CHASING ECHOES

Damn. Damn it all. I wasn't expecting my day to go like this. But here we are. I kick Vorstag off me and command my followers, "Don't hurt him! He's a friend!"

Cicero stalks the perimeter of the room and Serana has her fangs bared. Vorstag snarls. His fangs longer and leaner than my own. His eyes are bright gold now. I swallow. He must be a fledgling…but how?

All the memories come flooding back. When I first met him in that dark cave. How he helped me through my own changes and saw me back to Riften safely. How he wanted to save his brother, and he did, even though it was indirectly. Right now, as I watch his face all I remember is the disappointment then the surprise when I plunged the Ebony Blade through his stomach. That's why I don't unsheathe it for this instance.

"Vortsag. It's me. Eve." I try to get through to him. I slowly approach him, just as gentle and kind as he was with me when I first woke up. He snarls again.

"Please, you must be thirsty." Yet, as I say that I take in the barrels full of blood and the still bleeding dead human on the table. If this was about blood, then he would have had an easy fix. "I'm sorry about what happened." I whisper, but he can hear. His eyes fixate on mine. I resist recoiling at the growing hatred enflaming them.

"The Night Mother made me kill you. She forced me. But I have control now. She won't make me do that again." I state clearly.

Don't make promises you can't keep. She reminds me.

"If Mother wanted him dead, then he should be!" Cicero yells then he charges. I nearly watch helplessly as Cicero and Vorstag tangle. Serana looks like she's about to join the fray when I wave at her. "No." I command. This won't be pretty.

One step forward and my humanoid skin fades away. Leaving only the beast. In this powerful form I'm able to hover over the brawling vampire and jester and yank Cicero back by the arm. He squeals when he's vaulted across the room. Vorstag snarls and goes to tackle me but I am much, much stronger. I shove him down and nearly pummel his face in when I see another beast in the corner of the room.

Molag Bal. He grins from his crouched perch on one of the tables. "My Champion and the Blood Flower. Breathtaking." He laughs. Even in this form I can still feel the now too small ring on my ring finger.

Vorstag trips me up. He kicks and pushes my face into the ground. My wings are flapping wildly but I regain control and shift back. She's waiting for me on the other side.

Kill him. She commands.

Lighting races up and down my body, but I pull back, trying to keep it from turning him into ash. She forces my hand. The lighting shoots out again but it doesn't stop Vorstag, he just keeps attacking. Fangs, fingernails, and fists. He's not coordinated at all. Just a wild animal.

Something had to happen. Or one of us would be dead eventually. I take another hit and try to reign in my power. One more hit and I might be knocked out. So, I do as I did in the marsh. I curl up into a ball and concentrate. Nocturnal is here. Sheogorath is here. They're taking me away and she's gone…

The power fades, Vorstag slams another punch into my face before sinking his fangs into my shoulder. Someone snaps their fingers, and the fangs are removed. I try to catch my breath before reluctantly opening my eyes. Vorstag is looking down on me but he doesn't look hungry anymore. Cicero is at my back rubbing my wounded shoulder.

"Mother wants him dead." He hisses in my ear.

"She doesn't. Not anymore." I growl. Then sit up. Molag Bal is gone, the only sign he was here comes from the scratch marks left in the wood from his talons.

The Night Mother won't say anything, and I won't let her. I stand on a shaky leg. "Serana, Cicero, this is my friend Vorstag."

Vorstag jolts like someone stabbed him through the heart. Then he gives me a look of pure terror and recognition. "Eve!" He yells before folding into my arms. I move back a foot with the impact. I take in his scent, it's colder and has the taste of decay mixed in. But it's him alright.

"What happened?" I whisper.

"I don't know. I was with you, in that horrible house, then I died and was floating. I saw you leave the house and then he claimed me." His voice breaks and I know the one who did this to him.

"Did he hurt you?" I pull back to watch his expression.

He pulls himself together. "Yes. It hurt so bad Eve. He forced the change even with the magic." He taps his tattoo. The one thing that kept him from being killed or changed by a vampire, put there by his family after his brother died.

"Molag Bal changed you?" Serana hesitantly steps forwards. Apparently, none of them saw him watching the brawl minutes ago. I study Vorstag again, Nocturnal told me Molag Bal didn't have his soul. Was that a lie?

"Yes." Vorstag pulls away to see my companions. "Yes, the Daedric Prince. He told me he wanted a Champion. I was…floating for some time before arriving in some strange land. Strange woods and mountains. No light. It wasn't Skyrim but it wasn't Sovngarde." His eyes twinkle.

Serana whispers, "Coldharbour…"

The new vampire nods, "I believe so." I hear the pain in his voice still.

I get the conclusion he's coming to. "Vorstag, you're one of the best Nords I've ever met." I lay a calming hand on his shoulder. "You weren't meant for Oblivion…there has to be a reason. I thought your soul would be unleashed. Nocturnal told me as much."

"He must not have told her then. He likes to keep secrets. And you're right, there is a reason." His harsh reply is directed at me. "Molag Bal first held me as a prisoner, kept me from going on to Sovngarde, but then he wanted a Champion. He kept me immobile for a long time." His voice cracks, "A week ago he said I was returning to Skyrim because none of them can find you…" He trails off but I can't hear him anymore.

Me and Cicero collapse to the ground at the same time. Dead to the world.

The gardens are charred once again. I will say, for how small Serana's mom's garden was, it did have some charm. Mine, holds none. The flowers are decaying, the plants rotted, and the monster from nightmares is crowding the way. The Night Mother stares down both me and Cicero.

"Children." She speaks, her mouth moves slowly but we can still understand.

"Mother!" Cries Cicero and he bows immediately. I stay standing, glaring daggers at her. I know just where this is going.

