Callum had been right. Rayla would never tell him that, but he had been right. Apparently one does not simply walk into Xadia, at least not near the part of the border where Sol Regem dwelled in order to guard the Moonstone Path. Stupid dragons; they thought of everything.

Despite the abundance of monstrous oaks and pines guarding the private alcove she had discovered about an hour before, a cool breeze still managed to caress her skin and ruffle her hair as she sat cross-legged amongst the untamed grass, absentmindedly flicking one of her swords open and closed over and over again as she struggled to produce a feasible solution to her current predicament. Aside from the Moonstone Path, all other ground entrances into Xadia would be heavily guarded on both sides of the border, and crossing over by sea was not an option for more reasons than just her personal phobia. Yep, they were definitely stuck.

"Runaan would know what to do. He always knew what to do."

Rayla's heart clenched painfully in her chest, rousing her guilt from its sound hibernation and sending it scrambling back to its good work of turning her stomach into a hot, nauseous whirlpool. Runaan. Sure, his name had briefly passed through her mind on occasion over the past few weeks, but she had never actually taken a moment to pause and truly think about him ever since her mission to return the Dragon Prince and hopefully stop the war between humans and Xadians began. What had happened to her mentor and the rest of their party that night? Yes, she had seen his shadowhawk arrow sailing through the air and one of her wrist bindings had fallen off, indicating that the king had been successfully assassinated, but that only told her so much. Were they alright? Had they been captured? Had they perished as well?

"You let him live but you've killed us all!"

Rayla sharply shook her head to clear away those jarring words. They had to be okay. It didn't matter if it was impossible; Runaan wouldn't have let anything happen to them. They were probably on their way back to Xadia right now.

"And they are all probably permanently disabled because of you."

No, she couldn't think about that. Optimism may seem just as trivial as fear to her, but at the moment it was all she had. Besides, she didn't have time to dwindle on her comrades' fates; she had her own mission to focus on, which brought her back to her original dilemma. How in the name of Thunder was she going to get her, Callum, and Zym into Xadia undetected?

A wistful sigh escaped Rayla's lips as she returned her blades to her belt and rested her cheek in the palm of her hand while absently staring at the patch of dirt and grass directly in front of her, "I know you would probably still be mad at me, but I really wish you were here, Runaan. I'm out of my element and out of ideas, and the pressure of knowing that I'm in charge of protecting and delivering the one thing that could potentially end the war between humans and Xadia ain't exactly helping me get a creative spark. You would be way more qualified for something like this, and yet this responsibility fell to me….I just don't know how I'm gonna do this…."

"Gah! Rayla!"

Rayla nearly jumped out of her skin and instinctively went for her knives before quickly stopping when she remembered who that voice belonged to.

"Ugh, don't startle me like that! I just about attacked you!" she snapped angrily at Callum, though she was surprised and secretly somewhat impressed that he had managed to sneak up on her without the brush giving him away.

"Well, thank you for not attacking me," Callum answered rather awkwardly, his posture unusually rigid as he anxiously scratched the back of his neck, "So, who were you talking to?"

Hot embarrassment rushed into Rayla's cheeks, dyeing her fair skin the color of ripe moonberries, and she instinctively averted her eyes from Callum as if that would somehow hide her shame.

"Nobody," she mumbled, "I was just thinking out loud is all."

Callum's brow crinkled with concern, his hand falling back to his side as he took a few steps towards her, "Are you okay? You seem upset."

"I'm fine. I'm just...irritated because I can't think of any other way to get us into Xadia."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself; I know you'll figure something out." Callum purred gently as he deposited himself down beside her and comfortingly grasped her shoulder, his mouth curving upwards in an encouraging grin. However, Rayla's grim expression did not change.

"I wish Runaan were here," she sighed again.

"Runaan? Wait, he was the archer you fought with on the castle wall, right? Is he your brother or something?"

Rayla's face contorted into a look of pure offense. "What? No! How old do you think I am?!"

A larger-than-average bead of sweat slithered down Callum temple, "I'm not going to answer that. Who is he though? You two seemed like you knew each other a little better than just fellow assassins."

"Runaan is my mentor. He taught me everything I know."

"Oh."

Rayla sighed again. "He should be the one leading you into Xadia not me. He has way more experience and training and knowledge than I do, and yet, you got stuck with me instead."

