Artemis was quick to try and hush the gryphon. With wide eyes, she bent forward, a palm held out to it.

"Hey, hey, shhhh," she whispered with a glance at the Pirate. He seemed to be enjoying his game of cat and mouse. "Who even needs some stupid branch, huh?" At least now she didn't have to throw herself at a murder tree. Artemis crept forward, still wary of it no matter how tame it appeared. She reached the barrier again, hand still outstretched. Her fingers found the delicate feathers above the gryphon's beak. Artemis paused when she had a thought. Raising an eyebrow, she moved her hand and started scratching to the side of the gryphon's head – roughly where the ears would be.

A screech and a flash came from inside the Witch's gone. Artemis snapped to attention. The Witch's silhouette behind the blinds was gone. Panic burst in Artemis' chest, stronger than she'd felt in a lifetime. But worse than that was the sudden guilt. Not stopping to think of the gryphon or the Pirate, she darted over the barrier and into the hut, frantically scanning the inside. Where'd she gone? What'd happened to her?! Was she alright, was –

Her eyes found the Lantern. Realization at what she was doing struck her still. Why was she panicking so? She'd known the Witch all of ten minutes before… running. Artemis shook her head to herself. The Witch was probably fine, and she'd just poofed away or something. Either way, it wasn't her concern.

Artemis glanced at the wardrobe she'd stood before a few minutes ago. Old habits started to kick up. Doing her best to shove aside the guilt, Artemis hurried towards it and yanked it open. Her hand found the familiar staff, worn smooth and etched with old runes. Artemis had no idea what those did. Or how to use them. Or if they even worked at all. But the staff was something, at least. Artemis turned to hurry back out the door before the Pirate – or worse yet, the Witch – caught her stealing. The Kith mask probably wouldn't help matters. She paused at the boots the Witch'd offered her, still laid out. She stuffed her feet into them to find they fit well enough.

She couldn't help but be captured by the Lantern's crimson glow again. Light filled the room like a song, melodic and inviting. Artemis crinkled her eyebrows together, tightening her grip on the staff.

It was better off with the Witch. Not Artemis.

Without another glance, she hurried out the door.

"Psst," she hissed at the gryphon. So out hadn't worked. How about up? Artemis waggled the staff at the gryphon. "See? Much better than some half rotten branch." Artemis started spinning it, as fast as she could. "Tell you what – you get me out of here and somewhere sane, we play fetch with this thing all you want." Great. Now she was trying to make a deal with a bird. Lion. Whatever. Artemis'd had a weird enough day. She was done questioning things. As soon as she'd built up enough momentum, she threw the staff as high as it would go, the staff spinning fast enough in the night sky that it almost looked like a solid disk hanging with the moon.

She finally focused her gaze on the Witch all while pulling out any Light she could find within herself out. "I am the Lady of the Light." She projected her voice towards the Witch. "I have been acknowledged so by the Lady of the Pond. I am here to free this Forest of this perpetual darkness and to bring balance back. I need the power of the Dragon and the assistance of the other Lords and Ladies in order to accomplish this task. I will not be deterred."

To Anise, her own voice boomed through the starry emptiness that lay deep within the Lantern. There was a deep power in it -- a power that filled her chest and made her senses come alive. Through the eyes of the hawk mask she saw the other Lanterns grow brighter: the green atop the mountain, the violet in the forest at its base, the red in the woods behind her. The blue Lantern in her grasp flared brighter than all of them.

The white Lantern within the tree pushed its light through the fissure in the metal. The tree began to splinter and crack, and the fissure widened; the white and blue Lanterns, together, could force the opening to widen.

The symbol on the back of Anise's hand began to glow again. The lake below her shimmered and roiled, bright with sparks of gold.

To Peck, Anise's voice -- echoing in his head -- caused him to nearly lose his grip on the branch. He clung tightly, and he stared with wide eyes at the tattered princess in the grip of a branch, illuminated in the Lantern's brightness.

But Anise would feel a block when it came to the Witch: she wore several runes on her person that prevented the blue Lantern from penetrating her mind. She stood firmly on the deck of the ship, staring up at Anise with an expression of anger and pity.

"The Lady of the Pond is an ally of the Lord of Shadow," the Witch shouted factually. "The Dragon is a trickster and a demon. You are in no way the Lady of Light, who died centuries ago and can never return. You're a silly girl who's been at the wrong end of a bad joke for too long."

The Witch held up an iron sigil, and a second tree branch flung Anise's mask off her face and into the lake before it tightened around her throat.

"I'm sorry," the Witch sighed, no less determined. "You've been brainwashed so badly by now that it's too dangerous to let you live."

The branch around Anise's throat cut off her air. The blue Lantern flashed even brighter; the lake churned angrily.

Peck threw himself out of the tree and tackled the surprised Witch to the deck.

The tree suddenly released Anise and dropped her onto a wide lower branch, safe and alive.

While the Witch was dazed, Peck pinned her down with a knee, grabbed her iron sigil and flung it into the lake. He frowned up at Anise, craning his neck to see her illuminated form against the stars. "Hurry and get out of here!" he roared up at her.

---

The gryphon had warbled and nuzzled Artemis in response to her attentions, and would have been content to have spent the night being pet -- but then she ran off to the Witch's house, and the gryphon trotted hopefully after her. It stared in the window while she scavenged for a weapon and armor, and it was already hopping excitedly when she emerged again better prepared than before. It chirped and waggled its tail and flared its wings, happy beyond measure at the idea of playtime.

And then, the staff was spinning in the air and the gryphon turned its back on her and dropped its hindquarters like a cat ready to pounce, wings stretched. Artemis would have a split second to act before it launched itself high into the starry sky.

The gryphon flapped to catch the breeze, snapped its beak to catch the spinning staff, and soared gracefully over the moonlit trees.

From this height, the geography of most of the island could be seen. A bright blue light pulsed at the center of a gold-shimmering lake a few miles from the Witch's house; a pinprick of green light flashed atop the lone mountain; a dimmer violet light shone among the trees at the mountain's base; and below, the light of the red Lantern sifted through the holes in the roof. Downstream from the lake, a great swath of the forest was black and burnt, all dead and empty save for a single small fire that burned at its center.

The pirate had been in the middle of a new death threat for the pair of Kith when the silhouette of his gryphon caught his eye. He ran toward the scene, stumbling over the repaired saddle, and he stopped with his head tilted upward in rage. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, high-pitched -- but a glowing fruit burst its juices all over his face, and the kith skittered away toward the top of the tree, laughing, eager to climb closer to the gryphon in flight.

---

The deer-masked girl and the sparrow-boy jumped aside at Aslynn's armed approach; they didn't dare come near as the ropes were cut -- at least until they had time to assess their new opponent.

The little armored boy rushed to Aslynn's side and clung to her feverishly, gulping back a sob. He'd been taught to be brave and to stand his ground -- and now that he had Aslynn beside him he wiped his eyes and glared in adorable ferociousness as the two masked children.

The deer-girl stood straighter, with the poise of a practiced dancer. She had a long sharpened staff in one hand. She stared at Aslynn through the dark hollow eyes of her mask, and she noted the violet lantern and the expert grip of the sword.

"You're right," she said smoothly, taunting. "We don't usually tie them up. We kill them."

She spun the staff with deadly ease, and launched an attack on Aslynn, prepared to drive the sharpened wood through Aslynn's heart -- but Aslynn had the skill to avoid being attacked, and to attack in return. The deer-girl was an equal match, blow-for-blow -- but at the mere touch of iron, either by the sword or by the lantern, she would back off, burned terribly by the touch.

Meanwhile, the sparrow-masked boy stood behind, spinning a rock in a sling over his head, waiting for the right moment to launch it at Aslynn.

The violet Lantern's glow brightened like a small sun, in response to something that was happening elsewhere. Aslynn would feel a rush of energy coursing through her -- and she would know, instinctively, that anything she imagined was at her fingertips.

She only had to dream it.

