Sage

Sage

Everyone was waiting in the war room before dawn had a chance to break. By their drawn and pale faces, no one had rested. Sage caught the dark circles under Minx’s eyes and the way Rhea suppressed a few yawns. Never before had she craved coffee from her world, but that moment made her ache for an iced coffee.

Despite not sleeping well, everyone was still alert, their eyes bright and wary as they went over the last checks.

Naru was itching to go. He paced the room while the others made sure they had everything. Sage wanted to reach out to him and offer him some words of comfort, but she didn’t know what to say. She could only offer her support and do what she needed to, to make sure Gabriela and Omi made it back safely.

At last, Kade held out the Tear and asked everyone to gather around. Once everyone had a hand on him, he gave Naru a nod. The Hunter shut his eyes and Sage could only imagine what he pictured in his mind.

She had only stayed at the Guild Manor for a brief time, but it had made a lasting impression on her. It was a stark contrast to the manor she grew up in. Seraphina loved opulence and glamour. The Guild Manor had been warm and inviting, despite being full of Hunters.

She shut her eyes and could practically smell the Honeycakes their cook was famous for. Warm, sugary buns dripping with fresh honey. The world faded away as the Tear drew them to their destination, and she hoped she could snag one.

But, instead of the scent of honey and sugar, she was hit with a thick smell of fresh smoke. She snapped her eyes open, wondering if Naru had placed them in the weapons room too close to the fireplace.

“Oh, my-” Minx started, but her words were cut off by Naru’s howl of rage.

They had been placed outside the Manor - or what was left of it.

Smoldering ash and blackened stone greeted them. Sage struggled to comprehend what was happening when Naru rushed to the rubble.

“Naru - wait!” she shouted and followed him.

“Clara!?” He screamed, and Sage’s heart nearly stopped. Clara had been left in charge of the Guild while Naru was away. Sage tore after him, her feet kicking up fresh ash in her wake as they bolted through what had been the front doors.

No wall or floor was left standing. It was all a charred pile with still glowing embers.

“Rhea!” Sage croaked. “Rhea, please!”

Water rained down over them and Sage felt sick hearing how loud the sizzling of the dying embers were. This was recent. This was a fire that had burnt throughout the night, which meant it had to have started the previous day.

What could have possibly happened? Clara told her the Manor was warded against unwanted visitors - so was this all a terrible accident?

Naru tore through the charred rubble, calling his sister’s name. Sage gazed around the wreckage, then called for Minx.

She appeared, face covered in soot. “There’s no one here.” She said. “Not a single person in the gardens or the barn, or even the town.”

“The town?” Sage asked in disbelief. Maybe they had all fled? But what would have made an entire town and the entire Guild flee?

Then it hit her at the same time. Naru screamed behind them. Sage didn’t want to turn to see - she had a feeling she already knew what had happened without looking. She could see the way Minx’s face crumpled, how she threw her hand over her mouth and her emerald eyes welled with tears.

The heart-wrenching wail that tore through Naru sliced through her, and she nearly fell to her knees. She didn’t want to look; she didn’t want to see it - the longer she kept her back to it, the longer she could hold on to the small hope it wasn’t true.

“Clara!” He cried, and Sage shut her eyes.

Clara, sweet, sassy Clara who had helped her when she first came here. Clara, who bantered with her grandmother over dinner while her toddler clung to her skirts. Clara, who had fallen in love with a Demon, despite being one of the top Demon Hunters in the land.

The last time she’d seen Clara was in Leox. Clara had risked everything to help her escape another Hunter to get to Kade. Sage didn’t know when she would see her again, but she hoped when she did they would sit down and have a long conversation over Demons.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Minx sobbed in front of her, and Naru wailed behind her. Kade had called her courageous, but in that moment, she was a coward. She didn’t want to see. She didn’t want the last memory she had of Clara to be marred like Kami had been. She’d seen her fair share of death in this world, and she wasn’t willing to add Clara’s to her memory bank.

“Are they all gone?” Sage asked, her eyes still shut.

“Y-yes,” Minx sobbed.

The whole Guild. Burned to death in their own manor. No wonder the town had fled. And there was only one person who could have done it. No Demon could pass through the wards without help. But the wards were useless against a Maiden. She knew that from when she passed through.

Vinciei and Zaniel. Deep down, beneath the building, horror and nausea, rage laced through her core. Why would they do this? There was no reason, no logical reason, for them to do this.

But logic had nothing to do with this.

Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. It was too smoky, too hot, and she couldn’t catch her breath. She moved past Minx and stumbled out into the front yard. Kade was by her side, holding her up as her legs finally gave out. She clung to him as she struggled to drag in some air.

“Sage, take a breath.” He said, and she considered smacking him. Couldn’t he see she was choking? His lilac eyes met hers, and she felt his hand slip over her chest. “Breathe.” He said softly. “Look at me and breathe.”

She tried to focus on his face, on his eyes, but all she could smell was the smoke - a mixture of burning wood and flesh that clung to her. And suddenly Kami’s face appeared to her, and it was all she could do not to scream.

This was Vinciei’s fault - all her fault. She had to be stopped. Sage knew she had been right - Vinciei was delusional and dangerous. She’d seen enough of those people back in her world to know Vinciei would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

And what she wanted right now was to prove a point. She would hurt everyone Sage loved if she had to.

Sage shut her eyes and focused on her erratic heartbeat. She had to calm down - freaking out now wouldn’t help anyone. Naru’s cries had faded behind her, and though she felt guilty thinking about it she was glad. She had to calm down. She had to focus on breathing.

Because after she remembered how to breathe, she was going to remember to stand up. And after that, how to walk again.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she took a long, full breath of air. Her heart slowed enough that she no longer felt like she was about to puke.

“There, take another,” Kade said softly.

She did, and then opened her eyes. “I can’t look.” She croaked. “I couldn’t look.”

Kade ran a hand through her hair and pulled her to his chest. He held her, kneeling before the smoldering manor. “You don’t have to.” He said.

“But Naru-”

“Let me. I can handle it.” Guilt sliced through her, nearly making her double over in pain. She should be the one to go to him, to offer him her shoulder to cry on. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t find the will to make her feet move back in there.

Kade kissed the top of her head. “Stay right here, Blackwood.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Promise me,” he said, his tone stern.

Sage looked up into his lilac eyes. “I promise.” He held her gaze, maybe to see if she was telling the truth, or maybe to make sure she would be alright by herself. Whatever the reason, he let her go and went back to the others. Sage watched him through the curtain of her hair, the guilt eating away at her insides as he left her alone to face the horrors in the rubble.

She shut her eyes, picturing Clara by the fireplace with her son, Victor, and their grandmother huddled under her layers of blankets. She thought of her face, so full of life and always smiling while eating with the Hunters.

She held out the Tear, guilt ripping through her as she thought of Kade’s face when he realized she had stolen it from his pocket. She wrapped her fingers around it, angry at herself for betraying him, knowing how mad he was going to be that she lied to him.

Sage held the Tear close to her chest, and though it broke her heart, she broke her promise and thought of the Blackwood Castle.