Wildfire Riders

((Bricu expressed interest in stories about Dorri and Kel. Pardon me as I post stuffs))

They stood over the corpse of the giant worm, waiting for the idiot goblin to bring up their next opponent. Dorri’tow saw the grin that crossed Keltyr’s face. He was not going to… He was. Technically, she was supposed to be acting among these people. They had no idea if the priest had revealed their secret.

“I don’t want to hear anything about the snake.” She warned him, arms crossed over her chest. She waited for him to say something. Instead his attention turned to just behind her as the arena announce called out their next opponent. She barely dodged out of the way, as an axe crashed into the stones where she had been standing just a moment ago.

At least, he never said anything about the snake.

…

The five of them gathered over the troll’s wares. Picking up this weapon or that to test it. Dorri’tow blinked in surprise as Keltyr chose a rather large hammer as his reward for their victory.

“Someone is going to say you are compensating for something.” She smirked at him.

Ambika cackled wildly, while Caargon and Ghaar agreed with her. Keltyr looked over their companions and then back at her. One corner of his mouth twitched up and he looked towards where they had left their chargers. She raced him towards them and swung up in the saddle, laughing as they galloped off into the night.

There was a rush just from touching the crystal as it absorbed the life from the deranged Kalu’ak. It was a heady feeling, Dorri’tow found herself wonder what it would be like to drain the crystal of its power. She held onto the charged crystal for longer than she needed to and then looked at Keltyr.

He too was holding a charged crystal, but his look was less rapturous. “It reminds of how blood knights were made.” He tossed the crystal in his hands. “Makes me wonder about dead Sin’dorei.”

“What are you thinking?” Dorri frowned, trying to figure out where he was going.

“I don’t know yet, but I am going to ask someone.”

The only person Dorri could think that he would ask was the obnoxious twit in Agmar’s Hammer. “I don’t like him.”

Keltyr shrugged one shoulder, still lost in thought. “Then we ask someone else.”

….

Dorri’tow smirked as she listened to Captain Gort complain about traitors. She walked out of his post with her head held high. The orc called after her, wanting her help, but she ignored him.

“I should have taken a longer look at that book.” Keltyr had paused in the doorway, taking a moment to light a smoke.

She frowned and turned back around. “Why? It has nothing to do with us.”

“There were more than just orc names on that list.” He frowned, though not at her.

“No Sin’dorei would help the Scourge, not willingly.” He shrugged, still lost in thought. The very idea horrified her. “I don’t believe it.”

….

The obsidian dragonshrine smelled foul. It looked little better. Dorri’tow gritted her teeth as they ran about doing the bidding of the black dragons. Keltyr still seemed caught up in his thoughts. He turned around to look at her, still running over a stone bridge feep in the cavern, and went right over the edge.

“Alah ANU!” She ran to the edge, looking into the pool of lava below. She could she the shimmer of a lightshield around him. He waved and pointed at the side of the pool, running for it before he lost the shield.

Dorri ran along the bridge and around the edge of the pool. As he climbed over the edge, she called up the Light and healed. She looked him over critically and then crossed her arms over her chest.

“You don’t have to lava dive to impress me.”

He smiled at her, shakily. “Good, `cause I don’t want to do that again.”


…

Overlord Agmar smirked at her as she and Keltyr turned over the dead troll’s letter. She ignored his speech, choosing instead to look around the room. As the orc continued to spew idiocies, she watched what little good humor Kel had slip away.

She watched as Keltyr set his jaw and crossed his arm over his chest. Slowly, a slick superior smile crept over his face. The change in posture and attitude seemed to infuriate the orc overlord even more.

Keltyr merely waived a hand and turned his back on Agmar once the orc was finished lecturing. Agmar snarled in annoyance, called for Keltyr to return to no avail. Dorri’tow stood her ground and glared. She had no idea what exactly had annoyed Keltyr enough to act thatway, but it was enough for her. Finally Agmar turned to her, nearly slavering at Keltyr’s arrogant dismissal of his words.

“I own you, paladin!” The orc nearly spit in her face with his venomous words.

She felt her hands tighten on her axe and snarled back. “No one owns me!” The dogs that guarded the orc’s chair bunched up their muscles, sensing the tension in the room.

