Brothers and sisters in multitudes. Kalec imagined a dozen, a hundred more like Dargonax. What would become of Azeroth, then? He doubted that these newer ones would be as unstable as the pair that he and the others had fought. And even if they could eventually be stopped, how much bloodshed and destruction would they have committed by then?

Kalec thought of the sacrifice that Anveena had made to help her world begin the road to recovery. All that might be for naught if more of these dragons hatched.

He recalled a brief conversation that he, Krasus, and Iridi had had shortly after the struggle. While eating, Iridi had mentioned her impressions of the dragons, who were not black, blue, or nether. The word twilight had come to her, a word very apt in so many ways to these monstrous beings, if Dargonax and the pair were even the least of their example. The draenei had called them twilight dragons.

And they might just be the vessels by which Azeroth's own twilight would happen.

Caught in such thoughts, he missed what Sinestra said next. Only Dargonax's reply enabled him to figure out what it was.

"Yes.. .mother..." the creature answered in his false child-talk. "Want to share.. .want them strong..."

Sinestra had obviously been emphasizing the fact that Dargonax could no longer expect to be the focus of all her efforts, that he would have no choice when she began feeding him less magical energy so that she could use it on the next generation. But even if Dargonax's creator did not notice the tiny hint of ire in the twilight dragon's voice, Kalec certainly did.. .and now he knew why his shadowy companion left hidden to Sinestra his rapid maturing.

Dargonax was jealous of the siblings to come.

Suddenly, although he had made no sound, no movement, the blue dragon sensed a change in Sinestra. That was verified all too well a moment later, when she snapped, "What is that in there with you?"

"Nnnothing..."

"Nothing?"

Dargonax screamed and only because his roar was so loud did Kalec's own cry go unheard. The blue dragon suddenly felt as ifmolten earth rather than blood now flowed through his veins. It was all that he could do to avoid adding to the other scream. Dargonax roared again, his cry ending in a whimper.

"Do not lie to your mother. It hurts me more than you when I must punish you. Show me what you have there, my child...."

"Yesss..."

Kalec prepared himself to be tossed up to the lady in black, there to be subject to a fate that would make his recent pain a blessing. Yet, it was not he who flew upward—perhaps raised by Dargonax's paw; he could not tell—but a heavy lump that he had not noticed previous in the dark.

"So..." Sinestra said in an almost disappointed tone. "Is that all, then? One of the missing guards. They left them to you." " Yesss..."

"Consider him an appetizer for what is to come. You will be obedient from here on, will you not, my darling son?" "Yesss..." "Yes what?"

Dargonax did not hesitate. "Yes...mother..."

"Very good, Nefarian. Finally learning..."

There was the brief sound of movement away from the pit's edge and then silence. In that silence. Kalec pondered the interesting fact that Slnestra had called Dargonax by her prime son's name. Whether it had been accidental or not, he could not say, but it made him think of something.

It was another minute at least before Dargonax quietly rumbled, "She has left."

"I must get out of here," Kalec immediately responded. "Korialstrasz needs me...."

"He's the other? He is a...friend?"

"Yes," the blue replied quickly. "And he could be of great help to you. You want to escape her, don't you? You want to be free of her. It would be best if Korialstrasz is also able to help you."

Dargonax considered this, then replied, "Yes...that makes sense...it does...who is Nefarian? You know. I sense that you know...."

So, the twilight dragon had been as quick as Kalec at noting Sinestra's use of the name. "He was also her son, the son of she and her mate, Deathwing. Nefarian was the eldest and most powerful of her children...."

“I would meet Nefarian," the creature murmured. “I would meet my brother...."

"Nefarian is dead." At least, that was as far as Kalec knew. Taking advantage of the mention of Sinestra's murderous offspring, the blue dared add, "He failed her and she abandoned him to his enemies...."

There was silence. Dargonax either did not understand or was digesting the information. The twilight dragon was very, very clever, but perhaps it did not understand all things, being secluded here.

"My brother is dead. All my brothers are dead."

The finality In Dargonax's statement shook Kalec as much as the last part itself did. Brothers...

"They escaped her. They escaped her just before I was born. We were far, far apart, but we could feel one another, yes, we could feel one another inside."

He was speaking of the two other creatures Deathwing's consort had created, the two whom Kalec shared some responsibility in destroying.

"But they were not like me," Dargonax continued, a slight hint of contempt arising. "They did not think well. They only hungered. They let the hunger think for them. They were foolish and they died foolishly...." The shadowy head leaned a little closer, but still not enough to be distinct. "I will not die foolishly.... I will not die... and you will help me...friend..."

"Yes...of course. I will—"

Without warning, Dargonax once more spoke In Kalec's head. I will send you to find our friend. You and he will free me of her. I will not be cast aside....

Kalec was thrust up into the air much the way the dragonspawn corpse had been tossed. He shot out of the pit and landed on his feet next to the fetid body. No sooner had he landed than he saw the corpse—carried by Dargonax's magic—float back into the pit.

Kalec turned toward the pit—and an invisible force arising from within shoved him toward one of the passages leading away from the chamber. Dargonax's will was incredible and, at the moment, something against which the weary blue could not fight.

She is the other way. You go this one.

With no choice, Kalec obeyed. He wanted to find Korialstrasz, although he feared thinking too much concerning the reasons exactly why. Kalec was not certain how much of his thoughts Dargonax could read or sense. Indeed, he might have already given all his secrets away.

The blue dragon felt a surge of magic rush through him again, his own magic once more there for his use. However, it was not his will that next raised his hand and created his sword.

Go...

Gripping the weapon tight, Kalec exited.

Vereesa and the dwarves remained prisoners. They had not given up on their plan of escape: they had simply not been allowed to implement it as the ranger had intended. Even now, even after hours had passed, they all sat ready to move on her signal.

But there was one very large reason why the high elf could not yet move. Now standing guard with the skardyn and the dragonspawn was another drakonid. He was neither Rask nor the one who had taken Udin, but had a similar sharpness of eye that warned Vereesa that he would be more difficult to fool than the dragonspawn. Indeed, he watched the ranger most of all, and the one time that she had started to rise, he had immediately reached for his weapon.

Vereesa had not given up, but she had to wait. With the drakonid as wary as he was, the high elf would not even get to the door, much less open it.

She and Grenda had communicated by glance, the dwarf acknowledging her understanding that everything had to wait, no matter how long. Fortunately, dwarves and high elves could be far more patient than humans.