The mages ran for their lives and threw all the magic they could at the Lord of War chased them. Their breathing grew more and more labored as their magic depleted faster and faster.

"Excuse me?" A voice sounded behind them. The girl they had capture and was currently hanging upside down by a giant vine called out to them, the vine swung tree to tree as they moved.

Cybelline looked down at the mages running below her and tried again, "When do we get there? It's just that while this is all really exciting, I'm getting a bit hungry. Maybe we can stop for a snack?"

They looked up at the girl again, surprised at her nonchalance. This woman had been unusually quiet during the process, why wasn't she screaming her head off?

The mages looked at each other, one of them shrugged, "Perhaps she is an idiot?"

"No need to be rude." Cybelline muttered, she pulled out a handfull of nuts and began to eat them while upside down, "I was just asking."

They continued running until they came to a giant waterfall. Turning around, the mage cried a spell and a dozen trees moved to obscure the road.

The mages stopped, the vine loosened and threw Cybelline to the ground. Gently, she twisted and landed on her feet. The mages, tired from their exertions, did not notice.

Instead they spoke a few words and made complex signs with their hands. The waterfall parted down the middle. Water drew to the side like two great curtains. Below the great mossy rocks was a dark tunnel.

"I love secret entrances like these, I mean, the waterfall things is impressive, but the location is a bit trite." Cybelline criticized, the mages glared at her.

Seeing their expression Cybelline went on to explain, "You know, I've never been on this side of a kidnapping before. I've volunteered for it but never got the chance, this is really exciting."

"Get in there before I cut you in half, girl." One of them snarled, he held a long and cruel looking blade in his hand.

"Say please." Cybelline said with a smile. The mage snarled, "I said ---"

But Cybelline did not give him the chance to finish the sentence. With a gentle flip of her fingers, she touched his wrist. His grip on the knife loosened and she caught the handle of the knife.

"You're much slower than I thought you would be." Cybelline said after an awkward moment. She held the knife out to him once more "Okay, try again. I promise I won't interfere this time."

They looked at her as if they were insane. The mage looked at the knife that had been in and out of his hand, if not for the pain radiating from his wrist, he thought he had imagined it.

Finally, Cybelline got tired of waiting for them to respond, "Through there?" She pointed and walked through the waterfall. They stared after the girl.

"Are you sure we were right to kidnap her? She is too strange." One of the men muttered.

"We have no choice." The leader said, "Go. He will be here soon. We have to be ready."

The mages wordlessly ran into the tunnel beneath the waterfall. Water roared back into its regular pattern as the tunnel disappeared.

Cybelline looked at the green valley in wonder. For it was truly a beautiful little paradise. The river here flowed lazily towards the mouth of the tunnel. A collection of little houses hung on giant and ancient trees, these little homes were made of vines and clay. Cybelline was reminded of the glass teardrop terrariums that people hung on trees.

The only strange thing was that there was no villagers, no signs of life except the rushing of the stream.

She turned around, a little disappointed, "But where are the torture devices. And the dark dank hole you were going to throw me into? This doesn't seem very professional."

The mages looked at each other, "What is she talking about?"

Cybelline only smiled, "Let's do a quick introduction. My name is Cybelline, who are you?"

"It doesn't matter if she knows or not." One of them said gruffly, and they took off their masks/

Their skin was a flawless ranging from pale jade to deep green, their hair was pale blond to silvery white. Brown eyes flecked with the colors of leaves in autumn met her own as they revealed their true nature to her.

"You're fae." Cybelline walked up to them and admired their oneness with the natural setting around them.

"It does not concern you." The leader of the group came forward and spoke a spell, roots raised themselves from the ground and gripped Cybelline in a tight hold.

"We promise you no harm." The head mage assured her, "We will need you just for a bit."

"Are you going to use me to ambush Killian?" she looked at the seven mages, "Lure him here and kill him?" She studied the seven of them and their numerous dwellings that housed far more people, "No, you all have too much to live for."

"This will be over soon, child. You do not need to understand what you will never understand." The leader said, he drew a vial of green liquid from his robes, "All you need do is sleep. Soon you will forget."

"What if I don't want to?" Cybelline said lightly, "This was fun and I came out of curiosity, but I am on a rescue mission. But I'm running out of patience."

