A/N – Just a wee update on timeline here. This chapter starts 42 days after chapter 1, and it has been 23 days since Sylvanas and Alyna were reunited in chapter 4. I've tried to incorporate the passing of time into things but I've either been too subtle, or I just suck at it. I'll try to be clearer. I'm aware that things in the game moved faster than this. Well, this is my pace.

I'd also like to thank Saron for her opinion on some of this chapter - Thank you!

Chapter 9

Two days later …

Alyna seethed silently as she rode her skeletal horse, bent forward in her saddle as they galloped down the side of a paved road. They would have taken the road itself, however the pounding sound of hooves was loud enough on the grassy verge without being made louder on the hard road. There was no tree coverage in this part of the Hillsbrad Foothills, and this part of the road was patrolled by enemy Alliance soldiers. They would have cut across the grasslands, but the road took the fastest route and Kyala had thought the risk worth taking under the cover of night.

It had taken the better part of yesterday before the tauren shaman had allowed Alyna to see her. She had not been alone either, and Alyna had found herself surrounded by tauren warriors known as braves. With the unexpected crowd, she found she could not go through with Sylvanas' order. She had muttered an apology and a vague reference to having had bad experiences with tauren in the past and had acted on instinct, and then left, not even waiting for a reply. She felt humiliated, and she was angry Sylvanas had put her in the situation in the first place.

When she had got back to the barracks, Kyala had been waiting. Talnia had left several hours previously on a mission to Arathi Highlands, and they were to follow as soon as Alyna got back. She was quietly grateful – anything was better than picking poisonous mushrooms. They had managed to requisition a pair of giant bats, the preferred flying mount of the Forsaken, and had flown south to Tarren Mill. They were now going the rest of the way on horseback.

Alyna felt a shudder momentarily go through her body. She had been struggling with the changes in her body in recent days. Ordinarily she would not have truly felt the wind buffeting her face, but her skin had become overly sensitive and she felt it keenly. It was almost like a lover's caress, and it was driving her to distraction. She could also feel her weight pressing forward into her saddle, and it took every sliver of willpower she had left not to grind her pelvis forward into it until she found release.

This is madness, she thought. Even when she had been alive she had not struggled so completely with her desires. If she had not been able to sate her need, she had ignored it and it had subsided. But what she was feeling now did not give her a moment of peace. She was finding it hard to focus on anything for long, and knew she would need to do something about it soon.

As they rode east she could see a growing shadow rise before her. Despite never having been to this area before, she knew it could only be one thing – Thoradin's Wall. Even the distant elves of Quel'Thalas had heard of the great wall that separated Hillsbrad from Arathi. It was an immense structure that bore testament to the historical defensive might of humanity. It was now crumbling, and had gaping holes in its structure. The road they were riding alongside went right through a decaying gateway, but they would not be following it that far. As the wall came closer, Kyala veered off to the south. Expecting the change of direction, Alyna followed, staying close.

After a few minutes, they dropped to a walk as they began to come across the first trees of a dense woodland. In the past, the humans would not have allowed trees to grow before the wall so their enemies could not hide, but just as the wall had begun to be reclaimed by nature, so had the grasslands. How Kyala knew which way to go, Alyna didn't know, but the dark ranger did not hesitate once as she led them on a winding path through the trees. Conversation had been sparse through their journey as Kyala had remained mostly silent. While Alyna knew it was because they were in contested territory, she was also mindful that it was entirely possible Kyala was still angry at her for what had happened with the tauren. They had not had a chance to talk about it.

Kyala pulled her skeletal horse to a stop abruptly. In her distraction, Alyna nearly collided with her, and she received a stern red glare in response. Kyala then looked ahead of them and released a low whistle. Three short whistles and a fourth longer one replied, and the two women moved their mounts onwards. A minute later, two undead humans came into view on their own horses, each holding the reins of two more. Talnia had already arrived with three other rangers, but they were nowhere to be seen. Alyna had been told the two Forsaken were members of Sylvanas' royal dreadguard, though neither of them wore a uniform in case they were spotted.

Alyna looked around as Kyala spoke to the guards. She knew little of what she was doing out here. It had been unexpected, since as far as she was aware she had not been deemed fit for active duty with other rangers, yet here she was. All Kyala had said was her singular talents were required and as such her presence was unavoidable. It did not thrill her that she was only here because they had to take her. She wanted to be invited because of her skill, not as a necessary evil. She wondered if this was how things were going to be for her. She had not yet decided if she was going to remain with the Forsaken or not, but a big part of that decision was whether she would be accepted by the other rangers.

