Lost city

Part 2

Ne declines cor opus.  

Minnie whispered those words as she tapped the beetle with the tip of her dagger, it curled up and eventually stopped moving. She turned to face the pale boy with blonde hair, white skin and blue eyes, he was strange and she didn't trust him one bit. She had only been traveling with him for a week and she was sure he was planning on mugging her, hurting hr and leaving her to rot in the middle of the desert. 

Minnie was raised in the town of Aranor desert as Minerva, the only daughter in a wealthy, well off family. She was happy until she became 14 and started hearing marriage rumours about her, she had told her family that marriage wasn't going to be an option in her life. Her parents were quite open-minded and took her seriously. They didn't need to sell their daughter off as they didn't need money and they could afford a woman education, which unfortunately not many could access as it cost three times as much as men's. 

Everything was going just fine until she started reading old magic books that were not accessible by everyone in the town. She started learning them off and practicing them but they would never work or do whatever she wished it would do. She abandoned this idea until the next year, after a year of education and reading of these books she crept down to the forbidden part of the family's tomb. They had been storing things down there as old as the 2nd age in 1562. It was enormous and full of ancient artifacts and gold plates with old runes.

 She had found an old curved dagger, it was silver and at the bottom of the handle was another pointy knife part, which took the form of a bear claw. The leather hilt bore brown engraved writings across it. Minnie found this interesting and took it back to her room and wrapped it in purple silk, along with her witchcraft books, meaning that it was her own personal, private stuff. 

One night, she was reading through one of her old witchcraft books when she whispered "halcfi durmarc" and the dagger started levitating, magically. Minnie was shocked and in awe, wondering whether she was getting stronger because of the dagger, or it was the dagger causing the magic. She decided to test it out, going outside and whispering the words. Nothing happened and she went back inside and brought out her dagger and whispered the words. The flower pots of her family's famously lush and beautiful garden. She realised that, without the dagger she couldn't do magic and ran back inside to see what else it could do. 

Meanwhile, little did she notice of a passer-by passing by, seeing everyone that had happened in the garden. They had told the story to their friend and soon everyone was spreading the rumour that in fact, Minnie, Daughter of Menonteth was a witch. This caused a lot of havoc, people wondering if the reason she wasn't getting married was because she was a witch. Many people tried to break into their house and kill her. Minnie decided to run away when their own loyal and faithful servant was planning on turning against them and killing her.

Minnie didn't tell her parents as she didn't was to see them stop her. They were tired and constantly worried. She didn't want them to have to deal with her anymore. 

She left everything behind but her dagger, a large supply of food and water and money. She left with her grey stallion and traveled for three days, but soon she was running out of supplies and couldn't buy any as she was avoiding the road. But soon she had to get back on it to buy some more supplies, that was where Laden, the pale boy, found her.

He told her that he knew that she was Minnie but he promised that he wouldn't give her away, instead, he suggested that he bring her to a safe place where she can stay until she figured out where she would stay. 

Now Minnie was lying in a tent, a week later, wondering if it was the right decision. She heard the sound of Laden shifting, and slowly getting up. Minnie discreetly took hold of her dagger, clutching it as he rose from his blanket. He rose above her, hovering over her a little. Quickly, Minnie turned on to her back and opened her eyes to Laden, holding a knife pointing at her.

As fast as lightning, Minnie swung her dagger at him, her heart pumping frantically. Just as he was bringing the knife down onto her chest everything went so fast so quickly. Minnie kicked him back and pointed her dagger and yelled "facere darir in dusmen!"

He fell back, clutching his chest and yelled loudly, so loud that Minnie's ears popped. 

He was in immense pain. She wondered  why she didn't use the killing spell.

"You are a witch" he cried out "you are incapable of ever feeling love"

Minnie stepped back, he was in deep pain but she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't know painkilling spells or even spells for curing. If the only things she can do was give pain to others, she really was a witch. An ugly hearted freak.

She opened her book, frantically searching for a healing spell, as Laden lay on the ground. 

Just her and a stranger in the middle of a barren desert. She wanted to go home.