Chapter 15: The Harbour

Kelrian's eyes widened as he caught sight of the harbour. The situation there was worse than he had expected. Much worse. Half of the boats had either been destroyed or were still burning. Some boats had already been put to sea while most of the ones who hadn't been destroyed were still docking. Not all boats on the sea were completely filled with refugees. There were a few, which were only filled up to half with high elves. Some of the fleeing people had been too egoistic to wait for others and had set off before the last seats could have been taken.

The high elves were stressed and overtaxed by the horrible situation and lots of them were panicking. What they saw in front of their eyes was horrible. The undead were slaughtering their way through the lines of remaining defenders who fought tooth and nail to buy as much time as possible for the civilians. They tried to hold out as long as possible to give the fleeing, panicking people enough time to get into the boats.

It didn't look good for them. More and more undead were breaking through the rows and pounced on the civilians who weren't able to defend themselves. Not everyone who died had a quick death. Some were still alive while ghouls feasted on their bodies.

Their screams couldn't be overheard. Limbs were separated, heads were torn off and innards were spread over the ground. The ground was covered with a sea of blood. Corpses were scattered everywhere. Some corpses kept lying there, some of them were burnt by the defenders but most of them were raised by the necromancers of the Cult of the Damned.

It was only a matter of time until the undead would break through the last lines of defenders. The undead would overwhelm the last defence and kill the innocent inhabitants of Quel'Thalas sooner or later. Kelrian had the bad feeling that most of the remaining high elves will die and only a small portion will survive.

Kelrian didn't know if his children, Camillia and Lyndia were already on the boats. He didn't know if they were safe on the boats, still alive but on the docks or already dead. He knew it was suicide to rush through the army of the undead to reach the harbour but he had no other choice. He had no mana potions left and not enough mana to create a portal to the harbour. All he could do was to try to fight his way through the undead.

Fortunately for him, he was not alone. Grief was reflected by Elena's eyes as she stood next to him and regarded the horrible scene. "We won't reach the harbour alive," she said and averted the gaze from the slaughter, looking back at Kelrian who made a grim facial expression.

"The harbour is our only chance to survive. At the beginning of Arthas' campaign, it would have been fine for me to lose my life. I wouldn't have shrunk back from sacrificing my life to save others. I still want to fight for the remaining civilians and try to save as many as possible. But I realised that we won't help anyone if we die before reaching the remaining inhabitants. We will only strengthen the rank of that bastard. I don't want to die. I don't want my children to become orphans. I don't want them to live their lives without parents. But most importantly, I want to save them. I have to reach the harbour and find out if they are still here or if they are already on the boats. I have to make sure they survive."

His gaze wandered to the boats, noticing that another one had set sails in the meantime. It was too far away, so he couldn't recognize if it was full or not. He could only hope that it was. He also hoped that the remaining members of his family were on this boat or on the others that had already set sail.

Elena put her hands on his cheeks, turning his head so that he had no other choice than to look at her. "There might be a way for us to reach the harbour without having to fight our way through the army of the undead."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow, a curious look appeared on his face. "Really?"

The woman with the light-pink dyed hair nodded and pointed in one direction. Kelrian's gaze followed her finger, landing on a dragonhawk which had lost its master. It was surrounded by several creatures that were trying to kill it and feast on its flesh. The majestic fire-red creature was slightly injured but it was still able to move quickly. It raised in the air and burn the creatures with flames that came out of its beak. The creatures turned to ashes before they were able to do anything.

The dragonhawk remained in the air for a few moments before it landed and looked around as if it was searching for its master. The creature's wings were massive, it had no legs but a very long tail. It may have a beak but its head didn't look similar to the head of a bird. It looked majestic but it was also a very dangerous creature even though it had been tamed. Elena was convinced that it would be pretty useful in killing the undead.

"You want us to fly on a dragonhawk?"

