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Chapter Text

Rain flung itself down on the cobblestones, as if by force of effort it could smash them into pebbles. Lightning crackled from roiling clouds, striking the copper rods scattered around the castle and village, illuminating the sky in vistas of light and sound.

While the outside world was cold and wet, inside the castle was a different story. Callum enjoyed thunderstorms and didn’t want to miss the show, so he was keeping himself awake by doodling random things in his sketchbook. 

“Take that, marshmallow monster!” Callum said in a high pitched voice. He mimicked the sound of fire to match the image before him, of a small marshmallow man being roasted by a large, scaly dragon.

He grinned, proud of his silly drawing. Ez would love this.

A loud clap of thunder sounded, rattling the windows and doors in their frames. Callum jumped and in the next room over, he heard Ezran yelp as it woke him. 

“Callum!” Ezran squealed, clutching at his blankets.

“It’s okay, Ezran, just a thunderstorm, nothing to be afraid of. Go back to sleep.” Callum said.

“I wasn’t scared,” Ezran said huffily. “Bait was scared.” He laid back down, cuddling the grumpy glowtoad to his chest.

Callum settled back down and returned to his drawing when he heard a soft knock on the door that connected his room to the rest of the castle. He smiled, knowing there was only one person who would come in this late at night. 

“Come in, Rayla,” Callum called quietly, trying not to wake Ezran again.

He turned as she walked in, noticing the bags under her violet eyes and tear tracks that ran down her faded blue markings. Callum stood to hug her, gently stroking her silver hair and feeling her arms wrap around his torso.

“Another nightmare?” 

“Yeah.” Rayla mumbled into his shoulder. “It gets worse around the full moon, I think. Can I…”

“Of course.” Callum said, gesturing for her to sit on his bed as he pulled out the spare mattress he kept tucked away, adjusting the wrinkled bedding.

Rayla slid off his bed and under the covers on the mattress, sighing happily. Callum smiled, returning to his drawing. 

“Callum?” Rayla asked sleepily. “When you go to bed, can you sleep on the floor with me? To keep me company?”

“As you wish, Rayla.” Callum said, feeling himself flush. “Anything for you.”

… 

The rain continued its vendetta against the cobblestones until well into the afternoon, confining the trio indoors. Callum was mostly unperturbed, though Rayla and Ezran did not take well to being told to sit still. The pair spent most of the day running around the hallways, teasing Callum and the guards.

“Look, Callum! The clouds have parted a little! Can we go on a walk?”

“Ez, we really shouldn’t.” Callum sighed, rubbing his forehead, utterly exhausted from putting up with Ezran and Rayla’s cabin fever all day. “We don’t know if the storm will blow back over.”

“But Caaaaalllluuum.” Ezran whined, flopping back on the floor. “I found the most awesome place a few days ago, and I wanna show Rayla. You’ll like it too, it’s all magic-y and stuff. You could play with your rolly cube thing.”

Callum was tempted by the promise of magic, but he shook himself and kept arguing.

“Sure, but immediately after a storm is not the right time to go!” Callum objected, looking to Rayla for support. “Besides, we’re not allowed out without an escort, and there’s no way they’ll let us!”

“Eh, I dunno.” Rayla said thoughtfully, standing upside-down on her hands, her red skirt falling down around her chin. It was irritating her, good Moonshadow clothing never did that. “I reckon we could sneak out pretty easily, and I could be your escort. Gotta keep you princes out of trouble.”

Rayla vaulted head over heels, jumping into the air and landing upright on her bare feet. She almost executed it perfectly, but her hand bumped one of Callum’s piles of cluttered drawings, sending them fluttering into the air.

“You are no help !” Callum said, exasperated. 

“Oh, so you’re a goody-two-shoes now? What happened to the ten year old that dragged me on jelly tart heists every few days?” Rayla teased.

“Sneaking out of the castle and stealing a few jelly tarts are not the same thing, Rayla!” Callum objected.

“Please, Callum?” Ezran asked, lifting Bait into the air, as they flashed matching sparkle-eyed smiles.

Rayla sniggered, knowing that Ezran had deployed his mastercard. In all her time at Katolis, she’d never seen Callum hold out against the puppy-dog eyes. She could see the cogs turning in his brain, weighing the cuteness to sense ratio. Eventually he threw his hands in the air, conceding defeat.

“Fine. Fine!” Callum said. “But when we’re caught and get in trouble, you two are taking the blame.”

“Yay!” Ezran said, running into his side of the door to pull on his boots.

“Oh, so you’re coming with us now?” Rayla said teasingly. “Just a minute ago you were firmly opposed to any breaking of rules. You sure you didn’t secretly want to come?”

Callum flushed, turning away from her. “Well, someone’s got to keep you two in line.”

“Mhmm. I’ll go get my sword, then.”

… 

“I told you guys this was a bad idea!” Callum yelled over the pelting rain. They’d only made it half an hour out of the village before the storm had blown back in. It had barely been five minutes and they were already soaked through.

“Okay, you were right!” Rayla conceded, squinting through the murk to try and find the path. “Gloat later, get to the castle now!”

“Wasn’t gloating.” Callum grumbled. “Just saying.”

Ezran shivered against Callum’s side, clutching Bait tighter to his chest. “I’m sorry for insisting we go on a walk,” he said guiltily. “I should have listened to you, Callum.”

“Hey, it’s okay, Ez,” Callum said, reaching down to take his hand. “If anyone was at fault, it was me. It’s my responsibility to take care of you, and I didn’t do a very good job.”

In front of them Rayla stopped moving, holding up a clenched fist. “Wait a second, you two.” 

“Is everything oka-” Ezran started.

“Shhh,” Rayla said, peering into the soggy blackness, her ears twitching up and down. “I can hear something.”

“Is it rain?” Callum said, shaking his head to get the water out of his ears. “Because that’s about all I can hear right now.”

“Shut up.” Rayla hissed. “I’m trying to listen.”

The boys stood and waited, getting increasingly impatient as the rain continued to soak through their clothing.

Rayla’s eyes widened, her ears flicking down as she stepped back, half turning towards the pair. She leaned in and whispered, “run.” 

“What?”

“Run!” she yelled, scooping Ezran and Bait off the ground and tugging Callum by the hand to pull him into a run. Callum glanced over his shoulder as a flash of lightning illuminated six silhouettes in the treeline about ten metres away. Silhouettes with horns .

“Don’t you dare look back, Callum!” Rayla ordered. “Just keep running!”

Behind them, Callum could hear a telltale rustle in the treetops. After years of Rayla mercilessly beating him at tag, he knew that at least one of the elves was jumping from limb to limb, chasing them down. 

Rayla glanced over her shoulder and cursed, urging Callum to run faster.

“Language!” Callum gasped, gesturing at Ezran.

“Is this really the time?” She snapped. Callum was jealous of her apparently impeccable constitution; she wasn’t even breaking a sweat, despite carrying both Ezran and Bait.

Rayla guided them through the forest, taking jagged turns and hidden paths through the trees to try and shake off the attacker, who still managed to steadily keep pace with them.

“Ezran, can you hold up Bait?” Rayla said after a few minutes, tugging an already exhausted Callum by the hand and cradling Ezran in the other. “I don’t think we can shake this guy on our own.”

Ezran grinned, lifting the glow toad above his head. “Have you met Bait?” He yelled at the shadow pursuing them. “Say hello to my little friend!”

Bait flashed on cue, the trio shielding their eyes at the last moment. Behind them, they heard a thump and some muffled yelling as the elf lost their footing and fell out of the tree.

Rayla continued to drag them through the forest, before ducking into a small cave that was well hidden from the treeline.

Callum gasped for air, collapsing onto the ground. Numbly he realised he was shaking, though whether from the cold or the fear he couldn’t be sure. 

“You can’t stay here for long.” Rayla said briskly, depositing Ezran and Bait on the ground and shaking her arms out. “Callum, I need you to take the others and get back to the castle. Tell the guards what’s happening.”

“What about you?” Ezran protested.

“I’ll stay and try to fend them off.” Rayla explained, her face impassive as if she was suggesting they should go into town, not leave her alone with a violent attacker.

“What? No!” Callum whisper-yelled. “Rayla, you must think I’m crazy if you think I’ll just leave you here alone!” 

“I can take care of myself, Callum.” Rayla responded grimly. “But I don’t think I can protect you and Ezran as well, not from another moonshadow elf. Especially if they figure out you’re the princes.”

Callum stood, ignoring the lingering pain and nausea from their sprint through the forest. “Is that really how you see me? Just some… child who needs protecting?”

“No, Callum, of course I don’t see you like that.” Rayla said, softening. She reached out a hand to gently touch his shoulder. “But right now, I need you to trust me. Both your and Ezran’s safety is at stake, for reasons I can’t explain right now.”

All their heads whipped to the side as a twig snapped in the distance, very close to where they were hiding.

Rayla’s face contorted in panic, and she grabbed the boys, pushing them to the back of the cave. At the entrance, a shadowy figure stalked across their field of vision. They held a long staff in both hands, and were clearly looking for the trio. 

Eventually they moved away and the group released a collective sigh of relief. 

“ They’re going to find us eventually .” Rayla signed, not wanting to risk alerting the pursuer to their location. “ You two need to get out of here, now.”

Callum hesitated for a second and then nodded, impulsively pulling Rayla into a quick hug. She tensed for a second and then reciprocated, wrapping her hands around him. Ezran  joined too, and for a moment Callum could almost pretend they were back at the castle, safe and happy. 

Rayla reluctantly pulled away, pulling her longsword from its sheath at her hip.

“ I’ll be waiting for you when you get back to the castle. ” Callum promised, adding, “ please don’t die .” He willed himself to suppress the tears until she was out of sight.

Rayla nodded and then ducked out of the cave, sneaking until she was well out of range and then making a lot of noise to draw the attention of the other elf. It worked, and Callum waited until he could hear the sounds of clashing blades drawing further away from them before pulling his brother into the drizzling rain, heading towards the castle. It was only about ten minutes away and they strode in silence, not wanting to draw attention by running.

Callum felt horrible. How could he have just left her there? Rayla needed him and she had to fight alone because he was useless at everything that could have helped her.

Ezran tugged on his hand, drawing his attention. “Rayla’s going to be okay, Callum. She’s strong.”

“I know she’s strong, Ez.” Callum said quietly. “What I’m worried about is her being too strong.”

“That doesn’t make any sense?”

“What I mean is, I’m scared she’ll do more than she needs to. Try to track down all the elves or something, fix the whole problem herself. She has this weird obsession with doing everything, protecting everyone, all by herself.”

“Oh.”

They walked in silence for a while, Callum consumed by anxiety for Rayla but unable to leave Ezran to fend for himself. Eventually the outline of the town came into view. Callum started walking faster to get a search party mobilised.

“Callum?”

“Yeah, Ez?”

“I think Rayla will be okay. We just need to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

Callum glanced down at his brother, who was trudging through the mud with a hopeful look on his face, an extra-grumpy Bait in his arms. 

“Thanks, Ez. I’ll try.”

… 

The throne room was dry and warm, with a blanket draped around Ezran’s shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. He was curled on top of his brother, who since getting back to the castle had refused to do anything more than change out of his wet things, and now sat with his arms crossed and an impatient look on his face.

Ezran had tried in vain to comfort his brother, but had given up when it became evident that Callum was not going to calm down or rest until Rayla was found safe.

Nothing had happened for hours, and the emergency council meeting on the other side of the room hadn’t accomplished much besides looking worried and murmuring about the dangers of elves. Viren had been a little more vocal about his suspicions that Rayla had betrayed the royal family and brought the other elves to Katolis, but King Harrow had shut him down.

Callum groaned, thumping his head against the back of the chair he was sitting on. “There must be something wrong. She should be back by now…”

Ezran sighed, having heard various renditions of this statement every few minutes since they’d sat down. “Callum, I’m sure she’s fine . The Wingaling she gave you is still active, right?”

Callum grumbled, glancing down at the beautiful metal winged mouse in his palm. The gemstones along its back were still glowing vibrantly, indicating that the person it was bonded to still breathed.

The guards outside started shouting, and a loud thumping sounded at the throne room doors.

“Open the doors!” A weak voice called. “I need to… to see the King!”

The high council sat in stunned silence, affronted at the breach of decorum.

“It’s Rayla!” Callum yelled, sitting bolt-upright, almost tipping Ezran onto the floor. “Let her in!” 

Harrow nodded to the guards, and they grabbed the handles of the large doors. Ezran scrambled off his brother’s lap as the doors swung open to reveal Rayla, bedraggled and bloodstained. She was covered in mud and her sword was missing. 

She looked terrible, and Ezran could hear the council members muttering in shock. Callum and Ezran started forward, relieved to see their friend, but one of the guards blocked their way.

“My King.” Rayla said, bowing and grimacing in pain. “I’m sorry for not returning more promptly, but the situation was one of utmost importance and I took it upon myself to investigate.”

“That is all right, Rayla.” King Harrow said kindly. “You did not need to investigate, but I appreciate your initiative.”

She nodded and raised her head. Callum ran forward after they’d finished the necessary introduction and enveloped Rayla, murmuring something in her ear that the others couldn’t quite make out.

“Well?” Viren snapped, “Is the elf just going to stand there or tell us what it learned?”

“For the last time , Viren.” Harrow said, exasperated. “Rayla has a name, and is a she, not an ‘it’. She is my ward, and you will treat her with the proper respect. And she clearly needs medical attention, surely we can wait until morning to discuss matters.”

“It’s alright, King Harrow.” Rayla said, now leaning on Callum. “I can hold out for a while longer this close to the full moon. I have something I need to tell you now.”

Harrow nodded reluctantly and she continued. “The princes and I came across a group of at least six elves gathered in the forest. When one chased us, I diverted him to protect the princes and allow them to escape.”

Viren nodded impatiently. “This is nothing new, elf, get to the point.”

“I recognised the elf that was chasing me.” Rayla said shortly, glaring at the dark mage.

A gasp went around the room, the guards and council members muttering to each other. Harrow raised a hand, calling for silence. 

“I believe I know why they’re here, Your Majesty. They are Moonshadow assassins, and I suspect they intend to end your life and that of Prince Ezran in retaliation for the deaths of the Dragon King and his egg.”

Chapter Text

The next day dawned bright and clear, though the overhang of clouds in the far distance brought up painful memories of the night before. The splashes of mud, the searing pain in her arm paled in comparison to when she’d seen her attacker’s features.

She’d worked so hard to suppress her past, and yet here it was again, ready to slap her in the face as soon as she let her guard down even a little, because if Calypso was here, that almost certainly meant Runaan was too.

Runaan… she wasn’t going to think about him. She refused to.

Rayla had slept overnight in Callum and Ezran’s room, the three of them sleeping in a heap on the floor for shared comfort. She looked around the room, taking in the messy piles of drawings and mass of tangled bedding on the floor, searching for distraction from her spiralling thoughts.

She changed into fresh clothes, her typical headband, tunic and skirt over long pants and knee-length boots in the Katolis colours, but it didn’t do anything to erase the memories of the night before. Rayla fingered her neckline, where she’d managed to slip in a marker to her heritage; a small, heart-shaped motif embedded in the otherwise extremely Katolian garb.

She sighed, thumping her head against the window and wincing when it inflamed her headache. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Callum asked softly from across the room. “Bashing your head against the window probably doesn’t fall under Dr. Hawthorne’s instructions to take it easy.”

Rayla sighed, flopping back on Callum’s bed. “I just want to move . I think the doctor is overreacting, it’s a minor cut.”

“I know you do,” Callum said, walking over and sitting next to her. He placed a comforting hand on her knee. “It’s only for a couple of weeks, and then you’ll be back to your backflipping and tree climbing. And, by definition, it’s not minor if you have to get stitches.”

“Two weeks is so long ,” Rayla said, sitting up and leaning her head on his shoulder. “What am I supposed to do if I can’t beat your behind in swordfighting?”

Callum laughed. “Is that the real problem here? Needing to beat me?”

“Might be.”

“Surely that can’t be more important to you than preventing permanent injury?” Callum asked teasingly.

Rayla made an indifferent noise, to which Callum snickered. 

“Well, you might not be able to embarrass me for a while, but I’m sure we can find something for you to do,” Callum said thoughtfully. 

“I’ve got something!” Ezran said, popping up from a discarded pile of laundry, making both Callum and Rayla jump.

“Why were you hiding under there?” Rayla asked, recovering from the shock faster than Callum.

“I was trying to block out your flirting,” Ezran said matter of factly. 

“Wha– we weren’t–” Rayla spluttered.

“Definitely not that!” Callum said.

Ezran looked piercingly at them. “Rayla, your head was on Callum’s shoulder. I saw it. I may be young, but I’m pretty sure that’s flirting.”

Rayla jerked upright, overbalancing and falling off the bed onto the floor, getting tangled in the bedsheets on her way down. Callum buried his face in his hands, covering his bright red cheeks as best he could. 

“Anyway,” Ezran continued, ignoring the embarrassment he’d caused, “I thought Rayla could help me with something I’ve been planning…”

… 

“My King,” Viren said, walking into Harrow’s bedroom and throwing open the curtains. “We cannot just lie around and wait for the elves to strike. We have been lucky enough to receive forewarning of their intent, we must continue to make plans.”

“I know, Viren,” Harrow sighed, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. “But can’t a man get a moment of rest? The sun has barely risen, and we were up all night.”

“You must send the princes away.” Viren said, ignoring Harrow. “They are in danger.”

“I know.” Harrow said, standing up as he gave up on getting any more sleep. “I was planning to send them to the Banther Lodge today with Rayla .”

Viren flinched. “Are you certain that’s a good idea? We still have no way of knowing where the el– where Rayla’s loyalties lie.”

Harrow nodded. “This is true. But over the years she has shown remarkable aptitude and loyalty, and has grown quite close to the boys. I believe Ezran sees her almost as a big sister in some ways, and she and Callum get along better than anyone could have anticipated.” Harrow sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Besides, Viren, after all the pain we’ve caused the child, don’t you think that we owe her our trust?”

“I don’t think it works that way,” Viren said, “but I will respect your decision. The Crow Lord has sent for General Amaya as per your instructions, but they almost certainly will not arrive in time.”

“Very well. Send another crow to redirect them to the Banther Lodge. If they cannot assist here, at least they can protect the children.”

“But what will we do?” Viren asked, desperate now. “Need I remind you that if you fall, Katolis will be in great turmoil? Your heir is Prince Ezran, and he is only ten years old. Political competitors will emerge from every nook and cranny, trying to make plays for the throne. We all saw what happened in Duren after the fall of their Queens.”

“I am aware. My boys… I’d hoped to give them time to grow up normally before the weight of the throne was passed on to them. If only I had made different decisions, perhaps we could have.” Harrow sighed again, his face hardening. “We must attack. We must find the assassins today, in the light of the sun, and stop them before it’s too late.”

… 

Calypso woke in the middle of the forest, propped up against a tree. He sat up, shaking his head to try and remember how he got here. A fight, running through the forest… swords clashing… wait.

He had been fighting a human, a girl… where was she?

Calypso jumped up, desperately searching for the girl, tearing through the underbrush.

He paused, thinking. He was here, hours after he remembered seeing the girls, and the human wasn’t.

Did that mean the girl from last night – she had won?

That should be impossible, especially this close to the full moon. Runaan had lectured on the superiority of the Moonshadow elves many times, and Calypso had never had any reason to doubt the truth of his words.

If she had won, then why spare him? Aside from a splitting headache and some cuts and bruises, he was unharmed. Odd behaviour for a human indeed, especially since he hadn’t pulled any punches.

Calypso played the fight over in his mind as he searched for his polearm in the bushes. She’d certainly looked human, at least in the murky light, with red clothing and a Katolian emblem on her belt. But the way she moved and fought… it was so similar to the style he’d learned. 

Calypso scowled. There was no way he would be able to silence her now. They’d clashed in the early evening, and it was almost dawn now. He’d failed . He’d had his chance.

What was he going to tell Runaan?

Calypso nearly lost his balance as the thought hit him. So many years of training and proving his worth, only to be beaten by a lowly human? The other assassins would never take him seriously again. Their loyalty had been hard to win, and their trust would be lost if he admitted to failing the simple mission he’d been given.

He glanced at the primary blade on his staff, with dried blood crusted along the edge. There was only one thing for it then. 

Calypso walked back into camp with his staff in hand, displaying the remnants of dried blood that he’d mixed with moonberry juice on his blade to make it look more convincing. Runaan looked up from a rock where he was meditating.

“Good job, Calypso.” Runaan said, tossing him a cloth.

“Thank you, Runaan. Ah did my best.” Calypso said, still uncomfortable around the older elf.  

The other elves scattered around the campsite looked up and nodded their respect as he passed by, and Calypso tried his best to ignore the lingering feelings of guilt.

… 

Ezran crawled through the small vent connected to the bakery with Bait by his side. He tried his best not to giggle when Bait croaked, admonishing him to be quiet. 

He crawled into the room, ducking behind the counter so Barius wouldn’t see him. A few metres away he saw Rayla, standing just outside the storefront. He gave her a thumbs up and she grinned, nodding. 

“Hey, Barius?” Rayla called out to the baker, who was working at the oven. “Could I have a moment?”

“Of course, Miss Rayla.” Barius said, leaving the bakery unattended as he left to speak with Rayla, who occupied him with small talk about the weather.

Ezran giggled in delight and ran over to the benchtops, where a delicious array of jelly tarts were laid out. He reached out a hand to grab one.

“Prince Ezran!” Barius exclaimed from behind him, chuckling a little. “I caught you!” 

Behind him, Ezran saw Rayla cringe and mouth ‘sorry’. 

“Ah, I was just… admiring them!” Ezran said, tucking his hand behind his back and attempting to play innocent.

“Oh. With your hands?” Barius countered, crossing his arms.

“Sometimes pastries require physical admiration.” Rayla said. “You know, to… feel their carefully crafted texture.”

“Yeah, what Rayla said. They look amazing .” Ezran said.

“Well, they are amazing, and they're not for you.” Barius said, irritated. “Or your little monster, Bait.”

Bait's tongue whipped out and snatched a jelly tart off the benchtop.

“Did you just…” Barius stammered.

“You can tell by the look in his eyes he's innocent.” Rayla put in, evidently trying to contain her giggles.

“I should've guessed you were in on this too, Miss Rayla!” Barius said, turning his gaze to her for a second.

While he was distracted, Ezran reached out a hand for a jelly tart and was about to take a bite when the baker turned around again. 

“Are you kidding me?” Barius said. “I’m standing right here!”

Bait’s tongue whipped out and snatched up more jelly tarts.

“Hey!”

Bait jumped out of Ezran’s arms and ran to Rayla, who picked him up and sprinted off, Barius chasing after them. Using the distraction, Ezran scooped up as many jelly tarts as he could hold and crawled back into the vent, trying not to let his giggles disrupt the pile of pastries.

… 

Rayla flopped down on the ground, her arm throbbing from the exertion of running while carrying a fairly light glow toad. She scowled at the bandages for a second and then sat up. After scanning the walled-in garden for guards or angry bakers she whispered, “You can come out now.”

A small grate on one of the walls popped out and Ezran crawled from it, holding an armful of slightly dusty jelly tarts. 

“Whew!” Ezran said, puffing slightly. “That tunnel is a lot smaller than I remembered!”

“I think you just got bigger.” Rayla said fondly, ruffling his hair. “We haven’t come here in ages.”

He giggled and held out a jelly tart, which she accepted.

“Why did you decide to steal jelly tarts today?” Rayla asked around her tart. She knew it was bad manners - royal etiquette had been drilled into her against her will by some very grumpy tutors - but today she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

“Oh.” Ezran said, his eyes downcast. “I guess I was just worried about you, and I wanted something to take my mind off things.” 

“Ez…”

“It was really scary, Rayla!” Ezran burst out. “Not knowing where you were or what happened to you, and then seeing you, and being happy, but sad because you were hurt…” 

“I’m so sorry, Ez.” Rayla said, opening her arms.

He crawled into her embrace, tucking his head under her chin. “And Callum was so worried, and I had to be strong for him, but I was scared too.” Ezran sniffled, wiping his nose with his hand. “Never do that again, okay? Even if you think it’s for the safety of others or something.”

“I don’t know if I can promise something like that, Ez.” Rayla said. “Especially now, with assassins coming to… to hurt you. If it’s a choice between my life and someone else’s, I will always choose the other.”

“No!” Ezran yelled, turning around and squeezing her torso. “Don’t say things like that! I… I order you not to!”

“Ez?”

“He looked up at her, his big, green eyes welling up with tears. “You’re like a sister to me, Rayla. If I ever lost you or Callum… I don’t know what I’d do.”

Rayla hugged him, her own tears soaking through his tunic. 

“Promise, Rayla. Promise that you won’t just throw your life away.”

“I…” She hesitated. How could she promise something like that? It went against everything she’d been taught, everything she believed in. But Ezran was so sad, and what had Moonshadow values ever done for her? “I promise, Ez.”

“Good,” he said, grabbing another tart off his pile and stuffing it into his mouth. “Have another?”

“Okay. I can’t stay much longer, though. I thought I’d stop by Callum’s lesson for moral support.”

“Callum, huh?” Ezran said thoughtfully. “You know… maybe one day you could be my real sister.”

Rayla’s cheeks felt like they were on fire and she buried her face in her hands. “Shut up. It’s not like that, we’re just friends.”

Ezran laughed, smirking knowingly at her before returning to his jelly tart.

… 

Callum walked into the training courtyard, spotting Soren standing somewhere in the middle. There were guards scattered around the terraces and Claudia was reading on a bench underneath a tree.

“Prince Callum,” Soren said. “Today I’ll be taking your training, instead of the elf.”

Callum took a deep breath, dropping his satchel on the ground. Of course it had to be Soren. “Her name is Rayla.”

“Yeah, her. It was a bad idea to let her teach you in the first place, I bet she taught you a bunch of useless mumbo-jumbo, right? Today, we’re picking up right where we left off.” Soren said, looking smug.

“Okay, sure.” Callum sighed. In fact, Rayla had quickly figured out what was wrong with his fighting style and taught him to think of the sword as a long pencil, instead of an extension of his body. He was still bad, but at least he didn’t almost stab himself every time he tried to hold a weapon. He knew that arguing with Soren would only stretch their lesson out longer than it needed to be, so he just nodded his head.

“Today we focus on the art–”

“Art!” Callum said happily. “Finally something I’m good at.”

Soren glared at him, crossing his arms.

“Sorry, sorry. Won’t interrupt again. Please continue, Soren.” 

“The art of defence is critical in swordfighting.” Soren said, whipping his sword around a bit. “Parrying is about angle, motion, anticipation…” He poked Callum with his sword. “Misjudge your opponent, and it’s over.”

“ Ow ,” Callm said, rubbing his forehead reproachfully.

“You ready?” Soren said, handing Callum the sword.

“Uh, I’m gonna have to say no.”

“Great. Let's do this.”

They went back and forth a few times, Soren taking great delight in Callum’s incompetence and doing his best to make the prince look stupid.

He whacked Callum on the top of the head again. “Parry. Dead.”

“Really? Are you sure? Even if I was wearing armour?” Callum asked.

“Even if you were wearing the rarest legendary armour, forged by Sunfire elves… super dead.” 

“Actually, Rayla told me that Sunfire elves prefer attack over defence, and pride themselves on their weaponsmithing, creating weapons that stay as hot as the moment they were forged–”

“Boring, don’t care!” Soren said, swinging his sword at Callum again, making the prince yelp and lose his balance, thumping to the floor.

“I’m terrible at this!” Callum said from the ground.

“Yep.” Soren said, helping Callum to his feet. “But you have to practise anyway because that’s what’s expected of a prince. Or a step-prince, actually.”

“What?” Callum said, picking his sword up.

“What?”

Rayla walked in with Ezran, snacking on a jelly tart. She waved at him happily, and Callum flushed. How could someone possibly look that pretty ? 

“Hey, Callum! Thought we’d come say hi,” she called.

“Oh, uh… thanks.” Callum said a little weakly, trying to ignore how he must look like a tomato right now. 

They wandered over to the tree and sat near Claudia. Ezran started chatting to her, but Rayla kept her gaze focused on Callum, giving him an encouraging smile when he made eye contact.

“Hey, uh, can we try again? I think I can do it now.” Callum said to Soren.

They took their places opposite each other, parrying successfully a few times before Callum yelled and charged, aiming for Soren’s leg. However, Soren stomped down on his sword, trapping Callum in an awkward half-lunge.

“What was that?” Soren asked disdainfully.

“I don’t know. I was trying to ‘sweep the leg’?”

“That’s not a thing in swordfighting.” Soren said.

“Yeah, it is!” Rayla yelled. “I use it all the time! Here, I’ll show you.”

“No, you won’t.” Callum said. “Full rest, remember?”

Rayla stuck her tongue out at Callum and he grinned.

“Besides, look how well your weird elf techniques worked out for you.” Claudia pointed out, gesturing at Rayla’s arm.

Rayla flinched back and looked down. 

“Don’t be mean, Claudia.” Ezran said.

“It’s fine.” Rayla said. “She’s– she’s not wrong.”

“Prince Callum, Prince Ezran.” Opeli said, walking up before Callum could protest Rayla’s statement. “The King needs to speak with you both urgently. Miss Rayla as well.”

Callum nodded and picked up his sketchbook, waiting for Rayla and Ezran to catch up. He reached out for Rayla’s good hand and squeezed it, smiling gently at her.

She smiled tentatively back, and the trio raced away, glad to be away from the tense air in the courtyard.

Chapter Text

As Callum, Ezran and Rayla walked into the throne room, King Harrow and his council were hunched over the battlemap, discussing strategy and positions. The king looked up as soon as they entered the room and strode over, smiling broadly.

“Kids! You’re going on a trip. To the Banther Lodge!”

“But… it’s spring,” Callum said suspiciously. “That’s the winter lodge.”

“Uh. Winter is coming… eventually,” Harrow said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Rayla’s eyes narrowed and she glanced at Callum, knowing he had come to the same conclusion.

“What will we do?” Ezran asked. “Everything fun there has to do with snow or ice.”

“Maybe you can invent new versions using dirt and rocks,” Harrow suggested, valiantly trying to save the situation. “You could build a dirtman! Or what about mud-sledding? That could be a thing!” 

Bait croaked, unimpressed.

“Sir, with all due respect, running isn’t going to help–” Rayla said, trying to be vague in case Ezran hadn’t made the connection yet.

“It’s not running,” Harrow sighed. He gently touched Callum’s shoulder. “Look, this is just something I need you to do.”

“Dad!” Ezran said.

“It’s decided,” Harrow said sternly. “You’ll leave before sundown, so get packed up.”

“Yes, sir,” Callum said, turning to the door. “Come on, Ez.”

“My King, I understand why you need the princes to leave, but I can help!” Rayla said. “I can fight, I’m a soldier–”

“Rayla,” Harrow interrupted, reaching out his hands to hold her shoulders. “I don't see you as a soldier, nor as a tool. I know others have made you feel that way, but you are my ward, and are no less important to me than my sons. You will leave with them, and that is final.”

Rayla could feel the tears welling up, so she simply nodded and fled with the boys before any could slip out.

As the doors closed behind them, Ezran turned to the older two. “Is Dad sending us away because of the assassins? What about him?”

Callum and Rayla hesitated, glancing at each other.

“Everything’s going to be fine, all right?” Callum said. “I’m sure of it.” 

He kept his face turned away from Ezran, so only Rayla could see the worry filling his expression. 

… 

Soren and Claudia followed their father into his office, watching as he closed the door behind them.

“What's going on, father?” Soren asked, confused.

“We have visitors from Xadia. Unwanted visitors,” Viren said.

“Well, duh. Rayla’s been here for years now,” Soren said.

“Assassins,” Claudia whispered.

“I know! What do you think, I’m an idiot?”

Claudia made a sceptical noise, and Soren rolled his eyes.

“I have reason to believe the elf girl may secretly be in league with the assassins, however, that is not currently our top priority,” Viren said. “The elves have set up a secret camp somewhere near the base of the cliffs. Soren, you will lead an attack.”

“Right. Their secret camp. How am I supposed to find it if it’s secret?”

Viren pulled out a box from his desk. “These assassins are Moonshadow elves. Inside this box is an Archangel Lunaris, a giant moon moth. It will be drawn to their energy. Follow it, and you will find them.”

“Won’t it just be drawn to the ward?” Claudia asked.

“Yes, so you will need to ride a ways into the forest before releasing it.”

“And what if I can’t find them?” Soren asked, examining the box.

“Then we may be on the brink of changing times,” Viren said.

“You’re saying they’ll kill the king?” Soren asked.

Viren shushed and glanced out the window, where Callum and Rayla stood, clearly listening to every word. Both of their faces were dark with worry. Viren slammed the window shut.

“Discretion, boy! Do you want to cause a panic?” Viren hissed.

“I thought they both already knew,” Soren stammered.

“Yes, but most people don’t!” 

“I’m sorry–”

“Just get out there and find them. Before sundown!” Viren said, raising a hand dismissively.

“So if these are Moonshadow elves, then once the moon rises…” Claudia said.

“They’ll be unstoppable.” Viren finished.

“I sparred against Rayla one full moon,” Soren said, scrunching his nose up. “It was not fun.”

“Well, I’m going to find a way to stop them. After all, ‘unstoppable’ is just another kind of ‘stoppable’.” Claudia said proudly.

“No. That’s not really right.” Viren said.

“Yeah, it made more sense in my head.”

… 

“Callum, please don’t go,” Rayla protested, running backwards to face him. “It’s not safe.”

“So it’s okay for you to risk your life, but I can’t?”

“It’s different–”

“It’s really not.”

“Callum–”

“What’re you doing here, step-prince, elf ward?” Soren cut in.

Callum looked up at the crownguard sitting astride his horse, waiting for the rest of the search party to mount up. 

“I’m coming with you,” Callum said determinedly.

Soren looked at Callum’s armour. Though Rayla had argued the entire time, she’d still helped him find and put on his suit of armour, usually left dusty in the armoury.

“You look… terrific,” Soren said without a hint of sarcasm. “Very shiny.”

“I know what’s going on and I’m coming with you,” Callum said, carefully mounting a nearby horse the way Rayla had shown him.

“You’re just a kid, Callum,” Soren said. “Besides, your elf friend can’t come since she’ll mess up the moth’s tracking, and we all know you two can’t bear to be apart.”

A few of the other guards sniggered, and Callum flushed. In his peripheral vision, he saw Rayla ducking her head in embarrassment.

“I’ll be fifteen in two months,” Callum said, choosing not to address the other comment.

“Ooh, fourteen and three quarters! Wow!”

“Five-sixths.” Callum corrected. “Soren, he’s our king. And he’s my father. It’s my duty to help him.”

“And mine as well,” Rayla interjected, rubbing her left wrist.

“Well, technically he is your step-dad,” Soren said, taking a bite of his apple. “But I’m sure it’s similar. Think fast!”

Soren threw his apple at Callum, who blocked it with his shield. It overbalanced him enough for him to fall off the horse, landing in a pile of what he hoped was mud.

“Hey!” Rayla shouted, angry now. 

Soren sighed, ignoring Rayla and shaking his head. “You were supposed to catch it.” He waved a hand, kicking his horse to start moving, the rest of the soldiers following behind.

“Are you okay, Callum?” Rayla asked, touching his shoulder gently and hauling him out of the hopefully-just-mud.

“I’m fine. I just wish I could help, you know?” 

“Yeah,” Rayla said, rubbing her left arm again. “I know all too well.”

… 

Calypso stood in a circle with the other assassins, solemnly waiting for Runaan to begin the ritual.

“Five years past, on the eve of the Winter’s Turn, the humans crossed into Xadia and murdered Avizandum, King of the Dragons. Then they destroyed his only egg, the Dragon Prince,” Runaan said, wrapping the assassin’s binding around his upper arm. “After many attempts by the Sunfire elve’s armies, we will succeed. By order of the Dragon King, tonight we bind our lives to justice!” 

“My breath for freedom!” Callisto said.

“My eyes for truth!” Andromeda said.

“My strength for honour!” Skor said.

“My blood for justice!” Ram said. 

“My heart for Xadia!” Calypso said, feeling the weight of his words.

Runaan went around the circle, wrapping the binding around each assassin’s extended wrists. “Life is precious. Life is valuable. We take it, but we do not take it lightly.”

“Moon reflects sun, as death reflects life!” Calypso said.

Runaan finished by typing the binding around his left arm, then used his swords to cut it, leaving pieces tied tightly to each assassin’s wrists. Each binding glowed brightly and then settled. Such a small thing, representing such a heavy burden.

“When it is done, I will send a shadowhawk with a blood ribbon message to the King of the Dragons,” Runaan said. “We strike when the moon is highest!”

… 

Rayla poked her head into Callum’s room, seeing Ez pull Bait out of a pile of laundry, giggling.

“Oh, Bait, you’re terrible at hide and seek,” Ezran said.

“Ez, what are you doing?” Callum said irritably, coming into the room behind Rayla.

“Hi, Callum, Rayla,” Ezran said. “Do you want a-”

“No, I don’t want a stupid jelly tart! Why aren’t you packed? You know we have to get going soon,” Callum snapped.

“Callum, back off,” Rayla said, touching his shoulder gently. “I’d like a jelly tart, Ez.”

“You’re not packed,” Ezran pointed out, handing a tart to Rayla.

“I was helping Rayla,” Callum said, gesturing to the satchel slung over her shoulder. “Now she’s going to help me.”

“Uh-huh,” Ezran said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, but refrained from saying anything when Rayla shot him a warning look.

Callum grabbed a bag off the floor and started stuffing random things into it, occasionally packing a sensible item when Rayla handed it to him. His hand hit something squishy, and he pulled out a shirt covered in jelly tart crumbs. 

Rayla clapped a hand to her mouth to try and hold in the giggles, knowing it wouldn’t help the situation. Ezran, however, laughed outright.

Callum tossed the shirt aside angrily. “Ezran! You don’t get it, do you? Why do you think they’re sending us away? Because they’re coming to kill him!” 

Rayla sucked in a breath. Ezran stormed out of Callum’s room, slamming the door shut behind him. Bait followed through the froggy-flap, growling at Callum reproachfully before shutting it with his tail.

“Ugh!” Callum yelled, kicking at a pile of laundry before collapsing next to his bed. “I’m such an idiot!” 

“Yes,” Rayla said, sitting next to him.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Not helping, Rayla.”

She shrugged. “It’s the truth. And he’ll forgive you.”

They sat in thoughtful silence for a while.

“So, are you gonna eat that smushed jelly tart off your shirt?”

“No. That’s disgusting, Rayla.”

“Can I have it?”

“No!”

… 

Soren rode through the forest, eventually stopping when he deemed they were far enough away from the castle.

“Let’s see if this moon moth can find more than a closet full of moon sweaters,” Soren chuckled. “You know, ‘cause moths eat clothes?”

“Yes, sir,” one of the soldiers said.

Soren opened the box and released the moth, which flew away.

“Let’s go!” Soren ordered.

… 

Calypso sharpened his blade, running the whetstone down the expertly crafted metal edge. All around him the other assassins were carefully preparing their weapons for the coming night. 

He glanced up and saw an Archangel Lunaris land on one of Runaan’s arrows. That was odd, Archangels were only found inside the Silvergrove–

“They know we’re here!” Runaan hissed.

A horse whinnied in the distance.

Runaan pulled his moon opal from his shirt, crushing it. “Mystica-Arbora!” He said, scattering the remains of the crushed moon opal across the clearing.

When the humans galloped into the camp, they saw only an empty clearing. 

“Nothing! Surprising no one, a magic moth is just as useless as a regular moth,” one of the humans announced. “We'll have to wait for the elves to come to us.” 

After the humans had ridden off, the magic concealing the elves dispelled, revealing them all scowling at Calypso.

“You lied to me!” Runaan snarled.

“No. Ah told you Ah did my best and that was true. That human… the girl… she defeated me.”

Runaan scoffed. “Just as deplorable as the rest of your family, I see. Couldn't even own your failures! Absolutely despicable.” 

“Ah'm sorry.” Calypso said, hanging his head in shame. “Ah will do better.”

“You do understand what you've done here?” Runaan said, rubbing his forehead. “Due to your incompetence, the humans now know that we're coming. You've killed us all!”

… 

Runaan and Callisto sat on a branch overlooking the Katolis capital. 

“They'll be on the lookout for us now.” Runaan said.

“Five of us won't be enough. We need all six.” Callisto said.

“We will be stronger as five.”

“Runaan.” Callisto said, gently reaching out a hand to rest on the other elf’s shoulder. “You do remember how much you and your husband lost the last time something like this happened?”

Runaan scowled, looking away. “This is different, Callisto. I care nothing for the boy, nor his family.”

“Think of Ethari, then,” Callisto implored. “He has a soft heart. Another loss may break him.”

Runaan shook Callisto’s hand off. “I am doing what is best for everyone,” he hissed. “That… that animal should never have been allowed among other elves, let alone on a mission this important.”

Callisto glanced down at the other elves. Calypso blinked back tears, pretending he hadn't heard their conversation. The other elves had been treating him icily since the humans had found their encampment earlier, communicating with him only through disdainful glances. 

Skor was sharpening his weapon, and Calypso decided to at least try and make contact. “Skor, could Ah borrow your whetstone?” He asked tentatively.

Skor glanced up. “No.” 

So much for that. 

Callisto and Runaan jumped down from the branch where they had been surveying the castle's defences.

“Calypso.” Runaan said, making him flinch. “Come with me.”

… 

Callum thumped his head against the connector door. “Ezran, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm sure everything's going to be fine. Come on, later you can call me a jerkface, and I'll do the crazy jerkface dance for you.” He gestured widely in a silly manner while grinning. “It is a dance of stupitude and sorry-ness.” He slumped when Ezran gave no response.

“I don't think he's ready to talk yet.” Rayla said softly while snacking on a smushed jelly tart. “Just leave him alone for now. It's not easy, what he's going through.” 

Callum sighed, and called through the door. “Okay, well, I'm going to go grab some books for our trip. We don't have much time, so I'll be back to help you pack in a few.”

“So you want me to come with you, or…” 

“I'll be okay on my own, Rayla.” Callum said. “I think I need some time to be alone. To… process.”

