“What are you looking for?” Yellow-Eyes asked her as she turned back and sat on the bed.
“Nothing. Just a friend. So, what’s the latest? Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes. Veronica came by earlier too. We’re on for tomorrow night.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
Yellow-Eyes unfolded a piece of paper that had a sketch drawn on it and sat beside Dodger.
“Here. Take a look. This is a map of the prison. They get their fresh water from the river, here. There’s a sort of tunnel that starts at a deep well and runs towards the river. The other end of the tunnel comes out inside a little cave. The well itself comes up inside the prison but outside of the secure area not far from the observation area above the torture chamber here. It was gated at the cave, but yesterday I removed the gate. The tunnel is long and completely submerged though, so Humans and Khajiits can’t use it. But we can.”
“So… you plan on swimming in, climbing up the well and getting to the observation area. I see that well enough. But how do we get them out?”
“We’ll tie a rope to the observation chamber, climb down from that and get them, then climb back up and go back down the well. Then we’re going to tie them up with rope and you and I will swim them out.”
“But… they’ll drown!”
“No, they won’t. If we tape up their nose and mouth, they’ll not be able to breathe, but they will survive if we can get them out in under 5 minutes. I’ve swam the distance in 4 with a bag tied to a rope of about the same weight. I couldn’t do it in time with two though. I need your help with that. There are no other Argonians I know of here in the city that would help. But Dodger, they’ll think they’re drowning. They will struggle before they lose consciousness. They’ll do everything they can to get free. So we’ve got to tie them up.”
Dodger looked at Yellow-Eyes. “Does Veronica know this? Does she understand?”
“Yes. I’ve explained it to her. She’s doesn’t like it, but she’ll do it.”
“And Grey?”
“She has no choice. It’s that or await the executioner’s axe,” said Yellow-Eyes, shaking his head. “I still just can’t see it. I know you don’t know her, Dodger, but I just can’t see Grey killing anyone. What could Johan possibly have on her that would make her do that?”
Dodger shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Well, anyway, we’ll leave well after midnight tomorrow night.”
“Nothing to do tomorrow then?”
“No. I’ve got everything we should need, which isn’t much. Just some rope, tape a couple of small torches and igniters really.”
“Wait, how will we get up the well?”
“I’ve already tested that. I can climb the sides. When I get to the top, I’ll drop the rope back down to you. On the way back we use the rope on the bucket to climb down. We’ll tie them up at the bottom so we’re as close as we can be. Fortunately the tunnel is a straight shot. Nothing in there to cause any problems.”
“And this is the best way I suppose?”
Yellow-Eyes looked at Dodger as if he felt guilty he wasn’t able to find any better solution. “Without anyone on the inside to help, it’s the only way.”
“And if we’re too slow?”
“Then they die Dodger. We can’t be too slow. But with your vestigial fins, you’ll be even faster than me. We can do this!”
Dodger was beginning to wish she’d never agreed to this. It was one thing to risk her own life, though she figured if she actually did get caught they probably wouldn’t really execute her. But to be responsible for the death of other people, that was more than she’d expected.
Well, it was too late now.
“Yellow-Eyes, this scares me. What if I fuck up? What if we don’t get them out fast enough?”
“I know Dodger. This whole situation is fucked up. We just have to make sure we don’t.”
“Yellow-Eyes, have you considered just not doing it? If Grey really did assassinate some guy, maybe she should be executed? If Johan ordered it, maybe he should be be revealed?”
The big Argonian sat back on his makeshift bed on the floor. “I think of it a lot, Dodger. Veronica was in rough shape tonight. That Captain of the guard is a pig. But she went through with it anyway. She’s committed. I can’t back out now. I wish I could tell you that you can, but Dodger, they’ll die if we don’t get them out, and I can’t do that without your help. I need you Dodger.”
Dodger lay down on her bed as Yellow-Eyes blew out the candle.
“I’m going to be out all day tomorrow with some friends then. I’ll be back at night.”
“I’ll be here,” Yellow-Eyes said. “Goodnight Dodger.”
“Goodnight Yellow-Eyes.”
Dodger closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. For hours she lay still, imagining tomorrow night. When finally she did drop off to sleep, she had a nightmare watching Veronica slashing at her throat while struggling to get air before becoming peaceful in the darkness of the tunnel.
The next day dawned with dark clouds overhead and a drizzle that refused to turn into an honest rain. Dodger awoke feeling she’d gotten no sleep at all, but left with Yellow-Eyes admonition “One knock, then Three.”
