Chapter Forty-Seven
What lay ahead of them was a curious cavern with massive glowing blue mushrooms and various other luminescent plants. They crossed through the cave system with ease, and soon were at the next wayshrine. Like the first, it was submerged in the ground, the symbol of Auri-El denoting it's smooth carved top. A spectral formed before them, a faintly elven appearance to its shimmering body that wavered with each second it was manifested. It took a bit, but eventually the pair figured out how to get it to activate the wayshrine and allow them to progress, and it like the first contained a portal showing some other location, this one much brighter than the cavern and Yosa'Min feared the sun might be out somewhere. However, they soon came to a large chamber where the path they took curved upwards around until it was at the top, clouds rolling above them like a thick blanket and blocked out the sun. The air was cold as they ascended to the world above, an uncomfortable itch filling them both once they reached the filtered sunlight.
"Wow," uttered Serana as they took in the valley they had entered. Surrounding them on three sides was towering mountains laden in snow, a thick mist crawling between them. They could make out the shrouded forms of tall pines and snowy birches. Stone arches and various rock formations speckling what they could see with their enhanced vision. Even from here they could make out the taste of salt in the air, meaning they must have been close to the Sea of Ghosts. They walked along a ledge of snowy rocks until the ground sloped down into the valley, their breath visible in the crisp air. "It's beautiful," said Serana as she crouched down to examine some of the glowing plants, impressed with the warm blue light they created.
"Certainly a pleasant change from those caves," dryly replied Yosa'Min, "though it could stand to be warmer."
"This is still Skyrim Yosa," laughed Serana as she straightened up, looking around for some sign of which way they could go. There was a swath of snow that looked like it obscured a worn dirt path, game trails etched across its otherwise pure face. "It's going to be cold." Growing from the snow in dirt patches were thick brambles, blocking some of the path they followed, the mist thickening to the point they only saw a few meters ahead of them. The ground was damp, the curling mist giving it an almost otherworldly atmosphere as they moved along. For Yosa'Min however, as they curved a bend of rocks and spotted the glow of another prelate ahead of them nestled between several rocks, and quickly approached it, it was unpleasant. The walls were far too close for her liking, feeling like something would descend the icy mountains and attack them.
As they came up to the wayshrine, the prelate waved a hand for them to stop. "Wayshrine of Sight," it hissed out, "Mantras," it demanded, gesturing to them. "Honor mantras!"
"We know them," lied Yosa'Min, "and we honor them." The prelate squinted at them, and then cast the spell that rose the wayshrine from the ground. Serana went to fill it, and frowned as she noticed that a portal was already on the far wall. It bore the image of the very wayshrine they had used to leave Darkfall Cavern. "I don't think we use the portals this time," said Yosa'Min simply.
"Would you mind summoning Archer?" Asked Serana as she dipped the ewer in the water, "We might have a distance to go to the next one."
Nodding her head in agreement, Yosa'Min exited the wayshrine ahead of Serana and pulled out the blackened bone. With less life-threatening danger behind her, she far more easily focused on it, clutching it tightly. The tendrils of black magic slipped between her fingers to consolidate in a pinprick of darkness, before swelling with a thunderous boom. Standing in the snow with purple flames was Archer, the horse turning its skeletal head to her and snorted. "Ready to go for a run?" She asked, and he whinnied in approval.
Mounting the ghost horse, the pair traveled along the foot of the mountains, trying to find a path to follow along. More than once Serana had asked Yosa'Min to stop, staring out into the fog with narrowed eyes, certain she'd seen something out there only for nothing to turn up. Eventually they discovered a stone arch with steps half destroyed that curved up into a passage between the mountains. Archer's hooves clattered loudly, and by the time they'd come to the center of the pass they feared something might attack them but with luck nothing did. On the other side of the pass, which curved back down into another valley that was considerably more open, the mist thinned to a point they could make out the scope of the area.
There was a long, winding wide river that moved to the left, and a waterfall that was half frozen and nearly as wide as a longhouse to the right. Ice darted across the river that moved across the land, curving with the snowy hills and steep mountains. There was less exposed dirt or grass, and few shrubbery compared to the first area. Any tree that rose up towards the sky was covered in snow, the ruins of elven architecture that were almost thrown about the place equally frozen. Leading Archer down to the riverbank, they traveled along the icy water until they spotted the next wayshrine. It was on a hill of sorts besides an intact archway. Upon their approach the spectral gave a warm smile as it manifested before them. After a few minutes they'd filled the ewer, and continued their journey, the prelate telling them that they only had one more to reach.
