The Dragon Prince: Between Tales

Telltale

As the boys walked in front of her, Rayla felt her cheeks get hot. She hadn't seen Lujanne in over two years and the last time she was here she defied Lujanne's trust; rebuilding the Moon Nexus to find her parents souls. Rayla was filled with shame, she hurt the people who had become family to her. She thought about the last time she saw Callum, Ezran, Soren, and Lujanne, even Bait.

The sun had set behind the horizon, the only light was coming from the moon, it was in it's first quarter. Even at night, the air was warm. The three friends walked into the small, empty village atop of Cursed Caldera where they peered around for Lujanne. "She's mediating," Soren whispered to Rayla and Callum, as they stood looking at Lujanne who sat cross legged and humming at the moon under the stars.

"Maybe we should just let her finish and wait here until she's done," Rayla whispered.

Callum walked up to Lujanne, cleared his throat and was about to speak. "The moon is not smiling anymore," Lujanne said with her eyes closed.

"Oh, um," Callum looked up at the sky, confused, "yes."

Lujanne released her legs from their crossed position and her gaze turned to Callum, "And neither are you," she noticed Callum's rigid demeanor.

"It's Rayla," Callum started to say.

Lujanne looked over to Rayla and Soren standing ten feet away, Rayla appeared anxious.

"The Moon Nexus is not a toy," Lujanne spoke sternly and bluntly to her young audience.

"Of course," Rayla responded as she walked towards Callum and Lujanne, "we never thought of it like that."

"You used it and you left," Lujanne said, "you hadn't even a clue of what you were doing."

Rayla's head lowered, her eyes meeting the ground, her guilt was growing.

"She knew what she was doing," Soren interjected.

Callum looked at Soren with uncertainty.

"She was looking for her parents," Soren added, "she was looking for answers."

"And that's why we're back," Rayla said desperately to Lujanne, "Look!" Rayla turned the small brown bag upside down and caught the coins in her hand.

Lujanne's eyes widened with horror and shock; she looked down upon Runaan, Tiadrin, and Lain trapped in the coins. She was speechless. Lujanne was known for her eccentric and kooky sense of humor, but right now she was as serious as stone. "This is..that is.." she stuttered, "evil."

"Viren," Callum started to say, "a dark mage, he did this to them."

"Of course, of course this was the doing of dark magic," Lujanne responded, disappointed.

"But they're alive," Rayla said with optimism, "that's why I couldn't find them in the portal, because their souls are here in these coins."

"Imprisoned," Lujanne said quietly.

"We found a spell," Soren added to the grim conversation.

"Mutatio intus nexus," Callum said.

Lujanne looked at each of their scared and desperate faces, "I know nothing about these prisons, nothing about the magic that entraps them, or how to release them from this curse."

Soren and Callum looked at each other with worry. There was so much at stake; Viren was alive again, Claudia has the map, Aaravos possessed Callum, and shattered the mirror. How much time could they spend following trails to free Rayla's family?

All of this flooded Callum's mind, his duty to his kingdom, a part in protecting Zym, and being the only primal human mage in all of Xadia. His responsibilities stacked higher and higher on his shoulders.