Chapter Twelve

"Any sign of her?" A golden haired nord asked across the chamber to where three other women were looking about.

"No," called back the imperial, "and no sign of whatever came out of that sarcophagus. Aside from all the blood." Dried crimson was splashed across the ground, violently and disturbing in its size. There were other corpses about however, vampires and skeletons and some once living, and it was enough to make them believe the blood didn't belong to their friend. It was enough to make them hope.

Sighing, Mjoll shook her head and brushed her hair back behind her ear. She walked to the imperial, squaring up to Vex with frustration. "We probably would have had a better shot of finding her here if you hadn't gotten us lost along the way."

Vex bristled in response, Lydia and Iona muttering with annoyance as the tenth argument since they'd found the ruins bubbled up between the thief and adventurer. "I wasn't the one with the map, you were," replied Vex with crossed arms.

"You thought it would be a good idea to take the longer route instead of trying to cut through the mountains." Mjoll shoved more blame on the shorter woman.

"Not everyone is built like a goat," retorted Vex.

Mjoll shook her head and stormed off, making her way up the steps of the stone island to cross a bridge leading in the other direction of where they came from. "Come on, obviously we're looking in the wrong place!" The others shared glances and followed along more slowly. They moved past a set of stone graves and gargoyles that looked as if they had awakened only to be slain a moment later. The thought of someone fighting their way out of the crypt gave them all hope that it had been their redguard. Mjoll led the way up a slope of dirt and stone to what a stone feature that they often found outside nordic ruins, and a doorway greeted them.

That opened up to a stone step corridor that twisted its way up to a larger chamber, murky and poorly lit by a few candles and braziers. Lydia spotted a lever at the top of a platform, and quickly started up a dark set of stone steps to it. The other three followed, and turned to see a iron fence, already raised. "Someone left here," Iona said optimistically.

"Just who though?" Vex replied warily, not letting herself get so foolish as to think the redguard was alive without harder proof. That would only hurt worse when she found out the truth.

Lydia spoke up then, "Someone strong enough to kill four draugr on their own." She pointed to where the corpses laid. "That could be Yosa." Small nods were given in agreement.

Their eyes were all open, searching for the redguard and praying they wouldn't find her. If they found her here, she'd surely be dead. They followed the passageway to a large chamber that looked like an arena, stone steps on every side that acted more like seats to a square pit in the center. There were throne like chairs at the last tier of the steps, and a massive fire raging in the center where they could see corpses sprawled out in anguish.

"This is messed up," muttered Iona before they started down. There were skeletons and draugr, all of which were dead, about the place. The evidence of someone leaving was welcome but the nagging thought that it wasn't their redguard was starting to bubble in a few of their minds. They circled the pit and passed a wall that was familiar to the brunet nord.

"A Word Wall," she said, "Yosa'Min can read these."

"That looks like a weird language," said Mjoll as they walked a bit closer to inspect it. The circular wall stood tall and proud, deep gouges like claw marks across its surface but precise. "Is this... the language of the dragons?"

Lydia seemed caught up in memories for a moment before nodding her head. "That it is."

"How does she read it? Just... understands it?" Mjoll asked, holding a hand against one of the characters. "How?"

The brunet shook her head, a shrug rolling off her shoulder. "I haven't the slightest idea really. But you should see it when she finds these things. We'll have just defeated whatever powerful enemy awaited us and then she would get... still. Like when you think you've heard something you know you shouldn't have, and then she starts searching like a mad dog, poking her head everywhere like it is calling to her. When she does find it, she runs up to it and touches a word and only one word, and her eyes glow for a moment before a light flashes and then she is herself again."

"A thirst for knowledge?"

"More like it controls her," Lyda said, "but perhaps." The four women looked at it longer, each of them thinking of the redguard in their own ways. Suddenly Lydia shook herself and started walking away saying, "Let's move, these are always at the ends of the places we would delve into, there has to be an exit nearby." The others nodded their heads, lingering for a moment or two more to look at the strange text, and then followed Lydia outside up a set of steps through a snowy rock passage.

It led out to the eastern side of the mountain, snow billowing around them in the early morning light. Mjoll held a hand up to her brow, shielding her golden eyes from the harsh golden light as it blazed across the snow. They each cringed a bit, and wordlessly started walking down a steep snow path. As they worked their way down, snow crunching beneath their feet, Vex started to pull ahead of the slower moving warriors.

"Hold up Vex," called Lydia, making her wait at the bottom of the mountain, a few spruce trees towering above them. "We need to come up with our plan."

"She could be alive," said Iona optimistically. "We should search the area."

