telvanni settlement. The land
beyond them was covered in mist, but it seemed likely that the tower was beyond
it. A few minutes later, the boat docked. She gathered her things, clutching
the potions tight to her chest. She hoped she was doing the right thing. Dratha
loved this woman, after all� that much she could understand. And she was taken
away, as good as dead� yet technically still alive. But deranged, her mind
corrupted. Never to share the same moments together again, never to touch, or
talk, or laugh� Dratha must feel much the same as she did, Alyssa thought as
she stepped off the boat and onto dry land. The pain of loss she felt now was
unbearable, but to endure this torment for centuries� It was a fate worse than
death itself.
To her relief she saw the familiar
vines of a mushroom tower springing into view. She passed a small crowd of
people gathered outside, a cadre of Bosmer in bonemold rattling their weapons,
cackling, plotting with a Dunmer woman in robes� they hushed when she
approached. Alyssa pursed her lips and continued on. She did not care what they
had to say � why should she? She was here to deliver her potions and then�
after that she did not know.
As usual, it took some navigating
to find the entrance to the tower. She was just about to enter the rounded
doorway, when a deep voice caused her to jump.
�I have not seen you here before.
Who are you? State your business,� it commanded. Alyssa spun around to find
herself face to face with� something. The Dwemer armor it was wearing caused it
to look almost like an automaton at first, yet with a cephalopod helm.
Whatever, or whoever, it was� it was huge.
�I am Alyssa Elbert, Lawman of
Great House Telvanni,� she replied, feeling suddenly nervous, �I serve under
Mistress Dratha and was sent to bring some potions to Mistress Therana.� She
kept her hand on the door handle, glancing nervously side to side. It was a
long way down, and it seemed she was backed into a corner.
�Why isn�t Diren Vendu here
herself?� the tall figure scowled. Alyssa shrugged innocently, unable to tear
her eyes from him. She hadn�t been informed that Diren was the one who normally
delivered the potions.
�I am sorry sera, but I really
don�t know. I am new, and only know that I am to deliver these potions to
Mistress Therana, or one of her retainers, I suppose,� Alyssa explained as
calmly as possible.
�You�d better give those to me
then,� the figure told her. Alyssa stared at him, wide-eyed. What was going on?
�I�m sorry sera, but� I do not even
know who you are, so how am I to know whether or not the potions should be
delivered to you?� Alyssa asked, feeling a bit confused. She had assumed that
the retainer she should deliver them to would be� female, at least. Clearly,
this figure was male. And judging by the color of his hands, which was the only
piece of skin she could see, he was Altmer. Yet even for an Altmer, this man
was a tower unto himself.
�And how am I to know that you are
not one of Trerayna Dalen�s lackies?� he retorted, moving his hand menacingly
to finger a large whip at his belt. Alyssa�s eyes widened.
�I do not know who you speak of!�
she replied, trying to hide the fear in her voice, and feeling acutely aware of
how far Tel Branora was away from anything.
�And clearly you do not know who I
am either. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Mollimo of Cloudrest, captain of
the Tel Branora guard,� he said mockingly, �And you have ten seconds to hand
over those potions for inspection before I leave your pretty flesh scarred for
life.� With shaking hands, Alyssa reached into her bag, taking out one of the
potions and handing it to him. He took it from her roughly, turning it around
in his hands as he examined it closely.
�Hmm, yes, this vial bears Mistress
Dratha�s mark. Very well, you may proceed,� Mollimo said, handing the vial back
to Alyssa.
�Thank� Thank you�� Alyssa replied,
her hands still shaking.
�You have my apologies. The woman
just inside this door is Muldroni Rendas, who is currently the spellsword in
charge of preparing and delivering all of Mistress Therana�s meals,� Mollimo
continued, �You may deliver the potion to her.� Alyssa smiled weakly, nodding
her thanks as she tried to open the tower door. Why did Therana need a
spellsword to prepare her meals? Whatever the reason Muldroni was, as promised,
just inside, surrounded by rows and rows of kwama eggs in interesting geometric
patterns.
�Ah! Thank goodness. I was worrying
I was going to run out of the Mistress� medicine later this week,� Muldroni
replied happily, taking the contents from Alyssa.
�Could I ask�� Alyssa started,
gazing about the room in wonder as Muldroni set about to preparing a light
meal.
