Serana was quiet, almost brooding, until we got to the courtyard. The door opened, and she let out a quiet gasp. "Oh no..."

She stepped further in, letting me shift by, and my eyes widened. What had clearly once been a paradise was now broken, overgrown, and ugly."What happened here?"

Normally near-silent footsteps seemed to echo throughout the garden as we walked around, surveying the damage. A large sun-dial-looking contraption stood in the very center. She pointed up a series of steps that led to a large door blocked off by stone that was also rather large. "This used to be the way into the great hall. It looks like my father had it sealed up."

Her tone became wistful as her hand brushed a now-dead plant that I couldn't identify. "I used to walk through here after evening meals. It was beautiful, once. It..." She paused as her voice threatened to break. "Do you know how beautiful something can be when it's tended by a master for centuries? She would have hated to see it like this..."

I stepped to the side as she continued her walk, but she halted a moment later, frowning. "Look at the moondial. Some of the crests are missing, and the dial is turned. I didn't even know the crests could be removed."

I stepped forward to examine it. It was indeed missing a half-moon, crescent-moon, and full-moon crests. "Maybe she's trying to tell us something? What was so special about it?"

"Well, as far as I'm aware, it's the only one in existence. Heh," she said, a slight smile on her face. "It was left from the previous owners as a sundial. She persuaded an elven artisan to make some improvements. The plates show both moons, Masser and Secunda."

I blinked. That would be exceedingly helpful for me except... "Does it even work?"

She shook her head quickly. "That's the thing, what's the point of a moon-dial? But she never ripped it out. I'd guess it was like having a piece of art, if you were a fan of that."

Glimmering moonstone and ebony had caught my eye while investigating, but I had figured that looting her mother's sanctuary might have been in poor taste and left it alone. Now I retraced my steps and fished them out of the weeds and rubble. My arms full, I trotted back to Serana.

"I found them," I told her, grinning.

She placed the crests back where they went, and we both jumped back as the sundial reshaped itself to reveal steps underneath. "What is with vampires and floors that drop to make stairs?" I groused, having been startled by the suddenly moving ground.

Serana rolled her eyes. "You have to admit it's clever." She stepped down toward the entrance. "I've never been in these tunnels before, but they look like they run under the courtyard and into the tower."

I shrugged. "At least we're getting closer. Let's go."

A hand on my arm stopped me before I got to close, and my head turned to see Serana's eyes glowing in the darkness. "Be careful. I haven't been to this part of the castle before, and I don't know what might be in there."

I laughed. "Nothing I can't handle."

A lever made the "door" in front of us slide to the side. It looked like it was a hidden wall, and it led to a kitchen that had been drenched in blood. "Was she trying to paint?" I asked, trying not to breathe too deeply.

I got an annoyed glance, but no response, which was just as well because a group of skeletons sitting at the table suddenly rose and advanced on us. To make matters worse, three gargoyles erupted from the stone and growled menacingly. We dispatched them, but not easily.

I roared and threw my bow against the ground. "Damn it, I can't fight like this. One of us is going to get hurt and we can't deal with that right now."

"What if you changed?" she asked, almost hesitantly. "I'll carry your bag, and you can fight."

"Maybe..." I shook my head with a grunt. "She seems like she likes you anyway. It's worth a try."

I set my armor and such aside, and reached to my beast-blood again. The change was even easier this time, helped by the state of the moon and my beast's willingness to fight. I rather hoped she was equally willing to back off again too, when I needed to be human again. It was over fast, and I rose to my full height with a low growl.

Serana picked up my bag and met my gaze levelly. "Let's go." I nodded once, and followed after.

The next gargoyle we met was easy. The next group of skeletons we met were pitiful. I ripped through stone skin like it was paper, and shattered bones scattered throughout the rooms. Serana handled traps and pull-chains, and we made it to a room that looked much less decrepit in no time.

I shifted back. My wolf, pleased with the excursion, allowed me to push her away, until I could once again speak in more than just growls. I rolled my shoulders, grinning happily. "That was fun."

She raised an eyebrow, but smiled, amused. "You definitely seemed like you were enjoying yourself." Her attention turned toward the rather large room. An alchemy table, books, and supplies were scattered throughout the higher portion, while steps led down to a ring of shattered stone set in the floor below.

"Look at this place," she said, awed. "This has to be it. I knew she was deep in to necromancy, she taught me everything I know, but I had no idea she had something like this. She must have spent years collecting these components." She looked down at the ring. "What's this thing?"

"It's got to be something," I told her.

She started looking through the bookshelves. "There has to be something here that tells us where she's gone."

I searched through a nearby bookshelf, and found a book with no name on it. Only a strange sigil. I brought it to her. "Is this what you're looking for?"

She snatched it from me, eagerly flipping through the notes. "This... it talks about the Soul Cairn. Strange."

"What's a Soul Cairn?"

"I only know what she told me." She turned another page. "She had a theory about soul gems, that the souls inside don't just vanish when they're used. They end up in the Soul Cairn. She spent a lot of time trying to travel there herself."

"I wonder why..." I glanced at the circle. "If she made it there, we'll find her. Do you think that has anything to do with it?"

