Prying Eyes

The inside of the tavern was dim and smokey, the patrons further inside hazy outlines. The noise was incredible, people laughing and shouting, a pair of musicians playing some stringed instruments in the corner of the room and of course at least one bar fight going on. Braeth'el ignored all of this though as he made his way deeper inside, stepping over the occasional unconscious patron as he moved.

Further in he found Ketheron seated at a small table, a tankard of ale in one hand and his other wrapped around the back of a barmaid that was sitting in his lap. The barmaid's bodice was unlaced so far that Braeth'el suspected any sudden movements could spell a potential wardrobe disaster. Despite his friend's obviously interested company, Braeth'el grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over to the table, sitting backwards in it and resting his arms against the back, "Ketheron! The guards said you had the night off so I figured I'd find you relaxing a bit my friend."

Ketheron laughed, bringing his tankard up in salute before taking a long pull off the frosty beverage, "Relaxing indeed, Brae! Been too many days for it, and since we've been able to sit and chat too. That girl of yours keeps you pretty busy eh?"

Braeth'el smirked, nodding at Ketheron's companion, "No busier than you I'd guess. I wish I'd come here to relax and talk about nothing like the old days, but unfortunately I'm still bogged down with work. I actually had something urgent I needed to discuss with you."

"Say no more my friend," Ketheron replied. "When I agreed to train some of your men I figured it would end up being more than a simple job." He smirked, gently shooing the barmaid off his lap. She pouted at him, leaning down so low that Braeth'el actually felt the need to glance away as her tongue came out and her lips met Ketheron's. After a long moment she giggled and scurried away, leaving the two Sin'dorei sitting alone at the table.

Ketheron grinned at his friend, taking another sip of his ale before studying him, "So what's going on, Brae? I have to say, I think you're running yourself ragged. The guards I've been training have told me about all the work you do and the injuries you've suffered doing it. They admire you, but when I heard about it all I was thinking to myself 'when is this guy going to get a break from all this stress' and I've been worried."

Braeth'el sighed and shook his head, "There's no rest I'm afraid. One of these days I'd like to settle down and retire, but I can't do that in good conscience until I'm at least sure the immediate threats I'm aware about are taken care of. There's still one more loose thread that needs to be taken care of before it's all done, then maybe I'll think about what comes next. Might be I'll need to shop for a ring in the near future I'm hoping."

Ketheron's eyes widened and then he smiled, "You old dog you, I knew one day you'd end up with someone special. You always lived life your own way, but I knew you'd find a girl who could keep up. Don't think this means I'm going to be a babysitter and bouncing your brats on my knee though!"

Braeth'el barked out a laugh, shaking his head, "Yeah I can see it now. 'Uncle' Ketheron changing diapers. I'll talk to Kyli about getting your official title changed as quickly as I can."

Ketheron snorted, "She doesn't have enough gold to pay me to do that."

"Our new allies do. I'm sure you've seen the former Felo'melorns, no?" Braeth'el asked.

"I have actually. Andithiel sometimes practices with his bow in the training yard," Ketheron said, his voice thoughtful. "The boy looks sullen I gotta say. Not sure what crawled up his craw but he needs to get over it if he's going to really be a good ranger captain for the House. Saw one of his sisters too, that Selenthiel. Let me tell you, that girl is a sight for sore eyes. She reminds me a little of Arcadia from when I saw her. She was just passing through the yard but you could tell she was gentle in nature like Arcadia was. Surprised me a bit given that I expected the rest of the nobles to be a bit stuffy like Selun'athiel used to be."

Braeth'el nodded, surprised by his friend's keen observations. This was why they got along so well though; they both knew how to properly judge a situation for what it was, "Most definitely. Selenthiel's a darling for sure. It's a pleasure to work with her on the rare occasions I do. It's actually in relation to her that I wanted to talk to you."

"Is she in danger?" Ketheron said, sitting up a bit. "Wouldn't do to have a priestess like her being threatened. If she needs aid you say the word and I'm there."

Braeth'el smiled, shaking his head, "No no, it's nothing like that. It's about an item we've been seeking. Some of our enemies are also seeking the same object and she's come to me with a few concerns about where they are looking and how diligently they are searching. The item is rather powerful and we don't want them finding it before we do. It could be trouble if so."

Ketheron nodded, sipping his ale and considering this, "So you want me to help with what exactly...? I'm not really learned on magic. Arcadia tried a few times but...well you know me, I'm thick as hell when it comes to some things."

Braeth'el smiled, "Nothing like that Keth, more like information. I need you to troll some of the old hangouts and see if you can wring me up some privateers. Our enemies in House Dawnsea have a huge fleet at their disposal and I want to keep an eye on where they're heading if I can."

