image [https://i.imgur.com/oJck22g.png]

I woke late, having lain unbothered in cream hued morning sunlight filtered by off-brown curtains. Rest can do incredible things to a mind, and I found mine to be much restored with the subconscious footing of time-sense returned and the front of my head deliciously clear of all pain. I savored the warm fog of my waking moment like a steaming brew cupped over a windblown campfire, that is until I made to stretch and felt my wrists snagged by rattling chains.

Stymied, I resolved to gather my wits by first lying in bed and fantasizing about the road not traveled with Benezia the previous night, had she not slammed the door in my face. The strategic genius of my subconscious omitting the revelations of the stuffed cloth balls of course. It was a pleasant enough distraction, but as my wits roused so too did my wroth for the many abuses she had doled out upon me, so much so that I mentally set her aside as punishment via neglect.

But what was I to do? I was imprisoned by the elite agents of the emperor at the manor of my former friend — and I had no sense of the etiquette. You may laugh at me here, but mankind, merkind (and peoplekind more generally) conducts so many of its affairs by rote call and response actions that we often forget how alienating it is to find ourselves in the truly unfamiliar. Even as someone rather prone to these jams, I find them rather beastly bears to come to grips with since a single wrong move can irreversibly escalate tensions.

So I encourage you to put yourself in my position. My prison was a sparse cell intended for Marius' visiting caravaneers and trade partners — a bed, empty chest of drawers, and a second floor window overlooking the eastern vineyard.

Up and about (still in my loincloth) I set to jiggling the door and windows — both locked. I wondered if Marius made a habit of imprisoning his trade partners; I put nothing past the scamp at this point. I could certainly have smashed the window and made an attempt down the wall, but there was no way I could manage it unseen by the laborers.

I watched the workmen for my opportunity, sure that a break period or something would call them away for even a moment, but had no such luck from the dawdling bunch. I was still contemplating my alternatives when a timid knock came at the door.

A muffled man's voice, "Berry are you up? I'm coming in, okay?"

The door clicked before drifting wide. It was Marius, curse him, looking all ruddy and embarrassed like he'd been caught eating two fistfuls of someone else's birthday cake.

"You worm," I said, and damned if I didn't mean it.

He was flanked by a pair of confused looking young men, laborers turned bodyguards on short notice I supposed.

"I'm sorry, Berry! I’m sorry dammit! But what choice did I have?"

"There's always a choice."

"They're Blades, Berry. You don't say ‘no’ to these people. You would have done the same thing in my position."

"That's where you're wrong Marius, I would never have led you on like that." He was right of course, but that didn't soften the sting of his betrayal. But the soft fool had confirmed my suspicions about Benezia and Caius being Blade goons at least.

"Hate me if you must, but I still have to survive in this city," he tugged his silk morning robe imperiously. "I've been asked to escort you to brunch. Caius wants to speak with you."

"Lead on then, I've no words for you."

My robe was finally returned to me, a bit muskier than I recalled, and we packed into Marius' waiting carriage out front. Benezia sat on the front beside the driver and didn't even acknowledge me. Marius’ two stooges boarded first in an amateur move that gave me the opportunity to deliver a swift kick to Marius' ass as he bent over some luggage. He gave me an evil eye but hadn’t the heart for anything besides. Soon our carriage rumbled down the country road until the lofting bounces of a dirt path were replaced with the rapid clattering of cobblestone. We were across the river from the city proper at a trade district of sorts.

We pulled up to an establishment whose sign identified it as 'Chichi's'; apparently a popular hangout for the idle classes. It had been built onto the waterfront, scattered tables of bureaucrats and bookkeeping sorts abuzz with their dealings as waiters thumped about the wooden dock planks between them.

Leaving the thugs at the carriage, Caius shooed off the maitre d' with flapping wrists before he and Benezia led me to the farthest waterside table where Caius leaned over tidy stack of reports, a drink the color of a sunburst sweating at his elbow, dark cherries lurking within like an amoebas heart. Behind him a barge eased through placid waters by the labor of polemen and all about us the smell of moss and frying fat made heavy the morning air.

Benezia gripped my shoulder, unnecessarily shoving me into a chair across from Caius. She was dismissing Marius as well when Caius raised a hand.

"I'd like a few words in private with Berry actually, man to man."

Her eyes, crimson in the sunlight, flashed between us twice. She nodded before sulking off.

The two of us sat in silence for a moment as Caius finished whatever he was reading. To be honest, I was not quite sure where to set my eyes. Eventually he placed the page down on his stack and asked how I was feeling.

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"Better, thank you. Eager to be free of your suspicions now that I've proven myself."

He tutted. "I never did thank you properly for your assistance yesterday." He produced a key from his belt and slid it across the table narrowly missing a petite flower vase.

I thanked him, and juggling it on my fingertips managed to awkwardly drive the key into my manacles. The chains snapped, sliding loose onto the table like a coiled metallic snake, but the anti-magic manacles themselves remained sealed around my wrists. It appeared his appreciation had its limits. Still, it was liberating to move my arms independently once more.

"We're not through yet," he continued, "the situation in Elsweyr grows more unstable by the day. The whole world is becoming a less predictable place. Let me ask you this, Berry: what do you think it is that preserves the peace and holds the empire together?"

