258They had been in Katolis for some time now, having crossed the border from Xadia to the human realms two weeks ago. In the distance, Callum could see the towers of the castle, and smiled, grateful to be close to home—and happy to be seeing Ezran and the others soon.
"High Mage," one of his traveling companions said. "We should stop for the night—and make the rest of the trip to the capitol in the morning."
"No," Callum answered, staring straight ahead. "We'll ride through the night—it's only six hours ride. We'll be there by midnight."
"Yes, High Mage," his companion said, sounding slightly crestfallen. They were all tired—Callum as well. But he was eager to sleep in his own bed, and not have to worry about sleeping on the cold hard ground again for some time.
By the time they reached the outskirts of the villages and city surrounding Katolis' castle he and Ezran called home, lights were already blown out, and he used a simple rune spell to light the way.
For a moment, he was worried that they wouldn't even be let into the castle at this time of night, but thankfully, they had been spotted from far away, and the gates were left open, though heavily guarded.
"High Mage," a voice greeted, appearing in step beside Callum's mount.
"Corvus," Callum said, glancing down at the man walking beside his horse. When they reached the courtyard, Callum dismounted, sighing, before glancing back at Corvus. "Is the king in bed already?"
"Yes," Corvus said, "He sent his greetings before retiring for the evening—and hopes you will join him for breakfast in the morning."
"Good," Callum said.
After a moment's pause, Callum continued, "How is the General?" He and Corvus walked towards the doors that led into the castle. "I have a letter for her from Queen Janai."
"The General will be most pleased," Corvus said, smirking slightly. "And what of yourself? How is the Captain of the Dragonguard?"
Callum stopped walking, coming to a sudden halt. Corvus stopped only a few steps farther. Corvus turned and gave Callum a quizzical look. "Is something wrong, High Mage?"
Callum let out a shuddering breath, looking down at his boots. He almost turned back many times—almost went back to the Storm Spire to see Rayla—to tell her what was on his mind. But as she sent no word after him after he had left…coupled with the fact tat she had rejected his proposal so clearly, he assumed she needed time apart from him. Time to think and gather her thoughts. That's what she had asked for, wasn't it?
"She's, uh, good," Callum said, his pleasant tone a little forceful. "Great, even—she's just like—perfect. But that's Rayla, you know, always…perfect."
He started towards the doors that led into the castle.
"You guys fought again, didn't you," Corvus said, under his breath, but Callum's ears had long been able to pick up words muttered quietly into the winds.
He didn't feel like talking about this with Corvus. Instead, he reached into his saddlebag and took out a package. "Take this to the general," he said, handing it to Corvus. "She'll want it as soon as possible, and I'll want to sleep as late as possible."
Corvus nodded, bowing and taking the package. Callum turned and headed up the steps, before turning to face Corvus again, only to find that the man had already gone. Callum shrugged, and entered the castle.
Rayla sighed, her legs hanging over the side of the cliff. Zym sat by her side, his large head resting on her shoulder. While skilled at flying now—he could not yet quite hold the weight of a grown elf or human while doing so. He let out a puff of air, and Rayla smiled as she felt her hair frizzle slightly, being so close to Zym's static breath.
"I just don't understand why he didn't come back," she said. "He should have gotten my letter by now. And word has reached me that he crossed the border safely…"
Zym whined slightly.
"I know, you miss him too—and Ezran. Me too," she looked down, at the clouds below. That was where she and Callum had first said 'I love you' to each other. To think it was already almost twelve years ago.
Zym lifted his head from her shoulder, and moved his head slightly around her, sniffing at her midsection. The dragon was enterally fascinated with her stomach once he realized she was pregnant. It seemed the dragonling could sense the child much like a mage could. Except Zym didn't have to touch her or use magic to do so.
Delighted, Zym pressed his cheek against her belly, making cooing noises.
"Enough of that," Rayla laughed, pushing Zym away playfully. Giving her a pouting expression, Zym sauntered off, most likely to find something to play with.
Rayla looked out at the sky ahead of her, placing a hand on her stomach. She was starting to show—slightly. Though with her thin, muscular frame, it was clearer than if she had a softer body. Her lower stomach was firmer than it usually was, and there was the beginning of a curve to her belly. She ran her hand across it, smiling softly, before the smile fell apart.
