Snow was falling thickly, making it difficult for me to see very far ahead. I could make out vague shapes in the sky that I knew to be dragons, but nothing more concrete than that. Whether I was looking at the blue dragonflight or the red dragonflight was beyond me.

I had been at Wyrmrest Temple for the past two weeks, and things had been rocky. Being face-to-face with dragons was intimidating, although Queen Alexstrasza and her consort Krasus were gracious hosts, even giving me lessons on how to improve my normal fire spell, which I was always keen to do.

"Your black fire is your most impressive weapon," said Krasus to me one day. "But it takes a lot of energy to cast, and you feel a burnout after a few minutes. So you need to make your normal fire a little stronger so that you'll be able to dispatch your enemies in a better manner."

"I don't want someone to be able to douse them before they're dead, though," I said. "My black fire incinerates them immediately."

Krasus nodded, "Yes, but the problem with that fire is that you get so tired afterwards that you can barely even lift a sword. You need something quick and lethal that won't wear you down.

It took some time. I wasn't convinced that I'd be able to dispatch the Scourge any faster, but I did give his suggestion a try, when I went to the Ruby Dragonshrine to take care of members of the Scourge who were swarming there. I didn't find it quite as efficient, but it did the job well enough, and the upside of it was that I didn't get tired. Not for a long while, anyway.

Krasus was pleased when I returned to the temple. "Good job. Hopefully now we'll be able to keep you in battle longer."

"Is that what you were trying to do?" I wondered. "You brought me here for that?"

He nodded, "We heard about your burnout while you were at Warsong Hold. You were lucky that it happened while you were surrounded by people who could take care of you. Had this happened in battle, you wouldn't have made it. But you should be okay for now."

I felt incredibly grateful for the fact that the red dragonflight had brought me to Wyrmrest Temple while they were in the midst of battle against Malygos, just to help me with my fire magic. It wasn't something to be taken lightly. "Thank you," I said, not quite knowing how else to put it into words. "I'm… I'm honored that you would take the time to help me."

"You've done a lot against the Scourge, child," said Queen Alexstrasza in a gentle voice that warmed my very soul. "This is just our way of giving you an extra push so that you can do more. We would help more if we could, but as you can see, we're facing our own problems here."

I looked out across the frozen plains of Dragonblight, "I wish I could give you all a hand," I said.

"Oh, I know you do, Faith. But this isn't your fight. You're here to rid the world of the Scourge, and you can't deviate from that path now."

I smiled. I really did want to help them against the blue dragonflight. The other dragonflights were there, including the black dragons, which had made me a little uneasy, if only because of their reputation. But Alexstrasza was right: I had my orders.

I was just sitting down to a cold lunch of dried fruit and meats when someone ran into the room I was in. He was a Forsaken soldier who had probably been raised by the Scourge, judging by the looks of him. His armor was dented, telling me that he had been fighting recently.

"I have an urgent message for C-Captain Faith Everstone," he said, his voice shaking. Could he have been scared?

Getting to my feet, I looked at him, "That's me, soldier. What can I do for you?"

"It's about Lady Sylvanas, Captain. We received word that she… she went to Icecrown Citadel. To the Frozen Halls, as far as we know."

I wasn't sure that I'd heard the trembling Forsaken correctly. My mind was buzzing. "Sylvanas did what?"

Master Krasus was next to me in a flash, "Sylvanas went into the Frozen Halls? By herself?"

"She took a couple of dark rangers with her from Dalaran, and she went there, yes."

"He'll turn her. If Arthas is there, he will never let her go." I was already beginning to create a portal to Dalaran. How I was going to get to Icecrown from there was beyond me, but I had to do it. I wasn't about to let Sylvanas die in there.

"Faith, wait, you can't," said Krasus. "You have to think."

"I don't have time to think!" I cried. "He could have turned her already!"

"Exactly. What will you do if that's happened? How will you counter it?"

"I will rip him limb from limb if he –."

"Faith, he'll kill you the same way he did her. Don't –."

But I was already gone, stepping into the swirling vortex I'd created. I'd been so unfocused that my portal was very close to the edge of Krasus' Landing in Dalaran. One wrong step and I could have ended up falling into Crystalsong Forest, which would have killed me.

I started running, requesting an immediate flight to Icecrown Citadel, which nobody would grant me.

"We're sorry, Captain Everstone, but nobody's headed in that direction."

"And how did Sylvanas manage to get there?" I cried.

