Silence pervades the cavern
A distant pinprick of light disturbs the darkness
Perhaps there can be an escape from this tomb
Timelessness is the amnesia which lulls
Stillness caresses the lake
And the watcher permits hope
It can remember before
Thoughts turn the wheels once more
A mind drifts back to before the capture
As a spell of breaking descends
That which enforced the dream stirs in its slumber
And the watcher perceives ripples crossing those deathly waters
Silently a boat floats towards the shore
A lone figure in black looms
The source of the light held in its hand
A torch of incandescence blinds the watcher's eyes
And the pangs of freedom awaken within
Tearful eyes watch the smoke rise high into the roof of the cavern
Gossamer like trails merging with the oppressive darkness
Impatience flares as the boatman halts its approach
So near yet so far … a fatal gap stands between captivity and freedom
One touch of those poisoned waters and the chance will be gone forever
A veil of power hangs in the air before him
The spell of his gaoler looms
Threatening to prevent his safety
However determination stands firm
Gathering all his remembered will
He summons his flame …
And a fire of white incandescence flares
Shattering the bane in an instance
Filling the cavern with sizzling illumination
He stands aboard the vessel now
Defiant … he watches the enchanter's shoreline fall away
Beside him the boatman sits motionless
Its lantern now extinguished
Waters black as night, darkness incarnate flow beneath him
But … their hold is broken
He is freed from the deadly tomb ….
At last.