The Fall of Gilneas
Chapter 14: Coup D’etat
When I awoke peaceably the next morning, I found myself staring down the length of a long furry snout…my snout. I let out a long sigh. I had a long way to go before I could stay in my human form without changing back at the drop of a hat. I wondered just how long it would take to make it second nature – or if it ever would.
I could feel Daniel on top of me. His face was buried in my fur-covered chest. He snored loudly, but the sound was muffled by my cleavage. The previous night’s events fluttered into my brain and I let out a humiliated groan.
That must have been enough to rouse Daniel. I could feel him moving around and finally push himself up. “Good morning,” he greeted with a yawn. He stared at me for a moment before letting himself fall back on top of me.
I grunted as he landed. “Hey,” I complained.
“Sorry; you’re just so comfortable,” he responded, rolling off me and propping himself up on his elbow. “So last night was fun,” Daniel commented with a sheepish smile.
“Yeah…” I replied distantly, thinking through it all again.
“Did I fuck you so good, you turned into a wolf?” His grin widened and I could tell he was doing everything he could to hold back laughter.
I closed my eyes and let out a long exhale. “That…may have happened,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat up beneath the fur. “And what’s with the language?” It wasn’t like him to be so crass. That was my thing.
Daniel began laughing. “What can I say? I saw the opportunity and I took it,” he responded. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His eyebrows raised up. “The howling was a nice touch, by the way,” he snickered.
I brought my large hands up to my face. “Light just kill me now,” I groaned. To say I was embarrassed would be to call a typhoon just ‘a little bit of rain.’
Daniel kept laughing. “Oh settle down, Love. Do I really have to say it?”
“No, I suppose you’ve already said it too many times,” I responded. I didn’t need another lecture on how he didn’t care how I looked and all that…stuff. I guess the fact he continued after I changed is proof enough of that.
“It is pretty spectacular that you can change forms though. Just more evidence my fiancé an amazing woman,” he encouraged. “You get the best of both worlds.”
“I wish people would stop saying that,” I grumbled. If I heard it much more, I might actually start to believe it. “I guess we should get up and see if there’s any breakfast being served.” With a grunt, I sat up. Instinctively, I sniffed the air. There was the distinct scent of sex in the room; it was strong on my sensitive nose. “Yeah, definitely time to go,” I added, wanting to let the room air out a bit before someone happened to come along.
There was a roll of thunder and I realized that I could still hear the rain. My ears must have just grown to ignore it until the sound of thunder forced my attention on the storm. I wondered if the mayor would have the people evacuate to Tempest’s Reach in this. I continued to dwell on it while I slipped my clothes on. I bent over to pull my pants off, flashing my furry butt at Daniel.
“I have a question, Poppet. Why does your friend have a tail and you don’t?” Daniel inquired as he, too, got up from the bed and stretched out.
“That’s a…uh…long story,” I responded, realizing he had no idea she was a druid.
“I’m getting the feeling you don’t know how to tell a short story,” he teased. “Well, if you’re not in a disclosing mood, maybe we should head downstairs. Maybe a little breakfast will make you feel more like sharing,” he commented.
I nodded as I checked to make sure my ring was in place; it was. I made for the door, opened it and stepped out. I tripped as my paw collided with something large but soft. I performed the most brilliantly spectacular tumble into the hallway.
“What in the…” I grunted, rubbing my back where I hit the wall. A gigantic cat lay on the ground outside the door. Damn it, Gwen. She looked like she had been sleeping there, but she was definitely awake now, staring at me as if wondering what all the commotion was about all of a sudden. What’s she doing here?
“Where did this creature come from?” Daniel asked from the other side of the bedroom.
Gwen’s ears perked up and she spun her head around to face Daniel. She rose to her paws and let out a low growl.
Daniel backed away cautiously, putting his hands out. “That’s a good kitty.”
“Gwen!” I scolded.
She stopped growling and transformed back into a worgen and rising onto two paws. She was naked again. “It’s not nice to call people ‘creatures,’ she commented at a very confused Daniel.
“I…I’m…sorry?” he stammered uncertainly.
“Why were you sleeping outside my room?” I wondered aloud.
She shrugged. “I didn’t you to walk off without me,” she responded matter-of-factly. I wondered if there was more to that. I wondered if she didn’t just want to get as close to me as possible. Or maybe she heard me last night and just wanted to stand guard to make sure I was safe.
“Well go get some clothes on,’ I insisted. “We’re going to get breakfast.”
“Do I have to?”
“You’ll scare the locals if you don’t,” I pointed out. “Come on, we want them to like us.”
She gave me the most pathetic little pouty-face. “Fine…if I have to,” she muttered, storming off to the room next door.
Daniel hurried up to my side. “You didn’t tell me your friend was a druid,” he mumbled. I saw a hint of realization in his eyes. “She was that cat that followed us around the night Gilneas City was attacked, wasn’t she?”
I sighed and nodded. “She was,” I admitted. “Look, before you give me another lecture: I know I shouldn’t have hidden you from her, but I can’t change that I did, okay? Let’s just say now you two know each other and move on.”
Daniel chuckled while rolling his eyes. “Sounds like she already gave you hell over it.” He didn’t chastise me further. “I guess that explains the tail. See that wouldn’t have been such a long story,” Daniel teased.
A moment later, Gwen showed up, looking strangely out of place in her shirt and pants. She walked past me and stopped. I could hear her sniffing. She looked over at me and grinned. “Smells like someone had a little fun last night,” she taunted under her breath.
I would have been glowing with embarrassment had it not been for the fur. I was a little more than extremely self-conscious now. “Just don’t,” I requested timidly.
“Settle…Nothing wrong with a dog burying his bone,” she giggled. I thanked the Light Daniel didn’t seem to be listening this conversation.
“Please, shut up!” I growled under my breath. I could hear Gwen giggle to herself rather maniacally.
“What were you two talking about?” Daniel wondered, finally joining in.
“Nothing,” I snapped, probably a little too quickly. “Let’s go.”
Together, we marched down the stairs. The inn was considerably more crowded than the day before. In fact, I suspected every one of the survivors were packing into the room. Everyone must’ve wanted to stay out of the rain.
Mayor Armstead stood at the front of the room. I could see my father standing nearby her, looking suspiciously triumphant. I shuffled around a bit once my mind reached a conclusion as to why. I’m sure Daniel felt the same way.
“Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please!” Lady Armstead bellowed; she was surprisingly adept at projecting her voice for someone so small. Maybe one day I’ll command the presence of one of these leaders. The entire room went silent. “Some of you may have heard that today will make for Tempest’s Reach along the path through the Blackwald. Lord Darius Crowley…” There was an audible murmur of uncertainty through the crowd. “…and the worgen of Gilneas have regained their sanity. They have given their word to defend us whilst we journey east. We have confirmed other survivors have gathered in Tempest’s Reach. There will be security in numbers,” she explained.
“As you are all undoubtedly aware, we are in the midst of another thunderstorm. We can wait a short number of hours to see if it abates, but if it does not, we will have no option but to begin moving by mid-day. After you have all had a chance to eat, I need all able-bodied men and women to help prepare the carts for the move. The Forsaken will not break us. Glory to Gilneas!” Mayor Armstead then fell silent, only to be replaced with cheering.
A couple of minutes later, they began serving portions. It was difficult to maneuver around the all of the people. No one seemed to be leaving. It took way too long to get way too little food. I really hope there’s more to eat at Tempest’s Reach; I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to sustain myself on this. I started to feel a little guilty for the snack they’d given Gwen and me yesterday. That was food someone else probably needed. We decided to return to the room to avoid the crowd. Thankfully, the smell had all but disappeared.
“Is this really all there is?” Gwen complained as we made our way back towards the stairs. We were obviously on a similar wavelength.
“I’m sure there will be more to eat later, once we get to Tempest’s Reach,” I responded while also trying to convince myself. “Let’s just be happy there still anything left.”
“I guess,” she grumbled.
We all sat on the bed when we got back to the room. I was in the middle and the other two both sat insanely close to me. We ate in relative silence, but it did not last long – since the food didn’t last long. The storm continued outside.
