Anise's newfound power reached into the owl's mind, and the bird flapped and fluttered and crash-landed, skidding into the ground with the blue stone gripped in its talons, as if the very act of peering into the owl's thoughts was enough to knock it out of the air.

Anise would feel a sense of entrapment -- a patient and willful prisoner -- and a confident female presence. She held no ill will toward the princess, Simon or Chris, but there was a certain resentment toward Reus.

The owl hopped to her feet, bleary and a bit dizzy, the chain of the necklace jangling in her claws. She glared directly into the blue glow, feathers ruffled, and concentrated a message to Anise's mind:

[i]My name is Wendetae. I'm the greatest warrior the Kith have ever known.[/i] She held up the stone on the black chain. [i]Destroy this and throw it in the lake. The Lady of the Pond should return to the water before she really goes mad.[/i]

Reus growled deep in his throat. Wendetae the owl glared up at him. Her thoughts went out to Anise. [i]...And get rid of the mongrel. He's a pirate.[/i] There was a deeper betrayal in the owl's thoughts -- a long, complicated history between the owl and the wolf.

Reus huffed and went back to the hole he was digging. His nails scraped against metal: underneath the dirt was a platform like the one Anise and Simon had arrived on. It was carved with crude runes.

[i]The door to the old pirate stronghold,[/i] Wendetae explained to Anise. [i]Idiot dog doesn't realize it's been raided by Kith. Let him find out the hard way. Get the new kid to open it.[/i] The owl fluttered a wing in Chris' direction.