Chapter 13

Rayne, Gideon and Mel-Darion retreated back to Mel-Darion's tent where only the left side had collapsed during the onslaught. While Gideon reset the post to lift the fabric roof of the tent, Rayne set the scroll down on the table. She still recalled the vivid illusion of the black tendrils warping the table and reaching out to her, but she pushed that imagery aside and focused on the matter at hand.

"Do you believe it could be orders from Ravnyk to his general?" Mel-Darion asked her while he tidied up his living space. Gideon stepped up to her side, but she didn't give him the attention. She needed to focus on the fighter that she is, not the woman right now.

"No, that's not how Ravnyk works. It's a message meant for me, I'm sure of it." she said, her fingers brushing against the parchment, but she couldn't bring herself to unfurl it. She knew he was expecting this to happen, that's why he sent such a small force after them. It was all a suicide mission.

"Maybe a letter of surrender?" Gideon suggested, drawing in both Rayne and Mel-Darion's annoyed expressions, "Nothing wrong with a little bit of hope, is there?" he asked them with a small shrug. Rayne peered down at the scroll again before taking it into her hands and unfurled it.

Hope. Is there such a thing?

A soft red glow emanated from the parchment, gradually growing brighter until Rayne was forced to set the scroll back onto the table. The light expanded until it took up the space of the tent they occupied. Rayne felt Gideon at her back as she stepped away from the table, his hand on her shoulder. She felt the tension in his hand through her shoulder as the light finally dimmed low and unraveled a scene for them. The towering Cathedral of the Kingdom was set aflame, the once beautiful stained glass windows were now shattered to pieces. Outside the large wooden doors that was once lead people to their sanctuary, were rows upon rows of pikes with civilian's heads driven down on them. Blood now painted the steps to the Cathedral while heavy, black smoke rose into the sky.

Rayne stared on as the image viewed up close of each face on the pikes, each one twisted in horror now to be their permanent expressions. The doors to the large structure creaked open, flames roaring wildly as it devoured the seats and scorched the stone walls. She felt her heart stop and her blood run cold as several children appear to be crucified at the altar. She felt something in the back of her mind suddenly snap.

"Even children..." she could vaguely hear Mel-Darion say as the darkness that was haunting her for weeks swarmed her heart and tainted it. Gideon gripped her shoulder, her eyes sweeping up into his direction. His eyes were dark and filled with the rising desire to destroy Ravnyk, but he remained stoic as he reached down and rolled up the scroll. The projection faded away until the tent was back to normal once more and both Gideon and Mel-Darion were looking at her.

"Where are they?" a voice shouted from outside followed by several Elf Warriors arguing with the loud individual. There was no mistaking who that was. Gideon nodded to Mel-Darion, letting the prince handle the feud while he focused on Rayne. He noticed it as well as Mel-Darion had. Gazing at Rayne now, he can even sense it. Something within her became twisted and warped, even if her calm eyes showed otherwise.

"Rayne, it could all be a ruse." he told her, but it was more so to convince himself that what they just witnessed was a lie. He didn't doubt that Ravnyk could pull it off, but if the Cathedral were to collapse, there would be no point in keeping anyone else, let alone the Kingdom alive. Yet when he looked at her now, there was no emotion in her eyes. It wouldn't surprise him as she rarely ever did, but with this dark entity speaking to her, he didn't know anymore.

He turned her to face him, his hands on her shoulders. Her once vibrant green eyes looked glazed over and dull. It was as if the fight within her had suddenly gone out, or replaced by something else entirely. He scanned the scuff marks on her clothes, and the minor cuts and bruises that spotted her exposed skin before looking back at her face.

"Rayne, we'll take him down. I promise." he reached down with one hand and took one of her own. There was a flicker of life that sparked in her eyes, but it was gone instantaneously. His other hand slid up to her neck, his calloused thumb brushing against her cheek as he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers. He thought he felt her resist just the slightest until her other free hand went to his chest and she leaned into him. He realized then what he felt for the woman, it was clear as day.

When he pulled away, opening his eyes he could see her staring back and this time, her eyes were soft and were no longer lifeless. He moved his hand around the back of her head and brought her against him, holding her with his other arm around her waist. She stiffened, but soon relaxed and just let it be. The ruckus outside continued, though it had died down a bit compared to just a few minutes prior.

Just a little bit longer...

"We should go see what's wrong." Rayne spoke up at last, stepping away from him. She was right, they still had the wounded and the dead to take care of. He exited the tent with her in tow, glancing around until they found the feisty Dwarf woman scolding Mel-Darion like he was a child. He appeared to be taking it in stride though as the other two approached and joined the squabble.

"Ya brought those things here. My people could have died." she yelled, her face getting redder the angrier she got. Mel-Darion folded his arms across his chest, already fed up with the woman let alone exhausted from battle.

"Did you lose anyone?" he asked her. Her cheeks puffed out like a little chipmunk.

"No, but that's..." she tried to argue, but Mel-Darion shook his head.

"I have men both dead and wounded that defended your incompetent town. I have to spend my time now orchestrating the deceased return back to our home for proper burial because they deserved it." Mel-Darion towered over her, his body radiating a magical aura. Gideon and Rayne shared a glance before stepping in between them.

"Mel-Darion, let's see to those Warriors of yours. Perhaps share a prayer to help carry them on to the afterlife?" Gideon suggested, looking Mel-Darion straight in the face. The Elven prince glared at him before releasing a heavy and tired sigh, finally agreeing with the knight and walked off. Gideon glanced back over his shoulder toward Rayne before meshing in with the others.