“So did something happen at that weird tree when the king showed up?” Daniel asked out of nowhere.
My mind immediately recalled watching King Greymane transform before my eyes. It was clear not even Lord Godfrey had any idea. I cleared my throat. “Um…like what?” I responded, trying to buy some time while I started thinking of an explanation.
“I don’t know. Did he like get attacked or something? When he came back, his clothes were pretty ripped up. I happened to catch a glimpse of him while I was taking a break,” Daniel clarified.
“Oh…um…no, nothing strange like that that I’m aware of,” I reported, glancing over at Gwen. She looked like she really wanted to say it. Thankfully, she held her tongue. “Must’ve…um…must’ve been on his way back. Those trees are sharp; maybe he got caught in something.” It was a weak excuse, but I couldn’t think of anything better. “What have you been up to at the forge?” I asked, changing the subject abruptly.
He didn’t seem to mind the shift and went on to explain that he had been working on new arms and armaments for the Gilnean citizens. He’d helped make more swords in the last day than he could count. “It’s been difficult. Of course, Duskhaven’s blacksmith is out there; and there’s me. But that’s it; no one else here knows a blacksmith’s hammer from a mining pick. Your dad and a couple other people have been helping out, but…let’s just say this isn’t what they were trained to do,” he stated, a hint of frustration in his voice.
I laughed. “Yeah, he’s a hell of a merchant, but I couldn’t see him being a smith,” I acknowledged.
“I’m working on something for you, but it isn’t quite finished yet,” he mentioned. “I don’t want to tell you what it is yet, though. Not until it’s finished, anyway.”
“Then why tell me about it?” I groaned, nudging him with my shoulder. “Now I’m going to sit here and wonder.” On the other hand, maybe it’ll help take some things off my mind.
He opened his mouth to respond, but there was a knock on the door followed immediately by Mayor Armstead letting herself in. “There you are! I trust you three are having an uneventful morning?”
“We’re having a hungry morning,” Gwen cut in.
“Yes, I’m afraid there are many who share that sentiment. But that should change soon,” she responded distantly. She looked to Daniel. “We’ve fired up the forge already in hopes of getting a little more done before we leave Stormglen. Would you be willing to continue what you started yesterday?” she requested. I was surprised she didn’t outright tell him to do it.
“Of course, Ma’am,” Daniel consented.
“I would also like to talk to you about a…special project for the next couple of days when we get a moment,” she added. Mayor Armstead put her eyes on Gwen and me. “As for you two. Genn and Krennan left for Tempest’s Reach very early this morning. Genn mentioned something about needing to have words with Lord Godfrey. I want you to meet up with them and see if there is anything that needs being done before the rest of the refugees arrive,” she stated. “It would be better if you two…introduced yourselves before they become overwhelmed with the new arrivals. It might give them a chance to…process everything,” she explained.
“You want us to go out in that?” Gwen complained while a roll of thunder punctuated her point.
“Oh come on, you big baby,” I teased. “Like you’re not used to it.”
“Sure I’m used to it, but I want to get used to being dry. In case you hadn’t noticed, we don’t exactly smell pleasant after we’ve been out in the elements,” she countered. In fact, I have noticed that. She let out an annoyed sigh. “Fine. But I demand a chance for a legitimate bath after we’re finished today.”
“Deal,” Mayor Armstead promised. “And for what it’s worth, there’s a good chance we’ll all have to trudge through this ourselves.”
“We’d better get going, yeah?” I commented, rising to my paws. Daniel was the next to stand. “I’ll see you soon in Tempest’s Reach, Love,” I assured him, planting the end of my snout on his forehead. I imagined it would be awkward to kiss him on the lips in this form and I definitely didn’t want to attempt it in the present company. Gwen stood up and looked at me expectantly. “I’m not giving you a kiss; you’re coming with me,” I declared, to which she struck me lightly in the back of the head.
“Thank you both. We will see you soon, I trust,” Mayor Armstead responded gratefully. “Now Mister LeReaux, please follow me so we can discuss my plans.” Daniel left with her.
Walking over to the desk, I placed the leather cuirass over my shirt and slipped into the leather pants with the cotton pants on underneath them. As for the other pieces, I stuffed them into my satchel for later. There was no point in putting them on; it wasn’t like we were going into battle or anything like that. I jerked my head towards the door. “Come on. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get that bath.”
Begrudgingly, she followed me out of the room, down the stairs, and towards the entrance to the inn. We stood in the doorway for some time, staring out at the rain. Maybe it’ll let up in the next few seconds. It did not. We were wasting time. Finally, we stepped out and the cascading water began to pummel us, sticking to our fur.
We hurried through the town and made for the stone road that headed east out of Stormglen. After passing the wall at the town border, we became surrounded by the gnarled trunks of the Blackwald. Sadly, though the trees were everywhere, the bare branches offered little shelter from the rain. By this point, we were both waterlogged anyway, so it wouldn’t make much difference.
“This weather is awful,” Gwen complained as we moved along the road.
“It can’t be much worse than before we were cured,” I pointed out. “I mean, you were outside in this all the time.”
“Yeah, but now I have the presence of mind to complain about it,” Gwen scoffed.
The path started to elevate; the incline made it more difficult to keep up my brisk gait. “This is getting kind of rough,” I commented between increasingly heavy breaths.
“Now who’s the one complaining?”
“Shut it,” I snapped.
Gwen laughed and then fell forward, dropping onto her hands. She continued alongside me at a trot on all fours, her butt stuck high in the air. “You should try this; it makes it easier,” she advised.
“You look kind of ridiculous,” I pointed out.
“I don’t rightly care.”
I started to slow, but she kept right on going, seemingly unimpeded by the incline. It’s not like anyone is going to see us. With a sigh, I too, dropped onto my hands and took several tentative steps forward. I couldn’t really describe how it felt; just that it felt oddly natural to trot like this. Gwen was right: it was considerably easier to keep going without getting tired.
“See what I mean?” she asked excitedly.
“I guess…”
“See, this is one of the reasons I always liked being a kitty. It feels so liberating,” she stated.
I let out another sigh. “But I feel like I’m giving in to the bestial side…and I don’t like my ass pointing to the sky for all to see.”
“I bet Daniel wouldn’t mind it,” Gwen teased. I groaned. “I know you guys were going together before Gilneas City, but I can’t believe he’s into the whole fur and fangs thing.”
“Can we not talk about this?” I requested with another groan.
Gwen snickered. “Since when were you such a bloody prude?” She caught the annoyed glare I threw at her. “Oh right…little miss ‘I don’t want to be a worgen,’” she taunted. “We got that whole curse thing sorted, so it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Maybe not for you, but I liked being human,” I argued, feeling myself getting worked up. I became painfully aware of how I was moving. And I’m walking like a damn dog, too!
“And now you can be from time to time…it makes it more special,” Gwen countered.
I fell silent, refusing to feed into her taunts. I wish I could be half as comfortable as she was. I turned my attention, instead, to the twisted black trunks of the trees we passed. After a couple of minutes, Gwen’s pace slowed and she eventually came to a stop. I took the opportunity to stand up as I spun around to face her.
“Something wrong?” I asked. The rain started to let up.
Her expression was sullen…morose…as she stared at the ground. “I’m sorry,” Gwen sniffled. “I…I shouldn’t keep teasing you about…you know…this.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to this sudden change in her demeanor. I stood there, inspecting every inch of her face; she wouldn’t – or couldn’t – bring herself to meet my gaze.
“What’s gotten into you?” was all I could think to ask. There was something else up, but I couldn’t tell what.
“With the exception of the couple of stuffy old men in the order, there was never anyone like me in Gilneas.” Her voice was low and sorrowful. “And even among the druids, I was considered a bit off…” Gwen took a deep breath. “But you…you were relatively normal – compared to me. In a way, I was jealous. Now, we’re both worgen and here I am making jokes about how you want be your old self again. If anyone understands what it feels like to not be normal, it should be me.”
