The Spirit Wilds: Magic of the Green Sage (Fall of the Sages Book 1), стр. 50
Tuni said nothing to that.
“Do you have any other family, relatives living elsewhere?”
“No.”
“Hmm.” Gayla put her face into her knees and huffed. If her injuries bothered her, she didn’t let on, but clearly, the situation conflicted her greatly. A good quality to have from a Sage of the Earth—an eternal affection for all living things.
It was several minutes of painful silence before the sage offered up something new. She got to her feet and stood before Tuni, hands on her staff. “I have little to give you in ways of comfort or relief, but I can give you a choice.”
A lone, stubborn tear came down Tuni’s cheek. She let it fall. “A choice?”
“I can take you wherever you want to go, and you can start a new life. Safe. Or you can stay out here, alone, with your sorrow, and it will probably kill you.”
“Those sound like bad choices,” said Tuni with a frown, her voice catching as some emotions bubbled forth.
“There is one more choice, child.” Gayla’s lips curved into a subtle smirk. “You can come back with me, and help me and Shandi protect this earth, and help prevent tragedies like this from happening.”
Tears came in earnest as the village girl’s chest heaved with a deep pain. It made her groan as she buried her face against her knees. “But it’s— It’s so hard…”
Gayla crouched before her and put a hand on Tuni’s cheek. Her touch was soft, gentle, warm. She wiped the tears from her cheek.
“It will be hard, and we won’t always be able to save everyone. There will still be pain, but you are so strong, so brave, so smart. You can do so much good. Please, help me protect this world.”
The choice was easy. Tuni wanted to help. Staying there to sulk wasn’t an option at all, and starting anew in Al-Sevara, alone, with no knowledge of the city and its culture? That wasn’t an option either. No, she would stay with the sage, she would learn, and she would help make the world a better place. It would hurt, but maybe the good she’d do would help alleviate the pain.
Gods knew that her mother would be proud of her.
So, Tuni nodded, wiped her eyes, and said, “I will help you, Madam Sage.”
Gayla smiled and patted her cheek. “Excellent.” She stood and extended her hand to Tuni. The orphaned village girl took it. Gayla started muttering the spell that would transport them back to her home. Tuni supposed that it was her home now too. She looked back at the remains of the village. At the smoke and rubble. Rows of graves with flower-covered markers sat in the fields outside the walls, courtesy of the sage. At least… At least they were all put to rest with respect.
“Ready?” Gayla asked, extending her hand, the other holding the staff aloft as wind whipped around them.
With a gulp, Tuni took her hand. “Yes.” Then, lips pursed, the sage slammed her staff against the ground, and they were taken by the wind. Tuni was off to begin her new life, being born from the broken bones and scattered ashes of the other.
All she could hope for was that this one would end a lot better.
16
Bishta
Bishta stood on the shore of the Forgotten Continent, her toes digging into the cool, gray sand as the dark, roiling waters of the Eternal Sea crashed against the shore. Occasionally, the water would reach her where she stood on the beach, licking at her ankles and getting the hem of her skirt wet. It was ice cold, but it didn’t bother her, because her blood was boiling.
It boiled and boiled with demonic energy and kept her as warm as she’d felt in the Valley of Fire.
As she stared out over the dark waters that stretched past the horizon where dark clouds swirled, lightning striking on occasion, she could feel her demons out there, pulsing as they traveled the world in search of their prey. Each one carrying her blood, carrying her magic, as if they were her children out there.
And she felt when they were defeated.
The first came when a wave crashed into the shore. Her heart stopped for a second and she lost her breath. Bishta crumbled to the sand as the water rushed in and surged around her, soaking her arms and legs. She sucked in air, gasping, grimacing, as she tried to stand and get her wits about her. It was like a piece of her soul had been snuffed out, a wisp disappearing in the wind.
She knew that some of the demons would fail. These were sages they were going up against. These were the greatest bastions of knowledge, magic, and power in the whole world. They wouldn’t go down easily. Bishta just hadn’t expected to feel this awful about it.
The second came an hour later, just after she’d recovered from the first. The sage collapsed into the sand, the wet grains getting in her hair and all over her face. She shivered. Pushed herself to her feet, gasped. Growled. Why does it feel like this?
Bishta left the desolate beach once she’d recovered. It had been two weeks since she’d summoned the demons and sent them on their dark quests. She’d tried to stay strong, but the ritual had really drained her, which wasn’t surprising. Summoning supremely powerful demons took a lot of magic and as much willpower to control. A normal person could never have dreamed of doing it.
Of course, a regular human couldn’t wield magic, so the point was moot.
Now that her demons were falling, it was time for her to leave this forsaken, forgotten land. She’d be happy to leave such a desolate place. There were little lizards that burrowed in the sand and dirt throughout the continent that she was able to catch with some magic and cook. Not much else. Not much in ways of vegetation. Not a lot of clean water. She’d had to