Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty

Things started with a thunderstorm. Anduin had become used to the frequent torrential rains that often occurred in Theramore, though they were sometimes violent.But this time, thunder jolted him from his sleep, rattling his teeth, and lightning lit up his bedroom.He sat up suddenly, just in time to hear another thunderclap.The rain was pouring against his window with such a crackling sound that he almost thought that the raindrops were about to burst through the window. He got out of bed and looked out the window—trying to discern, but couldn't see anything in the pouring rain.He turned his head and heard voices in the hallway.He frowned slightly, put on his clothes and poked his head out to figure out what was going on.

Jaina ran past him.Evidently she too had just woken up and hurriedly put on her clothes.Her eyes were clear, but her hair was not combed at all. "Aunt Jaina? What happened?" "Flood," Jaina replied curtly. For a moment Anduin was transported back to that avalanche in Dun Morogh, when the anguished and irritated elementals once again took out their rage on innocent civilians.Erin's smile came to him, and he forced himself to put it aside. "I'll be right there." Jaina took a breath, as if about to protest, but then gave him a forced smile and nodded. "Ok."

He quickly pulled on his highest-top boots, donned a hooded cloak, and rushed out, following Jaina and several squires and guards. The heavy rain and the whipping of the wind made it almost impossible for him to walk.They seemed to hit from the side, rather than straight down, and he was momentarily out of breath.Jaina had an equally difficult walk.They staggered down from the high tower base as if they were drunk. Anduin knew that tonight was a full moon night, but thick clouds blocked all the light.The guards carried oil lamps, but the lights were dim.In this rain, torches are useless.Anduin gasped as he stepped into the ankle-deep water.Even through the thick boots, the water seeped in and made him feel cold.As his eyes got used to the dim light, Anduin noticed that the whole place was flooded.Fortunately, it's not too deep—not yet.

"Lieutenant Eden!" Jaina yelled, as a soldier on horseback turned and splashed toward her. "We are opening the gates of the castle and bringing in those who need refuge!" "Yes, my lady!" Aiden shouted back.He jerked the horse's head and headed towards the mill. Jaina paused for a moment, then raised her hands skyward, gesticulating with her fingers.Anduin couldn't hear her, but could see her lips moving.In the blink of an eye, a huge dragon's head appeared beside her, causing Anduin to take a deep breath.The faucet opened its huge mouth and sprayed a flame towards the accumulated water, steaming a large area of ​​the ground.Naturally, the flood flooded back in at once to fill the void, but the dragon's head continued to spew fire, seemingly inexhaustibly.Jaina nodded in satisfaction.

"To the docks!" she called to Anduin.He followed her, wading resolutely through the stagnant water as fast as he could.As the terrain got lower and lower, the water got deeper and deeper.Just ahead, Anduin saw what was supposed to be a comical scene, but at this moment, it just caused more confusion.All the griffins flew to the roofs of the buildings.Their wings and fur were soaked, and they merely hissed in defiance as the flight controllers alternately yelled and pleaded with them, "Come down, please!" Now that the water was up to Anduin's knees, he and Jaina and the guards slogged forward tenaciously.The inhabitants, like the griffins, fled to the highest places they could.Their instincts are sensible, but now that the lightning is strong and numerous, what at first seemed like the right choice now lurks greater danger.Now Anduin and the guards helped the terrified merchant and their families climb off the roof to safety.

Anduin began to shiver. His cloak and boots were thick, but when fully submerged they gave him no warmth or dryness.The stagnant water was so cold that he couldn't feel his calf below the knee.But he still persisted.People are suffering and he has to help them.He was catching a sobbing little girl with outstretched arms when a bolt of lightning illuminated the night.As she hugged him, Anduin looked over her shoulder in the direction of the pier, a blazing arc hitting the wooden platform.Then there was a deafening thunderclap, mixed with screams and the creak of splintering wood.The two ships anchored there rocked violently, as if being thrown angrily from side to side by a giant's child.

The girl screamed in his ear and wrapped her arms around his neck as if to strangle him.There was another flash of lightning, and Anduin seemed to see a huge wave rising from the sea, like a giant hand slamming on the pier.Anduin blinked, trying to see through the rain splashing on his cheek.He couldn't believe his eyes, he couldn't believe it. There was another dazzling flash of lightning, and the strange wave disappeared. The Theramore docks and the two ships disappeared with them.What he saw was indeed real.Lightning destroyed most of Theramore's docks, and the sea swallowed it completely.Despite the pouring rain, Anduin still saw the flicker of fire.

Jaina grabbed him by the shoulders and brought her mouth close to Anduin's ear. "Take her back to the castle!" He nodded, spat out the rain in his mouth and said, "I'll be right back!" "No! This is too dangerous!" Jaina shouted again in the storm, "Go and take care of the refugees!" Anduin was suddenly filled with exasperation and impotent frustration.He's not a kid anymore, he's got strong arms and a cool head; he can help, damn it!But he also knew Jaina was right.He is the Crown Prince of Stormwind, and it is his duty not to put himself in danger foolishly.Grumbling and grumbling, he strode across the freezing water toward the castle.

