Chapter 20

Ten weeks later…

The huge stone giant swung the uprooted tree at the dark rangers. Despite its size, it could move quickly, and not all of the rangers managed to get out of the way. One was hit squarely in the back as she tried to run, and was hurled viciously through the air. She hit another tree so hard the trunk split, before she crumpled onto the ground.

"Alyna!" cried Areiel. "Do something!"

"I need time!" she shouted back. "Distract it and I'll freeze it!"

Alyna could hear her captain swearing from forty feet away. She wasn't about to stand still and channel a spell as the giant bore down on her, so she knew Areiel would take her suggestion on board. On cue, arrows began bouncing off the creature's stone chest. While harmless, it had the desired effect and it began stomping towards Areiel and the fourth ranger present.

Drawing on her energy reserves, Alyna stood and began to channel a frost beam at the giant. Being as large as they were, it took a considerable amount of energy to freeze it, and this was the fourth one in two hours. Making matters worse, they weren't even meant to be this far west, so they hadn't come prepared for them.

Eventually, the giant was fully frozen and Areiel finished it off with an explosive arrow. Alyna felt a twinge through her body and knew she would need to feed soon. She looked around for Alaana, and realising she had not got up from being thrown into the tree, she trotted over to her form. As she got closer, she could see why.

"Shit," she muttered, kneeling down next to her ranger.

Alaana was conscious and looking at her. "That good, L.T?" She pronounced the abbreviation of her rank as 'El Tee'.

"We'll have to get you back to base," she replied.

"Out of the question," said Areiel as she approached the pair, Minea trailing behind her. "We have a mission to complete."

Alyna moved aside so Areiel could get a good look at Alaana. "Her back is broken, Captain. In several places."

The captain's red eyes glowed angrily for a moment. "We don't have time for this." She looked in the direction they were meant to be heading, and then back over her shoulder to where they had been. Finally, she looked at Alyna. "The Dark Lady ordered Gjalerbron to be scouted before her arrival in a few days, so we don't have time to take Alaana back to Vengeance Landing."

Alyna shook her head slightly, "We can't leave her here. We're too close to Gjalerbron and a patrol could find her."

"If that's what it takes to complete the mission, L.T., I'm willing to risk it," said Alaana.

Alyna scowled at Alaana. "I will not give any dark ranger to the Scourge." She turned to look at Areiel, practically challenging her to pull rank.

The captain glared at her before relenting. "If anyone has any fresh ideas, now is a good time for them."

No one said anything. Alyna had an idea, but she wasn't fond of it. She knew Areiel was not going to give up on the scout, as it would be the captain who would take the brunt of Sylvanas' displeasure if they failed. Part of her thought that was part of being a captain – knowing when to retreat, take the blame, and learn from the failure. While their problems with giants had been unforeseen, she could have brought more rangers as Alyna had suggested before they left, instead of keeping it to a minimum.

Since no other ideas came forward, her need to not let Sylvanas down overrode her misgivings.

"The taunka village, Camp Winterhoof, is not as far as Vengeance Landing. They've allied themselves with the Horde and should accept Alaana while we finish the mission. We can collect her on the way back." The taunka were the last people Alyna wanted to see, but it was that or failure.

Areiel appeared to consider the idea. "We'd still lose a couple of days. The report would not be complete." She looked directly at Alyna. "Unless someone goes ahead and gets started."

Alyna frowned. "I feel I'm too drained for a solo mission, Captain. I need to feed."

The ranger-captain shook her head. "You're still the best choice. It's that, or we leave Alaana here."

Alyna grit her teeth angrily. It was risk herself, or risk Alaana. It wasn't even a choice, and Areiel knew it. The captain had constantly put her in similar positions over the past few weeks, and it was starting to annoy her. She knew if she stopped leading from the front and started putting her rangers in danger when there was another way, she would lose their respect. Officers who couldn't command respect, were demoted. Areiel had denounced Talnia, but it seemed she had not forgiven Alyna for bringing down a fellow captain.

