Chapter 1: The Flames of War

Long before the misty island of Pandaria was discovered, before Deathwing ripped Azeroth asunder, before the Lich King renewed his war on the living, and even before the Dark Portal was reopened, the nations of Azeroth were recovering from the ravages of the end of the third war. Nations and empires rose and fell within this time. The human kingdom of Lordaeron was ravaged by the Scourge, but from its ashes arose the Forsaken people. The dusty desolate shores of Durotan now bustled with the birth of the new orcish capital of Orgrimmar. The High Elven kingdom had been decimated by the death knight Prince Arthas, and deep within Quel'Thalas the survivors remained in seclusion and sought a cure for their addiction to magic. Entire history books can be written about the rise and fall of each of the kingdoms throughout Azeroth's existence, but this story is about only one of them. The birthplace of the modern human race, the Arathi highlands, and it is there where the once proud kingdom of Stromgarde had ruled. For months it had been besieged from nefarious forces within and from without. The Syndicate, citizens, noble and common alike, who belonged to the traitorous kingdom of Alterac spread dissatisfaction and distrust among the population of Stromgarde and sabotaged and assaulted the capital city. From the foothills of the hinterlands, the Boulderfist Clan of ogres attacked the remote farms and villages of the kingdom. Slowly their forces gathered outside of the walls of the capital city. After many days of assaults by combined Syndicate and Boulderfist forces, Stromgarde's main gate had been breached and the city was under siege…

Years of planning had finally come to fruition. Lord Falconcrest sat atop a brown steed and viewed the ensuing battle within the main gate of Stromgarde from atop a hill, distant, safe, and secluded from the chaos he had help to orchestrate. Smoke began to billow over the stone walls surrounding the city. His syndicate saboteurs were ordered to set buildings in the eastern section afire in order to draw the defenders away from the main gate. With them distracted and focused on the fires, it had given his men time to assault the main gate. An explosive charge designed by a mercenary goblin engineer had been placed at the base of the gate and once detonated had knocked the gates open and his men immediately began to charge through and engage the city guard.

Lord Falconcrest breathed in deeply and embraced the smell of smoke and blood that wafted over the city walls in big, black, billowy clouds. The city glowed red as the fires began to rise.

"My lord, shall we join the forces at the breach?"

His bodyguard, Otto, turned in his saddle to face his master and awaited his order.

"Not yet Otto."

He replied, the day was too perfect, and there was still much more that needed to be done that day. There was no rush.

"Enjoy the view Otto. You are witnessing history. Today our people take revenge against the cowards who destroyed our homes in the second war. Finally, we get to see Lord Aiden Perenolde's revenge come to fruition. So, Otto, sit, relax, and watch as the cowards behind that wall reap what they have sowed."

Otto turned back to watching the battle unfold. He is truly an obedient dog, thought Falconcrest. It is good that I have someone so loyal by my side. Once we have the city, we will have to deal with the dreadful Boulderfist. Their alliance with the ogre clan was merely for convenience. Surely they could not let such filth reside in their new city. But that was worries for later. After the city was theirs he would deal with their ogre comrades. So, Lord Falconcrest leaned back in his saddle, and, as he had told Otto to do, he sat, relaxed, and watched the city burn.

'Lord Falconcrest, ruler of Stromgarde': the thought of his new title filled him with mirth. A smile crept across his face as he pictured himself sitting upon the throne in Stromgarde.

"Hurry Maella, we haven't got much time!"

Maella Sunweaver could hear the roar of battle, the clash of metal and the screams of dying men approach Stromgarde Keep. She rushed to keep up with her younger sister, Mishandra. Maella had tried to coax her sister in escaping the city before it went up in flames. She had learned how to cast a spell of teleportation while she was an apprentice to the archmages in Dalaran, but was only proficient enough that she could teleport herself and one other person.

War had forced them to move over the past several months. Her sister and she had been forced from their home in Quel'Thalas when the Scourge had marched through their sacred city of Quel'Thalas and defiled the Sunwell. They both then sought refuge from the ravages of the Scourge in Dalaran, but that too ended when the undead army assaulted the city. Now their third home, the human city of Stromgarde, was burning.

