Chapter II
Murkmire
Amuzei propelled through a wide opening, pushing a huge handful of water behind him and kicking his webbed feet. He had wrapped his other arm around Ulene's back and held her head against his chest to protect her as they glided through the underwater cave.
He had carried her for several minutes, racing past aggressive eels and through a narrow and jagged passageway. He breathed water the same as air, but he knew her Dunmer physiology granted her no such ability.
Amuzei grabbed a ledge and, bicep bulging from the strain, pulled both their weights over. He laid her down on the cave floor and gave her dusky face a hopeful inspection. Her eyes remained shut and her sharp jaw hung slack. He tilted his head over her lips, wanting to feel her breathing.
Blunt force slammed against the side of Amuzei's face. He pulled back and raised his fists, searching for the source of the blow.
Ulene sat upright, coughing and gasping for air. He patted her back until she recovered.
Even in the near darkness of the cave, her eyes shone like rubies. Her wet clothes and hair clung to her, accentuating her form. When she spoke, her voice was deep yet feminine, like black silk.
"I owe you my life," she said, getting to her feet. "How far?"
"Not out of the woods yet."
Amuzei doubted that the Imperials knew about the underwater passage, as it and several others had been shrouded by the black lake, which no sane human would have explored. Still, they were surely searching the area and this little cave was just outside the prison.
"We'll stay off the roads and travel southeast," he said. "I have friends in the Bright-Throat tribe who may supply us with a ship."
"As you lead, sera," she said, following him into the light of the cave's mouth.
Amuzei felt a wave of moist heat as he stepped out and took in miles of coastal wetland covered in high grass and shrubs where birds and insects fluttered about. Mangroves sprawled along the horizon, while the sun radiated comforting warmth on his back.
Behind them, the Keel-Sakka river roared across the marsh, creating a welcome separation from the monolithic prison.
"The Murkmire region is lovely this time of year," Amuzei said.
Ulene looked miserable.
/
Ulene squashed a giant mosquito for the hundredth time that evening. Amuzei had called the insects Kotu Gava, though she didn't care what their local name was. She punched another mosquito in the head and it flew off looking as if it were pouting.
"B'vehk," she cursed as she snagged her pant leg on the thorny underbrush. "God's grief, how did you ever grow up in a place like this?"
Amuzei waved a couple of Kotu Gava out of his way, almost casually, she thought.
"Not exactly. I was born in Shadowfen in the northwest. However, I doubt you would like it any better."
Ulene concluded that all of Black Marsh's regions, with names like Shadowfen and Murkmire, were uninhabitable by the other races. She had been hot all day and her wet clothes had dried in the sun, then became damp again with sweat. She was sure she smelled like a guar's behind.
"And this Bright-Throat tribe, you're sure they will help us?"
"They will have ships, beautiful ones."
You did not answer my question.
"It is as you say, sera," she said with more sarcasm than she intended.
The sun was setting, washing purple and orange across the clouds and bringing a welcome drop in temperature, though it could hardly be described as anything less than warm. Contrarily, the humidity of the air seemed to be rising.
Crickets chirped all around them as Ulene watched winged silhouettes swarm overhead, making their way to the trees beyond. They were too big to be birds, reminding her of the cliff racers of Morrowind.
She felt new concern for what terrors the night would bring, as she stomped another mosquito into the mud.
/
Amuzei inhaled deeply, enjoying the moisture in the air.
He felt the nearly divine presence of the Hist trees emanating from numerous places within the Marsh and it was refreshing. Had it always felt so lovely, or had time away from his homeland sharpened his sensitivity to the Hist?
The moons, Masser and Secunda, were shining with the stars and bathing the terrain in opalescence.
Amuzei sat with his back against a cedar tree and felt his belly rumble. Supper had been light and raw, consisting of foraged cabbage and frog morsels, the latter of which he had to himself. They had not built a fire for fear of being discovered by the Imperials, but the night was plenty warm without it.
Ulene slept on the ground next to him, using a thick pile of leaves as a pillow. Her eyes fluttered beneath their lids, and Amuzei wondered what she might be dreaming about. Her sharp Dark Elven features looked beautiful in the moonlight.
Amuzei rose and walked toward the bank of the river, whose course they had roughly followed along an inland path. He knew better than to sleep too close to the water, but the mud on the riverbank felt cool and soft against his stomach as he laid down and drifted into a strange dream.
/.
Amuzei looked up at a hellish citadel that rose high into a red and ashy sky streaked with lightning. He stood on a barren island amidst an ocean of lava. Powerful wind blasted heat and ash across the region, and if there were other islands, he could not see them through the smog.
Wayshrines bearing demonic runes lined the scorched path to the citadel and sparse alien plants sprouted from the cracked earth.
Oblivion?
A piercing scream crescendoed from the highest tower of the Daedric fortress, spearing pain into Amuzei's eyes and ears until the entire vision was overcome by the sound.
He awoke on the bank of the Keel-Sakka river, nerves reeling from the dream.
Ulene was screaming.
/
Ulene had never seen such hideous Argonians, nor any so large besides Amuzei. They wore only leather skirts with bones sewn around their waistbands. They both wielded spears, which they pointed at her throat.
She screamed, causing them to open their huge mouths in what must have been a smile, revealing needle-like fangs.
One of them, the leader perhaps, spoke in a language that sounded to her like Jel, but she understood none of his words.
"Beeko?" She tried their word for friend, hoping she said it right.
The Argonians exchanged a glance and laughed, hopefully a good sign.
"Waxhuthi," exclaimed the leader as he drew back his spear.
Ulene flinched and rolled her body away from him, then saw that he was aiming for something behind her.
"Stop," she cried, watching the spear fly at Amuzei, who was sprinting toward them.
The spear missed its mark and splashed faintly as it landed in the river. The spear thrower reached to draw a long serrated knife from his side, but he was thrown backwards by Amuzei's fist before he could produce the weapon. His companion sidestepped and prepared to skewer Amuzei from behind.
Ulene drew both legs to her chest and kicked the enemy in the back of his leg, causing him to lose balance as he struck out with the spear.
He wobbled, then turned to her, but she was already up and slammed her shoulder into his stomach, tackling him to the ground. The Argonian lost his grip on the spear as they hit the mud and Ulene's hand smacked against a rock.
He hissed and she roared as they scrambled to their feet. She bashed the rock against the side of his head, spraying cold blood across her arm. He was knocked unconscious and plopped back in the mud.
Ulene looked over at Amuzei, who had slain his own opponent, and she fell on her rear when she saw him throwing something at her. A long knife spun through the air.
She realized the savage Argonian had faked her out and was now standing over her, preparing to strike. The knife stuck in the side of his neck and he shrieked, a horrible noise like nails on ceramic.
"Naga," Amuzei said, wiping blood on his pants.
A couple hours later, they watched the sun begin to peek over the mangroves on the horizon. Ulene longed to return to the pirate's life, which was admittedly no less violent, but somehow made more sense than being imprisoned then stranded in Black Marsh. Then again, that life ultimately led her to this point.
Amuzei explained that the Argonians that attacked her were a kind of subspecies called Naga, which are known to be violent to outsiders. He suspected they were hunters from Dead-Water Village, a short trek north of Blackrose Prison.
"There will be more of them?" Ulene asked.
"This river has jagged rocks," he said. "But our claws are sharp."
Oh, good!
Amuzei speared a fish while Ulene built a fire. After breakfast, they continued on their journey across the wetland, Amuzei armed with the spear and Ulene with a new pair of knives.
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