She pulled a map out from under her jerkin and spread it out on the ground. She traced a line with her finger as she spoke. "The aerial scouts have seen a new mineshaft open on this eastern flank of the mountain Gjalerbron is built into. I can start scouting around it, and then move higher to the north-eastern terrace. I can wait for you there without drawing attention."

The ranger-captain nodded her agreement. "Fine. We'll be as fast as we're able."

Knowing she had been effectively dismissed, Alyna gathered her map and left her sisters to get Alaana to safety. She had several hours of travel before she reached her destination, and she needed to make sure she didn't spend any more energy than necessary

The name of the mountain Gjalerbron was built into was Gjalerhorn, and it took the rest of the day for her to get there unseen by the various vrykul patrols. As she didn't want to drain herself unnecessarily, Alyna found herself using more conventional methods of stealth instead of the shadows, resulting in some very startled local wildlife as she hid in bushes, climbed trees, and even crawled into a hollow log. It all added to her frustration as the delays mounted.

Eventually, she was working her way up the Gjalerhorn. The lower slopes provided plenty of cover, but as she climbed higher the trees gave way to rock, snow and ice. She could no longer avoid using her abilities. Sighing to herself, she drew one of her swords and called to the shadows. Unseen, she began to jump, leap and climb any exposed rock she could find so as not to leave prints in the snow. When that became impossible, she moved to the main path winding up the mountain. She had wanted to avoid the path due to the occasional passage of small creatures known as snobolds. While humanoid, they were distinctly rat-like in appearance, and of low intelligence. It also meant their survival instincts were highly attuned, and if she got too close she knew she would be sensed through her stealth.

The path itself had been kept clear of deep snow, though what remained had been trampled, and in some places, had frozen to ice. Every time she took a step, she could hear a faint squeaking noise as she further compacted it with her weight. Thankfully, she wasn't leaving any prints as she kept ascending the mountain with cold precision, her sword ready should any of the snobolds detect her presence. Killing one would be a last resort as she had nowhere to hide the body, and she had no desire to alert the mountain to her presence.

She reached the mining plateau just as the last rays of sun disappeared over the horizon, and moved off to the side to evaluate the scene. There was a single sizable tent set up with a fire just outside. Though she couldn't see through the entrance, she could just make out a group of silhouettes moving around inside that appeared to be vrykul. She tried to move her position slightly. There were obstacles inside the tent that were not allowing her an accurate count as shadows moved and disappeared. She figured there were between three and six.

The short snobolds were entering and exiting the mine at fairly regular intervals, the cold weather having no obvious effect on them. Their main chore appeared to be removing debris from inside the mine. She knew the creatures were subterranean in nature, so they were useful and skilled miners. She did find it curious that no vrykul were assisting, though perhaps they only did so by day.

She knew she was going to have to try and get into the mine if she could. Since the vrykul king had been found, no new mine tunnels had been opened until this one. Sylvanas had tasked Areiel with finding out why. With great care, Alyna moved towards the entrance, being careful to avoid the snobold.

Her hopes of an easy scout were dashed when she peered around the corner and only saw an almost pitch-black tunnel. She swore to herself. She had already timed the snobold's coming and goings and she had about a minute after the next one left. She decided to see how far she could get in fifteen seconds, and then retreat. She waited for a snobold to trudge out, and then dove in. The moment she passed through the entrance she felt a strange sensation pass over her, telling her there was some kind of magic being used. The tunnel moved down a short way and then appeared to level out, blocking her view as the only light she could see was out of sight. She moved towards it swiftly, and then stopped near the lantern, unable to understand what she was seeing.

Where there should have been numerous snobolds hacking away at the rock with pickaxes and other tools, there was just one half-heartedly scraping at the surface and gathering the fallen debris.

Realising her mistake, Alyna turned to run back up the tunnel.

