Anise's jaw dropped as the tree grabbed Morly so violently. She quickly pulled her mask down and grabbed Morly's mask. She quickly pulled her own mask over her face and approached the tree cautiously. She reached out towards it and focused. She concentrated as she reached out through the Spirit lanterns power and touched the tree with her mind. She was briefly shocked by its mind as all she could pick out was rage, hunger, and hate.

She told the tree. "Put him down. Let him free." Her tone was calm and commanding. As soon as she got close enough, she shoved the Frog Mask into Morly's stomach so he could grab it quickly. She then got closer to the carnivorous tree approaching its side and touched it gently with her now free hand. She shoved into it her will to protect and save. "It's OK. Morly's a friend." After everything she had been through, Anise wasn't going to let an angry tree stop her from her goals. She soothed the tree the best way that she knew: her strong emotions and the assistance of the Spirit lantern's power. She didn't want anyone to come to harm including the tree.

Absorbing the shreds of information the boy offered, Artemis pinched her eyebrows together. What he was describing wasn't like any pirates she'd ever heard of. Then again… giant wolves and ticking trees. Her eyes darted between the girl, the irritated-looking wolf, and the boy. She opened her mouth to respond – in her own language again – while still keeping her distance, when the action erupted behind him. Artemis stumbled back as a tree seemingly woke up, grabbing the boy. A moving tree. A moving carnivorous tree. Artemis wasted no time turning and running away.

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.

Anise felt relieved as she felt the tree relax and Morly soon became free of its grasp. The boy dashed off shoving his mask on as he rushed to his raft. Anise would have gone after him if she wasn't concerned about the safety of the lantern holder whom ran off out of fear. The Kith could do whatever he wish. She had saved his life which is all she wished to accomplish there. She followed after Reus after she heard him howl and made it to him as he snapped the last root.

She walked up to the stranger, out of breath, and pulled the rabbit mask free from her belt. She sat down next to her and put the mask next to the woman. "My name is Anise. You should put this on, the mask has the power to keep you safe from the dangers of this forest." She kept her voice calm and soothing because she didn't want to scare the stranger anymore than she already was. She wasn't a princess anymore, no she was just a guardian, a protector. Weak, but strong enough to help those in need. "This was my friend's, but I think he would like it to be used to keep someone safe."

She then stood up and pet Reus. "This is Reus." She didn't want to give any wrong impressions on the stranger, so she introduced Reus with a tone inclining that he wouldn't hurt her unless he really wanted to. She wouldn't say Reus wasn't dangerous, because she knew very well that the wolf could be very dangerous if he wanted to be. "You aren't hurt are you?" She scanned the lantern holder for any injuries. She could still heavily feel the desire to take the Fire Lantern, but with great mental fortitude she walled up against that urge that wasn't hers.

Anise looked around at the trees currently frozen from Reus' howl. "Take your time and rest up. So long as you have the mask on the forest won't attack you."

The blue Lantern eagerly urged Anise closer. All she had to do was reach out, and the Dragon's desire would do the rest.

A batmonkey screeched in the dark frozen treetops.

Bright, searing clouds of fire billowed out of the Lantern in Artemis' grasp. Reus swiped Anise back with a paw just before the white-hot flames could melt her skin, but the scalding heat of the inferno quickly singed what was left of her dress. Fire thundered as powerful and frightening as the inferno, higher and higher, illuminating and destroying everything around it in a blinding, thundering light.

The trees wailed in pain, uprooted themselves, writhed and crashed twitching to the ground.

Reus skittered back toward the river, huffing at Anise to come with him, to abandon the stranger, though the Dragon's will insisted that she walk forward into the inferno.

"GET ON THE GOSHDANGIT RAFT CRAZY LADY!" Morly hollered from the shore.

---

Meanwhile, the way was open to Artemis: a dark path through the darker woods, illuminated in haunting red and white by the flames that consumed the carnivorous trees.

It would be a long walk across tilted stones and strangely writhing roots, little streams and thick mossy boulders, before the glow of the fire disappeared behind Artemis.

Occasionally, something dark skittered in the corner of her eye.

Birds crackled and chittered in the branches.

At the edge of the Lantern's light, grass and bushes rustled.

A huge animal, thin like a deer, glided slowly among the shadows, unconcerned with Artemis' presence.

Something glinted on the ground ahead: a rosary with an iron rose. It was damp, as if it had just been fished out of water.

A firefly glinted in the dark. A few others blinked among the shadows to the left of the rosary. They almost formed a line, if one stared long enough -- a trail of fireflies, leading off among the stones and low-hanging branches.

To the right, half-hidden among roots and ivy, a dilapidated sign had been nailed to a tree. Two words were carved into it: NO SOLICITORS

In the bark below the sign, a rune was carved.

In this direction, the path was much clearer, as if it were traveled frequently. Spaced along the way were white stones, each carved with a different rune.

In the distance farther down this path, Artemis could hear the faint, rhythmic sound of someone hammering wood.

