Chapter Ten


"This," said Eduard Von Andorhal, cradling a pink crystal as long as his forearm, "is an anchor stone."

"A what?" said Nalice, but Eduard's glowing eyes were on Onyxia as the four of them, including Sabel, clustered near the altar in Naz'anak.

"It's rather small, for one." Sabel rubbed the heel of his hand over one eye.

"Yes, well." Eduard's tapered fingers closed over part of the crystal. "The cities use much larger ones than this. I had to steal this from a Blue, and I couldn't carry anything larger."

"The term sounds familiar," said Onyxia. "I believe there's one underneath the magical district in Stormwind."

"What are they?" said Nalice. "And why should I care?"

Sabel launched into a lecture. "Anchor stones are crystals buried near ley lines. They are rarely buried by people, more often the magic in the ley lines flows over a flaw or a point of resistance, crystalise, and then form these exact crystals — "

"The point?" said Nalice.

"Portal technology," said Sabel. "It's the reason why you can't just portal anywhere in the world unless you're a very experienced mage. Anchor stones are a grounding point and attract portals. You see, as the magic flows along the ley lines it will hit the point of resistance that is the location of the anchor stone, and portals can only open at that point of resistance — "

"So an anchor stone here means we can teleport in from Sholazar," said Nalice. "You could have said that."

"This would save us a long journey," said Onyxia. "We have to take it too often. But," she frowned, "I never learned to make portals, or to teleport."

"It doesn't matter, lady." Eduard strode across the sand to the altar. He scuffed at the ground with his foot, kicking up earth and ice. Onyxia hovered behind him as Sabel suppressed a yawn with his hand. "I will teach you."

Eduard knelt on the ground, digging in the sand with his hands. "Lady, if something happened to anyone here, it would take you far too long to hear about it, let alone get back to help, and if attackers blocked the right passages you would have no way in or out. I also need a way to get here quickly; an anchor stone will allow that. And…" He glanced to Saya, who curled up on a bedroll, fast asleep. "Lady, with your excursions, I would feel safer if you were not so far away from your daughter. She cannot be left alone."

"She's not alone," said Sabel. "She's no longer human. Even Nalice won't kill 'spawn."

Nalice rolled her eyes.

Eduard shoved the crystal into the hole, covered it with sand, and dusted the grains off his hands on his front. "Lady Onyxia, please allow me to show you how to use this portal. You do have more investigation to undertake in Sholazar, no?"

"With such a polite request, how can I refuse?" said Onyxia, stepping closer to the altar. Sabel moved to rest on the altar with his good hip. "Sometimes I forget you are a mage, Von Andorhal."

"The Ambassador and Indigosa are Blues." Eduard smiled, and pushed his sleeves up his withered arms. "How could I not learn? In any case, I have heard you are magically skilled, lady, so this will be simple. It is a mere matter of reaching out to feel the magic of the anchor stone. It is connected by a ley line to the stone in the Sholazar tunnel. Search for that connection, and open it."

"I need reagents, yes?"

Eduard handed her a small satchel. It was heavy in her palm, and inside she heard stones click together. "If you are taking a portal from one anchor to another you will not need these. You have worked with reagents before, no doubt?"

"Yes." Onyxia tied the satchel to her belt and closed her eyes. "I need silence."

"As you wish, lady."

It was easy enough to feel the aura of magic that came from the stone. Sabel's assessment had been correct; the ley line that flowed like running water crashed to a stop near the anchor stone, seemed to puzzle over it, then washed over and on its way like water. Already she felt the ley line's tendrils slowly wrap around the stone and, fittingly, "anchor" it in place.

Her consciousness followed the ley line; the magic made it possible.

She stopped.

"Eduard," she said. "I need you to cover me. I don't want the Steward to find me."

"Shit!" said Eduard. "Pardon. Yes. I forgot he might sense you."

She felt a blanket drape over her consciousness, and only then did she feel confident enough to creep out along the line. Creeping became swifter, until she rushed along the ley line like a bird, through miles and miles of underground tunnels, past glowing mushrooms and what felt like a couple of undead nerubians, through vales and spider webs until —

She slammed into a wall.

