It felt like the bottom of his stomach had fallen out. “No–“
“Seryth, listen to me,” said Jalinde. “You heard the archdruids. The demons are coming, and they are strong. Fordrellon is a paladin. He’s faced demons before, while the others–“
“Fordrellon hates me,” Seryth snarled, “and I’m not so sure I like him very much, either!”
“He could help us,” said Jalinde again, firmly.
“I have other help…”
“Your demons,” said Jalinde, her voice very quiet.
Seryth didn’t ask how she had found out. “I am what I am, Jalinde.”
She took a deep breath, almost as if she had made a decision long ago, and now it was time to acknowledge it. “They’ll help. You’re very powerful. But we shouldn’t do this alone. At the very least, they deserve to be warned. Another demonic invasion…Seryth, the last time that happened, Azeroth almost ended. The orcs invading during the Second War was all the demons’ doing–“
“I know that!” snapped Seryth.
“Then why turn your nose up at the help?”
Even though she knew about his demons, Seryth didn’t want to admit to all of it. He felt — knew — that Fordrellon, as a paladin, somehow saw right through to the core of him, and all that lay there. He also knew Fordrellon was a good man, truly, and for such a person to hate Seryth…
…it could only mean one thing about Seryth.
His mind couldn’t grasp it, or perhaps it was kept from grasping it by another force. Seryth shook his head to clear it. Survival was most important at the moment, both in face of the satyr and Fordrellon. Perhaps he could pit Fordrellon against the satyr long enough to escape in the resulting chaos…and perhaps, too, it’d give him time to seek out what the satyr were after, and claim it for his own.
“I’ll contact him,” he told Jalinde.
“Good,” she replied.
Fordrellon wasn’t the only ally Seryth contacted. He also returned to the Council of the Black Harvest to coax power from them.
The Council’s numbers were small, perhaps lessened by Seryth’s escape from their prison by inadvertently starting a war between the Council and their other prisoners. Seryth saw an opportunity to seize leadership among them, if he played his cards right.
First, he had a letter posted to Fordrellon in the Hinterlands, explaining the situation and asking for aid. Next, he fed the Council false information of where a powerful magical artifact had been planted. He planned to go with them and make sure certain key leaders among the Council met their end along the way.
He didn’t tell Jalinde about that mission. He asked her to go about warning the guard and then any night elves she could find in the forest of Val’Sharah of the coming demons. She figured that would keep her busy and from asking too many questions of his doings.
In the end, Seryth decided on sending the warlocks to Duskwood specifically. He knew the land there, well enough to set up ambushes as necessary, and perhaps he could even get the town guard on his side to help in offing some of the most prominent of the Council.
He ignored a rising feeling of trepidation as he planned the journey home on the back of his felsteed.
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