I was already shaking Rei awake and making my way out of bed. “Okay, Tien, you need to calm down and I need to know details; what’s attacking, where they came from, how they got past the village’s barriers, and anything else that might be important. I’ll rally the Fae and we’ll be there as soon as we can, but it will help us all if we know what exactly we’re dealing with.”

“I don’t know what we’re dealing with, I haven’t seen anything like them before in the game,” Tien said somewhat more calmly after I heard a slow release of breath on the other end. “They didn’t come through the barriers, they came from the docks, right out of the water I think. They look like… I dunno they’re kind of like fish people. They’re really ugly, covered in dark blue scales, have webbed hands and feet, and big red fins on the tops of their heads. They’re wearing some kind of light armor, have weapons, and I’ve seen some of them casting spells. I’d say that there are at least a couple hundred of them.”

“Shit,” I cursed as I used my new mark to summon my weapons and Lindwyrm-hide armor. It looked like there would be no pampering this morning, and no time for getting dressed the usual way either. “It’s a Suvas’taäl raid.”

“What the hell is a Soovas Tahiel? And why are they raiding us?” Haven’s Human representative asked. Her breathing seemed to quicken and become more haggard for a moment and she shouted, “Get the Magi and Priests to the water! We need defensive spells until we can get reinforcements! Sorry Taelya, they hit us at the worst time. We’re all still half asleep and not very organized.”

“Have your Magi use electric or fire spells if they have any, Tien. Those will work best against them while they’re out of the water,” I quickly instructed as Rei started throwing on clothes beside me. She was still in a girly mood it seemed and had this really sexy just tumbled out of bed look going, but she was hurrying to correct that, prompted by my conversation and probably the pissed off expression on my face as well. “We’ll be there as soon as we can, Tien. You’re facing Suvas’taäl, humans used to know them as Finfolk. They’re raiding you for whatever resources that you might have that they are in short supply of for their people; food, weapons, and especially women. When they are finished they will kill any men left standing and raze Haven to the ground.”

“Okay I guess that makes sense… so they’re sort of like Vikings? Wait… women?!” She was trying very hard not to completely freak out, I could hear it in her voice and she was only having moderate success as she put two and two together. “They want to…” She couldn’t seem to finish that sentence and just left it hanging there.

“Yes, women… to become their Finwives,” I explained with a shudder. “They will take the most beautiful women for that, and any others still alive for labor. Female Finfolk aren’t born very often so wives are much sought after on these raids. Raids of settlements are a competition, and Finfolk can increase their rank and prestige within their community by having the most beautiful land-dweller for their bride. The women they capture are trophies as much as mates, seen as a mark of the Finman’s virility and battle prowess. Those of us who come to reinforce you will have to be especially careful because if it looks like they aren’t going to win they’ll just take what, and who, they can and make a run for it and Atlantean and Fae women are especially prized. Atlanteans because they can survive on land and in water without having to cast spells on them, and Fae women because they are beautiful, notoriously difficult to capture, and live for a very long time.”

The line was quiet for several long seconds except for the sounds of fighting in the background. “Okay, that’s just… eww. We’ll try to hold them off until you get here Taelya. Please hurry.” She disconnected the call and I put the phone in one of my ammo pouches.

“Trouble in the Village?” Rei asked as she finished pulling her boots on and directed a concerned look my way.

“Yeah, sorry sweetheart, but we don’t have time for pampering or breakfast this morning. Haven is being raided by the creatures from the black lagoon. I just hope that it’s only Suvas’taäl in that raiding party, I’m too damn tired to fight a Kehüvakt today.”

Rei was snatching up her shotgun, and the pack with the extra drum, clips, and shells. “I heard you telling Tien about the Suvas’taäl, but what in the hell is a kehyvoct?”

