Note: This will start off a bit slow, as I'm describing the characters and what they look like. Apologies :D Since it's been a while since I've updated, here is a quick recap-Tia has just been caught trying to break the rebels out of jail-two girls and the ex prince and princess. They have been banished, and are now floating around in a boat somewhere. Also, and this is a bit late, Happy Halloween!

Tia's POV

"Well, this is awkward."

The words slipped out before she registers them, and the quartgoddess nervously gauges their reactions. Alicia, the "ex princess" snorts quietly, continuing to glare at the rolling water beneath them reflecting the stars in the night sky. Echo smirks humourlessly, and a flicker of a smile appears on Ember's face. Liam does not react, as he has fallen asleep at the opposite end of the boat.

Taking the moment to study her travelling companions, Tia focuses her attention on the leader, Alicia. The ex princess, the sister of the king, the daughter of the ex king. Tia knows there must be a story behind it all, an intriguing one at that; she had never heard of her or her brother before, and Deamon had never mentioned anything either. However, she knew that was a story for another time, and studies her appearance instead.

She looks rough; Tia can definitely agree with that thought. Alicia's hair is darkish brown, and tangled from her recent escapades, her skin as pale as a white sheet, and her eyes are a sharp green colour which seem to pierce the darkness like headlamps. The ex princess notices Tia studying her and shuffles uncomfortably, causing Tia to turn her attention to the ex prince, Liam, who is asleep.

He looks tired and worn out, with bags under his eyes from many sleepless nights. In comparison to his sister, he has short, sleek, light brown hair, though it is ruffled slightly from the past event. His skin is fairly tanned, and although his eyes are shut, Tia remembered that his eyes were the opposite of his sister's-a deep, ocean like blue.

"What do we do now?"

The voice, which cuts through the silence on the boat like a knife, came from one of the girl's who helped Alicia and Liam-Echo. To Tia, she seemed quite mature-her hair was an unnatural mist colour, the right side shoulder length and seemingly untouched by what had happened before, and the left side has a pixie cut. Her eyes are similiar to Tia's-misty blue and grey, but her skin is oddly grey coloured, like there is something wrong with it; however, the girl seems fine, perfectly relaxed despite the situation they were in. When she shifts, Tia spots a scar running down her right arm.

"Not much, since we're floating in the middle of the sea right now."

The other girl, Ember, is possibly the strangest Tia has ever seen. She is the youngest, Tia can tell, but she seems like she has seen more than anything the other four had. Her basic appearance didn't seem too bad-she has short, dark brown hair, which is slightly wavy in some parts, and she is tanned, like Liam, with blazing amber coloured eyes. What is off about her though is the faint, orange coloured glow radiating from her body. It is the only light source on the boat, excluding the ghostly reflection of the moon.

Tia refrains from mentioning how she can simply fly off and leave them.

"And who's fault was that?" Echo retorts, glaring over at Alicia who returns it heatedly.

"I wouldn't have failed if you had actually pulled your weight!" she snaps.

"You dragged us into this, you promised us that you'd make sure we were rewarded" Ember growls, gripping the sides of the boat tightly. Tia notices, anxiously, how flames appear in Ember's eyes like a reflection, and Echo's fists are clenching.

"Alright, calm down. If we get angry, someone will end up dead," Tia urges calmly, and Alicia seems to take this as an attempt to show dominance. She stands, rocking the boat violently, and glares mercilessly at Tia who meets her gaze calmly, though her heart is pounding in her chest.

"Is that a threat?" she demands angrily. By now, Liam has woken up, and is frowning up at his older sister.

"No, it's a fact. We all have unique abilities-I can sense them. But I also get the idea that not all of us can control them." Tia glances over at Ember who meets my eyes, glances down at her hands which seem to be glowing a little stronger than the rest of her, and she relaxes her grip on the boat. "If one of us snaps, we all die. So let's just keep calm here, there is no reason to get in a fight."

Whatever Alicia is about to say, Liam cuts her off. "I agree. Sit down, sis, she's right."

Wordlessly, Alicia sits down heavily, and the boat rocks once more, enough to make Tia glance nervously at the sides to make sure the waves weren't reaching the edge.

A silence stretches over the boat once more, accompanied by the gentle lapping of waves. It almost lulls the passengers to sleep, but Tia stays firmly awake, rowing the boat softly. She doesn't want to admit it, but her muscles are beginning to ache from the repetitive action-even immortals had their limits.

"What's that?"

Tia's eyes shoot open. She didn't even realize that she had them closed, but now she is alert, she stares at whatever Echo is staring at.

"It looks like...land!"

Tia's heart begins to pound once more as Echo is right-on the horizon is a darker shape, the shape of a long, stretching island, with tall trees sheltering it.

"Get us over there!" Alicia orders, and instead of snapping back at her, Tia obeys and rows strongly towards the looming shape.

As they approach, Tia studies the island cautiously. Numerous conclusions pop into her head-anything could be on this island, from mortals to...immortals. She shudders at the thought, but carries on rowing anyway.

