darkness rising ( complete )

The Runaways

The night that Mal ventured to her mother's old castle, men at the Howling Serpents Tavern discussed the vines...

"Attacked my house last night," said one man. "The wife and I had to take our children and move into my parents place."

"Do live in the Geridlia area?" asked the bar tender as he wiped down the bar.

The man who had spoken nodded. The other two men looked at him and clicked their tongues. "It's only there, Bravura, and Southern Auradon, near the Isle," said one man. "Anvia remains untouched."

"Doesn't surprise me," said the other. "Their protected by a powerful magic only their high queen has."

"Who's the high queen?" asked the first man.

The third shrugged. "I don't know. Nobody has ever traveled to Anvia before. Some who have say that the kingdom is frozen in time. They couldn't get in. Nobody was moving. They couldn't see the castle, the forest surrounding it was too dense."

The bar tender began to wipe mugs. He focused his attention to the door just as a cloaked person walked in. They met the bar tender's gaze and walked over. "How may I help you?" the bar tender asked.

"I need directions," they said in a strange voice. It was the voice of a woman.

"To where?" asked one of the men. "I know the way to Applewood Glen like the back of my hand."

"Too far," said the stranger. "It's to far from here. I need somewhere closer."

"The Glen is the closest you can get," said the bar tender. "Unless you're headed to Anvia."

"Where's that?" the stranger asked. "I've never heard of it."

"It's an old kingdom," said the third man. "But you wouldn't want to go there. People say its cursed."

"What people?" asked the stranger intently.

"Crazy people," said the second.

"The ones that go say the kingdom is trapped in a magical dome. The streets lay barren, nobody to be seen."

The stranger said nothing to the men. "How do I get there?" they asked the bar tender.

"Head straight north," he said. "You should be there in about a day or two tops."

The stranger nodded. They headed quickly for the door.

"Might I ask your name, Your Majesty?"

The stranger froze. "Call me....the queen."

"Of what?"

The stranger smiled a sly grin. "Mean."

--

"What did they say?"

"Closest kingdom from here is Anvia and we should reach it in a day or two," said Audrey, mounting her horse and adjusting to sidesaddle. She was wearing a pink dress with a brown leather vest over it and tall black boots. "We had better start riding."

"A day or two?" said Jane.

"That's too long," said Lonnie.

"And besides, Mal and the others will probably be long gone by now," Ben added.

"And how do we know that their headed to Anvivia or whatever," said Doug. "They could be headed in the opposite direction."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "We are going to find them I promise, just chill out." She turned her horse and strode to the edge of the taverns grounds. "Come on Esazia."