6. She thinks so…

She hears the din of voices and thinks she’ll be able to slide in unnoticed. But as soon as she opens the door she sees what she’s walked into. Around a well laid table are eight mages from around the lands. She even recognizes one from the Glade, a pale elven man she knows to be attracted to her from the way he’s felt her up around the fires.

“Malene!?” He can’t help but show his surprise at her being there.

“Silenus?”

The man at the head of the table rises. “You two know each other?”

“Malene here is on her coming of age quest.” Silenus gestures to Malene. “She’s trying to return home safely. But it seems she’s fallen into one of your dungeon portals.”

At that moment, an alarm bell begins to sound. From one of the other doors, a guard rushes in.

“My lord, there’s an intruder!”

“Yes, yes, we see that.” The man at the head of the table gestures to Malene.

The guard turns to look at her and then back at his master, “She killed one of your guards, my lord.”

“Did she now…” The man looks back at Malene, now with venom in his eyes. “Seize her.”

At that, Malene breaks off into a run, gunning for the door at the other end of the hall.