Rayla nodded, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “Of course. I’ll be here when you get back.” She cast a disdainful glance around at his abysmal attempt at packing. “Hopefully with some better supplies than a guide to Xadia’s wishing wells.”

“That could be important!” Callum objected.

“We’re going to the Banther Lodge, Cal.” Rayla said. “In what situation would that be helpful?”

“Um,” Callum said, scratching the back of his head. “We meet someone with an insatiable love for foreign wishing wells?”

“Well, I hate to tell you, but that’s quite unlikely.” Rayla laughed. “I’ll leave it in, but you’re the one carrying it.”

… 

Calypso walked through the forest behind Runaan, waiting for the hammer to drop.

“I thought you were different, Calypso.” Runaan said. “I gave you a chance, and you squandered it.”

“Ah didn't, Runaan. The human’s skill took me by surprise, but Ah didn't hesitate. The mission will be harder now, but Ah can help you salvage it.”

“No. For all I know, you might have let the human go, and told them all our secrets while you were at it! Clearly you lied about leaving your past behind.”

“Ah wasn't lying!” Calypso shouted. “Ah would never go back to that… that hell . You have to trust me!”

“I did trust you, against my better judgement. You lost that trust when you failed in your duty.”

“Ah bound myself, Runaan! Mah heart for Xadia!” Calypso protested. “Does that mean nothing to you?”

“It means everything to me. And that is why you will remain behind. The bindings will come off when the job is done.” Runaan said, turning to go back to camp. “Go back to Xadia. You should count yourself lucky that I do not end you right here.”

Calypso watched as Runaan walked away, his expression set in stone. The old man was being prejudiced again. He’d clearly learned nothing from past mistakes.

Calypso looked over at the castle in the distance, and set his jaw.  

“Ah will do this. Ah will prove myself.”

… 

Callum wandered through the library shelves, brushing his hand along the spines. Eventually he found a book titled ‘Lost Secrets of Xadia’. He smiled fondly, remembering when he and Rayla had first found this book and poured over it, while she pointed out all the inaccuracies and filled in the gaps.

He grabbed the book and flipped to his favourite section about sky magic. Callum started to read, but was interrupted when the pages started flipping by themselves.

“How in the…” Callum gasped.

Claudia giggled as she came out from behind a shelf, carrying a small ball. She drew a glowy pattern in the air that looked oddly familiar and whispered, “aspiro.”

The pattern disappeared and a gust of air whoshed from Claudia’s mouth, slamming the book shut and bashing it against a nearby shelf.

Callum gasped in shock and recognition, realising why the pattern and stone looked familiar. “Claudia, is that a Primal Stone?”

“Yeah!” She said happily. “How do you know about them?”

“Rayla told me,” Callum admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “Why didn’t you ever say you had one?”

“It’s pretty new.” Claudia admitted. “I did want to tell you, but you’re always spending so much time with the el– Rayla these days that I didn’t get the opportunity.”

Callum frowned, confused. “What does Rayla have to do with it?”

Claudia shook her head. “Nevermind. We haven’t talked much lately. I… heard you got caught in a storm last night and discovered the assassins. How was that?”

“Ezran and Rayla went stir-crazy and dragged me out,” Callum laughed, trying to forget the fact that Rayla got hurt due to that excursion. “We stumbled across the assassins. If Rayla hadn’t heard them, we might’ve walked straight into one.”

“Rayla dragged you out?” Claudia said, an odd expression coming across her face. 

“...Yeah?” Calllum said, a little unnerved. “You’re acting a little weird today, Claudia.”

“Am I?” 

“Yes. Everytime I mention Rayla, you make a face or ask an odd question.”

Claudia grimaced slightly.

“See? You did it again!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Callum. Uh… how was your lesson with Soren earlier?”

“You were there, Claudia,” Callum sighed. “You know it was bad. I wish I could learn magic with you. Ah– but not dark magic.”

“Swordfighting can’t be that bad, right?” Claudia said consolingly.

“I’d switch places in a second,” Callum said without hesitation.

Claudia gasped, then tapped her nose and wagged her finger at Callum, before running off. Callum stared after her for a second, then shook his head and picked up the dropped book. He dusted off the cover, disgruntled at the treatment of such precious material.

Chapter Text

“My king, we have not been able to find the elves and sundown is only an hour away. Soren and the others have returned to bolster your defences.” Viren said, coming up behind Harrow on the balcony.

“It won't be enough. I've accepted that tonight, I may pay the price for our mistakes.”

“Harrow, don't give up just yet. Claudia and I are still searching for a creative solution. Even your elf ward may finally prove useful.”

“Call it what it is… dark magic. And we have spoken of this before, I did not take Rayla in so she could be used as… ingredients.”

Viren backed away. “Yes, my king.”

“I've spent years going along with these ‘creative solutions’, and where has it gotten me?”

“I don't understand.”

“I know you don't. Leave me.”

Viren bowed, then left the king alone in his room. As he shut the door, Claudia came running up the hallway. She skidded to a stop next to him, then tapped her nose, wagging her finger in front of Viren’s face.

“Okay, what is that, with the nose, the finger? Not everyone speaks Claudia, Claudia.” Viren asked, exasperated.

“It means, I've got something.” 

… 

Callum walked into his and Ezran’s room, dumping his pile of books on a side table.

“Hey, Callum,” Rayla said, stretched out in an odd position on the floor, exercising her muscles. “Find any good books? No more wishing well guides, I hope.”

“Nope. A couple novels, a new book on magic, and–” he grabbed a book from the top of the stack, flourishing dramatically. “The ‘Lost Secrets of Xadia’!” 

Rayla grinned, walking over. “Is that the book we used to read when I first arrived in the castle?”

Callum nodded, smiling. “I thought you might like to see it again.”

Rayla hugged it to her chest. “Remember the day we started talking?”

“When I bravely asked you if it was true that Moonshadow elves drink blood and you laughed at me? Vividly.”

Rayla snickered and Callum smiled fondly. “We were pretty good friends after those first few days, weren’t we?”

“Yeah. Though the castle staff weren’t too happy to see their precious princes running around with an elf,” Rayla said. “I remember one time a maid snatched Ezran away from me when I was carrying him and he started bawling his eyes out, demanding to be returned to ‘Wayla’.”

Calllum soured at the mention of Ezran, glancing over at his door. “Has Ez come out yet?” 

“No. Didn’t reply when I called him either.”

Callum frowned, walking over to the connector door and dropping to his knees. Rayla sniggered behind him and he tried to ignore her. “Ezran, we need to get going, it’s almost sundown,” he dropped the bag off his shoulder and opened the froggy door, sticking his head through. “Oh, no.” The room was empty, the only occupants piles of messy clothes and a few scattered jelly tarts.

“Prince Callum.” 

Callum jumped, his head hitting the top of the door. “Ow! Uh…” He pulled his head out, seeing a guard standing over him. “Of course we’re both here. Why wouldn’t we be?” 

“Right. Well, the king wants to see you alone, Prince Callum.”

“Oh, perfect. But he could have seen both of us if he wanted to. I’ll be there in a minute.”

The soldier left, and Callum turned on Rayla. “Why didn’t you warn me?” 

“It was funny,” Rayla said. “Seriously, though, what’s up with Ez?”

“He’s gone,” Callum said, fidgeting with his sketchbook. 

Rayla’s face contorted in worry. “He must’ve gone into the tunnels… there’s no way we’ll be able to find him before your meeting.”

Callum nodded. “How about you come with me to the throne room, and after we can look for Ez?”

“Sure,” Rayla grabbed her satchel, slinging it over her shoulder. She smiled at Callum. “We’ll find him.” 

… 

Calypso vaulted through the trees, pausing when he noticed some guards on patrol. 

“Yesterday, I had two eggs for breakfast and I was starving. Today, I had four eggs and I’m stuffed. So, tomorrow–” 

“Three eggs, I get it. We don’t need to talk,” the other guard said, rolling her eyes.

“I was going to say two eggs and one sausage,” the first guard said, visibly drooping in disappointment.

Calypso shook his head at the foolishness of humans and continued through the trees, avoiding various patrols along the way. He reached the edge of the forest, where a roaring river with a few large rocks blocked his path. Calypso jumped across the stones without hesitation, glaring up at his last obstacle, a sheer rock wall.

Calypso scowled, patting his pockets for a suitable tool. He pulled out his weapon, a two-metre staff with blades on either end. Inspecting it, he sighed, experimentally jamming the sharp end into the rock, jiggling it to test how it held. It would have to do.

He pulled himself up, gripping with his fingers and toes as best he could, each time he pulled the blade out of the rock a rush of fear and adrenaline.

… 

Callum opened the door to the throne room, peeking his head inside. “You wanted to see me?”

King Harrow turned around and Callum walked forward slowly, dropping his bag on the floor.

“Prince Callum.” Harrow said.

Callum bowed. “My king.”

“No, I… please.” Harrow said, stepping closer and gesturing for Callum to look at him.

“Okay.” Callum said, lifting his gaze.

“Callum, I know I’m not your birth father, but I want you to know that…” Harrow took a deep breath, sadness in his eyes. “This isn’t easy. So, the most important things I’ve written down.” He pulled out a letter and passed it to Callum.

“A letter?” Callum asked, running his finger along the seal of Katolis.

“You’ll understand in time. I want you to break the seal when…” Harrow sighed. “Well, you know when.”
“When you’ve been killed.” Callum said, glaring at his stepfather.

Harrow reached out, putting his hands on Callum’s shoulders. “War is full of uncertainties.”

“Why can’t you do something about it? Can’t you just make peace with them? Ez and I made friends with Rayla, can’t you do the same?”

“It’s not that simple.”

Callum pushed away. “It seems pretty simple to me. You don’t want to die. I’m sure the elves and dragons don’t want to die. So, everyone agrees!”

There are centuries of history. Generations of wrongs and crimes, on both sides.” Harrow said, gesticulating wildly with his hands. “I am responsible for some of those wrongs. I have done terrible things. I thought they were necessary. Now… I don’t know. But I do know I will pay the price for the choices I made.”

“There has to be a way to make it right.” Callum objected, his voice thick with emotion.

“It’s too late. What is done cannot be undone.”

“But you’re the king, you can do anything!” 

Harrow chucked, shaking his head. “The great illusion of childhood is that adults have all the power and freedom, but the truth is the opposite. A child is freer than a king.”

Callum looked down at the letter, clenching it in his fist. “I’m going to give this back to you on the weekend, okay? I’m not going to have to open it.”

“Take care of your brother and Rayla, Callum. Stay together. You’ll all need a strong family.” Harrow said, turning away.

Callum started to turn around, then dropped the letter on top of his bag and ran to his stepfather, hugging him tightly. Harrow returned the hug, and both of them tried to ignore the tears coming out of their eyes.

“About Rayla,” Callum choked out. “The elves… if you can, please don’t kill them.”

 Harrow drew back, confused. “Did she tell you to ask me that?”

“No,” Callum said. “It’s just… I’ve known Rayla for a long time, and I can tell when she’s not talking to me about something. She said that she recognised the other elves, and ever since then, she’s been… distant. Lost in thought a lot. I think that some of the other elves were close to her, maybe all of them.” Callum took a deep breath. “I know what it’s like to lose family, and she’s already lost so much. If it can be helped, I don’t want her to have to feel that pain any more.”

… 

Calypso grunted, pulling himself on top of the castle wall, panting with exhaustion. His right side burned from the exertion of dragging himself up the cliff, and he moaned, trying to ignore the pain. 

He stood, glaring down at the forest where Runaan and the others still hid, waiting for nightfall.

“Ye’re wrong about me.” Calypso muttered, sheathing his staff. “Ah’m different, and Ah will prove that to you.”

He pulled his hood up, concealing his horns, and ran into the castle.

… 

Calypso snuck through the halls, hiding in an alcove when he heard a pair of humans coming.

“So, how’d it go?” One of them asked.

“He… gave me a letter,” the other replied. “He said to open it when… when he…”

“Oh…” the other said, and Calypso could feel the sadness dripping from her voice. He grimaced in disgust. “It’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just… so hard.”

The pair came into view, a male and female walking hand-in-hand. Calypso frowned at the public affection, then squinted again. That human… that was the girl that won against him the night before.

Her hair was silver, not grey, and she wore a headband now, but it was undeniably the same person. Calypso began to sneak through the halls behind the couple, smirking when he noticed how the girl protected her bandaged left arm. He had done some damage after all.

The boy turned around, scanning the hallway, and Calypso ducked into an alcove.

“Ez? Is that you?” 

The girl shook her head and they kept walking, Calypso carefully pulling his staff out so it wouldn’t make any noise.

Callum smiled softly, listening to the sound of a person sneaking up on him and Rayla.

“You know you can’t sneak up on us…” Callum turned and yelped when he saw Calypso brandishing his staff. 

Rayla hissed and reached for her sword, growling when she remembered she’d lost it in the forest the night before. 

“Uh, you’re not who I thought you…” the boy stuttered from behind the girl, pointing at Calypso’s blades. “You’re one of them, with the pointy…”

“Oh, ye don’t like mah ears?” 

“No. I mean, yeah. Yes, I do, I guess. I mean… I meant the pointy swords.”

“Shut up,” Rayla hissed, spreading her arms to shield Callum.

“Not so high-and-mighty without any weapons, are we?” Calypso smirked. He squinted at the girl’s face again. “Do Ah… know you?”

“She knocked you out last night,” the boy suggested helpfully as the girl squeaked and looked away.

Calypso growled and raised his weapon again. “Ah’m looking for someone.”

“Oh.” The girl said, glancing to the side. “Did you check back there?” 

Calypso glanced to the side, and the girl took the opportunity to grab a large curtain hanging in the hallway and toss it over the elf, obscuring his vision.

“Run!” She yelled, and Calypso heard the thumping of feet in the hall. He growled and shredded the curtain to pieces with his staff, jumping out and chasing after them.

Callum and Rayla ran through the hall and up the stairs to the walls, where two guards were stationed. “There’s one… right behind us!” Callum yelled, running past them with Rayla. He turned to her as they continued. “Why didn’t you just use your butterfly blades?” he panted, gesturing at her back.

“He’ll recognise me!” Rayla hissed, her face contorting in fear as she heard the sounds of Calypso approaching behind them. “I think he still believes I’m a human!”

“How?” Callum started, but was interrupted by Calypso bursting through the stairwell, quickly incapacitating both guards.

Rayla and Callum kept running up the stairs into the nearest tower, which happened to be the high mage’s office. 

“Lord Viren! Claudia! Anyone!” Callum called in panic, grunting when Calypso’s foot connected with his back, sending him sprawling against the floor. His letter rolled out of his bag and under a nearby desk. Beside him, he heard Rayla yelp as presumably the same thing happened to her.

“Ye two lovebirds don’t have tah die.” Calypso said, looming in the doorway, his staff pointed mostly at Rayla, but well within range of Callum if he tried anything. “There are only two targets tonight.”

“The king and his son, right?” Callum said, glaring at the elf, not missing how his eyes widened in shock. “That’s not fair. Why would you hurt someone who’s done nothing wrong?”

Rayla crawled silently along the floor, stopping when she was within arm’s reach of Callum. She stayed behind him, trying to hide her face from the other elf.

Calypso scoffed. “‘Done nothin’ wrong’? Humans killed the King of the Dragons and destroyed his only egg, the Dragon Prince,” he pointed his blade at Callum’s throat to emphasise his point. “If you call this injustice then you’re stupider than I thought.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the humans were provoked?” Rayla snapped from behind Callum, still covering her face. “That perhaps they had a reason to slay Avizandum?”

“How do you know the Dragon King’s name?” Calypso asked suspiciously, squinting harder at Rayla’s face.

She sighed and stood in front of Callum, pulling her headband off, revealing her ears and horns.

“Oh.” Calypso hissed. “It’s the little traitor. I see that your treachery runs deeper than we thought. Fighting your kin disguised as a human, Rayla? I didn't even think you could stoop so low.”

“I’m not a traitor, Calypso.” Rayla said firmly, but Callum didn’t miss the wobble of emotion in her voice. “It was Runaan who betrayed me.”

Callum stood hurriedly, pulling Rayla back. “Listen, we don’t have to fight. I am Prince Ezran. Kill me, and take your revenge.”

Calypso growled, glaring at Rayla. “You mean to say that the humans trust you enough to let you within arm’s reach of the royal family, and you didn’t take revenge? And you had the nerve to call yourself an assassin.”

“No, Calypso, it’s not like that–” Rayla said, blocking his path to Callum. She glanced at Callum, adding in Katolian, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Distracting him! We can’t have him going after Ez!”

“Of all the idiotic –”

“Stop talking. If you must speak, do it in Common.” Calypso hissed. “Step aside, Rayla. Runaan won’t be happy with me if I kill you, but I won’t hesitate if it comes to that.”

“No. I won’t let you hurt Cal– Ezran.” Rayla said, spreading her arms.

“So be it.”

Calypso raised his staff above his head, preparing to strike. 

“No!” Callum cried out, watching helplessly from the side.

As the blade came down, Rayla twisted, throwing Callum out of the way and catching the blunt part of the weapon in the crook of her right arm.

“You’ve never been able to beat me before, Calypso.” She hissed, her face contorted with the strain of keeping his blade from hitting her. “What made you think that five years apart would change that?”

… 

Viren walked into the throne room, carrying a small basket. 

“Not a great day for a picnic, Viren.” Harrow said.

“On that, we agree,” Viren said, walking up to Harrow. “Moonshadow Elves are dangerous, elite fighters. Under a full moon, they become nearly invisible, and they can penetrate any defence. Nothing in the five kingdoms can stop them.”

“I know this.”

“They will find you, and they will kill you.” Viren continued, apparently unknowing of the tense air in the room.

“Not helping, Viren.”

“But it doesn’t have to be you. Soulfang Serpents drain the souls of whoever they bite. On our last journey into Xadia, I acquired a rather unique specimen.” Viren carefully opened the basket with the end of his staff, liting out a black snake with two heads. “Two heads, two bites, two souls held at once. And through magic, I can switch your spirit with another. The Moonshadow Elves will find the king’s body, but your spirit will survive.”

… 

A little voice called out from behind a painting. “Callum. Rayla!”

All three of the teenagers turned their heads towards the painting.

“Psst. Guys!”

“Shh, go away,” Callum hissed, recognising the voice as belonging to Ezran.

“Guys, I found something!” 

“Are ye talking to that paintin’?” Calypso asked.

“No! Why would I do that? Cause right now is not a good time.” Callum hissed, the second half directed at the painting.

A pause. “Is it because you and Rayla are kissing or something?”

Calypso grunted and twisted his staff to dislodge Rayla, sending her crashing to the ground, landing heavily on her left arm. 

He touched the edge of the painting, sending it swinging open to reveal Ezran and Bait. Ezran looked up, and with lack of a better option, fell back on his usual form of defence.

“Uh… jelly tart?”

“Get out of here!” Rayla said, deliberately not using Ezran’s name.

“Callum, what’s going on?”

“Callum? Ah thought ye were Prince Ezran.” Calypso growled.

Ezran held up Bait. “Have you met Bait? Say hello to my little friend.” Bait flashed brightly, everyone in the room shielding their eyes from the glow.

When they opened their eyes, Calypso was smirking at them, brandishing his weapon. “Ah have met ‘your little friend’. Last night, when he made me fall out of a tree.”

Rayla swallowed, reaching her hand up to feel the blades at her back, concealed by a layer of fabric. Callum made eye contact with her and nodded slightly, giving her the confidence to reach up and unsheath her blades.

She stood, butterfly blades in each hand, and engaged Calypso with full force, taking him by surprise. 

“Go!” She yelled. “I’ll catch up!” 

“No, Rayla, I won't leave you again!” Callum said, shaking his head. He desperately searched Viren’s shelves for something, anything, that could slow Calypso down. 

He noticed a large black jar and lobbed it at the back of Calypso’s head. Surprisingly it made contact, and the elf staggered, losing his balance for a second. Rayla jumped at the opportunity, shoving the larger elf over and dragging Callum into the passage next to Ezran.

“Guys, follow me. I have to show you something.” Ezran said, walking further into the passage. 

Rayla glanced back at Calypso, clearly still in shock from the large projectile, and pulled the painting closed behind them.

A few seconds later, Calypso dragged himself off the ground, cursing as he held the back of his head. He squinted at the painting and dragged it open, running into the tunnel behind Rayla and the princes.

Chapter Text

Harrow stared Viren down, his expression deathly serious. “No. I won’t hide in the body of another while someone else pays the price for my decisions.”

“Two hundred men and women are ready to fall protecting you tonight, but you won’t let one soldier sacrifice their life for you?” Viren said, gesturing at the soldiers scattered around.

“It’s not the same,” Harrow said, sighing deeply. “I would rather die a king, than live as a coward.”

“Ah. So that’s what this is really about,” Viren said.

“What are you talking about?” Harrow asked.

“Pride.” 

“No, I already told you the problem,” Harrow said, irritated. “It’s dark magic.”

“Yes, it is. It’s clever, it’s brilliant, it’s practical. It will save your life and many, many others.”

“It’s a shortcut. We may not pay now, but we will pay the blood price eventually. Who knows how many more lives we will affect along the way? Rayla’s life was destroyed because of your actions at the Storm Spire!” Harrow took a breath, calming himself. “What do you think got us here? Dark magic.”

Viren scoffed. “You’re acting stubborn and ungrateful.”

“Should I be grateful that you destroyed that dragon egg? Thank you for starting this unwinnable war? Thank you for angering the dragons and the elves so much that tonight they are here for my life?”

“Destroying that egg saved our kingdom,” Viren said. “Maybe all of humanity.”

“It was an egg!” Harrow shouted.

“And it would have become the most powerful creature in the world!” Viren objected.

Harrow turned away, sitting on a nearby chest and bringing a hand to his face.

“What is done cannot be undone. I am offering you a path forward,” Viren said. “Your discomfort is understandable. You don’t feel right trading your life for another’s. But know this, every one of these men and women would gladly trade their life for yours.” He gestured to the guards standing around, who backed away slightly.

Harrow dropped his hand from his face. “Would you, Viren?”

“I…” Viren said, and then sighed.

“Get out.” Harrow said angrily.

… 

“Stop running!” Calypso roared from behind the trio, who were running as hard as they could through the underground tunnels.

“I’d rather not!” Rayla shouted.

“This way.” Ezran said, pointing at an offshoot of the tunnel. They turned left, hitting a dead end.

“We’re trapped. What do we do now?” Callum asked, leaning his hand on his knees. “I don’t know if Rayla can hold out against that guy with her arm.”

“I can,” Rayla scoffed, hiding her left arm behind her back. “Might take me a while, is all.”

Ezran walked up to the wall, smiling at the others. “Time for a puzzle. Stop flirting so I can focus.” Ignoring Rayla and Callum’s protests, he inspected the cobblestones on the wall and started pushing them. “Rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone. Rock, stone, rock, stone, stone…”

“Wait, what’s the difference between the rocks and the stones?” Callum asked curiously.

“Stones are bigger. Obviously.” Rayla said, watching for Calypso.

“Ugh, I told you guys to stop flirting!” Ezran said. “You made me do stone instead of rock. Rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone, rock, stone, rock.”

Ezran smiled proudly and looked at the floor behind them where the floor fell away, revealing a hidden stairwell.

“Wow,” Callum breathed. 

“Admire later, run away from the angry elf now!” Rayla snapped, dragging Callum and Ezran down the stairs.

After the stairs retracted back into the ceiling, the group collapsed, relieved in the feeling of safety.

“Yes!” Ezran said, punching the air.

“Rayla, you’re bleeding,” Callum said, gently reaching out for Rayla’s left arm, where blood was soaking through the bandages. “Fighting is the opposite of taking it easy!”

“What do you suggest I do instead, let Calypso kill you?” Rayla shot back, scowling. “I’m fine, Callum. We have more important things to worry about.” She turned to Ezran, ignoring Callum’s continued protests. “You’re sure he won’t be able to follow us?” Rayla asked. 

“No way. It took me over a month to figure out that combination,” Ezran said proudly.

Rayla flinched back as the stairs began to rumble downwards again, Calypso leering at them from the top. Rayla pushed the boys behind her, brandishing her swords again.

“But how did you…” Ezran stammered.

“Ah pressed all the stones with the jelly handprints,” Calypso said, stepping off the stairs as they came to a halt.

Calypso let his eyes wander across the room, assessing for potential threats as he stalked forward. He scowled in disgust as he recognised the ingredients scattered across the shelves, shaking off the unpleasant memories that came with them. “A dark magic lair?” He scoffed disdainfully, glaring at Rayla. “Ye really have changed for the worse, if you can run for cover in a place this twisted and awful.”

“A bit rich coming from you, Calypso,” Rayla said, aware that it was a cruel comment.

He growled, a fire lighting in his eyes. “Time’s up. Humans destroyed the egg of the Dragon Prince. Tonight, there will be justice.”

“You’ll have to get through me first,” Rayla said, brandishing her weapons. 

“Oh, Ah was planning on it.” Calypso said, walking forward with a malicious smile on his face.

“Wait!” Ezran said, gesturing towards a covered pedestal. “You need to see something.”

“It better not be that flashing frog again.” Calypso said suspiciously. 

“He’s a glow toad.” Ezran said. “But there’s no trick this time. Pease, look.”

Calypso grunted, glancing around for hidden levers or buttons. Eventually he lunged out, fast as a whip, and grabbed Callum in a headlock, holding his blade to the prince’s throat.

“Ow!” Callum yelped, struggling.

“You let him go right now.” Rayla hissed, but she lowered her blades slightly, afraid of hurting Callum.

“He’s collateral. You take the cover off slowly, and if there’s a trick, I end his life.” Calypso said shortly.

Ezran gulped, sweat running down his face. He gingerly edged towards the pedestal and grabbed the edge of the cover.

“I can hear something inside, something alive.” Ezran said as he pulled off the cover.

On top of the pedestal sat a beautiful blue egg, speckled with different colours.

“It… can’t be.” Rayla breathed, gaping at the egg.

Calypso gasped, stumbling a little in shock. Callum made a little noise in protest as the staff edged a tiny bit closer to his throat.

“The egg… it wasn’t destroyed.” Calypso said.

… 

Claudia and Viren walked through the halls towards the high mage’s office.

“But I don’t understand,” Claudia said. “The switching spell would save his life, why would he say no?”

“King Harrow is a principled man,” Viren replied, his face impassive.

Claudia rolled her eyes. “You mean ‘stubborn’.” 

“Watch your tongue. But yes, he is hardheaded. Usually about the right things, but about this…” Viren sighed as he placed the soulfang basket on his desk. “I don’t know.”

Claudia’s gaze swept around the room, landing on a portrait of Viren and Harrow hanging above a desk. “You look so… happy in this portrait.”

Viren looked up. “I was. We posed for this a few days after King Harrow’s coronation. He insisted I stand next to him for the painting, because he knew I would stand by him through anything.”

“And you have.” 

“So far, yes,” Viren said. “I have to stand by him through this, too. I need to be the man he once thought I was.” Viren picked up the basket that was resting on his desk.

“What does that mean, Dad?” Claudia asked.

Viren started walking towards the doors. “If I told you, you would try to stop me.” 

“So, shouldn’t I just try to stop you then, even without knowing?” Claudia said, leaning on a desk.

“Goodbye, Claudia.” Viren said, walking out of the doors.

Claudia looked after her father, confused at his odd behaviour. A sliver of movement caught her eye and she got down on her hands and knees, spotting a small scroll of parchment rolling under the table. She picked it up and examined the seal of Katolis. The parchment was addressed to Prince Callum, and only the King could use the country’s seal.

She frowned and glanced around, noticing scuff marks on the floor, faint but still there. And next to it… the elf’s headband.

Claudia scowled as she bent to inspect the piece of cloth. The elf wore it almost everywhere, trying to hide her heritage. She ran her finger over the fabric, sniffing the fine black powder that came off it. Horn residue. Definitely the elf’s. 

She stuck the fabric in a small jar and continued her search, finding a small orange handprint on the side of the secret painting. She stuck her finger on it and tasted it, scowling at the sickly sweet flavour. “Ugh. Persimmon?” Definitely the youngest prince.

She pulled the door open and stepped inside, snapping her fingers to start the light in her hand. 

Scuff marks, a letter addressed to Callum on the floor, the elf’s headband lying abandoned, a handprint on the secret painting….

Claudia took a deep breath and started running. The elf was clearly starting to show her true colours, and the princes were in danger.

The only question was whether Claudia could get there in time to save them.

… 

“This changes… everything.” Rayla said reverently, lowering her blades completely.

Calypso grunted. “Ye’re gullible, Rayla. It’s clearly a trick, meant to distract attackers.”

“Why would we do that?” Ezran asked innocently. “Is it so hard to believe that the egg wasn’t destroyed?”

“Yes,” Calypso hissed. “Humans are liars, and there is nothing worth saving in them,” he tightened his hold on Callum, who made a small choking sound.

“Calypso!” Rayla snapped. “Stop being dense. Don’t let your prejudices rule you, like they did for the elves we grew up with. The egg of the Dragon Prince is alive, it’s an opportunity to end the war!”

Calypso sighed, his hold on Callum slackening slightly. “Why should Ah care?”

“This is a miracle, a chance to make things right.” Rayla said, pleading now. “To clear our names from our parents' mistakes. I know that you feel those wrongs just as much as I do, if not more. Please let us try to fix this.”

Calypso flinched, then raised his blade again, pressing it harder against Callum. “Ah will not be fooled. Time amongst these humans has weakened you, Rayla.” Calypso glanced at the struggling prince. “This one comes with me as a hostage.”

“No. He won’t.” 

A gust of wind burst from the stairwell, knocking everyone in the room to the floor. Calypso hit the wall hard and dropped his staff, allowing Callum to roll away. He gasped for air and took refuge behind Rayla, rubbing his neck.

Claudia walked down the stairs, holding her Primal Stone in one hand. “Don’t move a muscle,” she said, drawing a rune with her free hand and aiming it at Rayla. “I won’t let you betray the kingdom.”

“Claudia?” Callum asked nervously. “What are you talking about?”

Claudia glanced at Callum. “She’s been lying to you, Callum. She’s not who she says she is, and today she planned to side with the other elves and kill you and Ezran.”

“What are you talking about?” Rayla cried. “I would never do that!”

“Be quiet,” Claudia hissed, the rune in front of her crackling with energy. “Ezran, Callum, get behind me. I’ll protect you from the elves.”

Callum glanced between Claudia and Rayla. “No, Claudia. There’s no proof to what you’re claiming.”

“She’s just tricking you,” Claudia said, her face contorting with the strain of holding the rune.

“No, she’s not.” 

Everyone’s eyes snapped to Calypso, who’d pulled himself into a standing position and now held his staff. “Rayla’s not lying. She’s had no contact with anyone in Xadia for years, and I know what true loyalty looks like. She would never betray those boys.”

“And why should I trust you?” Claudia said, turning so that the rune faced Calypso. “Of course you’d say something like that!”

Calypso shrugged. “I don’t really care if you believe me or not,” he readied his weapon, aiming the sharp end at Claudia and charging forward.

“Fulminis!” Claudia cried, letting a charge of lighting loose. Calypso readily dodged it and threw a strike at Claudia. 

“This is our chance,” Rayla hissed, pulling the boys away from the fighting pair and into a nearby nook. “We need to get out of here.”

“We can’t, Rayla,” Ezran said. “We can’t leave Claudia. What if Calypso hurts her?”

“Ez, she likes you and Callum, but she wants to kill me just as much as Calypso does.”

“But neither of them deserve to die,” Ezran said, tugging on her hand. “Please, Rayla.”

Rayla sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Fine. Callum, I’ll distract Calypso and you deal with Claudia. We’ll need to incapacitate them both.”

“How exactly?”

“Just think of something!” Rayla said, the fighting behind them reaching a fever pitch. 

They dashed out, Rayla running forward and engaged Calypso, driving him away from Claudia and into a nearby set of shelves. 

While Calypso was distracted Callum raced forward, intercepting Calaudia before she could fire off another round of lightning towards the two elves.

“Claudia, please stop!” Callum yelled, knocking the Primal Stone out of her hand. “Don’t hurt Rayla!”

Claudia lunged forward, reaching for the stone. “She’s lying to you, Callum, don’t you see?”

Callum blocked her path, grabbing a manacle and chain hanging from the ceiling. “No, I don’t! It’s you who needs to see, Claudia!” Callum snapped the manacle open and hooked it around the mage’s wrist from behind, securing her in place.

“Callum, what are you doing?” Claudia screamed.

“The right thing,” Callum said, scooping up the Primal Stone from the floor and turning away. “I’m sorry, Claudia.”

Rayla nimbly disengaged from her brawl with Calypso, leaving him by the shelves. “Go!” She yelled, gesturing at Ezran to start running.

Calypso sprung forward as soon as Rayla stopped whaling on him, grabbing his staff and giving chase down the corridor. Claudia desperately yanked at her chain, trying to break free.

Glancing down, she lunged for a Shadowlife candle within her reach. She lit the candle and grabbed a container of ash, sprinkling it into the flame in a desperate attempt to stop the elves.

“Srekees ykoms niaga esir, nellaf fo hsa,” Claudia chanted. She blew on the flame, conjuring two smoky wolves who ran forward into the corridor.

Behind him, Calypso heard a mournful howl and the sound of paws hitting the stone, recognizing the sounds and enchantment. “The dark mage conjured something!” He yelled to Rayla and the humans. Calypso ran harder, putting on a burst of speed to try and catch up to them.

They made a turn and hit a dead end, turning around to face him.

“Why would you tell us that?” Rayla asked suspiciously, raising her blades in defence.

“I won’t hurt you, but the magic following us will!” Calypso yelled, desperate as he heard the magic gaining on them. “Our swords will go right through, we need wind. The Primal Stone, can the human use it?”

“I can try,” Callum said dubiously, still nervous around Calypso.

“Then do it!” Calypso snapped as two shadowy wolves rounded the corner, teeth snapping viciously.

Callum held the Primal Stone carefully in one hand, thinking back to when Claudia had shown him the spell in the library. He carefully traced the rune in the air as the shadow beasts grew closer, taking a deep breath. 

“Aspiro!” Callum said, a gust of wind blowing from his lungs as he breathed out, disintegrating the wolves before his eyes. 

“You did it!” Ezran said happily.

“Wow!” Callum said, looking down at his hands in wonder.

Rayla grinned, slapping him on the back. “Finally got to do some magic, mage.”

Callum laughed with pure joy. “I’m a mage!”

“Well done,” Calypso said gruffly. “Now, how do we get out of here?”

“Wait, wait,” Callum said. “Just a minute ago you were trying to kill us. Why are you being nice now?”

“Do you want me to try to kill you again?” Calypso said, turning away. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“No, Callum’s right,” Rayla said, levelling her blade at Calypso again. “Why the sudden change?”

Calypso rolled his eyes. “It’s not complicated. You clearly know the layout of these tunnels and I don’t. The only way back is past an angry dark mage, not exactly ideal. I need you to get me out of here, you needed me to tell you how to get rid of the shadows. Simple.”

Rayla narrowed her eyes. “Still. We can’t just help you out, you’re trying to kill Ezran and King Harrow.”

Calypso sighed, passing his staff to her. “Happy now?”

Nobody responded.

“Great. Lead the way, kid.”

Chapter Text

Viren walked through the halls, approaching Harrow’s bedchamber once more with the Soulfang’s basket in one hand. Guards were stationed from the tower’s stairs up to the door.

Soren glanced up as he approached. “So, what’s in the basket? A bigger moth?”

“It’s something that will protect the king even when all your swords have failed.” Viren said.

“Uh, you… you know they can hear you, right?” Soren said, glancing at the other guards outside the door.

“He knows, sir,” one of the guards offered.

“I am prepared to do anything to protect the king,” Viren said. “Anything. I hope you will understand.”

… 

Rayla cautiously walked through the tunnels, keeping herself between Calypso and the boys, blades in hand. Ezran carefully carried the egg with Bait precariously balanced on top. 

Calypso edged forward to touch the egg and Rayla whipped around, getting between them.

“Don’t move,” she hissed, levelling her sword at his throat.

“Back off,” Calypso growled, raising his hands in the air. “Wasn’t going to hurt the kid. Ah just wanted to see the egg. You know, legendary prince, thought dead but now alive?”

“Well, admire it from afar.” Rayla said, turning to keep moving. 

“Rayla, don’t you think you’re being a bit overprotective?” Ezran asked quietly. “He said he wasn’t going to hurt us.”

Rayla glanced at Ezran. “He could be lying. I’ve known Calypso for a long time, and he won’t hesitate to kill you. He’s not like me, Ez.”

Ezran wilted slightly.

“Where exactly are we going?” Calypso asked impatiently. “These tunnels don’t seem to be changing.”

“To my dad,” Ezran said. “He’ll know what to do with the egg.”

“Kid,” Calypso sighed, running a hand down his face. "Assassins are coming to kill your father very soon. Going to him is the stupidest idea I have ever heard.”

Rayla glared at him. “Calypso! Leave him alone, he’s just a kid.”

Calypso shrugged unapologetically. “It’s the truth. Look, a smarter idea would be to head to the rooftops. The other elves will come up there and you could try to head them off.”

Callum eyed him suspiciously. “What’s in it for you?”

“Doing the right thing.” Calypso said, raising his head nobly.

Rayla scoffed. “Yeah, right. You just want to be able to take the credit for finding the Dragon Prince and get back into their good books.”

Calypso scowled at her and crossed his arms, averting his gaze.

“Still no good at hiding your emotions, I see,” Rayla said. 

Callum sighed, rubbing his face. “So we can’t get rid of this guy, but we also can’t go anywhere because as soon as we get out of the tunnels, he’ll try to kill us?”

Rayla nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Wonderful,” Callum muttered.

“Listen,” Calypso said. “I need to talk to the other assassins, and I need you to help me get up there.” He made eye contact with Rayla. “I swear on my honour that none of your lives will be ended by my hand tonight, or as a result of my actions.”

Rayla took a deep breath, glancing at Callum.

“How is that any different than him saying he won’t kill us?” Callum asked.

“It’s a Moonshadow elf thing, I suppose.” Rayla said. “An honour oath is serious.”

“You should hurry up and make a decision,” Calypso said. “The others will be here any minute.”

Rayla nodded, and Callum shrugged. 

“Okay,” Rayla said. “Take us to the roof, Ez.”

… 

Harrow was sitting on his bed looking at a small framed photo when Viren walked in. He placed the picture face down when Viren approached, looking up at the high mage.

“I’ve given thought to what you said,” Viren started.

“Oh, have you?” Harrow said, moving to sit on a chair. “Then why have you returned with that… abomination?”

“Yes, I’ve brought the soulfang.” Viren said. “I have a proposal, let me explain.”

“Go on.”

Viren sighed, moving to sit on the bed, resting the basket beside him. “You are my king, but you are also my friend.”

“Your friend?” Harrow said.

“Yes,” Viren said, smiling slightly. “Right now, I do not come to you as my king. I think of you… as my brother.”

Harrow sat back down in his chair. “I see the problem now. It’s that you believe you are special, better than everyone else, above the laws of this kingdom.”

“That’s not what I was trying to say. Please, listen.” Viren said.

“Assassins are coming to murder me tonight, and you’re wasting what precious time I have left.”

“No, Harrow, I–”

“Stop. How about, ‘No, Your Highness’. In fact, let’s try, ‘Yes, Your Highness’, for a change.” Harrow said angrily.

“Oh, are you sure you wouldn’t prefer ‘Your Royal Highness’? ‘Your Esteemed Inimitable Majesty’, perhaps?” Viren said, annoyed.

Harrow stood up. “I have tolerated your arrogance for too long, maybe even encouraged it. But if today is my last day then you will know your place.”

“And where exactly is that place?” Viren asked, seething now.

Harrow pointed down. “Right here. On your knees.”

Viren got up and knelt before Harrow. 

“You are a servant of Katolis.” Harrow said. “You are a servant.”

… 

Calypso walked out onto the battlements, scanning the horizon. “I know you’re here.”

“Calypso,” Runaan said, coming up behind him on the crenellations of the wall. “You defied me. Was failing not enough, that you had to betray us as well? You must have a death wish.”

Behind a stack of boxes, out of Runaan’s line of sight, Rayla took a shaky breath. Runaan… she hadn’t heard his voice in five years. 

Callum glanced at Rayla as a tear rolled down her cheek, before she viciously wiped it away. His fists clenched, and he had to force himself to stay hidden instead of leaping out and strangling Runaan.

“I’ve found something,” Calypso said, holding his hands in front of him. “Two somethings, actually.”

“Why does that matter?” Runaan said, looming over Calypso.

“The egg of the Dragon Prince wasn’t destroyed,” Calypso said, standing his ground.

“That’s impossible.” Runaan said.

“It was stolen by the High Mage,” Calypso continued. “I was chasing the princes and the kingdom’s ward through the tunnels, and we stumbled on the egg.”

“The princes?” Runaan said. “Did you fulfil your duty, then?”

Calypso looked down, ashamed. “The ward… she stopped me.”

“Is this the same human from last night?” Runaan snapped.

Calypso nodded. “But, the thing is, Runaan… she’s not a human.”

“You’ve lost your mind,” Runaan said, turning away. “I refuse to listen to any more of this nonsense. Get out of my sight.”

Rayla took a deep breath and stood. “Runaan,” 

His back was turned to her, but she saw his muscles clench as he processed her voice.

Next to her, Callum was frantically signing at her to get back down, but she ignored him and walked forward, willing her legs to remain steady.

“Rayla…” Runaan said, turning to take her in. “Is that really you? After all this time?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. 

“So they didn’t kill you…” Runaan breathed, his voice choking up. “Ethari and I were convinced that you would be picked apart for dark magic, end your life in a dungeon somewhere, but… you’re alive.”

He walked forward, Calypso seemingly forgotten, and hesitantly reached out to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed her face and wiped away a tear that she hadn’t realised was there.

“My little blade,” Runaan said softly.

Rayla collapsed forward into his arms, giving in and letting herself sob. Runaan gently pulled her in, cupping the back of her head and gently stroking the hair around the base of her horns, the most intimate of gestures reserved only for family.

