It felt like something with claws was trying to pull my skin off, or that flames were burning just beneath my skin. Even my bones ached. I took a breath and it felt like there were a thousand tiny knifes stabbing at my lungs.

"Are you all right?" Serana asked me. "That looked painful."

When she touched my shoulder pain ripped through my flesh. I cringed and she quickly withdrew her hand.

"It still is," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Now that I think about it… I should have expected this. Sorry."

"What happened?"

She shrugged helplessly. "It's hard to describe. The Soul Cairn is… well, hungry, for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment. I don't know how you even managed to get in. Vampires aren't counted among the living, which is why I got through there without a problem, but a mortal shouldn't…"

"I'm not mortal. Not anymore." I flexed my fingers and winced. "Is it going to be like this the whole time I'm in here?"

"I think so, yes." She twisted her fingers around one of the braids holding back her hair. "I know this is difficult for you, Mara. I hope you trust me. I'd never want to do anything that could hurt you."

"I do trust you. This was my choice."

A hesitant smile touched her lips. "Thank you. Let's not waste any more time, then."

I finally took a look at our surroundings through my tearing eyes. Clouds rolled through the purple sky overhead. I heard thunder and saw brilliant flashes of lightning in the distance. Below old, twisted trees and ruined black towers covered the dead gray earth. Through the haze, I thought I saw the glowing purple outlines of what looked an awful lot like people.

"Come on," I said quietly, descending the rest of the stairs to the ground. The pain was still present, tugging at my soul. I had to just fight my way through it. There was no other choice.

We followed the trail that twisted between the trees and that towers and over the cracked ground. What I'd seen before were people. Ghostly shades, all sporting looks of despair.

"So, this is the Soul Cairn," I whispered. "What is it, exactly?"

"It's a tiny sliver of Oblivion," Serana explained, her voice just as quiet as mine. "It's ruled by unseen beings known as the Ideal Masters."

"Why was your mother so fascinated by it?"

Lightning struck a nearby tower with a loud crack and we both winced.

"Honestly, I don't know," she said. "Necromancers are always interested in souls, though, so that probably has some kind of interest."

There seemed to be plenty of them around. "And what are these Ideal Masters?"

"Nobody really knows. As far as I've heard, no one's seen them and returned to Tamriel to tell about it."

I looked at her askance. "Then how are you sure they even exist?"

"I've read stories." Of course. "Stories about fools that managed to… communicate with them. You give the Ideal Masters souls, they give you powers to summon the undead. It's all very business-like."

"It sounds dangerous and very, very stupid."

"It usually is. Most of the stories end with the Ideal Masters duping the necromancers, who end up dead or wishing they were dead."

We rounded one of the towers and stepped into a grove of the trees. After a few moments I heard a voice. I held up a hand for Serana to stop. She did, and I looked around for the source. Through the trees, I saw the long-dead remnants of a campfire at the center of a small clearing. Pacing around the place was one of the spirits. He seemed to be a Dunmer, and he was muttering to himself.

"Did I start with my ride on the prison ship, or was it before that?"

"…Hello?" I called.

He started and turned to face me. As he did, I saw the ghost of the long scar that slashed down the right side of his face. "Huh? What do you want? How does anyone expect me to write my opus with all of these rude interruptions?"

"What do you mean by "Opus"?"

"What do I mean, indeed! If I hadn't lost all of the pages, I wouldn't be in this predicament and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

I frowned. "Okay, let's just start at the beginning."

"Very well. I suppose a moment or two of my time couldn't hurt." He cleared his throat. "I am Jiub. Some call me Saint Jiub. Others call me Jiub the Eradicator. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

I shook my head and he sighed.

"I can't say that I'm surprised by your answer. Until I get my second volume published, no one will ever know of my achievements."

"Wait. You're talking about a book?"

"A book?" He scoffed. "I'd hardly call a twenty-six volume epic simply a "book." Surely you've heard of "The Rise and Fall of Saint Jiub the Eradicator: Hero of Morrowind and Savior of the Dunmer.""

"Maybe a shorter title is in order?"

"Maybe you should leave the writing to an expert and stop making foolish suggestions," he snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"So, how is it going thus far?"

"Terrible," he grumbled. "Simply terrible. I was in the midst of writing the second volume and they just threw me into this prison. It's unfair!"

