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The Guardian Crusade

Volume I



Chapter 11



Kevin looked at himself in the mirror and nodded in approval over the way he looked. He was starting to get use to these clothes. The style was simple, but the colours the people wore made up for it. The other guys were busy getting ready for breakfast. He looked to his left when Brian came out of the bathroom. Brian still wasn’t talking to him; pretty pissed he was alright with Aj staying, with Nick staying. Truth be told he wasn’t, he didn’t want to leave them here. But it’s what the two of them wanted, and he can see how much they were starting to care about this place. Taking a deep breath he headed over to the door and opened it.



“Where ya going?” Nick asked as he sat up on his bed.



“Need to talk to Aj.” Kevin said as he looked back. “I’ll meet ya’ll for breakfast.” Kevin said as he walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him and walked across the hallway to Aj’s bedroom door. With his knuckles he tapped on the door and waited. He looked at the design on the bedroom door as he waited for Aj too answer. After a minute when he didn’t come to the door, Kevin knocked again. Leaning in close to the large wooden door he listened but couldn’t hear anything.



“Hmm.” He said as he stepped back. Kevin turned around and headed down the hallway. He walked passed the staircase and up to Rayne’s door. Raising his hand he went to knock on the door but stopped. Maybe they weren’t there; maybe they were still in the springs. Deciding he should check here just in case before walking all the way down to the Healing Springs, he knocked on her door.



This time he heard something or someone make there way to the door. He heard the lock click and the door jerked a little as it opened. When the door opened it surprise him a little to see Rayne standing on the other side.



“Hello.” She said with a bright smile.



“Hi, someone must be feeling better.” Kevin said with a light laugh.



“Yes I am.” She said as she stepped away and let him in. “Are you here to see Alex?” she asked as she closed the door.



“He’s here?” Kevin asked.



“Yes.” She said with a light nod. Just then Aj walked out of her bathroom, his hair was wet but he was wearing a fresh clean robe.



“Hey.” Aj said as he stopped walking when he saw Kevin.



“Hi.” Kevin said and he couldn’t help but laugh a little.



“What did you need?” Aj asked as he walked over to him.



“Actually I came to see Rayne.” Kevin said turning and looking at her.



“Oh?” Rayne said a little confused.



“Yeah.” Kevin said as he reached into his pocket. “You’re Mom, or that thing or whatever it is locked me in your room.” He told her as she walked up to him beside Aj. “I found this on your dresser.”



He pulled the necklace he had found from his pocket and opened his hand in front of her. She looked down at Kevin’s hand and saw the sliver necklace and dark stone. With a little bit of hesitance Rayne took the necklace from Kevin.



“What is it?” Aj asked her as she looked up at him.



“My Father gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday.” She said as she stared at it. “Thank you.”



“No problem.” Kevin said with a light grin. “Are you guys ready for breakfast?”



“Yeah.” Aj said with a nod as Rayne walked over to her dresser and put the necklace away. Kevin followed Aj over to the door and waited as he opened it.



“So how did the talk go with Brian?” Aj asked as the two walked outside into the hallway.



“He’s not talking to me.” Kevin said with a light sigh. “He’s pretty pissed I’m not going to drag both you and Nick home.”



“I’m sorry.” Aj said as he looked at Rayne as she closed the door.



“Don’t worry about it man, he’ll come around.” Kevin said as he put his hand on Aj’s shoulder. Aj lightly smiled at him as Rayne walked over to the two of them.



“Ready?” She asked as Aj took her hand.



“Starving.” Aj said with a sigh. Kevin started laughing a little as the three of them walked down the hall and down the stairs, meeting up with everyone else outside the dinning room doors.











Halian sat at her desk; she stared at a map of Pixcadia. Her patience was finally growing thin, especially now. She could feel the Guardians were getting closer, stronger, the more time they spent together the more powers and strength they got. Tapping her fingers along her desk she stared at Winnol, stared at the dot that wouldn’t move. With a frustrated yell she let out all the tension with one yell as she sent everything on her desk flying off.



