Job to do

Raven rode in her wagon east across the forest.  Zyr was going to hit the Grey Havens soon and Raven was not going to have the caravan anywhere close.  As they set up camp for the night Raven retired to be alone and reflect upon her next move.  Suddenly her breath was stolen from her and she could feel herself being lifted off the ground by some unseen hand around her throat.  Scorpio was there suddenly and slithering his speech, "You were given a job and paid in training in the sith arts.  Yet Zyr still lives."

With ragid breaths she said, "My job was to get the child and I did.  The Frenchman knows how to kill him and is waiting for Devin to give him the shard.  There is nothing else to do."

"Then you have no purpose."  The strain on her neck tightened.

"I'll kill you." She whispered.

"Of course you will my young apprentice.  But before that occurs you will fulfill the job you have been given.  Kill zyr."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wrapped in the force Raven hid invisible with in the camp.  Jagger was there posing as some half orc that Dante trusted.  Dante was a fool, Raven could not understand what he did.  It did not matter, Jagger was a chief agent of Zyr and would have to know the secret to killing the Demon Dragon.  The question was how to capture him.

Battle raged all along the coast.  General Reinier's courage and quick thinking was all that kept the line in tact.  That is, until a fireball erupted at the command center.  The half orc was attacking.  Dante and Aaron were fighting back but the orders to the men had stopped.  Raven raced into action and from a nearby tree she drew the cyclops bone arrow from here quiver and notched it into the shadow bow and took aim.  Aaron teleported behind Jagger and struck.  Raven released and the arrow struck causing the half-orc to flash purple for a moment.  Her attack had been successful, the host body would begin to weaken she had to get there before they killed it.   Aaron and Dante both attacked with fury and killed the host before Raven could get there.

She had lost here prey for now, but bigger problems brewed with the distraction to the command element the lines of defense started to break.  Them army was trying to disengage and retreat.  Raven just scanned the crowd to find out where here demon had hopped and saw Aaron rest his thumb under the lapel of his coat. got you. Before she could do anything she heard Dante, "No, we attack, by all the gods we will be victorious gather your faith." and personally led a desperate charge into the onslaught. calls of "Defend the king" rang through the ranks as they took up the charge.  Aaron, however, went the other direction.

Raven thought for a moment Dante may succeed.  She saw Vegeta's ranks buckle and part not expecting the resolve with which Dante fought.  Then she realized they were not running they were parting to allow Zyr the ability to personally meet his foe.  The bipedal humanoid Dragon stood 40 feet tall and snorted.  Then waves of sand blasted heat shoot forth engulfing the charging force.  The sand settled and there was nothing left of the attacking force.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dante had survived, the gods saw to that.  But his army and his people were  not so protected.  That blunder there at the beach cost nearly all of the Genevan and Grey Haven army.  Zyr was now only slowed by a seperate force from Malekite which had arrived to save humanity.  Though his forces were plauged with some disease.  The drow forces that made up the ranks of his shock troops were dieing in droves to a disease that seemed to eat them from the inside.  Elaine Mogath Silvermoon arrived with a large imperial force to protect their allies.  Strangely enough Elaine and Malekites forces fought together.  She was not obeying the Keepers directive to simply protect the innocent she was trying to destroy zyr.

It was a useful fact to know, maybe something Raven could use but it did not change her immediate need--Jagger.  Gathering her brothers she infiltrated the strained Grey Palace.  She found Aaron and gave the signal.  One brother filled the corridor with smoke.  Aaron calmly stood still observing.  A slendor brother carrying her bow approached him from the long hallway.  Jagger acted as expected, he threw a dagger behind her brother thinking it to be her and teleported, then struck massive blows slaying her brother.  It also left his back vulnerable and she drove her blade of woe directly through his heart through his spine.  It was laced with hallucination dust from the shivering isle, so she knew she had him.  A front flip and tumble let her pick up her bow and gave the poison enough time to set in.  Aaron/jagger was confused and attacking imaginary ghosts. Slowly calmly and with a steady rhythmic stride she pulled nothced and released arrows into him until he fell to the ground muscles drained of all strength.

And then the Den made a mess of everything.  They had sent in a grab team for Aaron-they must have figured it out too. As she saw her brothers engage the thieves in combat she knew she couldn't kill all of them and only had a moment, which meant it was time to get risky.  Placing her foot on the back of Aarons neck she released an arrow straight through his skull.  She then channeled all her rage and fear as Scorpio had taught her into a field of lightning.  The lighting field struck the demon creating a field jagger could not penetrate to reach her.  She directed and pushed the lightning of force power into an old empty genie lamp on her hip.

Falling to the floor exhausted she heard den agents and palace guards swarming around.  They snatched Aaron and teleported away.  She smashed a vial of shivering isle hallucination dust and forcing herself to her feet, fell out a window to the courtyard below.  Her brothers must have grabbed her, because she woke up back in the caravan with the Genie lamp.  It was time to get some answers.