Jason leaned on Puck a bit,trying to make his breathing normal again but it wasn't easy. He didn't lean to much of his weight on Puck but he did enough to stay steady.

Ash lead the way, the scepter a bright blue glow against the dark of the wyldwood. Around them, the storm raged and howled, and thunder boomed overhead, shaking the ground. Puck put an arm around Jason to help steady him.

Finally, the trees fell away, leaving them staring over a vast, icy gulley flanked by rugged hills, their tops disappearing into the clouds. A frozen river snaked its way through the boulder-studded valley, coiling lazily around the ruins of an ancient castle in the center of the plains.

From here, the armies of Summer and Winter looked like swarming ants, a huge, chaotic blur of motion and color. Roars and screams filled the air, rising above the howl of the wind. Ranks of soldiers clashed against one another in a somewhat disciplined fashion, while other groups bounded across the field, ricocheting from one fight to the next, joyfully hurling themselves into the fray. Giant shapes lumbered through the masses, swinging and crushing, and swarms of flying creatures attacked from the air. It was a colossal, violent, crazy free-for-all that would be suicide to go through.

Jason couldn't say how thankful he was for Puck putting his arm around it,it helped a lot to keep him from passing out and not getting back up. But the color drained further from his face as he saw the fight,something wild and beast like. It was so much like the fights in the dragon realm,often nothing could stay in squadrons and so eventually they burst and just started tearing at the enemy best they could.Sadly the things they fought kept getting stronger anyway.

But this was horrid and it partially scared him,his tail would have shuttered if it hadn't been limp behind him.

"Look for Oberon or Mab," Ash said grimly, scanning the battlefield. "They'll likely be on opposite sides of the river. Try not to engage anything, Goodfellow. We dont want a fight--we just want to get the scepter to the queen."

"Dont kid yourself, Prince." Puck grinned and drew his daggers, pointing to Ash with the tip. "Youre a traitor, Jasons a dragon prince and Im Robin Goodfellow. Im sure the ranks of Unseelie will just let us waltz right through."

And then, a shadow fell over them, and a blast of wind nearly knocked them down. Ash shoved Jason and Puck away as a huge, winged lizard landed where they'd stood in an explosion of snow and rock. The creature hissed and shrieked, beating tattered wings and churning the ground with two clawed forelegs. Its scales were a dusty brown, its yellow eyes vicious and stupid. A long, muscular tail whipped the air behind it, a wicked, gleaming barb on the end. Hissing, it stepped between Jason, Puck, and Ash, separating them with its body, coiling its tail over its back like a massive scorpion.

Jason put his own wings out only to balance himself and stop his head from spinning,though it did little good,and he backed a bit away from the beast. He wasn't sure if it was a dragon because it didn't look like any of the breed clans.

A rider sat between the creature's shoulder blades, his white armor pristine and shining, not a drop of blood on him. Rowan.

"Well, well." The older prince sneered at Jason from the back of his lizard mount. "Here you are again. The wayward dragon and our traitor prince. Dont move, Ash," he warned, shooting his brother a dark look. "One tiny move and Thraxa will snap up your beloved half-breed faster than you can blink. You dont want to lose another boy to wyvern poison, do you?"

Ash already had his sword out, but at Rowans threat, he paled and shot Jason a haunted look. There was desperation in his eyes before he lowered his blade and stepped back.

"Good boy. This will be over soon, dont worry." Rowan raised his fist, and a dozen Thornguards emerged from the trees, weapons drawn, trapping them between themselves and Rowan. "It shouldnt be long now," the older prince smiled. "Once the courts are done tearing each other to pieces, the Iron Kings armies will sweep in, and everything will be over. But first," he continued, turning to glare at Ash, "Ill need that scepter. Hand it over, little brother."

Ash tensed, but before he could do anything, Puck stepped between them, an evil grin stretching his face. "Come and get it," he challenged. Rowan looked over and sneered.

"Robin Goodfellow," he smiled. "Ive heard so much about you. Youre the reason Ian is dead, arent you?" Puck frowned, but Rowan went on without pause. "A pity Ash wont ever take his revenge, but believe me when I say this will be a pleasure. Thraxa," he ordered, sweeping his arm contemptuously toward Puck. "Kill."

The wyvern hissed and snaked its head down, baring needle-sharp fangs. It was frighteningly quick, like a viper, and its jaws snapped shut over Puck's head. Puck exploded in a swirl of leaves, leaving the wyvern blinking and confused. As it drew back, huffing and scanning the ground for its victim, a huge black raven swooped out of the trees, aiming right for its face. With a screeching caw, the bird sank its talons into the side of the wyverns head and plunged its sharp beak into the slitted yellow eye.

Jason was glad and upset that Puck could make copies of himself,glad that Puck didn't just actually get decapitated and upset because it almost had scared the heck out of him! He forced his body to a shift,but it was only to his prince form,not able to do any others now,and he was thankfully a good size as he rushed over and bashed his rose like spikes into the dragon with a growl. He raked it through the scales,against the flow of them as he knew in dragon anatomy,and reached black serrated claws toward it's throat. He would have gone for the underbelly,the most deadly spot to hit a dragon,but it wasn't exposed just enough yet for him to attack it without exposing his own.

The wyvern reared back with a scream, beating its wings and shaking its head, trying to dislodge the bird that clung to it. Rowan, nearly thrown from the saddle, cursed and yanked at the reins, trying to regain control, but the wyvern was panicked now, screeching and thrashing about in anguish.

The raven hung on, jabbing and clawing, until black ichor spattered the wyverns face and the eye was a popped, useless mess. With a caw of triumph, it broke away and swooped back to them, changing to Puck in an explosion of feathers. He was still laughing as he rose to his feet, drawing his weapons with a flourish.

"Kill them!" Rowan screamed, as his mount decided it had had enough, and leaped skyward. "Kill them all and get that scepter! Dont let them ruin everything!"

The Thornguards started forward, closing their deadly half circle. There were a lot of them, seeming to melt out of the trees and bramble, more than anyone first thought. Ash, holding both the scepter and his sword in a double weapon stance. Could Jason just take the scepter and run? No way. There was no way he'd get through that churning mass alive.

Lightning flickered, bright and eerie, and between one flash and the next, a white creature appeared at the edge of the slope. At first, it seemed like a horse. Only it was smaller and more graceful than any they'd seen before, more deer than equine, with a lions tail and cloven hooves that barely touched the ground. Its horn spiraled up between its ears, beautiful and terrible at the same time, destroying any preconceived notions of the word unicorn. It regarded them with eyes as ancient as the forest.

Grimalkin sent me. The voice whispered in Jason's head, soft as a feathers passing. Hurry, Jason Skytracer. With a toss of its head, the unicorn turned and vanished down the slope.

He heard it and was shocked,but he remembered Grimalkin speaking of a friend of his or something. He tossed his elegant head toward the slope. "Could you guys follow me? Just,trust me and stay close?" he said,baring his front talons and stinger as the Thornguards closed in.

That whole encounter seemed to have taken place in an instant. When he turned back to the boys, they were still waiting for the Thornguards, who approached slowly, as if they knew we werent going anywhere.
"I hope you have a plan," Ash muttered