Sage: The Soldier's Game

PROLOGUE

Her nail tapped impatiently against the desk, a perfect violet manicure matching her eyes and hair that were of the same unique colour. Right now, however, she cared more about the fact that she had been kept waiting, not that she would chip a nail if her impatience suddenly boiled over into anger and she broke the desk in half. 

Finally the doors to the office opened, the office that once belonged to The Palms Renark, and Dainen Miyak walked in. He bowed low as he approached, and for a moment she considered making him drop to his knees for making her wait. Deciding that would take up too much time, she dismissed his bow. 

'Dainen,' she called, her voice like a purr, and he straightened to face her. 

'Leader, how are you faring? I heard you were inj—'

'I wasn't injured,' she snapped. The bandages underneath her clothing would say otherwise, but an insubordinate like Dainen didn't need to know that.

'My mistake,' he amended apologetically. 'The Neo-Soldiers under my command have been stationed just outside the City, awaiting orders.'

Satira's brow lifted as she stood. She regarded Dainen for a moment and then walked out from behind the desk, her heels clicking against the floorboards. 'The Neo-Soldiers under your command?' Satira repeated, amused.

Dainen's lips fumbled for a moment, as if trying to find words. He said, 'The Neo-Soldiers that you - you provided me to command, ma'am.'

'Ah, you mean the Neo-Soldiers I sent to accompany you because you were too afraid to travel alone. Is that right?’

She saw his throat ripple with a nervous swallow. He was squirming, and she took great satisfaction from it. Like a cat with a mouse she played with him a little longer, her nails grazing along his back as she stalked around him.

'Would you like your next order, Dainen?' Satira asked, stopping at his back so her lips rested near his ear. 

A small dagger slipped out from her sleeve and into her hand.

'Y-yes, ma'am.'

And she slit his throat, stepping back as Dainen crumpled to the floor with a strangled gasp. Contempt twisted her expression as she said, 'You don't have one.'

She leaned down, wiping the blade along Dainen's shirt to clean it. His hands were holding his throat, blood spilling between his fingers as he watched her with the sheer panic that someone could only show when they knew they were going to die, and desperately didn't want to.

Satira pulled open the office doors, meeting the two Neo-Soldiers standing guard outside. She flicked her hand back toward Dainen and said, 'Clean this up once he's done, will you?'

Satira left the office, returning the small blade to the bracer around her forearm. She went to the stairwell that ascended to the rooftop and as she stepped outside the early morning light met her eyes, warming her skin the only way The Palms' sun could at such an early hour. She preferred the climate here. 

Satira found him standing by the roof's ledge, his tempered blade swinging idly from the loose grip his hand held it with. She approached him with a smile, then snaked her arms affectionately around his middle as she reached his back. He shifted only slightly, as if to acknowledge her, though she knew he sensed her the moment she stepped outside.

'Come inside, Master,' she murmured. 'The others have arrived.'

'In a moment,' he replied.

Satira followed his gaze to the broken streets laid out before them in The Palms, her smile widening with wicked excitement as she saw squad after squad of Neo-Soldiers, all armed for war.

Bryce Suragi smirked. 'I'm enjoying the view.'

Part One

‘And suddenly, the past has caught us.’

CHAPTER ONE

These Restless Days

Sage Suragi, formerly known as Captain Sage Lycrart of the Lion Crest army, dashed through the forest like fire was at her heels. The wind whipped her hair behind her in a veil of black and the columns of sunlight breaking through the thick canopies caught the subtle highlights of pink each time she ran through one, for a moment letting her body absorb the warmth of the sun like it was a source of energy meant purely to recharge her, to make her run faster. She chanced a look over her shoulder, but her pursuer had vanished.

Coming to a sudden stop, Sage turned, quietly, on her heel to scan the expanse of nestled trees around her. Her eyes lingered longer on the areas where the sun didn’t reach, in case he was hiding within the shadows that curled about each branch.  

Then the sound of a snapping twig made her tense. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up; she was being watched, and her pursuer wanted her to know it.

Bursting back into action, she whipped through the forest once more, determined to lose him. Just a few more minutes and she’d be back in town and it’d be over.

But it was too late; she felt him behind her and before she could move out of the way his arm swung around her middle and she was lifted off her feet. The sudden shift in her momentum stole the breath from her lungs, and then she stumbled back onto her feet when her captor released her.

