New character being introduced this chapter . . .

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6 – Names

Kathryn

Sylvanas.

It was a name that triggered a unique kind of hated in Kathryn. It was a name that made her literally start to twitch. It was a name that made her want to do the opposite of giving up.

It made her want to fight.

It made her want to hurt.

It made her want to be the one to kill that woman as painfully as possible, giving her but a fraction of the pain Kathryn had felt in the moment her arrow had pierced Liam through the heart.

There was nothing she wanted more than that.

Stand no chance, her arse.

Kathryn would give them that chance. And using it, they would win. She wasn't backing down. Not now.

'We're going to have to fight her eventually,' Kathryn finally forced out, nearly choking on her own words. 'The sooner we do, the more convenient it is for me, anyway.'

Lorna gave her a sharp look. 'Don't you dare go looking for that woman.'

Kathryn returned her most stubborn expression, which turned into a staring match that lasted at least a minute. Lorna wasn't backing down, however, and folded her arms. It seemed that she was trying to be the bigger person in this situation, and unfortunately, it was working. Kathryn eventually caved, and started looking somewhere near her feet. Whenever they had arguments like this, Lorna always behaved in a manner that made Kathryn feel like a petulant child, and she almost always won.

Rule of life: Never try to win a fight with a Crowley. You will lose miserably.

'Fine,' Kathryn groaned, casting her head back in frustration. 'I won't go.' But that doesn't mean she won't find me.

Lorna gave her a suspicious look, before returning to the reports she had been scanning over before. That didn't last long, however. She sighed heavily and looked back up at her friend.

'I know how much she hurt you, Kathryn. And you have the right to hate her. But she's dangerous. If you took her on by yourself, no matter how capable you are, she would butcher you.' She paused for a moment, before adding, 'I think she would make you suffer more than Liam did. She's sadistic. She wouldn't just kill you outright. It would be . . . drawn out.'

'I know,' Kathryn muttered, her voice a little gravelly. 'But I feel like I have to do something.' She sat in silence for a while, trying to arrange the numerous thought-processes going through her head all at once. 'Have you . . . have you ever been driven by something so powerful, that you can't focus on much else at all?'

Lorna didn't reply. Her brow furrowed into a frown, and she rolled up the paper she was holding before setting it down.

Kathryn decided it was easiest just to continue. 'Because I think that's what will happen if I ever see her again. I won't have any other purpose. I'll just be a living, breathing . . . thing, hell-bent on revenge. I . . . I'm not sure if I want that to happen.'

Lorna seemed to be studying her. 'Kathryn, you have every right to feel like this, just . . .' She paused, and sighed. 'Don't let it control you. Terrible things happen to the best of people if they let that happen. Take Arthas, for example.'

Kathryn chewed her lip as she tried to remember what little information she knew about the former prince of Lordaeron. He chased a dreadlord all the way to Northrend, killed it, and in an attempt to save his land, took up a cursed blade and became one of the Lich King's most vital pawns.

He was dead now.

'Do you think I would go to that level because of all this?' Kathryn asked quietly.

'I'm not saying you won't try,' Lorna replied. 'You're strong, Kathryn. Too strong. Make sure you let it go before things fall apart.'

Kathryn felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck, like someone was watching her. She looked up suddenly, toward the edge of the encampment to see a man, somewhere in his forties, leaning against a pile of crates and frowning like he was trying to evaluate her. Kathryn watched him in return, and after a moment his multi-coloured eyes, the exact tonal-value of which she couldn't decipher yet, flicked up to meet hers and he turned away.

Lorna had realised her attention had turned elsewhere. 'What is it?'

Kathryn wrinkled her nose in a slight state of annoyance and confusion, before turning back to her friend. 'Nothing.'

She couldn't find the man again after that. Not that she was prioritising it or anything, but she found that fact a little odd. That was, until she joined another strike force later that night and completely forgot about him.

Darius left for Fenris Keep just before dawn the next morning. Kathryn got back just in time to see him off, despite being bruised, battered and very bloody. He told her and Lorna that he had no idea how long he would be gone, as the people from Hillsbrad generally proved to be very stubborn. Until he returned, Lorna would be completely in charge of the Liberation Front.

'Watch for assassins,' he said gruffly, pulling his daughter into a hug. Lorna looked tiny in comparison to him, but in all honesty, everyone did. She nodded against his chest, pushing a small satchel of salves and healing potions into his hands as she did so.

'Send for help if the Forsaken become too oppressive,' she said, drawing away. 'We'll come.' She nodded to Kathryn and herself in indication.