She took a little breakfast with her, hoping to be able to share it with Donny and Kitty, but when she arrived at Donny’s door a man opened it with anger clear on his countenance.
“Donny’s grounded for a week. Longer if you ever come back! And tell that mangy cat who’s been hanging around the same thing! I saw her out there. She’s not to come anywhere near this house!” he shouted before slamming the door on her.
Dodger had taken some hope that Kitty might be around, but she couldn’t find her. She did catch a glimpse of Donny at one of the windows though with a sad look on his face. She waved back at him before curtains were closed by an unseen hand.
After that she decided to see if she could find Kitty’s house. After asking around, she discovered where the lighthouse was and left the city in that direction. She met an old man who was laying under an awning who looked likely.
“Sir, do you know of a Khajitt that lives around here? Yellow.”
“Got any coin?” he asked hopefully.
Dodger fished around in her pants before producing a couple of septims, which he accepted greedily.
“Sounds like Ma-Kaasha. Was staying down at the old abandoned house at the end of the street.”
Dodger perked up at that. “Yes! That sounds like her,” she said, turning to head that way.
“Won’t be there,” the old man said. “I saw her this morning. Said she’s going back to her caravan. She must have gotten some money too, had a nice pair of boots on.”
Dodger’s spirit sank. “Thanks,” she said, but she trudged down the street anyway, her clothes now thoroughly soaked.
The dingy house was more of a shack actually. No one answered when she called so she tried the door. Locked of course. But she found an open door to the basement with it’s lock broken, and she went inside. There was definitely evidence that someone was staying there, but the place was deserted now. She was just leaving when a different man came in through the door.
“Who’re you?” he asked, brandishing a rather sturdy looking stick.
“Sorry sir! I’m just looking for somebody. A Khajiit. I think her name might be Ma-Kaasha.”
“Oh. Her,” he said, putting his stick down. “She’s gone. Got some money from some sucker, she said. She bought some traveling clothes and left this morning.”
Dodger felt worse than ever. “Did she say where she was going?”
“She went back into the city to see somebody she said. Then I guess she was off to find her caravan.”
Dodger nodded. “Sounds like her.”
“Hope she finds her family. Nice kid. She left me some coin before she left too. I’ll miss her.”
Dodger stepped outside back into the drizzle. “Me too,” she said under her breath.
With no where else to go, she returned to the inn. She spent a long, morose day in the room with Yellow-Eyes, neither talking much. The day dragged on until she wondered if it would ever turn dark, though finally it did. She didn’t even remember falling to sleep, but somewhere in the night Yellow-Eyes was up and moving around.
“Time to go?” she whispered quietly.
Yellow-Eyes turned to her, nodding, so she got up and dressed before they headed out. The tavern was dark when they descended the stairs and they slipped out without notice.
“At least the rain stopped,” Dodger thought as they left the city and headed towards the river. There Yellow-Eyes opened his pack and undressed while she did the same. She didn’t need to ask why. This was no adolescent whim, this was life or death. Clothes would only slow them down and besides, they were Argonians after all. Yellow-Eyes strapped a rope and a waterproof pack across his chest and they waded into the river and were soon on their way with Dodger following Yellow-Eyes. The entrance to the cave itself was barely visible above the water line, but once they’d gone inside it spread out considerably. A shelf had been built above the water line and Yellow-Eyes helped Dodger up onto it.
“Okay, this may be the last we can talk before we’re inside,” he said while lighting a small torch from his pack. “Do you understand the plan? Any questions?”
Dodger shook her head confidently, even if she didn’t feel anything like confident inside.
“Good. The tunnel starts right over there at the end of this shelf. Ready?”
Dodger looked at him with worried eyes.
“It’ll be alright. Just stick to the plan. And be as quiet as you can.”
Then they slipped back into the water and Dodger held onto Yellow-Eyes’ tail as they turned and entered the tunnel itself.
It was pitch black within, the light from the little torch barely perceptible just a few feet from the tunnel, but she had no problem following it since, as predicted, it ran perfectly straight. Eventually she was able to pick out a faint light ahead, though she was surprised how quickly they reached the end and turned upwards. They surfaced quietly, though the top of the well was quite a bit higher above them. She estimated it had taken only a couple of minutes to swim the length of the tunnel. Maybe this was going to be alright after all. Yellow-Eyes waited to catch his breath before he started the climb upwards into the prison.
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