A/N: Sorry for the delay. To make it up to you, I have trhee chapters for today. I hope you will enjoy them. Thank you for the Reviews and the Alerts.

Chapter 12:

After about half an hour, Aurora could see that they were approaching a ruin. Obviously, the buildings weren't built by human hands. The perfectly smooth surface of the still standing stone bows was like nothing Aurora had ever seen.
As she stood next to a large pillar, she held out her hand and placed it on the stone. It was even smoother than she had expected. She barely could feel the gaps between the large stones that rose into the high.

"Concentrate", she heard Marcus.

He began to walk down a flight of stairs that wound themselves around a large column into the ground. After about twenty steps they stood in front of a door that set into the stone as smoothly as the rest of the ruin.

When Marcus drew his dagger from its sheath on his belt and slowly pushed the door open, Aurora took her new sword from its spot on her back and followed him into the ruins.

The underground part of the ancient elves building was much better preserved than the buildings on the surface. With amazement she saw how Marcus was moving like a shadow through the darkness. She had trouble following him with her eyes. Apparently he was a master at sneaking.

She felt the first vampire before she saw it. But even before she could react and attack him, Marcus had left her side and sneaked up to the vampire. With bare hands he ripped its head from its body. Shuddering Aurora watched as he slowly laid the dead body to the ground to cause no noise.
Marcus was more dangerous than she had thought. She made a mental note to never upset him.

The next two vampires, they found in a large hall. On the ceiling huge chandeliers hang, illuminated with soul gems. The cold, bluish light let the hall appear in partial shadow.
In the moment Aurora had used to look around, Marcus already had killed the two vampires. In the chest of the first a large ice spike pocketed from his chest and the second had a slashed throat.

"Watch me, and learn," Marcus warned her.

After two more halls, that were empty except for a few skeevers, they were now on the second level of the complex. A narrow staircase had brought them down.

The rooms in this plane were all kept much smaller than the large halls above.

"Come on, lead the way," Marcus said, nodding in the direction in which the passage in the darkness disappeared.

Aurora griped the hilt of her sword in her right hand and slowly began to sneak down the aisle. She felt Marcus a few meters behind and resisted the urge to turn around and see if he followed.
She had never thought of herself as anxious, but the uncanny ruthlessness and efficiency Marcus had killed with, had intimidated her. She was sure that Marcus didn't trained her to help her, but that he pursued his own goals.

She arrived in another room. A small altar was set up in the middle. A bloody corpse was laying on top of it.
Aurora quickly looked around and discovered the first vampire sitting on a broken column. She drew her dagger from its sheath on the thigh and threw it with all her force in the vampire's direction.

She could higher hoe it flew, and finally how the blade lowered itself into the chest of the target. With a loud thud the body hit to the ground behind the pillar.
Only a moment later the second vampire jumped from a balcony above her. The sword, she still held in her hand, was snatched from her, and fell to the ground.
She could take a brief look into the face of her attacker before he attacked her with a mighty swing of arms.

His face was a mask of madness. Aurora didn't know what had driven him crazy, but if she had to guess it was the thirst.

She deftly dodged away from his arms and drew her malachite blade. With a smooth rotation and a targeted stab the sword dodged the attack and stabbed the other vampire in the chest. Her opponent staggered backwards, this moment of vulnerability using, she slit his throat with her sword. With a gurgling noise he collapsed and remained dead on the floor.

"Not bad," Marcus said, smiling at her, "We should go back to the city. Any questions you have, you can ask on the way back."

The fresh air outside the ruins was wonderful. Meanwhile, the clouds were torn open and the stars shone brightly down from the sky. Aurora felt a pang of homesickness flashes through her. But she had to smile at the sight of the stars. They would stay the same forever.
Still the idea to see the same stars as a little kid from Whiterun was a good feeling.

The way back was quiet at first, but Marcus finally broke the silence.

"You must have questions. Come on, don't hold back."

After a moment, Aurora replied.

"Tell me more about the magic I can use as a vampire."

"Vampires have a natural talent for destruction magic, especially the cold part of this school. You will notice that it is significantly easier for you to perform an ice spell than a fire spell. There is also the one spell that only vampires can master. It is the easiest one to use as a vampire. It absorbs the life energy of your target. Many vampires don't need to learn it, but can use it instinctively. "

He paused and looked at her. Aurora nodded quickly, she wanted to hear what else he had t say.

"But as good a vampire is in the magical school of Destruction, the lack in the ability in using the school of Restoration is noticeable. I do not know if you've already tried, but you will need significantly more magica to use restoration magic as before your turning."

Aurora memorized all the information, her mind raced. All Marcus had sad to her, was new. Eventually, it could save her life.

"Do you have any questions? You may ask, what is not clear to you," he asked her.

She began to think again. The night in Falkreath popped in her mind, what she had felt when she was with the young Nord.

"What about ..." she paused and felt herself blushing. "… the seductive powers of a vampire?" She finally asked.

Marcus smiled.
"You probably have noticed what effect you have on other people, as long as they don't know what you are. Have you ever slept with someone since you're a vampire?" Marcus asked.

Aurora felt her face redden even more as more memories of Falkreath flashed through her mind.

Again, Marcus had to suppress a slight grin.

"You'll get used to it. It is part of who we are, of what you are. I'm frankly surprised, that you were able to control yourself that long. You have probably noticed that the drinking of blood is a strongly connected with emotionally events. If you are in combat and the adrenaline is flowing through your body your desire to feed is just as great as if you are intimate with someone. You only have to take care that you don't get be discovered. In combat, it is simple, the victims are definitely dead, but if you sleep with someone and you bite he or she, then that will have consequences. You have to be sure to have your thirst under control or are ready to kill that person. "

Another question scored through Aurora head.

"What happens when a vampire drinks the blood of another vampire?"

Marcus smiled again.

"This is probably the most important question you will ask today. First of all, nothing. But if you kill the vampire with it, then you take a part of its power, provided he is more powerful than you," Marcus ended his explanation.

Aurora needed some time to process to all this information.

A/N: As allways, you are more than welcome to review. If you like the story just leve a review so I know. :)