Lost in the Nightmare

#

The screams were excruciating to hear, and she couldn't make them stop. She had no idea why she couldn't but, she was just completely unable to make them stop. Over and over again, the bellowing came from somewhere deep in the darkness she was in, and Drahna had to endure it. She tried to move a few times in the darkness but, every single moment was like eternity and she never could.

After what seemed like days of this a disturbing greenish light began to filter in. The sulfuric smell came with it and Drahna could feel her eyes trying to open. She just was unable to let them. Then came a new smell, blood flowed freely around her. Was it hers? She didn't feel like she was bleeding, but the smell was undeniable.

"You horrid bitch" a voice said in the darkness. The voice was the mix of many voices, all male and all of them spiteful. She knew the voices only too well, every boyfriend she had ever been with and the last was her husband.

"Selfish" said one solitary voice. "Liar" another said in spite, the words like a lashing against her ear. "Thief" a third stung like being stabbed. "Murderer" the fourth pierced deep into her chest as if her heart was being torn out. On and on this went, each name more painful than the last and far more violently in the dim green light over her eyes. She whimpered in the tones until the voices merged.

"DIE" the echo of voices came and then she felt as if she was drowning in blood, unable to breathe. The liquid poured into her ears and nose, down her throat with a hot sticky pain that she wasn't familiar with. She felt as if she was burning everywhere and yet freezing at the same time.

She could breathe again, but it came in gasps as the light was now bright and she could almost open her eyes. The wounds from the voices had left her weak and tired, but then she could see so clearly the sun and she could feel that she was getting to her feet. She was walking down a beach, and there in the distance was a Sin'Dorei couple. The man was rugged, but far more thin than most of the heroic types she was around now. His hair was long and well groomed. He wore a merchants clothes and he seemed delighted to tickle the woman who wiggled under him.

She was lovely, and curvy. She wore merchant clothes as well and had long brown hair. Her eyes were jade and flashed as she tried to get away from his tickles and yet eager to stay. "Stop Re'narlan" she kept laughing.

"I cannot until I purge you from all of your ailments. Oh! I see another. Come here you horrid cold bug" he called out and tickled her more. As this went on Drahna saw another pair of figures not far away. She could hear them speaking, not as clearly but she could hear them.

"That one?" the male voice said. It made rather odd noises around it and Drahna realized it was a water elemental.

"Yes" the woman said and the voice chilled Drahna to the bone. Eydrana's voice was hard to miss. It was cold as she was, deadly and never pleasant. Drahna heard it in her head for so long, that hearing it now was alarming. Only now, it was more alive. It wasn't that cold chiding vicious thing in her brain any longer. Drahna moved for a closer look, using her stealth to watch. What was Eydrana doing alive? Hadn't Drahna removed her with the ritual in Dalaran a few months ago.

Eydrana, she was thin and wicked. Her long thin arms were disturbing to see, as if there was an infection, but the skin was healing. On closer look of the arms, it looked like old runic scars on her skin from where she brushed her sleeve away briefly. Her hair was the color of the moonlight, pale blonde and her eyes were a blueish green that was more ghastly then alluring. Her face was pale, angry and yet lovely. She was like a doll, a very evil but beautiful doll.

"Why that one mistress?" The water elemental broke Drahna's concentration.

"She's the right size and shape and about the right age. That girl is no older than 50 if she's a day. Maybe younger. Also, she's fodder. She's a merchant woman, no one will miss her politically. Her family isn't an issue. They simply will be dismissed as she could have been killed in any number of ways with this wary. Anyway, I want her. I'll simply use that body to fix what has happened to this one. Vhares did much to heal me, but these markings need to be gone. I must put a stop to Bok'theg before that crazy Warlock ruins everything." Eydrana said and Drahna watched with horror as the figure moved closer to the couple.

On the beach the giggling was coming to an end and Drahna watched with desperation. Was that her? Was she that merchant woman? Who was he? Was he her boyfriend.

"Alright milove you win" She laughed again, and the voice was hers. A happier tone, lighter maybe and far less dumb than she tried to sound. "I'll pack the picnic up and head home. You however must fetch our sons from your parents and see to it they are bathed tonight before bed." she laughed and stood.

Sons? Drahna had children? A tear fell from her eye as she watched the happy man get up. "That shall be no problem. I'm sure if Mother had her way already they are bathed and happy." he stood and pulled his wife into a loving kiss. Drahna gasped and touched her lips. She was married and had a family somewhere, and until this moment she hadn't known that. Eydrana moved her hand up to pause the elemental.