She did not get far. A wave of frost magic came rolling down the tunnel and she had no time to react, running right into it. She felt it rapidly wrap around her and slow her movements until she was stuck. She tried to struggle against it, but it held her tightly. If she had been living, she would be suffocating. Closing her eyes, she tried to draw on her magic reserves to try and shatter the ice block that had encased her, but she was too weak. Even worse, the magic around her was now draining what precious reserves she had left. She could feel herself getting weaker, and weaker.

A low laugh vibrated through the ice block. The ice was distorting the world outside it, but she didn't need to see it clearly. She knew who stood outside.

"So predictable," came Keleseth's gloating words. "Did you enjoy the stone giants? They're easily manipulated I found. Just as you are." He laughed. "Oh, but where are my manners?"

The ice around her shattered and she fell to the dirt floor. She felt large, strong hands grabbing her arms and shoulders. She tried to fight back, but she knew it was not going to get anywhere. Metal manacles were clamped onto her wrists, and she winced as she felt the magical dampening field they emitted pulse through her. She looked down to see small runes inscribed into them.

"Pitiful," Keleseth spat in disgust. "Such a thing should never be able to bind you. Yet, here you are." He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "You're weak. You deny your true nature even now, as you have for years. As you did when you were alive. The power you could have wielded with that runeblade if you had just committed to being a magister would have been beyond most alive, and yet you persisted in your ranger fantasy." He roughly pushed her away, and she glared angrily at him. "You were the first of us, and you should have been our queen if you had just accepted the gifts he gave you. Your denial will be your undoing." He turned to start walking up the tunnel. "I'll be rewarded handsomely for bringing you in."

"At least I forge my own destiny, Keleseth," she managed to say through her exhaustion. "You're a pawn, no matter how much power he gives you."

He turned and laughed. "Tell me, sister, how are you forging your own destiny now, hrm?" He gave the vrykul holding her a hard look. "Bring her. There's no need to be gentle."

Thick arms pressed under her armpits and she was bodily dragged up the tunnel. She wanted to hope Areiel was nearby, but she realised all that would result in was their deaths. Drained and powerless, she stopped struggling and hoped she could find someway to escape before the Lich King got hold of her.

Five days later …

"So, this is Northrend."

Sylvanas turned to regard the serious woman beside her, having just disembarked from the Windrunner at Vengeance Landing. Her former friend had changed much over the years. Having had a crisis of faith after the fall of Silvermoon, Liadrin had taken up arms and founded the blood elf paladin order, the Blood Knights. Her heavy silver armour glowed in places that had been infused with the Light, meaning Sylvanas could not stand too close to her even if she chose to.

"Disappointed?" she asked the paladin.

Green eyes turned to fix themselves confidently on Sylvanas. "You know I am here under protest, Sylvanas. My knights and I are still needed on Quel'Danas."

"Your opinion will change once you see what is happening here." Sylvanas abruptly left Liadrin at the foot of the gangway, ending the conversation. They'd had the same exchange a few times during the voyage, and she had tired of the stubborn woman. She regretted insisting Liadrin sail with her instead of with the sin'dorei vessel that was currently docking that held the rest of her people, and their horses. The paladins would be under her command for a few weeks at least, and she had wanted to make sure Liadrin understood their goals.

The queen needed to rid herself of the built-up frustration, and there was one woman she knew could help with that. She made her way over to the ranger barracks.

"Lady Sylvanas!" The queen turned to find Kyala trotting over to her. There was something about her demeanour that immediately put Sylvanas on alert. She waited for her to approach. "My Lady, we need to talk, please."

Narrowing her eyes, she followed her agent towards one of the towering exterior walls of the base. Kyala looked around, particularly towards the ranger barracks, before looking at Sylvanas. The queen realised she appeared scared.

"Alyna is … missing, my Lady."

"She is WHAT?" Sylvanas took a step towards her agent as her anger threatened to overwhelm her senses, and Kyala stood back, raising her hands defensively.

"Please, let me explain!" The queen didn't move, and Kyala took that as a good sign. "Areiel took Alyna, Alaana and Minea on a mission to scout that new tunnel above Gjalerbron. Alaana was injured in an attack and couldn't continue, so Areiel and Minea took her to a taunka village after sending Alyna onwards. She didn't show up at their rendezvous."

