Chapter 5

Lights Hope Lost

The following morning, Zyathri found herself waking up before Erthos, who had spent the entire night without the cover on himself. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she stood up and yawned slightly, walking over to the lake. Kneeling down at the shore line, Zyathri looked at her reflection for a moment before reaching in and splashing some water over her face.

Standing up, now feeling more awake, Zyathri walked past the smouldering remains of the camp fire and over to her armour. Within a few moments she was fully adorned in her blood knight armour again, the rising sun glinting off its polished surface.

Moving back over to the fire, Zyathri picked up some of the wood left over and started a new fire. As soon as the fire was going, she moved over to the still sleeping Erthos and gave him a light kick in the side, causing him to grumble slightly.

"Come on you, time to wake up" Zyathri said, giving his side another light tap. Begrudgingly, Erthos sat up, yawning as he did so. Through sleepy eyes, he looked at Zyathri, obviously still half asleep.

"Go splash some water on your face" Zyathri said, nodding to the lake. "It will help wake you up." Slowly rising to his feet, Erthos made his way to the lake and plunged his hands into the cold water. After holding them there for a few moments, he splashed some water over his face, instantly feeling it revitalise him.

"Guess I needed the rest" Erthos said as he turned around and walked back over to Zyathri, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Wanting something to eat?" Zyathri nodded with a smile. Her stomach was starting to growl at her, asking for food.

Erthos smiled in return and promptly went about preparing a meal for them. Once again, the sun was steadily making its way across the sky, much as it had the day before, however today it was accompanied by a cool breeze that blew across the Plaguelands.

After eating their fill, the two of them gathered together their things and put out the fire. It was time for them to make the next leg of their trip towards the Argent Dawn.

"This part shouldn't be too bad" Zyathri said, referring to the rest of the Western Plaguelands that they now had to pass through. Erthos nodded slightly as he looked across the lake to the school that was once again partially hidden by a mist that seemed to be forming out of nothing.

Zyathri looked at Erthos, noticing where he was looking. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze as she moved next to him.

"Don't worry" she said, looking out at Scholomance. "I said I would take you there, and I will, I promise." Erthos looked to Zyathri and smiled with a nod. He could tell that Zyathri was genuine about her promise to take him to the school, and it was something that made him happy.

After making sure they had gathered everything together, the two of them left their little enclosure and made their way to the path. Along the way, there were signs that there had been a struggle not to long ago, with several Scourge and Scarlet troops lying dead along the path.

"I hadn't heard anything" Erthos said, looking over to Zyathri who shrugged slightly. Erthos guessed she hadn't heard anything either. After they passed the battle site, Zyathri remained on constant guard, incase any of the troops survived the battle and were still prowling the area.

Erthos was thankful that it did indeed turn out that there was no one left patrolling the area. The two of them didn't run into any further trouble as they came up to the pass that led into the Eastern Plaguelands.

Instead, the entire journey had been spent with Erthos taking quick lessons and pointers from Zyathri in learning how to recognise what his current limits were. They were lessons he was thankful for. Zyathri herself seemed rather surprised at how quickly Erthos was grasping how to use his magic, noting that what he was learning to do in the space of a few hours would normally take others weeks if not months to do.

"It's remarkable, really" Zyathri said as she and Erthos took a quick break at the border between the Eastern and Western Plaguelands. "You do seem to just have this natural ability when it comes to the warlock arts. You pick things up quick and easily, and your body is fast to adapt to the strain being placed upon it."

Erthos was quite happy at Zyathri's judgment of his abilities. He was even more happy about it when he considered it had only been a few days ago that he had managed, after weeks of trying, to conjure his first shadow ball.

"Hopefully, then, I will continue to improve" he said as he took a bite out of a piece of meat before washing it down with some water.

"That shouldn't be too hard" Zyathri said as she finished up her own food. "There are people in Silvermoon who would be more than capable of training you if you so desired. I am sure they would be more than happy to take you on, considering how well you are developing."

Erthos nodded slightly as he finished up, brushing some crumbs off of his robe. Maybe he would try to find someone to teach him. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought. He had been making a large amount of plans to be doing when all of this was done. He was starting to wonder if he would have the time to do any of them.

