Chapter 38

Returning to the banquet hall, Celeste and Lilith struggled to find a spot. It didn’t matter for Lilith since she could raise herself to any height. But seeing her friend struggle to look over the backs of the gathered guests, she headed to one of the benches where Celeste perched, leaning on Lilith's shoulder for stability. There were a lot more people than before, the collection of smells causing Lilith to wipe away more drool.

Noticing this, Celeste asked “Is it... that bad?”

Lilith nodded giving an apologetic look.

“Ok. Hmmmm Lets try something.” After getting a nod of approval Celeste cast prestidigitation on her friend’s upper lip, flavoring it like a freshly cut lemon.

“Oh that's much better. It still smells like food but its not as intense as people. What is it?” Lilith asked.

“Its lemon. We used to put lemon slices in places we didn’t want our cats going back at my home in Waterdeep.” Celeste explained quite happy with herself.

“Oh no wonder it makes me think of fish.” Lilith said as she gave her friend a toothy smile.

After a few minutes the music stopped and a series of murmurs could be heard throughout the room. Soon, there was a loud call for order by a familiar voice. It was Gonald trying to quiet the crowd. After the room settled, Lilith could see Sir Tanel and Lady Morwen approaching to where the back hall met with the banquet hall. They had their arms linked as they strode forward with confidence. Lady Morwen was still wearing Celeste's dress but now she had on several more rings and her hair had been done up in a fancy braid. Sir Tanel was wearing his usual half plate sans his armored gauntlets and arm guards. To Lilith’s mind this was how he normally dressed ‘medieval casual’ as it was. The only new addition was the Ducal Crown which he had worn today because he thought he had a noble guest. Which technically he did.

Approaching the crowd, they both stopped releasing their arms before Sir Tanel began to speak. “It has been decided that Lady Morwen will resume her Role as Duchess in two weeks time. I am sure you can tell no one is more happy for her safe return than I am.” Sir Tanel said with a smile as he motioned to Lady Morwen.

She took some time to acknowledge the cheers and clapping of the crowd before she raised a hand to silence them. “I require some time to rest from my ordeal and to be brought up to speed on what I have missed in the past year. The Regent has informed me of the false Duchess and the murders she caused. Needless to say I am deeply sorry for those lost in my absence. When it is possible, we will meet out swift justice to that evil demon and those that supported her. But as for now, she must remain trapped here in a magical prison or else she would be set loose on the world again. Our court wizard has assured me that we cannot kill her here, she will simply go back to her plane of origin and start her next plot. But while she is our prisoner she will also be a witness so that those that caused this travesty can be brought to justice fully.”

The crowd cheered and clapped as did Lilith while Celeste kept one hand firmly on Lilith shoulder for balance. Lilith then felt someone trip over the end of her tail. It felt like a kick before someone’s shins landed on her. But she couldn’t turn around as Celeste was still leaning on her and her tail would be sure to thrash about more if she moved suddenly. So she remained still and watched, hoping that others would be warned of the hazard.

The Regent then stepped forward while the Duchess stepped back. He didn’t wave his hand though he just waited. Soon the hall quieted again before he spoke. “We have sent word to the Lord’s alliance by magical means as to the identity and the nature of the Duchess’s captors. For the sake of the peace of our land I must ask that none of you try to retaliate in any way. The Lords Alliance will send a punitive force from Waterdeep and the perpetrators of this plot will be dealt proper justice. The reason we must be so careful and measured is because the perpetrator of this plot was our neighbor, Baroness Wynne Cromm.” Boos, hisses, and gasps of disbelief rang out in equal measure but he yelled louder speaking over them. “Lilith, the Defender of Daggerford, rescued the Duchess last night from Cromm’s Hold. Returning her to us with the aid of the young wizard Celeste Baker. It is thanks to brave citizens like them that no plot, or army, or evil demon will ever fully destroy this great town nor its people, or its leadership.” Sir Tanel said in a steady and proud voice.

