"Tiene," a voice called softly, pulling her from her slumber. "Wake up."

It took Tiene a few moments to recognise Thil'las' soft, deep voice. Her eyes peeled open, reluctant, as if not wanting to look upon another gloomy fel-covered day. Using the heels of her hands, she rubbed away crusted sleep-matter, her vision blurred taking time to focus.

Thil'las smiled as she looked at him. She forced a smile in return. "Good try," the light-mannered elf said then moved away, chuckling, as he joined the others.

Tiene stretched. Some of her bones creaked, and muscles pinged as she prepared to rise from the bunk. Swinging her legs over the side, she sat, trying to gather her thoughts, but, her body ached. She would love nothing more than a warm bath to ease her tired body, but it was not a luxury she could afford right now.

She looked around, familiarizing herself with the new landscape again. She shivered, but it was not from the cold. It was the perpetual sense of doom Shadowmoon Valley emanated; the eerie green glow from the fel, the sound of meteors whooshing and screaming through the air before they hit the ground with a reverberating thud. She wondered how long it had been since the sun broke through the murky sky here and cast a little brightness on the dry, barren earth.

"Boy, when you sleep, you sleep!" Lexie said. She was sitting on another bunk, sharpening her blades.

"What? How long?" Tiene asked, still sluggish, strolling back to the bunks.

"A day and a half, nearly."

"No!" The news jolted Tiene wide awake.

"Yes. And you were dreaming most of the time." Lexie's voice hinted she knew only too well what had been going on in Tiene's head.

"Why did you let me sleep so long?" Tiene asked, agitated.

"You must have needed it. And I'm making sure you have all the strength you can muster."

Tiene stretched again. "You needn't worry any more on that front Lexie. I'm eating fine and, apparently," she gestured the bed, "I sleep well enough."

The undead woman cackled. "I dare say you do."

Emmek came striding into the room. He had just returned from patrolling the area, and his brow was heavily creased, concerned. It was not like the dwarf to be so unsettled, his eyes darting about the room like a nervous critter.

"What's wrong?" Tiene asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped a little at her touch and took a deep breath before speaking. "It's the army he's buildin', they're – they're -"

Lexie came over to join the two rogues. "They're what?" she asked. "Spit it out!"

Emmek drew a hand over his mouth and shook his head. "They're demons!" he said in a hoarse whisper. "Horns were sproutin' frae their heids -" He gestured with his hands. "An' some wi' gnarled, clawed han's an' feet, like whit satyrs huv."

Tiene looked at Lexie looked. They all knew what some of the demons looked like; this was not news, but to suggest they were the Betrayer's specialised army was ludicrous. "Emmek, calm down. We need to find out about the elves who Kael'thas sent here."

The dwarf didn't seem to hear what Tiene said, and he blundered on. "They're blind ana' - wi' dirty rags roond their heids coverin' their manky sockets! But, still, they can see!"

Again, Tiene tried to make him relax. Emmek was not one prone to panic; he was ordinarily all angsty and ready to charge, but always in control, focused. The mission was proving exhausting, however, and she thought perhaps he too needed to rest. "I think you are just tired my friend," Tiene said, gently pushing him forward. "Take a break, and I will scout some more."

"Listen tae me, Tiene! There's nae elves! He's no' training them at a' - he's feeding them tae the demons!"

Tiene's eyes narrowed; nevertheless, she insisted Emmek needed rest. She manoeuvered him towards a bunk again, but the dwarf's solid fingers grabbed her wrist, and he tugged her close. "Ahm no losin' it, lass! Ahm telling ye now, it's no the path fur you. So git that nonsense right oot yer heid now, or ye'll jist end up as demon fodder."

Although he was a stalwart colleague, faithful to his convictions, Tiene couldn't accept what Emmek was telling her; he had to be mistaken. The Betrayer was forging an army to defeat the Legion and its minions. He would not mirror their despicable practices - that was unthinkable. She did not doubt the integrity of her dwarf colleague, but she needed to find out for sure.

Gathering her daggers and throwing blades, she donned her armour then secured the knives in their respective sheaths.

"Where ye goin'!" Emmek demanded.

"I told you, I need to see this for myself," Tiene said, turning to leave the room.

"Is ma wurd no gid enough, nowadays?" the dwarf challenged.

Tiene halted, stunned. Turning, she strolled back to where he stood with his stocky fists clenching and unclenching. "I do not doubt you, Emmek. But, I have travelled a long, long way, to be thwarted by something which may be a case of misunderstanding. Brett told us Kael'thas sent many Sin'dorei to the Betrayer to train in his armies, to become a force with which he could fight the Legion. I have to know what's happened to them!"

"Then I'm coming with you," Lexie said, gathering her things.

