I started awake during the night, wondering what it was that I felt next to me. Blinking sleep out of my eyes, I realized that Shaladyn had pulled her bedroll as close to mind as possible without actually ending up on me.

What was this? Was I like that with Sylvanas? I realized that I was, and part of me was mortified, until I remembered that Sylvanas had loved me in life, and that, no matter what she said, she still cared about me in undeath. The thought comforted me, but I really didn't like the fact that this night elf was clinging to me like that.

With a frustrated sigh, I got to my feet and left the tent, only to find that a bright fel green light was passing directly over us.

My heart plummeted.

"To arms!" I cried. "We're under attack!"

The couple of guards who had been on duty jumped up from their sitting positions and took up my cry.

It was close. By the time the demons charged into our camp, almost all of us were awake and armed. I hadn't had time to put on any heavy armor, since I'd busied myself with erecting protective wards around as many parts of the camp as I could. But I was a mage, armor wasn't really my style.

Hamu was next to me the instant the alarm sounded.

"No, Hamu! Don't worry about me! Get in formation!" I cried to him.

He didn't go very far, and, while I wanted to keep an eye on him, I didn't have a chance to do that. The attack was too swift, and I needed to use all of my concentration to work with the First Magi Corps and take down an enormous dreadlord who was twice as big as Varimathras.

"Focus!" I cried. "All three classes of spells… now!"

One group of the corps concentrated on firing arcane magic at the dreadlord, while another used frost beams, and the fire mages worked on summoning roaring flames of every color imaginable.

The dreadlord cried out, and vanished, leaving traces of gore behind. We knew better than to think it was dead. It had returned to the Twisting Nether, and would probably return after a while. But for now, we had disposed of it, and we moved onto the next target.

"Necromancers!" I shouted.

Their dark magic was unmistakable. Already, several soldiers lay dead, but seemed to be twitching.

"We have to burn the corpses!"

Major Arkaar was standing next to me, and he gaped at my suggestion, "We can't!" he cried.

"Yes you will, unless you want to fight a horde of undead along with the Legion!"

I didn't wait for his approval, ordering my forces to burn every corpse on the ground.

They obeyed me without hesitation, and the moving corpses began to scream as they were burned, adding the stench of charred flesh to the smell of battle raging all around us.

I searched the crowd of demons, looking for the necromancers and spotting them. They wore long hooded robes and had shadowy force fields surrounding them. From what I could tell, there were three of them, but it was possible that there were more in attendance.

"Focus on them," I hissed to the Forsaken.

This was what we were built for, to destroy anything that reanimated the dead. We gathered our magics and began to hurl them at the necromancers. It was like a carefully choreographed dance of magical energy that flowed and pulsed from us and towards our enemies.

One of them staggered, his shield shattered. I joined the fire mages in hitting him, using my black fire to set his robes aflame.

We kept up our assault. If this had been any other situation, I would have thought the magic absolutely beautiful to behold. The arcane spells sparkled in the green light, the frost spells exploded in showed of ice crystal, and the fires of multicolored hues brought an ethereal quality to everything.

But we were in the midst of a battle of nightmarish proportions. The only time I could recall fighting an army so large and fierce had been when Arthas had invaded Quel'Thalas.

Green rocks began to fall from the sky. It was a minute before I understood that something was raining down infernals on us.

"Keep focusing on the necromancers!" I shouted to my mages.

Sweat began to pour from my body, plastering my robes to my skin as I cast spell after spell. I could feel my energy beginning to wane, but I couldn't give up.

The necromancers went down, and with them went down around two dozen soldiers that had been reanimated into fighting horrors. Hamu took care of them all while we looked towards the infernals.

But even before I'd been able to think of a way to kill so many of them, I saw felhounds bounding towards us like excited puppies racing towards dinner.

I screamed.

As mages, we were particularly vulnerable to these creatures, who would suck all of the magic out of us before we'd even summoned a spell against them.

"Swords!" I shouted, grabbing my blade from where I'd kept it at my belt. It was an ordinary sword and not my spellblade, which was perhaps lucky, as I have no idea how it would have worked against those demons. "Aim for the tentacles!"

I began to appreciate the rigorous training the Major Arkaar had put us through. He had been right, we might have been helpless against the felhounds that attacked us without distinction. I saw several Forsaken die almost immediately after the beasts latched onto them, turning them almost to dust.

Crying out, I hacked at the creature who was desperately trying to get to me. Slashing off both of its prying tentacles with a flick of my arm, I then set it on fire. Panicking, it took off, running into several of its companions on the way, setting some of them alight as well.

