Thx much for all the continued support as we press onward in the tale. we've come so far, and yet have much farther yet to go! R&R and enjoy the next chapter! ~F

Chapter 157

Seeking a Key

Bolvar Fordragon considered the strange, brown orc that had taken down the undead threatening him personally. Additionally, it seemed that this young warrior was the leader of the rescuing Horde force that came to their aid. While he had expected that the Warchief of the Horde would send someone to take charge of the campaign rather than come himself, this was unexpected.

If anything, the old veteran Saurfang made more sense as far as Bolvar thought, rather than some young blood that seemed far more hot-headed than was good for a leader.

Still, between the two forces they routed the Scourge attackers, and pushed them away far enough that Valiance Keep would be able to protect themselves, utilizing the beachfront to funnel new enemy forces into the narrow ridges that led up to the ground level of the region. Meanwhile, this freed the Alliance Vanguard could at last push northeast, and make their way to Icecrown by the swiftest route.

According to their charts and scouts, those that had made it out and returned amidst the siege, their best route would lead them up through the Dragonblight and through the narrow pass that was held by the Scourge. This location was a clear target, and Bolvar suspected that the other factions would also see the clear avenue toward their united goal of the downfall of the Lich King.

It was a dangerous location to try and take, but if they accomplished it, the blow dealt to their mutual enemy would be great.

"Highlord, the Vanguard awaits your orders to move out in force," the commander of Stormwind's finest said, approaching with a sharp salute. "The way is clear, thanks to the Horde."

The fact that this man was able to reference the Horde without a trace of contempt or anger was the reason that Bolvar had promoted him to such a station. If they could not work together with those who used to be their enemies, then there was no true hope for peace.

"Give the order, we need to move with all haste to catch up with any other faction on their way to the Wrathgate," Bolvar said, feeling a sense of dread at the thought of not arriving in time to take the attention of Arthas off their other forces. Tirion and his Argent Crusaders were working to slip behind enemy lines and set up an overlook into Icecrown itself, and as long as they held the Lich King's attention, the higher chance that the Crusaders would succeed.

Still, even as they set out to mount the rise and push eastward, the sensation did not reduce. It was as though doom was closing in upon him personally. The shadows of death seemed all around them, drawing nearer to the Paladin as they marched north. A whispered prayer to the Light for strength eased the feeling.

Nevertheless, Bolvar felt uneasy as the Alliance set its sights on the Dragonblight, and moved hastily toward the rally point before the walls of Icecrown.

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Blaise waited at a turn in the path, seeing the banners coming over the ridges and snow-flurries, and hearing the thundering of drum, pipe, and marching feet approaching at a steady gate.

He frowned, however, as he took note of the lack of the Stormreaver Banner. Nobu'tan not being among the spearhead of their forces was something of a problem, although Blaise knew that any suitable member of the Council of the Black Harvest would suffice for the message regarding the Scourge deployment.

The Balefire Clan seemed to be marshaled at the head of the united Dark Horde clans, and Blaise had at least moderate respect for the hulking Ogre Mage, so he would gladly give the scouting missives to the warlock for adding into their battle plan.

"Tenebrous, what brings you here so soon before our arrival at the gate?" Teg'Ramm said, the Ogre Lord walking and still managing to keep pace with those of the Dark Horde who were mounted on wolf or horse.

"Kil'rogg and the Dragonmaw have been scouting north of the Wrathgate, and have a report for Lord Nobu'tan." Blaise said, producing the missive, "As he is not here, you are the next senior member to share this information with in regards to our military operation."

"I see," the Ogre said, taking the parchment and scanning it quickly, resealing it with a flash of Felfire when he was done. "That is troublesome, but I see little need to alter our plans at this juncture." He added.

"I am inclined to agree," Blaise replied, "We need not concern ourselves until the battle actually begins, but it could prove useful leverage to keep our 'allies' from trying to thwart our presence here."

"That is for Lord Nobu'tan to decide, but I like the idea," the Ogre agreed, "he is to rejoin us by the time we have our outpost set up beyond the gate."

