Chapter 4

She had returned to the darkness that she became so familiar with. At one point she thought her life was over, that her heart gave its last beat, her lungs their last breath. Her last memory was of a violent pain that shook her entire being to the core. How could anyone possibly withstand such torture? She thought she heard Ravnyk call out to her. Why did he sound so scared? Isn't this what he wanted? For her to surrender to his will? Look what it caused him in the end.

A savory scent filled her senses, causing her stomach to stir and roll. She wanted to open her eyes, but they felt so heavy like they were being held down by some adhesive. Something light caressed her forehead, the first gentle touch she's had in so long. Was it Gideon? She wanted to see his face. The last look she saw on his face was one of great regret as he was to stand watch over Ravnyk's game. A part of her was still angry with his lack of self control, but she knew deep down it wasn't his own doing. What would've happened if Ravnyk had taken her mind away to? What kind of obscene nonsense would he make her go through? She shuddered to even think of such a thing.

A gentle voice called out to her. It was feminine in nature, luring her to the surface of her eyelids. Rayne forced them open against protest of her throbbing head. At first her vision was dark and she worried she had lost her sight in both eyes again. Compared to death, losing her sight was not of great concern to her. She blinked slowly a few times, the darkness gradually fading at the edges, working their way until the very center of her vision cleared up and she was greeted by a horned woman with tattooed red skin. Her silver eyes sparkled like moonlight as she pressed her hand against Rayne's forehead. It was so light, so tender that Rayne nearly went back to sleep by it, but she forced herself to stay awake this time.

"Thank God you're okay. We've been so worried about you." Vixen said, her voice like velvet. It was soothing yet so mature compared to their first interaction. Rayne turned her head slightly from side to side, but the room looked familiar, yet not familiar. She had been here before, but it was not at Xerath's tower. No, this room was plain with bamboo walls and flooring. A tan screen separated the room from the hallway. Rayne's eyes slowly widened as she pieced everything together and sat up too quickly. Her head felt like it was underwater and she had to hold onto Vixen to steady herself.

"Easy. You're body hasn't recovered yet. You'll need to take things slow for now." Vixen told her, but Rayne wanted to get up. She needed to move around, she needed to see for sure if this was the place she thought it was.

Footsteps rushed toward the room and the screen door slid open. Gideon stood in the doorway, his eyes wide and panting lightly. He had tossed away the obsidian armor Ravnyk had him wear and he was dressed in a simple brown shirt and black trousers. His hair was a mess and growing slightly long since the last time she saw him and his beard was forming once more.

"Rayne." his voice was like a gift from the heavens on her ears. He moved into the room and knelt down beside her, wrapping his arms around her a little too tightly. She let out a weak groan and he quickly released her. Another set of steps came and Xerath walked into the room wearing his red and gold robe. His hair tied back in a braid as he carefully knelt alongside Vixen.

"How..." Rayne stopped as she heard her own voice come out hoarse and weak. She cleared her throat, but it hurt to even do that. Vixen turned away for a moment and brought around a bowl of steaming stew. That's what the smell was. Rayne took the spoon and sipped the broth, letting it cascade and seep into the dry walls of her throat.

"Xerath teleported us away before Ravnyk captured us." Gideon told her as he supported her back with his arm. She looked down at the stew, letting the steam warm her face.

"You've been out for quite some time, a few weeks at most." Vixen informed her. Rayne groaned when she mentioned that. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. Ravnyk could be causing chaos right now and she had been passed out yet again. Rayne looked over to Xerath as he had been sitting quietly since he arrived.

"I wish I had gotten to you sooner, Rayne." Xerath finally said and Rayne felt her hands tremor slightly at his words. She wished for a lot of things. but right now she didn't want sympathy or pity from them. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She wanted to recover so she can go back to Ravnyk and slaughter him like the disgusting pig that he was. Yet when she looked at her hands, her arms and focused on the rest of her body, she knew she wouldn't be able to take him, not one on one at least. She took another sip of the broth.

"Now what?" she managed to get out with her scratched throat. Xerath looked away for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"I wish I could say we can forget about this fight, but we simply can't." Xerath said to the group.

"He has an army going out to Barboulder. I have no idea if he already made it there." Gideon said, making Rayne look over to him. He looked flustered about the situation. As he would be. More innocent lives are being taken by a mad man, and he probably feels responsible for it.

But it is his fault...

A whisper slithered around in her head, echoing off the walls of her skull before fading from existence. She reached up and touched her head and Gideon inclined his head at her. He reached out, his calloused hand grazing against hers, startling her for a moment. He pulled away quickly, pain in his eyes. Why would she think that?

"For now we need to recuperate, especially you Rayne. Ravnyk not only tortured you physically, I believe he got to you mentally as well." Xerath said, getting to his feet. She looked up at the old Wizard and she just nodded. She couldn't fight him. She didn't have the energy to argue. She remained quiet as she ate excruciatingly slow as both Vixen and Xerath left her and Gideon alone. He was silent beside her, but she felt his gaze burning into her skin.