She hadn’t counted on the druids and the mages coming up with a spell to block her from entering the city. She had no way of getting Dyn back without fully invading. Sighing as she sat down she looked at the mess around her desk. When her door opened she looked up and saw Rem walking in.



“You wanted to see me M’lady?” He asked as he stopped at the doorway. Slowly she got up as Rem looked around at the mess on the floor by her desk. “Are you alright?” he asked.



“I am fine.” She said as she walked away from her desk. “Are the men ready?”



“Yes M’lady.” Rem nodded.



“Then have them prepare we set out for Winnol tonight and will attack them while they sleep.” The Mage said as she walked towards the door.



“Tonight?” Rem asked as he followed her.



“The Guardians are growing stronger, they are getting closer and I can not waste anymore time, we need to attack when they are weak.” She said as she turned and looked at him.



Rem nodded and then hurried down the hall, gone to prepare the army for war. Halian walked down the hallway of her Palace the damage from the Orc still apparent. She stopped when she reached the new clean spot in the rug. It was annoying the feelings of her human form creeping up in her every time she looked at the Druid. Her mind flashed back to her walking down the hall, the sword in her hand, her pulling it back and sending it forward. Then out of no where Rayne jumping in front of her and she heard the gasp from her daughters lips, the look in her eyes when she saw what her mother had done to her.



“No.” Halian said as she pushed the memories away. “She is not your daughter, you feel nothing for her.” With a deep breath she stepped over the spot and continued down the hallway.



“Your Majesty!” A man shouted as she walked down the stairs. She stopped and looked at the guard coming at her with an Elvaan. “Winnol Spy M’lady.” The guard said.



“Well well.” Halian said with a smile. She walked up to the Elvaan and he didn’t look at her. “He will not talk; he is no use to us.” She sighed. “Elvaan spies are known for their lack of tongue when captured.”



“What shall we do with him?” The guard asked.



“Kill him.” She said as she turned around and started walking towards the back of the Palace entrance. “Wait!” She said spinning around. The guard stopped and looked at her confused. “Take him to my War Room.” She told the guard. “He could be very useful after all.” She said a smile crept across her face.











Rayne walked down the dirty tunnel that whined its way under the castle. She could hear the shouts of the criminals echo through the walls. It didn’t bother her, she was use too it. Although being down in the jails was creepy. They were dirty and damp and there were weird noises echoing not made by man.



No one knew she was down here. Alex was out with his friends and told him she was going to take a nap. Considering what she had been through he was more than happy to let her sleep. She hated lying to him but she knew he wouldn’t let her talk to Dyn and she needed to try.



When she came to the cells she started looking in the small barred windows on the doors. Dirty, skinny angry men looked back at her. It made her a little nervous they way they looked at her, having not seen a woman in who knows how long. Soon the cat calls started but she ignored them. When she saw a guard sitting in a chair outside of a cell door, she knew that had to be Dyn’s cell door.



“M’lady?” The guard said when he saw her. He bowed to her but was a little confused on why she was down there.



“I wish to speak with Dyn alone please.” She spoke in a stern tone.



“Does King Alexander know?” The man asked. She looked at him, her eyes staring at him.

“I do not need King Alexander’s permission, this man is in an alliance with the Army that took over Sarila and killed my Father, and if I wish to speak to him I need no ones permission.”



“Yes M’lady.” The man said with a quick bow. He walked down the hall and around the corner. When Rayne was sure he was gone she peered into the cell. She saw Dyn sitting in the corner his legs against his chest and his head resting on his knees.



“Dyn?” She said as she looked at him. His head quickly snapped up and he slowly stood up.



“You are doing better?” Dyn asked and she saw the concern in his eyes.



“Yes.” She said with a nod.



“I am glad to hear it.” He said as he walked up to the door. She looked at him, at her old friend; she had traveled around Pixcadia with him and Nalia.



“Did you know about Alexander?” She asked.



“Yes.” He said and she heard the distaste in his tone. “Father told me that I had a brother, one he had to protect so he sent him away. He told me that if he was here when Alexander was to be brought back, Alexander would get the throne. If Marsa was dead and I was King, he told me to surrender my crown to him.”



