Anise did not blink or shrink away from the display of power shown by the Lord of Shadow. However, the fact that he made no attempt to destroy her puzzled her. The fact that she knew Peck was still alive relieved her. She would free him from the Shadow's grasp. Then came his voice:

[quote][i]Come alone to the mines under the Mountain[/i], the Lord of Shadow's voice rumbled in her head. [i]I'll be waiting.[/i][/quote]

Slowly, he faded away leaving Anise alone. Quite very alone. Frustration was Anise's first feeling after the Lord of Shadow left. Frustration that just after making a new friend he was ripped away from her. She lashed out and kicked a nearby tree which hurt, but she refused to acknowledge the aching pain that resulted from the kick. As she cooled down she just stood there staring at the tree.

Could she do this alone? With only two of the Lanterns? She shook her head to shake off the doubt that struck her. She grabbed the Lantern of Flight and started prying the frame apart. Freeing the Spirit Egg had done something significant now the time had come to completely free the Flight Egg. She used the nearby stones to help tear it apart. She felt a sharp pain as one of the wire-thin pieces of the frame pricked her hand. Blood flowed from her hand, but that didn't stop her efforts. Before too long she had completely dismantled the Lantern and pieces of it laid all over the ground.

Another thought ran through her mind as she stared at the pieces and she grabbed the same piece of the frame that cut her in her uncut hand. The hand she had injured was opposite of the one that held the rune the Lady of the Pond gave her. She channeled her frustration into her hand as she dug out the symbol of a sun into her hand. Her eyes watered as the iron rod tore through her hand and blood pooled, but she grit her teeth and persevered through the pain.

Her goal was the bring back something the Forest hadn't seen in a long time: light. True light. Something like that brief moment of sun that happened the other day. She focused her energy and power into this new rune. Soon the hot pain from the self-mutilation turned into a cool burning sensation. She wanted something she could use against the Lord of Shadow. Something that would send a message: the Lady of Light was back.

Upon finishing this task, she called on the healing waters using the gift of the Lady of the Pond to cleanse the wound. As the water washed away the blood and poured away the palm of her hand now had burned into it a symbol of the sun. She balled her hand into a fist and called onto the Flight Egg to pick her up.

Anise flew with the Eggs of the Dragon onward toward the mines of the mountain. Her face set with grim determination.