CHAPTER XIII

A/N: Between the heat and school finals, I haven't updated in forever! So tired.... But at least it brought about that greeeaat writer's block which took so effing long to pass!^O^

Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. So there!

“I beg of you, Priestess Whisperwind!” Tenin said with his head hung low. Tyrande eyed him for a moment, then said evenly:

“You're a bit late. I'm surprised you didn't come to me earlier.”

“What do you mean?” he asked suspiciously.

“I've already issued orders for the formation of a search-and-rescue party. And you and your sister are in it,” she smiled bitterly, then turned to the few dozen elves gathered at the lower level of the Temple, followed by a confused Tenin.

“Listen up! Our comrades were due to return two days ago. There is nothing that could have delayed them except complete failure of the mission, which means they have probably been greatly outnumbered. All of you will travel the same route as your comrades and investigate their situation. If there are survivors, bring them back alive by any means! I hereby appoint Tenin Nuada as secondary commander and Inriel Silverleaf as leader of this rescue team. Everyone, our friends' lives and your own are in your hands now. We cannot afford to lose anyone! Now go. May the light of Elune be with you!”

* * *

“Siana! Siana!”

Waking up in a cell is getting to be less and less alarming...

The voice calling her name sounded as if someone was driving daggers through her head. She lifted her head from the frigid stone floor and tried to sit up. She saw stars and shook her head until her vision cleared up.

The first thing she saw through her now only semi-blurred vision was someone grabbing the bars of the cell above her from the inside. She looked closely and recognized one of the warriors from her group who was watching her with wide, worried, shimmering eyes.

“You haven't moved in two days and I thought you were dead...” whispered the night elf, but loud enough so she heard him.

“T-two days...?” she croaked, her parched throat barely producing sound.

“Quiet! If the guards hear you, you're in for it! I risked too much already waking you up.”

Siana knelt and finally noticed that her whole body was shaking from the cold. She could hardly feel her feet and saw the floor was wet with water leaking from between the bars above her head.

“We need to get out of here...” she whispered. “Where are the others?”

“Some are around... but I haven't seen Maeglin. I really hope I'm wrong, but I think the orcs already killed him. I thought the same about you, until they brought you here.”

“Why are we--”

“Shh! I hear someone coming!”

In a minute a heavily armed guard came and Siana watched as he threw a flask of water to the warrior through the bars. Then he walked over her cell and the sound of his steps faded.

“We get no food, only a little bit of water, just enough so we don't die. But I overheard them say they were ordered not to give you anything.”

Siana made the link.

“I got out of the other cell they'd put me in and killed one of them. No wonder they don't want to feed me!” she smiled bitterly, but then quickly became serious. “We need to get out of here before they starve us to death or worse.”

The night elf sat on the floor and shook his head.

“There is no way out. Gilanas was the last one who tried and I haven't seen him since...”

Siana had thought Maeglin and Gilanas were likely to be killed first because they had been leading the group, but now she realized the orcs had simply disposed of them because they had caused too much trouble. She understood the others were probably too afraid to dare to try to escape themselves and had just given up.

“No! There has to be a way... I managed to work my way out of one cell, and I'll work my way out of this one.”

“I don't know where you were put before, but I can tell you--”

“NO TALKING!”

The two startled when the guard came out of nowhere, enraged.

The warrior huddled as far back into his cell as he could without a sound. Siana, however, had had more than enough of her share of angry fel guards. She had never been taken prisoner before, but right now, the fact her life was in their hands didn't register with her.

“Oh yeah, you red-skinned wretch?! Lemme out of here and I'll tear you apart! I'll cut your head off, you hear?! Let me out!” she jumped and grabbed hold of the bars above, trying to see where the guard's voice had come from. She found out all too soon.

The orc was right next to her cell, and he grabbed hold of one of her hands. Her anger was quickly replaced with panic, and a scream of pain reverberated through the cavern when the orc pulled roughly.

“Siana!” the warrior that had talked to the girl came close to his bars with fear in his voice as he called out to her. “Siana!!”

A crack was heard loud and clear, then a wild growl, and it didn't take a genius to figure out Siana had just had her left arm broken.

The girl continued to growl and hiss like an animal from the pain, while the guard, never releasing his hold on her broken arm, unlocked her cell and pulled her out. She struggled, but with her arm disabled it was useless and the orc sneered.

“Let go!!” she screeched, clawing at his large hand on her broken one as she was dragged out of her cell and across the stone floor to an illuminated staircase.

“Sure, I'll let ya go – in the pit with the wolves!” the orc mocked.

“Go die, you son of a-- Aaarrgh!” Her curses were quickly silenced when her body harshly connected with the stone steps as the orc continued dragging her upwards. Siana didn't say anything anymore, just whimpered quietly as each step dug into her ribs.

When the orc finally came up, Siana's eyes widened with horror.

