Page 25 of Omega Sanctuary

Valens waved her off. There were thick undercurrents of emotions I was just starting to pick up on, courtesy of my omega magic, but I knew asking what the hell was going on wouldn't give me the real answers.

Sabine waved at us. "May Amaris bless your travels."

Valens climbed onto the bench, and clicked his teeth. The horses started with a trot, the cart not as bumpy as it should have been.

I glanced at Nova. "Have you been traveling long?"

"Just a few days," she said. Waves of sadness came off her. I wanted to ask so many questions, but something had hurt her deeply.

Most of the questions I had were silly anyway. How long it would take. I knew the journey was two weeks baring anything terrible.

Whatever magic Kivai had done last night, it was working. I felt like myself again, like I could think straight. I didn't see any spirits, and I almost missed my little mouse.

I settled in and started trying to crochet. I usually baked when I needed something to do with my hands, but that wasn't an option.

Nan had tried to get me to crochet on and off over the years, but I never stayed still long enough. Now that I was going off to learn how to be an omega she told me I needed something to do with my hands in polite company.

I was terrible at it. Enough that eventually, Nova took pity on me and showed me where I was dropping stitches.

We stopped for the day around dusk. Valens leapt off the cart and then led the horses into a small clearing.

"Stay here," he told us, already walking away.

"He's going to secure the place for the night," Nova told me.

It was a small sacred groove. I didn't see any wooden icons of gods, but the energy of the place was serene. Peaceful.

Valens walked in a circle, muttering as he went. Little bursts of magic wafted over to me like a small breeze.

"You're a guardian," I said with a rush. He gave a short nod as he walked around the area.

Much like omegas and alphas, people talked about guardians performing epic feats, but I wasn't sure what was fact and what was myth.

Nova gave me a curious look. Valens gestured for us, and I climbed out carefully. Everything was sore. My legs, hips, shoulders. I caught myself on the cart and groaned. A bolt of pain shot from my foot up to my hip.

Nova rolled her shoulders. "Didn't miss that."

"Boulderton has better carts." Valens started untying the horses.

"It's fine," I said. "I'm used to being on my feet all day."

Nova pulled some bedrolls out of the cart and started rolling them out on a flat piece of ground.

"I'll get the campfire?" I glanced at Valens who looked faintly alarmed.

"I used to do the camp fires when we took trips around the region," I said. "I promise I won't set everything on fire."

"Tinder's in the gray pack."

I grabbed some likely pieces of firewood. It was slow going, but it gave me something useful to do while the other two worked. Once the fire was set up, I pulled flour, salt, water, and yeast out of my pack. I'd brought only the baking essentials with me.

I pulled a small wooden board out of my pack and kneaded the dough together.

"Bread?" Nova sounded surprised. "I didn't think bread would work out here."

"It's just a quick bread," I said, rolling the dough in my hands. "Nothing fancy."

Valens frowned. "We have plenty of food."

---