I looked around, frowning. "Prison? You mean the Soul Cairn?"

"Soul what? What in the name of Vivec are you talking about? All I remember is that damn Dremora and his minions bursting into my home and sending me to their prison."

"A Dremora captured you?"

He shrugged helplessly. "Well, I assume so. It cast a spell at me from some kind of strange black crystal. Next thing I knew, I arrived here."

Oh.

"I hate to break it to you, but your soul was trapped," I told him.

"My what? Wait. That means…"

"You're dead."

"No…" He sat down on a nearby fallen tree and stared down at him hands. "All these wasted months… or has it been years? I don't even remember how much time has passed."

"What happened? Why did a Dremora attack you?"

Jiub sniffed. "Well, that's a ridiculous question. Everyone traveling through here has said that the Oblivion Gates have been opening all over Tamriel."

I inhaled sharply. The Crisis. He was talking about the Oblivion Crisis.

"I remember," I said quietly, sitting down beside him on the log. "One of the Gates opened up near your home and they attacked? Is that what happened?"

He shrugged. "Well, I don't know. Everything seemed fine until that Dremora attacked me. I only heard later about the Gates from the other souls. I can only assume the gates have been closed by now."

"They were. Believe me, they were. Where was the attack?"

"I had just moved from my ancestral home in Morrowind to Cyrodiil. I settled in the city of Kvatch to write my memoirs and to find some peace and quiet."

I stared at him. "You… You were in Kvatch when it was attacked?"

"Indeed!" He said, nodding. "One moment I was writing diligently, and the next, my door bursts open. It was a cadre of Dremora. The city was under attack. I took it upon myself to join the cause and fight the Dremora, thinking this would simply be another feather in my cap. I never knew what became of Kvatch. I wonder if they were triumphant without me."

"I'm sorry to say this, Jiub," I said, "but I'm the one who got your feather."

"You… what?"

I held out my hand to him. "Mara Fides, sometimes known as the Hero of Kvatch."

He shook my outstretched hand with his own ghostly one and stared at me in shock.

"You were there as well?"

"I arrived the next day. I was the one that closed the Gate." I hesitated. "Did… Did you know Martin?"

"Martin? You mean Brother Martin, that priest from the Chapel?"

I nodded.

Jiub shrugged. "Not well, but he seemed like a good man. Why?"

"He saved a lot of people that night. Saved a lot of people later, too." Including me. Tears welled up in my eyes and I hastily brushed them away. At his inquisitive look, I told him, "He… He was the Emperor's son."

"Him? Really?"

I nodded again and laughed quietly. "Yes. Yes, he was."

We crossed the Soul Cairn, heading for what looked like a fortress on top of a hill in the distance. That seemed like as good a place to start looking for Valerica as any. As we approached, I saw what looked like a glimmering magical shield blocking off the entrance.

Serana raced up the steps, calling, "Mother?"

A woman stepped out of the shadowy doorway behind the shield. She was tall and pale, her black hair pulled up in twin knots. She looked so like Serana, it couldn't be anyone else except Valerica.

"Maker… it can't be," she gasped. "Serana?"

"Is it really you? I can't believe it!" Serana tried to push her way through the barrier, but a spark flashed across it and forced her back. She stared through it at the woman walking towards her. "How do we get inside? We have to talk."

As Valerica approached, I could see fear in her amber eyes. "Serana? What are you doing here? Where is your father?" She looked like she expected Harkon to jump out from behind a pillar at any moment.

"He doesn't know we're here. I don't have time to explain."

"I must have failed," Valerica groaned, bowing her head. "Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"No, you've got it all wrong. We're here to stop him… to make everything right."

Until then, I'd apparently gone unnoticed. Suddenly I found Valerica's cold eyes fixed on me. "You've brought a stranger here? Have you lost your mind?"

"No, you don't–"

Valerica ignored her daughter. Pointing a finger at me, she said, "You. Come forward. I would speak with you."

I stepped around Serana and right up to the barrier.

"So how has it come to pass that a vampire hunter is in the company of my daughter?" She asked coolly. "It pains me to think you'd travel with Serana under the guise of her protector in an effort to hunt me down."

