She emerged from the rift at the bottom of a long splendors set of stairs leading up to the court yard of a large castle like mansion.
Verin was already at the top of the stairs and she felt him use his magic to pull open the large gate barring his way into the courtyard.
Thousands of magical alarms sounded and XRenia dashed up the stairs as Verin flew in. She reached the top just in time to see hundreds of magical projectiles rain down on him but the shield that she had put on him easily deflected them as if they were no more than gnats.
This was it. There was going to be war and it was all her fault. Verin glided to the middle the courtyard and stopped as if he was waiting for something.
Maybe if I grab him and pulled him out of here the situation might be salvageable. She thought. It was a vain hope she knew but she had to try. She charged him but just as she passed through the gates the Duke and his guard arrived flying into the courtyard wielding swords made out of pure blue flames.
At once the Duke recognized XRenia and shouted, "I knew this day would come. I tried warning the Council but none of them would listen."
"She's not here for you. She's here from me," Verin declared his voice magically enhanced shook the gates and the surrounding walls.
"Who are you?" The Duke demanded
"Do you not recognize me?" Verin said as he floated up to eye level with the Duke.
The Duke stared at him for a long time but he obviously didn't in the least recognize him at least not until Verin used an illusion to clothes himself in his shepherd garb and project a shepherds rod in his hand.
"The shepherd boy?"
"You don't even know my name do you?"
The Duke floated lightly back and XRenia could see that he too had realized that him and all of his men stood no chance against the man in front of him. His only hope of survival was somehow to appease Verin's wrath.
"Of course I do I know the names of all my servants. And yours started with a V."
"Verin?" Verin asked.
"Yes that's it."
XRenia felt Verin rolled his eyes and then she to remembered that wasn't actually his name.
The allusion of the shepherd's staff disappeared and XRenia fully expected Verin to produce a magic weapon and skewer the Duke but instead he reached into her dimensional inventory and pulled out two gold coins and handed them out to the Duke.
The Duke frowned in confusion.
"For the price you paid for me." Verin said and dropped the coins. They clattered down to the courtyard below. He reached back into XRenia's dimensional inventory and pulled out a platinum sheaf worth two thousand five hundred gold coins. "And this is the standard price for a powerful mage like myself to be released from servitude.
Verin pushed it at the Duke and he with wide eyes took it.
"As for the missing sheep. I believe we both know they had nothing to do with me."
The Duke swallowed hard.
"I have paid my debt to you in full and I am now a free man."
The Duke wasn't about to argue.
Verin nodded at the Duke floated down to the courtyard and walked past XRenia and out the gate.
XRenia give a slight bow towards the Duke. "Your Grace." Then and ran after Verin.
YOU ARE READING
AXIUM
RomanceXRenia stared at her mom in confusion. "Why are you showing me this n. .ow? Grandfather has finally found someone he wants me to marry hasn't he? Who is he and what's his name?" The smile on her mother's face faded and she strode over to the couch b...
