Chapter Twelve: Lured

Callum knew from the changing leaves that autumn was here. He'd smelled it on the air and the trees. Now he longed for that brisk, nostalgic scent as his nose was filled with the stench of ashes and char. Even now, the ruins of Katolis were still overwhelming. So silent, gray and eerie. All that was left of the once magnificent kingdom was a vast, dead wasteland. The largest thing in sight was sickening for many reasons; the body of Sol Regem, darkened with burns. His throat was singed from the inside out in a way that made Callum grateful he hadn't eaten in a couple of hours. Parts had been lost in the battle or fire, most noticeably the massive horns. Callum didn't go near it; he didn't want to again.

Callum scanned the area, not even sure what he was looking for. The utter silence made it easy to hear the noise; he flew north to where the sound was coming from and came to the road that marked the border with Duren. He could see a carriage being pulled along the road, looking like it came from wealth. He just barely managed to make out the insignia of Del Bar on the coach. They passed him and the ruins; they must have been in a hurry. He couldn't imagine what they wanted in Xadia, but he flew on ahead to Novus. He wasn't sure if these were delegates or enemies, but one couldn't be too careful in these times. A bit overprotective of his new home? Perhaps, but given recent happenings, Callum felt perfectly justified in it.

From looking at it, one would never think that Novus was under two years old. It was probably the elves that they owed that efficiency to. All kinds of elves had shown up under royal decree to get things running. Earthblood elves assisted with agriculture and medicine, Sunfire elves with smithery and more advanced construction, Moonshadow and Skywing elves helping with anything that had needed help with. Some had even chosen to stay. A dozen or so Earthblood elves, whose home had apparently also been recently ravaged, a smaller handful of Sunfire elves and no more than three Skywing elves. The Moonshadow elves had only come under the royal decree and had all gone home the moment the town was up and running; Rayla remained as the sole Moonshadow elf living in the town. Some Tidebound elves expressed interest in staying, but there wasn't a big enough water source nearby, something they needed to live. There was a river that fed a large lake close by, but even it wasn't big enough for all the elves, who were each used to having miles of territory. All-in-all, the village was still mostly humans with no more than thirty elves calling the place their home.

Among other things, the small village boasted prosperous farms courtesy of the Earthblood elves, a forge as a gift from the Sunfire elves, and a large building – not so grand as the palace had been, but in comparison to the many simpler homes – meant for meetings of the council. The people had settled remarkably fast, with many such as the animal doctor or the baker from the palace simply falling back into the lots they had back in Katolis. Any children orphaned in the attack were taken in by one of the many willing villagers who had also lost family, something that Callum and Ezran, being orphans themselves, personally saw to. And it was all under a blue flag with a now familiar insignia of a broken chain on it. Well, the flag wasn't a literal flag that stood on a pole and blew in the wind, it was more of a symbol sewn into draperies and signs within the village; Opeli - who now bore the former crown of Katolis not as a queen, but as leader of their council - had quickly come to the conclusion that making spectacles of themselves would be an unwise move even with the protection they had been promised.

Callum flew over the village and intended to land in front of the council building, but he instead landed near some kind of scene. There was something happening in the square in front of the council building, villagers crowded around so he couldn't see it. His wings hadn't dissipated yet, so he fluttered over the crowd and inserted himself into whatever was happening. Viren, Claudia and a cloaked figure that Callum could tell was Aaravos were on the ends of spears and swords, surrounded by the remains of what had once been the castle gaurd. Opeli was glaring at the trio, flanked by either Soren or Amaya. Callum elected to land behind his aunt, a place in which he was sure to be seen but wouldn't get in the middle of what was happening. Claudia and Aaravos's eyes followed him, but Viren ignored his presence.

"What do you mean the monarchy is gone?" Viren asked, looking astonished. At least, Callum thought it was Viren. His skin was frighteningly pale, his eyes dull and sunken in and his frame was as though he'd aged at least two decades in the last eighteen months.

