My heart was like a never ending waterfall of pain, once I stepped over the edge of the cliff  it was hard for me to feel anything other than the coldness of the water. It was hard for me to swim back up to the surface, so I just drown and drown and drown.

I opened my eyes and realized I was no longer in the light realm or in Elysian. I was in a plane. Well a jet. I guess that meant we were no longer in New York either. I never got to see mom. Not that I wanted to but still it would've been nice to see Finn.

"You're awake?" a soft voice whispered.

I turned to Mara who sat next to me, I looked around seeing it was night time and the group was asleep, with the exception of Mara. "What happened? How long have I been unconscious?"

"Only like five hours," she replied.

"Only?" I gaped at her.

"Well you were actually supposed to be knocked out for a few days but you recovered surprisingly quickly," Mara explained leaning back against her chair, her auburn waves spread out across her shoulders. Her thick eyebrows narrowed. "I guess Aradia was right when she said you were powerful."

"She said that?" I didn't believe it. "But-but I'm only half."

Mara's eyes shot to where Kaida slept, a look passed over her face that I didn't quite understand. I looked at her and wondered what Kaida had to do with my statement. "Sometimes half is more powerful."

"Kaida? She's half? Like me?" I questioned. Mara didn't answer my question which evidently answered it.  "Why didn't you-?"

"Ryn," Mara cut me off with somewhat of a frown on her face. "It is not my business to tell, it's none of ours. The only person who can give you answers is Kaida."

I nodded, disappointed. "So ... what else did Aradia say about me?"

"She said that one day you will rule the light realm."

I laughed at her words and when she didn't laugh with me I stopped. She was dead serious. I dropped my smile. "No way!"

Mara nodded. And she didn't seem too happy about it either.

"Well, she's wrong," I argued.

Mara shot me a blank look. "Aradia is the most powerful seer in the light realm, if not ever."

"I don't believe it," I said simply.

"You don't have to."

I opened my mouth to question her when A loud bang erupted from the right side of the jet as if something had hit it. In seconds each of the Devara shot up. "What was that?" just as i said the words another bang came from the other side of the jet, with so much force it rattled and shook the whole thing. I stood up just as everyone else did. My heart jumped into my throat. I hated planes and this didn't help.

Oh my god! we were going to crash! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

"Turbulence?" Octavious questioned, his gaze turning Bash for help and answer.

Bash shook his head, staring intently into Octavious's gaze, there were words behind their stares. "Greer."

"No way," Everson whispered.

"We were careful," Nyan offered.

"We must have been spotted somehow," Kaida growled, her furious stare turning to me. "This is her fault."

I was so tired of her hating me for no reason. "How is this my fault?"

"If it weren't for you we wouldn't have left Crestwood in the first place!"

"How in the hell was I supposed to know that-?"

"Enough," Bash ordered, his voice loud and demanding power. I quickly shut my mouth and Kaida did too. Bash breathed in, I could tell he was thinking, strategizing, plotting what to do. "Okay, We need to-"

bang! Bang! Bang!

The jet jolted to the right so intensely, powerfully, that I fell backwards, hitting my head hard against the wall. I groaned unintentionally as pain shot through my skull, echoing through my head.

"The jet is going down!" Someone shouted in panic.

I felt someone grab me, well more like wrap me in their arms and cover me. Someone was protecting me. Through the pain in my head and the darkness now threatening to take me, I heard a crash, I heard screams, I heard someone say, "we need to get out of here. Now."

I felt myself being lifted and carried away. "Open your damn eyes," someone demanded of me.

I tried to listen to the voice but it was hard, the pain was suffocating me. It wrapped around my heart. It was like a waterfall. It was calling to me. And then I was falling. I was getting closer and closer to the water below. Open your eyes, a voice echoed through my head. behind the darkness of my head I saw someone. A girl with red curls and soft eyes. Aradia? Your destiny is not yet fulfilled, Wake up.

I gasped for breath as my eyes tore open.

"Gods, finally."

I looked up to realize I was in Everson's arms. We were hunched over in some kind of cave as chaos fought around us. I heard the echoes of swords and screams like we were in the trenches of a war.

"For someone so small, you're quite heavy."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted."

"You definitely should be, just not right now," he explained. "You know, since we're under attack and all," he mumbled and then set me down but kept his arms around me as if he were afraid I would fall.

"I can walk," I assured him.

"Bullshit," he called at my words. Besides Kaida, Everson was the hardest to understand of the group. He was always joking, no matter the situation, he was flirty but not in a bad way. He always had a smile on his face that was careless. He seemed reckless, to an extent. I had no doubt he would be there for his friends if they needed him. But besides all that there was something about him that made me feel like he was actually very lonely.
"I need to get you out of here, quickly, sorry princess but it's faster if I carry you."

