Archive of Our Own ^beta

He was fine.

He was fine.

He was fine.

His fingers lightly rubbed at his wrist, where the shackles had been not even an hour ago.

Shackles that he got rid of.

Shackles that he turned into snakes.

But he did it to save Rayla. He had a good reason. An honorable reason.

It didn't shake the feeling of dread in his stomach, or the feeling of something else.

The same feeling he had the very first time he had done dark magic. Of his body seeming to freeze from the inside out, yet when he felt his own skin, it felt like he was burning. Of a weight tied around his ankles, pulling him down, down, down, into dark waters as his lungs fought for air.

He had already done dark magic. And yes, he regretted his decision, but this wasn't the first time.

He shouldn't be feeling this same sickness.

It'll pass, he insisted to himself. This was only an aftereffect of the guilt in his heart. He just needed to sit still, focus on his breathing, the feel of the ship rocking gently along the waves as it moved.

It will pass.

"So...two primal sources?"

Callum was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Rayla approach.

Rayla.

He could hear his own scream echoing in his mind as she collapsed to the ground, blood freezing in her veins. Or how Finnegrin chained her up, dangling her upside down over the edge of the ship for a leviathan to consume her.

He did dark magic. He did it to save her.

She could never know.

His stomach lurched, and he thought he might throw up.

Rayla sat beside him, her tone light and teasing. "Now you're just getting greedy, mister mage."

She was teasing. Teasing. She didn't know. Didn't know about the dark magic. Wasn't saying he was getting greedy with dark magic. She was teasing.

He tried opening his mouth to respond to her teasing. Force a smile and pretend like he hadn't done anything wrong.

Because he hadn't. He had a good reason for what he did.

No words came out of his mouth. Instead, his fingers tightened their grip around his wrist.

Shackles he had turned into snakes...

A steady hand rested on his shoulder, and he tried focusing on that. Her hand, grounding him. Warm. Alive.

Alive.

She was alive because of his decision.

A sudden chill swept through his body, and he tried to control the resulting tremble. Could she feel how hot his skin was burning through his clothes?

"Callum, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he answered, reminding himself to just breathe.

It will pass.

He turned to look at her, this time able to meet her smile with one of his own.

Even if it was small and made his swollen eye ache.

He hoped it would reassure her.

But he found that he couldn't hold her gaze for long. Her eyes were trusting and proud.

Proud of him.

Would that pride still be there if she found out what he had done?

He turned away, staring down at the floorboards of the deck again. He slowly nodded, ignoring the way even that small movement made his world spin.

"Yeah," he insisted again. Because it was true. It had to be true. "I'm okay. I am."

He was fine.

He made himself meet her gaze again, because otherwise, he knew she wouldn't believe him.

She cupped his face, avoiding the worst of the bruising. Her mouth opened to say something, but it quickly shut as her brows furrowed.

"Callum, you're burning up."

He tried to brush it off, to turn his head so her hand wouldn't touch his burning skin anymore.

Instead, he leaned into her touch, eyes closing as he let out a breath of relief.

Her skin felt so cool.

Then her touch was moving and now her other hand was pressing against his forehead.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice firmer this time as she pressed him for the truth.

Callum nodded, opening his eyes. "I am, I'm just...feeling a little tired."

Which was true.

His body was aching from his earlier beating, and he felt as if his bones were filled with sludge and...

He felt himself beginning to list to the side, and it's not something he can blame on the rocking of the waves.

Rayla is quick to catch him, keeping him upright. "Come on, let's get you into bed."

Callum doesn't protest as she puts her arm right below his shoulders helping him into a standing position.

Again, the movement makes his stomach churn and if he had anything in his stomach, he knew it would be splattered all over the deck by now. He tries to shuffle his feet along, but the chains that are pulling him into the water are so heavy and he can feel his lungs filling with water and-

"Breathe, Callum. Just breathe."

It's his mom's voice, but it's also Rayla's. He can vaguely hear Ezran calling out in concern, but his ears feel like they're filled with water too and now Ezran's voice sounds like King Harrow's.