Anise didn't have time to even think about being surprised at herself for the force of energy she pulled out from within. She noticed the lanterns flare off in this distance and nearly was blinded by the brightness of her own. As she reached out towards the Witch she recognized that something was blocking the Lantern's power off. The sensation while unpleasant was something she had somewhat expected from someone as powerful as a witch. Worse off, her speech had no positive effect.

"The Lady of the Pond is an ally of the Lord of Shadow," the Witch shouted factually. "The Dragon is a trickster and a demon. You are in no way the Lady of Light, who died centuries ago and can never return. You're a silly girl who's been at the wrong end of a bad joke for too long."

Anise shook her head and raised the now-glowing symbol on her hand towards the Witch. "No, I fr-"

She was interrupted when the Witch made another branch smack the mask off of her face causing it to go flying and then wrapped itself around her throat.

"I'm sorry," the Witch sighed, no less determined. "You've been brainwashed so badly by now that it's too dangerous to let you live."

She struggled as the air began to leave her. Was this it? After all she had been through? This was her end? She didn't want to accept it. She refused to believe that she was going to die here. Suddenly she was dropped onto a lower branch and when she looked to see what was going on, she saw Peck had taken the Witch down.

"Hurry and get out of here!" he roared up at her.

She nodded once and glanced up at the White Lantern. She had a feeling that this would be her only chance to retrieve this Lantern. She refused to let another one just within her grasp escape her. She reached out with the Lantern towards the branches of the tree. Please, bring me back to the level where the Lantern is. If they didn't respond, she would climb up as quickly as she could.

She reached for the White Lantern with the assistance of the Blue Lantern in order to see if together they could open the fissure enough for her to grab the White Lantern. When she did, she slammed the side of the Lantern into the metal of the tree trunk in order to weaken the bonds of the Dragon's Egg so they could work in tandem to free each other completely. Her heart pounded with excitement and anticipation.

Aslynn tilted her head taking the time to actually observe the two in front of her, they didn't seem much older than the small boy she had just helped. Perhaps it was feud between clans, it wasn't that uncommon and children could be cruel but she felt a small tinge of uneasiness at raising a sword towards them. The dull rusted metal gleamed slightly, she could tell it was old and most of it's edge was gone, the only thing left were a few jagged teeth caused by the blade chipping from use. The extra weight suddenly attaching itself to her side almost drew the young woman off balance as she looked down, a soft smile at the small boys show of courage before offering him the sword.

"This is yours isn't it? Thank you for letting me borrow it."

She smiled again wrapping his hand around the hilt before gently prying him off her side moving him so he was standing right behind her when the girls cold haughty words rushed over her. The uneasiness was soon replaced with the anger from early. In truth fighting with the broken sword wasn't easy, it was unbalanced and warped from the years it had seen. Straightening back up she ruffled the small boys hair before turning to face the pair again, her eyes cold and glinting like steel, her left heel slide back slightly widening her stance as she watched the young girl easily handle the make shift spear, the soft twang of the sling cutting through the air reached her ears as well. The tense silence was almost tangible as she could feel the fear from the small boy behind, the warmth from the lantern was still washing over her.

"Well, I don't usually beat up kids, but I never turn down a fight."

A grin broke out across her face as she shrugged swinging the lantern slightly, it had enough heft to it that it would do some damage if she could land a hit with it. The blacksmith watched as the deer masked girl lunged at her ducking under it before offering a wide swing of the lantern in reply keeping an eye on the boy with the sling. "Two against one, isn't that a little bit unfair?" She knew it was a pointless question but she asked it anyway laugh softly while dodging the girls attacks, the lantern had skimmed her once leaving a bright red burn but she had received a small gash on her cheek in return from her. The power of the lantern flooded through her beckoning and coaxing her to create, to summon forth monsters, to bring forth weapons of power into this strange world. The dark hunger behind it was quickly masked behind a more gentle nature, one that tried to portray a sense of help and wonder.

Unsettled by the strange thoughts flooding her mind, Aslynn received a nasty scrap up her arm for her lack of concentration a hiss escaping her lips as her teeth gritted in pain and anger, she knew she was at a disadvantage but she wasn't going to take the boy's weapon again, the desire for a weapon flooded the lantern and their was a flash of purple as a wooden sword appeared in her hand. The grip was warm and familiar, the straight back with the curved edge made for an odd shaped weapon but a giddy laugh escaped her lips as her eyes focused on the lantern. 'Is this what it meant when it whispered about creation?' There was a sense of awe in her thoughts before she shook her head snapping herself out of it, gently setting the lantern down at her feet she pointed the end of the blade towards the pair holding it with both hands, exhaling slowly her red hair followed behind her like a banner as she slammed the flat side of the blade into the deer-girl's stomach before spinning around bring the hilt up into the sparrow's chin.

Whether it was enough to render them unconscious or not, Aslynn would have to wait and see as she walked back over towards the armored boy, the sword hanging limply in her left hand as her right put pressure on the cut on her arm, the gash on her cheek had already closed leaving a trail of dried blood on her cheek. 'Did I really need to get into a fight as soon as I got here...wherever here is...' The dark thought echoed in her mind before she smiled at the boy again.

"The name's Aslynn, what's yours?"

The gryphon's wings unfolded, stark white in the dark of the forest. Artemis didn't have time to think before the beast took off. With the mask's electricity thrumming through her veins, she surged forward, wrapping her arms around the gryphon's neck.

And then she was flying.

She may have also been screaming.

Without a proper saddle, finding a comfortable seat was almost impossible. Though of course, Artemis doubted she'd have managed it even with one. She'd never ridden a gryphon before. She'd never seen a gryphon before. Long, willowy arms were twined tight around its thick neck, her knees trying to find a hold over its back through her skirts. The wind's frigid bite slashed at her exposed skin. Artemis could feel the way impossible wings moved and beat beneath her chest. The Lantern, Kith, and Pirate were forgotten on the forest floor far below.

And then suddenly the chaos parted, and gave way to quiet. Something changed in the gryphon, the way it moved. Its wings no longer pumped furiously against gravity. Instead they were still and extended, as though gliding. The wind was still there, but not so harsh – it pulled at her hair and clothes without cutting. Artemis cracked an eye open. She immediately regretted it.

"<Hooooly shit shitshitshit> shit."

Her grip tightened even more as she looked down at the forest canopy. It was very far away.

Artemis was flying.

A laugh, half delight and half hysteria trickled out of her. She was fairly certain she was going to be sick. Her grip loosened just enough for her to push her head up and look out at the island she was now trapped on. Pinpricks of light winked at her from different locations. Her eyebrows scrunched a bit when she found an enormous, blackened swatch of land. A tiny light, like a lone star in the night sky blinked in the middle. Artemis pushed herself up another inch, leaning a bit to try and get a better look. Hadn't the frog said something about a forest fire?

"Wha – aaAAEEEEEEEI!"

The gryphon started to dive. Its wings pulled back, almost folding over Artemis as her arms clamped down again. She was fairly certain her body was starting to lift off the gryphon's back, her aching arms the only things anchoring her to it. Then the wings unfurled again, there was a sharp pull up, and Artemis went tumbling off the gryphon and onto blessed ground.

Artemis fell head over heels, rolling on soot-blackened earth. Ash stained everything from her skin, to her ruined clothes, to her silver hair as she finally landed flat on her back. Coughing through the soot, Artemis struggled to push herself up to a sitting position. A dirty hand came up to yank the rabbit mask from her face, in an attempt to breathe better. The gryphon, looking entirely too pleased with itself, trotted over and dropped the staff into her lap. This did not help her breathing problem. Through the coughing, Artemis looked up at the gryphon. It looked back at her, eager and waiting, with its head cocked to the side.

With a groan, Artemis felt her arms give out under her and she collapsed back into the ash.

"The name's Aslynn, what's yours?"

The little armored boy stared up at Aslynn in wide-eyed respect, his sword held tightly in his small hands with a trained grip. He would have jumped into the fray if he'd had any indication that Aslynn had been in trouble. He'd just been biding his time.

