Avatar: The Last Dragon Prince

Chapter One: When Worlds Collide

The Human Kingdoms

The guards of Katolis weren't too far behind, seeing as they were on horseback, and Callum, Ezran and Rayla only had their feet to carry them. At least Rayla was a moonshadow elf so she could outrun them. The two human brothers though, not really.

"Why are they still after us?" Rayla demanded. "I think it's been made clear that I did not kidnap the prince of Katolis!"

"They probably think," Callum said, struggling to keep up with Rayla, "that I'm being... held hostage... to say that. Please can we take a break? I'm only human."

"And I'm being hunted down by some misguided morons," the elf snapped, but she stopped running – much to Callum's relief.

"You can put me down now," Ezran chirped, momentarily scaring Rayla. She had almost forgotten that the ten-year-old prince of Katolis was on her back. If his fourteen-year-old brother couldn't keep up, there was no way his tiny legs would carry him fast.

Ezran climbed down Rayla's back, cradling the baby dragon Zym in his arms. This dragon that was supposed to be their eventual peacemaker was ironically the source of all their current problems.

"What are we going to do Callum?" Ezran asked worriedly. "We can't run forever and Xadia isn't just around the corner."

Bait belched in agreement, jumping into Rayla's vacant arms for solace.

"Getting into Xadia is a problem of its own," Rayla said gravely, contrasting her comforting face for Zym. "So I suggest that we get a move on. If we can't hide, we run."

Rayla's statement was just what Callum needed for an idea to spark in his head.

"What if we can hide?"

Immediately, he fished for his sketchbook. He had sketched something while they were still with Lujanne. He had hoped they wouldn't need it, but you never know, right?

Now he knew. The rest of the crew however was confused and nonplussed.

"What are you doing Cal?" Ezran cocked an eyebrow, and the dragon mimicked this action accompanied by a low inquiring whine.

"I second that. We don't have time to be looking at your doodles right now!" Rayla hissed urgently. "We need to go. Now."

"Just a second..." He quickly flipped through the pages until he found the one with this symbol: 土. "Found it! I read about it in one of Lujanne's journals. It's like... a gateway into another realm, far from the human kingdoms but not really in Xadia either."

"You don't know what that symbol is," Rayla said. "How do you know it's not leading us right back to Katolis? You don't."

"I don't," he admitted, "but I have to try."

"You must be tired of carrying Zym and me around," Ezran offered encouragingly.

Rayla shook her head at both boys. "This is going to go really badly," she groaned. "Then again, I am a Moonshadow elf allied with a human mage to protect the heir to the throne of Xadia. How much weirder can it get?"

"That's the spirit!" Ezran grinned. "Sort of."

"Lujanne is a Moonshadow elf," Callum pointed out helpfully, "so the spell... has to be done by a Moonshadow elf."

Rayla laughed humorlessly. First Callum suggests this so-crazy-it-just-might-work idea and then he shifts the burden to her.

"No way."