“Enough of that!” A mage with a Godsway staff walked into the prison block of the excavation site. He slammed the end of his staff against the floor and every pawn collapsed in agony. “You found your poor pawn, I see,” he turned to Lena. “Well, you are too late! There is no cure for the Dragonsplague.”

“That isn’t actually true, Phaesus,” Lamond stepped forward.

“Nonsense!” Lord Phaesus scowled. “Yes, Dragonsplague can be passed on to another person, thus curing the original carrier… even such an advanced form as this one. But in all our trials, passing on infected blood killed the recipient, whether human or pawn.” He paused, looking at Lamond quizzically, then turned to Lena. “So if you wish to cure your pawn, all it takes is for you to take over his infection. All of it. All the dark blood in that patch. Trouble is, you will die before you are even half way… So go on. Both of you will be dead then.” He smirked with disdain. “And if you think you can force anyone else to take it on… Dragonsplague is a peculiar illness. It has to be passed on in its entirety, you cannot spread it between several subjects. We’ve tried. Your pawn has been exemplary… so very long lived. You’ve got a bond beyond the basics, I suspect that’s what sustains him. Perhaps he even has a piece of your soul…” Lord Phaesus paused, watching Lena who could not help flinching. “Ah… indeed. Well, no matter. He will die, and so will you.”

Lena’s first impulse was to kill him. It must have reflected on her face because Lord Phaesus quickly cast a shield around himself, he was an exceptional mage. Lena’s blood was boiling with rage and despair, her judgement was clouded… what to do? She ran out of the cavern… was Godsway affecting her too? How could it? She was no pawn… “Godsway affects the Arisen as well as the pawns,” she recalled Lamond’s words earlier. Why did he know so much about the matter? He never explained how he knew Lord Phaesus… Whose side was he on? Was there still a side to be taken? Or was everything really already lost..?

Lena shook her head – that wouldn’t do. The situation called for a cold, calculated response, not her usual hot-headed impulse.

“I know about it because I crossed paths with Phaesus before,” she heard Lamond’s voice behind her. “As did the oracle that you consulted. As did most other Arisen. He seeks us out, one way or the other… us or our pawns.”

“Is it true, what he said about the Dragonsplague?” Lena asked cautiously. She so wanted to trust Lamond… but she was also cooling off, with her judgement becoming guarded. “Is it true that all is really lost?”

“It is true what he said about needing to pass it on fully,” Lamond spoke slowly, watching Lena. “You can trust his research, he values knowledge above all else. It is also true that no mere mortal… not even an Arisen, and no pawn can take it all and not die before it’s done. The size of that patch… it’s beyond belief.” He stopped talking. Lena turned away.

She paced the pit of the excavation site, looked at the sun just visible behind the high cliffs… Was that the end that the Sphinx spoke of? “You will reach the end when you find the beginning,” she had said. “You will not reach the end until you collect all the strands.” Had she collected them all? She thought she did… the crystal ball was the oracle, the brother was Lamond, the sword of sorrow was her Godsbane, the grains of sand in the desert… She recalled the man blinded by his drive to provide what his loved ones did not want… “Take stock of what really counts…” Was she still going after her missing heart? Was that even important any longer? She felt emptiness and pain in her chest… It’s been so long since she felt a heartbeat… She used to press her ear to Scorpio’s chest and listen to his heart… Would one heart be enough for them both?

“The cold flames…” She suddenly realised that one strand was still missing. “If that’s what it takes… very well.”

She straightened her back, determination returning to her features. Lamond watched, nodded and smiled. “You’ve made up your mind, sis,” he came up behind her. “I’ll be watching your back.” Lena returned to the cavern.

…

The scene there was the same as before, it appeared that Lord Phaesus had been waiting for her, not expecting to be attacked. He still had his shield up, but otherwise seemed relaxed. Ambrosius looked nervous in his cell, especially since Lord Phaesus made no attempt to free him. The pawns were cowering with pain, unable to move. Scorpio was still lying on his cot, unconscious as before.

Lena took it all in as she entered and walked straight over to Scorpio, not even glancing at Phaesus. Lamond blocked the entrance to the hall. No one would go in or out.

With a flick of her dagger, Lena opened the wound in Scorpio’s side and dark, viscous liquid started oozing out. She knelt over it and drank.

…

“Have to drink it all…” she thought, watching the patch shrinking as she ingested more and more of the dark blood. “But that’s a lot… That indeed will kill me… unless…”

“I can help you, Dragonborn!” A voice spoke in her head. “Just say the word… You can have it all, and it will only make you stronger! Or die, like cattle…”

She hesitated. Was it indeed the only way?

“You can now transform at will,” a voice of a memory spoke. “Just think it… All you need is blood.”

She stood up. She had drunk perhaps half of what had to be drunk, but her head was spinning and she was loosing feeling in her legs… She saw Lord Phaesus watching her with interest, expecting her to collapse. She removed her lorica exposing her upper body… “Just think it…” She’d never done it before, not to that extent. “Transform…”

She felt warmth drain away from her, replaced by cold fever. Her fingertips started to tingle with a familiar feeling, growing long, rounded claws… her fangs re-emerged… her eyes, she had no doubt, turned red… and something else… something new… her skin pulled tight and hardened, like armour… there was a sharp pain in her back… and her feet no longer felt the ground…

She heard a gasp. She opened her eyes.

“What..?!” Lord Phaesus backed off, a flash of panic in his eyes. “How..?” He pointed his staff at her, ready to fire a spell…

It took but a moment. She leapt at him, her wings carried her high, away from Phaesus’s magic bolt. One swing, and she smashed his staff, the Godsway crystal cracking in two, Lamond crushing the rest into dust. Phaesus’ magic shield fizzled out and he backed against the wall. A higher vampire in its winged form was hovering over Phaesus, its cold breath forming icicles on the wall. “All you need is blood…” a memory kept pulsing in Lena’s mind – she was famished.

