A/N: Look an update! By Elune, it is so! So anyway, I don't own Blizzard, or WoW, or any affiliation connected to them. Of course not...if I did, Thrall would marry Jaina, I'd marry Illidan AND Kael, and um...Druids would have a serpent form. Ya that would be cool Well anyway, hope you enjoy this one my loyal veiwers. Just for your patience, dedication, and wonderful, awe inspriting reviews, I've made this chapter extra long for you! I hope you like it, and please review, it makes me so happy to know that at least someone thinks my story is worth reading :). To be honest, I'm still kind of amazed at the reviews I have been getting. Everyone seems to like it so far. Read away.
Chapter 14: The Plot Thickens *dramatic music*
The morning dawned clear and bright. The sun was a weak, yellow ball far on the Eastern horizon, shining down with cold light that gave no warmth but illuminated the surrounding snowy countryside with brilliant rays of light.
The day was still early enough that Anaiya felt no need for a breakfast meal, wanting to wait till it was later in the day since she, like most of her race, was not a morning person.
She found, to her astonishment, that Keyanomir was willing to travel with the group to visit with the Spiritspeaker, and was quite pleased with this turn of events secretly.
Although, it was probably to see if this Spiritspeaker had any insight on helping him be rid of his ailment. As she waited outside the Inn for Ver and Umber to finish getting their things together and gather up a fresh load of supplies for the trip, she pondered on how far she'd come.
It seemed like it was only a short time ago that she was a nervous, silly little novice priestess who was afraid to tell her mother that her path lay on a different route. Now, she had successfully cast her first shapeshift, she'd experienced an actual battle, (against animals to be sure, but a fight was a fight) and had gained some unusual but steadfast friends along the way.
Pondering on that last thought, though, had her admitting that the only one of their party that she'd really call a friend was Bessany, as the two were always finding themselves together. Shana, she really knew nothing about, and the Forsaken kept herself aloof from the rest of the group anyway.
Key she could hardly call a friend, the cocky male. And her aunt was…well, her aunt.
Umber sort of alarmed her, especially after last night. She still couldn't believe that she'd had the bravery and courage to do what she had done, standing up to the Druid Elders, requesting to aid in this quest. She was going to rescue a dragon, for Elune's sake!
No one she knew of back in Darnassus could say they had done anything even half as epic as she had. A thrill went through her at the thought of telling all her friends back at the Enclave about her journeys.
Which reminded her of Meliri. She felt a small pang of nostalgia thinking of her friend, and knew that Mel would be in the middle of a lesson right now, probably learning proper technique for one spell or another. Oh well, too late to turn back now, and regrets would get her nowhere.
"Hey beautiful babe, nice weather hm?"
Anaiya wrinkled her nose at the voice. Turning around, she saw Key standing behind her, looking quite better than he had last night, slouching against the Inn wall like he owned it, long blonde hair catching glints of sunlight like spun gold. Anaiya scowled.
"Don't call me that. I have a name paladin, use it." Her retort only made him smirk.
"Yes? I do as well little elfling. I wouldn't mind you calling me by mine either…or anything else that comes to mind in the heat of the moment, if you know what I mean?"
Anaiya stared at him, mouth hanging open, not sure if he was insinuating something or if he was just reprimanding her for her oversight.
He winked.
Before Anaiya could make the snide remark that she was bursting to throw at him, Shana walked through the door, followed by Bessany. The Forsaken actually hissed as the bright sunlight hit her face, and shielded her eyes with a gloved hand.
"Morning sunshine, my you're a vision this morning!"
Key's syrupy cheerful voice caused black looks to be cast his way from all the women present.
Not phased in the slightest, his grin widened and he effortlessly pushed off the Inn wall, wandering over to converse with a gnome that was tinkering with some gadget that Anaiya couldn't recognize.
Anaiya sourly noted that he seemed to have completely recovered from the poison's threat last night. Not only that, he was obviously a morning person. Two goblins clambered out of the Inn shortly after, followed soon by Verfanas, Umber, and to Anaiya's dismay, the gnome mage.
"Laris has decided to come see the Spiritspeaker with us. He's curious about this mysterious person. But don't worry, after that he's heading off for Tanaris. Isn't that right Laris?"
Verfanas gave the gnome an amused glance. He nodded, then wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something bad. Clearly he was reluctant to go back and face this "Jemma" but Anaiya assumed that her aunt had talked him into it.
"By all means, why not? While we're at it, lets invite the King of Stormwind and a horde of stampeding monkeys. You alliance collect followers like a dog collects fleas" Shana of course, with an irritated eye roll.
"Can we go now Aunt Ver? I feel like we're losing time here. The sooner we get there and figure out the first part of this mystery, the sooner we can get rid of the needy fan club."
Anaiya said, just for Shana's benefit, carefully kept her face blank and voice emotionless, but grinned inside as she said it. Shana eyed her as if she was a performing animal that had just learned a new trick. Key gave her a mock hurt look, bringing his hand to his chest in an exaggerated wounded gesture.
The gnome scowled up at her with a wrathful look, which certainly may have looked a lot more threatening if the creature was able to stand taller than a young child.
Bessany snickered loudly, then tried to appear contrite.
"I'm only concerned for your wellbeing and safety, darling. It concerns me that you're facing danger so readily!"
Key's exclamation was so full of mock adoration that Anaiya almost couldn't suppress the urge to smack him upside the head with her staff.