"Cod, Ma'am." He stood straight and bowed to her, and he chanced a glance over at the deer and the sparrow shifting dazedly in the grass in the pale violet light. "M'name is Cod, Miss Aslynn. Did you really use the Lantern to make a sword?" He pointed gingerly at the wooden sword with the curved blade. "I thought I could use it to make a wall that'd keep the Kith out of our village, but it wouldn't work for me. Baba says it only works for people who've seen the sun. Have you really seen the sun, Miss Aslynn?" he asked with the sort of wonder as if Aslynn might have met Santa Claus.

Branches shuddered, and a high-pitched, tittering screech rang out through the forest. Shadows crossed between the trees and voices murmured.

Cod gripped his sword in one hand and grasped Aslynn's fingers in the other. "More are coming!" he declared heroically. "Kith come in packs, we have to run! This way, I know a secret path."

He urged her into a darker part of the forest, toward the mountain.

"Wha – aaAAEEEEEEEI!"

A terrified scream rang out above them: over their heads, the great wings of a gryphon soared in silhouette against the moon, carrying a long stick in its beak.

White masks appeared among the trees around Aslynn and Cod, but the armored child didn't slow down -- until a root underfoot surged out of the ground and Cod tripped, his grip on Aslynn's hand saving him. The tree branches moved unnaturally, like reaching arms and veinous fingers. Fireflies gathered ahead, hovering and flashing invitingly; Cod dragged Aslynn away from them. "Don't let them see you!" he whispered loudly, leading her down a slope between the close walls of boulders.

Atop the boulder, a group of five Kith crouched, laughing. "We can see that Lantern from miles away!" one of them hollered, while another -- wearing the mask of a monkey -- picked up a stone and chucked it with incredible speed at the back of Aslynn's head. Two others broke into a sprint across the stones to head them off.

Ahead, at the end of the stone passage, the trees broke and the path continued up the moonlit slope of the mountain.

---

The gryphon stood hopefully over Artemis, its tufted tail swinging, even after she'd gone quiet and exhausted on the ashen ground. It whined deep in its throat, patted the ground with its enormous paws -- and finally sat on its haunches with a low hum of boredom.

The landscape around them was black, with scarred trees burned to a dead white crisp. The moon shone bright down upon them and cast a pale glow on the dead ash. The ground under Artemis was slightly damp, and not far away a smolder of an old fire still breathed tendrils of smoke. The trees were freshly burned and had been doused in water not more than a day ago. Everything smelled sweet like smoke and damp wood. Artemis might hear a distant rush of churning water.

"Nap like that there too long and the blood-rats'll getcha." A man's smiling voice called out toward Artemis. He sat lazily in the branches of a dead white tree, watching her with a grin. His skin was dark as the charred ground, he was thin and sinewy as a reed, and he wore a simple peasant's clothes. Below him, a bonfire crackled, made of gathered snapped branches and curled weeds.

"I heard a sun-child set the fire. That wasn't you by any chance, was it?"

---

Anise would feel the shift of the tree's compliance, like the flip of a switch, now that the Witch was incapacitated and distracted. The tree was very much dead, but the magic the Witch had used to control it had shifted to Anise's will through the power of the Lantern. The branches gently lifted her higher, toward the bright glow of the moon, and set her down beside the white-bright fissure in the trunk.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

Anise's attempts to break the blue Lantern's casing against the tree was announced to the entire lake through the echo of metallic banging -- but it was not without reward. The white Lantern's power was seeping into the blue, and something fresh and cool and exhilarating rushed through Anise, mixed with the ferocious desire that the blue Lantern barely contained.

The fissure widened suddenly -- at the same time, the casing of the blue Lantern snapped.

Power rushed into Anise's veins like electricity.

The blue dragon's egg was freed.

Anise need only grip the edge of the fissure, and the Witch's magic -- now controlled by the Lady of Light -- would do the rest. The metal folded away, and the white Lantern was exposed to her, glowing bright and surrounded by ticking gears and winding threads.

The moment she touched it, the electric power was combined with the feeling of floating -- just before her body lifted slightly off the tree, suspended by nothing at all but the power of the white Lantern.

The blue egg knew how to fly. It whispered to Anise the dragon's instinct.

Below, a small explosion flung Peck away and against the tree, hitting his head. The Witch got to her feet in a monstrous rage, and with a flick of her wrist three spears of ice materialized out of the lake and sped like bullets at Anise's chest.

---

Deep in the darkest depths of the forest, the Lord of Shadow was not happy.

WHY IS SHE ALIVE! he roared to his quivering army of dead souls, his eyes blazing, and the trees surrounding him withered in fear. The release of the Spirit egg from its iron confines had resounded among the Lords and Ladies of the elements -- and now its power was amplified by the Lantern of Flight, which also gave his adversary the ability to quickly find the rest of the eggs and accomplish her infuriating goal.

THIS ONE, TOO. A PAIN IN MY ASS. He pointed in the general direction of the burned-out wastes, where Artemis was communing with an enemy and not at all doing what she was supposed to do. The Lord of Shadow had given her the Lantern of Fire for a reason -- had thrown her in the path of the False-Lady-of-Light for a reason -- and Artemis had completely defied and destroyed all of the Lord of Shadow's hopes for her. She was powerless and worthless to him now.

AND NOW THERE'S ANOTHER ONE. He growled, exasperated, as one of his ghostly spies reported to have found a sun-child bearing the Lantern of Illusion, currently caught in the fight between Kith and Pirate. STAY WITH HER. DON'T LET HER OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. AND DON'T LET HER DROP THAT LANTERN. JAM IT DOWN HER THROAT IF YOU HAVE TO. He wouldn't let Artemis' mistake happen with Aslynn. He was finished trusting the important things to incompetent henchmen.

Speaking of which.

JASPER. The Lord of Shadow -- a presence of sweeping darkness, brimming with power and authority -- sat in his throne of black charred bones and summoned the old pirate to his presence.

Jasper Neary -- the old pirate whom Anise had killed in cold blood -- stepped forward, shuddering in fright. His performance in the service of the Lord of Shadow had been dismal, to say the least. He'd failed to kill Anise when she was most vulnerable, he'd failed to enlist the loyalty of Artemis, and he'd let the Lantern of Fire be locked up in the Witch's house, the one place none of them could reach it.

YOU'RE FIRED, JASPER. The Lord of Shadow waved his dark clawed hand, and blood erupted from the old pirate's skull where Anise had bashed it in. His body went cold and bluish-white, and fell limp, to the jeering and screeching of the monkeybats hopping in the trees above. Jasper's soul turned black like the others, chained to the will of the Lord of Shadow.

The Lord of Shadow huffed in frustration, snarled, surged to his feet, and paced the clearing while the blood-rats feasted on the old pirate's corpse. He tapped the intelligence of his spies throughout the forest, saw Anise flinging herself through the air, saw Artemis lying in soot, saw Aslynn fending off Kith with a wooden sword, saw -- hang on.

A slow, fangy smile drew across the Lord of Shadow's face. Yes. Yes, he'd nearly forgotten. Oh, it was perfect. It seemed forever ago that he had restored that free spirit to its former corpse, just to see what it would do -- just to keep it as a pet. Now there was little time left to set everything in motion, to take advantage of the wild card he'd had in his hand all along -- the one thing that could withstand and control the power of the False-Lady-of-Light.

The Lord of Shadow moved through the darkness, and he materialized out of the shadow of a tree, just out of sight of a campfire. A hunting party of Pirates sat beside the fire, playing cards, their backs to him and their weapons at ready.

His pet was, at this moment, tied pathetically to a tree. The pirates had captured it and were holding it captive, possibly because it smelled like death and darkness -- probably because Pirates simply never trusted strangers.

I know what you want.

The Lord of Shadow whispered into the weakened prisoner's ear. Grinning.

To watch the light fade from the eyes of the pure. To spill the blood of the self-proclaimed innocent. To stand powerful while the world decays. We can be of assistance to one another, you and I. Give me your soul, and my power is yours."

An agreement -- a deal -- was far more powerful than simply taking what he wanted. The Lord of Shadow had every intention of filling this new pet with every ability he possessed; with a hand over its face and a chilling flood of needle-sharp pain, and a cold bloom of raw power in its chest.

