"You know something about the battle to come," Sabal said quietly as she stood beside Yvonnel and looked out into the darkness. They were conferring ahead of the patrol as everyone ate breakfast and prepared to break camp. The pair of them had been up early and in each other's uneasy company since then. Sabal still had little fondness for the priestess, a feeling that was likely returned with vigor. She'd been a thorn in the Revered Daughter's side for going on three centuries. But there was a mutual respect that had been somewhat lacking previously. No longer were they mistress and servant. It felt more like they were allies against the outside threat of the world beyond the walls of the Yath'Abban.

"Fragments. They are more of feelings now. Mine or another's, I do not know," Yvonnel admitted. It was the first time she'd told anyone anything about her second vision. She hadn't even brought herself to mention that she'd had one to a person other than Sabal. Most wouldn't understand, waving it off as just a dream. Which she hoped very much it was. It had not been a pleasant picture of easy victory. "The Spider Queen will remove one more obstacle in Her way, but what that means to us is somewhat open to interpretation. I find that the player cares little for the pawns in a game of chess."

"Cynical of you."

"Realistic. The Spider Queen does not coddle Her followers, nor couch things in terms of love or duty. And the gods of the light are just as willing to manipulate mortals as She is," Yvonnel said, thinking of Galen now. The paladin was a fool for surrendering. She would have fought. But then again, he would have had to strike down Lirayne to escape while being true to his god. In a less abstract way than usual, she could understand that reluctance. "You and I and Llofaen were already caught in this web. Alystin has a fate ruled by another hand that guides her to the same place, but down a different path. The others are here by their choice."

Sabal could sense a disturbance in the normally precise and cold thoughts of the Revered Daughter. The ticking, calculating machinery had not ground to a halt, but instead screeched and wailed as it tried to complete its task with something in the way. It seemed none of their priestesses were thinking clearly save for Siniira Duskryn. It was fortunate their strategy was being left to the Matron Mother. "And you disapprove of that choice," she said, more guessing by instinct than any solid evidence. However, she had an excellent perception of Yvonnel's nature. Sensing her displeasure was a survival trait more than anything else.

"Every choice comes with a consequence. Every ounce of power with a price. You may want to remind your pet that, though I often think of you as her pet," the priestess said dryly. "The Abyss will have its pound of flesh from her in its time."

"I know," Sabal said, a distinct touch of worry slipping out into her voice. "But we were not talking about my personal life."

"I'm not confident in our odds of victory, and don't you dare say that where the soldiers or even Siniira can hear," the Revered Daughter murmured. She looked over at Sabal and found intense amber eyes watching her. It would have been unnerving, had it been anyone other than Yvonnel. "If we break morale, we really will fail. They need to believe that they cannot lose."

"You said that the Spider Queen would have something that She wanted."

"And I don't know what that means. Perhaps She desires that we die in battle just to rally Menzoberranzan against the celestials. The only one who understands the plans of the Spider Queen is Lloth herself. Shall we tell the others what you found of the field of battle?"

Sabal nodded brusquely and the two of them made their way back to the quiet conference of House Duskryn's nobles and their resident mage. After all, Alystin had to speak for their few arcane casters and plan her own section of the battle. It was only a few moments before the wilder had her chance to elaborate on the terrain ahead. "It's almost a level field, as if designed to be evenly matched. One side ends in a chasm and I don't know how far it down it runs. Far enough to swallow anyone who plunges over the edge, to be certain. I can hear water rushing somewhere beneath it. There's a rise that they've made their camp on. We have no stealthy approach if their watch is halfway competent. Besides, I don't know if celestials have to sleep. I counted more than twelve archons and angels."

"Damn it," Siniira muttered. "They already have the high ground."

"If we feign a retreat, we could pull them after us into the tunnels. That would give us a better chance," Lirayne commented, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. Sabal had outlined a map with faerie fire on the floor of the tunnel. "That is, of course, presuming they'll follow us."