"I have personally scouted the area, and while there are several very good locations on either side on the ridges overlooking the gate, I recommend a more active approach," Blaise said, "If we bottleneck the mouth of the valley leading to the gate, we can very handily seal off any approach to or from Icecrown."

"The Alliance and Kalimdor Horde may have more strategic placement, but they sacrifice any approach unless we permit it, as well as being the bulwark against the Scourge." Teg'Ramm repeated, "It's bold, and something that none of them would expect. However," the Ogre Mage furrowed his brows, "That would put us in a precarious situation should the Scourge attack before all are in place…"

"That is unlikely to be a problem," Blaise said, even as the monstrous gateway came into view.

Kalimdor Horde banners were already flying on the eastern ridge over the Wrathgate, while upon the western; a blue lion's head banner was rising to match it. "Even with all our planning, both factions managed to beat us here…" Teg'Ramm said, only moderately disappointed.

"The operation in Zul'Drak took longer than their corresponding conflict in the Borean Tundra it seems," Blaise affirmed, "but no matter, we have them right where we need them to be, in a supporting role while we claim what we can and destroy the Lich King."

"Still, It would have been better to have a selection rather than be forced to choose what was left, even if it was what we wanted regardless. I trust our overlook still remains a secret." The Ogre Mage mused.

"For now, but I doubt that it'll remain such for long." Blaise said.

"It won't need to be for long, just long enough to be able to lend aid during the siege." Teg'Ramm said.

"Now all we need to so is dig in and wait for the Scourge to make the first move…" Blaise suggested, and he knew that the Ogre Mage had little cause to disagree with him, as that was all part of the original plan handed down by Lord Nobu'tan himself.

The Dark Horde spread across the valley below the stairs up to the wall and gate, covering every point between the twin spurs of rock wherein the other factions had encamped. Tents were placed well back, and soon small portals were carting precious lumber from their eastern outpost to make a wall of palisades and give a measure of protection when the battle started.

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Draco was challenged to keep the smirk off his face when he and Kalecgos returned to the floating citadel and found a full regiment of Balefire Mages milling about, much to the distaste of the Humans and Elves of the city. Regardless, his business did not tie into the plan his father and he had started for Nobu'tan.

Rhonin ushered the pair of them directly to the upper parlor to discuss what had been revealed at the Wyrnrest Temple, and listened in silence as Draco explained what the Dragonqueen had shared.

"I see," he said when Draco had revealed all he had learned, "So Malygos is distraught over the Scourge and all that has happened, and will stop at nothing to eliminate all magic on our world, more or less killing all life and draining the planet dry."

"That is the sum of it," Kalecgos affirmed, "and he is planning to do that at the central point where all ley lines cross… The Nexus."

"How is this done?" Rhonin said, "Even for a dragon, that is an immense amount of magic to try and control."

"There is only one way," Kalecgos explained, "He is using the Focusing Iris to draw all Azeroth's magic back to where it originates."

"Then we need to stop him from using it, and return the balance of magic to normal," Draco suggested, "How can we accomplish that?"

"The Iris is tied to the bloodline of Malygos," Kalecgos replied, "While any of his children could exercise influence to a degree, none short of the Aspect of Magic himself can truly open or command the Iris. If he were to be slain, then the disaster would be averted, but at the cost of all reliable control of the magic of our world."

"If Malygos has become so erratic that he would willingly destroy what he is sworn to protect, then we have no choices but to stop him at any cost…" Rhonin replied dourly.

"The best way to lure him into a conflict that he wouldn't try to flee would require a specific device from the Blue Dragonflight, a Key of the Focusing Iris, only that would allow you to tamper with the Iris itself, and anger Malygos into a provoked fight."

"So he would control the battlefield, but we can control the timing of when we fight him," Draco surmised, "I assume we'd bring a force of mages against him, fight magic with magic as it were?"

"Empowered in the Nexus, that would be the best option," Kalecgos agreed.

"Hmm, perhaps the Dark Horde Ogre Magi would prove a useful addition to Dalaran after all…" Rhonin said, "Their destructive power is well documented, and spearheading the attack on the Blue Aspect would be well within their purview."