"Just as I said." Opeli's voice was calm, somehow. Maybe it was how much she had come to loath Verin in the last couple of years, paired with the fact that he was before her on his knees with his fate ultimately up to her. "Ezran has decreed that the monarchy went with the kingdom. This village is under a council, and the protection of the Dragon Queen."

"Have you lost your mind?" Viren yelled, "A dragon destroyed our home and killed thousands! And now you're putting your trust in another dragon?"

"And that dragon is the only reason any of us are alive." Opeli said, "She killed the one who did it. If you don't have anything useful to say –"

"You're all fools." It was the first time many had heard Aaravos speak and a pulse of energy emitted from the elf, sending the soldiers back several feet into the crowd, weapons dropped on the ground. The three rose, and Aaravos removed his hood. A frightened gasp ran through the elves. Claudia was glaring furiously at Soren and he back at her, though no words were spoken. Viren reached into his cloak and pulled out something that made Callum feel ill.

It was a piece of one of Sol Regem's horns. Those parts hadn't been singed off; they had been harvested. By how much had he and the dark trio missed each other? Had they seen him flying overhead? He was so absorbed in these questions that he missed the spell that Viren spoke as he held the thing up and was engulfed in a light. Not a blinding one, but when it cleared, Viren stood taller, back to the imposing figure Callum had known as a child.

A familiar whining noise entered the younger mage's ears. For the first time he looked into the crowd to see Zym in Rayla's arms, Ezran standing beside her, and they were comforting him. At twelve, Ezran was getting taller and himself and Rayla seemed to have stopped growing; Callum was relieved that he was still taller than her, even if it was just the half-inch it was, without counting her horns. Meanwhile, the Dragon Prince often came down for visits. The whine also acquired Viren's attention, and he remembered the power he felt as he had harvested the little one over two years ago. It had been euphoric. He hardly cared even now that he had momentarily forgotten his goals for humanity; it was only him and his power. His power. Rayla, seeing the man's line of sight, held the prince tighter as he tried to bury his face into her collarbone.

Seeing Viren's leer directed at Zym, Callum moved and stood protectively in front of Rayla and Ezran. The two mages exchanged rage-filled looks. Callum was a traitor who's sick lust for a vile elf had led him to abandon humanity, and Viren was a power-mad monster and had never been trustworthy. Callum's eyes flicked over to Claudia and Soren for a moment and he, for perhaps a millionth time, amused himself with the irony; Soren might not have been the sharp one growing up, but at least he was smart enough to see what was in front of him, which was more than could be said for his sister. Opeli broke up the potential fight as the soldiers got back up and retrieved their weapons, once again having the three at their mercy.

"Soren, Rayla, Callum." she spoke with authority. "See our…visitors out of Novus. Should they come back, we'll alert the Dragon Queen. I'm sure she'd be very interested to meet Viren."

Miles away, a small boy no older than six looked out the carriage window. He had no idea why they had suddenly gone to Xadia, but his father had taken up holding his baby sister, Gwyneth. His mother was looking out the opposite window, and he wished he knew what had her so scared. She'd been scared ever since Katolis was destroyed, even though those dragons had put out the fire before it could reach their kingdom. Mom said they needed to wait until Gwyneth was old enough to travel. From what little he understood, a few people survived and now lived in Xadia. Were they going to visit them?

"Faolan." his father said, getting his attention. "Come sit with me, mommy needs to rest a while."

"No, no." his mother said, picking Faolan up and placing him on her lap, even if he was starting to get a little big for it. She held him close and kissed his head as if he were the most precious thing in the world to her. What in the world was happening?

"How will your parents feel if they never see you again?"

The world seemed to fall away from Rayla as this was asked of her. She no longer cared that they were just outside of Novus and were supposed to be shooing the three of them away. She didn't care about the smug look on Viren's face as he knew his words had the desired effect. She barely even registered Callum's hand on her shoulder as Soren moved protectively in front of them, unsheathing his sword in a silent threat. She didn't join the boys in their vigilant stare as the three finally retreated. She just stumbled back a few steps before fully turning and running. She just needed to think. To be alone right now.

