By the time they had reached camp, the sun had already risen and most of the soldiers were up. The sky was painted in pinks and purples. It was going to be a lovely day.

As Callum got off the horse, his sore legs wobbling slightly, he cast a quick glance over the camp.

The clearing where they had once been held captive was far behind them, instead the soldiers had set up camp in a glade a few miles away. The glade was home to other soldiers who were camped out there, on their way to the breach. The soldiers were laughing, sharing stories and packing up supplies. Tents were spread over the area, fires long since extinguished.

"I'm dead tired. Why did we ride through the night again?" Soren yawned.

"Because we need to get the princes back to the safety of the castle as quickly as possible, not to mention that we have dangerous captives who we need to deliver for punishment." Claudia reminded him.

"Right..." Soren headed for his tent. "Well, I'm going to bed. We'll depart for Katolis castle tomorrow."

She turned to head to her own tent when Callum stopped her.

"Hey Claudia, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for stealing your primal ball thingy. I was worried you'd miss and hit Ezran and I kind of panicked." He apologized.

"Hey, its okay! You did what you thought was best for Ez and in the end I got it back. Just don't do it again ,okay?"

"Promise." Callum smiled. "So, what's going to happened to the elves?"

"I don't know. Its up to the council to decide what happens to them but I assure you they won't get away with what they did. They won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."

"Yeah, but they'll be alright in the end, right? I know they kidnapped us but its not like they'll be sentenced to death right?" Callum asked nervously.

He didn't like them. In fact he wanted them as far away from them as possible but he also didn't want war.

Claudia gave him a look. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?" He asked defensively.

"Oh, Callum..."

"What don't I know Claudia?" he gritted out.

"Callum, they killed the king." Callum felt his blood run cold.

"No." He turned away from her.

"I know it must be a shock but I promise you, they won't get away with it." She put a hand on his shoulder and Callum gave a bitter laugh.

"The elves didn't kill Harrow, Claudia. Viren did." He hissed.

She took a step back. "My father would never do that."

"Oh, then why did he, Claudia? Why did I watch him kill my-" He took a deep shuddering breath. "Why did I watch him murder the king?"

"Callum. I don't know what those filthy elves told you but my dad would never do that. My dad loved king Harrow. They were best friends. He was shattered when king Harrow was declared dead."

'Oh, I bet he was.' Callum thought darkly.

"Claudia-"

Claudia interrupted him. "Callum, I swear to you, the elves lied and for that, they deserve to suffer but my dad would never hurt you or king Harrow."

He sighed. "I'm sorry Claudia, I shouldn't have believed- I shouldn't have."

"It's okay Callum. I'm going to go get some sleep, you should do the same."

She turned to leave once more but Callum stopped her. He hesitated.

"Don't tell Ezran about Harrow. I-It should come from me." He said.

She nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. "Of course."

Callum watched as she climbed into her tent. He felt guilty for lying to her but it was necessary. She hadn't believed him. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. Somehow Viren had fooled everyone and placed the blame on the elves. He knew the elves hadn't had a single thing to do with King Harrow's death, the throbbing pain in his shoulder and back a constant reminder of his failures.

'I should really get that looked at.' he thought. But first he needed to talk to Ezran.

They couldn't stay. They couldn't go back to the castle, not with Viren there. It would be suicide. They had to get out of there. They're only chance was with their aunt Amaya. She would be able to protect them. She had never liked Viren, she would believe them when they told her the truth. She could sort things out, could explain that Lord Viren wasn't as innocent as he pretended.

He walked across the clearing to the tent in which Ezran slept. He had fallen asleep during the journey, only half-lucid as he had been carried into a tent by one of the soldiers.

Ezran had been sleeping much more than usual, considering that Callum usually had to wrestle Ezran to go to sleep but Callum couldn't blame him. Their journey had been taxing on both of them. They just weren't use to walking all day, sleeping on the hard ground and eating small rations of food.

He slipped into the tent and gently shook Ezran.

"Ezran, wake up!" He whispered.

Ezran mumbled and turned on his side, Bait clutched in his arms. Callum sighed.

"Come on bud. I know you're tired but you need to wake up."

