Chapter Text
As summer approaches, the days get longer, so Callum and Rayla spend more extended periods marching through the Xadian wilderness.
It's exhausting, but the more they walk, the closer they are to the Dragon Queen, and the sooner they can rest easy, knowing that the world's last best hope is where he belongs.
But the last few weeks have been tiresome for other reasons as well. For one thing, Zym is now growing and becoming more used to flying. There are occasionally days where he might, without warning, fly off after something he might see, and she would spend hours with Callum calling for him, trying to track him down, only to realize he landed right back in their camp.
Which by itself would be fine, Rayla tells herself. It's just that she now also has to deal with Callum, excited that he can do magic again, becoming far more reckless than he should be. Sure, he's a mage now, and even with knowing only two spells he can handle himself in a fight. It's just that here in Xadia, Callum is always in danger no matter where he is or what time of day it is.
She understands this, but he apparently doesn't. The big dumb human seems to do whatever he can to invite danger. He can't just wander into the middle of a meadow, out in the open where everyone can see and hear him, and loudly shout "aspiro" to see how much dirt and grass he can throw into the air.
It reminds her of something Runaan once told her: There are old assassins, and there are bold assassins. But there are never old bold assassins. She gets the lesson: don't be cocky. Even a mage should know better than to show off and basically dare every elf in Xadia to take their best shot at him.
And when he's not a danger to himself, he's a danger to her. One morning, Rayla wakes up to Callum, trying to put out a fire five feet away from where she slept. Apparently, the dummy was trying to control the size of his fulminis spell, and instead set their campsite ablaze.
That was the last straw.
"Enough almost killing me!" she angrily told him, after they put the fire out. "Or you and Zym can keep a hundred feet away from me for the rest of the mission!"
Thankfully, he listened, and his little experiments stopped. Rayla guesses he must like her company enough for that to get his attention.
To be fair, she likes his company too, and would have been a little sad if they spent the rest of their journey barely in sight of one another. He may sometimes be infuriating, but she enjoys their conversations, his kind nature, and his protective instincts.
He's made this important mission somewhat…fun, which she never expected. Callum might ask a few whimsical questions one day, name silly constellations in the night sky, or just sing some Katolan jingle, horribly out of tune. Even though their task is serious, and their journey dangerous, it's nice to see him bring some levity to their days.
But recently, the more she pretends she doesn't, the more she realizes that she actually, truly likes him. Probably more than just likes him, in a way that she's never liked someone before. He's different, and she's confused by how strong her feelings are.
She's ignored those feelings for as long as she could. They're friends, and they can, and do, talk about anything. They've taken turns guarding Zym and Ez, and bounce ideas and strategies off each other. She can rely on him, and him on her, so she wasn't about to confuse him with her own confusion about what he means to her. And for the longest time, she could just push away any of the strange thoughts circling her mind and resolve to figure out whatever feelings she has after their mission was over.
Until she thought it was too late to resolve any of that. Until she thought his choice to use Dark Magic to save her life, cost him his own.
It still sends shivers down her spine, remembering his pale face and darkened eyes, his pained and struggled gasps for air, her holding him tight as she felt his life slip away through her fingers.
Only then could she not keep her feelings from bubbling up inside her and bursting forth like a levee giving way. Her feelings surprised her, as did the sheer intensity with which she felt them. She only knew him a few weeks at that point. Yet she can't stop thinking about him now and finds her eyes wandering over to him. Whenever he so much as speaks, it brightens her day. Whenever they touch, she can't help but smile. How had she fallen for him this hard?
Rayla keeps quiet about this, though. She knows Callum doesn't feel the same way. She's seen the way he's looked at Claudia. That wide grin, those flushed cheeks, and smitten eyes. It's a cute look, Rayla thinks, but he's never looked at her that way. It hurts, and she admits to herself that she's a bit jealous, but it's just the way things are.
It's probably for the best, she tells herself. Elves and humans have been enemies for over a thousand years. Even with peace, there's too much hurt and hatred for either side to sweep away. If anything, she's the strange one for being stupid enough to catch feelings for a human, she tells herself.
And when they return Zym and Callum goes home, maybe that’ll make it easier for her to move past her feelings and get on with her life again.
Rayla’s thoughts are interrupted as she pauses at the edge of a clearing up ahead. Something about this place seems familiar. She's hiked this trail before, when she was much younger, when…
Her realization comes all too late, as she spots elves descending from the trees. She recognizes their bluish features and feathery armor.
Grabbing Callum's arm, she pulls him and Zym behind a thick tree before either register what was happening.
"What was that?" asks Callum.
