Tides-2012-02-12

Night falls, the pyres of the orcs are at a low smoulder, and the great hunt has ended. The moon shines in the sky, concealing all but the brightest of stars. The brilliance of the moon shines brightly in the pales eyes of Shade as he surveys the heavens. The cat cannot express what it feels, but there is a magic at work, and not all is normal on this night.

The cat steps away from where his companions rest, feeling in his spirit a restlessness, some summons that demands he be elsewhere. A higher place, where he might come closer to the moon's light. The mountains are not the normal territory that Shade travels, but on this night he will ascend them, and swiftly.

Racing through the slanting moonlight, the cat follows lines of elemental energy, tracing a path over smooth stone lying on the bottom of a long-silenced stream. Upward and upward he climbs, until at last he reaches a break in the hills, a cave of great darkness diving into the bones of the mountain.

The cave's darkness is not empty, and Shade faces in the darkness creatures that have long laid hidden. Spiders fall in droves as the cat penetrates their hidden realm. The cat hears the call still, and even in this deafening darkness he can follow it.

The great cat loses in this place the sense of time and space that others feel outside. At his very limit, there is at last a break in the emptiness; the sound of water, like a mirage initially, grows stronger and stronger, until Shade can smell it.

Stepping out of a the cave suddenly into the night air, the nightsaber finds itself looking up at the moon through a window of brilliant silver, the water of a mountain spring falling across the cave's mouth like a curtain. "This is the place," thinks the cat, and he sits and for the first time, senses his own existence.

The cat lets out a deep rumbling roar at the moonlight, and sees in the falling water his own reflection. "That is me," he realizes suddenly, and his awareness grows stronger as he moves closer to the water.

On some impulse the cat sticks his head out into the water, feeling the cold rush over his face. Without a second thought, the cat makes a running leap into the water, and rather than feel himself plummeting deep into some mountain lake his paws land on solid ground after a short fall. His head turns back, and the water is gone. He stands once more on the path of a long dead mountain stream.

A whisper comes in the wind, and the scent of water is with it. Shade cannot make out the words, but he dimly recalls hearing something like it before, it reminds him of the flying girl. Memory. The fog lifts from it, and the cat raises his head from sniffing the path. Things happened before. He races down the mountain now, and if he could, he would sing. Time is passing, and he knows it. The stars are moving, the moon is setting. Soon the sun will rise.

Shade's wake is lit by dancing lights, and the water that drops off Shade's fur glitters like starlight when it strikes the rocks along the path. He moves more quickly, and the cat is amazed. Faster than he could ever move before, and he knows it. The ground is growing even already.

By the time Shade reaches the camp, he has left a path of silver light that stretches for miles. He slows as he draws near the place where Saeren and the others rest. Before the first rays of the sun wash away the light the cat lets out a triumphant roar, unlike any sound he has ever made before, a sound of pure joy.

The roaring snarl of a predator, well-hidden and long lain in wait, comes from the left. A darting shadow, taking advantage of the liminal moonlight and absent sun to hide itself. But the attack is thwarted by the great cat's greater bulk. Sookie is left stuck hanging onto Shade from the side, her arms and legs curled around the cat's hulking torso. She stares eye to eye. "You too big to grapple now," the girl mumbles.

Shade looks at Sookie and snuffs at her face, a strange, huffing noise coming from the cat like laughter. It remembers her scent and face. Flying girl.

Sookie just sighs. "Saaaaareeeeen," she calls petulantly in the direction of the camp. "Shade no play fair."

Saeren rises with a start, disturbed from some odd, half-dream. She pushes herself to her feet and heads towards the sounds of the disturbance. She doesn't immediately notice the obvious change in Shade. Only when she gets close enough to measure her own height against Shade's does she realize the cat has essentially doubled in size. "What on earth happened?" she asks suddenly. "What magic is this?"

"Is cheating magic," protests Sookie in a sulk. "Tell cat no cheat."

Shade's eyes turn to Saeren, and he cocks his head in the usual way. "Everyone seems smaller," the cat reflects. He does his normal greeting for Saeren, and bumps his nose against hers. He rumbles out a pur in greeting before turning to Sookie, delicately seizing her by the collar to remove her from his side.

Sookie would rather let go than rip her leather battle-dress, it seems. She dusts herself off and walks off in a huff.

