Disclaimer: I do not own anything WoW or Blizzard, only my own stuff, like Nadia.

Skadoosh! Happy Wednesday and second of December! Another chapter! It's good to see you all once again, I'm very glad that the response to the last chapter was very positive, and hope you all enjoy this one as much as the last. This one is kind of short, but that was intentional as I wanted to go ahead and get this up and running as it is a turning point in the story.

Good news and bad news from me, sadly.

Good news is that The Ties That Bind has reached over 500 views and over 200 visitors in November alone! I owe a lot to you all for being so patient and supportive!

Bad news: finals are coming up so that means less time to post on my end since I have to study and whatnot.

But after that, I'll be done with my first semester and pretty bored for about a month on Christmas vacation. So expect this post, then a dry season, then a monsoon to say the least.

Please remember to vote as soon as possible in the poll that's up so that I might get started on the new story depending on the poll status come December 14th.

Also, I have a Tumblr page set up for this story universe and all things WoW, so go follow to see posts regarding this story like character bios, short excerpts, I'll answer questions, character commissions (there's the very first one coming soon of Zebodah), and more! The link is in my Bio and instructions are at the end of the chapter as well as here: type in nadiaravenscroft (period) tumblr (period) com (slash).

Feel free to ask characters questions or any questions about the story!

Anyway, that's enough from me, now onto the show!

Chapter 10: The Serpent King

Had Vana'jia still been alive, she probably would've beaten Zebodah up by now for somehow getting her one and only daughter mixed up in the schemes of one of the most powerful and cunning loa in existence.

And as Zebodah stood there staring up at Dambala with his jaw slack, he seriously considered beating himself up too. How, in the name of the spirits and ancestors, had he gotten himself into a mess like this?

"Don'cha tink it be a little sssselfish ta only be worryin' 'bout yourself mon?"

The loa moved his hand from Nadia's shoulder to her head and spun one of her wild curls between clawed fingered. The girl remained motionless as the deity continued to run his fingers through her hair, the faraway look still on her face. Upon closer inspection, Zebodah saw that her eyes looked empty, which was strange for Nadia. It was then that the shaman realized the loa had her under some sort of spell.

The troll's fingers curled until his claws dug painfully into his palms. He felt his face twist into a scowl and he snarled at Dambala for the unnecessary and mocking physical contact with Nadia. Which was a very stupid thing to do, he realized quickly, because the loa's already reptile-like grin became much larger in response as he began to twirl even more of her hair.

"Ah, ssso ya ain't totally selfish, it seems." He began to play with the most rebellious of Nadia's curls that rested right between her eyes, "dat be good ta know, for da reason I 'ave come requires ya…cooperation."

This was bad. The troll knew enough that Dambala probably wasn't there for a visit, but now it seemed that the deity had an agenda. Which yet again raised the question as to what the loa could possibly want with the both of them. But as much as Zebodah wanted to let loose and grab the girl and run, he knew that he wouldn't get very far and would end up dooming them both. If the shaman wanted to get out of this alive, he would have to play along and be as respectful as possible.

With gritted teeth, the shaman knelt down on one knee with his head dipped down towards the loa, which was a good thing since Zebodah did not see Dambala's smile became even slyer, "I be ready ta serve da loa in any way."

Something flashed in Dambala's eyes as the motion of his fingers through Nadia's hair came to an abrupt halt. With that slimy grin still in place, he sniffed and let the girl's locks fall out of his fingers as his attention became solely focused on the Darkspear, "Really, mon? Are ya really?"

There was something that set of warning bells in his tone, but Zebodah going. He glanced up just enough to look the loa right in his green eyes, "Ya, for dey have been present in dese tryin' times. But for what purpose could da loa possible need me?"

The air shifted immediately, and the troll could not tell if the shiver that went down his spine was because of the sudden chill or the way Dambala's smile slowly left his face.