While the sensation was no longer unfamiliar, Anise again felt divided between two choices backed by powerful feelings. While her outfit had become singed by the dragon fire, something told her that with the protection of the Spirit Lantern and the strength of her own will she might actually be able to walk through the fire. She winced at the brightness of the light of the fire and the heat it put off. Would the fire completely destroy the lantern and free this portion of the dragon's egg completely? She had taken the first step by shattering the lantern perhaps this would finish the job.

She remembered what the fire did to Reus' who tried to get her to come away from the fire. She knew the flames could be deadly, but she also wanted to help the stranger. The decision to abandon this route or not was a heavy one. Part of her believed in the Dragon's ability to protect her from its own fire. Part of her wanted to abandon this and continue downriver to the lake where she could find the next lantern and return the Lady of the Pond to her home. Morly cried out.

"GET ON THE GOSHDANGIT RAFT CRAZY LADY!"

She chuckled to herself a bit. Perhaps she was crazy. Crazy enough to consider walking into fire an option. She pulled herself away from the fire and made her way to the raft. There is one responsibility I must... absolutely must meet before I chase after the fire. This is what she told the Dragon.

Anise sat down on the raft and looked at Morly. "Are you alright?" She seriously hoped that the Kith wasn't anything more than scared of what just happened. If he had become injured she would have felt awful. She listened to whatever response he had and then looked downriver towards the lake. She had the stone and black chain that held the Lady of the Pond. She remembered that Wendetae had told her to break it and throw it into the lake before the Lady went truly mad. After that she was going to the ship wreck to find the Lantern there.

Artemis sat, backed against a tree and curled in on herself as she watched the great wolf tear through the roots. They sat, watching each other for a long moment. Then that girl was back. Artemis kept her mouth clamped shut as a rabbit masked was placed on the ground next to her. Bright eyes flicked down to it and up to the girl again, but still she said nothing.

She couldn't help the yelp of surprise that escaped her when the red Lantern erupted once more. A wall of white fire blossomed between them. The night came alive again with a cacophony of sound – the screeching of the trees, the roar of the fire, the shouts of the boy on the boat. Artemis looked up at the flames and her eyebrows scrunched together through her fear. What had caused them to erupt like that? Before, the fire had reacted to her own actions. But this time…

Bah, it was too much for her and her frazzled nerves right now. With a shaking hand, she reached behind herself to press her palm against the forest floor. She used it to push herself up, nearly stumbling. The Lantern was still blazing hot in her hand, but she couldn't bring herself to mind. She turned and hurried away from the wolf, the girl, the roaring flames. But not before she snatched the rabbit mask off the ground and fastened it to the beaded chain that still circled her waist.

Maybe all this was a dream. Or she was dead, killed by an enraged mark once they'd discovered her con, and now she was in purgatory.

Ideas, only half sincere, wandered through her mind as her feet carried her deeper into the forest. Shadows flitting between the trees hinted at other creatures hidden in the darkness. Gods, she hoped they stayed there. But then something glinted on the ground in the Lantern's light. Artemis paused mid-step. Did she want to investigate? In spite of the night's previous events, yes. Should she? Probably not.

Artemis crept forward and kneeled down. Her fingers found a dripping string of beads with an iron rose dangling from it. She stood to her full height and held it in front of her face. What was a rosary of all things doing here?

A foreign light pulled her attention, then. A line of fireflies drew her eyes towards an old, worn sign, and a well-traveled path. And past that, a rhythmic chopping sound.

She wasn't totally sure she wanted to go towards someone with an axe. Then again, she had the veritable fires of Hell in her hand. She wasn't totally sure she wanted that either. Still, she would eventually need someone's help if she wanted to make any sense of this situation at all.

Artemis slipped the rosary around her right wrist, which had felt naked since she'd lost her scarf there. The rosary's iron weight felt foreign, but so did most of what she wore. Taking a steadying breath – that came out as more of a broken rasp – she ran long fingers through her hair. There wasn't much she could do about her drowned-rat look, or the mud mixing with smeared paint on her skin. But she could at least try not to come off as the frightened, lost waif (that by all accounts she was).

She wasn't standing there for more than a minute before she started walking again. Her hair and clothes were still damp, she still jumped a little too much at the forest's sounds, but this was the best she could hope for. She walked, as tall and confidently as she could manage, her eyes clear and bright, and her steps unwavering. She held the Lantern up to light her path as she made her way towards the sound.

With each step down the cleared path, fireflies flickered and went out, until everything was dark save for the lantern's red glow on the shivering leaves. Artemis might see the fireflies in the distance, moving away in either direction, disappearing in the hollows and shadows.

An owl chuckled. Water gurgled somewhere in the weeds to her left. Ahead, the chopping sound paused.

A tree to her right shifted and creaked in a way a tree had no right to move on its own.

Ahead, there was a light: a steady, pale yellow glow at the center of a grassy, circular clearing. The boundary of the clearing was clearly marked by a ring of iron plates set into the ground, as if the iron were responsible for keeping the trees at bay. Artemis' path ended abruptly at the ring of iron. Runes had been carved into the metal, just like the ones in the platform on which she had first appeared -- and which had dropped her into the water without notice.

chop. chop. chop.