My eyes widened when I realized what she had really been saying. She wants me to feel alright with this body…because she looks to me to feel normal. If I felt normal in this body… When it came down to it, she was afraid…terrified of isolation.
“Well, whether I like t or not, I am a worgen,” I admitted to both her and myself. I walked over to her and squatted down. I directed her chin so that she couldn’t not look at me. “Maybe it was easier for you to accept since you spent half your life covered in fur…” Though, I wonder if it is actually easy for her to accept. “…It’s just taking me some time, okay?” I thought about what it felt like to change into my human form; sure I looked normal, but that pressure was always there to let the wild side out. I couldn’t keep pretending like it would be possible to feel normal ever again as a human…I’d always feel like I’m hiding who I am…what I am. I had to get used to this eventually. “Oh…and I was never normal,” I added with a smirk.
That brought Gwen back. “Well no…but compared to me, you were quite plain.”
The rain had slowed from a deluge to little more than a light downpour. I jerked my head back up the road before dropping down onto all fours. “Shall we hightail it on to town? With all this rain, I’m just dreaming of that bath.”
“Hey, I was the one who made the deal, I get it first,” she argued.
“You’ll have to beat me there,” I challenged before taking off down the road, sprinting. Again, I wasn’t sure I liked how natural it felt. But I guess it’ll be a good thing if and when I decide this isn’t so bad. I could hear Gwen’s claws clicking against the stone behind me.
The trees whipped past me as I dashed up the road. I have to admit, climbing the trail is so much easier on four legs. A moment later, I caught movement out of the corner of my eyes. Before I completely registered what was going on, a large cat darted out ahead of me.
“Hey! No fair!” I yelled after her between breaths.
Gwen roared in response and just kept going. We zoomed past the lamp posts and fences as we raced. I tried to push myself hard, but I reached my limit for now. The rain, though sparse now, whipped at my face as I ran. I could only imagine how it felt at Gwen’s speed. Before long, the trees of the Blackwald began to thin out.
We emerged onto the side of a cliff; the sea extended off to our left. Up ahead, I could see a watchtower before a bridge. Beyond that, several tall buildings rose above the mountain slopes. “Gwen! Hold up!” I yelled ahead of me. I watched her skid to a halt.
She transformed back into her tailed-worgen form and sat on the ground. “What?” she complained as I slowed and stopped near her. “Didn’t like that I was winning?”
“I figured the residents of Tempest’s Reach might get the wrong message if they saw us sprinting towards them like that,” I explained rationally. “Remember, we want them not to shoot us.”
“I suppose you have a point,” she sighed, standing up with me.
We walked towards the bridge as I brushed my matted hair out of my face. Having had time to adjust to the other movements, I was a little unsure on my paws now. Gwen seemed completely unfazed.
“What’s that?” Gwen wondered as we approached the watchtower near the bridge.
It took me a moment to see what she was referring to. Just around the corner of the building, there was a pair of boots sticking out. At first, I thought they were just discarded footwear until they moved. “There’s someone there. Let’s check it out.” We hurried up to the side of the building and then crept along the wall. I didn’t want to scare whoever it was.
Slowly, I turned around the corner. It was Krennan. He was slumped against the wall, groaning and slowly, weakly, moving. His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in mud. “Krennan!” I gasped. “What happened?” Where’s King Greymane?
Krennan slowly turned to stare up at me. Gwen stayed behind the corner. It took him a moment to recognize me; his eyes were unfocused. “Naomi! Genn…they’ve taken Genn…they’ve taken…our king!” he grunted as if every word caused him pain.
“Who did?” I asked immediately. Are the Forsaken out this far? Impossible!
“Godfrey,” he muttered. “He managed to convince two of the eastern lords to go along with his plan…King Greymane…they took him prisoner at…Tempest’s Reach!” Krennan explained through strained teeth.
I helped him to his feet and he leaned against the wall for support. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live,” he responded. “They confronted us here…the king agreed to go with them when they started having me beaten.”
“Why would they do that?” I wondered aloud. I know Lord Godfrey hates worgen, but to kidnap the king? Gwen emerged from the corner and stood next to me.
“The fool seems to think he can strike a deal with the Forsaken by turning King Greymane over to them,” Krennan explained. His eyes drifted over to Gwen and then back to me. “They must have hit me harder than I thought,” he mumbled.
“You’re not seeing double, old timer,” Gwen commented.
A puzzled expression spread across his wrinkled face. “But…the serum is…”
“Irrelevant,” I interrupted, only deepening his confusion. Nobody told him? “It’s a long story and I’ll fill you in later. For now, just know that we got the whole curse business sorted…for the most part. You remember my friend Gwen?”
“The girl from Gilneas City?”
“One and the same,” Gwen stated.
“Why, yes…of course…I wish we could be meeting again under happier circumstances.”
“What should we do about Godfrey?” I inquired. This day isn’t going to be fun…at all.
Gwen bared her teeth. “I think we should execute them all for treason, personally,” she proposed.
Krennan shook his head. “Most of the lords’ men are peasants conscripted to do their lord’s bidding. That, or they’re refugees from Stormglen who have been forced into service in exchange for food and shelter…and it does us no good to kill so many of our own,” he declared, voice regaining a bit of strength. “No…We need to resolve this with as little bloodshed as possible. If you can assassinate the traitorous lords, we might be able to keep this from getting out of hand.”
Assassinate? I shuddered a little bit at the word. But I couldn’t say I disagreed with what he was saying. I didn’t want any more otherwise-innocent Gilnean blood to be on my hands. “Who are the lords?” I asked. There were a few well-known nobles that lived out here; it would be a shame to kill the wrong ones.
“Baron Ashbury and Lord Walden have sided with Godfrey,” Krennan explained. Of course…the two richest pricks in the region…Godfrey must have promised them quite a bit if he could get them to risk treason. With the money they hoarded, they could buy half the population of Gilneas. “Ashbury’s manor is attached to the great lighthouse…and the Walden estate is up the road at the end of the town. If you’re looking for them, you might want to start there.”
“They’re going to be on the lookout for worgen,” I realized out loud. “We’d be killed on sight.”
Krennan’s face fell. “You’re right. I…” he trailed off, looking absolutely defeated.
Something sparked in my brain. “I think I have an idea.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It’s time to change…I need to be human for this. Almost immediately, I could sense my body changing. It is definitely getting easier to do.
“By the Light,” Krennan gasped. “How…”
I opened my eyes, glad to see the absence of my long snout. Having lost my fur, I began to shiver beneath the cold rain. I grabbed the waist of my pants immediately to keep myself from flashing the old man. “Like I said…it’s a long story,” I replied in my normal, clear voice. I took a moment tighten my belt and tie off my shirt. “Gwen,” was all I had to say.
She nodded and immediately turned herself back into her cat form. Not very conspicuous, but they won’t be looking for creatures like her. I quickly glanced myself over. I still looked quite awkward in the oversized clothes, despite having secured them to try to compensate for my smaller form. I also had no shoes; I wiggled my bare toes on the wet stone as I stared down at them. If anything, I still stand out more than Gwen will.
“Hopefully this will let us get close enough to the lords without attracting too much attention,” I stated, staring across the bridge at Tempest’s Reach. I saw the lighthouse Krennan had referred to standing tall off in the distance, precariously perched atop a massive stone that jutted out of the water. I hope I can stay this way long enough to get there. I just need to stay calm.
“It’s the best plan we have. If we waited for Mayor Armstead and the others, I’m afraid this will become far too bloody a conflict than Gilneas can bear with the Forsaken after us,” Krennan mentioned darkly. “Again, I’m afraid the people have to ask too much of you.”
“Well, someday it’ll be someone else’s turn,” I commented with a smirk. “But I don’t have the luxury to complain right now.” I turned. “We’ll put an end to this,” I assured him. I gestured for Gwen to go and we marched towards the bridge.
I could hear my feet slap on the stone as we walked – an odd contrast to the clicking of Gwen’s massive claws. We probably look like the most bizarre pair. I wonder if I could pass Gwen off as an exotic pet. But…how would someone dressed like me possibly afford such a purchase? I began formulating a convincing identity.