"No, stay here!" Tiene said a little more forcefully than intended. She noted both Emmek and Lexie became rigid at her tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that to sound like an order. It's just I will be faster on my own, and I need you to be here and make sure the others are all okay."

"Yer no' foolin' me, lass," Emmek said, his bushy eyebrows bristling, nostrils flaring.

"Nor me," Lexie confirmed. "We're going, and that's it! The others are grown-ups; they can look after themselves."

"Lexie! I have been asleep for over a day, and you have all continued fighting without me. You need to rest now. Please, let me investigate on my own. I know what I'm doing."

Emmek shifted on the balls of his feet, shooting furtive glances at Lexie. "Ah dare say she's got a point."

Lexie glared at him. "Listen, wee man, you might need a rest, but I don't! I'm undead for crying out loud; we don't need to sleep!" She stabbed a gloved finger at the dwarf's chest.

"Ah'll huv ye know that us dwarves have unlimited stamina!" Emmek was most offended an undead suggested he needed to rest.

"For drinking, maybe..." Lexie taunted him.

"Ye cheeky wee bag o' bones!"

"Oh!! Insults now is it, shortie?"

"Onas thuash d'aresh, alsu o'doreu." Tiene's concealment complete, she stealthed from the room while her two friends argued. It wasn't until she reached the bottom of the Sanctum's steps she heard them shouting her name. Smirking, she made her way north-west - to the Black Temple.

Tiene, along with a team of Shadow Blades had battled a myriad of demons as they progressed through Shadowmoon.

Taking refuge where they could find it, often on rocky ledges in makeshift shelters, the rogues had taken turns keeping watch. Tiene had gone without much sleep up until they reached the Sanctum of the Stars, a little outpost occupied by the Scryers. Her body then compensated for the days she had battled on endlessly.

Now she felt revitalised, although concerned by Emmek's report - his assumption was inconceivable.

Everyone in the troop had spoken of the demonised elf leader, Illidan Stormrage, but visualising such a hybrid was difficult for Tiene. Meeting Night Elves in Auberdine plus having befriended and worked with Thil'las and Shenyssea, she found them overall a gentle breed with a strong leaning to the druidic way of life. Her people, the Sin'dorei, were the ones with a penchant for arcane. So, with the Betrayer being a jumble of species plus gifted in the use of arcane, she was not sure what to expect. Her heart was hammering, and wild anticipation churned her stomach.

Emmek had overheard Tiene making an off-the-cuff remark to Lexie one night, about joining the Betrayer's army if that was what it took to defeat the Legion. The warning he served her, therefore, was to ensure eradication of such thoughts from her mind.

As she neared her goal, Emmek's words echoed in her head and gave rise to new questions. She had focused on becoming one of the Betrayer's elite soldiers; it was how Tiene saw her future. But, had she been the one to err when putting all the pieces together? Did she misinterpret something? What if Illidan was more demon than elf now, and possessed all the foul characteristics of the Legion? Was his soul lost along with plans to cripple the world's greatest foe? If so, what would she do then? Where could she turn next?

She vowed to do whatever was necessary to serve justice upon those who robbed her of her loved ones. And it all boiled down to the Burning Legion. It was the source of all the poison in Azeroth, but she needed someone to lead her in that crusade.

Music: Reign of The Dark composed by Adrian von Ziegler

https://youtu.be/V6me8wZ0whg

The Burning Legion was a parasite which gorged itself on the greed and madness of those seeking ultimate power. In turn, it laid waste to the kind souls of Azeroth, destroying their homes, their lives, their dreams. It needed expelling once and for all. The Betrayer was her last and only hope.

Now was not the time to let nerves get the better of her. She needed confirmation of what was going on, and if, as she hoped, find Illidan was the type of leader she had desired him to be.

As she approached the daunting structure, the Black Temple, her heart hammered so loud she could hear it pounding.

Cresting the hill, she found a vast concentration of demons. From titanic fel–flamed, abyssals - walking boulders - to grotesquely deformed imps with clawed limbs and razor-sharp teeth - the rise to the temple grounds had become a moving, living, nightmare. She could now understand Emmek's concerns on seeing such a sight.

It would be folly to attempt an attack; there were too many for one rogue to deal with. Nevertheless, all her training was about to be put to the test. Stealth, shadow-stepping, Shado-pan, her three vital "S's" which she needed to combine expertly to get past these demons, unseen, and reach her goal.

Crouching low, she moved with feline precision, smooth and fluid. Keeping her back close to the wall, bordering the first set of stairs, she ascended with care.

Cries and roars from the far-right made her creep over to investigate. When she rounded the corner, she was both relieved and surprised. She had found groups of elves. Watching them, she soon realised these were not being kept as a food source. These elves were engaged in combat training. But although they were elven, they were not of Prince Kael'thas' regiments. So where were her people?

