The Quest

Somewhere here had to be a clue! For hours she had been desperately searching for a marker or a signpost that would point her in the right direction or at least lead her to a village where she could ask. Now in broad daylight, she couldn't even ask her sisters. It was simply exasperating since her escape three days ago she was wandering through this human forest. She only seemed to get more lost instead of getting closer to her destination, a village called Mius in the south of the country. Her last attempt to consult the people she met on the way had failed miserably, her command of their language was simply too poor and her appearance caused too much of a stir. Whereas she desperately needed to remain undiscovered. The book in her arms suddenly seemed to weigh tons, as did her conscience. But she simply had had no other choice! She had to go to Mariken to help her, and these mages had refused to give her the only thing that could help her. Phoenice decided that there was no point in walking around anymore - her feet were already chafed and bloody from the forest floor and her stomach was empty. She could not understand how these people could walk for hours. Well she had only been doing it for a few days and still needed practice, one of the hikers had even called her a drunk. He should fall from the sky and then learn to walk, while a bunch of wildly ranting fireball-throwing mages were after him! He could grumble, but where Mius lay he just couldn't tell her. Heavy dark clouds gathered above her head. 

Better she looked for a safe place to stay dry and wait for the night when her allies would help her.  

She thanked the gods when, after a few steps, she found a small moss-covered spot under a huge tree that could safely keep her dry and let her rest a bit until the darkness would embrace her benevolently and her sisters would appear.