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Note: Thank you Billie Eilish, for all that you do.


Chapter 17: Don't Tell Daddy

Wow, I can't believe I'm about to share this but…

((And then the next several lines of this entry are blacked out. It is confusing at first, until you skip down to Turaho's careful, clear handwriting when the journal resumes.))

Nevermind. There are certain things I can't really disclose here, so I went back and crossed out that paragraph. I know, it must seem like I'm ratting on everyone-Tauren, Blood Elf, Sunstrider, man and beast in this journal-but I'm not so dumb that I would put the future Queen of Quel'thalas in a bad spot and then ruin my life, Mey's life, and the lives of all our children together and their descendants for the next few thousand years. Or, however long Elf queens tend to live. (Not so much worried about Kael'thas. That man is evil and obviously doomed. Soon. Especially if I ever get my say.)

So, I've redacted Anthene's uh, pretty raunchy explanation as to why she's taken particular interest in the Night Elves. The men, I mean. Or, one man. Whoever the poor bloke is, I fear for him.

Anthene's pretty much the bad guy.

Duh.

Anthene's servants are also in on it too. The guys riding on the back of the coach, I guess they're also called footmen, turned out they weren't surprised at all to be escorting their mistress into the Ghostlands. And I mean, the heart of the Ghostlands, not just one of the sad, sodden towns that's been ravaged by the Scourge but is still hanging on by a fingernail. We passed by ziggurats, went on two wheels to swerve out of sight of a giant, stitched together abomination. And those two big guys leaned down, in-time, to get the carriage back on fours again. So they'd run little missions like this plenty of times.

Then we got out, someplace about a thirty-minute ride from Tranquillien.

"We'll hoof it from here." She eyed my big cleft feet.

"Har har."

I looked back at what should have doubled as royal guardians when it came to the Sunstrider princess-in-line. But those two footmen were starting to share a silver flask of something.

Anthene winked, "…They're so into each other. They're only happy to have the time alone." Then aloud, "We'll be a few!"

Yes, it took them a beat. They really were suddenly and deeply distracted by one another. "Yes, princess!"

The other one went, "Shh, don't call her that out loud. It's a good thing you've got looks, Rhine."

Anthene nudged me as we started out, "See? Didn't I tell you!"

I blinked several times. Was it my business? Did this gossip matter? Weren't we currently on the verge of being in some serious danger? Why were we doing this at all when Anthene had a blatant Night Elf obsession. I couldn't think through any of it fast enough.

"Rhine and Clay—The queen, that is, my mom," she rolled eyes at herself, "she pegged them both to join her elect group of Bloodknights, but right now, I have them too distracted with each other. Right now, those two are way more useful, and loyal, to me."

"Are they Paladins? Err—Bloodknights. Why couldn't I tell? Saturna's stooges tend to reek. I can usually smell those."

"Hush—"

Then I saw the midnight purple tents, the very tops of them, set with metal moon sigils. I ducked down and went into stalker mode, too.

Anthene got right into the dirt, to crawl. She was unafraid of any of the grime around, or what it might look like for her of all people to be doing this. I got a strange sense that she wanted to get caught, that she was proud of her clandestine efforts. Too proud.

She'd impressed me at first—I think I'll admit, again, to being charmed by yet another beautiful Elf girl—but she was sort of a novice, wasn't she? No rogue went out and risked their lives, their kingdom, their inheritance, or their carefully laid plans involving getting a favor asked of Illidan Stormrage himself, by having a bit of careless fun peeping at the enemy.

You might think so, but I know rogues better than most. The ones who are sharpened up, the ones who know the real rogue life, and have seen death, dealt it by their own hand… it stops being a game pretty quickly. It's because they've lived on when others, their comrades, haven't survived. They've earned their life of mystery, however glorious it might feel at times to know more and be more powerful than your average mortal man. Or, woman. Things come into focus and true rogues know what matters.

I'm not saying they're all good—just take Alessandre, or you would have taken him. But that's all gone, now.

You know, it's just strange, I felt a kind of twisted loyalty to him in those days. I guess… a part of me felt more determined whenever I thought of him. If, in the near future, I had to stick it to Kael'thas and truly bring him down—bring down his friends, his family, Saturna, his kingdom… I knew that I could always reach for that part of me that was mourning for Al, and find the strength to do it. I could go out, guns blazing, risk my standing in the Horde on my departed friend's behalf. Not really for the Alliance. But, yes, for Al. For Al, I could do it. It was a kind of strength, so I held onto it.

