Chapter 6: Concerning News

Prince Arthas Menethil and his men slaughtered the population of Stratholme."

The following silence didn't last for too long but it felt like an eternity. Lyndia was sitting next to her mother and tried to get her attention but the woman didn't react to her or anyone else. She just stared at a random spot in the room and remained silent.

Not even Sylvanas said anything. She was worried and looked as if she was lost in thoughts. She was thinking about something and the girls wanted to know what was going on in her mind.

The silence was unpleasant but ended eventually as Sylvanas cleared her throat and looked back at her daughter and her niece. The eyes of both girls were widened and shock was reflected by their faces. They couldn't believe that Sylvanas had just told them but the serious expression on the woman's face told the girls that she was not joking. She was dead serious about this.

"This can't be true...," started Lyndia but stopped as she realized that she had no idea what she should say. Sylvera was also speechless and stood there rooted and unable to say something.

Sylvanas shook her head slowly, sadness was reflected by her blue eyes. Her voice was weak and quiet. "I wish I could say that it's not true but that would be a lie. As shocking as it sounds, it is unfortunately true."

"But... Prince Arthas would never harm anyone. He swore to protect his people. He is a servant of the light... It can't be real..."

Sylvanas put her hand on the half-elf's shoulder, staring into her eyes. Her expression was neutral, her lips were pressed together. It was clearly visible that it was not easy for her to speak out the following sentences. "It is real. My scouts are a reliable source. They tell me everything they find out. I didn't believe them at first but they managed to convince me of the truth. I know them for a long time, so I know they would never lie to me. They are loyal to me and always tell me the truth."

Sylvanas paused for a moment, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled and opened her eyes again, looking at her daughter and then back at Lyndia. "We don't know yet why he did that but my men are after it. They are looking for Lady Jaina Proudmoore and Lord Uther to get answers from them. I want to know why Arthas did that. I don't believe there is any reason that would justify his actions but I still want to know the reason why he did that."

The girls were silent while Sylvanas continued to comfort Camillia and tried to get her attention. She got her attention eventually but the woman didn't say anything at first. Only when her daughter began to ask questions which Sylvanas couldn't answer, she started to speak.

"It is true, Lyndia. I know it sounds unreal but it is the sad truth." Her voice was thin and weak, her tired eyes rested on her daughter. "I saw it with my own eyes. It... It was horrible..."

Sylvanas' eyes widened. "You saw it with your own eyes?"

Camillia nodded slowly. "I was about to leave Stratholme for a walk as the prince and his men entered the city and forbid us to leave. The people were confused and asked him what's going on... He didn't give them a correct answer. He just...," the brown-skinned woman stopped speaking, ordering her thoughts before she continued. "He struck a young boy with his hammer and... He killed him... He just killed him out of nowhere. For no reason." Her voice had become much weaker and tears could be seen in her eyes. Her face was pale and her bottom lip was trembling.

Sylvanas pulled her in a comforting hug, put her head on her shoulder and ran her fingers through her dreadlocks. "It's okay, honey," Sylvanas whispered. "You are safe. He won't hurt you. I won't let that happen. You are in a safe place. Tell us everything once you feel ready." She put a kiss on her forehead and regarded her patiently.

Camillia felt a hand on her back which caressed it slowly. She shifted her gaze, finding out it was her daughter's hand. Lyndia was also holding her hand and caressed its back with her thumb. It pained the half-elf to see her mother in this condition, so she did her best to comfort her. She had no idea how she should do that, so she just sat next to her and signalized her that she was there for her.

The actress continued eventually but it was still clearly visible that it was not easy for her to talk about this. "The people were shocked at first. No one would have ever expected that the prince would kill a human for no reason. His men didn't stop him. They followed his example. They started to kill the nearest citizens not long after the prince had killed that poor boy with his hammer. It was horrible... So much blood. So many corpses. So many unnecessary deaths. The people didn't do anything to deserve such a horrible fate..."

Sylvanas put Camillia's face in her hands and caressed her cheeks carefully while staring into her eyes. "I have no words for this. I wish I could say something to comfort you but I'm lacking words. This sounds unbelievable... This is... This is pure genocide... This is madness... I still can't believe he did this. I haven't met him very often but I spoke to him a few times. I would have never believed he would do something horrible like that. I always thought he was a good guy. It seems that I was wrong..."

A sad sigh escaped Camillia's lips. "I heard him muttering that he was doing this for our own good. He muttered that he was doing this for his kingdom. He muttered he would protect his kingdom that way."

