World of Warcraft®

((Sara everything is out of order so don't worry about it. Will finish the hearthglen meeting shortly.))

Thorawulfe shook her head and frowned.

Kaik moved away from the door where he'd been standing guard. "Begging your pardon... That is the one order she can not give."

"It certainly is a standing order," Faithe replied.

Gudvine nodded. "She can and she does. She is the Sepha."

Broodin stretched out and then sat up and looked around the room, as if he were studying all of them. At last the druid spoke. "Though it pains me to say this we may be wise to enlist the help of the Ocheliad. To speak as if she is gone is distasteful, and since I have lived longer than most in this room, what I do with my life is my choice, and no one may say otherwise."

"Never abandon a friend, Guard, or noble cause," Meriste said. "It will always be my favorite tenet. We cannot give up, but we must not be rash."

Faithe nodded, but pushed on. "Lastly and this is not part or her orders, but you are all in mortal danger."

Vendross snorted. The rage was still etched plain on his face, but at least he wasn't shouting, at least not as loudly. "Our world is coming apart, and everyone breathing or otherwise wants us dead, tell us something we don't know!"

Thorawulfe shrugged. "I have walked in the shadow of death I have no fear of it."

Faithe's fingers clutched the podium. She had read the rest of the orders, and the will, but they would be given to Taelanas. There was no need, nor time, to inflict further pain on the Guard. "Dree'jin will try to get her once he learns Modas has her. They have a long-standing hatred of each other. We destroyed his hearts he meant for a very powerful ceremony. If he is not successful in getting her from T-rex, he may take out his anger on you. It's very possible you are being hunted even now."Broodin smiled widely. "Really? Better than this pitiful Modas have tried, let them come."

Gudvine frowned. He had slumped onto a nearby bench at last, the perfect picture of exhaustion. "I abode in the soul of the world as the world was torn apart. You wish to speak of mortal danger?"

"With respect, good lady, the Modas and their ilk already want to kill us; how exactly is trying to rescue the Sepha going to make a difference?" Vendross asked.

"It can get worse and I believe it has," she replied. "So, our Silent Guard and others have been gathering information. We continue to search for her. I encourage you to keep your ears open, but travel in pairs when you can. Assignments will be made later for some more scouting patrols. We have to find her before they can harm her. We also have allies who are looking for her."

"Have any of you considered, less conventional tactics?" Broodin asked.

"Such as?"

"Have the Ocheliad dispatch a warlock to where--"

"Warlocks?" Vendross fairly shouted it. "Fah! We need no daemomancers."

"We will have nothing to do with the demonic. We are the Incorruptible. End of story." Gudvine looked around the hall as if challenging someone to disagree with him. "Who here has known the Sepha the longest?"

Thorawulfe nodded her head in agreement. "We must hold to her ideals, and honor her desires in this. If we are to free her it must be by our own code."

The battle regarding using a warlock to bind her soul should she fall raged for just a little while until Faithe regained control. She was pleased that most saw the danger in the plan and the possible violation to their tenets and code. Some prices were just too high, regardless the prize. Vendross stormed out of the hall, livid the subject had even been brought up.

Faithe held her hand up. "We are already fighting the horde. We have members of the alliance who want us tried as war criminals. Not to mention the gutless cowards who feed information to the horde in their attempts to destroy us. We cannot afford to fight among ourselves."

Delver reminded them Gudvine had asked to speak before the argument about warlocks had erupted.

"As I came to say. I spoke with the Shu'halo. The Plagueshifters have evidence of the ability to push back the plague," Gudvine said. "We simply have to work out how it plays to help the Sepha if it comes to it. I would ask our apothecaries to work with me."

"I don't know the druidic healing arts, but I'd lend my hand, and the Elements, if they would be of use. I'd do anything to bring her back," Mira said.

Delver held his hand up and volunteered to do whatever it took to bring their leader back.

Faithe took note of those who would aid Gudvine. "The last thing has nothing to do with the sepha, but in regards to her we do need to be assigned to groups with certain jobs. We will find a solution."

"The most likely place for her to have been taken is the Undercity, they are the horde experts as far as resurrection. If their plan truly is to raise her forsaken." Broodin flicked an ear as if he were thinking deeply as he spoke.

