Carrying a stack of folded sheets in her hands, Ray trailed behind Annabelle like a duckling tending to various chores in the house. While they were snowed in, she had been helping where she could in appreciation of Serane and Alec for their hospitality. She helped cook during meal times and cleaned the many rooms of the home, dusting, sweeping, and mopping them. Not a day went by without a bed being made or the table being set. A few afternoons, Alec had invited her to go hunting with him in the nearby woods so she could keep up with practice with her bow. He even gave the girl a few tips for improvements here and there, giving pointers on aiming and when to release.
That afternoon, they ventured back with a rope strung with only two rabbits for a stew that Ray wanted to cook that evening for supper. She snuck glances at Alec in the corner of her eye, feeling small next to the tall, platinum capped man with an icy gaze. Discovering his status as a god had not made her feel more comfortable in his presence.
She broke the silence, stammering over her words as they traveled the main road back towards Gurdon. "Mr Caine-"
"Alec," he answered back. "We are on a first name basis at this point. No need to be formal." His voice was calm and even, much like the air around them.
"Alec," Ray corrected herself. "I have a few questions to ask."
Alec said nothing in return, holding his reins loosely in his hands.
Ray took this as an opportunity to move forward. "How did you find out you were a god?"
"It is not as simple as someone finding out they are a god," he remarked. "They are chosen for such things by the gods themselves; thus, the Zarothar chose me. Gods cannot walk this plane without a host. All hosts are chosen because they can fulfill the god's purpose by taking on their power. Our awakenings are much more brutal and long than the normal awakenings."
Ray blinked, "I see…Why did the god choose you and not someone else?"
"We are all unique. Therefore, our calling is unique to each of us. Zarothar admired my strength, my need for balance, and my craving to bring order to others, thus giving me the central role of the sun in the heavenly realm. I promised to use his power wisely. Albranis appointed Zarothar to oversee the Solathar Kingdom, whose gates only opened with a golden jeweled key. When Albranis awakens, I am to go seek out Solathar and bring it back to its original power. It is part of my duty as a host," he answered.
"That sounds super important," Ray mused, breathing on her hands to warm them up.
"Every role of the gods and the seats of the king and queen are the most important parts of a kingdom," Alec continued. "Without every kingdom, there will be no balance to the lands, which is why the Kingdom of Zaniah must come to power before the others."
Ray began to wonder. "What was the Kingdom of Solathar like? Do you know?"
Alec's expression remained stoic. "It was much like Gurdon," he began. "The buildings were adorned with gold and golden gems. Crests of Zarothar were hung on each building along with banners of suns. The largest building was the Sunlit Castle, a castle constructed from sunstone bricks and featuring golden window frames and roofs. King Luxarion Embercrown and Queen Elara Solisara lived and ruled there. They were bright, intelligent people who found comfort in beginnings and kept well practice rituals during the solar events across Celestara. There was nothing more beautiful than the city of gold below. They called it Gurdon as well, hence the name of this town."
Ray's eyes widened. "Is Gurdon the original city below the keep?"
Alec shook his head. "No, the Gurdon you are staying at just carries the mythical name of the city itself. Gurdon and the Sunlit Castle were destroyed during the war with the gods of darkness. The host before me was killed, and the Kingdom of Solathar was no longer protected."
"So the gods protect the different kingdoms, then?" Ray asked.
"Correct," Alec answered. "The gods each represent one of the seven kingdoms. They are the guardians of that kingdom, and without them, the king and queen and their kingdoms will be unadvised and unprotected. It is critical that a god's host survives their awakening and remains alive for a long time afterwards. Gods are not immortal, but they do not age once chosen."
"So that's what Nimer meant when he said he'd kill a god," Ray said out loud and tapped her chin.
"Nimer has no business killing any gods except the hosts of the dark council to send them back to the hells," Alec said stiffly.