"You can not escape." A dyrad mage stepped out, "The Lord of War may be too much for us, but you are not. You are merely a weak---"

Cybelline stomped on the earth and the roots turned to ash. The Dyrads eyes widened and their mouths fell open as she shook the dust of the roots from her clothes.

"You were saying?" Cybelline asked the dryad.

They backed away from her and began to mutter spells. Large roots with spike thorns sprouted from the ground, waving angrily as they attacked.

Cybelline watched as the magic advanced, in one hand sprouted a flaming sword and in the other, a shield made of ice.

"This can not be!" The head mage breathed as the woman cut down one large root. With her shield she blocked the blows of the other while she advanced. The mages threw all their magic into the roots but to no avail, she was already too close.

Suddenly a child ran towards the mages, "No! Stop it! Don't hurt them, please!"

The little boy had light jade skin and a pair of wings fluttered helplessly behind him as he ran. Cybelline stopped as the boy flung himself in front of the mages, his tattered wings waving protectively behind him.

"They're only trying to help our village. Please don't hurt them!" The boy was trembling all over as he looked at the woman in front of him.

Cybelline allowed the magic to go back into herself as she looked at the boy, "And you are?"

"Ilias." The boy said his eyes pleading, "They only kidnapped you because they wanted to ransom you for healing stones to help our sick. We aren't bad or evil."

Cybelline looked at the seven mages, "I promise I won't attack you. Why don't you explain what all of this is about." She looked down at the child, "Maybe I can help."

"Why?" The mage who had insulted her snarled, "How can we trust you?"

Cybelline rolled her eyes, "On second thought, I don't care." She turned around, "I'm going to leave now."

She looked down at the child, "Sorry kid, I tried."

With that, she walked back towards the tunnel. One of the mages raised a hand as if to stop her.

"If you want to die, then you can try to stop me." Her voice floated back towards them gently, yet it froze them to the spot.

The head mage looked down at the boy and his broken wings. Suddenly, he cried out, "Wait!"

Cybelline paused and turned around, "Yes?"

"We are the descendants of an ancient race called the Dyrads, we are the last of our tribe." The Head mages said, "My name is Melas." He looked at the little dyrad boy, "It was a foolish mission on our part. We thought if we could capture someone the Lord of War cares about, then we could force him to provide us aid to help our ill."

"Why take that risk?" Cybelline inquired.

"The materials we require are rare and highly valuable. Not many have them and no human would part with it willingly." Melas smiled bitterly, "The Lord of War does not kill the Fae indiscriminately like the Lady of Light, but he is no friend. Like most humans, he has no sympathy for the fae. We have tried before, but today is the first day that we have succeeded."

"Lucky me." Cybelline breathed. She was beginning to get a headache, damn her curiosity, not she was embroiled in new drama. She frowned, "You really think you would've gotten away with it?"

"We have ways of making people forget. We would have erased his memories of us." Melas stepped forward and held out the vial of green liquid, "Once our children were healed, we would've run."

BOOM

The earth shook and Cybelline looked at the mages, "Is this you?" The dryads shook their heads, "He's here."

Cybelline sighed, some things were better faced early. "Usually I'd agree with your methods, I promise you I would've been much better at the kidnapping portion. But." She said as she looked at the Dyrads in front of her, "the man you went against is too powerful. He could've destroyed you all with a single command."

She looked at the Dyrads, "I'm going to go outside now. Stay here."

Cybelline shouted towards the tunnel, "Killian, I'm coming out now! Try not to blast me into smithereens!" The magical attack outside suddenly stopped.

Killian's eyes were feverishly bright as he waited outside, Evans and Jacen at his side, swords drawn.

Cybelline stood at the entrance and surveyed the carnage around the waterfall, "Well, you've been busy."

Killian rushed to her, "Are you alright?" He reached out, about to touch her cheek, but settled for her shoulder instead. He wasn't sure if she might thrown him again, and since he'd already used so much magic, he wasn't sure if he could withstand such a throw.

Cybelline waved a hand, "I'm alright. But I do have a question for you."

Killian looked down at her, his eyes full of tender warmth, "What is it?"

"How do you feel about the fae?"