"Elves," she answers. "Skywing elves, specifically."
She peeks over from behind the tree and sees the assembled elves looking aimlessly into the woods.
"I think we'll be fine," she whispers. "They don't see us, so as soon as they clear out, we'll be on our way, and then—"
"Who goes there!" A skywing elf calls out to them. "Show yourself!"
Callum gives her a blank look. "Did you want me to help take that foot out of your mouth?" he asks her.
She glares but turns away from him. "Stay here," she says. "I'll try to talk our way out."
Rayla feels Callum grab her wrist. "There's no way I'm letting you go alone."
She looks back at him, confused. "Why wouldn't you? They probably wouldn't attack me if I came alone, but they would definitely murder both of us if they see you."
"But if they attack you—"
"If they attack me, then, by all means, light them up," she smirks. "No point in hiding you then, and I can really use the backup."
Callum shakes his head. "No, that's too risky. Can't we just sneak away?"
"No, I think it's too late for that." She looks at his hand, the one on her wrist. "Just trust me, okay? I can do this."
His eyes soften, and he releases her. "Okay, I trust you, Rayla."
She takes a breath and forces a smile.
She exits into the clearing, hands raised. The elves keep their arrows trained on her. "It's alright," she says. "I'm unarmed. Don't shoot. I just got turned around, but I'm not trying to trespass. If you let me go, I'll be on my merry way."
As the elves lower their weapons, one, in particular, takes a few steps forward. He's large, probably a head and a half taller than Rayla, and he just stares for a moment.
"Rayla?" he finally asks.
He knows her, she realizes. He catches her at a disadvantage because she's undoubtedly never met this skywing elf before. But there's something familiar about him. As she looks at him, it clicks in her mind.
"Zanthor?"
He grins, walks right up to her, and sweeps her up in his arms. "Rayla!" he shouts.
"Oof, Zanthor!" Rayla grunts. His tight grip knocks the air out of her lungs. She hears rustling in the woods behind her. Was that Callum?
As he puts her down, she gets a better look at him. When she last saw him, he was 13, she was 12. Back then, he was a skinny little boy, probably an inch shorter than she was.
But he's certainly grown since then, and Moon Above, he's massive. He's bigger than Runaan and has massive shoulders, muscular arms, and a square jaw.
Damn, she thinks to himself. He's devilishly handsome now.
The other elves uncomfortably look away from the two of them, as Rayla realizes she's been gawking at him for an awkward amount of time.
"That's a nice, um…plate of armor you're wearing," she says sheepishly, motioning to his teal and gold breastplate. Chainmail carrying a feathery design hangs from his shoulders and partially shroud his chest. "Who did you have to kill for it?"
Zanthor roars with laughter. "Very funny! It's great to see snarky Rayla is still with us! But I earned this armor, as a matter of fact," he says, with great pride in his voice. "You're looking at the new Captain of the Wren Guard."
As he strikes a pose, Rayla can't help but be impressed. "So, you're in charge of defending this region? At 16?"
He nods, eagerly and joyfully. "I like your garb, by the way." He motions to her uniform. "I see Runaan made you an assassin after all! We'll have to spar, one of these days!"
She chuckles. "Yea, one of these days. When I'm a little less busy." Rayla clasps her hands together. "Speaking of which, I am in a, uh, a bit of a situation—"
"Oh, and you remember Macchus, right?" he motions to the elderly skywing mage, standing amidst the other elves. Rayla catches the mage rolling his eyes and shaking his head, a little unsettled by Zanthor's lack of attention. She remembers Macchus, Zanthor's grandfather, but only in passing and mostly by reputation. She only met him one time in her entire life.
"Uh, yeah, hi, hello, nice to see you again," she waves meekly at him. The mage gives her a courteous smile.
"Anyway," Rayla continues. "About my situation. Let me start with the good news. It turns out, the Dragon Prince is alive!" She timidly raises her hands. "Yay!"
The elves are in shock. Macchus simply gapes at Rayla.
"He' s—he's alive?" asks the elder mage." How do you know this?"
"Well, the short version of the story is that we found the Dragon Egg during a mission in Katolis," she tells him. "On our journey back, he hatched, so now, we're traveling with the future King of the Dragons."
"We? Our? Who else are you traveling with?" asks Zanthor.
Rayla closes her eyes. There's no way to safely broach the subject, but she'll give it a try.
"I'm not traveling with the other elves, but I'm not alone. You see, it's not enough to end the war if I simply take the dragonling back to his mother by myself. I thought that, if it could be someone from Katolis, preferably a prince, who could return the dragon that was stolen from his mother, then maybe we could—"
She can't finish before Zanthor puts the pieces together. His demeanor becomes grave, with severity in his eyes she's never seen before. "You're traveling with a human," he says.