Her fingers actually twitched on her weapon, moving it forward somewhat before she could get a hold of herself. He was so…cocky! So infuriating. How could Blood Elf females stand their male counterparts?
Shana groaned, intruding upon Key and Anaiya's staring contest.
"Well, come on then everyone. I've had enough sappy love moments on this trip to last me a lifetime, fake or otherwise." She slanted a look first at Key, who raised an eyebrow and mumbled a protest about his interest in Anaiya being more than just superficial, and then a second glance to Ver, who grinned back, unrepentant.
As they all more or less comfortably set out together, leaving Everlook's white walls behind, Anaiya fell into step beside the Forsaken.
"I understand why your with us on our journey here, since you just want to get back to the Eastern Kingdoms and your home and this is the most convenient way, but what I don't understand is why your going with us to talk to the Spritspeaker. There's no reason for you to come, not that I mind!"
She hastily added at the end. Anaiya was curious as to why the Priestess was following them to the isolated cave that the Spiritspeaker was said to reside in. They had asked around in Everlook for any evidence of the person they were looking for, or even a point in the right direction.
What shocked them, as they had assumed that the Spiritspeaker was someone well hidden and isolated, wanting nothing to do with the rest of humanity, was that most of the small Goblin town of Everlook knew about "their" Spiritspeaker, who always helped out a distressed soul.
"Oh, I'm not here for you, or anyone else, and make no mistake-at the first chance I see, I'm getting off this banshee-cursed continent, but since that idiot paladin insists on accompanying you everywhere like a lovesick buffoon, I thought I may as well come along for the amusement of seeing him make a fool of himself over a female." The Priestess snorted a laugh, a low, hoarse sound.
"He saved my life, he has every right to come along on this trip to see the Spiritspeaker. I think…I think it's noble that he is concerned for my welfare." Without really thinking, Anaiya blurted those words, having an absurd urge to defend the paladin.
The second the words were out of her mouth, she desperately wanted to take them back, and blushed hotly, her pale violet skin turning a darker color with mortification. The Forsaken actually stopped for a few paces, abruptly jerking her head toward Anaiya in surprise.
Key, who was far enough ahead to have not heard the conversation (thank Elune for small favors), turned to regard them curiously as they fell behind.
"Not that I have any feelings for him whatsoever!" Anaiya hastily added into the silence, wanting to make that perfectly clear.
"I despise him, he's an insensitive womanizer, never mind the fact that he's Horde." She said the word Horde as one would say cockroach, a detestable creature that caused disaster and mayhem wherever it went. Then, again winced mentally. Shana pursed her dry, grayed lips, making the undead flesh twist grotesquely.
"I see you've made your opinion clear." She stated coldly, then quickly strode ahead to stand next to Key. The paladin hesitated, gave Anaiya a questioning look, then continued walking, Shana at his side.
Anaiya sighed loudly and bit her lip. What a mess she'd just made.
'Way to go idiot. Just open your big fat mouth and spout whatever comes to mind. Ugh, when will I learn to control my tongue!'
Her mood, already on the downside because of the earliness of the day (not a Night Elf's favorite time), and being constantly flirted with, plummeted to an all time low.
Feeling distinctly morose and sulky, she didn't start walking again until she realized she'd been passed already by Bessany; Umber, who had taken the rear again, paused at her side, cocking his head to give her an appraising look.
Heaving another loud, dramatic sigh, she trudged on through the snow, quickening her pace to catch up with the others. She settled in next to Bessany, but kept her tongue silent, not wanting to provoke her new Horde friend with her unwitting words as well. Bessany, who herself was normally quiet, didn't think anything unusual with Anaiya's behavior, and gave her friend a warm smile as they walked.
They headed north from Everlook, following a faint woods trail that led to Frostsaber Rock, a rather prominent and popular attraction to those few adventurers who traveled this far north in Kalimdor. Apparently Frostsaber rock was named for the beautiful, rare, and exotic Frostsabers, which were large, striped cats that were normally only found in northern climes.
Rumor had it in Everlook that there was a man living out at the Rock, who tamed and trained wild Frostsabers, and sold them for ridiculously outrageous prices to those who had the patience to earn his trust.
Unfortunately, they had intended to leave the main path somewhat around midday, well before reaching the famed Frostsaber Rock, and would then head east toward the mountain range that ringed Mount Hyjal. Anaiya wanted very much to see a Frostsaber for herself but knew that she had responsibilities.
Still, she vowed to herself, one day when she'd rescued the poor trapped dragon, and completed her training in Darnassus, she had hopes of again visiting Winterspring and seeing the Frostsabers.
Actually, she wanted very much to explore all of the wide world of Azeroth and see all the wondrous sights that her aunt always wrote her about or told stories about. And maybe, if she became strong enough, even visit the mysterious Outland. As they walked along at a brisk pace, Anaiya sighed and wondered to herself why no one ever mentioned that most adventuring involved a lot of traveling and less drama and fighting then they let on.
Although, remembering the vicious attack of those Nightmare creatures, she wasn't sure if she should be complaining about the long trek. True to her word, Verfanas turned the party east at around midday when the sun was at its zenith, shining almost straight down on them. To the side, Anaiya amused herself with watching her distorted shadow play along the snow.
After watching her shadow until her eyes hurt from the glare of the sun off the layers of snow, Anaiya was just about to turn her head to strike up a conversation with Bessany when she gasped, accidentally breathing in the frigid northern air. Her shadow had suddenly grown overlarge, and had grown long, reptilian wings. She stopped so suddenly that Key ran into her.
