The Guardian Crusade

                                           Volume III

                                                              Chapter Five

It was late at night and AJ woke with no one beside him, a little worried with how she was handling what happened to Nalia, he got up and got dressed.  He left the room and entered the dim lit hallway of his Castle.  AJ walked down to the Healing Springs and entered Nalia’s cave, stopping when he didn’t see Rayne.

“Hey man.” Nick mumbled and AJ looked over at him.  “Rayne’s not here she left about a half hour ago.”

“How are you doing?” AJ asked but wondered where Rayne was.

“I dunno.” Nick said as he looked at Nalia.  She was sitting in the bath her eyes covered with a silk bandage, she looked very peaceful.  “I’m sorry.”

“What?” AJ said looking at him.

“For rushing us and getting Rayne killed, I’m sorry.” Nick said his eyes not breaking from Nalia.  “I just hoped things would be different here but then Rossi started lying about Ashmourn and it was like déjà vu.”

“I wish I knew what he was thinking Nick but I don’t.”

“I do.” Nick said looking down.  “That whole Mountain was flowing with evil; I felt it, almost like Ashmourn.”

“Pixca told me the Dwarves were the ones who opened the door, that’s why Rayne doesn’t like them much anymore.” AJ told him.

“I’ve noticed.” Nick said as he titled his head stretching his neck.

“Has she woken up at all?” AJ asked.

“Nope.” Nick sighed.

“Why don’t you go crash, there’s a room ready for you.”

“I’m good.” Nick told him shaking his head.  AJ didn’t fight it; he spent many nights here with Rayne and vise versa.  “You know what scares me the most?”

“What?” AJ asked.

“What is she going to do? No one will answer me.” Nick said as he looked at AJ.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s blind now, how can she fight, she’s a Warrior, how can she wield a sword or an axe, how can she protect herself?” He asked and AJ didn’t know how to answer.  “And it’s my entire fault.”

“It’s not your fault dude; you couldn’t have known he would do something like this.” AJ told him and when he said those words something inside him told him to take his own advice.

“But if I hadn’t been so damn impatient, if I hadn’t let everything get to me and just chilled out like you said, we wouldn’t have fought and she wouldn’t have gone to talk to Rossi.” Nick said as he began to cry.

“Nick this is on Rossi not you, she went there to talk to him, she could have left it alone and gone to Winnol, she nor any of us had any idea he would go this far.”  AJ told him.  “You can’t blame yourself Nick, she’s going to need you to be strong, I mean she’s a Guardian so maybe something can be done but until then you’re the one who can protect her.”

Nick took a deep breath and sighed.  “I’m gonna go find Rayne and get back to sleep, you should do the same, the Priest knows to send for you.” AJ told him but Nick just lightly smiled.

He left his friend and walked out of the Springs and back through the city, deciding to go back to the Castle and see if she had returned.  The streets were quiet and the only lights on were those in the streets and the odd house light.  The guard at the front door opened it for him with a bow and AJ returned the greeting.  Walking up the stairs he made his way to his room and sighed in relief when he saw Rayne sitting on the couch.

“There you are.” He said with a smile as she looked at him.  “I went to the Springs but Nick said you left.”

“Yeah went for a walk in the park.” She told him as he sat down beside her.

“Are you doing ok beautiful?” He asked as she laid in his arms.

“I am just worried about Nalia.” She told him.  “And very angry at Rossi.”

“Yeah, I think we all are.” AJ replied as he gently kissed her forehead.  “It scares me to think what could be so important to Rossi that he would do that to Nalia, or to Nick for that matter.”

“It is the evil that Pixca talked about, the demons probably took control of the Dwarves to do their bidding and Rossi is their King, he is their blood line.” Rayne told him.

“But where does that put Nick?” AJ asked.

“Perhaps that is why he has been the way he is, fighting within himself.” She replied.

“Should we be worried?” AJ asked.

“No, Pixca will protect him, if she has not done something already.” Rayne said as she snuggled closer to him but hearing her talk so highly of Pixca irritated him a little.

Nick was fast asleep, his head resting on the stone tub as he sat on the floor and his arms tucked under his head replacing a pillow.  The sound of water splashing woke him up and he lifted his head and saw Nalia sitting up.  She reached for the cloth over her eyes but Nick stopped her and when he touched her she jumped.

“It’s me.” He said quickly.  “It’s Nick.”

“Nick?” She replied her voice still weak.

“Yeah baby it’s me.” He said as he held her hands. “You’re safe in Winnol, in the Springs.”

“I can not see anything.” She told him.  “Why can I not open my eyes?”

“Nali…” Nick thought about how to tell her.

“What did they do to me?” She asked and then her body froze.  “Nick” She said in a somber tone and he wondered by the look on her face if she was remembering.   “I just wanted to talk to him; I just wanted him to talk to you.”

“I know Nali.” Nick frowned.

“Why?” She asked as she started to cry.  “Why would he do this to me?”

Nick took her into his arms and he didn’t care she was soaking wet.  “I don’t know baby but I promise I’ll find out and when I do he’ll pay for it.” He told her.  “This is my fault and I’ll make it right, I promise.”

“What?” She said as she pulled away from him.

“It’s my fault this happened.” He told her.  “I should have waited; I should have waited for everyone.”

