Chapter 1

The Light of Lights had called Zerran from his last mission. He had been investigating the primitive magics of the tauren but hadn't discovered much of interest. They had spoken to him of following the path of the Earth Mother and through her to access the powers of the elements, but Zerran respected only the powers of Elune and the Well of Eternity.

He had forced a smile when the tauren had presented their magic, but he had been overjoyed when a messenger had arrived with a letter from Queen Azshara who would have her "darling seeker" return to Zin-Azshari to receive his new missive. He waited now outside her audience chamber, waited for her to summon him.

Lady Vashj sat with him. The handmaiden reclined on the chair in front of his and watched him with a dispassionate smile. She watched him from her curved feline eyes and twirled a strand of her silver hair absentmindedly. She had asked him about his time among the Tauren, but she had hardly seemed interested when he had told her about his experience.

Zerran found that many of the Kaldorei who served the queen became like this. They had eyes for only her, and the rest of their people seemed like lesser beings hardly worth noticing. He may have been a Highbourne, but he still enjoyed the city at night and interacting with the commoners. They added a spice to life he found so rarely in the palace.

Vashj tilted her head as if listening to a far-off voice. Her smile became genuine. "The Light of Lights will see you now." She stood and led him to the door.

It opened into Queen Azshara's audience chamber. The queen relaxed on a couch, her shimmering, gossamer dress draped around her body like moonlight. He wondered for a second if it would fall off if she rose from where she was sitting but shook off the notion as he bowed low to his beloved queen.

"Zerran Moonkiss," Azshara purred. "Your name rolls off the tongue so wonderfully. I have heard your mother tell a thousand times how Elune herself appeared in a dream to your ancestor to give him that kiss and her mandate."

Zerran did not rise, not while his queen had not given him the command.

"Rise." Azshara sat up on her couch, letting Zerran know that soon would come the important details of his next missive.

He rose and felt his breath catch in his throat as he gazed upon his queen. He could sense the magic around her, how she kept the powers of the Well of Eternity so close to her, clinging to it like a child to its mother. He could only wish to be able to wield so much power so effortlessly.

"What is your command, Light of a Thousand Moons, Favored Daughter of the Moon?" Zerran asked.

"It would seem from what Lady Vashj has told me that you found yourself bored among the tauren," she continued. "It is for this reason that I wish for you to undertake a task of utmost importance to me, something that no one else must know about."

Zerran's gaze wandered to Vashj.

The handmaiden scowled. "Do you doubt my loyalty?" she asked, aghast.

Azshara waved her hand. "I would trust Lady Vashj with my life, seeker," she said. "Now, the task I have for you is to wander onto Mount Hyjal. Elune and the Well of Eternity have shown me a vision. There is an object there of power, one that would increase the influence of our empire."

"Why must no one else know?" He kept his head bowed as he asked the question. It did not usually do well to question the queen.

"Councilor Xavius disapproves of my interest in Mount Hyjal." She gestured to him with a finger and leaned forward, a grin decorating her curved lips. "But between you and me, Xavius is a short-sighted fool." She leaned back into her couch. "Still, he would find a way to make this difficult for me, so I will give you the missive in secret. Do not disappoint."

"But my queen what is it that I seek?"

Azshara rose from her couch, and Vashj rushed to aid her. Her dress did not fall, but it left just enough of her body visible, cut along the side and with a deep neckline. She regarded him with her amber eyes, a smile curving her lips upward.

"You will know it when you see it." She turned to leave, but she paused. "Lady Vashj, would you give him something that I can use to communicate with him?"

The handmaiden nodded. "It will be as you say, Light of Lights."

Azshara gave him one last smile and exited through the door. Her long, silver hair draped down her back like a waterfall.

"What is it you will give me?" Zerran asked the handmaiden.

She walked over to a shelf in the audience chamber and took a small box off it. She handed him an earring from the box. "Wear this and Queen Azshara will be able to communicate with you if she wishes. You will not be able to speak to the queen." She spoke the last words as if she felt it necessary to remind him of his place.

"You don't have to worry about me, Lady Vashj," Zerran said. "The queen will not be bothered by her best seeker."

The handmaiden only gave him a disapproving glare.

Zerran watched as the bartender poured him a glass of red wine. He savored the sound it made as it fell from the bottle. Tauren had more of a penchant for smoking, something that Zerran had always detested, and he had never heard of a tribe planting a vineyard.

"You weren't gone very long this time," Illeni the bartender said. "I thought you would have spent more time being bored by tauren. You usually don't give up that easily."

"I decided it was time for a vacation of sorts, time to do my own research." He often came to this same bar after his travel. It was the place he knew he could always find Nimel.

Illeni handed him the glass of wine. "You'll appreciate this vintage. I saved it just for you."

A hand appeared out of nowhere and took the glass of wine before Zerran could react. He turned with a scowl on his face that softened when he saw the person next to him.

Nimel gave him a half-grin and downed the glass of wine in one gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "It truly is an excellent vintage."

Zerran punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Illeni had that saved specifically for me."

Nimel leaned forward, his grin becoming more ferocious. "What's yours is mine, isn't it, my star?"