At the center of the grassy clearing was a wooden cottage. A dead tree was wrapped around it, branches thrust into the windows and roots encircling the foundation, as if the tree had been in the middle of attacking the cottage when it died. The cause of its death was clear enough: a burn mark in the trunk, in the shape of a rune.

The source of the yellow light was a cluster of glowing, jellylike fruit that had been hung from one of the dead tree's high branches.

"I. Am. Too. Old. For. This." an old woman huffed with each chop of the axe. A branch cracked dropped with a satisfying crash to the ground. The old woman -- with a bandage on her head, a coarse brown dress and a weathered axe in her hands -- scooched around on the cottage roof to get a better angle, and continued chopping at the tree that had invaded her house.

Something moved in the woods just beyond the iron barrier. Artemis would see a flash of a white mask and a thin, childlike figure hiding quickly behind a boulder.

---

The Dragon was not pleased. Anise would feel nothing but hollow emptiness within the Lantern as she was once again ignored. Her thoughts and her attempts to communicate were lost in the abyss, and instead there was only the echo of her own mind -- as well as a lingering residue of Arin's murderous thoughts. The boy had held the Lantern far longer, and had made a fine impression.

"I'm okay," Morly huffed grumpily, puffing his cheeks. "I have a thick head."

The dragonfire inferno, meanwhile, did not spread. It remained a steady and controlled barrier, bright and fierce. It seemed it would burn for days.

Morly shoved his weight against the pole, and the raft was once again in motion. The moon-sparkled water glided past, and the dragonfire was left behind.

Reus walked along the shore, following. His face was still an ugly patchwork of skin and tufts of singed fur, and one eye was still half-swollen, but he moved easily and without pain.

Morly stood still with the pole in his hands, and the water once again took them along at a quickening pace, far faster than the current should have allowed. The masks each had their own powers, and Morly's was no different.

"Why are girls stupid?" he said finally, unable to contain his complaints. "They just ruin everything!"

The raft passed between high sheer cliffs, and Reus was forced to stop; there was no longer a shore to run on. The wolf circled for a moment before he splashed into the water and paddled after them -- much slower, but he would not lose his way.

The moon glowed bright, high between the cliffs. The calm water echoed against the rock. So did Morly's voice.

"They steal stuff and go running off and they say they're gonna come back with glowfruits and they never do!" Somehow, his experiences with Anise and the fire-girl had strongly reminded him of the last time he'd spoken to someone of the opposite gender -- and none of it had ever ended well.

The raft stopped suddenly.

Just in front of them, on either side of the river, a rune had been carved into the cliff.

Just beyond the runes, the water was wide and open, shimmering in the moonlight. They'd reached the edge of the lake.

From here, through the sharp eyes of the hawk mask, Anise could clearly see a huge shipwreck in the distance, shattered against the rocks of an island in the middle of the lake. It was overgrown with vines, moss and flowers. An enormous white tree grew out of the middle of the ship. Its branches were barren and dead. An armored, saddled gryphon was perched on one of the higher branches.

"If we cross this barrier the witch will get us," Morly whined loudly. Whatever pep talk Anise had given him before had been completely erased by his more recent experiences. "I don't get why we're even doing this. This is stupid. I'm not doing it. I'm not. You can borrow my raft if you have to but I'm not gonna be gryphon food, okay?"

A part of him just wanted to show off, but mostly the sight of the expanse of water had scared him. Morly put down the pole and immediately stepped off the edge of the raft, onto the water. He stood easily on the water's surface, his arms folded in refusal. "I'm the river master and peacekeeper," he informed her. "That barrier is war."

"I'm okay," Morly huffed grumpily, puffing his cheeks. "I have a thick head."

Anise smiled at that comment although Morly wouldn't be able to see it thanks to the hawk mask. The fire didn't seem to be growing any larger which was good; this forest didn't need another fire to burn it down. The condition that Reus was in concerned her, but he seemed to be moving fine. Anise hoped that he didn't stress himself out too hard. She noticed that the raft was moving faster than it should, which left her a bit impressed and quite happy as she wanted to quickly journey to the lake.

"Why are girls stupid?" he said finally, unable to contain his complaints. "They just ruin everything!"

This caused Anise to frown. Things went well despite the dangers and she had successfully saved his life. Whatever caused him to say this made her feel unappreciated. However, she decided to say nothing as to not agitate the Kith further.

"They steal stuff and go running off and they say they're gonna come back with glowfruits and they never do!"

Now she felt simply uncomfortable around the frustrated Kith. This one incident really had an impact. It was understandable, she guessed as he did just go through a life threatening situation, but he was alright now and it wouldn't happen again. She hoped that this ride would be done sooner than later. Just as she finished that thought, the raft came to a stop.

On either side of the river there were runes carved into the cliffs and the water in front of her opened up wide. She clasped her hands together in an expression of joy. They were at the lake! She could see in the distance was a shipwreck and a gryphon. It was armored and saddled, which told her that it must be a tamed creature. Although hunger wouldn't stop it from attacking her if it really wanted to. She then listened to Morly's explanation.