She hadn’t quite realised how much she’d missed it.

“I thought you hated me,” Rayla choked out weakly. “That day… you said that I was a traitor, that I should never show my face again.”

Runaan tensed under her. “I should not have said that. I have regretted it every day since.”

“Why, Runaan?” Rayla said, pulling back. “Why did you push me away?”

Runaan sighed. “I made a mistake, Rayla. I will strive to be better. Please, come home with me.”

Rayla scowled at him. “After you’ve completed your mission.”

Runaan looked taken aback. “Of course. If you help, the Silvergrove Council may be willing to reverse the Ghosting ritual.”

Rayla scoffed. “Why do you assume that I want to be unghosted?” 

Runaan stepped forward slightly, reaching for her. “Because you must. There is no other option.” He cast a disdainful glance around the castle. “Do you intend to continue living with these humans? They may have spared you these past years, dressed you up like their little elf pet, but they will turn on you.”

Rayla shook her head. “You’re wrong, Runaan. Katolis is… not the Silvergrove, but… many humans have become true friends to me.”

“Humans are liars, Rayla.” Runaan said. “Come home with me, to Ethari,” he pleaded.

Rayla flinched, fiddling with her fingers nervously. Callum watched the scene from behind the boxes, seeing Rayla’s defences slowly falling to shreds, knowing she was only a few moments away from considering Runaan’s offer.

Callum steeled himself and stood, walking to Rayla’s side and resting a hand on her shoulder. “If the Silvergrove had truly been Rayla’s home, then the elves wouldn’ have turned on her. You wouldn’t have.”

“You've made a terrible mistake,” Runaan said, his face contorted in hatred as he reached for his bow, snapping it into two blades. “Who are you, that you would dare say such things?”

Rayla cried out, putting herself in front of Callum. “Runaan, don’t! Please.”

“My name is Callum,” Callum said, lifting his head proudly. “I’m Rayla’s best friend.”

Runaan glanced at Rayla, disbelief in his eyes as Rayla nodded confirmation. “You must be joking.”

“I'm not,” Callum said. “About any of the things I've said. Rayla was ten years old, and you abandoned her!”

Runaan scowled, Rayla shaking her head at Callum to stop, which he ignored.

“She was ten years old and trying to do the right thing!” Callum said. “I don’t know how your logic works, but surely banishment is a bit over the top?”

“Callum, stop–” Rayla said, reaching for him. “It’s okay, you don’t need to protect me–”

“No, Rayla, I do,” Callum said firmly before looking back to Runaan. “Rayla still thinks that she deserved her punishment, and hates herself. But no child deserves to be treated like that, and if you can’t see that, then you have no right to even look at her. You’ve lost the right to be in her life.”

“How dare–”

“You should be ashamed!” Callum yelled, poking a finger in Runaan’s direction. “The worst thing is that she still loves you, because even after all that her heart is too big for her body–”

Callum paused as Rayla put a hand on his shoulder, and he saw the tears in the corners of her eyes. He paused, looking down and forcibly unclenching his fists. 

Rayla turned to Runaan, murder in his eyes now. “I’m sorry, Runaan. Maybe later, we can... work something out… but you need to call off the mission.”

Runaan’s head snapped up. “You must be joking.”

Rayla shook her head. “Calypso wasn’t lying before. We found the egg of the Dragon Prince.”

Runaan scowled, starting to protest.

“Whatever you’re about to say, it’s wrong,” Callum said. “Show him, Ez.”

Ezran stood, holding the egg in front of him. Runaan gaped, lowering his bow in shock.

“It’s… beautiful,” Runaan stammered.

“How can we take vengeance for an act that never happened?” Rayla said. “You have to call it off.”

“Rayla, you know it doesn’t work that way.” Runaan said. “We bound ourselves. There’s only one way to release.”

“Runaan, please,” Rayla begged. “There has to be another way. This is a miracle, a chance for peace.”

“The humans struck down the King of the Dragons. Justice will not be denied, even Calypso understands that,” Runaan said, casting a scornful glance at Calypso, who was standing off to the side. “Now, give me the egg.” Runaan commanded.

Rayla took a deep breath and flicked her blades open. “Callum, Ezran, go.”

“But–” Callum protested.

“Keep the egg safe,” Rayla said, standing firm.

Callum scowled. “No. I won’t let you throw your life away again!”

Rayla sighed. “Callum–”

“I can help now, let me stay,” Callum said, pulling the Primal Stone out of his bag. Rayla started to say something and then thought better of it, turning her attention back to Runaan. Behind them, they heard Ezran pattering down the stairs of the battlements.

Runaan stepped forward, entering his full Moonshadow form. “Don’t make me do this, Rayla,” he said. “I will kill you.”

Rayla shifted to her Moonshadow form. “I thought I was already dead.”

… 

Ezran ran down the stairs, looking up desperately to see Rayla and Runaan furiously exchanging blows on the battlements, Callum hanging back and occasionally firing off a burst of wind to knock Runaan back. Calypso was nowhere to be seen, probably having ducked off somewhere to find the other assassins.

Ezran crouched behind a large cart, closing his eyes and praying that Callum and Rayla would be okay.

“What’re you doing here, kid?” Calypso asked from behind him. Ezran jumped slightly.

“Hiding. Like Rayla said.” Ezran said. “What are you doing here?”

Calypso pursed his lips. “Avoiding people.”

“Who?”

“The other assassins. Your guards. Those two lovebirds fighting Runaan.”

“So everybody.”

Calypso shrugged slightly. “I suppose.”

Ezran patted the ground beside him. “Come hide with me.”

Calypso huffed, then ambled over and sat heavily beside Ezran. “Why aren’t you scared of me, kid?”

“Should I be?” Ezran asked.

“Rayla said that you should.”

Ezran shrugged. “I guess so. But you seem alright to me,” he grinned. “Besides, hiding is better the more company you have. Right, Bait?”

Bait grunted in response.

… 

Runaan raced forward, slashing down on Rayla with unbridled ferocity.

“Rayla, please stop this,” Runaan said.

Rayla shook her head. “No, Runaan. I won't lose another family!”

Runaan kicked Rayla off the battlement into a wall. She grunted, flinching as another round of pain flashed through her arm. Behind her, she saw Runaan being buffeted by gusts of wind, as Callum took her absence as an opportunity to rain down on the other elf.

Rayla grabbed the edge of the wall with her good hand and swung herself up, throwing a blow at Runaan while he was still discombobulated from Callum’s wind.

“You saw the egg.” Rayla said. “There’s no need for vengeance tonight.”

They continued to thrust and parry, Rayla lagging behind due to her injured left arm.

Runaan backed her into a corner, and she glanced up at the king’s tower for a split second. Runaan looked piercingly at her, realisation dawning on his face.

Rayla lunged forward again as he backed away, trying desperately to keep him occupied. 

“You chose this path,” Runaan said, scowling at her as he blocked her strikes. He jumped off the wall and hopped across various rooftops in the courtyard, heading towards the king’s tower.

“No, wait!” Rayla cried, reaching after Runaan helplessly. 

Her swords fell from her hands and she collapsed to the ground, shocked tears rolling down her cheeks.

Behind her she heard clumsy footfalls travelling toward her, and Callum thumped down beside her. He gently rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, Rayla,” he said quietly. “Are you hurt anywhere?” He cast a worried look at her left arm, which was now soaked with blood, the stitches barely holding on.

She shook her head and crumpled into his chest, crying into his shoulder.

“ I saw Runaan for the first time in years, and we tried to kill each other! ” Rayla choked out, transitioning to her native tongue by accident. “He left me again!”

“ I know, Rayla. I’m sorry, ” Callum replied in the same language, rubbing her back soothingly. “ I’m here, I won’t leave, I promise. I’ll always be here for you. ”

Chapter Text

“Rayla, I’m sorry, but we need to get out of here,” Callum said in Moonshadow, still holding her. “I know you’re hurting, but we need to find Ez,”  

Rayla nodded, scrubbing her eyes fiercely. “You’re right,” she said, switching back to Common and standing up abruptly. “I’ve spent too much time crying already.”

She walked off the battlement, swinging into the courtyard, while scanning the area for Ezran. She heard scrambling behind her as Callum raced down the stairs.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Rayla,” Callum said. “You’re allowed to be sad–”

She waved him off, “later. We need to get out of here.”

Callum sighed and nodded towards a cart in the corner, where a subtle glow was dancing over the stones. 

Rayla jogged towards it, following the contours of the walls to stay out of sight. She looked down and saw Ezran with Bait in his lap. The glow toad was shining softly as Ezran tried ineffectively to cover the light with his hands.

Rayla smiled, holding out a hand to help Ezran up. “This one’s not so good at hiding.”

“I told him that!” Ezran said. 

Rayla glanced around as Callum caught up. “Ez, where’s the egg?”

He smiled proudly and pointed to his back. “I put it in my bag.”

Callum frowned slightly. “Shouldn’t your bag have, like… stuff in it?”

“About that,” Ezran said, fiddling with the straps of his backpack. “I might have, uh… forgotten to pack?”

Rayla sighed. “Okay. Callum and I should have enough supplies to get us out of the castle. We don’t have enough time to get any more stuff.”

“Wait, wait,” Callum said, “we’re leaving?”

Rayla nodded. “It’s not safe here, and we need to get the Dragon Prince back to Xadia as soon as possible.”

“Seems reasonable,” Ezran said, shrugging. 

Callum shook his head. “You two are so impulsive.”

A loud crashing sound followed by a scream came from the king’s tower, making Rayla jump slightly. Callum swung around to face the building, panic in his eyes.

Rayla rested a hand on his shoulder. “Say the word and I’ll go back into that tower with you.”

He sighed, and shouldered his pack more firmly. “No. It’s up to us now. We need to return this egg. We have to keep it safe and carry it to Xadia.”

“And find its mother,” Ezran added.

“Just the three of us,” Callum said.

Bait croaked, turning red. 

“Four of us,” Callum corrected.

Rayla nodded at Callum, and turned to guide the boys out of the castle. They stuck to walls and hid behind gardens, trying to keep out of sight in case one of the guards tried to stop them. 

They passed by the armoury and Rayla grabbed a sword belt, strapping it to her waist and sheathing a longsword.

“Doesn't that count as more stuff?” Callum teased.

Rayla poked her tongue out at him. “Well, your fancy wind spell is only gonna get us so far, mage.” 

Callum grinned. Once across the castle bridge, the trio glanced back at the king’s tower. 

“Guys, do you think Dad will be okay?” Ezran asked nervously.

“He has the finest guards in the kingdom defending him,” Callum said, glancing at Rayla, her expression matching his fear.

“Yeah,” Ezran said, “yeah, of course.”

… 

Runaan wrenched his arms as hard as he could, trying to find a weak spot in the chain that bound them together. 

“Don't bother,” King Harrow said from across the room. “The chains will not break, not even with your enhanced strength from the full moon.”

Runaan stilled, glaring at the king. “Why are we still alive?” He hissed, trying not to think about the two comrades who had fallen in the battle. “Some twisted human tradition, to mock and scorn your enemies before ending them?” 

Harrow looked taken aback. “Of course not. I have no wish to make your lives worse, or take them at all.” He looked to the ground, sadness in his eyes, “I am sorry about your friends. It is unfortunate that they could not be spared as well.”

Runaan scowled. “Why spare any of us?”

“My oldest son, Prince Callum, requested that we forbear from killing you if possible.” Harrow said, meeting Runaan’s gaze.

Runaan scowled. Callum… that was the boy from the rooftop, who'd defended Rayla. He'd called himself her ‘best friend’. “Why?” 

“Does he need a reason to do the right thing?” Harrow asked, looking hard at Runaan. “He was worried about my ward, Rayla.”

Runaan couldn't keep himself from flinching, and the king picked up on it.

“What is your name?” Harrow asked.

Runaan looked away, and one of the soldiers hit him hard over the head. 

“Runaan,” he spat, glaring at the soldier. 

“You were Rayla's guardian,” Harrow said, looking thoughtful. “I remember you.”

Runaan stayed silent, the vivid memories from that day coming into his mind unbidden. 

“She is doing well,” Harrow continued, standing up from his chair and pouring two cups of water. “Quick thinking, brilliant in tactics and physical activities. Excels in everything she sets her mind to. She learned Old Katolian in less than a year, and it is hailed as the most difficult language this side of the Breach.”

Runaan looked up. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I thought you would want to know,” Harrow said. “You must have been worried for her, all those years. As a father myself, I thought I might put your mind at ease.”

Runaan looked away, not wanting to admit that the knowledge of Rayla's wellbeing was comforting.

“It's not easy for her, of course. But I like to think that perhaps she is at least a little happy here,” the king said. “I know she enjoys my boys’ company, at least.”

Runaan's head snapped up. “Stop,” he said, pain edging his voice. “Don't tell me of that traitor. She means nothing to me, she's as good as dead.”

Harrow looked up. “You're lying. I can see it in your eyes.” He walked closer with two cups in his hands, ignoring his guard’s protests. “And I know your pain. I lost my wife many years ago, and the ache never goes away. It must be similar for you.”

“You're wrong,” Runaan lied. “Elves have no such weaknesses.”

Harrow tilted his head, coming forward and sitting on the floor in front of Runaan. “Do you view grief as a weakness?” He placed one of the cups on the ground in front of Runaan.

Runaan looked down at the liquid suspiciously and did not drink, even after Harrow took a sip of his.

“It's not poisoned,” Harrow said.

“Humans are liars,” Runaan said. “Nothing that comes out of your mouth is true.”

“Well, with a prejudice like that, I suppose nothing I say will get through to you.” Harrow sighed, placing his cup on the floor. “I will be frank. I do not want to kill you or your people.”

Runaan looked up at the king.

“Both because I do not enjoy taking life, and because I know it will hurt Rayla.” Harrow knelt in front of Runaan, resting his hand on the elf's shoulder. “I am offering you a chance to live. Please, for your sake and your daughter’s, take it.”

Runaan looked at the king, the human’s face earnest and vulnerable. He set his jaw, considering the arm resting on his shoulder, measuring the distance. 

“I will not,” Runaan hissed. His hand flashed to his bracer and pulling out a small knife, he thrust it upwards in one swift motion.

The blade easily found its mark between Harrow’s armour plates and sunk into the soft flesh of his lower arm, Runaan's speed and reflexes still under the effect of the full moon. 

The king coughed and fell back, his panicked soldiers rushing forward to help him, though Runaan knew it was pointless. The blade was not big enough to strike a fatal blow, but the poison coating worked fast, and even now was spreading through the king’s body and towards his heart.

A soldier grabbed Runaan and shoved him to the floor, and he heard the sound of a sword being drawn. 

He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

The blow never came.

“No– Soren, stop,” Harrow wheezed. “Don't kill him.”

“King Harrow–”

“No,” Harrow said. “No more blood will be spilled tonight on my account.”

Runaan looked up as the human got off him slightly. The dagger was still firmly wedged in the flesh of the king’s arm, and he was clearly in great pain. He was waving off the healers as they tried to fuss over him, aware that there was no point. Harrow looked at Runaan, no anger in his eyes, merely sadness.

“I'm sorry that you felt you had no other option but to kill me,” Harrow said. “Please, if you see Rayla again, don't do something you'll regret.”

He turned to a woman standing by the balcony, wincing in pain as he did so. “Opeli, stand by my boys. They will need strength in the coming years.”

She bowed deeply, great sadness in her eyes. “Of course, my king.”

He coughed, and a servant moved to support him. His eyes fluttered shut and his breathing slowed. The binding around Runaan's arm flashed red and fell loose.

A man dressed in black and gold robes stepped forward. “Kill them all,” he ordered.

“King Harrow said that they should be left alive,” Opeli protested. “You wouldn’t dare–”

“And now he is dead,” the man in black said, cutting her off. “I am the highest ranking council member here, and I am ordering that they be killed.” 

“Killing prisoners violates all of our treaties, Viren!” Opeli said. 

“They are elves, and they have killed our king,” Viren spat. “A quick death is a mercy for such monsters.”

“Spare the leader,” a female in similar robes to the man spoke up. “There are more practical uses for that one.” She smirked, malice in her eyes. “Wouldn't want to upset Rayla, after all.”

Runaan's face contorted in fury as soldiers stepped forward and raised their swords above his comrades, hesitating and exchanging nervous glances.

“Do it!” Viren snapped. The soldiers turned back, fear in their eyes as they thrust down.

Runaan forced himself to keep his eyes open as they cried out, watching the fate he had condemned them to.

Blood spilled on the floor, pools of dark red that stained the polished stones.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up, marching him through the room and towards whatever terrible fate the dark mage had in store for him.

… 

Rayla ran through the forest away from the castle, Ezran and Callum beside her.

“Rayla,” Ezran gasped. “Can we… rest?” 

Rayla glanced back. “We shouldn't, Ez. We need to get as far away as possible, just in case.”

“Rayla, he's exhausted,” Callum said. “He needs sleep.”

Rayla fidgeted. “Fine. But not for long.”

They set up camp, Ezran and Callum fell asleep almost as soon as they hit the ground. Callum’s back rested against Rayla's leg, his arms curled protectively around Ezran. Callum snored lightly, and Rayla smiled down at him. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of Callum's eyes, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

“How touching,” Calypso said, materialising from the undergrowth and leaning against a tree across the camp, his arms crossed against his chest.

Rayla glared at him. “I wondered when you were going to show up.”

“I've come for my staff,” Calypso said.

Rayla smirked. “I'm not an idiot. You're not getting that staff back.”

Calypso shrugged, moving to sit across from her. “Then I'll have to stick with your little party.”

Rayla baulked. “What are you talking about?”

“Without my staff, I'm basically defenceless, a lone elf stranded in the human kingdoms. I'll never make it back to Xadia alive.” Calypso looked up. “You wouldn't condemn me to such a fate, would you?”

“I'm tempted to,” Rayla said. Her eyes wandered to Calypso's right wrist, where his binding was  absent.

Rayla gasped, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. “He… he's gone, then? Why wasn't there a Shadowhawk?”

“He is,” Calypso said. “I don't know why Runaan didn't send an arrow. Perhaps your fancy training meant the humans killed them all. 

Rayla sat back, her eyes glassy. She'd never thought that her training would ever be used against her kin, let alone to kill them.

Calypso glanced at the sleeping princes. “Are you going to tell them?” 

Rayla hesitated. “When the time is right.”

“They have a right to know,” Calypso said. “You shouldn't put it off.”

“What right do you have to care about their wellbeing?” Rayla asked, glaring at him. “I'll tell them when they're ready to hear it.”

Calypso shrugged. They sat for a while, neither making any moves.

Callum shifted slightly in his sleep, a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. Rayla snickered and gently wiped the spit away.

Calypso grimaced. “You're disgusting.”

“You can disapprove of me all you want, but could you at least be quiet?” Rayla snapped. “The boys aren't used to this sort of thing, they need all the rest they can get.”

Calypso rolled his eyes, looking away. His gaze rested on Ezran's bag, which now held the Dragon Prince's egg. His eyes then flicked up to his staff which was resting by Rayla's side.

Rayla sighed. “Calypso, if you're going to make plans to try and kill us and steal the egg, at least be less obvious about it.”

Calypso scowled, not making any move to deny it.

Rayla paused for a second. “You still intend to kill Ez and fulfil your mission, don't you?”

“I bound myself,” Calypso said simply. “I swore an oath to Xadia.”

Rayla looked down. “I'm not going to be able to convince you not to, am I?”

“No,” Calypso said, shaking his head.

“Very well,” Rayla said. She stood up, making sure not to wake the boys sleeping next to her. 

She stood, walking briskly over to where Calypso sat and looked over him. “If you so much as touch a single hair on either of their heads, I will hunt you down and end you.”

Calypso scoffed. “You expect me to take you seriously. You have the single best heart in all of Xadia, you couldn't end the life of an ant.”

Rayla stepped back. “You're probably right. But even if I am too good-hearted to finish you, I will make your life so miserable that you will wish you were dead.”

Calypso looked up, making direct eye contact. “You've changed, haven't you?”

“What gave that away?” Rayla asked drily, sitting back down next to Callum and Ezran.

“You're different than before,” Calypso said. “You were always confident, but now you're more… driven.”

Rayla looked down. “I never could have predicted how much coming to Katolis would help me. Before, I never realised how unhappy I was all the time. Now…” she looked over to Callum and Ezran, still sound asleep. Rayla smiled. “I've never felt more safe than when I'm around them. I would do anything for them, and they for me.”

Calypso paused, thinking it over. “You were serious before, when you threatened me?”

Rayla looked up and nodded.

Calypso sighed. “Listen. The Dragon Prince needs to get back to Xadia safely. For that you'll need a guide.”

“I know my way around Xadia,” Rayla said, shrugging.

Calypso shook his head. “Not anymore. Xadia has changed a bit since you left. It will be difficult for you to travel around freely, especially since you're hailed as a traitor, along with your parents.” 

Rayla flinched slightly. She’d known that it would be that way, but to hear it out loud was painful.

“Are you volunteering?” Rayla asked.

“Yes,” Calypso said, studying his hands. “I won't be able to make it through the human lands on my own. You won't be able to make it through Xadia. We need each other.”

Rayla sat back. “And how do I know that you won't betray us when we reach the border?”

“You don't. But I'll keep following you through the human lands whether you want me to or not, so you may as well let me do it on your terms.”

“Swear it,” Rayla said. 

“I swear on my honour,” Calypso said, bringing a closed fist over his heart.

Rayla looked down. “That's the best I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?”

Calypso shrugged. “What more can I give?”

Rayla ran a hand down her face, hoping desperately that she wasn't making a horrible mistake. “Okay. You can travel with us. But one hint of funny business and I'm tying you up for the soldiers to deal with, do you understand me?”

Calypso nodded. “Perfectly.”

Chapter Text

Calypso sat awake, staring sullenly at the ground. Across the small clearing Rayla was still leaning against her tree, awake despite Calypso’s insistence that he could keep watch alone. The sun was starting to rise, little rays of sunshine filtering through the leaves above.

“How are we going to explain it to them?” Calypso asked, gesturing at the princes who were still fast asleep next to Rayla.

“You mean why you’re here?” Rayla said, and Calypso nodded. “Ezran will be fine with it, no explanation needed, but you did hold a sword to Callum’s throat so it might take him a little longer. You’ll need to clear out before they wake up so I can give them a heads up, though.”

“Ye don’t sound too worried about how they’ll react.”

Rayla shrugged. “We trust each other. If I say you’re coming with us and that they don't need to worry about you, they’ll believe me.”

“That sounds… nice,” Calypso said, fidgeting with his fingers. “To have someone’s unconditional trust.”

“It is,” Rayla said. “I’m… sorry.”

Calypso shook himself, scowling and looking away. “It’s fine. Don’t pity me.”

… 

The breeze blowing through the clearing was starting to warm up, and Callum was grateful for the comparative warmth as he sat against a tree, staring into his Primal Stone. Rayla dozed on his shoulder, tired from the long night.

“Wow, Rayla,” Callum breathed. “I can’t believe I have one of these.”

“Yep,” she mumbled into his scarf. “Super-rare magical artefact, yaaayy.”

“No, I’m serious, Rayla!” Callum laughed, turning to face her. “Don’t you see? Now I can learn magic, the way I’ve always wanted to.”

“Yes?” Rayla said sleepily. “I think I’m too tired for your magical excitement right now, Callum, however adorable it is.”

Callum paused for a second. “I, um… adorable?”

“Uh– did I say that out loud?” Rayla said, flushing. 

Callum nodded, his face warming without the aid of the breeze.

“Ye– yeah,” Rayla stammered, still a little groggy. “I guess you are pretty cute.”

Callum blushed, looking down at the stone still in his hand. “Uh, um… Primal Stone! Yeah, that’s what we were talking about!”

He reached for his bag, grabbing a small cube with runes protruding from each of its six sides. He held it up next to Rayla, the Moon rune lighting up.

She grumbled and turned her face away. “Ugh, not the glow cube again…”

“Sorry,” Callum said. “Checking if it was working properly.”

“When has it ever not worked,” Rayla muttered. “I think you just like annoying me…”

Callum held the cube up next to the stone, the sky rune lighting up. 

“So it really is a Primal Stone…” Callum said, awed. 

“Yeah. What’d you think it was, a bowling ball?” Rayla sat up fully, groaning. “I can see I’m not getting any sleep this morning.”

“Sorry,” Callum said sheepishly.

“Eh, it’s okay,” Rayla said. “We’ll need to get moving soon anyway, may as well work a few things out.”

“Uh… what things?”

“First off, we don’t have nearly enough supplies to make it anywhere near Xadia. And second…” Rayla hesitated. “You remember Calypso?”

“The guy who chased us through the castle and was a few seconds away from killing me? Hard to forget.”

“Right, well… what do you think about him coming with us?” Rayla said nervously.

Callum reeled back in shock. “Are you serious? He clearly wanted to kill us.”

She nodded, shifting closer and resting a hand on Callum’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard to believe, but he swore that he wouldn’t harm any of us on his honour. I can’t really explain it, but Calypso would never break an oath like that.”

Callum sighed. “Do you trust him completely? With Ezran’s life?”

Rayla hesitated. “I want to. We were really good friends, before… you know. I don’t want to cut myself off from every part of my past.”

Callum nodded, placing his hand over Rayla’s that still rested on his shoulder and smiling at her. “I don’t want to take that from you.” Callum said, sighing slightly. “Okay. He can come. But we’ll need to be on our guard, like… all the time.”

Rayla nodded. “I know. I haven’t given him his staff back, so that’ll at least give us an edge.”

Callum looked around. “Where is he, by the way?”

“Right here,” Calypso said, dropping down from the trees above.

Callum yelped, scrambling back. 

“I told you to go get water!” Rayla snapped.

“Ah did, and when Ah got back ye were still talking, so Ah waited.” Calypso said, tossing a waterskin on the ground in front of her. “Didn’t want to be rude.”

“How long were you there?” Callum asked. 

“Long enough,” Calypso said. “Now, how many supplies do ye have? It’s a long hike to Xadia.”

Callum scowled, grabbing his pack and emptying the contents on the ground, Rayla doing the same beside him. 

“Not much,” Rayla said, inspecting the meagre supplies. “We only packed for the ride to the Banther Lodge, and they have food there.”

Calypso rubbed his chin, squinting at the assortment of items. He picked up a book, frowning at it. “A guide to Xadia’s wishing wells?”

Callum flushed, looking down. “Rayla did say it was stupid.”

“Are ye joking?” Calypso said, flipping through the book excitedly. “Ah adore wishing wells. They’re so varied and reflect the souls of the elves who made them, and they provide such a unique connection point for communities–” he broke off, noticing how the others were looking at him oddly. Calypso coughed, dropping the book on the pile. “Ah meant, uh… it could be helpful.”

Rayla turned back to sifting through the supplies. “We can hunt and forage for food, but that’s quite time consuming, and will extend the journey by a few days at least. The best option is to stop somewhere and trade for provisions.”

“Where can we go?” Calypso asked. “Everywhere is covered with humans that are looking for you and the princes and want to kill me.”

“Well… not quite everywhere,” Callum said, fiddling with his fingers. “The Banther Lodge isn’t too far from here, and like Rayla said, they have dried food and camping supplies there in case soldiers stop by.”

“That’s not a bad idea, actually.” Rayla said, nodding. 

“An’ what if soldiers stop by when we’re there?” Calypso said. 

Callum hesitated. “I’ll… talk to them?”

“Stellar plan, ten out of ten,” Calypso said, sighing. He looked at Rayla. “Isn’t he a prince? Shouldn’t he be good at tactics and whatnot?”

Callum glanced down, his cheeks pink. 

“Calypso,” Rayla said in a warning tone. “Callum is good at a lot of things. It’s not his fault that he has to fill a role that isn’t really suited for him.”

“It’s fine,” Callum said. “I don’t really care what he thinks of me.”

Calypso turned back to the pile of supplies, sifting through the rest of the supplies. Rayla sat back next to Callum, brushing his hand gently before taking out a whetstone and starting to sharpen her blades.

Next to Callum Ezran stirred, yawning. “Callum? I had a weird dream.”

Callum leaned over, resting a hand on Ezran’s head as he sat up. “It wasn’t a dream, Ez. All of that was real.”

“Are you sure?” Ezran asked. “There was this giant pink hippopotamus and I pulled its ear off, because it was made of taffy.”

“Uh… no. That… that was a dream.” Callum said. “I thought you meant the elves, the smoke wolves, the dragon egg. That was all real.”

“Then I tried to thank the hippo for the taffy,” Ezran continued. “But he couldn’t hear me, because I was eating his ears.”

Calypso sighed, rolling his eyes. “This is who we’re travelling with?”

Rayla punched his shoulder. “Play nice. And you’re the one who got excited over a book about wishing wells.”

Ezran looked up, noticing Calypso. “Oh. When did Calypso get here?”

“Last night, while you were asleep,” Rayla said. “He’s going to be travelling with us. Is that okay with you?”

Ezran nodded, smiling at Calypso. “Yeah.”

“Really? Just like that?” Callum said.

“Should it have taken longer?” Ezran asked.

Callum sighed. “We really need to work on your cynical streak.”

“Okay,” Rayla said. “Now that’s settled, let's go.”

… 

“Hey, guys?” Ezran asked. “Can we–”

“No,” Calypso snapped.

“But I’m–”

“Dont care.”

“I’m thirsty,” Ezran said, frowning.

Calypso sighed. “Are ye going to keep whining until yer wee throat is quenched?”

“Calypso, if you’re going to travel with us, at least be civil.” Callum said, exasperated. 

Calypso rolled his eyes, pulling out a small vial filled with red liquid and tossing it to Ezran. “Fine, then. Drink this.”

Ezran caught it, inspecting the liquid. “What is it?”

“Blood,” Calypso said, smirking.

Rayla grabbed the vial and gasped. “No, it’s not. It’s moonberry juice!” She turned to Calypso. “Is it the really good stuff they make in the Silvergrove?”

Calypso nodded, irritated she'd called him out.

Rayla grinned, handing it back to Ezran. “You’ll want to taste this. It’s incredible.”

“No, I’m okay,” Ezran said, passing the juice back to Rayla. “You can have it. We’re almost at the Lodge anyway.”

“Oh, Ez, you don’t have to–”

“It’s fine. You’re always talking about how much you miss the moonberry dishes from the Silvergrove. Take it.”

Rayla smiled, touched by Ezran’s concern. “Thank you.”

She took a small sip, gasping as the tastes of home came back to her in a rush of nostalgia, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “Oh…” 

“Is it good?” Callum asked, concern hinting the edges of his tone.

“So good,” Rayla moaned. “I’d almost forgotten what it tasted like.”

“Well, enjoy it later,” Calypso snapped, waving his hand at the large wooden structure in front of them. “Looks like we’re here.”

Rayla recorked the juice and carefully put it in her pack before walking forward, leading the group towards the lodge. “Come on. If we’re quick we should be able to move on before midday.”

“Wait, won’t the doors be locked?” Callum asked. “I’m pretty sure they lock it so animals and stuff can’t get in.”

Calypso glanced up. “There’s an open window. I’ll jump in and open the doors from the other side.”

Without waiting for a response he sprinted forward, jumping onto the roof and through the window, disappearing into the building.

Callum smirked, glancing at Rayla. “He kinda reminds me of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rayla snapped.

“Oh, you know… sarcastic, a bit eager to please but not willing to show it…”

“Shut up.” Rayla said, scowling. “I’ll punch you.”

Callum raised his hands in defence, though mirth still played in his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Guys, isn’t it kinda weird no one’s here?” Ezran said, looking around. “This is where Dad was sending us…”

The trio jumped as a horn sounded in the distance, a battalion of mounted human troops emerging from the woods. Calllum and Rayla glanced at each other, worry etched on their faces.

“We probably shouldn’t have come here,” Callum said, and Rayla nodded her agreement.

The soldiers rode up to the door and halted, their leader dismounting and striding up to the trio, removing her helmet and revealing her short dark hair.

Ezran gasped in recognition. “Aunt Amaya?” 

Amaya smiled, tossing her helmet to Gren and walking forward, enveloping the boys in a bear hug. She nodded to Rayla over the boy’s shoulders, and she returned the gesture a little nervously.

She put them down and knelt in front of them, smiling. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” she signed, Gren translating. 

“Extremely safe!” Callum said nervously. “Safe and… alone! Just the three of us!”

Rayla cringed internally, glancing at Callum’s nervous body language. 

Amaya looked up, noticing the open window. Her eyes narrowed and she walked towards the doors.

Callum panicked, running to get there before her. “Oh, uh, that door’s locked. So, you wait here for a minute, couple minutes, few… however long it takes, I’ll go get a key.”

Amaya grabbed Callum by his shoulders and moved him aside, kicking open the doors.

“I don’t believe in locks,” Amaya signed, stepping into the entryway. 

Callum and Rayla exchanged panicked looks, following her into the room. Rayla squinted into the shadowed rafters, searching for Calypso. She saw a flicker of movement as he jumped from one beam to the next, relaxing slightly as she confirmed he was safe for the moment.

Amaya stopped, looking around suspiciously. “Someone’s here.”

Callum chuckled nervously, moving around to stand in front of her. “What? No, no. No one here but us and all your human troops!” Callum said, shouting the last part into the darkness.

Rayla shook her head, sighing internally.

“Callum, you know it doesn’t help to yell,” Amaya signed. “And why are you saying ‘human troops’ like that?”

“Uh, what do you mean?” Callum said, flailing. “That’s how I always say ‘heavily armed human troops!’”

In the rafters, Rayla could feel Calypso rolling his eyes.

Amaya ignored Callum’s insistence and moved towards the stairs, still glancing around. From the roof Calypso caught Rayla’s gaze and glared at her, to which she shrugged slightly.

Rayla dashed forward and knocked on Amaya’s shield to get her attention, ignoring her fear of the general in her desperation. “Uh… Ezran has something to tell you,” she said, pulling him forward.

“Um, I… skipped breakfast.” Ezran said. “I’m sorry.”

Amaya loomed over the trio, staring them down. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” she signed, crossing her arms.

… 

Amaya slammed the cupboard door open, hunting for food. On the bottom shelf she found a stale baguette. She stood, eyeing the long piece of food sceptically. 

“The food here is…” she banged the bread on the cupboard a few times, the dough not bending and making a loud banging sound. “Weapons-grade.”

She put the bread on the table in front of the trio and jammed her sword in the wood next to it. “Dig in.”

Ezran eagerly grabbed the sword and started trying to pull it out of the wood, Rayla and Callum eyeing the bread suspiciously and edging away from it. 

Callum looked up at Amaya. “Aunt Amaya, why are you here?”

“I received a messenger bird from the king yesterday,” Amaya signed, pulling out a sealed scroll.

Callum flinched and patted his jacket, his pockets flat and empty.

“What’s wrong?” Rayla asked quietly. 

“I just– my letter from the king… it’s missing. I must’ve dropped it when Calyp– I mean, when we were, uh… playing tag.” Callum said, wincing slightly at the bad lie.

“Oh…” Rayla said, frowning. Of course he had lost the last thing his father had given to him. “We can look for it later, okay?”

“Thanks,” Callum said, smiling at her. He turned back to Amaya. “What’d your letter say?” 

Amaya passed him the scroll, and Callum took it. “General, the castle is under threat. Assassins have infiltrated the kingdom. Moonshadow elves.”

“The worst kind,” Amaya signed, scowling. She glanced at Rayla as an afterthought. “No offence.”

Rayla bit her lip, looking away. It was no secret how the general felt about elves, but it still hurt to hear.

“Do not bring your force to the castle.” Callum continued. “Your orders are to proceed immediately to the Banther Lodge. Callum, Ezran, and Rayla will be there. Above all, see to it that my children are safe.”

He placed the letter down, glancing at Rayla. Her stomach twisted as his gaze met hers again, guilt gnawing at her conscience.

Harrow was dead, and she still hadn’t told them.

“Wait, there’s more on the back,” Amaya signed, gesturing at the letter.

Callum flipped the page over and continued reading. “PS: once their safety is assured, the kids may wish to build a dirt man.” Callum looked up. “We do not wish to build a dirt man.”

“We do not.” Ezran confirmed, now trying to cut the bread by sawing it with the sword, still stuck in the wood. 

“You’re safe now, kids,” Amaya signed, smiling.

Ezran succeeded in cutting the bread, laughing in victory and bit into it, his face freezing in pain as his teeth hit the stale bread.

… 

Callum sighed, slumping back on the couch. The soldiers were milling about, some putting the doors back on their hinges. 

“We shouldn’t have come here,” Rayla said, glancing around.

“I don’t know,” Callum put in. “Calypso is still a threat. Maybe we should turn him in.”

Rayla shook her head. “I don’t trust him either, but turning him in is as much a danger to the humans as it is to him. Besides, betraying him feels… wrong.”

“Maybe we should tell Aunt Amaya,” Ezran suggested. “About Calypso and the egg. And Runaan.”

Rayla shook her head. “No, we can’t. General Amaya barely tolerates me, and that’s only because I’m friends with you two.”

Callum shrugged. “I think she likes you more than you realise. She just has an odd way of showing it.”

Rayla sighed. “That doesn’t change the fact that she hates elves. I’m going to find supplies and Calypso, and we’ll get out of here.”

“Suit yourself,” Callum said. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

… 

Amaya stood outside, checking on the soldiers on watch. A crow flew down from the direction of Katolis and landed on her shoulder, a message tied to its leg. She pulled the scroll out and read the contents.

Her eyes widened and she clenched the scroll in her fist, storming back into the lodge. She found Callum and Ezran sitting by the empty fireplace, Rayla nowhere to be found.

“Where is she?”

… 

Rayla dashed up the stairs, smiling widely at the soldiers she passed in an effort to seem unsuspicious. She ducked her head into each of the doors along the hall, looking for Calypso. One of the windows in a guest room was unlatched, and she crept in, glancing around for the other elf.

She stuck her head out of the window, finding Calypso hidden beneath the windowsill. 

“Oh, you’re all right,” Rayla said, relaxing in relief. 

“Of course Ah’m all right, Ah’m not a kid,” Calypso scoffed. “Ah got us some stale human food and stashed it in a boat. Are ye and the whiny princes ready to leave?”

“Yeah,” Rayla said, beckoning him in. “Don’t just stand there! What if someone sees you?”

Calypso shrugged, slipping into the room. “I’m sneaky enough.”

“Sure,” Rayla said, rolling her eyes slightly. “How much food did you get?”

“A couple sacks of bread.” Calypso said, ticking the items off on his fingers. “A few utensils, a pot, water purifying materials, the lot.”

“Great,” Rayla said. “Now we just need to grab the boys and get out of here.”

A loud crash sounded behind them as Amaya burst through the door with Gren behind her, his hands still raised in the middle of a sign.

Calypso jumped and dashed to the window, but Amaya grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him back in. He squirmed away and Amaya turned to Rayla, attacking her with her shield. 

Rayla yelped, drawing her butterfly blades. “General Amaya, it’s not what it looks like!” 

Gren raced forward before Calypso could get out of the room, tackling him to the floor. Calypso grunted and tried to throw the commander off, but he stood his ground.

Amaya threw hits at Rayla with no mercy, embedding her shield in the walls a few times. Rayla blocked most of them with her blades, but her defence was weak due to her left arm. She cried out as Amaya landed a solid strike to her left side and she dropped her blade.

Amaya took the opportunity, charging forward and trapping Rayla’s head inside the gap in her shield. She then turned to Calypso, who was still struggling to free himself from Gren.

Her fist flashed out and hit him square in the head, knocking him out cold. 

She turned to Rayla with murder in her eyes, the girl struggling to free herself from the shield. A guard burst in.

“General Amaya!” He cried. “The princes have disappeared.”

Amaya snarled and faced Rayla again, swinging her fist and hitting her square in the face.

Chapter Text

Rayla opened her eyes groggily, her head still foggy. Where was she? Where were Callum and Ezran? 

She scanned the room, vaguely recognising it as the basement of the Banther Lodge. Two guards were standing in front of her, Amaya and Gren off to the side. 

She realised her hands were tied to something above her head and she looked up, yanking on the ropes to try and free her wrists. Her memories came flooding back, and as she sat up, a flash of pain shot through her left arm and she stopped, crying out. 

Beside her she heard a muffled grunt and curse from Calypso.

“How did you do it?” Gren’s voice came. Rayla guessed that he was translating for Amaya.

“How did we do what?” Calypso spat. 

“Kidnap the princes,” Amaya signed. “I received a crow from the castle informing me that the princes are presumed dead, and were last seen being threatened by one of the assassins, who was attempting to take Callum hostage.” She looked at Calypso, “I assume that was you.”

Calypso looked away. 

“Why did you attack me?” Rayla asked, “I’ve done nothing wrong, ask Callum or Ez!”

Amaya grabbed her face and pulled her forward, fury lighting her gaze.

Gren explained, “the princes are gone. We can’t find them.”

Amaya backed away, staring down at both the elves. “As for the reason I attacked you, the message included details that you are plotting with the other assassins against the kingdom and attempting to seduce Prince Callum.”

Rayla flinched back, flushing. “What? No, I’m not, I– seduce?”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s true. The message was from the High Mage and his daughter, and their orders overrule any objection I could give,” Amaya signed, walking away. “Until we find the princes, you’re staying here for everyone’s safety.”

Rayla sighed, slumping as far as she was able with her hands still bound.

“Seduce, eh?” Calypso said, and Rayla could hear the smirk in his voice. “Didn’t know ye were capable of that.”

Rayla scowled, “shut up. I’m not seducing him, or any of the other stuff she said.”

“Ah dunno,” Calypso mused. “Ye do flirt with him a lot.”

“I do not!” Rayla snapped, and Calypso sniggered.

… 

Callum carefully gripped the rope of the dumb waiter, lowering it gently. “This is one of your weirdest ideas,” he said to Ezran, who was standing beside him. 

“Weirder than snail armour?”

“Ez, snails already have armour,” Callum said, rolling his eyes.

“Then why do they keep getting smooshed?” Ezran asked.

“We’re not–” Callum said, grunting as he took one hand off the rope and nearly lost his grip. “My point is, I don’t know if this plan’ll work.”

“She’ll know what to do,” Ezran said confidently.