�About the eggs? I can tell that
this is your first visit to Tel Branora, isn�t it?� the Dunmer smiled,
�Mistress Therana is quite fond of kwama eggs. She finds them the most
beautiful things in the mundus. Unfortunately they have a habit of rotting, so
we have to switch them out from time to time for fresh eggs or it smells horrible.
Just don�t mention this to Therana. Fortunately we have a very productive egg
mine just off the coast of the main island, but even that has been experiencing
difficulties lately. Damn uppity slaves. Mollimo has been talking about hiring
some new, stricter taskmasters to ensure that things are more productive around
here.� Alyssa inhaled sharply. Slaves with no purpose other than to mine
endless eggs to decorate a tower? Malcus would be appalled. Actually, she
herself was rather sickened at the idea. She could see where the Telvanni
earned their poor reputation. But if Therana was insane, perhaps she did not
even realize what she was doing. What a waste of lives!
�I have some experience dealing
with slaves myself,� Alyssa offered, shifting her weight slightly. Muldroni
laughed.
�Well, any help you could give
would be great. Adding another more whip to the mix never hurt anything,� she
grinned, taking out a slew of odd ingredients, �Why don�t you speak to Mollimo,
our captain of the guards, about helping out?� I�m sure we could adequately
compensate you for your troubles.�� Alyssa sighed. She had no plan whatsoever,
really. It was just that� well, she felt she had an obligation to do�
something� She opened a chest, only to find more kwama eggs. She sighed again.
What was the point? As stupid as it sounded, she felt fairly certain that
Therana would notice if her supply of kwama eggs diminished. Maybe she should
just make a note of the location and inform the Twin Lamps later, she thought.
�Alright,� she said uneasily.� It
wouldn�t hurt her to check out the situation at least.� She nodded goodbye to
Muldroni and headed back outside.� She didn�t really want to talk to Mollimo
again, and hoped she could find the egg mine on her own.� After following a
trail of stepping stones across the water to the next island, Alyssa began her
search.� She had nearly given up when she heard the faint calls of kwama
workers nearby.� She followed them to the coast, and soon found the mine on the
beach.
When she stepped inside, she could
tell right away that something was wrong.� There were the sounds of screams in
the distance, and the flash of magical energy.� What was going on?� It was too
late, she decided� she couldn�t turn back now.� Malcus would have been ashamed
of her if she had.� She crept onwards, whispering a light chameleon spell to
help her blend in amongst the shadows.� Something caused her to trip.� Her eyes
widened and she stifled a gasp upon seeing the naked corpse of a male Dunmer
well into the advanced stages of rigor mortis.� His throat had been slit.
�What is your business here,
pink-skin?� a voice hissed in the darkness.� Before she could cry out a spear
was pressed to her throat and she found herself pinned against the wall.�
Around her were Kajiit and Argonians, some of them wearing armor and most
wielding weapons.� But� all of them wore bracers.� They were slaves, there was
no doubt about it.
�I came to investigate the
situation in the mines.� I am from the Twin Lamps,� she stammered, shrinking
under the heat of their stares.
�The Twin Lampss sshould have come
for uss long ago,� an Argonian hissed.
�I�m sorry� I just got here� I
didn�t know�� Alyssa continued, inhaling sharply as the spear pressed harder
against her jugular, �I want to help!�
�Help?� We are already free.� We
have won our freedom, without your help,� the Argonian continued.� Alyssa
gulped.
�Search her,� one of the Kajiit
ordered.� Rough hands ran down her body, searching for weapons or amulets.� Her
captors appeared disappointed when they turned up nothing.
�How could this Breton expect to
help with no weapons?� the Kajiit asked.
�She is Telvanni � a sspellcaster!�
She iss trying to trick uss!� the Argonian hissed, pressing his spear against
Alyssa�s neck so a drop of blood appeared at the surface and she cried out.
�Stop!� I am Telvanni!� I admit it
� but I am also Twin Lamps � there aren�t many of us out here working in
Telvanni territory, and killing me will only make there be one less!� she
pleaded.� The assembled crowd looked at one another briefly for a moment, then
with a nod, the Argonian dropped his spear.� Alyssa gasped with relief, running
her hand over her neck and casting a quick healing spell.