We stopped mere steps from the camp, behind a green-gray ledge of rock. I let out a long, anxious breath. The sun would fully set in a bit, but it was somehow night-dark here already. I hated the thought of being out here in true night. The Night Elves would have the advantage, obviously.

Anthene gestured. It was so dark, I almost missed it. She wordlessly indicated a very tough looking woman striding through the center of camp. She was holding this giant, sinister glaive and giving the orders. So this was their leader?

We waited for her to make her rounds.

I tried to stuff down my surprise that the Night Elves were here at all in Quel'thalas, and so organized at that. Their set up involved fresh supply crates from Darnassus. I even noticed wine bottles. Sadly, it implied that there was a whole network shoring them up. Not just other camps, but merchants, laborers. So was there was a covert Alliance… city someplace nearby? Or, more likely, a quiet port along one of the rivers here, something just inland of the sea.

I'll admit, this scared me. Really frightened me. It meant Tyrande or Malfurion or worse could just walk in here with a massive army if they wanted. Kael'thas wouldn't know about it.

I gripped her, "Hey. Your daddy has to know about this! He's Kael'thas for goddess' sake!"

Anthene wrenched her shoulder away, eyes wide and furious. She pointed back at the camp, for me to pay attention.

Priestesses came to a stone column at the center of camp. They raised their hands in unison and then mystical white light glowed at the top.

Summoning circle? No, they weren't a bunch of warlocks. Calling on Elune's power for something? Maybe to smite Kael'thas?

Well, maybe not so much. I like to think Elune is powerful enough and tasteful enough to have handled that already if that's what they'd been asking their goddess for all this time.

I scratched my head, up between my horns. Anthene shook hers. After a while, I realized that she was backing off. She'd done it so silently, she could have easily left me there all night.

We sneaked around until we made it to within view of a road, and safety.

I gasped, "The HELL was that? And you're seriously not telling anyone about it? Nothing, not all this time?"

"That's the thing. I can never tell. I could never explain my being down here."

Again, a true and mature rogue would have outed themselves by now to their superiors. There were more important things in the world than someone having sorry feelings and not 'liking you' anymore. I gave Anthene a look, but she was too green to get it.

She went on, getting excited now that she could finally share it with someone important, "…But I'm sure they have lots of help doing it! Have you noticed their wine? It must have come a long way, right?"

I nodded, "And another thing about that wine. It's about morale. Keeping the troops up during a long, extended campaign away from home."

She furrowed her brow. Anthene evidently hated to admit her ignorance about the majority of it, "Were those proper sentinels? The ones who guard barrow dens and keep people like Illidan and Archdruid Fandral Staghelm locked up for millennia?"

I huffed, "Yeah. But the ones in that type of uniform would be backing up the Wardens. Wardens are the true jailors. It's impressive you noticed the difference from the regulars." I eyed her. Her hand was shaking, but then she used it to cover her mouth, then pretend to wipe sweat from her brow with a wrist. I uncrossed my arms. "…You alright?"

"They will invade."

"That wasn't an invasion force."

"You don't know that. And Sylvanas Windrunner isn't watching over us all, now. She can't."

I wasn't sure what to say about Sylvanas. People are so careful about their opinions on her these days. And I barely knew Anthene. She had been so confident earlier, but now she was deeply unsettled. It happened fast. Her moods reminded me of Kael'thas.

I gestured for us to get back off the road if we were going to discuss it. We started to wander for a while.

"I…" her voice trembled, "had so hoped that you would know. Understand what they're doing out here. My mother doesn't even know."

"Relax. I'm sure there are some things Saturna can't tell her own daughter. And she has to choose between security and her family all of the time, so I doubt it's anything personal."

Twilight was gone. We were walking underneath a night sky full of stars, now. Instinctively, we'd gone downhill, toward an opening in the trees. Sometimes your soul longs for open spaces, the sight and sound of water. I smiled at the moonlit brook we were following downstream. It was gentle. The happy burbling reminded me of Stonebull Lake at home. For that reason, and another one, I asked Anthene if we could stop.

"Have a seat and hear the water speak."

