"Ugh... Where... where am I...?"
Despite losing consciousness in the depths of that freezing dungeon, Camilla had somehow survived.
She woke up in what appeared to be an inn room. Her wounds had been expertly tended to, treated with potions and clean bandages.
"Are you finally awake?"
Camilla turned toward the voice. Karliah was there, sitting in a chair right next to the bed with her legs crossed.
She hadn't simply vanished into the darkness. As soon as Mercer Frey had left, she had hauled the collapsed Camilla out of that dungeon and brought her all the way here.
But instead of gratitude, Camilla's first instincts were confusion and hostility.
"Wait... You shot me!"
"I did. And it's the only reason you're still breathing," Karliah replied, her tone perfectly composed.
Camilla glared at her, but Karliah didn't even flinch.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
At the question, Karliah began to explain.
"The arrow was coated with a unique paralytic poison. It slowed your heart rate down to a crawl. If it hadn't, you would have bled out from the wound Mercer gave you before I could get you clear."
—...
Camilla wanted to snap back that if Karliah hadn't shot her in the first place, she wouldn't have been in a position to be stabbed by Mercer. However, she was too exhausted to argue.
Camilla knew that if Karliah were truly an enemy, she wouldn't have gone through the trouble of dragging her to an inn and healing her. She decided to trust her—at least for now.
"Fine... Let's go with that. But was everything you two said in the dungeon the truth?"
"I'll explain everything."
Karliah laid out the whole ugly truth for Camilla. It was Mercer who had murdered Gallus; he was the one who had actually betrayed the Thieves Guild.
She added that his attempt to kill Camilla was his way of removing the final loose thread in his web of lies.
"That's insane..."
"I know it's hard to believe. But it is the reality you have to face."
Camilla had only wanted to finish this last job for Mercer and leave the Guild behind, but the situation was spiraling out of control.
The priority was getting back to the Guild, revealing the truth, and finding Mercer.
But Mercer had almost certainly beaten them back to Riften. He was likely already spreading lies that she had sided with Karliah to betray him.
'Talking our way out of this won't work.'
Camilla couldn't see an easy solution. She looked at Karliah. Since she had gone through the effort of saving her and bringing her here, surely she had a plan.
"So, what now?"
Instead of an answer, Karliah produced a single piece of parchment.
"What's that?"
"It's Gallus's journal. I found it next to his remains in Snow Veil Sanctum."
"And what does it say?"
Karliah hesitated before answering.
"I don't know. It's written in some strange, ancient script. I can't read a word of it..."
"You can't read it either?"
"Which is exactly why I brought you here."
Camilla looked out the inn window.
Unlike the temperate woods of Riverwood or the damp canals of Riften, the landscape here was a perpetual mid-winter. Pure white snow reached up to the ankles.
"Wait, is this..."
"Yes. Winterhold."
Karliah explained that there was a man named Enthir residing at the College, a mage who had shared a deep friendship with Gallus.
She believed he could provide a clue to deciphering the ancient script and noted that he was one of the few people left she could actually trust in this mess.
"Where is he now?"
"He should be inside the College buildings."
"Then let's go find him. Now."
"I'd love to, but there's a problem..."
Despite Camilla's urgency, Karliah hesitated.
"What is it?"
While Camilla had been asleep, Karliah had attempted to approach the College to fetch Enthir, but she had been turned away.
She had no talent for magic, and more importantly, her Thieves Guild leathers made the gatekeeper, Faralda, extremely suspicious.
"Then I'll go instead."
However, Camilla didn't have any magical talent either. Karliah leaned in and whispered a different suggestion.
—(Whisper, whisper)
"You really think that'll work?"
"Mages are surprisingly oblivious to stuff like that."
It sounded ridiculous, but Camilla decided to roll with it.
A few moments later, Camilla stripped off her Thieves Guild light armor and changed into common traveler's clothes.
She slowly approached Faralda, who was standing guard at the entrance to the Winterhold Community College.
"My apologies, but we do not allow outsiders to enter."
Predictably, Faralda was firm about blocking entry.
That was when Camilla put Karliah's plan into action.
—Thud.
"Sob... sniff..."
Camilla collapsed to the ground, weeping piteously.
