Unfortunately for Artemis, running away was the same thing as running toward more trees. Lantern or no Lantern, she wasn't wearing a mask -- and was therefore fair game.

The tree that held Morly shuddered under the weight of the Spirit Lantern's influence -- it was a rather stupid creature, after all. There was nothing there except an endless hunger and desire to crunch on Morly's bones. It began to lower the screaming child into its jagged mouth, but Anise made it think this wasn't really worth it. Finally, Morly dropped on his head with a yelp and the tree pulled up its roots and glided slowly elsewhere, creaking and groaning.

As Artemis ran, roots all around her lifted up out of the writhing ground, branches squirmed and lashed, trunks bent and creaked. The Lantern flashed with fire, and a searching branch darted away, but a root coiled around Artemis' ankle and dragged her down where more roots were waiting.

Fire burst everywhere, and flaming branches swung and swiped overhead, creating light patterns in the night air. Artemis would be able to beat and burn away the roots and boughs that twined around her, but whenever one let go two more caught hold.

While Anise had been busy with Morly, Reus had quietly got up and walked after the shine of the fiery Lantern.

The great wolf moved close, just out of range of the swinging fire and the twisting roots. He sat down patiently -- and then he threw up his chin and howled.

He sang long, deep and haunting; the sound trembled in the trees and echoed deep into the forest.

The trees went still, transfixed.

Reus grasped a root between his jaws and cracked it in two -- and another, and another.

Meanwhile, Morly scrambled back to the shore, jamming his mask on his face and hightailing it to his raft. He was very willing to abandon them all if it meant he'd never see another tree ever again.