Making Amends

[Imara]

As the boat approached the port in Rachet, Liadain methodically removed most of her armor and her weapons and handed them to the cabin boy that she was paying handsomely to stow them safely. Her face revealed little other than solemn determination as she prepared for this risky venture into enemy territory, but her heart was pounding. Her thoughts returned to the events of the evening; the slaughter of Julu and her party at an event they had been told would be peaceful.

Lia's anger at the dishonor of it all burned within her, tempered only by a deep sadness over the loss of life that was sure to occur now, as the Horde moved to retaliate. Thus, she had come here to try to make amends, though she remained pragmatic about the likelihood of any sort of real peace. She herself had only rarely come in contact with Horde that didn't immediately kill her on sight. There was a lot of deeply ingrained hatred to overcome after all these years.

As the boat pulled in to the dock, Lia slipped silently over the starboard side, dropping down into the water with as little sound as possible. She swam around the back of the boat and towards the shore, sticking close to the dock to minimize the chance of discovery. As she slipped up onto the beach, her gnomish communicator crackled and she cursed silently, grabbing it to dampen the sound.

"Still interested in trying to contact Julu?" It was Mayday's familiar voice. Lia slipped the device off of her belt.

"Aye. I'm actually here in Rachet now." Lia whispered. "As usual, flying by the seat of my pants... I don't actually have a plan outside of wandering around until I stumble upon one of them."

She could hear Mayday's wry laughter as he replied. "Well, I can meet you. On the way, I'll try to find an appropriate messenger to get word to Julu."

Lia felt somewhat relieved, Mayday's assistance would most certainly prove invaluable in keeping her from losing a limb or two. "Aye. Sounds good... Where should I find you?"

"There's a hut just south of Crossroads with a totem in front of it. It's where I met with Julu last. We'll head there."

Lia nodded. "Got it." She turned the communicator off, lest it divulge her location as she moved out of Rachet, and slipped through the goblin town and off toward Crossroads.

She crept across the moonlit countryside. There were not many Horde venturing through the area at that late hour and she made it all the way to Crossroads, then south to the meeting spot, without incident.

**************

Liadain arrived at her destination and slipped out of the shadows, smiling at Mayday who was sitting at the back of the hut. Out of habit, she promptly settled in with her back against the wall.

"I've had word from our interpreter; it seems that our message was received. He is en route and so is Julu. So -we- just have to keep a low profile." No sooner had the words come out of Mayday's mouth than a young orc warrior wandered into the hut. She seemed more than a little surprised to find the two rogues lounging about.

Mayday greeted her and Lia followed suit, both of them hopeful that the young warrior wouldn't panic. "I hope she's not calling the cavalry..." Mayday murmured under his breath before turning a winning smile on the orc.

The orc spoke, but to no avail, as the two humans looked at her curiously. Mayday haltingly attempted to reassure her, using the few orcish phrases he had learned, but it was impossible to tell whether his words helped or hindered their cause. Eventually, the orc took her leave and the two rogues looked at each other before attempting to meld further into the shadows.

More anxious minutes passed, and then Mayday rose slowly. "Gibenok, our translator, is almost here. As is Julu..." He crept out of the hut and looked south into the distance. "You watch north." The two rogues stood back to back awaiting the Lieutenant-General's arrival.

Gibenok arrived first, running at full speed around the side of the rock outcropping and into the hut. Mayday and Liadain turned and followed the gnome inside as he explained, between ragged breaths, that an orc had attempted to catch him but Julu had intervened.

It was then that Liadain felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. A shadow fell over her and Lia could sense Julu's presence behind her. She swallowed hard, fighting instinct that would drive her to fight or flight, and took a deep breath. Proceeding into the hut, she turned and faced the silhouette of the tall troll woman, trying to put aside memories of previous deaths at the shaman's hands.

Julu bowed and eyed the young human woman curiously.

**************

"She is puzzled by Lady Greyhame's presence here, Mayday." Gibenok explained. Julu looked to Mayday expectantly.

The shaman, like her guests, was unarmed and dressed in civilian attire. In fact, it appeared she might still be dressed for the ball. Lia's trained eye could see the subtle characteristics that hinted at her martial prowess, but to the average observer she might appear to be remarkably non-threatening.

Mayday nodded. "She is here to offer an apology, in person, for the events that transpired at the Tears of Elune ball this evening. She was also hoping to speak to Thamior, to apologize for being too late to have the dance he promised her."

Gibenok spoke to the troll in the guttural language of the orcs and Julu nodded, turning to smile at Liadain.

Julu spoke again, her orcish accented with the unique cadence of the troll's mother tongue. Her amber eyes seemed to be sizing Lia up as she spoke. Lia's heart still pounded, but she did not flinch under the shaman's intense gaze.

"Julu says that she regrets that Thamior is not here in person to speak to you, but that she will attempt to summon him." Gibenok translated.

"Tell the Lieutenant-General that the events this evening angered me, and my husband, Celethorn, greatly. Though he has sent word to her already, I wanted to come in person to assure her that the Blade that opened fire and set off the slaughter no longer wears our colors." Liadain's voice was more confident and forceful than she had expected, given the fluttering in her stomach.

Gibenok relayed the message and Julu sighed heavily, a great sadness in her eyes. She looked to Lia and nodded her understanding, then motioned for them all to sit.

The four settled in a circle and it was not long until the conversation flowed as well as could be expected, given the language barriers. Initially, they exchanged pleasantries. Julu complimented Mayday on his attire, Mayday expressed his surprise at the daring fashion of the trolls and Gibenok repeatedly voiced his amazement that Julu didn't seem interested in eating him.

