What started as a small crack soon became and explosive shatter that deafened the room followed by the rushing of water that flooded the room from the mirror. Viren screamed in anger, but the noise was drowned out by the wave that swept into the room.

Callum managed to grab onto Ezran before the water hit them and the current swept Viren into the door, pinning him there and knocking the staff out of his hand. Everything happened so fast that it was unclear what had shot out of the frame of the mirror, but whatever it was stuck Viren on the head hard enough that it knocked him out cold.

"Stupid humans," Rayla grumbled as she crawled out of the mirror, drenched from head to foot. She didn't even look at Ezran or Callum. Instead, she picked up what she had thrown at Viren, which seemed like a bent piece of metal. Despite this, Rayla put it in her belt and started rummaging through one of the drawers, where she found her swords. She unfolded them in a quick motion and with a flick of her wrists turned the blades into hooks before refolding them and putting them away before she started rummaging through the drawer again.

"Are you okay?" Callum asked, taking a wary step forward.

Rayla raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you talkin' to me?"

Ezran didn't share in his brother's caution and rushed at Rayla, hugging her tightly around the waist. Even Bait greeted her, croaking and nuzzling her leg. "We were worried about you."

Rayla looked down at Ezran and then back at Callum. "I'm sorry, I think you've mixed me up with someone else."

"No, we didn't," Ezran said with a laugh. "There's only one Rayla."

Rayla gently pried Ezran off her and said, "Look, you seem sweet, considerin' my experience with humans thus far, but I don't have time for this." She sifted through the drawer a little more before she found her quarry. It was a stone that she promptly put in her pocket.

"Why did Viren put you in a mirror?" Ezran asked.

Rayla heaved an annoyed sigh. "Look, he thought I knew something I don't know so he kept me in that thing. Thought that havin' me take a swim would make me chatty."

"He tried to drown you?" Callum asked, his voice suddenly dark as he glared down at Viren.

"Somethin' like that," Rayla scoffed. "If it weren't for his heart tie I'd probably kill him for it."

"Heart tie?" Ezran asked.

"It's not important," Rayla said, moving past them and shoving Viren aside before opening the door. "I have to get goin'."

"Well we're going with you," Callum said. "Something's not right here. We'll be safer in Xadia until we can figure out what's going on."

Rayla fixed him with a look for a moment before she burst out laughing. "You think I'm going to just walk into Xadia with two humans and...that thing?" she gestured at Bait, who grunted.

"Did Viren do something to your horns?" Ezran asked.

"What're you talkin' about?"

Rather than answering, Ezran started looking for a piece of broken mirror.

Callum got a shock when Viren began to stir. In his surprise, Callum sprung at Rayla and threw his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. She, in turn, pushed him away and knelt down next to Viren. Before the man regained consciousness, Rayla struck him with a few jabs that were so quick that Callum barely registered that she'd hit the dark mage at all.

"What did you do to him?" Callum asked.

"He'll be fine...eventually," Rayla said. "I told you, I can't kill him because of the heart tie. I mean, I could, but

Ezran had returned with a piece of the mirror and gave it to Rayla. She took the glass and looked in the mirror, but what she saw stunned her into silence. There was a long white stripe down the length of both her horns. When she reached up to feel them the worry on her face deepened. The indents were deep.

"Did Viren do that?" Callum asked.

She shook her head, "No. I would have done this to myself."

"Is it just...decorative?" Ezran asked.

"It's a spell," she said. "It explains some things, like why he thought I knew where the dragon queen was."

"Shouldn't she be in the Storm Spire?" Callum asked.

"That's what I thought, but he refuses to accept that as an answer. I must have done the spell so he wouldn't be able to find her," Rayla said. She took out the black stone she'd taken out of the drawer and gave it a thoughtful look before turning her gaze back to Callum. "This isn't our first time meeting, is it?" When Callum and Ezran shook their heads she heaved a sigh and said. "Alright then. I have one question for both of you then. Can I trust you?"

"Of course you can," Callum said.

Despite their history, he was expecting that Rayla was going to doubt them and argue, but instead, she nodded, slipped the stone back into her pocket and asked who knew the way out. Ezran volunteered the guide them to the courtyard.

Callum tried to say that he and Ezran should get some things, but Ezran and Rayla both felt that time was of the essence. Rayla dug into Viren's pockets and found two pouches of coins in there and tossed them to Callum. "What we can't live without we can buy on the way."

Ezran managed to get them out of the tunnels and once they were in the courtyard Rayla was the one who directed them, guiding them around the guards through the shadows. Bait almost gave them away a few times, but after Rayla lost her temper and threatened to throw the glow toad in a sack he managed to keep from glowing.

"She didn't mean it, Bait," Ezran assured the glow toad quietly. "She just doesn't remember that you two are friends. You remember how she was when we first met us."

Bait grunted, both satisfied and disappointed with Ezran's explanation.

The path they took into the forest felt familiar, even to Rayla. They weren't far down their path when Rayla stopped, holding out her arm to indicate that her companions should stop too.

"What's wrong?" Callum asked, keeping his voice low.

Rayla unsheathed her swords and took a defensive stance in front of the princes and the glow toad. "Stay behind me. There's someone here...they're headed right for us."

omigawd another cliff hanger! I'm the worst, I know. Does anyone have any guesses as to who - or what- is in the woods? I mean, I know, I'm just curious if there's anyone you're expecting or hoping for. Anyway, leave me me a review and follow this thing if you want to see who's in the forest. Also sad Bait makes author sad.