"Come on then" Zyathri said standing up and holding out a hand to Erthos, who took it and was pulled up along side Zyathri. "Once we cross the bridge, we will be in the Eastern Plaguelands." Zyathri seemed to smile at that as the two of them began the trek along the bridge that covered the two areas.

Erthos noticed the slow shift in scenery as they crossed the well built bridge. Whilst the Western area of the Plaguelands had been showing signs of decay, there were still some areas that looked to be trying to fight past the plague effect. This wasn't so in the Eastern area. The land was completely decaying everywhere. Even the buildings that Erthos could see in the distance looked like they were rotting from the inside out.

"Have you been here before?" Erthos asked as they started to walk down a path further into the Plaguelands, hills rising up on either side of them. Erthos was starting to become very wary of the area around him. Everything was a subtle shade of brown or deep purple, and there were plenty of places that creatures could hide.

"I have been here once before, yes" Zyathri said as she stuck by Erthos' side. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she thought back on when she had. "It was a while ago now. I had come here to prove myself as a Paladin, and to earn my Charger." The land hasn't changed much… Zyathri thought to herself as she glanced around them, letting out a faint sigh.

Ahead of them, the rotten leaves of a bush started to rustle, causing both Erthos and Zyathri to come to a stop. Instinctively, Zyathri drew her sword, waiting with baited breath. Suddenly, after more rustling, a rather sickly looking rabbit ran from the bushes across the path, back into hiding on the other side. The two blood elves let out a slight sigh of relief before laughing lightly.

As they continued walking, Erthos became more and more aware of the subtle noises in the air around them. There was a lot of creaking and groaning that at times Erthos wasn't sure if it was the rotten trees, or a rotten corpse.

After a short distance, they passed by a tower where a small group of people were standing guard. Zyathri quickly explained that this was one of many outposts where members of the Argent Dawn stood guard to protect those that needed to travel through the Plaguelands.

Zyathri brought them both to a stop for a moment as they reached a cross section in the path. A nearby, mostly rotten sign, read "Darrowshire- South". Erthos looked down the path to the south and could see the remains of a small town, members of the Scourge occasionally walking into view. Zyathri cast a glance at the ruined town as well, letting out a quiet sigh and shaking her head as she did.

"Let's keep going" she said, moving onwards down the path. "It wont take us long to get to Light's Hope Chapel." As they progressed further down the path, they soon saw another tower looming in the distance, a short distance from another ruined town. If they followed the path they were on, Erthos noted, it would take them straight through the town, which was no doubt filled with Scourge.

"This way" Zyathri suddenly said as they came closer to the town. She suddenly walked off to the left, heading along a path that took them slightly northward. After crossing a bridge, Erthos understood the reason for the diversion. It completely bypassed the town and brought them closer to the second tower. Instead of walking past this tower, however, Zyathri led Erthos up the path to its base.

"Let's grab something to eat before we head into Lights Hope" she said as she nodded politely to the guards. The guards, in return, also nodded slightly. Erthos got the impression that it was a sign of respect between the two of them.

After procuring some provisions from the Argent Dawn guards stationed at the tower, in exchange for some funding, Erthos and Zyathri sat down and happily ate some food. Getting something to eat was not an idea that had crossed Erthos' mind as they had made their rather fast paced journey across the Eastern Plaguelands. Then again, Erthos wasn't entirely sure what time of day it was. Clouds were hanging thick in the sky to the point they blocked any view of the sun. For all he knew, it could be late into the evening.

As they two of them ate, Erthos found himself watching Zyathri. If she noticed him constantly glancing at her, she didn't say anything. Even though it had only been a few days that he had been with Zyathri, he felt he had grown rather close to her. He certainly found her attractive, that much he knew. He also greatly enjoyed her company.

"Would you like to go and get something to eat together sometime?" he suddenly found himself asking. He blinked multiple times as his brain registered what he had said, his cheeks turning a deep crimson colour. Zyathri slowly looked up at him from her own food.

"We have been eating together every day, have we not?" she said to him, a slight smirk on her face. Erthos stammered slightly, wishing he could just hide in a hole somewhere. No…I have started this, so I might as well play it through… he thought to himself, taking a deep breath.