As we neared the first set of buildings that dotted the steep trail up the mountains, I saw that they had set up a guard checkpoint. A couple of humans stood in the road with rifles in hand. They were dressed in the coats and vests common amongst the middle class with a top-hat perched on their head. They must have been conscripted by the lords.
“You there, halt!” one of the guards commanded, raising his gun towards us. “Who are you? State your business!”
My heart-rate started to increase dramatically. Breathe…don’t lose control or you’ll be dead for sure. My mind scrambled to come up with a response. “Um…my name is Cynthia Hammond,” I announced. Why did that name come to mind? “I was a deckhand on a merchant ship, the Celeste, before it was sunk by the Forsaken. I’m just looking for a safe place to stay,” I explained, hoping that they bought it.
“What’s that thing you’ve got following you?” the other asked, weapon primed on Gwen. I could hear her growling quietly next to me.
“My pet,” I declared strongly. Sorry, Gwen.
“I ain’t never seen something like that here,” the second guard countered.
I cleared my throat. “Well of course not…I found her on one of my trading trips abroad. Ever heard of a place called Ashenvale? They’re all over the place there,” I responded, closely inspecting their reactions. I wanted to get as much warning as possible that I’d need to run for it.
“What’s with your wonky clothes?”
I paused for a moment. “I…uh…lost everything when the Forsaken attacked. My regular clothes got ruined in the Blackwald and I found these along the way. Do you have anything that might fit me better?”
The guards looked at each other and then back at me. My body tensed up a little while their eyes were upon me. What are they going to do? Did they buy it? I held my breath. “Must’ve been one big fellow what owned those clothes you found,” the first guard commented. I just noticed how much I was shivering. In an instant, his expression softened. “Can’t let a young lady like yourself stay out here to freeze in the elements.” They both lowered their weapons. “Move along to the tavern up the road. They’ll get you taken care of right quick.”
I exhaled slowly. “Th-thank you,” I stammered in disbelief. It worked! Gwen and I walked past them and up the road and into Tempest’s Reach.
It was odd; if the survivors from Stomglen had met up with those that already lived here, I would have expected there to be people out and about. I wonder if the business with the king has people on edge and staying indoors. The rain probably didn’t help either. Gilneans were never a people to be too averse to the rain, but it still was much more pleasant to be dry.
A single guard walked up and down the main road carrying a rifle and sporting a long rapier at his belt. He was followed closely by a large mastiff that sniffed the ground as it walked. As they approached us, the dog began to growl menacingly. Gwen and I both froze where we stood.
“Whoa, there,” the guard commanded the dog. “Sorry about that, Miss. We trained these dogs to sniff out worgen, but I guess you can never really get them to ignore other animals. He must not be too thrilled about your curious pet, there. What is it?”
“Uh…nightsaber from the lands to the west,” I responded. “Sniff out worgen?” I asked cautiously, watching as the dog kept snarling and barking at both of us. Can it tell what we are?
“That’s right, Miss. We were told there might be an attack soon, so we wanted to make sure we would be ready the moment those beasts tried to sneak in,” the guard reported. “Hey, you daft idiot, settle down,” he commanded. “You’d better move along before he breaks off his leash,” the man advised.
I wasn’t about to argue with him and sped along. “That was close, Gwen,” I muttered quietly. “Even in these forms, I think it knew what we are,” I realized. Gwen let out a little whine. “Hopefully we don’t run into too many of those. And hopefully their masters are cork-brained enough to think the same way that bloke did.” She nodded her feline head.
Up ahead, I could hear arguing. Without being in my worgen form, I couldn’t quite make out what they were arguing about, but one of the voices was very distinctly that of Lord Godfrey. I ran towards the voices, Gwen at my heels, and then stopped outside of an open, flat area that must have been the town square. Across the road behind us was the cliff overlooking the sea. The entrance to the plaza had been all but barricaded off, save for a narrow entryway. There were a few buildings leading into the square and one of them was huge. With its location but apparent size, I wondered if it was the home of one of the lesser eastern lords.
I could see Lord Godfrey standing in the center of the square, talking quite loudly with someone who was clearly another member of the nobility – from what he was wearing. Nearby – across the plaza from the large house – King Greymane stood in his human form inside a tall cage atop a cart. He stared at the two men in the center. For a moment, his eyes flitted to me as I peaked around cautiously, but there was no visible reaction on his face.
“Lord Godfrey, you cannot be serious about this!” the other man declared. “What gives you the right to rebel against your king?” This man had longer, dark hair and friendly mutton chops.
“He is leading our people to ruin, Lord Hewell,” Lord Godfrey claimed. So that’s Lord Hewell…not one of the ones we have to kill. “I will not stand by and let the Forsaken wipe us out while he fails to take any meaningful action.” You were happy to follow him until yesterday, you bigoted prick! I could feel a bit of anger starting to rise up in me and the pressure to show my wolfish form became much more noticeable.
Lord Hewell frowned. “And what makes you think the Banshee Queen will recall her forces if you hand Genn over to her? The Forsaken are not known for their trustworthiness,” he pointed out.
“At the very least it will slow them long enough for us to get to safety through the Greymane Wall,” Godfrey declared. “We are moving forward with this plan whether or not you agree with us, Hewell.”
“The people will not like this.”
“The people will like what we pay them to like.” I can’t believe he actually said that. Did he really think money could really buy loyalty? The anger flared again and I had to take control of myself.
I wanted to stick around and hear the rest of their argument, but Gwen nudged me. She’s right. If we’re going to confront Godfrey, we need to cut off his support. I carefully snuck past the square and we continued up the road.
A little further up the road, the elevation leveled out to a large circular bit of road. In the center was a tall, wooden post with signs pointing off in several directions and documents posted along it. Beyond that was what looked like a small livery and hitch-posts. There were several guards lined up there, each with their own mastiffs. To the left, the road continued up the side of the mountain. To the right was the bridge leading to Baron Ashbury’s cliff-side manor. Along the long, stone bridge, I could see a guard patrolling back and forth, probably with his own mutt in tow.
“Well, here goes nothing,” I whispered.
Gwen and I hesitantly walked towards the bridge. Right away, I could hear the dogs starting to growl as they watched us approach. My heart started to pound in my chest again and I really had to focus to contain myself. Stay calm…if you freak out, they’ll know for sure. I forced myself to march more confidently.
As I reached the bridge, the patrolling guard stopped us. “What is your business here, Miss?” he demanded. He glanced down at Gwen. “And what is that?” There was disgust in his voice.
“They told me at the edge of town to come and talk to Baron Ashbury about what I can do to help around town,” I lied. My eyes shot to his mastiff, which did not look to happy we were there. “And this is my pet nightsaber. I used to work on a merchant ship before the Forsaken showed up and picked her up during my travels.”
“Why would they send you to Baron Ashbury?” he wondered out loud.
My chest tightened; I could hear my heart beating in my ears. “I don’t know,” I responded. “I just know they told me to. I didn’t ask them why.” I figured ignorance was the best way to go with this one.
The dog was barking like mad, nearly foaming at the mouth as it struggled against its leash. The guard kept the dog at bay, though. “Follow me; I’ll take you to my lord, myself,” he commanded.
I have a bad feeling about this. Hesitantly, we followed. The mastiff begrudgingly went with his master, but kept trying to turn and snarl at us. I didn’t dare try to speak as he escorted us across the bridge. I just stared ahead.
Once at the other end, the path took a sharp incline and spiraled up the spire-like rock. At the top was the Ashbury manor. At the far end of the impressive building was the lighthouse tower. The beacon was lit in the dark weather, stormy weather. With the exception of that, the house was cast in shadows. It gave off a very eerie aura and my skin started to crawl just staring at it. I really hope that’s not the worgen coming out.
The guard marched directly to the entrance and heaved the heavy door open. “My lord!” he called, his voice echoing through the empty hall. He led us deeper into the mansion. There were intermittent torches lining the walls, casting an uneven light on the portraits of the Ashbury family line. Their gaunt, smug faces almost made what we had come to do easier.
