The Guardian Crusade

Volume III

 Chapter 26

            Rayne’s eyes slowly fluttered open.  It was dark and she could tell by the ground it was damp.  She could smell a fire burning and as she slowly sat up her eyes began to focus.  It looked like she was in a cave. Her mind raced back to the last thing it remembered, running. Running from Nick, running from Dyn, and running from the choice she made. She grabbed her head and tried to rub away the small throbbing pain.  The sound of shuffling feet broke her from her thoughts about her aching head and she looked up.

“You bumped your head a little when you fell.” The man said. “My name is Kimiri, I am of course Elvaan.”

Rayne looked up at him confused.  “Where am I?”

“Under the Tidas Ocean.” The man replied.

“Under the Tidas Ocean?” Rayne replied shocked.  That was the open waters between Winnol and Kalica.

The man nodded.  “We have been living here, watching and waiting.”

“I do not understand.” Rayne said still keeping her guard up.

“The Drak’nor, when they came here, we were all blind sided.” The man told her.  “Our lands we lavish, our people were happy, and none of us saw the war that was wage on us coming.” 

“You were here?” Rayne replied stunned.

“Yes, we are what are left of the Elvaan race before the Drak’nor came.”

“How did you get food and supplies?” She asked.

“Pixca did not know everything about us.” The man told her.  “She knew the basics of our magical professions but not everything.”

“I am still confused.” Rayne said and looked around a bit.

“You are a very powerful Druid Milady.” The man replied.  “You have evolved not into something Pixca had created but evolved into what the Druids use to be.”

“Use to be?”

The man nodded.  “We communicate with the animals and we can be these animals.”

“Be them” Rayne paused.  “You mean turn into them?”

“Yes” The man replied.  “We would watch the new people of Aurona in our animal forms, we would hunt and feed our people and no one was of the wiser.  We were just animals hunting to survive.”

“Aurona? Is that the name of this world?” She asked

“Yes” The man nodded with a proud smile. “You, Alexander, Nickolas, and Nalia have given us hope.” The man told her.  “Hope that we do not have to die here, hope that Aurona has not and will not be forgotten.”  The man stood up and reached out his hand to her.  “There are people who would like to meet you; there are Elvaans who would like to meet their Queen.”

“I do not think I am their Queen…”

He interrupted her.  “You have destroyed Ti’Hort, you have killed Pixca, now all that is left is Loki and we hope we can help with his death.”

Rayne looked at him.  She had been lied to before, she wasn’t sure if she could trust them but what choice did she have right now.  He helped her stand up and they began walking down the damp cave halls. 

“I know Alexander must be worried to death about you, we have been watching for search teams but we were wondering.” The man spoke and Rayne listened.  “We would like to show you how to transform, how to become one with your kindred spirit.  It may take a day or two; you are very powerful so we are not sure how long it will take you.”

“I know Alexander is worried but he knows I can take care of myself, I am sure he does have people out looking. Although I would hope he is searching for Nalia.” Rayne replied.

“Yes, she is on Rossi’s ship.” The man told her.

“She is? Well, where is his ship?” Rayne asked.

“It was above us for a while, on the Tidas Ocean but they moved, now anchored in a cove on a small island off of west Kalica.” He told her as they reached a stone blocking a cave entrance.  “We have Druids in their Sea Hawk forms watching over the ship.”

“You said I was not what Pixca had created but what the Druids use to be?” She asked.

The man nodded.  “Yes, she may have had some kind of controlling power over you, when she brought you back but she did not turn you into one of them, and there really was no such thing as a Dryad.”

“Than what am I?” Rayne asked a little annoyed. She was trying so hard to figure out who she was without Pixca and now she was being told she never really was that.

“Pixca brought out more of your Druid power.”

“But I change.”

“That was Pixca, that was her control and its effects on you.” He told her. “Have you done that since?”