"It's been four full days, and it's the start of the fifth," Vex argued, "why would she still be around? Why wouldn't she have just come back?"

The housecarls frowned in unison. "You saw that floor, lots of blood. She could have been injured and holed up somewhere to recover," said Lydia. "Yosa doesn't like traveling hurt if she can help it."

"Possible, but how likely? It's been too long."

"We could have just missed her," suggested Mjoll.

"I think it would be best to return to Riften," Vex said.

Mjoll scowled, "We just got out here."

"See any redguard bodies in there?" Snapped back Vex.

"No but-"

"So she's alive," Vex cut her off, "and where do you think would be the first place she goes? Riften."

"And if she's not there? What will you do wait?" Mjoll challenged, "Will you sit idly for her to show up? If she shows up?"

"No!"

"Well that's what you're suggesting."

The two women were in each other's faces once more, glaring angrily as if it would set the other's face on fire. Lydia shook her head with a sigh and Iona stepped between them, shoving them apart. "Okay how about this? We spend one day here looking, and then go back to Riften."

"I can get word out to my contacts, have some eyes and ears in the cities," said the imperial, stepping back with a frustrated twinge in her eyes. "But it would be better if I could get word out sooner, so that means leaving sooner."

Lydia shook her head, "Useful as that would be, we can't dismiss the possibility of an injured Yosa'Min out there somewhere. We need all the manpower we can have to look for her out here, now."

Biting her cheek, the thief looked to the side as she debated their options. Muttering under her breath, feeling the heavy gaze of three nords, she agreed. "One day, and then it is back to Riften."

Smiling, Lydia and Iona nodded their heads. "We should look into the swamp north of Morthal first," said Lydia.

"Why there?" Piped Mjoll with a knitted brow.

With a laugh, Lydia replied, "Yosa hates the cold remember? The fog makes it warmer there than here."

Shaking her head with an amused snort, Mjoll took the lead west, toward the great swamp. Vex lingered behind for a moment, staring at the back of Mjoll's head. Just what was she risking in bringing her here? Steeling herself, Vex followed after, trailing behind the pair of housecarls that were walking a bit closer than normal.

"You... what?" Serana repeated, baffled by the story she had just been told. "You stole his lute?"

Nodding her head, Yosa'Min grinned a bit. "Right well, I hate that song, truly, and he wouldn't stop playing it despite my asking so first chance I had, I took it."

"What was the song?" Serana laughed, shaking her head and leaning further back, hands holding her up on the wooden floor. They'd taken to sitting on it, at some point in the day, and just hadn't moved from it. They were enjoying sharing tales, Serana's dating back so far that nearly all the terms and names used were beyond Yosa'Min's understanding. The redguard had shared all about her hunting Alduin and what had happened, though it was clear she left many details out of the story, Serana didn't mind much. If anything, it just made her want to listen more to what was being shared with her.

"The Dragonborn Comes," Yosa'Min said, shaking her head with obvious distaste. "It's horrible really, and hearing that khajiit, Rifgy, play it outside Whiterun wasn't how I wanted to start my day off." The nord cocked a brow at the redguard who shrugged. "I hadn't gotten a bit of sleep the night before and figured a short hunt for elk in the plains would do me some good, cheer me up and all that, when I passed the caravan camped outside the city."

"Why don't they come inside?"

Sighing a bit, Yosa'Min shrugged. "The nords forbid them, think they're all scum and the such."

"That seems like a harsh generalization."

"It is."

Yosa'Min shifted a bit, a weird feeling in her chest. She suddenly realized she hadn't talked this much in a long time, much less about something she wanted to share. She found her gaze lingering on the burning sunset eyes across from her, and then Yosa'min cleared her throat and continued her tale. "The khajiit fancied himself some sort of bard, and while I'll admit he played well, he certainly needed to pick a new song to sing. I came back about an hour later and found his lute cast aside while he was luring some customers over to the caravan with a flute."

Holding up a hand, Serana interrupted. "How does a khajiit play a flute? They don't really have lips do they?"

"Well some of them do," countered Yosa'Min, "you know with all that phase of the moons birth business, but no he's one of those really feline ones and I haven't the slightest idea really." Serana gave a hearty laugh. "So, I crept up, snagged it, and then dashed back to one of the rock ridges. I will confess I don't really know how to play, and I just started strumming obnoxiously to get his attention. The bard whirled around and I promise you, his face was one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen. He started hissing and chased me across the plains for hours before I lost him."

Serana shook her head, dipping it down for a moment before raising it back to smirk at the at the redguard, laughing the entire time quietly. "What happened then?"