She and her sister ran for the storage cellar as swiftly as their feet could carry them. They had been supporting the Stromgarde priests by providing healing cures, bandages, and whatever other medical aid they could to the wounded soldiers that were brought to the keep. Mishandra praying to the light to mend wounds and burn out infections as she had been taught while still an initiate Priestess in Quel'Thalas. There were so many and more were arriving by the minute. Basic bandages had run out as well as other healing salves so Maella and her sister, Mishandra, had volunteered to retrieve more.

Maella admired her sister's unlimited capacity for generosity, but feared that if they lingered too long they would not be fortunate enough to escape the ravages of war for a third time. Her heart had broken too many times as she watched her friends and family cut down. If anything happened to her sister, her last surviving family, she did not know if she could bear to continue living any longer.

They reached the storage cellar and began to rummage through the chests and cabinets, searching for anything that could be used to aid those who were fighting to preserve their lives. As Maella was searching in the back of the storage cellar a massive explosion rocked the keep. The explosion had knocked her to her feet along with nearby shelves and other refuse. Dust and debris fell down upon the sisters in the keep's subterranean basement.

"Maella! Maella are you alright!"

The blast's pressure had muffled Maella's ears, but she could still make out her sister's voice calling to her.

"I'm fine. Just a little groggy from the impact is all."

Her head swam and her own voice sounded distant and faint to her.

"I can't see you! The dust has been kicked up in here!"

The blast must have come from the Syndicate trying to breach the massive wood and iron doors. There was so much dust floating around that it made it impossible for light to travel through the cellar. The dirt and dust got into her lungs as she tried to breathe and she began to cough. As she coughed she felt a twinge of pain on the side of her head. Maella reached up and felt the side of her head. Her palm touched something sticky and she was wracked by a sudden sharp pain. When she pulled her hand away and went to inspect it she could see the dark stain of blood on her palm.

"Stay put and I will try to make my way over to you."

Maella blocked the pain and focused on trying to get back to her sister. Maella began to feel her way over the fallen debris, making her way back to the cellar's entrance. While stepping over a fallen shelf and shattered bottles of what was likely some of the healing salve they originally went to retrieve, she slipped and fell to her hands and knees and gave a shout of both surprise and pain.

"Are you alright sister?! We have to leave here it sounds like the fighting is getting closer!"

She could hear the urgency in her sister's voice; the fear. She could see the visions of the unstoppable tide of undead washing over the barricades built up by the Quel'Thalas rangers. She heard the screams of fellow mages falling under the necromantic magic and assault of the shambling corpses. She pushed those fears aside. "You must be strong", she thought, "You must be strong for your sister. Show no fear". She pulled herself together, smothered her fear, and once again rose to her feet. She made her way through the dust and smoke and finally reached her sister near the bottom of the stairs leading up to the main floor of the keep.

"Sister! Your head is bleeding!"

Her sister tore a strip of cloth from her robe and placed it on the side of her head. The pain surged briefly as her sister applied pressure and began to wrap the cloth around her head. She murmured a prayer and immediately Maella began to feel the wound begin to heal.

Maella pushed her sister's hand away. It was only a minor cut; she had to get her sister away from the keep. They needed to survive.

"I'll be fine. We have to get out of here. The keep is no longer safe."

Her hearing had begun to return and she could hear the sounds of battle closer than before. She could also hear frantic shouting from the floor above them.

They climbed the stairs and were greeted by the frantic chaos of the keep's defenders desperately trying to rally against the Syndicate's onslaught. They were now in the keep's central banquet hall and armed guards, soldiers, and servants rushed past them in the direction of the keep's main gate.

"Maella! Mishandra! Quickly up here!"

The sister's looked up to the balcony above. Leaning over the railing was the bald head of the ancient priest, Father Eugene Sewell. His old age did not hinder him as he seemed to be renewed by youthful vigor and rushed to meet them at the top of the stairs.

"We haven't a moment to lose m'ladies. We have to get as many of the able bodied wounded to evacuate the keep and get to the western portion of the city. The Syndicate has taken the eastern city and set it ablaze and are now at the keep's very door!"

His usually kindly old eyes were franticly scanning the mayhem taking place in the banquet hall below. Soldiers and servants alike were preparing to defend the keep from the invaders and were grabbing whatever items they could get a hold of to use as weapons.

