An unearthly howl cleaved the air in twain as another shadowy dog-like creature collapsed to the floor, the hawk fletching of my arrow shining eerily in the faint green light. It twitched feebly, grunting and squealing like a hog before going still.
"Maro? What is it?" A burly Imperial turned a corner to stare at us with empty, glassy eyes. "Who are you? Is that Maro? Did master kill Maro?" He stood pigeon-toed, and his fingers roamed absently across his lips like a small child.
"Val, prepare yourself. That's a thrall," I hissed.
"What! He's little more than an overgrown child! I can't kill someone like that!"
"You're not with master are you? You...you killed Maro! Why? Why did you kill my puppy!" The Imperial didn't wait for an answer. With a snarl, he drew a dagger and ran at us, slashing wildly. Valindor backpedaled and tripped over the fallen dog. His staff swung wide as he recovered, but it met only air. My arrow protruded from the man's chest and he slid down a stone column. "Where am I?" were his last words as he looked about in hazy confusion.
We stood over him, and I sighed, regret and disappointment chilling my heart. "Do you see what I meant earlier? We're doing these people a kindness. Their minds are scrambled and ruined. Can you imagine living the rest of your life, completely lost once your 'master' was dead? Like a child wandering through the darkness looking for a parent that's never there." My voice wavered a little and I took a deep breath. I had been thinking of the days of wandering after I'd lost my father. I may have been six score years of age, but that didn't make the pain any less significant. In fact, it made it worse.
"I just wish we could wake them up."
"If you think of a way, let me know."
A loud, rushing creek separated the entrance of the cavern from the massive, circular terraced fortress. Its walls were dotted with brightly burning braziers and winged-Imga statues. A figure patrolled the wall in an endless cycle around the top of the central courtyard.
"Pretend you're hunting a deer," I whispered to my friend as he took aim. The guard tumbled over the edge and Valindor released a breath he'd been holding.
"That wasn't as bad as being up close."
I shook my head. "It never is."
Slowly, we crept into the courtyard, keeping as close to the wall as possible. In the center, an insufferably hot fire blazed large enough to seem right at home in a giant camp. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck in a distracting tickle that I fought to slap away. On the far side of the courtyard spun a tight spiral stair that ascended to the next level. This, too, was well lit. Can't vampires see in the dark? Why do they need so much light? I thought.
I carefully lifted one of the torches off the wall and doused it as silently as I could. The stair was plunged into a darkness broken by the soft wavering glow of something up above. Its blue light warbled nauseatingly against the walls, and I suddenly felt as if I was sitting on the sea again. I felt with my hands the way to the top of the steps, creeping like a spider toward something trapped in its web.
I peered over the top step, laying flat against the cold stone. Val's hand gripped my calf as he squeezed beside me and I shivered not unpleasantly. Before me lay an open expanse flanked by a narrow stair leading to the upper levels. Several vampires milled about, the insignia of Serana's house flashing against their somber tunics. By the stairs was a strange device made of stones hooked into a clawlike shape, around which a whirlwind of magic was swirling. It looked like a magical version of a bird cage.
"How long do we have to keep this priest here? They're going to find us soon."
"Not long, sister. And I doubt they'll track us to this cave."
"Doubt! You left a trail a mile wide with signs practically pointing to this place!"
"And whose responsibility was it to cover our tracks?" They both looked to a body nailed to a lid of a coffin. Its hands and feet were splayed in a star shape, though the head hung limply.
Everything was silent except for the deep thrum of the cage. I began to unhook my bow as a vampire passed in front of me, when my nose started to itch. Not now. Please not now. I wriggled it, held my breath, turned to rub it on my sleeve, but to no avail. The sneeze burst forth, though I contained it to a tiny hiccough. However, the sound was enough for the vampire to hear, and her head whipped viciously toward us.
With a hiss she advanced cautiously. "Who has turned out the lights? My what a silly creature to do that. I can see your blood..." Though she was close, she looked in the wrong direction.
Using that inaccuracy, I leapt up the stair, drawing my sword in the same motion. She looked at me, eyes burning with surprise and hatred, her own axe raising in a counter. My sword swept across her neck as the magicka of our prepared spells clashed in proximity to each other. It was a clean slice and her head rolled through the air to the courtyard below.
Hearing their comrade's body tumble to the floor, the two remaining vampires turned and launched shadowy spells at us. I could feel their malicious intent as I dodged them, for they were made to rend and tear at flesh. Valindor fired arrows at them, striking them in the shoulders and sides, slowing them down only a little. I advanced and met the nearest one with a swipe that was deftly parried. As I was blocking the incoming swing of his mace, I felt something rip across my back and I bit my tongue to keep from crying out.
The Bosmer's bow sang shrilly as arrows impaled my opponent's body, but still, he fought. A feeling of tiredness began to cloud my judgement and my strikes went wild more often than they hit. Why was I suddenly so very tired? With luck, I managed to pin my foe upon my blade, but found I hadn't the strength to remove it from his body. I turned to see the second vampire advancing, his arm outstretched as blood from the wound on my back flowed into his palm. With a savage flick, he opened another wound that left me gasping on the cold stone floor. He grinned bloodily as he directed the fluid into his mouth, lapping it out of the air like a snake tasting a scent.
Revolted, I managed to get to my feet and glare at him icily. That was all I could manage to do, but it was enough to make his expression falter for a moment. Val's arrow whizzed by my ear to sink into his eye, leaving him moaning and grasping at the shaft in horror. The spell ceased, and I used my remaining strength to yank my sword from the other vampire. With savage satisfaction, I pushed the blade into the thing's gut, watching him writhe like a bug under a pin.
"Help me with these bodies," I said to Valindor, who looked at me appalled. "I want to burn them." He nodded and we hefted the dead vampires down the steps, finding them strangely light weight for their size. They were thrown onto the blaze, where they swiftly crumbled into grayish dust--as if their bodies had been made from it. That accomplished, we stood before the cage and attempted to peer into its refracted depths.
"Who are you? What do you want?" cried a distorted voice from inside the barrier. I could just make out the wobbling shape of a man donned in a gray habit like a priest or monk. His beard grew overlong, and I was reminded of the Graybeards on their tall mountain.
"We're here to bring you back to the Dawnguard," I said, reaching out to touch the swirling shape, entranced by the movement.
"Don't!" Valindor made a grab for my hand, but it sank into the magic before he could knock it away. Power thrummed up my arm. The limb shook violently, my shoulder popping loudly in the socket until I couldn't stand the pain shooting through my body like a fire. With a blast, I was thrown to the floor, my arm tingling and twitching from the shoulder down.
"No, no, you fool! The key! Get the key!"
"What key?" I asked blurrily.
Inside the bubble, the man huffed in exasperation. "The key to the weystone altar! It...it looks like an egg. There! Over there! By the coffins." His finger broke and reformed into endless fragments as he pointed toward the crucified vampire. At its feet lay a glowing egg-shaped stone that felt strangely warm as I picked it up.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Up those stairs is a pedestal with a slot for the stone."
Nodding, I found the pedestal with relative ease and pushed the weystone into place. The barrier dissolved like water running down a drain, then the runed obelisks slowly sank into the floor. An elderly man fell to his knees and clutched at his chest.
"Are you all right?" Val asked, supporting him on his shoulder.
"I'll be fine. I feel...lighter. Younger than I have in days. What happened to me?" It was then I noticed the priest's habit was coated in old blood.
