The lantern hovered for a moment longer, then slowly drifted back toward the crystal tree. It hooked itself onto the branch.
On the shore, in the ruins of the old inn, a chimney that had been cold for five years suddenly coughed and sputtered. A spark caught the dry kindling someone had left behind. Smoke began to curl into the sky. silvani tobrut
In the past, Silvani had taken it. He had used it to keep his drafty cabin warm through the blizzards. He had used it to heal his aching joints. He had survived because of it. The lantern hovered for a moment longer, then
"I am here," he whispered. His voice sounded small, swallowed by the vast gray dome of the sky. A spark caught the dry kindling someone had left behind
The crystal tree shivered. The water around the boat turned a deep, sorrowful indigo.
This was the payment. Every year, the lake offered a light. A light that could warm a house without wood, that could cure a sickness, that could guide a lost traveler home. It was a gift of immense power.
"Tobrut," Silvani said, addressing the spirit of the place. "I have kept the watch."