"If we cross this barrier the witch will get us," Morly whined loudly. Whatever pep talk Anise had given him before had been completely erased by his more recent experiences. "I don't get why we're even doing this. This is stupid. I'm not doing it. I'm not. You can borrow my raft if you have to but I'm not gonna be gryphon food, okay?"

A part of him just wanted to show off, but mostly the sight of the expanse of water had scared him. Morly put down the pole and immediately stepped off the edge of the raft, onto the water. He stood easily on the water's surface, his arms folded in refusal. "I'm the river master and peacekeeper," he informed her. "That barrier is war."

She nodded as she listened to him. "I understand, Morly, thank you. I won't force you into danger. I don't want you to get hurt on my behalf anyways." She then realized that Reus wouldn't be able to follow her much further as he couldn't fit on the raft and she imagined swimming in the lake was a dangerous action. "I will be borrowing your raft, thank you." By now she had accepted the fact that each mask had its own unique powers and was mostly unfazed by Morly stepping onto the water.

She grabbed the pole and began to awkwardly push the raft along. She didn't want to waste anymore time accomplishing her task. Morly made this look easier than it actually was, since it actually took a fair amount of effort to get the raft going, but once it started it only took the occasional push after that. Even then, it didn't go nearly as fast as when Morly was in control.

Once Anise got further into the lake she stopped the raft slowly. She kept the pole sturdy and pulled free the chain and stone that held the Lady of the Pond. "We're home." She took great effort into snapping the chain and then tossed the broken item into the lake just as Wendetae requested. This would be her first step into helping the Forest recover balance. She rubbed her hands to sooth them as they now ached from the metal of the chain pressing into her hands. She waited to see what happened next, all the while hoping that nothing came at her from the sky or the water.

Artemis stopped before the iron plates, not daring to cross the threshold. She eyed the runes etched into them, remembering the glowing runes she'd first awoken on. Her grip tightened on the Lantern's handle. Blue eyes flicked back up to take in the scene before her. It was clear enough what'd happened: another tree had found itself discontent with where it was rooted and had decided to take a stroll. Because apparently that was a thing that happened in this forest. Regularly.

Her eyes caught the ghost of a figure darting behind a boulder, but between the shifting shadows, the strange glowing fruit, her own Lantern's red glow, and the goddamn tree, it was difficult to know what was real, what was a trick, and what was actually cause for concern.

Everything. Everything is cause for concern.

The Lantern's crimson light meant any hope she had of being inconspicuous was launched right out the window. She'd only have so long to gather herself before the old woman saw her, and who knew how sane she was? Well, Artemis supposed 'sane' was a relative term here. Still, she didn't much feel like testing the woman when she had an axe in her hand.

So with one last glance around to measure the situation and which costume to wear, Artemis sucked in a breath.

"Excuse me," she called out, voice earnest and clear. Her expression was smooth, save for the slight downturn at the corners of her mouth, and the way her eyebrows edged closer together. "Excuse me! Would you like help?" She made no move to step over the iron plates.

The old woman had just paused to wipe her brow with a sleeve when Artemis' voice called up from the barrier. She squinted at the red light of the lantern and the highlight of the young lady's appalling state of dress. For a moment her eyes went wide -- and then she huffed again, brushing her palms on her skirt.

SQUAAAAAWK! SQAAAAAK! SQUAWK SKWAAK SKQAAAK!

A bird inside the house had suddenly started making a racket, and the old woman beat the roof with the handle of the axe until the bird finally shut up.

"And now someone's crossed the lake barrier!" she howled in complete exasperation. The old woman sat with a thump on the roof and laid her head on her hands. "Everything's in shambles, I can't go chasing trespassers now, war or no war, Argen's dead, the rat is dead, there's a tree in my kitchen and I haven't had breakfast."

With her hands folded over the handle of the axe and her head on her hands, the old woman groaned and hummed to herself, nearly falling asleep.

Meanwhile, to Artemis' left, a child wearing a white mouse-mask peeked around the boulder at her -- but hid again when the old woman called out.

"Young lady! Come along, then, don't gawk and dawdle! Come, come, this side of the barrier before a Kith makes off with your pocket change." The old woman waved Artemis closer, but she didn't stand up.

"At least you had the sense to bring that thing with you," she said in a tone that suggested there had been other, less intelligent travelers that had come before Artemis. "If you'd like to help, you could start by getting rid of this tree."

---

The lake was still, moonlit and serene.

Water lapped against the sides of the raft.

In the distance, a white bird skimmed along the surface of the water.

Deep below the water's surface, throughout the lake, something sparkled -- golden flecks of light, turning and flickering, like the water of the grotto beneath the blue Lantern's tree. The healing water.

Schools of fish broke the surface, wriggling and shining in sprays of bright water. Not far away, something huge touched the surface of the water and then dove deep again, shaking the raft with its ripples.

Someone was standing on the water behind Anise.

She was pale, tall and proud, clad in sheer white like the moon, with impossibly long greenish hair that floated softly on the lake. She smiled with thin dark lips.

