As they began their journey into the stagnant water, Relma had a thought. One that Estela would have considered ahead of time. But then, Relma could have been better at this than Ronald or Estela, was she? "Shouldn't we bring the poles Estela had me get? You know, to, um, check for places where things are too deep? I mean, we could fall into a bog."

Aunt Pan looked up in surprise. Then she shook her head before leading her in a circle around what looked like a walkable piece of ground. Kneeling down, she drew up a stone from the wet earth and dropped it into the earth. The stone sank like.... well, a stone in water. It was gone in a moment, and apparently, firm ground rippled. "Not at the moment. I can sense we're only going a little way in."

"What makes you so sure where it is?" asked Relma. She knew Aunt Pan was a legendary agent of Elranor, but the question couldn't hurt.

"Ranush is leading me," said Aunt Pan. "When you speak with spirits enough, you learn to know their minds. You see, spirits do not exist in one body; their being is dispersed throughout an area. He is all around us, and I can communicate with him.

"What you heard before at the pool was him shouting."

"Shouting?" asked Relma.

"Yes, spirits have to exert great effort to speak with the untrained," said Aunt Pan.

And so they walked onward. As they did, what passed for firm ground became soaked and ankle-deep in the water. Gradually, it got deeper until Relma was up to her thighs. She wished she were tall like Aunt Pan, but no such luck.

Her luck held out as soon flies began to gather around them. Relma hated it and tried to beat them off by killing them. It was all about threatening motions that didn't actually connect. Once, Relma nearly hit a fly and had to veer her hand off. After that the flies were relentless. Aunt Pan, as usual, just kept on walking while ignoring them.

Soon, they saw many red and white flowers growing in the water. And the flies stopped as they did. It was a welcome relief, and the air soon became sweet and cool, and Relma breathed in relief. Then, suddenly, Aunt Pan stopped and raised a hand. "Stop."

"What is it?" asked Relma, looking ahead.

She only saw a lake of white and red flowers budding before them. A sweet aroma was in the air, and there were no flies around them. The ground got firmer, too, as though the water was absorbed. But Aunt Pan's face was stern. "Ahead of us is one of the most dangerous creatures in the world."

"I don't see anything," said Relma.

"The flowers," said Aunt Pan.

"What about them?" asked Relma.

"They emit pollen that clouds the mind," said Aunt Pan. "As you walk among them, they enchant you. Strange, usually, they only grow in places where spirits are powerful."

"We spoke with Ranush, didn't we?" asked Relma.

"Yes," said Aunt Pan. "Spirits are everywhere. But in some places, certain kinds of spirits gain more power. Come, we'll go around."

"What would happen if we went in?" asked Relma.

"You might be enchanted," said Aunt Pan. "If you were alone, then the flowers would cover you up. Their thorns would tear you until you were nothing more than bones."

Relma shuddered. "Well, then... maybe we should do something about these?"

"And what would you suggest?" asked Aunt Pan. "Burn them? These flowers are not evil; they merely live by eating meat. One might as well kill all the wolves in the world because they eat sheep. Or dry up all the seas because men can drown within them.

"It is always better to work within the system rather than destroy-"

And then there was a flaring of white, and they were thrown off their feet into the mud. A huge inferno rose up beside them, and the flowers screamed. Their vines whipped in the air as heat washed against Relma's face.

Maniacal laughter sounded as the flames burned higher and higher as they rose. Then, out of the flames, walked Fayn, clad in her black armor. The silver-haired girl's face was hidden behind a helmet. She was spinning a new poleaxe that was flaming. With each rotation, more fire surged from it. Thorned vines lashed out at her, only to be burned away. The flowers seemed to scramble away, seeking to escape the flames.

"Fayn?! What is she doing here?" asked Relma, unsure of what was happening.

"Unravelling several hundred years of spiritual diplomacy, it seems," said Aunt Pan.

"Cin'Dar, stop this at once! I command it!"

"I burn at the will of no creature save Anoa the Bright and is Heirs!" cried the fire spirit. "I consume what I will, and none may command me otherwise!"

"Cin'Dar, could you please stop burning those flowers?" asked Relma.

Cin'dar paused. "So be it."

"Why did you stop?" asked Fayn, coming out. Then she saw Relma and sighed in a disappointed tone Relma didn't think was appropriate. Last time they'd met, Relma had nearly lost her own life saving Fayn from the consequences of her actions. A little respect would be nice from the silver-haired girl. "Oh, you."

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"Fayn, what are you doing here?" asked Relma.

"I'm doing knight-errantry on behalf of Lord Anias," said Fayn.

"By setting fire to the trees?" asked Relma.

"No, the flowers," said Fayn, looking regretfully at the dying fire as she drew off her helm. "Yes. Some of the villagers have gone missing when they walk into this region. Village children make money collecting blood moss for the healers. A sweet smell lured them deep into the woods, and they were never seen again. Or so some of their companions said."

"You foolish girl! Do you know what you've done?" asked Aunt Pan.

"Burned up a man-eating plant?" asked Fayn.

"A man-eating plant was allowed to grow here by the spirits," said Aunt Pan. "Those flowers are very good at making friends."

"I'll burn them too," said Fayn. "I don't mind starting a larger fire. Besides, look over there."

As the flames died out, Relma saw something. There were bones beneath the water. Thousands upon thousands of bones. Animals, satyrs, humans, and dwarves. "How many people is that?"

"I'd say hundreds," said Fayn. "Built up over centuries. Satyrs. Men. Women. Children. Of course, it's a lot more than that. There are other flowers in this place I need to take care of.

