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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Maps of Northrend

Part II

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Notes

Further Reading

The Battle Rages On

About the Author

PART II

ONE

THE NEXUS TOUCHED

The hot, malodorous breath nearly overwhelmed Kalec and his host as the jaws closed. Kalec wondered if perhaps it would be best for Malygos to let the stench knock them out so that they would not feel the monstrous teeth crush through their shared flesh and bone.

A violent, steaming burst of wind suddenly threw Malygos back. The burst was accompanied by an odd muffled thunder. At the same time, Galakrond’s maw opened wide again, enabling Malygos to tumble to freedom.

Finally out of range, the blue-and-white proto-dragon frantically righted himself. As he did, both he and Kalec saw the source of Malygos’s salvation.

With a defiant laugh, Neltharion darted away from under Galakrond’s throat. Galakrond hacked, creating another powerful explosion of wind that forced back not only Malygos but also other proto-dragons in its path.

Neltharion had struck at the weakest point just at the right moment, an attack that Kalec would have thought foolhardy at the best of times. Even while regaining his breath, Galakrond had the cunning and fury to snatch at his tiny attacker as the charcoal-gray proto-dragon dived. Claws as large as Neltharion closed on him, but at the last second, a fearsome blast of what appeared to Kalec to be sand half-blinded Galakrond.

A dust-brown male veered off. Galakrond shook his head to clear his vision, enabling his prey to make good their escape.

Neltharion flew directly toward Malygos. “Fly or die!”

It was good advice to both Kalec and Malygos. But as Malygos turned, Galakrond’s roar arose from behind them. The roar was accompanied by a swooshing sound and punctuated by a heavy thud and Neltharion’s pained grunt.

Peering over his shoulder, Malygos saw that where the titanic monster’s claws had missed, Galakrond’s long, thick tail had not. Several times the length of Galakrond’s hind limb, it easily caught Neltharion on the side, striking him hard.

Stunned, the gray male spiraled toward the harsh ground below. Perhaps Galakrond intended to pursue, but a panicked yellow female chose that moment to pass near enough in the gigantic proto-dragon’s field of vision to attract his attention. With an eager roar, the hungry behemoth gave chase.

Unheedful of this stroke of luck, Malygos had already dived after Neltharion. The other male had endangered himself to save Malygos, and Kalec saw without surprise that his host could do no less. The blue-and-white proto-dragon stretched hard to reach the plummeting figure, but even as swift as he was, it was clear to Malygos and Kalec that there would be no catching Neltharion before the gray struck the ground.

A fire-orange form rose from below, colliding with the stunned male. Alexstrasza grunted hard as she and the bulkier Neltharion hit, but somehow the female managed to maintain control. For a few vital seconds, she stopped Neltharion’s fatal descent, just long enough for Malygos to reach the pair.

Without a word, he gripped Neltharion by the shoulders, hefting the larger male up and relieving Alexstrasza of her burden. She, in turn, rose and assisted him with carrying Neltharion away from the vicinity.

Through Malygos, Kalec observed the area and found it astonishingly devoid of blood and torn flesh. He realized that Galakrond had swallowed nearly all of his victims whole. In some ways, the blue found that even more horrific, imagining how those proto-dragons had felt as they vanished in the behemoth’s gullet.

“So many . . .” Alexstrasza gasped as they flew. “So many . . .”

Malygos said nothing, but his thoughts mirrored her words. Kalec’s host was just as shocked by events as she was.

A new sound rumbled through the area, a sound so odd, so unnerving, that the two proto-dragons nearly lost their grip on Neltharion.

The sound grew more intense, more guttural—and because of that, more terrifying. Kalec still had no idea what it could be, but Malygos at last identified it with something from his own experience. Images flashed through Kalec’s mind, images of his host regurgitating bits of bone or other inedible parts of various prey.

Somewhere, Kalec understood with growing sickness, Galakrond was doing something akin to that, only what he was disgorging was not the remnants of any buffalo or fish—

Kalec’s world suddenly swam again. His consciousness was torn from Malygos. Visions of Galakrond feasting ran through Kalec’s thoughts, and then the accursed darkness overtook the blue.

Yet, once more, a familiar voice called him from that darkness. Kalec . . . Kalec?

Why Jaina called him this time, the dragon did not know, but with what sense he already had, Kalec blocked his thoughts from her notice. Even as he did that, he felt the world around him return. A harsh wind struck his face. Kalec instinctively shifted position and discovered himself slipping.

At last able to open his eyes, the blue watched a rocky ridge slide up over him. Kalec realized that he was falling. With one paw, he dug his claws into the dirt and stone, managing to slow his descent but not to stop it. Kalec tried to use his other paw, but it remained tightly shut despite his desperate need.

He toppled backward, finding out then that it was not a ridge from which he had slipped but a mountain. Kalec sought to right himself, only to have one wing clip the mountainside and send him tumbling faster. Below the blue, jagged rocks that reminded him too much of Galakrond’s teeth shot toward him.

Managing to focus, Kalec cast a spell. His wild descent slowed nearly to a halt. It was a very short-term solution, but he hoped that he would not need more than a few moments. Catching his breath, the blue dragon rolled onto his stomach. Already feeling the hastily cast spell dissipating, Kalec flapped hard. As he regained flight, his spell faded away.

The blue dragon alighted on another mountain. There was no continued call from Jaina. He hoped that she had given up. Either way, Kalec had only one interest now, and that was the foul thing still gripped in his paw. The now-complete artifact seemed to taunt him with its persistent glow.

There was, naturally, no point in throwing it away. It would somehow return to plague him. He also doubted the wisdom of attempting to destroy it again. Kalec let the wind clear his head as he struggled to decide what to do next. If not for Jaina’s voice, the blue would not have even been certain that he was in his own time and in his own body. It was becoming harder to separate reality from vision.

After several fruitless minutes of ruminating, Kalec launched himself toward the Nexus. Each moment of flight was nerve-wracking, with the blue expecting to be pulled back into the visions at the worst possible opportunity. When he had to fly over water, Kalec paid special attention to his protective spells.

But to his relief and astonishment, the artifact permitted him to reach the Nexus unhindered. Kalec decided to try to focus on something other than the object of his nightmares. The Nexus’s collection had to be organized, even if he had initially made the suggestion as an excuse, not because he’d had any true desire to take on the task.

But he realized that before he could begin on the collection, he had to work on strengthening the wards. There was no chance that they would remain strong enough to protect the Nexus and its contents for very much longer unless he attended to them now.

He changed to his humanoid form, at the moment feeling oddly more comfortable in it than in his true one. Kalec summoned a simple marble stand with a fluted column and cautiously set the artifact atop the waist-high platform, then turned his attention to the wards. Shutting his eyes, he concentrated. Even with his eyes closed, the blue dragon could see the world around him, but it was a world crisscrossed with a variety of multicolored ley lines. All of Azeroth was draped in this complex arrangement of lines of magical energy, but those he currently viewed served a specific purpose. They powered the various wards that acted as the Nexus’s protection. Following along the ley lines, he began to inspect each ward carefully.

Kalec quickly saw the weakest of the wards. He put forth a hand, which in this world view glowed with lavender energy, and gestured at the ley line needed. With his other hand, he drew from another of Azeroth’s ley lines and linked the two where the core of the first lay exposed—

But before he could do more, the Nexus itself began to shimmer.

Dismissing his spellwork, Kalec opened his eyes and immediately looked to the artifact. Not at all to his surprise, it had taken on a different glow, this one matching the array of magical colors associated with the immense forces in and around the Nexus. The stronger the relic’s glow, the less intense was that of Kalec’s surroundings.

That the artifact could have any effect on the Nexus stunned Kalec. It had done little when he had last brought it here, but then, the artifact had not been whole before. The missing piece had not only magnified the whole artifact’s abilities but also possibly even stirred up others formerly dormant.

Kalec grabbed the artifact and transformed. Planting it against his chest, the former Aspect fled through the Nexus as quickly as he could. The energies of the Nexus continued to fluctuate as he raced through tunnel after tunnel, until at last he reached the exit.

Once outside, Kalec soared high into the sky. Below him, he could make out the entirety of the Nexus. The dragon sensed the various energies in play in a manner with which he was entirely unfamiliar. Kalec—who should have understood better than most the nature of such magical manipulation—could not fathom with what intent it was done.

The rich colors normally reserved for the Nexus’s forces now radiated strongly from the artifact. As for the Nexus, it abruptly flared bright again, so much so that the blue dragon was forced to look away or be blinded.

And then the intense stirring of magical energy subsided.

What Kalec expected to see when he glanced back at the Nexus, he could not say. What he did see both perplexed and surprised him.

The Nexus looked and felt to him exactly as it had before. With a wary hiss, the dragon circled his sanctum once, seeking any change, however subtle. Despite his best efforts, Kalec still found no difference.

“All that could hardly be for nothing,” he muttered to the infuriating object in his grip. “What did you do?”

The relic, its glow once more normal, gave no clue.

Snorting, the dragon dived back down to the gap through which he had emerged. As he entered, his gaze immediately went to the artifact. However, there was no change in the glow.

Kalec returned to his chambers, expecting each moment that the foul thing would begin anew to wreak havoc. That there was no visible sign of it doing so did not assuage his fears in the least. While Kalec was aware that he might only be feeling paranoid, there was still the chance that the artifact might be up to something even while apparently quiescent.

Determined more than ever to find some other relic that might help him combat the effects of the one he held, Kalec summoned forth an ancient piece in which he had particular hope. An oval crystal of a deep aquamarine hue and the size of his paw materialized in the air before him. Kalec was not certain of all its properties, but some of the knowledge that had been passed on to him gave him the impression that it might nullify the magic of the octagonal relic.

But the moment he touched the crystal, its rich hue faded. Kalec quickly probed the artifact. It was utterly devoid of any trace of magical energy.

A curse that mixed well the best—or worst—of dragon, human, and dwarf escaped the blue’s mouth. Enraged at this latest, so swift defeat, Kalec threw the octagonal antiquity without care about what might happen. It flew with tremendous speed toward the wall, then came to a halt barely an inch from possible destruction. From there, it descended to the floor without even a sound.

The dragon roared. Unable to stop himself, Kalec unleashed a barrage of spells upon the relic. Fire sought to consume the piece. Bolts of arcane energy assailed it. A lance of ice attempted to pierce its surface. Lightning blasted it.

And none of the attacks left the slightest scar upon it.

His breathing ragged from the strain of his efforts, Kalec slumped. The artifact continued to glow faintly, again seeming to mock him.

The blue dragon brooded for a while, then suddenly stiffened. Perhaps . . . perhaps I have been going about this the wrong way.

Kalec had never really tried to understand the artifact. From the start, he had seen it only as something evil. Yet now he wondered what purpose there could possibly be in driving him mad.

Approaching the artifact, the dragon studied every bit of the exterior that he could see without touching it, but he noticed no change. Another probe with his powers also yielded nothing new. Still, Kalec was not satisfied. The artifact could even at this moment be in the midst of some preplanned spellwork that his acute senses could not detect. It had already proved itself capable of acting upon him without his noticing.

He focused on the small addition he had found during his second excursion to the skeleton. Simple as it appeared, it was obviously an integral part of the overall relic. Thus far, it seemed to him that it had magnified the original effect, but he believed it also did more.

A slight gleam in the center of the smaller piece caught his attention. The dragon squinted.

A young human woman with long blond hair stood before him, a woman he knew too well. There was an innocence about her, an innocence that drew him as much as her beauty.

“Anveena . . .” The blue dragon gasped. He reached a paw to her, only to have it go through her own extended hand.