The crowd cheered louder than before some of them looking to Lilith and Celeste. Many hands came forth to shake theirs in admiration and thanks. They each tried their best but Celeste lost her balance stepping off the bench. Lilith shook as many hands as she could but then held up her arms to bid people to keep a distance away. Luckily most of them got the message and turned back to Sir Tanel as he started speaking again.

“And so a proper reward will be given to our two brave citizens by the Duchess herself once she sits on the throne again. But for now we will celebrate and give thanks. To the Defender of Daggerford and to Lathander who lights her path!”

Lilith pulled Celeste close to her, partly to protect her from the crowd but also to congratulate her. Celeste returned her sentiment placing an arm around her before they were jostled by the crowd again. This time it was lots of pats and calls of “Congratulation Heroes!” and “You saved the Duchess” Then more hands to shake as a new set of people pressed forward. Just when Lilith was starting to get overwhelmed by the cacophony of smells and sounds two guards came over and began making space for them, just in the nick of time. The crowd which was mostly nobles and guild members was well behaved enough, no one had tried to pull at their clothing or grab them, they were just excited. The many people moved back as soon as the guards asked them to.

“This way ma’am they want to speak to you in the court room.” One of the guards said as he motioned for both Lilith and Celeste to follow him.

“Please go spread the good news of the Duchess’s return and let no one raise a hand or weapon in anger against our neighbors. It is their leadership that bare the stain of dishonor not their people.” Sir Tanel said in closing before turning to leave the banquet hall.

Lilith and Celeste tried to follow their escorts but her tail struck the feet of the crowd around her. Luckily she was moving slow enough that no one was knocked over. Soon the townspeople stood back allowing her to move forward in earnest.

Sir Tanel and the Duchess began to exit the room while Celeste and Lilith did their best to follow. The escorts seemed a bit disappointed at Lilith's slow progress but that was quickly remedied as they left the crowd. Now with a large open hallway, she jumped landing just behind Sir Tanel saying “Boo” in a slightly playful voice marking her arrival.

“Ah Lilith, I am sorry I couldn’t get the two of you to the front before I announced your deeds but I couldn’t see you until the crowd gave away your location.” Sir Tanel said as he turned towards Lilith placing a hand on each of her shoulders. Which were now about 10” above his.

“Its fine they were just excited.” Lilith said as she could hear the guards and Celeste rapidly catching up.

“Now come come. We have some business to discuss before this evening’s festivities begin.”

Following his lead, they proceeded down the back hallway and to the right to a room that Lilith had never been in before. As the doors opened, Lilith could see marble pillars towering over red and gold carpets that covered the floor of a large well lit room. The Ducal court was some 80’ long and just as almost as wide with 20’ ceilings that arched and had large skylights in the center. There were upper balconies for spectators while the lower area had desks for pages to sit and copy down decrees, laws and communications. Along the walls and again in the back there were many banners bearing the coat of arms of the Daggerford Family, a Silver Dagger dripping blood in front of a field of blue. Also at the back of the room on a raised pedestal was a throne. The fabric was dark blue while the frame was made of a type of red wood that glistened in the morning light.

At the moment no one was sitting on that throne however, the man reluctantly wearing the crown began to speak once everyone had fully entered the room as he stood next to the desks where a page sat quill in hand.

“Lilith, I wanted to get a statement from you and Celeste on the events that took place last night. It is important to know what exactly happened so that we can protect you from any of the consequences if needed.”

“I understand Tany, its fine.”

“Write my full name in the record Garthen.” Sir Tanel said to the page sitting behind him before he quickly turned back to face Lilith letting out a sigh. “Where to begin…. Lets see... What time did you leave the town of Daggerford yesterday evening?”

Lilith pulled her coils in close making herself more comfortable before she began. “We started our preparations at 9 o’clock and left my room at 9:15 while under the effects of the invisibility spell. We then walked out of the Castle and out of the Farmer’s Gate some 300 feet into the grassy field. So we may have gone to the wing at 9:30.” Lilith said in an even tone.

“Please explain that last part.” he asked.

