บท 5: Chapter 5
She sat out by the dead oak tree that continued to haunt her dreams. The same place she witnessed her mentor die by Ravnyk's very hands. It was cold this high up the mountain as she overlooked the valley below. A river winded through the valley until it faded into the horizon where the sun was nearly above it. She let out a sigh, her breath a white fog before her eyes. It had been a few weeks since she had been rescued from Ravnyk's clutches, but she still didn't feel out of danger yet. Lately a voice had been whispering in her ear from time to time, building up the doubt she felt toward the others that accompanied her here. Mainly Gideon. It was just minor things at first, and she had typically ignored them until the voice wrapped itself around her mind and squeezed it. She can feel its presence even now, waiting for her day to begin.
"You're up early." a silky voice broke Rayne away from her thoughts, drawing her to the red skinned woman that approached. Even with the chilly air, she still wore her black leggings and a black corset like it was Spring. Then again, the cold probably never bothered her considering what she was. Vixen took a seat beside her, looking out over the valley in silence. Her presence was refreshing since Gideon had been hovering over her after she declared to go to Barboulder to stop Ravnyk's forces. She understood his concern, but she didn't want it. She wanted her strength and confidence back so she can slaughter Ravnyk like the monster that he was.
"Are you okay?" Vixen suddenly asked her. Rayne looked at the woman's profile, her tattoos still as vibrant on her skin like she had then freshly done.
"I'm weak and I can't stand it." Rayne found herself admitting the truth to her. She tugged her close tighter around her as a light breeze came through, rustling the branches above them.
"I understand. What he did to you was awful. I never wish that upon anyone, and I've seen what darkness can do personally." Vixen said, sadness in her silver eyes. "We'll get him, Rayne. Gideon and Xerath are going to be heading out to meet with Lord Adkas this morning to gain their aid." Vixen reminded her. That was right. She practically argued with Gideon about going with, but he wanted her to heal instead. How can she focus when they brought her to the one place that brought her nightmares?
"I need to train. I can't stand this anymore." Rayne forced herself to her feet, feeling them tremor beneath her. Vixen joined her, bouncing as she walked side by side.
"I can help if you'd like." she offered as they took the stone path that wrapped around the temple. Rayne studied the building, the fire from so long ago nearly erased from history.
"How so?" Rayne asked her, her toe catching on a loose stone. She dropped to her knees, her palms scrapping against the stones. She groaned. punching the loose stone only to cut up her knuckles instead. Vixen grabbed under her arm to help her stand back up, but Rayne pushed her away.
"Don't!" Rayne shouted at her, startling the woman. Vixen's plump lips formed a thin line, stepping away from Rayne. Rayne rubbed her face, "I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help." she said, feeling a slight stinging sensation behind her eyes. She forced the tears back down, refusing to show anymore weakness than she already did. Vixen stepped back into her space, but refrained from reaching out to her again.
"Like I said, I want to help you. Once the boys leave, we'll figure out a training regimen." Vixen planned out for her when they followed the path inward to the courtyard of the temple where a large oak tree stood proudly. The fire had left it jntouched after all this time. Rayne stopped in front of it, lowering herself down to her knees before it and clasped her hands together. Vixen stopped talking as she witnessed Rayne silently. Her mentor had told her that this was a sacred tree, now she understood why. Not even Ravnyk's flames could scorch it, let alone burn it to cinders. It's leaves were still as red and vibrant as ever as the sun shined gracefully on them. Rayne shut her eyes, focusing on the wind rustling the leaves above her, sending them into their own dance. She prayed for hope. She prayed for salvation. She prayed for strength.
Only in darkness will you find your strength.
Rayne's eyes shot open, the tree blurry in front of her. When she blinked, she felt moisture running down her cheeks. She gazed up at the tree, wondering where that voice came from when footsteps approached from around the other side of the tree.
"Rayne?" Gideon called over to her, stopping when he spots her kneeling on the ground and rushes over, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked urgently. She stood up slowly, ignoring his questions as she continued to stare at the tree. What did it mean?
"I think she's having some nostalgia." Vixen said, prying his fingers from Rayne's arms, "Stop treating her like a broken doll already." Vixen snapped at him, surprising them both. Gideon hesitated, but slowly dropped his hands back to his sides.
"Xerath and I are heading to Arakhora now." he cleared his throat, adjusting his sword on his hip. Rayne wiped her face, forcing her attention away from the tree and nodded.
"Right. Give Adkas my regards." she told him and he gave a firm nod before turning and walking away.
"He looks like a wounded puppy. I've never seen him act like that before." Vixen mentioned as she walked with Rayne again in the other direction that would take them to the kitchen.
"How so?" Rayne asked curiously. She knew that her and Gideon had created a bond while at Xerath's, but how much does she really know about the knight exactly?
He only pities you. They all do.
The voice from weeks ago slithered back into her mind, forming a light throbbing sensation in the back of her head. She rubbed the spot, hoping it would go away, but it throbbed defiantly. Rayne side eyed Vixen as they walked together. What did this woman have to gain while being with her? She could have bolted from the Kingdom since she couldn't be mind controlled by Ravnyk, yet she stayed behind and waited for them to arrive instead. She even knew about Xerath's true intentions on stopping Ravnyk.
"I'm sure you've heard him flirt with a woman or two. He's a charmer. A man whore really, yet when I came across him in his room, he looked worried for you. Scared even." Vixen's face dropped, "The face he made when you died on that table, it broke my heart." she admitted. They stepped into the small kitchen where a fireplace was built into a stone wall, a pot already set up above the flames. Shelves stood tall on each side holding a variety of ingredients Vixen had hunted for or grew in her garden. Rayne spotted over by the window across from her where three dead rabbits and two dead pheasants. Rayne sat down at a small square table off to the side of the room while Vixen got to work on making breakfast.