Suddenly, Kalec stood in a forest. He was no longer a dragon but, rather, a half-elven figure. It was the same form in which Kalec had first met Anveena.

Kalec . . . Anveena faintly called, her outline becoming more faded and distant. She continued to extend her hand toward him, as if beckoning him to join her.

Kalec . . .

He was jolted. The second calling of his name had not been done by Anveena but by Jaina. It was enough to bring him back to consciousness.

Kalec wrenched himself away from the artifact. He was covered in sweat. He also noticed that, as in the dream, he had hands, not paws. At some point, Kalec had changed shape without even noticing it.

At that moment, Kalec felt the presence of another blue dragon. Somehow, the knowledge that he was no longer alone in the Nexus enabled him to pull himself together. Whirling away from the artifact, Kalec left the chamber to see who had returned and why.

It was not until he was nearly at one of the entrances that he saw movement. Kalec marched toward the newcomer without saying a word.

The smaller blue dragon—a female—had her back toward him. Kalec hesitated. “Tyri?”

The female turned, but she was not the one he had thought her to be. The former Aspect silently berated himself for expecting to see the female blue to whom he had once been promised.

The blue before him stared at Kalec as if seeing an orc. He recalled his transformation; although they were creatures of magic, blues generally retained their dragon forms when in the Nexus.

“Spell-Weaver,” she finally acknowledged. “I thought you were away.”

This time ignoring the use of a title no longer his, Kalec resumed his draconic shape. Now peering down on her, Kalec could not help blurting, “And you hoped to be about your business and depart before I returned?”

She looked as aghast as a dragon could. “No . . . no, Spell-Weaver! In truth, I am pleased you are here. I wanted to tell you of an anomaly I sensed near the Dragonblight recently, very near Wyrmrest Temple—”

Kalec knew immediately that she referred to the artifact’s stirring. “I know of it. There’s nothing to concern yourself about.”

The female looked slightly embarrassed. “I should have known that you would be aware of it.”

That should have been the end of it, but the other blue dragon simply remained where she was, looking vastly uncomfortable.

Kalec made an assumption about what ran through her mind. “I am grateful for your concern. You were on your way somewhere else, though, weren’t you?”

“Yes. I thought I would explore—”

He let her get no further. “Then, by all means, you should continue on. Again, you have my thanks for coming back to give warning.”

She gave him another uncomfortable look, then, bowing her head, departed.

Kalec paused in thought for a moment and turned from the entrance—just in time to catch a glimpse of a shadowed figure the size of a night elf or a tall human in the darkened passage from which he had only just come.

The dragon surged forward, moving with more than enough swiftness to catch up with any intruder. However, even though he reached an area where the long passage would have prevented anyone from hiding or escaping into a side tunnel, there was no one. Kalec probed the area with magic, but there was definitely no trace of another.

Only as that knowledge sank in did the blue also see better in his mind just what that intruder had looked like beyond his mere height. The image that formed made Kalec certain that his sanity was indeed crumbling, and crumbling fast.

It was the same cloaked and hooded figure from the visions.

TWO

THE GATHERING

Kalec did not try to deny what he had seen. It had been either the product of his overstressed imagination or some new facet of the artifact’s magic. Neither was a pleasant alternative. The first was an indication of just how unstable he might already be; if it was the second, it meant that the accursed object likely had some new game it wished to play with him.

He chose to consider it the latter and immediately raced back to where he had left the relic.

Unfortunately, the darkness caught him first, sending the blue tumbling against the passage walls. As great fragments of stone showered Kalec, the dragon—already barely conscious—pitched forward halfway to his sanctum.

But even before his body struck the floor, his mind found itself soaring in the sky. Kalec was once again a part of Malygos, but this was a Malygos much more subdued, much more driven.

In the distance, a thundering roar that could only have erupted from the jaws of Galakrond shook Kalec and his host. Fortunately, as the roar trailed off, its fading made it evident that the gargantuan proto-dragon was headed in a different direction.

Malygos pushed on, his thoughts so buried by his urgency that Kalec had trouble ferreting anything out. Kalec saw glimpses of Alexstrasza and Ysera, a handful of proto-dragons of the same family as Malygos, and flashes of Neltharion fighting something that was too small to be Galakrond. After much delving, Kalec discovered that at least one of the memories involved Malygos staving off an undead proto-dragon with faded red coloring.

Kalec remembered the earlier struggle and knew that there had been no red proto-dragon other than Alexstrasza. For a moment, he feared that she had perished at some point and risen as an undead, as other corpses had, but then he realized that could obviously not be the case.

Yet . . . even if the undead proto-dragon had not been Alexstrasza, it still meant that once again, the dead had risen. Kalec did not know why, but he was certain that somehow the answer would be found with Galakrond.

It was something, he sensed a moment later, that Malygos also believed. Indeed, Kalec finally learned that Malygos had only just fled—fled—from the undead. There had been more than the one. There had been seven. Worse, Malygos had not been alone. He had been accompanied by two of his proto-dragon family.

They had not escaped.

Guilt washed over Malygos, and Kalec understood that he felt he should have stayed. Yet it was clear from what glimpses Kalec had of his host’s memories that Malygos had only fled after the other two had been lost already.

Curiously—and most worryingly to Kalec—his host had blocked out all thought of just how the other two had perished.

There was no sign of any other proto-dragon along Malygos’s path. While that meant little to Kalec at first, he gradually sensed Malygos’s concern about this point.

It was with relief to both that another winged figure came into view a few minutes later. Neltharion still radiated a bit of his bluster, but even he watched the air around them with the utmost caution.

“Friend Malygos! Ha! You did come! We survive! We are fighters!”

Despite his bravado, Neltharion’s tone hinted at relief that Malygos still lived. Kalec wondered how many others had not survived.

What is going on here? Kalec asked, although, of course, no one could hear him. Dragon legend said nothing of this evidently critical time period for the proto-dragons. The age of the dragons had yet to come, but with Malygos and the other future Aspects alive, that shift from proto-dragon to dragon dominance had to be imminent. Yet what Kalec had witnessed thus far pointed toward extinction for all. Even a true dragon could not stand against a horror like Galakrond.

“The others?” queried Malygos.

“The fire one, she is well. The little sister, she barks much.” Neltharion paused, then less brashly added, “Zorix . . . he was taken.”

In Malygos’s mind, there appeared the image of a male proto-dragon with darting eyes and a shining golden hide. Even though Kalec had not seen this male before, both Malygos and Neltharion apparently had known him for part of whatever period of time had passed since the last vision. His loss disturbed the blue’s host immensely.

“Talonixa speaks as him. Talonixa speaks too well as him.”

Of this Talonixa, Kalec only sensed that she had been Zorix’s mate and was a female proto-dragon of strong will. Among those proto-dragons who had made the sudden leap to intelligence, she was evidently considered one of the most cunning.

But for all that apparent cunning, Kalec’s host did not have the greatest trust in Talonixa. It had nothing to do with her being a female—Alexstrasza’s quick wits and courage had already raised her high in Malygos’s eyes—but he considered other aspects of her manner dangerous. More, Kalec could not divine at the moment.

Neltharion’s eyes narrowed. He looked past Malygos. The other proto-dragon quickly followed his companion’s gaze but saw only empty sky.

The gray male exhaled. “Nothing. Not him. Not them.”

A shudder ran through Malygos, but Kalec’s host blocked out all thought of what caused it. “The others gather?”

“Yes. Follow.”

Both proto-dragons flew hard and fast, as if Galakrond himself snapped at their tails. Kalec became caught up in their urgency even though he knew only half of what was happening, at most.

Malygos continually glanced around, often focusing on the ground far below. Gradually, Kalec understood what bothered Malygos about the landscape. It was devoid of any visible animal life except for a few birds. No large beasts roamed any of the places over which the proto-dragons flew.

Eyeing Neltharion, Malygos asked, “We are close?”

“More to fly. Other roost fell.”

It took Kalec a moment to decipher the last. Whatever previous site the proto-dragons had chosen to gather at had become too dangerous. They had been forced to move farther on.

A rumble from some distance behind stirred up both flyers. The gray proto-dragon glanced back. Malygos instinctively followed suit. There was no sign of Galakrond, but even Kalec was aware that the gigantic fiend could cover tremendous distances in the blink of an eye.

Hissing in frustration, Malygos started to turn his gaze back to the path ahead. Four winged forms coming from the north caught his attention. Eyes narrowed, Malygos studied the oncoming proto-dragons. “Others,” he warned Neltharion.

His companion stared at the newcomers. “No one is north. North is bad.”

Malygos hissed again. “Yes . . .”

The four proto-dragons drew near enough for some details to become evident. To Kalec’s relief, though, they were not what he expected. These were living, breathing proto-dragons.

But Malygos was not at all pleased, and Kalec quickly saw why. At the head of the formation flew a familiar blue-green proto-dragon. Coros. Kalec also recognized one of the others who had joined in the first attack on Malygos.

With a sneer at the four, Neltharion rumbled, “This fight, I like.”

To both the gray’s and Kalec’s surprise, Malygos shook his head. “We fight the not-living. We fight Galakrond. Not one another.”

“Hmmph! Coros know that?”

The other proto-dragons slowed as they approached the pair. Coros surveyed Malygos and Neltharion. “You live. Good!”

“Yes,” returned Kalec’s host calmly. “We live, and that is good. Coros also lives . . . and that is good, too. No fights between us. Fight only Galakrond, yes?”

Malygos’s rival dipped his head as if taking the sentiment to heart. The sly grin ever remained in place, though. Both knew that only the dire circumstances kept them from concluding their bloody feud.

“The north is not good!” interjected an impatient Neltharion. He looked disappointed that there would not be a fight. “Coros should not be north.”

“We scout. Talonixa asked.”

“Talonixa?” Malygos repeated with some trepidation. “Why?”

“Talonixa plans!”

The icy-blue male refrained from snorting, although it took a struggle to do so. Kalec felt Malygos’s growing concern over the female’s overwhelming command of the other proto-dragons. Talonixa’s kind were headstrong, impulsive, but also dominating. It was not a combination for which either Malygos or Kalec cared, especially now.

“The north,” Malygos finally said. “Danger?”

To Kalec, who could do nothing but observe, the grin only grew slyer. “No danger. Coros too clever for stupid not-living.”

This was not the first time Kalec had heard the unsettling term used, and despite his own predicament, that concerned him. How many of those moving corpses are there? How many?

More important, Kalec wondered just how they had come into being. In his own time, he lived in a world where, with the exception of the Forsaken—who had sworn their allegiance to the Horde—the undead were a not-uncommon menace, destroyed on sight whenever possible. Yet in such an early era in Azeroth’s history, he had hardly expected to hear of such horrors.

“Too much talk!” Neltharion growled. “We all go!”

Coros did not argue, instead immediately veering past the duo. His comrades, all of the same family, followed without any further glance at the gray or Malygos.

“We fly faster?” Neltharion quietly asked Kalec’s host.

Malygos nodded. “Yes. Faster.”

And with that, they shot past a startled Coros and the rest. As Malygos pushed, he and Kalec heard Coros’s angry hiss.

Kalec was not at all surprised to see that proto-dragons shared more than one trait with dragons. Among dragons, racing had always been a popular competition.

Malygos peered over his shoulder to see Coros and the others trying their best to catch up. However, Malygos and Neltharion set an astounding pace. Kalec could scarcely believe his host still had such strength, then sensed that Malygos had embraced the suggestion not only because of his disdain for Coros but also so that for a short time, the blue-and-white male could focus less on the horrors unleashed upon his world.