He was sitting on something soft for a moment before Rayla was pressing against his shoulders to lay down.

But Callum tries fighting against her because he's fine. He's fine. He's fine.

"Callum, stop!" Rayla exclaims. "Just lie down and rest. I'm going to find some medicine or tea or something for you."

At her voice, his world snaps into focus. Her face is hovering above his in his half-reclined state. The concern in her eyes is much stronger and he needs to tell her that he's fine. That it'll pass.

Before he can even try forming the words though, he looks behind her and sees a cage.

The one where Finnegrin held Zym.

He's in the Captain's Quarters, and he sees the post he was chained to, feels the blows against his body, the shackles around his wrists, the sound of the snakes-

He doesn't realize he's gasping for air until he feels Rayla pressing her forehead against his, hands gently cupping his face, as she pleads with him to match his breaths to his own.

Callum wants to. He so desperately wants to breathe with her because it means she's alive and they're both here and everything's fine and...

The dark magic was worth it.

Instead, he feels himself slumping forward and the world around him darkens to nothing.

Rayla refuses to let herself panic. She is not going to panic. She has to keep a level head and things are going to be just fine.

Callum will be fine.

He's always fine.

Until he isn't.

She knew something was wrong when she saw him sitting alone on the deck, fingers lightly running along his wrists. He had seemed distracted and tired.

She told herself that was to be expected.

He had received a beating, the evidence clear on his face. And then he had used a powerful spell, now having another arcanum under his belt.

Of course, he would look tired and paler than usual.

She had gone to him, attempting to cheer him up.

The moment she touched his skin though, she knew he wasn't fine, no matter how much he tried to insist.

Rayla had to half-drag Callum to the Captain's Quarters, answering Ezran's concerned question for his brother. She told Ezran Callum was fine. That he just needed some rest.

She would lay him down on the bed, allow him to take a nap, find some medicine or tea for him to take when he woke up, and he would be fine.

Except his breaths came out in short pants as he began hyperventilating once he was on the bed and no matter how many times Rayla asked him to match his breathing with her own, he didn't.

Then he passed out in her arms.

For a half second, Rayla thought the worst. Her hands moved to his neck, his chest, her fears only calming when she felt his heart racing away.

She wasn't going to panic because he was going to be fine.

"Oh Callum," Rayla murmured as she eased him onto his back, this time without him fighting back. "Just rest, okay? You'll feel much better when you wake." She brushed back some hair that had fallen across his forehead, pursing her lips at how hot his skin sill felt.

She would have to find a towel and clean water, use it to cool down his skin.

A weight in her stomach told her that there was something more to this sudden fever though.

Because his wrists had been in shackles, and last time she checked, he didn't know how to pick a lock.

It was nothing. She told herself it was nothing.

"I'll be right back. You stay here," Rayla murmured to Callum.

When she left the cabin, Soren and Ezran were outside the door.

"Is Callum okay?" Ezran asked, standing on tiptoe to peek in the room before Rayla closed the door.

"He's fine," Rayla quickly said. "Just needed some rest. His magic display took a lot out of him."

Soren narrowed his eyes, arms crossed. "Are you sure? He's done more magic at court and nothing like that ever happens."

"Oh yeah, he's fine. Just something that happens when you learn a new arcanum."

And she thought back to when he learned the sky arcanum. How it had been after using dark magic...

Rayla gave them both a smile, hoping it was reassuring enough. "He's got a little fever, but nothing some tea can't take care of. Now, if you'd excuse me." She squeezed her way past them.

Except as Rayla made her way below decks to find the kitchen, she began worrying that tea wouldn't be enough.

He wouldn't have done it though. He had learned his lesson the hard way when he did dark magic the first time. And besides, that sickness only happened when someone performed dark magic for the first time.

Callum knew better.

But even in her own pain, when Finnegrin froze the blood in her veins, she could see the desperation in his face. His cry reaching her ears. And Callum wasn't a fighter. She had tried teaching him to use her daggers, and she heard stories from Soren about how bad he was at wielding a sword. Yet Callum had punched Finnegrin square in the jaw, causing the pirate to stumble back.

