Aegwyn sat in the tunnel, letting the silence envelop her like a cloak. She could hear nothing in either direction of the tunnel and still the darkness left her blind. She wasn’t sure which way she had come from, but it didn’t matter anyway. There was little left to her life now. The hope of finding Medivh. Maybe that’s what had been keeping her going all these years. She never saw him as the crazed madman anymore. She still saw his beautiful innocent face. The face she had touched so long ago. So many years ago. She could still hear the happy giggle while he played with his father. She could still see him mischievously playing with the other youngsters of the court. Even prince Llane seemed to have enjoyed Medivh’s company.
Oh Medivh. Where did I go wrong? She bowed her head and closed her eyes. She saw him running over the hills of grass, in hot pursuit of another band of children, their laughter echoing in the wind like the leaves of autumn. She saw him playfully scramble over tree limbs and let the sunlight shine down upon his face. There was so much of him that she had missed. So much of his childhood she had never been a part of. If she could do it all over again...
What was that?
Aegwyn sat stiffly. She glanced in the direction that she it came from. It was the sound of feet padding gently against the stone. Aegwyn sat, still as stone, and pressed herself against the walls of the dwarven tunnels. Was it King Tarin? Galion? Tarmand?
There was the sound of numerous footsteps growing closer and closer towards her. In the distance she could see a small point of light, and then several small points of light.
As they came closer, she could see the face of an Orc.
Aegwyn widened her eyes. She thought of fleeing but then was reminded that she didn’t know the way back. The Orc troops neared her, the torchlight flickering with a hungering rage against the walls of the tunnel. Aegwyn looked frantically about her, trying to find a place to hide.
There! There was a small crack in the stone, just barely wide enough. She pressed herself against the opening, her clothes sticking to the walls. There wasn’t enough room!
She looked back down the tunnel. The Orcs were getting closer and the light of the torch was rapidly creeping across the floor. They were just several yards away. If they spotted her...
Aegwyn started pressing herself more frantically against the crack opening, trying to wriggle her way inside. Her clothes tore against the claws of the rock and her skin started to shred and bleed as she struggled, but still she tried.
The light grew closer, and closer. Five feet, four feet, three feet...
I’ve got to make it! Aegwyn gave herself one last desperate mighty push. Further, just a little further...
...Two feet, one feet...
And then, she was through. She stuck her hands forward and grabbed the torn pieces of her dress and pulled them back inside just as the light of the torch flooded the cavern floor.
“Grum tok ohbo jol,” one of them muttered to itself as they passed.
“Ohg rog dahhboo,” another replied.
She saw leather-skinned boots pass by the crack opening. The glint of metal armor and spears reflected into her eyes as they passed. “Lorrdoo,” one growled. The whole group stood still, silent.
She could hear her own heart beating in her ears. Sweat beaded itself on her forehead and her temples pounded painfully. She could almost hear one of the orcs outside sniffing, like a blood hound. She swallowed hard and pressed herself harder against the stone. One of the creatures outside muttered something beneath its breath. They passed her by, and then continued down the tunnel, the padding of their feet almost silent.
Aegwyn struggled to slip out of the crack as the fading torchlight grew further and further away from her. It wasn’t nearly as hard now since she had enough time to carefully make her way. She checked herself for any serious injuries and then quietly followed the Orc group. She wondered where they were heading.
Tthe Orcs went further and further towards the surface. She slowly followed them as they made their way through the forks and passages. Occasionally, the Orc in the lead would call a halt, and then sniff and look around suspiciously before they continued. Each time that happened she would slowly back away until she was hid completely in the darkness. Her heart continued to pound in her chest like it had never done before or since. There was something sinister in the way that they went. It was almost as if she could feel the sheer darkness of their intended deeds seeping from their skin and falling to the floor.
As she continued following them, she noticed that the hard and often jagged shapes of the rock walls were starting to smooth around her. The rough interior of the mountain tunnels gave way to well-rounded passageways that were clear of the stale smelling air that was often in the mountain. She realized slowly that they were making their way to the dwarven halls of King Tarin!
She held her head in frustration, wanting to rush ahead and warn the dwarves of their fate, yet knowing full well that if she ran, she would attract the attention of the Orcs in front of her. And also understanding that she didn’t know how to get back.
By the light, I must let them know! She stopped and waited for the torch light of the Orcish group to grow out of her sight. She peered as far down the hallway as she could, and hoped that she would be able to get back without the help of the Orcish raiding party. She had to try.
