Thank you everyone for your feedback and thoughts, it helps me plan ahead for the story when I know what you think about it...although i will be doing a few cliffhangers again...muhahaha :D A big thanks to the awesome redchillismoke for her ideas, everytime we talk, I get a dozen or more new ideas for the story :D (anyone who loves Serana fics should look at her fic, it is AWESOME :D)
Anyway, onto the chapter, and for once, it's got some fighting in it... xD
Solia smiled when she dropped into a crouch right behind the two unsuspecting guards. She had managed to wait on the steep cliffside while the light had begun to fade and had patiently been watching all the guards in view stand there with no inkling that their time was up.
Just as Morgan said.
She drew her new ebony dagger silently from its sheath and crept forwards. She had orders to keep as many people alive as she could, but Morgan had also said that they would only need twenty or so alive….the rest were 'disposable'. Solia smiled at that memory and then darted forwards, wrapping an arm round a guard's neck and stabbing him through the throat with the dagger, the sharp edge cutting right through his spinal column instantly.
Fuck, Lilith knows how to make a dagger.
She pulled the blade free just as the second guard spun to the right, and she reversed the blade and hit the guard on the temple with the hilt, stunning the Stormcloak and sending the guard to the ground. Solia pounced on top and smirked when her hand rested on a pair of shapely breasts under the blue armour of the guard.
"I chose the right one. Good night, darling," she said, before slamming the hilt onto the front of the guards helmet.
She grinned as she stood up, and dragged the dead body into the thick snowberry bushes nearby, and then nodded to the several pairs of reddish eyes that suddenly appeared in the gloom around her.
"That's one. Try not to dent her too badly."
Solia ran towards the building where the Jarl would be and waited beside the building.
One pair down, the rest will follow soon enough.
" I really hate spiders."
Serana laughed and patted Morgan's thigh gently before sheathing her daggers. The two of them had cleared out the infested mine just after the two guards were swarmed by their vampire followers and were now looking around at the large clump of eggs in the corner, the mangled and charred body of a mammoth-sized frostbite spider lying on the floor nearby.
"To be fair, I think they weren't fond of being set on fire, being thrown back by a force of energy and being stabbed by a set of blades sharp enough to cut someone in half," Serana remarked playfully.
"Done and done," Morgan grinned, avoiding a swat from Serana, who was laughing.
"Shut up," Serana smiled.
Morgan winked at her and then spotted the note left on the table. She walked over to the table and read the note, a smirk forming on her face as she did so.
Salef
I regret to say that the reinforcements you asked for will no longer
be available. We have had some surprising losses in the south, primarily near
Whiterun and Falkreath…from a dragon of all things. Since the loss of Wuunferth,
we have no way of knowing what the dragon may be looking for, as he was the only one
who seemed to understand what the scaly bastards seemed to think about.
Jarl Ulfric believes that it involves the Dragonborn somehow. He says that
some of the dragons follow her…I don't know what to think about that so
for the time being, say nothing to the others and especially the Jarl of
Dawnstar.
Stay alert my friend, this war has only just begun.
Ralof
"Find something?" Serana whispered as she placed her arms round her waist gently.
"A dragon seems to be looking for me near Falkreath. If I knew his name, I would call him directly. Next time I head near there, I will search him out."
"Sounds good," Serana replied, kissing her neck.
"Behave," Morgan mock admonished, running a hand along Serana's cheek.
"I can wait until later."
Morgan laughed and kissed her quickly, picking up the note and stashing it into her armour.
"Good. Come on, let's get the job done. The outside sentries should be taken care of now."
"So, what is left to do? The barracks will still be full of Stormcloaks, as will the tavern. And of course, the Jarl will be in his longhouse. Oh, and before I forget…."
Morgan looked at the dead arachnids and took a sharp breath, focusing her thu'um.
"YOL!"
Morgan smiled, the soft light from the dragonfire framing her face in a way that made Serana want to take her right there.
"The barracks can be done by Alva and the others. The tavern…I will go in and extract the pretty bard out of there, she has never done me any wrong… I will erase her memory through blood if I must. And the Jarl?"