Despite the strain, Malygos continued to fly right alongside Neltharion and several lengths ahead of his rival. Try as he might, Coros could not catch up, although he did soon leave his other companions far behind.

It occurred to Kalec, only too late, that spread out as they were, the six proto-dragons made a much more visible target, but fortunately, nothing happened. Still, he felt Malygos also relieved to arrive finally at a bowl-shaped valley where in the shadows it soon became apparent that scores upon scores of proto-dragons warily gathered.

The valley echoed with hisses as the newcomers descended, but not all of the reactions focused on the arrivals. There were members of nearly every proto-dragon family of which Malygos was aware, plus a few that Kalec’s host did not recognize. Many were not by nature or by attitude on friendly terms with one another. Only the disaster sweeping over their world forced them now at least to pretend to be allies.

The tension was also magnified by the presence of many of the lesser—as Malygos thought them—proto-dragons, those that were essentially little more than animals. They had to be constantly herded or guarded by their more intelligent brethren. For Kalec, it set into stark relief the curious rise of those of Malygos’s generation.

A throaty, harsh hiss rose above the din. It cut off the rest. Malygos followed the hiss to its source.

Talonixa dominated not only in voice but also in size and presence. She was a third again as large as most of the males, only a few, such as Neltharion, outweighing her. Her smooth hide glittered gold even under the overcast sky. Talonixa had sharp, gleaming black eyes that, when fixed upon individual proto-dragons, subdued even the most restive.

Malygos and Neltharion moved to where Alexstrasza and Ysera perched. Unlike many of the other proto-dragons, the sisters had kept to themselves and not their family. Some of Malygos’s family stared at his choice of companions, but there seemed no surprise on the part of Neltharion’s family that he chose such odd friends. In fact, Kalec thought that its members looked a little relieved not to have to concern themselves with the brash gray.

Coros alighted a short distance to Talonixa’s left. He was obviously out of breath but did his best to pretend he was as calm as Malygos.

“More have come!” Talonixa roared. “We are many! Say it! We are many!”

A chorus of proto-dragon voices repeated her litany over and over. Kalec shared Malygos’s frustration with the proto-dragons now risking their hiding place as they followed Talonixa’s lead. Strength was important, but common sense was something obviously not shared by all.

“She talks fighting,” Ysera muttered. “Not good. Peace is better.”

Although looking as disappointed as her sister, Alexstrasza disagreed. “We must fight . . . but not fight like Talonixa.”

“We fight . . . we die!”

As the two females argued, Coros slid up to Talonixa and whispered to her. This snared Malygos’s attention. He strained to hear anything but could not. Kalec was also frustrated; he did not trust Coros any more than his host did.

Talonixa listened intently, then dismissed Coros with a short hiss. He moved back to his previous position, seeming satisfied with whatever he had passed on to the larger proto-dragon.

“North is empty!” she proclaimed. “No not-living! Galakrond’s trail is also found!”

Most of the other proto-dragons welcomed this news with nods and low hisses. Yet there were several who did not take the information with much pleasure. Malygos radiated a certain satisfaction with this as he studied some of the hesitant ones.

He focused on one in particular, but it was Kalec who first recognized the male with the coarse brown hide as the one who had aided both Malygos and Neltharion during the confrontation with Galakrond. The brown male looked particularly perturbed by Talonixa’s declarations and the other proto-dragons’ willing submission to her. He turned away, only to meet Malygos’s gaze.

Talonixa spoke again. “We fight soon! We gather more! Find others! There are others! Go! Come again with all when the moons are round!”

If the gathering appeared to end abruptly to Kalec, he quickly learned through Malygos that such a coming together of proto-dragons was uncommon in the first place, and it was a sign of both the magnitude of the threat and Talonixa’s influence that this many had shown up so soon. Indeed, even despite the danger to all of them, several of the proto-dragons looked relieved to depart. Others went about the task of guiding their bestial brethren away, a scene that once more stirred Kalec’s curiosity about the odd transformation overtaking the proto-dragons.

A transformation with little future unless they could somehow bring down the voracious behemoth in their midst.

Malygos watched with veiled eyes what Coros did. Unlike the others, he remained near Talonixa. As she herself readied to fly, the blue-green male slid up next to her and spoke.

Unwilling to trust his rival’s influence on this situation, Malygos started for the pair, only to have Neltharion insert himself between Kalec’s host and the duo.

“Friend Malygos! That brown! You see him?”

Coros glanced their way. The rival male sneered. Talonixa took that moment to fly off. Coros, now bereft of the subject of his attention, did the same a breath later.

Hiding his annoyance, Malygos turned his attention to the brown proto-dragon—

The world swam. Kalec briefly slipped into darkness, but if he had hoped that this presaged a return to his own time, his own body, he was sorely disappointed.

Malygos flew alone again, the proto-dragon warier than ever. Thanks to images flashing through Malygos’s mind, Kalec quickly understood why. The proto-dragon flew over lands to the east, where there had been several sightings of the not-living. However, as with many other things in previous visions, the exact reason why Malygos was scouting on his own was not so apparent.

As with the last area the proto-dragon had flown over, the landscape below appeared empty of animal life. However, in this bleak place, neither Kalec nor his host had expected to see many beasts. Still, Kalec gathered that Malygos had seen absolutely nothing.

Alighting on a low peak, Malygos peered around. More thoughts crept through Kalec’s mind, filling in some missing pieces. Malygos sought the reason for Galakrond’s frightful transformation into this hungry fiend terrorizing all, and he sought it very near where the behemoth kept his lair.

Kalec questioned the sanity of what Malygos desired but had no choice but to hope that Galakrond was far, far away. Malygos believed that to be the case, but both were aware that there was a chance he was wrong.

Malygos’s heart pounded from tension as the proto-dragon drew nearer to where the lair was presumed to be. The peaks there were so tall it seemed that they were trying to touch the cloud-enshrouded sun. Such giant mountains would be likely to provide caverns large enough to house a monster the size of Galakrond.

Something below caught Malygos’s attention. He dived toward it. At first, Kalec saw only rock, but then he realized that a portion of that rock was of a disquieting and familiar color.

The bones had lain there for some time, possibly four or five seasons. Those that were visible indicated a beast as large as many proto-dragons—or, as Malygos discovered after scraping away the earth from one area, it was an actual proto-dragon.

This one had perished violently. Many of the bones were cracked, and the partial skull that verified just what lay there had been crushed by a tremendous force.

Galakrond, Kalec knew. Here was an early victim. While to him it only served to show just how long Galakrond had been on his murderous rampage, Malygos evidently saw something more in the bones.

Although no one had yet witnessed how Galakrond reduced some of his victims to emaciated corpses that would rise as parasitic undead, the evidence of their existence was without question after Malygos’s battles. Yet Kalec now wondered, if this was one of the leviathan’s prey, why had it not transformed as the others had?

Silence reigned about them, but something made Malygos look to his right. To Kalec’s observation, there was nothing to see. Even a proto-dragon as courageous as Malygos could not be blamed for being jumpy under such conditions.

Returning to the bones, Malygos nudged a few around. With little exception, they revealed that Galakrond had ripped apart and chewed up this unfortunate creature. Malygos’s memories of a much smaller but still imposing Galakrond briefly arose, giving Kalec a startling glimpse of how the latter had changed. Galakrond as seen in the earlier stage had looked much more like a normal proto-dragon and not nearly large enough to swallow others whole. His body also had had a smoother, streamlined appearance. His coloring had been more muted, and the eyes had not had that incessant hungering look to them.

Malygos continued to ferret around among the bones, seeking clues. It was yet another hint—not that Kalec needed one—of how intricate his host’s thinking was compared with that of many of the other proto-dragons.

Somehow, he survived, the disembodied blue thought. Somehow, some of them survived . . . but how?

The proto-dragon tensed again. This time, Malygos looked skyward.

To the east, a shape already far too massive to be a normal proto-dragon raced toward the mountains—and Malygos’s position.

The mountains were too far away for Malygos to reach before he would be seen. Kalec’s host had no choice but to flatten himself out where he was. His coloring did not blend with the land, but the hope was that Galakrond would not fly near enough to notice.

A constant, heavy beat preceded Galakrond, the sound of his vast wings flapping. Malygos knew that with each beat, the gigantic proto-dragon crossed miles. The beat grew louder, closer. Malygos and Kalec knew that Galakrond was almost upon them.

But then the beat began to recede. Through narrowed eyes, Malygos watched Galakrond head away from him and toward the mountains. However, just as the icy-blue proto-dragon dared draw a new breath, Galakrond halted. Hovering, the behemoth suddenly began heaving as if choking on something.

Neither Malygos nor Kalec paid much mind at first to whatever assailed Galakrond, the giant creature’s physical appearance drawing their initial attention. Although it could not have been that long since the vision in which they had previously encountered Galakrond, Kalec was especially stunned by how much more misshapen the fiend had become. Not only was Galakrond oddly distorted, but he now had several growths randomly dotting his body. There were also a number of gray splotches that made it seem as if parts of Galakrond were decaying.

But just as Malygos and Kalec came to grips with this new, deformed Galakrond, the monster disgorged what had caused him such distress.

Bodies. More than a score of shriveled, limp proto-dragon bodies. They dropped in a horrendous heap to the ground, some flopping about as they struck. Malygos radiated immense distress at the sight, not only because of the awful slaughter but also because among the limp forms, he saw red, brown, gray, and even greenish-yellow bodies.

Kalec wished at that moment that he could throw up. In all his life, never had he—who had seen so much horror—witnessed something that struck him in such a nightmarish manner. He could imagine the final death throes of each and every victim and knew that so many more had perished the same way.

He suddenly felt Malygos’s further fear upon seeing this grisly image. Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Neltharion were also in the region, and from a distance, Malygos could not tell whether the other three were among the corpses. Even though Kalec knew that all three had survived this era, he could not help but pick up his host’s growing worry.

With one last purge, Galakrond finished. The gigantic proto-dragon immediately turned away, then took to the air again. As sharp as they were, Malygos’s eyes could still not make out any detail on the odd growths marking Galakrond’s body. Whether they had something to do with the behemoth’s madness, neither observer could say, but Malygos at least wanted to see them better.

Yet Kalec’s host was not foolhardy. He waited as Galakrond soared away, watching until the fiend had long vanished into the distance. Only after that did Malygos dare begin to rise—and then he instinctively dropped once more as three other proto-dragons flew in the direction from which Galakrond had originally come.

Why exactly Malygos had chosen to hide rather than rise and warn the trio was something Kalec sensed that even his host did not quite understand himself. However, as the three neared, their coloring gave hint that perhaps Malygos had taken the wise course.

The three blue-green proto-dragons soared over the landscape as if undeterred by the potential for disaster. Malygos watched as they neared where Galakrond had last paused. At that point, not at all to his surprise, he recognized Coros as the leader.

One of the other proto-dragons caught sight of the macabre remnants of Galakrond’s last meal. He immediately hissed to Coros.

Coros led the descent to the corpses. He alighted near one, studied a few of the bodies for a moment, then glanced in the direction in which the murderous leviathan had headed.

With a hiss, Coros rose into the air and headed the same way. His two companions followed.

Malygos—and Kalec—watched with disbelief as the trio raced after Galakrond. Coros did not strike Kalec as suicidal, and Malygos’s own thoughts mirrored agreement. Yet neither could fathom any sane reason for Coros to risk himself to such an extent. If he was simply spying on Galakrond, he was doing so in a far more reckless manner than Malygos.

