CHAPTER 8 Part II
Alone on Krasus's Landing, Malfurion watched the vanguard of airships approaching the Broken Shore. Beneath them, hundreds of warships crested the waves, filled with the elite forces who would lead the offense, opening the way for those waiting in the airships above. All across the Broken Shore, he could see activity, as the demons organised, streaming over its blackened surface to meet the forces of Azeroth.
"I thought I might find you here." Kalec stepped up beside Malfurion, and tilted his head at the scene unfolding below, "I would be if I was in your place."
Malfurion didn't say anything. He wasn't in the mood to chat. Kalec cleared his throat. "Khadgar sent me to find you. We are ready to depart."
At last, it was time. Malfurion nodded. "I am ready."
Kalec cast a portal, and Malfurion once more stepped into the room containing the Na'aru Xe'ra. Kalec joined him. Besides the three of them, no one else was there.
He looked at Kalec, surprised. "Where are the others? The troops Anduin and Sylvanas promised us?"
Kalec looked away, brushing at a smudge of dirt on his sleeve. "There has been, ah, a change of plans. Very last minute."
Malfurion felt his lips thinning. These Kirin Tor, they never told anyone anything until the last moment. He crossed his arms, furious. How were they to make it across Hope's End without the support of the military?
"And?" he demanded.
Kalec shook his head, and had the decency to look shame-faced. "I confess, even I do not know yet. Khadgar said it was best no one knew until the time came."
"Tyrande's life hangs by a thread!" Malfurion erupted, livid. "Yet Khadgar sees fit to change the well-laid plans of Azeroth's finest military minds? Has he lost his senses?!" Malfurion paced the length of the room, so angry he felt himself quivering. Even the soothing light of the Na'aru could not quell the storm brewing within his heart.
Kalec opened his mouth to say something when a thin line of blue light sliced through the air, indicating a teleport was incoming. Malfurion turned, his brow lowering. Khadgar stepped through, alone, his expression taut.
Malfurion moved forward to demand answers when a woman walked into the room, out from the thin air. He stopped in his tracks, gaping. Clad in white and silver, her gown glittered with icy diamonds. She met his eyes, and he took a step back, astonished. They glowed pure violet. Her white skin sparkled, coated in frost. She took a step forward, and he felt the temperature in the room drop. The power emanating from her was tangible. Even the Na'aru's presence paled in comparison. Malfurion felt empowered just by being near her.
He swivelled to Khadgar, full of questions, his anger replaced by awe. So this was Khadgar's secret weapon, the one with the powers greater than a Guardian, even though none had given up their power to make her so. Whoever she was, whatever she was, she was more powerful than anything Malfurion had ever come across. Even the power of Malorne paled beside her.
Khadgar moved to stand beside her, protective. "Idira, may I present the Archmage Kalec, the Archdruid Malfurion and the Na'aru Xe'ra."
She tilted her head to Kalec, Malfurion and the Na'aru, but said nothing.
Malfurion bowed. "My Lady, I am honoured to meet you."
Xe'ra brightened, filling the air with soft chimes as she addressed Idira.
And so the reckoning is come.
Malfurion caught Khadgar paling at the Na'aru's oblique comment. The Archmage glanced at Idira, but she merely inclined her head to Xe'ra, the frost in her hair glittering in the Na'aru's soft light.
Khadgar said nothing for several moments, he appeared to be dealing with an internal struggle. Malfurion waited. Finally the Leader of the Kirin Tor drew a deep breath, and turned to Malfurion and Kalec. "Idira will teleport us to Hope's End and open the way. The Chamber of the Eye contains Illidan's body, which is being transformed into an avatar for Sargeras." He paused, and met Malfurion's eyes, wary. "Tyrande is also there and is under the control of the avatar. She is also being transformed into a demon, she seems intended to be its consort."
Malfurion staggered. Disbelief, then rage poured through him. How dare Khadgar keep this knowledge from him until now. Without thinking he leapt at Khadgar. He would tear the Archmage limb from limb, would pull his heart, still beating, from his—
Malfurion flew back across the room and slammed against the wall, hard.
