The Guardian Crusade

Volume III

 Chapter 32

            “You can not fight Loki on your own.” Avit said to Nalia.

            AJ sat in a large chair at the head of a table in what he was told was his meeting room.  Avit, Jaina, Nalia, and the guys with their wives sat in the room, talking about the plan that Rayne had come up with.  His mind drifted back to her. She was still sitting in the Springs.  He stayed with her until she fell asleep and then Avit came and got him for this meeting.

“Well we do not have much of a choice do we?” Nalia replied with a sigh. “But I do believe I have realized a way to help Nickolas.”  AJ didn’t know much about her, well at least right now but it didn’t surprise him Nick would go with someone like her.  She was strong minded, and from what he gathered pretty independent and that was exactly what Nick was looking for unfortunately he and even himself always found the complete opposite. Just then the doors opened and Rayne walked into the room.  AJ stood up just as surprised as everyone else to see her walk into the room. 

“Rayne you should be resting.” AJ said as he walked over to her.

“I am fine” She replied. “I realized something while talking to Alexander.”

“What was that?” Avit asked.

“The Tree is just for show.” She told them. “It has no meaning what so ever.”

“So how do they plan on opening the door?” Jaina asked.

“Me” She said.  “I am the key; Kimiri told me that it was the blood of the people that Pixca needed to keep the door closed.”

“Like when the Castle collapsed and you died.”

“What?” AJ said looking at her but she didn’t acknowledge his shock.

“Yes but Pixca brought me back, it is what she did with all the others.  They would die to keep the door closed, and then she would bring them back, using the Dryad as an explanation.” She told them.  “She killed Silvnia, brought her back as the Dryad, everything was going well until Loki got the Dwarfs to attack and kill her.  That opened the door and it was not till I died in the Castle that it closed again.

“So in order to open it, they have to kill you again?” Kevin spoke up and she nodded.

“Is that why Dyn came for you?” Avit asked.

“I believe so and it makes me wonder if he would be back.” She said with a sigh.

“But wait” AJ said speaking up and everyone looked at him confused.  “How many times have you died?” AJ asked as he looked at Rayne.

“Three times.” She told him and he raised his eyebrows a little surprised.

“Ok” He said shaking it off a little.  “Than how come the door didn’t close the first time you died? And then opened again, and then closed again.”

“I have thought about that.” She said and she smiled at him.  “The only thing I can think of is I was not dead long enough.”

“Nalia, you said you could help Nick?” Brian spoke up.

“How?” Rayne asked.

“He said AJ was the key to something only he could see and we know Nick is almost impossible to beat but what about when he moves to the shadows.”

“I do not understand” Rayne replied confused.

“Remember when he took off the first time and you said you saw a Magic trail?” Nalia said and AJ shook his head no, Nalia sighed.  “What if it is that only you can see the Magic, if you can see that in the shadows we know where he is?”

“And attack him, if he is weaker when he is moving through them…that does make sense.” Rayne said with a nod.  “If we can get him into the dark perhaps then I would be able to pull the demon aura from him. I tried before but he stopped me.” As she had her arms gently wrapped around her ribs.

“It is something to try.” Nalia replied. “As long as my thoughts are correct that he is weaker in the dark.”

“So what is the plan now then?” Kevin asked.

“Go to the tree, distract Rossi as long as you can, Nalia, Alex and I will…”

AJ interrupted her.  “Wait what? Me? I can’t do anything I’ll end up getting the two of you killed along with myself.”

“Alex” Rayne said as she looked at him.

“No” He replied shaking his head.  “So I did that teleport thingy big fucking whoop, I don’t even know how I did it.”

AJ sat in his chair staring at the table as everyone else talked around him.  A shadow appeared and he looked up.  It was Rayne standing beside him.  He looked away and saw everyone leaving the room.

“Alex I know you are…” He interrupted her again.

“I ain’t going.” AJ said.  “You can barely walk as it is, having me there, worrying about me there is something extra you don’t need.”

“But I need you.” She told him and he looked at her confused.  “You are my strength, as I am yours, and I need you there fighting beside me.”