The Lord of Shadow had every intention of creating a monster.

Anise felt both exhilarated and awed by the power that now flowed through her by the completely freed blue egg. As she yanked the White Lantern from the tree she knew very much now that she could fly and an explosion of joy and ecstasy flooded through her. She could do what the gryphon could and it was wonderful.

She heard the explosion as Peck was launched into the tree and she watched as the Witch stood back up and flicked her wrist at her. Ice materialized from the lake and went flying towards Anise faster than she could imagine. She flew around the tree as quickly as she could to break line of sight from the Witch and get a barrier between her and the icicles, but one clipped her left arm and another opened a gash in her left side.

Anise yelled out in pain as she was hit. After she made it to the other side of the tree she considered briefly going back to rescue Peck, but she knew he was too close to the Witch for her to rescue him. She hoped that Reus had gotten out of there safely too. She hesitated struggling to decide her next course of action. She flew lower to the ground as she made her choice.

She closed her eyes. "I promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone die if I could help it." Then an idea popped in her head, if the White Lantern could let her fly, perhaps she could make other things fly. She peeked around the tree and looked at the dirt before the Witch she reached out to the dirt with the power of both eggs and called for it to fly into the Witch's face to blind her. If this succeeded, then she would save Peck.

The Shadows words washed all over Arin, filling him to the brim with pure, passionate yearning that could ironically elevate him to heaven, if not for the part where heaven was no place for a boy who dreamed of death and destruction night and day to the point where it drove him to the very brink of madness, if not beyond it.

To watch the light fade from the eyes of the pure. To spill the blood of the self-proclaimed innocent. To stand powerful while the world decays.

Arin's demons were as ecstatic as a child the night before Christmas. His entire body began to shake involuntarily. His muscles ached for zealous action. Even the lack of liquids within his body as a result of hours upon hours without hydration didn't stop the inside of his mouth from salivating. Yes, the boy was still alive, still breathing, and still as delusional as he was the moment he arrived to the island.

We can be of assistance to one another, you and I. Give me your soul, and my power is yours.

If one happened to gaze into Arin's eyes, they would see pupils as large and black as the shadows that spoke to him as a result of the euphoria he felt hearing the Lord of Shadow speak directly to him and his woeful desires. He could not even focus on one specific pirate. His eyes shot rapidly back and forth between the entire group, thinking, planning, yearning to set their useless souls free. He saw not pirates, not humans, to him they were a mere waste of space, a waste of life, and deserved nothing more than to be purged from this world. No, they didn't deserve to, they needed to.

By chance, one of the pirates happened to glance at their captive as he sat with his back against the tree, his arms tied to its trunk with rope. The pirates eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat as he lost grip of the playing cards in his hands. He had looked the boy directly in the eyes, and realized one thing, the only thing they needed to know about him.

The boy was truly destined to serve the darkness that had plagued their entire lives.

"My soul is yours," Arin exclaimed in pure exhilaration. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead, moving side to side as a result of his trembling body. "MY SOUL IS YOURS," He repeated, louder than before. "MY SOUL IS YOURS, MY SOUL IS YOURS,"

The boy was filled to the brim with exhilaration, unaware of the tension and strain this euphoria caused on his body as a result of it being tied to the tree in such a restraining manner. Every inch of Arin's body that wasn't touched by the campfires light began to glow an eerie, ominous red.

"I GIVE MY SOUL TO THE LORD OF SHADOW,"

Artemis, exhausted and on her back, looked up at the sky. The surrounding trees had been burned away. All that was left to break up the ever present blackness of the night was the moon and a mass of stars. Both were foreign to her. She idly pondered at the others who looked up at this alien sky. They probably used the moon's rotation to tell time in the absence of the sun. But… if the island sat in eternal night, that either meant the sun was nonexistent (and thus couldn't reflect off the moon to make it visible) or the globe didn't rotate (and the moon would only change its position relative to months, and not days). What of the seasons? Did the world move around the sun, spinning on its axis only enough to keep the island in the shadows? Was there some land mass on the opposite side of the world bathed in eternal sunlight? Maybe the island wasn't cursed at all, and the world's orbit was just so massive and slow compared to what the humans were used to that one global day here seemed like decades to them.

The gryphon beside her had grown bored and plopped its head on the ashen ground with a huff. Artemis' hand drifted over to its head and started scratching at the soft feathers just above its beak, between its eyes. It wouldn't do if the beast got fed up with her and decided to leave her stranded.

A voice cut through her aimless thoughts. Artemis immediately tensed, her hand stilling on the gryphon. It was a man's voice, smiling and distant, but still close enough to be heard clearly. She forced herself to relax, and moved her arms to push herself up into a sitting position. Leaning back on her hands, her eyes found the source of the voice. A man, wiry and dark skinned, sat above a cracking fire. The flames cast dancing, ghoulish shadows across his face.

As far as Artemis could tell, people were either Kith or Pirates on the island. Masks or iron. The few Kith she'd run into hadn't seemed… horrible. They'd all been unpleasant children, but had seemed at least as wary of her as she'd been of them. But her relations with the Pirates weren't much to look at, either. The first one had turned into some bloodcurdling shadow demon and thrown her into a river. The other two were less nightmare inducing, but Artemis had also robbed them. That likely hadn't bought her any favors with Pirates on the whole.

The man wore no mask. But Artemis wasn't sure she could spy any iron on him, either.

Blood-rats. Why why why did everything on this island seem to be some horrid, people-eating abomination.

Remembering his question, she turned her head to look around and the charred remains of the forest.

"Hmm," she hummed, pretending to contemplate. "No, this one wasn't me." This one, at least. Artemis wondered if that fire she'd accidentally set with the Lantern had been put out yet. She looked back at the man and sat forward, meeting his eyes. A hand casually fell to the staff in her lap while the other found the gryphon's head again. "And for the record," she said, idly turning her gaze to the gryphon, "I happen to have an expert rat catcher with me, so I think I'll nap as long as I please." Artemis was fairly certain she'd never be able to sleep on this island. Not with things like blood-rats and monkey-bats and, heaven forbid, children running rampant. There was a slight playfulness to her voice, no real edge to her words. Her head cocked to the side a bit. "What's keeping them off you?"

Heaven and Hell, she hoped there were no blood-rats around.

"What did you mean by that? Isn't there a Sun here??"

A frown played on her lips as she titled her head, hair falling freely across her eyes the ribbon trying desperately to keep the rest of it confined, a curious gaze boring into the small armored clad boy. She had merely assumed that it was night, the rise and fall of the moon and sun was second nature, how bizarre there was a place that didn't follow that seemingly simple rule of the skies. A quick glance around only confirmed the implications of the small child's question, dark shadows sweeping through the trees and unyielding vines crawling across the ground almost decrepit in appearance like they've never seen or been touched by the warm rays of the sun. Even the lantern trying desperately to lighten the small area around the two lone figures, the other two had seemed to sneak back into the shadows, was cold and unyielding.

The only warmth she felt from it was when it touched her skin.

Her head was still reeling as she looked down at the wooden sword taking the time to proper analyze it; with just a thought it was summoned to her hand and training had taken over. The attack from earlier was purely muscle memory, her stomach was still churning nauseated from the scent of burned wood and cinnamon clogging her airways and the thick taste of chocolate coating her throat. Another spike of pain shoot down her spine, remnants of her harsh delivery into this strange forest, her mind going blank for a moment, just a moment and the cool firm wood in her hand dissipated like ash scattering to the wind. 'Interesting...' The blacksmith in her was fascinated by the idea that all she did was have to focus on a weapon and it would appear, a stray thought would send it away, transporting it would be simple as well.

'Just carry the Lantern..'

