Chapter Text
24th February
Callum followed Claudia down the dark hallway, feeling increasingly uneasy and concerned. There was certainly an oppressive air to the place, however she might have dressed it up. The concealed door, passwords and subterfuge… all of it told him that as much as Claudia said otherwise, there was something untoward about this whole thing.
They emerged into a larger room, the light low and air thick with incense. Various figures huddled around tables and over-stuffed couches. Everyone spoke in hushed tones, heads bowed and close together.
Someone greeted Claudia, from their relaxed manner possibly a friend or at least an acquaintance. Human, Callum was reasonably certain, but heavily tattooed and wearing some kind of headdress over which they had draped a large hood. They smiled greedily at Claudia, revealing a mouth of gold teeth. Gesturing to a table behind them, Claudia and the attendant went to inspect whatever seemed to be of interest.
Callum frowned, growing more and more uneasy as he took in his surroundings. He’d never been to a place like this before and he wasn’t sure he wanted to come back. He couldn’t explain why but he felt incredibly uncomfortable even just standing there. Another attendant hovered nearby, clearly trying to get his attention, which Callum was pretending not to notice.
As he’d had more than once before, he tried to put his reservations behind him. This was supposed to be a fun afternoon out, an unspoken sort of date, he assumed. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t interested in pursuing things beyond his and Claudia’s friendship, again, he just wished they could do it some place less… seedy.
Sighing, he wondered if this was a sign. It wasn’t like things had been plain sailing on their previous attempts at being more than friends. The whole dark magic thing wasn’t the only sticking point either.
Were relationships always this hard? People said they involved compromise but Claudia’s fascination with dark magic and his instinctual distrust of it, always seemed to be the main source of conflict between them. Not the only one, for sure, but perhaps an insurmountable one? He was a bit of an outlier in that regard though, wasn’t he? It was true not all humans approved of the use of dark magic, but he was obviously one of the humans who was opposed to it’s use. For most people, dark magic lay beyond their financial means. For him? Well, it seemed to go deeper than that. Likely the influence of his mother, who abhorred the practice, but it wasn’t like he could just cast off his upbringing, especially when he didn’t really care to.
Someone came up behind him, slender and lithe, obviously elven underneath the large cloak they wore. The attendant standing awkwardly to his left immediately looked around him, beckoning the figure closer.
They spoke quietly, discretely, appearing to negotiate something. Hushed voices and hurried whispers and then the attendant pulled back a curtain, gesturing for the cloaked figure to proceed.
She ducked under the attendant’s arm, her hood slipping off her head as she did so to reveal striking features, high cheek bones adorned with traditional Moonshadow markings, large lilac eyes, sad and downcast.
Callum knew this elf, her face immediately familiar. “Rayla?” The name slipped from his lips without conscious thought.
Her reaction appeared to confirm his suspicions, head whipping around seemingly unconsciously at the sound of her name.
He sniffed, pouting at the broken charcoal in his hand and pulling himself smaller.
“Are you crying?”
Callum jumped, looking around for the source of the voice.
Hanging upside-down above him was a girl. She looked like she was about his age, large purplish eyes blinking at him and a curtain of snow white hair swaying in the breeze.
When he didn’t answer, she frowned at him, then did a funny sort of flip and landed in the dirt beside him.
“Can’t you talk or something?” She looked worried, leaning forward to inspect him.
“I can talk.” Callum huffed, looking away and a bit annoyed by the weird girl. He didn’t want someone else teasing him.
“What you crying about?” She flopped next to him in a cloud of dust and Callum grumbled to himself.
He looked over at her, jumping a little once he got a better look at her. Two small horns were peeking out from her white hair now she was the right way up.
“You’re an elf!” He’d seen elves before of course, but he’d never seen a kid elf up this close.
“You’re crying because I’m an elf?” She turned up her nose at him, sounding unimpressed.
“No!” Callum corrected her. “I’m not crying.”
“Yes, you are!” She insisted, her eyes on his cheeks.
Hastily, Callum rubbed his face.
“Is it those stupid human boys that live across the river?” She pointed in the direction the boys had gone. “They called me pointy ears yesterday, so I pushed them down.”