"I'm not here for you. And this isn't a ruse; I'm here to keep your daughter safe. I want to keep her safe."

"I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble."

"All I'm trying to do is stop the people responsible for threatening Skyrim. That's not you. That's not Serana."

She scowled. "Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you."

"She did. And that's why we're here for the Elder Scroll."

"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone?" Valerica shook her head and clasped her hands. "The scrolls are merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."

I flashed a glance at my currently silent companion and lowered my voice. "What do you mean?"

"When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls." She began to pace, gesturing as she spoke. "The scroll I presume you found with Serana speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's bow. The second scroll declares that, "The Blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon.""

"How does Serana fit into all of this?"

"Like myself, Serana was a human once. We were devout followers of Lord Molag Bal. Tradition dictates the females be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as a pure-blooded vampire. We call such confluences the "Daughters of Coldharbour"."

"So this "Tyranny of the Sun" requires Serana's blood?"

Valerica nodded. "Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect Serana, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible."

"Are you saying," I asked, thinking hard, "that Harkon will kill her if he gets the chance?"

"If Harkon obtained Auriel's Bow and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes, she'd be dying for the good of all vampires."

Serana, who had obviously heard all of this, had gone pale. Well, paler than usual. I shook my head firmly.

"No. I won't let that happen."

"And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?" Valerica snapped.

"I'll need your help."

"Have you been listening to me? Like Serana, I'm a pure-blooded vampire. My presence on Tamriel is as much of a danger as hers."

"And Serana's opinion in this? Doesn't that matter?" I demanded.

"You care nothing for Serana or our plight. You're here because we're abominations in your mind, aren't you? Evil creatures that need to be destroyed."

"Serana believes in me. Why won't you?"

"This stranger aligns herself with those that would hunt you down and slay you like an animal, yet I should entrust you to her?" She asked in disbelief.

"This "stranger" has done more for me in the brief time I've known her than you've done in centuries!" Serana countered.

"How dare you! I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!"

The two women stared at each other, nearly nose to nose, separated only by the barrier. Amber eyes narrowed, pale lips turned in scowls.

"Yes, he's a fanatic. He's… changed. But he's still my father. Why can't you understand how that makes me feel?"

"Oh, Serana. If you'd only open your eyes. The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'll be in terrible danger!"

"So to protect me you decided to shut me away from everything I cared about? You never asked me if hiding me in that tomb was the best course of action, you just expected me to follow you blindly." I saw her fists clench. "Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, I'm still a just pawn to you, too. I want us to be a family again, but I don't know if we can ever have that. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us."

She sighed and took a step back from the barrier.

"We have to stop him," she continued. "Before he goes too far. And, to do that, we need the Elder Scroll."

Her mother, for the first time, looked truly remorseful. "I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know… I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours."

Serana nodded and turned away. I could see she was still hurt by the whole thing, but that kind of wound would only heal with time. I let her be.

"Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me," Valerica said, leveling her gaze at me. "But for Serana's sake, I'll assist you in any way that I can."

"Thank you. Do you have the Elder Scroll?"

She nodded. "Yes. I've kept it safely secured here ever since I was imprisoned. Fortunately, you're in a position to breach the barrier that surrounds these ruins."

I looked up at the shimmering wall. "So, what do we need to do?"

"You need to locate the tallest of the rocky spires that surround these ruins. At their bases, the barrier's energy is being drawn from unfortunate souls that have been exiled here. Destroy the Keepers that are tending them, and it should bring the barrier down."

"We'll be back soon," I told her.

I started to turn away, but before I could take a step, she added quickly, "One more word of warning. There's a dragon that calls himself Durnehviir roaming the Cairn. Be wary of him. The Ideal Masters have charged him with overseeing the Keepers, and will undoubtedly intervene if you're perceived as a threat."

So there was a dragon on the loose as well. Fantastic.

"Thank you for the warning."

Valerica nodded. "Be careful, and keep my daughter safe."

The Keepers turned out to be massive creatures dressed in armor made of bleached bone plates. Each was at least twice my height. Instead of heads, each had a swirling cloud of thick black smoke with twin glowing lights for eyes.

Once we'd defeated the final Keeper and its body had exploded in a burst of smoke, Serana nodded back toward the fortress, saying, "The barrier should be gone now. Let's head back."