“He told you why?” Rayne asked.



“Because Alexander was a Guardian, a Guardian of Pixcadia.” He said rolling his eyes.



“Did you know about me?” She asked. He looked up at her and then looked down.



“Father never said who the others were, but I figured it out on my own.” Dyn said.



“Why did you side with that Evil Dyn?” Rayne asked as she frowned a little.



“My Father was the true Evil.” Dyn said to her with anger.



“Your Father was a kind, wonderful man.” Rayne said too him.



“Silence!” He shouted at her as he banged on the door. She jumped at the sound as it scared her and she looked at him stunned. His face fell when he realized he had shouted at her. “Rayne, I am sorry.” He said as he stepped closer to the door but she stepped away from it.



“Avit was right; you are truly blinded by the hatred you carry for your Father, I thought your distrust for him was because of Pomic, because of the danger you felt in them going.” Rayne said as he looked at her.



“And I was right was I not! He sent them to their death.” He quickly snapped. “You remember that night? When I told you about Pomic, how I felt about it, that I was going to go with them and then I told you how I felt. I still love you.” He said too her. Rayne looked at him and then to his shock, started laughing. “I would not laugh.” He hissed as he moved closer to the window. “As I remember you confessed something to me.”



“You do not love me Dyn.” She said as she shook her head. “And I did not love you, I see now what love really is, I understand what love is now, no Dyn it was nothing more than a crush. A crush on a man who showed me compassion when no one else would.”



“And he does?” Dyn asked.



“He wants to protect me, keep me safe, you have aligned yourself with two people who wish me dead, and one who almost succeeded.” Rayne said to him as her tone became angry.



“I am sure your Mother did not..” Rayne cut him off.



“She is not my Mother, my Mother is dead, she died in Pomic.” Rayne said to him angrily.



“Rayne?” She heard Aj say and she quickly looked to her left. She looked at him a little shocked and then saw the guard standing next too him. “Everything ok?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.



“Yes.” Rayne said as she looked at Dyn. “I am done here.” She didn’t give him another glance as she looked away and walked over to Aj.



“I thought you were taking a nap?” He asked as they started to walk down the jail tunnel.



“I am sorry I lied but I wanted to talk to him alone.” She said as she looked at him.



“Did he tell you anything?” Aj asked.



“Nothing new.” She said as she looked away.



“You sounded pretty mad back there, did he say something to upset you?” He asked as his arm slowly slipped behind her waist. She looked up at him, the memory of the night before flashed in her mind and she lightly smile.



“No.” She said as she wrapped her arm behind him. “I think Avit is right, his hatred for Marsa has changed him.”



“I’m sorry.” Aj said as he looked down at her. She stopped walking and looked up at him.



“For what?” She asked.



“He was a friend, and now he’s not, he’s become an ass.” Aj said as they walked up the steps. She lightly laughed and smiled as she opened the door. As they walked out of the jail entrance they saw someone heading to the door. His gaze was stern and locked on the jail doors. He wore all black; his hair was black and tied back tightly.



“Sir.” The Elvaan said with a nod as he reached for the door handle.



“Hello.” Aj said with a nod. He watched the man walk behind the door and it closed over him. He then turned and looked at Rayne. “Those Spies are weird.” Aj said as he quickly looked back at the door.



“They are trained to do a job, and they do it very well.” Rayne said as she took his hand.



“They still creep me out with how quiet and stern they are, do they ever party or anything?” Aj asked. Rayne smiled as she lead him up the steps.



“Where are the guys?” She asked as she stopped at the top of the stairs.



“Around somewhere.” Aj said with a shrug. “Came to check on you, but I got stopped in the entrance by the guard.” Aj said to her with a light smile.



“That guard.” Rayne said in a little huff.



“You shouldn’t have been down there by yourself.” Aj said too her as she looked at him.



“I can take care of myself Alex.” She said with a little hint of defensiveness.



