SAGE

Was I an ancient? I wondered, watching Darius sit up slowfully, gracefully, with an air of resignation—obviously done with the fight, obviously restless as I was.

His eyes raked me from head to toe slowly, as if drinking the sight of me in, the possibility of me in. That gaze wavered, though, when he found no ring on my fingers or necklace with the abstenum mineral.

"Where is it?" he asked.

With the wave of magic energy I perceived then, I knew that he had cloaked us—our words rather—veiled them from being heard by the people around.

The crowd, meanwhile, was growing restless, clamoring for more fights, more bloodshed,...