And hopefully transfer to another captain.

"Alyna!" Kyala hissed. The former blood princess blinked and saw Kyala standing next to her, having dismounted. She followed suit and passed her reins to one of the waiting Forsaken. She followed Kyala away from the horses into the trees, and she quickly realised they were right next to the stone wall she had seen from a distance. Instead of starting to look for the gap in the wall they were to use, Kyala turned to scowl at Alyna.

"If you're not focused, you can stay with the horses," she warned.

Alyna frowned back at Kyala. "You told me I'm here because of my 'unique talents' and now you're threatening to leave me behind?"

Kyala shook her head in frustration. "If I have to, yes. The success of this mission is more important than how we do it. Talnia will just have to come up with another way to do this." She squinted at Alyna. "Look at you! You're shaking! What's got into you?"

Alyna snarled and turned away from the other ranger. The mask she wore around her mouth felt suffocating despite not needing to breathe, and she tugged it down. Kyala was right, she could not stop the shudders passing through her body. She also had no idea how to explain to the woman responsible for her what was going on because she didn't quite understand it herself.

"Alyna?" She barely heard Kyala as her mind reeled at the ache growing within her body. When she felt the strong hand on her arm trying to get her attention, she felt something inside her snap. She spun round and pinned the surprised ranger against the wall and did the last thing either of them had expected that night – she kissed Kyala.

After a brief moment of shock, her friend reacted by grabbing Alyna's upper arms and pushing her away with such force that Alyna stumbled and collided with a tree. She leant against it, still shaking considerably as Kyala stared at her with wide red eyes.

"Wh …" the ranger tried to start. "What was that?"

Alyna tried to reply, but she found that thinking straight let alone speaking was a problem. "Y-you w-wanted to know w-what's got i-into me. N-now you know."

Kyala tugged the hood of her cloak down and pressed her fingers back through her loose dark hair. "But …you've never shown interest in me before. Where has this come fr—" Alyna watched as red eyes widened further in surprise. "Oh! Oh, shit! You're going through … by the Dark Lady, you've picked a fine time for this to happen!"

Alyna grit her teeth. "Y-you say th-that like I have a ch-choice in this."

The other woman blinked. "I … well I suppose you don't." She looked around and Alyna saw a glimmer of the woman she used to know in the almost lost expression on her face. The hardened undead ranger was uncertain. "Are you able to … take care of it?" Alyna grimaced. She had tried to masturbate a couple of times over the last week, but to her morbid amusement she'd found out that required a few moments of focus she did not have. Kyala appeared to remember her own difficulties when she had gone through her own 'awakening' years before. "But I suppose you've tried that and failed." Alyna nodded, and Kyala sighed.

The practical ranger stepped forward and pulled Alyna off the tree into her arms. "If I hear you say that I'm doing this for Lady Sylvanas and not because I want the best for you … you will regret it, understand?"

Alyna could only nod before their lips met again. She knew it was a desperate, hungry kiss as they moved to the forest floor, but she didn't care. All that mattered were Kyala's hands as they moved deftly, if blindly, to remove enough of Alyna's armour so she could access her body.

"What the hell is going on here?" snapped a familiar voice. Alyna groaned deeply with her deep need and anguish at having recognised Talnia. Kyala reacted like she had been set on fire as she rolled Alyna onto her back and stood to face the angry captain.

"Captain … I … it's not what it seems! She's going throu—"

Talnia laughed, cutting off Kyala and causing her to blink in surprise at the unexpected reaction.

"I know exactly what's happening to our rebel Scourge. I'm her captain, after all, and it's my duty to know what's going on with my rangers, is it not?" After a moment's pause, Kyala nodded mutely. Alyna watched them silently from the floor, not trusting her legs if she were to try to stand. "I came back to see if you'd arrived yet." She paused before ordering, "The others are at the rendezvous. Go meet them." She looked past Kyala to assess Alyna. "I'll take care of this."

Kyala shook her head, "I don't think—"

Talnia stepped forward into Kyala's personal space, but despite lowering her voice Alyna could still make out what she said.

"While your presence here is to represent our Lady's interests, Kyala, this is none of her concern, or yours."

Kyala hissed her reply, "I think you'll find she'll take great interest in you taking advantage of Alyna's state."

