They continued walking with the guard nervously, but one could see that Runaan and the other elves seemed ready to kill the soldier if he tried any "funny business" or leading them into a trap of some sort. Diana saw one of the guards watching them walking with the soldier down the street. Callum swallowed nervously as he continued walking next to Diana and Rayla. He couldn't help, but noticed that the elves has started to form some protective shape around them for some reason.
One could see that it was a city full of winding alleyways, ramshackle stone buildings, tattered canopies, and dilapidated tents in colors that had been faded by the sun over a long period of time. But there were no people going to or thro from the neighborhood. Diana find that the lack of people is very eerie, even for them.
Dull-colored tents and drawings clung to every structure as far as one could see, like ancient fossils or something. The early gray light made the white arches, towers, and balconies gleamed like ancient silver.
"What do you plan on doing with us?" Callum asked the soldier.
"Quiet!" snapped the soldier, making the kids flinched back nervously.
"Who are you?" Diana asked him warily.
"I'm called Viggo," said the soldier. "Now silent."
They soon arrived to a house that clearly seen better days. It has a dark brown roof and door, and the walls seemed to be made of dark gray stones.
"What is this place?" Rayla asked curiously.
"Get inside," Viggo said firmly. "Stop asking questions."
When they were pushed inside, Diana was surprised at the sight of the inside. It was clearly a study. They could see some torches hung on the walls. There's a large desk made of solid wood with books stacked in piles and quills strewn across the top, along with a few journals and scrolls. The walls were covered with bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling and a wooden ladder. But there's a polished window at the far right corner and a golden framed picture of late King Avizandum and Queen Zubeia.
"You know," Rayla said. "The soldiers won't be too happy if you don't let us stay in the dungeons."
"No," said Viggo with a faint smile. "And they won't be too happy when they find out what I'm gonna do to you either." The elves and the humans tensed in fear. "I'm going to help you escape."
"Escape?" Callum whispered, his eyes wide with surprise.
Everyone else was equally as surprised and confused by his secret aid of helping them out of their situation.
"You can breathe now." Rayla let out a breath and Viggo chuckled. "Yeah, it's been getting worse here. I told myself if any came who were smart, and brave enough to resist... I'd help them. I guess you lot have to do."
"But aren't you a...?" Callum asked Viggo.
"A Dark Mage? No, I hate them," said Viggo. "Almost as much as I hate what they've turned me into. My skin weren't always stained with these scars. When the Dark Mages invaded our kingdom, I fought back. Now, they thought they could use that... so they took my family. They promised me if I followed orders, no harm would come to them. I've been doing their dirty work ever since."
He soon headed towards a chest and opened it with a key, revealing everyone's confiscated weapons, and said, "I managed to snag your weapons from the weaponry."
The elves and Diana were surprised, but they were more than eager to gather their weapons for their safety and their journey ahead. Though, Diana felt nervous about their situation.
"Human girl." Diana gave Viggo a wary look when she was called by him and she came towards him. "I have found something that probably belongs to your elf friends." He took out a leather pouch and gave it to her. When she opened it slightly, she was horrified at the sight of the golden coins inside. "Give these to them." Viggo looked sympathetic at Diana's realization. "These elves were the only ones who stayed behind to protect the Dragon Prince's egg."
After that, Diana and the elves soon stood next to Callum, their weapons in hand. But then he gently pulled the picture halfway off of the wall like a door and revealed a secret tunnel. Everyone entered the secret tunnel and looked at Viggo curiously, who has joined them.
"You're gonna need to travel a long way to get to the Guardians," said Viggo.
"The Guardians of Xadia?" Callum asked, hope of seeing the Guardians will be a dream come true for him.
"Yeah." Viggo nodded to Callum with a warm smile at his excitement and hope.
"But how will we know where to go?" Diana asked Viggo, she stole a glance at the elves and they also looked amazingly confused too.
"Well, you have to get to the Midnight Desert... yeah," explained Viggo. "Where the Storm Spire is shrouded in ancient mists..."
"Which keep it hidden from all, but the strong of purpose and the true of heart," Callum finished Viggo's sentence.
"Yeah, exactly." Viggo smiled at them sadly. "I'd come with you, but I still hold out the hope of freeing my family."
"Really?" Everyone spun around at a raspy voice to see Claudia coming towards them regally and a new cold look in her green eyes.
"Go!" The humans and the elves and sprinted down a passage, away from the fighting between Viggo and Claudia. "Go! Go tell the Guardians!"
The elves and Diana were yards ahead of Callum, anticipating every twist and turn of the secret passage. Callum couldn't believe how adept the elves and his best friend were at navigating the dark passageways — Callum had never even seen these secret tunnels before. The secret tunnels were cold and crypt-like. Loose stones and a strange dim lighting from glowing crystals made the winding paths even more chilling.
Callum has managed to catch up with Diana and Rayla, they exchanged determined nods. Though, the elves looked at each other uncertainly, but their determination to return the baby dragon to the Dragon Queen is still there.
"Aaarrroooooo!" A haunting howl rang out behind Callum, he looked over his shoulder and saw... were those wolves?
Those wolves weren't like any wolves that Callum has ever seen, it looked like those wolves were glowing purple.
"Callum!" Rayla yelled.
He took out Zym from his bag and quickly gave the fidgety dragon to Ethari with a swift stop, but the baby dragon cried out, "Father!"