"Don't keep me waiting my beautiful Solesticia" he said breaking their kiss. That was her name? Not Drahna? Solesticia, a name far more elegant then Drahna. It felt as if she was being stabbed in the heart.

"I wouldn't dream of it" she said back in a dazed and lovely purr. He broke their embrace and walked away. His steps remained in the damp sand as she scurried to pick up a blanket and a picnic basket. The sun set low in the sky. Drahna took stock of where she was. It was the beach near Silvermoon, the one not far from the Livery. She had been a merchant woman in Silvermoon?

It was at that moment a crack in the air got her attention back and Solesticia, who had picked up a load of things had dropped them as a cone of pure ice surrounded her. She tried to scream, but the Deep Freeze had her fully locked. The Water Elemental moved closer, his fist up ready to strike the girl. Eydrana took her time. She moved ever closer studying the woman as if she was looking at art.

"Yes yes..." she nodded. "This will do nicely. A new body, Kellexar said find something strong and powerful. This should do, she just needs work. Anything to stop Bok'theg in his tracks. I cannot be weak if I am to get even with that bastard" Eyd said to the Elemental who remained vigilant and guarded.

Drahna's tears fell from her eyes. The icy figure turned blue then fainted in the shell she was in from lack of air. Eydrana nodded to the Elemental who used his magic to haul the flash frozen body for her. Eydrana made a portal to Dalaran, and then vanished with them both.

The ground shook and it was dark again. Drahna was alone, in the darkness she was sobbing. She hadn't known this. Even Olessa had said she couldn't find anything from what Eydrana had done before, because she had damaged the memory so badly on the body she chose, and Eydrana had an incredible defense on her own memories. Some could leak, but that old Sorceress was very good at hiding her thoughts. Drahna was wracked with sobs, hugging her arms to herself over the family she lost, as the environment changed again. This time however it wasn't the smooth transition of the first two but rather a struggle.

"No. This is ours! Naralax will have control of this vessel and soon the Blacktooth Grin!" came a bellowing bark, a male voice. "Like hell. I'm not about to turn over my clan or my vessel to some sniveling little bastard like you." came the snarl reply a female voice, and it was familiar. "This is my dream to give to the chosen" the male voice argued. "This is my prison you son of a bitch. You get out." came the vicious tempo of the retort. "I care not of your imprisonment witch. This vessel was chosen! She is going to lead us to our goal!" Came the bellow. The darkness shook and Drahna now saw a evil green light mixing with a very strong and wicked blue one.

She stepped closer and saw she was in a round chamber. In the middle the light pooled in two figures. The one in blue was Eydrana, angry as hell and clutching a staff of pink. The one in green was a figure she had never seen before. It was a Disciple of Naralex, though Drahna didn't understand Naralex at all. She just somehow knew that name was important.

"Now you hear me and you hear well novice" Eydrana said and swirled the staff around in her delicate looking, but surprisingly strong hands. The green flickered as she did this around her opponent.

"This is my tomb, and you have freed me from it. How dare you interfere with it, and how dare you remove my memories in the process." she used both hands gripping the pink staff now and a powerful light shone from it. "You have 10 seconds to vacate this woman or I will demolish you myself" the staff glowed a bright purple blue color and it was getting more powerful.

"Ha! Show your magic and kill your protector. You wouldn't dare do that. Why protect that which keeps you hostage?!" The Disciple barked out a laugh.

"You already killed her by showing her my thoughts, so now I kill you back. Now.. DIE!!!" Eydrana's eyes glowed bright blue. As she chanted a spell under her breath, a deep freezing block of ice came forth from the ground and surrounded the disciple. The green around him was being engulfed by the blue light. Surrounding the icy block, came runic marks and as the blue waves of Ice Lance exploded from her hands, the Disciple shattered into the ground like so much broken glass.

Drahna screamed in pain and everything was dark again. "I'm not done with you yet witch, or your little puppet. I will be back and you will never be rid of me" the his shrieked into the darkness. It was the last thing she heard. ***

Outside as she had been treated in the Lak'gora's most secret lab, Drahna had made no noise. For the weeks she had been in a coma her fever had gone from bad to worse then normal at times. As she sweat, the cheep red hair dye she used washed clean from her very long hair. Her tattoos faded in the spores wake, her piercings were infected and oozing.

