Chapter 27

"Jade, wake up. We're coming into the temple."

I roused from my sleep blearily, blinking the view in front of me into focus. We were in a twilight forest, the air on my skin cool and refreshing. I looked ahead-

By the light.

A grand, golden temple that seemed brighter than the sun glowed on the plateau ahead, all arches and light and beauty. This must be the temple of Karabor.

We came in closer, and I saw people standing on what appeared to be the front steps. Front and Centre was-

I leapt from the wolf, breaking into a sprint as a matching, blue haired blur came racing towards me, and we collided in a somewhat painful tackle hug that ended with us both on the ground, laughing and looking each other over.

Teir looked healthier again. Her sanity was in tact, her hair was braided, and her arm-In place of her stump was a silvery metal arm, slender and shapely enough that I was almost convinced it was just armor over her real arm.

"Oh how I've missed you," Teir admitted, and I relented that feeling her ever present place in my mind again was more than a little comforting.

Teir looked at me, her gaze clouding for a moment, before her brows furrowed, "You've taken up a ward."

I rolled my eyes, "Snooping around are you?" I got us to our feet, "But yes, I've named her Shad."

"Strength," Teir automatically translated, then shook her head, "But, why?"

I shook my head, opening my mind to her, and her face morphed into one of awe, "Oh."

I grinned, and she nodded, "Can't wait to meet her. What fucked up family this ward has coming for her."

I laughed, before a clearing of a throat cut off our reunion.

Teir's face morphed again, into one of school calm, "Apologies, Prophet," she bowed low, and I realised that she had forgone armor for black robes trimmed in gold, which covered everything throat down except for the metal arm, which was uncovered completely.

I turned, and dropped my gaze immediately in the presence of Prophet Velen. I saw Anduin had nearly dropped to his knees in respect for his mentor.

"You are the other members of the party that came from this Azeroth, then," Velen said, and he turned abruptly, expecting us to follow him into the temple.

Obviously, we followed, and I took Anduin's hand in mine reassuringly, staunchly ignoring the gaze of the dozens of Draenei who were coming out to see the newcomers.

"You'll have to forgive my…. brusqueness," Velen said, "But we have had a very bad few months."

I looked past him, and horror curled into my stomach.

In the main courtyard, were hundreds, possibly thousands, of dying Draenei.

Women. Men. Children. Everywhere.

I reflexively sent a wave of magic out, wanting to fix all of it, but Anduin caught me as my nose began to bleed, and I realised I was hyperventilating, "Jade, Jade, stop it."

I was fixed on the dying, whose wounds were struggling to close. Where healers couldn't fix it. I sent out another wave of power, crying out as Teir came to my other side and held me up.

"Kid, stop. You can't fix all of it." Teir was working through my mind, trying to figure out how to relax me.

"Elf!"

I jumped, whipping my head to the side to see a woman in brilliant armor, and I remembered-

Caves, a survivor. A broken orc and a plank of wood. Yrel.

"Stop. Some of those wounds are poisonous. You will only exacerbate them," she said, and that got to me. I pulled my magic in immediately, and fell to my knees, blood slowing to a trickle down my chin.

"Exarch, thank you," Teir nodded, hauling me back to my feet, "Her martyr complex seems to be in full force today."

I gave her a weak laugh, and Velen had a hint of a smile on his face, "Her eagerness to help has dissipated some of my distrust. She is pure of heart."

I smiled, but it fell when I felt an all to familiar presence.

I looked out over the courtyard, and I thought I saw the mist.

"How does the dead here work?" I asked, mystified.

I felt the death. I felt the Draenei's spirit, but where is it going? Where is the Mist?

"What an…odd request," Yrel said, sounding miffed, but Teir responded.

"On Azeroth, Jadearra was the gatekeeper and Lady of the Dead. She feels when someone dies, and when she can, she tries to be the one that helps the spirit reach the Mist-the realm of the dead," Teir explained, and I heard hums of interest, but my eyes were searching for-

I leapt the railing, hearing commotion above me as I landed below, people looking up in confusion as I sprinted, hell-bent on catching that little wisp-

I caught the spirit about the waist, a Draenei woman who looked startled beyond belief, "Where are you going?!" I asked, out of breath.

