CHAPTER 2

Mysti took a graceful step from the walking board between the ship and the wooden landing. She removed her hood and looked up with a grin at the giant tree before her, the leaves rustling in shades of purple and pink. She closed her eyes and took in a large breath through her nose, taking in the salty scent of the sea, and the woody aroma of the Great Tree. She was home.

Mysti knew her way around Darnassus like it was engrained into every ounce of her being. She didn't care about taking in the sights around her. She just wanted to see her family. She stopped outside of a shop set into the base of a double stacked wooden building. She glanced at the man working away with his back to her, sweating tracing its way down his dirtied back and under the knot of the apron at the small of his back. He hammered hard on his anvil, muscles ripping through the lilac skin of his arms. Mysti gave a small smile. Raegorn. Taking a few silent steps forward, Mysti reached out and placed a hand on Raegorn's back. He gasped in fright and whirled around, hammer in his hand, poised for an attack. Mysti grabbed his wrist and chuckled.

"Mysti! You shouldn't scare people like that! I could have attacked you!" exclaimed Raegorn incredulously. He placed a hand on his chest and dropped the hammer to the floor with a heavy clunk. He could feel his heart pounding through his chest. Mysti gave another laugh.

"Sorry" she mumbled, putting a hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh. Raegorn bent down to pick up his hammer. Mysti walked past him and his anvil, briefly gazing at the blade resting upon it. She made her way to a wooden chair on the other side of the forge.

"It's good to see you, sister. How is your druid training? " asked Raegorn as he returned to his anvil.

"It is complete! I am now a fully fledged druid! "

" Did you choose a specialisation? "

"I chose to harness the power of the sun and the moon" Mysti smiled. Raegorn returned her smile.

"Mother would be proud ".

"Mother would be proud of what? " Mysti's head snapped sideways at the sound of the aged voice. A lilac hand slid down the wooden handrail and revealed an older woman, hair now white and tied into a loose braid. A grey linen robe draped over her thin frail body and was tied at the waist with a simple cord. The woman's eyes turned to her son who was stood still, hammer slightly raised over the blade on the anvil. Her eyes then moved to the woman sat in the chair. Her eyes took a moment to adjust before she realised who she was looking at "Mysti?"

" Hello, Mama". Mysti stood up and moved over to her mother, and pulled her into a loving embrace. Her mother returned the embrace, pressing her weary lined face into her daughter's leather-clad chest. Mysti rested her chin on her mother's head. Mysti could feel a lump forming in her throat as her mother sobbed into her chest. Mysti took a step back and placed her hands on her mother's shoulders. Their mother lifted her eyes to look at her daughter, tears streaking her face and more threatening to fall from her eyes. Mysti wiped away the tears with her thumbs.

"My baby! You're home! "

"Of course, Mama! I had to see you" Mysti smiled and looked at Raegorn.

"Yeah, your baby almost got a hammer to the head" Raegorn smirked a little. Thyssea looked between her children in horror "She snuck up on me! " Raegorn protested as his mother fired him a scowl.

"So, what would I be proud of? " asked Thyssea as she turned back to her daughter. A smile danced on Mysti's lips.

"I finished my druid training. I now harness the power of the sun and the moon'. Thyssea gave a squeak of glee as she clapped her hands together.

"This is wonderful! " Thyssea took in the image of her daughter. She looked weary from travelling and laden down with various items from her travels and her training. A pang of pride swelled in her heart when her eyes came to rest upon the crescent circlet that adorned her daughter's forehead. "Come upstairs, I have some freshly made Moonberry juice cooling. " Thyssea turned on her heel and started up the stairs.

"I'll be up once I've finished this blade " said Raegorn as he returned to work on the anvil. Mysti rested a hand on his shoulder as she made her way past him and up the stairs.

Mysti felt relieved to remove her satchel and cloak. She set them neatly in the corner of the sitting room. She unbuckled the staff from her back and placed it next to her satchel. Her back and shoulders groaned with the ache from carrying her staff. Mysti stretched a little and used her right hand to massage a knot out of her shoulder. Thyssea appeared from the small kitchen area with two ceramic cups and handed one to Mysti. Mysti gratefully took the cup into her hands and took a sip. She took a seat at the wooden table opposite her mother.

