Before she had resumed her true destiny, Anveena had left with her champion a token of her love. Unbeknownst to Kalec, she would always be with him, even in his darkest time.
In some ways, the two were even closer than he and Alexstrasza.
He felt Kalec's sudden impatience, the other dragon not aware what Krasus had discovered. Anveena had had a reason for him not knowing and the red respected that.
Concentrating, he bound what power he could summon with that of the other prisoner. Together, they focused on one of the bonds holding Kalec. The choice of that was Krasus's; if something happened, he at least wanted the blue free to hopefully warn the dragon flights.
At first, nothing happened. There was magic involved in this part of their captivity, too. Fortunately, though, it had evidently been assumed that the shard would be sufficient. Krasus and Kalecfound the weak link in the spell and eradicated it.
The blue's wrist was freed.
The other bonds were simple to remove after that. Within a minute, the pair was standing, albeit with some aching.
'What now, Korialstrasz?' Kalec asked, insisting on calling his companion by his full dragon name rather than by the identity the other currently preferred. Krasus always favored the name that matched that shape, something the younger dragon evidently did not appreciate. 'Should we take the shard?'
'It took me months to gather that one shard and learn the spells enabling me to wield it. Sinestra's made that foul piece hers.' He kicked over the body of the skardyn. The shard had left the front badly burnt. 'There is only one thing to do with it and that is to leave it here.'
'Not what I'd prefer.'
'Nor I...' But despite saying that, Krasus headed to the entrance as if the shard no longer existed. After a moment, Kalec hurried after him.
'Which way is out, do you suppose?' the blue asked in the corridor.
'That does not matter as much as the way deeper.'
Kalec considered this, then nodded. 'Of course.'
'It is the captive that we must reach, the nether dragon, as Iridi called it. We must decide whether it can be safely freed or, if not that, how to quickest destroy it.'
'Not a simple choice, considering our odd weakness.'
'And that is the other thing that we must locate, which I believe must be not that far from the nether dragon. That shard of the Demon Soul was strong enough to deal with us, but this very mount radiates a foulness that sickened and slew my kind. One little shard, even of the Soul, cannot do that. Sinestra has something more vile.'
The younger dragon agreed. 'We will probably have to separate at some point.'
'My company is surely something you do not desire much, so when the time comes, that should be no trouble.'
Kalec chuckled, but the chuckle died as he realized that Krasus was making no joke.
Meanwhile, the dragon mage had finally determined which direction might best lead them where they desired. He had been in portions of Grim Batol in the past, but his current condition had had some effect on his memory.
'This way,' he said, pointing where they had last seen Zendarin go.
Kalec steeled himself. 'As you say.' 'Can you create any sort of shield to block us from Sinestra's senses?'
'It would be a weak one, Korialstrasz.'
The dragon mage considered as he walked. 'She is distracted by her work. Even a weak shield may be enough to preserve us.'
The younger dragon drew a circle in front of him. Krasus could have perhaps done as well himself, but he was already using what power he had to divine what lay ahead.
The circle that Kalec drew grew to fill the rocky corridor. It then swelled, becoming a sphere that engulfed both males. At the same time, it gradually faded from visibility.
It should at least help us with the drakonid and dragonspawn,' the blue remarked. 'And maybe the blood elf and that altered mageslayer.'
'If it helps with any, it helps....'
The passages were not lit for the most part, but neither dragon was bothered much. What illumination there was came from crystals intermittently set in the walls.
'How far down do these caverns and tunnels go?' Kalec quietly asked.
'I know of no creature living or dead who could answer that question save perhaps Deathwing himself. Even the orcs did not descend into the caverns' true depths.'
'Nor dragons, either?'
'Nor dragons, either...save again, perhaps, Deathwing, for the mad can survive what sanity says is suicide.' Krasus did not add that, depending on how matters turned, he, at the very least, mighthave to brave the lowest depths.
They journeyed for some time along the same passage, but then it broke off into three directions. Krasus paused at the juncture, smelling the air.
'The smell of skardyn is everywhere, which negates seeking the currents. However, we can at least make some judgments on what is visible each way. The path to the right will most certainly climb again. The one ahead seems to go down another level at least and may eventually lead us to our goal, but I cannot say whether we should follow it or take the one on the left—'
A thundering roar filled with pain shook the entire mount. Krasus and the blue pressed themselves against the walls as rock fell here and there.
The roar ceased. The tremor passed a moment after.
'That came from the left, Korialstrasz.'
'Yes, our choice has been made.'
The two crept slowly in that direction. Krasus would have liked to have moved faster, but with both of them not at all in any condition for a prolonged battle with Sinestra, they had to be very, very cautious.
There came another roar suddenly, one that sent shivers even through Krasus. He had never heard its like before, even among all dragonkind.
Even including the two unstable abominations they had fought.
'What—what is that?'
'Sinestra has a new child, it seems....'
Kalec looked at him in shock. 'You mean like those things we ran into earlier?'
“I would think that they perhaps pale in comparison. She would not wish to repeat mistakes.' He considered. 'That roar came from the same general direction as the pained one.'
'It sounded closer, too.'
'Indeed...' They waited a moment longer, but the roars did not resume. However, voices began to arise.
Without a word to one another, the two dragons slipped back down the passage. Krasus pointed down an unlit side tunnel. What he could sense of it gave indication that it had not seen recent use.
Kalec continued maintaining the shield. The pair finally paused at another juncture, then stilled.
The black dragon was near. Very near. Krasus prepared himself to fight her with what might was left in him. The tunnels prevented all of them from resuming their true forms, but that would not keep Sinestra from unleashing power such as neither of the escapees had, even combined.
Then, both the voice and the presence of Deathwing's consort faded again. Krasus waited longer than necessary before finally heading back.
With Kalec close behind, he headed to where the roars had originated. They entered another chamber that immediately made Krasus wary. To one side of the chamber, a great pit descended into utter darkness. The dragon mage cautiously peered into it, but, despite his best attempts, could sense nothing beyond the inherent evil permeating all of Grim Batol.
'Very odd,' Krasus murmured to his companion. 'I would have thought that—'