We did that for a while. Watching the soft ivory light on the soft water. Hearing the brook hope on, hope and wish all the horrid nightmare of the woods away. It would wind its way down from the great golden river close to the city, water the plants and animals clinging on. It was wiser and deeper and swifter than we knew. We knew nothing compared this brook that dared to be alive and sweet, even here.

I watched Anthene meld into where we were, beginning to sense what I did.

"…I think I like Tauren now."

I chuckled lightly, "Good."

I folded my hands together, listened until the water compelled me to give into my heart again and ask, "Why don't you reach out to your mother about what worries you? You said that you weren't angry with your parents, something about them being Sunstriders and all this aggressive taking risks and ordering around the kingdom and their family being essential… But I just don't believe you."

"You don't?" She tried not to sniffle.

"Do you think Saturna will never forgive you for coming down here to see the Night Elves on your own?"

And we weren't going to talk about the random kal'dorei stranger she'd decided to become involved with. Remember when I said I didn't want to worry anyone about that, so I redacted it? I gently avoided revisiting the subject again with Anthene. At least, for now. I had girl cousins who would explode at me if I said something even slightly amiss about one of their secret beaus. And Anthene had Kael'thas' blood running through her veins.

"Mother can't help being mad at me. She's frustrated that I won't swear to be the Light's loyal brainwashed stooge, and daddy Kael'thas probably has panic attacks about all the magic I'm naturally inclined to be excellent at, but refuse to learn. I'm completely happy. My life choice is so the best."

I sighed, with a swish of new water going over large rocks downstream.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Just say it."

I looked up, at the stars. "Your Night Elf friend, he is not a random stranger. He can't be. Those camps? A curious Blood Elf, not even a skilled Sunstrider princess, could ever hope to sneak up on them. And this thing is too well organized… they're having fun using you, Princess Anthene."

"Well I already know he's connected to the camps, he told me—"

"Girl, I swear if you try to tell me your secret Night Elf lover is an honest liar, I might have to drown you."

"I'm saying I thought that might be a possibility, that the Night Elves are playing a game. But of course I'm using them right back."

"Great." I said with true sincerity, "Then tell me what they've given you so far, in exchange."

Anthene looked out at nothing. The cold realization would have made her feel even more empty.

"This is very funny, coming from me, but I'm going to say it anyway... There's more to life than fun sex with exotic strangers."

"No, it isn't like that, we haven't—"

I glared.

Breath welled up in her chest. She chewed the inside of her cheek, probably going over all the things she couldn't say. At least not to me.

"Think we've missed dinner, yet?" Anthene hugged her knees.

I waited a long time for her. But she wasn't going to give in and explain any more on her own.

"…Do you love him? Is the next King of Quel'thalas going to be a Night Elf?"

She had completely shut down. See? I told you it's tricky to press too hard with females—sorry, young women. I'm trying to be as kind as I can here. Women of all races should be treated kindly, carefully, in these matters. Or maybe it isn't about that, maybe it's just that Anthene is at a tender age.

And maybe it's not even a female thing. Something about this conversation made me think of cousin Brunho, sitting in a cathedral pew next to Lord Tyrosus. Near to tears about his cousin—me-my hopelessness. When our young people carry the weight of their forebears' sins, the sins of the prior generation… that can be so cruel. And what happens to them, by the time they dig themselves out from under it and realize they still have their own fight? Can you go to war like that, so crushed?

We grown people need to do a lot better. So I pulled myself together and became a Sunwalker, back in Thunderbluff. In a way, I'd done it for cousin Brunho. And I made up my mind that I was about to fix Anthene too.

"Come on, get up. We're going to go talk to your mother. Don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to recommend we bring your father in on this."

Anthene looked at me, open-mouthed.

"Let's go. Now."

"But…"

Anthene knew how much danger she was in already, though. Meant she did have the potential to become an excellent rogue. Seeking me out was really her lashing around in the dark, for an escape rope hanging down, down into the chasm she'd fallen into.

I watched her until she gave in. I let it be uncomfortable silence. I made sure she sensed this was the only way back up.

"But you'lll ask Illidan for me, won't you? You will."

I gave her my word.

Turned out we didn't need to wait long. When we got back, Queen Saturna and two more terrifying looking people sitting on Thalassian chargers had surrounded Anthene's carriage.

I watched Anthene slow pace and calculate every available option in her mind. Coming in prepared, with some palatable version of the truth was best of all.

