Magi: Jaeyria Lightwood

Sponsorship Task: Kidnapped

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, and a few important details were missed. 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 don't have much to do with this particular section. They weren't there when the attack came, and they were captured in the aftermath.

I stayed behind with Naven and Niko when Eiri left. Neither of them was 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. The griffins and hippogriffs were playing in the sky below, wheeling and diving. A few fairies zipped up, looking at me curiously with their tiny elfin faces. They looped around me in lazy circles, tugging gently at my hair and clothes. Brownies peeked out from behind the trees, waving shyly at me. I smiled, waving back. Out here, I almost felt like I could forget how miserable I felt. It could've been the fairy dust talking, though. That had the peculiar effect of making people happy no matter how miserable they were.

As it happened, the choice to leave the village was probably a good one. 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.

The fairies' light dimmed, temporarily bleeping them out of sight. Then it came back on as they zoomed off, creating tendrils of bright light in their wake. The brownies scampered off, afraid, and the griffins halted in their wheeling. The hippogriffs quickly fled, and the griffins wheeled high up into the sky, passing me on their way to find out what was happening.

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. More fairies and pixies followed me, piggy-backing on my portals, curious about my peculiar behavior. 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 even my slow walk, 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. The concerned faces of brownies and wood nymphs blurred as I strove to stay alert. They smiled at me, not understanding that something was wrong.