Page 4 of Xarius (Shunned Mages #1)

Xarius

It had taken all my willpower to stay at the charity event with Julie.

My soulmatch was on Sutiner and I was dying to meet them.

I still had no idea if it was a woman or man, having always been attracted to both.

The thought of my person being so close, but yet so far away, had me impatiently rocking in place as we sat through the tedious dinner.

Thankfully, Declan had left Julie alone and hadn’t greeted us. She felt like it was rude, but I’d appreciated it. Everyone would’ve been uncomfortable and Julie didn’t deserve any more pain caused by that spineless bastard.

Speaking of Julie… “You’re going where?!” she asked, accusingly. I should’ve probably started this conversation differently, but I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet and customers would start arriving soon.

“I have to find a friend,” I continued. “And I don’t know where they are exactly. So, I can’t work until I’ve found them.” She looked so confused and a little hurt.

“Why haven’t you ever spoken about them?

For five years I’ve been by your side, and I’ve never once heard you talk about any friends, and now you’re planning on just leaving?

” I understood why she was hurt. She thought I had been keeping this “friend” from her, even though I actually hadn’t.

I tried to calm myself and say the closest thing to the truth as I could.

“I’ve been waiting for my friend to turn up.

And in all the time you and I have known each other, I’ve waited.

It wasn’t until yesterday that I knew they were close, or at least in the country.

” I couldn’t say on Sutiner, so country worked alright.

Fuck, what if my soulmatch wasn’t in this country?

I would have to get a passport made. We got birth certificates and other necessary things from the council when they booted us out of our home, but a passport I needed to get myself.

“So, they were the ones who called you yesterday at the charity event?” she asked. I’d just played along with her first question yesterday and said that yes, the glowing weird light was just my phone.

I nodded. “Yes, they said they were finally here, and now I have to find them.”

“No wonder you were so out of it afterwards,” she said, shaking her head. I’d run out of the room to watch the locket in private, needing to see the proof that my soulmatch truly was here. When I’d returned, I’d acted like nothing was amiss even though my insides were jittery with nerves.

She gave me an odd look. “You’re safe, right? This isn’t some kind of thing where bad people are looking for you, so now you need to run , kind of thing?” I laughed, pleased that she wasn’t mad but worried for me instead.

“I promise you; I’ll be okay. The biggest problem is finding them and I have no clue how long that’ll take,” I admitted, glad I could share a little bit with her.

I’d been looking forward to them coming to Sutiner ever since I arrived myself, saving up for travelling to find them, and to give them a better start with more money between us.

Living in a van and using my money to make it a home, I’d been ready for years.

“It makes sense,” Julie said. “Do you have anything to go on? Tracking or last known location? Are they in danger?”

I shook my head. “Not in danger as far as I know and I have some kind of tracking device I can use, but not a perfect one. I just know the sooner I get to them, the better for us both.”

She nodded. “And I guess you can’t tell me more about it than that?”

“If I could I would’ve told you years ago,” I admitted. She softened further at hearing that. “You’re my best friend Jules, always there to help me out. I wouldn’t keep anything from you if I had the choice.”

She hugged me then, tightly. “I know. Just stay safe and call me once in a while, okay? I need to hear your voice and know you’re okay.” I gave a quick nod. I could do that. I would do that.

I left Julie inside the shop and moved out back towards my van.

I wasn’t working today, but I still felt guilty over leaving her without help on those days I usually worked.

She could easily hire someone new to take my place, and I’d told her to do that, unsure if I could get it back once I returned.

If I returned. I had a suspicion we would spend most of our time on the road, finding the other shunned mages and helping them out, too.

And once that was done… Sutiner wouldn’t be my home anymore.

Shaking the thoughts of my future away, I unlocked my van and crawled inside looking through my things.

I would stock up on some food and shower in the back of the coffeeshop before leaving.

I wanted to get on the road as early as possible, but I still needed to refuel and stock up on that, too, just in case I found myself somewhere rural without gas stations nearby.

I had been dumped in a field of hay when I arrived. It hadn’t been fun trying to find my way towards a town. I hoped to never do that again. Ever. I could feel the spiky hay rub against me sometimes, like a haunting memory from my past.

I picked out some fresh clothes and then walked back inside to shower. Then I would say my final goodbye to Julie and be on my way.

My locket wasn’t helping. At. All.

I’d been driving for five hours in a random direction hoping to either see the light grow brighter or dimmer.

It hadn’t changed. Which meant I wasn’t driving in the right or wrong direction.

I sat in my van outside a diner, contemplating which way to go now.

I wanted to drive for a few more hours before resting for the night.

The diner had been perfect for filling up my stomach and fueling my mood, but now I needed to move on.

Making a decision was proving to be harder than I thought it would be, though.

Closing my eyes I tried to envision where to go.

Holding the locket tight I tried to somehow let it guide me.

I looked into the soft glow, feeling myself relax further into my car seat aaaaaand nothing .

Nada. I got zero from it. Shaking my head I started to drive further north, hoping it would be the right direction.

Setting my phone alarm for one hour, I would then check to see if the locket had changed. I wouldn’t let this ruin my mood.

I was coming for them .

One hour later, the glow changed. “Yes!” I exclaimed, looking at the slightly brighter glow, hoping I wasn’t imagining things.

I could very well be seeing things. A nice old lady had been selling baked goods outside her house as I drove through a small town.

I was ninety-five percent sure they had weed in them.

That or the chocolate was just that good.

To be fair, chocolate had a way of making everyone feel better. Especially me.

Feeling like I finally had a true destination, I called up Julie, letting myself relax and enjoy the journey ahead. She picked up on the third ring. “Did you find them?” She seemed so eager and invested. I smiled, grateful she was my friend.

“Not yet,” I replied. Looking outside for a rest stop. I had a full bladder all of a sudden and I needed relief. “I know the direction at least, just not how far yet,” I explained, loving I could share that much.

“Hmm, at least you know you’re heading the right way.

” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I just hope you take a second to enjoy the scenery, too.” I had to admit that I hadn’t really done that, too focused on who my soulmatch was and if we’d ever met before.

They would be five years younger than me, having just been shunned on their eighteenth birthday.

If they, like me, had been shunned the day after, I knew their birthday.

I quickly grabbed my journal and with one hand on the wheel, I wrote the date down for the future.

“I’ll try to enjoy it more,” I replied, satisfied with myself now that I knew their birthday. I couldn’t wait to learn more about them.

“You do that. Drive safely!”

“I will!” I said, then hung up.

I could enjoy the view, after I’d relieved my bladder.