by Milton Garby
"No!" he breathed. "No, that won't be necessary. I shall deliver the message."
"Good. Tell whoever sent you that I'll be sleeping with one eye open from now on." She walked away from him and rested on the bed. "Take your precious dagger," she said as she gave him back full control over his limbs. He jerked, feeling himself over for any missing parts at the same time that Sara encased herself and her bed in a glistening green barrier. He got to his feet and scooped up his belongings. "You let yourself in, you can let yourself out. Now." She narrowed her eyes. "Get out of my sight," she spat.
He did, moving for the window and stealthily gliding out of sight. Once he was gone, Sara collapsed in her bed and held a hand to her pounding heart.
"Holy shit," she muttered to nobody in particular. "I almost died." She giggled. That had been the most exciting moments of her life! She probably shouldn't make a habit out of nearly getting murdered in her sleep, but what a rush! Then she frowned. "The Twilight's Hammer," she whispered, tasting the cult's name. A glance at her desk's clock confirmed it was two thirty in the morning. Looks like I've got some late night reading to do.
But on the plus side, she was getting everything she needed. Fifteen thousand more gold put her at exactly the amount needed for her expedition. Now she could reach the Old Gods and finally, finally figure out what was wrong with her shadow magic. Though she'd also be bringing members of the Twilight's Hammer in proximity to C'Thun. Last time that happened they nearly revived the Old God.
Eh. She'd figure out something later. For now, she needed to read up on the Hammer.
Sara
Just as October swung around and stores in the Trade District started offering more candy, Sara's expedition was ready.
As promised, the Twilight's Hammer mysteriously deposited a note for fifteen thousand gold into her mailbox, as well as a list of people to take with her. Sara took the list and referenced it with other people she wanted to take. There were a dozen people the Hammer wanted to bring, which made her fists clench. She didn't want to bring the Hammer along to C'Thun. They were unqualified, incompetent. There was also the whole 'doomsday cult' thing, but she could forgive that so long as they made something extremely interesting happen on the trip there.
She made the cuts over the course of a week, so nobody would get too suspicious. She sent a letter to the twelve people she dropped, and the cult obviously didn't need to be interviewed. Now she'd have with her Eric Hammil, Turodin Steelforge, and... and she didn't care about their names.
Then she had to go down to Stormwind Harbor and get a place for everyone on the boat. She tried to get four rooms: One for her, one for the delicate equipment, one for the Hammer, and another for everyone else. That didn't happen though, so she was stuck with cramming herself and the equipment in with the non-cultists on her expedition. Including Maria. Ugh. Couldn't stand that warlock. So bubbly, cheerful, always butting into her business. Shame she was competent.
At the moment, Sara found herself with something she hadn't had in a while. Free time. She took the opportunity to go for a walk around Stormwind, stretch her legs while she still could. The sky was dark and grey, rumbling deliciously with lightning and the promise of rain. She hummed a light tune as she hopped from stone to stone, feeling her light blue skirt catch in the wind. Sara got a few looks, but what did she care? Not even the fact that she was bringing a paladin could bring down her spirits. She was done packing, she was done with the preparations, everything was done and all she had to do was be on the boat in a few hours and they'd be on their way to Kalimdor.
Sara danced her way to a stone bench and draped herself on it. She pointed a hand at a nearby squirrel. The squirrel looked back at her, and then a tiny flicker of black-purple-green shadow in her hand made it collapse and start writhing in agony. Giggling, she made it dance in circles as she flooded the pain center of its brain, before abruptly snuffing out its life. Sara found another animal to torture to death, and then another one. By the time she'd killed five - nobody was around to see her do so - she felt lighter than she had in a long, long time.
A glance at a nearby clock tower informed her it was high noon. Sara sighed. "Well, time to get moving," she told herself. She let go of a snake and let it slither away with its life. When it was gone she made her way out of the Park and to the Canals.
The water in the Canals rippled under the powerful winds, kicked up into waves that smashed and frothed into the sides. There were a few people around with closed umbrellas, hurrying to get to their destinations before the rain inevitably began to fall. Sara for her part walked with a lazy stride north, until she reached the Stormwind Harbor.