"I understand that you are frustrated and possibly a little scared..." Rayne started to say until Valka interrupted her.

"I'm not afraid!" she nearly shouted, but Rayne could see the fear in the woman's eyes. She knew the look by now.

"I don't care, people still died today. You should be grateful it was not you or any of your citizens. We could have not been here when they arrived and killed you all off instead." Rayne didn't mean for it to be so blunt and straightforward, but she wanted to be honest with her. If not for them, their entire mining town would have been leveled by these bastards. Valka shut her mouth finally, contemplating her words carefully.

"Maybe ya right." she said at last, the red in her face finally fading away, "I guess when it all comes down to it, you all were the real heroes." she looked up at Rayne before gesturing toward the town, "I can offer ya a place to rest while the men deal with the fixin' up." she offered. Rayne looked around them, Elves finishing putting out smaller fires, wrangling in mounts that were coming out of their killer instincts. Away from the chaos wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"I'll take you up on it." she said before following Valka into the town. Most of the people had gone to sleep after the battle ended, grateful that their own lives were spared. Only a few remained at the outskirts, more so surveying the Elves putting their camp back together.

"Tell me, how did ya come across such a... refined bunch?" she asked as she lead her further in until her home came into view. Valka pushed aside the curtain of her doorway and made her way over to the small fireplace. After tossing in a few logs, she lit it and heat filled the space almost immediately. Rayne took a seat on the same bench Gideon had fallen asleep on earlier, the annoyed emotion she felt toward him evaporated.

"It was just supposed to be a quest to kill Xerath, but then all of this nonsense happened." Rayne sat back, letting the heat of the fire soak into her clothes and skin, warming her. Valka fumbled around in her den before coming back over and placed a blanket in Rayne's lap. She eyed the woman carefully, but after the rough sleep she had prior to the fight, she felt her body starting to give up on her.

"Xerath still lives? That slimy bastard." Valka cursed as she sat in a chair beside the fireplace, the flames dancing in her eyes.

"He's not all that evil like we thought he was. Which makes me wonder if all the stories we know are actually true." Rayne cocked her head, hearing a gentle breeze just outside the curtain, whistling softly against the stonework. Rayne felt her eyes growing heavy as she laid down on the bench, using a throw pillow and covered herself with a blanket. Compared to the hard ground outside, this wasn't all that bad. With the crackling fire, the wind and the soft pillow beneath her head, Rayne's eyes couldn't stay open any longer.

There was soft chirping as Rayne's eyes fluttered open. She could make out the light of dawn breaching below the curtain and the scent of smoke from the dying embers in the fireplace. Her body ached, but she finally felt well rested after what seemed like ages. As she sat up, the blanket fell away from her and the sound of scurrying feet catches her ears. She rose up quietly from the bench and peeked outside where others were gathering to start their day. A few Dwarves had pick axes on their shoulders heading toward the mine. Some others were pulling carts full of goods to sell at the market. They continued their lives like the night before never happened. If only she could move on the way they could.

The hissing came like a melody, twisting and winding its way through her ears and danced across her mind. It wasn't as threatening as it was before, applying some pain upon arrival. Now it was singing to her like a siren singing to a lonely sailor out at sea. This siren's song was directing her toward the stairs where she knew the box was waiting for her. She glanced back at the entrance, listening intently for approaching footsteps, but any that came close had quickly faded away in passing. She then focused her attention to the room as she ascended the stairs. She was careful with where she placed her feet as she got closer to the room at the top of the staircase. She didn't hear anything from the other side of the closed door, but she needed to be sure. If she did end up getting caught, it will have to look like she came to the room in hopes to find Valka.

She knocked on the door twice and waited. Nothing.

"Valka?" she called out her name, knocking once more, but again received no response. Rayne twisted the knob slowly, glad that it wasn't locked and pushed the door open. She listened to the familiar creak in the hinges as she opened the door completely to an empty room. It was just like in her dream, aside from the missing ax Valka carried with her. Rayne's eyes settled on the shelf across from her, finding the same small box in the exact position as what she dreamed of. The music in her head grew slightly louder as she approached the box.

"Can I help ya?" Valka's voice boomed from behind her, surprisingly startling Rayne. She was so in tuned with the music in her head, she didn't hear Valka come up behind her. Rayne settled her shoulders, subsiding her racing heart for a moment.

"I was looking for you, my apologies." Rayne said right away, her eyes falling back onto the box, "I would lie and say I wasn't going to browse, but that would go against some code as a mercenary." Rayne gestured to the box on the shelf. Valka's eyes darkened as Rayne pointed it out to her, a troubled look on her face. She crossed the room, taking the box off of the shelf. She ran her fingers over it carefully.

"My family has had this damned box for generations." she walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "No matter how many times I tried to get rid of it, it always returned here." she flipped the lid to the box open and a look of horror painted her face.

"What is it?" Rayne asked her as she stepped closer and managed to take a glance inside the box. It was empty.

"I don't get it. It was here." Valka jumped off of her bed and started looking around the room, tossing objects aside frantically. Rayne managed to dodge several books and a small hammer before she was able to get back to the doorway.

"What was?" Rayne asked her, though she already knew. The scroll within that box had disappeared. The melodic hissing sang to her again as if confirming her suspicions she started to have.

Of course there is no scroll now. It did its job. It found me.