"Keep going! Get everyone out of here!" He stopped by a dead end tunnel and glared at the wolves as everyone continued running behind him. He was immediately joined with Rayla and Diana by his sides, protective as ever. Diana took out her sword and seemed ready to take on the shadowy wolves. Rayla gotten out her pair of blades and Rayla slashed at the wolves with her two swords, took perfect aims into the wolves' hearts.
But the five wolves were unaffected by it. They were smoky, incorporeal shadows, and the blades didn't touch them. One of the wolves turned its head and bit down on Rayla's right upper arm. The bites sizzled, leaving a deep scar on her. Diana jumped in and managed to make the wolves stepped back from the slashing of her sword.
The wolves were growling with their heads down. They stamped their feet on the ground, preparing to make the final charge.
Callum tried to ignore them as he he traced out the angles and curves of the blue wind-breath rune, and to his surprise it seemed to be working — glowing lines and shapes appeared before him in the air, floating and shimmering.
"Asprio!" he yelled, and blew the magical rune directly at the incoming wolves.
A stiff, swirling whoosh of air emerged from his lips and enveloped the smoky predators. In a matter of seconds, they had disappeared into thin air. The tunnel has became silent.
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
All of the Moonshadow elves has finally gotten out of the tunnel and were outside of a rocky cave that overlooks a massive forest. It was clearly evening, but the stars started to sparkle brightly in the night sky. Despite the darkness of the sky, the stars were so bright and clear like distant diamonds sparkling in the night, while the sky is like deep sapphire blue velvet that sparkled with the beautiful constellations overhead. As the clouds cleared, a silver circle of the full moon had also appeared in the night sky and had casted its soft silvery beams of light over the forest.
"Is everyone alright?" Runaan asked them.
Skor, Andromeda, Callisto, and Ram all nodded as they struggled to catch their breaths from their unexpected runs. They have been trapped in prison with hardly any room to move around in, the only thing they can do is sleep and speak to the two young humans who were also trapped. The kids! Runaan felt a flash of alarmed fear that he wasn't able to see Rayla, Callum, or Diana weren't with them.
"Where is Rayla, Callum, and Diana?" Everyone became alarmed, but Runaan realized his husband hasn't responded and he looked at Ethari, only to see him holding Zym and kept looking back at the tunnel that they have used to escape.
"They stayed behind to hold off those wolf creatures to give us time to escape," whispered Ethari as tears ran down from his distressed brown eyes and was hugging a whimpering Zym in his arms.
They each hold a silent vigil for the three brave kids, but what they didn't notice was that three figures stepped out of the tunnel, scratched and bruised from the fight against the shadow wolves.
"Runaan? Ethari?" The two elves perked up at their names and looked towards the tunnel, while the others followed their gazes.
"Rayla?" Runaan breathed out and hopeful, unshed tears entered Ethari's eyes.
Rayla stepped out of the shadows into the silvery moonlight with Callum and Diana behind her. She smiled lovingly at her two adoptive fathers. Rayla turned around, she wrapped her arms around her adoptive fathers and squeezed them both tightly. Rayla felt the their strong arms wrap around her. She shut her eyes and let her whole body relax into the embrace.
"Oh Rayla." Ethari almost sobbed with relief as he continued hugging her. He looked up to see Callum and Diana standing side by side, almost looking like they're related by both blood and bond in the clear moonlight. "Thank you. Both of you." Callum smiled softly and nodded, while Diana bowed her head slightly at them before they walked away from them.
"Father!" Zym soon jumped onto Callum, making him fall down and started hugging the relieved baby dragon as Zym started licking Callum joyfully. He ruffled Zym's mane, making him yip and started snuggling in Callum's embrace.
Diana looked at the forest ahead of them with a thoughtful look in her gaze. She knew that they have to create some distance to loose Viren and his comrades so they can go to Xadia and warn the Guardians about the incoming danger as well as bringing the Dragon Prince back to the Dragon Queen at the Storm Spire.
Runaan stepped back from the embrace with his adoptive daughter and stepped in front of everyone, to have everyone's attention drawn to him. Callum held onto Zym and Diana stood by his side to listen to the leader of the Moonshadow elves. "Everyone. We have to go and warn the Guardians about this. We also have to bring Zym back to the Dragon Queen." Runaan glanced at Callum and Diana, his expression softened slightly at the kids who are both around Rayla's age. "You two should come with us. The Dragon Prince has clearly imprinted on you, Callum. Neither of you would be safe from Viren's ambitions of trying to take the magic of you both or the Dragon Prince."
Callum and Diana both exchanged swift glances, but they both could see that should come along with the Moonshadow elves. They both knew that there's safety in numbers and the elves are heading the same way as they are. They're all loyal to the Dragon Queen and the Guardians to a fault.
"We'll come along with you," Callum spoke up for both of them with a smile. "With any luck, I might be able to find my little brother on our way to Xadia."
The Moonshadow elves exchanged swift looks at that comment. They had pledged themselves as assassins to avenge the egg's destruction, for while the death of the Dragon King was terrible, the Dragon King was grown powerful and had committed questionable acts of his own. The Dragon Prince was innocent. It was its destruction that had set fires of anger and hatred in the hearts of Xadians. But since they have discovered that the Dragon Prince is actually alive, they don't have to kill Prince Ezran. But King Harrow is another story. He had slain the Dragon King in a fierce fire of vengeance after the Dragon King had killed Queen Sarai. Now, they have to go to Storm Spire to alert the Dragon Queen and reunite her with her son.
"Looks like we're each other's family now," commented Diana as they started walking down on a mountain trail towards the forest.
Their journey is only the beginning.