Burnt and torn, the three took refuge in a town some days away by the name of Gurdon, which they came to know as the city of gold. The aura of the town was peaceful. Light chimes of bells reverberated through the streets, rung by the light wind. Some of the elements of the town were strange and foreign like the distinct lack of defined doors about the buildings, replaced with sliding ones.
Ray, Jex, and Nimer lay in beds recuperating in the main house of the town, belonging to Alec, the Golden Dragon. Jex and Ray were housed together while Nimer was alone in a different room. Busy hands aided them in recovery, hoping for the best despite chances appearing slim for some. The only thing that would bring peace to them was time.
Ray's hand clutched the loose shirt they had dressed Jex in days before, Her face buried in his chest and her eyes shut and crusted over from her tears. Jex's wound had been washed and bandaged to cover the swelling. He was showing signs of recovery, for the swelling had gone down since his arrival. Ray would not let him go, not this time, not ever again. She had sworn on her life. She never wanted to see him in such peril again. Ray stirred from another horrid dream, her nose wrinkling and knees moving closer to her chest. Her eyes slid open.
The room was left just how it was when she had arrived.
Dark wood flooring covered the bottom of the room and the walls were a light tan. Oils of trees marked with wax seals adorned the walls. The only natural light was through wax papering of a dark wood framed door. Her tired eyes narrowed on a small golden bell strung from the ceiling with a paper charm attached to it, sprawled on with a language she could not recognize. Her gaze fell to the cold bowls of stew left untouched on the side table. If Jex was not conscious to eat, she would refuse to eat as well.
Ray rubbed her nose with a slight sniff, pulling the blankets over herself and Jex. She stared in a daze, lulling over his jaw line again and again and counting each whisker there. Her slender hand dragged across his chest, feeling its way down his arm where she laced her fingers with his, giving his hand a light squeeze.
"You're safe now," she uttered. The feeling of a light squeeze back caused her to shoot up in bed, her eyes darting to Jex's face. "Jex?"
Jex gasped lightly followed by a light groan. He sounded like a beast waking from hibernation. The muscles in his face twitched and his head turned to the side.
"Jex!" Ray barked, reaching up and slowly turned the boy's face toward her. "Are you awake, Jex?"
Jex gave a pained expression. A single, uncovered eye opened in a daze, staring at Ray, his vision blurry for a moment till it had focused on every aspect of her face.
"Ra-"
The boy could barely mutter a word before Ray had pressed her lips on his, a single tear sliding down her face. Ray released, wrapping her arms around and him quietly sobbed.
"I thought I lost you," she weeped.
Jex, though weak, slid his arms around her in return. "Well, lucky for you, I was found. I will admit. I was lost for a while," he answered, his voice hoarse and rough.
Ray couldn't help but smile. No matter what, Jex had always been Jex in any situation. She would always thank him for that. Her eyes thick with tears locked with his. "I'm just so glad you're okay…" she mused and used her arm to wipe her eyes. "Those men, they hurt you. How?" she urged, her hand falling over his bandages. "They've probably left a scar on your handsome face."
Jex took Ray's hand with care. "Ray...those shards...They're dangerous, Ray. He killed a man using them. He made me watch."
"The shard? They used it on you?"
"They have some power to awaken people or something," Jex answered, attempting to sit up with Ray's help. His body felt like lead and his joints rusty hinges. He found a resting spot against the wall at the head of the bed. "I will say, it's the most pain I've ever felt."
Ray studied his movements, her fingers lacing with his once more. "I know about the awakenings. Nimer told me before we went looking for you." Tears welled in her eyes once more, blurring her vision.
"What is it?" Jex asked.
Ray shook her head, tossing her unbraided hair about her shoulders. "He's a dirty liar, but...he saved me. He did nothing but and I hate him for it," she pouted, rubbing her nose. "I owe him so much."
Jex reached up with a feeble attempt to wipe her eyes clean. He shushed her gently. "Don't cry about it. Speak of the devil, where is he?"
Ray broke into a bawl. "I fear he might be dead. He got stabbed, Jex. They were beating him and torturing him for information about the kingdom. I...I just don't know."
Jex took immediate action, drawing the girl into a hug. She soiled his shirt with her tears. It took long minutes to calm her. He felt sorry for her and all he had done to get them into this mess. "It's going to be alright, Ray. We can forget this and everything. Let's go home Ray, okay?"
Ray tried to calm herself, drawing deep breaths. Shaking her head, she pulled away from him. "I don't think that's possible at this point, Jex. You've already been exposed to the shard. No telling what it could do to you."
"What do you mean, Ray? Those men have the shard."
"Nimer said exposure to the shards will tear your soul apart. You'll awaken Jex."
Jex placed a hand on her cheek. "You also said Nimer is a liar. What do you believe, Ray?"
Ray studied his face. She opened her mouth to answer when a light knock on the door drew both their attention.
"Come in!" Ray called, quickly rubbing her face and nose to appear presentable.
The door opened, a tall, slender woman stepping in adorned in robes of rich reds, golds, and purples. Her golden hair was done up in a bun with a ribbon threading through it. A few strands of curled hair hung in her face. Her green eyes appeared hollow and mysterious.
"I do apologize for intruding," she said, her voice fine and regal. "I could not help but overhear someone weeping from the other room." The woman's gaze locked with Ray's. Stepping into the room, she moved out of the way to allow a shorter girl to enter.
