Winter Come Again, Part Two

It was an unusually dark night in the Blade's Edge Mountains.  The clouds were thick and black overhead, but seemed not to move.  They were low, making it feel as if there was a roof over Daggermaw Canyon.  Good, Fay thought, We can use all the cover we can get.  She, Pelp, and Dekket were perched high on one of the hundreds of large rocky spikes jutting over the deep crag. 

Fay and Dekkett sat on thick, burly gryphons.  The mounts were crouched low, allowing their riders to peer over the spike to the canyon below.  Fay's gryphon Marcus, a dark-golden animal, clucked with irritation.  She scratched his neck, trying to calm him.

Dekkett grunted.  "Marcus's blood is up.  He's ready for a fight."  The dwarf scratched his own gryphon's neck, sensing the same thing from his mount.

"They smell the drake." Fay said.  "It's probably nesting under one of these spikes.  And Marcus hasn't been out for a while.  He misses his work."

Pelp, dressed in his battle robes, stood behind them.  "Marcus?"

"Yeah, the first Marcus in my life.  Creston and Jonathan came later.  I should have just stuck with this one.  He's far less trouble." Fay said sourly.  The dwarf and gnome chuckled.  Fay raised a hand to her ear and pressed a button on a small headset, attached to her helmet.  She whispered into the head-mounted speaker.  "Winter to Sicle, what is your position?"

Aubrey's voice whispered into the headsets of the team.  "Sicle to Winter, I am at the entrypoint.  Ready when you are."

Fay peered into the canyon.  Below them, on the far side of the crag, was a small ogre outpost.  There were three watchtowers guarding a bowl-shaped inlet, set into the side of the canyon.  The towers were made of stone, looking like tall, thin, three-legged tables.  They had wooden walkways spiraling up to the top, and each had an ogre warrior standing guard.  Below, two ogres stood between each tower at ground level, guarding the two paths into the compound.  Beyond the towers stood two stone structures.  One was a small hut, and the other a larger two-story structure with a stone ramp wrapping around the outside of the building that led to the second level.

Fay held down the button on her headset, speaking to the entire team.  "Our target will likely be in the top of the big building.  Sicle and Avalanche are up.  Are Hail and Sleet in position?"

"Yes ma'am," Dellias spoke.  "We're set."

"Good deal.  Coldfront and I are on stand-by in case the drake shows up.  Let's make this quick and clean, people.  Let the snowstorm begin."  Fay released the comm.  She, Dekkett and Pelp peeked over the spike with spyglasses to watch the show.