Khadgar lowered his staff, his eyes dark. "Malfurion, forgive me. I could not tell you before now, could not risk you laying waste to our plans. You must understand for the good of all Azeroth I had to keep this from you."
Malfurion stood up, slow, as reason returned, shaming him. Khadgar was right, what could he have done to help Tyrande without the aid of the others? Nothing. He rolled his shoulder, seeking to ease the pain from its blow against the wall. "I do understand," he admitted, bitter. "In your place, I would have done the same, but still, the thought is unbearable. Please, let us make haste. I must go to her before it is too late."
Khadgar nodded. A flicker of emotion crossed over his face, quickly concealed. Malfurion narrowed his eyes, recognising it. Dread. His heart clenched. The Archmage knew something, and still wasn't telling all. Khadgar continued.
"Xe'ra and Idira are the most powerful among us, they will deal with freeing and containing Illidan and Tyrande, the rest of us will do our best to manage Gul'dan until we can get away with the other two. It is not our prerogative to defeat Gul'dan today, all we are there to do is get the pair of them away and safe. Kalec you will portal us back to this room. It has been warded in preparation for their arrival. Are we agreed?"
Malfurion nodded along with Kalec. Xe'ra's quiet chimes joined in. Gul'dan could wait, all that mattered was getting Tyrande out of there. Idira stepped a little apart from them and swept her silver staff before her. She lifted it up, then brought it down against the stone floor.
Malfurion blinked, disoriented. That was the fastest teleport he had ever experienced. His thoughts hadn't even kept pace. They stood in a dripping, dank cavern, surrounded by the broken ruins of an ancient temple. Idira left them and moved to stand in front of the solid face of a stone wall. She pressed her hands against it, frost streaking away from her palms as she uttered several low incantations. Malfurion lifted his brow, incredulous. She was using demonic spells to open the way. He glanced at Khadgar, but the Archmage's attention was wholly fixed on Idira, worry and fear etching his features.
Demonic runes flared alight on the smooth surface of the stone wall, outlining the shape of an opening. The stone in between the runes vanished, opening the way into a dim tunnel, glowing with the faint light of fel. Idira touched the nearest rune and frost crackled away from her fingers, spreading around the opening's edges, freezing the runes. Malfurion was impressed. She had opened a demonic gateway, without taking on any of its taint, and then used her own magic to overcome it. Gul'dan would have sensed nothing from her actions, and, if all else failed and they couldn't portal out, they could always run out. Clever.
Idira did not look back, she entered the dripping, fel-infused tunnel. The light surrounding her staff glowed white, a star in the darkness. Khadgar followed close behind, his staff flaring to life, lighting the way ahead for those behind. Kalec went in next, Malfurion followed him. Xe'ra came last, drifting in their wake, her light cleansing the fel streaking the sides of the tunnel's walls.
They traversed the foul tunnel, leaking with corruption. Malfurion followed Kalec down the stone steps, descending into the deepest part of the tunnel under the sea's channel. Claustrophobia clawed at him, despite being able to spend years in the depths of a barrow den, this place, even after a few minutes, was intolerable. It reeked of evil, misery and death. Guilt gnawed at him as he thought of Tyrande trapped in such a dark and forbidding place. He had done everything he could, but it still didn't feel like enough. She should not have had to wait so long for help. He should have done more. He sensed the tunnel's surface beginning to incline. Momentary relief flooded him, soon their little party would reach the end of this accursed tunnel. The light from Idira's staff stopped moving, as did Khadgar's. Malfurion hastened to catch up.
Idira pressed her hands against the stone barrier blocking their way through, and murmured several dark incantations. Malfurion felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising, sensing the magic on the other side was very dark, paid for with the blood of innocents. The wall shimmered and Idira nodded at Khadgar. He muttered a low spell, and cloaked them all—even the glimmering Na'aru—with invisibility. The way ahead opened. Idira touched a rune on the wall, and once again, ice spread away from her fingers, encasing the edges of the opening in ice.
