World of Warcraft: The Ties that Bind

by Blackdrag-rose

Interlude: Information

Lyra wanted to give Maiev a piece of her mind the moment they were all out of the prison that rested beneath Black Rook Hold, though the only reason that she held back was because Trixie insisted on teleporting all six of them to Maiev's preferred destination. At first Lyra assumed that the Warden was going to reply with the island that her vault had been built into, which was likely still overrun with demons searching for any secrets that the other Wardens might have left behind in their rush to leave the prison. For a moment she had to wonder if Cordana, the Warden that had betrayed her sisters and allowed the Legion to take Lord Illidan's body, was still inside the vault... but she eventually shook that thought from her mind and focused on what Maiev was picking as her destination.

What surprised her was the fact that the Warden picked Dalaran, but determined that her decision was a good one, especially since Asha still needed to tell the other Illidari about the two demon hunters that they lost in Black Rock Hold. Trixie and Azuregos, both knowing the spell that would take them to Maiev's destination, nodded their understanding and had everyone hold hands for a moment, though they did so in a manner so that Lyra and Maiev weren't touching each other. When everyone was ready, or rather as ready as they could get at the moment, Trixie and Azuregos channeled the spell and they all jumped from where they were standing and traveled to their destination... arriving in the portal room that would take them to the chamber where the Tidestone and the Tears were being held.

Once they had arrived in Dalaran the group stopped holding hands, to which Asha declared that she was heading back to the Fel Hammer and Jarod had business elsewhere in the city... leaving Lyra, Trixie, Azuregos, and Maiev to their own devices for the moment.

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you pick Dalaran?" Azuregos asked, though at the same time the trio followed Maiev out of the chamber they were in, to which she lead them towards the location that the Council of Six gathered in.

"Despite what I did, to his apprentice no less, Khadgar has remained one of the few mages I can trust with information and to keep certain things a secret," Maiev replied, speaking softly while they walked, though Lyra knew that there could be spies anywhere and knew that the Warden wanted to keep this information between them, "I have news for Khadgar, so he can better advise the leaders of the Order Halls... and that includes the two of you, Lyra Heartstrings and Trixie Lulamoon."

Lyra and Trixie glanced at each other again, because it almost sounded like Maiev had discovered something while she was in the prison, something that could help the various Order Halls with their individual fights with the Legion... which made them both wonder what she had to tell them.

When the group walked into the building that the Council of Six gathered in, however, Lyra secretly admitted to herself that she didn't expect all six of their members to be talking to each other, no doubt discussing the current war they were engaged in and the various victories that they were having across the Broken Isles. She also spied a arcane map that was hidden by one of the walls, one that showed which artifacts had been recovered and which were still unaccounted for, or rather which Pillars had been saved from those that would misuse them. There were other icons on the map, which represented the other continents that existed on Azeroth, though both Lyra and Trixie knew that the Council was making sure the Legion didn't attack somewhere else while the Orders were focused on the Broken Isles.

Lyra actually wondered how long it would be before Khadgar retired from his position and offered his place to Trixie, because she had fought off three Old Gods, defeated creatures like Deathwing and the Lich King, and had killed Archimonde, someone that Lyra and the Illidari were supposed to defeat. She was extremely proud of what her fellow Equestrian was able to accomplish in seven years, though she let out a sigh as she focused on Maiev... who was approaching the Council.

"Ansirem Runeweaver, Modera, Kalec, and Archmages Khadgar, Karlain, and Vargoth," Maiev said, causing the six members of the Council to stop talking with each other and look at their guests, to which Khadgar smiled when he noticed Trixie and Lyra, "Members of the Council of Six, as you know I have been missing ever since the Legion's assault on the Vault of the Wardens, chasing down Gul'dan and the prisoner he stole. The bad news is that I was unable to find and kill Gul'dan, not before the demons trapped me inside the prison beneath Black Rook Hold, where I was eventually freed by the heroes standing behind me. The good news, however, is that I was able to obtain some information that would be... most helpful... in our war against the Legion."

"Is that so?" Khadgar inquired, though when Maiev nodded he turned towards the other members of the Council, who also nodded their heads in agreement, before he beckoned for the group to follow them.

Trixie knew what was happening, because she had only been invited to this special meeting place of the Council of Six three times in the past, each for their own separate occasion, so she was pleased with what they were doing. Khadgar channeled his magic at the top of the stairs, between two specifically designed pillars, and created a portal, one that would take them to the Purple Parlor. It was one of the most secure places, in Dalaran anyway, where the six Council members could speak without anyone spying on what they were saying... though Trixie hoped that Maiev, Azuregos, and Lyra were honored to be allowed into this secret location.

When the portal was complete the six Council members, along with Trixie's group, marched up to the portal and entered it, allowing themselves to be pulled up towards their destination... which was a large room with a good number of chairs and seats.

"Tell us, Lady Maiev," Khadgar said, to which he and the other Council members took a seat at one of the tables, while Trixie's group did the same thing despite the fact that Maiev chose to remain standing, "What did you discover while you were being held captive inside Black Rook Hold?"

