Chapter 7
A foot crushing the body of a serpent, the head of the snake coiling around and sinking it's fangs into the heel of it's attacker; the little known symbol for the Stormwind Assassins. The same symbol Vaedra had observed on the seals of Nylor's letters, and the same symbol she had carved into his chest after his death. The symbol wasn't usually used as a calling card, but she had been forced to improvise after discovering Nylor was affiliated with them also.
When she was younger she had contemplated the significance of the individual pieces to the emblem, her best guess being that the snake's body represented Stormwind and it's people, the foot was any opposition who threatened it's safety, and the bite itself was the hidden retaliation, the Assassins. Considering the situation she was in now, the morbid thought that it should be altered, perhaps having the hand of the person stepping on the snake reaching down to crush the serpent from behind, was present in her mind.
It was two days before Vaedra had the presence of mind to retrieve the letters and finally take a look after her visit from the Lich King. She didn't know what to think, in fact more often than not she tried not to think at all, and it was taxing. Constantly trying to steer her thoughts away from their encounter so as not to give him more ammunition to taunt her with was nerve wracking. Attempting to justify her reaction or rationalize why he'd done it in the first place only made it worse... she could never fool him, why bother trying to fool herself?
Grabbing the unopened letter from Nylor's room, she sliced through the parchment and began to read.
My dearest Nylor,
I miss you terribly my love, I think about you every day! I do hope everything is all right at your post in Northrend, I know the officers can run you hard, but I know it is for your safety. Your mother is doing well, she asks about you often! My good friend Penelope visits frequently, we share stories you know. She's told me that she has a loved one at war also. It may not make you safer but at least it brings me some peace of mind, having someone to talk to. I must admit that I'm often afraid that the next letter I get from you could be your last, but I know I shouldn't think like that...
The letter went on as such for many more lines, Vaedra sighed and skipped to the end.
…I'll try not to worry my love, please stay safe and write again soon.
Your beloved,
Matilda
She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. Mathias always did have that ridiculous sense of humor...
The letter was straightforward enough for any normal person who might read it, for Vaedra it was equally as straightforward, but in a different way. There was no hidden cryptogram on the parchment, no disappearing ink, the code was in the language itself. Her mind a flurry of activity she quickly interpreted the true intent of the message.
Nylor,
Keep up the updates, a daily log of your activities would be preferable. Any recent developments? There have been reports of increased hostile activity, that the attacks have been getting worse. All is well at SI:7, don't worry, I'm keeping your students in line. I'll be sending another rogue to assist you shortly, his name is Peter. He will make contact with you, so keep your cover consistent. Remember to stay alert, I know I don't have to remind you but you can't blame a man for worrying about his friend...
The last line,
...keep up the reports, hopefully we'll have you home soon.
Mathias
Using words like this was not uncommon, in fact it was the preferred method of all communication for some rogues. It could make a seemingly innocuous conversation about breakfast actually conceal vital information, or the latest turn of events in politics was actually a hidden jab at someone's mother. This 'language' was taught to rogues inducted into the Stormwind Assassins, with varying degrees of subtlety, but it was vital for the smooth exchange of information that kept them running. Mathias Shaw, the head of both the Stormwind Assassins and SI:7, took a certain whimsical standpoint when it came to using the language... Portraying himself as Nylor's girl back home, the extensive flowery drivel, it was probably just a way to embarrass the poor man.
Vaedra frowned suddenly, the gravity of the situation sinking in somewhat. Nylor was in direct communication with Mathias, even she herself had not dealt with him directly for some time, it had been years since she'd even see him last. What had Nylor been up to? She knew she wouldn't find any obvious information as to what his mission was here in Northrend, and he and Mathias were likely the only ones that knew, plus it seemed that the two had been close...
Shit.
Everything seemed to be becoming more complicated by the moment, but she supposed it didn't really matter. Her sudden disappearance after venturing into Naxxaramas was likely viewed as either an untimely death or abandonment. There was no law condemning treason amongst the Assassins since most officials and the church tended to just look the other way wherever rogue matters were concerned, but punishments within the organization could be swift and decisive if they ever got their hands on you... Likely all but a few thought her dead all the same.
Sighing, she scanned the remaining letters, though the told little more. The Assassins had given her a purpose for much of her life, and here she was striking out against them, with hardly a second thought.
I guess they taught me well... Ironic, she supposed.
Startled from her musings, his voice roused her.
Come to me...
Collecting herself, "Where can I find you, Master?"
Follow my voice...
Standing, not quite sure where she was going, Vaedra begun to walk. Out of her cell, up the stairs, down a long corridor, up more stairs, turn left, turn right... she had no idea where she was going, or where she was in the citadel. She just kept walking.
The rogue came upon a chamber, looking inside she saw various portals being controlled, manipulated and maintained by skeletal mages. She supposed they could just stand there all day, holding the portal open if he wished it, they never had any reason to stop. He stood in the center of the room with his back to her, helm in place and Frostmourne resting easily by his side.
