Sage

Sage

The spear whizzed by Minx’s head, the sharp point grazing her cheek as it came hurtling towards Sage’s face.

Had she not been so tired or preoccupied with thoughts of Kami’s soul mingling somewhere with her own tattered soul, she might have acted quickly and dodged it. But she only had time to stare dumbly at it as it came for her.

Wraza grabbed her by her collar, yanking her to the side so violently Sage lost her footing and went tumbling into the grass. Time seemed to slow down as she fell. She watched as Wraza plucked the spear right from the air; the momentum spinning her around.

In the time she spun, the spear was repositioned- her arm arched back, tucking the weapon close to her neck. She used the momentum to spin and threw the spear right back at their attacker. Sage barely heard the wet squelching of it piercing straight through the Hands’ body- she was too busy watching Wraza as she erupted in blue flames.

They licked her skin; the heat radiating from her enough to scorch the grass she stood on.

Minx sent a spiny vine into the room just as Wraza tossed a golfball-sized coal after her. As Sage got back on her feet, the windows shattered, spraying them with shards of glass while plumes of dark blue smoke streamed from the room.

“Whoops,” Wraza said, brushing glass off her leather jacket, “It wasn’t supposed to be that strong.”

Minx was too busy coughing to comment.

“How are they awake?” Sage rasped out, moving to get in the front. Her heart was racing as adrenaline pumped through her limbs, waking her up. She stepped in front of Minx, eyeing the paper-thin cut under her eye.

The memory of Kami’s small body floating in the water roared up, and Sage began shaking. She couldn’t lose another friend. She wouldn’t.

Her power surged, wrapping her body in lilac flames tinged with black. She didn’t spend any time on the black tinge- she could figure that out later. With a flick of her wrist, the smoke was cleared from the room by a massive pulse of power. The entire manor shook with the force. Cracks snapped across the walls as the very foundation groaned in protest.

One Hand was splayed out on the ground, the spear protruding from her chest. Two others were crouched by a door at the far end, and when they looked up, Sage realized they had masks on.

So that was how they managed to avoid Minx’s sleeping flowers.

The Hands leaped up, going for their weapons. The masks protected them from inhaling the smoke, but it was clear their eyes hadn’t been afforded the same protection.

Sage threw out an arch of magic, throwing them back into the door, which collapsed under the force. Vines erupted from the wood floor, curling around their hands and ankles, holding them fast to the ground. Minx appeared by her shoulder, her eyes watering from the smoke.

“Stay here,” Sage said, then rushed to the broken door before Minx could protest. She entered a dining room, throwing up a shield just before a knife sank into her side. The knife shattered against the shield- the shards suspended mid-air as her magic held them in place. Sage pushed the shield out, smashing it into the Hand huddled in the corner.

She ignored their cries of pain, leaving them clawing at the shards embedded in their masked face.

The rest were in the receiving room, just as Minx had said. They all wore masks covering most of their face, but Sage could see how their eyes widened when she entered the room.

There was a silent, heavy pause while they sized each other up.

Then she broke it by asking, “Where are the Fae?”

The room vibrated with magic as some of the Hands threw up shields and prepared spells. Sage spotted one to the side, a shorter man holding an elaborate sword, and pinned him for the leader. Everyone else had knives or shorter, plain weapons.

With a burst of magic, she sent everyone flying into the adjacent room, leaving the supposed leader by themselves.

His bright eyes darted from her to the massive front door and she could practically see the cogs in his brain working out if he could make it to the door in time.

“Just don’t,” Sage sighed. “Just tell me where they are.”

The leader puffed up his chest, as if making himself bigger would faze her. He charged, yelling at the top of his lungs and swinging his shiny sword at her. Sage wrapped her magic around him, stopping him mid-charge.

She flicked the sword out of his hand with a mild pulse of power, then squeezed her fist. Her magic coiled around him like a boa, constricting him until he was gasping for air.

“Where are the Fae?” Sage asked, stepping closer to him, loosening the hold on his body just enough so that his purple face returned to normal.

“In the farmhouse,” he coughed.

“Where?” Minx growled from behind her.

“The big ass white barn across the road- where else, you dumb bitch?” He snapped. Sage clenched her fist and whatever air he had in his lungs whooshed out with a huff. Just as his face turned purple, she began to loosen her grip, but Wraza appeared next to her, knife in hand.

Wraza swiftly drove the knife into his chest, leaving no time for her to react. Sage gasped, dropping the magic and his body with it.

“Why would you do that?” She demanded. “He could have told us more!”

Wraza tutted, ripping her knife from his chest and cleaning it on her leather pants. “He is a grunt,” she pointed her knife to a silver-haired woman on the wall. Ivy held her up, shackling her arms above her head.

“This one is high ranking.” Wraza’s heavy boots thudded loudly as she strode over to the Hand. She poked the tip of her knife into the embroidered hand stitched over the woman’s heart. “You have a ring on this finger, Captain.” Wraza hissed.

The woman didn’t flinch, even when Wraza raised the knife to eye level, the sharp point brushing her eyelids.

“Bring her then,” Minx said. She was tying each Hand up in Ivy, but her emerald eyes kept flicking to the door, eager to go find the farmhouse.

Wraza snorted, “Bring her? We can get what we want here.”

