Ceric and Berin rushed through the house with pouches no larger than their hands. Cybelline realized that they too had magicked satchels that were much bigger on the inside. They tore through the rooms and grabbed their clothes, stuffing the impossible lot into the pouch.

Isthan ran after his brothers, but the five year old had trouble reaching everything he needed. Cybelline took the pouch and began packing for him. Isthan, despite his age, was determined to help. He grabbed a shirt to hand to Cybelline and paused, his face pale.

"Isthan?" Cybelline asked gently, Isthan swallowed hard, "I wanta pack for Ryion and Miri. Can we?" Cybelline patted his head, "of course, we're packing for everyone." Isthan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and continued to pack.

The horse Cybelline had brought home was a fresh and well rested, she had bought and changed many horses on the road. She tied the boys onto the horse and told them to hold on.

"What about you?" Ceric asked, Cybelline smiled, "It'll be much easier if I run." The brothers looked at each other and decided to hold their tongues.

The footprints were easy to follow, it looked as if an entire army had past. Cybelline frowned but said nothing.

They traveled for three days until they arrived at the foot of the true mountains. Unlike the mountains to the capital, these were the mountains that lead back to the forests where Cybelline was first found. They were called the Devil's Maw, their sharp, jagged teeth resembling the demonic jaws of hell.

Cybelline looked around, the wreckage here resembled the destruction of the village. Hundred year old trees lay strewn like fallen soldiers, anything that could have been green was not the sickly orange brown color that betrayed their imminent death. Cybelline studied the destruction carefully, on the opposite side, the trail continued. But it looked as if the number of men had decreased greatly.

There was no way to continue on horseback. Cybelline looked around and then back at the boys, "I have to go into the mountains."

Berin nodded, "We're coming with you."

"It won't be safe."

Ceric smiled, "We'll be alright." Cybelline looked at them, the two brothers, Ceric and Berin were nine. Isthan looked to be about five. Yet she knew that these children were not what they seemed.

Ceric untied himself and jumped off the horse easily, Berin and Isthan followed suit. She looked at them, "Care to explain?"

The boys looked at each other, Cybelline continued, "There are many mysteries surrounding this family. You are, of course, entitled to your own secrets, but I'd like to know what I'm getting into."

Berin grabbed his brother's hand, "We should trust her. Maybe they're not all bad. I mean, look at Myrai."

Cybelline waited as Ceric made up his mind.

"Long ago, when we were too little to remember, Ithos and Myrai rescued us when everyone else died." Ceric said after a moment, "They saved our lives."

"Who are you? Why did you need saving" Cybelline asked. Berin looked at Ceric and they seemed to come to a decision.

"Halflings. Our ancestors married into the fae and the folk." Berin explained, "A long time ago there was many of us, but once magic began to disappear and when there was not enough fae and folk left, our human brethren began to hunt us down. Ithos is also like us."

"But Myrai is human." The boys nodded, "Ithos and Myrai have been around much longer than we have. Jinon is even older. They have shielded us front centuries of human hunters."

"This has happened before?" Cybelline asked. Ceric nodded, "We've always been able to get away. This was the first time they've been so close to us."

They've always been together, Myrai, Ithos and Jinon were always there to protect them. Was it because Jinon had taken her to the capital that they've been too far apart, did these hunters get a chance like this?

"Is that why you chose to suppress your powers and hide in plain sight?" Cybelline wanted to know, she remembered what Solara had said.

"Magic is scarce and men are vicious in greed." Ceric said. His air had changed, the childish innocence seemed to fall away as there was a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Either we kill everyone and take their magic or we chose to never use it at all. We chose the safest way."

"Is it?" Cybelline murmured to herself. She had thought that too. If she hid, if she didn't allow herself to become involved in this world, then she would be safe. But was that really true?

The boys bounded up the mountains as easily as little mountain goats. Cybelline realized that even without magic, these children were much stronger than mortals.

The fighting was more and more evident, though Cybelline saw that the blast ranges were getting smaller and weaker. She smiled, Ithos and Myrai were wearing out their enemies. Before, all the bodies had turned to dust but now, bodies of men in armor lay strewn in the path.

They walked quietly and quickly, stopping only to rest a few hours every night. The boys showed signs of exhaustion, but said nothing. Even the five year old Isthan did not fuss, though he had reverted to sucking his thumb when he slept.

"How long have you boys been with Ithos, Myrai, and Jinon?" Cybelline asked as she stoked the fire one night. The other boys were asleep as she and Ceric stood watch.

Ceric smiled, "Three hundred years. Give or take."

"What." Cybelline looked at the nine year old carefully. He scratched his head, "Ithos said that it's because we don't have enough magic, we can't grow."

Cybelline shook her head, "What a strange world."

A mile from where they are, a branch snapped. Cybelline's eyes glinted, "Grab your knife. Wake up the other two."

She stood up, her knife in hand. Someone was running this way. Cybelline closed her eyes, there were many people chasing that person.

She frowned, "Stay here, I'm going to take a look."

She covered the distance in a minute and saw them heading directly towards her.

A little boy, covered in mud, carrying a little girl was running through the woods at a speed that no human should have been able to achieve. Though he was nowhere near as fast as Cybelline, he was still outrunning his attackers. Slightly.

Too late did the little boy see that there was someone in front of him. He ran straight into a warm embrace and looked up into a pair of storm grey eyes.

"Cy?" The little voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. Cybelline wiped the grime from the little face and saw Ryion. The little girl on his back was Miri.

