Force of Magic

Perceptions

Chapter 30

A/N: hello, welcome back everyone! Good to see y'all again! Anyways, remember, I don't own the OCs and I don't own TDP, I am just the story writer.

"You have visitors."

"My children," Viren greeted as he turned to see his daughter and son approach his cell, "I'm so glad to see you."

Claudia grabbed the bars, her large eyes filled with worry and confusion as she looked at him bound in shackles, "What happened Dad? Why are you down here?"

"While I tried to unite the Five Kingdoms against Xadia, the council was more concerned that I broke a few rules along the way," he explained. "But none of that matters. The egg, did you get it?"

His daughter glanced away, biting her lip. Uh...it's not an egg anymore," she stammered. "It hatched."

The small joy Viren had experienced in seeing his children again was immediately replaced by a cold stone in his gut. "It hatched?" he repeated.

Claudia nodded, glancing away. Clearly embarrassed by her failure. Viren didn't blame her, how could they have predicted this? But, this was very, very bad. Thunder's spawn had entered the world and soon, he would become a threat.

"That dragon will become the most powerful creature in the world, and you let it fall back into Xadia's hands?!"

"But Dad, Soren could've died!" Claudia protested.

"THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" he snarled pulling against his chains.

"Dad?" Soren spoke up, taking a wary step away from him.

For a moment, Viren swore he saw a glimpse of fear in his son's eyes. Taking a breath, he called himself, stepping back, "I do not mean to be cruel. But we must be ready to sacrifice; even the things we love. I would've asked you to choose the egg over my own life if it came to it. Do you understand?"

Neither of his children answered, both seeming to be lost in thought as they took in his words. Soren was giving him the lost look he always had, but this time it seemed...almost sad. Claudia, on the other hand, had various emotions filtering across her face: confusion, anger, understanding, contemplation, resignation; going over every detail he said as carefully as he taught her to go over spells.

"Everything I've done, everything I've asked of you, is for the future of humanity," he implored looking to his daughter.

At his words, her face hardened into something unreadable as her gaze met his own, "Is that why you told Soren to kill the princes?"

Viren's heart dropped.

-.-

"So they can't see or hear us?" Trezac inquired waving his hand in front of one of the faceless elves.

"No, they can't," Rayla sighed.

"Why?" Callum asked.

"They made me a ghost," she stated getting up from where she sat in defeat, "it's like being magically banished. It's what happened to my parents when they abandoned the dragon guard, and now it's happened to me."

"But, you didn't run away," Callum stated. "They just don't know what happened."

"Yeah," Trezac agreed, "it would be ridiculous to banish someone without knowing the full story."

Considering their words, a small, hopeful smile came to Rayla's face. "Yeah. Yeah, it has to be a mistake. Come on! There's one person who will understand!" she waved her hand breaking into a sprint. Leading them through the village and between elves who didn't know they were there. It was only when they reached the edge, by a large tree with a winding path wrapping around it going up Rayla began to slow down. "So, do you all remember Runaan, the leader of the assassins?"