He grinned at her, but upon seeing her shaken expression, looked to where she was staring. He didn't see anything unusual, just her shadow lying innocently against the white blanket of snow beside her, small and somewhat distorted because of the position of the sun in the sky.
Behind Key, Shana called out to Verfanas, who stopped and marched back to where Anaiya was standing, surrounded by the rest. Key waved an elegant pale hand in front of the young elf's face, and got no reaction. Concerned, he shook her.
"Ana babe? You in there? Speak up darlin'."
At his words, Anaiya seemed to come back to herself; with a blink of confused, somewhat lost eyes, the druid glanced around her, only to see with some startlement that the entire party was circling her and staring at her with various expressions of concern.
"I had the strangest…daydream." She murmured, turning to set her eyes back on her shadow. She shook her head, then automatically curled wayward bangs back behind her ears. "It was so real, so scary." Verfanas reached out and, taking off a glove, felt Anaiya's forehead, then pronounced her of normal temperature.
"What happened babe?" Key asked what they were all thinking, feeling a slight pang of worry for the slight druid.
She frowned at him, annoyed at being referred to as 'babe' yet again, but then remembered the morphed shadow.
"For a moment it looked like my shadow had turned into the shadow of a dragon. It was very strange." She shrugged, somewhat uneasily, and laughed.
"Oh well, its nothing, just the sun in my eyes from staring at all this snow for so long. Come on lets go!" She started forward, forcing the others to hurry to catch up and resume their normal formation.
They'd taken no more than a couple of steps beyond that point when they were set upon by large wingless dragon kin.
From both sides of the party, heavily muscled, blue colored dragon creatures charged at them, wearing armor and wielding all manner of deadly weaponry.
Anaiya's mouth fell open in complete shock, and to her mortification, she froze in place as one such creature narrowed its eyes on her and bore down on her slight form. Looking into its eyes, she saw something that chilled her to the bone.
She found nothing in those eyes, nothing but the same swirling green madness she'd seen in the eyes of the lynx that had attacked her at the cave pass, what seemed like eons ago.
The creature made some sort of warbling noise, and two smaller, and more lightly armored creatures also turned from their path and lunged at her as well. Anaiya stood still, frozen in fear. Her mind screamed at her to run, to get out of the way, to do something, but her body wasn't obeying her commands. It was like a moment in slow motion, where you knew what was inevitably coming, but could do nothing to stop it.
She clasped her staff across her chest in a fighting stance at the last possible second, bracing for the impact of those large bodies slamming into her, knowing they would easily crush her despite this fragile defense. In one smooth motion, Key roughly grabbed her from behind and yanked her none too gently to the side.
She cried out, a small scream, as he flung her into the snow, and out of harms way. The dragon kin, not able to slow their headlong rush, slammed into Key moments later.
He was quick enough to get his shield up to deflect most of the damage their bodies would have inflicted, and was thankful at the strong, enchanted metal that the shield was crafted from. The creatures, seeing what he had done, gave him crazed, hate-filled glances, and then wheeled, wanting to finish their chosen prey quickly. Key lashed out, catching the largest one across the face and slicing open its snout to the bone.
Blood immediately welled up out of the wound and spilled into the creature's mouth. With a snarl, it attacked him full out. The other two by its side, seeing that this man creature was challenging their leader, rushed to its aid, attacking Key from either side while the bigger, darker one harried him from the front.
Sweat broke out on his forehead as he used all his skill and agility to dodge their blows and prevent their weapons or talons from harming him. One did manage to graze his shoulder with a spear, before he ran it through with his sword. The creature made that strange warbling noise before collapsing to the side, dead before it hit the ground, its abdomen spilling thick, tainted blood.
"Don't let their blood touch you!" Someone, he thought it sounded like Shana, yelled a warning from off to the right. Key didn't have even a moment to spare to acknowledge the warning, as the other two dragon kin were now pressing their attacks more fiercely.
A side swipe from a spear almost made him loose his footing, which at this point would have spelled death. He managed at the last moment to catch his footing, but stumbled into one of the beasts. It wasted no time in pounding him in the back of the head with a dagger hilt. Stars exploded in his vision.
With extraordinary effort, he grimly rolled away from the spear thrust that followed. The creature with the sliced open mouth snarled in fury and frustration. It yanked on the spear, only to find that the spear had been covered in tiny grasping vines, which greedily climbed up the shaft toward the creatures clawed appendages. The vines sported tiny, shining thorns that seemed to glint wickedly in the sunlight.
The creature veritably howled with rage, and lashed the spear with its tail. The powerful blow broke the spear cleanly in half, and the top half that was not rooted to the ground spun quickly through the air. Key barely ducked out of the way to avoid being skewered by the spearhead. Seemingly nonplused by the loss of its weapon, the dragon kin again homed in on the paladin, who was fighting for breath.
The second one, spear raised high, gave him a snaggle-toothed grin full of promises of agony and suffering. Key knew that he was in trouble. He was winded, unrested from the half a days walk out here through the snow, his spirit was being slowly sapped by that accursed poison, and these creatures were both larger and stronger. It was sheer luck and a timely spell by Anaiya that had kept him alive thus far.
The second before the creatures had attacked in a flurry of displaced snow and cloaking magic, Verfanas felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She suddenly became aware of the deadly silence in the area.
No birds, no wildlife; it seemed like nature herself was holding her breath, waiting for…something to happen. She stopped abruptly, eyes narrowed, glancing around in a reflexive, wary fashion.