Yosa'Min gave the ghost horse a small nudge to begin moving once more, and Archer started down the slopes towards a frozen lake. Burning eyes scanned the vastness of the icy water, snow covering the thick layer of solid liquid. To the far distance Yosa'Min could make out a waterfall, the lake overflowing down below, frozen even at the top so only what lay beneath could escape. She couldn't help but wonder where all the water came from, rushing down from one source to another high up in the mountains. With the clouds so obscured she was struggling to figure out which direction was what, the looming mountains pressing in like hundreds of predators waiting for the right moment to strike. Yosa'Min could only hope that the path continued somewhere along the shore of the frozen water, confusing memories of trying to stop a fight on a frozen lake rising up to her mind, only to be whisked away to the deep recesses of her mind before she could focus on them.
Yosa'Min's ears rang with a soft humming noise, an itch at the back of her mind that shook her to her very core. There was a deep swirl in her chest, and she instantly turned the flaming horse out onto the frozen water. "Yosa?" Inquired Serana with a hint of confusion as they began to cross towards the pillar of rock in the center that spiraled outwards from the lake, a small island of snow covered stone surrounding it. "That doesn't look like a wayshrine," said Serana, warily looking from the rock they slowly approached to the water below them. Archer's flaming hooves might not have harmed them, but it did cause patches of the snow to melt away, revealing the thick ice below. Serana felt a stir of alarm, and nudged Yosa'Min. "Let's not go this way," she said, but her words fell on deaf ears. Yosa'Min seemed transfixed, wide eyes staring at the spiral of stone they were halfway to. A whooshing chorus of voices filled the woman's ears, speaking words in ancient dov like whispers in the furthest part of her mind that grew in strength the closer she got to the stone. "Hey, are you listening to me?" Hissed Serana with frustration, something about the frozen lake sending chills down her spine."Yosa!"
The redguard couldn't hear her however, the words shouting in her ears now, urging her forward as they reached the banks of the island. Stone steps led up to the word wall, massive claw like gouges cut deep into the surface. Serana balked at it, noticing how one group of them seemed to have taken Yosa'Min's attention in full. Without a word, Yosa'Min dismounted Archer who whinnied in annoyance, and rushed up the snowy steps. Pressing her hand against the dragon words, Yosa'Min's body shuddered with power as her eyes turned pure white for a moment, and an explosion of white light blinded the confused sire. When Yosa'Min turned back around, blinking away whatever lingering effects of control the wall had upon her, she was met with a frowning Serana. "Yosa'Min," said the sire, "what in Oblivion was that? Are you okay?"
"It's a word wall," explained Yosa'Min, "those markings are words of power, the Thu'um. You know, those things I shout from time to time." Burning eyes scanned the area around them with a knit brow. "Usually it's not so easily read though, something's always standing in my way."
"We are in some forgotten vale, only having arrived her through falmer infested tunnels and waterfalls, let's hope that's in the way enough" replied Serana, "I think I remember one of those in the crypt I was sealed in," she added as she stared at it, "when I was carrying you out of it."
"I suppose I'll have to go back and learn the word there sometime," said Yosa'Min with thought as she remounted Arhcer, and steered him back towards the far shore, hoping they'd eventually find the path and it wouldn't be one overrun with falmer like the rest. Serana glanced warily down at each hoofstep of the ghost horse, watching the snow melt away to reveal pristine ice. Her voice caught in her throat as she caught a glimpse of a scaly blue eye staring back at her.
"Yosa-" Her warning was cut short as the ice beneath them cracked and shattered, whole sheets of it soaring out as the monster beneath came surging forward. Archer brayed as the ground beneath him was broken, falling into the water with the pair of vampires on his back. The duo shouted in alarm as they crashed into the icy water, just barely catching sight of the monstrous being that shot outwards into the sky besides them. Serana grasped the redguard by the hood of her outfit, and pushed off from Archer who began to dematerialize, waves of purple flame consuming blackened bone. Yosa'Min was stiff, eyes wide as they'd sunk, and Serana had to kick her legs with effort as she dragged them both to the surface.