“Oh.” Callum noticed a bruise on her cheek and some scratched skin on her elbow. She had stood up to all of them?
“Ethari says to ignore them, but they come after me.” She kicked a rock next to her foot.
“Me too,” Callum admitted, looking down at his broken charcoal.
“Did they do that?” The girl pointed at his hand.
“Yeah.” Callum shrugged, shoving his charcoal into his pocket.
“Maybe we can band together and finish them.” The girl got to her feet and struck a pose.
Callum couldn’t help laughing at her. She was dumb, but funny. “Yeah, right.” He tried to sound sarcastic, but he couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Rayla! Where are you?” A voice called out above them. “Dinner!”
She huffed, rolling her eyes. “Gotta go.” Without further word, she jumped onto a pile of crates by the wall and then leapt onto the roof above him and from view.
Callum sighed, watching the space she had just left. He sort of thought they could maybe possibly be friends. He hadn’t made any friends since his family had moved here.
“Hey!”
He yelped when she suddenly appeared upside down again. She laughed loudly but not unkindly at him. “What’s your name?” She peered at him, not in the least bit worried about hanging upside down like she was.
Callum smiled again, immediately liking this girl. “Callum.”
“Callum,” She repeated, then disappeared from view before he could ask her name.
Callum gaped at the empty space once again, pushing himself to his feet so he could perhaps catch sight of where she was going.
“I’m Rayla by the way.” She appeared right before his face, surprising him enough to knock him on his butt. She didn’t really seem to notice. “See ya tomorrow, Callum!” She swung away from view again.
Callum scrambled to his feet and ran around the building, his mouth dropping open as she daintily scaled the roofs and buildings, then disappeared into a window.
“See ya tomorrow, Rayla.”
“You shouldn’t fight with them.” Callum held his sleeve to Rayla’s temple.
“I’m stronger than them,” she protested, glaring at him.
“There’s six of them.” Callum pulled his hand back and inspected the cut above her eyebrow. “You’re stronger than them on their own, but not when they’re in a big gang.”
And they were always in a big gang…
Rayla huffed but didn’t argue and so he went back to cleaning up her face. She was always getting hurt like this. Fighting the bigger kids in large groups. Standing up to them when they pushed the smaller kids around or said mean things to them.
He hated seeing her get hurt, but from the look on her face she was hurting inside too. “Just ignore them next time. They won’t stop.”
She stuck her lip out and looked like she was about to cry again. She always cried after she fought with the big kids. Not because she was hurt but because she was angry. Upset at how they treated the other kids. Annoyed that they never changed. Frustrated that tomorrow would probably be the same. “Here.” She pushed something into his stomach as she got to her feet and rushed away. “I got your stupid sketchbook back.”
“Your Mum is looking for you.”
Callum pulled his knees in tighter to his chest, like he could hide from everyone and everything. “I know.” His voice sounded weird and squeaky, but he didn’t even care.
“I promised her I'd come get her if I found you.” For once, Rayla didn’t flop down next to him. Instead, she sat down slowly, her voice quiet.
Callum sniffed. He didn’t want to see his Mom now. Or his grandparents with the yucky too sweet desserts they kept trying to give him. As if some icky dessert could make him forget or take his mind off things or make him feel better.
Make him forget his Dad had-
He sniffed again, not bothering to wipe his eyes anymore.
He barely even wanted to see Rayla, which was something because Rayla always made him feel better.
He didn’t think she could today though.
She didn’t say anything for a while, just sat there next to him.
After what seemed like aaaages, her little hand found his, three fingers slowly curling around his own and squeezing ever so gently.
He sniffed again, her soft touches letting him know she was there in her own very Moonshadow elf way.
“Hi.” Rayla grinned at Callum as she collapsed next to him, a cloud of dust billowing around them. Down below he could hear the neighbourhood boys jeering and teasing, but Rayla seemed to be paying them no mind for once. Their little spot was well hidden from the taunts of the mean kids, their own little refuge. They had made it comfy, old worn hessian bags filled with rags for cushions and a dusty tarp for shade. He liked it there.
“Here.” She thrust something at him.