Reaching out to her connection with the moon goddess Elune, she asked for the blessing of the wild, of all things natural, to envelope her, to give her the clarity to see what was wrong. The soft, feather light touch of the blessing calmed Ver somewhat, and she smiled, before reaching out with her mind to the surrounding snowy hillside.
Her mind touched on countless unclean minds, minds bent on death and destruction, minds warped by evil and tainted magic. Before she could open her mouth to shout a warning, they were set upon by the very creatures she'd sensed.
She had time for one glance toward the rest of the party, worry for her traveling companions filling her thoughts, before she was forced to focus on staying alive. A vivid blue dragon kin, which as the name implied, was the mutated kin to the great dragon aspects, lunged at her, wielding a long wicked spear crusted in dried blood.
Ver growled low in her throat. The growl grew in volume, until suddenly a large, powerfully built bear stood where the tall, willowy druid had been. The dragon kin, somehow sensing that it had taken on more than it could handle, backpedaled desperately.
The bear's maw spread in a chilling parody of a smile, and it charged the blue creature headlong. Ver kept her head down, between her shoulder blades, as she'd been taught by druids before her. This helped mitigate the shock of ramming your skull into something solid, like say…a living being.
The impact of her thick skull smashing into the creature's midsection left her momentarily stunned despite her precautions, but she needn't have been concerned because the creature, wind knocked clean out of its lungs, gave a wheeze and clutched at its chest. Before it could recover and threaten her again, Ver quickly lashed out a paw full of razor sharp claws and gutted the beast.
Its insides streamed out into the snow, and it fell over sideways without so much as a sound. She was suddenly tackled from the side, and turned to defend herself against yet another dragon kin.
This one was more cautious, staying just out of reach of her claws and snapping jaws. When she lunged toward it, the beast danced out of the way, jabbing with its spear in the hopes of scoring a hit.
Her thick, matted pelt helped turn the thrusts aside, although she did feel the sting of the spear's attack more than once. This only served to infuriate her further. She roared loudly, the sound reverberating off the not so distant mountains and echoing among the foothills.
The dragon kin glanced about nervously, but was determined to finish the druid, finish them all, as it had been directed to do so. Why it would suddenly feel the need to leave its home, leave its tiny whelplings undefended in their next, and attack a group of innocent sentient beings, the dragon kin didn't know, and deep inside, it felt this was something to think about.
But the wall of green fire kept the creature from pondering this properly, and it did what it was told with little hesitation. Verfanas repelled a spear thrust with a swipe of a paw, barely able to keep the blade from piercing her chest.
She panted, great gouts of frosty air snorted through her nose, and her heavy fur, an advantage in a fight, was beginning to become cumbersome on somewhat who spent most of her time upright with no fur, or in the lithe, light furred body of a panther. She had decided in that split second before the first dragon kin had lunged at her, that a bear would be more useful in this fight then a cat.
Up in the foothills at the base of the mountains, the jungle panther's lungs would be strained and would tire easily. She knew that the bear, with its efficient, calculating mind, would not find this an obstacle, and its thick fur and bulk would also be of advantage against the these large, powerful creatures.
After endless moments of dodging the spear and looking for an opening, Verfanas bashed into the creature again, using her skull as a battering ram to knock aside its spear. The creature raked its own talons down her unprotected back, and she felt lines of fire from the wounds.
From under its reaching arms, she reared straight up on sturdy hind legs. Now she stood a head taller or more than the dragon kin, and had just enough momentum and surprise from the abrupt change of position that she caught the creature across the throat with her own strong jaws before it could react and defend itself.
It struggled briefly, lashing her with its tail and talons, before she bore down with the iron strength of her jaws and heard the satisfying crunch of crushed cartilage. The creature instantly went limp and she dropped it to the snow, now red with blood, both hers and the mutated dragon creatures she'd killed.
She panted heavily, and gingerly lifted her left paw, which had been sliced by a spear that she hadn't even felt. Now that her blood was calming, she found to her alarm that she could see tendons and the white gleam of bone through the matted fur and blood.
Just as she noticed this, the pain washed over her of all her wounds, and she nearly shifted back to her original form by accident.
She held firm to the bear form though, knowing that she would need to help the others, despite the dizzying pain of her wounds.
Shana and Bessany immediately drew closer together as the beasts attacked, instinctively seeking each other, knowing they needed to stay alive to heal anyone who had been injured.
Bessany hesitantly glanced at Shana when the Forsaken pulled on the Tauren. Shana gestured to a boulder off the path, and Bessany frowned. She didn't like the idea of hiding when her party members…who she had come to know quite well, were fighting, may be dying, to defend them. Shana gave her an exasperated look.
"We can't do anything to help, cow. We're not fighters." Shana reminded the Tauren.
Bessany snorted. Right now, she wished more than anything that she had chosen a different path. But the Earth Mother had given Bessany the gift of healing, and she had taken to that calling eagerly, happy to be of help to those in need.
No way would she hide like a mewling calf. She may not be able to kill without a thought or survive against one of those creatures for any length of time, but by the Mother, she would be of help! She shrugged off Shana's boney grasp and rushed back toward the fray.
The Priestess shouted something from behind her, but she honestly wasn't even paying the Priestess any mind by this point.
"You're going to get us killed along with them, you know." Shana's dry, scratchy voice came from directly behind her, and Bessany's tail lashed in relief at not being alone.
Together they surveyed the scene. They saw Verfanas facing off against a large, light blue dragon kin, limping on one front paw and desperately trying to kill the creature before she was wounded any further.