Sylvanas tried hard not to seriously harm her messenger. "Did they not look for her?"

Kyala nodded rapidly. "Areiel said they did and that they found no signs of a struggle."

"What are you not saying, Kyala?"

Her agent opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she said, "Areiel is saying the only explanation is that Alyna is a traitor, and that she handed herself back to the Scourge."

The words hit Sylvanas like a physical blow. Could it be true? Areiel was a highly competent ranger, as befitting her rank. If Alyna had been taken by force, she would have found something to follow, surely? Alyna had been a vital source of information as Sylvanas and the Horde leaders had planned the invasion of Northrend. There was very little she didn't know, and if she told the Lich King their plans they would be swiftly defeated. A feeling of dread solidified in the pit of her stomach as she realised Alyna had been perfect. The timing of when she had been dropped into her territory, the knowledge she had, the invaluable skills she possessed that made sure Sylvanas kept her on the front lines.

No! she thought. Alyna was loyal. She had to be. Everything she had been through to be part of the Forsaken could not have been an act. As changed as they both were, she knew Alyna would not have put herself through that for the Lich King. Her hatred was genuine; her desire for revenge was real. And ultimately, Sylvanas refused to believe the deep connection they had forged the past few months was a lie.

"Where is Areiel?" she heard herself ask without emotion.

Kyala pointed at the barracks. Sylvanas strode towards them. As soon as she strode through the door, her rangers fell into silence. She looked around and saw Areiel already moving towards her. Sylvanas took two steps towards the woman before she raised her knee and kicked Areiel hard enough in the chest to send her flying backwards. She collapsed onto a pair of chairs, breaking them in the process. She didn't have a chance to stand up as Sylvanas grabbed her jerkin and yanked her up instead.

"Where is she?" the queen asked frostily.

Areiel knew better than to try and fight back. "I don't know! We looked for her but found nothing!"

"And you thought it was a good idea to send a ranger to scout an enemy fortress alone? Against my standing order that no ranger is to do anything without support?"

"It was that or fail the mission, Dark Lady! You made it clear the report was needed and I did not wish to displease you! I thought she could get it done." Despite being in the banshee queen's grip, Areiel was surprisingly calm. Her captain's confidence in her words only served to solidify the feeling of dread in the queen's stomach. Still, she refused to believe Alyna would have betrayed her. "Do you think this pleases me?"

Areiel's boldness continued. "With respect, my Lady, I fear you may not be seeing this clearly because Alyna is involved."

Sylvanas pulled the woman closer and couldn't help the angry snarl. The problem was, Areiel was right. She would always be biased when it came to Alyna. For very good reason.

"I am going to where you lost her, Areiel. And if I find anything that you could have followed or have failed to tell me, you will be seeing Talnia sooner than you thought." She released Areiel as she almost gently asked, "Is that understood?"

The ranger-captain hesitated slightly, but then gave her a nod. "Yes, Dark Lady."

"Is there anything else you wish to tell me about what happened?"

"No, Dark Lady."

Sylvanas glared at her for a few moments before she turned to look at the assembled rangers. "Kyala, Minea, you'll be coming with me. I require three more volunteers."

To her pleasure, there was no shortage of volunteers to look for Alyna. Despite her own bias, she realised that few believed Alyna had turned traitor. Now she just hoped she could find her.

Sylvanas wasted no time in getting to the Gjalerhorn. Instead of riding there as the original team had, she had them fly to Camp Winterhoof, and jog from there. She had no care for the obvious discomfort the taunka showed at having to cater to their large bats and the Forsaken in general. They did inform her though that there had been localised blizzards around the Gjalerhorn until a couple of days ago and they were to be aware of the potential avalanche conditions. The strange incursion of the stone giants had also stopped.

As Minea guided them along the route Areiel's team had taken, she told Sylvanas what she knew.

