------------- Tales of the Silver Gryphon - Wail of the Banshee

Narcissa tapped into the surges of death all around them one more time. Brandon clenched his teeth. Every time she did it, it drove a cold shiver up his spine, for she was raping the very source of all their power, all the mortal's power that was. Narcissa, on the other hand, was anything but mortal. They had watched her over the last several days of adventures in Maerymydra, though it had seemed like months. Narcissa had used her immortal blood, the power of her father, Christobael, to absorb soul after soul. They had told themselves it was the only way to keep even more powerful immortals from coming back, the only way was to destroy their life force once and for all. And only Narcissa had that ability, a special gift for the defunct princess of the Succubi.

She pushed her powers, feeding off the final destruction of the Orb Wraith. Like the plant she was, she fed off of the decay of animal flesh. Like the demon she was, she fed off the decomposition of mortal and immortal souls. But each dark soul, each tainted existence she snuffed out, drug her farther and farther from the light, made her care less and less what damage she caused, gave her stronger and more ambitious visions of her future, ruling over an entire layer of the Abyss, Kiriansalee no more than a party favor she would bring out to entertain important visitors, Saints and Gods and the envoys of the Faerie Queen.

The SGL converged on the chamber of Cabrath, the high priestess of Kiriansalee, second only to Tarantella, now the Avatar of their vengeful Goddess. Spirits swam in the ether of the chamber, caught between The Gray Haze and The Darkness. Shadows and specters danced in the dark. But they were all just window dressing, a cover for the real power here, a Banshee High Priestess with magics far beyond their own paltry spells, items of surgical mysticism, and the horrid scream that can kill any mortal. They had already sensed the Undying Temple beginning to interfere more directly in their mission, aiding its defenders with more divine magic, more direct intervention from Kiriansalee herself. It was unlikely it would abandon Cabrath. What's worse, they had already faced and defeated her once, but had failed to completely destroy her.

Meriadne flinched as she hefted her Holy Shield and the Light of Corellon. Memories of the dark thoughts that had consumed her the last time they had encountered Cabrath and she had fallen to one of the undead Drow's vile magics still plagued her conscience. She would not fail her God again. This would be the last time any mortal would ever hear the wail of this Banshee.

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