"It's the only way for us to reach the harbour without getting killed by the undead," responded Elena.

"I never learned how to ride a dragonhawk," admitted Kelrian, feeling ashamed a little. He was a little mad at himself that he had never considered learning how to ride these majestic creatures. They would be able to reach the harbour if Kelrian would know how to ride them.

"Good for you that I learned how to ride them," responded Elena and gave him a small smile.

Kelrian's face reflected surprise. "You know how to ride a dragonhawk?"

The ranger nodded. "I do. I learned it months before I went to the entrance exam. I thought I couldn't hurt to be able to tame and ride them for the case that the orcs and trolls would attack us again one day. Or anyone else. It feels fantastic to fly on them and glide with them through the air. Anyway, we should go to it before it decides to fly away. It is our only chance to reach the boats alive."

"You are right," Kelrian responded after a few seconds.

"Let's go before it's too late."

Kelrian nodded and followed Elena. They ran down the hill they had been standing on, followed the small path and came to the creature who was fighting off creatures that had come out of nowhere. Elena fired her last remaining arrows at the undead creatures while Kelrian went in close combat because he had no arrows left. They killed every undead creature, knowing they wouldn't stay dead for long if a necromancer or Arthas would show up and raise them.

Fortunately for them, the dragonhawk took care of the corpses and burned them. Dragonhawks were very smart creatures, so the rangers assumed it knew that the fallen undead would return if their bodies would still be intact. The winged creature regarded its helpers curiously, realizing quickly that no danger came from them. They weren't undead nor were they working for the death knight.

Kelrian noticed that the creature was nervous and the undead were the reason for that. Kelrian had witnessed that even lynxes, who were known as the deadliest and most fearsome wild creatures in Quel'Thalas had started to flee to the north before the undead army had even reached the first gate. They had sensed that something was wrong about the undead and that danger emanatedfrom them.

Elena approached the majestic beast carefully, signalizing it that she was friendly. It was a tamed dragonhawk, it knew that it could trust high elves, so it didn't shrink back or signalize Elena to stay back. It allowed her to approach and caress its head. The dragonhawk lowered its head eventually, allowing Elena to climb on its back. She climbed into the saddle, waiting until Kelrian sat behind her.

She turned her head, looking at him. "Are you ready?"

Kelrian nodded. "I am."

"You should wrap your arms around my waist and hold tight on me if you don't want to fall off."

Kelrian did as she said, ignoring the weird feeling that came from his stomach. He had no idea why he felt so weird at this very moment. Maybe because he was hugging another woman from behind who was not Sylvanas. Somehow it felt wrong for him to touch another woman since Sylvanas died days ago. But he had no other choice than do what Elena had suggested if he wanted to make it through the flight.

He had flown on dragonhawks in the past. He had hired dragonhawk riders from time to time to bring him to certain places. Flying on a dragonhawk was not new for him. Nevertheless, he was a bit nervous and he had no idea why.

He was worried. A lot of things could go wrong. The beast could get killed in flight or seriously injured so that it would have to make an emergency landing. Gargoyles could appear out of nowhere, try to grab them and let them fall and hit the ground. The nerubians could bring the winged beast down with their sticky nets which would mean Kelrian's and Elena's ends. But they had no other choice than flying on the beast if they wanted to reach the harbour alive.

Elena made sure that they were firmly in the saddle before she took the reins that were still attached to the beast, signalizing the dragonhawk to get in the air. It obeyed her without hesitation and flew in the direction Elena wanted.

Kelrian had mixed feelings during that ride. It excited him to fly on a dragonhawk but at the same time, he was worried. He was a little afraid of falling off somehow. He feared that someone would bring the dragonhawk down and kill it and them in the process. His stomachrebelled. He felt unwell at first but the longer they were in the air, the more he got used to it. After a few minutes, he was no longer afraid of flying.

