I should be there... I should be there... His thoughts betrayed him and without knowing became voiced. “I should be there...”

“You're not to blame. The vanguard surely broke through the lines, we will follow in due time. Be patient, Swiftdawn.” Tarenor turned to see the origin of the voice and it was Silane Falorus, His apprentice in the Light and a mender. Regardless of her own words she stood there, her palm on the hilt of her rapier covered in sweat and surrounded by anxious air. Clearly she felt the same.

“She's a idiot you know that. A hard headed idiot. Light only knows what's beyond that thing.” he points at the portal. “Yet if I could I'd be right beside her.” The pain stabs harder in his leg making him wince and squeeze it to just maybe alleviate it to no avail.

Silane quirks an eyebrow stepping forward and gently places a hand on his shoulder. “It's in her nature. And what if you had gone through, only be lost? The Highguard always needs a leader.” She paused a moment, forming the words in her mind. “Losing both of you would not win us this war.”

Tarenor furrowed his eyebrows, she was right but that didn't sate that irritation in him. “She still thinks me weak. I could have led it, the Highguard needs her more than I, but even after leading after her imprisonment, I am still weak.”

Silane pares a glance downwards at the book bag at her hip, affixed to which is the pocket for her communication stone. Despite the entire guard waiting for word from the advance, they had gotten nothing but arcane static. “Different morals do not make you weaker Commander, you speak as if we will not be there right along side them when they call on us.”

“I don't know I just have a bad feeling, and she did to, saying if something happens I'm in charge.” Tarenor eyes the the far off figures as they dart towards the portal, orcs, humans, gnomes, Forsaken, all the races working side-by-side. “Only a few were injured, most of us could be down there.” Silane moved her her head in front of his line of vision with a grimace. “She doesn't act that way to antagonize you. Think of it this way: it means she won't give up when faced with whatever on the other side of the portal.”

Tare snorted. “Of course by herself or with the bare minimum.” Silane shakes her head slowly. “Such is the nature of our people. Usually we don't have a choice." She stands up straight again, fingers laced behind her back. "I actually came over here to ask you to return to your tent or do something normal other than glower over the landscape... You're putting the troops on edge.”

Tarenor only half listens, he narrows his eyes as odd movings happen around the portal. “Good. They should be.”

He frowns even more. Slowly the steady stream of the coalition stops completely stop, the rest of the vanguard back away slowly, keeping up defensive positions. Tare mumbles quietly to himself. “What is going on down there...”

Silane pats his shoulder "Nothing the ground troops can't handle. Let's check on that leg." She turns to go towards the encampment before Tarenor grabs her arm stopping her. “They stopped.” Silane turns around eyes wide. “What?”

Tarenor narrows his eyes as the vanguard continues to back slowly still from the portal. “They stopped going in... no ones coming back out either.”

This is good! They've staunched the flow of Iron Horde!" The excitement spills over in her gestures as she speaks. "No doubt we'll get the call soon!" Silane fumbles with her stone from its pocket and holds it at chest-level, eagerly watching it.

His stomach sinks, as he sakes his head slowly. “No... something's not right. If we were winning more would be sent in.. or Some would come out..” Tare's words fall short to silane who looks expectantly at her comm-stone. He glances at Silane for only a moment. “Try to contact the High Commander again, or Sunwind. See if you can reac-”

A large commotion comes over the remaining Vanguard as the blood red Portal ripples for a moment, then in a flash, disappears. Leaving only the sight of the Red stone of the Blasted Lands Mountains behind it. For a few moments that seem to last an eternity, there is silence: In the Highguard camp, Coalition forces, all the Blasted Lands, not a sound.

Tarenor grabs Silane's Comm-stone, who doesn't even notice as she continues to stare at the Portal's hollow husk. "All those people," she says quietly, lips barely moving. Tare turns the stone on. “Sha'Qelas, come in.” he waits a moment but still only static, he waits for a second then tries once more. Sha'Qelas- Liniadel!” nothing. “FUCKING LINIADEL. COME IN.” nothing but the mocking spirit of silence.

Tare drops to his knees eying the portal as the comm-stone falls from his hand. “You fucking fool..” Clamor begins to build up from beyond the rocks at the Highguard's camp. Doubtless they noticed the portal's collapse and Tarenor's shouts into the stone. Faint panicked voices echo from the stone on the ground, muffled by the weight of the events.

"There has to be a way to open it again." Her eyes flicker from sky to earth, portal to Tarenor. "Have our mages do something! It's just a portal-" She brings her fingertips to her temple. "There has to- maybe if we wait for it to reopen. Maybe it's a hiccup in the magic? Tarenor?"

Tare slowly stands up, a long sigh escapes his mouth. “We don't know where they are... there's no way to reopen, the only mage who could reopen that thing is now trapped on the other side.”

Falorus hastily gathers her stone and unhooks the golden train from her waist, depositing it carelessly on the ground. She doesn't seem to hear him speak as she lowers herself, looking for a foothold to clamber down the mountain."Let's go down there and see what's going on. A mage can explain -- maybe they're already working to fix it. Maybe it's an illusion. Maybe-”

Tarenor grabs her by the shoulders. “Silane!” she looks at him startled. “They're. Gone. Our focus right now has to be was if left!” he looks at the Highguard camp, some rushing to the portal some standing stoically on the edge looking down. “Tend to the wounded, and You and Aeviana calm them down, I'll go what happened.” he lets go and eyes her. “Aye, Swiftdawn.”

Tarenor pulls out his commstone and turns it on. “Highguard...” his eyes fall onto the now empty portal. “There has been an incident.”

The following days became a blurr to Tarenor, he walked down to the fortifications near the Portal and tried to talk to anyone. The commotion and chaos was rampant, some cried, a worgen howled in anger. And even without the Iron Horde to fight, arguments and contained hatred was beginning to break open between the Horde and Alliance. Finally Tarenor made his way to a re-purposed Iron Horde Tent where commanders and officers debated next moves. He pleaded for anything but an older looking orc just eyed him and said “They succeeded in there mission.”

The Highguard did not fair better. Though fewer in number, friends, comrades, even the occasional lover to those who stayed, were now possibly gone forever. Over the course of the next week, he ordered the highguard to aid in the Iron Horde that remained behind, the Iron Horde did not last long, but there were still pockets of resistance. And morale was low.