Aslynn was torn from thoughts as a small hand clasped around her fingers pulling her forward, the Lantern swung wildly from the unexpected motion her fingers tightening around it subconsciously not wanting to lose her only source of light. "What are Kith? Why don't they like you? They seemed afraid of your sword, why...?" Countless questions fell from her lips as she easily kept pace with the boy, she was surprised by how quickly he could move given his small stature weighted down with armor and a sword that was easily twice the appropriate size for him. His small stumble caused her to stumble slightly as he used her weight to balance himself, the laughter and yelps from the shadows around them did little to calm her aching mind. Her dark eyes flickered around, picking up on motions in the trees, whether it was just her eyes fooling her or the trees had evolved into living beings she didn't know.

A shiver ran down her spine, a mix of fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins like electricity. Her feet crunched through the underfoot until they meet the solid ground of the stone. The dancing fireflies drew her gaze from the shadows, but quickly tore her gaze away as the young boy urged her forward. A stray thought of irony mingled into her thoughts, the thought that she could be following this boy to her death also crossed her mind; busy toying with her ever despairing notions the red head failed to notice the jutting rock. A simple stone, unmoving and unyielding as it broke her stride sending her crashing quickly towards the ground; scrapes and gouges digging themselves into her hands as she threw them out to catch herself. The sharp whizzing of a stone passing over head was only noticed at the sharp crash of it hitting a boulder sent a harsh sound through out the stones. "Fuck..." The word was growled out amidst the pain and embarrassment that merely feed the anger pooling in her chest. The motion sent blood roaring through her ears blocking out any other sound but her shallow breathing and the taunting yell about the Lantern's lights.

The sound of her teeth grinding echoed in her head as Aslynn slowly stood back up; a small spark of pain from her hangs as they begone to stung, a cut on her left hand feeding blood down the lantern's wire handle filling the runes and smearing against the glass. A forced grin split across her face as she looked towards Cod, "Sorry, running just really doesn't suit me." Her eyes were cold, anger flickering behind their steely gaze as her mind focused inward. If they were tracking the such a little light, then it was simply finding a way to hide it.

Closing her eyes, she let out a long shaky breath before focusing on an image of the Sun. Imaging it's hot scorching rays slithering out over the barren stones, flooding the area with a blinding light, the warmth of the light becoming more and more unbearable the longer one stood under it. Feeding the thoughts into the Lantern before looking up at the empty space above the stones. A small ball of light slowly started building above her, unsure and wavering in its own image as if unsure of its own existence. When she had used the lantern earlier it was out of pure reflex, attempting to use it consciously was far more draining then she expected, a soft growl of frustration slipped past her lips as she fueled all the pent up anger and annoyance into the small ball. Her eyes shut quickly, instinctively as the small light exploded growing rapidly light shooting out in every direction, blinding and unwavering.

"Lets go."

Her hand wrapped around Cod's pulling him away, hopping he hadn't been completely taken back by the sun, wanting to use the distraction to gain some ground from their pursuers.

The sound of her teeth grinding echoed in her head as Aslynn slowly stood back up; a small spark of pain from her hands as they began to sting, a cut on her left hand feeding blood down the lantern's wire handle filling the runes and smearing against the glass.

Closing her eyes, she let out a long shaky breath before focusing on an image of the Sun. Imaging it's hot scorching rays slithering out over the barren stones, flooding the area with a blinding light, the warmth of the light becoming more and more unbearable the longer one stood under it. Her eyes shut quickly, instinctively as the small light exploded growing rapidly light shooting out in every direction, blinding and unwavering.

Sunlight blinded the forest for the first time in centuries. Its warm glow pierced the shadows throughout the island, flashed on the treetops, reflected on the mountain. Beasts screeched and scattered, and the toothed trees shrank from the light.

The Kith pursuing them shut their eyes and shouted in pain; their dark-accustomed eyes burned, and they collapsed with confused shrieks as Aslynn and Cod fled up the mountain path.

The little boy, too, screwed his eyes shut and stumbled after Aslynn, completely relying on her to guide him in his blindness. Even after the light had dissipated and the stars shone again, all Cod could see was a bright afterimage. His armor clanked and he huffed each breath of night air, casting his eyes over his shoulder even though he could see nothing.

"Are they gone?" he gasped, not at all questioning the fact that Aslynn had just summoned sunlight at will. He'd heard the legends of the sun-children -- each more fantastical than the last -- and to his young mind it was only natural that Aslynn had such wondrous power.

The path led them between scraggled trees and angled boulders; it was well-traveled and grooved by the occasional cart, which afforded the two a clear uphill run by the violet light of the lantern. The Kith did not pursue them -- if they had recovered their eyesight, they no longer had any desire to repeat the offense.

Footsteps and shouts echoed ahead. The light of a lamp and a bluish electric glow highlighted the silhouettes of the trees.

"Cod!" a female voice called in the distance. Other voices, barely audible, spoke among themselves. "Do you think he was caught in that blast? "Is anyone going to the lake? Peck's gryphon came back without him." "Peck can take care of himself, the kid's out here on his own." "What the shit is happening?" "Cod! Goddammit!"

The wind was picking up; the trees swayed and clouds gathered suddenly overhead. Soon enough and without warning, the stormy winds whistled in the branches and howled across the mountain. Cod shielded his face with an arm against the wind, and struggled to keep up with Aslynn.

The blood on the Lantern seeped into the runes etched on the iron casing; the runes glimmered faintly, and the iron began to decay.

---

She closed her eyes. "I promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone die if I could help it." Then an idea popped in her head, if the White Lantern could let her fly, perhaps she could make other things fly. She peeked around the tree and looked at the dirt before the Witch she reached out to the dirt with the power of both eggs and called for it to fly into the Witch's face to blind her. If this succeeded, then she would save Peck.

The Witch had just regained control of the tree, and the branches turned their sharp points on Anise, just when a spray of dirt and sand flung up into the Witch's face. She stumbled and rubbed furiously at her eyes, and the tree froze in its movements, waiting for a command.

At the same moment, Reus darted onto the deck, his great paws pounding the wood. He scooped up Peck in his jaws and doubled back toward the shore, trailing blood from the injuries inflicted by the gryphon. Peck screamed in terror, petrified of moving in case the giant wolf might decide to chomp down.

And then, sunlight.

A bright warm light flashed throughout the forest, grayed the sky and blotted out the stars. Reus stopped to stare upward, and the Witch momentarily forgot Anise to look out toward the source of the curious light -- but then it was gone, and darkness fell again. The stars glimmered; the moon was setting.

The violet Lantern was climbing the mountain.

The Witch raised a hand toward Anise. The sight of sunlight was all she needed to solidify her resolve. She summoned her power once again, and the wind began to blow and swirl. Clouds gathered overhead, spinning faster and faster as the wind picked up; leaves ripped off the trees and the tree's branches flung violently in the whirlwind.

---

A hand casually fell to the staff in her lap while the other found the gryphon's head again. "And for the record," she said, idly turning her gaze to the gryphon, "I happen to have an expert rat catcher with me, so I think I'll nap as long as I please." Her head cocked to the side a bit. "What's keeping them off you?"

The gryphon purred and nuzzled against Artemis' hand, hopeful again for all of her attention.

The man in the tree flashed a grin. "They know better," he answered cryptically. He swung a leg under him, and he watched her with a thoughtful smile.

The sky suddenly turned gray with streaks of warm light, lit up by the reflections of an explosion of sunlight at the base of the mountain. The dead trees flashed in yellow silhouette, and the stars disappeared for a moment.

The man in the tree hopped to his feet, standing atop the bough to see as far as he could in the direction of the explosion -- but the light soon faded, and all was as dark as it had been, now that the moon was setting. Still, he watched for a moment longer, hopeful that whatever it was might repeat itself.

"Was that sunlight?" he asked Artemis -- an honest question, and he knew she had the answer. He laughed quietly. "I haven't seen that in --"

A gust of wind suddenly threatened to toss him out of the tree, but he clung to a branch just in time to keep his balance. Stormy clouds were gathering at an alarming rate, and the wind grew stronger and harsher across the barren waste; ash flung and swirled in the air, and the dead trees swayed and snapped while the wind howled.

The gryphon croaked in alarm, squinting in the wind, its feathers billowing, and it crouched against Artemis for safety.