This was the whole mission had been about, and she had found it, one way or another. An enormous circular cavern, much like the ones with cells, but in the center was a large fountain, its waters glowing a poisonous green. The surface seemed to boil as the fel energies concentrated beneath it swirled restlessly. By the fountain was a red dragon, its eyes two orbs of burning green. The beast growled and hurled flames onto fires scattered around the cavern. By each one was a fel orc, apparently doing sacrificial rituals, if the pigs and sheep being slaughtered were any indication. The floor was wet with blood.

“Everything is ready!” announced one who came to the guard holding Siana.

“About time, too! I've brought something to test it on,” her captor said as he brought her forward, her face contorting in pain as he tightened his grip on her. “This little piece of shit has caused so much trouble, I can't wait to see her burn.”

“Well, we're in luck,” the other smirked. “Haldarr came back an hour ago.”

Haldarr?! Oh no!

“The boss is back? Great, maybe I can finally ask him when I'm getting paid--”

“What the hell is all the noise about?” came a voice from somewhere up front.

“N-nothing, boss! W-we just brought a specimen for you to test...” the orcs stuttered, suddenly intimidated.

A silhouette stepped forward and as it came into clear view, Siana's eyes widened.

In front of her came a large fel orc who looked her up and down with his burning green eyes. The girl's eyes darted across his armor, spotting axes, a whip, daggers and multiple spikes.

“This?” Haldarr Felsworn said as he eyed her with an indignant grimace. “This is hardly good enough. What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! Watch it burn? I told you to bring me one of those wretched elves!!” he shouted angrily, at which Siana's captors seemed to shrink.

“Whatever, might as well see how this works out...” Haldarr grumbled under his breath as he reached for Siana.

She panicked. She gave a scream and tried to run, kicking, punching, but never reaching anything. As Haldarr's hands roughly tried to grip hers, she kicked him in the elbows and he growled in pain.

“Why you...” he said and brought out his whip. Siana's screams were silenced as the whip wizzed in the air and wound around her neck. She choked and tried to pull away, but he tightened the grip and nearly cut off her air supply. Siana fell to the ground on all fours.

Haldarr pulled roughly, but she dug her arms in the ground.

“Come on, human, be good and you won't die slowly,” he said with a twisted grin and pulled with both hands, dragging Siana like a dog across the floor. He unwound the whip and she immediately started choking, and then tried to huddle away from Haldarr.

“Oh no, you're not going anywhere!” he said and grabbed her.

Even in her weakened state, Siana's mind of a warrior operated mechanically and she half-flipped him to the ground with a technique from her master. This greatly angered Haldarr, and he hit her hard, at which she fell, and he picked her up, her legs dangling a few feet from the ground.

“Start it! START IT NOW!!” he yelled and the orcs around the cavern began chanting something in a harsh, unknown language of gurgles in unison. The animal blood on the floor started glowing and flowed to the fountain in the middle. Then whatever was in it came alive, rays of green shooting out of it, illuminating the whole cavern, which started to shake as if from an earthquake.

“Felsworn... you fuck!” Siana choked, blood trickling down her chin. Haldarr held her to his face as she looked at him with malice and he grinned evilly.

“Any last words, human?” he mocked.

“Go to hell!” Siana choked again, then spit in his face. He frowned and wiped the blood off, then dragged her to the whirling fountain.

“No! Let me go!!” the girl screamed as she wriggled in his iron grip.

“Come on, shut up already!” he said and brought her closer, then to the very edge of the fountain's stone base.

Siana felt as if the blood was freezing in her veins, then blazing with fire. In her mind, she could hear herself screaming in panic, even though her throat didn't produce a sound. She knew that if she came in contact with the horrible energies swirling below, she would die. She sensed a tremendous threat from the fountain she was being dragged to. Somewhere amidst the panic, she felt, rather than comprehended, that her life was lost if Haldarr succeeded in exposing her to the fel rays. Siana wanted to live.

In a desperate last attempt, she managed to pull out one of the daggers on the orc's belt and before he could stop her, she cut a long line across his unprotected wrist. Haldarr's growl of pain echoed through the cavern and mingled with Siana's screams as he twisted both her arms behind her back and finally bent her over the fountain.

“No!!”

She struggled like mad, the vestiges of sanity slowly slipping away as she was forced to look at the glowing green energy in the tempestuous waters below.

“NO!!”

As if sensing that there was a living being above, the energy started bubbling and rising up, as if to consume the girl above it. Separate rays shot out like tentacles and the light got closer to the bared skin of her stomach.

Siana's cries were drowned out by the roar of the crumbling rocks as the ground beneath her feet shook and the dragon growled, flinging flames around the cavern which barely missed the girl. For a second, it sounded to her as if explosives were being detonated somewhere in the distance, but all rational disappeared then, leaving only the horror in its wake as the curling and bending rays of greenish energy made contact with her skin.

A deafening, blood-chilling wail resonated through the cavern. Siana was barely aware that it had come from her own mouth as she watched with wide eyes how the energy seemed to disappear upon touching her body. Appearing almost like it was evaporating, but the girl felt it entering her as her insides were set ablaze. She felt as if everything inside her was burning with a flame that threatened to consume everything.