“We used the polymorph spell to transform Celeste into a Giant Eagle and I rode on her back while invisible. We went to the main road and then followed the path to Cromm’s Hold. We flew over the hold to look for a building that was likely to have a basement and a wall that faced to the North West. Once I had a good look at the layout, we set down to land, North of the Hold behind a group of trees.”

“And how were you able to see this from the air at night” Sir Tanel asked.

“My eyes can see through illusions and through darkness both magical and mundane. As for Celeste, we cast darkvision on her before polymorph.”

“Ok then how did you get to Lady Morwen. Did you kill anyone in your efforts?”

“No sir. The outer walls of the hold encompass a large area so the distance between guards was pretty far. I put just the one guard closest to the tallest structure to sleep and caught him in my arms before he could hit the ground. Then I teleported up to the wall to catch him where I tried to lay him against the wall to look as if he had taken a nap. In fact he was still asleep when we left, I heard him snoring quietly.”

“That's good to hear Lilith, I was worried you had killed a full contingent of guards but Lady Morwen said she had seen no such brutality.” Sir Tanel admitted with a great bit of relief in his voice. “So how did you get into her cell?”

“Well, first I had to locate her using a spell, then I built a set of stairs down to the basment and used stone shape to make an opening and simply walked in.”

“Then you just grabbed her and left?”

“Pretty much, I teleported us 150’ at a time or we walked until we were back at the clump of trees where Celeste was still hiding. She is getting really good at the whole Golden Eagle thing.”

“You mean Giant Eagle” Celeste corrected.

“Oh yes Giant Eagle” Lilith said while rubbing the side of her head with one hand messing up her already tangled red hair.

“And that's it? You just returned and landed back in Daggerford?”

“Yes we told the guards we were practicing our night flying while keeping the Duchess invisible until we were in the study on the second floor of the tower.”

“Well that matches up with what the Duchess has told us. I don’t think there will be any problem. We are sending both your statements to the Lord’s Alliance as evidence but they may send a Cleric here to confirm the truth before they institute any final judgments on the Baroness.

Sir Tanel then took Celeste's statement where it was recorded by the same page. She was very specific on how she followed the roads from Daggerford to Cromm’s Hold and back.

Just after they had finished and were talking about some of the spells they had used, the court room doors were pushed open. There stood Kevin Demura before he walked briskly towards Lady Morwen and Sir Tanel. Due to the sudden noise and open doors, Sharl placed his hand on his weapon turning towards the entrance but the Duchess quickly walked past him with her arms extended as she approached her son.

At first he seemed surprised by her gesture but he soon embraced her in kind. They held themselves together for a moment before he pushed away. “I came as soon as I heard. How are you mother?” Kevin said as he asked holding her by the shoulders at arms reach. “Who was it? Who had you captive for so long?”

“It was the Baroness Wynne Cromm. She came down to gloat and promise that the town would be hers. I had to sit there chained for …. so long. I only saw her one other time. Heh….She brought me a sweet roll for my birthday but placed it outside my reach until the rats drug it away.” Lady Morwen said with a shudder.

“I will kill the lot of them for what they have done. That hovel she calls home will be her tomb.”

“You will do no such thing Kevin!” She scolded pushing one of his arms away while giving him a look just as intense as his own. “Not until I say so at least. We have already brought this before the Lord’s Alliance and they are determined to get to the bottom of this to see that proper justice is done.”

“How do we know they will see this through and not drop the matter. This betrayal by our closest neighbor cannot stand.” Kevin said gesturing an open hand at the far wall.

“If they don’t follow through then we will take things into our own hands. I am sure you and Lilith would be more than enough to find and kill that wretch of a woman. But until then, we give this a try. Ok?” Lady Morwen said while tilting her head to make a point.

“Ok… Oh Lilith thanks for contacting me. Did you really go into that Hold by yourself?” Kevin asked as he began to walk towards Lilith and Celeste.

“Yes and no. I had Celeste near by as our method of escape. But yes I did go in alone and completely invisible. I wasn’t in much danger.” Lilith said as she repositioned herself and moved a bit closer to him.

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“What’s that behind you is that part of your dress?” Kevin asked pointing down at Lilith’s feet.