�Alright� I�m sorry I�m so late,
but I�m really not much use in a fight anyway.� I can help heal your wounded,
and I can give you directions to Suran.� There is a woman there named Desele
who runs� well, a brothel� but it�s really a cover for the Twin Lamps.� She can
help you from there.� If there is anything else��
�Can you get uss the keyss to these
bracerss?� How do we know you will not ssend uss into a trap?� one of the
younger Argonians hissed.� His friends next to him nodded in agreement.� Alyssa
sighed.� She had no PROOF really.� Malcus had always made this kind of work
seem so� easy.� What would he do in this situation?
�I can try to find the keys,�
Alyssa offered.� She knew a little spell, after all that she had been taught as
a child which helped detect keys.� Her parents had often placed them in
different locations to keep the servants from learning their locations, so she
had to use it in order to find them if she needed something.
A joyful shout resounded from
further back in the cavern, and several more slaves came running to join the
first group.� They left her, seemingly losing interest in the gloomy cavern.
�We are free!� an Argonian cheered
triumphantly, �The last of the evil whip-wielders is dead.�� The others cheered
in celebration.� Alyssa swallowed.� Of course they had their rights to slay
their captors, but for some reason she felt a strange sense of mixed loyalties
upon hearing of the deaths of her kinsmen.
�Who iss she?� an Argonian hissed,
looking Alyssa up and down skeptically.� Alyssa bit her lip.� Perhaps it had
been a better idea to remain at the tower.
�This one claims she is from the
Twin Lamps and can get us the key to our bracers,� a Kajiit explained.� The
Argonian glared at her.
�Have you seen the Twin Lamps?� he
asked, narrowing his eyes.
�They light the way to freedom,�
Alyssa replied, still feeling uneasy.� He nodded.
�I am Eleedal-Lei,� he explained,
�We have won our freedom today fairly, without the help of anyone.� For yearss,
lifesspanss for ssome, we have been working these mines.� Many of uss have died
here.� We could not meet the asstronomical egg quotas of our misstresss and so
we were beaten � ssome of uss were killed as exampless.� It is good that you
wish to help, but thiss help could have come ssooner � before many of our
clossest friendss had perished.� There are only ssix of uss left.�
�I am sorry,� Alyssa replied,
feeling foolish for doubting her loyalties.� She just wished� there had not
been so much bloodshed.� But perhaps if she brought them the key, it would
minimize the loss of lives for everyone involved.� She took a deep breath.� It
seemed a simple enough task.
�When you find the key, pleasse
bring it to me,� Eleedal-Lei requested, �It iss not in the miness.� We have
ssearched all the bodiess and cratess.�� Alyssa nodded.
�I will try.� It might be in the
tower,� she offered, feeling her heart sink.� What if Mollimo had it, or
Therana herself?� How would she ever get it off of them?
�Very well.� We will await your
return,� Eleedal-Lei replied, wandering back into the mines to tend to his
people.� Alyssa watched them for a moment, then exited the mine. �How on earth
was she going to accomplish this?� She was no thief.� She had no skill in
freeing slaves, which was obvious from her botched encounter in the Abebaal Egg
Mine here.
She wandered back up the coast,
still trying to come up with a coherent plan.� She noticed Mollimo patrolling
the walkways, and decided to cast her detect key spell.� She wasn�t surprised
to learn that he carried several keys.� One of them might very well be the key
to the Abebaal slave�s bracers.� But she had no skill in pick-pocketing.� She
had never tried it before in her life, in fact.� How in Oblivion could she ever
hope to get them off of him?
�See something you like?� he said
mockingly, crossing his arms.� Alyssa blushed.� Obviously he had seen her
staring at him.� She had been rather obvious in it, she supposed.
�Maybe� it�s hard to tell what�s
under all that� armor,� Alyssa replied.� To be honest, she wasn�t sure if she
could find the right key even if he wasn�t decked out in all of this golden
apparel.
�Are you saying you want to find
out?� he asked her, his expression still concealed under the Telvanni
cephalopod helm.� Alyssa blinked.� That wasn�t quite what she meant but� it
might work.
�Er� well� how am I supposed to
know if I can�t see?� Alyssa replied, trying her best to give him an alluring
glance, even while her cheeks burned crimson.
