//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: Troll in the Dungeon // Story: The Pony Loa // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// It was a miserable little group that had dinner this evening. Everyone sat there, silent, slowly eating their stew, except for Tarik who did not eat at all and just stared at nothing in particular. "This sucks," Eclipse said eventually. "There has to be a way to find her." "We tried, An'dorei," Nylene sighed. "I'm at my wit's end... We asked the guards, we searched the site and we even looked in the surrounding streets." Tarik's frown was deeper than usual. "Is there no way to contact Vol'Shalai?" Eclipse asked half-heartedly. "He might be able to call for Levinia. If she almost reached me in my dream, he might be able to actually find her." Darren pushed his bowl away. Eclipse could not understand how Darren always managed to eat so much, even when he was down. He was like a steam engine that way. But he was still very pale. "It's the only thing we haven't tried yet," he said. "Didn't he want to go to Orgrimmar?" Nylene asked, poking her stew with a fork as if to check whether it was still alive. "He did." Darren stood up. "Excuse me." Snatching his bowl, he went off to the kitchen to get it filled once again. "If I could try to call for him in my dream..." Eclipse mused, rubbing his muzzle. "That may be possible. But can you wilfully start a lucid dream?" Nylene asked. "No..." Eclipse sighed. He put his own bowl away. It was still half full. Nylene touched his hoof. "Child, you must eat. Magic is exhausting, you will need your strength." "Today was exhausting. I'm not hungry. I just wanna sleep." Eclipse grimaced. "Sorry. Good night, everyone." He stood up and hugged the surprised Nylene, gave Tarik a wave and went to the kitchen to ask Darren for the key. Nylene took his half empty bowl and offered it to Tarik who shrugged and began to eat. Eclipse could not sleep. He tossed and turned under his blanket, trying to get comfortable. He was angry that he could not do anything to help. If he could just think of something to find Levinia! And Vol'Shalai - he was probably halfway across the ocean by now, watching the water below from the railing of a zeppelin or cooking that awesome stew of his, the one with the fruit and spices. Everything was so complicated! Now they had found a way to go home, maybe, but what use was it if they had to leave somepony behind? He turned his head and eyed Darren. The human had come in an hour ago or so, trying to be quiet, after Eclipse had gone to bed. Now he was sleeping like a rock, something that was unusual for him. Eclipse knew that Darren had nightmares almost every night. He must have been as tired as he looked. The cold moonlight that fell through the window made him look like a ghost. Eclipse felt useless. Yes, he had helped with translating Twilight's notes but somehow that seemed to him like something lesser, something that could wait compared to rescuing his friend. Tomorrow, he would ask if he could look for Levinia, too. He rolled over again, pulling his blanket over his muzzle. His eyes felt tired, too, from all the reading today. Karazhan had been really impressive. It was exactly how Eclipse had imagined a wizard's tower to look like. It was kind of Khadgar to let Eclipse visit. And those hearthstones he had been given! But Darren had not liked that Eclipse had told Khadgar all about ponies and Equestria and how Darren had gotten there. He had said that it was fine but somehow Eclipse was sure that had just been to calm him down. He would be more careful next time someone asked him about things like that. It was weird, though, that Eclipse could now talk in Common so easily. It was as if a switch had been flipped in his head, granting him access to things that had originally been in Darren's head. What else had he absorbed when he had been in his mind? He knew some of Darren's memories, like from Northrend or his former home, Andorhal, but they were disconnected. He could only place them together based on the things Darren had told him. Maybe Eclipse would someday learn Orcish, too? Or more spells? But he felt like he had stolen something from his friend because he had gained that knowledge without permission. It was like eavesdropping on another mind. Maybe that was the real danger of his Void powers: the ability to steal thoughts until you did not know which were yours and which belonged to somepony else. Darren kept saying that Eclipse was a good pony but he wasn't so sure if that was