[Skaedi]

The wind blowing through Dalaran carried the promise of spring to come and the last sharp bite of winter. For this last reason, Skaedi was very glad The Filthy Animal kept its fireplace roaring.

“What kind of magic are we going to be doing?” Anna asked. Perched on several thick black furs and dressed in the white robes she favored, hands cupped around a mug of peacebloom tea, to Skaedi the Forsaken priest looked like an exquisite, fragile doll – something to be set on a shelf and admired. Skaedi refilled her own barely-touched tea to hide a smile.

“What kind do you want?” Skaedi had her own ideas, but she wanted to hear from the other two members of their coven. It would be interesting to see how they worked as a group – or if they could.

“I’d like to have visions… spy on people and places far away.” Her mother had had a tool for that, a pool of quicksilver. Skaedi couldn't put a number to the times her hand had been snatched back from its surface as a child. Anna nodded approvingly to Skaedi's idea before adding, “That sounds all well and good. I think a more useful purpose would be to send curses from a distance.”

Znort laughed, dipping a piece of flatbread into her kettle of beans. “I like the sound of that! Catch them in the raw, no warning! With their lover or squatting!" She grinned at the thought, firelight glinting on her tusks.

Anna briefly looked at Znort with amusement and turned her attention back to Skaedi.

“A magic mirror? They’re useful for scrying. It shouldn’t be too difficult to use them for more active magic.” Skaedi stirred honey into her tea. “There’s other ways to send curses, you know. Poppets. Or flowers.”

"FEH! Flowers are a curse!" Znort started ticking off fingers, speaking as she chewed. "They have no purpose, they crawl up out of the dirt and draw bees; they look stupid, they stink, they make me sneeze..." She stopped, realizing that she had run out of fingers unless she put down her flatbread. "I could go on, but there is no point. Flowers are disgusting. They are weak and they are useless. Now... poppets, oh yes, the trolls are good at that I hear. Link the poppet with you enemy, then take the poppet apart, oh, yesss!" She laughed, casting a fine spray of beans back into the cook pot.

The corners of Anna’s mouth tightened before she spoke. She looked down as she addressed the coven in an attempt to distort her emotion. “Flower magic? It sounds like druid nonsense. A mirror delivering curses and hexes sounds far more practical than using dirty plants.”

“No, really, “Skaedi insisted. “Some of the old human kingdoms had a whole symbolic language for flowers: -- ‘love unrequited’ ‘I am lost without you’, that kind of thing.”

“Roses for love, obviously,” Anna pointed out. She speared a wedge of goat cheese between with the cheese knife, stole one of Znort’s flatbreads and spread the cheese over it in swirling designs.

Skaedi nodded. “Different roses have different meanings. Yellow roses mean jealousy, white roses, purity.”

“For SOME of us, purity is a curse.” Znort glared slyly at Anna.

Anna looked dryly at Znort. She continued to stare at the orc as she spoke in hopes of unnerving her. Anna had found an unblinking stare from the dead can make the most stout of the living squeamish. “I was not convinced the flowers were a very good idea. I confess I am now intrigued.”


“The mirror will take a lot of work. I think glass or obsidian would be best, but even silver painted with black enamel would work. The stand for it, the mirror itself…hmm. Neither of us are that level of crafters.”

“Hire out?” Znort sounded half-approving, half-scandalized."Hmm. Peons are too crude and lazy. Mechanics are expensive. They are both untrustworthy. Well, everyone is untrustworthy when you get down to it..." She paused, looking back and forth between Anna and Skaedi. She tried to make her small maroon eyes big and round. "Well, except for you two, of course. You know what I mean." She waved her flatbread around dismissively, dotting the floor and the furs with beans and bits of fat. "Anyway, we are too refined for mundane, physical work. It has to be done by menials." She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and softly belched.

But not too refined for a napkins, Skaedi thought as she wiped at her dress with a hand-towel she’d brought on impulse from Snowshadow. Or maybe bibs.

“We’ll have to. I’ll draw up the specifications and post them around. We can even appeal to Alliance --

Znort and Anna both made sounds of disgust.

“Come, now, if that’s where we find the best work, why not?”

“Double-cross,” Anna muttered.

“We can take steps against it. And I’ll foot the bill for materials and pay.”

