It was hot.

Too hot...

Rhoderen ran a hand over his face, swiping beads of sweat from his brow.

"Rhoderen?" A familiar voice asked.

The paladin tried to reply, but his words came out as an indistinguishable grunt.

"Do you need a drink?"

A water skin was held to his mouth. The familiar person slowly squeezed the water into his mouth, taking care not to choke him. He was so thirsty, he drank greedily.

"The healers said you'd be thirsty. The poison left you really dehydrated, but I was told not to let you drink too much all in one go..."

The water skin was pulled away and Rhoderen groaned.

"Thanks..." He coughed. The paladin tried to open his eyes and was surprised to find he was lying in darkness. "What time is it?" His voice was hoarse and gravelly.

"I'm not sure, it's late. It took them a while to extract your poison... There was so much." The voice cracked, "It was a miracle you hadn't died."

Rhoderen felt a drop of something wet on his cheek, followed by something soft and warm. A kiss? He struggled to focus in the dim light. A pair of pretty luminescent eyes watched him carefully.

"Takes more than a bit of Troll poison to kill me..." He groaned as he forced his aching, stiff limbs to move in an attempt to sit up.

"You nearly die and you're still an arrogant bastard..." There was a heavy, irritable sigh but her tone was relieved. Rhoderen suddenly made the connection.

"Halena?" He whispered.

"Of course it is. Who did you think-? Never mind, they said you might be confused when you woke up. Do you remember what happened?" The Draenei woman asked. Rhoderen felt a hand brush his arm. He reached out and clasped the hand tightly.

"I remember everything..." He paused, "But I wish I didn't. How is your leg?"

"It's fine – thanks to you." The woman whispered, "It all happened so fast. I don't know what I was thinking pulling that dagger from my leg... But you were there to protect me – you're always there to protect me."

There was a long pause. Halena's luminescent eyes fixed on him. She shifted closer... Rhoderen's heart hammered in his chest, making him feel dizzy. Was she going to kiss him?

"No, I have to say that wasn't the most logical thing I've ever seen you do!" Rhoderen gave a short laugh and ran his hand over his face once again, turning away from her quickly.

Rhoderen couldn't face looking her in the eye, but Halena's confusion was palpable. He couldn't breathe...

What are you doing? Isn't this what you wanted?

"Did that Troll die?" She asked eventually, a vicious undertone crept into her voice.

"I think so... I didn't see for sure, but he couldn't have survived. You gutted him." He replied, grateful for the subject change, "How did the rest of the troupe fair? Did we... Were we successful?"

There was a pause. Rhoderen swallowed hard.

"Yes. We were successful." Halena answered simply.

"To what cost?"

"The important thing is we killed all the Horde, and you survived to-"

"Damn it Halena!" Rhoderen snapped angrily, "To what cost? How many did we lose?"

"Almost all of them. There were four survivors, the others were in a pretty bad shape too, but they were healed in time."

The air was thick. It was too hot...

"F-four. Including us?" The paladin growled, his heart thundered in his throat.

"...Yes."

Rhoderen's eyes slid closed, dizziness swallowing him.

"That... Is not good news." He replied, his tone was clipped and short.

"There are always casualties in war, you know that better than anyone and-"

"Yes. I do know that better than anyone – which is why I should never have-"

"You can't blame yourself for-"

"What? Can't blame myself for what, Halena?" He shouted, sitting upright so suddenly he knocked his shoulder roughly into the warrior, "Killing my men? Please, tell me why the fuck I shouldn't blame myself for that?!"

He was met with silence.

"I should never have listened..." Rhoderen trailed off, the words dying in his throat.

"Should never have listened to me?" Halena finished, her voice emotionless.

There was another heavy, tension-laden pause.

"They weren't ready. I knew they weren't ready..." Rhoderen whispered, his voice shook. He felt like his chest was trapped in a vice, his lungs couldn't expand. He was choking on his own guilt.

"I think you should try to rest now." Halena replied, her voice tight.

A shaking hand rested on his shoulder and gently pushed him down on to his back. Rhoderen didn't fight it.

He let his eyes slide closed, exhaustion overwhelmed him. He knew he'd have to wake and face the morning eventually, but couldn't fight his own conscience that told him he didn't deserve to wake up at all.

"Four survivors. That's what I've been told. Correct?" The lieutenant stared out of the fogged window pane. Rain lashed against it, filling the cold, stone room with gentle pattering.

"Yes, Sir."