The redguard smiled back. "I returned after nightfall and left it in the camp where he'd see it, and a different sheet of music that I had another bard scribe down. I think he got the message."

The elder vampire straightened up a bit, a warmth in her eyes from the good amount of laughs they'd been having. Yosa'Min had been sitting with her knees raised in front of her, arms wrapped around them while listening to Serana speak. Talking with her sire, Yosa'Min felt more comfortable and a bit more open than normal. It had taken a lot of small conversations to get her to warm up like this, Serana making remarks that would gain small chuckles while they waited for day to pass. The nord was quite adamant about showing her desire to befriend the redguard.

On the first day, Yosa'Min had been utterly silent aside from the occasional question as Serana taught her about what it meant to be a creature of the night. The second day had been better, Yosa'Min coming to accept herself some though it was clear then that she was far from embracing who she was. The nord could also see something else swirling in her eyes then, not just the conflict about her Change but like there was a deep sorrow in her chest, and it bothered Serana some because she knew there was nothing she could do about it.

The third day was better, and she managed to learn a bit more of who Yosa'Min was after a series of terrible jokes. For one thing, she appreciated humor, and had an interesting taste in it. Serana rather liked it, because most of her jokes now were getting returned with equally corny or terrible ones, the two of them slowly throwing them back in growing number. When it was time for Serana to leave, the redguard would grow quieter, as if reminded of why they were there or not wishing to be alone, either one Serana didn't know if it were the truth. She had always been swift in her hunting, not wanting to leave the redguard on her own for too long.

While they waited for night to come on the forth day so Yosa'Min could go on her first hunt, the redguard had been so nervous that Serana had given her the best advice she possibly could but when that hadn't done much good she started to tell her stories. That was when the tale swapping had begun, and it assuredly hadn't stopped. The nord liked to see her laugh and smile, especially with all the mess the redguard had been thrust into. Serana didn't know what had happened in her past life, and in someways she didn't honestly want to know, but she was glad to see the Dragonborn coping. And now with the fifth day rising, she could tell that at this rate the two of them would become fast friends, the thought bringing some comfort to the nord.

"Hey," Yosa'Min said, a glint in her eyes. "Got any more jokes?"

"Sure," laughed Serana, thinking for a moment to find the right one before she gave a smile, deciding it the right one. "What do you get when you cross a vampire with a snowman?"

The redguard thought on it before shaking her head in defeat. "What?"

"Frostbite," purred Serana, lips pulling back in a toothy grin as the redguard began to chortle.

"I like this," said Yosa'Min as she reigned herself in.

"Like what?"

"Talking, joking, laughing..." Yosa'Min's words softened, eyes lowering from the nord's pale face to the dirty floor, "I haven't done it for a long time." She glanced back up to Serana who was watching her. "Thanks."

Serana shifted and scooted a little closer across the floor to her. "I told you that this was a new life, if you want to do things differently, leave pains and mistakes behind, you can."

Yosa'Min shook her head, chin resting on the top of her knees best it could. "I'm trying, but it's hard... It really is."

"Who is it?"

"What?" Yosa'Min pulled back a bit, "How do you... Am I that obvious?"

Laughing in good humor for a moment, Serana nodded her head. "Yes you are."

The redguard sighed, a long bit of time passing before she spoke. "Yeah well, it's, uh, a woman... back in Riften."

Serana blinked, and then tilted her head to the side. "A woman huh?" She said slowly, as if processing it.

For once, the Dragonborn's skin prickled at such a response. "Yes a woman," she replied sharply. "And I'm just going to leave it at that," she said, getting to her feet and moving to the bed.

"I didn't mean to offend you," Serana said swiftly, hopping to her feet to follow. "I just, didn't really expect it is all."

"Why is it always such a surprise?" Yosa'Min mocked, though not exactly to the woman before her. "Why do people assume I prefer men until I say otherwise?"

"Well do you think I prefer the company of men?" Serana quickly asked, crossing her arms and jutting one hip out a bit.

The redguard stiffened, looking her up and down before she shrugged sheepishly. "I honestly have no idea," she admitted.

"There you have it, you can't tell just by looking. I enjoy the company of men," Serana said, the confidence she possessed as she spoke the words that were for some reason like slaps to the redguard's face too painful to bear. "But I honestly prefer women over them."

Confused, the redguard arched a brow at her. "So... You... like both?"

"Yes, but one more than the other," casually replied Serana, a shrug rolling off her shoulders.

"And that would be women."

"I said that didn't I?"

Yosa'Min looked away from her, as if she needed a second to realize it as well, and then laughed awkwardly. "I guess you did, huh?"

