Chapter 13: Scroll Reading

"Stop!" Serana hissed.

Sithia reined in the horse, the carriage rolling to a halt soon after. "What is it?"

"Vampires." Serana carefully sniffed the cool night air. There were at least two, and one of them turned by her father. Hopefully there weren't more of them. Hopefully the entire Dawnguard hadn't become the very things they sought to destroy. It felt strange to care about what happened to vampire hunters, but they needed these ones to babysit their Moth Priest.

Serana jumped down. "Stay with Dexion."

Sithia tried to protest, but Serana ignored her, eyes closed, concentrating on slipping into the shadows. When Dexion gasped, she knew she'd succeeded. Sithia sighed.

Serana crept forwards. Wherever the vampires were, they were out of sight. Hiding, ready to ambush anyone heading for the Dawnguard? She'd have to rely on scent to track them down, as vampiric heartbeats were so much slower than those of mortals.

"Laas Yah Nir." Sithia's whisper was on the edge of Serana's hearing, laced with the power of her Thu'um.

Life… seek… hunt.

Serana almost lost her grip on her invisibility. What was Sithia doing? Serana turned on her heel. Sithia was fast closing the distance between them, footsteps muffled as always. Her eyes met Serana's, and she quirked a mocking eyebrow at her.

For a moment Serana thought she'd slipped up, that anyone could see her. A glance down at herself proved otherwise. Sithia's Shout must let her see anyone invisible, living or undead.

'Wait, can it be called a Shout when it's a Whisper?'

Sithia darted past Serana, heading straight for some thick bushes. She drew her sword. Two female vampires burst out in a cloud of leaves, their own weapons drawn. Yet instead of instantly attacking, they hesitated, nostrils flared.

Sithia didn't hesitate. She slipped past the guard of one of them and cut her down, dark blood glistening on sharp glass.

The other vampire tried to grab Sithia. Serana killed her before she laid a finger on Sithia, an Ice Spike piercing her throat.

Serana's grasp on her invisibility failed for real the moment she cast another spell, and she didn't bother to renew it. Sithia was sheathing her sword, and wouldn't be doing that if her Shout-Whisper-thing had detected anything else.

Serana caught up with Sithia, who was searching the corpses for anything valuable. Serana frowned down at the vampires, noting they were both Nords.

"Volkihars." Serana pointed at their distinctive belts, similar to her own. "My father's underlings." Except neither of them had been turned by her father. The ancient blood was too watered down, they must have been turned by one of his court.

Yet she'd definitely smelled one of her father's fledglings. Serana inhaled deeply. There it was again, faint traces this time. A male elf of some sort, it wasn't clear enough to narrow down precisely what kind of mer. He'd been here, certainly, but had made himself scarce.

Also troubling was the way the two dead vampires had behaved. The hesitation, presumably when they recognised Sithia's scent, then the attempt to capture. That meant her father must want them captured and brought to him alive. That wasn't remotely reassuring. Mercy was not in Harkon's nature; his minions would have killed them far quicker than he would.

"Are you happy now that you've seen some sign of your father's vampires?" Sithia asked.

"No, I'm not. Come on, we'd better get back to Dexion. Someone left him on his own when there's unfriendly vampires around."

Sithia carelessly waved her off. "Don't worry so much, we dealt with them."

"Not quite. I could smell a third had been around."

"If she was anywhere near I'd have been able to see her."

"Him. And I still don't like it."

"Between your nose and my Voice, we'll know if he comes back."

Dexion was nervously clutching his sword when they returned to the carriage. He sheathed it as they climbed up. "Thank you for dealing with those vampires. They were trying to ambush me again, weren't they?"

"Right on the Dawnguard's doorstep? I think it's more likely they were scouts here to watch the resident vampire hunters." Sithia shook the reins and the horse resumed trotting through the valley.

"It still bothers me," Serana muttered to Sithia.

"Laas Yah Nir." Sithia pointedly looked all around, even behind them, and shook her head. "There's only the Dawnguard sentries." She pointed at the palisades up ahead, which were clearly manned. Presumably that meant there was no attacking dragon this time.

