Very Recently...

Xeylia had been ordered to await Loxanthalas at Rex's Shack, and now was seated across from him at a table in the otherwise empty commons. She had not seen him since the incident on Wing Isle, and he still looked " not quite angry " but definitely very unhappy with her.

"Xeylia was charged with the transport of the elite courier Catalina Mandoccy and her escort to Wing Isle, and their safety there. They arrived on Wing Isle as planned, but Xeylia then left her charges to fend for themselves while she went to hunt. While she did return to her charges eventually, she did so with no intention of resuming her duty. Instead she purposefully lost sight and track of the elite courier. When made aware of that fact and her neglect of duty some time later by Prince Loxanthalas she made no move to correct her error."

Lox read the passage to Xeylia and then glanced up to her. She did appear perhaps a little guilty, but not nearly enough so, he thought.

"You know very well that Others frequent Wing Isle and just how dangerous it is for humans to be there. I told you before you accepted this mission how terrible the consequences would be if one of them got her and to the information she has of what she is working on with us currently. That nothing happened other than a delay in departure is very lucky. But that does not change that your actions of that day are quite inexcusable, Xeylia."

Xeylia shrunk a little under the prince's stern look and she even nodded slightly to his words.

"I have reminded them of some of your achievements and generally put in a good word for you despite me being very disappointed with you, Xeylia, very disappointed and angry." Lox shook his head. He knew what she feared most and decided to put an end to that. "The Elite will not charge you with treason over this. But you have broken the trust the Elite put in you when you were offered this opportunity."

Xeylia's relieve at the good news was short lived. Lox looked way too serious for him not to have something nearly as bad to tell her.

"It has been decided that you could best learn a deeper appreciation of Dragon's Eye, our kind and the kinds we share this world with by sending you away for a while."

Lox ignored Xeylia's gasp and wide eyed look.

"I will take you through the portal to Rhydin. Once there, I will give you a small amount of coins, enough for you to stay at an inn for a week or two. You are to not seek out or harass in any way Catey or Marek and you are not to come to the royal ranch for any reason other than the most dire emergency. Running out of coins, minor scrapes, a few days without success at the hunt or without dates are not dire emergencies."

Xeylia's heart fell. They were banishing her. Not just to some inhospitable desert, but off world and without any kind of contact to anyone she knew or home.

"I will check on you from time to time, to see how you are faring and to report back to The Elite what you may have learned. Should I hear that you in any way interfered with Catey or done anything to harm her or her mission I will make true on my previous threat."

Lox did not at all agree that this was the best course to take to force the young Golden to grow up. He also did not like the idea of sending the female to Rhydin while the puzzle over Dax's disappearance remained unsolved. But King Valiance did not share his misgivings.

"If you have no worthy objection, we may leave at once."

Xeylia nodded miserably. She had lots of objection but none that she thought would be deemed worthy ones by the prince.

Very recently... Loxanthalas had flown Xeylia through the portal to the king's ranch and, from there, escorted her to the town known as Rhydin. There he had left her with nothing more than a small amount of local coins and a repeat of admonitions. Xeylia felt utterly lost for a moment and rejected. But being miserable wasn't part of her character and she'd simply not allow that mood to settle in. There was a new place to explore, new people to meet, new foods to try out and, she noticed almost right away, new technologies to become familiar with. For most of that first day that proved to be plenty of entertainment. But she found out quickly that people being noisy here did not mean they were in a friendly mood. In fact, the people here were notoriously closed up and suspicious and downright unfriendly. Even some not wearing a mage's or healer's robes used magic as if it something like an additional opposable thumb. And, her talents so prized at home, were utterly useless and terribly common here. By the time the sun set she was rather fed up with the place and its inhabitants, at least the ones she had the misfortune of getting acquainted with that day, and she was more than ready to go back home. Only, that was not one of the available options. She did, however, wander away from the unfriendly crowds. That path took her into a swampy area, blessedly devoid of the kind of noise people made, their thoughts and smells. The air here was heavy with the fragrance of decaying plants and stale water, the sounds of leaves and grasses rustling and those of insects and animals. Altogether, this glen was a welcome break from the town left behind for the moment. But it was getting dark. At home darkness meant the undead rose from the ground to make everyone living and not in a save place as undead as they were or completely dead, a fate she wanted to avoid if at all possible. So she would look around for rocky ground or a body of water. Despite Loxanthalas having told her that the undead, while plenty made the town their homes, were no where near as bent on destruction of life as they were at home and out in much lesser numbers after dark than she was used to, seeking safety from their reach was something that become instinct to her over the last centuries.