flew out. It landed next to Zendarin, the metal still orange-hot.
Favoring her other leg, Vereesa simply stared at the blood elf.
'I knew that there would be something. Not only is a ranger versatile, but so is the line of Windrunner....'
'You are a stain on the line, Zendarin.'
He scoffed. 'Any more than one who sleeps with a human, even breeds with them? Any more than a banshee, perhaps? I am far from the darkest stain on our family; in fact, I am its future!'
She said nothing, still bitter about his comments. The ones concerning her were not so terrible; she had faced the prejudices toboth her kind and Rhonin's and, for the most part turned those with the prejudices into believers. No, it was more his comment about something so accursed as a banshee.
A banshee, like her sister, Sylvanas.
But Sylvanas was a situation for another time, perhaps another life.
'Silence becomes you.' Zendarin gestured for her to return to the cell. He briefly pointed the staff at the dwarves while Vereesa rejoined Grenda. 'Ah. Everyone else is being good, I see. No other hidden blades...'
The skardyn had been good about searching their cousins, but not with Vereesa. Now, Zendarin had dealt with that situation.
'Your poor, poor children,' he added, staring at her through the iron bars. 'How will they feel when they discover that their mother has abandoned them? Well, soon they will have their uncle to console them...and raise them after their father, too, falls to return.'
This time, Vereesa let out a cry of rage. She leapt back to the bars, her hands seeking Zendarin, who had already stepped back. He laughed, the skardyn and the dragonspawn joining In.
'I have enjoyed this family reunion,' he finished. 'It makes me more eager than ever to renew my acquaintance with my nephews....'
Dismissing the staff, he left the prisoners. The dragonspawn moved to the cell, whipping Vereesa back.
'Sit!' the behemoth roared. Then, satisfied that they were under control, the dragonspawn returned to its post.
The ranger scowled at her captors, then grudgingly returned to Grenda.
'I'm sorry about all that,' the dwarf whispered. 'Maybe your male will be able to stop him, being a wizard and all....'
'Rhonin's skills aside, I have no intention of placing all my hopes on that,' Vereesa answered, her expression far more calm than moments before. 'We will be escaping and I will face Zendarin again... of that I will at least swear.'
Her hand slipped to her other boot. There, she carefully slid out of another slot another small blade. However, where the other hadbeen crafted of metal, this one appeared to be of iridescent pearl.
'Gimmel's blood!' Grenda murmured. 'But how did you hide that from your cousin?'
'He searched for weapons, seeking those made as one might expect. Rhonin crafted this for me, a simple but strong blade made from the bounty of the sea. There is no magic in it. Unless he knew to look for the blade in particular, the chances were small that he would find it, for his spell would simply think it part of the boot's crafting.'
The Bronzebeard shook her head. 'What wizards'll conjure up!'
'The suggestion was mine. The crafting his.' A moistness escaped one eye. 'Together we are stronger than each is separately.' Steeling herself, she continued, 'We must escape at the first opportunity—'
They were interrupted by another arrival...this time a drakonid. Vereesa studied the creature, but it was not Rask.
'Take one!' the drakonid ordered.
The skardyn unlocked the door. With whips they drove their cousins back, then cut off a lone warrior from the rest. Two skardyn dragged him out.
The moment the rest of the guards had retreated, the dwarves charged forward. Unfortunately, they were not able to keep the cell from being locked again, nor could they do anything for their comrade except shout angrily as he was taken away.
Skardyn began whipping at the bars. The dwarves finally fell back.
The drakonid laughed. 'Your turns. They will come. All serve the mistress.'
With that, the black beast followed after the others.
'What'll they do with Udin?' asked a younger dwarf.
'Torture 'lm to see if there's any of us still out there, most likely!' answered another fighter.
Grenda turned on the second dwarf. 'Are you daft, Falwulf? Didn't you hear what that blood elf said before? They're not interested if one or two of us are still out there; they want to make us into slaves....'
An uneasy rumbling spread through the prisoners. Dwarves were fighters; give them an enemy with a weapon, and they woulddo battle even to their deaths. There was no honor in slavery.
Grenda looked to Vereesa. 'If you've got an idea of how we can escape and escape fast, now would be a good time to start on it....'
The ranger's gaze went from her companion to the skardyn keeping watch. 'It may cost some lives....'
'Better that than what we're lookin' forward to.'
'As you wish, then.' Vereesa hid the blade in her palm. She leaned back so as to not stir the guard's interest. 'Get everyone prepared to act on my signal. We must all move together... even if only in the end we buy ourselves a quick death.'
'Aye.' Grenda casually turned to a comrade. As the high elf watched, the dwarf began to pass on word. There would be no hesitation from any of the Bronzebeards. As Grenda had indicated, what other choice did they have?
From beyond the chamber where their cells lay, there came a hideous cry. It was mercifully short, but the sound remained burned in all their minds.
'That was
Among the skardyn, there was rough, mocking laughter. One of them leaned close to the bars and, for the first time, spoke something intelligible.
'All fight gone from him. He good slave now...' The feral eyes surveyed the captives. 'Who want to be next?'
The other skardyn laughed again.
FIFTEEN
The mageslayer towered over her. Iridi knew nothing of its kind save what she had gleaned from Krasus. By rights, she should have been fairly safe from its abilities, but this creature had been transformed into something more menacing.
She seized a rock and threw it. As the priestess expected, the missile flew through without pause.
The draenei had no choice. She summoned the staff even knowing that its power might be used against her.
The mageslayer moved in silence. That made it all the more unnerving. Iridi pointed the staff and focused.
A blue light erupted from the staff, striking the mageslayer—
And immediately after, flying back at the startled draenei.
Iridi was sent hurtling away. She released her grip on the staff, and quickly twisted in the air. A moment later, the priestess crashed into the ground.
Most would have been left unconscious or even dead, but the priestess's training enabled her to land rolling, then end up in a crouched position. Even then, though, Iridi was left disoriented. It took her a moment to locate the mageslayer, a moment she did not have.