"There is still the matter of finding a key in order to lure out Malygos," Kalecgos reminded them. "I am too young in the flight to have been given one, but the eldest of the Aspect's brood are sure to have one."

"What of Sapphiron? The undead wyrm that was in Naxxramus, and serves the Lich Kel'Thuzad?" Draco suggested.

"Sapphiron was indeed one of the most ancient sons of Malygos, but how to find him and retrieve the key swiftly?" Kalecgos speculated.

"I spotted Naxxramus on my way to Wyrmrest Temple. We may find more answers there, as that was the last location where the creature was seen before being destroyed once by the Dark Horde." Draco said, turning toward the blue dragon in half-elven form.

"Most recent reports from the Dark Horde, via Lucius, are that Naxxramus was destroyed," Rhonin informed them.

"Where? When?" Draco asked, turning to look at the Archmage.

"Probably soon after you passed out of the region, I suspect. The Dark Horde knocked it from the sky; crushed the entire eastern region in debris from the falling fortress." Rhonin reported.

"I suspect this Key would survive something as mundane as a pile of rubble falling on it?" Draco asked, turning back to Kalecgos.

"Certainly," the dragon replied, "presuming that Sapphiron still had it, it would be buried in the rubble with him."

"We could go and investigate; you could locate it if it's there, and I can free it from the destroyed structure." Draco suggested.

"We could provide you a guard if Scourge forces are still around in that area," Rhonin added, and Kalecgos nodded, "This is a solid plan, if at least to check."

"I shall call for representative of all factions to attend to your mission. Better to get them all used to working together as soon as possible, right?" Rhonin said with a smirk, sending out an Arcane familiar with a flick of his wrist. The little spark of arcane magic zoomed out of sight in a flash.

"We shall start traveling there now, and your mages can teleport to us when we give a signal," Kalecgos said, already starting for the door, Draco hot on his heels.

"What sort of signal?" Rhonin called after them.

"You'll know it when you sense it," Draco tossed back casually, having a fair idea of what the blue dragon had in mind.

"We'll need space for me to transform, but you'll find no swifter way to Naxxramus from here," Kalecgos was saying.

"I may have a faster method myself," Draco suggested, stopping the dragon in his tracks and making him look back in mild confusion.

Offering a hand, Draco sharply spun on his heel the moment that the disguised dragon took it. Apparition was a shock for those who were not accustomed to it, more so when side-along, but surprisingly the dragon was mostly unaffected as they shifted through space to the mountains near where Draco had seen the flying necropolis. As reported, the structure was in ruins, spread across the snow in a great heap.

"That was… different," Kalecgos said, shaking his head mildly, "however it is a pleasantly useful skill."

"Now we just need to see if this Key of yours is down in that lot somewhere," Draco said, "as well as signal the Kirin Tor to send their force, of course."

"You may want to step back, this will take some room," the half-elf said, before suddenly changing into a massive draconic form.

The blue dragon lifted off, and to Draco's surprise took him in one of the massive claws. The grip was firm, but not painful, even as the dragon swooped down to the ground.

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Jaina had dropped everything from her mind the moment she had spotted the old Dwarven champion. Muradin Bronzebeard had been missing since before Arthas had departed to Northrend after the source of the undead, and long presumed dead himself. But if he was here, alive, and in the fellowship of others of his race, then Jaina was duty bound to find him and bring word to his brothers back in Ironforge.

She had followed the group of strange, icy dwarves into the icy Storm Peaks. This was a dangerous region, and was not easy to traverse by foot, which had made the Alliance not consider it as part of their invasion plans for Icecrown. However, planned jumps of light portals that Jaina had developed after having contact with the strange casters of the Dark Horde and their allies in Stormwind, Jaina was able to easily pop from mountain to mountain, avoiding the lowlands altogether.

Which was for the best; she decided, after she got a good look at the size of the beasts and other creatures that roamed the snow-covered tundra. Everything there was titanic, and what areas were not roaming grounds for the beasts were infested with undead, like the rest of this Light-forsaken continent.

