~ The unforeseen ~

~ by Anne Shard (alias Odeena Skywalker) ~

Chapter three: Illidan's aid

Taking his brother's advice, Illidan had allowed himself to fall asleep. However, later that night, he awoke to the sound of commotion. Curiosity getting the best of him, he jumped to his feet, picked up his twin blades, which had been brought into his hut while he had been sleeping, and rushed outside. Once there, he paused, uncertain; then, he spotted a gathering of Night Elves a little farther, and he hurried towards there.

A large number of Sentinels formed a half-circle around something Illidan could not 'see'. To his surprise, the other Night Elves parted as they saw him, allowing him to reach the center of the gathering. There stood an archer; her left shoulder was torn and bleeding, and many other wounds covered her body. She was leaning heavily on a large druid, whom Illidan recognized as being his brother. He came closer, and listened.

"--ambushed", the archer was just saying. "The demons cut off our retreat, so we had no choice other than to fight. But there was little we could do against such a force. Our Priestess saw it, and sent me to ask for aid." She paused, gasping for breath. "My sisters can't hold out much longer. You must send help."

"Let me go."

Furion started, and then he frowned as he registered Illidan's presence. "If you so desire... I will send my finest druids to--"

"I don't need their help. I can handle this. Alone. There is no point in risking yet more lives."

"There is also no point in putting your life at risk. You are, at the moment, the last hope the Sentinels have of winning this war. With your help--"

"I know that, brother, but for every second we waste, their odds of surviving grow thinner. I have fought against the Legion before, I know what to expect. Your druids would be slain. Please. Let me go alone."

"No. Not alone. I'm coming with you."

Both Illidan and Furion turned in surprise. Unnoticed, Maiev Shadowsong had pushed her way past her fellow Night Elves and was now standing next to Illidan. Furion sighed; time was running out. Finally, he gave a reluctant nod. "Very well, Illidan, Maiev - you may go."

"Good luck catching up with me." Before any of the Sentinels could guess his intentions, Illidan leapt in the air, then spread his wings and sped away. Maiev cursed loudly, then followed him, running to keep pace with the demon. Still, it wasn't long before she lost sight of him. However, she could now hear the faint sounds of a battle being fought not too far off, and she hurried towards them.

Meanwhile, Illidan used his altered sense of sight to find his way to the distressed group of Sentinels. He could sense a large amass of demons due north, and he headed towards it, his twin blades gleaming in the moonlight. Finally, he saw it: in a small clearing, about a dozen Night Elves fought fiercely against a seemingly limitless number of demons. Mangled bodies, both elven and demonic, littered the ground.

Illidan abandoned himself to his instincts completely. He made a sharp descent, at the same time bringing forward his blades and cutting a demon's head clean off his shoulders. He landed in a crouch; a swift second later, he launched himself at another demon, and, before the startled creature could react, its head and upper torso had been separated from the rest of its body.

At the same time, a small shape emerged from the surrounding trees. Maiev Shadowsong had finally reached the battlefield, and was now coming to the aid of her sisters. For a brief moment, Illidan wondered whether he could use this opportunity to kill her. Amidst the chaos of the battle, no-one would notice, and even if they did, there was nothing they or even his brother could do about it. But, Maiev was skilled in combat, and the loss of hear would mean depriving the Sentinels of a worthy warrior. Shaking his head, Illidan focused entirely on killing as many demons as possible. There would be time for his vengeance after the war with the Legion had been won.

After seemingly countless hours, the demons finally fell back. Panting, Illidan made his way towards the small group of survivors. Only five Night Elves had survived the battle.

"I am Illidan Stormrage, brother of Malfurion, your leader. Do not fear me. I have come to your aid."

"We are grateful for your help", a tall archer replied. "Belated as it was."

"I came here as soon as I heard about this battle", Illidan said, his voice gaining a dangerous edge to it. "If anything--"

Another archer stepped forward. "I ask you to pardon my interruption. I've heard of you, Illidan Stormrage. We are most grateful for your assistance. However, during the battle, our priestess became possessed of a Banshee and ran away. We would be eternally grateful if--"

"You should be grateful you survived", Maiev cut in. "Your priestess is probably dead by now. And even if she were alive, we cannot afford to waste our time with such matters."

"But I can." Illidan looked at Maiev, as if daring her to say otherwise. However, his words were addressed to the archer. "I will find your priestess, and, should she be alive, I will return her safely."

"Illidan, I forbid you to do this."

"Only my brother can forbid me anything, Maiev. You are to watch me. If you so desire, then you may follow me on ground. Nevertheless, I doubt you would be foolish enough to do so. Alone, you are an easy prey."

With that, Illidan spread his wings and rose swiftly in the air. All the time, the image of another priestess - one who was lost to him forever - persisted before his blind eyes.

___________

Author's Note: Well, this chapter was definitely longer than the previous ones, wasn't it? To tell the truth, I'm surprised that it's coming out so good - this is my first attempt at writing a serious Warcraft fanfic, and judging by my readers' reactions, people really like it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and stay tuned! More coming soon!

drizztranger: Thanks! (Note: a one-word review gets a one-word reply. Fair enough, ne? ^_^)

Nosterafu999: Thank you! I hope you read the other chapters as well, and you liked them as much as you liked the prologue.

Warp da Warp Liger : Well, I'll keep that in mind! Thanks for reviewing!

Rion: I'll try to write faster, but I also want to make this story as good as possible, and I don't want to spoil it by scribbling something in a hurry just to have something to post. Be patient.

Darth: That will happen in the end of the fic, but there's still a long way to go until then.