true. Thieves weren't good ponies. Oh, great, now he felt guilty. That really did not help with falling asleep. Maybe he should stop thinking about all this stuff and just count his breath. He could meditate while lying in bed. It was not as if anyone would complain about bad form or anything. Yes, that was a good idea. Eclipse closed his eyes and took a slow breath, then another. He sent a wish to the stars that his friends were okay. He counted to ten, then he started back at one. And after these ten, he started again... Eclipse is walking through a library. Dozens of shelves surround him, filled with countless books. He keeps walking to find a door or stairs, something to get him out. But there are only more shelves. He finds a unicorn who is standing at a desk, writing something. The unicorn looks like Sunburst. Or is it Twilight? Eclipse is not sure. He just knows that the pony is a powerful mage and a friend. "Hi," he says. "Oh, hello, Eclipse. Are you looking for something?" asks the pony. It's a stallion, Eclipse is sure now. His shape is difficult to make out. "I'm looking for my friend," says Eclipse. He thinks, Am I dreaming? "I don't know where she is," says the unicorn. "Why don't you try the wine cellar?" "The wine cellar?" "Yes, just follow the stairs." The unicorn grins widely. Eclipse is not sure he likes it. He turns around and there are the stairs. They are just the right size for a pony. How could he have overloooked them? Eclipse follows the stairs, descending the spiral that winds down, down, down into the depths of the tower. They just don't end. He passes different floors. One of them contains a second library. Another one looks like the hold of a ship, with hammocks hanging from the ceiling. The next one looks like an inn. There are tables with people sitting around them, playing card games. Eclipse gets curious and leaves the staircase, walking towards one of the tables. He picks up a card. The card looks a bit like a Hearthstone card but the proportions of the images are wrong. It has the image of a wolf on it. Or the ghost of a wolf. It has blue fur and is see-through. Its glowing white eyes look directly at Eclipse, making him shudder. The card's title is "The Shaman". Eclipse puts the card down. The players look at him angrily. "Don't disturb our game!" one of them says. "Sorry," Eclipse mutters. "Can you tell me where to find Levinia?" "No. Just go play with your sister or something." Eclipse's eyes widen. He staggers away. "Sorry," he says once again, heading for the stairs. Down, down, down the stairs lead him. There are more floors with card players but Eclipse ignores them. Finally, the staircase ends. Eclipse has reached the lowest level. He stands before a door. Is this the wine cellar? He pushes against the door, expecting to find rows of large barrels and bottles. But instead, there is a long corridor, lined by cages. No, not cages. Cells. This is a prison. It has to be. There are people sitting behind bars, staring at him. All he can make out are their angry and greedy eyes. Eclipse feels his blood turning cold. He has to get out of here. But he cannot because he is also in a cell as he just now realizes. He spins around - the door he has come through is gone, replaced by iron bars. He spins around again and shrieks in surprise. A gigantic, wiry troll is standing right next to him. The troll is in shackles. An iron chain connects the shackles with a ring in the wall. There are a wooden bench, a pile of hay, and a bucket. The troll is staring into the distance, his arms crossed. He looks familiar, with his red, now shaggy mohawk. His blue skin is dirty and so is his leather armour and he seems very sad. But he cannot have been here for long: he still looks healthy. "It worked," Eclipse whispers as he recognizes his friend. "Vol'Shalai!" he shouts, trying to hug the troll. "Eclipse?" Vol'Shalai raises his head, looking for the source of the voice. "Yes, it's me!" Eclipse tries to touch Vol'Shalai but his hoof goes right through his body like a mirage. "Oh... I can't touch you..." "Eclipse! Wake up!" Somebody shook his shoulder. Eclipse blinked and groaned. "Aw, shit," he muttered into his pillow. "Language." "Why did you wake me? I was right in the middle of a dream." Eclipse rubbed his eyes, then looked around to see at whom he could be angry. It was Darren, wearing only his pants, and he looked deeply worried. "You were shrouded in shadows," Darren said slowly. "Are you alright? What did you dream about?" "Uh..." Eclipse sat up. "Karazhan, I think..." "Karazhan? Suppose