Rayla sat atop a horse, and the clip-clap of its trot soothed her. It was the only sound in an otherwise comfortable silence, which she did not wish to end by speaking. She shared the mount with Callum, who had control of the reins. Rayla sat behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist. She was careful not to hold him too tightly, for fear of him realizing that for her, holding him in her arms was about much more than staying in the saddle.
Despite Rayla being the better rider, she insisted that Callum take the reins. She had offered him the excuse that it would be a good chance for him to improve his ridership. Callum took her at her word, and happily sat in front. As the day progressed, Rayla rested her head against Callum's back and closed her eyes. She could hear his heartbeat, and she hoped the journey would last much longer.
They had been travelling together for days. They had departed from the Sea Legs the same time as Soren, but they had set different courses from him immediately. Soren was determined to find his sister, and resolved to move west along the shores of the Sea of The Castout. Rayla and Callum had a different destination, the Sunfire elf camp outside of Lux Aurea.
With the pearl they had found at the bottom of the sea in their possession, they had discussed with Ezran the best place to keep it safe. They had decided on the Sunfire camp. Between their Aunt Amaya, Queen Janai, and the combined forces of the Katolian and Sunfire armies, it seemed the most secure place they could imagine. Callum and Rayla has a simple task; ride to the camp and turn the pearl over to Amaya and Janai for safekeeping. They would then turn north and locate the Star Scraper. There, if what they read in Lux Aurea was true, they would find the Nova Blade and the quasar diamonds. Those were the weapons they needed, so they hoped, to vanquish Aaravos and bring peace to their kingdoms.
When they had departed the Sea Legs, the pirates gifted them some gold as thanks for freeing them of the domineering whims of their former captain. They used some of the gold to purchase a horse at the first opportunity, and had been travelling with little pause for nearly a week. Ezran has stayed aboard the ship, and was destined for the Storm Spire, where he hoped to rendezvous with Zubeia.
The settlement came into view on a clear morning. Callum smiled when he saw it. Rayla, meanwhile, was asleep in the saddle, somehow staying atop the horse as she leaned against Callum, who then rubbed her arm to wake her up.
"Look, we're here," Callum announced.
"That we are. Let's find your aunt, and win this battle once and for all," Rayla said as she rubbed her eyes.
Callum then tossed the reins and the horse picked up the pace.
At the edges of the settlement, they were greeted by a pair Sunfire guards, who were wary of strangers wondering into their camp unexpectedly. The guards stopped them from entering and grilled them for their identities.
"I'm Callum. I'm Amaya's nephew. You know, General Amaya, Queen Janai's fiancee?" Callum informed. "And this is Rayla, she's one of the good guys too."
Rayla blushed. Callum's words sounded silly to her, but it made her feel good.
The guards however remained suspicious and demanded some sort of proof. Callum was not sure what more he could offer them, and was annoyed that the end of their journey was being delayed for no good reason.
"Callum! Rayla! Welcome back!" A voice carried from inside the camp.
Rayla and Callum, along with the two guards turned to face the person calling their names.
"Commander Gren! How's it going?" Callum shouted back.
"Oh, I'm hanging in there! We all are!" Gren answered.
"We need to see Amaya and Janai right now," Callum insisted. "We've got important information to share with them!"
"Sounds urgent! Let's get going then!" Gren called as he neared them. The guards finally dropped their interrogation and allowed the pair to pass and follow the commander. Gren led them into the camp, eventually coming upon a large tent.
Callum and Rayla dismounted the horse, and Callum hitched it to a rail that was nearby.
"Let's go inside," Gren instructed as he lifted the canvas door and led them into the tent.
Inside, Amaya and Janai stood over a table that hosted a model of the settlement. They seemed to be discussing new construction plans. When Amaya laid eyes on her nephew, her attention completely abandoned the table and she scooped him into her arms and hugged him.
Callum loved the affection from his aunt, even though it could hurt a little when she squeezed to tight.
"Hi Aunt Amaya! We need to talk," Callum informed, his feet not touching the ground as his aunt held him.