�Very well,� said Mollimo, taking
off his helm and holding it under his arm, �You still interested?�� Alyssa
could only stare.� He had dark golden blonde hair which fell to his shoulders
and a well-chiseled face.� She could see already that he was more muscular than
any of the other Altmer she had ever met.� He smirked at her knowingly.
�Tel Mora, eh?� Been a long time,
I�d imagine,� he continued with an evil grin.� Alyssa gulped.� Yes� yes it
had�� But she had just walked her lover to his death, it would be blasphemy to
even THINK of such things.� Yet� she knew Malcus would want her to get that
key�
�Uh� I� I just meant that� um�� she
stammered, feeling suddenly far too hot for comfort.� She brought her hand to
her chest, pulling at her neckline slightly to allow more air under her dress.�
Mollimo laughed.
�I know exactly what you meant.�
Diren�s the same way when she comes here.� It isn�t healthy, you know� you
need� release�� he grinned, advancing on her quickly.� Alyssa stepped back,
against a mushroom pod.� What in Oblivion was she doing?� Before she knew it he
had her pinned against the wall.� Alyssa stared up at him, her eyes a mixture
of fascination and fear.
�You�re shaking� are you nervous?�
he asked.� Before she realized what was happening, Mollimo had taken his whip
from his belt and run it behind her, pulling her in closer.� Alyssa flinched,
worried that he might pull it back quickly, leaving the sting of the lash
behind.
�Yes� I would say I am definitely
feeling� a bit nervous,� Alyssa replied, quite honestly.� What had she gotten
herself into?
�Mmmm� good,� he replied.� His
armor was warm from the afternoon sun, and Alyssa wondered how he was able to
stand it.� He was gazing down at her quite� hungrily.� She shivered despite
herself.
�Isn�t it� hot� under all that
armor?� she asked as innocently as possible, working her arms about his waist.�
No, there were no key rings here.� He probably kept them in his clothes under
his armor.� Suddenly her eyes widened with the obvious realization.� If she
wanted to get to the keys, she wasn�t just going to have to get him out of his
armor, she�d have to get him out of his clothes as well.� No� she couldn�t� do
that�
�Oh, it�s plenty hot alright.�
Would you like to go somewhere a little more private where we can cool down a
bit?� I�ve got a break coming up in half an hour or so if you�re quick,� he
offered.� Alyssa swallowed.
�I�d love to but� I have a meeting
with Mistress Therana in half an hour,� she tried.� He laughed.
�No you don�t,� he replied, �Be
careful.� Lying to the captain of the guard has its consequences.�� Alyssa
blinked.
�I don�t?� How would you know?� she
repeated.� Why not?� This seemed like a legitimate excuse to her.
�Because all meetings with Therana
are arranged through me,� he grinned.� Ah, well, that made sense.� Mollimo
moved his whip along her neck, causing her to shift slightly in discomfort.�
Surely he wouldn�t� use it?
�My� lover� would notice,� she
finally replied, glancing down in embarrassment.� Well, of course Malcus had no
way of knowing, but how was Mollimo to know this?
�Ah � at Tel Mora?� he asked with a
smile, �You girls are� quite unconventional.� Wild even.� I like it.�
�Er, yes� my lover at Tel Mora has
forbidden me from being with men, and she would surely notice if there was� you
know�� Alyssa stammered.� Mollimo grinned.
�I�m used to Tel Mora girls.� I can
pull out,� he offered, �So long as a pretty thing like you doesn�t make it TOO
difficult.�� Alyssa gulped.
�You don�t trust me, huh?� Very
well.� I�ll let you suffer a while longer and watch you come around,� he
grinned, removing his whip and pulling away.� Alyssa breathed a sigh of
relief.� She was panting and her heart was beating in her throat.� All of her
clothes� well, not all of them, although Alyssa didn�t care to admit it� were
soaked.� She blamed the heat, even though the afternoon was relatively cool.