Her curiosity, not yet satisfied urged her on, and she darted past the groups of combatants and up more stairs.

On the next rise, she saw an enormous demon. It was immobilised by chains of shadow magic, cast by four elven spell-weavers.

The beast was a hybrid of dragon and man, its head adorned with ram-like horns curling back over its massive skull. It was throwing its head back in silent screams as the magic wound its way in and around its gigantic form. Its eyes burned a bright, luminescent red and flames licked its mouth. Tiene had to tear her gaze from the torture and keep moving to the Temple itself.

Having scaled three levels toward her goal, she halted and looked over towards the broad road, which led up to the Temple entrance.

Shock coursed through her. The sheer numbers of demonic creatures below were at least double which she'd witnessed further back. These, however, were engaged in battle with humans, night elves, and dwarves. The sound of clashing steel, heavy thwacks and thumps of maces and axes built to an ear-bleeding crescendo.

Among those battling the demons, were creatures not dissimilar to the fiends in appearance although they were blue-skinned. They possessed cloven-hooves, horns and long tails. The males, powerful and strong, had tentacle-type growths sprouting from their jawlines, adorned with bright gold and silver rings. The females, though more slender, fought just as fiercely and effectively.

Tiene had never seen people like them before, but she remembered Lor'themar spoke of such individuals living in Shattrath where the large contingent of Sin'dorei lay down arms to follow creatures called the Sha'tar. The blue-skinned people were known as Dranaei.

The demons were relentless, and their quarry, fighting bravely, were being forced back under threat of defeat. More allied forces suddenly appeared from the north-east, both infantry and cavalry, and charging in they pressed forward once more.

Screams and roars from the fighting filled the air as steel hacked and magic assaulted both warring parties. The smells of battle - charred bodies, spilt innards, rotten flesh, blood - rose on the already sulphur-infused air. The stench of death permeating its cracked and crumbling walls the Temple was now contaminated. Overrun by demonic forces, the once essential place of worship, lay in ruin. The surrounding fel-tainted earth ran black from rivers of blood spreading out like tendrils, bent on pulling the remaining walls down.

Tiene glanced back at the Temple doors with her thoughts converging, making her despair. These walls housed the Betrayer, his army and faithful minions. Was this hell-hole what the self-acclaimed Lord of Outland defended against the Legion? It was shambolic.

Another battle-roar rose, and Tiene looked toward the Temple's apex. From the uppermost tier, she saw more demons coming. These could fly, and they carried warglaives, deadly double-edged blades. She watched, dumbstruck as they dove straight to the rear of the demon lines.

At first, Tiene wondered why they would not move forward and attack the allied defenders, but as she watched, she saw they were attacking the demons and very effectively too. They drew the fiends' attention from the allied forces forcing them to concentrate on the new assault.

Tiene crept along the ramparts for a closer look. The warglaives caught the light, reflecting the silver, gold and green flashes of magic and felfire until the fighters carved through the enemy turning the steel red.

These new arrivals had horned heads and bore various other demonic deformities. With cloth wrapped around their eyes, Tiene realised these creatures betokened those of which Emmek had spoken. They looked vaguely elven, but the demonic element was more pronounced. Their skins shimmered with strange markings, and beams shot from their cloth-covered eyes. Their fighting skills were exceptional, precise.

Were these the rumoured super-soldiers; these half-demons? She wondered. No! Surely, this couldn't be? They looked more like the Legion itself than they did peoples of Azeroth.

Illidan must have captured demons and brainwashed them into fighting their own. Tiene slumped against the low wall as her eyes still focused on the warriors. "But they are still vermin," she hissed under her breath.

Emmek had been right. The Sin'dorei, suspicious by their absence, must have been nothing more than a food source after all. Kael'thas had indeed betrayed his nation, and in a most barbaric manner.

Tiene felt utter hopelessness. The dark, oppressive surroundings started to eat into her. With her head in her hands, she began to weep. "All this has been for nothing," she sobbed.

There was no hope, no salvation — no end to this disease which invaded her world.

Music: Nocturnus composed by Adrian von Ziegler

https://youtu.be/6_ya-nIVV9I

A sudden draught swept over her, causing her skin to prickle in goosebumps. The sound of toughened hide snapping open alerted her she was not alone. Turning slowly, she looked up to see one of the winged demonic fighters had landed a few feet from her.

Cloaked still in her magic concealment, Tiene prayed the creature could not detect her. Remaining fixed, she saw the demon was female. The long ears, tapered eyebrows and muscular build strongly resembled that of a night elf. Tiene also noted markings leaking from the cloth covering her eyes, reminding her of the rite-of-passage tattoos she'd seen on female elves in Auberdine. Yet, this creature also possessed long slender horns protruding from her head. Her hands were like talons, feet cloven, and her wings were like that of a giant bat.