Eventually, Jaina was able to locate the hunting party of blue-skinned dwarves once more, and followed them at great distance to their base atop one of the lower peaks. A village of sorts was nestled in the midst of icy ridges, sheltered from the wind and from predators that could come from the sky or from below.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the least of their concerns, as Jaina spotted a fresh surging of undead also making its way toward the mountain that these dwarves lived on, likely with the intent to destroy them all.

While she had hoped for some means to find Muradin alone and speak with him, with an enemy force approaching she had little choice but to use the direct approach. Popping into the center of their village, she was completely unsurprised when the startled dwarves took up arms and watched her with suspicion. "Scourge forces are coming for this village," she said hastily, raising her hand as a sign of peace, "You need to send your warriors down to meet them before they get too close."

"What's this about the skrags clawin' their way up our mountain!?" a voice bellowed from the nearest and largest of the cavern entrances. Jaina turned to see Muradin, in strange armor like the blue-skinned dwarves, striding toward her. The other dwarves parted reverently for his passing, and the Sorceress could tell that the Bronzebeard had a measure of rank among these cousins of his.

"Muradin… We've all thought you were dead," she said, allowing relief to wash over her.

But the dwarf turned his head slightly, confused at the name. "I do not go by that name, nor do I know anyone of it, lass…"

"Yorg, the strange one speaks the truth," one of the icy dwarves said, "the rattlers are coming with death in their wake."

"To arms Frostborn! Let's give 'em a good hammering!" Muradin…Yorg said. The Frostborn dwarves leapt to action, readying armor and weapons and surging down the slopes to meet the Scourge head on.

"I can help you fight them," Jaina said, turning to Yorg, who had already starting forward to join his warriors, a look of glee at the coming violence on his face.

"A wee lass like yourself ought to be away from such violence," the dwarf said, which was very much like the Muradin that Jaina remembered. Nevertheless she would tell him what she had said so long ago.

"I hate resorting to violence, but I am not opposed to it when the time calls for it," She said sternly, raising her staff.

"Have it your way, lass," Yorg laughed, sounding like his old self, before he leapt after his warriors, roaring his battle cry for all to hear, "For Khaz Modan!"

Stepping to the edge of the slope, Jain watched as the dwarves started to engage the closest ghouls and their skeletal allies, but more were coming far slower, as well as necromancers and hulking abominations bringing up the rear.

Drawing on the arcane and the frozen air around them, Jaina send it howling down over the dwarves warriors, blasting it freezing into the ranks of Scourge beyond the fighting to hinder their climb up the slopes.

A handful of necromancers tumbled down screaming, while most others planted their staffs into the ground and held on amid the torrential blast of wind. The rest of the undead attack force was heavily slowed, but it wasn't going to keep them delayed for long.

Swinging her staff, Jaina conjured water elementals in abundance, sending them rolling down the slopes, gathering snow and rocks as the tumbled down, and causing mini avalanches in localized lines to sweep more of the undead away.

Even that didn't seem enough to halt the advance of the largest of their creatures, which waded waist high through the snow flows, many arms swinging their cruel weapons as they tried to reach the Frost-dwarves and engage them.

"You asked for it…" Jaina muttered, drawing a massive lance of ice from the ground around her, and with the aid of the arcane, sent it hurtling through the air to impale the nearest abomination. The creature sagged with the added weight, and finally lost its footing in the snow, screaming hideously as it fell away and tumbled over a rocky shelf into the unknown plunge to the ground far below.

Soon enough, between the might of the dwarves and Jaina's magic, they had cleared the slopes of the undead, and the dwarves returned celebrating another victory against their enemies. "That battle would'a been much more difficult without ya lass," Yorg said, surrounded by his cheering warriors, "I dunno why ya came ta help us, but you are welcome among the Frostborn forever more!"

"You are very kind," Jaina said, "but there is somewhere I need to be, and I fear that I must depart immediately…"

The dwarves stepped back as she let the arcane flow through her fingers, and ripped open a hasty portal to the central Eastern Kingdoms. Jaina stepped through, and shook off the cold with the rush of warmth from the great furnace of Ironforge. There was much to do if she was to tell the Bronzebeards that their middle brother was alive and well, lost in the cold of Northrend and leading a new faction of their kin that was as of yet undiscovered by their relatives.