Khadgar took the lead, his form only visible by its faint blue outline. He edged out into the large corridor, the others moved in after him, quiet. They were so close now. Malfurion could feel his heart pounding. The corridor curved away from them foreshortening their view. He could hear a man screaming, his cries muted by the thick walls of the corridor. It sounded like Illidan. Malfurion's flesh crawled, the evil in this place was overwhelming, and his brother had been facing it, for all this time.
A sudden, unexpected surge of pride flowed through Malfurion. Illidan was still fighting, he hadn't given up. Ever since they were boys, Malfurion had known his brother was by far the strongest of the two of them. If only he had known it would come to this, he would have treated his brother better. Guilt replaced his pride as he realised all his life he had been wrong about Illidan. If his brother was truly evil, he would have succumbed long ago to Gul'dan, but still, Illidan fought on, determined to defeat the Legion no matter what the cost.
Khadgar began to move forward, but Idira touched his arm, holding him back. He turned and they looked at each other for a long moment, in silence. He touched her face, before bending to kiss her, as though it would be their last. Malfurion blinked, taken aback. He glanced at Kalec, who only watched them, his expression distant and tinged with sorrow, perhaps recalling his own tragic loss against the Legion.
The screams came again, and the pair broke apart. Malfurion caught the glint of tears in Khadgar's eyes. The Archmage turned, taking Idira's hand in his, and led the party forward, passing numerous openings, lined with glowing runes. They followed the curving corridor as it descended into another long, slow curve. The group proceeded, cautious, following Khadgar as he led them deep into the living rock, the shrieks of a man in terrible agony increasing as they neared the heart of the Legion's stronghold.
The corridor came to an abrupt end. Ahead, tucked into the inner curve of the wall, a vast opening, its edges lined with hundreds of glowing runes led into the Chamber of the Eye.
Khadgar edged ahead. Malfurion could only see Khadgar's profile, but he watched him narrowly, trying to gauge what the Archmage was witnessing from his expression, but apart from his jaw tensing, Khadgar did not give much away. He gave the hand signal for the others to approach. Idira joined him, and stood by his side. Malfurion didn't wait for Kalec, he slipped past him, and looked into the room. He stopped, stunned.
It was a nightmare. No it was worse than a nightmare, because it was real. The circular Chamber was large, but not vast, its ceiling swallowed by deep shadows. Malfurion realised the long spiralling corridor they had taken encircled the Chamber. In the middle of the space, a complex circle of runes pulsed with the fetid green of fel. Gul'dan stood, his back to them, holding his staff high. Long sinuous fel tethers writhed out of his staff and plunged into a large portal, returning soon after gripping a glowing green light in their maws. The slammed, vicious into Illidan's ravaged body, he bellowed as his body tore apart and reformed, morphing piece by piece into that of a dread lord. His wrists and ankles were bound by fel tethers, holding him spread-eagled. He strained against them, struggling, desperate to free himself.
Opposite Illidan, or what was left of him, was another, also held by fel tethers, and spread-eagled against the wall. Tyrande. She still looked the same, although unlike Illidan, she did not fight, she hung there, silent and still. Only her eyes had changed, burning with the colour of fel. Sickened, Malfurion looked at Khadgar, willing him to begin their attack. Khadgar turned and nodded at Xe'ra, who moved to the front of the group. Malfurion fell back, he would not get in the way, his job was to contain Gul'dan. But unlike in the barrow den, this time it was he who had the advantage. He looked at Tyrande, determined to save her, and bring her back from whatever hellish place she was trapped within. It could not be too late. He refused to believe he had lost her.
Khadgar raised his staff. It was time. Uncertain what else to do, Malfurion prepared to cast Solar Beam, his most powerful silencing spell. Khadgar brought his staff to the ground, and the invisibility spell faded. A wall of arcane energy burst from Khadgar's staff, and slammed into Gul'dan. He lurched forward, stumbling, gripping his staff to keep himself upright. He straightened his back, and turned, his eyes blazing, his fingers moving, rapid, already casting a spell. Khadgar and Kalec prepared to attack, but Malfurion hit him first, silencing him. Gul'dan narrowed his eyes at him.
