5. Sage

CHAPTER 5

Sage

My heart pounded and the icy fear shook me. I couldn't let Sawyer go into the Gray. I had to stop this. We had to flee?—

Except there was no way we could run. Even if half of Edred's men weren't in the great hall, Lord Quill would stop us. I doubted we'd even get out of the hall, and even if we did, there was no way Sawyer would be able to run far enough, fast enough for us to escape the fae.

No, the binding spell couldn't be avoided. But the moment he stepped into the Gray, his life was in danger. I didn't have a fortnight. Everything within me said I had days and that wasn't enough time to do anything. I couldn't let Sawyer be the one bound to the Black Tower.

"Girl!" Edred barked.

I jerked my attention up, losing my balance with the sudden movement. Someone grabbed my arm, steadying me and sending a shock of something powerful and breathtaking zinging through me, and the mist and darkness vanished. My world snapped back to the great hall — although I knew I hadn't actually left — and Lord Quill held my arm while everyone stared at me.

"I said bring the summons here so Sawyer can do his duty," Edred said as he unsheathed his dagger, his gaze daring me to speak up and argue against Lord Quill's announcement… which I hadn't actually heard because I'd had a vision, an honest to goodness actual vision, not just a premonition.

"I—"

"Are you alright?" Lord Quill asked me, his voice soft and soothing and doing nothing to ease the fear still clutching my aching chest.

My gaze dropped to his hand on my arm, his grip firm and warm, almost reassuring — if a grip could be reassuring. I could feel the frozen mist and overwhelming fear writhing at the edge of my senses, but they couldn't get past whatever it was in Lord Quill's touch that kept me rooted in my body.

"You said his name?" The words slipped out even though I'd known what Lord Quill was going to say. A small part of me had still hoped I was wrong despite Edred's reaction to the fae's arrival and my vision.

"Yes." His expression darkened and the tightness I'd seen in his face earlier returned.

I'd promised there wouldn't be any weeping. And there wouldn't be. Sawyer wasn't dead yet and he wasn't bound to the Black Tower. He wasn't ever going to be bound to it. If anyone was going to be able to find a way to break the binding spell it would be Sawyer and he wouldn't be able to do that in the Gray. I couldn't let him go through with it, and if running away wasn't an option then someone else had to take his place.

Oh, Father! That someone had to be me.

I was the better swordsman and could withstand the rigors of training better than he could. We had the same red hair, same sharp facial features, were roughly the same size, and I doubted Lord Quill had taken a good enough look at either of us to tell the difference.

I wasn't stupid enough to think I could hide the fact that I was a woman forever, but all I needed was to hide long enough for Sawyer to get as far away from the Five Great Kingdoms as possible. After that, I could beg for the Lord Commander's mercy or hope Sawyer found a way to break or block the binding spell so I could escape.

Maybe if I was really lucky, I'd be able to keep my secret until Sawyer came of age and was able to petition the king without needing to go through Edred first.

"Girl," Edred snapped again.

I bowed my head and bit my lip, reopening the wound Edred had given me so I could dab my blood on the medallion and complete the binding spell.

If the text I'd read about the spell was correct, there were no outward signs that the spell had been awakened or that someone was bound to the Black Tower. Only the recipient felt the spell sealing his fate. He would be compelled within a few days to go to the Gray or the spell would slowly start to drain his life, eventually killing him.

"Bring the summons," Edred snarled, his tone clear that my disobedience was going to be punished and every second I hesitated the punishment grew worse.

"Yes, my lord." I swiped my thumb over my bleeding lip then took the medallion with my other hand. I didn't want to chance Lord Quill seeing the blood on my thumb and thinking I was pressing my blood on the medallion by accident.

This was a terrible plan.

But the other option was letting Sawyer die — and without a doubt, he'd die. My premonitions always came true, and this premonition was the strongest I'd ever had. Pretending to be Sawyer was the only way to save him.

I turned away from Lord Quill to face Edred, and cupped my hands together, brushing my bloody thumb against the edge of the medallion as I walked down the aisle.

Sudden heat swept over my hand. It burned around my wrist and up my forearm to my elbow, bringing with it a searing, fiery agony that made me stumble.

I bit back a gasp and fought to keep my balance. The heat burned hotter and I dipped my head down, hoping I looked obedient and not like I was in pain and forced myself to keep walking.

Slow and steady. Don't let anyone see how much it hurts.

But it felt like I'd shoved my arm into a fire and was holding it there. Thankfully, just like the text had promised, my flesh looked perfectly normal, which meant so long as I managed to keep a straight face, no one would know the truth.

I reached the edge of Edred's dais, dropped into a low curtsey — grateful the movement hid my trembling — and held out the medallion, presenting it to Edred. "The summons, my lord."

Edred's lips curled back in a sneer and he held out his dagger to Sawyer. "Make it quick. I don't have all day."

"Yes, my lord." Sawyer took the dagger, pierced the tip of his finger, and marched down the three steps to stand in front of me.

I raised my gaze to meet his and prayed he'd see the silent plea in my eyes. Please understand and accept this. It's the only way. Please don't draw attention to this. He was smart. He'd catch on right away to what I'd done. He had to.

He pressed his bloody fingertip against the medallion and frowned, clearly not feeling the burn of the spell and knowing instantly that something was wrong.

"Look like your arm hurts," I whispered.

His eyes widened in shock. "Sage, you didn't." He drew in a breath to argue — it was foolish to think he wouldn't argue about this — but I jerked my gaze over his shoulder to Edred.

"Not in front of Edred. He'll be furious we messed this up." We could argue later, although there wasn't really that much to argue about. The spell had been completed and the only way to deal with it was to go to the Black Tower. Right now, we needed to get out of the great hall and away from Edred and his men and finish solidifying my foolish, barely formed plan. "Please."