The Guardian Crusade

Volume III

 Chapter 18

            AJ stormed through the streets of Winnol and each quick hard step brought him closer to the park.  When he entered the place of sanctuary he looked around, he wasn’t sure how to do this, but he knew she was always here.

“Get out here!” AJ shouted angrily and then waited.  “I know you are here, so get out here and talk to me.”

“Something tells me you do not want to talk to me.” Pixca said as she walked up behind AJ and he spun around.

“What kind of shit are you pulling here?” He asked.

“Pardon?” She replied.

“You tell Rayne not to say anything about Nick but you let her go off to find him on her own.” He shouted at her.

“She made her choice?”

“Again you have a twisted version of choices!” AJ shouted.

“No Alexander you did not give her a choice, you expelled her from her home, Nalia expelled her from Kalica, she was backed against the wall.” Pixca said. “I will gladly take the blame for you losing Rayne in the first place but I will not tolerate you coming and attacking me every time something does not go your way.”

“Oh and I suppose you lying about the Drak’nar has nothing to do with it either.” AJ snapped.

“I did not mean to lie, I told you why.” Pixca said to him and then she stepped closer to him.  “But I would suggest Alexander that you let this hate for me go, because you have bigger problems to worry about?”

“Oh really and what is that?” AJ asked as the two stared each other down.

“The Dwarves know who Rayne is now…” Pixca said and as the words came out of her mouth they entered his ears and the realization entered his mind. “Lokin now knows who guards the door and you can bet they will be coming for her, they will destroy Winnol, Sarila and anything that stands in their way to get to her.”  Pixca stared at him for a moment longer and then she walked away into the trees; leaving him standing there as fear rose up inside him. 

He closed his eyes and was back inside the Healing Springs.  He went right to Rayne’s room. She sat on the table and looked up at him as he walked into the room. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Better” She replied. 

“Can you leave yet?” He asked.

“Yes” She said with a light nod.  “I am just waiting for Jaina to come get me.”

“Jaina why…” He stopped, he knew why. “Rayne I am so very sorry I did what I did.” He said as he took her hands.  “I really am.”

Rayne started crying and it broke his heart.  “You hurt me so much Alex.” She said as she looked up at him.  “You kicked me from my home, the place where we share our lives; you just shut me out like I meant nothing to you.”

“You know that is not true Rayne, you mean everything to me, you are my heart and soul, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.” He told her.  “You got me to realize how much this place meant to me, you got me to realize that I belonged here, and you are the only woman, here or back on Earth that loved me, all of me, even when I do something really stupid like kicking you out of your home.” He said as his voice trailed off.

She looked down at their hands.  “I need to protect you.” He said and she looked back up at him again.  “They know who you are now, they know you are the Dryad, and they are going to come for you.”  He wrapped his arms around her and he was relived she let him.  “Let me take you home.” AJ asked as her head rested on his shoulder, her forehead resting against the side of his neck.  When she nodded he scooped her up into his arms and then blinked out of the Springs.

Nick leaned his head back against the window and gasped for air as Nalia’s lips trickled down his neck.  His hands drifted up her bare back as she grinded down onto him.  He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and pushed her down as he moaned her name.  It all started so quickly.  He was sitting by the window thinking about Mela when she walked over to him, he got up to help her but some how she knew what he was doing and told him to sit back down.  She began to unclasp his robe and with each hook she kissed the skin that was hiding behind the clothing.  Her legs straddled him and she pressed her lips hard against his as she let him undress her.  Now here they were engulfed in a sexual moment.

He brought his head back down and met her lips, when she pulled away she rested her forehead against his.  “I thought you let me forever.” She whispered her voice shaky and he knew she was close, as close as he was.

“No” He whispered back.  “I could never leave you Nali.”

A soft smile broke from her lips as she leaned in and kissed him again.  He closed his eyes when he felt his body began to tremble as her pace became faster.  His grip on her shoulder got tighter, he pushed her down onto him harder and thrusted into her as his body and emotions peaked.  He moaned her name and he didn’t care if anyone could hear him.

When it was over he sat there a little stunned, a little winded and his mind was going a mile a minute.  He watched as she stood up slipping on her robe and as she started to hook the clasps back together, he stood up. Nick walked up behind and scooped her up into his arms.  Nalia shouted in shock but then started laughing.

He whisked her over to the bed and laid her down gently.  Lying on his side he leaned down and kissed her as their fingers tangled around each others.  She pulled the blankets around them and then let her fingers trickle down his face as she let go of the covers.

Yes, he missed her eyes but he was starting to see other things about her, no longer being distracted by the dark amber colour staring hypnotically back at him.  The small freckles under her eyes, the way the corner of her mouth slightly curled when his fingers drifted through her hair and how weak her body would become when he gently kissed the side of her neck.  As his lips trickled down her neck a soft sound echoed in his ears, it started to take his mind away from the moment and then he realized it was Nalia; she was crying.

“Nali?” He said as he lifted his head and looked at her.  “What’s wrong?”  Nick waited as she tried to calm herself.

“You-“ She started to say anything she gasped catching her breath. “You-You died, right there in my arms, you-you were dead.”

Nick frowned and took her into his arms.  Sliding his arm under her and pulling her onto his chest, he held her tightly before speaking.  “Mela was using some kind of spell on me, it was like what I felt when I was by the mountain in Tokia, like what I felt in Ashmourne.” He told her.  “Whatever it was supposed to do to me didn’t work because of you.”

“Me?” She whispered confused, he could tell by her voice she was still crying a little.

