Chapter 5, Part I: In The Shadow of Death
A/N: Hello again! Since I've made quite a bit of progress in writing this story, I've decided to post the first part of Chapter 5 a week early as a treat for my readers. As always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed.
With Dexion rescued from the Volkihar vampires, it was time yet again for another trip across Skyrim to return to Fort Dawnguard. Vafiél suggested they use the same route to return that they used to travel to Dragon Bridge, and Serana had agreed.
Now the moons waxed full above them as they journeyed under the shadow of High Hrothgar. Vafiél looked over at his travelling companion and smiled to himself. He'd all but forgotten what it was like to have a friend, someone to accompany him on his travels, someone to share things with.
He'd been wary of Serana's company at first, as anyone would. Trust did not come easily to him as of late. And yet, despite her own misgivings, her vampirism, and their turbulent pasts, Vafiél could admit he'd grown fond of her.
Serana glanced at him with a curious glint in her amber eyes. "Tell me about that scar," she requested.
Vafiél looked ahead, laughing quietly. "It's not as grand a story as you might think," he warned her.
"I want to hear it," she insisted.
"Alright, alright." Vafiél took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I didn't know I was Dovahkiin until the dragons started returning, but I had studied the Dragon Language for some time, and I knew a little. One day, I was travelling home to my tower, and a dragon attacked me. I managed to kill it and absorb its soul, but I didn't notice much of a difference." A small laugh escaped him. "Well… When I got home, I was practicing the Dragon Language, and accidentally Shouted, knocking over the tall wardrobe in my room. That's how I got the scar."
Serana squinted at him and bit her lip, trying to stifle her giggles.
"Don't laugh," he told her accusingly, but that only made her laugh more. Vafiél tilted his head skyward. He couldn't help but laugh with her.
"You have to admit," she breathed, "that is pretty funny."
"A little," he relented. An amusing story was a small price to pay for her mirth.
The world had begun to wake when they reached Fort Dawnguard. They found Dexion and Isran inside the main chamber, and Vafiél went over to the priest first.
"Ah, my rescuers!" Dexion remarked when he saw them arrive. "It's good to see you again."
"I'm glad you made it here safely, Dexion," Vafiél said amicably. "I hope my… companions have made you feel welcome."
Dexion smiled half-heartedly. "It's not exactly the hospitality I'm used to, but your commander Isran has seen to my needs well enough. And might I add, this is a remarkable fortress. I have colleagues back home that would love to study this place in detail."
"Ah. You'd best take notes for them," Vafiél suggested.
"Enough talk," Isran interrupted. "Are you ready to read the Elder Scroll?"
"Oh, most certainly!" Dexion agreed. "Let's find out what secrets the scroll can tell."
Serana relinquished her Elder Scroll to Dexion and Vafiél stood by her side while the Moth Priest began to read it.
"Now, if everyone will please be quiet, I must concentrate," Dexion announced. He took a deep breath and drew the contents of the Scroll out. "I… I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow!"
Vafiél stiffened. Auriel's Bow? So it is that prophecy…
"Now a voice whispers, saying, Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise. In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one." Dexion frowned. "The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort, but… Wait. There is more here."
He paused for a moment, then went on: "The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other Scrolls. Yes, I see them now. One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood. My… My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two Scrolls," he finished. "I must rest now. The reading has made me weary." He handed the Scroll back to Serana.
"Come on, old man," said Isran, gruff but warm. "You should get some rest." He guided the priest away to the sleeping quarters.
"Vafiél," said Serana, quietly.
"Are you alright?" he asked, moving over to the wall with her.
"I think I know where we can start looking for one of the other Scrolls," she told him.
"You do? Where?" Vafiél watched her and made sure to keep their conversation soft.
Serana folded her arms. "We need to find my mother, Valerica. She'll definitely know where it is, and if we're lucky, she actually has it herself."
"Do you know where she is?" Vafiél asked.