Callum knew better, but he had been desperate.

There wasn't much in the kitchen, but Rayla managed to scrounge some random herbs up, and the smell from the freshly brewed tea was soothing at least.

She carried it back to the cabin, giving Ezran and Soren a thumbs up as they seemed to be having some kind of emergency meeting that was most definitely about Callum.

Thankfully, they didn't follow her into the cabin.

It allowed her to act quickly as she saw a snake winding its way up the bedpost, its sight set on Callum.

Rayla managed not to spill one drop of tea as she pulled out one of her daggers and threw it. The blade pinned the snake in place for only a moment before it disappeared into a cloud of green smoke.

A second snake came out from under the bed, hissing as it slithered towards Rayla.

Again, her instincts were faster as she threw her second dagger at it.

Just like the other one, the second snake dispersed into a cloud of smoke.

It was the confirmation Rayla didn't want.

She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her fingers lightly against Callum's burning skin. "Oh, you big dumb human," she whispered. "What did you do?"

It was dark, but Callum could feel the water lapping at his feet.

"Hello?" he called out, straining his eyes to see something in the pitch black. "Hello!?"

Water was poured over him, as if someone dumped a bucket over his head.

Callum spluttered, catching his breath as he wiped his face. The water was now up to his knees. "Is anyone there?!"

His voice only echoed back to him.

Callum walked forward; hands stretched out to avoid bumping into anything.

More water was poured in along with something else.

And Callum could smell onions for some reason.

He took a few more steps before he felt his fingertips brushing against cool metal. He ran his fingers along it, trying to find a doorknob, a window, something that could be his escape.

Again, more water was dumped over him. Now Callum's feet couldn't touch the ground anymore without his head going underwater.

"Hello?! Someone, help!" he cried out, knowing he wasn't going to get any kind of answer.

A light finally came on, and it was Finnegrin. But he was massive.

Callum felt his heart jump into his throat as he pressed himself against the metal wall. He couldn't let Finnegrin see him. The pirate would kill him!

"Time for my specialty," he said, eyes landing on Callum. His face broke into a wide grin. "Callum soup!"

"No! Wait! Stop!"

Callum felt the water beginning to warm.

Finnegrin dropped in three items, identifying what they were as he did. "A dying breath, blood filled with hatred, and a unicorn horn."

Callum gasped as the water began boiling. He swam to try, and grab hold of the edge, but it was too high up.

"Now, to let it boil."

Somehow, the water only grew hotter, and Callum cried out as he felt it burning his skin. Some even got into his mouth and he cried out as the heat of it boiled his insides.

"Help!" Callum called out, though no one was there. "Please, someone help!"

A huge ladle was dipped into the water, scooping Callum out. His mouth opened to thank his savior, but the words died in his throat.

"Hello, little mage. We meet again. And what's this? More darkness corrupting your soul? Why, your piece is moving even faster than I anticipated."

Callum felt his breath coming out in pants as he stared at the being that towered over him. "Aaravos."

The star elf grinned. "I'm usually never on first name basis with my meals. But I suppose there's no harm in it just this one time."

"What? No! No, stop!" Callum scrambled to the edge of the ladle, ready to jump back into the boiling water.

But the ladle somehow deepened and Callum couldn't jump out.

Aaravos dipped the ladle towards his mouth and swallowed him.

Rayla tried spooning in some of the tea into Callum's mouth after making sure it wasn't too hot. He gagged on it though, and it dribbled out of his mouth. She tried again, successful this time. But he whimpered and shivered.

"I know, I know. It probably tastes gross without honey, but I couldn't find any. You'll just have to deal with it."

She spooned more into his mouth, his face twisting up in pain as he began weakly pushing away from her.

Rayla set the tea down, not wanting to spill any on him. "Shh, Callum. This will pass." She cupped his cheek, hoping it would bring comfort to him and whatever dream he was trapped in.

It didn't.

He only flinched at her touch, mumbling something incoherent.

Rayla pulled her hand back with a small huff. She wanted to be angry at him. Tell him like last time that dark magic always came at a price, and these were the consequences of his actions.

Two things held her back.

