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Lacrimosa of the Naih'dorei	By : BurneHazard Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 1489 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 1-01: The Return
- 2-02: The Shadow Sanctum
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            If there was one place that he truly loathed to set foot in, the Shadow Sanctum would be it. Most of their people felt the same way and yet, it was not because of anything in particular that took place within the deeply buried lair. Duty, however, required him to seek out the cause of such unease in person. And Arontego Sorion was never one that ignored or shirked such duties. The paladin was one of few who held no qualms about getting his hands dirty.
            Pacing down the stairway, he paid particular attention to where he placed his feet. The passage itself was wide and had a ceiling high enough to easily accommodate even the mightiest of tauren. It was mostly straight with only a few columns of stone to either side. Lights were staggered along either side of the hallway so there were no solid pools of shadow yet one could see the stairs without problem.
            More magical in nature than oil lamps, the illumination made his silver and white armor glow as eerily as if it were the waters in a moonwell. Only the deep gray of his cloak and the fall of the brownish red hair caught in a warrior's knot derailed from the almost ghostly sight. He bore no visible weapon and no shield yet there was something about him that seemed dangerous all on its own. Perhaps the white-kissed light from his clear brown eyes or the way they were set into a natural glare thanks to sharply angled brows aided such a notion.
            Despite the space in the stairwell, every step brought the sharp clack of metal and hard leather on stone. It echoed yet was not deafening as if what few shadows lingered near the ceiling just absorbed the rebounding noises. Arontego sighed as he came around the last of the four curves that led the stairs deep into the earth and finally saw the door at the end. What made him frown however was the sight of two dark-armored figures standing in front of it.
            As he approached, they brought their weapons to bear, crossing them meaningfully between their bulk. He came to a halt just after the last step and looked across the remaining distance to study them. One was a heavy-set orc he personally knew was more muscle than useless weight. The other was a tauren bearing no helm. Both wielded similar two-handed axes although the orc's sported a double head.
            "None are to pass," the tauren rumbled in her deep, echoing voice.
            Arontego regarded the visible face with its unnatural blue-lit eyes. The tauren knew him well enough, he knew, but that he was among those barred made him hesitate.
            "I need to speak with Lady Darklighter," he said. "It's an important matter that cannot wait."
            The orc shifted a little and grunted. It was not an accommodating sound. Then she too spoke. "Our orders stand. Until we're told otherwise, no one gets in. That means you too, paladin."
            "Then where is your captain? I will have to speak to him."
            "He's occupied," the orc replied.
            The frown was growing. And Arontego was facing another issue. While he was not among those of his class who still despised the ebon knights for what they were, he did still struggle at times against his own instincts and reactions. He felt their taint, that twisted corruption that marked them as part of the Scourge--no matter how removed--and sought to destroy it. Taking a deep breath, he released it and began to try again.
            Something suddenly fell over them. It was nothing visible or tangible yet, the three of them stiffened. While the two guards seemed to be listening to something, Arontego felt every single sense he had go into full readiness. It was heavy, cold, dark...something unnatural with the sense of dark intent. His hands clenched, the only clue he had that they had curled into fists in the first place. A brush fell against his senses and he fought to suppress a shudder. That thing was not something he wished to have facing him as a threat.
            "You may enter, Lord Sorion," the tauren said almost softly. "The captain's been informed and is waiting for you inside."
            With that pronouncement, the thing was gone. Suddenly it seemed the air was a little easier to breathe and he felt himself taking a deeper, sharper breath of it. Alert, tense, he fought to make himself relax and brush it all away. Not that he was unfamiliar with such an event. Every time he experienced it though, it always seemed like the first time. It always did.
            "Thank you." He nodded politely to both.
            The orc snorted as she stepped aside. Her fellow guard did as well so the paladin could access the door between them. Stepping forward, he reached out only to have the barrier's latch click and the door swing open upon its own power. Arontego did not pause at this. Instead, his arm fell back to his side and he continued forward through the portal and into the room beyond. There were two more ebon guards on the inside of the doorway. They did not even bother to look at him as they stared into the room.
            After glancing at them, he chose to ignore them as well. Especially when he caught sight of the other occupants in the chamber. While the place was carved out of solid rock like any cavern might be, it was filled with shelves, tables, racks, and all other manner of furniture and tools. They were more or less just a backdrop of decoration however. In the middle of the circular space knelt a row of ebon knights with their heads bowed and shoulders hunched as if waiting for a blow.
