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mundane a task was beyond Malfurion. Yet, here they were together. They were more than deity and
night elf, more than teacher and student& they were also friends.
 No other night elf truly wishes to learn my ways, Cenarius replied.  Even those who has taken up the
mantle of the forest& none of them has truly followed the path I now show you. You are the first with the
possible aptitude, the possible will, to trulyunderstand how to wield the forces inherent in all nature. And
when I say  you, young elf, I speak entirely in the singular.
This was not what Malfurion had remained to talk about and so the words struck him hard.  But but
Tyrande and Illidan 
The demigod shook his head.  Of Tyrande, we have already spoken. She has promised herself to Elune
and I will not poach in the Moon Goddess s realm! Of your brother, however, I can only say that there is
much promise to Illidan& but I believe that promise lies elsewhere.
 I I don t know what to say&  And in truth, Malfurion did not. To be told so suddenly that Illidan and
he would not follow the same path, that Illidan even appeared to waste his efforts here& it was the first
time that the twins would not share in their success.  No! Illidan will learn! He s just more headstrong!
There s so much pressure upon him! His eyes 
 Are a sign of some future mark upon the world, but he will not make it following my teachings.
Cenarius gave Malfurion a gentle smile.  But you will try to teach him yourself, will you not? Perhaps you
can succeed where I have failed?
The night elf flushed. Of course his shan do would read his thoughts on that subject. Yes, Malfurion
intended to do what he could to push Illidan further along& but he knew that doing so would be a harder
task. Learning from the demigod was one thing; learning from Malfurion would be another. It would
show that Illidan was not first, but second.
 Now, added the forest lord quietly, as a small red bird alighted on his antlers and its paler mate did so
on his arm. Such sights were common around Cenarius, but they ever left the elf marveling.  You came to
ask of me something& 
 Yes. Great Cenarius& I ve been troubled by a dream, a reoccurring one.
The golden eyes narrowed.  Only a dream? That is what troubles you?
Malfurion grimaced. He had already berated himself several times for even thinking of distracting the
demigod with his problem. Of what harm was a dream, even one that repeated itself? Everyone
dreamed.  Yes& it comes to me every time I sleep and since I ve been learning from you& it s grown
stronger, more demanding.
He expected Cenarius to laugh at him, but instead the forest lord studied him closely. Malfurion felt the
golden orbs so much more arresting than even his brother s own burrow deep within him, reading the
night elf inside and out.
At last, Cenarius leaned back. He nodded once to himself and in a more solemn voice said,  Yes, you
are ready, I think.
  Ready for what?
In response, Cenarius held up one hand. The red bird leapt down to the offered hand, its mate joining it
there. The demigod stroked the backs of both once, whispered something to them, then let the pair fly
off.
Cenarius looked down at the night elf.  Illidan and Tyrande will be informed that you are staying behind
for a time. They have been told to leave without you.
 But why?
The golden eyes flared.  Tell me of your dream.
Taking a deep breath, Malfurion began. The dream started as always, with the Well of Eternity as its
focal point. At first the waters were calm, but then, from the center, a maelstrom rapidly formed& and
from the depths of the maelstrom, creatures burst forth, some of them harmless, others malevolent. Many
he did not even recognize, as if they came from other worlds, other times. They spread in every direction,
fleeing beyond his sight.
Suddenly, the whirlpool vanished and Malfurion stood in the midst of Kalimdor& but a Kalimdor
stripped of all life. A horrible evil had laid waste to the entire land, leaving not so much as a blade of
grass or a tiny insect alive. The once-proud cities, the vast, lush woodlands& nothing had been spared.
Even more terrible, for as far as the eye could see, the scorched, cracked bones of night elves lay strewn
everywhere. The skulls had been caved in. The stench of death was strong in the air. No one, not even
the old, infirm, or young, had been spared.
Heat, horrific heat, had assailed Malfurion then. Turning, he had seen in the distance a vast fire, an
inferno reaching into the heavens. It burned everything it touched, even the very wind. Where it moved,
nothing& absolutely nothing& remained. Yet, as frightening as the scene had been, it was not that which
had finally awakened the night elf in a cold sweat, but rather something he had sensedabout the fire.
It had beenalive. It knew the terrors it wrought, knew andreveled in them. Reveled& and hungered for
more.
All humor had fled Cenarius s visage by the time Malfurion finished. His gaze flickered to his beloved
forest and the creatures thriving within.  And this nightmare repeats itself with every slumber?
 Every one. Without fail.
 I fear, then, that this is an omen. I sensed in you from our first encounter the makings of the gift of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]