"Well, I'm glad to have gotten stuck with you, Rayla," Callum retorted gently before quickly adding, "and not just because your mentor probably would've killed me by now and taken Zym back to Xadia by himself."

The quiet, undignified snort that echoed from Rayla as her mouth curved into a smirk made Callum's chest swell with a little pride and brought a smile to his face.

"Thanks," she answered, her posture relaxing slightly. However, her muscles went stiff again only a moment later and her eyes grew wider than full moons as she stared at Callum like she had never seen him before, "Wait, Callum, what are you doing here?! Why aren't you watching Zym?!"

Callum's skin turned paler than porcelain as he nervously wrung his hands, his eyes darting to look at anything and everything in the clearing other than Rayla, "Heh, funny you should mention that…."

All of the previous delight and warmth had now vanished from Rayla's face, and in its place lurked an icy shadow that sent shivers down Callum's spine.

"Callum, what's going on?"

"Well, you see…."

"I can't believe you lost the future King of the Dragons! What were you thinking?!"

"He seemed bored, and I remembered Ezran saying he really liked hide and seek!"

"And you thought that was a good idea for a game?! You know, there's this thing inside your head called a brain; you should try using it."

"...You're really mean sometimes, you know that? Besides, it's not like babysitting a dragon is easy!"

"Ezran managed to do it!"

"Well, that's because he had his special gift! I don't speak animal!" Callum grumbled before quickly ducking to avoid being hit in the face by a branch.

The temptation to continue to berate Callum was strong, but after rolling of her eyes in annoyance, Rayla managed to swallow the urge and instead focus her attention on the task at hand, "Just keep looking. He had to have left some kind of trail."

"Unless he flew…" Callum began to argue but his voice broke off when he noticed Rayla glaring at him, "Sorry."

Clenching her jaw, Rayla pushed past a cluster of brush and entered another clearing, and to her frustration, there was still no sign of the baby dragon.

"If you know any kind up special, Sky magic tracking spell, now would be a great time to whip it out," she grunted as she brought her fingers to massage the bridge of her nose in an effort to fend off her impending headache.

One of Callum's eyebrows rose in a skeptical arch, "Was that supposed to be sarcasm or a genuine suggestion? I couldn't really tell."

Exasperation was his answer as Rayla flung her arms up in defeat.

"Who are we kidding? We're screwed!" she cried dramatically as her hands fell back to her sides, her shoulders slumping forward as though heavy weights had been tied to her wrists, "There's no way we're going to find one tiny dragon in this massive forest-"

An ear-piercing screech drowned out of the last of Rayla's words and sent her and Callum both springing into the air. Immediately, their eyes snapped to look at one another, their faces both conveying the exact same fear, and so much as a single second of further hesitation, they darted in the direction from which the voice had come. They ran as fast as they could, Rayla easily taking the lead ahead of Callum as he struggled to keep up, but with every step they took, the forest seemed to throw some stumbling block into their path, whether it be a fallen tree, a gnarled tangle of roots, or a tightly woven thicket of thorns, to slow them down. Still, they pressed onwards, barely aware the sting of branches slapping their arms and faces or the ache of their feet as they stumbled on the uneven forest floor as they raced at a pace that never dipped below a steady sprint. Each of them silently hoped that their shared hunch was wrong but knew full well that the likelihood of such a blessing was slim, and as they rounded a sharp outcropping of rock, the gurgling of water tickling their ears, their hearts and stomachs somersaulted over one another as their eyes beheld exactly what they had feared.

Several yards ahead of them sat a human girl who looked as though she was probably a few years older than Ezran, the sunlight catching on her fiery twin braids as she tranquility lounged with her legs dangling in the cool water of a lazy, crystal clear stream, entirely oblivious of the little imp of a dragon slowly creeping up on her through the grass, tail flicking slowly back and forth as he hunkered down and prepared to pounce. The air caught in Rayla's and Callum's throats as they silently pleaded that Zym would miraculously decide to back down and scamper off before he was noticed, but with a final cocky trill, the baby dragon flung himself into the air and hurdled towards the human.

Rayla nearly screamed, not because of Zym but rather what happened next. When the baby dragon was a mere arm's length arm, the human girl suddenly whipped around and caught him with a speed and ease that startled Callum and Rayla both as they watched, their stomachs sinking further into the sandy pit of horror that had manifested inside each of them. A wicked grin stretched across the redhead's face as she raised Zym high above her head, the dragon squirming and squeaking in protest while his wide, innocent eyes peered down at her. A disorienting lightness filled Rayla's head, leading her to grab onto Callum's scarf to steady herself as she struggled not to faint, and Callum consequently reached out to steady her partially out of concern and partially to stop her from choking him.

