The afternoon sunlight flowed brilliantly like notes rippling over water, steeping varied, enchanting sorrows in its glow.
Dalaran's soaring mage towers formed the city's beautiful skyline. Dalaran was still the same Dalaran, but the expressions on its people's faces were now entirely different.
The aftermath of the fall of the Lordaemir Internment Camp reverberated through this city of countless towering mage towers, casting a shadow over Dalaran. For days, the entire city had been discussing the battle.
The fall of the Lordaemir Internment Camp had caused an uproar that stunned all of Dalaran, because none of its people had expected the camp to fall. Of all the internment camps established by the Alliance, Lordaemir was not the most heavily defended, but it was certainly the least likely to be taken, because it was so close to Dalaran. Any resident of Dalaran could tell you exactly where the Lordaemir Internment Camp was: a short distance southwest of the city.
Yet the unexpected had happened right under their noses.
The Lordaemir Internment Camp, seemingly impossible to take, had fallen effortlessly to the orcs. While the news shook Dalaran, the city dared send out only small scouting parties, afraid that the orcs, riding high on their conquest of the camp, would continue their advance and attack Dalaran.
It was enough to leave people astonished. Only now did they realize that Dalaran, seemingly safe in the Alliance's heartland and beyond the reach of war, was actually in grave danger, exposed to the orcs' advance.
Especially since the orcs had only recently erupted into revolt, prompting Lordaeron to dispatch the young prince Arthas and Uther the Lightbringer to suppress them. Dalaran had sent quite a few mages to support them at the time, leaving its own defenses depleted.
"Seek aid!" Antonidas slowly uttered the words, heavy as a mountain.
Once he had spoken, Antonidas's aged face looked older still, as though those words had drained all his vitality. In all honesty, he did not want to seek aid. Dalaran was known as a kingdom of magic, and although magic was its greatest strength, it was still a major kingdom. Calling for help at every turn would only expose its weakness. Yet Antonidas could not bring himself to refuse to seek aid. He looked at the other members of the Kirin Tor. Since entering the council chamber, only Kael'thas had remained silent and shown no desire to request assistance. Everyone else, even his own apprentice Kel'Thuzad, had looked delighted when he spoke those words.
The Kirin Tor was said to be presided over by six archmages, but in truth, it had never had that many in the fullest sense. Hero Rank archmages were not cabbages; reaching that level was no easy feat. The title of archmage did not depend solely on strength. Those held in great esteem or credited with some astonishing research achievement could also be honored with it. Otherwise, with six archmages in Dalaran, the city would have had six Hero Rank powerhouses. Why would it ever need to seek aid?
The current Council of Six of the Kirin Tor consisted of Antonidas, Kael'thas, Krasus, Modera, Kel'Thuzad, and Drenden.
Only Antonidas, Kael'thas, and Krasus had truly reached Hero Rank. Kel'Thuzad, the strongest after them, still fell a little short. As the saying went, it was not yet his time to take the stage and plunge the world into chaos. Without the blessing of a villain's fortune, he had been stuck at the threshold of Hero Rank for many years. Once that fortune rose, he would immediately become a scourge.
With three Hero Rank powerhouses present to defend Dalaran, they were still asking for aid. The thought filled Antonidas with sorrow.
"Kael'thas, what do you think?" At this point, only Antonidas, as leader of the Kirin Tor, could keep the meeting under control. He directed his question at Kael'thas, who sat in his chair without saying a word.
"Seek aid from Lordaeron." Kael'thas was sparing with his words, keeping his answer brief and offering nothing more. At his response, Antonidas's face remained expressionless, but a flicker of displeasure crossed his heart. He had asked Kael'thas first because he wanted the High Elves to send reinforcements. Instead, Kael'thas had passed the responsibility straight to Lordaeron. The High Elves had no intention of sending troops.
To Kael'thas, every one of his people was precious. This battle had nothing to do with him; it was a matter between humans and orcs. Why should he risk his people's lives over it?
With Kael'thas refusing to commit and the High Elves unwilling to send troops, Lordaeron was the only remaining source of aid.
As for Jaina, the princess of Kul Tiras, Antonidas held out no hope. Everyone knew that Kul Tiras was a maritime power with a mighty, invincible fleet, while Dalaran lay deep in the continent's interior. Kul Tiras's development was lopsided, and it was ill suited to land warfare. Jaina's later participation in the Battle of Mount Hyjal was only possible because she had taken large numbers of elite troops from various nations with her when she sailed for the new continent.
"Who is willing to go to Lordaeron?" Antonidas asked, sweeping his gaze across the other five council members again.
"No, don't we have another option besides seeking aid from Lordaeron?" Jaina spoke up. No one present expressed displeasure at her abrupt interjection. Such was the power of status. As Antonidas's apprentice alone, Jaina would not have been allowed to attend this meeting. But with her dual status as the princess of Kul Tiras and Antonidas's apprentice, no one could ignore her.
"You mean... Gilneas?" Kel'Thuzad asked. None of the Kirin Tor council members seated there was a fool; they all knew which nations they could approach for aid. It was not that they had never considered Gilneas. Stromgarde had fallen into severe decline, while Stormwind City simply followed Lordaeron's lead, so anything involving it could be handled by speaking to Lordaeron. Gilneas had shut itself off from the world. Although quite a few people had emerged from it over the past two years, it remained deeply mysterious, and no one was certain of success.
"Yes, Gilneas."
"Then I'll leave seeking aid from Gilneas to you." Antonidas nodded and assigned the task directly to his apprentice. Now in his seventies, he understood human relationships very well. Jaina could seek out Rex in Gilneas, which would make things far easier than if an old man like him went himself.
"Kael'thas, open a Portal to Pyrewood Village for Jaina," Antonidas continued. That was the advantage of being a mage: they could go wherever they wanted.
"Nothing is certain with Gilneas. We still need someone to go to Lordaeron, don't we?"
(End of chapter)
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