Chapter 18 – Into Xadia

Callum groaned, looking at his side. "I really need to work on my sword skills."

"No kidding," the elf huffed. "Once we get to Xadia, I'll make sure you get a proper sword and I'll start teaching you."

He smiled at her. "And where would I get a 'proper sword'?"

"My home village," she said as she continued to pack, "Now sit there and wait for the others to get back."

"Callum!"

They both turned at the call as Ezran, Pyrrah, and Corvus returned. Ez ran towards his brother and hugged him. "You're alright!"

"Yeah, that attack really knocked me out for one, but I'm okay now." He rubbed his cheek against the boy's. "But what were you thinking? Running off like that?"

"I needed some time to think," he sighed, "I… I know about my dad."

The dragon lowered his head a little. "Ez, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I… I feared… I feared losing you."

"Callum, you're my brother. You'll never lose me."

He smiled, then nuzzled him again. "I know."

The sun dragon, in her hybrid form once more, huffed in annoyance. "Well, if you still want me to take you to the border… now is the time to go."

Callum groaned as he stood and held his side. "Yes, we're ready."

"Callum… I'm not going with you."

"What?!" Both Rayla and Callum gasped, while Pyrrah and Corvus moved to the side, talking lowly to each other.

Ezran walked over to his friends and sighed. "When I found out assassins were coming for my dad, I ran away and hid in the walls."

"With a big stash of jelly tarts," Rayla chuckled lightly.

"Yeah…and when I found out Dad was gone forever, I ran away again. I've been running away from things my whole life. But I can't run away from growing up."

"Ezran, you didn't run away, you came with us to help save me," Callum said, kneeling before him and holding his shoulder. "You're a part of this, changing the world."

"Callum… my dad once told me something… really important and… I never understood it until now… until I met you." He held the hand on his shoulder. "When you grow up, you have to face things you're not ready for."

The dragon blinked. "Ez…"

"I might not be ready to become king… but I have to face my responsibility. I have to go home just as you have to go home. The two of us, we have a chance to change the world. We can stop the war, together. Once you get home, you can call for peace from Xadia. And I will call for peace from Katolis."

Callum lowered his head. "But… I need you."

"You don't need me Cal," he laughed dryly, then hugged the dragon. "You're strong enough to make it on your own. You don't need me to cuddle anymore. And you have Rayla to keep you safe."

"Ezran…"

"You and Rayla have to go on without me. We will see each other again, promise."

The dragon stared at him, tears forming in his eyes, but then his expression hardened, and he stood. "Rayla, lend me your blade."

The odd request made her back off a little. "Why?"

"Just do it," he ordered, holding out his hand for it.

She frowned, but did as asked, extending one for him and placing the handle in his palm.

Holding it, Callum turned to Pyrrah. "Pyrrah, will you?"

She looked a little concerned, clearly knowing what he was up to. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, stepping closer, "It can't be undone."

"I'm sure."

She nodded, then walked over to them, taking the blade and the prince's hand. Her eyes narrowed as she held the tip to the palm of his hand.

"Draco sanguinis sub pedibus nostris animus animus est, et frater in corde." As she finished, the blade glowed a bright, sky blue, and she let the tip cut into his skin, drawing a small rune. As the blood pooled around the cut, the sun dragon quickly turned to Ezran and held out her other hand. "Give me your hand Ezran."

"Why?"

"I'm marking you as true brothers," she explained, hand still extended.

Smiling at the idea, the human held out his hand to her and watched as she allowed the blood from the dragon to drip onto his own wrist. As it did, the liquid began to glow blue and move until it created a band on the human's skin. Callum watched an identical band appear on his own wrist. After a moment, the glow faded to reveal a tattoo-like mark on both of them.

Ezran turned his hand as he looked it over. "Wow."

