Rayla couldn't stop smiling as she looked down at her reflection in the water. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the badge on her jacket. It was silly, but the simple thing made her smile intensely. She knew it wasn't real, just an illusion; a simple rock Ezran had found and then coated in moon opal dust so it would hold, even when away from Lujanne.
But it still meant so much to her, thinking about the dragon in his illusion cloak, made of the fungus Ellis had been collecting. The stick turned into a sword, touching her shoulders. It was a human action Ezran had told them about, since none of them knew how a Dragon Guard was really appointed. The image would be seared into her memory.
"Rayla?"
She turned at the voice and nodded at the moon mage, "Lujanne."
"Can I speak with you for a moment?"
The newly appointed guard walked over to her, "What is it?"
"I wanted to tell you about the other night." She looked to the sky, "After we had helped Callum into bed, I sensed something. There was this… bright light across the sky, and these wisps floated down right over the nexus, but mainly over where Callum was sleeping."
"What could it mean?"
"I don't know. But it's something I wanted you to know about," she gave her a smile, "Seeing as you're a Dragon Guard now."
Smiling and touching the badge once more, Rayla nodded, "Well… thank you for letting me know."
"I also wanted to tell you, Callum asked me if I would teach him how to shift. I hope that's alright with you."
"He did mention it. It will delay our departure for a day, but it's something he needs to learn. While you do, I'm going to patrol the area, make sure everything's alright."
"Very well. I will do my best to help him learn," she said, heading back to the main nexus, and searching for the prince. She soon found him sat with Ezran, talking. "Your highness?"
The dragon turned to her and smiled shyly, "J-Just Callum is enough."
"Callum. If you are free, we can go and try to help you shift… if you wish."
Standing, the teen nodded, "Yes, please, I would."
"Then come with me. There is somewhere that will help you channel your powers." She turned and walked down the path, the dragon hurrying to walk at her side.
They walked silently around the ruins that were hidden in the mountain until they came to a long stairway. "You see, Callum, there is Primal Energy everywhere. And while it surrounds us constantly, it may be weaker or stronger at different times and places. The ocean is strongest at high tide, sky is strongest in a storm, and the moon is strongest when it's full."
The prince nodded in understanding, listening carefully as they walked up the stairs. He was slightly surprised when he realised he wasn't out of breath from climbing them. He really was stronger now.
"And there's more. There are six special places where the magic of the Primal Energies are most pure and powerful in this world. Such a place is called a nexus," she explained as they reached the top, looking out over the large lake before them. The water was contained within a basin of rocks while trees grew out from the source. Lujanne held her hand over the edge as she showed him the view, "This is the Moon Nexus."
Looking over, the prince smiled softly. "It's beautiful."
"When the night comes, it reflects the moon perfectly, and when the moon is full, its light completely fills the lake. But it's more than beautiful Callum, it's powerful. Close your eyes and listen."
"Listen?"
"Dragons like you can hear it."
"Hear what?"
She just smiled at him, "Try it and see."
He frowned, but then closed his eyes, head lowered as he tried to listen for whatever she was talking about. Slowly, he began to hear it, gradually getting louder until it was all he could hear. "It… its singing," he whispered, opening his eyes and looking out over the water. The music began dying down in his ears. "I can hear… singing."
"That is the power of the nexus. It's the moon's Primal Energy stored within the water, land, and sky surrounding this place." The mage looked out over the water. "I can hear it sometimes, when I meditate for hours, but dragons are so connected to the Primal Sources that you don't even need to try."
"How is that going to help me shift?"
Looking at him, the mage took a deep breath. "Think of it like this; magic, for all creatures, has to reach a power level. Like filling a cup with water." She held out her hands and slowly, an illusionary cup and glass appeared in her hands. The fake water was poured into the cup. "When you fill it to the top, you can do the spell. Some spells require a lot of magic…" the cup changed its size to something much bigger, "While others take a smaller amount," then the cup shrank to prove her point.
Callum watched her, slightly confused. "I still don't understand."
"When you are near a nexus, the magic flows into you naturally. Like a metal rod conducts lightning."
He frowned at that. Seeing his confusion only growing, the mage thought for a moment, then made the illusionary glass vanish, holding out her hand. Quickly, her hand drew a rune in a dark, sparkling form, and she spoke. "Imperium Viventem." The rune glowed then vanished, and she turned back to him. "Look now."