‘You’re getting faster,’ said Raidan, sounding distinctly smug.

Sage staggered around, catching her breath. ‘And you’re getting slower,’ she replied.

Raidan’s smirk dropped.

She let out a laugh and sunk to the forest floor, her legs needing the rest. When Raidan continued to stand, Sage looked back up and saw his expression had soured at her remark. His eyes, as sharp as blue steel and unchanged since the day she ran into him almost three years ago, deliberately avoided looking at her. The wind cut through the canopies and rustled his hair, which was darker than even the darkest of nights, and swept the edges of his face, the sides of his neck.

‘Oh, come on,’ she sighed, grabbing his hand. She pulled him down to the ground as well, and he relented like a man giving in to an undesirable fate. She didn’t take offence to this, familiar with how he reacted to her antics.

They had been training all day, but it wasn’t rigorous and exhausting. It was refreshing, testing each other’s hearing, sight, perception, and re-affirming the awareness they had of each other. It had only been a year since the lives they had established for themselves in Dusk had been uprooted and cut painfully short, a year since Satira had declared her plan to destroy Sage, and a year since Sage had almost let her. 

Within that year Satira’s small army of Neo-Soldiers had revealed itself to be not-so-small at all, and they certainly weren’t afraid to boast it. They were the Neo-Shadow Soldiers, and within the last year they had successfully turned almost all of Zone against the real Shadow Soldiers.

Not that they hadn’t been against them in the first place, being criminals, but now Zone was under the impression that the Shadow Soldiers had even been in league with RedEarth, and were now trying to disrupt the peace the Neo-Shadow Soldiers were trying to bring about. The fact that for generations the Shadow Soldiers had only ever been a group of criminals with no more than six members and they had never involved themselves in political issues was completely forgotten by Zone, because all they could focus on was the uniforms the rogues who terrorised their homes wore.

No one could see past that and so the Shadow Soldiers had been pursued relentlessly for the last year, but none more so than Sage.

Satira, wearing Sage’s face, had damaged Sage’s reputation so severely that she was recognised almost everywhere she went.

‘Sage,’ Raidan called, pulling her from her thoughts. She realised he was standing again, his hand held out to her. ‘I believe Toren and Dante would’ve returned by now.’

Smiling, Sage took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

They were currently staying in Veneal, a small village on the very edges of Sunlight Falls’ eastern border. They chose it due to its distance from the city itself, because it meant that Sun Soldiers didn’t frequent the village as often as they would to Waylen, a town much closer to the City of Sunlight Falls.

While Zone believed the Shadow Soldiers to be a growing menace, the Neos themselves were tricking Zone into believing that they were the good guys, that they were slowly bringing down the Shadow Soldiers and their accomplices in order to encourage the regions to side with one another. This was why they were doing everything within their power to eliminate the Shadow Soldiers.

The Shadow Soldiers were constantly on the move, with generally only a two-week timeframe before the Neos found them – maybe three weeks if the Shadow Soldiers had covered their tracks perfectly.

Though the others seemed confident they could outrun the Neos, Sage knew they were running out of places to take refuge. They didn’t want to be backed into a corner, wouldn’t let themselves be backed into a corner, but they weren’t ready to fight the Neos. Not yet.

Veneal was vibrant and lively, typical of a Sunlight Fall’s province. Veneal was built between the forest, so rather than the forest being completely cleared and the earth flattened, only areas where buildings were constructed had been. It left the village hidden amongst a maze of trees and shrubbery, with packed-earth pathways weaving between. The Shadow Soldiers had rented a small room in an inn on the outskirts of the village, where a garden courtyard was at the front and the outlying forestry – of tall, willowy trees known to Sunlight Falls territory – was at the back. It meant they weren’t too close to the rest of the village, should they be ambushed. 

Toren and Dante hadn’t returned though, and Sage had to quell the twinge of worry that appeared suddenly in her chest. Missions were becoming longer with each passing day, if only because the Shadow Soldiers had to be far more careful when travelling through Zone since the Neos seemed to have eyes and ears in every corner of the continent. The Shadow Soldiers had to trek through the denser areas of unmarked territory, had to go around civilisation and not through it, and they had to ensure no one could track them.  

‘Have fun?’ asked Nox, grinning toothily from where he sat on the tattered armchair. The light through the window highlighted the strange tinge of blue in his hair.

