Rude Awakening

The sounds of combat echoed through the hollow chambers of the barrow den, steel clashing on steel mixed with cries of triumph or defeat. Beneath the earth the sounds were eerily distorted, making it difficult to determine if a battle was taking place around the next bend in the tunnels or in a distant part of the caverns.

Throughout the barrow were the resting places where druids once maintained their vigil over the Emerald Dream. Cruelly severed from their slumber when the Forsaken used plagues in this part of Ashenvale, some of the spirits still roamed the halls as angry spirits. For the Sentinels who struggled to carry one of their wounded comrades through the long dark tunnels, the spirits of their brethren were not as pressing a concern as the heavy footsteps of orcs in fast pursuit behind them.

"Turn left here!" Alaya shouted. As the leader of the Sentinels it had been her task to get the scouting party close to a nearby Horde lumber camp, but they had been ambushed long before their destination and she now questioned whether any of them would escape alive. Besides herself, she had only three other Sentinels in any sort of fighting condition, with a third carried between them, her leg pierced by a lucky sword thrust. "We have to find a chamber with a narrow opening so we can hold their greater numbers!"

Already despairing, Alaya's heart sank as she and her sister Sentinels rounded a bend deep within the barrow and found their way blocked by an ancient stone wall. Eons old, the chipped marble must have been part of a larger Highborne structure that was long since buried beneath the soil. The barrow tunnels had partially broken into the space the wall occupied, and the cold stone spelled an end to their progress. It was clear that there would be no escape this way, and with the orcs pursuing them it seemed the chase was up.

"Quickly, set Salana down and ready your weapons!" Alaya barked. Her Sentinels responded quickly, knowing they had little chance against the swarm of orcs that were about to flood the small space. The wounded Sentinel was gingerly lowered against the wall, her blood smearing the ancient surface as they eased her to the ground. After ensuring that she was at least upright, the others grabbed their weapons, preparing themselves for the end.

Just before the orcs came into sight, a strange thing happened. The purple blood smeared against the ancient stone wall had begun to run down the smooth surface, gathering in shallow indentations that might once have been carvings. As if by design, the carvings flared into fitful light, a bright blue glow of magic appearing across the surface of the wall. The Sentinels watched in awe as the glow spread, outlining runes and then a small archway on the stone surface. The glowing arch shimmered and then faded, the stone disappearing as if it had never been.

Beyond the arch was a lighted stone chamber, and Alaya immediately took stock of their options. Certainly forcing the orcs through the narrow doorway would prove a superior defensive position. Quickly she nodded to the other Sentinels and the Kaldorei filed through, dragging their wounded companion with them. Beyond the arch the elves found themselves in a circular chamber, the center dominated by a large marble slab with a figure resting upon it. Magical torches lit the interior of the chamber and runes were carved on every surface of the stone walls.

Alaya paused, her eyes wide in awe as she surveyed the room. Gently she rang slender fingers along the runes, reading the ancient elven script with some degree of difficulty. The words carved into the stone were not flattering and would, at best, be considered unflattering. She saw runes representing the words 'traitor', 'whore', 'criminal', and many other variations of these themes upon the marble. Slowly she turned, her eyes drawn to the stone slab and the figure upon it.

It was the body of a Highborne elf, the lifeless figure laying with her arms crossed upon her chest. She wore an elegant dress that was embroidered with threads made of precious metals, and a wealth of jewels decorated her fingers, wrists, ears, and even her ankles. Although the body was likely tens of thousands of years old, the moonlight pale skin and light blue hair of the reposed elf were not touched by decay or rot, and there was no hint other than the lack of breath that the Highborne was not merely sleeping.

Behind the stone slab upon which the Highborne lay stood a floor length mirror, its polished surface completely coated in dust and the golden frame that held it upright glittering fitfully in the flickering blue glow of the magical lights in the chamber. Atop the mirror's frame was an emblem of a feather cradled by the moon. In the dulled glass Alaya could almost see the reflection of an elf; perhaps one of her Sentinels who had caught the light just right.

Alaya shook her head, trying to put her curiosity at rest as she nodded to the other Sentinels, preparing herself for battle. She could feel a chill up her spine as she prepared her bow, as if something was with her. The chamber thoroughly unnerved her, as most Highborne relics did. She could swear something was watching her, and out of the corner of her eye she would catch shadowy movement, even though nothing was there when she looked. She shook her head again, taking aim at the doorway.

They came seconds later, the orcs barreling through the opening with their weapons held high. The first two died to arrows before ever making it into the chamber, the next making it only a foot past the doorway. Firing rapidly, the three combat worthy Sentinels used their bows until the last moment, only taking up glaives as the orcs closed with them. Again steel rang against steel as the combatants locked in deadly combat, the chamber instantly turned into a battleground.

Alaya found herself dodging and slashing, desperately attempting to put down the attackers even as she struggled not to be overwhelmed by their numbers in the narrow confines of the chamber. Even as she fought the unnerving feeling of something watching her continued to grow, and she could swear that she saw a bird flutter from the top of one of the glowing magical lanterns to another.