“Dorri! We’re leaving.” Keltyr’s voice called to her from the doorway. She turned away from Overlord Agmar with a smirk. She did not see the orc’s disdainful sneer in return.

…

It was like looking into a mirror. This future self gave her a cocky salute, but then enemies descended. She thought that fighting with herself would be natural, but they stumbled over each other more than once. She had no rhythm with this person, but they managed to muddle through.

“Look, the hourglass has revealed Nozdormu.” She turned to look at the bronze dragon, just in time to see Keltyr running towards her. “He always looks good.” She turned to glare at her future self, but she was looking at Keltyr instead. “Al diel shala, Thori’belore.” She saluted jauntily and vahished.

“Interesting Conversation?”

“Not really. What about you?”

“Arrogant bastard! Wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Arrogant bastard?” Dorri smirked slightly at Keltyr’s frown. “That sounds like you.”

“So, does that mean I'm going to have to come back here and help myself?” He tried to turn the course of the conversation.

“Won’t that just be horrible.” Light, she’d have to talk to herself too. Ugh, she already hated the sound of that.

“Hmm, remind me to remind myself of anything important.”

“If you think it will help.”

He shrugged at her. “Who knows?” Then he smiled and snickered. “Right, I will.” Dorri nodded with a grin of her own. “No wonder the bronzes are crazy.”

…


They raced along the snow and ice covered land that made up most of the dragon wastes, looking for a goblin. How hard could it be to find one little green skinned person among all this white? Keltyr turned around in the saddle, probably to say something. His charger turned and reared. They had been running full speed at a cliff. Keltyr went tumbling over the edge. She looked over the edge and saw the corpse of a large worm right below them. She could see the faint light reflecting off his armor, but could not tell if he was moving.

Dorri grabbed the reins of his mount, pulling at it in anger. Her heart was in her throat as she forced both horses to gallop around to the bottom of the canyon. She got there, just as Kel was pulling himself out of a rather large hole in the side of the worm. The smell was horrific. He was already healing himself.

“You are taking a bath tonight!” She tossed him the reins of his charger and backed away. The edge of fear replaced with disgust. He was covered with worm goo. “That’s disgusting.”

He shrugged. “At least it isn’t lava.”

Later, as she was scrapping worm poison off her armor, he grinned at her. “Right, I’m the one that is going to need a bath.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and kept working.

Keltyr flew into Conquest Hold, just as she was about to head back to Dalaran. His flying machine sputtered to a landing next to her. She wrinkled her nose as some exhaust blew her way. “I see you got it working. It’s as loud and stinky as ever.”

Keltyr climbed out of the cockpit and the jaunty smile he had been wearing slipped away from his face. He sighed at her and then shrugged. “Let’s go talk to the fort commander.” Dorri frowned at his back, realizing that she had just made a mistake. It seemed to be her day for them.

Time and fighting eased the tension between them. By the time, Keltyr sent her into deliver the faked furs into Krenna, Dorri’tow thought things were back to normal. Conqueror Krenna saw immediately through the troll’s deception. She immediately ordered the red haired elf that stood beside her to break the troll’s legs. Dorri was appalled at how eagerly this Anthis jumped at the chance to follow the orc’s orders.

Another orc, one Krenna called sister, opted to do the deed instead. Dorri stayed inside for a moment to sneer at Anthis before she left. Keltyr was waiting for her as she walked past Gargonna. No doubt she was about to brag about how she had broken the troll’s legs.

Kel looked to her as she got closer. “Crude, but effective.” He nodded Gargonna’s back.

“I understand an orc obeying her orders… but the Sin’dorei.” Kel shrugged at her. “She doesn’t look that impressive to me.”

“That’s because you’re scary than she is.” Dorri grinned at him. “Must be something to do with orcs and power, they seem to enjoy abusing it.”

Later

Dorri’tow could not believe that Conqueror Krenna had dismissed the entire journal out of hand. “Ignorant savage,” she snarled viciously.

Keltyr let out a long drawn-out sigh. “Best not to taunt the whole fortress. No matter how true it might be.”