The room they had rented was small, opting to go for the cheapest and nondescript while at the same time deciding it was best to have the one room only, rather than splitting between two and three. This, of course, meant there was only room for two beds – one for Toren and one for Raidan and Sage – while Dante and Nox had to fight over the armchair, the losing one having to sleep on the stained, rough carpet.

‘We were just training, Nox,’ she told him, gathering her hair up into a tie at the back of her head. She had chosen to regrow her hair, since Satira was keeping her hair short, and it was now as long as it had been during the majority of her time in dusk, the tips reaching the middle of her back.

Nox chuckled, but when Raidan shot him a quelling look he immediately stopped, not offering another comment. Sage was smiling though, and she realised she had been smiling a lot today – in fact, despite the state of Zone and the uncertain future of the Shadow Soldiers, Sage realised she hadn’t felt happier. Even in Dusk she hadn’t felt like this and even before then, when she had officially defected from Lion Crest and found her place amongst the Shadow Soldiers there had been something blocking her from happiness. She had been plagued with guilt, with unsureness, with hesitancy, but now there was none of that. Everything, finally, felt right.

Just as Sage sat down on the bed, which was against the back wall beside Toren’s, Raidan turned sharply to the front door and it swung open, letting in Toren and Dante. Her brow lifted in surprise and considering she hadn’t sensed them meant they had masked their Kyra signatures, which also meant other Soldiers were nearby. Instantly she felt Raidan’s and Nox’s signatures disappear from her sixth sense, like the flame of a candle being snuffed out, and naturally Sage did the same. She threw a quick look over Toren and Dante but found no injuries.

Like Raidan, they too hadn’t changed. Toren’s auburn-brown hair was still neatly framing his face, courtesy of Sage who recently trimmed it, and his light-brown eyes casually concealed his thoughts, but not in a guarded way like Raidan. Dante, on the other hand, was quite obviously exhausted and frustrated and he didn’t care if people knew it. His hair wasn’t as long as Sage’s, but he kept it in a loose tie at the nape of his neck. His fringe, however, still rebelliously curtained one side of his face no matter how many times he flicked it back.

‘I was starting to get worried,’ Sage said, standing. ‘Was there any trouble?’

Dante kicked the door shut behind them as they entered, then let out a tired sigh and slumped against it. ‘We had to eliminate them all.’

‘They couldn’t be persuaded?’ Sage asked. She knew Toren and Dante had intercepted a group of rogues who were intending to join the Neos, a group that had once been an ally of the Shadow Soldiers.

‘The Neos apparently offered them enhanced Kyra to convince them to join their ranks,’ Toren replied. ‘Despite our warning, they refused to decline the Neos’ offer.’

And so they were killed.

‘Those Neo-brats are resorting to bribes now?’ Nox scoffed.

‘Word has gone around that the Shadow Soldiers are assassinating those who are choosing to side with the Neos,’ Toren told them. ‘They’re using whatever they can to persuade the rogues to join, even under the threat of being targeted by us.’

Sage was forever amazed by how much influence the Shadow Soldiers still had over the criminal world, even after being supposedly dead for twelve months. It was mostly the newer generations of rogues and criminals who were rebelling against the Shadow Soldiers, too hot-headed and keen to act out against society. Whereas the older generations, those who grew up with the Shadow Soldiers at their prime, still feared or respected them enough despite another group displaying more strength.

Oddly enough, there was still a sense of camaraderie between rogues. The Neo-Shadow Soldiers were threatening to break that too by forcing the rogues to pick sides amongst themselves, when in the past it had only been them against the regions.

Zone was falling apart, and even if they did manage to eliminate the Neo-Shadow Soldiers in time, Sage didn’t think Zone would recover so easily. These wounds would just be too deep.

‘Didn’t bump into any Neos?’ asked Nox.

‘Fortunately not,’ Toren said.

‘That’s a surprise. They’re usually everywhere, like insects.’

‘Just as irritating, too,’ Dante added.

‘There are, however, Sun Soldiers nearby,’ Toren said. ‘I don’t think they are here for any reason other than to patrol though.’

Of course they decided to check on the village at the same time we were here, thought Sage. The Shadow Soldiers were running out of luck these days.

‘As long as we keep our Kyra hidden we’re safe to stay here a bit longer,’ she said, but the others didn’t seem terribly relieved about it. Despite having known each other for so long, all four Drakians weren’t exactly pleased about sharing just a single small room with each other.

