Magi: Jaeyria Lightwood

Prologue #6

I wanted to tell you what happened on the day Vaxon found us myself. After all, I saw it firsthand. So far, the narrator's gotten it pretty accurate. But I don't want anything left out in this part of the tale. So here we go.

You already know that Eiridan went off with Eriswen and her dragon, Ionean. The two of them were becoming fast friends with Eiridan, and I was slowly starting to let them in as well. Ionean, particularly, held a special part of my heart. He was the first dragon I'd met, and I couldn't help the admiration I felt for him. He was just like the legends said a dragon would be.

Anyway, they didn't have much to do with this particular section. They weren't there when the attack came.

I stayed behind with Naven and Niko when Eiri left. Neither of them were particularly pleased with me. There were multiple reasons for their displeasure that day. First, I was being the Queen of Sarcasm. Secondly, my inability to figure out what I wanted (or didn't want) was taking its toll. I hated indecision, and my life seemed to be brimming over with it that week. Well, to be honest, it was more like that month and the two months prior. I wasn't entirely sure how long I'd been struggling with my feelings toward Eiridan.

All of that combined to make a disaster. Even my usual masks didn't hide my irritation. So Naven and Niko quickly chose the wisest course; they ditched me. I couldn't blame them for it. If I could've ditched myself too, I would've.

Feeling abandoned and depressed, I wandered off to sit on the edge of the cliff behind the village. As it happened, this probably was a good thing. I wasn't directly in Vaxon's path when the attack came.

Instead, I heard the shouts and clashing of swords from a distance. Perhaps I should've run to help. Run to see what was going on. But I didn't. I didn't care about anyone in the village that much. Eiridan wasn't there. He was someplace in the woods, most likely safe. He had Eriswen and her dragon with him, and they could always escape.

For a moment, I pondered going back for Niko and Naven, but I chose not to. I chose to run. They weren't my concern. I didn't care that much, I told myself. Maybe I cared more than I thought, but I pushed it away. They could handle themselves.

The trees blurred past me as I ran. Shadows seemed to call to me, and I slipped through them, using them like portals to get further away. Exhaustion forced me to slow to a walk and stop creating portals after ten minutes of the hectic pace I set. But by that time, I was far enough away that I couldn't hear much from the fight in the village.

My energy was severely depleted, and my legs were beginning to feel like jello. Realizing that I had to stop, I found a comfortable rock and settled onto it, panting. The trees seemed to dip and sway in front of me as I struggled to hold on to consciousness. I definitely overdid it in my attempt to escape, but I didn't want to get caught.

Turns out, that choice wasn't going to be given to me. My exhaustion is probably what made it possible for Vaxon and his cronies to catch me. If I hadn't been so energy deficient and weary, I would've been able to use the shadows in the dark forest to my advantage. Instead, they fled me, leaving me open to the coming horrors.

"Here's another one!" the gruff voice of a man shouted.

Crashing and thudding followed as several men burst through the brush in front of me. With a startled yelp, I lost my balance and fell off the stone. Just managing to avoid striking my head, I shoved myself off the ground and tried to run.

The dizziness from earlier swept over me again, and I tripped on a tree root I hadn't seen. My feet went out from under me as I landed face first in the soft soil. A solid, punishing grip enclosed my ankle, and I was dragged, kicking and screaming, back to where the group was waiting.