A Dance in Fire , Book III A part of the seven - volume " A Dance in Fire " series . Content . Mother Pascost disappeared into the sordid hole that was her tavern , and emerged a moment later with a scrap of paper with Liodes Jurus ' s familiar scrawl . Decumus Scotti held it up before a patch of sunlight that had found its way through the massive boughs of the tree city , and read . Sckotti , So you made it to Falinnesti , Vallinwood ! Congradulatens ! Im sure you had quit a adventure getting here . Unfortunately , Im not here anymore as you probaby guess . Theres a town down rivver called Athie Im at . Git a bote and join me ! Its ideal ! I hope you brot a lot of contracks , cause these peple need a lot of building done . They wer close to the war , you see , but not so close they don ' t have any mony left to pay . Ha ha . Meat me down here as son as you can . - - Jurus So , Scotti pondered , Jurus had left Falinesti and gone to some place called Athie . Given his poor penmanship and ghastly spelling , it could equally well be Athy , Aphy , Othry , Imthri , Urtha , or Krakamaka . The sensible thing to do , Scotti knew , was to call this adventure over and try to find some way to get back home to the Imperial City . He was no mercenary devoted to a life of thrills : he was , or at least had been , a senior clerk at a successful private building commission . Over the last few weeks , he had been robbed by the Cathay - Raht , taken on a death march through the jungle by a gang of giggling Bosmeri , half - starved to death , drugged with fermented pig ' s milk , nearly slain by some kind of giant tick , and attacked by archers . He was filthy , exhausted , and had , he counted , ten gold pieces to his name . Now the man whose proposal brought him to the depths of misery was not even there . It was both judicious and seemly to abandon the enterprise entirely . And yet , a small but distinct voice in his head told him : You have been chosen . You have no other choice but to see this through . Scotti turned to the stout old woman , Mother Pascost , who had been watching him curiously : " I was wondering if you knew of a village that was at the edge of the recent conflict with Elsweyr . It ' s called something like Ath - ie ? " " You must mean Athay , " she grinned . " My middle lad , Viglil , he manages a dairy down there . Beautiful country , right on the river . Is that where your friend went ? " " Yes , " said Scotti . " Do you know the fastest way to get there ? " After a short conversation , an even shorter ride to Falinesti ' s roots by way of the platforms , and a jog to the river bank , Scotti was negotiating transport with a huge fair - haired Bosmer with a face like a pickled carp . He called himself Captain Balfix , but even Scotti with his sheltered life could recognize him for what he was . A retired pirate for hire , a smuggler for certain , and probably much worse . His ship , which had clearly been stolen in the distant past , was a bent old Imperial sloop . " Fifty gold and we ' ll be in Athay in two days time , " boomed Captain Balfix expansively . " I have ten , no , sorry , nine gold pieces , " replied Scotti , and feeling the need for explanation , added , " I had ten , but I gave one to the Platform Ferryman to get me down here . " " Nine is just as fine , " said the captain agreeably . " Truth be told , I was going to Athay whether you paid me or not . Make yourself comfortable on the boat , we ' ll be leaving in just a few minutes . " Decumus Scotti boarded the vessel , which sat low in the water of the river , stacked high with crates and sacks that spilled out of the hold and galley and onto the deck . Each was marked with stamps advertising the most innocuous substances : copper scraps , lard , ink , High Rock meal ( marked " For Cattle " ) , tar , fish jelly . Scotti ' s imagination reeled picturing what sorts of illicit imports were truly aboard . It took more than those few minutes for Captain Balfix to haul in the rest of his cargo , but in an hour , the anchor was up and they were sailing downriver towards Athay . The green gray water barely rippled , only touched by the fingers of the breeze . Lush plant life crowded the banks , obscuring from sight all the animals that sang and roared at one another . Lulled by the serene surroundings , Scotti drifted to sleep . At night , he awoke and gratefully accepted some clean clothes and food from Captain Balfix . " Why are you going to Athay , if I