"They are similar to a Moonshadow assassin's binding," Callum explained as he looked at the mark. "As long as I'm alive, it will never fade. And yours will never fade on me. And it will change colour depending on our feelings." He closed his eyes and Ezran's glowed red. "See, red is for pain… since my hand kinda hurts."

"W-why do it now?"

Callum smirked. "Because it can only be done by another dragon. And now I can know if you're safe."

Smiling at the gift, Ezran stepped forward and hugged him tight. "Thank you Callum," he mumbled into his shoulder, then turned to Rayla, hugging her as well. "Take care of him."

"I will," she promised, hugging him tight before ruffling his hair, "We'll see each other again, I know it."

"We better. You do know where I live after all," he laughed before all three of them hugged.

Corvus nodded, watching them fondly. "I'll travel with the king and keep him safe."

"If you can wait a while, once I have taken the prince to the border, I will return and fly you as far as I can into the human kingdoms," Pyrrah offered as she stepped forward. "I can't go too far, it's too dangerous, but I can give you a good head start."

"Thank you Pyrrah." The Dragon Prince stood. "And once you have, I want you to go to the other western dragons, tell them I am alive, and that I am summoning them to the Storm Spire. They are forbidden from attacking another human settlement. Understood?"

She stared at him, then gave a small smile, bowing her head. "Yes, your highness."

Rayla sighed as she looked over at the setting sun. "It's almost night. If we get to the border soon, we can get across via the Moonstone Path."

"Alright," Callum said with a deep sigh, "Pyrrah, are you ready?"

"More than," she replied, walking out of the cave and shifting to her draconic form. She lowered her head and held out her foreleg so the pair could climb onto her back. She looked at Ez, Bait, and Corvus. "Wait here. I will return shortly."

"Do we have to fly on the dragon?" Corvus gulped.

"Do you want to walk for over a month?" the dragoness reminded him, "Just wait for my return."

With that, she spread her wings and pushed off the ground, taking her passengers high above the trees. Callum almost laughed at her speed. Flying with Phoe-Phoe had been slow, calm, and steady, but a dragon was so much faster. She soon got them above the clouds and righted her direction.

He looked down over her wing and smiled. "Wow. We're so high up!"

"Best way for cover," the dragoness told him, scanning below, "Are you sure you want to go via the Moonstone Path, elf?"

"Yes. I know the way best from there."

"You know you'll have to go past him if you do."

"And you'll have to face him if you fly over," Rayla told her, "Which is worse; an elf trying to walk past with the Dragon Prince, or a western dragon trying to fly in?"

"Good point," she conceded, and went back to flying. Gradually, the landscape below changed from lush mountains and forests, dotted with the occasional village or town, to rocks and barren land.

Callum frowned as he looked into the distance. "What is that?" he asked as he spotted a glow forming.

"That's the border of our lands," Pyrrah explained, "Formed thousands of years ago to separate elves and dragons from the humans."

"It's… a river of fire."

"Lava, yes. Not even sun dragons can touch it unscathed."

"Look, there!" Rayla shouted, pointing over the edge, "That's the canyon of the Moonstone Path."

Banking towards it, the sun dragon made her way down, finding a spot to land, and allowing her passengers to disembark. She remained in her larger, draconic form as she bid them farewell. "Safe travels your highness," she said with a bow, then looked at the elf, "And to you… Rayla."

Before either of them could comment on her sudden manners, she took off and began to return to where Ezran was waiting.

The Moonshadow elf huffed lightly. "Well, something changed her tune."

Callum chuckled, then looked at what was before them, a river of lava with thousands of rocks crossing it. "So… this is the border to Xadia?"

"Yep."

"I can't believe we made it. All this way…" His heart sank a little. "And Ez isn't with us."

Rayla turned to him. "I know, but we can't think about that now. He's doing the right thing, and so are we." She turned back to the river and looked between the path and the sky.

"So… what do we do? Do we just… walk across?" the prince questioned as he stepped onto one of the rocks.

