Even with the sun high up in the sky with no clouds the floating isles were deathly quiet with not even a single bird singing its tune. The isles wildlife were hiding too as no deer or even bear and wolf were not out but yet it was nice out with the sun rays on the isles that had been full of life now seem quiet say for the sound of what sounded like owl somewhere over one isle that had a large lake with river rolling across the isle and making a waterfall down on another isle. 

Hecate left her head hearing that. “I think that's one of them.  The aether has sunk its teeth into them and now the isles are as quiet as ever.”  She looks to her sisters Kalda and Isolde.      

“I find the aether corrupted when it has a host that does that.  The wildlife knows it and flees or hides but we should go take out the gryphon before anyone gets hurt or worse killed.” Isolde said as she took the lead and flowed down to the isle. 

Kalda followed Isolde and looked at Hecate. “Time to shine.  I know you are one to get into fighting and not lose so easily.” 

Hecate just rolls her eyes but scans around the isle for this gryphon when she should be looking around the sky. “Where is this bird thing at?”  she looked left and right not seeing it. 

The Spectral Matriarch flew on silent wings as she saw the three of them before diving for Hecate from behind her.  She had her talons out as she slammed on Hecate back digging her talons into her thick plate hide. 

Hecate roared as she felt the talons break her plate hide and draw blood as she swing her snake like neck around and tries to grab hold of Spectral Matriarch with her jaws but came face to face with her fallow horns and Hecate had to turn away as she saw they she had not batted her wings but a sharp pain from her right wing stop as she fall. 

Kalda and Isolde dive after their sister as they see the gryphon on her back and stop Hecate from attacking the gryphon.     

“Kalda what do we do?  She is going to hit the ground soon and could badly hurt herself and the gryphon could even kill her if we don’t help.” 

Kalda looked at her sister. “I have an idea.” 

Isolde looks confused as she looks at Kalda. “Will, what is your idea?” she asked. 

“Watch and follow.” Kalda looks at Hecate. “Shadow use shadow.”  

Hecate heard what Kalda said and at first was unsure why then it hit her like a rock. She turns to the Spectral Matriarch face and breathes her shadow breath at the gryphon face blocking her view in shadow. 

Spectral Matriarch screech as she kept her hold on Hecate but that is when she felt jaws around both of her front feet pulling her off the dragon back and then a very cold but strong wind throwing her up into the air and when she can to a stop out of the cloud of shadow she saw the other two had come to help and where the ones that remove her. She could see the wounds she left on Hecate who was giving her a snarling face. 

The Spectral Mariarch took this time to use her luster breath at all of them to blind them all. 

Isolde, Kalda and Hecate were all taken off guard by the blinding attack. That maybe blinded for a bit but that all had ways of fighting when their eyes could not see the enemy. 

Kalda growls but focuses her hearing closely as she could hear the grpyhon breath from where she was and heard her sisters focusing too. “She blinded us but did not deafen us. Let's take her off guard with our own attack shell we.” 

“And what is your plan?” Hecate asked. “We know she is in front of us but she has not attacked us yet.” 

Isolde chuckled. “Remember the lake we are flying over?  We get her as close as we can and freeze it as soon as she hits the lake. The sooner we use our ice breath to freeze her on the spot and go for the killing blow.” 

Hecate had to run that in her head and nodded. “I will try to bait her in close as she seems to have it out for me.” Before any of her sisters could say anything she flew right for the gryphon.  She only wishes she could see the gryphon face as she is flying right at her.    

Spectral Mariarch saw Hecate coming but did not move fast enough to avoid her as her body slammed but that was when Hecate grabbed hold of her shoulders. She felt Hecate claws dig into her skin to keep a good hold on her. Hecate would start to madly snap her jaws at her neck and felt her shift her weight to pull her down. Spectral saw the lake water below and tried to fly up but Hecate's weight was forcing her down.  From behind she felt wind blowing down on her and she turned to use her luster but stopped and used her icy breath at Kalda. 

Kalda heard the icy sound and flew out of the way just in time. 

Isolde took her turn and used her wind breath but as she did it hit Spectral icy breath.    

Hecate heard the sounds as she growled and used her wings to pull the gryphon down to the lake. She felt talons on her face and she took this time to grab Spectral’s leg.  If her sisters had to freeze her too in the lake, so be it. She was fighting to pull the gryphon down and down. 

At the last moment she used everything she had to push the Spectral Mariarch into the lake water and felt the sharp pain of talons tearing into her hide on her forehead. She true to the sound and uses her ice breath at Spectral.       

Isolde and Kalda join up just in time to use their ice breath at Spectral Mariarch. 

Spectral fall right into the lake as she tries to get out the water freezes all of her legs and only her body to head was the only thing not frozen. 

Now that Hecate could see her freeze her beak closed as she delivered the killing blow to her.