Lucinda awoke slowly. She blinked. A grubby room could be seen. She blinked again as her eyes opened. She scanned the room with her red eyes. She felt tired, her body ached from being bound. Her usually neat hair was tousled and messy. She blinked once more and took in her surroundings. She was incarcerated in a tiny cell. It was a mere 10x10 square with a small bucket and a bed roll. Cold steel bars trapped her from leaving. The door was secured by a padlock. She got to her feet slowly.

Lucinda dug into her boot and pulled out a lockpick. She slid it into the padlock and began to pick the lock. She was careful, it was the only lockpick she had. If she broke it, she was trapped. Sure enough, there was a clink. The lockpick broke.

"Oh no!" she cried. She pulled the lockpick out the lock and tried to pick it with the bits left. But it was hopeless.

She grabbed the bars and in a fit of rage she shook them violently. Her superhuman abilities grew with her rage. She shook the bars as hard as she could.

"Let me out!" she yelled. "Do you hear me, you disgusting, foul smelling, half-breed dogs. LET ME OUT!"

She shook the bars as hard as she could. The bars began to uproot from the floor. The padlock rattled violently. Suddenly, she was blasted with chain lightening. The shock threw her on her back. She lay on the floor, her hair strewn over her face. She looked up to see who shocked her.

"Ah," said a voice. "You are awake at last."

A man with straggly black hair and a gaunt expression looked down at her.

"Lucinda Volkihar," he continued. "It's good to meet you at last."

"How do you know my name?" asked Lucinda.

"I know more than just your name my dear," he replied in his gravelly voice. "I know that you are a very special young woman."

"Is that so?" sneered Lucinda.

"Indeed," replied the voice. "Someone like you has never existed before. You are very special indeed."

"What do you filthy creatures want with me?" asked Lucinda turning up her nose.

"Oh you will find out," said the voice. "At the next full moon."

Lucinda gasped as he laughed wickedly.

She stood up and had a crazy idea. She backed herself against the far wall.

"I don't think so," she said.

She ran at full speed and shouldered the bars. The bars shook but remained in position. She was then shocked once again by a powerful lightning rune. The electricity coursed through her body she slammed onto the floor. Her captor laughed again once more.

"Vampires," he laughed. "Do you really think it was going to be that easy?"

Lucinda threw him a dirty look. She then spat at him.

"My father will find me," she said angrily. "And when he does. He and my mother will turn you all into rugs and mount your heads on the wall."

Her captor laughed once more.

"They have to find you first," he taunted. "You should make yourself comfortable, you're going to be here for quite a while."

Lucinda reached out and tried to grab him. He stepped back laughing inanely. He shook his head as she fired spells at him, but they simple bounced off the ward he had created around her cell. He shook his head and turned to walk away. Lucinda gave up and threw herself on the grubby floor. She folded her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her lap.

Valeria lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. An large, untouched goblet of blood potion sat on her bedside table. She ignored it. This sat next to another untouched goblet of blood potion, also being ignored. There was a knock on the door.

"Enter," said Valeria.

The door handle turned and the door opened. Serana entered the room carrying a goblet of blood potion. She carried it across the room and placed it next to the others that were still full and being ignored.

Valeria didn't look at her mother. She remained staring at the canopy above her bed. Serana sat on the edge of her bed and watched for a moment.

"Valeria," she said soothingly. "You cannot go hungry. You must eat."

"I'm not hungry," she replied simply. She rolled onto her side, her back facing her mother.

Serana watched Valeria in silence for a moment.

"It's not your fault," she said.

"If I hadn't missed," said Valeria quietly. "She would have never been kidnapped."

"Don't think like that," said Serana soothingly.

"It's true mother," replied Valeria. "I was too slow. If I was quicker, she would still be here."

They were silent again. Serana patted her daughters back and got up. She left the room and closed the door behind her. Valeria didn't move and remained locked in her stupor.

Serana entered the Great Hall. Stefan had just arrived and he was folding his wings back into his armour.

"Did you find them?" asked Serana concerned.

He shook his head.

"No," he said.

Serana turned away and sat on an armchair in the reading room. Stefan joined her and sat next to her.

"We are going to find her," he said. "They won't have gone far."

"How can you be sure?" asked Serana.

"It would take them three days to reach any border from here," replied Stefan. "I've got scouts posted at all the borders around Skyrim. If they leave, we will know."

Serana buried her head into Stefan's shoulders. She cried silently. Stefan stroked her hair and kissed it gently.

"How is Valeria?" he asked.

"Still not eating," replied Serana.

"Let me go talk to her," he said.

She released him.

"I don't think it will make much difference," she said. "She's really upset."

"I can be very persuasive," said Stefan.

Serana gave him a watery smile.

"Don't worry Serana," he said stroking her hair softly. "Please?"

She nodded. He wiped her eyes and she hugged him again.