Emily was the first to awake, She looked over and saw everyone else was still asleep. She looked off into the distance, she could just barely see the Swamp Lands. "This should be a long walk." She mumbled and woke Abi and Candy up, Zoe wouldn't budge. "Zoe! Wake your ass up!" Emily yelled, she still wouldn't wake. Emily rolled her eyes, "Oh my goodness, is that Josh Dun!?" She shouted sarcastically, Zoe shot straight up. "Where!?" She screamed, Zoe looked up at Emily, "Your not Josh Dun!" "Nor will i ever be." Emily replied. 

"We've got a long walk, pack up and let's move!" Candy stated. They rolled up their Bedrolls and whatever else was out. Then, they began the walk to the Swamps. Candy whistled a tune, Abi admired the scenery, Emily kept an eye out for anything dangerous, or to kill. And Zoe, she was reading the spell book of Joshua Mystic. Emily looked back and saw her reading, "Should you really be reading that? I thought you had said there was evil magic in there?" She asked, Zoe didn't look up, but replied "It's fine! I know how to protect myself from bad magic." Emily shrugged and looked back at the road ahead of her. 

"Abi, got any cookies left in you pack?" Candy asked, Abi threw the bag of cookies to her friend. "Thanks!" Candy replied as she stuffed her face with a chocolate chip cookie. By now they had been walking for nearly three hours, and were almost there. "I'm tired!" Abi whined, "Should've gotten up earlier, then you wouldn't feel so terrible now, the longer your lazy, the more like crap you'll feel when you actually get up!" Emily stated, Abi just pouted and continued walking.

"Ugh, what's that smell?" Zoe asked, finally looking up from the book. "That, my fren, is the Swamp Lands of the West." Emily replied with a smug smirk. The smile faded after she heard something, "Shh.." She hushed, and took cover behind a rock, the others followed. They heard what sounded like a herd of horses running, that rumbling thundering sound. "Oh no.." Candy said, she saw Orcs, a whole hoard of them, running out towards them. 

"Prepare to fight!" Emily stated, and stood up, unsheathing her sword. Zoe prepared a spell, and Candy transformed into a bear, Abi took out her knife in one hand, and magic in the other. "If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together!" Emily then shouted. "Really!? We're about to die. And your quoting The Hobbit?!" Zoe yelled. The Orcs began running right at them! They surrounded them, and began attacking, The girls started cutting down, or burning, the Orcs. "We can't hold them all off!" Abi yelled, "We can do this! There's only thirty of 'em!" Emily shouted back as if it were nothing. Zoe used a spell, it was like no other the girls had seen, it was dark, powerful...and evil. She collapsed.

The Orcs had more men, and had the advantage. They had injured the girls, and took them prisoner. Four of the Orcs slung one of the girls over their shoulders, and headed back to their 'kingdom' in the Swamp. 

When Emily awoke, she was in a cage, alone. She looked to the left and right, and saw her friends and breathed a sigh of relief. Candy woke up, and saw she was in a cage, the fear in her eyes was like nothing Emily had seen before. "N-no no no!" She screamed. "Candy shh it's okay!" Emily tried to reassure her. "Get me out! Get me out of here!" She yelled, her breathing was fast, Emily feared she would have a panic attack.

"Candy! You have to listen! It'll be okay, i promise, just calm down!" Emily said. Candy locked eyes with her friend, "I'm afraid i'm gonna die in here. I feel like i'm suffocating.." She said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'll get you out of there, just keep calm, and i'll figure this out." Emily replied. 

The other two woke up and looked around. "Emily?" Abi called, "Yeah?" "What do we do? How do we get out of here?!" She asked, fear in her voice. "I- i don't know.." Emily sighed. "We need a plan! You got one Emily?" Zoe asked, "No. Not yet, gimme some time.." Emily stated, she was getting a headache. "What if i can't get them out of here? I need to find a way, i won't let anything bad happen to them." Emily thought to herself. 

They all heard keys jingling, an Orc guard was walking down the lane, looking in all the cages, smirking. Zoe tried using a spell on him, it worked! He slipped and knocked his head, he was either dead or just out cold for a while. She was able to use her magic to bring the keys to her, she unlocked her cage, then the others' cages. 

They began running to find a way out. "Zoe." Emily stopped her, "Back when we were fighting the Orcs, what was that spell?" Emily asked. "Just...something i learned." She said, "You really shouldn't be using those spells, you don't know anything about them, i'm all for a bit of danger and a good fight. But i've got a bad feeling about that book, promise you won't use any more of the spells?" Said Emily. "Promise" Zoe crossed her fingers behind her back.

Emily nodded, but still had a feeling Zoe would go against her word. Something wasn't right with that magic. They walked to a room, they found their weapons and belongings. After they took their stuff back, an Orc blocked their way out of the room. "Shh, i'm here to help you. Don't scream." He hushed them. Emily read his mind, "He's telling the truth." She nodded. "My names Fergy, And i'll get you out of here." He stated, "Why? Isn't this betraying your people?" Candy asked. "Me people?" He scoffed, "They kidnapped me from my home, i'm not even a pure blood Orc." He stated. 

