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Note: After almost 3 years, right? Gonna try to finish it this holiday season! Cheer me on, I need it LOL


Chapter 28: Come Courtin'

So that's it.

You expected there to be more? That's the life-changing decision I've got to make, and can you believe it's such a stupid one. A Tauren Blood Knight. A Tauren Knight of the Blood Nexus? Working for Kael'thas? After all the foolishness that they pulled on me, after all the grime that they dragged me through. I was supposed to consider joining that slavering pack of black-soot prairie wolves?

And I knew what they meant. It wasn't like they thought I could stay a Sunwalker, committed to Mulgore, and also work for Quel'thalas. They planned to sort of hijack me and brainwash me. Tie me up with blackmail or some other dark thing so that I felt like I couldn't share intel with Mulgore anymore. Use all my powers for the Blood Elves, their kingdom's agenda. They were already running some kind of sophisticated cover up that was keeping me high on my heels trying to untangle it. It blew my mind how far they were willing to go and how long it was taking me. A part of me was still going so hard after them because I also needed to find out how the fel they were actually doing it. Intellectually, for an old Pathfinder, a man in my line of work? I felt I might really learn something, get a real leg up if I could crack this last case. Might change my whole perspective on detecting crimes.

Wait—It's not like I'm even considering it? That's not what I'm saying. It was just so weird that they even asked! A Tauren can't be a friggin Blood Knight. Right?

Well, gotta share the rest of what happened. Back to the story. Of course I asked Pyorin what the hell he meant. He was blathering on about Blood Knights begetting and siring and however they recruited more pathetic, power hungry fools into their group. Wait, not me. I didn't mean it like that.

"…And Sister Tempestraven began Sister Daphne."

"Hold up, stop. Don't wanna hear it."

Pyorin raised his jet black eyebrows. I was just then noticing he was probably vain and using hair dye. Enchanted, eh? Seemed seamless and natural until I'd got this close. Tone of black that worked well with his regular Blood Knight plate and uniform, now that I think back.

Look. I do not have a man-crush on any of them. I just appreciate style. Even if it's pinned on the backside of an arrogant puffed up riverbeast like Pyorin.

He just had to say it. "Excuse me?"

"However you justify it, whatever lore your little not-so-secret organization has. I'm not buying into that. It's not gonna be some grand thing that impresses me, or intimidates me into just following you."

Daphne glanced up, "Damn, he's good. And I know I've said that before."

Pyorin got closer to me. He put a hand on my shoulder. "You don't understand, Turaho. You're in. You're getting back out. You're a talented paladin, and a shaman too, hadn't you noticed? We definitely have. That's what's been going on here, and we've been watching you carefully. We could help you develop your powers so that you don't get into situations like this, turned into a half-ghost wolf, half-man, and stuck in the bushes. And what if your Light magic and elemental powers ever tore you apart? Can you imagine if you'd done that? You'd be dead, or worse."

I hated to think what would have happened to me too, getting shot up by Sylvanas' cronies after a horrid misunderstanding, bouncing around her holiday party with Kael'thas, and then they used some crazy necromancy on me to keep me in my half-assed magical state for giggles, cause why not? Isn't that the direction the Horde was going in these days?"

"Another thing, Turaho." Pyorin got down on a knee, to get close to where I was stuck on the floor. "Paladins with exceptional powers don't just roam Azeroth unchecked. We deal with them ourselves."

"Oh, really. So like all the paladins ever. Trolls, too?" I made a big thing of looking around at the faces in the courtyard. "Or Dwarves? I hear that Humans have paladins as well, isn't that right? Since the beginning of time, practically. Weird that I'm not seeing any here, if they've been around that long, been doing it longer than when you Blood Elves stole Light magic from a naaru, like a bunch of bloodthirsty san'layn—"

"Alright, it's obvious what you're trying to say. We did debate whether or not we should expand beyond our people, to protect our people. Protect our own, Turaho. Would you trust a Blood Elf to do what only a Tauren can? For Mulgore?"

"This is the Horde. I thought we already did."