Sylvanas' eyes widened once again. "You were close to him?"

Camillia nodded hesitantly. "He was not far away from me, so I was able to hear him clearly. He also said he didn't like to do this. He said he was sorry that he had to do it. But he still did it. He and his men killed everyone they saw. The people started to defend themselves but they had no chance against his men. They were well-trained soldiers after all while most citizens had no combat experience."

"They wanted to kill you as well," concluded her daughter. Camillia looked at her, noticing the panic in her eyes. Her daughter was very pale and looked scared. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She was about to cry but her mother pulled her in a tight hug, wrapped her arms around her shoulders and comforted her as best as she could. Camillia hadn't calmed down yet but she didn't want that her precious daughter would be sad, so she gave her best to comfort her. It was not an easy task but she managed to do that eventually.

Sylvanas noticed that Camillia was still distressed but talking about the events seemed to help her a little at least. She assumed that Camillia would be still distressed after explaining everything that happened. Speaking about it will only help for the moment but Sylvanas will be there for her and support her as best as she could. The next few days and weeks wouldn't be easy for the brown-skinned woman, Sylvanas was sure of that.

She had seen horrible things she wouldn't forget that easily no matter how hard she would try. All Sylvanas could do was to distract her and don't let her think about the horrible events in Stratholme. But for now, all she could do was to listen to her and comfort her.

"They wanted to kill me," replied Camillia eventually. Her voice was much weaker than before. Her eyes stared at the opposite wall as she continued to explain what happened. "His men came for me. I ran and ran but they caught up to me even though they wore armour. They tackled me and knocked me to the ground. They wanted to kill me but one of the local guards saved me..." Her voice became much sadder. "Then they killed him but all I did was running. I run for my life and escaped them. I hid beneath the stage and somehow, I managed to get out of the city during the night. There were so many corpses on the streets, so much blood that had been spilt. So many innocent lives that had been taken... And then there were these things..."

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow and gave her a curious look. "Things?" She wanted to find out what she was talking about but she didn't pressurize her into speaking. She waited and reminded Camillia that she was in safe hands and didn't need to worry about her life. She gave the human all the time she needed and allowed her to pull herself together.

"It was hard to recognize them in the dark but I stopped to take a closer look at one of them that has been lying on the ground. I don't know what it was but it didn't look human. It was as tall as a human but it looked... I don't know how to describe it... It looked deformed. It looked as if it had been humanoid once but then it turned into whatever it is. Or was in this case. I have no idea. I'm sorry that I can't describe it much better."

Sylvanas stroked the back of Camillia's head and kept pressing a piece of cloth on the haematoma to soak up the blood. "It's okay. You are still in a state of shock. Why don't you go to bed and rest a bit? You can even take a shower first if you want. What would you say to that?"

The dark-skinned woman bit her bottom lip. "I don't know, to be honest."

Sylvanas stared into her eyes. "You are still in a state of shock. You need to rest. I can bring you to your room and run a bath for you. I won't leave your side while you bath if you want. But you have to take a rest. That's unavoidable."

The actress hesitated but then she nodded her head weakly. Sylvanas helped her up and brought her out of the living room. Lyndia and Sylvera didn't hesitate to follow them and leave the room as well.

---

*

The woman staggered backwards and fell. The ground beneath her was not dry. It was wet. But it didn't rain for days. The spilt blood was responsible for the wet ground. The blood of her people. But there was not only blood. There were also innards, bones and separated limps. Lots of corpses laid on the ground not far away from her.

The woman managed to pull herself up and pick up her swords that had fallen to the ground. She was wounded. There was a yawning wound in her left hip and she knew she should press one of her hands on it to delay the bleeding progress. But she couldn't do that at the moment. She needed to wield both weapons to defend herself.

She had to defend herself against the man who was coming closer. He wore massive armour and carried a huge sword in his hand. Like her, he was fighting for hours but he hadn't been injured yet. His armour had taken most of the sword hits and protected him from her arrows. She had often aimed at his head but he had blocked all of her arrows.

She was not powerful enough to take him down. He was too strong for her. She had no chance against him. Her wound didn't look good. She was losing too much blood and there was no priest in her near. She couldn't run because she was surrounded by creatures.

Creatures that were no longer alive. They were dead. Undead to be exact. Their blue glowing eyes looked at her, their mouths were wide open so their ugly, yellow teeth could be seen.