Serana smiled and put her arms round the Dragon, feeling every curve of her body even through the black leather armour they both wore.
"I will deal with him myself."
Serana kissed her, unable to control her desire.
By the blood, she is too ravishing for her own good. And I love her for it too.
Morgan broke the kiss and smiled, running her hands along Serana's thighs.
"Let's go."
Serana didn't need to be told twice. Both women vanished in identical clouds of mist, leaving the mine empty save for the burning corpses of the spiders.
"So Cicero says 'Why did you try and kill poor Cicero? And Cicero replies: 'Because it was a troll in your home, not your wife!"
The tavern erupted in cheers and laughter, and the Keeper bowed to them, his eyes watching every single soldier carefully. He had not killed someone in a long time, but the old teachings still came to him as easily as breathing. He spotted the sheath of one soldier that was a little too far behind his thigh, and would make it harder for the man to equip his weapon quickly. Another soldier had nothing but an iron dagger, and Cicero knew that daggers were effective weapons, but this dagger seemed to be barely sharp enough to cut a loaf of bread.
Fools, all of them. And none of them a match for the Listener. I hope she will not be disappointed.
As if by the will of Sithis himself, Morgan appeared in one corner of the tavern with the other vampire besides her. Cicero held a smile as the Listener gave him a small nod and smile, and he felt his heart soar. He knew what that meant. It was finally time for him to use his blades one more.
"Good people, may I have your attention!" Cicero cackled, jumping onto a table in a quick forward flip, landing perfectly on his feet on the rough wooden surface.
The patrons all stopped drinking, and Cicero grinned. He looked briefly to his right and saw the pretty tavern bard being enveloped in the Listener's sweet embrace before she vanished in the dark room nearby. Serana stood there, her hands charged with ice, and Cicero grinned at her before unsheathing his daggers.
"Cicero thanks you for your time…now it's time to join the Void!"
Morgan smiled as she lay Karita onto the bed, and moved a strand of hair from her forehead. She had taken enough blood to send the young woman into a sleep, but not enough to endanger her life. She had also been careful not to administer her own blood into her bloodstream.
Time to get rid of the filth in this town.
She charged back out and chuckled when she spotted Cicero leaping over a battleaxe swing and slicing the attacker's throat open in one swift movement.
He is much quicker than I gave him credit for.
Serana had dropped a man to the ground, a bloody wound on his throat. Morgan smiled at her and unsheathed her daggers before leaping into the fray. She smelt blood everywhere, and the intoxicating aroma sent her into a frenzy. The first soldier died before he even saw her coming, his head rolling off his shoulders as Morgan slashed sideways with one of her daggers.
Another soldier roared and leapt at her, and Morgan growled as his steel blade grazed her shoulder. She darted forwards when his next swing missed her head, and she grasped him by the throat before bringing him close to her, her other hand holding his sword hand in a crushing grip, hard enough to break all the digits.
"This is my favourite armour," she hissed, her fangs extending.
"Dragonborn…" the soldier muttered.
She cut off any words that followed by biting him hard on the side of his throat, blood gushing from the wound as she fed aggressively. She snapped his neck and threw his corpse into another soldier, and smiled wickedly as Alva and her fellows appeared through the door.
The fighting lasted only seconds after the arrival of the others, and Morgan took a few moments to think.
Only the barracks and the longhouse left. I think Alva must have cleared the barracks though, so it's just the Jarl left.
"Listener," Alva purred as she came closer, wiping a trail of blood from a corner of her mouth.
"Alva. Good work. What news of the barracks?"
"We took all but one of them back to the Sanctuary. He tried to fight back and…well, he died from the subsequent wounds."
"So that means only two killed outside this tavern. Good work indeed," Morgan said approvingly.
"Do you need us for anything else, Listener?"
"No. Make sure the 'volunteers' are secure. And make sure none of them are drained dry. You will need them alive for as long as possible, so plan accordingly. Tend to the wounded and then start tending to the weapons that we acquired…"
"What makes you think we will wait for you?"
Morgan turned to the vampire who had asked this question and she smirked at him as Serana started shaking her head.