"Lady Jaina, what are ye doin' here?" King Magni said as the Sorceress strode into the throne room before she could even be announced.

"I have news from Northrend, Magni, something that you are going to want to hear." She said, looking for a seat for herself. It was going to be a long story if she was to get every ounce of what was at stake conveyed in a manner that the King would understand.

Slowly, she told her tale, excluding her own worries and fears regarding hearing the voice of her former lover across the cursed continent. Magni listened with rapt attention, growing still at the mention of blue-skinned dwarves, before his jaw fell as she described the one called Yorg.

"Muradin's alive?" he said, aghast, "It's been years, and not a word has come from that forsaken place."

"He's clearly lost his memory," Jaina said, "I could not get him to understand who he was, and the Scourge attack prevented me from really having a chance. I thought it best to send word to you and Brann, and let you brothers be the ones to go and seek out your lost family, both close and distant."

"Thank ye lass," Magni said, rising and taking her hands in gratitude, "the loss of my brother has weighed heavily on Ironforge since those dark days, but now things seem just a touch brighter. We'll make an expedition northward as quickly as possible!"

Quickly, Jaina handed the dwarf king a map of the rough location she found Muradin, and stepped away from the dais, "I need to return to the front lines, If my guess is correct, the factions are assembling at the edge of Icecrown soon, and I wish to be there to see the end of this threat," she said, preparing another portal back to Dalaran.

"Of course, farewell to ye, Lady Proudmoore." Magni said, gratefully taking the map and starting to scan the rough outline of the Storm Peaks that Jaina had sketched.

With a flash of power, Jaina was back in the Kirin Tor city, and had to catch herself as she turned to find a host of Ogre Magi waiting expectantly with Kirin Tor, High and even Blood Elf mages. The presence of the Dark Horde's Mages was not something she had been prepared for, and Jaina had to halt herself from thinking that they were under attack.

"Lady Jaina, how good of you to return on the moment we start moving against the Blue Dragonflight." Rhonin said, striding toward her from around the bulk of one of the towering ogres.

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Tyrande knelt by the fallen body of Emeriss, even as other priests of Elune rushed around to tend to the Night Elf force that had been heavily hampered by the noxious fumes that the former Emerald Guardian had unleashed on them.

Beyond the mottled scales and toxic coloration of the warped dragon, the being that Tyrande had thought of one of her friends seemed almost at peace in death. Gratefully, due to their deep ties to the Emerald Dream, Emeriss was not gone forever, but merely returned to the Dream in order to heal and be restored, hopefully after this corruption was dealt with and eliminated.

"We will find the cause of this defilement and cure it, I promise you," Tyrande told her fallen friend, and rose to face the swirling gateway into the Dream itself.

She had never ventured into those wild places, but her Beloved had told her of it many times, that the Dream was a reflection of Azeroth as it could be if life reigned over all. But if this sickness was present, and Malfurion was not there to stop it, then Tyrande would fetch him as she had to stop the Burning Legion.

"Let us proceed carefully," she warned the Sentinels and Druids that accompanied her, "We do not know what may be waiting for us on the other side, nor where by Beloved is being held from us."

The Night Elves started into the swirling portal, disappearing a few at a time into the green energy.

Tyrande and Shandris paused just before stepping in, and looked at each other. Tyrande saw the same look of comfort she was trying to give her daughter in all but blood reflected back at her, and knew that they had to be strong for Malfurion.

Leaping through, Tyrande felt the rush of wild power as the world around her brightened. It seemed as though they hadn't moved a whit from where they had just stood, but the land around them had changed instead.

Verdant growth spread in all directions, making the whole landscape seen like a living breathing entity, but there was a singular blemish. A long trailing scar of decay wound its way from the portal off into the wilds, seeming to disquiet the otherwise tranquil setting that the Emerald Dream represented.

"I suspect strongly that if we follow the corruption, it will lead us to the source, and whatever holds our druids captive in this place," Tyrande said, already gesturing for them to proceed into the foreign and yet familiar landscape.