"For what purpose indeed, shaman. For what purpose indeed…" The loa brought his head down next to Nadia's ear, keeping his eyes locked with Zebodah's the whole time. The child didn't even flinch as he hissed into her ear, "Sssleep now, little one. Dis shaman an' I need ta have a chat…"

The Darkspear watched with muted horror as Nadia's eyelids fluttered shut and she began to fall to the side. Her body slumped onto the soft grass without a sound, as every muscle in her form seemed to loosen and relax. She did not move again save for the random tendrils of hair that were being teased and pulled by the heavy breeze.

Zebodah would have thought her no longer alive were it not for the barely noticeable yet steady rising and falling of her chest.

The troll got up, took a step forward, and reached out towards the girl without realizing what he was doing, "What are ya –."

"Quiet."

Whatever good will that may have been present between the troll and the loa was gone now. Dambala oily smile had been replaced with a glower and his lips were pulled back slightly over sharp teeth and his tusks. Zebodah froze once more, and he could not tell if it was from the loa's power over him or from fear.

"You," the loa stepped over Nadia's sleeping form without so much as giving her a second look, his green eyes boring into the shaman the whole time, "owe me a debt."

If Zebodah could have taken a step back or recoiled in some way he would have, "What?"

"I said quiet." Dambala's eyes flashed again and Zebodah's esophagus constricted to the point he was nearly choking. A few gasping breaths and sounds managed to surge through his throat as he grasped at his neck in panic, and the loa seemed to find amusement from this, "Oh, when will ya learn, sssshaman? You ain't gonna forget again, are ya? I would hate ta have ta show ya disssscipline twice over."

The troll wisely kept his mouth shut as he nodded and continued to massage his throat, keeping his eyes downcast the whole time.

"Now, I be knowin' dat you know what debt I be talkin' about. Did ya really tink I was gonna let sssomethin' like dat sssslide, hmm?" Zebodah shook his head back and forth quickly, still avoiding eye contact with the loa, "Good. Let us be gettin' on ta business den."

The Darkspear relaxed significantly when Dambala turned around and loped back over to stand behind Nadia. His moment of calm disappeared when the loa began to run his fingers through the child's hair again, going as far as to occasionally stroke her face.

"It be amazin', yesss? Da tings my wives can accomplish whey dey work together: dey be quite proud. And so be I." His eyes never left Zebodah as he twisted one of her curls around a finger, "Ya look confused, mon. Tell me why."

Zebodah felt his throat loosen, as if the invisible hand that was gripping and clawing at it had finally let go, and he desperately gasped for air, "I…don' understand."

Dambala blinked once. Twice. Then he smiled that snake-like grin again, "Oh…oh ho…you don' know…do ya?" One of the loa's knuckles brushed slowly back and forth over Nadia's cheek as she slept on, and his smile grew when the shaman visibly tensed, "My, my, dis is gettin' good."

The troll did not reply. The deity's hand was far too close to the girl's face to risk speaking and angering him again. However, it was impossible to deny that his suspicion and uneasiness over everything that was happening so far. What did the wives of Dambala have anything to do with this?

"What? Did ya sssseriously tink dat dis little one was conceived without any help at all? Ah nah, mon. Lots o' sacrifices and prayers and deals went into makin' dis one…Yes, lots o' dealssss indeed." He stopped stroking Nadia's cheek long enough to run his thumb lightly over her lips, "For 11 years, Vana'jia did everything an' more for a babe…and I musssst be sayin', da results ain't bad."

The breeze picked up, tossing Nadia's hair around even more than before, and mimicked the rise in tension between the loa and the Darkspear troll. Not that Zebodah noticed in the slightest. His own thoughts were raging, wrestling with what he thought he knew and what bits and pieces of information were only just now coming into light.

He had known, from the very beginning, that there was something strange about Nadia. He had known that there was no way the girl could have been conceived and birthed naturally. He had known that there was a reason the loa liked to watch and whisper whenever she played or laughed or simply lived.