“I am afraid not It seems I have a cross to carry.” She said motioning one arm at her tail.

“A cross?” He asked while tilting his head.

“A burden that is mine alone to bare.” Lilith clarified

“I could try to lift it? Does it move?” he asked in jest.

“It moves a bit too much actually. So I am trying to stay still so it doesn’t club someone.” Lilith said pretending to kick her own tail with the heel of her foot.

“Ya I had that same problem when I first bound to my belt. I tore several doors off their hinges before I got the hang of it.” Kevin said while rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

“I can totally see you doing that.” Lilith said with a laugh, remembering the table they both destroyed.

“Mother I nearly won this ladies hand in marriage the other night but she managed to beat me at arm wrestling.” He said turning to Lady Morwen.

“For Gods sake Kevin you have the worst taste in women!. If your father were here he would tell you to at least make sure they don’t have a tail before you propose…. No offense Lilith.” Lady Morwen said before nodding in Lilith’s direction.

“Seems like a reasonable precaution to me.” Lilith said with a pretend serious tone while barely keeping her laughter at bay.

“She didn’t have that big of a tail back then Mother and I hardly see how it matters.”

Getting the feeling that she was hearing a conversation that should be held in private Lilith let out a loud cough. “Kevin perhaps you two should get caught up with a bit more privacy. I am sure you have lots to discuss. Tany, is there anything else you need of us?”

Sir Tanel went on to get Lilith to explain the new tactics and weapons she had proposed earlier that week to the Duchess. They talked for the next half hour about the benefits of the longer spears and how effective they would be against Light and medium infantry. Sharl then spoke up about the drills they performed and how it bore out exactly what Lilith was saying. Sir Tanel then updated them on their steel and weapon production. They had half the steel smelted while the forges were working day and night. They had 10 complete sets of shields and Spears now and they were expecting an additional 20 by the end of the day.

When all was said and done, Sir Tanel called for a break for lunch. Lady Morwen suggested they set up some tables out back and asked Wendel if he wouldn’t mind summoning a Lunch for them. With only slight hesitation he agreed and covered 3 full tables with food. He even had several platters of meat much to the delight of Kevin and Lilith.

Taking their time to eat and talk about more personal things. Lady Morwen asked Celeste about the bra she saw her wearing that morning when they got dressed. This led to another big discussion about magic and business practices.

Feeling a bit bored Lilith chimed in. “You look like a medium. I will go make another one for you after lunch and you can try it out.”

“Wait you can do it that fast?” Lady Morwen asked.

“Yes I also made 130 spear shafts out of cypress trees just yesterday morning.” she said with a proud smile.

“Sir Tanel, why haven’t you put her to work making the metal components too?”

“Well that is probably what she would have been doing this morning if you know what, didn’t happen last night.” He said raising two of his hands in a half hearted apology.

“I could still go learn from them this afternoon if you like. I kinda need to learn their methods before I can do the magic.” Lilith suggested.

“Yes make that a top priority we need those weapons before the orcs come back.” Sir Tanel said in a serious voice.

Lilith quickly downed 4 more sandwiches before getting up to leave. “Oh Wendel, we will have to practice some level six spells one of these days. Do you know a good place we can try out Chain Lightning or Disintegrate?” Lilith said with a wicked smile.

“Oh so you actually got something useful from Lathander last night did you?”

“Ya just wait till you see what Celeste can do now?” Lilith said while pointing a single finger at her friend.

Wendel turned to Celeste as Lilith walked and slid out of the patio returning to the back hallway looking for Gonald. She found him easily enough by following her nose. The prestidigitation had worn off allowing her to follow the scent of Bar-B-Q brisket until there he was, sitting at a banquet table eating roasted chicken. The thought did occur to her to try and see just how far her mouth would open and try and fit it around his head fangs and all. But she decided better of it and settled for blowing air over the back of his neck while he was eating.

“What whose there? Lilith you nearly made me swallow the whole drum stick! Are you trying to kill me?”

“No Gonald but I am sorry we will have to cut your lunch break short. I need to get some lessons on how to forge steel into weapons. Duchess’s orders.” Lilth said with a toothy smile.

