another party out to investigate an area near the foothills east of the night elven camp Maestra’s Post. With her was Xanon, chosen for his sharp eyes. Denea had been left in command back at the fort, not something Haldrissa’s second had been happy about.
“As seniormost officer, it would behoove you to remain behind,” Denea had even suggested in her most courteous manner. “Just in case of trouble in the wilderness.”
Her point had had merit, but at the time Haldrissa had not been able to get past the thought that perhaps Denea had believed herself more capable of facing the rigors of the journey and any encounters during it. Haldrissa had declined the officer’s suggestion without hesitation. However, now, some time into the ride, the twinges Haldrissa felt made her occasionally wonder if she should have listened more.
But all thought of that vanished as Xanon returned with two other Sentinels from scouting the territory up ahead. Haldrissa had purposely chosen an obscure area less likely to be of interest to the Horde for the very reason that the enemy might have played on that reasoning. The commander had survived so long by learning to try to think like the enemy, however repulsive that might be to her at times. She had to do her best to expect the unexpected.
Of course, both Denea and Xanon had looked dubious when first informed where she intended to lead the party.
However, Xanon did not look so dubious now. In fact, his concerned expression made everyone who had been waiting—especially Haldrissa—sit straight and taut.
“What is it?” she asked the moment he was near.
“Best see,” he gasped, still exerted from the swift ride back. “This way!”
One brow raised at this curious reply, the commander waved the party to follow Xanon. The trained nightsabers leapt effortlessly and silently through the forest, dodging around trees and across uneven terrain with an agility that Haldrissa still admired after all these millennia. Each cat was in the prime of its life. For the first time the commander considered her previous mounts and the ends of their turbulent lives. While some nightsabers did perish in battle, more than a few had survived their last years crippled from previous injuries. It brought home again her own encroaching mortality.
The night elves kept a wary eye out, though thus far there was no indication as to what Xanon and the other pair had sighted. The male Sentinel hunched low as he rode, a sign of just how determined he was to get his commander to wherever they needed to be as quickly as possible. That boded ill, in her mind.
Then, deep into a dense part of the forest, amidst a small patch of winding hills, Xanon abruptly signaled for the party to slow to a trot. Haldrissa urged her mount alongside his, then leaned close.
“What . . . ?”
“Listen.”
She knew his ears were sharper than most, too, but, even taking that into account, the commander marveled that he heard anything. Even the nightsabers appeared not to notice anything out of the ordinary.
“I do not—” Haldrissa began, then paused. There was a very faint sound from far ahead. An odd, unsettling sound. It even had a strange rhythm to it, the same beat over and over and over.
“What is that?” one of the others murmured. “It sounds familiar. . . .”
“I want to see more.” Peering back at the party, she ordered, “The rest of you, keep back! Xanon and I will investigate from here on. If you are needed, we will try to signal.”
The rest of the Sentinels did not look pleased, but they obeyed. Xanon urged his nightsaber on, but at a much slower, more precise pace. Haldrissa made her mount match speed.
As they neared, Xanon readied his glaive. Haldrissa did the same.
The buzzing now dominated. It was a harsh, painful noise and was accompanied by a cracking sound. That sound, at least, the commander knew. It was the sound of wood breaking.
She now had a fairly good idea of what was going on, though the specifics of it still eluded her. Ever seeking expansion, the Horde had a voracious appetite for wood. They needed it for building, for their forges, for their growing fleets.
And that was why they most coveted Ashenvale.
“It would be wiser to go on foot from here,” Xanon whispered.
Nodding, Haldrissa dismounted, and then she and Xanon loosely tethered their cats. Highly intelligent, these nightsabers would obey the command to stay until called by one of the riders. In an