"You?" Tiene was stunned by the demon's introduction. "You are the Betrayer?"

The female, pleasant only moments ago, snarled and hissed at Tiene now, assuming a half-crouch, talons flexed ready to rip and tear. Tiene flinched and fell back onto her behind.

Illidan stepped forward, placing an arm around the female's waist pulling her towards him. He towered over her, his physique muscular, commanding. Gently he traced her jaw with a taloned forefinger. The female calmed instantly.

Tiene watched, mesmerised as Illidan's mouth neared the female's.

"She means no insult, Arcaena. It is merely the name she knows me by." His lips hovered over the female's for a tantalising moment, and then he released her from his embrace.

Tiene was trying to compute the scene in her slightly unsettled brain. Somehow, demons plus tenderness did not add up. Now she felt even more confused. Did he bewitch Arcaena? Or was there genuine affection between these two? The Betrayer was meant to be ruthless, a warrior, a powerful sorcerer, a slayer of - well, now Tiene wasn't sure who he slew - or didn't.

He turned his attention back to Tiene, grinning as he saw the bemused expression on her face. "You seem ... aghast," he said. "Am I to understand that I am not what you expected?"

Tiene was still trying to come to terms with the fact that they weren't gnawing on her bones, and Illidan Stormrage was talking civilly to her. 

She had to try to be coherent and polite in return, or else she might still be on the menu. "I – I did not know what to expect, to be honest. I assumed you were still more elf than demon, I suppose. Especially since Prince Kael'thas..."

Arcaena hissed again. Illidan's expression, hard to interpret with there being no eyes on view, seemed to remain impassive, other than the smallest hint of fangs on display.

"Did he send you?" Illidan asked, his voice even.

"No! He has betrayed my people..."

"He betrayed us!" spat Arcaena.

Tiene's eyes widened. It seemed every utterance from her lips caused Arcaena to have a seizure. She looked back up at Illidan. Oh, Belore, he is enormous, she thought as she continued quailing on the ground before him.

"Hmm," he said, head tilting as he looked at her. "He was weak, seduced by Kil'jaeden and his empty promises. He no longer fights the Legion; he serves it."

Tiene, aware of Kael'thas' change of allegiance, focused more on what else the Betrayer implied - that Illidan, himself, was fighting against the Legion; he was not one of its servants. Confirmation of the demon hunter's campaign was an enormous relief, and Tiene felt an inner calm beginning to spread.

"My people have heard of his defection, yes, and we understand betrayal, perhaps more than most. We suffered at the hands of Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron and Dar'khan Drathir." She hissed the late magister's name, then paused, her fury rising as she swatted Sauren's name to the back of her mind. "There have been others, too, which I will not name, but as for Kael'thas? My people do not acknowledge him as our Prince anymore."

She stared at the two demon hunters. It was difficult to gauge their thoughts with half of their faces hidden behind cloth wraps. 

Arcaena stepped forward, but Tiene wanted her to understand that whatever Kael'thas had done to her Lord and master, it was only a fraction of the betrayal he had dealt his nation.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, the fire in her eyes becoming brighter as her anger ignited once more. "My people swear no allegiance to Kael'thas! By swearing fealty to the very thing which orchestrated the destruction of our home, he is reviled, loathed. We lost everything !  Our homes, our livelihoods, our..." Her voice hitched. "...our loved ones."

Tiene looked away, her gaze dropping to the stone floor. Her breath heaved, catching in her throat. Her loss was never going to get any easier; it was still so fresh - so raw. 

In the space of a heartbeat, she had gone from fierce to fragile. Tears stained the stone slab on which she sat.

Arcaena crouched beside her. "If you are not here by his order, then why are you here?" She held out her hand, offering to help her up.

Tentatively, Tiene accepted. Once standing, Illidan didn't appear quite as menacing, though he was still enormous and built like an orc's brick latrine. 

And now that she stood beside Arcaena - as opposed to being dangled by her ankle in mid-air - she noted the female was a good few inches taller than her and unquestionably more powerful.

Tiene took a deep breath before she answered the demon hunter's question. "I was told you are recruiting. I know not how to be effective against the Legion, I have dealt only with individuals it has influenced, and some of its minions. I thought I was doing the best I could, until..." She crumbled but forced herself to continue. "Until I lost my husband at the hands of the Scourge."

Arcaena nodded compassionately.

"I need to fight," Tiene carried on, desperate. "I need to avenge him and my family as best I can. Only then will I find peace."

Illidan once more crossed his muscled arms as he towered above her. He took a few moments, silently digesting Tiene's words. "What is your name?" he asked.

