Merry Christmas :) xx

Chapter 23

A few days later …

Alyna pulled back on Sable's reins to slow the steed to a walk. The snow was getting deeper, and while the horses were undead a broken limb could still happen if they put a hoof in the wrong place. Behind her, the dark rangers of her company matched the new pace she set. They had made good time in their journey. Venomspite was not far.

She felt a presence ride up to join her at the front of the column. Alyna didn't have to turn her head to know who it was.

"Are you done sulking?" she asked neutrally.

Kyala huffed. "I don't sulk."

Alyna gave the newest lieutenant a brief glance to confirm that she was right about her friend's mood. "So, I should not inform our Queen you have been … ungrateful?"

"Lady Sylvanas is well aware of my feelings on the matter," Kyala replied indignantly.

Alyna mused, "It had to happen sometime."

The other woman didn't immediately respond and just stared ahead as they let their undead beasts pick their way through the ice and snow as surely as they would have had they been alive.

Eventually, the newly promoted Kyala said, "At least you're my captain. Again." She half-laughed as she added, "If I have to be an officer at least I know you won't have me giving stupid orders."

"Is that a compliment, Lieutenant?"

Kyala snorted. "Don't get used to it."

A couple of the rangers behind them chuckled. Alyna smiled slightly. She was glad Sylvanas had promoted Kyala into her own vacated position, despite her friend's resistance. They worked well together. She also unquestionably trusted her, which was something she greatly needed right now.

Once they had arrived back at Vengeance Landing, Kyala and Alaana had filled her in on what had happened after she had been captured. While Sylvanas had given her a brief overview, the rangers had provided her with all the details her queen had glossed over, or simply omitted. She had known Areiel had not liked her, but she hadn't realised the dislike went so far as to happily brand Alyna a traitor at the first opportunity. She had wanted to pay the former captain a visit in the hold of the Windrunner, but Sylvanas had warned her against it. Though a prisoner for now Areiel would be expected to return to duty once her punishment was over and it would make it difficult for them to work together if Alyna took any revenge on the woman. Reluctantly, she had agreed to behave.

The two officers going silent meant the conversation behind them was easier to hear. Alaana's voice in particular carried to the captain's ears. Alyna inwardly groaned as she realised the dark ranger was retelling the story of her rescue for the umpteenth time. She kept her eyes on where the path should be as the words floated forward.

"She has always been the best of us, and to see her in action again was something else. A couple of times it was clear she was following a trail, but I couldn't tell you what it was. She led us straight to the keep without losing it."

The general murmurs of awe were interrupted by another voice quipping, "The Dark Lady was tracking Alyna. She could probably just smell her!"

Alyna decided to pretend she had not heard the comment that resulted in muffled laughter. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Kyala glancing back at the gossipers with a stern glare. The effect was a small gap being left between the two officers and the cohort. Alyna realised it was intentional.

"For a spy, you're not very subtle," Alyna casually observed.

Kyala chuckled before becoming more serious. She threw a nervous glance towards Alyna.

"When our Lady was told you had not been seen for a week, she was angry. When she was told you'd been sent out alone without any back up … she was furious. When you were called a traitor, she hit Areiel so hard we thought she'd ripped her head off."

"Does that bother you?"

Kyala turned to look at her properly, slightly surprised by Alyna's question. "That she clearly favours you above all of us, despite you being new to our ranks?"

Alyna nodded. She continued to avoid looking directly at her officer as they spoke, feigning more interest in their surroundings than the conversation.

Kyala smiled so slowly Alyna was sure the other woman was not even aware of it.

"No. We adore our queen, Captain. But if you want to be the one to take the brunt of her bad days, you are more than welcome to that because you'll get them as surely as you'll get favoured on her good ones." She indicated those following quietly behind, some of whom had been not so subtly trying to listen to the conversation despite the small gap between them. "And it doesn't bother them, either." Those caught eavesdropping shamelessly added their vocal agreement.

Alyna dipped her head in understanding. Kyala had just discretely told her she could count on these rangers to have her back. They would die for her, as they would for their queen. In their eyes, it was now the same thing. It was a welcome relief to not have to worry about whether she could trust her own rangers for the first time since she had joined the Forsaken.