“I swear woman I don’t know whether to slap your face or slap your behind. You need to stop teasing me! If my wife sees it we will both be killed.”

“Well since you can only reach one of them I think the answer is obvious.” Lilith said as she wiped some drool off the side of her mouth hoping he hadn’t seen her indiscretion.

“Just give me a minute to finish this.” Gonald said as he started to finish his chicken leg.

Lilith sats down next to him pouring herself a mug of wine. The fine drink wasn’t part of the usual lunch spread so she was going to enjoy it. She took it in with a steady draw for about 20 seconds until the mug was pointed skyward before she slammed it down on the table shaking the plates of everyone near her. “Come on Gonald hurry up.”

“Not everyone can just swallow their entire meal in one go like you can. I bet you could dislocate your jaw and swallow a man whole, couldn’t ya.”

“Yep.” Lilith said with a wry smile.

“What you aren’t going to deny it you long tailed reptilian temptress.” Gonald said as he threw the chicken bone back onto his plate.

“I figured it would help our relationship if you knew I could swallow you whole.” Lilith said wiping a bit of wine from her mouth.

“And what kind of relationship is that?”

“The one where you don’t keep a lady waiting.” Lilith said directly into his ear as she stood up and walked toward her room in order to get her armor.

Not missing his chance Gonald slapped Lilith on the butt as she walked slowly by.

Lilith thought about hitting him with her tail but didn’t want to accidentally kill the guy so she just continued to walk slowly to her room. Once inside she equipped just the armored boots from her plate armor. But if part of her armor was there all of it could be called upon with just a few words. Heading back out the door of her room, she bumped into Gonald who had a strange look on his face.

“Leaving so soon?” He said with a smirk on his face and a fire in his eye.

“Yes, that is the point, I need to learn how to forge spear heads today.” Seeing the strange look in his eyes Lilith began to suspect something was off. “Wait, don’t tell me. Forge some steel is a euphemism for something else entirely?”

“So, you are familiar with the Dwarven language. Now lets get you familiar with the Dwarven body as well.” he said as he tried to push Lilith back into her room.

Lilith body however didn’t budge. Instead she pushed the dwarf back into the hall before she leaned down to whisper in Gonald’s ear “I am sorry but your wife is right behind you.” in perfect Dwarvish.

Gonald froze like a blade of grass in an ice storm. He then backed up three paces his back hitting the far wall. Cautiously, he scanned the hall not seeing the object of his fear. There were just guests, no bearded woman out for his blood. He was safe. But then Lilith slid beside him taking hold of his shoulder in a firm grip.

“Lets go. We are wasting time. We have spears to make.” she said, again in perfect Dwarvish. So with a flash and a puff of mist they jumped forward to the end of the hall. Lilith had to carefully turn her tail to face her left. Then she jumped 3 more times, still holding Gonald, until they were completely out of the castle standing on Hill Road in the broad daylight as foot traffic went past.

For a moment he stood still stunned by the sudden motion and even more sudden turn of their conversation. “I think I may have misinterpreted something along the way.” Gonald admitted tucking his shirt back into his pants.

“Boy, I’ll say! You were this close to being turned into a small turtle or a gold fish.” Lilith made a motion as if she was holding a small animal.

“You wouldn’t!” he said with incredulity.

“Want to bet?” Lilith said with a raised eye brow.

“Alright…. lets get you to the forge. I need to take my frustration out on some metal” Gonald said finally seeming to be on the same page with her.

“That's the spirit. Lead on!”

Gonald did lead them on to one of the 4 forges that was producing metal for the shields and spears. Inside there were men wearing leather aprons and wet bandannas over their heads with tinted goggles either covering their eyes or resting just above. The sound of hammers could be heard as well as the woosh of the bellows. There was very little room for Lilith’s tail but somehow staying to the edges of the room she managed not to trip anyone. Gonald soon approached a man standing about 6’ tall who had arms the same size as his legs and hands that could be used as hammers in their own right. It was the Blacksmith that Lilith had beat at arm wrestling a few nights before. He quickly recognized Gonald and Lilith as he gave her a friendly wave.

