Caesar's Eagle

There was an inn in Zin-Azshari called Traveler's Home, where Daphne and her companions were staying.

"Dear guests, you're back!" the beautiful innkeeper greeted them warmly.

"Yes, Lina. Is there anything good to eat tonight?" Daphne replied with a smile.

"It's already been sent to your room." The innkeeper was still beaming.

"Sent to my room?" Daphne asked, puzzled.

"Daphne! Do you have a lover waiting for you?" Maiev stepped forward, put an arm around Daphne, and feigned surprise as she asked. She never missed a chance to tease Daphne. Daphne shot her a sidelong look, then turned back to the innkeeper and waited for an explanation.

"What? Aren't they your guests? They seemed so graceful and polite, so I thought..." The innkeeper looked flustered, too, and hurried to explain.

"What are you all dawdling for? Come upstairs and eat! The roast suckling pig is fantastic tonight!"

Everyone looked up. It was Gandalf! He was holding a piece of roast meat and waving it gently to get their attention. The three relaxed, said nothing, and headed straight for the room. Maiev was the quickest through the door. She saw someone at the table carving the roast suckling pig.

"We were just waiting for you. That guy couldn't help himself and started eating first."

"Saruman, stop talking. You're spitting all over the suckling pig." Maiev shoved Saruman away in disgust and was about to dig in herself.

"Did you wash your hands?"

"Uh... I don't think so."

"Then go wash them!"

While the two of them bickered, Daphne and Falco came in and sat down at the table.

"Come on, have you ever seen her wash her hands before eating?" Daphne teased with a smile.

Falco usually didn't concern himself with things like that. He had already stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and mumbled, "Delicious. It'd be even better with a glass of Morning Dew Wine."

"How did you know I brought some?" Gandalf was walking over with a bottle of wine. Daphne sprang up, snatched it from him, and opened it to take a sniff. "Three-hundred-year-old vintage! Bless you, Gandalf!" she cried excitedly. Everyone crowded around to get a taste, and the room descended into chaos. They enjoyed a wonderful dinner of delicious food and fine wine, teasing and bickering with one another. Afterward, they gathered around the tea table on the terrace and continued smoking and chatting.

"Time is almost up." Saruman blew a smoke ring and spoke leisurely, then cast a soundproofing barrier.

"What, are you scared?" Gandalf gave him a contemptuous look.

"Are you stupid? What about me looks scared?" Saruman glared at Gandalf and snapped.

"Enough! Listen to me."

Daphne spoke, and everyone grew serious, watching her in silence.

"Saruman is right, friends. Time is almost up. Everything points to His Highness's prophecy being true."

"What should we do, Daphne?" Falco didn't say much, but every word he spoke mattered.

"His Highness said, 'Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Let's start by sharing what we've each discovered."

"I'll go first. The Well of Eternity has been very unstable lately, with frequent surges of energy. I suspect they're using its power to summon extraterrestrial creatures."

"Extraterrestrial creatures?"

"Nothing good. I can smell a conspiracy."

"Can you get any detailed information?"

"It's difficult. The Council of Mages has tightened its surveillance of Arcane Energy, and my Eye of the Observer can't get inside. You know, though I can't stand that bunch, I can't deny that a few of them are quite formidable."

"Isn't there any other way?"

"It's difficult. The Queen's Palace has increased its security, too, so it's hard to get information out."

"Difficult? So there's still a chance?"

"They can't get out, and I can't get in."

"Just because you can't get in doesn't mean someone else can't." Maiev, who had been listening all along, spoke up.

"If it were you, I'm certain you'd succeed." Afraid she might rope him into it, Saruman hastily flattered her.

"Fine. I'll go take a look." As she spoke, she tied up her hair, which had been hanging loose during dinner.

"Wait, Maiev." Before she could finish, Maiev had already vanished.

"It's all right. Let's continue. She knows thinking things through isn't her strong suit, so she's finding something else to do."

"Falco, I have to disagree. The fact that she can think of this and act on it shows she's a wise person, doesn't it?"

"Enough, Saruman. We all know she's wise in her own way." After saying this, Daphne turned to look at Falco, signaling that it was his turn.

"My turn, then. I went to Pandaria. His Highness used to love that place, so I wanted to see it." Whenever Azar came up, Falco's mood soured. He composed himself and continued, "I met the Jinyu, an intelligent people led by a group of wise ones. They're famous throughout Pandaria for their prophecies. Their leader is called the Grand Sage, and every Grand Sage throughout history has served as a strategist for the Pandaren Empire. The current Grand Sage received me. We talked for a long time about many things. I told him about His Highness's prophecy, and he was surprised that someone else had foreseen the Cataclysm, just as he had. So I asked him how it could be averted. The Grand Sage said there was nothing he could do. The Pandaren Empire was in great difficulty and could no longer support its allies. Even worse, the Cataclysm would affect all of Kalidom. They wouldn't be spared, either."

"Did the Grand Sage mention any signs of the Cataclysm?"

"Yes! I think he said, 'Power from the universe, creatures from the void.' Right, that was it!"

"Hey, buddy, your instincts are sharp!" Gandalf nudged Saruman with his shoulder, unable to resist cracking a joke.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"All right, let me tell you what I found. I've spent a long time studying the data. For instance, all the records from the Arcane Purifiers show that the Well of Eternity's energy composition is slowly changing. A foreign energy keeps increasing. It's completely opposed to the Arcane, so I've named it Fel."

"Will it affect the energy supply to Eldre'Thalas?"

"Not for now. The Arcane Purifiers rejected that energy."

"That's good. Oh, I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you."

"It's all right, Saruman. Arcane Energy is the lifeblood of Eldre'Thalas. It's natural for you to be worried."

"Another set of data caught my attention. The Queen's Palace has been recruiting people constantly."

"What does that tell us?"

"Gandalf, don't interrupt!"

"The important thing is, no one has come out of the Queen's Palace! Where have they gone?"

The four of them fell silent, each lost in thought.

"I have a few ideas." Gandalf broke the silence. The other three quickly looked up at him.

"Don't look at me like that. You're scaring me."

"Cut the nonsense and get on with it!"

"Putting all the information together, we can be sure the Cataclysm is coming. The energy surges, the Queen's Palace, Fel, the heightened security, the Grand Sage's prophecy, the missing people—all of it points to this: evil extraterrestrial creatures have been summoned to Azeroth by the Highborne."

"You got it right!"