The girls followed him, "I know a secret way out." "Wait! We need to find a dagger! It's gold, and it's important to our School!" Abi said. "I know where it is, but it won't be easy to get." He said, "Follow me." Said Fergy. They followed him up the stairs and to a room, Orcs were passed out across the room. "This is all of the Orcs, aside from the King. We need to be hasty, they'll wake sooner then later." He said as they snuck into a room. The Kings quarters.

The girls looked around, Candy spotted it, on the table beside the Kinds bed. He was sleeping as well. She carefully stealthed over, and grabbed it. The King awoke, "Thief! Guards!" He shouted, Emily held her sword to his throat, "One more word and i'll slice your ugly head from your worthless body." She stated menacingly. He swallowed hard and nodded.

But, luck wasn't on the girls side today, two of the guards had heard his cries and ran into his quarters. Zoe used a spell and killed them, Emily gave her a look. Zoe avoided eye contact with her. The King grabbed the dagger and threw it to the ground, it smashed into a thousand pieces. "What the-" Emily started, the King jumped up and knocked her to the ground. "Oh that's it!" She said, she jumped up and onto his back before he could run to his guards, and she sliced his head off.

Candy grabbed what she could of the dagger fragments, "Candy! let's go!" Abi yelled. They ran out of the Kings quarters, Fergy lead them to the gate, so they could escape. "If you go further West, you should come across a small town, go there." He said. They heard howls of Orcs, the Guards were after them now. "Fergy, come with us!" Abi begged. He looked back, "Alright!" He replied, and they began running for their lives. 

Archers, swords men, mace men, they were all after them. "That wasn't the real dagger, y'know!" Emily yelled, "What'd you mean?" Zoe asked, "The dagger was made of gold stained steel, it wouldn't shatter!" She said, "How do you know?" Candy asked, "Excuse you? You got any idea who your talking to?" Emily said with sarcasm. Candy nodded. 

"Their getting closer!" Abi yelled, Zoe turned around, "Enough!" She shouted, the Orcs all froze, except one, an archer wearing an amulet of resist magic, he managed to shoot an arrow before Zoe used the spell 'death wish' and killed all of the Orcs. The spell was so powerful it threw all the girls and Fergy back. 

They got up. "Fergy!" Candy screamed, he had green blood gushing out of his chest, where an arrow stuck into his flesh. "Zoe! Heal him!" Emily yelled, Zoe was out cold. "Damn!" Emily yelled, "Fergy, stay with us! It'll be alright!" Candy said. "D-don't lie to me kid..i know i'm go-gonna die." He said. "Thank you Fergy, for saving us." Emily said, a single tear escaped her eye. 

"No, t-thank you. All i wanted....was to leave that f-forsaken place." Fergy said with a shaky voice. Then, he breathed his last breath, and he was gone. Zoe finally came to, "Wh-what happened?" She asked, "What happened? You used another one of those evil spells and killed over fifty Orcs! You promised me, Zoe!" Emily yelled, "I'm sorry! But if i hadn't then we'd all be dead!" Zoe yelled back, "But you could've gotten yourself killed! I don't know what i'd do without you Zoe, please...don't use that magic, if you die, i'd might as well too!" Emily said, tears threatening to fall. 

"Emily, please don't cry.." Zoe begged and ran to her, wrapping her arms around her. "I promise i will not use that magic. I'm sorry." Zoe said, "I'm sorry too, and thanks...for saving our asses." Emily said. Zoe looked behind Emily and saw Fergy dead, "Oh no....i could've saved him, dammit!" She said. 

They managed to bury Fergy, Abi grew some flowers around his grave. They then made their way to the town, they still had to find the dagger. "What now?" Abi asked, as they settled into the room they rented at the Inn. "Well, we need to ask around, see if anyone knows where the dagger could be." Emily stated. "What if we don't find it?" Candy asked, "That's not an option, i refuse to go back without it, i'm not going back to Mystic High as a failure." Emily said, with something hidden behind her features, sadness almost. 

"We won't fail, we can do this! We're team Cairde De Mo!" Zoe replied. "I believe in us." Candy said with a smile. Emily hugged her, and Zoe joined in, and then Abi. 

And there they stood for a while. The road is still long and hard for the girls, but they can overcome anything, right? They have to find the Dagger of Rashell Mystic. But maybe it'll be easier to find then they thought, all they have to do, is go back to the start of it all.

~To Be Continued

***********************************************************************************************

A/N: FINALLY! I've been wanting to do this chapter forever! Candy ahd her traumatic experience, and Zoe has a secret darkness?????? I hope you all enjoy this as much as i did! Nearly 2,000 words! YAY! And as always, i will see you, in the next chapter! BUH-BYE!

Just drew this mountain yesterday! :) Hope ya like it! BYE!