"I suppose you want something in return, Princess Anise of Riverforde."

Anise became slightly distracted by the beauty of the flecks of light within the water. The sight reminded her of the open and starry sky of Riverforde. Here, everything was different. It didn't take long for something to happen, however, she turned around to face the ship to see a strange and yet pretty woman.

"I suppose you want something in return, Princess Anise of Riverforde."

Anise curtsied. How did the spirit know her name? Oh right! She had told her through the Spirit lantern. She smiled at the spirit glad to see that she was well. "I'm glad you are well." She glanced off towards the shipwreck: her next objective. Then her gaze returned to the spirit.

She thought briefly on a response to the spirit's statement, but she already knew in her heart what her response was. There really could be no other answer than this. "Thank you, but I did not do this to be rewarded. I only wish to bring the Forest back from the dark place it has become." She remembered Tyaelaem's tale about how this forest was once a lively place before the dragon was sealed away. "I am no longer Princess of Riverforde. I am the Lady of Light and I wish only to protect and save those that need it." She hoped the Lady of the Pond understood that she was included in that statement.

She felt slightly nervous to say that. While she had declared that to the Dragon and its overwhelming presence to ward off its tempting her with power saying this to a Spirit of the Forest left her uncertain as to what would happen next. She was not ashamed to declare this however and that alone gave her courage. She put on a determined expression to show that she meant what she said.

The old woman's babble of words washed over Artemis like water over river stones. She had no idea what the hell the bat was talking about. But her eyes, wide and earnest, never left the woman's face as she tried to absorb everything. Her mind sped to keep up with the odd words being thrown around.

Kith. That boy had called himself Kith when that tree had been possessed by some devil and tried to eat him. He'd also talked about Pirates. Pirates and their iron and runes. Artemis cast a wary look down at the iron plates before stepping over them. She was careful to not let her bare feet touch them. As she crossed the barrier, movement once again caught her eye. Yes, there was definitely someone there. Small and childlike in a white mask. Like the frog boy. Kith. Part of her whispered that she should tell the old woman about this observer. But the slyer part, the one that always knew to keep your cards close and to always know more than your mark said to hush up and wait. Because at that moment Artemis knew almost nothing. And she needed leverage. She forced her eyes back forward and continued walking. All the while her mind struggled to make sense of what little information she had.

Kith. Pirates. War. Argen. Tree.

…Breakfast?

It was the middle of the night. Why would she eat breakfast now? She just added it to her ever growing mountain of questions she desperately wanted to ask.

"I'm sorry to hear about Argen," Artemis said instead, hoping it would be enough to prompt the old woman to talk.

She came to a stop before the tree. Artemis eyed the weathered bark, ancient and still. It twisted its way through the remains of the cottage, form bent and solid as though it'd been like that for years. As though it hadn't gotten up and moved, spry as you please. Taking a moment to curse herself for offering help, she glanced around. How exactly was she supposed to get rid of this thing? The old woman had the only apparent axe (and even if there were a spare axe laying around, she had no interest in hacking away at this thing). Artemis glanced down at the Lantern in her hand. By all logic, fire plus wooden cottage equalled a bad time, so that option was out. But even if she didn't run the risk of setting the woman's home ablaze, Artemis doubted she'd try to use the Lantern and its furious blaze. Or if she even could.

Artemis slowly walked around the circumference of the trunk until she was in front of the branded rune. She leaned in close and her free hand rose almost without her noticing. Her fingers stopped inches away from the bark. Eyes filled with a mix of nervousness and curiosity, she glanced up at the tree. Nightmares of it living and hungry, holding up the boy in the mask flashed through her mind. The pads of her fingers met the scorched bark. The tree was still. Old woman momentarily forgotten, Artemis pressed the rest of her hand against the rune, feeling the deep grooves it made.

"Your work, I take it." She'd meant to sound appraising, but her words came out in what could only be called a wondered hush. The sound of her voice pulled her back and she quietly berated herself. She needed to get it together.

"Thank you, but I did not do this to be rewarded. I only wish to bring the Forest back from the dark place it has become." She remembered Tyaelaem's tale about how this forest was once a lively place before the dragon was sealed away. "I am no longer Princess of Riverforde. I am the Lady of Light and I wish only to protect and save those that need it." She hoped the Lady of the Pond understood that she was included in that statement.

The Lady's form rippled like water, but her thin smile never wavered.

"Do you?" There was a lilt of amusement in her voice. "Tell me, whom have you helped? Whose life is better now that they've met you? The boy who held that Lantern before you? The old pirate who tried to protect you? The spirits still bound to the Lord of Shadow? The river boy? Hania, Randold, Talan, Simon. Reus. Tyaelaem." Her eyes were cold.

She pressed a hand to her heart. "I am the first to be indebted to the Lady of Light, am I not? You've decided you have no enemies, that your intentions are pure. That you will never return to your throne at Riverforde and your husband-to-be, instead to restore the gods and spirits to a foreign land. To save us all."

Her smile broadened slowly, and she raised a thin hand. The gold-flecked water around the raft began to swirl and churn.