Saeren looks at the huge nightsaber, her head tilting. "Just how much of the hunt did you eat, hmm?" she asks curiously. There's something in the cat's eyes that is different, though, and she finds herself staring back at the nightsaber, lost in thought. "I wonder if Kagarn might help me understand."

The shaman, for his part, is as surprised as anyone else at his first glimpse of Saeren's companion. "By the Earth Mother... I have not seen or heard of such a thing in quite some time." He reaches a hand toward Shade. "May I... come closer?" he asks, seemingly addressing the nightsaber as much as Saeren.

Shade looks to the Shaman and moves closer, bumping his head against Kagarn's outstretched hand. The cat is as friendly as ever, and as he surveys the tauren the glint of knowing shines in his eyes.

Kagarn strokes the fur briefly, looking deeply into those preternaturally knowing eyes. "You have been a good companion to Saeren," he murmurs softly. "Walk with the earth mother." He nods to Saeren. "I have heard stories, of hunters who go deep into the wilderness, and return as if they are one with nature. Such tales are rare, though. You and Shade are greatly blessed."

Saeren nods to Kagarn, "Twice blessed, in my case," says the elf. She looks off into the distance, seeing for just a moment the path of the great cat before the rays of the sun sweep away the pale light forever. "It's a strange and beautiful path we walk, isn't it?"

The walls of Stonewatch Keep loom high above the adventurers. Though the orcs keep a vigilant watch on the sky from all directions, this eastern wall is protected by a cliff stretching all the way down to the foot of the Stonewatch Falls. No army could scale this cliff without siege ladders that can be seen for miles. None but the most skilled of infiltrators could scale the cliff alone before being detected by the parapet guards. The Covenant, however, needs neither of these things to penetrate the Keep from here.

From the nearby river, Sookie has brought water. Not merely a handful, or a cupfull, or even a barrel full. A sphere of it, several feet across. And at the cliff wall, she shapes it as the river-spirit taught her. It begins to twist and turn and rotate. It does all the things that river water does when it meets the solid rock of earth. Only it does it very fast. Sookie exerts her concentration on the task, channeling the collected water into a liquid drill that will pierce the very mountain.

Kaliera brings forth and shapes the power of the Light, speaking to some of the local wildlife to find out about the other big-two-legs - the orcs - and if they ever come down here.

The local wildlife is quite wary of two-legged beings, and if it were anyone other than Kaliera, it would have been very difficult to win their trust enough to converse. It turns out, though, that the two-legs most feared in these parts are the local gnolls - and the birds, which are the only locals with enough color vision to be sure, can confirm that orcs are seldom seen here.

But it is not only the beasts and fowl that respond, as Kaliera's Light shines like a beacon. A faint, ethereal voice can be heard as if from within the very stone of the cliff. "You've got to help me..." calls the voice. "They've infiltrated the kingdom itself! They must be stopped!"

Kaliera turns to look where the voice is coming from - one that perhaps only she can hear. She takes a moment, sorting through knowledge with no other relationship in her head, and then starts to focus the Light through the pattern it gives her. The pattern resists, not being meant to be used by the Light, but she will not let it fall, or fail. Her will braces it. "Come to me," she says, reaching out one hand, palm to the sky as if holding someone's hand. "Come to me and tell me what I must know." She shudders, and begins to feel weak, and becomes pale - not used to this - but tries to use this skill: to materialize a spirit, and support it, with the power of her will and the Light.

Ghosts, it is said, are those dead souls who have unfinished business in the land of the living. This one's must have been urgent indeed, for it responds eagerly to Kaliera's summons. The spirit shimmers into Kaliera's vision: a red-bearded human, in the livery of Stormwind's guard. "What... what is this?" he says. "A second chance to stop the black dragons? Light be praised!"

Kaliera says, "Yes, a chance. Take a step forwards and come to us, so we can all hear you." She feeds more power in, to try to bring him at least to some form of visibility for the others. To anyone else watching, she's talking to someone who isn't there... or is there something glimmering there?"

Kagarn seemed to have noticed the presence as soon as it formed, but now, Kaliera is certain, the man is fully manifested, if still somewhat diaphanous. Even Sookie would be able to see him now, if she were not still busy invoking the power of the elements. "Thank you... I don't know who you are, but thank you. Stormwind... they must be warned. She must be stopped, somehow, before she destroys the whole kingdom..."