"How are we going to get them out of the keep? If the Syndicate has the front gate what other way is there out? Think Father."

Mishandra asked the old priest in as soothing of a tone as she could muster to try to calm the old man.

"The enemy is right outside the door of this keep. We have to leave now if we are going to stay ahead of the Syndicate forces!"

Maella tried once again, hoping her sister would see reason. If they waited they would be doomed.

"No sister! I will not abandon them. They need our help. Everyone else is trying to keep the invaders back so now we are their only hope of surviving."

Maella was ashamed that she would ask her sister to run away. She looked inter her sister's pleading eyes.

"Help us sister. The light will protect us as it has in the past."

Eugene bent his head and ran a hand over his bald head, thinking of a solution.

"There is another way out…through the kitchen. A side entrance the servants and cooks use to bring in daily food shipments and goods. But…"

He trailed off, but the uncertain look on his face explained his apprehension. Who knows what waited outside, or if the Syndicate had already known of the entrance.

"Mishandra, go with Eugene and get as many of the wounded ready to move as you can. I will go and secure the kitchen entrance. We must move quickly if we are to make it out before the keep is surrounded!"

Before anyone could contradict her she dashed down the stairs and headed through the banquet hall to the kitchen. If she could secure the kitchen by time her sister and the priest arrived it would save them precious time.

When she reached the kitchen she saw Prince Galen and the Stromgarde infantry commander Captain Dathanor Cromwell as well as a dozen of the Prince's guards. They quickly turned to her with swords drawn, but when they recognized who she was they visibly relaxed. Prince Galen approached her.

"Lady Sunweaver! It is good to see you alive. The keep is no longer safe. We are about to head to the western garrison. The keep…the keep is lost. I promised you and your sister sanctuary, but it seems fate has conspired against my kingdom and myself."

He took her hand and began to lead her towards the barred door leading out of the kitchen.

"Prince Galen, wait. My sister and Father Eugene are bringing the wounded here to evacuate. If you will wait but a few minutes they will be here shortly."

With the prince's personal guards they would have a better chance of facing whatever foe stood between them and the relative safety of the western city. Captain Dathanor stepped towards them.

"M'lady, we cannot wait. We have to get the prince to safety. If he falls with the keep then all of the Kingdom of Stromgarde falls."

"Please, without your aid these men and women who have already sacrificed so much for you will be cut down in the streets as they try to flee. You must protect your people!"

It dawned on her that the tables had turned. It was now her trying to convince those wanting to flee to stay behind and help others.

The prince stared into her face. She could see within his eyes the inner struggle and torment her plea had on him.

"I'm sorry Maella, but Dathanor is right."

He and Dathanor turned back to the door. The soldiers lifted the bar bracing the door and swung it open. The prince's guards immediately stepped through the door and outside of the keep, establishing defensive positions. They were lucky. The Syndicate did not know of the door. As the prince followed his personal bodyguards out of the kitchen he turned back to Maella.

"Thorin, Rilloth, Terrin, and Donal, please stay here with Lady Maella and provide protection to those she will be escorting to the western garrison."

He turned to Dathanor and gave him a half smile.

"If I fall here, the kingdom is doomed, but if I fail to do what I can for my citizens then I will be the one dooming the kingdom by my inaction."

Dathanor smiled back at the prince.

"Aye m'lord. We will protect you so that you may protect the people. And so that we can get revenge on the bastards who have done this to the kingdom."

The prince turned to Maella and took her hand in his.

"My men will help you and your sister keep the wounded safe. Meet us when you get there. We will be in the garrison, planning our counter attack on the Syndicate."

The prince and his followers turned and headed down the slope out into the flames and smoke that was once the proud capital of Stromgarde.

Lord Falconcrest rode with his entourage through the stone arch that once framed the massive wood and iron doors that had denied him and the Syndicate access to the city. The carcasses of the fallen defenders and assailants littered the street. More bodies of the city's defenses could be seen among the dead. It had been a great victory for the Syndicate. They pushed through and the main body mounted an attack up the hill to Stromgarde Keep while smaller groups splintered off down the side streets to mop up whatever remnants were left behind still in the city.