Rayla must have gotten people's attention before, because they seemed to be expecting the way Callum charged after her after he and Soren had at last seen Viren and his companions disappear from sight. Well, he actually lost her immediately, but it was pretty obvious where she was going: Home. It was one of the larger houses, close to the square. Between the prestigious occupants, it had almost been insisted that their home be among the one of the more comfortable, however humble it still was. Callum and Ezran might not have been royalty anymore, but Callum was still a thing of amazement as a true human mage, Amaya doubled as a council member in addition to continuing her former work of training and leading warriors, of which Soren was also still a part of.

Officially, it was his, Ezran's and Aunt Amaya's home. Their aunt would probably continue raising them until Ezran came of age, and she seemed perfectly happy to do it. Soren had 'volunteered' to live there – despite his now being an adult – to continue protecting the boys, even if Callum could pretty much take care of himself now, and Ezran was back to being a normal kid with no royal obligations; a fact that he was enjoying very much. Callum had the feeling this continued protection from Soren was out of guilt over his father's crimes, though Callum didn't bring it up. It was like a silent understanding between them. Rayla had been included in the fold from the beginning, even having her own room apart from the boys. Callum blushed as he remembered what had sparked this particular development; before the completion of the house, he and Rayla had stayed up talking in his room. He remembered it had been a chilly night; that was why they'd cuddled up close under his covers, because of the cold, honestly. They had been awoken by whistles and hoots. Soren was giving them the biggest, most suggestive grin either had ever seen, and Ezran's eyes were being covered by a very shocked-looking Amaya. It had been mortifying.

Callum entered the house, finding it apparently empty – Aunt Amaya must still have been with the council. It was understandable, it was the first she'd seen Viren since the Battle of the Storm Spire, and now he was on some kind of crusade against the dragons, it looked like. He knew Rayla was in her room, though.

Rayla sat on her bed, her eyes set on the small portrait that she'd brought down from the Storm Spire and now kept close to her bed. Zym was with her. He whined and nudged his muzzle under her elbow, nuzzling her side when he squirmed into her arm. He licked her face and for it, finally got a couple of pets to his head. He looked at the picture, recognizing Rayla as a child, but not the two elves who had once been his protectors. barely noticed Callum entering her room, but her eyes did flit over to him when he sat next to her, Zym scurrying out of his way.

"You okay?" he asked. Rayla didn't seem to hear him. "Rayla, don't listen to him. It's Viren, he can't be trusted."

"He knows what happened, Callum." Rayla said, "We both saw it. He didn't kill them; it was something about that pouch of his. Something about 'repaying' them."

Callum sighed; she wasn't letting this go. He guessed that was one reason he loved her, though. He took her face in his hand and gently turned her to look at him. "Look, we're going to do something. We'll find out what's happening, and then we'll send that monster back to the dim world for good."

Rayla took the hand whose fingers were cradling her cheek and pulled it away. "I just want to know that they're okay." Callum's heart gave a painful pang at her tone and he couldn't resist the urge to pull her to him and hold her. She wasn't crying, but she was in pain, that much was clear.

Soren had pieced together what had happened the moment he had seen his sister. Claudia had developed a white streak in her hair just from restoring his ability to move. He could imagine that something huge would be needed to whiten half of her hair. Something huge like bringing back the dead. He wasn't sure it was possible, but it made sense when magic was thrown into the mix; their father had died, and Claudia was so desperate that she had to bring him back. He shuttered to think what innocent creature had been butchered for such a huge spell.

It was dark when Rayla had finally woken up. The moon was low in the sky, it was nearly morning. She shivered, covered in sweat from the nightmare. She could still here them begging her for help. Not only her parents, but Runaan and the rest of her old assassination party. At one point she was a child again, the seven years she was when her parents had first left for the guard. Runaan and the others were all looking down at her with disgust, calling her a coward, a deserter and a traitor. Her parents were looking at her more sympathetically, telling her not to leave them, to save them. Heart still hurting, Rayla got up and left her room; this was something she had to do.