I barely heard her as I was a little preoccupied at the moment by using my wind whisper spell to contact my Mahair. Quickly I cast the first incantation, my hand drawing the sigils in the air as my lips spoke them, followed by the message that I wished to convey. “Tanuus tiurin’híel naethrin aentuire, Mahair the village is being raided by Suvas’taäl. They need our help, we must send reinforcements immediately.” With the message ‘recorded’ I finished the spell by speaking Amoiraishe’s name and drawing her personal sigil, using it as the trigger to complete the spell and send the message.

I didn’t get quite the reply that I was expecting. There was a flare of power that told me immediately that Amoiraishe was using Nature’s Call. She wasn’t using it to control plants, animals, earth, or water though. No, she was controlling the air and doing the same thing that I just had with my spell, but on a much larger scale. The air in my rooms seemed to hum and vibrate as I stepped from my bedroom with Rei in tow. This message wasn’t just to me, it was to everyone in the Glade, and I could feel with my magick sense how far the vibrations reached as her voice sounded, seeming to come from everywhere at once. “Fae of the Autumn Court. Trusted allies and friends. My daughter has just informed me that the village of Haven is under siege by Suvas’taäl. They are our allies, and we swore that we would protect them in times of need, just as they swore the same to us. We shall not allow them to come to harm! Warriors, to arms and prepare for battle! We rally at the gates of the Estate with all due haste, let us show them what the word of the Autumn Court is worth!”

“Damn, I really need to get her to teach me how to do that,” I said, shaking my head and grinning as Rei and I left our rooms and headed downstairs.

Most of our group were already downstairs and eating breakfast when Amoiraishe had sent her message. As luck would have it, they were all geared up already in preparation for the morning training session, except for Daenyss who could just summon what she needed from her chest, and Lissany and Kinara who had a mark to summon their armor and weapons. Only those of us who had been out partying and having wild sex all night had still been sleeping, and Daenyss had planned on letting me and Rei sleep in a bit today since she had suspected that we had gotten in late. So I found her eating breakfast with Salem, Lissany, Kinara, Lark, Rob, Grell, and Pete. All of them had gotten a somewhat decent amount of sleep and at least Rei and I had a chance to grab something quick to eat while the other Fae were waking up and preparing to mobilize as quickly as possible.

“I apologize, Mistress, I should have been ready when you woke up. Why did you not call me? I would have come right up,” my Attendant said with a slightly disappointed frown.

“No time for pampering, or much of anything this morning,” I replied as I started to make short work of a bagel. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do for now. Willow had zipped over from Kinara’s shoulder to take her place on mine and started nuzzling me affectionately as I sipped at a glass of juice to wash down my meager breakfast. Rei had taken the hint and was working on eating her own bagel as I quickly explained to the others, “The call from Tien woke me up so I just got right into my armor since we’ll need to head out as soon as everyone is ready to go. We should get to the front gates.”

Nishalle, Venika, and Amoiraishe made their way downstairs next. Nishalle was fully armored like me and looked in dire need of a cup of coffee or ten so she made her way straight to the pot and downed one as quickly as she could without scalding herself. Venika didn’t even have time to grab coffee or food before Silverheels leaped from Lissany’s shoulder to affectionately tackle her. At least that seemed to wake the Sprite up a bit. I felt sorry for her though. She had still been going when Rei, Nishalle, and I had decided to call it a night so she couldn’t have gotten much sleep.

I quickly explained to everyone what was happening in the village, or at least what I had suspected given the information that Tien had provided, as we made our way to the gates of the Estate. Lissany and Kinara decided to summon their armor and weapons as we walked, but not before I had noticed the matching bracelets of entwined pink and black hair encircling each of their right wrists. Despite the grim task ahead of us, both girls were smiling and holding hands as we awaited the remainder of the Fae host and the other non-Humans who would be going out to support the village.

The Huntsmen had been waiting and mounted on their Cú sídhe when we got to the gates, and Amoiraishe was starting to organize the other Fae who had already arrived as she mounted her Vsilja. Theíldhúr was one of the only two Vsilja that we had at the moment and he was a truly fearsome stallion who only truly calmed under the Fae Queen’s hand. I gave the other Vsilja, who had decided that she was mine, an affectionate pat, but shook my head at her. “Sorry Ghost, not this time. I haven’t been trained in mounted combat yet, and I figure that casting spells will be easier with both feet on the ground. I’ll come to see you in the stables later and we can go for a ride then.”