The vast ocean spread out before her, indomitable and unknowable. Members of the Alliance walked all around her, scurrying back and forth like little ants. She made her way down the stairs, taking them two at a time and leaping the last four, wincing when her legs flared in pain. But that was alright, because today the journey was starting!
Sara took the pier to the left. The sailboat that had once docked at its end was replaced by an Icebreaker such as the type that spearheaded the invasion of Northrend. It made sense, given how it was less reliant on the weather which... admittedly wasn't looking favorable for sailboats at the moment.
She walked past the guards with barely a glance at them. The boat was right there. Just a few more yards and she'd be on it, away to Kalimdor, away from Stormwind, away from the Archmages and their secrets, their knowing, their unknown machinations, always looking at her, spying on her, not letting her have a moment to herself -
- she was on the boat.
The wood was wet and dark beneath her shoes, seeming to creak. For a moment she stumbled as the boat rocked on the strong waves, throwing her forward. Then she stumbled back and found her balance, laughing lightly. Oh, she was going to have fun with that.
Someone came up to her, wearing a rain jacket and a broad hat. "Miss Sara Smithers?" the dark skinned man asked.
She turned to him, too enthralled with the rocking of the ship to be annoyed. "Yes?" she asked, still smiling.
"I'm glad you could make it. We'll be departing in half an hour, so if you want to go below deck and make yourself comfortable, now'd be the time to do so. It'll be a bit rough on deck thanks to this storm and I wouldn't want you hurt."
She rolled her eyes, but he had a point. And besides, the boat would rock just the same below deck as above. Sara went for the door near the back end of the ship and descended the stairs, swaying back and forth as waves had their way with the boat. She tumbled into a wall and giggled, bracing herself against it and pushing herself out.
Sara found the first room where she and everyone else from the Mage Quarter would sleep during the trip. She opened the door up and peered inside. There was everyone. Humans, high elves, gnomes, and one worgen in his animal form. The room was claustrophobic, but she didn't mind. A lantern hung from the ceiling, burning oil. Bunks were pressed against the wall, leaving a line in the middle of the room just wide enough for a single person to pass through. Most of the dozen people present were in their bunks, entertaining themselves with various knickknacks they'd brought with themselves. One woman cradled a bucket, green in the face. Under the beds were bags containing everyone's personal belongings, and stacked against the back were two wooden boxes, a yard on each side, containing the small but sensitive equipment they were bringing.
"Hey Sara!" Maria said, sitting up. "Glad you made it."
"Yes, I'm sure you are," she muttered. Sara raised her voice. "Alright, I'm glad you've all made it here. I'll be going next door to see everyone else is settled. If you have any problems, try and get the attention of the crew or the paladin coming with us." It was a sacrifice she'd decided make in order to placate the Archmage Council. She would bring a wielder of the Holy Light to help ward against any corruption. They'd have to stay far from the corpses of the Old Gods though, lest the Light interfere with readings.
The woman holding the bucket groaned.
>
"Yes, like you. Strap in everyone, and please try not to kill each other." If only because resurrecting people was hard. "After all, we've all got a month to really get to know each other." The boat rocked in the other direction, making Sara briefly lose her footing. She smiled wider. "Bye now." She stepped out and closed the door, going down the hallway to its very end. She stopped before the door and took a deep breath, snapping her expression to anger. She had yet to see the members of the Twilight's Hammer she was bringing. Sara had tried to, but simply didn't get the chance until that moment.
She slammed her fist into the door once, twice, then opened it hard. "Alright, are we all here?" she asked, taking a look around. The room was laid out the same way as the other one, and packed to the brim. Most of the members here were those that could fit into being mages and warlocks. Humans, elves, a single draenei and - WAIT WHAT?!
She locked eyes with none other than Leira, and the draenei's eyes went wide. Sara's friend looked just as she remembered. A head taller than her, horns curved backwards with a short mop of black hair. She wore a casual red shirt and blue pants.
