After the tour, Rayne t up with Julian after settling Kendra and Emily in. It was already fully dark when she ca ho.
"Hey, I was just about to go looking for you", said Julian.
Rayne nodded, "I went around to show Kendra and her daughter around. They needed the distraction."
"The scouts gave a detailed explanation of what happened. I can imagine it will take so ti before they can fully process what happened", sighed Julian.
He proceeded to tell her the details of what the scouts found and how the bodies had similar bulged veins as Damien's other n.
Rayne shook with anger, hearing how these people went to not only steal from these innocent people, but also kill them!
"What are they planning on doing with so many people?" she asked.
Just feeding so many people would be an impossible task; she couldn't fathom how they had so many resources to spare.
Julian folded his hands. "Damien is building an army. He's planning to train up all of the able-bodied people and drugging the rest. Once he feels like he has enough, he's going to release them all to begin 'claiming' his kingdom."
"Claiming his kingdom? Is he a child?" asked Rayne. She was taken aback by this reasoning, it sounded so childish that she couldn't believe it was true.
"I rember his father having a similar dream. Except in our youth, Damien used to joke about it saying his father had a few screws loose. Now he's the one leading the charge."
Julian leaned back as he tried to make sense of things. He was also unsure of how soone could beco so obsessed with such an idea.
Rayne walked over and sat down beside him. "Whatever his reasoning, he needs to be stopped. Innocent people like Jimmy are getting killed every day. We need to do sothing, and soon."
Julian stayed quiet, but agreed with her. If Damien wasn't stopped soon, he would end up getting too big and too strong for them to stop later on.
"I have a crazy idea on how to find him", he finally said, looking at her.
"How?"
"We get captured, like the others. They'll bring us to the base, and we can find him once we're inside", he explained.
Rayne looked at him, surprised by the bold idea! She thought about it, comparing it to other thods, and felt that his idea was the best way in.
"Okay. Let's do it!" she looked at him with determination.
Julian's heart welled up with warmth. He didn't want her to do sothing so risky, but she was the only one with a magical ability that would turn the tide while they were inside Damien's territory.
"Thank you, Rayne", he leaned over, placing his head on her shoulder.
They cuddled in silence, allowing each other to enjoy each other's touch.
Ten minutes later, Julian sat up and held her.
"Before we go, there's sowhere I would like to take you."
"Where?" she asked softly.
"It's a surprise. I'll take you there tomorrow", he smiled.
She reached over and squeezed his hand before letting out a big yawn.
Julian stood up and scooped her up into his arms. "Co, let's get so sleep. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."
-
That night, Kendra lay down on the bed with her daughter.
The room was cool, and the sheets were soft and comfortable. She looked around the dimly lit room, admiring how clean yet simple it was.
She knew that this room was a temporary place for them to stay, but if their new room was even half as nice as this one, she would be more than content.
"Mommy, can we stay here?" Emily's sleepy voice rang out beside her.
Kendra smiled at her daughter, patting her gently, "Yes. This is our ho now."
"I want to play with the cows tomorrow," yawned Emily.
"Yes, we can play with the cows as much as you like." Kendra wiped the tears from her eyes.
She looked at the stars through the small window, "Jimmy, we're safe now. Rest easy, our daughter will grow up well".
---
The next morning, everyone woke up to a much-welcod rain shower.
It didn't last long, but everyone still ran outside to feel the water on their skin.
Rayne dragged Julian out to join in the fun, running around happily and jumping in small puddles.
"You look like a little kid", he laughed, watching her jump from puddle to puddle.
"When was the last ti we had rain? It must have been before the cold snap!" Rayne smiled.
Rain was good news, granting the parched earth a drink of water. It only lasted for a few hours, vanishing before the sun fully rose.
"This is good news. If it can rain, wildlife can survive!" cheered Rayne.
Before she could have a fill of her fun, the rain stopped and the sun ca out, quickly evaporating the puddles and drying out the ground.
-
An hour later, Rayne ca back out and frowned.
"It's so hot and dry out, I would have never guessed that it just rained!"
"Well, at least now we can install that solar panel on the rec center", said Julian, laughing at her pouting face. "Oh, and get ready. After I'm done helping with the install, I want to take you sowhere."
Rayne nodded, "Okay! I'm excited!"
She walked around and t with Ella and so of the other ladies who were in the cooking pavilion. Everyone was chatting while enjoying a cup of coffee in the shade.
Most of the conversations revolved around the rain this morning, and everyone was in agreent that it was a good on.
"Rayne, let's go painting at the rec center later today!" Ella grabbed Rayne's hand and looked at her expectantly.
"Aww, I'd love to, but Julian said he was taking sowhere today."
"Where? Tell !", Ella jumped up and down.
Rayne laughed and shook her head, "I actually don't know. He said it was a surprise, and I'm eager to see where he takes !"
"Lucky! Noah's so busy every day that he only has ti to hang out at night. Hopefully one day we can also go on a trip sowhere!", said Ella.
"I'm sure he will! Be patient, the world is still dangerous, he's most likely hesitant due to this", comforted Rayne.
They chatted a while longer until Rayne saw Julian approaching from a distance.
"Okay, I'm heading out! See ya later."
"Tell all about it when you're back! I'll co find you", giggled Ella, giving Rayne a teasing smile.
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