“Nick” She replied with a frown as her hand drifted up his arm to his face.

“I’m sorry Nali.” Nick said as he cried.  When he felt her reaching for a hug he pulled her into his arms again.  “I’m so sorry.”  Her arms wrapped around him tighter and he closed his eyes pushing out the last of his tears.  Vowing now to let the pain turn into hate, hate directed at Rossi.

The next morning AJ work up with Rayne in his arms, slowly he sat up on his side and let his eyes wonder until they reached her rings.  Gently he picked her hand up and looked at them, read the same words that were on his.  Running his thumb over the engraved lettering he sighed as he thought about that night in Ashmourn.  He started to feel bad for blaming Nick and he knew his friend was right, Pixca wasn’t truthful with him and Rossi didn’t say anything either but truth be told they were just cover.  Covering the fact he was mad at himself for not dragging her out of there.  He knew he shouldn’t be, if he had she would have been furious with him and who knows what would have happened.  She told him when he first met her she would fight with her last breathe to save this place and that’s what she did.

“What time is it?” She yawned as she slowly sat up on her arms.

“Not sure.” He replied as her fingers wrapped around his hand.

“Everything alright?” She asked.

“Yeah” AJ nodded. 

Sitting up she wrapped the blanket around her and sat in front of him.  “I want to tell you something.”

“Ok” AJ said looking at her as she held his hands.

“I know you are mad at Pixca and Nick and maybe even me, I know it was very hard to go through what you went through, I could not think what I would be like if it had been you.” She told him as he looked at her fingers as they tangled around his.  “But I want you to know that I was not backed against a wall, I chose to do it because it had to be done to save Pixcadia, to close the door and lock the demons out of this world and keep them in theirs.  I did it because of you.”

“Me?” AJ said a little confused.

“Kevin, Nick, and even you, they have told me how sad you were back on Earth, how lost you were.  You said yourself you had a hard time finding who you really were. The night Ignis showed me Nick’s memories, you must have been very unhappy to do that to yourself.” She started to explain.  “But here you are different, this is the place you are suppose to be, this place made you happy again, showed you who you truly were, you need this place and that is why I did what I did.  To save this place for the people and for you, this is your home and I know you are safe here.”

“Rayne.” AJ said with a slight frown.

“I hate seeing you so angry at Nick and at Pixca, I am sorry I put you in that position Alex, that you had to leave me there but I had to do it and not because Pixca did not tell Nick about the Dryads. Not because Nick rushed us there or even because Rossi did not say anything, I did it because no one else could.  It would have been me no matter what, whether we waited or not that was always going to be the only solution.”  Rayne said as a tear dripped down from the corner of his eye. 

AJ went to speak but she started before him. “I know, it does not mean you have to be happy about it.” She replied quickly with a light smile and he returned it.

“I take it you’ve talked to Avit.” He said with a light smile.

“Yes” She nodded.  “He has seen every other Breezewalker fall to things he could not control, he is the one that is supposed to protect them and knowing the pain you were going through, knowing the pain you had gone through back on Earth, he was so worried about you.”

“He’s a good friend and I do trust him with my life.” AJ replied remembering how Avit basically let him get away with murder after Ashmourn.

“You’re also his last link to Nati.” She told him and he looked at her, sometimes he forgot he had a sister and it wasn’t hard to forget Dyn. “I know you never knew her but you are Nati’s brother and their love was just as strong as ours is.” She told him. 

“We need to move forward now.” She as she let her fingers drift down through his hair, skimming past his ear.  “Things are going to get very bad between Rossi and Nick.”

“What is he hiding?” AJ asked.

“I do not know.” She replied.  “Maybe nothing now since we know what they did all those years ago, perhaps that is why Rossi did what he did, he knew we would come for him, so he struck first.”

“Nick said he felt the death and evil through out the whole area, like in Ashmourn, did you feel anything?” He asked hoping that place didn’t have the same effect on her that Ashmourn had.

“If you mean was it draining me the way Ashmourn did than no but there is something there, life does have a hard time there, it struggles.” She told him.

“What was with the whole Snow Hawk thing?” He asked.

“I guess it is a perk from the Dryad side of me.” Rayne replied with a light shrug.

“You can talk to them?”

“Not really talk but I can hear what the say, most of the animals, trees, and the plants when they want me too.” She told him.

“Really?” He replied a little surprised and she nodded.  “Anything else cool you can do?”

“I am still learning, trying to understand this new part of me.” AJ watched as she looked down at their hands and then she looked back up at him.  “Do you think I have changed?”

“Changed?” AJ said as he started to think about her question.  “A little but nothing bad, you seem stronger, more confident and well then there’s how you are when we’re here, alone in our bed, or in my meeting room.” He replied with a soft smile and she returned it.  “Why?”

“Mother said she noticed how different I am, she said it was not a bad thing but I do not know if she was telling me the truth.” She told him.

He looked at her for a moment and then gently kissed her neck. “Nope, nothing bad there.” He whispered as his lips drifted up to her jaw line and then he kissed her lips.  “Nothing bad there either.” He replied still in a whisper and she softly smiled.  “Still, better investigate further.” He told her gently pecking at her lips as he slowly laid her back onto the pillows.