Sage

Sage

Her entire world cracked and threatened to shatter. She watched the knife move and all she could think about was Kami - her tiny, lifeless body floating away as her life’s blood pooled around her in a crimson cloud.

She’d vowed it would never happen again - but it was.

The air echoed with a crack, followed by an outraged cry. Sage had a hard time comprehending what happened. One moment she was stumbling away from the broken doors, and the next her arm was extended.

She gazed at the whip in her hand and the long, sharp tip that sliced through Vinciei’s wrist.

“You insufferable fool!” Vinciei hissed, holding the stub of her hand close to her chest. The knife, still clasped in her severed hand, lay a few feet away.

Gabriela hunched over her father’s body, none the wiser to nearly being killed.

“Get her,” Sage breathed and Kade moved like lightning. He flashed to Gabriela and the body, picking them both up and returning to Sage. Vinciei’s eyes flashed in anger.

“I should have known you’d try something. You Blackwood’s were always a dense bunch.” Even with a severed hand leaking blood all over her chest and staining her pure white dress, Vinciei looked every bit a Goddess.

Once Sage had envied her for it. They were all daughters of the Goddess, so why didn’t they all look that way?

But now Sage could see the cracks in her facade. The purposeful way she held her back straight and her arms like delicate extensions of herself. It was an act. Right down to her carefully calculated frown, she never let her nose scrunch up like it did at that moment.

Which meant she was pissed. Really pissed.

Sage straightened her back and pulled the whip closer, ready to strike again even though she couldn’t remember doing it in the first place.

Vinciei’s eyes tracked her movement. Her long, lean body seemed to move with her eyes as she gauged Sage’s stance - much like a snake eyeing its prey. She held her bloody stump close to her chest, but seemed otherwise disinterested in it. She watched them intensely, calculating.

“Why are you here?” Sage asked, trying to keep her attention away from Gabriela sobbing against Kade’s chest. They stood no chance against Vinciei alone, but if they could get back to the others, there was a chance they could all escape unscathed.

“I was invited,” Vinciei purred. She sidestepped around Supreme Capricorn’s body with agile grace. Her bare feet dropped into his cooling blood without so much as a flinch or flicker of recognition in her eyes. She regarded him with the same attention she’d give an ant.

It reminded Sage of the way she discarded Kami’s body once she stole her power, and the rage boiled beneath her skin. She bit her bottom lip, reminding herself she needed to be smart and not lose control. Gabriela’s life depended on it. Kade’s life depended on it. She didn’t have the Tear to make a quick escape this time.

“The Supreme was very interested in my set of skills,” Vinciei said, quirking her lips.

“You mean you whored yourself!” Gabriela screamed. Sage refused to take her eyes off of Vinciei but she could feel Gabriela struggling to get away from Kade behind her.

Vinciei’s deadly gaze slid to Gabriela, and her perfect pink lips widened into a feral grin.

“Like most men, he was weak-willed and motivated by flesh.” Vinciei looked down for the first time at his body. “I will savor the look on his face when he realized his mistake for many days to come.” She flicked her eyes back to Sage.

“Just like I have savored yours in the quiet afternoons. The way your face crumpled into pure devastation,” Vinciei made a sickening humming noise; like she’d just eaten the most delicious cake, making Sage’s stomach churn. “I think about it all the time, Blackwood.”

“You know, in my world, we lock people like you up in padded rooms,” Sage said, refusing to take the bait.

“In your world, your mummy knew you were a worthless, cancerous growth that needed to be scratched from the holy bloodline.” Vinciei shot back.

“Jesus, you and my mother should get BFF necklaces,” Sage said, smirking.

Vinciei quirked a perfect brow but grinned back at her. “I haven’t properly thanked you for bringing me Kami. I’ve so enjoyed my freedom - you deserve a reward.”

“You can take your reward and shove it where the sun don’t shine,” Sage snapped.

“But for me, it shines everywhere,” Vinciei purred, then raised her palms upwards. A blinding light poured from her skin, burning her eyes. Sage gasped and fell to her knees, trying to shield her eyes.

“Sage!” Kade growled. She threw up a barrier around them just in time - something heavy thudded against it. Sage scooted back to Kade and Gabriela shielding their faces from the light.

“We need to get Alec! He has to hear us!” The light was so blinding that it made her feel like she had to shout.

Before Kade could answer, she heard someone else laughing. Something in the back of her mind told her she’d heard it before - in some dark place. Kade suddenly had his hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him as the light began to fade.

