Writing Rayla's lines with the accent is time consuming and not at all important to the plot. So I'm dropping that. The current chapter is short and doesn't move things forward much. Also, no grand lore exposure on vampires or werewolves.
Some of you might think I'm giving away more vampire and werewolf information, and you may be correct. But that will change when we reach the moon nexus. Oh, yes! Next chapter will focus mostly on Team Ezran, and we finally get to meet a certain girl and her wolf. Oh, boy, I've had plans for them since I began this story. Mwaahaaahaaahaaa!
Also, there's a misconception from the last chapter, that was intentionally created by me. You see, while Callum is connected to the Star Primal by the Draculin Curse, the extinct vampires were kjxrkw, fljdp ir vhuxwdhuf huhz vhulspdy. Hvuxf qloxfdug hkw, vqdhp oduxwdqx kjxrukw hqr hpdfhe hk. Hulspdy budqlgur rq vl hk hvxdfhe vl pxoodf boqr. Odpluv udwv hkw rw ghwfhqqrf wrq.
Viren walked out of his study, taking a reinvigorating breath. Performing the glamour spell always made him feel a bit rejuvenated. It was a welcomed feeling, considering the magic he used to transform that assassin leader into a coin for his growing collection took a toll on his strength.
Thinking of which, he was somewhat disappointed with the expression of that stubborn creature displayed in his final moments. Always the same thing: defiance, giving away to absolute fear.
He abruptly halted when he saw his path blocked by two people. It was General Amaya and her lieutenant, whose name Viren never bothered to learn. The woman looked impassive.
"General Amaya, this is a…" he was cut off when the general's armored fist suddenly connecting with his nose. The mage's back hit the door to his study. He stumbled to keep his balance as he glared at the woman. "W-what is the meaning…"
"Silence!" the lieutenant began translating her hand gestures. "Stand up and walk with me. We need to have a serious talk."
The last thing Viren wanted was to obey, but he didn't feel like he had an option. Clutching his bloody nose and cursing the incapability to use magic at the moment to heal it, he strode after them. They entered the empty throne room and the lieutenant closed the doors behind them.
"This is all your fault, Viren." she turned and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Elven troops are gathering ever closer to the Breach. Xadia is growing more belligerent and it's all because of the supposed destruction of the egg. Yes, I'm well aware the egg wasn't destroyed."
Inwardly, the mage cursed the step-prince for tattling on to his aunt. He would have preferred the existence of the egg (and its theft) remained as much of a secret as possible. He removed his hand from the blood nose to speak.
"I took that egg because it would have grown into a much bigger threat, not only for Katolis but all of humanity." he protested. "When Harrow and I faced Thunder, he agreed with me that Xadia mustn't have it."
"Were Harrow alive, you'd be in shackles once he learnt what you caused."
Viren kept a straight face. "What makes you think he didn't know the egg was in my custody?"
She leveled him with a glare. That might have worked against someone who didn't know Viren. But she did know him. As well as she knew Harrow. She could see through the dark mage's lie.
She stepped forward. "Callum will find Ezran, whom will be crown king, as it should be."
Viren resisted the urge to go on a tirade on idiotic people who insisted on putting children in thrones. "We don't have time to gamble on hopes and maybes. And we can't afford the mistakes a young, inexperienced sovereign will inevitably make. I can protect us from the throne!" he pointed towards the chair with his staff.
Amaya took another step forward, this time though, one hand moved to the pome of her sword while she gestured with the other. "Don't even think of it, Viren. Don't make me stain this room with your blood."
Viren blinked. He must have heard that wrong. Was Amaya really so paranoid of him that she was willing to take his life?
As if reading his thoughts, she continued. "Your power-hungry moves are what seeded this crisis. You have become more of a menace than a servant to Katolis."
Viren calmed himself down, easing his breathing. His tone became more cordial. "You think I'm being opportunistic. But I couldn't be more selfless in my motivation." he stepped aside, clearing the space between the throne and the General. "Go ahead, sit on it. Nominate yourself Queen-Regent. I'll support you."
Amaya took one short look at the throne. "That throne remains empty until the princes return."
Viren threw his hands up and stormed off. Before he walked through the doors, Amaya spoke again.
