Spider webs

The scent of freshly torn grass rose in the air as Laandra crawled a little bit further, under the cover of the tick vegetation. Daria followed, moving as carefully as she had done, until they both stood flat on their bellies, the valley which nestled the ruins of Ordil'aran unfolding in front of their eyes.

And quite an activity was there, despite the twilight, Laandra thought, with a sharp breath, seeing the cottages and tents, built around a central altar in the middle of the ruins. The camp swarmed with people, again a very diverse mix, she noticed, undead, humans and even elves...Elves? that was strange, she mused, turning her head to look at Daria.

The human girl had insisted to join her on this attempt to find out more about the shadowy groups that seemed to have infested Ashenvale of late. They had spoken very little between themselves during the previous evening, even if the meal had proven to be quite an excitement. Half of Astranaar came by the Sentinels' house to join the fun and there had been some good laugh and stories being told around the fire until late after midnight...

It would have made her feel home, Laandra bitterly said to herself, hadn't it been for the secret she bore in herself...something that could not be shared with her Kaldorei friends, not even with Raene, no matter how fond of each other they had grown over the years.

Something only Daria and her knew and as their eyes met, at times, she could see in the girl's face the longing, the questions she did not dare ask in front of the others, the name her lips silently formed.

Something deep inside her being - her love, at times so sweet, at others as painful as a scorpion sting, when she remembered her own betrayal...

...when the tiny drop of fel energy crawled through her veins, pulsating in the back of her head with every fire spell she cast...

...the yearning, the desire, the loneliness she felt without him...

Only late, after the fire had turned to ashes and everyone had said good night, did Daria and her find a moment to talk alone. Night elven houses and inns were much like those Draenei themselves preferred, with not so many walls, intimacy being a rare thing.

" Ei'an?"

The entire complexity of Daria's worries and feelings wrapped up in that simple utterance.

" He's fine", she had whispered, her words covered by the rippling of the lake water behind the Sentinel house.

"Why are you here?"

" Raene asked for my help. And I..."

She found no way to explain the turn of events, the brutal manner in which she had regained her memories, the ensuing mental torment, which had harmed them both..Eireannan and herself...

" What is Ei'an doing?"

"He went to Silvermoon", Laandra answered and Daria frowned, her expression clearly revealing her confusion. Then Raene had come in and they fell silent.

Daria returned her the concerned look, as she examined the valley, packed with cultists. If they were to find out anything about their true intentions, they had at least to take a closer look at what was going around in the camp.

Raising her hand, Daria pointed to a spot behind the tents, some fifty yards away.

"If we sneak through there, we may enter the camp unnoticed. They seem to be more preoccupied around the altar."

There was not the time, nor the place for detailed plans of action. Nodding their agreement, they started to crawl towards the breech in the tree wall, careful not to cause any unusual sound. A dry twig cracked under her weight and Laandra held her breath for a few seconds, until she realized that the sound hadn't escaped the confines of the forest. Still on their elbows and knees, they rolled through the brambles until they found themselves behind one of tents.

The sudden stir of movement had drawn the attention of one of the guards. a tuggish looking human. He drew closer, sword and dagger at the ready, to investigate the noise. The moment he saw them he opened his mouth, to give the alarm, but didn't have the time to, as, moving swiftly, Daria knocked him in the chest with the hilt of her own sword. The man fell to his knees, struggling to breathe, then, pulling himself back on his legs, attempted to run for help.

" So may Light forgive us", Laandra thought, raising her hands in front of her. The blast of fire hit the human in his back and he fell on the ground with a muffled thud.

Sneaking towards the body, Daria rolled it on his back and checked him for a pulse.

"Dead for good", she muttered, expertly digging into the man's pockets and belt. Another dagger, some bandages and a handful of bronze coins was all she found.

They huddled back behind the tent and Daria, using the knife she'd taken from the man started to cut down the material, to allow them in. It took some time and Laandra felt her articulations go numb from the awkward, crouched position, so uncomfortable for her tall frame. Daria, on the other hand, seemed totally at ease - her movements swift and soundless. The tent's thick cloth finally gave up and they were able to crawl in, only to find another cultist, this time a fair haired elf that was staring at them disbelievingly.

He didn't have the time to scream either, as Daria's dagger slid into his chest, straight for the heart. He fell on the ground, limbs twitching and Laandra could barely suppress a shiver as she noticed Daria's look.

Blank, devoid of all emotion, the same Eireannan had sometimes. As if body and spirit were utterly severed from each other, connected just by some residual physiological link.

She didn't however have the time to consider her own thoughts. Bending down, she started to fumble through the pile of things that lay inside the tent, finding some more weaponry, clothing, potions and a pack of scribbled notes. In the darkness inside she couldn't make out the words or the language in which they were written. She put them into her pocket and motioned for Daria to get out. It was only a matter of time until their presence was revealed.

As they struggled to get out of the tent through the narrow cut, angered cries burst out around them.

Something hit her in her back, sending rippling waves of pain through her body. She staggered, chocking on her own scream of agony as she surrounded herself in the glimmering magic shield that absorbed the next shadowbolt, sending little sparks all around.

"Go" she whispered to Daria, that lay curled, to avoid being hit.

"I dont let ya behind".

" I told you to go..." Laandra breathed. " Now!"

Hurried steps and barked orders in the dark dispelled all doubt concerning the number of their attackers. Understanding that arguing was useless and time consuming, Daria dashed for the nearest shrub and disappeared in the shadow. Laandra felt her shield starting to wane when two more bolts hit her straight in the chest. Knowing that she was running out of time, she mentally examined the odds, while muttering some spell words under her breath.

Perched under the trees, Daria heard the rumble of the fight behind her. She resisted the urge to just run back and drop into the middle of it...she was no coward to run away like that from a bunch of blood thirsty cultists. Just when she had started to crawl back down the slope, she felt a warm hand pressing against her mouth. Her exclamation of surprise came out muffled, and then she heard Laandra's soft laughter close to her ear.

" Come on", she said. "Let's go, before they catch our trace."

"I thought..." Drawing in a sharp breath, Daria stammered with her words, as they made their way through the engulfing darkness, shrubs and thorns clinging to their clothing, leaving shallow scratches on their arms and faces. "What the hell was on your mind?"

"Sheepin'...freezin', blinkin'". Laandra smiled to the night, knowing that Daria could not see her expression, as they made it to the road and stopped to catch their breath. " Now how the hell do you imagine I survived this long?"

She felt her pocket for the roll of documents she had picked from the tent...it was quite sizable and she dearly hoped it could offer them some answers to start with. Why did she have the unsettling feeling that it was going to be a long and restless night?