Her golden, blonde, wavy hair tumbled about her shoulders to the length of her middle back. She wore a fur lined coat over the calf length, black dress swaying around her legs. Her black boots covered the rest of her legs and were lined with fur as well. A look of sadness was strone across her face. She presented a bowl and a rag, her eyes, green as envy, locked on the ripples of the water.
"Annabelle, help our guests wash up and fetch them fresh food. I can only imagine how hungry they must be," the well dressed woman commanded.
"Yes, mother," Annabelle answered, walking into the room. After removing the bowls of food from the side table, she placed the bowl of water she carried on its surface. She removed her coat and rolled up the long sleeves of her dress, dipping the rag into the water. She handled Ray's hands first, running the rag over her hands and up her arms with care. She did the same for Jex, carefully cleaning his hands and doing a thorough job.
The woman watched, calm and quiet till Annabelle left the room to fetch Jex and Ray their meals.
"I appreciate you letting her do that," she said, calmly. "With Nimer in the state he is in, it's taken a toll on her."
"How is he? Nimer, I mean," Ray asked.
The woman folded her hands in front of her. "He is recovering, slower than we would like. We can do nothing more but expect him to recover and heal him using our magic. He has always been strong and resilient and I know he would wish for you to think of him as so."
"That is a lot of expectation to place on him," Ray commented.
"He has been chosen for great promise. To see him perish would wound many. The role he plays in the future of the kingdoms is significant. We will not allow him to die easily," the woman answered, patting down her robes. "I should properly introduce myself. I am Serane, the high priestess of this temple and married to Zarothar, the god that runs it. If you still believe in the gods, as you should, he is the god of the sun and balance. Nimer has always been like a son to him, let alone a student. He has always been a son to me as well. To simply ignore his calling would disappoint us. Therefore we care for him as part of this family. I believe there has been a high promise placed on you two as well. Has Nimer told you of your calling?"
The two were a bit baffled and shook their heads.
"I see. I'd like to believe he was trying to protect you, not only from others but yourselves as well. Very well then," Serane stated.
"Can you tell us our calling?" Jex piped up.
Serane peered at the two, a mystifying gaze behind her emerald eyes. "Do you really want to know? It brings with it grave danger."
"Please," Ray said. "We've been in danger this whole time and he has kept so much from us. We deserve to know."
"Understandable. But you must not bring it to the forefront of your mind. If people were to know who can search your mind, it may lead you to be killed," Serane warned, then began the tale.
"Any that journeys to find the kingdom never comes back the same man, only the same at the core of who they are. All who have searched have awakened to great destined power, some even to power they themselves did not ask for, such as the awakening of gods. The kings and queens that ruled the kingdoms long ago have passed their souls through many generations since being sealed away in human form. The gods believe you two to be the souls of King Drakhorion Flamebane, the dragon king, and Queen Seraphina Emberwing, the phoenix queen of the Kingdom of Zaniah."
"The king and queen of Zaniah?" Jex gasped loudly. His voice was filled with great excitement.
"Yes," Serane said simply.
Ray knitted her brows and shifted uncomfortably. "There must be a mistake. Neither of us come from a royal line."
"It is just a hunch," Serane explained. "Nimer had asked for both of you to be sought out so he could confirm. The more you travel and seek the key and the shards, the more your powers will emerge and he can be sure of it. It is imperative with Ravathor awakening that the key to the Kingdom of Zaniah is found and the kingdom itself is brought back to power before he does. We are in a race against time."
"What will happen if we don't bring the kingdom back to power?" Ray asked, now worried more about what they had gotten themselves into.
"Balance will no longer exist in this world. The souls in the time of awakening will turn to darkness and the sins of dark gods. The power that lies in the kingdom may be used for destruction, and the prana the light gods have used to create Celestara may unravel," Serane announced, giving a look of pity to both Jex and Ray. "This is a heavy burden to place on both of you, even if we do not know you will awaken into the king and queen of the lost kingdom. It is more so a heavier burden for Nimer himself. He is doing everything in his power to make sure Ravathor does not awaken or find the pieces of the key."
Ray and Jex both exchanged glances, their heads whirling with the information. They did not know how to take it.
"What reason is there for us to continue our journey then?" Ray insisted. "If there is no certainty that we are the king and queen, we should be allowed to go home."
"It is a matter of people's lives and the age of awakening. The hells have opened and the gods of darkness seek out new hosts to walk our lands. You will die along with several others if we do not stop them," Serane admitted. "We are humbly asking for you to aid us."
"I'd like to help," Jex said, earning a look of concern shrouded in anger from Ray.
"Jex, if we are to awaken, I'd much rather do it from the comfort of our home. Not out in the wilderness," Ray pleaded.
But she was ignored.
"Ray, we have a greater calling than running farms. If we are the king and queen, think about it. We could change the course of the lands and help so many people," Jex said, placing his hand on Ray's hand.
Her hand curled into a tight ball beneath his. "I don't-" She cut herself short with a heavy sigh. "What if Nimer doesn't wake up? What will we do?" She turned to Serane. "What role does he play in this anyway?"
"For your safety and his, it would be best for him to tell you that information himself," Serane said calmly. "I understand the mistrust in others, but it is critical and puts you in more danger. We are just simply asking you to help us at this time."
Ray was silent, infuriated but silent. She felt Jex squeeze her fist and look at her with pleading eyes. She began to question many things in her head, but if it would make Jex happy, she would comply.
"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll help."