Betrayal

Clearly, Nathanos had completely overestimated the Gryphon's abilities, not because Gryphon were outmatched by the Red Dragon, but because they were terrified. Not only the Gryphon, but also the Dwarf on them, were running around on their mounts.

"This is absolutely terrible!" No matter how Nathanos called out from below, he couldn't get Kurdran's attention. The Dwarf who had just effortlessly dealt with the Ogre was now completely focused on the sudden trouble. These dragons were enormous and incredibly strong, and only a few Gryphon Rider were fighting them. Kurdran needed time to find a way to defeat them in the air.

Before he could think for more than a few minutes, an even larger Red Dragon suddenly shot out from the sky, instantly attracting the attention of the Wildhammer leader.

"Beer prices must have gone up today!" Kurdran cursed, looking at the Red Dragon, which seemed far more powerful than the others, but he suddenly realized there were no Red Dragon behind Orcs. And he couldn't believe his eyes—the Red Dragon had begun attacking its own kind.

"ChristaSA?" Nathanos recognized her on the ground. He hadn't expected her to be here.

The other red Dragon Knight immediately panicked. The Red Dragon unleashed a fiery breath at a smaller Red Dragon, knocking the Orcs off its back, and at the same time, swiftly whipped its tail, knocking back three Dragon Knights.

"What's going on?" Not only Kurdran, but even Khadgar and Turalyon were starting to lose their bearings.

"Tell your men to retreat immediately! Evacuate the forest! Now!" Nathanos roared at Turalyon. The Paladin hesitated, before he could ask anything, Sylvanas spoke up, "Evacuate the forest? Why? We haven't lost yet!"

"It's only a matter of time," Nathanos stated the fact. He had been startled when Sylvanas spoke; he hadn't even noticed when she had appeared beside him.

Nathanos wanted to explain to her, but time did not allow it. "Do as I say!" he shouted to Turalyon once more.

The Paladin understood what he was thinking and shouted, "Everyone, evacuate immediately! Evacuate to the mountains to the west!"

"We must stop them!" Sylvanas shouted to Nathanos, clearly disagreeing with retreat. The Red Dragon's flames were spreading through the forest, Female Elf, frantic with worry, cried out again, "Stop them now!!!"

"Absolutely impossible!" Nathanos's louder voice stunned Sylvanas. "Ordinary arrows can't hurt those Red Dragons at all, and the people on the ground are sitting ducks. We must seize this opportunity to get out of here."

"This is my home!" Sylvanas roared at him, her beautiful voice hoarse with anger and pain, tears streaming down her face. "It's going to be destroyed!" she pointed to the forest being engulfed in flames. Nathanos had no reply. He reached out and embraced Sylvanas, holding her close. He whispered only three words in her ear, "Live!"

Sylvanas heard the plea in his voice or tone and persuaded him; Nathanos then took her hand and ran toward the hill.

Turalyon rode his warhorse around, personally issuing orders. That was all he could do. Then he turned his horse around, kicked it hard, and galloped up the mountain.

ChristaSA was fighting her own people when Grim Batol suddenly deployed a large number of Dragon Knight, which caught her attention. Following them, she witnessed the Alliance and Horde clashing, and decided to lend a hand. Although the numerous Red Dragon ridden by the Dragon Knight were no match for her, there were always one or two dragons that she needed to handle with caution.

Alliance soldiers quickly assembled in the mountains, where there were no trees and the fire couldn't reach. But Sylvanas didn't want to just stand there and watch the fire rage through the forest; she wanted to leave.

"Where are you going?" Nathanos grabbed her, sensing that the Female Elf was about to rush into the forest again.

"I must get to Silvermoon City," Sylvanas said, her concern now far greater for her family. "My parents are there, and so are my elders. I must go and help them!"

"What can you do?" Nathanos asked, his tone far harsher than Sylvanas had imagined, but at least temporarily pulling her out of her grief and making her look up at him.

"Do you have a way to deal with this fire?" she asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes that made Nathanos unable to look her in the eye.

