Vol'jin stepped closer before Jaina could answer, getting on eye level with Anduin.
"Answer me some questions an' I see what I can do for ya" he replied, lifting a hand to signal Jaina not to say anything when she wanted to protest.
The prince seemed distant, somewhere else with his mind so Vol'jin had to nudge him slightly to get his attention back.
"Did ya hear me?"
Anduin nodded slowly, a shiver running through his body.
"Ask me and… and if I can I will tell you what I know" he responded finally but it seemed to cost him a lot of strength to stay focused on the darkspear chieftain in front of him and their conversation.
Glancing shortly at his witch doctor and seeing his warning expression Vol'jin knew time was running out so turning his head back to Anduin he asked straight away.
"Will the Legion attack again?"
The prince let out an agonising wail as if the question alone was hurting him physically burying his head in his claw-like hands.
"It's… it's not clear" Anduin whispered at last and it was clear that he was drifting away from them, his body tensing up ready to go back into attack mode any minute. "They are waiting… be…" His voice floated away as he sank against the female druid as the witch doctor put him to sleep again. "... prepared" was barely audible but Vol'jin heard it nonetheless.
The darkspear chieftain got up and turned back to Jaina who was visibly agitated.
"I can undo what the warlock has done but I don't know how to cure him from the fel magic" she muttered distressed.
"I know a ritual of my ancestors" the female druid piped up after she had bedded Anduin back on the bedding but stopped speaking as the witch doctor beckoned her to.
"Go on" Vol'jin encouraged her however. "He gave me a fair warnin' so in return te least I can do is give him a chance ta fight"
"Thank you" Jaina thanked him relieved.
"Don't thank me too soon, Lady Jaina'' Vol'jin replied while the druid talked excitedly with the witch doctor. "If tis ritual is what I think it is, ya prince will have ta walk to te doors of death and hopefully come back from there. No easy fight" The darkspear chieftain paused thinking. "Maybe it's time you'll go and get ya king" he continued after a moment. "If he's willin' ta come alone he can be by his son's side for whatever outcome"
Jaina nodded slowly, taking one last look at Anduin and then casting a portal back to Stormwind.
"Even if you don't want to hear it, thank you" she repeated honestly. "I don't think it won't be long until I will return with the king" Then she was gone.
Vol'jin turned to his people after the mage was gone. "Ya know what ya have ta do so go ta work" he ordered and both responded immediately starting their preparations.
Varian listened intensely as Jaina told him what she had witnessed at her visit to the echo isles and tried to hold his feelings under control when his female friend explained the plan to save Anduins life. Yes, there was nothing more he wished for then to embrace his son again and know that he was safe and sound but there was this fear deep inside his heart that he would most likely watch him die. Like he had done with his wife. And he couldn't survive that. Not again.
"So are we going?" Jaina ended and looked at the king hopefully as he was battling his emotions.
Varian hesitated, looking at Spymaster Shaw who was naturally not happy with the idea of his king going on enemy territory without any protection even if Vol'jin had vouched for his safety. Finally the hope the king still harbored in his heart won.
"Let us go, Jaina. I won't let my son fight for his life on his own"
Kalea the female druid and Sanju the witch doctor had worked fast and efficiently to gather all that was necessary for the ritual and wasted no time in initiating it. Kalea had carefully painted the runes on Anduins body in white paint from head to toe while Sanju sat down cross-legged at the head of the bedding with a bowl he placed in his lap.
"Don't let ya motherly instincts get too invested in te rescue of te human boi" he advised her before igniting the ingredients in his bowl. "Ya know his chance of survivin' isn't high"
Kalea nodded as Sanju closed his eyes, folded his hands over the bowl and began to intone the ritual.
"Yes I know, Sanju" she whispered almost sadly as she watched Anduin getting restless in his sleep. "But still he reminds me of my son"
Glowing green lines, looking like strands of a spiderweb, started to spread all over the prince's body making the painted runes glowing white in return. His breathing got labored as the fel magic began to defend itself against their efforts to destroy it causing massive harm to its host's body in the process.