Nox made this obvious when he stood and said, quite seriously, ‘Well, I needa go get a drink before I go crazy and kill you all.’

Despite Nox’s questionable sanity, Dante chose to join him. Their trip into town freed up space in the apartment and while Toren took to the bathroom for a shower, Sage lay down on her bed and reached under the pillow for a book she had borrowed from him.

Raidan, after shedding his jacket, took a seat on the armrest of the chair and faced her. She lowered her book when she realised he was looking at her.

‘What?’ she asked, smiling. ‘Don’t tell me you’re still upset about my comment.’

‘I was not upset,’ he defended, ‘but no. Have you thought about contacting Lion Crest?’

Her smile slipped. ‘No,’ she said, because she honestly hadn’t. It had crossed her mind on occasion to maybe send a letter, but anything could be used to track a person these days and she just couldn’t risk that. Even when a mission had called her close to Lion Crest she resisted making contact with them.

‘At the moment, the Shadow Soldiers are my only priority,’ Sage added, having finally come to terms with that fact. Even after becoming a Shadow Soldier, Sage didn’t believe she had truly understood the ramifications of that choice, or what it truly meant to be a Shadow Soldier. She had simply been caught up in the excitement of it all, of taking another step in her journey outside of Lion Crest. It was when she’d aided Lion Crest in their war against The Palms that she had finally been hit with the consequences, and then of course she had hid away in Dusk.

Dusk had been her escape, where she could pretend that she was neither a Crest Soldier nor a Shadow Soldier, having none of those consequences to deal with. That, in the end, had left her incredibly vulnerable when Satira came and threw her past back in her face, forcing her to confront it.

Then, finally, Sage had understood where her place was now. She was a Shadow Soldier, and could no longer play for both sides. She’d never do anything that would go against Lion Crest, but she was no longer going to involve herself in their affairs.

She pulled herself from her thoughts and looked across to Raidan, flashing a genuine smile. ‘I’m not a Crest Soldier after all,’ she said, adding slyly, ‘I wouldn’t be with you otherwise.’

Raidan gave his usual smirk, as if whenever she told him that she was his he won a small victory. It made her laugh. Then again, he had had to fight to stop others from taking her so it didn’t surprise her that he was proud of the fact that she was still with them.

The rest of the night was uneventful, fortunately, and as the next day travelled through to the afternoon, Sage was left feeling restless. It wasn’t until Toren returned from his trek toward Sunlight Falls’ border, where he met up with one of his contacts, and came back with a mission specific for Sage.

‘Why me?’ she asked.

‘There’s a chance the village is under the infection still, and since you’re the only one immune—’

‘I’m the only one it’s safest for to go in,’ Sage finished in understanding. Since the disease was a mutation of Satira’s Kyra, and Satira’s Kyra was merely a mutation of Sage’s own, it became quite obvious that Sage was immune to the disease. She was also the cure for it. A slight transfer of her Kyra into the infected person would cancel out Satira’s diseased Kyra completely, since hers was the pure form; it was the major flaw in Satira’s plan.

This was how Sage had cured everyone in one night at Lion Crest. Of course, she couldn’t cure everyone in Zone who had been infected, but she had managed stop it from spreading any further. That was another reason why the Shadow Soldiers moved around a lot, because at the slightest news that someone had fallen with symptoms of the disease, Sage would go there to stop it from spreading. It also meant that Satira had to have been there.

‘You can’t go alone,’ Dante pointed out. ‘It’s probably just what Satira is waiting for.’

‘I will go with Miss Suragi,’ said Toren, as if he had already decided it. Sage didn’t doubt that he had. ‘I’m not as recognisable as you three,’ he said by way of explaining, his gaze ghosting over Raidan, Dante and Nox.

‘I can temporarily vaccinate him then,’ she said, since a small dose of her Kyra could do so. Sage had figured that out experimentally, but she was thankful it worked as it made it much easier for the Shadow Soldiers to find new places to stay. Despite the cities having contained the disease and stopped the infection from spreading within their borders, villages within unmarked territories still had a risk of picking up the airborne strand of the disease, since they were open to the outside world and experienced more people travelling through.

‘Which village?’ asked Raidan, his eyes still on Sage.

She tried to reassure him when she met his gaze and Toren replied, ‘Centrepoint.’ It wasn’t very far; despite the name, Centrepoint Village wasn’t exactly in the dead centre of Zone. It was more north, just above Sacred Plains.