Ketheron nodded, "That I can do. I know a few people that might be useful. There's this one lass, she captains her own ship. She'd know what to look out for as her people are always looking for opportunities at the port you might say. What kind of artifact are we talking about?"

Braeth'el leaned forward, his voice low, "Well, it's this sort of-"

He paused suddenly, looking past Ketheron and glaring. Leaning against part of the bar nearby was a blonde Sin'dorei woman wearing black scale-mail armor. While she was resting casually against the bar, Braeth'el noted that she'd not taken a sip of her drink in a long while, and when he looked directly at her she'd hurriedly averted her gaze. Not being new to the spy business, he stopped talking and leaned forward, spilling Ketheron's drink intentionally but missing Ketheron himself.

"Oh damn, sorry Keth," he murmured. "Let's get you back to the Estate so you can dry off."

"But I'm not-" Ketheron said before Braeth'el's gaze met his. "Oh, right. Yeah that kind of sucks. I should have been heading back anyway."

The two rose, leaving a few coins on the table and making their way through the bar towards the exit. As they passed through the sheer silk curtains that separated the interior from the outside world, the noise of the place and the hazy smoke fell behind them, leaving them in the cool freeze air of the night and in peaceful silence.

Ketheron had worked with Braeth'el enough to know not to ask any questions. It might have been a while, but long ago he'd seen his fair share of intrigues. The two elves walked silently down a narrow street, heading in the general direction of the Sunfire spires in the center of the city. An expert at such things, Braeth'el kept their pace deliberately slow, resisting the urge to glance back behind him. Although they heard no sound, he could practically feel a pair of eyes boring into his back. Whoever the elf at the bar had been, she was quiet as a ghost when she wanted to be.

As they walked, Braeth'el kept the route intentionally vague, looking for the right spot to confront the spy. His opportunity came not much later as they turned a corner and went down a narrow side street that connected to another main road. The block was short, and halfway down was an alley. As they passed it, Braeth'el glanced over his shoulder and saw no one; their pursuer had not yet rounded the corner. In a flash he grabbed Ketheron's arm and shuffled his friend into the alley. He didn't need to tell his large friend to be silent as they waited in the darkness.

The blonde Sin'dorei had moved in near silence, but the moonlight cast her shadow on the ground as she walked. Braeth'el spied it a moment before she was about to pass the narrow alley opening. With Ketheron hugging the wall beside him, he lashed out, snagging the elf's arm and whirling her suddenly into the alley, keeping her contained within it with his body blocking the entrance.

The elf was certainly well trained. She began to move the moment Braeth'el grabbed her. Even as she was whirled into the alley she jumped backwards, putting distance between herself and her assailant in an instant. Braeth'el had just enough time to pull a dagger as she snapped a bow from her back. Almost as quick as taking a breath she had an arrow in her hand and was about to notch it. Braeth'el didn't hesitate, his dagger flying across the space between them and snapping the bowstring. The weapon misfired, the bowstring snapping the elf's hand and neck, leaving a vicious red welt where it had struck her.

She gasped, dropping the weapon and turning to flee deeper into the alley. Without a sound Braeth'el pursued her, his gait crossing the distance before she could get far. Behind him Ketheron ran after him, a little more noisy but just as fast, the two physically fit fighters used to sudden dashes like this.

As Braeth'el reached out to grab the Sin'dorei, she whirled at him, having sensed his approach. A combat knife was in her hand and she slashed at him viciously. He dodged backwards, slamming into Ketheron and nearly being pushed into the weapon. Fortunately his friend was accustomed to hand to hand fighting and backed up, giving Braeth'el the space he needed. He dropped into a fighting crouch as the blonde elf snarled and charged at him, knife swinging.

The first slash missed entirely as Braeth'el agilely dodged. The second he caught on the back of his forearm, the weapon leaving a bloody but otherwise harmless gash. As the weapon bounced off his arm his free hand came forward, his palm striking the blonde elf in the center of her chest. She gasped, flying backwards into the stone wall of the alley behind her.

In a flash Braeth'el was on her. She slashed out at him again but he viciously punched up and into her armpit, making the attack go wide. He grabbed her wrist with his left arm, slamming her hand against the stone over and over. To her credit, the woman did not release the blade and was clearly well trained. She attempted to bring her knee up into his groin but he was ready for that, his longer reach allowing him to dodge the blow and deliver a right hook to her jaw.

The elf's head snapped back and slammed into the concrete, blood running from her lip. Braeth'el continued to viciously pound her hand against the wall, and in her dazed state she finally released the weapon. It clattered to the ground and her other hand came up, trying to claw at Braeth'el's eyes. She spit in his face, clearly having some skill in hand to hand fighting.