Rising, Kalec’s host stared at the vanishing figures. Malygos did not know whether to warn the three or leave them to their doom. Past animosities paled at the moment, Malygos not wishing even Coros a fate such as these other proto-dragons had—

A ragged hiss erupted from the pile of corpses. Malygos forgot all about Galakrond and Coros as he turned toward the nearby carnage. The first thought flashing through the proto-dragon’s mind was that one of the victims had survived. Malygos started toward the bodies, trying to locate the right one.

As he neared, another ragged hiss arose from a different direction. Malygos halted, looking there.

A third hiss came from yet another location.

Several of the victims began to push up. Heads turned almost as one to stare at Kalec’s host.

Stare . . . with the empty eyes of the undead.

THREE

HUNTED BY THE UNDEAD

Malygos retreated, the icy-blue proto-dragon already flapping his wings for flight.

Unfortunately, he failed to see one of the undead creatures rising to his right. Its hiss was his only warning.

A foul mist exhaled by the undead touched his wing. Malygos roared as he felt a coldness that even he could not stand burn deep into his body.

Despite his agony, Malygos exhaled in turn. Frost covered the attacking creature, but whereas it would have stiffened many an adversary, it only slowed the undead. Still, that gave Kalec’s host just enough time to leap into the air. Ignoring the pain, he pushed higher and higher.

The chorus of nerve-wracking hisses below gave warning that several of the undead were giving swift pursuit.

Despite Kalec wishing desperately that the proto-dragon would look down to see how close they were, Malygos kept focused on his ascent. He flew on, seeking the clouds above. Kalec finally understood that his host hoped to evade the winged horrors by losing them in the murkiness of the clouds.

Malygos did not breathe easier even upon attaining cover. He veered sharply to his left, then, after a short distance, flew level. Behind him, the hisses of the undead spread throughout the clouds. Some sounded farther and farther away, but others still hinted of pursuers yet on his trail.

Malygos kept his jaws clamped tight, breathing through his nostrils as best he could. Any sound, even an exhalation, might prove enough to catch the attention of the undead. Kalec, forced to accept whatever decision his host made, remained impressed with the proto-dragon’s intelligence. Despite everything, this Malygos was very much the Malygos who had ruled so wisely for so long. This was the Malygos whom a young Kalec—and every other blue dragon—had looked up to in admiration.

And yet he is still a proto-dragon, Kalec reminded himself. How can this be? How can—

Another hiss arose, from in front of Malygos.

The pale red corpse collided with Kalec’s host. The stench of decay poured over Malygos as the undead proto-dragon hissed in his face. Up close, bits of the skull could be seen through the areas where shreds of dry flesh had fallen away. One eye had sunken in. Teeth dripping with a thick mucus snapped at Malygos’s throat. Claws tore at Kalec’s host, ripping through scale.

Malygos lunged, seizing the undead’s lower jaw in his teeth. With one powerful bite, the proto-dragon ripped the jaw loose.

A thick black fluid that had once been blood spilled out of the ragged wound. The creature did not falter, but loss of the jaw prevented one source of danger to Malygos. Kalec’s host spit out the rotting piece, then quickly exhaled into the exposed throat.

The icy mist poured into the undead, freezing the insides. Malygos’s foe contorted. It released its hold on him.

Malygos whipped his tail forward, striking the frozen torso. The undead shattered, the top and bottom halves falling in separate directions. The winged upper half remained aloft for a moment; then even the pretense of life faded, and the remains dropped out of view below.

But from much too nearby came more hisses, indications that several of the other undead had been drawn by the commotion. The taste of decaying flesh still on his tongue, Malygos pushed forward.

Another of the animated corpses materialized from the murky clouds, blocking his path. Malygos attempted to arc past it, only to have a second come for him from that direction.

Kalec’s host immediately stopped flapping. He dropped like a stone, falling beneath the two undead.

But as he broke through the bottom of the cloud cover, Malygos discovered that he had escaped two to fall in the midst of four. The empty, hungering faces surrounded him, for the first time causing Malygos to lose hope.

No! Do something! Kalec silently roared, to no avail. Do something!

Two of the unliving monsters lunged at Malygos, who managed to evade only one. The second seized his left forearm and wing, snaring Malygos thoroughly. The other three fell upon him.

Malygos exhaled on the one holding him. Again, the ice only slowed, not stilled, the undead. And even though none of the four moved with the smooth swiftness of the living proto-dragon, they had him caught.

Kalec felt the certainty of death—or worse—creep into Malygos’s thoughts, even as the proto-dragon continued to struggle.

Then a hard blast of what seemed like sand caught the foremost fiend in the back. The sand struck with such intensity that the shriveled, dry body cracked in two. The undead proto-dragon twitched wildly as it still sought to keep hold of Malygos.

There came a ferocious roar from another direction, one so thundering that at first, Kalec and his host both thought that Galakrond had come upon the scene. But the roar was followed by Neltharion’s familiar laugh as he ripped into the side of one of the other clinging corpses.

The next-nearest corpse turned to attack Neltharion, but again, a blast of sand shot forth, battering the undead so hard that the creature was sent tumbling away. The blast was followed by a brown form that caught the whirling corpse at the throat and bit through the bone and scale with such force that he neatly severed the head from the torso. The body fluttered around aimlessly, heading off in one direction as the newcomer spat out the other remnants with as much obvious distaste as Malygos had earlier displayed.

With only the fiend with the broken back and one other foe, Kalec’s host was better able to defend himself. He grabbed the grasping hind paw of the ruined creature and thrust it at the second undead proto-dragon. The paw instinctively seized the wing of Malygos’s other attacker, giving the icy-blue male an opening as his foremost opponent struggled to pull free.

This time, Malygos breathed upon the wings of his broken attacker, exhaling until he had no breath left whatsoever. Vertigo almost overtook Kalec’s host, but the proto-dragon fought to stay conscious.

Frozen stiff and heavily laden with ice, the wings pulled the one undead down. The second creature—still clutched by the first—also dropped, unfortunately in the process taking Malygos along with both.

As the three of them fell, Malygos bit at the arm of the second fiend, fighting through the bone as quickly as he could. Past the hissing countenance of the one undead, the proto-dragon and Kalec saw the ground rushing up.

The bone finally cracked—as did one of Malygos’s teeth. The pain was a momentary annoyance compared with what would happen if he did not finish biting through the limb. Kalec’s host clamped down, and the last of the bone gave way.

Beating hard, Malygos kicked at his foremost foe as he pushed skyward. With a horrendous ripping sound, the last muscles and tendons separated, enabling him to escape the two undead.

The animated corpses crashed into the rocky landscape, the collision so intense that both dry forms shattered, sending bits scattering in several directions. By that time, Malygos, the remaining paw finally removed from him and tossed aside, was well into the sky again.

And there Malygos beheld not only Neltharion and the brown male whom he and Kalec had noted at Talonixa’s gathering, but also Alexstrasza and Ysera. The sisters hovered at opposite ends of the area where the males finished their macabre adversaries, the females keeping wary watch for more threats. Neltharion was in the process of tearing to shreds the creature he fought. Of the brown’s foe there was no sign, which could only mean that the newcomer had readily dispatched the undead.

As Malygos neared, Neltharion let the last fragments of his opponent fall away.

Of the group, only the charcoal-gray male looked cheerful. “Ha! We have won!”

“We can still lose,” the brown reminded him with a hint of impatience. “Many more not-living near. . . .”

Alexstrasza and Ysera joined the trio. “We see nothing,” the yellowish female muttered. “Nothing but death.”

Her sister hissed at her, but Ysera looked undaunted. Through Malygos, Kalec learned that Ysera was of the belief that there was still a way to achieve peace with Galakrond. She was not the only one, either.

Malygos eyed the brown male. “I know you.”

The other dipped his head. “Nozdormu.”

“Fight well.”

Neltharion chuckled. “Fights almost as well as me!”

Nozdormu’s smile was very brief. “Many not-living. Why here? Why now?”

It became apparent to both Kalec and his host that none of the rest had witnessed anything akin to what Malygos had experienced earlier. Nor had anyone evidently seen Coros seemingly flying after Galakrond. For the moment, Malygos chose not to mention the latter incident, the ghastly sight he had seen before that obviously of much more importance.

As clever as he was, Malygos was still a proto-dragon. The words he needed to explain properly what he had seen Galakrond do with his victims were hard to put together, especially with danger still close at hand. So bound to Malygos was he that Kalec not only felt the proto-dragon’s frustration but also wished that he could speak for him.

Through halting words, Malygos did his best. His descriptions were short, but raw emotion filled in many gaps, enhancing his tale. He left the other proto-dragons shocked, even Neltharion. No one disbelieved him, all understanding that Malygos was to be trusted.

“How?” Alexstrasza demanded with much consternation. “How? What has happened with Galakrond?”

Malygos thought he understood. “Galakrond must eat much. Galakrond could not find enough. He grew hungry. Too hungry. Ate one of us.”

Although to Kalec such an act might have once seemed not so shocking—these were proto-dragons, creatures he had thought simply brutes—he saw that they had boundaries much like those of dragons. The proto-dragons might fight to the death against one another, but they did not eat their foes. No matter their savagery, this concept revolted them. Even though they had witnessed Galakrond committing the heinous act on a grand scale, they still did not want to accept it.

“Was hungry,” Neltharion snarled, his generally cheerful demeanor at last broken by what they were discussing. “Ate one of us. Why eat more? Grazers came north! More food! You saw Galakrond eat! Enough food now! Why still do this?”

Malygos shook his head. No one else had an answer, either.

There came more hisses. The proto-dragons glanced toward the sounds. The hisses were still far away but seemed to be getting nearer.

“We leave,” Alexstrasza decided. “Now.”

There was no protest, not even from Neltharion. They had no idea how many of the unliving might attack next. Malygos’s discovery of how the unliving came to be had altered everything.

Malygos instinctively took point—

Kalec’s world turned upside down, and despite trying to prepare himself for it this time, the dragon blacked out. As ever, the darkness passed swiftly, although in this case, only a brief passage of time—not a return to reality—occurred.

The proto-dragons were on the attack, Talonixa leading the charge. Scores of proto-dragons representing nearly all the families with which Kalec’s host was familiar dived into the fray. Their enemy was not Galakrond, however, but several undead.

Where Malygos and his companions had had a disadvantage in numbers, the opposite was true now. The proto-dragons faced perhaps a dozen of the animated corpses, which Kalec immediately understood had been purposely drawn to the deep canyon in which this battle played out.

Through Malygos, Kalec caught a glimpse of Ysera and also knew that Alexstrasza and Neltharion were part of the effort. Nozdormu had refused to be part of it, although not out of any cowardice. Malygos did not know where he was and, at the moment, had no time to care. Outnumbered the horrors might be, but they still dealt death.

The first to learn that terrible fact was an impetuous fire-orange female appearing some seasons older than Alexstrasza. One of the initial attackers, she fell upon a smaller undead, once a proto-dragon just out of its juvenile years. However, although the prey looked easy and Malygos had been among those offering warning about the dangers of their enemy, she left herself open to the undead’s “breath.”

The dark, noxious cloud draped over the female’s head and wings. She shrugged it off, then opened her mouth to unleash her own blast.

But suddenly, the brilliant color of her scales faded wherever the cloud had touched. The flesh withered, and skin flaked away. Instead of exhaling a mighty blast at the fiend, the female let out a rasping cry as her eyes glazed over.

And as Malygos—and Kalec—watched, briefly mesmerized, the scale and flesh fell away in the blink of an eye. The exposed skull—the jaws still open—cracked off and dropped out of sight.