"However, know that, even in the best case scenario that Callum and Ezran return home safely, I won't forget you were the catalyst of all this. And there will be a reckoning, Viren. I guarantee."
He didn't turn around to meet her face before walking out of the throne room. On the way back to his study, he walked across Opeli, whom asked:
"Viren, what happened to your nose?"
He grumbled incoherently and ignored her.
Callum felt irritated. Not because he was riding a horse, an activity he had no expertise on. The animal just didn't like him and refused to be cooperative. Nor because he spent last night awake, though he did feel tired and sleeping now felt tempting, if inconvenient.
No, the source of the prince's irritation was the sun. It's light felt more intense, too intense, that morning. Not to mention the heat felt uncomfortable, like something weightening him down, strangely enough.
He motioned his steed to increase the pace, but the animal told him off by trying to shake the prince off its back. He held onto it with some difficulty and put itself beside Claudia's horse. Today, the mission prioritized finding reagents for the spell to locate Ezran. Therefore, she was on the lead.
"Hey, Callum!" she greeted him cheerfully. How much he wished she could share her mood with him. "Did you take a morning sip of the Fledgling's Death?" she referred to the blood-that-wasn't-really-blood potion that was supposed to improve the Draculin Curse.
"Yeah. But I still refuse to call it that."
Up above in the sky, a lonely cloud partially blocking the sun was pushed away, allowing the astro to shine unfiltered upon them. Callum groaned at the increased luminosity. He pulled up his hood and lowered his face.
Claudia eyed him weirdly. "You certainly woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Then again, none of us slept in proper beds, last night."
"It wasn't the bed, or lack thereof. I couldn't fall asleep." he replied with a shrug. "I tried to spend my time doing anything to fall asleep. Reshaped the constellations like a hundred times, drew some pictures out of those vampire tomes you brought. I even talked to the stars, see if they could have clued me in about this arcanum thing."
"You talked to the sky all night long? I think the outdoors is starting to turn your brain into mush." of course Soren had to intervene, also urging his steed to catch up to theirs. Callum shot him an annoyed glare.
Claudia told him to ignore her brother and asked about the drawings. She always enjoyed his art. And Callum eagerly pulled out his sketchbook. He skimmed over some halfhearted sketches of trees. Somewhat more interesting ones were those of the Key of Aaravos in different positions.
But those where Callum showed his skills were the drawings of vampiric figures. One that he took particular interest and dedication to was that of a woman's face of sharp features and angular eyes. She carried a large hat with a wide brim that covered almost all of her short, black, curly hair.
"This vampire lady had like an entire chapter dedicated to her. She seemed important." Callum wanted to kick himself for sounding so lame. His ignorance stemmed from his inability to read those ancient runes on the tome.
"She was important, alright. That vampire lady was, in a way, responsible for the extinction of her own kind." there she went again. Claudia had that smug look that said 'i know more than you'. "Remember the Dracula fellow?"
"You mean the vampire king who was dethroned and whose successor didn't run things so well?" Callum recalled the brief history lesson Claudia lectured him before they left for the Banther Lodge.
"That lady you drew was Countess Alcina Dimitrescu, the Carnivore. She succeeded Dracula as the monarch of all vampires and declared Xadia an all-you-can-eat buffet. Under her management, the vampires went on a feeding frenzy. Until the elves and dragons, led by the Hellsing and Belmont families had enough and rose up against them."
Callum took another look at the drawing. The vampire woman carried an alluring, pleasant smile. But knowing what he did now, said smile exhaled an aura of danger.
Soren chose that moment to take a peek at the sketch. He never did care for the prince's art. It was, to him, a useless, not very manly hobby. The lady with fangs in the sketchbook looked exactly like the one in Claudia's tome. He shrugged:
"Meh, anyone can draw quality when they have the originalarticle right in front of their eyes."
Claudia retorted "Oh, really? You once drew me as a stick figure."
"With a very expressive expression!"
She deadpanned. "The face had dots for eyes and a line for a mouth."
"And it was very expressive."
"Rayla...wait up!" Ezran pleaded between huffs.
That morning, Rayla had abruptly awakened him and forced their party to traverse through hard terrain. They were walking up a snowy mountain and it was taking a great toll on the prince's stamina. It didn't help that her reasons for taking such a route were vague.
