We spent an uneventful night by the shore, and got up bright and early. After a few pieces of bread and water, we gathered up the tent and headed back to my stronghold to drop Sara off.  

It was less than an hour later that we arrived back at Tel Uvirith.

The sky was already looking threatening, but I wasn't sure if it was going to rain or if an ash storm was coming.   

Once back at Tel Uvirith, I left Sara there to help Primus Pilus guard the tower.

We knew that the Sixth House was sending agents after me now, and I need to make sure we were protected here as well.  After the attack in Balmora, Sara agreed.  

It was a number of hours later that Laurenna and I finally arrived back in Balmora. As usual, it was gloomy and overcast, raining and thundering.

I didn't seem to mind, however. I had good reason to feel good at the end of this long journey. I had been cured of a disease that had no cure.

I decided after we got settled in, I'd treat Laurenna to dinner.

When we arrived at our home, once again, fresh scratch marks on the new lock we had put on the door. This time, the keyhole looked as though it had been bent open. Someone really wanted to get inside badly, and I knew who it was, too. I tested the lock and found that the door was still secure. We went inside, and Laurenna decided to change into something more comfortable. She suggested that I go upstairs to my own chest and do the same.   

I was in the middle of changing when Laurenna came up the stairs to show me the outfit she was wearing to dinner.

"Eldorf," she said, "do you hear something? There's a strange oder in here, too."

Suddenly, all those old stories you hear about monsters hiding under your bed came true!  

It's secret hiding place exposed, an ash-zombie crawled out from under the bed and tried to attack me with a club.

After all she had gone through to bring me back from a cave, Laurenna would hear none of this. She attacked the creature from behind, while I punched it in the 'face' from the front. Poor thing didn't know who to attack first.

I used a self-made spell of my own, called The Spider's Kiss, which drained it's own life energy into myself. It's a powerful spell, but even so, I had to use it several times in a row.

The creature made a number of moaning sounds as it lashed out with it's club and sharp fingers, ignoring Laurenna's attacks and concentrating it's attention on me.  

Six times I had to use the Spider's Kiss spell on the creature, but it had finally had enough. With one last moan, it reeled, and then fell on the edge of my trunk at the end of the bed.

"Eldorf, what's the meaning of these attacks?" asked Laurenna.

"After what the wise woman told me," I replied, "and from what Dagoth Gares told me, I believe that the Sixth House considers me a direct threat to them."

Laurenna gave me a look of concern. "I'm not really sure what to make of these attacks, or where these creatures are coming from." I said, "But, I'll discuss this matter with Caius in the morning."

I turned to Laurenna and held her. "I think it might be safer if you were in either Tel Uvirith, the castle of Lokken, or even in Solstheim Castle. I don't know how these creatures get inside the house here, but with guards posted at every corner, any of those three places might be safer than Balmora at the moment."

"Oh, Eldorf," she replied, "I'm not the one in danger - it's YOU they're after."

I thought about it for a moment. She was right. The Sixth House had me for a target, and the ash-zombie that attacked us would have only gone after me, had Laurenna not been in the room. Still, I felt that I didn't want her to become a target, and that perhaps, we should make a bee-line for Lokken anyway. Still, I didn't think that Laurenna would agree, but I put the thought on her mind if things got too complex.