"She's hurt bad." Ryion said, his voice choking with exhaustion and emotion, "They hurt her. The men chasing us." The cheerful little girl was unconscious. Cybelline's eyes turned icy. Ryion grabbed Cybelline's arm, "We have to go. They're not far behind. Ithos and Myrai couldn't stop them all."

As he was talking, ten men came towards them. Cybelline pulled the children behind her as them formed a semicircle around her.

The men looked at the little boy in front of them, this new little stranger was shielding the two mongrels. They waited.

A man descended from the sky, his red robes billowing around him. The men knelt, "Acolyte Akio."

The new arrival did not even look at the guards, instead he eyed the the three children, his smile was cruel. "More playthings. How fun it is to see them suffer."

His voice was sharp and unpleasant, Cybelline looked at him with pity, "You know, it would have been a lot more dignified if you walked. It's not the best use of a dramatic entrance, when you fly like a drunk old turkey."

The men paled, what did this little brat just say? The acolyte was a talented mage and in his red robes he was regal, they took another look at the red and brown robes. Now that the little boy had pointed out...the thin mage did have bird like quality to him that really did ruin the moment. Was it the beak nose or the sagging jowl, they weren't sure.

Akio reddened, "Insolent little child!" He pointed and a magical black ball the size of his finger nail grew from his finger tips and flew at them. Cybelline picked up Ryion and Miri and disappeared. Where they stood was a stinking, black hole.

Cybelline looked at the mage, suddenly understanding what had caused the destruction she'd seen all the way up here and in the village. How many mages were here besides this one? She had to find out.

The men blinked, the children had been there a minute ago. Where were they? The smoke cleared and Cybelline was far away from the blackened area. They frowned, how did she get away so fast?

Cybelline was still smiling, she suddenly moved again, taking the children with her. Ryion was holding tightly to the unconscious Miri. He blinked and all of the sudden, he was up in a tree. Cybelline put a finger to her lips and with a smile that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up, she patted his head, "I'll be right back, today I'm going to teach them the real meaning of suffering."

Akio watched as Cybelline placed the children on a tree, he snorted, "You think it'll make it harder for me to kill them, once I've blown you to smithereens? Though it would have been more fun to see you run around like little mice."

He glared at the men, who had drawn their swords, "Put those things away, don't you know who you're with? You are not allowed to do a thing until I tell you to." He eyed them with distaste as they lowered their heads respectfully.

"Actually," Cybelline said as she walked back calmly, "I put them up there, so they can have a better view of the sky. I want them to have the best angle."

She began to look around for a large branch, with a large CRACK, she ripped a piece of wood from a tree. It was bigger than she was. Everyone looked at her as if she was crazy as she took a few warm up swings.

Suddenly the mage laughed, "You...think, you think you could take me on with that thing? What the hell are you going to do?"

Cybelline only grinned, "I'm going to teach you how to fly elegantly, not that weird drunk bird impression you did so well earlier. But you are pretty thick in the head, so it might take me a couple of times. Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll never forget it."

The mage gritted his teeth in anger, another black ball was forming on his hands, it was much slower this time, and it was much bigger, about the size of his palm. Sweat formed on his brow as he shook with effort.

"Back up" He growled at the men, "Unless you want to become dust." The men all scurried twenty feet away, they've seen the power of that tiny devastating ball.

Akio looked at Cybelline, "You die today, little child. For underestim----" But he never did finish the threat.

For at that moment, Cybelline had rushed at him and aimed a kick at his stomach. He lost his breathe and flew up into the sky. Cybelline jumped up into the air, meeting the mage half way...and kicked harder. The mage felt as something had ruptured in his stomach. A mouthful of blood came out as he flew even higher.

Cybelline landed lightly, and apologized to the mage still spewing blood in the air, "Still not elegant enough, I am a bit of a perfectionist. Let me try again!" The men winced as the child rose up and kicked the mage, this time, in a very sensitive area. They wanted to help, but without his permission they dared not to move a muscle.

Akio never felt more like a failure in his life than this moment. Get this boy, he wanted to scream at his men, but every time he opened his mouth Cybelline seemed to know what he was thinking and kicked him so hard that he couldn't speak. He wanted to throw the ball, but he was so dizzy that he feared it would kill him too. What an embarrassing way to go.

"Okay, one more for luck." Cybelline said after the sixth kick.

The mage was coming down again and she jumped into the air, executing a perfect spinning kick, helping him achieve heights that his power had never helped him to achieve before.

She kicked him so hard that he soared, his rear facing the sky in an not-so-elegant arc. Everyone's eyes followed the mage as he went higher, higher, and higher... wait, was he going to reach the clouds?

But this time, the mage, despite the pain, righted himself in the air and held himself there. He smiled at her triumphantly, a crazy look in his eyes, "You think a few kicks would harm me?" He threw the black ball at her.

Cybelline grinned, grabbed the large branch she'd ripped off the tree earlier, and with a vicious swing that was faster than anything the eye could follow, hit the black ball.

It flew with unerring accuracy... right back at the mage. A scream echoed through the night, disturbing every animal unfortunately close enough to hear it.

In an instant, a shower of red and black followed by smoke, erupted in the sky. Everyone stared at it with open mouths. This was a mage. One of the most powerful existences in the land, he was an acolyte with years of experience. Did this child really just kick him into the sky like ball and then turn him into a dust cloud.

They turned to look at the boy and shuddered. The red debris in the sky lit his face in ominous colors, his storm grey eyes seemed to be dancing in the midst of destruction.

Cybelline smiled sweetly while swinging branch like a toy, " 9 of you lucky men are going to learn how to fly. One will tell me what I want know about the people you're chasing. Do you want to choose how this goes down, or should I?"