"The last time I saw her, she said that she'd go somewhere safe… somewhere my father would never search," Serana said thoughtfully. "Other than that, she wouldn't tell me anything. But the way she said it… someplace he'd never search. It was cryptic, yet she called attention to it."
"She must have gone to great lengths to get away from your father," Vafiél murmured.
Serana hummed agreement. "I just can't imagine a single place my father would avoid looking. And he's had all this time, too. Do you have any ideas?"
Vafiél thought on it for some time. When people misplaced things, the lost item always turned out to be in their pocket the whole time. Perhaps…
"What if she found a place in Castle Volkihar?" Vafiél suggested.
Serana's eyes widened. "Wait… That almost makes sense! I used to help my mother tend a garden in the courtyard. All of the ingredients for our potions came from there. She used to say that my father couldn't stand the place. It was too… peaceful."
That seemed in character for Harkon, Vafiél decided. "How will we get inside without alerting the whole court? We certainly can't use the front door."
"True. But I know a way we can get to the courtyard without arousing suspicion," Serana told him with a mischievous smile. "There's an unused inlet on the northern side of the island that was used by the previous owners to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel exits there. I think that's our way in. What do you think?"
"Sounds like our only option." Vafiél glanced around the room to check they were still out earshot before adding, "I have something to tell you when we leave the fort. I don't trust anyone here with the information."
"Let's get going, then," Serana said without hesitation.
When they'd made it to one of the shallow caves they used for shelter, Vafiél set their things down and took off his cloak, turning to Serana. "I have the Elder Scroll about dragons," he said plainly.
"What? Where?" Serana asked immediately, staring in surprise.
"Myrwatch, my home. There's a portal that leads to the second floor, inaccessible otherwise. It's where I keep important things. After we've found Valerica, we'll need to stop there to retrieve the Scroll."
"I'm glad we won't be on an endless hunt for it. I was worried it would take months to track the other Scrolls down," Serana admitted. "Where was it?"
"Beneath a Dwemer ruin, in an underground city called Blackreach. A terrible place, one I hope I'll never have to visit again." Vafiél took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "Should we barricade the entrance and rest a while?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Serana said with a smile. "I'll set up in here."
"Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes with some rocks and wood. Be careful. Just call out if you need me," he said softly.
"Don't be long."
They'd left the barricade materials in a nearby hollow, so it didn't take long for Vafiél to find the boulders and rocks. Just as he was preparing to bring them back, he heard a shrill cry and the sounds of a battle.
Serana!
He ran like a whirlwind back to the cave and found two Volkihar vampires engaged in a fight with Serana, who had been backed to the wall. Vafiél lined up the foes and unleashed a beam of lightning that turned them to ash. The moment her attackers fell, Serana slumped to the ground.
He rushed to her side. "Serana, what happened?" Vafiél asked, urgent, but trying to stay calm.
"She got me," Serana rasped, revealing a stab wound in her side.
"You're hurt," he whispered, soft with horror. "Don't worry. I can heal you."
"W-Wait! Restoration spells will hurt me," Serana warned him.
"I know," he assured her. "I'm not using restoration."
"I didn't think… you were into necromancy." She hissed in pain.
"Hush. Just let me help you." Vafiél gently placed a hand over wound and directed his energy into the spell he'd found at Dimhollow. Sure enough, the wound closed over with only a faint scar left behind. He met her gaze. "How do you feel?" Vafiél whispered.
"Better," Serana answered quietly. "Thank you."
Relieved, Vafiél moved away from her and quickly finished setting up the barricade. When it was done, he sat with her again, checking the injury hadn't reopened from his inexperience with the spell. It seemed fine. "Do you feel any light-headedness? Nausea?" he asked.
Serana shook her head. "All clear. A little tired and sore, but otherwise, fine."
"It seems like Harkon has caught wind of our plans," Vafiél said, quiet with foreboding. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Were you close with your mother?" Surely one of her parents had to be decent.