“I know but I still worry.” He said with a sigh. “And I don’t want to have to worry about you not taking a nap when you said you would be.”



“I know I am sorry.” She said as he pulled her against him. He lightly kissed her on the side of her head, near the temple.



Hey!” Someone shouted at them from the bottom of the stairs. They turned and looked, seeing Nick, Nalia, and the guys standing in the entrance way.



“We’re going for a trip on the Gryphon’s you guys want to come?” Brian asked. Aj and Rayne pulled away and looked at each other.



“You up for it?” Aj asked.



“Sure.” She said with a smile.



Just as the words left her lips and thunderous crash was heard, and it made them drop to the ground out of instinct. Aj looked down the stairs as he slowly got up. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing; Dyn had escaped and was throwing out spell after spell at the guards that ran at him.



“Dyn!!” He heard Rayne shout and he looked to his right. She was now on her feet staring at the Elvaan. Aj looked back at Dyn and saw the man staring up at them. “What are you doing?” She yelled at him.



“M’lady has come for me.” He said as Aj looked down by his feet and saw the guys slowly getting up. “But first I have come for something that is mine.” Dyn said as an evil grin came across his face. Aj followed his stare and it lead right too Rayne. The anger and rage over came him and he looked at Dyn as the Elvaan stepped closer to the stairs.



“Try it.” Aj said as he stepped in front of Rayne.



“Gladly.” Dyn said with another sadistic grin, and then he flew up the stairs, actually flew up the stairs, and it took Aj off guard. Both men went flying back to the ground. Aj felt himself roll over and he quickly jumped up to his feet. He sent an Ice Bolt right at Dyn, but Dyn had sent one at him and the two bolts smashed together in an icicle explosion.



“Screw this.” Aj said as he reached out for Dyn, grabbing him by the robe and punched him in the face. Dyn stumbled back as he grabbed his nose. Slowly Dyn looked up at Aj, his nose had started bleeding and he looked even more pissed off. With a loud growl Dyn charged at Aj again and both men slammed into the wall. Aj’s head smacked of wooden branches, and he grunted in pain. With everything he had, he broke his arm away from Dyn, but the Elvaan was to quick and spun Aj around, slamming his face into the wall. Dyn pulled him back and slammed him into the wall again.



He heard a yell when he felt Dyn let go of him and he fell to the floor. The room was spinning and he was trying to stand up but every time he did the room would spin faster. As he heard another scream he looked up and forced his eyes to focus. What he saw gave him more than enough strength to get up.



Dyn was running down the hallway towards the back staircase, practically dragging Rayne behind him. He took a step and stumbled a bit and reached out to stop himself from falling but someone caught him.



“Easy man.” He heard Kevin say. Aj pushed Kevin off and headed down the hallway. Dyn and Rayne had disappeared from his view now and he started to run faster towards the stairwell doorway. He blew through the door sending it slamming back against the wall.



“Alex!!” He heard her shout and he quickly looked down the stairs. There were no banisters and he could see right down to every step, they were almost at the bottom. Quickly he closed his eyes and in a flash he was at the bottom of the stairs as the door to the harbor closed. Aj ripped it open and saw Rayne and Dyn running down the dock towards Winnol’s master ship.



Aj ran hard and fast as he jumped across the open water so he could reach the next deck quicker. They ran up the plank onto the ship and Aj watched as Dyn kicked the plank off the boat. It didn’t matter Aj could easily teleport onto the ship and he did just that, stopping right in front of Rayne and Dyn as Dyn untied the ship. When he looked at Rayne he could tell she was silenced with a spell. Aj’s rage grew even more intense when Dyn threw Rayne to the floor of the ship.



“I will have time for her later.” Dyn said as he looked from Rayne to Aj.



The two stared at each other for a moment and then like they knew what the other would do, they both sent out ice bolts, both getting slammed with the others spell. Aj was sent flying against the deck railing as Dyn went crashing back against the sail tie. The giant sails opened up as they caught the wind, the ship jerked a little as the wind caught the sails pushing the boat forward.



