When Rowen awoke, she let out a soft groan as the smells of bacon and pancakes hit her nose. Her stomach roared in protest and the familiar sound of Jason's laughter rang around the room.

"Morning," he greeted her as she stood up and stretched, yawning. "Sleep well?"

"Like the dead," Rowen said, immediately mentally kicking herself as she remembered SafeHaven.

Jason swooped in to cover up the awkward moment. "Good. Ayren's making breakfast." Jason shook his head and sighed. "What can I say? The dude's an awesome cook."

The past slowly began to return to Rowen. She remembered Ayren grabbing her wrist and pulling her from the flighter as it began to dip--the result of its pilot falling asleep. He had guided her by the shoulders into a nearby house and gotten her tucked into bed. Rowen blushed at the memory. She had been like a little selfish child, not even able to climb into bed on her own. A stray image of her mother kissing her goodnight flashed into her mind and an unwanted worm of homesickness tore through her.

"Ayren came back for me," Jason said, oblivious to Rowen's pain. "When I got here, you were fast asleep. I took the bedroom next to yours." Jason pointed to the right wall of Rowen's room. "Ayren had to bunk with me. No other beds."

"You could have come in here," Rowen reminded him. "I was out cold."

"Yeah, but you kick, Johansson."

"True," Rowen said, laughing. "And Ayren doesn't?"

"No. He sleeps on, like, three inches of mattress." Jason pulled a face. "He's crazy."

*

The trio ate a somber breakfast--well, as somber as three teenagers eating pancakes can really make a breakfast.

"So, what now?" asked Rowen grimly, leaning back in her chair as the boys finished their breakfasts. "We need a plan. I'm sick of sitting here like some helpless damsel in distress while who-knows-what is happening to Maria and her family!" Again, all of her pent-up emotions were getting to her. She tried to take a deep breath and calm down.

"I assure you, Princess Maria is entirely safe," promised Ayren, slipping back into the peacemaker role he used surprisingly often as an ambassador.

"Stop talking like that!" Rowen snapped, springing to her feet. "I'm not a child that needs to be patronized. One of my best friends could be getting torn apart out there and there's no way you can say that she's not! Tell me the truth!"

Ayren's eyes flashed and he rose to join her, setting his hands firmly on the tabletop and leaning forward. "Fine. We are sitting ducks here, waiting to die. Princess Maria or any members of the royal family could be dead or being help captive--maybe the enemy has even gotten creative enough to torture them for information. This isn't some crude raid. This is a war!" With the last words, Ayren banged on the tabletop forcefully, making the dishes rattle.

Rowen stood, frozen and stunned, as Ayren passed her on the way back to his room.

"Wait!"

The simple word, ripped unbidden from Rowen's throat, surprised everyone in the small kitchen. Even more surprising was the fact that Ayren stopped.

Rowen rested a hand on his shoulder and felt the muscles tense underneath her fingers. "I'm sorry. I know you're upset, too."

Ayren took a deep breath. He tore himself away from Rowen and stormed off.

"He'll bounce back," Jason said comfortingly. "We're all sick of sitting around and being useless."

Rowen smiled and opened her mouth to thank him when suddenly, Jason spasmed and slumped down in his chair. His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned softly.

"Jason?" Rowen whimpered. "Dammit, Jason, wake up!"

Jason spasmed again.

"Ayren!" screamed Rowen, afraid to touch her prone friend. "Ayren, please!"

Ayren sprinted into the room and immediately caught sight of Jason. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"He just spasmed and fell!" Rowen sobbed, reaching out to touch her friend.

"No!" Ayren shouted.

Rowen flinched. "He's in pain, Ayren."

"No, he's having a vision. If you're in his vision, which you most likely are, then the stress from mentally being in the future and having physical contact with you from the present would be too much for his mind. It's too risky."

Rowen took a step back, fear written across her face. "This happened before. He was in his pod in SafeHaven."

Ayren's eyes widened, eyebrows shooting skyward. "Oh."

*

He had not been expected to react so quickly to this dimension. But, in an impossibly short amount of time, the magic of the færie dimension had awoken the power inside of him.

Ayren wished he had his Viewing Mirror. He didn't know what to do with this new development. He needed to talk to the man in charge.

For now, no one could know about The Blessed.

*

"We must keep him a secret," Ayren urged. Rowen remembered the undercover guard's cruel laughter and nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Jason flew to his feet, eyes refocusing. He was breathing hard and starting to sweat.