Just as her fingers began to breach the icy top, the massive creature crashed into her, snatching her with some spiked limb. The air escaped her lungs as the vampires were sent deeper into the water, blood streaming into the lake from a puncture wound in her side. Serana struggled to carry Yosa'Min to the surface, face contorted with pain as her lungs burned. Undead or no, she still needed air! The freezing water chilled her to the bone, so cold that it burned along her skin and she could already feel her body going numb. There was a shudder in the darkness of the water, the monster banking towards her as it swam. She could just barely make out the bright blue eyes, and with her free hand she cast one ice shard after another, hoping to hit something important but it seemed to have no effect. As it drew closer, she began to see parts of its face, and balked in realization that it was a dragon, maw open to swallow her whole.
Dodging its attack in a rush of shadows, Serana narrowly evaded the snapping fangs of the red and purple dragon. It moved with an unnatural ease in the water, twisting about to strike at her again more like a fish than reptile of the sky. With lungs burning, desperate for air, Serana began to move through the water with the help of shadows, dodging each snap of the dragon until at last she broke out of the water and the pair of vampires emerged on the ice besides the hole the size of the dragon in the ice. She drew in desperate gasps of air, body freezing and drenched, clutching at the wound in her side that was bleeding profusely. She could hear the dragon swimming beneath them, catching glimpses of it as it rushed past the broken surface of the freezing water. She struggled to her feet, and grabbed Yosa'Min with trembling hands. "Yosa!" She shouted, terrified blank eyes staring back at her while water slowly dribbled out her mouth. "Yosa please, snap out of it!"
The ground beneath them shuddered, a ripple of warning just as the ice began to shatter beneath them and the dragon come sweeping up to devour them. Serana clutched Yosa'Min closely, and dodged the attack with a shadowy leap just as before, this time taking them all the way to the word wall. She placed the redguard who was barely breathing at the base of the stone wall, looking back to see the dragon had taken to the air this time and was slowly banking back towards them in the clouds. With time running short, Serana turned back to her fledgling and muttered a string of curses under her breath before she apologized. "Sorry." She struck Yosa'Min across the face, trying to snap her out of the shock she'd fallen into. "Sorry!" Serana repeated as she hit her again, Yosa'Min recoiling and pushing her away. Doubling over, the redguard coughed and sputtered, expelling the water trapped within her with pained noises.
The mighty roar of the dragon caught Serana's ear, louder and closer than before, and she looked over her shoulder in time to see it just a few feet away, its jaw open as flames began to flicker in its mouth. Reaching for Yosa'Min once more, Serana was about to whisk them away with a surge of shadows and bats again when the redguard straightened up enough to look at it. Serana's breath caught in her throat as she saw the scales already manifesting on her body, hearing the breaking of bones as her body shifted. The dragon let loose a torrent of flames, and was met with the Dragonborn's ire. "FUS!" A short rush of air countered the stream, bending it aside, as the dragon rushed by, swooping away to avoid crashing into the word wall.
"Yosa'Min," slowly said Serana, wary of her changing. "Yosa are you sure you should do this? You don't have to fight it as a dragon, summon Durnehviir instead I'm sure he'd be glad to fight!" She said, noticing how the transformation wasn't happening instantly like the others she'd been witness to. Perhaps it was the lingering shock from nearly drowning in the lake, or it was something else entirely, but the redguard's skin was only half covered in greenish scales, her bones still reworking themselves but not yet expanding to create her tail or wings. "Yosa what's going on?"
Burning eyes met with her's, one pupil dilated while the other was serpentine. Yosa'Min made a growling noise, struggling with controlling herself. The redguard pushed her away, and stumbled down the steps with ragged breaths. A fire burned through her blood, exploding from her heart outwards as she felt the beast within her rise from the depths. It roared with fury, demanding to fight the dragon, pride and hate filling her. A part of her knew she wouldn't have much control if she submitted, that she might harm her sire on accident as before, and another part screamed she wouldn't have a sire much longer if she didn't. Glancing back at Serana, the second part won out, and she gave up the struggle to not turn.
Collapsing forward into the snow, Yosa'Min shouted in agony as the scales finished erupting from her skin to cover her body, bones snapping into place as wings and a tail extended from her body, swirls of red and black obscuring the details from a worried Serana. When she emerged, something distinctively wild about her as the nord watched, Yosa'Min's shout had distorted into one of power and rage. Heavy, wet breaths fell onto the ice, her body tingling with power and pain, a blinding fury surging her forward just as in her fight with Durnehviir.
