[Author's Notes: This is the final chapter of Last Stand and I hope you've enjoyed the ride! I'd love to hear what you think so please leave a comment or send me a PM. I know I enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoyed reading it :) ]

Chapter 10

They invaded from the south and gained ground faster than Iyo would've believed possible. He and Nara were among the first to arrive on the battlefield. By the time they landed, the servants of the Fire Lord had made it nearly halfway to the Sanctuary of Malorne. Trees were scorched, the ground was blackened and the air was like breathing flames. There was no way either of them could've prepared for this.

The druids were scattered, ardently defending their homeland in small skirmishes with walking flames, the tall snake-like flamewakers and worst of all – what had once been their brothers and sisters.

Iyo and Nara stayed close together with the cliff-side rising at their backs. The heat was nearly unbearable and after a few short minutes, Iyo's light leather armour was soaked through.

"Iyo! Your left!"

He spun and a beam from the heavens struck down the druid of the flame as she attempted to activate the waiting portal. A small pang cut through his chest for the misled druid. And then real pain replaced it; a burning searing pain... Iyo clutched at his cheek and turned away from the druid's corpse.

Nara had somehow attracted three flamewakers and a horde of living flames. Roots clutched at their feet, only to wither and die in the heat. Iyo dodged a fireball and flung back his own arcane ball, grinning as it hit a flamewaker in the face and then hissing as the grin hurt his burnt cheek.

Beside him, Nara had pulled out her staff and the beautiful beechwood spun and twirled with her, keeping the living flames at bay. Showers of arcane and nature magic burst with each hit like blue-green fireworks.

Iyo coughed, flinging another arcane bolt at a flamewaker, who barely flinched. Breathing was getting more difficult and with each spell, he gasped for air. With strength from Ysera-knew-where, he raised his arms and millions of arcane droplets began to fall from the sky like rain.

Next to him, Nara was now leaning heavily on her staff. She had somehow managed to convince the destroyed, scorched trees to get up and fight and it was taking everything she had to continue to direct them.

And yet another wave of flamewakers and living flames surged up the hill in front of them. Iyo was ashamed at how relieved he was to hear the horn to retreat.

Horns.

Low, desperate horns echoed across the silent, still camp.

Across the tent, their eyes met for a long moment and then Kirge was gone. Metal on metal clattered outside her tent. Several sets of feet ran past. Shadows danced on the canvas walls.

Leda was out of breath by the time she made it to the tent flap. Her armour was a mess – shredded by Aethalia and Cayl to get to her wounds – and lay abandoned back in the tent. Her tabard would have to do.

"An' get up in dem towers!" Zeb had his back to her and was yelling at an orc with a bow while at the same time shrugging on his studded vest. Summoning all her strength, Leda joined him. To his credit, he hesitated for only a second before launching into a briefing. They'd waste too much time arguing about her health and in the end, Zeb knew Leda would win.

"De elves, dey o'erwhelmed our defenses in da sout' across dere original bridge. We be spreading out aroun' da islan' wit' aroun' da clock wyvern patrols. In da end, we was too spread owt. I still be expectin' anudder front since dat's how we be takin' da city. I'm t'inkin' 'ere," he pointed to the eastern shore, where the distance from shore to island was the shortest. The troll spoke quickly and his accent had thickened, but somehow Leda managed to follow.

"Sounds about right. I'd expect the same thing. Send extra casters to the east, but don't pull too many from the north or west either. Last thing we need is to be cut off from Hellscream's."

"Don't be lettin' Aethalia be seein' ya, Ledabuhr."

"I'm kind of hard to miss, but I'll try," she smiled. The tauren took a step back and roared in agony as she shifted. Paws wavered and knees buckled as the gashes on her back re-opened, blood trickling down her side. When Leda's vision cleared, there was Zeb, looking at her like it was the last time he'd see her. Chest heaving with the effort, she turned and hobbled out of the command centre.

Her city was in ruins – fires sprung up both from overturned braizers and mages with terrible aim. Leda hurried to the southern bridge, where the fighting would be thickest. Astraanar was hers and she wouldn't let a single night elf stand between her and the city.

The elves had already advanced onto the island and were almost three house-lengths inside the city. Her anger coursed through her body and all the pain and weariness were pushed back. Leda took a deep breath and lumbered into the fray.

The first elf to stand in her way was female and carried an axe. She didn't stand a chance and Leda could see the fear in her eyes when faced with a full tonne of bear. The elf was frozen in fear when Leda reared up on her hind legs, standing at her full 9 feet before crashing down on the tiny elf.

The next elf carried only a staff. Her cloth armour got stuck on Leda's claw and only served to annoy the bear. But she forgot about the purple silk between her claws when she spotted Kirge. He was parrying with an elf who had an impossibly long polearm, but there was no way for the tauren to win with only the glaive he had picked up.

With a roar, she charged in.

They made their stand south of the Sanctuary of Malorne at the bottom of the hill. Another portal had been opened and several druids of the flame were channelling, opening it wider and wider. Elementals, flamewakers and another of their former brethren poured through the gateway. Iyo and Nara stood with too few. Above them soared a mere dozen druids of the talon. Below them on the hill were a menagerie of lions, bears, dryads, deer and a couple of tigers. But there wasn't enough. Not nearly enough of them.

The air was relatively clear, but not for long. Ash drifted past Iyo's nose as he took a deep breath and raised a hand into the air. He exhaled and closed his eyes. Clouds formed at the bottom of the hill, gathering together out of nothing. Thunder crackled and echoed through the valley and then the rain began. It poured and the flamewakers beneath were drenched, they hissed and screamed as their magic refused to cooperate. Sweat beaded on his brow and a sharp pain pounded in his chest, Iyo gasped for breath. The world spun.

Cool hands.

His head hurt. The burn on his cheek pulsed with his heartbeat. Every muscle ached, the effort to open his eyes was monumental. But worth it.

"Don't you do that to me again!" Nara looked terrified. Her cool hands were on his forehead, his cheek, over his heart. The pain lifted slowly at first and then faster, but not entirely. She helped him up awkwardly, supporting what little of his weight that she could.

"How long was I out?"

"Too long," she turned to look down the hill and he followed her gaze.

Flamewakers were making their way up the hill, followed closely by strange-looking elementals. They trod on the bodies of their fallen brothers and sisters. They were the last two and still more denizens of Ragnaros poured out of the portal.

To be continued