"We're not sure. She might have caught some transport there. But you can't go. We're under strict orders to keep you here."

"Whose orders?" I was fairly screaming now, and everyone was looking at me, backing away from the magic that was crackling in my hands.

"Rhonin Redhair, Captain."

I was determined to go, even if it landed me in the Dalaran dungeons for the rest of my life.

There were a few Forsaken in Dalaran, and I sought them out, along with a couple of orcs who had been with me at Warsong Hold. They all agreed to help me find some mode of transportation to get to Icecrown Citadel. It wouldn't be easy, and we would probably be killed on the journey, but there was nothing else we could do.

"What will we need?" they asked.

"Weapons, although they won't really help if we have to fight a reanimated dragon. The orcs will need the warmest clothes we can find for them, otherwise, they'll freeze."

It took me an hour to get the supplies ready, by which time one of the Forsaken, a male named Bartholomew, had managed to find us a zeppelin. The goblin manning it was asking for a very high amount of gold, but I was beyond caring about such trivialities at that point. I paid him, promising extra gold if he completed his mission successfully.

The zeppelin was small, barely large enough to accommodate ten people, but it was enough. I cast a spell on it to protect it from some magical attacks, and to make it move a little faster than normal zeppelins. Because of its size, it moved quite quickly anyway, so we reached Icecrown Citadel within a couple of hours.

The temperature seemed to drop considerably as soon as we crossed the border. I shivered, casting spells on myself and my living companions to try and warm ourselves, but it didn't do much good. It doesn't matter, I thought. We'll be fighting in a bit anyway, and that will warm us up.

I didn't know how long Sylvanas had been in the Frozen Halls. She would have gone immediately after having made her decision, probably with little preparation. I hoped we were on time. My heart raced painfully in my chest as we neared the citadel, trying to stay invisible.

The sky was covered by clouds that were a shade of blue so dark they were almost black. The sun was nowhere to be seen, which didn't surprise me; I was used now to living without any natural light.

"Where is this place?" asked the goblin.

"Upper tier of the citadel." I pointed to an area, "Right up there."

He steered the zeppelin towards the area that I had indicated, skirting the floor. I immediately disembarked, keeping my eye out for an ambush.

Bodies littered the area, frozen solidly into the ground. I pulled an arrow from one of the bodies, recognizing it as one of Sylvanas'. "She's definitely been here," I said.

An explosion shook the citadel, and I swayed, looking towards the source of the noise. It seemed to come from behind a corner, and as soon as I caught my footing, I ran in that direction, ignoring the calls of my companions, who were right behind me. We halted at the sight of a cave, from which came the unbearable stench of decay. A chilled gust of wind brushed over me, making me gasp.

Sylvanas and the two other dark rangers were running towards us. She saw me, and her eyes widened in absolute horror, but she seemed unharmed. Behind her, I saw a sight that just about stopped my heart. Arthas. I couldn't see his face because of the helmet he wore, but I didn't need to. Cold fury radiated off him, and in his hand, Frostmourne seemed to glow in hunger.

"Faith Everstone," he purred. "What a pleasure to see you here, coming after your beloved banshee. Come to me, my dear."

For a moment, I felt as though an invisible hand were pulling me by the throat, cutting off my oxygen. Sylvanas screamed and collided with me, breaking whatever spell Arthas had cast. I fell to the ground, and she caught me. Arthas laughed.

"How noble. Sylvanas wants to sacrifice herself again to save you. I do not mind obliging."

"I will kill you if you touch her again, you butcher," I hissed, breathing heavily. I tried to cast a spell, but I felt horribly weak.

"You will do nothing," he said casually.

I saw Sylvanas lifted off her feet and high into the air. Her bow clattered to the ground. Pain flitted across her features, and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

Sylvanas…

Using every ounce of strength I had, I got to my feet, noticing that the rangers who had accompanied Sylvanas were utterly still, their eyes no longer glowing red, but an icy blue.

They were no longer Forsaken.

I cast my spell, the same variant of fire Krasus had shown me, and both of them erupted in flames, shrieking and running back into the citadel, where they brushed past Arthas, who was only momentarily distracted. His grip on Sylvanas loosened and she collapsed in a heap.

"Aim your spells at the entrance!" I shouted to the two Forsaken spellcasters with me, one of whom was not a mage, but a warlock. They did as I ordered, creating a very thin barrier that allowed me to stumble over to Sylvanas and drag her body towards the others. She was barely conscious, and whispered my name. "I've got you, Sylvanas. I've got you."