They reached the harbour eventually, noticing that more undead had advanced. A lot more defenders had been killed in the meantime and most of them had been raised. More civilians had been killed, but on the other hand, many had gotten on the boats. Five of the remaining twelve boats had set off and moved towards the ships in the sea.

The dragonhawk spew fire, igniting several dozen undead creatures. The fire spread out quickly, turning many creatures to ashes but the flames were extinguished quickly by the cultists. They were firing spells at the winged beast which barely managed to dodge the first few spells.

But the winged beast was not able to dodge the second wave of spells. It got hit multiple times, lost height and fell into the water eventually. Kelrian and Elena managed to jump off before it broke through the surface. They couldn't do anything for it. The paralyzed body of the winged creature sank quickly, the water around it turned red. Its painful cries were still ringing in Kelrian's ears even though he could no longer hear it. He and Elena mourned for the creature for a few seconds before they regained focus.

They were not far away from the landing stage, so they swam to it and climbed up the wooden ladder, getting out of the cold water as fast as possible. Kelrian wished he could dry their clothes with a spell but he didn't have enough mana left nor did he have the time for that. There were other things that were more important than fighting the cold. He had to find his relatives if they weren't on the boats already. He had to make sure they would get out alive. If necessary, he would give his life to save his children. He wouldn't hesitate to do that.

His gaze wandered over the gathered crowd that was waiting to get into the boats. Kelrian didn't need to look twice to figure out that the boats will not be able to accommodate everyone who was waiting. Not everyone will manage to get off the island. Many will die. At least there were mages who had opened a few portals, so people could be transported to different cities. Ironforge, Stormwind and even Dalaran.

But the mages looked pretty exhausted, which meant that they wouldn't be able to hold the portals up for long. Kelrian wished he could help them but he was too exhausted to do that. He wouldn't be able to keep a portal open for more than a few moments.

Kelrian's gaze wandered around again, his heart skipped a beat as he spotted Raesh in the crowd. He was near a boat but it would take some time until it would be his turn to get on the boat. Most people were pushing him aside on their way to the first line. That way, Raesh wouldn't be able to get on any boat before they would be full. Kelrian knew he had to do something. He had to make sure his son would get on a boat, then he would have to search the missing members of his family.

He paved his way through the crowd, making use of his muscles from time to time to prevent that someone would push him aside. The worst that could happen would be to fall to the ground and be trampled by the panicking citizens.

Some of the Farstriders, who weren't fighting, tried to pave ways through the crowd so that women and children could get on the boat first. Even though the crowd was in panic, they allowed most women and children to get on the boats first. There were only a few selfish assholes who only thought about themselves. Someone of them blocked the way for the parents and their young children, not allowing them to get to the first line.

Kelrian could only shake his head about them and their behaviour but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He had to get his children to safety first, then he could help others. He had promised Sylvanas to take care of their family and he intended to keep his promise. He intended to do everything in his power to save them.

Kelrian reached his son eventually, putting a hand on his shoulder. Raesh startled but sighed out in relief when he saw his father. "Father, you are here," he said, sounding more surprised than he had intended to.

"I am. We don't have time to talk. We have to get you on the boat. Where is your sister?"

The teenager shook his head slowly and shrugged, sadness was reflected in his eyes. "I have no idea. She was right behind me when we arrived at the harbour but then I lost her somehow. I shouted her name and searched for her but I didn't find her. I'm sorry, father."

Kelrian stared at son. Raesh looked so similar to his mother. Whenever looked at him he was reminded of Sylvanas and felt sad. This time, he only felt sad for a few moments because he managed to catch himself and regain focus. "Everything will be alright, my son."

Raesh nodded hesitantly.

Kelrian's gaze landed on Elena. "Make sure my son gets on the boat. I will search for the others in the meantime."

Elena and Raesh wanted to say something in return but Kelrian had already disappeared into the crowd before they were able to respond to him. They had no chance to protest.