Talnia smiled slowly. "Even if it's what Alyna wants?"

Alyna instinctually wanted to protest the words she was not meant to hear, but she found she couldn't. She wanted to believe that Sylvanas was still personally interested in Alyna's wellbeing beyond her use as a resource, but after she had ordered her to confess to the tauren she was not sure. She had sent her to be humiliated; why would this be any different? The Lich King had had her assaulted several times while a member of the Scourge, and she'd had no one to run to and had just had to accept the reality of the situation. If she could just prove to Sylvanas that she was a worthy resource by completing this mission she could be transferred away from the city and out of Talnia's reach.

She felt Kyala's surprised glance in her direction before her equally surprised whisper, "You? She wants … you?"

Talnia shrugged. "She has a need, and I look after my rangers, Kyala. We have few to turn to for such things, as I know you're aware, as is Alyna. Now, go do as I've ordered. We'll be right behind you."

With a last glance back towards Alyna, Kyala left.

Talnia smiled down at Alyna, who found she could not make eye contact with the captain. Her body was aching with her need for release, and she knew her only real option now was to submit, as much as it sickened her. She had to get her focus back for the mission, so when she felt the other woman's weight she did not object. When she felt lips press against hers she opened her mouth willingly to the possessive kiss, and gave in to her desire.

Her captain wasted no time in sliding her hand down over her abdomen and under the waistband of her breeches. Despite herself, as soon as she felt Talnia's fingers she pressed herself into them, ignoring the amused chuckle she received through their kiss.

"I told you you'd be mine," came the low taunt.

Alyna growled her annoyance back at the woman. "F-fuck me or f-fuck off. R-really n-not in the mood f-for your verbal c-crap."

To Alyna's amusement the open invitation momentarily stunned the captain, and she realised that Alyna's willingness had removed some of Talnia's own enjoyment from the situation. Good, she thought, moments before she felt strong fingers press up into her swollen flesh. Her body immediately reacted and she arched her back as her orgasm pulsed through her body, this time not hiding her release from her tormentor. When it subsided, her hunger remained and she knew it would not be enough. Again startling her captain, she began to rock her hips against the woman's probing fingers. Alyna felt a different kind of thrill pass through her body as she felt Talnia try to regain control of the situation. She knew the captain would eventually succeed, but until that point … she was going to make sure she had her own way, and her own release, as often as she was able.

By the time they joined the rest of the dark rangers, Alyna was feeling calmer and considerably more focused. If she closed her eyes she could still feel her basic biological urges still working overtime, but for now she could put them to the back of her mind. Talnia had crowed smugly for a short while after they had finished, but she was now the professional captain everyone generally expected her to be.

They were looking down on the human city of Stromgarde from a nearby rocky outcrop. Formerly known as Strom, it had been the ancient capital of the first human civilisation to rise from the scattered tribes, the empire of Arathor; the humans her former people had owed their blood-debt to. As the Scourge had devastated Lordaeron, Stromgarde had managed to resist. It had not prevented the nation from falling apart though, as its fearless leader, Thoras Trollbane, was mysteriously assassinated a few years ago. The kingdom came under siege from the Boulderfist ogres and the criminal remnants of the former kingdom of Alterac. The latter had reorganised and were now calling themselves the Syndicate, and had not forgiven Stromgarde for its role in the collapse of their kingdom. The capital city itself was a walled-in warzone and was split between what remained of the Stromgardian army, the Boulderfist ogres, and the Syndicate.

As Talnia unravelled a map, Alyna grumbled quietly, "I still haven't a damn clue why I'm here."

"Neither does anyone else, so don't go thinking you're special and pay attention," Talnia shot back. Two of the other rangers snickered before being cowed by a glare from their captain. "We're here to relieve Stromgarde of one of its visitors. She's a person of interest to our Lady, and we are to take her alive and deliver her to a waiting escort."

"Are we allowed to know who she is?" asked Kyala.

Talnia looked at her and nodded. "Now you are, yes. We're here for Beve Perenolde."

The dark rangers exchanged glances as Alyna raised an eyebrow. "Weren't the Perenolde's the ruling family of Alterac before they betrayed the Alliance during the Second War?"

"The very same family," Talnia confirmed. "Lord Aiden Perenolde was their last ruler, and Beve is his oldest child and daughter. Lord Perenolde is dead, and we believe his son, Aliden, has taken over the Syndicate his father created after the fall of his kingdom. We also believe Beve is not happy that her brother has assumed command and is preparing to fight him for control. She is currently in Stromgarde visiting the local Syndicate leader, Lord Falconcrest." Talnia rolled her eyes at her next comment, "Apparently, they're lovers."