"Jason!" yelled Rowen. She flung herself into his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I--I don't know." Jason looked stunned. "Nothing I saw made sense. It wasn't clear cut like last time."

"Tell us anyway," Ayren's unfeeling voice demanded.

"Fine." Jason sighed.

"Jason, you don't have to. Ayren, can't you see that he's scared?"

"I'm not scared!" snapped Jason defensively. "Just a little startled. I'm fine."

Rowen was stunned. "I was just trying to help--"

"You died," Jason said suddenly. "I didn't quite understand what I was seeing then but I do now. It--it was all happening so fast..."

"Wha--me?" Rowen spluttered.

"Yeah. You were lying there...a battle was going on a little ways away. There was blood and bones--I don't want to talk about it. Then you"--here he gestured to Ayren--"landed and started running toward her. I think you were crying."

"You must have seen wrong," Ayren said dismissively. "I never cry."

Jason didn't push it. He took one glance at Rowen's pale face and frowned. "I'm sorry, Rowen."

"Visions are not set in stone," interjected Ayren. "They are the most likely interpretations of the future."

Jason looked doubtful but held his tongue.

"Did you see anything else?" Rowen asked.

"Yeah. The battle I mentioned."

"Tell me who was on each side," Ayren demanded.

"You think I could tell?"

Ayren began to argue when Rowen held up a hand. "No--I've heard enough. Jason, rest. You can't really be around other people if you're just going to spontaneously vision-a-nize."

"Spontaneously vision-a-nize?"

"Yes." Rowen smiled slightly. "Ayren, we need a plan. Come on."

*

There were many streets to explore in the city. Occasionally, Rowen would hear a child crying or worried voices talking quietly. The very air was tense and thick with fear.

"So, what now?" Rowen finally demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"How do we get aboveground? We can't stay down here forever." Rowen eyed the incredibly bright lampposts and found herself yearning already for sunlight.

"Don't worry about that."

"I don't like--"

"I know, I know. Sitting around and doing nothing. Even if we did return to the surface, you can't fight or use magic or fly. They'll kill you in seconds."

"Then train me."

Ayren blinked. "Train you to fly?"

"No, to fight."

Ayren fell silent, thinking. After about a minute, he grinned at her and said, "Fine."

*

Ayren didn't know what he was doing, giving the enemy the power to fight back. But then, he mused, it was a lot easier to think of her as an enemy when he wasn't cooking her breakfast or seeing that determined fire burning behind her eyes, intent on protecting everyone she loved.

She didn't think he was an enemy. The least he could do was pretend to return the favor.

*

Rowen's body was aching. Ayren had taught her how to punch, but first had required a vigorous warmup and cooldown. He had also punched a little too hard once. She rubbed her shoulder and grimaced at the memory.

"How was it?" asked Jason, emerging from the bedroom. He had been napping all day, exhausted and terrified from his visions.

"Painful," muttered Rowen.

Jason patted her shoulder and made a face as he drew nearer. "Is there a shower in here?"

Rowen laughed and shoved him. "I'll ask Ayren. He seems to know all about this place."

A few minutes later, Ayren was drawing a bath for her--literally.

Rowen watched him tracing a 2D tub on the wall of a small, bare room. "Is that seriously going to--"

His fingers sank into the wall like it was hot butter and he pulled his drawing out into a 3D tub.

Rowen's brain could hardly comprehend it. Ayren took in a deep breath and blew slowly and steadily on the tub, longer than Rowen would have thought physically possible. A fine residue of chalk dust swirled into the air and hardened into a piece of chalk.

Ayren plucked it from the air and handed it to Rowen. "Yours. You don't need...to be magic. The chalk does it all, even gives you the power to breathe like that."

Rowen's jaw dropped. The chalk sat ordinary-looking in her hand, but with such power, such possibilities...

Rowen heard a splash and turned around. Ayren was shooting steaming water into the bathtub. From his fingertips.

"Forgot to draw a spout," he said, shrugging, as he noticed her staring.

"This is insane," Rowen muttered.

"Insanely awesome?"

"Sure." Rowen did think it was insanely awesome, but she wasn't about to go all wide-eyed and childish over every miraculous thing that happened here. Frankly, it was exhausting.

Finally, the bath was filled and Ayren left her to it after quickly tracing her a bar of soap and a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner bottle.