Whoever had sent the felhounds after us had had a good idea. We were so occupied with the beasts that we couldn't focus on the rest of the battle as we fought to survive.

We might have fought for an hour, or two, or twenty. Time ceased to have meaning as we killed felhound after felhound, staining ourselves with toxic ichor and causing our muscles to burn with the effort.

All I knew is that when I finally looked up again, the battle was over, as suddenly as it had begun.

And miraculously, most of us were still alive. Oh, we had lost quite a few people, and Hamu had broken his left horn and nearly lost an arm, but on the whole, I think we were all right.

Demonic blood stained the ground we were standing on. Magic crackled in the air. Burning bodies were strewn everywhere, both ours and theirs.

As incredible as it was, the demons had retreated back into their hold. I was sure they would be out again eventually, probably sooner than we wanted, but for now, we had won something. Maybe the respect of our enemies, if that was possible. We had survived.

Most of our tents had been destroyed in the attack, so despite the fact that we had many members of the Alliance with us, the orcs of Shadowmoon Village allowed us to stay within their walls, keeping the draenei under close watch.

"Your people follow you without question," said the major to me as we accepted a quick bite to eat. It wasn't much, but anything was welcome at this point.

"I've been with them for a while, Major. We've fought through hell and back together." I looked over at where they were assembled, mending some of their armor, "I know they don't look like much, but they've been through more than you could possibly imagine."

"I believe you. You're a good leader, Captain Everstone."

I smiled, "Thank you, Major."

Shaladyn found me just after I was done eating and gave me a hug so long that I thought someone was going to have to pry her from me.

No matter what I told her, she wouldn't let me go. During the three weeks that followed, she followed me constantly, watching me as I changed, and almost following me when I went to relieve myself one evening. I was afraid she would cross the line someday, and she did.

I had just drifted off to sleep when I felt someone's hand on my breast, massaging gently. I jerked myself awake and glared at the night elf who was, inexplicably, in bed with me.

"What in the name of the Dark Lady do you think you're doing?" I cried.

"I just noticed that you seemed lonely. You were crying last night."

Crying? My mind flashed back, and I remembered missing Sylvanas so much at some point that I had indeed released a tear or two. The fact that she had noticed was more than a little creepy.

"Be that as it may, that does not give you the right to touch me as I sleep!"

"But I want to comfort you."

"Would I need any comfort, which I don't, I would seek out my brother's company, not yours." I felt a surge of anger so deep that I nearly cursed the girl, "Now, you're going to get the hell out of my bed. In point of fact, do not ever come near me again, or I swear that you're going to find out what it's like for a member of the Horde to kill someone from the Alliance."

Shaladyn looked up at me, her silver eyes wide, "I just wanted to be your friend, Faith. Why won't you let me?"

"Because if I acted like that with my friends, I would have been killed long ago!"

Major Arkaar came in at the sound of my raised voice, looking surprised to see me in such a state. Hamu was behind him, hi bow in his hands.

"You are to never touch me again, do you understand me? I am not your lover. I told you that I'm spoken for, get it through your thick skull."

"What's going on here?"

I whirled around to face the major, "What's going on is that this druid seems to be incapable of understanding that there are barriers to be kept between people." Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to keep my voice calm, "If you do not remove her from my presence, I will kill her. If she touches me again, I will kill her."

"But I –."

"I was raped by the Scourge earlier this year!" I screamed. "I do not need anybody near me who won't respect the fact that my body is mine!"

I saw Shaladyn blanch. She took several steps towards me, holding out her arms, but Hamu stepped between us.

"I believe that she told you to leave her alone. So you will leave her alone." He made a sound in the back of his throat, "And for your sake, I hope that Lady Sylvanas never finds out that you touched Faith without her permission. Because she won't just kill you."

Shaladyn looked down for a moment, then looked at me, "I'm not afraid of some banshee."

Magic surged through me and toward Shaladyn before I'd even managed to rein it in. A blast of arcane force hit her in the chest, sending her reeling backwards, stumbling over a stool and crashing into the table.

"Don't you ever speak about Sylvanas Windrunner that way," I hissed.

She stared at me, as though betrayed. "But I care about you, Faith! I love you!"

Turning my back on her, I left the room, nearly running straight into the entire Magi Corps, who was assembled in front of my tent.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked them.

"We heard, and came to lend you our aid. Are you all right?" Eliza sounded outraged.

I gave a small smile, feeling an inordinate amount of affection for these Forsaken, "I'm fine. Thank you." I began to walk away, and turned back to them, "I'd appreciate you not telling Lady Sylvanas about this."