She was stamping all six of her hooves in anticipation for battle and didn’t look happy that I was leaving her out, but I just didn’t feel confident enough in my ability to cast spells while mounted and she wouldn’t listen to anyone but a Yseil'dhraí. She barely tolerated the presence of my friends, and only because I had been trying to drill into her head that they wouldn’t hurt either of us. We weren’t used to working together either since I had only ever ridden her a few times. She wasn’t the only animal unhappy to be left out though as we had insisted on leaving the Wisps at the manor where they would remain safe. We’d actually had to be very stern with them to get them to obey.

To my surprise, our diplomats had joined us as well, each of them prepared for a fight. Narek and Maekin were both in full armor, the former with his twin swords at the ready and Kinara’s father bearing a bow and arrows and a long and deadly-looking spear strapped across his back. Sahnae had a bow as well and wore form-fitting leather armor. Both of those items looked well-used and well-maintained. It wasn’t something that I had expected from the friendly Duchess of the Spring Court. I probably shouldn’t have been too surprised though since I had seen her hit the target the day before with unerring accuracy during my short break in training.

The warriors of the Autumn Court and our allies from the other Courts and non-Human races were still gathering when I used my newest spell to teleport my group to the edge of Haven. We needed to send an advance group to check things out so the main force could deploy where they were needed most once they were ready to move, so I had volunteered us. We were all prepared though, and I had promised Tien that I would come quickly, so I was going to do so as soon as possible.

The sounds of fighting, gunfire, and spells going off could be heard clearly and we rushed toward the village proper to join the fray. “Okay,” I told my group as we made our way toward through the village, planning to head for the docks by way of the square, “there’s no real plan going into this. This is probably going to be thick and heavy fighting so we’ll all just need to try to keep one another covered. Rei and Salem, try not to get too involved in the fighting if you can manage it. We’re going to need your help with the wounded. Kinara, you’ll need to stick close to me so Liss and Nishalle can protect you too. We need to take these Suvas’taäl down so they won’t be getting back up, but try not to use AOEs unless they have a Kehüvakt or two.”

“What in the hell is that?” Pete asked, turning to give me an uncertain look.

“They’re the great grand-pappy of giant squid, also known as a Kraken. The Suvas’taäl have been known to use them as living siege weapons,” I reported with a frown.

“That’s just fantastic,” I could hear Rob grumbling from where he was shadowing Lark, his guns already drawn. “Stick close to me babe.”

The Bard in question was flipping the safety on her Glock, but she gave her boyfriend and protector a wink as she replied, “Try to keep up, honey, I’ll try to buff where I can.”

There was no more time for idle chatter then as we reached a hill with a good view of the square, where we first saw the fighting. I could see columns of smoke billowing upward from the direction of the dock too, where the fighting seemed to be at its thickest. I used my Wind Whisper spell to let my Mahair know to take the main force to the dock and then I led my team toward the square itself, where small groups of humans were gathered and holding off an attack.

Haven’s forces had done a good job of keeping the attackers from getting beyond the dock and the village square, mostly through the use of suppression gunfire, but it was at best a holding action since they had been greatly outnumbered, those in the square were running out of ammo, and some of the invaders were magick users. There were pockets of fighting everywhere and I could already see a couple dozen dead or injured Humans and a good deal of dead enemy combatants all over the square. Those on our side that were still standing were having a difficult time holding out against groups of enemies advancing from the dock to the west. There was also a small group of Humans covering the southeast corner of the square and the building where the village supplies were being stored. Our forces were spread so thin and we were going to be outnumbered, so I needed to come up with a plan.

After a moment of thought, I began to issue orders. “Rei and Salem, start gathering the wounded and set up a triage on the southern edge of the square. Venika, Rob, Grell, and Lark, you’re going to provide cover fire for them and help as best you can to secure the southern end of the square. Nishalle and Pete, I want you to reinforce those people holding the west side of the square toward the dock. Everyone else, we’ll help take the pressure of those protecting the storehouse.”