"Ah," said Eduard's voice, far away. "I should have warned you."

She should have guessed finding the second anchor stone would be… interesting. She felt the second anchor stone that had stopped her so rudely in front of her. Stunned, she reached out for the thin line between both, intwined with the ley line, and then…

"There we go," said Eduard.

It widened at her command like a tunnel. When she opened her eyes, a portal lay in front of her.

"With practice, it will be second nature," said Eduard. "If you wish to collect more research, I can keep an eye on the young one for today. The Steward does not know where I am. I am afraid I cannot always be at your disposal, however."

"We will manage," said Onyxia. "Saya is one of ours. She's tougher than you think." She nodded to Sabel. "Shall we go?"

Sabel crossed his arms and glared. "How many casualties will result in you parading about the basin?"

Onyxia sighed. "None, this time."

"That better be the case. Come on." And with that, Sabel stepped through the portal.

The last thing Onyxia saw before the portal closed behind her was Nalice's scowl.

Indigosa had been careful to put the second anchor stone out of sight. The two of them almost got lost through the winding tunnels until, at last, they found the main road towards the sunlight. It was an hour before rain set in and allowed the two of them to carefully make their way down the cliff face into the trees below.

As they passed through the forest, as paranoid and cautious as they had been before, Sabel pointed at the trees. "See? Someone's been picking fruit."

"Serinar?"

"No. Too much to be him."

They found out soon enough.

They made a beeline for the ruins of the Lifeblood Pillar, but soon had to stop. Sabel seized Onyxia's shoulder and both of them stopped when they made out the forms of tents in the trees.

"No death," Sabel growled.

Most tents were brown, the colour of undyed cloth, but there was something incongruent about the shade through Onyxia's tinted eyes that gave her pause. "Those aren't brown, are they?"

"Purple." Sabel gave her a puzzled look. "Why waste the dye?" He lowered his voice. "Look. Twilight's Hammer."

Onyxia peered through the leaves of the fern in front of her. A cluster of mortals milled about. One had a large crystal propped up against him like a cello, holding it with one hand as the other carved its surface. A woman with strange-tinted hair watched, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. As the occasional earth elemental stampeded through the undergrowth, the other cultists pored over crystals in the rain, ignored by the overseer.

"No, be more careful," said the overseer, still scowling. "These crystals are too easy to ruin if your tool goes skittering."

"With due respect," said the cultist working on it. "Does it matter what it looks like?"

"Your intention is what matters," said the overseer. "Taking the care to make the totem look good will help better with this kind of magic."

"It's not any magic I'm used to." He sounded defensive.

The overseer rolled her eyes. "That's because your kind are far too young to have ever heard of it."

The man working on the crystal totem grimaced, but the overseer's face was neutral. Was she a Black dragon?

Onyxia touched Sabel's arm and kept her voice low. "Does that overseer smell male or female to you?"

"Female," said Sabel. "She's Twilight. This is bad, if they've sent a fully-grown one to..." He looked back to the overseer. "She smells familiar. I think she was one of ours once."

"I thought you said the breeding females were all dead?"

"I thought so," said Sabel. "Seldarria had gone missing just before the elemental invasion started, Serinar was unsure if she'd gone into hiding or if mortals had killed her. She must have been found, captured and… altered — " he shut up.

Seldarria had tilted her head, as if listening.

But to Onyxia's relief, she turned around and opened a strange, purple and black portal behind her. When Seldarria stepped through, Onyxia relaxed.

"Good," she said, straightening. The mortals wouldn't catch her words from here. "We are safe."

Staring at a point behind Onyxia, Sabel said, "I wouldn't be so hasty."

Onyxia whirled around just in time to see Seldarria's portal close behind her.

"So," said Seldarria, arms crossed. "What are you two doing skulking in the bushes?" She looked between them. "Onyxia and Sabellian. Well, fancy that." Seldarria smirked. "Sabellian, I know that with the lack of females available you may be somewhat desperate, but dead dragons can't lay eggs."