Her face became harder, more angry, her eyes sunken in and surrounded by deep black circles. Her hair went from a mellow red to the purest white silver and her skin was a sickly green. At that moment her head convulsed and her mouth opened expelling a deep green sickening gas. The gas flowed up from her as her bones began to glow bright white making her skin glow as well. A serpent escaped in the gas cloud and then vanished.

After it was gone her mouth closed again. Her head shifted under her hair, the bones resettling. Her skin looked normal again, the glows were all gone. She stopped sweating entirely and her temperature was normal. But, she was not awake, remaining unconscious in her coma. The spores might be gone, but she was far from well. Whenever anyone got close however, her skin was icy cold, and her eyes still dark and sunk in, seemed to radiate ice and a shadow seemed to cling to her side never moving.

#

She woke up startled and alarmed. She was all alone and afraid and mostly confused. In a bunk by herself Drahna looked around. The smell of chemicals was in the air, there were bandages near her and the room was cold. She wore a simple black and purple robe, and there was something stark white on her pillow. Alarmed she turned her head and realized her hair color had run clean out. She looked at her hand as she touched her hair. The fingers shook and were weak.

"Where am I?" she said through a dry horse voice. She swallowed. Her instincts screamed at her, she immediately went into the shadows, the comfort she loved. Stealthily carefully she got free from the bunk and headed out of the little wooden shack. She saw figures around but she wasn't sure if she was a prisoner or not so she didn't bother to stop to figure that out. She was unarmed and weak, if they caught her she would have been overpowered.

She made it across the compound and found the sands ended in water. She was on an island of some sort. In the distance she could see boats, so she was near a port. Slipping into the water she swam away confused and alone and wondering what had happened to her.

It felt like hours as she swam along trying to tread water in the currents. She lost consciousness after several strokes and was lost in the blackness again.

πŸ“Ž attachment (no longer available): inthewakeoftheisle.JPG

"This one is still alive" the raspy voice said as she felt consciousness come back to her. It took many long minutes but she was back, and looking at her was a Forsaken in the tabard of the Blacktooth Grin. Salvation had found her in the form of someone she least expected.

"Excuse me" he said again. Axil poked the elf. He had been looking for a crystal ball in the water, and found woman wearing the colors of the Lak'gora. It had his attention to be sure.

πŸ“Ž attachment (no longer available): Drownonthebeach.JPG

Her eyes were set in deep dark black bags, lining them with no rest, her skin was a slight green color and her hair was a greyish white. She looked up at him and saw the tabard and felt a slight ease.

"Having some trouble swimming are we?" He asked staring at her coloring. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "No no no no no" he mused.

She coughed and struggled onto the shore. "Need, Hold" she began choking on the words in a rasp. "Need Desolation..." she thumped onto the sand.

"The hold belongs to the Blacktooth Grin" he explained. "You seak the Grin?"

"Grin...need ...clan" she burst into a coughing fit from the salt water. He wasn't sure who she was, but it was an interesting find.

"Come" he demanded. "I'm sure we have some sort of healer at the hold. It won't be cheep though" he muttered. She struggled but got to her feet like a weakened baby deer.

"Drahna..." she gasped. "Don't know where I am...Got ... caught. Alliance I think" she explained.

"I have heard that name before" He stops and raised his eyebrow inquisitively.

She rubbed her head and coughed again in response. "Stop your babbling lets go" he barks and heads away from the shore. She followed but staggered behind him.

"You will have to ride from here" he explained. She nodded and as he dawned his wolf, she whistled. From not far away her wolf, her faithful war-wolf companion whom put up with her wandering for ages, emerged. She was delighted to see him. She saw however her wolf did not have her gear or effects.

"I..I don't know where my things are" she gasped climbing onto the wolf.

"You can worry about your effects later. We'll head into town and catch a flight to the hold" he shrugs and leads the way. He wasn't sure what to think about the situation but he lead her to Rachet. So she was near Rachet? She watched and her calculating eyes observed everything, but she was so confused. How did the Alliance catch her? She had opened the chest, felt a coin, realized it was the spores that Xibalbah had warned her about and then passed out. That was the last thing she remembered, save for the nightmares she suffered.

It didn't take long to get the flight to Desolation Home, and less time to get into it. She landed on her knees when she was there and let the earth run into her fingers. "Home... finally home..." she said grateful. The Hold was her home. She had no other place in her mind anymore.

