I had the same dream about the guards and the man with the blurry faced man but this time the walls engulfed in radiant flames. The fire was so hot that I was convinced I was about to melt if the guards didn't get me first. I kept expecting my brother to call out to me again, to save me from my impending doom. I would've given anything to hear his voice. Paid any price, gone to any length to listen to my sweet brother.

 Sadly it wasn't my brother what woke me up before the gloved hand touched my face. The hallway began to shake; it shook so hard that the glossy marble floor began to shake and fall apart. The floor and guards fell into a deep dark abyss. Cracks grew more abundant and closer until they formed a circle around me. I fell so fast I barely had a moment to comprehend I was slipping into the dark void until all I saw was darkness. 

I woke up gasping for air and leillan kneeling over me, hands on my shoulders and wide blue eyes deep with worry. I tried to move, but she kept pressing me down; She was surprisingly strong. It didn't help that my body felt like it was falling apart and my throat stung intensely just to breath 

"leillan, please let me go!" I whined at her. The pain worsened when I talked. My voice came out raspy and almost inaudibly quiet. 

"You promised me you would come back okay Cyra! But you didn't, did you? I found you unconscious on the ground almost surrounded by burning buildings barely breathing!" her eyes filled with tears I hope from relief that I wasn't dead. I felt my heart fill with guilt.

"leillan I didn't mean to get attacked like that. I thought I would get Ef-" My eyes went wide when it finally hit me.

The fire.

Efrain in the house that went up in flame.

I tried to speak, to say anything instead of just staring blankly up at leillan but I felt my throat closing up as if I was being choked once again. I felt hot tears stream down my now ice cold skin. I saw leillan's eyes grow even wider as she witnessed me cry in complete silence. She slides off of me.

"Cyra what happened out there" leillan whispered gently as she brushed the hair out of my face. She was trying to comfort me, I know that, but I didn't deserve her kindness. So I turned away from her. I looked away from her, and toward the bed, I had been laying on. Pink ruffled sheets on a large soft bed that laid in the middle of a large baby pink room 

"leillan where are we" my voice still just as weak as the first time I attempted to speak.

 "Certax's most of the colony had been burned or robbed of any supplies" leillan took a deep breath "including both our houses went up in flames." The sadness in her voice made her turn around. Her dark eyes were swimming in tears that were seeking a way to escape. Her tears were for a different reason than mine, but that didn't make them any less validated. I pushed myself up, so I was facing her and wrapped my arms around her. The moment I pulled her close I felt the shoulder of my dress get damp, I used that as permission to let my tears go. 

I couldn't say how long we sat in that pink room and cried. leillan was done before me but didn't say anything. She just sat there and stroked my hair as I sobbed. I wept until my heartfelt too weak and tired to go on, and my throat felt raw and as if hard needles were piercing it. It almost felt like my body had nothing else to give. 

" I am sorry Leillain" she just continued to stroke my hair not saying a word. " I failed him leillan" this got her to stop moving. 

"Failed who?" I pulled away so I could look up at her.

"Efrain...I failed to get him out, and now he is-" leillan stopped me by putting a finger up against my lips. 

" Do you believe Efrain to be dead?" my lips were still being held hostage by her finger, so I slowly nodded. What did she mean by "believe," I saw our house burn. I know he died and it was because I wasn't quick enough to save him. leillan's face brightened up, and she slides out of bed. I stayed put as she ran out the door so fast I could barely comprehend what was going on "yeah this is the moment when you follow me." I heard her yell from down the hallway. I slid out of the silky blankets and attempted to stand firmly on the ground. Though I quickly learned standing would be a lot harder than I originally planned since my legs felt like frail twigs about to snap. I gripped the wooden posts that supported the bed as security in case I feel; which felt likely. I shuffled my way out of the pink room and out into the familiar hallway which I have traveled down countless time yet now it felt...foreign. As if these walls were strangers to me. Leaning against walls and railings, I finally was able to make it downstairs where I was met with leillan's bright smiling face. 

"What did you do now?" I asked my voice sounding skeptical. She gripped my shoulder and spun my fiddle body around to face the kitchen. My eyes shot open. There he was. They're sitting in the darkened dining room lit by only the chandelier sat my young brother Efrain playing cards with my older brother Taj. My legs turned into mush as I slide to the ground. Flashback of the fire and the man who had choked me in the street as I tried to claw myself free replayed in my mind. The house was burning in a royal flame....Efrain was in the house...how was he here. 