�Alright,� she replied, giving him
her best wink.� He laughed, shaking his head slightly as he reapplied his helm
and returned to his duties.� Alyssa was slightly ashamed of herself.� She had
actually been� tempted� to go through with this crazy plan, and she hadn�t even
been certain she could get the keys.� For a moment she cursed the fact that Malcus
and she had not had more� intimate� time to spend together.� It HAD been a long
time.� Months, in fact.� How well did those resist blight potions work anyway?�
Well, they�d worked well enough for Berwen�
The thought brought a flood of
tears to her eyes, and she hurried up the tower.� What a horrible, selfish
thought to have!� Her lover was dying, and she was lamenting her failed sex
life.� She wiped her tears away, hurrying back up the vine-like pathways to Tel
Mora.� No.� His memory deserved better than this.� She would have to get that
key.� But surely there was another way.� She didn�t care if she never saw
another man again as long as she lived � none of them would ever be able to
compare to Malcus anyway.
She entered the tower to find
Muldroni arranging an assortment of bite-sized morsels wrapped in hackle-lo
leaves and placing a large teapot on a tray with them. She deftly uncorked one
of the potions Alyssa brought and poured a small measure into the steaming
brew.� Muldroni picked up the tray and was moving through a golden doorway,
opening it carefully while balancing the tray on one hip.
�I�m sorry dear, but I must take
Mistress Therana her afternoon tea,� Muldroni apologized.
�Oh that�s alright. Do you think I
could meet her?� Just for a moment?� Alyssa asked, not wanting to pass this
opportunity by.� Maybe it would be easier to get the key from Therana herself,
she reasoned.� Muldroni laughed at the suggestion.
�Sure, but just in case, I do hope
you can teleport quickly,� she smirked.
As usual, the Mistress� chambers
were located at the top of the tower. After levitating up a final fungal shaft,
Alyssa followed Muldroni around a corner and found herself face-to-face with a
woman in splendid shimmering robes with hair as red as her eyes.
�Mistress Therana,� Alyssa
curtseyed deeply, bowing her head for extra formality.
�WHERE?!� exclaimed the woman
excitedly, clasping her hands and turning to look behind her. Alyssa paused,
confused. At that moment Muldroni rounded the corner carrying Therana�s tea tray.
She calmly set it on the ground in front of a comfy-looking mound of pillows
and announced softy, �Mistress, your afternoon tea is served.�
�Wonderful, wonderful!� Therana
squealed.� Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. �Served what?� she demanded suspiciously,
�Plenty of spiders, I hope?�� Her features changed again to strained
hopefulness.� Alyssa blinked.� Spiders in Morrowind?� Certainly there were
spiders in High Rock, but she had never seen any on Vvardenfell.� She assumed
they couldn�t swim.� But then, she had been warned that Therana was insane.�
Still, she must have lived outside of Vvardenfell for a time if she knew about
spiders.
�Of course, Mistress. Just as you
wanted,� Muldroni assured her soothingly.
�You wanted? I don�t give a
flying guar about what you wanted! What about what I wanted?�
Therana�s voice lowered to a mutter, �S�not fair,� she pouted.
�Of course, Mistress.� Just as I
wanted,� Muldroni attempted to rewind the dialogue.� Unfortunately, Therana had
apparently regained her mastery of pronouns and her face darkened.� She slowly
raised her hand, her long fingernails extending menacingly towards Muldroni
just as the spellsword started to convulse and collapsed on the floor.
�Get her out!� She is being mean to
me!� Therana cried frantically, �She will try to kill me and chop me up into a
thousand pieces and feed me to the nix-hounds!� My mother told me not to talk
to strangers� didn�t you?�� Horrified but confused, Alyssa hadn�t felt the
shift in the �ther that accompanied the normal use of magicka.� So this was why
a spellsword was necessary to prepare Therana�s meals.� Before she could act or
speak however, she saw Muldroni�s prone figure grasp an amulet and disappear
with the standard phenomena of a recall spell.� So this is what it means to be
touched by Sheogorath, she thought, and wondered if this pantomime happened
every day.
�Yes, you are a good kitty-mommy
hmm?� Therana asked, petting an� obviously male� Kajiit slave who stood at
attention in a corner.� He sighed, his eyes nearly lifeless as he caught
Alyssa�s gaze.�
�You�re going to make lots and lots
of kittens, aren�t you?� she said, petting his belly.� The Kajiit rolled his
eyes.� Suddenly Therana caught sight of Alyssa standing in the doorway.
�Ooh, who are you?� You�re
pretty!� Therana asked wide-eyed, as if in awe.