Serana settled on a page. "It's definitely a portal of some kind. This says there's a formula that should give us safe passage into the Soul Cairn."

"What do we need?"

"A handful of soul gem shards, finely ground bone-meal, a bowl of purified void salts, and... Damn it."

I moved to look over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"It says we need a sample of her blood." She slammed the book shut, scowling. "If we could get that, we wouldn't be trying to do this in the first place."

"You share her blood, don't you?" I was slightly worried about what that answer might be. I knew little of how the family had become vampire lords.

The impressed look I got assuaged the worry, but came with a flash of offense. "Not bad. I hope it's enough. Mistakes with necromancy like this can be... gruesome."

I rolled my eyes and went to look for the ingredients. While I wasn't a renowned alchemist, I knew what the ingredients looked like. I found them in bowls around the lab, and brought them to her. "Is this it?"

She nodded. "Let's try this. Put them in the bowl." I did, and she inhaled slowly. "Are you ready? I'm not sure what's going to happen when I add my blood."

"Can I ask you something first?" I blurted out.

"Of course." She set down the knife. "What is it?"

"What will you do if you find your mother?"

She hesitated, her eyebrows pulling together. "I've been asking myself that since we came back. She was so sure of what she did to her father, I couldn't help but go along with her." She sighed. "I never thought of the cost."

"That sounds selfish," I said harshly.

"She wasn't always..." Serana shook her head. "But I think you're right. She was practically smirking when we left, like she was proud of herself. Like it wasn't just stopping my father, but she was spiting him too."

That sounded exactly what it was, but I didn't say that. "We won't know until we find her."

She smiled slightly. "You're right. Thank you. Are we ready?"

"Let's go," I said, eyeing the portal with mistrust.

She cut her palm, and held it over the bowl to let the blood drip down. The portal erupted to life with purple flame, the stone forming a bridge to where we stood. "Ancestors' blood," she breathed, wide-eyed. "She actually did it, made a portal to the Soul Cairn. Incredible."

I stepped down toward the portal, but howled in pain when the fire ripped through me, and threw me back. I landed heavily, panting. "What in Oblivion was that?"

She winced. "That looked painful. I'm sorry, I should have expected that. The Soul Cairn is... hungry, for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment."

I shoved myself to my feet, glaring at the swirling purple. "So there's no way in."

"There is, but you won't like it." I glanced at her, and she didn't look happy. "Vampires aren't counted among the living. I could go through there with no problem."

"I'd need to become a vampire?" I really hoped she didn't mistake the dislike on my face for disgust. No problem with vampires, but I really didn't want to be one.

"Not your first choice, I know. There might be another way." She hesitated, and somehow I got the impression I'd like this idea even less. "We could just 'pay the toll' by giving it a soul. Yours."

I knew very little about enchanting, but... "Wouldn't that kill me?"

Serana smirked. "My mother taught me a trick or two. I could partially soul trap you, and offer the gem to the Ideal Masters. It might be enough to satisfy them." Her face fell back to reticent. "It would make you a bit weaker as we travel through the Soul Cairn, but we could probably fix that once we're inside. My mother would probably know."

"And those are my only options?"

"I'm sorry." She really did look like it. "I wish I knew a better way, something that would be easier. But, whatever path you choose, I won't think any less of you. Sometimes things just have to be done. I know that better than most people."

I folded my arms, staring at the stone of the platform the bowl stood upon. "How did you become a vampire?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

"That's... a long story."

My gaze turned toward her. "I want to hear it."

She blew out a breath. "We kind of have to go back a long way. Do you know where vampirism came from?"

"Molag Bal," I said, in a low growl. I wholeheartedly disliked that particular Prince.

"Right. And she wasn't a willing subject." I guessed as much. "But she was the first. Molag Bal is a powerful Daedric Prince, and his will is made reality. For those willing to subjugate themselves to him, he'll still bestow the gift, but they have to be already powerful to earn it."

My jaw clenched. "I'll not ask how you came to possess that 'gift', then. How did it affect your family?"

"Well, you've met most of us." She shrugged. "My father isn't exactly the most stable, and he drove my mother crazy with him. And I ended up being locked in a tomb for Oblivion knows how long. It's definitely been a bad thing, on the whole."

I frowned at her. "Would you ever consider finding a cure?"

I had asked her something similar before, and she told me that it was a gift. I hadn't argued, I felt the same way about being a werewolf. But what I was brought me nothing but joy. The thrill of the chase, and the exhilaration of a clean kill. All her "gift" had brought her was sadness, and pain. I didn't want that for her.

After a long pause, she looked at the Soul Cairn. "Well? What do you want me to do?"

"Soul trap me," I told her.

She readied the spell, but hesitated. "I know this is difficult for you. I hope you trust that I'd never do anything to hurt you."

I bowed my head. "I trust you completely. Go ahead."

The spell hit me, and ripped through me. It didn't touch my skin, my flesh, bone, or anything else. I felt a chill as I heard a pained howl, and when I could move, I staggered.

"Are you okay?" she asked, worried.

There was a sinking feeling in my gut that told me I wasn't, but I smiled at her all the same. "Well enough. Let's go."