The Guardian Crusade

                                           Volume III

                                                             Chapter Three

AJ stared at her as she sat straddled across him, one of the thin blankets wrapped around her body, one wrapped around his waist, her arms draped over his shoulders as they sat on top of their bed.  He gently pulled the ends of her sweaty hair off her shoulders as his eyes drifted to her neck.  It had been hours since he found her, hours since they left his meeting room, and now the moon was starting to fall, the sun started to rise as the couple nestled lovingly after their many moments of erotic pleasure through out the night.  His lips pressed tenderly along her collar bone and then drifted to the side of her neck as she tilted her head.  Gingerly he nibbled on her neck and she quietly laughed.

“I’m so glad you’re back in my arms.” He whispered as she sat back up.  She smiled as his hands slid up her back and rested over her shoulders.  Leaning in Rayne kissed him trapping his lip between hers.  His mouth slowly opened as he let his tongue roll into her mouth, her tongue flicked against his, and he slowly began to un-wrap the blanket from around her.

A knock at the door wasn’t enough at first to break them apart but after the third knock, AJ sighed as they pulled there lips apart.  Rayne climbed off of him as she wrapped herself back up in the blanket and he crawled off the bed.  Grabbing his bed robe he made his way across the room and covered himself up.

“I swear this better be Avit telling me Ignis is back.” AJ mumbled as he approached the door and turned on the oil lamp, opening it just a little he peaked his head out.

“Which room is Nalia in?” Nick asked.

“Nalia? Nalia’s not here.” AJ said “Unless she came back after we went to bed.”

“Look dude I know she’s pissed at me I just want to talk to her.” Nick said.

“Seriously dude she’s not here, last I saw her she went after you.”

“But she came back here after our fight.” Nick replied getting confused.

“If she did she didn’t come see Rayne at all.”

“She’s not in Kalica.” Nick said as the confusion started to turn to worry.

“Maybe she’s somewhere cooling off, you said you had a fight right?”

“Why wouldn’t she just come here?” Nick asked.

“You last saw her in Kalica correct?” Rayne asked as she walked up to them, wrapping a belt around her royal blue day robe.

“Yeah” Nick nodded.

“Let’s go there I can try and follow her aura.” She told him.

“Cool.” Nick nodded as she walked out.

“Are you coming?” She asked AJ.

“Yeah let me get dressed.” He replied as he closed the door over.

“Sorry I woke you guys.” Nick apologized.

“It is ok” She smiled.  “What time did you see her last?”

“After AJ told us what happened, I left and she followed we got into a fight, I went to our room and I thought she came back here to see you.” Nick told her as AJ’s bedroom door opened. The three of them walked to the Kalica globe and teleported over.  When they got there Nick walked them over to the spot where she was standing.

AJ and Nick watched as Rayne’s eyes searched around the room, within a couple of minutes she had picked up her friends aura.  “She went this way.” Rayne said as she started walking back towards the globe room doors.

“So she did go to Winnol?” Nick asked.

“No” Rayne said.  “She stopped.” Her eyes searched around until she found the aura again.  “She went there.” She told him as she pointed to the Tokia doors.

“She went to talk to Rossi” Nick sighed.  He walked over to the globe room doors and opened them, only taking two steps into before he realized the globe was shut off.  “Looks like she turned it off.” Nick sighed turning around.

“Go through the Winnol one.” AJ told him as they headed towards that globe.  They all crossed back over into the Elvaan City and made their way down to the Tokia room.  AJ opened the doors and this time they all froze when they saw that one was also turned off.

“Fuck dude you pissed her off good.” AJ said too him and Nick shot him a look.

“If she turned this one off, then most likely she shut off the Sarila one as well.” Rayne said. “But we could…” She stopped and turned her head.  AJ and Nick looked at each other and then looked back at her.  Rayne turned around and walked down the hall to her bedroom doors and walked into the room.

“Weird.” Nick said looking at AJ.  He didn’t say anything and followed her into the room.

“Rayne?” AJ said when he saw her standing at the open window.

“What’s she doing dude?” Nick asked as he walked up beside AJ, all he could do was shrug.  Then a large white bird took off from the balcony and it made Nick and AJ jump in surprise.

“Why was there a snow hawk here?” Nick asked confused.

“A what?” AJ asked.

“A snow hawk, it’s a bird from Tokia.” Nick said to him and then he looked back at Rayne. “They live in the cold, there’s no way one would be living here in Winnol.”

Slowly Rayne turned around and looked at them.  “We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” AJ asked.

“The hawks tell me Rossi’s men took Nalia to Uldice.”

“Where?” AJ asked.

