Chapter 8 – To the Garden
"Our sense of what's right is what separates us from the vampires. Don't forget that." – Quote, Gunmar
"Tai…That priest said we need two other scrolls. Well I think I know where we can find one, with my mother Valerica" Serana was nervously talking, her eyes anywhere but on Tai's. Had she neglected a small detail somewhere along the line?
"And you don't know where she is"
"That's… Not exactly true" Serana mumbled. Tai tilted his head in annoyance. Something he rarely showed to Serana. He didn't know why he felt she was so fragile, so unacquainted with been sociable despite her friendliness.
"Why didn't you say anything when you first came here?" Tai was cold. Serana returned the chill with a blaze in her eyes.
"Listen. Half your crew would just as soon kill me as talk to me. Your Dawnguard friends were not exactly welcoming. That doesn't inspire complete openness" Tai let his eyes roam in defeat.
"You're right… Where is your mother?" Tai looked back to Serana who shrugged.
"I'm not sure. She was cryptic. She said somewhere safe; somewhere my father would never search. Other than that she wouldn't tell me anything…The problem is… I don't think there is anywhere my father would avoid looking" Serana shook her head.
"Sounds like your mother was been cautious" Tai couldn't help sigh as Serana shook her head.
"Something about the way she said it. Cryptic yet she drew attention to it. Any Ideas?" Tai couldn't help but smile at his stupid idea.
"How about at your castle?"
"That…. Actually fits. That sounds like my mother but I don't even know where father wouldn't look" Serana seemed to brighten then.
"Except the Garden! Father hated the garden, said it was too peaceful" Serana smiled widened, Tai was grinning like a fool too. Serana's sudden happiness was infectious for some strange reason.
"You're incredible!" Serana exclaimed leaping into a bear hug from Tai.
Her legs wrapping around him as Tai staggered under the shock. She was lighter than a feather though for a few moments before a reasonable weight set in. Tai gripped Serana to prevent her falling, only to have more air crushed out of him by the overexcited Serana. Tai coughed as his face took an unnatural purple colour, Serana finally noticed when Tai begun to fall, her feet quickly touching the ground to hold him up. Tai's face fell right between Serana's breast, mouth agape and all.
"Tai! I never!" Serana now yelled as she slapped Tai, followed by her foot been driven into his groin. Tai groaned loudly as Serana's face took one of absolute worry.
"Are you ok?" she asked in shock. Tai just stared before falling face first into the floor with a loud groan.
They travelled quickly to Solitude; the castle was just to the west. Tai however was true to form as he somehow roamed into a band of skeletons. Serana barked with laughter, rolling around on the dirt as Tai fought them off.
Firstly he took his sword down low, hacking two apart at the knee. He then used the blade to behead them in a spinning circle. He then ducked an ill shot arrow bound for his throat with ease, whacked a second one aside with his left hand like a fly and continued his assault.
Skeletons were dusty old creatures, held together by rotten furs and black magic. One hack of a sword usually caused them to shatter or turn to ash if under direct control from a necromancer. Tai disbanded the skeletons easily.
His eyes fell on one more, head bowed as it flopped in a throne. Tai glared at it for a while then shrugged.
"Guess this one will stay dead" he sighed and turned around. The skeleton stirred.
"Tai watch out!" Serana cried. Tai was quick to turn on the skeleton armed with nothing but a bow. Tai almost laughed as he slashed downwards, muscles rippling as the Skeleton simply fell apart. It hadn't even loosed an arrow.
"Done" Tai laughed. Serana raised her brow.
"And done" she grinned. They both laughed and continued walking.
They walked a while longer, talking about anything but themselves. The trees thinned slightly as the port of Solitude came into sight. Imperial flags flying and ships sails run down to avoid catching the slowly building wind. Serana noticed Tai itching at his shoulders, writhing and rolling them uncomfortably. Slowly this irritation grew as Tai groaned.
"Is there something in my back?"
Serana leaned back mid stride. Her face going into that forced straight.
"No, nothing"
"I've been shot haven't I?" Tai asked calmly without a single pause. Serana shook her head.
"No… What makes you think that?"
"Serana?" Tai asked in a low voice. Serana sighed.
"Yes"
"Hmm. I hate my life" Tai spoke in a slightly higher pitched voice as Serana noticed how pale he was going. She knew what was coming, she had studied necromancy enough.
"I could fix that" She joked lightly. Tai stopped to stare at her. She had failed.
"Are you…" Tai never finished as he fell face first into the mud beside the road. Serana screamed his name. No response.
Drawing her dagger nervously, she rotated the blade in her hand hilt facing where the blade should have. Nervously Serana touched Tai's shoulder with it. Nothing. Again she leaned in closer, touching her dagger into his wounded shoulder. It begun to bleed violently. Tai groaned.
"Thankyou Auriel" she whispered as three Guards came running up to aid the beautiful woman huddled over a man with her bloody dagger drawn. Nothing suspicious about that.