            He stood still as the door swung closed with a soft click at his back. That was when sound seemed to return to his ears. Bubbling brews, crackling fires, cloth rustling, all a distant ambience that was rather loud really for the place. Especially the rapid and panicked breaths of the man strapped spread-eagle to the X-frame in front of the kneeling knights. Despite his panic, the human was not moving save for sudden shivers as if fighting off an onset of chills in a fever. Sweat had matted his hair to his brow and face.
            The chamber was naturally cold so for him to be drenched in sweat was odd in itself. Or, it might have been if not for the figure that was moving along the row of knights. Arontego tore his attention away from the man to look at the one he had come to speak with. He suddenly knew why the human was sweating. It was in fear--if not terror. And he had a pretty good idea why. It did not keep him from waiting to see if the proceedings would be revealed to him as the woman turned to where he could see her clearly.
            She was not overly terrifying really. Average height and build for a human, she even had a rather pretty face. That was where her humanity ended however. Her skin was an ashen white with gray shadows where the light did not strike. Charcoal stained her cheeks like tears beneath eyes that were black hollows. Only, those eyes were far from empty. Instead, darkness swirled within them to form depthless voids that would pull one's mind into them, never to release it again.
            Arontego quickly diverted his gaze as that void-bearing one met his. He knew well that a glimpse was the only safety to be had. It brought his eyes to her lips as they curved into a sinister grin. That shiver that danced down his spine only made him cease breathing for a second before he remembered to focus on that if nothing else. But her attention was already straying from him if the sense of weight lifting was any indication.
            It was. She had turned her gaze to the kneeling knights. No wonder the lot of them were hunched and had heads bowed so low. Something must have happened just before his arrival. And if his suspicions were correct, it concerned the man behind her. That one was still alive. Now that he required something to focus on, the paladin could hear the frantic racing of a heartbeat--given that breathing was the loudest sound in the chamber for the moment.
            One of the woman's hands was rising. She reached out to rest her palm lightly on the shoulder of a kneeling kal'dorei. His natural height also singled him out in the line since he was a good head above the human kneeling next to him as well as the dwarf, the orc, and the quel'dorei. The knight on the other end however was almost on the same level as far as height went.
            "You did well."
            The woman's voice was unremarkable, almost dry and rough. There was something about it however that drew Arontego's attention immediately. It was a subtle pull. He still could not peg it down or describe it as more than a whispering undertone, like someone blowing across water to form ripples.
            "Although I am personally pleased for the way you discovered and captured an infiltrator of our lands, the methods by which you went about those actions have left much to be desired."
            The kal'dorei under her hand stiffened. His dark armor clanked sharply as his head flew back. A scream left his lips as if it was torn from his throat. Yet, the knight did not move from his position. The paladin felt something happening yet it was as if a heavy veil or mist had fallen between him and that sense of power. His hand rose to his waist on instinctive reaction to grab the weapon that was not resting there.
            Even before his gauntlet clicked against his armored hip, the scream was cut off. Her hand had fallen and with it, the kal'dorei crumpled forward, barely catching himself on his hands as he gasped harshly for breath. Unconcerned, she moved on along her path, skipping the human and dwarf to pause before the orc. Reaching out, she rested her palm against the bowed and bared head of the knight.
            Her hands were elegant, with slender fingers a little longer than they should be. That was due to the tips which bore talons instead of fingernails. Those talons pricked the bald spots of the orc's scalp and pierced some of the skin there if the way he tensed was any indication. Arontego knew without risking to look that she was staring at the knight she touched. He began to move forward to approach the line, steeling himself. The orc screamed.
            "I will speak with you in a moment, Lord Sorion," her voice lanced through the air, halting the paladin just as he came within a couple feet of the rank.
            Curiously, her punishment lasted a little longer with the orc than it had with the kal'dorei. The end result was the same however as he fell forward to catch himself on his hands. His fellow in torment had managed to collect himself enough by then to try to resume kneeling on one knee. Armor scraped against stone and metal as he tried to move limbs that apparently no longer obeyed every order he gave them.
            If he was anyone else, Arontego might have dared to step in attempt to intervene since he was supposed to be the judge of any misdeeds. He knew well however that his office did not extend to whatever was transpiring here. And he really had no desire to go up against this woman again in the struggle for domain. He stayed put and managed restraint despite what his instincts were pushing him to do.
            "All of you know very well that the laws require you to inform your superiors of your discoveries before you take action. That you came to your captain only after you had captured our guest is not only disrespectful but potentially harmful. Suppose he had escaped, or that your struggle to capture him had injured another, or that someone was killed."