"N-no…I meant somewhere nice. Somewhere p...proper" Erthos tried to maintain eye contact with Zyathri who was still smirking. Bringing her hand to her mouth and looking down at her food, she let out a slight chuckle.

"I know what you meant" she said, looking back up to the still embarrassed Erthos. He looked at her quietly, waiting for her reply. She seemed to bite on her lip slightly, as if thinking things through before she finally responded.

"Very well" she said, nodding slightly and only just managing to suppress a laugh as Erthos' shoulders sagged in relief. "But I am deciding where we are going and what we eat." Erthos nodded happily in agreement. He was just overjoyed that she hadn't flat out rejected him.

"Come on then" she said with a smile, standing up and brushing herself down. "The sooner we get you to Lights Hope, the sooner you can treat me to a fancy cooked meal." She smirked as she saw Erthos blush again before the two of them left the company of the Argent at the tower and moved onwards down the road.

The duo remained silent as they walked, Zyathri on constant guard and Erthos just filled with happiness. As they turned a corner they both came to a stop and Zyathri pointed to a collection of buildings.

"There it is. Lights Hope Chapel" she said, looking to Erthos with a smile, who returned the smile in kind. Before the two of them could start moving towards their destination, there was a loud cry, followed by a Scourge lunging at them from the shadows.

Zyathri grabbed Erthos by the shoulder and threw him behind her, raising her shield just in time to block the attacking Scourge. It wasn't long before more undead came at them from the shadows, all trying to lunge and swipe at the two of them.

Erthos caught sight of Zyathri smirking as she looked at the growing numbers of undead stepping closer to them. He knew what was about to happen, but it was obvious the undead didn't. With one swift movement, she reached down and brushed her fingers across the ground, holy energy blazing outwards.

The undead that were unfortunate enough to be to close to the pair were instantly killed. Their comrades who were just outside of the affected area stopped short, unsure of what to do.

"This is newly consecrated ground!" Zyathri yelled at the undead, brandishing her sword at them. "Cross it if you dare." Erthos already knew that this wasn't something Zyathri could keep up forever, and he hoped the undead would soon leave. Thankfully, the sight of a large amount of their troops already laying dead around them made them leave quickly, scurrying back into the decaying bushes near by.

"You all right?" Zyathri asked Erthos as she stopped channelling the holy energy around them. Erthos nodded slightly as he looked around, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"I am thanks to you" he said with a smile, looking to Zyathri. "A handy spell you have there." Zyathri smiled back and nodded.

"It is, yes, but as you know, it drains me quickly" she said as the two of them began walking towards Lights Hope Chapel. As they came closer, Zyathri suddenly stopped, feeling a chill in the air. All too late, she heard a cold voice shout out.

"Prepare to join the very things you detest, Blood Knight!" the voice yelled. Zyathri went to turn around but was stopped in her place as a sword was slammed into her back and through her chest, tearing through her armour as if it was made from paper. Erthos could only let out a cry of horror as blood spurted slightly out of Zyathri's mouth.

Behind her, a large Knight of the Scourge placed his boot against Zyathri's back and pushed her down onto the ground, pulling his sword out at the same time. Zyathri grunted in pain as she hit the ground, the Scourge Knight grinning gleefully as it looked down at her, Erthos finding himself frozen in position.

"Think you can destroy our kind and not be noticed?!" the dark knight spat. He looked to Erthos and snarled, brining up his sword to attack. Seeing what was about to happen, Zyathri drew her own sword, a pair of golden wings sprouting from her back.

"D-do you think I'd…go down that easily?" she said to the stunned dark knight. The knight prepared to attack Zyathri again but before he could even get close she raised her hands, letting lose a large amount of holy energy, causing the knight to scream out loudly before disintegrating, what few ashes remaining being scattered to the winds. Panting heavily, Zyathri fell to her knees, the wings on her back still glowing brightly.

Reality seemed to come flooding back to Erthos as Zyathri's knees hit the ground. He dashed towards her, taking hold of and trying to steady her. She coughed slightly, more blood dribbling down her chin as well as flowing through the gaping wound in her chest and back.

"Come on, we have to get going" Erthos said, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. He was clueless about what he was supposed to do. He wasn't the protector here, Zyathri was. He didn't know how to treat injuries, much less ones this severe. More tears started to form as Zyathri slowly looked at him.