"We cannot lie to her if she asks."

No, they couldn't, "Just don't mention it, please. The last thing I need is for her to lose her mind over something like this."

The major came to see me a while later, "How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"I'm all right, Major, you don't have to worry."

"I wasn't aware that you had so recently been attacked by the Scourge. Your brother told me."

"It's nothing. Well, obviously it's something, but I don't remember the attack. The healers say I probably blocked it out."

"Maybe you should go home to the one you love. I'm sure she misses you."

I smiled, "I will go home, when the time is right, or when I'm given the orders to do so, Major, not before."

The orders to come home did come, about a week later. We had just returned from a short campaign to get rid of demons and infernals on the border of Terokkar Forest, when a scout came towards me to hand me a note.

"Thank you," I said to him, immediately recognizing the seal of Undercity on it.

By order of the Banshee Queen, I hereby recall the First Magi Corps of Undercity to Tirisfal Glades, effective immediately. You are to get on the first available transport back to Thrallmar and get through The Dark Portal, where a transport will take you to Stonard, then onwards to Undercity.

Under Varimathras' signature, I saw Thrall's, along with the Horde seal.

"Well, here we are," I said to the corps. "We're going home."

"Now?" asked Rotvine. "Why?"

"Varimathras wasn't specific. But Thrall signed off on it too, so start packing up."

I felt like I'd been away from Sylvanas forever. It had only been about five months, but it seemed far too long as it was. She and I hadn't been separated for more than five weeks since I'd returned to her, and the idea of seeing her again was exhilarating.

"I'm also going home," Shaladyn said to me, keeping a ten-foot distance as I packed. Hamu was there, ready to intervene if she should show any inclination to come closer to me. "They told me that I'm going to be going to the Plaguelands, isn't that great?"

"Never met anybody excited to go to the Plaguelands," I muttered. "Try not to get killed," I said in a louder voice. "I'd hate to have to come over and clean up that mess."

"You mean that you'd come to me if I were in trouble?"

I frowned, "No. But I would have to clean up your mess, and send you straight to hell if you were stupid enough to get turned."

An hour later, we were gone.

"Why is it that we couldn't have teleported back to Orgrimmar by using the portal in Shattrath City?" asked Hamu.

"I believe that it's because your warchief is sending through about four-hundred additional orcs to fight in your stead," said the captain of the zeppelin we were on.

"So we're being relieved?" wondered Rotvine. "I wonder why that is."

"Something must have happened at home," said Eliza. "It must be that."

I shook my head, not answering. I couldn't begin to imagine why we were being sent back after only five months, when our time in Outland was supposed to last at least four more weeks. But I did feel a trickle of fear at the idea that something had happened to bring us away from Shadowmoon Valley.

When we got to Thrallmar, we noticed immediately that something was wrong. The distant area around the Dark Portal was swirling with energies, both fel and natural.

"They're not trying to close it, are they?" I cried.

"No. The battle has been raging there for days. We can't bring you close without risking you."

"Forget risking us!" I shouted. "Let's go!"

And so it was that we found ourselves heading into the thick of battle against a pit lord so enormous that, when I got close to it, I couldn't see the portal behind it.

It took all of us to bring it down, and we had to be methodical about it because of its size. But finally, in a splash of green blood that was so foul it actually made me sick, the pit lord died, nearly crushing us as its massive body collapsed to the ground, causing a minor earthquake.

"I hope we don't have to fight a thing like that again in a hurry," said Hamu, handing me a cloth to wipe my mouth.

"Only if they invade u again, which… for my own sanity, let's hope that doesn't happen." I shook out my hand, which I'd hurt in this latest fight, wincing as pain simmered over it. I didn't want to stop and ask anybody heal me, so I led the First Magi Corps through the Dark Portal and back into Azeroth.

Something was wrong.

I sensed that the second I stepped into the Blasted Lands. The wind was hot on my face, but that was all. Clouds covered the sky, but I couldn't hear the birds that usually liked to swoop down and bother people while they were walking around. I couldn't even see demons around the portal.

And most disturbingly, the area there was completely deserted. Nobody from the Horde or the Alliance was there to greet us.

"Keep a sharp eye out," I said.

"What do you think is going on?" Hamu asked me.

"Nothing good," I replied.

Nothing. There was nothing. I saw some hyenas in the distance, but they seemed scared, and ran from us. It was their usual response, for the most part, but they didn't even seem to be curious.