Key had been pressed up against an evergreen, sword a whirling blur of death, trying to find an opening in his enemy's defenses. Against him looked to be the largest of the creatures, and Bessany assumed that it was also the leader behind the unprovoked attack. Anaiya was staring in open mouthed shock , lying on her side in the snow beside the paladin.
Bessany took a moment to scrutinize her friend, concerned she may have been gravely injured. But no, after a moment she determined that the girl was just shocked. Well she'd have to learn to fight back at some point.
This was a beautiful, if deadly world. The rogue, Umber, seemed to be faring the best, dashing around his two targets with astonishing speed, little more than a blur of motion with a manic grin on his face. His daggers spun and whirled in a deadly dance of death, slicing and cutting at the flank, tail, snout, stubby wings, and feet of the dragon kin. They roared in fury at the attacks, which were light and seemed non threatening.
But even as Bessany watched, one dragon kin appeared to become dizzy and clumsy. It stumbled, shook its head, then its tongue darted out of its snout, black and thick. It seemed to gasp desperately, before collapsing.
The second dragon kin stared in horror at its comrade, but it was already too late. Within moments, the second was suffering the same fate as the first. Unbeknownst to Umber, a dragon kin had seen its fellows bested by the lightening fast rogue, and had stealthily slipped around behind him, slowly inching forward.
Incredibly, Umber didn't seem to notice. Apparently all that dancing around had tired him. He wiped sweat from his brow and shaded his eyes against the glaring sun, most likely looking around for Verfanas. Bessany turned wide eyes on Shana.
"Do something quick! That dragon kin is going to kill him!"
Sure enough, the dragon kin hauled back and hurled its spear with deadly accuracy straight at the rogue's unsuspecting back. Shana muttered something darkly, then huffed. With a sudden wave of her hands, bright golden light bathed her in its radiance.
The light dimmed, then sprang up suddenly around the rogue, coalescing into a shining globe of sheer light that encompassed his entire form. He glanced around in amazement, and caught side of the dragon kin behind him. His mouth opened in a soundless cry at the spear heading toward him.
The spear, though, hit the golden globe of light and bounced harmlessly off, to clatter point down into the snow a hairs breadth from his feet. Bessany let out the breath she'd been holding simultaneously with the rogue, who then drew his twin daggers and closed with the approaching dragon kin.
Shana snorted in obvious disgust, but gave Bessany an amused eyebrow twitch nonetheless. Bessany could have hugged her.
Laris, the gnome mage who had insisted on coming with them to see the Spiritspeaker, desperately kept the large, powerful dragon kin at a distance by shooting frostbolts, fireballs, and anything else he could think of at them to slow them down.
Trapping their feet in ice seemed to do the trick for mere moments, before they were again bearing down upon him. He yelped in dismay and fright. Using his concentration and pent up magic, he sent his body hurtling forward about 10 paces, putting much needed space between him and the determined, lumbering brutes.
Already, his tiny lungs were gasping. He was not used to having to fend for his life, having spent most of it in the historical ward in Ironforge.
'Light, if I survive this, I'm going to marry Jemma the moment she opens her mouth to ask. I swear it.'
His desperate thoughts were interrupted by a near decapitation by one of the creature's ridiculously long spears. Fortunately, his scramble to escape the two beasts led him straight to Umber.
Sighing in relief, he ducked under the human's legs, and pointed behind himself desperately to get the human's attention. Umber raised an eyebrow, but in moments his daggers were flying in a deadly dance against the two creatures. Laris took a welcome breath, feeling himself trembling from head to toe.
Anaiya stared mutely at the death being meted out around her, and a sense of fury, of frustration rose inside of her. The longer she watched, the more her fury grew. She was sick of being helpless.
She was sick of being the weak link that needed to be protected, the inexperienced girl that had been given permission to come on this journey only because of her obvious connection with the mysterious artifact.
The artifact!
Mind racing, Anaiya dug into her pouch, and could have cried with despair when the gem became stuck in the opening, before she yanked it out of the pouch, ripping the drawstring in the process. She didn't care at this point.
Staring down at the multi-faceted gem, she saw her own reflection, and noticed that her eyes were set in grim determination. Around her, her friends and family could be, would be dying. She knew they couldn't keep this up forever, and it seemed that there were an overwhelming number of the strange dragon like creatures. She had to do something.
She remembered what the dragon had screamed in her mind, that he was extremely powerful, that he would crush her once released, that he had magic at his disposal that she'd never even dreamed of.
Well, her dreams had gotten quite…carried away as of late. She knew that deep in the heart of this tiny little trinket, rested a being of immense power and strength. And she also knew that with the right circumstances, she might be able to tap into that strength and power. Narrowing her eyes, she gazed so deeply into the crystal that her eyes blurred and lost focus.
For the first time, she willed herself into the Emerald Dream.
With a gasp, she found that she was standing directly in front of the trapped dragon, Eranikus. The great, emerald dragon blinked down upon her, the same hazy green light in his eyes that she had found in the eyes of the creatures that had attacked at the Timbermaw Pass, and again just now.
Shaking her head, she backed away. No, she was mistaken. She would find no help here. Still, she didn't give up, and sent her mind further into the Nightmare, determined to move past it. It couldn't have stretched over the entirety of the Emerald Dream could it?
No, there! She saw gentle green light from ahead of her, and quickly sent her spirit zipping in that direction, ever mindful that out in the real world, a deadly battle was still underway.