Several times, they were interrupted by curious passers-by, including the young orc warrior that had discovered Lia and Mayday earlier in the evening. Each time, Julu patiently rose and went to explain the situation and none made a move against them.

Eventually, Julu turned the conversation back to more pressing matters. She explained that the Warchief had tasked her with a mission that was proving to be quite difficult indeed. She was to try to forge a partnership with some of the Alliance, those that would be willing to listen, so that they might be prepared to face greater enemies... Enemies that could destroy them all, regardless of allegiance.

"She says she wants you to be part of this council, Mayday." Gibenok said, as Julu pointed to the rogue. Lia smiled at Mayday's somewhat stunned expression.

Mayday recovered. "I would be honored to help in any way that I can." He rose and bowed deeply.

Julu smiled; her pleasure evident. She glanced at Lia and then spoke again. The exchange with Gibenok was longer this time, as he clarified her points, then Gibenok turned to Mayday once more. "She wants you to help seek out like-minded Alliance to flesh out this council. Do you know of anyone?"

Mayday's eyes fell on Lia immediately and he smiled. "Well, my first thought would be Liadain."

Julu turned toward Liadain and seemed to be appraising her again. Lia nodded. "I will also help you in any way I can."

*************

Mayday looked up at the sound of hoof beats approaching rapidly and smiled. “Well, Lia, it looks like they were able to find your priest.” He nodded toward the entryway.

Liadain turned to see Thamior’s increasingly familiar form standing in the moonlight. Even now, at their second meeting, she found it exceedingly odd that she was filled with neither fear nor revulsion at the sight of him. It was as though the humanity he struggled so hard to maintain overpowered his cursed visage. He must certainly have been a man of great spirit and conviction in life, for it to still be so strong in undeath.

The assembled diplomats, for that is what they had truly become, rose to great the High Priest. Liadain had no way of knowing if Thamior had any idea why he had been summoned here, but he seemed pleased enough to meet with them. They all settled back down and the conversation continued.

For several minutes, Julu and Thamior spoke as she, presumably, explained what had happened so far. Occasionally, Gibenok interjected and Lia and Mayday were left to hope that there were no unfortunate misunderstandings. When it seemed that Julu had finished, Mayday decided to try out some of the orcish he had been practicing.

Mayday’s pronunciation was awkward but both the Lieutenant-General and the High Priest appeared to appreciate the effort and took no offense to any inadvertent slander. In truth, they seemed to find the rogue’s efforts highly amusing. Julu laughed and grinned at Thamior.

The casual conversation continued and Thamior told them that he, like many Forsaken, wished to find a cure for his condition; a way to regain his life or, if that was not possible, to at least finally find peace. He spoke of being a Paladin and trying to maintain his connection to the Light as a priest, since his undeath made the path of a Paladin inaccessible to him.

“I regret that most of my contact with the Forsaken has been far less than pleasant.” Liadain admitted. Her thoughts returned to the attack that nearly cost her life in the Wailing Caverns and she hesitated. She wondered if, perhaps, Thamior might have some knowledge of the Crimson Watch, or even her father. Yet, now was not the time for personal business. She had come here just to make amends.

Julu rose, almost reluctantly, and Thamior followed suit. Gibenok told Mayday and Lia that the shaman felt she had taken enough of their time and had business of her own to which she needed to attend. The two rogues rose to say their goodbyes, but Julu raised a hand.

Gibenok looked terribly uncertain as he relayed her words. “She wanted to know if she might trouble you for one dance before she goes, Mayday.”

Mayday grinned. “Well, if she insists.” He bowed deeply before the shaman and followed her lead as she began to dance. Her movements were almost hypnotic, an intoxicating mixture of rhythm and sensuality that seemed wholly natural for the daughter of a deeply spiritual and tribal culture.

Liadain turned to Thamior and smiled. The priest seemed somewhat hesitant, perhaps even self-conscious, but joined her as she began her own, far less hypnotic, dance. It was not long, however, until his enthusiasm improved and he even went so far as to transform himself into a rather dashing night elf for her benefit. Liadain laughed.

Eventually, after Gibenok had finally given in and joined the festivities, Julu brought the dancing to an end. She told the rogues to be prepared for her to send word to them regarding future meetings and asked that they be on the lookout for other Alliance that might be willing to aid their cause. Mayday and Liadain assured her that they would do so.

Mayday then asked Gibenok to see if Julu might let him to use his mind-control device on her briefly. Julu seemed mildly curious and said that she would allow it. Mayday slipped the odd contraption on his head. Liadain watched, intrigued, as the rogue used the cap to convey his thanks to the shaman.

Once the message had been conveyed, and Julu had regained control, Thamior smiled and seemed to decide that he would demonstrate his far superior means of communication. He stopped Gibenok, who was preparing to hearth back home, and controlled his mind long enough to bless him before sending him on his way. The priest then blessed Mayday before turning to Lia.

She felt a wave of vertigo as the priest’s magics allowed his consciousness to slip into hers. It had been the same when he first attempted to communicate with her in the Alterac Mountains. Once again, there was no revulsion, only an almost eager anticipation to find out what message he might have for her. She felt her spirit strengthen as he cast a blessing upon her and then he withdrew from her mind. Lia recovered and thanked him.

With all of their appreciation expressed and their goodbyes said, the party began to disband. Julu’s form shifted into that of a wolf and, with one final bark, she ran off into the night. Thamior bowed once more before calling for his skeletal mount and riding off toward Durotar.

Mayday and Liadain stood, looking out at the moonlit expanse of the Barrens, for several moments before they finally departed; their minds full of all the possibilities, both good and bad, that the future might hold.