may ask ? " queried the Bosmer . " I ' m meeting a former colleague there . He asked me to come down from the Imperial City where I worked for the Atrius Building Commission to negotiate some contracts , " Scotti took another bite of the dried sausages they were sharing for dinner . " We ' re going to try to repair and refurbish whatever bridges , roads , and other structures that got damaged in the recent war with the Khajiiti . " " It ' s been a hard two years , " the captain nodded his head . " Though I suppose good for me and the likes of you and your friend . Trade routes cut off . Now they think there ' s going to be war with the Summurset Isles , you heard that ? " Scotti shook his head . " I ' ve done my share of smuggling skooma down the coast , even helping some revolutionary types escape the Mane ' s wrath , but now the wars ' ve made me a legitimate trader , a business - man . The first casualties of war is always the corrupted . " Scotti said he was sorry to hear that , and they lapsed into silence , watching the stars and moons ' reflection on the still water . The next day , Scotti awoke to find the captain wrapped up in his sail , torpid from alcohol , singing in a low , slurred voice . When he saw Scotti rise , he offered his flagon of jagga . " I learned my lesson during revelry at western cross . " The captain laughed , and then burst into tears , " I don ' t want to be legitimate . Other pirates I used to know are still raping and stealing and smuggling and selling nice folk like you into slavery . I swear to you , I never thought the first time that I ran a real shipment of legal goods that my life would turn out like this . Oh , I know , I could go back to it , but Baan Dar knows not after all I ' ve seen . I ' m a ruined man . " Scotti helped the weeping mer out of the sail , murmuring words of reassurance . Then he added , " Forgive me for changing the subject , but where are we ? " " Oh , " moaned Captain Balfix miserably . " We made good time . Athay ' s right around the bend in the river . " " Then it looks like Athay ' s on fire , " said Scotti , pointing . A great plume of smoke black as pitch was rising above the trees . As they drifted around the bend , they next saw the flames , and then the blackened skeletal remains of the village . Dying , blazing villagers leapt from rocks into the river . A cacophony of wailing met their ears , and they could see , roaming along the edges of the town , the figures of Khajiiti soldiers bearing torches . " Baan Dar bless me ! " slurred the captain . " The war ' s back on ! " " Oh , no , " whimpered Scotti . The sloop drifted with the current toward the opposite shore away from the fiery town . Scotti turned his attention there , and the sanctuary it offered . Just a peaceful arbor , away from the horror . There was a shudder of leaves in two of the trees and a dozen lithe Khajiit dropped to the ground , armed with bows . " They see us , " hissed Scotti . " And they ' ve got bows ! " " Well , of course they have bows , " snarled Captain Balfix . " We Bosmer may have invented the bloody things , but we didn ' t think to keep them secret , you bloody bureaucrat . " " Now , they ' re setting their arrows on fire ! " " Yes , they do that sometimes . " " Captain , they ' re shooting at us ! They ' re shooting at us with flaming arrows ! " " Ah , so they are , " the captain agreed . " The aim here is to avoid being hit . " But hit they were , and very shortly thereafter . Even worse , the second volley of arrows hit the supply of pitch , which ignited in a tremendous blue blaze . Scotti grabbed Captain Balfix and they leapt overboard just before the ship and all its cargo disintegrated . The shock of the cold water brought the Bosmer into temporary sobriety . He called to Scotti , who was already swimming as fast as he could toward the bend . " Master Decumus , where do you think you ' re swimming to ? " " Back to Falinesti ! " cried Scotti . " It will take you days , and by the time you get there , everyone will know about the attack on Athay ! They ' ll never let anyone they don ' t know in ! The closest village downriver is Grenos , maybe they ' ll give us shelter ! " Scotti swam back to the captain and side - by - side they began paddling in the middle of the river , past the burning residuum of the village . He thanked Mara that he had learned to swim . Many a Cyrodiil did not , as largely land - locked as the Imperial Province was . Had he been raised