"I'm sure you've realized by now that it is not an accident that you were brought here, Anise Sinclair -- but it is not the reason you think."

Cold water rushed up out of the lake and surrounded Anise's head, filled her mouth and nose, forced itself down her throat. The blue Lantern did not react, but was only passive and hollow. It did not see danger.

"You amuse me. You may well accomplish all you declare. But first you may wish to ask yourself what happened to the last Lady of Light."

When Anise awoke, she was lying face-down and soaked on the raft, floating dangerously close to the shipwreck and the gryphon that could spot her at any moment. The Lady of the Pond had disappeared.

An elegant rune shimmered blue on the back of Anise's right hand. It slowly faded away.

---

"Your work, I take it." She'd meant to sound appraising, but her words came out in what could only be called a wondered hush. The sound of her voice pulled her back and she quietly berated herself. She needed to get it together.

"Of course it is." The old woman watched Artemis with a thoughtful frown. "A rotten boy with a blue Lantern broke into my house and killed my power source, so I was forced to use my own energy. I barely managed to reactivate the barriers before the whole damn forest could come waltzing in uninvited." Frustration and anger motivated her to climb to her feet again, using the axe for balance.

"Then I found Argen half-digested in one of those trees. He was the ambassador from Gryphon's Roost, going to help me contact the rest of the Pirate settlements and warn them that the Dragon was gaining power again -- but the fact that you're here with that tells me it's about to be too late for negotiations."

The old woman stepped to the edge of the roof. "Well, you've found me. I'm the one called the Witch. I'll have you know I don't intend to go down without a fight. To my dying breath I will do everything in my power to ensure that Dragon is sealed away for good."

Her wrinkled mouth set grimly, and she faced Artemis fully expecting to be attacked.

"Do you?" There was a lilt of amusement in her voice. "Tell me, whom have you helped? Whose life is better now that they've met you? The boy who held that Lantern before you? The old pirate who tried to protect you? The spirits still bound to the Lord of Shadow? The river boy? Hania, Randold, Talan, Simon. Reus. Tyaelaem." Her eyes were cold.

Anise's heart sank at the names given. The people she failed. They had all died or suffered in some way for her to get here now. However, she would use their sacrifices to push herself forward to her goal. Towards success instead of failure. "My quest has not been easy, I know." She looked the Lady of the Pond directly in the eyes. "I cannot give up the path I started." After all, she had successes as well: the stranger with the red lantern and the Lady of the Pond herself.

She pressed a hand to her heart. "I am the first to be indebted to the Lady of Light, am I not? You've decided you have no enemies, that your intentions are pure. That you will never return to your throne at Riverforde and your husband-to-be, instead to restore the gods and spirits to a foreign land. To save us all."

She nodded once determinedly. That was right. She would abandon Riverforde and her fiance. She knew that returning there after this life changing experience would be a mistake. Her connection to that place was superficial now that she had time to experience this world. She had grown up behind the safety of Father's castle after all with nothing but stories as her outside experience. "That is right. I abandon Riverforde. I don't think I could ever be happy with returning there anyways."

Her smile broadened slowly, and she raised a thin hand. The gold-flecked water around the raft began to swirl and churn.

"I'm sure you've realized by now that it is not an accident that you were brought here, Anise Sinclair -- but it is not the reason you think."

Anise hardly noticed the water as her focus was completely on the Lady of the Pond before her. Maybe she was destined to be here. If it wasn't for the reason she believed then she would find out why. She doubted that the Lady of the Pond would tell her though, so she decided not to ask. This would be something she'd have to find out for herself.

Cold water rushed up out of the lake and surrounded Anise's head, filled her mouth and nose, forced itself down her throat. The blue Lantern did not react, but was only passive and hollow. It did not see danger.

Startled, Anise struggled slightly as the water enveloped her. She was surprised and shocked about what happened. She was choking, but something told her that she wasn't dying, and the fact that the Lantern did not react helped her stay calm somewhat. Somehow, she heard the Lady of the Pond's last words to her.

"You amuse me. You may well accomplish all you declare. But first you may wish to ask yourself what happened to the last Lady of Light."

Then all faded to black. When she came to she was drenched and closer to the shipwreck. She looked around searching for the Lady of the Pond, but to no avail. She noticed the blue rune glowing on her hand and slowly fading and closely watched it inspecting it before it became too hard to see. She then refocused her attention on the nearer shipwreck. She grabbed the pole and pushed the raft closer to the wreck understanding the danger she was approaching. She decided that she would deal with the gryphon as soon as it became an issue to deal with. Right now there was little she could do, but forge ahead and make her way to the next Lantern.

Artemis pulled her eyes away from the rune and straightened up. She looked up to see the witch. An absurd thought occurred to her then.

She thinks I'm a threat.

Now wasn't that just a hoot. A smile was growing on Artemis' face despite herself. Because really. Really. A laugh began bubbling up her chest and before she could stop it was spilling out of her. Bright and joyous and more than a little inappropriate for the situation. Tears were growing in her eyes, and she fought to compose herself before she came across as completely unhinged.

