The moon shone brilliantly from its perch in the sky. Its soft light poured gently through the window of The Dancing Serpent and onto the covers of Mori’s bed. She lay wide awake, impatiently waiting for the others to fall asleep. An hour or two passed, and the moonlight now illuminated Mori’s pale face. It is finally time, she told herself, and climbed out of bed.

 

Mori quietly tiptoed to the entrance of the neighboring room and took a peek. Sahtra was sitting on the edge of his bed, sharpening the blade of a black and white thorned axe as it stood on its handle. He bore no helm or hood, so Mori took the time to examine his facial features. Sahtra had short, blue-grey hair, and a moustache and trimmed beard of slightly darker color. A dark red scar lined his right temple, and the young blood elf wondered for a moment what kind of blade or creature could have inflicted such a mark. His thick eyebrows accentuated the stern expression on his cold face, and Mori was sure that the azure tint to the death knight’s otherwise pallid skin was not a trick of the eye. His blue eyes glowed ever so brightly, and Mori was absorbed in amazement at how approachable he seemed until they drifted slightly to the right and locked on to her green ones.

 

Try as she might to prevent being noticed, Sahtra had easily spotted her as soon as she had poked her head around the doorway. One could not be stabbed in the back if he faced the only point of entry, was his motto, and thus he preferred to angle himself in that direction. Sahtra was not afraid of Mori in the slightest, but now was not the time for a visit. He glared at the young blood elf, and she looked back at him, frightened.

 

“M-May I come in?” She stammered.

 

“Enter.”

 

Mori cautiously stepped inside Sahtra’s room and looked around. Strange weapons and runic artifacts lined the side of the bedframe and the walls, as well as some scrolls with inscriptions she could not decipher. The death knight’s runeblade also rested at his feet while he sharpened his new axe. At least, Mori was sure it was new; she had not seen it on his person before.

 

“Where did you get that axe?”

 

“I killed the Sha of Fear and took it as my own.”

 

“The...Sha of Fear? What is that?”

 

“A sha is a physical manifestation of your negative emotions, like hatred, doubt, fear, despair, and so forth. The more you feel the emotion the creature feeds on, the stronger it gets.” Sahtra paused and held the axe up with both hands, examining its blade. “The black energy on here, the sha, is similar to the corruption from the Old Gods, and I do believe we will come across more of it on our travels.”

 

“Whoa.” Mori stepped closer to the death knight, wanting to get a better look at his new axe. “When did you do this, anyway? I don’t remember seeing you leave.”

 

“You forget, little one, that I am undead, and therefore do not need rest. It was a simple overnight trip.” Sahtra frowned. “You, however, need to go back to sleep. You are still growing and very much alive.”

 

“No, wait—” Mori cut herself off. She silently scolded herself for getting distracted from the real reason she had come to his room in the first place. “I need your help.”

 

“My help?” He raised an eyebrow.

 

“Yes,” Mori replied as cautiously as ever, “I need to tell you a secret.”

 

Children always had secrets, Sahtra knew this for himself. They were often about trivial matters, such as discovering a nest of sparrows, or finding a new cave that would serve as a hiding place. Whatever the young blood elf had to say, it could probably wait until the morning.

 

“What is it, child?” His voice, usually cold and calm, was lined with slight irritation.

 

Mori took a quick look at the hallway to make sure no one was around and listened for any footsteps. Unsatisfied with the silence still, she lowered her voice and whispered, “It’s what the Teacher told me.”

 

She looked at Sahtra. He nodded once, inviting her to continue. Mori reached into her robe and once again pulled out her grey pet rock. The tauren had been particularly inquisitive about the conversation the blood elf was allowed to have with the being of knowledge, but she had refused to provide him with any information. As intimidating as the death knight was in his dark armor, and as frightening as he could be in his anger, Mori had decided that she would trust him. She hoped she would not regret that decision, but she did not dare attempt the Ritual alone.

 

“He told me how to bind my soul to this rock.”

 

The death knight’s glowing eyes would have widened had he allowed his surprise to show. He kept a stoic face, however, and replied curtly, “I’m listening.” This was no ordinary secret, indeed.

 

The young blood elf recounted to Sahtra the instructions for The Ritual that the Teacher had given her. After listening to her, Sahtra agreed to help.

​

"Very well," he began, "go put on something warm so you don't catch a chill." Mori nodded and skipped quietly back to her room. By the time she returned, Sahtra had fastened his long, dark cloak to his chestpiece and placed his horned helm upon his head. 

 

"Are you ready?" His blue eyes once again glowed from their confined position behind the cracks in the helm.