Slowly Aj stood up and he rubbed the back of his head. He could hear the guys shouting and as he looked around he realized the boat was moving. As he looked back around he saw Dyn right in front of him. The Elvaan grabbed Aj by his robe and head butted him in the face. Aj moaned in pain trying to reach for his face but Dyn blocked him from moving at all. His head pounded and he could barely hold himself up after the smack against the ship railing.



“Dyn stop!” Rayne shouted as she grabbed for his arm. Dyn pushed Rayne off of him and she fell down to the deck. With one hard push Dyn let go of Aj, he flipped over the railing and went crashing into the water.



“Alex!!” Rayne shouted as she scrambled to her feet and dove at the railing edge. She looked down and saw Aj floating in the water. She screamed at him again when she saw him laying face down in the water. Reaching up she grabbed the railing readying herself to jump, when two arms grabbed her from behind. “Put me down!” she shouted as she squirmed, trying to break away.



“I know you still love me Rayne.” Dyn said a she struggled with him. “I know you want to be with me.” He said as he kicked opened the door to the Royal Chambers. “He’s just poisoned you; they all poisoned you against me.”



“Let me go Dyn!” Rayne shouted again as she fought with him. She let her nature spell rip through him and they both went flying back. Quickly she looked up and saw Dyn lying against the dresser. She scrambled to her feet and ran for the door but Dyn reached out and grabbed her ankle sending her crashing down to the floor. Rayne cried out in pain as she hit the floor hard.



Trying to get to her feet again, she was pulled down by her ankle as Dyn dragged her closer to him. She felt two hands wrap around her arms and spun her over, pinning her to the ground. Rayne looked up in panic as she saw Dyn holding her down. Some how she got her leg up and kicked him back but Dyn snagged a piece of her robe and it ripped along the seam.



“Get off me!!” She screamed as she was able to reach up and grab a hold of his robe. Slowly she pushed him back, the fright and adrenaline rushing through her. She was about to cast another nature spell but Dyn pushed on her hard and slammed her back against the ground. Her head smacked the floor and for a moment she gave up, her body went limp and she cried.



“Remember when I told you how I felt remember when I kissed you.” He whispered to her as she cried out and started fighting him again. Rayne pushed against his chest, she tried to kick her legs up, as Dyn kissed her. She screamed and then bit him on the lip hard. He let go quickly and shouted in pain as he rolled off her. Rayne scrambled away, crawled on her hands and knees to the door.



A loud crashing sound made her fall to the floor again as she covered her head, pieces of wood falling down around her. Terrified she quickly rolled over and looked up as she realized the ceiling was gone. Her heart began to race, her breath taken away as she saw a large funnel of water peering down on them. Then to her amazement she saw two giant arms as the funnel reached into the room. The swirling water formed into an arm, hand, and fingers. The fingers wrapped around Dyn and pulled him out of the room. She could hear Dyn scream as he was pulled down into the water with the funnel.



Rayne sat there stunned, not sure what she had just scene. She looked around the room still worried Dyn was going to come out from the water at her. A hand touched her shoulder and she sent off a nature spell as she scrambled away from the door. The yell of pain that was heard was not Dyn and she turned around still on the floor.









“Rayne.” Aj said as he leaned against the doorway. He didn’t know that spell packed such a punch. As he shook the spell off and looked at her, he saw her sitting on the ground. Her curly hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were soaked in tears, and her robe was ripped. It hit him that it was more than his Elemental that freaked her out. “Rayne what happened?” He said not wanting to know the answer.



“I went to go after you.” She said her voice jumpy as her body shook a little. “He grabbed me and carried me in here. I..” She stopped as another wave of fright came over her. “I tried to get away but he grabbed my ankle and pulled me down.” She said as she cried. “He pinned me down on the ground by my arms and I kept trying to get away.” She said as Aj looked at her, his heart was racing; he didn’t like what he was hearing at all. “Then he kissed me.” When she said those words he regretted having the Elemental pull Dyn under the water. “And then I bit him.”



“You bit him?” Aj said and he almost wanted to smile.



