Damned if I Do: Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Chapter 17: You Think This Is Your Time?

We were conveyed to Sunfury Spire with all the pomp and circumstance you’d expect from a regional superpower like the elves.

There was music, played by musicians who’d practiced their craft longer than the United States had been a nation. The dancers moved with what I would call irreplicable grace, if every step by every dancer had not been in perfect unison. Even the crowds managed to be part of the display, with richly robed mages and nobles joining the procession with their own immaculate displays of magic, music, and grace.

Unlike in Lordaeron City, we were not expected to be part of the ceremonies. Honored guests, yes, but just that. The parade was for their beloved prince, returning from his time abroad. We were just the spoils he’d brought with him.

That was fine; I was more interested in the city. It was massive, sprawling out in all directions until it took up the entire northern part of the peninsula. The streets were broad, lined with towering buildings in blue and gold. The walls were cut stone, carved with ornate patterns and manned with rangers.

The crowds, though, were not as thick as in Lordaeron.

I filed that little piece of information away for later. There wasn’t much else to do. I could talk with Jaina, but she was in full ‘smile and wave’ mode for the parade.

Soon enough, we reached the palace.

Sunfury Spire rose up above us like, well, a tower. Flanked by ancillary towers, with the banner of Quel’thalas proudly displayed, it was everything you’d expect from the palace of a king.

The only surprising bit was that we did not meet High King Anasterian that night.

A servant showed us to our rooms in a wing of one of the towers, and called Kael’thas and Sylvanas away. The humans, Prince Arthas included, were consigned to our rooms and dinner in one of the smaller halls.

Jaina and I shared a suite.

“Seems a bit rude, dumping us off here,” I said. Our bags had been taken to our rooms, so there was nothing left to do but throw myself back on the thick brocade covers, staring up at the bed curtains as animated broomsticks and candelabras flitted around to cater to our every need.

It looked like something out of Harry Potter.

“We’re to be given a day to recover from our trip.” Jaina waved her hand, and purple mage hands sprung up, sorting her belongings onto the maple desk and shelves. Those looked more like works of art than furniture, but Jaina didn’t treat them any different. I guess that’s what she was used to as quasi-royalty herself.

“Such a difficult trip.” I rolled my eyes. “We flew here.” I was barely even tired, more antsy. The stone box I’d been given was at the bottom of my pack, and my thoughts kept going back to it.

Jaina shrugged. “Elves function on a different time scale than we do.” She moved to say something else when a knock came to our door.

I perked up, shifting to a more normal citing position. “Maybe we’re doing something tonight after all?”

Jaina rolled her eyes, opening the door. We both blinked at the man on the other side.

“Apprentice Taylor, Apprentice Jaina.” Rhonin nodded his head. “May I step inside for a moment? It’s about the Mur’ozond incident.”

Jaina glanced over her shoulder at me. I shrugged. “I told you everything I knew already. If Rhonin knows more…”

“Know is a strong word.” He shrugged. “I have suppositions at best.”

I waved for Jaina to let him in. “I’ve done some of my best work based on suppositions.”

Rhonin gave a laugh. The sound was warm and kind. Really, the more time I spent with him, the more I understood why Vereesa Windrunner was so head over heels for the man. He was just a good person.

That jawline didn’t hurt, either.

“You’ll make a fine mage then,” Rhonin said. “In any case, it keeps coming back to the name.” He flicked his fingers, spelling Mur’ozond in the air with glowing purple letters.

“I thought it was clearly a fake name.” I tilted my head. “Calia had the harbor office checked, and Kael’thas said that he’d never met an elf of that name.” Which, of course, wasn’t the same as going to a national registry or something, but you’d assume the Sunstrider prince would know of any of his people who was such a powerful mage.

“Perhaps it is, but not in the way we first assumed.” Rhonin rubbed his chin. “It’s not easy to explain, hmm, but what do you know of the Dragonflights?”

“Dragons?” I blinked, turning towards Jaina. “There are Dragons here? Why didn’t you tell me? How has this not come up?”

Never mind that I’d never had the best relationship with dragons and their offspring, how could there be dragons in this world but nobody told me about them?

Jaina had the decency to look a little sheepish. “Well… not much is known about them. They’re very secretive, and tend to keep to themselves. Occasionally, in times of great need, they appear, but for the most part they leave the mortal races to their own affairs.”

I sighed. “So just another one of those ‘everybody knows’ things, huh?”

“Not quite?” Jaina shrugged helplessly. “To many, Dragons are nothing more than a myth, but we have concrete proof of their existence, in fact…”

“You are looking at one piece of that proof,” Rhonin cut in, ruffling the back of his long red hair. “I’ve interacted with the dragonflights perhaps more than any human alive.” He gave a bark of laughter. “It’s almost like they follow me around, which is why I thought of this.”

He waved his hand through the name Mur’ozond, and the letters rearranged themselves into another, equally random name.

“Nozdormu?” I blinked. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

“It would if you’d met the Bronze dragonflight.” Rhonin said. “From what I, and the College of Dalaran, know, each of the dragonflights embody a particular concept and draw their abilities from it.” He gave a self-effacing chuckle. “Powers beyond being giant, fire-breathing lizards.”

