Mystoria: Trail of Thorns (Cancelled)

Chapter 2 (Posted 10-8-2020)

Chapter 2

Chronology: [2]

POV: [Mia]

Probable Chapter: [2]

Chapter or Part [#]: [?name?]

The world jerked. A confusing jumble of falling, sliding, and being pulled. Muffled words, a blurry thrashing of motion, and the disorientating sense of being half asleep and half conscious in the dark world around her.

"Uhah." Mia managed to groan.

"Quiet. This way."

The cool chill of the wooden floorboards against her soles did much to pull her out of the haze. She stumbled as she was pushed into the library. The man that had dragged her out of bed, likely one of her father's, slid the locks in place and moved to the desk. Mia straightened herself, blinking the last of the sleep from her eyes and using her fingernails to rake her hair back behind her horns. She turned to the room's other occupant with a mix of confusion and concern.

"Is something burning?"

Her father was shoving the entire contents of her personal bookshelf into a bag a tiny fraction of the shield's size. "They set the house on fire." He said calmly.

"Who? Why? The house is on fire?!"

He didn't respond right away, just moved to the wall shelves and started searching for something. She could hear yelling coming from somewhere outside the library.

"Mia." He was standing with the bookshelf pulled away from the wall exposing a dark stone hallway. "Come on."

She took the bag he handed her. She looked up, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

"There's a change of clothes and a cloak in there, and anything else you might need."

"But..."

"Shhh." He pushed her into the darkness then pulled a largely ornamental sword off the wall. "All the way down. Second door on the left."

"Father?"

His smile was somehow both reassuring and profoundly sad. "Love you Mia."

The bookshelf swung shut, enveloping her in complete and utter darkness. For an eon she stood there as the after image of the open door slowly melted away. With a sharp breath she turned to the nothingness.

"Lux."

A rich golden flame sprouted into existence hovering just above her fingertips. Its soft light stretched out into the darkness, illuminating the stone corridor.

"Ok." Mia spoke into the darkness. "Ok." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started walking.

Three doors spaced about thirty feet apart. One on the right. Two on the left. Standing in front of the last door on the left she took a moment to fish something to wear out of the bag. A rather nondescript outfit, cloak, and sturdy pair of boots made for far better attire than her night clothes. Dressing in the dark Mia pressed her forehead into the door and took several steading breaths. Trying constantly not to fall into a panic. "Get out of the city. Find out what's going on. Yeah. That's it. Out of the city. Gather information."

Mia pushed open the cellar door just enough to see that the alleyway was empty. As quietly as possible she pulled herself out, closed the door, and made her way to the main street. The bright flickering glow a few blocks away was no doubt her house. The heavy scent of burning wood and everything she had ever known blanketed the streets in a thick miazma similar to a dense fog. Mia pulled up the hood of her cloak, put on a passive face, and made a beeline for the inner city gates. Which were of course closed because it was the dead of night.