"While the spirits of Ravencrest's soldiers tried to torture me, I was visited by a man that called himself 'Mu'," Maiev replied, though at the same time she reached into her armor and pulled something out, something that looked like a small journal of some kind, before she placed it on the table that the Council was sitting at, "he slipped me that journal and said that I needed to get it into the hands of someone important, and that he would be arranging for my release in his own way. I have been hunting demons for a long time and I was able to tell that the man in question had been killed not even ten minutes prior to contacting me... and that he was one of the Nathrezim, a Dreadlord."

"Really?" Lyra asked, because while she had met some demons that despised the Legion, and the Matron Mother was a perfect example of that, she found it hard, if not impossible, to believe that a Dreadlord would willingly give her something and help her escape from her prison, "Have you seen this 'Mu' since he slipped you that journal?"

"Only twice more after we first met," Maiev admitted, meaning that she knew next to nothing about the Dreadlord in question, which didn't sit well with Lyra and the others, "The first time he informed me that his plan was in action and I only needed to wait a little bit longer... though the second time he informed me that the Hold was 'under attack'. The reason I said that I wasn't expecting to be rescued was so I could protect the identity of this mysterious Mu... I figured that we might meet again and he might have more information to share with us. He also mentioned something about that journal possessing information on what the Legion intended on doing to the Order Halls, so you may want to look at what he asked me to pass along."

"You know what Maiev, you are such a hypocrite." Lyra commented, causing everyone to turn towards her for a moment, even the Council members, as they were shocked to hear her say something like that, "Lord Illidan and I, as well as the rest of the Illidari, allied ourselves with demons that hate the Burning Legion and want nothing more than to see Sargeras brought down, but instead you see us as monsters, kill our commander, and then imprison us in your vault for seven long years. You, on the other hand, are simply captured by the Legion and thrown in a prison, where you meet a demon that might actually want to aid us and befriend him... and then you act like there's nothing wrong about what you just did."

"Watch your tongue, demon hunter," Maiev said, turning back to glare at Lyra, though at the same time Lyra growled as she looked at the Warden, "otherwise I might change my mind about you."

"So you'll just imprison me again?" Lyra asked, to which she actually had to chuckle over that, because Maiev was such an idiot at times, before she grew serious once more, "We're at war, my dear Warden, and right now you cannot afford to seal me away, especially since that might turn the entirety of the Illidari against you and whoever agrees with your suggestion. Do you really want to be responsible for the downfall of Azeroth?"

"Do not make such an accusation," Maiev replied in kind, though this time she actually grew her glaive and pointed it at Lyra, who actually smiled for a moment as she reached for her own weapons, "I would rather kill myself than be a part of our planet's downfall."

"Good, because the last person that lied to me ended up dead." Lyra stated, recalling what had happened back in Val'sharah, though at the same time the group glared at her, "I'm sure that all of you are familiar with Ysera, one of the former Dragon Aspects... well, she's dead and I killed her."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Kalec demanded, though at the same time he slammed his fist on the table, as Ysera had been a protector of the world and Lyra had killed her, making him wonder if Maiev was right about her.

"Becasue she was corrupted by Xavius," Trixie stated, knowing full well how Lyra could get when she explained some of these events to over people, or rather how excited and pissed off she could get, "Before that, however, Ysera openly told us that she had seen the return of Xavius coming and had done absolutely nothing to warn any of the druids about his return. As a result we have lost two of the Archdruids that have long watched over Val'sharah, nearly lost the Tears of Elune, had to put down a mad Ysera that was bent on corrupting the entire forest and destroying Xavius' enemies, allowed Malfurion to be captured, and, on top of all that, Xavius has Cenarius and Ursoc in his clutches."

She let the news of their crushing defeat, because in reality they were losing the battle with the Nightmare Lord, sink in for a few seconds, while at the same time seeing that Lyra was still pissed off... even if she wasn't the one that had told everyone the bad news.

"A war on two fronts, between the Nightmare and the Legion." Khadgar commented, to which he let out a sigh as he faced the other members of the Council, "In the end I guess that it was a good thing we had people like you, and the other champions, defending Val'sharah, otherwise we'd be hearing tales of Xavius' return and his conquest of the entire region. But to kill Ysera, who had to be quite powerful despite surrendering most of her power to defeat Deathwing..."

"Its because Lyra's been harnessing the power of both the Fel Magic and Dark Magic at the same time," Trixie replied, knowing that at one point she had mentioned the sinister Dark Magic to her mentor, because he recognized the term almost immediately, while at the same time Lyra looked confused, "Lyra, your anger and hatred towards Ysera allowed you to tap into powers that you aren't ready to use just yet, or at all for that matter... and I'm afraid that you might end up corrupted if you keep using them."

"Then I shall take her to the Isle of the Watchers and make sure she understands the folly of her decision," Maiev commented, to which she turned towards Lyra and beckoned for her to follow, "Come, Lyra Heartstrings. You and I will be getting better acquainted with each other soon enough..."

Lyra grinned as she eagerly followed Maiev out of the Purple Parlor, because she had been awaiting this moment ever since she and her forces had been released from their cells... and this time she intended on beating Maiev into the ground, even if she had to break her opponent's body in the process.

Author's Note:

Short update this time... but next time will be something everyone's been waiting for; Lyra vs Maiev.

Comments

[Blackdrag-rose]

8544797 Oh yeah, Broxigar... to be quite honest I forgot about him when I made that comment, but he was capable of fighting a large number of enemies and, according to lore, actually lightly wound the Dark Titan.