"The Daedric Princes…wish us harm." Her voice is louder. Sounds like sandpaper.

"We get it." I snarl. "Get us back there. We have a contract to kill."

"Don't interrupt Mother!" Cicero slashes at my ankle with his dagger. I grit my teeth but resist the urge to fall.

"The Daedric Princes wish us harm." She says again. Her form is now wobbling in the nonexistent breeze. If I were to guess, her bones are completely rotted out and hollow based on how fragile her appearance is. How deceiving looks can be. "They're sending people to kill us. To stop our mission. You both need to eradicate them…"

Nothing more needs to be said. I wished to protest but she knew how I could possibly sway Cicero. Instead, I open my eyes to the dungeon. Serana and Vorstag are looking over us with worried expressions. I leap up, ready to defend my long-lost friend.

Cicero had to be behind him, creeping around the room somewhere ready with a dagger. But when I look around the room, I don't find him ready to kill. Instead, he's at my feet, still unconscious. Still talking to her. My breathing quickens. This is no accident. Whatever she's saying to him she wants it to be kept from me.

"Vorstag, get out of here." I command.

He doesn't budge and inch. "Molag Bal wanted me to find you. He said you need help, Eve." His gaze is now a different color but still holds that steel I remember.

"No." I shake my head, "The Night Mother wants you dead, she knows they're sending people out to me. I can control myself, but I can't control him." I point to Cicero's unconscious body.

"Well, we can kill him now and not worry about it." Vorstag shrugs.

I have to do a double take with him. Did he really say that? The saintly man who roamed across Skyrim looking to save those in need, wants to kill a defenseless person?

He seems to understand. "Eve, he's tormenting you as much as she does. The way he looks at you gives me chills. I don't think he has good intentions for any of us."

I look back at the jester's form again. He's right. Just one slash of a knife and the mortal and chronically insane man would be gone from this world. He wouldn't be a threat anymore… "No." I say again. "If we kill him…she'll just double down on me. He's keeping her at bay, like a buffer."

Vorstag rubs his chin. "Interesting. Could we bargain with him? We could just leave him."

Bargain? No can do, whatever Mother says is gospel to him. Leave him? He'd only cause more destruction and bring on more suspicion from Harkon. However, we could bind him.

"Grab some rope over there." I point to the corner Molag Bal was in. "Let's get him tied up and carry on. We still have a rogue vampire to find."

No one protested, I'm thankful for that. I can only take on so many arguments right now. She is still quiet, still talking to him. It took another hour to get through the dungeon and up to the laboratory area we were searching for. Serana had no idea what her mother studied, so the three of us scoured the place for her lost journal. When I found it, I asked Serana about the contents of it. Something about a Soul Cairn. Guess my reaction when I found out what that was.

"Say again?" I ask, just one more time. Vorstag had Cicero bound and gagged on the other side of the room. The new vampire was still tense, so he loomed over Cicero. Waiting for him to wake up.

Serana was across from me, combining all the powders and salts together for the portal. "I just know what my mother told me. She had a theory about soul gems. That the souls inside of them don't just vanish when they're used…thy end up in the Soul Cairn."

One person comes to mind when I think of soul gems. "Why would she want to find that out?" I ask her, praying that we don't actually have to go in there. Without the Night Mother I might not be able to take Potema on myself, if she's still there.

"The Soul Cairn is home to very powerful beings. Necromancers send them souls and receive powers of their own in return. My mother spent a lot of time trying to contact them directly, to travel to the Soul Cairn itself."

"So, you believe she's there?" I glance around the room. Only place for a portal would be the circular structure in the center of the floor.

"I think so." Her voice is still grave, but she finishes the concoction in front of her and turns with a smile. "This formula, it should give us safe passage." Her face falls when she checks the journal again. "It says we need a sample of her blood. Which…if we could get that, we wouldn't even be trying to do this in the first place."

I could tell her it's a dead end. But without these scrolls we won't have away of getting to Harkon. "What about your blood? You share hers."

She seems perplexed, "Hmm. Not bad. We'd better hope that's good enough. Mistakes with these kinds of portals can be…gruesome."

Not like something horrible was waiting for us on the other side already. "Let's try it. We've gotten this far." I follow her to the balcony that hovers over the center circle. She diligently adds the concoction of salts and spices to the pedestal near us. "Are you ready to go? I'm not entirely sure what this thing is going to do when I add my blood."

I consider. Who to bring? "Vorstag?" I call to him. He looks up, eyes still blazing with hate for the jester. "Will you be okay here with Cicero? Or should you come with us?" I'm leaving the decision up to him. He knows his strengths. I can trust him not to kill Cicero without my consent. I would feel safter bringing the both of them with me, but if the Soul Cairn is as messy and dangerous as Serana says it is, then that spells bad news for us. And I can only take on so many enemies at once.

"I will be fine, I assure you." He responds then shifts to lean against the wall. "We won't be going anywhere."

I take one last breath of this place. Try to calm myself. "Serana, if this is indeed where the souls of soul gems go. Then, I might be meeting an old enemy or two."

She nods. "Like I said, I'm not sure what we'll find all we can do is go in and see for ourselves. Hopefully, my mother is there, and your enemy isn't."

Good enough. I wave her on and once she cuts herself, the blood mixes with the ingredients, making it fizzle. Once it seems to be crackling, the center of the room explodes in purple flame. I sink to a crouch to keep my balance.

"By the blood of my ancestors…She actually did it…created a portal to the Soul Cairn. Incredible!" Serana's joy was almost infectious. But as I saw the portal open, the purple flames dance higher, my trepidation over this journey grew. In minutes I might be in deep trouble if Potema were to find me.

Perfect timing then when the Night Mother finally returned.