Callum clawed at the vines encasing him, desperate. Wild.
He had to get to Rayla. He had to.
She hung limp over Terry’s shoulder as he and Claudia rushed to the corrupted dragon awaiting them.
“No!” Callum cried out, wrenching his hand from the tangled web and hearing a number of sickening cracks. He’d freed himself enough to draw a rune, but his fingers wouldn’t obey him, wouldn’t extend to perform the magic. “Rayla!” He cried out, thrashing against the thick vegetation that held him firm.
Terry turned back to look at him, his eyes wide and terrified.
“Terry, hurry up!” Claudia grabbed him by the wrist.
Moment hesitation seemingly over, Terry climbed on behind her, Rayla still lifeless in his arms.
“No, no, no!” Callum continued to fight as the shadow beast began to beat it’s wings, pelting him with rocks and sticks. “No, Rayla!”
His breath caught in his throat as he continued to struggle. The vines around him seemed to grow tighter, strangling his chest, cutting off his air.
“Rayla!” He gasped, collapsing to the forest floor as the dragon gained altitude, moving above the trees, into the air… away.
He tried to draw breath, but his chest wouldn’t move, wouldn’t obey. Air caught in his throat as he tried not to think of Rayla at their mercy… a mere collection of parts to be catalogued.
“Callum!” Ezran’s voice somewhere behind him…
His vision was going black as his heart ached in his chest. They had her, they had her… He’d let them take her away.
“Get these off him.” Soren now.
Two sets of hands pulling at the vines wrapped around him but it did nothing. His chest seized, like it was trapped in a vice. He could hear his own strangled breath as he gasped for air.
“He can’t breathe!” Ezran cried out. “What did they do to him?”
“What sort of Dark Magic is this, Viren?” Soren’s voice was harsh, like it had been ever since Viren had shown up.
He’s the last person Callum wanted to see.
“This isn’t Dark Magic.” Viren’s voice sounded clipped as it moved closer.
Ezran gasped. “What do you mean-”
Callum lay in the dirt, limbs heavy and unresponsive. Oh Sources, Rayla. They had her. He let them take her away. What were they going to do to her? What did Claudia want with her? He needed to get up, go after them, save her-
“Callum, you need to breathe.”
He wanted to push Viren away, scream and rage at him. Hit him. Make the bastard hurt, like he was hurting now. His chest burned and his heart ached. This was all Viren’s fault, they took her, they had Rayla. If he’d just stayed dead they would never have ended up in this situation.
She would have stayed. They’d be together now.
He gasped again, a sob making it even harder to breathe.
“In through your nose. Out through your mouth.” Viren continued. “Breathe.”
He needed to help Rayla, he had to save her… he needed to breathe.
“That’s it.” Viren continued, and Callum became aware of a gentle pressure on his upper arm.
Slowly, he felt air returning to his lungs. His vision came back. Viren was sitting next to him, a hand on his arm.
“Good.” He smiled sadly. “Breathe.”
So, as usual, I feel I was enabled into this. More to come, perhaps? Callum & Viren teaming up to save Rayla and Claudia. Callum hating every minute of it? Mayhaps…
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