-----


Their tiny delegation left the next day after receiving the reply from Garadar: Oloru, his brother Remta, Galmak, and Hyara wound their way up out of the canyon. The rays of the rising sun met them just as they reached the top and struck out for the road across Nagrand's tree-scattered plains. Oloru and Remta carefully unwove and rewove the concealing enchantments around the group as they went, their hearts full of the hope that this secrecy might soon be unnecessary.

Hyara, however, had her doubts about whether she should actually be at this meeting. She had after all been a source of conflict and tension in Garadar. She was worried that her presence would only serve as a reminder of Galmak's awkward start at earning the Mag'har's trust. Nevertheless, she had to admit that her doubts didn't really matter. When it came down to it, nothing was going to keep her from Galmak's side in a potentially dangerous situation.

They camped for the night only a short distance away from the meeting spot, not far from Garadar. The night was cool; the wind carried the scent of grass and a vague hint of sweetness that might have been some night-blooming flower. Hyara huddled against Galmak as they sat around the fire and shivered a little as the breeze plucked at her clothing.

"I wonder if I may ask a question," Oloru said suddenly from the other side of the fire. Hyara nodded and he continued politely, somewhat hesitantly. "I am curious how a draenei and an orc came to be together."

Hyara smiled. "He saved my life. I've come to believe that it was the will of the Light that we be together." Galmak gave her a squeeze.

"Ah," Oloru nodded and smiled. "That I understand very well. Kereth saved my life during our slavery. It all seemed very clear after that that we were intended for each other."

"Those were dark days," Remta said. His white hair and ghost-pale skin seemed to glow in the firelight. "Anyone who could find any joy during that time was fortunate indeed."

Galmak stirred the fire absently. "It's always a wondrous thing when the greatest joy of your life rises out of something you thought was the worst hell imaginable."

-----

They woke at sunrise and traveled the remaining short distance to the meeting spot in a field south of Garadar. At Galmak's advice Oloru had suggested that Geyah name a spot near the village. The reason of course was that her fragile health wouldn't allow her to travel far, and it would appear as a gesture of faith that the Kanrethad were willing to come close to the stronghold of the orcs. Oloru had agreed readily. He seemed to have no fear of betrayal by the Mag'har.

They sat in the high grass to wait, but they didn't have long before the sound of wolves and riders in the distance carried to them on the wind.

"Everyone stand," Galmak said immediately. "They need to see us clearly from a good distance off."

The riders stopped a hundred yards away and Galmak recognized Garrosh Hellscream as he leapt off the back of a black worg and landed with a crunch of boots and a grate of armor. He unsheathed an axe at his belt and hurled it, embedding it deep in the dirt at his feet.

"You wish to speak, Broken? Then speak!" Garrosh yelled, and walked back among the other four riders in the party to where Geyah still sat her worg. He helped her dismount with surprisingly gentle hands and she walked to the forefront of the party.

Oloru approached slowly, his empty hands held slightly away from his grey robes. Remta followed closely behind with Galmak at his side. Hyara hung back further, feeling more awkward than ever. There was a jumpiness tickling at the back of her mind. None of them was armed; they had decided it best that all weapons be left some distance away with their mounts. Hyara felt a renewed flutter of fear and unease as she eyed the remaining axe on Garrosh's belt; every member of the Garadar party was fully armed and armored.

"You are Oloru," Geyah said to the Broken. It was a statement rather than a question.

Oloru bowed. "Greatmother Geyah, I thank you for this meeting. My people have prayed for years that this day would come. We are blessed that the spirits brought us this opportunity."

"Brought you this opportunity… in the form of this one?" She gestured to Galmak, who bowed respectfully. "I can only assume that is what you mean."

"Yes, Greatmother," Oloru nodded. "He was our unlooked-for answer."

Geyah narrowed her eyes, peering sharply up at the towering Broken. "Unlooked-for?"

Oloru smiled. "I believe the elements guided his path – and his wife's path- to cross with ours. It was a meeting of fate and we asked him to help us contact you. The promise of peace means a great deal to us who have lived in fear for so long."

"And you wish to make such a promise, you claim."

"We do. The Kanrethad have no singular leader in the way that you lead your people, but I am authorized to speak for us all. We wish to offer you our friendship and our help against mutual enemies when you have need of it, and our village as a sanctuary for any of your people when it is necessary."

"A very generous offer," Geyah said, crossing her arms. "And what is it that we must offer in return?"

"We wish only for the same: your friendship, and reasonable help against enemies who directly threaten us. Our enemies are numerous here, just as yours are. We differ only in one respect: we do not wish to make enemies of the Alliance or Velen's draenei. There we stand firm."

Garrosh glared next to Geyah. "Then there you are wrong. The Alliance kills Mag'har; Velen's precious trained clefthoofs kill Mag'har. They spill our blood just as your brothers at Sunspring Post spill our blood!"

A look of pain crossed Oloru's face. "The Murkblood kill my people as well. We have not been part of them for many years, since we fled slavery in Zangarmarsh."