"When we reached the Gjalerhorn, it was in the middle of a blizzard. There wasn't any activity on the path up, so Areiel took us straight up since the blizzard would cover our tracks." Sylvanas nodded her agreement. The decision made sense. "But there was nothing when we got to the top. The reports had said there was an open mine and a large tent, but we only found a cold firepit and a collapsed mine." She gave her queen a wary glance. "That was a week ago, my Lady."

Sylvanas ignored the fear she felt for Alyna at what could have happened to her in such a time. She was still hoping she was stuck somewhere waiting to be rescued. What Minea was hinting at was clear though. The ranger did not expect to find anything after so many days had passed. She didn't care what Minea thought though. Sylvanas had been the best ranger of her generation, and she had to see the site for herself.

As they stood at the bottom of the path, she could see the snow was pristine. Since the last blizzard cleared over two days ago, Sylvanas felt confident they could disturb the snow in relative peace, and she led the way up the long, winding path. When they reached the plateau, she spread her rangers out defensively to watch for intruders, and she took Kyala and Minea with her to investigate the scene. It was exactly how Minea had described it. The entrance to the mineshaft had been collapsed, and the firepit lay cold.

As Sylvanas stared at the pile of rubble before the entrance, she asked, "When was the last aerial scout of this place?"

Kyala, prepared as she always was, replied, "Two weeks ago. Areiel sent them out to confirm the mine was still active before she signed off on the mission."

The queen knelt down at the mostly buried firepit. "So, was the camp struck before or after Alyna was here?"

"Captain Areiel came to the conclusion it must have been before, my Lady," reported Minea.

Sylvanas looked up at her ranger. "Based on what?"

"Based on what you see. Nothing here has been disturbed."

"So the blizzard was already in effect when Alyna got here?"

Minea appeared confused for a moment before she glanced around. When she looked back at her queen, she was clearly uncertain. "I don't know. There were definitely no storm clouds above the peak when we turned back to the taunka. I can't tell you when the blizzard started, my Lady."

Sylvanas swore. She started clearing the powdered snow along the side of the firepit the tent had been reported to be on. It cleared easily, and despite being several inches deep it didn't take her long to get down to the compacted snow and ice beneath. Within seconds, she then began to see footprints. She gave Minea a pointed look, and the ranger could not hold her glare.

"Clear the snow off this damn plateau." She stood, expecting her order to be followed and called for two more of her rangers as she strode to the mine entrance. She pointed at it and demanded, "Clear the rubble. I want to see what's inside." Part of her hoped Alyna was trapped beyond the rock, but her cynical side knew that would be too easy.

"My Lady," started a ranger, "this could be meters deep."

Sylvanas turned to give her an angry, red scowl. Both rangers immediately began clearing the rubble. If it was that deep and it took them all day, then so be it. She was not leaving the site until she knew everything there was to know about it.

As it was, both tasks took a few hours with the snow being cleared first. The queen knelt down near the top of the path. The ground was a mess of footprints, with very small ones making up the majority of them. With great care and attention, she was able to see that the uppermost prints were larger. Several large sets with a slightly smaller set, she realised. Vrykul, she surmised. And something else. Something more … elf-sized. She took a closer look at those prints and knew they were slightly too big to be Alyna's. What she could see though were long grooves intermittently spaced.

Kyala's voice came from behind. "My Lady, the mine is open enough for you to go through, though I would exercise caution. It is likely unstable."

The queen rose smoothly and gave her agent a nod. "I'm sure you will dig me out if it were to collapse."

Kyala gave her a small smile as she escorted her queen to the mine entrance. "Of course, my Lady."

Her rangers had done a good job, and it wasn't as tight a squeeze as she expected as she slipped through the narrow opening they had created. A lit torch was passed through to her, and she held it up. The tunnel was barely high enough for a grown vrykul, and was angled down for the first few meters. She didn't expect any trouble, but she drew a sword regardless and moved further into the mine. As she got to the bottom of the incline, she frowned at the sight.