… 

Rayla wrenched her wrists again, trying to free her hands. Beside her, Calypso twitched as one of the guards inspected his spear. 

“Ye know, we might not be in this situation if ye’d given me mah staff back in the first place,” Calypso hissed.

Rayla rolled her eyes. “Calypso, General Amaya is the best fighter in all of the human kingdoms, maybe Xadia as well. She would have beaten us both either way.”

“Ah wouldn’t have been a sitting duck, though,” he grumbled.

A shaft in the wall started making an odd squeaking noise, and Rayla looked up as a dumb waiter containing Bait lowered to the bottom. She grinned.

“Have you met Bait? Say hello to my little friend.” Rayla squeezed her eyes shut as Bait flashed, blinding the two guards.

They cried out in pain, and turned to her furiously after the light dissipated. One charged with her sword out, and Rayla kicked upwards, sending her flying into a pile of barrels.

The second guard ran forward with one of Rayla’s butterfly blades. Calypso’s foot flashed out, hitting the soldier in the side of the head and knocking him out. The sword in the guard's hand flew out of his grip, wedging in the wooden support beam Rayla was tied to. She stood up, grabbing her butterfly blade and using the sharp edge to cut the ropes binding her hands. 

She turned to Calypso and cut his wrists free before they charged forward, each grabbing their weapons on the way out. Bait croaked and Rayla wheeled around, dashing back to grab the glow toad.

As they ran up the stairs, Callum and Ezran came down, both relieved to see Rayla safe.

“We couldn’t quite hear what Gren was saying,” Callum said, hugging Rayla tight. “Why did Aunt Amaya attack you?”

 “Long story, I’ll tell you later,” Rayla mumbled, flushing. “Come on!”

They ran out of the lodge, trying to avoid contact with the soldiers on duty, but they were well trained and Rayla could hear armour clanking, soldiers shouting for backup and chasing after them. They burst out of the newly repaired doors, dashing past the soldiers warming themselves by a fire. 

The fire cast dancing shadows across the bridge and trees, the darkness disrupting Rayla’s depth perception. They ran for the bridge, but found that their path was blocked by a troop of guards marching towards the lodge. 

Rayla scowled and wheeled around, but there was another group of soldiers advancing from their flank, some with longbows knocked with arrows. She stopped, glancing around desperately for a means of escape.

“Stop right there, elves,” Amaya signed. “Callum, Ezran, come here.”

“Aunt Amaya, I don’t know what you have against Rayla, but whatever it is you’re wrong.” Callum said. “She’s only ever helped and protected Ezran and I.”

“And what about the other one?” Amaya signed.

“He, uh…” Callum hesitated, “He’s okay too. I guess.”

Amaya looked down. “I don’t trust the assassin, andbut I’m sorry about Rayla. I know she’s close to you, but it’s not up to me. The High Mage has decreed that she is to be found and captured, for attempting to seduce you and betray the kingdom.”

“Uh… what?” Callum stammered, his face flushing bright red. “She– no, she wouldn’t do that. Aunt Amaya, you know Rayla would never do that.”

“I have to follow orders. It’s my job,” Amaya signed. “Fire to incapacitate on my command.”

“Wait!” Ezran cried.

Without hesitation, Calypso snatched one of Rayla’s blades and grabbed Callum and Ezran in headlocks, using his staff and Rayla’s sword. 

“Go ahead, fire,” Calypso hissed. “The next time you attack, I’ll end both of them in half a second.”

Rayla stepped forward, protesting.

“That goes for ye too, traitor,” Calypso snapped, glaring at her.

Amaya waved her hand, and the archers lowered their weapons.

“Towards the docks,” Calypso said to Rayla, jerking his head at the river. “Get in the boat.”

Rayla did as he instructed, ignoring her internal screaming about voluntarily going anywhere near the water.

Calypso slowly backed towards the boat, still holding Callum and Ezran hostage. He let Callum go as he approached, shoving him towards Rayla. She caught Callum, helping him regain his balance and sit on the bench beside her.

“Row,” Calypso growled as he jumped in the vessel, keeping Rayla’s blade pressed against Ezran’s throat.

Rayla swallowed and grabbed an oar, Callum doing the same next to her. They rowed as hard as they could, the current helping to push them along. 

The guards watched them intently as they passed under the bridge -tracking them until they were out of sight.

Amaya turned to Gren as the boat sailed away. “If the elf realises we followed them, he’ll take the prince’s lives, and possibly Rayla’s as well. We need to be careful. Corvus!” She turned to face the rest of the guards as a young man stepped forward. “Track them, but stay out of sight. And when you see an opportunity, free them.”

Corvus bowed with a hand over his heart.

“The rest of you, ride with me.” Amaya signed. 

… 

Rayla watched Calypso closely as they drew away from the Banther Lodge. He still held Ezran tightly, and Rayla could see a line of blood on Ezran’s throat where he’d pressed too hard.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Calypso said. “Ah’m not going to kill him, or ye.”

“How are we supposed to know that, when you do things like this?” Rayla said. “Now the General won’t trust either of us, and we’ll be in even more trouble.”

Calypso rolled his eyes. “No. Ah did it so that it would look like Ah was kidnapping ye as well. Shifted all the suspicion to me.”

Rayla paused, surprised that he’d thought through it that much. “I… uh… thank you.”

Calypso nodded.

“Uh… now that we know you're not kidnapping us, could you let me go?” Ezran squeaked, eyeing the blade nervously.

Calypso removed his weapon from Ezran’s throat and shifted to take the oar from Callum. Ezran sat next to Callum, looking at Calypso a little reproachfully.

“You didn’t have to press so hard,” Ezran said.

“Sorry, kid,” Calypso said. “It had to look realistic.”

“You could have given us a heads up or something,” Callum said, hugging Ezran to his side.

“How exactly? It would have given us away,” Calypso said.

“You could speak in Moonshadow,” Callum suggested, enjoying how Calypso flinched back in surprise.

“Ye speak our language?” Calypso asked, shocked.

“Yep!” Callum said happily.

“I know a little bit too,” Ezran said. “But I’m not fluent like Callum.”

“I taught them fairly early on, while Callum was teaching me sign language and Katolian,” Rayla explained. “The castle staff called us the ‘little linguists’ for a while.”

Callum groaned, “I’d forgotten about that.”

Calypso looked down. He’d heard Rayla speak in the human’s language and assumed that she’d been forced to learn it, but maybe they’d just traded languages so they could understand each other better.

Ezran tugged on Callum’s sleeve, “Callum, what did Aunt Amaya mean when she said Rayla was trying to… ‘sedooce’ you?”

Rayla flinched and dropped the oar, fumbling to grab it out of the water again before the current swept it away.

“O-oh,” Callum stammered, flushing. “It means, uh… to…”

“To try and make someone like ye romantically for yer own gain,” Calypso explained, taking the oar from Rayla.

“Oh. Okay,” Ezran said. “That kinda makes sense, I guess.”

Callum cast a grateful glance at the elf.

Rayla curled up in the middle of the boat, trying to ignore the surrounding water. Callum turned to her, smiling softly. 

“Hey, are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Rayla said shortly. “I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you,” Callum said, sitting next to her. “Talk to me.”

Rayla grimaced, turning away. “You aren’t… embarrassed?”

Callum shrugged, “Of course. But you’re my… my best friend, Rayla. I’m not going to let Viren’s stupid ideas ruin that.”

Rayla looked up, smiling and hugged him, burying her face in his scarf. “Thank you, Callum.”

“Anytime,” Callum said, hugging her back.

“Get a room,” Calypso snapped. “Nobody wants to see whatever sappy stuff ye two’ve got going on.”

“I dunno,” Ezran said. “I think it’s sweet.”

“Well, ye’re not the one rowing,” Calypso said.

“We’re not doing anything wrong!” Callum said, “lay off.”

Calypso shrugged, lifting one oar out of the water menacingly. “Ah’m still the one rowing. Not wise to upset me, princey.”

Chapter Text

Callum sat against a fallen log while the others slept, inspecting the Primal Stone and rune cube. He held the sky rune close to the ball, grinning when it lit up.

He looked over at Rayla and Ezran, who were sleeping with their limbs tangled up in an adorable little knot. A little farther away, Calypso laid asleep, twitching occasionally.

Callum looked down at the cube and then to Calypso, smirking as an idea hit him. He crawled over to the elf and held the cube up next to his face, grinning as the moon rune lit up. He pulled it away and held it close again. Oddly, it seemed to glow fainter than it did when he held it close to Rayla, and there was an odd sort of… energy coming from it.

Calypso sat up, grabbing Callum’s hand and pinning him to the floor. “Keep doing that and ye’ll wish ye weren't born,” he hissed. 

Callum yelped, scrambling away. 

Rayla sat up at the noise, drawing her blades. “What’s going on? Why’s Callum screaming?”

“I didn’t scream,” Callum said huffily.

“Ye did,” Calypso said. “The princling was using his… magic glow toy on me.”

Rayla smirked. “Yeah, he does that to me all the time. Likes to see what triggers it.”

“‘He’ is right here,” Callum said, irritated. 

“Sorry, Callum,” Rayla said. “Why did you use it on Calypso?”

“I don’t know!” Callum said, throwing his hands up. “I thought it would be fun?”

“Well, don’t do it again,” Calypso snarled, stalking off. “Ah’m going to get some food.”

“But we have food,” Ezran said. “You grabbed a sack of bread at the Banther Lodge.”

“Good luck eating that. They’re stale enough they could be used as clubs.” Calypso said, squinting at Ezran. 

Rayla picked up one and swung it around a few times, shrugging. “He’s not wrong.”

“Yeah, Ah’ll pass,” Calypso muttered, walking off into the trees.

Callum squinted at the cube, then turned to Rayla and held it up to her, the moon rune lighting up.

“Seriously, Callum, what is with you and that thing?” Rayla snapped.

“Sorry!” Callum said. “I was just… testing something.”

“What?”

“When I held it up to Calypso before, the rune glowed, but it was… faint. I thought I was imagining things, but….”

Rayla flinched, sucking in a breath. “I– yeah,  that makes sense, actually.”

Callum frowned. “What do you mean?”

Rayla shook her head. “It’s… not my story to tell.”

…

Calypso wandered away from the camp, putting as much distance between himself and the others as possible. 

It was draining, having to put up with so many people all the time. Even more so because he didn’t know what to think about all this. He’d been taught that humans were wrong, that they exploited magical creatures. 

But these princes… they seemed so good, like not a drop of bad blood existed in them. Especially the youngest, Ezran. He was so innocent, so clueless about the world. It made Calypso want to shield the kid from anything that might hurt him.

Rayla clearly trusted them deeply, to the point of repeatedly sacrificing herself for them. It was reckless and stupid, but that tended to be Rayla’s way of showing affection. And Callum… she had obviously fallen for him, even if she hadn't realised it yet.

Calypso scowled, reaching out and snapping a branch off a tree, using it to hit each bush that he passed.

It was stupid, getting so attached to humans. They were backstabbing monsters, and would turn on anyone that trusted them.

But then again… that was what the humans said about elves. Calypso paused, mulling it over.

Though some elves were definitely horrible people

like mother and father

like those who refused to trust him, even after he'd proven himself over and over. But there were others who’d always believed in him. Ethari. Runaan, occasionally. And… Rayla. She’d stuck by him right up until the day she left, and at the time she had said she’d be back within a week.

Calypso groaned, slumping to the ground at the edge of a cliff and glaring out at the landscape.

He was so confused, and it grated on him. There was one way in the world, with elves on one side and humans on the other.

He looked down at the slowly constricting binding on his wrist, a constant reminder of his sacred task. He was bound by oath to kill Ezran.

He had no choice in the matter.

You have no choice, Kieran! This path is your destiny!

Calypso jolted, shaking his head to clear the unpleasant memory. He scowled, glaring down at the binding. 

It was the same as it had always been, and it would stay that way.

“Help!” Callum cried in the distance. “Help!”

Calypso rolled his eyes, jumping into a nearby tree and running back towards the camp. Typical of the human to not even last half an hour before getting himself into trouble again. Rayla probably had it handled, but the kid had enough clumsiness to punch through any amount of preventative measures.

He ran across the leaves and reached the campsite, jumping down with his staff out. “What’s wrong?”

Callum stood with the Primal Stone in one hand and a flashing ball of lightning in the other. Rayla was nearby, hands in the air helplessly and sheltering Ezran behind her. 

Calypso sighed, clipping his staff back in place. “Seriously?”

Callum grinned nervously, glancing at the ball. “Sorry!”

“He was trying to do Claudia’s lightning spell, but he doesn’t know how to finish it,” Ezran explained.

“I told him not to, but he did it anyway,” Rayla sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I can’t remember the word that releases the spell, it’s been so long since I studied draconic…”

“For a lightning spell, it’s probably Fulminis,” Calypso said, walking over to a tree with fruit dangling from it, picking two and tossing one to Ezran. “Say the word and aim yer hand towards where ye want it to hit. Away from people, animals, or plants.”

Callum did as instructed, guiding his hand towards the ground, facing away from the others. “Fulminis!” A shot of lightning flashed from his hand, missing the spot on the ground he was aiming for and missing a nearby squirrel by a hair's breadth.

Callum fell back from the aftershock, Rayla rushing over to check on him.

“Ha ha!” Callum said, punching the air. “It worked!”

“Yup,” Calypso said, biting into the apple. “And ye didn’t set yourself on fire, which is quite impressive.”

Rayla froze, glaring at him. “Was that a likely outcome?”

Calypso shrugged, wiggling his hand back and forth. “About a sixty-forty possibility.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Ah had faith in yer abilities,” Calypso said drily, rolling his eyes. “Power of friendship and all that.”

“Well,” Callum said, standing up and reaching out a hand to help Rayla. “Now that’s settled, are we heading off?”

Calypso nodded, finishing his apple and grabbing a bag. “Yeah. We’ll keep using the boat for as far as the river can take us.”

“Oh, uh,” Rayla said, hesitating. “Maybe we could… not take the boat? You know, use our legs?”

Callum frowned, glancing at Ezran. “I don’t think that’s the best idea, Rayla. I mean, look at those legs.”

“What?” Ezran said. “I have nice legs.”

“Still,” Rayla said, backing away from the river. “The river is very open. Maybe walking is a better idea.”

Callum’s face softened, and he rested a gentle hand on Rayla’s shoulder. “I know you don’t like the water, but it’s the best way forward.”

Calypso gestured to the boat. “Come on, Rayla. Ye’re the best fighter of our generation, surely ye can deal with a little water.”

Rayla scowled, stomping towards the river. “Fine, we’ll take the stupid boat!”

“Couldn’t you afford to be a little nicer?” Callum asked. 

Calypso smiled, baring his teeth. “For me, this is nice.”

… 

Bait dragged his tail in the water, enjoying the feeling of the current on his skin. Ezran scooted over and picked him up and out of the water.

“Bait, you know you’re not supposed to do that,” Ezran said, putting Bait down on the bench. “No playing in the water.”

Callum grinned, turning to Calypso from his position comforting Rayla at the bottom of the boat. “Bait loves the water, but he should be afraid of it. You wanna know why he’s named that?”

Calypso scowled, carefully guiding the boat with one of the oars so it didn’t hit the riverbank. “No.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell you anyway. It’s kind of a sick joke, I guess,” Callum said, stroking Rayla’s hair gently as she made a retching noise. “Glow toads? They’re apparently… delicious.”

Calypso squinted at Callum. “That’s disgusting.”

“Exactly what I said,” Rayla said, still hunched over the side of the boat. 

“Deep-sea fishermen use them to catch giant fish, stuff like that. That’s why he’s named ‘Bait’,” Callum chuckled. “Get it? That’s my stepdad’s sense of humour.”

Ezran frowned, walking over to Callum. 

“But, yeah, that’s why we have to be extra careful about him not getting in the water.”

“Guys, he doesn’t know how delicious he is, so shh,” Ezran said, putting a finger over his mouth. Bait turned, croaking suspiciously. “And that’s how the noodle got its name!” Ezran said in a forced tone, gesturing outward with his arms.

Calypso sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “Ah cannot believe this…”

… 

Rayla lay on a bench with her head in Callum’s lap, trying to ignore the motion sickness by finding shapes in the clouds with Ezran. 

“You feeling any better?” Callum asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead.

“Yeah. I just love boats,” Rayla said, rolling her eyes. “That’s why I threw up earlier.”

“I’m sorry,” Callum said. “It can’t last forever though, right?”

Rayla sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. The world seems to hate me enough to curse me with permanent seasickness.”

“Hey, that one looks like an adoraburr!” Ezran said, pointing at the clouds happily, his finger tracing a white ball with two gaps in the middle. 

Rayla grinned, ruffling his hair. “That’s not hard, you know. They’re just a puffball with eyes.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ezran said. “They’re still your favourite though, right?”

Rayla nodded, smiling at Ezran, though her eyes were sad. “I haven’t seen them in so long.”

“Well, we’re going to Xadia, so maybe we could stop by the meadow,” Callum suggested. “I’m so excited to see all the magic everywhere. All your stories sound incredible.”

“How much have you told them about Xadia?” Calypso asked, looking up from the water.

“Whatever they wanted to know,” Rayla said, shrugging. “Figured it couldn’t hurt. Though I suppose most of my knowledge is outdated now.”

“Yeah,” Calypso said, fiddling with the wood of the oar. “A lot has changed since ye left.”

“Anything we should know?” Callum asked. “Since we’re going there.”

“Well… there’s a new Dragon King,” Calypso said. “Rex Igneous started helping Zubeia after Avizandum’s death and took over after she was… frozen. The other archdragons wanted the spot, of course, but Sol Regem can barely hunt these days and Domina Profundis is weak when she’s far from the ocean.”

“Wait… what do you mean, frozen?” Rayla asked, frowning. “We heard about the new King, but we assumed it was a partnership to split the load of ruling.”

“It started that way,” Calypso said. “But a few months after Avizandum’s death and the loss of her egg, Zubeia fell into a comatose state. Many were terrified she would die, so she was frozen to preserve her life in the hope that she would heal. Most people don’t think she’ll make it.”

“That’s so sad,” Ezran said, drooping and cuddling Bait to his chest.

“It’s weird to think that in some ways, the Xadia I grew up in doesn’t really exist anymore.” Rayla said, lifting a hand and cupping it around the adoraburr cloud like she was holding it. 

“Do you need to talk about it?” Callum asked, touching the top of her head gently.

“No, I’m okay. It’s just a little sad. And… scary,” Rayla said, shrugging. “I guess I’m used to it, though.”

Calypso scowled and Callum glanced up, noticing his expression.

“Why do you look so sour?”

“Because I’m talking about something that scares me,” Rayla explained. “Remember how I told you that we don’t show fear?”

“That’s silly,” Ezran said, frowning. “How do you know what to avoid if you don’t say you’re scared?”

“We just shove through,” Calypso said. “Easy.”

“It’s really not,” Rayla mumbled.

“Aren’t you scared of anything?” Ezran asked the elf.

Calypso glared at him. “No.”

“That can’t be true,” Ezran said. “Everyone’s scared of something.”

“Well, I’m not,” Calypso said, looking away.

“Just drop it, Ez,” Rayla said gently. “He doesn’t want to talk about it.”

Calypso glanced at the river ahead, noting the way the water seemed to froth and then fall away further up the river. “There’s some rapids ahead.”

“There’s what?” Rayla snapped, sitting up and squinting at the water, reeling back when she saw the rocks. “Pull the boat over!”

“No time for that,” Calypso said, grabbing Ezran and holding onto him with one arm, the other gripping the boat. “Ye won’t get washed away if ye hold on.”

Callum pulled Rayla to the back of the boat, both grabbing on to the wood. Rayla squeezed her eyes shut as they went over the edge of the cliff, water cascading over her as they hit the bottom. 

The boat bashed against multiple rocks, swinging around and around, throwing its passengers against the sides of the craft. They approached another waterfall and crashed over it, a large wave dousing them all completely. 

All four of the passengers collapsed completely on the floor of the boat, dripping wet.

Rayla gasped for breath, pulling herself up on one of the benches and pushing her dripping wet hair away from her face.

Callum sniggered slightly as he saw her. “You know what you remind me of?”

“What,” Rayla said flatly, collapsing forward on the bench in front of her.

“A wet cat,” Callum said. “Grumpy and dripping, but still cute.”

Rayla scowled. “Are you kidding me–”

“He’s right, actually,” Ezran said.

Calypso nodded. “Agreed.”

Rayla scowled and punched Callum hard in the arm, making him giggle.

Ezran scanned the boat, looking under the benches. “Hey, guys? Does anyone else see Bait?”

In the distance Bait croaked as he fell down the rapids after them, landing behind them in the large lake. 

“Bait, come back here!” Ezran called. “Do your froggy paddle!”

Bait growled, sticking out his front paws and slowly making his way towards the boat. 

“Oh, for the love of…” Calypso sighed, rubbing his eyes. 

Bait reached the boat and Ezran grabbed the toad, hugging him to his chest. “You know you’re not supposed to get in the water.”

Rayla slumped back against the boat. “What a disaster.”

“I know, right?” Callum said. “My socks are all soggy. A disaster! A soggy disaster!”

Rayla snickered as Calypso muttered something obscene under his breath.

Under one of the benches in Callum’s bag, the rune cube started glowing blue on one of its faces. 

“Uh, Callum?” Rayla said, grabbing the cube and passing it to him. 

“Hey, Ocean Rune…” Callum said. “I’ve only seen it light up once before, in Evenere.”

“When we saw them use a glow toad to catch a Leviathan?” Ezran asked, a look of disgust on his face.

Calypso glanced down into the water and saw a massive silhouette emerging from the depths, approaching their craft rapidly.

“Row!” he yelled, tossing an oar to Callum. “To the bank!”

“What?”

A massive jolt sent the craft flying into the sky, a Leviathan crashing into the lake beneath them.

“Oh, I get it now!” Callum cried right before they hit the water, sinking below the surface.

The waves swept Calypso all the way to the shore and he scrambled to his feet, squinting to try and find the others in the water. They were all in a clump, Callum and Rayla trying to support Ezran as he sank rapidly under the weight of the egg.

Behind them, Bait was desperately trying to paddle away from the massive Leviathan, who was rapidly gaining. 

Calypso sighed, rolling his eyes. It was no use calling out to the others, flailing around in the water as they were.

He ran up a nearby tree and across its branches, jumping into the water below and landing on a floating log. Calypso pushed off and dived into the water, pulling Bait into his chest and arrowing down and up to avoid the Leviathan. 

The monster was too big for any sort of evasive manoeuvres and it soon caught up, closing its maw around Calypso and Bait.

Calypso gritted his teeth and pulled his staff out, extending the blade. He flicked it into a hook shape and caught the end of the creature’s mouth with it, pulling himself out of the gaping chasm before it fully closed. 

Callum, Rayla and Ezran cried out as a massive wave caught them. They were thrown to the shore, watching as Calypso rode the massive fish through the waves.

“Can’t we do something?” Callum asked Rayla. 

“Uh… I could get in as well, try to fight it…” she said doubtfully, looking down at her arm as it twinged in pain again. “But I don’t think that’ll be super helpful.”

Callum gasped, grabbing the Primal Stone out of his bag. “I’ve got something!” 

“That’s a horrible plan! You can barely aim it!” Rayla objected, pulling a coughing Ezran to his feet. 

“Do you have a better idea?” Callum said, drawing the rune for Fulminis in the air. “Calypso, jump!”

Calypso glanced over to the bank where Callum stood, understanding immediately and pushing off the Leviathan, curling around Bait as they soared through the air.

“Fulminis!” Callum cried, aiming for the Leviathan’s middle. On the opposite bank, a small tree exploded, sending a flock of birds scattering into the sky. 

“Argh!” Callum yelled, dragging an agitated hand through his hair.

Calypso grabbed onto the Levithan’s fins to avoid its mouth as it made another pass. “Aim for the water!”

“But that’ll kill all the fish!” Ezran protested. 

“Ezran’s right,” Callum yelled. “We’ll destroy the entire ecosystem!”

“Ah can’t hold on forever!” Calypso grunted as the Leviathan dove under  the water . “And Ah’d rather the fish die than me!”

Callum shakily drew another Fulminis rune, nervously taking a breath. Rayla grabbed his hand as he finished, looking him dead in the eyes. “It’s like shooting a bow, Callum. Make sure you know where the target is going to be before letting go.”

“I’m horrible at archery, Rayla, you know that!”

“But this isn’t archery, Callum. This is magic.” Rayla said, holding his gaze steadily, heat rising to his cheeks at her intensity. “You’ve got this.”

Callum nodded, carefully tracing the path of the Leviathan, waiting until he understood its patterns of movement. “Get ready… Jump!”

Calypso jumped on cue, throwing himself into the air as Callum let off another bolt of lightning, this time hitting the Leviathan square in the belly. Calypso bobbed to the surface with Bait tucked under his arm and started swimming back to shore.

Callum whooped in celebration, grabbing Rayla and spinning her around. Rayla laughed, stepping back dizzily. “What was that for, mage?”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Callum said, grinning. “When you said you believed in me.”

Rayla looked away, blushing, and turned to help Ezran. “I… thanks.”

…

Rayla squeezed the water out of her hair, leaning against a nearby tree, exhausted. Calypso sat nearby, carefully cleaning his staff. 

“Calypso, you saved Bait!” Ezran said happily, the glow toad in his lap. “Without you, he would have been… fish food.”

Calypso shrugged. “Ah suppose.”

“I didn’t know you cared about Bait,” Callum said. 

“That’s because Ah don’t.”

“So why did you help him?” Ezran asked. “You don’t like any of us.”

Calypso shook his head. “It was weak of me. Forget this ever happened.”

“It wasn’t weak, Calypso,” Rayla said gently. “It took me a long time to realise, but compassion and fear aren’t weaknesses. They’re… part of life. Ignoring them, it… just makes everything worse.”

Calypso sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Before, when Ah said that Ah wasn’t scared of anything… Ah am. Ah’m terrified of losing control, because…”

Rayla inhaled softly, looking at him with wide eyes. 

Calypso shook himself. “Nevermind. We need to keep moving, everyone in the boat.” He gestured to the craft, 

Rayla flinched. “Calypso, do we really have to–”

“Yes.”

Callum sighed, standing up. “Calypso, I know the boat is the fastest way to Xadia, but if we’re going to be effective we all need to be at our best. Rayla’s not at her best if we take the boat. We have to consider everyone’s needs here.”

Calypso scowled. “But–”

“I don’t mind walking,” Ezran offered, raising his hand.

Callum walked up to the boat, kicking it away from the bank and letting it drift away, ignoring Calypso’s protests. “Let’s go. Onwards to Xadia!”

Chapter Text

Viren threw open the doors to the throne room, glaring at the guards as he passed through. The heavy timber slammed shut behind him as he stalked towards the throne, smiling menacingly. Soon he would be able to protect the kingdom from the elves.

He would already be sitting there, if it wasn’t for that meddlesome general.

“Thought I might run into you here,” Gren said from behind him.

Viren turned, scowling as he saw General Amaya and her translator standing at the edge of the room.

“We need to talk,” Amaya signed, stepping forward accusingly. “How could you let it come to this?”

“You speak as if I invited these assassins,” Viren said.

“I had to leave our stronghold at the Breach,” Amaya signed. “Do you have any idea of the dangerous forces gathered at our border?”

“I did everything in my power to protect King Harrow,” Viren said. “I was willing to give my own life.”

“Then what went wrong?”

“He did,” Viren said angrily, gesturing at the throne. “His own stubborn ways stopped me from helping him. You knew him as well as I did. His pride was more important to him than his life!”

“You wanted this outcome.”

“How dare you suggest–” 

“His death creates opportunity for you!” Amaya signed, fury in her eyes.

“His death breaks my heart!” Viren said, stepping forward and gesturing forcefully with his free hand. 

“Then honour him,” Amaya signed, squaring her shoulders and looking him in the eye. “Find his children.”

“They’re gone, Amaya,” Viren said. “Captured by Moonshadow elves. If they’re not already dead, they will be soon. You have fought against that abomination of a child yourself, you know how capable it is.”

“I don’t think that Rayla had any hand in their abduction,” Amaya signed. “The assassin - C-a-l-y-p-s-o, they called him - seemed to be treating her similarly to the boys, threatening her personally and taking her weapons.”

“What if it was a trick?” Viren asked. “She’s wormed her way into this court for who knows what nefarious reasons. We can’t trust her.”

“The boys trust her. With their lives,” Amaya signed.

“And that will be their downfall!” Viren snapped. “She has them eating out of the palm of her hand, surely you can see my concern.”

“No. In your message, you said that Rayla was trying to seduce Prince Callum in order to overthrow the kingdom.” Amaya signed, glaring at Viren. “None of that lined up with her actions. Surely if she was planning a coup and abusing the  boys’ trust, she wouldn’t have left the castle. She would have a used the assassins as a way to gain our favour by turning them in or fighting alongside us.”

Viren sighed in frustration, barely keeping his composure. “She is a Moonshadow elf, and a jugendlicher at that. There is no way of knowing what she might be thinking, so we must prepare for the worst.”

Amaya scowled. “Harrow loved Rayla as much as the boys, and he thought of her as his daughter. Don’t you trust his judgement?”

“Of course I do,” Viren said. “But even the greatest of men can be wrong, and sometimes wrong about the most important things. We cannot blindly trust the girl, we must take precautions.”

Amaya looked away, hesitating before sighing and nodding reluctant assent.

“This is a time of crisis,” Viren said, walking towards the throne. “An empty throne is a beacon of weakness, an invitation to destroy us. We must defend Katolis and all the human kingdoms against what’s coming. I can help us from there.”

Amaya shook her head. “You are on thin ice, Viren. The council is unhappy with you after your actions with the prisoners.”

“They murdered our King,” Viren said. “Retaliation was reasonable, necessary even.”

“You broke multiple laws by killing subdued prisoners and on top of that you disobeyed the King’s last command,” Amaya signed. “I thought you were smarter than this, Viren.”

Viren sighed, “Perhaps I acted rashly, but it was because of my love for this kingdom. In time, you will see that I was correct.”

“The citizens and the council will never support your rule, Viren,” Amaya signed. “And neither will I.”

“They may be afraid of me, but in times of war, fear can be the ultimate weapon,” Viren said. 

“Do you wish to end your days in the manner of the archdragon Sol Regem?” Amaya asked. 

“There, you are mistaken,” Viren, smirked. “He lost his sight to dark magic while fighting Ziard,” he said, casting a proud look at his staff, “but I am on the side of dark magic.”

“That is not a good attribute,” Amaya signed, glaring at him.

“And yet, you cannot oppose me because of it,” Viren said, looming over her. “And I believe that speaks for itself.”

…

Soren grunted as he ran up the stairs to the battlements, lifting his knees as high as he could. He burst from the tower stairs and onto the wall, coming to a halt beside his father.

“I love having meetings up here,” Soren said, stretching his arm across his body. “I get a nice leg workout going up all those stairs.”

“We have important things to discuss,” Viren said, casting a dismissive look at his son. “Try and focus.”

“No problem,” Soren said, jogging on the spot. “You have my undivided attention.”

“This evening, you and your sister depart on a mission,” Viren started.

“Searching for the princes,” Soren said, grunting as he leaned forward into a lunge. “Oh, yeah. That's the good kind of burn.”

“The outcome of your mission is critical to the future of our kingdom,” Viren said, looking over at his son. 

Soren chuckled, “we got this. We'll find them.”

“I'm sure you will,” Viren said. “But there's a bit of nuance to this situation.”

“No idea what nuance is,” Soren said, leaning over and touching his toes.

“Listen closely,” Viren said, turning and looking at his son. “You are to return with the terrible news that the princes have perished.”

“Wait,” Soren said, looking up at his father. “Excuse me? I think my head was upside down and it got sort of mixed up, can you say that again?”

“You are to return with the terrible news that both princes have died,” Viren repeated, holding his son’s gaze.

“So, hold up,” Soren said.  “If we return with the news that the princes have died... won't that mean we failed?”

“The coming war will determine the fate of humanity,” Viren said, turning and looking over the kingdom. “History has come to a crucial tipping point.”

“So you're saying, things could go either way?” Soren asked.

“Precisely.”

“Like a see-saw!” Soren said, pointing triumphantly at his father.

“...yes. History is like... a see-saw,” Viren sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “If we are strong enough to make the right decisions, humans may finally return to Xadia, and take back the great magical lands that are rightfully ours. But if we are led by a child king…”

“He'll make bad choices?” Soren finished quietly.

“He will make weak choices!” Viren exclaimed, pointing at the ground. “History will tip the wrong way and the forces of Xadia will crush not only Katolis, but all the five kingdoms!”

“Okay. So I'm supposed to come back with the news that they're dead,” Soren said. “What I don't understand is... what am I supposed to do if we find them alive?”

“Oh... you'll know the right thing to do,” Viren said. 

“The right thing,” Soren said, his eyes widening as realisation dawned on his face. “I... I don't know if I can do that.” 

“Out there, in the wild, accidents happen every day,” Viren said. “Deadly accidents. They have put their trust in an elf, after all… who knows when she may turn on them.”

Soren looked away.

“My son,” Viren said. “This won't be easy, but you are strong. Now, tell no one. Not even Claudia. You must carry this weight alone.”

Soren breathed in sharply, looking away as Viren turned to leave.

“It will be a burden for me to take the throne,” Viren said. “And someday that throne will belong to you.”

…

Viren walked away from the courtyard as Amaya and her party rode away, while Soren was speaking with Gren about the change in plans. She was a thorn in his side, that general. Perhaps she would need to meet with an unfortunate… accident at some point in the future. 

He smirked. The Breach was a dangerous place, after all. Really, she was lucky to have lived this long in the first place.

The mage stalked through the halls until he reached his office, carefully shutting the door behind himself. He opened the painting that led to his storage chambers, his staff clicking sharply on the floor as he walked.

Claudia poked her head out of a doorway as she heard the staircase rumbling down, waiting for her father to emerge.

“Have you found anything new?” Viren asked. 

Claudia shook her head. “No, Dad. Just the horn residue and some jelly tart smudges. The elf they were fighting cut himself a little on one of the shelves, but it barely drew any blood and there’s nowhere near enough for anything useful.”

Viren scowled. “And what of the prisoner?”

“He’s still refusing to eat,” Claudia said, looking away guiltily. “I tried to coax him, but he just glared at me. He doesn’t take any of my threats seriously, just says he’s ‘already dead’.”

Viren smirked. “Well, perhaps we can find ways to be more… persuasive.”

Claudia squinted at him, then grinned, tapping her nose and then wagging her finger at Viren. 

“Oh, and by the way, could you prepare a place for a new guest?” Viren asked, walking down the hall to the elf’s cell. “I believe Commander Gren may need some… assistance.”

“Of course, Dad,” Claudia said.

Viren nodded, turning away from her and walked down the short corridor that led to the cell. Claudia was truly incredible, and was shaping up to become even more brilliant than he one day. 

He paused at the door to the cell, unlocked it and stepped inside.

The elf - Runaan - was kneeling on the floor, his wrists suspended above his head, chained to the wall. The cell was frigid, even through Viren’s robes, and he was impressed the elf was showing no signs of cold with his lack of a shirt. His left arm was starting to turn purple near the silver binding tied around his bicep.

Runaan looked away as Viren entered the room, shutting the door behind him. 

“You will die if you do not eat,” Viren said. 

“And as I have told your daughter, I am already dead,” Runaan snapped.

“You don’t look dead,” Viren said. He glanced at the elf’s arm. “Though that hand has seen better days.”

Runaan looked back to the floor, ignoring him.

Viren placed a platter with food loaded on it. “I went out of my way to acquire some rare Xadian fruits. They’re remarkable; so strange and exotic. And these Xadian oranges… no seeds. Incredible.”

Runaan still gave no reaction, and Viren stood up. “A shame. Perhaps your daughter will enjoy them more.”

Viren smirked as Runaan flinched. “You’re lying,” Runaan hissed, meeting Viren’s gaze and glaring at him. “I saw her leave for Xadia with my own eyes. You will never find her.”

“Perhaps not,” Viren said. “After all, I understand you were unable to.”

Runaan opened his mouth to retaliate, then gritted his teeth and looked away. 

“The truth is, your daughter has changed greatly since arriving here,” Viren said, smiling. “Your… parenting nearly broke her, you know.”

“I have been told of her already, mage,” Runaan gritted out. “You don’t need to continue.”

“Oh, but I do,” Viren said, pulling a wrapped package out of his pocket, shaking a fine dusting of horn residue into a small jar. “I can find her, and I will. Her… treatment in my hands will depend entirely on whether you cooperate.”

“She means nothing to me,” Runaan hissed. “You are wasting your time.”

“And you are lying,” Viren said. “Anyone could see the fear in your eyes when Harrow first mentioned her. You are helping no one with your pathetic attempts at bluffing.”

Runaan looked away, his jaw clenched.

“I simply want you to look at an object and tell me what you know,” Viren said, making a show of tapping Rayla’s horn residue in the jar. “Or you can sit here and die.”

“I am already dead,” Runaan repeated.

“Then you can sit here and live, as you listen to your daughter screaming for however long she lasts,” Viren smirked. “I understand Claudia has quite the list of grudges she would take pleasure in righting.”

Runaan set his face in stone, “she is already dead.”

“Do you truly believe that?” Viren asked. “After everything you’ve done to her, you still pin the blame on the child.”

“She knew what she was doing,” Runaan said, glaring at him. “It is justice.”

…

“Did the elf tell you anything?” Claudia asked as Viren walked into his office. 

Viren shook his head, resting his staff on a table and sighing. “No. He is more stubborn than I had anticipated.”

Claudia plonked down on a chair, her face pensive. “What are we gonna do?”

“We will figure it out in due time,” Viren said. “For now, we have more important matters to discuss. Your mission.”

“To rescue the princes,” Claudia said, nodding.

“Yes, but you will have a secret mission that is far more important,” Viren said. “Claudia, you must recover that dragon egg.”

“They have it with them, so that shouldn’t be a problem,” Claudia said, smiling. “Princes, egg… I’ve got room for a third mission while we’re out.”

“The egg cannot fall into the wrong hands,” Viren said, his face stony. “It is too powerful, too dangerous. Whatever happens, whatever accidents or tragedies may occur… above all else, you must return with that egg!”

“I understand,” Claudia said, nodding. “A couple questions. The princes trust the ward unconditionally, so what do I do if they don’t listen to me? Especially since we’re going to… you know…”

“It may not be an issue,” Viren said. “Try to bring the ward back with you if possible. Our… guest may need further persuasion. Do not let on that it is your intention, and if she is uncooperative, silence her.” 

“But–” Claudia said, hesitating, her fist clenched. Her shoulders slumped. “They’ll hate me.”

“Blame me if you must,” Viren said. “But you must fulfil this mission, my daughter. It is for the good of humanity.”

Claudia looked away. “I… yes, Dad.”

“Was there anything else?” Viren asked.

“Yeah,” Claudia said, shaking herself, her happy self returning. “Let’s say we’re attacked by giant bumble-scorps, and they’re all buzzing like… bzz bzz… and flailing their scorps at us like… bzz bzzz bzzz….” she said, poking her fingers out with each buzz. “And I’m forced to choose between saving the egg and saving Soren… what should I do?”

Viren stared at her, unamused.

“Dad, it’s a joke. I’m kidding,” Claudia said, waving her hand and giggling, turning to the door. “Everything will be fine.”

“The egg,” Viren said, his face expressionless. “If you have to choose, choose the egg.”

…

Viren grunted, pushing a large object into Runaan’s cell before stepping around it into the elf’s line of sight, clearing his throat. “In a moment, I will remove this cover and you will tell me what you know. Understood?”

Runaan scowled, looking away. 

“Not even for your daughter? You are truly cold hearted,” Viren said. “Nevertheless, I have brought something you might find… motivating.”

He rummaged in his pockets, bringing out a small pouch that jingled.

Runaan smirked. “You are more foolish than I thought. Don’t you know only humans can be bribed?”

“Oh, this isn’t a bribe,” Viren said, emptying the contents on the ground in front of Runaan. “It’s a threat. Go on, take a closer look.”

Runaan’s eyes widened as he took in the coins, looking up to Viren in shock. “You are a monster.” 

“You are mistaken,” Viren said. “I am a pragmatist.”

“You knew,” Runaan said. “You knew who they were, didn’t you?”

Viren smirked. “When we first came across her in the woods, I thought she looked rather familiar. It was only when I overheard her talking to the mongrel prince about her traitor parents that I connected the dots.”

Runaan looked away, his eyes glassy. 

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Viren asked. “Those last five years of pain the pair of you went through were all for nothing. It’s rather… poetic.”

“You are truly deplorable,” Runaan snarled. 

“Not at all,” Viren said. “I think that would be you. After all, you were the one who abandoned her.”

Runaan’s mouth closed and he gritted his teeth, the muscles in his back tensing. 

“Now, you will tell me what this object is,” Viren said, gesturing at the mirror. “Or I’ll have a nice, matching set. Do you understand?”

Runaan scowled, looking up reluctantly.

Viren smirked, walking to the cover and pulling it off, revealing an ornate mirror, runes carved into the frame. 

Runaan’s face creased in disgust. “You have succeeded, then.”

“Oh, have I?’ Viren asked. 

“That mirror? You have found something worse than death,” Runaan said.

“Then, tell me. What is it?” Viren asked.

Runaan looked away. “I will never help you.”

“You disappoint me,” Viren said, shaking his head and turning to the door. “Very well. If you are so insistent on wallowing in your misguided beliefs, then you may sit here and look at yourself and what you have become.”

He shut the door behind him, leaving the elf and the mirror in the room. He sighed, passing by Gren, chained to the wall by the staircase. 

The elf was proving surprisingly difficult to break. It was to be expected; Moonshadow elves were known for their rock-hard beliefs, but Viren had thought that he could use the elf’s attachment to the ward more effectively.

It was no matter, though. Everything would fall into place eventually.

Chapter Text

Runaan glowered at the mirror as the door shut, leaving the room in utter darkness. The mage was foolish, thinking he would be beaten this easily.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He would be strong, and face his death with pride.

A strange sensation washed over him and he opened his eyes out of reflex, reeling back in shock. The room was awash in a pale blue light that emanated from the mirror. The surface was no longer a reflection of the room, but showed a small study, ethereal and ghostly.

