CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Let's go!" Doomhammer shouted. "Get your gear and get moving!" He watched the warriors for a moment, as their chieftains shouted and shoved and punched to get them ready, then turned back to Gul'dan, who stood waiting patiently nearby. "What?" he demanded.

"My clan and I will remain here for a time," Gul'dan replied. "I have other plans for the Altars of Storms, plans that will aid the Horde in its conquest."

Doomhammer frowned. He still did not trust the short, ugly warlock. But he had to admit that the two—headed ogres had proven immensely useful in the battle to take Quel'Thalas. True, those cursed dwarves and their gryphons had interfered, and cost him several of the creatures, but without the ogres they might not have broken the Alliance lines and been able to regroup. Finally he nodded. "Do what you must," he told Gul'dan. "But do not take too long. We will need every advantage if we want to conquer Lordaeron quickly."

"I will not delay," Gul'dan assured him, grinning. "You are right—speed is of the essence." The way he said it troubled Doomhammer, but just then Zuluhed came running up and the chief warlock slipped away from Doomhammer's penetrating gaze while he was listening to the latest report about the forest's remaining defenders.

"We cannot breach their defenses," the Dragonmaw chieftain was saying. He looked more angry than apologetic. "Even the dragons can do nothing," he insisted, shaking his head. "Their fire washes over the city but does not touch it, and their claws are repelled by an invisible barrier they cannot break."

"It is the Sunwell," Gul'dan commented, turning back to take part in the conversation. "The elven source of magic. It gives them immense power."

Of course the warlock would know about such a thing, Doomhammer reasoned. "Is there any way to destroy it, or drain it, or tap it for ourselves?" he asked.

But Gul'dan shook his head. "I have tried," he admitted. "I can feel its power but it is of a kind unfamiliar to me, and I cannot touch it." He scratched at his bristly beard. "I suspect only the elves can gain its power, for it is tied to them and this land."

"Can you use the Altars to break their defenses?" was Doomhammer's next question.

Gul'dan grinned again. "That is one of the things I am attempting," he replied. "I do not yet know if it will work, but the Altars are crafted from the elves' own Runestones, which were originally powered by the Sunwell. I may be able to use that link in reverse, sending my own magic into their power source and either destroying it or wresting it away from them." It was clear which one the warlock would prefer, and Doomhammer disliked the idea of placing such potency in his hands. But that would still be better than leaving it to these strange, silent, deadly elves.

"Do what you can," he told Gul'dan again. "But breaching the city is secondary. We cannot get in right now but they cannot get out, either." He turned back to Zuluhed, who stood waiting. "The same goes for your dragons. We may need them, particularly if the Alliance has more warriors waiting at Capital City. If you have not managed to break their barrier after a few more days, leave it and send your dragons to join the rest of the Horde." He glanced at Gul'dan, who had already walked beyond hearing range. "And make sure he and his warlocks accompany you."

Zuluhed grinned. "I will drag him with us if I have to order a dragon to snap him up and carry him in its belly," he promised.

Doomhammer nodded. Then he left the Dragonmaw chieftain to speak with his dragon riders, and went to make sure his own Blackrock warriors were ready to set out toward their next target.

It was another two hours before the Horde finally moved out. Gul'dan and Cho'gall watched as the waves of orc warriors marched from Quel'Thalas, tramping over the charred remains of the trees that had fallen to the dragons' flames. Fully a third of the forest had burned, and that stretch was littered with soot and ash and the stray leaf that had crisped but not yet crumbled. The warriors had camped there, feeling more comfortable in the open air than under the remaining trees even if the ground was littered with bits of bark and leaf and nut, and now clouds of soot rose from the many feet stomping back across and toward the foothills and the mountains beyond. Doomhammer strode at their head, his long legs eating up the distance, his weapon bouncing slightly against his back and legs as he walked. He did not look around, clearly confident that he was in no danger whatsoever.

Gul'dan waited until the last marching orc had vanished from view. Then he turned to Cho'gall. "Are we ready?"

Both of the Twilight's Hammer chieftain's heads grinned. "Ready," he replied.

Gul'dan nodded. "Good. Tell your warriors we march at once. It is a long way back to Southshore." He rubbed at his beard. "Zuluhed is occupied with that elven city, and will not even notice we have gone until it is too late."

"What if he sends his dragons after us?" Cho'gall asked, his normal disregard for danger faltering at the thought of those massive creatures hurtling down upon them.

"He will not," Gul'dan assured the ogre. "He would not dare do so without Doomhammer's orders, and that means first sending a messenger after the rest of the Horde and then waiting for a reply. We will be well beyond his reach by then, and Doomhammer will not be able to spare any of his remaining troops to come after us, not if he wants to take that human city." He laughed. For weeks he had been trying to think of a way to break free of Doomhammer and pursue his own agenda, and the Warchief had actually handed him the perfect solution! He had half—expected Doomhammer to insist he accompany the rest of the Horde on the march, but the elves' resistance had provided him with the perfect excuse to remain behind.

"I will see to the warriors," Cho'gall promised, and turned away, already bellowing orders. Gul'dan nodded and moved off to gather his own gear. He was looking forward to this march. Each step would take him farther from Doomhammer and his careful scrutiny, and bring him closer to his destiny.

Doomhammer crept down the narrow trail that cut into the mountain peak, heading toward the small valley below. It was night and the rest of the Horde was sleeping, but he had urgent business to attend. He moved silently, his boots finding solid purchase on the well—worn rock, one hand holding his hammer so that it did not bounce across his back and glance against the rock walls, the other in front of him to help him feel his way down the path. The moon was half—full overhead, providing him ample light, and he could hear the chirping of some insect nearby. Otherwise the mountains were silent.

He had nearly reached the valley when he heard different noises. The sound of someone—or something—roughly orc—sized moving clumsily toward the valley from the far side. Doomhammer crouched down, using the sides of the trail for cover, and tugged his hammer from his shoulder, holding it before him. He peered out cautiously, waiting as the sounds grew louder. Then he saw movement off to one side and watched as a cloaked figure pulled itself up the last incline and stepped into the valley.

It was not much of a valley, more of a nook, perhaps twenty feet wide and fifteen feet deep, but the rocks rose on every side, providing it with both some shelter and decent concealment. Presumably that was the reason it had been selected.

As Doomhammer watched unmoving the figure leaned against one of the rocks, gasping for breath, then straightened and looked around. "Hello?" the cloaked man called softly.

"I am here," Doomhammer replied, straightening and stepping between the rocks to leave the trail and enter the valley himself. The stranger straightened and gave a small gasp as he approached. Doomhammer could see a longsword at the man's side, well—made and unblemished, and knew this stranger had never used it. Why did he repeatedly find himself dealing with cowards and weaklings and schemers? he wondered. Why not warriors, who were far more direct in their desires and blunt about their intended methods? He had seen the man leading the Alliance armies at Quel'Thalas, and a different man leading them in the Hillsbrad, and had been impressed by both. They would be fighters, following a code of honor and respecting strength and honesty. But of course such men never would have requested a meeting such as this one.