"Excuse me," she forced the words out between her laughter, "but you're very welcoming to someone you believe means you harm." She took a step backwards away from the tree so as to get a better view of the witch. She had no idea where the hell she was. Or how she'd gotten here. Or why. But if nothing else she'd managed to bullshit her way this far through life (and look where it'd gotten her).

"I am Artemis," she said with an elegant curtsy that contradicted her current state of… disarray. She'd considered giving a pseudonym for half a moment, but Artemis was good enough, she supposed. No one knew here here. At least, she hoped no one did. That would be an awkward encounter. "A pleasure," she said with a coy smile as she straightened up. "I'm… a traveler, you could say. I heard tell of the growing danger of the Lanterns and thought I should investigate for myself. I found this red Lantern in a most precarious position, and in fact just saw the blue Lantern not too long ago." She paused then, her smile falling away. Her head tilted to the side. "Ah, but I've made you uncomfortable." Artemis dipped her head in a small bow. "You'll please forgive me." She looked back up, and her smile was back, but softer. "I'll leave you to your," her eyes flicked back to the tree, "renovations." She smiled and nodded again, and turned. She walked back towards the barrier, a frantic prayer whirling in her mind.

Take the bait take the bait takethebait please by all that is sane do not make me go out into that forest again.

The Witch's eyes never wavered, and neither did her expression or her squared stance -- even as Artemis laughed uncontrollably, and gave her explanation, and turned her back with the Lantern in-hand. But when the Witch spoke again, the defensive edge was gone from her firm voice, replaced with a guarded question.

"In order to bring you here, Artemis --" she called to the young woman's retreating back, "you and the others -- the Dragon reached into other worlds and slowly sucked the life out of whatever it found there. For years it's been drawing power from the dead and dying. Now you kids are popping up everywhere. You might fool a Kith, girl, but there have been no strangers on this island in centuries."

For a moment she glared, but finally huffed a sigh. "Come on, then, come back." With an awkward scramble and her skirt bunched in one hand, the Witch lowered herself off the roof. She stood bent over for a moment to catch her breath, and straightened. "I'll believe you've got your right mind, at least. So come in and have some tea, if there are any cups that haven't been smashed."

She grumbled and hiked over tree roots and upturned grass, around to the door of the cottage that had been left agape. Inside was a complete wreck of torn books, broken dishes, scattered dried herbs, a busted clock, jars leaking strange liquids, and a dead tuft-tailed rat in a cage -- it had been stabbed a day ago, the blood was dry. In the corner beside the window, a crude iron bird was perched on the back of a chair.

While the Witch rummaged in the shattered cabinets for usable cups, outside across the barrier two masked children were watching, surrounded by fireflies. They'd come out of hiding, now that the Witch couldn't see them: a skinny boy in a white wooden cat mask, perched precisely on a thin bough, and a smaller girl with shaggy blond hair, hiding half-behind the trunk, staring through the eyes of a white mouse mask. The boy pointed at Artemis and said something to the girl, who craned her neck to see.

---

The lake glimmered with a golden sheen in the blue moonlight, softened by the light of the Lantern. The raft cast shining ripples across the surface.

The gryphon had spotted her at a distance, and watched each of Anise's movements closely. It was white as the tree it was perched in, its lion's tail twitching beneath the bough. The creature was harnessed and saddled, with armored haunches and tended talons.

With Anise's guidance, the raft glided closer to the mossy, broken wreck that had once been a proud galleon. Remnants of a black flag still hung in tatters at the stern, where old windows gaped cold and empty. Vines and flowers and dead white roots had claimed the ship, tearing open the hull, where Anise could see through gaping jagged holes to the rotted boxes and hammocks still inside.

The white tree grew twisting out of the center of the wreck, covered in splintered dead branches, its veiny boughs reaching up into the starry sky. The tree seemed to be glowing slightly from within. The tree was softly ticking.

The gryphon suddenly decided that Anise was getting too close. It shifted its wings and tossed its beak.

"SKRAAK!"

A moment later, a pirate rushed across the deck of the decaying ship and jumped up onto the railing to see the intruder for himself. He was well-armored in rune-engraved iron and leather.

Immediately upon spotting Anise's mask, the pirate withdrew his sword and leveled it at her. A bright shock of lightning flashed in an arc that would have killed Anise instantly were it not for the blue Lantern. The dragon's egg flashed, and the lightning diverted into the water just beside the raft. The lake flashed and sizzled briefly. Fish floated to the surface.

While the pirate lowered his sword in surprise, the gryphon whipped open its wings and dove for Anise, its talons stretched wide.

Anise barely had any time to be surprised at the reaction the Lantern had to the lightning of the sword. The gryphon soon after dove right for her. She had hardly a moment to think. How could she defend against it? She could throw her will at it and hope that it and the Lantern combined would be enough, but she imagined there might be some protections against the Lantern's power. However, the power of the Dragon did defeat the lightning of the pirate's sword. More than anything, she didn't want to kill either of them. Knowing the paranoia of the pirates about the Dragon, she'd have to incapacitate them somehow to get the Lantern here.

