And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
~Somewhere Only We Know-Keane~
Cordana woke up terribly nauseous and it was difficult to hide it from Khadgar. She pretty much ran to the bathroom, and he gave her a puzzled glance.
"Are you quite alright, my dear?" he asked.
"Yes!" she called out momentarily. "I tend to ignore my needs for too long sometimes!"
He laughed.
She emerged fully dressed. Another strange thing he had noticed: Cordana did not wish to appear naked around him anymore. However, he thought better of mentioning it, as he knew that his constant observation was upsetting to her.
Jaaral had set up a trap for the assassin, but so far she had not shown up. Khadgar believed that the only way to lure her out was by trying to entice Gul'Dan to make another appearance. Going after a few more of his lieutenants might anger the warlock enough that he would try and demonstrate his power if Khadgar were to try another scrying spell.
"I do not understand how the assassin was able to breech the wards, Khadgar," said Cordana, sitting at the table with him and devouring an orange. He cut up another one and pushed it towards her, and she ate that one also.
"I am not sure that she did. I am of the opinion that the appearance of Gul'Dan had something to do with it. I think he used the pathways I made to find him, to place a magical beacon at our location and teleported the assassin right to us."
Cordana's eyes widened. "That is a truly horrifying thought. So he knows where we are now and can just send her back whenever he chooses?"
Khadgar shook his head. "No. It only works if the pathways are active."
"But he remained even after you broke the channel. He taunted you quite a while after you no longer were in command of the ritual! How did he do that?"
"The pathways were still open. If Gul'Dan had desired to remain there, they also would. Once he disappeared, the pathways were nullified. I mean to call him forth again, but I believe we should add a little fuel to the fire! I have learned that the Blackrock Clan of Orcs has forged an alliance with the elemental creatures of fire and stone that have existed on this world since its creation. I must know how they have done this!
I wish us to travel to the Blackrock Foundry. We will look for stone tablets dating back to the prehistory of Draenor. They will likely be broken apart into fragments that we'll need to assemble by hand. I am sure the fragments are going to be located on high ranking members of the clan. I've been able to spend some time studying the prehistory of Draenor. Primal elemental forces competed with each other to shape the world. Their descendants still fight to this day, especially in regions such as Gorgrond to the Northwest.
The tablets we will assemble will reveal the forces at work during the era... and more importantly, they will allow us to control and channel those forces, just as the Blackrock do today! With this ability, I can taunt Gul'Dan into revealing himself to me. He craves power, and the idea his mortal enemy has something he does not should quite nicely enrage him."
Light, thought Cordana. If he means to do this on his own, and I cannot talk him out of it that means I must go with him.
"I am sure the mission specialists will be glad for the adventure, Khadgar," she said, reaching for another orange. He had a bemused expression on his face as he realized she had consumed 4 of them already.
"Oh I do not think we will involve them. I had thought the two of us could manage this one on our own! I know you have been rather bored, Cordana and I figure this will give us both a chance to exercise our battle muscles."
"I do not think that it would be wise for you to put yourself in danger!"
He leaned over and gazed into her eyes. "I have you to protect me my love! I have no reservations!"
Cordana could see that he had made up his mind, and when that happened there was no dissuading him from his chosen path. She couldn't justify venturing into a place like the foundry and risking injury to herself and their unborn son. Khadgar was immensely powerful, and she had no doubt that he could hold his own, but she had to be cautious now. More than ever before.
"This is absurd. There are other ways to antagonize Gul'Dan that do not involve traipsing into a well guarded fortress and starting a quarrel with the inhabitants. No, Khadgar."
"No? The great Cordana Felsong will not stand at my side and vanquish evil with me?" He gave her his silly hero smile. She did not smile back.
"Send the mission specialists. We are not going in there."
Khadgar frowned. Cordana had never refused an opportunity to fight. She revelled in the very idea of battle. What was wrong with her?
"Alright, Cordana. I will speak with Jaaral."
She noticed he did not include her in that statement. She looked away, unwilling to meet his intense gaze. The Warden's heart ached to go with him to the Foundry. She loved the intricacies of battle, longed to wield the umbral crescent against her foes. But she couldn't. And she could not yet explain to Khadgar why. He looked downcast, her refusal had affected him, just as her inability to make love to him had. Cordana felt terrible. She abruptly stood and went to the bathroom, so she could be alone and avoid seeing Khadgar's disappointment.
