Chapter 69 THE YOUNG MASTER'S GUARD
Eventually, Magnus spotted a decent shop, and he made a beeline right for it. Xyra followed but just watched as he purchased a few items. He was picking out food, mainly fruits and vegetables, seeing how much they were the easiest to transport. There was always stuff in the forests that they could eat too. Magnus seemed to know just what kind of things were poisonous and what wasn't. He had obviously been traveling for a long time. It's not like he had that much of a reason to remain in a town though. He was alone, without a family. It was best to just travel rather than dwell on a loss like that.
"Okay," Magnus stated as he slung a bag over his shoulder. In it was everything he had just bought. "This will last us a few days, so let's get going."
"Why the rush?" she asked as he began leaving.
"I just want to get out of here. Bounty hunters make me uncomfortable." She had a feeling that wasn't the real reason though. Bounty hunters are almost everywhere nowadays. If his statement had been true, then he should have acted like this in every town they had gone to. The same could be said about the Sorcerer's League. They made him nervous, but he never acted quite like that anywhere else. Something big was going on, and he was keeping her in the dark about it.
Xyra just sighed, deciding not to think about it anymore. Instead, she looked back again, trying to see if their stalker was still present. Unfortunately, he was. He was still acting subtly, pretending to be interested in the surrounding people. However, he was constantly following them. Every step they took, he took one. It was starting to really scare her. Hopefully, he wouldn't be following them out of the town.
Before long, they reached the exit. It led into a vast field, covered with luscious green grass. It was beautiful, or at least it would have been if Magnus wasn't rushing still. He wasn't giving her a chance to marvel at it at all. He still seemed so on edge even though they were out of the city. I knew it wasn't the bounty hunters. He's hiding something…
She glanced back to take a look at the town, and her eyes widened in disbelief. The man dressed in black was coming. He was still following them. This was getting ridiculous. He was getting so close to them. I don't believe it! What a creep! I bet he really is Albus! He's so suspicious, he has to be!
"Magnus," she began, catching his attention. He stopped and glanced back at her. "We need to get out of here. There's some guy following us. I think he's…"
She never got the chance to finish. Before she could explain what was going on, she was grabbed from behind by their stalker, being lifted slightly off the ground by the taller man. She instantly began struggling against him, but he was stronger than she was by far. Strangely enough though, Magnus wasn't doing anything about this.
"What's going on?" Xyra asked, panicked. "Who the hell are you? Put me down!"
"I won't permit you to hurt the young master," the man answered, his voice heavily accented and proper.
"What are you talking about? Hurt who? I'm not some creepy stalker or anything." Despite her claim, he didn't release her. It was then that Magnus decided to intervene. Even though he found the situation quite fascinating, he had to end it.
"Layton," he called, drawing the man's attention. "It's alright. You can put her down."
Without hesitating, the man released Xyra, and she quickly ran over to Magnus, maneuvering behind him. Her eyes didn't once leave the hooded man though. She was still a little nervous considering the fact that he was still watching her. She looked rather frightened, and it's not like Magnus could blame her.
"Layton, please remove that hood," he said. "You're scaring her."
"As you wish," he said, pulling the hood of his cloak back. Without it, he didn't seem so scary or mysterious. In fact, his appearance was quite nice. His eyes were a soft brown. He had long, slick silver hair that had a blond sheen to it. He wasn't a very old man at all, perhaps in his early thirties. He didn't seem like such a bad guy now.
"Young master," Layton began, his eyes shifting between Xyra and Magnus. "Who is this girl?"
"Her name's Xyra," Magnus explained. "She's my companion."
"That's rather unlike you, isn't it? I don't think you've ever traveled with anyone before."
Magnus just gave the older man a childish smile. There is something a bit different about the sorcerer right now. Xyra could see it in his eyes. He was happy to see this man and yet seemed a little nervous about it. However, it was like he was meeting an old friend. She wasn't sure what was up with them, but Layton was calling him "young master." This implied that he was a subordinate.
"Magnus," she began. "Is this guy a friend of yours or something?"
"Magnus?" Layton asked, confused, as if he had never heard that name before. Magnus just gave him a nervous smile before turning to Xyra.
"His name's Layton. He's my guard. He may seem a bit scary at first, but he's a good guy."
"That's a relief," she sighed, finally allowing herself to relax. "For a moment there, I thought he was Albus."
"Albus?" Layton questioned again, now sounding really confused. He looked at Magnus, a small, rather puzzled scowl on his face. "Young master, just what have you been telling her?"
Now Xyra was the one confused. She looked to Layton and then to Magnus. The sorcerer really seemed nervous now, a grin on his face. He laughed a bit, scratching the back of his head. The act was strange, and it implied that there was something he wasn't telling her. He almost seemed embarrassed. Now she was curious as to what kind of secret he had been keeping. Just what was going on?
"Sorry Layton," Magnus said, a large smile on his face. "I know I snuck away again and everything, but you have got to admit that this name was closer than the others."
"There's no need to apologize, sir," his guard stated. "I do think you should explain this to your friend though. She seems rather confused."
Indeed, Xyra was confused. She had been lost before, but now nothing made sense. They were having a rather strange conversation, and now she was absolutely positive that Magnus was keeping a huge secret from her. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to handle this. How could something so simple get so complicated in such a short amount of time?
"Magnus, just what's going on?" she finally asked, her voice stating that she wanted an answer, and she wanted it now. She was sick of being in the dark.
"Well…" he began hesitantly, trying to find a way to phrase this. "Technically, my name's not Magnus…"
"What…?" Her eyes were wide in disbelief. Was he lying to her? Was this all some sort of trick? "Then who are you?"
The smirk that crossed the sorcerer's face made her a little nervous. His eyes were a bit narrow, a glint of mischief shining in them. However, she could see that whatever he said would be an honest answer. His eyes didn't lie. His smirk made him look a bit devious though, but that was something he already was. Traveling with him had shed light on that fact. He always had a way to get what he wanted. Manipulating people was easy for him.
"Some call me," he began, "the Devil's Upholder." He watched as shock washed over Xyra, her eyes widening. They were only going to get wider though. "Others know me simply…as Albus."