Fennore blurt out, "Like we would ever let Draenei in here? They'd manabomb Quel'thalas the first chance they ever got."

"Like you, and Kael'thas, manabombed the Draenei back in Outland?" I must have sounded bored with it at this point. "Is that how you know."

Fennore lunged at me, the others shouted, actually moved into to stop him.

"At least that's somewhat encouraging. Your demon-loving friend has been wanting to take my head off since we left the house of the woman who thought it might be fun to break my legs!" I started out reasonable, honestly, but then I lost my temper at the end. I pointed at Sunthraze too, the other ringleader. Join up with them? This made zero sense! What the frick!

I decided to be the best bastard I could be. "I'll join you, willingly, on one condition." I gave Pyorin a hard look. "Tell me who kidnapped Greatfather Winter and where he is."

Fennore laughed, sucked his teeth.

"Is it him? That demon freak! I bet it was!"

Sunthraze laughed deep in his throat. "Well. If someone's going to resume the demon-lover jokes after all these years, as far as I'm concerned, Turaho is as good as in the Nexus."

"Turaho, nobody is going to help you with your investigation. No one here is responsible for that kidnapping."

"Oh? I thought we were a brotherhood."

Daphne raised an instructive finger, "And a sisterhood."

"Fine. A family. So why wouldn't you share your secrets with me? I thought we were all watching out for each other."

Daphne waggled that finger, "Uh-uh, even families have secrets. If you're going with that analogy. Sometimes, to protect the most vulnerable of its members. You can't mind-trick us into anything if you do join, if you do want access to the choice information—"

"Enough games! The answer is No, Father Pyorin the Tank—whoever you want to be called. Obviously, it's a big fat No. I'm my own man." I tried to get up, but I couldn't. "I'm my own man who can't get up off the floor but that changes nothing! And if you think you're going to twist my arm or blackmail me into doing what you want? I doubt you want to do it with these sharp horns pointed in your face all the time. You'd have to keep me shackled up all the time too, because I'll be calling in all my friends and favors to make living hell for you lot!"

"Alright, I hear you. We wouldn't want to take you as a prisoner."

"Right. So you'd better convince me! This better look like a damned courtship with flowers and chocolates after what you put me through. And you'll be lucky if I ever say yes."

Pyorin checked back up with his wife. Daphne was on the verge of laughter. But she wasn't nervous or annoyed with me. For the briefest moment, I saw relief. Honest pleasure in how I'd responded.

I pressed it. "Court me."

Pyorin squinted an eye. "How do you un-wolf yourself. Do you know?"

"Would I be stuck like this if I did!"

It was obvious that I was in a lot of pain, still. I must have become wretched-looking. Even Fennore's healer instincts kicked in. He raised both hands in alarm, gestured for me to stay put while Pyorin did his thing.

"Think, Turaho. How did you turn into a ghost wolf? The way in is probably the way out, if it's like a linear kind of magic. Frost, fire or arcane."

I sucked in a breath at a new hitch of pain. I don't know how my ghost self was getting stabbed with something that felt like hot needles. It was getting worse by the moment.

"Pyorin, what if it's a non-linear magic?" I felt like an idiot asking. I just didn't know kodo shyte about any of this.

"Then… I dunno. Like the Light? Or shadow? Like the void? In that case, it's not a head-to-tail sort of thing. We'll have to force your way out. We'd need a special object, a talisman to serve as a focus for you power. That will be the only way we can access it. A key for the lock, so that we can save your life."

"I don't… I don't think I understand."

"Like a naaru." Sunthraze arched his red eyebrow. Oh, old leg-breaker, he wasn't done with me yet. Nevermind. "That you siphon the Light magic out of in order to cleanse your lands and your people from Arthas' destruction and a racial addiction that is slowly corrupting them."

"I get it."

"And I suppose if we could have asked the Orcs, Tauren, Trolls or Forsaken back then for an alternative power source, one potent enough to supplant the destroyed Sunwell, then we would have. But hey, hard to get from your local Mulgore farmer's market."

Pyorin tried to get his arm around me. "Sunthraze you smartass, that's enough."