She knew that running was not an option anymore because the creatures wouldn't let her pass. She could only fight. The creatures around her just stood there and did nothing. They didn't attack her.

They didn't do anything as she decided to run towards the man but he bashed her away with the back of his hand. She landed on the ground once again but this time she needed much longer to get up.

She was exhausted. Her body hurt and protested whenever she made a move. She knew she wouldn't hold out long. She knew her body would let her down sooner or later. It was only a matter of time until she would collapse. There was no going back. She had to fight. There was no other option. She had to fight until her last breath.

*

Kelrian's eyes open in a was dark. He was lying somewhere. He turned his head, recognizing the familiar shape next to him. Sylvanas' breaths were quiet while she was sleeping. Her front was pressed against his side, her head rested on his shoulder and one of her arms was wrapped around his upper body. She was muttering something but he couldn't recognize it. Kelrian brought his hand to her head and caressed her cheek softly. She looked so adorable while sleeping.

Kelrian regarded her for a few minutes before he averted his gaze and looked at the ceiling. He remembered the weird dream he just had. He had dreamed about a woman but he couldn't remember how she had looked like. He remembered that she had fought against someone. A man. But he didn't recognize his appearance either.

All he remembered was the sword in his hand. A sword he had never seen before. He had never seen a sword like this before. It had looked sinister. And mighty. But not in a good way. It didn't seem that the sword would be used for good purposes.

He remembered the creatures that had been near the woman. He had never seen such ugly creatures before. Some of them looked as if they had been humanoid once while others didn't look similar to a humanoid creature. Not in the slightest way.

He was asking himself what a weird dream he just had and why. He hadn't read any horror book in the past few months nor had he listened to any scary stories the soldiers told each other when sitting around campfires during their night shifts. He was concerned at first but the longer he told himself that it had just been a dream and everything was fine, the calmer he got. He decided to stop thinking about it and try to fall asleep again.

He wrapped his arm around Sylvanas and put his hand on her back, caressing it carefully. He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and then one on her lips, closing his eyes a few moments later. He hoped that he would fall asleep soon but unfortunately for him, sleep avoided him for the rest of the night.

---

The air was quite cool. It wasn't cool usually. It was always warm because it was always summer in Quel'Thalas. An ancient spell, which had been cast on the territory during the founding of Quel'Thalas, was responsible for that. The temperatures never dropped below twenty degrees during the day, nevertheless, was it much colder than it should be.

The twittering of the birds was hearable but these little creatures sounded different today. Sylvanas got the impression that they were nervous about something. The twittering was louder than usual and she even heard more noises made by the animals who lived in the forests. Deer ran around nervously, squirrels hid in their holes in the trees and the rabbits crawled into their burrows. Even the lynxes, who were known to be dangerous creatures who wouldn't shrink back from attacking anyone who would cross them, seemed to be nervous.

Like all high elves, Sylvanas had a close connection to nature so she felt the nervousness of the animals. They sensed something. Sylvanas wanted to know what they sensed but that there was no way to find that out. Unfortunately, she couldn't talk to animals even though her bond to nature was very close. All she could do was to listen to them and regard them but that didn't help her at all.

The more hours passed the further the animals withdrew towards the north. They were moving towards the capital city but they will need a while to reach it. But they wouldn't be able to go anywhere else once they had reached it. They couldn't escape what was coming because they couldn't walk over water.

Sylvanas was wondering what was coming. It must be something horrible if the animal sensed it from such a far distance. Sylvanas wanted to know what was coming but none of her scouts had returned yet. Not even her older sister who was the head scout.

Sylvanas was worried about Alleria even though she knew she had no reason to. Alleria was much older than her and therefore had much more experience than her. She was the best scout in Quel'Thalas and could take care of herself. Nevertheless, Sylvanas was worried that something had happened to her sister. She had sent out some of her best rangers but none of them had returned yet. She would remain worried until she would hear about her.

Sylvanas turned her head and looked at the little base behind her. It was only a small camp near the southern border of Quel'Thalas which consisted of ten tents. The largest one was hers which she shared with Kelrian who she had sent out as well. Kelrian and his friends Nathanos Marris and Zetai Lightspark were looking for Alleria, just like three other groups of three people.

Sylvanas looked at her pocket watch impatiently. The group of her lover should have returned hours ago but they didn't. They were still missing. She could only assume that something had held them up. She could only hope that no enemies were involved in this. She had heard many rumours since the fall of Lordaeron and she didn't want to believe any of them. She had heard of undead creatures that were wandering through Lordaeron or what was left of that once powerful kingdom.

