Page 24 of Silver (Shunned Mages #2)
Silver
Who would’ve thought that a clear sign from Niam to go and get our sexy on wouldn’t translate to my bonded.
Not me, that’s for certain. So, imagine my disappointment, when Wilston had laid down and patted the space beside him, still fully clothed, and then snuggled with me. No kisses. No exploring hands. Nothing.
I sighed as I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes. Niam had woken us, ready for me and Julie to take the next shift. I poked Wilston and told him he could sleep on the couch or in the empty bunk bed, knowing Niam and Xari would want their bed back.
He followed me and lay down on the couch, grabbing one of Niam’s books and settled in as Julie got behind the wheel.
Niam had given me the locket which now rested against my chest. I sat down on the seat next to her and then we began driving.
Slowly at first since she needed to get used to driving a huge vehicle, but she quickly got the hang of it.
“So, tell me, Silver, what did you do before Xar and Niam found you?” Julie smiled at me, and I returned her smile.
“I was a stripper,” I said, noticing she didn’t react like other people normally did.
“Cool!” she exclaimed. “I was a stripper, too, once.”
“You were?” I asked, truly surprised, giving her the reaction I’d been expecting her to give me.
“Yep! I was fresh outta high school and found myself homeless. I had a girlfriend at the time and my dad wasn’t a fan.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling like maybe you needed childhood trauma to get invited into our family, or maybe we were just cursed or something.
“I was in a bad place back then, but I actually liked stripping. I had no family to worry about with my mom having passed and my dad being… well, himself, and no friends I had to worry about seeing me naked. It was sort of freeing in a way.”
“Then why did you stop?” I found myself asking.
She shrugged. “I knew it wasn’t something I could do forever, so I saved up to open my coffeeshop. My girlfriend at the time let me live with her in her small apartment so I didn’t have to pay any rent, which helped me save up rather quickly, or enough to get a loan at least.”
“I loved doing it, too,” I told her. “I, too, felt free in a way. I’ll always miss it, but even if I went back to doing it now, it wouldn’t feel the same, since I’m no longer the same.”
“It’s the same for me. I was a different girl back then, not that I have any regrets about how my life turned out. I’m actually proud of myself, and since I have no parents to tell me they’re proud, I like to tell myself that every day.”
I really liked Julie. I could see why Xari loved her so much. Maybe we could take her with us. I hoped we could.
“What happened to your girlfriend, if it’s not too rude to ask?”
“Oh, we just grew apart. No bad blood between us or anything. We found ourselves living together as roommates without any romantic feelings between us any longer. And after that I’ve only dated men.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I’m mostly drawn to men, but she somehow just did it for me. I figure maybe another woman could be in my future, but who knows, life is wonderful and full of surprises.” She laughed, likely remembering she was now on a road trip adventure with four mages and their magical familiars.
Yeah, life truly was full of surprises.
Too bad our next one involved five new mages.
We’d stopped for gas and had been intercepted by five mages. They hadn’t attacked which was the only reason we were willing to hear them out.
We stood at the gas station, facing off against them, our familiars invisible while we worked to put the ward in place, not wanting to be caught on the surveillance cameras.
When the wards were fully set, we all told our familiars to turn visible. The mages surprised us by bowing.
“Our true leaders,” a woman spoke, her head bowed as she kneeled.
“We’ve come to your aid,” a man said, also bowing his head. We shared confused looks among us, all but Julie, who’d been pushed back inside the RV, much to her annoyance.
“Your mother sent us,” another woman spoke up, this time meeting our eyes. “We have news.”
“Okay,” Xari said. “Tell us.” It was his mother who’d sent them, so we didn’t mind that he took charge.
They stood, all with their hands behind their backs, showing us they weren’t hostile towards us.
“The leaders have given all mages who can create portals free reign over this world, promising them a brighter future if they kill you and return with proof. More mages are coming for you, and if we can find you, so can they,” the first woman said.
“My name is Nikki. I’m a ward specialist, and I have a few things you need to add to yours.
It is vital you stay out of danger as you find the next mage. ”
“Okay?” Xari replied, likely feeling just as thrown as I was.
They were helping? Willingly? Knowing they could die of treason?
“One thing,” I said, unable to be quiet any longer. They all listened intently so I continued, “Aren’t you all facing punishments if they figure out you’re helping us?”
They nodded. “We know it’s a risk, but we all believe in the legends and have begun to get the word out, slowly infiltrating other mages’ daily lives with knowledge about the old legends, hoping they’ll put two and two together. Until then we help where we can.”
That seemed like a good enough reason, I guess.
“My name is Tim,” the man who’d spoken before said.
“And I’ve dedicated my life to the legends, waiting for the day you would return.
I knew when word got out it had happened.
I was appalled when you all got shunned, telling every mage I trusted the truth.
We’re a little over twenty thousand believers, all waiting for you to return and claim your rightful place as leaders. ”
Twenty thousand?!
“Really?” Niam asked, just as blown away as I was.
Again, they all nodded.
“Our world was better when you ruled and since your souls are the same pure ones as before, we believe wholeheartedly you’ll bring our world to its former glory, no more unnecessary killings or corruption, which all seems to happen to newer leaders.
Almost as if the power is too much for them to bear.
They get greedy and lose their empathy towards their people,” Nikki said.
“Okay, then what should we do with our wards?” Xari asked, clearly trusting their word. It helped calm me further. He could feel every emotion but they didn’t know that, so he would be able to read their true emotions. If he trusted them, then so did we.
“First off, don’t just ward against people that want to cause you harm. That’s how we found you and there’s likely mages after you who don’t intend to kill right away, allowing them to find you. Secondly, you’re all powerful enough to add a drain on those who try to find you,” Nikki explained.
“Drain?” I asked, feeling extremely curious now.
“When someone searches for you and then finds you, you can have a drain effect on your ward, punishing them by draining them of magic. It won’t kill them, but they’ll lose their track on you and have to spend at least a week to gain their powers back.
It is the best choice for you if you want to remain hidden. ”
“How do we do that?” Niam asked.
“You just imagine what I just said. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to the ward you’re making, telling it out loud what you want it to do. It also ensures you don’t forget something if you all have to say it out loud.” Nikki was truly helpful.
Tim then gestured that he wanted to speak next, showing us so much respect that I was afraid we were being pranked. Xari nodded for him to speak.
“I know the legends spoke of another talent of magic, that each of you would have different abilities. Please don’t tell anyone what they are. They are your hidden talents. Only trust each other with the knowledge of those powers.” His gaze landed on the RV, likely knowing Julie was hiding inside.
I trusted Julie, but maybe it was wise not letting her know those parts of our magic. She knew I could move objects. But did she know the powers of the others?
I shook my head, focusing on the mages in front of us again.
“Noted,” Xari said, nodding in thanks to Tim.
“Another thing before we leave you,” Nikki said.
“When you return home, make a portal for the eastern forest. That’s where we have a camp set up to welcome you.
If you show up somewhere else, we fear the leaders will fight you unfairly.
We will stay close and watch over you, removing your trail whenever possible. Fix your ward before continuing.”
We left the gas station feeling confused but also empowered. We had help. We had supporters. A world full of surprises, indeed.