“I just kept thinking about how I had to get back to you, get back at tell you I was ok, and it kept my mind clear, it kept me fighting.” He told her as she sat up and even though she couldn’t see him, Nick actually thought she was looking at him.  “I wasn’t ready to let you go, I’ll never let you go.”  Gently he kissed her lips and continued.  “You never abandoned me, even when Ignis tried to use me and never once wavering while I dragged you from one end of Kalica to the other.” 

He watched as a smile broke across her face. “I love you so much Nickolas.”

“And I love you Nalia.” He replied before leaning in and kissing her.

The last thing Nick saw before he fell asleep was the skin on Nalia’s neck as they laid in each other’s embrace after another round sexual celebration.  He was lost in a deep calming sleep but yet his mind was still awake, to a place he never thought it would ever go.  He watched with excitement as he walked down a local Tokia gem maker and got a package from him.  Walking through the cold snowy yet beautiful city and making his way to the Castle.  Walking down the halls as the servants greeted him and the guards saluted him, Nick made his way to the Kalica globe room.  Then he stopped the green globe dull and dark he stared at it.  The feeling of someone behind him made the hair on the back of his neck stand up but he couldn’t move.

“We can control you.” The voice raspy and harsh whispered.  “The way Ti’hort controlled Ignis, controlled you and everyone else.”  Nick’s eyes darted and he tried to turn but there was nothing.  “The way Pixca controls…” There was a pause and he wondered if the thing behind him was smiling.

“Lokin” Nick said with anger and certainty.

“Hello Nickolas.” The voice replied. “I hope you don’t mind but I knew you would just run away or wakeup anyways so I am making sure we have or little talk.” He spoke stern yet Nick got a hint of enjoyment.

“What’s the point of this?” Nick asked.

“Are we in a hurry?” The voice asked.  “On our way to Kalica I see and what is this?” The voice said and then he felt a tug from the bag in his hands.  “A ring, oh!” He gasped with the excitement of a citizen of Hevi.  “Is this for Princess Nalia?”  and then he heard the voice behind him sigh.  “Such a disappointment.”

“Huh?” Nick replied confused not sure what was going on.

“You won’t be able to ask her.” The voice spoke and Nick heard the disappointment in his voice.  “Such a shame, I do love a Dwarf wedding.  The singing, the dancing and the fighting after they get drunk enough.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It is time Nickolas, to do what you were born to do.” The voice hissed.

“And what’s that? Wage war against all of Pixca.” Nick replied sarcastically.

“No.” The voice replied.  “That will be far too easy for you, that-that was Hunters play, you my dear Nickolas, you are meant for something much more.”

“And what’s that?” Nick asked ready to kick this guys ass as soon as he dropped his guard.

The voice behind him moved to the front of him but the voice now had a face.  This was Lokin, in his demon form.  His skin was like human but purple with faint blue veins crawling across it’s face. His eyes were dark red with black irises’, no hair just long things that looked like tentacles falling down his back.  “Kill Pixca.”

Nick went to reply but before he could a sharp stabbing pain thrusted into his stomach, he gasped out and his eyes were wide as he looked back at the demon.  “Mela has prepared you well, it will only hurt for a little bit.” The voice hissed and twisted harder into Nick’s stomach and he shouted in pain.

Sitting straight up Nick grabbed his stomach and rolled out of bed.  The pain was intense, it burned and it started to move it’s way up and down his body.  Nalia called out to him but her voice seemed so distant.  He couldn’t worry that he was on the floor naked or that Nalia was now beside him, frantically asking him what was wrong.  All he could think about was the pain and the need started.  The need for life, the craving, the wanting, his body started to go fuzzy as his mind craved the only thing to make the pain stop. 

“Nickolas tell me what is wrong?” He heard Nalia’s voice break through.

“Nali” He thought and then the realization hit.

“Nalia go!” He shouted as the pain started to get intense again.

“What no, not until you tell me what is going on?” She replied with worry and concern as he grunted in pain again.

“You need to go now, go to Winnol and tell them…just get out of here!” He shouted at her and then buckled to the ground in pain.  His breathing now panting, sweat pouring from his face, maybe there were tears in there too.

“Nickolas…” Nalia replied her voice trailed off.

“GO!” He screamed at her and she fell back a little, he knew that if he could see her eyes, he would have seen shock in them.  To his relief she listened that time and scrambled to her feet, running out of the room.  Slowly he climbed to his feet, using the bed post as a crutch.  But then fell as more pain ripped through him.  He screamed as it entered his head and covered his eyes as the pain slithered its way into them.  Then as it had slithered its way up his body, the pain slithered its way out.  Leaving much faster than it came but it had left something behind. 

“Power” The voice whispered.  “Power like these people have not seen.  You will kill Pixca, you will kill the rest of the Guardians and then…” The voice paused.  “And then we will go home.”

“What about the Dryad?” Nick asked as he turned to his cabinet door.

“She is nothing more than a pawn” The voice said.  “Do you really think if she knew that you were alive she would not have told her beloved Alexander, no no Nickolas, she is Pixca’s pawn, just like Ignis’s was Ti’horts.Told to say nothing at all and obeying to their Master.” A smile flickered in the corner of Nick’s mouth.  “Now get going, they will be here for you, you must get to Pixca before they know what’s going on.”

Nick grabbed his robe and threw it around him as he marched with a different stride over to the doors.  He closed the robe and pulled the bedroom doors open and walked his way to the Winnol globe room.  When he got there he saw the ball of yellow flickering on.

“The shadows will protect you.” Lokin’s voice whispered and with an instinct settled back into the dark corner, not even realizing the dark had swallowed him.  His friends appeared out of no where and he watched as Nalia frantically told the still half asleep Elvaan and Human what had transpired in the room moments before.  When they were gone, Nick crept back out and placed his hand on the globe.