As the earth jutted and rumbled around her, Anise barely dodged the spear of earth that launched through the casket and the Lady of Light's corpse. She had created an opening in the ice above her and realized that she had better escape the lake before the earth swallowed it up. She pushed herself to the surface with the water and then made her way to the shore and Peck with all due haste.

She stopped to rest right before him Sword of Light in her hand. "I'm sorry, Peck, I thought she was still alive somehow and imprisoned. I was wrong." She presented the sword for him to see. "With this, we can carry on her legacy. We can still save this land. We can cleanse whatever has been done to the Dragon."

Anise could feel they were close to the climax. First she would have to deal with the Lady of Earth.

"Lady of Stone," Anise called out. "Why is it that you are working with the Lord of Shadow? You can see how unbalanced everything has become under his rule. Trees thirst for blood thanks to the lack of sun. The wildlife is far more hazardous than it should be in any reasonable state. The corruption of the Dragon can only spell disaster. Is this really better? The Lord of Shadow acts as a selfish tyrant looking to expand his own power to no one's gain except his own. A true ruler is responsible for the protection of those more vulnerable. A king is nothing without the support of the people. What do you think?"

She kept the Sword of Light at her side and maintained a neutral stance. She was prepared for the possibility of an attack, but she had no interest in fighting the Lady of Stone.