Chapter 30: Fatal Cooperation

"I've bad news, my king."

Kael'thas turned around, looking at Kelrian with an expecting expression on his face. "Bad news?"

"The undead have taken our outlying bases. We're completely surrounded," reported Kelrian. Worry was reflected by his eyes and his voice.

A frown appeared on the king's forehead, worry could be seen in his eyes. "Those bases are lost. We'll just have to improvise."

"Improvise? How? There are hundreds of undead out there and we only have two hundred men."

The king looked thoughtfully. "I... I need time to think..."

"I doubt we will have time for that. The undead are approaching, they won't need long to reach us."

"I know, Kelrian. I know. Do you have any idea what we could do?"

Kelrian shook his head. "Except for fighting them... No, I'm afraid not. I doubt we will find a way to avoid the undead. They are coming for us and there is no way to escape them."

Kael'thas didn't respond. Anger was reflected by his eyes, he was gritting his teeth and his body was tense. He had no idea what to do and he hated that. He hated to be powerless. He couldn't even evacuate his people because they had not enough time to evacuate two hundred men through a portal. The undead would reach them before they would be able to create a portal large enough so that many blood elves could step through it at the same time.

He knew that his men couldn't stop the undead. They might be able to burns hundreds of undead but these loses will be made up by his people who will fall and be brought back by Scourge necromancers. He knew he couldn't win. He hated that feeling.

It was all Garithos' fault. If that racist wouldn't have withdrawn his troops, Kael'thas would have enough men to deal with the undead. But with only two hundred men he had no chance against the nearly thousand undead creatures. The battle's outcome was decided from the beginning. He hated Garithos more than ever for sealing their fate by ordering him to take care of the undead after he had withdrawn his forces.

He was sure that this had been the bastard's plan all along. It was no secret that Garithos didn't like elves. He didn't like any race but the human race. He was using them as cannon fodder to buy time so that he could deal with the undead at the front first and then take care of the undead that were coming from the east.

Kael'thas was clenching his fists and biting his bottom lip hard. His gaze still rested on Kelrian who didn't hide how worried he was. "Our situations may seem hopeless but we must try. We have to find a way to beat the undead army."

"But how?" Kelrian asked, doubt was clearly hearable in his thin voice.

Kael'thas didn't say anything. He tilted his head a little and looked at a different direction. His eyes were narrowed and it seemed that he was looking at something. Kelrian raised an eyebrow and turned his head, looking at the direction the king was looking. He spotted Lady Vashj and an army of naga approaching them. Kelrian guessed that at least three hundred naga were following her. Among the serpents were even six naga brutes which were at least seventeen feet tall.

Lady Vashj and her bodyguards stopped in front of Kael'thas and Kelrian. The naga lowered her head and gave the blood elves a small smile. "Ishnu-dal-dieb, King Kael. We've come to aid you against the vile undead."

"Greetings, Lady Vashj. I welcome your aid gladly but..."

"You seem worried, Kael. What's wrong?" the naga asked.

"The commander I serve does not approve of your kind. I'm grateful that you want to help us but I'm still worried about his reaction when he finds out that we work together."

Lady Vashj chuckled. "I do not see him here. Or is he somewhere behind the trees?" Her gaze wandered to the little forest behind Kael'thas' army. "Let me bolster your forces with my own. If not, you and your brethren will surely fall. Your deaths will be a waste of such great potential. You do well at killing the undead with your fire techniques. I cannot allow you to fall against these monsters."

"You are right, Lady Vashj. I accept your offer because I have no other choice. I will deal with Garithos later. We won't help him at all if we fall and be brought back by the Scourge."

A small smile appeared on Vashj's pale lips. "Good. But before we go, I have something for you. For you and Kelrian"

Kelrian raised an eyebrow and gave the naga a curious look. "What is it?"

Lady Vashj made a gesture and a female naga sorceress from the first line came to her. She carried two amulets in her hands and handed them to Kelrian and Kael'thas. "These amulets contain an extraordinarily large amount of arcane energy. You will need it for the following battle."

"Thank you, Lady Vashj," said Kael'thas and Kelrian in unison.

"No need to thank me. We are on the same side. Don't forget that," Lady Vashj replied and gave them a small smile.

