The Sundering (wwotat-3) by Richard A Knaak

Author:Richard A Knaak [Knaak, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_fantasy
ISBN: 9780743471213
Publisher: Pocket Star
Published: 2005-03-18T05:00:00+00:00

Twelve

As Malfurion stirred from unconsciousness, pain struck him over what seemed every inch of his body. It was almost enough to send him back to the darkness, but a sense of urgency pushed him on. Slowly, the druid began to register sounds and, just as significant, the lack of sounds.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by the soft shadow of night. Thankful for once to avoid the glare of daylight, Malfurion pushed his aching form up to a sitting position, then surveyed the region.

He let out a gasp.

Some yards beyond and half-buried in a crater no doubt caused by the collision, the dragon Korialstrasz lay still.

“He — he lives…” managed a rumpled figure rising like a specter from the grave. “I — I can readily assure you of th-that.”

“Krasus?”

The mage stumbled toward him, looking more gaunt and pale than ever. “Not… not the circumstances I had planned for our reunion.”

Taking hold of the elder spellcaster, Malfurion guided him over to a rock and made Krasus sit. “What happened? How do you come to be here?”

Taking a deep breath, the robed figure explained how he had led the black dragon on a chase, trying to buy time for the night elf and the orc. As he spoke, Krasus seemed to recover much of his strength, something the night elf attributed to the other’s amazing background.

Then, Malfurion recalled mention of their other comrade. “Brox!” he blurted, looking around. “Is he — ”

“The orc lives. I think his hide and skull even stronger than a dragon’s. He came to me just as I stirred. I believe he is out trying to locate food and water, our own destroyed in the crash.” Krasus shook his head and continued, “We may also thank Korialstrasz for our relative health. He did what he could to protect us — including a hasty spell — at cost to himself.” The mage said the last proudly.

“Shall I try to heal him as I did once before?”

“No… the last time, you drew upon the strength of a healthy land. Here, you might have to draw too much on yourself. He would understand. There is another way.” Krasus did not explain what it was, though, instead saying, “As to how the two of us came to be together, Korialstrasz found me as I lay recuperating from a narrow escape from the black one. He had slain a guardian of Deathwing’s, then feared — rightly, as it turned out — that something had gone wrong with our plan to steal the disk.”

With Krasus astride, they had taken a circuitous route to avoid both Deathwing and any other sentinels he might have stationed, then had followed as best they could the tell-tale trace magic Krasus detected from the Demon Soul. Unfortunately, they had not found the pair until after those from the palace had captured them and taken the disk.

“That was your brother with them, was it not, Malfurion?”

The druid hung his head. “Yes. He… I don’t know what to tell you, Krasus!”

“Illidan bears their taint,” the mage said pointedly.

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