He glanced towards the forest, where ChristaSA was locked in combat with two dragons of similar size. Other Red Dragon hovered low in the air like playful bats, leaving trails of flame in their wake. As far as the eye could see, Quel'Thalas was ablaze, thick smoke forming a solid gray wall that enveloped the Elf homeland, its shadow stretching to the foot of the mountain they stood on and casting a dark shadow across the entire peak. They could see the fires burning from the Elf capital.

Nathanos shook his head. "I can't, but I know you can't either!" He saw tears streaming down her face. She was almost sobbing, "My home... Eversong Forest... is dying!!"

"I know, but you must trust your family..." Nathanos leaned down, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently holding it. He couldn't find the right words to comfort the distraught Female Elf. "Going there now will only cost you your life. Even if you reach the river, the water will be boiling from the heat. If you really die..." He choked back a sob. Sylvanas looked at him, and the human fell silent.

"Will they be alright?" she asked helplessly. Nathanos could hear the despair in her voice—she wanted, even needed to be sure, that her family was alive, or she would break down.

"Alleria will be alright," Nathanos replied.

"Not just my sister, but also Vareesa, and my parents!"

"Silvermoon City has powerful mages," Khadgar pointed out. "Although I haven't seen them, I know the Sunwell is a huge source of power, and they will protect the city from harm. Even dragons cannot get close to them." His voice sounded completely confident, but Nathanos saw the mage wink at him, as if to say: At least I hope so.

Sylvanas nodded, clearly still uneasy, but her tone had calmed. "Thank you. You're right. If I die, nothing will change." Nathanos suspected she was trying to convince herself, staring at the dragons soaring into the sky. "But they will! The entire Horde!" Her eyes narrowed, and Nathanos saw something he'd never seen before in them—hatred. "They will pay!"

The red dragon knight Braddock gripped the reins tightly, having cast aside all fear the moment his dragon first spread its wings and carried him into the air. He still remembered the flames that spewed from his red dragon's mouth, the intense heat causing trees to burst open instantly.

Looking down at the ground, Bradok saw a silvery expanse of water between green plains and brown mountains on this rich continent. He knew it was the sea, the very sea they had crossed after destroying Stormwind City.

He tapped the dragon with his heel, signaling his mount to descend. The dragon responded, folding its wings and plummeting at a tremendous angle. The sea expanded in his field of vision, and in the distance, he could see ships sailing near the shore. Those were their own ships, the ones that had brought the Horde here from another continent.

Bradok suddenly stopped, urging his mount to circle in the air, and observed the scene below again. Yes, he wasn't mistaken; the ships were leaving the coast. But they had been instructed to remain at the rear, in case the Horde needed them again. What were they doing?

Scanning the area below, Braddock spotted a familiar figure on the first ship—the warlock Gul'dan.

He subdued the Red Dragon, Bradok flew to the front of the ship. Gul'dan spotted him and turned around.

"What are you doing with these ships?" Bradok roared, urging his mount to follow the vessels while waving his free hand. The Warlock looked confused, raising his hands in bewilderment. Bradok made the dragon fly closer to the ship. "You should turn back! The Horde in Lordaeron, not over there!" he shouted again. Gul'dan still gestured that he couldn't hear him. This time, Bradok flew directly to the top of the ship, only ten feet from the Warlock. "I said—" Suddenly, Gul'dan's hand shot forward, a green ray striking Bradok's chest. A sharp pain erupted within him, his heart pounding. After catching his breath, the world turned black in an instant. Bradok detached from the Red Dragon's back and fell into the sea.

Gul'dan watched with a cold smile as the Dragon Knight's corpse sank into the water. He needed to get the fool closer so his magic could strike more quickly. The dragon soared high into the air, roaring backward before powerfully flapping its wings. Gul'dan watched for a long time, making sure the dragon wouldn't turn back to attack. But he didn't see the second Orcs in the sky.

Another dragon rider, Torgus, who had been following Braddock, witnessed everything. He turned and flew at full speed towards Lordaeron. "This is betrayal!" he cried out in his heart. Orgrim will find out what happened.