She knew about its fall but she didn't want to believe that Prince Arthas Menethil was the one who doomed it. She didn't want to believe that he had slain his own father. She didn't know Arthas well enough but she had spoken to him from time to time in the past. She remembered him as a just and righteous man who would do anything for his kingdom. He would do anything to save it, so she didn't believe that he had ruined his own kingdom. She didn't believe he slew his own father and his people. She knew he had purged Stratholme but he had done that because he had believed it would be necessary to save his people from the plague that turned them into the undead.

Rhonin had told her about the plague after Jaina had reported everything she knew to him and Archmage Antonidas. Sylvanas knew that it had been spread through the grain and that it turned everyone that came in contact with it into mindless undead creatures that attacked everyone they saw.

As far as she knew, Arthas had killed the inhabitants of Stratholme to prevent that they would turn into the undead and hurt unaffected humans. She knew he had only wanted to do the right thing but she didn't agree with that decision. She knew that he had stopped the spreading that way but his method was still wrong. Sylvanas still believed there could have been a different way. Maybe a quarantine or something else. Anything but slaughtering thousands of citizens.

Sylvanas was worried. She was worried about her loved ones, about her people but mostly about what the future was holding for them. She didn't know if that plague only affected humans or also high elves and other races. She didn't know if the rumours were true and the undead might come to Quel'Thalas. She had heard about a gigantic army, so she could only pray to the Sunwell and hope that these rumours were not true.

King Anasterian was sick and the prince was still in Dalaran, looking for a cure, so she was the one who was responsible for the well-being of her people. The queen stayed by her husband's side so she was the woman everyone looked up to.

Her people were scared, she knew that. Her people were trusting her, believing she would protect them. Sylvanas was not sure if she could do that because she had no idea what was awaiting her and her people. But she would give her best and protect her people by every means, even if she would have to sacrifice her life.

She was the Ranger-General of Silvermoon and she would never let anything happen to her people. She trusted her experience and her skills as a leader. She knew what she was doing but she feared that her experiences and skills wouldn't be enough this time. She could only hope for the best. Pray to the Sunwell that had protected her people for thousands of years and given them the strength to go through every crisis.

Sylvanas' eyes rested on the horizon for a few more minutes before she turned around and walked to the small camp. The camp stood in front of a forest in which treetops two dozen of her rangers were hiding. They were ready for the case that enemies would approach the camp. Ten rangers stood around the camp and more than twelve rangers were inside the camp.

Sylvanas was only able to take four squads from her regiment near the southern borders of Quel'Thalas. The other rangers who belonged to the army of Quel'Thalas were either stationed in the several bases, villages and outposts in Quel'Thalas or were waiting in Silvermoon. They were ready for battle. They were ready to defend their home by every means for the case that the rumours were true.

Sylvanas entered the camp, walking over to her tent in front of which a familiar person was standing. It was a woman with long, red-dyed hair that was made up in a ponytail. Like all rangers, she was wearing a blue uniform. But she was not a normal ranger. She was a Ranger-Captain and Sylvanas' best friend. Her name was Verena Sunbather.

Sylvanas gave Verena a weak smile. "They didn't return yet, did they?" asked Verena.

Sylvanas shook her head, worry and sadness were reflected by her eyes. "No, they didn't." Her voice was much quieter and not as expressive as it usually was. It was rather weak. She feared that her sister, her lover and the other rangers wouldn't return. Also, she didn't feel well this day. She had no idea what was going on with her but for some reason, she felt weak. Her head hurt a little, she felt cold from time to time and her stomach was rebelling sometimes. She didn't feel well but she did her best to hide how she was feeling.

Verena knew Sylvanas since they were little. She knew her for over one hundred and eighty years, so she knew when Sylvanas tried to hide something. The redhead put her hand on Sylvanas' forehead, testing if she had a fever. Her forehead was not hot so Verena excluded that. "You are not feeling well today, are you?" The worry was clearly hearable in her voice.

Sylvanas was silent at first but then she admitted to Verena that she was right. "I'm not feeling so good but I have felt worse. It's still bearable. Don't worry about me."

Verena raised an eyebrow. "You should be in a warm room instead of staying at the front. The climate is not making your condition better."