He pushed open another door into what appeared to be some sort of library. The hearth was lit across the room and a man sat in a large chair near it. The man was bald with a full, white beard. His face showed the same privileged sense of entitlement I had seen in the portraits in the hall and I could tell by the apparent quality of his clothing he was the lord of this estate: Baron Ashbury.
“What is the meaning of this interruption?” the baron questioned, his condescending voice striking a nerve. It reminds me so much of Godfrey.
“My lord, this young lady tells me she was sent to meet with you,” the guard reported.
“Meet with me? For what purpose?” he demanded. Baron Ashbury fixated his eyes on me and a disapproving sneer spread across his face. “Speak, girl.”
I closed my eyes for a moment to check my emotions. “I want to help with the exchange of King Greymane for the lives of our countrymen. They told me at the entrance to town that you were the man I should talk to,” I responded.
“Is that so?” Baron Ashbury wondered. He turned his eyes back to the guard. “Go and check with the perimeter guards,” he commanded. I began to wonder just how suspicious my explanation was. The guard nodded and left immediately. “Well then, girl, let us sit and talk,” he invited, beckoning to a chair that sat opposite the hearth from him. “And when he returns, we’ll know if there is truth to what you’re saying.”
I swallowed hard and obeyed him, taking a seat in the luxurious chair. Gwen sat on the floor next to me, waiting patiently. I began to wonder how long I would have before the guard came back and they figured out I was lying. I shouldn’t wait too long.
“Interesting pet you have there. I may wish to acquire one when this is all over. Tell me, where did you find it?” the baron asked.
“The continent to the west, across the Great Sea,” I responded.
“And how, pray tell, did you find yourself so far away from home?” he inquired, leaning forward.
“I worked as a deckhand on the merchant ship, the Celeste,” I responded. “I came across this fine specimen on one of our journeys.” I studied his face to gauge his reaction.
He looked pensive – like he was actively pondering something I had said. “That would be the ship of Captain Malmin, yes?” he checked.
“Y-yes,” I stuttered in response.
Baron Ashbury smiled malevolently. “There were only a handful of merchant ships allowed to leave our waters. Because of my position, I made it my business to know them. Your captain is a honorable man, young lady…a man whose loyalties are very clear.” He cleared his throat and I jumped. “I imagine you travelled with the refugees from Duskhaven?”
“Th-that’s right.” I quickly glanced down and realized Gwen had disappeared.
“And here you are without the others…curious,” he mused. Baron Ashbury smirked as he studied me.
I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. I think he’s on to me? Gwen…where did you go? I glanced around quickly and caught sight of a furry tail disappear behind Baron Ashbury’s chair.
“Now, Lord Godfrey tells me that the good captain’s daughter is among the cursed. He tells me the young Miss Malmin is, for all intents and purposes, King Greymane’s personal pet. And it makes me ponder…would they be above sending the beast ahead to ensure the king’s safety?”
I squirmed even more. “I…” I wasn’t sure what I could say. He knows! My fear began to rise. I’ve been found out. I began to wonder how I could possibly make it out alive.
“It is a neat trick to hide amongst the normal humans. If Lord Godfrey had not told us about the king’s talent with that regard, perhaps you would have fooled us,” he sneered. “But, alas, we prove too clever for you.”
The pressure was becoming intense. I struggled to calm myself. If I turned back into a worgen, it would be over for sure. “So what happens now?” I asked.
“What happens now is I call for my guards. They come, you get arrested. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll make just as useful a pet for me,” he laughed. A figure grew behind his chair, clinging to the shadows. “Unlike my friend, Godfrey, I do not hate your kind…I see you as…useful. I’m sure I can…”
A large, fur covered hand covered his mouth, muffling his last words. Gwen stood behind him, back in her worgen form. “You will not threaten my friend,” she hissed in his ear. I watched his eyes widen in horror and could hear him trying to scream through her hand, but it only came out as a muffled grunt. “Now, I’m afraid we can’t stand by and let you betray our king,” she commented. “Long live Gilneas!”
With that, she dug the claw on her other hand into his neck under his ear and dragged it through the skin of his throat all the way to the other ear. Crimson blood oozed out as she tore through the soft flesh. It began to spray, nearly reaching where I sat. Gwen let go of him and stepped away. Baron Ashbury made a series of gasping and gargling, grasping at his neck. After a moment, his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped down, falling still.
“Well that was sufficiently gruesome,” I observed, covering my mouth with my hand. I stood up from the chair as Gwen walked around to me, wiping her hand on her pants. I threw my arms around her. “Thank you for taking care of that.”
“Any time. Gilneas is better off without people like him. I can’t believe he said he’d make you his pet,” she responded, forcing a laugh.
“No kidding. What a scumbag,” I sighed. “We should get out of here before the guards come back,” I pointed out. Gwen agreed and shifted back into her feline form. We briskly strode out of the room and down the long, torch-lit hall.
A couple guards walked around the hall near the exit, but they didn’t seem to pay us any mind. Thankfully, they didn’t have hounds at their heel. I forced myself to keep my breathing normal; the pressure was rising in my body and it was becoming more difficult to hold it back. I threw open the door the massive door to the outside.
To my dismay, the rain had picked up again. Lighting arced across the dark clouds that blanketed the sky above us. If the situation had been different, I would have been more than content to wait around for the storm to die down a bit before stepping out, but…well, we did just murder someone. I heard Gwen whine next to me. She must have had the same reaction.
We ran out into the downpour, the cold water pelting my bare skin and slapping my already-drenched clothing. The stone was pretty slippery, especially considering my lack of footwear, and it quickly became a chore to descend the steep path.
As we descended, I looked out across the bridge and gasped. Oh shit! The guard was returning and he was bringing the others that had been posted by the stables with him. I looked around frantically. That bridge was the only way back to the mainland and there was no way we were going to survive a jump into the sea below; there were far too many jagged rocks hiding beneath the turbulent surface. There had to be a hiding place somewhere nearby. But…they have the dogs. Where could we hide from that?
There was a decently-sized boulder just off the path to the left and grabbed ahold of Gwen and pulled her behind it. I curled up under the rain with Gwen’s furry form pressed up against me. Her soaked fur only made me feel colder. I could hear boots and paws slapping against the stone just beyond us. I clenched my eyes shut. Just keep running. Don’t find us! My mind was racing as fast as my heart. The pressure was starting to become overwhelming. The rain will hide our scents…the dogs won’t notice us. We’ll be fine.
The footsteps grew louder; the dogs were growling and the men were shouting, but I couldn’t tell if they knew where we were. I couldn’t concentrate enough to understand what they were yelling to one another. Just keep going; we’re not here. I held my breath and realized I was shivering uncontrollably.
The mob kept on up the road. I listened as their footsteps became so distant as to be drowned out by the sound of the storm. I let out a long, relieved sigh and opened my eyes. Gwen nudged the side of my face with hers, which I interpreted to be a sign of comfort.
“That was too close,” I gasped. The pressure inside me was starting to become too much. I hadn’t been in human form this long yet and I had already gotten pretty worked up. I wasn’t sure I could hold it together for much longer. “Let’s hurry.”
Jumping to my feet, I dodged around our hiding place and started to speed down the rest of the path. My foot slipped out from under me and I fell backwards, landing hard on my butt and sliding on the slick stone as a thin layer of water cascaded down from the top of the road.
At that point, I lost control. I tried to slow myself as I slid, but I couldn’t get any traction. My body sprouted fur and my claws grew out. Once that happened, I was able to drag my claws along the stone and slow myself before the path evened out near the bridge. Finally, I came to a stop and stared down the length of my snout while rain pounded my face. It reminded me a lot of the moment I woke up after regaining control of my body.
Gwen’s grinning face popped into view – her worgen face. “That was spectacular!” she laughed. “You okay, Love?”
I grunted but nodded. “I’ll live,” I assured her.
“That looked like fun,” she noted, offering me her hand to help me up.