"They will," Yvonnel said with the confidence she'd seemed to lack earlier. "We have something they want. I don't know what it is, though I could hazard a guess, but it's not an accident that they're here now."

"You think Quenthel is setting us up?" Siniira questioned, raising an eyebrow. It certainly wasn't beyond belief, but it was a risky gamble even for the Mistress of Arach-Tinilith. And well, Triel probably wouldn't be Matron for much longer with Quenthel's growing power base. That was a lot to risk just in taking out a few enemies, even powerful ones like the Matron of House Duskryn.

"No, I think someone with access to her seal is setting us up. That could be anyone in House Baenre who has any skill with magic. Quenthel isn't a fool. This is an act of desperate planning, of someone who thinks that this is their best chance and happens to be touched enough in the head to work with angels," Yvonnel said by way of explanation. Sabal found it believable enough and glanced over at Aly. Someone in Baenre had an axe to grind with House Kenafin. Were they after her?

Lirayne and Aly, however, had focused squarely on Llolfaen. If she was a vessel of some kind for Lloth's power even in the slightest, she would be the natural target for celestials. House Duskryn held the key if the aasimar were any indication. Not, Sabal reasoned, that the answer wasn't 'all of the above'. "Good enough for me. There's a risk to breaking ranks and falling back, however," the wilder pointed out. "We may take not insignificant casualties in the retreat."

"Acceptable losses if it wins us the battle. And that's assuming we actually manage to keep things according to plan, which almost never happens," Lirayne said. Perhaps it was a little cold for Aly's tastes, but she knew it was also necessary. Sometimes a few soldiers had to die for the sake of all of the others. "We'll take rearguard just in case."

"And who is 'we'?" Siniira asked with narrowed eyes. She had a fairly clear idea of where this was going and she didn't like it one bit.

"Myself, Alystin, Sabal, and Yvonnel," Lirayne said, ignoring her mother's displeasure. "Putting more clerics at the rear ignores the rest of the troops who need healing or protection. Not to mention leadership. They'll trust you more than anyone to lead the way, Matron."

"I would rather be with you," Llolfaen said softly, looking over at her mother.

"We have one battle cleric," Yvonnel said. She wasn't about to gamble with the girl's safety, nor with Siniira's. She didn't want to see a Menzoberranzan without a Matron of House Duskryn to keep the peace in balance. The Church could only do so much alone. Lirayne had a good plan if it worked. "And I can heal all day. With a mage and a wilder, that fills the gaps neatly. We'll need you with the Matron if something goes wrong."

"I...understand," Llolfaen said. She didn't like the arrangement, but she knew her mother would fight her every step of the way should she refuse. It surprised her that the Matron wasn't arguing more.

Siniira was glaring at both her daughter and Yvonnel, but the battle plan was solid enough that she didn't have grounds to argue and being petty would accomplish nothing. There was a tense moment of silence before Siniira cracked. "Very well," she acknowledged. "But don't expect us to stay there when the heat follows you into the tunnels. You'll need all the support you can get."

Thank you, Yvonnel mouthed. Then she turned to the others. "Alright, we have a plan. Let's go see if it crashes and burns. Lirayne, please tell everyone to break camp and move out."

Their walk toward the battlefield was eerily quiet, even their armor making not a sound because of its careful construction. Anything that might rattle was left behind. Finally, Sabal broke the silence. "The four of us should go ahead. The others can wait here." Ambush was a favored tactic of the drow, after all. They would be appealing bait, even if Llolfaen wasn't with them.

Better that they not have a chance to seize their prey, Alystin reflected. "Last time worked fairly well," the wizard said, referring to their battle with the mindflayer. "Except for the mental assault, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"It means you four have to last under the assault," Siniira said, her concern overpowering her irritation. "They have you outnumbered at least three to one."

