Even from a distance, The Warpath was a frightening sight. None of their current traveling party, consisting of Marcos , Rayla, and Callum, had been there when Viren had forged it, but they had all heard the stories. Just thinking about the amount of power it must have taken to split the lava flow and harden it almost instantly made Callum shiver. He didn't want to know what Viren had used for such a spell, or what they would face when the traitor resurfaced. Well, when he does, we'll be ready, he reassured himself. "Come on, we'll be in Xadia before nightfall," was what he said out loud. Then he galloped down to the newest way across the fiery border.

Rayla's shoulders crept up to her ears in discomfort as they rode through the hardened walls on either side with the redirected flow of hot rock above their heads, a detail that had been added later by the Sunfire elves in a rare gesture of goodwill. The glow from the molten lava cast their blackened surroundings in a blood-colored red, and the hot air made her throat parched. "This is creeping me out. It's not natural."

Callum rolled his eyes. "It's the only way between Xadia and Katolis right now. Once we build a new path, naturally," he emphasized, making her scowl at him, "we can break this one. Or would you rather try and get past Mister Angry Fire Dragon again?" She looked away, her scowl deepening.

It was almost a marvel, really, how much ground they'd been able to cover in just three days. The first time, this journey had taken Callum and Rayla two weeks, but they had been on foot and trying to evade pursuers and other people. With horses and no hostiles to worry about, the two friends and their escort had made great time. They stopped in a forest clearing close to dusk to rest for the night. Rayla went into the woods to look for firewood and anything edible while Callum and Marcos set up camp. As he and the prince threaded poles into their tent, Marcos eyed the royal. King Ezran hadn't said much when he assigned the soldier to look after his brother and elven friend, and he got the feeling there were things afoot that no one had told him. "So where exactly are we headed?" he prodded.

With a kick to the tent post to firmly plant it in the ground, Callum replied, "The Silver Grove. It's where most of the Moonshadow Elves live, when they're not assassinating people or guarding dragons."

They threw the tarp over the top of the poles and the two started tying it in place. "Is that where Miss Rayla lives," Marcos asked.

"Yep," came a reply from the other side of the canvas cover.

When no more was forthcoming, Marcos probed, "And where are we headed after that?"

"It depends on what happens once we get there. Are you done on your side yet?" Well, Marcos knew how to take a hint. He silently finished the last of his ties and walked over to the prince's side of the tent. The prince was sitting on the ground, legs splayed out and propped up on his elbows. An adoraburr was attached to his elbow, making the soldier smile. "We should go get some water," Callum suggested, quickly getting to his feet, pulling off the various fuzzballs attached to him, and hoisting his canteen up to his shoulder. "It's almost time for dinner." And he walked off towards the sound of running water with a burr still stuck to the back of his jacket, leaving Marcos to wonder why he'd been on the ground.

Once he was out of sight of the camp, Callum propped himself against a tree until the dizziness faded. His symptoms were getting worse, and trying to hide them from Marcos and Rayla was proving difficult. And my one comfortable shirt wouldn't survive this trip, he groused, rubbing at his tender chest. At least he hadn't developed any new symptoms and he hadn't fainted again. "Are you alright?" And there she is, he thought, as Rayla jumped over some bushes and dropper her firewood near his feet. Does she have Callum-is-in-trouble sense or something?

"I'm fine," he said as he took his hand off the tree trunk and started walking toward the sound of water again. "You should take that firewood back to camp."

She started gathering the wood back into her arms. "Where are you going?"

"The river. We need fresh water," he answered, raising the canteen by its leather strap.

She eyed it mistrustfully, looked at him, and then in the direction of the sound. "Do you need me to come along?"

He settled the strap firmly on his shoulder and turned away. "I can do it on my own. Worry about your own job, because that kindling's looking pretty sorry." She looked down at the substantial pile of sticks in her arms and looked back up to give him a biting retort, only to find he'd already gone. Startled, she looked around the clearing. Callum held his breath as he listened to her shuffling footsteps from behind a thick trunk and breathed a sigh of relief when her steps headed back towards the camp. He could do a simple chore on his own, without hovering elves, thank you very much.

The splashing noises turned out to be from a small, clear brook. He dipped his cupped hands in and brought them to his lips, tilting the water into his mouth. It tasted cleaner, more refreshing than the water in their canteens. "Probably because it hasn't been sitting in leather all day," he said to no one in particular. But this was Xadia, after all, home of magic dirt. And once they talked to Ethari tomorrow, he could study it in more detail. "This isn't really happening, right?" he said to his reflection. "I mean, what are the chances?" His hand pressed against his midsection. It didn't feel any different. There was nothing moving and the area was flat with the same muscle definition as usual. He knew, he'd checked. Rayla was probably just mistaken or pulling a giant prank on him. Either way, he would find out tomorrow.

I tried to reconstruct the army's timeline for travel into Xadia, but details were thin on the ground so I couldn't really pace their trip. Hence why we only get one travel chapter. It was a bit of a toss-up for the escort role between Soren and Marcos, but Soren has better shock value for later and we don't know much about Marcos. That means I get to have plenty of fun with his character. The Warpath is my name for the passage through the Breach that Viren created.

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