By the time he trudged into the castle, he was no longer shivering.Some attendants were busy there wrapping blankets and bringing hot tea and food to the flood refugees.An older woman rushed over, and Anduin carefully handed the baby back to her.He knew that he was soaked and needed to change his clothes, but he couldn't seem to move his feet.One of Jaina's men glanced up at him and frowned twice.Anduin stared at him, blinking stupidly, feeling the cold go to his bones.In the back of his mind, he faintly felt that he was about to go into shock. "If only I had Terrorbreakers," Anduin murmured.He vaguely felt the attendant dragging him into a side room, helping him take off his soaking clothes and put on an oversized shirt and trousers.Before Anduin was fully awake, he was wrapped in a rough but warm blanket, sitting by the fire with hot tea in his hand.Jaina's squires were gone—there were many others in dire need of care.A moment later Anduin began to tremble violently, and a moment later, he began to think about the meaning of being close to the warmth.

After a while, he felt better, able to help instead of just sitting on the floor.He changed in his room and came back to help the others, offering them hot drinks and blankets and drying their soaked clothes in rows in the room. The torrential rain did not stop.The water level kept rising, despite Jaina's faucet trying to hold them back.Jaina overworked herself, refreshing spells every few minutes, giving orders and aiding victims.As the water level rose, more and more people sought refuge in the castle, filling every wooden floor of the building.By the end Anduin believed everyone in Theramore had taken refuge in castles, barracks, and inns.