Rhoderen felt sick. His armour bit into his skin, the once snug, tailor-made plates didn't seem to fit any more. He felt like he was trapped.

"I would ask for your explanation, but I don't think I want to hear it." The older human shot him a vicious glance from the corner of his eye, "With a mortality rate like that, I don't think I could stomach it."

The paladin swallowed, willing the room to stop spinning. He stood to attention, frozen in the middle of the room.

"Please tell me something good came out of this... massacre."

"Sir?"

"Do we know who arranged this seemingly mindless attempt at... whatever they were trying to do." The lieutenant replied, turning to face Rhoderen for the first time since he'd been summoned to the tower.

"We had come to the conclusion the group were hired mercenaries. We do not believe they had any connection to Thrall or official Horde business." A bead of sweat tracked down the paladin's face.

"So what were they doing there?" The human asked, moving to sit behind his desk. The chair scraped loudly, echoing around the room.

"That... is what I hope to find out. I would like to request permission to investigate this further personally, Sir." Rhoderen swallowed, "I don't expect any assistance in this matter. I will go alone."

"Seeing as you got your 'assistance' killed, Captain, I couldn't have offered any to you whether I had wanted to or not." The lieutenant snapped.

Rhoderen shuddered, biting his tongue. The room was swimming more and more violently by the second.

"However... You have permission to follow up on this matter." The human fixed him with a steady gaze, "Come back with answers... Or I will personally ensure you never have a position within the military above chamber-pot cleaner."

Rhoderen was hot. He was going to throw up. He swallowed thickly.

"Are we clear, Captain?" The lieutenant addressed him, disdain evident in his tone.

"Yes, Sir." Rhoderen bowed his head.

"Get out of my sight."

The Draenei moved quickly, letting himself out into the, thankfully, deserted corridor. The fresh air did little to help his nausea. Rhoderen jogged to the latrine, barely making it in time before he lost the contents of his stomach.

Once the heaving had subsided, Rhoderen stood and loosened his breastplate. His face was wet with sweat and his teeth chattered. He fought to catch his breath, panting heavily.

It wasn't purely in reaction to the lieutenant's words – the paladin had been feeling nauseous and dizzy for weeks. An after effect of the poison, so he was told. The healers reassured him it would pass eventually. 'Eventually' wasn't coming quickly enough.

He washed his hands and splashed his face with cool water. His head was pounding. Rhoderen rubbed his thumbs into his temple.

He'd had numerous meetings and hearings with his superiors about the events of that day. They had all gone similarly or worse than this particular encounter. Rhoderen was just grateful the lieutenant hadn't lingered on the topic too long. He hadn't been so lucky with the others, particularly the other Captains...

He was now 'affectionately' nicknamed Butcher.

Rhoderen let himself back out into the corridor, heading towards the exit and praying he didn't run into anyone he knew on the way.

The once proud, bordering on arrogant Captain now walked the halls with his head down. He considered himself lucky if he managed to get by with just some pointed remarks and the odd 'accidental' shove.

Yet Rhoderen didn't wish they treated him differently. He knew, down to his soul, that he deserved their ill-treatment. Every night he tossed and turned, gripped with guilt. The lack of sleep was probably hindering his healing – that combined with his lack of appetite, it was no wonder he was still suffering with the sickness.

He wasn't going to be healed until he did what he needed to do. Rhoderen needed to find out who had hired those Horde mercenaries.

The paladin let himself out through a side-exit onto a dirty backstreet alley. He used to actively avoid such places before... Now he felt like he belonged amongst the beggars and thieves.

It was only a short walk to the barracks, but the rain was coming down in sheets. The streets were quiet, the rain hissed against the cobblestones and tapped against his metal breastplate. He hurried along, lost in his thoughts as he watched large drops of rain drip from the rim of his helmet.

For the first time in months, Rhoderen felt a spark of light in his existence. He wasn't sure what he would have done if the lieutenant had refused his request to follow up on the Horde invasion. He lived for nothing, seeking only redemption... Something to ease the heavy burden of guilt.

Even if he did find the person responsible for the mercenaries, the paladin knew it wouldn't change the facts. He'd gotten his troupe killed – nothing could change that now – but at least he would sleep easier knowing the bastard had gotten what they deserved. That was the best he could do for his men now. He was going to avenge their deaths.

The barracks were alive with activity. The poor weather meant all the soldiers would be cooped up together.

Great..

He wasn't going to be able to slip inside unnoticed... Rhoderen took a deep breath and let himself into the building.

