I spent the whole of the next day on the backs of a series of Gryphons, crossing the vast distance between Ironforge and Light’s Hope Chapel. It would have made my travel much quicker, I thought, to have teleported to Silvermoon or even the loathsome Undercity, but the Glamour and the Masking Elixir still clouded my memory and I could not make the appropriate ley-line coordinates coalesce in my mind. And though the disguising effect was now weakened to the point where people were eyeing me curiously, I did still look more Human than Elvish, and probably would have been slaughtered by the guards instantly upon arriving in a Horde city.
“Welcome back, Kaelinda,” Archmage Dosantos greeted me as I entered the Argent Dawn inn, “I hope your journey was successful?”
“Well, it was — eventually,” I replied. “Lady Proudmoore has the Book of the Ancients in her library at Theramore now. It didn’t hold much that seemed useful for defeating the Naga, as Magus Aldamort had hoped, but it did provide evidence for a possible forgotten contact between the Night Elves and the Titans.”
“Fascinating!” said Archmage Dosantos.”And how did you find the cities of the Alliance?”
“Strange and wonderful,” I said. “I am glad to have had this opportunity to visit them.”
I quaffed my last vial of Masking Elixir before retiring that night and incanted the Glamour for the last time after arising the next morning.
Kriss Goldenlight clapped her hands delightedly as I hopped off my mount outside Quel’Lithien Lodge. “What a pleasant surprise to see you again, Kaelinda! The Glamour and the Masking Elixir worked perfectly!”
“I happened to spend a couple of days in Ironforge earlier this week,” I said, “so I gathered some Shimmerweed to thank you for your assistance.”
“Oh, well done!” she said, examining the bundled herbs. “These are fine specimens, and you have collected enough for two batches of the Elixir.”
I gave Aurora Skycaller the crystal fragments I had found at Kel’Theril and the book I had taken from the Temple of Zin’Malor.
“Oh…” she said, eyes widening. “Oh, Kaelinda! Long have I wept for what has happened in the past. Like this crystal, the Elves, as a race, have been shattered. I do not know if the pieces will ever again be reunited into one, but it eases my sorrow that you have brought me these things. Now perhaps I can begin to study a way to make things right again.”
Because of the interaction beween the Glamour and the Masking Elixir, it would still be a few days before my appearance reverted to being fully Sin’dorei again. During that time, Arcanist Skycaller, Archmage Dosantos, a Kaldorei Druid living at Light’s Hope Chapel, and I studied the text from the Temple of Zin-Malor and determined how to restore the crystal. I took detailed notes throughout the process and compiled several new cross-references for my notes on the Book of the Ancients. Watching how the other two Mages and the Druid worked with and interpreted the Zin-Malor text to construct a spell to seal together the crystal fragments gave me further insight into how I should go about reconstructing Elune’s Courser and the Dragonsprite Sentry. My little trip to Winterspring was turning out to be much more valuable than I had initially thought!
When I at last returned to my workroom in the Ivory Tower, I found a crate from my financial agent waiting for me.
I unpacked and inspected 3 Arcanite Bars, 2 Righteous Orbs, 4 Azerothian Diamonds, and 5 Greater Eternal Essences for Elune’s Courser and 2 Enchanted Thorium Bars, 2 Blue Sapphires, and 15 Illusion Dust for the Dragonsprite Sentry. Elune’s Courser also required 20 Dreamfoil, which I had gathered while I was in Azshara, and 5 Mooncloth, which I retrieved from the chest of tailoring supplies in my apartment. The Dragonsprite Sentry also required 2 Long Elegant Feathers, which were in the chest with the cloth, and the 4 White Moth Wings and 2 Brilliant Blue Moth Wings I had obtained while I was on the Draenei islands.
For the next several weeks, I worked on my projects. My tutors dropped in unannounced at odd intervals to check on my progress.
Seeing the framework of Elune’s Courser taking shape, Magister Quithas said, “That looks a lot like those constructs the Goblins have been selling, which they claim are from a design found in Ulduar.”
A few minutes later, I had all of my tutors critically looking on as I demonstrated from my notes that my design did, in truth, come from the Book of the Ancients and questioning me as I explained what I had learned from the Explorer’s League in Ironforge. I finally convinced them that my work legitimately fulfilled the conditions of the challenge they had set me, but they did not seem very satisfied by it. I was glad, then, that I had thought to choose a back-up project. I regretfully set aside Elune’s Courser and focused my efforts on the Dragonsprite Sentry.
By this time my progress was being considerably slowed by the constant earthquakes. I couldn’t do delicate work while the earth was shaking, and I had to continually readjust and rebalance everything in my workroom. The autumn and winter holidays had come and gone before I finally finished the Dragonsprite Sentry.
Fortunately, my tutors were thoroughly delighted with the Dragonsprite Sentry. They showered it, and me, with praise.
“We are very well pleased with the work you have done regarding the Book of the Ancients,” Magistrix Zaedana said. “You have brought us a great deal of interesting new information and have conducted yourself admirably. You have performed excellently in the completion of your Journeyman assignments. Though there is always more to learn, you have proved yourself worthy to begin tutoring Apprentices of your own. Congratulations, Magistrix Kaelinda.”
Eventually, I finished Elune’s Courser, too. At last, I had a special horse of my own! Even the all-too-frequent sight of the Goblin-made imitation constructs romping about the streets of Silvermoon could not dilute my enjoyment of my new mount.
Then I went to Outland and learned how to weave a Flying Carpet….
Perhaps my sisters and cousins would like to fly on Elune’s Courser, instead of the ferocious Wyverns, when they come to Outland themselves?
I’ve really enjoyed this whole series, especially the reference to “Elune’s Courser”. It’s very cool how you wove together quests from both factions to create one coherent story.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it. I certainly had fun writing it.