They found the dragons at the edge of the wastes.
A figure waited for them in the shadow of a sandstone bluff — tall, hooded, perfectly still. At first Durn mistook it for a mirage, another trick of the desert heat. But as they drew closer, he saw the scales at the wrists, the amber eyes that held a depth no mortal could match.
"You have been following a trail," the figure said. It was not a question.
Radomir stepped forward. "We have."
"And you have found pieces of what lies beneath."
The figure lowered its hood. An elf — or something that wore an elf's shape the way a man might wear a coat. Its features were sharp, ageless, and its eyes carried the weight of centuries.
"I am Keeper of the Brood. The flight has been watching you since you left Feralas."
Durn felt the words settle into him. They had known. The dragons had known about them all along.
"The creatures you have encountered," the dragon continued, "are silithids. They are the forward edge of a force that has been building beneath the desert for a thousand years. Beyond the sands of Silithus lies a city sealed by my flight and the night elves in a war long before your people walked this continent."
"Ahn'Qiraj," Radomir breathed.
The dragon's eyes flickered with something like surprise. "You know the name."
"The Shen'dralar spoke of it. An old text mentioned a city of gods and bugs."
"The Shen'dralar remember," the dragon said. "They were there. As were we."
It turned and began walking toward the bluff. Durn and Radomir followed.
"The seal is failing," the dragon said. "The Qiraji have grown too powerful. Keeping the gates closed is no longer the safest option. We must open them — deliberately, on our terms — and destroy what lies inside before it destroys everything beyond."
Durn walked in silence for a long moment.
"And the Scepter?" he asked.
The dragon stopped. Turned.
"You are well-informed for one so far from home."
"We've been paying attention."
The dragon studied him. Then, almost imperceptibly, it nodded.
"The Scepter of the Shifting Sands is the key. It was broken after the war, scattered across the world. It must be reforged before the gates can be opened."
"By whom?" Radomir asked.
"That," the dragon said, "remains to be seen."
They stood at the base of the bluff, the wind carrying sand across their boots. The dragon looked south, toward the haze where Silithus lay hidden.
"You have done well to find this truth," it said. "But finding it is only the beginning. What comes next will require more than hunters and scholars."
Durn followed its gaze. Somewhere beyond that horizon, the hive was waiting.
"Then we'd better get started."