She had expected a tunnel that had been active for as long as her scouts had told her to be much deeper, but it ended right before her. This wasn't a cave in or intentional collapse either. Right by the solid wall, was a dead snobold. She tilted her head in confusion. It was half-encased in ice, with much larger chunks of ice scattered around the immediate area. She knelt down to examine the blocks, and saw the dirt had similar grooves going up the tunnel to what she had seen outside.

Sylvanas pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn't be certain what had happened, but her instincts told her Alyna had walked into a trap, and had been dragged out. By the looks of the grooves, she even thought Alyna had intentionally dug her toes or heels in to create them.

That's my girl, she thought as she stood. She hated the thought of Alyna being a prisoner, but now she had something to go on and she felt a cold determination fill her being. She was going to find Alyna.

Knowing what she had to look for now, she made her way back up the tunnel. As she reached the top, something caught her eye along one of the walls, and she held the torch up. Faintly carved into the rock and dirt was a burnt-out rune. She didn't know what it meant, but by its state she knew it was spent. She passed the torch out through the entrance and then followed.

Kyala looked at her hopefully as Sylvanas walked over to the top of the path and called in her rangers from their posts. She looked at each of them, before pointing at the grooves uncovered earlier. "Alyna has been taken by vrykul. These are the tracks she has left for us to follow. I don't care how much snow you have to clear – we will find her."

A chorus of agreement and affirmation passed through her rangers. Minea looked slightly sick. Kyala looked very determined.

The grooves didn't last much beyond the bottom of the path, but by now there were other signs emerging that allowed the skilled trackers to be able to follow the kidnappers. As the snow cleared, their task became easier. They followed the trail south, and just when Sylvanas thought it was going to lead to the vrykul town of Skorn, it skirted around the town towards the lake.

After over a day of tracking, it led them to the edge of the lake and a small jetty. Sylvanas felt her hopes sink. She could see a jetty on the other side of the lake with a sizable skiff tied up to it. What made her soul ache was the realisation of where Alyna had been taken.

Utgarde Keep.

Three days later …

Sylvanas leant heavily against her planning table. She was back onboard the Windrunner, and she was close to giving in to something she felt was despair. The first thing she had done when they had arrived back a few hours ago was to imprison Areiel. The next was to call her senior advisors to formulate a plan to invade Utgarde Keep. They had all agreed it was not possible to launch an assault on such a heavily guarded position with the resources they had.

You can't rescue Alyna.

You've failed her, again.

She felt her legs give way as the thoughts repeated themselves over and over in her head, the table leg now supporting her body as she slumped to the floor.

She heard the knocking on her cabin door, but ignored it. That apparently didn't sit well with the knocker, as the door opened, and then closed. Heavy boots slowly walked towards her.

"Well, this is not quite the image of the Banshee Queen I'm used to," came the mocking words of Liadrin.

Her reply was sullen. "I don't particularly give a fuck about what you're used to."

She heard an amused snort. "Well, some things never change." The boots paced slightly. Liadrin's voice was softer when she eventually spoke again. "I heard what happened. I … came to offer my help."

Sylvanas finally raised her head and laughed humourlessly. "I suppose with the Light on our side we can't possibly fail."

The blood knight matriarch put her hands on her hips. "There's no need to be rude."

"Rude?" Sylvanas slowly stood and gestured at the keep on her map. "My advisors tell me it's impossible to breach the keep with the army I have at my disposal, and you come in here thinking your help will make all the difference?"

"If you want rude, I'll give you rude." Liadrin strode up to the table, removed her plate gauntlets and slammed them down on the map. "What makes you think she is even still rescuable? It's been long enough for her to be one of them again!"

The queen whirled on the blood knight angrily. "Even if she is one of them she is worth saving!"

Liadrin raised a rusty-red eyebrow. Her next words were quiet. "Let me help you."

"How?" Sylvanas demanded.

The matriarch shrugged slightly. "Being a paladin means I have made contacts amongst the Alliance paladins, particularly through what happened on Quel'Danas. I have intelligence to suggest the Alliance managed to get into the catacombs beneath the keep, and blow a hole up into it. By accident, supposedly, but it's a way in. For a small force."