in Mir Corrup or Artemon , he might have been doomed , but the Imperial City itself was encircled by water , and every lad and lass there knew how to cross without a boat . Even those who grew up to be clerks and not adventurers . Captain Balfix ' s sobriety faded as he grew used to the water ' s temperature . Even in wintertide , the Xylo River was fairly temperate and after a fashion , even comfortable . The Bosmer ' s strokes were uneven , and he ' d stray closer to Scotti and then further away , pushing ahead and then falling behind . Scotti looked to the shore to his right : the flames had caught the trees like tinder . Behind them was an inferno , with which they were barely keeping pace . To the shore on their left , all looked fair , until he saw a tremble in the river - reeds , and then what caused it . A pride of the largest cats he had ever seen . They were auburn - haired , green - eyed beasts with jaws and teeth to match his wildest nightmares . And they were watching the two swimmers , and keeping pace . " Captain Balfix , we can ' t go to either that shore or the other one , or we ' ll be parboiled or eaten , " Scotti whispered . " Try to even your kicking and your strokes . Breath like you would normally . If you ' re feeling tired , tell me , and we ' ll float on our backs for a while . " Anyone who has had the experience of giving rational advice to a drunkard would understand the hopelessness . Scotti kept pace with the captain , slowing himself , quickening , drifting left and right , while the Bosmer moaned old ditties from his pirate days . When he wasn ' t watching his companion , he watched the cats on the shore . After a stretch , he turned to his right . Another village had caught fire . Undoubtedly , it was Grenos . Scotti stared at the blazing fury , awed by the sight of the destruction , and did not hear that the captain had ceased to sing . When he turned back , Captain Balfix was gone . Scotti dove into the murky depths of the river over and over again . There was nothing to be done . When he surfaced after his final search , he saw that the giant cats had moved on , perhaps assuming that he too had drowned . He continued his lonely swim downriver . A tributary , he noted , had formed a final barrier , keeping the flames from spreading further . But there were no more towns . After several hours , he began to ponder the wisdom of going ashore . Which shore was the question . He was spared the decision . Ahead of him was a rocky island with a bonfire . He did not know if he were intruding on a party of Bosmeri or Khajiiti , only that he could swim no more . With straining , aching muscles , he pulled himself onto the rocks . They were Bosmer refugees he gathered , even before they told him . Roasting over the fire was the remains of one of the giant cats that had been stalking him through the jungle on the opposite shore . " Senche - Tiger , " said one of the young warriors ravenously . " It ' s no animal - - it ' s as smart as any Cathay - Raht or Ohmes or any other bleeding Khajiiti . Pity this one drowned . I would have gladly killed it . You ' ll like the meat , though . Sweet , from all the sugar these asses eat . " Scotti did not know if he was capable of eating a creature as intelligent as a man or mer , but he surprised himself , as he had done several times over the last days . It was rich , succulent , and sweet , like sugared pork , but no seasonings had been added . He surveyed the crowd as he ate . A sad lot , some still weeping for lost family members . They were the survivors of both the villages of Grenos and Athay , and war was on every person ' s lips . Why had the Khajiiti attacked again ? Why — specifically directed at Scotti , as a Cyrodiil — why was the Emperor not enforcing peace in his provinces ? " I was to meet another Cyrodiil , " he said to a Bosmer maiden who he understood to be from Athay . " His name was Liodes Jurus . I don ' t suppose you know what might have happened to him . " " I don ' t know your friend , but there were many Cyrodiils in Athay when the fire came , " said the girl . " Some of them , I think , left quickly . They were going to Vindisi , inland , in the jungle . I am going there tomorrow , so are many of us . If you wish , you may come as well . " Decumus Scotti nodded solemnly . He made himself as comfortable as he could in the stony ground of the river island , and somehow , after much effort , he fell asleep . But he did not sleep well .