Chapter 6:
Through the Ice

Dawn is approaching, and the traveling companions are resting peacefully by a tree they found to camp for the night. The princesses and Bait are sleeping under the roots of the tree, while Raylis is sleeping on top of them. However, Raylis is the only one having trouble sleeping because his left hand has turned purple and is hurting. The assassin's binding on his wrist has squeezed harder, further constricting it.

Just then, Raylis woke up from his pain, altered to a noise in the woods. He jumped back down and went to investigate. As he entered deep into the woods, Raylis saw a snapped twig on the ground. That's the sound he heard. Someone is here, lurking through the woods.

He then hears the bushes behind him rustling. He stood up and draws out his blades. A fawn emerged from the bushes. Raylis sighed in relief, and lowered his blades.

"You scared me, little one." Raylis told the fawn, holding out his injured hand. It gave it a gentle lick, which even then hurt a bit. "Thanks, but my hand's got a problem you can't lick away."

The fawn stopped licking and suddenly backed away.

"What's the matter?" Raylis asked the scared little fawn. It flees back into the bushes. Raylis turned around to see a net dropped on him. As he struggles to get out, he saw his assailant dropped down from a branch. It was Raptora, the highly-skilled tracker sent by the princesses' uncle Amayus.

"Never trapped an elf before." Raptora said, swinging her kaginawa. "Easier than I thought."

Raylis manage to free himself from the net just as Raptora swung her hook at him. Missed, she pulls back her hook. "Think again." Raylis said, as draws back out his blades.

The two engage in combat.

Ezra wakes up and notices Raylis' absence. She tries to wake her sister up. "Calla? I think we're alone."

"Finally... oh, I've been waiting for this moment." Calla droned in her sleep.

"Calla?"

"Mmm... your breath still smells like tuna." Calla moaned.

"Calla! Wake up! Raylis is missing." This caused Calla to get up instantly and wide awake.

"Oh no, did he take it?!" Calla said panically.

"What? The egg?" Ezra asked. "It's still right there." Ezra said reassuringly as she showed her sister the bag where they safely stashed the egg in.

Calla sighs in relief. "Oh, good. You know, that still doesn't mean we can trust him."

"But I like him, Calla."

"I like him too. But the thing is, he's-"

"An elf?!" Ezra said angrily. "Who cares? I thought we were over this after what happened at the lodge! It seems maybe everything we've heard about elves is wrong!"

"No! I know! I was gonna say that..." Calla said with suspicions, "he's not telling us everything. I can feel it."

While engaged in combat, Raylis realizes how close their camp lies to the attacker. In an attempt to lure Raptora away, he scales a tree, but is captured by the woman's weapon and immobilized when hung from a branch.

"Give me the girls peacefully, and I'll let you go! Release your prisoners." Raptora demanded.

"They're not prisoners. They choose to travel with me." Raylis informed.

"What?! Why would they trust you?" Raptora questioned.

Raylis freed himself. "Because we're in this together! They're my friends now!"

Raptora swung her hook, but Raylis deflects it. "Friends? You killed their mother!"

"I didn't kill anyone!" Raylis denied.

"Your leader did! What's the difference? You were part of it, so that makes you just as guilty!" Raptora said as she hit the branch Raylis was standing on, sending the elf falling. He manage to grab onto a branch of another tree, but his injured hand is making it difficult to get a grip. He dropped one of his swords. Raptora stands above him, while stepping on his other sword. "Wait. They don't know, do they?" she asked, realizing that the princesses are unaware of what the Moonshadow Elves had done to Queen Hera. Seeing her temporarily distracted, Raylis pulled back his sword to make her lose balance, then he swung around the branch and kicked her off.

Raylis hopped to the top of the tree, only to find they're near a cliff. Raptora is right behind him, ready to attack with her kaginawa again.

"When they find out, they will hate you!" Raptora angrily insisted.

"Shut up!" Raylis shouted.

Raptora strikes her hook, only for Raylis to grab it and pull her down the cliff with him. They fell through several more branches and tumble down a steep hill. But Raylis manage to stop himself with his attacker's kaginawa.

"Savor your victory, elf!" Raptora shouted, after having fallen to the lower ground. "Next time you won't be so lucky!"

"Says the lady in the ditch!" Raylis quipped, satisfied that he manage to get rid of her. At least for the time being.

"I hate that elf." Raptora muttered.

Back at camp, the sisters are waiting for Raylis to return. Though Calla hope he'll return.

"So, did you know you were sleep-talking?" Ezra asked, to break the silence and curious about earlier. "What were you dreaming about?"

