"You pulled it off lass." Brynjolf counted through the septims and jewels. "I didn't think you'd go through with it. Don't you still have ties to the Empire?" He asked, separating the shares among the five of us.
"The war is over. They won't miss a little coin from one cargo ship." I grinned. We camped out in Morthal but I could see the Blue Palace lights in the distance.
"Never thought I'd be affiliated with a double-crossing master of thieves." Serana sighed but accepted the packed purse that Delvin handed her.
"Exciting, isn't it?" I chuckled.
Shadowmere whinnied as I tucked the purse in my bag. My fingers ran through his stringy mane and he tapped the rocky surface beneath him in content.
"Taking off so soon?" Delvin asked.
"Serana and I have some business to attend to. We need to make it to Whiterun by morning."
"C'mon, you're going to leave me with these two assholes?" Vex crossed her arms.
"We didn't even get to celebrate." Delvin pulled forward a crate of wine.
Vex watched in disgust when Serana summoned Arvak and mounted him.
"Is that sanitary?" She asked, looking at the marsh through his bones. Brynjolf and I chuckled.
"Drink a bottle for us." I patted Devlin on the shoulder. "Brynjolf, hold the fort until I get back. Unless I beat you there."
"Aye. Be safe out there." He waved.
Serana and I disappeared through the trees toward Cold Rock Pass.
I tightened my hood to stop the cold snowy wind from burning my face. Serana seemed to be fairly at home in this weather. It made me want to be a vampire again.
"Are you sure you want to ride through this?" She asked, raising her voice over the wind.
"It's fine. We're almost to the pass!" I yelled back. Shadowmere and Arvak pushed through the snow.
"Wait...Something is wrong!" Serana yelled.
I didn't respond. The same feeling washed over me. It was dark...overwhelming, and then it was quickly followed by pain. My temperature began to rise and I cried out. It was as if every bone in my body was twisting and ignited. Shadowmere reared, running through the trees. My back slammed against the ground, knocking the breath out of me.
"Ember!" Serana yelled, running to my side.
Snow began to swirl around me. The ice felt like blades against my skin. I tried to stand but I could only get to my knees. A heavy force pulled against me and locked me in place.
"What's happening?!" She panicked and tried to reach for me.
"No! Stay back!" I yelled, managing to push her away. She tumbled to the ground, watching helplessly.
The pain did not subside, it only became more intense. Suddenly, my skin began to glow white. I watched the light travel up my body and then blind me. The last thing I saw was Serana reaching for me.
"EMBER!" She yelled.
Her voice echoed in my ears, getting progressively louder, almost like thunder. Wait…My eyes shot open when lightning struck nearby. Every bit of my body was sore, exhausted, and covered in mud. After a few failed attempts, I managed to get to my feet.
"Serana?!" I yelled. I searched my surroundings but the downpour made it impossible to see. "Lo-!"
Before I could clear the skies, the lightning struck again. This time, it engulfed the tree next to me. I tried to readjust to the darkness but the light left me nearly blind. My ears stopped ringing a little too late for me to realize that the branches above me were collapsing. I yelped when a sharp piece of wood punctured my leg.
"Lok-Vah-Koor!" The rain stopped. When the clouds cleared, the moonlight peaked through the trees, lighting the landscape. I did my best to rub the mud from my eyes but it didn't help my sense of direction. "Where am I?" I whispered.
The land looked familiar, but unfamiliar. My thoughts were interrupted by the thick stream of blood that dyed the pool of water around me. I ripped off a piece of cloth to use as a tourniquet. My vision began to fade.
"Hello? Is someone out there?!" The voice throbbed in my ears but I couldn't respond. A dark figure appeared at my feet. My body became heavy and slumped against the tree.