“It wasn’t.” She pulled me onto my paws. I looked down at my body. I felt absolutely exhausted – physically and mentally. Looks like I won’t be able to disguise myself anymore. We’re going to have to get creative with the next one. At least my body felt a little bit better insulated.
Gwen didn’t both changing her own form as we ran across the bridge. I was on the lookout for more guards, but I couldn’t see any movement up ahead. They must have all gone with to figure out what was going on. Thank the Light for that.
Over the sound of the storm, the unmistakable shriek of a bell rose. They must have found Baron Ashbury’s body. I shuddered a little as an image of the man’s lifeless corpse reached my mind. It had to be done. I broke into a run, but refused to sprint on all fours; the ground was far too slippery for me to do it confidently.
We reached the end of the bridge and reached the tall sign-post. For a moment, I gazed down the road to our left – where we had come from when entering Tempest’s Reach. I could see lanterns bouncing up and down as more guards clamored towards the bridge to see what the fuss was about.
Without hesitating further, Gwen and I ran across the wide circle and continued up the road further into the mountains. I focused ahead, vigilant for any hint that there were more guards coming down from up there, but we were fortunate.
Out of nowhere, we turned a corner and were confronted by a large herd of sheep just loitering in the middle of the road. It was like a solid wall of rain-soaked meat and wool. “What in the…what are these things doing out here?” I blurted out, slowing my pace and stopping in front of them.
“Divine intervention?” Gwen shrugged. Her stomach growled ravenously to punctuate her point.
Where is the shepherd? It seemed bizarre that they would just leave them out in the storm. Or, maybe their pen got damaged by the elements. I had no idea, but I didn’t have the time or energy to ponder on the sheep for very long.
There was a small path into the rocks to the left. Maybe we can go around them. It didn’t look like it would be possible to go through them. “There will be time for food later,” I told her. “Come on.”
Begrudgingly, Gwen went with me along the side path. It was a steep climb, but we were able to finally get onto level ground. It was nice being on the soft grassy ground up at the top; though I was not terribly keen on the mud, I welcomed getting off of the hard surface.
Up ahead, there was another large structure. This house wasn’t quite as big as Baron Ashbury’s manor, but still beyond indulgent. Surveying the area, I couldn’t see any properties nearby. It looked like the end of the road; this had to be Lord Walden’s estate.
Guards patrolled in front of the house. Their heads swiveled around attentively. They’re probably on edge from the bell. Lord Walden had to know he was next. I felt kind of bad for his men, having to patrol around in this awful weather.
I happened to look beyond the house and stopped. I could see the silhouette of Gilneas City. The entire city was dark and lifeless. A deep sorrow gripped me as I stared at the barren city. My home…it’s dead…and it will never be back to normal…it’ll never be restored. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“Naomi…don’t think about it…don’t do that to yourself,” Gwen urged softly, my ears only barely able to pick up her voice over the rain. She put her hand on my shoulder and gently shook me out of my trance. “The important thing is we made it out. And we have things to do. We can’t allow ourselves to get distracted.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. “You’re right,” I sighed. There will be time for wallowing later.
We ducked behind a rock sticking out of the ground. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, but I was still feeling drained. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t change. After a moment, I groaned in frustration and opened my eyes. “I don’t think I can…” I stopped talking the moment I looked over at Gwen.
She was carrying one of the sheep and had it nestled in her lap. She stared back at me, a guilty look in her eyes. “What?”
“Why do you have that?”
“Lunch?”
“Gwen, that’s gross!” I protested. At least cook it first.
“I’ve been hunting and eating fresh meat for years as a cat. It doesn’t bug me,” Gwen claimed.
I shook my head. “Put it down,” I insisted. “We can eat later…and have normal food.”
She didn’t look too happy with me, but she reluctantly obeyed and let the animal go. It bolted away and quickly disappeared in the rain. “You owe me something tasty,” she grumbled.
“I think everyone owes us both something tasty,” I pointed out. “Now what are we going to do about Lord Walden?” I asked, trying to refocus my friend.
“Can’t we sneak through like with Baron Ashbury?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I can turn human yet…I need time to rest,” I explained.
“Well let’s come up with something quickly; I don’t want to be out in this for much longer,” Gwen complained.
I had to agree with her. We peeked over the rock towards the Walden property. A quick movement caught my attention. There was a guard sprinting from the road up toward the front door. “My lord!” I could hear him yelling. “Lord Walden!” He was stopped by the guards at the door.
Someone stepped out onto the balcony above the door. It was difficult to make out his features in the rain, but I assumed that was the lord of the estate. I could see a rifle in his hands. “What is the meaning of this?” he bellowed with an irritated tone.
“Lord Walden; Baron Ashbury has been murdered!” the soldier reported at the top of his voice.
“What? How?” Lord Walden demanded.
“Assassins, my lord! They used some sort of ruse to gain access to Baron Ashbury and killed him in his own library,” he reported. “I have details, sir. May I come in to deliver my full report?” the soldier requested hopefully.
Please don’t let him! If we were going to have to kill Lord Walden, I didn’t want to have to deal with anyone else. I began to wonder just how many of these so-called guards actually agreed with what their lords were planning.
“You want to come in here?” Lord Walden clarified, voice filled with spite and suspicion.
“By your grace, my lord. The rain is cold and I would be grateful for the chance to warm myself by the fire,” the man responded.
“And you would like to give me a report of just how the assassins made it to Baron Ashbury,” Lord Walden continued.
“That’s right, my lord.” The guard sounded honestly confused that Baron Walden didn’t seem to understand what he was saying.
Without another word, Lord Walden raised his rifle and fired. The thunderous, staccato blast of the rifle rang out, drowning out the sound of the storm as it echoed across the dark sky. The soldier’s head lurched back and, as if in slow motion, leaned backwards until he eventually collapsed in a heap on the ground.
“Nice try,” Lord Walden spat.
I fell back behind the rock. “He killed him,” I gasped. He killed that guard…he thought the man was one of the assassins. He’s dead because of us. An uncomfortable knot formed in my gut. “He just shot him without a second thought.”
Gwen put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s not our fault. He was a rich arse before we killed Ashbury,” she pointed out. “Remember why we’re here. These guys following Godfrey are scum, through and through…you heard Godfrey; they think they can buy the support of the people. Walden’s no different…he doesn’t see normal people as people so much as services being bought and terminated on a whim.”
I nodded, but it didn’t completely quell my guilt. She was right, of course, but I couldn’t help but feel like the guard would still be alive if we had gone after Walden first, instead of Ashbury…or, if we’d only been a little faster. We should have just killed Ashbury and moved on…why did I keep up the charade? I wasted so much time.
“Let’s finish this,” Gwen encouraged.
After a moment, I let out a jagged breath and popped my head back around the rock. “But how, though?” I wondered out loud.
“How should I know? You were always the smart one,” Gwen shrugged.
Now that’s a sad reality. I scanned the estate. There were guards patrolling around and posted at all of the entrances I could see. How do we get in there? If I busted through the window, they’d hear and come running. My eyes drifted to the balcony where Walden had gunned down the innocent guard. There are no guards there!
“The balcony,” I stated. But how to get up there? The walls are wood… I looked down at my claws. I could climb; I was sure of it. I remembered the worgen in Gilneas City doing it with ease. My body climbed the city wall when the curse had me. I looked back up at the house. There’s a low bit of roof over it. I can drop down from there.
“I can get up there, no problem,” Gwen claimed, catching my meaning.
I shook my head. “You did Ashbury; this one’s mine,” I declared.
“But really, I can just…”
“No…I’ve got this,” I interrupted. My eyes met hers. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Dropping low, I crept around the side of the house. As miserable as the weather was, the heavy rain and darkness from the thick clouds probably masked my advance. I stayed a good distance from the building as I swung around to find a clear area.
There was a small graveyard near the back corner of the house. I wondered if this was the Walden family’s personal cemetery or if it was intended for servants. I didn’t dwell on it for long as I turned my attention to the house. There weren’t any guards in sight here.