"I don't remember. Why? I didn't say anyone's name out loud did I?" Calla said awkwardly, hoping she didn't say Claude's name.

"No, but you said something about tuna-"

"Sandwiches!" Calla quickly cut off her sister. "Yep, I remember now. I was having a dream about sandwiches."

"You seemed weirdly excited about sandwiches."

"When you get older, we'll have that talk about sandwiches."

"Okaaaay." Ezra said, weirded out.

Just then, Raylis has returned, and looked worn down and out-of-breath. "We gotta move!" he said in a panicked state.

"What's going on? Where were you?" Calla asked suspiciously.

"We should eat something first." Ezra suggested. Then she lifts up Bait. "Look how grumpy Bait is right now."

Bait grumbles.

"There's no time! We have to get moving now!" Raylis ordered.

"Why?" Calla asked exasperatedly. "Can't you at least explain-"

"I don't have to explain anything to you!" Raylis yelled in annoyance, throwing Calla her backpack. "Now let's go!"

"Fine!" Calla said in a huff.

"Fine!" Raylis retorted back.

Calla turns to Ezra, whispers, "See what I mean? Hiding something."

Ezra just sighs at her sister's paranoia, as she puts on her backpack with the egg and Bait hopped on top of it. Calla grabbed Ezra's hand and hurriedly follow Raylis' lead. They left their bread behind.

At the Katolis castle, Sonja is jogging on a set of stairs while on her way to meet up with her mother at the battlement. She sees her mother standing and looking out.

"I love having meetings up here." Sonja said. "I get a nice workout going up all those stairs."

"We have important things to discuss. Try and focus." Vira said.

"No problem. You have my undivided attention."

"This evening, you and your brother will depart on a mission."

"Searching for the princesses."

"The outcome of your mission is critical too the future of our kingdom."

"We got this. We'll find them." Sonja said with outmost confidence.

"I'm sure you will. But there's a bit of nuance to this situation."

"'Nuance'?" Sonja asked, raising her hand up and shaking her head.

Vira sighs. "Listen closely. You are to return with the terrible news that the princesses have perished."

"Say what? Can you say that again?"

"You are to return with the terrible news that both princesses have died." Vira repeated firmly.

Sonja is at a lost at words at what her mother just said.

The princesses and Raylis are walking on a path near the rocks when Raylis suddenly stopped. "Wait. This path is too easy."

"No it's not. It's exactly the right amount of easy."

"No. It's well-worn, it's flat, it's soft." Raylis said, gesturing at flatter terrain. "Sooner or later, we're going to run into somebody." He's worried that someone being Raptora. "We need to go up that way." He points to the rocky cliff. "Tougher terrain is safer for us. The tougher, the better."

"Well, that sounds terrible." Calla said.

"Exactly." Raylis said.

"This is already tough enough." Ezra whined. "Do you have any idea how heavy the egg is?"

"Uh, no I don't. Because you won't trust me to carry it." Raylis countered.

"Should we trust you?" Calla asked bluntly. "Have you told us the truth about everything?"

Raylis sighs, "Fine! Keep carrying the extremely heavy egg. But quit crying about it. We're going up this way."

The princesses have no choice but to follow his orders.

Back at the castle, Sonja is still trying to process what her mother told her.

"Wait, if we return with the news that the princesses have died... won't that mean we failed?" she asked.

"The coming war will determine the fate of humanity. History has come to a crucial tipping point." Vira said.

"So, you're saying things could go either way."

"Precisely."

"Like a see-saw."

"Yes. History is like... a see-saw. If we are strong enough to make the right decisions, humans may finally return to Xadia, and take back the great magical lands that are rightfully ours. If we are led by a child queen..."

"She might make bad choices?" Sonja asked.

"She will make weak choices!" Vira stated. "History will tip the wrong way... and the forces of Xadia will crush not only Katolis, but all the five kingdoms!"

"Okay, so... I'm supposed to come back with the news that they're dead. What I don't understand is... what am I supposed to do if I find them alive?" Sonja asked.

"Oh. You'll know the right thing to do." Vira smiled.

"The right thing?" Sonja repeated uneasily, knowing what her mother is insinuating. "I... don't know if I could do that."

"Out there, in the wild, accidents happen every day. Deadly accidents. My daughter. This won't be easy, but I know you can do it. You are strong. Now, tell no one. Not even Claude. You must carry this weight alone. Someday that throne may belong to you."

Vira then walked away, leaving her reluctant daughter alone to process it all.

Raylis, Calla, and Ezra climbed high enough where there is snow.

