Title: Battle Plans and Battle Lines
Authors: Stana, Spiffy, Kit
Date: 7/14/00

Stana crouched low in the grass, clasping her bow tightly in a white grip. Clip shifted uneasily beside her, uncomfortable as always in  his mortal frame. But Elainas had pointed out that a Unicorn would be harder to hide than a human, and since Clip had no intention of  letting THIS human out of his sight, he had acceded. 

She crouched low in a field overgrown and lush, noting that she  could barely see her companions, and could in no wise see the intricacies of the castle. Luckily she did not need to. 

"Get ready to move." Kal said "and when I say move, you better get those butts of yours across this field fast" 

"Understood" Elainas said quietly, Clip didn't deign to answer as  Stana half rose from her crouch in expectation. 

"Go!"

______

The two guards were standing at ease, letting the wind worsen an otherwise ungodly cold night.

"So its tonight you hear?" the one asked, scratching an itch. 

"Argie has been unusually cheerful today, I'd rumor it be tonight for the slave."

"Too bad for Elfie" responded the one.

"But good for us." replied the other "This will likely keep him in decent spirits for a few days-"

Just then he stopped speaking, an odd shoke at the end of his word.  The other guard turned to see a dagger lodged in the throat of his mate, and was drawing his sword and preparing to give alarm when two arrows and a second dagger felled him.

Kal retrieved his weapons, not noticing the blood. Then he carelessly wiped the gore off on the dead one's jerkin and tossed the bodies  over the side of the wall.

Below, Elainas cast a quick spell to discover the only magical items  on them were small mirrors hung around their necks by gold chains - obviously the magical keys that would allow them access to the deeper areas of Argnoth's lair.
__________

Meanwhile...

Argnoth was humming pleasantly to himself while he performed various not-nice things to an unconscious Finn.

"Lord Argnoth?"

The wizard sighed, applied some gauze, and turned to face a mirror hanging on his laboratory's wall.

"What is it? Don't you know I'm performing a very delicate operation here?"

A guard's face appeared in the mirror. "Apologies, lord - but several of the sentries have failed to report. I fear we may be under attack."

"Splendid!"

"... Uh, I beg your pardon?"

"Garrick's been itching for a real fight since he came back. Notify him at once! I'll be in the main audience chamber as soon as I'm at a good stopping place here."

"Yes, m'lord! At once!" The mirror winked out, and Argie turned back to Finn.

"You'll have to wait, dear boy - I've some guests that need to be entertained."

___________

"How long is this going to take?" The Captain asked impatiently. 

"A minute." Kal answered "I'm thinking." 

Most of the rebel force was now within the outer wall, which sounds like a good thing unless you looked at the situation with a tactical mind.

The inner wall was just as defendable as the outer one, which meant that if they were spotted now the courtyard would become little more than a killing zone.

At the moment, Kal was doing his best to pick the lock to the front door.

"Work quickly now!" Clip answered "I hear humans coming!" 

"Got it!" Exclaimed the thief.

"Everyone move!" Ordered Justinian.

"In here." urged another one, gesturing to a set of double doors on the other side of the first room.

Something felt uncomfortable to Kal as he looked at the room, but he heard the guards, and took his chances.

__________
Audion sighed in mild exasperration, happy to have found some usefulness in the operation. He'd broken off into one of the halls to deal with guards and amulets, or whatever the others kept collecting off the bodies of their enemies. They'd come to a door and Elanias had mentioned something about needing the shape of a waxing crescent.... 

Audion stopped at a corner, the void flaring in his depths. Voices mused about missed reports a little ways around, Audion heard. Three guards, relatively alert, and suspiscious of invaders. 

Audion smiled, "So the continent's fortresses aren't all incompetant after all." His amusement
was only dampened by his lack of air magic to deal with his targets as he would usually. Audion pressed his hands violently against the rock of the wall, releasing waves of emptiness, the essence of the void, into it. He knew their locations, one guard leaned against the right wall, and the two others stood facing him. The symbols of the kingsnake, lark and moon burned brightly in the elementalist's mind. The celestial bearer would wear the necklace, and all would provide an opportunity for power against whatever wizard his companions feared. With a sickening gurgle the one against the wall slumped to the floor and the others looked around alarmed
before dropping to examine him.

The elementalist took his opportunity, moving out into their hallway and
behind them without so much as the whisper of cloth. Alabaster hands clamped around the throats of the remaining two, and their bodies slumped to the floor without their adam's apples. Audion crouched down, nonchalantly fishing through their belongings until he procured two daggers. From the one against the wall he discovered the crescent amulet disguised as a sword hilt decoration.