Serana met his gaze wistfully. "Before my father became obsessed with the prophecy, Mother and I spent a lot of time together. She was very fond of her alchemical garden in the courtyard. She taught me quite a bit about cultivating quality reagents," she recalled.
"So you got along?"
"Like the best of friends," Serana said with a smile. "I would never hesitate to share anything with her." The smile crumpled. "But then…"
"Everything changed," Vafiél murmured.
Serana nodded and looked down. "It was very sudden. It was almost like one day, we were a normal family, and then the next, I didn't know who they were. I'd try to visit my mother in the garden but she'd quickly shoo me away, saying she was much too busy."
"It sounds like she was up to something," Vafiél commented.
"Definitely," Serana agreed. "I'm hoping it's a clue that will tell us where she went." She paused. "What about you? What were your parents like?"
Vafiél took a breath, averting his gaze. "I never knew my mother. She died giving birth to my sister when I was only two. As for my father… I have only scraps of memories. He was called to war when I was very young and never came back. Eleana was taken in by the Chantry, and I… I just grew up alone."
"I know how that feels," Serana said softly. "I mean… I know it isn't the same thing, but I was a pretty lonely child, myself."
"I'm glad you're with me," Vafiél told her, quietly. He clasped his hands together in his lap as she rested her head on his arm.
"Me too," Serana whispered.
Serana stirred to unexpected warmth and blinked open her eyes. It took her a moment to realise they'd fallen asleep sitting against the wall, and she was leaning heavily on Vafiél. She straightened up a little and yawned.
"Sleep well?" Vafiél asked quietly.
"Mm. Sorry," she murmured with a guilty laugh. "You must be cold."
"I like the cold," he reminded her. She could hear the smile in his voice.
Serana smoothed down her hair and started putting her things away. "It'll be another long trip to the castle," she sighed. "Good thing we have Midnight and Storm."
"If we don't run into trouble on the way, it'll be a miracle," Vafiél said wryly. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of your father's underlings."
"So do I," she admitted. "I'm… a bit nervous to go back to the castle. Who knows what he'll do if he finds us?"
"I won't let him hurt you," Vafiél promised her.
She smiled at that. As they set off on the road, riding side by side, Serana said, "We'll be able to stop by your tower for the Scroll on the way back from the castle. Do you have any way of hiding it? I don't think a pair of travellers with two Elder Scrolls can go by unnoticed for long."
"I thought the same thing," Vafiél agreed. "It's dangerous enough with you carrying one." He paused to think, in that oddly endearing way he had. "I could hide it under my cloak, if I secure it properly."
"Better than nothing," Serana said with a shrug.
The snows danced around them, wild and frenetic, when they reached the jetty. They'd encountered more of Harkon's court on the way north. Most of them carried orders from Vingalmo and Orthjolf, the senior members of the Volkihar Clan, but as Vafiél and Serana neared the castle, the final duo of vampires they encountered carried orders signed by Harkon himself.
Vafiél picketed the horses on long ropes and promised to return soon. Though Serana didn't shiver with cold like a mortal would, Vafiél could tell she was uncomfortable, so he rowed quickly to the island.
"Left, around the side," she instructed him, taking the lead. Vafiél was content to follow her.
"The castle looks menacing from down here," he remarked quietly. Bonehawks drifted lazily overhead.
"It looked even bigger when I was a young," Serana agreed, soft with reminiscence.
A few skeletons guarded the escape route entrance, which appeared to be the remnants of a dock littered with the corpses of smashed ships.
Within, mould and other unpleasant things cloyed the air, and Vafiél had a feeling he wasn't going to enjoy their journey to the courtyard. To distract himself from his surroundings, he asked, "Did you spend much time down here?"
Serana glanced sideways at him with a small smile. "I like to explore. My parents almost never let me off the island, so yeah, I poked around down here a lot. It was a little… quieter, back then. Guess a little vampire girl was enough to scare off the rats."