"Wait, no!" Quickly, Rayla pulled him back to the bank just before the rocks sank below the lava.

The prince gasped as he realised his stupid mistake. "Oh…"

"Not all the rocks sink that quickly. A few will let us stand on them long enough to walk across. Those special stones are called the Moonstone Path."

"Right…"

"If it was all of them, any elf or human could cross and it wouldn't be much of a border."

"I suppose so," he sighed, looking at the rocks, "So… which ones are safe?"

Rayla smirked as she looked up to the sky once more. "Patience, your highness."

He was about to trip her with his tail for the comment, but then noticed a sliver of the moon above, and then a glow on some of the stones. "Oh…" he poked one with his foot and saw that it didn't sink. "The Moon stone Path! I get it."

Rayla smiled as she took his hand and began to lead him from stone to stone, navigating them across the lava, and helping him make the longer jumps when they came. It was a long way. Several times, they got close to the other side, but then the path turned and led them back into the main river.

As they travelled, Callum paused for a moment and pulled off his cloak. "It's too hot for this."

"It is a river of fire Cal," Rayla teased as she went on, but then gasped, looking ahead. "Oh no. The sky's getting lighter. We need to hurry! If the sun rises, we won't be able to see the moon runes."

As they watched, the sun started to shine through a gap in the wall and the runes vanished. The pair looked at each other, horrified, then Callum grabbed Rayla's hand, dropping his cloak. "Run!" he shouted, pulling her down the path.

But it wasn't enough, and the path vanished before them. "Do you remember which one it was?" Callum asked before looking behind him. The stone he'd left his cloak on was sinking, the fabric igniting from the heat. More stones began sinking after it. "We don't have long!"

Rayla looked over them, tentatively putting her foot on one stone, but it instantly sank. "I-I don't know! I don't know which one it is!"

Callum gasped as he panicked, looking around for some sort of clue.

~#~

Miles away, on the back of the sun dragon, Ezran looked at his wrist, the marking turning a pale grey colour. Sat behind the prince, Corvus frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I-I think it means he's in trouble," the human said, glancing behind him, but they were miles from the border now, too far to help them. He closed his eyes and thought deeply. 'Come on Callum, you can do this. Concentrate.'

Trapped on the river of fire, Callum blinked. "Ez?"

"What is it Callum?"

"I-I can hear Ez," he said with a frown.

'You can do this. It's not far. You can make it.'

The dragon stared at the distance. "How?! One wrong move…"

'You have wings silly! You have to fly! You can do it! I know you can.'

Looking back at the sinking rocks, the dragon realised he had no other option.

"Alright… I can do it." He spread his wings wide and began to flap them against the ground. He took a deep breath and ran forward, his foot touching a stone that sank instantly, but he'd already jumped, his wings beating hard to push him upwards.

Rayla could only stare, mouth agape as he flew above the lava, his wings straining from the effort. She looked behind her as the sinking got closer. "Come on Callum! You can do it!"

He groaned at the burn, but then looked back to see the rocks right behind Rayla. She had seconds.

With one final push, he landed on the top of a large rock and used his shadow to block the sunlight. Instantly, the path became clear again, and she was able to run over it to the other side. She climbed up the rock to reach the dragon, just as he rolled over to his side.

"Callum! You did it! You flew! We made it across!"

He groaned and looked up at her. "My wings have never hurt so much."

Smiling, she moved so she was sat near his head, and allowed him to use her lap as a pillow until he got his breath back.

"We made it," he chuckled.

"Yeah." She smiled down, letting him rest.

He smiled back, glancing at the mark around his wrist. "Thanks for the help Ez."

'You made it?'

"Yeah. I'm in Xadia."

'Welcome home Callum.'

Rayla frowned as she watched him. "So… you can talk to him with that?"

"Yeah, don't know how to explain it… the spell wasn't meant to allow thoughts, only feelings."