"You're too thin" said Thyssea sadly. Mysti glanced up at her mother, noticing that her mother's eyes were tracing her thin, athletic frame and the crescent tattoos on her upper arms.

"I have been travelling a great deal, Mama. I eat when I can" Mysti took another sip from her cup. Thyssea set her cup down on the table in front of her and looked directly into her daughter's eyes. She saw something in her eyes that made her heart lurch. Mysti gave her mother a puzzled expression.

"You have seen battle, haven't you? " Mysti sighed outwardly. She hoped it had not been that obvious. She lowered her head, stating intently into her Moonberry juice and nodded slowly. Her hands gripped the cup tighter. Mysti looked back up to meet her mother's eyes to find her mother's age lined eyes smiling at her. Thyssea reached over the table and placed a hand on Mysti's bracered wrist. "You're home now, that's all that matters " Mysti smiled softly and rested her left hand on top of her mother's.

Mysti had not realised how tired she was. She had lay on top of the bed, not even taking the time to remove the blankets or her armour. Her nose twitched a little. A familiar smell danced on her nostrils. She rubbed her nose, but the smell remained. Mysti opened her eyes slowly. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. It was now dark outside but the smell continued. Mysti's heart lurched as it dawned on her what she could smell. Smoke. It was becoming stifling. Mysti raised her hand to her mouth as coughs rattled throughout her chest. When she removed her hand, her palm was littered with ash. Eyes widened in horror, Mysti ran to the sitting room and grabbed her staff. Her eyes darted everywhere as she looked for her family. She caught sight of a hand lying limply down the side of a bed in an adjoining bedroom. Thyssea lay completely still. No breath passed her ashen lips.

"Mama! " screamed Mysti as she threw down her staff and shook her mother's shoulders. She felt a pair of hands pull her away "No! I can help her! " Mysti struggled against whoever was holding her.

"She's gone, sister" came the weary voice of Raegorn.

"I can help her!" Mysti swirled her hands and cast a green mist over her mother, though nothing happened.

"She's gone, Mysti". A sob caught in Mysti's throat.

"She can't be! "

"Mysti, we need to get out of here. The Great Tree is burning " Mysti looked at her brother in horror. Raegorn came to his feet and took Mysti by the hand and brought her to her feet. Tears streamed over her cheeks. Raegorn grabbed her staff and dragged her down the stairs despite her protests and collected his hammer on his way out.

On exiting the building, Mysti noticed the sheer severity of what was going on around them. People were screaming. Soldiers of Undead, Orcs and Trolls were running amok with flaming torches in their hands, cutting down any who crossed their path and burning down buildings. Embers and smoke filled the air. Mysti surveyed her surroundings in horror.

"We need to go. Now!" Raegorn snapped in her ear. Mysti jumped in fright. Raegorn took her by the arm and dragged her away from the building. Mysti struggled against her brother's grip.

"Raegorn! We cannot just leave Mama behind!"

"Mysti. We need to go. We cannot save her now. The Horde are here and they will kill us both." Mysti stopped struggling against Raegorn's grip and stared sadly into his eyes. A roar of fire attracted Mysti's attention to her left. The flames danced frighteningly close to her skin. An Undead soldier was nearing her with a burning torch in his hand. A Troll soldier was gaining on Raegorn. Raegorn passed Mysti her staff and got to work fighting the Troll with his hammer. Mysti glared at the Undead and uttered a spell under her breath, waving a hand in the air, casting a beam of moonlight to drop from the sky and directly onto the Undead. The moonbeam made quick work of the Undead, however the flames grew steadily further, licking at Mysti's face as they spread up the building. Mysti gasped and pressed a hand to her reddening and blistering cheek. Mysti turned and fired a ball of sunfire at the Troll, disintegrating him where he stood. Raegorn twirled around to Mysti, his eyes falling upon the scorched skin of his sister. Mysti gritted her teeth and strapped her staff to her back. She took Raegorn by the arm and led him onwards, using the burning trees as cover to escape. Mysti and Raegorn found themselves at Rut'theran Landing. They stopped dead in their tracks as they stared in horror at the scene before them. Lady Sylvanas was directing her army into burning down the Great Tree. Looking at one another, Mysti and Raegorn realised that the only way they were going to escape was by taking the now deceased flight master's hippogryphs. Mysti untied the hippogryphs from their perch. She hoisted herself up onto the back of one, using the rope as reigns. Her feet gently resting against the soft lavender feathers. Raegorn took the other. With a quick nudge of the heel, the hippogryphs were taking off into the air and crossing the Great Sea at speed. Mysti briefly looked back at the remains of her home. Thick black smoke filled the air, making her chest rattle with coughs. The salt from the sea entered the wounds on her face making her grimace in pain.

