Chapter 40 THE WEIGHT OF GOLD
Magnus walked aimlessly down the street, not bothering with too much of anything. He was too busy worrying about the Sorcerer's League. He hadn't been expecting to find one. Pretty soon they'll start setting up the bounties, and then I won't be safe anymore. Stupid Sorcerer's League…stupid wanted, faceless sorcerers…
A sigh escaped his lips as he decided to stop ranting. He really didn't need to be thinking about this right now. This town wasn't much, and there currently weren't any bounty hunters. As long as no one figured out that he was a sorcerer, he would be just fine. Even though there weren't any bounties for him, he had every right to worry. Anyone could convince the league that he was one of the faceless, wanted sorcerers.
As he walked, he spotted a small inn. There didn't appear to be anyone at it. That was mainly because travelers were like a myth here. Hopefully, he was still in business, because he didn't feel like continuing today. He and Xyra would head out first thing in the morning. Besides, this place looked like it could use the money. That was probably why the Sorcerer's League had set itself up here.
He walked through the wooden door and into the little inn. He instantly caught the attention of the woman at the front desk. She was watching him in shock. Are customers really that rare?
"Hello," he greeted with a smile. "I would like to get two rooms here. How much?"
"U-um…for one night?"
"Yes."
"Five hundred." Without hesitation, Magnus counted out his money and paid the woman. Her eyes sparkled when she saw the ruby he had paid with. She probably wasn't used to this kind of money. She broke into a huge smile, holding the fine gem tightly in her hand. "Thank you, sir."
"Ah, think nothing of it," he replied kindly. "Could you please show me to my room? I'm a bit tired."
"Sure. Right this way." She stepped out from behind the desk and began to lead Magnus to his room. Despite how it looked from the outside, the inn was nice and well-kept. Everything was neat and tidy and very organized. It was very quiet though. In some ways, that was a very good thing. He wouldn't have trouble sleeping.
When they reached his room, she opened the door and showed him in. It wasn't much to look at, but it would do. It had a bed and a dresser. He would only need the bed throughout. He wasn't going to be staying long.
"Here you go, sir," she said while bowing politely.
"Thank you." He walked in, gave her another smile, and then closed the door. Instantly, he went to bed and lied down. He was exhausted, and since he was sure that Xyra would come bother him later, he needed to get as much sleep now as he possibly could. He had stayed up to keep guard duty the night before, because, despite his barrier, he had needed to make sure that nothing would get to them.
With a tired sigh, he leaned back and relaxed. It didn't take long for him to fall into a comfortable slumber, one free of worries. He had no idea what was ahead of him, but he was going to be prepared. That much was for sure.
Xyra was walking down the streets, rolling the vial she had received with her fingers. She was just staring at it, now debating on whether her actions had been smart. The answer was easy. They hadn't. However, she wasn't going to go back on the deal. They wouldn't give her the money until after they had Magnus.
A sigh escaped her lips as she began thinking of a way to get the sorcerer to follow her. As soon as the league's stand closed, which wouldn't be until nightfall, she would have to take him to the alley. Lambert, Gian, and Jex would be waiting there to put their plan into action. It wasn't going to be easy though. If Magnus figured out what was going on, they would all be in trouble. He would probably never speak to me again.
However, before she could do anything, she had to find the sorcerer. He hadn't told her where he would be going, so she was left to search the entire town. Luckily, it wasn't that big. There were only so many places he could be. He most likely wasn't at a shop, and she had already checked the restaurants. The only other place would be the inn, so she decided to head there next.
When she reached the rather broken looking, wooden structure, she just went right in. The woman at the front desk looked up, not seeming so shocked this time. She offered Xyra a sweet smile.
"Can I help you, miss?" she asked politely.
"I'm looking for a friend of mine. We got into town today, and I thought he might have rented some rooms here."
"Ah, yes. A man came in a few hours ago and rented two rooms."
"Can I see him?"
"Sure." The woman left the front desk and began to lead Xyra towards Magnus's room. This innkeeper was obviously very trusting. Anyone could have made up a story similar to hers, and she would have led them anywhere they had asked. The security here wasn't the best, apparently. However, the locals probably wouldn't try anything like that, and there were no other travelers to worry about.
Xyra almost ran into the woman when she stopped in front of a door. She knocked on it a bit softly, but there was no sound of shuffling feet on the other side. No one was getting up to answer the door.
"He must be sleeping," the innkeeper said.
"Can you let me in any way? I need to talk to him." Without hesitation, the woman reached into a pocket and removed a key. She unlocked the door, handing that key and a different one to Xyra, and then began to make her way back to the desk. This key must be for my room. Magnus was always thinking ahead like that. He took pretty good care of her for the most part. All this was slowly making her feel guiltier about what she had to do later today.
As quietly as she could, Xyra began to make her way over to Magnus's bed. Just as the innkeeper had said, he was sound asleep. He hadn't bothered to change or unmake the bed. He had probably been exhausted though. She was well aware that he had taken up the duty of keeping watch the other night. Such a job was boring, lonely, and very tiresome.
With a sigh, she went over to the desk and pulled up a chair. She set it beside his bed and sat down. She decided not to wake him just yet. It was best to let him sleep, because the sooner she put her plan into action, the sooner he was going to hate her. Hopefully, he wouldn't though. Hopefully, he would understand that they needed his help and would stop being so bitter about it. She could only pray. After all, he was a stubborn one, and highly impatient.
She allowed her eyes to wander over his sleeping form for a moment, taking in how childlike he looked right now. He seemed so innocent and peaceful sleeping like that. However, he was a highly destructive and merciless hunter. Other than his smile, there wasn't too much that was truly innocent about him.
Despite that, there were a lot of things about the boy that she enjoyed. He could be very sweet at times, and he was always pretty protective of his companions. What she really liked about him, though, was that he wasn't like the stereotypic sorcerer. He didn't hide behind his magic. He was physically strong as well as mentally. Most sorcerers would flee from danger if their magic failed them, but just by looking at Magnus, it was easy to tell that he had the strength to rival a non-magic hunter. Wonder who would win in a battle between him and Darren… I would love to see that!
Xyra glanced through the window and saw that it was starting to get dark. She was going to have to wake Magnus soon and get him to take her outside. Hopefully, the lie she had worked up would be convincing enough. I'm really starting to hate this. First, I have to trick him, and now I'm lying to him? I can't back out though. Just gotta think about that money…
One more sigh escaped her lips before she turned her attention back to Magnus. It would be a shame to wake him. He was sleeping so soundly. Other than now, she probably wouldn't receive the pleasure of just watching him while he slept. He really was a cute boy, and it was hard to find too many flaws with him. His temper was about the only huge problem, and that was what she was fearing the most. As soon as he found out about what was going on, he would hate her. With how stubborn he was, he probably would refuse to ever talk to her again, much less travel with her. The consequences were slowly starting to outweigh her desire for money. I can't back out. I really need that money. Oh, God…just what have I gotten myself into?