"What makes you think I will let you do such a thing?" Morgan countered.
The vampire hissed and threw himself at her…and was stopped in midair as Morgan held her hand out, a red hue appearing from the palm of her hand. Alva gasped as the vampire squirmed in midair, being held aloft by the Listener, and she knew why she had been chosen as the leader. She saw no sign of mercy in her orange irises, only amusement and disappointment.
"You dare attack me?" Morgan said softly.
The vampire hissed at her and Morgan sighed.
"Die."
The vampire screamed as he began to disintegrate, still held by Morgan's vampiric grip spell. Alva never tore her gaze away from the sight, unable to move.
She whispered that word to him, and he is being torn apart…
Alva turned to meet Serana's gaze, and the Volkihar vampire nodded to her, as if to say she understood her fear. Alva relaxed a little when Serana gave her a small smile, and she looked back just as the renegade vampire…or what was left of him, fell to the ground, a small jawbone amongst a pile of grey ashes.
"Any other disobedience will not be tolerated. Am I clear on this point?"
The vampires all knelt down and Alva followed suit. She only raised her head when the Listener gently gripped her chin with her hand and knelt before her.
"Make sure they never step out of line again, Alva. I know how hard it must be to control the urge to feed, but if they are to remain string, they need to learn self control. And to do that, they need someone to yell at them if needed. Someone to congratulate them when they have done something good…are you that person I need, Alva?"
"Y…yes, Listener. I swear, this will never happen again," Alva whispered.
"Good," Morgan replied, letting go of her chin and gently hauling her to her feet. "Take care of our guests back home, I will see you again shortly. Cicero…"
Cicero walked over and knelt down. Morgan smiled and gently took the Keeper's hands and pulled him upright.
"Well done, my Keeper. The Night Mother will truly be pleased with your efforts tonight."
"Cicero lives to serve."
Morgan beamed at him.
"Go back Home and see to Mother. I have one last thing to take care of."
Cicero bowed and scampered out of the tavern with the vampires, leaving only Morgan, Serana and Solia, who had just entered the tavern.
"Excellent work, Solia," Morgan praised her. "I need you to get our ravens ready. I have no idea where they came from, but its clear that the Night Mother wanted us to use them."
Morgan grinned at the memory of opening the small door that led to what used to be a storeroom of some kind. There was a small shaft of light high above, the rocks easily visible where the stonework had fallen away. But what had really caught her attention were the twelve massive ravens that were perched on an old railing, their red eyes watching her obediently.
Just like Shadowmere.
"Make sure three of them are ready for travel if you would," Morgan finished.
"Of course," Solia agreed.
Morgan nodded to her, and Solia grinned at her before running out of the tavern at speed. The silence of the blood-spattered tavern was broken when Serana started laughing.
"Another woman falling for your charms."
"Says you," Morgan retorted. "I go into a room with you, and they always look at the taller woman with a gorgeous face and arse long before they see me."
Serana walked over and captured Morgan's lips with hers.
"Is it time we see the Jarl for our talk?"
"Yes," Morgan growled, her skin tingling with lust as Serana's fingers caressed her sides gently.
Serana smirked.
You are all mine, my love.
"I cannot fathom where the reinforcements have gone!"
Bulfrek fought the urge to roll his eyes at the Jarl's words and continued to sweep the ground in front of him. He knew why the soldiers weren't here.
The Bear fears the Dragon. He sends his troops away from where she was last sighted and sends them to Falkreath and the outskirts of Whiterun Hold…to keep them away from her until he decides to try and catch her.
"Bulfrek."
He sighed and turned, dipping his head respectfully in the Jarl's direction.
"Yes, My Jarl?"
"Go and find out what that ruckus was in the tavern and then get back here. We have some battle plans to discuss when…"
Jarl Skald's words cut off when the doors of the longhouse slammed open, and a flurry of snowflakes blew into the room, the cold chill of the night air following close behind. Bulfrek shivered as the air hit him and made to walk towards the open doors when something stopped him…the heads of the two guards outside rolling along the floor.
There was silence as the severed head rolled into the long fireplace. The Jarl stood up and placed his hand on the hilt of his axe, his housecarl doing the same.
