Chapter Fourteen

The lush green scenery greeted them when they left the city, Varian and Qwell leading the duo safely through. All the while the twins chattered to one another, Gideon and Rayne had settled on silence. After their early morning activity, the atmosphere between them was awkward to say the least. Gideon kept his gaze on the surrounding forestry, but his thoughts kept returning to just hours before. He mentally shook himself from the sinful thoughts, but his body was not waived so easily. He risked a glance her way, her face shrouded in darkness from her hood. She returned to a cold, distant self as soon as she clothed herself, but what should it matter to him? He was all too familiar with this sort of behavior back at the Kingdom, why should things matter with her?

He swung his eyes back out to the forest when the thoughts of her body drifted through his mind. Part of a tree shifted out of place, making him focus on it more and witnessed a pair of hazel colored eyes staring back at him. His hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword, not removing his sight from this unknown being spying on them. The creature's hand reached around the trunk, it's arm covered in leaves and moss. As it continued to show itself, Gideon finally was able to see the leaves and moss surrounding the curious eyes. The creature's eyes shined for a moment, and Gideon felt a calmness toward the unknown being. He released his sword slowly, his body relaxing. The tree-like being stepped out from behind the tree fully, and walked closer to the group without hesitation, it's slender form covered with leaves and moss, but walked with grace. Varion and Qwell paused in their discussion, turning toward the creature as it closed the distance between them. Rayne's horse huffed suddenly, signaling her that something was off and Rayne finally took notice of the twin's lack of conversation and glimpsed in the direction they were distracted by and stared in wonder as this creature stopped just a few feet away from them, holding its gaze with Gideon.

"What is the Dryad doing?" Qwell asked curiously, standing just behind his twin brother. Rayne looked between Gideon and the Dryad, steering her horse closer and snapped her fingers in front of his face, but he didn't flinch.

"She charmed Gideon." she stated, reaching into a small pouch she tied up to the saddle and pulled out what appeared to be a pendant with a green, round stone. She turned back to Gideon, but the voice from the Dryad stopped her.

"He has come..." the feminine, elvish accent took them by surprise, "The Darkness is stirring..." she slowly reached out with her hand, palm facing up. Vines sprouted from her palm, spiraling and shaping until it took shape. The vines formed three circles and triangle in the very center. Rayne's chest tightened at the sight of the symbol. The vines slowly receded back into her palm. She reached up and placed her hand on Gideon's, "Be wary of shadows..." she removed her hand, lowering her gaze from his. Gideon suddenly inhaled deeply, blinking rapidly with a confused look on his face. Rayne took the opportunity to reach out with the pendant, passing it over Gideon's head and let it settle around his neck. He looked down at it.

"What happened? We were leaving..." he looked over to the Dryad who slowly backed away from them, "Everything is blank to me, but someone was talking." he continued to watch her until the forest embraced her once more and she was gone from their sights.

"You understood what she was saying?" Qwell asked, stepping out from behind Varian.

"That can't be. Dryad are Fae beings. Aside from their own language, they can speak Elvish to." Varian scratched his head. Gideon looked between the twins.

"Why does that matter?" he asked, and Rayne looked at him, her hands gripping the reins. This atmosphere caused discomfort in her horse, making him shift uncomfortably.

"It was a warning," she turned back to Qwell and Varian, "I can take us the rest of the way. You need to return to Adkas and Mel and explain what just happened here." she commanded, and the twins were not the type to argue with her. They nodded in sync, bowing to Gideon before running off, the forest swallowing them up. Gideon scratched his beard, still feeling a little confused about what was happening when Rayne kicked her stallion's hips, setting him into a gallop. He repeated her action with his mare, following close behind her.

"Winters, can you tell me what's happening?" he asked her, but she didn't respond. He was used to her shutting him out when she was thinking, but this felt different to him. He couldn't explain it yet, but something seemed off about this, and it seemed to be bothering her. He made his horse pick up speed until he was riding alongside of her, reached over and snagged her reins right from her hands. She gasped, their horses slowing down until they stopped completely. She swiveling her head around toward him.

"What the Hell, Ryder?" she asked, but he was glaring at her, holding her reins close to him.

"You're going to tell me what's going on. No more secrets."

"Just because we fucked, I have to spill my heart out to you?" she spat at him, causing him to flush lightly, but maintain composure.

"I'm not asking for your heart, idiot. That symbol she showed us disturbed you in a way, I know it did. If it's going to effect your way of thinking, I need to know what the plan of action is." he shouted at her. She was taken aback by his raised voice, but she didn't back down. He threw her reins at her, running his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily. "You need to understand that there is more at stake now than we realized. Does that symbol belong to Ravnyk?" he asked, and she dropped her gaze from his. This confirmed it for him. He looked away from her, thoughts running through his head of what the possibilities could be when she finally spoke up.

"The fact that the Dryad knew is a bad sign. The fog here keeps this forest and those who inhabit it protected, which is why normal travelers can't pass through here without guidance." she said, and he shrugged.

"What does that have to do with it?"

"He knows what's going on inside of here. He's watching. Waiting." she looked around the forest, but only trees stood around them. Gideon peered around as well, feeling an uneasiness in his stomach.

"I want to discuss a thought with you, but not until we reach Xerath's mountain. I no longer feel safe here." he said, and Rayne nodded, snapping her reins and returned her horse into a gallop once more. Gideon stayed close by, the air between them filled with silence, but the awkwardness was replaced with worry, paranoia, and fear.

