A/N: I do not own WoW in any part, nor do I make any profit from the writing of this story. It is purely for my enjoyment of writing that I compose this story. That being said, I apologize for my long absence. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter as there seems to be only a few left to the story! Thank you all for your kind words in the reviews!
Jin'ala stared at the cavernous entrance of Stonewrought Pass. The pair sat a short distance away, watching carefully. The journey from the Arathi Highland to the south of Loch Modan had been surprisingly uneventful. It was almost laughable how, with only their heads covered, they were easily able to walk right by most of the guards. The one guarding the entrance, though, seemed different. According to the warrior, he was different. More grizzled than the other guards they'd passed, this short man had a face littered with scars that were visible even under the wild growth of facial hair. He had decorated his long hair and beard with feathers and bones on leather thongs. His plate armor looked almost too heavy for his size, but his physique was clearly visible, even under all of his clothes and armor. He was stocky, bulging with muscles. There was no mistaking the power this short man possessed.
Thankfully, with much more meditation than usual, she had finally overcame the almost crippling urges that had lingered from that morning in Tarren Mill. Jinny was grateful for Myndee. The hawkstrider had followed Argonos, Darreek's rather large and intimidating bear, on her own. That left the little mage free to concentrate on curbing the desires within her. Now, she was able to think clearly. And it appeared as though she was going to need to think clearly to be able to pass by the guard. Jinny glanced at Darreek.
"I don't think a diversion will work here. Well, maybe not the kind you and Argonos might be able to create." The mage bit her lip, trying to think.
Darreek waited patiently. His anger had subsided but he had erected an emotional barrier that he swore to himself she wouldn't break through. At least, that's how it felt to her. He'd become distant, uncaring. Even the light in his eyes had somehow grown dimmer. She tried not to think about it right now. Right now, she had to think of a way to get past the grizzled little man sitting on top of a Mountain Ram smack-dab in between the two Sin'dorei and the entrance to Searing Gorge.
A light went on in her head. "That's it!" she exclaimed, jumping up and all but running over to Myndee. The hawkstrider seemed a little unnerved by Jinny's quick movements, but settled soon enough. The mage rummaged through her bags, quietly squealing with delight when she found what she was looking for. Triumphantly, she held up a tiny orb, no bigger than a chicken's egg. The warrior was clearly not impressed.
"What is it?" he asked flatly.
Jinny scoffed. "What is it? This is an Orb of Deception."
There was a pregnant pause before he finally spoke, eying the tiny orb skeptically. "What's it do?"
The woman sighed harshly, rolling her eyes. "It transforms the user into one of the elasticities associated with the Alliance. This one, specifically, transforms the user into a Draenei."
He stared blankly at her. "And how does this help us?"
Jinny forced herself to hold her frustration in check. "We'll wait for the guards to change and I'll use the Orb and 'escort' you through the tunnel as a prisoner." She walked over to Argonos. "Do you have any rope we could use to tie you up?"
The warrior rose to his feet and began searching his bags. He stopped suddenly and folded his arms across his large chest, looking her dead in the eye. "And what happens if they try to talk to us?"
"Well, they'll really only try to talk to me, since you'll be my prisoner. But, I suppose I'll just have to make up an intelligent yarn of how you came to be my prisoner." The mage spoke over her shoulder as she continued her exploration of his bags.
He stared at her, disbelief on his face. "You know their language?"
She nodded nonchalantly. "Mhmm. The Magisters advocate for abundant learning. So, I started studying. I found a Forsaken man who still remembered how to speak Common and he helped me to iron out the rough spots. Oh! Here's some rope!" Jinny grinned at her success. "Well?" she asked the warrior, whose jaw had suddenly become slack with his surprise. She giggled at him. "You'll catch flies like that if you're not careful. Now, come over here and let me tie you up."
The old Darreek exposed himself. His eyes shone a deeper green, a tiny smirk inching across his thin lips as he thought of the -other- times he'd been tied up by women. Those instances had ended rather pleasurably, if he remembered correctly. None of this went unnoticed by the mage. She gave him a cautious smile, chortling softly.