Sara didn't say anything. "Well?" she barked. "Are we all here?"
A high elf leaning against the wall, in a shadowed corner, spoke up. "We are. We are simply awaiting departure. Is everything set on your end?"
She scoffed. "Of course they are. We have the authorization letters, so the Cenarion Circle will let us into Ahn'Qiraj." She held up a hand and forced darkness to play across it. She pointed a finger at the elf. "They need me to be around though, or they're just pieces of paper. No funny business." As far as they knew, the magic was just for intimidation, but she secretly wove a telepathy link with Leira. Both she and Leira stood still, so it was easy. When it was done, a shiver was drawn out of the draenei. She turned around and slammed the door behind her.
'Explain. Now!' she thundered into the draenei's mind.
'Sara? What the shit you doing here?'
'What am I doing here? What are you doing in the damn Twilight's Hammer?!'
'Okay, I can see why you might be upset but - '
'Damn right I'm upset! What are you thinking?!'
'If you'd let me finish!'
'... sorry,' she sent.
'Remember how I told you I was going to be away on mission? I'm spying on the Hammer. I don't know what they're doing though, I'm still an initiate. Sara, what the fuck's going on?'
'I'm doing my Archmage thesis on the Old Gods. The Hammer wanted to hitch a ride to C'Thun, so I tricked them into giving me fifteen thousand gold.'
'... you do realize you're bringing the Twilight's Hammer to within spitting distance of an Old God?'
Still in the hallway, Sara's left eye twitched. 'I'm working on it!'
'So... wow. Small world huh?'
She couldn't help but smile. 'Yeah, what are the odds? So, how're you holding up in the Hammer?'
'These people are going to make me tear my own horns off! They're insane, Sara!'
'Tell me something I don't know,' she sent, amused. 'You gonna be alright?'
'Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Everything else aside though, it's great seeing you again. I was going to head back to Ironforge and report the cult's activities to the guild, but looks like I'm wrapped up in this.'
'Why?' Sara asked. She started moving again, going to the other room, slipping inside, and sliding into her bottom bunk. With the box of equipment next to her, it decently shut her off from everyone outside. She stared at the bed on top of her, still focused on Leira.
'If I leave, they'll get suspicious. Simple as that. So... we better figure out a way to stop them quick.'
'We've got a month until our boat arrives, and another month to reach Ahn'Qiraj. We'll think of something.'
'Hope so, Sara. Hey, you should keep this link open, just in case.'
'I'll be able to hear your dreams, and vice versa,' she warned. She liked Leira and all, but some things were meant to stay private.
There was a tense pause, which made Sara start drumming her fingers in nervousness. 'Um, nevermind. Break the link. Feels so creepy anyway.'
'Got it. Take care. Remind me to explain why I think you feel so off about my magic.' Before Leira could reply, Sara flared her shadow magic and ended the telepathic link. She let out a long breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
Oh boy.
Leira was here. And she was undercover in the most infamous organization in Azeroth's history. Sara was dragging Leira to the Old Gods. And she'd just promised to tell her that she wielded the powers of the faceless.
Maybe she could lie about that? She wasn't sure she wanted Leira to know. Sara didn't want to know what Leira would think about her if she ever learned. She didn't want to lie to Leira though! Sara could trust her, right? Surely Leira would just brush it off, laughing and calling it 'no big deal', how it wasn't the powers but what you did with them. Surely.
She didn't know, but as she was lost in thought there was a lurch as the ship went into motion. Sara reminded herself she still needed to find the paladin, some dwarf and have a discussion with him about what to expect in Silithus. After all, it hadn't been the Cenarian Druids who'd cleaned out C'Thun's chamber after its collapse...