Vafiél hummed to himself, amused. "I'd be scared of you, too," he quipped, to which she rolled her eyes, laughing through her nose.
The air began to reek of death as they journeyed into the bowels of the undercroft. They navigated various traps and security measures and tried to find the hidden levers that would open the way through—a result of Harkon's paranoia, as Serana explained—until they came to a room full of human bones and gore in piled heaps. It reeked so intensely, Vafiél had to resist the urge to gag.
He edged forward to find a way through but quickly jerked back when a trapdoor opened above and more waste fell in, splattering him with blood. He staggered back into the wall, disgusted.
"Hey, are you alright?" Serana asked, trying to catch a glimpse of his face.
Vafiél turned his head away from her. "I'll be fine. Let's… Let's just get out of here," he rasped.
She quickly led the way through and pushed the lever so they could advance forward. "This is it," Serana told him when they reached a door. "Right through here."
Relief engulfed him, and Vafiél followed her through the door, out into the courtyard.
"We made it, finally. Oh, no…" Serana looked around in dismay at the ruined courtyard. Almost all of the plants were dead, and someone had been on a rampage here, spreading destruction in their wake. "It's like we're the first to set foot here in centuries. What happened to this place?"
Saddened by the scene, Vafiél followed her to a ruined doorway. It looked like it had been crushed on purpose to keep anyone from passing through.
"This used to lead to the castle's great hall," Serana told him quietly. "Looks like my father had it sealed up. I used to walk through here after evening meals. It was… beautiful, once." Shaking her head, she went over to a clump of twisted foliage fenced off from the rest of the courtyard. Serana grazed a dead flower with her fingertips. "This used to be my mother's garden. It… Do you know how beautiful something can be when it's tended by a master for hundreds of years?"
"Of course I do," Vafiél reminded her, softly.
Serana met his gaze apologetically. "You understand. She would've hated to see it like this."
Vafiél glanced over at the courtyard's centrepiece, a strange sundial. He frowned. Not a sundial, a moondial. How curious.
Serana followed his gaze. "Something's wrong with the moondial," she commented, standing at his side with her hands on her hips. "Some of the crests are missing and the dial is askew. I didn't even know the crests could be removed. Maybe my mother's trying to tell us something."
"Why a moondial?" Vafiél asked.
"The previous owners of the castle had a sundial in the courtyard, and obviously that didn't appeal to my mother," Serana explained with a wry smile. "She persuaded an elven artisan to make some improvements. The plates should show the phases of the moons. It's like… a piece of art, I guess."
He looked around. The place was a wreck, but he could imagine it must have been lovely before. It gave him a sense of homesickness he hadn't expected. "What happened here?" he asked quietly.
"If I had to guess, I'd say the moment mother fled the castle, father went on a rampage. Knowing him, anything at all that reminded him of her was just destroyed," Serana murmured. "Maybe if he'd spent more time with us, he would have recognised the beauty for himself."
"It seems like he and Isran do have something in common," Vafiél remarked bitterly.
"What do you mean?"
"They are both hateful people." Vafiél sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Let's find the missing crests."
They proved easy to find, since they glowed in the moonlight. Once they'd been placed in their correct positions, the moondial spun around into position, and a series of steps revealed themselves, dropping into place in a spiral. A secret passageway, it seemed.
"Very clever, Mother, very clever," Serana said to herself. "I bet those tunnels run right under the courtyard and into the ruins of that old tower. Be careful. I've never been down there."
"Looks like we're on her trail now," Vafiél told her. "I hope we find Valerica soon."
The tunnels below were pleasantly free from the stench, though significantly more dusty. Vafiél lagged behind with a muted sneeze when they first entered.
"Keep up," Serana muttered, giggling at him.
"Sorry," Vafiél rasped.