The fog cleared up as Rayne lead Gideon out of the forest, the afternoon sun radiating above them. He sighed happily at its warmth, letting it soak into his skin. He looked ahead of them, no road leading out to the grassy meadows that stretched so far east that there seemed to be no end to it. He looked to the north, along the tree line and noticed the faint outline of the mountain that was their destination. He still felt that uneasiness in his gut that just wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried.

"If we put our horses to work, we should get to the mountain by dusk." Rayne said, drawing his attention to her. She had pulled the map out, running her fingers along the parchment as she spoke. His eyes lingered on her slender fingers and slowly moved up to her still covered face where he remembered the feel of her soft lips the other night. She rolled up the map, tucking it away and looked over to him, "Quit leering at me already." she snapped, and Gideon raised a brow at her. She's been awfully moody so far today, and it was starting to get under his skin. He removed his gaze from her, snapping his reins and pressed his heels hard into his horse's hips, causing her to take off into a full sprint. Rayne watched his back as he took off, her stallion not needing the same guidance again, took off after him.

Dust and grass kicked up behind them as they grew closer and closer to the mountain. A chill brushed against his cheeks as flurries slowly descended upon them. He brought his reins back, halting his horse and glanced up at the graying sky.

"That's odd. It was beautiful just a minute ago." he muttered, Rayne pulling up alongside of him, her hand extending out, snowflakes gracefully falling into her palm and melting away.

"It is strange. It might be magic." she suggested, and they pushed their horses back into gear. But as they approached the mountain, the weather turned for the worst and before they knew it, a blizzard had formed. Visibility was low and the winds blew in every direction. Gideon tried to inhale, but the harsh wind cut him short of breath. He felt his horse shake beneath him, snow piling up around her legs.

"We need to find cover before we get buried alive!" Gideon shouted to Rayne. She looked over to him, confusion written on her face. She can't hear him. He looked toward the mountain, straining his eyes through the thick snowflakes and heavy winds when he noticed a dark area near the foot of the mountain. He waved to her, pointing in that direction and forced his horse forward, Rayne followed his lead.

Arriving at the base, a cave entrance greeted them and Gideon ushered his horse inside with Rayne close behind him. They gasped and panted, looking outside as the blizzard ravaged away.

"That's powerful magic." Gideon coughed, trying to catch air now that snow wasn't pelting his face.

"There's more to come, I'm sure." Rayne dismounted, patting down her horse and whispering to him. She leaned against the wall of the cave, listening to the wild wind as Gideon sat down next to her.

"We'll rest a moment before moving forward. We'll need every ounce of strength to take down Xerath." he said, and pulled out a small pouch of rations and handed it to Rayne. She put up her hand, pushing it back toward him, "You need to eat." he forced it into her lap and rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes. He listened to her open the pouch and eat as quietly as possible.

"Gideon," she spoke softly and he looked over to her, "what if we're wrong?" she asked him.

"About?" he rested his head back again, closing his eyes.

"What if Xerath isn't the enemy?" she asked him, and he sighed lightly.

"If my King says he is, then he is."

"That's it? Your King tells you someone is evil, and that is your way of thinking to?" she asked him, and he brought a knee up, resting an arm over it.

"That's how it goes. I'm loyal to my King, so if he declares that there is an evil that needs to be erased from this world, I will do so." he said.

"That sounds more like a God telling you that than a King." she said, and Gideon opened his eyes, "but you have a conscious of your own. What is your thought?" she asked him, but he didn't answer. He felt her gaze on him as he rummaged through his mind for an answer.

"I never thought about it, to be honest. I always did what I was told, I never argued." he finally said, drumming his fingers against his knee, "Then again, no one has asked me that either."

"I'm asking you now. I want to know." she said to him, and he looked down at her. She was looking back at him with those fierce green eyes, and he was struck.

"After everything that has happened up until now, I feel my heart questioning my own judgement," he looked away from her as he continued, "for instance, the village. They sent out for help, but didn't receive any. I'd understand if the messenger died on the road before they got the chance to deliver the message, but there were no patrols." he stopped as the thought hit him and he climbed to his feet.

"What is it?" she asked him, rising to her feet as he paced in front of her.

"Since I've been a knight, I had access to all of the patrols in and out of the Kingdom, that all of the villages north of the Castle," he folded his arms, his brows knitted together, "there should have been patrols once a day to keep the roads safe for travelers, especially with the Dark Lord sending his minions out." he looked over to Rayne who was still watching him. "There would have been no way for Ignaar and his men to stop the Kingdom's soldiers from getting remotely suspicious of their activity, and it was happening for a month or so, right?" he questioned the last part. Rayne looked outside, the storm not letting up even once.

"Go on." she encouraged him.

"At some point, the King must've stopped sending patrols that way," he paused in his step, "that also means that those other villages probably haven't seen patrols either." he cursed under his breath, turning his back to her and punched the wall. He felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest when her hand appeared on his hand that hit the wall. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and she was looking back.

"Now you see why I asked you who the real enemy is?" she asked, taking his hand from the wall and placed it against his chest. He felt the warmth of her small hand sink into his, soothing him.

"It is suspicious that he did it, but Xerath still outweighs him in the enemy factor." he said, and she released his hand.

"I don't think it was your King that did it. I believe there is a darker influence taking hold." she said, walking back over to her horse and gathered up the reins.

"Are you saying Ravnyk might be influencing him?" he asked her, but she didn't respond. She kept her back to him, rubbing her horse's nose.

"I'm saying that it is a definite possibility." she finally said, clicking her tongue and walked deeper into the cave. Gideon looked after her as she walked into the darkness.