He was elated. The assault had gone better than expected. He looked up the hill and could see black billowing smoke coming from one of the towers near the front of the keep. They galloped into the city square where they met with a group of Syndicate operatives. With them was a short green goblin. He had about four teeth in his whole mouth and any sane person would do as much as they could to distract people from seeing the gaping holes in their mouth, but not this goblin. The goblin always seemed to have a mischievous smile on his face.

"Mr. Feezle…"

Lord Falconcrest guided his horse over to the goblin and the group of operatives,

"your bombs worked better than I could have expected. The main gates are off of their hinges and it seems you have done quite a bit of damage to the keep all on your own."

The goblin bowed his head in mock courtesy all the while smiling his big toothy smile.

"Weren't nuthin Lord Falconcrest. It's a beautiful day ta bomb things an its even better when I am getting paid ta do so. It is my pleasure."

A wicked twinkle flashed in the goblin's eyes. He was highly effective at the task given to him, but Lord Falconcrest doubted he'd want to keep the goblin around in full employ. He was sure that eventually the goblin would be more of a liability than a help.

"I am glad you take such pride in your work Mr. Feezle."

Lord Falconcrest turned to the operatives who were with the goblin. He was about to address them when suddenly a foul stench wafted across the square. It smelled as if pig slop had just risen up from the earth and with it came a mild tremble of the earth. Lord Falconcrest turned his head back towards the demolished gate and saw a mob of ogres shambling towards them. He recognized the one at the head, he was called Molok the Crusher, and turned to address him.

"Molok, what a pleasant surprise it is to see you and the rest of your clan…here…now…"

He greeted them icily and with contempt. He knew they were too stupid to realize it. He did not want them here, partaking in the Syndicates triumph.

"What can I do for you?"

The huge ogre looked at him and smiled.

"Boulderfist here for city. We see smoke. We take part of city promised us."

Light help him! Lord Falconcrest was sure the stupid brutes wouldn't remember the details of the agreement they had made with them for their support. There would be no way that he and the Syndicate would share their new conquest with these…these…ogres!

"Molok, when we said we would share the city with you we meant that we would provide you with land outside the city; farm land, for your people to do with as you please."

'Yes you big stupid dunce', thought Lord Falconcrest, 'you can have a pig farm or whatever would keep you all placated until we had the city secured and then could wipe you stains from the fabric of my new kingdom!'

"We no farm. Want city. Want stone huts."

Stone huts? Oh, buildings you dolt, the conqueror thought to himself.

Lord Falconcrest's blood began to boil. He was ready to reach for the sword at his hip when suddenly a Syndicate scout came running up to the Syndicate leader.

"Lord Falconcrest! The prince has been spotted leaving the keep! A scout saw him with what appeared to be his personal guard heading down the hill from the keep and into the city in the west."

"What?! We have to capture the prince!"

He needed the prince in his custody otherwise if he was able to escape he could be able to mount a Stromgarde counter offensive. Not only that, but the prince also held the sigil of the Trollbane legacy and held documents that could be used to solidify his held over the rest of the kingdom. Without those the people would be more likely to reject his claim of dominance and rise up against him. The prince was key to complete dominance over the city and the remaining citizens.

He looked to the ogres and then over to the goblin and his operatives.

"We need the prince in order take the kingdom. Whoever of you brings me the prince…alive,"

He knew that needed to be stated explicitly to both the ogres and the goblin otherwise surely the prince would be brought to him smashed or blown to pieces; he turned to the goblin

"I will give them all of the gold ransacked throughout the city …"

Then he turned to the ogres,

"...or I will give them half the city."

Maella and the four remaining guards waited outside of the kitchen. It wasn't long before her sister and the priest arrived with about two dozen of the wounded. The wounded moved slowly but the best they could. They would have to move between buildings and avoid confrontation if they were to survive. They moved down the same slope the prince and his guards had traveled moments before.

As they made their way into the streets they saw the true destructive force of the Syndicate. All along the road buildings burned and the corpses of bystanders were strewn. A cart of produce was toppled in the middle of the road with what appeared to at one time have been the owner of the cart trapped underneath. He was long past saving as indicated by the pool of blood emanating from the sword wound across his chest.

Maella turned to the guard nearest him. Terrin, he was tall for a human, probably a couple inches taller than an average high elf male.

"Terrin, what is the best route between streets that will get us to the garrison in the west?"