"Alright, let's stop to eat. I'm starving." Raylis said.

Calla noticed the bread isn't sticking out of her bag. So she looks deep into it, and realize they left their bread behind.

"Uhhhh... oh no, I don't have the food." Calla said.

"What? You had one job: carry your stale human food. How could you leave them?"

"You rushed us! You were yellng at us, and I just... You made me leave them!" Calla said.

"Oh, that's right. Because I remember yelling three things... 'Hurry, hurry.', 'Let's go, go, go.' and 'Be sure to abandon all the supplies you need to survive.'"

Calla doesn't appreciate his remark.

"What are we gonna do? We're out of food!" Ezra said panically.

"Well, I suppose I'd be willing to share my moonberry juice with you." Raylis pulls out the bottle. "It's packed with super nutrients, and I still have plenty-" He noticed it's empty. "Still had plenty. Someone drank it all! Who went through my stuff?"

"I didn't touch your things!" Calla said.

"Don't look at me!" Ezra said.

"Well, I didn't drink it." Raylis said. "If one of you didn't sneak it, then who?"

Bait suddenly hiccuped. Raylis looked at the glow toad and noticed she changed into a similar color as the juice.

"Did that little frog monster...?"

Bait hiccups again.

"Bait wouldn't do that!" Ezra defended her pet. "You have no reason to think-" Bait hiccups again. "Don't accuse her!"

"Look at how she's glowing!" Raylis pointed out.

"Well, Bait glows different ways depending on her mood." Ezra explained. "Like, she has one color if she's lonely. Or she glows another way if she's hungry. Or angry. Or hangry!"

"That's when you're so hungry that you'e angry..." Calla explained.

"I know what 'hangry' means! So what does that color mean?"

Ezra crouches to get a better look at Bait. "Actually, I've never seen her glow that way before. Kind of a reddish, purplish berry color."

Bait belched at Ezra's face.

"Yeah, she did it." Ezra said disappointedly.

Raylis grows in frustration.

"I think he's hangry." Calla said to Ezra, while putting her backpack back on.

"I'm habsolutely hurious!" Raylis remarked as he continues their way.

Inside Vira's chambers, Claude unveils the magic mirror his mother was looking at the day before Queen Hera's assassination, and attempts to cast a dark magic spell to reveal its secrets.

"Speak your true nature to me." Claude said as he walked up to the mirror. "Cigam rouy laever." (1)

"Nothing? You are a stubborn magic mirror."

"You think I haven't tried that?" Vira asked. Claude turns to see her mother has arrived. "I've cast eight different reveal spells. They all failed. At the end, I see nothing but my own frustrated face staring back at me."

"Well, maybe it's just a mirror." Claude shrugged.

Vira sighed in response. "Of all the treasures, artifacts and relics in the lair of the Dragon King and Queen, they kept this close to where they slept." Vira said, putting her hand on the border of the mirror. "Why? It must be important."

"Then we'll figure it out. Whatever it takes." Claude said assuringly. Then he turns to the mirror. "You hear that, mirror? I'm putting you on notice." He gives the mirror an "I'm watching you" gesture. "Kind of weird how the mirror did it right back at me. Like it was putting me on notice."

Vira covers up the mirror again, deciding to put it to rest for now.

"We have something important to discuss." Vira brings up. "Your mission."

"To rescue the princesses." Claude stated.

"Yes, but you will have a secret mission that is far more important." Vira put her hand on her son's shoulder. "Claude, you must recover that dragon egg."

"They have it with them, so it shouldn't be a problem. Princesses, egg... I've got room for a third mission if you need anything while we're out."

"The egg cannot fall into the wrong hands. It is too powerful, too dangerous. So whatever happens, whatever accidents or tragedies may occur... above all else, you must return with the egg!"

"I understand."

"Good."

"One question, though. Let's say we're attacked by giant bumble-scorps, and they're all buzzing like... BZZZZ! BZZZZ! ...and flailing their scorps at us like... BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! ...and I'm forced to choose between saving the egg and saving Sonja. What should I do?"

Vira respond with uneasy silence.

"Mom, it's a joke! Relax, I was kidding! There's no way anything like that could happen. Everything will be fine." Claude chuckled as he's about to head out.

"The egg!" Vira uttered solemnly, making Claude stop at his tracks. "If you have to choose, choose the egg."

Claude was shocked to hear that, but doesn't question it. He always have faith in what his mother does. He left the room.

The traveling companions are walking up a snowy hill, with great difficulty.

"Raylis, can you slow down? It's getting a little tricky." Ezra said, as she's carrying the bag with the heavy egg. Bait is holding onto the bag with her mouth.