"Tiene. Firefury," she answered.

"You wear your pain like a shroud, Tiene. Sometimes it is suffocating, other times bizarrely comforting, and it serves as a constant reminder of how fiercely you will fight to honour those stolen from you."

Tiene nodded enthusiastically. "Yes."

"We have all lost something or someone, Sin'dorei. No one on Azeroth is immune. But it's not all about personal pain. There is a greater loss pending. Our entire world is under threat."

"I realise that more than ever now. Coming here, I have borne witness to some of the horrors inflicted upon Azerothians. I want to stop the Burning Legion."

The demon hunter moved nearer, his huge cloven feet offering a muted 'clop' with each step. "Do you understand what that entails?" Illidan asked her, his voice authoritative, yet not unkind.

Tiene stared blankly. In truth, she didn't.

Illidan beckoned her to the edge of the stone platform. She followed, curious but apprehensive. The Lord of Outland pointed to the winged fighters Tiene had seen battling the demons. "They are your people, Tiene."

Tiene gasped. "Sin'dorei? The ones Kael'thas sent you?"

"Yes." A low rumble sounded in the demon hunter's chest as his eyes kept watch on the fight below. Pride.

Tiene's mind struggled to grasp what had become of her people. She stepped back from the edge. "But... how? What did you do to them?" she asked, trying to keep the repulsion from her voice.

"I gave them a choice," Illidan said, turning and looking down at her. "They could remain as they were - competent enough soldiers, and honourable, but no real match for the Burning Legion." His lips curved, showing his fangs. "Or, they could become fearless warriors, stronger than they could imagine, who would work relentlessly to stop the Legion from destroying our world." 

His head turned back to the battling demons and demon hunters. "They chose the latter." The Lord of Outland was appreciative of his army.

Stepping closer, Tiene stood beside Illidan and surveyed the scene below. The demon hunters were indeed exceptional fighters. She watched them as they weaved their way through the lines of demons. No matter the size of the beast they opposed, their skills were second-to-none. Remarkably, they appeared to rally with each kill, as if empowered from the moment they dealt a death blow. 

"There is much you can contribute to right the wrong which has befallen our world. You can make a difference, Tiene. I believe in you." Camnath's words were never more meaningful than they were at this precise moment. Tears traced down her cheek.

"I want to fight the Legion," she said, turning to Illidan. "If you will have me."

"You wish to become - Illidari?"

She sniffed back the tears. "If that is what you call your army, then yes."

Illidan laughed lightly. "It is much more than a mere name, Sin'dorei. It is a commitment, an oath, a constant battle within, as well as outwith. Are you sure you want this? Do you think you are prepared?"

A few moments passed as Tiene gave his words consideration.

"It is unfair to ask her to decide without showing her first, my love," Arcaena said, turning to look at Illidan.

My love? Tiene did not miss the endearment.

Illidan sighed deeply. "You are right, as always, Arcaena. But..." he looked at Tiene again. "...understand this, Sin'dorei. If you decide to join us, there is no turning back. You will not be able to leave as your weakling of a Prince did. You will be part of my Illidari, until the day you die, and beyond."

Tiene swallowed. "And if, after I see whatever it is you are going to show me, I decide not to join? What then?"

Illidan's fangs glinted in an ominous smile. His silence spoke volumes.

 "And whar the hell huv ye been!" Emmek shouted as he marched into the room. He came to an abrupt halt in front of Tiene, his firm, chunky fists perched on his hips.

Tiene sat on the edge of a bunk, slicing an apple. She just put a wedge in her mouth as Lexie drew up beside the dour dwarf. Next to join them was Thil'las. 

Tiene munched as she studied the three faces in ascending order. All looked angry with her, although Lexie, bless, always looked like that nowadays. "I went for a walk," she said.

"A walk! Ah'll walk ye, madam! Ye've hud us oot oor minds wi' worry!"

"Oh, calm your britches, Emmek! I'm back, safe and sound." Tiene repled, trying to sound light-hearted. Internally, her stomach was turning somersaults and cartwheels, while cramping like crazy, and protesting to the apple she was consuming.

Her visit to the Black Temple was terrifying in every aspect. She rose from the bunk and shouldered past Thil'las, pausing to look at his kind face. 

He cocked an eyebrow, not sure what to make of her looking so intently at him. She smiled, then crossed to the window. She still had to decide.

To become like her fellow Sin'dorei at the Temple carried a considerable risk of failure before she even reached the first hurdle. But there was no other way, and she was determined to be all that she could be to win this war. Her husband believed in her; he had told her so, and with that in mind, her decision was made.