"Looking a bit pale there, Captain." A voice jeered almost immediately. The way they said 'Captain' made it sound like an insult. "I take it the meeting with the lieutenant didn't go well?"

"What a shame!" Another soldier joined in, "I don't know why they're so hard on you, it's not like you killed your entire troupe... Oh wait!"

There was a ripple of laughter. Rhoderen kept his head down and didn't say anything. He had long since given up trying to reason with the other soldiers. He hurried through the room to the staircase located at the back of the barracks, taking the steps two at a time.

If he hadn't been a Captain, he would have had to endure sharing the bunk room, but as it was he had his own private quarters. Though he often wished they'd take his title away from him, he was grateful to still have a place he could get away from the jeering and mocking. He darted inside, closing and locking the door behind himself.

Rhoderen exhaled. That never got any easier...

He shook himself hard. He had been given his chance – he was finally going to find the person who hired all those Horde warriors in the first place. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

He was going to clear his name, put an end to the mocking. He would always be tainted with the memory of what he had done, but maybe, if he was successful, he could get forgiveness from some of his peers.

That's all he was asking for, after all. He was never going to forget what he had done...

Rhoderen grabbed a small, worn linen travel backpack, feeling optimistic for the first time in weeks.

First aid kit... Bandages... Anti-venom...

He wasn't making that mistake again.

There was a short rap at the door. Rhoderen paused.

"Rhoderen, it's me."

Halena.

They'd barely spoken since that night when he'd accused her of misleading him. Yet another thing to feel guilty about. He had since apologised, and the warrior-woman had forgiven him, but their relationship had been strained, filled with stony silences and awkward pauses.

He used to find it so easy to talk to Halena, but now he was always lost for words. Their conversations always felt hollow, like there were a million things they each wanted to say but knew they couldn't. They mostly stuck to small talk.

"Rhoderen." Another tap on the door.

He debated whether to answer her, he could pretend he wasn't here... But she might have already seen him come in.

"Can you let me in?" She asked. Rhoderen sighed and moved to open the door. Once it was unlocked, he moved away and turned his back – focussing on packing his travel bag.

The warrior let herself in, closing the door quietly behind herself.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"As well as I expected." Rhoderen answered simply, tucking a spare under-shirt into the bag.

"Did the lieutenant... Did he agree to let you-?"

"Yes, thankfully. I'm packing my bag now. That Orc, the one we captured – are they still keeping him in the Stockade?"

"I believe so. They haven't managed to get much out of him though. He's proving to be a tough nut to crack." Halena replied, moving from the door to perch on the edge of the paladin's bed.

"We can speak Orcish – maybe that will get us under his skin a little better. I'm not surprised he has managed to withstand the torture."

"Me either, and this Orc is particularly thick skinned. I take it you're going there to question him about who hired him? The warrior asked.

"Correct. I will get what I can from him, then depending on what information I get, I might..." Rhoderen paused to swallow, "I might go down to the battle sight and dig around for clues."

He paused and glanced over his shoulder at Halena. She looked back with large, sorrowful eyes. She looked at him like that a lot these days. Rhoderen turned back to packing with a frown.

"Are you sure that's wise, Rhoderen?" She asked, her voice low and quiet.

"No. If I'm honest, I'm hoping to get all I need from the Orc... But if he proves to be difficult, that's my only other choice. Azeroth is a big place, I can't exactly walk around handing out flyers can I?" The paladin gave a short, sharp laugh.

"The rescue team will have combed the area, I'm sure if they had found anything-"

"They might have missed something." Rhoderen interrupted, "I refuse to believe anyone in that mishmash of Horde was clever enough to cover their tracks. Whoever hired them must have paid them, there must be something, some clue I can use."

"...Then I want to come with you. I want to help." Halena stood, a determined look on her face.

"No. You can't. I have to do this alone." He replied sharply.

"Rhoderen..." The warrior paused, "You're not the only person feeling guilt over this. I had a part to play in all of this, maybe a much larger part than anyone realised and-"

"No, you didn't. I was the Captain, it was my choice to... do what we did. I'm sorry for what I said that night. You know that." Rhoderen muttered, shoving emergency rations into the bag with much more force than was truly needed.

"I want to help Rhoderen, I need to. I think if you really think about it, you'll realise you need me to help as well." Halena replied. The paladin saw her cross her arms from the corner of his eye.

He sighed heavily – he didn't want to take the woman along, but he understood her need for redemption all too well. He had made some terrible decisions over the past few weeks, he hoped he wasn't about to make another.