She took to the air immediately, scanning the frozen lake for where the dragon had vanished to but there was no sign of it. Soaring over the broken point in the ice, Yosa'Min gave a roar of challenge. In response, the dragon shot outwards from the ice, breaking another section, and caught Yosa'Min by the wing. She snarled, fire forming in her mouth as she snaked her neck towards it, when there was another eruption in the ice. Shocked sunset eyes took in a second dragon that looked the exact same as the first, smoothed bodied that seemed better suited for swimming than the land or air. Their spines were purple, cresting with a beak like face. The spines that should have run down their backs instead fanned outwards on the side, finned almost with a flat tipped tail that flared outwards in a spade like shade. In the second it took for her to recognize their peculiar form, it caught hold of her second wing. The pair flapped their orange leathery wings and tore away from her, Yosa'Min crying out in agony as it felt as if she'd be pulled in two.
Serana desperately fired off one spell after another, but as the trio held in the air, the twin dragons keeping the roaring Yosa'Min aloft, they were just out of range for the vampire. She watched, helpless, as Yosa'Min summoned a torrent of flames to blast the first dragon, claws swiping at them but they held out of reach as well for her shorter limbs. The dragon winced under her flames, but did not release her as she had hoped. Instead, it twisted its body around, wings still flapping, and clawed at her underbelly with its talons, raking off scores of scales. Blood fell down onto the snow below, further tarnishing the once tranquil frozen lake. The moment Yosa'Min felt her strength renewed, she opened her maw and shouted. "FEIM!" Her body became ghostly, and with ease she swept away from the dragons and climbed high into the air. The pair, still able to see her, followed suit with snarls and cries.
She flapped her aching wings relentlessly, until at last she disappeared into the clouds that obscured most of the mountains around them. The twins stopped short of the puffy things, and instead began to talk between each other before their blue eyes turned to Serana in unison. The vampire took a small step back, terror capturing her heart as she realized what they were thinking, and began to run. One dove down in a deadly nosedive, pulling up just short of the snow while the other came from above, talons ready to scoop her up. She phased into shadows and back again with every bit of strength she possessed, but wings were far faster than she was. "Yosa!" She screamed in terror as she heard beastly grunts and the whoosh of wings. Just as the one coming from above was to catch her, Yosa'Min returned, crashing into its side and offsetting its angle of descent. Rather than snatching the running vampire, it was sent deep into the frozen lake, Yosa'Min pulling up just in time to avoid joining it in the watery depths.
Serana just narrowly dodged the second one, Yosa'Min biting into its tail as it rushed past her and wrenching her head back to offset it, the vampire's unnatural speed her saving grace as the talons on its wings just barely whisked past her. She slid on the ice, leaving trailing marks of her body, and looked down to see the underwater twin emerging up at her. Throwing herself just out of the way, Serana tumbled and rolled over the snow slicked lake, staring up to see Yosa'Min combating two dragons at once. "Yosa'Min!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, the hybrid snapping and clawing at the other two with fury, "you can't fight them alone!"
Understanding flashed through burning eyes, and with a great heave the hybrid forced them away just long enough. Blood was covering her body, dripping from one limb to another while a shredded wing fell limp at her side. She would not last long like this, Serana trying to help her with spells but the dragons were too swift or too far most of the time. As Yosa'Min rose her head, the air around them grew purplish in hue, the name that she called forth shattering the barriers between Oblivion and Nirn.
"DURNEHVIIR!"
With a boom that deafened each being present, a pinprick of black light manifested a few feet from Yosa'Min and the fighting dragons. It exploded outwards, a purple shockwave of magic knocking Serana down once more, and in its wake was a shimmering dragon made of rot and flesh, an iridescent light shimmering across his ragged, monstrous hide for a few moments. The dragon lifted his maw to the sky, split curved horns sweeping away from rotting yellow eyes, and let loose a bellow that shattered the ice around him. "Tamriel, I have returned!" He roared, before turning to the stunned dragons. "Naaslaarum, Voslaarum," Durnehviir said slowly, examining them with his yellow gaze, "you dare attack my Qahnaarin?"