Unfortunately, she was half his size and Braeth'el caught her other wrist in his hand. He slammed that one against the wall above her head and kneed her in the stomach, causing the breath to rush from her again. While she was dazed he grabbed both wrists and pinned them above her with one hand, his right hand coming up to grab her chin and slam her head against the wall again. He stared hard into her eyes, his voice growling, "Who are you, and why are you spying on me?"

The woman glared daggers at him, her voice a hiss, "What are you going to do, kill me on the streets? Is walking a crime?"

Braeth'el growled, releasing her jaw and punching her in the stomach. She gasped, grinning and spitting a glob of blood on the ground, "You like to be rough, don't you big boy? I'm not telling you shit so hit me all you want."

"Maybe I will," Braeth'el growled, punching her in the stomach again. Although her scale mail absorbed much of the blow, it was enough to make her gasp again. "You were spying on my conversation and then followed us. Who are you and who do you work for?"

"I work for myself, so fuck off," the blonde replied, still glaring. "I don't have to tell you anything, and if you think you're going to force me to, think again."

Braeth'el snarled, his arm flexing as he crushed her wrists in his grip, getting a squeak of pain from her. He leaned forward, very close to her face and whispered, "This can go on for as long as you make it go on, and can be as painful as you choose to make it. I don't have time for unknown spies and I'm not going to be gentle. Just tell me who the fuck you work for."

For a moment fear bloomed in her eyes, and Braeth'el could feel her trembling. Despite her voice cracking, she remained defiant, "I-I already told you to fuck off. D-do your worst, I can take it."

Braeth'el's fist came up as his eyes blazed with anger, but Ketheron's hand on his shoulder held the next blow in check, "Brae, she's not going to talk even if you've scared her. You'll either leave her a bloody mess or kill her and then it'll complicate it even more."

Braeth'el took a deep breath and lowered his fist. The Sin'dorei he held against the wall still looked afraid, but remained silent as his gaze met her again. He glanced over her form, trying to determine from the skin-tight, black scale-mail who she might be. Finally he nodded, more at Ketheron than anything else, his free hand beginning to pat her down, and not sparing her dignity as he checked her for weapons or other identification. The elf shuddered, squirming under his grasp but he kept her arms firmly pinned. As he ran a hand up her arm, he noticed something of interest.

With his free hand he began to undo the leather straps on her armor over her right breast. It was difficult to work with her arm held above her, but he worried at the straps until the came free. He began to remove her shoulder pauldron, ignoring the shape of the elf beneath as he tossed metal onto the ground.

"Are you going to at least buy me a drink first?" the blonde said, her anger surging back up again. "First you attack me and now you're going to strip me?"

"Shut up. You could have just answered my question," Braeth'el barked. He finished his task, leaning hard against the elf as her right arm was laid bare. He grasped her left hand with his free hand and jerked her right arm down to look at what he had seen a hint of. There, on her upper arm, was a tattoo of the 91st Sunfury Regiment; one of Kael'thas's groups.

With a disgusted grunt Braeth'el spit on the ground and released the woman, stepping back, "You're just scum, not part of any House. Nobody would take in someone like you."

The woman rubbed her wrists, glaring at Braeth'el and Ketheron, "I'm being called scum by a rebel. Just because you won doesn't mean anything, and it's over now anyway. So unless you want to strip the rest of my armor off, are you fucking satisfied now?"

Braeth'el exchanged a long glance with Ketheron and then shrugged, "Whatever. Don't let me catch you listening to us again or next time it won't be so lucky for you. The last thing I need is a lowlife like you following me around. I don't want to be associated with trash."

With that he turned to walk away, Ketheron moving along beside him. Behind him the blonde elf snarled, lunging at him with a second combat knife she'd kept hidden. Braeth'el had been expecting this though, and whirled at the last moment, ducking down and lashing out with his foot. He swept her legs out from under her and she fell with a clatter and a grunt onto the stone. He loomed over her, kicking her several times until she released her second knife.

"Go back to the Outlands and stay there, Quel'Thalas has enough problems without people like you coming back," Braeth'el said. The elf lay beneath him, panting and gasping as he turned to walk away a second time. Ketheron spit on the ground and the two friends were soon out of sight as they passed through the alley's mouth.

On the ground, Ravinelle Blackfeather grunted, spitting another glob of blood out of her mouth and slowly sitting up, groaning from the pain. She grinned through blood-covered teeth as the two left; she'd heard far more than enough, and the others would be interested to know about the intel. The beating had been worth it in the end if they could locate and get their hands on an artifact that was so powerful that different Houses were fighting over it.

As she picked up her weapons and restrung her bow, she limped towards the alley's mouth. She'd need a long soak in a scalding hot bath to ease the bruises, but she'd repay her attackers back tenfold one day.

She'd repay everyone in Quel'Thalas and the Horde for what had happened to her.