The torso, the ruined wings feebly flapping, followed.

Above, Talonixa roared in anger at the proto-dragon’s fatal error. Leading another of her family, she dropped upon the small undead and ripped it apart through the back. For good measure, the imposing female bit off the head and spat it toward one of the other flying corpses.

“Kill like that! No more fools!”

Her advice, based in great part on information Malygos and Neltharion had relayed prior to this assault, served the rest well. Acting in teams of as many as five, the proto-dragons tore into the remaining not-living. One corpse was torn apart in short order; another burned to a crisp.

There were still fatalities despite Talonixa’s insistence, fatalities that Malygos had expected and believed could have been avoided. Emaciated they might be, but the undead nonetheless had surprising physical strength and an unnatural tenacity. Moreover, they did not have to inhale prior to unleashing their horrific clouds of decay. That dire fact was discovered by two proto-dragons who assumed that they were safe after avoiding the initial blasts. Their still-twitching, decomposing bodies spiraled to the distant ground below.

Yet another attacker might have suffered the same ghastly fate, if not for Neltharion dropping down on the undead just as it was about to unleash a blast. The future Deathwing seized the corpse’s head with both hind paws and ripped it clean off. A small gush of the deadly gas poured forth from the open neck but touched no one. The charcoal-gray proto-dragon roared with laughter as he tossed away the head and began to rip into the torso, which continued to fly in a haphazard circle.

Malygos shook his head at his friend’s enthusiasm. For Kalec’s host, the sooner this ended, the better. He had no love for what they were doing. Like Alexstrasza and Ysera, Malygos still saw the living in the faces of these abominations. These were victims, too. They had to be destroyed, but there was little reason to take joy in the effort.

Talonixa struck the last blow, exhaling hard at a lone undead. The bolt of lightning she unleashed set the dry flesh ablaze. The animated corpse managed to stay aloft, but a second bolt shattered the already crumbling body, sending ashes scattering everywhere.

With the destruction of her foe, the huge golden female roared triumphantly. Her cry was taken up by many of the others, causing Malygos to wince as he thought of how loud they were. It had been in part their cries that were used in the first place to help lure these not-living to them. Malygos marveled that Talonixa and her supporters did not think this through, but he knew better than to try to speak the truth. Talonixa did not abide those who did not agree with her and had already scarred a copper male in the face for questioning her. She also had several zealous followers willing to do worse to any other naysayers.

For now, the sisters, Neltharion, and Kalec’s host were going along with Talonixa’s decisions while they argued over what better choice to make. What that choice might be, none of them had as yet been able to suggest, and all knew that time was quickly running out.

Kalec could also see the disaster looming and did not think this brief triumph foreshadowed the same against Galakrond any more than Malygos did. Kalec silently railed at his own defenselessness in the matter, and at that moment, he realized that he felt more attuned to these ancient events than to his own troubles in the present.

This is not right, Kalec thought. This is a reflection of the past. It’s done! The future is the only battle left to be fought!

But still, Kalec felt as much a part of this small band of proto-dragons as Malygos was. When Alexstrasza and Ysera spoke to his host, it was as if they spoke to Kalec. Even more surprising, when Neltharion stood at Malygos’s side, fighting along with him as any true friend and comrade would, Kalec experienced the same kinship Malygos had developed with the charcoal-gray male.

Kinship with Deathwing . . . and through a host who would someday become almost as much of a threat to Azeroth. The notion shook Kalec, and he railed anew at what had happened to him, hoping that somehow he could return to his own time and body.

Young Malygos, ever ignorant of Kalec’s plight, was more concerned with his friend. He noted Ysera rapidly descending into the canyon, her flight path somewhat erratic. Seeing no sign of Alexstrasza, Malygos chose to follow the yellowish female himself.

With what was obvious effort, Ysera alighted just a few yards above the bottom. The scorched, torn remnants of undead lay scattered below her. As Malygos dropped near her, he saw that Ysera’s breathing had become labored. Within Malygos, Kalec—his own distress momentarily forgotten—shared his host’s concern for the other proto-dragon.

Ysera did not notice Malygos until he was almost upon her. Even then, she only looked up at him with sullen eyes, then continued her efforts to regain her breath.

The icy male landed beside her but did not speak. Observing Ysera, Malygos noted her gaze drifting from one ripped piece of dry flesh to another. Neither Malygos nor Kalec could make sense of her observations; the fragments were from a variety of families, including both Malygos’s and Neltharion’s but not, upon closer inspection, Ysera’s.

“Not here . . .” she finally murmured as her breathing calmed. “Not here . . .”

After a moment, Malygos asked, “Who?”

“Dralad.”

The name meant nothing to either Kalec or his host. Malygos waited, and both were rewarded a few breaths later as Ysera clarified. “Clutch brother . . .”

Malygos hissed low, then muttered, “He is dead.”

“These were, too.”

That had occurred to both Malygos and Kalec, but not what Ysera was implying.

“Saw body,” Malygos offered.

She looked up at the male, her gaze steady and demanding. “Not burned by my sister. You destroy it?”

Malygos shook his head. There had been no thought of destroying the dead at that point. Even though this generation had seen proto-dragons leap to a level of intelligence far in advance of anything they had developed before, the notion of a proper burial was not something the creatures had yet conceived. Even dragons, Kalec knew, simply preferred to come to their final rest near the temple.

And, oddly, near Galakrond.

“Watched every not-living,” Ysera went on, stretching her wings. She looked recovered from her bout, although she was clearly still somewhat weary. “Not found. Not found.”

“His body—”

“Not there!” the female snapped. Then, looking more tired again, she shrugged off their conversation and took to the air.

Kalec’s host watched as she ascended. What he recalled of that discovery had made him believe that Ysera’s clutch brother had not risen as so many others had. Other early victims had remained dead. Alexstrasza had no doubt said something to that effect to her sister, but Ysera’s own search and its lack of success bothered Malygos . . . and Kalec. Was it possible that the older dead were also rising? If so, then the threat to the living proto-dragons was far worse than they had imagined.

Malygos shook his head, far too many thoughts assailing him. He was still a proto-dragon, no matter how clever he had always regarded himself to be. That he believed Alexstrasza would have been just as pressed by all these concerns did not make Malygos feel any better. Kalec, with so much going on in the present but now trapped in this vision of the past, could again easily sympathize—

A low, barely audible hiss from the southern end of the canyon drew Malygos’s attention. It was so short that neither the proto-dragon nor Kalec was certain that he had heard it, and yet Kalec, at least, knew that both had.

Keeping low, Malygos cautiously crawled south. His eyes darted to every shadow, observed every large shape, be it the remains of an animated corpse or what simply proved to be a rock. He listened carefully for a repeat of the hiss but heard only the wind coursing through the canyon, a sound both knew was not the same one heard earlier.

Possible answers ran through the proto-dragon’s mind as he moved. A not-living that had managed to hide from the hunters? But these corpses did not hide. They only knew their relentless hunger and thus ever searched for prey; they did not run away from it. Another potential source for the sound was an injured member among the attackers. This made more sense, but why had no one noticed the wounded fighter missing?

Kalec watched with Malygos but saw nothing. He questioned the wisdom of the proto-dragon’s determination to find the noise, but there was no stopping Malygos.

Shadows filled the area ahead. Malygos paused, then plunged into the darkness. His eyes began to adjust to the change in lighting—

Something touched Malygos on the back.

The proto-dragon’s head twisted around. Both he and Kalec caught sight of a smaller, flowing figure.

Malygos hissed as his head suddenly pounded. For Kalec, though, it was as if all the thunder that had ever raged over Azeroth gathered for one fantastic storm. Had he paws of his own, Kalec would have clamped them against his ears. As it was, he could only roar as the pounding rose beyond bearing—

And for once, Kalec was grateful when darkness finally claimed him.

FOUR

SHIFTING REALITIES

Once again, Kalec woke covered in sweat and gasping for air. He also again woke in his half-elven form. Those things did not surprise him as much as what he saw when his eyes finally focused enough to see his surroundings.

It was, as far as he could ascertain, the same canyon in which he had just left young Malygos.

Rubbing his eyes, Kalec looked again at the rocky landscape. There were many changes, yet somehow Kalec was certain that this was indeed the same location.

And the fact that he was so certain also bothered him. Kalec had visited hundreds and hundreds of places during his lifetime, and while some, such as the Sunwell Plateau—where he had last seen Anveena—and the Nexus, were obviously memorable to him, there was no reason he should be so certain that this was the same place. True, Kalec had just visited it through Malygos a few moments ago—assuming it was only a few moments ago—but countless millennia had passed since the proto-dragon had actually been there, and in that time, nature and possibly other factors had remade the canyon over and over.

Yet Kalec could have sworn on his own life that this was the same place.

He spun, expecting to find the accursed artifact on the ground next to him. While it surprised him not to see it, he also had no doubt that it was responsible for this little incident, too.

What devilishness are you up to now? Kalec demanded of the unseen relic. He did not expect an answer, of course. He expected only more questions, only more mysteries. Only more madness.

The calm, almost detached attitude that he had developed while part of the past had once again vanished with his return to the present. Now all the stresses struck Kalec so hard that he abruptly drove his fist into a nearby rock wall. Had he not also instinctively shielded that fist, it would have been his bones, rather than the wall, that cracked. As it was, the shattering rock still splattered him in the face, making the former Aspect step back in surprise.

And only then did he see the footprints in the hard soil.

A hundred thousand beasts and a fair number of sentient beings had no doubt traveled through this canyon during the vast length of time since Kalec’s previous sojourn, and these prints could have belonged to any of those, but once more, Kalec knew that these were not random footprints. The first ones were those of some fairly giant creature of a reptilian appearance: a proto-dragon. They came from the same direction from which Malygos had come in those last moments before Kalec had been thrust back to his own time and form. He even recognized places where the proto-dragon had paused before the barely seen flowing shape had fallen upon them.

Thinking about that other figure, the former Aspect turned his attention to another set of prints a little behind those he was certain were Malygos’s. Smaller prints. The prints of a booted or sandaled two-legged form such as an elf or a human.

It brought to mind the cloaked and hooded shape that Kalec had caught a brief view of more than once, a being somehow tied to the artifact.

As the blue studied the footprints, he noticed that they went on beyond those of Malygos. Despite the ages, Kalec found it easy to follow them for as far as he could see. They continued on to the south, each step seemingly seared into the rock just for his benefit.

With a bit of trepidation but even more determination to find some answers, Kalec traced the footprints. They quickly moved beyond those marking where Malygos had stood. Kalec wondered what had happened at that point. Had the proto-dragon turned? Had he discovered whatever it was Kalec now headed toward?

That he was still concerned for what had happened so long ago frustrated Kalec. All that should have mattered was to find some escape from the artifact’s incessant intrusions into his mind before it destroyed his already wavering sanity.

Kalec did not know why he had transformed into his current shape, but at the moment, he found it comforting despite having to climb over several parts of the rocky path. He had spent so much of his recent past in his humanoid guise, especially when he was with Anveena or, of late, when dealing with Jaina. Once, when he had known Alexstrasza’s legendary consort, Korialstrasz, Kalec had wondered why the crimson male had spent so much time in a humanoid form, pretending to be the wizard Krasus. Now Kalec no longer questioned that preference.

The path led into a shadowed region that reminded him that much of the area through which he had tracked had also once been shielded from the sun. Yet, despite the obvious upheaval needed to bring down so much rock, either the prints had remained uncovered, or someone had taken time to clear the rubble away.