"I meant it bothers me that we haven't seen any sign of our vampiric pursuers other than here. And as you pointed out to Dexion, they might be after the Dawnguard, not us. My father wouldn't keep people this incompetent in his court."

"Maybe that means they'll have the sense not to try anything else."

Serana raised an eyebrow. "That's a little optimistic for you. Are you feeling all right?"

"It's just possible that your father will have got the message."

"Message?" Serana folded her arms and gave Sithia a sidelong look. "What message?"

"I suppose I didn't mention it, did I? I sent one of his minions crawling back to him with it."

"This is about those vampires who had Dexion, isn't it. I thought he said you killed them all."

"No, I Shouted one of them out of the fight. A pathetic Bosmer. He saw all his friends were dead and begged for mercy."

"How did you know they were my father's vampires? Did this Bosmer confess?"

"Besides the fact they were trying to take a Moth Priest captive? They called me your pet, and asked me where you were. Said they had to find you before taking me back to Harkon, or he'd surely kill them for it." Sithia snorted. "They should've been more afraid of me, and of Delphine. I have to admit she's good with a sword, about as good as I am with a dagger. She killed at least half of those vampires, and knocked Dexion out, freeing him from his enthralment."

"And what was this message?"

"Something I suppose you might think a little too dramatic: 'Dragons are my prey, and you are nothing compared to them.' "

Serana dropped her head into her hands. "I'm sorry about this. Really, I am, but…" She raised her head and glared at Sithia. "You stupid Dragonborn! My father will want your head for that insult! This will only make him want to hunt you down more."

Sithia stiffened. Her eyes flashed with anger, and Serana braced herself for an outburst. Except it didn't come. The anger in Sithia's eyes faded, and she sheepishly admitted, "…I probably deserved that. You know how your father will react better than I do."

"I'm going to have words with Delphine when we get to Karthspire. For someone whose duty it is to guard and guide you, she's done a terrible job."

"If you want to slap her, be my guest. But to be fair, she did okay with guarding me. Guiding… not so much."

"Guarding you includes protecting you from yourself, not just keeping watch while you sleep!"

"Take it up with Delphine, then."

"Oh, I will."

"Now that's something to look forward to." Sithia sounded far too gleeful.

"Who says I'll do it when you're awake?"

"Spoilsport."

They'd reached the Dawnguard's fortifications. Apart from actually being manned, there were also some more wooden barricades like at Fort Greenwall. The gates were shut this time too. Serana wondered if they kept them closed all the time now, or just after dark.

"Who goes there?" One of the sentries called down, crossbow raised.

"It's me, you idiot," Sithia shouted back. "Remember, the reason you even have that contraption you're pointing at me?"

The sentry sighed and lowered his crossbow. "Dragonborn. All right, we'll let you in. Agmaer, go and tell Isran that Cynthia has returned with the expected guests."

Serana could hear this Agmaer hurry away even as the other sentries came down to open the gate and haul the barricades out of the way. Once the carriage was inside, she heard them dragging the defences back into place.

"That's not my horse." The Dawnguard's stable master stalked over, and he didn't look happy. "I gave you my finest stallion, and you bring back that nag?"

"Blame Isran, he's the one who wouldn't let me refuse one of your precious horses." Sithia pushed the reins into the stable master's hands and turned away. "Come on, Dexion, you have some reading to do."

They left the stable master sputtering impotently behind them, with the carriage and horse under his reluctant care. Serana patted the horse in passing, gently releasing him from enthralment. It was such a relief that he'd survived, as that meant poor Sten had been overloaded, doomed by the weight of Sithia's pack on top of two riders. A carriage with wheels bearing the load must have made all the difference.

As they continued on foot up to the castle, they met a young Nord man jogging down the path. He skidded to a halt and introduced himself as Agmaer, offering to carry their packs. He reminded Serana of an overeager puppy. It was tempting to hand over Sithia's pack just to see him collapse under it, but that would be cruel.

Dexion graciously accepted. It seemed his pride could take help from a young man, but not from an outwardly young woman. Unless it was her vampirism behind his refusal?

Isran stood waiting for them right outside the doors into his castle. It was just Serana's luck that she was downwind of him. She held her breath, and hoped she wouldn't have to speak. She'd rather not subject herself to the stench of werewolf if she could help it.