"If we head up that alley over there..."

he pointed with his sword between what appeared to at one time been a tavern but now was only a burnt husk and a bakery that had its front door shattered in and windows smashed,

"...and head left on the next street, it should take us to the fountain square of the commerce section. From there, we can take some of the back roads behind the shops and get to the entrance of the western garrison."

The road appeared clear on both ends. The sounds of battle still rang up the hill at the keep. Now was the best time to move while the Syndicate forces were occupied.

"Take the lead Terrin, and we will have the wounded start crossing the street. Lead them to the next street and start guiding them."

Terrin ran across the street and made sure the alley was clear and they then began to guide the column of wounded to him. Mishandra and Father Eugene helped the less mobile patients across the street. Maella and the three other guards kept scanning both directions down the road and up the hill for any sign that they had been spotted. The last of the wounded was crossing the street when suddenly they heard a mighty crash. They all stopped to see where it had come from but nothing could be seen.

"Over there!"

Rilloth pointed to the south east. A massive cloud of dust rose up above the roof line.

"Keep moving! We need to get off the street!"

They began to feel the earth tremble and heard what sounded like a stampede of cattle.

Suddenly, three ogres rounded the corner of the nearest intersection to the east of their position. Maella and the three guards tried to rush the last of the wounded into cover, but it was too late. One of the ogres had spotted them and turned to the other two ogres

"Crush puny humans!"

All three of the ogres began to run down the street. Rilloth turned to Maella.

"Run. Get the wounded out of here. We'll handle these three overgrown buffoons."

And with that Rilloth, Thorin, and Donal charged at the oncoming ogres. The guardsmen shouted their defiance as they met the trio of ogre assailants head-on. Maella looked back one more time as she saw one of the ogres swing at Rilloth. He rolled under the blow and came up behind the ogre and then swung his blade across the ogre's calf. The ogre yelled in pain and fell to his knee. Just as the ogre fell to his knee, Donal jumped at the ogre's face and ran his sword clear through ogre's skull. The ogre fell forward and struck the cobblestone road and moved no more.

That was the last she saw of them as she ran through the alley between the ruined buildings. Maella joined with the rest of the column at the other end of the alley just as she heard the unmistakable scream of one of the guards being cut down.

The wounded had new found energy as fear pumped adrenaline through their veins and they ran down the street towards the commerce section away from the sound of battle, to the west, and to safety.

When they reached the square all was quiet again. The sounds of battle were few and in the distance. They would strike up briefly before they quickly ended. Pockets of Stromgarde defenders must still have hold over parts of the city, but as fewer and fewer sounds of battle could be heard it was obvious that soon the Syndicate would have most of the city under its control.

To the east, the horizon glowed red with the flames consuming the city's residential area. Dark clouds of smoke rose from the city and had begun to block out the sun itself. Ruins remained of the once bustling commerce square. At this time of day people from all over the Arathi Highlands should be here selling their goods. But now there was nothing by deathly stillness.

The wounded slumped to the ground around the base of the fountain; some even found the energy to reach into the pool with cupped hands for some of the cool revitalizing water. They had all used what must have felt like the last of their strength as they had fled from the attacking ogres. Father Eugene and Mishandra went from the one wounded to the next, checking their wounds and offering a quick prayer of restoration to each.

"Are you alright?"

Maella went to her sister. Her constant care for the wounded had begun to show visible signs of exhaustion.

"I am alright dear sister."

Mishandra gave her sister a weak but encouraging smile. Maella smiled back. As long as they worked together, they would survive. Maella looked around the square and spotted Terrin, standing in-between the fountain and a nearby tailor shop.

Maella approached Terrin.

"Where to now?"

Terrin was scanning the buildings around the square, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"What is it Terrin?" Maella whispered.

"Something…something isn't right…"

Boom! Craaack!

"Arrghhhhhh!"

Terrin gripped his left leg. A hole was torn through it and Terrin fell to his knees in pain.

"Don annya get any funny ideas now. Jus stand weh you are and don fuss none."

Suddenly from the shadows of one of the doorways stepped a goblin holding a scoped rifle, smoke still seeping from the end of the barrel, in one hand and in the other hand he held a small black cylinder with a little red button on top. He smiled a wicked twisted smile at them with all his teeth covered in gold, at least whatever teeth he still had left.

