Shouts erupted from the castle. An alarm sounded, and various guards grabbed bows and crossbows from the towers. Nobody was sure what was going on. All they knew was that something was spotted in the sky, and it was headed towards the castle, fast! Before the guards could comprehend what was happening, Callum had already landed in the courtyard.
Several guards had pointed their bows at him and a few guards approached him with drawn swords. The mysterious person in the courtyard had giant wings, which suddenly disappeared and were replaced with arms glowing with blue tattoos.
"Elves!" one of the guards shouted. He pointed his crossbow at the figure, only to be quickly ordered to stand down by their commander.
"Don't shoot! That's the prince!" the commander's voice shrieked, panicking now that he realised that they had almost shot down royalty.
Callum stared at the guards incredulously. He didn't expect this kind of welcome. "Uhm… Hello?" He looked around and saw the various guards with swords and bows out, very unsure of what to do right now. "I'm…back?"
"Prince Callum!" One of the guards that he vaguely recognized as a captain within the castle, approached him. "You're back!" The captain looked flustered.
"That's what I said, yes… So… how's everyone doing?" Callum said nonchalantly.
"I…I think you'd better ask the crow master." The captain looked at the new markings on the prince's bare arms with uncertainty. "So… are you a mage now?"
Callum nodded slowly, gauging the captain's reaction.
"Incredible…" he whispered. To the other guards, he shouted, "Sheath your weapons and salute! The prince has returned!" Various cheers erupted from the guards and other servants who came out. Callum gave a weak wave and quickly fled inside.
With careful strides, he walked into the keep. It was strange to walk here after being absent for so long. In truth, there were times that they had been away at the Banterlodge for longer than that, but those times spent building snowmen and sledging seemed to fly by, while his adventure with Ezran and Rayla had seemed to take much longer.
The keep was strangely silent. Callum made his way to the crow master. On his way there, he sighted some servants who looked shocked to see him there, but almost no guards. He realised the castle and keep within were almost deserted.
Where are all the soldiers? he thought. Did Lord Viren really summon them all to the war with Xadia? A knot started to form in his stomach.
If that were true, then Katolis was almost defenceless. Callum didn't fear an attack from Xadia, but he couldn't get the thought out of his head that the other kingdoms might view them as an enemy after recent events.
As he walked into the crow masters' office, he was shocked by the enormous amount of paper strewn across the room. What once were neat piles were now just heaps of pieces of paper, roughly sorted in some manner not discernible by Callum. Various cages with crows dangled from the ceiling. And in the midst of it sat the shivering heap that was the crow master. He looked up to Callum with wide eyes.
"Prince Callum! You're back!" His lips started to quiver, and soon he was bawling. "Oh, finally, finally! Someone else is in command!" He leapt to Callum on his knees and grabbed the sleeves of Callum's pants.
Callum could do nothing but stare, not quite understanding what was happening. "Eehhh… crow master? What's going on?"
Sniffling and sobbing, the crow master told him that when Viren had left, all the important officials left with him and that he was expected to manage the castle in his absence.
"At first it was alright, you know," he said, still sniffling. "I would get some important messages and sort them for when Lord Viren returned, and small things like approving additional grocery shopping is something I can still manage. But days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into… more weeks." He stammered, realising that it couldn't have been more than three weeks since Lord Viren's departure.
"Waitwaitwait… Can you actually, you know, manage? I mean, are you qualified, did you go to lord school or something?"
The crow master shook his head, continuing "I protested, of course, but Lord Viren said it was an honour that no one should, or could refuse. Lord Viren said that I should do my utmost best for king and country, and that if I should fail, that there would be… consequences," he said with fear in his voice.
"Oh! Right. Well… Lord Viren is dead, so he's not in charge anymore," Callum said thoughtfully. The crow master's eyes widened. "Lord Viren is dead!? What happened?"
Callum took a deep breath. "Eh, well, that's a long story, but well, we found this egg that was the dragon prince, well, the egg wasn't but the dragon prince was inside, you see, and we travelled to Xadia with an elf but then her hand almost fell off because she didn't want to kill Ezran, and -"
The crow master watched and listened dumbfounded as Callum rambled his own chaotic 'short version' of his adventures with Ezran, Zym and Rayla. Any sane man would have interrupted Callum or asked him to slow down or abbreviate. However, one doesn't simply interrupt the prince of Katolis. This went on for about fifteen minutes, before Callum finally stopped rambling, totally oblivious to the crow master barely understanding a word of what he was saying.
"- And that's how I got my mage wings! Oh, and Lord Viren probably fell to his death."
It was quiet in the room. A few crickets had somehow managed to make their way inside.
"Right," said the crow master with a confused expression on his face. "Right, of course. So…" -he said as he got up- "Shall I…. get you the most important messages first, then?"
"Wait, what? I'm not the king!" Callum objected.
"You're now the highest court official we have! You are the king's brother!" the crow master pressed. "And some of these," he said while gesturing at the piles and piles of messages, "are pretty urgent."
"Alright, alright! Gather your messages. I'll be in the throne room… throning and stuff." Callum walked away. Alright, so I just have to answer a few messages… Can do! No problem, sir! Not for me! But after that, it's time to trash Viren's room!
-/-/-/-
The rest of the day did not go as Callum had anticipated. The crow master had helped him sort through all of the important messages and Callum could only come to one conclusion; the country was in uproar. Apparently, fielding the biggest human army in recent history and then disappearing from the face of the map does that.
Messages came from various city officials asking for what happened in Xadia and for the whereabouts of their soldiers. The crow master informed him that the bulk of the non-urgent messages were from citizens searching for any news of relatives or friends. There were also requests for aid, as the absence of the army had led to a rise in banditry in the southern regions of Katolis.
Callum sighed. This is a mess.
The crow master had helped him pen a few letters to send to the Katolian cities, giving a brief overview of what had happened in Xadia; Lord Viren was dead, King Ezran was back on the throne, and they were at peace with Xadia. He decided that he would not write any letters to the other kingdoms, however. That was definitely something that the new king should do. Still, rumours would spread. It did worry Callum, but there was little to be done about it.
One thing that cheered him up slightly was to be eating proper food again. Not that he was complaining when he was on the road, but it felt good to be home.
Home… he thought. He knew he was home, but it felt empty without Ezran, without Opeli, and all the other familiar faces.
