Tenaka looked over at the prone form of J'layah. He cursed his oversight in
leaving her to deal with the mage herself, but she had seemed in control,
the sword giving her an uncharacteristic mean streak. How he had managed to
get the better of her, the Dreadlord could not figure out, but he
recognised the residue from the magic that had been used. A sleep spell,
but no ordinary one. This would not be broken with something as simple as a
bucket of water as Mea had suggested. They would need to wait for it to
wear off naturally.

He looked around with a fair amount of surprise at the small party around
him. All had handled themselves well – save J'layah. He had expected it
from Twilight who practically radiated experience, and he had guessed that
Pilar would hold her own. Mea's tactic of back-stabbing had surprised him
somewhat, but the actions of the young boy Skeetr had truly been a shock.
Who would have thought that the remains of an apple could be used in such a
constructive way? It must have been quite a good throw too.

He looked over to the table where Skeetr was still on the floor. He waved
the boy over. "Come lad," he said. "This is as much your victory as ours.
Come share it with us while we await the awakening of sleeping beauty over
there." The young Khajit crawled out and walked over. Tenaka clapped him on
the shoulder and the young boy positively beamed with delight. Not for the
first time, Tenaka wondered what such a young boy was doing in such a
place, but he withheld his curiosity and did not ask. That was Skeetr's
story, and if he wished the others to know it, he would tell them in his
own time. It probably had what the boy considered an embarrassing bit where
he was frozen, but to even be here showed that he should not be embarrassed
at a little misfortune.

The past few events ran through Tenaka's mind and he realised that during
this wait there was a danger. Not from any corporeal being, but from a drop
in morale. This was when it happened. After battle came exultation, but
after that, if you had to wait for too long with nothing to do, came
despair. He looked over at Skeetr. As the youngest he would surely feel it
first. "Skeetr," he said. "How about you guard the mage for us. If he
appears to be regaining consciousness, just call one of us over and we will
put him to sleep again." The boy smiled again. Now he felt useful.

"The rest of you," he said when the young Khajit had gone. "What do we plan
to do when sleeping beauty awakens? Where to next. This would appear to be
an easily defended position, but we cannot defend and advance at the same
time."

"None of us knows this place," commented Twilight.

"Can you not Spirit Walk again?" asked Pilar.

"Unfortunately no. This place seems to make it harder to do that, and
besides, I am not yet well enough recovered to Spirit Walk again so soon,"
replied Tenaka.

"Then we must await further developments," said Mea.

"But what do we do then?" asked Tenaka. "I can only open Windows to places
I have been to before, and I am assuming that none of the rest of you has a
better means of transportation."

"On the contrary," said Twilight. "We have the other sleeping beauty. I am
sure he knows this place well and can teleport us around."

"But can we trust him?" said Mea. "Would he not merely teleport us into a
wall or something?"

"He can teleport me," said Tenaka. "If I find that he has done as he was
asked, I shall open a Window back to here. If not, you can kill him."

"You would be risking your life," said Pilar.

"We are all risking our lives here," replied Tenaka.