"Raylis! Come on!" Calla complained. "You're the one who made us take this crazy route, at least let us keep up with you."

"I just need to put this down for a second and catch my breath." Ezra said, as she fell into the snow on her butt.

"There is a solution, you know. You can just let me carry the egg."

"Geez, here we go again." Calla muttered, as she climbed up.

"You realize that I could just take it, right? I could just take it from you anytime I wanted." Raylis argued.

"Yeah, that's good, Raylis. Way to increase trust." Calla sarcastically remarked.

"But I don't. That's the point."

"Oh, well, congratulations! You haven't threatened us and forced us to give you the egg? You deserve a medal! You're a hero!"

Ezra noticed the ice above them is starting to crack.

Raylis yelled, "I could take it! I could return it to Xadia on my own..."

"Guys, you need to keep it down." Ezra said quietly.

"...and as a matter of fact, I would be a hero!" Raylis finished.

"Then what's stopping you?"

"It has to come from you! Human princesses, returning the egg to the Dragon King! That's the gesture that matters! That could end the war, and change the world! Since humans took the egg in the first place!"

"We get it! The humans are bad! I was a jerk for calling you a monster! You don't need to keep reminding us!" Calla yelled, grown tired of how it's always have to be the humans' fault.

"Shhhh! You guys need to stop fighting. Look." Ezra points up at the cracking ice above them. "All your yelling is cracking the ice. If we're not careful, we could start an avalanche. Got it?"

"Uh-huh." Calla answered.

"Not a sound." Raylis agreed.

"Good. It stoped cracking." Ezra said. She gives them two thumbs up. They continued on quietly.

BELLLLLLCH!

Bait released a loud burp which triggers an avalanche.

"RUNN!" Calla yelled.

Ezra tripped, Raylis helped her up with his bad hand. He yelped in pain, which Ezra noticed.

"What happened to your hand?" Ezra asked.

"Don't worry about it, just run!" Raylis said, as he grabbed Ezra with his other hand.

Calla was briefly annoyed by his refusal to explain.

"We're not going to make it! It's like... a snow-nami!" Raylis said.

Realizing Raylis is right about not being able to outrun it, Calla suddenly thought of something and stopped running. "Calla, what are you doing?" Ezra asked.

"Get behind me." Calla said. They do just that, but are worried as the 'snow-nami' is coming in fast, causing Bait to turn lime green with worry.

Calla takes out the Primal Stone to cast a spell. "Aspiro!", and blows to creating a safety pocket. However, Calla soon runs out of breath and they were all swept away by the snow.

Calla climbs out of the snow. "Is everyone okay?" she called out. She then see Raylis' legs sticking out of the snow. He jumped out and stands.

"Where is that hiccuping, juice-thief frog?" Raylis asked threateningly.

Calla and Raylis looked around and found Ezra lying on a frozen lake. Ezra then points up a hill, where Bait is. "She's right there, she's okay. We all made it!"

She noticed the egg is no longer in the bag. She looked around and fortunately, it's just a few feet from her in the middle of the frozen lake. "I'll go get the egg."

She carefully walked towards the egg and retrieved it. But as she tries to walk back to the others, she takes one step and the ice beneath her starts to crack.

"Ez! Don't move! We're coming to get you!" Calla yelled. So Ezra stood still, nervously.

Sonja is sitting on the bench by the tree at the courtyard. She's stress-eating jelly tarts, which she has two piles of by her side. She's still thinking about killing the princesses... or rather if she would actually go through with it.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look kind of down." Claude said.

"Did mom say anything strange to you?" Sonja asked.

"Yeah, she kinda did." Claude said truthfully, still bothered by his mom telling him to retrieve the egg even at the cost of his sister's life. "Why? Did she say anything strange to you?"

"No." Sonja lied, remembering her promise to keep her secret mission even from her brother. "Totally not, just a standard mom talk." She giggled nervously. "What?"

"Oh, I see." Claude stammered, believing it's just him.

"So, what did she say to you that was so strange?" Sonja asked.

"Uh..." Looking around, he spotted a squirrel with a walnut, sitting on top of the tree. "She said that walnuts are her favorite... fruit! I mean, that's crazy, right?"

"Yeah, I don't even think they're fruit." Sonja smiled.

"They're not."

"Well, that is strange."

"I mean, what's his favorite vegetable, ice cream?" Claude chuckled. Sonja laughed as well. "Anyway, are you ready for our mission?"

"You bet I am!" Sonja said, as she grabbed some of the jelly tarts to eat on their travel.