“But I can’t fight.” AJ said as he looked at her. “I did one little spell doesn’t make me fucking Merlin.”

“Who?” Rayne replied a little confused.

“Never mind” AJ sighed. “I’ll just stay here I need to get ready anyways.”

“For what?” Rayne replied still confused.

“I’m going home.” He said in almost a mumble.

“Home?” Rayne said as she slowly sat down beside him.  “This is your home.”

“Than I mean Earth I’m going back to Earth.”

“Alex” Rayne sighed. 

He stood up from his chair and headed to the door.  “You better go get ready.”

“You are running again.” Rayne said and AJ stopped at the door.  “You did this before, when Rexil took my memory and you found out that I had feelings for Dyn, you ran.” He turned to look at her and she was walking towards him. “When you first got here, all you did was run from things; you didn’t want to deal with anything.  Kevin said…”

“Oh Kevin said.” AJ replied getting defensive.  “Kevin doesn’t know shit about me, he likes to think he does but he has no fucking clue about me!” AJ snapped.  He then walked out of the room and he thought that was the end of it until…

“Your Father was an idiot.” Rayne shouted at him from back down the hall, AJ stopped.  “He did not want to put the work into being a Father, he blamed your Mother and your grandparents, he did everything but except responsibility for his actions.” He turned and looked at her.  “He left a hole in your heart, left you alone and feeling unwanted.  He left you searching for something to fill that whole.”  She walked towards him and stopped right in front of him. “All you wanted was to be a son, to be loved, to be wanted, to have someone look at you and say, I am so proud of what you have become.”

“Kevin tell you this?” AJ asked.

“No” She replied.  “You did.”

“Oh” He said a little shocked.

“You then told me that knowing Marsa for all of a week made you feel more like a son than any time you spent chasing after your Father on Earth.” She said.

“Look there’s a lot more than just…”

She interrupted him this time.  “Your Father I know, trust me I know.” She said.  “There are things I just wish I did not know, things I wish I had not seen but…”

“Seen?” AJ replied confused.

“Another long story” She replied.  “I know what you have been through, even though some of it I do not understand because I never lived in your world.”  Then to his surprised she took his hand.  “I know you are scared and unsure but trust me you do not want to go home.”  And then she did something he really wasn’t expecting, she kissed him.  Her lips pressed against his and he stood there for a moment in shock.  Then as a calming warm feeling rushed over him, he relaxed and fell into the kiss.

The words she spoke before the kiss, the way she made him feel during the kiss it all started to over whelm him and he pulled away. “Stop” He said their lips touching.  Then he pulled her away.  “Stop” She looked at him confused.  “I need to go”

“Alex” She replied as he walked past her.  When she reached for him she gasped a little in pain but he didn’t turn around. He kept walking as she yelled for him to come back but he didn’t.  His mind was a flurry with words and feelings as he walked around the halls of the Castle.

“Oh Jiggity.” Nick sang from behind him and AJ stopped dead. “Jiggity…Jiggity…Jiggity.” The voice said and slowly AJ turned around.  He didn’t see Nick anywhere but what he did see was confusing.  A purple mist floated about the dark corner of the hall, it trailed down the hallway to his right and he turned as he followed it.  Then it stopped against a doorway. Then out of that corner a purple orb went flying at him. 

A bright light shone around him and the purple orb exploded in front of him.  He looked around and saw Kevin standing behind him with his sword drawn.  Kristin was standing beside him her bow ready in front of her. The almost demonic laugh broke through the halls and AJ turned to look at the doorway again.

“Where is he?” Kevin asked as him and his wife walked up to AJ.

“I think he’s over there.” AJ said pointing to where he saw the purple mist go.

“How do you know?” Kristin asked.

“I see a trail of like purple shit floating across the room.”

“His Magic.” Kevin said.  “As a Mage you can see Magic, like they were talking about at the meeting.”

Another one of the purple orbs went flying at them and it slammed into AJ.  It knocked him down to the ground and he looked up quickly when he heard fighting around him.  Kristin sent an arrow flying to the corner but nothing happened.  Kevin on the other hand was using his sword to fight off those purple orbs as they flew at him. 

