There wasn't much cover, but Kisara was so distracting that it was possible for Mouse to sneak up behind the tree trunk, to a position where she could glimpse what was going on.<br/><br/><br/>......<br/><br/><br/><br/>The guardsmen visibly jumped at the sudden appearance of the woman in their midst, and the captives cringed, some of them beginning to sob.<br/><br/><em>"Is that really her--"<br/><br/>"Shut up! Do whatever she says or she'll pull our souls out!"</em><br/><br/>Looking very grateful for an excuse to leave without asking questions, they piled out of the temple in a motion that was less a crisp withdrawal than a near-panicked run.<br/><br/><br/>.....<br/><br/><br/>"Then you will no longer draw breath." said the ghost to Kisara, a sharp smile passing over his face. "You shall see the true futility of your words now, for one who has seen the final truth at the end of all things now emerges. Behold....."<br/><br/>The doors creaked open further, but rather than whatever he had been expecting, several masked mortal soliders piled out, still among the living to judge from their panicked breath.<br/><br/>"You? I told you to watch the captives, idiots!" spat the ghost.<br/><br/>"Sir! She told us to come here and--"<br/><br/><br/>......<br/><br/><br/>That was when the intensifying glow from the well grew brighter....and something emerged, seen by both Talona and Kisara, through the open door. A long-fingered hand gripped one side of the mouth, and then another. Cries of panic came from the captives at the sight.<br/><br/>Half clambering and half floating, a tall, gaunt figure emerged, glowing with an unhealthy green radiance. Her skin was pale, her face was a blank porcelain mask, and her arms were too long for her body, ending in long clawlike fingers. The waves of her hair and the seaweed-green dress she worse seemed not so much to end as to fade away into nothingness, and a phantasmal crown hovered over her head.<br/><br/>"My name is spoken." she said, her voice a reedy whisper that sounded on the verge of breaking into coughs as she looked out over the terrified prisoners. "But who beckons me?"<br/><br/><div align="center"><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">The Queen</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/CP8OtUs.jpg)</div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"></div></div></div></div></div><br/><em>OOC: Tolina: You can roll checks for yourself if you think they might be appropriate. Veiled Step ends, and you regain the Effort (but it still counts as spent for the purposes of your anima banner).</em>