The Dragon Prince: After the War

11-Claudia

11

Claudia

I'm in the inn in my father and my room. It's early morning and my father is still asleep. I can't help staring at him, the shell of the man he used to be. Bringing him back to life seems to have changed him. He seems far more fragile than before. Also, I haven't seen him use dark magic. It's as if coming back to life made him unable to access his power. 

I swing my cloak over my shoulder and slip on my boots. There's still some time before the sun rises, and if I'm going to do this, I need to act fast before he notices I'm gone.

The air is hot and humid. Summer has come with full force. It almost makes me want to shed my cloak, but I know that would be a bad idea. A very bad idea indeed. I get the feeling that elves would react badly to a human who has very visible signs of dark magic use. 

This is not at all how I had imagined my summer going My backstabbing brother and I had plans to spend days riding through the trees and spending nights camping under the stars. I long for the days where everything was so simple. Now, I doubt anything will be that simple again. Of course, it would really help simplify things if I knew what that weird caterpillar creature was and why my dad is so obsessed with it. That's why I'm heading to the cave. I need to figure out what it is and if it is in any way harming my dad. Since I can't get myself to delve into his mind, this is the next best option. 

I pull my hood down and stride to the cobbled streets. It's an Eartblood village, but I can see other elves here too like Skywing and Moonshadow. I catch some stares - I've exited the sketchy part of town into the place where ordinary people live and my hooded visage means I'm getting stares. Mostly, though, people just ignore me. It's early, and everyone just wants to get inside and sleep, except the drunk couples snoring loudly on the streets, but I don't count them. 

Finally, I exit the village and, after a little longer, I reach the cave. It's dark except for the bluish glow coming from the cocoon. Oh, and there's the corpse in the corner, but I try not to think about it. I did what had to be done.

I raise my hood to get a better look at the cocoon. Though I'm sure no one followed me, I glance around nervously anyways. I'm not supposed to be here. Quickly, my hand darts out and touches the cocoon. I gasp as magic flows up my arm and the world fades.

I'm nowhere.

And then I'm somewhere. It's glittering and beautiful and terrible.

Where am I?

"Claudia," I hear a deep smooth voice echo throughout the chamber. Then I see him. He's like the room, beautiful and terrible all at once.

"Who are you?" I call out.

He smiles at me, a cold smile that sends shivers down my spine. "My name is Aaravos. Your father's friend."

"You're the bug?" I say confusedly. 

His laugh is surprisingly warm. "No, that was simply my human form. Though I hear I can be a pest," he says giving me a charming smile.

"What do you want?" I say, my voice trembling.

He chuckles. "You're just like the other one. Afraid and weak."

"The other one?"

"Of course, he had something to fear. You don't. I'm simply here to ask one thing of you. All you have to do is trust me?"

"Why would I do that?" I demand. 

He smiles wickedly. Then his form changes and I step back, gasping. Soren. "I can bring him back to you." Soren/Aaravos walks slowly towards me. "You know there was something wrong with him. He was under a spell. Your old friend, Callum. Just help me capture Callum-"

"Under a spell? Capture Callum?" I say incredulously. 

"Did I not make myself clear? Only if you capture him will your brother be yours again. You just have to capture Callum and I can release Soren from his spell." He morphs back into Aaravos and gives me a smirk. 

I take a deep breath, shutting my eyes. It makes sense. Soren would never betray me. He had to be under a spell. But Callum? Callum would never put a spell on Soren.

Right?

But I can feel Aaravos's sweet words seeping into my mind.

"Okay."