Zerran tugged on Nimel's blue beard. "Who gave you permission to grow this?"

"I don't need anyone's permission." His voice became huskier. He smelled of the woods and earthy things.

A thud on the counter interrupted them. Zerran turned to see Illeni shaking her head. Her white braid moved with her. "Your room is the first on the left." She handed Zerran a key. "Don't make too much of a mess of it."

Zerran found it difficult to keep his hands off Nimel as they stumbled up the stairs. Neither of them had had much to drink, but that didn't keep them from stumbling into walls as they kissed each other.

Someone kept trying to go down the stairs, but Nimel seemed to amuse himself by blocking his every path. Finally, the other Kaldorei rolled his eyes and walked back to his room.

Nimel laughed.

"You're cruel," Zerran said.

"More fun that way."

They finally stumbled into their room and made right for the bed. Nimel tore off Zerran's tunic, buttons flew across the room. Zerran swore quietly. The tunic had not been cheap.

"Just enjoy it," Nimel whispered in his ear. He made a gesture with his hand and the lights in the room dimmed. "I would have you like this every night if it were possible."

"Just enjoy it," Zerran mimicked and drew Nimel close to him, intertwining his tongue with his.

The first sound Zerran heard as he awoke was Nimel's voice. He was singing a lullaby, something Zerran's mother had sung to him as a child. Zerran stretched as he sat up in the bed. Nightfall had come. It was time for him to depart to Mount Hyjal soon.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and opened them to see Nimel sitting on a couch, strumming a lyre, and singing softly. Nimel smiled when he saw that Zerran was awake, but he did not stop singing.

Zerran let his gaze wander over his lover's body. Nimel was still completely naked. He had a slender form, a mage like Zerran and not one for too much physical exercise. He kept his blue hair short but had started going a beard since Zerran had gone to study the tauren. Zerran smirked when he noticed the bite mark he had left on Nimel's shoulder.

"I wish I could wake up like this every nightfall," Zerran said, interrupting Nimel's song.

"Stay here for a time," Nimel said. "I heard you tell Illeni that Queen Azshara had given you no missive this time."

The lie would have to be kept. The queen had forbidden him from telling anyone of what he was to do, but he couldn't keep himself from telling Nimel one thing.

"I wish to get to Mount Hyjal," Zerran said. "There is magic there that I wish to understand."

"Mount Hyjal?" Nimel's eyebrows curved upward. "That place is crawling with wild animals. I've heard of many Kaldorei disappearing into Ashenvale. What magic would draw you there?"

Zerran remembered the stories as well. Kaldorei had always looked on the Ashenvale forest and Mount Hyjal with fear. "It is nature magic and divine," he said, "something akin to what Elune's priestesses wield. Knowledge of it would be a great boon to my research."

Nimel scowled. "So, you would rather trek through this untamed, uncomfortable wilderness than spend time with me?"

An idea struck Zerran, one he wasn't even sure he should say aloud. "And what if you came with me?"

Nimel hesitated. "I don't know. My work with the Moon Guard isn't something I can just put on pause. I have command of my own corps…"

"It shouldn't take long." Zerran leaned forward. "We can treat it as a holiday."

"Something like camping?" Nimel asked with a laugh. He clapped his hands. "I think I will take you up on that offer. It is high time I had some adventure. When do we leave?"

"Tonight," Zerran said.

"It'll take me some time to pack."

They met later that night on the outskirts of Zin-Azshari. Zerran had visited his parents before he left. His mother had fawned over and him and had asked him repeatedly when he would settle down in the city, so she could find him a suitable wife.

Now, he sat on a nightsaber at the western gate. Nimel sat on a night saber beside him, giving one last wistful look at Zin-Azshari.

"I better enjoy this adventure as much as you seem to think I will," he said.

"We will just have to see," Zerran replied.

#

Zaragosa inhaled deeply as she flew over the city of Zin-Azshari, enjoying the scents of arcane magic that emanated from it. She had wandered into it herself before in the form of a Kaldorei. The moonlit streets and the simple spells cast by the people around her made her laugh in delight. They knew little of the intricacies of the arcane, but their curiosity and passion reminded Zara of her own blue dragonflight.

She had even approached Azshara's palace once, curious to get a sight of the Kaldorei's beloved queen. The sight of her had given Zara pause. Before her was a mortal who knew the arcane intimately. The queen would be hard pressed against any dragon of course, but she wore the arcane like one of her silver dresses. It was the first time that Zara had seen the like.

The Kaldorei had come far ever since their ancestors had settled near the Well of Eternity. The dragonflights observed with little interest. They had seen empires rise and fall already, but Zara couldn't help being personally fascinated by them. Against Malygos's wishes, she had even taught them a few magic techniques.

The sight of it below her filled her with awe, like that of a parent for their children. She wondered what they could achieve. She wished she could land even for a few hours, but Malygos wished her to explore a strange occurrence on Mount Hyjal. There was magic being cast there, magic of whose origin the blue aspect was unsure of.

She glided on the air currents, letting them propel her forward. If she kept going at this pace, she would be on Mount Hyjal by dawn.