It wasn't until near dusk the next day that Jaina sat herself down to eat, drink and rest.She had changed clothes a few times, and now this one was completely soaked.In her small, cozy room, Anduin seated Jaina by the fire and brought her tea.Jaina was shaking so badly that her teacup and saucer rattled.She looked up at him with tired, bloodshot eyes. "I think you need to go home. I don't know when the water will recede. I can't risk your safety." Anduin didn't look too pleased. "I can help," he said, "I wouldn't do anything stupid, Jaina, you know I wouldn't." She reached out to stroke his blond hair, but didn't seem to have the strength to do it.Her hands dropped limply to her lap, and she sighed. "Well, maybe it will happen if I see your father." She muttered and took a sip of her tea. "what do you mean?" Jaina froze, and the teacup, which was about to be put back on the saucer, stopped in mid-air.She looked up at Anduin with wide eyes, and he could see in Jaina's eyes that she was desperately looking for a reassuring excuse, but couldn't think of it because of the extreme mental exhaustion. "What happened to my father? Where is he?" Suddenly he understood.Anduin stared at her in horror. "He's going to attack Ironforge, isn't he?" "Anduin," Jaina began, "Moira is a tyrant. She—" "Moira? Come on, Aunt Jaina, you gotta tell me what he's up to!" Jaina's voice trembled with exhaustion as she whispered obediently, confirming Anduin's worst fears. "Varian is heading to Ironforge with an elite strike team. Their mission is to execute Moira and liberate the city." Anduin couldn't believe his ears. "How did they get in?" "A passage through the Mineway subway." "They'll be found." Jaina rubbed her eyes. "Anduin, we're talking about SI:7. They won't be found." Anduin shook his head slowly. "No, they won't. Jaina, you're right. I do need to leave Theramore." She frowned, her tiredness accentuated by the fine lines on her forehead. "No, you can't go to Ironforge!" He bellowed, almost annoyed, "Jaina, listen to me! You've always been a reasonable person, and you should be. Moira has done some bad things—sealed cities, imprisoned innocents. But she didn't Murder King Magni, she's his daughter. She's the rightful heir, her son is second in line. I agree with some of what she's trying to do - she's just trying to do it the wrong way Just do the right thing." "Anduin, she's holding an entire city - Ironforge, the capital of the dwarves - hostage." "Because she doesn't know them yet, doesn't trust them yet. Jaina, in some ways, is just a scared little girl who wants to be loved by her father." "If terrified little girls rule the city and create danger, we have to stop them." "Kill them? Or give them the guidance they need? She wants the dwarves to look at their traditions differently, and to come into contact with their fellow Dark Iron dwarves. Is this a reason to be assassinated? Maybe she's on the way children? Listen to me, Jaina. If the King had carried out this raid, many would have been killed, and the succession would have been in disarray. The dwarves would no longer be united, but in another civil war I have to stop him, you understand? Let him know there are other ways." "No, absolutely not! You're only thirteen, you're not trained enough, and you're the heir to the throne. If you killed yourself, do you think it would be good for Stormwind?" She took a deep breath and paused , thinking hard.Anduin remained silent. "Okay. If you insist on doing this—and maybe you're right—I'll go with you. Give me a few hours to deal with the situation here, and—" "He's gone now. We don't have hours to spare, you know! I know my father, and so do you. You know what's coming, and it's going to be bad, and it's going to happen fast. .I can help. I can save lives. Let me do it." Jaina's eyes filled with tears, and she turned her head away.Anduin didn't press hard.He has faith in Jaina and knows she will make the right choice. "I……" "Someday I'll be king, not just for a while. Someday my father will die, and no one knows when. It might be tonight—by the light, I Never wanted this to happen. But you and I know it, and so does my father. It is my destiny to rule Stormwind, and it is what I was born to do. If I keep being treated like a child, I will never be able to face my Destiny." She bit her lower lip and raised her hand to wipe her eyes. "You're right," she said softly, "you're not a boy anymore. Your father and I still wish you were a child, but you've seen so much and done so much..." Her voice choked, and she paused for a moment. "You must be careful not to get caught, Anduin Wrynn," she said in a stern, exasperated voice.Anduin startled at first, then realized she wasn't mad at him—she was mad that she had no choice now. "Go and stop your father. Make the risk worth it, understand?" He nodded silently.Jaina pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly, as if it was the last time to hold him.Perhaps, she was just saying goodbye to the boy from the past in this way.He hugged her too, feeling a chill of fear rushing through his heart.Yet in his heart, stronger than fear was calm and peace, telling him that he was doing the right thing. She let go of her arms and patted his face.She forced a smile, but couldn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks. "May the Light be with you," Jaina said.She took a few steps back and began to cast the portal-making spell. "The Holy Light is always there." Anduin replied, "I understand it in my heart." Then he went through the portal. Like shadows, they pass silently across the dark street.At this hour of the night, the streets are deserted.They headed north, into the smoky dwarven lands. Go to the mineway subway. The platform has been deserted, and the subway is apparently missing.When it's running properly, bright spotlights are positioned every few steps along the track to provide passengers with a sense of safety and comfort.Now the ironforge terminus of this subway line is "out of service for maintenance", and Varian has ordered all the lights under the control of Stormwind to be extinguished.Another eighteen male and female agents jumped off the track from the platform and ran briskly along the metal road without making a sound under their feet.They have long been used to operating in the dark, and the path is straight forward.However, Varian's feet made a few light sounds, which made him frown.Now he is the weakest link in the chain.His training was very different from those of his countrymen.While he's just as deadly as them, he fights quite differently, and he's more than willing to be coached and corrected.All nineteen of them wore masks to hide their identities. The leader of the operation was Owen Graddock, a dwarf with dark brown skin and black beard and hair.SI:7 chief Mathias Shaw had handpicked him for the task.Although most of the members are humans, there are other dwarves and a few gnomes in the team.Varian insisted that they join.While every well-trained assassin is capable of the job, dwarves and gnomes are in the best position to take back Ironforge. Prior to this mission, Gradock had scouted nearly the entire subway tunnel on his own, so the team knew what to expect. "The glass that kept the water from the lake wasn't broken," Gradock reported. "I thought they'd do that—flood the entire tunnel, and it would prevent the kind of thing we're planning to do. But I think Moira would eventually like to be able to use this subway—perhaps through it to launch an attack on Stormwind. Anyway, we got lucky. "Now, about this location... I saw some Dark Irons ambushing here. So..." He looked up, stern brown eyes sizing up Mathias and Varian. "The battle begins here." Now they were running very fast, almost without making a sound, and finally reached the bank of the underground lake.The wonder of the lake was clearly visible through the thick glass, but Varian didn't even glance at it.His mind is all on this task. Running all the way, but no one has even the slightest gasp.A scent wafted into Varian's nostrils - rich and sweet.tobacco.He laughed behind the mask that the enemy should be so self-destructive.He immediately slowed down, as did his teammates.In the dim light he saw Gradock gesturing toward them for battle. The assassins pulled out all kinds of weapons - daggers, poisoned steel spines, gloves for hidden organs.Varian tightened his visor to keep it from slipping, and drew his weapons—two short swords.He was reluctant to give up the more familiar sword Salamani, but it was easily recognizable.And Varian didn't want to be guessed until he revealed himself. Gradock gestured again, and they moved forward slowly, this time not even Varian's feet making any sound on the old metal plates.He is learning.Now he could catch a glimpse of the dwarf ahead.There were five of them, sitting on folded blankets, surrounded by mugs of wine and dinner plates of leftovers, and - Varian couldn't believe it - they were playing cards. Gradock raised his hand and swung it down, and then again, and then a third. The assassins leaped to their feet. Varian wasn't sure how they communicated, but the fight was like a choreographed dance.The dwarves only had time to gasp before being pushed down by an assassin in black leather armor.Varian rushed forward with both swords in his hands, forcibly holding back the battle cry that was about to utter in his mouth.But when he got there, all five dwarves were swiftly and silently killed.One had a dagger stuck in its eye.Another had a broken neck.The face of the third was swollen from the quick-acting poison, and foam was still dripping from the corners of his mouth.A male dwarf and a female human were rising from the last two victims, wiping their blades cleanly and expressionlessly.The dwarf was called Brink, and he was half-bald and had a very sinister visage for his race. They move on to the next set of goals.They are approaching Ironforge.