"Let's...take a break." Without waiting for a response, Ezran dropped himself on the ground. Never had the cold, snowy soil felt so good on him.
Rayla shook her head. "No, we have to keep going."
"Rayla, I'm exhausted. Just let me catch my breath." He then whispered to make sure the dragonling in the egg didn't hear. "And Zym isn't getting any lighter."
The elf sighed exasperatedly. "How about I carry the egg from now on?"
Ezran took a look at her, which lasted a bit longer than she would have prefered.
"It's fine. I can carry it." He strained to push himself up and resumed walking.
Rayla was unconvinced. The little prince was tired. A part of her did believe she should let him rest. Yet he stubbornly wouldn't hand her the egg. Primals, by the way he refused to part with it, one would think the egg was his only friend!
Did she count as his friend? Or him as hers? Granted, the little fellow whom she initially wanted to assassinate was endearing. Regardless, they were on a mission of peace because their interests aligned. At the end of the day, they were teammates, after a fashion.
"But it's not like you trust him completely, do you? You lie to him, just like you did to Runaan and your previous teammates." That accusing comic in her head made her halt.
Ezran tried to ignore the temptation to rest and kept following after Rayla. They were now traversing through a narrow passage on the side of a snow covered mountain. Looking up, he could see they would soon reach the top. Hopefully the terrain would be easier then, or maybe Rayla would let him rest.
"You tired. Why not rest?" He heard the familiar voice of his best friend, emanating from the egg.
"I...gotta...keep goin'...Rayla said so." He uttered between exhausted breaths.
For a brief moment, his vision blurred and his balance was lost. Ezran began tumbling backwards, dangerously close to the edge. His sudden cry was his salvation, for Rayla heard him. With quick reflexes, she grabbed him by his vest before he fell down the mountain. "Wow, thanks Rayla!"
The relief was short-lived, for while Ezran was secured, his near fall made the egg slip out of the backpack. Elf and prince watched in terror as their precious cargo rolled down the snowy mountain.
"Zym!" without pausing for thought, Ezran leaped over the cliff and ran down the snowy mountain. He quickly lost his balance and ended up rolling down the hill.
"Ezran!" Immediately she followed, jumping down from onespot to the next. She just hoped she wouldn't come down to find a broken egg and boy.
Under Claudia's instructions, the searching party reached a town calledRockbell's Basket. Once there, she instructed Soren to go sell the tracking hounds. Since they were no longer needed and for her plan to go faster, they could use some coins.
"I'm going to use the money Soren gets to buy a few ingredients from the local apothecary. That saves time from having to search for them in the wild." She divulged to the prince after her brother went his way.
"That brilliant, Claudia! You really have a way with making plans." Callum smilled, hoping the compliment sounded just about right.
She smiled pleasantly. "Thanks, Callum. And you have a way with tracking down people. Like when you deduced the elf and Ezran went to the lodge. And then by the river."
"Yeah, I guess I did." He scratched his head awkwardly, hoping his cheeks weren't flustered. Then again, the hood kept his face mostly hidden, so he was probably in the clear.
Fortunately, the girl's attention had turned somewhere else. A small building with a colorful showcase and a sweet smell coming from it.
"Hey, I still have two coins that my dad lent me. You wanna get something sweet?" Without waiting for his reply, she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to the candy store.
The showcase was filled with many sugary goods, some which made Callum's mouth water. After the meager breakfast he had today, a sweet would be very much welcomed.
Claudia bought two slices of a small pie with a smooth surface covered in dust sugar and cinnamon. "Two fairy-dust pie slices coming up!" She generously handed him the one slightly larger.
"It's been awhile since I've had one of these." he took a small bite of it; a delicacy such as that had to be appreciated. Unfortunately, these treats weren't common in the capital. His brother's former favorite treat, jelly tarts, were far more popular there.
"I remember the first time I've had one of these." Claudia sighed, pleased after taking a big chunk of hers. "My dad brought us these when he returned from a journey to Duren, when Soren and I were very little. He was always that thoughtful."
Callum knew he shouldn't touch the subject in front of Claudia, but his mouth spoke before his brain. "Could have fooled me."
"Sorry, what?"