And Callum, for some reason, did not seem to care.
It was crazy. Callum, ignoring the fact that he was going to be father? How could he do such a thing? If she did not have proof he had crossed the border safely, and stopped in Lux Aurea on the way home, she would have thought something had happened to him. And if she was not captain of the Dragonguard, she would have gone after him, and knocked some sense into him or…or something.
Or perhaps he did not receive the message…no. The messenger birds of the Storm Spire never left their missions—they would go to any length to deliver their letters. There was no chance it did not reach him.
He did not come back to her by choice.
It just…was so unlike Callum. She could hardly fathom it. And he had wanted to marry her so badly, too! Was he really that angry with her? Was he that hurt that she needed time to think about her answer?
What…what happened to make him abandon her—and their child—like this?
She would go after him—go to Katolis, as soon as her allotted vacation time arrived. She couldn't go now, not for another four months at least—she couldn't abandon her duties as captain of the Dragonguard. But she could send another letter. But in four months she'll be close to term, and if the child even survived that long, it might not be wise or safe for the child or her if her tried to make such a long and dangerous trip that far along into the pregnancy.
She needed Callum to come to her.
She needed Callum to help her—to be with her. In case the child didn't survive, he deserved to be part of the journey for however long it lasted. And if the child did survive, if she managed to carry it to term and give birth…he deserved to be there too.
She would send another letter—and send this one straight to Katolis.
She drew her legs up to her chest, hugging them to her. "Callum, you ass," she whispered into the wind. "Please come back."
Callum woke up with a sneeze. Was he getting a cold? He groaned slightly as he sat up, blinking blearily into the dark room. It couldn't be early—he knew he must have slept in quite a few hours past his usual waking time, judging by the light peaking in through the curtains.
He yawned, stretching, before reaching out for Rayla, only to remember that he was in Katolis now, and Rayla was all the way back in the Storm Spire. Far, far away. On the other side of the world.
Deciding whether or not she even wanted to marry him.
His heart contracted as he realized that wasn't even true anymore. She had flat out told him her answer. It was a resounding 'no'.
He let out a groan, falling back against the pillows, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. Why did what was supposed to be such a happy moment have to end…like that? What if that was it? What if…that was the end of them?
He swallowed hard, before sitting up again. He breathed in deeply, steadying himself, and clearing his mind.
He had his own duties to attend to, and—breakfast.
He was supposed to have breakfast with Ezran.
Callum threw the furs and blankets off himself and slid out of bed, quickly getting dressed and rushing out of his chambers, down the hall, up the stairs, and came to a thundering stop before the guards standing outside Ezran's chambers.
Breathing deeply, he put up a finger as one of the guards began to speak. "I'm," he panted, "Here to have breakfast…with…the king…"
The guards glanced at each other.
"The king had breakfast two hours ago," one of the guards spoke. "The king requests you join him in the throne room."
Callum nodded, still panting heavily, before standing up straight and adjusting his robes. "Right," he said, "Well, in that case I'll be…heading to the throne room, I guess."
He turned away from the guards, but not before catching them glancing at each other with raised eyebrows. Taking a moment to adjust his robes again, Callum left the hall and headed down the stairs.
When he reached the throne room, he found Ezran by himself—and a few guards, of course—And Bait…and Phoe-Phoe perched upon his broad shoulders. The small baby moon phoenix gave out a small squawk when she saw him, chirping attentively, and Ezran turned, and smiled broadly when he saw Callum approach.
"King Ezran," Callum said, bowing ceremoniously.
"High Mage," Ezran returned, nodding his head in good humor.
When Callum straightened, he blinked—always taken aback by how much Ezran resembled their father now that he was an adult, especially now that he was starting to wear his hair the same as their father did.
"What?" Ezran asked, chuckling, before turning back to the table before him.
"Nothing," Callum said, shaking his head. He joined Ezran at the table.
