Alleria felt her stomach twist at the news. If rangers were going missing, it meant the Horde had penetrated deep into the forest already. "We're being invaded, little sister," she told Vereesa bluntly, bringing her sword up and turning to put her back against her sister. Her ears twitched. "Now, quiet."
"Quiet? But why—" Vereesa's comments were cut off as a tall figure dropped from the trees above. It lunged forward, a short—hafted, long—bladed axe in one hand, but Alleria had heard it just before its descent and was ready for it. She brought her sword up, parrying the blow, and spun to the side, neatly sidestepping its secondary attack with a long curving dagger. Her sword arced about and removed the creature's head and it pitched forward, the weapons falling from its now—lifeless fingers.
"Quick!" Alleria warned, stooping quickly and then straightening again. "We need to move! Now!" Vereesa, wide—eyed at the sudden bloodshed, nodded and turned away, running as much from the violence as from her sister's order. She was young still, the youngest of the three sisters, and had never seen real combat before. Alleria had hoped it would be a long time before that would happen but it was too late to worry about that now.
They ran through the woods, and Alleria was sure she heard laughter above them somewhere. Trolls! The creatures were following them, keeping pace on the branches above. No doubt they planned to drop down on her and Vereesa and kill both of them before they could find help. But the trolls didn't know this wood. Alleria did.
She ran, leading both Vereesa and their unseen pursuers, twisting and turning and leaping, crossing streams and clearings, darting through groves, ducking under trees and vines. Vereesa kept pace, her bow still in her hands. And the laughter clung to them as well.
Then Alleria saw a ribbon of silver ahead. The river! She put on a spurt of additional speed, Vereesa matching her, and they burst from the trees onto the strip of open land beside the river. She felt the impact behind her as one and then several trolls dropped from the trees, knowing they would have to catch her before she could wade into the deep water and float or swim beyond their reach. Trolls did not like water.
"Nice chase, pale one," one of the creatures behind her growled. "But now you die!"
Hands reached for her, long claws scraped at her, catching at her hair, but Alleria twisted away, avoiding their grasp. She spun around, sword coming up, ready to fight as long as she could—and watched as the troll stiffened and toppled backward. A long shaft protruded from its neck.
Similar shafts struck the other trolls, felling them before they could retreat to the safety of the trees. And Alleria, turning back toward the river, glanced around and saw several rangers on the far bank, their bows still quivering from the recent archery. One of them wore a long green cloak and a more ornate tunic than the others. She had long blond hair, darker than Alleria's but otherwise similar, and eyes more gray than green or blue but the same shape as both hers and Vereesa's. The other rangers positioned themselves around her as she smiled and held up her bow in salute.
"Welcome home, Alleria!" Sylvanas called. "Now what is this trouble you have brought us?" Even from across the river she radiated intensity, as if she could will the answers to appear.
Alleria smiled at her sister's greeting—Sylvanas, Ranger General of all Quel'Thalas, was as forceful as ever—then shook her head. "I did not bring it, Sylvanas," she answered truthfully. "I had hoped to outrun it. But I do bring possible salvation." She glanced back at the dead trolls behind her, and at Vereesa, who stood swaying and pale and resolutely facing away from the recent corpses. "I must speak to the Council."
"I do not know if they will listen," Sylvanas warned. "They are too busy worrying about these fires to consider much else right now. As am I. They are appearing all across the forest, seemingly at random." She glanced pointedly at the dead trolls. "And now I must tend to this matter as well."
Alleria grimaced and looked down. "They will listen," she promised. "I will give them no choice."
"What is the meaning of this?" Anasterian Sunstrider demanded. He and the Council of Silvermoon were discussing matters in low, serious voices when Alleria walked in unannounced and uninvited. Several of the high elf rulers rose from their seats, surprised at her presence, but Alleria ignored them. She focused only on Anasterian.
The high elf king was old, old even for an elf, with hair that had long since turned white and skin thin as parchment and lined as a piece of old wood. He had gone from slender to frail but his blue eyes were still piercing and his voice, though thin as well, was still filled with authority. Alleria instinctively shrank back from his anger but then she remembered why she was here and straightened.
"I am Alleria Windrunner," she announced, though she knew most of the council members recognized her. "I have been beyond our borders, and have fought alongside the humans in their war. And I have returned to bring you grave tidings, not just for them but for us." She frowned and studied the men and women before her. "The Horde the humans warned of is real and vast and powerful. The bulk of their forces are orcs, but they have other creatures as well. Including the forest trolls." That got a reaction, gasps and angry mutterings. None of the other high elves knew what an orc was—she hadn't herself until she'd fought them in the Hillsbrad—but they all knew about trolls. Some here, including Anasterian himself, had even fought in the great Troll Wars long ago, some four thousand years after Quel'Thalas was founded.
"You say this Horde includes trolls," a lord stated loudly, "yet why should that concern us? Let the trolls follow these strange creatures you tell of, and hopefully march far away from here. Perhaps the humans will even do us a favor and kill them for us!" Several other elves laughed and nodded.
"You do not understand," Alleria told them angrily. "The Horde is not some distant problem we can ignore and laugh about! They intend to conquer all of Lordaeron, from coast to coast! And that includes us here in Quel'Thalas!"
"Let them come!" Another lord, an elven mage she thought was named Dar'Khan, scoffed. "Our lands are well—defended—none can pass the Runestones and survive."
"Oh no?" Alleria snarled at him. "Are you so sure? Because already the trolls have entered our forests. Already they stalk through our lands, killing our people. And the orcs will not be far behind. They are less powerful than trolls, individually, but they are as numerous as locusts, enough of them to cover the land. And they are here."
"Here?" Anasterian scoffed. "Impossible!"
In answer Alleria swung her arm and released the object she had been carrying since she and Vereesa had run. The troll's head flew through the air, its short dark hair waving about it, the sun catching on a tusk, and fell again, landing just before Anasterian's feet.
"This one attacked Vereesa and me," Alleria explained, "not an hour's run from the river crossing. Several more followed us to there, and their bodies still lie on the far bank unless Sylvanas and her party have moved them." She noticed that none of the lords were laughing at her anymore. "They are here," she insisted again. "The trolls are within our woods, killing our people. And the orcs are the ones burning the edges of Eversong Forest!" Though she admitted to herself she did not know how they could be causing the other fires both Vereesa and Sylvanas had mentioned.
"Outrageous!" This time Anasterian's outburst was not directed at her. The elf king kicked the troll head, causing it to roll away under another lord's chair. His eyes were sharp and his brow drawn, and when he turned back to Alleria she could see the energy and focus that had made him such a great king for so many years. All hints of frailty were gone, brushed aside in the current crisis. "They dare to invade our home?" Anasterian fumed. "They dare!" He looked up and his expression was like thunder. "We shall teach them to trespass here! Gather our warriors," he instructed the other lords. "Summon our rangers. We will attack the trolls and drive them from our forest so sternly they shall never dare encroach again."