Before he could follow that line of thought, the trail turned toward the rock face to his left. Kalec frowned, then saw a narrow cut in the rock, an opening just wide enough for him to slip into in his present form.

For some reason, he did not think that a coincidence.

The slit proved even narrower than Kalec first calculated, forcing him to wriggle to get through. The darkness within stirred uncomfortable memories of the utter blackness that overcame him almost every time he slipped from reality to the visions and back again. Kalec shivered but pressed a few steps deeper before finally summoning a glowing sphere.

In its purple light, the withered visage of a proto-dragon glared down at him.

Kalec flung himself to the side, at the same time sending the sphere at the looming monster. The former Spell-Weaver’s efforts changed the simple illumination spell into a full attack. The sphere exploded as it hit the proto-dragon’s chest, searing into the dry flesh.

A musky scent assailed Kalec as the magical energy burned into the proto-dragon. The former Aspect summoned a new and larger sphere, fully revealing the cave’s interior.

More than a dozen additional proto-dragons, all as withered, peered at Kalec. He readied a potent spell, then paused when he realized that neither they nor the one he had attacked had thus far moved.

These were not, he finally recognized, the undead that Malygos and the others had fought. They were merely dead proto-dragons.

Merely? As Kalec observed them closer, he saw differences. Each of these proto-dragons was in some way misshapen. Yet it did not look as if those defects were the results of something that had happened in the egg. Kalec eyed one proto-dragon who appeared to have a fifth limb starting to grow out of his side. Another had a third eye just above her right shoulder.

What sort of macabre display is this? Kalec stared at the group and saw that each also bore some injury. As he studied one corpse after another, he saw that those injuries had certainly impaired these proto-dragons, if not killed them outright. Moreover, the former Aspect saw that the dead actually lay sprawled against one another, as if they had been gathered in haste.

Kalec paused again. It was clear to him that he had been steered to this place by the relic or whatever power it served, but what was he supposed to learn from this grotesque spectacle?

A creaking sound set his nerves on edge and made him summon yet another spell. He turned to find the first proto-dragon tumbling forward, the damage done by the altered sphere too much for him to maintain his stability. The towering corpse struck the rocky floor and broke into pieces.

The head rolled closer to Kalec, and in what remained of the second sphere’s light, he finally recognized the reptilian countenance.

Malygos.

Kalec retreated in shock, shaking his head all the while. This can’t be true! It can’t be! It’s not Malygos! That’s not possible—

His mind spun. Kalec fell against one of the other corpses, which caused it to tilt into another. Suddenly, all the proto-dragons began falling toward him.

In desperation, Kalec shut his eyes and concentrated his power all around him. The cave filled with brilliant white energy, so bright it blinded even its caster.

Gasping, the former Aspect dropped to one knee. Head down, he waited for the corpses to bury him underneath them. When that did not happen, he cautiously looked up . . .

. . . and found himself kneeling in his sanctum.

At first, he dared not move. Kalec shivered as he tried to verify that what he now saw around him was the truth, more than the cave had been. He felt absolutely certain that he had been in the canyon—except that would mean that the relic had transported him from one part of the world to another with less effort than it required Kalec merely to breathe.

A rapid thumping sound echoed in his head. It took a moment for the blue to recognize his own heartbeat. He tried to slow his breathing, also causing his heart to shift to a more normal rhythm.

His surroundings did not change. Still kneeling, Kalec touched the floor. It felt solid, but then, so had the corpse against which he had fallen and the rock through which he had slipped.

“This is real. This is real,” Kalec muttered, the next second feeling uncomfortable at the fact that he needed to speak out loud while he sought to convince himself. But the cave was real, too! It was!

He could not say which was worse, the notion of being tossed about the world or simply being made to believe it had happened. Either way, the artifact continued to intrude too thoroughly into his thoughts. The present had become a series of moments whose lengths of stability he could no longer trust, while the visions were becoming more and more what seemed the true reality. Kalec knew, though, that if he allowed himself to become too attuned to the visions, he might at some point never return to the here and now.

The former Aspect gritted his teeth. If this even is the here and now.

Kalec rose and turned. The continued bane to his existence sat where last he recalled it, still gently emanating its own magical illumination.

“I’m tired of all these games!” he shouted at it. “Tell me what you want!”

But although it could do so much, although it could manipulate him in so many ways, the one thing that the relic apparently could not do was speak to him.

Kalec?

The blue male jumped. Eyes wide, he glared at the artifact, waiting for it to speak again.

Kalec?

The voice came from inside his head, but the relic was not the source of it, he finally understood. Someone was calling to him. Kalec knew that he should recognize the speaker.

“Jaina . . .”

Despite earlier misgivings about letting her potentially discover what was happening to him, Kalec now grasped at the chance to answer her call. The archmage represented part of that stability he fought to maintain.

“Jaina!” Kalec called to the empty air, only belatedly realizing how desperate his reply sounded. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. “Jaina, I hear you. Wait.”

Steeling himself, he re-created the gap in the air that enabled him to communicate face to face with her. Through it, the vision of Jaina’s chambers appeared. Although she had called to him, when the spellcaster first formed, she was leaning over a wide wooden table, inspecting some parchment.

“Kalec . . .” Jaina’s initial smile faded as she looked over the former Aspect. “Are you sure you’re well?”

He had thought that he had adjusted his appearance appropriately, but clearly, in some way, he had not entirely hidden the incredible stress he was going through even at that moment. “I’m more . . . I’ve been under more pressure than I wanted to admit,” Kalec began, thinking how best to keep vague but not too vague. “The Nexus . . . you understand.”

“You don’t have to say any more, not unless you want to. I’d be willing to listen, if it would help.”

It was an offer he seriously considered, if only for a moment. However, Kalec quickly came to the conclusion that this was a matter he could not involve Jaina in. There was too much risk that she might fall prey to the artifact, just as he had.

“Thank you for that,” Kalec finally answered, trying to sound more relaxed. He remembered that he had heard her call to him earlier. His concern for his sanity briefly receded to the background as he concentrated on whatever dire problem the archmage confronted. “But enough of me. You need my help with something. What is it?”

Jaina looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“You tried to reach me before. I wasn’t able to answer as I was this time.”

Her expression grew more troubled. “I don’t understand. I’ve only been trying to answer you.”

“Me?”

She leaned so close that if she had actually been in his sanctum and not merely a projection, he could have touched her. “You’ve called to me twice since our last conversation. I responded both times, and you finally answered just now—”

“I called to—” slipped from Kalec’s tongue before he managed to catch himself. His mind raced. He could not recall reaching out to Jaina either time, instead only hearing her voice in turn. While she might be mistaken, Kalec doubted that. More likely was the possibility that some part of his subconscious had sought help from the only one he thought he could trust to understand his situation. He did not even want to approach the other former Aspects, aware that they had some reason for making no mention of all that Kalec had learned thus far from the visions.

It came to his attention too late that he had been standing in silence before Jaina, his gaze now turned to the empty air to his right. Not at all to his surprise, she was staring at him with even greater worry than before.

“Kalec, tell me what’s wrong.”

Struggling for an answer, he blurted the only thing he could think of. “The collection is more massive than I could have imagined, and the Nexus’s protections are failing at the same time. It’s proved to be a monumental task.”

Her eyes narrowed in understanding. As a sorceress—and especially the leader of the Kirin Tor—Jaina Proudmoore could appreciate the tremendous wealth of magical knowledge and power contained in the Nexus. She also understood the danger of leaving all that unguarded. “I know I offered this before, but please listen this time. I can gather a number of trusted magi and lead them—”

“No. Not yet. Thank you.” Kalec had become nearly as distrustful of the other magi as they clearly had been of him after his unfortunate move into Dalaran. He could not imagine that things would go well with them around him in the Nexus, and that was not even taking the artifact in account.

Jaina looked doubtful about his decision but finally nodded. “All right. But the offer is open. I will see to it that any who enter the Nexus will do as they’re told. You know thaaaaattttt . . .”

The archmage and her surroundings rippled, grew distorted. Jaina’s body twisted, and her face stretched forward.

“Jaina?” Kalec feared some force had attacked her while they had spoken.

“. . . wrrrrrrong, Kkkkkaleeeccc,” she answered, even as her body grew scaled and her sanctum collapsed, becoming a rocky overhang. Her robes became wings, and before Kalec’s eyes, Jaina Proudmoore transformed into a dragon.

No, Kalec thought. Not a dragon . . . a proto-dragon.

“Kaaaallllleeeccc?” rumbled the proto-dragon.

He had no chance to answer her, no chance even to dismiss the link between them. Kalec wished it closed, then lost track of both it and the altered Jaina as he felt his body shifting into a more reptilian form. Thoughts other than his own filled his head, dominated his mind.

Kalec tried to roar, but his mouth was no longer his. He felt himself receding into the background . . . and the mind of Malygos taking the forefront.

The Nexus had become a chilly seashore that reminded Kalec of the area where Malygos had once fished. Malygos was not alone. Alexstrasza stood roughly the same distance from Kalec’s host as Jaina had seemed from Kalec.

“I will do that,” the fire-orange female said to Malygos as she rose into the sky. Alexstrasza darted off to the east, leaving Malygos on his own.

What they had discussed, Kalec neither knew nor cared about. He strained uselessly to return to the Nexus, even concentrating on Jaina in the hopes that the link that had helped him at least twice would do so again. Yet, as he feared, nothing changed.

Malygos took off, heading out to sea. While it was evident that the proto-dragon hunted a meal, he also appeared to be watching or waiting for something that his vague thoughts did not reveal to Kalec. That further frustrated the dragon, who had assumed that if he had been thrust back into the visions, it had been for some purpose.

Kalec’s host scooped up one of a pod of aquatic air breathers a half-mile offshore, devouring the creature in two gulps. While not as delicate about his meals as Alexstrasza, Malygos did try to kill his prey quickly and relatively painlessly. Still, Kalec had no taste for the hunt right now and hoped that Malygos would either quickly fill his belly or remember something more important.

The meal did come to an end, but not as a result of one of those choices. Rather, Malygos suddenly raised his bloody jaws from his second kill and peered up into the overcast sky. Kalec instantly thought of the undead, but instead, Malygos’s sharp gaze fixed on a pair of proto-dragons skirting the bottom of the cloud cover.

Kalec’s host leapt into the air and raced toward the pair. As he neared, it became evident that there were more than two. Kalec counted four, but Malygos counted five, with the fifth being none other than Ysera.

And with her flew Coros.

Hissing, Malygos came up behind the pair. Kalec understood his caution, for other than Ysera, the rest of the party were all proto-dragons Kalec knew to be hostile to his host.

Coros noticed him first. Malygos’s rival sneered, then hissed warning.

Ysera looked over her shoulder. Upon recognizing Malygos, Alexstrasza’s sister grew visibly frustrated. “I will do this!” she insisted. “We are right!”

Thoughts spilled through Malygos’s mind and into Kalec’s. Ysera continuing to search among the dead—and the defeated undead—for her clutch brother despite knowing that it was unlikely she would find him. Alexstrasza’s sister growing more vehement in her distaste for all the violence. The yellowish proto-dragon preaching her beliefs to others and finding a few who saw as she did.

And one of those appeared to be Coros, who had seemed so fanatically loyal to Talonixa not all that long ago. Now Coros also preached peace, preached finding a way to live under the rule of Galakrond. His notions did not exactly match those of Ysera, but they were close enough for both suddenly to work to convince others.

