Get well soon, Moonfrost! And, I don't think this is neccessary, but still... TOP!

Okay, i'm on vacation right now, so I'm going to write one BIG post to cover all of vacation and then I'll write again later. You have been forewarned. 

Pheonix~ 

"The magic in the air is likely to make the ship melt or explode...not sure which," Saphira states calmly. For a second we all just look at each other. Then Dathan bursts out:

"Explode? If you explode this ship I'll—" but he is broken off as pretty much everyone begins to scream.

"Explode? Oh my gosh, will it be big? Will it burst open?" I question, jumping up and down. This is seriously the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.

After a few frenzied moments, we all tumble out the front hatch and roll into a bed of wildflowers. I scramble to my feet and grab Galexia around the waist, pulling her away from danger. I take off running, Galexia in tow. The others crowd around me, tripping over each other in panic. Right as we start to scramble up a small, grassy rise, the ship begins to glow red. 

"Uh-oh." 

"Right. It'll explode," Saphira says. 

"MY SHIP!" Dathan exclaims. Then, with a sudden boom, the ship bursts apart, to quickly to see. I can feel the ring of force radiate out from the ship, then breaking as it hits me and the others. I slam into the side of the hill, coughing and blinking away the smoke.

The noise of the explosion rings in my ears.  

I reach down beside me, and feel two fluffy pigtails.

Yup, all is well.

For a few seconds, we all just continue sitting there, stunned. In front of us, the beautiful spacecraft lies broken on the ground, blasted into two sections. A thick cloud of black smoke pours from the engine, which is surrounded by a ring of shrapnel.

"That was awesome!" I yell, standing up to get a better look at the wreckage. 

"Are you kidding? The ship was your idea!" Jaihra answers, but she doesn't look too mad. I've seen her mad. This is definitely not mad. "You could've gotten us killed. SEVERAL times. And now we're without a home base in a hostile fairyland of carnivorous plants and evil bunnies." 

I can't help but laugh out loud at the evil bunnies thing. I mean seriously.

"I know! This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me!" I answer, taking this oppertunity to begin a hunt for carnivorous plants. I reach out and pluck one of the wildflowers. It doesn't try to eat me. Too bad. I reach for another one. As I begin to break it's stem, the smell of rotten meat fills the air. The delicate yellow petals suddenly sprout teeth and try to bite off my hand. Just before the pointed teeth bite flesh, the flower is swatted out of my hand.

Raja stands in front of me, hands on hips.

"What are you? Five?" She asked. I mimic her pose.

"Thirteen, actually. I'll be fourteen in...4 months...ish."   

"Then please act your age! We're on an important mission." As she rests her arm back down by her side, I notice a streak of blood running down the underside of her arm.

"Wait a second, you're bleeding," I state, grabbing her shoulder. 

"Yeah," she replies, jerking away, "it's okay."

"No, it's not." I reach my fingers out again, brushing against the cut. Something about the way she winces when I touch the flecks of blood dotting her tanned skin makes me feel a strange hurting, bitter hopelessness that isn't my own. 

"Here." I don't exactly know what I'm doing, but I kind of want to share the energy that keeps me going. So I do. Just like that. This is so weird. I can literally feel it buzzing around me. Kind of cool and calm and...yellowish. Like the bright, smooth skin of a lemon.

When I look up, a faint smile is ghosted across Raja's face. The deep cut is clearly still there. It hasn't healed or anything, but Raja seems lighter, as if a heavy backpack was just cut from her shoulderes. 

"How'd you do that? It doesn't hurt at all anymore."  Before I can answer, Saphira calls,

"Hey! Stop using magic! It'll attract man-eating squirrels!"

"Man-eating...?" Raja finishes with an unbelieving laugh and walks off towards the others. I follow.

"So," Jaihra is saying, "if we can find a safe camp somewhere around here, and take a look at the map on my Byte, could you portal is to the next stop right away?" 

"Sorry," Saphira answers, "portaling the whole airship and everyone on it here used up a lot of my energy. I can still preform smaller spells, but I won't be able to portal everyone to the next place for a little while. Until then, we won't be safe out here. Fairyland is a little more dark and dangerous than it is commonly portrayed. We need to get to the nearest city before dark, then we'll rest for a short while and I'll portal you to the next stop. Oh, and you can find the second half of the map is in fairland," Saphira finishes matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?" Jaihra and I burst out at the same time.

"Oh, oops. Was I not supposed to tell you? Well then. Spoiler alert! The final half of the map can usually be found here. Somewhere." 

~ Galexia ~

Saphira returns and puts away her phone, saying, "My mom called. Anyway! We're on the right track. We'll get to Abiete soon."

I'm sorely tempted to ask what--or where--in the world "Abiete" is, but I'm afraid that once I ask one question, all the other ones will spill out... and judging from the excited buzz of energy coming from everyone, as if we're on the right track to... something. This "map"? Something to do with "magic"? Mom? Andromeda? My heart twists as I think about my carefree older sister. Was she alright? Was she in the clutches of the Officials? I winced at the thought, desperately hoping she was alright.

So I remain silent as I walk along with the others. We must have walked for about 15 minutes when I hear silver bells and golden trumpets blasting a merry tune in the air.

"What's that?" Lyra asks.

"Oh, no," I hear Saphira murmur as she puts a hand over her face, "Please, no."

"What is it?" Jaihra asks.

"Nothing, it's jus--" Saphira's reply is cut short by a small voice calling, "Your Highness!"

Saphira's face turns bright red, and she looks mortified, "Ugh."

A few men with wings land at our feet, each wearing an identical red uniform. One of them blasts a tune in his trumpet, then the one in the front says, "Princess Saphira! After a century, you have finally returned to us! Come, quickly, the grand banquet is ready!"

I turn and gape at Saphira. My eyes grow as wide as saucers. Maybe, just maybe, this crazy magic world of mayhem, will turn out well. I try to talk, but all that comes out is a tiny squeak. Saphira doesn't hear me.

"Please, just go away!"

"The Queen's orders, Princess! She's been dreadfully worried about Your Highness."

"Wait," I say, "Wait."

Everyone turns to look at me. I tug on one of my pigtails, and ask, 

"You're a fairy princess?"

Now, I like to think of myself as a rather sensible girl. At least, more sensible than my brother, who is probably double my age. But when it comes to princesses, especially fairy princesses, I tend to get a little excited.

"Erm..." Saphira looks a bit uncomfortable, "Yeah."

"Your Highness! Who are these intruders?"

"These are the... um, honored guests. Bring them to the palace with me!"

"Yes, Princess!" The man replies again in his high-pitched voice. The whole bunch of men and Saphira fly up into the air. The rest of us look at each other uncomfortably, then Dathan states the obvious.

"We can't fly."

~~~