“You better,” Znort mumbled through a mouthful of beans. “You’re the only one of us with serious money. “ And Anna's right. Double cross indeed. Perhaps we can kill them after the work is done? Save the money?”

Skaeid shook her head. “Not unless they try something against us first. What if we need more work done later on? No matter who it is, I’d like to build up a professional relationship if possible.” She took a drink of her tea, frowning in thought. “Besides, craftsmen just up and disappearing would be noticed.”

“You haven’t told us your own personal interest, “Anna said.

“I found notes on an old herb called moly,” Skaedi leaned forward. “It can stop shape-changing and dispel illusion. I want to experiment with it on a worgen.”

Znort tittered. Anna sipped her tea, looking thoughtful. “Magic mirror and flowers. I think we’re going to be busy.”

[Skaedi]

(( A plan envelope. Inside, on tan parchment in a green-gold ink, is a letter)

Ladies, I think I've found the method to create Anna's mirror!

First off, after looking over all the sources, I believe it's going to take a full moon cycle. The actual making of the mirror, and its charging, should be on the new moon. But the materiel we need can be gathered before then.

Okay, the basics are this:

The mirror itself can be glass or quartz crystal. In either case, it has to be PERFECTLY CLEAR, and nine-sided. I don't think any of us have the skill to make glass or cut gems that way, so we'll have to find a source. WHich leads me to the frame!

Silver, of course, the moons' metal. There's going to be a wooden frame around that, too, to serve as a small 'table' for the mirror, so Anna can move it and set it up. Gems need to be set in the silver. Pearls, moonstones (of course) and opals are the most recommended. Jade, too. Anna, which do you prefer?

There's a ritual to charge the mirror after it's made. Part of the ritual requires reagents are powdered items associated with the moon -- plants, more gems, silver of course, even mother of pearl! We can talk about the actual ritual as we get closer to the time to make the mirror. Right now, the first task is finding people to help with the glass and the frame.

Hope to see you both again soon!

--- Skaedi


((A letter sent to Skaedi in a plain envelope, on buff parchment written in black ink))

I wish for the mirror to fit in an envelope for mailing. It already sounds as if it is going to be too large.

My first choice is we mail it to someone, watch them open it and see if the curse works.

Second option is we test the mirror on you or Znort. I have already died once, it's not fair to risk me for a second time.

The last option is to capture some random Horde or Alliance, taking them prisoner only long enough to test the mirror on them. It's in the name of magic, I don't think that breaks any real laws.

-Anna

[Skaedi]

The Filthy Animal’s return to status as a sanctuary for the Horde in Dalaran had come with several steel-strong strings attached. Foremost was the impeccable behavior of those members of the Horde who ventured back to Dalaran. Secondly, certain standards imposed by the Kirin Tor had to be met by the inn itself.

One of those standards was a bi-yearly cleaning and inspection of its kitchens.

For this reason, perhaps, The Filthy Animal was deserted save for a handful of staff tasked carrying out the cleaning; the Kirin Tor graciously refrained from installing overseers in this first circumstance. Knowing the Horde’s honor, their livelihood (and possibly their lives) depended on giving the Kirin Tor no reason to ever have their work overseen, said staff had eyes and ears only for their work.

Or so Skaedi hoped. This meeting of Dark of the Moon might prove a little more lively than the last.

“What’s this?” Znort’s sneering, sweeping gesture took in the covered brazier and pots, the platters, pitchers, mugs and cushions arranged on the second floor of The Filthy Animal, but her gaze was fixed on one platter in particular. “Why are we here?”

“It’s lunch, and because they’re cleaning,” Skaedi said. “Have a seat, Znort.”

Znort made a murmur of disgust and cocked a fist on her hip. “It looks like humanfodder.”

“It’s from the Legerdemain.”

“This is rather good.. whatever it is.” Anna dipped the leg of her gingerbread-man-shaped piece of flatbread in her own personal bowl of fondue. “Whatever it is. Alterac Swiss, maybe. The screens are a nice touch. Only good thing to come out of Pandaria.”

“Dabu.” Znort plunked down across from Skaedi, maroon eyes flicking from the others to the platter that first caught her attention. “You said something about the mirror .. `and what are these things?”

“Chicken salad sandwiches, and yes, we do need to talk about the mirror.” Anna stirred, lookingLooking mesmerized by the living she has found herself in league with. “Why so much fuss over sustenance? It all pretty much tastes the same to me.”