He looked at the nexus again, and saw waves of rainbow light coming down from the sky and into the water, making the whole surface glow with power. "Wow," he breathed, tail wagging in amazement. He watched the light being spread across the ground and up into the trees. Then, he noticed the same waves of light were coming up along the ground towards him. They climbed up his legs, tail, and into his body. "What is this?"
"It's the power of the nexus. That spell has just allowed you to see it."
"It's… going into me… but not you?"
"As I said, I could connect to the nexus with rituals and meditation or on a full moon, but you? You can connect to any nexus and use it for your own power. It will restore any depletions and triple whatever power you already have as long as you are close to it. And if you came here at night, it would be even stronger for you. That is what will help you shift."
"So… how do I do it?"
"I want you to close your eyes again, and this time, I want you to listen to the magic of the nexus. Breathe with it. Connect your heart, your strength, and your power to the magic. Search yourself for what you want to become, and when you are ready, say the words 'hominum matintio.' It's the draconic words for shifting to human form. Then, there is dragonic matintio, the dragon change, and dryadalis matintio, the elf form. Hybrida matintio is what you use to come back to your current hybrid form."
"Hominum, dragonic, dryadalis, hybrida?"
"That's right. Although, you will need to be a lot stronger, physically and mentally, to use the dragonic or dryadalis. For now, concentrate on hominum and hybrida."
The dragon did as he was told, leaning on the railing overlooking the water, and closing his eyes. He listened to the music, finding the beat in the sounds, and breathing in sync with the tune. As he did, he felt it coming towards him, getting louder as it began pulling into his chest. He felt the power inside him, what he called on when he did his magic, but it was now so much larger, and it felt like it was getting bigger with every second.
He pictured a human in his mind: wings and tail gone, no horns or talons. He frowned a little as he connected the image to the magic inside him.
"Hominum matintio," he said softly.
For a moment, nothing happened, but then, he felt the power briefly deplete, and slowly refill. He opened his eyes and looked at the moon mage. She gave him a smile and bowed her head.
~#~
As beautiful as the nexus was, and as proud of her illusions as Lujanne was, the news of these ominous, glowing orbs disturbed Rayla's mind.
She was patrolling the perimeter once again when a snap in the woods got her attention. She turned quickly with her swords ready. "Who's there?!" she shouted, spotting a figure in the shadows, "Show yourself!"
"At least I didn't sneak up on you," came a familiar voice.
"Callum?" she frowned, looking at him closer. She was surprised she hadn't recognised him. As he stepped away from the dark, she quickly realised why. "You shifted!" she praised with a smile.
His horns, wings, scales, and tail were all gone, and his teeth were much smaller now along with his rounded nails. He smiled back at her. "Aye, that I did," he said in her thick, 'human accent', "I'm just a simple human me."
The elf laughed. "I think your disguise is a bit better than mine."
"Well, I do have a slight advantage," he teased as he moved forward, stumbling a little and holding his arms out for balance. "Whoa…"
"You alright?"
"Still getting used to the balance. No tail is strange," he explained as he gradually joined her on the path.
Looking him over, Rayla nodded, "You look good. For a human that is." She smirked when she saw some blush on his cheeks, "So, can you shift back?"
He nodded eagerly. "Seems so. Whenever I want to, and only certain parts if I want!" he chuckled, and glanced back as he allowed his tail to reappear. "See? Balance restored."
"Impressive."
"It's like a door has been opened for me… and I can go through it whenever I want. I just think of what I want, and mentally say the words. I don't even have to say them out loud," he explained as his tail vanished once more, "I can't change into an elf, or into a 'full dragon' as Lujanne called it, but… surely this is a good sign."
"It is. It's a really good sign for you," the elf agreed, "And to be honest, this form is probably of more use to us right now. We still have a lot of human territory to get through before we reach Xadia."
Nodding, he looked out over the forest before lifting his head a little, "Rayla, as nice as it is here, we need to leave soon."
"What?"
"Something isn't right. It's like… something is following us. I can feel it. We need to go, before it can find us."
Surprised by his insight into the situation, the Moonshadow elf nodded. "I agree. Something is coming."
"Then we get Ez, and we leave as soon as we can."
Rayla agreed, looking him over again as he stared at the forest. His eyes were narrow in concentration.
"You know… you're different."
Looking back at her, he smirked. "Well, I am currently human."
"That's not what I meant."
"Oh?"
"There is something about you that is just…. It's like you've…" She shook her head, unable to think of the right word.
"Grown?" he suggested, "Yeah, I have. I didn't realise it at first, but now I can feel it." He looked at his human hand, "Maybe it was the storm, maybe it was shifting, or being close to the nexus, but something is different about me. I've changed. And to be honest Rayla, I like it. I feel stronger now, like I could take on the world."