Dorri looked around and saw the orc soldiers eyeing her. “I suppose you’re right.”

Gargonna approached them quietly. “You should both be careful.” The orc spoke softly, looking around for listeners. “Krenna suspects you of having disobeyed her orders with the prisoners in Silverbrook.

“I’m not scared of her.” Dorri’tow said dismissively, but Keltyr put a hand on her arm and she went quiet.

“At least one of you see sense.” He smiled at Gargonna. “I don’t think either of us are in the mood to placate your sister.” Dorri’tow crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing the orc soldier disdainfully. “I see the danger of your position however.”

Dorri walked away, uninterested in the bargain that Kel would make. She trusted his instincts. Instead she moved down to the pit that dominated eastern portion of the hold. She watched the pit fighting intensity, shouting out insults along with the others gathered around.

“Hey! Hey you?” She looked away from the pit to see a goblin standing at her side. “You Dorri’tow?”

“What if I am?”

“There’s some elf waiting for you. Says he’s your partner for pit fighting tonight.” Dorri scowled at the goblin and looked where the short thing was pointing. Keltyr was standing there, watching.

“Pit fighting?”

He shrugged with one shoulder. “I thought you could use the diversion. Something to keep you from killing the fortress’ commander. Would you rather go back to Dalaran?” It wasn’t easy to read his expression, with his goggles over his eyes.

“Of course not.”

“I didn’t think so.” They walked into the pit together.

Keltyr had been standing behind her, drinking the morning's coffee in silence as she finished the carving. She put down the tools and poured out a small collection of jewel chips. Dorri took a sip from her mug as she searched for just the right color green for the wolf's green eyes.

Kel's free hand ran through her hair, brushing fingertips along her ear. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"The Tuskarr at Moa'ki. I guess someone noticed me watching them. One of them traded me tools for one of my gemstone figurines." She picked out two chips she liked, and poured the rest back into the small leather pouch. "And another traded me the bone for some shoveltusk meat."

"So you weren't just hiding in here all of yesterday?" She snarled and tilted her head back to glare at him. He smiled back, chuckling at her disgruntled grumbling. "It doesn't look very ferocious."

"The one I saw yesterday morning didn't." She shrugged. The wolf was the only solid thing she remembered. One moment standing on the landing pad in Dalaran and the next it had been dawn in the fjords. Kel hadn't asked her where she had gone two nights ago, only grumpily complained being woken up by wet hair when she had slipped underneath the covers. "It was just staring at me." A little bit of glue and the eyes glimmered greenly back at her. "Until I threw a rock at it."

"Just a rock?"

"I was tired."

"Not that tired." She did not have to look at him to know he was smirking again. She jabbed backwards with an elbow with a snarl. He caught the blow on his thigh. She heard him curse as he spilled coffee on the floor. She tossed a rag on the floor and then went back to refining the carving. "Going to sell it?"

"I thought I'd give it to you. Replace the ones the Magisters took." It still annoyed her that they had taken everything that was hers, even the stupid little curios she had given to Keltyr from time to time.

"I have the only thing that they tried to take from me."

The communal smithy didn’t smell any better than it usually did, but Dorri’tow found that she did not really mind. The paladin leaned against a free wall near the open entrance and watched Keltyr work. She had never asked him to make her anything before, had never had an interest in watching him before. At the moment, Dorri had no idea why.

She knew enough to know that he was showing off a bit. His fine silk shirt was looped over her arm. Normally, he wore less fine clothing when he was working at the anvil, wearing the shirt had provided him an excuse to take it off. Now he was rounding out the breastplate he was making for her with nothing covering his chest but a sturdy leather apron. There were worse things she could be spending her time watching.

He smoothed the inside with sand and then riveted the straps and brought it over to her. “I did all the measurements from memory.” He was smirking as he helped her try it on. It fit perfectly.

Keltyr stood quietly at her side, as they watched Dandill and Master Winterspell walk away. She had not meant to include them in their little conspiracy at first, but it had seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It was strangely comforting to have two more people to talk to normally. Master Winterspell’s offer of rescue had been touching.

Finally, Kel looked at her. “He was Then’s teacher?” He nodded at Keladryn’s retreating back. “No wonder she’s so cranky.” They spoke in Thalassian out of habit.

