Into the Light

15 | CAPTURED

The hybrid roared, furious. A writhing tendril of orange light snapped out from his chest. It grasped onto the edge of the opening. Horrified, Gul'dan watched as the creature channelled its power into it, turning it into a portal. Within the den, the frightened screams of the women rose up. There was a clatter of broken crockery. Malfurion was shouting, ordering them to get help.

The portal lay open, a pulsating ring, rimed in fiery orange light. Another tendril snapped out, and wrapped around Gul'dan's neck. It tightened. He scrabbled at it, fighting for air.

"Until he returns, I am your Master. Displease me--" the tendril squeezed, vicious. Gul'dan felt his eyes bulging "--and I will end you. Now. Bring me Tyrande." It flung him into the portal.

Gul'dan crashed through the portal into the den, slamming against a dresser. He turned, his throat aching, and found Malfurion standing in front of Tyrande, casting a powerful spell. Sun and moonfire seared Gul'dan's body. His robes began to smoke, and his cloak smouldered. He cursed, and threw up a protective shield of fel energy. Ignoring Malfurion, he stomped out the sparks on his cloak's hem before they caught fire. What a mess. This was not how he intended to go about this task. The hybrid's haste had left Gul'dan off guard, and had taken away his intended advantage of secrecy and stealth. When he returned he would think hard how to subdue that thing, he would not have what just happened to him happen again. A dozen more spells crashed against the barrier.

He looked up at Malfurion from under his brow, and almost laughed at the desperation on his opponent's face. Archdruid or not, the Night Elf knew he had lost. Yet he fought on, his eyes cold as he wasted his spells against Gul'dan's near impenetrable barrier.

Neither one of them had been prepared for this confrontation. But Gul'dan would not waste time fighting, not when he knew Malfurion had sent for help. He crossed the space, slowed by Malfurion's countless spells and roots. But everything the druid cast, Gul'dan could counter with a wave of his hand. So far, so good.

Once he reached the portal, he murmured an incantation, and Tyrande levitated from the bed. With a curve of his fingers and a few spoken words, Tyrande began to float toward the portal. Malfurion cried out, screaming for aid, his spell casting intensified. The fool even cast roots on his own wife. She halted in mid-air.

Gul'dan had had enough. He waved his hand at Malfurion, covering his eyes with darkness. Malfurion cried out, scrabbling at his eyes, his casts misdirected, blowing up pieces of furniture. Massive holes exploded from the walls.

On the other side of the portal, Gul'dan could see the thing watching them. It thrashed within the bonds of the tethers holding him in place.

"Hurry fool, " it snarled. "There are more coming in the tunnel."

It was true, Gul'dan could hear them now, even above the noise of the explosions around him; the pounding of their feet against the raw earth, the shouts of command ringing out. A least two dozen were on their way. Too many. He would be able to escape, but not with Tyrande.

With a flick of his staff, the roots around her disintegrated in flames of fel, there was no time to waste. He scuttled over to her, and took hold of her arm, pulling her behind him, still levitating, toward the portal. The door crashed open, filling the room with druids, all of them casting spells. Sun, moon, and starfire rained down onto him, relentless. Under their onslaught, he sensed his protective barrier weakening. He was running out of time. He shoved Tyrande headfirst into the portal. She slipped into the Chamber and tumbled to the floor. His lip curled in satisfaction. As always, the night elves were too late.

An enormous spell hit him. Gul'dan staggered, stunned by the impact. Despite his blindness Malfurion had struck him, hitting him with the full power of the moon. Gul'dan's barrier succumbed. The druids howled, triumphant. They rallied, raining their fire down onto him. Gul'dan bellowed, writhing in agony. It burned. He leapt into the portal, his robes in flames. He slammed the portal closed, cutting off those who followed after him, several dismembered body parts tumbled to the floor. Blood splattered onto Tyrande's face and hair.

Nourished by the Chamber's fel energy, Gul'dan cried out an incantation to extinguish the flames. He sagged against his staff, shuddering. This was not how he had wanted to do it. Now Malfurion knew exactly who had Tyrande and where she had been taken.

He got up and turned to leave. The thing stopped him, its voice low, dangerous.

"Are you just going to leave her there?"

Gul'dan turned, furious. He didn't care anymore about what that thing could do to him. He was in control, not it. He nodded at the creature, terse.

"You have those fiery tethers of yours. Put her where you want her. I am going to change my robe."

Ignoring its outraged hiss, he left the thing behind. But as he passed out of the Chamber, he glanced back, and caught the hybrid reaching out for her. Four tendrils slipped out from its torso and wrapped around her, gentle. It lifted her up, and held her upright in front of it, its eyes moving over her, filled with adoration. More tethers shot out, fashioning themselves into a gown, covering her nakedness. The gown was actually quite beautiful, worthy of a queen, or even a goddess. The thing must have sensed Gul'dan watching him, it glanced at the corridor, suspicious. Gul'dan drew back into the shadows--despite the smouldering stink of his burnt robe--his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

The creature pulled Tyrande closer. Several more tendrils slipped free, smaller ones. They touched her face and hair, and with tender strokes, it wiped the blood splatters away, using its light to burn it away without hurting her. When it was finished, it held her there, suspended in front of it. It drew her closer still, close enough for their lips to touch, but at the last moment it lowered her and pressed its lips against her forehead instead.

It moaned, quiet, straining against the tethers holding it in place. It longed to hold her. Gul'dan sneered at its fruitless struggle, relishing its frustration.

More tethers spiralled out from it, cradling her; phantom arms to replace the hybrid's own. "Tyrande," it murmured. "My love. At last, you are mine."

Gul'dan backed away. He had seen enough. Thanks to Tyrande, he had found the way to control that thing. He chuckled, and went to change his robe, his mood improving with each step. The future was turning out to be interesting indeed.