(A/N Yes, a chapter I am mildly happy with. Yay me! I'm already working on the next one, so hopefully another up before tomorrow?)

Thanks so much for the reviews!! Im very glad people are liking this! And yay me (again) for hitting the ten chapters mark, even though a few chapters were pretty short...

Im a less-than-20-year-old girl, you really think i own Blizzard??

The silken hood was pulled briskly over raven hair. Blue eyes shone from the shadows underneath like sapphires in the noonday sun. Swiftly, she loped from one rough rooftop to the next, a shadow to some, a flash of movement to others, racing unnoticed along the scorched valley in Orgrimmar. She paused on one roof, catching sight of her target.

There! He strode around a corner with another of his kind. She crouched, cloak swirling softly around her nimble form. The hand bracing her weight forward shook. Anger, boiling, raging anger, was shoved nearly completely aside by the extreme, wavelike relief that poured over her. Yes, her first mate was still alive. In good health as well, as it seemed. She clenched her free hand, turning her face back to the Drag, where she left that damn woman. The liar! Standing, she glanced back at Zarq, before taking off for the inn.

She would leave a note. Just as he had left one for her, only she would give him a specific time and place to meet again.

Swinging back into their room, she started. Where were their things? She searched the room, extremely worried for her booty. Where, were, her, sparkles?!

She could hear the innkeeper trudging towards the room. Damn! She would have to leave then.

Dagger slipped out of the window again, clutching her bag of gems she pilfered yesterday. She walked to the front of the building and glanced down.

Several pack kodos were tied to the hitch, loaded with what appeared to be her things and more. After a moment of staring, she came to the realization. Zarq was getting ready to move out without her.

Her throat clenched. Good man, she told herself. However, something in her was hurt. She brushed the softness aside, gritting her teeth and swinging down next to the large beasts. One glanced at her, but the orc guarding the animals took more interest in her.

"You there, rogue! Get away from those kodo!"

Scowling, she turned. "Excuse me, these are my things as well! And I am no rogue!"

The orc, clearly used to sly pickpockets, pulled his sword and axe from their places. "I'll warn you once more, elf, move away from those packs, or I'll have your hands!"

Rolling her eyes, Dagger noticed the small group of people taking notice of her. She gritted her teeth, knowing when she would be fighting a loosing battle.

"Fine." She moved toward the guard. "But you need to give something to Zarq for me."

She pulled out a scroll and borrowed a quill from her packs. The orc grumbled at this.

"I'll be reporting this to the owner of these things, miss."

"I already know, dolt!"

She finished off the letter, tied it to the bag of gems (after sneaking a few out to keep with her) and chucked the bundle at the orc.

He scanned the note, and cried out.

"Captain Dagger? GUARDS! Pirate in the city!!"

But she had vanished.

Zarq turned another corner with Vol'Jin, feeling an aching tire in his back. The older troll was very sympathetic, walking through the town with Zarq and easing the pressure on his mind. He was thankful to his leader and mentor, but nothing could rid his mind of one image of Dagger, cowed and beaten.

"Will you be stayin another night den, mon?"

Zarq started at the question, realizing he wasn't paying attention. "Er, ya. I might as well give it one more night."

Vol'Jin smiled grimly. "Mebe you should be stayin in da Valley of Wisdom, wit us." They paused next to the inn, and Vol'Jin clasped his protégé on the shoulder. "We can move your tings back into your apartment, and you can leave wheneva you want ta."

Zarq thought for a moment, but he was ripped from his mind by the guard by his kodos yelling, "GUARDS! Pirate in the city!"

He and Vol'Jin whipped to look at the guard, who was holding a note in one hand and his weapon in the other. A group of warriors rushed to his side.

"Where?"

The guard was looking around, frantic. "She was just here! She had this grayish black cloak on…bluest eyes you'll ever see! I swear, she must've scaled the wall or something…"

Zarq turned wide eyes on Vol'Jin, who looked just as surprised, if not more.