"I leave for the Stockade at first light. If you are not waiting outside the barracks, I will leave without you." He replied curtly, "And I want you to know now that I do not think this is a good idea – but I understand your wanting to help me. I am grateful."

Halena smiled sadly at him. It made the paladin's chest feel tight.

"Thank you Rhoderen." The woman turned to leave, but halted with her hand on the door handle. She turned to look at the paladin. " I'll pack my anti-venom."

"Way ahead of you." The paladin replied. Halena shot him a bright smile before disappearing behind the closed door.

Rhoderen felt a small smile stretch onto his face for the first time in weeks. The guilt was already alleviated just knowing he was on the path of righteousness. Maybe once this mission was over, he could start believing he was a paladin again...

That night, Rhoderen slept.

They could smell the prisoner before they could see him. The cell was permeated with the strong, acrid smell of Orc blood – both fresh and old.

The human prison guard lead them down the long corridor, no one spoke. The only noise was their armour echoing off the stone walls, clanging and chinking as they walked.

"He's in that cell." The human stopped and gestured to a large wooden door. "He's in chains, but I recommend you don't get too close. He took a bite out of one of the soldiers just yesterday."

"Animal." Halena replied in disgust.

"I couldn't agree more, Miss." The guard nodded and fixed his gaze on Rhoderen, "The sooner he's out of my wing, the better. Do whatever you need to do to, Captain."

Rhoderen nodded. The human turned and walked back the way they had came, leaving the two Draenei's alone in the dark, dank corridor.

"What's the plan?" Halena asked.

"I'm not sure." Rhoderen answered truthfully. "Until I get a handle on him, we'd best just go in and try to talk with him. If we're not getting anywhere with words, we can discuss... alternative methods of loosening his tongue."

"I'm a big fan of alternative methods." Halena shot him a wicked grin.

Rhoderen pulled the wooden door open, the hinges groaned. The sound reverberated eerily down the cold stone passageway. Halena went into the room first.

"Ahh, finally! They send me something to eat." The Orc chuckled menacingly, his voice deep and gravelly.

Rhoderen stepped into the room and was immediately hit with the stench of body odour, Orc blood and bodily waste. He felt a wave of nausea roll over him, a cold sweat breaking out over his body. He heaved and stumbled forwards, a hand grasping the wall for support.

Not now...

The paladin held his breath, afraid to take in any more of the terrible stench or risk vomiting. It didn't take much to make him sick at the best of times these days, and this cell... He'd never smelt anything like it.

Halena glanced back over her shoulder and did a double-take.

"Are you okay?" She muttered in common, concern etched over her features.

"Just... give me a minute." Rhoderen replied, swiping the sweat from his brow. The warrior hesitated before nodding and striding further into the cell.

Rhoderen leant back against the cold stone and closed his eyes. He was tucked out of the Orc's line of sight here. He only needed a moment to compose himself... He couldn't let that prisoner see him like this.

"You smell awful!" Halena coughed, covering her nose and mouth. She had addressed the Orc in his native tongue.

"Mm, but you smell..." The Orc paused to inhale deeply, "Delicious." He eyed Halena hungrily and licked his lips. Rhoderen clenched his fists.

"That's because I'm not covered in my own excrement." The warrior shot back, holding the Orc's leering gaze.

"Feisty!" The Orc laughed, throwing his head back. "I like it! Have you come to entertain me, little bitch?"

"In a manner of speaking." Halena smiled. "I have to warn you though... I don't play nice."

"Neither do I." The Orc grinned, showing off a set of brown, crooked teeth – framed on either side by huge, discoloured tusks.

"Tell me who hired you, Orc, and this will all be over. I'll bring you a... mostly fresh steak and you can enjoy a final meal before a swift and painless death." Halena stated calmly, tucking her arms behind her back. She slowly circled the prisoner.

"Or what? What's a little girl like you going to do if I decide not to?" The Orc goaded with a hoarse laugh.

"I'm not going to play these games with you, Orc." The warrior ignored his futile efforts to anger her. "Tell me what I want to know."

"You Draenei women are really something." The prisoner let out a low whistle as he ran his eyes up and down the warrior's body. "It's a shame you choose to fight for the Alliance – you'd make fine whores and slaves for the Horde."

"Stop changing the-"

"Would you like to be a sex slave, woman? Your race's males are strong, but they're nothing compared to the might of the Orcs. One night with an Orc and you'd be licking Thrall's-"

There was a dull thud as Halena's fist met with the thick bone in the prisoner's skull.