"Guess your bond with Ez is stronger than you thought."

"Perhaps," Callum sighed, closing his eyes for a bit while Rayla gently stroked his wings to help them relax. After a while, the elf realised he'd fallen asleep on her lap, snoring lightly as the sun rose.

Sighing, she reached over and brushed his hair back, watching the sky for a while, and looking at the Moonstone Path before them. The stones slowly recovered and came back into place.

After a few hours of sleeping, Callum groaned a bit, tossing around on her lap. "N-no… no-no st-stop."

Rayla looked down at him. "Cal?"

"S-stop…" he moaned, curling in on himself, "N-no, stop it."

"Callum?" she repeated, touching his cheek gently. "Callum, it's okay… it's okay, it's alright."

He gasped suddenly, bolting upright, panting for breath, and looking around for a bit. He swallowed and started to calm down, looking away, and pulling his legs up. His wings curled protectively around his body. "S-sorry..."

Rayla watched him for a moment before sighing deeply. "Another nightmare?"

He hesitated, but then nodded, wings relaxing behind him.

"You haven't had one in a while."

"Not since our time on the Ruthless," he sighed, rubbing his head, "I bet it's because Ezran isn't here."

"Callum…" she sighed, moving over and stroking his hair gently. "Callum… I know you didn't want to talk about it before, but… maybe now? It might help."

"I don't want to," he whimpered a little, "I… I don't want to."

"It's okay if you don't-"

"Because if I do, I'll be admitting I'm scared!" he shouted, covering his head with his hands. "It-it scares me. It scares me Rayla." He took a few deep breaths. "I see him… every time. When I close my eyes… I see him. I see him as clearly as I see you right now." He turned to her, fear in his eyes. "I see him… with that… that awful staff in hand. I always… hated it. When it struck me… it always hurt… each time… just seeing it would cause me to pull away."

Sitting near him, Rayla pulled him towards her. "It's okay, it's over now."

"It'll never be over Rayla! And… when I'm asleep… I see… I see him… I feel him… beat me, but… worse… I see you… you and Ezran." He covered his eyes again. "I-I-I see him… he strikes Ezran down… and he-he falls at my feet and… and you try to save me… you try and-and he… he stabs you… and… and you fall… right in front of me… and there is nothing I can do to help you!" he cried, breathing heavily as the panic set in.

"Callum."

"I was helpless to stop him Rayla. I-I-I couldn't save you! I couldn't do anything!"

"Callum, it was only a dream," she said softly, rubbing his back, "It was a bad dream. Ezran is safe, I'm safe…"

"For how long?!" he snapped at her, "I-if we continue… if we continue on this quest, I know I'll end up seeing him again. And I… I don't want to feel as helpless as I did!"

Rayla gave him a moment to panic, but then sighed. "Did…"

He looked up, confused. "D-did?"

"You said, I don't want to feel as helpless as I did," she repeated, "Not am."

"Am?"

"You didn't say 'I don't want to feel as helpless as I am'."

He frowned at her, looking away. "Well… I… I'm not… helpless now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah I… I have my powers now and… I know a bit about fighting and… I have you."

"Yeah." She smiled at him, reaching up and brushing his hair back. "See, you're not helpless anymore."

Thinking about it, he sighed, then nodded. "Yeah… m-maybe."

Looking at him for a moment, Rayla finally nodded and stood up. "Well, there's only one thing to do."

"What? What one thing?"

"Come on, let's see what the dumb lump taught you," she chuckled, climbing off the rock and down to ground level. "Come on! Let's see if he's as good as you say."

Blinking, Callum wiped away his tears and stood up, climbing down to join her. "Really?"

"Yeah, let's go for it." She held her hands up in fists. "Try and land a punch."

With a small smirk, Callum nodded and held up his own hands, doing as Soren told him. After a moment, he began to lash out. Naturally, Rayla was faster and blocked him. "Not bad. Go on, again!"

