Sage

Sage

A cool breeze brushed over the castle ruins, teasing the waves of long grass and rustling the dying husks of wildflowers. No electric blue butterflies glided across the valley - the claws of winter were inching their way through the mild fall.

Sage shut her eyes, trying to picture the depictions of the Blackwood castle she’d studied as a child. The black stone carved from the mountains inlaid with the smoky black wood from the forest piled high into thin towers. It was said you could see the entirety of the west and well into the sea from the tops of the towers.

The town that grew around the castle was just as wild and unpredictable as the Maiden that looked over them. Sage hadn’t reflected on it much since coming to this world. For one, she barely had the time, but mostly, it was useless. Why reminisce about a place she’d never been to before, and was long gone?

Unlike Minx, she didn’t have the option of coming here to reclaim her family’s home. It was gone, and now so too was the only town left close to it. So, for the first time since being in the world that birthed her bloodline and blessed it with her power, she allowed herself to picture what it had been and what she could have done if it still yet stood.

Perhaps it would have become the Hunter’s capital with Naru’s help. She didn’t want to think it would have fallen into the Hands grasp as Leox did. It probably wouldn’t have - there wasn’t enough trade here when the Maidens ruled to make it a desirable outpost for them. As Kade had said, her family was well known for one thing - power. Out here, in the heart of the dark forest and under the shadow of the mountains, that’s all the Blackwoods had to offer. Power.

It made sense why it fell and crumbled after they left. So why did the first Blackwood Maiden, Mianka, make this her home? It was secluded from the rest of the world, and there wasn’t anything of value outside of what the forest offered.

The only reason that made sense was the portal, which apparently was where the Goddess met her untimely death. Maybe Mianka had decided to become the keeper of the gate, knowing it was the only weak point in the Goddess’s curse. But that begged the question - what was the Goddess doing all the way out there, in the middle of nowhere? Even back then, the valley was little more than a hunting village, so there was no logical reason for the Goddess to be there and even less of a reason for Kade’s father, the newly crowned Demon King, to be there either.

She opened her eyes to the mild sun and sighed. It didn’t matter the reasons. It wasn’t like she’d find them out. The only person who could possibly give her the truth was the Demon King, and she wasn’t about to believe a word he said anyway.

Sage hopped off the stone she’d been sitting on and pocketed the bag of food she’d laid out. She’d had enough time to take in the sights and soak up the sun. It was time to walk up the mountain path and face Vinciei and Zaniel. She’d wanted a moment of peace before the impending chaos they were all about to unleash.

It was a good thing the valley was empty.

She followed the path up to the cave and suddenly the memory of when she first crossed through the portal struck her. She’d been covered in wounds from the botched sacrifice and had just narrowly escaped her family. She wasn’t sure if Trisha was alive - she’d kicked her into a rock and was certain she’d hit her head. And she had no idea if Trent was. The second time she walked down the path, she’d been with Minx after saving her from the same fate.

Now, for the first time, she was walking towards the portal.

She reached the mouth of the cave but did not pause. She knew they were in there. She could feel their eyes on her as she approached, but she didn’t bother with a shield or her whip.

They needed her to come willingly.

A dull light greeted her once she entered the cave, coming from the depths. She kept moving towards it, trying to block out the memories of her birthday night in her twin cave back home. But she failed once she turned down the tunnel and saw the stone table at its center.

With Vinciei splayed out on top, her long silvery hair streaming around her. She had her arms over her chest, the stumpy one was wrapped in bloody rags, rising and falling with each rapid breath she took. Sage paused as the memories flooded into her mind.

Her mother’s leering face. How she begged them all to stop. The pain.

Vinciei was smiling with her eyes closed, as if she were begging to be sacrificed.

Something shuffled behind the table, tearing Sage from her memories and forcing her back into the present. Gabriela and Omi were on the ground behind the table with their hands tied together and gags in their mouths.

Omi’s bright eyes met her and Sage could see the anger there mixed with relief. Gabriela’s face was red and her eyes were swollen like she’d been crying all day. Her spectacles were gone, probably lost or broken.

“Welcome, Blackwood.” Sage didn’t flinch at the velvety voice that wrapped around her. Zaniel appeared at her side as if he stepped from the shadows of the cave. She gave him a wooden look.

“If you two are going for theatrics, you’re failing.” She said dully.

Vinciei cackled from the table, then slowly sat up, dangling her legs over the edge. Sage broke her blank expression and frowned. There was something about the way she laughed….