"Come on princess, hit me again – I like it!" The Orc laughed, licking the fresh blood from his lip where Halena's blow had split the skin.

"Who hired you?" The warrior asked again, this time her voice sounded strained. "We already know you weren't sent by Thrall, you're a mercenary. You're no better than a common criminal – tell me, is there any honour amongst your kind?"

"I'd gladly roll on my employer, Draenei – traitorous scum!" The Orc growled with disgust, spitting a thick glob of bloody mucus onto the stone floor.

"Then tell us, Orc. Tell us who this employer is, where we can find them... I can promise you they won't enjoy what the Alliance has in store for them." Halena crouched down and looked the Orc straight in the eye.

"There is only one thing that is worse than being a traitor, Draenei..." The Orc's face crumpled into a vicious snarl. "Snitching to the Alliance. I'd sooner die! Do your worst, Goat!" He snapped his teeth.

"I can see there is no reasoning with a beast like you." Halena stood calmly and brushed her hands on her legs. "Usually I'd take pleasure in dragging every last secret from your lips-"

"Just try it, princess." The Orc interrupted. Halena smiled.

"But I just do not have the time to waste on a lowly animal such as yourself."

Before the Orc or Rhoderen knew what was happening, Halena had taken a small blade from the sheath on her belt and had driven it into the prisoner's thigh.

The Orc bellowed and thrashed in his chair. Thick, brown blood oozed from the wound, wetting the scraps of rags the prisoner was dressed in.

"Bitch! You fucking bitch!" He gasped and spluttered, spittle flew from his mouth as he strained against his chains.

"Oops, how did that get there?" Halena raised her hand to her forehead in mock distress.

The Orc roared and thrashed anew.

"Now listen here, you piece of shit," The warrior-woman leant forward to stare right into the Orc's eyes. Her voice was low and menacing. "You're going to tell me what you and your sad-sack group of clowns were doing on Alliance soil, and you're not going to spare any details."

"Alliance whore!" The Orc shot back, baring his teeth. "You'll never break me, but I will tell you this – my group of 'sad-sack clowns' made short work of your forces... We took pleasure in gutting them, so what does that make you, hm? Fools! You sent boys to do men's work... They died in agony!"

Nausea instantly forgotten, Rhoderen burst from his hiding place.

"Rhoderen, no!" Halena futilely launched herself into the paladin's path. She did little to halt him.

He grasped the Orc by the throat, crushing his windpipe. The beast's eyes bulged and Rhoderen watched as a blood vessel popped, flooding the whites with crimson.

"This is not the way!" Halena screamed, fighting her way between Rhoderen and the prisoner, her claws dug deep into the paladin's arm. He didn't feel it. "Release him, Rhoderen! He will tell us what we need, if you kill him – we'll never know who hired him!"

The Orc spluttered, a truly horrific sound. Saliva oozed from his mouth and his eyes rolled back in his head.

Rhoderen clenched his teeth, squeezed harder. The thin skin at the Orc's throat split, wetting his fingertips with blood... He released his grip.

The Orc gasped, air crackled and whistled as it filled his lungs. Rhoderen turned his back and stalked away. His heart was pounding, anger boiled in his veins. He would kill that Orc once they had what they needed from him, and he'd take pleasure in it...

"Now you know we're serious." Halena shot Rhoderen a worried glance before turning a well-schooled, stony expression back on the Orc. "Don't play games with us any longer. Who hired you?"

"N-never..." The prisoner coughed, fighting for breath.

"Sorry?" Halena growled, "I think I misheard you." She placed a hand gently on the dagger she had placed in his leg and twisted the handle. There was a sickening noise as the blade ground against the bone.

The Orc howled and gnashed his teeth.

"I'll ask again – who hired you?"

"Never tell you!" The Orc yelled, spitting blood on Halena's breastplate.

Surprisingly, the warrior stood, with a cool smile on her face she walked away and joined Rhoderen in a gloomy corner of the cell.

"Oh, I think you will." She cooed, "You see that blade in your leg? It may or may not be coated in a substantial dose of truth serum."

The prisoner thrashed violently, a look of pure hatred crossed his face but his eyes were wide with realisation.

"An Orc your size..." Halena tilted her head thoughtfully, "What do you think Rhoderen? We should have time for a cup of sweet tea, then he should be good and ready to answer our questions."

The woman walked to the cell door and held it open, and gestured for Rhoderen to exit. The Orc continued to roar and bellow, but his threats seemed emptier now.

They were going to get their answers.