Again and again he attacked her, and Rayla blocked, countering. As the pair sparred, Callum felt something change and his eyes narrowed a little. The next time Rayla threw a punch, he grabbed her arm, twisted it around, and tossed her to the ground, kneeling over her chest.

The elf blinked up at him. "How…did you do that?"

"I dunno… beginner's luck?" He smirked down at her, then stood up, holding out a hand to help her. "Again?"

"Yeah." She eyed him suspiciously as they stood and prepared for another fight. Going after him again, she watched as Callum smirked, grabbed her arm, and twisted it behind her back once more, this time, keeping her in an arm lock. She groaned at the slight pain. "You've got a strong grip!"

"And I think you just unlocked another memory of mine."

"What?"

He let her go and smiled, tapping his head. "My memories. I… I remember learning how to fight."

"You were five when you were taken."

"Yeah… that's the thing… it's not me that learned how." He turned away from her, looking towards the sky. "I don't know how to explain it… I just… remember."

She stared at him, then smirked. "I heard of something like this once."

"You did?"

"Dragons…They can pass on memories to their children. Particularly, the royal families. Like, how to do magic, and how to shift and… apparently how to fight."

Thinking about it, Callum nodded. "It would make sense… I had never heard 'fulminis' before and yet… I knew how to use it." He frowned a little, "But I wonder why Soren didn't unlock my memory?"

"Perhaps… because he's human?"

He thought about it then shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe it's you, Rayla." He gave her a smile. "Everything's thanks to you."

She blushed, then looked away before moving to the side. "Well… is it just fists you remember, or do you think you can handle a blade too?"

"Only one way to find out."

~#~

After they continued to fight for a while, they decided to stop for something to eat before returning to another sparring match. They laughed and enjoyed the competition before noticing it was getting dark again.

"We spent a whole day here," Rayla sighed. "That wasn't the plan."

"No… but I feel better for it. And… knowing I can protect myself now, I feel ready for whatever comes."

She smiled, then walked over to his sketchbook. She picked it up and opened it, searching for the page at the back. "I saw this… back at the lodge…" she said, showing him the sketch of his nightmare. She noticed it had more details than before.

"Yeah… I… I drew it to help me… so I wouldn't forget it." He frowned at the image, then reached out for the paper and quickly pulled it out of the book.

Without hesitating, he crumpled it up into a small ball and threw it at the lava, the heat soon burning it up into ashes and smoke. Smiling, he turned to Rayla. "Enough of the nightmares. I'll probably still have them… but now, I'll fight them."

Proud of his actions, Rayla nodded, then turned to look at the sky. "We should rest up for the night and move on in the morning."

"Agreed."

As the sun began to set, they settled down and rested by the Moonstone Path. They curled up beside each other with the lava to warm them. When morning came once more, Callum stretched his back and shoulders, looking at Rayla as she slept on his arm. Smiling, he reached over and softly caressed the markings on her cheeks. "Hey, Rayla? Time to wake up."

She gave a small groan, but then opened her eyes and looked at where she was. Blushing, she suddenly backed off. "Ah! I'm so sorry Callum! I didn't mean to sleep on you!"

"It's fine. I used to let Ez sleep on me all the time."

Nodding, she quickly stood up and looked around. "Well… onwards to Xadia."

Looking down the path they would need to take, Callum frowned as he thought about something. "Rayla… when we were on Pyrrah's back… she said we'd have to get past him if we took this path. Who's him?"

Rayla sighed and shook her head. "Sol Regem."

"Who's that?"

"The dragon king before your father, a sun dragon. I guess… to you… he's sort of a distant uncle? I think your father's, father's, brother's twin? Or something like that."

"But I'm a sky dragon. How can I be related to a sun dragon?"

She chuckled. "That's a question I don't have the answer to."

"So… why was Pyrrah so worried about us meeting him?"