Kyala moved her mount a little closer and dropped her voice so her next words were just for Alyna.

"I cannot say what our Lady is thinking or feeling, but what she feels for you is clearly beyond what she is capable of with the rest of us, Alyna. None of us have seen her that invested in a person since, ah, well. Since before we all died."

It was Alyna's turn to look at her companion in surprise. "What are you suggesting, Lieutenant?"

The intentional use of Kyala's rank caused the woman to sit back in her saddle and measure her next words carefully with a casual shrug of her shoulders. "She has a new favourite. Or she has an old one back, if you prefer. That is all."

Alyna gave Kyala a slow nod before she looked back at the snow-buried path they were travelling. She narrowed her white eyebrows in a slight frown. She knew it was not just favouritism that led to her waking up in Sylvanas' bed, but she had declined to think about it too deeply, especially since her rescue. Since their escape from Utgarde, her queen's demeanour had subtly but noticeably changed, and that had not been lost on Alyna.

Sylvanas is different.

Would it be noticed by others?

What did it mean?

As far as she knew, Kyala was the only ranger who was aware of just how intimate the relationship was between their queen and new captain. Kyala was suggesting there was more to it than simple pleasure-seeking.

Sylvanas is different.

Alyna scowled at her own mind.

"So, Captain," started Kyala, misinterpreting the scowl and clearly eager to lighten the mood, "who is the favourite's favourite?"

Alyna snorted her bemusement, relieved to be distracted from her own thoughts. "You think I have a favourite?"

"Of course. Don't we all?" The nearest rangers confirmed their lieutenant's observation, never ones to pass up on conversations that may end in someone's inevitable embarrassment. Kyala continued brightly, "Surely, you have been around us long enough to have found someone loyal and trustworthy? Someone you can talk to, confide in and know they'll always answer your call."

Alyna chuckled lightly. She considered such a person a friend rather than a favourite, and they both knew Kyala fit the description well. She gave her lieutenant a mischievous smile. She was not about to make it that easy.

"Now that you mention it, I believe I do have such a favourite. I would go so far as to call her … a faithful friend, whom has helped to carry me to where I am today."

Kyala smiled brightly, clearly touched by the words and utterly ignoring the quiet snickers from those riding behind.

When Alyna was clearly not about to name her without being prompted, one of the following rangers obligingly asked, "Go on, Captain! Who's your favourite?"

Without skipping a beat, Alyna immediately patted the neck of her mount with obvious affection. "Sable, of course." The black steed's ears flicked backwards at the mention of her name and Alyna leant forward to ruffle them lightly as the dark rangers behind her struggled to contain their laughter.

"Sable?" spat Kyala in surprise, shaking her head. "Your steed?"

The captain winked at her lieutenant. "When you're ready to start carrying me around, do let me know. I'll have a harness made."

She laughed at the incredulous look she received from her friend. If the woman had not been sulking before, she definitely was going to be now. By the sounds of the laughter going on behind them, she was not going to get any sympathy either.

The trail before them suddenly split, one carrying on westwards and the other rising and curving towards the north. Having memorised the route, Alyna led her rangers up the incline. As the path curved around the side of the hill, she caught sight of a pair of deathguards standing beside a Forsaken banner that had been erected. Both were heavily armoured, and they lifted their shields as she came into view. Their vigilance lasted a few moments as they took in the rest of her cohort and realisation as to who they were sunk in. The shields lowered, and they stood aside to let them pass unhindered.

Alyna noted the numerous blight spreaders lining the path, presumably what the deathguards had been protecting. Their coal-fired furnaces were cold, and they were arranged strategically under the fullest trees to prevent them from being spotted from above. They were the first sign of what Alyna already knew was occurring at Venomspite. Sylvanas had sent her to the region of Dragonblight to secure the interests of the Forsaken and the war against the Lich King, but she had been sent specifically to Venomspite to protect her queen's alternative plan: the continued research and production of the blight.