Vaedra remained rooted to her spot in the doorway, eyes fixed on his long cloak that adorned his back.
Come to me...
Moving slowly she stepped closer. He didn't turn to face her, so she was forced to brush past him, his cape fluttered lightly as she walked by.
Standing before him he brought his massive gauntlet up to rest on her shoulder. She shuddered inwardly. He seemed to be doing whatever he could to make her nervous and uncomfortable, and it would become unbearable far too soon if she let it fluster her. Shaking it off she looked up at him, he was smirking.
"You've read the letters then?"
"Yes, Master."
"So you know what you must do."
Confused, "I'm afraid not, Master..."
She thought she saw him roll his eyes.
"No, of course you don't."
Sighing, his expression changed, it looked almost... dreamy.
"It seems you will be taking a trip to Stormwind."
Vaedra hoped she didn't look as shocked as she felt, not that it would have mattered...
"For what purpose, Master?"
"To bring me Mathias Shaw's head."
She couldn't have been more surprised even if his fist had suddenly careened into her face. Shaking her head openly she tried to voice her objection,
"I don't think you realize what you're asking--"
"I don't?" Hand tightened on her shoulder.
Taking a quick intake of breath, "Not that I would presume to understand the motivations behind your actions..."
"No, of course not," he sneered. It was a blatant lie.
She continued, "...I must insist that you at least listen to what I have to say about this. I have intimate knowledge of the Stormwind Assassin's inner workings, they are the reason I was in Northrend to begin with," hating to give that information up she pressed on. "Not only is he the most well-protected man in all of Stormwind, perhaps Azeroth itself, he is more skilled than I."
"I'm sure you'll find a way," he squeezed her shoulder tighter, a reminder perhaps for the price of failure.
She gritted her teeth, "That is not all. Besides all of that, eliminating him would only be a minor setback to the Assassins. Removing him will not have the rogues scattering in all directions, there are dozens of other leaders to take his place. The work they do to protect Stormwind is invaluable and nothing short of total annihilation could make them crumble..."
The pressure on her shoulder increased, she'd have trouble lifting her arm in the near future if he didn't stop. She shifted her stance to compensate for the weight forcing her down.
"Bring me his head, I don't care how you do it. While you may be out of reach of my hand while you're there..."
Long fingers returned to between her milky thighs, and they were indeed chilled... she couldn't stop the memory from flooding back when he said that.
"...I don't think I need to remind you of my other methods of control." He released her shoulder abruptly, his eyes glittering.
Vaedra straightened her posture and nodded solemnly.
"Yes, master."
"Good," he murmured like he was reassuring a startled pet, "Now, I can send you to the Burning Steppes from here but you will have to find your own way back."
She nodded again. Going through portals was unpleasant enough, but this time she was sentencing herself to her own hanging...
-
As she dropped from ten feet up, tumbling unceremoniously atop the dirt and soot, Vaedra almost felt like she was free. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders and her chest felt lighter, she could breathe. She was so far away from him, maybe his grip would loosen...
Don't take too long now... his voice reminded, sickeningly sweet before it faded into nothing.
It was definitely fainter, but the sound still felt like a cold fist was clutching onto her heart, she was trapped.
Brushing herself off she began jogging to the east, to Morgan's Vigil.
-
SI:7 was just how Vaedra remembered it the first time she'd stepped foot into the place... completely empty. All the real activities went on behind the walls, you'd only see what the other rogues wanted you to see, that is until you became one of them, and even then...
Not bothering to hide her presence she entered the building. Stealth would have been pointless, likely they had all been alerted to her presence the moment she had entered Stormwind, and also very likely they knew why she was there. Why a rogue would return willingly after being labeled a deserter was beyond anyone's reasoning, so she could only be there for one reason...
The only movement as she walked inside was the flickering candlelight and the dancing shadows, but she knew there were undoubtedly dozens of eyes watching her.
Climbing the wooden spiral staircase, the rogue tried to not let the memories overwhelm her. So many things had happened here, but getting distracted could easily spell her disaster. One thing was certain, however, one of them had to die. Even if it wasn't he or she today, it would certainly be her tomorrow...
Arriving at the second floor, a single shadowy figure sitting stoically against the far wall greeted her.
"Vaedra..." the voice said.
"Mathias."
"It's good to see you."
"And you as well."
Silence, a moment. She took a few steps forward.
"Why have you come?" the voice asked.
"I think you already know the answer to that."
A slight chuckle, "Of course."
Another bracket of silence... she moved a few more steps.
"So who are you working for nowadays?" the voice inquired, feigning politeness.
"You know I can't tell you that."
"I suppose I do!" Another chuckle. "I cannot help but be gentlemanly in the presence of a lady, forgive me."
Vaedra allowed a light smile to brush her lips, no one would see it in the dim light... she continued moving forward.
"Mathias?" she cooed.
"Hmm, yes?"
"I have a small request."
"Oh, do you now?"
"Yes," Vaedra replied, almost on top of the figure.
