Page 20 of Shattered Magic

“I have a few others that I would like to introduce you to. Will you come with me?”

“Sure. No problem. It’s what I am here for.”

They made their rounds, and it wasn’t until Orvuul and Jill returned that Hari could breathe easy again.

Jill separated and walked over to Hari, pulling her phone out and beginning to swipe in earnest. The name Livia returned to Hari’s mind as the buffet was fully populated, and music began to play softly in the background.

Livia smiled while everyone else was eating. She walked over to the sound system and plugged her phone in.

“I, Orvuul of the great forest, reject my wife, Livia. Our bond is broken, and our union complete.” The voice was definitely that of the forest god.

Orvuul screamed, “No!”

Livia unplugged her phone and tucked it back into her purse.

Her husband ran up to her, and he fell to his knees. “Please. No. Livia. I am sorry.”

“Left alone while you stole my life and beauty. Woman after woman paraded in front of me because you would not sully me? Seriously? I wanted to be sullied by you. I wanted a life with my mate. You pissed all over it. So, enjoy being the grubby forest troll that I was bonded to. You are god of all you survey, after all. Enjoy it.”

She turned toward Hari and walked over. With every step, she changed but only on the surface. Her blonde hair turned into a magnificent pink opal tone. Her skin gleamed in a bluish frost tone. Her ears pointed, and she got a few inches taller.

Hari smiled. “Now I know why I always thought you needed more.”

“Check him out.”

Hari looked, and Orvuul was turning grey and sobbing on the ground.

Zerul asked, “What happened to his compulsion and charm?”

Livia held up her hand, took in a deep breath, and huge avian wings sprang from her back, glowing and glittering. “The wings impart that, but we were bound before they emerged, so...”

The entire room was still.

Zerul inhaled. “Ah, that is what it is.”

“Yeah. I am half-elf, and Hari is half-waterfolk. The other half is self-evident.” She flexed her wings and flapped slowly before folding the wings in and letting them fade into sparkles. “I am glad to have those finally. When the proxy kicked in, he took all the energy that made me pretty and powerful. Now I finally feel like the me I was supposed to be.” She smiled at Hari. “Thanks for inviting me.”

Hari looked at her friend and saw the woman she leaned on in times of need under the glowing exterior. Livia looked peaceful, which was a feat when Orvuul was still wailing.

Hari turned to Zerul. “Can you take care of him? He doesn’t look like he is going to calm down soon.”

Zerul nodded and looked to Prolen. The man extricated himself from the ladies and walked over to Orvuul, picking him up and hauling him out of the ballroom. His ladies looked confused and trailed after him.

Hari looked at her friend. “What is happening?”

“He’s returning to whence he came. He was a grey-skinned forest man. Short, hunch-backed, and powerful but unpleasant. My family signed me over to him when I was fourteen. I never even met him.”

Hari blinked. “You never mentioned that you were married.”

“There was no point. Orvuul wouldn’t even meet with me when I turned eighteen. The union was never consummated, so the declaration in front of witnesses was good enough to break our bond. My aunt is going to be pissed, but tough. She will have to do without the forest god’s blessing for her hobby farm.”

“So, folk will be angry that you are now free?”

“Yeah, but they can suck it or find another maiden with power for him to leech off.”

“Maiden?” Hari blinked. “Wow. I never thought that you would be a maiden.”

“Yeah, because of our link, I couldn’t find a lover. He didn’t have that problem, the cheating bastard.” Livia grimaced. “Eventually, I recognized the distinct feel of him drawing extra energy from me that indicated that he was out screwing around. I got migraines.” Livia rolled her neck. “Now I feel good for the first time in sixteen years.”

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