"Ugh, Callum, I'm tired." Ezran mumbled.

"I know Ez, but you need to wake up, just for a short while, then you can go back to sleep." Callum said.

Ezran sleepily sat up. At least he was paying attention.

"We can't trust Claudia and Soren."

"What?" That seemed to wake him up.

"Viren blamed the elves for King Harrow's death. He's still at the castle, you know, the place they're taking us. We can't stay." Callum explained in a hushed voice.

"But where are we going to go?"

"We'll go to aunt Amaya, she can protect us." He said. "We'll stop off at the Banther lodge then we'll head for the Breach."

"Okay but how are we going to get out of camp? There are guards everywhere. They aren't just going to let us sneak out of camp." Ezran pointed out.

"Don't worry, all you need to do is make sure you and Bait are ready to leave. I'll handle the rest."

He wandered the camp in search of a plan. Just going to aunt Amaya was a good plan but he didn't know how he was going to get the needed supplies.

"Morning prince Callum!" One of the soldiers called out.

Callum turned to them, surprise written over his face. People usually forgot he existed.

"Uh, Hi." He gave a half wave.

'I probably look stupid.' He thought.

"You okay? You look a little pale. Come sit. Breakfast in almost ready."

Right then, Callum's stomach gave an unhappy grumble, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in hours. He blushed and hesitantly walked to the circle of soldiers who had made a place for him on am old tree that had fallen.

The soldiers were on the older side, veterans who had seen battle and lived. Most were in their mid forties or early fifties with a sprinkle of younger soldiers who eagerly sat and listen as they told stories.

Callum' sat next to Jack, one of the older veterans. He had a friendly smile on his face and a beard that was starting to go from steal grey to an off white.

A bowl of food was placed in his hands. Callum stared at it as if it was a foreign entity.

"It's not as bad as it looks. A little bland but it does the trick." Jack said with a smile.

Callum jerked back to reality and started devouring it.

Discounting the food the elves gave them, it was the first real meal he had had in almost a week. Callum felt like he was going to cry. He didn't know why.

"Slow down before you choke."

Callum blushed before he started eating slower, savoring every bite.

Sure, it had nothing on castle food but it was still great.

"So what's your story?" One of the soldiers across from him asked.

Callum stopped eating to look up. He stayed quiet, confusion marring his face.

"Leave him alone." One of the others said.

"Don't mind them." Jack whispered.

Callum nodded and started eating again.

"What were the elves like? Do they really drink blood? Do they have pointy teeth?" One of the younger soldiers, a private asked.

Callum swallowed.

"They don't have pointy teeth and I doubt they drink blood." Callum said. "They're kind of like us, except they have horns and only four fingers and are a lot faster... and quieter."

"Oh."

The other's laughed.

Jack patted him on the shoulder and the rest of what he was about the say floated away. He grimaced as pain lanced through him.

"-allum? Prince Callum are you alright? Callum!"

"Huh?" He looked at Jack's worried face.

"Are you alright?"

"'m fine." He slurred.

"Come on, let's get you to the medical tent."

"That's really not necessary." He protested.

Callum didn't believe the wounds that the shadow wolves had inflicted were anything to worry about, assuming that they would heal in time. However, with how events had been playing out, they hadn't had much chance to heal.

"I disagree."

But by then they were already halfway across camp and nearing the green medical tent. Jack was half carrying him, half dragging him along. It didn't help that the man had a good six feet on him.

"Hey, McFarland! I need you." Jack called out.

The inside of the tent was the same color as the outside, a light emerald green. There were tables spread throughout the tent, upon which jars of salves, bottles of medicine and tools used for operation stood. On one of the cots an injured soldier slept, bandages covering his chest. He was a blond man who looked about aunt Amaya's age and his breathing was ragged. Callum thought he saw him looking at him but dismissed it as his imagination playing tricks on him.

The medic himself was a dark skinned man with short graying hair in a medical tunic. His face was wrinkled from age and what Callum guessed was years of stress bearing down on him.

"What do you need?" He asked as he cleaned his bloodied hands on a cloth.

"Something's wrong with the kid. Think he got hurt. Mind taking a look?"