Sunthraze paced closer to me, and it wasn't to help. "Or I suppose Fel magic would have gone down a treat. Right? But the Orcs you worship had already done all that—" Then he snatched me.

"Sunthraze!"

"I've got this!" He shouted louder. "Your ghost wolf! What is her name?"

"Wha-what?"

"Isn't her name Zoca? Say it. Say Zoca! Or do you want to die? Call her!"

"Zo…Zoca…"

"Like you mean it!"

"Zoca! Here, girl! She might not come with you all around."

"She'd better come every time that you call or you'll end up maimed in a fight. Did she do that in life? Was your part Ghostpaw Alpha so useless?"

"Never!"

"Then you call your dog again like you mean it! And stop messing us about, you dick."

I got mad. I focused. Internally, I think I whistled for her, like I always did. And then, in my next breath, like she always was by my side right when I needed her, there she was. Her warmth, Zoca's kindess and joy for being near me, in all situations. She would always be a part of me. Vaguely, I was starting to get a sense of what they meant. I couldn't just go through… whatever power this was. It was wild, it was all around me. Like fireflies, I couldn't catch one easily. And I needed more than just one tiny bud of power. I needed a whole handful, now, fast. I knew close to nothing about magic, but with their help I was starting to see. Zoca was easier to touch. In my mind's eye, I reached for her, I petted down her head, her back, like I always did.

I heard them talking, sort of outside of myself.

Daphne closed her eyes. "I think he has her. Tell him what to do next." I could see them now standing closeby. The Blood Elves all had their hands out, feeling my energy.

Pyorin held my shoulder tight in his grasp. "Turaho, it's non-linear. You're not back out yet, eventhough Zoca's here."

"Shit."

"It's alright. You'll be fine but you need to follow our instructions, even if it sounds strange."

"I'll do anything. Please."

"Tell Zoca to go to the Light. You go with her."

"No! That's how people die. My mother…"

"Not in this instance—look, there really is no time to explain and your mother can't help you now, can she? If she can, then speak up!"

That was not what I meant. I could not sense Ma now. But when I lost her, when she passed years ago. All the healers, all the people around her death-bed, they begged Ma to go the Light to find peace. Then, she was gone.

"If your mother could have helped you before, then I think you would have used her instead—"

"I get it, shut up about my mother!" That was far too painful to even think about right then.

"Fine. Then tell Zoca to go to the Light and you follow wherever that dog takes you. Don't question it, just go!" Pyorin sighed. "How many Forsaken stuck like you wish they had the chance to just up and reverse it!"

I couldn't think anything after that. I begged Zoca to chase the Light for me, go and try to catch it. She didn't understand at first, or maybe she didn't want to. But I kept on her, we kept going. Her chasing the ball of Light in the distance and me running after. I wasn't moving, just feeling my way at first, but then I was, and we were going somewhere though we weren't leaving the courtyard or bouncing along the palace walls like the last time. Somehow, I knew we were going in a definite direction. No, a trajectory. Up, up, through it all. Through death, the shadows I used to see when I charged, like back in Mulgore. Through the veil. Back to life. Back to the Light.

I had a profound understanding, then. It came on me like instinct. People who were going to die, they tell them to go to the Light. But if you are already dead… the way in is the way out. You just needed an anchor to focus you, a way to navigate back. Like they said. The Blood Elves had not lied to me. They simply understood magic better.

I came to, on my knees, supported by the Blood Knights. Well, I guess it took all of them to hold me upright.

"You're breathing? You have all your digits and your two horns?"

I laughed at Fennore. He suddenly sounded so paternal it was honestly hilarious. I didn't think I'd ever be happy to hear his voice.

Fennore patted me on the broad back, a good Tauren back this time. He spoke again. "Good. I'll heal you to make sure."

Daphne's voice was soft as well. "Not too much. He just arrived, and he's unstable."

"I know, ten-parts Light would send him back. I'll go to hundredths."

"Yes, a spell over time would do."