"How was your trip into Xadia?" Ezran asked, a jealous tone in his voice. Ezran was less free than Callum was these days, being king—and could only make his way into Xadia once or twice a year, usually for special occasions. He always tried to manage to come for the Zym's birthdays, and for the celebrations that occurred on the Day of Remembrance, when Xadia and Katolis and Duren remembered those who had fallen on the anniversary of the final battle twelve years ago.
Which was coming up, Callum remembered, his heart soaring at the thought of returning to Xadia, and then falling again when he realized that Rayla probably wouldn't be waiting for his return like she usually did.
He realized that Ezran was watching his face closely, a quizzical look on his own. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "You don't look very happy. Oh," he said, a sly smile on his face. "It's because you had to leave Xadia…or should I say…because you had to leave a certain Moonshadow Elf?" he nudged Callum in the ribs suggestively.
"No, I mean…" Callum sighed. "That's…part of it."
That was most of it, actually. But he didn't want to talk about Rayla right now.
"Yup, thought so," Ezran said, smirking at him. "You and Aunt Amaya are both so predictable—every time you return from Xadia you're both depressed and lovesick and oh-so-"
"Ezran," Callum interrupted, "That's not it. Now, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?"
Ezran didn't speak for a bit, watching Callum with a slightly worried expression. "What did you do?" he asked, finally.
"What do you mean?"
"You two fought again, didn't you?" Ezran crossed his arms. "I can always tell when you and Rayla have had a fight. So, what was it about this time? What did you say or do?"
"What?" Callum let out a bark of forced laughter at the injustice of Ezran's accusation. "What makes you think it was my fault?"
"So you two did fight," Ezran sighed. "What was it about?"
"We…we didn't…I mean we did…Do you really have nothing better to do than gossip about my personal life?" Callum demanded, crossing his own arms and glaring at his younger brother.
"At the moment? No," Ezran said, crossing his arms again.
"Well, I don't feel like talking about it," Callum said, looking away stubbornly. "I have my own…duties to attend to so if you don't have anything important to talk about then I'll just head over to my study and get to work."
Ezran's eyes widened. Bait let out a disgruntled growl, narrowing his eyes at Callum, and Phoe-Phoe gave out a sharp chirp. Clearly they also thought he was being unreasonable.
"In that case," Callum said, turning, "You can find me in my study if you need me."
He left, but not before he heard Ezran whisper to Bait and Phoe-Phoe, "You're right, Bait, it must be serious…"
Callum knew that Ezran wouldn't drop the issue anytime soon.
When Rayla returned that night from a light patrol, she found Uvyno waiting for her. "Queen Zubeia wishes to speak to you," he said, falling into step with her.
"Good," Rayla said. "I need to speak to her as well." Rayla stopped to look at the Earthblood Elf in the face. "Were you successful?"
Uvyno's face fell, and he lowered his head. "No," he said. "My scouts and I could find no trace of Yehven. I think he must be…"
Rayla sighed.
"I don't think he deserted—he was good at tracking, maybe even the best of all my people, but I don't think he would be good enough to escape all our eyes," Uvyno continued, as they began to walk back towards the Queen's chamber. "I think something happened to him. Something that made him disappear the way he did."
That was what Rayla was worried about. If there was a threat to the Queen Zubeia or Zym, Rayla's responsibility would only tighten. And her chances of getting to Katolis before it became too dangerous to travel would only lesson.
"We'll make one more mission to try to find him," she said. "Then I'll…"
They gazed at each other, before Uvyno nodded. "I understand," he said, bowing. He turned and left, leaving her at the entrance of Queen Zubeia's chamber.
She entered, and found both Zubeia and Zym waiting for her. Zym let out a thrilled warble, and bounded forward, nearly knocking her over in his eagerness to press the side of his head against her belly. She laughed, before realizing that Queen Zubeia was watching them with an amused expression.
Clearing her throat, Rayla gently pushed Zym away, and bowed before the queen. "Queen Dowager Zubeia," Rayla said. "What is it that you wished to speak to me about?"
"I wanted to congratulate you," Queen Zubeia said, her voice kind and pleased. "Zym has told me, upon my return, that you are to have a hatchling of your own on the way. I am pleased."
