Mirrior Mirrior

It was quiet in the Aldor rise inn. Late in the evening most of the few customers still coming through the door were more interested in finding a nice corner to curl up in after a hard day of adventuring than having a conversation. Talking quietly to the innkeeper Dechion asks for a cot for the night. He signs the ledger and is told which bunk will be his for the evening. 

Making his way to the back in the dim light he lets out an almost inaudible chuckle. Glancing at the bunk next to his he sees the familiar bulk of a certain Tauren warrior, sleeping soundly just a few feet away. Minalei must get a kick out of bunking us next to one another, he thought.

Somewhere deep under Shattrath in a hidden chamber carved from solid Rock a small cadre of Gnomish engineers can be seen climbing over a large piece of their “technology”

Leaning back on his bunk he thought about the events of the day. He had taken a trip through the weather beaten castle known Karazahn again. He had gone running around doing errands for the Shattered Sun representatives. There had been a while around midday that he had stopped and did a bit of fishing. It all sounded like just another day, he wonders why he has that odd feeling that something is wrong.

Deep underground two gnomes argue near a console covered in blinking lights and gauges. The conversation is indistinct with distance but as voices become louder the words “volunteer”, “consent”, “untested”, and “inter-dimensional” can be heard echoing through the cavern.

For the last few days the feeling has been there, slowly getting stronger. Like an itch he cannot scratch. He had checked everything he could think of. He had nothing in the auction house, nothing in the mail, all his debts were paid. The thought crosses his mind that in an effort to find out where the nagging feeling of wrong was coming from he had done a remarkable job of putting his affairs in order. Whatever was coming he would be ready. Putting his wand in its sheath and his mace by his side he laid down on his cot, glancing once more at the Tauren sleeping next to him.

Drifting off to sleep he still could not shake the feeling. The priest threw out a short prayer that things would be different tomorrow. In later times he may very well look back and wish he had been a bit more specific. Seemingly on its own a glowing shield of light appears around the slumbering priest.

The argument appears to be over. The smaller of the two gnomes leaves the console area and heading back out towards the pulsing piece of machinery. The smaller gnome places a cage containing a small animal onto a platform at the center of the creation, dons dark protective glasses, and gives the thumbs up to the one at the console. With a look of excitement on his face the gnome pulls a large lever.

They stare expectantly at the cage….nothing happens.

In the inn there is a moment where everything blurs, then a flash of light, then silence. Eyes snapping open the Tauren is just in time to see the sheets on the next bunk over hold the shape of a body for a split second before falling to the empty bunk.

The gnomes look disappointedly at on another and go back to fiddling with the machine.

Waking with a start Dechion sits bolt upright in his bunk. The Tauren is gone replaced by a young Draeni hunter with a white wolf sleeping under his cot. The wolf opens one eye, looks warily at the priest, and goes back to sleep. Glancing around he sees the innkeeper staring at him, as they meet eyes she beckons him over.

Looking him up and down the Minalei says “you may rest here stranger, but all who do must sign the ledger, Rules are rules. Now I must ask, what is your name?”

“Dechion, and you have known me for over a year” he replied, puzzled.

“I don’t know who you are friend, but you are no more Dechion than I am.” pointing to the young hunter she said “Dechion is but a youngling, but known to me. He is sleeping right there. Now who are you?”

He knew who he was, he knew Minalei, and he had been here hundreds of times before. Oddly exhausted he chose to humor her instead of pleading his case in the middle of the night. Picking up the quill he simply signed with his grandfathers name. Handing the ledger back he went back to get some sleep before the new day, he would figure all this out then.

As he was settling in he heard Minalei again. “Good night Morham, pleasant dreams”