"Why does the Dark Lady want to kidnap a high-ranking Syndicate member?" asked Alyna.

"That is none of our concern. We're here to do her bidding."

Alyna nearly rolled her own eyes at the answer she should have expected. "All right. Why am I here then?"

It was Kyala who answered, the realisation clear in her voice. "Beve Perenolde is an accomplished mage. A … frost mage … if I recall the rumours?" She looked at Talnia, who nodded. "We'll need to get close to kidnap her, and frost mages are notoriously difficult for those of our skillset to get close to. Her frost-armour aura prevents us from shooting any kind of paralysing arrow at her, and her ability to freeze us to the spot and blink away means we cannot get close easily."

"And I can counter her spells, and as a wielder of frost magic myself perhaps even anticipate her next move," finished Alyna.

"Exactly," confirmed Talnia.

"You could have brought any mage from the city. Why me?"

Kyala leant forward to speak quietly to Alyna, "The captain does not have to explain her orders, Alyna. Just dictate them."

Talnia stepped forward so her words could only be heard by Alyna and Kyala. "No matter what you think of me, Alyna, we dark rangers prefer to work with each other and no others as often as we can keep it that way. Though you're still training, your presence is far more preferable to any Forsaken soldier or mage." She smirked. "Particularly as none of them could climb the city walls while stealthed like we can."

"So we're taking her from inside the city?" Alyna asked curiously.

"We're taking her from inside the main keep."

Even Kyala raised an eyebrow at the audaciousness of the plan. "They're heavily entrenched in the keep. The only way to move enough of their forces would be to create a distraction larger than the six of us combined could manage."

Talnia smiled slowly. "Have faith, Kyala." She brought them all to the map and began to go through how they would enter the city and make their way to the keep. They would climb the thick wall of the keep via a buttress and wait for the planned distraction on one of the upper walkways. Then they would strike.

Except they were now sitting against the inner wall of the walkway, and the distraction had not happened. They had four dead Syndicate guards at their feet, and they were all on edge. Someone would come to check on them soon, and there was a good chance the alarm would be sounded and their plan would go to waste.

Alyna felt movement at her shoulder and turned slightly to see Kyala settling beside her.

"You seem calmer," she observed. Alyna nodded her confirmation. Then Kyala got to the point. "Tell me you consented to her … attentions."

Alyna looked away, trying to make it seem like she was watching for fresh guards. "We both know I needed it, Kyala."

"Needed to get fucked, yes. By her though? You hate her, and have never hidden that from me. Or her for that matter."

She did not want to have this conversation so she tried to throw Kyala off. "There's no need to get jealous."

"Jealous? What?" Kyala's features turned into a frown. "I wanted to help you, Alyna. Don't get any ideas beyond that." She had tried to keep the pain from her voice but she had not quite succeeded. Alyna felt bad for her friend, but it was not out of a sense of guilt as she was still incapable of such. She did not want her friend to hurt, and the fact she currently felt mistreated was a source of upset for Alyna. That she had caused it was neither here nor there to her. She watched Kyala move away back to her position, and Alyna tried to refocus her mind on the task at hand.

From below, a loud horn sounded and a determined roar rose from the city streets beyond the keep. Unable to help herself, Alyna rose slightly to peer over the wall, mindful of stealthing herself first. Her jaw dropped as she saw a wave of heavily armoured humans crash into another rank of less organised humans. The Stromgardian army had attacked the Syndicate in full force, and it was clearly a surprise to the latter. Syndicate members leapt from the shadows and all areas of the keep to join the fray in trying to keep the rightful inhabitants of the city from retaking their keep.

Kyala moved past her and hissed, "Come on!"

Alyna fell into step behind. "How the hell did Sylvanas manage to get the humans to attack?"

Kyala rolled her eyes. "She didn't, but it looks like she knew they would. Now focus!" It was clear Kyala was still annoyed at Alyna, and she figured they would talk it out after the mission was over. They'd have to if Kyala was to keep spying for Sylvanas and remain close.

As a group, they entered the top of the keep and began to move down through the tower. They were stealthed, so any guard they came across was quickly dispatched with little fuss. The distraction outside meant the bodies would not be discovered until it was too late. The attack would also mean that their target would be moved to the largest room in the keep for her own safety, so there was no need to check the private rooms for her.