"Show yourself!" Skald growled.
"Gladly."
Bulfrek shivered again when the cool feminine voice carried through the open doors. He recognised that voice. It had been some time since he had last heard it, but there was no question in his mind who that person was. He backed against the wall as the Dragonborn walked right past him, her vampire companion right behind her. He met the other vampire's gaze briefly and he was sure his blood froze when she smiled at him.
"Madena. You can come out of there. I have no quarrel with you," Morgan said softly, her eyes shifting slightly towards the open doorway on one side of the longhouse.
"Stay in your home, and I will explain everything, Madena. You will not be harmed, I swear it."
Bulfrek watched as the court mage slowly walked out of her workroom, and gave a nervous glance at the Dragonborn. Morgan gave her a small smile and Madena did the same before walking quickly out of the room as fast as she could.
"You as well," Morgan said quietly, her gaze now meeting his.
Bulfrek felt a coldness he had never felt before flow through him when he stared into those orange eyes of the Dragonborn. He saw nothing in her eyes. No malice or anger directed at him. That scared him more than anything. He recalled the first time he had met her, and she had seemed so…alive.
But she had clearly changed, because he saw nothing now but a very dangerous woman.
"Go to the mine to the right and stay there with the rest of the townsfolk," Morgan said softly. "You will be able to return to your duties in a day or two."
Bulfrek didn't need to be told twice. He gave her a small bow before running out of the longhouse, ignoring the Jarl yelling his name as loudly as he had ever heard. He wanted out of that room before the Dragon awoke…
"So…Dragonborn. Pah! I should have known you would join that little bitch's side," Skald spat, flecks of saliva flying from his mouth.
"Do you spit like that when you eat as well?" Morgan retorted with a grin, slowly unsheathing her dragonbone blade and pointing it directly at the Jarl. "I will give you one chance to surrender. If you refuse, you will die at the end of this blade. Your choice."
The Jarl of Dawnstar laughed.
"You think I will relinquish my title to the likes of you? A timid little Breton bitch who has no clue what Skyrim means to the people. I have been the Jarl for decades, and I will not surrender to the likes of YOU."
There was silence for a few minutes.
Then Morgan chuckled.
"I was hoping you would say that. Serana, the housecarl is all yours. Kill him, turn him into your sex pet, I leave it to you."
"You are too kind," Serana purred, her hands shooting a purple energy stream at the two dead bodies outside.
The headless corpses rose to their feet and drew their steel swords before standing beside Serana, their unseeing eyes glowing blue from the vampire's magic.
"Have you no honour?" the housecarl yelled.
"Their souls are gone," Serana shrugged. "There is nothing left inside them anymore."
Serana smiled as the Jarl's housecarl charged at her, leaving Morgan with Skald.
"I will decorate the hall with your head, you bitch."
"I will use your corpse to feed my wolf," Morgan grinned, and she smiled wider when Scar entered the hall, her wicked teeth exposed and bared at the Jarl.
She heard his heartbeat increase, and she spun her blade a few times before settling into an attack stance, her eyes never leaving his.
Skald roared and charged, swinging his axe as hard as he possibly could. Morgan ducked and laughed when the axe became slightly embedded into the wooden floorboards. Skald yelled again, pulled out the axe, and advanced once more, his face red with rage.
"Careful, wouldn't want you to get a heart attack," Morgan smiled, parrying yet another attack with ease.
"I am going to rip out your undead heart!"
Morgan blocked the next attack and her foot connected with the side of his head in a vicious side kick, the impact sending a few teeth flying out of Skald's mouth. She licked her lips at the smell of blood and she took a moment to compose herself.
"You….my teeth! I am GOING TO…ARGH!"
Morgan kicked him again before slashing his side with her blade, the sharp edge easily cutting into the weak clothing he wore. A shower of blood exploded out of the Jarl's side and he staggered against the wall, clutching the wound with his free hand. She looked over and saw Serana straddling the housecarl, his head covered by her long hair while she drained him dry.