The ruins were crumbling in places, littered with unused dining rooms and caved-in bedrooms. Vafiél imagined the castle would've been a place of nobility and majesty for its previous owners, whoever they'd been. He would've liked to see it.
"She must be hiding something important if she went to all these lengths to conceal it," Vafiél commented, after they'd cleared a room full of gargoyles.
"Oh, definitely. I can't help but wonder what we'll find," Serana agreed. She frowned as he crouched beside a gargoyle. "What are you up to?"
Vafiél showed her his journal. "I want to add them to my compendium," he explained. "Do you mind if I take a few minutes?"
"Be my guest. Can I help?"
He smiled. "Of course." Vafiél showed her how to take measurements, how to perform a necropsy, and how to identify the major organs. They spent much more time than he'd planned on his observations—an hour must have passed by the time they finished—but Serana was elated.
"I can see why you like doing this," she told him as they cleaned their hands. "How did you learn the process?"
"I studied with a physician for most of my younger life," Vafiél explained. "I had a knack for anatomical studies, so he took me in and taught me everything I know. His name was Aerindor. When he died, he gave me his laboratory and equipment as an inheritance. I took everything with me to the Chantry, but I had to leave most things there except what I could carry when I left."
Serana gave him a look of surprise. "Why didn't you ever go back?"
"I wanted to," Vafiél told her regretfully, "but there's no way to the Vale now. It's all been sealed off by the Betrayed or natural disasters, like the earthquake that destroyed Winterhold."
"Earthquake?" Serana frowned at the unfamiliar word.
"Ah. I forgot everyone blamed it on superstition," Vafiél sighed. "It wasn't the College's fault. Haven't you noticed the seismic activity that runs from Eastmarch to Winterhold? There's a reason for that pattern."
He went on to explain the shifting of Nirn's lower layers and how that created strange events like earthquakes. Serana didn't seem to believe him at first, but when he drew a diagram, she began to comprehend the foreign concepts.
"When this is all over," she said, "can you teach me more?"
His chest warmed. "It may be a long time before fate allows me that freedom," Vafiél murmured, "but I will. I promise."
Serana smiled and looked away. "This can't be a dead-end. There must be a way forward. Let's find it."
Vafiél came upon a false fireplace and skimmed his hands over every surface, looking for a button or lever. He knocked one of the candlesticks mounted to the wall. The fireplace sank away into the ground, revealing a passageway.
"This has to be it," Serana told him.
Through the door, they emerged into a large room. The shelves were stacked with alchemical ingredients. In an alcove to their right were bookshelves, and to their left, a balcony. What drew Vafiél's attention, though, was the strange floor design in the middle of the room. Rows of concentric circles, almost like an inactive portal.
"There has to be something that tells us where she's gone," Serana said, her voice echoing strangely on the walls. "My mother was meticulous about her research. If we can find her notes, there might be some hints in there."
"I'll look around," Vafiél offered. He made for the bookshelves and snooped around in search of a journal.
It didn't take long to find. He opened it and skimmed through. Valerica spoke about her deteriorating relationship with Harkon and her anxieties about the prophecy should it come to fruition. What he didn't understand were her mentions of something called the 'Soul Cairn,' and beings she called the 'Ideal Masters.' According to her notes, she managed to create a portal to the Soul Cairn, and even listed the ingredients.
"Serana," Vafiél said, "I've found her journal."
"Oh, good. Let's see what it says." Serana took it from him and frowned as she read through it.
"What is the Soul Cairn that she mentions?" he asked.
"I only know what she told me. She had a theory about soul gems, that the souls inside them don't just vanish when they're used… They end up in the Soul Cairn. It's home to very powerful beings called Ideal Masters. 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. It seems like she made it there."
"If she did," Vafiél murmured, "we'll find her."
"The recipe to open the portal is here. We'll need a handful of soul gem shards, a cup of finely-ground bone meal, half a cup of purified void salts… Oh… Damn it…"
Vafiél watched her with curious concern. "What is it?"