Once they were through the gates there was no hiding the purpose of the town. Large vats of bubbling green liquid sat alongside various buildings. Royal Apothecary Society drapes hung proudly from whatever prominence they could feasibly be attached to, and most of the visible populace wore the society's tabard as they went about their business. Few paid the dark rangers any heed other than to move out of their way as she led her company down narrow snow-packed streets. She purposefully avoided the main road, knowing the barracks set up for her company would be near the back of the town. Forsaken settlements were generally predictable in their layouts. They were efficient.

And in this incarnation, small.

They were met outside the barracks by a male deathguard. He smartly saluted and then waited, the yellow glow of his eyes fixed on Alyna. She had not felt the need to wear her mask during the journey, but she knew her black eyes still made her immediately recognisable by those who knew of her existence.

And most Forsaken, if not all, know who you are now, Alyna reflected as she dismounted, Kyala following her lead.

The deathguard then smiled toothily and slapped his gauntleted hands together. "Happy days! It warms my cold heart to see the Dark Lady has sent us such esteemed defenders! I am Molder. If I can be of any service, please do just ask."

Alyna gave the enthusiastic Forsaken a small nod before asking, "Where is High Executor Wroth?"

Molder made a show of looking around before pointing down a street. "He has taken over the inn as his headquarters."

The ranger captain exchanged a quick glance with Kyala who spoke the words they were both thinking. "The inn? That is not standard practice."

The deathguard shrugged. "Accommodations had to be made for your arrival."

Alyna sighed inwardly. Venomspite was apparently too small to easily contain her company and a detachment of deathguards. She knew by reputation that Wroth would not be pleased at having to make way for them. She added that issue to the list of problems she had come here to solve and turned to Kyala.

"You and Saria get the rangers settled and then come find me. I should go give the High Executor the Dark Lady's respe—"

"If I, uh, Captain?" Molder interrupted. He hurriedly continued before he could be reprimanded, "Spy Mistress Repine sent me here to pass on a message. She wished to see you as soon as you arrived."

Alyna glared at the deathguard until he looked abashed enough at his interruption before she growled, "And where is the Spy Mistress?"

He wordlessly pointed in the same direction as he had before.

Alyna turned to give Kyala a small sardonic smile. "Evidently, I'll be at the inn for a while. Find me there when you're done."

Kyala nodded her understanding and Alyna left her to her orders. As she strode down the street, she automatically placed her feet in spots she knew would not make a sound, her training ever present without conscious thought. It allowed her to hear the low squeak of compacting snow behind her as Molder followed, not so quietly. She ignored him, and he trailed her right up to the door of the inn.

She kicked her boots against the doorframe, knocking off residual snow and giving anyone inside a polite notice of her presence. As she opened the heavy door, Molder moved forward and motioned towards the upper floor of the building. He then saluted and moved away, his task clearly over. The sensation of being watched began to spread from her gut, but she did not look up. Instead, she entered the inn.

The light levels immediately dropped as she closed the door and she took a moment to let her eyes adjust. The high ceiling did nothing to counter the dark wood preferred by the Forsaken and the flickering iron lanterns that lined the walls were placed just a little too far apart, adding to the gloom. As she deliberately allowed her footfalls to echo down the bare hallway, she smiled slightly in amusement. Not for the first time, she wondered if Sylvanas had had more than a little influence in Forsaken architecture as everywhere she looked, she saw small touches that she knew would make most of the living uncomfortable.

The short corridor opened into a sizable foyer. She noted the simple staircase to her right, and several doors that led to other parts of the ground floor. On cue, one of the doors opened and a tall male filled the entryway. She knew by his bearing alone that he was High Executor Wroth. Each assessed the other with an experienced eye. While he was not in his full armour, he wore his arming doublet under his tabard, the various buckles used to attach plate pieces clearly visible. After a moment, Wroth grunted and disappeared from the door, leaving it open. Taking it as an unspoken invitation, she followed him into the small, cluttered room.

"Don't close the door; you won't be here long," came the low growl. His buckles clinked softly as he shuffled his significant frame behind a large desk. Both were too big for the room they occupied, and she realised Wroth's office was a re-appropriated storeroom. The desk had been wedged between two rows of crates which in turn had numerous stacks of rolled parchment and paperwork piled on top. The senior officer's armour stand and weapon rack had been pressed into a back corner in the only other real space left.