As we walked, I asked her in a quiet voice, "How are you feeling after talking to your mother?"

"Relieved, I think. All those things had been building for a while. You have no idea how long I wanted to say that to her."

"So why did you ever agree to her plan?"

She took a deep breath. "Look, I loved my father, but when he found that prophecy… that became his life. Everything else, even me and my mother, we just became clutter. I was close with my mother, but she just kept feeding me her opinions of him, and eventually I started believing them."

"She doesn't seem fond of him, no."

"The moment we gave ourselves to Molag Bal, things got really icy between them. They were both drunk with power and pulling in different directions. Then he found the prophecy and…" Serana gave a half-hearted kind of shrug. "… That was it."

"And you were caught in the middle," I said.

She nodded. "I was. Honestly, it took me up until now to figure out that my mother was really just as bad as he was. He was obsessed with power. She was obsessed with seeing him fail. It was just so… toxic. Maybe I could have seen this coming. We could all be better off now."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for that."

"You don't know what it's like, coming from a family like that," she told me, shaking her head slowly. "Everything eventually tumbles down to you. Anyway, we should keep moving."

When we made it back to the fortress, we found Valerica standing just behind where the barrier had been with her arm outstretched, as if testing to see if it was really gone. As we ascended the steps, she straightened again.

"You managed to destroy all three Keepers?" She looked me over, brows raised. "Very impressive."

"Right. Are you able to give us the Elder Scroll now?"

"Yes." She indicated a door at the back of the entrance that led deeper into the fort and said, "Please, follow me. Keep watch for Durnehviir. With the prison's barrier down, he's almost certain to investigate."

Serana and I followed her through the door. Beyond was a set of stairs leading into a massive, sunken courtyard. Lightning struck the fortress's tall towers and the standing stones that dotted the area. Serana abruptly froze.

"Wait… I hear something."

I stopped as well, listening for what she'd heard. The distinct sound of massive wings pumping the air. Not a good sign.

"I hear it, too," I said, drawing my bow. "Is that–?"

There was a loud roar and a dark, winged shape swooped down from the stormy sky. I saw Valerica grab her daughter's arm, as if she were about to try to pull her away.

"It's Durnehviir. He's here!"

The dragon landed on top of a tower at the center of the courtyard. Throwing his head back, he let out a loud roar. A ball of purple light shot out from between his jaws, splitting apart in midair. When the fragments landed, each formed into a black, skeletal figure. Serana and Valerica shot bolts of lightning at them while I went after Durnehviir.

He leapt into the air, swooping around the outer walls of the fortress, before landing in front of me with a loud boom that made the ground beneath my feet tremble. I drew back an arrow, watching him carefully.

Durnehviir was average sized for a dragon. His horns curled like a frill behind the back of his head. What was strange about him was how… dead he looked. His wings were tattered enough that he shouldn't have been able to fly at all. Dead scales flaked off and floated in the air around him before reattaching themselves to his body.

He sneered as he looked down at me. Glaring back at him, I shot him through one of his eyes. Staggering back, he snarled once and crumpled. Instead of burning, like most dragons did, purple lightning sparked over his hide. A moment later he was gone entirely. I lowered my bow with a frown. I'd never seen a dragon do that before. When I turned around, I saw Valerica staring at me.

"Forgive my astonishment," she whispered, "but I never thought I'd witness the death of that dragon."

"What makes you say that?" All dragons could be killed.

"Volumes written on Durnehviir allege that he can't be slain by normal means. It appears they were mistaken." She hesitated. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"The soul of a dragon is as resilient as its owner's scaly hide. It's possible that your killing blow has merely displaced Durnehviir's physical form while he reconstitutes himself."

"And how long will that take, exactly?"

She shrugged helplessly. "Minutes? Hours? Years? I can't even begin to guess. I suggest we don't wait around to find out."

"I agree. Let's get that Scroll and get out of here."

We followed her into a small room set into one of the courtyard walls. Potions and various ingredients covered the two of the ledges that ran along three sides of the room. The third was taken up by a long wooden box edged with silver. Valerica undid the latch and opened the lid. Inside I saw the gilded case of an Elder Scroll. I carefully lifted it from the box.

"That's it," Serana said from behind me. Her voice was edged with a laugh. "That's the last Scroll. Come on, let's take it to Dexion."