“Chicken salad?” Znort repeated incredulously. “Where are all the leaves and bark and crap if it is a salad? And how can you call chicken a salad? Is it that in that grub colored paste?”

“No lettuce.” Skaedi took one and set it on her own plate. “Chopped chicken breast, minced vegetable relish mixed together with some dressing-sauce. They’re not bad.”

Znort’s expression remained skeptical, but she picked up a sandwich between two fingers like she was picking up a beetle. “Huh. And soup?” She dug a gnarled horn spoon from within her rags and extended it towards the pot on the cover brazier.

“Fondue,” Anna said.

Skaedi hurriedly dipped another bowl and handed it to the orc. “I like you, Znort, but not enough to eat your spit.”

Znort threw back her head and laughed. The bone and tooth fetishes stitched onto her ragged <snip> leathers rattled; Skaedi wondered if the orc had made them. “Oh, very well. I bow to your blood elfin sensitivies.” She tossed off a mocking salute with a wink. Skaedi blew a raspberry at her, making Znort laugh more.

Anna sighed loudly and heavily. “If we could focus on my mirror…?”

“Yes.” Skaedi passed Znort a mug of beer, poured juice for herself. She wanted to keep a clear head. “I’m sorry, Anna, but it can’t be mailed.”

Anna glared angrily. “My intentions all along were to curse the mirror.”

“The elf has the right of it,” Znort said around a mouthful of sandwich. She swallowed, making a face, but took another bite which she washed down with a swig of beer. “Too noticeable. Memorable. Flowers? Common as the dirt from which they crawl. And for some reason, gifts of gaudy weeds seem to make many people stupid.Won’t attract a second look or rouse curiosity.”

“We can still use the mirror to observe the effect of the flower-curse,” Skaedi hastened to reassure Anna. “Which we couldn’t do if we mailed the mirror anyway!”

Anna narrowed her glare such that only a faint yellow glow can be seen from her eyes before surrendering to logic. “I suppose this makes more sense.”

Skaedi tore off a chunk of her own sandwich. “I heard from a group interested in working for us on the mirror. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to meet with them for a while. They have problems of their own.”

Anna waved her hand dismissively “If they are not dead, they do not have problems. They are stalling.”

Znort growled through a mass of half chewed chicken salad, "Whah yoo dem deh? 'Ah?" She gulped and swallowed audibly. "Peons are almost as common as weeds. Surely we can find some others who will hop to it."

“And, we have someone to play peon, as Znort put it, and serve as a bodyguard. A death knight. She wasn’t doing anything else, so she said.” Skaedi shrugged, chewing. “I can send her to fetch the best obsidian from Molten Core. Now, as for a curse to start…how about dropsy?”

“What’s that?” Znort, smacking, reached for a second sandwich.

“Disease that makes you clumsy, drop things. It affects your motor skills. There’s no way it could be mistaken for a cold or other seasonal illness, which Anna had stressed she wanted.”
Znort sniggered and ripped the sandwich in half and dipped it in her bowl of fondue. “Huh. Another human thing. Human food, human manners, human disease…. You’re taking all your ideas from them!” She lifted the morsel to her mouth, leaving strings and drips of melted cheese along the way.

“Well, then, where are your ideas?” Skaedi shot back.

“Something mailable,” Anna added, biting off the head of her cracker-man. “If you can.”

Znort’s eyes went to slits, her lips pulled back in a growl. Then, like ripples over water, surprise settled on her features. Her lips pursed and she stirred her fondue with the remaining half of her sandwich, making no reply.

“When do expect to meet with these crafters?” Anna asked.

“From what their spokeswoman said, not for a couple weeks, at least.” Skaedi lowered her voice. “And not here. Eastern Kingdoms.”

“They sound like they could also be a ways of earning some extra coin, if we wanted, through trading. Draenor has made everything savage fashionable.” Znort shot Skaedi a look she couldn’t interpret; she decided to let it pass.

“Yes, but who are they?” Anna pressed. She held out a mug for Skaedi to fill. “That lovely red juice, please. What is it?”

“Pomegranate.” Skaedi added, with deliberate casualness, “Dark Irons.”

Znort cursed, and turned to licking cheese off of her hands and fingers.