"I will never forget that," returned Kael'thas.

"Good. We should go. The earlier we dispatch the undead, the sooner you can return."

Let's go then."

---

"There are much more creatures than I have expected," said Kelrian as he spotted the undead army that was coming closer and closer. They were coming from all sides which will make it more difficult for the living to fight them.

"This fight won't be easy but I'm convinced we will be victorious," said Lady Vashj.

"Many will fall nonetheless," replied Vara.

"That's unavoidable, unfortunately," responded Lady Vashj.

Kelrian turned his head, his gaze landed on Kael'thas who had summoned Al'ar and was sitting on its back. Lady Vashj's gaze also fell on the phoenix. "That's a beautiful creature."

"It is indeed," responded Kelrian. "Its name is Al'ar. It's the king's favourite pet. To be honest, Al'ar is more like a friend to him than just a pet. But don't tell him that I said that."

"Don't worry, Kelrian. I won't. Did you ever ride on such a beautiful creature?"

"I did. Kael'thas is not only my king but also my mentor and he allowed me to ride Al'ar a few times. He told me that I'm the only one Al'ar allows to climb on its back, except for the king of course."

"I had a beautiful hippogryph when I was a night elf ten thousand years ago. I loved it and it loved me," explained the naga.

"What happened to it?" asked Vara.

"It was killed by a demon. I swore vengeance and killed the demon who was responsible for its death. But that didn't bring my hippogryph back. Nothing but memories remains of it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Kelrian, signalizing her that he really meant it.

A barely recognizable smile appeared on Lady Vashj's lips. "It happened ten thousand years ago, so you don't have to be sorry about it."

"I just wanted to be polite."

"I know and I appreciate that."

"Are you ready to fight?" shouted Kael'thas suddenly and let Al'ar rose in the air. He received loud shouts from his men, telling him that they were ready. His people and the naga were ready to fight the undead that had almost reached them.

The battle was long and bloody, many were injured, crippled or even lost their lives. Naga and blood elves were raised by the necromancers but they were released from their suffering rather quickly. The necromancers were the primary target of the naga and sin'dorei because they were the biggest threat.

The living had gotten the upper hand when the last necromancer had perished. As always, the fire had been the biggest friend of the living. The most important tool against the undead. Each undead creature had been quickly turned to ashes once its body had caught fire. The undead may have been superior in number at the beginning of the battle but the living had better warriors and more spellcasters.

The battle, that had lasted for two days, ended when the last undead creature had finally been turned to ashes by Kelrian. He plumped himself on the ground, not caring that it was covered with blood, ashes and severed limbs. He was pretty exhausted and breathing heavily. His upper body hurt but other than that he was fine. He had consumed every piece of arcane energy that had been stored in the amulet and he had drunk all of his three mana potions.

He had the impression that his hunger for arcane energy had become worse since he had been hit by that corrupted wave of energy. He also had the impression that his spells had become more effective. His fire had never burned the body of an undead creature as fast as in that battle. He had no idea what had happened to him but he was certain that the destruction of the Eye of Sargeras had something to do with it.

He sat there for a while, allowing his sister to treat the wound on his left upper arm. His left sleeve was torn in pieces and blood had flown out of a long and deep cut in his arm before Sydori had closed the wound. Kelrian let his gaze wander, spotting sin'dorei and naga who were collecting the fallen and bringing them to wooden carts. The battle was over for hours but Kelrian was still sitting there. He only got up as Kael'thas approached him and regarded him with a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay?" the king asked worriedly.

"I am," Kelrian replied.

"Are you sure? You sat there for hours and did nothing after your sister treated you. It looked like you were miles away."

Kelrian was surprised. He hadn't realized that several hours had passed. He had thought until this moment that he had sat there for a few minutes. He hadn't realized that time had flown by so fast. "Seems the battle was more taxing than expected. I was just thinking about something and then my thoughts drifted off... I'm fine, really."

"If you notice anything odd, go ahead and tell me. I'll help you whenever I can."

"I don't want to bother you, your majesty. You have other things to worry about than the condition of one of your men."

