Sage took out her wand and tapped it on the gate. She murmured an incantation and the gate simply melted away.
Diana followed close behind, wishing she had a wand or something to defend herself with, if trouble struck.
They walked in silence, Sage occasionally lifting her wand as though she heard something. After several minutes, Sage stopped and pulled a map out of her backpack. She studied it, cursed, then made a light on the tip of her wand and glanced around.
They seemed to be in the middle of a thick growth of hedges. There were several paths leading from it, but it was evident that Sage wasn't sure which one to take.
They stood there for a moment, considering their options. Suddenly, there was a loud rustling. A small figure popped out from one of the bushes. It looked like a mouse, but he was very large and wearing armor.
The mouse ran up to them. "If you seek the Shadow Queen, I cannot help you," he said in a quavery voice, "but you-" he turned to Diana and suddenly sank into a deep bow- "your destiny lies through there."
The mouse gestured to a path on their right. It didn't look any different from the others. Diana wondered what he meant, and why he had treated her with such respect. Diana didn't know quite what respect felt like, only that other members of her family were treated to it often.
"Diana?" Sage whispered. The mouse had gone. They were standing alone in the clearing, with Sage determinedly facing the path that the mouse had pointed out.
"It's the only lead we have. Lets go."
Diana nodded and gathered her thoughts. They followed that path for some time. Neither of them knew what they were looking for. Eventually, they came to a dead end.
Well, not exactly. Hedges still blocked either side, but in front of them was a river. It was very wide, and the water was a dark black color. Sage dipped her knuckles into it, and they came out steaming, covered in red welts.
Diana tried to see across the river, but it was too dark, and too wide. Sage motioned for them to leave, but Diana shook her head. She knew something very powerful was on the other side of that river.
Sage sighed. Wearily, she lifted her wand. A long stone bridge appeared on their side, and stretched itself across the river.
The girls stepped on and journeyed across. The silence was killing Diana. Finally, she broke it.
"What do you think that mouse meant by my destiny being here?" she asked.
Sage shrugged, but when she spoke, her voice was shaking. "I don't know, but... if he was right, that's a bad thing. This place is... evil."
Diana pondered that for a while until she realized she had just stepped on regular ground. They had crossed the river.
Sage took out her map again and checked their location. Diana looked around. She froze when she saw something on the ground.
"Sage?" she called out, "what's that?" Sage stuck her map in her pocket.
"Don't touch it," she ordered sharply. Sage ran over and knelt down beside the strange object. "That's a... Shadow Pip."
Diana frowned. "A what?"
Sage shook her head, looking mystified. "When the first wizards came to Khrysalis, they discovered Shadow Magic. It was more powerful than any school of magic, but also very dangerous and hard to control. Almost everyone stopped using it. We haven't seen a Shadow Pip in ages."
Sage tried to touch it, but her fingers passed through it as though it was made of gas.
"Well, lets go. We've got a job to do."
Sage went over to retrieve her backpack. Diana bent over to examine the object more closely. It was a small black ball, gently pulsing with light. Her hand reached out of its own accord and closed around it. It seemed solid enough.
Diana stood up, with the Shadow Pip gripped in her hand. She couldn't decide if it felt warm or cold. It was gently throbbing against her hand. Diana slid it into her pocket. With it there she felt more comfortable.
She left following Sage, her little secret hidden in her robe. Diana had the feeling she might need it soon.