�Alyssa Elbert, Mistress.� It is a
pleasure to meet you,� Alyssa repeated her earlier curtsey.
�Splendid!� A little dolly come to
play!� How did you suck out your colors though?� I bet you are hiding them in
your pockets!� You�re a silly-willy dolly-wolly!� They gave you guar colors,
didn�t they?� Hmm?� Therana giggled, looking her guest up and down, �I think
you would look prettier in spider colors though!�� Alyssa opened her mouth, but
could think of no response that would do justice to that� odd� statement.
�Won�t you join us for tea?� It�s
freshly hatched,� Therana enticed.� Confident that she had seen exactly what
went into the meal earlier, Alyssa found no harm in accepting.� Surely Dratha�s
mixture would not harm her � if anything, it might do her some good.� The
Kajiit curled up on the floor beside her.
�My mommy bought me this kitty
before she went to the moons,� Therana explained, �She was an itty bitty kitty
at first, but then she died, so we had to grow a new one in her belly.�� Alyssa
nodded, glancing at the Kajiit slave questioningly.� He shrugged.
�They never last very long,
unfortunately,� she complained, settling down onto the floor cushions which
were indeed quite comfortable, �You have to pick them when they are ripe,
otherwise they go bad.� Then they smell - worse than ash yams!� Pew!�� Therana
seemed content to play the host for now, and began pouring the tea. Thankfully
Muldroni had the thoughtfulness to include a total of four cups and saucers, which
Alyssa waited to be filled and passed to her in the polite custom.� Therana
picked up the cup, being delicate and proper by holding it with both hands, but
hesitated for a moment.� She lifted it to an inch from her lips and whispered
something quickly, as if confiding a secret to a friend.� She continued to gaze
down onto the liquid as it slowly began to steam, and then boil.� Her eyes
gleamed and the corners of her mouth turned up into an intent smile as she
passed the cup smoothly to Alyssa.
�Thank you kindly, Mistress - Oh!�
Alyssa had to bite her lip at the searing heat of the cup, and barely managed
to set it down quickly without dropping it. Therana took no notice as she
heated her own cup in the same manner and took a sip, gazing into the fire blazing
in the back of the room with a faraway look in her eyes. Alyssa couldn�t help
but feel another pang of Dratha�s loss as she stared at the now calm Telvanni
mistress.� What was she thinking?� Did anything truly make sense to her
anymore?� How long would this lull in temperament last before she became manic,
and possibly dangerous again?
�Time for treats!� Therana perked
up. �Can�t have tea without treats. I�d offer you something of course, but I�m
all out of kwama eggs. Not as good as spider eggs, but what can you do. Best
with a bit of netch blood, not exactly tea-time fare. More breakfast material.�
She smacked her lips as she reached for one of the morsels Muldroni had
prepared, handing it to the Kajiit.� Just as he started to accept it, she
pulled it away, glaring menacingly.
�Bad kitty!� BAD!� Now there is
nothing left for me!� I hate you!� My boyfriend left me, and all you want to do
is tease!� You don�t love me at all!� You love HER, don�t you?!� That� that
bitch!� Always stealing my mittens.� I�ll roast her, and leave her flaming
corpse at your door!� Therana shouted.� The Kajiit barely flinched when she
sent a volley of flame at his sensitive fur.
�Stop!� Alyssa shouted, unable to
take any more.� Therana�s eyes turned to her, but the fire stopped.
�Children should be seen and not
heard � why do my toys always talk back to me?� Other girls don�t have this
problem!� They don�t!� Unless they have strings!� Oh� you are one of those
fancy toys!� Therana giggled, climbing over the tea set and reaching for Alyssa�s
hair.� Alyssa drew back.
�I am not a toy!� she said, unsure
why she was arguing.� Therana giggled.
�We were poor and used to make our
own toys, but not so poor that we didn�t have toys.� We made them out of eggs!�
The cliffracers were furious,� Therana exclaimed, �They had too many shoes and
not enough feet.� It wasn�t my fault,� she pouted.� Alyssa blinked.� This was
pointless.
�Do you� have a key� somewhere?�
Alyssa asked, trying to keep herself focused on her original mission.� The
Kajiit looked up in surprise.