"Welcome to Fort Dawnguard," Isran said to Dexion, with what passed for civility for him.

"Thank you. I am Dexion Evicus, a Moth Priest of—"

"Isran. I lead the Dawnguard." He turned to Sithia. "I'm impressed you could find a Moth Priest so quickly." Isran grimaced as if it pained him to say the words, each torn begrudgingly from his mouth.

"Are you satisfied that Serana can be trusted now?"

"It could still be a trap." Yet Isran's eyes were maybe a little less suspicious as he glared at Serana.

Perhaps she could earn a little more trust… Serana resigned herself to breathing in dirty dog, and spoke up. "It's not. The vampires you should worry about are those we killed not far from your walls in the valley."

"More scouts? They don't manage to come through the barricades, not since we've strengthened them." Isran looked at Dexion and his face softened slightly. "You'll be safe enough here, old man."

Serana hated to say anything to contradict that, she really did, but… "We didn't find one of them. I could smell that he'd been there, and that he's powerful. He'd be capable of invisibility. I haven't sensed him since we killed his friends, but he might still be around somewhere, staying out of my range."

"And out of mine?" Sithia muttered, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

Isran folded his arms. "I noticed you last time, didn't I, despite you being invisible at the time. No vampire is getting past me."

Serana hesitated. She couldn't ask if there was another werewolf in the Dawnguard to keep watch when Isran wasn't around. Werewolves might scare Dexion as much as vampires for all she knew. "And when you sleep?"

"Sleep is for the weak."

Serana blinked. Well, that explained a lot about Isran.

Isran put his hand on Sithia's shoulder, leaning close to whisper, "Be on your guard at all times. Avoid sleep if you can…"

Sithia shrugged him off. Hopefully she wouldn't take any notice of Isran's advice; Skyrim really didn't need an even grumpier sleep deprived Dragonborn.

"Anyway, we have other ways of guarding Fort Dawnguard against vampires. Come inside and your pet vampire can tell us if your Moth Priest will be safe."

Now that was something, after Isran wouldn't let her inside his precious castle last time. Returning with Dexion must have convinced him that she could be trusted that much.

Isran opened the door and led them inside. Serana hung back, letting Sithia and Dexion go first. She hoped she wouldn't need to say anything else, for the reek of werewolf would be even worse within the enclosed space.

"This is a remarkable fortress," Dexion commented, looking around the entrance hall. "I have colleagues back home who would love to study this place in detail."

From where she stood just inside the door, Serana could see a circular room with an open skylight high above. The floor was mostly stone, except for two semi-circular metal grills over flowing water.

"What are you waiting for?" Isran impatiently beckoned them over to where he stood directly under the skylight.

Serana frowned as she walked forwards. Something wasn't right. It suddenly occurred to her that whatever these vampire deterrents were, they might not be good for her. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she stepped under the skylight. She briefly glimpsed something suspended just under the opening, a glint of metal and glass. There was a flash. Blinding light streamed down. For a moment it was like being under the midday sun. It stung, but didn't really hurt much.

Then the pain hit. Serana doubled over. It was like being in a temple, right next to a shrine. She couldn't see anything but white-hot burning light.

Her knees collapsed under her.

Someone caught her before she hit the hard stone floor. Distantly, Serana heard a familiar heartbeat. Sithia.

She was vaguely aware of being dragged back into the shadows. The burning agony remained, only slowly fading even with the renewed blessing of the night, her senses still deadened.

Something pressed against her lips. The soothing heat of smooth skin, and the pulsing of blood beneath it. Serana's fangs descended. She almost instinctively bit down.

'No!' She needed…

"Feed." Sithia's voice came as if from a great distance. Permission.

Serana latched on. The pain stopped, her senses quickly recovering as she swallowed a mouthful of her Dragonborn's delicious blood. Well, perhaps it wasn't at its most tasty, sharp with suspicion and hot with anger, unsurprisingly directed towards Isran.

She forced herself to stop feeding. This really wasn't the best place for it, especially as she tasted the spice of Sithia's building arousal.

Serana straightened up. Sithia lowered her wrist from Serana's mouth, the golden glow of healing magic briefly enveloping it.