“Sis, I can’t protect you if I’m focussed on a battle on the other side of the square, I don’t like this idea,” Nishalle stated flatly with a grim-looking frown on her face.

I reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder, looking her straight in the eyes. “That’s what Liss is for, Nishalle. She’s my shield, and I know that I can count on her to protect me and Kinara. Daenyss has our backs too. You’re my sword, and right now that sword is needed to keep us from being overrun by enemies. You and Pete are our strongest melee fighters, you’re needed there, and your shadow shift ability will allow you to do the work of four other fighters. I don’t want to make this an order Sis, but I will if I have to. If you’re worried about me then that just gives you more reason to take care of the situation faster.”

My Tokh'dhraí sister let out a sigh and gave me a hard look, though the sunglasses protecting her sensitive eyes from the morning sun diminished its intensity. “You’re right, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. Don’t do anything stupid. Stay safe, Sis.”

“We’ll do our best, you and Pete do the same,” I replied, giving her a quick hug. “Now let’s go kick some ass.” We made for the square and then broke off through the chaos in the square to see to our tasks, dashing off in separate directions as I rushed to where Tien stood with a large group of Humans with Kinara shadowing me and Lissany and Daenyss watching for any possible threats to our safety. Tien had tossed an amber sphere roughly the size of a baseball that exploded when it hit a small group of advancing Finfolk trapping them in some sort of super-sticky sap. “Tierre-aeluine thren’dhal utaera!” I swiftly drew and spoke the sigils and the instant that the small fireball formed in my open hand I tossed it at a Finman who was managing to break free from the sap, engulfing him in flames before he could free himself completely. “The cavalry is here!” I announced with a reckless grin to cover the Finman’s dying screams as Lissany swept in and made short work of the other two trapped Finfolk with her war hammer.

“Thanks for coming, Your Highness,” Tien replied with a relieved look on her face.

“Hey, you invited us to a party, we couldn’t just leave you hanging. Take a breather, Tien, you’ve earned it,” I told her. She looked exhausted and I knew from experience how taxing constant magick use can be, but it’s even harder for Druids since they can’t just draw on the mana around them like those of us who use magick naturally. The twenty or so others in her group looked just as worn down as she did too, and most of them were crafters. “Not many of you here,” I observed with a concerned frown. If I had to guess there were less than forty of the human players in the square altogether and they were outnumbered by a four to one margin, though it seemed that a large portion of the dead Humans were NPCs.

“Sheriff Shaw, Hawkin, and Sonja led an assault on their main forces at the dock. A dozen of us stayed behind to protect the village’s supplies and those of us who aren’t combat-focused, though most of them ended up fighting anyway,” the young Vietnamese woman offered with a sigh.

“Rei and Salem will do what they can for the injured, they’re setting up a triage at the south end of the square. Maybe you should put your herbalism skills to work and help them. We’ll help mop up here before going to join the assault at the dock. Don’t worry we’ve got this.” I gave Tien’s shoulder a good squeeze and then I got back to work with the others, quickly casting a Scattershot spell and targeting a large Finman with a sword and shield. “Tierre kiara tala-aeluine utaera!”

Seven screaming blue balls of flame flew straight up from my outstretched hands to pummel my target from various directions. Two of them he managed to catch with the shield, but the others soon had him on the ground in a scorched heap. The smell of frying fish had barely reached my nose when Lissany intercepted the head of a Finman rushing toward us with her war hammer. Two others were downed by well-placed shots from Daenyss’s handguns and yet another by an Ice Lance spell from Kinara.

We stood together as Kinara, Daenyss, and I targeted enemy combatants from a safe distance as I called out targets when necessary. Any of them who managed to get in close were promptly met by Lissany’s shield or the head of her war hammer. At one point she struck her shield with her hammer, the noise reverberating throughout the square, and then she yelled, “You shall not pass!” She was a wall that they just kept falling at.

