Damarius stood nearby with a suspicious expression. "Just look to Aunt Skie if you start having problems, and if all else fails, follow your heart. It will guide you to the right decision." He glanced to Slither, who was standing behind the young girl protectively. "Make sure that you stick close to her, and don't let her go running off and get into trouble."
"Of courssse." The huge shadowspawn nodded immediately.
"Please try to keep yourself out of trouble," Raven pleaded with their daughter, rushing over to embrace her tightly. "and if, for some reason, you find yourself in danger, just try and think of what your father would do." She glanced around the courtyard with narrowed eyes, then suddenly raised her voice. "Xaxis! Where are you?"
"I'm here." The veiled dragon's deep rumbling voice caused them all to look to the far end of the courtyard, where they noticed an odd shimmer in the air. "What can I do for you, mother of my mother?" Xaxis asked in a respectful tone as he allowed his camouflage to fall away, making it appear as though he were materializing before them.
"Damion and I have to leave Sevria, and we may be gone for quite some time. I want you to stay close to the city, just in case something happens. Make sure that my daughter stays safe."
"Of course." The great beast vowed, drawing himself up proudly. "No harm shall befall my little mother as long as I still breathe."
They quickly finished saying their goodbyes, then Damion climbed atop Storm, who was prancing eagerly in place, and led their small party through Sevria and out onto the trade road.
"I hope we're not making a mistake by leaving Leia behind." Raven frowned, glancing back at the castle as they rode through the massive battlements that surrounded the city.
"You can't continue to coddle her like she's an infant in need of constant supervision." Damarius commented sagely. "At some point you have to let go and trust that she can take care of herself."
"Like you have with Lady Skie?" The young woman asked archly.
"That's different." The old wizard scowled. "You didn't find out that your daughter has been sneaking around behind your back with a disreputable old bandit who possesses little morals and no backbone."
"Hey!" Shirk objected in an injured tone. "I wanted to come speak with you about it, but Skie wouldn't hear of it! She seemed to think that you that you would overreact!"
Damarius slowly turned to fix the old bandit with a withering stare. "Did you say something?" He asked in a dangerously calm tone.
"Um, no," Shirk mumbled, shrinking under the old wizard's stare. "I didn't say anything. I'm just going to..." He nudged his horse with his heels and trotted on ahead, his face pale.
"You're being a little hard on him, don't you think?" Damion asked the old wizard in a reasonable tone. "You know that he would never do anything to hurt Aunt Skie."
"I know," Damarius grinned. "but I figured that I would have a little fun with him. He and Skie have been sneaking around behind my back for years now, and I've waited patiently all of this time for them to come to me for my blessing. Now that their secret is out, I intend to make them suffer for not coming to me first."
"So you've known all of this time?" Raven asked in surprise.
"Of course I knew." The old wizard snorted, causing his brow lock to fall into his eyes. "She is my daughter, after all, and I wouldn't be a very good father if I didn't know exactly what she was doing when I'm not around. Besides, I'd have to be blind not to see that something was going on between those two."
"Even after all of these years, you still surprise me." Damion laughed. "Everyone thought that you were clueless to their courtship."
"That's what you were supposed to think." Damarius chuckled, brushing his brow lock from his eyes absently. "I knew that if everyone thought I was oblivious to their relationship, then they would have no idea that I already knew." He grinned evilly.
"If you weren't really
"Of courssse." The huge shadowspawn nodded immediately.
"Please try to keep yourself out of trouble," Raven pleaded with their daughter, rushing over to embrace her tightly. "and if, for some reason, you find yourself in danger, just try and think of what your father would do." She glanced around the courtyard with narrowed eyes, then suddenly raised her voice. "Xaxis! Where are you?"
"I'm here." The veiled dragon's deep rumbling voice caused them all to look to the far end of the courtyard, where they noticed an odd shimmer in the air. "What can I do for you, mother of my mother?" Xaxis asked in a respectful tone as he allowed his camouflage to fall away, making it appear as though he were materializing before them.
"Damion and I have to leave Sevria, and we may be gone for quite some time. I want you to stay close to the city, just in case something happens. Make sure that my daughter stays safe."
"Of course." The great beast vowed, drawing himself up proudly. "No harm shall befall my little mother as long as I still breathe."
They quickly finished saying their goodbyes, then Damion climbed atop Storm, who was prancing eagerly in place, and led their small party through Sevria and out onto the trade road.
"I hope we're not making a mistake by leaving Leia behind." Raven frowned, glancing back at the castle as they rode through the massive battlements that surrounded the city.
"You can't continue to coddle her like she's an infant in need of constant supervision." Damarius commented sagely. "At some point you have to let go and trust that she can take care of herself."
"Like you have with Lady Skie?" The young woman asked archly.
"That's different." The old wizard scowled. "You didn't find out that your daughter has been sneaking around behind your back with a disreputable old bandit who possesses little morals and no backbone."
"Hey!" Shirk objected in an injured tone. "I wanted to come speak with you about it, but Skie wouldn't hear of it! She seemed to think that you that you would overreact!"
Damarius slowly turned to fix the old bandit with a withering stare. "Did you say something?" He asked in a dangerously calm tone.
"Um, no," Shirk mumbled, shrinking under the old wizard's stare. "I didn't say anything. I'm just going to..." He nudged his horse with his heels and trotted on ahead, his face pale.
"You're being a little hard on him, don't you think?" Damion asked the old wizard in a reasonable tone. "You know that he would never do anything to hurt Aunt Skie."
"I know," Damarius grinned. "but I figured that I would have a little fun with him. He and Skie have been sneaking around behind my back for years now, and I've waited patiently all of this time for them to come to me for my blessing. Now that their secret is out, I intend to make them suffer for not coming to me first."
"So you've known all of this time?" Raven asked in surprise.
"Of course I knew." The old wizard snorted, causing his brow lock to fall into his eyes. "She is my daughter, after all, and I wouldn't be a very good father if I didn't know exactly what she was doing when I'm not around. Besides, I'd have to be blind not to see that something was going on between those two."
"Even after all of these years, you still surprise me." Damion laughed. "Everyone thought that you were clueless to their courtship."
"That's what you were supposed to think." Damarius chuckled, brushing his brow lock from his eyes absently. "I knew that if everyone thought I was oblivious to their relationship, then they would have no idea that I already knew." He grinned evilly.
"If you weren't really
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