Dragon Prince: Legend of the Guardians of Xadia (Re-Write)

Chapter Eight: The Grand Escape

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. Rayla saw one of the guards watching them walking with the soldier down the street. Rayla swallowed nervously as she continued walking next to Runaan and Ram. She couldn't help, but noticed that the elves has started to form some protective shape around her and Callum 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. Rayla 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?" Rayla asked the soldier.
"Quiet!" snapped the soldier, making the kids flinched back nervously.
"Who are you?" Ram 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?" Callisto asked curiously.
"Get inside," Viggo said firmly. "Stop asking questions."
When they were pushed inside, Rayla 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. Not just that, but there's Callum who seemed to be waiting for them and eagerly reunited them.
"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 were surprised, but they were more than eager to gather their weapons for their safety and their journey ahead. Though, Callum felt nervous about their situation.
"Human boy." Callum gave Viggo a wary look when he was called by him and he came towards him. "I have found something that probably belongs to your elf friends." He took out a leather pouch and gave it to him. When he opened it slightly, he was horrified at the sight of the golden coins inside. "Give these to them." Viggo looked sympathetic at Callum's realization. "These elves were the only ones who stayed behind to protect the Dragon Prince's egg." He slipped the coins away into his backpack.
After that, 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?" Rayla 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 human and the elves and sprinted down a passage, away from the fighting between Viggo and Claudia. "Go! Go tell the Guardians!"
The elves were yards ahead of Callum, anticipating every twist and turn of the secret passage. Callum couldn't believe how adept the elves 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 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.
"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 by his side, protective as ever. 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. Shira 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 or Callum weren't with them.
"Where is Rayla and Callum?" Everyone became alarmed, but Runaan realized Ram hasn't responded and he looked at him, only to see him keep 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 Ram as tears ran down from his distressed red eyes.
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?" The elf perked up at his names and looked towards the tunnel, while the others followed their gazes.
"Rayla?" Runaan breathed out and hopeful, unshed tears entered his eyes.
Rayla stepped out of the shadows into the silvery moonlight with Callum behind her. She smiled lovingly at her adoptive father. Rayla turned around, she wrapped her arms around her adoptive father and squeezed him 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." Runaan almost sobbed with relief as he continued hugging her. He looked up to see Callum standing alone, in the clear moonlight. "Thank you." Callum smiled softly and nodded before he walked away from them.
Callum looked at the forest ahead of them with a thoughtful look in her gaze. He 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 the egg still and listen to the leader of the Moonshadow elf assassins. "Everyone. We have to go and warn the Guardians about this. We also have to bring the Dragon Prince back to the Dragon Queen." Runaan glanced at Callum, his expression softened slightly at the kid who is around Rayla's age. "You should come with us. The Dragon Prince has clearly imprinted on you before he could hatch, Callum. Neither of you would be safe from Viren's ambitions of trying to take the magic out of you or the Dragon Prince."
Callum blinked in surprise, but he both could see that should come along with the Moonshadow elves. He knew that there's safety in numbers and the elves are heading the same way as he is. They're all loyal to the Dragon Queen and the Guardians to a fault.
"I'll come along with you," Callum spoke up 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 Rayla as they started walking down on a mountain trail towards the forest.
Their journey is only the beginning.