World of Warcraft: Dawn of the Aspects: Part IV Page 5

  As the reversed symbols touched the wards, the Nexus erupted in an explosion of white and lavender energy.

  • • •

  The five proto-dragons alighted on a set of sharp ridges along the side of a wide, stark peak. All were extremely exhausted, and had Galakrond chosen that moment to attack them, Malygos had little doubt that he and his friends would have been easy morsels for the behemoth. Kalec, experiencing Malygos’s weariness and foul mood, could not help but think the same.

  For several minutes, the five simply crouched where they perched, caught in their own thoughts but all clearly having the same thoughts. The devastation wrought by Galakrond had begun to sink in, as had the fact that they seemed to be the only ones left to face him. More and more, the immensity of that was becoming apparent.

  The mountain wind howled, but Malygos suddenly heard another sound mixed in with it. Stirring, the icy-blue male listened but noted only the wind now.

  Kalec’s host saw that Ysera also listened. She did not look Malygos’s way but, rather, at where two mountains to the east seemed as if they fell toward each other.

  Again, there came a brief sound. This time, Malygos recognized the mournful hiss of a proto-dragon.

  Ysera flew off toward the sound. The others took notice of her action but evidently had not heard the cry. Malygos immediately followed, with the rest in pursuit.

  Ysera dived in between the two mountains. Malygos pushed to keep up with her, amazed that the weaker female now had more strength than he did.

  The yellowish proto-dragon entered a shadowed area that reminded Kalec and his host too much of the very region they had just left. Visions of animated corpses rose in both minds.

  Alexstrasza’s sister vanished into the shadows. Malygos slowed slightly, then entered.

  Barely had he done so when another proto-dragon rose in front of him. Despite the shadows, it was clear to Malygos that this was a living creature, not one of the undead.

  The two collided, but not because the other proto-dragon—a young male—sought battle. Malygos’s supposed opponent squawked in fear as he tried to untangle himself.

  A third proto-dragon—Alexstrasza—joined from behind Malygos. Ysera’s sibling aided Malygos in pinning the young proto-dragon against one rocky wall.

  As they did, Ysera joined them. “No . . . he was only startled. Let him go.”

  The captured male frantically looked from Malygos to Ysera and back again. He let out a low whine. Only then did Malygos realize that this was one of the lesser proto-dragons, one of those that had not made the leap to intelligence.

  From behind Ysera arose more whining. Malygos caught sight of several shapes moving about in the back.

  Neltharion and Nozdormu landed near them. At the same time, Alexstrasza released her hold on the captured proto-dragon. Malygos did the same.

  The young male immediately rushed back behind Ysera. He vanished among the other shadowy forms, all of which grew even more agitated.

  “What is this?” Neltharion muttered.

  Ysera turned to the shadows. Malygos and the others finally followed.

  The agitated forms turned out to be a motley collection of proto-dragons, which Kalec and his host saw included mostly the lesser ones but also a few of the obviously more intelligent. Whichever they were, they shared a tremendous anxiety.

  Among them, Malygos spotted two whom he recognized from the doomed charge. They looked even more disheveled than the lesser proto-dragons and in some manner also more anxious. Eyeing the smarter ones, Malygos came to the conclusion that they were probably all from the charge.

  “Galakrond comes! Galakrond comes!” a silver-blue female cried without warning. The assembled survivors grew yet more agitated.

  “No Galakrond!” Neltharion roared with impatience. “No Galakrond! Quiet!”

  They quieted, but only out of a more immediate fear of the charcoal-gray male. Neltharion’s outburst also greatly shook Ysera. She placed herself between the unfortunates and Neltharion.

  “You be quiet! Quiet!”

  Startled, Neltharion clamped his mouth shut and backed down. Ysera, her eyes widening by the second, turned to the shivering proto-dragons.

  “All good,” she continued in a calmer tone. “No Galakrond . . . all good . . .”

  Her audience became less restive but did not completely calm. Kalec, observing all, could hardly blame them. Those who had been a part of Talonixa’s campaign would live with the horror of the debacle for the rest of their existence—very possibly a short time unless something changed.