Yvonnel and Sabal exchanged a look, then shrugged almost in unison. "We've had worse odds," Yvonnel commented. She smiled reassuringly. "Lirayne can look after herself, Siniira. But if it makes any difference, I promise we'll be the very soul of caution."

"I'll be fine, Matron," Lirayne said confidently. "Even if I am wounded, the Revered Daughter will heal me." She met her daughter's eyes and flashed Llolfaen a quick smile. "We've fought demons before and lived through that, even balor. Celestials will be little different."

"Very well. But when the time comes to retreat, make with all speed," Siniira ordered her daughter. She could do nothing about Yvonnel, who should have known better. This plan did not make the Matron comfortable. There was too much risk, even if it did keep their soldiers in tact for a real battle. Siniira preferred certainty in every move she made on a field of war. Not false security, but the true confidence that came with a solid plan.

Lirayne just nodded and turned, following Sabal and the Revered Daughter out onto the field of battle. Celestials were waiting for them and coupled with a force of aasimar, it amounted to well more than twelve. "Goddess," Lirayne muttered with a hiss of indrawn breath. There were at least an equal number to their reinforcements, if not more. Those were not comfortable odds when dealing with powerful creatures like celestials.

At that realization, Alystin found Sabal's hand with her own. She was certain in that moment that they were all going to die. The wilder must have sensed her fear, because she gave Aly's hand a quick, gentle squeeze with her gauntleted one. A massive, glowing bronze angel strode out from the head of the armored lines, his white wings raised proudly as if he knew that they would find it intimidating and he liked the idea of evil trembling before the forces of good. Aly felt a familiar faintness creep over her as she realized the creature's shield was as tall as she was, much broader, and probably a great deal more resistant to damage. His spear haft was larger in diameter than a man's fist and it reached out at an impressive length only to end in a long, leaf-shaped blade that flickered with holy flame. But just as she thought she would break and run, she felt a soothing warmth come from the air around her body as if someone was embracing her. That same, sharply sweet smell reminiscent of forbidden gardens and dark perfumes of Vallashan filled her senses. It was an unspoken reminder of why she was there and just who was protecting her. What was this angel against the might of a demon lord?

She clung to her faith even as Lirayne and Yvonnel did the same. She could see Lirayne holding her holy symbol tightly in one hand with her sword drawn in the other. Sabal seemed like the rock in their group, unbowed. Perhaps it was because she didn't know the danger that she faced...or maybe because she knew what she to lose if she faltered. After, Aly was only an arm's reach away. "What do you want?" Sabal said, her drawn bastard sword coming to rest against her armored shoulder with the blade facing outward. Her hands held the grip loosely, but in less than a heartbeat she could tighten her grip and strike a powerful blow.

Yvonnel should have been the one in charge, but for the moment she was content to let Sabal take the lead. She knew why the wilder was doing it. They were playing the old game, where the deceived would watch the one hand doing pretty tricks and forget the other as it reached for a dagger. It was the same principle, giving them time to ready spells. Aly should have been the most risk as a wizard, but she had learned to cast silent and still through a great deal of dedication to study. Now they wouldn't know she had a spell until she set it loose. The four of them were exactly on the same page, as if they'd known each other all their lives.

"What is your name, mortal?" the angel asked, mystified by the villain's lack of fear. Normally the darkness fled from the light. But these were steadfast in their wickedness and that meant they would be all the harder to crush.

"You speak to Sabal A'Daragon, Inquisitor of Lloth," the wilder said. "I'd ask you for your name, but I don't care. What do you want? Why are you here?"

The angel's statuesque, beautiful face remained utterly smooth and unblemished by anything as mundane as a wrinkle. "To defeat the forces of the Spider Queen and her Abyssal allies, and to avenge the death of a paladin of Torm who died performing his duties," it said.

Lirayne almost shot forward. "How dare you?" she snarled instead, moving from a fairly unassuming pose to an overtly aggressive one. "You have no right to avenge him. None. You didn't know him. You didn't care about him. Leave the dead to their rest!"

