The Dragon Prince: After the War

5-Callum

5

Callum

I've had this nightmare so often. I am back in the darkness that comes with using dark magic, the inability to breathe, to see, and to think, only now he's here. And somehow he's scarier than the dream.

Again, he holds out his hand to me. Again I'm suffocating in the dark, and I know that if I don't take his hand, I'll drown in the darkness. It's just a dream, I try telling myself. I can't get myself to believe it.

Finally, the darkness becomes too much for me and I grasp his hand. He pulls me out, his figure suddenly solid, and he smiles at me with his arrogant smile. When he speaks, it's like the words are echoing around the dreamscape. 

"I see I've caught my thief."

I stare at him in terror.

He continues. "Where did you come across it?"

I finally answer, but my voice comes out as a whisper as if his very presence is sucking my voice away. "I-I-It?"

"Yes, i-i-it. My key," he answers in the voice of an adult who is speaking simply for a small child.

"K-key?"

"Are you simple?" he asks with a wicked grin.

I find my voice. "No," I say in my boldest voice, which isn't very bold at the moment. "I don't know of any key."'

He rolls his eyes, and in a second he's upon me, pinning me to a wall that suddenly appeared. "This key." He creates the image of a cube with markings on the side, floating above his hand. That's when I realize, I know what he's talking about. 

"Oh... tha-a-at key," I say, my stammer returning. He lets me down. 

"I'll ask one more time. Where did you find it?"

"It-it was in the Banther Lodge."

He looks thoughtful. "In Katolis?"

I nod weakly.

"What are you?" he asks suddenly. I back away. He simply waves his hand and draws me closer.

"A-a human," I say, my voice shaking. 

He gives me that cruel smile again. "A human who can do primal magic? A human that has possession of my key? I'll ask one more time, what are you?"

It occurs to me, just then, that if he can control this dreamscape than so can I. I find my strength and push my arm forward, pinning him against the wall. To my surprise, he just laughs. 

"Finally, you're proving to be a worthy opponent," he says through his laughter

"Who are you?" I ask, pushing him harder to the wall.

He smirks at me. "Aaravos," he says before disappearing with the dream.

When I wake up, it's still dark. The chills running through me spur me to run to Rayla's room anyways. Before I know it, I'm once again pinned to a wall, only this time I have a blade at my throat. Seeing it's me, she retracts her blade and lets me down.

"Oh, it's you," she says with a yawn. "What are you doing here, disturbing my beauty sleep?"

I take a deep breath, forcing my nervousness down. "I have to ask you something."

"Can't it wait till the mornin'?" she asks sleepily.

"No," I answer firmly. "What do you know about Aaravos?"

She stares at me in shock. "Aaravos..."