“And Bronze is?” I asked.

“The Bronze dragonflight holds domain over time, and Nozdormu is the head of that dragonflight. Or Mur’ozond, perhaps, if he wanted to disguise himself.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s a lot to assume off of an anagram.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps so, but it is my best guess. Also, may I see the case?”

I reached over, pulling it out of my bag. He ran his fingers over the surface. “Sandstone.”

I blinked. “Like the sands of time?”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Still a tenuous connection, but from my experience, this is exactly how the Bronze dragonflight acts: subtle nudges, minor adjustments that play out over years or even decades.” He waved a hand. “All of this to say that, if I’m correct, that case is probably not only critically important, but also something uniquely suited to help us all in this endeavor.”

“How do you figure?” I asked.

“Why else would a being that controls time go out of his way to give it to you?” Rhonin shrugged. “I can’t see a reason, other than it being needed.”

“Got it.” I bounced the stone box on my palms. If that was true, then it only gave more support to my idea that I’d need both Light and Void to open it. If this Nozdormu—or Mur’ozond if he preferred—was giving me a critical tool for saving the Alliance, it would only make sense that he’d lock it behind my own future skill set. “I’ll try to crack it again when I have the time.” I blinked. “Now that you mention it, he did say something weird about time, back in the store.”

“Time does allow you to control fate, if you have enough of it.” Rhonin nodded. “It was that which put me on this line of thought in the first place.”

“It certainly tracks,” Jaina said. “Still, Taylor, didn’t that almost blow up Kael’thas’ carriage?”

“I was doing it wrong,” I said. “I have a better idea.”

“In that case—”

“Rhonin!” The three of us looked up as the door was unceremoniously thrown open by a high elven ranger. “There you are. I can’t believe you made me track you down.”

“Vereesa?” Rhonin blinked. “I told you I had something to take care of, and I’d find you after dinner.”

“And now it’s after dinner.” She strode forward, grasping his wrist. “Come, we can’t be late for our appointment at the Duskglow spa.” She turned towards both of us, offering a short nod. “Apprentices.”

“…Ranger,” I managed.

“Vereesa wait, I wasn’t finished—“ Rhonin waved his free arm frantically as his wife all but dragged him out of the room. “Apprentice Taylor! If you discover anything, then—”

The door slammed shut.

I turned towards Jaina. “You were saying something about elves and different time spans?” I pointed my hand to the door. “If anything, she seems to be the one who’s constantly racing ahead.”

“Oh go back to your magic box.” Jaina sniffed. “If anything, that should only illustrate my point. She’s so desperate to spend time with him because we are a short-lived race, compared to the elves. Though, powerful archmages do tend to live much longer…”

“Oh I see.” I nodded. “The elves here to don’t care about us unless we’re having sex with them.”

“Taylor.” She slapped my arm. “Don’t say things like that. Besides, it’s clear that there’s a difference. We will all still be here tomorrow, so there’s hardly any reason to rush ahead.” She canted her head towards the door. “They are frantically in love, and Vereesa knows that she only has a finite amount of time with him.” She sighed. “Can you blame her for wanting to fill every waking moment with memories of her love? It’s so romantic.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Kind of like falling in love with your dog.”

She slapped my arm again. “Go back to your magic box.”

“You’ve said that already.” I raised an eyebrow. “Running out of new material?”

She huffed. “Running out of patience for your impenetrable nihilism.” She shucked her outer robe off, going over the clothes she’d just now sorted from her bags into the ornate bureau. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get dressed.”

“Plans? Don’t tell me you’re going to a spa as well?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed. “Arthas and I plan to take a walk through the spire gardens; apparently there are species of flower here that no longer grow anywhere else in the world. “

“Speaking of romantic,” I said.

“And what about you and Kael’thas?” Jaina asked archly. “No, don’t answer that, it will just depress me.”

I tilted my head. “What about me and the other blond prince madly in love with you?”

“I was right.” Jaina ran a hand down her face as she changed into a silk dress. “It does depress me. I even realized that you didn’t realize it, and yet here I am asking.”

“Jaina, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I rolled my eyes. “But if you’re somehow trying to intimate that Kael’thas is into me, you need to get your eyes checked.”

She gave me a look, before drawing herself upright, cinching the dress shut around her trim waist. “Whatever you say, Taylor.” She turned, gathering a handful of her own blond locks. “Help me with my hair?”

“I thought I was supposed to go play with my magic box?”

Jaina threw a comb at me.

I laughed, easily ducking out of the way. Those dagger lessons I’d taken nearly a month ago in Dalaran were finally paying dividends. “Alright, alright, here. Sit down on this chair that probably costs more than the entire city of Dalaran.”

Jaina paused. “I’d say something about that, but it really is a quite nice chair, isn’t it?”

“Bet it’s enchanted for comfort and temperature control as well,” I said.

“A fool’s wager.” Jaina sat down. “Oh.” She pressed her back deeper into the chair. “It has a massage enchantment too.”