The people around her made small talk with each other, but Sara's strategy of hiding behind the equipment was a success. As the first few hours of the voyage passed, the rocking of the ship eased up and Sara felt that if she went topside, the crew wouldn't yell at her since they were probably out of the storm. She eased herself out from between the boxes and stood, stretching and cracking her neck. She walked the short distance out of the room and up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
A blast of salty air hit her in the face when she surfaced, and the intense light of the sun made her blink. The ship's crew was mostly absent. There was the captain at the wheel, with instruments to help guide the ship, and a few others making sure they didn't die, but beyond that the deck was mostly bare. Some of the other passengers on the ship were also present, talking with each other in the refreshing ocean air. A pair of night elves, a man and a young girl, and a dwarf that was hard for her to look at.
The dwarven man had blazing red hair, and the type of large, bushy beard that was the stereotype of their people. He was impressively tanned and heavily muscled from what must've been decades of physical exercise, and he was clad in a plain white shirt and baggy blue pants. At first Sara thought the dwarf had no shoes, but if she looked closer she saw he simply wore skin-colored sandals. Sara wasn't sure it was him, but she decide to take her chances.
With the boat still swaying beneath her, she walked over to the dwarf and put on a gentle smile. "Hello. Fardol Brighthammer is it?" It was hard for her to look directly at him, as if she was trying to stare at the sun.
The dwarf looked up at her and grinned. "Yeah, that'd be me!" He jumped from the bench to his feet and reached up a hand to shake hers. "I'm assumin' yer Sara Smithers?" She nodded. "Ah, good to finally meet ya." He winked. "Don't ya be worrying, the Light will protect ya from the Old God, and me and my hammer will keep any of the bugs from hurtin' ya."
Sara severely doubted she'd need his help. Nevertheless, he was a paladin. She could trust him, since their kind tended to be all about justice, truth, et cetera. "I'm thankful to hear that. However, I need to talk to you in private."
He raised an eyebrow. "Well, sure lass. Where you want to go?"
"Nowhere, I can cast a telepathy spell."
Fardol shrugged, as if telepathy was just part of his day to day life. "Okie then, go for it." Sara summoned her shadow magic, quickly weaving a link between her and Fardol's mind. He shivered when the spell was cast, but otherwise betrayed no discomfort.
'How's this?' she heard him say.
So that nobody would be confused about two people just staring at each other, she sat next to him. 'Excellent. Now, I need to inform you of a situation, but keep it hushed and let me explain. Half of the people I am bringing with me are members of
the Twilight's Hammer. Originally they tried to threaten me into bringing them along, but I turned the tables and got them to pay me fifteen thousand gold to tag along. One of their numbers, the draenei Leira - I don't know what name she's going by now - is both spying on them and a close friend of mine.'
The paladin blinked, and brought his hand to his face. 'Oy, ya sure got yourself in a pickle there, lass. Shouldn't have made a deal with the Hammer, even for fifteen grand. They'll make ya pay for it in their own way. They always do.'
'I know that!' she snapped. 'But if I can use it to learn more about the Old Gods, it'll be worth it!' Technically to learn more about herself. 'The problem is I don't know what I can do about them. I was thinking about killing them all in their sleep, but that's only if they don't have anyone awake and keeping watch. And if we get into a fight on the boat, the boat will probably sink. And I'm not sure about how well we can fight them. The people coming with me aren't especially powerful in their fields. Most of them aren't even graduated magisters.'
'I see the issue here,' he said. 'What about you?'
Sara frowned. 'I can take them. I have a higher chance of being struck by lightning than any one of them being as powerful as me.' She had the magic of the faceless ones, and a lot of it to boot. What could they possibly do to hurt her?
As if hearing her untransmitted thoughts, Fardol narrowed his eyes. 'Humility, Sara. Raw power ain't everything, and ya never know what your opponents have up their sleeves. Let's just keep watch on them, yeah? I'm thinkin' that when we get to Silithus, we let the Cenarian druids in on this.'
'Yes,' she thought. 'Unfortunately, they're not entirely dead weight. They don't have the skills to operate the instruments we need but I can teach them. Without them I'm down half of my assistants.'
'Don't even think about it,' he cautioned. 'We can spend more time at the body of C'Thun if we need to, but the moment the opportunity presents itself you have to kill them. The Twilight's Hammer is simply too big of a threat to do anything else, lass. Take my word for it.'