  “So many dead,” Ysera muttered. “So many dead . . .”

  Alexstrasza came to her side. “Sister—”

  “Galakrond! We must—”

  Kalec’s world turned on its head. The vision changed to darkness with a suddenness that jarred the blue dragon as none of the previous shifts had. He felt as if his mind were being torn in a thousand different directions.

  What at first sounded like the rapid beating of his own heart pounding in his head quickly became a steady noise that he realized originated from beyond his ears. In understanding that, Kalec also understood that he was somewhat back in his body. Why he had not completely left the vision for the present, the blue dragon could not say. Kalec tried to move, but it was still as if he was a part of young Malygos. Kalec had no sense of his legs and arms, no sense of any part of his body except that if he could hear the pulsating, then he did have ears.

  Then an indistinct shape caught his attention. Kalec found himself grateful that it also revealed that he did still have eyes. He tried to identify it but could only make out that it stood over him.

  The pulsating increased, again causing him tremendous strain. He wanted to shut his eyes and hold his hands to his ears.

  And as if he had done the latter, the beat grew muffled, distant. As the intensity faded, Kalec felt the world slowly try to coalesce about him.

  With it came some semblance of form to the shape looming over Kalec.

  The shape was clad in a hooded cloak like the one Tyr had been wearing.

  Kalec tried to speak, but no words escaped him. Frustrated, he threw all of his will into making some sound.

  His ears resounded with the bellowing cry of a dragon—his own cry, despite the fact that he awoke in his humanoid form. Kalec gritted his teeth and then took satisfaction in not only being able to do that but also having finally made himself heard.

  Details started to come into view around the vague form that might be Tyr, details that Kalec recognized from the interior of the Nexus, and among them, naturally, was the artifact. That it was so nearby did not surprise him. He was relieved to find that the artifact had not sent him flying halfway across Azeroth but wondered why he still heard the pulsating. There was no reason for the Nexus to have such a sound coursing through it. Yes, some of the wards set off warnings of a magical nature, but this was not one of those alarms.

  Even as that came to mind, it suddenly occurred to Kalec that the vague form no longer stood over him. He glared at the empty air, then forced himself to his feet. As he did, he sensed the influence of the artifact extending through the entire arrangement of wards, as if it sought to alter everything anew.

  No. . . . As he fought to focus better, Kalec noticed that there was a difference in the way the artifact’s power flowed. It was not simply seeking to alter things; it was attempting to correct abrupt changes made to the wards from the outside.

  But who would have the audacity—

  “Jaina?” he whispered, both hoping it was her and praying it was not. She could not possibly have any idea what was happening within, so Kalec believed, and even if somehow she had gained some knowledge, Jaina still risked herself needlessly. There was nothing she could do for Kalec.

  More fearful for her life than for his own fragmenting sanity, Kalec stumbled forward. He heard an ominous rumble echoing through the Nexus, which struck his very core.

  Galakrond.

  It wa
s not possible for the proto-dragon to be there. Kalec knew that with absolute certainty. Yet again, he heard Galakrond’s distinctive rumble, this time closer than ever.

  A shadow crossed over Kalec, a vast shadow that only served to verify that what he had heard was, indeed, fact. However, when he tried to spot the source of that shadow, he could locate no sign.

  The Nexus shook, but the tremor had nothing to do with shadows of the past. Whatever was affecting the wards from without had caused greater turmoil to his sanctum than Kalec would have expected. More and more, he believed that Jaina had come in search of him, and more and more, he feared what the artifact might choose to do with her.

  Kalec staggered toward the accursed relic. Another shadow moved over it, a smaller one.

  The vague form stood behind the artifact, its hooded gaze fixed on Kalec.

  “What do you want from me?” he shouted. “What?”

  A rasping hiss from his right made Kalec quickly turn. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw one of the undead proto-dragons, but when Kalec sought out the monster, it, like Galakrond, was nowhere to be seen.