            The human and dwarf both hunched a little more as she turned back in their direction. However, she remained where she stood. There was that dark, chill weight again. But aside from noticing it, Arontego felt nothing directed toward him or even aimed in his direction.
            "You will report immediately to your captain's aide and re-join the drills as new recruits. From what I've seen, the reminder of just why you are here and what you are to do will benefit all of you. As for you..."
            Looking toward the one she had turned to face, Arontego finally recognized who the second taller figure was. Given the height shared with the kal'dorei, he had assumed it to be another of that race. Instead, it was the captain of these men who knelt amongst their line. Eyes widening, the paladin could only watch and try to figure out what exactly was going on.
            Her hand stroked slowly over the silver hair, petting it. Grabbing a fistful of the mane, the woman jerked the knight's head back so sharply that a crack should have been heard. Instead, the armored form jerked once then fell still. The elf had his eyes closed, face passive other than a furrow between his sharply angled brows. He had to be breathing yet he remained silent.
            Very slowly, her free hand rose. The taloned fingers curled so only one trailed along the long ear from the point to the curve of the earlobe. It was so gentle a touch that it had to be a caress how her finger followed the line of his cheek and trace the gaunt hollow left there by his undead state. Without warning, her free hand grabbed his jaw in a cruel vice that caused her talons to slice into his skin. He grimaced and his eyes snapped open as she stared down at him.
            "I should not need to remind you how to keep your forces in line, Captain. You of all people should be able to grasp just how tight a leash they need to be on. If this sort of incident ever happens again--"
            Shadow boiled from her eyes and erupted from her fingertips. It hissed and crackled against the ashen gray flesh as it expanded. Arontego found himself stepping backward as the holy Light within him exploded into a shimmering sphere around his body, seeing to shelter him from the necrotic power unleashed barely a few feet away. His own skin crawled as he swallowed in the force of the storm she had unleashed. It was far worse for the rank of knights.
            They thrashed, bodies overtaken by uncontrollable spasms as their mouths opened. No screams came, but something was happening that made the paladin shrink away. The blue lights that were in each knight's eyes were extinguished in as pain raked every single one of them to burn them with her wrath. Death came again to sink its claws into their souls--only to be tauntingly torn away as she forced the vulnerable remnants of their souls back into their bodies in a painful cycle.
            She slowly leaned in closer to the captain. Her smaller figure somehow managed to dwarf his as she held him prisoner with just her hands. It appeared that he alone was unaffected by her spell.
            "--not only will I devour what remains of their souls, I will take whatever measure I see fit from your flesh as payment for their misdeeds. Do I make myself clear?"
            Like a switch being flipped, that unholy power was sucked away, pulled back into the deceptively plain vessel that was the woman's undead body. In its wake, even the air seemed to pulse with some remembered agony at the violation. The knights crumpled like puppets with their strings severed. Gradually, light began to return to their staring eyes. Each one had their own reactions to what had been done to them but all remained sprawled on the floor where they had fallen.
            Pale, feeling a chill sweat coating his own flesh beneath his armor, Arontgo swallowed very slowly. He had faced the Scourge in Ice Crown as well as all over the world in general. Yet, he was very well aware that if he ever had to go against this particular woman alone...he would stand as much chance as a candle in a hurricane. And fear was not something he felt often in his life.
            "Yes, mistress."
            The captain's voice snapped him out of that lingering grip of fear and the paladin was actually rather shocked to see the woman tenderly stroking the minor cuts her talons had made along his jaw. Each one began to visibly close as tainted shadow licked along his skin from her fingers. Armor clanked as the tall quel'dorei shivered. His lips parted in a sudden intake of air as tendrils of that necrotic power slithered over his body beneath the imposing layers of plate and mail.
            Now the paladin swallowed for an entirely different reason as he watched the two. There was no doubt to him what this creature was doing to the ebon knight. And nor would there be any mistaking the way his body relaxed, how his head fell back naturally to bare his face and throat to her, how her hands moved to cup his face. Her fingers splayed as they slid into the long fall of his hair. Leaning in, her cold lips found his own ashen ones to place the gentlest of kisses there.
            How such a cruel being could be so gentle confounded even the worldly-experienced paladin. Yet here she was, gently stroking and holding the elf in her touch and power, kissing him like a loving goddess. And all the knight could do was shiver and writhe slowly, hips rocking in the air with want as his hands gripped his bent knee and lower thigh in attempt not to reach for her, worshiping her mouth tenderly with clear craving for more.