“So Patrick I need you to show her how to forge the spear heads. Hopefully if you teach her well enough she will be able to make the rest of our order using magic and you can take the day off tomorrow.”

“Sounds good boss.” he replied in a loud voice that rose above the din or the room.

“And don’t let her tempt you with her feminine wiles. She will eat you up like a candied yam if you give her half a chance.” Gonald said while wagging a finger at Lilith. He then looked at Patrick and waved the same finger once at him for good measure before walking away.

“What’s that about?” Patrick asks after Gonald was well out of ear shot.

“I think that the phrase ‘forge some steel’ means something different in Dwarven culture.”

“Ya, you got to watch out for that. My mentor almost punch out my lights when I asked him to ‘teach me the secrets of forging steel’. They really should pick a different euphemism.” he lamented before returning to the work piece heating up in the forge.

Patrick then got to work using tongs and hammer to draw out a piece of steel and hammer it into a rough shape of a triangle. Then the cross guards were added by hot welding extra pieces of metal onto the shape. Then the piece was pierced on the blunt side to make a hole for the attachment to the spear shaft. Then a second hole was made perpendicular to the first that went all the way through the blunt end of the spear head. Lilith could tell this was where a pin would be placed through later to secure the head. Finally the tip was pounded into a sharper edge and then heated and quenched to add hardness. Once again it was heated before it was left to cool on a table with other spear heads that were waiting for their turn on the sharpening wheel.

Seeing that it was her turn to try and replicate the piece, Lilith began by changing into her Demon plate armor so as to protect her new commoners clothes. She simply said a few words causing the armor to replaced her clothing. She then put on one of the leather aprons and retrieved a set of hammer and tongs. Lilith had always wondered whether she was fire resistant and to what extent. So after using the tongs to extract a billet of steel she tried touching it with a finger. There was only a slight noise as some of the moisture from the surface of her skin boiled off but she wasn’t burned. She could tell it was warm but it didn’t hurt in the slightest. She then grabbed the bright orange metal fully, holding it in place as she hammered. She placed it back in the forge to make it white hot again before pulling it out with the tongs. She then tested the metal finding she could grab it without issue. Surprisingly the white hot metal felt a lot warmer but not painful. It reminder her of getting in a hot bath. Patrick looked on in amazement as Lilith proceeded to shape the steel billet by hand as if she was molding clay. She picked up another billet and pinched off two more pieces rolling them in her hands to make the correct shape. Then she pounded them into the larger piece with the hammer to make the rough shape of the spear head and cross guards. Slowly but surely she finished all the same steps until she had a slightly longer but still serviceable spear head.

Lilith then took the spear head she made to the grinding wheel and sharpened all the edges. “How does that look?”

“Not bad its a bit longer than the others but it has all the same features and the attachment point is spot on.”

“OK then, how much steel do you have here? Can you gather some from the other forges? It doesn’t have to be hot.” Lilith asked looking at the steel that was on hand.

“It doesn’t?” He asked.

“No of course not, its magic!” Lilith replied.

“Alright then.”

Patrick went away but returned minutes later. He had collected all the steel on hand which should have been enough for 50 of the spear heads according to him. The bars and blooms were placed on a cart in front of her near the work table. Lilith cast Fabricate on the area using her magic to start heating one of the bars. She tossed the first spear head into the gray box using it as a template before putting the magic to work. One by one, each piece of steel molded itself into an exact copy of the spearhead she had made. It was then heated and cooled in the same process before she moved on to the next piece. In about 10 minutes 50 of them were made a clink sounding out every 20 seconds or so as she deposited a finished piece on the table. Several of the other smiths had gathered as they wanted to see what their steel was being used for. With the completed spearheads being shaped including the sharpened edge the men cheered realizing their work for the day was done.

Gonald was called back to the room only to re-tasked the smiths with some working on shields while others worked on smelting more steel. Lilith smiled realizing how he was horrible with women but he sure knew how to get the most out of a work crew.

