Eira
The world twisted around Eira, shadows gripping her like icy fingers. Eira’s stomach churned as the ground fell away beneath her feet. For a fleeting moment, there was only darkness; cold, oppressive, suffocating. Then, with a jarring thud, they emerged into chaos.
Heat slammed into her like a wall. The air was thick with smoke, stinging her eyes and throat. Flames licked at the night sky, casting the village in a hellish glow. The cries of the dying pierced the air, mingling with the roar of the inferno. Eira’s light flared instinctively, illuminating the horrors around her.
A small body lay sprawled a few feet away, a crimson stain pooling beneath it. A child’s doll rested nearby; its green fabric blackened by the fire. Eira’s breath hitched, her chest tightening with grief and fury. This was her village, her people.
“Keep your light down,” Maeve hissed, her shadowy form barely visible against the flames. “Unless you want them to see us.”
Eira turned to her, her golden eyes blazing. “This is what you wanted me to run from? How can you stand there and do nothing?”
Maeve’s gaze was hard, unyielding. “Because if we die, it won’t help anyone.”
The words stung, but they rang true. Eira forced herself to focus, swallowing the lump in her throat. She couldn’t save everyone. Not yet. But she wouldn’t abandon them, either.
A villager emerged from the smoke, crawling towards them with. The girl reached out for Eira. Eira immediately moved to heal them, her hands glowing against the smoke that coated the village. Eira tried to avert her eyes from the blood spilling out of her leg and the burns that covered the girl’s left side.
Maeve grabbed her shoulder and Eira stopped.
“I need to help her.” Eira insisted, pulling away from Maeve.
Maeve frowned, “You will be weaker if we encounter any dragonborn. It’s your life or theirs.” Her voice was bitter.
Eira crouched in front of the girl, her fingers trembling as she placed a hand on the child’s soot-covered cheek.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, more to herself than the girl.
Closing her eyes, she let her light flow through her, warm and soft. The golden glow spread across the girl’s face, mending the burns on her arms and soothing the raw blisters on her feet. The girl flinched at first but soon stilled, her ragged breathing slowing as Eira’s power took hold.
Behind her, Maeve’s dry scoff cut through the air. “You’re wasting energy,” she muttered, her shadowy arms crossed over her chest. “She’s just one kid. There are dozens more out there, probably worse off.”
Eira’s jaw tightened, but she kept her focus on the girl. “One life matters,” she said softly, though her words carried an edge of defiance. She wouldn’t let Maeve’s cold logic sway her. These people weren’t just numbers or liabilities; they were lives.
The girl blinked, her light brown eyes wide and glossy with unshed tears. Her singed hair framed her soot-streaked face. Eira smiled and stood, helping the girl to her feet.
“Go to the edge of the village,” she said gently, brushing ash off the child’s tattered dress. “Maeve will go with you, she’ll keep you safe, young one.”
The girl hesitated, her gaze flicking to Maeve, who loomed in the background like a shadow herself. Maeve’s sharp features and dark aura clearly unsettled her.
Maeve rolled her eyes, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Yeah, sure. I’m great with kids.”
Eira shot Maeve a pointed look before turning back to the girl. “It’s okay. I promise. She may not look it, but she’s good.” Eira had no idea if her statement was true, but she had to hope.
The girl nodded hesitantly and took a small step closer to Maeve. Maeve herself looked almost fearful of the child. Eira tried not to think about it, she just hoped that Maeve would actually help the people. She knew that Maeve hated the people here, but she also knew that Maeve had a heart. And she hoped that it would be enough.
Eira turned to Maeve, her expression firm. “Go with her. Stay with the villagers who I send your way. I’ll circle around and send anyone I find, to you. I’ll tell them to trust you, and they will at least trust my judgment.”
Maeve frowned, her shadows flickering like restless flames. “We’re splitting up? That’s a terrible idea.”
“I don’t have time to argue,” Eira said, her voice sharper than she intended. “These people need help. You’re faster, and your shadows will keep you hidden. I’ll manage.”
For a moment, Maeve said nothing. Her jaw clenched, and the flicker of something unreadable passed across her face. Then she sighed. “Fine. But don’t get yourself killed.”
Eira softened slightly, grateful despite Maeve’s begrudging tone. “I won’t,” she said, her golden eyes steady. “And Maeve?”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
Maeve waved her off, already slipping into the shadows. “Don’t get all sentimental on me, saint.”
As Maeve disappeared, Eira exhaled and steadied herself, turning back toward the heart of the burning village. The screams and chaos felt like a weight pressing down on her chest, but she forced herself to move forward. One life at a time, that’s how she would protect them.
And so, Eira walked through the alley’s, staying close to the shadows. It felt so wrong to not burst into action and confront the dragonborn soldiers who had taken over the town, but she knew Maeve was right; her attempt would most likely kill her.
‘If we die, it won’t help anyone.’ Mave had said, and she was unfortunately right.
Eira stuck to the outskirts of the village and made a system to keep herself from crumbling; she’d find anyone she could, heal them if they truly needed it, point them in Maeve’s direction, and keep going.
A young man, a small family, two elders, a little boy.
She pointed them all in Maeve’s direction and prayed to the Entity that they would be safe.
The smoke was getting thicker and burning her lungs. She tried her best to not cough but her attempt was in vain. Eira coughed into her arm until her throat burned and her eyes watered. She continued through the alleys despite the smoke.
Her vision was limited to only a few paces in front of her due to the smoke that was only glowing thicker. They ran her hand along the wall as she walked so they would run straight into a wall.
Soon, she saw a lady in her mid-thirties. She recognized her as the woman who sold flora in the market. People praised her for having the most beautiful flowers in all of the land. And Eira had to admit, her bouquets were beautiful. Eira crouched in front of the woman.
“Everything will be okay.” She told the woman and stuck out a glowing hand to her. The woman accepted the hand and they both rose from the debris.
The woman didn’t speak, and Eira didn’t blame her for it. She was in utter shock and was on the verge of breaking down. But she could never forgive herself if she turned into a puddle while her village burned around her.
“Go to the clearing at the edge of the village, there will be others there. Someone will protect her, she is a nox, but do not fear, she is on our side. You must trust me on this. The light was not here for us, so we must provide for ourselves.” Eira spoke, trying not to breathe in the smoke. Of course there was no escaping the dark gas.
The woman only nodded quietly and hurried away towards the edge of the village.
Eira started to walk forward once more when a hand suddenly gripped her shoulder. The hand’s sharp nails- no, claws- cut into her skin. Eira tried to pry the hand from her shoulder with no success.
She looked over her shoulder. The figure growled lowly and pushed her towards the town square.
Hopefully Maeve was protecting the villagers, Eira thought uselessly. She was headed straight to death.