The further from the gateway they ventured, the more widespread the damage of the corruption they found. Eventually dead and dying trees started to outnumber the healthy ones, and fewer denizens of the Dream were spotted in the foliage.

Nothing immediately approached them, which Tyrande felt was not out of expectations. They were intruders here, and those natives of the Dream would have been rightfully wary of them. Nevertheless, the feeling of countless eyes on their group never dissipated.

As she was about to call for a halt, and a short rest for their group, the Night Elf force rounded a bend in the forest path and found a ramshackle village of sorts, in the middle of a patch of corrupted ground.

Tyrande hissed as she spotted the vile followers of her Beloved's hated foe, Xavius, manning this place, and working their vile magic to spread the corruption.

"Saytrs!" one of the Sentinels called, and Tyrande stepped forward in spite of herself.

"Attack, drive them from this place, for Elune!" she commanded, quickly drawing an arrow and loosing it at the closest horned demon.

"The Nightmare Lord must be warned!" came a cry from within the knot of creatures, and many of them charged the Night Elf force, while others scattered to try and disappear into the woods on all sides.

"Mother Moon, aid us!" Tyrande cried, and she knew that the Moon Goddess could hear her calls, even in this realm. Powerful blasts of light rained down on the fleeing satyrs, striking them down even as several druids shape changed into great bears and dire cats to engage the satyrs directly, while sentinels leveraged their ranged weapons at the demons.

"At them my sisters! Let none escape!" Tyrande shouted, planting another silver arrow in one of the fur-covered demons. The former Night Elves that sided with the Legion were sworn enemies of the remaining Kal'dorei, gave more than enough clue as to who the ringleader of this corruption was.

Xavius, the rival of her Beloved who had been slain during the War of the Ancients, was the first Satyr, and while the presence of the Fel had indeed warped their bodies from graceful Night Elves into these fiends, it was not the magic that she sensed them wielding now.

How his influence was here in the Emerald Dream, however, she did not know, but with luck they would find her Beloved, and more answers, the further into the corruption that they ventured.

None of the foul creatures were left alive, and for good measure Tyrande had her warriors gather up and burn the bodies as well as their settlement. Nothing of useful information was inside the primitive huts, no clue toward the exact purpose that they were here in the Dream, or whom they served.

The problem was, aside from that place, the vestiges of corruption trailed off in all directions, with no main pathway that they could find deeper into the Dream. It was as though these were summoned here in order to capture and corrupt Emeriss and that was all.

"High Priestess, there is no sign of where to proceed…" Shandris reported, struggling to keep the disappointment out of her voice as well.

Tyrande was not desirous to abandon their foothold in the Dream to try and find her Beloved, but he was clearly not here, and they couldn't wander the Dream for countless ages trying in vain hope to locate him.

"We…" she hesitated, not liking the order that she had to give, "We withdraw, set a watch on the Azeroth side of the gateway, and keep our eyes open for another incursion from the Nightmare into our world."

"Yes, High Priestess." Shandris said, turning to spread the word, "At least whatever the Saytrs had planned with this portal had been stopped."

"Small consolation, I suppose," Tyrande said to herself, but even as they started back to the gateway, she could not help herself feeling as though she was betraying her Beloved to another period of suffering and captivity.

But they had little choice. Exiting back to the wilds of Feralas, Tyrande glanced about at the growth of the Dream that had seeped from the portal to the surrounding area.

"I was scouts to scour the whole of Azeroth," Tyrande ordered, "look for other locations that hold this kind of growth. We were fortunate to find this portal into the Dream, but I suspect there may be more across the world. Inform those of our people adventuring across the globe to seed them as well. I want weekly reports brought back to Teldrassil. We must find an entrance into the heart of the Dream in order to find Malfurion and the other slumbering druids."

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Draco wasn't sure where or how to get started with the mass pile of rubble that was once the flying fortress of Naxxramus. Kalecgos sent an arcane signal back to Dalaran, and slowly the mages of the Kirin Tor, as well as the ogres of the Dark Horde started to filter in to reinforce them. Luckily, while there was a Scourge presence, they had as of yet to take interest in their presence, but Draco wasn't going to hold his breath that it remained that way for long.