‘We’ll leave straight away,’ Sage decided. ‘That okay with you, Toren?’

‘Certainly.’

Sage was already dressed in the customary clothing of Shadow Soldiers; slim black slacks, her steel-capped boots, and a black singlet over a long-sleeve fishnet shirt. They no longer wore their Shadow Soldier coats though, having replaced them with plain dark-brown ones as it concealed their uniform when they were out in public, but they could also reveal their uniforms underneath to any threats if needed. It was amazing how intimidating the sight of Shadow Soldier attire could be.

After strapping on her weapons, including a handgun that she had only just recently started using again, Sage and Toren stepped out of the apartment. Raidan followed a second later, catching Sage gently by the wrist.

‘Rai?’ She blinked at him. Toren, a few paces down the corridor, stopped as well. She saw the worry in his eyes, even if no one else could. ‘It’ll be all right,’ she assured.

Raidan looked ahead to Toren, but he cut Raidan off before he could say anything. ‘I will make sure Miss Suragi is safe,’ he said.

Accepting the promise, Raidan released Sage’s wrist and stepped back.

She gave him one last smile before walking away.

CHAPTER TWO

The Message

They made it to the village in two days, colliding with only one small group of Neo-Soldiers. It had been easy enough to dispose of them but it still managed to delay Toren and Sage, if only slightly. They couldn’t afford to be separated from the others for long because if the Neos found out they’d no doubt use it as an opportunity to attack.

Centrepoint Village was nestled in the thickest area of forestry, where the trees grew around buildings and buildings were built around trees. It had once been used as a meeting place when Renarks had to come together in conference, before alliances had formed. It was neutral territory, after all.

Tracks had been cleared through the dense forestry for people to travel safely along, but Sage and Toren avoided them. If they had run into Neo-Soldiers already and this close to the village, then it only confirmed what Toren’s source had told him. But why would the Neo-Shadow Soldiers have any interest in Centrepoint?

‘Sense anything?’ asked Sage. She was leaning back against the trunk of a tree, looking up at Toren who was perched in one of its branches and checking for Kyra signatures.

‘I believe there is someone trying to mask their Kyra within the village,’ he told her.

‘How do you do that?’ she said. Sage could never fathom how Toren sensed Kyra signatures so perfectly, even if they were far away or being masked.

Toren looked down at her, bemused. ‘Masked Kyra signatures can still be sensed, since not every Soldier is perfect at hiding himself. If there were several crowds of Soldiers, it would be more difficult for me to locate him, but since this is a civilian village his poorly masked signature is creating a disturbance in the atmosphere, like a ripple I suppose,’ he explained, and then he slipped down from the branch to land on the ground beside her.

‘Is it a Neo-Soldier?’

‘I believe so,’ he said, straightening. ‘If you don’t mind, Miss Suragi, I will enter the village to locate him while you scout the perimeter. I wouldn’t want you to be recognised.’

‘All right,’ she relented. There wouldn’t have been much point in her coming at all if she didn’t have the ability to temporarily immunise someone from the disease, or be immune herself.

Toren plucked his way through the trees toward the village, since they were standing on the outskirts and obscured by the shrubbery. Sage let out a heavy breath and then stepped away from the tree, taking the eastern edge of the village first. She knew Toren would find the Neo-Soldier, knew that he had taken the more precarious option by entering the village and leaving her to scout the silent trees that closed the village in. Sage also knew that this wasn’t just because she was easily recognised now; she was hardly let on any outings that suggested some sort of danger, which meant she rarely left the places they were staying in.

Sage understood the others were concerned, and she appreciated the concern because she knew Satira would take any chance she had to capture her, even if she hadn’t made an attempt since Dusk. Still, Sage didn’t like being confined, didn’t like watching the others go out every other day and risk their own lives while she stayed safely indoors.

But she had also promised Raidan that she wouldn’t shoulder responsibilities on her own anymore, not like how she had done at Dusk.

A chill crept up her spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She paused at the sensation, if only because it was one she had felt many times before. Someone was watching her. She sent out her Kyra first, letting it ripple outward in search of another signature but when nothing came back she slowly turned, relying on her other senses instead. The forest was still, only the slight rustle of leaves filled the silence as the breeze swept through.

And then something cut through the forestry right in front of her and she threw herself to the side, avoiding the dagger that careened through the air. She turned to see it ricochet off a tree, and then the flicker of a Kyra signature made her spin back around.

