[quote]Anise put up her defenses harder than ever before. [i]No. I have friends.[/i] Anise thought of the spirit of Tyaelaem that was still following from a distance. She thought of Reus whom chose to defend her against the Lord of Shadow despite his own lack of power. [i]I am not alone. I am a protector, not a destroyer. I am a light in a dark cold place.[/i] She reopened her eyes with a fierce determination. [i]I am the Lady of Light and I will protect those that cannot protect themselves. I will help those lost in the darkness and as soon as I find a way to return home I will guide the lost ones back to where they belong. Those dead and living.[/i] She projected this determination through the lantern as if to make a point that she was bound and determined to make her wishes a reality and in order to cleanse the darkness in her thoughts. [/quote]
The emptiness stared back at her. The Dragon's spirit was still and dark -- but she had its attention.

The Lantern's blue light shifted to violet, then red, then green, then blue again.

Meanwhile, Morly leaned on his stick and had his fingers jammed under his mask to scratch his nose. He stopped suddenly, and he stared into the woods on the dark shore opposite Reus; gray shimmering forms stepped out of the forest shadows. Four, then ten, then a dozen human-shaped forms flickered closer to the edge of the water. Their gray shapes sometimes darkened, then flashed gray, and then were black as coal. They were coming closer.

Something in the back of Morly's mind connected the color-changing Lantern to the ghosts that were after them now.

[b]"Hey lady,"[/b] he spoke up in warning, never taking his eyes off the approaching spirits. [b]"Hey lady, whatever you're doin', you should prolly not do it I think, okay?"[/b]

And then -- in response to Anise's declaration -- the Dragon spoke. Its voice rumbled in her chest and trembled in her bones. The Lantern flashed white.
[h3]WHY?[/h3]

[quote]A strangled sort of yelp escaped her lips and Artemis swung blindly with the only weapon she had: the glowing red Lantern. Not pausing in her movement. She scrambled up onto the shore and dashed under the wolf's legs. Her heavy, sodden skirts made her clumsy and slower than she cared for, but all she could think was she had to escape.[/quote]
In the moment Artemis chose to use the Lantern as a weapon, several things happened all at once:

Reus' jaws opened wide in a yellowed snarl.

The cloth around the Lantern caught fire.

Roaring, white-hot flames exploded out of the Lantern and filled Reus' open mouth, billowed over his face, ignited his fur. The light of the fire illuminated the water and the raft, brighter than even the blue Lantern. The wolf made no sound, scraping frantically with his paws at the fire that engulfed his face -- and Artemis scrambled clumsily between his feet, unseen and unharmed.

Reus -- his entire head crackling and bright with grotesque flame -- finally threw himself into the river. The splashing waves threatened to capsize the raft, and Morly struggled with the stick to keep them afloat.

The spirits on the opposite shore flickered and disappeared.