Remta spoke quietly at Oloru's side. "My brother does not wish to mention that the Mag'har have killed many of the Kanrethad over the years, seeing no difference between us and the Murkblood. But I say it should be mentioned. We still seek peace with you despite this. The misunderstandings between us must stop."

Hyara's stomach was jittering unpleasantly and the growing warmth of the day seemed suddenly almost unbearable. Galmak's head turned slightly to the east, his face lifted as if scenting the wind. Hyara realized abruptly that her nervousness had no origin within herself; it was trickling in faintly but steadily from Gink's sense somewhere to the south. She frowned minutely and swallowed.

"Something…" Hyara swallowed again as orcish and Broken eyes turned to her in surprise at the interruption. "Something isn't right."

Galmak frowned and Hyara could tell he was communicating with Palla somewhere, invisible in the high grass or far enough away as to be out of sight. Gink seemed far himself, and Hyara wondered why he'd strayed so far that their bond seemed strained. Geyah and Garrosh were both staring at her and she opened her mouth to give some explanation; or rather explain that she didn't know what she meant, when…

A sudden gust of wind shivered the grass, blowing from the south. Oloru moved almost too fast to follow, lunging at Geyah where she stood a few yards in front of him. Garrosh roared, and in a blur of glinting steel he ripped the axe out of his belt and flung it at the huge Broken. Remta sprang at Garrosh and the orc went down. It all happened before the scream had died from Hyara's lips. Galmak stood in shock for a split instant longer before he hurled himself at Hyara, bearing her aside and to the ground just as the three Garadar wolfriders charged suddenly across the field to the south. Hyara's eyes followed them and saw in horror that Broken, at least a half dozen of them, were rising from the grass and fleeing the oncoming wolves. A few of them turned to fire off wild shots as they fled.

"What the fuck," Galmak panted. He and Hyara pushed themselves up. Geyah was kneeling on the ground beside Oloru. Her long grey hair was disheveled but her eyes were surprisingly calm. Garrosh was also crouched nearby, his knee pressed to Remta's neck. The Broken stared up at the sky.

"My brother," Remta rasped. "I must see my brother. Is he alive?"

Garrosh snarled and jabbed his knee harder into the Broken's throat. "Ancestors willing, that dog is dead." He cursed luridly. "You treacherous shit, you asked us here to murder us!"

"He is dead," Geyah said. Cobalt blood soaked the grass in a widening pool around Oloru's body. Garrosh's axe was lodged deep in his stomach, holding open a long rent. Hyara looked away and retched. Garrosh's head jerked around to stare at her, as if suddenly reminded that she was there. He flew at her in a mad rage, grabbing her by the horns and shaking her off her hooves.

"Your kind would try to murder the Greatmother, you filthy little bitch!" he howled. Galmak hit him like a charging bull in the stomach and Garrosh released her, rounding now on the green orc.

"Enough," Geyah said with deadly calm. She rose. Her aura crackled with unmistakable power. Garrosh wavered; then with a visible effort he contained his fury. The red glow faded from Galmak's eyes and he knelt and put his arms around Hyara.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

"I am for now," she replied. He knew exactly what she meant. There would be a reckoning for whatever had just happened.

"Garrosh, what do you see here?" Geyah said. She gestured toward Oloru's body.

The young orc spat. "I see my axe in the belly of a lying, silver-tongued enemy."

Geyah merely stood looking at him, and he moved over to examine the body more closely. He grunted suddenly in surprise and Geyah nodded. "Yes," she said. "You also see an arrow buried deep in his back." Her eyes rested now on Remta. The other Broken was sitting on the ground, still as well water, his eyes closed. His cheeks glistened moistly.

The wolfriders were returning now. Hyara looked away when she saw that they dragged behind them several Broken corpses.

"There may be more to this than we know," Geyah said thoughtfully. She raised her voice to the riders. "For now, bind these two and that one." She gestured to Hyara, Galmak, and Remta. "Gather up this body carefully and bring it with us."

Hyara? Gink was suddenly in her mind.

She was angry and didn't try to hide it. Things might have happened differently if he'd been close. Where were you?

Her cat was clearly ashamed. We… I was fooled. I followed a false trail. They must have known Palla and I would be a problem.

Well, can you help out now? Did you at least figure out who they were? I won't believe they were Kanrethad.

They weren't. They were Murkblood, from somewhere south and west of here.

Murkblood, of course, come to ruin their kin's bid for peace with an assassination attempt against the Mag'har's leaders. Hyara felt angry tears running down her cheeks. Oloru had died for this. Everything he'd wanted for his people had died before his body hit the ground. Oh Light, Kereth

One of the Garadar raiders dragged her roughly away from Galmak and lashed her wrists together above her tail. Galmak and Remta were treated no better; only sharp words from Geyah prevented a raider from kicking viciously at the Broken when he was slow to rise. Hyara let her tears fall freely as they sped back toward Garadar. She cried for Oloru and the Kanrethad, but she also cried for Galmak: bound, disgraced, and accused of treachery against his own people.