"That looks like a very fond memory," she commented in a hushed voice, a whisper of a smile on the corners of her mouth. A low rumble of a thick chuckle sounded from his throat as a devilish grin sneaked its way over his face. "Alright, turn around, hands behind your back." He complied. "There," she said, giving a final tug on the rope, testing the bindings as she circled around. Jinny stood before him, hands on her hips, studying her handiwork. Her head tilted.
"Try no to look so powerful. You need to look weak and defeated. You're my prisoner, remember? I have to look as though I could have overpowered you." Jinny paused a moment. "Oh, that gives me an idea!"
The little mage closed her eyes, clearing her mind. Cerulean sparks crackled around her, covering the grass around her with frost. Azure light glowed between the fingers of her hands. An arctic wind ruffled the skirts on her robes, tousling her hair. The murmured words died to the blowing torrent before he could hear them, and then, everything went still. The quickly melting frost on the ground the only proof of the spell.
Darreek looked to the left and right, finally settling his questioning gaze upon her. "And just what was that meant to do?"
Jinny shrugged, turning to secure Myndee to Argonos. "It was meant to call him." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the area behind the warrior.
"'Him'?" Darreek asked, more to himself than to her, turning with slight difficulty due to the ropes. "Who, exactly, is h... Oh."
The elemental stood tall and intimidating before him. Well, he supposed, 'hovered' would be a better word. As blue as the landscape of Icecrown, the elemental left a frozen trail as he made his way across the grass to stand guard next to his master.
"He's not going to attack me, is he?"
The woman chuckled softly. "Why? Are you frightened?"
"No. I just want to know if I should be ready to defend myself," he lied. Elementals made him uneasy. They were unpredictable.
Jin'ala peeked over the embankment one last time to confirm the presence of the new guard. Long fingers of shadows began their slow traversal of the rocky terrain, extending from one side to the other of the narrow gorge. She fidgeted somewhat under her robes, adjusting then readjusting her armor. Taking a deep breath, the mage looked over at Darreek. "Ready?" she asked, a little weakly.
The warrior nodded and took his position behind Argonos as Jinny secured the rope to the war bear's saddle. She spoke to the elemental in a strange language. It said nothing but simply turned and assumed a position behind the warrior. "Hey, he's not going to attack that guard, is he?" Darreek asked.
Jinny had thought about that, too. She shook her head 'no'. "He's under clear instructions not to attack unless I do." When he gave her a dubious look, she added, "He's never failed to follow my direction." Darreek was still doubtful, but nodded that he was ready.
Alright, girl. Here we go. Take a deep breath. Remember, you're a powerful Draenei Magister. Chin up. Shoulders back. Look important. Jin'ala picked up the orb and touched it, reciting an ancient incantation as she did so.
Light gray clouds formed and swirled around her, completely shielding her from sight. When they dissipated, the small Sin'dorei woman was gone and in her place stood a tall, elegant Draenei. Pale blue skin complimented by a shock of midnight blue hair. Horns curled up and around from just above her temples. Her ears were shortened, but still pointed, and her eyes glowed blue instead of the forest green that they normally were. Taking the place of her feet were long, slender hooves. The mage looked at the warrior.
"How do I look, Warrior?" She spun in a slow circle to give him a good look. There was no way she wanted this disguise to fail.
"You've got a tail," he said.
Jinny sighed. "I meant, do you think this will work?"
"You've got a tail."
"Yes, I know this. Draenei have tails. Do you think it will work?"
"You've got...a tail."
Jinny rolled her eyes and approached Argonos. The war bear seemed a little uneasy at the sight of her. She gently spoke to him in hushed Thalassian, calming and reassuring him as the bear sniffed her hand. He seemed to settle, and she mounted, easily swinging her now long leg up and over the bear's back. The mage squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "We haven't much time. Let's go."
The procession backtracked a short distance to the road. Jinny set an easy pace as they approached the entrance to the pass. Breathe. Just breathe, girl. You are powerful, important. You can do this.
"Halt!" The short man on the Mountain Ram had a surprisingly loud and commanding voice for his size. "What be yerr business fer crrossin' tha pass?" The man flicked his r's as he spoke in true highland style, the deep baritone only adding to the lilt in his voice.
Carefully, the mage formulated her response in Common. "I am taking this prisoner to the stockades in Stormwind to be questioned, by order of King Varian Wrynn."