Malygos saw only naivety in Ysera’s dreams and did not trust the mercurial nature of Coros’s. Kalec now understood what his host and Alexstrasza had been discussing; Ysera’s sister had been searching for her for three days, hoping to make her see the error of her ways before she did something foolish. To Malygos, Alexstrasza appeared too late to prevent the last. He felt that any plan hatched even in part by Coros was certain to be filled with danger and treachery.

Once Malygos might have simply let things happen as they would, but more and more, Kalec’s host saw the intricacies involved in even the simplest decisions. The repercussions for the proto-dragon race as a whole were many, not to mention the fact that Malygos now felt a loyalty to the sisters that in some ways surpassed even that to his own family. He had fought side by side with both of them and knew their dedication and trustworthiness.

He also knew that Coros lacked either of those qualities.

“Sister seeks you,” Malygos informed Ysera, indicating the direction Alexstrasza had flown only a short while ago. “That way.”

“Saw her,” Ysera responded with a snort. “Let her fly on.”

This startled Malygos, who knew how close the pair was despite the constant bickering. “Should listen to her! Galakrond will not—”

“Galakrond will.”

Her short but incredible interjection caught both Malygos and Kalec by surprise. Malygos hissed in confusion. Coros grinned but did not interrupt.

“There will be peace,” Ysera announced with some pride. “Galakrond will talk peace.”

“You do not know—”

She raised her head higher, taking a dominant position over Malygos. “We spoke with Galakrond. He will talk peace.”

The madness that had affected Kalec in the present now looked as if it was taking hold of him in the vision. He could not believe that he had heard correctly, and judging by Malygos’s racing emotions, Kalec’s host could not believe it, either. “Galakrond . . . talked with Galakrond?”

Coros finally joined in, his triumph clear in both his tone and his expression. “Peace we will have . . . if all will listen.”

Before Malygos could retort, Ysera said, “All must listen . . . and we must go.”

“Go where?” asked Kalec’s host as both his mind and Kalec’s raced.

“Find Talonixa,” she answered, as if that should have been clear to anyone. “Tell her. Tell all.”

That said, she veered off. Coros, the other three proto-dragons in tow, followed.

Malygos stared, wanting to believe Alexstrasza’s sister but also aware of just what a monster Galakrond had become. Still, if Ysera spoke the truth—

“No.” Malygos shook off that possibility, and Kalec once again admired the analytic abilities of the future Aspect even as a proto-dragon. However, his admiration faded as both he and Malygos thought of what would happen if Ysera did convince the others.

The proto-dragon quickly turned. He had to find Alexstrasza and somehow help her make Ysera see sense. Even though Kalec’s host—and Kalec, too—understood the odds of Ysera convincing Talonixa and the rest of the merits of her plan, the two could not help but feel that somehow matters would end in new disaster and that more, many more, would die as a result.

FIVE

FATEFUL DECISIONS

Malygos grew more desperate as his search for Alexstrasza stretched to hours. At that very moment, Ysera—with Coros’s aid—might already be convincing Talonixa of the merit of her intentions and Galakrond’s willingness to agree to everything. Malygos could foresee only catastrophe if that happened.

His thinking was another example of the leap Kalec had witnessed among several of the proto-dragons. Malygos saw nothing new or odd about his considerations for the future, whereas among some current proto-dragons, the here and now was all that existed.

The lengthy search had had its own effect on Kalec. Able to feel the wind as Malygos flew, Kalec had calmed down somewhat. When he was in the visions, he had no choice concerning the path upon which he had been set and therefore tried to become as detached as he could.

Yet Kalec could not help but consider the choices left to his host. Unaware of how this entire struggle had ultimately turned out, Kalec was not even certain that Malygos was right in seeking Alexstrasza’s aid in stopping Ysera. Although Kalec had believed as Malygos had when first hearing about the suggestion of peace with the marauding behemoth, he also knew that, in his time, Galakrond’s skeleton lay near the heart of the Dragonblight and that the gigantic proto-dragon was considered the Father of Dragons. How that had come to be, Kalec could not fathom. Had Galakrond achieved salvation after all, something that had escaped the future Neltharion and even, regrettably, Malygos himself?

He forgot all about such questions as Malygos spotted a red speck perched atop a tall hill. While to Kalec it might have appeared to be any member of Alexstrasza’s family, his host was absolutely certain that he had found Ysera’s sister, and within a few strong beats of the male’s wings, that proved to be the case.

She noted Malygos’s arrival with a hopeful gaze. Kalec felt his host’s guilt at coming with something other than good news.

“Found Ysera,” he started. “With Coros.”

Alexstrasza eyed him in disbelief. “Coros?”

Malygos quickly explained what had happened, including Ysera’s current thinking.

The fire-orange female hissed in growing frustration as she listened. “Must go to her!” Alexstrasza snarled as soon as Malygos had finished. “This must not be!”

The male proto-dragon blocked her path. “Wait! Ysera will not listen!”

She glared at him but finally nodded. “No. Ysera will not listen. She will die.”

“Will not die,” Malygos insisted. “Ysera will not die.”

Alexstrasza shook her head. Yet rather than shove past her companion, the female proto-dragon hesitated. She wanted to believe Malygos.

“Coros not good,” he informed Alexstrasza. “Coros always lies.” It was a simplistic declaration but, from what Kalec could glean from Malygos’s memories, close to the truth. “We watch Coros. Find truth. Show Ysera.”

While Kalec’s host did want to help the sisters, the icy-blue male also looked forward to revealing his rival as he knew him to be. Coros was one proto-dragon Malygos would not have minded being devoured by Galakrond, provided Coros could be prevented from rising from the dead afterward.

Cocking her head, Alexstrasza considered his words. It did not take her long to nod eagerly. “Yes. Prove Coros false! Ysera will see truth!”

Kalec was not so certain about the merit of Malygos’s suggestion, but he distrusted Coros as much as Malygos did. Kalec suspected that Coros thought he could take advantage of everyone, even Galakrond, while raising his status among the other proto-dragons in the process. It was a foolish, dangerous notion—

A familiar roar thundered across the heavens.

Immediately, Malygos and Alexstrasza dived from their perches into more shadowed regions below. Neither proto-dragon cared about dignity. Malygos found an overhang that had enough room for one and left it to Alexstrasza, who reluctantly accepted his sacrifice. The male moved on until he came to a depression in a hillside. It was not large enough to fit him, but he nonetheless planted himself against it, then held his breath.

And barely had he done so than a darker, vaster shadow engulfed everything. A hulking form covered the sky: Galakrond, on his endless hunt.

Despite his much too near proximity to the insatiable leviathan, Malygos forgot his danger as details of Galakrond’s underside swept past. The smaller proto-dragon even slipped out of the depression as he stared at the growths more and more dominating Galakrond.

Growths that had an odd resemblance to unfinished body parts.

Kalec watched with equal horror as Malygos glimpsed one rudimentary limb after another dangling from random locations. There were forelimbs and hind, with partial paws. Vestigial wings flapped futilely in the wind caused by Galakrond’s swift flight. What might have been a partially formed head—a head!—thrust out of a region near the behemoth’s hip.

There were other shapes that neither Kalec nor his host could identify but that both assumed were just as unnerving. Malygos sat where he was, entirely oblivious to the fact that all Galakrond had to do was glance back to see him.

Fortunately, the gigantic proto-dragon continued on, not only racing beyond view mere seconds later but also heading in a direction that would not set the two smaller ones on the same path. Malygos exhaled as Galakrond vanished; then he quickly joined Alexstrasza.

“Must go now!” the fire-orange female urged. “Now, before Galakrond comes again.”

“Now,” agreed Malygos, following as Alexstrasza took off. However, unsaid by the male proto-dragon—but sensed by the ever-present Kalec—was the thought that even if the pair flew faster than Galakrond, it might already be too late to avert catastrophe.

•   •   •

The two proto-dragons headed toward the region where Talonixa had previously called the gathering. It had not yet been discovered by Galakrond, but Talonixa had already used the growing risk of that happening to stir the other proto-dragons toward mounting their attack. Her sense of urgency, fueled by her desire for vengeance, clearly still prevailed.

“More of us here!” she roared. “So many more! Galakrond cannot fight all! Cannot!”

Proto-dragons everywhere hissed and roared their agreement. Kalec judged that Talonixa had been speaking for some time, which gave credit not only to her relative eloquence but also to her continued domination of the others.

“There!” rumbled Alexstrasza. “She is there!”

Following her gaze, Kalec’s host beheld the smaller sister not far from Talonixa’s rocky perch. Coros stood next to her, his three comrades a little farther back and looking as if they did not wish to be anywhere near the pair. Both Malygos and Kalec found that odd, especially where the trio’s leader was concerned. Why avoid Coros?

Talonixa hissed in pleasure at the gathering’s response. Coros chose that moment to ease up to her. He leaned close and whispered in her ear. Her black eyes narrowed as they fell upon Ysera. Coros immediately retreated, his expression veiled.

The dominant female unleashed a mighty roar that made Kalec’s host cringe as he landed, for surely every living creature within half a day’s flight could hear it. Still, out of respect to Alexstrasza, Malygos did not depart for safer climes. Instead, he alighted with her at a place where they could view the tableau unfolding.

“This runt speaks,” Talonixa declared, with one wing indicating Ysera. To Alexstrasza’s sibling, she curtly added, “Speak!”

Ysera looked to Coros, who merely nodded.

Alexstrasza growled low at the male’s action. “He leaves Ysera alone!”

“That is Coros.” Malygos had already expected his rival’s support of Ysera to be weak. Coros would do what he could to deflect focus away from him unless it served to raise his status. If Ysera managed to sway the majority, Coros would suddenly be there beside her.

The yellowish female pulled herself up to her full height. While she was not a very impressive proto-dragon when compared with Talonixa, there was something in Ysera’s manner that Malygos—and Kalec—found admirable. Weak though she was, Alexstrasza’s sibling had an inherent determination that made her seem larger, more dominating, than she physically was.

“We are many!” she began, her first statement receiving a chorus of approving hisses. “We are many . . . but Galakrond is Galakrond!”

The approving hisses faded as the gathered proto-dragons tried to digest what she meant by the last.

“Galakrond is strong! Galakrond is powerful!”

“We are many!” one of the listening crowd roared back. Others hissed in agreement.

“We are many,” Ysera repeated with a nod. “And many will die against Galakrond.”

Several of the listeners glanced with unease at one another. Seeing this, Talonixa unleashed an angry hiss.

Ignoring her, Ysera pressed her case. “Many can be saved! Peace will save them!” She stepped toward the thickest part of the gathering. “Must talk with Galakrond! Galakrond talked before! Remember when Galakrond was with us! Hunted with us! We talk peace, Galakrond will listen—”

A thundering laugh cut her off. Talonixa looked around at the other proto-dragons as she mocked Ysera’s earnest words. “Galakrond will listen? Ha! Galakrond hunted with us? Galakrond now hunts us, yes? Listen? Never!”

Ysera tried to interject, but she was drowned out not only by more laughter from Talonixa but also by the laughter of those joining in with the larger female.

Alexstrasza growled. She started forward, clearly wanting to stand by her sister.

Malygos cut in front of her. “No. Ysera will not like that.”

The fire-orange female almost snapped at him, but then she hesitated. She eyed Ysera, wanting to comfort her, then finally nodded. “Yes . . . would not like that. Never liked that.”

Malygos and Alexstrasza—and Kalec, who initially had expected Alexstrasza to fly to Ysera, something he would have done in her place—could only watch as Ysera’s effort fell apart. Ysera looked crestfallen and confused. She glanced around as if seeking someone who was clearly not there.

“Coros,” Kalec’s host rumbled. “Where is Coros?”