Rayla winces, but nods.
Zanthor unsheathes his longsword. "Show him to me," he demands.
Rayla raises her hands defensively. "You have to realize, he's not like other humans. He's not cruel, or hateful. He's kind and good."
Zanthor is unmoved. "Show him. To me."
She takes a breath. There's no avoiding the inevitable, she thinks to herself.
"Callum," she shouts. "You can come out."
Rayla sees a nervous boy, carrying Zym, slowly emerge from the woods. The baby dragon lets out a confused yelp.
"So it's true," Zanthor says coldly. "It's good to see the Dragon Prince alive and well. As for you." He motions to Callum with his sword. "Your brown pelt would look good on my wall, human."
As other skywing elves draw their swords and begin approaching Callum, he quickly steps one foot back. With his left hand, he immediately draws a rune, and electricity cackles from his fingers.
The skywing elves gasp, while others shout in disbelief. Others step back. Rayla tries her best to suppress a smirk.
"But, he's not holding a Primal Stone!" shouts Zanthor. "How is he doing that?"
"Because I have the sky arcanum!" Callum shouts, proudly. "So, I can use sky magic anywhere, and unless you want me to paint the trees with you, I suggest you take a step back."
Zanthor doesn't listen, and instead slightly bends his knees, ready to go on the offensive. Instinctively, Rayla reaches for her blades.
"Enough with this nonsense, children!" Macchus finally shouts. His gruff voice sounds almost exhausted.
He looks at Callum. "You said you're connected to sky arcanum. But do you know how to release the spell in your hand?"
Callum nods. "Then prove it," Macchus finishes.
Rayla can see the young mage hesitate. If he releases the spell, he'll be unarmed. Zanthor's soldiers will rush him, or Macchus may knock him down with his own magic.
But she also sees the confident resolve in Callum's eyes, and he raises his hand to the sky. Rayla clenches her fists as she hopes he's making the right decision.
"Fulminis!" he shouts, and the lightning disperses in the sky above them, leaving only a cry of thunder.
As the other elves stare up in wonder, Macchus claps his hands once. "Very impressive. What's your name, boy?"
"Callum," he says. "of Katolis."
Macchus looks confused. "Callum-of-Katolis?"
"Uh, just Callum," he answers.
Macchus glances at Rayla, then back at Callum. "Just-Callum-of-Katolis?"
Callum scratches the back of his head. "You can call me Callum for short."
The elder mage simply nods in agreement. "Very well. Your full name is hard to pronounce. But who am I to judge?"
Callum tries to suppress a sigh while Rayla does her best not to laugh. She managed to get his name right on the first try, though it was hard. Seeing her friend all worked up over it was…cute.
Macchus looks back over at Rayla. "Well, needless to say, your human friend intrigues me enough! And I insist you stay and let the Dragon Prince see the city of Patola!"
Zanthor gapes at Macchus. "We are not letting a human trespass into our city!"
Macchus shoots him a vexed look. "That is not your decision to make. Nor is it your place to deny the future King of the Dragons to visit our home."
Rayla shakes her head. "Thank you, but we have to keep a move on. War is coming, so we need to get Zym home as quickly as possible."
The elder mage looks at the dragonling. "Ah, so Zym is his name? Even so, the storm dragon needs to at least see the site of the Sky Nexus."
She doesn't need to see Callum to feel his eyes light up. "The Sky Nexus?" he asks. "C'mon, Rayla, we have to take Zym there!"
Her face forms a scowl as she looks at his. "Oh, really? And that has nothing to do with you wanting to visit the Sky Nexus?"
He gives her a goofy grin. "I mean, that's just a nice side-benefit."
"I guess it's too much to expect you to be on my side," Rayla replies as she rolls her eyes. With Zym yipping at her legs, this was enough for her to accept defeat.
"Fine," she sighs. "We stop by Patola and see the Nexus there. But only one day." She points at Callum. "We'll get there by midday, spend the afternoon and evening in the city, and leave by tomorrow morning. Deal?"
He takes her finger, imitating a handshake. "Deal."
Macchus chuckles. "Wonderful, then! We'll let you stay in the Primrose Lodge. That should give you a great view of the Aryam Mountains!"
Callum tilts his head. "The what?"
"You'll see," Rayla smiles, knowingly, as she places a hand on his shoulder.
As the company departs for Patola, Rayla reminds herself to breathe calmly. They'll be safe with Macchus' protection, and the detour will be short and harmless.
Nothing could go wrong.