Sage exchanged a wary look with Minx. They needed the intel, but Sage wasn’t sure she was ready for torture yet. Sure, she’d killed a few people, but it had mostly been in self-defense. Mostly.

This was different. She didn’t think she could stomach staying and watching whatever Wraza had in mind, but she knew it was in their best interest to let her.

“No, bring her,” Minx said, the steel in her tone surprising Sage. “Alec will get the information we need, and when he is done, he will wipe her mind.”

Wraza raised a brow. “A mind-reading Demon? Good to know,” she smirked, then grasped the Hand by the arm and yanked her from the wall. “Makes my job easier.”

Minx motioned for them to follow her out the front. From the door, they could make out the farmhouse just down the dirt road, hidden behind giant oak trees.

“There isn’t going to be a nasty surprise for us in there, right?” Wraza asked, pressing the knife into the Hands’ side.

The woman gasped, then shook her head.

“If you’re lying, you’re the only person it won’t end well for. You will only make us mad if you try to pull something.” Wraza yanked the Hand towards them, and together they made their way to the farmhouse.

Minx paused once it came into view, feeling for anyone inside.

“A lot is going on in there. I can’t determine if it’s all the Fae, or not.” Minx said softly.

Sage sighed. The adrenaline rush was starting to wear off and her body felt heavy again. So she pulled out her whip and broke the barn door in half with one crack.

“Whoa, where can I get one of those?” Wraza whistled as they entered.

Sage had to blink a few times until her eyes adjusted to the dusty gloom inside. The smell hit her first- a dank, rotting scent that curled her nose and made her stomach somersault.

“Goddess, that is rank.” Wraza coughed behind her.

“Oh,” Minx sounded like she was on the verge of crying. Sage turned to see what she was looking at. Rows and rows of metal cages lined the side of the room from floor to ceiling. Sage had the distinct impression of chicken cages from her home world stacked one over the other before she realized the cages were essentially the same.

Fae huddled inside them, two per cage, with barely any space to move, let alone lay down. Their tiny haggard bodies were nothing more than bones and skin beneath ratty clothes.

The room was bare but for the cages and several empty barrels. An arch opened into the next room that was similarly set up. Rows of Fae were in cages, but these were slightly smaller than the others.

“These are the offspring,” Minx mused in horror, glancing back to the first room. “They are breeding them so they can keep up the supply.”

“Are there more? Other stashes of Fae?” Wraza demanded, pressing her knife into the Hands’ side.

“No,” she hissed in pain. “We tried to breed them elsewhere, but they seem to like the sea breeze here.”

“Optimal breeding grounds, how sick,” Minx said, shaking her head.

“If we find out you’re lying-” Wraza sneered, but the Hand cut her off.

“I have no reason to lie. Your bastard Demon will get it out of me one way or another.” She spat.

Minx cut her a glare so heated Sage thought she would punch the woman, but instead, she asked, “How did you know about the sleeping pollen?”

The Hand chuckled sourly. “You should have killed the men instead of putting them to sleep, Orefell scum.”

Sage saw Wraza’s eyes widen slightly as they all fell silent. The Hand chuckled again, her mask expanding as she let out deep breaths of laughter.

“You’re surprised? Our Supreme ruler isn’t an idiot. Who else can make the dead wood grow miles beneath the earth? Your stint at the library was all he needed to confirm another one of the Maidens was slinking around.” She shook her head. “And then you stole his daughter. Cursed bitches, all of you.” She spat.

Wraza froze, and Sage felt the temperature rise as she swung her cognac eyes to Minx.

“What does she mean?” She asked.

Sage quirked a brow, curious as well. Was Gabriela the Supreme Capricorn’s daughter?

“Plot twist,” Sage muttered beneath her breath.

“Oh, you kept that from them, did you?” The Hand snorted, “Keeping her your little secret?”

Minx sighed, “No. She is no secret.” Minx gave Wraza a stern look, “And I would hardly call someone who lies to their daughter just to keep her a prisoner a father.”

Sage could see the metal handle of the knife glowing red as the heat from Wraza continued to burn.

“You’ve kept this from us,” Wraza accused.

“Until I could trust you wouldn’t do anything rash,” Minx countered, not backing down.

Sage looked from Minx to the fiery Maiden and wondered if this was what Minx felt like whenever she had to step between Wraza and herself. Suddenly, she had a whole new appreciation for her friend as she took a long stride between them.

“Not here,” Sage said darkly, jutting her chin to the Hand. “Not in front of her, and certainly not when they need us.”

She glanced at the cages and felt Wraza and Minx do the same.

After a heartbeat, Wraza cooled down, “Fine. But you have some explaining to do, Orefell.”

“Gladly,” Minx said, smirking. Then she surprised them all when a sleeping flower popped up from the earth, punching the Hand in the face. The petals clung to her like a face huger, latching onto her head. Muffled screams came from beneath the petals, but after a moment they turned quieter until her body sagged against Wraza.

Minx called the flower back, revealing a passed-out Hand. Wraza gave a noise of disgust as she let the Hand go, her body falling heavily to the ground.

“I figured it’d be easier to do this without someone babysitting her,” Minx explained, turning to the cages.

“A little warning next time,” Wraza grunted as she began melting locks from the cages.