“What is it?” He inspected the item in his hand. Whatever it was, was wrapped in thin cloth, light and a little bit squishy.
Rayla had one of her own, already open. She shoved the item into her mouth and mumbled around it. “Luna puff.” She stated, bits of pastry crumbling into her lap.
“What’s a luna puff?” Callum asked, inspecting the little item in his hand as he unwrapped it. It was crescent shaped and flaky.
“It’s for the full moon party,” Rayla continued chewing her own. “Ethari made them and let me have two early. He said maybe next year Runaan will be better, and we’ll be able to get moonberries and make moonberry surprise!”
“What’s moonberry surprise?” Callum asked, grateful for the entire distraction.
Rayla rolled her eyes, grinning broadly. “I can’t just tell you what’s in a moonberry surprise!” She pointed at his puff. “Try it.”
Callum took a bite of his own pastry, grinning at the pleasant flavour. He liked Moonshadow food. It was light and tasty. Rayla often shared little treats like this with him and this one he very much liked, even though he didn’t really like desserts as much as she did.
It made him feel a little better. For a moment, at least.
“What’s up?” Rayla frowned at him, seeming to pick up on his flat mood.
“Mom has to go back to Katolis.” He huffed. That meant his grandparents would be looking after him and he wouldn’t see his Mom for ages.
“Oh.” Rayla shuffled a little closer to him.
He probably shouldn’t whinge to her, she hadn’t seen her parents in longer than he’d known her. She’d probably get angry and tell him to shut up, like she did with the big boys when they teased them.
He felt himself crying even more when Rayla rested her head against his shoulder, sighing.
“Hi!” Rayla looked up from the little knife she was playing with. Ethari had made it for her and she played with it all the time now, her hands covered in little nicks and cuts from it. Or bandages, whenever she let Callum patch her up. “What’s wrong?” She stopped smiling after a moment, moving back so he could sit down.
Callum sighed, flopping down beside her. He was not looking forward to this conversation. “We’re moving.” It seemed easier to just say it quickly.
“Moving?” Rayla dusted off her pants and gave him her full attention. “To a different apartment?”
“Not just a different apartment.” Callum avoided her eyes, picking at his grubby trousers. “We’re moving cities. To where Mom’s working. To Katolis. Nanny said with Grandad getting sick too, we all should be together. And Mom said she’s got a new friend she wants me to meet and he lives there…”
“Oh.” Rayla seemed to finally understand. “Katolis is far away?”
“Yeah.” His grandparents said it was days travel, which is why his mom had to live there and couldn’t visit often. Callum looked back at Rayla, feeling tears sting his eyes. He’d been trying not to cry ever since his Nanny told him they would be moving. He understood… kinda. When his mom went away, she said she wanted to get a post back here, but she’d got a better post she said, and a nice new house and she was really excited. Or so his Nanny said.
She tried to make moving to live in the big city sound exciting. They were going to live in an actual house, in a nice neighbourhood. His Mom wrote that they would even have a little garden with a well and they would feed the birds every morning and some of them might even eat out of your hand. He’d get to see his mom every night too, not like before where she’d go away for ages at a time which had been okay because at least his dad had been there then.
Not like now with his grandparents, who didn’t even do funny voices for story time.
It did sound pretty exciting.
But everything had changed so much. He didn’t want to leave the little apartment they had lived in with his dad. The boys in school were mean bullies but maybe the boys in his new school would be meaner?
And he wouldn’t know anyone there.
He wouldn’t have Rayla.
His best friend. His only friend.
He looked back at her, feeling like he had a stomach-ache.
The elf stared at him, eyes wide and lips parted in apparent surprise.
“Rayla, is it you?” Callum smiled widely, momentarily forgetting the circumstances of their reunion as he stepped closer to her. “Wow, it’s been so long.”
He felt strangely elated seeing her. It had been many years but he’d never forgotten her. And here she was, somehow before him. Back in his life as randomly as she had first appeared.
The attendant looked between them, seemingly a little lost for words. “Em, you know this gentleman?”
The elf composed herself, her face melting into a near expressionless mask. She held Callum’s gaze for a moment more, then turned away. “No. I’ve no idea who that is.”