Peck stared at her while she spoke -- nothing she said made sense according to the lessons he'd been taught since he was a child . . . the knowledge that had been passed down through the generations of pirates. Suddenly there was this weathered and traveled girl from another world -- with strange powers and stranger knowledge -- who said she knew the truth. He didn't know what to believe, but he believed that if anyone could bring the sun back, it was Anise.

He stepped forward, and he held the Lantern out to her. [b]"I hope you know what you're doing,"[/b] he told her warily, and he looked up through the trees toward the deep expanse of stars above.

[b]"We tell time by the moonrise,"[/b] he said after awhile; he'd been thinking about the world Anise must have come from. [b]"The month by the phase of the moon, the year by the moving constellations. Nothing else really changes. The shadows get darker. The Lord of the Shadow is getting stronger, the more people die."[/b]

He stared up for awhile, then took a breath. [b]"I know how to summon each of the Lords and Ladies, if you want to talk to them. It's usually forbidden, because making one of them mad could be disaster -- but."[/b] He shook his head and ruffled his own hair; he couldn't believe he was doing this. [b]"We've already broken most of the rules already. I was going to take you back to the Roost, but if you're going to be summoning the spirits I'd do it far away from there. Finding the Kith is something else, though. There are several tribes, and they don't necessarily like each other."[/b]

A thought occurred to him, and he touched one of the trees. [b]"There's a tribe not far from here, it's on the way to the Roost. They're the tree-jumpers, though -- they kill pirates for sport."[/b] He gave Anise a look that questioned whether she really wanted to do what she'd set out to do, when every course of action could end in them both being slaughtered or worse.

[hr]

Oseely and Reckley exchanged a skeptical look while Artemis struggled with the gryphon.

[b]"Two Lanterns ain't anything to be concerned about, right?"[/b]

[i]"There are two more at the Rook."[/i]

[b]"I can feel the red Lantern --"[/b]

[i]"I know, I can feel the white one and it's being abused."[/i]

Oseely shot him a glare. [b]"Red's at the Witch's house. The trees are all dead, then. How long 'til they're back at full power?"[/b]

[i]"Not long enough."[/i]

The Lord of the Breeze folded his arms with a solemn frown, and the Lord of the Flame sucked his teeth with the pensive thought of a slacker slowly realizing he might have to do something productive soon. Oseely huffed a sigh and shook his head, laughing, much to Reckley's displeasure. [b]"Doesn't matter. Shadow'll take care of it. For once let's not get in his way."[/b]

Reckley shuddered slightly, but he relinquished a sigh and looked down to Artemis with a twitch of a smile. The sight of the bond between rider and gryphon was heartening, at least.

[i]"You'd be better equipped to survive if you don't try to do it alone."[/i]

[b]"Aw, stick with me and you'll do just fine!"[/b] Oseely gave her a wink and a grin.

Reckley sighed. [i]"You don't sleep and you don't eat. How're you going to help?"[/i]

[b]"I eat!"[/b]

[i]"You chew bark."[/i] Reckley appraised Artemis, his arms still folded. [i]"The Kith or the Pirates would probably take you in. You're in the rare situation of being unaffiliated."[/i]

[b]"You don't want to do that. Just steal their stuff and camp in the open fields. There are sigils you can use to ward off critters that'd chew on you in your sleep."[/b]

[i]"That's the most idiotic idea I've ever heard,"[/i] Reckley hissed with distaste.

Oseely grinned. [b]"I thought of it myself!"[/b]