He glared at her silence. If he had expected an apology for his situation, he would be waiting a long time. Like most do in such a position, he felt compelled to fill the void her unspoken words left.

"I know what your orders are, and you will get any support you require from my garrison," came the gruff statement. Alyna could not help the quirk of her lips into a small smile as he spoke. She doubted he knew about all her orders and by his slight shuffle they both knew it. He gestured at one of the stacks of parchment on the nearest crate. "I have had a copy of the standard patrols prepared for your review, along with our strength, readiness and anything else I thought relevant to your arrival. I had the apothecaries do the same on the state of the blight."

Alyna nodded. "Have it all sent to my office." She paused for a moment. "I am sure you have everything in hand, Wroth. I have no intention of making any immediate changes, lest we make anyone watching more curious than I'd like, so do continue as if we were not here."

Wroth grunted in reply. His new office would constantly remind him of their presence, but she could not help that. As long as he remained the competent officer Sylvanas told her he was, she did not care about his personal feelings on the matter. Regardless, Wroth was right about one thing … she was not about to stay long. She said her farewell and left the man to his work.

As she climbed the stairs to the first floor, she pondered the situation. Technically, she did not out rank the High Executor as they were not part of the same command structure. In most circumstances he would not be deferring to her so easily and would even be fighting hard to maintain his ground. But, in this instance, Sylvanas had made it clear that Alyna's operations in Venomspite were to take precedence for the foreseeable future. Alyna was not used to diplomacy these days, but she knew a little tact could go a long way to making her various goals easier to accomplish.

She would just need to keep reminding herself of that.

A female voice chuckled in amusement. "My, my, Captain. You look as if you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders … or the weight of a queen."

Alyna arched a white eyebrow at the words. She had reached the top of the stairs to find the banshee now addressing her hovering in the corridor. Behind her were Alyna's two lieutenants, Kyala and Saria. They exchanged nods before Alyna focused on the banshee. As with Wroth, Alyna had not met the spy mistress before but Sylvanas had been thorough in her briefing. "Our Queen sends her regards, Spy Mistress. And new orders."

Repine released a ghostly sigh, "So I hear." Gesturing for the rangers to follow, the spy mistress turned and led them all down the corridor and into a small room devoid of furniture. With a gesture from the banshee, the door closed behind them. There was an audible 'click' as it locked.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Alyna started. "Shouldn't you be in Hearthglen?"

The banshee visibly rankled. "There has been a … complication, but not one I have been unable to overcome, Ranger Captain."

"Explain."

Repine's clawed hands clenched and released a few times before the answer came. "There is a power in Hearthglen that can see through my possession. I do not know how, but it has forced me to make use of an agent to spy on the Onslaught in my stead."

Alyna frowned slightly. Banshee had the ability to possess the bodies of others. While the act of possession destroyed the soul belonging to the body, it could be used as a disguise by the banshee so long as they managed to mimic the person's behaviour accurately enough. It made them excellent spies.

Kyala, being a banshee herself in possession of a body, albeit her own, asked the next question. "How does sending another in make any difference if they can see through our methods of disguise?"

Repine floated ethereally as she contemplated her response. "The agent is Forsaken. I conjured a special mirror that enables her to apply a magical guise to appear as the Onslaught's cemetery caretaker. The method has proven to be more effective. Some elements of the Onslaught may still detect her, and she avoids them, but the main populace appear immune to her deception. For now."

"Curious," mused Saria. "Perhaps because the magic is indirect it does not set off whatever wards they have in place?"

"Indirect?" asked Alyna.

Saria nodded at her captain. "I can possess my own body without effort because it is mine and already dead, but to claim another for the purpose of spying I kill it in the process of possession. I then have to maintain it as if it were a still-living vessel which requires a constant level of magic to prevent rapid decomposition. Most people are incapable of detecting it, but it appears the Onslaught have a way to do so. However, the disguise the agent wears is a much lower level of magic. The main power is in the mirror, which only activates when applying the effect."

"I see," replied Alyna. She turned to Repine. "Have you identified the magic being used?"

The banshee's form rippled in irritation. "No. Agent Skully is not a magic user, though she is tasked with looking into the matter."