“It can’t be…” Runaan whispered, his eyes raking over the scene. “Not the mirror of legend…”

He looked down again, his eyes catching on the coins the dark mage had left on the floor in front of him. 

Lain and Tiadren… the mage had managed to reach the Dragon King’s lair, where the Mirror of Truth was kept…

A flicker of movement caught Runaan’s eye, sending a wash of fear down his spine. He raised his head slowly, dreading what he would see. 

His breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening. 

In the mirror stood Rayla, exactly as he remembered her. 

Young and small, but with a determination in her eyes that had never left. The markings on her cheeks were fresh, hard blue. Her horns barely peeked out from her hair, done in little plaits that barely passed her shoulders. 

Runaan whimpered, almost inaudible. His little blade, so young and innocent.

She smiled at him, her mouth opening. No sound came out, but he mouthed the shapes her lips made, following her words carefully.

“Tha gaol agam ort, dadai,” he whispered. Tears welled in his eyes and he turned away forcefully, shaking his head to clear it. “It’s a trick,” he hissed. “You’re not real, you’re not–”

Rayla slipped out of the mirror and into the cramped cell, a slight flicker and the faint translucence of her skin the only indication that she was not fully real. She stepped toward Runaan, her small legs carrying her forward deceptively quickly. 

Her projection gently placed a small hand on Runaan’s cheek, the skin of her palm soft and uncalloused. 

Runaan squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth and using the mental blocking he’d trained in for powerful illusions.

You still deny it to yourself. 

Runaan jerked, the voice slithering through his head was unsettling, somehow sounding exactly like Rayla and not at all the same. Foreign and yet exactly as he remembered it.

“How…” he whispered, unable to keep his eyes shut, meeting the projection’s unearthly gaze. Her eyes were solid violet, as they had always been but there was a hard distance in her gaze that Runaan had never seen when she was this young. 

Or perhaps he had, and just chosen to ignore it.

My fate was of your doing. The voice said, Rayla’s lips matching the words, though his ears registered no noise. I am dead because of you.

“No,” Runaan said, shaking his head, suppressing the bile rising in his throat. “You are not dead, I saw you myself.”

But you wish I was. Rayla said, the corners of her mouth curling upwards, malice reflected in her gaze. 

“No, I never…” Runaan said, shaking his head.

No? But that is what you said to me. Rayla said, tilting her head to the side. You broke me. I’ve been dead inside for years now.

“I never wanted that!” Runaan cried, his shoulders shaking. “My little blade–”

It is already set. Rayla said, stepping away, her image flickering and warping, her body distorting and morphing into her older self, the one Runaan had seen on the battlements. This is what I am now; a husk, a living shell, all but dead. Because of you.

“You’re lying!” Runaan snarled, his fists clenching. “The King said you were happy!”

And you believed him? Rayla said, smirking cruelly. You’ve gone soft.

Runaan gulped in a shaky breath, gritting his teeth.

“It’s a trick, the mage is trying to get inside my head–” he muttered, forcing breath into his lungs. “You’re not real–”

Stop lying to yourself. Rayla said, kneeling in front of him, putting a hand under his chin and tilting his face up so he met her gaze. There was no soul there, her eyes hard and pitiless. You know what that mirror contains, what it is capable of. Perhaps this projection of myself is not, but the impact your actions had on me are all too real. 

She smirked, tilting her head to the side mockingly as Runaan took in a shaky breath. 

She lifted a hand, snapping her fingers. The cold stone of the dungeon melted away, replaced by a lifeless bedroom, the only furnishings a small dresser and an oversized four-poster bed that felt out of place in the bare space. The room felt muted and empty, no evidence of a person’s touch. 

Runaan frowned slightly, Rayla picking up on his confusion and gesturing to the bed. On closer inspection Runaan could see a small, white-haired figure curled in the centre of the massive bed, their sides shaking with pitiful sobs that his ears couldn’t register. 

I wanted to die. Rayla said, walking over to the bed and stroking her younger self’s hair gently, though she didn’t seem to register the touch. Wanted to end my miserable life that had done nothing but disappoint others. Disappoint you.

Runaan shook his head and looked away, his muscles clenching.

Rayla tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips thoughtfully. Her lips twitched upwards slightly, and she raised her hand, snapping her fingers again.

The scene around them melted into a village square, houses surrounding them. A slightly older Rayla stood in the centre of a crowd of humans, jeering and yelling at her. Her face was tear-streaked, and she held her arms across her face in a futile effort to shield herself from the humans’ scorn. She glanced around desperately, searching for a break in the crowd, but finding none. 

Runaan shifted forward, itching to run forward and push her behind him, to ready his swords and watch as the human’s rage turned to fear, their disgust turned on a being who could fight back.

Rayla’s projection smirked at the desperation on his face, looking down on him. 

“She needs help,” Runaan said. “Help her!”

Rayla shrugged, folding her hands behind her back. I cannot. It’s in the past. I have already experienced this, and many other times like it. Without you.

Runaan’s chest constricted to the point of pain, his breathing short and heavy in an attempt to fill his lungs with air.

A human reached out, grabbing a fistful of Rayla’s hair and yanking hard, almost overbalancing her. Runaan jerked forward, his fists clenching impotently. 

A boy Rayla’s age shoved through the crowd, putting himself between her and the humans as he grabbed her hand and pulled her away. 

Runaan gasped for air as the memory faded.

The only thing that kept me sane was the human princes and their father. Rayla said, looking coldly down at Runaan. They were to me what you never were.

Runaan’s jaw clenched painfully. “This isn’t true,” he forced out. “You’re not Rayla, you’re a Startouch elf, the Fallen.”

Perhaps I am. Rayla said, looking into the distance, uninterested. But nevertheless, all I say is true. All I show you is true. And you know it.

The village melted away, replaced by a forest, two humans and a pair of elves walking along a worn dirt road.

“This is…” Runaan said, pulling back as he recognised the elves, the horn structure and facial markings of each was unmistakable. 

Now. Rayla said, nodding. She walked over to herself, her translucence more obvious next to her true body. She snapped her fingers and the quartet abruptly stopped walking, frozen in time. Or an estimation of the fact, at least.

Runaan’s eyes snagged on the second elf, his eyes widening as he fully processed his identity. “Impossible…”

Rayla noticed, her mouth tugging into a small smile as she looked at Calypso. Oh, yes. He talked me into allowing him along. 

“That dog,” Runaan spat. “To think he’d dare– and the target is still alive!” He snapped his mouth shut as he noticed Rayla’s amusement, turning his head away.

Rayla shook her head, smiling as she turned to Rayla, mockingly tracing a finger over her frozen face, smirking. What a beautiful little thing I am. You must have been so proud to call me daughter.

Runaan scowled. “Don’t touch her!”

Why not? I am she, after all. Rayla said, draping an arm around the other girl’s shoulders.

Runaan glared fiercely and the projection shrugged, snapping her fingers again. If you insist.  

The scene melted away into the cold darkness of the dungeon, leaving only Rayla and Runaan, staring at each other.

I’m in danger, you know. Rayla said, folding her hands behind her back and stepping towards Runaan. Seeing you again, and in such… circumstances…

Runaan flinched, remembering the way he’d attacked her on the battlements. 

It’s sent me into quite the spiral, Rayla said, her tone uninterested. I’d been doing okay before you showed up, almost happy again, I suppose… as much as I could be. But now, surrounded by all my old memories… she shook her head, her mouth twitching upwards in something akin to amusement. It’s quite the battlefield in my head at the moment. Amusing, to say the least.

Ruanaan scowled, his fists clenching. “You said you had… friends in the humans. The princes. You will be fine.”

Probably, in time. Rayla said, shrugging. But that mage wants your knowledge, doesn’t he? And he has quite the weapon to use against you. She leaned in close, phantom breath brushing against Runaan’s cheeks. He’s a professional in his line of work, you know. And so few qualms about using his skill against us elves. It’s… amusing.

Runaan’s breath hitched, fury igniting in his stomach. “You are but a child! He would not dare cross that line.”

Rayla shrugged, gesturing at the coins scattered on the floor in front of Runaan, her parent’s terrified face looking up at them. He doesn’t seem to have the most rigorous of moral codes. He knew they were my parents, and said nothing. And just the other day he ordered the deaths of prisoners already subdued, hmm?

Runaan’s breath escaped him, a sob rushing from his lips. 

He will find me, and he will use my life against you. Rayla whispered, stepping back. Is that truly what you want?

Runaan wrenched his head away, gritting his teeth. “I can do nothing to save you.”

How unfortunate. Rayla said, her body starting to warp again, patches of blood appearing on her body, staining her dress and face. Abandoning me seems to be second nature to you.

Runaan shook his head, trying to clear it of the horrific image as Rayla continued to morph, chips appearing in her horns, cuts on her face and legs. A gash ran up her left arm, blood dripping on the floor.

I held out hope for you, all these years. Rayla said, watching detachedly as her body continued to break. Hoped that one day I would see you again, that you would hold me close and say you loved me.

She looked up, her gaze meeting Runaan’s. Father.

Runaan cried out as her body crumpled to the floor, tears falling from his eyes and sobs racking his body. He wrenched himself towards her, his arms catching painfully in the chains and dragging him back, the whiplash slamming him against the wall.

My fate is sealed because of your actions. Rayla hissed.

Runaan crumpled inwards, his chest heaving in sobs. “No… no!”

He sobbed, tears dripping from his face and falling on the ground. A heavy iron stench twisted in his nostrils and he gagged, the smell familiar to him in his line of work but so much worse now.

His child, his daughter, who he treasured above all else. 

He knew it was not real, that it could not be real, but the sounds and the smell was unmistakably that of death.

Take a good look. A mocking voice hummed, startling Runaan. It wasn’t Rayla’s twisted voice, and he looked up, pulling back in shock as his gaze rested on… himself.

Scars marred his face and his left arm was missing, a stump where the binding cut into Runaan’s arm. His face was older, wrinkled and worn. 

The face of someone who has seen things they’d rather forget.

His projection smirked, standing over Rayla’s body and looking down at it with something akin to amusement. He carelessly reached out with a foot and kicked her limp form.

This is what lies in our future. He said, the twisted voice slithering through Runaan’s skull. Death, if we’re lucky. Life, if we’re not. Continuing to exist as everything we have ever cared about disintegrates around us.

Runaan’s projection stepped forward slowly, advancing on him. Knowing that it’s all. Our. Fault.

Runaan took an unsteady breath, his whole body shaking, the meagre air not enough to sustain him. His vision grew blurry, whether from tears or pain or exhaustion he did not know.

His projection reached him, stopping a few centimetres away. He scoffed, picking up the coins on the floor with his remaining arm and inspecting them carelessly. 

Can you imagine what they would say to us? Runaan asked, watching as Lain and Tiadren screamed endlessly, trapped in a single moment in time. Their daughter, abandoned in the hands of humans, a single order away from death. He smirked. Though I suppose they left her first.

The projection dropped the coins, both of them bouncing on the cobblestones and rolling away. 

Think very carefully about what we do next. Runaan said, looking down at himself, a distant pity the only remnant of soul left. The figure warped, his skin collapsing on itself and disintegrating entirely, falling to the floor and disappearing. 

Runaan trembled, tears running down his face, all of his muscles clenching painfully. He panted in ragged gasps, his lungs burning.

“No…”

Chapter Text

Gren leant his head against the wall, blowing a strand of hair out his eyes and counting the cobblestones for what felt like the thousandth time.

“You can do this, Gren,” he said, nodding to himself. “Just stay positive. Someone will find you eventually.” he looked around, surveying the odd and creepy assortment of ingredients stored around the walls. “For now, just… enjoy the scenery. Strange decor, I must say, but I can respect the… evil wizard vibe.”

A soft sobbing noise echoed from down the hall, and Gren glanced up, squinting at the dark corridor that led to the elf’s cell.

“Leave me be!” A voice screamed, choked and fearful but still commanding.

Gren flinched back, confused. The elf couldn’t be talking to him, and as far as he knew they were the only two down here.

Sobbing started again, in full force now, and Gren frowned. 

“What in the world…?” He whispered.

…

Runaan slumped into his chains, his chest heaving with sobs and choked breaths. “Stop this…” he mumbled, tears dripping from his face. 

There was blood everywhere, the grey stone almost undetectable under the layers of red. It had splattered onto his face and knees, the sickly iron stench making it even harder to breathe.

“She is already dead!” He cried, sobbing. “I know this! You’ve shown me enough!”

Have I? Rayla asked, the movement of her mouth disturbing against the stillness of her body. I don’t know if you understand…

“I do!” Runaan yelled. “Please, stop this!”

Rayla’s body disintegrated, as it had done countless times in the past… how long had it been? Hours, days? Weeks?

The blood from her death remained, a pool of sicky red that made Runaan’s stomach turn despite the countless times he had drawn the substance himself. 

Well, then. Rayla said, though her projection did not reappear. I will leave you. Choose well, Father.

The glow coming from the surface of the mirror receded, dousing the room in darkness once more and leaving only the stench of blood behind. 

Runaan sobbed again, the grisly images burned into his mind, playing over and over against his best efforts to suppress them.

…

Viren stalked down the narrow stairwell that led to his oubliette, sighing. There was so much he needed to do, and so many obstacles in the way. 

At least Claudia and Soren had managed to depart without any issues. The princes and the egg would be taken care of soon, and that was a large weight off his chest.

Gren waved as he passed by, and Viren took a steadying breath. 

“Good day, High Mage Viren!” Gren said, smiling. “How are you?”

“How are you so… cheerful?” Viren asked, setting his staff down on one of the tables and rummaging through a shelf of ingredients. 

Gren shrugged. “I figured one of the prisoners down here had to be.”

“Oh?” Viren said, looking up. “Have you and the other spoken?”

“Honestly, I don’t think he knows I’m here,” Gren said. “But he yells at the other prisoner a lot. He was crying about an hour ago, I… didn’t know what to do.” The young commander drooped, sadness creeping into his gaze. “It was… haunting.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Viren said, straightening and grabbing his staff with a smirk. “You’ve done plenty.”

He turned from the commander and walked down the hallway, approaching the door that led to the elf’s cell, his staff tapping rhythmically on the cobblestones. 

There were no other prisoners down here. Which either meant the elf was mad - not too far of an assumption - or the mirror was far more important than Viren had believed.

As he reached for the keys hung by the door, a muffled noise came from behind it.

“Please… please stop…”

Viren frowned, inserting the keys and opening the door, scanning the room for anything out of place.

The elf was shaking, the moisture soaked into the floor beneath him suggesting he had been crying. He was limp, drooping as far as he was able, his arms tight against the chains despite the intense pain it would cause on his left side.

He hardly responded as the door swung open, flinching back slightly but otherwise staying in the same position.

“Elf,” Viren snapped, tapping his staff on the floor impatiently. “You have deliberated long enough. I am impatient.”

The elf shuddered, slowly looking up at Viren. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, an expression of utter hopelessness on his face. 

“What do you want from me?” He said, his voice hoarse and raspy. 

“To know what this mirror is,” Viren said, gesturing to the frame. “I have told you this already, do you forget so easily?”

The elf shook his head, his eyes distant and unfocused. “Why would you show me such things? Such horrific things, I… it is beyond any form of torture I have seen a human stoop to use!” He shuddered again, his face collapsing back into fear, his gaze darting around the room, looking at things Viren could not see. “The blood, the blood is still here…”

“What are you speaking of?” Viren asked as the elf’s words delved into meaningless rambling. “I have done no such…” his eyes drifted back to the mirror, raking over the sleek frame. 

He turned to the elf, his eyes catching on a glint of gold a few paces away. The coins he had left in front of the assassin… they had moved. Rolled, by the looks of things, to a little less than a metre away from their starting point. 

The elf couldn’t have affected them, surely… or at least, it would have taken a lot of effort and pain for a less than impressive reward. 

His gaze found its way back to the mirror, and his lips curled upwards maliciously.

The elf coughed, his back shaking as he tried to draw breath through a ragged throat. 

Viren returned to the task at hand, stepping over to the assassin’s limp form and looming over him menacingly. “Are you prepared to talk?”

The elf’s fists clenched, and he shook his head. 

“That is truly a shame,” Viren said, sighing. “For that means you are no longer of any use to me.”

“Then kill me,” the elf spat, his voice still commanding through his raspy breaths. “Be done with it, human.”

“I thought we went over this,” Viren said, pulling a jar from his pocket and tapping his finger against it. “It won’t be you who suffers the consequences - aside from losing your arm, at least. It will be your daughter.”

The elf’s head snapped up, his gaze falling on the jar Viren held. 

“My daughter has some in her possession as well,” Viren said, smiling faintly. “Moonshadow elf horn is very powerful, you know. Its danger comes in its versatility. Perhaps the most well known use, however, is as a sedative.”

The elf frowned, looking at Viren.

“Traces of your daughter are all over this castle,” Viren said. “Hair, sweat… some blood. It won’t be difficult to cast a tracking spell, and with a sedative on top of all that, well… it won’t be long before she’s right back here.”

The elf flinched back, fear crossing his face much more obviously than the day before. 

Viren smirked, leaning down slightly. “So. What is that mirror?”

“Promise me you won’t harm her,” the elf said, jerking up and looking at Viren with helplessness in his eyes. “Swear that no harm will come to her!”

Viren nodded, gazing at the elf coldly. “Of course, elf. Now speak.”

The elf sagged, looking away. “It is a prison for a powerful being,” he gritted out, his muscles clenching. “If you are wise, human, you would destroy it here and now.”

“I see,” Viren said, ignoring the elf’s second comment and walking over to the mirror, trailing a hand down its frame, admiring the intricate runes carved onto its surface. “And I suppose I can safely assume that this being is the reason for your, shall we say… dishevelled state.”

The elf grimaced, turning his face away. 

“Very interesting,” Viren muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Yesterday the elf had been stubborn, unyielding, despite his obvious fear for his daughter. But today he had given in almost immediately, though it was likely he was still withholding information. “Are you certain there is nothing else you know?”

The elf shook his head, his muscles clenched. “No.”

Viren nodded slowly. It was entirely possible that the elf was still withholding information, but he could have been honest. If he had been, the only purpose he would serve would be leverage against the ward, and it was unlikely it would come to that. Keeping him here was a drain on resources, and there was only so long Viren could rely on the secrecy of these tunnels; after all, the ten-year-old prince had somehow found them.

He frowned, turning back to the elf. “Then could you perhaps explain what has you so shaken… clearly it is something to do with the mirror, but I somehow doubt that you would be shaken by it with the limited information you insist is all you have access to.”

The elf flinched back, gritting his teeth. 

Viren sighed. “Why must you be so difficult? Need I remind you of the power I hold over your daughter? I will not hesitate to use it.”

“I am aware,” the elf gritted out, glaring at Viren. He hesitated, his shoulders shuddering slightly. “I saw her die.”

Viren paused, frowning. “Excuse me?”

“Sh– she spoke to me,” the elf said, drooping. “I don’t know how, it should be impossible, it’s beyond the power the mirror should hold… but she did. And then she died.”

Viren’s eyes widened in shock, and he glanced back to the mirror, reevaluating the worth he had placed in it. “Died, you say? I presume you mean your daughter.”

“The blood was… everywhere,” the elf murmured, his eyes glazing over as his body shook. “Even the first time, but after that…”

“The first time?” Viren asked, watching the elf closely. The assassin was muttering now, like before. Perhaps this mirror’s power had driven him closer to insanity than he had first considered.

The elf nodded slightly. “And then again. And again…” his breath hitched and a tear welled in the corner of his eye. “Gone and alive and dying and gone and again and over and over–” he jerked up, tugging against the chains, wild terror in his eyes. “Danger! She’s in danger, she– she’s so young, I must– I must find– she is dying!”

Viren backed away, eyeing the ranting elf with more than a little trepidation, grabbing his staff from where it rested against the door. Perhaps the assassin would prove to be more useful than he’d given him credit for.

“No!” The elf cried, tugging against the chains again as Viren rested a hand on the doorknob. “Don’t– don’t leave me in here with– with that! She’ll die again, and there won’t be anything I can do!”

Viren paused, pulling the door open fully, light streaming into the cell. He looked over at the elf, enjoying the desperation in his eyes. 

“You have my sincerest condolences,” Viren said, smiling as he shut the door.

Chapter Text

Calypso looked over at the sleeping figures of his party. Rayla had eventually slumped to the ground with her arm tented over Callum and Ezran, exhausted from trying to stay awake to watch Calypso.

He felt a pang at their closeness and he jerked his head away, squashing the flickers of emotion threatening to make themselves known.

Calypso slumped against the trunk of the tree, crossing his arms sullenly. His left arm twinged in pain at the movement and he cursed, gripping his wrist until the pain subsided.

The skin was starting to go purple, and he knew he had less than a month before it fell off. A long, painful month.

Calypso looked down again, his eyes resting on the youngest prince.

It would be so easy. He had his staff back now, he could just jump down there and…

He could take the dragon egg and run before Rayla even woke up.

But… the kid was so young.

He shook himself, glowering. Calypso’s hand crept to his staff, his fingers brushing over the rough wood.

A loud snap sounded from the woods and Rayla jerked upright, scanning the bushes. Calypso swung his legs over the edge of the branch and jumped down, walking forward briskly. 

“Ah'll get that,” Calypso said, waving her down. “Ye keep sleeping.”

Rayla shook her head, rubbing her face. “I can't believe I dozed off…”

“Ye’re exhausted,” Calypso said. “It's not reasonable to stay up every hour of the day watching me.”

“Oh, and you weren't at all tempted to try something while I was asleep?” Rayla asked, gesturing at his wrist. “That binding looks like it's getting painful.”

“Sure,” Calypso said. “Ah get that you can't trust me. But why not get the prince to take a shift or two? He has a Primal Stone.”

“No,” Rayla said, shaking her head. “I don't want him to have to do things like that.”

“Sure thing, princess,” Calypso said, rolling his eyes and walking off. “Ye go ahead and die from sleep deprivation.”

“Not a princess!” Rayla called after him.

“Not yet,” Calypso said, smirking. “Ye like him–”

“Shut up!” 

Calypso sniggered as he walked off. He wasn’t entirely sure why Rayla’s clear infatuation and obliviousness to the fact with the eldest prince amused him so much - by all accounts it was firmly wrong, but it was certainly funny and he intended to milk it for all it was worth.

Staff in hand he peered into the bushes surrounding the path, looking for the source of the sound. 

A rustling noise came to his right and he whipped around, snorting when a small deer trotted out.

He shied away as the deer stumbled closer, avoiding physical contact. 

“Stop it,” he snapped, walking away from the small animal. The deer followed, butting its head against Calypso’s knee and licking his hand, hunting for food. “Ah mean it, get away. Ye don’t want to be around me.”

Calypso scowled, shoving its head away from him and hurrying down the path again, though not towards the camp. 

Calypso sighed, running a hand down his face. He'd almost tried to kill the kid, despite Rayla's warnings. He had no doubt that she would make good on her threats, and the older prince would likely be out for his blood as well.

He glanced down at his hand, the binding still painfully tight against his wrist. It would only get harder from here as his hand got worse. The sensible thing would be to sneak back around behind the camp and slit the kid's throat before Rayla could stop him. 

He would die, but his mission would be fulfilled, and Rayla would probably be able to get the egg through Xadia without his guidance.

Calypso gritted his teeth and turned, trying to figure out the best path back.

A branch snapped behind him and he rolled his eyes, expecting to see that the deer had followed him. A large object slammed into his back and threw him to the ground. Calypso grunted, his legs tangled in some form of weighted net. He cursed, flipping over onto his back and scanning the area for attackers.

A man was perched in a tree, looking down at Calypso disdainfully. “Never trapped an elf before,” he jumped down from the tree, advancing on Calypso. “Easier than I thought.”

Calypso grunted, pulling himself up and away from the net. He grabbed his staff and hoisted  himself into a nearby tree.

The man followed, jumping through the trees with surprising agility for a human. A grappling hook whizzed through the air, catching on the branch Calypso was on and shaking it. The elf was forced to jump before regaining his balance. 

Calypso fell through the air, reaching out and grabbing a tree limb as he fell, pulling himself onto the branch in a crouch. 

…

Ezran yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes blearily. The clearing was still, and his brow furrowed as he realised there were fewer people than before. Bait and Callum were sleeping soundly, but Rayla and Calypso were both gone.

Ezran crawled over to his brother’s side, shaking his shoulder. “Callum? We’re alone.”

Callum simply rolled away from him, his face mushing into the dirt. “I love it when we’re alone.”

“Callum?” Ezran asked, cocking his head to the side.

“You still smell like moonberries…”

“Callum!” Ezran snapped, shoving his shoulder.

“What… what?” Callum said, his eyes blinking slightly.

“Wake up!” Ezran said. “Rayla and Calypso are gone.”

Callum’s eyes snapped open and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Wait, what? For how long?”

“I don’t know!” Ezran said. “I just woke up!”

“Oh no…” Callum said, his eyes scanning the clearing, panic in his eyes. “Did Calypso take the egg? Maye Rayla followed him? But why would she leave us–”

“It’s still here,” Ezran said, patting his backpack and cutting off Callum’s spiral. “But maybe Calypso didn’t do anything bad? If he did something to Rayla he probably would have taken me and the egg too.”

Callum winced at the thought, resting a hand on Ezran’s shoulder. “We can’t trust him, Ez. He’s dangerous, there’s no telling what he might do.”

“That’s what they all say about Rayla,” Ezran said, frowning. “I like him, Callum. He’s kind of… nice.”

“He’s not like Rayla, we know that,” Callum said, shaking his head. “And he’s not nice, either.”

Ezran huffed, turning away. 

…

The man stopped a few branches higher than Calypso, looming over him and swinging his grappling hook ominously in one hand. “Give me the kids peacefully and I’ll spare your life. Release your prisoners.”

“They’re not mah prisoners,” Calypso said, glaring at the human.

“Oh?” The human said. “It didn’t look like that when you threatened their lives back at the Banther Lodge. If they’re not prisoners, what are they?”

“Ah dunno,” Calypso said, shrugging lightly. “Mutually assured destruction buddies, Ah guess.”

“That makes no sense,” the human said, throwing the hook at Calypso.

“Well, it’s not really yer business in the first place,” Calypso said, dodging to the side and barely avoiding the hook, which wound around the branch. He leapt off the branch, arrowing to a higher spot.

The human flicked his hand and pulled the chain back to himself in a practised movement. “It is my business. They’re in danger as long as they’re around you.”

“In what way?” Calypso asked, rolling his eyes. “They have their infatuated guardian around them at all times,”

“She’s under suspicion as well,” the human said. “Moonshadow elves killed the king. She needs to come back to Katolis, for her own protection if nothing else.”

“Yeah, sure,” Calypso said, rolling his eyes. “Good luck tearing her away from the boys. They’re obsessed with each other.”

“Do they know what happened to their father?” The human asked. 

Calypso looked away. 

“They’ll hate you when they find out,” the human said, scowling.

Calypso smirked, “jokes on ye, human. They already hate meh, just like everyone else.”

The hook shot out and Calypso ducked, jumping off the tree. He wasn’t quite fast enough, and the chain hit him hard in the side, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him off course. 

Calypso cried out, flailing in the air and grabbing onto a branch with his left hand, the staff clutched in his right.

Pain shot through his whole arm as his full weight fell on his bound wrist. He lost his grip, tumbling through the branches of the tree until he landed hard on the sloping ground below.

Calypso scrabbled for purchase on the bushes and shrubs poking from the hard ground as he tumbled, managing to slow himself before falling into the valley below. 

The human thumped to the ground in front of him, landing far more elegantly than Calypso. 

“A little disappointing, I must say,” the human said, looking down at Calypso like he was a piece of dirt on the bottom of his shoe. “I’d expected a Moonshadow assassin to be better at fighting.”

Calypso grunted, pulling himself into a crouch and scanning the undergrowth for his staff, finding it wedged in a bush well out of reach. “Don’t get too cocky.”

He sprung into the air, grabbing the human’s arms and pulling them behind his body. He flipped the man over and pinned him to the ground. The human cried out as his face hit the dirt. Calypso smirked, enjoying the man’s pain. 

He raised his fist above his head and slammed it down as hard as he could into the back of the man’s head, knocking him out cold.

“What was that about not being good at fighting?” Calypso said as he swung himself off the human, walking over to his staff and picking it out of the bush. He strolled back over to the man’s unconscious form. He flipped his staff over in his hand and casually inspected it for damage, smirking when he found none. “Shame ye won’t live long enough to tell people how badly yer ass got beat.”

Calypso raised his staff in the air, preparing to strike. He looked down at the human, still and defenceless, and hesitated.

“Just do it, Calypso,” he muttered, gritting his teeth. “Ye’ve killed people before, he’s dangerous.”

You have no choice

He flinched, crying out in frustration as the voice echoed in his head. He glared down at the man, and thrust downwards.

…

Rayla jumped out of a tree, landing gracefully in front of the boys. “Sorry about that, I hoped I’d be able to get back before you woke up.”

Callum breathed a sigh of relief, standing up and hugging her close. “Will you stop making me absolutely terrified for your safety?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Rayla laughed, pulling a wrapped package out of her pocket. “I found some moonberries.”

“Hey, Callum?” Ezran said, taking a few of the berries from Rayla’s outstretched hand. “Did you know you were kinda sleep talking before?”

Callum jerked up, almost dropping the moonberry in his hand. “I don’t remember. Why?” He laughed nervously, his face red. “I didn’t, like, say anything weird, did I?”

“No, but you said something about moonberries, which is why I remembered–” 

“Sandwiches!” Callum said, chuckling nervously. “Yep, I remember now. I was having a dream about sandwiches. Uh… moonberry sandwiches.”

Rayla squinted at him, chewing her moonberry slowly. 

“I don’t think moonberry sandwiches are a thing,” Ezran said, frowning.

“They, uh… they could be?” Callum said, his voice an octave higher than normal. “Right, Rayla?”

“Sure?” Rayla said. “I think they’d taste kinda weird though, I’m not sure why you’d want to make one–”

“And you seemed weirdly excited about sandwiches,” Ezran said. 

Callum sighed, burying his burning face in his hands and mumbled something inaudible.

“You okay, Callum?” Rayla asked, eyeing him with more than a little concern.

Callum sighed, reaching out and resting a hand on Ezran’s shoulder. “Look, when you’re older, we’ll sit down and have a heart to heart about sandwiches.”

Ezran looked at him blankly, still very confused. Callum ran a hand down his face, turning away and thumping his head against the tree.

“Would you mind explaining the whole sandwiches thing?” Rayla asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

“No,” Callum mumbled. “Leave me to my dying embarrassment. There’s no hope for me.”

Rayla snorted. “I think we all know you have chronic foot-in-mouth disease but it’s never been that bad.”

“It’s foot in mouth and also asleep Callum,” he said, thumping his head against the bark again. “I’m afraid this may be one of my worst offences to date.”

Calypso ran into the camp, panting for breath. “We need to go.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” Rayla asked. 

“There was a guy following us,” Calypso said, grabbing Rayla’s bag and shoving it to her chest. “Ah managed to kill him before he got to meh, but he might have had friends and Ah don’t want to chance that.”

“You… you killed him?” Ezran said, pulling his backpack on and picking Bait up. 

“Yeah,” Calypso said, growling at the prince. “Of course. He was attacking me, it’s self defence.”

“But he probably thought you were bad!” Ezran protested. “He could have a family, what about them–”

Calypso held up a hand, scowling. “Listen, kid. Ah don’t much care for your ethics debates, and being a good person hasn’t gotten me far in life. If ye have to lecture me, do it when we’ve gotten far away from the person trying to kill me.”

Callum gently touched a hand to Ezran’s shoulder. “Calypso, he’s only ten, you shouldn’t be so hard on him.”

Calypso rolled his eyes, threw his hands in the air and stalked away onto the path. “Fein! If ye want meh to be less hard on him, meibe ye should try my job of keepin’ ye impulsive behinds alive for more than fifteen minutes while ye all tell meh off every which way fer wha’ feels like bloody breathin’ wrong!”

Rayla glanced at Callum, leaning towards the direction Calypso had headed in, hesitation in her face. Callum sighed, grabbing Ezran’s hand and his bag and hurried after Calypso, already almost out of sight. 

…

Calypso paused on the path, scanning the road critically. The others lagged behind him, Rayla and Callum bickering about something to do with bread and Ezran struggling under the weight of the egg.

“Can’t you three hurry it up a little?” Calypso snapped, glaring at them. “We’re in immediate danger now, ye know.”

Rayla rolled her eyes. “Sure we are, but what do you suggest we do about it?”

“Ah just told you!” Calypso said. “Walk faster!”

Callum glanced down at Ezran’s legs. “I think we’re walking about as fast as we can, Calypso.”

“Fine, then,” Calypso said, scanning the road, his eyes landing on a steep incline. “We’ll cover our tracks by taking a less obvious route.”

He started up the hill, the incline sharp and difficult. 

Rayla hesitated, eyeing the route. “Calypso, I don’t think that’s a good idea. It doesn’t look stable, and the dragon egg is really heavy, even on an easy path like this.”

Callum nodded. “Rayla’s right.”

“Well, we have two options,” Calypso snapped. “We take the hard road or we get caught by the humans tracking us, likely leading to mah death.”

“The second option doesn’t sound too bad right now,” Callum muttered under his breath, starting up the hill and reaching out a hand to help Ezran up behind him.

“Are ye kidding me?” Calypso snapped, glaring at Callum. “Ye won’t survive two steps into Xadia without mah help.”

“Right now it feels like you’re going to snap and kill us before we even get close to the border!” Callum yelled.

Rayla sighed. “He doesn’t mean it, Calypso.” She reached up a hand to steady Ezran as he overbalanced and fell backwards slightly. “Let’s just keep moving, okay? It won’t matter what road we take if we keep stopping to argue.”

Calypso scoffed and stalked ahead on the path, the others following reluctantly behind.

Chapter Text

Ezran panted, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he struggled up the hill, deep snow clinging to his boots and weighing him down. “Calypso, please can we slow down? It’s getting a bit tricky.”

Calypso grunted, glancing back and then turning to keep moving. “Ye’re fine.”

“Calypso, come on,” Callum said, pulling Ezran out of the snow with Rayla’s help and setting him on his feet. “You’re the one who made us take this crazy route, at least let us keep up with you.”

“I just need to put this down a second and catch my breath,” Ezran said, sliding his backpack off and sitting down.

“Why don’t ye give the egg to me?” Calypso said. “Ah’m bigger and stronger, and ye could stop whining for a couple seconds.”

Ezran shook his head, “the egg gets lonely when it’s not near me.”

Calypso scoffed, throwing his hands in the air. “So ye’re complaining about how heavy it is, but ye don’t want help when Ah offer it?”

“Maybe we’d be more willing to accept your help if you stopped giving us reasons not to trust you!” Callum yelled. “You’re only here because Rayla still wants to believe you’re a good person, and so far I’ve seen no indication that’s the case!”

“Callum–” Rayla started.

“Well, why don’t ye and yer girlfriend jes’ take me on, then?” Calypso snapped, cutting Rayla off. “I’ve saved yer sorry behinds time after time, and ye still hate me! What do ye want me to do?”

“Helped us by killing people? By holding swords to our throats?” Callum asked, incredulous. “We could make it just fine without you.”

Behind them, the cliff they were pressed up against creaked ominously, cracks starting to shoot up its surface.

“Guys–” Ezran said, backing up and taking Rayla’s hand.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t tried to kill us already!” Callum yelled. “Since clearly you don’t have any objection to taking another person’s life in cold blood.”

“Guys!” Ezran yelled. Callum and Calypso whipped around, and Ezran nodded at the ice shelf, large cracks running up and down it. “You guys need to stop fighting. Look, all your yelling is cracking the ice.”

“Ez is right,” Rayla whispered. “If we’re not careful, it could trigger an avalanche.”

“Why would yellin’ crack the ice?” Calypso scoffed. “Pathetic.”

“Did you just call the ice pathetic?” Callum asked. “You really can’t be nice to anything.”

“Ah take it back,” Calypso snapped. “It jes’ couldn’t stand yer awful whining.”

“Boys,” Rayla snapped, glaring at them sternly. “Be quiet.”

Calypso rolled his eyes and followed as Rayla started carefully picking a path through the snow, Callum a few steps after. 

Callum’s foot landed on a slippery patch of ice and he yelped, falling forward and into Calypso, both of them hitting the snow with a loud thump, the sound echoing off the cliffs. The cracks in the cliff next to them shuddered and creaked, the sound of snow rushing over stone meeting their ears. 

“Run!” Rayla yelled, hauling Calypso and Callum to their feet. She grabbed Ezran’s hand and guided him as she bolted away, Calypso and Callum hot on their heels. 

A tidal wave of snow burst over the top of the cliff, surging down the mountainside and smashing against the ground. More continued to pour down, a never ending flow of freezing, deadly ice. 

Ezran tripped and stumbled, the dragon egg rolling out of his bag. Rayla scooped him up, Callum grabbing the egg. 

“There’s too much snow!” Calypso called, glancing back at the avalanche. “We’re not going to make it!”

“Save your pessimism for later!” Rayla snapped.

“Not gonna lie, now seems like a good time to be pessimistic!” Calypso retorted.

They continued running, skidding around corners, staying just ahead of the avalanche. They stumbled to a halt as the ground before them dropped into a sheer cliff. Rayla barely caught herself in time, putting Ezran down next to her as she gasped for breath.

“How about that pessimism now?” Calypso muttered. 

Callum passed the dragon egg to Ezran and turned to face the incoming avalanche, pulling the Primal Stone from his bag.

“Callum, what are you doing?” Rayla yelled. 

“Just get behind me,” Callum said, looking at her. “Trust me.”

Without hesitation, Rayla nodded and pulled Ezran and Calypso behind Callum. Callum held the primal stone in front of him, took a deep breath and drew the rune for wind.

“Aspiro,” he said, and blew a huge gust of wind in front of them, the snow slamming into the barrier he’d created and surging up on either side of the group. 

The snow kept crashing past them, more than Rayla had seen in her entire life. Rayla glanced worriedly at Callum, knowing that if the snow didn’t stop soon, he’d run out of air.

Ezran’s hand found hers and she squeezed it, readying herself for the inevitable. The gush of air from Callum’s mouth slowed, then stopped. The walls of snow caved in and slammed into them, tossing them around like the hands of death.

Rayla had been washed away by water before, and this was unpleasantly similar. But the water was solid and freezing, crushing her as it tossed her about. Ezran’s hand slipped out of hers, and she clenched her grip a second too late.

The tossing and smashing continued for what felt like hours. Her limbs felt like they were about to snap off, and her lungs ran out of air as the wind was knocked out of her again and again.

Then by some miracle, she slowed and came to a stop. The crushing pressure that settled over her almost soothing after the constant slamming and bludgeoning of a few seconds earlier. Her lungs burned and her side ached, but the pressure was calming, and the dark and quiet was nice. Her head was foggy, and she couldn’t move her arms or legs. 

The stench of iron reached her nose through the compressed air, and she could feel warmth seeping through her clothing, a sharp contrast to the frigid ice. 

Blood, she realised. There was no pain, just detached interest as she vaguely realised that she was going to die.

Maybe she was finishing what he had started five years ago, when she ran away from home. 

She knew in Runaan’s eyes she was already dead. 

He’d be pleased that death had found the unworthy. 

She heard a shuffling sound and yelling from somewhere far away, but she couldn’t open her mouth to call out for help. It didn’t matter anyway. 

She was beyond saving.

There had never been any point running.

A faint light filtered through the snow above her, getting brighter and brighter by the second.

“–found her!” 

She gasped for breath as the ice was pulled away from her head, the air cold and sharp, her breaths coming in ragged, painful bursts.

The light reflecting off the snow was blinding and she squeezed her eyes shut, flashes of pain running up and down her body.

“Rayla!” Callum cried, running up and digging her out of the snow. His face was wet, and tears dripped onto her face as he leaned over her. “Rayla, are you okay?” 

He’d come for her. 

She nodded her head slightly, still gasping for air. “You came…” 

He always came.

“Of course,” he said, smiling weakly as he gently lifted her onto the snow. “I will never leave you.” 

He was here. She was alive. 

A relieved laugh bubbled in her chest. Little snort giggles escaped as her lungs continued to fight for air. 

She tried to reach for him, wanting to touch him, to reassure herself that he was real.

He caught her fingers as they grazed his cheek, pressing them to his forehead and shuddering, whether with tears or laughter she couldn’t tell.

The shaking of her giggles started to hurt, and were replaced by hacking coughs. 

Callum winced, turning his head to look at her closer. Glancing down at her left arm he grimaced, unwrapping his scarf and cinching it tightly around her forearm.

“What do we do?” Callum demanded, looking past Rayla. “She’s bleeding out!”

“Ah don’t know!” Calypso’s voice came in response. “Ah jes pulled her out, ye know more about snow than Ah do.”

“You’re a bloody assassin, shouldn’t you know about healing?”

“Usually we’re the reason healing is required, genius!” Calypso shot back. “Try putting pressure on the wound and make sure ye don’t cry into her blood.” 

“Rayla…” Callum mumbled, tears dripping from his face as he pressed down on her arm. “Please be okay…” 

“‘m fine,” Rayla choked out, trying to keep the pain from showing on her face. “Jes’ need a minute. Find Ez… lost my grip…”

“Don’t worry, Rayla,” Callum said. “He’s safe.”

“I’m okay,” Ezran piped up, somewhere to Rayla’s right. “Callum, can I come see her now?” 

“Not yet, Ez,” Callum said, still pressing on Rayla’s arm. 

“Okay,” Ezran said. “I… dropped the egg, Rayla.” 

“Ah said the ten year old shouldn’t be in charge of the incredibly valuable egg,” Calypso muttered as he dug into the snow. “But did anyone listen to me?”

Rayla struggled into a sitting position, leaning on Callum despite his attempts to push her down. “Do you know where it is?”

“No,” Calypso said. “That’s why Ah’m digging, and ye all should be too.”

“No, I know where it is already,” Ezran pointed to the middle of the frozen lake. “It’s over there.”

