Chapter 5: The Lady of The Mist.

YIPPEE!!!!! I ACED all three of my Exams!!! Now I'll have more time to type this!!

*Calms down.* Sorry about that!!

Anyway, I think that this would be a good time to make a small confession. I've failed every one of my English classes, except for one, which I barely passed. Thought it only fair to let you know...

Well, enough of this!! On with the story!!

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Clara was floating in a tunnel of silver mist. Ahead of her the tunnel seemed to get darker and she raced towards the darkness, knowing that as soon as she touched it all her pain would end. She was almost there, smiling, she opened her arms to welcome the darkness. Around her the silver light of the mist suddenly intensified and swirled in front of her, clouding her vision and making her lose sight of the darkness. Soon the mist had gotten so thick that she couldn't move, she struggled in vain to get to the darkness, wanting nothing more than for her suffering to end.

:Sorry Clara, but I cannot allow that, You'll thank me for it later.: A feminine voice said in Clara's mind.

:Who are you? How do you know my name?: Clara asked.

:All your questions will be answered, but later. For now Clara, all you need to know is that you must LIVE! I know that things haven't been going well for you, but there's hope! Look, and see for yourself.:

In front of Clara the mist started to swirl faster and the light intensified. In the center of the light Clara could see a picture begin to form. In the picture she could see eight people riding what looked to be horses and :goats??: She thought, trying her best not to laugh. They were riding on a snow-covered path with tall trees all around them, they were obviously in a hurry.

:Those people are on their way here to rescue you. Do not be afraid to trust them for they are your friends and will be your allies in the times that are to come.: The voice continued.

:Times that are to come?: Clara asked.

:Yes, much is resting on your shoulders and I'm sorry to say that for you, the suffering has just begun. But you need not suffer alone. Another will be with you soon and when that one comes, you will never again suffer from loneliness, for you will never again be alone...: The voice began to fade and with it went the mist. Clara felt herself start to float back towards consciousness and tried to fight it, only to awaken in the cave, alone.

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Elspeth felt sick, very sick as she watched the scenery speed by.

:Gwena my sweet, I don't recall you ever being able to run this fast before.: Elspeth said as she tried to control her jumping stomach.

:I'm doing a kind of 'Fetching' only with us instead of and object, that's why you feel so sick.:

:I didn't know you could do that!:

:We all can. However, we have certain rules that we have to follow and as a result this has only been done twice before, once when Rolan came to warn Selenay of Ancars attack, and the only other time I know of was back in Vanyel's time!:

:Gwena, I thought we agreed not to keep any secrets.:

:I'm not keeping secrets pet, anyone can know this but we're only allowed to use this ability in an emergency.:

:Oh.:

:We'll be at the forest soon and then we'll stop to give you all a chance to recover and Talia an opportunity to find the exact location of the dark mage's victim.: Gwena promised.

:I hope so.: Elspeth thought darkly, sending images of a puke covered white horse at Gwena.

:Oh you are cruel! Well in case you haven't noticed, we're here.:

Elspeth looked around and saw the familiar tall trees. :Oh, so we are.: She slowly looked over her shoulder and looked at Talia. The older woman was paler than usual and had a slight crease on her forehead.

"This way, follow us." She said without even coming out of her trance.

"With his speed, it's not like we have much choice." Kero grumbled, her nausea had put her in a foul mood.

Firesong looked as though he were about to say something but Rolan choose that moment to speed off, leaving everyone else to scramble after him and try to catch up.

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The group rode down the main road for a while, but soon left the road and headed down several paths that, oddly enough seemed to be man-made.

:Vanyel must have made these: Altra said into Karals mind.

Ahead of them, Rolan made a sudden turn and jumped off the path. Karal struggled to keep and eye on him as they jumped around trees and boulders. They skidded across a frozen pond (which probably would have been a pretty funny sight had the situation not been so serious) and jumed over a tall line of bushes. Karal had begun to feel that they may never find this victem on time when Rolan disappeared .

:Hold on, this one's going to be a BIG one!: Sayla warned him just before she jumed over a very large hedge.

They landed in a small clearing. Over to one side was a frozen waterfall and river. :Frozen waterfall? But that can't be... that waterfall is much too big to be frozen like that... unless..: Karal looked around at the grim looks on his friends faces.

"Talia, please don't tell me that this person we're supposed to be rescuing is in that thing!" Karal pleaded.

Talia shook her head. "No... not in it, behind it." She said quietly.

"Well" Kero said. "This should be interesting."

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Sorry that this chapter is so short, I promise to post the next one soon!!