The Promise

Chapter 10: Callum

"Callum, you need to take Zym and run." The vulnerability from moments before was replaced by a steely determination as the elf readied her blades. But the prince stood there, trying to make sense of what she said earlier while simultaneously attempting to formulate an argument against leaving her. Rayla noticed his hesitation. "I'll hold him off," she barked.

"Bu-"

"GO!"

He unceremoniously stuffed the dragon into his pack and drew a well practiced, yet unfamiliar rune. "Pressulum."

Rayla vanished from his view as the world became a blur. His body moved faster than he thought possible. Normally he would have found it difficult to navigate the tangled undergrowth of the forest at a speed any greater than a slow jog, but the spell seemed to have enhanced his reflexes as well. He twisted and contorted to dodge passed branches and bushes.

His mind had a hard time catching up, but when it did, he stopped. Callum didn't know why he did it, just that he did. He was a total idiot for listening to her. He ran, like she said to, and regretted it immediately. He turned around to look back where he came from. He didn't recognize a thing. The river was gone, and so was any trace of his friend. How long had he been running?

There were so many emotions swirling through his head. She told him that she loved him, and he just stood there like an idiot. He left her. He left her to fight someone who almost killed her the first time. He left her to die.

He should have argued with her, he should have stayed. Now she was probably dead, and it was his fault. He abandoned her, even after he promised not to.

She had to be alive. She loved him, right? He might not feel the same way, exactly, but if she was dead he won't be able to learn to do so. He should have said something. Maybe then she would have wanted him to stay. But now the human prince was left wandering around the unfamiliar Xadian forest with only Zym to keep him company.

He was still trudging through the forest, lost, when the sun began to set. They had hardly been separated a few hours and he already missed her so much it ached.

"You stupid, stupid dumb human!" Callum shouted at the top of his lungs. He didn't care if the hunter heard him and would find him and kill him. He didn't want to live without Rayla.

He sat down miserably, dropping his bag in the process. Zym spilled out of it, as well as a few other things. Callum didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. He knew he was doomed without Rayla. The boy would never be able to survive in the forests of Katolis on his own, let alone this one in Xadia.

He screamed again in a fit of rage as he began pounding the ground with his fists. Callum pounded until he devolved into tears of anger and frustration. His arms grew weak and tired, and at the last blow to the ground he rolled into a heap on his side and continued to sob.

Zym cowered away from him at first, unsure how to react, but once Callum had physically calmed, the princeling approached him. Apprehensive at first, but when the boy showed no sign of harmful movement he curled up next to him, in attempt to comfort.

Callum wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but it was dark when he woke up. He had a sense that he was being watch. He sat up slowly, as to not provoke any attack. He drew a rune to illuminate the night. Hearing a low growl he turned towards the noise and spotted a pair of yellow eyes. Instinct kicked in. He directed his palm, shouting, "fulminus."

The air rippled with lightning, and he heard the crack of its impacted several meters away. There was a yelp, and the creature scurried away. Callum was left to assume that nothing else was going to try to attack him after that.

After the adrenaline wore away, sleep claimed him once again. The sprinting spell combined with his emotional outburst took a toll on him.

The sun hung high in the sky when Callum was awakened by the pit in his stomach. He rifled through his pack for his food reserves. Upon finding them, he pulled out a cinnamon roll that he ripped in half, keeping one and tossing the other to his dragon companion.

He let out a disappointed whimper.

"Sorry, buddy. We're gonna have to spare this stuff until we can find Rayla again. I don't want to risk eating something I'm unfamiliar with and get us sick."

Talking made him realize how dry his throat was from crying last night. He took a swig from his canteen to moisten his mouth before eating, and took another after he had finished his meager breakfast.

Callum noticed a charred tree that was missing some of its bark. That must've been where he shot at last night. He sighed. He knew he was only delaying the inevitable. He was going to die without Rayla. It was just a matter of time.

His only hope was to find her, and to do so he would need to figure out what direction she would be in. The sun gave no clue to him, so he resolved to wait.

He recalled that the river flowed north-west to Loch Larden, and they had been following it upriver. He stood with it at a 45 degree angle from him before he ran away, so he resolved that he had traveled more or less due east. That was simple, all he had to do was travel west to retrace his steps.

Callum wasn't going to risk using the spell again. It drained him too much, and he feared he might overshoot his target. He had no idea how far he had traveled, so he didn't know how long it would take him to get back.

To pass the time until the sun lowered, he pulled out his sketchbook. He felt a pang of guilt as he opened it up to a picture of Rayla. It was a drawing from when they were in the cave together, hiding from the hunter. She sat with her legs tucked up underneath her, with Zym's head in her lap as she pet him. She had a sleepy expression on her face.

Callum recalled the thought that went through his mind at that moment. He thought that he would never see that expression on her face again, since she usually woke up before him. What he didn't think was that he was never going to see her again, period.

He shook it off. It had been less that a day since their separation, it was too early to give in to despair.

He flipped back to earlier pages. Skimming through drawings of Ezran and Claudia, as well as landscapes from the towers of Katolis. He missed his brother and his oldest friend. He hoped they were okay. Well, more so Ezran than Claudia. She had betrayed them after all, and he was still very much bitter about that.

Enough time wasted he thought. Looking up he realized the sun began to dip to his left. That was the direction he needed to go. He stood up and gathered his things, and Zym, before he set off.

He knew he wasn't going to make much progress today, since he slept so late. He would have to make camp again in a few hours. "But progress is progress," he said out loud, forcing optimism.

Later, he made camp in a small clearing. The sun hung low in the sky, painting the sky in its usual brilliant oranges and reds, but the thought of the color red brought the image of Rayla's blood being spilled on the ground. She bled because he abandoned her.

He recalled thinking only a week ago that he needed to protect her, that she needed him just as much as he needed her. Some friend he was. She would die for him, and for what? So he could die just a little bit later? He would never be able to complete this mission by himself. He didn't know where he was going.

He found himself drifting off into an uneasy slumber. He woke up what felt like every few minutes. At one point he looked up to realize that the moon was full tonight. He met Rayla a month ago. A month they had been friends, and he had already gotten her killed.

His thoughts shifted to his brother. It was two weeks ago since he left them to return to Katolis. He was king by now, and he likely already had his official portrait done. It would be done without Callum in it. He didn't deserve to be in it, either. He knew he would just end up abandoning him when his brother needed him most.

A dreamless sleep finally laid hold on the boy. It was sunrise again before he knew it. He repeated the same process as he did yesterday. He pulled out a small amount of food from his bag, split it in half, and gave it to Zym.

His life was a pattern anymore, and there was nothing to break that cycle.