Rhoderen exited into the corridor and turned to stare at the warrior, dumbstruck. Truth serums were highly illegal. He didn't know where on Azeroth Halena would have gotten her hands on a vial, especially at such short notice.

She slammed the door behind herself, drowning out the desperate yelling of the Orc and smiled at the paladin.

Before he knew what he was doing, Rhoderen had cupped Halena's face with his hands and placed a crushing kiss against her mouth.

The warrior whimpered with surprise before throwing her arms around his neck. Rhoderen walked her a few paces backwards to the wall and pushed her tight against it, their breastplates scraping against one another.

They kissed frantically, Halena's hands were everywhere – gripping his hair, digging her claws into his arm, teeth nibbling his lower lip...

"I fucking love you right now..." Rhoderen growled between kisses. No sooner had the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted saying them.

She knows what I mean... Right?

Halena moaned into his mouth and gripped him tighter.

A door creaked from down the corridor and they hurriedly broke apart, panting hard. Halena ran a hand through her suspiciously ruffled hair. Rhoderen shifted uncomfortably in his breastplate and cleared his throat.

"We, uh, we should probably get that sweet tea now." He scratched the back of his head and kept his eyes downcast.

"Well, we can. If you want." Halena wiped her brow, "But I actually only said that for effect. That knife is puncturing his artery – the serum will be in his blood stream in minutes."

"Oh." Rhoderen replied dumbly, "Well, shall we just get on with it then?"

"Are you going to be okay going back in? It is pretty ripe in there." Halena asked.

"Yes, I'll suffer through." The paladin gritted his teeth.

"Well, just give me a shout if you need me to hold your hair." The warrior teased.

"Fuck you." Rhoderen laughed.

"Sounds like a plan, Captain." Halena shot him a sultry smile over her shoulder as she let herself back into the cell.

As Rhoderen watched her, he was struck with the sensation that he'd just opened a can of worms he really shouldn't have... He followed the warrior into the cell.

The smell was just as revolting as it had been when they had first entered the cell, but this time Rhoderen was prepared. He steeled himself, gagging only once as he shut himself and Halena in the dank cell.

"Bitch... That bitch..." The Orc was muttering to himself. His body was slumped forward, a long string of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth and trailing onto his own knee.

"Is he alright?" Rhoderen asked, stalking carefully closer to the prisoner.

"Oh yeah," Halena yanked the Orc upright, his head flopping backwards heavily. "He's just dandy." The warrior patted his shoulder.

"Bitch! Betrayed me!" The Orc bellowed, his eyes were glazed and vacant.

"Yeah, yeah – the Draenei's a bitch. We get it." Halena snorted.

"No... Not you, bitch. The other bitch!" The Orc slurred.

"Who? Which other-"

"She was... No! I can't... My heart – it's... pounding. What's going on?" The Orc was panting hard, like he'd been running. Sweat was pouring from his skin, his rags were sodden.

"Are you sure he's alright, Halena? I don't want to kill him – not until he tells us what we want to know."

"He's fine – the serum was laced with a light sedative." The warrior knelt in front of the Orc and lifted an eyelid to check his pupils. "Although maybe stabbing him to get it right into the blood stream wasn't the best idea..."

"She betrayed me!" The prisoner bellowed again, weakly attempting to thrash against his chains.

"Who? Who betrayed you, Orc?" Rhoderen pressed.

"The Blood Elf! She promised us half her spoils... Those farmers had no valuables! We were set up!" He growled.

"By a Blood Elf, Orc? She hired you?" Rhoderen asked.

"By a fuckin' Blood Elf!" He roared, "Beware... of the pretty things..."

"Tell us her name – we'll make sure she gets what's coming to her." Halena persuaded.

"No honour... Bitch! She promised..." The Orc's eyes glazed over. He stared vacantly into the room. "So blonde... Pretty... She betrayed me."

"What was her name, Orc?" Rhoderen replied sternly. He clenched his fists – they were so close.

"No! Not a snitch... She... Had no name – just saw her seal. She wore it..." The Orc sighed, his eyelids slid closed.

"Hey!" Halena slapped him hard, "You stay with us – what was her seal?"

"Snake... A snake in thorns..." The Orc coughed, blood foaming at the corners of his mouth.

"One last thing, Orc – then you can go to sleep, alright?" Rhoderen crouched and put his hand on the prisoner's shoulder. The Orc nodded, though he didn't open his eyes.

"Where did she hire you? Where will we find her?" The paladin swallowed, his mouth was dry.

"...Grom'gol."