The ship wasn't far away maybe she could dive into the lake and swim the remaining distance. Except, that would probably be suicide because the water would drench whatever clothing she had left and slow her down heavily as soon as she left the water.

She then realized that she was probably being attacked because she was wearing a mask and probably had been mistaken for a Kith. She braced herself and threw up her will against the gryphon. She wanted to make it think she was more to the side than she actually was causing it to dive into the water. If she could project her emotions and thoughts into other creatures perhaps she had the power to make them believe something that wasn't true. She had no doubt that she could make this work.

Artemis kept her back turned as the old woman spoke. Her mouth began to skew into a displeased frown, though she was careful to keep her posture even. That hadn't gone according to plan. Berating herself for such sloppy work, Artemis schooled her face into something more neutral. She turned back around to see the witch clambering down from the roof.

A reevaluation was in order.

She followed the witch into her mangled cottage, ducking around the odd tree branch protruding from the walls. Artemis didn't bother to hide the way she looked around, trying to make sense of the environment. This old woman… this witch, she wouldn't stand for false charm or niceties. And she clearly already knew who Artemis was. Or at least, she knew the situation. Blunt and guarded, and too clever to be fooled easily.

Artemis wrapped another character around herself.

Standing in the doorframe, she centered herself around the heat from the Lantern in her hand. She felt the weight of the rosary around her wrist and the rabbit mask tied at her waist. Her bare, dirty feet against the ground.

She focused her blue gaze on the witch. When she spoke, her voice was a little less slick, a little less composed. Artemis wanted to kick herself at how her voice seemed to quake ever so slightly, as though she were some lost child.

"Where am I?"

If she could project her emotions and thoughts into other creatures perhaps she had the power to make them believe something that wasn't true. She had no doubt that she could make this work.

Deep within the Lantern, the Dragon howled. A piercing ringing filled Anise's ears and shot through her skull, tinted violet. She'd attempted to move a missing limb -- and the Dragon snarled with phantom pain.

A storm of claws and feathers rushed up at Anise and whisked her into the air, long talons clamped tight around her. The raft shrank far below her, and great wings flapped higher, banked and turned back toward the broken ship. For a short while, Anise had a view of the island that she'd only seen in the Dragon's dreams: in the darkness and through the hawk mask's eyes, the red Lantern sparked bright not far away; the green and violet Lanterns shone together atop a far-off mountain.

The gryphon dove suddenly and dropped Anise a few feet above the ship's deck. As soon as Anise hit the deck, the pirate slammed a foot down on the Lantern.

"That's a pretty glowy thing you got there." He grinned down at her, leaning his weight on the Lantern. He was armored to the teeth in mismatched and dented iron and leather, carved with runes and painted with crude drawings of flowers and birds -- as if a child had used his armor as a canvas. Behind him, the gryphon sat down and stared steadily at Anise.

"Where do you think a squirrel like this got a pretty sort of thing like that?" the pirate asked the gryphon without taking his eyes off the Lantern.

---

She focused her blue gaze on the witch. When she spoke, her voice was a little less slick, a little less composed. Artemis wanted to kick herself at how her voice seemed to quake ever so slightly, as though she were some lost child.

"Where am I?"

The Witch pumped water into a kettle and watched Artemis out of the corner of her eye, grinning faintly.

"You're in my house," she stated factually, as if this weren't the most obvious answer. The kettle clattered onto a grate and with a wave of her hand a little flame huffed to life beneath it. She gestured with the same hand at a chair that was laden heavily with a stack of books -- the only reason it had survived the tree-attack. "Just throw all that stuff on the floor. It's not like it's not all ruined anyway. Sit down, sit down." She completely ignored the fact that Artemis had yet to cross the threshold, and instead assumed the girl was just a bit dense.

The kettle whistled, the Witch filled a cup, and she pushed aside a ferocious stuffed monkeybat and placed the cup and saucer before Artemis. Tea leaves floated freely in the cup. It smelled like ginger and chocolate.

"If you're looking for a more specific answer, you're in the Forest, which is adjacent to the Mountains, which borders the Wasteland, which is all packed up on the Island, which is surrounded by nothing but water for the entirety of the rest of this forsaken nameless world as far as anyone knows." She poured another cup for herself. "I know where you come from, and I know you can't go back. I'm sorry but you're stuck here with the rest of us."

The Witch righted a stool and sat down to sip her tea under a broken dead branch that invaded through the kitchen window. "But it isn't bad, once you get used to the man-eating trees and blood-rats. There's a tin of biscuits beside you there, help yourself. When you're done we'll get you cleaned up. I think I have an extra set of boots, and you can pick from the armor closet. The boys leave their trash here every time they get a new enchantment, like I have a use for worn-out chainmail."

She took another thoughtful sip. The Witch rarely had anyone to talk to besides Reus, who'd gone missing and showed no signs of returning. Her eyes were drawn to the bright red Lantern. "So tell me where you're from, Artemis," she said pleasantly. "I bet you're from someplace perfectly normal, where there's sensible physics and civilization and sunlight."