"Thank you," Serana murmured.

"No problem." Sithia's breathing was a little unsteady, her face flushed, and her eyes darkened. Serana winced; it'd be all too easy for a werewolf like Isran to tell that Sithia was lusting after a vampire.

Sithia pulled her gauntlet back on, and strode towards Isran, into that horrible light. Serana stayed where she was. She couldn't do anything else. At least she could see perfectly well now, even what was under the skylight.

"Are you all right?" Dexion asked. He actually looked concerned, bless him, despite his fear of vampires.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." Serana returned her gaze to where Sithia was confronting Isran.

Sithia grabbed Isran's beard to yank his head down to her level, her other hand pointing upwards. "Turn that off right now if you want to keep your beard."

"Let go!"

"Then turn whatever that is off!"

The blinding light abruptly ceased, leaving the chamber lit by the torches flaming on their sconces.

Sithia released Isran's beard. He rubbed his chin and glowered down at her. He looked up sharply when Serana took a hesitant step forwards.

"Stop! It comes on if there's anyone down here who shouldn't be. Wouldn't be much of a vampire trap otherwise. You should be happy, now we know for sure that it'll keep the bloodsuckers out, and your Moth Priest safe."

"Void take you. I should've known you meant to test your defences against vampires on Serana." Sithia gave Serana an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Besides, Isran had a point. At least we know it works." Serana smiled at Isran. It didn't reach her eyes. "That said, a warning would have been nice."

"I warned you just now, didn't I?"

"Not what I meant," Serana muttered.

"How does it work?" Dexion asked.

Isran shook his head. "I don't trust the vampire enough to share that."

"It felt Aedric," Serana stated.

"I suppose Daedric spawn like you would know that," Isran spat. "All I'll say is that it's been made stronger since we learned you're Volkihar vampires. We know how ancient they can be."

"I'm just as ancient as my father. That trap would keep him out of here too."

Isran's eyes narrowed at her admission. Did he suspect what that meant? Serana hoped not. She didn't feel like having a werewolf look down on her even more if he knew what a Daughter of Coldharbour was.

"Good," Sithia said. "I see no reason why Dexion can't read the Scroll now." She turned to him. "Provided you're prepared, of course."

"Oh, most certainly!" Dexion rubbed his hands together. "Let's find out what secrets the Scroll can tell."

Sithia crossed back over to Serana, holding out her hands expectantly. Serana set the pack down and reached into it. She pulled out the Scroll and handed it over to Sithia. While Sithia strode over to Dexion, Serana glanced behind her. The door was still slightly ajar. She opened it wide enough to look outside, listening intently, sniffing again as she did so. Nothing. Wherever that missing vampire was, he shouldn't be able to hear Dexion. She closed the door.

When Serana turned back, she expected to see the Scroll in Dexion's hands. Instead Isran stood between Sithia and Dexion.

"Hold on, we don't want the vampire hearing this. If it's a spy, then the vampires won't even need to get their hands on the Moth Priest and the Scroll."

"Fuck that! I trust her more than any of you. She stays."

"If they put out the sun because of this, it's on your head." Isran reluctantly stepped aside.

"Yeah, whatever." Sithia pushed the Scroll into Dexion's hands. "Let's get this over with, I don't have all night."

Dexion looked slightly taken aback, perhaps by the lack of ceremony. He raised the Scroll, shifting his grip to hold it with one hand. His free hand fiddled with the mechanism holding it closed. He cleared his throat. "Now, if everyone will please stay quiet, I must concentrate."

Dexion pulled the Scroll open. Serana felt the ethereal presence grow stronger as he did. She looked away. It probably didn't count as reading a Scroll just to look at one from this distance, but she wasn't taking any chances with her sanity. She focused instead on Sithia. And bit back a groan, fighting the urge to run to her side and put her hands over Sithia's eyes. Unless Serana wanted to collapse under the Aedric trap again, she'd have to trust that Sithia had the sense to be looking at Dexion rather than the opened Scroll.

For a long moment there was silence, if that was the right word when it was weighted with such expectation that it felt like a roar.

"I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow." Dexion spoke slowly, almost as if every word took great effort to say. "I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow!"

