If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged?
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain the same?

~If I Close My Eyes Forever-Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford~

Jaina stood beside Khadgar, sadly watching the enraged Cordana inside the prison bubble.

"Will you try without an Orb?" she asked.

"I must. I cannot allow Cordana to suffer Gul'Dan's influence any longer. I hope that I do not have to retrieve another Orb. I do not want another of those hideous devices anywhere near this Tower."

"I will assist you," said Jaina simply and stood beside him, her hands glowing.

Khadgar walked away, leaving Jaina with the Warden. Cordana stood up and stared at her through the bubble, anger in her eyes, the lines of her face hard.

"The Orb of Dominion spoke to me!" she cried, hitting the side of the prison. "I saw the truth! Khadgar is just a child, swaggering around, torturing his prisoners, playing with lives, dabbling in magics he pretends to comprehend!"

Jaina turned away.

"Very well, walk away!" said Cordana, her voice menacing. "Nothing will stop Gul'Dan, for the Legion stands behind him!"

Jaina met Khadgar's sad eyes.

"Mark my words!" shouted Cordana. "Your leaders will betray you! Azeroth will burn!"

"I am so sorry, Cordana," said Khadgar to her, knowing how terrible the ritual could be.

He closed his eyes and collected himself, and Jaina took her place at his side.

Ansirem and Kalec arrived, to find a distraught Khadgar leaning against the bubble with his head resting on his arms. Cordana lay still on the ground inside.

"Oh light," said Kalec. "What happened Jaina, did something go wrong?"

"Our ritual did not work. What he did to free Garona is not working for his wife. We may need to procure another Orb. She seems more deeply twisted than she should be for such a short interval. My concern is that some of this corruption is willful."

"You mean to say that Cordana is willingly being held enthralled by Gul'Dan?" asked Ansirem.

Jaina nodded. "It is not unusual. There are more cultists who willingly joined the Fel than there are prisoners of it. People are drawn to it for many reasons. Cordana may have been swayed by Maiev in some way. They were once very close according to Jarrod, and we know that Khadgar's linking Cordana to Garona had inadvertently opened a pathway for the Fel. It is possible that both Gul'Dan and Maiev are reinforcing her natural fears and doubts."

Kalec shook his head sadly. "How terrible for the Archmage. This could potentially create an entirely new situation. If the Fel influence is removed from Cordana, there will still be the psychological ramifications to deal with. Regardless, we should remove Gul'Dan's influence from her immediately. The rest of it can be dealt with afterwards. Do we have word on Maiev?"

"The spies are still searching for her," said Jaina. "Now that Cordana is accounted for, they can focus on finding Maiev. I am not very hopeful and neither is Jarrod. She was missing for years and never a single rumor or trace of her was found. If Maiev does not wish to be found, she will not be. Our best hope is for Cordana to return to us. She may have some answers."

"Have you considered," said Ansirem. "That perhaps we could do the ritual together? Khadgar is very powerful, but his strength lies in destruction and time manipulation. He is not a master interrogator."

Jaina looked at him. "Like you."

"Like me, yes," he replied rather uncomfortably. It was not a skill one should be proud of.

"Khadgar would not like having you participate in the ritual, knowing that. He does not wish to hurt his wife."

Ansirem set his jaw. "If he does not risk hurting her, he will not be able to free her. I will speak to him."

Jaina watched as Ansirem spoke to Khadgar. She could not hear what they were saying, but several times Khadgar shouted at him and walked away, then paced around as Ansirem tried to convince him that they had to proceed. Each passing day was a day longer that Gul'Dan had control of his wife.

"I feel pity for him," said Kalec softly. "His heart is full of love for her and it makes clear thinking very difficult. This is a situation he cannot simply power through, and I do not envy him this struggle."

"It is outside of the realm of his experience," said Jaina. "That is why we must support him even if we do not agree with what he is doing. We did send him here because we felt he was the best for this task. We cannot abandon him now that he needs us."

A portal opened behind them and Modera stepped through.

"I am surprised at you Jaina," she said. "You and Khadgar have always butted heads on nearly everything. You didn't wish to assist him in freeing Garona, why the change of heart?"

Modera's open candor could be a source of contention to some, but she did not play games and you were never unsure of your standing with her. She questioned Jaina's leadership decisions.

"I am only human, Modera," responded Jaina. "I have made many mistakes in judgement and I will make many more before my time is through. Remember, I had wanted Khadgar to lead the Kirin Tor but he refused it on the grounds of the prophecy. I never wanted this position, and I never claimed to be any good at leading anyone anywhere. All I ever wanted to do was study."

"We were divided on the issue of Garona," reminded Kalec. "but none of us wanted to wade into Fel waters if there was another way. Even you agreed with us, Modera."