His earlier actions had seemed so odd at the time but once she knew it was a language thing she decided the misunderstanding was most her fault. ‘I am going to have to stop teasing him if he gets all worked up like that.’ Lilith thought to herself not wanting a repeat of earlier.

With all the work for the day done, Lilith followed Gonald back to his office having to move extra slow through the small hallways. Once inside the door couldn’t be closed causing Gonald to toss his hands in the air at the odd sight.

“Alright Lilith I will admit some of that was my fault earlier. But you have to stop looking at me with those eyes and drooling over me. Its just not proper!” he scolded.

“Ya that was kinda an accident. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Lilith said with a pained expression.

“Well then, as long as we were both at fault lets let bygones be bygones.” Gonald said with a nod.

“So how much exactly does a bygone get paid?”

“40 gold. Here you just saved us two days time. Maybe more. I think we can have all the steel smelted by tomorrow afternoon. Do you think you can come back then to finish off the last 50 spears?”

“Sure thing boss.” She said placing the bag of gold into her cleavage.

“Heh, now get out of here without breaking anything you slithering mountain of steel.”

Lilith began removing her armor pieces until it was just her boots again so she was in the much more comfortable commoners dress. She then stepped over her own tail before walking out of the building slow and steady. Once outside she jumped from place to place going down the Dukes Way. Stopping for a second Lilith decided to send a message to Celeste to see where she was in the Ducal Castle.

She cast Sending while thinking of her friend with the golden hair. “Hey Celeste where are you? I am done at the blacksmith.”

“Flying above you now, I am hurt. It hurts real bad. My leg. My leg.”

Lilith looked up to see a giant eagle flying over her. She was circling, as if looking for a place to land. As she circled, Lilith noticed that Celeste had golden feathers from head to tail but there was also a red streak of blood coming from one of her legs. Lilith jumped forward again to the middle of the field between the tower and the Castle where Celeste had landed the night before.

As she came in Celeste landed on both feet but the injured one gave way causing her to fall on her chest sliding some 50 feet. With a pained cry she stopped right in front of Lilith one giant eye tilted up to her.

“It hurts make it stop Lilith” Celeste called out in Giant Eagle.

Lilith didn’t have any healing magic and she couldn’t end the spell as it wasn’t hers. So she looked in her spell codex finding Dispel Magic. She read out the rune words pointing at Celeste before there was a poof of golden feathers. Celeste was laying on her side her arms tucked under her chest looking rather awkward before she pulled herself to a sitting position and began to look at her left leg. There was no blood however, not even a scratch. Much to her surprise she patted it just to make sure finding no blood or pain. Smiling she stood up hugging her friend.

“What happened?” Lilith asked as the wizard released her hold.

Regaining her composure, Celeste began to talk at a speed befitting the end of a prescription drug commercial. “Sir Tanel thought that the Baroness was going to try something today so he had me go and scout out their stupid little castle and I saw them. A group of orcs leaving Cromm’s Hold and they had a spellcaster of some kind and he was wearing bones and a black robe. So I swooped down and picked up one of the orcs and took him for a ride. And then I dropped him and went back for another.” She paused and took a breath before resuming. “But the spellcaster was ready for me on the second pass. I still picked up a second orc but I dropped him real soon as he hit me with some kind of ray of energy that tore through my leg and it hurt soo00oo bad.” Celeste was young but even she was out of breath after that tirade Lilith thought.

“Which way were they heading?” she asked

“North East towards the main road.” Celeste said as she took another deep breath.

“Come on, we need to get them before they go too far.”

“Ok, I am ready, lets hit those bastards.” Celeste said with an excited look.

Lilith and Celeste cast mage armor on themselves and then she cast Polymorph on Celeste.

Soon the familiar form of a Giant Eagle appeared in her place but it was different than last night. She was a good 3 feet taller and was covered in gold feathers from head to toe just like Lilith had seen in her dream. Lilith wanted to get on but she knew she was too heavy so she canceled the spell and did some more planning with Celeste.