Tai woke up a while later, lying down on his stomach. He groaned as he felt how heavily he was bandaged, the pain was burning through his body as he noticed the dimly lit room. Laughter floated from below, Tai guessed he was in an Inn. The voice he didn't hear was the one he wanted to hear most.
"Serana?" Tai whispered quietly. The dimness of the room didn't help.
Tai heard no voice but instead he tensed as he felt hands rub down his neck softly. The hands went gently down his back, pulling the bandage aside. Tai winced as the hands gently ran beneath his chest, not pausing as the bandage was undone and removed. Tai whimpered weakly.
"Sorry" Serana whispered. Tai continued groaning weakly in pain.
Serana gently ran her hands down Tai again, hitting pressure points softly. Tai relaxed slightly as Serana ordered with that special voice. Tai rolled over in a daze, Serana who had been kneeling beside him was now somehow sitting on top of him. Tai winched.
"Ouch" he groaned as Serana fell face first into his chest, her hand over his wound.
"I'm sorry" Serana whispered staring down into his eyes. Tai smiled his forgiveness.
"Do I get some love for this?" Tai joked. Serana frowned her disapproval.
"Stay still. I need to check your neck; it got some punishment from the guards"
Serana felt strange as she ran her hand around his head, leaning slightly closer. Tai felt her shock as her fingers ran over his brand.
"What is this?" she asked quietly, Tai sighed.
"It's from my time in the slave pens. The prisons as well, they like to keep track of us, troublemakers" Tai sighed. Serana stared.
"You were a slave?" she asked.
Tai simply grabbed her hands and slid it down his chest to his abs; Serana raised her brow as she realised how slowly Tai had moved, but was scared at how much slower she wished it had been. When Tai stopped her had she slowly spread her fingers, feeling a small scar.
"I may not be scarred like you but I have my war wounds. That little bump, it was from a shiv in the gut in my teens" Tai sighed as Serana got off him and lay down beside him.
"I'm sorry" she mumbled. Tai nodded but said nothing.
The two lay there quietly, their breathing steady, Tai's heart somewhat quick, Serana's thoughts racing.
"You're a tease you know that right?" Tai spoke in his usual quick voice, Serana laughed.
At the castle Serana and moved around the corner from the castle, instead of across the bridge they went through the ice around the castle to a hidden bay. Serana smiled as they crept past the skeletons' to a cobwebbed door. Tai forced his shoulder against it, pushing it open with a crack.
Inside was dark, covered in even more cobwebs than the door had been. Serana nodded sadly as she begun to walk, eyes on a Skeever. Tai stared at the giant rat like creature, the size a medium dog with terribly sharp teeth carrying debilitating diseases to warriors like himself.
Serana's eyes narrowed and her nose twitched as her dagger pierced the Skeever's heart suddenly. Tai flinched with the shock of her speed, her bloodlust. It was then Tai realised her face had hollowed out a bit more. Obviously she hadn't eaten, and her rage was beginning to leak.
"Did you spend much time here?" Tai asked quietly. Serana flicked her eyes to the three Death hounds patrolling.
Tai grinned, grabbing the bow he had brought this time. With arrow levelled Tai allowed the possession to claim him, the cold slow heartbeats of an archer that made the world seem to slow. The first arrow fired, through the hound's eye. The second arrow drawn faster than Serana believed possible was released; it hit the second hound in the chest. A third arrow pierced the third hound's side. A forth took the hound's eye.
"Impressive" Serana mumbled. Tai grinned.
"So about my question…"
"Yes. I did explore here a fair bit; there weren't any creatures down here then. I guess a little vampire girl was enough to scare even the rats away" Serana was sad. Tai sighed sympathetically.
"It sounds like you didn't have much of a childhood"
"I wasn't a slave" Serana replied looking into Tai's soft eyes. He lowered his brow slightly with his lopsided, somewhat pursed lipped grin.
"Still. It must have been lonely"
"It was" Serana's eyes travelled to Tai's neck for a second. He raised his brow as Serana clamped her eyes shut, the obvious disgrace shining in her face.
"Hungry?" Tai asked quietly, Serana nodded.
"Yeah" her voice was barley a whisper. Tai nodded.
"How much blood do you need?" Tai was painfully aware of how awkward his offer was for Serana as she shook her head.
"Too much" her answer was sad as she walked ahead softly.
"I could go ahead if you want" Tai tried to be comforting, instead he nearly sent Serana into tears.
"I don't know if I would tear your throat out or not. I don't want to risk that… I… care about you too much" Serana was hesitant. Tai was his usual dumb self as he nodded.
They crept slowly, until they came to a closed gate. Serana's eyes betrayed her as they flicked to the floor above, Tai leapt. Hands clasping around the crumbling rail with a louder grunt than Tai should have made. Despite his courage and tolerance his shoulder was hurting, the illness creeping in from his infected shoulder that he refused to allow anyone to look at, especially Serana.
"Tai are you alright?" Serana whispered. Tai flashed her a quirky smile as he pulled on a lever, only to yelp and grab his shoulder. His knees hit the floor as he continued to groan, cradling his shoulder with his eyes opening before been clenched shut quickly; pain was obvious in his face.