"Efrain!" was all I was able to say, that's was all I needed to say to gain his attention. His soft eye was turning to me. He saw everything I was feeling; he understood me without needing a word. He smiled "when you left Taj came to get me, they said I could finally help on the farm if I wanted!" his voice sounded so innocent. As if the fire had not even touched our house and that I didn't just believe him to be dead. Taj peeked at me through his long blonde eyelashes. Taj looked exactly like Efrain except no freckles scattered over his nose and cheeks. No, that trait was reserved for me and Efrain, the only symbol that proved we were somehow related. 

leillan helped me to my feet; Her smile still hasn't moved. When I stared up at her, a thought came to me "why wasn't the first you told me 'hey your baby brother hasn't been killed!' that would've been very helpful!" 

"We were having a moment" she mumbled as she puffed out her cheeks at me. All I could do was roll my eye at this point. 

"Thank you leillan, for everything. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you. I mean it" I nudged her a bit with my shoulder. Her bright smile turned into a sympathetic grin. She opened her mouth to say something but then hesitated. She glanced at my brothers who were mindlessly playing cards, Taj looking as if he was focused way too hard on beating Efrain. I felt leillan grip my hand before gently leading me out the front door. The sky was pure black, no stars, and no moon but the porch crystal lights made it possible to see how scared leillan was, what did she bring me out here for? 

"Your father died at the hands of the Vinick's" her voice shaky as if she didn't know what to say next. Though I already wanted her to stop. My father's death still hit me hard. No matter how much time had past just the mention of him stung deep. 

"Did you honestly bring me out here to talk about my father's death? Especially after I thought E-" she cut me off.

"Please just listen because I won't say this twice". Now her whole demeanor changed. Her shoulders set, head held high and her voice sounded as if she was commanding an army. She took a deep breath "they killed your father, almost took your brother, burned your house... Do I need to mention the innocent lives they have stolen! Taking their lives as if they meant nothing!" she was whisper yelling now as if anyone heard us it would all be over. "They have had their time destroying our lands and our lives". I saw leillan lookup, her eyes looked relieved. I turned my head to see my mother standing at the end of the staircase. 

Her short now graying black hair freshly cut and barely reached her ears now, gently worn out brown eyes that were sunken in gazed up at me. "I told you not to involve her". She didn't sound made just sad.

"Involve me in what!" I was almost getting mad at the hidden conversation between the two of them.

"In our rebellion," said a voice from the darkness. A voice I had never heard before. A second later a man stepped into the light. He was very tall, dark mocha skin, soft emerald eyes, but what caught my attention was his lavender buzz cut hair. "Oh sorry how terribly rude of me! I'm Harmony Anwell king of Majiey" he leaped past the first few stairs to offer me his hand. But all I could do is stare. A Majiey! Majieys were the good or some say "pure" magic practitioners though we thought they were just legend yet here one was...but not just any Majiey, the king Majiey! 

"Wait so let me get this straight" I cleared my throat to snap myself back to reality. Which only sent a jolt of pain through me "My brother is alive. You guys have a rebellion, which the king of the Majiey's has joined. Oh, and you guys want me to join!" I racked my fingers through my hair as if that would make everything make sense. 

"Well I didn't want you to join but leillan and Quillian felt the need to drag you into this" my mom seemed to hiss out. The anger was directed towards leillan. I needed to lay down again. Maybe this was all a dream and I needed to wake up. My mom was a seamstress, leillan a maid and Majiey's weren't real. 

"Well, I for one want you to join to" harmony chimed in. He was now standing next to me. His tall lean figure shading me from the bright porch light. Harmony was looking down at me, his eyes glowing in the dark "there is something about you Lady Enaye" he whispered to me like it was our secret. 

"I sense a storm in you that I have only felt once before.." his eyes scanned over me as if to tell my response before I even said it. "My people have been attacked much harder and worse than anything you have ever witnessed. They don't stop, day and night for months they have been hitting us full force. Mothers are left childless, countless left widowed, some colonies left...." he closed his eyes as if pained by the thought "left as though nothing but a bloody unfair war had been battled there. Join our rebellion Cyra. you don't have to even fight. Just your support would mean more than you know". Now everyone's eyes were on me. 

To help the rebels; to support their caused meant death if caught by the Vinick's. It meant a life if fear if this rebellion lost. Did I; a weak maid from Rycline have it in me to change my life and the life of my family if we lost?

"No, I won't join your rebellion" 

{Hey guys! How do you guys feel about Cyra not joining the rebellion?}