Behind her a Sentinel cried out as she was cut down, the savage roar of an orc's warcry drowning out the sound. Alaya whirled, narrowly parrying a blade directed at her back and receiving a slash to her leg from the first attacker. She cried out, falling back and taking another blow to the side. Across the chamber she saw another of her Sentinels cut down by an ax, even as the last of them ducked behind the gilded mirror. Alaya rolled across the floor, her blood spilling from her wounds as an orc jumped up on the marble slab, straddling the Highborne's body and glaring down at her.

Behind the orc one of the other attackers hurled a hand ax at the Sentinel who was sheltering behind the mirror. She ducked back and the weapon struck the glass, shattering it into a thousand glimmering shards. Throughout the chamber the tension in the air seemed to fade, and Alaya could swear she heard a sigh of relief, as if the chamber itself was finally at rest. She watched in horror as a second thrown ax took down her last Sentinel, knowing that she had failed those under her command and that she was about to die herself. The orc on the slab grinned down at her, holding an ax high above his head.

And then one of the Highborne's hands grabbed his ankle.

The orc looked down in utter shock, the surprise on his face turning to horror as he saw something that was out of Alaya's line of view. His hands trembled and his ax fell from nerveless fingers as he stiffened on the stone slab. Alaya watched in shock as his skin faded to a pale gray, the flesh rotting off and the bones sticking through. Lifelessly the orc tumbled to the ground as cloth stirred on the slab above her. She felt her heart skip a beat as the Highborne sat upright, the elf's eyes blazing with dark magics.

One of the attacking orcs acted quickly, raising a spear and hurling it at the elf on the slab. Alaya watched the weapon pierce the space where the Highborne was sitting, but instead of steel striking flesh as she suspected, the form of the Highborne burst into a thousand shadowy ravens, the birds flapping and cawing as they scattered into the air and flew erratically around the room. The orcs stared at the flock with their mouths agape, several ducking to avoid flapping wings or talons as one by one the lanterns in the room began to be extinguished by the riled birds.

Alaya felt a thrill of fear pass through her as the room gradually dimmed into pitch black, the cawing of ravens replaced with the screams of orcs as something began to kill them in the dark, using terror and bursts of magic to cut them down. She heard armored forms hitting the ground and the sounds of weapons striking stone as orcs flailed blindly in an attempt to slay their attackers.

Gradually the sounds diminished, the last orc letting out a chilling death rattle before the thud of his corpse striking the ground could be heard. Alaya curled up in a ball, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to staunch some of her wounds as she could. She could barely see in the gloom, but the form of a Kaldorei clearly stood upon the slab now, as if surveying the area.

The lanterns rekindled instantly, the light blazing up and forcing Alaya to shield her eyes. For a moment she blinked through tears before she saw the Highborne standing over her, staring down at her with a predatory look in her eyes.

"We must hurry, the Queen will know you've breached the wards," the voice was melodic, the tone betraying little urgency despite the words. "I've no idea what sort of creatures these are, but it is fortunate that I was able to awaken the dregs of my power. I doubt I could do so again so quickly."

Alaya blinked, shaking her head, "Q-queen..? What...you mean...n-no, no. There is no Queen now. The Queen is gone. I don't know how long you've been sleeping here, but there is no Queen."

The Highborne reeled back, looking at Alaya as if she'd been slapped. "You come here, to one of Her prison cells, and dare to speak such treason? You are fortunate that none of Her guardians are here to witness this, lest a far worse punishment befall you. Who are you, that you would dare to gainsay me?"

"I-I'm Alaya. I'm a Sentinel of Darnassus and these are orcs. There are many more of them in the chambers above this one and we need to work together to get out of here al-"

Her words were cut off by a gesture from the Highborne, "Nonesense! Such creatures cannot have invaded the entirety of Her domain. She would know of it and they would be crushed. Do you have any idea of who I am, of who you are lying to? I am Lady Faleseth Featherwind of House Featherwind, Courtier of the Queen's Court. You will cease your falsehoods at once!"

Alaya shook her head, "No. There is no Queen. There has been no Queen for thousands of years. You need to listen to me before they c-"

This time Alaya's words were cut off by a stinging pain in her temples. The pressure began to build, feeling like her skull was going to cave in. She gasped, her eyes tearing as the Highborne glared down at her, shadowy magic at her fingertips.

"If you will not speak the truth, then I shall TAKE the truth," Faleseth growled menacingly. She focused, increasing the power of the spell and piercing the other elf's mind, ignoring the blood that began to run for Alaya's nose.

"I s-see....yes....there it is...the truth will be exposed shortly..." Faleseth murmured. After a moment her eyes widened in horror and she gasped, releasing the spell. The Sentinel's lifeless body crumpled to the ground next to the marble slab where the Highborne had slumbered for not several hundred years as would have been her punishment, but century upon century.

"I-it can't be....it can't be...." she said softly, the room quiet now. After a moment she looked around, studying the dead and shaking her head. After having seen the inside of the chamber for an endless eternity, it was far past time that she left. It seemed that things had changed drastically since she had been punished, and that the world very well might have no Queen now.

Whatever time it was, whatever this place was now, it seemed Faleseth had a new opportunity, the gift of a new life. Her painted lips curled into a smile and she lightly stepped over the corpses in the room, heading for the exit.

It was time to see what this new world had to offer.