One, this wasn't supposed to be happening. This wasn't his first time using dark magic. He shouldn't be sick like this. Which made her worry that something bigger was at work.

Two, he had done dark magic to save them. His friends. And if he had been even a second late...

Rayla shuddered at the thought.

She left the cabin again to find a small basin of water and a towel. She managed to completely avoid everyone this time, coming back to the cabin to find Callum twisting around on the bed, fingers tugging at his clothes.

"Hey, shh, Callum, just relax." Rayla hurried to the bed, wetting the towel some to press against his forehead.

He hissed at the touch, trying to move away from it again.

"You're going to hurt yourself, Callum! Relax!" Rayla used her other hand to hold his shoulder down.

The moment she placed pressure, Callum screamed.

Callum felt as if he had been falling for centuries. He finally landed on a hard wood floor. He tried pushing himself up but found that he wasn't lying on the floor again.

He was shackled to the post in Finnegrin's cabin.

But the shackles were moving, and Callum could hear the hissing of snakes.

"If you do it, I'll let all you and your friends go. You'll be free."

Finnegrin was there, leaning against his desk with a smirk on his lips.

He wasn't talking to Callum though. His gaze was directed at someone standing beside him.

Rayla.

"Rayla!" Callum cried out. He jerked at his chains, the snakes, but felt them tighten around him. "Rayla, help me!"

Rayla wouldn't look at him. She stayed silent as she continued staring at Finnegrin.

"You don't really love him," Finnegrin continued speaking to Rayla. "How could you? You left him for two years, never once sending a letter to let him know you were okay. And look at him. A human, practicing dark magic. There's no way you could love him. Kill him. He's already asked you to do that anyways."

"Rayla, please, look at me!" The plea fell from Callum's lips as he continued pulling against the snakes around his wrists. "Don't listen to him!"

Still, Rayla said nothing. She finally moved though, crouching down in front of him.

For a moment, Callum felt hope flare in his chest as she was looking at him.

But it quickly died when he saw the cold look on her face.

Without a word, she drove one of her daggers into his shoulder.

Callum gasped, squeezing his eyes shut at the pain. He made himself open his eyes again, ready to plead with her and convince her to let him go.

He was alone though, and no longer in the cabin. Somehow, he was down in the dungeons of the castle.

Rayla's dagger was in his shoulder, but he couldn't pull it out. His hands were still shackled behind his back.

He breathed sharply through his nose as he tried ignoring the pain. But then as he looked down to the dagger again, he saw that it had transformed into a snake, and it was burrowing even deeper into his shoulder.

Callum screamed at the new pain.

Somewhere, he heard Ezran's laughter.

His little brother was in the dungeon with him. Small again, like he was when he was nine, when he first became king.

"He said that you're delicious," Ezran said with his mouth full of jelly tarts.

Callum panted as he found his voice. "Please, Ezran. Please, take it out."

"Okay," Ezran said with a shrug and a smile. He skipped towards Callum, grabbed the wriggling tail of the snake and pulled.

Callum let out a gasp, the gaping wound in his shoulder oozing blood.

Ezran reached out, dragged his finger through the blood, and stuck it in his mouth. "Mmm! Tastes just like jelly!"

Callum's mind was reeling with too much pain to react to Ezran. "You have to help me."

Ezran winced at his request, backing out of the dungeon cell. "Sorry, Callum. You know I can't."

"What? Why? Ezran, please!”

"You're here because of treason, remember? You tried to kill me."

"What? No! Ez, I'd never do that!"

"But you did. You helped Lord Viren and Aaravos." Ezran backed completely out of the cell, steel clanging against steel as he was locked behind the bars. "You're the reason there aren't stars in the sky anymore."

Callum turned to look out the window.

And sure enough, the moon stood alone in the night sky. Not a trace of any stars.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, tears filling his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

A laugh echoed in the dungeon. It was loud and chilled Callum to the bone. It rumbled, growing louder and louder until the walls around him were shaking and the stones began to collapse around him.

Callum ducked his head to avoid the falling debris, holding his breath and waiting to be buried alive.