"Well, that's good, because the world is against us right now," she smiled, then tilted her head with a slight frown. "Callum, there was something I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Before, when you were poisoned… you were singing something. Do you remember what?"
Perplexed over the odd question, Callum thought, then nodded.
"High above the stars shine and guide my dear,
And the moon turns and smiles,
So remember there is no need to fear.
As the waters flow to sea,
Know the winds will take you home,
And bring you back to me.
Here within my arms,
Know you're safe,
Forever sealed in memories,
And love's true grace.
With sunlight in your heart,
You'll know I'm here for you,
Upon the earth, we never need part.
You're always close to me,
As you sleep child of mine,
And dream of the world you will see.
Around you the magic of Xadia flows,
And leads you onwards,
Where fear never goes."
Hearing him say it so clearly made Rayla blush a little. "You have a really nice singing voice," she confessed, then coughed to hide her fluster, "But, do you know what it is?"
"No. Why? What is it?"
"It's an ancient Xadian lullaby," she said with a smile.
"It is?"
"Yeah. Do you remember where you heard it?"
He frowned slightly, and it was clear his memories had not yet returned completely. "I remember this woman… she was near me and singing it," he reached for his sketchbook, flipping through the pages until he came to the one image he wanted. "Here. This is her."
He passed the book over, and on the page, Rayla looked to the drawing he was pointing at. It only took up half the page, but it showed a woman with a small, gentle smile on her lips. Her hair was long and tied elegantly behind her head with a decorative band holding it in place over her shoulder. Another band of some kind rested on her brow with a teardrop hanging in the centre. Her hair parted over four separate horns, and her ears were pointed. There was a hint of her clothing in the drawing, a dress with a clasp at the very front. But despite the detail around her, there was something missing.
The image had no eyes.
"I can't remember them…" Callum said when he saw Rayla's confusion, "Her eyes. No matter how hard I try, I can't remember what her eyes look like. Sometimes, I can hear her singing, or laughing, but… never her eyes."
Rayla looked at the incomplete picture for a while longer before passing it back to him, "Callum, I know who this is."
"What? You do?"
"Yes."
"Who? Who is it?" he asked a little sharply, so close to this lost memory.
Rayla just smiled. "She's your mother."
The dragon froze. "My…" he started, but couldn't say it, his eyes going back to the book, "How-how do you know?"
"This here," she pointed to the pin on her dress, "It's the seal of the royal family. They are the only ones allowed to wear it. This is your mother in her hybrid form." She paused, giving him a chance to take it in, "This is Queen Zubeia."
Feeling a little light headed, Callum smiled. "She's my mother," he whispered, staring at the drawing. "She's beautiful. Have you met her? What's she like?"
"I'm sorry Cal, but I've never met her. I only saw her once,when my parents took me to the Storm Spire. They took me to see where they worked while they were away, but… I never spoke to her. I was barely four years old."
While down hearted, he didn't look upset at the news, and looked at the image again. "I wish I could remember her."
"You will, give it time."
He smiled, then closed the book, placing it over his shoulder once more. "Rayla… thank you."
"For what?"
"For everything," he said, leaning over and gently, but quickly, kissing her cheek.
Feeling her whole body tense, she quickly stepped back. "Silly lizard," she muttered as she turned her back on him.
"Yeah, I am," he smiled, then reached over to the side where some blue roses were growing. He carefully picked one, and kissed the petals before holding it out for her, "To keep you company while you're keeping us safe."
Blushing, the former assassin took it from his hand and smiled. "You should go get some sleep. With you able to shift now, we need to get ready to leave soon."
"I will let Ezran know," he agreed, then headed back towards the sleeping quarters the moon mage had allowed them to use.
Rayla watched him leave before looking at the rose in her hand. She smelled it before raising it to her lips, kissing the same petal the prince had just a moment ago. Then, she headed on down the path, looking for the dangers she knew were coming. However, as she walked, she felt an exhaustion coming over her. She was finding it hard to walk and think, her eyelids feeling like lead as she forced herself down the path.
She squeezed the rose tight as she found herself collapsing on the path, unable to stay awake a moment longer.
Behind her, out of the bushes, came two figures: the two children of the dark mage. The sorceress was playing some kind of instrument, while her brother covered his ears. As the song came to an end, the dark mage glared at the sleeping elf and turned to her brother. "Go on. Do it," she commanded as he drew and raised his sword. Yet, he hesitated.