I slowed my hooves down to match her pace, and show Anthene that she and I were on the same page.

She admitted, "…Thank you, Turaho. Your advice came just in the nick of time, I guess."

"You're welcome."

Saturna shook her head at me as I walked up.

"No, don't get in the carriage. Anthene, with me. Turaho, you take my horse."

So, mother and daughter were going to have their tough talk on the way home, in privacy.

I recognized Sunthraze, from the bar. This time, he looked very angry. The other one was a woman, leaning over the pommel of her saddle. She was a redhead too. Hers was a deeper shade, like wine. And she was being far too easy in the situation. I dunno, I just had a feeling. Like someone who spins a knife on a tavern table, for fun. She was the one I had to worry about.

I was notified that the horse's name was Scourgebane. It was either a veiled threat to me, or to the Ghostlands. Ironic, in a way, if you consider that Saturna could have only named her steed that after her kingdom was brought to its knees. Lil' late, know what I mean?

I have awful humor.

You might also think I looked funny up on that thing, but I didn't. It was a big charger meant for war, after all.

Tempest, she broke the silence. I remembered the name of the chief prankster's wife right on time.

"So, that was fun. Coming along to see the horrifying Night Elf ritual for ourselves, and then seeing you and the princess alone together, across the way."

Well. If anyone could in fact effectively sneak up on a camp of sentinels for reconnaissance, it would be a bunch of Saturna's Bloodknights. I'm sure the Night Elves would have never let them watch that little performance, then send it straight up to Kael'thas to analyze the hell out of, and stamp flat.

The Night Elves' days in the Ghostlands were now numbered.

Anyway, I was getting tired, so I wasn't having any of it. "I'm speaking with Illidan himself tonight. Don't try anything."

I don't know what it could have meant to them, I was just taking a chance.

Tempest started laughing. I expected that, least of all. Sunthraze remained decidedly silent.

"Do you think we're afraid of Illidan?"

I was starting to be more afraid of her, than Illidan. She managed some very good evil laughter. It set my fur on end.

"So you really don't know what Saturna did to him—"

Sunthraze warned, "Tempest…"

She sneered at me, "Our leader came back from what would shatter most women. Obliterate most people. And you were out here playing games with her daughter…" Tempest only raised that angry voice when her husband Sunthraze chided her again, "You're on THIN ICE, Tauren!"

Turns out, that fancy state dinner was fabulous without me there. That is, until Saturna got passed a note on a silver tray, saying that their errant Tauren guest had run off with their only daughter. Now, I wasn't sure whether I was more afraid of A—not being able to talk to Illidan after all, for having pissed off daddy Kael'thas, or B—that I was still due to face Illidan Stormrage himself after pissing off Kael'thas.

The rest of the Bloodknights' evening had been them looking for us more to the south. You know, where the Scourge holdings are, and the ghosts and things? So they all had feared the worst, for hours.

When we finally arrived at the palace, it was clear that the whole Nexus was then being recalled, even the 'new recruits'. I worried about how many there actually were. One was bad enough, when I met Saturna back in Thunderbluff. More than five? Maybe ten? There were enough to search the entire Ghostlands and turn it over if they had to.

I stood in the throne room under heavy guard. I wondered when Princess Anthene might get around to explaining to her mother that it was her own fault, and that I was the one who got kidnapped. Good luck with that, Turaho!

One thing cheered me up, though. Mey would have been a riot in this situation. If Mey hadn't brained me for running off with a young, attractive Blood Elf princess by then, she would have cussed out Saturna and beat up a few of the guards for ever thinking me dishonorable. Well, it would be more rage that other people thought I'd be so eager to cheat on her. Mey liked to get angry in a lot of strange, fun ways.

Ugh! I did write her letter, but I never mailed it, did I? Why was I being so forgetful?

Anthene came in then, on her own. No sign of Saturna.

"He may go. Investigator Turaho kept us very safe and should be rewarded." Her voice echoed. Her eyes were wet, but she looked confident. I tried to read her, to let her see me reading her (if you can follow that) to see if she was alright. But Anthene had somehow got converted to being a lofty royal again.

So her mother Saturna had advised her to the extent of, 'Why are you sharing our secrets with a stranger? He's a Tauren, not even one of us.' Which… would have been correct. That's her daughter, I mean. Eventhough it does burn, in a way. I can handle it, though.