Sabellian covered his face with his palm. "Are you honestly resorting to incest jokes?"

"Forget that." Onyxia slammed a door on her anger. "As amusing as your pathetic attempts to get a reaction out of us are, if you're here to taunt us, get to the point."

Seldarria folded her arms behind her back. "Well, I do have something to talk about with you two."

"Discussion is preferable to fighting," said Sabel, as Onyxia's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "From what I can tell you're just as keen to stay undercover as us. Reds are crawling all over the continent. You fight us, we may as well write a big sign saying 'here be dragons.' Leave us alone and you won't hear from us again."

"I'm not going to fight you," said Seldarria. "As I said, I want to talk. I have an offer. We're interested in you, Sabellian."

Sabel tensed.

Onyxia scowled. Of course they'd watch out for Sabellian. He was a shaman, and a powerful one at that. He was the only one capable of training the Heir of Earth to use their new powers…

And Deathwing knew it. Seldarria must suspect that Sabellian wanted that egg.

"I want to offer you a place in the Twilight's Hammer," said Seldarria.

Sabel blinked.

Onyxia stared.

"You have a reputation." Seldarria yanked a branch free of a fern and ran her fingers along it, stripping it of its tiny leaves, gazing at it as she spoke. "You like mortals more than dragons, don't you? You'd fit right in. More mortals than you can poke a stick at. We have hundreds of dragonsworn among us, and at least a dozen are Ascended daily. They could use a good teacher."

"They need to be tutored for years before they can be Ascended!" said Sabel.

"Why bother?" said Seldarria. "They're drakonids. They're going to die anyway."

"Then what is the point of recruiting me?" Sabel crossed his arms.

As Seldarria tossed the bare branch aside, Onyxia said, "I've read too many mortal books not to know how this goes. 'Join us and we will give you power, et cetera et cetera, then we'll stab you in the back later and leave you to die.'"

"Oh?" Sabel perked. "You read some mortal fiction, have you? I've always liked the work of — "

"You're the most powerful shaman on Azeroth," said Seldarria. "The second most powerful shaman in Azeroth is working on the side of the Reds. Can you see where we're going with this?"

"That's not an answer," said Sabellian. "Be direct. What do you want with me? You just want to keep an eye on me so I don't steal Nyxondra's egg, don't you?"

"By any chance…" Seldarria's eyes narrowed. "Would you happen to know where it is? Yes or no?"

"By the Titans, no," said Sabellian.

"I expect you want to tutor the kid if it survives."

"Which it won't," said Sabellian. "On account of Deathwing wanting it dead."

"Not any more," said Seldarria. "The child can't die. New info's surfaced and Deathwing has decided it's better off on our side after all."

"Like hell," said Sabel.

Onyxia scowled. If the child was better off alive than dead, what could Deathwing possibly want to use the child for?

"The Old Gods told me," said Seldarria. "That is why my Flight was created, because we can hear the Old Gods loud and clear, unlike everything else in this world." She clasped her hands. "The Old Gods can hear everything. They know what will happen to the kid, they know you are hiding in Naz'anak, they know Eduard Von Andorhal betrayed the Lich King. They've heard you and commented on your life for a long time, Onyxia, it's stupid to think they didn't know where you were all along. They know a girl named Samia Inkling is on a ship right now with an egg. They don't care about Nalice, you know, and if the Old Gods know where you are, why tell Deathwing? They've also heard the Red Dragonflight make plans for the decoy and the Heir of Earth. They also uncovered a piece of information nobody else knows: the eggs were switched.

"I wonder." Seldarria leaned against a gnarled tree trunk. "Why switch the eggs? I suspect the Bronzes were involved; they are always slightly out of phase with time, so no one can get in their heads. The Bronzes told nobody, thinking it a secret, but the Old Gods know where the Heir is at all times. He shines like a star to them because of his purification, and when the eggs suddenly switched position, they knew instantly. They've decided to use it to their advantage." Seldarria crossed her arms. "They changed their plans, and decided the Heir should live. Not that they haven't tried to kill him already. Lucky for him, eh?"

