The horse rode slowly, dragging its steps on the paved road, as its mistress walked ahead of him, pulling the reins. It was a dark night, with a starless sky above, as black clouds, dragged by the howling wind, traveled with speed across its vast emptiness. There was no rain, not yet at least, but the dull sound of thunder in the distance could be heard, the peaks of Alterac painted with flashes of light almost endlessly, as if the storm that reigned there was trying to bring down the snowy mountains and their glory.

 

The woman who pulled the reins though, seemed ignorant to this magnificent demonstration of power by Nature. Wrapped in her deep blue cloak, which was made from the finest velvet, she walked with her head lowered, partly hidden from the pointed hat she wore, a clear testify of her profession, as if the small pouches with components that were hanging from her belt, the long stuff she held in her hand or her apparent destination wasn't proof enough. She was a mage.

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Her mind must have been traveling far indeed to have missed the events around her. It wasn't the distant storm or the howling wind that begged for her attention. Nor was it the first signs of rain that started falling around her, wetting her fine clothes. It was the whisper of a heavy voice giving orders and the rushing steps on the road and the grass, as ten men surrounded her, some with their crossbows armed, others simply with clubs or long knives. She would have walked right into the one that blocked the road, a dirty man, with his one eye patched and his clothes covered in mud and ale, hadn't he spoken before she moved closer.

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"Ahem" he faked a cough with a crooked smile on his face. " 'xcuse me, lass. Any chance ye know the road to Stormwind? My friends and me seem to be lost". The men around her chuckled, as the woman paused her walking and looked at the man, then around her, looking surprised and letting the reins of the horse fall freely from her hand as she lowered it to her side.

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"I" she said calmly.

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"What's that now?" the man questioned with a confused expression.

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"My friends and I" she explained coldly, bringing the hand she held the reins with to rest casually on her belt. The man widened his eyes for a second then shook his head violently.

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"Aye, whatever, we..."

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"And the road to Stormwind is behind me. Keep walking" she went on interrupting him, this time with a hint of threat in her voice, only barely detectable to the ones that paid attention. Nine of them didn't. The tenth moved stressed where he was standing, a younger man, barely to his twenties, and lowered his crossbow.

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"Rucart" he said with doubt in his voice "maybe we should go. She's a mage after..."

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"Shut up, Rob!" cried the leader glaring at him, then turned to the woman. "Road, yes, well, it's a good idea and all but we heard there are gryphons in Southshore that will get us there faster. Only trouble is, we be kinda sort in money. No chance you got some on you under those expensive robes, now is there?"

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"The boy is smart" she replied coldly. "You should listen to him". Her thumb dived into one of her pouches. Whispering some words between her teeth, she stirred with her finger at the dust inside the pouch. Only moments later, it flied around in the pouch, seemingly with a will of its own, only to settle down a bit later. The woman smiled ever so faintly as she felt the dusts power covering her mind, quickening her thoughts and senses and the magic inside her burst like a storm.

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"Gryphons. Money. Now." growled the man. She sighed.

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"Take the horse then" she said as she pushed the animal's neck, forcing it to walk towards the man. With a frustrated move, the man slapped the horse's back, making it gallop away into the night. The steed was out of the way.

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"I will. But now I want your gold. Boys!"

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Crossbows firing and screams of pleasure were heard, as the woman, with a sudden move, raised her hand and twisted her wrist in a circling move. The strong wind that blew in the valley abandoned its set course, obeying her command like a slave to her will. It circled around her with a howling scream, taking her cloak to fly with it. The arrows never reached their target, forced by the power of the wind to a different direction.

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"Now my turn" she said with a smile that chilled the men's hearts. Closing her eyes, she mastered the gathering forces inside her, summoning the power of the arctic corners of the world. She almost moaned with pleasure as her magic channeled through her body and materialized, covering the ground with thick ice. The ice spread around her with lightning speed and trapped the men's feet in ice. Before they even realized what had happened, not to mention struggling to break free from their icy bonds, the mage spread her arm towards one of the crossbowmen. A small but thick piece of frozen stalagmite flied out of nowhere and found its way to the man's shoulder. The thug cried in pain, falling behind in a weird posture, as his ankles were still trapped by the ice.

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That was enough to motivate the others. Most of them started crushing their traps with their clubs then rushed towards her. She ignored them. With her eyes fixed on the road further to the front, behind the leader's back, she laughed at the rules of the three dimensions as common folk know them and blinked once. The thugs fell were she stood only to look at the empty space with amazement. They turned to look to where she now stood only after the frightening whistle of another lance of ice flying reached their ears. And one of their comrades' thigh.

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As he fell to his back in pain, the rest started running, only to find it was no easy task in the ice. Another lance landed, another thug fell. The men hesitated. It was a mistake. Chanting in a voice that mingled with the howling air, the woman raised her hand to point above the men's head. The clouds sang in reply. Loud crushes were heard, as thick rocks of ice landed where the men stood. Covering their heads for cover, they never saw the bolts of pure, arcane energy that hit them. With shocks of pain, they all fell into their ground, their bodies shaking in pain now and then.

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Only two were left standing. The leader was one of them. With and angry, and desperate, move he throw his dagger at her.

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A single word of power echoed in the night. The dagger fell on a clear like glass barrier of ice that had surrounded her in less than a moment, destroying some of the ice but bringing no harm. The woman smiled to the man as she began chanting yet again, this time her eyes fixed on him as her hands were pointing over his figure in circling moves. The man cried in agony as he felt his body change, his blood getting cold, becoming smaller and smaller until he was no longer a man.

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The woman touched the ice around her with her stuff, making it dissolve into dust of ice that was carried by the wind, sparkling like silver. With a crooked smile in her face and ignoring the thug that stood motionless next to his fallen comrades, she walked to the little tortoise that was struggling to move around the ice.

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"As I was saying" she said looking at the tortoise with amusement, "follow the road. It's a long walk, longer for some than for others, so I suggest you start moving." She gently patted the tortoise's shell, as it was cowering inside it, and rose to face the remaining thug. She looked at the young man whose crossbow was yet to be fired and who had tried to convince his comrades not to cause trouble to the mage.

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"Smart boy" she said and softly patted his cheek. Turning her back to the boy, she looked at the road and cursed for the lost horse between her teeth. Some of her books were packed on it. With a sigh she started walking on her way, lowering her head again and continuing her thoughts from where she had left them before the encounter.

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A few minutes later she heard riders heading her way. A small patrolling band of Knights rushed to her side, one of them bringing her horse by the reins as he rode.

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"My Lady!" the one in charge said to her, saluting her with respect. "Thank Light! Your horse came to the Headquarters and we were worried for the worst! Lady Mollrye has warned you about those late trips to Dalaran! Are you alright? Did you have any trouble?"

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The woman raised her head, slightly irritated by the second interruption to her thinking. "Hmm? Oh, no" she said absentmindedly. "No trouble at all. Now ride off, I'll meet you there".

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The men smiled among them.

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"As you wish, my Lady Aeiira. See you in Hillsbrad."