"This is bad. This is really, really bad," Rayla moaned woefully.

"Hey, we can't automatically jump to the worst conclusion." Callum peered scrutinizingly at the girl before continued, "She doesn't look scared. Maybe she thinks Zym is just a giant lizard."

"Callum, he has wings! What other reptile do you know of that has wings?!"

"...Yeah, you're right. This is bad."

The ginger had since lowered Zym down to where he was now eye to eye with her, and after an uncomfortable period of silence that left Rayla's skin crawling, the baby dragon gave a giddy chirp and began to playfully lick the girl's freckled cheeks, causing her to giggle.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to sneak up on me." she taunted buoyantly, her warm chocolate eyes gleaming as her nose brushed lightly against Zym's, "You're much too noisy and your static made the hairs on my neck and arms stand straight up as soon as you got close. You definitely need to work on that."

Zym merely sang another adorable coo and then resumed licking her face, the girl hardly even flinching as energy sparkled across his tongue and zapped her skin, not that the shocks were even remotely painful to begin with. The tension released from Callum's shoulders as her laughter danced in his ears, but Rayla remained completely rigid, her eyes fixed on the girl in a cold, merciless stare.

"She seems pretty nice. Maybe she won't give us any trouble." the former remarked optimistically, much to the aghast of the latter.

"How could you possibly know whether or not she's nice just by looking at her, Callum?! Didn't Lujanne lecture you that moon magic revolves around the difference between perception and reality?! For all we know, that seemingly innocent human girl could be the acolyte of a dark mage who is merely keeping Zym occupied while she awaits her master's return."

"Or, she could really be just a normal human girl with no dark motives or ill intentions. You can't always just assume the worst about people, Rayla."

"You can't afford to always think the best of them either, especially not in a war."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then? She's already seen Zym; there's not much we can do about that."

Rayla's expression darkened, "We've only got a few options, and you're not going to like any of them."

"Why would you tell me that?! I mean, if you already know I won't like them in the first place then what is the point of telling me about the options at all-Rayla?"

Callum's throat tightened when he realized his friend was no longer beside him. Normally, he found her stealth and skill admirable and rather fascinating, but at the moment, he was more irked and frightened by it.

"Rayla? Rayla?! Rayla!"

"Stay where you are!"

Callum immediately froze where he stood before slowly sneaking a glance over his shoulder to see the redheaded girl standing behind him, her once gleeful face now warped into a suspicious scowl as she pointed her hand at him. At first, the prince was confused, but he soon noticed with a sinking feeling that the girl had some kind of contraption strapped to her wrist. The device closely resembled the crossbows he had seen used by many of the palace guards but on a much smaller scale, and one sweeping, inquisitive glance indicated to him that it was likely rigged to fire when girl clenched her hand into a fist. Okay, maybe Rayla had been right about the girl not being as innocent and sweet as she seemed.

Swallowing thickly to clear away the glow toad-sized lump in his throat, Callum timidly twirled around to face the ginger, hands raised high in the air, and offered her a nervous smile, "Uh, hi?"

At the sound of Callum's voice, Zym's head perked up, and with a happy trill, he popped out from behind the girl and scampered toward the prince, his little mouth stretched into as wide of a grin as he could manage while his tongue stuck goofily out to one side. Momentarily forgetting his terror, Callum dropped down onto his knees and seized Zym into a tight hug as soon as he was within reach, remaining completely oblivious to the incredulous look the redhead was giving him as he cradled the dragonling close.

"Zym! You scared me! No more hide and seek for you, you hear? From now on, we're only playing games that include my eyes being on you at all times!"

The baby dragon whimpered in protest, his head drooping guiltily between his shoulders, but after a moment, he yipped softly in what one could assume was understanding and snuggled himself deeper into Callum's embrace.

"So he isn't alone out here. I guess that should be a relief."

Callum's heart staggered in its beat for a moment, sending a cold shock along every nerve in his body. He had nearly forgotten that he and Zym had an audience.

"Y-Yep, the little goofball is with me! I turned my back on him for a second and he decided to go and explore. T-Thank you for looking after him, Miss….?"

