Page 153 of The Starlight Savior

Saige looked up, finding Conor was already staring at her.

“I’ve been trying to tell you,” he said quickly. “There is a reason Sebastien holds a higher rank than me. Why he is considered stronger.”

Saige shook her head, shielding the sight of the dagger still sticking out of her belly. She didn’t want anyone to worry about it. Not now, with everything standing before her.

The two armies stared at one another, shifting on their feet and paws, waiting for someone to make the first move against them.

Finally, a brave mortal soldier pummeled into the crowd of wielders. His sword was raised as he swiped down at one of the wolves, their sleek white coat glittering in the light as it leapt up and locked its jaw around the mortal’s arm.

The first true shed of blood between mortal and wielder broke open a chasm of repressed hate. The combat resumed around them, Baron and Conor fighting off the beings flooding the space. Steel and snarls echoed as Saige tried to return her attention to the mist, but each moment she looked down, a slash of someone’s sword swung too close, sending her off balance.

A familiar voice called her name. Saige looked up to see a long braid swinging in the crowd. Niana’s silver armor hugged her body, intricate markings carved into the metal. It reminded Saige of the delicate patterns stamped on the ice each time Niana froze water.

“You’re here,” Saige breathed, attempting to rise from the ground, but her stomach was beginning to ache. Blood dripped down her abdomen, soaking her knees.

“It’s the plan, isn’t it?” Niana spun towards the army. A shimmering wall of light blue surrounded them. Niana’s ice shield. “Now get back to it.”

“Niana—”

“We don’t have time for any apologies or reasons,” Niana said quickly. “Are you going to use your magic or is all this fighting for fun?”

Saige bit back a smile. Her hands returned to the blood-soaked grass as she placed all her focus on the ground, the mist behind her, and the stars above. She wished there was time to request some sort of healing. But the thick of battle, all dedicated to Saige, was approaching.

Chapter 59

The battlefield was immersed in swords, teeth, and magic. The mortal men became more aggressive with each blow and strike of their swords. Half of their focus was on protecting their king. The other half pummeled towards Saige, hoping to slay the witch attempting to damn them. Strikes of lightning and spears of ice struck water-wielders and mortals left and right, eliminating any being who got too close to Saige. A handful flung themselves into the ice shield, recoiling and bursting at the sharp bite of Niana’s power.

The heat of the battle allowed Saige’s power to flow quickly into the ground, breaking into tendrils of roots. Unlike before, something stunted the expansion of her light though. When she imagined it moving past where she knelt, it halted and recoiled.

She looked up. Niana’s hands were held out, the shimmering blue barrier surrounding them in the very spot her magic couldn’t get past. Eyes closed and hair loose, a divet between Niana’s white brows formed as she expelled all her concentration onto the very thing protecting Saige from further harm.

“Lower it,” Saige barked.

Niana’s eyes opened wide, the color around her pupils so bright it was almost blinding.

“I can’t push my magic past your shield.”

Niana cursed under her breath. “You’re going to be exposed.” Her gaze dragged to the dagger sticking out of Saige’s gut. The skin around it was numb.

“Then you’ll have to protect me.”

Niana hesitated, but her friend knew there was no time to waste. There was no other choice. The blue shield fell as her hands dropped to her side. Niana’s voice was loud as she barked orders, demanding warlocks and witches to gather around. Conor retreated closer, his face swinging towards her in worry. Behind him, Hadeon’s sword flashed in the moonlight, a shield of lightning meeting his blade.

Without hesitation, Saige urged whatever control she held in her mind to dissipate. Her back arched as starlight fully consumed her, wisps of magic flowing into her chest and palms. Her body hummed with energy so intense that her fingers broke past the first layer of hard dirt with a sharp bite. A hoarse scream escaped her lips as heat rushed through her, numbing her body further. Magic consuming her was so familiar. Once terrifying, she welcomed the feeling instead.

This was what Saige was made to do.

Starlight flowed through her more naturally, filling every crack and crevice of her body, until all she could see was the blinding white light of her soul. With each breath, she urged more and more magic into her, begging it to release through the ground. She imagined it breaking out into tendrils, flowing like roots. It would travel not just towards Etrane and Tiranos, where the mist was strongest, but across all of Opela.

Protect, heal, smother.

The words rang in her mind as she imagined her light and the stars eating away at the mist, traveling even into the depths of the Otherworld and beyond.

Vision white, stars burst before her eyelids. The sounds of the battle, screams and pleas, became muffled as if her ears were covered. She no longer felt the ground below her or the dagger in her gut. Her body was consumed with a buzz of energy that almost didn’t belong to her.

The world around her shook as visions swelled in her mind. Her mother’s face appeared, smiling down at her. It was so real—she could feel her soft hands running through Saige’s hair, a thumb wiping away at a fallen tear. Was she crying? “You’re everything to me,” her mother murmured as Saige leaned into her touch.

With another brutal shake, the ground shifted from hard dirt to soft sand squishing between bare feet. The buzz of liquor lit up her veins as Althea took Saige’s hands and ran with her. Her friend was supposed to be on the battlefield, fighting off stray wielders and tending to the warriors’ wounds. But instead, they were in Denholm. Althea’s laugh was infectious as a giggle burst from her full lips. When was the last time Saige truly laughed like this? Not for many years. She wished to live in this, overcome by joy that she never allowed herself.