"Dammit, people, is there not a one of you with a scrap of good news to bring me?!" Rhonin growled, slamming his fist down on the table. "Power fluctuations at the Nexus, Malygos hiding in the safety of his inaccessible lair, three break-outs in the Violet Hold in as many days, which we know were instigated by Blues – We are losing this war! We have the finest the Horde and Alliance have to offer, scouring this continent from top to bottom, killing members of the Blue Dragonflight wherever they're found, and it is still not enough! They're not the Scourge, they can't just swell their ranks with corpses – So where are all these damned dragons coming from?!"
He looked around the table fiercely, as if expecting an answer, but none was forthcoming. The Kirin Tor may have had hotheads among its ranks, but there were no fools – Those assembled at the table knew better than to provoke Rhonin when he was in one of his sour moods.
Rhonin was about to resume his tirade, when he became conscious of a sudden chill in the room. It brought with it mixed emotions – Regretful memories of an apprentice, long-since claimed by death, and the familiar discomfort of knowing that he was about to interact with that apprentice's only living relative – Although living was perhaps not the best term.
"Rhonin." Nachtalia said. It wasn't a loud utterance, but nevertheless her voice carried throughout the room. Forcing a smile, Rhonin turned to greet his visitor.
"Ah, Nachtalia, I'm glad to see that you've returned. You had been gone so long, I was beginning to worry that you might have fallen in combat at the Oculus. Were you successful in your hunt?"
In reply, the blood elf pulled the tip of what was clearly a gigantic horn from her pack, and dropped it on the table. "Eregos – Or what's left of him. My ghouls got the rest as a reward."
Rhonin refused to let his distaste show. "Well, one less Blue is always good news – especially one of Eregos' potency. But this couldn't have taken you a whole month to collect – where were you?"
Her face betraying nothing, Nachtalia responded to Rhonin's inquiry. "The Knights had a mission for me in Zul'Drak – the trolls were starting to harass our camps, and they specifically requested my aid in putting a stop to the raids."
Rhonin nodded thoughtfully. Nachtalia's unwavering loyalty to the Knights was no secret in Dalaran – Although the same could be said about most of the other mercenaries, adventurers and heroes that often passed through the city. With Northrend filled with the most heroic, well-known, and in some cases feared members of the Horde and Alliance, a stray comment could mean a missing limb for an unwitting bartender.
"Well, here's your payment for eliminating Eregos." He replied, tossing the elf a bag of gold pieces. She caught it deftly, and deposited it in her pack. Rhonin turned back to the mages standing around the table.
"I have need to speak to Nachtalia alone. You are all dismissed – but I still want answers as to where all these Blues are coming from. Understood?" His question was greeted with nods and murmurs of assent, as the mages shuffled out of his chamber.
Sighing, Rhonin turned back to his guest, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, but we've been having problems lately. The Blues just keep coming, and even our top scryers are stumped as to how they're replenishing their forces so quickly. But that's not what I want to talk to you about. I received a messenger from Alexstrasza three days ago – She's requested any help I can send, Death Knights in particular. Mentioned something about Galakrond – I don't have the faintest idea what she's talking about, but I recall you did some work for the Accord in Dragonblight a while back, and I think that you might be able to provide the aid she's asking for. Are you willing to do it? You know well those dragons reward mercenaries…"
Nachtalia contemplated the proposition. It couldn't hurt to at least hear the Lifebinder's offer out, and although she couldn't directly recall who or what Galakrond was, the name brought a surge of foreboding, a mean ball of unease in the pit of her stomach. And she had learned to trust her intuition on these things. Norraku wouldn't be happy that they were working with the Accord again – He hadn't liked it the first time, either. Being in the presence of such high-ranking members of four of the five primary flights made him nervous to no end – but he would just have to grin and bear it.
She looked Rhonin in the eye, his green irises staring back at her glowing blue orbs. "Yes, I'll do it. If Alexstrasza really needs Death Knights that she knows she can trust, then who am I to turn her down? I'll be at Wyrmrest Temple in a day's time."
As she turned to go, Rhonin called after her. "A day's time? Why so long?"
She didn't turn, but the coldness of her words did a better job of expressing her thoughts than her expression ever could.
"I'm going to pay my respects to Sen'Dralai."
And with that, she was gone.