Without Rayla… Her face flashed across his mind. All of a sudden, the food lost its taste. He grimaced. What am I doing, dining like this when my friends aren't here?
Hesitantly, he finished his meal, reluctant to waste it. But he did feel a little guilty about it. He went to bed early that night, glad to be sleeping in his own bed again, but also sad that he was here, alone, without Rayla, or Ezran or anyone else he could call friend or family.
At least with the caravan, I still had Ezran. Thinking these thoughts, he slowly drifted into a restless sleep.
-/-/-/-
"…-um." Drool escaped from the corner of his mouth as he snored softly, oblivious to the banging on his door.
The banging continued, "Prince Callum!"
Callum grumbled. "Hmmm…moon berry juice… your breath smells like-"
A loud crash shook Callum from his dream. Two guards came into his room, the crow master following behind. Callum was instantly awake.
"Wha! What's going on?!"
"Prince Callum! I-I'm sorry to intrude!" the crow master hastily apologised. "But… they…"
Callum wiped the drool off his face and got out of his bed. "They? Who are 'they'?"
"The people, my prince!" The crow master was pale, clearly desperate. "They are at the gates!"
Callum didn't waste any words but went straight to the window. It was on the wrong side of the castle, but when he opened it he could clearly hear the shouting of many voices not too far away. He turned to the guards. "Well, what do they want?"
The guards looked at each other, then back at the prince. "We don't know. They seemed mad, so we figured maybe you could talk some sense into them, my prince."
Callum paled. Alright, it's okay. You're a prince AND a mage. You can do this. He quickly dismissed the guards and crow master and put on some proper clothes. Oh, Ezran is gonna be super mad if I get the castle destroyed! He had no idea what was happening outside, but all kinds of different doomsday scenarios appeared in his head. He tried to ignore them. As quickly as he could he ran to the gate and made his way up the battlements.
The sight in front of him made him gasp. Beneath him were over a hundred people filling up the bridge towards the castle, shouting and throwing stones at the gates. The guards looked at him questioningly. "What shall we do, sire?"
Callum gritted his teeth. This isn't good. They will cause some real damage if they get in. And what do they want!? He heard them shouting, but the chaos was too much to make out coherent sentences. He heard the words 'battle' 'Viren' 'king' and 'truth'. He decided that he should tell them something, but speaking in front of all these people terrified him.
He pressed his body against the edge of the battlements, making himself as visible as possible. He waved with his arms and shouted. "Quiet down! Listen up!" The guards made themselves useful and tried to calm the angry crowd. It took a minute, but eventually, everyone was staring expectantly at Callum.
"Right… em… thanks for…coming?" he said cautiously. "I know you must have a lot of questions. And I'm not sure if I'm the right person to answer them. King Ezran is on his way here…"
Shouts erupted from the crowd. "King Ezran?" "What about Viren?" "What about my husband?" "Where are our soldiers?" Callum quickly made placating gestures, waving his arms around to somehow gain their attention again.
"R-right, right, I know! The army is on its way here. They will be here in a month."
"A month!?" "Where are they?" "How did you get here, then!?" "We want answers!"
Callum sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere. He could probably talk some sense into them one-on-one, but as a whole… Suddenly, he spotted something. At the edge of the bridge, a figure in a dark cloak was waving his arms, looking at him. Callum tried to get a better look. The figure appeared to be smiling and making gestures at a rock he was holding in one hand. He then gave him a thumbs-up as he held the rock out toward him. Callum didn't know what to make of it. He frowned. What is he trying to tell me? He watched as the man sighed, then mouthed something to him. What's with that rock? Callum thought. He's not going to-
Before Callum could finish that thought, the rock already sailed through the air. Callum tried to dodge, but, having never been the most dexterous, failed miserably. The rock hit him square in the forehead. Callum yelped and nearly fell back, his vision being blurry. The crowd gasped. "Yes!" the man in the cloak exclaimed while holding up both of his arms like he had just won a prize.
"Guards! Crossbows!" All of a sudden, the mood changed. People reacted with fear and anger as the dozen guards stationed at the battlements aimed their crossbows at the crowd.
"Hold! Don't shoot!" Callum shouted, slightly panicking as things started to escalate. He still had a hand against his head. Oof! That's going to leave a mark! He looked at the ground and spotted the rock. He immediately noticed paper and string wrapped around it. He scrambled to get it, hoping it would offer a way out of this situation. As it turned out, it did. It read:
Do magic!
Meet people
in throne room!
Callum frowned. He didn't want to use magic because he was afraid he would scare them. And meeting commoners in the throne room wasn't protocol. Still, he had to solve this somehow. He knew the people wanted answers. "I wish Opeli was here…" he muttered. He looked at the crowd below. Some were running, others were angry and started chucking rocks as well. I need to stop this.
Gathering his resolve, he spread his arms, choosing his most impressive but least harmful spell. "Manus, pluma, volantis!" His wings spread and he launched himself from the battlements. People gasped, and some of the guards even dropped their weapons to the ground in shock and wonder. Callum did a quick circle above the crowd, then settled himself on the stone railing of the bridge.
"Alright, listen up!" The crowd was in awe. He now had their undivided attention. "I am not the king, but I will hear you out. Small groups can enter the castle. I will speak with them in the courtyard."
Callum reasoned it was much quicker that way, and wouldn't break tradition as much. The crowd mumbled, but seemed to accept this. He looked to his left. The man who threw the rock was grinning and gave him two thumbs up. It was a rather young man, maybe about Soren's age. He was tall and had long black hair, bound in a ponytail. He had pale skin and wore brown undecorated clothing.
Guards opened one gate and a couple rushed through the crowd. "Shall we arrest him, your majesty?" one of the guards asked as they reached Callum. The prince shook his head.
"No, let him. He wanted to help. Though his help hurt." He muttered the last part while rubbing the sore spot on his head.
He spread his wings and flew to the other side of the gate, into the courtyard. There, he instructed the guards to let in groups of at most five people. He ordered his servants to get some chairs and wine (for the commoners, not for himself as he preferred juice), and for the next few hours he 'held court in the courtyard'. The people were understandably pretty angry because of the lack of news. Callum told them what he knew, and though it still left a lot of people in doubt whether their loved ones survived the battle, the angry crowd in front of the castle slowly but surely dissipated.
