The Guardian Crusade

                                          Volume II

                                                       Chapter 5

Nick moaned as he rolled his head back and it gently thumped against something.  His eyes slowly opened and he looked around as they began to focus but it was hard to concentrate with his head and body throbbing in pain. 

“Nali?” He whispered wondering what was going on.  He went to move his arms in front of him to push himself up off the ground but nothing happened.  Pulling on his arms he felt something holding them back and he looked down to see a leather strap.  It was wrapped around his midsection, his arms to his side; he pulled forward and realized the strap was tied to something behind him holding him in place.

“Nali?” He said loudly and winced in pain.  He looked around the room and realized he was in the living room.  Waiting to hear any kind of movement Nick listened as he tried to fidget with his restraints.  “Come on Nalia I’m sorry, I dunno what happened.” He said when she didn’t answer him. 

Realizing she wasn’t anywhere around he closed his eyes and concentrated.  A purple orb lit up in front of him and it was glowing a bright purple as sparks and streams of light shot out from it.  With a nasty cackle laugh a small demon popped out.

“Master?” The small demon said.

“Get me out of these straps.” Nick said as he wiggled a little.  The small little goblin quickly walked over behind Nick and looked at the situation.  Then Nick felt his hand erupt in pain and he pulled his arms forward as he grabbed them.

“Ow damn it careful.” Nick shouted as he grabbed his hand.  He saw his sleeves were burnt and realized the goblin used a fire spell.

“Sorry Master.” The imp screeched out as it walked over to him.  Taking one last look around Nick headed out the front door and looked around the large lake area.  When he looked over at the Gryphon pens he saw that there was a bird missing and he sighed.

“Great, she’s probably gone to get the Warlocks.” He said as he looked up to the sky.  “I’m not going in spell lock.” Nick said as he looked around.  Quickly he ran back into the house and began collecting things.

“I can get out of this myself; I just need to be left alone, no one bugging me, like I handle everything else, on my own.” Nick said as he packed some food into a bag.  “I’ll just camp out in the bush for a couple of days and get pass this.”

The room was silent all but the light sound of the Tree Falls outside her window echoed through her room as she read the piece of paper in front of her.  She frowned as she read the good things Avit had to say.

“Strong, noble, and wise, Miss Hawlaz would make a very fine candidate for Captain of Sarila Guardians, her loyalty is unmatched.”  She scoffed at the word loyalty and wonder if Avit put it in there on purpose.  Mumbling under her breath as she put the paper down, she sat back in her chair and started to have that feeling again.  She closed her eyes and relaxed like the Priest told her too but it wasn’t helping that much.  Slowly she stood up and walked over to the window.  As she opened one window she sat down on the sill and let the light breeze hit her face.  With her eyes closed she tried to relax herself again but as she did she could hear light chatter coming from below.

Sitting up a little she looked down out of her window and saw Elder Drania on the lawn area of the small park.  She lightly smiled when she saw her sitting with a male Elvaan and wondered if she should be watching their private moment.  Drania broke out into laughter and leaned forward as she did what Rayne saw made her sit up quickly.  It was Alex sitting beside her and as a look of puzzlement fell over her face, he leaned forward and whispered something in the Elder’s ear.  She stared at them as they talked and laughed, she watched as Drania would touch his arm and they would lean towards each other as they laughed.

“Alex!” Rayne shouted from her window but they didn’t even acknowledge her.  “Alexander!” She shouted again this time with a little bit of anger and they still ignored her.  With a furious growl Rayne picked up her dress and bolted for the bedroom door.  Pulling the door open it swung all the way open and slammed against the wall behind it.  She stomped down the hall towards the stairs making her way to the bottom floor where the Castle entrance to Tree Falls Park was. 

“Alex!” She shouted as she flew out into the park area but she stopped dead when she saw there was no one there.  “Alex!?” She shouted as she looked around.

“Rayne?” She heard Aj shout from beside her and she spun around, ready to question him on why he was out here with Drania and why they were so friendly but she stopped.

“What are you doing up there?” She asked confused as she looked up at him and Avit standing on his meeting room balcony.

“Talking to Avit.” Aj said.  “What are you doing out of your room, you’re suppose to be resting.”

“I was..” She stopped as she looked back to the spot where she saw Drania and him.  She was confused now, there was no way Alex could get to his Meeting room in the time it took her to get down the stairs she would have seen him.  “How long have you been there?” She asked.

“An hour or so” Aj said as he tilted his head a little.  Rayne didn’t say anything else as she slowly turned around and looked at the spot again.  She swore she saw the two of them sitting together, here. 

“Maybe it was the dizzy spell.” She said quietly as she gently bit her lip.

“Stay there, we’re coming down.” Aj shouted to her and she looked up as him and Avit disappeared behind the large glass doors. Confused she walked over to the spot where she saw them and looked around.  A minute later Avit and Aj walked out the door and right over too her.

“What’s wrong?” Aj asked as he walked up to her.  “Why were you shouting for me?”