Now, she was uncertain whether to confide in her friends. Should she disappear and let them believe she was dead? No, she couldn't do that to them; their friendship deserved more.

They would most likely do everything in their power to talk her out of it, of course. Following the way of the Betrayer would be viewed as extreme to them. Was she ready for that conversation?

Perhaps she should sleep on it? Her face broke into a smile. Sleep! As if that would come easy now. What with a day and a half lost already, and now this critical life-changing decision to make.

Lexie tugged her shoulder. "What's going on in that mind of yours, Tiene?" she asked. "We love you, you stupid woman! We were worried! And all you do is eat an apple, dismiss us as if we are - mangy murlocs -"

"I like murlocs," Tiene declared, popping another piece of indigestible apple in her mouth with a slightly quivering smile.

Lexie momentarily knocked off course, stammered. "Well – whatever! But you don't simply walk away and pretend as if you'd just been out for a summertime stroll along the banks of Loch Modan."

"Tiene, listen to Lexie; she speaks for us all," Thil'las interjected. His hypnotic tone, as always, was soothing. "We care, and we were worried. You owe us an explanation."

Tiene sighed heavily. Compromise, she decided; tell them of her findings, that should sate their curiosity for the time being, at least. "Alright," she said, turning to face them all. "Take a seat, and I will tell you what I found out."

Calmly, she told them she'd met the Betrayer and another demonised elf, by the name of Arcaena. She assured Emmek and Thil'las that they were not feeding sin'dorei nor night elves to the demons. Emmek grunted at the news, perhaps feeling a little foolish, but somehow he didn't look entirely convinced.

She explained there was a ritual which the elves had chosen to undertake to become demon hunters - it was gruelling, and not all survived. The process began with a single-handed kill of a demon. If they managed that much, they then had to eat the still-beating heart.

Her friends cringed at that scrap of intel - except Lexie, who, of course, ate hearts and innards daily. 

The demon's essence would course through the victor's veins, taking over and imbuing them with many new abilities. In due course, their bodies would change, adopting the physical attributes of a demon.

The so-called demons Emmek had referred to were former elves. They were transformed, but she reiterated that it was of their choosing. 

The result for successful recruits was a full transformation into a demon hunter. The warriors were taught to fight using new skill sets, many being gleaned from the demon they'd been slaughtered as their initiation. Once acclimated, they were ready to fight as Illidari - Illidan's super-soldier army.

"You trust this Illidan?" Thil'las asked.

"Yes," Tiene replied. "His methods have indeed been unorthodox, but he told me something today which I can completely relate to - know your enemy so that you may rise from their darkness; stronger, more resilient and with purpose."

Her friends nodded, all aware that was precisely how Tiene had dealt with Sauren. It was understandable that she felt a connection with the Betrayer's theology.

When she finished relating her story, she looked at their faces: scary Lexie, dumbstruck Emmek, and the ever-impassive Thil'las. Nothing new there then, she thought. Until -.

"Aw no! NO! Ye dinnae!" Emmek spat, agitated once again.

Tiene smiled, resigned as she realised her friends understood what she planned.

"You may not survive Tiene, and what would you have achieved then?" Thil'las said, his voice unusually pitched, not in his typical calm manner.

She waited for Lexie to add her opinion, but nothing came of it. The undead just stared at her.

"I'm sure I will get through it," Tiene answered eventually, although not one hundred per cent sure she believed it herself.

"No, lass! Absolutely not! Ah forbid it!" Emmek was shaking, his eyes huge, determined.

Lexie put her arm around the dwarf's shoulders and squeezed him. Emmek flinched, dumbfounded that she was being so familiar. 

Lexie looked down at him. "It's no use, Emmek. She has made her decision." She turned to look back at her friend. "Haven't you, Tiene?"

Emmek quietened, but Tiene could see by the way his beard twitched that he was biting his bottom lip, trying to stem an outburst of emotion. 

So much for compromise, she thought. She'd convinced herself of the direction her life was now going to take, and her friends were far too wise not to realise it also.

Thil'las took Tiene's hand, and when she looked into his silver eyes, she felt a lump in her throat. "We are all moulded by our pasts, and you, my friend, have had more than your fair share of sorrow and loss. I will not try to dissuade you, Tiene, but know that I will always be here for you, no matter what. It has been an honour knowing and working with you as a fellow rogue and a dear friend."

Tiene bit back a sob and threw her arms around him, overcome by his kind words.