I could see the zeppelin, which the goblin had brought over to us. Setting Sylvanas down, I cast the strongest spell I could manage, which, combined with the others, was enough to cause a huge mound of snow to drop down, enough to block the mouth of the cave. "It won't hold him," I gasped. "Hurry!"

One of the orcs helped carry Sylvanas onto the zeppelin. Moments later, we were on our way, already dodging spells coming from several members of the Cult of the Damned, who had been alerted to our presence.

"Make for Dalaran!" I cried. I cast another spell on the zeppelin, and we began to move a little faster. "I hope we don't get a frost wyrm on our tail, or we're done for."

We moved as fast as we could, and I brought Sylvanas below deck. She was regaining her strength, and barely leaned on me. She wasn't looking at me, so I figured she knew how angry I was with her.

"Anar'alah Belore, Sylvanas, what were you thinking going in there on your own like that?" I asked her as soon as she'd taken a seat. I was struggling to keep from screaming at her. "You could have been killed! Never mind that, you could have been turned! Did you notice that the two you went in with were turned? Or did you just not care?"

"You're asking me if care? Why do you think I went there?"

"It's not your place to kill Arthas, Sylvanas! Your place is with the Forsaken, leading them, the way you chose to do! Killing Arthas is my job."

"And why should it be your job?" she cried to me. I winced.

"Because he killed you! He took you away from me!"

"And in so doing, he destroyed you. He hurt you in the worst possible way, and I will never forgive him for that."

Tears filled my eyes. I sank to my knees in front of her, resting my head on her legs, "I nearly lost you, my love. Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I lost you for good? Sylvanas, I wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm barely holding on as it is."

"No, don't do that. Don't start thinking that you're not holding on, because you are. You're doing great, and you're going to continue to do great." She stroked my hair, "I know it's hard, baby, but I had to go. I had to try."

"Did you satisfy your curiosity? Did you finally realize that you alone aren't enough to kill Arthas?"

"I'll find a way to send him to hell."

"What, the New Plague?" I asked.

She jumped, "How do you know about that?"

I knew that my smile didn't reach my eyes. I was still angry with her, "You think that just because I love you, I turn a blind eye to whatever you're doing in Undercity. You're wrong about that. I know you're working on another version of the Plague of Undeath, something that won't only kill people, but undead as well." I got to my feet, breaking contact with her, "Be careful there."

I heard her getting up, and a moment later, her hand was holding mine, "Are you threatening me?"

"If I wanted to threaten you, lover, you would know it, wouldn't you?" I started to pull my hand away, but she squeezed it.

"You shouldn't have come over."

"You would have died if I hadn't, and it's no use for you to pretend otherwise. You should probably go thank the crew upstairs, and find a way to keep me out of the Dalaran prisons, because Rhonin's going to be furious."

"I told him not to allow you to go to Icecrown."

"Oh, so my anger remains with you, good." I wrenched my hand away from her, "You should have taken me with you!"

"No! I didn't want you there! And I never want to know that you're anywhere near Icecrown Citadel again!"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from someone who just went on a bloody suicide mission!"

"I went for you! With Arthas dead, the Northrend campaign ends, and you can come home to me!" she screamed.

"If you want me to come home, all you have to do is ask!"

"I can't!" She took me by the shoulders and shook me, "Don't you get it? As long as the Scourge is active, Thrall will want you here. You're one of our most powerful weapons against them. As long as Arthas is alive, you will remain here."

I looked at her, not knowing what else to say. Her eyes were wide, insane and scared, and her mouth was open in what I could only assume was terror. "Baby," I whispered. "He showed you things when he had you in his grip, didn't he?" When she didn't answer, but started to look more scared than she already was, I pressed on, "Did he show you what he planned on doing to me? How he was going to torture me to bend me to his will?"

"Faith, please… don't." Her voice sounded broken.

"I will torch myself before I allow him or anybody in the Scourge to turn me. You know this." I ran my hand over her face, "Now, stop looking at me like this. It's completely unlike you."

Sylvanas blinked. It took her another few seconds to regain her composure, but she managed it. She pressed her forehead to mine before moving away from me, "Thanks."

I gave a nod.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm mad at you. But I still love you."

"You'd better still love me." A pause, "Look, I'm sorry I worried you. You know I didn't mean to do that."

"Okay." I moved further into the room, where she followed me to a dark corner.

"That's it? You're not going to forgive me?"

"Forgiving you is going to take me some time."