"So yeah, I don't feel bad about burning this place.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're trying to undo the blockage that has made a stream stop flowing," said Relma.

"Cute," said Fayn. "No doubt tales shall be sung of your epic tail of dam breaking."

And then the trees began to twist and groan. The air warped as the roots began to shift and come toward them as the water deepened.

"The trees are moving," said Relma.

"They are calling for vengeance," said Aunt Pan. "The flowers were dear to them."

"Well then, Cin'dar, what do you say we make an example of these?" asked Fayn.

"So we shall," said Cin'dar. "Thus shall the ashes of this forest be spread worldwide! The rumor of their fate is known to all."

The battle was about to begin again.

"Hold where you are!" said Aunt Pan. "I am the Sorceress Pandora! I want to create a parley between the spirits of nature and the realm of Gel Carn!"

"You're joking," said Fayn.

The closing forces shifted and halted. Eventually, many whispers came to them, forming into a singular voice. "Speak your terms."

"They are not my terms to give," said Pandora. "Fayn is acting in the interests of her people, even if she enjoyed it more than she should have. These flowers behaved aggressively and killed humans. That was why the humans sent Fayn against them."

"Human children," said Fayn.

"If you all move against Fayn now and kill her, it will only cause further violence. Humans and satyrs alike will begin to hack down trees for safety. There will be a great war, and both sides will suffer terrible losses.

"It is my desire, as the representative of the Heir of Kings, that peace is reached between you. And I expect you to make one that will benefit both parties."

"I am in no hurry to consume this miserable world," said Cin'dar. "I will speak with the spirits of this realm."

"Excellent," said Pandora. "I will oversee the negotiations and ensure they are in good faith.

"Ranush, I need you to lead Relma to the source of your problem."

Ranush appeared in the water. "So be it. Follow me."

Relma followed Ranush as quickly and quietly as she could. This was her task now. Did Aunt Pan think she could do this on her own? Well, yes, she sent her, but Relma was worried. What if there was some kind of dragon she had to slay. Or an evil demon in need of appeasement.

And then she got to it and saw a dam blocking off a stream. It was a vast, muddy dam. More significant than any she or Ronald had seen. And Relma realized she'd have to take the thing apart herself. She'd almost have preferred a dragon. "Well, that is... a lot worse than I expected."

"A group of beavers built it, and even now, it is stagnating my waters," said Ranush.

"Even if I clear this thing out, the beaver will only rebuild it, won't they?" asked Relma.

"It was killed by satyr hunters. They sell the pelts," said Ranush, voice satisfied.

"Oh, right," said Relma. "Well, that's good. I don't like killing animals." Then she went over to it and looked at the thing made from sticks and mud. She grabbed one of the sticks and tried to dislodge it but only got her hands muddy. "Now, how can I clear this out without any tools? I supposed I could use my sword. I doubt Lightning Trail will get damaged from sticks,"

Relma drew out Lightning Trail and brought it down. She'd been hoping for a flash of lightning and a broken dam. Unfortunately, the sword seemed resentful, and Relma didn't blame it. She'd be resentful, too. So she began trying to find a stick she could pry out. But the beaver had gone to a great deal of trouble to make all the sticks overlap. They all reinforced each other. She had to work at it for quite a while before she found something she could pull out. Eventually, she got the first stick out and moved on to the next and the next, prying them out with her sword. It was miserable, hot, and horrible work.

Relma had to work at it for hours, yet no matter how many sticks she pulled out, there always seemed to be more. She hardly seemed to be making any difference as she removed one after another. Privately, she wondered if this was actually something Ranush needed her to do.

Was this a secret test? Was Ranush trying to see if she was serious about things? It seemed at least likely, and Relma worked all the harder. Stick after stick was removed as the light began to die. Her limbs ached, and her hands were filthy, but she made progress.

At long last, she succeeded in breaking a hole in the dam. The stream began to flow in, dislodging more of them. But she still had to work at it; now, things were muddier.

"It is done," said Ranush at last.

That was the last thing Relma heard from him. He didn't even say thank you. When she finally limped back to Aunt Pan and Fayn, she was covered in mud, sick of it all, and in a bad mood.

"Hello, Relma," said Fayn, sharpening her poleaxe. "Why are you covered in mud?"

"I had to clear out a beaver's dam with nothing but my sword and hands," said Relma. "It wasn't exactly fun. How did the negotiations go?"

"As well as could be hoped," said Aunt Pan, walking back.

"So, badly then?" asked Relma.

"No," admitted Aunt Pan. "I think I managed to negotiate things."

"So what did they decide on?" asked Relma.

"The flowers hunting humans and Fayn burning them are equal vengeance," said Aunt Pan.

"Both have agreed not to hunt the other.

"The war is over. Peace is restored. Honor is satisfied."

"It was that easy?" asked Relma.

"Cin'Dar is a greatly feared spirit," said Aunt Pan. "With good reason. And Fayn's assault was not without justification. The fact that you helped Ranush was what sealed things. When a single stream is dammed up, it can negatively influence entire swaths of forest.

"Your actions have thus been of great service to all of them.

"It is a combination of fear and love that served me well, with the respect I have earned.

"I have also convinced the spirits of the Black Marshes to remain neutral in our conflict with Lucius. Well done.

"It was nothing," said Relma.

"Glad to hear it," said Fayn with a yawn. "Can we go back now? The last thing I wanted to do was spend the rest of the day in a swamp."

Relma couldn't agree more with that. Though at least the flowers and flames had been pretty.