Chapter Three

The war room was decorated with shields passed down by the Kings of previous generations and their emblems engraved deeply in the metal. Lanterns hung on hooks from the ceiling, sending shadows in every direction. Rayne stood to the side of the round table, a large map of the province lain neatly on the oak table, each mountain and forest defined with perfect technique. Everything was labeled properly and in place, and pins stood out from the map, colored with red, green, gold, and black. The elves were labeled with green for their homes were in the great forest home, Arakhora. To the north were the mountains of the Dwarves and their Earth Dwellings, they were marked with gold. Of course, the King had marked his own with the red pins, but there left the black pins. These pins were stationed just outside Arakhora, and planted in the hillsides at the bottom of the Earth Dwellings, and a large group of black pins stuck out on the other side of the map, where a black castle was painted. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched, for the Dark Lord sat in waiting.

"I need you to run on an errand, Ms. Winters." The King finally spoke after taking his seat at the head of the table. She looked over to him, her arms crossed.

"That's what I gathered when you sent your men for me." She mocked, and he scowled lightly at her.

"Do not mock me, child. I only collected you because of your previous accomplishments and your high rank as a mercenary. Now---" he pulled up a scroll, getting to his feet and laid it out on the map, the small artwork showed a tower on a snowy mountain side, and though the painting was black and white, in one of the windows gave off a purple glow. She tilted her head, studying the graphics carefully.

"That looks like a wizard's tower. There's not many around anymore. Is it abandoned?" she asked, running her finger over the purple window. Something felt a little familiar about the tower, but she couldn't place where exactly. King Abel leaned over the map towards her, his enclosing presence making her back up slightly. For a moment, she felt a difference in his aura, but it was gone instantaneously.

"Not abandoned. Xerath has made it his home for years, out of reach from the rest of the world." he said, inclining his head and stroking his beard. Rayne had to take a second to process this information. Xerath, the legendary dark wizard that plagued the lands for seven years before suddenly disappearing from existence. The fact he is still around worries her.

"Why haven't you sent your men to take care of him then?" she asked, looking over to Gideon who was leaning against the door to the room. He only shrugged.

"If you have heard of Xerath's tales, then you know that a simple army won't do for getting rid of him." Gideon said, pausing for a second before elbowing the door. Grunts were heard from the other side, along with mumbling from what sounds like the henchmen from earlier. The King walked over to her side, causing her to stiffen at his approach. For a King, she shouldn't be acting this way, so why?

"So instead, I just need a single person to take care of him for me, and from what I've been told and seen, you fit the job." he said, and Rayne raised a brow, feeling the coin purse at her side.

"And the rest of the payment?" she asked, and the King nodded, moving away from her and returns back to his seat.

"As Gideon had probably told you, you only have a fraction to start. Upon completion, you'll receive triple that. However, I require proof." he said, taking a seat once more.

"What proof will you need exactly?" she asked, and he met her gaze with a serious expression.

"I require his head as proof that you did the job, but now what else concerns me is you discarding this mission and just leaving with the gold you have already.." he tapped his chin, looking around the room before resting his eyes on Gideon, his own eyes shining, "Gideon will go with you." he stated, and in unison, the duo exchanged looks of surprise.

"Your majesty, with all due respect, I'm needed here. Send Randy and his fools with her." Gideon insisted, but Rayne scoffed at his idea.

"Don't get me wrong, knight, but I don't want those men near me. I can handle this on my own, I give my word." she said, standing her ground, but King Abel only shook his head.

"You may say you keep your word, but I just want certainty that this job will be completed. No more excuses." he finalized, and Gideon gritted his teeth, but kept his mouth shut. Rayne felt a wave of dread hit her. She was always the lone wolf, but to have someone with her for a week would just be a headache. From what it looks like, Gideon felt the same way. The knight bowed his head, placing a fist over his chest.

"As you command it, my King. We'll leave at first light." he said, but Rayne was already shaking her head.

"No, we leave immediately. The faster I get this task done, the faster I can get rid of you from my side." she said, and he glared at her. King Abel watched the sparks fly between them, letting out a sigh. It was as if dealing with children.