"I agreed with the sentiment regarding the Fel orb but I did not agree with the sluggishness on the decision. Things have gone badly for Khadgar due in part to our lack of celerity on his request."

Kalec gave her a wary look. "Be careful, Modera, that you do not allow your former feelings for the Archmage to cloud your judgement. We must remain objective and united in our decisions."

Modera was about to launch into a rebuttal when Ansirem returned to the group. "He is not happy with my suggestion but sees the wisdom in it." He nodded to Modera. "I am glad you came. Will Karlain join us as well?"

Jaina shook her head. "Karlain is indisposed at present time. We must proceed as we are."

Khadgar looked unhappily at them as they approached him. "I have no one to monitor Cordana's life signs. I had her to help me with Garona but..."

"I will do it!"

They all turned and saw Garona, head held up proudly. "That will be my job to do!"

The Council stared at the strange half orc female. All the stories they had heard about her did not seem to match the proud humanoid that now stood before them. She had none of the discerning features of the Draenei yet she was unmistakably of Draenish blood. The elegant lines of her face, the way she carried herself, was evidence of Maraad's bloodline. She was not as massive as the Draenei, but favored her Orcish blood in stature and musculature. Her skin was a deep tan and her hair a dark grey, thick and slightly wavy and hung down her back. She had a noble face, if one could not characterize her as beautiful, she was certainly not unattractive. She was different, and interesting to behold.

"Thank you, Garona," said Khadgar. "However, I will need to create a different series of wards to protect you from a reverse corruptive influence, as what happened with Cordana. I will not allow that to happen again. I will also insist that we all be tested for any Fel incursions afterwards."

Garona nodded and knelt down beside the prison.

"You will be back with your mate very soon," she said softly to the inert Cordana. "He is only half without you."

The Council took their place in a circle around the prison. They all looked to Khadgar to begin, and once he had focused himself, the ritual began anew.

Garona stepped outside the room, past the two guards at the door and walked over to where Jaaral was sitting.

"He refuses to leave her side," she said.

"It is to be expected," answered the Commander.

"Has she regained consciousness at all?" asked Jaina.

Garona shook her head.

It had been two days since the ritual had torn a shadow spectre from Cordana, similar to the one that Garona had been divested of. The difference was that Cordana had collapsed at the conclusion of the ritual and had not woken since. They had placed her in a carefully warded room in an unused part of the garrison.

Khadgar had brought Khaidric to her, and the baby had brightened and grabbed onto her hair. He cried when Khadgar had to return him to Sanctuary. The little boy recognized and accepted his mother, meaning they had indeed cleared her of the Fel. However no one knew why she was not awakening. Rashana had come and reported that she was not drifting into the Emerald Dream, which had been a serious concern for Khadgar. Cordana simply remained comatose.

Khadgar refused to allow anyone to assist him, not even Garona. He bathed Cordana and cared for her, holding her in his arms through the night, then bringing their son to her, the baby curling up on her chest. It had been too long since she had fed him from her breast, and was no longer able to do so. The Kaldorei women had begun feeding him solid food, and he was doing wonderfully.

The Archmage talked to his wife, holding her hand over their son, doing his best to give the little boy some interaction with his mother. Rashana kindly came and went with the baby so Khadgar could take care of his wife and see to his other duties.

Toriona had brought the King's physician to Cordana and he could not find anything wrong with her to explain the coma. In short, no one could understand it.

"She will die, if she does not awaken and take sustenance," said Garona. "We must work harder and find out what is going on. I am going to seek out a shaman of my father's people."

Jaaral nodded. "Perhaps I should do the same. Does Khadgar not have a relationship with a Naaru? They will not have forgotten him, if so. It is time he seeks them out."

Jaina nodded. "He was advisor to A'Dal in Shattrath City of our timeline. Maybe you are right and he should seek counsel. It can do no harm."

Garona returned to the room and faced the Archmage. "Khadgar, you must go and see A'Dal. Speak with him. I am going to seek a shaman, as is Jaaral."

Khadgar pulled a blanket over Cordana's legs and smoothed her hair back. Standing, he leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss.

"It is not what I had hoped for, but she is alive and with us and that is perhaps more than I deserve," he said sadly, his entire countenance one of defeat and loss.

"Be strong!" said Garona. "Cordana deserves a strong mate! Why should she come back to a weak and mewling kitten?"

He had to allow a small smile. "You sound like an Orc."

She laughed. "And this surprises you?"

He stood up straighter. "Thank you Garona. I will travel to A'Dal and seek my old friend. It has been a long time since we spoke."

"The Commander's wife and I will look after your mate. Together we will fix this."