We walked for hours without encountering anything, not even the orcs who performed their foul magics about the place.

The wind shifted, bowling towards us, and my eyes widened.

"No…" I whispered. "That's impossible."

"What is it?" asked Eliza.

"Do you smell that?"

"Bread?" she wondered. "Sure, I smell it."

"Eliza," I quietly said to her, my voice trembling slightly. "How did you die?"

"I died in Andorhal when…" her voice trailed off and she looked at me, horrified. "When the plagued grain was distributed to us."

"The Plague of Undeath… here? How is that possible?" Hamu's voice was low, afraid. "How did it get this far south?"

"I don't know. I didn't… I didn't think the Lich King would…" I took a deep breath, smelling the too-sweet scent of plagued bread. "Is Arthas doing this? How?"

I couldn't fathom that he would have sent the plague to us again. Or rather, I couldn't imagine that anybody would have allowed themselves to bake plagued grain.

"Where's that smell coming from?" asked Rotvine.

"Nethergarde Keep."

"Do you think there's anybody left alive in there?"

I had no idea, "We have to check. Let's go."

It was another hour to the human fortress that the Alliance used as a base in the Blasted Lands. As we came closer and closer to it, the smell of the bread grew, and was joined by a smell I knew very well, that of rotting corpses, slightly different than the smell of the Forsaken.

"Undead," I said, pointing to a shambling thing that had once been a soldier in full plate armor. But as I called out an attack, I saw someone run up to it and kill it, cleanly slicing off its head. I turned towards the corps, "Take out the banner for Undercity," I said.

"If they're human…"

"They'll know we're not Scourge." Raising my hand, I set the body that had been left on the road on fire, and someone called out.

"Is anybody there?"

"Captain Faith Everstone," I called back, "of the Undercity First Magi Corps."

I saw someone popping up from behind several crates, a bow aimed at us, "What do you want?"

"Only to know what happened. We won't harm you."

"Wait, I know her!"

I recognized that voice. I hadn't heard it in a long time, since I'd been in Kalimdor, and somehow had lost all trace of him in the battle against the Burning Legion there.

"Velien!" I exclaimed.

He hopped onto the crate, looking just like I remembered him, with long brown hair and blue eyes, his white lynx by his side.

"You know him?" asked Rotvine.

"Yeah, I do… he was with us when we escaped Silvermoon and helped Lor'themar out of Quel'Danas. Hamu, do you remember? He came to Kalimdor with me."

Hamu frowned, then nodded, "Of course…"

"Come on up," said Velien.

We slowly crested the hill, keeping an eye out for any other undead that might come out of Nethergarde Keep. About thirty men were gathered around the entrance to the Nethergarde Mines, all of them looking as though they'd been through hell and back again.

Several of them were wounded, and I quickly gave the order for the Forsaken to tend to them.

"Did you just come from Outland?" Velien asked me, having given me a quick hug.

"Yeah. Sylvanas called us back, so here we are, but there was nobody there to meet us. What happened?"

"I'm not quite sure. We got a shipment of flour, and the bakery used all of it. I didn't realize what I was smelling until I got close to it. I'd smelled it before, when I went through Lordaeron during the first plague. By the time I figured it out, it was too late. The bread had been distributed with the evening meal."

I closed my eyes, "Did you wait for them to turn before you killed them?"

"Yes. Most of them forced themselves to vomit, but it did no good. The keep is dead."

"Do you know if the flour made its way anywhere else? Or was it just to the humans?"

"Does it affect anybody else?"

"Were only humans affected?" I wondered.

He shook his head, "No… a couple of dwarves, a gnome, and three high elves also died."

"Did they rise afterwards?"

A slow nod.

"I'm going to make all of you a portal to Dalaran. You're going to go there and tell them what happened here. Bring them back here as quickly as you can." I turned back towards the others, "I want fifty of you to go to Orgrimmar and tell the warchief what happened here. Fifty others will go to Silvermoon to talk to Lor'themar. The rest of you, back to Undercity immediately."

Quickly, we created the necessary portals to Dalaran to evacuate the Alliance soldiers.

Velien looked to me, "So… you found Sylvanas again, didn't you?"

I nodded, watching as an undead shambled out of the keep. "I've got this," I said, turning it to ash with a fire spell. "And you? When did you join the Alliance?"

"When you went with the tauren, I decided to stay with Lady Proudmoore. I've been in Theramore ever since."

"Tell her I said hello," I said.

He nodded and squeezed my shoulder, bidding me goodbye in Thalassian. I waved to him as he disappeared through the portal.