It was late afternoon before the last few people still waiting entered the courtyard. With them was the stone thrower. After telling them all the recent events again (for the 35th time that day. The crow master actually helped him make his story more coherent), the people left. A woman was crying, still unsure of whether her daughter was alive. Her husband comforted her as they walked out of the gate. This left Callum face to face with the young man who had thrown the rock in his face.
"So…" Callum ventured, unsure how this conversation would go or what the man wanted. "Throwing rocks, huh? What's up with that?"
The man had the good grace to blush and scratched his head. "Um, well, I saw you looking, and I thought, well, he knows what's up, and I just threw it?" he said sheepishly. "Look, you were supposed to catch it!"
"My prince, we could still throw him in the dungeon," the crow master supplied.
Callum rubbed his head. "No, leave him." He looked at the man. "What's your name?" The man stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "Belt, son of Hanz." Callum was taken aback by the complete lack of protocol of the man.
"Sire, that's not proper!" the crow master exclaimed. "Royalty doesn't shake hands!"
Callum stared at the hand, but didn't shake it. "Alright Belt, you threw a stone in my face, but gave some good advice as well, so we're even. What do you want?" Callum didn't want to come off as too terse, but his head still hurt and he was losing his patience with this strange fellow.
But Belt didn't seem put off at all by the circumstances. In fact, the young man seemed excited as he answered. "To learn magic!"
Callum blinked. Of all the answers he was expecting, it certainly wasn't that! "You… want to learn magic?" Belt eagerly nodded.
"I've always wanted to! You know, I applied to Lord Viren to be his apprentice, but I never got a reply. Ever since, I've been studying, and-"
"Hold on. You applied to be Lord Viren's apprentice!?"
The young man named Belt suddenly paled. "Is…that a problem?"
Callum sighed, trying to gather his thoughts. Alright, let's see. I want to get back to Rayla and study primal magic. To do that, I need to get rid of all the Dark Magic in Katolis. But this guy wants to learn magic… He looked at the young man who had waited all day to ask him this question. He didn't look like anything special: he didn't seem particularly strong, or intelligent or handsome. Really, his only special feature was his long hair kept in a ponytail. Even his clothes were rather plain; a black cloak with brown, somewhat worn robes. Though looking at his clear blue eyes, he thought he could see something else, something more.
Callum debated on whether he should indulge this person. He knew that the entire point of him learning magic was so that he could eventually teach others. He didn't think he'd have to start so soon, however. He felt woefully unprepared.
"Why do you want to learn magic?" Callum asked.
Belt hesitated. He looked at the crow master standing behind Callum, and the guards near them. "Well… it's kind of embarrassing." He looked at Callum, but Callum just returned a blank stare. The rest of the crowd didn't look too eager to hear the story. "Em… the short version is that it's something I want to be good at. I read a lot about magic, and I want to be useful. I think that with magic I can really help people!"
I know what that feels like, thought Callum, though he didn't voice those thoughts out loud. "Well, I was planning on getting more humans to try magic, though I wanted to learn a bit more myself first." He mused. Belt gave him a hopeful look. "Alright, it's getting late anyway. I'll help you if you help me. Why don't you assist me in sorting out Viren's room? After that's done, I'll see if I can give you a lesson or something." Belt let out a small cheer, causing the guards to roll their eyes.
Callum groaned as he got up. He was frustrated. So much time wasted… I could have been on my way back already! He looked at the sky as it quickly darkened, the sun having set not too long ago. He beckoned Belt and the guards to follow, the crow master he dismissed. Belt quickly fell in step next to the prince, much to Callum's chagrin. Callum wasn't one to stand on protocol, but the carefree manner of Belt was putting him on edge. He didn't know the guy, and didn't trust him.
"So, why do we need to sort out Lord Viren's room?"
Callum eyed him, then looked away. "You should stop calling him 'lord'. He's anything but that. Anyway, he's dead now. And we need to destroy anything that has to do with dark magic."
Belt stopped in his tracks. "Wait, what?"
When Callum looked back at him, he saw he was shocked. "We need to destroy everything Viren has, except maybe important things that we can give to King Aureum Umbra."
Belt looked sad. "But… I thought we were going to do magic."
Understanding dawned in Callum. "No! No dark magic!" he said hastily. "Look, maybe, if you're lucky, I can get you to connect to a primal source. But no more dark magic! Is that clear!?" Only when he looked at the shocked expression of the guards did he notice he practically yelled that last part. Belt looked very concerned. After a while, he gave a hesitant nod.
"Okay. No more dark magic," he said with a small voice. Callum nodded back and opened the door to Viren's study. It was dark and abandoned, but tidy.
"Guards, bring us some light, and some food. We'll be busy tonight." Callum said with grim determination.
Belt followed, with a hint of a smile on his face unseen by Callum or anyone else.
-/-/-/-
It wasn't long after the dragonmoot that the first elves started to arrive at the Storm Spire. They camped at the base, awaiting permission to go up. Ibis kept Rayla informed of the proceedings.
"Various groups have arrived in the last few days. I think it's safe to assume that all the champions have arrived. So far, we have eighteen candidates, consisting of sunfire elves, moonshadow elves, and skywing elves."
Rayla nodded and rubbed her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well lately. She missed Callum's presence, and she had been getting strange, muddled dreams and nightmares. She couldn't quite remember what they were about, but they were distracting. She figured that she was still adjusting to the new situation.
Rayla yawned and tried to process what Ibis had told her. "So the usual, then. Though I expected at least the earthblood elves to send their delegation as well…"
Ibis shrugged. "Maybe they will get here within the next few days. Anyway, how are the preparations for the tests going?"
Rayla sighed as she looked at the plans on her desk. It was important to test the newcomers in several ways. She knew that the cities and villages of Xadia would send the best of the best, but even so, there were only seven spots left in the Dragonguard. She had to be picky.
Rayla leaned back in her chair, staring at the luneflame. Sometimes she wondered if she had just gotten lucky by becoming captain of the Dragonguard. She never had to audition or pass any tests. Then again, she did travel through human lands and back, protecting Zym and her companions along the way. Yeah, I think I earned it, she thought. That whole adventure was probably more dangerous than any test I can think of.
She got up and together with Ibis walked out of the halls onto the plateau. The sun was still low as it was still early morning. Rayla had come to appreciate the sunrise here, one of the only things that comforted her in this strange new place. She looked at Ibis. "Shall we test them, then?"