"What are you waiting for? She's a Moonshadow elf. We deal with her, then we deal with the dragon. They kidnapped the prince! You just have to-"
"I know!" he interrupted, but then looked down at the elf lying at his feet, "I've just never attacked someone who's sleeping before. It doesn't seem…sporting."
Claudia did not look impressed at his dilemma. "You want me to wake her?"
Her brother nodded slightly.
"And how long do you need her to be awake for it to be sporting? Ten seconds? Five?"
"One second," he answered honestly.
"Okay…" the dark-haired woman said with a shrug, "On three. One, two –"
At that moment, Rayla opened her eyes and quickly kicked Soren's legs out from under him. She threw him to the ground while she stood up.
The mage blinked and backed off, amazed by the development. "But… how did you resist the sleep spell?!"
"Oh, I used my lovely rose to help me stay awake," she admitted, holding up the rose to smell it once more, "Hard to sleep with a thorn poking at you." The elf then propped it behind her ear, unwilling to lose the valuable flower, then drew her blades.
Soren drew his as well and began to swing it back and forth in a flashy display. Rayla just waited, unimpressed. "Are we gonna fight, or is this a talent show?"
The human frowned and stared at her, "Oh."
Starting the attack, Rayla charged at him, both her blades moving fast against his weapon, but he blocked each of her strikes. Once ready, he charged against her a lot stronger, and forced her to back up and dodge his blows. Unfortunately for him, his overpowered attack caused his weapon to get stuck in a tree, and the elf attacked him again with a flying leap.
Soren kicked her hard in the stomach and sent her flying back into the trees around them. She landed squarely on her back with a pained grunt. As she sat up, the human jumped after her, his sword ready to stab through her stomach, but the elf managed to roll away in time. They continued to fight for a while, neither of them getting the upper hand, but then Rayla got a slight advantage. The human was knocked to the ground, and she stood over him. "What are you doing here?"
"Soren!"
The call made her turn to the speaker, and the swordsman took advantage of her distraction quickly. He got up and charged at her, picking her up, and throwing her backwards into a mud pit.
Once she was down, the mage threw some strange, glowing gunk onto her weapons and began to chant in some strange, unknown language. The blades seared hot until she couldn't hold them anymore, and she dropped them into the mud, blowing on her hands.
Disarmed and on unstable ground, Rayla realised the human was before her, sword ready for a final strike. "Any last words, elf?"
"RAYLA!"
The pair turned to the voice, but at that very second, something ran at the guard and tackled him to the ground. Soren dropped his blade before finding a hand grasping his neck. Above him, was a snarling hybrid with long fangs, wings spread wide, and talons that were now cutting off his airway. The other hand was held up above him, ready to rip his face off at any given moment. A loud, deep growling reverberated through the teen's chest.
Soren gasped as he looked up at the dragon. "G-get off me! Please!" he begged.
Callum kept growling as he squeezed tighter.
"Callum! Wait!"
He turned to look at the voice, his eyes still narrow, and glaring at Ezran who ran to join them. The human looked a little scared, but swallowed, and held out his hand. "It's alright. J-just let him go."
Looking down at the older male, Callum let his growl die down and quickly let go of his neck. He stood, stalking over to Ezran and wrapping his tail around him.
With a sigh of relief, Ezran looked at the other humans. "Claudia? Soren? What are you two doing here?"
"We-we came to get you Ez! This elf and dragon, they-they kidnapped you!" Claudia explained, taking a step forward, but the dragon growled, and she quickly backed off.
Rayla looked at the two of them. "We never kidnapped him. He came with us willingly."
"It's true. I came with them to help look after Callum."
The mage glanced at the dragon, who was still glaring daggers at her. "Umm… hi?"
A growl was her only reply.
Ezran sighed as he looked over the group. "Look, it's late. Why don't we all get some rest and we can talk in the morning."
"No," Callum finally snapped, "They leave. Now!"
Having gotten herself free of the mud, Rayla walked over to him and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Callum, we should let them stay till morning. We need to find out how they found us and what they know."
He glared at her, but she smiled softly.
Finally, he sighed. "One night. And if you do anything I don't like, I'll kill you both myself."
With that, he grabbed Rayla's wrist and pulled her away from them both, heading to the nexus. Once far enough away, he stopped and let go of her, taking a few more steps. He grabbed hold of a tree and slumped forward, his breathing becoming sharp and fast.
"Callum?" Rayla called as she walked over to him, tentative of his mental state, "Are you… are you alright?"