"I…I am…s-sorry….Erthos…" she managed to get out, coughing more and wincing in pain as she did. "I…c-cannot take you f-further…" Raising her arm weakly, she motioned to Lights Hope Chapel, only a short distance away.

"Heh…I g-guess…that dinner will…will have to wait…" Zyathri said slowly, forcing a smile, her voice sounder weaker and weaker. Erthos shook his head slightly, his robes starting to become soaked with Zyathri's blood.

"No…Zyathri…" he managed to get out, shaking his head more. "You can't die…you can't…" Zyathri reached up and placed her hand against Erthos cheek, smiling weakly.

"G-go…" she whispered. Slowly, her arms fell to her side, the golden wings on her back fading away completely. Erthos held Zyathri close to him as he started to cry heavily, his body shaking as he did. He remained where he was, holding Zyathri close as he tried to regain control of his body.

After what felt like an eternity, Erthos took in a deep, raggedy breath and slowly stood up, scooping up Zyathri into his arms as he did, making sure he grabbed her shield and sword. He wasn't going to leave her out here for the Scourge to get her. There may be someone who can help in Lights Hope…he thought to himself as he looked at the buildings not to far away. With tears still stinging his eyes, he began slowly walking towards the Chapel.

As he got closer, he was quickly spotted by one of the Argent crusaders. Noticing that Erthos was carrying someone with him, the crusader sprinted out towards him.

"Oh by the light…" he said in Common, surprising Erthos slightly, and gasping at the sight of Zyathri. "Sir, come with me, we should get her looked at." The crusader gestured to the nearby Chapel before hurrying Erthos into it.

Erthos, his eyes still red, looked down at Zyathri in his arms. As he made his way to the Chapel, his blood soaked robes left a small trail of blood behind him.

"Everything's going to be ok Zyathri…" he whispered as they walked into the Chapel. The inside was very clean and pristine. The various priests who were dotted around the first chamber of the chapel looked over to Erthos and let out a gasp at seeing Zyathri. The crusader turned to Erthos and held out his arms.

"It'll be alright sir" the crusader said, nodding slightly. "Come, let me take her into the next room and we'll get her looked at. You look like you've been through a lot." The crusader remained where he was with his arms held out, not taking Zyathri without Erthos' permission.

"No…" Erthos said, shaking his head slightly, his entire body starting to feel numb, as he looked at the crusader. "I'll take her in." Erthos tried to sound strong willed as he looked at the crusader, but his eyes easily gave away what he was feeling. The crusader simply nodded and led Erthos into a small room that was as clean as the room before, only smaller, and with a table resting in the middle.

"Put her there" the crusader said softly, motioning to the table. "Can we get a priest in here?" A priest came running into the small room, staff in hand. She glanced at Erthos and Zyathri before nodding slightly, understanding the situation.

"Quickly boy, put her on the table and let me have a look at her" the priest said as she rolled up her sleeves. Hesitating slightly, Erthos placed Zyathri down on the table, but kept hold of one of her hands.

"What are you going to do?" Erthos asked quietly, looking to the priest, hoping that they could help Zyathri in some way.

"I'm going to see if I can heal her" the priest said quietly as she removed the chest armour from Zyathri, revealing her blood stained tabard underneath. Holding her hand above the wound, the priest closed her eyes as a golden light appeared. She continued on for a few minutes, more light pouring out across the wound, but to no avail. "What wounded her?" she asked with a furrowed brow, looking to Erthos.

Erthos closed his eyes for a moment as he forced his mind to think back to the event from not even half an hour ago. In his mind, he saw the sight of Zyathri being run through with the sword, tears once again forming in his eyes. As he focused more, he saw the laughing face of the Scourge Knight who had caused all of the trouble.

"She was….she was protecting me…" Erthos managed to say, his voice quiet. "A Scourge Knight, I think… he came out and impaled her in the back…" Erthos looked at Zyathri and reached out, gently brushing a piece of hair from her face, smiling faintly as he looked at her beautiful face, but with more tears welling up in his eyes..

"A Scourge Knight?" the priest repeated, looking at Erthos quietly for a moment. "That explains the situation. I am afraid the young woman here is infected by the scourge plague. Im afraid there is nothing we can do. She's gone… I'm sorry…" The priest said softly, placing a gentle hand on Erthos' shoulder before leaving the room, the crusader in tow.