“They’re the first I’ve heard from,” Skaedi said defensively. “No one in the Horde is interested! And it took some time to hear back from these Dark Irons as it was. If we want this mirror, they may be our best shot.”

Znort appeared focused on her food, flicking a sullen glance at either of them now and again, but otherwise saying nothing .

Let her sulk. “Oh!” Skaedi grinned at the others. “By the way, I think I found another prospective coven member. A priest I met in Undercity archives while doing some research. Her name’s Datura. We got talking while waiting for the archivist to come back with books for both of us. Turns out we wanted the same one. “

“What did you do?” Znort asked, though she sounded a little preoccupied.

“Dueled for it.”

“In the archives?” Anna sounded faintly aghast.

“No, the upper courtyard. It was a draw. She asked about some spells I used, that led to a discussion about magic in general… I think she’d be a good fit. I’d like you two to meet her.”

"A priest, eh? You Blood Elves are so clannish." Znort muttered. Anna sighed lightly. “I would have prefered a mage, but none the less I would meet this priest of yours.”

The luncheon-cum-meeting wound down, gossip and idle (and sometimes not so idle) teasing taking the place of business talk. Until the very end, when Znort, having eaten the last of the sandwiches, sucked the crumbs from her hands and asked Skaedi, “You say everything savage is in fashion. Including jewelry?”

At Skaedi’s nod, Znort grinned and preened. “Then I’ve necklaces in mind those Silvermoon fops will die for. Truly.”

[Skaedi]

The inn at Snowshadow had three levels. The first two were for garrison staff. The third was reserved soley for its commander.

The day before Skaedi had ordered the third floor scrubbed spotless, despite it never having yet seen its designated use, as part of the over-all readying of the garrison. The Horde banners hanging from the walls were new, any having shown the slightest sign of wear replaced. The pathways were cleared of snow and other debris; the braziers filled with fresh coals. The skull of the gronn hung over the Great Hall’s doorway was polished and decorated with steel chains from its fangs. Uniforms were ordered cleaned and repaired, and everyone required to bathe, whether they needed it or not.

One of the troll sergeants, more curious than his fellows, asked which Horde dignitary was visiting.

“None,” Skaedi answered absently, watching a trio of peons raise the front gate’s banner. “A friend’s coming over.”

Now, as Skaedi led Anna from Snowshadow’s gates to the inn, she hoped the Forsaken woman would find everything to her liking. She paused just inside to grab a bottle of the Dalaran wine Anna favored and two glasses, casually returning the bartender’s salute. “Thanks, Glift.”

The goblin bobbed his head. “Rest is upstairs, Commander.”

“Excellent.”

“How many flights are there?” Anna asked as they reached the second landing.

“Just one more.”

“Hmph. There had better be plenty of cushions at the end.”

Skaedi laughed. “I think there’ll be.”

The stairs ending in an ornate ironwood door. Skaedi produced a key ring from within her coat, selected a key and unlocked the door. She pushed it open, waiting for Anna to go in first, and closed the door behind her.

“What do you think?” she asked, unable to keep up her pretense of nonchalance. She watched Anna turn slowly from side to side, and tried to see through her eyes. The couches and tables of varying sizes; the book cases made from oak and teak, all brought from Silvermoon; the ‘breakfast nook’ with its pot-belly stove and small dining table, just made for three; the fire place in the south; the roll-top desk; the hanging crystal lamps ; the cushions of silk and mageweave and fur in all colors and sizes, collected in groups. The two closed doors to the right and the one to the left.

“You keep a very orderly garrison,” Anna said at last. “And you were right. There certainly are cushions here.” She sank down onto a pile heaped around the central table. Relieved, Skaedi set the wine and glasses on the table, then shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the coat tree. She held out her hands for Anna’s jacket, and the Forsaken passed it over with a little nod.

“The best-looking one, at any rate.” She filled the glasses, then went to the desk. After a few moments of poking through the pigeon-holes, she returned to the table with a large black velvet bag, a square of white silk, a stack of parchment and two mechanoquillls.

“Everything in these lands looks as if it were carved from rocks or trees…” Anna took a drink of wine, turning her head to watch a magical book carousel change direction.

“Well…it pretty much was. At least as far as the orcs are concerned.The arrakoa and the draenei have different stuff. ”

“I have not bothered to get to know the former. Just the primitive orcs, thus far.”