"One of my men? You are one of the best I have. Of course, I worry about you. We need powerful warriors and mages more than ever these days. We need people like you if we want to defeat the undead. I'm still your mentor which is another reason why I have to look after you and make sure you are alright," told Kael'thas.

Kelrian nodded. "I'm fine." He let his gaze wander again. "How many did we lose?"

"Sixty sin'dorei and fifty-seven naga."

"How many undead did we kill?"

"Nearly a thousand."

Kelrian looked back at the king. "Sixty... That's too many..."

A sad look could be seen on Kael'thas' face. "I know. We wouldn't have lost so many if Garithos wouldn't have withdrawn his troops. He knew we wouldn't be able to stop the undead alone but he still gave us the order to fight them. I have the impression that he sent us to die so that we buy him time. We would have died without the help of the naga. Without Lady Vashj's aid, we would have ended up in the ranks of the Scourge."

"Garithos hates every race except the human race. Of course, he doesn't mind if we give our lives to buy him time. I hate that bastard so much. There is only one person I hate more and you know who that person is."

Kael'thas nodded. "There is no one I hate more than the murderer of my father. But my hate for Garithos is on a similar level as my hate for Arthas... We must get rid of Garithos somehow."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow, surprise was reflected in his eyes. "We can't just kill him, right? He may be an asshole but he is still on our side, at least he pretends to be on our side. Despite our differences, we can't just... murder him..."

Kael'thas made a thoughtful face. "You are right, Kelrian. We can't. That wouldn't be honourable but... If we ever fight by his side and some undead creatures jump on him..."

"We pretend we didn't notice them and hope they kill Garithos...," completed Kelrian quietly.

Kael'thas didn't say anything. His only reaction was a barely visible nod which Kelrian had noticed. He turned his head as he heard strange sounds. Someone was wriggling across the ground. Lady Vashj and two of her sorceresses had approached him. The worry vanished out of Kael'thas' face and was replaced by gratefulness.

"You have my thanks, Lady Vashj. This victory wouldn't have been possible without your aid, though I fear I may have doomed myself by accepting it." Worry appeared in his eyes.

"The human you serve trusts no race but his own. His sense of honour runs no deeper than his tolerance."

A sad sigh escaped the king's lips. "It is loyalty and duty that binds me to him and to this... failing Alliance. But now those tenets seem as distant as our ruined homeland," he paused for a moment. "All I know is that my brethren and I hunger for something more."

Lady Vashj tilted her head. "Then perhaps, young Kael, it is time to find a new path," she hesitated for a moment but then continued. "A path to power and glory."

"I can't explain it exactly, but ever since our homeland was destroyed, my brethren and I have felt empty... almost drained of our spirit...There is a hunger now that has... hardened our hearts..."

The expression on the naga's face told the sin'dorei that she understood what they meant. "I know this hunger, Kael. Like us, your people are addicted to magic. It flowed through your veins for over ten thousand years. And now, with the corruption of your land and the Sunwell that empowered you..."

"We have been cut off from our power, from our birthright. Without a new source of magic, my people will surely die," Kael'thas responded, sounding very worried.

Lady Vashj sounded serious. "There are other founts of power in this world, Kael. Demons use a powerful and destructive form of magic known as fel magic."

For the first time of the conversation, Kelrian took the floor. "You speak of madness, Lady Vashj. We will never be that desperate and use the same form of magic as those who created the Scourge."

Lady Vashj chuckled. "Your aversion is understandable. But still..." The naga stopped speaking as Vara came in their sight. Vara lowered her head and waited until Kael'thas had given her permission to speak. "Grand Marshal Garithos has arrived, your majesty. He's brought a full battalion with him."

Kael'thas' and Kelrian's facial features derailed, then tense expressions appeared on their faces. "Damn," Kael'thas cursed. He turned to Lady Vashj, noticing the worry in her eyes. "You'd best leave, Vashj. I cannot guarantee your people's safety."

The naga nodded. "I hope we will meet again, Kael."

"So do I, Vashj. Now go." The naga didn't need to be told twice and commanded her forces to follow her. They left the battlefield as fast as possible and even Kael'thas' men tried to leave the battlefield but Garithos and his men caught up to them before they were able to do that.