"Durnehviir," whispered Naaslaarum, blue eyes practically bulging from their socket. "You're supposed to be dead."
"Yet here I am," chuckled Durnehviir, lowering himself in expectation of a fight, "and here you are." His yellow gaze flickered to the wounded Yosa'Min. "Two on one is not a very fair fight, where is your zin, your honor?" The undead dragon turned his head about to see the still bleeding Serana, and his maw twisted with displeasure. "You've harmed her as well?"
"This abomination is in our territory," hissed Voslaarum, the second twin, slowly backing away from Yosa'Min. "She brought a serk, a rat, as well. We have viilut, the right, to fight them!"
Bellowing with laughter, Durnehviir titled his head and stared at Yosa'Min. "Do you need freyend, assistance, Qahnaarin? I will happily fight with instead of against you if that is what you wish."
Yosa'Min, perhaps the most beast like of them all, gave a heavy grunt. "Fight," she hissed. The rotted dragon roared with glee, and with a heavy flap of his wings surged forward to attack Naaslaarum, the pair crashing into the lake below. Left with the other twin, Yosa'Min surged forward with renewed strength and energy, catching his long throat and biting down, ignoring the way his spiky fins cut into her mouth. In this form she was wild and fury, unheeding of her own injuries and instead focused solely on fighting and killing. Her foreclaws tore at Voslaarum, tearing great ribbons of blood from its chest as she brought her hind legs forward in a powerful kick.
The dragon clawed at her with its own talons, flapping its wings in an attempt to free itself from her. Yosa'Min however, refused to let go and instead bit down further, finally breaking the scales and tasting blood. Her wing instantly began to mend itself, confusing and terrifying the dragon as she fed off of it. Serana dared grow close enough to cast her own spell, sapping Voslaarum's strength and mending her wounds some. The dragon's finned tail flared out to swat her away, and the sire dodged in a blur of bats and shadows. It hissed in frustration and pain, and at last brought it's head into a position it might fight back with. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" Shouted Voslaarum, aiming at Serana. Yosa'Min shifted, trying to redirect the flames to protect her sire, and Voslaarum found himself on his back now, Yosa'Min striking him as the jet of flames caught her hair and set her on fire. Scales protected her skin from the brunt of it, glistening like melted wax rather than bubbling and popping off in charred segments. The ice beneath them cracked from the weight baring down upon it, and with a roar they fell into the icy water, leaving Serana gasping on the surface.
Yosa'Min felt herself instinctively tensing as they drifted further and further into the freezing water, her body clenching up as terror filled her heart. Her lungs burned, and she tried to push herself off her enemy but Voslaarum seemed half water serpent rather than dragon. He bit down into her neck and with his wings forced them further into the lake until at last they'd reached the bottom. The hole they'd come through was just a faint pinprick of light, and Yosa'Min's screaming mind produced images of a cave in front of a statue as the dragon held onto her like the stone had her cape. She thrashed and kicked, her movements slowed by the water and Voslaarum moved back with a dark pleasure, easily capable of holding his breath longer than she. The finned dragon brought his legs into her stomach, knocking what air she did posses from her and she lashed out with foreclaws to swipe his face. Instead, Voslaarum ducked with ease, and then pushed off of her. It swam in the water, back flipping with grace and ease that she might have admired if not for the battle at hand. With talons aimed for her head, Voslaarum surged down to kill her.
"FUS!" She only managed the one word with no air, expelling anything she might have left, but it bought her a chance to escape. She swam upwards as the dragon was knocked off course, claws paddling and wings propelling her injured form forward. The light above grew brighter as her vision darkened, swirling in burning eyes. She could faintly see the Voslaarum coming after her, his red and purple scales catching what little light there was and reflecting it in the corner of her vision. Something bit her tail, and she felt her heart nearly stop as she slowed. Just a few more seconds and she'd be free, hands reaching desperately for the edge of the water. Fangs bit into her, tearing flesh and scales, and then something tore her right wing, slowing her desperate flapping further. Just as she thought she might drown, her long neck broke the surface of the water, and she swallowed one desperate breath of air after another before Voslaarum emerged after her. She scrapped at the ice, trying to drag the both of them onto some semblance of land.
