World of Warcraft: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm Page 0,108

father would not wish me to, and I must honor his wishes—what he fought for, what he did with his life—rather than my own emotions.” Baine heaved an enormous sigh. “Much as I long to … I cannot attack Garrosh Hellscream.”

Jaina relaxed almost imperceptibly.

“Garrosh was appointed by my warchief, Thrall. My father swore loyalty to Thrall, as did I. My father believed in his heart Garrosh was responsible for the attack against the Sentinels in Ashenvale and also an attack on a peaceful gathering of druids. He therefore issued the mak’gora against Garrosh, for the good of the Horde, and even stood by his challenge when Garrosh changed the rules and made it a battle to the death. In that situation, I believe what he did was right. His motives were not anger, or hatred, or vengeance.”

Baine’s voice broke, ever so slightly. “His motives were love of the Horde, and a desire to see it safe. He was willing to risk his life for it—and it was with his life that he paid.”

Anduin found the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. “But no one would deny you your right to vengeance, especially if you can prove that Garrosh let Magatha poison his blade! And the attack on the druids—”

Jaina wasn’t happy with his outburst, and Baine appeared startled. He swung his large head around to face Anduin for a moment.

“Yes. But what you do not understand—and even you might not, Jaina—is that my father issued the challenge of the mak’gora. The outcome determines the matter once and for all. The Earth Mother has spoken.”

“But if Garrosh cheated—”

“We have evidence that Magatha poisoned the blade. None that Garrosh consented. There was no doubt in my father’s heart. There is doubt in mine. If I challenge him without absolute faith that I am right, I then ignore the ancient tradition of my people. I say, I do not like these laws, so I will not obey them. I deny the Earth Mother. What does that make me, young Anduin?”

Anduin nodded his fair head slowly. “You can’t say it’s a fair way to determine right or wrong one day, and then say it’s unfair the next because you don’t like the outcome.”

Baine snorted gently in approval. “You do understand, then. Good. My father challenged Garrosh to try to heal the Horde. Yet if I do so, I will be ripping it apart. I would be destroying the tauren way of life, everything for which they have striven, in a misguided effort to protect that very thing. That is not what Cairne Bloodhoof gave his life for his son to do. And so … I shall not do it.”

Anduin felt a chill run down his spine. He knew what many humans and, indeed, other races in the Alliance thought about the tauren, about the Horde. He’d heard it muttered often enough—sometimes shouted. Monsters, the Horde were called. And the tauren, little more than beasts. And yet Anduin knew that in all his admittedly short time in this world, he had never been witness to such integrity under strain.

He also knew that Baine was not entirely at peace with his decision. He knew what was right, but he did not want to do it. Anduin realized, without understanding how that realization came, that Baine … didn’t think he could.

Baine didn’t believe he could be the tauren his father was, and underneath the words that were clearly bought with such anguished thought and pain was a fear that, somehow he would fail.

Anduin knew what it was like to live in the shadow of a powerful father. It was obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that Baine and Cairne had been very close. Anduin felt a shameful wave of envy at the realization; he was not close with Varian now, although he once had been and longed to be again. How would he feel if his father had been so brutally taken away from him? How had Varian felt when his own father had been murdered? Had Varian not had the wisdom of Anduin’s namesake, Anduin Lothar, to guide him, what would he have done?

Would either Wrynn have been able to feel the hurt—for assuredly Baine was not pretending it did not exist—and still choose the path that best served his people rather than his personal needs?

“I’ll be right back,” Anduin said suddenly. He rose and bowed, then, feeling the curious glances behind him, raced to the room Jaina had been