She turned me around, gently pushing me back against the wall, "And what is it that you want me to do to help this forgiveness come through?"

"Not that, and definitely not here, Sylvanas." I sounded firm enough for her to frown.

"You're turning me down? You're so angry with me that you won't even kiss me?"

"I'm not turning you down because I'm angry with you. I'm turning you down because I'm absolutely not in the mood for sex. I will, however, take a kiss from you." Standing on my tiptoes, I molded my lips to hers, and she kissed me back softly.

"Where will you be going next?"

"Venomspite, according to your orders."

She nodded, "Right. You'll need to help them against the Scarlet Onslaught at New Hearthglen. And against the Scourge. I think that Koltira's forces should have arrived there now."

"So Cindera will be there? Imagine my joy."

She smiled briefly, "You still hate her."

"Yes."

"Well, you're going to have to find a way to get along with her while you're in Venomspite, because I want you both to work together against the Scourge."

"Sylvanas, she'll most likely feed me to them herself so that she can have you."

"Have me… she won't have me. I'm not an object people can just take and use."

"I rather like it when you use me."

A chuckle, "And here I thought you were going to take time to forgive me."

"I am taking time," I said. "Doesn't mean I don't enjoy it when we make love in general."

"You always enjoy it," she murmured to me.

"That's true, I do." I kissed her again. "Anyway, are you sure there's no way I can do whatever needs to be done in Venomspite without involving Cindera?"

"You could, but it's not a good idea. She could help you."

I wasn't entirely convinced of that fact, but I didn't have time to argue my case. We arrived in Dalaran soon after, and came back out on deck to find that Rhonin was waiting for us with Vereesa. Neither of them looked very pleased.

"You weren't supposed to follow her, Faith," he said as soon as they disembarked.

"You were never supposed to let her go in the first place, neither of you! She could have been turned, and then where would we be?"

"We've been through it before," said Vereesa in a very low voice.

I rounded on her, "As far as I remember, Vereesa, you weren't around to see what your sister turned into after she was murdered, and I thank every star in the sky for that. But I'll tell you what it was like for me, to see her semi corporeal form coming for me on Arthas' orders. She tried to kill me, if you can imagine that."

Sylvanas took my hand, "Calm down," she whispered to me. "I've already spoken to her about disobeying. As it is, she saved my life, whatever's left of it." She pulled me behind her as Rhonin advanced, "I'll take full responsibility for her actions."

"You don't have to do that," I protested. "I was in control of my own actions. I came to Dalaran with the express purpose of going to Icecrown, and I did what I came to do. Nobody's to blame for that but me." I glanced at the banshee queen, "And maybe you."

"As I said, I'm responsible for what you did."

"I'm not sure Faith understands how important she is to those of us who survived the sacking of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas."

"No, I'm important to you and Vereesa, maybe. Nobody else really cares."

"You're wrong about that. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, knows about what you've been through."

"Everyone who survived the Scourge has stories that are similar to mine!" I cried.

"Not exactly, Faith."

"You lost your family at Andorhal, Rhonin. Vereesa was one of the only survivors from Windrunner Village… that goes for a lot of people, and you know it."

"I didn't lose the person I loved most in the world," said Vereesa.

I took a deep breath, "I am getting a little tired of people latching onto my feelings for Sylvanas. You're turning this into something it's not. Many people lost their significant others. Many of them saw the very people they loved most turned into undead monstrosities. I was not alone in that."

"I think what they're trying to say, Faith, is that they remember the way you reacted when we came into Silvermoon."

"When the Scourge went into Silvermoon," I hissed. "You're not Scourge."

"Everyone who was there, both living and undead, remembers the way you screamed for me, Faith."

Hitching in a breath, I turned away, "Enough. Enough. If any of you are going to punish me, do it now. Otherwise, allow me to freshen up before I make my way to Venomspite." I went to the nearest inn and got a room for the rest of the evening. Before I had even closed the door, Sylvanas caught up with me.

I let her into the room.

"You came here straight from Wyrmrest Temple, didn't you?"

I nodded, quickly telling her how I had found out that she'd gone to Icecrown. I walked to the shower room and undressed right there and then, feeling her behind me.

"I installed running water in your chambers back home, by the way," she said quietly, helping me peel off my socks. "It should make it better for you."

"Thank you," I told her.

"You shouldn't get angry at people for caring about what you went through."

"It's nobody's business, but ours, Sylvanas."

"It's their business when your feelings nearly get you killed."

"When did they almost get me killed?"

"Today, for instance."