  And neither, when Kalec turned back, was the hooded figure.

  Fury rising, the former Aspect reached for the artifact. Around him, the pulsating grew stronger, deafening. That brought to mind Jaina again, which only further stirred Kalec toward the relic. If only for her, he needed to find some manner by which to stop it—

  We must stop him here and now. Any longer, and I fear for this world.

  Tyr’s voice. Kalec knew it very well at this point. He wanted to curse the keeper, but no words came from the blue dragon’s mouth this time.

  Galakrond’s roar filled his ears again. As before, the vast shadow swept over him and the chamber.

  I have observed him long enough. I think I have discovered two weak points that we can exploit.

  “I do not—” Kalec could not finish. Nor could he reach the damned relic. He fell to his knees and then, still grasping for the octagonal artifact, pitched forward.

  But instead of falling, Kalec awoke in what he recognized as the same region where Malygos, Ysera, and the others had come across the survivors from the charge. Concerns about Jaina and the Nexus faded, despite the blue dragon’s best efforts. His mind and that of the young Malygos melded again.

  And through his host, Kalec instantly understood that they had not come across the ragged group by chance. Tyr had sent them in that precise direction because he had known that they would discover one of the bands hiding from Galakrond’s horrific gluttony. If it had not been this one, it would have been another group.

  And now Tyr stood among the five, a hint of weariness in his tone, but weariness mixed with confidence. How he had evaded Galakrond, he had apparently not told the proto-dragons. Instead, what he appeared to be doing was organizing Malygos and the others for another mad attempt at taking on Galakrond.

  What was worse to Kalec was that the proto-dragons were listening, especially Ysera.

  “Where? Where is he now?” she demanded.

  “The icy peaks over the north ridge.”

  Kalec found the description maddeningly vague, but his host and the rest nodded as if they knew the area very well. An image of the peaks in question briefly formed in Malygos’s thoughts. Kalec tried to identify them with some area in Northrend, but the image faded before he could do so.

  Ysera leaned close to Tyr. “We go now?”

  “What does Galakrond do now?” Nozdormu interjected. “What?”

  “He sleeps,” Tyr answered solemnly. “He sleeps deep. Now is the time to attack him. We shall never get a better chance, in fact.”

  None of the proto-dragons, not even Malygos, seemed to notice a slight hesitation at the end of Tyr’s statement. Kalec wondered if it meant anything or if Tyr was simply still exhausted from his own efforts.

  “There is a river nearby,” the keeper continued. “Flush with fish. Go there. Eat your fill. Then we head north for Galakrond.”

  Alexstrasza indicated the huddled survivors. “What about these?”

  “They would be no help.”

  Neltharion grunted in agreement. He looked at Malygos, who nodded. Kalec’s host had no other plan and trusted in Tyr’s intelligence. Tyr would lead them to victory.

  Neltharion spread his wings, but before he could take flight, Tyr reached into his cloak and, to Kalec’s tremendous frustration, brought forth the artifact. He held it toward the charcoal-gray male. As before, it glowed, startling Neltharion. Tyr held it near Nozdormu, who simply waited for it to stop glowing. Neltharion snorted at the brown male.

  “We go now?” a more impatient Ysera asked.

  “Yes. The river first. I will meet you after.”

  No sooner had Tyr said that than he no longer stood among them. Now only Malygos did not react.

  Kalec did react, although of course, no one saw that. And no one evidently saw what he reacted to. Kalec might have been wrong about the earlier hesitation, but he could not have been wrong about the wary gaze Tyr had given before disappearing.

  And Kalec was certain he could not be imagining that whatever the reason for the gaze, it warned of a threat not just to Malygos and his friends but to everything.

  FIVE

  HUNTING THE HUNTER

  Malygos’s feeding left Kalec adrift with his own thoughts, which at last led back to the blue dragon’s time . . . and Jaina. He knew that his body lay in the Nexus and more than ever believed that she, and she alone, was responsible for what was trying to interfere with the wards affected by the artifact.

