The Unbidden: A New World (1) (Short Parts)

Part 43

"I plan on departing to go after the dragons to the south. I leave within the next few days."

She looked at me absently as my words churned in her mind.

"Then I shall come with! Having another mage would do you well, yes?" she stood quickly and with determination.

"I can't say I'm not totally against the idea, but you have a shop to run, right?" I scratched the back of my head.

"Gho can manage while I am away."

"What about your order?"

Her lips pursed in discontent as I hit a sweet spot.

"I don't know much about them, but I don't think they'd have you follow me, right?" I continued.

While I truly wasn't against having her come along, I felt that having no other male companion would be a little tedious.

"You certainly have a point," she conceded after a few moments of thought.

"Then I wish you luck on your travels. Be sure to visit once you return to recount your journey," she reached out a hand with a smile.

I clasped her soft hand firmly and shook it, giving her a beaming smile of my own.

"I'll be sure to!"

On the day of our departure, I told the innkeeper that he could give our rooms to whoever came in next as we were departing. He thanked us for our patronage and told us we were welcomed any time.

I also purchased a covered wagon for two-hundred silver and attached Aurias to it. We packed what little belongings we had, and plenty of rations for the long journey. It was probably a bit before noon when we finally left Onyx behind and headed South toward Kle'Xa, the capital city of the Drorkin kingdom.

***

"How much longer?" Thea whined.

I turned my head to glance at her. She was leaning against the inside of the wagon upside down looking up at me.

"With the rate Aurias travels, there's probably a few months left," I replied, returning my attention to the road.

Once we left the vicinity of the city and took a side road that led South, we were met with almost no traffic. We travelled for a couple weeks already, and everyday Thea asked me the same question. It felt like she was trying to get on my nerves, so I went with her plight and gave a straight answer every time.

"Hmph ... you are no fun, you know that?" she mocked, poking my cheek with her finger.

"Care for another game of cards?" Jayde piped from inside.

Thea exhaled in an annoyed tone.

"We have played all manner of cards every day. I wish to do something else!" she pouted.

"Who'd of thought God to be such a whiny child?" I mumbled.

I felt the skin on the back of my neck stand up.

"Maybe if you did anything more than sit there and stare at the road all day and sleep the second we stopped," she mocked once more.

It seemed no amount of subtle words evaded her divine ears.

"She does have a point, you have been kind of distant as of late," Jayde commented.

I looked forward, scanning the road and tree line. The warm breeze that patted my face and flowed into my robes felt almost surreal. Outside of Thea's complaining and the churning of wheels on dirt, I enjoyed every sound resonating in my ears. From the swaying of leaves in the wind to the smell of fresh air, I felt at peace.

"I guess you guys have a point. You want me to show you some magic tricks?" I asked jokingly.

"Yes!" they both exclaimed without hesitation.

"I would like to see some tricks as well," Aurias chimed.

We waited until the afternoon before stopping to eat lunch. After we finished eating, I had Aurias make sure everything was clear all around us. Once he gave us the green light, I thought about what to show them.

"My first magic trick is ... this!" I said, producing a mote of fire in my hand.

"I know 'tis not all you have," Thea yawned in mockery.

"That's correct. Each part of this trick is in stages!" I exclaimed.

I took my free hand and spun it around the mote of fire in a cone. A tight magical cone of air took hold of the mote which I set to float in front of my chest. Thea still seemed unimpressed, but Jayde was mesmerized. Aurias didn't really have any facial expressions I could read. He was a horse, after all.

From the fixed point, I created a spiral line of water below the wind cone and then created a wide suction at its base following the line of the water spiral. The flames from the mote were pulled though, riding parallel to the spiral water, creating the illusion of a spinning combination of fire and water.

"Woah..." Jayde mouthed, stunned.

"'Tis neat indeed," Thea commented.

"I have never experienced magic used in this way," Aurias said.

I picked up a medium sized stick and placed it in the center of the mote and wind cone. It quickly caught fire while being suspended in the air. I stepped back a couple feet, picked up another smaller stick and aimed it at the mote.

"Lightning!" I exclaimed.

There were only a few clouds in the sky, but out of nowhere a thin bolt of lightning cracked down on the floating stick, shattering it and striking the ground. The shattered pieces of the stick spun around the wind cone, making it more visible. Electricity from the lightning bolt got caught in the water spiral, turning it into an electrifying scene. The electricity even jumped between the water and flames.

Everyone with hands clapped for me. Aurias neighed a bit and even tapped his front hooves on the ground a few times to simulate clapping.

"That's so amazing, I wish I could do something like that," Jayde stared in excitement and awe.

"'Tis a pretty sight, and a good trick as well," Thea smiled.

"You are a very talented individual, Xavier," Aurias said.

I envisioned Aurias smiling when he said that. He might've been created for a singular purpose, but I felt he had more than a singular use. I ended up having more enjoyment than I thought while showing off my magic in nonviolent or practicing fashions. I did a few more tricks I thought of off the top of my head for the remainder of our lunch stop before we continued.

Every evening after, I split my time from refining techniques to trying out new tricks to entertain everyone with. Jayde and I sparred for at least an hour every day. For a while, she beat me down pretty hard. Even with the training I received, I wasn't able to match up to her much. She taught me a few new stances and moves each day though.