Darius shook his head. 'I need you here. We'll be overrun otherwise. If the Magistrate proves to be difficult, we may have to resort to . . . other measures.' He straightened, gave Kathryn a brief, one-armed hug, and pocketed the package Lorna had given him. 'I will see you when I get back. Goodbye.'

'Bye,' Lorna replied, and Kathryn echoed the gesture.

And then he was gone.

'What are we going to do now?' Kathryn muttered, sitting down. 'Wait it out?'

'It looks like it,' Lorna agreed. 'On-the-spot decisions, I suppose.'

'Great.' She sighed, albeit a little heavily. 'As long as we aren't sitting ducks, I suppose I can deal with that.'

Lorna gave her a wry smile. 'Is that wanderlust coming back, Kathryn?'

'No.'

'You sure?'

She laughed a little. 'Even I don't know.'

'Miss Crowley.' They both looked up to see Tobias standing before them, a pack slung over his shoulder. Lorna tensed immediately, but she gave him her attention.

'Yes?' she asked after a moment of pause. Unlike every other time Kathryn had seen them interact, Lorna didn't tell him off for being formal. Her mind was obviously too distracted to care.

'Might I speak with you a moment?'

She gave Kathryn an anxious look which clearly said what do I do? Kathryn made a nudging motion with her head, indicating for her to go.

'I'll catch up with you in a bit,' she added out loud, getting to her feet. 'See you, Tobias.'

'Goodbye, Kathryn.'

Completely ignoring the look of alarm that crossed Lorna's face at her friend's abandonment, Kathryn quite happily swanned off, leaving them to their own devices. If Lorna decided to use that rather intelligent brain of hers, maybe should would actually try to fix things. But, if she didn't, Kathryn was most likely going to have to give her a little nudge.

She went in the general, vague direction of a cluster of men sitting around by the tents, and tossed herself down on the ground, picking a few long strands of grass and braiding them together. She entertained herself by doing that for a good five minutes, and felt a little pleased that Lorna hadn't come to find her yet.

'You Crowley's daughter?'

Kathryn looked up suddenly at the voice which had come somewhere from her right, and found herself looking at the man from yesterday. She quirked a single eyebrow. 'No.'

The corner of his mouth jumped a little. 'Seems like it.'

She paused. 'Well . . . he's sort of my adoptive father, if that means anything.'

He scuffed his muddy boots against a clump of weeds, before deciding to park himself on the ground beside her, far enough away that it was a comfortable distance. Kathryn finally got a chance to properly look at him.

He had sandy blonde hair, and a structured, good natured face that blatantly said he was handsome in his earlier years. She still couldn't tell whether his eyes were blue or green, but she wasn't exactly trying too hard, so that was to be expected. Something seemed vaguely familiar about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She might have seen him around Gilneas when she was younger, but then again, that didn't seem quite right.

'You're not Gilnean, are you?'

He seemed amused by her bluntness. 'No. But you don't seem to be, either.'

'I'm half,' she responded. 'But I grew up there.'

'With your family?'

'No.' She paused for a moment, before adding: 'My family's gone.'

'I'm sorry,' he replied, but it didn't sound like the typical apology Kathryn usually got – the standard, automatic response. It was something that bugged her to no end, so she rarely brought the subject up.

She shrugged offhandedly. 'Not your fault. You didn't kill Mum, did you?' The tone was a little joking, but the man raised his eyebrows.

'I didn't get your name before.'

'I didn't get yours.'

He sighed a little. 'Mine is unimportant.' At her almost deadpan expression, he continued, 'I left it behind, a long time ago.'

'Mine doesn't matter either,' she responded immediately, giving him a look. 'I'm not even sure what it is, anymore.' There was a short moment of silence, before she spoke again. 'If this isn't even your home, then why are you helping to fight for it? There's nothing in it for you, is there?'

He gave her an evaluating look as he replied. 'I'm keeping a promise.'

She cocked her head a little. 'Am I allowed to inquire what sort of promise that is?'

'An old one.'

He was talking, but not enough to reveal his entire life story to her. Kathryn could respect that. He seemed to be a sensible man, among other things.

'If your family is here no longer, then why are you fighting?' he asked, adjusting his position as he did so.

Kathryn rolled out her shoulders. 'For my land. My friends.' She paused for a moment. 'My son.'

He looked surprised at that piece of information. 'You're a mother.' It wasn't a question. Just immediate acceptance.

'Yeah.' A small smile pulled on the corner of her mouth. 'He's just about two now.'

'Pardon me if this seems forward, but you look quite young.'