“Where is he?” Kevin shouted. 

AJ looked around.  “Second doorway!” He shouted back.

AJ watched as Kevin sent out a golden beaming light towards the doorway, it hit something, exploded and then he saw Nick come tumbling into the hallway.  He hunched over grabbing his chest and then stood up straighter.

The sound of a growl and someone running behind him made him turn around, he saw the wolf running at the speed of light and Nalia coming up behind her.  As Rayne in wolf form passed him she leaped at Nick and in mid air changed back into Rayne.  She slammed into Nick and they both went tumbling into the room. AJ noticed Kevin ran for the room the same time he did.

“Wait!” Nalia shouted as she ran in front of them.

“What do you mean wait?” AJ and Kevin said at the same time.

Nalia turned around and they both looked at each other.  Then they heard Rayne shout something in the room, they heard Nick scream in pain and then a demon came stumbling out of the room. With a grunt Nalia sent her sword sailing at him like a tomahawk and it hit its mark in the chest.  The demon stumbled back but was not fatally hurt. 

“Kris arrows!” Kevin shouted and his wife brought up her bow and let three pink arrows fly at the demon.  Kevin sent another Golden beam towards it as Nalia who had already pulled out a second sword went running at it.  With a swing and a twist of her body she swung her sword straight in front of her and sliced off the demons head.

A sharp pain ripped through his head and he dropped to the ground, catching himself before his face hit the floor.  Everything went dark but only for a moment, the room started spinning and for a second he thought he was going to be sick.

“AJ are you ok man?” Kevin asked and he looked up at his friend.  He then looked around and saw that he wasn’t in Hevi anymore.  Instead he was back home in Winnol. 

“Why am I here?” He asked and he tried to remember but his brain was foggy. He looked around at the people looking at him.  Nalia stood over top of a body and his face frowned.  Then he remembered the fighting before.  Remembered Rayne jumping and changing in mid air and then like a flood gate opening his memories rushed back to him.  He remembered talking to Rayne, remembered Dyn showing up, he remembered talking to Kevin and he remembered drinking.  Slowly sitting up he sat against the wall and looked at his friend who was staring at him with concern. 

“Oh man I feel like an eighteen wheeler just hit me.” Nick said as he walked out of the room.  He grabbed his head and fell to his knees.  AJ looked away as Nalia ran up to Nick and knelt down in front of him. 

His head ached a little and he rubbed his eyes trying to clear the last of the cobwebs.  He laid his head against the wall, he looked at Kevin who was still staring at him and breathed out heavily.  “All those years down the fucking shitter.”

“Dawg, you can’t really help what happened; you just gotta make sure it ends now that you remember again.” Kevin said.  “You do remember again right?”

“Yeah” AJ nodded lightly.  “Wait” He said sitting up quickly.  “Where is Rayne?”

“She is over here.” Nalia said and AJ stood up.  He quickly walked over to the room and saw her sitting against the side of a couch.  He walked right past Nick and Nalia and knelt down in front of her.  She looked up at him, she had a cut on her forehead and there was some blood down the side of her face.

“You ok Beautiful?” He asked as he took the sleeve to his robe and covered the cut.

She looked at him.  “You called me beautiful.”

“Yeah” He nodded.  “How are your ribs?”

“Sore but I am not coughing up blood.” She replied as he smiled lightly at her.  “Nick is alright?”

AJ looked back at his friend.  “Yeah he’s ok, maybe some Spring time but he will be ok.”  He checked over the cut on her forehead and cleaned her face a little.  “Wanna try to get up?” He asked and she nodded.  Carefully he wrapped her arm around his and slowly helped her stand up.  They walked over to the door way as Nalia was helping Nick up.

“Shit is that what they look like?” AJ asked as everyone gathered around the demon body.

“That’s kind of what Loki looked like in my dream.” Nick said his voice quiet and strained.

“Come, we need to get you to the Springs.” Nalia said as she started to lead Nick down the hallway.