Her Rising Dawn

Part 15- Not Home

I camped inside the training room as I made my plans. I would leave the castle when the clock struck midnight sharp. Then I would check out if Draco's manor was there. I checked my watch, it was 11.30 pm. I got up and went to pack some supplies, the trip there would be like, 2 hours or so.

It was quiet in my room when I opened the door. Rainbow was fast asleep in the enormous bed and I stepped inside on my tiptoes, not wanting to wake her up and spoil my trip. I went to the bathroom and ditched the pants and tank top. I put on a black tunic and black pants. I also placed my armor over it for precautions. It was clunky, but better than nothing. Then I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and threw on a pair of black boots. When I checked my reflection, I looked like a secret agent or something. But my head was still exposed. I spotted a black cloak draped over the rails and tossed it on, drawing the hood up. I wore a black half mask to cover my eyes. I literally blended in with the dark. Then I left the room, casting one more glance at Rainbow as I did.

I snuck into the kitchen and grabbed 1 of the sacks sitting in the storeroom. Then I began filling it up with food, water and a bunch of sharp knives for protection, since I didn't have my sword. I also tossed in an umbrella- hey who likes having wet hair? And I remembered to throw in the map, a flashlight and a compass.

With the supplies ready, I was good to go. I tiptoed to one of the enormous floor-length windows and flung it open. "Sorry Gold, Lunar and Rainbow," I whispered to the empty hallways. Then I leaped out onto the roof. Man the agility lessons during training did their work.

I stealthily jumped from roof to roof and snuck past windows to avoid being seen. Every time someone walked past, I pressed my back against the marble wall and froze. Surely my heart had stopped many times as I did, afraid that someone would see a black woman leaping from a window like a spider monkey.

Eventually I made it to the other side of the castle. I jumped off the roof and slid down the panels, jumping perfectly into a tree. Birds flew out of it as I crashed inside and they screeched loudly as they disappeared into the night sky. "Hey shut it!" I whispered-screamed. I slid down the bark of the tree and landed on the soft grass, brushing the emerald leaves off me. "Let's see," I muttered. I took out the map from the sack and began reading it.

It looks like I had to cross a river and climb at least 3 mountains. I smiled, tucked it back inside the sack and adjusted my mask. It wasn't that hard, I had swum many rivers and climbed millions of mountains. Also, the moon's glowing very brightly, so there's no need of a flashlight. It'll be a piece of cake!

Boy, who knew that I was terribly wrong?

It did start off easy as I arrived at the river. I began swimming across but unfortunately, the current was awfully strong and the choppy waters sent me somewhere I didn't know. When I clambered out, to my dismay, it started raining. Fat slushy drops of rain splashed around me and a strong gust of wind knocked me off my feet. I shivered, at least the cloak was thick enough to preserve some heat. I took out my umbrella and opened it. But that stupid umbrella had a mind of it's own to catch the wind and fly away. Never to return.

I stared helplessly as the umbrella flew off. No umbrellas for me now, just stupid clothes that were sticking to me like glue now. Yeesh. I trekked back to the area where I had first started and found the mountain. Oh geez, the mountain was at least 50 feet tall, but who's counting? It still was tall and I blankly stared at it. There was no time to waste though, so I grabbed a handful of dirt and began climbing.

About maybe 20 hours later, I made it across the mountain. Then behold, another mountain waited right there just for me. "AW COME ON!" I whined, sinking to my feet.

2 mountains later, I was finally there! I collapsed across a rock and took in deep breaths, the climb really knocked the wind out of me. Pretty sure that my energy was also sapped up. What a journey. Also, the rain had begun to die down and my hair was starting to dry up a little. Thank god for that! But my jaw crashed to the scraggly ground when I saw the clearing in front of me.

A gigantic manor sat on top of a small elevated hill in the middle of the woods. It had black painted walls, red stained glass windows and a pointed roof at the top. Definitely Draco's lair. It looked a bit like a woodland mansion, but less inviting and more scary. A group of demons patrolled the entrance, their flaming bodies burning so brightly I wished that I had packed a pair of sunglasses. Through the windows, I could see ogres walking through the halls. Oh dear, that place was very much secured. TOO MUCH! But the fire...it wiped out so many people! Maybe they didn't die.

It was about time that I realized my half mask was missing. I can't believe I never noticed! So I was partially vulnerable since my eyes were now exposed. I climbed down the mountain and began sneaking to the manor, darting from tree to tree and bush to bush. It was even more enormous when I got closer. Huge. Breathtaking. Scary. I stopped in my tracks when I heard two monsters chatting. Maybe a conversation. God do monsters even talk?

"How was your scout?" asked one of the monsters, who had wart covered skin and a large frumpy nose. An ogre maybe. "Found a rabbit, but it scurried away," said the other one, with violet skin, dark violet hair and a large hat. A witch, a very young one. The ogre snorted. "Call that a progress?" he snapped. "Even a toad could do that!" The witch shrugged. "Does it matter if I burned it?" she retorted. The ogre stopped and sniffed the air. "Do you smell something?" he asked. The witch sniffed and frowned. "A human," she muttered. I stifled a gasp and scurried away quickly.

With the trees as my advantage, I eavesdropped on every conversation that I could hear as I made my way to the manor. From what I had heard, the manor was built just 2 days ago and Draco was inside now. He also had gotten them to brew potions and guard him all day. But one conversation really shook me the most.

"Have you heard about what's happening in 4 moons?" asked a witch with blonde hair and crease free skin. She seemed very young, like the earlier witch. "I did," replied a demon with red horns and flames on his shoulders. "He sent the note yesterday, and I heard he even sent a bat to watch her." I stopped and listened carefully, this may provide me with the information I needed. "I can't believe that he's actually gonna do it," said another witch with green hair and teal eyes. "What did he take from her?" "Her sword," said the demon, the flames on his shoulders rising as he spoke. "She's a skilled fighter, from what I had heard." The blonde haired witch nodded. "He wants to lure her into a final battle without her sword. He thinks she's the only one who can stop him," she said. The green haired witch huffed. "He wants to fight her fair and square, so he's training now and preparing for battle," she grumbled. The demon sighed. "He says it's a sword duel and he won't use magic to be fair. I'm not sure if it's gonna work though," he mumbled.

I stumbled back and sat on a tree stump covered in green moss. It wasn't a trick at all. Something fluttered above me and I looked up to see a black fluffy bat hovering near me. It perched on a tree branch and stared at me with marble eyes. I stared back. Then it hit me.

He even sent a bat to watch her.

I gave the bat another look and whipped around. There he was. Stalking to me in a dark cape embroidered with red stitching. Somehow he looked both majestic and deadly at the same time. I gasped and darted away from him. The bat followed. Then I had 1 horrible realization.

Draco knows.