"I would ask..." she was almost there, "that you dismiss your pawn and show yourself properly." With that she whirled around away from the seated figure, swords drawn.
And there he was, dagger at the ready, just behind her; grinning from ear to ear.
"Splendid!" He appraised. "I guess you got me."
Her lip twitched, their playful game was much more dangerous than he let on. Both of their weapons were drawn, she could almost hear the shadows in the room intake of breath when she had pulled out her blades, ready to strike out at any moment when the signal came.
His posture, despite the circumstances, was very un-threatening, but she knew better. The man was approaching middle age, silver just brushing his temples, though it just made him appear that much more dashing... but his body was still in top physical condition. She knew with just the slightest flick of his wrist she could be laying bloodied on the floor, but then again so could he.
Mathias' form was slight, height and weight probably close to matching her own, but it never seemed to lessen the cool presence he emitted, commanding the attention and ear of anyone whom he encountered. They stood but a few feet apart, both appearing to have the exterior appearance of calm and control, but there was certainly an underlying nervousness in the air.
"I'm glad to see you've kept your skills sharp."
"I practice every day," she half-joked.
He smiled again, but his eyes hardened and his countenance grew serious.
"It seems like it's been such a long time since we last spoke, Vaedra."
"Yes, it has."
"Dare I say that I'm rather displeased for us to be reuniting under these circumstances?"
"I imagined you would be."
He paused a moment, "You've been in Northrend, what has become of Nylor?"
Vaedra grimaced, "An unfortunate casualty."
"I see." The fall of his face was evident, the twinkle gone.
"Mathias, I need to know what Nylor's mission was..."
"Nylor has...had become a sergeant for the Valiance Expedition."
She sighed, "Don't play games with me, this is very important."
He snickered, "Games? You abandon the Assassins, murder my colleague and are now back to make your attempt at me. Pardon me for not finding the situation mirthful, my dear."
A minute crept by, eyes never leaving the others.
"Your efforts are wasted," His voice suddenly harsh. "You should know better than most that eliminating me is pointless."
"Yes, I know."
"That old mantra, about cutting off the head and the body will die? That is not true with us."
"Yes, I know."
"The Stormwind Assassins is larger than outsiders will ever realize, I am but one face out of a hundred others."
She agreed again, sadly. "Yes... I know."
"Then what do you hope to gain here? You've always been bright Vaedra, I can't imagine you working for some imbecile that would refuse to see the reason in this, surely you explained to them the pointlessness?" His eyes pleaded with her.
To anyone who didn't know the man it would seem like he was reaching for any and every excuse to save his own miserable existence, but that was not the case here. He knew this rogue well, and simply wished to uncover the truth.
Nodding slowly, she whispered again, "...yes."
Exasperated he threw up his hands, and turned, presenting his back to her and an obvious opportunity. But she didn't take it, just as he'd known she wouldn't.
"I only wish to understand, Vaedra, you know that right?"
"Yes."
Pondering a moment, he faced her again, brown eyes roaming across her face, searching for any indication as to why...
"Then," stumbling upon something, "you must have no other choice."
She said nothing, but her silence spoke volumes.
"What are they holding over you? I didn't think you had any family left that they could use against you. Money? A secret? Whatever it is, surely I can help."
She shook her head, "I cannot talk about it."
"Surely it's not nearly as bad as that, let me help you. All my resources are at your disposal, anything I can do to help, I will." He sheathed his dagger and began to move to her.
"Stop!" She warned, holding her swords in front of her and keeping him at bay. "Don't hand your head to me on a platter," voice half-pleading, half-threatening.
He stopped and looked at her, face somewhat pained. She cursed him silently, damned perceptive man was making this extraordinarily hard...
"I will do what I must," she promised, darkly.
"Yes, I know you will," a hint of pride entered his voice, but it was overladen with grief. "I'm sorry there is nothing I can do to help, but you won't be seeing me again, Vaedra."
All the remaining candles in the room simultaneously were doused out, total blackness met her vision.
Moving swiftly she slashed her swords through the space Mathias had been standing, but they found nothing but air. Positioning herself defensively in the dark she waited and listened, senses trying to hone in on any potential threats. She expected a dagger to enter her kidney at any moment but it did not come.
Rotating slowly she considered her options. Did he intend on finishing it out now, a twisted game of cat and mouse in the dark? Or perhaps he was just giving her a chance to escape...
With that thought in mind she began to head towards the stairs... when she felt cool steel press against her throat.
Perhaps not.
Author's Note: In case anyone was wondering or missed it, I've borrowed the Stormwind Assassin's symbol from Edgar Allan Poe. Sadly Mr. Poe's work and ideas do not belong to me either =( Also all the readers who reviewed, thank you for taking the time to do so, I've greatly enjoyed writing this fic thus far and am happy to know that people have enjoyed reading it as well! Currently I do not plan to introduce the Ner'zhul personality into the story, this latest expansion focused mostly on Arthas and his erm, growth/downfall, whatever you want to call it, hehe, and I'd prefer to keep this story focused on that aspect also.