Serana stiffened. That was it. That was the thing she'd somehow known the Scroll contained, the weapon they could use to stop her father. Even he wouldn't be able to withstand the power of a god. She just wished…

Dexion's voice drew Serana away from her bittersweet thoughts. "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.' The voice fades."

Serana frowned. For all that sounded familiar, it wasn't exactly the same as the fragment of the prophecy her father had found. That had explicitly mentioned the Tyranny of the Sun, with no mention of the return of dragons. But then again, this being an Elder Scroll, the very embodiment of mystery, it wouldn't surprise Serana if it were entirely possible for the contents to vary a little. Unless that bit about the Tyranny of the Sun was in the Scroll her mother took?

"The words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here." Dexion's words were even slower, his voice strained. "The secret of the Bow's power, and its location is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other Scrolls."

No doubt her mother's Scroll. Wait, Scrolls? So her father's prophecy really was contained in more than one other Scroll. Serana had wondered.

"Yes, I see them now… One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood. My vision darkens, and I see no more."

Serana looked back at Dexion once she heard the gentle clink of the Scroll closing. He lowered his arms, blinking repeatedly, his cheeks damp. Tears from finally getting his hands on an Elder Scroll, or from the strain of reading it?

"To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two Scrolls," Dexion swayed. He almost fell. Sithia took the Scroll before he dropped it on his sandalled feet, while Isran caught an arm, steadying him.

"I must rest now. The reading has made me weary."

"Come on, old man. You should get some sleep." Isran's words were almost tender. He led Dexion deeper into the castle, keeping a supportive hand on his elbow.

Sithia sighed. "Well, that wasn't quite what we were hoping for." She glared down at the Scroll in her hands.

Serana snorted. "What were you expecting, for the location of the other Scrolls or even the Bow to be revealed?"

The look Sithia gave her was equal parts exasperation and amusement. "It would have been nice."

"It would, wouldn't it. But it's a start. We're not quite as much in the dark as we were, and less so than my father. We also know what we can use to defeat him."

"Auriel's Bow," Sithia stated. "But isn't it almost certainly what he needs to bring about his prophecy too? That secret about the Bow's power…"

"That just means we need to get to the Bow first."

"It would have to be a bow," Sithia grumbled.

Serana frowned. It took her a moment to remember Sithia mentioning something about being a terrible shot only that morning. She opened her mouth to object, as surely it wasn't possible for Sithia to be that bad at archery when she was so gifted at killing?

Sithia spoke first. "Being Auriel's Bow, it's unlikely that you'll be able to use it instead, after what Akatosh's shrine did to you."

"That's precisely why it'll work against my father. Auriel is the elven version of Akatosh, after all, and he's a sun god in that form. We'll be using the power of the sun against my father, if we can find the Bow."

"And to do that we need to find these other Scrolls," Sithia said.

"We do, but Delphine's right. My father isn't quite the threat Alduin is, so finding the Scrolls will have to wait."

"True. That and we have no idea where the Scrolls are anyway, unless you suddenly know where your mother is?" Sithia didn't sound hopeful.

Serana could only shake her head.

"I guess we can be thinking of where to look while taking care of my Dragonborn duties." Sithia glared up at the skylight. "At least that fucking Aedric light trap should mean that Dexion and the Scroll are safe, which gives us time—"

"We're taking the Scroll. I'm not leaving it anywhere near the priest who is all my father needs to read it, no matter how secure this fort is." A nasty thought occurred to Serana, that while a vampire couldn't get past it, maybe a thrall could. Serana beckoned Sithia over, holding the pack open. Sithia didn't argue, dropping the Scroll inside and refastening her pack.

The heavy tramp of Isran's feet returned. His scowl deepened at seeing them standing so close together. "Your Moth Priest is sleeping."

"Good. Well, you must have something to say about what Dexion saw in the Scroll. Do you believe Serana now?"

"I heard a lot of vague nonsense," Isran scoffed. "You could interpret that a hundred different ways. Only thing that stood out for me was Auriel's Bow. That's a powerful weapon, and I sure as Oblivion don't want the vampires to get hold of it. The Moth Priest can stay here for now. As for the vampire, I still don't trust it, so keep it on a leash."

