When the crowd finally dispersed, leaving Serana and I alone, she spoke. "Do you have a moment to talk?"

I sat on one of the cots, contemplating a nap. "What's on your mind?"

"That Moth Priest said we needed two other scrolls, right?" I nodded. "I think I know where we can start looking."

Not really wanting to admit it, I scratched my neck and said, "I know of the other one, regarding the dragons."

She blinked at me. "You have an Elder Scroll? Where is it?"

I blew out a breath. "It may or not be in my house in Whiterun."

Now she stared at me, at a loss for words. "Why... is there an Elder Scroll in your house in Whiterun?"

I raised my hands in a placating gesture. "It's a long story." I paused, and amended, "A really long story, and I'll tell you one the way. But what about your scroll?"

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she said, "We need to find my mother, Valerica. She'll know where it is, and if we're lucky, she'll even have it herself."

"I thought you said you didn't know where she was," I said, frowning. "Back in the crypt."

"Before she locked me in the crypt, she said that she'd go somewhere safe. Somewhere my father would never look. Other than that, she wouldn't tell me anything." She paused, her eyebrows knitting together. "The way she said it, 'someplace he'd never search.' It was cryptic, but she called attention to it."

I shrugged. "Sounds like she was trying to hint something to you."

"Any ideas?"

I chewed on the inside of my lip, thinking. "I doubt she'd be hiding with the Dawnguard. Sealed away with you?"

Serana shook her head. "I don't think so. She said she wanted to be awake in case things got better. One of us had to, and she was more powerful than me, so she was the one that stayed awake."

My eyes widened as I thought of something. "What about Castle Volkihar? Was there anywhere your father didn't go?"

She looked surprised. "That almost makes sense." She ignored my offended glare and continued. "I used to help her tend a garden in the courtyard. All our potions ingredients came from there. My father could never stand it. She said he thought it was too peaceful."

I whistled lowly. "That's pretty risky."

"Absolutely," she agreed. "But my mother isn't a coward. We probably won't actually trip over her, but it's worth a look."

I made a "heh" noise. "They aren't going to let us through the front door."

"True, but I know a way we can get in without arousing any suspicion." I swear her eyes gleamed with how excited she was to maybe find her mother. "There's an unused inlet on the north side of the island. The previous owners used it to bring supplies into the castle. There's an old escape tunnel that leads right to it. That might be our way in."

I forced a grin, fighting the urge to whine when I realized I wouldn't be able to sleep before we left. "Let's go, then." I rose, and followed her out of the fort.

From Riften, we took a carriage to Whiterun. The sun was out when we got there, but Serana kept her hood up and since I was the Thane of Whiterun, none of the guards glanced at her twice. I led her to Breezehome and shut the door behind us. "Lydia!" I yelled. "You here?"

There wasn't an answer, which suited me. "My housecarl isn't home," I told Serana, answering her questioning glance. "She's probably mooning after one of the Companions. The guards will tell her I'm back before too long, so be ready for that."

"Do you think she'll try to kill me?" Serana asked, voice thick with sarcasm and tinged with actual concern.

I snorted. "Not likely. My being a werewolf hasn't seemed to concern her. She's actually had to bail my ass out of trouble the few times I've changed when one of the moons was full in the middle of the city. If she gives you any trouble, let me know and I'll have a talk with her."

I sat on one of the chairs heavily, my breath rushing out in a grunt. Serana glanced at me, and her mouth twisted down. "You dozed all the way from Riften. We should have stayed long enough for you to get some rest."

She was dead right, but I wasn't going to tell her that. "Nah," I said with a grin, waving my hand dismissively. "Werewolves don't need to sleep like humans." That was a damn lie, and the recent injury wasn't helping matters.

She glared at me. "I may be a vampire, but I have done some reading on werewolves. You actually need to sleep more than humans, and you definitely haven't been."

"Reading on werewolves?" I quirked an eyebrow. "And how much of that was in the last week and a half?"

"A fair amount since you nearly died from that silver blade," she retorted. "You need to get some sleep."

I glanced up at the ceiling. "And leave Lydia to try and kill you while I'm in Vaermina's grasp? I'd rather not."

That answer didn't seem to make her happy. I suddenly found myself being pulled by the arm, by a woman at least three inches shorter than me, up the stairs. "Wow, I never thought I'd meet anyone so desperate to get me into bed," I said, voice flat.

Serana glanced at me, still annoyed, and I followed quietly. When we got to the room, she pushed me toward the bed and I flopped down. "But mo-ther," I whined, even going so far as to kick my feet childishly. "I don't want to go to bed."

She sat in the chair by the corner, book in hand, and tucked her leg up to read. "Go to sleep," she snapped, and studiously ignored me.

I laughed, threw my armor and boots in a pile by the closet, and curled up under the blankets. I fell asleep almost as soon as I relaxed.