Hesitantly, Katja reached up and grabbed the large brass knocker; every sense in her body telling her this was a mistake. This close to the house, she could almost feel the magic radiating off the house, a subtle wrongness about it that told her a magic user, and quite a powerful one at that, lived here.
The rain beat down harder on Katja, though, as she was already drenched to the bone and sopping wet, that did little to make things worse. Sorcerer or not, whoever lived here had a fire and a roof over his head. She'd known plenty of wizards who were alright, if a little odd. Why should this one be any different?
Before Katja could make up her mind, the door opened with a creak. Oh well, no going back now. She thought. Orange light spilled out onto the steps from inside. Backlit against the flickering magic-lamps, Katja could see a young woman, more a girl really.
She was dressed as a servant in a black dress that ran from her neck down to her ankles; Katja noticed the sleeves on the dress where nearly a foot or more too long. A white apron was tied at her waist. Her wispy brown hair was pulled back into a bun.
"Come on get on in," she said, "quickly, before the rain ruins the carpeting, now." Her voice had an odd lower class accent and was quick, almost barking. She didn't sound like she was being mind-controlled, Katja thought.
Katja hurried in, grateful to get out of the rain. She found herself in a large hallway. Twin stairs cases disappeared into higher floors while half a dozen hallways led off in different directions.  "Now, what are you doing here?" The maid asked sharply. "And at this late too?"
"I'm lost," Katja said, "I was separated from my companions. All I'm looking for is some directions, and maybe a place to stay the night and wait out the storm."
The maid sighed. "Not another one.,," she muttered softly, then shrugged. "You can probably stay the night, but I'll have to ask the Mistress first. She should be finishing supper now. This way."
The young woman turned and strode down on of the side hallways. Katja followed quickly. She tried to keep track of the twists and turns they took. The more she knew about this place, the better, if things went bad. Outside the windows, the rain lashed at the glass panes with renewed fury.
After a few minute walk, during which Katja began to suspect the house was far larger on the inside then it'd appeared; a minor feat for any skilled magic user; the Maid stopped Katja in front of a small door. "Wait here while I inform the mistress who you are." She said, before entering the door. Katja heard muffled talking for a second or two, before the maid reappeared. "Come on then." she said waving Katja through the door.
Katja found herself in a small, private, dining room. A small table dominated the center of the room. Sitting at the table was a tall, slim woman, who couldn't be anyone but the Mistress of the house. She was dressed in a simple, yet elegant, emerald green silk gown.
"Welcome." The mistress said. Her voice was soft and inviting. A far cry from the haughty blustering and otherworldly disdain most magic users used. "I'm sorry for your troubles. You see, the fog is a spell of mine. I value my privacy ever so much. It's designed to lead any intruders in circles before leading them to where they started from. Unfortunately, a few travellers are able to partially shrug off the spell and instead of leading them out of the forest, it leads them further in, until they eventually wind up here sooner or later." She smiled. "It's nice to have guests every now and again, to relieve the monotony. The least I can do is offer you my hospitality for a couple days after the trouble I've caused."
Katja found herself warming to the young woman, if indeed she was a young as she appeared, despite her usual paranoia. The woman gestured over to a spot at the table by the fire place. "I suppose first, you might as well get out of those wet clothes." As if on cue, the Maid appeared beside Katja holding a sky-blue silk dress.
Katja took the dress, a little uncertain about changing in front of the two women. After a second, she sighed and began stripping off the sopping wet clothes. As she stripped naked, she caught the Mistress eyeing her. Katja blushed, causing the mistress to giggle playfully.
Hurriedly, Katja put on the dress. Not surprising, as far as magic went, the dress fit as if it had been tailored to her, the cool silk hugging every curve like a second skin. A silk hood hung down Katja back behind her head. The only problem was the sleeves, which, like the dress the maid wore, seemed to have been made extra-long, a foot or two, that is. The maid handed her a small, leather belt and a pair of silk slippers. Katja pulled the sleeves up and put them on.
Katja smiled, slightly, glad to be out of her wet clothes, as she basked in her chair beside the fire, drying out. An hour or two of this and she'd be dry, at least she thought so.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming, so I've already eaten, but I'm sure the cooks have some left you can have. It'll be a little cold, I'm afraid." The mistress said. She snapped her fingers and a pair of servants dressed as the first maid, appeared, bearing several plates, and a goblet of wine.
Katja eyed the food. "I assure you I've not added any potions or spells to the food." The mistress said, smiling at her guest's discomfort. "All my food is prepared by hand by my cooks. No magic at all."
Katja shrugged. If the mistress wanted to put a spell on her, all she had to do was cast one. Exhausted as she was, Katja doubted she could summon the will to shrug off even the weakest cantrip, and besides, she was very hungry. She dug into the food, which, despite being a little lukewarm, was heavenly manna to someone who hadn't eaten in days.
As she ate, the mistress asked Katja questions about herself and how she'd come to the forest. "I'm just curious." The mistress said with a smile, "I don't get news from outside my forest very often." Despite her misgivings, Katja found herself opening up to her hostess, telling her everything of the quest to kill the lich, her flight from the dungeon, Thracia's disappearance, the black riders, ending with her arrival here.
"Oh, you must be exhausted!" The mistress said. "And here, I've been talking your ears off this entire time. You must be about ready to collapse." Katja nodded, sleepily. After her ordeals, combined with a warm fire, good food and perhaps one or two more glasses of wine then had been wise, she was about ready to fall asleep at the table.
"Let me see if your room is ready." The mistress said. She clapped her hands. A servant girl appeared an instant later. She was dressed identical to the first maid, and might have been her twin, had her hair not been a dirty blonde.
"Is the guest room prepared?" The mistress asked. The maid bowed. "It is, milady." "Show our guest there at once." The maid bowed again and waited as Katja stood, then turned and led her down another series of twisting halls and up two flights of stairs. She was silent the whole time, which Katja, too tired to stand much conversation, was thankful for.
At long last, she was shown into a sumptuous guest room. A large, four-poster bed stood at the center, it's large, comfortable looking pillows and thick blankets almost beckoning to Katja. She barely glanced at the rest of the room as she made her way over to it.
"Have a pleasant night, milady." The serving girl; she couldn't have been more than sixteen at most; said. "I would like to ask you not to leave your room unescorted. It is very easy to get lost. If you need anything, just ring and I or one of the other girls will see to your needs." She indicated a bell pull beside the bed before exiting with a bow.
Katja barely noticed her departure. She collapsed on the bed, too tired to get out of the borrowed dress, not that she had anything else to put on. She wrapped herself in the soft, warm blankets, like some sort of burrowing animal seeking it's warm den. Practically sinking into the folds of the bed sheets, Katja was soon fast asleep…

With a start, Katja woke up. The room was dark, the magic candles that had lit it having gone out while she'd been asleep. It must have been the middle of the night. The storm had subsided a little, though she could still hear the faint patter of rain against a nearby window. What had woken her up?
She was about to go back to sleep when she heard it again. A soft, faint noise, unlike anything she'd ever heard before. What was that? Her first instinct was to go investigate the noise, find out what it was. Then she remembered the servants warning not to go out in the halls. The last thing she wanted to do was get herself lost in the dark house at night.
On the other hand, she still couldn't shake her sense of paranoia which had been nagging her for some time. The mistress had been kind enough to her till now, yes, but that was the problem with magic users. They could have an ulterior motive and you'd never suspect anything until you were caught in their spell, helpless to do anything. Dare she risk her hostess' anger by exploring the place a little?