Missing

Sylvanas was enjoying a leisurely afternoon, lying comfortably in her rocking chair. The Female Elf hummed an unknown tune from time to time, and seemed to be in a very good mood.

Winter Veil had arrived, Theramore would celebrate the festival. A week earlier, Jaina had sent people to gather supplies for the celebration. Sylvanas didn't understand why people liked the festival; she had only heard that during Winter Veil, someone would impersonate Winter Father and give gifts to children who prayed to him, but that was, after all, just children's fun.

She neither dislikes nor hates it; that's her attitude. At least she has had some time off.

Five minutes later, her senses as Ranger alerted her, and she raised an eyebrow. Hurried footsteps were approaching her resting place.

Knock knock knock~, there were three knocks on the door.

"General?"

Sylvanas sighed. Usually, when someone addressed her by her military rank, it meant trouble was coming.

"Come in," she said, her voice sounding languid.

An Elf man walked in, looking somewhat flustered.

"There's some refreshments on the table," Sylvanas said casually, without ever opening her eyes to see who had entered.

"Thank you, General," the Elf said, sounding somewhat calmer. He hastily stuffed a few pieces of cake into his mouth and drank a cup of tea before remembering that he had important news to tell the Ranger-General.

"General, a message from Dalaran."

What stupid thing has Aethas done against us this time?

"No, not the Sunreavers." The Elf man looked somewhat frustrated, as the Ranger-General didn't seem to care what he said. "But you should be interested in this news."

"Then hurry up and finish speaking, and go experience the fun of Winter Veil, soldier."

The Elf man took a deep breath. "It's the Regent of Quel'Thalas..."

When the soldier mentioned Alleria, Sylvanas immediately opened her eyes; her intuition told her this was not good news.

"And there's also Ranger-General Vareesa from the Farstrider. They all went to Dalaran with quite a few people, and they were all in civilian clothes."

"Does Rhonin know?" Sylvanas nimbly jumped up from her chair, instinctively straightening her back. The message implied an invasion specifically targeting the Silver Covenant, but Dalaran a neutral territory, and Rhonin, the leader of the Kirin Tor, strictly forbade the Alliance and Horde from engaging in private duels within the magical city.

"He knew that the Blood Elf had informed him."

The Female Elf breathed a sigh of relief; her worries had been somewhat unnecessary. But why did Alleria disguise herself to go to Dalaran, and why did she need Rhonin to know?

Did she have some secret to tell the Archmage? If so, why bring so many people along, including Vareesa? Or did they have some secret operation that required Dalaran's help? After much thought, Sylvanas believed the second possibility was more likely.

"I trust my Ranger's intelligence-gathering abilities. Tell me, soldier, what are Alleria and the others doing?"

"They are looking for something."

"Things?" Sylvanas was puzzled.

The soldier glanced behind him; the door was ajar, but no one was eavesdropping. He took a step closer to the Female Elf and whispered something in his ear.

Sylvanas gasped. Everyone was preparing to raise a glass in celebration of Winter Veil, and she herself had received an invitation from Jaina.

"This... intelligence is accurate?"

"Absolutely true."

The Ranger-General looked at her soldiers and smiled in a way that could console herself. "Looks like my vacation is over."

The air in Dalaran is anything but thin. Alleria was surprised when she first came here, and she still finds it incredible. Few people have the opportunity to come here and wonder if they are in mid-air.

The Regent took a sip of her dessert drink. She could have had something better at the Sunreaver Sanctuary, but the weight in her heart couldn't be removed by sweetness and coolness. Neither the pleasant atmosphere of the Blood Elf's stronghold in Dalaran nor the roadside dessert shop where she was now could make her feel relaxed.

Not long after, another figure entered the dessert shop and sat down opposite her. Like her, she wore a fine silk mage's robe, and her silver hair cascaded down her right shoulder like starlight adorning the night sky. Throughout all of Quel'Thalas, only her sister Vareesa dared to sit opposite her without prior notice.

Alleria scrutinized her sister, her gaze lingering on her attire. They had chosen such clothing to conceal their identities as much as possible, since people in mage robes were a common sight in Dalaran. While some might still be able to determine their origins by the color of their clothes, Alleria had already eliminated that possibility, because their clothes were not red, but blue.

"Did you find it?" Alleria asked, desperately hoping Vareesa would give her a satisfactory answer, but all she received was an apologetic and regretful look from her.

"Still haven't found it?" The Regent's tone was one of blatant disappointment and reproach. Her disappointment wasn't with Vareesa's incompetence, but with the Farstrider Ranger she had brought. These were all highly experienced Ranger, each a veteran of countless battles; how could they be unable to find something they were asked to do?

"Dalaran, sister," Vareesa said. "We can't make too much of a scene, otherwise, not only will Rhonin warn us, but I'm worried about what will happen if Sylvanas finds out..."

"She won't get away with it!" Alleria exclaimed, trying her best to keep her voice down so as not to attract attention. After taking a few deep breaths, she regained her composure. "You're right, sister. So we need to act quickly. If Sylvanas finds out... she'll definitely take action."

"That being said, sister," Vareesa frowned awkwardly, "Are you really sure Belorell has gotten here?"

"He must still be here!" Alleria replied, her eyes fixed on the intersection in front of the dessert shop. For the past few hours, she had been watching the flow of people, eliminating those who weren't the ones she was looking for. "I can sense that mischievous troublemaker is still here."

"Could he have gone somewhere else? After all, there's more than one portal from the Sunfury Tower to all parts of the world."

"No way!" Alleria shook her head, rejecting Vareesa's guess. "My disobedient son only knows the Dalaran portal, and he knows that going to unfamiliar places makes him easy to be caught by us." The Regent took a sip of tea. "Fortunately, he doesn't have any money or anything like that on him, Dalaran through the Krasus Platform's flight service."