Calypso’s head snapped up, scanning the lake and scowling when he noticed the faint blue light. “Couldn’t ye have mentioned that earlier, ye wee brat?”

Ezran shrugged, running over to the edge of the lake. “I didn’t want to tell you in case you stopped looking for Rayla.”

“Ah wouldn’t have,” Calypso said, stalking after Ezran as the boy stepped gingerly out onto the ice. Callum made a sceptical noise and Calypso whipped around, glaring at him. “It’s true.”

“You did kill the guy that was following us,” Callum muttered. Rayla struggled up into a sitting position again. “Lie down, Rayla.”

“No, Ah–” Calypso said, breaking off mid sentence with a grimace. “It’s different, and get her lying down again if ye want her to survive more than a day.”

Callum sighed, turning back to Rayla, pushing her back down to the ground more insistently. He kept pressing down on her upper arm, though he was shaking now, his hands trembling.

“Keep yerself steady,” Calypso snapped. “Ye’re no use if ye can’t keep consistent pressure.”

“Why don’t you do it, then?” Callum yelled, a waver in his voice. “You’re clearly fine.”

Calypso looked away, glancing down at his left wrist. “No, Ah wouldn’t be able to.”

“Let me up, Callum,” Rayla said. “I’ve had worse, I’ll pull through.”

“No, Rayla,” Callum said, tears dripping from his cheeks now. “You’re not– you’re not okay.”

Calypso whipped around, glaring at her. “What the soft-hearted prince is tryin’ to say is that ye jes’ got chucked through an avalanche with a half-open wound, ye’re bleedin’ out, yer head’s a mess if ye can’t feel how bad it is, ye’re very lucky ye survived that at all an’ if ye make a wrong move now ye’ll finish that journey off faster than ye can say moonberry,” Calypso snapped, his hands on his hips. “Now lie down an’ listen to yer boyfriend or Ah’m coming over there and knocking ye out mahself, are we clear?”

Rayla nodded meekly, submitting to the onslaught from Calypso and stopped struggling to sit up. 

“Opeli said we’re not supposed to tell people what’s wrong with them or they’ll panic,” Ezran said from the lake.

“Yes, but ye try telling this one to stay put and ye’ll fail miserably,” Calypso said. “Now stop talking and get that egg if ye’re goin’ to insist on doin’ it yerself.”

Ezran turned back to the ice, sliding gingerly across it. Calypso glanced back to Callum and Rayla. “Ease off on the pressure a little and raise her arm above her heart. Is there a town nearby?”

Callum nodded, his voice shaking slightly as he obeyed Calypso’s instructions. “Yeah, a little one that trades mostly in wolf capture and domestication. There’s a bit of debate about how ethical it is, especially the fur market–”

“Don’t care as long as there’s medical supplies,” Calypso said, cutting him off. “Spread yer weight more, kid!”

Ezran shifted into a wider stance and shuffled forward until he reached the egg. He carefully bent down and hugged the egg to his chest. He beamed at the others waiting on the bank. 

“I’ve got it!” he called.

“Ah can see that, kid,” Calypso called. “Watch where you step on the way back.”

Ezran nodded and stepped forward, his foot landing on the ice with a loud crack, fractures shooting out over the surface. 

Rayla’s eyes widened, reaching out an ineffectual hand to Ezran. 

“Ez!” Callum called, frantically looking between Rayla and his brother. 

“Stay put,” Calypso instructed, pointing at Callum. “All of ye. I’ll get him, ye keep doin’ what ye’re doing.”

Callum nodded, his shoulders shaking in fear. 

Calypso turned to Ezran, stepping out carefully onto the ice. “Stay where ye are,” Calypso said. “Don’t move and don’t shift yer weight. The ice in the middle is thinner and wasn’t strong enough for ye and the egg, so ye’re going to need to pass it to me. Ah’ll take it to yer brother and then ye can follow. Understand?”

Ezran nodded, keeping himself rigid, his eyes skittering over the ice. “Yes.”

Calypso slid over to Ezran carefully, keeping clear of the cracked portions of the ice. “Pass it to me. Nice and slow, ye’ve got it…”

Ezran carefully handed the egg to Calypso, Callum and Rayla tensing as the egg passed between them. The egg landed fully in Calypso’s hands, most of the weight on his left side. He cried out in pain and pulled away in reflex, the egg slipping out of his grip. The ice cracked and splintered as the glowing egg crashed through it, sinking into the water below. 

“No!” Ezran cried, reaching out for the egg. He hesitated for a second before diving after it.

“Ez!” Rayla and Callum yelled at the same time. Callum stood up on reflex and Rayla jerked upright.

“Stay put!” Calypso snapped at them, pointing at the ground. “Ah’ve got this.”

“It doesn’t look like you’ve got this!” Callum screamed. “You dropped the egg and my brother jumped after it!” 

Calypso sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Ah’m sorry about that. The egg was heavier than Ah thought and mah hand couldn’t handle it.”

“Well soon it’ll be able to, because Ez is going to die!” Callum yelled, barely discernible through his sobs. “Congratulations, the mission you’ve been so desperate to finish is over now!”

“Shut up a second, would ye?” Calypso snapped, still standing by the hole in the ice, his head whipping around, searching the ice. “Get back to the princess, she’s still bleeding, and if ye keep distracting me we might lose three today.”

Callum opened and closed his mouth a few times, then collapsed on the ground, curling in on himself and sobbing fully.

“I’m so sorry, Callum,” Rayla whispered. “I couldn’t protect him.”

“Not your fault,” Callum mumbled, shaking his head. He turned to her, his face blotchy and red. “Keep putting pressure on the wound…”

“Show me where and I’ll do it,” Rayla said, lifting her right arm. “Go help Ez.”

Callum nodded and guided her hand to her forearm, pressing it down firmly. 

He turned back to the lake and ran out onto the ice. 

“What are ye doing, ye idiot?” Calypso snapped. “Do ye want her to die as well?”

“She’s holding the wound herself,” Callum said, his voice and hands still shaking. “Let me help Ez.”

“How do ye intend on doing that, then?” Calypso demanded. “Are ye going to jump in after him, kill both of ye in the freezing water? Ah know what Ah’m doing, and ye’re going to have to trust me.”

Calypso shoved Callum back as he tried to make for the hole in the ice. “He’s my little brother, Calypso! He and my dad are all I have left.”

“Ah know,” Calypso said, steadying Callum with a hand to his shoulder. “He’s not dead, and Ah won’t let him die. Ye just have to give me space so Ah can see the ice.”

Callum hesitated and then nodded slightly. Calypso turned back to the ice, scanning the surface carefully. “There.”

Calypso pushed off, sliding away from Callum towards a slightly darker patch of ice. He pulled out his staff and slammed the blunt edge into the ice. Callum took off after him and cried out in relief when he saw Ezran’s blurred face under the surface, the egg under one of his arms.

The ice splintered under Calypso’s staff and he reached out, pulling Ezran and the egg from the water. Callum reached out and hugged his brother tight to his chest, fresh tears streaming from his eyes. “Ez… you’re alive.”

Ezran shivered against Callum’s chest, his teeth chattering. “I think I’ve got a case of the frozie toesies.”

“Thank you,” Callum said, looking at Calypso over Ezran’s hair. “Thank– thank you so much .”

Calypso shrugged and took the egg from Ezran’s arms, resting the weight on his right side. “No need to thank me.”

Rayla laughed in relief and joy as they made their way back to the shore across a firmer thread of ice, Ezran cuddled to Callum’s chest and the egg in Calypso’s arms. 

Callum stumbled over and thumped down in the snow beside her as they reached the bank, his shoulders sagging with exhaustion. Rayla awkwardly reached out with her good hand to hug Ezran, tears pricking her eyes.

“You scared us there,” she said, smiling down at him.

“Not as much as you did,” Ezran said through chattering teeth.

“I think you collectively took ten years off my life,” Callum said, reaching his arms around them with a relieved sigh. 

“Fair enough,” Rayla said, wincing as a bolt of pain shot through her left side.

“But we all made it!” Ezran cheered, grinning at them. He turned to Calypso, the elf still standing just off the bank, still silent. “Right, Calypso?”

“Ah hate to ruin this,” Calypso said, looking down at the egg. With an impending sense of dread, the others realised that the light emanating from the egg was getting fainter. “But something’s wrong with the egg.”

Chapter Text

Claudia sighed, sullenly poking the dying embers of the fire. 

“What’s up with you?” Soren asked from across the clearing, sharpening his sword. “You’re all… sad and stuff.”

“I’m not sad, Soren,” Claudia said, scowling. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Because you seem all, I dunno… like I was when Greta said she didn’t like me that way,” Soren said, nodding sagely. “That’s what this is, isn’t it? Heartbreak.”

Claudia scoffed and shoved her stick into the fire, enjoying how it flared up. “It’s not that, Soren. I’m probably just tired or something.”

“Then you should sleep,” Soren said. 

“No,” Claudia said shortly, hunching her shoulders and curling her arms around her knees in a foetal position. 

“But that’s… what you do when you’re tired?” Soren said, his brow furrowed in confusion. 

Cluadia scowled, burrowing her face into her knees. “I’ve just been having some bad dreams, and they’re making me tired and grumpy and… scared,” she said, choking on the words. “I don’t want to be left alone with my thoughts again.”

Soren nodded slowly, clearly trying to process the information. “I’ll stay up with you, then.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Claudia protested. “I’m okay, you don’t need to–”

“Of course I do,” Soren said, shrugging. “I’m your brother.”

The corners of her mouth tugged upwards slightly, a small smile peeking out from behind her bad mood. “Thanks, Sor-bear.”

…

“Soooo…” Soren said, fidgeting awkwardly with his horse’s saddle. “Did you want to talk about… stuff?”

“What stuff?” Claudia asked, glancing over at him as she saddled her horse.

“You know… your dreams and things,” Soren said. “They sounded… pretty bad last night.”

Claudia flinched. He must’ve watched over her the whole night if he’d heard her sleep-talking. And come to think of it, she did have a vague memory of being shaken awake during one of her worse ones.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t know. I feel like if I say them out loud, I’m giving them… power over me. Like I’m acknowledging that they’re having an effect.”

Soren hummed. “The step prince said to me once that feelings inside are always worse than feelings outside, because you have to carry them by yourself.”

Claudia hesited, fidgeting with the stirrups. That was exactly the sort of infuriating thing Callum would say. “It’s about the elf, and Callum. Ez, too. I’m just… so terrified about what she might do to them, you know?”

“Well, that’s why we’re doing this, right?” Soren said, swinging into the saddle, though his face was nervous. “To… rescue them and stuff?”

Claudia shrugged, pulling herself into the saddle and clicking her tongue, gently nudging her horse into a trot. “But what if we’re too late? Or they don’t listen to us?”

“Then I guess we’ll have to make them,” Soren said, shifting in the saddle.

“But then they'll hate us!” Claudia said. “And trust that two faced elf even more.”

“I know, Clauds,” Soren said. “It sucks. But… that’s normal for us, isn’t it? You look like there’s something else bothering you.”

Claudia scowled, looking down and urging her horse to pull ahead of him. “No, there’s nothing else.”

…

It was a few days later, after they’d set up camp for the night, when Soren broached the subject again.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk?” he asked. 

Claudia groaned, throwing a pebble at him.

“I’m fine and I don’t want to argue with you again,” Claudia growled. 

“You’re not fine!” Soren yelled, standing and looming above her. 

Claudia flinched, taken aback at his ferocity. Soren sighed, running a hand through his hair and plonking down again. 

“Look, Claudia, you’re my sister,” Soren said quietly, not looking at her. “You… you mean the world to me. I don't want to see you hurt, and even though I don’t really get all that feelings-y type stuff… Callum told me that icky feelings are better when they’re in half, or… something like that. I mean, I’m good at halving, like, with my sword, like… hah! Take that, feelings!” he thrust a hand down and snapped a stick in two, smirking. “Like that. Better get outta my sister’s head or I’ll… halve you. Like strong men do. Halving. Yeah.”

Claudia sighed, rubbing her forehead. “He meant, ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved’, Soren. Talking, not cutting up feelings with swords.”

He straightened, shrugging. “Not sure how that’s supposed to help, but sure. Have at me.”

Claudia sighed. “It’s stupid.”

“That’s okay,” Soren said, examining the broken stick with a furrowed brow.

“It’s Callum,” Claudia said hesitantly. “I like him. A… a lot.”

“Like…. romantically?” Soren asked.

Claudia sighed, rolling her eyes. “That’s what it means to like someone, Soren.”

“So it was heartbreak!” Soren said, pointing a stick at her and grinning triumphantly. He cleared his throat as Claudia glared at him. “Uh, I mean…”

“I shouldn’t feel like this,” Claudia said, pulling in on herself. “He clearly doesn’t feel the same, especially since Rayla came to live here. I guess I just always assumed we’d be together someday, you know?” She fiddled with the blades of grass around her feet, shredding them methodically. “Our dads are… were good friends and allies, and it’d reinforce the inner court if we didn’t need to establish any foreign ties. The Prince not directly in succession and the future High Mage… it just made sense. And we were good friends, so I guess I was looking forward to it, in a way. A clear, laid out path that I wouldn’t have to think about so I could focus on magic.” 

“Wait a second…” Soren said, frowning. “This was before Rayla, right? So you were planning your husband when you were… what, twelve?”

“Eleven, actually. I like to be prepared,” Claudia said defensively. “It was an important decision to consider.”

Soren sighed, rubbing his face. “Sure.”

“Anyway,” Claudia said, shrugging. “I guess when the elf showed up and everything changed… it scared me. The future that I’d always expected was shaking.” She looked up at Soren. “You remember how it was.”

Soren nodded. “You mean how dad told us not to play with her, but the princes were always with her?”

“Yeah,” Claudia whispered. “And she was so… terrified of me because of my magic. Not that I cared what she thought, but the fear in Callum’s eyes when she told him what I could do to her… what she thought I would do, and what he started to believe I might do… I don’t know.”

Soren pulled out a long strand of grass and spun it around itself, unsure what to say. 

“He was never the same,” Claudia said. “Tiptoed around me like I might turn him into a frog or something. Five years of friendship, just… gone. He replaced me with an elf!” The last part slipped into a yell, startling a flock of birds nesting nearby. Claudia scowled, clenching her fists. “Someone prettier, with magic naturally flowing in her veins because she was lucky enough to be born with an arcanum.”

“I don’t think he replaced you, Clauds,” Soren said quietly. “He just didn’t know how to fit our jelly tart heists and pranks with someone new. You know how stupid sweet he is, he probably thought he had to make her happy.”

Claudia moaned, thumping her head against the tree she was leaning on. “I know, Soren. That’s why I like him.”

“What?”

“It’s stupid,” Claudia repeated, fiddling with her fingers. “But the further apart we drifted, I guess the more I noticed how wonderful he was. So kind and caring and funny and creative… and as I started to fall for him, I realised I could never have him.”

“Because of the ward?” Soren asked, saying the quiet part out loud.

“It’s pretty obvious he’s got it bad,” Claudia grunted, scowling. “He’s too nice for his own good, it’s going to get him killed.”

Soren hummed thoughtfully, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “I know you and dad think Ray– the elf is trying to use him, and I guess I kinda get that. But… I dunno.”

“What, Soren?” Claudia said, sighing.

“I guess I’ve just heard a lot of people talking about how good they’ll be for each other,” Soren said, shrugging. “That the ward had fallen just as hard as the step-prince.”

“You don’t seriously believe that, do you?” Claudia asked, scoffing. “She’s an elf, Soren. Even if they are capable of some emotions, there’s no way they’d be directed at a human. She’s taking advantage of him, and he’s fallen for it.”

She huffed, turning away and grabbing her sleeping roll, rolling it out without much care for where she put it.

“I’m going to bed,” she growled, pulling the covers over herself and flopping onto the mat. 

The fire crackled quietly a few paces away as Soren chucked something onto the fire. Claudia clenched her jaw and mashed her face into the pillow, trying to suppress the angry tears welling behind her eyes. 

It wasn’t fair that Callum wouldn’t listen to her anymore, but even more infuriating was how he just refused to see the truth. He was naive sometimes, sure, and often had his head in the clouds - but he was still smart, and it was pretty clear that something was up with the elf.

He just couldn’t see it. He was in the lion’s den and thought it was full of kittens, and he’d dragged his little brother and the most powerful weapon in existence with him too.

Claudia sniffed. Maybe he’d been drugged or something, or the elf was using some form of mind control. She made a mental note to look it up in the library when they got back.

“I don’t think she’s faking it,” Soren said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled over their camp.

“What?” Claudia said, rolling over to face him. “Soren, we just talked about this.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just…” Soren hesitated, sighing. “Look, I don’t pretend to know things I don’t, and feelings and smart stuff are definitely some of those things. But the way Rayla looks at Callum… there’s no way that’s not real.”

Claudia opened her mouth to protest and Soren shushed her forcefully, holding up a finger. 

“I’m not saying that we should trust her or that there isn’t anything weird going on,” Soren said. “You and dad are smarter than me, and I guess you’re probably right about this too. But we can’t pretend that she doesn’t feel something for him.”

“And what makes you so certain that the feelings are real, Soren?” Claudia asked, pushing herself into a seated position and crossing her arms. “Maybe it was a look of calculation or hatred or lust? Maybe she was just looking!”

Soren shook his head. “I’ve seen it a lot with the other soldiers, and I know it was real for them cause they said so,” he shrugged. “Plus, Marcos told me that was why they made eyes at each other across the courtyard all the time. And Prince Ezran said he was looking forward to having a sister.”

“Okay. Maybe she feels something, to some degree,” Claudia said, sighing. “But she’s still a Moonshadow elf, Soren. You didn’t talk to her guardian while we were interrogating him, but he fully refused to tell Dad anything, even when he threatened the ward. Someone who he raised and probably thinks of as his cub or something.”

“But he’s an assassin, and an adult,” Soren said. “Probably trained in resistance tactics or whatever, like me.”

“So is the ward!” Claudia said, throwing her hands in the air. “Or she was training to be one before she left Xadia.”

“She was ten, Clauds,” Soren said. “I get that elves are pretty hardcore, but they probably didn’t teach her advanced torture resistance tactics at that age.”

“Probably isn’t good enough,” Claudia said, pain in her voice. “Even if she truly cares for the Princes, loves them even, if she believes that sacrificing them will be for the greater good, she’ll do it.”

Soren looked up, making hard eye contact with Claudia. “You sound like you’ve had experience.”

Claudia paused, freezing. “I… may have,” she said, her voice cracking. “But it doesn’t matter. Soren, we have to do this. Even if you hate it, even if you feel like we’re doing the wrong thing.”

“I get that, Clauds,” Soren said. “I never let my feelings get in the way of a mission, and like I said, you and Dad are smarter than me.”

Claudia nodded tiredly, making to lie down again.

“I just wanted you to realise that your feelings might be getting in the way of our mission,” Soren finished.

Claudia gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remain lying down and pretending to be asleep.

She wasn’t biased, whatever Soren thought. This was the right thing to do.

“Ha ha!” 

“What, Soren?” Claudia snapped, sitting up and glaring at him.

He grinned, triumphantly holding up a little bundle of grass and sticks, “I made a sword!”

“A real Excalibur,” Claudia said, unable to stop herself huffing a laugh.

Chapter Text

Callum sat by the fire, his still-damp jacket draped over a rock. His hand flew over his sketchbook, leaving hard indents in the paper as the previous day raged in the front of his mind.

Ezran and Rayla were squished together against the far wall of the cave, Rayla deeply asleep and Ezran snuffling slightly as he rested. 

“Ez, you should really try to sleep,” Callum said, looking up.

“I’m fide,” Ezran said, his nose blocked and stuffy. 

“You’re not fine, you need rest,” Callum said, sighing. “You’ve been spending too much time with Rayla.”

“You spend more time with her than me,” Ezran said, ignoring Callum’s instructions and walking over, peeking at Callum’s sketchbook. “What are you… oh.”

Callum looked down sadly at a beautiful drawing of their mum. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her the whole time we were looking for Rayla. And then, the blood everywhere when Calypso pulled her out… I thought I– we– were going to lose her, like we lost Mum. And then when you jumped after the egg… I don’t know.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But you made it. And now I can't stop wondering if… maybe she was watching over us. And maybe she’ll watch over Rayla now, too.”

They looked over at Rayla, still fast asleep. 

“If she knew what we were trying to do, she’d be proud of us,” Ezran said, smiling at Callum.

“Yeah. She would. And she would yell at you to go sit closer to the fire and bundle up!” Callum said, pointing at the fire sternly. 

“I know,” Ezran said, sniffling again and moving to crouch by the fire.

Calypso walked in, dumping a pile of damp kindling by the door. “Rayla should be fine, as long as we can find a doctor who can stitch her up before we keep moving. Otherwise, we’re going to have to sit still for a while and let her body do the work.” He turned to Ezran, tossing a pair of green berries at him. “Stuff these up yer nose for a couple hours, they’ll help reduce the swelling.”

Ezran nodded, fumbling the catch but managing to scoop them up with his numb fingers. “Tank you.”

“Ah found some moonberries as well,” Calypso continued, placing a wrapped package on the ground. “Should keep us full until we reach that town ye were talking about.”

Callum nodded, fiddling awkwardly with his pencil. “Um, Calypso… could I talk to you for a second? Alone?”

Calypso frowned, and then nodded. “Quickly.”

They stepped outside of the small cave they’d found, walking out of earshot of the others. Callum sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“I just wanted to thank you, properly,” Callum said. “I know we haven’t gotten on well, but the way you just took control and knew exactly what to do… you saved Rayla’s life, and Ezran’s.”

Calypso nodded. “Ah did, yes. Was there anything else?”

“I also wanted to apologise for not trusting you,” Callum said. “You could’ve let Rayla and Ezran die and taken the egg, and there wasn’t much I could’ve done to stop you. I… I trust you now. I really do.”

Calypso sighed, looking away. “Ye shouldn’t.”

“Why not?” Callum asked, confused. 

“Ah can’t do what needs to be done,” Calypso growled. “Ah’m weak, and Ah won’t be able to protect ye when it really comes down to it.”

“Your mission is to kill Ezran, right?” Callum asked, staring him down. Calypso nodded, his left wrist flexing against the binding. “And you didn’t do that when you had the chance. I’d say you’re pretty capable of protecting us.”

Calypso shook his head. “That’s the issue. Ah didn’t kill him.”

“I don’t understand what the problem is,” Callum said, frustrated. 

“Ah can’t kill anymore!” Calypso yelled, loud enough that it scared a flock of birds nesting nearby. Callum took a step back, afraid. “The human that attacked me, the other day? Ah didn’t kill him, Ah couldn’t bring mahself to. Ah knocked him out and left him in the forest, and that was why Ah was pushing us so hard yesterday and nearly got us all killed.”

“You did the right thing!” Callum said. “Not killing him was a good thing.”

“No, it wasn’t!” Calypso said. “An assassin needs to be hard, to know when to make the sacrifice. Him being alive puts us all at risk.”

Callum shook his head, sighing. “I can see you’re not going to change your mind. But mercy isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength. You should think on that.”

He turned away, walking back to the cave. Ezran had fallen asleep by the fire and Callum gently lifted him up, tucking him in next to Rayla. She stirred slightly, smiling up at him.

“Hey, Callum,” she mumbled. “Everything okay? I heard yelling.”

He nodded, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Yes, everything’s okay. Go back to sleep, we’ll need to get moving again in the morning.”

She nodded blearily, closing her eyes and drifting off almost immediately. 

Calypso slunk into the cave and sat with his back to the wall, methodically sharpening the edge of his blade. “Are ye sure bringing them into the town is the best option?”

Callum sighed. “I think we have to. It’s hard enough disguising elves, and coming and going with a doctor will draw more attention than we want. Best to get in, get what we need, and leave.”

“Fair enough.” Calypso said, nodding. He glanced over at the egg, nestled in a nest of spare fabrics by the fire, the light coming from its heart growing fainter. “It’s getting dimmer.”

“I know,” Callum said, touching it carefully. 

“Ah don’t like this,” Calypso said, scowling. “Ah doubt any humans are going to know anything about healing dragon eggs.”

“Do you?” Callum asked, and Calypso grunted. “It’s our best shot, Calypso.”

…

The morning was bright and clear despite the biting cold and snow piled outside the cave. Rayla blinked her eyes open blearily, her head still foggy. 

“Mhhh,” she mumbled, trying to push herself into a sitting position and crying out as a shot of pain ran down her left arm.

“Rayla!” Calllum said, his head popping up below her. He rested a gentle hand on her back and helped her to sit up as she grimaced in pain. “Try not to put weight on your left arm, okay?”

She nodded, flashing him a sardonic smirk, “I figured that one out already, dummy.”

“Well, now that ye’re finally awake, we can get moving,” Calypso said, tossing a wrapped package in her direction. “Eat those.”

Rayla nodded, opening the fabric and nibbling on the moonberries inside. “Nobody else was too hurt?”

“You got the worst of it,” Callum said, sitting beside her. “Calypso and I both bruised a few ribs, and Ezran got pretty stuffed up from the cold water, but otherwise we’re okay.”

“Ye’ll need to see a doctor for that arm, though,” Calypso said, glancing at the impromptu bandage, the fabric already partially soaked through. “We’re pretty isolated out here and if ye get an infection there’s not much we could do for ye.”

Rayla nodded, though Callum still looked concerned. “Are you sure it’s fine?” Callum asked. “She was bleeding a lot.”

Calypso nodded. “That was mostly down to the stress and other injuries in that area. It’ll hurt like hell, but that’s about it.”

Rayla shrugged. “I’ll pull through.”

“We need to make a sling or something,” Calypso said, hunting through the bags. “Do we have any spare fabric?”

Callum pulled out a black cloak, tearing off the hem. “Will this be okay?”

Rayla nodded. “Should work fine, yeah. Just tie it around my neck and arrange it so my arm is horizontal to the ground.”

“Okay,” Callum said, gently taking her arm and wincing when she hissed in pain. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Rayla said. 

He gently pulled the fabric around her arm, smoothing it out and leaning forward, carefully tying it around her neck. Rayla flushed at the proximity of their faces, his breath warm on her cheek. Callum looked up, smiling at her. 

“Is that okay?” he asked, his fingers lingering at the fabric by her neck, his cheeks flushed. “I’ve never done this before, so I can redo it if it’s no good.”

Rayla shook her head, her gaze flickering between him and the floor. “No, it’s great. Thank you.”

…

“There it is!” Rayla said, pointing unsteadily at the small village on the horizon. “A town!”

“Okay,” Calypso said, turning around to face them. “Here’s the plan; we sneak into the town, avoiding all the humans who hate elves and want to kill us; find a doctor who knows about mythical dragon eggs and force him to help us before silencing him; then find another doctor to stitch Rayla up before vanishing into the night, never to be seen again.”

“It’s morning,” Ezran offered.

“And I’d rather not kill anyone,” Rayla said.

Calypso sighed, rubbing his forehead. “What do ye propose, then?”

“First, disguises!” Rayla said happily, pulling a small hood from her bag with her good hand. “Help me with this, Callum.”

Ezran grabbed a cloak from Callum’s bag and passed it to Calypso as Callum helped Rayla arrange the hood around her head, covering her horns and ears completely. 

“I’ve become a master at emulating human behaviour from my many years around them, and I will now pass this knowledge on to you.”

“Please don’t,” Calypso groaned, begrudgingly pulling the cloak over his head. 

“Human Rayla!” Rayla said, flourishing with her right hand.

“Seriously?” Calypso asked, looking her up and down. “Is she being serious?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Callum sighed.

“I think it’s cute,” Ezran said, grinning at Rayla. 

“And how do ye conquer yer lack of a fifth finger?” Calypso asked, crossing his arms. 

“Gloves,” Rayla said, pulling a tailored pair out of her pocket and pausing. “Ah. These won’t fit you.”

“There’s a snowman over there,” Ezran said, pointing at the sloppy figure, the ‘hands’ sporting a thick pair of gloves.

“Convenient,” Calypso muttered, stalking over and pulling the gloves on. He inspected the gloves, the fifth finger-hole flopping over. 

“Just don’t shake hands with anyone and you’ll be fine,” Callum said, shrugging. 

…

Calypso sighed as they walked through the town in broad daylight. Every instinct he’d honed over his years of subterfuge screamed at him to run and come back when the sun was lower, or at least with a better disguise or a distraction.

Somehow, though, the prince’s strategy of charging forward seemed to be working, and they did need to reach a doctor quickly, before Rayla’s wound got infected and she was beyond whatever minor woodland remedies he had in his back pocket.

This was just such a stupid way of going about it.

“Come on, Calypso!” Ezran said, turning around and grinning at him. “Turn that frown upside down!”

Calypso shook his head, pulling the hood further over his face. “In and out,” he muttered.

A crowd was gathering in the middle of the town, and the others paused, looking curiously at the commotion in the centre. A man stood in the middle of the town square, prancing around and generally trying to make himself look bigger than he really was.

“I defended the border against all manner of horrors and monstrosities!” he proclaimed, waving his hand in the air. “Things you couldn’t even imagine. There’s nothing I fear now.”

Calypso groaned, reaching out a hand and grabbing Ezran by the collar and pulling him away from the crowd.

“No detours,” he snapped. 

“Wait, Calypso,” Rayla called. “The hilt of that man’s dagger… I think it’s Sunforged.”

Calypso paused, turning around and looking at Rayla. She smirked at him, jerking her thumb at the centre. 

“Fine,” Calypso snapped, letting go of Ezran’s shirt. “But ye’re staying right here, away from the crowd, and if some random germs get into yer arm it’s yer fault if ye die.”

Rayla shrugged, eyeing a stack of boxes on the alleyway wall. “Fair enough.”

“And ye’re not climbing that either,” Calypso said. “Why do none of ye have any common sense?”

Ezran clambered onto Calypso’s back, sitting on top of his shoulders. 

“What are ye doing,” Calypso sighed. 

“Watching,” Ezran said, patting the top of Calypso's head. “You’re a very good chair.”

Callum sniggered, Rayla giggling behind him. Calypso sighed, rolling his eyes and grabbing Ezran’s foot so he could catch the prince if he lost his balance.

The man in the square continued. “In fact, I wager I could defeat any challenger here with nothing but my dagger.”

Calypso growled low in the back of his throat. “Filthy. No skill at all, just relying on a magical artefact to cheat people out of their money.”

The con man in the square started scanning the crowd for participants. His eye caught on the group huddled at the back, his mouth tilting up at their unusual clothes.

“Maybe… you!” He said, pointing dramatically at Calypso. 

Calypso scoffed, folding his arms and looking the man up and down and shook his head. 

“Oh, do we have a coward on our hands?” the man taunted, smirking. “Afraid you’ll be beaten in front of your little friends?”

Calypso rolled his eyes. “More that Ah’ve got better things to do, and Ah’m smarter than to let myself get conned by a pathetic chump like ye.”

The man spluttered, glancing at the crowd with a nervous air. “Come here and say that to my face!”

Calypso ignored him, turning away and gesturing for the others to follow. “Let's keep moving. He’s not worth our time.”

“If he did your face would end up mushed in the snow!” Ezran yelled, leaning back on Calypso's shoulders and almost overbalancing the elf. “Sod off!”

“Ezran!” Callum hissed, scrambling to catch up with Calypso, Rayla sniggering next to him. “You shouldn’t talk like that.”

“Is it a bad word?” Ezran asked, looking down at Callum with wide eyes. “Calypso says it allllll the time.”

“Yes, it’s a bad word,” Callum said, rolling his eyes. “Calypso, stop poisoning his vocabulary.”

“It ain’t a bad word,” Calypso said, scoffing. “Ah could teach him a whole lot worse. Ye’re jes’ soft.”

“Yeah! Sod off!” Ezran said, laughing. Calypso smirked.

“Ye tell him, kid.”

Callum turned back to Rayla, exasperated. 

“What I want to know is why you didn’t keep the dagger,” Rayla said. “You know it can cut through anything. Weren’t you tempted to try it on the binding?”

“Didn’t want to draw attention to it,” Calypso said. “Besides, it wouldn’t have worked. The binding is made of incredibly strong magic, a mixture of moon and sky so tightly woven that the only thing that could break it outside of the oath is a dragon in the height of their arcanum.”

“Oh,” Ezran said, bowing his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Calypso said. “We need to keep moving.”

Rayla nodded. “Egg first, then we’ll look for a doctor.”

“Ah don’t think that’s a good idea,” Calypso said. “We should split up, cover more ground.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Rayla asked. “Ezran has to stay with the egg, and I need a doctor. Either we have you and Ez, which is not going to happen, or the two… not humans.”

“Ah thought ye were good at impersonating humans?” Calypso asked. 

Rayla chuckled nervously. “Mostly I just keep my head down and try not to punch anyone.”

Callum shrugged, snickering. “She’s not wrong.”

“Fine!” Calypso said. “Let’s keep being inefficient, then.”

Chapter Text

The quartet wandered through the alleyways of the village, looking for anything that might be able to help the egg.

“Look!” Ezran said, pointing at a sign above a door, depicting a cat and dog with a heart in the middle. “That seems like an animal doctor.”

“Probably,” Callum said, squinting at the sign. “Not sure what else it could be.”

“A dating service for pets, maybe,” Rayla said, snickering when Bait grumped at her.

Calypso sighed, stomping to the door and knocking brusquely before shoving it open. “Let's just get this over with.”

The others followed him inside, entering a large stable, horses filling most of the stalls. An older man stood in the centre, attending to a white mare. 

“I’ll be right with you,” he called, waving his hand.

Rayla shied away from one of the horses as it nuzzled her, wincing in pain when it bumped her arm. Callum twitched, pulling her away from the animals and standing in front of her at the end of the building. 

The doctor turned around as Ezran and Calypso approached, his eyes landing on Bait, still in Ezran’s arms. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the doctor said. “There’s nothing I can do for that poor creature.”

Bait grunted, and Calypso frowned. “The frog is fine, aside from needing an attitude check. We have a more serious issue.”

“Not the only one who needs an attitude check,” Callum muttered to Rayla, and she sniggered.

The horse behind the doctor whinnied, and Ezran moved forward, gently stroking its nose. “Oh, what happened to you, little sweetie?” The horse whinnied again, nuzzling Ezran’s shoulder. “Aww. You saw something really scary, didn’t you?”

“She sure did,” the doctor said, pulling a bucket of feed over and giving it to the horse. “This one ran away up the Cursed Caldera. Whatever she saw, she’s lucky it only scared her. Won’t make that mistake again.” 

Calypso rolled his eyes. “We’re on a bit of a tight schedule, and Ah don’t really care about the horse’s feelings.”

“Calypso, stop being rude to everyone,” Rayla called, exasperated.

“It’s quite alright,” the doctor said. “I can understand being worried for a beloved pet. What can I help you with?”

He gestured to a side door and ushered the group inside a small living space. He pulled a set of mugs from a shelf and quickly made up a pot of tea. 

“Make yourselves at home,” he said as they slid into chairs set around a small table. “Tell me exactly what’s going on,” the doctor said, pouring cups of tea and passing them around.

“Well, uh…” Callum said, panicking slightly. “A friend of ours has a problem.”

“Jofus,” Ezran offered. 

“Your friend’s name is Jofus?” The doctor asked, his forehead creased in confusion.

“It’s a real name,” Ezran said.

Calypso sighed, running a hand down his face. 

“Mm-hmm. Yep,” Callum said. “Real name. Our friend, Jofus, has an egg.”

“Animal egg,” Rayla offered. 

“Yep!” Callum said. “He’s been taking really good care of it, you know, keeping it warm, and safe… wrapped in blankets.”

“Until we dropped it into a frozen lake for a few minutes,” Calypso snapped, tired of the charade. 

“I’m sorry, I thought this was your friend?” The doctor asked, confused.

“No, it’s our egg and Ah dropped it,” Calypso said. “It’s getting dimmer and we don’t know what to do, and ye’re going to fix it, understand?”

The doctor shook his head. “What do you mean, getting dimmer?”

Calypso hesitated, glancing at the others. 

“Look, I can tell you have a real problem,” the doctor said. “I want to help, but I won’t be able to unless you tell me what’s really going on.”

Calypso sat back down with a huff. “Not a chance.”

“I promise you, I’m not going to get you in trouble,” the doctor said. 

Rayla glanced at Callum and he nodded, gently putting his hand over hers. “You can’t tell anyone,” Rayla said.

“I won’t, okay?” the doctor said. “But you need to trust me.”

Ezran pulled his bag onto the table, resting his hand on the flap.

“This is a bad idea,” Calypso said, scowling. 

“Worse than doing nothing?” Callum asked. 

Calypso grunted, waving his good hand in the air. Ezran took it as permission and pulled the flap of his bag open, blue light washing over the group as he revealed the egg. 

The doctor gasped, his hand coming up to cover his mouth as his eyes widened in shock. Calypso tracked the doctor’s movements carefully, his hand creeping to the hilt of his staff.

“That’s a dragon egg, isn’t it?” The doctor said reverently. 

Callum nodded. 

“I’ve never seen one before, only pictures in books…” the doctor said, his voice low and awed. “I’ll do what I can.”

He placed his ear to the shell of the egg, tapping it gently, moving his hands down the sides. He sighed, slowly leaning back.

“What is it?” Calypso snapped. “Can ye fix it?”

“I do hear a heartbeat, but it’s faint and slow,” the doctor said. “I’m afraid it’s dying, I don’t know what I can do to save it. I’m so sorry.”

Rayla gasped, reaching out to Callum’s hand out of reflex. He took it, squeezing gently.

“No! There has to be something we can do!” Ezran said, leaning forward and hugging the egg, tears dripping from his eyes. “Anything! Please…”

Calypso shook his head, scowling as he stood up. “Ah knew this would be a waste of time.”

Rayla reached out to Ezran, touching his shoulder gently. “Come on, Ez. It’ll be alright, we’ll figure something out.” 

They stood, taking the egg and turning to the door.

“Wait,” the doctor said, reaching out and taking Ezran’s hand. “I’m hesitant to tell you about this, because it might be incredibly dangerous.”

Calypso snorted. “Isn’t everything?”

“There was a miracle that happened a few years ago, but it was on the Cured Caldera,” the doctor said, fear in his voice. He hesitated before continuing. “There’s someone you should meet.”

…

The doctor led them through the town’s winding streets, speaking animatedly as they went. “A few years ago, a young girl named Ellis climbed the Caldera along with an injured wolf. She came down a day later claiming to have met a woman who had healed the wolf.”

“So you think Ellis could help us?” Callum asked. 

“Hopefully. I’m taking you to her home, she probably knows more than I do,” the doctor said. He glanced at Rayla. “You might want to stay outside with that arm of yours, though.”

“Why?” Rayla asked.

“Ellis, uh… still has the wolf. She’s tame, but has a tendency to be very friendly,” the doctor said. “You’re probably looking for someone to help with your injury, though?”

“Yes, but it’s not as important as the egg,” Rayla said, squaring her shoulders.

“Her mother, Lucinda, is a capable doctor. They have a small clinic next to their house.”

Calypso grunted. “Ye probably don’t want me in there. Ah’ll see the girl with one of ye boys, and the other can go with Rayla.”

Rayla nodded. “Calypso’s right. He’s like a bull in a china shop.”

“Only with doctors, though,” Calypso said, scowling. “Ah can go into Ethari’s workshop without breaking things jes’ fine.”

Rayla flinched at the mention of Ethari, looking away. 

“If Ezran goes with Calypso, could you stay in the house while they talk?” Callum asked, looking at the doctor. The man nodded, and Callum turned to Rayla. “I’ll come with you.”

She looked up, surprised. “Oh, you don’t have to do that… I’ll be fine on my own.”

“I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable, My Lady,” Callum said, putting a hand in the air and lifting his chin, poorly mimicking a pompous tone. Rayla snorted, rolling her eyes.

The doctor gestured in front of them, at a small but well maintained house. “We’re here.”

Calypso strode forward, knocking forcefully on the door. “Come on, Ezran. Time to put those princely interrogation skills to use.”

Ezran ran forward happily, slipping his hand into Calypso’s. “I’ve never interrogated anyone before!”

Calypso gasped, putting his hand to his mouth in mock surprise. “Then yer first lesson is entrusted to one so lowly as me! Ah will do mah best to teach ye.”

Ezran giggled, looking up at Calypso with trusting eyes.

The door swung open to a young girl, and the animal doctor stepped forward to tell her who they were. She nodded, opening the door wider and beckoning them in.

Callum glanced at Rayla, a little concerned. “Do you think leaving them alone was a good idea?”

“They’re not alone, exactly,” Rayla said, her face crinkled in amusement. “It’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Callum asked, turning to the door the doctor had pointed out as the clinic entrance. 

“Stop worrying so much, Callum,” Rayla said, laughing. 

Callum opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as Rayla reached out, grabbing his hand and squeezing it, smiling at him prettily. Whatever words he was about to say fell out of his brain as he looked at her, his heart thumping in his chest and blood rushing to his face.

He forced himself to look away, coughing. 

Rayla giggled again. “And Calypso is a master in interrogation. He’ll teach Ez well.”

“That's… not really what I was worried about, Ray,” Callum said, trying to ignore the tingles still running down his arm from where she was touching him. It was probably some symptom of the cold, it definitely didn’t mean anything. 

They reached the door, Callum knocking politely. It swung open to a woman in her late thirties, her hair done up in a neat bun and a kind smile on her lips.

“Are you Lucinda?” Callum asked, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. “We were told you were a doctor?”

“I am. What can I help you with?” Lucinda said, stepping aside to let them in. She glanced at Rayla’s bandaged arm and gestured to a cot pushed up against the wall. “Sprained wrist?”

Rayla didn’t sit, hovering by the door and fiddling with the sling her arm was nestled in. “Not exactly…”

Callum sighed, gently pushing Rayla to the cot and forcing her to sit. “We were caught in an avalanche a few days ago, and Rayla had a bad injury that got a lot worse.”

Lucinda grimaced, pulling gloves onto her hands and putting on a pair of glasses. “Had it been treated before?”

“Yes, by a very good doctor,” Callum said. “It was a slashing wound from a blade. It needed stitches and we were told it would heal well if she didn’t use it too much or reopen the wound, but…” he shrugged. “That hasn’t been possible.”