Then all the shadows around the square seemed to come to life. From the shadows emerged half a dozen Syndicate agents, some with daggers drawn while others had bows notched with arrows pointing at the ragtag group of survivors from the keep.

"This 'ere in my hand is a detonator that is set ta all dem bombs I have wired throughout this square. Any a you do anything funny….BOOM!"

He smiled his big toothy grin at them.

"Now, les all jus sit tight until tha boss get here."

Lord Falconcrest stood in front of the once grand keep of Stromgarde. They had finally captured the last defender of the keep and had begun searching the faces of the slain and every last corner of the keep for the prince of Stromgarde. Lord Falconcrest had put Otto in charge of the search. He could trust him to do a thorough job and ensure that no stone was left unturned in the search.

Otto emerged from the keep several minutes later with a miserable looking man who was covered in soot from head to toes. Otto pushed the man towards Lord Falconcrest and the man fell face first into the dirt.

"My lord, I found this man trying to hide in the kitchen's chimney. He says he has knowledge of the prince's whereabouts. Tell Lord Falconcrest what you told me."

The man was shaking, but looked up at Lord Falconcrest's face.

"Mmm…mmmm.m'lord…I heard…I heard…"

"Spit it out you swine or I will have Otto toss you back into the chimney and light a fire."

Lord Falconcrest had no patience, especially for a coward. The threat of being roasted alive seemed to have the effect of having the man's survival instinct override his fear.

"M'lord, while hiding in the chimney I heard several people in the kitchen say they were going to head to the western garrison. I heard one of them addressed as Prince Galen, so it must have been him!"

The man now looked up at Lord Falconcrest with pleading simpering eyes. How Lord Falconcrest loathed cowards. Looking at the man filled him with disgust and anger.

"Otto, properly thank this man on my behalf."

And then without hesitation Otto took the massive maul slung across his back raised it over his head and brought it down upon the man's skull.

Lord Falconcrest was sure that Prince Galen had already fled. Between the initial scout's report, the ogre who returned with a knife in his gut and three heads in a bag and claims of a larger group heading west, and now the coward's tale he was sure Galen was scurrying out in between the ruins of his once great city.

As he began to mull over his options for his next move, a scout ran up the hill and approached him.

"My lord. Fezzle and some of the operatives have round up a rather large group of what appears to be survivors of the keep."

What luck! The light must truly have blessed Lord Falconcrest this day. Surely, he thought to himself, the light knows that we, the people who were forced from their kingdom are on a righteous quest of vengeance to regain what was taken from us and strip the kingdoms from those who have wronged us. With a smile he turned to Otto.

"Mount up and come with me, but have the men search the keep again. No stone unturned Otto."

And with that he began to gallop down the hill.

The goblin had them all sitting around the fountain with a large bundle of dynamite strapped to the top of it. Mishandra tended to Terrin's wounded leg while Father Eugene tended the other wounded. The goblin never took his eyes off of them and sat atop a crate with the rifle across his lap, and smiling his big, toothy, evil smile at them.

The goblin would blow them all up without hesitation. Maella had heard how these creatures were often self destructive. He would surely smile that wicked little smile of his and push the button at the slightest hint of resistance.

The rest of the Syndicate operatives surrounded the huddle of captives. They no longer perceived the group as a significant threat so they merely stood to the side with daggers sheathed and arrows in quivers.

Maella heard the sound of voices and hoofs approaching the square from the east. She looked down the road and saw four men atop horses dressed in the black outfits that indicated they were Syndicate. The two men on the far sides wore hoods covering their heads and scarves covering their mouths and noses and seemed to be merely guards for the two men ahead of them. Both of the men in front had carried themselves with an aura of importance and confidence, one bald with a large mace slung across his back and the other with short brown hair and two long blades at his hips.

They approached and the brown haired one addressed the goblin just as the crazed creature hopped off of the box, hand still on the detonator.

"What do you have here Feezel?"

The man dismounted and approached the Stromgarde keep survivors.

"Well Lord Falconcrest, it appears these ones was coming from the direction of the keep. So I figured they was worth stoppin. Might have that Galen fella yous lookin fer."

The goblin smiled his toothy smile at the man.