"Do whatever you need to as long as Xerath dies." he said sternly, leaning back in his chair. Gideon bowed before him before opening the door for Rayne and they both exit the war room. Upon glancing back toward the King one last time, she thought, for a mere second, that the shadow of his chair swiveled out of place, but she hoped it was just the lantern lights playing a trick.

"Is there any last minute supplies that you need before we head out?" he asked, tying a pouch to his horse's saddle. Rayne examined his steed, running her fingers through the platinum mane slowly. Gideon watched her carefully, seeing the sensitivity between human and beast. Her affinity for animals was stronger than that with people, that he noticed.

"Just a few places. We'll need rations set up, I'd like to gather a couple potions, who knows if we'll find any enemies on the way and need immediate healing. Lastly, I'll need my weapons sharpened." she listed off, keeping her attention to his horse still before making her way to hers and giving the same attention. Gideon nods slowly, looking to the sky.

"It's about 10 at this point, all of the stalls should be open by now, and same with the blacksmith and Apothecary." he mentioned, but when he glanced over to her, she had taken her reins and leading her horse back into the city. He let out a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair and followed her lead.

The city buzzed with activity compared to over an hour ago. Children ran about, chasing one another beside the Cathedral. The sun shined on the stonework of the Cathedral, giving off a radiant beauty. She glanced around carefully before spotting a dark building behind the Cathedral, heavy smoke coming from its chimney. When Gideon finally caught up to her side, he noticed her directed attention.

"Ah, that's the Phoenix Forge. Inferna runs it. She also has quite the temper." he warned, but unphased by it, Rayne made her way towards the blacksmith.

The dark building upon closer inspection was built with Obsidian, giving off a shine in the sunlight. The iron door creaked open with a tug, and the sound of metal clanking and cursing filled Rayne's ears. The wall on the left had swords going from the Great Sword and shrinking down in size to a dagger. The wall on the right had a mix of battle axes, flails, and maces. As she walked further in, Gideon finally joining her, she took noticed of four racks. One rack containing bows both short and long, along with hand crossbows. Second rack had handaxes and more daggers. Third rack had staves, and the last rack had ammunition such as bolts and arrows.

Descending further, Rayne focused on a forge before her, the fire dancing beneath a carved out Phoenix. A woman stood with her back to them, wearing a tan apron, thick leather gloves and commoner clothes. Her orange and red hair was tied up high on her head, and what looked like a strap wrapped around the back.

"Excuse us." Rayne spoke up, watching as the woman's shoulders scrunched up before lowering as she sighed, setting down her hammer. As she turned to greet them, she lifted goggles from her face, her amber colored eyes outlined with ash and dust. She eyed Rayne for a second before spotting Gideon walking up behind her and rolls her eyes, turning away again.

"Beat it." her stern tone made Rayne raise a brow. Gideon rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm not here for business, Inferna. This lady is." he gestured to Rayne, and Inferna turned back around towards them, still looking unpleased.

"Make it quick. Your King demanded more swords for the armory." she hissed, her voice sizzled like the flames that danced in the forge behind her. Rayne brought up her sword and dagger.

"I just need these sharpened." she said bluntly, and Inferna took the weapons, turning away to fine tune their sharpness. Rayne took the moment to glance back at Gideon who was inspecting a set of staves, "Is your King preparing for war?" she asked, but Gideon only shrugged.

"I maintain order, I don't work behind the scenes. However, the idea is a little odd. We're pretty well armed already, and he's usually not for going into battle unless it's necessary." he mumbled, placing the staves back on the rack. Inferna walked back over, placing the sword and dagger on the counter to let Rayne inspect them.

"That'll be a gold piece. Now, can I get back to work?" she asked, turning away before they could even reply and replaced the goggles over her eyes, hammering away at the metal on her anvil.

As they left the Phoenix Forge, Rayne noticed a dark building across the way, and watched as citizens kept a fair distance from it.

"What is that?" she pointed, and Gideon scrunched up his face a bit.

"That's the Apothecary, Botanica Magica. The owner is a bit eccentric and doesn't know much about personal boundaries. She's a lovely woman otherwise." he said, and watched as Rayne approached the building, "Wait, you should know what she is!" he called to her, but the slam of the black door cut him off.