“That’s when I was able to get to the door.” She said as she slowly pointed to the door. “And then the ceiling was gone.” She said as she looked up. “Alex what was that thing?” She asked him. He was about to answer when there was a squawk from above them. They both looked up and saw two Gryphon’s coming up on the ship.



“That must be Avit.” Aj said as he looked down at her. “Stay here, I’ll be right back ok?” Aj said too her. She lightly nodded as he stood up and walked over to the broken door. He saw the Gryphon’s land on the deck and Avit jump down from his as Aj walked up to him.



“Where is he?” Avit asked as he walked up to Aj.



“In the water.” Aj said.



“And Princess Rayne?” He asked.



“She’s in there, he tried too..” Aj stopped he didn’t want to say it.



“Is she alright?” Avit asked as he put his hand on Aj’s shoulder.



“She’s pretty shaken up.” Aj said looking back at the broken doorway.



“Another Tohil spell Sir?” Avit asked as he looked at the cabin with the roof ripped off. The ship was just floating around; the stirring wheel and the upper deck were taken with the ceiling of the bedroom.



“Not exactly.” Aj said as he looked at the damage he had caused. He looked at Avit and the General had a confused look on his face. “I’ll explain later.” Aj said. He then walked over to the Royal Chamber doors and walked into the room. Rayne was sitting on floor still but he notice she had stopped shaking.



“Are you ready?” He asked her as he held out his hand. She lightly nodded as she gently took his hand. He wrapped it around his neck and scooped her up in his arms. Aj relaxed a little when she rested her head on his shoulder as he walked past Avit and through the door.



“Avit will you take her.” Aj said as he turned to the Elvaan.



“No.” Rayne said as she pulled her head away. “I want to ride with you.”



“Can you manage?” Avit asked. Aj’s riding skills weren’t the greatest but he just wanted to get her back to Winnol.



“Yeah I’ll be fine.” Aj said as Avit nodded at him.



“Then take mine, I will ride with Harls.” Avit said nodding to his second in command.



The Gryphon knelt down lowering itself to let it’s riders on. Aj lifted Rayne up onto the seat and she grabbed hold of the harness. He then jumped up and sat behind her. The Gryphon stood up and got its bearings. Aj looked to his right and saw Avit and Harls on the other Gryphon.



“Ready?” He asked and she nodded. He lightly kicked the bird and it spread its wings. It took a couple of steps and then leaped into the air. They flew over the ocean and he didn’t realize how far out the ship had sailed. Carefully he turned around; a gust of wind blew the sails open and the ship cut through the water headed towards Sarila. Aj looked at Avit as he turned around, the General nodded at him.



“Do you need to go to the springs?” Aj asked Rayne looking at her as they approached the Castle.



“No.” She said shaking her head. Aj directed his Gryphon to the Gryphon tower as Avit followed behind him. As he landed the giant bird he saw the guys waiting for them. The Gryphon landed as Avit brought his bird down. Aj jumped down and reached up for Rayne and helped her down as one of the caretakers took the Gryphon’s reigns. He went to pick her up but she stopped him.



“I can walk.” She said to him as she placed her hand on his arm.



“Are you sure?” He asked. She lightly nodded as she wrapped her arm around his.



“What happened? Are you alright?” Nalia asked Rayne as everyone walked up to them.



“Yes, I am fine; I just need to lie down.” She said as her and Aj started walking.



“Where’s Dyn?” Kevin asked when he noticed they came back without him.



“Some where at the bottom of the ocean.” Aj said as he walked up to the doors. Aj tried to field questions from everyone as they walked down the tower stairs but he was too busy worrying about Rayne. Aj reached for the door and everyone walked out to the city. He noticed her grip on him had gotten tighter as they walked through the crowed of people. Everyone stopping and staring at her, seeing what kind of condition the Princess was in and wondering what happened to make her look that way. Avit, Nalia, and the guys followed them into the Castle and up the stairs. Aj walked Rayne over to her bedroom door and they stopped in front of them.



