Chapter 19

Along the King's Road, Alterac

Just being around her again was exhilarating, the feeling of euphoria, her charisma and beauty penetrating even his deepest concentration. Jaina Proudmoore, one time his mistress, now a friend.

Of that last part Arthas felt sad about, yet knew that he and Jaina had done what was right, and broken off their affair long ago when it became certain that their paths in life would not be together.

Noticing that he was looking at her, she smiled briefly and turned to look out into the forest.

However, even the presence of Jaina could not keep the cold feeling of dread in his gut. With every day reports from across the Kingdom got worse, more and more villages infected with the Plague.

In the countryside, attacks and disappearances had been occurring far too often and organized for mere bandits or scattered orcs. Undead seemed to walk here and there, frightening farmers at first, then beginning to mass in large numbers, blocking roads, attacking small townships in the wilderness.

He had to find a way to stop it. It was his duty, as a paladin and future King, to love and protect Lordaeron and her people, and also with Uther still in the south fighting the remaining orcs, Arthas had to carry the torch of the Silver Hand through these villages and see if he could raise the spirits of the people.

Brushing a blonde cusp of hair out of his face, Arthas pointed west, where the road led to the town of Brill. Arthas's investigation had been forced to make a long detour, as the bridge into town was mysteriously destroyed earlier in the day.

Upon sighting the bridge, they had met up with a group of local soldiers, who informed them that the town had been infected with the plague they were sent to investigate by the Kirin Tor. They also stated that there had been some kind of violent attack by the undead, zombified corpses, skeletons, and other ghoulish creatures, and that the entire town was thrown into chaos during the night.

The soldiers told them of how the Plague had spread from nearby granaries, and that a team of Elven priests had set off in the morning to try and stop the Plague from spreading, however had not reported back the entire day. Farmer folk south of Brill had been able to locate a fording across the river, where the water was shallow, and the eastern road to town began. Finally a lead…

Already they had passed through several villages, searching for the origins of the plague, and were not the only ones either. The Kirin Tor had sent small teams throughout all Lordaeron to find whatever scraps of enlightening information were available.

However, Arthas began to notice the men under his command had expressed distaste from taking orders from a woman, and were…uncomfortable with one being close to a battlefield. Arthas chuckled, believing that she was more capable of damage than any one of them.

As quickly as they had crossed a creek into sight of the town, the sounds of a fight echoed from in front of them. Arthas had urged his men onward, eager to destroy the threat that was poisoning the land.

They had come upon a small scrap where several dozen footmen from the town's garrison were under fire from missile fire, arrows shot from somewhere in the trees, which turned out to be a grouping of about a hundred undead, all firing arrows as if they had known it in their past lives. Eventually though, they were able to drive out the skeletons with the magic of Jaina and the soldier's bravery, and stopped, now within far sight of the town.

"Jaina, do you think something is driving these undead?" he inquired, studying the remains of one of the destroyed creatures.

"It's tough to say. Usually undead without a necromancer wander alone, attacking both living and other dead ravenously. Easily enough a powerful mage could have risen these dead, however how much power it takes to control the sheer numbers has always been in question in the Kirin Tor, as we do not practice the dark arts. We saw in the Second War that the warlocks and necrolytes themselves had a good deal of trouble keeping their raised minions in check, but if all of this, all of the attacks in the northlands, the Plague, if it's all connected somehow, I think it would be safe to say that we're in the midst of something far greater than a rogue mage or warlock. And another thing that I've found very strange…the magical ambience of the surrounding land has not been tapped for some time, as if a certain person or peoples had not raised the dead here" she replied in her fluid voice, looking as if she wanted to say more.

"Perhaps the death cults that have been springing up everywhere are working in conjunction with the necromancer?" Arthas wondered out loud, knowledge of the various death cults had made way back to Lordegarde and his father, the King.

Jaina didn't reply, instead staring off into space as if trying to concentrate on some disturbance.

"We'd better get moving if we want to save what's left of the town's people" Arthas quipped, and began walking again, the soldiers behind him.

"Wait!" Jaina exclaimed "This way, there's something over here" she pointed out to a small clearing in the forest.