Kathryn chewed her lip and didn't reply. This was something a lot of people always seemed to notice. Oh, you've lost your lover. You also have a child. Okay. How old are you?

Not old enough.

Eventually she gave a small exhale, and nodded. 'Well, yeah. I suppose. But I get that a lot, so . . .' She trailed off and shuffled uncomfortably, absently fiddling with the grass braid.

'I see,' he replied. And before Kathryn could properly register it, he got to his feet. 'I will be going, then. Matters to attend to. Farewell.'

'W-wait -' Kathryn tossed the grass to the side and tried to stumble up. Her legs were numb from keeping still for too long, and she put her hands out in front of her, before trying to caterpillar-walk to her feet. It didn't work, as she tottered off sideways and landed sharply on her hip. After the initial impact, she slipped back onto her backside and let out a noise of frustration.

The man was gone.

'You don't have . . . to go . . .' she muttered. With a heavy sigh, she flopped back into the grass and closed her eyes, feeling annoyance bubble in her chest.

Damn it, whenever she didn't want to talk about something, she either turned hostile or looked really miserable. Every time, without fail, her facial expression would send whatever company she had in the other direction.

It was a curse, really. If she'd just get over it . . .

Lorna

There was a long moment of silence. Lorna and Tobias just looked at each other, neither able to say anything. When she felt that it had dragged on for so long that it was more than painful, Lorna finally broke it.

'What's that for?' She nodded in the direction of his pack.

He spared it a quick glance before replying, 'I'm leaving with a small scouting group for a few days. We're travelling with Darius until the halfway point between the Keep, then we're splitting off and observing some of the smaller Forsaken outposts.'

All that managed to come out of Lorna's mouth in response was a small, 'Oh.'

'It's only a few days,' he repeated. 'Not long enough that anything bad can result from it.'

'You don't know that.'

He paused, then seemed to agree with her. 'No, I don't. But I don't think it will.'

'You don't need to keep reassuring me,' Lorna replied. 'It will be fine.'

'Exactly.'

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. 'Well, it that's all you wanted to talk about -'

'I was just going to say goodbye,' he said, cutting over her. 'If you'll let me,' he added after a second.

Lorna's brow creased into a frown. 'Let you? Let you? Tobias, I don't have any say over what you can and can't do, so -'

'Yes, you do, Miss,' he replied. 'You have every say.'

Lorna made a funny noise and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. 'Drop the formalities, Tobias. You know it annoys me.'

If anything, the smallest of smiles tugged on the corner of his mouth. 'I'm being a gentleman, Lorna.'

The tone he said it in triggered a tiny laugh to escape her mouth, and it took all the control she had to quickly diminish it.

He began to extend his hand toward her, but seemed to think better of it, and it quickly dropped back to his side.

Lorna secretly wished he hadn't.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and dipped his head a little. 'Well, I guess I'll be off then, Miss Crowley. See you in a few days.'

He turned to leave.

'Wait!' Lorna cried, letting instinct take over, springing forward and seizing his hand. 'What sort of a goodbye was that?'

'A short one,' he replied. 'Ma'am, I really need to go.'

'Stop that!'

He paused, but after a moment, ever so slowly turned back to her. He had barely done that when she reached out and pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face somewhere amidst his chest. Tobias was stiff for a moment, but then he tentatively (or was it reluctantly?) returned the gesture, letting his chin rest on the top of her head.

'Look after yourself, you hear me?' Lorna said, forcing herself to pull away. 'Because if something happens, I swear . . .'

He gave a mock salute. 'Will do, Miss Crowley.'

She sighed, but didn't bother to reprimand this time. 'Good.'

'I'd best be going, now. Can't wait much longer.'

Lorna grudgingly nodded. 'Okay. Fine. I'll . . . see you in a few days.'

He nodded in promise. 'A few days.'

Lorna didn't bother to go and find Kathryn. Instead she went back to her tent and sat in the middle of the floor, turning a knife over in her hands. Kathryn had given her the blade a long time ago, when they were still early in their teenage years, and before she had taken off to the streets. It had been one of her favourites, and because of that, Lorna hadn't let it out of her sight since. It was a simple blade, really, but it was still as sharp as the day she had received it; mainly due to disuse.

Lorna hadn't truly needed it yet. She preferred guns, really. However, her father's warning about assassins had stuck in her mind, and she had a feeling that might soon change.

Ten minutes later, Kathryn found her.

'Have you been here all this time?' she asked, her brow creasing into a frown.

Lorna shook her head. 'Not that long.' She paused, then added, 'Tobias wanted to say goodbye.'

She sat down beside her. 'Where is he going?'

'Scouting. Only for a few days, though.'