The main hall had a balcony looking down into it and a narrow viewing gallery along the sides. Talnia had split the dark rangers up so that she and Alyna were on the balcony, with two more rangers in the galleries. Kyala and the last ranger were to enter the hall proper and act as a secondary distraction.

There were two doors below the balcony that led into the hall, and each had a couple of guards just inside, and no doubt a pair outside too. They could hear the sounds of battle outside the keep, but the occupants of the hall were trying to be calm. Lord Falconcrest was noticeably absent, and a blonde human woman in her forties was the focal point for the orders flowing from the area. Alyna caught a glimpse of her dark brown eyes and noted the seriousness in them. She could also feel the magic rolling off the woman as her defences pulsed invisibly, her fingers wrapped tightly around the shaft of an ornate staff. She turned to Talnia and used their sign language to communicate as much, and Talnia nodded. They'd expected her to defend herself against all threats, and her own people were also a threat to her ambitions. Alyna checked the security of her black mask and loaded her bow.

As one, the dark rangers rained down their tainted arrows into the hall. Unprepared for an attack from above, the occupants fell easily. All except the frost mage now standing in the middle of a small maelstrom of frost magic, her shield now visible. Alyna placed a pair of shadow curses on the woman to try and drain her energy, but they barely seemed to affect her.

The mage's attention was on the two rangers currently trying to get near her. Alyna could see her lips moving and instinctively tried to counter the spell. The woman blinked as her flow of energy was momentarily halted by Alyna's counterspell, and she looked up to the balcony. Her dark brown eyes met Alyna's black ones and she instantly hurled a shard of frost from her palm towards Alyna. Expecting the move, Alyna ducked out of the way and hurled her own shard back at the woman. It shattered on her shield, but Alyna knew it was weaker for the effort.

She heard a laugh. "How about you come down here and have a proper fight? We both know these rogues cannot harm me."

Alyna smiled. She thought they were just rogues, even quite possibly fellow Syndicate rogues trying to topple her power. She had not spotted their undead nature, and that would be her first mistake. Her second was thinking that Alyna would fight fairly. She stood up and murmured a familiar spell, and watched as a patch of ice formed under the woman's feet. The mage yelped as she lost her balance and landed awkwardly on her back. She lost her grip on her staff, and Alyna threw a shard of frost at it, sending it clattering to the back of the hall.

The rangers in the galleries were trying to shoot arrows at the mage, but her shield still held. Kyala was now sprinting across the hall with something in her hand, and the mage began to cast another spell. Alyna countered it, but instead of a frown she received a smile in response.

"Shit!" she cursed as a bolt of frost slammed heavily into Kyala's chest. The ranger flew back down the hall along the smooth wood floorboards, the item she'd been holding also sliding free. Alyna watched in horror as the frost magic spread across her friend's chest as she struggled. She had been tricked into countering the wrong spell by the wily mage. If Kyala had needed to breathe, she would now be suffocating, and it was that fact alone that caused the mage to pause having expected Kyala to die instead of struggle vainly.

Alyna took advantage of her hesitation and vaulted over the banister of the balcony to land on the floor below, grateful for her undead durability. She landed near the object Kyala had been carrying, and she picked it up. She recognised it for what it was, the manacles Talnia had used to restrain her the previous week. She gripped them tightly as a loud roar started just outside one of the doors. She looked up at Talnia and saw the captain's eyes widen from her vantage point and Alyna knew this had not been planned for. A large burly human charged through the doorway at her, and she snap-cast the only spell she could think of – she encased herself in ice. The male slammed into her ice block head first and bounced off it, falling to the floor unconscious. Arrows began to fly past her into the doorway as she dropped her protection. The female mage was focused on the other door, hurling her own magic at it to stop the Stromgardians from breaking through.

Alyna blinked towards the mage, covering the distance between them instantly and startling her. Before she could do anything more, Alyna put the manacles around her wrists to prevent her from casting her magic, and she then used them to pull her close.

"We are not here to kill you, but if you resist we'll all die. Understood?" Her brown eyes assessed Alyna shrewdly before she nodded.

"What do you propose?" Her voice was soft, but the underlying steel was unmistakeable. She would resist as soon as she thought she could do so successfully.

"I'm going to start to make a portal, and you're going to add your strength to fully open it."

"And if I don't want to go where your portal leads?"

