"Hmm...Vile himself? That is difficult for even me to judge. Any Daedra, of course, prefers to send their minions to do any real work, but Vile has been known to become directly involved if the situation is important enough. Still, he is as arrogant as any other prince. He will be angered and insulted by this intrusion into his realm, but he will not see us as an actual threat to his power." Hal-Neesa answered to Sabine, but for the whole time, she had her attention on Teroiah. 

Neesa stepped across the map, stopping directly in front of Teroiah. She stood, hands behind her back in a straight posture, though still had to look up slightly to meet the gaze of the High Elf. "Do you have something to say to me, Thalmor? Since I unfortunately have to be involved directly in this escapade, I find myself in the unenviable position of having your actions affect me. So, I am going to have to politely request that you tell me if there is something we need to discuss." 

[hr]

Meesei finally released her grip around Lunise and took a step back to put some space between them. "Okay, just give me a moment to tune myself to Artaeum." She answered, closing her eyes and focusing intensely on the spell she was weaving. Her hand radiated a brilliant yellow glow, somewhat visibly similar to restoration magic, but of entirely unfamiliar magical patterns. Her whole body glowed similarly for a few seconds, then the magic disappeared just as quickly without any obvious trace. If the spell had worked, it did not leave behind any obvious signs. 

"Now..." Meesei began, returning to Lunise's side and placing a hand on her shoulder firmly. "...imagine Artaeum. Imagine the exact place you want us to go, imagine the island before you. It's sights, its smells, its sounds. This could take a few minutes, depending on how strong the memory is, but just keep picturing it. 

Just as she had indicated before, this portal was more difficult for Meesei than usual. The amount of magicka she was pouring into the spell would feel like almost double what she had used to bring them to their island retreat. However, thankfully for Meesei's stamina, it did not take as long as Meesei had feared to establish a stable portal, as it was done in no more than ten seconds excess of her usual portals. Either she had been conservative with her estimates, or Lunise's last memory of her mother was a strong one. 

The fact that Meesei's portal was now open in front of them was evidence to her success. If Meesei's tuning spell had failed to connect to Artaeum's true location, then it would not have opened at all. It meant that quite literally a few steps in front of them was the home of the most powerful and reclusive mages formerly in Tamriel. Meesei moved her hand to Lunise's back, turning her head to give her one last look and a smile. "I will be right beside you." She said before stepping forward.

Using the portal felt no different from normal. One could step in, and apart from perhaps squinting through the bright light, appear on the other side as if walking through a simple doorway. However, instead of solid ground, they both appeared in mid-air, a foot or so above a body of water. Before either of them could get their bearings and react, they plunged into the water and had to swim back up to the surface. 

While Meesei did have gills, that did not prevent her from having to cough up the water she had inadvertently taken into her lungs. "Lunise, I don't think the docks are here anymore. But...we are definitely in the right place."

Once they finally had a chance to look at their surroundings, they would see that they were just a short distance from the shoreline. For Meesei, the island before them looked quite surprisingly familiar. The trees, flowers, and general landscape that she could see were almost exactly like that of Summerset's largest island. She supposed it would not have made sense to expect anything different, considering that Artaeum had once been a part of the Isles, just like the other islands. However, she needed only look up to find herself in awe once more. Even in broad daylight, she could see stars in the sky bigger and brighter than any she had seen before, and they all seemed to be connected in some way to those around them by lines of light. Though, her attention was taken fairly quickly by the sight of Ceporah Tower in the distance. It was a magnificent structure that dominated the northern part of the island. It was made from what appeared to be white stone and had a style of architecture unlike any Meesei had ever seen. According to the few writings on Artaeum available in Tamriel, it had been built by an ancient civilization that predated even the Altmer, but no description of it did justice to the tower itself.

Meesei was taken in enough by the sights that she did not at first notice that they were not alone. Standing on the shore a short distance away were four hooded individuals. The light of the sun behind them made it difficult to discern their faces from a distance, but the fact that there was no one else in sight around them did make it seem as if they had been waiting for them.