Artemis bright, red-rimmed eyes flicked down to the Witch's hand. The rune was faint and faded on her wrinkled skin. Artemis' eyebrows pulled together the slightest bit, her eyes growing just a tad wider. Oseely had… chosen someone before?

Of course he had. Artemis clenched her jaw. Oseely was ancient. This was [i]bigger[/i] than her. Of course the Witch had…

Artemis didn't even know why it mattered. It didn't. Nothing did except for –

The Lantern swung in time with the Witch's steps as she huffed and sighed her way back to her ruined home. Artemis watched its crimson light dance through the trees, playing with shadows, before forcing herself to follow. Nura chirped before hurrying after. The Witch walked into her house before emerging again. She marched up to Artemis, her steps heavy with purpose. She placed the Lantern in the grass beside her, milky eyes daring Artemis to move for it. But even without the Witch's look, Artemis couldn't bring herself to move. 

It was so close. They were [i]so close[/i].

The Witch grabbed the rosary at her wrist. The beaded bracelet pulled Artemis' left hand up, to hang limply in the air between the two women. Oseely's rune seemed to glow faintly on her palm – or maybe that was just the Lantern's light. Artemis was quiet as the Witch worked. Her eyes passed over the Witch's face. Artemis couldn't remember ever seeing anyone look so old before – so tired. But the Witch seemed determined to press on, as though in defiance of her own exhaustion. 

Eventually the Witch finished her work and she dropped the rosary. Artemis' arm fell back to her side. The Witch stepped back, away from both Artemis and the Lantern.

[i]"No more lies out of you."[/i]

They stared at each other for a moment. Artemis felt she should say something. Her fingers curled around the rosary where it lay against her palm. She looked down. Then back up at the Witch. She opened her mouth to say… what?

She'd fix this? Do her best? That she'd make it all right?

No words came. Artemis closed her mouth. 

Without another look at the Witch, she grabbed the Lantern from the ground, turned, and started walking. 

The Lantern's iron was cool against her skin, and yet it burned her. Artemis tightened her grip against its weight. Nura hurried after her, pulling up to walk beside Artemis. The gryphon kept close, eyes constantly darting over their surroundings. She chittered nervously, eager to be out of the forest and up in the air. But Artemis ignored her and walked. 

She'd thought she'd had a plan. Get the Lantern. Go back to Oseely. Get her family. Kill the dragon. Artemis had the Lantern. The plan suddenly terrified her.

Something hard and familiar started to tighten its grip around her throat. What if Oseely was wrong and they weren't in the Lantern? Or they were too lost to be reached? She'd have lost them again.

What if they [i]were[/i] there? Artemis didn't know how she'd face any of them. Her parents, unsurprised but still somehow disappointed. Her mother would look at Artemis with sad eyes as she stroked her cheek and sighed. Her father would shout for a moment before slamming his mouth closed and deciding she wasn't worth the effort. They loved her, but they knew who she was. Maybe they'd never suspected the depths to which she'd sink, but they understood their daughter and all her faults.

Never Idris, though. He'd always thought her better. 

Artemis didn't know when she'd stopped walking. She looked up to see the barest pinpricks of stars peaking behind the forest canopy. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks. Artemis looked down again to the Lantern. She lifted it in both hands, holding it along the sides up in front of her chest. She let herself sink down until she was sitting on the ground.

Quiet tears continued to fall as she sat in its red glow. One hand moved along it side to wipe slowly at a bit of dried mud. Artemis sniffled. The tears grew heavier, but still Artemis sat in silence, looking at the Lantern, even as her vision blurred and the world became a shadowy red haze. 

Artemis pulled the Lantern to her chest, clutching at it with white-knuckled fingers. Her eye squeezed shut as a tiny sound finally escaped her.