"It's huge" Liam comments, now wide awake as he squints at the land to the side of the boat.

"That's what she said" Tia murmurs quietly, smiling when the group laughs quietly and quickly in response, lightening the mood.

The boat docks itself on the sand, and all five of them jump out immediately, grateful to be on land again. They didn't know exactly how long they had been on the boat for, but all they know is that their legs and back ached, and they all stretch and lie down on the sand whilst gazing out at the darkness for anything to see. Unfortunately, it is so dark that even by the light from Ember's body, all they can make out are trees.

"What do we do?" Liam asks quietly once Tia has dragged the boat onto the sand so it wouldn't float away. They all stretch out on the sand, wincing as their bones crack with every movement. Exhaustion and hunger strikes them quickly like a viper, and they all realize simultaneously how weak-and vulnerable-they all are.

"Do you think there are people on this island?" Echo asks, studying the trees nervously. "Or...something else?"

They all settle into an uncomfortable silence, straining their eyes to the forest for signs of someone hiding in the trees.

"Well, we're all tired, and we can't see anything," Tia muses, "I think it's best that we sleep here for tonight, and then go and find food, or shelter, or signs of life tomorrow."

Tiredly, they all agree, including Alicia who seems to exhausted to argue. Silently, Tia drags the boat and flips it upside down to prop up against some rocks, before ripping off some huge palm leaves from one of the nearby trees which had fallen over for some reason. She balances them diagonally against the rocks and boat, creating a small but efficient shelter.

One by one the exhausted travellers crawl into the makeshift home and fall asleep immediately, unaware of the dangers lurking not far from where they lay.

Martyn's POV

"Trott, mate, look out below."

"Stop dropping them on my head!"

"Move then, you fat walrus!"

"Shut up, you big babby, it's not our fault you're-"

BOOM.

Martyn flinches as the bomb explodes particularly close to him. The forest sprite tries to avoid the bombs deftly, but Hatfilms and Sips were not known to stick to a pattern, and the bombs were literally unavoidable and unpredictable.

Anger pulses through his veins. His birth power buzzes in his soul like an angry wasp, desperate to be let out to teach the guys a lesson. Their reckless, thoughtless behaviour is destroying the woodland which Martyn calls his home. They knew this, everyone did. Which left Martyn with only one question-why?

"I'm pretty sure Martyn lives 'round these parts" Smiffy muses, and through the light green canopy of the leaves, Martyn glares at him furiously.

"Oh well, he'll just have to move then, won't he?" Sips laughs cruelly, followed by the ear splitting explosion which is too close to Martyn for comfort. Adrenaline races through him, and his hand stretches out on impulse. Automatically, a long vine silently reaches out to him, responding loyally to his blood power, and Martyn grasps it tightly, allowing it to pull him into the branches of a nearby Dark Oak tree.

Unsheathing his Sapling blade, the green metal singing with power, the forest sprite waits.

"Will and Parvis do too. Oh, and Toby. And Kaeyi as well," Ross lists off, and Martyn stiffens at the name of his girlfriend.

"Oh yeah, she was a pretty one. I never got why she went out with Martyn, of all people."

The last, splitting thread of Martyn's patience snaps and without hesitation he leaps through the air as gracefully as a deer in spring, and swings the blade down onto Smiffy's arm, the song of the metal cutting through the air ending with the satisfying crunch of bone being cut in half. Smiffy's yell of surprise ends with a scream of pain as his left arm, from his elbow down, is sliced cleanly with expert accuracy off and it falls to the ground like a stone.

Martyn lands softly on the moss of the forest floor, darting like an eagle behind the nearest tree.

"MARTYN JUST CUT MY ARM OFF!" Smiffy roared, and Martyn watches with sickening satisfaction as blood pours from the leaves. He knows for a fact that Smiffy can use magic to fix his arm-but knowing that he is still in pain gives Martyn the retribution he needs.

"Kill him!" Ross yells, and simulatenously, Trott, Ross and Sips jump onto the ground below, studying their surroundings angrily.

Martyn bites back a laugh. They were going to try and fight him, the Sapling king, in his own territory?

Swiftly, he scales the tree he is hiding behind, and it only takes a couple of seconds for him to be at the top, gazing down at the intruders in his home smugly.

"I can't see him anywhere, mate. I can see your arm though." Ross comments calmly, and Martyn tries not to giggle. "Just get me down from here, I need to go home and get this fixed up," Smiffy pleads, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Need a hand?" Sips asks him innocently, and the rest of them laugh loudly as they scale the tree-clumsily, to lower Smiffy to the ground.

"C'mon then mate, back home." Trott sighs.

"I'll come back for you, Martyn!" Smiffy yells, wincing as he clutches his decapitated hand with his remaining one, holding the bloody stump of his arm onto his shirt to stem the floor.

"You won't have to" Sips smirks.

They disappear from Martyn's view, but his heart stops when he hears the click of a lighter, and the sound of something hitting the ground, and in a heartbeat, the moss on the forest floor explodes with flames.