Questions were filling her to the brim as the streets of Gurdon came into view, and drawn from her thoughts at the sight of Jex and Nimer standing in the middle of the street, swords drawn. A smile embellished her face at the sight of Jex having fun, though worry hung on her brow. She turned to Alec. "Thank you for your wisdom. I think I understand things a little better now."
"I am happy to be of service," Alec answered.
Riding up into town, Alec stared at the two with their swords drawn with a frown. "I hope you two don't end up killing each other," he called to them as he slid off his horse, Ray doing the same. Stable hands were at their side in minutes to handle their horses and lead them to a dry, comfortable place.
The two men stared intently at each other, swords raised. Jex put on his best competitive face for Ray, ready to demolish Nimer. He felt prepared for a good fight, but still had a bit of doubt. From what he knew about the guide in front of him, Nimer was good with the blade. It was a matter of staying focused.
Jex lunged at him, the tip of his sword swinging through the air as the shorter man nimbly dodged. Nimer swiftly batted his sword aside and started to dance around the farm boy on his toes while Jex watched him intently. He tried to keep up with Nimer's speed, although his movements were slower than Nimer's. Quickly, Nimer thrust his sword at him, and Jex tried to block with his own sword, but the hit was brutal, and he felt his blade vibrate down to the handle, numbing his hands. In a flurry of strikes, Nimer stuck his blades against Jex's long sword, and it soon became too much to hold. Jex dropped his weapon and ended up with a blade to his throat.
Labored breaths tumbled from his mouth as he put up his hands with a quirky grin. "A-Alright, you win."
Nimer raised a brow, withdrawing his sword. "Don't challenge me until you are ready for defeat. I call that a lesson for the day."
Jex feebly picked up his blade as Ray approached them. He smiled sheepishly at her, and she shook her head with a smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Let's go inside for dinner," she said, holding up the rabbits strung to chords. "I'm making your favorite, my grandmother's rabbit stew."
"After a long lesson, that's just what I need," Jex answered, following her inside.
Nimer stood a moment, making sure the two had made it inside before wavering in his spot. His vision doubled, the buildings around him blurring into a runny color of white, red, and black. He groped about for support, staggering to a column and leaning against it. His knees buckled, and soon gravity took him to the ground, his swords falling into the snow.
Alec, having watched him from afar, approached him and glowered over his weakened frame. "You are still weak, Nimer. You know the necrosis won't improve if you push yourself. You should be taking it easy."
Nimer held his gut where the dagger had stabbed him. He could still feel where it had been like a thorn in his side. A guttural, hoarse cough escaped his mouth, and he hung his head. "We need to get going before they find us here. If they had been trained earlier, I wouldn't be crunching for time."
"I assure you, we are well equipped to fight the cult if they do find us. I suggest you take it easy. The snow will not melt any faster. You risk their lives and your own by pushing them towards the kingdom. You know that, Nimer," Alec scorned.
Nimer rose to his feet, wavering like a boat at sea while holding onto the column next to him. He reached in his coat and withdrew his brass flask and opened it, intaking some of the liquid while letting some drizzle from the corners of his mouth. As soon as he could feel the contents soothing his symptoms, he lowered the flask and gasped for breath and wiped his mouth with the cold leather of his sleeve. "I'm going to die sooner or later, whether I awaken or not. I'll take it easy then," he grumbled, glaring at Alec, then stuffing the flask away in his coat and retrieving his swords from the ground, he made his way back towards the main house.
They remained in Gurdon for a few more weeks before gathering enough supplies to last them on their journey onward. They needed enough to get them to the next town, a week away. Jex and Ray, having lost their original horses, were supplied with new ones to ride, much faster, agile steeds raised by Alec and his men. Caught in a pinch, they would have a quicker getaway from danger.
They had said their sad goodbyes to the people they had come to know over the weeks. Jex had come to put faith in their guide for direction, and through training over the weeks, though Ray remained wary of what was to come of them going forward. Nimer had said it would take a week's journey to the next town, where they would need to resupply with food and water at the very least. From experience so far, Ray was doubtful. But one thing they knew for sure was that they had to keep moving forward.