"We're also going to need a sample of her blood, which if we could get, we wouldn't need to be doing this in the first place," Serana said resignedly.
Vafiél tilted his head. "You share her blood," he pointed out.
Serana smiled, brows raised. "Not bad. We'd better hope that's good enough. Anyway, let's find those ingredients and put them in the silver vessel on the balcony, first."
Valerica's laboratory contained a multitude of ingredients, so it took them a few minutes to track down the ones in the recipe. When all of them were in the silver vessel, Serana glanced at Vafiél with vague apprehension.
"The rest is up to me," she muttered. "Are you ready to go? I'm not entirely sure what this thing is going to do when I add my blood."
"Can I ask you something first?" Vafiél requested.
"Of course. What is it?"
"What will you do if we find your mother?" he asked, gently.
Serana looked away, appearing conflicted. "I've been asking myself the same thing since we came back to the castle. She was so sure of what we did to my father, I couldn't help but go along with her. I never thought of the cost."
Vafiél hummed shortly and thought for a moment. "Whatever happens, I'll be here," he murmured, hoping to comfort her a little. "We won't know until we find her."
"Yes… Yes. You're right. Thank you," she whispered. "Ready to go?"
Vafiél nodded.
"Alright. Here goes." Serana bit the back of her arm and let the blood drip into the vessel. It sizzled erratically and the portal glowed ethereal purple, just like the flames had in Dimhollow. The rings broke apart and assembled in front of the balcony as steps leading down into the writhing spectral void.
"By the blood of my ancestors... She actually did it... created a portal to the Soul Cairn. Incredible," Serana breathed. She met Vafiél's gaze. "I'm ready when you are."
Vafiél took a breath and started down the steps, only to find the air sucked out of his lungs and a sharp pain in his chest. He hurried back up to the balcony, knees weak and shaking.
"Vafiél," Serana said, concern tinging her voice. She held his arm and pushed his hood back. "Are you alright? That looked painful."
"It was," Vafiél rasped, pushing out the words with effort. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry. I should've expected this," she admitted, releasing her hold on him. "The Soul Cairn is... well, hungry, for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment."
"What do we do? Can I even enter?" he asked, concerned.
"There is a way, but I don't think you're going to like it," Serana said hesitantly. "Vampires aren't counted among the living. I could probably go through there without a problem."
Dismay flooded him. "Is that my only option?"
"Maybe we could just 'pay the toll' another way. It wants a soul, so we give it a soul. Yours."
His eyes widened. "Wouldn't that kill me?"
Serana smiled wryly. "My mother taught me a trick or two. I could partially soul trap you, and offer that gem to the Ideal Masters. It might be enough to satisfy them. It would make you a bit weaker when we travel through the Soul Cairn, but we might be able to fix that once we're inside. Maybe."
His expression must have been dire, because she sighed and folded her arms. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew a better way, something that would be easier for you. Just know that... whatever path you choose, I won't think any less of you. Sometimes things just have to be done. I know that better than anybody."
Vafiél grimaced and looked away. Lose part of his soul temporarily, or become the creature he'd sworn to destroy. He chose the lesser evil.
Turning to Serana, he said, "Soul trap me."
She gave him a pitying look. "Are you sure? I know this is difficult for you. I hope you trust me. I'd never do anything that could hurt you."
"I trust you completely," Vafiél assured her, quietly.
Her smile was sad. "Thank you. I promise to try and make this as painless as possible. Hold still, okay?"
Vafiél braced himself and let his guard down so Serana could cast the spell on him. He felt a sharp tear in his chest and saw the soul gem in her hand glow brightly, as if the fraction of his essence was almost too much to contain. He gingerly touched his chest, acutely aware of the loss.
Serana held the soul gem out over the portal and it vanished inside as a stream of energy. "That's it," she told him. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," he muttered. "Let's go." He led the way down the steps and through the portal, feeling quite like he was walking into Oblivion.