“I..” She stopped herself and thought about whether or not to tell him.  Alex must have taken the hesitation as confusion and took her by the waist.

“This is why you’re supposed to be upstairs resting.” He said as he started walking them towards the door.  She thought it best not to say anything at all and walked with him and Avit back into the Castle.

They walked up the stairs Alex telling her the whole time how important it was for her to follow what the Priests say until these spells stop.  She wondered even more if what she saw was real, how could he show so much care towards her yet betray her in that way.  She knows he has done it to his girlfriends in the past, but she believed him when he said things here were different for him.

“King Alexander, Queen Rayne!?” Someone shouted at them from down the hall and they, along with Avit turned around quickly to see who it was.

“Bussa is everything alright?” Rayne asked as she saw Cornel Bussa running towards them.

“Queen Evia has sent me, something happened to Prince Nickolas while he and Princess Nalia were at the cottage.” He told them.

“What happened is he ok?” Aj asked with a little panic.

“I do not know, I was told to come get you right away.” He told them.

“Go rest I’m going to go see what’s going on.” Aj said to her as he walked her to the bedroom door.

“No, I am fine, I want to know too.” She said to him as she stopped walking.

“Only cause I don’t wanna fight right now.” Aj said taking her hand and then followed Bussa back down the hall to the Kalica globe room.

“What did Nalia say when she showed up?” Aj asked as Avit opened the doors to the room.

“I did not talk to her she went right to her mother, her mother sent me to get you.” Bussa told him as they walked up to the globe. 

Rayne looked at Aj as they put their hands on the globe; she frowned at the look on his face.  She looked at the globe as the smoke floated up around her and within a second they were in Kalica.

Everyone quickly walked down the hall and then walked down the small staircase.  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Bussa opened the thick wooden door and they all walked out into the large foyer. 

“This way.” Bussa said as he motioned towards a long hallway.  They followed him as they passed a couple of doors and stopped near the middle of the hallway, and followed Bussa into Evia’s Throne room.

“Thank you Bussa” Evia said and Rayne heard the relief in her voice.  As Rayne looked around she realized Master Warlock Pewdis was there.

“What’s going on?” Aj asked as Rayne walked up beside him and took his hand.

“Where’s Nalia?” Rayne asked after she noticed Nalia wasn’t there.

“She went to see a Priest.”  Evia said and Aj let go of her hand.

“What happened?” He asked as he took a step forward.

“Nalia showed up here a few hours after her and Nickolas had left for the cottage, she said that her and Nick were outside, she was practicing and he was watching, she looked over at him and noticed he was acting strangely.”

“Strange how?” Aj asked her.

“He tried to stand up but fell, she went to see if he was alright and that’s when he..” Evia stopped.

“What did he do Evia?” Rayne asked as she stepped up beside Aj.

“He tried to drain her.” Evia said as she looked at Rayne.  “She knocked him out, waited until she thought it was safe, tied him up in the cottage and came back here.”

“He what?” Aj gasped.  “Why?”

“I thought he was doing the meditation?” Rayne asked.

“He was, Nalia said he was, she said he was fine, up until now.” Evia said to her.

“What meditation, what are you talking about?” Aj asked.  Rayne looked at Aj, he was looking right at her, and she sighed realizing she was going to have to tell him.  Nick asked them not to say anything to him about what happened to Warlocks, well not how serious it could really get. 

He said “Alex would constantly worry and the man doesn’t need it.” She remembered.

“You know the Warlock job is powerful.” Rayne said to him.

“Yeah, we all are that’s why the Guardians are these jobs.” Aj said to her.

“Yes, well with a Warlock because they deal with dark magic, with death, many of them become lost, many of them live alone because they enjoy death, they enjoy the dark and many of them need it.”

“Need it.” Aj said and she saw the look in his eyes.

“Yes.” She nodded.  “Like that.”

“Why wasn’t I told this?” Aj asked and she watched as anger filled his eyes.

“Nick did not want us too; he did not want you to worry.” Rayne said.

“So you knew.” Aj asked her.  “You knew all along what would happen to him, even when he first got here?” He said.  “We didn’t get a choice, he didn’t get a choice?!” Aj shouted.

“None of us do Alex, it is the way things are but there are things Warlocks can do to help control it.” Rayne said to him.

“Well it didn’t fucking work!” He shouted at her and then stormed out of the room.  Quickly she looked around and ran out after him.

“Alex stop please!” She shouted as she saw him down the hall.

“Go away Rayne.” He shouted back at her.  Running down the hall she caught up to him and grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going?” She asked him turning him to face her.

“I’m going to get a Gryphon and I’m going to go see Nick.” Aj said and started walking again.

“Then I am going with you.” She said as she followed beside him.

“No.” Aj said as he stopped dead in his tracks.  “You’re staying here; I don’t need you having a dizzy spell up on a Gryphon.  Besides, I’m really pissed you hid this from me, about him and what could happen.”

“Nick asked me..”

“I don’t care Rayne.  You should have told me.” He said and then continued to walk down the hall leaving the Palace.