The warm water felt wonderful on her sore, bruised body. She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes.

She intended to savor every minute of peace she had received. She had the feeling this peace wouldn't last.

*

It was another half day before news of the beginning war above reached the ears of the civilians. Rowen had been training vigorously, joined by Jason. Her body was almost constantly hurting deep in some muscle or on the surface with a bruise, but Rowen reveled in the pain. It meant she wasn't being useless. It meant she was getting stronger.

"Attention citizens," boomed a voice. Rowen jumped and then scanned the street to find the small black intercoms above each doorway. She should have known. 

"The attack on the palace is over. For a full report on casualties and attack information, read the packet placed on every palace bed."

"They took the time to write a booklet?" whispered Jason incredulously. The cave made him incredibly claustrophobic as he thought about how much rock was above and to either sides of them. He took it as a personal offense that they had wasted even a second of time on anything but defeating the enemy.

"Please fly above the town and await further instruction."

Rowen and Jason, with Ayren close behind, trudged back to their house to receive their flighters.

Jason began flying without a hitch, but Rowen had difficulties. She sat, staring dumbly at the controls and wondering if she had already forgotten how to fly a flighter.

"Isn't it supposed to start when you climb in?" she asked Ayren hesitantly.

"Yeah..." he muttered, frowning. "They break sometimes, especially older models like this one. Or their magic deposit runs out. Someone has really been neglecting this flighter." To Rowen's icy stare, he stuttered, "No! Not you--whoever had it--used it--before you!" He did a quick once over of the flighter, placing his fingertips lightly on the wood and closing his eyes. Without opening them, he nodded. "No more magic energy. This one must be really neglected--you only have to fill them up every few years."

Jason landed again. "What's going on? Let's go!"

"My flighter's broken," Rowen informed him angrily.

Ayren bit his lip. "Rowen..."

"You could ride with me," suggested Jason. 

"Not enough space," murmured Rowen thoughtfully.

"Rowen." This time, Ayren raised his voice. The friends turned to look at him.

"We need to get going. You don't have a flighter. Jason's isn't big enough for the both of you." He raised his eyebrows and waited.

Rowen just looked at him bemusedly for a moment before realizing what he was offering. "Oh, no. No, no, no."

"You can just ride on my back! No problem."

"I just met you!"

"Like, three days ago!"

"Two and a quarter," interjected Jason. He sighed. "There's no other way, Rowen."

"Fine," she snapped, hopping out of the flighter and marching over to Ayren, cheeks reddening.

Her mood only worsened when they discovered that Ayren's wings couldn't flap with a passenger sitting on them.

Ayren scooped her up effortlessly, even though she weighed a good amount over one hundred pounds. "I may need my arms at some point," he warned her. "So hold on tight."

Rowen nodded, staring resolutely over his left shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She squeezed her eyes shut as Ayren fastened one arm around her back and another underneath her for support.

Takeoff was the worst.

If he drops me, I'm dead, was the only thought that seemed capable of entering her head and making sense.

"I'm not going to drop you," Ayren said in her ear, as if he could read her mind. She just gripped him more firmly. Jason laughed from the safety of his flighter.

Suddenly, they stopped.

Rowen dared to open her eyes.

Waves of vertigo hit her as she looked down on Safe City, close to 100 feet below them.

"Ohhh," she moaned, shutting her eyes tightly again and burying her face in Ayren's shoulder, all embarrassment forgotten--or at least pushed to the side.

"Scared of heights?" he asked gently.

Rowen remembered all the beginner rock-climbing expeditions her mother had taken her on, the giddy feeling of knowing she was safe but not being able to convince her subconscious of the fact. "No," she retorted. "Just scared of you dropping me!"

"I'm not going to drop you. Calm down."

"Like hell I will!"

Ayren laughed and hugged her tighter.

The rock above them opened.

The ceiling literally split in two, and everyone surged upward. They emerged in a large open space in the middle of what seemed to be a dungeon.

"Please grab a map from the butler by the exit and retreat to your bedrooms," called out a large, burly man as the floor closed slowly beneath them.

Ayren set Rowen down incredibly gently. She stared resolutely at her Converse, unwilling to look him in the eyes.

"Thanks for...thanks, Ayren," she muttered, color rushing to her cheeks.

"Anytime," he replied with a teasing tone in his voice. Rowen elbowed him and marched toward the exit with as much dignity as she could muster.