"I couldn't put it better myself," Lexie said, a slight tremor in her voice. "Eh, wee man?" she said, squeezing Emmek's shoulders.

The dwarf was still struggling to accept the awful revelation, but he knew there was no use trying to persuade Tiene of an alternative.

"Aye, well, that goes fur me, too, lass. And nae doot yer freend's back hame, though we wull a' worry bucketloads."

She hugged the stocky dwarf, then pulled her other two friends into the hug. How was she so fortunate to have made such good friends?

Later, Tiene sat and wrote four letters – one to Louvel, one to Fyn, another for Brett and finally her most heartbreaking one of all, to Lor'themar. Each consisted of relatively the same information, advising them of her decision. But Lor'themar's, of course, was a little more personal.

My Dearest  Brother, Lor'themar

I have reached Outland with the Shadow Blades, and we are currently in Shadowmoon Valley. You no doubt know the significance of this destination and who now resides in the Black Temple. I know you are sceptical about Illidan Stormrage, the Betrayer, but I have met him, and he is not what you think.

He looks like a demon, yes, but his drive and motivation are pure, I promise you. Had Kael'thas remained by his side, you would not have been disappointed in your monarch, of this I am certain.

Illidan is fighting the Legion, but his tactics up to now have caused great consternation for his people. Know your enemy - that is his way - to be prepared; and I believe him, wholeheartedly.

So, I have to inform you that I will be joining his army. It is the only way for me, brother, and I hope you do not think ill of me for choosing this path. As you have said yourself, we must all walk the road we are given with such dignity as we can muster, each to our own glory or demise.**

You have been in my life since I can remember, dear Lor'themar, and I have always thought of you as much a brother to me as Duthan and Inaris were, so believe me when I say I will love you forever.

I am so proud of you, and I know you will lead our people to greatness again.

Look to the skies, brother, and one day I will be there. Until then, belono sil'aru, belore'dorei*.

Your sister

Tiene

She stared for a long while at the letter, reading and re-reading her words. Whether or not she would see Lor'themar again was something she could not allow herself to dwell upon, although she would have loved nothing more than to be giving him a big hug right now.

She sighed and slid the letter into its envelope. With the four letters in hand, she left the inn and strolled along to the mailbox.

Hesitant, she stared up at the sky, watching the never-ending meteors as they carved their way through sulfur-infused clouds.

Oh, how she missed the beauty of her homeland. And her life, as it should have been. The Legion had ripped everything from her; it had broken her heart four times and nearly destroyed her through grief.

She glanced in the direction of the Black Temple, where its resident Lord awaited her decision. But, he offered her hope; a small light perhaps, at the end of a very dark tunnel, but a light nonetheless.

Her three comrades came to stand beside her, offering courage and support. Theirs was a bond she would miss indefinitely.

Emmek was a stoic man prone to grouchy little moods. But, within minutes, they could melt into full belly-laughs. During such times, his beady eyes sparkled from beneath the bushy eyebrows. Brave and loyal to the end, that was Emmek. Although today, she saw tears welling in those sparkly eyes, and his beard trembled as he fought back his emotions.

Thil'las was the dedicated assassin who possessed a calm, relaxed demeanour. His voice could lull you to sleep if he spoke for more than two minutes, although his piercing whistles would wake you in an instant. He was clearly fond of her, respected her greatly, and even now he smiled at her with reserved aloofness, characteristic of the night elf race.

And Lexie - her dear friend whose life was altered so cruelly. But, as Lexie herself said, she was not one to be kept down. She was undead, existing, not living, but still with a heart as big and as capable of love as anybody else. Having gone through an extreme transformation herself, Lexie seemed able to accept Tiene's decision more easily than their two fellow rogues. She nevertheless looked sad.

With one last sigh, Tiene's letters slipped from her fingers into the mailbox.

She was now ready for her most significant challenge to date. She was prepared to follow the Lord of Outland. Her destiny was to become part of his Illidari and fight boldly by his side.

Tiene Firefury was focused, determined; she would survive the metamorphosis, she would grow stronger, and she would triumph over the Burning Legion. Then, and only then, would she endure one final transformation.

She refrained from prolonged goodbyes and quickly hugged her friends before starting down the path that would take her to the Black Temple once more.

A dwarf, a night elf and an undead stood helpless as Tiene whispered, "Onas thuash d'aresh, alsu o'doreu."

They would never see her as Tiene Firefury again.

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* Belono sil'aru, belore'dorei - Shoulder your burdens well, child of the sun.

** Excerpt from In The Shadow of The Sun, by Sarah Pine

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