Amaya then set him down and nodded. She then looked at Rayla and placed her hand upon her shoulder, a welcome she often offered her comrades.
Amaya signed the words, "Alright, what is it?"
"We found what we were looking for," Callum stated, also signing the words with his hands for practice.
"The prison?" Amaya replied, with Gren now acting as her voice for those among them that could not sign.
"That's right! Look!" Callum directed. He opened his satchel and withdrew the pearl. He held it in both hands and lifted it in front of himself. Amaya and Janai looked upon it with wonder.
"That is the prison? This pearl?" Janie asked, skepticism seeping from her words.
"Uh huh! Well, if we believe the clues the dragons left for us. The map led to this, and we were told it would like like this," Callum assured.
"Amazing!" Gren said for Amaya. "I'm so proud of you Callum! You've grown up so much!"
"Thanks Aunt Amaya, but I wouldn't have been able to do this without Rayla. If it wasn't for her, the prison would have fallen into Claudia and Viren's hands, and I would have been fish food. Rayla saved us all," Callum insisted.
Amaya turned to Rayla.
"Rayla, thank you. You've earned my trust. I want you to know that," Amaya signed.
"Thank you," Rayla signed back, one of the few phrases she had been able to learn with Callum's help.
"So, the plan is to leave this pearl with you two. You're the strongest people we know, so it should be safe here, right? We read about a weapon that can destroy a Startouch elf in a book at the Great Bookery. We even know where to find it. Sooo, we're gonna go get it, and then come back here and end this," Callum informed.
"It makes sense to me," Amaya signed.
"Great!" Callum replied with excitement. He then passed the pearl to his aunt. Amaya examined the pearl for a moment. It seemed to her to be a regular pearl, albeit a rather large one. She then passed it to Janai.
When Janai took it in her hands, a sensation ran through her and made her tremble in surprise. She gazed into the pearl, and seemed to be lost in a trance.
"Janai?" Gren asked on behalf of Amaya.
The queen did not answer, she continued to stare blankly into the pearl.
Amaya then rested a hand on her fiancee's shoulder, which snapped her back to reality.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Janai said. "I was struck with the strangest feeling. Did you not feel anything when you took this into your hands?"
"No, I didn't. What kind of feeling? Was it bad? Callum, is this object dangerous?!" Amaya signed quickly.
"No, no. It was nothing like that my love," Janai assured. "It was not threatening. It was warm, it was welcoming, and it was somehow familiar. It reminded my of a presence I've not felt since..."
"I'm relieved," Amaya gestured. "But I think you better not touch this again until we're sure it's safe."
"Agreed. But let us not be too relieved. While this object does not seem to pose a threat at the moment, we do have things to worry about. Perhaps it is not as safe here as you assume," Janai said to Callum.
"What do you mean, Queen Janai?" Callum asked.
"We have enemies among my people. My brother seeks to usurp my throne. He has rallied some to his cause. He has even sunk so low as to seek help from a monster," the queen explained.
"A monster? What do you mean?" Callum inquired.
"A Bloodmoon cultist, a most vile creature named Kim'Dael. She is a Moonshadow elf, twisted by Blood Magic which grants her long life, if not immortality. She assaulted my forces and attempted to murder. She must not be underestimated. Unlike my foolish weak willed brother, she is a force to be reckoned with," the queen stated.
"My family crossed paths with her, years ago," Rayla chipped in. "The queen is right. We need to be careful if that witch is involved."
"I am happy we can agree on that," Janai replied.
"All the same," Callum said, "this is still the safest place for the prison. If anyone is going to win against that type of threat, it's you two. What other choice do we have?"
Amaya and Janai looked at each other and were able to communicate through their glances.
"Your nephew is right, my love. It falls to us to protect this object. We must do our part. We cannot ask Callum or his companions to carry this burden themselves any further."
Amaya nodded. She then turned to Callum and signed, "I'll protect it, with my life if I need to!"
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Callum said nervously.
"So what now?" Gren asked, speaking for himself.
"We get some rest, and then we head north in the morning," Callum informed.