She thought back to when Pixca died, then Alex and Nalia going to the Tree, Nick attacking her in the Springs, and then again in her dreams, and then she remembered fighting Dyn.  The Vines, the spells, and she realize she didn’t change at all.

“No I have not.” She replied.

The man smiled.  “Come, they are all eager to meet you.”

Rayne lightly smiled.  It was weird people she never even knew wanting and being excited to meet her.  Sure there were people in her Kingdoms she didn’t know but they were still her people, there was a familiarity there.  Now she wasn’t really sure what to do.

When Rayne walked through the door she walked into a room she did not expect to see.  It was large and they both stood on a wide landing, below them was a stone stage and in front of the stage were Elvaans about fifty of them.  They all turned and looked at her when Kimiri lead her down the stone steps.  One by one they began to kneel in front of her acknowledging her as a Queen.

“I was a baby when my Parents sought refuge here.  My Mother is still alive but my Father passed a couple of months ago.” He told her.  “Even though the Elvaan’s of Pixcadia live long lives, we found the Elvaans of Aurona live longer.”

“Perhaps that is a blessing.” Rayne replied.

“Perhaps yes.” He agreed.

“How many Elvaans are left?” She asked.

“About a hundred, these are mostly the Generations behind me, everyone else are tending to the writings.” He told her.

“Writings?” She asked.

“Everything we know about Aurona in case we did not survive to see the fall of the Drak’nor.” He said as he looked at her.

“Tell me who are we?” She asked wondering if these people were the answer Marsa was talking about.

“You are Pixca’s version of us, the people of Aurona but we were much more powerful than Pixca made you.” He told her.  “One, a couple could over power easily, millions of them were a little harder.” He said sadly.  “But we gave them a fight.”

Rayne lightly smiled.

“When she came back she recreated everything the way she remembered, the people the way she remembered and from what records she had stolen.” He told her. “But they obviously were not thorough when they looked into our cultures, or she would have known about our transformations.”

“But the war between the Humans and the Dwarves.” She said trying to line things up, trying to understand. “And Ignis?”

“She came back a couple of months after they all had left.” He told her.  “It took her about a year to restore everything she could.  The people just began there lives, woke up and went to work, went to tend to their farms without thinking twice.” He said as she listened.  “She created the Guardians so people would have hope, thinking they could be part of something special, but they were nothing more than pawns.  Then Ti’Hort came at the same time Loki showed his face, enslaving the Dwarves and turning Genua against the other Guardians.  He helped Ti’Hort without Ti’Hort even knowing it.” 

“So Loki came with Ti’Hort?” Rayne asked.

“Yes, he followed the Hunter; we believe it was for his own personal reasons.  He took control of the Dwarfs and sent them to Ashmourn.  Johon tried to protect Silvina but one man against an army.” Kimiri shook his head.  “Ti’Hort just figured it was a War, he used Johon at his weakest moment and then began to turn as many people as he could.”

“Why did he erase our memories?” She asked.

“We believe it was too start over, Ti’Hort was a Hunter, he liked a challenge so he changed the memories and began to wage war but he destroyed his own plan.”

“How?”

“He sent Nickolas and Alexander away.” Kimiri told her. “They did not grow up knowing the lore, so when they came back they questioned things, there was no attachment here, until they created their own.”

“Why?”

“We do not know perhaps his own ego but when those two came back things started changing.  I do not think Pixca realized how much control she had lost.” He said.  “And you all kept questioning everything, especially Alexander. Of course we helped a little as well.”

“You did?” Rayne replied confused.

“The Statue in Darlawind.” He told her. “We had a thief sneak in and write that on the plaque, you needed a push because the piece was missing.”

“That was you?” She replied as she looked at him and the others.

Kimiri nodded. “Now, I am sure you are hungry.”

“Yes” She replied with a light smile and nod.

“Alright, I shall take you to where we eat, it is not a Palace but I hope it will do.” He said as they both stood up.

“I am sure it will be wonderful.” She replied.

“I hope you have given thought to learning the transformation, I am sure you are eager to get to Nalia though.” He said as she followed him.

