The Guardian Crusade

                                          Volume II

                                                       Chapter 11

Rayne stood at the open window over looking the city below.  Drisel a city she fought so hard to protect, now felt foreign too her.  The people below started moving on with their lives, waiting for her to bring their Pixca back.  She closed her eyes as her head began to spin and her jaw tightened in frustration.  Placing her hand on the stone wall she held herself up as the pain worsened. 

“Rayne sweetheart are you alright?”  Her mother said from behind her.

“Yes.” Rayne said quickly as she turned around.  She looked up and saw her Mother walking into the room with a tray of food and Jaina behind her.  “I’m not hungry.” Rayne said as she rolled her eyes turning back around.

“Eat.” Her Mother said to her as she set the silver tray down on the table at the end of her bed.  “Do not make me teleport to Alex and tell him your being such a stubborn little..”

“Fine.” Rayne mumbled as she slowly walked over to the table.  She sat down and her Mom removed the lid from her dinner.  “Any word?”

“No your highness.” Jaina said and Rayne looked up at her with tired and annoyed eyes.

“Rayne” Halian hiss at her.  Looking away Rayne returned her stare back to her food and her eyes locked on her fork as she lifted it.

“Weak and pathetic excuse for a Guardian” She thought or did she.

“I need to go over the daily reports; I will be back in a half hour.” Halian said to Rayne as she placed her hand on her daughters shoulder.

“Take her with you.” Rayne said as she lifted her fork to her mouth, when her Mother walked away.

“No I will not.” Halian angrily said as she turned and looked at her daughter.  “She is your Guardian and you will treat her as such.”

“My Guardian?” Rayne said looking up at them.  “I do not need a Guardian, I am a Guardian!” She shouted as she slammed her fist down onto the table.

“Yes my dear you certainly look like one.” Halian replied and Rayne looked down at her plate.  “I know you are frustrated.”

“Frustrated? I am not frustrated; I am angry, angry that I can not be there for Alex, angry that I have to be something else he needs to worry about, and angry there is nothing I can do to help him.” She closed her eyes pushing back the anger that made her want to scream and the fright that made her want to cry. “If only…”  Rayne stopped as the thought drifted into her mind.

“If only what Rayne?” Her Mother asked.  Rayne looked up and was about to tell them her thought but something inside her made her hold back.

“Nothing” She said as she looked back down to her food.  “Can I please just eat alone?”

“Very well” Halian replied with a frown.  She walked over to Jaina and nodded for her to follow.  Rayne looked up as her Mother and Jaina left the room, knowing very well her Mother would leave Jaina at her door outside.

Rayne put her fork down as her thoughts went back to a moment ago, the idea, or the possible idea she had.  She wasn’t sure if she could get it to work, she knew she couldn’t, she couldn’t even conjure a Moonbeam spell but what if, what if she could use the life energy.

“If only his friends were here.” She thought again.

Nick followed behind Nalia as they walked across the dry sand.  The wind was blowing the sand in their faces and they tried to shield themselves with their robes.  He was having a hard time keeping up, his head was spinning, his body was aching and he wasn’t sure if he could feel his legs anymore.

“Nali?” He said but it wasn’t loud enough, the whistling of the wind in her ears blocked his voice.  “Nali stop.” He said again as he stumbled and fell.  The sound of Nick hitting the ground and the grunt that followed was enough to grab her attention and she turned around.

“Nick” She called out when she saw him on his knees.  She knelt down beside him as he tried to get up.

“Stop, I need to stop.” He said as she shielded him from the blowing sand.  Sitting up she looked around for a place to hide from the mini sand storm.

“Can you make it down into the gorge?” She asked.

“Yeah” He nodded as he caught his breath.

Nalia helped him stand up and wrapped his arm around her.  A normal girl probably wouldn’t have been much help to him, but Nalia had the strength of ten men when she needed it.  They walked over to the edge and she looked around for the easiest way down.

“Over there.” She said pointing to their right.  The couple walked along the edge until they reached an old Ladder.  “Can you climb down that?” She asked.

“Yes” He nodded.

“I will go first just in case.” She told him.  She took his bag from him and then began climbing down the old wooden ladder steps.  Stopping a little bit down the gorge wall she waited for him and then started climbing the rest of the way down when he was safely on the ladder.  When they reached the bottom she wrapped his arm around her again.  They walked along the wall a few feet and then Nalia helped him sit down.

“Rest here, I’m going to find us shelter.” She told him.  His eyes rolled into the back of his head.  “Nick.” She said as she caught his head from falling forward.

“I’m ok, I just need to rest.” He said as he opened his eyes and looked at her.  What she saw she didn’t like, his eyes changing she had never seen nor heard of any Warlock do that when they went through this. Every time she looked at him they got lighter and lighter.

“Lay down” She told him as she grabbed her bag, putting it on the ground and helping him lie down.  “I will not be long.”

Nalia frowned with worry as Nick shook, folding his arms around himself.  She almost didn’t want to leave him but she needed to find a place to sleep for the night.  Kissing him gently on the lips before she left, Nalia stood up and looked around, searching for any sign of a cave.  Figuring the best place to start would be to head towards Ashmourn, the next place they needed to go.

As she followed the stone wall, she walked for a few minutes when an opening caught her eye on the left side of the Canyon.  With a sigh of relief she turned around heading back to get Nick but she stopped dead when she saw him standing a few feet behind her.

“I found shelter.” She said as he leaned up against the rock wall.  Nalia walked up to him and wrapped his arm around her and lead him over to the cave.  “I do not think we need a fire tonight, it is getting warmer the closer we get to Ashmourn.” 

“It hurts” Nick whispered.

“Lay down.” She said laying out a mat for him to lie on.

“No” He said as his body shook again.  “I..I can’t think, no I think too much, I want too much, I need to keep going, can’t stop.”  He said as he turned for the opening of the cave.

“No.” Nalia said stopping him.  “No Nick you are not going anywhere, you need to rest, save your energy.”

“Why when I can just take it?” He said as he looked at her, his smile had a hint of evil.  Never had such a small smile made her feel so afraid.

“Nick, do not make me hurt you.” She said sternly.  He smirked with a laugh as his body swayed a little.  The smile left his face as quick as it had appeared, and his eyes began to fall in pain.

“I need to go.” He said looking at her.

“I said no.” She protested.

“I need to go now.” He said again as he moved to his left to walk around her.

“No” She said as she grabbed his arm.

“Nali let me go.” He shouted as he tried to push her away.

“No Nick I am not letting you go out there alone.” She pleaded with him.

What happened next took her completely by surprise; he spun around and grabbed her by the arms, slamming her into the cave wall.  She cried out in pain as her head smacked against the stone wall.  Then more pain rip through her arms, crawling up draining her and then she heard his voice.

“Let me go Nali, let me go.” He growled at her and shook her a little.  As he let go of her the pain in her arms stopped and she slid down the wall disoriented and confused.  She touched the back of her head and winced in pain, pulling her hand away she saw the drops of blood on her fingers.  Grabbing their bags she slowly stood up, getting her bearings after the blow to the head.

“Let me go Nali, let me go.” His words played over in her head as she walked out of the cave.

“No I will not.” She said to her self as she pulled the hood of her travelers robe over her head and made her way towards Ashmourn.