"I'm sorry, Rayne." his voice lowered as if he was scared the others would hear him, "I could have killed him. I could have ended this brutality he brought onto the world, but I just... couldn't. Instead he killed you. He took your heart beat away and I felt broken." Gideon opened up like a book to her. She just listened to him while she ate.

"I never knew how dangerously powerful he was, and I faltered. I could have... No, I should have saved you, but I let you die." his temper changed as he got up from her side and paced the room. She finally looked up at him, watching as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, his muscles bulging within his shirt. She carefully set the bowl down, her hand extending out to him.

He let you die...

The whisper came again and Rayne dropped her hand back to her side. This time it lingered a bit more, settling in the back of her head like a leech. Gideon finally stopped and knelt down, taking her hands in his.

"It pained me more than you know, Rayne. I used up every ounce of magic within me to bring you back. Rayne..." he spoke her name so softly, so full of emotion. She knew what he wanted to say, but she didn't want to hear it.

"We'll get him." she forced out before he could continue. He nodded, losing his words at the tip of his tongue. He picked up her bowl and opened the door.

"As much as I know you don't want to, you need your rest. I'll check up on you later for another round of curing." he said, giving her a soft, but weak smile before closing the door behind himself. Rayne listened to his footsteps fade away down the hall and laid back down. She stared at the ceiling for sometime until eventually her eyelids surrendered to the exhaustion and she fell back to sleep.

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Gideon walked around the broken temple. Since securing the location, he spent time trying to rebuild the place to be more suited to their needs. He was surprised to find bones left from the fire that consumed the place years ago. What was her first thought when she woke up? Did she recognize where they brought her? Was she happy about coming back home? Or did she want to run away from the place that brought her nightmares?

Vixen was outside, tending to a garden that she created to pass the time. She had been a huge help with tending to Rayne and making sure she was safe and resting as peacefully as she could. Gideon stepped off the walkway onto a stone path that lead off to another building that was still collapsed. He picked up the larger pieces of lumber that were in good condition and piled them off to the side. Large monstrous hands reached out beside him, lifting a part of the collapsed building with ease. Gideon peered over to see Xerath's guardian lending a hand in the wreckage.

Once they stabilized the pillars, the checked out the damage to the roof. Large holes had caved in from the fire, but repairing them wouldn't be too difficult. Gideon discovered more charred bodies deep within the structure. He knelt down and prayed, hoping that whatever lingering souls were left could finally move on to the afterlife.

"It's a shame." Xerath spoke up as he entered the building. Gideon rose up from his knees, scanning the scorched walls. He imagined a young Rayne running through these rooms, training with other monks, learning the ways of life by her mentor.

"Does Rayne know if there were any survivors?" Gideon asked the wizard, but Xerath shook his head slowly as he circled the room. He stopped near the center and clapped his hands three times. Blue and purple auras surrounded them, covering the walls and floor like a blanket. The auras settled into the woodwork until they vanished, leaving the room spotless. Any scorched marks from the fire, or dry blood stains had been washed away by the magic Xerath casted.

"Ravnyk is the type of monster that doesn't leave any one alive." Xerath said as he slipped his hands into his robes.

"But he left Rayne alive." Gideon told him, and Xerath inclined his head thoughtfully.

"She still hasn't told you about their relationship, has she?" He asked the knight. Gideon shook his head, lowering his gaze. The guardian stepped into the cramped space and began gathering the corpses into its large arms. He didn't know about Rayne's past minus the dreams she's had. Where she came from, her real parents, her relationship with Ravnyk was a heavy cloud in his mind. In her weakened state, he can't bombard her with these questions and curiosities. He'll have to be patient, but for how long?

"I believe it is time that we set up a meeting with Lord Adkas and Prince Mel-Darion." Xerath suggested as his guardian carried the corpses from the room. Now that it was empty, what could they change it into? They had their rooms and kitchen taken care of. A spar room maybe?

"What will that do for us?" Gideon asked him as he leaned against the wall. He respected the Elf Lord, but his son on the other hand was another story. Would the bastard take advantage of Rayne in her state?

"It will help having more heads involved with the planning to take down Ravnyk. We should also take a look into contacting the Dwarven King as well. He may be able to lend a hand knowing that it'll be against the Dark Lord himself." Xerath stroked his beard thoughtfully. The Dwarven King. How could Gideon forget?

"I can set out to meet him." He offered.

"I'm going to." Rayne said from the doorway, leaning against Vixen.

"I'm sorry, I found her wandering in search of you two, so I brought her here." the demon woman told them as she settled Rayne down on the floor carefully.

"Absolutely not. Not in your condition." Gideon finalized, but her green eyes hardened on him.

"I am, and you won't stop me." she said through gritted teeth. Xerath looked at Rayne, stroking his beard still.

"Let's get you back to normal first, starting with some training." he told her as he walked up beside her, "If you ever plan on confronting Ravnyk again, you need to clear your mind." he said before leaving them be. Gideon watched as Rayne registered Xerath's words. Was there something else going on that he didn't know about? Would she open up to him like she had before or did she shut her doors permanently?