Nodding her head with a warm chuckle, Serana replied, "I did. So, tell me more about this woman- the one you're missing."

"Oh, well... She's... She and I-"

"Is that a shack?"

They both stiffened with alarm as voices cut through their conversation. Though they could hear the voices, which were growing louder as they drew closer, neither of them could exactly figure out the distance from inside the shack. Serana rushed to the door and opened it just a hair, peaking out to a late evening sky, the last fading oranges still in the sky. The vampire narrowed her eyes, spotting someone coming up from the southeast, and lightly closed the door as she turned back to where Yosa'Min was. The redguard was worried, Serana easily picking up on the fear running up her fledgling's body.

"There are four of them," Serana said, her voice hushed. "And they look well armed."

"Adventurers?"

"Bandits more like," disagreed the elder vampire, "probably part of that band we took out."

"Shit," uttered Yosa'Min, getting to her feet. "What do you want to do?"

Serana peeked back out, the four close enough for her to make out a trio of heavy armor and one light black leathers. "I'm going to make a distraction, you're going to make a break into the swamp. Keep running until you get to the river, same place as last night."

"What? No, I'm not leaving you behind!"

"I don't care if you don't want to, you don't have any choice. The sun is still up, you'll be disorientated, weakened, and you have no form of weapon against armor like that. You don't know how to defend yourself against ready opponents."

Narrowing her eyes, Yosa'Min still refused, "Becoming a vampire didn't rob me of my ability to fight."

Replying just as sternly, Serana wasn't to be swayed. "I know it hasn't, but this is too risky. If a single one of them has a flame and they get you with it, I won't be able to get to you fast enough."

"I..." Yosa'Min bit her cheek. "Fine, but you better get away fast."

Serana nodded her head, and then her tone dropped gravely. "I need you to back up."

"What?"

"Back up."

The redguard obeyed, stepping gingerly away from the nord. Serana sucked in a deep breath, a faint black aura rising around her. The redguard's eyes widened with growing alarm as the woman she was growing to trust started to shake and her skin pale to an off green color. "By the Gods..." Whispered Yosa'Min, staring as monstrous wings burst from Serana's hunched back, a low growl escaping the changing vampire. "What are you?"

"There's something ahead," Mjoll said, pointing to a wooden building in the marsh, a fog curling around it in the dying light of the evening. They'd spent the entire day scouring the marsh, moving up and down methodologically to refuse anything from escaping them. Not a single one of them wanted to miss the redguard because their eyes hadn't been open enough.

"Is that a shack?" Lydia asked loudly, narrowing hazel eyes to get a better look. "Yeah, I think it is."

"Odds that Yosa is hiding there?" Iona asked, smiling from one ear to another with bubbling hope.

"Pretty high," replied Vex with relief.

Bouncing with excitement, Lydia waved to them. "Come on then!" Lydia strode forward, closing in on the wooden shack ahead of them that looked rather abandoned. They weren't even more that a few lengths away from the entrance when they heard a terrible sound, a roar so monstrous they all jumped back with alarm. The door flew open, thrown off its hinges as a beast came out, a hissing sound accompanied by bones moving into strange places filling the marsh ambiance. Red light ran up its body, twisting around like blood that slowly faded as it emerged. "What is that!" Shouted Lydia, Iona's mouth agape in horror as the monster began to loom towards them, long clawed fingers stretching out menacingly.

"I don't know!" Shouted the Lioness, hardly restraining the utter terror that was running up her body. They each drew their weapons, the beast opening it's mouth to reveal long fangs that glistened with the last bits of the day. "But I don't think it wants to talk!"

"You think?" Snarled the imperial, feeling particularly vulnerable to the looming beast. White hair cascaded down its back, wings that resembled bats stretched out as if to show further its power to them, and it raised its hands up as it began to hover above the ground, magic swirling in its palms as a deep cackle escaped the monster. It was then, that Vex noticed the very human appearance to it as well, an obvious woman of some sorts in front of them as intelligent eyes watched their reactions.

And then it surged forward, moving faster than any of them could have predicted and knocking them off their feet in one swoop. The beast cackled further, spinning around and flapping its wings to race past them one more. Claws slashed at them each as it sped by in a blur of green and white. Mjoll gritted her teeth, planting her feet to keep from getting knocked over while the two shield bearing warriors brought them up to defend themselves. Vex, who'd been knocked further away from the group in the second rush, scrambled to her feet but was too slow against the abomination.