"Thanks," Sithia drawled. "But I'm not into bondage."

Isran's eyes narrowed. "No, but I've seen the way you look at that vampire, among other worse things… My senses are stronger than yours, remember."

What little Serana could see of Sithia's face flushed crimson.

Isran jabbed a finger at Sithia. "I've already checked your eyes. There's no trace of vampiric seduction, and you're definitely not a thrall. But that only makes it worse: you're lusting after a vampire of your own free will."

"That's none of your concern," Sithia snapped.

"It's everyone's concern if the Dragonborn ends up dead. Be on your guard. The vampire is using that attraction to soften you up for the kill, so it can drain you dry! You're already feeding it!"

Serana barely restrained herself from hissing. She hated it. Both what he was saying, and being talked about as if she wasn't there. But it wouldn't do any good for her to try to intervene. Knowing Isran it'd make things worse.

"You're wrong. Make sure Dexion stays safe. It's the other vampires that are the problem here, not Serana."

Isran grimaced. "You're leaving? Shouldn't you rest first? I'm prepared to let you stay overnight this time."

"No. You don't trust Serana, fine, but your lack of trust in me is insulting."

"I don't trust anyone that much."

"It's a wonder you have any allies, Isran." Sithia walked away, throwing the doors open. "Paranoid bastard," she muttered as she strode through them.

Serana paused before following Sithia out. "Isran?"

"What is it, bloodsucker?"

Serana was tempted to insult him in return, but there was no reason to sink to the dog's level. Not a good one, anyway. "Please say our farewells to Dexion."

"Fine. Now get out."

Serana bowed mockingly and hurried after Sithia. She found her waiting on the path, hand held out. For a moment Serana stared blankly.

Sithia raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather not meet any more trolls or frostbite spiders than absolutely necessary."

Serana reached into her pocket for the map and handed it over. "So how do we get to Karthspire?"

Sithia watched the line of blood trace their route. "Through Helgen pass, skirting around Falkreath. Seems you'll get to see the aftermath of a town left in ruins by Alduin." She sighed. "Not somewhere I ever wanted to revisit."

Of course… Sithia had been in Helgen at the time. While Alduin's attack meant that she escaped execution, it couldn't have been fun getting out of there alive. No wonder she was glaring down at her map.

"Should we go towards Whiterun instead?"

"Tempting, but ignoring the map's just asking for trouble, so Helgen it is."

They left on foot, as the stable master refused to let another horse be lost after what happened to the last one. Sithia didn't argue, no doubt out of guilt, and wouldn't steal Dexion's carriage.

"How about hiring a carriage from Riften?" Serana suggested.

"If we were meant to take it easy, the route on my map would have gone to Riften's stables." Sithia handed her map to Serana. She unfolded it to see for herself. It clearly skirted around Riften's walls, joining the road coming out of the west gate towards Helgen.

"So much for that," Serana grumbled.

"A little walking won't kill us, and it's cheaper. Come on, I want to get closer to Lake Honrich before we stop for the night."

They walked on as the moons climbed higher in the sky, and on as they began to sink towards the horizon. When Sithia began to stumble, Serana stepped in front of her and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Karthspire isn't going anywhere. You need to sleep."

Sithia tried to glare, which wasn't terribly effective when her eyes struggled to stay open.

"Sleep," Serana repeated firmly.

"Oh, all right."

They made camp by the side of the road. Sithia crawled into her tent and collapsed into an exhausted sleep. Serana kept watch. She still didn't feel any need to sleep after her little nap in Dimhollow, and once she did it would be during the day.

Once Sithia woke up the next morning, she had a quick wash in a nearby stream, and did a little light reading while breaking her fast. Perhaps she should have waited until later, as reading Ulfric and Delphine's dossiers put her off her food. She forced down a few more bites before giving up and stuffing half of the small loaf of bread she'd been eating back into her pack.

"Delphine's impressed me," Serana commented once Sithia set the dossiers aside, finished.

"Yes. It doesn't make me like her, but I have to respect her skills. It doesn't surprise me, though." Sithia tapped the leather cover of Delphine's dossier. "I've seen her in action. Evading the Thalmor and killing the squads after her is definitely something she's capable of."