They knew where we were all along?

Of course. Seldarria was right. How could she have been so blind?

The distant sound of sizzling caught Onyxia's attention.

In the distance, through the fog twisting through the trees, she made out the silhouette of a woman. She was completely naked, but Onyxia couldn't make out her face. Instead, her blackened skin cracked in parts, revealing flame. As the rain fell, it fizzed on her skin. The woman watched them impassively.

"Sabellian," Seldarria's voice cut into Onyxia's thoughts, "We need a shaman of your ability. The elements don't listen to us half as well as they do you. We have to create our own elementals out of the living. Ascendants. People who turn their spirits into elemental spirits. The mortals need you, Sabellian. The Heir of Earth needs you."

The woman shifted. The fire in her body flared, illuminating her face, and suddenly Onyxia was struck with a sense of familiarity.

She'd met that woman before, but… where? She'd never encountered anything that looked like that, unless…

"Elementals," said Onyxia. "Like that one over there?"

Seldarria and Sabel followed her gaze. The woman ducked behind a tree.

Wait. That wasn't an elemental. That was an Unascended dragonsworn!

"I've never seen that before," said Seldarria. "Doesn't matter. Sabellian, give it some thought."

"I don't expect I'm included in this." Onyxia turned her attention away from the dragonsworn. It was just like the one in Grizzly Hills…

But what colour was the flame? Damn her stupid eyes!

Seldarria shrugged. "If the Old Gods thought he'd take up the offer without you holding his hand, you'd be dead. Yes, Onyxia, the offer's extended to you, too." Seldarria smirked. "If either of you want me, go harass the Cult at any pillar, they'll find me."

And with that, she opened another shimmering, purple portal. But before she stepped through, she glanced at the both of them. "They're boys," she said. "Both eggs, that is. By the way, I've already spoken to the decoy, he's a bit…" She made a vague gesture. "Interesting, if you know what I mean. You'll see. Goodbye, then."

After the portal closed behind her, Sabel rounded on Onyxia.

"What the hell, Onyxia?" Sabel's hiss was too low for a mortal to catch. "Why the hell would you want to join them? I thought you wanted us all redeemed so we wouldn't die out!"

"This is the perfect opportunity to find out what the Twilight's Hammer Cult are up to," said Onyxia. "They're at every pillar, as Seldarria so kindly pointed out for us. They want something." She gazed at the cultist camp. "If they're examining the beacons and crystals, their information can aid us. I am also curious as to the purpose of this egg-switching, and why the Old Gods would want the Heir alive…" She frowned.

"If the Reds find us — "

"The Reds already want us dead," said Onyxia. "They won't want us any less dead if we don't join them. The Reds most likely think we are with them already!"

"Oh yes, because if we turn around after this is all over and say, 'just kidding, we weren't really working with them!' they'll believe us." Sabellian snorted. "How can we survive if they get wind of this?"

"You've been surviving for ten thousand years, Sabel," said Onyxia. "You don't know how to live. We're not only fighting for survival, we're fighting for the right to live."

"I suppose." Sabellian let out a long sigh. "It is fortunate news that Deathwing apparently no longer wants the child dead. That means my grandchild, too, will survive. If Seldarria spoke the truth." He shook his head. "And they know about Sam, and they must know which egg she's close to…"

"She already knew this mission was dangerous," said Onyxia. "What, did you expect her not to be hunted down?"

"I didn't think it would be this dangerous," said Sabel. "I have trained her how to stay hidden from dragon and mortal alike, but she's dragonspawn, Onyx. I've trained her to resist corruption, to avoid anger and resentment, but I never trained her to deal with constant surveillance. She has no idea the Old Gods are watching her so closely."

"And yet, you're Sabellian," said Onyxia. "I would be surprised if you hadn't taught her to expect the unexpected."

Sabel sighed.

"The Old Gods have not aided the Red Flight, and yet neither do they discourage them from pursuing us." Onyxia rubbed her chin. "I wonder why."