“I’m going to go talk to Avit; I’ll be there in a minute.” He said as he took her hands.



“Alright.” She said with a light smile. He watched as she opened her door and walked into her room. Aj stood there for a minute, staring at her door. The image of her lying on the floor, how scared she was made him boil with anger. With a deep breath he turned around and walked over to his friends.



“What’s up dude.” Nick said as he saw the look on Aj’s face.



“Avit.” Aj said sternly as he stopped in front of everyone. “Get the army ready and find out how Dyn escaped. Nick I want you and Nalia to go to Tokia, is Rossi still ready?” Aj asked looking at Nick.



“Yeah, he’s busting at the seams.” Nick said with light smile.



“Good, tell him to set sail now we’ll meet in the middle at Drisel.” Aj said as Nick nodded and Nalia and him took off to the globe room to Tokia.



“We’re going to war aren’t we?” Brian asked looking at Aj.



“Fucking right we are.” Aj said as he turned around and headed to Rayne’s room.



He stopped at the door with his hand on the knob and took a deep breath, calming himself, and then he turned the knob and walked into the room. As he closed the door behind him, he looked around the room. The curtains to her bed were pulled back and there was no one on the bed. He walked across the room and over to her bathroom door. It was opened a little bit and he heard the light splashing of water. He stepped away from the door and turned to walk to the couch when he heard her ask for him.



“Is that you?” She said as he walked back up to the door.



“Yeah.” Aj said and he heard her get out of the tub. He stepped back from the door and gave her a minute. When she came out she was wrapped in her night robe. She walked right over to him and wrapped her arms behind him, laying her head against his chest. He put his arms around her, his fingers gently tangling in her hair. Her arms wrapped tighter around him when she started crying.



“He was my friend.” She quietly spoke. “How could he..” she didn’t finished the sentence.



“I don’t know.” Aj said as he looked down at her. “But you don’t have to worry about him anymore.” He said as he gently brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear.



“Are you ok?” She asked as she pulled away a little. “I did not know it was you.”



“I know its ok, didn’t hurt that bad.” Aj said remembering.



“What was that thing?” She asked as he wiped her tears from her cheeks.



“Did your Mom ever tell you the story about the Mage who summoned a Water Elemental?” Aj asked. She slowly pulled away and looked at him, she realized now that is what she saw.



“Mother said it was just a fable.” Rayne said looking at him.



“Nope.” Aj said as he sat down on the edge of the bed.



“How did you get onto the ship?” She asked.



“I woke up when I started sucking water.” He said with a light laugh. “I conjured the Elemental to find you, and then I teleported onto the ship.”



“How did you know what to do?” She asked.



“Your Mom.” Aj said. “That book you gave me. I was reading it one night and I saw a little sparkle on the back, I touched it and it opened a pocket.” Aj said to her as she walked over to him and sat down. “In the pocket were notes she had written on what she thought about the Elemental.”



“Really?” Rayne said shocked and Aj nodded at her.



“She really believed a Mage could conjure it but she felt it had to be a special type of Mage.” Aj said as he watched Rayne scan the words on the paper.



“The Guardian.” Rayne said looking up at him.



“That’s what I figured, but since the last guy kind of disappeared after he summoned his, I didn’t want to try unless I had too.” Aj said as he reached up and brushed his hand down the back of her head, down her hair, and down her back. She lightly smiled at him as he took her hand.



“Why don’t you take a nap while I go talk to Avit.” Aj said as he nodded to her pillow.



“Talk?” She said as she looked at him.



“I’m getting the Army ready, Nick has gone to get Rossi and his Army and we’re going to end this tonight.” Aj said as he stood up. “So, we need you to rest up and be ready.”



“Well I should be there to plan.” Rayne said standing up.



“I can fill you in.” Aj said as he placed his hands on her arms and she flinched in pain. He quickly pulled his hands away and looked at her shocked. They looked at each other but they didn’t say anything. “Do not let me sleep to long.” She said after moment.



“I won’t, I’ll come get you as soon as we figure out the full plan.” Aj said with a light smile.