The angelic giant paused, considering this sudden ferocity fro a child of Lloth. The evil intent he could sense beneath the anger was vicious and abhorrent, but her words had some truth to them. "Then we will have to simply turn our attention upon the forces of Lloth."

"Or you could leave," Sabal said coolly, as if Lirayne had never snapped at anyone. "Quit the field and walk away while you have a chance. This doesn't have to end in bloodshed."

"You know what you hide from us," the angel said fiercely, eyes glowing brilliantly at the face left exposed by the edges of his helm. It was a surprisingly courteous offer coming from a drow. He had expected the one in the red sash along with the priestesses to have lashed out by now. Certainly, the grey-eyed one looked very close to violence. Something about the paladin of Torm had touched her. "You protect the flesh and blood that our true enemy wears as a mask. This cannot be allowed to continue."

"Sabal, you can't reason with a creature like this," Alystin said suddenly, her courage returning in spades. For once, she wasn't intimidated by a planar creature as she stared it down. Even Asaron had taken getting used to, but this? She felt surging arcane power in her veins, granted by her patron in the Abyss. In this moment, the magic felt almost like she imagined it did for a sorcerer, so natural that it came with just a snap of the fingers.

The creature's eyes widened and a holy flame burst to life around the head of its spear. Without hesitating, it lunged for Aly. And then it found itself tangling with a very, very angry Sabal. The wilder lashed out with the force of her will, sending it stumbling back. Her anger and hatred only fueled her powers, governed wholly by emotion as they were. Its shield cracked into her with a powerful backhand strike, making amber eyes snap fully open as she flew through the air and hit the ground in a hasty break-fall. It took her a moment to get her bearings back, but at least she'd managed to keep hold of her sword.

Lirayne let loose her prepared spell, the dark power burning the celestial like white phosphorus on flesh. Instantly, the battle was joined as the whole of their force converged on the four of them. "Run!" Lirayne shouted.

"Not without Sabal!" Aly said. She hurled the seed of flame held in her hand. It blossomed open to a ball of roaring flames, setting a few of the aasimar aflame. "D'anthe, get moving!"

Sabal sprang up to her feet, still a little unsteady as she took a wobbling step. Then she could run again, bolting with the pair of them. Into more celestials, closing off their exit. They'd been ambushed just as they'd intended to ambush. "Vith!" Lirayne swore eloquently. She let loose with another blast of power even as Yvonnel flashed a sign above their heads in faerie fire. They needed their reinforcements now, no matter what the plan had originally been.

"Yes, we know," Yvonnel said tersely. As soon as Sabal took the first slashing hit, the priestess touched her back and immediately healed the wound. The divine fire their enemies were using burned like nothing else, as dangerous to them as their dark power was to the celestials. Alystin and Lirayne were back to back, each of them dealing damage with arcane and divine powers like masters. They worked in concert, playing their powerful enemies with expertise that could only come from a lifetime of armed conflict.

Sabal's mind was a whirlwind, slamming into anything that came too close. It gave them a bit of a break until the enemy's archers got into position. Shafts hissed into their midst, striking almost everyone. Aly had managed to ward their healer and Lirayne. She was struck in the thigh and Sabal felt an arrow punch through her armor and tear at her side. Yvonnel was there to heal them both, but even she knew they couldn't hold up like this for very long.

"We'll die exposed," Lirayne managed to say over the clashing of steel. She could still see the massive bronze-skinned angel giving orders. "New plan."

"All ears!" Yvonnel snarled, whipping her sword across an aasimar's throat. The flesh blossomed open with a spray of blood across the priestess's armor.

"Cut off the head!" Lirayne snapped. "We can't get out, so let's go through. Sabal!"