The stunned queen found herself staring. "A handful against an entire keep of vrykul? I was wrong about you, Liadrin. You're not egotistical … you're fucking insane."

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment coming from you."

Sylvanas felt herself slump back against the table again. She just didn't have it in her to rage against the infuriating woman. She had let Alyna get close to her, knowing she could become a casualty. This was the consequence of it.

Unexpectedly, Liadrin reached forward and tapped the queen's ring finger though the leather gauntlet she wore. "You still wear it. I can sense the Light in the ring." Instinctively Sylvanas pulled her hand away. Liadrin chuckled. "I helped make them, Sylvanas. Don't even think of denying it."

"Is there a point to your badgering?" she asked in annoyance.

"Perhaps." She could see Liadrin give her a curious look. "Did you ever have the chance to tell Alyna what they do?"

Something akin to wariness passed through the queen's body as she slowly looked up at Liadrin. "No. There wasn't time when we … exchanged rings. And then … I … forgot."

Red eyebrows nearly shot off the top of Liadrin's forehead in surprise. "You forgot? How could you forget such a thing?"

"Determination, regret and a broken heart," murmured Sylvanas as she held her own hand. "It also helps that I cannot trigger it myself. It was easy to forget."

Liadrin shook her head slightly. "Of course. Because you're dead. That would prevent you from triggering it, yes."

She went quiet, and Sylvanas grew suspicious. When their eyes met, Sylvanas knew what Liadrin was about to do. "No. Don't you dare!"

"You'll thank me later," came the calm words.

Sylvanas started to slide along the table, away from the paladin. She knew her voice had a faint tremor in it. "Liadrin, I swear, if you do this I will make sure you know no end to your suffering!"

"It'll only hurt for a moment. I … think." Liadrin shrugged and made a gesture with her hand towards Sylvanas.

Pain immediately seared through the queen's ring finger and she gasped, holding her hand to her chest, as the Light burnt her undead form. The pain was not brief, but it was overwhelmed by what came next.

The engagement rings had been forged to absorb some of the essence of the wearer. When the rings were united to form the wedding band, the essence of the lover was also sealed within it. What Sylvanas had not had a chance to tell Alyna, was that it was not just the essence that was absorbed, but emotion as well. Emotions that could be triggered. It had meant to combat their loneliness during their time apart while Alyna trained on Quel'Danas.

Now, the love Alyna had held for Sylvanas at the moment they fused their rings was coursing through the queen, along with her unwavering trust and loyalty.

Sylvanas fell to her knees and felt herself curling into herself. It was too much for her to bear and she cried out, though it sounded more like a sob to her ears. Everything Arthas had taken from her, from Alyna, was painfully obvious and she hated him for it. She needed Alyna more than anything, and now she was not here. She felt another sob shudder through her, and as the feelings subsided, she knew she was shaking. She wiped her face with the back of her gauntlet and was slightly surprised to see her arm come away covered in a black, slightly congealed liquid – her rarely shed version of tears.

Liadrin spoke softly, but firmly, "Are those the feelings of a woman who would ever give up on you, Sylvanas?"

"Fuck you," she shot back.

"Do you want my help, or not?"

The queen was still kneeling on the floor cradling her hand. She was probably going to need a healer for the deep wound she knew was there. A wound that would pale compared to the one left if she couldn't get Alyna back.

She was angry at what Liadrin had done, but she eventually replied, "I will only take volunteers. I won't order anyone onto a suicide mission of this nature."

"Oh, that won't be a problem," said the blood knight casually. "I already spread the word and all of your rangers and most of my paladins are waiting outside on the main deck. I did consider offering the mission to your dreadguard as well, but I thought that would have been a bit overkill, don't you think?"

Sylvanas had no words and finally raised her black-streaked face to stare dumbfounded at the highly amused paladin.

The red-head gestured at the map with a wide grin. "Shall we get to work?"