SAGE
I bit back a curse the mont Makeh released whatever spell had sealed my lips.
The words burned at the back of my throat, hot and vicious, but I swallowed them down before they could escape and wake Adam. He shifted slightly behind , still deep in sleep, blissfully unaware that a being had been standing by our window monts ago.
My thoughts, however, were another matter entirely. What in the goddess’ blazing—
Makeh’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.
Of course she could hear that.
And what is so funny?!
I glared at her as carefully and murderously as one could glare at an entity before dawn. Slowly, I slipped out of bed, careful not to jostle Adam. His arm reached instinctively toward the empty space I left behind, fingers brushing the sheets.
I smiled, watching him, then rembered the golden dragon breathing light into my eye and nearly scaring into a third death.
Priorities. I would co back to him later... We could, maybe, bring to reality my first dream... After sending the maids out of the mansion, of course.
Blushing slightly, I padded toward the door, gesturing sharply for Makeh to follow. She moved soundlessly behind . Once we reached the common room of Adam’s quarters, I rounded on her.
"What in the goddess’ na were you doing watching sleep?" I hissed, keeping my voice low but fierce. "Do you have any idea how creepy that is?"
Makeh laughed outright this ti.
Not the hollow sound I had grown accustod to. This laugh was bright. Young.
And that was when I truly looked at her.
She did not appear as she once had—no drab, worn garnts, no shadowed exhaustion lining her features. Her clothes were now soft and flowing, in shades of deep erald and cream, embroidered subtly at the hem. Her hair looked fuller, glossier. Her face... lighter.
Winning the war had lifted sothing imnse from her shoulders.
"You assu I was there long," she said lightly. "I had not even been a minute before you awoke."
I folded my arms. "How convenient."
Her smile widened.
"Did you know about the dream?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes.
She shook her head. "I only wished to visit."
I did not entirely believe her.
Still, I sank onto one of the couches, rubbing my temples. "I saw the First Queen," I said finally. "And a dragon. A three-headed golden dragon."
Makeh’s brows lifted, intrigued.
"She said the Goddess was pleased," I continued. "That I had chosen love. That I sacrificed my magic and the ancient blood in one breath." My throat tightened slightly at the mory. "Then she told to stand before the dragon."
Makeh listened without interruption.
"It breathed sothing into my eye," I finished. "Golden mist. And then I woke up."
Silence lingered between us.
"Well?" I pressed.
Makeh shrugged. "Probably the Goddess returned your powers."
I blinked. "Probably?" I echoed incredulously. "That is your grand interpretation?"
She smiled serenely.
My irritation spiked. "Right. Fine. That would be wonderful—except I tried a simple fireball and nothing happened."
Another shrug. "The magic will co at the right ti."
I stared at her. "I am not sure I will ever get used to your riddles."
She only chuckled. But beneath my exasperation, hope flared again.
If my magic was truly returning... If that golden breath ant sothing...
I could not help the thrill that stirred in my chest. I had told myself I was content without it. I had prepared to live human, to rely on skill and strength alone.
But the idea of feeling that current of power again—of not being empty where once I had burned—
I could not wait.
Makeh tilted her head. "Will you be Sage from henceforth," she asked casually, "or Maya?"
The question caught off guard.
I had not thought deeply about it. People called both. So still clung to Maya. Others had embraced Sage fully. A few used the nas interchangeably, as if I were two beings stitched together.
I leaned back into the cushions.
"Sage," I said after a mont.
Makeh watched carefully.
"Maya was who I was before," I continued softly. "She was the wolfless girl. The one cast aside. The one desperate to belong." I swallowed. "Sage... was forged in fire. Yes, she made mistakes. She beca sothing dark at tis. She hurt. She raged."
I paused, my fingers tracing invisible patterns on the fabric beside .
"But Sage is also who grew," I said firmly. "She learned restraint. She learned love. She learned sacrifice. She stood before queens and monsters and did not bow to fear."
My voice thickened slightly. "Sage is not just the villain people whisper about. She is the woman who chose differently when it mattered most."
Makeh’s expression softened.
"I do not want to erase Maya," I added. "She is my foundation. But Sage... Sage is who I fought to beco."
A slow nod. "Good," Makeh said simply.
Then another thought nudged at .
"The little boy," I said. "Is he returning to the surface now that everything is calm?"
Makeh’s lips curved faintly. "Soon. I will hand him to Laura."
Relief washed through . "There is no better option," I murmured. "Laura will love him as her own."
"She will," Makeh agreed.
I hesitated. "Will he... grow past that height? Or will he remain as he is?"
Makeh shrugged again. "Ti will tell."
Of course. Ti will tell. Tsk.
Makeh studied for a long mont, then said quietly, "Make a wish."
I frowned. "A wish?"
"Yes."
"What kind of wish?"
"One I can grant."
My mind spun. There were so many possibilities.
Return my magic imdiately. Ensure peace for our kingdoms for generations. Protect Adam from every harm imaginable.
Yet none of those felt... right. Not in this mont.
Instead, sothing older rose within . A question that had followed like a shadow since childhood. A hollow space I had never dared examine too closely.
I lifted my gaze to hers. "Who are my parents?"
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