AXIUM

CHAPTER 26

Verin's rift closed behind them as they stared down at a completely empty lake and an area strangely absent of the broken ley lines black fog that was normally so prevalent in Thaxium.

"What happened to all the water?" She asked not believing her eyes, as they flew down towards the giant muddy hole that used to be a large lake.

"I don't know," Verin answered as he scanned the area. "Hey over there it looks like two people lying in the dirt."

She curved her flight path and headed in the direction Verin indicated but as she came closer she froze. There laying in the dirt at the edge of the lake was a beheaded headmaster Alton and a few feet away from him was Lord Shan laying in a pool of blood.

"They're dead," she gasped.

"No I think Shan is still alive," Verin said as he dropped out of the air landing beside Lord Shan.

He kneeled down and examined the blood pouring out of the wound in Shan's upper right shoulder. His white magic flared around his hands and he placed them over the wound.

"What are you doing?" XRenia asked as she slowly descended.

"I'm trying to heal him."

"Why? He tried to kill you remember!" She exclaimed. "He deserves to die."

He didn't bother answering as he channeled energy into the wounded man. But she could feel him think, 'because I'm not going to let any man die on my watch even if it is Lord Shen.'

Suddenly the self-proclaimed Lord stirred opened his eyes and looked up at Verin. "Shepherd boy," he breathed.

Verin nodded and asked, "What happened here?"

Lord Shan looked down at his shoulder as the skin around the wound started to knit together and then back up at Verin parroting XRenia's words, "Why?"

"Because it's what Jesus would do," he replied as if it was a perfectly sensible answer then re-asked his earlier question. "Can you tell us what happened here?"

Lord Shan nodded weakly raised his left hand to his forehead and a barely perceptible small flat black object disconnected itself from his temple and fell into his hand. He held it out to Verin than lapsed into semi-unconsciousness.

"What is it?" XRenia asked as she landed next to Verin.

Verin examined the small object with his left hand as he kept his right pushed solidly against the almost healed wound in Lord Shan shoulder. "I think it's some type of memory device."

Headmaster Alton's statement about lords Shan's best trait popped into her mind. "Oh that right he records everything. Can you see what's on it?"

"No but I bet Neo can," Verin said as he drew a circle in the air.

An image of Neo standing in front of four screen showing the fight between the Dragon and the devourer formed at Verin's finger tips and Neo suddenly stopped and turned towards them. "Your Majesty's," he said with a small bow then asked, "If I may ask what is that thing, and where did the Dragon come from?"

"No time to explain," Verin said and pushed open a small rift and throwing the black memory device through it. "I need you to show us what is on this."

Neo caught it as it came through the rift nodded at Verin then motioned to someone outside of their view. A hand handed him a tablet and he pushed the device into its then a few seconds later he produced a fifth screen this one displaying what was on the memory chip.