I rolled my eyes at the word princess. He was also a pro at flirting with anything that walked on two legs. "Fine."

He picked me up once again And then we were off. I yelped not expecting him to do that freakish super speed thing that they have. I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping my arms around his shoulders and hung on for dear life.

We stopped and I peeked one eye open then both. Ever stopped to take a quick breath. "Why do the Greers want to kill you guys anyway?"

Everson smiled. "Because we're just that awesome."

I refrained from hitting him. "Seriously."

"The shadow king wants our throne. He wants to colonize our land. But most of all he wants our powers." He got a distant look in his eyes as if he were remembering something.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"The Greers believe if they kill a Devara of royal blood they can absorb our powers."

"Absorb? That sounds so-"

"Shit," said Everson, his eyes looking far ahead of us.

"What?" I swiveled my head in the direction of his gaze.

A dark figure stood at least twenty feet ahead as if it had been waiting for us. He looked normal, you know, beside the fact he was fully decked out in black armor. It was made of some sort of black steel, maybe some kind of obsidian. It was beautiful in a deadly kind of way.

There was a black hood covering his face and black misty shadows blurred around the shape of his body as if he could disintegrate at any moment. Weapons, swords, laid behind his back creating an X shape behind him. I felt my hands shake. This was a soldier. A Greer soldier. I could feel the danger and bloodlust like it was coming off him in waves.

"Shit."

Everson slipped a dagger into my hand. "I'm going to set you down and when I do I want you to run," Everson whispered in my ear.

My eyes flicked to him in an instant. "But what about you?"

He flashed me his arrogant smile. "I'm trained for this princess, I'll be fine."

"Cockiness gets you killed."

He shrugged. "Hasn't so far."

I peered back at the soldier, suppressing a shiver. Why wasn't he attacking? "No offense Ever, but he's a lot bigger than you."

"What little faith you have in me." He began to set me down, as soon as my feet were on the ground Everson said, "run!" So I did.

I ran not knowing where I was going, only that I knew if I didn't run I would die. The forest I was in was like a maze. It didn't help that it was covered in snow and I was quite literally freezing my ass off. It was only late september, why was it snowing? Where were the others? Where were we? Think Avaryn. We were flying in a private jet. New york to oregon. Mara said that I had been asleep for five hours. But i had no idea what route the jet was going in. Were we flying over the states? Were we in canada?

I heard a scream echo throughout the trees. And like it was calling to me my feet immediately stopped. That scream sounded a lot like Everson. My heart sunk in fear. Fear for him. shit. What do I do? Turn around! Go help him like he would for you! A part of me shouted. Keep on running. Everson can take care of himself, he was trained for this, You weren't. You'll likely get both of you killed if you try to help.

I was so helpless. There was nothing I could do. I was weak. I looked down at the dagger in my hand. I helped Bash once. I could help Everson too. Before I even thought the words my feet were already moving. I ran as fast I could towards where I had left Ever.

As I reached them I slowed and hid behind a tree in case the Greer could sense me somehow. I peeked my head around the tree so I could see the situation. Everson was on his knees while the Greer peered down at him. The Greer wore a hood that covered his face, there was no telling what he looked like, not that it mattered. I held in a gasp as I saw Eversons appearance. He had blood all over him. He was injured, somewhere. His face was bloodied up as if he had been hit many times. I glared at the Greer, an unknown hatred burned inside of me. I felt oddly protective of Ever. 

"Not so cocky now Devara?"

Everson, being the idiot that he was, smiled smugly and said, "You won't kill me." I wanted to hit him upside the head, what was he thinking? "If you did your precious demon king couldn't take my abilities and you'd probably be beheaded or something."

I heard the Greer chuckle. "That's very unlikely." The Greer lifted one of his twin obsidian black swords to Eversons throat. My breath caught.

No no no.

He suddenly stopped and inclined his head as if listening. I could hear the smirk in his words as he said, "Come out, little thief, I know you're there."

I froze and my heart stopped beating. little thief. I closed my eyes. Why did it have to be him? What do I do? What do I do? Think avaryn! How can I get both Ever and I out of this? Come on. You didn't get into crestwood for nothing!

"Don't make me come find you," There was a tiredness in his voice as if his statement would be such a burden.

I stepped out from behind the tree line.

"Drop the knife."

I did as he said.

"Idiot," Everson huffed.

I glared at him, he was still kneeling before Raiden's blade. "You're in no position to call me an idiot."