“I like the arrakoa,”Skaedi said. She moved her glass aside, laying out the white silk.

“Your kind rides birds if I am not mistaken. I wonder how you resist putting saddles on them?” Anna chuckled quietly.

Skaedi echoed her laughter. “Our hawkstriders don’t talk! Anyway…” She paused to sip her wine, then take another; it was new, and she’d not drunk it before. Pretty good, she decided.
“You know how you liked the idea of dropsy, as a curse? Hearing Znort complain about her garrison staff gave me an idea for something to add to that. Something to really irritate them. Piles!”

Anna looked at her blankly.

“Like… hemorrhoids.”

Anna glared at her angrily over her glass. “And which of us is going to checking to see if that curse works?”

“None of us! We’ll be watching through the mirror, remember. “ At Anna’s look of relief, she added, “Or I can have Helandia disguise herself as a healer and check on them.”

“Yes, use the demon!”

Skaedi drank again, refilled Anna’s glass. “If we have to. In any case, I managed to find flowers that we don’t need to reverse their meanings for, this time.” She moved her glass and the wine bottle away from the silk cloth, opening up the black silk bag and taking out several specimens. She laid them on the white silk, holding up the last – a stem of white, bell-like flowers.

“Enchanter’s nightshade, to hold the magic.”

Anna quickly grabbed a piece of parchment and a mechanoquill and began writing. Skaedi pointed to a vivid, orange-pink flower, shaped like a many-petalled starburst.

“Next, mesembryanthemum.” Skaedi set it down and held up a blue flower.”

“Anemone, for sickness.” She paused, waiting for Anna to finish writing. The Forsaken’s head was bent over her parchment.

“Mmm…” Anna looked up expectantly, tapping the mechanoquill. “And the last one, there?”

Skaedi twirled it between her fingers – a round, yellow flower. “Tansy, for war.” She placed it at the end of the line. “Use a pentacle drawn on the table or bench – wherever you’re working – as the base for the enchantment. Name each flower for what you want it to do. Save the enchnater’s nightshade for last. Start with the tansy. ‘I declare my war against whoever holds these flowers’ – something like that.”

Anna nodded with more enthusiasm than Skaedi had seen from her yet. “I will start experimenting immediately. I hope to begin live trials by the end of the week.”

Skaedi smiled, mostly in approval, partly in relief that Anna found the flowers a worthy idea. “Excellent!” She returned the flowers to the pouch and set it in front of Anna. “I have contractors for the mirror parts. I heard from them – they had difficulties, and are offering additional material as an apology. I think I’ll ask for more obsidian. ”

“I will use orc and human ‘volunteers’. As many as I can find,” Anna said, as Skaedi hadn’t spoken at all. Skaedi watched her tuck the silk bag inside her belt, still making notes.

“You know… “Skaedi said at last, “if you want to experiment with reversing a flower’s meaning, the easiest one is love. Lots of flowers that have something to do with love. Or friendship.”

Anna sighed. “I will see what I can do.”

“Oh, you don’t have to!”

“Good,” Anna said. “I don’t see how this would benefit us?”

“Oh, it wouldn’t, really. But if there was someone you wanted to get back at …” Skaedi shrugged, pushing the thought of Alfirin away. Darethy’s business was no longer hers…and besides she didn’t hold anything against Alfirin.

Anna chuckled. “By making them fall in love with a goat?”

“Or out of love with someone. Or making a man impotent…” She topped off her wine.

Anna’s eyes widened. “That sounds more interesting!” She scribbled on her parchment. “Anti-love spell. Brilliant.”

“I can send you a list of flowers associated with love. Roses, of course. But their meaning varies with their color. Yellow roses mean jealousy, love fading.”

Anna nodded, rolling up her parchment. “I will find an idea location in the Eastern Kingdom today.” She paused, hand at her belt. “You haven’t told anyone of this, have you? The … umm… experiments… may be seen as criminal in some eyes.”

“No. Just us.”

“Good.”

Skaedi waved a hand. “People gut each other in bar fights. Try to torture someone over an argument. What we’re doing is nowhere near as petty.”

Anna nodded. “I do not want the Horde – or worse, the Apothecary – sticking their nose in my business.”

“They won’t.” Skaedi tapped the tabletop. “I am the law in Snowshadow.” Nothing – not material, not information – left the garrison without her knowledge or say-so.