"You don't tink…"

Zarq strode to the guard, snatching the note and package from his hand. "You saw a pirate, mon?"

Vol'Jin followed. "Yes! She looked like she was thieving something from your packs. When I asked her what she was doing, she acted like she owned the stuff!"

"A pirate, dis was mon?"

The guard looked at Vol'Jin, and bowed. "Sir, yes sir. Look, she even signed the note "Captain Dagger" and everything."

Vol'Jin took the note, examining it. "As it would appear."

Zarq moved to his packs, taking down his swords. When they were strapped to his hips comfortably, he whistled sharply. Shzar leapt from the roof, appearing in midair and startling the warriors.

Vol'Jin paid him no mind. "Did joo see which way she went? No? And she was wearin a dark cloak? Aight."

Zarq returned to Vol'Jin's side, eyes like stone. The older troll sighed.

"Well, it isn't much ta go on, but I trust ya Zarq."

The guard blinked, the warriors behind him bristling. "Sir…are you going to be needing any help?"

Zarq bowed slightly to Vol'Jin. "Sir, I follow your command."

Vol'Jin pat him on the shoulder lightly, a dismissal. "No," he continued, turning his attention to the guards, "I don't tink he be needin much help. However, you can help me move his tings to his quarters…"

Zarq strode towards the Drag, hands gripping his weapons, Shzar padding at his side, and commoners giving him plenty of room.

A murky haze seemed to linger within the building. People moved like shadows, fleeting from place to place like mice scurrying about, although Dagger was under the impression that these people were far less innocent than furry little rodents. She was leaning over a table in a tavern, just outside of the Cleft. Her hood was pulled so that nobody could see her face. Ordinarily, this would draw attention, but here, with other rogues and thieves, she would look odder as 'Celia'.

A brief glance over her shoulder reassured her that Tur'Gisha had not emerged onto the streets. Sighing, she turned back to her table, where she flipped a blue gem across her palms and through her fingers. The action caused several stray hairs to slip into her face; she was too lost in thought to brush them carelessly away.

Tur'Gisha…what was her motive? The cat? The gem in her hands disappeared, only to reappear in the other hand moments later. From the looks of things, she was inexperienced in the ways of battle. However, she was attempting to stay hidden while she moved about the city, as if she expected a training master to be on her every move. The gem swirled around one of her fingers, as if orbiting it. So…was she hired by someone? Again, for what motive? And the Blood Elf assassin…

Her hand clenched around the gem, and it pulsated in her grasp, still energized with her magic. If Tur'Gisha was telling the truth, as it sounded like she might have, then there were a few options. Obviously Zarq defeated them; the herald made sure everyone heard of that feat. But how did he play into the picture? Was he-

Movement to her right cut her line of thinking. Hair prickled on the back of her neck- a telltale sign that someone was paying a little too much attention to her.

Her instant thought was to escape. In her mind she drew up a possible route to leave discreetly. However, she noted that she could not pinpoint her watcher.

Something told her to stay. Perhaps this way she could find out what was going on? If he really was behind this, then that would explain a lot.

Casually she pulled out a more precious gem, a black diamond. It was cut so that there was one larger flat facet; the rest was cut like a cone. She filled this one with a drop of her magic as well. The face became more reflective, and she swirled it slowly, getting a good look around the tavern. It was an old trick, she had to admit, but she would need the advantage.

Sure enough, someone sitting at the bar looked as if he did not fit. She was no master of disguise, but the way the barkeeper kept his distance told her plenty.

Now, if she were still clumsy and a weak escape artist, what would she do? She noted the large mistakes the man made; His back was too rigid, his clothing too simple. He stared straight ahead, not fiddling with his cup or anything.

Right.

Dagger pocketed the gem, knowing what she was expected to do. It was insulting, really.