The Grand Marshal's gaze wandered over the corpses on the ground. He didn't pay any attention to the ashes of the undead nor to the corpses of the blood elves. He only regarded the corpses of the naga and didn't show that seeing their dead bodies amused him. His face reflected anger and disappointment. He was disappointed that the king of the blood elves hadn't listened to him and teamed up with the naga.

Kelrian let his gaze wander, noticing that they were completely surrounded by human warriors, archers and mages. Garithos was not far away from them and regarded the blood elves with narrowed eyes. His gaze fell on Kael'thas. "So, Kael, you've shown your true colour at last. I knew you were in league with those serpents. Now I have all the proof I need to execute every traitorous one of you." As usual, his voice reflected nothing but hatred and arrogance.

"The naga helped us fighting the undead, milord. Without them, the undead would have killed all of us," shouted Kelrian. He knew that racist would never listen to his words but he was still trying it because he didn't want him and his brethren to be executed for no reason.

As expected, Garithos didn't listen to him. "Save your breath, Captain. I never trusted you vainglorious elves. It was a mistake to accept you into the Alliance in the first place. Now, at long last, you'll be dealt with appropriately. Take them away and lock them in the dungeon of Dalaran."

Kelrian's eyes narrowed, anger was reflected by his face. He couldn't believe the human was doing that. He had no right to lock them away and execute them. They had done nothing wrong. They had fulfilled their task and slain the Scourge army. They had succeeded but Garithos didn't care.

He disliked the naga and considered everyone who worked with them as traitors. But he was the only traitor in the ranks of the Alliance. He was the plague and not the naga. He should be executed but the blood elves were not in the position to take him captive.

They only had around one hundred and forty men while Garithos had several hundred. The sin'dorei were outnumbered, so it was unwise to do anything but Kelrian couldn't hold back. He could no longer stand the human's wrong point of view and behaviour. He couldn't allow that Garithos' men would bring his brethren and him to the dungeon and keep them there until their execution. He had to do something but there was nothing he could do. Or perhaps...

Kael'thas stepped in front of his son as he noticed the magic that crackled between his fingers. It was not arcane, fire or frost magic. The small sphere of energy that Kelrian had created was not blue or red. It was green. Fel green.

Kael'thas put his hands on Kelrian's shoulders, shaking him slightly while staring into his eyes until the anger in Kelrian's face vanished like the sphere. Kelrian knew that attacking the Grand Marshal wouldn't change their situation. Even if he would kill him, his men would still carry out their orders. Killing the human would only bring them immediate death. The humans would kill all sin'dorei if anyone would dare to attack Garithos.

Kelrian lowered his hands and shook his head slightly as Garithos' men approached him and the king and grabbed them roughly, dragging them away.

---

"I can't believe that this actually happened," said Kelrian. He was sitting in the corner of a cell that was one hundred and fifty square feet tall. The cell was better furnished than he had expected. There was a bed on each side and even a small shelf filled with books in front of the wall opposite to the door. He had expected the cell to be empty and dirty but it was clean and looked at least a little comfortable.

"I can't believe it either," said his cellmate. Kelrian turned his head and looked at him. Like him, he still wore his armour and even his long red cape but the guards had taken away his verdant spheres, fearing he might be able to use them to get free. "I expected other results... I mean, we fulfilled his task, didn't we?"

"You made the right choice when you accepted Lady Vashj's offer, my king. The undead would have overwhelmed us without the naga's aid. Our hands were tied, we had no other choice than working with them. Either we would have accepted their aid and risk that Garithos would overreact or we would have died in battle. You chose the lesser evil," responded Kelrian.

"And now our hands are literally tied," was everything Kael'thas said in return and pointed at the cuffs around his wrists.

A sad sigh escaped Kelrian's lips. "I don't want to die. There is so much I have to accomplish. Arthas must pay for his crimes. He must die so must Xenarion and Dar'Khan Drathir. They all deserve death. They have to pay for their betrayal. For their crimes. Ninety percent of our people died because of Arthas and Dar'Khan. They must be brought to justice. They must..."

Kael'thas nodded. "You are right about that, Kelrian. But it seems that we won't be the ones who avenges those who have fallen. But I believe others will do. These traitors will receive their just punishments one day. I'm certain of that."