"Malfurion, you are just in time to see your wife's transformation. She has a new master now. How fitting that you will be her first gift to Sargeras," he smiled, slow, exposing his rotting teeth. He waved his hand and Tyrande turned her head and looked at Malfurion, fel flames burning in her eyes.
Malfurion stepped forward, and raised his hand to her. "Tyrande, my love, I am here."
Gul'dan chuckled, and cast another spell, quick as lightning, raising a barrier around him, the same one Malfurion had seen in the barrow den. He cursed himself for falling prey to Gul'dan's distraction. Idira lifted her staff high, and an icy shield surrounded the little group. Blue fire exploded from Kalec and Khadgar's hands, sending enormous amounts of arcane power crashing against Gul'dan's barrier. All of them slid away, useless. Gul'dan laughed, full of scorn.
"His barrier is fed by the fel power in this Chamber, our spells will never break through it," Khadgar bellowed. "Xe'ra, it is time!"
Her wings spinning, Xe'ra slipped through the frost shield and into the Chamber. The white light within her growing so bright, Malfurion had to shield his eyes. A powerful beam of light exploded from her and pulsed through the portal into the Twisting Nether. It returned within a heartbeat carrying what was left of Illidan's ragged spirit, pierced and gouged in a thousand places. Malfurion gaped. He had expected to see the spirit of the demon hunter, but the one in held in Xe'ra's light was Illidan, his brother from Suramar. Malfurion's memories filled in the gaps left by the tethers, and pieced Illidan back together. For the first time in thousands of years, Malfurion saw his brother, just as he used to be before the War of the Ancients.
Their eyes met. A flicker of hope flared in Illidan's anguished ones. Malfurion felt his own hope rise; Illidan wasn't lost to Sargeras yet. Malfurion's heart lurched, shame filling him. Illidan had given up so much to buy the Azerothians time to stop Gul'dan and the Legion. His fight had always been against the Legion, he had only ever had one purpose, yet all the Azerothians had done was hate him, exile him, imprison him, and finally murder him. Malfurion roared, furious. He had failed his brother all his life, he would not fail him now.
The light carried Illidan's spirit to Illidan's body, and merged them together, Xe'ra flared again, and three more beams of light shot out, wreathing around Illidan's body, cleansing him, burning the fel tethers away from his arms and wrists.
Gul'dan chuckled, amused. "A Na'aru. How desperate you are," he said, his malevolent voice grating against Malfurion's ears. "But you are too late. Sargeras comes. Even your Na'aru's Light will not stop him."
Freed from his bonds, Illidan rose up, half demon hunter, half dread lord. He towered over Gul'dan. "No. I will not succumb. I will destroy you first."
Gul'dan lifted his hand, and Illidan slammed back against the wall.
"Not you, fool. Your will has been . . . troublesome. You have, however, brought me another whose will has been more easily broken." He chuckled once more, pleased, and waved his staff, before their eyes, Malfurion watched, his flesh crawling, as the images of Illidan's transformation into Sargeras's avatar played.
"A small spell," Gul'dan continued. "A token really, but enough of her spirit had been broken for her to believe the illusion I played for her. She sees what I tell her to see. In her eyes, you are already his. When she saw your transformation, she lost all hope and became—" he turned his hand palm upward and closed his fingers into a fist. He looked at Illidan, and sneered, "Mine."
Horrified, Malfurion turned to look at Tyrande. She watched them, expressionless, her eyes burning, cold. "No," he whispered.
Safe within his powerful shield, Gul'dan turned, and faced her. He lifted his staff, roaring, triumphant, "And now, Illidan, prepare to fulfill your new purpose. Between your fel-enhanced spirit and hers, there is more than enough to grant Sargeras his avatar." A bolt of fel energy streamed out of his staff linking Tyrande and Illidan together, they rose up into the air, each encased within a fel sphere.
Malfurion rushed forward, reckless, leaving the protection of the frost shield. "No!" he shrieked, casting spells, wild, desperate, trying to break through Gul'dan's barrier. Nothing worked. Every spell he had slid off the hateful barrier. He attacked it with his claws, tearing at it, beating at it with his wings, the force of all nature rose up within him. He would not lose her again.
