Brainstorming...

I feel at a standstill. I am stuck on the boat scene. I need to write about Jael learning the bow and somehow tie her connections in. I think she starts learning on the ship and then finishes learning as they travel. She is a fast learner because she teaches Dresden to project directions to her as images. Being able to just think instructions makes teaching her very easy. Her and Dresden get really close during this time. Jayden and Elan still refuse to teach her so its left to Dresden entirely. Not only do they become closer through this process but Jael gets better at resisting the urge to make a connection. She gets more and more used to the pull and can keep from forcing herself in his mind. They have few tense moments though!

After that part they need to be attacked and the bad Crulian that works for King Serovik needs to appear. He should be some kind of bird in his beast form and Dresden chases after him. They have a bad history. When Dresden is lured away by the bad Crulian they are attacked in full and Jael is kidnapped. All of their companions are killed except Elan, Jayden, Dresden, and Kavan. Jayden and Elan are badly injured. Jayden is hit in the head so hard he goes into a coma. Elan is stabbed in his side. Dresden breaks an arm/wing in his fight with the other Crulian. Kavan is the only one not injured. Kavan knows the area and he manages to get Dresden, Elan and Jayden to a cousin's home.

Dresden is upset with himself for leaving them to chase after the Crulian. He wants to go after Jael but with a broken arm/wing he cannot take his beast form and fly and does not want to travel as a human by himself when he is injured. He is forced to wait for his arm to heal and his companions to get well.

Meanwhile Jael was knocked out in the fight and wakes up blindfolded and bound to a horse. She cannot see her captors and is unable to remove her blindfold to use her powers. They seem to know who she is and what she can do. The bad Crulian catches up with them and seems to be in charge. He is taking her to King Serovik. She doesn't fight because she figures this is the fastest way to the King. She just hopes she is not too late to save Jon.

She has no idea what happened to her companions. The last thing she saw/felt was Jayden being hit in the head. That is what broke her concentration. She was fighting through her connection with him and wasn't expecting him to be knocked out. His injury really worries her because she cannot feel him through her connection. She knows he is not dead but cannot seem to reach him.

She does not want to alert her brother Jon to her capture because she thinks this is the best way to get to the king and she doesn't want Jon to send anyone to rescue her. She is not counting on how much the King knows of her ability. They keep her blindfolded when they meet. He is obviously enamored with her beauty and wants to control her. She just waits and tries to get his trust enough for him to take the blind fold off.

The King treats her like a royal guest other than the blindfold and the restraints. He allows her remove the cuffs when she is in her room but the guards are careful not to make eye contact. She finally makes a connection to one of the guards who is careless and catches her eye. She is quickly caught and now sent to the prison. Serovik promises not to kill Jon, but only as long as she does not contact anyone through her connections to come save her and she does not try to escape. She is not sent to the normal prison. Its a secluded section of the prison that she thinks Serovik only puts those he does not want others to know he has.

She meets Luka there. He is a prisoner in the cell next to hers. She doesn't trust that he is really a prisoner at first. She is worried Serovik put him there to test her. She soon finds out why he is there. She doesn't tell him about her powers. She makes up a story about who she is. Again, she doesn't trust him. They become very good friends. She starts telling him about herself (leaving out the abilities and the princess stuff). He gets to know the real Jael. Not Jael the princess or Jael the beautiful, or Jael with the powers. She opens up to him unlike she has to anyone else. She feels like he is her first REAL friend. Once she finally trusts him she is too afraid to tell him the other things about herself. Worried that he will think differently about her.

Then Nuala comes and breaks her out. Jael hurries to let Luka out. He is stunned by her beauty. She painted a very different picture of herself in their long talks. He gets over it soon enough since the need to be free is so urgent. They escape but not before they try to rescue his sister. They try only to realize she has been completely corrupted by Serovik. Lexa turns on them but doesn't realize being face to face with Serovik is exactly what Jael wants.

She meets the King finally without a blindfold and tries to make the connection. She doesnt realize Serovik has been preparing for her to make the connection. He has found out how to block her connection by projecting his evil thoughts out to her. She recoils from him and he has her incopasitated. The evil Crulian has helped him figure out her power. Between the two of them they overpower her and get the blindfold back on.

In all the excitement they dont realize what Nuala is. She attacks them but the evil Crulian is stronger than her. She finally finds her human form. Nuala's human abilities are... (I cant think of what they are yet.) Somehow she uses her powers to subdue the evil Crulian. Then she kills Serovik, freeing Jael.

Jael reaches out to Jayden only to be surprised that he isnt far. He has amased an Norduran and Austurian army. They are about to attack Reykjavik. She assures him that she is safe and not to attack.

She also learns that Dresden is close by. He materializes and they see each other for the first time in nearly a year. He was the one who brought Nuala. They have been searching for her all over Reykjavik. She runs into his arms. Once she is reunited she turns to introduce him to Luka. She sees the hurt in Luka's eyes and realizes that she loves him too. Now the awkward trek back to her homeland. Luka cant bare to be in the country where he grew up or anywhere near his sister. So he asks Jael to come back with her. She agrees ofcourse. She is confused. She doesnt know who she wants to be with but she doesnt want to lose either of them.

End of first book.