Thing is, someone like Anthene can't. She hasn't seen enough of the world to. I worried about whether Anthene had told her mother that she picked up someone, a Night Elf man, from one of those camps. No, he probably strolled along, pretended he wasn't affiliated. Maybe a fellow rogue like her, snooping around in a foreign kingdom. Having a lark, like those stories you hear of rogues writing funny things on the walls of Cutthroat Alley in Stormwind, in Orcish. She'd seen right through it, though. But that was not enough to protect her. Not at all. A daughter wouldn't get that. A mother would know it in her bones.

And had Anthene told her mother that she loved him? It was obvious enough to me.

Then again, Anthene was smart, even if young and broken-hearted. She would probably try to keep it secret for a while longer. A romance with a Night Elf, though? That was too explosive to play with at all. I didn't have the time, back in the woods, to work around to explaining that to Anthene. I'd hoped to have my little intervention on the way home in the carriage, where she wouldn't be able to scream at me and sprint off into the haunted woods if it went wrong. But I sure as hell did not expect Saturna Whiteblade herself to be sitting right there in front of the carriage, like a lioness at the scene of a kill.

I'd lived through that?

In the throne room, Sunthraze and Tempest looked meaner than ever before. And they didn't like hearing that I was going to get off easy. By the way, I was not going to let that 'you're on thin ice' crack just end there, so Tempest and I had managed to have a shouting match on the way up to Silvermoon. Sunthraze did the 'good husband' thing and left his wife to do as she pleased, read as—make and fix her own awkward problem. Now, both Bloodknights stood at rapt attention, hands just resting on their swords. Anthene had given the command, they refused to budge. Not good.

I bowed my head at Anthene, respectfully. The princess looked at us three, blinked away some anxiety over what else she might say, then gave up and simply left. I took my cue too.

Tempest took a step after me, teeth set, "I am not done with you…"

I hissed back, "Restrain your pet, Sunthraze."

She flared, "Why you—"

"Down, girl." And I think Sunthraze enjoyed saying that to his wife a little too much. His naughty smile distracted her long enough for me to escape.

Tempest is a lot taller than him, by the way. They make a funny-looking couple. But then, because of the size difference… Every once in a while, his power over her—his manly allure, let's call it—becomes very easy to see. She folds, about in half, and that's fun to watch.

I heard her saying, as I departed fast down the long corridor, "Why, what have I done? Anthene is not Saturna, this isn't settled and I'm going after him…" but then she fell off again, he probably gave her another dirty look, "I was only doing my job, Sunthraze."

"I'm tired, and I don't want to argue about this all night. There's doing your job love, and then there's making us look bad…"

Again, he stopped her from trailing me. Her greaves stopped stamping on the marble. And I bet she looked him up and down, too, "I look bad?"

"Nice try. But your short jokes were far better when we first met. Like a lot of things."

She breathed in, almost lost it. I didn't dare turn my head to see. Probably, a worse version was playing out in my mind as their voices started to echo.

"Hey, you started it. You're the one who went there."

Then Sunthraze left. She forgot all about me and followed the other bait.

Alright, I guess he is pretty clever.

You do have to wonder, though… what's his game? What does Sunthraze get out of protecting me?

Maybe he just wanted to get to bed, like he said. And it's not like I couldn't imagine why or who with. His wife was one of those crazy women who got that way because she was hot enough to keep getting away with it.

Or… (If I turned down my sex drive a moment to really think it through…)

You ever have a friend who's acting way too defensive? Like they're obviously covering up something they did, almost boasting about it?

I'd have to pay the Sunthrazes a visit later, whether I liked it or not.

One more thing, I didn't like how I'd committed a giant offense, and had seen something top-secret as well, but neither Saturna, nor Kaelt'has had communicated anything to me directly yet.

This was bad, very bad.

And, as luck would have it—I crashed into the rest of the family halfway down the corridor.

A young man with very rich yellow hair (Ma would accuse it of being saffron, she was a great cook), he raised a champagne glass at me and had to hold onto the wall a little to manage it. He was sloshed. I waited for the guards to make a big deal out of him spilling on the carpet. When they didn't, my unhappy suspicion was confirmed. This was the once crown prince Chao'thas Sunstrider.

"Proof!"