Indeed, the other male had vanished at some point, along with his three comrades. Malygos searched the gathering and caught a glimpse of what he thought was one of the trio disappearing over a distant rock.

Before he could decide what to do, Talonixa seized control of the gathering again. With a tremendous roar, she silenced those who had been mocking Ysera with her.

“No peace!” she called. “Never! Galakrond hunts us. We now hunt Galakrond, yes?”

Roars of approval reverberated through the area. Ysera, her head low in a submissive posture, crept back. Alexstrasza, looking more distraught than ever, pleaded with her eyes to Malygos.

Kalec’s host nodded. “Yes . . . now good.”

As she rushed to console Ysera, Malygos quickly sought out Neltharion. Finding neither him nor even the brown male, Nozdormu, Malygos climbed down from his perch in search of them, just as Talonixa took further advantage of Ysera’s failed attempt for peace.

“We are many! We will win—”

“Attack now!” urged one proto-dragon.

“No! I decide! Others come! Three suns pass, and we attack! Galakrond falls!”

Malygos paused at hearing this decision, the first time Talonixa had proclaimed it. He hissed, not liking that things were abruptly moving so fast.

As the other proto-dragons drank in this grand proclamation and began to cheer, Malygos caught sight of Coros himself. The other male’s head had risen above an outcropping farther to the north. Coros immediately sank out of view, but without seeing that Malygos had spotted him.

More distrusting of his rival than ever, even in this dire time, Malygos scurried faster among the rocks. He did not want to be seen in turn. Coros intended something sinister, and both Malygos and Kalec were in agreement that he needed to be followed.

Crawling along the landscape like one of the tiny lizards that made for the good occasional snack, Malygos circled around the area, seeking some hint of Coros or his companions. In the background, Talonixa continued to proclaim to the other proto-dragons. While Malygos could not understand her words anymore, her tone preached triumph over Galakrond.

Pushing aside all thought of what would happen three suns from now, Malygos increased his pace as best as he could in such an awkward position. He yearned to fly but dared not until he knew where those he hunted were. Kalec, with no body of his own, more than understood.

Then, as if something sensed their desire, a single shape rose in the distance. It was followed by a second, then a third and a fourth. Coros and his followers flew low and quickly vanished over the northern horizon.

Malygos kept equally low as he pursued. He still had no proof that Coros was up to something, but the simple fact that it was Coros was all that mattered. Kalec mostly knew of the other proto-dragon from Malygos’s memories, but what little he had seen of Coros matched well with what his host thought of his rival.

Malygos wished that he could have located at least Neltharion, but there was no time. Coros’s speed indicated urgency. Malygos needed to know where he went, and because of that, so did Kalec.

More than once, Malygos lost sight of the four, but persistence enabled him to regain the trail each time, until the point where they descended over a series of ridges.

Malygos hissed angrily as he smelled the air in hopes of locating the four. He knew Coros’s stench well enough, yet he could not locate it.

But another, unsettling scent wafted past his nostrils. It was fainter yet so distinct that the proto-dragon could not help but focus on it. There was something about it that spoke of a strength different from that of one of his kind.

Despite wishing to follow Coros, Malygos veered toward where the scent had come from. Kalec, too, was intrigued, but for other reasons. There was something familiar not in the scent but rather in its very existence.

Malygos followed the trail a short way before it abruptly vanished. He alighted on a high rock and searched his surroundings but saw nothing—

And he suddenly had the sensation that he was being observed.

The proto-dragon quickly peered over his left wing. Both Kalec and his host expected to see nothing, yet this time, they were wrong.

The figure was tiny in comparison with the proto-dragon, but neither Malygos nor Kalec truly believed that it lacked the power to confront Malygos should that be its desire. While the proto-dragon vaguely recalled a glimpse of this creature, it was Kalec who was most stunned. It was the same figure he had seen in other flashes of vision, even in his own time.

Who are you? What are you? Kalec demanded uselessly.

“Who are you?” Malygos also demanded, echoing the thoughts he could not have heard. “What are you?”

Even as he repeated Kalec’s questions, both found themselves staring at empty space. However, barely had this registered with Malygos than he noticed the figure at the edge of his vision. Turning that way, the proto-dragon again confronted the billowing shape. While Malygos tried to make sense of not only the rippling appearance—not having any notion of what garments were—but also the creature’s ability to vanish and reappear elsewhere, Kalec noted the powerful magic the mysterious form wielded.

Powerful magic that might at some point have created the infernal artifact.

When the figure did not answer, the proto-dragon snarled and leapt closer.

The cloaked and hooded form vanished again, this time reappearing farther to the southeast.

It’s leading us somewhere, Kalec thought. The answers that he so desired looked to be just beyond the nearby rocks, answers that might end his curse.

A hiss arose from the direction in which Malygos had flown. Kalec’s protests went unheard as his host immediately reacted. Although it was only a hiss, Malygos knew who had spoken, knew all too well.

There was no glimpse of Coros, but Malygos was certain he had heard his rival near. Kalec’s host leapt into the air to give chase, then hesitated as memory of the mysterious figure resurfaced. To Kalec’s relief, Malygos looked back.

But of the figure there was no sign. It did not reappear anywhere.

That decided it for Malygos, if not Kalec. Coros was again the subject of his hunt. Malygos’s rival had to be very near.

A proto-dragon of Coros’s coloring briefly rose above the hill ahead, then dived down. Malygos dropped to just a few yards above the ground. A sulfuric scent assailed him as he neared the area. Malygos was not familiar with this region, but he knew of some such regions. The world was unstable there, sometimes as violent as a beast.

After landing against the hillside, Malygos drew to the top. He heard voices, one of them that of his rival. The proto-dragon bristled at the sound.

“He comes here! Always comes here!” snapped Coros.

“We should not be here!” protested one of his followers.

The protest was followed by a snarl and a whine. As Malygos thrust his head over, he saw Coros looming above the proto-dragon who had complained. That proto-dragon now had a long, bloody gash across his forehead. Nearby, one of the others watched the pair with some trepidation. Of the fourth there was no sign.

“We will live!” Coros sneered. “They will die! All will die! We will live!”

The other two nodded. As they did, all three took turns looking to the north.

Malygos also looked there and saw a dark, massive shape forming on the horizon.

“He comes!” Coros hissed triumphantly. “Coros called him, and he comes! Galakrond comes!”

Galakrond! Malygos stiffened, and Kalec would have done the same if it had been possible. Coros had summoned Galakrond?

Malygos and Kalec had expected treacherous behavior from Malygos’s rival, but neither had thought that Coros would have the audacity to reach out to Galakrond on his own. This could have nothing to do with either Ysera’s hope or Talonixa’s plan, except to bring ruin to both.

Malygos cautiously wended his way down the hillside and away from Coros as quickly as he could. The proto-dragon’s mind raced as he tried to decide what to do. This was beyond the sort of plotting that even Malygos would have anticipated from his rival—

There came an angry hiss from behind him. As Malygos started to turn, another proto-dragon—the missing fourth—crashed into him.

Malygos tumbled and plunged through what had initially appeared to be solid ground. The proto-dragon battled to free himself but succeeded only in becoming more mired in the soft, hot, and sticky tar previously hidden under a thin layer of normal dirt.

Gasping for air, Malygos managed briefly to push himself to the surface. As he did, he and Kalec saw two things. One was the fourth proto-dragon vanishing over the hill toward where Coros and the other two waited for Galakrond.

The second was a short, so very short, glimpse of the hooded form peering down at the struggling Malygos just before the ground again swallowed him up. Kalec watched as the world vanished in darkness. Yet this time, it was the smothering darkness of the tar pit engulfing not only his host but also Kalec, who, despite his every effort, could not wake.

NOTES

The story you’ve just read is the second in a five-part serial adventure, based in part on characters, situations, and locations from Blizzard Entertainment’s computer game World of Warcraft, an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. In World of Warcraft, players create their own heroes and explore, adventure in, and quest across a vast world shared with thousands of other players. This rich and expansive game also allows them to interact with and fight against (or alongside) many of the powerful and intriguing characters featured in this serial novella.

Since launching in November 2004, World of Warcraft has become the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The latest expansion, Mists of Pandaria, takes players to a thrilling and never-before-seen corner of Azeroth: the mysterious continent of Pandaria. More information about Mists of Pandaria and previous expansions can be found on www.WorldofWarcraft.com.

FURTHER READING

If you’d like to read more about the characters, situations, and locations featured in this serial novella, the sources listed below offer additional information.

• Kalecgos—also known as Kalec—has been involved in many influential events in Azeroth’s recent history. His heroics are chronicled in World of Warcraft: Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War and World of Warcraft: Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects by Christie Golden; World of Warcraft: Night of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak; Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy and World of Warcraft: Shadow Wing, volume 2, Nexus Point by Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim; and the short story “Charge of the Aspects” by Matt Burns (on www.WorldofWarcraft.com).

• Details of Jaina Proudmoore’s life, including her relationship with Kalecgos, are depicted in World of Warcraft: Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War, World of Warcraft: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, and World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden; the monthly World of Warcraft comic book by Walter and Louise Simonson, Ludo Lullabi, Jon Buran, Mike Bowden, Sandra Hope, and Tony Washington; World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred by Keith R. A. DeCandido; and Warcraft: Legends, volume 5, “Nightmares” by Richard A. Knaak and Rob Ten Pas.

• You can find more information about Alexstrasza, Ysera, Nozdormu, Malygos, and their respective dragonflights in Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects by Christie Golden; Warcraft: War of the Ancients Trilogy, Warcraft: Day of the Dragon, World of Warcraft: Night of the Dragon, and World of Warcraft: Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak; and the short story “Charge of the Aspects” by Matt Burns (on www.WorldofWarcraft.com).

• Deathwing nearly destroyed Azeroth during the great Cataclysm. His long history of betrayal and brutality is featured in Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects by Christie Golden; the Shadow Wing series by Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim; the War of the Ancients Trilogy, Night of the Dragon, and Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak; World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal by Aaron Rosenberg and Christie Golden; and the short story “Charge of the Aspects” by Matt Burns (on www.WorldofWarcraft.com).

THE BATTLE RAGES ON

The Cataclysm changed Azeroth and its myriad peoples in many ways. Dawn of the Aspects depicts the uncertainty that now plagues the ancient dragons. But what lies ahead for the world’s other races?

In World of Warcraft’s fourth expansion, Mists of Pandaria, you can help shape this next chapter in Azeroth’s history. Become one of the first members of the Horde or the Alliance to explore the mysterious and exotic continent of Pandaria. Or take on the role of a noble pandaren (WoW’s latest playable race) and join the Horde or the Alliance, depending on which faction aligns more with your ideals. Regardless of the side you choose, your adventures will impact Azeroth in the years to come.

With the dragons forging new destinies for themselves, the task of safeguarding the world from evil has fallen to mortal hands—your hands. Will you rise to the challenge?

To discover the ever-expanding realm that has entertained millions around the globe, go to www.WorldofWarcraft.com and download the free trial version. Live the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard A. Knaak is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly four dozen novels and two dozen shorter pieces, including the World of Warcraft books Wolfheart and Stormrage, The Legend of Huma for Dragonlance, and his own Dragonrealm series. He has also scripted numerous manga and written background material for games. His novels have been published worldwide.

In addition to Dawn of the Aspects, his most recent releases include Shade—the latest novel in Legends of the Dragonrealm. He is currently at work on other projects. More can be found out at his website: www.richardaknaak.com. Please also join him on Facebook and Twitter.

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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ISBN 978-1-4767-0861-4