I took a couple of deep breaths and rubbed my hands together. Here goes…I ran forward and leapt with all of the muscle I could muster to launch myself at the house. As I hit the wall, I jammed my claws into the wood. It gave a little and I dipped down a couple of inches, leaving gashes in the wood. But I was on the wall; that’s what mattered.
I pulled myself up and shot one arm up, digging my claws in higher up. Cautiously, I shifted my weight onto that hand to make sure the wood would hold before pulling myself up further. Foot by foot, I scaled the wall. I became painfully aware of the awful scraping noise my claws made as they bit into the wood. If it weren’t for the constant pitter-patter of the rain, they would hear me for sure.
After some time, I made it to the roof. For a moment, I laid out on top of the building, panting and trying to catch my breath. Well, I made it…phase one, complete. As I rested momentarily, I saw a huge bird swoop over me. It looked like an eagle or some sort of giant raven. What in the world is that? I’d never seen a bird so big in Gilneas…and why did it choose to come out in a storm like this? Personally, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the sky with the lightning being as bad as it is. Before long, the bird disappeared on the other side of the house.
I tried not to think about it too much. I have work to do. I rolled onto my belly and carefully crawled across the room, doing what I could to make as little sound on the shingles of the roof.
Finally, I reached the front edge of the house and looked for the balcony. As I positioned myself, one of the guards in the courtyard turned to patrol towards the house and stopped, staring up towards the room. I quickly shrank away behind the edge of the room and went very still. I held my breath and listened. After what felt like forever, I realized I didn’t hear anything new – no yelling; no marching of boots on stone. Slowly, I peeked over the edge of the roof and saw that the guard had gone back to patrolling in the rain.
I let out a monstrous sigh. That was close! My heart was racing and I had trouble keeping my breathing from becoming labored. As I slowly moved myself to a crouching position on the edge of the roof – perched like a bird on a branch – I monitored the guards. None of them were facing the house at that moment. It’s now or never.
I slipped off the edge of the room, grabbing ahold of it with one hand to slow my fall. For a short second, I hung there off the side of the room. Then, I let go and dropped onto the balcony.
The door was already open and the room on the other side was quiet and still. Not wanting to be seen from below, I moved into the room while down on my hands and paws before rising up slowly. I could hear water cascading off my drenched body onto the floor. The water drained through the cracks in the floorboards. Warily, I scanned the room.
There wet paw-prints on the wood floor leading from the balcony door deeper into the room. They were too wide to have been made by any of the dogs the guards had been leading around. And the spacing was way off. My curiosity getting the best of me, I followed the tracks until I came across a body lying stone-still on the ground.
I inspected the body. The man wore the clothes of a nobleman, which looked damp from recently being outside. His face was contorted in pain; his eyes wide and fixed straight ahead. Upon closer studying, I noticed his neck had a dramatic jagged quality to it, like the bones of his spine had been severed. That was it…his neck had been broken. Is this Lord Walden? How…who killed him?
“It was adorable watching you try to play the rogue,” Gwen’s voice sang behind me.
I jumped and spun around. She was sitting in a big arm-chair in the opposite corner, her legs crossed nonchalantly while one of her paws bounced. There was an amused grin spread across her face.
“Gwen! How did you get in here?” I demanded, inadvertently with a growl.
She pointed at herself. “Druid, remember?” she responded matter-of-factly. I wasn’t completely sure if that really answered the question. “I tried to tell you, but you interrupted me and ran off,” she sighed.
I looked down at the body; I was sure now it was Lord Walden. “Why didn’t you let me do it?” I asked. “I told you I would do it. You didn’t need to kill them both.” I wasn’t angry…just frustrated.
Gwen stood up. “You have too much weighing on your conscience as it is,” she explained. “I didn’t want you to worry too much about ending another life.” She walked over to me and stared down at the body. “You would have worried about it…hesitated, maybe…You might have given him a chance to hurt you. I didn’t want that.” We were quiet for a little bit. “His neck snapped so easily…he went faster than Ashbury,” she added darkly.
I couldn’t tell how she felt about the assassinations. A part of me was afraid she enjoyed it. Gwen always had some savage tendencies since she spent so much of her life in the wilds, but now she was in a body that was so dangerous. But she seemed sullen from having done it…even remorseful.
“Well, now that this is sorted…” she started.
“It’s time to confront Lord Godfrey,” I concluded. I began to anticipate how all of this would go down. Would he try to fight us? Or would he surrender without the support of the other lords? I knew his hatred for us so well. I couldn’t see him giving up on that rage.
“If it comes to it, I won’t get in the way,” Gwen mentioned. “This one is all yours.”
“Appreciated.”
But before that, we had to get out of the Walden estate. Gwen refused to explain how, exactly, she had gotten into the house, and I didn’t think the balcony would be a realistic getaway. We’d be seen for sure.
As quietly as we could, we snuck out of the room into the main hall of the house. There were no guards around and my sensitive ears couldn’t hear movement anywhere nearby. I wondered if he had sent all of the guards outside to stop intruders before they could even get in.
With each creak of the floorboards I stopped and listened, my heart jumping into my throat every time. But no one came. We found a stairwell going down onto the ground floor. Step was more stressful than the last; I felt increasingly vulnerable the closer we got to the main floor. I had no idea what could be waiting for us; and they would see us before we could see them.
I remembered the exits were all covered by guards. I looked around for an alternative. We could go out a window, but…would we be able to get away before they come looking and find us? There was another set of stairs heading down into the cellar nearby. I led Gwen down there, but there wasn’t an exit down there that I could see. “What do we do?” I asked.
Gwen thought for a moment. “I’ve got an idea.” She took a deep breath. “You stay here. I’ll go back upstairs. I’ll attract the guards up there and you run out the door,” she proposed.
“But what about you?”
Again, she pointed to herself. “Druid.”
“What does that even mean?” I blurted out.
“It means they won’t catch me so easily. I hid from a pack of worgen for months, remember? I’ll meet you again near the courtyard where they’re keeping the king, okay?”
I knew now how Gwen had felt at Gilneas City. I couldn’t let her go off and do something so dangerous without me. But…I have to believe she knows what she’s doing. “You have to promise to be more careful than I normally am.”
She grinned. “That shouldn’t be hard.” She started back for the stairs and the stopped and looked back at me. “See you soon,” she added confidently. With that, she ran up the stairs.
I could hear the floor creak as she returned all the way back upstairs. A moment later, a chilling howl resonated throughout the house. Then, I heard a stampede of heavy footfall on the floor above me. My ears tracked them as they stormed up the stairs.
I took a deep breath and sprinted up the stairs. Above me, I could hear Gwen roaring, challenging the guards. Be safe, Gwen. I n for the front door. I paused briefly to peer outside; all of the guards had been drawn upstairs. I ran out into the rain and made for the rock we had hid behind earlier.
I was half-way across the courtyard when I was nearly deafened by a bizarre, high-pitched screeching followed by barrage of gunfire coming from the Walden home behind me. I froze in place. No! I knew she was fast, but no one had the reflexes to dodge that many shots. Tears started to gather in my eyes as I spun around and stared at the house. I could still hear yelling.
I backed away slowly, my eyes fixated on the balcony. Some guards ran out and scanned the skies. They weren’t looking at me, for some reason. Their guns were primed on the clouds as they spun around. What are they looking for?
One thing I was sure of, though, was that Gwen hadn’t come out before them. And there was no way she could have gotten past them to get down the stairs. They shot her… I couldn’t get that conclusion out of my mind. My anger began to rise; I wanted to charge in there and tear them apart. I wanted to avenge my friend.
But above all, I was furious with myself. I had let her go so quickly after finding her again. She had made me promise not to abandon her and yet I so easily let her run off on her own. I held such contempt for my failure as her friend. How will I ever live with myself now? I curled up behind the rock and began sobbing.
It took several minutes for me to settle down enough to think. She sacrificed herself so that I could get out…so that, together, we could save as many Gilneans as possible. I had to end this…for her. I could start thinking of how to punish myself after my people were safe. I can’t kill myself until I deal with Godfrey.