But at the same time there was so much he did not know.

Dambala only revealed what he wanted to reveal, making exceptions for no one as one of the most cunning of all the loa. He left far more questions than answers. One of those questions being what he could possibly want with Nadia.

"I bet ya still be wonderin' why I be payin' ya a visit," Dambala continued without a care for Zebodah's inner turmoil, "well, I'm here only as a messenger dissss time…for my wives. Ya see, dose two ain't ever worked together or gotten along like dis before, but only when it be concernin' ya girly. It was sad when her motha went under da care of Bwonsamdi, but fo' some reason dey saw hope for her in you. Only now, dey be very disappointed wit ya. And when dey be disappointed, so be I."

Dambala stared at him impatiently as he continued to twist and spring Nadia's curls and waves, and Zebodah felt stupid when he finally realized that the loa was giving him permission to speak, "I…wish to correct any wrong I may have done against Ayida or Erzulie."

"Hmph," the Loa of Shadow's fingers had wandered their way back to the curl between Nadia's eyes. He seemed to be particularly fond of that one, "You know, dey didn't have dis problem wit ya girlfriend. She paid her debts. Even in death, sssshe still pays her debts. It ain't fair, really, dat we gotta put up wit you now. Which is why I'm gonna make dis easier for everyone, mosssstly me, by takin' out two Murlocs wit one arrow…"

There was a brief pause as Dambala chuckled and ran his tongue over his teeth, and Zebodah had to resist the physical urge to snarl. Hot, fresh anger was surging through him. After all this time, after all these years of silence and unanswered prayers, the loa chose now to bring up his impending debt? It was wrong, totally and absolutely wrong, especially since it was technically Dambala's power that got his trapped in Outland in the first place!

"Hah, I can see ya anger, an' dat's fine. Yeah, ya didn't exactly get what ya wanted out o' our deal, but why should dat matter to me? I provide da meansssss, not da endssss. Believe what'chu want, but da only person ta blame is yaself, and ya still gotta pay up. I understand, though, dat bein' out here makes coverin' ya debt difficult. But my patience be runnin out…so we gonna do ssssomethin' different… My wives want da girly ta have a parent, a troll parent, and I want you ta pay what you owe me one way o' anotha. Well, since you be a troll, here's what we gonna do…"

Something clicked in the back of Zebodah's mind, and a horrible sense of foreboding came right after it. No, oh please, no…

Dambala stopped petting the child and pointed a clawed finger right at the Darkspear, "You are Nadia's new guardian, somethin' ya shoulda been from da beginning. Dis is how ya gonna make my wives happy, dis is how ya gonna make it up ta da girly, and dis is how ya gonna pay off ya debt to me. I don' care if lookin' at her makes ya feel any kinda bad way: deal wit it." The loa tilted his chin up and glared even more condescendingly at the other troll, "An' ya bettah do a good job 'cause dis be ya last chance; she practically be ya daughter now. Act like it. Do we understand each otha?"

"…Ya, I understand," the troll finally replied after much silence as he ran a hand over his face, "For how long – "

"Until I say so," Dambala interrupted harshly. He scowled at Zebodah for a minute longer before casting his eyes downward. The loa's expression softened instantly as his eyes roamed over Nadia's face and his knuckle brushed slowly over he cheek, "an don' even tink about tryin' to weasel ya way around dat. If ya treat her any less den da way I be telling ya to, I'll remind ya just what happens when ya cross a loa."

Zebodah nodded solemnly as Dambala stood up and turned around towards the way he had come from. As he sauntered away from the troll and Nadia, his form began to meld into the shadows of the night.

"Remember: if Nadia, my Nadia, gets so much as a hangnail because of ya…I'll be back. So be careful, I would hate to have to take 'er away due to you and ya friends incompetence."

That's a wrap! Remember to check out the tumblr, some artwork is already up! See you soon!