Amaya however would not allow her nephew to slip away without spending what she considered quality time together. She insisted that Callum and Ralya stay in the tent and talk with her, and share their adventures. Callum did so gladly, and before her knew it, many hours had passed. By the time they left the tent, much of the day had slipped by. Before leaving, Amaya directed them to the tent directly across from her own, which was empty and where they could sleep.
Rayla and Callum slipped through the doors of the queen's tent in single file, and into the sunlight. Callum then walked over to his horse and removed the satchel which was slung over the horse's back, and then carried it into the empty tent.
While Callum was in the tent, Rayla paced back and forth. She was nervous that she was about to spent a night alone in a tent with Callum. She worried that she might enter it to find only one bed. What should she do if that was the case, she wondered. Should she ask Amaya for a second one, or would Callum interpret that as her not wanting to be near him? But not asking might seem very presumptive, she worried. She feared it would be awkward either way. She just wanted things to be normal between them again.
Ralya eventually tired of pacing and sat on a bench near the tent. She fished into her pocket and found a small bag, from which withdrew three coins. She opened her palm and three frozen faces stared back at her. She had yearned to see one face in particular, that of her mother.
The words the queen used echoed in Ralya's mind. The queen described the feeling as 'warm, welcoming, and familiar.' Rayla knew no better words to describe how she felt about her mother, even when she stared back from within a coin.
When she was troubled, Rayla often looked at her mother's face, and it always comforted her. Each time she did so, she yearned to return the comfort. She feared that her mother was in constant turmoil, trapped in an eternal nightmare. Ralya often searched her mother's eyes for some hint or understanding for what she was thinking or feeling in that very moment. Answers however did not reveal themselves. Her mother's eyes whispered of fear and pain, but Rayla felt there was more to it. Figuring out exactly what her mother was thinking had become very important to Rayla. If she could not figure it out on her own, she resolved to ask her when she was at least freed.
As she sat outside the tent, Rayla's thoughts eventually turned to Viren and Claudia. She looked around the camp, recognizing that everyone there was a refugee. They had been forced out of their homes by Viren and his wicked daughter. Sitting among the displaced people made Rayla despise the familial mages even more. They had ruined Lux Aurea, and they had destroyed so many lives. Rayla was determined to make them pay for their crimes.
As she stared longer into her mother's eyes, the belief that Callum was truly wrong about Claudia crossed her mind once again. Callum was wrong, and so was Soren, Rayla believed. Claudia was surely a lost cause, and was not worthy of redemption. Forgiveness was certainly not something Rayla intended to offer.
"Hey," Callum announced, surprising Rayla with his presence.
Rayla closed her hands and drew the coins close to her heart.
"You can talk to me about your parents, if you ever need to. I understand how much it can hurt. If you'd rather keep your feelings to yourself, that's fine too," Callum comforted her.
"I know. I just...sometimes I just want to be lost in my own feelings," Rayla explained.
"Are you doing alright?" Callum asked as he took a seat next to her.
"Yeah, all things considered," she replied.
They sat together for a while longer as the sun began to vanish over the horizon.
"So what's next?" Rayla asked.
"Next up, the Star Scraper!" Callum said enthusiastically.
"That's not what I mean..." Rayla said and moved her hand closer to Callum's. She could not however bring herself to take his hand in her own. Callum did not seem to comprehend what she was trying to say, or he had chosen to ignore it, Rayla feared.
"It feels like we're in the end stretch now, doesn't it? We've just got to find a magic sword, and then we can put all this craziness behind us," Callum said wishfully.
"I hope you're right," Rayla replied.
Callum then got up. "I'm going to go rest. You should do the same. It's going to be a long journey," he suggested
Rayla nodded, but remained seated. Callum turned and walked into the tent. As he walked away, Ralya looked at him. She did not want to feel jealous, but she did. She still wondered how Callum could have ever cared for Claudia, and how he could still feel sympathy, or whatever he felt, for her. Rayla felt that she was the one that needed his sympathy, his understanding, and his warmth. Claudia deserved none of it. Rayla felt that Claudia, wherever she was, was twisting a knife into her wounds. Rayla opened her hand and looked at her mother once more. The mystery of what her mother's eyes were conveying continued to torment her.