He sighed heavily at her retreating figure. Whatever had changed inside her was getting worse. She was distancing herself from him even as she told him she loved him. He was so confused. The look in her eyes the previous night, the feel of her touch, her kiss...everything told him that she loved him. But her behavior was saying something else entirely. He wished that a woman's heart were as easy to decipher as an ancient tome on magic. Solve that riddle, he thought wryly, and you will be the savior of all male kind.
The next time he saw Cordana was when she arrived at the Garrison. He had gone there to speak with Jaaral while she had been engaged in her morning rituals. She wore the encounter suit, and there was no way to gauge her emotions. She placed herself near the door, not in stealth, but removed from him just the same.
"Archmage," said the Commander. "Before we request the mission specialists, something came for you today from Stormwind."
"Oh?" asked Khadgar, curious. He accepted the official looking scroll from Jaaral and unfurled it.
"Ahh!" he said with a smile. "It appears the young prince is to have a party. It is kind of him to invite us."
Jaaral nodded with a wide smile. "He speaks highly of you, Archmage, as does your King. He has asked us also, and Toriona is quite excited." The big Draenei looked over at Cordana. "I trust you will also attend?"
Her voice was hollow and emotionless behind her helm. "If requested to do so," she replied.
"The invitation is for the Archmage and his guest," said Jaaral. "My wife would not allow you to refuse! She has already had the tailor working on an outfit for herself and for me!"
He laughed, a deep and happy sound. Cordana wished she could be excited too, and if things were not so terrible she would have been.
The mission specialists were called in, and the debriefing began. Cordana could see that Khadgar was distracted. His voice was subdued, the energy he usually had for such meetings was not present, and even his description of the mission was lackluster. She noticed that everyone in the room felt it. The Archmage was a force to be reckoned with, not just in battle but in any situation. His very presence commanded attention. It is your fault he is this way, she said to herself. Keeping secrets is harmful.
She lay her hand on her belly, the action unseen beneath her cloak. The natural protective instinct gifted to all mothers had begun to assert itself. Cordana's only objective was to protect her child, and if that included ruffling some feathers along the way then so be it.
When the meeting was over, and the mission specialists filed out, Jaaral sat down at a desk and began writing his response to the prince. Khadgar got up from his seat and turned to Cordana. He walked slowly to her and lifted her helm from her head. Her hair cascaded down, and he strained it through his fingers.
"It will be nice for us to escape our duties for an evening, would you agree?" he asked softly. He leaned in and kissed her. Cordana backed up and hit the wall. She put her hands on Khadgar's chest.
"This is not the time nor the place for this, Archmage," she said.
"Nonsense," he responded. "It is always the right time and place to show someone you love them." He wanted her to put her arms around his waist and press close to him, as she always used to do. But Cordana couldn't. She didn't want to awaken those desires in either of them that were always there, ready to make them take leave of their senses. By Elune, this is so hard, she thought. He kissed her again and she returned his kiss this time. Khadgar's kisses were so sweet and tender, one would have to be an undead to reject them.
"So you will attend the prince's event with me? As my date, of course!" said Khadgar.
Cordana nodded. "I will, if that is what you wish."
He smiled. "I wish that very much. Will you allow me to choose an outfit for you?"
"Yes, as I have no experience in such things."
He paid no mind to the blades on her cloak and pulled her tightly to him. His desire was evident, and it was pressing painfully against her. She pushed him away.
"Khadgar! Not here!"
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Apparently it is inappropriate to you at the Tower as well, and in our bedchamber. Tell me, Cordana, where will you agree to allow me to show my love for you?"
Her anger flared. "Don't be ridiculous, Khadgar. We cannot afford to be distracted. We must maintain our focus on the mission."
He stepped back. "I feel as though I do not know you anymore," he said, an edge to his voice.
I'm sorry Khadgar, she thought, feeling her throat constricting. If you knew, you would understand.
But he didn't, and it was hurting him.
It was hurting both of them.