The corners of Sylvanas' lips formed a weak smile. "I'm glad you are looking after me but I can take care of myself. You are right, I should stay in a warm room in one of our bases but I can't. Now that the king is confined to bed and the prince is studying in Dalaran, I have to handle the situation. I have to find out what is going on. I have to find out if the rumours are true that lots of undead are marching towards Quel'Thalas. I need to act immediately if that's the case. I can't just stay somewhere and wait until I receive a message from a courier. I have to act as soon as possible when news arrives. I can't allow myself to stay somewhere until I get better."

Verena was silent as she thought about Sylvanas' words. "I understand you, honey. You are right about everything you said. You are responsible for the safety of our people, so you have to be here and wait for the return of the scouts."

Sylvanas gave her an agreeing nod. Verena put a hand under her chin, caressing it a little. "Just take care of yourself. I hope you will get better soon."

"Don't worry, I already took medicine today."

"Good."

Sylvanas was about to say something in return but suddenly her stomach cramped up and she felt dizzy. At least she was able to run to the nearest bush before she vomited. Verena had followed her and held her hair while she emptied her stomach. The cramping stopped once she was finished and she didn't feel dizzy anymore. Sylvanas got up and wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand, turning around to look at her best friend whose face reflected nothing but worry.

"I'm fine," said Sylvanas and tried to walk back to her tent but Verena stepped in front of her and put her hands on her cheeks, starring into her eyes. "I doubt it."

"I'm not sick."

"That didn't look like you weren't sick," replied her best friend.

Sylvanas exhaled loudly, staring into Verena's eyes. "I'm good. Promised."

"If you say so. Do me a favour and take care of yourself. You should go to bed a few hours early tonight, so you get more rest.," responded Verena.

Sylvanas smiled. "I will. Thanks for looking after me."

Verena returned the smile. "I always will. Shall we go to your tent?"

Sylvanas nodded, took her arm and guided Verena to her tent. They were about to step inside as one of her rangers approached them. It was one of her most promising recruits who had almost completed his training. A few more months and he would no longer be a recruit and become a ranger. He wore a green uniform like all recruits, had short blond hair and a scar on his left cheek.

"How can I help you Recruit Zelen?" Sylvanas asked.

"I'm here to tell you that your sister just arrived."

Sylvanas' heart started to beat much faster, curiosity but also worry were reflected by her eyes. "Is she alright?"

The worry vanished and was replaced by relief when Zelen nodded. "She is."

"Who else returned?"

"Ranger-Lord Marris, Ranger-Lieutenant Sunsinger and Ranger-Lieutenant Lightspark."

Sylvanas' heartbeat came faster once again and she was feeling less worried. "Bring me to them. I need to see my sister and find out what she has to say."

"I am already here," said a familiar voice. Sylvanas turned her head and spotted her sister next to the opposite tent. Her green uniform was dirty but also covered with dried blood. She had her hood up but Sylvanas still noticed that her hair was dirty. There was a bandage around her left upper arm but other than that she looked fine.

Sylvanas rushed over to her and threw her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. She put her head on her shoulder and buried her face in her neck. "I'm so happy that you returned to me in one piece. I was afraid you were dead."

Alleria put her hands on Sylvanas' back and caressed it. "Fortunately, I'm not dead."

Sylvanas pulled away and regarded her sister from head to toe. "Where have you been?"

"My unit and I spotted a group of hooded men and women who were performing some sort of a ritual. We stopped them and killed them but I lost five of my rangers." Alleria's eyes reflected grief.

"Hooded men and women? What kind of a ritual did they perform?" Sylvanas asked. Curiosity but also worry were reflected by her eyes.

Alleria shrugged. "I have no idea. They had put several dead bodies in a drawn circle and muttered phrases. Some of these bodies were still recognizable. They belonged to farmers from Lordaeron but also to some of our rangers. I examined the corpses and found out that something had bitten them to death."

"Bitten to death?" Sylvanas sounded alarmed. "Like by a wild beast?"

"It was not a wild beast that killed them."

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure?"

Alleria put a hand on her shoulder and took her other hand. "I will explain it to you if you follow me."

Sylvanas allowed her sister to guide her out of the camp to the three horses that were not far away from it. Sylvanas spotted some of Alleria's rangers and some of her rangers standing around something that must lay on the ground. Sylvanas walked over to the rangers whose eyes were widened. Shocked but also worried expressions could be seen on their faces. Sylvanas walked to Kelrian and Nathanos who stepped aside and allowed her to get in the circle.