Raiden smiled at me, in that dangerously ominous way that made my skin crawl. He looked the same, white hair that was perfect, which was utterly annoying, and his onyx black eyes. He seemed more scary, more threatening and it had everything to do with him looking like a soldier of death. "Hello again, Avaryn."

"Let him go." I tried to sound strong but there was a shake in my voice, the truth was I was extremely terrified, I felt like such a wimp, a coward.

He smiled at my words and I hated it. There was always some sort of double meaning behind his smiles. "Gladly." He took his blade away from Eversons throat and sheathed it behind his back.

I tried not to gape. Did he just ... listen to me?

Raiden's gaze remained on me. "He's not the one I was sent here for."

I felt everything in me freeze. "Me?" I shook my head when he nodded his. "No, no, no. You have the wrong person. I'm not-"

In a second he was in front of me. I flinched out of instinct, my back stumbling into a tree. Good to know Greers have that freakish super speed telaportaion thing too. Raiden was close. Too close. Like I could feel his breath too close. My heart hammered against my chest. I felt a swarm of panic fill me along with horror. But from the way he smiled I think he liked making me feel that way.

I was frozen as he placed a gloved finger underneath my chin and tilted it up, so I looked directly into his dark gaze. I felt some sort of pull, the same thing I feel when I'm tempted to steal something. I swallowed and ignored it, letting it be replaced by fear.

He examined my expression, a crease forming in his brow. His voice was low, barely a whisper as he asked,  "You truly don't know what you're capable of, do you?"

I glared at him and snatched my chin away from his grasp, pushing my anxiety away. "You don't understand," I tried to explain. "I'm not capable of anything. I might as well just be human." From the corner of my eyes I saw Everson rise, his gaze on me. He was going to make a move. I tried to keep my face impassive. Everson took a silent step toward us but before he could do anything Raiden spun me so I was in front of him and placed a dagger, that I hadn't seen him take out, against my throat. I whimpered out of terror. How in the hell was he so fast? How did he even know what Everson was doing?

"Don't take another step," Raiden growled, his voice was deadly, he sounded angry.

Everson stopped, lifting up his hands. "Let her go."

"You're in no position to demand anything, Devara." Raiden's voice was knowing and if I could see him I'd bet he had one of those ominous smiles on his face.

"She has nothing to do with this. She's innocent."

I heard Raiden's low amused chuckle. "I can assure you she is not innocent, isn't that right Little Thief?" I felt his breath graze my ear, his lips were a hair length away from my skin. I felt that pull again. That pull for danger. What was wrong with me?

"Don't call me that," I snarled, anger brewing in me. I wanted to scream at him so badly I almost forgot he held a knife to my throat.

"There it is," he whispered in my ear, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I shivered, swallowing down my fear.

Everson grumbled something. "If you don't stop touching her like that I swear I'll-"

One by one each of the Devara appeared out of thin air. They all looked lethal. There was blood covering their clothes and bruises covering their faces.

Bash stepped forward.

"Let. Her. Go."

Raiden did not let go, it seems he didn't care that Bash had sounded deadly but then again he wouldn't.

"It's six against one," Kaida spoke up with a treacherous laugh. "We're royals. You're just a Greer soldier. You don't stand a chance."

"Do you really want to fight us?" Asked Octavious.

I felt it, I don't know how but I felt that Raiden actually did want to fight them. I felt the anger rushing through him and the hatred. I could feel that he believed he could beat them. But it wasn't possible. Why would he think that?

They have no idea-

the thought cut off before it finished. it wasn't mine but it was in my head like it was mine. What was happening? Raiden spun me again so we were face to face. He looked furious and ... shocked? "Stay out of my head," he growled.

what was he talking about? I shook my head, confusion washing over me. "I- I wasn't ... I- I didn't-" but he was gone. He vanished out of thin air, shadows enveloping where he had just stood.

I fell back and someone caught me.

"Are you alright?" Bash's voice was filled with worry. I looked up at him, the concern in his gaze making something in me warm.

Everson cleared his throat and piped in, "I'm not." He fell to his knees, clutching a hand to his bloody stomach. "You know, in case you were wondering." Even injured he was still a sarcastic idiot.

"You'll heal in like half an hour, you're fine," growled Nyan.

"Well that was interesting," said Mara who leaned against one of the snow covered trees.

"We haven't been attacked like that in ages," Kaida replied with a smile. I don't think I've ever seen her smile. Of course it was because we were talking about being attacked.

"Remember that one time in Vegas?" Octavious asked.

Everson burst out laughing and surprisingly so did Bash. "That one was wild."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "You guys are so strange."

But I found myself smiling.