Rayla smiled, straightening, before placing a hand on her stomach. "Yes," she said. "I am as well. But I am also worried, my Queen," she said. "For the child is"—
"Half human, yes, I assumed so," Queen Zubeia took in a breath, and Rayla could feel the air shift as the dragon did so. "As you know, humans and elves have difficulty making hatchlings of their own. There are many reasons, and some not yet known to us. But I believe it is in part because humans are not connected to a primal source…they do not have an arcanum. And therefore, a child who is both human and elf is stuck between both worlds…and cannot survive long without a stronger link to an arcanum…"
Rayla nodded. Ibis had told her such. That she might have a hope of carrying the child to term because of this. That her and Callum's child might have a stronger chance of surviving.
"But the father of your child does have a connection to an arcanum," Queen Zubeia said, as if sensing Rayla's thoughts. "Despite being human. And so perhaps you will be successful, where so many others have never been."
Rayla swallowed hard. "I know," she said. "I hope so—it's...more than I could have hoped for. I never thought Callum and I could ever have had a child of our own." She looked down at herself, before looking up at Zubeia. "I am worried, though. What if I'm not successful? What if…"
"Child," Zubeia said softly. "Some things are up to fate—it would not be your fault, if something did happen. I do not mean to be harsh, but it will be a miracle if the child does survive. But," she added, "You have a greater chance than most in these situations. But do not blame yourself if the worst were to happen."
Rayla nodded, bowing again. "Thank you, Queen Zubeia."
"And your mate? When will he return?"
Rayla's face fell. "I am not sure if he is," Rayla said, scratching her cheek uncomfortably. "We…had a falling out."
Zubeia tilted her head, looking curious.
"We split up," Rayla said, sighing.
"Oh?" Zubeia sounded equal parts confused and perturbed. "He is your mate, is he not?"
"Well, humans are notorious for not having lasting relationships," Rayla said, shrugging. It wasn't quite fair of her to say that—some elves did not have lasting relationships either. But Elves lived longer, and so tended to be more careful with whom they married or spent their lives with than humans seemed to be.
Zubeia made a soft humming noise of agreement. "Still—the High Mage of Katolis is a loyal man…I do not see him forsaking you when you are carrying his hatchling."
Rayla's heart ached at those words. "Right," she said. "Well, I…would usually agree with that but…there's been no word from him. And I know he must have gotten my message about it…"
Realizing she was pouring out her personal issues to the Queen Dowager of Dragons, Rayla blushed furiously. "Anyway," she said. "There's other things I need to speak to you about, Queen Zubeia."
"Oh?" Zubeia brought her head down closer to Rayla. "What is it?"
"It's about our newest recruit—the Earthblood elf, Yehven. He…has disappeared. We can't find him."
"Ah," Zubeia frowned, drawing her head away from Rayla again. "Yes, Prince Azymondias told me about this as well."
"We have sent out many search parties," Rayla added. "But there is no sign of him yet."
"And you think he has deserted?" Zubeia asked.
"No," Rayla shook her head firmly. "I do not. I think something has happened to him. He's not the type to desert or run away."
"Happened to him?" Zubeia repeated, worried. "Speak clearly, Captain. What is it you are saying?"
"I think…someone, or…or something has abducted him," Rayla said.
"Have you found any signs of a struggle?" Zubeia demanded, her voice growing increasingly alarmed.
"No," Rayla said. "But there are no signs that he ran away either. And no news from his village of his return."
Zubeia closed her eyes, before opening them. "We must be vigilant," she said. "I am afraid I cannot grant you leave to go to the human realms—not until we know that Prince Azymondias' life is not in danger. I am sorry, Captain Rayla."
Rayla bowed. "I understand, Queen Zubeia."
She straightened, and and left the dragon queen's lair, before heading back to her own chambers.
So…that was that. She couldn't leave the Xadia, or stray far from the Storm Spire. Not until she knew that all was safe and good. She would have to rely on another letter, and hope that Callum had it in his heart to come to her, instead.
She could only hope that this time he would come back for her and their child.
TO BE CONTINUED…?
Thanks for reading so far! And Huge thank you to everyone who left a review/comment on the first chapter :)
Next chapter should be up soon!