With a quick, jerky motion that caught the attention of half the bar, she tucked her hair behind her ear, giving the man full view of her face. She glanced around once, twice, before staring at her hands and picking at her black gloves.

After a minute of this nervous behavior, she arose, her chair making a slight sound. Without looking at anyone, she bore to the side exit, seemingly not noticing the man at the bar disappear moments before she herself moved.

She had a choice now. Pulling her lip as she moved through the slight side alley, she debated with herself. Reveal herself and do away with the threat as soon as possible, or play along like the captive to find out information?

Her follower seemed the patient type. She was back onto the main road out of the Cleft within a few minutes, and had not seen him. Wonderful.

Dagger pulled her cloak a little tighter around her frame, moving into a corner next to some desert brush that managed to grow in the shady seclude. When she seemed settled, her follower showed himself, however discreetly it was. A passing Forsaken barely flicked their eyes to the wall above her head.

She tensed, preparing. Now was the time. The road was only partly filled- a jittery recruit would not be patient enough for a large crowd, and would try to escape now.

Briskly she moved out and onto the road, moving away from the Cleft as if she gave up on her quarry. Sure enough, down came the shadow, one hand grabbing her arm and the other pressing a hidden knife to her back. She locked up and whimpered, but inside she grinned.

Hook, line, and sucker.

However, something in her planning went terribly awry at that moment. As her captor began to walk her back to the shadows, Zarq appeared at the top of the incline, and, apparently unknown to him, several shadows behind his form.

Dagger attempted to not curse her mouth off, and slightly failed, letting out a mumbled "Mutherfucker…"

Zarq filled with triumph as he caught sight of Dagger down the road. His logical thinking had once again led him to his prey, or in this case, his friend. The good feelings in him, however, slipped away when he saw a masked elf pulling her into the shadows, and the horror struck look on her face.

His swords came free in an instant, and he took off down the soft incline without thinking. She would not be taken away, not when she was so close…

Shzar screamed a warning behind him, and he tucked into a roll. Two daggers thudded into the ground where he had been. Zarq chose to ignore this as he ducked behind a building after the elves.

Dagger began to struggle now, weakly because she was trying to salvage the charade, but she managed to get one arm free when Zarq skidded around another corner after them.

She roughly pulled the hand from her mouth, and managed to yell, "Zarq, don't-!!" before her captor retained her. Frustration bubbled inside of her. Not only was her plan to trick this rogue botched, but now Tur'Gisha might be leaving the Cleft and she wasn't there to beat the pulp out of her.

"Where are you taking me?" She struggled to say. Maybe she could wring a bit of information out of this guy still.

"Oh, I think you know." His hold was getting a bit slippery, but she let him take her further, getting only glimpses of Zarq behind them.

"Who wants me captured?"

This time she pressed a spell from her fingers to his arm, and an answer spilled from his lips.

They paused, only for a moment, but Dagger didn't move. So I was right…

Since she was being dragged behind the now frantic captor, all she was to do was lift her feet and bring them back down roughly to halt movement. Her attacker pulled her back straight again, but now that they stopped moving, she had footing, and used it.

Clenching her teeth, she flipped the light elf over her back, to the ground in front of her. He landed with an oomph, but rolled away.

One of her scimitars came out of its scabbard, and she face off with him.

"Come on then, let's fight."

She knocked the dagger he flung at her aside with her blade, slashing at him in return. His back was to the way they came, a foolish move, and she couldn't help but hope Zarq would come tumbling around the corner to slash this guy to ribbons.

I'm getting way too dependant on that guy…She thought, and blocked his next attack.

Hmmm...might be a bit of a cliff-hanger, though i didnt mean it to come out that way...

Oh well... back to working on the next chapter. So far its pretty choppy and i dont really like it...

(Preview---"Noting that Zarq was about to be run through by the other rogue's sword, she leapt through the air and smashed her hilt into his face. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he recoiled...")