The medic sighed. "Sure. Hop on the table kid."

Callum had never liked visits to the doctor and he liked this even less. One wrong word and everything could go wrong. He needed to be cautious.

"I really don't think this is necessary." Callum protested.

"You sound just like Jack. Always trying to weasel his way out of treatment."

"That's because I don't need to be swaddled in bandages like a mummy when I know I'm fine."

"So, what happened?"

His mothers words came back to haunt him. She hadn't meant them in the way he was now choosing to interpret them but beggars can't be choosers.

"I tripped and fell. Nothing too bad, just a few cuts and bruises. They just burn a bit-"

A younger Callum sat on the bed drawing as his mother told him the story of the liar and the knight. He was still inexperienced but what made up for it in enthusiasm.

"Then when the young maiden said she loved him, the golden chalice did not disagree, fore she told the truth. They were married a few years later, after they got to know each other properly. They would go through many strive in the years to come, but they stood by each other through it all and lived happily ever after. The end."

"Is that how you knew that the adviser was lying, mommy?" He had asked.

"No Callum, Though it would be very useful, I don't have a magical object that tells me when someone is lying. Sometimes people who lie give themselves away by acting funny." She had said as she combed a hand through his hair.

"That's a very nice lion." She said.

Callum frowned up at her. "It's a horse."

"I knew that, I was just teasing." She laughed.

"Your lying mommy."

She sighed, a fond smile on her face. "Your too clever for me."

She pulled a stray curl behind his ear. "Remember Callum, every lie is built on a speck of truth."

She hadn't meant them in the way he was now choosing to interpret them but beggars can't be choosers."Burn?" The medic was suddenly alert. If the wound felt burning, it was past time to change the dressing. It could also signal that the wound might be infected, which could lead to serious problems in the long run.

If one of the princes fell ill now, after all the effort and lives lost to bring them back... It wasn't a good thought.

"Is there any increased swelling, tenderness, or pain around the cuts?" he asked.

"Uh, not more than usual. Why?"

"Take off you shirt please."

"Uh, I don't think-" Callum objected. It would be hard to explain why he had burn marks the shape of a wolf bite on his shoulders and it certainly would be harder to explain the claw marks.

"Shirt off. Now. I need to make sure there isn't any infection."

"Listen to the doc, he knows what he's doing." Jack said.

Jack over strained to contain his laughter as the doctor wrestled with Callum to get his shirt off. He stopped laughing when Callum's shirt came off.

The medic let out a gasp as he stared at the wound that was most certainly not 'harmless'.

"This is most certainly not a scratch. I'd say you were mauled by a wild animal if it weren't for the dark magic in and around the wounds."

The look he gave him made Callum cringe but before he could come up with a lie to explain it away, the doctor interrupted him.

"Don't lie to me. What really happened? Because there's no way you got this from a fall."

Callum took a deep breath. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Try me. You don't get to be my age and not see some impossible things."

"Uh, well, the truth is..." Callum hesitated. " The king wasn't assassinated by the elves."

"What are you implying?"

"What I mean, is that the high mage is an evil bastard that deserves to die a slow agonizing death." Callum spat.

"...What?"

"I was there when he killed the king. He got rid of all the witnesses but one."

"I'd say you were lying but I've met Viren once or twice and the dark magic in the wounds are an almost identical match."

"Lord Viren has always been a snake in the Katolian grass but to go this far..." Jack murmured

"This is grave news."

Callum stayed quiet. The doctor seemed to understand his reluctance to continue and dropped the topic.

"The damage to your shoulder isn't too bad. The wounds you sustained miraculously aren't infected and the bite doesn't travel too deeply. It needs cleaning if it's gonna stay uninfected and it needs to be wrapped, but other than that, it'll heal on its own time. The claw wounds on your back,however, are going to need stitches." He said as he started cleaning the area around Callum's shoulder.

"Stitches!" He stuttered. "Are-are you really sure I need stitches? It doesn't even hurt that much!" He said unconvincingly.

The doctor gave him a dry look.

"Son, if you don't get stitches, it's only going to get worse. It's not going to heal correctly and you don't want that, do you?"

