Peck's eyes narrowed, and he balled his fists and shifted his scrawny weight. He still hesitated, caught between his orders to let no one pass and the fact that he could be stopping the one person who could save them all.

He stared into the blue light of the Lantern, and he stared into the dark eyes of Anise's mask, particularly aware of Reus' bared fangs in the corner of his eye. He knew that [i]no[/i] was not an option -- and the Witch had not stopped them at the border. The Witch might be dead for all he knew.

Anise only had one Lantern so far. There was time -- but not much.

Peck nodded once in reluctant agreement. [b]"All right."[/b] At the same moment, he made a sign with his hand and the gryphon suddenly flung itself into the air, spun over the lake, and flapped furiously toward the mountain. Peck never took his eyes off of Anise. [b]"This way."[/b]

He stepped toward the dead white tree, cast another uncertain look at Anise, then began to climb. The bark was twisted and cracked, full of handholds and small branches, but the ascent was nearly vertical.

[b]"Why don't you look the same as the other Lords and Ladies?"[/b] he called back to her as he hoisted himself up onto another branch. [b]"The Lord of the Flame is a bright bastard, and the Lord of Shadow is like smoke. The Lady of Stone actually [i]is[/i] a boulder, I think. But you still look like . . . not like one might expect."[/b] He clambered nimbly along the twisted bark. [b]"Is it because you've just been reincarnated? After what happened to the last Lady of Light, I mean."[/b]

Eventually he stopped, poised between two narrow branches near the top of the tree. He knocked on the solid bark. Inside, it was ticking.

[b]"It's here,"[/b] he announced. [b]"It's been inside the trunk here for a hundred years. My sword won't break it out, if that's what you're thinking."[/b]

The blue Lantern could confirm that its counterpart was indeed inside the tree, at the spot where the pirate was perched.

[hr]

[quote]"Three…two…"[/quote]

[b]"Oy!"[/b] The scrawny boy in the cat-mask burst out of the leaves above, frowning deeply. [b]"Don't mess with tha iron things, right? Poke somebuddy's eye out."[/b] He jammed his thumb into the eye hole of his mask and stuck out his tongue at Artemis.

At the same time, the little mouse-masked girl had snuck up behind Artemis in absolute, profound silence. She reached for Artemis' pockets, intending to pilfer them for anything and everything to be found -- but the rabbit mask alerted Artemis straight away to the girl's presence.

[b]"How'd you get Ty's mask then, ay?"[/b] the boy went on in a yowling voice. [b]"That ain't yours, I know it ain't."[/b] He dangled his head upside-down in the dark, just out of Artemis' reach. [b]"You a pirate? We sic trees on pirates. Chomp! Chomp!"[/b]

Meanwhile, the gryphon had heard them clearly. It perked its feathered ears and trotted close to the border between the Witch's property and the cluster of fireflies that surrounded Artemis and the Kith. The gryphon sat down at the border, staring at them with big gleaming eyes, its tufted tail thumping happily in the grass.

The pirate continued to struggle with the ruined saddle, muttering and hissing to himself.