The elf took a moment, then walked over to their supply bag, checking it over. "He's no ordinary dragon. Any dragon king is… well… very, very powerful."

"I like the sound of that. Ow!" He winced when she punched him in the leg.

"Anyway…" she told him with a smirk, "Sol Regem was a very powerful dragon, and he was the one to banish humans to the west of Xadia when they refused to give up Dark Magic. But he was blinded at the very start. He was forced to step down as king and has since become a symbol of rage and bitterness. He guards the border now, stopping anyone who wants to get into or out of Xadia."

"So… we have to get past my blind, distant uncle to get into Xadia?"

"Yeah," she sighed, remembering the last time she had to face the former king. "It won't be easy. Runaan practically had to beg to convince him to let us pass."

Callum took the bag from her with a nod. "Well… if he's my distant uncle… surely I can just… talk to him?"

"You say that now, but you haven't met him yet."

"I'm sure he will see reason." He smiled, holding a hand down for her. "Come on, time to meet my family."

Rayla took his hand and held it loosely, but didn't look convinced. "I have a feeling this is going to end badly."

The prince laughed as he walked down the path into a large, dusty, sandstone canyon. They trekked for a while, but then Callum felt something, wincing at the sensation. "Whoa…"

"What is it?"

"Power," he said cryptically, "It's… it's like a wave of… power is just pushing against me."

"He must be close then."

They continued on a little further before spotting an odd shape on the side of the canyon. Six large, round protrusions came out from the rock. As they moved a little closer, Callum saw the outline of a resting dragon. "Is that him?"

"Yep, Sol Regem," Rayla whispered, taking cover behind a rock.

"He's enormous."

"About average for an archdragon."

"What?"

"Pyrrah is a common, smaller type of sun dragon," she told him with smirk, "You'll be that big too, one day."

"Better be careful where I sit," he teased, then looked back over the canyon. "So… do you think we should just… walk up to him?"

"It's your plan. I say we try and sneak past him."

"No… let me try talking to him." He straightened his back and took a deep breath. "You stay here, just to be safe."

"No, Callum…" she protested, but he was already walking out into the open.

Sol Regem sniffed the air and turned instantly to face him. "Who dares approach me?!"

"Cadonumis, the Dragon Prince."

"You are unwise to think I would fall for such a foolish trick. Cadonumis is dead!"

"No, I'm not!" he shouted at the dragon, "I am Cadonumis, son of King Avizandum and Queen Zubeia."

The great head came towards him, and sniffed before suddenly pulling back. "How can this be?! You were killed… years ago."

"No, I was taken into the human lands and kept prisoner for these last few years," he explained. "Sol Regem, I am going home to my mother and to claim my rightful place at the Storm Spire."

The dragon paused for a moment, but then lowered his head, and gradually began to shift until he was in a hybrid form. His head lost a pair of horns from his dragon form, but the others remained like a crown above his head. His hair was pure white, but nothing about him was elderly. A long, wispy beard came from his chin while his eyes were still scarred and burnt away. "You wish to claim your rightful place?" he asked, a staff in his hand. "You? A mere boy?"

"I wish to see my mother and help restore peace between Xadia and the human lands."

Behind him, Rayla face-palmed at his choice of words. Callum soon realised his mistake when Sol Regem growled, and quickly lifted the staff to unleash a blast of fire. The fireball collided with the other dragon, toppling him backwards. Once down, the older dragon pinned the staff to his chest, pressing down on it. "You dare consider peace with those treacherous, wretched creatures?! You think they can be forgiven for their crimes?! Against us! Against the Primal Sources!"

Callum paused for a moment, but then grabbed the staff on his chest and pushed it to the side. This knocked the blind dragon down, and Callum pulled it from his grasp. As he stumbled, the sky dragon stood back up, turning the staff around in his hand, and holding it under the elder's chin. "I was warned you were bitter and angry," he managed as he held the tip to the dragon's throat, "Years here have made you blind in more ways than one, Sol Regem, but I am not. I have been to the human lands. I have travelled across them. I have seen their capacity for good, and for evil. I have seen the harm done, and I will not allow it anymore."