Suddenly, with a sharp pop within her mind, she found herself in a lush rain forest, with verdant green vines and leaves hovering overhead, seeming to blow in a tropical breeze.
Far in the distance, she heard the cawing of exotic birds, and the occasional call of a hunting cat. The abrupt change of scenery would have amazed her at a different time, but she was focused on finding something to help her companions.
As her spirit walked further into this enchanted and untouched realm, she found that things grew more wild, more enchanted, more…everything, as she walked. Soon she came upon a lake.
A lake that was as clear and blue as the sky above Winterspring. A lake that literally gleamed and sparkled like diamonds, although there was no sun in sight in this quasi land. Entranced, Anaiya stepped toward the lake.
A low, warm chuckle drew her up short, and she frowned. Appearing as if by magic in the center of the lake, a grassy knoll rose up out of the sparkling oasis. Small glowing white lamps were situated at even intervals around the edge of the knoll.
As she watched, awestruck by the beauty and majesty of this sight, a large, green tinted being faded onto the visible plane right before her eyes. She blinked, and suddenly beheld the largest dragon she'd ever seen, larger by far than even Eranikus. Thoughts of her companions, of the battle, of everything, faded from her mind completely.
The chuckle, louder now, came again, and a reptilian head raised from the mound of emerald scales to appraise the elfling that had come before it. Anaiya gazed into eyes that looked at her, looked through her, and looked into her, all on different levels at the same time, and shivered imperceptibly.
This being, this was a creature of immense and ancient power, a being to be revered, feared, worshipped.
"Worshipped? No young mortal, never would I wish to be worshipped. I am not a goddess, nor any other being of creation. I am merely myself." The voice, echoing with a strange duality, as if the being was in two places at once, seemed to be inside her mind as well being heard with her physical ears. Or as physical as a sprit's ears could be in this place.
"What-" Anaiya stopped, licked her lips. "Who are you great lady, if not Elune herself" She bowed reverently as she spoke. The being chuckled again, wrapping a long, elegant tail around itself. It stared at her, still lying on its stomach as it had been when first appearing.
"I am referred to by some as the Dreamer, The Green Mistress, Lady of Dreams, or Queen of Dreams, but my name is Ysera, and I am the Dragon Aspect of Nature, protector of the Emerald Dream."
The dragon gazed upon Anaiya with a calm expression. Anaiya felt the shock of knowing a Dragon Aspect travel through her, and she trembled. A real dragon aspect. By Elune, she never expected that.
The Aspect's eyes glowed with an inner light, and seemed to change colors at will. Within those eyes, she saw an entire world. Mind spinning, all she could do was stare. "Come young one, was there not a reason for you coming to the Eye?"
Confused, Anaiya stammered "The Eye?"
"Yes, the Eye of Ysera, where you now stand. It is the very center of the Dream, a most potent place."
Finally she pulled her thoughts together and remembered her urgency, her need to stop the fighting and save her companions.
"My Lady Aspect, Queen Ysera, please, I would ask for your advice, if you would give it. I and my friends are in terrible danger. We are on a mission of utmost importance and these creatures attacked us without reason. They seem controlled or maddened. I would ask of you, is there anything that I can do to help stop this violence?"
She talked slowly, carefully, keeping her tone reverent and respectful, although the more she spoke, the more she recognized the urgency of finding some kind of aid. Surely terrible things must be happening while she was in the Dream.
The great dragon Ysera gazed silently at the young, worried druid, sensing in her strong magic, a strong affiliation with the natural magic that druids accessed in order to perform their spells and abilities. She sensed much potential, although in its raw, inexperienced form. This druid was young, perhaps too young, to have experienced the things she had. And yet, one could not turn back time.
Well, unless one was her brother Nozdormu anyway, she thought with a wry shake of the head. This situation had happened for a reason, and Ysera admitted to herself that somehow, she sensed that this druid was very important to her own future, to the future of the Emerald Dream. This made her uneasy, but she felt that doing nothing would yield grave consequences.
Even Ysera, the Dragon Aspect, was not all knowing. Finally, having made up her mind, she turned attention once more to the young elfling. Anaiya silently waited while the majestic dragon seemed to sink within her own thoughts, obviously wondering if it would benefit herself to help the druid.
Anaiya bit her lip to keep from mentioning Eranikus. Something, some tiny warning in her mind, forbade her from mentioning Ysera's beloved consort. She wasn't sure why, and not for the first time felt she was over her head in this, but she kept still, not revealing anything. Although she didn't know what she'd say if Ysera asked her how she'd gotten into the Dream to begin with.
Nervously she shifted from foot to foot, glancing back the way she'd come. Finally, the dragon queen seemed to wake up, shaking her head and fixing her rainbow hued eyes on Anaiya once again. The dragon's eyes were beginning to make Anaiya feel light headed and queasy from staring into them, but she didn't think that glancing away or staring at her feet would be well received.
The dragon drew breath, and Anaiya held hers, waiting for the response.
"I have searched the Dream, young child, and searched your soul. I have found you to be of sound mind, of great heart. Your concern for your friends, even for your more…unusual, traveling companions, has warmed my heart. I sense in you the potential to be a strong druid, as strong as your father. So therefore, even though you are untrained, and inexperienced, I feel you are ready for this. I gift unto you, this natural spell, that most druids learn only after many, many years of training and dedication."
The queen, for the first time, stood. She was all lithe grace, as agile as a cat half her size. Effortlessly, she was across the lake. She dipped her horned head downward, and breathed upon Anaiya. A sparkling green mist descended about her head like a mockery of a halo.
