Elves fell numb as the Deamon advanced, weapons dropping numbly to their sides, eyes staring blindly ahead until a sweep from the Keepers sword ended their lives.
Malekith alone was unaffected by the creatures wiles. He had faced Keepers, the greatest of their kind, many times before. On each occasion he had emerged the victor, and he was not about to fall before some (masked - ?) Keeper. The Eternity King drew opon ihs own magics as the deamon approached, sending swirling shadowy forms of long-dead elves to hog the creaturs steps. Slowed by the ephermal effigies, the daemon had no chance to evade Seraphons sudden advance. The dragons talons struck the Keepr of Secrets high in the chest, bearing it to the ground.

Though pinned beneath the dragons might, the daemon did not give in, it hammered and tore at Seraphons flanks, ripping free great chunks of flesh. Seraphon roared in pain, but she had known far worse wounds in her long life, and fought back all the harder. Iron-hard teeth tore a huge gobbet of flesh from the Keeprs Shoulder. Taloned foreclaws scored marks along the daemons face. Ontop Seraphons shoulders, Malekith remade his phantoms with a gesture, transmuting their remains into a cloud of razor-sharp darts that burrowed into the Keepers flesh, worming their thingys (cant read ) deep into its unnatural organs. The daemon screamed, it gave a final shudder that might have been pleasure or pain, and then lay still. Seraphon gave a roar of triumph, then snapped her dripping maw to tear out the creatures throat.

Despite their horrendous losses, the Carnival of Silence pressed on, but now Malekith deemed that corner of the battle to have been (pacified) and at last spared a thought for the endangered queen. Leaving.... taking Battlemasters ... who were on their ...
... to compensate Alarrielles losses. Malekith intended to follow them, however, in that moment a shadow hidden in the cover of Seraphons black wing dropped from the trees above, a curved dagger arcing towards the Eternitys Kings back.
At another time, or another place, Shadowblade might have succeeded. However Malekith had expected the assassination attempt from the moment that Hellebrons cult had been outlawed - the Blood Queens precence on the battlefield had made it a certainty. Throughout the battle, even during the clash with the Keeper of Secrets, the Eternity King had kept a portion of his mind fixed upon the shadows around him. The Malekith of old could perhaps have been taken by surprise by a blade in the dark, but not Malekith, Incarnate of Shadow. There was little that moved in the darkness that he could not sense and thus he was aweare of his would-be killers approach almost in the moment it began.

Even then, Shadowblade was nearly too swift. Malekith twister aside in the saddle, but could not evade the blae entirely. Sparks flew as it ripped deep into the armour of Midnight. Blood pulsed through the rent. There was poison on the blade - Malekith felt it sting at once. However, the Eternity King had taken precautions since Shadowblades last attempt on his life, ingesting minute amounts of the toxins he knew the assassin favoured, in order build up a resistance. This precaution did nothing to numb the poisons searing pain, but Malekith was well accustomed to agony, and it slowed him not in the slightest. Shadowblades next strike came a split second after the first, a lighting fast cut intended to slip the armour at Malekith throat. But the Eternity King ducked under the blow and out of his saddle. Effortlessly finding a foothold on Seraphons back, he turned to face his assailant, blade at the ready.

Thus did the assassin and the King fight their battle, not on the ground, but upon the back of a speeding dragon. Wind whipped at the dualists, their ... (cant read it ) skies at any moment, but still they fought on. They were evenly matched, blades blurring with each parry and thrust. Shadowblade had the advantage of speed but Malekith had the greater reach. Neither of the two could land a blow. A dozen times Malekith swepts with his sword, only for it to pass through empty air as Shadowblade danced back. But just as often the assassin had to turn his own strike into a desperate parry, lest the Eternity King stroke his head from his shoulders.

Seraphon passed beneath one of the Oak of Ages vast boughs, and all three were swamped in shadow. The assassin saw Malekith torso, his guard suddenly down, Shadowblade gave a growl of delight and sprang forward, dagger aimed to slam into the Eternity Kings throat. He missed that Malekith was gone without trace and the blade struck ... (Watermark yesh! ) ... Malekith emerged from the Shadows behind his attacker and plunged the sword deep into his ribs. ( I know! The watermark obscures some things before that sentence.) As Seraphon emerged into the light once more, Shadowblade slipped sideways across the dragons back, dagger falling from unresponsive hands. Malekith looked briefly down at his would-be assassin, then lashed out with an armoured foot to send him on his way. Unable to anchor himself, Shadowblade tumbled from Seraphons back and vanished into the battle far below.

Drychas cruel handmaides had wrought terrible ruin on Alarielles forces. The briarmaven (wtf is that?) had wielded her sisters like claws, ferociously raking the grove-covens stlil loyal to the Everqueen. The broken bodies of dryads litterred the approach to the Everguard and only Durthus undefeatable presence had kepts the elves from being overwhelmed.