"Sylvanas, I went out there because I knew that you wouldn't be able to get to Arthas on your own, and I didn't want you to die or be turned. That wasn't about my loving you, not really. It was about self-preservation." When Sylvanas began to laugh, I smacked her shoulder, "It was, and you know it!"

"Okay, okay, I'll buy into that… for now. But listen to me. People know you. They know about you. You're Blackfire, and the Scourge is afraid of you. If you were to die or, worse, be turned into a member of the Scourge, I'm fairly certain that many people in both the Horde and the Alliance would be devastated. If you're unsure of how I'd react –."

"I know how you'd react."

"Good. Then think about the twins. They love you. Would you really have them go through something like that? And how would I explain such a thing to your brother?"

"Taegan is a shade, Sylvanas. He understands death. He went through it."

"He would haunt me until the end of my days if I ever let anything happen to you. He already wasn't happy when you left."

"What do you mean?"

Sylvanas started the shower and undressed herself, stepping under the spray with me, "I mean that when he realized that you had gone to Northrend to fight the Scourge, he became corporeal, just for a moment, and threw a book at me. Think about that for a second. It takes a tremendous amount of anger for a shade to be able to do something like that."

She had a point, but I found it hard to believe that my brother Taegan would have done anything like that. Even though he had been the most rambunctious ones of my siblings, he had never been physically violent, at least never with us. I supposed that his death had changed him the same way death had changed Sylvanas, but there was really no way for me to know that.

"Do you still not want sex?" she asked me casually, taking a step towards me and kissing my neck.

A little startled by the change of topic, I offered my neck to her, putting a hand on her waist, "I… maybe you could persuade me, my Lady."

"Good girl."

We got out of the shower twenty minutes later, with her supporting me because my knees were still shaking. "You'll have to teach me that twisting trick you do with your fingers," I whispered to her.

She chuckled, "A lady never reveals her secrets." She kissed me. "I'm going back to Undercity tonight. I think I've been away quite long enough."

"I'll miss you."

"Me too. Be safe."

"Hey, I was safe this time. You're the one who went headfirst into Icecrown Citadel."

She smiled, "Don't follow my example."

"Spoil my fun," I muttered, drying my hair with a spell and quickly braiding it. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

I didn't want her to go, but I did my best to keep from showing it this time. Sylvanas left quietly, and I didn't hold her back, although I felt the familiar ache of loss raging within me the moment the portal closed behind her.

The following day, I went back to Wyrmrest Temple to grab my things, after which I quickly made my way to Venomspite. It was under attack when I arrived, but the death knights were able to quickly dispatch any Scourge who were there.

Koltira Deathweaver was there, and he showed me around quickly, not that there was much to see. Venomspite was a small town with the same layout as most of the other Forsaken towns I had been in. Green Blight cauldrons were a source of light, but I was careful to stay away from those, as they tended to make me sick.

"Cindera's inside the inn if you want to go talk to her about what both of you will be doing. Lady Sylvanas insisted that you both work together."

"And the Dark Lady's word is law," I replied. "How has Cindera been doing?"

"Oh, she's thriving here. It's like she was made to be in these wastelands, unlike some other death knights who are as depressed now as they've always been."

I could only imagine. I walked to the inn, seeing Cindera just coming out of it. She was wearing new armor, a beautiful black and silver plate set that looked as though it had been specifically made for her. She saw me and gave a sinister smile, "Hi, Faith! Welcome to Venomspite!"

"Hello," I responded. "I'm happy to be here. Nice armor."

"Oh, thanks! Sylvanas was generous with me."

I stared at her, "That armor must have cost a month's salary, Cindera." I knew Sylvanas well enough to be certain that she would have never bought something so extravagant for any one soldier.

"Well, she doesn't really know that I bought it."

"With Undercity funds?" I shrieked. "Are you crazy?"

"Well, you said it was nice armor."

"It is, but we're at war, Cindera. We can't just go around spending money on pretty things like that!"

"Oh, come on. I heard she got you a whole new wardrobe."

"Sylvanas didn't get me a new wardrobe. I bought myself new clothes because our stuff was lost to the Scourge. It's entirely different, and I promise that I didn't spend anything close to the amount you spent on that chestplate."

"Look, I know it's pretty, and that it was expensive, but it's practical, and it's really strong. Why shouldn't I have it?"

"You can buy anything you want with your own funds. But if you're going to use Undercity funds, I will have to get the treasury involved."

"But it was nothing! It's just armor!"

