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to the point of pain.
It s going& she whispered. It s going&
Around her, Azshara s handmaidens screamed. Vashj clung to her leg. The queen held her empty goblet, refusing to
accept what was happening to her palace. She was Azshara, Light of Lights, supreme ruler of her people! She had
not permitted this!
Sargeras would not be coming. Azshara understood that, although she had not said so to her followers. It would not
do to let them know that she realized that she had erred. Somehow, the rabble had kept him from coming to
Kalimdor& from coming to her.
The rumbling grew louder. A darkness in which even night elves could not see suddenly enveloped the palace. The
only illumination came from the untamed forces of the Well. Black water began pouring into the palace, washing
away two of her servants. Their screams were quickly drowned out.
I am Azshara! she silently insisted, her expression constant. With but a thought, the queen created a shield that
surrounded her and those still remaining. My desires are absolute!
Her power kept the water at bay, but the pressure of maintaining her shield quickly grew troublesome. Azshara s
brow furrowed and beads of sweat the first sweat of her life appeared on her forehead.
Then& voices whispered from the gloom, voices calling to her, promising her escape.
There is a way& there is a way& you will become more than you ever were& more than you ever were& we can
help& we can help&
The queen was no fool. She knew her shield would not last much longer. Then the Well would claim her and her
followers and the glory that was Azshara would be lost to the world.
The silver-tressed night elf nodded.
Ungh! The goblet fell from her hand. Her body was wracked with pain. She felt her limbs twisting, curling. Her
spine felt fluid, as if much of it had instantly melted away&
You will be more than you have ever been& promised the voices. And when the time comes, for what we grant
you& you will serve us well&
The last vestiges of her shield spell failed. Azshara shrieked as the waters overwhelmed her. In the background, she
heard other cries as well& her handmaidens, the guards, and the rest of the Highborne who still served her.
The Well filled her lungs&
But& she did not drown.
Krasus, too, watched as the vast city, the epitome of the night elf civilization, was sucked whole into the throat of
the maelstrom. He shivered, not only because of the destruction before him, but of the knowledge that he had of the
future. The dragon mage had hoped to see Zin-Azshari torn apart before it sank, but that part of history had
remained true. The city would sink to the depths& and, over the centuries, begin to birth a new horror.
There was nothing he could do about that now. Krasus looked away from the Well, looked away from the
devastation spreading rapidly in all directions. Huge chunks of Kalimdor continued to be torn into the Well with no
sign of the terror lessening. Already several miles of land beyond Zin-Azshari had vanished. The only good thing
was that the Burning Legion had long ago sent fleeing any life that had remained. So far, only parched soil and the
bones of the dead fell victim& but if the catastrophe did not slow soon, Krasus wondered if anything would remain.
It has to, though! he insisted. History says it must be so!
But he knew too well that Time had already unraveled far too much& and that he was, in great part, responsible.
Krasus could only pray&
Twenty-One
R honin thanked the stars that he saw little in the way of life before reaching the host. It would have been
impossible for two dragons and a weary wizard to save anyone still so near the region of the Well. The only people
he discovered was a large band of Highborne riding for their lives toward the host. Fortunately, they had nearly
made it by the time he and the dragons came upon them.
A quick descent and an even quicker conversation revealed the surprising truth. Their leader, one Dath Remar
Sunstrider, told the story of their attempt to flee with Tyrande. Dath Remar s regret over losing her was clear and
Rhonin, who had sensed Malfurion s contact with her, informed the sorcerer that she had survived the escape. He
could not promise that Tyrande still lived, although the wizard doubted that Malfurion would let anything happen to
the female night elf once he had been reunited with her.
Rhonin and the dragons guided the Highborne to the host, preventing, in the process, any fight breaking out
between the two factions. With the bronze dragon guarding the Highborne for their own safety the human and
his mount sought out Jarod.
They found the commander already astride his night saber and anxiously awaiting word. Rhonin smiled in relief as
he realized that the night elves and their allies were already prepared to move.
Still atop the red, he quickly greeted Jarod, then said, We have to get the host moving! All the way to Mount
Hyjal! The portal s been destroyed, but all that spellwork around the Well has caused chaos! It s eating itself up and
taking everything around it with it!
Gods& But Jarod s shock quickly subsided as his inherent sense of responsibility took over. He summoned a
herald who Rhonin realized the former guard captain had kept handy just for such news. Give the signal to reverse
direction! Calling up two more riders, Jarod added, Send word to the officers and nobles! We move at swiftest
pace to Mount Hyjal! No stopping! Those who need assistance will be granted it, but no one hesitates and no one
stays behind! Go!
We ll keep watch from above, the wizard said.
What about& what about those who might be other directions?
Rhonin was grim. The Burning Legion cleared the way for us there. I would say that any survivors are as far from
the Well as we hope to get. We were the strongest resistance, after all.
We can only hope for the best for those, then.
And pray for ourselves at the same time.
As if to emphasize that point, a distant rumble caught the attention of both. Both the wizard and the soldier looked
in the direction of the sound& and saw utter blackness just at the horizon.
Get them moving, Jarod! Fast!
The host started toward Mount Hyjal mere minutes later, but still not swift enough for Rhonin. Each time he
glanced back, the darkness appeared to have swollen. The human swallowed, aware just what was happening and
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