Epilogue: New Moons and Horizons

This one approaches the jailhouse with all of her friends behind her, and takes note that it is around the same time of day that we arrived here yesterday. So much has changed in a day, and can be seen on every face in the town, both good and bad.

"Back so soon? Roger would have thought you had enough of this jail for a lifetime, considering how close you were to being in it for the rest of your life."

"We are here to talk to Tarel at-taneth, he requested to see us."

"Ah, very well. Move right along, then, this one will not keep you."

As Khinashi moves forward, Keshna leans over and taps her shoulder.

"Keshna knew from the start that you were all innocent, but Roger there...he would not listen."

This one rolled her eyes and continued onward. The jail was not much different, and it felt good to be walking in it without having to be in some disguise or worry about anything. Tarel was sitting at his desk as usual, and upon seeing us walk in he stood up and bowed respectfully. Then he stood looking unsure of what to say, with his mouth hanging open.

"I'm sorry." He said at last, and then taking in a deep breath of air.

J'shabi whispers 'fourteen' in Khinashi's ear and this one chuckles, remembering she said she would keep track of how many times we heard that today.

"There is no need for that. We are all well aware already. Surely that is not what you called us here to talk about?"

"You're right, it isn't. Still I thought it should be said, I just can't get over how things could have gone differently. I just wish we would have listened! Maybe then my wife would still be alive."

None of us responded, letting the man grieve for a moment. This one noticed Jizad looked beridden with guilt. He must blame himself, although Khinashi is sure he did all he could, Dazlah must have just been one step ahead.

"Sorry, I just...There's a time and place for that and it's not here nor now I know." Tarel sighs and turns away before continuing.

"From what Ma'isha has told me, you came here seeking help against the false Mane Ra-Zara'chi. I aim to give you all of the help I can, now that we know the truth, but I'm afraid it might not be the help you were expecting."

"What do you mean?"

"Ra-Zara'chi has betrayed everyone in Elsweyr, and worse, only you and those you've spoken to and who've believed you thus far will know. He must, and he will be taken down from power- of that I assure you. I will do all that is within my power to do so."

"But?"

"But it will take time."

"But we cannot just let-!"

"Listen, I knew you weren't going to like it, and I fully understand that you want to take the fight to him now, but that's just not possible. Only those of us now in Corinthe, you, and in Portneu know of his treachery. To everyone else they would see a Rid-Rawl'vah, and if we marched into Torval they would see a rebellion. All of Elsweyr would be on his side, and almost all of them innocent. Even if we succeeded, too many would die that didn't need to, I'm sure you can understand that."

"Yes..."

"On top of that, we're in no shape right now to do anything. You may have done your best to prevent the riot but it still happened. Many died. My wife, Kishari died. The people will need some time to adjust without a Clan Mother, until Ma'isha can take that place. We need to recover before we can do anything else. Furthermore, I'm starting to think...No, nevermind."

"What is it? What do you think?"

"I'm not a man taken to fancy but I'm also not one to believe in coincidences. Maybe it's just Kishari rubbing off on me, now that she's gone, but I think...I think this strange phase with the moons might have something to do with Ra-Zara'chi. Before it seemed like just a natural event, and anyone who said otherwise had too much Moon Sugar. Maybe I have and I just don't realize it, I just don't know..."

"You think the Moons may really be gone?"

"No, I don't know...How is that even possible? What would that even do-what would it mean? But then I remember those crazy Khajiit yesterday. They were going on about the Renrija Krin and claiming they knew how to bring them back. They made them seem so sure that they were actually gone in the first place, and now it turns out the Krin were working with the assassin tracking you down, they would have been hired by Ra-Zara'chi."

"Maybe the Renrija Krin were the others who were at Torval? There were many others besides Dazlah and Rajirr."

"Maybe. But we don't know anything yet, it could still just be a phase, but every day without the moons makes me wonder...and I won't be the only one who's wondering. We'll just have to see what happens in the next few days, that's all we can do. It's not safe to assume anything...I've learned that now."

"What about us? What will we do?"

"That's actually the biggest reason I needed to talk to you all. It's clear now anyone who knows the truth will be at risk of being killed off. If we're even to begin spreading the word about the truth we'll have to do so quietly. Problem is, all of you are being hunted down and every other city in Elsweyr will learn of you soon if they don't already know. You saw how close it came to us turning you over to him, you might not be so lucky next time. On the other hand, if we keep you here, that puts our own city at risk, they might find out we know, and employ other tactics."

"So what are you saying, exactly?"

"Elsweyr isn't safe for you right now. I've prepared a transport to take all of you to Cyrodiil."

Khinashi is not sure her ears heard correctly.

"What?" J'shabi shouts. "You can't do that! You can't just make us stay out of this, this is our fight too!"

"I have no intention of keeping you uninvolved, I'm not foolish enough to try. You may be young and inexperienced but together you've proven you can make a difference, and you're brave. Not many would have stayed in Corinthe knowing most of them would kill you if they knew who you were, yet you all stayed and tried to stop something that didn't even concern your own safety. You could have left and saved yourselves but you didn't. Your methods are questionable and, honestly, a bit strange, but I can't deny you had a positive effect."

"But how can we do anything to help if we're not even in Elsweyr?"

"It's not wise to rush into battle unprepared. Like I said it will take some time, months, maybe, before we can even think about standing against Ra-Zara'chi. Use this time to train or travel and see the world. I'll send word to you when we're ready to take the next step, and by then, maybe you'll be more than just an unorganized group of kids, and you can take a bigger role into bringing Ra-Zara'chi to justice."

"So there is no chance of us talking you out of this?"

"No, I already paid for your passage. Trust me, the world outside isn't so bad, you might like it. Now, you'll be leaving in a few hours- it has to be this soon because people from Torval will be arriving soon to collect you. The riot will explain how you escaped, but if you're actually here, things would get...complicated. Take this time to enjoy the city, it will be the last you get to stop and see of Elsweyr for awhile. I'm sorry that this is the only immediate help I can give, but Ra-Zara'chi will be stopped, of that you can be sure."

We all nodded and made our way back to the streets of Corinthe. It is a shame we will not be able to see much of the city before we leave...but then, we did, did we not? We learned much about the tribes, the people here, its history. We got to explore parts of the town common tourists would not have been able to. Most of all we made a difference, we had a hand in stopping a riot that could have destroyed the city and helped unite the two tribes once again. Is this what it is like to be an adventurer?

Soon we will be on our own, around people who do not know us again, but we will be free to explore the world just as Khinashi has always wanted.

And if the Moons really are gone, then Khinashi will find out how. In the wide land of Tamriel, there must be someone or some place that could help us, and others will surely be trying to figure it out. It must have something to do with Ra-Zara'chi, and perhaps our information could help those smarter than us come to a conclusion. If it is possible to make them disappear, it must be possible to bring them back.

But if they are gone, what does that mean? For Khajiit, for Elsweyr, for all of Tamriel? Without the moons, Khinashi fears the consequences could herald a coming darkness for us all.

So, that was the end of the first story of the trilogy of Living Under Void Nights. I hope you enjoyed it! The sequel is up and new chapters are currently being added to it on a hopefully consistent basis. It's called "Living Under Void Nights: To Climb Khenarthi's Breath", and can be found on my profile, if the search engines aren't up to date with it yet. This is, as of writing this note: (6/22/18)