Ibis gave her an appreciative grin. "I wonder how many will make it." Ibis cast his mage wing spell and flew off into the distance. As soon as he left, three dragons that were perched on the peak leapt after him.
Rayla pondered the tests. The first one was simple: a race to the top. Ibis would cast the Ventus Spiralis spell on them and they would have to get to the peak as fast as they could. There would be no winners or losers per sé, it was more for the contestants to show off their stamina. Once at the top, Ibis would fight them with magic. He would judge them by their agility and ability to dodge and improvise. After that, they would rush to the peak where Rayla would attack them and they had to disarm her or knock her down. She smiled. She was eager to see how things would go. After all, she thought as she gazed down through the clouds, we have prepared a few surprises along the way. They had tasked the dragons with making life difficult for the climbers, as well as saving their lives if they should fall. It will take a while before the first one gets here, she thought. It had taken her and Callum most of the day to make the climb.
To her surprise, Ibis shot up from the clouds within minutes. He landed before Rayla. "Alright, there are three skywing elves with wings. They were right behind me a moment ago. The dragons will stall them, but not for long."
Rayla nodded. "Good luck, then! Try to leave a few standin'. Remember, the point is to actually enlist a couple!" she shouted.
Ibis looked back to the clouds below, where a small shape with red wings emerged. "I don't think that will be a problem." Ibis took up his position on the plateau before the entrance, and Rayla went up the stairs to the peak, being their last test. Once she got up the peak, she looked down to see if she could follow the fight going on between Ibis and the first contestant. It was a red-winged skywing elf in some blueish armour and long, red hair. He was using twin swords and tried to get close, but Ibis was making his life very difficult with various aspiro spells and other spells she didn't recognize. Then she saw a second shape emerge from the clouds, with bright purple wings.
Wow, they're fast! She already decided one of them could come in handy for their speed alone. But they had to be able to fight as well. She watched as Ibis stood down, the winged elf having survived the onslaught of wind and lightning spells. He pointed him upwards to the peak and beckoned the other elf to engage him.
Rayla turned and took her position in the centre. She had wanted to do a little warm-up first. Going into the battle completely cold wasn't wise, but it was not like she had a choice. It was really to their credit that they used their abilities to avoid all the dragons, traps and pitfalls to get so far so fast. She took out her blades and watched as the red-winged elf landed. He was taller than her, had long red hair, some black lines as a tattoo under his right eye and a scar on his left cheek. He pulled out his blades and pointed one at her.
"The name's Hendyr."
Rayla crossed her blades. "I'm Rayla. Are you ready?"
Hendyr merely grinned and leapt. His wings gave him tremendous lift and speed. Rayla saw his intention: he wanted to use both his speed and gravity to get more strength on impact. Instead of blocking, she rolled out of the way an instant before he landed, then got up and crossed her blades with his. They were evenly matched. Both were agile, and Rayla found that she was in fact a little faster and far more precise with her blades, but Hendyr used his wings to stay out of her reach and catch his breath, then lunged back at her using his speed to his advantage.
The fight only lasted a little more than a minute before Rayla gave the sign to stop. He hadn't disarmed her, but he fought well enough to wear her down. "Enough," she said.
Hendyr looked pleased."Did I pass?"
Rayla was panting. "You passed. Stand down for now."
Hendyr grinned. He sheathed his swords, bowed and walked back to the stairs, just as the next contender flew up. It was the purple-winged elf. She looked relatively young, maybe in her early twenties. She had short purple hair and similar armour to Hendyr's. She didn't land though. She was carrying a bow and a quiver and held her bow loaded and at the ready.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully with a high-pitched voice. "I'm Pincaelo! Are you ready for this?"
Rayla looked at the bow. She wondered how good she was. "Alright, just try to hit me with one!" she said, getting her swords at the ready.
Pincaelo smiled, aimed and let loose within the span of a second. Rayla barely had time to deflect the arrow with her swords. Adrenaline shot through her system. That was close!
"Haha! You're good!" Pincaelo shouted.
"So are you! Are you going to continue using that bow?"
Pincaelo shrugged. "I mean, why get close when I can use this, right?"
"Right, fair enough, but now assume you're out of arrows. What then?"
Pincaelo grinned. "Then, I have THIS!" She slung her bow over her shoulder and grabbed a bundle of sticks from her back. With the flick of a wrist, she turned it into a lance as long as she was. She did a battle cry and stormed at Rayla. For a moment, Rayla thought of dodging the lance completely, but then dropped her blades and at the last second, stepped sideways, grabbed the lance and buried its head in the ground. The momentum caused Pincaelo to be flung across the platform, over the edge. For a moment, Rayla was worried that the tumble had hurt her wings, but Pincaelo flew into sight again, looking a little ragged.
"Wow! No one has ever done that to me before!" She smiled sadly. "Guess I'm out now, aren't I?"
Rayla shook her head. "No, you did well enough. We might still need you because of your bow. But be more careful with your attacks with the lance. Don't overextend yourself." She pulled the lance out of the ground and tossed it in the air for Pincaelo to catch.
"Thanks! What should I do now?"
"Just wait in the great hall." Rayla moved to the edge of the platform. She saw that Ibis was casting spells against a third skywing elf. However, this one didn't do well at all. They couldn't dodge the attacks and were constantly blown away. Eventually, the elf gave up, and Ibis had a short exchange with them before they flew back down the mountain again. Rayla saw that as her cue to come down, figuring the elves without wings would take at least a couple more hours to get up there. It's going to be an interestin' afternoon… she thought.
As the day wore on, more elves made it to the top, but many more did not. Of the eighteen that wanted to undertake the test, ten made it past the dragons, and Rayla fought and beat a couple of those. At the end of the day, she was squaring off against two twin moonshadow elves named Keryn and Catlyn. They were hellbound on getting into the Dragonguard together and had attacked Rayla at the same time without warning.
"That's not fair!" Rayla had exclaimed, dodging both attacks.
"Don't expect your enemy to play fair!" Catlyn said as she and her brother lunged at her. Catlyn wielded a strange pommel dagger. It had blades on both ends of the grip, and she could flip the blades so that they would both point in the same direction. This, combined with her longer blade in her other hand, gave her versatility that kept Rayla on her toes.