The wilder didn't even nod her acknowledgement. She just threw herself into the ranks of the enemy like a demon, starting to bulldoze them a path towards the glowing celestial. Aly reinforced the spearhead with another blast of flame that barely missed her lover, then stopped. She took a deep breath and then slammed her staff against the ground, opening a portal to the Abyss in the summon of a planar ally. The hulking figure of a glazebru immediately charged into the forces of light, its massive pincers tearing into the armored flesh of its foes. There was no shortage of enemy for it to fight, far more than they'd expected. The force had to be five times larger than their own. It was a tactical nightmare.

A sudden silence flooded across the battlefield, followed by an explosion that nearly sent the four off their feet. They felt a ripple pass through the ground. "What the Hells was that?" Aly shouted. The fighting paused for a half-second as everyone tried to regain their bearing, but then it was rejoined with a frenzy.

At the rear, reinforcements had just struck. As soon as Siniira had seen the flashed signal, she'd ordered everyone forward. That meant the four had run into danger. And as she saw the forces of celestials blocking the path, she understood why. And then something happened to Llolfaen next to her. The girl's body convulsed and then there was a sudden blast that staggered everyone close to it, including their enemy. Siniira found herself blinking and picking herself up from the ground, energized by the absolute flood of Lloth's divine presence in the area. Her daughter's daughter was straight in the thick of it without her, cutting a swath with dark magic. She could hear laughter.

It wasn't Llolfaen's voice. The laughter was a little deeper, with a strange resonance. A wind howled up around her, smelling of the depths of the Abyss. Even the celestials flinched back away from her, hesitating for a moment before trying to run her through with spears and swords alike. They didn't seem to be having much success.

However, Siniira didn't really have time to dwell on it. If Llolfaen was pressing the advantage, they had to take it. "Go! Go!" she shouted to her men, charging forward at the favored soul's heels. Linking up with the four in the middle wasn't tactically sound. She needed to circle around and get to that high ground that the enemy had largely abandoned. "Around the edge!" Right now, she had to trust that Lirayne could handle herself. Yvonnel would be fine, as she always was. The Matron Mother caught Llolfaen by her light armor and drug her along, her fingers burning through her gauntlet. She could feel her flesh blistering. It was like grabbing onto a hot burner or a live wire. Only her own training with divine magic and her considerable power allowed her to ground herself and let it pass through. Whatever was happening, it needed to happen not in the middle of the enemy. Besides, Llolfaen could still cast as she was being pulled.

"Yvonnel, we're going to die," Lirayne said as Alystin ripped the arrow out of her thigh with a cry of pain and anger. She followed her field medicine up with a cone of ice directed into their foes.

"Probably," Yvonnel acknowledged. She saw through the press of bodies what Siniira was doing. Their target was on the hill anyway. If they could get there, they would at least have their back secured. Right now, she and Lirayne were walking backwards and trying to cover the rear while Sabal and Alystin carved their path forward. Both found their divine spells working with a surprising potency, which was something of an advantage. But at this point they were acquiring injuries faster than Yvonnel could heal.

Sabal in particular was doing badly, bleeding from dozens of wounds but carried forward by the tidal wave of fury that had poured through her as soon as she'd seen the arrow strike Alystin. In her current state of mind, she would kill any enemy that got close enough until it was physically impossible for her to continue. There was no room for exhaustion or hesitation. Yvonnel stumbled backwards when she was hit with a spell, but Lirayne caught her arm and stopped her from falling. "We can do this!" the Matron's daughter shouted. "Just a little further."

Yvonnel gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep going even as her bruised lungs screamed in protest. Her pride was not going to allow her to be dragged along by someone less than half her age, let alone another priestess. "Right behind you."

Their feet were on an incline now, headed up the hill towards the celestial and his companions. At the same time, Siniira was breaking through the forces along the side, headed straight up that same hill with their backs to the wall. Llolfaen—or whatever was currently borrowing her body—was inflicting mass casualties on the enemy. But even for the experienced drow, numbers could overwhelm. It was looking grim even as they neared the summit.