Lord Falconcrest looked over the survivors. He looked from one to the next with a calm detached manner.

"No. He is not with them."

Lord Falconcrest looked at each of the wounded again. His face began to turn into a scowl and slowly a deep scarlet hue took to his face as his rage visibly grew. He grabbed the throat of the nearest wounded and pulled the man to his feet and mere inches from his own face.

"Tell me! Where is Prince Galen!?"

One of the wounded stood up and spit at Lord Falconcrest's feet.

"We'll never betray our liege you scum! We will not stand for this injustice you Syndicate swine! You have signed your death warrant by attacking Stromgarde!"

"I'm afraid it is you who have signed the death warrant my friend. Otto!"

And with that the bald man dismounted, drew his mace, and caved in the skull of the defiant man.

"Now, I don't need any lip from any of you! Tell me what you know of the whereabouts of your prince or I will have Otto crush each of your skulls one by one!"

"To hell with you Falconcrest you murderer! Justice will be dealt to you."

Tarrin had risen on his one good leg and attempted to tackle Lord Falconcrest. Otto stepped between his Lord and the attacker and swung his mace sideways into Terrin's midsection. The wind was knocked out of Tarrin and all could hear his ribs audibly crack.

While Terrin had tried to take on Lord Falconcrest, Mishandra had reached for the goblin's rifle as Father Eugene struck Feezel with a spell of blinding light. The goblin reactively reached up to his face and as he did so Mishandra pried the gun from his fingers and smashed the butt of the rifle into the little goblin's nose. A loud crackle sounded from the impact and the goblin fell backwards onto the ground stunned and with a broken nose.

Maella conjured a flame underneath the horse of the nearest Syndicate bodyguard causing his horse to rear, bucking the rider from the saddle. The man struck the cobble stone road hard with his head and a thud and did not rise again. Suddenly, the wounded Stromgarde defenders who could still fight rose up and rushed towards the Syndicate villains.

"Defenders! Subdue the nearest assailant, but focus on Lord Falconcrest!"

Maella found herself suddenly taking charge of the impromptu resistance fight. The Syndicate was slow to reach and many were tackled or struck with whatever makeshift weapon one of the defenders could reach. Several had picked up wooden planks that were remnants of some of the nearby buildings. Some had picked up stones or bricks from the fountain and swung them with all their might at the heads of the Syndicate operatives.

The Syndicate had begun to rally against the uprising. One of the operatives had sprinted away from the fighting only to turn around, unsheathe his bow, and began unleashing arrow after arrow at the defenders. One of the arrows struck the man immediately in front of Maella in the chest. The man let out a groan and fell backwards into Maella. She went down with the man, but quickly recovered. The man reached out for Maella and looked her in the eyes.

"Defend…Stromgarde…save…."

And with a final gasp the man passed on. Maella lingered for a second longer, staring into the man's eyes, hoping that somehow he would not be dead and that all of this was only a nightmare. She wished and wished that she would suddenly wake up back in her room in Quel'Thalas. Wake up there with her sister and her family. And that the Scourge and the Syndicate never existed and that their lives had never gone the way they had.

Maella realized that she had begun to cry. She became angry with herself. 'Stop it', she thought. 'Wishing for things won't change anything. You need to fight! You need to protect your sister and your friends! They are all counting on you!' She stood back up and faced the archer across the square. He had already taken down three more of the defenders in seconds that she had been down. She began to summon a massive fireball and when the spell was ready she unleashed it at the archer. He saw the fiery missile heading for him but was too slow to reach. The fireball struck the archer in the chest and exploded scattering smaller licks of flames around where he stood. He writhed in fiery pain for a second later before he fell to the ground.

While Maella was handling the archer, Mishandra had witnessed as four of the wounded had tried to reach Lord Falconcrest only to be struck down by the Syndicate leader's henchman Otto and his massive two-handed maul. Lord Falconcrest saw her, saw the rifle, and then began to reach for his belt. Mishandra aimed the rifle towards Falconcrest, but as she went to pull the trigger a dagger struck her in the chest. She gasped and staggered back as her grip tightened on the trigger and the shot went up into the air.

"Mishandra!"

Maella screamed and in her mind she screamed 'No! No! No! Noooooo! Not my sister! End the nightmare! End the torment!'