It grasped her by the wrist and wrenched the ebony dagger she wielded from her with a painful twist. Vex screamed out in pain as it then lifted her into the air, and slammed her against the ground by throwing her over its head. Breath knocked from her, the platinum haired woman's head swam as she lay on the ground groaning, unable to keep up against the beast. It opened its mouth again, hissing as the fangs seemed to get ready to bite right into her neck, when a pair of shields slammed the beast's head from both sides.

"Vex, move!" Ordered Iona as she and Lydia brought their swords up and arched them down to lob off it's head. The beast hissed, and its wings moved with unholy flexibility to hit their sides, stumbling the two just enough for it to then break away from the attacks so as to make them miss. "This thing, it's smart!" Shouted the redhead as she caught her breath, a stinging cut on her cheek.

The imperial, who had obeyed without word, grabbed her dropped dagger and sprinted towards the monster's back. Mjoll was running up besides her, silent for a change, and brought her battleaxe in a swing towards the enemy's legs. Vex, jumped up and plummeted her blades toward it's left wing. It shrieked in pain, having been focused on the two shielded housecarls, and fell to the ground for a moment before vanishing in a mist of bats and reappearing a bit away.

It opened its maw, hovering and swirling with magic, before it jerked an arm and a blue light swirled out besides the shack. The imperial watched warily to see what was happening while the others' attention remained on the larger beast. The ground moved, freshly put down dirt and snow getting shoved aside as an orc clambered his way up to the surface, death rank from his body as worms wiggled in his corpse. The imperial however, instantly recognized him as she spotted a unique set of armor, and a patch of brown hair.

"Durak?" She whispered with utter shock.

"Who?" Shouted back Lydia.

"He's in the Dawnguard, which means that this thing..." She replied, renewed horror rising up her as she was able to put a name to the foe before them. "Is a vampire."

"What!" Shouted Mjoll, managing to narrowly dodge a rake of claws. Durak surged forward, stumbling as his shambled corpse made its way towards them and raised his weapon to attack Vex. The imperial ducked under the two handed maul, and then slashed his knees with her daggers. He collapsed, legs no more, but still went to attack her with impressive strength. The imperial jumped to the side, and then kicked the skull hard enough that a sick crack came and it fell limp.

A series of powerful flaps of its wings sent the women stumbling, rushing past them to rake their sides with speed unparalleled. They each were sent to the ground in turn, Vex shrieking as it slashed her torso. "I said a vampire!"

The vampire reared its head back with a sick, terrifying laugh, and then a hand began to glow a slight orange color. Mjoll's body grew light, her feet raising above the marsh ground and being drawn closer to the creature of night before them. The nord struggled, her arms waving wildly as her weapon dropped to the earth below, her legs kicking in a futile attempt to break free. Nothing worked, and she felt utter dread rising in her body as the vampire drew her in as if to bite her.

"Stop!"

The vampire paused, fangs inches away from Mjoll's neck, massive bat like ears pricking up some. The nord was trembling in the magical grip, but she was still able to move if not really control herself in the haze of some vile arcane art. She turned her head to the source of the sound, and her voice got caught in her throat as she gazed upon a familiar but changed woman.

Yosa'Min stood nearby, her features altered, skin tighter and a bit more ashen. Her desperate cry revealed sharp fangs and her eyes were a blazing orange. She looked... like a monster. "Yosa?" Gasped Vex as she struggled to her feet, head swimming with pain and confusion. "Is that you?"

"Serana, let her go!" Demanded Yosa'Min, moving towards the massive vampire, walking so fast that Vex had to search for her when she stopped. Lydia was clutching a tear in her armor, blood spilling out between her fingers, and she took in short breaths. Iona was already upon her, pressing her own hands to the wound, trying to stay the flow. "Serana release Mjoll! Now! That woman is from my past! All of these women are!"

The vampire holding Mjoll in suspension dropped her with a sad growl, looking at the wounded ladies about. "These are your friends?" Serana questioned, her words powerful and hissing.

Yosa'Min shook her head, hands glowing as white magic came to life. She held her hands out to Lydia, white tendrils reaching out to stop the bleeding Iona was desperately trying to stop. She looked back to the vampire lord sternly. "This is my family."

Serana looked from her to the others desperately, catching the motions of the mortals too swift for them to fight against. Vex was running right for the redguard, as if to grab or tackle her. The elder vampire roared with defiance, hovering for a second before she bolted forward in a mist of bats, grabbing Yosa'Min in her greenish arms as she materialized. "What are you doing!" Screamed Yosa'Min as she was carried away, despite her struggling unable to free herself from Serana's grasp. "Let go of me! Let go!"

"Yosa!" Shouted Mjoll and Vex in unison after her, helpless but to watch the monster take her deep into the marsh.