As her haunches were freed, Voslaarum biting and clawing in an attempt to bring her back into the freezing world below, she heard a tremble and across the lake there was an eruption of ice and snow. Durnehviir emerged, carrying a limp Naaslaarum in his claws, water dripping from his rotting body. With a powerful roar Durnehviir tossed the beaten dragon into the word wall, Naaslaarum bending with broken bones around it before slowly rolling down the slope onto the edge of the iced lake. Durnehviir landed besides Yosa'Min, watching her finish her fight but not interrupting. "Qahnaarin," he growled slowly, "are you too tired from fighting these lir on your own?" There was an edge to his words, as if he expected more of her, but his eyes shone with understanding. "I can assist if needed."
"No," came a ragged cry as she at last kicked Voslaarum off of her, the finned dragon looking where his brother lay beaten but living. "This one is mine."
"Good."
Yosa'Min straightened up, standing on her legs and looming over Voslaarum who hissed with a desperate tone. The dragon spread his wings, and took to the skies, Durnehviir simply letting him go. With one wing ragged and torn, Yosa'Min pursued, closing the gap as swiftly as possible and took hold of his tail with one hand, and pulled back with everything she had, wings struggling in their damaged condition. Voslaarum tried desperately to escape, but the Dragonborn wasn't going to let him. Instead, as she kept him from going any further, she opened her maw and let loose a shout that taught a dragon the very being of mortality. "JOOR ZAH FRUL!" The wave of blue light that bashed into Voslaarum hit him like an arrow striking a bird. Dropping from the air like a stone, the red and purple dragon flailed once, twice, a third time even before crashing into the word wall, breaking it in two upon impact. The twin tumbled down onto his brother, the pair struggling to breathe, broken bodies cornered by Durnehviir and Yosa'Min who landed with a slow hiss.
"Please," begged Voslaarum, "don't kill us."
"Why not?" Snarled Durnehviir.
"If we die, we'll be trapped for all eternity. Alduin is no more. Do not doom us to an eternity as bones once more, we surrender."
Durnehviir cracked a broken smile, and looked at Yosa'Min who was frowning, wondering if it was the effects of the shout or the dragon's own fear that made it say such things. "Lucky for you then, lir, laat Dovahkiin is here."
"Fos-" before he could finish his sentence Yosa'Min surged forward and bit into his throat, draining the dragon's blood and soul. Naaslaarum balked in terror as his brother's body glowed with white light, ribbons of it shredding off and surrounding the Dragonborn before all that was left was bleached bones. With lidded eyes the hybrid gasped in delight, and then did the same to the living twin. As soon as he was dead, Yosa'Min absorbing his soul, she began to transform back to her normal body. Durnehviir frowned with displeasure as he watched her body shift back to her human form, the snapping of bones and vanishing of wings and a tail uncomfortable to witness. Her scales littered the snow, and she stumbled as soon as it was finished, collapsing in a drift of snow.
"Did you... Did you just absorb their souls?" Serana's voice came, Yosa'Min giving a faint murmur of noise and twitching a hand. Her armor was damaged, claw marks speckling her body that had not healed with the drinking of their blood. "Wow... That was... amazing." She stared at their bleached bones for quite some time before turning to her fledgling. "Are you okay?" The redguard felt a hand upon her back, and gave a small noise of pain.
Durnehviir twisted his neck about, and staring off at something in the distance. "Qahnaarin, I understand if you need your rest. But what of the kiibokin?"
"The what?" Grumbled Yosa'Min around the snow in her face, her body hardly able to move.
"The ones following you."
"What?" Balked Serana, snapping her gaze up to where Durnehviir stared, a snow bank on the far side of the frozen lake. "Is it falmer?"
"No," the rotting dragon said, slowly opening his wings, "it is something else." Leaping into the air, the pair of vampires could only watch with confusion as the beast soared across to where he'd been staring, and swooped down like an eagle, claws catching hold of someone and flew back over. He dropped a redheaded nord and a white haired altmer at their feet, landing with a deep boom behind the caught prey.
Instantly Serana recognized them, and hissed in anger. "Orthjolf, Vingalmo? What are you doing here?"
"Should I eat them?" Asked Durnehviir with curiosity, looming over the terrified pair of vampires.
"Not just yet," snarled Serana, wheeling on them. "How and why are you here?"
Vingalmo straightened up, brushing the snow from his white vampire robes and tried to give her a winning smile. "My Lady, please, let me explain," he begged and she snarled softly in response. "Your father, he's so worried about you! He's sent the entire clan searching for where you've gone after you went missing for a week!"
