An Owl's Rise

Of course, this had not lasted long after the four strongest individuals leading the raid had put a stop to Minerva's offensive. Still, the owls of the Roost had received the precious time that they needed to reorganize themselves and prepare a coordinated resistance against their attackers.

For the moment things were at a bit of a stalemate as both sides prepared before the fighting to start again.

'There is Melisandre.' 

Evelyn felt a sudden and massive sense of relief seeing her master perched at the top of the giant tree that housed the Alchemy Hall.

Even after being ejected from the separate domain that the Roost had been created within, the sixteen halls that stood as pillars of the Roost's power had not fallen.

Each of these colossal trees were protected by several magical enchantments, and despite being forced into a dangerous volcanic region, they were standing strong.

Melisandre, as the master of the Alchemy Hall, had taken command of those that had been inside and nearby when the Roost had been shunted from its separate dimension.

When Evelyn attempted to fly directly towards her master, several owls that were nearby acting as guards tried to stop her and redirect her to the area where the owls at the awakened rank were being organized into a collective force.

However, when Melisandre noticed her, she waved her hand and ordered that Evelyn and her companions be let through.

"I am relieved to see that you are alright. Though, if you were not, I imagine that this raid would already be over." Melisandre said with a pained expression.

Seeing this, Evelyn immediately realized what Melisandre was telling her. This attack on the Roost was because of her.

"Do not blame yourself. This is mostly my fault. I let my curiosity and ego get the better of me." Melisandre said with a self-deprecating look on her face.

She then explained that not long before the Roost was forced back into the real world, that the item she had removed from Verrader when he confessed to being a spy had become active.

This magic device that she had not been able to understand and had entrusted to the master of the Inscription Hall had been some sort of dimensional locater. The magic it used was incredibly subtle and at the highest level that was achievable in the world. Truly it was a near irreplaceable treasure that only the best inscription masters at the highest rank and tier could possibly hope to recreate. Which is why its true nature had remained undiscovered until it was activated.

"Once it activated, the magic device broadcasted the location of the anchor point that keeps the Roost tethered to the material world. With that knowledge they were able to force the entire Roost out of its separate dimension. Truly this is the worst-case scenario." Melisandre said, her gaze scanning across the army that was soon to begin attacking them again.

It would not be long before the humans had reorganized their ranks and were ready to begin attacking what remained of the Roost and the tens of thousands of owls that were a part of it.

Terror soon began to grip Evelyn as she looked at the sea of people that had been amassed to attack the Roost. Her greatest fear though was not that she would die, or that all those she cared about would be killed, but that she would once again become a subject to cruel experimentation. Perhaps the leadership of the Roost might even offer her up as a peace offering.

'I can't go back to that. I would rather die.' Evelyn thought, her demeanor reflecting her dread. Having already died once before, she knew that there were worse fates than even death.

Yet, as Evelyn's mind had become lost in a swirl of dark thoughts, Melisandre slapped her face hard with her hand, sending out a resounding crack.

"Get yourself together Evelyn. It is far too soon to be giving into despair. Few even know you are their objective, and I have no intention of giving you up no matter what. The Roost is not so fragile that we will go down easily. We are going to fight and win." Melisandre said, exuding an aura of confidence.

Feeling the sting of Melisandre's hand still on her face, Evelyn managed to get her thoughts back in order. Just because things seemed dire did not mean that it was the end. As Melisandre had said, the Roost was not weak. If they were, the attackers would have already rushed and overrun them rather than reorganizing.

Some of the more hotheaded humans attacking them had already been intercepted by magical defenses that had been deployed and were either sliced to ribbons, turned into pincushions, or left as smoldering piles of ash. Whatever the outcome of the upcoming battle, it was going to be bloody and costly for both sides.

"What should we do then? I want to help with the defense." Evelyn said.

But Melisandre just shook her head.

"Sorry Evelyn, but I need you to stay close to me. I need to protect you, but also, you are bait. It is likely that the enemy will send its best to come after you. By using you as an objective, we can control the enemies' movements to a degree. I know that this is not ideal, but it is our best bet to win. A handful of owls proficient in spatial magic that are being led by a Hall Master have already managed to warp away and are trying to establish a new anchor point for the Roost. If we can stall long enough, we will be able to take everyone away from here in one fell swoop." 

"Okay. I will do as you say. I trust you Melisandre. Let us get through this together."