The pair continued to fly for a day until they reached the outskirts of Moonglade. The smoke from Darnassus appeared to follow them. Mysti nudged her hippogryph to begin landing as she approached the small village with Raegorn following closely behind. Two Night Elf soldiers approached them to take the reigns from them. The hippogryphs landed on the grass gracefully and softly. Mysti swung her legs around and slid from the back of the hippogryph. As her feet landed, her knees buckled with grief, exhaustion and pain. Mysti gripped her face as she let out wracking sobs. Her chest rattled with ash and smoke and her skin burned. Raegorn knelt in front of his sister and took her into his muscular arms. Mysti could not bring herself to remove her hands as she howled. Raegorn gently smoothed her hair and rocked her. Mysti suddenly snapped her head up and stared Raegorn directly in the eyes. Raegorn could finally see the extent of the burns to his sister's face- they extended across her left cheek and up to her eye. Her eyes however, held a fury he had never seen before. Her cheeks glistened with tears. Mysti jerked herself out of Raegorn's grip and slowly got to her feet. Without warning, Mysti was surrounded by a purple mist as her body morphed into that of a cat and she darted away from Raegorn at speed. Raegorn stared after her and sighed. She clearly needed time alone.

Mysti finally came to a stop near a luscious green tree. She morphed back into her Night Elf form as she panted, holding her chest. Each hacking cough brought more ash onto her hand and spread pain throughout her ribs. Mysti gave another sob and sat down on the edge of the lake. The sun sparkled on the water. She pulled her knees up to her chest and folded her arms over the top of her knees. She brought her head down onto her arms and let out a piercing cry.

Dusk was beginning to fall in Moonglade as Mysti slowly and carefully picked her way across the grass to return to the village. The hippogryphs they had arrived on were sleeping peacefully on the nearby perch. Shivering, Mysti wrapped her arms tightly around herself and made her way into the village with her head bowed. The sound of raucous laughter emanated from a nearby inn. She glanced towards the sound before she lowered herself onto a stone bench, still holding herself in a tight embrace. Mysti closed her eyes and sighed, taking in the sweet floral scents around her. She felt someone sit next to her on the bench. A warm arm reached around her shoulders and pulled her in close. She recognised the smell of molten metal and burnt coal anywhere. She turned her body slightly and allowed herself to be engulfed in Raegorn's chest. With his left arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, Raegorn ran his soot covered fingers through his sister's hair. Mysti pressed her un-injured cheek into his chest.

" I will kill them, Rae. I will kill her" she whispered. Raegorn pulled back and held Mysti's face in his hands. She stared him in the eyes, her eyes previously dulled with helplessness now burned with determination. He considered his sister for a moment, then chuckled as he remembered how stubborn she could be.

"You should get a medic to check over that," responded Raegorn as he gently ran a thumb across her blistered cheek. Mysti glanced away shyly, pressing a hand to her wounded face, "Come on, Mysti. For once in your life stop being so damned stubborn and get some help!" Mysti glared at her brother before she stole herself away and came to her feet. Raegorn stood up also, watching as his sister stalked away into the shadows, "Mysti! Wait!". Once she knew that she was far enough away from her brother, from everyone, Mysti huffed and balled her hands into fists by her sides. She paced back and forth as she tried to gather her thoughts that were racing around in her mind. Sylvanas and the Horde would pay, one way or another. She paused, a new thought coming to the forefront of her mind. She recalled the women in Stormwind discussing an attack. The attack on Darnassus must have been what they were waiting for. Mysti held her breath as she realised what she needed to do. She needed an urgent audience with the king.