Aegwyn sat down and slowly closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and let the cold mountain air sink into her lungs and fill her chest and mind. Her body relaxed and she began to clear her thoughts. Her body seemed to grow lighter and lighter, as if she was shedding off the chains of mortality.
Sudden light flooded her vision and every thought as the brightness poured into her mind and memory. She gasped aloud, as if she had been thrown into cold water, and then looked about her.
Aegwyn could see a woman with silver hair sitting on the cold stone floor, as still as the trees and as silent as the mountain peaks of Northeron. Her well defined cheekbones and her well toned body. She began to slowly drift upward. She knew what was happening.
Hurrying, she fled down the hallway, fleeing faster than the swiftest horse in the entire Kingdom of Azeroth. The Orc raiding party soon came into view. She passed them by and the Orc at the head suddenly came to a halt. He looked around him as if he had felt something pass by. She didn’t know what he did after that, she wasn’t looking.
The tunnel curved and twisted about her, going up and down, deeper and deeper into the heart of the mountain. Even though the night had flooded about her and the darkness had gotten so deep that no one should have been able to see, she could perceive the smooth stone walls giving way to elaborate hallways, expertly carved. The faint shadows of the material world were all that she could see. There were beautifully carved pillars with strange and inspiring twists and curves in the carving of the stone. The hand of dwarves in the heart of the mountain truly knew no bounds.
The darkness started to give way to light as she approached the torches on the walls. She could see the hallway that she had passed through recently, could feel the lingering heat of her body when she had passed through, and the jolly warmth of King Tarin. Warmth, laughter, and merriness filled her heart as she went further and further down the hallway. She was getting closer.
Sudden light flooded her eyes as she looked at the dwarf hallways of King Tarin. The dinner itself was far from over and many of the lords of the mountain still feasted upon fresh meats and breads. The very smell overwhelmed her and the feeling of happiness was enough to bring tears of joy to her eyes.
A darkness came to the back of her mind, and she saw a brief flash of the Orcs in her mind. Aegwyn looked over her shoulder and then back at the feasting dwarves. They wouldn’t stand a chance.
She found King Tarin sitting at the head of the table, lost in thought as he cradled his golden goblet in his hands. She saw his eyes were down turned towards the table.
Aegwyn rushed over to him and then felt backwards down the hallway. The Orcs were almost here. She gently touched King Tarin on the head.
He stood up, causing her to recoil backwards. “What was that?” he said, causing everyone at the table to stop and look at him in surprise.
“Do ye ‘ave a problem milord?” one of the dwarf lords asked inquisitively.
Aegwyn slowly walked forward and touched King Tarin again. His eyes flashed a brief gold and he began to growl beneath his breath.
“There be Orcs in tae cavern!” he shouted.
The dwarf lords and ladies started muttering to each other, as if they suddenly began to think that their king had gone mad. King Tarin shouted his warning again but no one seemed to take him seriously. One of the dwarf magistrates stood up and began to walk towards the king.
This obviously wasn’t going to work. Aegwyn bit her lip and tried to think of another way to do this. She hurried past the table at the speed of the wind and went back down the tunnel. The orcs were getting closer and closer. She looked at the orc at the head of the raiding party and then an idea came to her.
She approached the leader and he seemed to sense her. He called a halt and looked straight at her with narrowing eyes. Aegwyn grit her teeth and began to concentrate.
The orc let out a cry and leapt forward, his axe raised as he snarled. His weapon passed harmlessly through her, causing him to stumble forward and try to catch his balance.
She closed her eyes again and let her concentration slip, causing her to shift back into near invisibility. The orc leader looked around him in surprise, trying to find his elusive prey.
Aegwyn felt backwards to the halls of the dwarves. There was an eerie silence and the feeling of surprise and fear in the air. They were warned.
“What’s going on?”
Aegwyn’s concentration was lost as she suddenly heard the gruff voice nearby. She looked and saw that one of the evil monsters was talking, and she could understand it!
“I don’t know!” the leader snarled beneath his breath.
“Maybe someone has spotted us.”
The leader growled low and looked down the hallway and the back down to the darkness of the tunnel.
“We can’t risk it. Murzob! Barkub! Check back down the tunnel and report if you find any dwarf spies.”
Two Orcs in the rear of the formation nodded and saluted before they turned and ran back into the dark oblivion of the passageway.
Aegwyn went tense as her heart flooded in fear. She had left her body back there, defenseless!