The dwarf eyed her. "Yerr accent is strange ta meh."
"You must not get many Draenei passing through who've spent as much time in Dalaran, as I have. Now, I must be on my way. I am expected in only a few day's time and I doubt it will look very well for you if the news were to come out that I was late only because you thought my accent was strange."
The short man frowned. "Do ye have orders?"
The mage nodded. "I do." She retrieved a paper from her satchel and handed it to the guard.
"This isn't Common!" the guard fumed.
"No. It is not. It is in Darnassian." Silently, the mage hoped the languages looked as similar as they sounded.
"An' why would His Majesty tha King be writin' orders in Darnassian?"
The mage scoffed, feeling her magical disguise faltering. "It is not my place to question my King." She cocked her eyebrow. "As I am sure it is not your place, either."
The Dwarven Warrior scrutinized the paper once more for a long, pregnant moment before handing it back. "Fine. Ye may pass."
Jinny nodded, retrieving the paper and shoving it into her satchel once more. "Come, prisoner!" she ordered as she tugged on the rope, rather harshly. Darreek glared at her and she didn't hide her smirk. "Vile elf," she spat before looking over to the Dwarf. "My King and I thank you for passage." She nodded respectfully to the warrior before urging Argonos through the entrance to the pass.
Their pace was quick, but still her disguise faltered and ebbed before the end of the tunnel. The spell had drained her, and she wearily slid off the war bear. Jinny only watched her feet as she walked the rocky path back to where Darreek stood. She felt a little dizzy, but nothing that wouldn't clear up in time. Her hands trembled as she untied the knots that bound his wrists, a result of the absence of adrenaline that had been coursing through her.
Darreek's hands unbound, he spun to her, the look of inner warring on his face. He seemed thoroughly impressed with her, yet still, his anger burned in his eyes. She gasped at the sudden movement.
"Tell me," he said darkly. "Tell me you didn't siphon mana that night at Tarren Mill."
She scoffed, folding her arms angrily across her chest. "I already told you I didn't."
"Tell me again!" he demanded.
Jinny studied him for a moment. "Why is this an issue? And is now really the best time to discuss it?"
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he paced to the wall before turning back to her. "It's an issue because..." He slid down the wall, settling himself on the floor of the pass. "Have you seen the wretched that populate the ruins of Silvermoon?"
The tiny elf nodded. "Aye. The Sin'dorei who were overcome by the addiction."
The warrior nodded. "My..." he paused, taking a bracing breath. "My mother was one of those lost to the addiction. For years, I watched her slowly descend into madness. She was such a beautiful woman. But, eventually, the addiction wore away at that beauty. Eventually, she became a husk, driven by one thing, and one thing only: The need for more." His voice drifted off, memories of a distant past flowing through his mind. "One day, a soldier came to my house and handed me her locket. Nothing was said, he just handed me her locket. She had become so consumed, she'd attacked a guard at Falconwing Square. They'd had no alternative."
"I see," was all she could think of in response.
"No, you don't see, Mage." He glared at her. "I...I ca...I care for you, Jin'ala. But if you are going down the same path my mother went, I just...I just can't go through that again."
She paused, processing what she'd just heard. After a silent nod, she walked away. The mage untethered the Hawkstrider from the bear and mounted, dismissing the elemental with a wave of her hand.
"That's it?" he asked incredulously. "You're not going to say anything? Nothing at all?"
Jinny's eyes met his. "What would you like me to say, Darreek?" she asked calmly.
"Something! Anything!"
The mage sighed. "Warrior, with a past like that, I have no chance of you believing me. No matter what I say, it will only seem as though I were trying to get back into your good graces. The only other option I see is for me to remain silent and show you through my actions that I did not wander off that night in Tarren Mill to siphon mana." The two stared at each other for a moment. "Come on, I'd like to make it to the end of the pass before nightfall."
Argonos seemed to brighten as his master stood and nimbly mounted. Myndee seemed more relaxed as well. "Come, we've a long way before we reach the Dark Portal," the mage said before nudging her mount towards the tunnel exit. The silence was thick between the two riders. Darreek, thinking of his past, would sigh occasionally. Jinny studied her map continuously until the pair emerged from the side of the mountain and into the desolate, broken land that was Searing Gorge.