"Madeleine," The girl answered, a small smile forming on her lips as she lowered her weapon. However, her eyes did not lose their inquisitive sparkle, and the look made Callum's insides churn.

"Well, thanks again, but we really should be going now-"

"You haven't told me your name though."

"Oh….uh….it's Callum."

"Callum," the girl purred, testing the way the name rolled on her tongue, "That isn't a very common name, is it?"

"Uh, I guess?"

"I like it. So Callum, what's a baby dragon doing on this side of the border?"

Although the question was asked in the most innocent of tones, it sent the prince's mind scrambling in a wild panic, and before he could regain enough sense to stop himself, he blurted out what possibly had to be one of the stupidest and most unconvincing lies he had ever told.

"Dragon? You mean Zym? Pfft, Zym isn't a dragon!"

"He isn't?"

"No!"

"Oh….what is he then?"

"Well that totally just backfired." the prince mentally chastised himself, "Come on, Callum! Think!"

"He's uh….a draconis….imitatius!"

Madeleine's brow scrunched into a row of wrinkles, "A what?"

"A draconis imitatius! They're called draconims for short!"

"I've never heard of them."

"They're really rare and most people confuse them for dragonlings like you did, so they aren't very well known."

"I guess that makes sense…."

"It totally makes sense!"

"What's the difference between a draconim and an actual dragon, though?"

By now, a thick coating of sweat had totally soaked the hairs on the back of Callum's neck. "You ask of a lot of questions, don't you?"

The girl's cheeks ignited in a rosy blush that rivaled the radiance of her hair, sparking instant regret in Callum that he yearned to snuff out by doing some kind self-inflicted sacrament like slapping himself across the face.

"Sorry, I can get a little nosy sometimes. I should really learn when to shut my mouth."

"No no, it's okay! It's totally normal to be curious about something rare and unique. You didn't do anything wrong!" Callum hurriedly tried to reassure her.

"You look kind of uncomfortable though."

"I do? I guess I'm still coming off the adrenaline rush Zym gave me. I'm so glad he's alright."

"Ah, got it. So back to my original question, what makes a draconim different from a dragon."

"Well...they stay small like this and….they can't actually fly even though they have wings."

"Really?"

"Y-Yep. Kinda sad, isn't it? He has those big wings and he can't even use them…"

It was at that moment that the largest butterfly Callum had ever seen just had to flit past, catching not only his eye but the eye of Zym as well. With an excited shriek, he unfurled his wings and soared after it with a mighty flap, missing it by mere centimeters before sailing back down to the ground with surprising grace. Madeleine's jaw fell agape while Callum's throat swelled shut.

"Did he just-?"

"T-That wasn't flying! That was...gliding! There's a big difference."

Callum could practically see the gears turning in Madeleine's head as she stared scrutinizingly at Zym, but before she could say another word, a dark shadow suddenly passed over them. A collective shriek of surprise from Callum, Zym, and Madeleine cut across the clearing as Rayla appeared seemingly out of thin air and tackled the girl to the ground, her blades already scraping against the skin of Madeleine's throat as she pinned her arms down with her knees.

"Rayla, what are you doing?! Where did you even go?!" Callum exclaimed in horror, his eyes bouncing frantically back and forth between the obviously irritated elf and the frightened human innocent underneath her.

"I was trying to find a good angle from which I could catch her by surprise and knock her out, but then just had to get in the way!" Rayla spat back sourly, "And as if our situation wasn't already bad enough, you just had to go and make it worse with your babbling! Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut?!"

"I was nervous and you had totally disappeared! What was I supposed to do?! Knock her out with a wind spell?!"

"Yes! That's exactly what you should have done!"

"Well, why didn't you jump in earlier and stop me?!"

"Then the other human would've known I was here!"

"You...You're a Moonshadow elf…" Madeleine muttered in disbelief.

"Well, she knows now!" Callum griped, "What do we do-No wait, you said I wouldn't like the options!"

"Callum, would you quit being so dramatic for a second!"

"I'm not being dramatic; I'm panicking! There's a very big difference! What do we do?!"

"Could you please just shut up for a second so I can think?!"

"Madeleine!"

The new voice caught both Rayla and Callum by surprise, but before they could scan for the one to whom it belonged, a ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream tore through the air and ripped into their heads, threatening to tear their minds into unsalvageable shreds.