"I don't think they can interfere with someone to that extent," said Sabel. "As Seldarria pointed out, they might not be able to hear specific instructions. The Red Flight aren't as corrupt as we are. They still have their values, they'll be wondering why they suddenly don't want to kill us otherwise and suspect something." He sighed. "Samia. Poor Samia... I shouldn't have let her go alone, I should have gone with her — "

"We need you here," said Onyxia. "To keep an eye on the Twilight's Hammer. The Old Gods need you alive, and they evidently want you to tutor the child."

"But why?" said Sabel. "I fight them better than everyone else, and the child is pure. They can't touch the child. No, I don't think Seldarria was telling the truth, she's saying that to keep me around. But it does worry me..." He frowned at the ground. "She must know that we want to purify our race, and yet they don't want us dead. Or, at least, don't want me dead. What do they really want to do that they need me and the Heir alive so badly for?"

"It must relate to the elements," said Onyxia. "I can think of nothing else."

"Perhaps..." Sabel sighed. "Let's gather those crystal samples, and then I will speak to Seldarria." He shook his head. "Gods, I hope Samia will be alright. I really hope so."

One thing was for sure, Onyxia reflected as she followed Sabel through the undergrowth; they couldn't hide from the Old Gods. Just as Onyxia couldn't make a move in Stormwind without Hora altering time to change things to her satisfaction, she couldn't cough without the Old Gods knowing about it.

How could she defeat an enemy that knew every intimate detail of every plan she made?

She needed privacy, and there might only be one way to get that. A risky way. She needed, once again, someone between her and the Old Gods to act as a filter. Someone who potentially had the power to keep them out of her mind entirely, someone who already fought tooth and nail to resist them, the only non-dragon in the world who had the magic to fight them…

Unfortunately, convincing the Lich King not to kill her and the Obsidian Dawn could prove difficult.

But then, she had an offer he wouldn't be able to resist…

-o-O-o-

The drakes stood in a line. Thick, Northrend-made armour protected their elven bodies from the cold, but they clung to themselves, shivering, nonetheless. Some looked determined; others, haunted. Their numbers had been replenished after the battle at Drak'tharon, but none wanted that battle to be repeated.

Holding a cold rod behind her back, Lirastrasza paced in front of them. On the white Titanic-built wall behind her hung a piece of fabric bigger than a feast table. Painted lines ran across it in the shape of Sholazar Basin.

"This is the plan," said Lirastrasza.

The drakes watched, wide-eyed, strangely childlike.

"Some of us know first-hand how dangerous Onyxia and her ilk are," said Lirastrasza. "Those of you who don't will have heard about it. Here's a rundown on our targets: Serinar was a Shrinekeeper. He may not be trained in battle, however he is thirty four thousand years old, he doesn't need to be." She stopped in front of them and slapped the steel rod against her palm. "Nalice, six thousand, has a bark far worse than her bite, but broodmothers should never be placed in a corner if their attacker wants to survive.

"Sabellian and Onyxia, ten thousand years old. At this point it's hard to tell who's more powerful than the other, but Sabellian is more likely to flee in confrontation, so we must treat Onyxia as more dangerous. Remember what she did to the Steward."

Solemn nods rippled down the line. A couple shuddered.

She stopped and straightened, legs apart. "The Twilight's Hammer Cult are in Sholazar, so this mission is a double-pronged one. Not only are we aiming to take out Nalice, but we're also looking for information on the Cult's presence in Sholazar. Our first task is to scan Sholazar and locate any and all cultists we can." She pointed to the map with the rod. "We'll set up base somewhere in the hills overlooking the basin and make a note of every camp we find."

She let her hands fall by her side. "We must be stealthy. If we are seen, that gives them an opportunity to retaliate, and with so many adult Obsidians to fight against that could be deadly, and since all our adults are cleaning up the Twilight Highlands, we're on our own," she said. "We will use mortal forms. There's no use flying above Sholazar because the canopy of the forest can be so thick it's impossible to see anything through it. That'll make our mission longer, but the good thing is that anyone seen by a Cultist is more likely to be mistaken for a merc than a dragon. Any rainwater that gets through the canopy can wash away tracks. Bad news is, that's no guarantee, and if our scent is picked up by one of the Obsidian Dawn our cover is blown. Got it?"