that makes sense after yesterday," Darren muttered. "But it wasn't really just Karazhan. It was all kinds of places. All jumbled up and mashed together. It was like a prison." "A prison?" Darren asked, sounding alarmed. "Eclipse, do you feel trapped?" Eclipse shook his head. He smiled shakily at Darren. "I don't think it's a metaphor. I think I found Vol'Shalai." Eclipse had not expected his dream to be particularly accurate, only trusting his impression that Vol'Shalai had to be in some prison, maybe even a metaphorical one. So he was surprised when Nylene explained to him that there was an actual prison called The Stockades halfway between Cathedral Square and the Mage Quarter. In the middle of the channel, completely surrounded by water, there was a stone building that she declared to be a high security prison complex which probably meant that it was extra difficult to break out of it. First, Eclipse and Darren had bound his new hearthstone to their room, then Darren and Nylene had discussed whether to bring their weapons or not. They eventually decided to leave their blades at the inn. Eclipse was allowed to tag along under the condition that he stayed close and let the adults do the talking. When they arrived at the Stockades, two guards let them enter. They had to go into a chamber right behind a narrow entrance hall. A grumpy-looking one-eyed human in blue and grey steel armour checked a book for Vol'Shalai's name while two spears and one crossbow were pointed at the three visitors. They were in luck: Vol'Shalai was really incarcerated here. And if they payed a lot of money he was apparently free to go. Darren and Nylene looked at each other and nodded. "Your powers are getting stronger," Darren muttered to Eclipse as they were led along a dank, wide corridor, surrounded by heavily armed guards. "You found him the first try." Eclipse nodded stiffly, his wings tightly folded. He was nervous; this prison was very different from the one in the Crystal Empire. It was dirty and creepy. Some prisoners made nasty comments on them as they passed their cells. There were mostly humans but also other creatures Eclipse had never seen before. Some reminded him of Diamond Dogs. All of them were unkempt and the males had shaggy beards. It smelled like old pee and mould and garbage. Darren would not have needed to tell Eclipse to stay close. He would not have wanted to wander off anyway. The foremost guard had a key ring. He used it to unlock and lock several gates they passed, probably a precaution if someone broke out of their cell. They eventually halted in front of a small cell: It was the size of Eclipse's bedroom so not very spacey for an adult. The guard unlocked the door and told the person sitting inside one word, "Bail." They unlocked the shackles and led a surprised Vol'Shalai out of the cell. "What's 'bail'?" Eclipse whispered to Darren. "Later," Darren muttered back. He stepped forward, helping Vol'Shalai stand. The troll did not have his axe or personal belongings, just the clothes and armour he always wore. His gaze was unfocused and he blinked several times. "Darren?" he asked hoarsely, frowning in confusion. "Didn't you get food?" Darren asked, sounding slightly angry. "Yes, jus' not enough. Little dizzy but it's gonna pass." The guards gave them an hostile glace - Darren and Vol'Shalai had talked in Orcish. "Move," said the key-bearer and they went back to the chamber with the grumpy warden. Darren led Vol'Shalai outside, Eclipse trotted right beside them, while Nylene stayed behind to talk about something with the warden. The fresh air outside was such a relief that Eclipse sighed deeply. He looked at Vol'Shalai. The troll gave him a weak smile which grew into a grin when he noticed Nylene following them. She had a bundle in her arms that looked a lot like his backpack and axe. Now that they were outside, Vol'Shalai straightened up and stretched. His shoulders and back cracked in quick succession. He firmly grabbed Darren's shoulders with both hands. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you so much, my friend." Darren smiled lopsidedly and pointed at Nylene who stepped closer, still her arms wrapped around the troll's personal items. "Thank you!" He bowed before Nylene who cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Stop that nonsense," she said harshly. "Let's get you to the inn. You must be starving." "Likkle pony!" Vol'Shalai exclaimed happily, kneeling down to hug Eclipse. "It was you, wasn't it? De one I've seen?" Eclipse nodded, wrinkling his nose. The troll smelled like the Stockades. "Yes, I know. Before I eat I tink I will take a bath." Vol'Shalai grinned, almost back to his old self. "And den ya can tell me how ya did it. And how much dat bail cost ya." Vol'Shalai had hardly done anything during his little stay at the Stockades but for some reason he felt extremely tired. Was it the stress from not knowing how long he would be a prisoner? Probably. Most likely. And now he was free, something he had not expected. He had asked the guards to contact Darren but he was pretty sure they had not lifted a finger to get that done. Eclipse's powers turned out to be more useful that he would have thought. The walk through the city was slow and tedious. Darren supported Vol'shalai by letting him put his arm over his shoulders. He was thankful for that; without his friend as a temporary crutch he would have staggered and fallen. Now that Vol'Shalai thought about it there had probably been something in his food. There was this dizziness he could not explain away just by blaming stress or malnourishment. As they made their way through the human city, most passers-by gave him hostile glances but did not dare to actually say anything, probably due to Nylene's presence and Darren's defiant expression. The guards that patrolled the streets and stood at the gates and tunnels left them alone. Eclipse was silent and broody, something that was unusual for him. He seemed depressed by something. Vol'Shalai would have to ask him about it so he could cheer him up. The sun was high in the sky, shining down upon his face every time they crossed one of the bigger streets or plazas. Vol'Shalai had not seen the yellow light for three days and enjoyed its presence thoroughly. Finally, they were at the inn which was called something Rose, he did not recognize the first word. Tarik was in the cozy-looking lounge, sitting at a table with a glass of water and reading a book. He looked up when Darren greeted him and half-rose from his seat. "He really was there?" he asked, surprised, and took Vol'Shalai's axe from the bundle in Nylene's arms. They stashed everything on the floor next to Tarik's seat except for the axe which went onto the table so no one would cut their feet on the sharp blade. The two guests that sat at another table jumped from their seats and hurried upstairs. Vol'Shalai sat down and grunted contently as his butt touched soft cushioning. "I like dis place already," he declared. "We can still order something for lunch," said Darren. Tarik stood up and pushed his glass over to Vol'Shalai who greedily accepted it. "I better talk to Allison. She's got no idea what's going on." He turned to Vol'Shalai. "You can have my room for the time being." "Oh? Dat be nice of ya. But what about you, den?" "I don't sleep. I'll manage. Only booked it for two more days, though. You'll have to see how you proceed after that." "Two days, ya say?" "That's right," Tarik confirmed, already heading for the kitchen. "Got it. Thanks." Vol'Shalai leaned back and sighed. "I tink dere was someting in my food," he said slowly. "I feel funny." "I guess you don't mean ha-ha funny, do you?" said Eclipse, giving him a friendly but slightly worried smile. "Eh. It's a bit of ha-ha, too." Vol'Shalai grinned. "But everything has normal colours." That made Eclipse grin. Then, the grin trickled from his face. Vol'Shalai touched his cheek with a finger. "What's wrong? Ya look down. Everyting alright?" Eclipse shook his head. He grimaced uncomfortably and fiddled with his hooves. "Er. We only found you - I mean, I only found you because I've been looking for Levinia. She's missing. We think she's been abducted." "What?" Vol'Shalai exclaimed. He turned to Darren. "No way! But she be a ghost. How is dat even possible?" "That's the big question, isn't it." Darren brushed a mote of dust off his sleeve. "We tried to find her but failed. It's as if she disappeared off the face of Azeroth." Tarik returned from the kitchen. "She's not here," he said. "Must be upstairs." "Did ya ask for help from the city guards?" Vol'Shalai suggested, taking another sip from his glass. "Yes, of course, but they were of little help. And even Khadgar had no idea how to look for her..." Darren was interrupted by Vol'Shalai spitting out the water that had been in his mouth. He closely missed Eclipse who looked at him with surprise and disgust. "Did ya just say 'Khadgar'?" Vol'Shalai blurted out, wiping his mouth and tusks. "As in, the Archmage Khadgar?" He exhaled heavily and frowned. "What da hell happened while I was gone?"