Sythemis sat bolt upright eyes rolled back, white and staring. Her sightless gaze fell upon the thief and her face controted in a more than human countenance. Her lips opened and worked and a silibant hissing sound escaped her lips.

"Do not invoke my name in service of this apostate. She would use me as she uses..." the voice cut off as Sythemis' eyes came back into focus. She shuddered stiffened and then her eyes widened. The beast had staggered to its feet, blood dripping over its dark coat and glistening in the moonlight. It's clawed feet tore up handfulls of the strange earth as it charged, tongue lolling and jaws slavering. Sythemis lifted a hand and the odd plant life exploded into motion. Vines snaked out and seized the thing wrapping its legs and midrift and dragging it to the ground. The thing yowled and screamed as more vines entombed it. Rootlets burst up from beneath the earth and burrowed into its body, making it swell grotesquely as though filled with magots. The light left its eyes and the plants continued to grow until it was nothing more than a slightly lump in the ground where roots and moss hid what might have been a rock instead of a bloody mess of shattered bones and organs.

"We must... reach the gem," Sythemis gasped as far away a great black bell began a slow and terrible tolling.