"If there's anything I can do before you depart, you must let me know," Valerica told me.

I turned to face her, still holding onto the Elder Scroll. "You're staying here?"

"I have no choice. As I told you before, I'm a Daughter of Coldharbour. If I return to Tamriel, that increases Harkon's likelihood of bringing the Tyranny of the Sun to fruition."

"We'll come back for you when we can."

She gave me a weak smile. "I appreciate your concern for me, but Serana is all that I care about. You must keep her safe at all costs. Remember that Harkon is not to be trusted. No matter what he promises, he'll deceive you in order to get what he wants. And promise me you'll keep my daughter safe. She's the only thing of value I have left."

"I swear it." Nodding to Serana, I said, "Let's get out of here."

We walked back through the courtyard and through the entrance to the fortress, stepping back into the open Soul Cairn. The instant I passed through I found myself staring at a familiar, decaying dragon.

Durnehviir perched on a crumbled bit of roof, presumably from a tower above, his gaze fixed on me. I slowly drew my sword.

"Stay your weapon," he said in a rasping voice. "I would speak with you, Qahnaarin."

I lowered my sword a little. "I thought you were dead."

"Cursed, not dead. Doomed to exist in this form for eternity. Trapped between laas and dinok, between life and death."

I could almost understand that.

"Why are we speaking?"

"I believe in civility among seasoned warriors, and I find your ear worthy of my words," he told me. "My claws have rent the flesh of innumerable foes, but I have never once been felled on the field. I therefore honor-name you Qahnaarin, or "Vanquisher" in your tongue."

The corner of my mouth quirked up. "I found you equally worthy."

Durnehviir inclined his massive head. "Your words do me great honor."

"So why do you call me that?" I asked him. "Qahnaarin?"

"In my language, the Qahnaarin is the Vanquisher, the one who has bested a fellow dovah in battle. Even in the Soul Cairn, the defeat of the World Eater has reached my ears, Dovahkiin."

"Ah."

"You may not look like a dovah, but the defeat of Alduin earns you the right of title. My desire to speak with you was born from the result of our battle, Qahnaarin. I merely wish to respectfully ask a favor of you."

"All right. What do you want?"

"For countless years I've roamed the Soul Cairn, in unintended service to the Ideal Masters. Before this, I roamed the skies above Tamriel. I desire to return there."

"Then what's stopping you?"

He hummed uncomfortably and shifted a little. "I fear that my time here has taken its toll upon me. I share a bond with this dreaded place. If I ventured far from the Soul Cairn, my strength would begin to wane until I was no more."

"And how could I help?"

"Call my name from Tamriel. Do me this simple honor and I will fight at your side as your Grah-Zeymahzin, your ally, and teach you my Thu'um."

"Just call your name?" I asked. "That's all you want?"

"Trivial in your mind, perhaps. For me, it would mean a great deal. I don't require an answer, Qahnaarin. Simply speak my name to the heavens when you feel the time is right."

The thought of being stuck in there forever was a terrifying thought. "How did you end up in here, anyway?"

He let out a long sigh. "There was a time when I called Tamriel my home, but those days have long since passed. The dovah roamed the skies, vying for their small slices of territory that resulted in immense and ultimately fatal battles."

"And you were a part of all that?"

"I was, but unlike some of my brethren I sought solutions outside the norm in order to maintain my superiority. I began to explore what the dovah call Alok-Dilon, the ancient forbidden art that you call necromancy."

"So you came here to get answers," I guessed.

"The Ideal Masters assured me that my powers would be unmatched, that I could raise legions of the undead. In return, I was to serve them as a Keeper until the death of the one who calls herself Valerica."

I could easily see where that went wrong. "I take it they didn't tell you she was immortal."

He shook his head. "I discovered too late that the Ideal Masters favor deception over honor and had no intention of releasing me from my binding. They had control of my mind, but fortunately they couldn't possess my soul."

"So is that why you're free now?" I asked him.

"Free?" He chuckled ruefully. "No. I have been here too long, Qahnaarin. The Soul Cairn has become a part of what I am. I can never fully call Tamriel my home again, or I would surely perish. I only hope that you will allow me the precious moments of time there through your call."

"I will. I swear it."