Ripples of Shadow
Chapter 7 - The City in the Sky

Mitsume made her way to Kaihlyn’s side, and was seemingly struggling with something internally. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was Kaihlyn who spoke first. “He is a good man; sometimes misguided at times, but aren’t they all?” She smiled at the mage to her right.

“What? Yes, he is a good man. Wait…who are we talking about?” Mitsume’s cheeks grew slightly crimson, and Kaihlyn frowned.

“Why Behldan of course, who else? I’ve known him for quite some time. Although I must say, our past has not always been amiable, mmm no… not always that.” A wry twist to her lips and a gleam in her eye spoke of a long past between the two at that.

They walked in silence for a moment, making their way through the crowded streets. People were everywhere, races from all over the world. Gnomes, even smaller in stature than dwarves, stood conversing with the mighty Tauren, who stood as tall as Dro’gath. Night elves from the far reaches of Kalimdor, gracefully lounged as they talked with Trolls from the Darkspear clan. It seemed here, some could put old feuds aside.

Amidst the calls from hawkers crying their wares, and the continuous hum of a busy city, Mitsume raised her voice slightly to be heard. “Kaihlyn, before he took flight, Narithstraz said something to you… What was it that he said? I did not recognize the dialect.”

Kaihlyn took a moment before answering, but when she did her face took on a solemn look. “He said to me ‘My dear sister of the Dragons’.” She fell silent again, apparently studying Dro’gath’s back ahead of them.

“Sister of the Dragons? I don’t understand… And Behldan spoke of you as some long-lost hero to the Kirin Tor. By all means Kaihlyn, I mean no disrespect, but never once before I have heard your name mentioned, and I have studied abroad quite a bit.” Mitsume clamped her mouth shut at the end, hoping she hadn’t said too much. Hoping she hadn’t offended her new companion.

Minutes seemed to stretch into hours, but finally Kaihlyn looked over at her, amusement touching her face, if only slightly. “My dear, when you are as old as I, you will come to realize that sometimes one’s sacrifices are their own. And too, sometimes it is good to stay in the shadows and allow someone else the attention and glory.”

The pair walked on again without a word being exchanged in the middle of their small procession. It seemed they neared their destination, for Behldan was walking straight towards a tall building that must have been almost at the center of Dalaran. Mitsume could hear Rash and Hendrig laughing about something behind her, but she paid them no mind. Other thoughts filled her head.

When I am as old as she? Why she looks to be no older than a sister to me! And her sacrifices…what could she possibly mean? Mitsume’s pondering was cut short. They had reached the inn where they would stay for their duration in Dalaran.

The Legerdemain Lodge was impressive to say the least. In the style of Dalaran, the outside was a slick gleaming white marble with golden inlays worked around the windows. The interior was not to be outdone however. The common room was filled with oak chairs with gilding on the arms and backs sitting around gold and glass tables, the rims worked with leaves. It was sparsely populated however; only half a dozen tables had occupants sitting at them, chatting quietly. An elf in the corner, near the bar played on her harp as her companion, a troll with beads dangling from his tusks, played some sort of arrangement of bells.

The innkeeper was a remarkable attractive human woman. Although her choice of dress was less than… conservative. A soft violet silk dress which did a poor job of hiding her more than generous bosom was also cut at the sides, exposing her mid drift. Straight black hair just to her shoulders, and a smile of brilliant pearl contrasting sharply with her dark skin, she was the epitome of exotic beauty.