Sage Blossom’s Blog

I stood there, back against the wall, heart and mind racing. I knew that voice. The sound of it, even muffled by conversation, still filled me with dread. Panic gripped my mind and I struggled to think clearly. It couldn’t be. He was long dead. I took a deep breath and scolded myself for hearing ghosts. Stepping from behind the wall I scurried toward the gate, long hair veiling my face. I moved quickly, managing a vigorous limp, not wanting to catch the attention of the guard. She-urts are not tolerated in the city square. I’d even seen a magistrate whip a woman bloody, chasing her from the drinking fountain, though he did have a reputation for violence.

Eyes darting from side to side through the dark locks of my bangs, I moved through the square and up the steps, and nearly stumbled in my shock.

Standing in the center of a huddled group, a guard, the Praetor with a slave at his knee, and him. Oh, he looked a bit worse for wear. There were scars on his face and his middle was not so thick as the last time I’d seen him. But it was Antonio. Alive. Breathing. And standing not a stone’s throw away.

Gasping in surprise I regained by balance and fairly leapt up the steps. No small feat for a little crippled girl. Once outside the gates I scurried to the market and hid among the boxes and crates, shivering. He’d seen me. I knew it. I saw his face turn, his eyes flash. He was in Port Kar. And he’d seen me.

** ** **

The men stood outside the tavern laughing and drinking as a woman in a ragged tunic stood silent and watching in the shadows. She’d seen Sage race by. Overheard the stranger’s comment and the Praetor’s amusement. Her curiosity was piqued. So now she’d watch and wait. Information had a high resale value in Port Kar, if you knew who to sell it to.

** ** **

On the wharves the two friends spoke in hushed tones, the younger one looking frayed and frantic.

The older she-urt looked her friend over, concern in her eyes. “He wasn’t a ghost, Sage, I saw him too! He was real enough. And he definitely watched you pass by.” Frowning the older woman crosses her arms. “I heard Lex tell the man he could draw up some kind of papers for a fee. Who is he, Sage?”

Sage had climbed from her hiding spot when she’d recovered from her shock. And now she sat huddled on the docks in the fading evening light, her blue eyes bloodshot from a bout of hysterics.

“He’s a dead man, Ami. His name was Antiono, and he died in Ar. Nearly a year ago.” Her eyes fluttering closed she sighed. “Bah, have I lived like this for a year, truly?”

Ami frowned, “Dead men don’t walk.”

Sage ran her hands through her hair and sighed then set about telling her friend who and what the man was to her. She spoke about her mother and father in Ar and her father’s failing business. When she spoke of her companionship to Antonio she whispered, alluding to a life of emotional turmoil, violence and shame. Her emotions moved from sorrow to anger as she recounted her man’s demise. Speaking in clipped angry tones her tale ended with her arrival in Port Kar. Ami knew the rest. She’d taken Sage under her wing and kept her safe those first few hands. She’d tried to teach the young woman how to survive in a city of thieves and cutthroats, though Ami would be the first to admit, the girl still had much to learn.

Leaning her head back to rest on a rough wood piling Sage sighed softly. “And now he’s here in Port Kar. Very much alive.”

** ** **

Sage laughed and wrapped her arms around Zal’s neck kissing his cheeks and nose then ran up the stairs to the bedroom and the washtub. The cozy little apartment had all the signs of a bachelor and she smiled as she kicked clothes and random flotsam off the steps. She didn’t know why but Zal was kind to her, kinder than the most. Well, she had an idea why. But she didn’t dwell on that. It was more than a fair trade for a woman in her situation. True, anyone who’d known would have thought it was an odd arrangement. He made coin scouting for the city. He could’ve purchased a slave for a pittance. But he seemed to enjoy being alone sometimes. And even better for Sage, he seemed to enjoy her company.

It’d been a wretched day. And Zal’s rare offer to come home with him had been a welcome treat. Sitting on the tub, scrubbing at the layers of grime on her skin she smiled and hummed a tune, letting herself daydream that she lived there and then laughing at a random sandal tossed into a corner.

Rinsing her hair she sighed and leaned back in the small tub, letting her eyes flutter close. But it was no use. She couldn’t relax. She was too frightened. Even here, with Zal downstairs by the fire and the doors locked, she was terrified of the man from her past.

Hearing boots on the stairs she opened her eyes. Zal slipped in the tub behind her, sliding his rough hands over her wet skin. She smiled. He was a rare comfort to her in a life filled with hardship. She leaned back against his chest and trailed her fingers over his arms, forcing Antonio from her mind to concentrate on more pleasant things.

** ** **

Sage picked up her walking stick and turned to survey her work. Clothes were put way, dishes washed, lunch made. She’d swept and scrubbed and cursed. That man was a mess. Really, he needed a woman. She smiled at that thought then frowned feeling a pang of envy. She was sure he’d find a woman someday. He was a prankster and took very little seriously, but he was gentle and never malicious.

The sound of a man’s snoring drifted down the stairs and Sage sighed. She always left before he woke. He’d never mentioned it. And she’d never offered to stay longer. It was their way.

Stepping out the door and into the sunlight she shaded her eyes and looked toward the docks, watching a figure step down the gangplank from a recently-docked ship. Frowning at the thin crowd she sighed, hoping the few souls on the docks might be generous that day, then hobbled in that direction, leaning heavily on her crutch.