All common sense told her to look away when the ‘Lord High Commander’ walked over to the troll with the cultist blade held behind his back. Instead she watched, utterly impotent as Sevarian opened the trolls neck from ear to ear and the screams of the dead or dying creatures hammered against her ears as they filled the small chamber. [i]“Light, what should I do…? …”[/i] Never in her life had terror threatened to overwhelm her in the way it did now. The icy chill of Sevarians spell sunk into her bones, sapping both air and all strength from her body. The electric blue of the cult spells stunk of an evil that washed over her, reinforcing the slowly growing dread that she was going to die inside of this room. No. Liaena and her new friends [i]would[/i] come for her. To think anything else of her would just be plain [b]rude[/b]. Kathlin swallowed dryly, pushing thoughts of knives opening her up down to mentally sit on them. Thinking back, her mouth moved imperceptibly as she whispered the lines of a simple church prayer to herself, over and over, sparking a weak glow of warmth inside of her that fought back doggedly against the onslaught of Sevarians curse, even as the horrific screams echoed off the walls around them. [i]“Stay alive. I should try stay alive till then.”[/i] * “How is she doing!?” “All right…” Bella peered gingerly at the wounds on the birds wing, now scabbed over and looking several days old. Hester snapped her beak warningly and made a pass at her, causing the girl to jump back. “Hey! Ow. Yeah, she’s alright. Her temper’s back, anyway.” “Fine. Fine.” Liaena muttered, looking all about her as she clambered back onto the snowy back, in spite of much grumbling from Hester. “Okay, we have to get out of here. Lets make this –“ Another dark form lunged out of the darkness to crash into the reef beside them. The attack only missed as Hester scuttled to one side to flutter into the air again, and Bella fired a blast of Light that went hopelessly awry as the eagle soared away again. “….” “What was that!?” Liaena stared at Bella, who was now visibly preening where she sat on Hesters back. “You’re never that good…..you [i]stole[/i] something, didn’t you?” “Priestess Thea [i]told[/i] me to dust the relic cabinet, as punishment for evesdropping” Bella remarked smugly, as Hester wove and banked through the air. “And she gave me the keys. Surprised?” “You [b]MISSED[/b]. You just told anyone that cares that there’s a Light user out here!” Liaena spat back as she checked behind them for pursuers. Bella’s smile vanished as the shadow reappeared again, Liaena firing wildly and missing as the eagle continued to harry them towards the ground. “Go to hell, Rune” Hester screeched sharply, spiralling towards the cold waves below to bank sharply and land on a shelf of rock right underneath the walls of the keep. Liaena craned around her snowy neck as the bird strutted along the spur of rock to flutter over and beneath it, the jagged reef giving way to form an alcove that appeared man-made. “Where are we?” “….Sharon mentioned a harbour” Liaena whispered back, although the sound of water lapping against the rocks was probably enough to drown out most noise. The air around them was a silky pitch black, without even the light of the stars to guide by. “I guess this takes us under the keep?” “What!?” Bella whispered tremulously. All recent feuding forgotten, Liaena could feel her clinging tightly again. “But that wasn’t the plan! What happened to make a distraction, and then go find the Night Elves!?” “Yeah. Hester, stop this. They need backup, up there!” Liaena hissed at the bird, who magnificently ignored her as she drifted down the sunken passage. “Useless! Come on! Work with me here!” Hester clucked quietly, which probably meant: ‘screw you’ as the passage suddenly opened onto light and a enclosed harbour, with several small tug boats plus one larger in the White Hands colours drawn up at the dock. The light came from a single lantern burning softly at the far end, as the bird landed on the warf to scurry behind one of the smaller boats and lurk in its shadow. “Do you think there’s anyone here?” “Oh, probably not. Why would they [i]ever[/i] want to guard their weak point right into the centre of their super-secure fort?” “….shut up”