"I'll kill you," Alyna replied bluntly. She had no intention of dying here today for this woman. If she was damned, she'd take the human with her.

"Fine, have it your way." She smiled. "For now."

Alyna turned and signalled Talnia with her plan. Not waiting for a reply, she began to draw on the energy around her and began casting the spell for a portal to Undercity. Before she had finished, she undid the manacles around the human's wrists, and true to her word, she began to weave her own magic into Alyna's spell. The blue-white oval portal snapped into being and Alyna immediately replaced the human's restraints. She tried to pull away but Alyna's grip was inhumanly tight.

"My, you're a strong one," the human taunted.

Their struggle had resulted in the mask around Alyna's face dropping down to her neck and when she snarled her irritation at the human she saw the brown eyes widen in shock at Alyna's fangs and pale skin.

"What … are you?" she gasped.

Shouts and clashing steel finally crashed into the hall itself as the dark rangers charged for the portal. Alyna was relieved to see one of them had stopped to collect Kyala, who was still struggling against the ice partially encasing her, but the angry humans were gaining ground. Still holding onto the woman's arm with one hand, Alyna used her free one to once again cover the floor with a sheet of ice. As they struggled and fell, one large human rose to his knee and grabbed a spear from a companion. His armour was more ornate than the others, and Alyna guessed he was their commander.

Before he could throw his spear at the retreating rangers, Alyna summoned her will into a ball of shadowflame, and she sent it in his direction. While he was wearing chainmail, his padded undergarments were not immune, and he screamed as he burned. As the last ranger fell into the portal, Alyna stepped into it herself, making sure the human female was ahead of her.

The Mage Quarter in Undercity was a permanent luminescent green, and she found herself blinking at the sudden brightness of her surroundings. She felt a powerful tug and she turned to see the woman had fallen to her knees. She was shaking.

"Wh-where am I? Who … by the Light, you're dark rangers!" Alyna was almost fascinated by how quickly the colour had drained from her face.

"She's quick," one of the rangers quipped, and the others chuckled.

Talnia was not amused. "The mage quarter? You couldn't have picked somewhere more private?"

"You can't pick just anywhere to open a portal to, Captain. Not unless you're an archmage, which I am not. I opened one to the nearest fixed point to which I'm attuned."

The captain sighed. "We need to get her out of here. Get a cape over her head and keep her hidden. If she protests, knock her out." The woman seemed to want to protest the order but seemed to realise how that would end, so she shut up. After ordering the ranger holding Kyala to the infirmary, Talnia led the way towards the ranger barracks which were thankfully nearby. They attracted nervous glances, but most citizens knew better than to look at the rangers too closely, and they went about their business. Alyna quietly marvelled at the obedience of the Forsaken as a people. They knew this was none of their concern, and they kept to themselves instead of gawking.

The barracks had a pair of cells, and Alyna placed the woman into the first, leaving the manacles on. As she turned to leave, a soft half-hysterical chuckle rose behind her.

"You find your situation amusing?" she asked.

"Honestly? Yes." Her chuckle deepened at Alyna's continued confusion. "The man you set on fire … you have no idea who he was, do you?"

"I don't care who he was, no."

"You should." Her eyes twinkled. "I've been trying to kill him for several years now, and you just … drop into my life from above and set him on fire. Congratulations … whatever you are. You just killed Prince Galen Trollbane, the last of the royal line of Stromgarde." She leant against the iron bars of her prison. "You can't even conceive of the chaos you just created with his death, can you?"

"Again, I don't care. The politics of the living are of no concern to me."

The human raised a blonde eyebrow at the blunt reply. "The living? So, you're … right, of course you are. You're different to the others, but not so different it seems." It rankled Alyna that in just a short time the human had noticed that Alyna was not quite like the other dark rangers. "So why am I here, and alive, if my politics, as you so put it, are of no interest to you?"

"Because they're of interest to someone else," came a smooth, male voice. Alyna turned and did not manage to hide her surprise as Sylvanas' last protégé strolled into view. He was just as dead as the rest of the Forsaken, but his features were still recognisable as the human male Sylvanas had controversially made a Ranger Lord of Quel'Thalas before he left to defend his lands against the plague of undeath. It would seem he had not been successful.

He acknowledged Alyna's presence with a nod before he turned to address the woman. "I am Nathanos Blightcaller, Champion of the Banshee Queen." He smiled toothily. "Welcome to Undercity."