“They would probably imprison me and steal my work.”

“They won’t! I won’t let them. No one’s touching us. Ever.” She would make sure of it. Life under Hellscream’s rule had taught her hard lessons. “

“I would like you and Znort there when I bring in the live subjects, if you’re not opposed to moving the meeting away from Dalaran.”

“Sure. There’s no issue with that. And we should have the mirror by then.”

Anna pursed her lips, topping off her glass yet again. “The priest…she will return?”

“She will,” Skaedi said. “Datura’s been drafted to help on some battlefronts. I tried to pull strings, but…”She shrugged. “The Horde will be the Horde. If I make too much noise, I could rally suspicion.”

Anna hmphed, her eyes flaring brilliant gold for a moment. “Dark Lady forbid! I won’t let this insufferable war stop me.” She grinned at Skaedi, who grinned back.

“If by some chance we don’t have the mirror by the time you have your test subjects, there’s always Helandia. I’ve learned to use Kilrogg’s Eye linked to her to show others what I see. Useful, but it can’t do what your mirror will be able to do.”

“Interesting… another way to avoid suspicion. I approve.” Anna raised her glass in salute. “My subjects will be bound nice and snug. Should they survive, they will be paid handsomely.”

Skaedi laughed at her mind’s image of confused, groggy humans and orcs laden with bags of gold as Anna waved them off benignly. “That should take care of people believing them, eh?”

“So I hope.” Anna drained her glass, sighed and pushed back from the table. “After this round of experiments, I will move my lab. Of course, first I have to find a current lab. Which means leaving all these lovely cushions.” She picked up her staff and affixed to her cloak-clasp.

Skaedi rose, escorting her down stairs. “Take care, Anna.”

Anna smiled, her eyes flaring again in what Skaedi liked to imagine was affection. “You as well, coven-sister.” The Forsaken pulled herself to her full, short height, standing straight. Her voice took on the overdone menacing tones of an opera villain.”None will find me! I will leave no trace.”

She mimed twirling a mustache.

Skaedi’s laughter followed her out Snowshadow’s front gate.

[Madanna]

-ANNA-

Not much is know about the Forsaken priest named Anna. There are a few known facts she is unable to hide. She is usually referred to as Mad-Anna due to her quick temper. Generally choosing to use her tongue rather than a weapons or magic to express her outrage at any given subject. She has always refused to dabble in any shadow magic. She fully believes that the Light is the only reason she still walks among the living.
Her appetite for food is nearly non existent, however, she does enjoy strong drinks. Openly claiming the stronger they are the better chance she has to actually taste them.
Anna spends the start of everyday rubbing expensive elvish oils on her face and skin. She always carries a bag dedicated to beauty supplies in a desperate attempt to keep whats left of herself well maintained. Her appearance has always been very important to her. Finding that damned S.E.L.F.I.E. camera was one of the worst things that has ever happened to her.

Anna belongs to a coven <Dark of the Moon>. This is her first experience as an equal member in any type organization. Up to this point she has always been the “forgotten one” in any guild or order which held her name on the roster. She is uncertain how she feels with all this new found attention and responsibility. The recent work she has been doing for herself and the coven has consumed most of her days. Anna has had little time to dwell on her newly discovered popularity or how she actually feels about it.

Over the past few months Anna has set up several secret laboratories across the Eastern Kingdom for live test subjects. When a lab is discovered, she kills any living subjects and burns the labs to the ground for fear of prosecution by the authorities of either faction. Her most recent laboratory is on a secluded island high in the Tirisfal mountains. To her relief, no explorers or passerbys have stumbled across it yet. It is her longest standing lab and is home to one of her favorite test subjects to date.



Anna’s two subjects on the island are a male Orc and Human. Both of which have been kept unrestrained and free to move about the small island laboratory. Unbeknownst to the subjects she spends hours observing them from a distance through a looking glass. She keeps pages of detailed notes of their actions and behaviors after she finishes the daily experiments.



Experiment day ! Anna arrives at the island and is greeted coldly by her subjects.
They stand side by side in front of their shared tent with their arms folded across their chests glaring at Anna as a unified front.
“Now boys, I brought you fresh food and water, that is no way to greet me.”
She tosses a bag of supplies at their feet and the two refuse to acknowledge it.
“You ungrateful living! Pick that up and put it away!”
She points directly at the stone faced Orc and raises her voice
“I blame you for this number seven! You are a bad influence on the human.”