The man-in-the-tree hopped down, an arm raised against the ashes flinging in the wind, and he walked barefoot across the burned ground while his clothes whipped around him. He walked past Artemis and the gryphon, keeping a fair distance so as not to alarm them, and he continued down a rocky incline, disappearing from view. He continued into the wide mouth of a cave in the side of the hill, where he took shelter from the whipping winds out of fear that it might rain.

Above, the clouds swirled and gathered over the lake; a tornado was brewing.

---

The boy was filled to the brim with exhilaration, unaware of the tension and strain this euphoria caused on his body as a result of it being tied to the tree in such a restraining manner. Every inch of Arin's body that wasn't touched by the campfires light began to glow an eerie, ominous red.

"I GIVE MY SOUL TO THE LORD OF SHADOW."

The pirates all scrambled to their feet, weapons instantly in their hands, and the flickering light of the campfire highlighted their uncertain and alarmed expressions. They couldn't see the Lord of Shadow, who stood on the dark side of the tree and whispered to Arin with a gleeful grin.

Take it easy, don't spend it all at once. The darkness is your cloak, and the dead are yours to command. Reach out to living souls and fill them with fear and despair.

The power of the Lord of Shadow was subtle, hidden, and far more dangerous than it seemed. The pirates were well aware of this.

"Get rid of him!" their leader commanded with an undertone of fear. Immediately an axe flashed in the hand of his comrade and swept neatly toward Arin's throat, to separate his head from his shoulders with one clean chop.

Arin's vision cleared in the darkness as the Lord of Shadow's power finished taking hold; he could see clearer in the darkness than in the light of the fire -- and in the darkness he saw the flickering shapes of the souls of the dead. They floated and staticked and flashed among the trees, invisible to the pirates, their actions chained to Arin's command.

Suddenly the sky brightened, gray and streaked with sunlight, and the pirate's axe stopped as he stumbled back and stared upward, slack-jawed at the loss of the stars.

"What the hell?!"

The forest was illuminated, the trees silhouetted in bright yellow, and the Lord of Shadow retreated in anger; the souls of the dead paused in their approach, confused and flickering. For this moment, Arin's newfound power was diminished and weak, and his eyes burned in the light.

But then the sky darkened again, and the sunlight was gone. The power of the Lord of Shadow filled Arin again with new strength, while the pirates still blinked up at the sky.

A strong wind swirled in the branches, clouds gathered and the trees began to sway and creak. Soon the roaring wind would ravage the campfire and diminish its light, and the Shadow's power would rise.

Anise felt a bit of pride at her successful use of the eggs' powers combined. However, she did not wish to take any time to celebrate until they were all off of this island and safe. She began to follow the injured Reus and panicking Peck when a burst of sunlight appeared from nowhere. She closed her eyes and basked in the sunlight with a great feeling of warmth and comfort. These were feeling she hadn't felt in a long time and she ended up unconsciously savoring them.

She then realized something as she had a feeling she knew what created the light: the Violet Lantern. She had experienced its abilities before and the power of creation it held. That meant the dragon was the sunlight. This only solidified her decision to save this forest. She then felt the wind start to pick up unnaturally quick.

Anise turned to face the Witch again and saw her in the middle of a spell. She glanced back at Reus who still carried Peck. Neither of them would survive this if the Witch's spell finished. She raised her hands to the sky and threw her focus and will against the wind commanding it to stop. "Stop this! You'll kill them!"

She gritted her teeth for a moment as the wind resisted her will. "I won't let you kill my friends!"

Anise closed her eyes and relaxed. She let the power of the dragon flow through her and guide her. I do not want to hurt her, but please help me stop her. Then together we can complete you and bring back the sun to save this forest.

She called the wind within the funnel of the now forming tornado to rotate in the opposite direction. Her goal was to destabilize the tornado and render it useless.

Dawn reached across the night sky, warm grey fingers breaking up the blackness of the night. Artemis could only stare in awe as darkness gave way to the sun. When had she last seen it? It couldn't have been more than a day. And yet nostalgia warmed her from the inside, a relieved sort of yearning at feeling its glow again.

And then it was gone.

The man recaptured her attention. His expression must've mirrored her own. Gone was the sly, curious man in the tree. In his place was someone thirsting for hope like a desertdweller for water.

"Was that sunlight?"

She didn't have time to reply as a gust of wind tore through the waste. Artemis flinched and brought an arm up to block her face, forcing her to balance her weight on only one arm. This turned out to be a mistake – the gryphon apparently thought that in spite of being at least twice her size, Artemis would be a good protector from the bluster and proceeded to press against her, knocking her back down to the ground under its weight. When the wind finally dissipated and the ash started to settle, Artemis was still coughing under the gryphon. She really couldn't catch a break on this stupid island.

Artemis struggled to push herself up, trying to move from under the gryphon's weight. When she finally managed to sit up, she rubbed the soot out of her eyes to see the man had collected himself and was walking away down a hill. She watched him disappear into the night. Artemis turned to share a look with the gryphon. Then she forced herself to her feet, grabbing the staff and the mask.

"Come on," she said, and started hurrying after the man.

The effect of the sunlight – or whatever it'd been – was beginning to wear off, and Artemis was coming back to herself. The chance that it'd actually been the sun was growing slimmer the more she thought about it. It'd appeared and disappeared too quickly (but hell if it hadn't felt so real). There hadn't been any type of sound or boom to accompany it, so it likely wasn't any sort of explosion. But what had that wind been? Some sort of reaction to it? The force of… whatever it was, reverberating throughout the island? Either way, Artemis had the itching feeling she wanted to head away from it.

She followed after the man down the hill, squinting against the building wind storm. Eventually she found herself in a cave. Artemis opened her mouth to say something, a stream of words running through her mind. A quip about how it was rude to leave a conversation, or a question of what that'd really been and who he was, or what the hell a blood-rat was. But instead –

"You've seen the sun before." She was still a bit breathless from the soot and the chase. Her voice lacked its usual slickness. She hadn't intended to say that. "When?"

As much as the woman was used to seeing the sun having its blinding light pouring out around her in all directions was a new experience all together. If it wasn't for the small boy's hand in hers, frantically running alongside her away from these bizarre tree dwellers that she might have stopped and stood in awe of the warmth pooling from the giant glowing orb.

The warmth on her back was short lived as the night soon reclaimed it's domain with a vengeance, the trees and shadows looked darker and whispered of strange secrets. The dizziness in her head had slowly began to fade, curiosity and a sense of caution slipping in to take it's place. A slight frown tugged on her lips as she slowed down their pace careful not to run head long into any more danger on this strange road they had begun to follow.

"Yeah, I think we've lost them..."

Her reply was gasped out in between her greedily gulping air into her lungs, even though they had only been running a little while she felt exhausted like she had just run a marathon. Both her breathing and her heartbeat were erratic, they matched the winds fury as it started to roar in anguish whipping her hair around angrily into her face and tugged at her clothes as if seeking to rip the lantern from her grasp. The same moment she pulled the small boy closer to her to protect him from the wind she noticed the silhouettes in the light.

Unsure Aslynn took a step back until a woman's voice shattered the fragile silence; she was calling from Cod and it seemed others had joined in the search looking for him. Her first thought questioned this being a trap, the second one urged her to call out and tell them she had found the boy. Her top teeth gnawed softly on her lower lip as she worried over the choice before her before shaking her head. Since when was she afraid of anything.

"Hello? Are you looking for Cod??"

Her voice didn't carry far because of the wind, her arm was still protectively wrapped around the small boy as her other hand clenched on tighter to the lantern. Whatever was going on, it seemed that her having the lantern gave her some leverage if nothing else she could create with it without having to put in effort. Her thoughts still wavered on where to trust the unknown power she was carrying or not.

Anise closed her eyes and relaxed. She let the power of the dragon flow through her and guide her. I do not want to hurt her, but please help me stop her. Then together we can complete you and bring back the sun to save this forest.

She called the wind within the funnel of the now forming tornado to rotate in the opposite direction. Her goal was to destabilize the tornado and render it useless.

