Portals & Shouts

III: Sired

Serana

"The scarring on Marla's skin is... extensive, to say the least," Garan noted. "It'll take me some time to mend her injuries." He frowned. "What is this mark on the back of her neck?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I've never seen anything like it. Something about it seems... wrong. Like it shouldn't be on a person."

The elf sighed. "I can remove it if you'd like. However, I'm not a flesh sculptor, so I'll have to cut it off first."

I considered it for a bit. Before long, I came to a decision. "Remove it. If Marla gets upset about it, I'll apologize."

He nodded. "Very well."

I took a quick glance out into the hall to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Then I turned to Garan. "How much do you know about magical bonds?"

The Dunmeri vampire raised an eyebrow. "That depends. Why are you asking?"

I closed my bedroom door and used a silence spell. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. Okay?"

Garan gave me a nod. "Of course, Serana. My lips are sealed."

"Thank you, my friend. I'm sure you've noticed how quick I was to propose turning Marla myself."

"It was hard to miss. Am I right to assume you didn't want your father to turn her?"

I nodded. "You are. I was afraid of what he'd find out. Back in Dimhollow, Marla needed to sate my thirst, so Marla let me have some of her blood. Because of that, I found out she was Dragonborn.

His eyes widened. "Marla's the Dragonborn?"

"Yes, she is. I never would've guessed if I hadn't tasted her blood. After all, Marla isn't exactly someone that comes to mind when you think of a Dragonborn."

"No, she isn't," the elf agreed. "That'd be people like Reman Cyrodiil or Tiber Septim. I can see why you wanted to turn her yourself."

I smiled. "Thank you for understanding. We can't let my father find out. If he does, Marla will be in grave danger. Especially since she's unable to use her Thu'um."

Garan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "There may be a way around that. After I'm done with this, I'll need a couple of days to do some research."

I nodded. "Very well. We'll need to be careful though. We don't want my father getting suspicious."

With that, I left the room. I was on my way to the lab when I encountered my father. "Ah, Serana. Has the mortal made her decision?"

I nodded. "Marla accepted my blood, father. She'll be one of us in a few days. There's some extensive scarring on her body and face, but Garan is remedying it as we speak."

He stroked his chin. "So that's why her hair was covering half her face. It seems there's more to Marla than I thought. Was there anything notable about her blood?"

"No," I lied, my expression blank. "The flavor was unfamiliar, but that's about it."

"I see. Bring your fledgling to the cathedral when she awakens. Perform the ritual on her. If she survives, bring her to me."

"Of course, father."

—

Marla

Flashback

I could hear the clattering of hooves when I woke up. That's when my eyes shot open. I found myself in a wooden cart with three men. One of them was gagged.

I looked myself over. My jumpsuit and Long-Fall Boots were gone, replaced with ragged clothes. My hands were bound as well. I was confused. The last thing I remembered was the lift moving between universes. How did I end up in a cart?