The door burst open at Callum's scream, Ezran and Soren running in.

"What's going on?" Ezran cried out. "What's wrong with him?"

Rayla didn't release her grip on Callum. Instead, she now used both hands to try and get him still. His thrashing had become violent, and she was afraid he would end up hurting himself.

"It's just the fever!" Rayla lied. Ezran and Soren didn't need to worry about Callum using dark magic again.

What's done is done. They couldn't do anything about it.

"Soren, help me hold him. We have to get his fever down," Rayla said as she looked to the guard.

She noticed his pursed lips and brows slightly creased.

For a second, Rayla thought he knew exactly what happened.

But if he figured it out, he said nothing as he switched places with Rayla, his grip able to control Callum's movements better.

Rayla began running the towel over Callum's forehead again, her heart stuttering at every whimper that escaped him.

Rayla glanced back at Ezran, needing him to get out of the room. She didn't want him to have to see his brother in this state. "Ezran, do you think you can go to the kitchen and find me some lavender cream? I saw some there when I grabbed the tea. It'll help."

"On it!" Ezran said with a small nod and a determined look. He seemed grateful to have an actual job that would help his brother.

Except there wasn't any lavender cream in the kitchen.

Rayla figured it bought them about ten or fifteen minutes before Ezran became frustrated with the search.

She hoped that by then, Callum would ease into a better state.

"This isn't just a fever," Soren said quietly as Rayla continued pressing the damp towel against Callum's face.

She didn't say anything in return. He didn't outright say what he thought it was, but she had no doubt he knew.

He saw it in his father and sister.

Of course, he knew what it was.

"Why is it happening to him again?" Soren voiced the question Rayla was asking herself.

Instead of answering his question, Rayla pulled the towel back. His fever wasn't going down at all. It actually seemed to be getting worse.

"Help me get his coat off." All the elves in Xadia believed in sweating out a fever.

Moon elves, however, believed in stripping down as much as possible to allow the skin to breathe.

Soren pulled Callum up, his thrashing having weakened considerably. Rayla worked on undoing the clasps and pulling his arms out of the sleeves, then pulling his tunic up and over his head until he was only in his pants.

Soren eased Callum back down and Rayla couldn't stop the gasp.

Callum's chest gave clear evidence of the damage Finnegrin had done.

His entire chest was littered with bruises and what looked like jagged burns. The worst of the burns was on his shoulder.

Where she had placed pressure in order to hold him down.

Rayla felt as if she was going to be sick, and it wasn't from the rocking of the ship.

She set her jaw determinedly, and grabbed the damp towel, gently pressing it against Callum's chest. She wiped the sweat away in an attempt to cool him down, all the while being careful with each of his injuries.

Callum's whimpers seemed to have eased as did his thrashing. His head still moved from side to side as he murmured nonsense.

But there was something that he said that came out so clearly.

"I'm sorry," Callum mumbled. "I'm so sorry."

Rayla pursed her lips, watching as a tear escaped from his closed eyes.

"What can I do to help?" Soren asked softly.

Rayla let out a heavy breath as she sat back, eyes still lingering on Callum. She had spread out the small towel over his chest, hoping the coolness of it would seep into his skin.

She also did it because she couldn't bear to see his injuries.

"We wait."

It felt like Callum had been trapped under the rocks forever. Somehow, when the rocks fell, it created a small pocket that was large enough for him to sit up. He had to hunch over, but it was better than being completely pinned down.

He called out for help countless times, but no sound came out. He still felt as if he were burning up from the inside, but then a small pressure was placed on his chest. He couldn't explain what it was, but it was comforting. And after a while, the pressure seemed to turn into a cooling sensation.

Callum closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

"Breathe, Callum. Just breathe."

He called out for his mom at the sound of her voice, but again, no sound came out.

This was a fitting punishment. This was all his fault. He used dark magic and look at what happened.

He pressed his forehead against his knees, not bothering to stop the tears from falling.

Aaravos had been right. He had played right into the elf's hands.

"Well, this can't be. My favorite chess piece is upset."

Callum snapped his head up, seeing that he wasn't buried in the rubble anymore.