Kaliera wipes her forehead, catching her breath - the unfamiliar use of the power draining, even more than some spells she's cast. "We are the Covenant of the Grail. Who is it that must be stopped?"

"The black dragons! Their queen! She has taken human form... in the court of Stormwind..." He rubs his forehead. "I don't remember. Why don't I remember? I was trying to get out of the Burning Steppes... and then captured..."

Kaliera takes a deep breath. "You... did not escape. Your spirit stayed here, needing to tell your tale, to bring your message to someone who could carry it on. With the blessing of the Light, I was able to bring you to a place where we could all hear you and see you." She shivers, briefly. "You are a ghost, but we have your message." She searches her mind again. "I can give you a place to rest, I think, and bring you with us. When we go to Stormwind, after dealing with the orcs here, perhaps that will help you remember. But I will not compel you."

The ghost seems shaken for a moment at the news, but his mouth sets into a line. "If you want a place for me to rest, you will bring me to Stormwind. You will help me expose the black dragon queen and drive her away from my homeland. Then, perhaps I can rest." He strokes his forehead again. "You're dealing with the orcs. They're working with the black dragons too. I remember they were talking about setting a trap before... before..." His outline seems to blur for a moment.

Kaliera says, "Yes, we are. If we can take this tower, it will give room for Redridge, and let us go to Stormwind with an excellent chance of seeing the castle. There you can point out to us who is our enemy." She uses those words carefully. "And to rest, I mean... travel within me, so you can be ready when the time comes to strike.""

"It cannot be easy," Kaliera continues, "to be as you are. A soldier knows when to pause and gather strength before battle."

The man nods slowly. "There are... many orcs in this keep. They have dragons among them. A soldier, as you say, knows to pick his battles. You may be strong..." He looks up, as if seeing Sookie at her work for the first time. "You are strong. But if you could take this keep, you would march on its gates, not infiltrate from beneath."

"We do not know if there are other prisoners. We do this to find and free them, so they do not become hostages." Kaliera leans on her staff. "And while we are strong, there are many more of them than us, so we need our advantages."

"Yes. Yes, this is wise. There are other prisoners," says the soldier. "I remember that. The past few days are still clear to me, except..." He shakes his head. "They were supposed to be the bait in the trap. They are being kept in the dungeons, with every orc in the keep prepared to fight to the last on every step down."

Kaliera says, "And so," gesturing at Sookie's work, "we come in behind them, we take the prisoners and free them and arm them, and..." She shrugs. "Surprise the orcs."

The human grins toothily. "The dungeons are very defensible, at least against those who cannot walk through walls. You - we - can deal with many times our number from such a position." He bows deeply.

Kaliera returns the bow. "If you will excuse me, I must let you return to being a spirit. This is... draining for me. But we will rescue these men, and then Stormwind." And she relaxes, letting the power fade... but leaving a thread of it, so he can find her and speak to her when he needs.

Sookie has found boring to be boring. The steady erosion of the mountainside has been taxing, but she has stayed with it. Stone becomes earth; earth becomes particulate grains; the grains are washed away in the ultra-controlled violence of water's motion. Finally she emerges from the tunnel, finding her friends waiting for her. "Only a little left," she announces wearily. "We break through any time."

Saeren looks to Shade, and the cat looks almost eager. "Well, it's time for us to see just what other tricks you have hidden away, my friend." The night elf is eager, herself. This is her chance to do what she does best. "Whenever you are ready, we're going to bring those scum a big slice of pure hell."

Kaliera takes a few deep breaths. "I am... almost ready. That was very tiring." She mops her brow again.

Kagarn, like Saeren, has been able to conserve his strength. "Rest a moment, if you need it. We will do Keeshan and his friends little good if we are too tired to fight. But once you have rested, we must press on."

The war wave shifts forms, flickering from shape to shape as the night elf gets ready to fight. "We need to hit them hard, throw them into disorder, and break out swiftly," she says. "We can't get sloppy, especially when we carry such a critical secret with us."

Kaliera rises, shouldering herself. "I am ready now."

Kaliera says, "There are soldiers in there; the orcs are prepared to defend the stairs from anyone coming in through the gate. We will be coming up behind them, so we need to be careful on the last burst. Also prepare to break out of a cell in case we come though in one."

"Orcs won't stop us," affirms Sookie. "Nor dragons. We'll fight and win."