Lilith had to copy out the rune words for [Enlarge/Reduce] from Celeste's spell book but soon they were back in business. They made a pact to use half of Celeste’s spell power to cast both Enlarge/Reduce, Polymorph and greater invisibility on Celeste until she said the words ‘Home and done.’ This also took up 40% of Lilith’s pact energy but it was the first one she had made that day.

With the pact executed Celeste disappeared to everyone else’s eyes but Lilith could see her clear as day. The twenty five foot tall Giant, Giant Golden Eagle Lowered a wing before Lilith teleported up and began to try and find purchase on her gargantuan body. Lilith settled for putting both her legs over the right side while her tail circled around the left to grip Celeste just behind the wings.

“I am ready. Please walk to the field” Lilith said in Giant Eagle.

Celeste simply jumped up and perched on the city wall before jumping across the 20’ moat with a flap of her wings. Landing in the field with a soft thump. She then spread her 100’ wingspan and began to take off. In mere moments they were moving at highway speeds and ascending to 500’ in the air. Beneath them Lilith could see the entire town and the surrounding river and fields. It was like riding an airplane as it took off from an airport. Except the plane was invisible.

Tracing her way back to Cromm’s hold a fresh set of track was clearly visible leading away from the small castle. It then joined with the main road and turned south. Following the tracks at what seemed like 70 mph they quickly caught up to their quarry. It was only a few minutes when Celeste and Lilith saw them, a group of nine orc warriors followed by a spellcaster in dark robes covered in bones. One of the orcs had a limp probably from his previous encounter with Celeste, Lilith figured.

“Dive down low, don’t hit. I fight with thunder.” Lilith said in Giant Eagle.

Diving down Celeste leveled out at 50’ off the ground and circled above the group of warriors. Lilith began casting one of her new spells for the first time. [Cen] [La] [Da] [Vos] [Chain Lighting]. With a point of her finger an ark of brilliant white light and force shot out at the spellcaster. The light jumped in streaks of blinding light as the bolt split and hit the group of nine orc warriors. It seemed to carry through all of them as Lilith could smell the singed flesh as Celeste flew through the vapors only 20’ off the ground as she pulled up for another pass.

When they circled around Lilith could see the 9 dead bodies of the orcs but the spellcaster was no where to be seen. ‘He must have run or teleported away as they circled’ she surmised. Lilith knew she could see the invisible but she couldn’t see through solid objects like the trees and bushes that were part of the forest just off the road.

They continued to circle hoping to get a peak at the spellcaster only Lilith's form visible in the afternoon sky. Then they saw movement. The 9 dead orcs stood again grabbing their weapons before they began to shuffle and shamble down the road to the south. Their movements were lilting and ungainly. They were the walking dead. That spellcaster was indeed a Necromancer. Not wanting to let a group of undead terrorize one of the busiest trade lanes in the region, Lilith said “Land and destroy them. I will help.”

Soon Celeste swooped down and an invisible giant bird of prey began to tear a group of orcish zombies to ribbons. Celeste drove her taloned feet into the zombies who couldn’t see it coming. One by one each was stamped into the ground. Lilith then cast Flaming Sphere and began burning the 2 or three that Celeste hadn’t utterly destroyed. She then used the glowing sphere of fire to burn the remaining bodies to ash so there were no more materials for the Necromancer to use.

Looking around there was no hint of his presence, no trail to follow. Just the acrid smell of burnt spam.

“I don’t see enemy” Celeste said in Giant Eagle sounding a bit frustrated.

“Lets go home land in field outside walls.” Lilith said as she began to climb back on Celeste's back.

They were home again in only 20 minutes landing in the large grassy field almost exactly where Lilith had slain the orc champion 6 days prior. Lilith then said the words “Home and Done” and Celeste appeared again in a puff of very large feathers. Celeste jumped and hugged Lilith. “We got them that was amazing. I have never seen anything so bright in my life.”

“I think that necromancer got away though. We need to report this to Sir Tanel immediately.”

“Ok but can you teleport me with you?”

Lilith stuck out her hand Celeste taking it almost immediately as the two began jumping towards the gate over the wall and up the road towards the Ducal Castle.