Sol Regem growled. "They will betray you."

"Maybe, someday. But right now, I know there is good in them. So, you will allow us to pass, and you will stay here, wallowing in your own self-pity and hate."

The sun dragon continued to growl, but slowly nodded. "Very well. Return home, prince, and wait for them to stab you in the back just as they did your father."

Standing down, Callum turned to the rock. "Rayla, come on."

She sighed as she walked over to him, but then Sol Regem sniffed and turned to her. "You!" he snarled, charging at the elf, grabbing her by the neck, and throwing her across the canyon to a wall. "I remember your scent! You were one of the elves who came here before, begging my permission to go and slay the pathetic human leader! And you dare return alone?!"

Running to stand between them, Callum turned the staff once more to the dragon. "Sol Regem, stand down!"

"You can leave, prince, but that elf is a traitor to Xadia! She returns when her kin do not! She failed her mission! She ran away! The king lives!" The blind dragon charged at the elf again, but Callum blocked him, pushing him back.

"The king died!" the sky dragon shouted at him, "King Harrow of Katolis, the man who killed my father, is dead! Rayla did not fail that mission!"

"Then why does she return and the others do not?"

"Because she was saving me!"

"And what of her bloodline?" he huffed, taking a deep breath. "Betrayal and lies run in her veins! She must die!" he shouted, charging again, but this time, he managed to avoid Callum's block and get past him. Rayla yelped as she drew her blades, and quickly blocked the claws that tried to slash at her, knowing one strike would be all it took.

Quickly, Callum ran over and got between them once more, blocking a blow with the staff. "She is the reason I'm still alive! She has protected me from the moment we met!"

"She is a traitor!"

"She is my friend, and I will not allow you to harm her!" Callum growled back as he pushed the sun dragon away. He stared at him, then held out his hand, lightning running quickly down his arm and colliding with the other dragon.

Sol Regem gave a gargled scream and fell to one knee, his clothing sizzling from the electricity.

Before he could recover, Callum walked over and held the staff to the back of his head. "I do not wish to kill you, Sol Regem, but I will if you leave me no choice."

"Mercy?" he huffed between pants for breath, "Dragons do not show mercy to their enemies. I would show you no mercy. Your father never would have shown mercy."

"Then I'm a different dragon from you and my father. Now, if you wish, we can continue this fight, or you can admit defeat, and let us pass."

Sol Regem took a few more breaths, thinking about it, then sighed deeply. "You may pass."

"Both of us?"

Again, he paused. "Both of you…"

Backing away, Callum threw the staff down, and turned to Rayla. "Let's go."

As they walked away from the dragon, who soon shifted back to his massive, draconic form to watch them leave, Rayla smiled as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled back, nuzzling her cheek in return. "Any time."


SL: Okay, I need to quickly just point something out. I am about to start writing Chapter 19… okay? The date, as of writing this note, is January 2nd 2020. You know when I started working on this story? December 16th 2019! In less than 17 days, I have written over seventy thousand words. I don't know if I should be impressed… or worried about my lack of a social life.

RK: We both lack a social life. It's okay Story. XD

SL: Also, if anyone is interested; the spell Pyrrah cast, Draco sanguinis sub pedibus nostris animus animus est, et frater in corde, translates to Dragon of blood, bind mind and soul to brother of heart. Since most of the spells known in the show are based on Latin, we used a Latin base for any spells created.


SL: Well, I know it was a short season, only eight chapters, but that's the end of Season 2 of Breath of Hope! And just like the end of Season 1, Ray and I need a little bit of time off. But just like last time, we are doing another Q&A! So, if you have any questions for any of us, characters, or writers, ask away and we will answer them next week!