The mist coated her mouth and nose, causing her cough and wave her arms. It covered her face, it stuck in her eyes, and before she knew it, her entire vision was encompassed by shimmering green light.
"Do not forget, young one. With great power, comes great responsibility"
Though she could no longer see anything but verdant, vibrant green, the words seemed to grow inside her head. Suddenly, between one blink and the next, she was sitting in the snow, in broad daylight, surrounded by death and fighting.
It took one disoriented moment to understand that she was back in her body, back in Winterspring, before she quickly sprang to her feet. In her mind's eye, she could feel the rainbow gaze of the Aspect watching her.
With instinct she reached inside her mind, although intellectually, she was confused as to what she was doing. There, she knew. From the very bonds of nature around her, from the trees, laden with new fallen snow, from the frozen lake far to the south, from the life force of the birds, the wild bears, the Frostsabers, she drew…something. Some kind of essence.
It glowed in her mind's eye, until it overtook her physical vision. Using skills she didn't know she possessed, she molded this raw magic, and shaped it into a large, twinkling green net. This net grew and grew, until the holes between the weaving were so tiny as to be infinitesimal, non existent.
She reached out a hand, and murmured words that she knew, but didn't know, and flicked her wrist, albeit somewhat awkwardly, not knowing exactly what she was doing, but knowing it was right. From her mind, the net was cast.
She watched as it blanketed the entire scene of battle. She watched as it settled over the backs of the companions, over the heads, the deadly weapons, the bloodied claws, of her enemies. A stillness overcame the clearing.
Anaiya slumped, feeling drained magically. Whatever she had cast, that the Dragon Queen had gifted her with, it was more potent than her tiny magical skills would allow, and she felt drained physically and spiritually from its casting.
She fell to the ground on her backside, and blinked away green spots, only to watch in obvious relief as a dragon kin, who had been poised to run its spear through Key's heart, dropped the spear suddenly, as if it was red hot.
The creature abruptly backed away, standing up unconsciously straighter, constantly blinking clear blue eyes. It gazed down at the fallen paladin, then frowned and glanced around.
All around her, the various dragon kin were mirroring its kin, blinking and gazing about in confusion. Now Anaiya understood. They had been under some hideous spell of some sort, had been forced against their will to attack their party.
These creatures, while not inherently friendly, were not overly hostile or vicious by nature. They had family, they eked out a living in this snow covered land the same as their humanoid neighbors. The dragon kin moved toward each other, grouping up by the first one to recover, the largest, and darkest colored, with elaborately styled armor across its chest and back.
The warbling sound came, and Anaiya realized that they were communicating. They stared around them at the night elves, the human, the blood elf, the forsaken, the tauren, who they had attacked without warning, without reason, and they seemed saddened, ashamed.
Shaking their heads, with last glances, particularly for those fallen, the dragon kin melted into the snowy wilderness as quickly as they had come, determined to head back to their families and forget what had happened on that hillside. Verfanas, now in elven form, clutching a profusely bleeding hand that looked almost hacked off, gazed around in frustration.
Key opened his eyes, glanced quickly left and right, then stood up, blade ready. Laris blinked himself into the middle of the group, looked around, then shrugged. Bessany and Shana walked into their midst, also bewildered. Umber sheathed his dagger, and carefully put his arms around Ver, drawing her toward the two healers with a concerned, loving gesture.
A few more moments went by in stunned silence.
"So I'd just like to know, What the HELL happened?" Key blurted out finally, clearly agitated.
"I don't know, it was so strange. And did you see how their eyes changed? It was like they suddenly woke up and realized what they were doing. It was like a mass mind control spell, or something." Shana responded.
Now that the silence had been broken, they were all wanting to know what had happened. Finally, realizing that Anaiya had been sitting quietly in the snow the entire fight, and the entire time afterward, Key walked up to her and crouched down.
He quickly looked her over with eyes for injuries, then held out his hand to help her up, despite his own injuries. Anaiya hesitated, not sure what response she was looking for to his obvious concern for her well being.
She gazed up at him quietly, before accepting his proffered hand. He hauled her to her feet, and she steadied herself against him.
"Well babe? Explain to us what happened." Key's voice was kindly, but stern.
He had guessed that Anaiya had something to do with the swift turn of events. Ver hissed, having just had her hand healed. Shana was now poking at the long, deep gashes across her back, that leaked blood.
The Priestess bit her decayed lip, then shook her head. She gestured to Bessany, who approached and also felt along the other druid's back, although more gently. She nodded, and a green mist surrounded her palm, resting against Ver's injured back.
The wounds glowed green, and blackish blood oozed out, to sizzle into nothing in the air. Shana nodded in satisfaction, and used her own ties to the Light to bind up the wounds. The injures would still hurt for a couple of days, and Ver would need to take it easy to avoid reopening the wounds, but they were, for the most part, healed. Together, the two very different healers worked on the injuries of the others.
Key still stood in front of Anaiya. He crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation.
"It's hard to explain what happened. I saw what was happening, I knew everyone was in danger. I knew I had to do something!" Her quiet-spoken voice stopped the actions of the others, and they drew closer.
"I knew it may have been dangerous to try, but I had to do it. I sent my mind into the soul gem. I remembered how it felt, how it happened the other times, so I just tapped into that, except I was aware of what I was doing this time, and I willingly entered the Dream. At first, all I could see was the Nightmare, and Eranikus was there. But I knew I wouldn't find help there. His magic was twisted, evil and corrupted. I didn't know what I was seeking, but I knew I'd know it when I found it."