What she saw really surprised her even though it shouldn't surprise her because Lady Jaina Proudmoore had already confirmed that undead creatures existed. The creature was as tall as a human but it was deformed. Its head looked anything but human and anything but beautiful. It had pitch-black eyes, large and sharp yellow teeth, most of them were missing, and its hands looked more like claws than humanoid hands. Bones stuck out of its grey, partly rotten, flesh and there were even parts of its body where skin and even flesh were totally missing.

Sylvanas couldn't stop regarding this ugly creature. It looked so horrible as if it came straight out of a child's nightmare. Sylvanas had never seen anything like that creature. That thing was clearly dead, several arrows stuck in its chest but also in its head. It seemed that that creature was quite tough and not easy to kill.

"What is that thing?" Sylvanas asked and looked at her sister, looking for answers.

Alleria was clueless and she didn't try to hide it. She shook her head. "I have no idea. It was not a living creature that's for sure."

"How many of these things did you kill?"

"Seven."

"In the past few days, how many Rangers have you lost in total?"

"Seven."

"So, two of your rangers died to these creatures," concluded Sylvanas.

Alleria nodded. "They came out of nowhere after we burned the corpses of the fallen farmers, rangers and of the hooded men and women. It turned out that fire is very effective against them. I threw one of them in the fire and it was burned to ashes rather quickly. But its screams were horrible... I feared that my eardrums would burst and my ears would bleed, fortunately, they didn't."

"Our mages will be very effective against them," Sylvanas concluded.

"Fire arrows will do it too," said Nathanos. Sylvanas turned her head and looked at the human who belonged to one of her best rangers. He wore a green and brown coloured uniform, his hood was pulled down so his brown, medium-long hair could be seen. He had a full beard and green eyes.

"I assumed that but thanks for mentioning it."

"We already knew that undead creatures exist. The question is: Does an army of them exist that might march towards our borders?" asked Lor'themar Theron, who was Sylvanas' third-in-command after her best friend Verena who was her second-in-command.

"That's the big question we all are asking ourselves," replied Sylvanas.

Sylvanas looked at her older sister. "We have to send out more scouts and hope they return.

"You want them to scout the territories that belong to Lordaeron?"

"Once belonged to Lordaeron," corrected Sylvanas.

"We still don't know if it has really fallen. We only know about the rumours. For now, Lordaeron still exists for us."

"I still can't believe that Arthas should have done all these horrible things. What he did in Stratholme was already inexcusable but killing his own father and dooming his own kingdom... I know Arthas since he was little, so I would have never believed he would be able to do something horrible like that... I still can't believe it...," said Kelrian. Sylvanas' gaze landed on him. She put a hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes, noticing the doubt that was reflected by them. But there was also disappointment which could be clearly seen.

"I hope the rumours are not true. Nevertheless, we have to assume the worst," responded Sylvanas and turned back to her sister. "Take the best scouts you have with you. I want to know if such an army exists or not. Don't take any risks. Don't try to kill these creatures if not necessary. Avoid them as best as possible and just find out if we have to prepare us for a battle."

Alleria nodded. "You should inform Ranger-Captain Brightwing and Ranger-Captain Sweetblossom to send more soldiers to the bases in the middle of Quel'Thalas so reinforcements will arrive sooner if we need them."

"Kelrian and Nathanos will ride to these bases and speak with their commanders. I will give you five rangers of my unite because you lost some of yours. I will also send out another unit that is stationed not far away from this camp. That way we will have enough rangers to scout Lordaeron."

Alleria gave her sister an agreeing nod. "Shall I go now?"

Sylvanas shook her head. "Stay and rest for the night. You will set off tomorrow in the morning. You have travelled for days, sis. You need some sleep and a warm meal. We are not at war yet, so we have time."

"But not too much time," replied Alleria.

The Ranger-General patted her sister's shoulder. "I know. Now, go to the fire and eat the soup that is still bubbling in the cocking pot."

Alleria nodded and walked away with the rest of her unit. Sylvanas' gaze fell on Lor'themar. "Bring this creature to Silvermoon. I want that the mages take a closer look at it. Bring it to Dalaran if necessary. Kelrian will open a portal for you."

The blond ranger nodded. "As you wish, Ranger-General."

"I will create the portal then," said Kelrian and closed his eyes, starting to focus his power. Sylvanas patted his back softly. "I will wait for you in my tent, honey," she said and walked back to the camp.