She leans on her girlfriend, and then starts getting them ready to rest.

The next morning - the hunt begins quietly, of course. She sets a series of scries for their target, finally narrowed enough to find where he's not, even if his defenses still make his exact self elusive.

She gets a hit - nearby - and calls up mounts for those interested in riding - and then with Mora's help spins a cloak of shadows around them, most strongly around Mora, second most strongly around herself, layering misdirection upon camouflage upon lies upon sweet stories upon simple want.

"Ready?" she calls.

"Yes."

She grins, and they're off, the Yew Queen stabilizing Mora so she can continue the rituals she began before dawn, slowly bolstering all of her allies, making them tougher, stronger, more alert, more keen.

It's a short ride to their target, when you're as fast as the wind, and the Yew Queen and Mora peel off before they're on top of him. Still - Shade knows where to go, her want highlighting him now that's she so close.

She hurls herself straight at him as soon as she has a line of sight, in a spray of blood and mist and shadow.

He defends himself - not apparently surprised by her - with swirls of light, gentle nudges to redirect her - almost like the air is thicker some directions, throwing her off.

He's very, very good, and she's barely able to land hits on him, and none draw blood.

Eliana also beings to attack, aiming more to distract and dazzle than inflict damage.

Shade focuses on knives, cutting, slicing away defenses and flesh.

He's the wind, leaves dancing away by the very force of her blows - grasses tripping her up, gusts making it hard for them to keep their footing -

His return blows wind Shade, sometimes bruise - but aren't as hard as they should be, and Mora's ritual is making her power far, far more effective.

But he also doesn't seem to be applying much effort. Looks somewhat annoyed, mostly, and he tries a few times to chide Shade - he seems to recognize her.

She takes his taunts as fuel for her focus, and launches some angry curses of her own right back.

A few land - but most he bats aside. Until one series of blows lands properly, actually visibly injuring him -

He looks furious.

He lunges for Shade, too fast to dodge, too strong to parry - the air nearly choking her -

And the Yew Queen is there, blocking his attack.

"I do believe your fight's with me, now."

His eyes narrow - and the Yew Queen launches an attack of her own, throwing him back, launching herself in his wake to harry him.

Shade stays at her back, adding her fury and want to the Yew Queen's attack.

Nonetheless -

They're losing, piece by piece, inch by inch.

The Yew Queen escalates - to a level far past anything Shade's seen out of her before - the air's distorting strangely, the ground under them cracking, an aurora dancing through the sky -

She presses her attacks, hard, injuring her opponent - taking injuries of her own -

Still, she shields the others, weaving their help in, creating blood for Eliana, preventing any attacks from reaching them.

(She hasn't let herself go like this in so, so long - )

( - but she doesn't want this enough, doesn't know what the consequences will be of killing this man would be - is afraid, almost, creeping in the back of her head - )

(She's not as good as she could be.)

"Come on!" Shade snaps at the Yew Queen. "Are you better than him or not?"

Deep breath.

She gestures, a broad sweep of her hand -

Eliana and Shade goes flying back, away from the fight - landing safely.

And the Yew Queen flings herself forward, tackling Shade's enemy, digging her fingers into his skin - glowing, so bright she hurts to look at -

The color goes out of the world, briefly - rushes back, too vibrant - settles -

The man explodes.

The Yew Queen's thrown away, body limp.

That's not- She can't-

Shade fairly teleports over to where the Yew Queen landed.

She appears to be quite dead - severely injured, for one. Not breathing. Her skin bears signs her heart shattered.

As she turns away, something inside her breaks.

Her face is calm when she rises and she begins walking away.

"Are you all right?" Eliana calls.

"I am fine. I will be leaving now." She doesn't stop walking.

The shadows hiding Mora fail, of course.

She takes a step toward the Yew Queen - "We can get her back - we have resurrection, in our main group - "

"I have other things to do. I need to reacquire my artifacts."

"...Alright. We - won't stop you."