Everyone was now staring at her. Anaiya searched the ground hear her for a distraction, found the telltale glint of emerald green, and picked up the soul gem in question. She held it in her hands, staring deep into the many facets. The face that stared up at hers was nearly unrecognizable, seemed older, more mature than before.
"I came to a place that wasn't taken over by the Nightmare. It was green…it was beautiful beyond imagining. My mind can't even comprehend the sanctity, the beauty of that sacred place. I walked until I came to a lake. There was a dragon sitting in the middle of the lake. She said her name was Ysera, and she was the Dragon Queen of Dreams. She said the Dream was her realm, and she knew I had come to her asking for help. She looked into me…she saw everything about me."
Anaiya shivered, and Key put his arms around her. For once, she didn't protest or tell him to get lost. It felt nice to be comforted.
"Ysera, she was powerful, and beautiful, and so very big. I have never imagined dragons could get that big. She said she would give me a gift, and that I would know what to do with it. Then she breathed on me. I couldn't see, everything was so green and bright. Then I was back here. I had this…thing in my mind, this knowing of what to do. So I built this net, out of magic."
"I cast it on everyone. I don't really know what it was, but it was like…it cleansed everything, everyone. It helped them fight off the control, remember who they were. That's why they stopped attacking. But I don't know what it was I did, or even if I'd be able to do it again. Do you know what it was Aunt Ver?"
Anaiya looked a question at her aunt, who had a stunned expression on her face.
"Aunt Ver?" Anaiya prodded.
"You met Ysera? The ruler of the Dream? The Aspect of Nature herself? By Elune, Ana, that's serious news." Her aunt shook her head in disbelief.
"And I can't believe you cast that spell successfully. My stars girl, you need training and knowledge more now than ever. What you cast was a Cleansing, one of the most powerful I've seen in a long time, especially from someone so young." She shook her head again, in amazement.
Everyone else was also staring at her in varying degrees of awe, hesitation, and alarm. Anaiya felt like slinking back home to Darnassus like a kicked kitten. She didn't want this attention or awe, or anything!
That wasn't her intention. She just didn't want anyone dying. She felt tears prickle her eyes, but by taking calming breaths, she was able to get a hold of herself. She couldn't act like a little girl any longer.
This was obviously going to be a very serious, of times deadly quest, and she had better be more prepared for situations like this. In this, she agreed with her aunt. She eagerly wanted more training, to be able to actually do something herself.
Sure she had been the one to cast to spell, but she knew Ysera's hand was behind it. She became aware that the paladin was now more leaning on her than she leaning on him, and focused her attention on him.
He looked exhausted and pale, and had a bloody cut on his brow. Elsewhere she spied numerous stab wounds and shallow cuts on his body.
"Bessany? Heal him please." She tried to keep her voice level, but her wavering voice betrayed her own concern in the blood elf. He gave her a tired, watered down version of his usual lecherous smirk, before Bessany set to work on his wounds, hands glowing with green healing light.
Anaiya watched her work, then gathered up her dignity.
"…Keyanomir, Key, thank you for saving my life, again. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way just then…thank you." She gazed at him.
He nodded at her thoughtfully, searching her eyes for something, she didn't know what, before ruining the moment by using the advantage of his height to look down her shirt.
Anaiya gasped and shoved him, Off balance from his wounds, he landed sprawled in the snow. Unperturbed, Bessany leaned down to get better access to her patient while she healed him.
Umber was now fervently kissing Verfanas on the lips, the forehead, the cheeks, grateful she was going to be okay. She smiled back tiredly at him, and the two huddled in on each other.
Everyone seemed shell shocked and utterly exhausted, so, with great strength of will and help from Bessany, Ver melted a small patch of the cold icy snow away from the side of a protecting hill, and they all hunkered down on the now dry grass, grateful for the rest.
Verfanas snuggled into the blanket she had firmly wrapped around herself and her human love, and the two were quietly and earnestly whispering. Laris studied a book of arcane gibberish, every so often commenting to Shana about something he found to be particularly interesting.
The Priestess sent him black looks every now and then, hoping he'd get the hint, but he either didn't get it, or ignored it, and continued babbling to her. Bessany snored softly, curled in on herself with soft animal fur blankets piled on top of her furred form, creating a very odd picture. The sun had by this time, sunk toward the west, and cast orange-gold light across their small encampment.
Anaiya sat and stared at the gem, thinking about what they would find when they reached the Spiritspeaker. For a wonder, Key was seated beside her, polishing his blade and every once in a while giving Anaiya glances.
The more he glanced at her, the more perplexing his expression became, as if he couldn't quite figure out what to do with her. Eventually, they all succumbed to sleep.
It wasn't until right before she closed her eyes in sleepy exhaustion that Anaiya remembered a particular part of what the Dragon Aspect had said ""A great Druid, like your father."" She had always wondered who that was, considering her mother never spoke of him, seeming to becoming grief-stricken every time Anaiya used to mention him. So she learned, over time, to not ask and just be content with a mother.
But she wondered, deep in her heart, just as she wondered now. Finally, knowing that it wouldn't do to dwell on what she couldn't change at the moment, she closed her eyes and slipped off into the world of dreams.
Safely tucked away within its pouch, the soul gem pulsed green, glowing brightly, before winking out. Everything was then covered in a calm, peaceful black, interrupted by the occasional wildlife.