By mutual consent, we returned to Fort Dawnguard in the hopes that Dexion would have recovered enough to read another scroll. It had been weeks. I believed that Valerica had told the truth about the prophecy, but also felt that a full and comprehensive discussion was a good idea.

We found Dexion seated in the dining hall and he turned his head toward me when I called out to him, revealing that his eyes were covered by a bandage of cloth.

He smiled warmly, despite my soft gasp of dismay, "Ah, Lasirah. I trust your journey was successful?"

"Uhm, yes. We finally have both of the Elder Scrolls we need..." I trailed off knowing, even without his next words, that there was no hope of him doing another reading.

His expression fell, "I'm sorry, my friend. I can no longer be of use in this matter. As you can see, I have been, unfortunately, blinded by my reading of the first scroll."

"Did something go wrong?" I asked softly, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I thought that you had trained extensively to protect yourself from this fate."

He sighed and sagged sadly under my hand, "To a degree, yes, but the answer isn't really so simple. The truth is, going blind is the inevitable fate we suffer when reading the Elder Scrolls too often. It's the price we consent to pay when dedicating our lives to the knowledge that the Elder Scrolls can impart. The training does offer us some protection, and I was indeed trained extensively. Blindness generally doesn't occur until a Moth Priest is in his latter years. But in my excitement to read the first scroll, I neglected the careful preparation required. I thought I'd be able to allay the after-effects, but I was wrong. Now I'm paying for it."

"Can anything be done to help you?" Serana asked. "I don't know any recovery spells, but I'm sure we can get an alchemist or a mage skilled in Restoration to come here."

Dexion aimed a gentle, sad smile in her direction, "I'm afraid not, my dear. Deciphering one of the Elder Scrolls is nothing like reading a simple book. There's quite a bit of ritual and concentration required. It can take months or even years to complete a single scroll and likewise, months and years to recover. That is the cost, and unfortunately, there's always the chance that I may never recover."

"We will continue to take care of him," Isran's voice came from behind me; gruff as usual, but not unkind. "At any time that he would like to return to his order and receive care there, we will arrange it for him. He paid a big price to help us; it's only right that we do what we can for him."

"Thank you," Dexion aimed a smile in Isran's direction. "For now, your care and consideration are enough."

"In the meantime, we've got a problem that can't wait for Dexion's recovery," I said. "What we've learned while getting the scroll only confirmed the dangers to the people of Skyrim, if not all of Nirn. The Volkihar vampires are also actively hunting for Dawnguard members, and likely for Serana too. We have to read the second scroll to know the prophecy."

"I may still be able to help you with that," the Moth Priest reassured me. "There is another way, if you are willing to take on the risks yourself to find Auriel's Bow."

I froze and swallowed, envisioning the world going permanently dark for me... of being blinded for life. Taking a deep breath, I forged some steel into my spine. Even if I went blind, I could still give the Dawnguard the knowledge to retrieve the bow. "What do I need to do?"

"I can't guarantee you'd be free from harm. Becoming blind could be the least of your worries;" the priest warned me.

"I know," I said grimly, suppressing a shudder, thinking back to Septimus. "I appreciate the warning. But tell me anyway."

He nodded and seemed to reach deep into his memories. "Scattered across Tamriel are secluded locations known only as Ancestor Glades. There's one in Skyrim, in the pine forest. Performing the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth within the glade should provide the answers you seek."

I handed my map to Serana to locate the glade while I grabbed a quill, some parchment, and prepared to take notes. "Okay, tell me about this ritual."

I spent a few hours taking notes, asking questions, and confirming details. Serana finished perusing my map long before I was finished writing. She paused our discussion long enough to ask both of us if we'd like some food before leaving us to it.

She returned, with Isran helping to carry some of it, as I finished questioning him about what was necessary.

Looking back over my notes, I decided to ask a question that was half curiosity, half making sure I understood the point of the whole thing. "How is a moth related to the Elder Scrolls?"

Dexion spread his hands, "Well, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, it's no mere coincidence that we're named 'Moth Priests.' The voice of the Ancestor Moth has always been an integral part of reading the Elder Scrolls."

I blinked, feeling kind of dumb for not getting whatever weird metaphor he was making, and feeling like he was kind of dumb for... well... "Uh, Dexion... Moths barely make a sound. Am I supposed to believe that a moth can speak… let alone freaking read?"

The Moth Priest's laughter was gently amused, "Oh, no. The moths don't literally read the scrolls... but they do maintain a connection to ancient magic that allows the Moth Priests to decipher them. If you listen closely when you find the glade, you should be able to hear their song... a soft, harmonious trilling."

"Ancient magical moth music huh?" I asked, sharing a glance with Serana, who shrugged with as much puzzlement as I felt. "Say that five times fast." The small grin on Dexion's face showed that the man still had a sense of humor about things. "Well, I've seen and heard of stranger things. Okay, so they make a kind of magic trilling noise. I'm not exactly learned in forms of magic, so I gotta ask… How does that help the Moth Priest?"

"Tell me, what condition was Serana in when you found her?" he asked instead.

Caught a little flat-footed by the non-sequitur, I hesitated before saying. "Oh, I guess the story has gotten around the Dawnguard, huh? Well to answer your question, she was… in good condition. Really good." I glanced at Serana, then said, "The Elder Scroll kept her from needing to feed during all those millennia underground."

"Precisely!" Dexion approved, pointing at me to emphasize the point. "Certain magics are capable of causing side effects to the world around them, even if they're not directed at them. The Elder Scroll protected Serana from the ravages of time, because it's a timeless artifact of immense magical power. The Ancestor Moths are the same, though on a somewhat less intense scale. By performing the ritual and having the Ancestor Moth close to the Moth Priest, they can utilize the conduit formed by their trilling and share the moth's ancient magics. It is believed that only the most resilient of priests can do it this way though... it takes years of practice to interpret the harmony."

My heart fell. "Oh… well I'm certainly no Moth Priest." I half mumbled, unhappily. "How could I even stand a chance?"

The moth priest groped in my direction, found my arm, and slid his hands down until he could pat my hand. "My dear, don't be so forlorn. You've come this far, and you've found two Elder Scrolls. Believe it or not, the scrolls have a mind of their own. If they didn't want you to find them, they wouldn't allow it." He leaned forward earnestly, "Because of this, I strongly believe you were meant to hear the ancestral chorus. There's only one way to find out."

"Okay, well, thanks, Dexion. I guess we should eat." I smiled as the old man startled slightly and reached forward to find the wooden plate that Serana had snuck in while he had been absorbed in our conversation.

We all ate, keeping our conversation on lighter topics before we headed off to sleep for the night.

The next morning, we loaded up a pack horse to help us carry the three huge tubes, and the rest of our supplies. Once again, we were setting off into the wilderness.