Avalonna

It wasn't a long ride before the small group rested at a crossroads and prepare to split up. They had just escaped the magic and cold of the Council's territory and were arriving into a much warmer climate. Here, the forests were green and peaceful and a bridge crossed over a small river. Avalonna rode near the water and observed her own reflection, becoming lost in thought over what will happen in a day's time.

"Are you alright, Val?" Drow said as he approached on a horse of his own.

"Yes, I will be fine. My thoughts are just overwhelming at times. All of this is overwhelming the more I think of it. You were Caspian no more than a fortnight ago, and my brother and I were human. Things change so quickly." Avalonna replied and rode along side him.

"Ah, yes, I see what you mean. Although, I believe that change can be a good thing. It brought us back together and hopefully the rulers of the kingdom will change soon as well." he replied.

"Perhaps. Now I can't help but wonder if the Nitehardts aren't in charge, then who will be?" she asked, wondering more to herself than as an actual question.

"Well-" Drow began but was cut off as Nera halted her horse and raised a hand.

"We must depart here. Aurora you lead the others and we will meet you on the battlefield. Best of luck to us all." Nera said and nodded to the elven queen. Aurora nodded in return and rode with those assigned to her as the remaining few began their own travels.

"Have you contacted Prince Norran before?" Avalonna asked Nera as they rode along the forest path.

"Once or twice, although this was the first I have heard from him in quite some time. I was able to get a message to the dwarven camp that now is the time and they should meet us at castle Nitehardt." She replied.

"That is fortunate, we shall need both their army and the elves if we are to win."

"Aye, and what of winning?" Drow asked.
"Once this is over, what happens next?"

"Being a bit optimistic aren't we? Though, that is probably a good thing, we always need hope at a time like this." Nera stated.
"I suppose we would free the citizens, then form a new Council and give the people some sort of ruling figure. We can discuss more when the time comes." She said and rode out further down the road. Avalonna and Drow rode beside each other with Cyril following behind.

"None of this will be easy, will it?" Avalonna asked with a half smile. She has felt she had already been through so much, and yet it seemed as if it was all beginning again.

"No, when magic is involved nothing is ever easy." Drow said and returned her smile.
"Though I am sure we will make it through this, we have to."

"Aye, no need to worry about what may happen young one." Cyril chimed in with her gentle voice,
"The future has many possibilities, in fact some witches lose their sanity trying to predict it all. Best to focus on the present for now and what is within our control. The Nitehartds are not people that can be overlooked."

"Always the wisest of us, Cyril. No wonder you make such an effective healer." Nera commented.
"In fact, I remember-" she paused as the next town came in to view. Their riding party grew instantly silent as they saw what was ahead.

Even without seeing too much into the town itself, it was obvious that the Red Guard were stationed at almost every location. Their horses were tied to every available post and the men walked around in their armor, seemingly in search of something. The city was so overrun with Red Guard that it was almost impossible to distinguish it from Asterette.

"They must have known we were coming," Nera spoke quickly and quietly,
"They are searching for us."

"How did they know?" Avalonna asked.

"The Nitehardts are quite strong, they can never be underestimated. Perhaps they found an object that allowed them to scry for location, or had guards tracing our steps. Anything is possible." Nera replied and lead the horses over to the side of the rode.

Avalonna began thinking about the vision of her grandmother she had had, and if Connor's fears were correct. Could she have been spying on them? Was it she who was working for the Red Queen?
'No', Avlonna convinced herself. Sylene was her grandmother, she was trying to help her family. She was not like Anthena, and neither were any of the Bishops. That left the question, if her grandmother did not help Anthena, then why were her red guard here?

"So, what should we do?" Drow asked, his voice drawing Avalonna back from her thoughts.

"If we fight, we may win. However, the guard will most likely damage the town and kill many innocents. We cannot allow that." Nera stated and paused for a moment.
"We need to get through the town unseen, and that would mean without our horses."

The others dismounted their steeds and Nera chanted quickly to revert the horses from sold form back into magic and they disappeared. She sighed and nodded to the group.

"It will take quite a bit of magic to perform this feat, but I believe it will work. Drow, if you shift into an animal such as a bird, then you will you have no trouble getting across." She stated and Drow nodded in agreement.
"For the rest of us, we will share power to cast a spell that bends the light around us, making us invisible to most."

"Most?" Avalonna asked.

"Yes, it is not a perfect spell, and true invisibility would use up too much energy for the moment. Some beings with magical ability may figure out it is an illusion, and unusual weather can give us away. However, we have no choice as I see it, we must move fast. Please, each of you place a hand on my shoulders."

Drow began shifting into an ordinary bird, his clothes and armor becoming his down and feathers. Avalonna and Cyril obeyed Nera and placed their hands on her shoulders.
"Luz" she chanted quietly and swirled her hands in a figure eight motion. Avalonna could feel the magic transferring among the three of them and her vision began to warp slightly. In a moment, the sensations passed.

"Did it work?" Avalonna asked as she saw Drow fly high over the town.

"I believe it did, only one way to know for certain." Nera replied and the three witches began their walk into town.