Vinciei tossed her long mane of hair over her shoulder and threw Sage a brilliant smile.

“Sage dear, you smell smoky. Is everything alright?” She purred. Sage forced her face to remain neutral. She’d made the mistake of showing emotion - she couldn’t do that. Not now.

“Just peachy,” Sage retorted.

Zaniel stepped into her view, a cruel smile stretching out his picture-perfect face. Sage couldn’t see a hint of Kade there, even though they shared the same father. She thought of his mother, the version of her she’d seen in his memories before she died, and came to the conclusion he took after her.

“Where are your friends, Blackwood? Busy digging graves?” He asked, a dark shadow of glee washing over his eyes. Sage forced the bile and rage down, punching it deep inside her heart and slamming the door shut.

She cocked her head to the side and quirked a brow. “Not sure. What a strange question.” She could have laughed in his face at the confusion that rippled through the cruel mask.

“She’s toying with us,” Vinciei hissed.

Sage cast her a bland look. “I am here as you requested. Are we doing this or not?” She flicked her eyes between them.

Zaniel’s eyes melted into a cold rage before he shot Vinciei a look. Vinciei ignored it, swinging her legs over the table with a gleeful look. As if she had no care in the world.

“I knew you’d come, Blackwood. You’re the self-sacrificing type.”

Sage feigned confusion. “I thought you just needed my blood? That was the deal.”

Vinciei cackled again, throwing her head back so flagrantly that her curtain of hair cascaded over the other side of the table. Sage forced her face to remain emotionless as she tried to recall where she’d heard that same cackle before.

It was unhinged, in a free sort of way. Which was the polar opposite of what Vinciei had been when they stayed with her in her city. She’d been the model Maiden. Every bit of her screamed celestial and ethereal.

But there was no hint of that person anymore. She was cracking at the seams. Had she always been that way? Or perhaps….

The moment she let the thought enter her mind, she felt something snap into place deep within her core. Suddenly everything fell into place, and a slow smile curved her lips.

The snap rang in her ears like the deep bellow of a bell. Vinciei suddenly stopped laughing. She sat up rod straight and frowned. Even Gabriela seemed to sit up straighter despite her bindings.

It was all the confirmation Sage needed.

“What was that?” Vinciei hissed softly.

Sage took a lazy step towards the portal, humming with magic. The smooth surface glowed to life as she approached it, shimmering and rippling as her birth world called to her.

She cast a glance over her shoulder to see Vinciei’s mouth pop open.

“Did it not work for you?” She asked, and Vinciei wiped the astonished look from her face.

She growled, “That portal only goes to your stinking world. Why would I want to go there?”

Sage only nodded thoughtfully, as if she’d just confirmed something. It only served to enrage Vinciei, who shot off the table and lunged for her throat. Her hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing as she slammed Sage into the wall.

“Careful,” Sage croaked even as her windpipe was slowly being closed. “Don’t let me touch the portal or you’ll never see me again.”

Vinciei’s eyes narrowed into slits, and she dug her nails into Sage’s flesh. Black dots ate away at her vision, but she still had the wherewithal to stretch out a hand and inch her fingers towards the portal. It was merely a hair from her touch if she could only just….

Zaniel grasped the back of Vinciei’s hair and yanked her away. She still had a vice grip on Sage’s neck, so she was pitched towards them and away from the portal.

“Enough,” Zaniel said, his voice cold.

Vinciei tore her hand from Sage and spun around like an angry cat. She clawed at Zaniel, who continued to hold on to her hair without flinching.

“Yeah,” Sage coughed, refusing to rub her burning neck. “Let them go and let’s get this over with.”

Vinciei spun back towards her, but Sage danced out of her reach.

“No! She’s playing a game with us. Can’t you see? We burned them all! All of them! And she acts like it was nothing!” She screeched.

Sage held her gaze, refusing to look at Gabriela. She wasn’t sure if she’d seen what had happened to the Hunters, or if Vinciei had gloated to them about it. But if she could, she would save Gabriela the pain of knowing for now.

“Didn’t you care? They screamed - you should know that, oh how they screamed as their flesh melted.” Sage refused to react, which made her cackle. “You must be one unfeeling bitch, Blackwood. Did you look the same way when Naru saw it? Did he cry when he found his sister’s body in the ash?”

A muffled cry came from the corner. Sage kept her eyes on Vinciei.

She would not look.

“You know, in my world, we have a saying. Shit or get off the pot. Basically, it means do it or don’t. I am tired, so very tired.” She let her mask of indifference crack just a bit to reveal how tired she was. “I just want this to be done. Let them go - you got me. You got what you wanted.”