Instead, he was on a giant chessboard, and Aaravos, once again, towering over him. He looked at all the other chess pieces, seeing that they weren't the familiar shapes.

They were people. The majority of them he didn't know, but others were familiar.

Like his mom and King Harrow.

They seemed to be leading a charge before Aaravos tipped them over with a finger and dropped them off the board.

"No!" Callum cried out, wanting to see one last glimpse of his mom.

He saw Ezran on the board, moving forward and dodging an attack from Viren. Villads was there, struck down by Finnegrin. Rayla battling a sun elf.

And the chessboard converted into the battlefield at the Storm Spire. Callum tried moving to help his friends, but tree roots sprung up, holding him in place.

Aaravos clicked his tongue. "You're mine, remember? One by one, those you care for will fall, and it will be all your fault."

"No! No, I won't help you!"

Aaravos laughed. "It's your destiny, little mage."

And as he spoke, Callum could hear his voice blending in with his own. Aaravos' face flickered briefly, changing into Callum's. But it was decayed by dark magic and the black eyes held no remorse.

"No, I won't do it!" Callum yelled again. He tried remembering what he said before. About writing his own destiny.

The words were stuck in his throat, and again, Aaravos laughed.

"It is your destiny. And you know it now, don't you?"

Callum shook his head. "No! No, it's not true!"

"It is, little mage. It's in your blood."

There was nothing they could do. No remedy, or tea, or draught they could make that would help Callum.

They simply had to wait for the dark magic fever to leave his system.

Ezran had come back nearly ten minutes later, like Rayla had guessed. It was no surprise that he didn't come back with lavender cream, but he did come with a pot full of different herbs that he thought might be useful.

For Ezran's benefit, Rayla dipped some of those herbs in the basin of water, using that water to wipe away the building sweat.

The only thing it did though was make the water more aromatic.

Rayla was careful to hide Callum from Ezran, making sure the towel was still covering the worst of Callum's chest. She tried thinking of different reasons for Ezran to leave but couldn't come up with anything Ezran would actually buy.

To her relief, Soren was the one to come up with something, telling the boy king they should check in with Villads that they were still on the right course.

She gave Soren a small nod of gratitude as they left.

It seemed he was just as keen to not let Ezran see Callum in this current state.

Rayla blew out a heavy breath as she sat on the bed, watching Callum in his restless sleep.

She wanted to be mad at him. Dark magic was never the answer, no matter what.

But he had saved her because of it.

There were also the repercussions of what Aaravos was planning. Rayla knew it involved dark magic and Callum's use of it.

She repeated her previous sentiment as she murmured, "You big, dumb human."

She didn't expect one, but she still looked at his face for a reaction.

There was none.

Rayla stood and began to pace the cabin. She riffled through Finnegrin's desk for anything interesting. She wiped down Callum's face and chest of sweat. She stood in front of the window, and watched as the sun sank below the horizon and the stars shone brightly in the night sky.

Soren came back in after it had become dark. Being a moon elf, she had no issue seeing by only the light the night sky provided, but she still thanked him when he left an oil lamp for her.

"I convinced Ezran to get some sleep, but only after he made me promise to check in on Callum," Soren said, his gaze moving towards him.

Rayla crossed her arms as she turned from the window to look at Callum again. "I mean, he hasn't moved much since you left. I guess that's a good thing?"

Soren opened his mouth as if to say something, then he gave a small shake of his head and closed his mouth.

Rayla wondered if perhaps he would say something about his father or sister. Their experiences with the dark magic fever.

But then that would be saying out loud what neither of them wanted to admit.

If they didn't actually say it, maybe it wouldn't be true.

Soren didn't linger for long. He asked if he could bring her some food, but Rayla didn't have an appetite for much of anything at the moment.

He left and Rayla stayed by the window. She stood in the light of the moon, its cold rays comforting her.

Callum did dark magic.

He was one step closer to fulfilling whatever plan Aaravos had for him.

He had saved her.

He had been willing to pay the consequences of using the dark magic, just to save her.

Even if it put the fate of the world at risk.

He chose her.