Lucinda nodded, pulling out a tray of medical tools and setting it on a shelf beside the cot. She gestured for Rayla to lie down. 

“Do you mind if I take off the sling and bandages?” Lucinda asked, smiling kindly at Rayla. “It might hurt a little, but I’ll be very gentle, I promise.”

Rayla nodded, and the doctor carefully untied the makeshift sling and pulled off the makeshift bandages, Callum’s scarf now looking very sad and crusted with dried blood.

Callum took Rayla’s right hand gently, rubbing his thumb over her hand. Rayla looked away as Lucinda pulled off the scarf, hissing in pain as the cold air hit her arm. 

The doctor tutted slightly, and Callum made the mistake of glancing at Rayla’s skin to see what was wrong. He looked away again immediately, his stomach turning.

“Just… don’t look,” he whispered to her, and she nodded. 

“I’ll need to clean and sterilise the wound before stitching it together,” Lucinda said, inspecting Rayla’s arm carefully. “I’ll use some numbing herbs, but you’ll probably still feel twinges and sharp bursts of pain, okay? I’ll try and warn you beforehand.”

Rayla nodded. “You don’t need to worry about me. Just do it.”

Lucinda glanced at Callum. “You might want to wait outside if you’re squeamish. Shouldn’t be too bad, but you never know and I’d rather you not throw up all over my nice clinic.”

Callum shook his head. “No. I’m staying with Rayla.”

She nodded, smiling at him. “Understood.”

…

Calypso slammed his hand down on the table in front of him, glaring at the little girl seated opposite. “Just who is this ‘miracle healer’, and how did ye come to be in contact with them?”

She smiled, seemingly unperturbed by his forceful approach. “Well, that requires a little bit of context, you see…”

“No time for yer ruddy context!” Calypso yelled, pointing at her. “Cut to the chase.”

“If you insist.” She said, shrugging. 

Calypso leaned in. “Oh, Ah do.”

“Wait, Calypso,” Ezran said, tapping on his arm. “We should at least get her name, right? For the record.”

He held out a small notebook and pencil, and Calypso grinned as he took it, ruffling Ezran’s hair. “Ye have promise, mah young compatriot.”

Ezran giggled, hugging Bait to his chest. Calypso squinted at the glowtoad. “Can ye make him do that glow thing on command?”

Ezran nodded, a little confused as Calypso stepped around the house, shutting the curtains. Bait glowed reflexively in the dim light and Calypso lifted Ezran onto a chair, guiding his hands so that Bait was raised above Ezran’s head, his light shining onto the girl’s face.

“Now, talk,” Calypso said threateningly. 

“About what?” The girl asked, squinting into the bright light coming from Bait.

“What’s your name?” Ezran asked. “And the wolf as well.”

“I’m Ellis, and my wolf is called Ava,” The girl said, blinking and looking away from the bright light. “Could you turn that off, please? I’m getting a headache.”

Calypso glanced at Bait. “It is pretty bright, maybe turn it down a notch?”

Ezran nodded, and Bait turned pink, the glow from his body dimming slightly. Calypso sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead, the pale skin now glowing with a pink tint. “Not like that– ye know what, nevermind,” he turned to Ellis. “Now, the doctor said that ye met a miracle healer two years ago on the Cursed Caldera. Care to elaborate?”

“The long version or the short one?” Ellis asked, crossing her arms. 

“Short, if ye please,” Calypso said, steepling his fingers in front of his face.

“I found Ava in the woods, caught in a steel trap,” Ellis said. “One of her front legs was hurt badly enough that it had to be removed. My parents said we needed to put her down, that even if we let her go back to the woods none of her pack would accept her anymore.”

Ezran sniffled. “That’s so sad.”

“No crying during the interrogation,” Calypso snapped. “Go on.”

“So I took her and ran away,” Ellis said. “Up the Cursed Caldera, where nobody would look for us. It was… so scary. Monsters everywhere you looked. But we made it almost to the top, and hid in a hollow tree. I fell asleep, and I woke up to a lady standing over me. She was shining so brightly in the moonlight, I could barely see her face. She took Ava from my arms, and there was a flash and her leg was just… there. All healed.”

Calypso snorted. “Sure.”

“It’s true!” Ellis said, gesturing at Ava’s front leg. “You can see it!”

Ezran looked at Calypso. “Calypso, you know magic like this exists. Maybe what she’s saying is true.”

“And maybe we’ll get all the way up there and find out it was a hoax,” Calypso said. 

“It’s all we’ve got,” Ezran said, climbing down from his chair and setting Bait on the table. “If she can save a cub's missing paw, maybe she can save a dragon egg!”

“A what?” Ellis asked, squinting at them. 

“Nothing,” Calypso said, scooping up the book he’d filled with scribbled notes and grabbing Ezran’s arm. “Thank ye for yer time or whatever. We’ll be off now.”

…

Rayla gasped, tears falling from the corners of her eyes as Lucinda finished stitching her arm. Callum gently reached out, brushing the wetness from her face. 

“It’s over now, Rayla,” he said quietly. “You did really well.”

She nodded, moving to sit up. “Let’s go find Ez and Calypso, see what they learned–”

“No!” Callum said, gently pushing her back onto the bed. “Stay right there while I talk to Lucida. Last thing we need is you breaking the stitches again, okay?”

She grumbled, falling back against the pillows, grunting slightly in pain. “So fussy.”

“You’re welcome,” Callum said, smirking. “We both know you’d be lost without me.”

“Shove off, dummy,” Rayla said, rolling her eyes.

He did, walking over to where Lucinda was washing the remaining blood from her hands and tools. 

She turned to him as she finished at the sink, holding his scarf out, freshly washed. 

“O-oh,” Callum said, taking the scarf gratefully. “Thank you, I… when did you have the time to do that?”

She winked at him, taking a seat at a small desk and motioning him to the chair opposite. “I’m a mother who works full time, young man. I have my ways.”

Callum nodded, sitting opposite her. 

“Now, the advice is similar to what her previous doctor recommended,” Lucinda said, scribbling on a piece of paper. “No strenuous activity, as much rest as possible - actually this time-” Callum laughed nervously.

“I’ll try to keep her from overdoing it,” he said.

“Keep the wound dry and change the bandages two or three times a day. I’ll give you some herbs that should keep it decently free from infection but you’ll need to be careful if you intend to keep moving,” Lucinda said, passing the paper over to Callum along with a bag full of bandages and a pouch of herbs.

“Thank you so much,” Callum said, hugging the bag to his chest. “I… don’t know what I’d do if she… d–” he choked, looking down, “... got really hurt.”

“Cry in a corner and mope around doing nothing productive if I know anything about you,” Rayla offered from the other side of the room.

Callum laughed wetly, brushing tears from his eyes. “Something like that, yeah.”

Lucinda smiled, patting his hand gently. “It’s nice to see such a lovely young man taking good care of his partner. And they say chivalry is dead!” She laughed.

“Oh, uh– we’re not… that, actually.” Callum stuttered, his face going red. 

Lucinda paused. “You’re not?”

He shook his head, mortified. 

“Well, you never know,” Lucinda said, slapping him jovially on the back. “Love hits you when you least expect it. You’d make a lovely couple.”

Rayla snorted from the cot, enjoying Callum’s embarrassment, though her cheeks were similarly flushed. 

“Thanks,” Callum mumbled, unsure how to respond. He stood, pulling a pouch from his bag. “How much do we owe you for today?” he asked. 

Lucinda shook her head. “No charge. I’m always happy to help anyone in need. Hold on to your money, I’m sure it’s scarce, especially at the moment.”

Callum shook his head forcefully. “No, please take something. I– we–” he sighed, thinking of the incredible privilege his position afforded him. “Seriously. We have… more than enough.”

Lucinda sighed, taking the pouch he offered her. “If you insist, I suppose… where do you come from? Most folks around here know to avoid the mountains this time of year.”

Callum hesitated, glancing at Rayla. “... east,” he said lamely. “Near the capital.”

“Nobles, then!” Lucinda said. “I thought I recognised that pattern on your scarf.”

“Ah, yes,” Callum said. “Please, just…. don’t tell anyone.”

Lucinda nodded, her eyes sparkling. “My lips are sealed.”

Callum helped Rayla sit up, pulling a sling over her head and carefully nestling her arm in it. 

Rayla stood up, wobbling slightly on unsteady feet and leaning against Callum’s side, his arm gently resting around her waist. 

Rayla turned to face Lucinda. “Thank you so much.”

“It was my pleasure,” Lucinda said, smiling warmly. “And a little advice, from one woman to another: life’s too short for waiting around.”

“I… thank you,” Rayla said, flushing and feeling Callum doing the same beside her. “I’ll… keep that in mind.”

…

Calypso sat with his back to a stone wall, Ezran curled against his side and snuffling in his sleep. He glanced up as he heard the sound of a door shutting and saw Callum and Rayla as they exited the doctor’s clinic. He lifted his hand in a wave, gesturing the pair over to them.

“How’d it go?” Calypso asked, squinting at their flushed faces. “Why are ye both blushing?”

“No reason!” Callum said, his voice too high. “Did, uh… did you find anything out about the miracle healer?”

“A little,” Calypso said, scowling. “Doesn’t sound legitimate to me, but we don’t really have any other options.”

“So, up the Cursed Caldera?” Callum asked, eyeing the mountain with trepidation. 

Calypso sighed. “Seems that way. Is Rayla up for travelling?”

Rayla nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Not fine, just no longer an infection away from death,” Callum said, rolling his eyes. “The doctor recommended ice for the bruised ribs, by the way.”

Calypso nodded, grabbing his bag and shaking Ezran awake. “Up the Caldera, then.”

Ezran stood up, rubbing his eyes blearily and slipping his hand into Calypso’s. He glanced at Callum and Rayla. “Why are you both blushing?”

“No reason!” Callum said. “I mean, what blush? We’re not blushing!”

Calypso snorted. “The doctor thought ye were dating, didn’t she?”

Rayla flushed. “She, uh… yeah.”

“Wouldn’t drop the topic, either,” Callum muttered. 

“Fair enough,” Calypso said, shrugging. “Ye should really just get it over with and kiss.”

“Yeah!” Ezran said, scrambling up Calypso’s back and sitting on his shoulders. “Then Rayla would be my real sister!”

“Ah’m afraid it’s a bit more complicated than that, kid,” Calypso said, glancing at Ezran. “And ye do know Ah’m not actually a chair, right?”

Ezran shrugged. “Then you should stop being such a good one.”

“Let’s just go,” Callum mumbled, walking forward with his flushed face buried in his scarf. 

“Aww, the princeys embarrassed!” Calypso laughed. “Stop denying that ye like her!”

“Not denying anything!” Callum yelled. “You stop bringing it up!”

“Dad did say he was in denial,” Ezran said, fiddling with Calypso’s hair. 

“King Harrow said that?” Rayla asked. “You talked to him about… us?”

“A couple of times,” Ezran said, shrugging.

Calypso glanced at Callum’s retreating back and shook his head, looking at Rayla. “Are ye sure ye want that one? He seems a might dense.”

“He’s very dense,” Ezran offered. “But Rayla is too, my dad said.”

“I don’t think I’m a fan of whatever friendship the two of you’ve got going on here,” Rayla said, her ears pink. 

“Oh, you’ve barely seen the half of it,” Calypso said, grinning wickedly.

Chapter Text

Rayla took a deep breath, pulling the hood from her head, enjoying the sensation of the wind in her hair. “We should be okay up here.”

Calypso nodded, pulling his own hood away from his face. “So, what’s the plan?”

“What plan?” Callum asked, frowning. 

“The plan to get to the top without dying to the horrible monsters that allegedly live up here?” Calypso asked. 

“Oh, that plan,” Callum said. He shrugged. “I don’t have one. You talked to the girl, shouldn’t you know what to do?”

“He was too busy intimidating her to get any useful information,” Ezran offered, still perched on Calypso’s shoulders. 

“Ah was not!” Calypso protested. “She was jes’ all ‘boo hoo mah wolf friend got hurt yadda yadda’. Not mah fault her story had no concrete base.”

Rayla sighed, looking up the mountain, looming much higher now they were close to it. “Well, we still have to find the miracle healer somehow.”

“I can help you,” a girl’s voice came, followed by a bark. “I’ll show you where to find her.”

Calypso groaned, turning around. Ezran waved. “Hi, Ellis!”

Ellis was seated on a large brown and white wolf, a blue collar around her neck. Ellis waved back at Ezran, smiling. 

“Why did ye follow us?” Calypso said, his hand resting on his staff threateningly, though the intimidation was somewhat spoilt by the beaming ten-year-old and glow toad sitting on his shoulders. “What do ye want?”

Ellis shrugged. “I heard you say something about a dragon egg and got curious. Plus, you clearly don’t have any semblance of a plan so I thought I’d help.”

“Thank you,” Callum said, smiling gratefully. “Calypso, put the staff away.”

Calypso grumbled but did as he was instructed, turning back to the path and stomping away. 

Ellis urged her wolf to follow, Callum and Rayla falling into step beside her.

“Who are you two, exactly?” Ellis asked, squinting at them. “I met grumpy and heart of gold earlier, but you’re new.”

“Oh, I’m Callum, and this is Rayla,” Callum said, gesturing at each of them in turn. “The grumpy one is Calypso and the kid is my brother, Ezran.”

“I’m Ellis, and this is Ava,” Ellis said, petting Ava gently. “Rayla’s a really pretty name.”

“Thank you,” Rayla said. “Won’t your parents be worried about you, though? Maybe you should head back.”

Ellis shrugged. “Ava and I go out exploring a lot. As long as I’m back within the week, it’ll be fine.”

Rayla glanced at Callum, but said nothing. 

“How did two elves end up in Katolis, anyway?” Ellis asked. 

“Oh, well… it’s a long story, for me,” Rayla said, laughing nervously. “I’ve been living here for a few years now, as a ward of Ezran’s dad.”

“That’s cool!” Ellis said. “What about grumpy?”

“Stop calling me that!” Calypso snapped from ahead.

“He… well, he broke into our castle trying to kill Ezran,” Callum said, frowning. “But we’re past that now… probably.”

“Ah’m not going to kill the kid!” Calypso yelled.

“People meet in so many interesting ways,” Ellis mused, smiling. 

“She reminds me of Ezran,” Rayla muttered to Callum, and he laughed. 

…

“Where exactly are we trying to get to?” Callum asked, squinting at the mountain. They’d been walking for hours already, and the sun was creeping towards the horizon. “How are we supposed to find the healer?”

“Truth is, I never found her,” Ellis said, bounding forward. “She found us. We were hiding in a big, hollow tree, up near the rim.” She pointed, the place easily another few hours away.

“That’s all we have to go on?” Rayla asked. “A weird tree, where this miracle healer showed up three years ago?”

Calypso grunted. “That’s what Ah said. This is a stupid idea.”

“Do you have any others?” Ezran asked, leaning over Calypso’s head and making upside-down eye contact. 

“No,” Calypso growled. “But that’s still not a reason to do this stupid one.”

“The egg is dying,” Callum said. “This is the only lead we have to save it… we have to do this.”

“Maybe she can help your hand, too,” Ezran said, still smiling at Calypso from his upside-down perch. 

“Don’t worry about mah hand,” Calypso said, scowling. “The egg is the only thing that matters.”

…

Ellis led them up the Caldera, across ravines and squiggly paths that seemingly had no end. She and Ava were surprisingly good at finding their way through the dense underbrush. Calypso begrudgingly admitted that they were the only reason they hadn’t gotten hopelessly lost.

Rayla squeaked in pain, her arm scraping on the hard rock walls as she followed the others through a small passageway. Callum reached out a hand to help her through, and she smiled thankfully.

She smiled gratefully, and Callum gestured proudly at the ledge they’d reached. 

It afforded a breathtaking view of the entire valley, the sunset framing the peaks and divots in the landscape beautifully. 

Rayla gasped, the exhaustion and pain in her arm momentarily forgotten, and she rested her head on Callum’s shoulder happily. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Callum said, looping a gentle arm around her waist, though his eyes lingered on her face. “It really is.”

“It’s like the sky has been painted with honey,” Ellis said, smiling at the vista. 

Calypso scoffed, standing off to the side. “Are ye all done gawking or can we move on now? We’ve got a time limit if ye’ve forgotten.”

“It’s nice to stop and appreciate the beauty,” Ellis said. “Cause pretty soon the nightmare’s about to begin.”

“Wait, what?” Callum asked.

“Oh, you know, enormous monsters, indescribable terrors,” Ellis said, shrugging. “Stuff like that.”

“Okay,” Callum said, his voice going higher. “Cool.”

“We knew about this going in,” Calypso said, sighing.

“Plus, the higher we go, the worse it’ll get,” Ellis said, far too cheerful for the situation they were in.

“Sure,” Calypso said, rolling his eyes. “Now that the mood has been thoroughly broken, let's go.”

“Wait, no,” Callum said. “We’re going to need a plan.”

“Now ye want a plan?” Calypso asked, exasperated. “When we’re already halfway up?”

Callum shrugged. 

“We should probably decide something,” Rayla said. “Callum’s right.”

“How do you plan for indescribable terrors?” Ezran asked. “I feel like you need to be able to describe them first.”

“Um… horrifying! Bloodcurdling,” Ellis offered, gesticulating wildly with her arms. “Creepy, but in a super extreme way that feels like it’s lighting your soul on fire.”

Ezran paused, mulling it over. “I think that helps.”

Callum shook his head. No wonder the girl was so weird, if she’d experienced all that at such a young age, and alone as well. He glanced at Rayla, the soft lines of her face disguising the pain that lay beneath. 

He sighed, putting it out of his mind and trying to think of a plan.

“How about we just charge anything that comes at us,” Calypso offered. “Rayla and I are both one handed at the moment, but we can probably still do some damage. Ellis, can that thing bite?”

“Ava’s not a thing,” Ellis said. “And yes, she can. Very well.”

“Do that, then,” Calypso said. “Are we all set? The longer we spend here, the longer we have to deal with nightmare creatures, ye know.”

Callum nodded, wiggling his fingers in front of his face. “I’ve got it!”

“What now?” Calypso asked.

“Flash! Woof! Zap, whoosh! Stab!” Callum said, posing dramatically.

The others stared at him, concerned.

“Is he okay?” Ellis whispered.

“He’s cracked under the pressure,” Calypso said. “Ah’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier.”

“No, that’s the plan!” Callum said. “Ezran holds up Bait to flash and blind whatever monster it is.”

Ezran frowned. “Wait… but then I’m not really doing anything, I’m just holding up Bait.”

“You’re support! Every team needs a good support,” Callum said, smiling at his brother and ruffling his hair. “Ellis and Ava, you’re next. Try and distract the monsters by running around and barking.”

“I don’t know,” Ellis said, smiling. “Do you think you can run around and bark a lot, Ava?” Ava barked and panted happily. “She’s ready,” Ellis confirmed, giving Callum a thumbs up.

“Then, me,” Callum said. “I’ll switch between Fulminus and Aspiro. Whoosh and zap!”

Ellis gasped. “You’re going to cast a spell?”

Callum shrugged, embarrassed. “It’s just a simple rune thing I picked up. No big deal.”

“Sure, ye really ‘picked it up’,” Calypso said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Ah distinctly remember showing ye how to use both of those spells.”

Callum looked away, drooping slightly, and Rayla punched Calypso in the arm. “Stop it.”

“Calypso’s last,” Callum said, pointing at him. “The finisher. You’ll take down the blinded, distracted, windblown monster with your blades. Stab!”

Calypso nodded curtly. “Might be a bit difficult with mah hand, but Ah’ll be fine.”

He turned to the path, gesturing for the others. “We’re losing light. Time to go.”

Ellis and Ezran followed him, but as Callum went to follow Rayla reached out a hand and caught his arm. She spun him around, glaring at him.

“What about me?” Rayla asked. “Why didn’t you include me in the plan?”

Callum flinched back, her eyes steely and intimidating. “I, uh– rest, remember? No strenuous activity.”

Rayla growled, her one-handed grip on his arm tightening painfully. “Callum, I get that you want to protect me, but sometimes there’s no other choice. We might be fighting for our lives up here, and if you won’t let me help in a pinch we may very well all die.”

Callum shook his head. “You’re lucky you still have an arm after everything we went through! You’re on thin ice, and I don’t want you getting hurt because you don’t know when to quit.” 

Rayla growled, gritting her teeth. “I’m helping, and you can’t stop me.”

She stormed away from him and after Calypso, her shoulders hunched and furious. Callum reached after her slightly, but dropped his hand, his fists clenched.

“You never listen,” he muttered, glaring at her retreating back. “I just want to help you.”

…

Callum glanced around, eyeing the empty landscape surrounding the group critically. “Well, it’s dark, but I think the scariest thing I’ve seen so far is an angry cricket,” the cricket in question chirped rhythmically. “And he’s more, like, mildly annoyed.”

“Oh, and would you rather we be swarmed with monsters?” Rayla snapped. “Especially since according to you, one of our fighters shouldn’t be doing anything.”

Callum gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to ward off the approaching headache.

“For the last time, that’s not what I meant–” he said.

“Lover’s spat,” Calypso muttered to Ezran, who was watching the pair nervously. “Don’t worry bud, it’ll pass soon.”

Rayla turned to face Ellis, ignoring him. “Are you really sure this is the Cursed Caldrea? Or did we accidentally wander up Humdrum Hill?”

Ezran and Ellis laughed at her poor joke. 

“Maybe we took a wrong turn and wound up on Sleepy Slope?” Ellis said, triggering another round of laughter from the trio.

“I’ll have to check my map,” Callum chimed in, grinning, “but I’m fairly certain I recognise the unmistakable topography of Mount Monotonous!”

Ellis and Ezran stared at him, deadpan. Rayla had to clamp a hand to her mouth to suppress her amusement at his joke, and turned further away from him to conceal her laughter.

The cricket next to Callum chirped in the silence, and Callum drooped sadly. 

“Anyway… it is a little odd that nothing bad has happened yet.” Ellis said awkwardly. She glanced over Callum’s shoulder, pointing in horror. “I see a huge, scary monster!” She yelled, making the others jump.

Ezran yelped, looking in the direction she was pointing. A large, unmoving heap of fur had fallen on the side of the path, concentric rings marring it’s underbelly.

“But don’t worry, it’s dead,” Ellis said, shrugging. 

“Then why did you say it like that?” Ezran asked, his voice low and scared.

“Say it like what?”

They approached the carcass carefully, Calypso taking the lead and gesturing the others back. Callum caught Rayla by the shoulder out of reflex as she tried to get close, letting go as she shot him a look.

“Something’s drained all of its blood,” Calypso called from beside the creature, touching its fur carefully. 

“How?” Ezran asked.

“See these circles?” Calypso said, gesturing at the rings. “Looks like a leech of some kind, or a blast from a spell. Probably the former, though…”

A slithering sound reached their ears, something circling them in the bushes. Ava growled low, dropping into a defensive crouch.

“Guys!” Ellis cried, pointing in the direction Ava was growling at. “I see a huger, scarier monster!”

A massive leech slithered out of the bushes, crashing through the undergrowth towards them. Its diameter was easily as tall and half again as Calypso, and it stretched out three times as long behind. What passed for a mouth on it opened in a demonic screech, revealing rows of wickedly sharp teeth and a gaping oesophagus. 

Callum pulled out his Primal Stone, redying it and pulling Rayla behind himself despite her protests. 

“The plan! Time for the plan!” He yelled. “Ezran?”

“Okay, okay,” Ezran said, panicking. He looked around, scanning the ground. “Where’s Bait gone?”

A flicker of movement caught his eye as Bait crept towards the chirping cricket, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in anticipation. Ezran crept over, trying to avoid the leech. 

“Bait!” Ezran cried. “Come on, you’re supposed to–”

Ezran’s foot caught on a tree root and he stumbled forward, hitting the ground with a thud and scaring Bait, who flashed on reflex. The group cried out as the bright light assaulted their eyes, blinding them.

“Too soon!” Calypso growled, blinking rapidly and trying to get his eyes to work. 

“I can’t see!” Ellis cried, rubbing her eyes and blinking against the white patches appearing in her vision. 

“None of us can,” Calypso said.

Rayla pulled one of her blades from its sheath and fell into a defensive crouch, her ears twitching at the slightest noise. 

“Okay, what about the rest of the plan?” Callum said, shaking his head to clear his vision. “I probably shouldn’t do lightning if I can’t see, right?”

“No lightning!” Calypso snapped. 

“Time for a new plan, dummy,” Rayla snapped at Callum. “Unless you want me to help now?”

“Still no,” Callum said, reaching out with his slowly clearing vision and grabbing her good arm, putting himself between her and the monster. He looked to the others, still fruitlessly trying to execute their parts. “Scatter! Run!” He yelled, pulling Rayla after him as he ran for Ezran.

“Is that to distract the monster?” Ezran asked, stumbling away from the leech with Bait in his arms. 

“No, it’s just to get away and live!” Callum yelled.

Ezran tripped and stumbled on another root, Bait tumbling out of his arms, the leech rapidly gaining on him. Callum was facing away, but Rayla cried out as he fell, wrenching her arm away from Callum’s grip and starting forward. 

“Ez!” She cried, but an arm looped around her from behind and dragged her back before she could make it even a metre. She growled, struggling desperately. “Callum, let me go!”

“Calypso!” Callum yelled, whipping his head around, searching for the elf.

“Ah’ve got him!” Calypso called, rebounding off a tree and changing his course midair so he could dash in front of the leech and scoop Ezran and Bait up.

“Come with me,” Ellis called, riding up beside Callum and Rayla, offering a hand to Callum. “Ava will get us out of here.”

Callum nodded, taking Ellis’s hand and dragging Rayla with him onto Ava’s back. He had to squeeze Rayla to his chest to prevent her from jumping off again, her struggling to break away and run for Ezran.

“Let me go!” She screamed, glaring at Callum. “Ezran’s still in danger!”

“Calypso has him,” Callum yelled. “He’ll be fine!”

“Hold on,” Ellis called behind, steering Ava towards a sheer rock cliff. 

“What are you doing?” Callum yelled, clutching Rayla tighter out of fear now.

“Going up!” Ellis said happily.

They reached the rock, Ava leaping from the ground and pushing off from a large boulder, pulling them up the cliff face and swiftly depositing them on the top of the small plateau. Below them the leech screeched, turning away abruptly to find Calypso and Ezran.

Calypso ran through the forest desperately, Ezran and Bait clutched to his chest. He saw a flash of movement as Ava scaled the cliff, and grimaced as he realised he wouldn’t be able to follow. He tracked the surrounding terrain desperately, his eyes settling on a large tree. 

He changed course abruptly, racing towards the tree. He deposited Ezran in front of it, shoving the boy up the trunk. 

“Climb!” He ordered, pushing Ezran as high as he could, watching in panic as the leech raced towards them at speeds that should be impossible for what was really just a massive worm.

Ezran seemed to catch on quickly, his weight leaving Calypso's shoulders as he clambered up the trunk. Calypso glanced up to make sure the boy was safe before pushing off, the leech crashing into the tree headfirst below him as he left the ground. He hooked his arms around the branches of the tree, gasping for breath as he pulled himself onto the higher limbs beside Ezran.

Calypso paused to catch his breath, the adrenaline pumping violently through his veins. He looked up, scanning for the others through the murky fog. He caught sight of them, collapsed and panting on top of a small plateau, and waved weakly.

“We’re safe!” He called, making sure he had their attention before continuing. “Same for ye?”

“We’re okay!” Ellis called, seemingly still fine even after their brush with death. 

Ezran looked down, squinting at the writhing shape of the leech circling below. “It’s still down there?”

Calypso nodded, collapsing against the trunk of the tree. “It’ll wait until we come down or it finds something else to eat. We’ll have to wait it out, which could take months, or fight it.”

“Do you have food?” Ezran asked, looking concerned. 

“Nope,” Calypso said. “Yer brother has it all.”

“Ah,” Ezran said, his forehead creased in worry. 

“Pretty much,” Calypso sighed.

…

“Why did you do that?” Rayla yelled at Callum, shoving herself away from him as soon as she had the energy to stand.

“I was trying to protect you–” Callum protested. 

Rayla scowled, her fists clenched. “You didn’t trust me to take care of myself, and because of that, Ezran nearly died and is now in the care of the person bound to kill him.”

“I didn’t know he was in trouble, I couldn’t see!” Callum yelled. 

“That’s not an excuse!” Rayla yelled, shoving Callum in the shoulder hard enough to send him tumbling to the ground again.

She turned away, sitting down and glaring at the branch where Calypso and Ezran were perched. 

“Rayla–” Callum started, then seemed to think better of it, breaking off with a sigh.

“I’m just going to be here, watching to see whether Ez gets killed while neither of us can do anything about it,” Rayla snapped. “You can play with your magic ball or something if you want.”

Chapter Text

“I can't believe you’re a mage,” Ellis said, awkwardly looking away from Rayla’s hunched form and focusing on Callum. “You’re not at all what I expected.”

“What were you expecting?” Callum asked sullenly, fidgeting with the strap of his book.

“You know, taller, long robes, wrinklier,” Ellis said, grinning at Callum. “Super smart.”

Callum snorted lightly, but it was without mirth. “Well, you’d be hard pressed to find any of those things here,” he glanced at Rayla sadly. “Apparently I’m bad at everything.”

“Don’t say that,” Ellis said, flopping down beside him and patting his arm. “Dad always told me that women are impossible to understand. ‘She’ll come around’ is what he says when mum gets mad.”

Callum shook his head. “No, Rayla’s right. I was being stupid and selfish.”

“In what way?” Ellis asked. “I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to keep her safe, especially since she’s injured.”

Callum sighed, looking at Rayla’s angry form, still firmly turned away from him. “I went too far, I… forced my own insecurities onto her.”

Ellis frowned, clearly confused. 

“I’m not strong enough to protect people the way I want to,” Callum said. “And so, for as long as I can remember, other people have protected me. My mum died doing that when I was little. My aunt is always away, risking her life for the good of the country, for the safety of me and Ez. And Rayla… she does the same, even though I tell her not to.”

“But you have magic now,” Ellis said. “You can do lightning with your hands!”

“It’s not me that’s magic,” Callum said, shaking his head and pulling out the Primal Stone, gesturing vaguely at it. “It’s this. All the magic, all the power I have to do those things… it’s because of this amazing thing, a Primal Stone.” He paused, shuddering slightly. “Without this, I’m nothing. I’m useless, dead weight to be protected like a piece of china.”

Listening a few metres away, Rayla clenched her fists, tearing her eyes away from Calypso and turning to Callum, opening her mouth to speak.

“That Primal Stone needs you to do all those amazing things,” Ellis said, before Rayla had the chance. “Without you, it’s just a neat, glowy ball.”

“I guess so,” Callum said. “But without it, I’m nothing. Just a guy who can draw and make wry comments from time to time.”

“I’m not convinced,” Ellis said. “I have a feeling you’d be pretty great even without your magic glowy ball.”

Callum shrugged. “Maybe. But not…” he looked up, making eye contact with Rayla. “Not in the ways that really matter.”

…

“I’m sorry I messed up the plan,” Ezran said quietly, patting Bait.

“Don’t worry about it too much, kiddo,” Calypso said. “Messing up is a part of living. A really, really big part, if my experience is anything to go by.”

“What do you mean?” Ezran asked, looking up at Calypso. “You don’t mess up.”

Calypso snorted. “Of course ye’d think that.”

“I’m serious!” Ezran said. “You’re so cool, all that backflipping and sword… wrangling and tracking and stuff. It’s amazing.”

Calypso shrugged, unamused. “That’s not how others see me, kid. Back in Xadia, well… Ah was lucky if people didn’t try to kill me on every street corner.”

“Why would they do that?” Ezran asked, his tone harder than Calypso had ever heard it, his fists clenching. “That’s really mean!”

“Never thought about it like that,” Calypso mused, grabbing a piece of bark and chucking it into the forest below. “Ah guess it just came down to the high-strung morals present everywhere in the east, but especially in the Silvergrove,” he sighed, hesitating. “Ah’ve done… a lot of terrible things. Yer’s wasn’t the first assassination Ah’ve been tasked with, but it was the first Ah failed.”

Ezran frowned, looking away. “But they wouldn’t treat you like that for… for killing, right? Doesn’t someone else order the… missions?”

“Aye, they did,” Calypso said. “But before that, well… Ah’ve done some awful stuff, kid. Ah didn't know the true weight of my actions at the time, but according to most elves, Ah’m lucky to not have been put down like an animal by this point. They’ve certainly threatened me with it every which way.”

“Rayla doesn’t treat you like that, though,” Ezran pointed out.

“Ye’re right there,” Calypso said, peeling off another piece of bark. “She’s a special one, both her and Ethari. Part of why Ah was so torn up when she ran off.”

“But you see, right? Not everyone hates you,” Ezran said, smiling. “Rayla likes you, and I do too. And I’m sure Callum’s coming around.”

“But you shouldn’t,” Calypso said, sighing. “Ah’m dangerous, kid. Ah might resent how far some people’ve gone, but they’re not wrong.”

He looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists and smoothing them out again.

“Ah’m a monster,” Calypso said quietly.

“No, you’re not,” Ezran insisted. He grabbed Calypso’s left hand, ignoring the elf’s hiss of pain and gesturing at the binding on his wrist. “This proves that you’re not!”

“It proves nothing!” Calypso yelled, wrenching his hand back from Ezran. “The only reason Ah haven’t killed ye yet is because Rayla and her boyfriend would kill me, and the chances of the egg getting safely to Xadia become almost nonexistent.”

“Then take it!” Ezran yelled, grabbing his backpack and shoving it into Calypso’s chest. “Kill me and take the egg, it’s not like they can do anything about it!” 

“Are ye insane?” Calypso yelled. “Why would ye say something like that?”

“You know you could do it,” Ezran said, glaring at Calypso. “I can tell. You’re fast enough to avoid the monster, and you could be out of here before Rayla even noticed something was wrong. You might run into some trouble on the roads, but you’re smart enough to get past the humans, and once you were in Xadia everything would be fine.”

Calypso scowled, looking away. “Fine. Yes, Ah did think it through.”

“But you haven’t done anything,” Ezran said. “I’d say that you aren’t particularly… monster-y.”

Calypso moaned, burying his face in his hands. “That’s not a good thing, kid.”

“I… what?” Ezran asked. “Isn’t not being a bad person… good?”

“Of course Ah don’t want to be a bad person!” Calypso yelled. “Nobody wants that, but it’s not like Ah have any choice!” 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” 

“Ye know why they made me an assassin, kid?” Calypso said, looming over Ezran. “It was because they figured it was the only thing Ah was good for, killing people in cold blood. And they were right. Ah was good at it.”

…

Rayla sighed, rubbing her shoulders out. It’d been hours, and the giant leech was still down there, slithering away.

“Need some company?” Callum asked softly, scooting up behind her. “Or are you still mad at me?”

“Oh, I’m furious,” Rayla said, but she scooted over all the same and patted the space next to her. Callum crawled over, perching trepidatiously next to her and keeping a safe distance between them.

“Ellis and Ava dozed off a few minutes ago,” he said, his voice low. “Figured you might be getting tired, so I was going to offer to take over watch.”

Rayla shrugged, ignoring the throb of exhaustion threatening to overtake her. “I’m fine, Callum.”

“Right, right,” he said, nodding.

The conversation paused, both of them unsure what to say. Rayla fidgeted awkwardly with the tie of her sling, hating the friction that had sprung up between them.

Callum broke the silence, sighing sadly. “Look, Rayla,” he started. “I’m… I’m really sorry for how I treated you, I know it was wrong.”

Rayla opened her mouth to speak, but Callum cut her off. “Look, Rayla, you… you mean the world to me, you and Ez. I can’t–” he sobbed, the sound choking out of him. “I can’t lose you. I hate seeing you hurt, and if you hate me for wanting to protect you, then I’ll take that.”

“Callum…” Rayla said, reaching out and brushing a tear from his cheek. “I’ll be fine, okay? This is what I do best, protecting people.”

“At the cost of your life?” Callum said, his tone fierce. “I’m not gonna let that happen, Rayla.” He choked on his words. “I just feel like I have to keep you safe. Take care of you.”

“I’m not your responsibility, Callum,” Rayla said gently. “My safety is my own burden to bear.”

Callum nodded slightly, tears still dripping from his eyes.

“It’s just… you never take care of yourself,” Callum said. “They never did, and they taught you that you’re worthless.”

“Call–”

“It’s not true, Rayla!” Callum said forcefully, glaring at her. “You’re amazing, and you deserve to live.”

Rayla looked away, colour rushing to her cheeks. “I know you believe that–”

“And you should, too!” Callum said, reaching out and gripping her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “I’ll keep telling you until it’s drilled into your thick skull. You. Deserve. Life.”

Rayla opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure of what to say. 

“And if that’s not good enough, then think of what would happen if you sacrificed yourself for the safety of someone else,” Callum said, his voice unsteady. “Imagine what that would do to me and Ez.”

Rayla looked down, tears dripping from her cheeks. “I… I know.”

“I know you don’t place any worth in yourself, and that’s why I’m so overprotective,” Callum said, moving his hands from her shoulders to her back, pulling her into a hug and resting her head on his shoulder. “I crossed the line today, and I’m sorry for that. But please, just… let me help you.”

Rayla nodded into his shoulder, her tears soaking through his scarf already. “I’m sorry, Callum.”

“It’s not your fault,” Callum said gently. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“You’re too good for me,” Rayla choked out. “I’m sorry you have to deal with me.”

Callum laughed. “Where did you get that idea from?” 

Rayla shrugged. “Everywhere. The castle staff, Viren. Opeli, once. And me. You’re just… so kind and good and wonderful, Callum. And you’re always having to deal with me.”

Callum shook his head, pulling back and cupping her cheeks, brushing the tears from her face.

“Please don’t think like that,” Callum said gently, his green eyes gazing deeply into hers. “You’re wonderful, Rayla. It’s not about deserving me, or anything. You’re amazing just the way you are, and nobody forced me to be friends with you. I chose to be, and it was the best decision of my life.”

Rayla choked slightly again, sobbing lightly and leaning forward to rest her forehead on Callum’s. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

“I’m always here for you,” Callum said quietly.

…

Calypso growled, ripping a massive piece of bark from the tree, cutting his hand as he hurled it to the forest floor. “Ah killed people, and Ah felt nothing.”

Ezran watched quietly, his eyes wide.

“Ah was a monster, but Ah was their monster,” Calypso said, laughing mirthlessly. “Out of one hell and into another, leashed and used in controlled bursts, scorned for doing what Ah was told. Like a dog ye send to chase down a thief and then scold for biting people.”

He scoffed, turning and punching the tree, ignoring the blood running from the cuts on his hands.

“And now!” he laughed again. “And now Ah can’t even do that! Ah can’t kill, look at ye! Alive and kicking, and that scout a few days ago is still out there doing who knows what because Ah couldn’t bring mahself to end it.”

“I thought you said you killed him?” Ezran asked. 

“Ah lied,” Calypso said. “Lost mah touch, can’t even tell the truth to a trio of lovesick, good hearted idiots who woulda been thrilled to know Ah was going soft.”

“But that’s a good thing!” Ezran said. “Not killing people, I mean.”

“Not according to the Council,” Calypso scoffed. “All Ah’m good for is being their obedient little weapon, and if Ah suddenly develop a conscience beyond what they expect they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.”

“And have you ever considered maybe not doing what they told you?” Ezran asked. “There’s nothing stopping you from leaving.”

Calypso laughed. “Good luck finding anywhere in Xadia that wouldn’t treat me the same or worse.”

“And what about Katolis?” Ezran asked. “I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, you can come live in Katolis when this is over. I’m the crown prince, I can protect you.”

Calypso paused, squinting at Ezran with his mouth still open. “...what?”

“You don’t have to say yes right now,” Ezran said, smiling. “But I’d be really happy if you stayed with us.”

“Kid, ye do understand what ye’re doing here?” Calypso said, sighing. “Ye can’t just… let people stay in the castle, especially not someone like me–”

Ezran puffed out his chest, crossing his arms and turning his face away. “No! I’m the crown prince and I won’t hear another word. You can stay in Katolis if you want, whenever you want.”

“That’s not–”

“Offer standing for infinity,” Ezran said, grinning smugly at Calypso. He stuck his hand out, his fingers pressed into a fist with only the littlest poking out. “Pinky promise.”

“A… what?” Calypso said, bewildered.

“It’s a human thing where you link your smallest fingers and promise something,” Ezran explained, wiggling his finger. “You’ll have to use your fourth one though.”

Calypso tentatively balled his fingers, linking his ring finger with Ezran’s pinky. Ezran grinned widely at him, and Calypso could feel his lips creeping upwards into a tentative smile. 

“By the way, thanks for not killing me,” Ezran said, swinging his legs happily. “I like being alive.”

…

Rayla sighed, rubbing her eyes dry of tears and smiling wetly at Callum. 

“Feeling better?” he asked softly, brushing a hand across her cheek. 

She nodded, turning so she could lean her head on his shoulder and look out into the murky darkness. “Don’t think this means you’re off the hook too, though,” she warned, poking him lightly in the stomach. “You were still a jerk.”

“I know,” Callum said regretfully, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Rayla sighed happily at the familiar intimacy of the gesture, leaning further into his warmth as he stroked her good arm gently. “I promise I’ll do better.”

“Mmm,” Rayla said, humming thoughtfully. “But what’s going to hold you to that if you break your promise?”

“That’s a toughie,” Callum said, drumming his free hand on the stone. “The jerkface dance doesn’t quite cut it… how about an anything goes favour?”

Rayla laughed, pausing when Callum didn’t laugh with her. “Are you serious?”

Callum nodded gravely. “Deathly.”

“You do remember the last time we did one of those?” Rayla asked, squinting at him. 

“I do,” Callum said, cringing. “But it’s proof that I’m sorry, y’know? Just please don’t make me do something utterly stupid, okay?”

Rayla laughed, Callum’s heart leaping at the sound.

“No promises, dummy,” Rayla said “You’ve dug your own grave here.”

“Yeah, I know,” Callum said, lightly resting his forehead on Rayla’s, ignoring how his heart beat faster at her closeness. 

