~ The unforeseen ~

~ by Anne Shard (alias Odeena Skywalker) ~

Chapter four: The rescue

Illidan rose higher and higher, until Maiev's voice faded and eventually died out. For the moment, he was lost to his senses, as the sensations he had longed for so badly during his imprisonment overcame him. The night was warm and, despite all things, serene. The infinite sky above him was filled with stars, and for the first time in hundreds of years, Illidan wished that he could see them. A soft breeze combed through his long hair as he went, and he gave a small sigh. He could have gone anywhere he pleased, and there would be no one to stop him. In mere decades, the race of the Night Elves would be extinct, and the Burning Legion would conquer the luxurious forests of Ashenvale. At last, he would have his revenge.

Illidan shook these thoughts away and descended sharply, until he was just above the dark, waving mass of the treetops. Then, he began to scan for the lost priestess. His altered sight revealed large gatherings of demons on the move, and all were converging on the same location - the Sentinels' base. Many of them were still far away, but the threat they posed was indisputable. He would have to warn his brother about it when he returned.

After a while, Illidan finally saw what he had been searching for. It was a translucent soul, part silver and part crimson, running swiftly through the forest. He sped up, and landed just before her. At the sight of him, the possessed priestess came to a rushed stop and recoiled with a hiss.

"Be gone, dark one." Her voice was not the deep, confident one of a Sentinel, but the soft hiss of a banshee. "This body is mine."

"You will leaver her now, and I shall let you live", Illidan said quietly. As he spoke, he brought forward one of his blades, stopping it inches away from her neck. "Otherwise, you shall die."

The priestess jumped back, landing in a crouch. "You shall not take what is mine!" she shouted.

"So be it then." Using his great speed and agility, Illidan lunged forward and caught her in a tight grip. The priestess began to struggle violently, using all of her her strength, amplified as it was by the undead presence inside her. Illidan tightened his grip, and soon she began gasping and panting as she clawed at his arms futilely.

Taking hold of a mortal body, a banshee would displace the original soul in it and transform it little by little, eliminating its weaknesses and increasing its strength and abilities. But this required time, and at the moment the priestess' body was vulnerable, and her soul was not entirely consumed. Suddenly, the banshee emitted a high-pitched scream, and left its victim's body. Then, before Illidan could react, it entered him.

The sudden invasion was so painful that Illidan fell to his knees, crying out. His body felt like it burned with white hot fire, and his mind was overcame by pain and rage. His muscles contorted painfully, and the world seemed to be breaking apart as he conjured up all the energy he could gather and transformed into his demonic form. The banshee's soul vanished in mere moments, engulfed by that of the demon.

Panting, Illidan looked around. His demonic form improved his 'sight', and the plague that ravaged the forests of Ashenvale was now clearer than ever. His heart cringed painfully as he 'saw' what had become of his former home. Many creatures had been touched by the Legion's corruption, and now roamed through the forests, mindless beasts whose will was set on the sole purpose of killing. The trees were dying. The land itself seemed to be corrupted by some unknown curse. It would take years, even decades, before Ashenvale would be restored, should this happen at all.

Illidan shook his head. Without help, the Night Elves could never win this war. Even with his aid, they were no match for the remnants of the Legion. There was but one way to even the odds, and this was to call upon his own armies. The Naga and Blood Elves were a considerable force, powerful enough to insure their victory. His brother would have to accept this alliance; there was no other way.

The priestess on the ground moaned quietly. Illidan sighed. He would have to think of this later on; now, he had to return the injured woman to the Sentinels' base. He kneeled next to her and took her hand, feeling for her pulse. It was weaker than normal, and she was breathing with difficulty. She was exhausted. He lifted her from the ground and cradled her in his arms as if she were a sleeping child. She stirred a little, and then she opened her eyes.

"What... happened?" she asked, her voice weak. She looked up, and a small smile played across her lips at the sight of him. "You're Illidan Stormrage", she said, her voice somewhat relieved.

Illidan nodded his head. "Rest now", he said. "I will take you home."

"Thank you." The priestess nodded, and then, to Illidan's utter astonishment, she slipped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. Moments later, she had dozed off once again. Illidan shook his head, and then spread his wings and rose into the air once more.

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Author's Note: New chapter! I must confess, this chapter was particularly difficult to write, and I had to do a lot of improvising about how it feels like to be possessed by a Banshee and that kind of stuff. Anyway, I hope I didn't go off-track too badly :) Stay tuned for more! (And, for a little spoiler, the Naga and Blood Elves will come into the fanfic soon!) Thanks for reviewing go to:

Warp da Warp Liger : I'll finish the fic for sure, because I don't like to leave my works unfinished. By the way, I tried to access warcrafti.net, and it didn't work... The address that did work was warcraftiii.net. Oh well... maybe it's just my dial-up connection going haywire again O_o...

drizztranger: No problem - but I had to think of a way to justify my short answer! Thanks for reviewing! :)

Destro1990: Yes, I hope that I'll live to see that day... *grins* So far, my record is 19 reviews for a chapter of my LOTR fanfic 'Legolas and the Really Messed-up Fanfic'... when I saw 19 e-mails from bot@fanfiction.com I was on the verge of having a heart attack! :)