“Took?” Nick asked as he raised his eyebrow.  “What do you mean took?”

“She was unconscious in a wagon armed with at least five guards and they were heading towards Uldice.” She told him.

“What’s this Uldice why haven’t I heard of it before?” AJ asked as Nick bolted out of the room.  “Damn it.” He sighed as he took off after him.  “Nick stop! Don’t make me freeze your ass.”

“I have to get her.” Nick said as he spun around.

“Ok, we’ll go get her but we need more than the three of us?” AJ told him.

“Why we got her.” Nick said pointing to Rayne.  “She suppose to be this new super Guardian, we’ll be able to walk through them.”

“And then everyone will know, remember what happened the last time you rushed us into something.” AJ snapped at him.

“Bite me asshole.” Nick shot at him as he spun around and took off down the hall.

“What was that about?” Rayne asked as she walked up to AJ.

“Nothing” AJ sighed shaking his head.  “We should round everyone up.” He told her as he took her hand and headed towards Avit’s room.

“Nickolas did you find her?” Evia asked as she walked into the room.

“She’s in Tokia.” Nick said as he tossed his large fur coat onto his bed.

“Why did she go there?” Evia asked.

“She went there to talk to Rossi but…” He stopped as he turned around; he looked at her and then grabbed his jacket.  “I’ll be back in a few days.”

“A few days? Nickolas what is going on?” Evia demanded.

“Rossi has her and he closed off all the globes.” Nick told her as he turned around.

“What? Why?” She said completely floored.

“I dunno, something’s going on.”

“Do you think she’s in danger, would Rossi really…” Evia asked as she grabbed his arm.

“Right now I wouldn’t put anything past him, he knew about Ashmourn and he said nothing, how come the Dwarves remembered Ashmourn but no one else did.” Nick said.

“You mean they didn’t forget?” Evia asked.

“It’s a thought.” Nick said.  “I gotta go.”

“By yourself?” Evia asked as she quickly followed him out the door.

“Yes, I don’t have time to wait around for people to get up and make a plan, I’m ready, and I’m going now.  It’s my fault she’s there anyways.” Nick said as he skipped down the steps quickly.  Evia stopped at the top of the stairs and sighed worryingly.

“So where is Nick now?” Brian asked.

“Probably on his way to Tokia, I’m guessing by Gryphon.” AJ replied.

“That’s the cold place isn’t it?” Leigh B asked.

“Yes Leigh.” Howie said lightly rolling his eyes.  “Don’t worry we’ve got the human Bic over here.” Howie said nodding to AJ.

“Guess we better grab the winter clothing.” Kevin said standing up.

“We’ll meet outside the Kalica globe room, less travel time to Tokia from there.” AJ told them.

When everyone left the room AJ plopped down into his chair with a sigh.  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” He asked Rayne as she sat down.

“I will be alright.” She smiled at him.  “Are you going to tell me why you and Nick are fighting and why he acted the way he did.”

“He’s mad because I’ve been pissed off towards him.”

“Why what did he do?” She asked.

“He rushed us, we weren’t anywhere near ready to go out there but he just had to go, just like now, he takes off can’t wait and will most likely get his ass in trouble.” AJ said getting louder.  “If he would have waited we would have found something, we would have known what the Druids were supposed to do and we could have found another way.”

“But there was no other way.” Rayne told him.  “The Druids are the only ones. You can’t blame Nick he was doing as Pixca asked of him.”

“So why couldn’t she tell him?”

“Perhaps she knew you would try to find another way.” She said to him.  “It would have only wasted time.”

“Rayne”

“I know it was hard Alex but…”

He interrupted her as he shot up out of his chair.  “Hard? It wasn’t hard Rayne, it was damn near intolerable.”

“Alex” She frowned as she got up.

“Watching that building come down, going to bed that night without you, waking up after dreaming about you all night and then realizing it was just that, a fucking dream!” He shouted at her.  “The yearning need to talk to you, to hold you, and too kiss you, knowing it would never ever happen.”

“Alex” She repeated as she walked up to him.

“They started it, their actions put you in that situation, you didn’t have a god damn choice, and if I want to be fucking mad at them, I’m going to be mad at them.” He shouted as she took his hands.  She didn’t say anything as she wrapped his arms around her waist and put her arms around him.  Laying her head on his chest she listened to his heart as it raced a fast pace beat.

“Ok” She finally spoke as he laid his head on top of hers.  “I understand.”

He pulled away slowly resting his hands on her shoulders.  “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“It is alright” She lightly smiled.  “We should go pack.”  He nodded as they wrapped their arms around each others waist and walked out of the room.