"I need to see New Hearthglen for myself so I will check in with her if circumstances permit." Feeling that the meeting was over, Alyna moved towards the door.

"There is something else you should know, Ranger Captain, that has occurred since my last report." Alyna turned and gestured for the banshee to continue. "Four citizens of Venomspite have seen fit to fall into the hands of the Onslaught. I cannot risk exposing my agent to deal with them and was about to seek recruits for the task."

Alyna scowled briefly. If the Onslaught found out what was really happening at Venomspite it could result in a direct attack. She needed to ensure that did not happen, and quickly.

"I'll deal with it."

Repine appeared as relieved as a banshee could manage. "I had hoped you would say that."

A few hours later …

Alyna gazed down from her perch high up in the tree into the stronghold of New Hearthglen. It still amazed her that there were trees at all near the fortified stone walls and she had originally thought it must have been some kind of trap. After some careful and patient scouting, she realised it was not a clever trap by the Onslaught at all, but a baffling tactical error.

One she was currently taking advantage of.

She recalled the moment the Onslaught had set sail from the Eastern Plaguelands. On behalf of the Lich King, she had ordered the attack that was to grant him the army he then later used to assault Light's Hope Chapel. At the time, she had wanted to redirect the frost wyrm to sink the ships, but the Lich King had invaded her mind and told her to let them go. She had not known what their destination was, but now she wondered if perhaps, somehow, he had. She frowned lightly. The thought had implications she knew she had to consider, but not just yet.

She watched them now as they went about their daily lives. By her brief estimation, there were near two thousand of them, including the ones down by the docks they had first scouted. They had built an impressive amount in a relatively short time. From her perch alone she could see a blacksmith, a barracks, chapel and lumbermill. Behind the barracks she could also see tall spires rising into the rapidly darkening sky where the abbey was located. She knew there was more on the other side of the town.

Plumes of smoke rose from the many firepits scattered throughout the settlement in a bid to stave off the cold. Their light pierced the gloom allowing her to see a partially built structure in the middle of what she assumed was the central town square.

"Looks like they're building gallows," said Kyala, quietly.

Alyna nodded her agreement. Work had stopped for the night, but she estimated it would be functional sometime tomorrow. Beside the structure was a cage holding a figure too skeletal to be human. She gestured at the cage. "Perhaps, for her."

Kyala pointed towards the chapel. "There's another there in a cage on that cart."

The captain followed the outstretched arm and saw the male Forsaken her lieutenant was pointing at. She continued scanning for more prisoners. After several minutes there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Alaana pointing just beyond the barracks. It took Alyna a few moments, but she eventually saw a cage at the base of a leafless tree.

"Can anyone see the fourth?" the captain prompted.

No one replied. After several minutes of searching what they could see, Alyna had to accept the fourth prisoner was out of sight behind a building, on the other side of town, or even inside one of the structures. It was a complication she did not need after what she had been seeing and sensing.

The ranger captain gestured at a human female. She appeared to be surrounded by shadow itself. "These Onslaught are using dark magic. I can feel it everywhere, filling the spaces the Light leaves. Certainly not what I would expect from Scarlets." She paused, slowly extending her magical senses. "There is also something … else." She closed her eyes for a moment to focus. When she opened them, she could see dark auras pulsing around the people of Hearthglen. A few had much darker auras than the others. The woman she had indicated earlier had an aura so strong that it was visible by everyone who saw her. "I can see why the Spy Mistress sent an agent. They all appear to have some kind of protection spell cast on them." It felt familiar somehow, but the more she tried to chase the fleeting thought, the more it escaped her.

"Do you think they can see through our stealth?" asked Minea, the final member of the group.

Alyna thought on the question. "It's possible the ones in shadow can sense us. The rest should remain blind to our presence. Until we act."

On the journey to Hearthglen, Alyna had briefly outlined her plan as best she could without seeing the place for herself first. Upon learning of the prisoner's identities, she had established that none of them were vital to the future of the mission at Venomspite. A rescue mission would be dangerous and potentially more costly than she was prepared to risk, so the ranger captain had decided the best course of action would be to execute the prisoners themselves, hopefully before they could give the Onslaught anything useful. To that end, she had left most of her cohort just beyond the town's perimeter, only bringing three along with her.