"That… that man. He was going to hurt you."
Looking down at her mud-soaked clothes, Rayla sighed, "Yeah… but I had it under control. Promise."
He turned to her, "I know. But… I couldn't help myself. I just… charged in."
"And I'm grateful you did," she said as she walked around him, holding his cheek, "But you really shouldn't have. It only put you in danger."
"I know. I just…"
"You wanted to protect me, I know," she chuckled lightly, then leaned over and kissed his cheek, "But please, don't risk your life for mine. You're more important than me."
His eyes disagreed with her, but instead, he reached out and touched the badge on her shirt. "Just… promise me you'll be careful… but…why did you let them stay?"
"They found us, somehow. We need to find out how exactly, and stop it from happening again. There is no point in us running away if they can just follow us."
"But how will we find out?"
She winced a little. "Umm… you're not going to like it."
"Why?"
"You… could try talking to the dark mage?"
He growled at the mere idea, "No."
"Callum…"
"NO!" he hissed, "I will not speak to that… that… that witch !"
Holding his hand, Rayla frowned. "Callum, I know it's hard, but please, you need to try. Think about it, okay?"
He stared at her then sighed, walking towards the gazebo. "It's late. We should get some rest."
~#~
The next morning, Soren and Claudia stood in their own gazebo, thinking about what to do now.
"You know what I don't understand?" the guard asked after a long silence, "That dragon boy."
"What about him?"
"He… he seemed to know you."
Claudia blinked suddenly as she sipped her hot, brown, morning potion. "Umm… I… I don't know what you mean."
"The way he looked at me… that was because I was attacking his elf girlfriend, obviously. But when he looked at you…" Soren frowned, "He… he hated you, but you've never seen him before."
The mage averted her gaze, "Umm… yeah, about that."
"Claudia?"
"The truth is… umm… dad… umm…"
"What are you not telling me?"
"Look, it's a dragon… they are… a power source for Dark Magic and… you know, it's not easy to get dragon blood… or dragon nails or… scales, or hair, and… you know it's handy to have a… a supply."
Soren slowly put it together. "What did you do?"
"We… kinda kept him prisoner in the castle for the last ten years, harvesting bits from him for magic. You know, nothing serious ."
The guard stared at her in disbelief. "I knew Dark Magic was weird but… you were keeping a dragon prisoner… for ten years?" He paused, thinking of the boy he'd seen, "Wait… he can't be much older than you! Ten years? That means… he was a child when you took him!"
"I never took him!" Claudia argued in her own defence, "Dad did!"
"Oh, because that's so much better!"
"Look, our mission is to bring Ezran home. Never mind the dragon or… anything else."
Not looking impressed at her dismissal, Soren sighed. He was also torn up over his father's 'secret mission', the mission to kill King Harrow's only child.
"So… how are we going to do that? Ezran seemed pretty happy with the dragon… and the dragon was pretty protective of him."
"We'll think of something," Claudia mumbled, looking at her potion once more, and contemplating the dragon situation. The vial of dragon blood stashed in her bag suddenly began playing on her mind.
As Soren tried to wrap his head around things, there was a knock at the door. The pair looked at each other before he went over, holding the hilt of his blade as he did. He opened the door carefully and was met with a scowling dragon on the other side. He gulped, tensing for a fight, but the dragon just huffed.
"I want to speak to the…woman."
Claudia stood from her seat, "Me?"
"Yes, you…" he flicked his tail in discomfort, "Come."
The siblings looked at each other before the mage shrugged, walking out the doorway and clutching her bag. She looked nervously at the dragon. "Umm… what did you want to talk about?"
He walked down the path, his face in a constant frown. "Tell me what you know."
"Know?"
"About me."
She looked at the ground, "I don't know what you want to know."
"What did you know about me? When I was there… when I was in that cell… you weren't surprised to find me. Yet, I never saw you before that day. So, what did you know?"
She scratched the back of her neck as they walked. "Well… umm…" she bit her lip for a moment, "See… I'm a mage, and… I use magic… so… you… umm… you're… umm… body is… well… I can use it to do magic."
"What you do is not magic!" he snapped suddenly, stopping and turning to face her, "You do Dark Magic. Evil and black."
"Look, dragon…"
"My name is Callum!"
"Callum… right, sorry. But… look, Callum, you have to understand; humans are… nothing, compared to dragons and elves. We don't have a bond to an Arcanum like you do. We don't have any great powers or skills… we don't have… anything. And yet, we are still able to do amazing things."