Callum realized he could prevent an argument right then and there. Tell Claudia it was nothing and drop the matter. But a quick reliving of Lord Viren's manipulations, how he had tried to use his brother's kidnapping to further his own goal, set him ablaze.
"I'm just saying, your dad is not as thoughtful as you paint him."
Claudia frowned, pausing mid bite. "What do you mean? He's always looking for new ways to protect the kingdom and humanity."
"And use crises to grab power." Callum retorted. "Did you know he planned to coronate himself?"
She blinked, unsure at first. "Well, kind of. He did announce there would be a coronation during the funeral."
Callum almost facepalmed. "Claudia, he's using king Harrow's death and Ezran's abduction to covet the throne."
"He's not after the throne, Callum. We're on the edge of a national debacle. He can help the kingdom from there."
The prince was about to make another retort but he reminded himself they were in public. He motioned for Claudia to follow him away from the main street and to an empty spot in an alley.
"Claudia, have you realized the crisis he's trying to save us from is his own cause?"
The girl mage was stunned. "Did you forget to eat breakfast this morning, Callum? The assassins caused this!"
"Right, and they attacked us because your father swayed King Harrow into killing Thunder. Plus, he stole the egg of the Dragon Prince. And I didn't even touch the subject that he caused me and Ez to be cursed."
"That was Thunder's fault." She shouted, but composed herself before continuing. "Callum, you're a newbie when it comes to magic, so it's understandable. Know that sky archdragons - like Thunder - only lay eggs once in a millenium, at most. He was going to raise the Dragon Prince as a weapon against us. My dad saved humanity by taking that dragon's egg."
Callum paused for a moment. Her reply seemed cut and dry, like it was rehearsed. And he had a pretty good idea why.
"Was that how Viren justified himself, word per word, to you?"
Claudia's face made a ghost of a scowl. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"That your reasoning is a copied speech your father gave you, when he showed you the egg." he spoke evenly, trying not to sound accusing or let his animosity towards Viren also target Claudia.
She scoffed, offended. "First, I make my own opinions. Second, that doesn't mean he's in the wrong."
The half-way vampire knew he was on thin ice. Whilst Claudia was his friend, there were things he had stuck in his throat since his confrontation with the court's High Mage. And he was going to let them out, now.
"Like he's in the wrong about Ezran being unfit to rule Katolis?" he didn't expect an answer to that question. It was just him venting the last bit of his frustrations. Yet, when Claudia hesitated to reply, pondering the answer, Callum actually scowled. "Wait, don't tell me you actually agree with him!"
She finally sighed. "Callum, I know this isn't easy to swallow, but even if we find Ezran and return home, he's still just a kid. A traumatized kid who just lost his father. He will be in no condition to rule. That's why my father will step in."
Callum was paralyzed. She spoke with such certainty...so that was that conniving mage's plan, all along! He should have figured Viren wouldn't keep his word, should he rescue Ezran. He craved the throne and would try to seize it, no matter the outcome.
Initially, Callum was far more concerned with retrieving his brother safely than whoever sat on the throne. But this time away from the confinement of the castle made him evaluate the future.
There was no doubt in Callum's mind that Viren was responsible for the curses and the assassination. That man had provoked Xadia too much, already. And Callum reckoned he would continue to do so, if he had his way. Viren couldn't be trusted with the future.
The discussion with Claudia ended right then and there, with Callum walking away and more resolved than before. Putting Ezran on the throne was no longer of minor importance. It had become a secondary priority.
Things were on literal thin ice.
After running and sliding down the mountain, Rayla didn't find any grotesque remains of a broken child and/or egg. Yet, the result wasn't as good as she had prayed for. Ezran did find and reacquired the egg, but only then noticed where they had wound up. On the surface of a frozen lake. The ice, though still whole, cracked slightly with each step. Like when Ezran took one towards Rayla.
"What now?" she asked.
Ezran looked at her and extended the sacred object. "Now, I'm gonna hand you the egg."
"You trust me?" she asked, surprised.
He replied without pause or hesitation. "Of course I do. You're my friend. Our friend."
Rayla shook her head in shame. "I thought you...I...thank you, Ezran, but...I don't deserve your trust. Early in the morning I was attacked by another human. A hunter. I fought him off, but I've been paranoying over it. That's why I insisted on climbing the mountain. I'm so sorry I got us into this mess."