One executioner for each prisoner.

The next part of her plan occurred right on time. As the sun finished setting over the dim horizon the bells in the abbey began to ring out. The dark rangers sat and watched as nearly every citizen stopped what they were doing to make their way to the abbey for evening prayer.

Alyna scanned the minimal guard that had been left to stand duty, satisfied that their numbers and positioning would not pose much of an issue. It was time to move.

"Minea, deal with the one on the other side of the barracks. Alaana, the one in the square." She turned to make eye contact with Kyala. "We'll head to the chapel. I want to see if the fourth is visible from there while you silence the prisoner." Kyala inclined her head to accept the order as Alyna finally added, "We strike when the clock chimes the half hour. Track back to the rest of the cohort when you're done."

One by one, the dark rangers dropped down from the tree onto the fortified wall that it overhung. As the other two stepped away along the wall to take up their positions closer to their targets, Alyna silently moved to the inner edge to further drop down to the floor. She landed easily, with Kyala joining her a moment later.

They were behind the blacksmith, now silent with the occupants having left to attend their service at the abbey. The chapel was on the other side of the main road and up on a raised mound. Using their unique sign language, Alyna indicated they were to stealth and meet on the far side of the chapel, out of sight of the main thoroughfares. Kyala signalled she was ready, and both women faded from view.

Alyna did not have to worry about leaving footprints in accumulated snow due to the numerous firepits keeping the ground clear. It did not take her long to skirt around the small buildings, cross the road and move along a stone wall in search of the steps up to the chapel. She found them, and as she reached the top, she could clearly see the male prisoner to her left. He was sitting on the floor of his cage, shoulders slumped in defeat. She looked to her right and frowned.

She could hear a slow heartbeat.

Slowly, Alyna snuck past the chapel entrance and pressed up against the sidewall, looking for the guard who had not gone to mass. When she peered around the corner, her jaw dropped in stunned surprise.

The fourth Forsaken prisoner was sat in her cage before the ranger captain, but that was not what had truly shocked her. Beyond her, in another cage, was a male human in bloodied and torn cultist robes.

A cultist she knew very well.

Alyna felt rage bubble up through her body as she moved towards the cage.

Bells tolled through the air, marking the half hour, and snapping Alyna out of her red haze. Maintaining her stealth, she quickly unslung her bow and nocked an arrow into place. She fired it at the Forsaken's head before stowing her bow across her back. The damage caused by the close-range shot was brutal, and the arrow embedded itself into the soft stone of the chapel wall. As the human cried out in surprise, she realised there would be no retrieving the arrow and she turned on the cultist who still had no idea where the arrow had come from. She found she enjoyed watching his eyes dart around in fear as he pressed himself back into the cage, somehow thinking it would keep him safe despite what he had just witnessed.

Alyna knelt down before the cage and grabbed the metal lock. She willed her magic into her hand to freeze the lock, unable to maintain her stealth as she did so. She appeared before him and their eyes locked. She smiled at his shock, displaying her fangs.

"Remember me?"

His jaw dropped in horror as she yanked viciously at the frozen lock, shattering it. Moving quickly, she opened the cage and grabbed the first thing she could reach, his ankle. She dragged him out with ease. As he inhaled in preparation to scream, she slammed her fist into his temple, knocking him out.

"You could have just killed him," drawled Kyala.

Alyna turned in brief surprise, realising her lieutenant must have heard the human's initial cry and had come to help once her task was complete.

"Not this one," she spat in reply. Kyala tilted her head in confusion. Alyna snarled, "This one … comes with us."

To her credit, Kyala accepted the change of plan without argument. "How do you want to get him out of here?"

Alyna looked down at the deadweight she would have to carry, and then drew Felo'alaan. The dark purple runes flared to life and she gestured for Kyala to move closer.

"Why can't this always be Plan 'A'?" grumbled her lieutenant.

Alyna chuckled as she finished preparing the spell to teleport them back to her waiting cohort. "I can't have you getting lazy now, can I?"

Before Kyala could mount a reply, Alyna completed the spell, and the three of them vanished into the night.