With the Godsway crystal destroyed, pawns started to regain consciousness, but seeing a vampire in its full glory, many backed off into the depths of their cells – it wasn’t really their fight, after all.

“Behold the cold flame,” Rook said to no one in particular. He shot a glance at Lamond who was still barring the exit, they exchanged nods and Rook unlocked Ambrosius’ cell. Ambrosius backed into the furtherst corner.

“Blood…” the thought kept pulsing in Lena’s mind. “All you need is blood…” Her senses led her to the one victim with pure, untainted human blood… Ambrosius.

…

Nourishment brought some warmth to Lena’s limbs and cleared her head. Pale as a sheet, Ambrosius collapsed in his cell. He wasn’t dead, but wouldn’t even make for a modest breakfast, Lena thought. Without a word, she returned to Scorpio’s side and continued drinking the dark dragon blood from the patch.

“You disappoint me, Dragonborn,” she heard a voice in her head. “But have it your way… embrace my gift! It saved your life today.”

“Go away, Molag Bal,” Lena thought lazily. “I am busy.”

…

“What are you going to do now, vampire?” Lord Phaesus was looking at Lena in disgust as her features were turning gaunt again with all the infected dragon blood that she had consumed. “It won’t kill you, granted… But where will you go? You are now a monster just like all the others in this world, there to be hunted and killed… I win again, methinks.”

“Perhaps…” Lena folded her wings and walked over to him. “Would you like to give me some of your blood? Tainted with Godsway as it is, but I’ll accept it. What say you, Lord Phaesus?”

“Have you gone mad?!” He cried out, backing off. “No!!”

“Ahhh… We’ll see.” She smiled and cast a spell. Lord Phaesus dropped to his knees, his robe slipped down his shoulder revealing his neck.

“Mistress…”

…

Once fed, Lena regained her human form. Her eyes were still red and she still had the fangs, but her claws became nails and her skin looked pink, if a bit pale. Her wings retracted completely. Her vampirism was receding, all she needed was a little more blood… a few more feedings would make it completely recessive. It was time to leave. Lamond unblocked the entrance and the pawns walked out in search of the nearest riftstone to take them back to the Rift. Only Mason and Rook remained. Ambrosius was still alive in his cell, pale as a sheet. Lord Phaesus too was alive, and not much worse for wear; he was making notes in his little book, looking at Lena with a newly found fondness. Then finally Scorpio regained consciousness.

Sitting up with difficulty, he looked around the room.

“What have you done..?” He stroke Lena’s cheek as she sat next to him. “You can’t go biting necks, you’ll get arrested,” he smiled.

“Ah, but I have a thrall,” she smirked, jerking her head towards Lord Phaesus. “You survived. Forgive me that it took me so long.”

Although Scorpio was conscious, he could not walk, so rather than trying to teleport to the city, they decided to move to the main camp and occupy the buildings there. Lena also had to stay out of sunlight for as long as her vampirism was active. Then everyone realised that it had been two days since their last meal… what with all the goings on they had no chance to eat, and so mundane activities took over. Corpses of all the guards killed in the past few days started to smell, too, and had to be thrown into the sea. In a word, there was a lot to be getting on with.

A few days later Scorpio was well enough to walk and Lena’s vampirism finally went in remission, her eyes turning amber again and her fangs receding. A slight gauntness in her face still reminded them of all that came to pass… that, and Lord Phaesus still looking at her with fondness.

“What did you do to him?” Lamond asked watching him once again sliding his robe back to reveal the neck with many bite marks on it. “It looks like he’s craving you feeding on him.”

“That’s exactly how it is,” Lena nodded. “A strain of vampirism I picked up in Skyrim… He is not a vampire himself but he is infected nonetheless. He craves being fed on. It is so useful to have a compliant thrall.”

“Just like having a compliant escort,” Rook grimaced with a shudder. “Don’t remind me.”

“How come you know so much about Godsway, Lamond?” Lena realised that she never asked him that question. “It’s almost like you tried it yourself…”

“I have,” he nodded. “When I lost my pawn…” He paused, watching Phaesus make notes about something. “The Legion gave me another, but we didn’t connect… The pawn would follow my commands and fight without reproach, but his heart wasn’t in it… Perhaps it is a common thing, I do not know, but my first one was not like that.”

“It’s common enough…” Mason nodded. “I’ve seen it many a time.”

“Well then…” Lamond looked at him and smiled. “Perhaps it wasn’t my fault. But I thought that it was… that my will wasn’t enough… and I heard that Godsway could amplify an Arisen’s will. And so I sought out Phaesus… who was all too happy to give me a steady supply…” He paused, then took a sip of his Newt Liqueur. “You can imagine the rest. A nice bit of research. My dragon came and I failed to slay it. My pawn returned to the Rift. I am now but a drunk…”

“I am sorry…” Lena hugged him around the shoulders. “That’s tough.”

“Don’t cry for me, sis,” Lamond patted her hand. “I could help you, and thus it was not all for naught. What do you plan to do with him now?” He looked at Lord Phaesus.

“Kill him,” Lena shrugged. “What else? That’s the merciful thing to do. But first… there is another loose end.”

She walked over to him.

“Tell me, Lord Phaesus,” she spoke quietly. “Why would the oracle not speak about Godsway?”

“Because that’s what keeps her away on her plane,” he shrugged. “The insense she burns – that’s what makes her appear as a ghost. Deny her that, and she’ll regain her human form, whatever left of her… withdrawal can be severe… Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Lena smiled and walked away.