As Maella turned to see her sister fall she saw Lord Falconcrest facing her while reaching for another throwing knife. Maella screamed with fury and targeted an arcane bolt at Lord Falconcrest just as he unleashed the second dagger, sending him flying back against the wall of the nearest building. The blade flew at her and sliced across the side of her face near her eye. Pain shot through her head. A million daggers of pain went off and screamed for her to pass out so that she wouldn't have to face the pain. She could no longer see with her right eye. But her rage and sorrow had taken hold of her. A spirit of vengeance and sorrow took control of her and pushed her on. Maella looked back to her sister and saw Father Eugene knelt over her, laying his hands upon her wound and praying with all his might. She turned back to the Syndicate attackers as Otto had struck down one of the wounded Stromgarde defenders who tried to reach for him.

The other Syndicate bodyguard had begun to cut through the wounded Stromgarde soldiers and was attempting to reach Maella. He was feet away from Maella and with a quickness she did not know she could possess she murmured her spell and she cast a bolt of fire at him. He anticipated her attack and rolled out of the way of danger. Maella again with a speed that belied her modest experience as a mage then immediately conjured a freezing blast at the Syndicate bodyguard's feet trapping him in place. As he struggled to release himself, he was overtaken by one of the remaining Stromgarde defenders who took him to the ground and attempted to smash his skull against the cobble stone.

Maella turned to face Lord Falconcrest and finish him. As she turned back to face him, she saw that Otto had reached him and was helping him into his horse's saddle. She ran at him while summoning with all her will a fireball that would engulf him and his crony Otto in a blaze of arcane fire. She looked into the face of the Syndicate leader. He stared back at her with a twisted grin on his face.

"Now Feezel! Blow them all to hell!"

Maella turned to see the wicked little goblin smiling that same vile smile. In his hand he held the detonator. Maella looked back to her sister and Father Eugene, tears streaming down his face. She began to summon a firebolt at the goblin but before she could finish her spell he had pressed the detonator. Maella felt the heat and the force of the explosion and was sent flying through the air. She struck the ground and then she felt no more.

A dozen riders had gone out to investigate the massive explosion that could be felt all the way in the western garrison. The prince had ordered them for fear of a possible attack by the Syndicate. He hope the riders could reach the site and return with news of the enemy's disposition so they could prepare for the inevitable attack. But instead the riders had returned with bodies and four of the remaining survivors from Stromgarde Keep. The survivors explained that the sister high elves, priest, and four guardsmen who remained behind had fought to save their lives and that it was solely of their sacrifice and courage that any of them still stood alive.

The prince went to the bodies and just as the survivors' stories told the two high elves, the old man, and Terrin laid dead at his feet. Terrin's ribs were crushed and he was almost unrecognizable from the blast, but his height and armor left no doubt that it was him. The old man lay atop one of the high elf sisters as if he had tried to shield her from the flames of the explosion. Both were badly burned and nearly unrecognizable. The last was unmistakably Maella. She had only mild burns and was likely at the edge of the blast radius. A deep cut ran across the right side of her face and across her eye, likely rendering it useless even if she had survived. The prince knelt among the bodies.

Captain Dathanor approached the prince.

"My lord. Scouts in the city are reporting that the Syndicate is falling back to the east side of the city."

"What happened? Why would they retreat?"

The prince stood and faced the commander.

"Apparently there has been a falling out between the ogres of the Boulderfist Clan and the Syndicate leadership. They fought in the main city square before the Syndicate retreated to the east and the keep and the ogres headed towards the mage tower in the north of the city."

"That gives us a chance to regroup and mount defenses. We will use this section of the city as a staging point for future operations to reclaim the city. We need to take the civilian survivors we have and take them north out of the city. Its too dangerous here now and until we regain the city they won't have any reason to stay."

"Yes my lord. We will work on getting as many survivors as we can evacuate right away."

A loud gasp, as if someone had just come up from deep within the ocean and was trying to take in as much air as they could in one gulp, was heard coming from the bodies of the blast victims. Both Prince Galen and Captain Dathanor turned to see where it came from. They approached the fallen heroes and began to inspect them. Prince Galen was inspecting Maella when he noticed that her chest was moving up and down ever so slightly.

"Medic! Priest! We have a survivor here!"