"I told him before that nothing good will come to him while being with me." Rayne stretched her arms above her head, "Now, can we please discuss about my training instead of men?"
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Rayne stood in the old make shift training ground with Vixen and Xerath's guardian. Rayne was still hesitant around the creature after it made her blind in her left eye. Vixen somehow managed to convince the beast to train with Rayne in hopes to get her fighting in battle again. Yet when she was speaking to it, something odd happened to Vixen. When she faced Rayne once more, a third eye appeared on her forehead that was definitely not there before.
"Why are you staring?" Vixen asked her, then when all three of her eyes blinked, she groaned loudly, "Out of everything, why give me a third eye?" she cursed to the open air.
"I'm assuming this is supposed to happen?" Rayne asked her as Vixen spoke with the guardian, having it stand in the center of the arena.
"Yes and no. My magic is sort of on the wild side." Vixen smiled weakly at her.
"Wild side?" Rayne asked again, not sure what she meant by that. Vixen looked around nervously.
"Whenever I use certain spells, my magic tends to just act out spontaneously and weird things happen to me. Well, they could be weird like right now, or good at times or even really bad. I just never know until I cast something." she explained.
"That sounds rough." Rayne told her, mentally telling herself she was glad she didn't possess and inert magical abilities. Vixen only shrugged though, moving away from the two.
"It's all fun and games until you get a spell that sends a ball of fire directly on you." Vixen said, clapping her hands together, "Now, this is just training. No harm will be done to either opponent. First let's begin with getting your strength back." Vixen snapped her fingers and the guardian stepped closer to Rayne, lifting up a hand over her head. She waited for it to drop down, but it held steady. Rayne reached up with both of her hands like she was holding up its arm. Then the guardian released the tension in its arm, the weight above her going from light to dead in a matter of seconds. She yelled out as she collapsed to the ground.
"What the Hell was that?" Rayne shouted as she struggled back to her feet.
"Do you want me to take it easy on you?" Vixen asked her with all three of her silver eyes blinking in turn now. Rayne grumbled to herself, brushing the dirt off of her clothes before getting in position again. This time she shifted her feet so they were lined up with her shoulders, her arms above her head again as she felt its arm press against her palms. Suddenly it released its weight upon her once more, but this time she was ready. Or at least she thought she was. She crashed against the ground once more. She punched the dirt, yelling in frustration as she climbed back to her feet.
"Again!" she shouted, positioning herself below the arm and repeated the sequence. She continued to fail. Each time believing she had the right amount of force in her body, the creature's weight would quickly overpower her and send her into the ground each time. This went on for another thirty minutes before Vixen snapped her fingers and the guardian moved away from Rayne. She laid on the ground feeling far more exhausted than she wished to say.
"Would you like to take a break now?" Vixen asked her as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the slightly cloudy sky.
"No, what's next on the list?" Rayne asked her. Her strength will either have to wait or Vixen will have to switch out the guardian for something a bit more manageable. Vixen extended out her hand to her, and Rayne took it, groaning along the way to her feet.
"Endurance." Vixen told her, whistling to the guardian as she lead them both away from the training ground. Endurance shouldn't be that bad, right?
Rayne's legs screamed beneath her, begging to collapse as she ran through the valley. The tall grass made it difficult to see the uneven ground she ran on. She would stumble, trip and fall, but she continued to run. The guardian kept pace at her side while Vixen sat on its shoulder. She had been running for another thirty minutes or so, but it seemed like an eternity.
"Water break!" Vixen yelled out, pointing toward the river. Rayne slowly came to a walk, but that was a mistake. She collapsed in the tall grass, her thighs and calves aching and throbbing. She could hear the rushing over rthe water and she crawled toward it as she was unable to bring herself to her knees.
When she broke through tall grass, she was met by soft grass and pebbles that formed the bank of the river. She crawled just a bit further until she was able to put her face into the water. The freezing liquid cooled her overheating face, numbing it. She pulled back out with a gasp as Vixen joined her at her side.
"How do you feel?" Vixen asked her as she sat beside her, the guardian keeping watch. Rayne shifted around until her boots dipped into the water now.
"My legs feel like they are on fire." She complained. It wasn't like her to complain like this so much, but right now she couldn't help it. What would Gideon tell her right now if he saw her like this? Would he continue to baby her or would he encourage her like he had before when she lost her sight?
"It looks like we should work on your endurance first. From there we can get your agility back to full gear." Vixen was playing with the grass as she spoke.
"What's in it for you?" Rayne asked out of the blue. Vixen stopped, but she didn't look at her. Rayne forced herself to sit up, ignoring the pain in her chest and looked at Vixen's face. Her silver eyes that normally sparkled with mischief was dark and grey.
"I told you about my history before. I made a lot, and I mean a lot of mistakes until I found a path that would accept me and forgive me and help me start from scratch." Vixen's raven hair blew in the gentle breeze, "If not for him, I'd still be wandering this world, causing chaos wherever I went. I owed it to him, and so I told myself I'd begin to help others rather than hurt them." Vixen swept her gaze over to Rayne, "When you came into my shop, you were the first person to ever show me such kindness, though it was small to you, it was a great deal to me. So, I wanted to return the favor." she finally smiled fully. Rayne inclined her head thoughtfully before looking at the water. Tiny waves rippled and swayed against the bankment.
"Vixen, I think something is reaching out to me. Something evil." she turned her gaze to the demon woman, "How do I made it stop?"
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