Oh Mu'usha above…

"Of what." I flatly returned, "Your majesties." I wanted to keep walking past them so bad. Oh, so bad.

I'd made it plural, because another man, about his height, was standing there too. Prince Belorim could never be missed. He had horns and hooves, but not like mine. This was the rumored—and in my opinion, evident—son of Illidan Stormrage. Saturna had birthed him. Kael'thas was the last person on Azeroth to ever let Illidan have something that could be construed as his own. So, Belorim passed as a Demon Hunter on a good day, and few Blood Elves made at thing of it. Well, not to his face, I suspected.

I stopped cold when a graceful Tauren woman slipped out of what must have been the dining room. I was a caught in a dream, waiting for her to stride over to me and announce that she was my backup from Thunderbluff.

White leathers, eagle feathers, beads as ice-blue as a winter sky. I made a conscious effort to keep my three-fingered hands to myself. Mu'usha, it had been far too long. I even imagined that she smelled like a campfire. Fresh ash, competing with the freshest air. I knew she was a shamaness at once. Shaman, especially women, learn to do this thing where the air sort of follows them around—actually, many relatives have explained to me. My momma even did it on her good days. It's the water in the air, the essences, the motes of water that are drawn to them, caught on their bodies like stuck spider webs, always at the verge of being called upon by these masters of the elements. Hey, rogues might smoke in back alleys to look cool. Shaman tend to bend air.

This was Belorim's wife.

…Damn him.

You know she had to be good in order to get married to Kael'thas' precious first son (his 'good son' if you ask me), and to have survived in the Sunstrider family this long. I didn't mean to be eyeing her, or I did, but seeing another Tauren after so long, especially such a comely one, it was like finally having a drink of water.

…Damn.

I know I keep saying that. Chao'thas had been talking that entire time. I interrupted whatever he thought was more important.

"I'm Turaho." I aimed my welcoming hand toward Belorim at the last moment. His wife couldn't have missed it, but she was the sort to valiantly ignore an indiscretion. I'd almost stepped into dangerous territory, speaking to her alone and ignoring the others.

Belorim nodded and gave my hand a firm shake. His brother, who was super drunk? Still busy going on at me as if I was a circus attraction.

"… I can't believe that I'm the only one in the family without a Tauren!"

Belorim sighed, "Chao'thas…"

"Or some… Tauren connection. Ma went all the way to Thunderbluff—"

"Please excuse him." Belorim didn't seem at all happy to be in the company of family.

Chao'thas blathered on, "Every single Sunstrider will have their own Tauren or Tauren accessory by morning, that's how it works, isn't it Belorim? This whole fool family is all about getting other people to scratch its own arse."

I arched a furry brow. "Wow. Astute observation, even while saused."

Belorim wanted to laugh, but couldn't. His wife, did it prettily for him. I politely asked for her name at alst.

"May. Or Shamaness Darkheart if you prefer. Dar'kah. It's how the The royals do. I think it's a Thalassian term of endearment-"

"It means night lily." Belorim reminded his wife, with a smile special for her.

I was more focused on the woman herself, "Really? My fiance's name is Mey. How do you spell it?" What was it about Tauren girls named May? All like playful, springtime fillies…

I put a scene of me and Aponi Whitemane rolling in strawberries back out of mind.

Ho, yes. It really had been too long.

"…My mother was a shamaness, too."

Belorim held his wife's hand. I got the attraction. The body of a male Elf, but with the essentials of a good-looking male of her own race. Horns, hooves. Alright, well he was a good looking Elf man, too. Something niggled at me… was Belorim a Stormrage, then? Were Malfurion, Illidan and Tyrande really all fine with not claiming him? That was bound to come up, soon. He looked more Blood Elf than anything.

Then it struck me. Belorim did not carry the gift of their line, whatever that was to the kal'dorei. So the Stormrages made the decision to abandon him.

A curse or a gift, I don't know—or maybe Kael'thas was that repellant.

"Investigator Turaho, thank you for watching over our sister."

I tried to stay calm in the presence of so much. Maybe Kael'thas' and Saturna's children hadn't done anything with themselves yet, but one day they might be the stars around which the Horde revolved. Nobody expected much out of Kael, but you know how that went.

"Of course."

"She… made a mistake. But I believe you were helping Annie to correct it."