"To Auchindoun! Now let go of me!" She shoved my hands away and faded back to a wisp, trailing away a good deal quicker now.

I knew that place. On Outland, it was a haunted wasteland, here-

I was lifted into the air and hauled away, "How dare you assault a dead spirit!" Yrel was furious.

Oh. That might've caused a scene, my bad.

I was thrown into a smaller chamber, where the rest of us apparently had moved to, and Teir smacked me upside the head, "You don't tackle spirits of the dead on their way to peace."

"I know! I was just-curious…" I was blushing from embarrassment. I knew better!

"Peace, children. The Lady looked merely excited to learn about her domain's reach," Velen acquiesced, and the tension in the room faded somewhat.

"What can I do to help?" I blurted, and once again chaos.

"Your magic already exacerbated-."

"Exarch, Prophet. A word,"

All eyes went to the doorway, and Teir's affection was evident as I looked at a very different Kenlora Whisperwind.

Her hair was cropped close to her head, choppy and messily done, and she had traded in the torn armor for robes of pure white that made her eyes pop and her skin seem a deeper purple than magenta.

"Healer Whisperwind, of course," Yrel straightened, following Kenlora from the room.

I was aghast-not even a glance for her comrades?

"Ken's up to her ears in work to do. They brought her on as an apprentice when we arrived after seeing her skill work with diluting poisons and handling children. She rose quickly. She's now the second best healer in Karabor," It was obvious that Teir was outlandishly proud of her partner, and I smiled for her.

Kenlora was always dedicated to helping people. No matter what.

"I want to help as well. However, I can," I pleaded to Velen, who looked only somewhat convinced.

"She could play with the kids."

We turned to see Kenlora there again, a grim and silent Yrel beside her. Kenlora's eyes were on me, assessing, and a flare of the nostrils told me that there would be an interrogation before our time here was over. For now, though, it seemed I passed.

"That's an-."

"Excellent idea, yes I know," Kenlora cut Yrel off, and I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.

The blonde Draenei whirled on Kenlora, scraping a hoof on the ground as she rose to her full height-only so tall that the tips of her horns reached the top of Kenlora's head. Kenlora straightened in turn, flicking her robes about her to reveal a layer of weapons and armor beneath-she hadn't forgone her warrior side entirely, then.

After an intense moment, Yrel backed down, muttering, "As you wish."

Kenlora gave me a look, raised an eyebrow, before saying, "Follow" and turning with a swish of her robes.

I looked at Anduin, who merely shrugged. He looked a little overwhelmed at the moment, so I let it be.

I followed Kenlora out to the courtyard, where she was at a work station conversing with healers in grey robes quickly in what I recognized as Draenic-when did Kenlora learn Draenic?

She turned to me, switching to common mid sentence, "-and you will go to the main fountain at the southern end of the courtyard and entertain the children until it is meal time. Then you will guide them to the eastern entrance into the lower corridor, where their sleeping things have been relocated. Then you will watch over them carefully while they eat and go to bed. You will not leave your station until I send Vindicators to guard them."

A spiteful part of me wanted to snap back and be a brat, but I knew this was a bad idea. Kenlora was every bit the warrior queen and priest that her mother was, and she had the inner bitch that would send me flying foot over ass-and of course, Teir would kill me.

So I went to the main fountain at the southern end of the courtyard, where roughly a dozen children of various ages were gathered, and they all latched onto the newcomer, and I told them stories for a greater part of the afternoon.

Then a bell rang somewhere, and I herded children to the eastern entrance-well, more like followed, as they seemed to know where they were going well enough. I found a perch atop a weird statue and watched over them from above as they ate and fell asleep. I was there for a while, and I had nearly fallen asleep in my hiding place until a hand on my ankle scared the shit out of me and I fell.

I rolled into a crouch, teeth bared and heart pounding, only to see two heavily armed Draenic men who were calmly keeping their distance.

"Your shift is over, miss," one said lowly, and I nodded, straightening and dusting myself off.

"Apologies, Vindicators," I spoke just as soft, assuming their ears were sharp, "I was unaware you had arrived."

"Quite alright. Your party is being housed on the upper story of the western wing, passed the baths. I suggest you make haste and catch some shut eye before the next day begins."

I nodded, bidding them goodnight and making my way past the fountain to the entrance of the western corridors, inhaling until I caught a whiff of honey and mint. I followed it to Anduin.