Vinciei snarled, but Zaniel fisted her hair and threw her at the table. She pinwheeled, slamming her hip into it and collapsing on the ground. Sage looked back at him and his leering smile.

“Fine by me.” He growled.

He raised a hand, and shadows enveloped his arm. When they disappeared, a golden knife curled in his palm. He stalked towards her, but she threw out a hand, and surprisingly he stopped.

“But first, let them go.” She said. “Or you won’t have a willing Maiden.”

Zaniel rolled his eyes and then snapped his fingers. Their bindings fell, but the gags stayed.

“And lastly,” she said quickly before he could take another step, “I feel peakish, so let me eat something.” She pulled out her little bag of food and shook it.

Zaniel’s expression fell into a look of confused disbelief.

“What?” He asked.

“A last meal. I don’t go willingly anywhere without eating. Ask her.” Sage jutted her chin toward Vinciei, who was struggling to stand back up. Sage didn’t feel an ounce of pity as Vinciei leaned against the table, looking pale.

“She’s always eating,” Vinciei said, then held her hand to her hip. A bright light bloomed in her palm and Sage felt her magic zap through the air. As she healed herself, she stood a little straighter and let out a sigh. “Let the bitch eat. She’s easier to deal with if she’s full.”

“Fabulous,” Sage said, then walked to the other side of the table where Gabriela and Omi were struggling to get up. Sage flicked her eyes to Omi and tilted her head to the cave’s mouth. “See you guys around.”

She turned her back to them before Gabriela could say something and dumped the contents of her bag on the table.

Tiny blueberries rolled out, and she picked a handful up before popping them into her mouth. She moaned, rolling her eyes dramatically.

“What are those?” Vinciei asked, eyeing the berries.

“Blueberries,” Sage said, wiping the juice from her lips. “They don’t grow here. They are from my world. But Minx can make them.” She took another handful and moaned again. “Want some?” She asked, swallowing.

Vinciei eyed them suspiciously but Sage only smiled. “You’re going to say no to a once-in-a-lifetime berry from another world? We might not have magic there, but our food sure beats the slop you have here.”

Annoyance flared in her eyes, and Vinciei snatched a handful of berries, shoveling them into her mouth.

Zaniel took a fistful and popped them in, humming. “Interesting,” he said, grabbing some more.

“Eat them all up, I don’t want to waste any,” Sage said, popping a few more in her mouth.

Vinciei and Zaniel finished off the rest just as Omi, and Gabriela began limping towards the exit. Gabriela glanced at the berries, a look of recognition gleaming in her eyes. Sage gave her a small smile and asked, “Alright, where do you want me?”

Vinciei sneered, “On the table. Where you belong, Blackwood.”

Sage shrugged and hopped onto the table, then laid down.

Zaniel appeared on her left side while Vinciei leered down at her from her right.

“Let me guess,” Sage said, eyeing the golden blade Zaniel held over her. “First you’re going to stab me, get some of my blood, and mix it with yours?”

Zaniel quirked a brow.

“I thought so. You need my blood and the Kings’ bloodline to rip open the portal. But what I don’t get,” she said, rolling her head to the right, “Why can’t you give up your blood?”

“Oh, I am,” Vinciei said gravely. “I have Kami’s gift and all the power she stole. But what I don’t have is Blackwood blood.”

“I guess you deserve to know the truth before you die,” Zaniel sighed, clearly bored. “The Goddess wasn’t the one who sealed away my father. She cursed the seal, but by that point, she was too far gone to complete the seal. All she could do was rip her soul into pieces and give it to the Maidens, who in turn sealed the Demons away. But it was a Blackwood that sealed the entire thing with her blood. So,” he raised the knife again, “I need yours to release him.”

Sage watched the knife, but she was not afraid. She did not think about her family and how they tore into her flesh that night in the cave. She took a deep breath and waited for the inevitable.

“Kill the bitch!” Vinciei purred. “Drive it straight into her heart.” But Zaniel paused. His hands wavered. Vinciei glanced up, her face a wild mask of pure insanity as her brows furrowed.

“What-” She froze, then lurched forward, vomiting all over the table and Sage’s legs. Zaniel’s eyes widened, and then he glanced down at Sage, who only smirked up at him.

“You-” He doubled over, puking on the other side of the table.

Sage scrambled back, trying to ignore the puke covering her legs as they continued to hurl up the Blackthorn berries.