I had the feeling I was being invited to a lecture but I humored my captor, "I really haven't thought much on it, money I suppose?"

"Money has its role, certainly. But my colleagues and I operate under the belief that it is powerful people who set the course of the world. Now, power comes from many sources: wealth as you say, faith, tradition, force of arms, sorcery, legitimacy… but all else equal we estimate there are about fifty people in all of the empire who have significant power, supported by a few hundred secondary players—"

A waitress appeared to lay a platter before me. Flecks of fat still sparked off the hot bacon and the yolks speckled with ground pepper that jiggled as she dropped it. Even the syrup for my powdered toast was isolated in a charming porcelain dipping bowl. It was a level of service I had fallen out of the habit of receiving, and it overwhelmed me to the point I unceremoniously dug in as Caius continued speaking.

"But those fifty powerful people are my business — our business — you understand. Keeping them safe and ensuring their loyalty is intact. While at the same time we can never appear to be a threat to them and spook the horse that pulls the apple cart… so to speak. Spooked horses can cause a world of trouble. Am I making sense?"

I told him he was.

"And so I hope you can appreciate my position, Berry."

"Certainly, you're putting out fires all over the place, old fella."

"And while your documents do appear to be legitimate you're still a suspect Berry, so we can't just let you go free until this issue with the Manes is resolved. There are very powerful people clashing right now, in public and even more behind closed doors than you’ll ever know, and some of them have different ideas on how to handle this. So I’ve come up with a way to separate you as a risk. There’s a holding area for you, a prison labor camp technically—"

The sound of rushing blood filled my ears. Flashing images of my soft academic hands worn bloody, torn skin hanging like rope from toiling with ax handles, axles, and gods knows what else.

"— lots of fresh air and exercise. We'll send you any documentation we obtain to review in the evenings. It should be a peaceful existence and hopefully in a few months things will be cleared up."

A death sentence. I had to grip the table, troubling my eggs over-easy so that they now warbled unsteadily before my eyes. "Caius, you can't be serious. You've met me now, I'm a scholar, pure and simple—"

"Having met you I do struggle to imagine you as the head of much of anything besides a buffet line. But the impartial evidence remains and due diligence demands—"

"Damn your due diligence, sir," I barked, properly fortified by eggs and bacon. "What am I due for? I'm an imperial citizen, perhaps I need to bring a lawyer into this to ensure I get a fair trial, or any trial at all for that matter!"

Some neighboring tables were glancing at us now, but Caius just reclined, unfazed by my outburst. I continued in a softer whine: "surely there is another way. My skills would be wasted under such conditions.”

He was silent a moment while he read my face, finally that knowing smile returned. "I had another idea if you're interested. Benezia wasn't wild about it, but she's a good soldier and will see it through if needed. Would you be willing to go undercover as an asset for us?"

I swallowed. "An asset for what exactly?"

"Purely information gathering. I’m sending Benezia to lead an operation with a friend of ours, your role would be to lay low, listen, and offer any insight you have regarding any fate, sorcery, or daedric business you can detect."

"Will I be in any danger?"

"I won't lie to you, the Manes are increasingly unstable and there's a certain risk in all of our work — if you’re captured I’m not coming after you, and Nine help you if you betray my trust — but this should be a relatively simple job. You'll be playing the roles of agents, brokers really, for a northern mercenary company answering one of the Mane's calls for sellswords — I’m having you visit a peace talk that Imperial Governor Lucca is holding at the border. Obviously I’d like Lucca to get a look at you, and if you get his blessing then your team might be able to get an audience with the Mane and his inner circle, so make the absolute most of that brief window of opportunity to figure out what the hell is going on. If the peace talks are a bust then Benezia will know what to do next, but whatever you do take this very seriously. What you learn may save the lives of countless men, women, and children that could end up in the crossfire of a civil war."

"I will," I said, "that is to say, I'll do it."

"I'd hoped you would say that. I'm really putting my neck out for you here Berry, but I agree you'll be of much more use on the front line than tucked away with weeks of delay on any analysis. Just don't make me regret this."

"You won't."

"And serve Benezia as you would the emperor himself. Don't let her youth fool you, she's as keen as they come and a well-ordered chain of command is essential for field operations."

"I will."

A passing waiter delivered us fresh drinks and we toasted to our collaboration. I felt rather clever over it all as we hashed out the finer details and I nibbled the remnants of my toast. Caius informed me that we would be departing the following morning but unfortunately he would not be joining us, something to do with an agreement with his own boss about daily accountability meetings he needed to attend or something. He assured me he would debrief me once the job was finished but the disappointment stung as I rather felt the spymaster and I had summited the challenges which brought us together in our little tête-à-tête, and formed a solid foundation for mutual collaboration.

Regardless, we shook hands as equals (my chainless manacles now hidden under my sleeves) and parted in good spirits. He brought Benezia and Marius up to speed and was off on his way to do whatever a spymaster does around midday after an extended brunch at Chichi’s.

Benezia’s face went especially ashen as her master departed, and Marius looked deliciously pale as he was instructed to fund whatever supplies I needed to prepare for the journey (and stuck with me for another night to boot).

As Caius disappeared into the shuffling mid-morning traffic, Marius turned to me with eyes that begged for mercy, “Well, what do you need?”

“The works," I said.