Chapter 8

Why must I continue to return to this place?

She floated effortlessly in the depths of the dark abyss of her consciousness. The last thing she recalled was the irritation of the constant whispers and murmuring of those around her. The soft grass beneath her knees as she had knelt before the oak tree that had become her meditating space. Xerath's presence accompanying her, his hand pressed against her head. Then darkness. She wanted to be enraged by his antics, but in this place she didn't want to feel anything. It was quiet and she was finally alone with her thoughts, but even those were going against her day after day.

Pressure resided behind her ears, throbbing a gentle beat to show it's existence. She wanted to rub it away, but her arms couldn't move. Her fingers began to tingle at the tips, crawling down to her palms where it tickled a bit. The tingling sensation continued its path down her wrists, slithering up her forearms. Though her vision was blacked out, she honed in on the feeling beneath her skin. The way it moved along like a snake in the grass. She tried tightening her muscles in her arms, but it only caused this tingling to intensify.

"You are weak." a distorted voice hissed in the void, echoing around the empty space. The tingling continued onward to her shoulders, then branched across her collar bone and over her back. She focused on the tingling on her back as it spanned out across her skin. She pictured it slowly receding back to her shoulders. The pressure in her head heightened, forcing a silent yell from her lips. Was this the aftermath of the spell Ravnyk had casted on her? Even though it had been some time since that torture, could it be a delayed attempt at harming her once more?

She wanted to call out to this voice, her lips moving, but no words escaped her. She felt her chest constrict as the tingling moved down over her breasts and sternum. It felt more as a caress than anything, typical of Ravnyk.

"Weak." the voice thundered, shaking her entire being. The pressure increased, practically crashing her skull. She squeezed her eyes shut, though it didn't matter as the scenery didn't change. She needed to move. She needed to speak.

Rayne moved past the pressure in her head and tuned in on the sensations that crept along her body once more. She imagined them shriveling away this time like a flower being incinerated by a flame. She focused all over her mental power into that image until at last the tingling gradually faded until there was nothing left behind.

"Good." the voice hissed, but it was softer compared to the boom it delivered earlier. Replaced by the tingling was a cold touch that she easily recognized. Death. Did she take too long to fight this unknown presence?

"Leave." she gasped out, her voice a mere whimper.

"I can make you stronger." the voice whispered as if he or she was now laying beside her. She is strong, she doesn't need an entity of sorts to tell her this, and yet she felt the self doubt bubble in her chest. The deathly caress faded away and everything was silence once more.

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Rayne's eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry and bright. She rubbed her eyes, blinking until they adjusted into focus. She was greeted by the ceiling of her room, the way the bamboo tiles intertwined with one another to form a tight roof above her head. Sun brightened the open room from the hallway. She could hear shuffling of feet further away, but didn't come any closer. Her eyes drifted across her space until they rested on a man leaning against the wall to the far side of the room. His head was dipped down a bit toward his chest, his soft brown locks hanging loosely to hide his eyes, but she could hear his soft snoring from behind those curtains. His chest was bare, but he wore his black trousers.

She sat up slowly, her back aching as she stretched, her dream fading from her mind as she glanced around once more. She took one of the smaller rooms as it was closer to the oak tree, old memories drifting through her head. Her mentor chastising her for being far too rough during training, his constant comfort during meditation. His constant faith in her. How she wished she could feel that all again.

Rayne peered back over to Gideon, grabbing her thin blanket and draped it across his chest and shoulders. His hand shot out, grasping her shirt tightly. His fierce blue eyes settled on hers before letting her go.

"Dammit Rayne. You can't sneak up on me like that." he grumbled, pulling the blanket closer to him. She adjusted her shirt, sitting back from him.

"You used to be a heavy sleeper, what happened?" she asked him as she inclined her head.

"Being under that bastard's watch put me on edge. So I forced myself to sleep a bit lighter." he yawned, his eyes softening a bit, "How are you feeling?" he asked her finally. She clenched her fists in her lap as she remembered blacking out.

"I was fine until Xerath knocked me out. Did he explain why?" she asked him. Gideon's jaw twitched at her question, his eyes shifting away from hers.

"He said that you seemed a bit... off since we got here." he told her, his blue eyes sweeping over her, "He said that you were hearing things." his brows came together. Rayne looked around the room, wondering how to possibly explain her dream to him.

"It's probably just the after effects of Ravnyk's crazy spell." she lied, meeting his gaze. His eyes hardened on her, reaching out and caressed her cheek gently. His warm touch made her chest tighten up, but she forced the emotion away and rose to her feet. She stretched, listening to the cracks in her back. Gideon got to his feet with her, rolling his shoulders.

