Elayn stood watch for any more gargoyles, or vampires snooping around, while Serana busied herself reading her mother’s most recent journal. Then the second most recent. Then the third.

“We’re vampires,” her mistress had explained rather apologetically. “Our projects can span centuries. Clearly, this one did.”

So she kept herself busy, or at least she tried to. The books had too many words she didn’t know and Serana asked her not to touch any of the glassware already. In the end she ended up with her back to the wall and her knees bent up to carry the weight of her arms pillowing her head. There she dozed lightly until--

“Ah! Aha!”

Her head snapped up. “Whazzit?”

Serana pointed to a page in her journal with fierce triumph lighting her eyes. “Right here, it says-- hold on, she wrote this part in Latin.”

“Damned be the Catholic Church and their Inquisition. I lose too many of my friends to their self-righteous priests. My husband had a wonderful idea, to find access to the power of our ancestors, the First Ones, to smite the blight of Christianity from the planet. It will take measures beyond my knowing, but what is arguably a little research in the face of eternity? I will find a way to hold open the gates of Hell to empower me and my kin, and humanity will see a scourge the likes of which it has not seen since--”

The vampire squinted and cut off. “I can’t tell what the last part says, but you get the idea. My mother and father planned to open a gate to Hell.”

She sounded remarkably calm about what seemed to Elayn to be a very bad idea. Then she saw that her nails were digging into her skirt. She was far from calm.

“I also found where she went,” Serana went on. “It seems she found a way to get into a pocket dimension of Hell to get away from my father.”

Elayn nodded slowly. “So… we should go get her?”

Her mistress gave her an inscrutable look. “Don’t take offense, but that’s an awfully helpful suggestion.”

Feeling self-conscious, she looked away, crossing her arms. “You’ve helped me, can’t I return the favor?”

Crossing the room with her usual speed and grace, Serana was suddenly in front of her, grasping the tops of her arms and looking into her eyes. The emotion burning there in gold stunned her. “Thank you, Elayn.”

“You’re welcome,” she said roughly, cleared her throat, and looked away. “Let’s get started on this portal, yeah?”

“Alright.”

Serana translated the spells instructions and the two of them rooted around the laboratory for the necessary components. They came across nearly everything, except--

“Fresh canis root,” she lamented, looking closely at the journal in hopes that the “fresh” part was just a mistranslation. But no, she would have no such luck, and neither would they have luck in finding any in the castle. It only grew in caves in the mountains, where the sun never shined. And the nearest cave was well outside the castle bounds.

She told Elayn as much, and was surprised when the werewolf looked thoughtful. “You don't think you could get a pass for an evening?” she asked. “He seems keen on indulging you.”

“His whims don't always fall in line with mine,” Serana said darkly. “Especially when it involves me leaving the castle. Did I mention he's mad and paranoid?”

“Not paranoid enough to notice us plotting underneath his nose,” Elayn said smugly. “What? It's the truth,” she added when Serana scowled at her.

Her werewolf was irreverent but she had a point. There was nothing to but try and see if her father would let her out, or else they would never be able to find her mother. That thought gave her the will to nod and say, “I'll speak with him tonight. “

Lord Harkon only ever dined in the Great Hall when there was company. Normally he took his meals in his study, so Serana left Elayn in her room and went to speak with her father when she was sure he had fed. It would put him in a better mood. She hesitated at the solid oak door of his study for a moment before she knocked.

“Enter.” The door swung open for Serana and she saw her at his desk with a book.

“Father,” she said, curtsying. “How fares your night?”

Harkon set his book down and watched her with an odd gleam in his eye. “Well, and yours?”

Pleasantries. That, and the look in his eye, had Serana's nerves on edge. She cleared her throat and stepped further into the room. “A little tiring, if I'm honest,” she said. “These walls almost seem like a tomb after a while.”

“You should always be honest with me,” he purred, and if Serana's heart still beat it would race. He tilted his head, thoughtful. “What would you ask of me?”

“Can I go out walking in the countryside?” she rushed out before her nerves could stop her. “I would be well-guarded, and anyway, my pet grows restless being cooped up in my room.”

He seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he went on an entirely different path of thought. “You have been distant from me, my daughter. I fear you spend too much time in your mother's lab.”

“I enjoy my research there,” Serana protested. “I'm sorry if I've been caught up, there's been an experiment, and--”

“So like your mother, always busy.” He peered at her with bloody gold eyes. “If I let you go, will you return?”

“Always, Father,” she hurried to say before he could smell the lie in it.

That seemed to pacify him, and he leaned back in his chair with a smile. “Such a dutiful daughter. Take one of the guards with you, and be back well before dawn.”

“Yes, Father,” she said, bowing her head as she made her escape.