"I have a bad feeling about this," muttered Elena. Raesh didn't respond to her, letting his gaze wander through the crowd. He regarded the undead for a few moments, averting his gaze before his stomach would turn up.

The sight was horrible. Some of the creatures were literally tearing off some defenders to shreds. Not even elders, women or children were spared. The undead were merciless. They kept fighting and fighting no matter if they lost arms or legs. Beheading them was the only option to stop them for the moment but there were enough necromancers who could reattach their heads and raise them again.

The mages and rangers tried to burn as many corpses as possible but their efforts didn't change much. Too many fell and way too many were raised and forced to attack their former comrades. The mages and rangers were not able to burn every fallen defender who had given their life to buy the civilians as much time as possible. They wouldn't shrink back from sacrificing themselves for the survival of their race. It was their duty to do so and they would never think of breaking their code of honour and disregard their duties.

Elena grabbed Raesh by his arm and dragged him towards the boat. She managed to push him through the crowd that was gathered on the landing stage. They reached the boat which was almost full already. Elena waited until the next person had gotten on it and then pushed him forward so that he had no other choice than to get on it too. Raesh wanted to get out but Elena stepped in front of him, preventing him from doing that.

"My father and my sister are not here. I'm not leaving without them."

Elena shook her head slightly. "You are not leaving the boat. It was difficult enough to get you on it, so you will stay on the boat and leave the island."

"But..."

Elena interrupted him. "Your father and your sister will take another boat. You will meet them again soon. But right now, you need to get to safety. I can't allow you to get hurt if you wait for them on the landing stage. Your safety is very important to your father, so do him a favour and stay on the boat. There are enough other boats they can take."

Raesh didn't protest. He just stared at the crowd and let his gaze wander as if he was searching for his father and sister. Elena told the sailor to set off once the boat was full. The young man obeyed and told the passengers to take the oars and start rowing. The passengers obeyed and started without hesitation.

Raesh still looked worried as the boat moved further away from the harbour. He hadn't planned on leaving the island without his family. He had wanted to stay and wait for his father and his twin sister but Elena had put him on the boat and left him no other choice than to leave with the other refugees. He could only hope that his father, his sister and his other relatives would get on the remaining boats and leave the island too. He didn't want to lose any of them.

He had heard rumours about his mother who had been killed by Arthas Menethil and turned into a ghost-like creature. He hoped these rumours weren't true. He didn't want to lose his mother nor did he want her to serve the evil human in death. He wanted her to be alive. He hoped she would remain dead and wouldn't be forced to serve her murderer if she was really dead.

He wanted nothing more than his family's safety. He didn't want to lose them, not after he had already lost his mother. A few days ago, he had still believed she would make it out alive but what he had seen in the past days had convinced him of the opposite. He no longer believed that she was still alive. He was just hoping she had found peace and wouldn't have to serve anyone.

His gaze rested on the harbour while the boat moved away and reached the ships eventually. The coast of Quel'Danas was too shallow for ships to dock. Their captains had left them in the sea with their anchors dropped so that the wind wouldn't be able to bring them away.

The boat stopped in front of one of the large ships. A wooden ladder was lowered down so that the survivors could get on the ship one by one. Women and children were allowed to get on the ship first so Raesh didn't have to wait for too long. He was the fifth person to get on the ship. A female sailor helped him to climb over the railing and told him to wait in the middle of the deck. He did as he was told.

He noticed that survivors from other boats were also getting on the same ship. His eyes widened as he recognized a familiar person who was not far away from him. It was a male half-elf with long blond hair whose armour was damaged and bloodstained. His left forearm was dressed in a provisional bandage, so was half of his head. It was clear that he wouldn't be able to fight with these wounds. That was the reason why he had retreated and gotten on a boat instead of continuing to fight the undead.

Raesh stepped to him and hugged him. "I'm glad you're alive, Arator."

His cousin put his healthy hand on Raesh's back and caressed it. "So am I."