She shook her head. “No, he would have been mine, except I had no talent.” Keltyr scoffed as she spoke bitterly. She sighed.

“No talent in his field.” He changed the subject. “I suppose I can find the troll easily enough with the Eye. I’ll just have to put up the glares.”


Dorri’tow looked up at Keltyr. “I'm sorry, I didn't ask you first.”

“Not a worry, it certainly seems to have worked out well enough.” She nodded in agreement. “And that's one less concern to deal with.”

“Master Winterspell has been pestering me with questions for days. It was hard not to answer him.” It had been hard to see the confusion and anger in Dandill’s expression at the shindig as well.

“Well, clearly that's because the blank smile truly doesn't suit you.”

She sighed. “Not everyone seems to think so. Almost everyone has been quite pleased with the improved Dorri.”

“Well that's their problem.” He cut off the rest of that discussion by leading the way to find the mages, and a portal back to Dalaran.

The store had seemed innocuous from the outside. Dorri’tow was not sure exactly had drawn her in, but before she could stop them, they had taken her measurements and forced this most ridiculous looking green outfit.

Now she was standing in the shop on a small stool, nibbling on a piece of fruit cake, waiting for alterations. It seemed like a good idea, until she heard a sharp wolf’s whistle. She turned, barely keeping from scowling. She covered her face with her palm when she watched Keltyr walk into the shop.

Behind him, she could see that obnoxious Tauren. She frowned as she watch him chuckle, but he was left outside the shop as the door closed behind Kel.

“So, dare I ask what brought this idea on?”

She smiled at him. “You don't like it?”

He spoke at the same time she did, “Not that I'm complaining.”

“It is a little chilly.” She admitted. “And the hat is ugly.” She took the hat off and let her hair fall out.

“It is better without the hat.” She smirked at him. “Well, I'm certainly sold on this whole celebration.” He returned her grin.

“I like that smile.” She hopped down from the stool and made for where her armor was stacked. “You can see this later. I want to go kill something.”

When she turned around, the grin was still on his face. “The more I hear about this idea, the better I like it.”

Later that day, she walked past the same shop and saw a blood elf dressed in a ridiculous looking red costume. She would have continued walking, but she recognized that it was Keltyr standing there in the window.

She snickered and he turned and sighed out her.

“Cute. The bracers are a nice touch.” The plate was still wrapped around his wrist. No doubt, he had give the tailor a fit just be keeping them on.

“I'll take your word for it.”

She snickered again. “I thought you were starting to like this holiday,” Dorri said teasingly.

“I think that's because you were wearing the silly outfit and not me.” He sounded none to pleased.
“Silly? I don't think that's the first thing that came to your mind.” She smiled, remembering the whistle from earlier.

The frustrated edge of his voice eased as a sly smirk crossed his face. “True.”

“I do prefer you in armor, though.” He pulled the red hat off his head and tossed it on the ground. “Taking the hat off does not help.”

“You're right. I think I'll stick with the armor.” She smiled as he stalked his way into the back of the shop and re-emerged a little while later wearing his armor.

“Handsome,” she said as he bowed to her. They walked together out of the shop.

“That's one silly costume to be rid of.”

“Just one. The red clashed with your hair, anyway.”

“Besides, the green looked far better.”

“How did I know you were going to say that?”

“Because it so clearly needed to be said.”

“Clearly.” She eyed him and then shook her head with a smile.

“Seems to be getting too cold out here, wouldn't you agree?” He made his way towards their inn with Dorri at his side.

Soft rasping noises from rubbing the emery against the head of the cat she was finishing filled the room competing with the fire for creating ambiance for a lazy afternoon. It had taken a few days for her to find the perfect stone and half a day to rough the shape out of the smooth glassy obsidian. Finishing was always her favorite part of the process since she could finally see what she had been making.

The project that Dandill had proposed had caught her imagination. So, instead of peddling her gem cutting on the streets of Dalaran, she had spent time collect materials for carving. She had only left the room for an occasional customer that knew where to seek her out or for an hour or so of blood-letting, just enough to keep her own nerves in check.