The Dragon initially resisted, responding to her with a cold indifference, almost scoffing at her plea to assist without destroying her opponent. The Dragon very much preferred to fry the Witch to a charcoal crisp, had the red Lantern been present.

The winds whipped around Anise, forcing her to cling tight to the tree and to the Lanterns if she wanted to avoid being flung away on the winds and skewered on the branches, despite the best efforts of the white Lantern. What's more, Anise hadn't slept in the equivalent of three days, and she'd eaten nothing except for a bowl of stew at the imaginary inn. Her grip was not the strongest it could have been.

As Anise's hands began to slip, and the white Lantern blew sideways in her grip, the Dragon conceded. The white Lantern glowed brightly, and Anise would feel the strain of the wind as the Lantern forced the tornado to slow and move in the opposite direction.

Now, it was a battle between the strength of the Witch's power and that of the Lanterns.

The Witch doubled her efforts, pouring her energy into her spell, calling upon the wind to spin faster, more furiously. Branches broke off the white tree, nearly splitting Anise's head in two as they whipped past; pieces of the ship below ripped away and spun like projectile weapons through the tornado.

As long as Anise concentrated on the wind, it wavered and widened; those pieces of wood spun and flung out into the lake. The wind spewed out in all directions, and though the funnel disappeared it was still plenty dangerous. Finally, a gust of ferocious wind picked up the Witch and flung her head-over-heels into the water.

Immediately, the wind hushed and died altogether.

On the shore, Reus had laid down on top of Peck. At the absence of the wind, Reus raised his head and peered up at Anise. Peck poked his head out from under Reus' chest and gasped for breath. "Ya big mutt, git off!" Reus wagged his tail slowly.

---

She followed after the man down the hill, squinting against the building wind storm. Eventually she found herself in a cave. Artemis opened her mouth to say something, a stream of words running through her mind. A quip about how it was rude to leave a conversation, or a question of what that'd really been and who he was, or what the hell a blood-rat was. But instead –

"You've seen the sun before." She was still a bit breathless from the soot and the chase. Her voice lacked its usual slickness. She hadn't intended to say that. "When?"

The gryphon followed close on Artemis' heels, keeping its wings pressed back and still barely able to walk in a straight line. It skidded its way down the hill, and right behind her it pushed into the cave with shiver and a shuddering mewl.

The man, meanwhile, shifted to make room for them both; he sat against the rock with a leg outstretched, and he waited for both Artemis and her trusty steed to settle themselves in the cool quiet of the cavern. The wind howled outside, and bits of wood and plantlife flung past.

"Oh, I dunno." He looked upward, thoughtfully, remembering. "Must've been a couple hundred years ago by now." He grinned and tipped his head at Artemis. "Man, I'm an old geezer. You'd think I would've gone senile by now, huh? Well, I'm just too sharp." He tapped his skull, then extended his hand across to Artemis. "People call me Lord of the Flame, but you can call me Oseely. Now, I know everyone on this island, and I don't know you, so that means you're new. Welcome to nightmare island, I hope you're enjoying your stay."

The wind outside suddenly died down, and all the bits and branches that had been swinging around in the air clattered to the sooty ground. What should have been a windstorm quickly faded into the silence of the dark.

---

"Hello? Are you looking for Cod??"

Her voice didn't carry far because of the wind, her arm was still protectively wrapped around the small boy as her other hand clenched on tighter to the lantern. Whatever was going on, it seemed that her having the lantern gave her some leverage if nothing else she could create with it without having to put in effort. Her thoughts still wavered on where to trust the unknown power she was carrying or not.

Cod clung to Aslynn for dear life, his eyes squeezed shut against the wind. The trees around them creaked and moved in unnatural ways; the darkness was only pierced by the violet light of the Lantern.

At least a part of Aslynn's voice had reached the search party, because their footsteps grew faster. "Hello?" a feminine voice cried out. A small, dark woman in leather armor and a warm cloak whipping in the wind appeared from behind the trees, holding a very average, fire-filled lantern over her head.

Cod's eyes lit up. "Rhea!" he called out, bouncing up and down, waving with one hand and holding onto Aslynn's shirt with the other.

Rhea smiled broadly in relief as she caught sight of Cod -- then her eyes moved to Aslynn and the violet Lantern she held -- but it was hard to be suspicious against the person who had brought the little boy back safe and sound. Rhea jogged closer, and just as Cod released Aslynn in happiness, Rhea gave him a swift smack upside the head.

"What do you think you were doing, running off like that? stealing? Not only could you have got yourself killed, you could've put the whole village in danger. That Lantern is very old and very important! You're lucky you weren't burned or turned into a shadowblight!" She glared down at the kid until she was sure Cod looked as sorry and miserable as he possibly could, then she got down on her knees and drew him into a tight embrace. "But I'm glad you're safe. Don't do it again."

The wind suddenly died, and the resulting stillness was broken by Cod's wailing sobs of guilt. Rhea sighed, ran a hand through her windswept hair, and stood up, letting Cod hold onto her tightly. By this time, three other armored men approached from the trees, each holding a lantern in one hand and a weapon in the other. Their faces were all smiling.

Finally, Rhea looked up to Aslynn. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "Are you hurt? Were you followed? We thought we saw an explosion earlier."

"Miss Aslynn made the sun!" Cod said suddenly, though tears still streaked his face. "It was so bright I couldn't see it!"

Rhea immediately looked at the violet Lantern, then back to Aslynn, her expression solemn. "I see. You must have just arrived, then. I'm Rhea, captain of the third outpost. Please, accept our hospitality and come back with us to the roost. I'm sure you have questions."

Cod bounced again, eagerly, having entirely forgotten that he'd been crying a moment ago. He looked up at Aslynn hopefully, his fingers gripping Rhea's cloak.

She had been so forced to stay in motion, to stay awake, that until now Anise couldn't even think about just how exhausted she was. Adrenaline and determination had been everything keeping her from passing out, and even that had her limits. She could feel the resistance of the Dragon as it made its preferences clear. She felt the Lantern of Flight slipping from her hand due to her fatigue, causing her to panic. The Dragon finally gave in to her plea and the tornado began to rotate in the opposite direction.

Anise focused on the wind so intently, she barely noticed the branches whipping past her at deathly speed. She knew that as long as the Witch focused on her spell then Anise could not release her grip on hers. She saw a piece of the ship that Morly had lent her fly overhead, but even that barely registered as much more than a part of the tornado. Anise felt a gust of wind pick up and watched as the Witch was knocked into the water of the lake. Anise gasped and let go of the spell and all the winds stopped.

She fell to a knee completely fatigued and dizzy over the effort it took for her to use the power she had available. She unsteadily got to her feet and turned to face Reus and Peck. She had no idea if she should feel proud or afraid of what she just did, and her expression showed it. She stepped towards them until she made it about five feet away and then she tripped and hit the ground hard. She felt so tired. Her eyes were heavy, but she knew that if she fell asleep here she'd be in danger, but she knew that she'd be in danger anywhere.

She grabbed the Lantern of Flight with both hands and hugged it close. She climbed up to her feet with quite the effort and stumbled up to Peck and Reus. She then tightly tied the White Lantern to her belt where the Blue Lantern once was. She had no better place to hold the Blue Egg than her own two hands. With the little bit of focus she had remaining she put her hands on both Reus and Peck and flew with them across the lake back over the runes before clumsily landing on the ground.

Tired and hungry Anise curled up and embraced the Blue Egg and White Lantern together. Slowly and uncontrollably, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

A genuine burst of laughter filled the air as the red head watched the small child be berated and hugged at the same time before homesickness gripped at her chest, the scene reminded her of her mother when her and her twin would come home late covered in scratches. She smiled shaking her head genuinely pleased that she was able to see the boy safely home.

"I'm just happy that he's safe. I found him tied to a tree..."