Kelrian was silent and stared at his fingers, anger and sadness were reflected in his eyes. He was not afraid of death but he still didn't want to die. He didn't want to die before Arthas had received his just punishment. He had sworn to avenge Sylvanas and Lyndia. He had come to the conclusion that this was his destiny. He also had a son who needed him. He had family who needed him too. He must not die but his life was no longer in his hands.

His life and the lives of his brethren were in the hands of a racist who wanted nothing more than their deaths. It surprised Kelrian that he hadn't executed them yet. But it was only a matter of time until he would order their execution. Their days were counted and Kelrian could do nothing but sitting in the cell. He was powerless and he hated that feeling. It was not the first time that he had been imprisoned.

Nearly seventeen years ago, he had been imprisoned by the Amani trolls. He had not been tortured but used as a test subject for a love potion. He had been held in a cell for two months until he and Elena had managed to escape. He had not known back then what would happen to him but he knew what will happen this time. He will be executed sooner or later and there was no way to prevent that. He was locked in a cell and unable to do anything. He was powerless.

Kelrian lifted his head as he noticed that Kael'thas was staring at him. "Is something wrong, your majesty?"

Kael'thas shook his head. "Now that we are going to die, you don't have to call me by my title. Call me Kael'thas or Kael."

"As you wish, your m... Kael'thas."

"I noticed something when you almost attacked Garithos."

Kelrian raised a brow and frowned, a questioning look appeared on his face. "What do you mean?"

The colour of the sphere you created... It was green. Not blue. Green. Fel green."

The way Kelrian reacted told the king that he had not been aware of that. Kelrian's eyes were widened and reflected a mix of confusion and shock. Doubt appeared a few moments later. "Fel green?" he asked irritated.

Kael'thas nodded but remained silent.

"But...How...I...," Kelrian was at a loss of words and stopped speaking, waiting until he had found the right words. "How is that possible? I have no access to fel magic."

"I fear it has something to do with the corrupted wave of energy that hit us. Illidan and the naga also used fel magic to charge the Eye of Sargeras. I think that your body stored some of the released fel magic," Kael'thas explained calmly, making sure his student wouldn't break out in panic.

"What does this mean for me?" he asked worriedly.

"I have no idea, Kelrian."

"This is not a good sign, is it?"

Kael'thas shrugged. "I don't know."

"Why don't you know that?" he asked, accidentally raising his voice.

The king remained calm and pretended that the little outburst never happened. "I have no answers for that. I only know little about fel magic. If there is someone who knows a lot about it, it is this Illidan but I doubt we will ever see him again."

"You are right, Kael'thas. I don't think I have to worry about the effects because I won't live long enough to find out what the corrupted energy will do with me."

Kael'thas had not the chance to respond to him because three guards came to their cell the next moment, opened the door and entered. The blood elves looked at them but didn't say anything. A tall man at the age of forty with a brown full beard pointed at Kelrian. "Take him! Lord Garithos wants to see him."

Kelrian was surprised but he didn't resist as the two guards walked over to him, grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. He had no idea what Garithos wanted from him but he knew better than trying to resist. Resisting would only bring him much pain. He looked at Kael'thas but there was nothing the king could do for him. He was as powerless as him and could only watch as the guards carried Kelrian away.

They dragged him through the thin corridors where the other sin'dorei were imprisoned. He spotted Vara, Sydori and even Fanomar in one of these cells. The elves didn't look very happy, some of them seemed to be pretty angry and others shouted insults at the guards as they spotted Kelrian. The other guards banged against the bars to silence them but that didn't work in every case. Kelrian was still able to hear the outraged shouts of some elves. But they became quieter and quieter the longer they walked.

They reached a room after a while. The guard with the brown beard opened the door and let him and the two other guards inside. Kelrian turned his head, spotting Garithos at the other side of the room. A mischievous grin appeared on the human's lips as he saw Kelrian. He walked over to the nearest table and picked up a black whip. Kelrian noticed that his eyes glowed fel greenish and green marks could be seen on his neck. Demonic runes.

The guards forced Kelrian to his knees and prevented him from getting up. "Remove his upper body armour," demanded Garithos. "And keep the door open. I want everyone to hear his screams."