Our group was gathered in what felt like a common of sorts. A series of rooms branched off from this main area, where a fire roared and my friends were resting. The colours were still mainly purples and whites, and elegant architecture presented itself in the form of arches and decorative patterns upon the walls.

Khadgar and Thrall had taken the chairs, their older bones needing rest. Teir was sprawled on the rug directly in front of the fire, laying on her back as she seemed to be practicing moving her metallic limb. Kenlora stood calmly in the corner, her composure that of a warden. Anduin was no where to be seen, despite the fact that I could smell him.

Khadgar looked up at my entrance, and seemed to bounce to life from his moment of fatigue, "Ah, there you are."

Teir looked up and gave me a wave, but Kenlora was looking at me, eyes somewhat narrowed and ears ramrod straight. She was trying to interrogate with her eyes.

"Where's Anduin?" I asked, looking around to see if he had perhaps already retired.

"He's with Velen," Teir said, sitting up and giving me a nod.

"Jadearra. I think we need to try and communicate with Jaina again." Khadgar said, and given the unsurprised looks on Teir and Kenlora's faces, he had already explained.

At the mention of Jaina, Kenlora seemed to go still, eyes narrowing further as she observed quietly. What is her deal?

"I have absolutely no idea how I would even do that," I said honestly, drawing a blank.

"Well, if they are still trying to reach us, then hypothetically all you would have to do is try and go to sleep." Thrall said gruffly from where he was sitting, and I looked on the older orc.

His head was near completely bald, the green skin pulled tight across his skull. His blue eyes showed his fatigue, and the beginnings of wrinkles over his face gave away his age. He was tired, and yet he had come to fight.

"I will try. If I manage to get a connection…what should I say?" I asked, and it seemed no one knew the answer to that question.

"Tell them to prepare for all hell to break loose."

I turned to see Anduin standing in the doorway, his face haunted and skin visibly paler. His hair was disheveled and he looked ready to faint.

In fact, had I not noticed that second, he would've fallen over.

I looped my arms under his, catching him as his eyes rolled back in his head for a moment, "Whoa Princeling. What happened with the Prophet?" I asked, easing him to the ground and allowing my body to keep him upright.

"He…visions…potions..." I was losing him to severe fatigue, but it seems Kenlora understood what Anduin was muttering.

"The Prophet took him to the pool of visions, where he drank the sacred water and was provided with the seven visions of his future. He must've seen something that's going to happen on Azeroth." Kenlora said, kneeling beside Anduin and I and taking his pulse, before mumbling quick Draenic phrases, eyes brightening as magic flowed from her fingertips and into my Prince.

"That should allow him to rest. The visions can be severely unnerving, and due to the stress on him, he must've seen something…" She cut herself off, cocking her head to the side and looking at him, before she shook it off quickly, standing and going to Teir.

I ran my fingers through his hair as his breathing evened, before I heaved him up to support his weight, partially dragging his feet due to his height, "I'm going to get him into a bed, then I'll try to reach Jaina."

I got Anduin into a bed, pulling his shoes and his cloaks off until he was in simple trousers and a shirt, and I tucked the blanket around him tight as he shivered. I pressed a kiss to his forehead, smiling as he hummed in his sleep.

By the light I love this idiot.

I moved back out to the common area, where a pallet had been put down for me, and I laid down, closing my eyes as Khadgar did a spell that put me into a deep sleep.

It worked. I was back in the chaotic colourful whatever the hell this is.

"Jaina Proudmoore!" I called out, and the eyes appeared, along with what might've been hair and a face.

"Jadearra Theron!" She called back, her voice somewhat shaky.

"We're alright!" I got through, and her face flickered in and out again.

"Has the portal fallen?!"

"Yes! But Gul'Dan is free and so is Garrosh!" I yelled, and the chaos thickened, colours ricocheting as voice rose to a crescendo, and then it calmed somewhat again.

"We want you back!"

I nearly fell over. Somehow, Father was speaking into this colourful half realm.

"I want to come home! I-!" My voice closed up as the chaos began to dim.

I shot awake, chest heaving as my heart raced, and I felt it race up the back of my throat-

I puked into the fire, effectively putting it out, and then I blacked out.