Ellana fingered the twisted branch inbetween her slender fingers. She looked behind her where her brother and Sir Sigmund followed behind. They kept fifty paces behind her at all times, trusting her to have a better eye for traps than they did. The warlock they sought had left just such a nasty trap for them earlier that day, and it was almost too late when they realized the toxic fumes exuding from stones in the clearing they had followed the trail through. Cepharion had called upon the wind to dismiss the deadly miasma and Sigmund had used the Light to purge any harmful effects from their bodies.
Ellana had not liked the manner in which he laid his hands upon her during that healing. He was appropriate, but barely so. He was a good man and a powerful agent of the Light, but his advances were unwanted. She put it out of her mind and focused her attention on the twig again. They were less than an hour ahead.
"Within the hour we will face them." She called to the two men.
Sigmund turned to Cepharion and asked if he needed a rest before they fought the warlock.
"No, Sir Sigmund. So long as I walk in the forest I need little rest. I wonder though, are you prepared to face the woman?"
This set Sigmund back a bit. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"Every time this Mageline has been brought up between us your demeanor has changed. It seems to me that you hate this woman and I fear your judgment will not be sound when we face her."
The words stung the paladin deeply. He moved a step forward and seemed taller than Cepharion, though the night elf was nearly seven feet tall.
"Yes. I do hate her." He said it matter-of-factly, with little anger evident in the statement. "She killed my brother because I wounded her heart. I have sworn an oath to repay her for her sins."
"So you have been hunting her?" Cepharion's question was more of a statement.
Sigmund looked away for a moment. He replied, "Yes. I was asked to lead an entire battalion to the Blasted Lands and fight the remnants of the Burning Legion there. I turned the commission down and selected the lowly duty of guarding the forest of Elwynn because I discovered Mageline had been in the region. I did not expect to see her with the Defias, but so she was, and here we are now." His voice grew low. "When my oath is payed I will go to the Blasted Lands and lead my people to victory. But I cannot go so long as she draws breath."
There was a heavy silence for several moments. Only the gentle breeze and the rustling leaves were heard among the three companions.
Ellana broke the silence. "Did you love her once upon a time?"
Sigmund stared at her for a moment. He answered with a hint of remorse in his voice, "I have loved many women, m'lady. Mageline was one of them."
The answer would have to suffice. Sigmund walked towards the direction the trail led and did not turn to wait for the Night Elves.
Ellana and Cepharion watched him go for a moment, and then picked up the trail behind him.
Continued in the next chapter…