The Mage sat at her desk in her chambers on the ship. She stared at the map as the boat gently rocked side to side. She had fifty ships, a hundred men on those ships, and she smiled as she magically marked where they were on the map. Closer and closer they got to Winnol. Her lips rested against her fingers as she held her hands in front of her, and looked up at her door when she heard the shouts of the men outside. As on cue someone knocked at the door. With a sigh she stood and fixed her robe.



“Come in.” She said as she quickly waved her hand over the map. These people hadn’t seen that kind of magic, no need confusing them on where a Mage learned a new spell.



“You might want to come out here your majesty.” Rem said as he stood at the door. She looked at him confused. The Mage walked around the desk and over to the door. As Rem stepped away she walked out onto the deck and saw a bunch of men leaning over the railing. As she started to walk over to them, all of them stood up and pulled something over the railing. They stepped away and the Mage stopped dead when she saw Dyn laying there, dead.



“Looks like he drowned M’lady.” One of the guards said.



“How?” She asked looking to Rem. “He’s not suppose to be this far yet?” She looked around out to the ocean as the anger began to hit. Were they out here, was this a message? Quickly she ran up the stairs beside the door to her chambers up onto the upper deck where the Captain was.



“Ship!!” Yelled a man from above them and she looked up to the steep of the ship. The man standing in the bucket pointed west and the Mage quickly looked. It was a little ways out but she could still make the ship out but there wasn’t something right about it.



“It’s not sailing.” Rem said as he walked up beside her.



“Stop. Stop stop stop stop!” She shouted as she looked at her Captain. The man quickly shouted in fright for his crew to close the sails and to signal the other ships to do so.



“I will take a crew and a boat and row out to the closes ship to it.” Rem said. The Mage said nothing as she stared at the ship. She tilted her head a little as she saw the weird shape of the upper deck. Her eyes squinted as she tried to get a better look. With a breath she closed her eyes and in a flash she was on the broken ship.



She looked around, ropes were swinging lightly beside her, and she put her hand on one as she walked over to where the Royal Chambers were. The Mage walked through the broken doorway and looked around the room.



“What happened here?” She asked as she brought her hands together. They started to glow and when she heard a rush of wind in her ears she quickly opened her eyes. She looked around, still on the ship, but in the past.



“Dyn stop!!” She heard Rayne yell and she spun around as she saw Rayne fall to the ground. When she heard another shout she looked at Dyn and saw Alexander go over the railing. Rayne yelled as she crawled to her feet and ran to where Dyn was. She watched as Rayne tried to jump the railing but Dyn stopped her.



Dyn walked passed her, carrying Rayne talking about her loving him as he kicked opened the door to the Royal Chambers. The Mage followed and stopped at the door. She watched as Rayne conjured a nature spell against Dyn, she watched Rayne scramble to get up and watched as Dyn pulled her back. Halian clenched her fists when she saw Dyn over top of Rayne as she fought him screaming at him.



“You fool, I give you freedom and this is what you do?” She said as she watched him lean in and kissed Rayne. She jumped back when Dyn shouted in pain as Rayne bit his lip. Rayne scrambled to her feet and headed to the door. Then the loud snapping sound of wood being broken made the Mage look up, calmly knowing she could not be hurt with this spell. Her eyes went wide when she saw the Elemental.



“Oh Alexander.” She said with a smile of adoration. She watched as the funnel reached in for Dyn and pulled him out. As she looked away she was back in the present, on the ship as Rem and his crew climb onto the boat.



“What did this?” Rem asked still unsure.



“Alexander.” The Mage said.



“What? How?” Rem said stunned.



“It doesn’t matter because we have a bigger problem. Alexander is a full strength and thanks to Dyn extremely mad.” The Mage said waving her hand. “Just tell everyone to be on the look out for Winnol’s army and…and an elemental.”



“M’lady?” Rem asked confused.



“You heard me.” She said looking at him.



“Of course your majesty.” Rem said with a nervous nod. She watched as Rem walked over to his crew and then she turned around, looking at the wreckage one more time.