Shaddar lovingly placed Solofein in a niche near the mouth of the cave, watching the souls trapped within struggle to gain their freedom.  The facets of the crystal sparkled with the desperate souls mired within it's spell causing the cave to strobe eerily. Amongst the pitiful flickering lights within was the soul he sought...his beloved queen's, trapped all this time within and now his to free.  Even as he gazed into the depths, he could feel her draw near.

"Come, my queen...live again, " and with a flourish he extracted the fetus stolen from the blonde woman, and focusing his power, placed it within the womb of a gargoyle chained to the wall of the cavern for this occasion. The transfer completed, his laughter rolled down the slopes of the mountain mocking those in RhyDin below.

Monitoring the progress of his charge, Shaddar Huron shaped the rapidly developing fetus within it's strange environment. Having used so much of the Power to accelerate its growth and the energy it has taken to keep they gargoyle alive, if not precisely healthy, he grew dangerously weary - a moment's inattention could ruin the entire process. A smile played across his lips as he considers the amount of time the donor spent on her back. He should be able to find another fetus with little difficulty should he need one, though most likely without the superior genetics of this one's sire. Tapping his pale lips listlessly, Shaddar continued monitoring the small shifting life within. There was, of course, the need now to hasten the process, considering the inauspicious return of the Healer Priestess to the realm. Gathering his focus he forced such thoughts from his mind and returned his attention to the work at hand.

As he moved swiftly about the cavern gathering the items needed for the ceremony, Shaddar's movements were accompanied by the piercing shrieks of the chained gargoyle as it's labor reached it's final moments. Withdrawing the crystal carefully from it's niche he set it to rest on the carved stone altar and turned to the now writhing creature,  it's bound limbs stretched to their limits as it struggled to free itself from it's bonds and it's agony as the head of the babe slipped into view. Swiftly, Shaddar decapitated the now useless host and cut the infant from it's twitching form - the tiny, golden-haired babe drenched in the blood of life and death. Turning once more to the altar he placed the shivering babe within the carved glyphs surrounding it's center and took up the crystal of Solofein. His arcane chants focused the Power as the darkness ripped the soul from the newborn, it's tiny light a key to the opening of the crystal's depths. As he watched with his mind's eye the trapped souls within flew forth and the single spark he searched for was caught within his wards and channeled into the waiting form. With a dark smile he watched the others escape to their own destinations, most, to his satisfaction, going to feed the eternal hunger of the Dark One. All but that of the newborn, who's pristine light was almost immediately embraced by SkyFather.

As he gathered up the squalling infant he turned her, his fingers running slowly along the smoothness of her shoulders.

"Your wings...your precious wings..." A moment's hesitation, a loss of focus on Shaddar's part and the genetic imperatives of the child's heritage had taken hold and his winged queen had been reborn flightless. Once more he gathered the vestiges of the Power within himself and accelerated the infant's growth, her mewling form twisting and convulsing with the swift and merciless changes until it settled to that of a girl-child of roughly six years. Another dark smile and he reached for the serpent prepared for this moment and, ripping it's head from it's body he gave it to the child to feed.

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