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

Anise felt that his returning the Lantern to her was an extension of his trust and hope. She accepted the Lantern with a smile to oppose his wary expression. She felt that there should be something to brighten the day of the dwellers of the Forest even though the Dragon seemed to have no interest in their safety. She felt that was no way to rule and really felt the need to have an actual conversation with the Dragon at some point.

[quote]"We tell time by the moonrise," he said after awhile; he'd been thinking about the world Anise must have come from. "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."[/quote]

That made sense she had seen the moon several times, and if what he said was true she hadn't been here for much more than a week. Not even. She remembered being told by Peck earlier that same thing about the Lord of Shadow about his power over the dead.

[quote]He stared up for awhile, then took a breath. "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." He shook his head and ruffled his own hair; he couldn't believe he was doing this. "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."[/quote]

Anise looked at the ground in thought. She had several choices to make. She could start summoning the spirits now, or she could start meeting the Kith right now. She knew that the Lord of Shadow would most definitely take offense to a summoning from her, but she also needed to have a conversation with them. The Kith would likely be dangerous for at least Peck, but she felt she could protect him.

[quote]A thought occurred to him, and he touched one of the trees. "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." 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.[/quote]

Anise appreciated his willingness to suggest a starting point. However one statement from the Dragon weighed heavily on her mind. She had to speak with her children. That took precedence in her mind and felt to be the most important thing in the dream she had just had.

She looked up to Peck and looked him in the eyes. "I would like to start with meeting the Spirits, but isn't there a way to find them that would not insult them? I feel that calling to them without pulling them suddenly from... wherever they are living." She felt that just calling them suddenly would be more harmful than anything. She also remembered the symbol that was left on her hand after her meeting with the Lady of the Pond for the first time.

She glanced at her hand remembering her meeting with the Lady of the Pond not long ago. "After I met with the Lady of the Pond I awakened with this rune on my hand." She raised her hand concentrating on it as she remembered the last time she had done so it had become visible. "I am not sure what it means. I know that the Witch uses runes, but do you know them as well?" She knew it was important, but she understood little of them.