Sage blinked to adjust her eyes, seeing two blurry figures side by side.

“Hello, little brother.” The new voice said.

Kade froze next to her. Sage rubbed her eyes and forced them to focus on the new figure. He was tall, and very blonde, with silver horns.

“Zaniel,” she breathed. She’d seen an apparition of him in the dark tunnels where Kami lived, and in the memories she’d seen from Kade. But there he was, in the flesh.

Standing hand in hand with Vinciei.

The sight was enough to nearly break her mind. “What the fuck?” Sage swore.

A smirk played on her delicate lips as she sidled closer to Zaniel. “Why are you so surprised? Did you think you were the only Maiden sleeping with Demons?”

Sage gaped at them, at Vinciei smiling back at her, and couldn’t find the words to express how confused she was.

“She’s lost, poor pet,” Zaniel cooed. “Never mind the whys or hows little Blackwood - what matters is what happens now.” His silvery eyes shot to Kade, who crouched motionless next to her. Gabriela was wedged between them, her mouth opened with equal confusion.

“The time is now, brother. We must release father.” Zaniel said. Sage could have heard a pin drop by the silence that washed over the room.

“No, really - what the fuck?” Sage asked.

Zaniel’s left eye twitched slightly. “I don’t like repeating myself.” He said with a bored tone.

“Kade has no power, and hell would freeze over before he helped you anyway,” Sage said bluntly.

Zaniel huffed. “I don’t need him. I need you, Blackwood.” His eyes slid over her to Gabriela who shrank back into Kade’s arms.

Sage frowned. “This makes no sense. If he summons the Demon King, you won’t be a Goddess. He’ll slaughter you - how stupid are you?”

Vinciei sighed. “Who said anything about letting him rule here?”

Sage looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what game they were playing.

“They mean to kill my father. Zaniel will take his crown, and Vinciei will be a Goddess.” Kade said quietly. Sage turned to see the emotionless void in his eyes. It struck a nerve deep inside her. Kade never looked at her with the empty eyes he had now. It scared her to see him that way. She needed the angry Kade she knew, the one that would kick her into gear and tell her to quit being so stupid.

“Kade,” she said softly, hoping to bring him back. “Everything will be alright. There’s no way they can do that.”

“Not without a willing Blackwood candidate, no,” Zaniel said, then snapped his fingers. The air crackled with his magic as a large, shadowy mirror appeared before them. Sage could see her own horrified look reflected back to her, and then it changed. The image swirled and moved until she saw a small figure huddled in a corner. They appeared to be in some kind of prison cell made up of stone. They were shackled to the ground by their ankles and had only a threadbare blanket for cover.

Something about their mass of hair struck Sage as familiar.

“Omi,” Kade growled and Sage’s heart sank. They had Omi.

They had her held somewhere, and they were going to use her as leverage to get them to do what they wanted.

“Yes, our little sister proved very tiresome, so I had her locked away. But I will bring her out to play - just so long as you do what I say.” Zaniel said.

“All you have to do is meet us where the Demon slew the Goddess - where the barrier between our worlds is so thin all it takes is the power of a few Maidens to tear a hole in it. Meet us there, and we will give you back what we took.” Vinciei said, smiling.

“Where the hell is that?” Sage barked.

“The Blackwood portal,” Gabriela whispered and Sage spun around in shock. “The Demon King landed a killing blow to the Goddess at the foot of the Black Mountains. It became the Blackwood territory after, and it is where the portal lies.”

“Clever little Maiden,” Sage tried to scream but found her mouth full of shadows as Zaniel popped into her barrier.

Kade moved to protect her, but Zaniel threw him out of the barrier and into the Goddess statue. Sage felt her entire back shatter as pain laced through her nerves. She crumpled to the ground, her mouth open in a silent scream as the shadows poured from her lips.

Zaniel grabbed Gabriela by her wrist and yanked her to her feet. To the little Maiden’s credit, she fought back - kicking and screaming as she tried to call on her gift. But shadows flanked her and ate her whole.

One moment she was there and the next she was gone.

Zaniel bent down to Sage, grasping her by her hair and yanking her head back. Silent tears stained her cheeks as she glared up at him. His tongue snaked out like a pale pink worm and lapped them up.

“Come find us and we will return them to you. Don’t worry,” he placed a wet kiss against her cheek, his cold lips making her want to gag, “We only need your blood for this. Not your life.” He smiled, then suddenly his smile changed into a feral sneer as he slammed her face into the floor.

Sage saw stars, and then nothing more.