A pause. "Thank you for telling the truth, Rayla." and he passed the egg to her.
Minutes later, after a slow but steady, step-by-step, process, the three safely reached solid ground.
"Ezran...thank you for trusting me." she handed him the egg back.
He took one look at it and became melancholic. "You're welcome, Rayla."
She pondered not to question, but opted to go with it. "Ezran, if I may ask, why are you so attached to the egg of the Dragon Prince?"
He opened his mouth, but no words came out, at first. "Zym is...my best friend. My only friend."
"I would expect a prince to have scores of kids wanting to be his friends."
"Not me. I was always a weird one, even before the curse. People, other kids, are hard to read. But animals are easy to understand. Most of them are just downright honest."
"So, Azymondias was your first friend?" she probed, now more engrossed in the conversation.
"No, he wasn't. I had a friend named 'Bait'. He was the grumpiest, sourest glow toad ever. We shared everything, even jelly tarts." the prince's face, which had started to brighten, turned somber again. "Then my first transformation happened and I never saw him again. Callum and dad said he was scared off and ran away, but...even then I could tell they were lying. Whenever I would ask them, they repeated the same lie. Until…"
A horrified visage took over his face. His hands trembled and his voice cracked. "The night...before you came, I...I had a dre-nightmare. I-I think it was my first transformation, and...Bait, he was with me! I...I did…" the only memory he had of the nightmare resurfaced. It was Bait's face, looking terrified and turning green, before there was a sudden movement of hairy hand with sharp claws. The last thing he recalled was a whine and a spray of blood.
The prince broke down crying. Rayla, who listened silently and with growing dread, immediately wrapped her arms around her grieving friend. The egg of the Dragon Prince pulsed more frequently, the dragonling inside joining the attempt to give comfort to his human friend.
It was late night and the trio had long departed Rockbell's Basket. They were on their way to gather the one ingredient they couldn't get from a store. Tomorrow morning they will be able to collect it. So, once more, the party paused for the night.
Claudia sat over a blanket, her back against a tree. She turned to her left, where Soren slept soundly, close to the fire. Her dear Sor-bear always did sleep like an hibernating bear when close to a source of heat.
Her gaze turned to the right and much further. Callum rested against another tree. Rested, because she could tell he wasn't asleep. His back was facing away from the fire and looking up at the sky, playing again with the magic, glowy cube.
She wisely thought not to call for him to join them close to the fire. He would barely talk after he walked away from her, back at the village. Well, this little funk would pass in the morning...she hopped.
Claudia took out a piece of paper and began writing.
Hello, dad!
Are you having a good day? Or is it night when you are reading this? If so, I hope you are having a good evening/day when you read this letter. Just like you asked of me, I'm reporting on our mission and Callum's condition…
… although his appearance hasn't changed much, Callum has developed a discomfort towards sunlight. During the whole day, he kept his hood up...
Viren finished reading the report, filtering through all the information. It was a clever idea to have Claudia send him reports via crow messaging. Of course, he made sure she understood not to let the vampire prince or even Soren know.
"So the Fledgling's Death potion may actually be speeding up his curse. And vampires were naturally connected to the stars, apparently. This experiment could reveal interesting results." he muttered pensively.
At last, the dark mage sighed and pocketed the letter. It was late night, but he found himself restless. He had managed to convince General Amaya to return to her post at the Breach, but that barely counted as a step towards his goals. And Opeli, that nuisance, had prevented him from pushing his motion to call for a summit of the Pentarchy. And he had noticed his movements were being scrutinized by passing guards. Likely, those two blasted women had instructed them to do so.
He lit a candle and turned to the object of his focus: the mirror he had taken from the lair of the Dragon King. "I am running out of moves to play. So, tonight, mirror, you will reveal your secrets to me."
Because Prince Callum is confirmed to be alright, Viren can't move on with becoming king. Also, he's focusing on the mirror much earlier for 2 reasons: a) because his children went on the mission much earlier now than in canon, so he's got more time in his hands and things are progressing at a slightly faster pace; b) because Amaya entrusted the truth about the egg to Opeli, his movements are being more carefully watched, so he's left with a more immediate option of focusing on the mirror.