Dorri’tow put down the small smoothing stone and ran her fingers over the smooth lines of the large feline predator she had carved. No harsh edges tore at her fingers, which she was grateful for. Her fingers were still stinging from working with the volcanic glass. She had forgotten how sharp it could be.

She placed the figurine back on the table, admiring it. There was a great deal of satisfaction in making something just because she wanted to do it. It was not exactly like the sabers of Sholazar, though there was something of those predators in it. Everything about it spoke of uncertainty. It could be about to spring or stretching. The tail could be wiping in anger or merely curling at the side. The only thing that was certain was that the feline face held a trace of a smile.

She pulled one leg onto her chair, wrapped her arms around it and just stared at the statue, looking for flaws or changes she wanted to make. Keltyr came in for the evening, just as she was starting to think she would fall asleep before he got back. She gave him a bemused smile in greeting and rose to help him remove his armor. He didn’t need her help but she was finding that she liked the small gestures of affection.

“What are these?” Keltyr had turned to look at two brightly wrapped boxes that took up the area of their small table not taken over by her tools.

“Winter Veil gifts from Dandill. One for both of us.” She shrugged and handed him the small card.

"Greatfather Winter apparently dropped these off at the wrong room, so I thought I'd give him a hand and forward them on. Happy Winter's Veil to you both. -Dandill" Keltyr read the note and then looked at the box that had his name on it. Then he pushed the other box towards her. “Well? Open it.”

“What? Why me first?” She challenged him.

“Officer’s privilege.” He smirked back.

Chuckling, she carefully removed the paper, revealing a box constructed of light-colored wood. The lid had been lacquered blue with white inserts made to resemble clouds in the sky. She ran her fingers over the lid, pressing against each bit with her finger tips.

“Stop trying to figure out how it was made and open it.” Keltyr’s voice was infused with good-natured irritation.

She opened the box, lingering for a moment on the box’s construction before examining the contents. The inside was lined with felt. It contained bottles, a few stiff wire brushes and other armor and weapon care tools. In one corner was small wrapped box.

While Keltyr looked over the contents of the armor kit, she read the note on the smaller box. "For someone who never got a present. Happy Winter's Veil, blade-sister."

“Blade-sister?”

“Dandill’s way of being familiar.” She said, without looking at Kel. Instead she removed the paper carefully and then opened the jeweler’s box to reveal a small round pendant on a thin but sturdy looking chain. The chain and the edge of the pendant were gold, but caught between the clear gems was a small firebloom flower. “It’s beautiful.” She took the necklace out of the box and handed it to Keltyr.

“And appropriate.” He pulled the chain around her neck, fastening it at the back. His hands traced the chain back to the front. When she leaned back again his chest, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Are you upset about the necklace?” She asked softly, hooking her hands into the bow of his arm.

“I wish I had thought of it.” The amused grumpiness made her smile. “Jewelry is not what first comes to mind as a gift for you, nor does flowers.”

“Oh, what does come to mind?”

“Long pikes with heads on them. I’ll have to think of something softer. How about a kitten?” She was distracted from a well-placed heel on his foot by a breathy kiss on the side of neck.

“Oh no, you’re not getting out of it that easy.” She said after a few moments.

“Out of what?” Keltyr whispered in her ear, keeping his arm tight around her.

“Your turn. Open your gift. I want to see what you got.” She nudged him with an elbow, trying to ignore the warm breath along her ear. “Go on.”

One last kiss either as a promise of things to come or a reminder of other evenings and he moved away. With a slight shrug, he tore away the bright and cheerful wrapping paper to reveal a casket shaped just like hers. This one was made of dark wood and the top was inlaid with the white and gold cross of their order.

Inside the box held the same tools that hers had and another small wrapped box. Keltyr silently handed her the card as he unwrapped it.

“"It was brought to my attention that you didn't get the benefits of a full investiture, Grand Master. I hope this in some small part makes up for that. -D" She looked up to see Keltyr pull a signet ring out of the box. Keltyr slipped the ring on the little finger of his right hand and showed it to her. The order’s cross was surrounded by a blazing sun. On the outer rim of the seal were the words: Keltyr Sunsworn, Grand Master of the Prophecy of Light.