 

"Yes," Mori replied, and the two quietly took the stairs down to the first floor. The innkeeper, Fela Woodear, pleasantly greeted them, but Mori was too excited to greet her in return. Soon she would be one step closer to becoming the world’s greatest lich, and she welcomed the rush of cold air as Mori and Sahtra entered the night.

 

Mori picked up her oversized robe and ran down the wooden stairs onto the cobblestone. At the approaching crossroads, she took a left, too determined to get to her destination as quickly as possible to greet the flight master Ginsa Arroweye. The path inclined and took Mori (and the death knight following her) past a tidy meeting space known as Sage’s Keep and curved alongside a narrow body of water. Willow trees lined the way and swayed in the gentle nighttime breeze. The young blood elf passed a small shrine adorned with white lilies but didn’t have the time to take in their scent or stroke their petals.

 

The two travelers reached the bridge to the Temple of the Jade Serpent. At its head were twin jade dragons and small urns of fire providing warm light. Mori paused to catch her breath as she placed her hands on the ornate railing and peered out over the water.

 

“I have seen this done before, this Ritual you speak of,” the death knight spoke.

 

Mori looked up at him with eagerness. “Really?”

 

Sahtra returned her gaze. “Many times.”

 

“Wow. That’s really cool.”

 

“Indeed, it is. Now, onwards.” The death knight motioned for the young blood elf to continue and was silent for the rest of the journey.

 

The bridge led to a courtyard which housed a meeting stone on the right. Mori picked up her robe and carefully walked up the flight of marble stairs lined with candles to the entrance of the main temple. On both sides of the round, serpent-adorned doorway were deep green columns resting on spherical jade supports. The young blood elf and the death knight crossed the entrance into the Terrace of the Twin Dragons. Columns lined the perimeter of the terrace, and a string of lanterns hung over the open area. True to its name, twin serpents greeted any who entered the terrace, and marked the entrance of the Heart of Jade. The child pointed to the doorway, and the death knight followed her in.

 

Flickering candles revealed the silhouette of large serpentine statues on both sides of the Heart. Mori walked across the carpet to the edge of the balcony and peered into the darkness. With her vision, she could make out several plateaus lined with trees scattered across the sea. She could hear the water crashing against the rocks, crickets chirping here and there, but no other living creature broke the silence.

 

Mori walked to the center of the balcony and placed her pet rock down on the geometric green markings. “This will be the spot,” she declared. Sahtra assumed his position several paces behind the blood elf, watching from a safe distance. Mori looked back at Sahtra with a nervous smile. He nodded, encouraging her to proceed.

 

The young blood elf turned her attention back to the rock and bit her lip in determination. The child reached into her robe and took out her small knife. The adults did not trust her with sharp objects, but she was more than competent with the blade. She bent down over the rock and neatly pricked her thumb, releasing a droplet of blood onto the rock. Mori stood back up at her full height and began the Spell. She closed her eyes and held her hand outstretched over the rock at a slight elevation.

 

“From the Frozen Wastes, I call upon you to bind me to this item, for my soul shall be unending with it.”

 

She opened her eyes and looked down at the rock. Nothing happened.

 

No, Mori thought to herself, I’m sure I repeated what the Teacher told me to say correctly. Mori had practiced the words to the Spell over and over again, and the words were engraved in her mind.

 

After what felt to the child like an eternity, her pet rock began to emit a dim, blue glow. Dark shadows encircled the rock and quietly hissed. Mori’s eyes widened at the magic in front of her, but disappointment washed over the young blood elf as the glow and whispers dissipated as quickly as they had come.

 

Very faintly, Mori felt a gentle tug on her from within, and understood that the pact had been forged. She turned to the death knight and grinned.

 

“I did it.”

 

Darkness flooded Mori’s sight and mind as she fell face-down onto the stone. Sahtra smiled as he walked up to where the young blood elf lay. He picked up the rock bearing the name of the one he had served and examined it. As far as anyone could tell, there were no visible or magical alterations to it. He pocketed the rock and shifted his attention to the child. Her breathing was steady and deep, and she would be out cold for a while longer.

 

The death knight picked the young necromancer up by the cloth on her back with ease. Her limbs dangled as he took slow, heavy steps on the path back to the inn. There was not a soul around to question the odd sight of a tall, bulky man in blue-black armor carrying a child like one would hold a sack. Sahtra didn’t care much for being delicate, however, he did whatever he needed to get the task done.

 

Innkeeper Woodear appeared confused when Sahtra (carrying the unconscious Mori) walked back through the entrance of The Dancing Serpent. The death knight ignored her and steadily climbed the steps back to Mori’s room. He placed the child back on her bed and noticed that she was still grinning happily. With a chuckle, he tucked the rock in under her pillow and exited the room.

 

The veteran death knight once again sat down on his bed and smiled. He leaned back and opted to relax for the rest of the night. The Ritual had been completed once more.