Catlyn's brother had a sword and a shield that looked small the first time Rayla saw it, but just when she tried to strike above the shield, Keryn pulled a cord and the shield extended vertically, becoming twice as tall. Their fighting style intrigued Rayla. Catlyn would twirl around with her dagger and blade trying to get some cuts in, and when she got tired, she hid behind her brother's shield. This tactic quickly tired out Rayla. It was quite effective.
Rayla had her own tricks up her sleeve, however, and used her hook to pull the shield towards her and downwards, catching Keryn off guard. He stumbled forward and was promptly headbutted for his trouble. When Catlyn moved to defend her brother, Rayla used her speed and agility to sweep the leg. "Alright… You'll do." She managed to say between breaths. The twins said nothing as they lay on the ground, but grinned and high-fived each other.
Rayla sat down for a bit and watched Ibis walk up the plateau with a hooded figure next to him.
"This is the last one. She's quite good! She even managed to tag me a couple of times!" Ibis said while rubbing a sore spot on his side.
Rayla was breathing heavily. The various fights had worn her down considerably. Still, she was the captain. She had to show her best, maybe even more so than the newcomers. It was the first step to earning their respect. Rayla watched the figure. They were slender, and judging by the shape it was probably a girl. Strands of grey hair flowed from under her hood, but most of her face remained obscured, though she saw that she was slightly tanned. She had some kind of half-cloak draped over her right shoulder. Her entire outfit was mostly composed of blacks and greys and judging by the way she moved, Rayla thought the girl was probably wearing some kind of leather armour.
Rayla stood up, suppressing a groan. "Alright. Who are you?"
Rayla saw the girl's lips move, but she barely heard what she said. "Wha..?"
Ibis looked at the girl awkwardly. "She said it's 'Kiyara'."
"Right…" mumbled Rayla as she readied her weapons. The girl was armed with a longsword, probably a hand-an-a-half sword judging by the length of it. But it was rather thin, and she was holding it with just her right arm, which was odd, as usually these weapons were supposed to be wielded with both hands.. The girl looked plain in her robes, and the sword was just as plain to match. Almost… poor? Though the other contestants all wore fine clothing or armour, having earned that as being the best fighters in their towns and cities, this one looked remarkably simple, stylistically speaking.
Mulling over this, Rayla almost missed the movement her opponent made. With lightning speed, Kiyara rushed at Rayla and swung her sword upwards. Rayla narrowly avoided being sliced in two. By the moon!? Is she tryin' to kill me? Rayla tried to counter, but Kiyara swung her sword round and round, parrying all of Raylas attacks while keeping her form and sword in constant motion. This made it difficult for Rayla to spot an opening. She had to keep track of the swords constantly changing position, lest she get hit herself.
Rayla changed tactics, switched to her hooks and tried to grab the blade. It worked. Kiyara tried to pull it free, but Rayla persisted and used her leg to get a few kicks in before Kiyara finally freed her blade.
Kiyara was more cautious after that. She still kept her sword going in slow circular swoops while Rayla stalked around her. But it was now Rayla who had the upper hand. She lunged and pulled back, goading Kiyara to attack. Kiyara, to her credit, saw the feints for what they were and either ignored them or responded so dangerously fast that Rayla couldn't use them to her advantage.
Rayla then switched only one of her blades to a hook. She attacked and when Kiyara countered, she blocked with her blade and put the hook on top, trying to lock the blade in hers as she moved towards her. Again, Kiyara tried to pull free, but Rayla shoved her with her shoulder, then kicked her on the inside of her knee. Kiyara yelped, landing on one knee. The pain was enough to lose her grip on her sword. But she didn't give up. Kiyara grabbed Rayla by her vest, trying to wrestle her down, but Rayla used her momentum to throw her over the shoulder and on the ground. She landed flat on her back.
"You pass," Rayla said curtly to the figure on the ground. She then picked up Kiyara's sword and inspected it before returning it to its rightful owner. It's just a sword… This surprised Rayla, as most elven blades had some kind of versatility or enchantment. Being able to use your weapon in multiple different ways was what made elven weaponry so special. But as she looked back to the girl, she could imagine that this warrior simply couldn't afford such an exotic weapon. The hooked blades, Rayla had earned by being the best of Silvergrove. Perhaps, where she is from, they are not so well off?
"Alright, well done. Kiyara, why don't you join the others in the hall below?" Ibis said. Kiyara gave a curt nod and disappeared downstairs. Ibis looked at Rayla. "You look absolutely ragged!"
Rayla wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. "That's how I feel! It was a good workout!"
Ibis laughed. "I bet it was. So, any potential?"
"Of the ones I've fought, I'd say both sky elves, the twin moon elves, and… that last one."
Ibis nodded. "The mix."
Realisation struck her. The grey hair, the slightly tanned skin… "Ah, right, I couldn't place her!" she looked at the stairs Kiyara had descended a minute ago. "Do you think it's impolite to ask what kind?"
"Yes," Ibis answered definitively. "At least, it's impolite to pry. Does it matter?"
Rayla shrugged. "Only if we want to appear as if we have a healthy mix of various types of elves. Personally, I just want the best of the best. "
Ibis nodded. "That's probably the wisest course of action."
A shout was heard from below. Both Rayla and Ibis were startled by this.
"Ibis? I thought that Kiyara was the last one."
Ibis looked puzzled. "I was certain… I didn't see anyone climb after… nor did the dragons give warning…."
They ran to the edge of the plateau. Below them, they saw the plateau leading to the entrance of the Storm Spire's interior halls. The three dragons who had assisted them today were squaring off against a peculiar figure. It appeared to be a rather large elf, completely covered in bronze-coloured armour. He had one arm outstretched, holding onto a large pole with a double-bladed axe at the end of it. He used his other hand to swing around a chain with a hook which he whipped at the dragons, keeping them at bay. One of the dragons actually breathed fire down upon the figure, which he easily sidestepped, despite his heavy armour.
Rayla whistled. "Looks like we're not done yet. Ibis, why don't you go ahead and test our latest guest?"
Ibis looked stunned but nodded as he descended down the stairs.
Rayla opted to stay where she was, taking a break but watching what transpired.
Once Ibis reached the plateau, the dragons calmed down. The helmed figure greeted him, and Ibis saw two antler-like horns protruding through the helmet.