"Tyrande!" he screamed. "I am here, it is not real, Gul'dan lies!"
Behind him, he heard Khadgar bellowing orders. The mages focussed their energy on breaking the link between Gul'dan's staff and Illidan. Xe'ra fired her light, weakening the tether, but as soon as it snapped, another snaked up to replace it.
A voice, crystal clear, rose up above the chaos. A spell resonated into the air, sharp, and the temperature in the room plummeted. A bolt of ice slammed into Gul'dan's barrier, freezing it. Under Malfurion's claws the ice chipped, he dug, frantic, sensing the barrier was weakening. Another bolt of ice, and the barrier turned brittle under his claws, a small crack appeared. He threw his weight against it, slamming his bear's paws onto it with all the force of Ursoc. The crack lengthened under his assault, he bellowed, frustrated and pulled back, thinking only to ram it. He ran at it, screaming. The crack gave way, and the barrier shattered. He slammed through the jagged shards of ice and into Gul'dan, the force of his blow knocking Gul'dan's staff out of his hands. It skittered across the floor, clattering, useless. Malfurion swept Gul'dan into the opposite wall, smashing him against it. There was no time to cast a spell, Malfurion's instincts took over, his rage and fear driving him. He pummelled the orc, whose body was as tough as the ancient trees of Ashenvale. He tore at the orc's face and torso with his bear claws, his wings beating back Gul'dan's arms, preventing him from calling his staff back.
Gul'dan roared a spell, and Malfurion felt himself fly across the air and out of the Chamber into the corridor. He hit the far wall, the bones in his rib cage snapping like twigs. He felt nothing. He tasted blood. He spit it out and picked himself up, rushing back in. Somewhere in the heat of his rage he sensed the link between Tyrande and Illidan remained intact, and the mages and Xe'ra were giving their all to break it. Let that be their problem. The plan to save Illidan and Tyrande and make their escape to Dalaran was long gone. All the days he had spent confined in Dalaran pacing his apartment, waiting, not knowing, and fearing for Tyrande hit him like a tidal wave, his emotions filling him with hate for the thing in front of him. He would tear Gul'dan's head off with his bare paws. He rushed at him again, his claws extended.
Gul'dan still didn't have his staff. Idira had frozen it to the ground, burying it in solid ice. Ice rimed Gul'dan's face and hands, Malfurion realised she was trying to freeze the orc, slowing his movements. Gul'dan fought her spells, fel energy crackling around his body. Malfurion reached him, his claws drove into Gul'dan's neck, tearing him, mauling him, blood splattered Malfurion's face. He bellowed, hungering for more, his animal instincts overcoming him. A flicker of fear showed in Gul'dan's eyes. Malfurion pulled back and slammed the orc onto the floor, landing on top of him on all fours. His cat claws dug deep into Gul'dan's torso, the orc squirmed, shrieking with pain. Malfurion dug his claws in deeper, relishing the slippery feel of the orc's entrails on his claws. He reared up and smashed his bear paws into the creature's twisted face, crushing bone, and breaking teeth. His claw hooked into one of Gul'dan eyes. He yanked it out, revelling in Gul'dan's agonised screams. He was winning. He could taste Gul'dan's fear as death stalked him. Gul'dan would not have his way, he would not bring Sargeras to Azeroth. Malfurion looked up at Tyrande, a savage smile on his lips, he had saved her, he was not too late—
The eyes of Sargeras glared at him, filled with hate. Tyrande raised her hand, and a thick stream of fel fire burst out of it, driving deep into his torso. Pain, beyond his worst injuries sliced through him, as a thousand condemned souls ate into him, gnawing at him. He screamed, clawing at his torso, trying to get the foul corruption out of him. It spread like the Scourge, relentless, until his whole body quivered, trembling on the brink of its annihilation. He felt the Light of Xe'ra washing over him, trying to cleanse away the evil, but there was too much, even she could not overcome the power of Sargeras.
He lifted his eyes to Tyrande, no matter what she would be the last one his eyes would see. "Tyrande, forgive me."
The pain took him, and he succumbed, falling into the darkness. It was over. He had failed.