With Lissany there, I was feeling pretty good about our defense when I sensed the strange magick coalescing beneath our feet. Kinara must have sensed it too because we both shouted “Move!” at the same time.

Everything kind of jumped into high speed then as we all dove away from the spot we had been standing together in, a spot now taken up by some sort of large green crystal formation. We were spilt up now and Lissany was trying to free one of her feet from the strange crystal. I could sense it draining her energy as she kept striking it with her hammer, each strike having less strength than the last. I was moving to her side when I felt the strange magick again and leaped aside as another massive green crystal appeared where I had been standing. I had barely landed when I had to avoid a third such spell. Whoever was casting them was doing it fast, I didn’t have the time to cast any counterspells and they seemed to be targeting me specifically since Kinara and Daenyss weren’t having to dodge similar spells.

“Kinara, try to free Lissany! Daenyss, cover them!” I shouted as I nimbly evaded another spell. Those crystals seemed to be meant to capture, and drain the victim of energy so they couldn’t resist. That type of spell wasn’t surprising for someone looking for an unwilling bride, and in all honesty, neither was the fact that he was targeting me. The others had been protecting me and Kinara, but I had been the one calling the shots. Between that and the very obvious Danann’syr on my forehead, it was pretty clear that I was the highest ranking. And even if he didn’t know my exact rank, having a high ranking Yseil'dhraí as a Finwife could greatly improve his social status.

What wasn’t obvious, and what concerned me most, was who it was and how he was casting his spells so fast. I guess the how didn’t really matter since it wouldn’t change the fact that I didn’t have time to cast counter-spells, but I figured that it was probably something like Daenyss’s Nasyr Taka markings, a spell woven into his body somehow so he didn’t have to actively cast it. No matter what it was, it had me at a distinct disadvantage. I needed a plan, and I needed it fast.

I dodged several more crystals, feeling for the source of the spell as I did so, trying to sense the currents of mana connecting the final spell to where that mana had originated. “There!” It was a short and somewhat stocky Finman who was hiding in the shadows of one of the buildings on the east side of the square and watching me intently. I leaped out of way of another crystal appearing from nowhere, performing a handspring to launch myself toward the wall of a nearby building then rebounding off that same wall before another large crystal appeared on it. A backflip took me back to the ground and I had to use the momentum to roll out of the way of yet another crystal.

I had learned two important things. First, I was pretty sure that he had to wait a few seconds between castings, or half the southern part of the square would be filled with crystals by now from his attempts to catch me. Secondly, it seemed like he couldn’t just crystalize me directly, he needed a large and unmoving solid surface to attach the crystals to. If they could materialize on just anything he would have targeted me directly instead of the ground or wall, and he could have hit me while I was moving or in the air, when I couldn’t change direction.

As soon as I was back on my feet I pivoted and took off at a run as I drew my Colts. I kept my path unpredictable, turning, rolling, leaping, and flipping away whenever I felt his spell forming near me or if another Suvas’taäl tried to make a grab for me as I made my way toward a clear shot at him. As I moved I took out any targets of opportunity, aiming for their heads, but the movement of bodies was making it hard for me to get a clear shot at my ‘admirer’. Some of those targets were making a grab for me others for Lissany and the others, while my Guardian was attempting to free herself with Kinara’s help. Daenyss was giving cover fire to the pair as best she could, but she was just one person and there were still quite a few Finfolk. She was also limiting herself to handguns rather than automatic weapons so she wouldn’t hit any friendlies.

I had already used half of the bullets in my clips, and it didn’t matter that we were running out of targets as well. I needed a clear shot so I could end him or I wouldn’t get the chance to reload or cast spells. With all the moving bodies in the village square that was easier said than done while on the move myself. I made my way back to Lissany and the others as the stirrings of an idea came to me. They had managed to chip away enough of the crystal for Lissany to work her foot free, though she was looking pretty drained and I didn’t think she would have the strength right now to give me the lift I needed. It was time to improvise, and possibly kill two birds with one stone. “Kinara! Earth assault!” I shouted, gesturing toward a group of over a dozen Finfolk rushing toward my companions.