"Well met! I take it you are my next test?"
Ibis noted that the figure had a deep, pleasant and dignified voice. "Yes… How… did you get up here?"
"I walked." the figure said while pointing with his axe to the stairs.
"Strange… the dragons made no mention of you coming here," Ibis said, suspicion laid in his voice.
The figure shrugged. "I simply waited until they left."
Ibis' eyes widened. He waited the entire day!? This guy has some patience! "Hmmm…. Very well. I'm Ibis, sky mage. If you survive my onslaught, you get to meet Rayla, the captain of the Dragonguard."
"I'm Bosor. An utmost pleasure to meet you." The elf bowed slightly.
Ibis bowed back and proceeded to cast his magic. "Aspiro!"
Rayla watched the fight with interest. She expected the figure to try to avoid the aspiro attack, but instead, he planted his pole into the ground and held on. He was barely affected by the spell due to his heavy armour, the pole keeping him steady and upright until the spell faded. Ibis tried various other variations, but the figure remained motionless, not coming closer, nor being blown off balance.
Ibis changed tactics and shot a fulminis spell towards him. Rayla narrowed her eyes. He must dodge now, or else he's toast!
But the figure simply let go of the pole, and it served as a lightning rod for the spell, leaving Bosor unharmed. When Ibis tried to summon a small, localised storm to have some effect on the stoic figure, it seemed that Bosor had enough. With both hands, he drew a brownish rune in the air and plunged both hands into the ground. Ibis yelped as all of a sudden his feet were encased in stone. Bosor pulled his hands towards him, sinking Ibis into the ground all the way to his knees.
"Does that satisfy you, Ibis, sky mage?" Bosor said as he approached the now trapped elf.
"Y-yes, most impressive. Now, please release me?" Ibis was a composed figure most of the time. Now was not such a time.
The figure nodded. Rayla paid close attention and strained to listen to what spell Bosor would cast. "Hirundo terrae." Bosor plunged his gloved hands into the ground again, pushing Ibis up and out. Bosor said nothing but grabbed his double-bladed pole axe and walked up the stairs.
Ibis looked chagrined at the dragons. "You know you are supposed to keep an eye on all the humans and elves around the spire, right?" The dragons gave no reply, but looked guiltily to the ground.
Rayla got up. This is it, she thought. This is the moment one of them will get me. She didn't want to lose, but she had no plan on how to beat this armoured giant-of-an-elf. As Bosor reached the plateau, Rayla realised how tall he was. Bosor was nearly twice her size, being tall even by elven standards. Perhaps that's normal for earthblood elves? she wondered.
Bosor pointed his axe at her. "Greetings, Rayla of Xadia. Tales of your deeds have spread. I look forward to doing battle with you."
"Um… right…. What have you heard exactly?" Rayla was stalling. In the back of her head, she was still thinking of ways to knock this one down. So far, she was pulling blanks.
"That you have protected the dragon prince from both humans and elves. You did the impossible by finding the egg, hatching it and returning it here. Your rise to your place as captain of the Dragonguard is well deserved."
"Well, I'll try not to disappoint, then!" she said as she pulled her swords. Inwardly, Rayla groaned. She was tired and sore, and apparently, the hardest battle had yet to come.
"Lay on, then!" Bosor shouted. He held out his axe as a challenge and started to swing the chain with his other hand. Rayla didn't wait for him to throw his chain, so she closed the distance and tried for a swing at his helmet. Bosor tried to block with the axe without dropping the momentum on his chain, but Rayla had the advantage of two blades. One got past his guard and slammed against his helmet. Bosor had to drop his chain and pushed Rayla away. She swiped at his legs, but her blades just stopped when they struck his armour. The only warning Rayla had of the incoming axe was the swishing through the air. She managed to avoid the blade, but the pole caught her against the chest and she was flung towards the edge. She plunged her swords into the ground to stop her from going over it.
Bosor now moved towards her, his axe raised with both hands. Rayla got up and tried to get past him, intending to go for the inside of his knees. However, just as she moved past, the axe swung in her direction and the pole caught her in the ribs, throwing her to the other side again. When she got up, she immediately felt a sting in her side. She had skimmed past the blade of the axe. It wasn't a deep cut, but she was bleeding. Rayla cursed her luck. She ignored the impulse to put pressure on the wound, but kept her swords in her hands and her eyes on her target.
She switched to her hooks and engaged Bosor head-on. He swung his axe once, but Rayla jumped back to keep out of its reach, only leaping forward once the axe had moved past. Bosor also moved back, trying to keep his distance. She hooked one blade on his arm and pulled, but felt the strength of his arms as he didn't budge. She heard him drop his axe and figured that he would try to use his hands to engage her in close quarters, so Rayla decided to pull a risky move. She jumped on his back and put her other hook around his neck, being somewhat careful not to cut him, but she made sure he felt the blade.
"Ugh!" Bosor stiffened as the cold metal pressed against his neck. He had grabbed one of her legs but made no move to throw her, recognizing she had the upper hand.
"I think I win this one," Rayla whispered to the helmet. Bosor didn't respond at first. Finally, he let go of Rayla's leg and held up his hands in defeat.
"I yield," he rasped. Rayla let herself slide off his back and stowed her swords. She winced as they slid along her sliced hip. Only now did she look at her injury. There was damage, but she couldn't see if it was just superficial, or if it was a deep cut. However, it was bleeding profusely, her pants already soaking up a lot of the blood. She swore. She didn't have a lot of spare clothing at hand at the moment. Bosor looked at her. "You should get that looked at."
Rayla wanted to give a snarky reply but thought the better of it. "Let's go meet the rest downstairs." Bosor gathered his axe and chain and walked after her.
The sun had set. It had been a long day. Of the eighteen that ascended the mountain, ten made the climb, and eight made it past Ibis. Of those eight, Rayla only deemed six worthy of serving the Dragonguard. However, this didn't mean that the remaining six were now Dragonguard per sé. It just meant that they would join a trial period over the next few months. If they were successful in their duties, then they would become fully fledged members.