Aslynn waved off the warrior woman's thanks, turning slightly so that she had a clear view of the three that had joined the trio. While it was nice to not be attacked on sight and the idea of taking a breath appealed to her, she was in a foreign place and knew nothing of what was going on and how she got there so relaxing and letting her guard down was a luxury she couldn't afford. A bright blush flooded her cheeks as Cod gushed about her making the sun, she knew the signs of admiration very well and quickly shook her head wanting to turn down the invitation of hospitality trying to maintain her image as someone that didn't want to get to involved but her stomach had other ideas letting out a distressed growl only deepening the blush on the young woman's cheeks.

"Ah, it's nice to meet you Miss Rhea, as Cod said my name is Aslynn......and I really wouldn't mind something to eat..."

The last part came out in a rushed low voice as she toed the ground sheepishly, but the woman was right a mountain of questions had done nothing but pile up since she got here and everything that had happened had only added to the pile doing little to reduce her quarries. Seeing Cod's eager look she flashed him a smile, having always been good with kids, before taking stock of the people who she managed to run into. They were well armored, well better armored than the ones from earlier nor did they have mask or speak in that strange canter, nor did they seam adverse to iron like the pair of children who she had first ran into.

This place was strange, and it felt like she was trying to mimic a dance she knew nothing about, at least this woman was offering to answer some of her questions, how ever truthful those answer might be Aslynn didn't know.

Artemis felt the gryphon skitter into the cave after her, clumsy foot-falls giving away its discomfort in the storm. It huddled close behind her, and Artemis leaned back ever so slightly, her back and shoulder brushing against its chest. Hopefully the contact would be enough to calm it. She really didn't need a spooked… bird-lion-horse thing in such a narrow space.

The man – Oseely, the Lord of Fire apparently. Because that was a thing. Obviously. Oseely introduced himself and welcomed her to the island with an offered hand. Artemis raised an eyebrow. She was certainly not enjoying her stay. But she extended a copper-skinned hand and placed it in his nonetheless. She wondered how someone became a lord on nightmare island. He wasn't like the Pirates or Kith, that was for sure. There was something… weighted about the man. Something that made her have to remind herself to breathe. Even the Witch hadn't had such an effect.

"Artemis," she said, pulling her hand back. Her mind traced back over his words. He'd said hundreds of years ago. A spark of curiosity flickered. "So you were here when there was daylight," she said, tilting her head to the side a bit. The storm outside stopped as suddenly as it'd started. "Before the dragon was trapped in the Lanterns."

"So you were here when there was daylight," she said, tilting her head to the side a bit. The storm outside stopped as suddenly as it'd started. "Before the dragon was trapped in the Lanterns."

Oseely quirked an eyebrow at her, and he burst a laugh with a slap to his knee. "Well, I guess a pirate told you that. Or was it the Witch herself? Eh, I shoulda known." He gestured toward the gryphon, which had calmed since the storm had ended and was now attempting to look as if it were here to protect Artemis.

"Yeah, I've been around since there was daylight, not that the dragon had anything to do with that. I bet she told you that the damned dragon turned the sky dark and they sealed it up before it could do more damage. And then the Kith'll tell ya that the damned pirates sealed up the dragon first, and that's what snuffed out the sun. I tellya all of it's a load of hooey. But then, I'm the patron of thieves and liars, what do I know, right?" He laughed and leaned back against the cave wall. His attention diverted to Artemis, interested and thoughtful.

"Lemme guess something about you. I never meet anyone new, humor the old man for a minute." He scratched his chin, studying her. "Well, I know you stole that gryphon -- she belongs to the captain of the guard at the Roost outpost, and he's doing a horrific job of training her. I know you've been to see the Witch because those are her enchantments on your armor. And --" His eyes rested on the rabbit mask, which he hadn't bothered to notice much until now. His face seemed to get a shade paler as he stared at that mask. He rubbed the back of his head and took a deep, nervous breath.

"Well. None of any of this matters to you, don't it? Nah, no reason for you to give a shit about fairy tales. What're you after, then? The way home? A little more power? Maybe just someplace to call home? Tell me, I'm interested." The smile reappeared, and he watched her lazily for her answer.

---

"Ah, it's nice to meet you Miss Rhea, as Cod said my name is Aslynn......and I really wouldn't mind something to eat..."

Rhea laughed heartily and gestured for Aslynn to come join the troupe. "Once the outpost hears you've brought Cod home safe, you'll have more than you can ever eat and then some. C'mon, then, it's a bit of a hike but you look like you can take care of yourself."

The other men led the way back up the twisted path, and Rhea followed them with Cod's hand firmly held in hers. The wind had died down as quickly as it had begun, and the forest was dark and silhouetted only by the stars, the pirates' lamps, and the violet glow of the Lantern.

After awhile, Rhea glanced back at Aslynn, unable to contain her curiosity. "You're not the first sun-child I've met tonight," she said, her brow furrowed uncertainly. "There were four others: a girl, younger than you in a raggedy dress, a skinny boy with spectacles, then a guy built like a tank, and a guy who wore monkeybat skins and teeth for kicks, all of them with that same look on their faces as you have. How long've you been here? And are there any more of you?" She chuckled; it almost felt like the island was being invaded by people from other worlds.

"Miss Aslynn has a sun where she lives!" Cod squealed, hiking expertly up the roots and rocks that riddled the path.

"She does!" Rhea feigned wonder and surprise. "Well, we'll have to ask her all about it while we eat supper."

"Yeah I'm hungry."

The path got steep and curled around the mountain, shielded from the wind and cold by thick flowering trees. Occasionally a gap in the leaves would afford a magnificent view of the island: a lake shimmering gold, a pinprick of blue and white light on its shore; a sea of thick green trees, paled by bluish starlight; a dark patch stricken with dead white trees, where a fire had recently burned away part of the forest; and far beyond, the ocean stretched black under the night sky.

They could hear the sounds of voices and clanging metal before they rounded a corner to find the outpost in full animation; tents and stone houses made up the outpost, where men and women in leathers and armor cooked food over a bonfire, or wove fabrics, or fashioned weapons. A group of children were gathered around an old man who was in the middle of a fantastic story about the Kith. A gray grypon -- bigger than a horse -- slept soundly by the fire, its bluish feathers rustling in the breeze. Another gryphon flew overhead, its winged silhouette barely visible in the dark sky.

---

While Anise slept, she dreamed.



When Anise awoke, the moon was rising on the horizon and she was being dragged along the rocky ground on a makeshift sledge. Peck lighted the way with the white lantern, pulling her after him, and the blue egg was tied up in Anise's dress. They were out of sight of the lake, moving slowly through the deep forest. Blood-rats and monkeybats shied away from the dual lanterns' light.

As soon as it became clear that Anise was awake, Peck spoke through the quiet of the woods: "Reus took the Witch back home," he told her solemnly. "Don't worry, you're safe."

Anise didn't move for the first few moments that she opened her eyes. She stared into the darkness of the forest contemplating the dream that she just had. She was confident that this dream had been sent to her through the Spirit Egg. She now had a greater understanding of what the Dragon had experienced. What she had experienced.

Your daughter was the Lady of Light? Anise thought out loud to the Dragon. This was the only reasonable explanation she could think of. That the Spirits of the forest were the Dragon's children. I will work with you to seek out justice. Have you any way to reach out to your ch-

Anise stopped mid-thought as hunger pangs ripped through her body. How long had it been since she had last eaten? She had done so much that she couldn't remember. She curled up tighter as the pains struck again.

"Reus took the Witch back home," he told her solemnly. "Don't worry, you're safe."

Only now had she realized that she was being dragged through the forest on a sledge by Peck. Safe in the relative terms at least. She sat up and looked around noticing that the lake was out of sight. She freed the Spirit Egg from the place it was tied up and clutched it in one hand close to her heart.

"Peck," She said brightly. "Thank you. Do you know where I could get some food? I'm not sure I can go much further without it."

She had read stories about people going more than a week without food, but that could only be fantasy, right? Regardless of that thought, she did not want to be a burden to Peck and wanted to know how to survive on her own. So far, she had managed simply by luck or the goodwill of others. Sooner or later, she would have to use her own two hands to make do for herself. She truly felt grateful for the sacrifices made by everyone she had met for her and their survival, including the Dragon herself, but she would eventually be in a place where she'd have to rely on only her own abilities.