"What you spent on that armor for yourself could have outfitted thirty people, Cindera. We're losing people to the Scourge, and you go and do something like that." I walked back inside the inn, finding the girl appointed to the treasury in Venomspite, asking her to pull receipts for me. She did so without question, and I looked them over. Everything seemed in order, until I saw the exorbitant amount Cindera had spent.

"I see she bought a new sword as well. You allowed her to spend all of that?"

"She said that the Dark Lady had approved, Captain."

"Sylvanas would have never approved that expense for just one person." I sighed, putting a spell on the records so that they couldn't be altered or destroyed. "Send this to Undercity."

"Right away, Captain," she told me just as Cindera walked in.

"You're really going to tell Sylvanas about this?"

"I have to. You just put a huge dent in our Northrend budget, Cindera. Sylvanas needs to know so that she can plan things better. Honestly, I can't believe you did this. Just… get out of my sight."

She left, and I appropriated a room at the inn, where I immediately wrote a quick note to Sylvanas. It was all business, with no mention of how much I missed her. I received a reply that same evening.

My dear Faith,

I know that it's not easy to work with Cindera, but I urge you to try. I'm not altogether happy about how much she spent on herself, but it can't be helped now, so she'll have to keep her armor. I'll lower her wages for a while to recuperate the cost, if that'll make you feel better.

Now, pull yourself together and work everything out with her. I'm not your mediator.

Sylvanas

Work everything out with her? I didn't want to be on the same continent as her, much less be near her.

Gritting my teeth, I went to the apothecaries to see what they had been up to, wanting to take notes so that I could know what was going on.

"Oh, you don't need to trouble yourself with the New Plague, Captain," said Master Apothecary Putress, who was overseeing the preparation of what appeared to be a fresh batch of Plague. "We've been working hard, and have everything under control."

"I'm sure you do, but the Dark Lady sent me here because she wants me to help you, so you are going to tell me what it is that you're doing."

Putress seemed to hesitate, "Do you know what ectoplasm is?"

"The residue left by apparitions, or, well, ghosts. It's a bit translucent, and not that easy to collect, as I recall." I'd had a bad time trying to get some for Sylvanas once, and I'd hated every second of it.

"That's what we need here. I had someone go to one of the dragonshrines to get us a plant, but the ectoplasm could really tie it all together."

I looked at him to make sure he wasn't lying to me just to get rid of me. But he seemed sincere enough, so I nodded, "And the nearest concentration of ghosts is where?"

"The Forgotten Shore."

Why did that name mean something to me? I thought it over.

"It's where Arthas and his men camped when they came here to beat Mal'Ganis," said Putress quietly.

My head spun for a moment, and I nearly lost my balance. "Frostmourne's cave is near here, isn't it?"

"Not too far away, yes. But you won't find anything there, Captain."

No, I wouldn't. But to know I was so close to where Arthas had turned was making me feel really sad. "All right. I'll go to the Forgotten Shore and get you as much ectoplasm as I can."

"You will? Most people frown at that job, even the Forsaken."

"I don't doubt it. But if you need it, I'll get it for you."

I left soon after that, taking Lady with me. I'd been surprised and very pleased to see her in Venomspite, and she had greeted me with such enthusiasm that we'd both fallen in the snow in a heap. Now, she was alert, ready to pounce if she needed to. Her talons looked sharper than ever.

The job of collecting ectoplasm really was a disgusting one. The residue was slimy and gelatinous, much like jellyfish, and had a stench that rivaled the ripest undead. More than once, I gagged as I gathered the substance into several beacons I had brought for that purpose. Most of the ghosts didn't seem to notice me, but some were openly hostile, and I was forced to fight, only using magic, being as physical weapons couldn't touch them.

Finally, after several hours had passed, I found myself with six beacons full of substance, and started making my way back to Venomspite.

"I hope that's enough for you," I said to Putress. "Because I am not doing that again."

"Wow, Captain, thank you. That's perfect. We even have enough ectoplasm here to make a few test batches."

"Happy to help," I told him. "Now, if nobody minds, I'm going to wash up."

I did just that, washing my robes as well, before having a small meal and going to bed. I was exhausted, as were the other few living creatures currently residing in the town. We could hear the faint sounds of battle from outside the town – was the Scourge attacking again? I was too sleepy to even worry about it, and fell into a deep sleep, untroubled by dreams for once.

A/N – I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took such a long time coming, but I was on holiday! I'll try to update with chapter 45 soon!