“I will stay” She said with a nod and he stopped to look at her.  “I think it will help me to get Nalia back.” He smiled and then continued to walk.  She still wasn’t sure if she should trust these people, there were still questions to be asked, perhaps more to discuss over dinner.

She looked at her plate and she was pleasantly surprised at what she saw, meat, vegetables and puffs or as Alex called them, mash potatoes.   “So tell me more about this transformation.”

“It is the last passage as a Druid.” He told her.  “First you find your kindred, when you become more attuned they fight along side you and then the final attunement is when you become one.”

“So what is my kindred?” She asked.

“What animal do you call on?” He asked

“A wolf named Paq.” She told him.

“Than that is your kindred.”

“A wolf, I can become a wolf?” She asked and she couldn’t help but hide the little smile that broke from her lips.

Kimiri nodded.  “When you were brought back by Pixca did you not feel the change?”  He said and she looked at him a little confused.  “Did you feel stronger, focused, aggressive, and more agile?”

Rayne remembered back, remembered what he mother said about her and how her and Alex were.  How she had taken charge in certain situations.  “Yes”

“We just need to show you how to bring it out.” He said as he went to eat.

Rayne smiled she was interested in learning how, she was interested in all of it, and she found herself becoming more trusting of these people.  Their Aura’s were different but they gave off a calming glow.  They showed no signs of being Demon’s and they were the normal Elvaan colour.

“Do you know how to help Nickolas?” She asked.  “To help the Dwarves?”

“To help the Dwarves all you have to do is kill Loki” He replied.  “As long as he is alive to keep the spell active they will be under his control.”

“But what about Nickolas?” She told him.

“That is different.” He replied.  “He is being turned into one of them.”

“That is what I was afraid of.” She sighed.

Kimiri nodded.  “The only thing I can think of is the Aura spell, pull the demon from him and then kill it.”

“Everything is so confusing because of all the lies.” Rayne sighed.  “What did you mean there were no such things as Dryads?”

“Pixca lied about that as well, she needed a cover story to explain why you had become more powerful.”

“But I remember living in the Tree, I remember Alex coming to me and trying to talk to me.”

“She brought you back after you closed the door as the Dryad yes, she was going to use the Dryad story but she was not expecting Alexander to pull so far away.  Again he was questioning everything she did and wanted nothing to do with her, lost of control and that was unacceptable to her.”

“That is why she changed me back than? Because she thought it would keep him quiet?” Rayne said as she understood and Kimiri nodded.

The rest of the dinner went quietly which was fine with Rayne because she had so much on her mind, so many questions she wanted to ask.  Like why the Warlocks go into seclusion, what was Aurona like, what were the people like, the buildings and lifestyle?  But she didn’t want to just yet, trust, could she really trust them? Why come now? Why not sooner?

All of a sudden she began to miss Alex. She wanted him here, to talk to him, get another opinion and to just wonder what all this means.  Her mind wondered what he was doing right now; she hoped not worrying to much about her.  She wanted to get back to him, she wanted to help get Nalia back, she wanted to help Nick and she wanted all of this to be done with. 

“Do you think if we kill Loki the Drak’nor will come back?” She asked.

“It is a very big possibility.” He replied.

“How do we fight that?” She asked as she was hit with a wave of hopelessness.

“I wish I could answer that for you Milady.” He replied with a frown.

Rayne then took a deep breath.”So what do I do for this transformation?” she asked.

“Now?” He replied.

“The sooner the better, I need to get back to Alexander and I need to help Nalia.” She told him.  “They need to know all of this.”

“Alright then, follow me.” He said as he stood up from his chair.  “It can be very taxing, very draining to transform and then stay in control of the animal.”

“Okay” She replied with a nod.  “Then we should get started right away so I have time to rest.”  He stopped and looked at her, then smiled lightly.

“Of course Milady” He said with a nod and she saw what she thought was pride in his smile.