"I thought I'd leave it up to you to decide what to do with them. It did occur to me that Ulfric's might be useful when it comes to clearing your Eastmarch bounty."

Sithia mulled it over, frowning slightly. "I'll give Delphine's to her when we meet up with the Blades. She might appreciate it." She returned it to her pack, drumming her fingers on Ulfric's as she gave it more thought. "I don't know. It's worth keeping Ulfric's. Like you say, if we ever need to go into Windhelm, it could come in very handy for blackmailing my way into a pardon. But I also hate the idea of using it against someone else tortured by Elenwen."

"I don't like it either. Perhaps only use it if we absolutely have to?"

"Yeah. Come on, we'd better get moving. Sitting around won't get us any closer to where we need to be."

After a long day's walk winding across the Rift, they made camp beside Lake Honrich. Sithia emptied a potion onto the campfire just before lighting it.

"What's that for?"

"To keep away any other bloodsuckers. You're rather better company than mosquitoes or midges would be."

Serana huffed. Her Dragonborn could be so charming. "Thanks, I think."

In the morning, they were about to set off when Serana hissed, raising her hood to block the glaring rays of the rising sun.

Sithia laid a hand on her arm, frowning up at her in concern. "Are you all right to travel in sunlight? It's been over a day since you last had any blood, and you didn't get much at Fort Dawnguard."

"If you're about to invite me to feed, don't. Much as I'd love to, it's not safe. You're too distracting."

"Feeding directly from me, maybe. It's definitely too distracting for me, no argument there." Sithia hadn't yet pulled her cowl up, so for once Serana could fully appreciate her blush. "But that's not what I had in mind. Distraction wasn't a problem in Solitude."

Serana thought back. Of course… After ridding herself of the Scroll's aura, Sithia had revived her from the consequences of touching Akatosh's shrine by feeding her. But not directly, instead cutting herself and letting the blood drip into Serana's mouth.

"Oh. That could work." Serana would just have to resist the temptation to latch on, unless she wanted her blood to boil, or whatever the dire consequences were for breaking a blood oath.

Sithia removed her right gauntlet and drew her dagger.

Serana knelt and took Sithia's hand in hers. "Easier this way. It's best if you're not reaching up."

"True." Sithia turned her wrist so that it was just above Serana's lips. One quick cut later and Serana caught the resulting trickle of blood in her mouth.

Delicious. Sweet, hot, and—

Wait. Bitter? That was regret.

Serana staunched the flow of blood with her fingertips. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Regret isn't what I ever want to be tasting from you. We don't have to do this."

Sithia blushed again. "I just wish it was safe to…"

Serana smiled. "So do I." She resumed her meal, and finished in three mouthfuls, staunching the wound again. The sunlight still stung, but it wasn't as bad now. "Done."

"Already? I'm sure you had more in Shor's Stone."

"That's because I got a bit carried away that time. Besides, I don't need much. Not from you, your blood really is something else."

Sithia healed herself, a flicker of golden light dancing from her right hand to her wrist. She turned her hand in Serana's grip, checking where the cut had been. Why she bothered Serana wasn't sure, as Sithia could heal minor injuries like that in her sleep.

"You missed a bit." Sithia pointed at the blood where the wound had been.

"That counts as feeding directly as far as my oath is concerned."

"Oh. Well, go ahead."

Serana gently pulled Sithia's wrist to her mouth, and did her best to tease Sithia with her tongue's caress. Pity it was just her wrist, as it wouldn't be as effective there compared to… other places.

Sithia's breath still caught, and the flush on her cheeks deepened. "That tickles. And I'm sure there's no blood left. Come on, get up."

Serana reluctantly released Sithia, rose to her feet and dusted her knees off. "Thank you."

"Got to take care of my vampire." Sithia pulled her gauntlet on and her cowl up. "Right. Time we weren't here. Helgen awaits."

AN: I do try to avoid or adapt exact dialogue from in game when I can, but it's tricky with something like Dexion's reading of the Elder Scroll.

Coming up next: Harkon objects about as violently as you'd expect to Sithia's message.