The drakes nodded obediently, like a class of human children.

"While we're locating the cultists, keep an eye on them," said Lira. "Use your nose. Black dragons smell different to mortals." She stroked the rod. "For those of you who have a damaged sense of smell, a Black dragon is easy to spot. They have dark hair, dark eyes, never smile, and the Obsidian Dawn are proud enough they will not be wearing the regalia of the cultists. They wouldn't want to stoop so low.

"Although Nalice is our goal, our current target is Sabellian," said Lira. "For those who haven't heard of him, when he was a whelp he sustained an injury to his leg. This injury healed incorrectly, leaving him lame, and ever since the War of the Ancients the Black Dragonflight have targeted him for his 'weakness'. He hid from his kind for thousands of years."

Lira resumed her pacing. "Sabellian is our best bet, at this point. Although he will have to die eventually, he is the easiest to spot and recognise. If you see a mortal among the cultists that doesn't wear their uniform and has a limp, you can almost guarantee it's Sabellian."

Lira stopped once more and steepled her fingers. The air was thick with the scent of fear, but it only exhilarated her. "Sabellian is our best bet. Given how much of a pariah he is, he may be having an easier time of fighting the corruption than the others. After all, he would not want to be like those who have condemned him. If we can turn him to our side and convince him that the deaths of the Obsidian Dawn would be for the highest good, that will improve our chances.

"Meanwhile, I'm going to have a third of you on a different mission." She pointed at the map. "We don't know where entrances of the Nerubian kingdoms are, so half of that division are going to look for them. The other half will hunt for food. You see, Sholazar has an abundance of fruit, and I don't think that Sabellian would have advised hunting because it leaves a much bigger trace than picking fruit. However they will be craving meat badly by now..." She smirked. "They may not be above scavenging someone else's kill if they know they can take it without leaving a trace. I propose hunting several rhinos in the basin and leaving them at points beside the entrances to several Nerubian tunnels. It's a simple matter of leaving the bodies there and checking in on them every once in a while to check if they were scavenged by the wildlife or by dragons. It'll be easy to tell the difference.

"Our biggest risk is blowing our cover." She laid the rod by her side again. "By reaching out to Sabellian we risk betrayal. He may sound the alarm. By the time we find him I will have another backup plan in case of that eventuality."

She took a deep breath. "Remember that our biggest problem will be masking our scent. We may be mistaken for mercs by the cult, but if a dragon comes across our scent, our cover is blown. Stick close to the rivers, get dirty, cover yourself in mud and leaves and that will help disguise the scent you leave behind. The dirtier you are, the less the dragon scent comes through. It's not perfect, but this is war. There is no perfect." She looked back to the drakes. "We will fly west from here and land in the Borean Tundra. We will make our way north on foot from there to the southern ridge. The trees may render anyone below blind to those above and vice versa, but if the Twilight's Hammer Cult has lookouts on the pillars they will be able to see for miles and miles. Got that?"

The drakes nodded.

"Any questions?"

"What do we do if we encounter a dragon that's not by Sabellian's description?" said a timid drake. He smelled calmer than the others, his red hair curling by his ears. Kazastrasz.

Lira tapped the rod against the heel of her other hand. "Retreat, report back to a superior and mark their location on the map. Avoid them. You'll be able to spot Onyxia easily enough, her form will be undead, but look at her face first to ensure it's not anyone else. She has those strange eyes."

The drake nodded, satisfied. Lira straightened up again. "Any more questions?"

The drakes looked among each other.

Silence.

"Good," said Lira. "Someone help me fold up this map. Everyone else, move out. It's time we finished this."

-o-O-o-

The creaking masts with their sails watched over Samia as she went above deck. The two full moons bathed the polished wood in brilliant light. Even with the moonlight as bright as it was, the stars shone. The constellations were unfamiliar. In Stormwind, with the haze of the Dwarven District and the lights of the city, she'd barely paid attention to the stars. Only in Outland had she took notice of the sky and the constellations. Even in Outland, however, she had rarely had a view such as this until her later days. Before the druids and shaman had brought back much of the flora and fauna, the sky had often been choked with dust.