Having picked up acting tips from Vex during her time in the Guild, her performance was flawless.
'A woman's tears are her deadliest weapon.'
Karliah's plan was simple: play on Faralda's emotions with a tragic story to bypass the gates.
Startled by the sudden crying, Faralda looked flustered.
"Please, calm yourself. What's the matter?"
Between sobs, Camilla explained that her only brother had gone missing and that she had heard rumors he had come here.
"Your brother?"
Faralda might have been suspicious under other circumstances, but Camilla's acting was top-tier.
Unable to imagine that this innocent-looking girl was scamming her, she granted Camilla permission to enter Winterhold.
"I truly hope you find your family."
"Thank you so much!"
Camilla maintained the facade of a grateful, relieved girl as she thanked her.
But as soon as she turned her back to head toward the College, the look of the innocent village girl vanished, replaced by a cold, business-like expression.
'Sigh... I can't believe I had to resort to this.'
No one else had seen her little performance besides Faralda, but Camilla silently vowed to make Mercer Frey pay for adding this embarrassing memory to the history of her life.
In any case, she was in. She began searching for Enthir, looking for a tall Altmer male as Karliah had described.
After checking the dorms and the dining hall without success, she stepped into the main college building.
—Vroom... vroom...
"Whoa..."
The mystical sight inside momentarily stole her breath.
In the center of the first-floor hall, a massive blue orb of light floated in mid-air, slowly rotating.
'I knew this place dealt with magic, but to think they owned a relic this mysterious.'
She then spotted a man who fit the description perfectly.
A tall Altmer man—definitely the Enthir Karliah had mentioned.
"Are you Enthir?"
"Hmm? I believe you have the wrong person."
Camilla had approached him carefully, but he wasn't her target.
'Now that I look closer, he's wearing Thalmor robes.'
Realizing her mistake, Camilla prepared to leave to continue her search, but the man spoke up.
"If you're looking for Enthir, you'll likely find him in the library on the second floor."
"Thank you."
The Thalmor man gave her the location, and Camilla left with a polite nod.
"Hmph..."
Regardless of whether Camilla stayed or left, the Thalmor man simply went back to staring at the mysterious blue orb with a gaze full of pure greed.
Meanwhile, Camilla found Enthir in the library. She approached the man as he was reading.
"Excuse me, are you Enthir?"
Startled by the voice of a girl he'd never seen before, Enthir closed his book and looked at her.
"And who might you be?"
Having finally found her man, Camilla explained the situation in detail.
"Unbelievable... You're saying Mercer killed Gallus?"
"Yes. And we need your help. For the sake of your late friend, please, help us."
"Of course I will help."
Fortunately, Enthir agreed readily. The two of them headed back down the stairs to the first floor.
In the main hall, the giant orb continued to spin, casting its brilliant light everywhere.
"That is the Eye of Magnus," Enthir remarked as he saw Camilla staring at it.
"Our college was excavating the ruins of Saarthal. Master Tolfdir found that relic there. It was deemed too dangerous to leave in the ruins, so it's being kept here for study."
However, even he admitted he wasn't particularly interested in—or knowledgeable about—what the object actually was or what it did.
"Well, I suppose I don't really need to know."
Camilla was already overwhelmed by the Guild's drama; she didn't have the mental energy to care about anyone else's business.
The two of them exited the gates of the Winterhold Community College and headed back to the inn where Karliah was waiting.
Gathered in the inn's basement, Enthir carefully examined the document Karliah had brought.
"This is... the Falmer language."
Analyzing Gallus's journal, he finally identified the script.
"Are you sure? Can you translate it?"
Enthir shook his head with a sigh.
"No. I'm afraid I don't know the Falmer tongue. However, Calcelmo, the Dwemer researcher, should know something."
"Calcelmo? Where can I find him?"
In response to Camilla's question, Enthir told her that Calcelmo was currently serving as the court wizard in Markarth.
"Fine. I'll go."
Camilla was desperate to settle the Guild's affairs and get her revenge on Mercer as quickly as possible, so she volunteered to make the trip to Markarth.
"Just... be careful," Enthir warned her as she prepared to leave.
"Why?"
"That city... well, let's just say it's a bit... unsettling."