'Are you talking again?'

She shrugged offhandedly. 'I suppose.'

Kathryn chewed her bottom lip. 'Define "suppose".'

' . . . We're on better terms than yesterday, or last week, or any period of time before twenty minutes ago.'

Kathryn sighed, and shook her head dramatically. 'That's better than nothing, I guess.'

Lorna made a vague noise of agreement.

Kathryn

The next three days were uneventful. Lorna wasn't going to send out any attack groups until Tobias had returned with whatever information he had collected, and Kathryn agreed with that.

So now they waited.

The two women sparred for most of the day, since they both wanted to distract themselves from what might be happening outside their small camp. Kathryn grudgingly introduced Lorna to Sam, and he flirted shamelessly – that was, until Kathryn socked him in the arm so hard that it left a horse-bite mark. To say he was miffed was an understatement.

Lorna didn't talk about Tobias.

Kathryn didn't talk about Tobias.

Neither of them dared to mention Darius.

On the fourth day however, something happened.

'Poison.'

'Definitely.'

'How?'

'I don't know.'

Lorna, Kathryn, and two other men were surrounding a corpse towards the edge of the camp, trying to comprehend how this had happened without anyone noticing.

'How long has he been dead?' Kathryn asked, looking up. She was kneeling beside the body, scanning it for any signs of injury. So far she had found none. The only proof she had that it was poison was that the man had been foaming at the mouth just before his death.

'I'm assuming an hour,' one of the others replied.

'But how did they get it into his system?' she muttered, her brow creasing into a frown. His chest was arching slightly in an unnatural way, so she rolled him over onto his stomach.

Bingo.

There, broken, but most definitely the cause, was an arrow embedded deep into his back, just beside the spine.

Straight through the heart.

'Poison arrows!' Lorna muttered in realisation, kneeling down beside Kathryn to get a closer look. 'They're going to pick us off, one by one from afar!'

Kathryn sat back on her haunches, feeling sick. She gingerly reached out and ripped the arrow from the man's body. It was ruined and bloody, and the barbed head tore away a small amount of flesh with it. Dragging the cuff of her sleeve over her hand, Kathryn wiped the redness away to reveal that the projectile was stained black.

There was no doubt about it now.

Lorna's eyes flitted between the arrow and Kathryn's face, and her brow creased a little. 'Are you okay?'

Kathryn didn't respond. She swallowed gingerly and pocketed the shattered object, staring somewhere to the left.

Lorna leaned forward and shook her by the shoulder. 'Kathryn.'

'I – I'm fine.'

The expression on Lorna's face clearly said no, you aren't, but she didn't push. She knew why Kathryn was reacting this way.

She'd had a bad history with poisoned arrows.

Kathryn got to her feet, and brushed herself off, telling them she would be back to help dispose of the body in a minute. She walked off, trying to give off a calm and composed air.

The second she was out of sight, she fell onto her knees and vomited.

'The scouting group is back!'

The body had disappeared beneath the freshly turned earth only minutes ago, and to distract herself from it, Kathryn had climbed one of the taller pine trees for a proper look around. In the distance she had seen three worgen running on all fours towards the camp, and she's recognised Tobias after only a moment of intense scrutiny.

Lorna brushed the dry dirt that caked her hands onto her trousers and used her foot to pat down the mound atop the grave.

'His name was James Whitley,' she said, looking grim. 'He had a wife and four small children in Stormwind.'

'Send them a notice when the next ship returns.'

'I know. Along with several others.'

A number of Gilneans had died in the last two weeks alone. Lorna was stuck with writing letters to their families, and Kathryn pitched in when she could, considering that she knew what it felt like. It was miserable work, but it had to be done.

Kathryn stuck out her hand. 'Come on. He'll want to see you.'

Lorna barely had time to scoff before she was being dragged through the forest back to the camp. They arrived just as the other two worgen bounded into sight, panting heavily. They transformed right before Tobias himself appeared. He morphed into his human form and straightened up, looking around. Kathryn dragged Lorna over to him, and he inclined his head, despite the fact that he was still trying to catch his breath.

'Miss . . . Miss Crowley.'

'Stop it.' She was clearly trying to put up an irritable and unimpressed façade, but Kathryn could see her eyes were shining. 'Report?'

'There is little happening at Ambermill, so we travelled north-west to Olsen's Farthing. They're -'

He cut off suddenly and let out a yell of pain, half a second after Kathryn detected a small, whizzing noise coming in their direction. He dropped to his knees, his hand fumbling towards his shoulder, where a long, black-feathered arrow had just impaled itself.

26/10/15