Kinara’s eyes widened in surprise since I had specifically forbidden AOE spells unless absolutely necessary. Then she nodded and began to quickly draw and speak the sigils for the spell. “Kuor tala-soldis utaera!” The second that she finished casting six stone fists erupted from the ground beneath the group of Suvas’taäl. I reached them as the fists sent them flying in all directions and jumped onto one of those fists, using it as a springboard to launch myself into the air and above the mass of battling bodies. As I flew through the air I got a bead on the crystal caster and fired, causing a red mess to explode from the back of his head before he fell lifeless to the ground.

The ground, and a large number of Finfolk, rushing toward me quickly put a stop to any celebratory thoughts I may have had as I emptied the remainder of my clips into the group, taking out four of them, and then curled myself up into a ball to hit the ground rolling. Instead of the ground though, I slammed into a pair of Finfolk that were still standing, bringing them to the ground along with me. I recovered almost immediately and mentally checked for injuries as I pistol-whipped one of the recovering Finmen and kicked the other away before holstering my guns. I was debating drawing my swords to finish them off, but with only one lesson under my belt, I’d probably be more of a danger to myself than my enemies.

I was in enough danger already, separated from my party mates, surrounded by Finmen, and a searing bolt of agony had shot through my right shoulder when I had holstered my Colts so I had a feeling that my right arm wasn’t going to be much good at the moment. I gritted my teeth against the pain and was about to cast a defensive spell left-handed when Ghost appeared, with Narek on her back. She slammed into the one I that had kicked away like a bulldozer, stomping him into a red paste, and then set herself to viciously kicking and biting any enemies that dared to get close to me. Narek leaped from her back, swords drawn before he even hit the ground, and began to attack anyone within range with grim determination.

“Your Highness, are you alright? You should not be separated from your Guardian. If anything happened to you…” He didn’t finish that sentence, he just cut his enemies apart, a look of cold fury upon his face. His movements were quick and agile, a dance of death and destruction as he began to dispose of the remaining Finfolk with terrifying precision. And he thought that Nishalle and I could be scary?

A spell lit a nearby Finman of fire, courtesy of Kinara, even as I cast a Scattershot spell left-handed to bring down another pair. Lissany was still looking drained, but she and Daenyss were at Kinara’s side and my Guardian smacked another aside with her shield as they made their way over to me to cover my back, while Ghost and Narek dedicated themselves to eviscerating the enemies in front of me. I still had my left arm working so I contributed spells where I could as well. Only once no other enemies were standing in the square did we allow ourselves a breather. Ghost took the opportunity to nuzzle me affectionately, while giving me a look that clearly said, “Never run off into battle without me again.”

“That was, quite possibly, the most badass thing I have ever seen, Taelya,” Kinara said with a grin as we took that moment to catch our breath. “You flying through the air to attack them and then Narek and Ghost coming in all cavalry-style.”

“I dunno, Liss and Nishalle are pretty badass on a regular basis, I don’t think I can top them, Narek coming to the rescue was pretty cool though, not to mention surprising,” I said, wincing in pain as I rolled my shoulder. It hurt, but it didn’t feel like it was broken or dislocated. That seemed to be the worst of what I had gotten from my little aerial adventure though, so I counted myself lucky. “Now that we have the square under control we should make our way to the dock to help Mahair. She’s been using Nature’s Call and it feels like whatever she’s using it to do over there is pretty intense.”

“She’s battling the Kehüvakt so the rest of us can take out the rest of the Suvas’taäl. She’ll need help though, she can’t keep using Nature’s Call to that degree for long. She’s going to wear herself out doing something foolish like that without help. Apparently, you take after her in more than just appearance,” Narek stated with a frown.

“We need to go help her,” I said, wincing again at the pain in my shoulder as I moved too fast.

Daenyss shook her head as she watched me in concern. “Please, Mistress, take a few minutes and rest. I must insist on healing your shoulder first, and Lissany can barely stand, she needs to rest for a bit longer.”