"I will never surrender…"
"I know you won't," Morgan sighed. "That is something that so many of the people in Skyrim seem to share…a stupid ideal of trying to get out of everything that is thrown at them and instead of choosing an option where they could live….they choose to die instead."
"Save your breath, vampire," Skald spat, his eyes darting to Serana, who had finished feeding and was now stroking the massive ice wolf's fur, Scar growling softly as she stared at the injured man leaning against the wall.
Morgan held out her hand, and began to pulsate a reddish hue. Skald groaned as he was lifted into the air, his axe falling uselessly to the ground. She smirked and brought him closer to her, his feet still a few inches off the ground.
"You chose this Skald. But don't worry, you will have plenty of time to think about how you failed the people of the Pale…"
Morgan leaned closer, her lips close to his right ear.
"In the Void."
Skald made to scream, but Morgan's fangs found the front of his throat first. She smiled as he began to groan, the sensations of fear and even eroticism overwhelming his senses. The blood flowed faster and faster into her throat as she fed, the Jarl's heartbeat becoming weaker and weaker with every passing second.
Serana came closer and placed a hand on her back, and Morgan retracted her fangs from the man's flesh and smiled at his fluttering eyes, knowing death was seconds away.
"Scar. Feeding time."
Scar bounded forwards and slammed into the levitating Jarl, just as Morgan released her spell. Skald managed one more scream as the wolf tore him apart, the two vampires watching on quietly…
Skald the Elder opened his eyes and he managed to get to his feet before holding his throat.
She bit me….so where is the blood? And that damned mongrel attacked me as well…
He checked himself several times and found no sign of injury. His axe was strapped to his waist, his clothes were unblemished. He started to laugh.
"I am dreaming. I will wake up and.."
"Oh, I am sorry, my dear. But you are not dreaming."
Skald spun around and blinked at the sight before him. A tall dunmer woman stood there, her long grey dress flowing behind her even though there was no wind of any kind. Her eyes were red, but when he looked a little closer, he saw that her eyes also had a black centre.
"Who are you! I demand to know who you are and where I am!"
The woman laughed, a chuckle that caused goose-bumps to erupt across his skin.
"Such manners of mortals," she chuckled. "I am your new mistress, and you are in the Void, Skald the Elder. My beloved daughter sent you to me, and it is here where you will spent the rest of eternity. Does that answer your question, you feeble minded s'wit?"
Skald didn't recognise that last word, but he somehow knew it was offensive in nature. But when he made to draw his axe, he found that it would not budge. He tried several times, without success.
"I own you now," she continued. "You cannot even raise a finger to me, let alone draw that crude weapon. Now then, I believe it is time you became acquainted with the Void…until we meet again, my newest thrall…"
Skald roared but was sent crashing to the ground as an invisible wave of energy struck him down. He stared upwards into the black sky above, not a single star visible. Then the woman's face appeared, her eyes filled with amusement.
"And you may want to cut down on the yelling, especially against myself….my husband does not approve of such things…"
Skald shivered as the blackness began to shift above him before it descended and wrapping itself around him, leaving nothing but blackness.
"Welcome to the Void."
Skald screamed now when he realised where he was…but no-one would be around to hear those screams. And when he heard the woman's laughter pierce his mind, he screamed again.
Then everything went black once more.
"Nice," Serana laughed as Scar licked her bloody mouth a few times, flecks of blood spattering Serana's armour.
"I think she tore into the heart of the issue pretty well," Morgan said with a straight face, ignoring Serana's groan. "Let's get back to the Sanctuary. I have some letters to send out. Oh, and we need to ensure that the townsfolk stay in the mine until everything is sorted."
"There are a few vampires stationed nearby, but Astrid and Nazir are staying within the mine itself….sunlight will not be good for the others as you know," Serana replied.
"Good. Come on, let's get out of here. Come, Scar."
Scar yipped and fell into step beside Morgan, Serana on the other side. The three of them left the longhouse, leaving nothing but the dead Jarl and his housecarl, as well as two piles of grey ash, which began to disintegrate further as a cold, unnatural wind blew into the room, the torches going dark.
And it anyone had been around at the time, they would have heard a man screaming very faintly…