The Orc sharply yells back at Anna “This was not what I signed up for! You told me this would only take a few days and I would be paid handsomely! It has been weeks and I have not seen a single copper!
The Orc angrily kicks the bag of supplies into the water
“We are trapped here! The cliffs are to steep for us to climb down!”
The human darts to the supplies to rescue them from the water as the Orc continues to rant
“I am a horde citizen you rotten bitch! You shove one more of your shit potions or flowers in my face and I will break your arms off and use them to scratch my back!”

Anna narrows her eyes looking at the Orc with disgust “Your services are no longer required.”
She raises a glowing hand into the air and dispatches the unruly Orc quickly with a fatal holy fire spell.



Anna stands motionless staring angrily at her handy work. She starts to ponder the best possible way to dispose of the orcs body. She can not chance it being discovered. The human takes advantage of Anna’s distraction leaping towards her landing a perfect blow to her face. Anna falls backwards landing on her back unconscious.



The human is astounded at how easily Anna goes down. He instinctively puts his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse. He chuckles at himself and shakes his head
“I am glad no one was around to see me do that.”
He grabs some nearby rope and begins binding Anna
“A shame you killed that Orc lady, I kinda liked the chap. Kept his half of the tent surprisingly clean!”
The human finishes securing Anna to the lone tree on the island and scratches his head in a perplexed manner. “Now how in the blue hell am I going to get home without your help Lady?
I am not even sure how you got the two of us up here.”

Anna moans and the human rushes to her side kneeling down beside her to gently swat her cheeks with his fingers “Wakey wakey dead lady.”



Anna spits what she hopes is blood from her mouth and yells at the human “Release me at once and I will forgive this little mishap!”

The human pats Anna on the shoulder and stands up “I don’t think so lady, you were pretty quick to annihilate my green friend after a few harsh words. After decking you, I can only imagine what you would do with me!”

Anna simply glares at the human while pondering her situation.

“I see the wheels turning in that pretty dead head of yours...let me tell you what I have come up with...”

Anna looks concerned.

“The bags of strange flowers and potions you carry with you are they already enchanted, or do you do that when you mix them for us?”

Anna stares at the human blankly, trying not to give him any insight on his question.

“Alright, your going to be difficult, I am fine with that. Here me forsaken, I have felt the effects of your potions for weeks. I have been sick to the point of death. I have loved and hated you with all my heart. Also, once I thought I was a murloc for an entire week. That was my favorite. The Orc kept throwing me into the water and laughing at me. I remember the antidotes you gave me are in the netherweave bag you carry.”

He opens the netherweave bag and begins throwing and shattering the bottles against a rock.

“We wont be needing any of these.”

Anna barks at the man “Stop it! I make those when I make the potions! I can not duplicate the antidotes without the original work!”

He laughs as he tosses the last bottle from the bag against the rock “Like I said, we wont be needing any of these.”

He opens Anna’s large bag of flowers and experimental potions looking genuinely confused by its continents.
“Ooooh Lady, you did not label any of these things. This is going to be a bit tricky!”
He pulls a vial of glowing green potion out of the bag first and holds it up to Anna
“Whats this one do?”

Anna smirks “Why don’t you drink it and find out?”

The human laughs “It is not me who is the test subject here, not anymore. I intend to feed you every drop of these potions until I get the results that I am looking for.”

Anna gasps “You wouldn’t dare!”
The Human squeezes Anna’s cheeks to open her mouth and pours the continents of the green vial down her throat. He throws the empty vial aside and covers her mouth to insure she does not spit any out.

“I can’t wait to see what that one does! Most of the potions you gave us seemed to have been mind altering. I wonder what your ultimate goal was with the Orc and I?”

Anna’s eyes go dark, yet remain open. She slumps forward and begins to drool.

“Oh dear...we have eighteen more bottles to go. I was really hoping you would be awake for them.”

The Human unties Anna and lays her propped up against the tree. One by one he pours the mysterious vials down Anna’s throat, until they are all empty.

“Now you have everything I have had and then some. I have to confess, I am quite curious to see my results.”