She blinked, the snarl faltering for a minute and Yosa'Min forced herself up from the snow to glare at them. "What are you talking about?"
Orthjolf spoke up, trying to appear brave but besides a dragon the aggressive vampire seemed placated. "Lady Serana, no one had seen you in a week... Well until your recent run in at the castle with your father. We feared the Dawnguard might have gotten you."
"A week," uttered Yosa'Min, frowning heavily. She struggled to her feet, Serana offering her a hand and stared at them. "So you're here to take us back to Harkon?" She demanded, her pupils still slits that terrified them both after what they'd just witnessed. "You're following us?"
"So you're what's been making my skin crawl," Serana concluded with narrowed eyes.
"Well, at first, of course!" Vingalmo said quickly. "We caught sight of you at the entrance of the cave that brought us all here. But after that display..." He shuddered as he looked at Yosa'Min. "Surely there is no one more powerful than you and your fledgling Lady Serana. Your father is mad, so bent on achieving power that he'll destroy everything including himself to acquiring it."
Serana sniffed with disdain. "So are you," she snarled, "we all know you sent those vampires after us in Redwater Den, that you're always conspiring against each other and my father. You wouldn't be loyal to me, you'd stab me in the back the moment you saw a chance."
"My Lady," replied Vingalmo, hands to his chest and head shaking as he was backed up intoDurnehviir. "Please, that is the way of your father's court. The court you create will have different rules, ones that you decide!"
With narrowed sunset eyes, Serana tisked her tongue. "Do you really think me that foolish? You're after the bow, you want to seize power, you're just like everyone else in that blasted castle!" She looked at Orthjolf, the redhead abnormally unnerved. "What did you do to Whiterun?"
"What?" He balked.
"Whiterun," snarled Serana, stepping towards him though unlike Vingalmo he did not shy away. "What happened there?"
He stared into her eyes, and spoke swiftly. "We were caught as we acquired the Elder Scroll, and naturally had to fight our way out. Things got messy."
"You shouldn't have been caught you're a volkihar vampire," rebuked Serana, "don't lie to me."
The redhead's hand balled into a fist, and he tilted his head up. "I don't feel sorry to have slain a few mortals, they always just get in the way."
"You let them catch you," accused Serana, "you wanted a fight." When he did not respond, she hissed in disgust and stepped away. "I can't believe my father has let you two fester in that castle for as long as he has. Yosa," she turned to her fledgling, the pair of them both jumping slightly as she looked at them with those eyes, "what do you think we should do?"
The redguard was silent for a long time, thinking deeply upon the implications. They couldn't afford for Harkon to know they had the bow, and they most certainly couldn't trust either one of them. If they'd dare conspire against Harkon, then they surely would against them. When she stared at Orthjolf, she could recall what it felt like to drink his blood and beat him. She should have finished it then. "We can't risk it," she said slowly, the pair stiffening. "They're going to either side with your father, betray us to win favor with him, or outright try to kill us."
"No," said Vingalmo rapidly, shaking his head. "No we're not!"
"Durnehviir," said Serana coldly, "are you hungry?"
The dragon tilted his head, a grin of sorts upon his face, and before either of them could flee he opened his maw and fire erupted to consume them. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" Orthjolf and Vingalmo's bodies burned with ease, the pair unable to resist dragonfire for more than a moment. They tried to rush to the waters, hoping to save themselves, but collapsed only a few feet from the nearest hole, smoke rising from their charred bodies. Durnehviir moved over to them, and began to eat the corpse of the altmer.
Yosa'Min blinked at him, shocked almost. "You can breathe fire and ice?"
"I am full of many surprises Qahnaarin," he replied as he ate.
Yosa'Min turned to her sire, Serana deflated and exhausted. Before Yosa'Min could say a thing, Serana sighed. "I just want to get that bow, and leave this place."
Sympathizing, Yosa'Min looked at Durnehviir as he fed upon the vampires. "Hey Durnehviir, do you think you could help us out a bit more?" She called.
He pulled his head up with flesh dripped from his maw. "You have fulfilled your promise and brought me back to Tamriel if only for a time, by my zin, honor, I will serve you however you require."
Smiling, Yosa'Min nodded her head. "I like this dragon."
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.