Cautiously, Tiene pushed up on her hands and feet and shifted back, trying to distance herself more from this demonic female. But, bumping against the loosened stone and making a grab to steady herself, she winced as her palm sliced open on a loose shard. A moment of panic flared. She looked down to see her blood was on the stone. Tiene froze, holding her breath.

The demon female sniffed the air, lowering herself into a crouch, using her long arms in conjunction with the folded wings, she crept along the ground, like a predator searching for its prey.

Runic-like tattoos on her arms pulsed, glowing the eerie green of fel. She sniffed the air again then she smiled, her mouth lop-sided, mocking, showing tiny fangs. Her body, highlighted by the flames from the crashing meteors shooting overhead made the creature even more frightening.

Pain was building in Tiene's chest as she continued holding her breath. She knew she had to move, but her way of escape was limited, she had backed herself into a corner.

The demon stilled, like a stone gargoyle, its wrapped eyes turned on Tiene. Unsure whether it could actually see her, she very slowly exhaled and chanced moving a few inches to the side. The creature didn't move. Tiene glanced either side; she was trapped. A steep section of wall was immediate to her left. And she already knew a massive drop to the road beneath was on her right.

While Tiene was trying to assess her next move, the creature suddenly pounced, the speed of which robbed Tiene of any chance to react. The demon grabbed Tiene's ankle, as the giant wings unfurled. Lifting into the air, she carried the Sin'dorei rogue in a most undignified manner.

The winged female rose higher and higher, flying towards the apex of the Temple.

Tiene tried pulling herself up, drawing one of her daggers, ready to slice the creature's wrist. But the demon was not easily outsmarted. She shook Tiene's body, roughly, causing the rogue to flop backwards and dislodging the dagger from her hand.

Knowing full well struggling was likely to result in her falling to her death, Tiene still fought against the demon's grip. She would rather die by being splattered on the cold stone below than ending up torn to pieces in the teeth of hungry beasts.

She tried pulling herself up again, swiping at the demon's hand, and almost reaching it. The devil looked down, her mouth held in the lop-sided smile and she brusquely shook Tiene again, causing the elf to slump once more.

Then, unceremoniously Tiene was dumped on a stone platform. She landed, with a grunt, on her side, the impact hurting her elbow and right leg.

The sound of beating wings ceased. Tiene noticed the sounds of battle were quieter too as if shielded by the distance.

She pushed herself up, groaning. Her eyes crossed the stone slab in front of her, and her gaze fell on enormous cloven hooves. Defeated, she moaned again. Was this was how she was going to die? As a canapé for a demon?

"Thank you," a deep voice said.

"Pleasure, my Lord."

Tiene's captor moved to stand beside the giant cloven-hooves.

"Welcome, Sin'dorei," the deep voice said.

Tiene's brows knitted. Unusual for one to speak to one's dinner, she thought. With what energy she had remaining, Tiene pushed herself into a sitting position and raised her eyes.

A purple-hued demon with bright green tattoos faced her, his arms folded, taloned fingers flexing over his immense biceps. He grinned, amused by her evident confusion.

He too wore a ragged piece of cloth covering his eye-sockets. From behind his bandage though, the green flare of fel flashed.

"You can drop your concealment," the male said. "I am well versed in magic - you cannot hide from me."

Tiene stared at the demon before her. His head bore two enormous horns which curved high over his head. A black mane tied up in a tight high-knot fluttered out behind between the demon-hide wings which rippled and flexed, one curving affectionately around the female who had delivered her.

Realising her fate sealed, Tiene whispered the spell to disperse the magic. "Sha'al."

The female knelt beside her. She looked at Tiene with mild curiosity, her talons reaching to her prisoner's ankle. Tiene flinched, drawing her leg closer.

"I did not mean to hurt you," the demon said, pointing to Tiene's ankle. "I am sorry."

Surprised, Tiene knew not how to respond. She understood there was no point in even considering trying to make a run for it; these creatures were capable of impaling her with their horns let alone snatch her up in the air. But, this one had just apologised to her; which was most unexpected. "You – you didn't?" she managed.

The lop-sided smile crept back on the female's face. "No. My Lord saw you and asked me to fetch you, for fear you fell from the ramparts."

Tiene glanced between the two demons. "But, you are demons - I don't understand. Why did you not kill me?"

The female shook her head, laughing lightly before standing up and rejoining the imposing male.

He was truly enormous, undoubtedly powerful and he too possessed a vague likeness to the night elves. A silence stretched out between captive and subjugators. Tiene felt like a specimen, scrutinised under an apothecary's scope.

Finally, the giant demon smiled, albeit a little unnerving. "Because I am the one you seek, Sin'dorei," he said, his voice velvet, deep. "I am Illidan Stormrage."

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