The enemy's fury thrilled Sylvanas.
Yes, I'm needling you like a squirrel taunting a falcon.
The Elrendar River split Eversong Woods in two. There was no way he could easily bring those massive war machines across it.
Sylvanas thought viciously.
As a battle-hardened commander, she naturally knew that destroying the bridges could only delay them for a while. But if they could hold the enemy back long enough, perhaps they could last until Vereesa delivered the message, until Silvermoon City had gathered its forces.
At the same time, unease stirred in her heart.
Arthas seemed quite confident in his ability to break the magic protecting the elven gates. The fact that he had destroyed the first gate meant he had learned something.
Of course, the first gate did not have the powerful magical protections of the second. And from what she had seen, Arthas was accustomed to arrogance and overconfidence, but... could that be possible?
She grew worried again, just as she had when she added one final warning to the message she had sent Vereesa to deliver to the nobles and mage lords.
What Vereesa did not know was that the traitor was a mage named Dar'Khan Drathir, and he had played some part in this. Without him, Arthas could never have learned the secret of the Key of the Three Moons, an artifact divided into three moon crystals hidden throughout Quel'Thalas and guarded by heavy forces.
Most Quel'dorei were proud—proud of their civilization and bloodline. While that pride bred arrogance among the High Elves, it also strengthened their loyalty to their people. Though political struggles at the highest levels never ceased, it was rare for an elf to betray their race and join those races they considered "inferior."
Yet Dar'Khan was one such exception.
The elven traitor felt