The oppressive evil showed no let as it strove against them. But Lily would not be denied, and only redoubled her impossible, unending siren-call that pierced the air until the Marsh itself began to tremble! Fresh spring water ran free now, pouring itself into the bottomless hole at the centre of the tarn, sparkling with green fire.

So suddenly that Anest barely caught himself, Lily gave one final visceral tantara, twisting it off at the end as though it were a knife plunged into the heart of her hated enemy! At the instant of ending she silenced the Summoning Stone, and jerked it away from the influence of Anest's staff. By some miracle of empathy, Anest somehow felt the exact instant approach, and silenced his staff after emitting a final burst of power.

For several tense moments there were answering concussions from deep within the earth that echoed and reverberated, until at last, all became still.

Anest awoke to discover that both he and Lily had fainted from exhaustion, though somehow she lay with her head pillowed on his shoulder. And then he realised that she must have been at work for some time after he had fallen insensate, for the air about them was clean again. Birds were singing. And the waters of the tarn were clean and pure once again. Suddenly, the sun broke through the clouds, shining on the two them like all the world's joy and hope. Blue sky broke clean




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