Ibis had taken Rayla to her room to bind her wounds and put on some clothing that wasn't soaked in blood, before going to the great hall to present the six before Queen Zubeia. When they got down, the elves were already waiting for them in the front hall. Rayla finally got a good look at Bosor's face, who had removed his helmet. He was a true earthblood elf. He had light-brown skin, and reddish-brown hair that fell to his shoulders, with brown antler-like horns crowning his head. He looked remarkably at ease compared to the others, who were either nervous or excited. When Rayla stood before them, they all looked at her expectantly.
"Alright, well done, everyone!" Rayla said as she addressed the group. "Some of you really surprised me up there! So, are you ready to meet the king and queen?" She saw some mixed reactions amongst the group. The twins looked eager, Bosor looked rather stoic, Pincaelo was jittery, and Hendyr and Kiyara looked nervous, almost afraid. Not the enthusiasm I was expectin', she thought.
"Right, follow me, everyone." The group followed and they entered the great hall. King Aureum Umbra stood before them, looking regal and majestic. Queen Zubeia had a slightly more relaxed pose and kept an eye on little Zym who was flying around letting out happy yelps and zaps, having invented some kind of game of his own. He largely ignored the group below, but the warriors let out a gasp as they saw the young prince flying past.
"King Aureum Umbra and Queen Zubeia, may I present the candidates for the position of dragonguard!" Rayla gestured at the six elves as they nervously waited in line. "Please step forward and present yourself when I call your name. Bosor of the earthblood elves."
Bosor stepped forward and knelt on one knee, bowing his head. "My life for Xadia and its king and queen!" he exclaimed loudly.
The king gave a nod, and Rayla moved on to the next in no particular order. "Keryn and Catlyn of the moonshadow elves." Both elves stepped forward and bowed.
"Hendyr and Pincaelo of the skywi-."
"Hendyr!?" the queen roared and her head swayed downwards in his direction.
The elf cowered before her. "Your majesty…"
"You! You dare show your face here!?"
The rest of them were confused. King Aureum Umbra kept a watchful eye but did not intervene. Rayla had no idea what had triggered this anger. She looked at Ibis, but he also had a questioning look on his face. "Your majesty…" he started. "What is the matter?"
The dragon snarled. "This coward was part of the previous Dragonguard. The guard that abandoned my husband!"
The other elves gasped. No one had expected this, and they were unsure how to react. Rayla, on the other hand, saw red. He also abandoned my parents! She felt adrenaline surging through her as she drew her blades and rushed towards him. Hendyr saw her too late to draw his own blades and was knocked to the ground where he found himself with two blades at his throat.
"You mink eejit! You scunner!" Rayla screamed profanities as her hands trembled. "You abandoned them!"
Hendyr narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you mean the king and prince, or your parents?"
The dragon king lowered his head and focused his eyes on Hendyr. "Tell me then, Hendyr," he said as he spat the name, "Why did you return?"
Hendyr looked at his king, then the queen and then at Rayla. The king looked strict, demanding his attention, but strangely enough, he looked comparatively kind to the others, as the queen and captain had bloody murder written on their face. "I-I… I wanted to prove myself. That I could still do it! Be a Dragonguard, I mean…" He gave Rayla a hopeful look. "And I did, right? You couldn't disarm me or knock me down."
"Because you kept flyin' out of my reach!" she spat, her blades still close to his neck. "And it was you who had to disarm me. Which you didn't." Their faces were now inches apart. Rayla had to restrain herself to not just twist the blades and be done with it. He could have stayed… he could have taken the egg… My parents would still be alive if he wasn't such a coward!
Hendyr tried to move backwards but knocked against Bosor who came up behind him and held his double-bladed axe at the ready. He then desperately looked at the dragons as he pointed at Rayla. "What about her? Why is she the captain? Her parents are as much cowards as I am!"
Rayla gave a strangled cry, doing the utmost to restrain herself. "You liar! My parents stood and fought until the end!"
Hendyr looked at her with disbelief. "Oh yeah, then why were they banished!? They never found their bodies, Rayla! Face it, they fled!"
For the first time, Rayla felt doubtful about that story. She loosened the grip on her blades slightly. "But… But Callum said…"
"Enough!" The king roared. "I don't care about what her parents did. I care about what Rayla of Xadia did. It was Rayla who brought the dragon prince here. She threw herself at the dark mage and from the top of the spire to save Azymondias. If she needed redemption, then her actions have done so a thousand-fold, which is more than I can say for you!"
It was quiet in the great hall. Zym had stopped playing a while ago and looked at the events from the safety of the nest. The elves held their breath. Hendyr's face was twisted up, showing a mix of anger and shame. "Alright," he said with a quiet voice. "I'll go."
He got up, Rayla and Bosor let him, and he walked out of the great hall. He stopped, wanting to say something, but thought the better of it, and sped out of sight.
Rayla was staring after him, her fingers clenched around her blades. Her hands were still shaking.
"I'm sorry, Rayla," Ibis said softly as he put one hand on her shoulder. "I thought he looked familiar, but I didn't connect the dots until now. I wasn't as familiar with the rest of the Dragonguard as I was with your parents." When he noticed that Rayla was still fuming, he added: "Let it go. You still have one more to introduce."
"Right." Rayla took a deep breath, bottling up the emotions so she could deal with them some other time and introduced Kiyara. Kiyara quickly stepped forward, gave a short bow, and stepped back to the wall, seemingly wanting to disappear in the shadows.
King Aureum Umbra gave a sigh. "Unexpected, but I'm glad to see that resolved. We cannot have weakness in our most elite fighting force." He lorded over them and through that demanded their undivided attention. "The next few months will be a testing period. You are all proven fighters from your towns or villages, else you would not be here. However, being a Dragonguard is more than just fighting. You must protect us, and protect each other. You must care for the Storm Spire and, if threats emerge, you could be sent out to deal with them in our name." He looked at their faces. Privately, King Aureum Umbra thought that only Rayla and Bosor had the makings of a Dragonguard. Still, he mused, it's good to have some protection, at least until better-suited candidates arrive. "Your job starts immediately. Captain Rayla," Rayla stood at attention as her name was called. "See to it that the Storm Spire is protected, starting now."
Rayla bowed. "Yes, my king." She turned to the group. "Alright. Bosor, stand guard at the plateau until you are relieved. Pincaelo, scout the perimeter until I call you. The rest, follow me."
