DISCLAIMER: scribbles If I owned the original HMC characters I'd turn Howls hair neon Blue, and I'd make Calcifer sing the SpongeBob Squarepants theme song. But unfortunately I don't. Smiles evilly

SUMMARY: A Druid, a bard, and a Magic user are heading to Kingsbury to make their living. On their way they encounter the witch of the waste, and help her to get pass the wards that were cast around Kingsbury. Can they undo the mess they made, or will they end up trapped in their deepest fears?

A/N I know this is short, but read and review anyways!

Chapter Six—In which Daria becomes defeated

She ran she ran from the THING following her. She ran because she didn't want to see it, didn't want to unmask it, didn't want to have anything to do with it. "Run as much as you want! I'll always find you, I always do." It would taunt, she still ran, going even faster, pushing herself to the limit.

It caught up with her, and grabbed her from behind, she flailed, she kicked, and it howled in evil menacing laughter. "Fighting me won't help you now," It reached for its hood...

Daria woke up drenched with cold sweat, from the dream. It almost had me, she thought, then shuddered. Ye gods it almost had me. She looked around her prison, and swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn't going cry, no way in hell was she going to cry.

Daria began to recite a poem Mary used to say when they were all...well...depressed.

I do what I want

I do what I please

As long as I'm happy

That's were I'll be

"I believe I can

I believe I will

I'm not staying

In this small shell

I can do it

I will do it

But I don't know how

I believe I can

I believe I must

I'm not staying

In this cloud of dust!

She repeatedly said this poem, trying to seek some comfort from it, but not exactly getting any. She longed for her friends, and even longed for those confusing magic books. She longed for Rosewood, she even would of talked to the witch.

The dark had slowly effected her mind, slowly she would go temporary insane, and she knew it. Daria was hungry for light, which was no longer availible to her.

Daria got off the floor; she had sat herself down at, and refused to leave. She looked around, gulped, and began looking for a weak spot in the spell, as all spells had a weak spot. She searched the invisible walls of her prison, walls she couldn't see outside of, even if she did press her face to them and concentrated very hard.

After a while, she began to get a little frightened. Daria banged her fists against the walls and screamed. She began to use her magic to try to tear the walls down, but each time she did, the spell would use her magic and strengthen the walls of her prison with it.

Minutes turned to hours, Hours turned to days. And Daria soon lost all control together. She rocked back and forth in her spot, reciting the poem. Shaking with fear from the silence until finally, she broke down all together.

MARY AND BRITTANY

Mary and Brittany became frantic with worry. They searched all of Market Chipping, they went door to door, they asked everybody who crossed them if they saw Daria, only to find no one did. Mary became a complete mess, without Daria to bring her down she could not plant her feet firmly to the ground anywhere. Brittany did her best to track, to sense Daria's magic, as it had a particular smell and feel to it, but even doing this did not work.

"Why don't we ask for a find spell?" Mary asked, while Brittany was in wolf form.

"Because...I don't want to!" Brittany snapped. Mary flinched back, about now would be the time Daria would defend me and have my back. She though sadly, and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.

"Maybe...she went...to Kingsbury," Mary said, trying to put hope in her voice, but all you could detect was sadness.

"It's worth a try," Brittany told her, "I guess we should go pick up a finding spell first though, Kingsbury is a little bit too big for a Druid like me, and if I went into wolf form, the guards there would probably kill me on sight."

Mary nodded. Then began to whisper the poem she always found inspiration and comfort in, but this time that inspiration and comfort never came.

END OF CHAPTER SIX

A/N Okay, I think this chapter turned out to be really good. But please don't let me get a little over confident. Thanks to all my reviewers, ya'll know who you are!

A/N Now for some info for I ain't nobody but me:
Druids in this story...have a magic, they can translocate people places and can turn into animals, as well as charm them. They can track, forage, and do lots of other stuff! But mostly their magic has to do with nature.

Bards—are storytellers, poets, and singers. But they can also use magic to benefit or not benefit those around them. Such as they could boost your speed, or they could give surges of strength. I hope this clears a few things up for you if not, then try thinking of the game Ever Quest, that's were I got my ideas for them!

A/N For those who want Howl and Sophie, they WILL appear in the next chapter. And so will Morgan!

A/N Also, I was reading this one story by Hoping4fame he(s) decided on posting all the flames he(s) got in the authors notes at the beginning of the chapter so everybody could laugh at them. I am contemplating doing that, so if you flame me that is the price you pay!