She turned her attention from the sky to her surroundings. The rope and rigging smelled of sweat, and the scent of the sailors lingered, twisted into the fibres. There were a few lifeboats up on deck, firmly attached to their places. She could probably release one if she had to...

Which she would, sooner or later.

She hadn't seen John around, although she smelled his scent on occasion in corners here and there. No doubt the Frostmoon Federation would be prepared for her to attempt to steal the egg before they docked. She would have to steal it soon to take advantage before they grew more vigilant. The journey was almost half over already. But abandoning ship would be risky. A journey across the ocean in only a rowboat was dangerous enough for a human, and that didn't change now she was dragonkin. She risked exposure and starvation; it could take far too long to get to shore.

Unless...

She closed her eyes and clutched the railing. The spirits of air flowed around her. The spirits of the water mingled beneath her, and she tightened her grip on the wood. The abyss of nothingness below the boat made her feel dizzy.

But she had to reach out. A good current of water would work in her favour if she had to escape the ship.

The elements of water intimidated her more than the elements of earth. With the earth elementals, the deeper beneath the crust you went, the bigger they got, but the water elementals beneath the waves were the size of houses, and no doubt, deep beneath the sea on the ocean floor, they only got bigger. The nothingness they called home made her feel tiny and insignificant, like getting lost in a starry sky.

Anything could hide in that nothingness.

Only a few elementals took notice of her, tiny ones the size of her shins. She felt their chaos and distress, felt the Old God corruption polluting them…

She listened to their confusion as they debated among themselves — she wasn't a normal shaman. Orcs were strange and foreign, but she wasn't one of them. Neither was she troll or tauren, or even one of the draenei, but something...

Human.

Humans weren't shaman, they said, that should be even more strange, but she was familiar. She wasn't quite human, was she?

I am Black dragonkin, she told them. Dragonspawn.

They seemed frazzled for a moment.

They could hear her!

The tiny spirits debated among themselves. There hadn't been a Black shaman in ages, with the exception of —

Sabellian, yes, she said to them. I know him. I am his dragonsworn.

The elements did not dare come close. She frowned over this, for a moment, before she felt her wariness; the taint was inside her, too, and they had enough of their own to deal with. It squirmed inside them like an unbearable itch they couldn't scratch, winding them up and driving them mad as they longed for relief that never came. Talking to her would only make it worse, couldn't she see why nobody listened to her, why they couldn't contact her? The earth elementals had it even worse than they did! She wasn't him, she didn't have the power to protect them!

I need help, she said. I need to rescue the Heir of Earth, and I need your help to do it.

But the Heir was fine on his own. If he needed them, they said, he would call them.

And then they would come.

I need you, she said. Please!

They hissed. He would call them, and then they would come.

They fled, and left her alone.

She called out again, but none answered.

Her shoulders slumped, and she screwed her eyes shut. They wouldn't help her. She wasn't strong enough to reach through their distress, not like Sabel.

She sighed.

Only then did she hear the creaking of wood behind her. She turned to see one of the crew blinking at her. "Master Withering?"

"Sorry," she said. "Am I not allowed to take a walk?"

"Of course you are," he said. "But it's past midnight. Is everything alright?"

Samia nodded. "Can't sleep."

"Usually it sends me to sleep like a baby," the patrol chuckled, leaning against the railing beside her.

"I can see why," said Samia. "But the rocking of ships isn't my thing."

"Maybe you need something to help," said the crewman.

"I don't drink," said Samia

"I meant along the line of sedatives," said the crewman. "The ship's doc actually has some pretty good ones that'll knock you out all night. Maybe you could consider seeing him. It'll help you."

An idea occurred to her.

"Potions, I assume?" she said.

"What else?" The crewman snorted. "Yes, potions."

"Good," said Sam brightly. "I think I'll talk to him tomorrow."