"I was supposed to bring you to our make shift war room to meet with Mel-Darion and Xerath to discuss our next course of action." Gideon informed her as he lead her from the room. Her feet patted lightly against the dark wood flooring as she glanced around the narrow hallway. Each room they past was furnished for the new warriors. Though it would not be anywhere near what they were used to back in Arakhora, this would have to suffice for now. Rayne's eyes caught an open doorway to the large courtyard in the center of the temple. She forgot how large of a structure this place was. She remembered consistently getting lost in the halls until she would break down into tears. Gideon stepped down from the hall and into the courtyard. Though there were several courtyards scattered across the temple grounds, this one was more vibrant with a garden of various wildflowers, a few sturdy oak trees and a large pond with exotic fish and lily pads.

"A war room?" she said with disappointment. What would her mentor think of his temple being changed in such a way? Gideon peered over his shoulder to her when she said that, stopping and faced her. He grabbed her hands firmly so she couldn't recoil.

"I know this was once your home and you wish to cherish what it once was, but times are changing. There is going to be a war if we don't stop Ravnyk. When it's all settled and down with, we'll return it to its former glory." he told her. She inclined her head back a bit to look up at the bulky figure before her. He was always true to his word, so she should have no reason to doubt him now. Right?

"It's just going to take some getting use to." she mumbled softly. Gideon nodded, looking around themselves.

"It's a pleasant place though, I'm a little surprised you were raised here considering your temper." he said. Rayne gripped his hands tightly, flipping them so their fingers laced, palms pressed against one another and she applied pressure as she pushed his hands back. He winced, trying to shake her grip, but she only enforced the pressure.

"I'm glad you're doing better." Xerath spoke up from behind Gideon. Rayne released his hands quickly, dropping hers back to her side. Xerath walked up to the duo still wearing his pure white robe from earlier. His hair was tied back in a tight bun while his beard was braided. Rayne opened her mouth to start her rant on him, but he raised a finger to her, "We have much to discuss first." with that he turned on his heels and walked away from them. Gideon shared a glance with Rayne, unsure of what was in store for them.

When they arrived to a large room, Rayne realized that it was her old training room that they had changed into a temporary war space. There was a small, round wooden table in the center of the room with only four chairs seated to it. To the north side of the room was a sliding door that was open and looked out to the open field in the front of the temple. To the east side was a cabinet with a water pitcher and several goblets at the ready. Mel-Darion was already seated at the table, rising to his feet when Rayne entered the room behind Gideon.

"Now that everyone is here, we should get started." Xerath said as he took a seat beside Mel-Darion. Gideon sat down beside him and Rayne followed suit to fill in the last spot. Mel-Darion sat back down, but his eyes settled on Rayne again.

"Do I have something on my face, Mel?" she asked him. Mel-Darion sat up straight, resting his clasped hands on the table in front of him.

"How are you feeling, Rayne?" he asked her.

"Why is everyone asking me that damn question today. I'm fine." she said through gritted teeth. The men looked at one another though like they knew the real answer.

"Rayne before I put you to sleep earlier, you were getting quite agitated at no one." Xerath mentioned to her. She raised a brow at him as she recalled hearing the murmuring of the warriors.

"Why are we discussing this? Ravnyk is far more important of a topic than I am." she retorted. Xerath inclined his head thoughtfully.

"That may be true, but you are also someone of great importance. Aetherius came to you specifically, transforming into the legendary sword that she is. You play an important role in this war, we need to be sure that you are able to fight when the time comes." Xerath said to her, his eyes piercing her own. Rayne narrowed her eyes at him.

"I am able. I spent the last few weeks training my ass off to gain my strength back." she argued.

"Physically you can kick anyone's ass, but are you mentally prepared?" Gideon surprised her with his question. She felt the heat of her anger rise into her face, but she couldn't fight back. Xerath reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll, unfurling it before their eyes. On this parchment was a detailed map of the Dwarven kingdom, one Rayne had never seen before. It showed the cities that lined up at the base of the mountain, smaller on the outskirts and the larger cities further in until a fortress sat in the center of it all. The fortress was settled in the mountain, most likely carved out of it at one point in history. Xerath pressed his finger to one of the much smaller cities that was on the outskirts.

"This is Barboulder, the one little village that Ravnyk seems so interested in. For all we know he most likely has already visited it and burned it to cinders." Xerath said, his finger moving across to the next city, "It could be possible that he is moving to this next location, but we won't know for sure until we arrived in Barboulder." he rolled up the parchment and past it over to Gideon, but Rayne took it from him.

"I'll be leading the march." she said sternly, "If any of you try to stop me, I'll put you in the ground permanently." she threatened them. Xerath sealed his lips with a thin line. Gideon scoffed, but didn't protest. He's dealt with her attitude and temper the most out of this group. Once she was settled on something, it would be difficult to sway her. Mel-Darion shook his head slowly.

"My warriors may know you, Rayne, but they will follow me." he told her, his eyes burning with power.

"You may be a prince, Mel, but your title means nothing to me. If your men won't follow me, then you all can stay behind." she said with a scowl as she pushed back her chair, letting it topple to the floor and left the men behind. She hated it when men took control over everything. That's not how she worked. If she was going to defeat Ravnyk, it would be her way.