[quote]She put on her new shoes and marched on out towards the lake with purpose in her stride.[/quote]

Peck stared, bewildered, at the young woman that until a moment ago he had thought was on the brink of death, who now sprang into a new purpose with all the fierce energy he had come to expect of her. He scrambled to his feet, his mind struggling to keep up, and stumbled after Anise. "What, wait! Free who? The Riders are out there, they'll have questions!"

Just outside, the tents and stone cottages of the Rook were softly illuminated by the bonfire that always burned as a beacon at its heart -- but the doors were open and empty, and the only sound was the snap of the fire. The Riders were all gathered at the edge of the cliff, staring out at a spectacle none of them thought could ever be possible.

Peck craned his neck to see them, glanced at Anise, but followed the pull of his curiosity and rushed forward to the crowd, to see what they all were looking at. He skidded to a stop at the edge, and looked down at the sea of forests far below.

Something writhed dark at the center of the woods. The crack and thunder of falling trees echoed on the cliffs. The Dragon -- tar-black and skeletal -- clawed the trees out of the ground, ripped the foliage into clouds of leaves, created a clearing of destruction around itself in a frenzied yet methodical search for what rightfully belonged to it.

All around it, a circle of yellow lights was forming. While the Dragon was distracted by its search, the Kith had surrounded it, combining their powers in hopes of keeping it contained. Each of them held a ball of light in their hands, each of their masks eerily illuminated.

The Dragon yanked its head back suddenly, triumphantly; a violet light glowed between its teeth. The Dragon snapped its head back, tossed the violet Lantern in the air, and caught and swallowed it whole. A purple light coursed through the Dragon's body, its eyes changed color from blue to white to violet, and the tar of its moving corpse began to change. Like a distant image coming into focus, the illusion of the Dragon's true form emerged: shimmering reflective scales, powerful wings, tail and talons, a head angular with symmetric horns.

The renewed Dragon lifted its head and slowly surveyed the circle the Kith had formed around it. For now it lay comfortably curled in a destroyed clearing of its own making, and made no more move to attack.

Peck took a few deep breaths, and he made a decision. He grabbed Anise and led her along the cliff to a stairway down the cliff's face. "There's a faster way to the Lake," he explained, with no room for argument. He brought her into a shallow cave filled with straw, where the gryphons were housed. He went to a dappled beast and quickly strapped a saddle to it. "C'mon, Doreli," he encouraged the gryphon, who moved with the stiffness of age, "show us that speed of yours."

Once outside, Doreli sat to let on his passengers, then tried his wings. A few of the Riders above shouted -- but it was too late. The gryphon leaped off the edge and dropped headfirst, plummeting toward the trees, before white dappled wings snapped out and gryphon and riders shot like an arrow over the treetops.

The Dragon raised its head, and a bright eye caught them from a distance -- but it made no move. Not yet.

The Lake glistened ahead. Doreli circled and landed on the beach, where the gold-glinting water lapped the smooth stones. Even here, everything seemed far too quiet. All attention was on the Dragon; the forest lay still and tense, barely daring to breathe.

[quote]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.[/quote]

The forest was quiet, tense with the electricity before the storm. There were no animals, no insects, not even a chirp of a cricket to disturb the stillness. The red of the Lantern cast strange shapes on the bark, drew horrible silent shadows behind them. A cool breeze rustled the moonlit leaves above. The trees stood sentinel, unmoved and uncaring, while Artemis shook at their roots.

Through the power of the Wood's rune, Artemis would feel gentle silent steps on the grass behind her. Reus, the great black wolf, moved forward, stepping carefully over Artemis -- and stopped, protective, when he stood directly over her. He raised his head, staring into the dark with bright yellow eyes, shielding the light of the Lantern from the sight of the woods. His ears were perked, listening. Waiting.

Between the trees, small yellow lights shifted. Some of them were fireflies, momentary dim flashes that arced and fluttered in patterns. Others moved with purpose, two at a time, glowing bright and seeking prey. In the dapples of moonlight, brief clearings of stars, sometimes a muscled patch of fur, an ear, a flash of teeth would emerge before sinking back into the shadows. Twigs cracked. leaves rustled. Something big was breathing.

An enormous bear moved between the trees, its eyes shining yellow. It swung its great brown head side to side, but had yet to find what it was looking for.

Not far away, a second beast stepped softly: a mountain lion the size of a house, bright yellow eyes staring hollow, shifted among the shadows, also searching with swiveled ears and quivering whiskers.

It wouldn't be long before the light of the red Lantern would catch their eyes.

Reus remained poised over Artemis, watching them, calm but ready to attack the moment the need arose.