"By taking the life of other creatures? By stealing their blood to do your Dark Magic?!" he growled, "You disgust me witch."
"Look, Callum, please, give me a chance to explain," she pleaded, "Look, I knew about you. I knew… my father had a dragon hidden in the lower levels… but… I just thought of you as… this… thing."
"Thing?"
"I'm sorry for that," she apologised, "I just thought…" She sighed and looked away, "Well, in truth, I wasn't thinking. My father would just give me these amazing gifts, and I would be able to do these… wonderful, powerful spells with them… so I never asked where they came from. And when he did tell me… I… I didn't want to go anywhere near you."
He glared at her as they walked. "And now?"
"Now?"
"Do you see what your magic does? The harm it does?" He looked ahead for a moment, "You saw me in that cell. You saw what your father had done to me. What do you think now?"
The mage walked beside him, and her eyes looked over his appearance. "Well…" she whispered, "You… look… different."
"I'm not on the edge of death anymore," he reminded her.
"Well… yes… you do… look better… but… you also… you look… stronger."
He let out a sharp huff, then held out his hand, aiming upwards. "Fulminis," he said, and quickly, lightning shot from his hand and exploded into the sunny sky.
Claudia's eyes went wide at the display. "Wow."
"Yes, I am stronger. And you would be wise to remember it. Now, answer my next question; what are you doing here?"
His threat made her swallow, and she backed off from him a little, "W-we're here to rescue Ezran."
"Rescue him?" he hissed, "My brother is in no danger."
"Your brother?"
"Got a problem with that?"
She held up her hands defensively, "No, no, no, that's fine. But… you do know he's a prince… he has duties to attend to. He can't just… run away…and his father is worried about him," she added.
Callum looked away from her. "But I need him to come with me. When I return home… I need him."
"Why?"
"Because I do. I have no intention of telling you why," he looked at the woman, "You can't take him away."
Claudia sighed as she looked at him. "Callum, that isn't your say."
"And it isn't yours," he growled, getting up in her face. "Ezran can decide. If he wants to go home, then so be it… I won't stop him. But if he wants to come with me, you can't stop him. Understand?"
The mage quickly nodded, and Callum frowned when he noticed a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Yes, yes, whatever you say," she said, her voice slightly flustered. "So… umm… Callum… can I… can I ask you a question?"
"I suppose. But if I don't like it, I will not answer you."
"Can dragons do… Dark Magic?"
He stopped and glared at the mage, then walked ahead of her without saying a word.
Claudia gasped as he walked on, "Wait, Callum…"
"Leave me!" he ordered, continuing on without her.
"No, no, wait… I… I have something to give you!" she called, running after him, "A-as a...a peace token." She reached into her pocket bag, but the dragon growled.
"Whoa… I-I'm just getting something from my bag."
Tense, the dragon glared at her, his talons ready for an attack. " Slowly ."
She nodded, and gradually reached into her bag, taking hold of a vial, and pulling it out before letting it lie flat in her palm. "Here. M-My father gave it to me. I-It's… it's your blood. He wanted me to use it… to put you to sleep and… and take you back."
"Take me back?" he growled, taking a small step backwards, "You're here to take me back?!"
Caught, Claudia retreated herself, "Umm… yes… he… he did, but I'm not going to! I… I see now it was wrong! It was wrong to keep you locked up… you're a living, thinking person… not a thing so… I won't… I won't hurt you." She held the vial out a little more, "Take it. Please. S-so… I can't use it on you."
Slowly, Callum stepped forward and reached out. He took the vial and looked at it, the liquid sliding from one side to the other. The sight brought back memories of being chained, and having his life essence taken. He tightly closed his hand around it.
"Ah, be careful," the mage said quickly, "If you break the glass, the spell will activate, and you'll fall asleep."
Holding it carefully now, Callum put it into his own pocket before staring at her. "You are hiding something, witch," he said, slowly moving towards her until they were eye to eye, "There's a secret… something you aren't telling me."
"What…"
"I can see it in your eyes. Not just the darkness in your heart, but something… something you're not telling me."
She swallowed hard, unable to look away from him, "J-just that… Ezran has to return home… to be with his father."
SL: *Painful groan* Dear GOD that lullaby took forever to write, and I'm still not 100% happy. If you are interested, I based the 'tune' for it off All Is Found from Frozen 2, the Kacey Musgraves version.
Also, FINALLY WE GET TO SEE SOREN MEET CALLUM! (Ray calls him our second baby, Callum being our first baby.)
RK: I PROTECC MY SONS!