She was examining the workmanship of the ring, when Keltyr’s hand tightened on hers. He pulled her close again with a smile. “Gifts open, well all but one.” She answered him with a kiss. There would be time to talk about the cat later.

“What I saw tonight was not focus, Dorri.” Keltyr frowned. She could hear the slight touch of worry in his patient tone. “I don’t know what it was, but it was not focus.” She watched him get up from his chair, heading for the shelf where she was storing the little figurines she had been making. She sipped at the bitter coffee which was all they had been able to get from the kitchen at that late hour.

With a hint of unease, she watched him pull the wolf off the shelf and place it on the table in front of her. “The priest thinks there is something wrong in your head, something broken. I’m not so sure.” He stood next to her, letting a hand rest on her far shoulder. Instead of looking up at his face, she rested her head against his side and pulled one leg up in the chair.

“This is the wolf you saw after one of these… whatever they are.” He poked the little figure with a finger. “You told me that you saw it standing on a high rock, staring at you. Then you threw a rock at it and it ran away.” Keltyr picked it up and held it right in front of her face. “You only saw it for a few short minutes and only from the front and a bit below.”

He turned the figure so she could look at is back. He traced what appeared to be a deep would across the wolf’s back with a fingernail. “An amazing amount of detail.” His voice was soft and serious. “You don’t remember chasing the wolf or attacking it, but you carved it in perfect detail from all sides.”

“Are you saying you believe the priest?”

“I’m saying that you don’t seem to remember, but some part of you does. I think he’s right that there is something wrong.” He lifted the hand off her shoulder and tapped her on the head. “Something wrong up here, but I’m not sure it’s what he thinks it is.”

“Tell me what you felt tonight, in Icecrown.” His hand stroked her hair. But she could not repress a shiver.

“Just what I always feel before…”

“Before you lose it?” He flicked her ear playfully, grunting as she elbowed him for it.

“Yeah. I feel like I have to move. My hands feel itchy. I feel like there is lightning in my head.”

“And you felt that way before you left the city, which is why you asked me to go with you.”

She nodded her head. “I said I would.” Dorri thought guiltily about the brief foray of dueling with Dandill, but Kel hadn’t been around that day. “And when we were freeing the slaves, all the voices. It just seemed like my head was going to burst. And then you kissed me.”

“Nothing in between?”

“Nothing. I know there should be something. I felt tired afterwards. But I don’t remember anything.”

“I’ll tell you what happened. You went up down to where Menethil’s army was and charged the first thing that came towards you. You didn’t shout or taunt like you normally do. You just fought, but when I was with you, you fought with me, like you knew I was there. But your eyes were empty.” And that bothered him. She could tell because his hand bunched in her hair for a moment. “And you wouldn’t stop. And you didn’t for hours.

“And then you just stopped. Like someone snapped their fingers and you were there.” She did look up at him this time, catching a glimpse of the expression on his face. She gave his side a pinch, letting him know she was there and was rewarded with his usual grin. The grin slipped away quickly however, he was thinking.

A smile was still toying across her face as she entered their rooms. Being hugged by a man in plate was not really comfortable. Being hugged by Keltyr on the street, however, that was memorable. She went through the packages and letters from the goblin post. As usual, there were more than a few letters for Kel. There was also yet another anonymous package for her.

She had not opened the last three. Why bother, she knew that they contained that strange dust. What she did not know was why every single vial of them made her want to hurl something across the room. So, just had she had done for the past three, she tossed it into the dustbin to be taken out in the morning.

Tomorrow, she would once more ask Dandill’s dragon to pose for her. Kashet was willing enough, though Dorri suspected that dragon would have preferred to have Dandill alone. Despite herself, Dorri snickered. The prat was going to have fun dealing with that mess.

Warm and just a bit tired, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She barely moved when she heard Keltyr come in. She watched him stow his armor through slitted eyes, but acted like she was dozing. Wearing only linen breeches, he walked to stand next to her chair. She heard him place something on the table and then she opened her eyes, grabbed his hair and pulled him towards her.

She never noticed the package he had placed in front of her was identical to the one she had just tossed out.