Daughter of Azeroth

39 | THE CHAMPIONS OF STORMWIND

A week later, Idira lay on the settee reading one of her favourite fairytales, though her thoughts kept drifting back to her dream of Khadgar. She wondered for the thousandth time what happened after her dream ended, had he continued to call for her? Had he cursed some more? Had he used his magic to try and find her? Over the past nine months, she had played out hundreds of scenarios in her mind. She settled back against the cushions, searching for a new and tantalising alternative with which to entertain herself, but lassitude filled her and she felt herself succumbing to the pull of sleep. Perhaps she would dream of Khadgar. She had just begun to drift off when running feet and shouts of alarm breached the quiet. She opened her eyes, uncertain whether it had been real or she had dreamed it. A explosion reverberated somewhere deep in the mines. A heartbeat later, a dull boom pounded through the cavern. She bolted up from the settee, her book falling to the floor with a heavy thump.

Vanessa looked up from the floor where she had been playing with the toy animals Kip had made for her, her eyes huge in her thin, pale face. 'What's happening?' she cried.

Idira didn't have to guess. A shout revealed the first gate of the mine had been breached. Idira bit her lip. There could only be one explanation. The champions from Stormwind had finally come to fight their way into the cavern from the mine's entrance far above. What else could it be? Above, men continued to shout, struggling to get the ship free of the scaffolding, preparing to cast off. VanCleef bolted out of his room, buckling the last straps of his armour, his eyes filled with fire, looking more like his old self than he had in months.

He clambered up the ladder, gripping his belt and scabbarded swords in one hand. His booted feet hurried across the office and out onto the deck.

'Come to me!' he bellowed, desperate, hungry to fight. 'My swords long for your blood!'

Kip hollered out another command, and the sound Idira had spent every waking moment longing to hear burst into her senses: shouts of Heave! Ho! echoed through the cavern and the winch came to life, its spikes clanging against the water gate's massive chain. The rest of the men swarmed over the ship, working to free it from the ropes and beams, their feet running to and fro under Kip's frantic commands.

Idira crept up the ladder to the cabin, Vanessa following close behind, whimpering. Unambi materialised out of the cabin's shadows and stood in front of them, barring their way to the open door.

'Dis be bad,' he said, his eyes sliding in the direction of the mine's tunnel, uneasy. 'Dey got powa'ful dark magic wit' dem, Unambi be feelin' it, an' som'ting else, too.' He hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits. 'A demon. Da boss can't fight dat.'

Over Unambi's shoulder, Idira caught VanCleef striding back and forth, his swords in his hands, his face alight, glaring at the closed gate over the tunnel to the mine shaft, his eyes glittering. Every now and again he would rush to the side of the ship, impatient, and yell at those coming for him, taunting them. The champions drew nearer, the dying screams of those within the mines growing louder with each heartbeat. Idira shuddered. VanCleef's enemies were moving fast, Unambi hadn't lied, they were powerful. Very powerful. Kip's yells increased, desperation tingeing his commands.

The winch clanked on, slow, too slow. Shouts and screams came from right outside the gate to the cavern now, the explosions on the other side so loud they made Idira's ears ring. The last of the explosions faded away. Silence fell. She held her breath, waiting. The silence stretched on. A tendril of hope took root in her heart, growing as the silence continued. Perhaps VanCleef's men had won.

The men at the winch kept working, valiant, despite their proximity to the gate. With a tremendous groan, the doors split open. A thin beam of light pierced the darkness, sliding across the cavern and over Idira's face. She lifted her hand to her eyes, blinking in the sudden glare. Daylight. A gust of fresh sea air swept past. She inhaled, deep. Her heart swelled, wild with hope. They were going to make it. They were going to be free. Stormwind's champions had done the impossible, they had ended Idira's long imprisonment within the bowels of a mountain. She wished she could go to them and thank them, kneel before them and kiss their hands in gratitude. The beam of light widened. More air rushed in, hungry, washing the cavern free of the stink of its emptied latrines, cleansing it of the smoke of the torches. Freedom. She felt tears filling her eyes, her heart coming back to life. After almost a year trapped in the suffocating dark, she was finally going to be free again. She stepped toward the cabin's door, drawn to the light.