“NOOO!!” she pushed against the large hands keeping her over the fountain, but they didn't budge an inch. She could feel Felsworn's blood trickle down the backs of her legs, leaving burning lines behind. Inside, she felt the same burn, as if all of her own blood had become like the orcs'.

“AAAAAAARRRGHH!”

She felt no pain, only the horrible burning that seemed to be all inside of her – in her head, in her legs, mercilessly eating away. It reached her throat and her voice cracked.

“G-ghh... GYAAAAAAA!!”

Then she was silenced, darkness enveloping her from nowhere as she lost all vision. She still felt everything, but her body couldn't respond anymore. Her last thought was of Tenin.

Tenin...you lied to me...

The noise around became almost unbearable as suddenly she heard explosions from very near to her. She also felt Felsworn's hands on her disappear. She stumbled forward with nothing holding her back anymore, and made an almost unconscious attempt not to fall into the fountain below.

“SIANA!”

She heard an oddly familiar voice scream her name as she swayed to the side and felt her side roughly connect with the stone floor. She lay there, unseeing, and barely conscious.

The girl heard the clash of metal against metal, shouts and growls from around, but it all came as if through a haze, as thick as the blackness in front of her wide open eyes.

She then felt a pair of hands pick her up and she shut her eyes, the faintest defensive reaction of her body. Then everything disappeared.

* * *

“Siana! Siana!”

The persistent voice continued calling her, sounding clearer every time.

“T-Ten...”

Siana felt warmth at her back and realized she was lying on grass and someone was gripping her shoulders. Her eyes still closed, she dared to sit up, knowing that the hands wouldn't hurt her.

“Oh, Siana, thank Elune!” she heard Tenin say breathlessly as he embraced her. The elf had been at his wit's end and had never felt so relieved in his entire life.

“Tenin?” she whispered.

“Yes, Siana! It's me! Oh goodness, you're alive!” he said as he released her and looked at her.

She was awake, but her eyes were closed, he noticed, as his worried gaze examined her body. Her clothes were dirty and torn, baring bruises and cuts everywhere; she had become very lean, her bones prominent, which told him she probably hadn't eaten in days. Her lips were bloody, a dried trail of blood around her neck as well. Her left wrist was bruised and swollen, and the way Siana jerked when Tenin touched it told him that it was most probably broken.

“Sanaha will come now, Siana. It will all be okay, I promise. Please, open your eyes!”

She felt his fingers caress her jaw and slowly, she did as he had asked.

Before she could see him, she felt the abrupt disappearance of his hands on her and she knew he had startled.

“What did they do to you?!” he said with horror as he looked at her.

Her eyes were completely black. No pupil, no iris, no white parts, it looked like her eyes were hollow holes in her face. But that was not all. There was no shine in them, not even the slightest bit, even though the sun was beating down on them. The blackness seemed to swallow all light. Siana looked so abnormal, yet so much like her old self that Tenin startled.

“Your eyes...” he mumbled.

Slowly, her vision was beginning to clear. As if in a trance, Siana looked around her and blinked multiple times, trying to fix the unbelievable images she was seeing. Everything had shifted its colors – the sky looked dark violet, with a black, yet shimmering sun shining high. She looked down at blood red grass and midnight blue trees and unbidden, words fell from her mouth:

“There's nothing alive there...”

She somehow knew it, saw it, there was no living creature that she could see. But then a bird's chirp was heard and she quickly turned to see a bright, yellow sparrow that seemed to glow as it flew above her and Tenin.

Then she turned and cocked her head at Tenin with wide eyes, looking him up and down. He looked just as she remembered, only very worried. But he also seemed to glow with the color of sunlight.

Siana slowly reached a hand to touch his face, her fingers sliding beneath his jaw. Then her face contorted with anger and her hands flew for his throat.

“You lied! Why did you lie to me?!” she screamed at him as she pushed him to his back on the grass and leaned over his shocked face, looking at him with narrowed black eyes. Her hands were weak, especially her broken one, but they were cutting off his air as she strangled him.

“You said you would always protect me, Tenin! You lied!! You promised! That you would always be there for me--!!”

She suddenly swung to the side and started choking.

“Siana, are you alright?!”

He immediately sat up, just to see her double over and vomit. As she coughed and choked, she hissed over and over:

“You lied to me...”

Beyond desperation, Tenin did the only thing he could. He gently placed her over his lap and held her as she vomited. Though she kept throwing angry words at him between chokes, she didn't push him away, and when she felt her stomach stop to churn, she felt so exhausted she just slumped in his arms.

“Oh, Siana... What has the world done to you...” Tenin muttered as he stroked her caked, tangled hair.

Siana's eyes drooped halfway. She felt completely drained and at the same time, so filled with energy she felt as if her body would burst. The terrible burning was gone, but instead of it was the sickening feeling of something humming inside her body, flowing as if it were her blood.

The girl closed her eyes, sick of watching her surroundings with her “new” vision. Before she wished it, she slipped out of consciousness.

A/N: *ducks to avoid thrown objects* You all probably hate me, but it had to be done! So, loved it? Hated it? Leave a review so I'll know!