Tai raised his eyes nervously as he heard a manic chuckling. Feminine, he assumed high elf. The scrawny poorly conditioned vampire growled and ran at him, teeth flashing as it chanted.
"Blood blood blood" Then cackled like witch, a completely deranged, crazy, ancient witch.
"You will not touch him" Serana hissed, suddenly standing over Tai like a hound over a bone.
The blood starved vampires stared at each other, Serana clearly in better shape but the high elf with the killer instinct.
The two women circled each other, eyes never leaving the others. Closer together they stalked, the circles shrinking slowly. Tai rolled out the way, his eyes wide as the two hissed; there was a sudden change in Serana that scared Tai. She was no longer Serana, the kindly vampire woman with the melodic voice and strong sense of right. She was Lady Serana, the cold vampire lord desperate to reap her revenge on any foolish enough to cross her.
The sudden darkness in Serana made her opponent falter; Serana however did not take the opening. Instead she smiled; the savage side of her was emerging as the feral vampire leapt for her. Serana simply slapped the vampire aside like she was a feather weight, even Tai knew he would have had trouble with this. The Feral vampire was also shocked as Serana again didn't attack, instead allowed the same red magic Tai had seen on her father surround her hands. The Feral vampire hissed as Serana smiled again, a different smile promising pain.
The vampire leapt again, by now Serana was bored as she caught the vampire around the neck. She simply drove her fist into the vampires face, the sickening crack of the skull smashing rung through the air. Tai looked away gagging from the bloody mess.
Serana kicked the lever simply, it broke open. The gate rose as Serana pulled Tai to his feet.
Tai walked ahead nervously, he could feel Serana's eyes burning into the back of his neck. Walking out onto a cross of bridges, one was raised. He heard Serana groan in irritation.
"Take a left up here, my father had a double security put in"
Tai took the left, wading through the old bones allowing Serana to kill the hounds, he started noticing webs. The webs thickened as they ducked into a small chamber leading into a lair. Tai strode towards the lever, bulking himself up to earn himself face. What happened next to Tai could only be described as a nightmare.
Tai screamed as the giant spider landed over him, fangs snapping as Tai desperately struggled to hold it away, first with his shoulder then his legs; his hands were not steel covered this time so he used his feet with his tough leather boots. Tai was holding his legs in the splits as the spider snapped for him, both making screaming noises.
"Get the lever!" Tai strained as Serana stood paralysed.
She sprinted to obey, feet making loud slapping noises as the spider begun to ease off Tai in its sudden interest in Serana. Tai strained, his back covered in web from the completely submerged chamber floor as he suddenly tried to keep the spiders attention. His legs shook with the effort of keeping the spider straining against him, the curve of its fangs preventing it stepping back into the struggling Serana. With a groan she threw her entire body against the lever, rolling head over heels as it suddenly yielded to her weight.
"Get out of here" Tai yelled as his foot slipped slightly, the spider's venom dripping maliciously from its ugly fangs. Tai contemplated fleeing for a second, but then Serana's foot caught on an old skeleton causing her to hit the web with a loud crack as another skeleton shattered beneath her.
Tai shoved his feet harder into the spider, causing it to stumble back slightly, dragging Tai along the web that was now stuck in his hair. He stared at Serana who struggled to her feet, webs also through her beautiful locks. Tai couldn't help but feel irritated as she lingered for a moment, staring at him.
"Go!" His voice echoed, Serana leapt through the archway but turned to see Tai and the spider still in the strange lock.
With a firm set jaw Serana summoned the electric magic around her left hand, thrusting it forwards she fired it into the spider. It rewarded her with the screaming noise, but what she hadn't counted on was Tai's scream. She yelped as she saw electricity jolt briefly through him too. She ran quickly, picking up Tai's sword along the way. With a desperate scream Serana leapt upon reaching Tai's head, the blade was driven between the spiders fangs. It fell backwards as her elbow fell straight into Tai's groin. Tai groaned as Serana fell forwards, towards the twitching spider. Tai somehow gripped her ankle and pulled her back, saving her certain crushing from the spider's body.
"I said get out" Tai scolded tugging his sword free from the spider with a disgusted expression, his other hand guarding his privates from anymore punishment. Serana just smiled at him with a little shrug.
"I don't do what I'm told"
Tai sighed as they scrambled to their feet, muttering curses about the disgusting web. Serana smiled at Tai again, he however glared.
"Look out!"
He tore her into a bear hug before spinning; the spider's last attempt to bite hitting Tai's broad back as he cradled Serana. It seemed he did this often, Tai made note of how many times he had saved Serana's life and how many times she had saved his. So far he was winning or so he thought.
"Are you ok? If you're bitten I can drain it possibly" Serana was petrified, Tai stared at her.
"Wouldn't that hurt you?" Tai asked with a roll of his shoulder.
"Not as much as frostbite venom will hurt you" Serana whispered, Tai shook his head.
"I'm fine" he smiled as Serana lead the way.
Upon ducking he groaned, touching his ribs briefly and feeling the stickiness surrounding a slight pain. He had been bitten.