            Disgust warred with desire. And that last part was what finally caused Arontego to clear his throat. The sound was like an explosion in the chamber and almost made him feel a bit embarrassed. But the two figures had no immediate reaction. Instead, she gradually drew back to break the kiss as the elf attempted to follow her only to be halted by his own need for balance. Her thumbs caressed the hollows his undeath had left under his cheekbones as she straightened.
            A sound almost like a whimper came from the knight before he slowly drew his head back up under his own power. Instead of releasing him however, the woman stepped closer so her heavy robes brushed against his armor. That was apparently a signal as the captain brought his armored arms up to wrap about her hips, clinging to her as a child might cling to its mother. Only no child would ever hold its mother the way he held her.
            "Yes, Lord Sorion. I haven't forgotten your presence."
            There was a split second just before he tore his attention away from the knight that Arontego swore he saw those glowing eyes open with resentment and anger in their icy depths before he was focusing on the once-human face of the woman. He immediately dropped his gaze as he glimpsed those void-twisted eyes.
            "Lady Darklighter..."
            "Oh, yes. I still forget sometimes. Dak, if you would please?"
            Reluctantly, the knight drew back, arms falling away from her as he rose. It caused her hands to finally fall away from his face. Turning, she waved the paladin to follow her as she walked away from the prisoner still shaking in his boots and the fallen knights. The dwarf had already collected himself and was trying to get the human to sit upright. None of them looked at the paladin or their departing superiors.
            "Have a seat, Lord Sorion. The wine is a vintage to your liking and I'm certain you can use it."
            Although it was on his tongue to protest and decline, a faint brush of air making the sweat on his face even colder made him change his mind. With a polite nod, he moved to the table to take the indicated bottle up and pour some into a cup. The woman was already taking a seat in a simple but comfortable padded chair. By the time he looked up, the captain had moved behind her and was finishing with the buckles to the leather straps crisscrossing the woman's face. They bound her maddening eyes out of sight.
            "Thank you. You are safe to look about freely now, paladin."
            One of her hands moved in an idle wave. However, Arontego's attention had been drawn toward the captain. While he personally had not known Dakielivanth in life, he had come to know him in his unlife. Despite this, it was still a mystery to him why the almost eight-foot tall elf would sink down to kneel beside the woman's chair rather than take a seat himself. The only time he did not use a chair seemed to be in her presence. Then again, given the demonstration he had just witnessed, the paladin supposed it was just something between them.
            "Thank you, Lady Darklighter."
            The creature known as Tenebræ Darklighter smiled in what was likely a friendly manner. It only made her teeth clearer. Like her fingers, her mouth had its subtle differences that marked her as inhuman. Her teeth were mostly human but for the canines above and below. They--and the teeth near them--were fangs. Most Forsaken had the misfortune of having their bodies give out. Usually their joints rotted or wore away to expose the bone and their bodies were twisted through effect of death gripping them.
            She was almost like one of the dark rangers. If her skin was a different shade, her eyes whole, her hands and feet covered properly, she could so easily still be human. Only that necrotic power that embraced her like an aura even in its dormant state kept her apart. No, he decided, even if the eyes could be fooled, she would never pass for being human. There was just too much off about her.
            "So, just what is so important that you came all the way here and endured that little disciplinary session to speak to me about?" she asked.
            Despite his display of submission, Dakielivanth's gaze was keen where it also focused on him. No matter what happened, the former quel'dorei was always alert and focused. Arontego admired that most about him.
            "I've had word from one of the watchers. They've been almost too successful in keeping their lips shut."
            "Ah. So you've finally figured out what it is they've been hiding for the past few days?"
            Arontego nodded once as he took a fortifying drink of wine. She had been correct. It was his favorite and of a very good year. He made up his mind not to indulge too much however since he needed his wits about him.
            "Yes. And I even know who to blame for them being so tight-lipped."
            "Good. Well, what was their secret? I'd rather know if you require my Knights or not. That is why you're here after all, right?"
            He found himself smiling almost bitterly before shaking his head. "No, Lady. At least, not in the same capacity. It seems that..."
            Silence fell as he again turned over the news he had heard barely an hour before. Idly swirling the wine in his cup, he lifted his gaze away from it to regard the two.
            "It seems that Lord Dev'Arian is approaching."
            Before Tenebræ could say anything, before Dakielivanth could tense, before Arontego could catch his next breath, another voice intruded upon their conversation.
            "He's already here."
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Lacrimosa of the Naih'dorei