My shoulder felt much better by the time we left the square to join the counter-attack at the dock. Daenyss had cast her healing spell on it, and I had added my own spell to speed up my body’s healing, and by the time that the rest of our party had joined us Lissany and I were both ready to accompany the others. When Rei had heard I had been hurt she had of course insisted on adding her own healing prayer as well, so not even the jostling as I rode Ghost caused my shoulder too much discomfort as we arrived at the dock.

It would seem that the reinforcements from the Fae Glade had turned the tide. Everywhere I looked there were Humans, Fae, and members of other allied Races locked in mortal combat with the Finfolk and spells flying everywhere as we fought our way to the waters’ edge. We were pushing the invaders back to the water except for a few small pockets of the more stubborn of the Finfolk who wanted to capture brides. The big problem was the Kehüvakt; it was close to one hundred feet long and most of the boats at the dock were sunk, destroyed, or both. The water around the beast had been frozen solid and pitch-black clouds overhead rained lightning upon it. The great squid was shrieking and thrashing, but Amoiraishe just sat there calmly atop Theíldhúr on the ice as she faced it down and had nature do her bidding.

She wasn’t the only one fighting it either, several Magi from various Races were pounding it with spells as well and archers were pelting it with arrows. The latter were piercing it but didn’t seem to be having much effect on it other than to annoy it. We were just rushing to join the fray and had made it halfway to where Amoiraishe was making her stand when Grell said, “Damn, that thing can take a beating.”

Pete slid to a stop and asked, “How in the hell do we help take that thing down? I’d think hacking and slashing would work if we worked hard enough at it, but quite a few of us are wearing a lot of metal and have metal weapons. If we get much closer we could get fried with all that lightning.”

We all stopped to join him as what he said sunk in. Pete, Lissany, and Grell were out for sure because of their armor, and so was Narek. Most of us had some sort of metal weapons too. I was considering how to answer his question when my eyes fell upon the thermos hanging from Nishalle’s waist. “Sis, is that…?”

My sister followed my gaze and quickly nodded. “It’s not coffee, or I’d be drinking it. Even if I did coat my sword with it though, I probably couldn’t get close enough to use it without getting electrocuted.”

“We don’t need to coat your weapons,” I replied with a grin before pointing toward the group of Fae archers including Sahnae and Níala who were peppering the Kehüvakt liberally with arrows. “You put it on theirs.”

Nishalle’s grin showed her fangs as I began casting Exodus, my new mass teleportation spell. I focussed on the spot where the archers were firing from and swiftly drew and spoke the sigils. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe yasrin!”

The world seemed to lurch for a brief instant and then my companions and I were all standing twenty feet away from Sahnae and the other archers. Nishalle ran to talk to them and I could see them speaking quickly and a look of surprise cross Sahnae’s face, followed by a huge smile as I tried to calm Ghost down. Animals don’t like teleportation and she was a bit spooked so, since she would only really listen to me, it fell to me to calm her while Nishalle handled the delivery.

The archers dipped their few remaining arrows in the thermos and began to fire and I absently stroked Ghost’s mane as I watched and waited, wondering how long it would take for the Lindwyrm venom to take effect. Wondering if it even would. Venika, Kinara and I added our own spells to the barrage already pounding the Kehüvakt. I couldn’t just stand there and wait, I needed to do something. This had to be taken care of fast, I could already sense Amoiraishe’s control over the elements slipping.

Using Nature’s Call is exhausting and I couldn’t be sure how long that she had been keeping that thing contained. I was pretty sure that I had felt her exert her control when Narek came riding to my rescue and that had been a while, it was hard to really keep track of the time in a battle like this, it all seemed to be going either super fast or in slow motion. The one thing that was clear to me was that she was nearing her limit. Suddenly the ginormous squid gave one last shriek, breaking free of the ice as the roiling clouds above ceased spewing lightning and Amoiraishe collapsed and fell from Theíldhúr’s back.