Of course, Amaya didn't hear the rummaging outside, but the events of yesterday had her on edge, leading to a restless night with spurts of wakefulness. Viren was back and in the company of an elf who once upon a time would have absolutely confirmed everything she had thought of them. Soren had come home with a crazy story of dark magic and his father being undead, and Rayla had been silent and turned in early. Frankly, Amaya was worried about more than one thing. Seeing the moon so low, she figured it was close to morning anyway, so she might as well get up.

At the same moment she opened her bedroom door, she saw the front door close on the ground floor, not even seeing who had shut it. Descending the stairs to investigate, she looked around the sitting room and, finding nothing, moved to the kitchen, where she finally found something. A note, sitting on the table. Amaya's eyes skimmed over it and her eyes widened. This wasn't good.

The sky was growing lighter. Rayla had left the village a little while ago. Her note had begged them not to follow her. She knew this was dangerous, and she didn't want anyone else in the crossfire. They were her parents, she had to do what she could to find them. She knew it was stupid, giving herself up to Viren, but at least she would know the truth about her parents, and she was confidant in her abilities to escape if they tried anything, which they probably would. A hand on her shoulder spooked her and she leapt away, twirled around and had her swords at her attacker's throat.

It was Amaya. Far from being phased, she was giving Rayla the stern glare of a parent whose child was mouthing off to them. The elf relaxed and put her swords away. Amaya began signing, and with no interpreter in sight, Rayla only had a vague idea of what she was saying, picking out the few signs she knew; 'what' 'think' and 'doing'. What do you think you're doing?

"Don't try to stop me." Rayla told her, earning herself an unimpressed look from the general. "Viren knows what happened to my parents. I need to go." Amaya signed once more, these being a complete mystery to the elf. She shook her head and extended her arms in a shrug; she didn't understand. Amaya rolled her eyes and Rayla could tell she was frustrated. She grabbed the elf by the chin, forcing her to look at her lips. She mouthed 'not alone, dangerous.' Rayla frowned, wriggled herself free and backed up.

"I don't care." Rayla said. "I already have family that I abandoned. I won't – I can't abandon this one."

Rayla turned around and continued. She wasn't surprised that Amaya was following her, hearing it plainly behind her. Amaya couldn't help the small pang of hurt she felt; her own affection for the girl certainly came with it's difficulties, and it seemed a new one was a sort of anxiety about no longer being...something Amaya didn't really understand herself. A maternal figure? A sort of mentor? No matter, though. Rayla wasn't going to give this up and, sympathetic or not, Amaya wasn't going to let that headstrong little idiot go alone and get herself killed.

Back at the house, Soren was the first to rise. He spotted the letter on the table when he went into the kitchen, now with a smaller slip of paper sitting atop it. He picked up and read the slip.

Don't worry, I'll head her off. If we're not back by this time tomorrow, send help. – Amaya

Soren looked at the letter and reached for it. Before he could take it, a knock at the door reached his ears. The sun wasn't even fully up; whatever this was might have been more urgent then whatever was on the letter. He decided he could read it in a moment.

When he got to the door, he opened it, seeing the family; a couple, a sleeping infant and a small child who was rubbing his eyes, it was so early. He was intrigued at the Del Bar colors they wore, and they seemed wealthy. Behind them was a four-horse coach, also looking wealthy.

"Soren?" The man asked, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You're alive. You're really okay." His wife brought a hand to her mouth and tears began welling up in her eyes. Her…familiar blue eyes.

"What's going on?" Soren heard Ezran ask behind him followed by a yawn from Callum. Callum was at the foot of the stairs where Ezran was descending the steps and both still looked groggy.

A shutter of emotion ran through Soren as he finally remembered this woman from long ago. A single word escaped his lips: "Mom."

Author's Notes: The term 'dim world' comes from a book series called Wolves of The Beyond, and it's the wolves' stand-in for Hell. Since hell has religious connotations and we don't know what, if any, religious beliefs are around in this world, hell is now 'the dim world', the part of the afterlife reserved for the wicked. Review.