Crimson Eyes ~ Sequel to: The Valkyrie, An Obi-Wan Story (completed)

Chapter 52: The Great Wolf

A quick sketch of how Arthas and Anduin looked like before everything went to shit ^^^

"Aidan?" Obi Wan pressed the communication button for the millionth time in the past hour, his eyes trained on the stars as they darted past his vision. The ship was roaring beneath him as they travelled at light speed, but still not as fast as the jedi would've liked. He needed to be faster. "Your majesty, can you hear me? Please respond."

When only static followed the jedi master cursed under his breath, looking at the calculator to see another 2 hours remaining. His grip tightened around his steering wheel as his mind raced. He knew that he could trust Lyanna to stay alive long enough for him to reach her, but he was afraid of what she would've accomplished when he did. He was afraid that he'd blinded her in the exact way he and the jedi council had been blinded.

He was afraid that because of him, she'd try to remove the curse keeping her with him. "This is master Obi Wan Kenobi." When the nerves became too much to bear, he continued his attempts. "I have an urgent message for the king of Valeria, please respond."

He waited anxiously, straining to hear anything over the static that ensued. As the moment passed, he groaned in frustration and plumped back against the pilot's seat, only to have another curse escape his lips. His hand ventured to below his left ribcage, pressing against the bandages wrapped around his torso. The wound throbbed violently against the palm of his hand.

"Blast it." Obi Wan mumbled quietly, pressing his eyes closed in pain. The med stimulants had helped, surely, but the pain was still almost unbearable. What use was he, a wounded jedi, against a sith and his mandalorian army when he couldn't reach the Valerian king? What would he be able to do on his own?

Not much, the jedi decided, as his gaze ventured to the stars passing by. Not enough. "This is Master Obi Wan Kenobi speaking." He tried again and again. "A sith has invaded your planet, and your queen is in mortal danger, please respond."

~

"What is this place?" Maul's voice echoed through the halls, the timbre undertones deep enough to make me shiver. He walked right next to me, his red lightsaber illuminating the otherwise pitch-black passage. There were 2 mandalorian soldiers before us, their weapons raised and their flashlights following their aim. Behind us 8 more watched our back, some of their weapons pointed straight at me.

We were walking through the passage leading to the great hall, one that had large columns on either side of the 7-foot-wide passage. The ceiling reached the double of my height and ended in curved arcs. As was custom in Valeria, the walls were covered with paintings telling legendary stories of our ancestors, only these were focussed entirely on the Blackwings. My eyes followed the depictions, the red paint that overpowered most of the images, not one without any trace of violence or murder.

"Before my father reunited the 4 founding families, -" I spoke as a diversion as my eyes scanned the area for any opportunity to escape and made a mental map of the layout of the structure. Simultaneously I memorized each individual rhythm of their steps, the way they scanned their surroundings and where their blind spots probably were.

"- they all ruled individually over their own lands. This was the Blackwing's base of operations. Their war room." The passage led further into the dark until it debouched into a great hall. As we arrived, my voice soon echoed loudly through it. "Since war was something they always engaged in, -"

At the end of it a single throne stood, much like the one back in Eagle's Fall but without any of the grandiosity, without the golden decorations, the grand wings attached to the seat itself and the silken tapestries behind it. No, this one was simple, made out of black dragonstone that glinted in the light. Behind it there stood a large statue, a great black wolf staring down at us from his perch.