Page 136 of The Starlight Savior

“Don’t go,” said another shaky voice. Saige spotted the dark curly hair of her aunt shining through. “Please.”

“You lied!” Saige shouted, heart cracking. She felt like a child, so small compared to the world before her. But they kept her hidden in the dark.

“Think rationally.” Tobin stood beside Conor, his hands outstretched as he joined the fight. “You have nowhere to go. You are bound to help this kingdom!”

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the portal. The swirling magic in the mirror had dissipated once her attention was drawn to the flames.

“Listen to me!” Eva screamed, voice cracking. “Your father’s goal was to always find magic to stop the mist. He was not just a warrior, but a scholar. Our sister had that power, but it was too late! You cannot leave!”

Had they even read the same letter? He erased her memory over and over to protect her. Slicing away at bits and pieces of herself, her childhood, to conceal secrets. He had known her power could help the mist. He chose Saige’s wellbeing instead.

Past the flames, they continued to plead. But no one could get past her magic, not even Conor who had always suffered the burn. The portal before her swarmed with light once again, infused with her magic. She tried to focus, but their words kept cutting in.

They didn’t matter.

All she knew was she wanted to be far from here, somewhere where she could be safe.

She outstretched her arms towards the portal, letting the flames lower. The portal’s magic tugged on her, pulling her closer. Before she could step forward, a hand gripped her other wrist.

Saige turned to find her aunt, clothes licked with white flames, and angry burns forming on exposed skin.

“What are you doing?” Saige shouted.

“You need to stay! I cannot let you leave!”

Saige tried to tug her arm, but Eva’s grip tightened.

“Etrane’s goal has always been to track down Sydera’s magic, someone who could counteract the curse. It was your father’s goal too. It was why he was sent out on patrol when Lyla…” A sob swallowed the rest of her aunt’s sentence. Fingernails dug into Saige’s skin.

“Let me leave!” Saige pulled on her arm once again, sharp pain shooting down her shoulder. Taking a step towards the mirror, she gripped the metal with her free hand, her fingers dipping into the blood.

Eva shook her head, her voice echoing as the room shook with Saige’s power. “The kingdom may want a power source, but I just wanted my niece!” Tears streamed down her face, streaking against red burns. “My family back!”

An ache blossomed across her chest at the sight of her aunt’s turmoil, but the sympathy didn’t dull the edges of her pain. Saige lifted her right leg, kicking against Eva’s chest. She stumbled back with widened eyes, freeing her arm. Before she stepped through the portal, she turned to her aunt with a frown.

“It may have not been your intention, but you stole my choice away. All to fulfill a role I couldn’t consciously agree to. My father would be so ashamed.”

The swirl of the magic sucked Saige into the portal, lurching her forward. She didn’t know where she was going, but she hoped for safety and peace.

Chapter 51

The moment Saige was spit out of the portal, she vomited onto hard dirt. Whipping through the dimensions of Opela felt like her body had ripped apart. Every bone ached. Muscles twitched. It was truly disappointing to realize how much Conor had previously grounded her, a layer of safety to stifle the nausea.

Kneeling in a dark cellar, she was surrounded by walls of dripping stone. Pain shot through her limbs as she rose. Beside her, a narrow set of stairs led up into an empty room. There was no furniture in sight. Thick layers of dirt covered any possible surface. Endless footprints lined the wooden floor, leading from the only door and down the stairs.

The cottage before Saige might appear abandoned, but it was clearly frequented often.

Her blood mark burned against her skin, a reminder of what she had promised. Technically, Saige had no intentions of harming Etrane or King Vospella. She wanted to save Opela. But she was defying every order by fleeing from Athalos. Even if she was planning to heal the land on her own terms.

But how?

That was the golden question. She didn’t even know where she was yet. But she supposed that was the first place to start. Once she knew exactly where the portal spit her out, she’d decide how to execute her shell of a plan.

Saige unlatched the rickety wooden door. Cool air and brimming sunrays met her face. When she left Athalos, the moon illuminated the storm kingdom. But where she stood now, the sun was peeking over green mountains.

Her heart thundered at the sight of Brevil. When Saige stepped through the portal, her mind whirled in different directions. She thought of how afraid she was. Her mother and father. Everything her family built to protect themselves and Opela. Even the tug of pain that came with leaving Conor sharpened in her gut. But peace and safety dominated it all. It seemed like a cruel joke, stumbling into Brevil, given that magic-wielders were swiftly executed.

Looking up at the daunting mountains, Saige tried to visualize where exactly she was in Brevil. She knew she stood in the eastern part of the mortal kingdom. The Guardians of Opela were the center point of Saige’s life. When confined to Denholm and Oswan, Saige was always greeted by the mountain peaks surrounding her. If she followed them, she could find her way around. Maybe she could even find the river, identifying the very trigger point from the council meetings.