Callum chewed on his bottom lip. It would be painful and there was a large chance it was going to leave a scar behind. Callum didn't like pain. Callum had never liked pain, had hated when he had broken his arm when he had tripped on the stairs. Plus, as little as he would like to admit it, he was scared.

The doctor seemed to understand as he started to rummage in his medical bag and took out a vile of green stuff.

"Don't worry, I'll be applying pain killers around the area of the wound. You won't feel a thing."

"Promise?" Callum felt like a child again, asking his mother if she was going to come back. She broke her promise only once.

"Promise." The doctor said solemnly,amusement dancing in his eyes.

Callum was made to lie down on his stomach as the doctor McFarland applied the green stuff (an anesthetic made from the bark from some tree originating from Xadia) to his aching back.

McFarland had already cleaned the four slash marks before he applied the anesthetic. Callum hardly felt it as the needle the doctor wielded as a sword pierced his skin with stitches. The agonized wait was terrible however.

"All done."

"What? Already?" Callum sat up and was about to get off the cot he was sitting on but the doctor kept him down and for a second Callum panicked. His muscles tensed and he was about to start flailing before Jack soothed his worries.

"Not yet. He still needs to tend to your shoulder."

Slowly the doctor repeated the process of cleaning the bite in his shoulder. Callum hoped he would hurry up. He had things he needed to do. Ezran was counting on him. Their lives were on the line.

This was only suppose to be a quick stop, then he was to go collect what they needed, wake Ezran and go. Instead, he had been stuck there for almost an hour and a half. How could things get any worse?

"Wow. What happened to you?"

'Oh no.'

"Soren, what are you doing here?" Callum asked as Soren closed the tent flap behind him.

"I came to check up on you, make sure you weren't kidnapped again." He said distractedly as he neared.

"Moonshadows really did a number on you. That looks really painful." He continued.

"Don't worry. His wounds should heal within a few months. He'll be left with some interesting scars but he'll be fine. " Doctor McFarland said as he finished wrapping bandages over Callum's shoulder.

"Remember boy, you need to change your bandages three to four times a day, so they don't get infected." He said. "I'll give you some extra for the road, as well as some other things you'll need."

He turned away and begun scavenging through his supplies.

"That really won't be necessary,doctor. We have all the medical supplies we need and the trip back to the castle won't take more than a day or two." Soren budged in.

"Captain, The prince has been gravely injured. His wounds, if not treated correctly, could lead to infection that could hamper him severely in the future. I would feel most comfortable if I give him the needed supplies to take care of himself correctly. The medical supplies currently at your disposal is for the troupes and are not sufficient to treat prince Callum." Doctor McFarland admonished.

"Uh..." Poor Soren was very confused. Too many big words.

"As for now, I ask that you leave. Prince Callum will be out shortly. I just need to take care of a few more things and you are disturbing my sleeping patient." The medic shoo-ed the Captain of the Crown guard out of the tent as if he was a mere child who wanted to partake in the matters of grown-ups.

Once he deemed the captain far away enough, he turned back to Callum.

"Here." He said as he handed Callum a sak. "There should be enough supplies to sustain you and the young prince on your journey."

Callum looked at the supplies in surprise. There were bandages, a tin of salve, some thread and needles for stitching up wounds, and Scissors.

"The castle isn't so far as to need all these supplies." He said without thinking.

"But you're not going to the castle, are you?" The old medic pointed out.

"Uh..."

"The salve helps for dark magic wounds. Now, don't forget-"

"Change the bandages twice a day?"

"No! Three to four times. Now off you go. I have other patients to attend to."

As they walked out of the tent, Jack grasped Callum by his uninjured shoulder.

"Don't worry about supplies. I'll bring them to you later. You should leave around midnight. I'll make sure things run as smoothly as possible."

"Are you sure?"

"You're a good kid, Callum. Stay safe." He said.

Callum nodded before he swiftly left and made his way through camp. They would make their escape during the cover of darkness. It would give him a chance to get some shut eye,at least. That is,if nightmares didn't come to haunt him like they did every night since king Harrow died. He didn't feel very hopeful.