"Great! I'm sure you won't die."

"What?"

"On this mission." Claude reaffirmed. "I mean, you eventually will die, I think. But you probably won't."

"Thanks, Claude." Sonja said, as she takes another bite.

On the cracking lake surface, Calla carefully approaches Ezra. Raylis follows suit.

"Stay still, we're almost there." Calla tells Ezra. When she got closer, Calla has her hands out. "Easy does it. Just pass it over."

Ezra passes the egg to Calla. The ice is starting to crack under Calla too.

"What now?" Raylis asked.

"Now... I'm gonna hand you the egg. I'm sorry about the way I acted, Raylis. We're lucky to have you as our friend." Calla offers the egg to him. "I do trust you."

Struck by her sympathy, Raylis feels guilty and refuses to take the egg. "No, wait. I don't deserve your trust... not yet. I need to tell you the truth."

"What truth?" Ezra asked.

"This morning, the big rush was because I was attacked by someone. A human. I fought her off, but it was hard. Because of this." Raylis shows the princesses his constricted hand.

"You don't need to do this right now." Calla said.

"Yes, I do. This is an assassin's binding. A Moonshadow elf ritual. Before I met you, I swore an oath. I bound myself... to end Princess Ezra's life."

Ezra was shocked to hear that, to hear that the elf assassins wanted to kill her too.

"And this binding will never come off while he's alive. It. will just get tighter and tighter until I lose my hand. But I'm ready to pay that price."

"Thank you for telling us, but we need to focus on the situation." Calla reminded Raylis.

He was about to take the egg, but had more to say. "There's one more thing. The night I met you, something bad happened."

"Raylis, there's no time." Calla said, as she noticed the ice is cracking further.

"Calla, please I need to tell you!" Raylis raised his voice, afraid that he won't have another chance to confess. "The Queen-"

The cracks are starting to get worse.

"Just take it!" Calla pleaded.

Raylis sighs exasperatedly and takes the egg. But its weight puts pressure on his injured hand, causing him to yell in pain and accidentally drop the egg. It broke through the ice and sink into the freezing water.

"You dropped it!" Calla said.

"I just told you my hand was messed up!" Raylis said.

"Well, you should have used the other hand! And not waste time talking!"

"Well sorry I picked a bad time to open up!"

"Stop arguing!" Ezra yelled at the two. "We have to do something!" She quickly dives into the icy water for the egg.

"Ez, no! Ezra! I'm going in after her!" Calla was about to jump, but Raylis stopped her.

"Don't!"

"Why?!"

"She'll get it. She'll save the egg. We have to believe in her. And we're going to need to be up here to pull her out."

"But she's just a kid!"

"She's not just a kid! She's brave and strong! She can do it!"

The two stand by the hole on the ice, waiting for her to come up to the surface with the egg at any moment.

"Come on. Come on!" Calla said frantically.

"It's going to be okay. Ez will get it." Raylis reassured.

A few moments pass without a sign of Ezra.

"You were wrong. She's not coming back." Calla said, as tears start to come out of her eyes and has her hands on her mouth.

"I'm so sorry. I thought she'd be able to..." Raylis noticed that his binding is still tightened on his wrist. "He's alive! The binding is still tight! Ezra is still alive! She has to be."

They look around the snow-covered ice to see any signs of Ezra. Suddenly they heard banging from beneath. They ran to where it's coming from. Raylis found Ezra underneath the ice with the egg but is trapped, as she was unable to find the hole she dived into. She's starting to run out of breath. So Raylis hurriedly used the hilt of one of his blades to break through the ice. After succeeding, he pulled her out of the water, and Calla helped him. Ezra is now lying on her back, not breathing, and the egg rolled out of her arm.

"Ezra?" Calla went over to give her sister a hug. "Ez... Ez, you saved it. You got the egg back. You did it!" Ezra is still not breathing. "Please, Ezra, you've got to be okay! J-just say something!" she begged.

Calla noticed a gust of vapor coming out of Ezra's mouth. Then she opened her eyes to look at Calla. "I think I got a case of the frozie-toesies." Ezra said shivering.

Raylis laugh and went to embrace Ezra with Calla. So glad she's okay.

"Oh no." Ezra said. Calla and Raylis turned and saw what she saw, the egg is glowing dimmer. "Something is wrong with the egg."

Author's Notes:

The way Sonja said "nuance" and gestures her hand is a reference to the old Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, in which the duo (and sometimes other characters) would raise their hand up and shake their head and repeat a word they don't understand in confusion.

Translation:
(1) "Reveal your magic."