SAGE (under edit)

Chapter One

PART ONE

Worlds Collide

--------------------------------------------------------------

(Five years later)

Sage narrowed her eyes, holding steady against the gaze of her opponent. She had a short throwing knife spinning between her fingers, and idle habit that required little effort, but the one challenging her was dormant.

Neither made the first move because, in this, it would be the last.

But then her opponent slouched, a deliberate display of nonchalance as if he had decided she wasn't worth the tension. Sage's temper simmered as she saw his hands slip into his pockets and a lazy, confident smile crawl across his mouth.

He was mocking her.

No, Sage thought. He was trying to rattle her.

So she calmed herself. Or tried to, at least. She inhaled a deep breath and then let it out steadily, unhindered by the thin material of the mask which covered the lower half of her face.

'You can't win,' he said calmly, confidently.

'You always say that,' she replied, tossing her dagger into her other hand without disturbing its spin.

But then she felt it: an itch. It was at the corner of her eye, tempting, irritating, and Sage felt her entire focus centre on the itch even as she forced herself to ignore it. Yet she couldn't, because the more she tried not to notice it the more prominent it became, and then the urge became too much.

Letting out a sound of frustration, Sage gave in.

Her opponent sounded his victory with a cheer just as Sage rubbed her eye, blinking in turn. The man she had challenged rocked back from where he sat on the grass and fell onto his back, arms rising into the air like a victory salute.

'I win!' he declared merrily.

Sage huffed. 'You cheated.'

The redheaded Soldier who had been her opponent sat up, giving her a pointed look. 'How? Did I make you blink?'

Having no response, Sage glowered at him instead. He chuckled and rolled up to his feet, then offered her his hand.

Sage relented with a sigh, letting Leon Deltra pull her up. She brushed the grass from the back of her pants and fell into step beside Leon as they left the park.

'Now, as per the terms of our staring contest I would like a large mug of hot coco and meal of my choice,' Leon decided, adding, 'thank you.'

'You just had lunch,' Sage reminded him, mostly because she had little left in her wallet to spend.

'But didn't we agree that whoever lost the staring contest would shout the victor?' he replied, pausing to scope out a teashop when they reached the bustling main street that bisected Lion Crest City.

Sage paused as well, if only to watch the activity buzzing around her. They were in the lively heart of the city proper, where the main thoroughfare widened to allow market stalls to scatter about, for the teashops and fine-dining restaurants to sprawl their outdoor seating and, at night, allowed the patrons of rowdy drinking dens to enjoy a drink or two under the stars.

The street, which ran right through the centre of the city from the front gates to the Renark's Citadel, was simply called The Main. From where Sage stood she could hear the sound of a busker singing along to the lute he strummed as well as the chatter of people enjoying their food while they lounged in the chairs lining the outside of a teashop.