As he waits he removes the clothes from his dead orc companion and pushes his body into the lake.
“Sorry chum, your going to get stinky in this heat.”
He then removes Anna’s attire, being very careful not to get an eye full of what a naked forsaken lady may look like. He then dresses Anna in the Orcs clothing.
“Without your staff and your outfit I should be able to manage you pretty easily. Seriously, one punch? You forsaken are weak!"
He wads up Anna’s powerful and enchanted garments to use as kindling for tonights camp fire.

Anna lets out a blood curdling scream, nearly startling the human out of his skin.
He runs to Anna to observe. She begins clawing at her face and mouth, taring away the flesh from it. He restrains her hands grabbing her wrists. The man shudders at the sight of what she has done to herself.
“That was unexpected! Not so pretty anymore I’m afraid.”

“Damn...the sun will be setting soon. I better bind your hands up for the night, so you don’t damage yourself even more so.”

He drags Anna to the tent and watches over her unconscious body before he himself finally passes out for the night.



At sunrise the Human drags Anna out of the tent into the light of the day, hoping she will stir.
“Come on Lady! I really need to know if those potions have made you controllable or if I should push you into the lake with the Orc.”



He begins to rummage through Anna’s bags, hoping to find something that might help him escape. Most of the contents are magic wands, which he quickly snaps and tosses into the lake. “Surely the witch has something useful in these bags! A damn glider would be nice...”

He finds a very curious looking stone near the bottom of the bag and puts it in his pocket “I might be able to trade this for passage on a ship to Stormwind. Finally, something useful.”

Anna’s stone which he had hastily pocketed reads thoughts, transmitting them to any members of the Coven which are carrying the matching stones.

His thoughts are these: ((“real I.D. required to hear them!” He is an Alliance.
Coven may add him to Real I.D. or B-Tag. Whichever. ))

((ALSO I would like to thank a special someone for helping me with the photoshop!))

[Skaedi]

*ShockpanicragePAIN*

*Nothingness*

Skaedie reeled, grasping wildly for the command center's table -- a command table she could no longer see. Her ears rang as she fought her way back from the *nothingness* that threatened to swallow her mind.

"Commandh? Somet'ing wrong?"

Skaedi focused on the voice-- whose voice? A troll. One of those installed by Warchief Vol'jin. Zen'krado, shethought, the easy-going one.

"I -" Her vision cleared and the scene before her snapped into place. The Great Hall, her advisors, the Great Hall's guards, the aura of the cleaning done for Anna's visit that still hung in the air days later, underlined by the scent of the citrus oils used in the polishes.

Anna.

Something had happened to Anna.

"I'm fine," Skaedi said. Zem'krado blinked, one rust-red eyebrow raising in silent, polite dispute. Skaedi ignored him.

"Captain Dawnsoar." The nearest guard stepped foward, saluting. "Send a messenger to Commander Znort's garrison." Znort had never named her garrison; when asked why, she'd laughed and said, Who names their pile o sticks?. "An orc. Have him tell Znort I need to see her immediately." Znort did as little as possible with the people in her charge. Unlike Skaedi, she didn't have missions and projects that abruptly abandoning would ruin.

Dawnsoar nodded. "As you wish, Commander."

Two days, passed a third. Skaedi went to Snowshadow's outpost in Tanaan, where yet another of Vol'jin's ever-friendly, ever-helpful shadowhunters urged on her the need to supply that offensive with medical supplies and to join in this effort against the Bleeding Hollow. She made counter-offers, detailed what people and materiel she believed she could spare.

All the while there was no word from Anna or Znort. And the messenger hadn't returned.

The crystals Znort had enchanted allowd them to share each others' thoughts and emotions, as long as the crystal touched bare skin. Within an exceedingly short time the three of them had learned to buffer any non-direct exchanges, to tune out background mental 'noise'. Despite this, there was always some latent connection between them all.

Or at least, there should have been.

Had whatever happened to Anna also happened to Znort? Granted, Anna had said she was going to her lab. But Anna's enthusiasm for her resarch sometimes had to battle her indolence, and enthusiasm didn't aways win. . She may not have gone to check on her experiments.

On the fourth day with no mental reply from Znort and her messenger still missing, Skaedi set out for Znort's garrison. She took a small squad of six, two Frostwolves, four sin'dorei. They made good time, Frostfire Ridge's weather cooperating for once. The sun was fat and orange in the west when they crested the last hill, and looked down at the gates of the fortress Znort called home.