"Oh, it seems you have quite the mess to sift through here," a familiar voice stating, catching Draco off guard. Turning, he spotted Lady Proudmoore, looking somewhat cold despite the thick folds of her cloak. "Jaina…" he said, at a loss for why she had come here rather than remain wherever she had been.

"Figured this venture would need all the help it could get. Stopping Malygos is among the top priorities for all of Azeroth, even before the Lich King…" she said with a shrug.

"But I still don't see the best means of proceeding. Sapphiron's remains could be anywhere in this ruin." Draco said, looking over the obliterated structure again.

"It'll be simpler once I try to locate his position," Kalecgos said, returning to them, "As a fellow Blue Dragon, I have the same connection to all of Father's children. Even as an undead, I would recognize his magical signature anywhere."

"Well, that's at least a starting point." Jaina said, eagerly following after the blue dragon in his half-elven form as Kalec picked over the rubble, touching stones and closing his eyes. Every so often, Draco would sense a pulse of magic from the Dragon, like echo-location trying to resonate off the remains of his fellow.

The magic did succeed in attracting the attention of the nearby undead, but the combined forces of Arcane wielders were more than sufficient to crush them every time the Scourge tried to rise up against them.

Finally, after what felt like several hours of searching, Kalecgos raised a hand. "Here, I can sense the remains of Sapphiron below this point. If we remove the rubble systematically, we should uncover the chamber where his remains had been housed."

Remembering the last time he had encountered the undead dragon, Draco raised a question, "What's to stop Sapphiron from rising and trying to fight us once we uncover it?"

"Kel'Thuzad's power alone was what kept the dragon alive, and I cannot sense the Lich Lord's magic anywhere in the vicinity…" Kalecgos said.

"Is it possible that he was slain in the fall of the citadel?" Jaina asked.

"It might be, but I wouldn't put it past that one to have survived somehow," the dragon replied, "He ever was a tenacious one."

"Still," Draco said, drawing his wand, "discussing it isn't going to make this rock move any faster. We should get to work."

Using an empowered version of one of the oldest spells he was ever taught among his people, Draco started levitating large chunks of rubble off of the location that the Blue Dragon had indicated. Jaina started to lend what aid she could, using cold wind to blast dust and snow away, revealing where the slabs met and overlapped, which would prevent Draco from accidentally causing a collapse somewhere below.

Kalecgos continued to direct their effort, even as their excavation widened and started to delve into several collapsed chambers from the upper levels of the formerly flying fortress. The first that they found seemed to have been something of a private library. The tatters of tomes and scrolls were illegible and shredded, but the aura of magic left no room to guess who had owned the collection.

"One of Kel'Thuzad's private studies," Jaina surmised, blasting away the scraps of parchment, "A pity that we were unable to capture the fortress. The knowledge kept here would have helped defeat the Lich King immensely."

Draco said nothing, focusing on gently lifting the next massive slab of stone. There was a long winding corridor beyond, partially intact and winding into darkness. "There's something here, I feel a pulse of magic." He announced.

"Let's have a look," Jaina replied, conjuring several arcane orbs of light and minor intelligence, sending them scurrying down into the chamber without disturbing the rest of the open area.

"It leads to another chamber, and there is something large and magical in there. It may be what we're looking for." The Sorceress said after a few moments of tense waiting, where all they heard was the distant combat of the mages guarding them and the Scourge remnant.

"I can't shift anything without risking the whole of it collapsing. There's nothing for it but to climb in and see…" Draco said, turning the charm on himself, concentrating in order to be able to lower himself without knocking around off the walls.

Before anyone could protest, he had already slipped into the darkness. Another whispered spell, and orbs of light ringed Draco's head as he turned and twisted his way through the partially collapsed shaft, which clearly was once as curved hallway.

The sideway gate was torn open, revealing a large chamber that had managed to retain its shape. There, scattered across the new floor, were the pock-marked and clearly heavily damaged bones of a great Frostwyrm. "Sapphiron, we meet again…" Draco said aloud, searching for the skull.