Page 24 of Xarius (Shunned Mages #1)

Xarius

We got the shoes for Niam and then made a quick stop at a jeweler.

I’d made raw gold, stating that I’d found it myself in nature on our travels and we now needed some money for the rest of our adventure.

The kind owner was an older woman who loved getting raw gold she could melt and turn into something beautiful.

We probably didn’t get the highest amount possible for it, but since I’d literally made it out of magic, I wasn’t too picky about helping her out by not asking for more.

She’d been interested in hearing about our adventure and when we told her we lived in the van, she gave us a few tips if we ever wanted to add a kitchen in there while still having space enough to sleep in.

I hadn’t told Niam, but I planned on buying a camper once we’d found Silver, knowing we would soon be three on the road, and I wasn’t letting anyone else snuggle up next to my man.

We drove by a larger town next and Niam wanted to see their jewelers, too.

I’d quickly made us some more raw gold and we got rejected at the first store, they didn’t make the jewelry themselves so it meant nothing to them, but the next was eager to buy from us.

Gold was apparently getting rarer to come by, especially raw gold.

The owner had bought everything and thanked us after testing it was all real gold.

He was desperate for more, saying married couples wanted to design their own rings but it was hard for him to come by any gold that didn’t have to be remelted, and he hated ruining an already made design.

I told him we had more we were saving for the future but I would grab it for him.

We’d sat in the van while I made the new gold and sold that, too.

Just more money towards the camper, I thought as we drove away from the jeweler.

Our next destination was another campsite.

We hadn’t felt watched once and we took that as a good sign.

Perhaps the council of mages wouldn’t send someone after us right away.

We could only hope . When the mages we’d killed were determined to be missing or dead, we would be the ones they blamed.

Niam held up the locket which glowed brighter as we kept getting closer to Silver.

It was a sign of hope. A sign we were getting closer each day.

I hoped Silver was doing okay. He’d been here for around two years according to Niam.

Whatever he’d done to survive in this world had worked, the locket wouldn’t glow if he was dead.

“The weather app shows a storm is coming,” Niam said, looking at my phone.

We’d decided he didn’t need his own for now.

We wouldn’t be apart, so there really wasn’t any use for it.

I would happily share mine with him. The phones here were a little different than the ones from our world, but Niam was a quick learner.

“Rain? Thunder?” I asked, bending my head to look further up the sky, which was getting darker, a looming presence over the van as we drove down the dirt road. We were once again on country roads, away from any big towns, and driving further into the wilderness to the campsite.

“Both,” he grimaced. “It should last a day at least. ”

I looked at the GPS. It was old, but worked as intended so we kept using it, knowing we could switch to the phone when needed.

Estimated arrival time was thirty minutes.

“Do you think our familiars will mind sleeping in the rain?” We didn’t have any other choice, but maybe I could park near somewhere sturdy enough that we didn’t have to worry about the storm.

“I have no idea. We haven’t spent enough time with them to truly bond. Maybe once we have a rest, we should bond with them a little?”

I liked that plan. “We could use some rest, too, but we should wait until we reach Silver. It could be a few days before he’ll decide to come with us.”

He sighed. “You’re right, and it seems foolish to stop now that we’re this close.”

“Especially if the mages know where Silver is. He could be in danger now that they know we’ve gotten our magic.”

“I hadn’t even thought about that! What about Wilston then?

He could be on the other side of the globe!

” I could feel his panic and fear. Placing my hand on his thigh I did my best to calm his emotions, while keeping my eyes firmly on the road ahead.

We needed to reach the site before the storm began.

Twenty-two minutes later, and we arrived.

I may have broken the speed limit, but if any cop dared stop me when a storm was coming, then that was on them.

I parked near the facilities building. It was a small house that held bathrooms and showers.

This site wasn’t as primitive as the others were, with options to stay under cover and eat.

There was a fire pit surrounded by tables for eating, each table had coverings built out of wood, shielding people from the sun and the rain when they ate.

The storm was going to hit any minute now, so we jumped out of the van to make sure our bladders were empty before we headed into the back.

After having peed first, I waited with our familiars for Niam to return.

I was right beside the door that led into the building, so I wasn’t worried about him being separated from me.

We needed space for some things to keep the romance alive, or that’s what Niam had said when he demanded I leave him alone the last time he had to pee.

I knew when I wasn’t wanted, so I kept watch and thought about the empty bottles we had for emergencies inside the van.

No way was either of us leaving the van in the middle of a thunderstorm to pee .

I felt Leon and Snowflake at my side, guarding the door protecting me.

They were always invisible now, something we would need to change when we left this site.

Even with the storm here there were at least seven other cars, all parked around the middle like us, too afraid to be up against the trees.

“Hi, there, handsome,” a female voice said from my left. I looked over and saw a woman with long braided hair. She looked to be in her early thirties and had a friendly smile on her face.

“Good evening,” I greeted, not wanting to appear rude. She was likely looking for supplies to help her through the storm.

“Is that van yours?” she asked, confirming my suspicion.

“It is,” I replied, not offering more information.

“Any lady with you?” she asked, leaning against the wall confidently. She wasn’t batting her lashes or giving me doe eyes, no, she oozed confidence in a cool way. I wasn’t interested, but I was impressed.

Not wanting to offer more information, I simply answered, “no.”

“Then let me keep you warm tonight,” she grinned, proving again to be truly confident.

If me and Niam ever had any girls, I hoped they’d be this confident.

Small girl bosses. Oh my god, how adorable would that be?

! A tiny girl version of Niam bossing us around.

I would need to talk to Niam about kids.

Not that I was desperate to share him with anyone else just yet, but damn, did I want to make him a daddy.

Before I could kindly tell her no, she flew back and landed hard on her back, her nose bleeding out of nowhere.

“What happened?!” I asked, looking around, then I heard Leon make a sound and I swear it sounded like a hiss. Damn. Leon had karate kicked her straight in the face.

The woman looked terrified as she looked around. I was glad that I was too far away to have done this myself, so she wouldn’t suspect me.

Niam chose that moment to appear, taking in the sight of the bleeding girl and the still hissing Leon. He raised a brow, looking pointedly at me. “What did she do?”

I decided to answer, because the woman didn’t seem in any hurry to get up, and I wasn’t about to face Leon’s wrath and help her. “She offered to keep me warm during the storm. ”

He threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t even shit in peace without people hitting on you!

” I just shrugged. It wasn’t my fault that he hadn’t allowed me to come in with him.

He just shook his head at me. “Well, at least Leon fights for my honor,” he huffed and turned for the van.

If the intended push against my side was to be trusted, Snowflake had followed right behind him.

I sighed and hung my head. Somehow it was now my fault she’d hit on me.

I waved goodbye to her and hoped she would find someone else she could keep warm.

She was still sitting on the ground when I closed the van doors and locked them.

Two minutes later, the storm hit, and pebbling raindrops hit the roof, a comforting sound as we snuggled up together on our mattress, enjoying this moment of peace while it lasted.