She thought of Callum's request to her a couple weeks ago. Of him asking her to kill him. If Aaravos ever controlled him again, he wanted Rayla to kill him.

And it would become a decision of saving the world or saving Callum.

Rayla had no idea what she would choose.

Would she choose the honorable option? Or would she choose the option her heart wanted?

Wasn't there a human saying about not being able to have your cake and eat it too?

Rayla thought it was ridiculous. Why couldn't there be two cakes?

As she mulled over these things, a sharp inhale from the other side of the room caught her attention.

Callum was sitting up in bed, chest heaving, and eyes wide open.

Callum shivered as he sat up in bed. His skin prickled from the cold air and his skin felt slightly damp.

He looked around the dim room, trying to get his bearings as he figured out what this next part of his nightmare was.

"Callum!"

He twisted a little, in time to see Rayla running towards him.

Before he could brace himself, she pulled him into her arms in a tight hug. "You're awake!"

He was?

Her arms tightened, and Callum inhaled sharply as she jostled one of his previous injuries.

He was definitely awake.

"Oh, sorry," she quickly said as she pulled back, her eyes drifting to his chest.

His bare chest.

Callum felt his entire face flush with embarrassment. "Um, where's my clothes?"

"Right, sorry," Rayla cheeks had reddened as well, getting up to hand him his tunic and coat. "I thought that maybe it would be best to let your skin breath to get rid of the fever faster."

Callum pulled on his tunic, wincing as he did. He caught a glimpse of his chest, the marks left behind from Finnegrin's orders.

Rayla had no doubt seen.

"Thanks," Callum said, swallowing hard and not meeting her gaze. He slipped his arms through the coat and sat on the bed, not entirely sure what to do next.

Did she figure out what had caused the fever? Was she mad at him? Maybe she didn't even consider it because this was his second time using dark magic. A fever wasn't supposed to happen.

And yet it did, and Callum shivered for a completely different reason now.

"It's in your blood."

What had that even meant?

"Thank you," Rayla said, cutting through his thoughts. "I never got a chance to say it, but...thanks for saving me back there."

Callum looked at her, giving her a small smile. "Of course. It's what we do."

They saved each other.

And for Callum, he would do whatever it took.

How did that make him any different from Viren or Claudia or even Aaravos?

He lowered his gaze again, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. From the dim light of the oil lamp, he realized where he was exactly.

Finnegrin's cabin.

His eyes were drawn to the post he had been chained to and his entire body ached as he remembered the blows and the shackles, the worm in his hand...

"I can't be in here," Callum said in a quick rush as he stood.

Too quickly, because he felt the room spin and almost fell back onto the bed.

But Rayla's arms were around him in an instant, holding him upright.

Another thing they always did.

They always caught each other.

"You all right there?"

"Yeah, just stood up too fast," Callum mumbled, his hand moving out of instinct to grab her hand.

She didn't pull away.

"Let's go below deck. I'm sure Ezran's still up, waiting for you."

Callum winced. "Did he see?"

"A little. But I told him and Soren it was just a fever."

Soren knew too? Out of anyone on board who would be familiar and able to identify a dark magic fever, it'd be him.

"Don't worry, Soren convinced him not to stay."

Callum nodded, eyes burning a hole in the floor.

He should tell her what he did. She would be angry, rightfully so. But he should tell her so that she could prepare herself for what she would need to do.

He would not let himself be controlled by Aaravos again.

"Rayla, the chains..."

"They must have been pretty cheap if you managed to get out of them. I haven't even taught you how to pick a lock."

Her tone was teasing.

But Callum could hear the tension in her tone.

Did she know?

Even if she did know though, she was providing him an out.

The honorable thing would be to still tell her. Face her disappointment head on.

Today wasn't a day for him to do honorable things though.

"Yeah. They snapped pretty easily." He looked at her, a cautious smile on his face.

She met his smile with one of her own. "Come on. Ez is going to be happy to see you up."

Rayla gently squeezed his hand before letting go and walking towards the door.

As Callum followed her, he did his best to forget that entire nightmare.

Things were going to be fine. He was going to be fine.