A Neo-Soldier charged toward her, the lower half of his face hidden by a mask of material just like she used to wear as a Crest Soldier. Sage swept around his grapple hold and kicked behind her into the back of his knee, snapping it. The Neo-Soldier went down with a pained shout, but a second one caught Sage by surprise and tackled her with brute force.

She slammed into the ground, the air knocked out of her lungs, and the second masked Neo-Soldier loomed over her with a glint in his eyes, the only facial feature she could see.

The victorious glint suddenly disappeared when Sage unleashed a Kyra blade, the purple flare of light making the Neo-Soldier reel back in shock. She slashed forward but the Neo-Soldier threw himself off her, just avoiding the searing heat her Kyra blade emanated.

Sage dispelled her Kyra blade straight away, refusing to expend too much Kyra, and unclipped the handgun from the holster at her thigh – but a third Neo-Soldier suddenly grabbed her from behind, jerking her arms back with a vicious grip.

‘We have a message for you!’ the Neo growled, trying to contain her.

Sage charged Kyra into her arms and then with a deep breath she bent her body forward, pulling the Neo off his feet. He tumbled over her head and she added to his fall with the strength in her arms to slam his back against the ground. He blanched breathlessly, and before he could recover she whipped her gun back out to aim it at the Neo-Soldier’s forehead.

‘What message?’ she demanded, her eyes snapping to the other two Neos who were back on their feet. They were poised to attack her, but didn’t.

The Neo-Soldier underneath her rolled to the side and clambered back to his feet, out of Sage’s aim. She could have shot him, but instead she took a step back, letting the three Neos regroup before her.

‘What message?’ Sage asked again, raising her handgun at them. Her instinct was telling her not to drop her guard, not to let their words distract her, but surely if this was a ploy to capture her they wouldn’t be hesitating. And if this was a ploy to capture her, then there certainly would have been more of them to do it.

One of the Neos glanced between his comrades, and then said, ‘We’ve been asked to tell you to think carefully about your loyalties, so you won’t be surprised when the truth comes out.’

Sage didn't say anything, and she kept her expression carefully guarded. The words were ludicrious because she couldn't fathom anything that could question her loyalty to the Shadow Soldiers, to Raidan, but she found the message odd nonetheless. It didn't sound like Satira.

‘He doesn’t want to upset you,’ the Neo-Soldier added, ‘but what’s to come will be necessary.’

Sage's eyes widened, her guard slipping. 'He?'

But the Neo-Soldier didn't get the chance to reply. His eyes bulged, a trickle of blood left the corner of his mouth as he gave a small, choked gasp. Then he dropped, his body crumpling. A dagger's hilt protruded from his neck.

The other two Neo-Soldiers realised too late, for they were struck by the same fate a second later. Toren rarely missed, if at all.

‘Are you all right, Miss Suragi?’

Sage turned to face her comrade, returning her handgun to its holster. ‘I'm fine, I suppose. I don't understand what they were trying to tell me, though.’

‘Cryptic words, Miss Suragi, meant only to throw you,’ Toren told her. ‘Don’t be fooled.’

Sage frowned. She didn’t doubt that this was just some ploy to shake her, to start chipping at her resolve like Satira had done in Dusk and Sage swore to never let that happen again, but the message didn't sound like it was from Satira. Lathan, maybe?

‘Did you find the Neo-Soldier?’ Sage asked then, discarding her confusion.

Toren nodded. ‘I believe he was just a ploy to separate us. This entire mission seemed to be just a way to get you alone, Miss Suragi. My source may have turned against us,’ he added.

‘Then we better head back to the others,’ Sage said.

‘Miss Suragi?’

She looked across to Toren. ‘Yes?’

‘Do not worry over their words,’ he said to her, reassuringly.

She offered him a smile, but his reassurance didn’t stop the words from crawling back into her thoughts.

*******

The grating ring of his blade against the whestone cut the silence. Raidan paused to hold his sword up to the light and inspect the blade.

‘You gotta stop staying up all night when Petal’s gone,’ said Nox, who was sitting on the couch, his legs up on the small coffee table. His coat was thrown over his head to block the light from his eyes as he tried to sleep.

Raidan didn’t reply, he simply picked up the whetstone again and began sharpening his sword once more, not yet satisfied with the blade’s quality. The noise filled the room again, Raidan repeating the action mechanically, barely thinking about it.