Axil let out a hacking cough but observed her. Whoever she was, she was strange. "You're out of it more than I thought. Come come.." he said leading her to the center of camp.

"Whomever you are thank you" she said getting to her weakened legs. He smiled but continued walking.

"I need to find Pikki" she said as she stumbled down the rocky cliff to the bonfire. He stopped very suddenly and looked at her.

"What business do you have with Pikki?" he demanded.

"She's my superior officer." Drahna explained. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Pikki. She rubbed her face again as it was still very sore. Axil nodded and motioned again for her to follow. Drahna was confused. Had she been gone so long that she wasn't even known anymore?

"You must be new, or I must be dead" she replied to his indifference. He simply laughed and as they approached the bonfire he pointed with a bony finger. "Sit by the fire. I'll find Pikki" he ordered. She nodded and sat by the fire letting it seep deep into her limbs.

He wasn't gone long, but in that time she regained her strength in her stabbing fingers. She had to get everything back if she was going to find out what was going on. First thing on her list after getting her gear, was a fresh coat of hair dye and a meal. She couldn't believe how bad her hair looked. Her thoughts were broken by his shuffling footsteps coming to her.

"Pikki is away..." he said coldly. It was like a knife to her chest. Was Pikki really away, or would she not see the wayward rogue now.

"I've sent her a message of the situation though" he promised and watched her. Drahna felt relief.

"That means she's alive. The coins didn't harm her. But what of Thuug? Is he among us still? He was close to me when the tax chest fell, did he get harmed?" she asked. Axil stared into the distance and pondered this.

"I don't know who you are or how you know those you do in the clan." he admitted his suspicions. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Her eyes were sharp, dark and they set hard on the Forsaken. No one had talked of her? Was this years later? Had she died?

"Drahna. I told you that. Raider and spy for the Grin" she snarled. "Has it been so long I'm forgotten and not mourned?" she asked.

He rose his eyebrow again. "Forgotten, no. Never properly introduced more like it" he said.

She stood and looked at him carefully. There was a familiar gate to this Forsaken. "Than who are you?" she asked.

"I am called Axil, Raider" he said. "My talents lie .. in a more...warmer touch" he said boasting of his magical prowess.

Inside her mind her entire spirit sank. It was another one of his tricks again. Axil was playing her once more with a game, like he had long ago she was sure of it. "They always did" she grumbled, convinced the comment had to do with how he had toyed with her ages ago.

"Well if you are who you say you are, than you know your way around and do not need my help" he began to walk away.

"You always do this" she grumbled. Typical. He would always walk away when he didn't like her reactions to his games. Training exercises he used to call them, and then when they were more involved they became true games. Things he would do to her to keep himself amused she assumed.

"You presume to know my habits?" He was surprised. She sighed and pulled her damp hair back and shook her head. Okay she could play this game.

"I know of Axil of the Blacktooth Grin, or rather I did." she explained.

"I've heard of this ...Axil" he began. "Imposter if you ask me. A rogue of sorts"

"Mentor and teacher to me of many of life's gifts and pains. I know he has been Forsaken, just like you, and also has appeared as Sin'Dorei. He has been a Rogue, a Warrior and he can be whatever he feels like. It wouldn't surprise me, teacher, if you decided to be a sorcerer now" she snarled the last part.

"Well Raider, its no doubt he's probably dead. Although we carry the same name we are of no relation" he explained.

"No, so now we have two Axil's of the Blacktooth Grin?" She demanded.

"Only one. Unless the other ever wishes to show his face again." he sneered.

"And that sir, is why I don't necessarily believe you at all. The 'Other' one turned Forsaken once when we were very close. Left me for a week to worry of his fate, and then pretended to be someone else as you do now." she crossed her arms over her chest unamused.

"You speak of nonsense, or fictional romance. I assure you." He spit on the ground.

"I speak of history with men named Axil who are of my clan." she added. "Alright Axil whom isn't my valued teacher, I'll believe you for now, but I do not trust you." she was tired of this.

"The feeling is Reciprocated Drahna, Raider of the Blacktooth Grin" he smiled and backed away and in a flash of magic, disappeared into a cloak of invisibility. It was too familiar.

"That bloody liar" She growled. It was him. She knew that anywhere. They would argue and he would hide.

She took a moment and went to get her gear and armor back. Thankfully one of the Grunts had taken the time to strip her of her things that were salvageable and put them in a crate for her. What a day. Now she had to find out what this all meant, and what The Grin was going to do about the spores.