FeyMoon

   If one plans long enough and spends enough time and money, anything is possible and King Arogikur's enemies were very dedicated and affluent. Even with the vigilance of the Tower Magus and the dragons, the Blades of Spite working for the Lord Hirpats infiltrated TreeHeart Tower and killed the King, Queen, Prince Sarik, and gravely wounded Princess Arakin before being cut down by the MoonGuard. Almost immediately both FeyMoon and TowerFriend appeared, teleporting in elven form. They lifted the broken form of Arakin and disappeared before the awestruck royal guard could do anything.
   Appearing before the Tree of Life, to the amazement of several onlookers in the area, the two began intoning the words of power to transfer their own life into the Tree and from the Tree into the dying woman. Slowly the bleeding wounds closed and Arakin regained strength. The weaken dragons sank to their knees as they waited to recover themselves. Arakin awoke and began to cry on the shoulder of her brother, who also began to cry at the loss of their entire family. The dragoness had been crying silently since she had felt her friend the King die and still sobbed as she waited to gain enough strength to avenge him. She knew who had done this. She knew who had hired the henchmen. They would all pay. She could sense the pain of her companions. Sadness was receding in Saranti, he was ready to plan an attack on Green Wall Castle and exact revenge on Lord Hirpats.
   "The green walls of the castle will be nothing but rubble tonight," he told her wiping tears from his eyes.
   "Burn the ivy from the walls, but the Lord of Green Wall will rule his castle until the world goes cold," responded FeyMoon.
   The smile the played across his lips contradicted the cold hate in his eyes. Arakin's only additions to the conversation were occasional sobs. They both looked at her. She would have to be taken somewhere safe. The Tower wasn't, obviously. The only place was FeyMoon's lair. As one they reached out to Arakin, grabbed a hand and disappeared. Several nymphs, a few dryads and many sprites were gathered in FeyMoon's glade, along with one of the children of the two dragons, they agreed the console the young Queen. Though they were reminded to refer to her as Princess for the time being. The dragoness and TowerFriend quickly went over rough battle plans, which were mostly vindictive and horrifying tortures, and teleported a quick dragon flight north of Green Wall Castle.
   They had decided to take the form of fish up to a short distance from the coast then take the form of shore crabs up the walls and into the castle. From there they could wreak havoc with abandon. Lord Hirpats would be expecting a full scale assault by the forces of the King or by enraged magic-hurling dragons against his men, not a sneak attack inside his own stronghold. Guards stood atop the walls, watching for attack from every direction. They watched the horizon even out into the inner sea. Jumping from rock to rock, FeyMoon and her companion made their way unhindered to the north wall. They hastily changed forms to tiny lizards then ran up the ivy covered walls among the others of that kind.
   At the top of the wall, they paused to survey the scene. As they had suspected, the combined host of King Arogikur's enemies was nowhere to be seen. The dragoness and her mate looked at one another and hoped it was as they assumed. The army should be in the surrounding wood awaiting a full scale assault. In the center of the crenelated walls was the castle itself. A tall structure with several outbuildings and stables. In the central tower-like building lived Lord Hirpats and his family along with their loyal Magi and elite Guard. The soldiers milling around the courtyard were few in number and easily defeatable, but would call the N'Sheel, Lord Hirpats' personal and deadly guard. Skilled in both weapons and magic, the N'Sheel were impressive foes and more than a match for any assassin or intruder.

   FeyMoon gathered herself to pounce directly into the castle itself and bypass the milling soldiery in the courtyard. Before she could move, TowerFriend grew to full form spread his wings and with a roar, dropped off the high wall into the courtyard. His toxic breath, a cloud of deadly gas, spread into the open area slaying guardsmen and slipping into open doors and windows where muffled gasps and thuds coulds be heard as his caustic breath killed again and again. Instead, FeyMoon took elven form and blinked into existance at the open grand double doors of the front hall. Saranti's breath had no effect upon her. She had built an immunity to it as he had developed the ability. She surveyed the damaged caused by his gaseous cloud as she searched for the ruler of the castle, the evil Lord Hirpats. Dead chambermaids, guards and N'Sheel lay everywhere, each with ghastly looks of horror and shock upon their faces, but Lord Hirpats wasn't among them. She was having trouble locating the throne room in the maze-like stronghold.
   A few Magus and N'Sheel, who had hastily constructed magical barriers to defend against the gas or been out of range until it disapaited accosted her and quickly paid the ultimate price. Turning a corner she saw a steel reinforced door sealed and guarded by no less than ten N'Sheel. Each warrior had a long glowing sword in one hand and a wand in the other. They wore the gray and black crest of Green Wall's most elite defenders, the Soulless. She had found Lord Hirpats and all she had to do was get through these mighty warrior-wizards.
   As she realized the magnitude of her discovery, white and green light shot from the many wands directly at her. She shouted words of protection as she darted to the side. Stone chips lanced into her from the wall exploding just behind where she had stood only a second before. Her magical shield protected her from the majority of the blasts, poisons and acids that spat from the combined magicks. Jumping up from the floor, FeyMoon released her own magic counter upon the gathered attackers and joined the fight. Three of the Soulless charged her, while their fellows continued to cast spells and fire their wands from the end of the hall. A few who had remained near the door fell victim to the writhing snakes which formed from the material of the door. The snakes had sticky skin and a venomous bite. They managed to absorb three of the Soulless into the door and poison two others before being dispelled.
   The two remaining by the door resumed firing at the intruder at the precise moment she unleashed her most destructive spell upon them and shifted into an Ylvan cat. The cat's wings, though downy and soft while open, when folded were usable as a second set of foreclaws. The body of the cat was long and lean. The sinewy body was similar to her dragon form and very familiar to FeyMoon. She pulled the lanky body into a tight ball and launched herself at the onrushing warriors, easily weaving around the lightning bolt and beams of green and black light emitted by their wands.
   The steel banded door exploded as her spell missed both sidestepping mages and struck it to splinters. The lightning bolt had been intended to destroy the door and end the threat of the two lingering war-wizards. Her spell had succeeded, but had dreadfully backfired. Now, she faced three of the Soulless in combat as reinforcements poured through the open doorway.
   Momentum carried two of the Soulless past her as she landed on the chest of the elf in the center. Their swords whistled past her, but avoided her and their fellow. She bit deep into her enemy's neck and turned to face the spinning warriors. They released another volley of deadly light before closing again. FeyMoon's next leap took her over their beams and right into range of their swords. Expecting such a move, both warriors had already begun to swing and met flesh before she could strike and dance away. But she was able to land all four of her claws and leave them off balance for her next assault which left one of the Soulless dead on the stone castle floor.