Miserably, I started to make my way back to the road. I had enough attention left to notice the guards that were running up and down the path before they noticed me. I scrambled back up the hill near the Walden estate. South of me was the cliff’s edge overlooking the square where the king was being held. At least, that’s what I assumed it was. I couldn’t see past the roof-tops a little ways down.
The highest roof was probably a ten-twenty-foot drop from where I was. It was also quite the distance out. Well, if I miss it, I’ll get to see Gwen again, I thought to myself. Really quickly, I looked over my shoulder. It was only a matter of time before they found me. I needed to confront Godfrey before they did.
I took a step back and ran towards the edge. I pushed off right at the edge and launched myself into the air. I had a strange perception of time as I free-fell towards the house. Am I going to make it? Rain slapped my face, mixing with the tears that streamed out of my eyes. Do I even want to make it? I needed to keep reminding myself of what I was doing this for…what Gwen had sacrificed herself for.
I reached out, hands extended towards the roof. I’ll make it. My chest slammed into the corner of the roof, knocking the wind out of me. In desperation, I flailed around with my arms and managed to get my claws to catch on the shingles. I hung there for a moment, gasping out deep, uneven breaths as my body quivered.
It took me some time to compose myself. My paws dangled uselessly below me; I couldn’t get my lower claws to catch on the wall. I twisted around, trying to see what I could do from here. I suppose I could climb up on the roof…but then I’ll just be stranded even higher. Looking down, I couldn’t see anything that would be remotely safe to land on and I was confident the fall would kill me. My options were…limited.
With a grunt, I pulled myself onto the roof. From there, I crawled over to the other side to get a better view of what I was dealing with. Sure enough, Lord Godfrey still stood in the courtyard, subjecting himself to the bitter elements just to stand guard over King Greymane in the cage.
There was a shorter building not far from Lord Hewell’s house where I was perched. It wasn’t as bad a jump as from the cliff to here. I can make that. I backed up a bit and – with a running start – pounced to the next roof down. I made a lot of noise as I scrambled onto the shingles, so I ducked down and waited. After waiting a moment, I carefully peeked over the side. Godfrey didn’t seem to notice.
I slowly crept around the edges of this roof, looking for a way down. There wasn’t another roof I could reach from here. But…there was a tree on the other side. The branches looked strong and, well, sharp. It was close enough, but…this is going to hurt.
I leapt towards the tree and crashed into the branches, covering my eyes with my arm as I flew. The distinctive sound of cloth tearing intertwined with the cracking of branches and the rain. Splintered wood bit into my skin, causing me to wince. Before long, I slammed into the trunk – snout first. My nose stun fiercely as I clawed at the bark to get ahold of the tree. After a chaotic couple of seconds, I came to a complete halt.
I let out a long breath. I’m never getting this far away from the ground again. Body shaking, I started to climb down. My nose started to feel warm and something ran down from it onto the tip of my lips. I instinctively licked my nose and the taste of blood became readily apparent. I couldn’t help but whine as I descended the tree.
I thanked the Light the moment my paws touched down on the soft, cold grass. I quickly inspected myself. The tattered remains of the shirt were stained with blood. My entire body was sore, but at least it didn’t feel like there were any particularly deep wounds.
I limped around the side of the building; my legs were screaming at me with each step. I was near where King Greymane was being held; there were a few empty cages between him and me. I wonder if one of those cages was intended for me… I stayed low as I moved forward, hiding behind the carts that held the tiny prison cells.
I stole a glance over one of the carts and noticed Lord Godfrey facing this general direction. I couldn’t tell what he was looking at through those tiny circle spectacles, but I was pretty sure he hadn’t seen me. Otherwise, he’d be screaming to high heaven.
Just then, Lord Hewell walked into the courtyard from the street. “Godfrey,” he called with an irritated voice.
As Lord Godfrey turned to face the other nobleman, I took the opportunity to dart forward to King Greymane’s cage.
“It’s you!” he declared in a low voice. “I’m afraid negotiations with Godfrey have gone sour.”
“Obviously,” I responded, fumbling with the latch for the cage. The lock looked weak. “We took care of the other lords,” I informed him before stopping. I stared straight ahead as my mind wandered to Gwen.
“I wish it could have been avoided. Let us ensure this is resolved without further bloodshed,” King Greymane commented darkly. “Where is your companion?”
I blinked a couple of times before going back to unlocking the cage. I didn’t respond to his question.
“Baron Ashbury and Lord Walden were found dead in their homes,” I heard Lord Hewell explain angrily. “I told you this plan of yours was not what the people wanted!”
“Did they capture the assassins?” Godfrey returned, seemingly ignoring the last part.
“They have not,” Hewell reported. My ears perked up. They would have mentioned if they caught and killed a worgen! But…where was she, then?
Getting frustrated, I grabbed hold of the lock and just tore it off the cage with a loud clank. That drew their attention. Lord Godfrey turned as the cage door swung open and King Greymane hopped down. He walked towards the two lords with me following close behind, doing my best to walk steadily.
“It’s over Godfrey. You have no support left among the eastern lords,” King Greymane declared. “Surrender now. Put an end to this coup and we can figure out how to deal with the Forsaken together.”
I stared curiously at the back of the king’s head. After all of this, he’s still willing to give Godfrey a chance? I couldn’t help but growl. Somewhere inside me, I wanted his blood. After all he has done to me…to my kind…he deserved to pay.
Godfrey’s face twisted into a wicked, disgusted grimace. “No,” he spat, backing towards the entrance to the square. “I’d sooner die than have one of your kind for a king!” he declared, nothing but pure loathing in his voice.
With that, he spun on his heels and sprinted out of the square. Instinctively, I gave chase. Whether or not Greymane wants him alive, he’s not getting away!
Godfrey didn’t turn to go up or down the road. Instead, he sped across it, his top hat falling off as he reached the other side. He wouldn’t! He kept going. He would… Before I could stop him, Lord Godfrey threw himself off the cliff.
I skidded to a halt and cautiously approached the ledge, peering down. It was dark, so it was difficult to see. Angry waves crashed against the jagged cliffs and rocks below. Godfrey was gone. No one could have survived that fall. A strange mixture of satisfaction and disappointment swirled in my mind. He was finally dead, but part of me hated that he went out on his own terms and that I couldn’t play a direct part in it. That part of me scared me deeply, but I couldn’t deny its existence. At least he can’t keep pushing his agenda to hurt my kind.
I heard a long whistle. “Well now…I’d wager we’ve seen the last of that pretentious arse,” a familiar, raspy voice declared nearby. “Shame we didn’t get to do him in like I’d imagined.”
My face lit up as I turned to find Gwen staring down over the edge of the cliff. “Gwen!” I cried, nearly tackling her as I threw my arms around her. “I thought…I heard the gunfire…I didn’t think you made it,” I stammered, my brain moving far too quickly to be coherent. It was as if a massive weight had been lifted from my chest.
“It’s a shit feeling, isn’t it?” she teased with a vindictive edge to her voice. “I promised you I’d be more careful than you are,” she reminded me.
“How did you escape? There were so many guards!” I asked, holding her out at arms’ length.
She started to point to herself yet again. “Are you really that thick or do I need to spell it out for you?”
Right…Druid… “I’m just so…I can’t believe you’re alive!” I hugged her again. I couldn’t begin to describe just how elated I was feeling. I almost kissed her.
After several moments, we parted. “You sure look like hell,” Gwen observed, surveying me. “You really are a danger to yourself when I’m not around, aren’t you?” I shrugged in response.
King Greymane walked up to us. “The list of things I’ve had to thank you for is ever growing,” he commented. “It’s a shame we could not end this peacefully, but you’ve met Godfrey…his hatred for our kind knows no bounds.” He paused for a moment and cleared his throat. “Now, Lord Hewell will make sure you two are welcomed here. You’ve earned a bit of respite,” he assured us. “But do not go too far. I suspect we’ll have need to call on you soon.”
I let out a long sigh of relief. I looked up at the rain and then down at my friend. The coup is over. Time to lick our wounds and rest up. An excited grin spread across my face. “It’s about time for that bath, don’t you think?”
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Mind of Malm 