His thoughts were elsewhere. Some small, distant part of himself resented his sleeplessness because his sleeplessness was connected with Sage's absence, like Nox had pointed out. That same voice told him that this was a weakness and it reminded him that weakness was not an option, that having a weakness made all his training pointless. It was the voice of his uncle, his cousin, and an aspect of his own voice that he had quelled a few years ago, when Sage came back into his life. Her presence had silenced it, and in her absence it called to him from a long way away.

It was this voice, too, that brandished his past crimes like weapons and reminded him of the things he had done that had not yet been revealed - things that he hoped never would be.

Nox suddenly threw the coat off his face and stood from his chair, not even waking Dante who was snoring on the floor. ‘That noise is the most annoying—’

But the door flew open, cutting Nox off. Raidan’s gaze snapped across the room as Sage and Toren walked in. Relief filled his chest.

‘Wha—?’ Dante abruptly sat up, blinking drearily. ‘Oh.’

‘It was a trap,’ said Toren, not waiting for anyone to ask.

Raidan was watching Sage, seeing the distance in her expression, like she was distracted, her thoughts on something else. Nox’s loud voice snapped her attention back.

‘By who?’

‘Just Neo-Soldiers,’ Sage said. ‘No one too dangerous, but they had a message for me; apparently he was ordered to tell me that I should rethink my loyalties before the truth comes out.’

‘Nonsense words,’ said Toren.

Nox scoffed. ‘What a lame trap. Don’t get me wrong, Petal, I’m glad they weren’t there to hurt you, but still… What a waste of time!’

Raidan frowned at the message, because despite knowing that the Neo-Shadow Soldiers would twist words and try to deceive Sage, they wouldn’t do so without some truth behind it. It made their deception all the more believable that way. So what truth could they possibly reveal that would have Sage rethinking her loyalties when, naturally, she was a fiercely loyal person.

‘I plan to meet with my contact who led Miss Suragi and I into a trap,’ said Toren. ‘Dante, we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.’

‘Righto,’ said Dante, who had returned to the ground to sleep.

‘Dammit, do I have to stay put again?’ asked Nox.

‘For now,’ Toren replied.

Putting away his sword, Raidan and the rest took to their beds. Sage crossed the small room, shedding her weapons and boots.

‘Sage?’

She must have heard his unspoken question, because she smiled at him and said, ‘I’m fine. I guess I had sort of hoped that they weren’t going to target me anymore.’ She sat down on the edge of their bed, looking to the window where a small gap in the curtains offered the view of the sky. ‘I don’t know, I guess I was hoping that maybe there was a chance they’d found something more important to focus on.’

Raidan had hoped the same thing.

*******

‘Which one do you want to go to? I'm sick of our regular place, let's go somewhere different. Oh! What about that place on the corner? What's it called… Um… You know the one I'm talking about, Chase?'

He really didn't. He had no clue what she was talking about, which was why he chose not to respond.

‘Chase?'

He was supposed to be training, not looking for a good place to get coffee. He didn't even drink coffee and neither did she, but he suspected she actually wanted something to eat and she wanted him to pay for that something, despite earning exactly the same pay rate.

‘Chase?'

Crest, she was annoying today. Well, she was annoying every day, to the point where he wondered why he put up with her, why he allowed himself to deal with her. She was so incredibly annoying, and yet—

‘Chase!'

‘What!' he finally replied, whirling around to look at Alessa.  

And yet he couldn't stop himself from being around her. The damn girl had him always coming back, and Chase didn't know why.

‘We're going to that one,' she said simply, pointing over his shoulder. 

Chase let her drag him into the café and to the nearest free table. They took seats opposite each other just as a waitress flounced over and placed down two menus, offering the customary welcome smile. Chase didn't pick up a menu, but Alessa was quick to begin scrutinising the foods they offered. 

As she decided on her meal, Chase's eyes dropped to her heavily bandaged wrist, the bandages winding right up to her fingertips. He was reminded of how she had taken on Regan, the Neo-Shadow Soldier, how she had stopped him in his tracks with her fist alone, and then shattered Regan’s armour. Her hand hadn't fully healed, despite all of Ashe's efforts to mend the shattered bones. She had done enough that Alessa could still use her hand, still fight with it, but it was still incredibly fragile. Fortunately Alessa had her second Kyra system, which she could use to constantly keep Kyra charged to her hand