"The horde respect only one thing, said Kaik. "Force. They took one of ours we should take theirs... and exchange. Then We take Undercity...join with Ragefang and take back what is ours."

"The last thing has nothing to do with the sepha, but in regards to her we do need to be assigned to groups with certain jobs. Those of you who would aid Gudvine, go to him and find out what he needs to complete his task."

"We'll need scouts to go into the Undercity and Orgrimmar. Speak to Finn and Broodin if you are interested in scouting those locations."

"When we find her I wish to be part of the group that goes to retrieve her," Thorawulfe said.

At last they had found something everyone could agree on. The Presidium would ride together to rescue her.

(This is he conclusion of Tyrexus' visit to Gen in the tower.))

Tyrexus sauntered over to the tower in that unusual rolling gait the forsaken have. It was oddly graceful for a pile of reanimated bones and sinew. It was hard for her to appreciate their unusual grace under their circumstances. Even if she hadn't been doubled over in pain, she doubted she could outrun him. She certainly couldn't outrun his magicks.

He looked aback at her expectantly as she staggered to her feet. "Do you need some help, love?"

She would have made a rude gesture if she had the strength. "No." A wave of nausea rolled over her and her gut wretched up part of the vile concoction. It burned more coming back up. The vomit seared the grass, turning it dead and brown as winter blades brittle with death. What must it be doing to her insides?

He waited for Gentyl to regain enough strength to walk and then opened the door to the tower. She stumbled through the door, obediently, to tired and sick to argue with him. Tink ran between her legs and into the tower as if their new home was the most natural place on earth to be.

She slumped against the wall near the door and slid down it landing in an ungainly heap, arms and legs akimbo like a broken puppet. Tyrexus placed the food and water skin on the chair and waved his hand. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on you, peach. I'm sure Lord Abominus will appreciate the excellent care you've received at my hands."

"To the nethers with you," she gasped.

He laughed and walked back out the door. She heard the key turn in the heavy lock. A few moments later she heard the faint crackling of the warding magic. Light sliced through the cracks in the door. The room suddenly brightened when the magic lit up the window. It faded gradually leaving her in a dusky cell with Tink, her faithful, if ratty smelling cat. The cat had no suffered any hunger due to the large population of rats, but they still thrived. Even now one was skittering up the chair to check out the packet of food.

Gentyl waved her hand at it and then crawled over to the chair to retrieve the food and water. Perhaps it would settle her stomach. Tink stared at the fleeing rat and then decided it was time to eat also. Gentyl ate what she could while listening to the crunching of rat bones, and then shoved the remainder of the food inside her breastplate.

Tink finished eating and then ran over to curl up in Gentyl's lap.

It must be a dream. Gentyl had been idly stroking the cat when she first felt the change. It was slight at first, muscles trembling, then there was a cracking noise as bones changed and reformed. She looked down at her hand that was shortening into a paw. A paw covered with black and orange fur.

The room grew. No, she was shrinking. Tink's amazed stare was now eye level.

Gentyl was a cat!

That idiot Abominus!

She wasn't sure how long she had remained a cat, but she woke up lying in a patch of sunlight, curled up in a ball. She sat up, licked her hand and wiped her face.

What the fel? Don't do that again!

Well, apparently his potion worked in a fashion. It changed her to something she touched after taking the potion. Thankfully, it took a while for the potion to take effect and it wasn't permanent. What would happen after several doses, though? And what happened if the effect was intended and he planned to have her touch a forsaken woman or a corpse after taking sufficient potions?

She had to find a way to refuse to take any more. Refusing Tyrexus was a dangerous proposition, though and hadn't been highly successful before. Was it any more dangerous than being turned forsaken? Pia had direct orders to kill her if she ever became forsaken. It had always been one of her great fears and one she had made preparations for. Pia would, she prayed, follow their orders.

It was nearing sundown when Tyrexus reappeared. Once again, he removed the wards to let her out to walk around a bit in the sunshine. Tink ran out to greet him like an old friend when he opened the door.

Betrayer.

((placeholder))

(I lost the rest of this story, but T-Rex and I want to finish it up.))