A soft crunching sound came from behind them and they turned to see Ellis shoving popcorn into her mouth and watching them intently.

“Don’t mind me,” she whispered, waving her hand dismissively. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“I thought you were asleep?” Callum said.

“And is that popcorn?” Rayla asked. “What did you even get that?”

Ellis sighed. “Nevermind.”

“Hey, guys?” Calypso called from across the clearing. “Ah think it’s gone.”

“That was pretty quick,” Rayla said, squinting into the murk. “You sure it’s safe?”

“Well, we don’t have any food or water up here, so it’s go down and find out or starve waiting,” Calypso said. “Personally Ah’d prefer a quick, painful death to a slow, agonising one.”

“Did you know you’re the opposite of encouraging?” Callum called.

“Ah was aware, yes,” Calypso said. “Now, are ye coming down or not?”

They clambered down their respective perches, Calypso helping Ezran out of the tree and meeting the others by the plateau. 

“Haven’t seen or heard it in a while,” Calypso said, scanning the area. “Odd that it moved on so quickly, though… Ah could’ve sworn that book said they were incredibly patient predators, and it’s only been a few hours.”

“The Miscellaneous Myths of the Mountains?” Callum asked.

Calypso nodded. “Should’ve guessed ye were enough of a weirdo to have read that.”

“But… you read it as well,” Callum said, confused.

“Don’t count if it’s assigned,” Calypso said, turning away. “Now, are we sticking around here where the monster was or moving on?”

“Why bother when it’s left?” Ezran asked. “Why can’t we stop and rest for a bit?”

“... we just rested for five hours, bud,” Calypso said. 

“But I’m hungry!” Ezran protested. 

“Then it’s a perfect opportunity for ye to learn how to eat and walk,” Calypso said, pulling an apple out of Callum’s bag and tossing it to Ezran. “Ah’m sure ye can do without second breakfast or whatever it is ye prissy nobles are used to.”

“I don’t have second breakfast,” Ezran muttered, biting into the apple sullenly. “Just a lot of jelly tarts.”

Rayla ruffled his hair affectionately. “He was joking, Ez. Sarcasm, remember?”

“On to the miracle healer!” Callum said, smiling widely.

Ava turned to Ezran, whimpering slightly and leaning her head on his shoulder. His face fell and he turned to the others, his shoulders slumped. 

“What’s wrong, Ez?” Rayla asked, reaching out to him.

“I don’t know how to tell you guys this,” Ezran said sadly.

“It’s okay, Ez,” Callum said, smiling encouragingly. “Just say it.”

Ezran glanced at Calypso, the elf nodding curtly.

“Even if we make it to the rim, it doesn’t matter,” Ezran said, sighing. “There is no miracle healer.”

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry,” Ezran said, hanging his head. 

“Stop being mysterious,” Callum said. “If you’re going to make a claim like that, you owe everyone an explanation.” 

“Okay,” Ezran said. “Ava told me–”

“Oh, here we go!” Callum said, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. 

“No, it’s true!” Ezran protested. “I can understand animals.”

“Well, did you ask Bait?” Callum asked, gesturing at the glow toad. “He might disagree.”

“I knew you wouldn’t listen to me,” Ezran said, drooping. 

“Callum, stop it,” Rayla snapped, shoving him. “You know he’s sensitive about this.”

“Could someone please explain what’s going on?” Calypso asked. 

Ezran nodded. “I’ve always been… different. It’s hard for me to make friends with other kids, I just feel like I don’t fit in.”

“That’s okay, Ez,” Rayla said, touching his shoulder comfortingly. “Fitting in is boring anyway.”

Ezran smiled slightly at her. “But with animals? Somehow, I have this… connection. And a few years ago, I realised I could understand what they were saying.”

Calypso nodded thoughtfully, but Callum scoffed.

“Can you believe this?” Callum asked, turning away.

“And why would he lie?” Calypso asked.

“Because he’s a kid, because it’s fun?” Callum said. “Because he’s afraid to go up the mountain.”

“I’m not afraid!” Ezran said. 

“You’re just salty because when we asked him to prove it, your underwear got soaked,” Rayla said, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe I am, but the only reason you aren’t is because you have fancy moonshadow powers and jumped out of the way!” Callum said. 

“The racoons were being mischievous,” Ezran said. “I have since learned that you cannot trust raccoons.”

“This is ridiculous!” Callum said. “See, this is why you can’t make friends.”

“Back off, Callum!” Rayla said, shoving him again. 

“Oh, come on!” Callum said. “You don’t believe him either.”

“Maybe so, but I’m not a complete jerk about it!”

Ezran sighed, looking away from the squabbling pair towards Calypso. “Do you believe me?”

Calypso nodded, ruffling Ezran’s hair gently. “Ah do, bud. But we don’t have any choice but to keep going at this point, okay?”

Ezran nodded, reaching his hands out to Calypso. “Can I ride on your shoulders again?”

Calypso nodded, picking him up and grimacing slightly at the weight on his left arm, and placing Ezran gently on his shoulders.

“Come on, ye two,” he said to Callum and Rayla, gesturing them forward. “Ah’ve had about enough of yer lover’s spats tonight. Let’s just keep going.”

…

“Huh,” Callum said, squinting at the rune cube, blue light washing over his face as the Moon rune pulasted. “The higher we walk up this caldera, the brighter the Moon rune glows.”

“Here’s a theory,” Rayla said. “The higher we walk, the closer we are to the moon.”

“I don’t know,” Callum said, holding the cube further away from his body, poking the rune quizzically. “Something seems… different.”

Rayla shrugged and opened her mouth to speak, her eyes widening as an inhuman moan echoed around them.

“Did you guys hear that?” Ezran whispered, hunching his shoulders and hugging Bait closer to his chest.

“Yup!” Rayla said, spinning on her heel and pointedly walking away from the sound. “Ignoring it and moving on.”

“That’s a good plan,” Calypso said, nodding and catching up with her. “Ah approve.”

“Maybe we should find out what it is?” Ezran asked, reaching out and catching Rayla’s sleeve. 

“Calypso, help me talk sense into him,” Rayla said, looking to the older elf.

Calypso nodded, clearing his throat and straightening his shoulders self importantly. “There’s an ancient elven proverb; when travelling with two kids, a toad, a wolf, a novice mage and two injured fighters trying to save a dying dragon egg and you hear an ominous noise on a cursed mountain… keep walking.”

“That’s a very specific proverb,” Callum deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

The plaintive moans continued, the sounds echoing through the trees and sending shivers down the group’s spines.

“What if someone needs help?” Ezran asked, tugging on Rayla’s sleeve again and looking at her with wide, vulnerable eyes. 

Rayla hesitated for a moment before sighing, her shoulders sagging. She threw her hands up in defeat and pulled out one of her blades, stepping toward the direction the sounds had come from. 

“Fine,” Rayla said, sighing.

“Oh, for the love of Garlath–” Calypso said. “It’s not going to be anything important!”

“Then it’ll only take a second,” Rayla said, shrugging. “The rest of you stay here and keep the egg safe.”

Callum reached out to her, his mouth forming a protest. Rayla glanced at him with raised eyebrows and he paused, clenching his fists and forcing his words out. “Just… be safe, okay?”

She nodded, jumping up the offshoot of the path and hesitantly creeping along the dirt, trying to avoid stepping on any plants and making noise.

The moans sounded again, much closer this time, and Rayla gingerly followed them up to a grove of trees, sticky webs criss crossing the branches. A vaguely person-shaped figure was suspended in the webbing, limp.

Rayla stepped forward again gingerly, unsure what to do.

The form in the webs jerked up as she put her foot down, pulling against the webbed bindings. The moans sounded again, hauntingly close. 

Rayla yelped slightly, starting back and leaning away from the person in horror.

“Turn back!” The figure moaned, moving slightly as it spoke.

“Is someone in there?” Rayla asked softly. She stepped forward in small increments and kept her blade in front of herself, trying to keep her hand from shaking. 

“Before it gets you too,” the form finished, the words trailing into moans.

“I'm not leaving you,” Rayla said, taking a deep breath and nervously inserting her blade in the webbing near the creature's foot. “Don’t worry… hang on, I-I’m going to help.”

She ran her blade up the webbing, cutting a neat slice up the middle of the cocoon. 

“No, my child…” the figure moaned, a hissing sound emanating from the cocoon. “Why must you have such a good heart–”

The edges of the webbing peeled open, motes of dust trickling out slowly as the substance stretched, then burst open.

Rayla cried out and shied back as the mass fell to the ground and exploded in a cloud of dust, coating her and the surrounding plants. Her chest heaved in fear and she curled in on herself, her sword crashing to the ground beside her as she tripped over her own feet.

Desperately pushing herself away, she frantically brushed the dust off herself, grabbed her sword and ran.

…

“Did you find someone?” Callum asked, looking up as Rayla strode out of the bushes, her arms wrapped around herself.

“No,” Rayla said shortly, shaking her head. “There was no one there.”

“What did Ah tell you?” Calypso said, standing up from his spot by a fallen tree. “Another pointless detour.”

Calypso led the way forward, Rayla and Callum behind him, Ezran and Ellis lagging behind, chatting happily about wolves.

Callum gently caught Rayla’s shoulder, falling into step beside her. “You saw something, didn’t you? Are you okay?”

Rayla sighed, her mien sagging. “It was… barely alive, a figure suspended in webbing, moaning at me… crumbled to dust right before my eyes. It was horrible.”

Calypso flinched slightly, turning so he could see Rayla. “Did it say anything… understandable to ye?”

Rayla nodded. “Something about turning back before something got me. And…” she hesitated, sighing. “It called me ‘my child’ when I cut open the webs it was inside. Asked why I had such a good heart and then… disintegrated.”

Calypso sucked in a breath, turning back to the path.

“Why? Is that bad?” Callum demanded. 

Calypso shrugged, waving his hand from side to side. “Something like that was mentioned in a folktale Ah came across in an ancient tome. It was already centuries old before it was transcribed, so not super trustworthy.”

“What was it about?” Callum asked, frustrated.

“Supposedly folks who were faced with almost inescapable odds of death would meet these strange, moaning figures on the roads,” Calypso said. “They’d be warned of their impending fate, usually in specific detail. Some unlucky people were chased for days by the ghouls, the moaning driving them insane.”

“Well… there wasn’t anything about your fate, right?” Callum asked hopefully. “So not that, no death?”

“Probably,” Calypso said. He sighed. “Though there was one person who had one of their relatives appear to them. This person died and they later found the relative, driven insane and mumbling about this person’s death.”

Rayla inhaled sharply, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. “So then… ‘my child’ meant…”

“Absolutely nothing,” Calypso snapped, turning around and poking a finger in her face. “The folktale was only a few hundred words long, ancient, incomplete and in verse, all things that make it irrevocably a horrible source. Ah shouldn’t have told ye about it, just forget Ah said anything.”

Rayla bit her lip, glancing at Callum and rubbing her left wrist. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder with a smile he clearly intended to be comforting. To her though, the apprehension he was trying to conceal was still reflected in his eyes.

…

“Ava’s a good puppy at heart, really,” Ellis said, patting the wolf affectionately. “Her outer layer is a bit unusual, sure, but it’s just part of who she is. We really only have problems when other people refuse to see past their first impression.”

Ezran nodded, his eyes drifting to Rayla. “I get that.”

Ellis glanced up, following his gaze. “She must have to deal with that sort of thing a lot.”

“Yeah,” Ezran said, sighing. “She’s so… brave. I don’t know how she does it, and she takes care of me and Callum on top of it all. She’s like the big sister I never had.”

Ellis squirmed around so she was lying across Ava’s back, her stomach to the sky and grinned lopsidedly at Ezran from her upside-down pose. “Wanna make her your real sister?”

“What do you mean?” Ezran asked, glancing away with a small smile.

“Don’t try and push me off the scent,” Ellis said, smirking. “It’s clear as day they’re mad for each other. You just need to give them a little… or a big… shove in the right direction.”

“I guess,” Ezran said. “But Dad said I should let them be, that they’d figure it out on their own. Though that was a year ago…”

“See?” Ellis said, throwing her hands in the air. “They’ll be married with kids before they realise how they feel!”

“They are rather daft,” Calypso said, appearing behind them. “Ah don’t understand anything romantic in the slightest but even Ah can see it.”

“You haven’t liked anybody ever?” Ellis asked, squinting at the elf. “Aren’t you, like, thirty?”

“Twenty this month,” Calypso snapped. “And no, Ah haven’t. Didn’t really have much of an opportunity to.”

Ellis shrugged. “Anyway, are you gonna help us with them?” She nodded towards Callum and Rayla who were walking just out of earshot, laughing and talking with one another. 

“Ah don’t think Ah have the right temperament for that,” Calypso said sceptically. “Best Ah could do is rough one of them up so the other has to nurse them back to health or whatever, and Ah already did that with Rayla’s arm.”

“And you said you didn’t know anything about romance!” Ellis accused. “That’s a standard cheesy novel right there!”

Calypso rolled his eyes. “It’s not romantic in the slightest, just basic assassin knowledge.”

“Suuuure,” Ellis said, grinning at Ezran.

A flash of movement caught the corner of Ezran’s eye and he turned, trying to track it through the leaves.

“What’s wrong, kid?” Calypso asked.

“I think I saw something in the forest…” Ezran said, his eyes still searching for the source of the motion. “Like a face, almost… it’s probably nothing, though.”

Calypso nodded, pulling his staff out. “Be on your guard.”

“Is something wrong, guys?” Callum called, he and Rayla pausing on the path ahead. 

“Could be,” Calypso said. “Ez thinks he saw movement in the bushes, but it could be a stray breeze or something. Just keep moving.”

They kept walking, all of them scanning the bushes and jumping at the smallest noises. The trees surrounding the path gradually became less scraggly, a small forest coming to loom over them. 

Sticky white webbing started to appear between the trees, Rayla eyeing them with trepidation. Callum reached out, silently taking her hand and squeezing it comfortingly.

Calypso paused on the path ahead, raising a hand clenched into a fist. 

“Why’re you doing that?’ Ellis asked.

“It means ‘stop, shut yer traps and listen up’,” Calypso said. He gestured to the path ahead. “Take a look at that.”

The trees ahead funnelled the path into a small lane, with no way to cut through them either side of the road. Thick, sticky webs were strung between the trees, blocking their only path through.

“Do ye reckon we could cut through it?” Calypso asked, glancing at Rayla. 

Rayla hesitated, looking at the webs nervously. “Couldn't we go around?”

Calypso shook his head. “Maybe, but we don’t have enough time to look.”

“It was probably nothing, Rayla,” Callum offered, pressing her hand. “It’ll be okay.”

She nodded, steeling herself and drawing her blade, stepping up next to Calypso. They made swift work of the webbing, their honed skill preventing the sticky substance from covering them.

The final strands fell away to reveal a small passageway, webs strung all over the trees and hemming them in on all sides. Only a small amount of moonlight filtered through the thickened canopy. 

Rayla took a deep breath, trying to steady her rapid pulse and turning to the younger two. “Be careful, okay? Do not touch those webs,” she said, pointing firmly at them. 

They nodded, and the group progressed into the dark forest, carefully avoiding the scattered webs.

A faint skittering noise sounded from above them. Rayla tensed up as she frantically searched the trees.

“Above us!” Calypso yelled, pointing to the top of the canopy. 

A large, spider-shaped silhouette loomed above them, chittering.

Ellis and Ezran screamed. The group ran for a small grotto of trees a few metres back the way they came. Calypso shoved the younger two behind a tree and stood in front of them.

Callum groped for his Primal Stone as he reached the treeline. He aimed for the spider with shaking arms and carefully tracked its location. “Fulminis!” 

A bolt of lightning shot from his hand, hitting the spider in the abdomen. It hissed angrily, rearing back and scuttling off.

“Did I get it?” Callum asked, frantically brushing himself down and hopping nervously on one leg. “Where’d it go? I feel like it’s in my hair!”

“It’s a two-ton magical spider, dummy,” Rayla said, reaching out and punching him lightly in the shoulder. “You’d know if it was in your hair.”

“What was that?” Calypso hissed. “Why on earth did ye think it’d be a good idea to use lightning surrounded by all these trees? Ye could’ve set the forest on fire, ye eejit!”

“Don’t call him that,” Rayla said, glaring at Calypso.

“An’ why no? Ye call him a dummy all the time, don’t ye?”

“That’s different,” Rayla said.

“Sure, real different,” Calypso said, rolling his eyes.

“Guys, be quiet!” Ellis said, putting a finger to her lips. “We need to listen.”

Ava’s ears perked up and she crouched back on her haunches as another chittering sound echoed through the grove.

The spider screamed, the unexpected sound making the group jump. Ezran stumbled backwards under the weight of the egg. Calypso reached out, steadying him before he tripped into a web.

“Watch yer step,” Calypso said, setting Ezran the right way up and patting him awkwardly on the head. “Wouldn’t want to get stuck in one of those.”

“Aww, you’re such a softie,” Ellis said, smiling at Calypso. “I’d never have guessed the first time we met.”

“I’m not a softie,” Calypso said, turning back to the path and scanning the trees.

“Er ist zu mürrisch für sein eigenes Wohl, ” Ellis said to Ezran, eliciting a giggle from him.

“What?” Calypso said, turning to them. 

“She said you’re too grumpy for your own good,” Rayla said, sniggering.

“Ah am not–” Calypso started, but was cut off as another shriek sounded, followed by a thump that shook the ground. The spider landed in the clearing in front of them, chittering and skittering from side to side.

Rayla ducked further down, trying to stay out of sight of the spider and gesturing for the others to do the same. “How are we supposed to get past it?” She whispered. “Though even if we can, one misstep and we’re caught in a web.”

“There has to be a way,” Callum said, scanning the clearing. “Surely.”

The spider screeched again, skittering back and forth, the sight made more disturbing by the massive size of the beast.

“Wait a second,” Ezran said, frowning and squinting at the spider as it chittered again. “Something’s not right…” the spider screeched again and he grinned. “In a good way, this time!”

“What are you talking about?” Callum asked, frowning. He turned to Calypso and Rayla. “I think our best bet is to turn back and try to find another way up the caldera.”

Ezran laughed, shaking his head. “No, it’s gonna be okay. We can just walk right past it.”

Callum looked at him, scowling. “Stop it, Ez. This is serious.”

“It’s not real! I’m sure of it,” Ezran said, gesturing at the spider. 

“That doesn't make any sense,” Callum snapped.

“Exactly!” Ezran said. “All those crazy chitters and screams… that’s not how spiders talk.”

“Ezran, you’ve lost your mind,” Callum said, turning away.

Rayla scowled, punching Callum properly and making him yelp in pain. “What is with you today, Callum? Stop it!”

“She’s right,” Calypso said. “Give the kid a break.”

“Bit rich coming from you, Calypso,” Callum said, glowering at the elf.

“Ugh, stop it!” Ezran said, stamping his foot. “You never listen to me about this, Callum! And you don’t either, Rayla, don’t try to placate me!”

“I wasn’t–” Rayla started.

“You were!” Ezran said. “You think I’m crazy just like Callum, even though you pretend to listen to me! You always take his side!”

Rayla hesitated, sighing and looking away. “I’m sorry. I don’t think you’re crazy, but I see how it could have come across like that.”

Ezran scowled, pushing past them and making for the path. “I’m going out there to prove it.”

“Don’t!” Rayla siad, reaching out to him. 

Calypso moved forward, grabbing her and Callum by the shoulders and holding them back as Ezran ran into the clearing and towards the spider.

“Let go!” Callum said, squirming away from the elf. “He’s running to his death!”

Calypso shook his head, not releasing his grip on the pair. “No, he’s not.”

Callum opened his mouth to protest but Calypso shook his head again, nodding towards Ezran.

“Watch. Wouldn’t want to miss the show, would we?”

Ezran stumbled slightly on the uneven ground, but kept his balance. The spider screeched again as he approached, buffeting the hair around Ezran’s face. He braced himself against the strong wind but otherwise held his ground, staring the spider down.

The screech ended and the spider paused, seemingly confused that Ezran was still there. Ezran squared his shoulders in response and screamed right back at the spider.

“What the–” Callum said, squinting at the odd display.

“Told ye,” Calypso said, letting Callum and Rayla go. 

Callum ran forward as Calypso’s grip on his arm released, stumbling over to Ezran. His brother turned as he approached, smiling happily at him. 

“It’s fun. Try screaming at him,” Ezran said, turning back to the spider and screaming again, the spider screeching back. “See? It won’t do anything.”

“You’re right,” Callum said, looking up at the spider in wonder. He turned to the others, still behind the trees. Rayla was already cautiously creeping forward with her sword out. “Ez is right!” he yelled, waving at them.

“Let’s see if we can get it to turn around and show us its creepy glow face,” Ezran suggested, laughing as the spider leaned forward and gently chittered at him.

Rayla came up next to Callum, sheathing her blade and resting her elbow on his shoulder, leaning on him. Calypso and Ellis followed behind.

Callum sighed, touching Ezran’s shoulder gently. “Ez, I owe you an apology.”

“I do too,” Rayla said, nodding.

“Rayla wasn’t so bad,” Ezran said, turning to them. “Callum was, though.”

Callum laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” he said, getting down on one knee in front of Ezran and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I promise, I won’t ever doubt you again.”

“If you really mean it…” Ezran said, tapping a hand to his chin thoughtfully. 

“I do,” Callum said, nodding. 

“... then you have to do the thing,” Ezran finished, grinning triumphantly.

“Here?” Callum asked, glancing at Calypso. “Now?”

Ezran nodded, folding his arms. 

Rayla poked Callum’s shoulder. “Listen to your brother. Besides, I think you owe me one as well, so I’ll make it a two-in-one.”

Callum sighed, standing up and brushing his knees down, passing his bag to Rayla. He took a deep breath, lifting his arms in preparation. Dropping into a crouch, he started shuffling around and kicking his feet out, pumping his arms wildly with a ridiculous expression on his face. 

Calypso moaned. “And Ah thought ye lot couldn’t get any weirder.”

Rayla sniggered. “It gets worse, believe me.”

“Mmh,” Calypso said. 

Rayla cast a sideways glance at the older elf, his arms crossed and glowering. He scowled as Callum danced by them, shying away slightly.

“You knew the spider wasn’t real,” Rayla mused. “That was why you stopped us when we were going to chase after Ez.”

“The thing reeked of moon magic, knew it was an illusion as soon as it screeched,” Calypso said, nodding.

“So why didn’t you say anything?” Rayla asked.

Calypso shrugged. “The kid said he could speak to animals, ye two didn’t believe him. Figured this was a good way for him to show ye it was true.”

Rayla nodded thoughtfully. “Well… thank you.”

“Don’t,” Calypso said. He glared at Callum. “Hurry up and finish yer stupid bird mating dance thing, time’s ticking!”

Chapter Text

“This is it!” Ellis said, gesturing at the crooked tree in front of them. “We hid in that tree when the miracle healer found us! Remember this place, girl?” She directed the last comment to Ava, patting the wolf’s neck as she barked in conformation.

Callum looked over the tree critically, putting his hands on his hips and huffing. “So, what now? Do we just, like… wait?”

“We could try yelling for her?” Rayla said doubtfully, rubbing her wrist. 

“Hello, miracle healer!” Ezran called, cupping his free hand around his mouth. “Are you here?”

“I didn’t mean that literally!” Rayla said, pressing a palm to Ezran’s mouth. “Something else might hear us.”

Calypso huffed, leaning back and squinting at the moon. “Well, it seems to have attracted someone, at least.”

The rest of the group turned to look as a flash emanated from the moon. A shadow appeared, the darkness a stark contrast to the moon’s glow. 

Wingbeats could be heard as the form arrowed closer, a beautiful large bird alighting on the path in front of the group. Seated on the bird’s back was a tall lady, her features cast into dramatic relief in the enhanced moonlight.

She stepped forward slowly as Ellis and Ezran gasped in awe. 

“Well, this was a waste,” Calypso said, clapping his hands abruptly and breaking the spell. “Knew Ah smelt something fishy about this place.”

“Wait, what?” Callum said, turning to the elf with a frown. 

Calypso shrugged, gesturing at the woman. “She’s an illusionist, and a damn good one at that. Ah could feel traces of illusion magic all around this place, but Ah wasn’t certain enough to bring it up.”

“I told you!” Ezran said. “I said there was no miracle healer, and you didn’t believe me.”

“Ah did,” Calypso muttered.

Callum sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Ez.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Rayla asked, casting an irritated look at the woman standing a few metres away. “Moon magic is useless for healing anything not of the arcanum, right?”

Calypso nodded. “Aye. Ye can mix moon and earth for some fascinating healing effects, Ah wrote a paper on it, fascinating topic, but an illusionist won’t get us anywhere.”

“May I speak?” the woman asked, raising her hand slightly. “I could–”

“No,” Calypso snapped, turning his back to her. “We could try and find another doctor, they might have an incubator or something like that…”

“They’d all be for chicken eggs around here, if we managed to find one at all,” Rayla said, sighing. “Though I doubt anyone would keep chickens in a climate like this, not year round anyway.”

“Maybe some sort of spell?” Callum asked, glancing at Calypso. “Could Sky do anything?”

Calypso hesitated. “Well… there is something… Ah thought of it a few hours ago, actually.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Rayla snapped. 

“It would weaken us too much.” Calypso said, shaking his head. He glanced at Callum, sighing as he thought of how excited the kid was whenever he did magic. “Forget Ah said anything.”

The three of them continued to debate, Ellis and Ezran glancing at each other nervously. The woman, still standing by the bird, hummed thoughtfully.

“Do they do this often?” she asked, steepling her fingers together. 

Ezran nodded. “Yeah. All the time, but even more since Calypso showed up.”

“That’s the tall, grumpy one, then?” The woman asked. 

“That’s him,” Ezran said. “What’s your name? Mine’s Ezran.”

“Lujanne,” the woman said, smiling down at Ezran. 

Ellis fidgeted slightly with Ava’s collar, looking up suddenly. “I don’t understand. If you’re not a healer, how did you save Ava’s leg?”

Lujanne started, looking over Ellis and Ava again. “Oh, I remember you now. You and that little cub, so frightened,” she stepped forward, rubbing Ava under the chin gently. “You see, I never actually healed her leg.”

“What?” Ellis said, leaning forward. “Then… how?”

“It’s an illusion,” Lujanne explained, resting her hand on Ava’s collar. “I enchanted this collar to hold the illusion of a fourth leg, so she could go about life as normal.”

“Oh…” Elllis said, tears welling in her eyes as she hugged the back of Ava’s neck. “Thank you so much.”

“That’s quite all right,” Lujanne said, smiling. “I get quite bored when everything I make is spooky and horrifying, anyway.” 

“Wait,” Calypso said, turning around, breaking off his conversation with the others. “The power needed for that kind of permanent spell would be incredible, even with a talisman…”

Lujanne nodded, folding her hands elegantly in front of herself. “Indeed. I am quite the powerful illusionist. Well, I think it is time for the lot of you to move on, since it seems you have no use of my assistance–”

“Oh, Ah get it,” Calypso said. “This is the Moon Nexus, and ye’re the guardian, right?” 

Lujanne flinched, looking away. “N–no…”

“Wonderful,” Calypso said, throwing his hands in the air. “We’ve stumbled across the wrong Nexus for what we need.”

“Well, you don’t need to be so rude about it,” Lujanne said, bristling. 

“And ye don’t need to be so useless!” Calypso snapped. 

“Excuse me?” Lujanne said. “You’re hardly in a position to lecture me, I can see the traces leaking off you–”

“Continue that sentence and ah swear Ah’ll end ye,” Calypso hissed, a dark shadow crossing his face as he reached for his staff. 

“Stop it, both of you!” Ezran yelled, stamping his foot. “The egg is dying, so fight about whatever it is later!”

“He’s right,” Rayla said, sighing. She turned to Lujanne. “I know this isn’t your area of expertise, but do you know of anything that could help us?”

Ezran shrugged his backpack off, pulling back the flap carefully and revealing the egg, the blue light emanating from its core even fainter than before and fluctuating rapidly. 

Lujanne gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. 

“Yes, it’s the egg of the Dragon Prince,” Rayla said, squaring her shoulders. “It was stolen, but we saved it… well, we were trying to save it, but, well…”

“There was an accident, and it’s… ye can see what’s wrong,” Calypso said, gesturing limply at the egg.

“Its life is fading quickly,” Lujanne said, touching a hand to the eggshell. “The only chance of saving it now would be… to hatch it.”

“How?” Calypso asked. “A sky dragon can only be born in the middle of a storm, and one of yer illusions won’t cut it.”

“No…” Ezran said, tears welling in his eyes. “That can’t be! There has to be a way to save it!”

Rayla wrapped her free arm around Ezran’s shoulders, kneeling next to him and drawing him into her chest as he cried.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, her voice wobbling. “It’s my fault, I’ve been slowing us down the whole time with my arm. If I hadn’t been so out of it after the avalanche, you would’ve been able to get the egg to safety.”

“It’s not your fault, Ray,” Callum said, touching her head gently. 

“If ye need someone to blame, Ah was the one who dropped it, but we need to stay focused,” Calypso said.

Callum nodded, humming thoughtfully. “A storm…”

Calypso’s eyes skittered around the clearing, reflexively cataloguing the various plants that lay scattered about. “Volcare Nimbus, Lunabloom, Deathberry…” he grunted, lists running through his head without him consciously trying to bring them up. He shook his head forcefully, trying to clear it. “No, no, no, no…” he mumbled.

“A storm!” Callum yelled, pulling his Primal Stone from his bag and holding it out triumphantly. “Everyone duck!”

“No!” Calypso yelled, reaching out. “Ye’ll be defenceless without that thing, we’ll find another way!”

Callum shook his head, squaring his shoulders and shying away from Calypso, raising the stone above his head. “I’m not as important as the egg, this is our best option!”

“Callum, what–” Rayla called, pulling Ezran closer to her.

Callum hurled it to the ground, the stone shattering like it was made of glass. A gale burst from the remnants, throwing Callum onto his back. 

The explosion of pressure burst upwards, clouds appearing in the sky, roiling and crackling with lightning. The wind on the clifftop intensified, buffeting them from all sides.

The sky darkened, barely a trickle of moonlight breaking through the thick cloud cover. 

“It really worked,” Callum said in wonder, the wind snatching his words before anyone heard them.

Rayla whimpered as a loose branch hit her across the left side, an intense burst of pain shooting down her injured arm. She wrapped herself around Ezran, trying to shuffle them further away from the centre of the storm.

The egg, still nestled in Ezran’s backpack, rolling off the fabric in another intense gust of wind. Rayla reached towards the egg with a cry but recoiled as a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of her and Ezran.

The egg continued to roll away from the group as the wind blew, picking up momentum and rolling quickly towards the edge of the mountain. 

Calypso grunted, crouching low to the ground as he raced along the path, dodging sticks and small rocks. An unexpected gust of wind caught him off guard, throwing him and the egg over the edge of the cliff.

Calypso cried out, his right arm scrabbling for purchase on the cliff face. He managed to wrap his fingers around a tree root and looked around desperately. The egg rolled off the cliff a split second after him and he stretched out, reaching for the egg as his arms shook under the exertion. His left arm dropped as the weight fell onto his injured wrist, a groan escaping him as he strained to pull it up. He clutched the egg to his chest as his lungs burned and muscles screamed.

“Hold on!” Callum cried, crawling over to the cliff as fast as he could without being blown off course. He reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers around Calypso’s wrist, grimacing as he laboured to pull him up over the edge.

The elf nodded, his head beating in his throat and gasping for breath. “‘s math a rinn thu.”

“S e ur beatha,” Callum replied, grinning lopsidedly and far too happily for someone still in quite a lot of danger. 

Calypso rolled his eyes, passing the egg to Callum. The prince carefully placed it back in the makeshift nest, adjusting the backpack to secure the egg. 

“What now?” Rayla shouted over the roaring wind, Ezran still clutched to her chest. She eyed the egg’s light nervously, the life inside dimming rapidly.

“We wait,” Callum called, pulling himself over to her and taking Ezran into his own lap. He shushed Rayla’s protests and nodded at her arm where blood was starting to seep through her bandages.

The egg dulled further, the group watching anxiously as the light inside seemed to flicker, staying dim for longer stretches of time until eventually it faded entirely.

Ezran gasped, a hand covering his mouth. “No…”

Rayla clenched and unclenched her fist until Callum laid his hand on top of hers. Across the cliff Calypso growled, the wind tossing his hair around his face and enhancing his terrifying expression.

Gusts of wind continued to buffet the group, none of them paying it any heed.

Rayla bowed her head fully, choking down a sob and curling around Ezran, burying her face in his hair. Callum laid a hand on her back, stroking gently. 

“Ah’m so sorry,” Calypso said, his voice barely discernible through the wind. “Ah should’ve… Ah don’t know. It’s mah fault.”

Callum shook his head, the wind blowing tufts of his already messy hair into his eyes. “No. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just… how things turned out.”

Silence fell again, save for the crashing of branches and the whoosh of the storm in the background. Callum carded his fingers through Rayla’s hair, avoiding the sensitive area around the base of her horns.

“What do we do now?” Ezran sniffled eventually. “Without the egg… that was our whole reason for… all of this.”

Callum shook his head. “I don’t know, Ez.”

“Isn’t there any way to save the egg?” Ezran asked, looking pleadingly at Lujanne and Calypso. “You know magic, surely there must be something…” He trailed off as both of them shook their heads. 

“The only magic capable of reviving the fallen is unfathomably ancient, all but lost,” Lujanne said. 

“No,” Calypso said. “There are imitations, Ah suppose ye might call it - workarounds. But they’re…”

“Evil,” Lujanne finished. “Unquestionably so.”

Calypso nodded. “Doable, with a lot of effort and time, but fragile and immoral.”

Ezran hiccuped, tears running down his face. “So there’s nothing we can do?”

Calypso hesitated and looked around the mountain, the wind already starting to die down. 

“It’s possible the storm wasn’t big enough,” he muttered, running over his years of study in his mind. “A Primal Stone of Sky should have done it, but for an egg that’s been underground without any contact to the sky for half a decade…”

He stood up abruptly, the wind now so faint that it barely ruffled him, and he stalked to the path.

“Where are you going?” Callum called. “There’s nothing back that way.”

Calypso shrugged. “There’s something Ah might be able to do. All of ye, stay here and do not follow me.”

“But–” Ezran started.

“Do not follow me!” Calypso snapped, turning around and glaring at Ezran.

“I’ll keep them here,” Rayla offered quietly, not making eye contact with Calypso.

“Thank ye,” Calypso said, nodding to her. 

He stalked away from the others quickly, trying to hide how much his hands and legs were shaking. He took a deep breath, pausing and leaning against a nearby tree to steady himself.

“Ye’re okay,” he muttered, clenching his fists and ignoring the bolt of pain in his arm. “Ye’re okay.”

He kept walking, shoving through the illusion spider’s grotto, unsheathing his blade and cutting a small piece of the real webbing. Ignoring the spider he kept moving, backtracking as quickly as he could to the thickly forested area where they'd encountered the leech.

“Where are ye…” he muttered, stepping forward carefully. His foot kicked a rock, the sound echoing through the grove. 

Calypso flinched as a slither followed a few seconds later, turning to see the leech rearing back in preparation to strike behind him.

He spun his staff around his good hand a few times, rolling his shoulders in preparation. “Sorry about this.”

…

Callum looked up from the ground as a gust of frigid wind rushed over the cliff, ruffling through his hair and sending a shiver down his spine. 

“What the…” Callum said, watching as the sky filled with clouds again, lightning crackling through the air and setting his hair on edge.

Rayla inhaled sharply beside him, scanning the sky in wonder. “He really did it…”

“How?” Callum asked, frowning. “Didn’t he say there wasn’t any way?”

Rayla shrugged, looking away and biting her cheek. “He must have found one. He’s had access to all sorts of books and things, so… maybe he remembered something.”

The statement was evasive and Callum opened his mouth to prod for more, but was interrupted as Ezran pushed off from his lap, laughing happily.

“He did it!” Ezran said, running over to the egg. “It doesn’t matter how, he did it! The egg’s gonna be okay!”

“Ez, get back here!” Callum called as another gust of wind buffeted the cliffside. “It’s not safe!”

Ezran scooped up the egg and his backpack and brought them closer, crouching low as a gust of wind nearly toppled him over.

Rayla shivered, the wind now much colder than it had been previously. Callum wrapped an arm around her shoulders and reached out to Ezran as well, the three of them huddling together. Ellis and Lujanne curled into Ava’s side on the other side of the clearing.

The egg shimmered slightly as the wind picked up again, lightning crackling through the clouds and striking nearby trees, one of them barely missing the egg.

“It’s getting brighter!” Ezran yelled, Callum and Rayla straining to hear him. “I think it’s gonna be okay!”

A light flickered beneath the surface of the egg again, getting brighter and brighter until it exploded outwards in a vista of colour, cracks working their way down the shell. The egg cracked fully, pieces of shell falling away as Ezran held his breath.

A small blue head with a tuft of white fur peeked out, before four small legs and a pair of baby wings stumbled out with a little squeak.

Callum and Rayla gasped in unison, both of them reflexively reaching for the other’s hand and intertwining their fingers, Callum gently tracing patterns on her hand.

Ezran laughed giddily, scrambling out of Callum’s lap and running towards the baby dragon with Bait in his arms.

The dragon stumbled and fell, his big eyes still closed. Ezran kneeled, putting Bait on the ground between him and the dragon. 

“You need to lick his eyes open,” Ezran explained, nudging Bait forward. “They’re stuck.”

Bait grunted unhappily, stepping forward and reluctantly licked the baby dragon’s eyelids until they slid open.

The dragon yipped happily as he took in the world, springing forward onto Ezran, enthusiastically licking his face. 

Ezran laughed, hugging the dragon to his chest. “You know your own name! Azymondias,” he slipped his hands under the dragon’s front legs and lifted him up to eye level. “We’ll call you Zym.”

Rayla laughed disbelievingly, squeezing Callum’s hand. “Is this real?” she whispered, watching with misty eyes as Ezran and Zym played.

Callum nodded, leaning his head on top of hers. “Yeah. It is.”

Rayla giggled again, sending a rush of warmth through Callum’s chest.

Zym yipped, tilting his head at the sounds coming from the pair and he unsteadily lolloped over, licking Rayla’s hand and eliciting another giggle from her.

“That’s Rayla and Callum,” Ezran explained, coming over behind Zym. “They’re my big brother and sister.”

Zym squeaked enthusiastically, licking Callum in greeting. 

“Can I pet him?” Ellis squealed, running over from where she’d been sheltering with Ava. “He looks so fluffy!”

Ezran nodded as Zym warbled at her.

Rayla glanced up, a cracking noise sounding in the brush nearby. Her ears pricked up, trying to isolate the sound over Ellis’ squeals. 

“Did you hear that?” she whispered to Callum, her eyes scanning the bushes.

“No…” he said. “Maybe it’s Calypso?”

Rayla bit her lip, untwining her hand from Callum’s and stood up carefully, drawing her sword. 

“What’s wrong?” Ezran asked, looking up from Zym. 

Rayla shook her head, glancing at him. “Probably nothing. I’ll be back in a second, okay?”

“Be safe,” Callum called, concerned. Rayla nodded to him, smiling as reassuring as she could muster.

Rayla carefully crept to the edge of the path, scanning for any possible source of the noise.

Another crack sounded to her right and she spun around, softening her stance when she recognized the elf standing a few feet away from her.

“Calypso?” she called, sheathing her blade and walking towards his shadowed figure. “Is everything okay?”

He didn’t respond, his form shifting slightly away from her, his head lifting a little.

“Are you hurt?” Rayla whispered, now a few metres away. She reached out to touch his shoulder, “Calypso…”

He looked up fully as her hand made contact, tears streaming down his face, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs. 

Rayla inhaled sharply. She moved forward, wrapping her arms around him and held him as he wept.

Chapter Text

I have a question for both Callum and Rayla: When are you two going to stop being dumb and confess your love? Just kiss already. Make things so much easier. 

Callum: Uh– L-love… Rayla? Kiss… *flushes bright red and coughs, looking away* You… must be confusing me– us with someone else. There nothing like… that going on, I– excuse me *runs away*

Rayla: C-callum? Uhm… W-well I don’t know about love, but… *pauses, frowning* I don’t need to explain myself to you. How’d I even get here? What’s with this low-budget, lazy writing? *with rapid, frantic author handwaves, she disappears*

For Calypso: Are you okay buddy? What’s going on with you?

Calypso: *scowling* Shut up. 

Ellis in the distance: He’s suuuuuper messed up, you should’ve seen it, he was so creepy–

Calypso: SHUT UP! 

For Callum: How do you feel now that you’ve lost the primal stone? You’re no longer able to do any magic.

Callum: Well… I miss it, a lot. Having all of that power in the palm of my hand… I don’t like feelign helpless, like I can’t protect the people I care about. But I think it’s gonna be okay, because Rayla and Calypso are strong even without me, so… yeah. 

Rayla: You’re stronger than either of us, Callum. The Primal Stone just make it really flashy. You’re heart strong, with is better than anythign swords can bring. *She hugs him*

Author: How… did you even get here? This is not your question… but… cute… hugging… *intense shipping internal struggle* fine, I’ll let it slide. 

For Ezran: What have you thought of the whole adventure so far?

Ezran: It’s been so fun! Scary though, but fun! Callum doing magic is awesome, and I love hanging out with Calypso. People kept telling me that all the elves are scary, but they dont’ seem so bad. I mean, Rayla and Calypso are scary, but they’re all mushy on the inside like jelly tarts. I don’t like seeing Rayla being hurt though, it makes me sad. I wish she’d talk about things that hurt her more. Ooooh— Ellis has been so fun too! She helps me sneak around the Nexus and we spy on Callum and Rayla when they [continuation of rant redacted for spoilers]

For Rayla: do you miss the castle and all the people there?

Rayla: I do actually, more than I thought. Not everyone, of course… but there were a lot of people that were friendly to me that I miss. I don’t feel it as much as I could, since I have the most important people with me. The castle became… oddly comforting after a while. Though if I was away from Callum or Ezran for this long, I don’t think I’d know what to do with myself. *muffled grunt* Yes, you as well, Bait.