Erthos fell to his knees as the words sank in that there was nothing that could be done. Resting his head lightly on Zyathri's stomach, he let his tears flow freely. So lost in his sadness, Erthos didn't notice a dwarf enter the room, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Was she family or something, laddy?" he asked in Common, which looked to be the preferred tongue of the Argent, before looking at Zyathri. Erthos didn't reply, simply glancing at the dwarf then closing his eyes. The dwarf looked at Erthos for a moment before speaking again, in what Erthos assumed was his soft voice. "What's your name, lad?"

Erthos slowly opened his eyes again, looking at the dwarf. Rubbing his eyes slightly, he regarded the dwarf who was obviously trying to comfort him.

"My name is Erthos" he said quietly, turning his attention back to the still form of Zyathri.

"Erthos, ay?" the dwarf said, nodding slightly. "Nice to meet yeh, Erthos. You can call me Magnill. So, like I said lad, was she family?"

"No…" Erthos replied, shaking his head slightly. "No, she wasn't family… She was a Blood Knight from Silvermoon, and she was my guardian on my travels. She protected me from harm…we…I like to think…that we…." Erthos choked slightly as he thought about the plans that they had made after his sudden invitation to dinner. Magnill seemed to understand what was happening and gently patted Erthos on the back.

"Aye, lad. I can see your cut up about what's happened" he said as Erthos' cheeks were stained by rolling tears once more. "Don't worry about funeral preparations for the lass. The Blood Knights are a respected bunch round these parts. I'll make sure she is given a proper burial." Magnill stood quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. "I'll give you some time to say your farewells."

After giving Erthos another pat on the back, Magnill left the room quietly, leaving Erthos alone with Zyathri. He remained quiet for a short while before reaching out and lightly stroking Zyathri's cheek.

"Zyathri…I…" he tried to say, trying to hold back the tears. "Im sorry…this is all my fault…if I hadn't worn that stupid amulet…we might not have had to come here…" Erthos paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath and holding it in a bid to stay calm. "I wish you were still here…" he whispered quietly. "I don't want to be alone…please come back…" Erthos went silent, tears rolling down his cheeks, not sure what to say. Instead, he scooped Zyathri up into his arms, holding her close to him.

After what felt like an eternity, Erthos gently placed Zyathri back on the table, folding her arms over her chest, resting her shield and sword on top of her. Leaning in, he gently kissed Zyathri on her forehead before turning and walking out of the room slowly.

"I'll miss you…" he whispered as he left. Closing the door behind him, he exited the room before heading towards Magnill who was talking with the priest who had tried to heal Zyathri. Reaching into his blood stained pouch, he pulled out the amulet, the sole reason they had travelled to Lights Hope Chapel in the first place.

"I need to find someone who can help me with this…" Erthos said quietly, his throat and eyes sore from the tears he had shed. The priest reached out and took hold of the amulet, studying it for a moment as Magnill walked off and spoke with another crusader.

"I'll have it purified for you. It might take some time, about a week or so. I can feel the scourge energy running in it" the priest said, looking to Erthos. "I hope you didn't wear it" she added afterwards.

Erthos, however, was distracted. Magnill and the crusader had gone into the room holding Zyathri. They soon came back out, the crusader carrying Zyathri in his arms as Magnill gave the orders to have the fallen Blood Knight buried with dignity and honour.

"Yeah…that's fine" Erthos said absent mindedly, not quite hearing the second part of what the priest had said. He looked back to the priest suddenly. "Do you have somewhere that I can get changed and clean myself?" he asked, looking down at his blood soaked robes, trying not to think too much on whose blood it was.

"Yes, come with me" the priest said, motioning that Erthos should follow her. She led him out of the Chapel and into another building before showing him to a room where some fresh clothes were already laid out, along with a washing basin and a mirror.

Erthos thanked the priest as she left the room. With a quiet sigh he removed his bloody robe and threw it in the corner, wanting to forget about it. He moved over to the basin and looked at his haggard reflection. With another sigh, he took hold of the cloth and, after wetting it, went about the process of cleaning himself.