-/-/-/-
It was nearing midnight when Rayla finally made her way to her bed. She had given each of the fledgling Dragonguards a room, shown them the storage rooms and pantry and set up a schedule for guarding the perimeter of the Storm Spire. She was glad for her talks with Ibis. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have known all this stuff, but right now she knew the duties of the Dragonguard and hers as their captain. She would make mistakes sometimes, sure. Rayla was new to this so she was bound to slip up. But they were new as well and she figured that as long as they put in the effort, they would all grow into their various roles.
She had also briefly spoken with the king about whether there was any news of Katolis. She decided that while she didn't like the huge dragon, she could respect him. Though she did not like his harsh look upon the world, she could not fault it either. In fact, that had been her view nearly two months ago. Two months… she mused. And nearly a month without Callum… There had been no word from Katolis, but she wasn't worried… yet. There had been reports that the army finally managed to cross the border a week ago, meaning that Callum would arrive in the capital somewhere between now and next week. And then he has to root out the dark mage's influence…. I'm not even sure how he's goin' to do that, much less prove it to the king…
Rayla undressed, winced as she looked at the bandages (the wound had been deeper than expected, but it would heal in time), and laid down for the night. She grabbed Callum's sketchbook and started leafing through it. By now, it held no more secrets to her. She had seen all the sketches. But she could daydream, and as she looked at the sketch where she was wearing his scarf, she imagined herself lying close to him. The pain she had felt on her first night here had numbed somewhat, but it was still there.
"Callum…" she whispered. Staring at the sketch, she slowly fell into a restless sleep…
-/-/-/-
It was hot in the cave, but that was to be expected. They had set themselves up in a cavern in the desert close to several villages. Neolandia didn't have a high mage as Katolis once had, but there were several powerful mages that lived in the various cities. Viren had sent messages to the figures he knew, giving a brief overview of what he knew and where he was. He explained his intent as 'spreading the blessing of magic across all kingdoms'. It was the truth. He just wasn't sure the authorities would see it that way after the defeat at the Storm Spire. He hadn't gotten replies so far, so he hid and waited.
Meanwhile, Claudia went to the various villages disguised as a priest, and with the sun staff used sun magic and dark magic to enact various miracles to gain a following. Sometimes she would bring a follower to the cave where Viren would talk with them about what it truly entailed to become a dark mage and that no, dark didn't mean bad or evil, it just meant accepting that, to create something, you had to give something in return, in most cases the lifeforce of other living creatures.
Aaravos stayed out of sight and would sometimes disappear for days, but he would always return with a lot of new ingredients for Viren and Claudia to use. He and Viren would talk about their plans sometimes, but Viren noted that Claudia was included more and more in these talks. He felt the shift in power. He was still the mastermind behind all their scheming, Aaravos providing the means and Claudia doing the actual work. He wondered how long it would be, however, before Claudia didn't need him anymore. She still adored him, something that pleased him immensely. He loved her, but also worried about her. He sincerely hoped that they would get out of this better than they started.
"Dad? Daaaad!"
Viren looked up. He had been thinking about what to do about the kingdoms. There had been a decree in Duren last week banning all dark magic. The few mages Duren housed weren't very powerful and had relented their craft and materials almost immediately. He figured Katolis would follow suit soon after.
"Dad, I brought a friend!" Claudia came in with a rough-looking man. He wore plain black robes and was a bit on the fat side. His beard was of medium length and unkempt, and he was balding. He certainly wasn't an imposing sight.
"Greetings, High Mage Viren. It is a pleasure to finally see you!"
Viren looked more closely at the figure, then realisation struck him. "Muardalt! Is that you?"
The figure grinned, showing his yellow teeth. "'Tis indeed! I hoped to see you again someday, but I didn't expect to find you in this cave in the middle of the desert! Tell me how this came to pass!"
Viren smiled. Muardalt was an acquaintance, one of the mages in Neolandia he had met once or twice to exchange notes and spells. "Well, I didn't expect to end up here either. But it's good to see a friendly face!" They shook hands. Muardalt gave him a funny look.
"You look beat up, Viren! Why aren't you using your beautification spell? Ran out of butterflies?"
Viren coughed. "We're…saving our supplies for those in need."
"Really? How… nice of you."
"Indeed. Anyway, what can I do for you, Muardalt? You already know the basics of dark magic. Have you come to learn more?"
"Indeed I have. Your beautiful daughter told me of your plight, and I figured, why not help my old pal Viren for a good cause?"
Viren stroked his beard as he regarded Muardalt. "Really? Well, we can use help. What can you offer?"
Muardalt gestured to the cave entrance, where a small group of people were waiting. "I have been trying to teach these men dark magic, but unfortunately I don't have the same skill as you. If you train us, we can make sure that dark magic spreads throughout Neolandia."
Viren thought about that. After a while, he said, "I'll make you a different offer. I will train you, and those men. But in return, you must do something for me."
Muardalt already looked happy at the prospect of learning more about dark magic. "Sure, pal, anything you want!"
Viren smiled and beckoned the other men to come forward. They were all rough looking people, just the kind of men he needed for this mission. He told them of a plan he had thought up that would make sure that the common folk would not only respect dark magic, but would start to use it on their own.
"Viren, this sounds like a well thought out plan," Muardalt said after Viren had explained almost everything. "Where do you want us to start all this?"
Viren's eyes shone with a hint of anger and vengeance as he thought of the one ruler who had defied him and had now banned the magic he loved. "In Duren."
Author's notes:
Here is an early update for you as a christmas present, so, merry christmas everyone! Truth to be told, I have mixed feelings about this chapter. On the one hand, I really hoped I could progress the story far enough by now to include a little more Rayllum, but I also want the story to follow its natural course and show you what Callum and Rayla have been doing in the meantime. I feel like I do the story a disservice if I just press skip time until they see each other again. It also caused this chapter to be double the length I intended (which I'm sure you won't mind a bit). What do you think?
Review responses:
Oragonking: Heh, well, answering that would be telling. I hope I'll surprise you!
Ranibowhawk1993: Thanks for the review! I was rather nervous on how well received Zeron would be, but I'm glad to see he's as mysterious as I wanted him to be. As for Ezran, he has the power. It would be a shame not to give him some spotlight.
Silverspetz: Thank you very much! I figured that if Zubeia reacted that gently to the presence of humans, she might have had some time for self reflection, but we as an audience must be shown this. I expect that when the real season 4 comes out, there will be flashbacks or some conversation that reflects on this.