�A-key?� Ucky?� Why don�t you like
the food?� Therana asked innocently, �You should try the rat brains in kitty
powder.� Mixed it myself.� Everyone loved it, because it was my birthday.��
Alyssa scratched her head in confusion.� She wasn�t sure she wanted to know
exactly where some of these things were coming from.
�No� I just meant, for locks� you
know�� Alyssa started.� Therana looked at her in horror.
�Don�t hurt me!� she cried, backing
against the wall until she was nearly in the fire. �The Kajiit snickered, �I
promise I�ll be a good girl!� A nice girl!� No more cutting Sister�s hair while
she sleeps, or leaving scrib jelly on every other step of the tower!� Please
don�t take my spiders away!�
�Er� yes, you�ve been very good and
can keep your spiders,� Alyssa offered, unsure how to react.� Therana smiled,
clutching her knees.
�You are a good dolly, but you wear
such stupid clothes!� Therana laughed, �Did I tell you about the netch?� Those
flying things with forks.� Very polite.� I ate one for dinner once.� He didn�t
mind.� Er� what were we talking about?� Oh yes!� Mushrooms!�
�Well, how about if we play a game
then, called� find a little shiny key to open kitty locks?� Alyssa offered,
trying to ignore the nonsense.� The Kajiit sighed.
�There is no hope for me,� he
replied sadly holding up his bracers.� Alyssa was shocked to see that the locks
had been welded shut.
�NO TALKING!� I had a husband once
you know, but he talked too much,� Therana giggled, taking out some gems as she
glared at the kajiit, �But he was very small, so I put him in a box with a
key!� That was a fun game.� Yes, very funny.� We all laughed and laughed.��
Alyssa smirked.� That at least, sounded a bit like Dratha.
�But where did you put the key?� In
the box?� Alyssa asked.
�Stop it!� You are ruining my
make-up!� Now no one will ever ask me to the dance,� Therana glared.� She took
out a necklace and put it on her head.� It fell halfway around her eyes,
catching in her hair.� Alyssa resisted the urge to fix it.
�Now I�m going to have to stay home
with my kitty again, and hope I don�t freeze to death,� Therana cried, taking
out a ball of string and nearly throwing it at the Kajiit.� He caught it,
setting it to the side and looking directly into Alyssa�s eyes and mouthing
�Kill me now!�� She shook her head and he glared back, picking up the string
and tossing it from hand to hand as Therana�s sobs broke and she began to clap
excitedly.
Muldroni returned, picking up the
tray and shooting Alyssa a confused stare.� Why was she still here, anyway?�
This was obviously getting her nowhere.� She had likely been better off with
Mollimo.
�Oh good!� So you ARE going to take
me to the dance!� Therana clapped, nearly pouncing on Muldroni.
�Of course,� Muldroni replied,
putting up little resistance to Therana�s attempts to dance around in a circle
with her, the necklace still dangling from her hair, catching on her pointed
ear.� Quickly, Alyssa cast her detection spell, searching for a key.� To her
horror, there was none in the room, neither on Therana nor Muldroni.
�How DARE you?!� You are ruining my
DRESS!!!� Therana yelled.� Alyssa looked up, just in time to see a volley of
lightning headed her way.� In a panic, she jumped down the tower shaft,
screaming a slowfall spell just in time before she hit the bottom, her skirts
ballooning around her as she made it safely to the ground.� She ran through the
winding hallways back to the room, looking disgustedly at the omnipresent kwama
eggs.� It was true that some of them were indeed rotting.� She rolled her eyes,
stopping to catch her breath along one of the tables under the stairs.� Just
then, she saw it.� A key.� And it was labeled �Abebaal Egg Mine.�� She rolled
her eyes.� After all that, the damn thing was sitting right in front of her.�
She pocketed it, hurrying back to the egg mine as quickly as she could.
�I got it,� she said, trying to
catch her breath as she pulled the key from her pockets, �I�ll try and free you
all as quickly as possible.�
�We are already free,� Eleedal-Lei
replied, holding out his scaly hand for the key, �But we thank you for your
assistance.� When the time is right I shall lead our people back to the Black
Marsh and Elsewyr.�
�You�re welcome,� Alyssa replied
with a sigh.� She was glad she had managed to be of assistance, but it had been
a long, strange day and now� she just couldn�t wait to get back on the boat to
Tel Mora and sleep.
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Fall from High Rock