I hated seeing something else, then. That people could be like coins. Well, people who had to be evil for a living, who'd learned cruelty in order to survive. I admitted to myself that I had no idea what it was like, what the Blood Elves had gone through. How could I ever judge? I had been seeing only one side of them before. I was well on the other side of the coin, now.

Is it okay to hate feeling someone's kindess?

"Try and stand." Fennore and Pyorin held tight under my arms. Sunthraze was at my back, now. My heavy feet did their thing. It was good not to be wolf-sized again. The little bush branches caught on me before snapped like nothing. That felt great.

"You saved me." What else was there to say?

Sunthraze winked. "Yeah and next date we get to second base."

"No. Dinner and we watch the sunset together maybe. I'm a prude."

Daphne let out the best laugh. She snorted at the height of it and that put us all into stupid giggles as well.

Then, someone cleared their throat. It was that guy with the eyeliner from before. The one who tried to kill me with a single look, Kael'thas' confessor, something.

Sunthraze sounded cautious, he tried to introduce us. "Chief Advisor Faltheriel."

"I know who he is. The Blood Elf man with a Human wife, a Night Elf husband in this runaway, re-united Azeroth. And a background with the Legion, yet for some reason, he's fully trusted by the king and has avoided all of my efforts to reach out and interview him. So far." I returned Faltheriel's heated look. "Just because I can't get to you doesn't mean I can't get to you. I had someone look you up, that's for sure."

Mail goes so slow between Mulgore and Quel'thalas. But Ma was a ghost and could come and go anywhere, if I was okay with her intervening and she wanted to be around. Few nights back I gave in and did just that. I was so glad I buckled and had the intel now. Faltheriel was my other top suspect, to be sure.

Faltheriel was flanked by palace guards in gold and red plate, and those big phoenix shields. The way Pyorin came in tight reminded me that he was technically one of them, too. Whatever fast bond we'd made, that mattered little now. Another sound reminder that Blood Elves will always be bastards. When it comes to defending their precious country.

Though, that was less shocking and frustrating to me now. I think I even got it. Family, first. So you just… you get into the family, right?

I set those feelings aside. Chief Advisor Faltheriel regarded me with real menace and had a feeling I already knew what he wanted.

"Turaho Runestalker, you are extremely fortunate that the palace guards found you first, out here in the courtyard. Sylvanas' Deathguards were taking the 'terror attack on Winter's Veil' much more seriously."

"What! You make me sound like some grinch-"

"If I were you, I'd surrender into Kael'thas' custody immediately. Let us handle it."

I had a choice. I didn't have to go. Except I had no choice at all, and yes I did have to go.

"But I'm not under arrest."

"Not if you come now, swiftly and quietly. We can get away with a lot while Sylvanas has her head turned. She's out roaming the countryside with her hair free, on Hawkstrider back like it's her glory days again."

"Oh Mu'usha above."

"Please." Faltheriel extended his arm, opened a black gloved hand. "King Kael'thas wishes to see you in his office."

"I'll go."

Pyorin spoke up for me. "Also, tell Kael'thas that Turaho is a Knight of the Blood Nexus, under our protection now."

What was that? I felt my heart flutter.

"Oh, he won't like that." Faltheriel suddenly got sly-eyed. "Shall I deliver this message to your Mother Whiteblade, too? The queen?"

"I uh, no. I'll break the news to Saturna."

"Good. I like my head on for the holidays. This way, Investigator Runestalker." After a slight bow, Faltheriel sashayed off. A pair of guards went after, another pair waited for me to follow.

I took what felt like a final look at the remaining Knights of the Blood Nexus. Daphne the Weaver, Sunthraze the Sly, Fennore the Immortal, and Pyorin the Tank.

"…Thanks, guys. Again, I can't tell you how much—"

Sunthraze crossed his arms, "I wonder what he looks like in lacey lingerie? That's a good courtship gift, right? A boustieau maybe?"

Pyorin shrugged his should, able to flex his chest like that, "I think he's got nice enough pecs for it."

Daphne cheered, "Black thigh highs!"

Fennore winked like a real flirt, "Shame we'll have to guess his size."

"Alright. All of you can go to hell."

Yeah, that's family for you.