  Jaina! he silently called, hoping that perhaps she would notice him. Jaina!

  There was no response, and in truth, Kalec had hardly expected one. There was nothing he could do for her here except pray that somehow he might be able to find a way from the visions before they consumed his mind.

  Kalec could also not comprehend why the vision did not shift from this mundane moment to a more significant one. He was both grateful and concerned when Malygos and the other four suddenly finished their feeding and looked to the sky as if hearing something. The next instant, Kalec’s host rose into the air and flew north, followed by his companions. Kalec still did not understand what had alerted Malygos and the others and could not fathom anything from the icy-blue male’s thoughts except that they needed to head toward Galakrond now.

  Their surroundings grew chillier as they neared where Tyr had indicated the leviathan slept. Seeing the landscape from such a height, Kalec finally recognized a few points from his own time. They were far into the most desolate of the young world’s northern regions. This was nowhere near where Kalec knew that Galakrond’s skeleton lay, and that boded ill for the blue dragon.

  With Malygos in the lead, the five descended. Kalec saw no reason for their doing so, unless they feared Galakrond spotting them. Then a familiar form materialized atop a ridge.

  The proto-dragons alighted near Tyr, who seemed as tiny as when Malygos had first met him. Yet more than ever, Kalec and his host could sense that what they saw was only a hint of the true Tyr. Kalec recalled the brief glimpse he had had of the massive hammer and wondered at the full extent of Tyr’s power. Certainly, all of that power would be needed if the six hoped to defeat Galakrond.

  “He still sleeps,” Tyr announced, his voice reaching the five despite the wind and distance. “We must strike quickly.”

  Again, there was an edge to what he said that made Kalec suspicious that the proto-dragons were not being told everything. Malygos caught that edge, too, but did not outwardly reveal anything. Still, Kalec was relieved that his host knew to be wary.

  “Now,” Tyr continued, his countenance darkening further. “This is what I—”

  At that point, the vision shifted. Here, when matters most concerned Kalec, the artifact betrayed him in a new way. He now found himself soaring over another bleak region, surely only moments away from confronting their monstrous foe.

  The overcast sky co
mbined with the descending sun to create a greater gloom over the already inhospitable landscape. However, from a valley just to the northeast, there came a faint, deathly white glow, as if another sun or one of the moons nestled there.

  That Malygos banked toward it barely a breath later did not at all surprise Kalec. The blue dragon’s suspicions about Tyr holding something back were verified.

  Out of the corner of Malygos’s eye, Kalec saw the other four spread out. Whatever plan Tyr had explained to the proto-dragons remained ambiguous. There was something about a succession of attacks at the proper signal and then Tyr acting. The vagueness of it infuriated Kalec.

  The vision shifted again—or did not. There was a brief blackness; then all was as if nothing had occurred and no time had passed. Kalec, still attempting to digest what had happened, also noticed a haziness around everything. Definition returned a second later, yet the memory of what had taken place remained with the blue dragon.

  This is wrong. . . . Kalec could only guess that something had gone awry with the artifact. He had to assume that it was through Jaina’s efforts to enter the Nexus; if not that, then degradation had spread through the relic by other means.

  Whichever the case, if it continued, it threatened to take Kalec’s mind with it.

  The vision lost some definition again but corrected. The deathly glow increased as Malygos neared.

  And then Kalec and his host beheld Galakrond.

  Bigger . . . he’s grown bigger yet. The blue dragon could not believe the size of the malevolent proto-dragon. Galakrond had to be half again his previous size. He filled up much of the area below.

  Malygos’s thoughts momentarily turned to distrust in Tyr. This was surely what their supposed comrade had kept from them. It made some sense; Tyr might have been concerned that his chosen champions would have been more reluctant to do battle if they knew that their adversary had become more dangerous than before.

  But while Malygos’s focus did not go beyond Galakrond’s growth, the blue dragon studied the glow. There was more to it than merely increasing the behemoth’s size. Galakrond was going through another transformation, one that, if completed, Kalec feared would make the insidious creature impossible to destroy.