Chapter 21
Renarion came by to gather Sel'uen. He did a remarkable job of both ignoring Karielle's existence and giving her a dirty look. "The Shan'do wants us," he told Sel'uen.
Karielle gave her a smirk but didn't say anything. Sel'uen got up and followed Renarion.
The center structure was laid out in three or four tiers. The bottom tier was where their little army had set up camp with rows on rows of barricades and ammunitions. They faced the main entrance that was bolted by doors. Their back was to a huge stairwell that ran up to the back of the structure then split in opposite directions to spiral to the second level of offices and laboratories. The archmage's sanctum had been on the second level. It was there that some of the mages had taken up their positions for an eagle-eyed view of the battlefield; that had been where Sel'uen and Karielle had sat. Another staircase led the way to the third level, which was very close to the ceiling and otherwise unremarkable except for the fact that it led to the fourth level: the roof.
Ero'then waited for them on the third level along with Yeshaila, Kel and Xallon. There were no blood elves. Renarion and Sel'uen to joined them.
The Shan'do seemed to take a moment to gather his thoughts.
"Some of you may be angry with me," he said. "And your indignity may be justified. You may blame the mage for bringing this upon us and, again, you might be justified. However, we cannot change what has transpired. We are where we are.
"We cannot flee. The Legion knows we're here, and it will find us. I'd rather make a stand here than in the storm. The question is, how badly does the Legion want us? What will they expend to gain us?"
He turned his palms upward. Sel'uen realized he was asking them. She swallowed a lump of anger. Here they were at death's door and their Shan'do was still giving them lessons.
Yeshaila spoke up. "I don't know much about arcane magic," she said, "but it seems this place isn't a small amount of power, is it Shan'do?"
"No Yeshaila. It is not."
"Then it would make sense that the Legion would want it badly?"
"Not mentioning how we killed their ambassador," Renarion remarked. "We spat in their faces. They cannot let that stand."
"True." The Shan'do nodded. "All true. I suppose that what I'm asking you to consider - and I understand that you are not all experts in demonology, thank Elune… is whether or not we are a price too high for the Legion to pay? We know the Legion is vast enough to - even on such short notice - send an army that would easily overwhelm us many times over. But the Legion fights many battles across many lands and worlds. How badly do they want this one manaforge? This one group of traitors?"
Sel'uen understood. "We have to make it so costly that they give up," she said.
Renarion snorted. "There is no price too high for the Legion to pay," he told her. "They'll keep coming and coming until we're overwhelmed, just as you said, Shan'do. What could we possibly do to them that would make them give up?"
"I am asking you," said Ero'then.
Sel'uen gave the question a passing study, then gave up. She was starting to understand Karielle's disposition. What hope did they have against the Legion? What meaningful blow could they actually strike? The Burning Legion was like the storm - endless.
This was hardly orthodox druidic training. Back in Teldrassil, Sel'uen never would have expected she would be asked to consider how to thwart a demonic attack. Surely this fell on the Shan'do's shoulders, not theirs. It seemed the others shared her gloom. No one responded to the Shan'do's query.
When he finally spoke, the Shan'do looked tired. The silver light had gone out of his eyes, dulled now. He looked like he had just made a heavy decision, deep in his heart.
"You are right, my students," he said. "If we slew ten thousand demons, then perhaps the Legion would reconsider us. Or perhaps they would just send ten thousand more. We will be lucky to take a tenth of that, even with the mages drawing on their mana. I spoke to Karielle, and she said that this whole facility holds huge reserves of arcane power, but it is not easily accessible. Only the archmage had the knowledge to tap into that power." Sel'uen blinked, thought she had caught a note of derision in her Shan'do's voice. Something else… but what was it? He was still speaking, but Sel'uen interrupted him.
"Shan'do," she said. "You have a plan, don't you?"
Ero'then looked at her.
No, he was not tired, like she'd first thought he was. He was not angry, nor was he bitter. He did not even look like he despaired.
All she saw in those silver eyes was sadness.
"The Legion will try to flank us," he said. "They will try to take the roof. Using the storm, I will hold it. The rest of you should make yourselves useful to Karielle and the blood elves. She and the Mechanician will be commanding the battle. I will remain up here."
"But you have a plan, don't you?"
"Young one, please do as I have asked."
"Should we expect to die tonight? Or are you holding back hope from us?"
His eyes flared with a little life. "If you think it so, then yes. Tonight, you fight without hope," he said and it sounded cruel, like something Karielle would say. "Do not look to me for your salvation."
"Why do you speak to us like this?" Sel'uen cried. "Are you not our Shan'do? Did we not promise to follow you and learn from you?"
"Young one, you speak of following and learning, but you understand neither. I am teaching you."
"You're not! You're either giving up or you're shutting us out. I cannot tell which, but either way leaves me thinking you are not half the Shan'do we thought you were."
Ero'then approached Sel'uen. He put his hands on her shoulder, and his touch almost made her jump. He squeezed her shoulders. His voice was both sad and filled with urgency.
"Pay close attention, child," he said. He sounded almost pleading. "Do not let yourself be blinded, now, at this late hour. Do not consider the sin'dorei or Karielle Sunstrike. Remember where you've come from. Remember home and your family. Open your eyes, child. My last lesson to you, and to you all, is at hand. It is not your judgement of me that I fear. It is your judgement of yourselves."
Sel'uen searched and searched, but there was nothing more than those cryptic words.
With a growl, she shoved him off her. He let her. She opened her mouth to say something, growled instead and stormed off.
Above her, rumbling filled the air. No one called her back. No one followed her.