Annie? Oh! Oh, how warm that was. I could see inside of their family, suddenly.

Belorim had nice energy. He lent himself more toward Saturna in temperament. Or else, the graciousness and gentility I picked up from Kael'thas before, that singular breath of fresh air before he had to go and insult Chief Baine, that had bloomed and was alive, beating bright in this one.

I had to shake his hand again. This time, with relief that he was not like his father and I was not in any trouble with him.

Dar'kah got it. And she laughed beautifully again.

Chao'thas was getting intolerable. "Oh, a mistake! Is that what we're calling it?" he had another sip of champagne and leaned on my shoulder, "I suppose the family would." He leaned in as if to whisper, but almost stumbled over me in his state, "We try to keep positive about the future Queen of Quel'thalas, but the Tauren is new exotic boyfriend, Belorim! It's so obvious."

"By 'the Tauren' you mean me." I wasn't going to help Anthene's brothers figure out she was dating a Night Elf if they didn't know already, "As in, you're speaking to the top Tauren investigator sent from Thunderbluff right now. I'm the one here to investigate your father the king." I set teeth, "You realize that?"

"Oh, oh! Look-He's already decided daddy Kael did it. This should be fun."

And then, on cue—and I wonder why I didn't suspect this would happen as well—two pretty silly looking women came out of the dining room and hovered around Prince Chao'thas like worker bees.

I glinted at the three of them together. Well, they weren't bees, but I bet they were working, alright. Not that I doubted Chao'thas wasn't a gargantuan ass while sober—he just seemed to be the type of man who would eschew the hard social work of keeping up good connections with even the trashiest types of women. It was simply easier for him to just hire some working girls to attend a family dinner and piss off his parents.

I needed to get off the tangent in my head, before I started ranting at the man himself, "Nice meeting you. I'd better head to bed, then."

I kept going. My head started to pound. This palace was starting to feel like a candy-colored madhouse!

"Investigator Runestalker?"

It was the shamaness. I could have only turned back for her.

"Yes, madam?"

"Belorim and I would be happy to see you at our lodge while you're here. To answer any questions."

"Kind of you. But I'm afraid I don't have time for tea…"

I also had come to a sad conclusion that Belorim, nice as it was to meet the nicer side of the family with enough good sense to marry one of my people, couldn't have had anything to contribute to my investigation and was only trying to be a good son. That is, run distraction on me, for his father's sake. That they were in the hallway at all at this hour when dinner was long over, and I should have been regarded as a bastard for absconding with their little sister was the other dead giveaway. So it was daddy Kael'thas' order that they delay me.

They did almost make it though, charming me.

That, and Chao'thas had every reason to be in bed with his best girlfriends by now. He was wasting money by the hour, wasn't he?

"It may not sound like anything at all but… I… I do make the best Mulgore spice cookies. I use authentic oats?" She smiled genuinely.

Belorim gave his wife a hug, "We'd be honored to have you. And, to help. I owe Greatfather Winter a lot, you see. I do remember when I first met him, as a boy at Tempest Keep." He swept a hand through his hair, looked down. Might have blushed, "It's just too long a story for tonight."

It was so a trap.

Don't take the bait. Don't take the bait…

"I'd better get going. Maybe I will. I'd like to."

"Supper? Tomorrow?"

"…Sure."

Turaho, you old fool. Oh, but they were a charming couple. They were getting me very curious. Also, Mulgore spice cookies tasted a lot like my favorite oatmeal.

I finally escaped to my room. There was nowhere else to go, really. A silver tray of food was already in there. Gods above, I was afraid to eat it.

I listened, hard, for any voices next door. Nothing. I still had this feeling that someone was over there, though. Somebody had to be in there. I wanted to check my marbles, but I just couldn't handle that. My hand was shaking. I'd drop the marbles or something, and then Kael'thas would leap up and notice the tiny marble I'd put in his own room. Like that would even tip him off, the sound… but my mind was racing. I was panicking badly, and I knew it.

It was dumb, maybe, but I disarmed, all the way. I was exhausted. I got under the covers and went to sleep.

Hours later, and I was deep under by then… someone let themselves into my room.

Kael'thas came and stood by my bed, silently watching me sleep.

I knew it was him.

Who else would be psychotic enough?

"I swear I never touched your daughter."

"Like I'm about to not touch you?"

Dammit. And I was so close, too.