Sage's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

Dawn came pale over the tower. Sage tightened her boots and slung her pack over one shoulder. The necklace hummed at her throat, pulling north. She reached for the great wooden door. "Wait." Gaia caught her arm. Blossoms trembled in the woman's dark hair. Her pale green hand held tight, the way it had held Sage's smaller hand for eighteen years. "I have something for you. Don't leave yet." Sage stopped, though every part of her strained toward the door. She loved Gaia. She also could not stand still one more moment. "I'm ready to go," she said. "I know." Gaia's eyes shone. "That's why you need these." She turned and hurried down the mossy steps. Sage waited. Wind slipped through the doorway and stirred her red curls. Then she heard soft paws on stone. Gaia returned, and two creatures came with her. First padded a silver fox, its coat luminous gray, its paws dark as wet earth. Amber eyes fixed on Sage, alert and steady. Behind it walked a strange deer. Its body glowed green, patterned with golden leaves. Wings like a dragonfly's rose from its back. Its antlers branched into living twigs, small leaves budding along the tips. Sage's breath caught. The deer's antlers looked like her own. "The fox will guide you," Gaia said. "He knows the woods past the black river better than I do. He will find safe paths and warn you of danger." She rested her hand on the fox's head. The fox pressed against her palm, then trotted to Sage and sat at her boots. Sage knelt and touched its fur. It was warm and soft. The fox leaned into her hand as if it already knew her. "And the deer?" Sage asked. Gaia's smile wavered. "He carries you when your legs give out. His wings are strong. He is old magic, older than this tower." She paused. "Look at his crown, Sage." Sage rose and stepped close to the winged deer. Its green antlers curved just like hers. The same tines. The same branching shape. Her hand drifted to her own antlers, then back to his. "He's like me," she whispered. "He is part of where you come from," Gaia said. "I found him wandering the day I found you. I never knew what he was. Maybe the ones in the north will." Sage's heart pounded. Her whole life, she had wanted proof she was not alone. Now it stood before her, breathing, real. "Why didn't you show me before?" she asked. "I was afraid you'd leave sooner." Gaia's voice broke. She pressed her forehead to Sage's. "Go. Find them. But take my gifts, so I know you are not alone out there." Sage wrapped her arms around Gaia. Then she stepped through the door. The fox trotted ahead. The winged deer followed, its antlers matching hers. For the first time, Sage walked north with living pieces of her mystery beside her.