Chapter 4

Sage groaned and tossed in bed that night. He just couldn't seem to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, and Lord knew he was tired. He rolled over and spied his roomate sound asleep. Damn him. Sage rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, his tired body parts and drowsy mind crying out to him to sleep, let them rest. But he couldn't sleep. He'd shut his eyes and nothing would happen. He finally gave up, against his body's furious complaints, he sat up and got out of bed. He gazed out at the window he and Rowen sometimes left open. Tonight they had closed the panes but had left the curtain and blinds drawn. He walked to the window and pressed his hands against the cold glass, he gazed up at the starry sky with a sigh. He then directed his gaze down to the garden, its beauty could be well appreciated in the day, but at night it was creepy. Sage shuddered, he saw a shadow move, What was that? He quietly opened the window and a cold breeze slapped him in the face, but he still leaned out the window to inspect the shadow, stretching out his sense... Ryo. His grey eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly and allowed him to locate Ryo's exact position. Unfortunately for Sage, though his gift allowed him much insight into other people's whereabouts and intentions, it also could some times alert someone of his presence if he wasn't careful, like now. Ryo stepped out into a shaft of moonlight where his body was illuminated making it almost impossible for someone not to be able to identify him, unless they were blind. Ryo raised his head to spy Sage gazing at him from upstairs. He gave him a slight nod of his head and gestured for him to come down. Sage smiled and waved, letting Ryo know he'd be right down. He shut the window, maybe a walk could help his insomnia.

"What are you doing up?" Ryo asked him as soon as Sage neared him. He had put on a sweatshirt and jeans. Sage sighed, "Hi to you too."
Ryo flashed a small smile, "Hey, I'm sorry for earlier when I bit your head off."
Sage shrugged, and he and Ryo began to walk through the garden and past the gates that led out into the woods, "I was just worried ya know, cause you usually call and say where you are. You're just responsible like that." He paused and sighed, "Or you used to be responsible like that. Now Cye says you're lovesick and don't know which way is up and which way is down... Sage, bad stuff is going down again... It may be the Dynasty, or it may be something else...but we need you to be focused. Sage, you may not know this, but you're as important to the group as I am, you're the calm one, and you're the strategizer. Rowan may be a genius, but you're quicker at figuring things out than he is."
Sage was silent as he gazed at the stars and listened to Ryo's words, "You're flattering me with your compliments Ryo," Sage joked dryly.
"Sage, I'm not joking around with you..."
"I know," Sage interrupted him, "I get what you're telling me. You want me to get my head out of the clouds and back into the game."
Ryo did smile then, "Yeah, yeah that's it. And I'm not saying you shouldn't go out with Sylvia... just maybe not everyday, and maybe not for so long."
Sage nodded, of course, being a Ronnin Warrior was his duty, his life's calling.. Having a life... well, that was different, and in his world, unimportant.
"Sage?"
"Yes Ryo?" Sage asked turning to look at Ryo, his blue eyes were serious. Sage wondered how his own eyes looked? Serious, as usual...or drugged, cause that was how he was beginning to feel. He shivered a bit, and it was starting to get chilly.
"I'm glad you understand and don't think I'm trying to..."
"Ryo, this is our destiny. We have been given special powers to use to save our world... We have to take advantage of that. If the world falls, it's on our hands. Do you think I want to responsible for that?" Sage's grey eyes were threatening to close, his lids were so heavy. Why couldn't he fall asleep in bed? No... instead he's got to fall asleep outdoors. Sage wondered if this was the sort of thing where he would be tired out here talking to Ryo, and be wide awake again once it's time to get back into bed..
Ryo nodded, "I knew you would understand... Lord, I will hate trying to have this talk with Kento, or Cye. Kento would just get angry and yell at me and stalk off being even more rebellious than ever.. And Cye, that hopeless romantic would go all sad and depressed even. You and Rowen, well you guys are... I don't know, you just seem more mature than they are... maybe even more so than I, sometimes. I really am glad you have Sylvia in your life now Sage, it's wonderful to see you start opening up to someone, and looking happy all the time. I wish I could find someone like her who would have that same effect on me. Keep her around Sage, for as long as you can. She's good for you man, just don't let her become too good when she starts interfering with your duties."
Sage nodded stifling a yawn, "Thanks Ryo."
Ryo patted him on the shoulder, "Sage?"
"Yes?"
"You cold?"
Sage frowned at the question, then realized he was shivering slightly. He tried to control it but his body still shook, ignoring his commands, "A little."
"You should go back inside," Ryo said. Sage nodded slowly and bid Ryo good night. He began to trudge back to the house when Ryo called over his shoulder, "Hey Sage?"
"Mmhmm?"
"What I said earlier? Well, you really do look like shit. Go to bed," Ryo laughed lightly and continued on deeper into the woods feeling the burn of Sage's glare on his back.

"This is taking too long," Sylvia paced around the darkened hospital room. She gazed out the window and shuddered, the darkness outside... They were coming... Oh Goddess, They were coming. How did They find them? How did They know they were here? Sylvia walked beside the bed and gripped her mother's hand, "Mommy, you have to wake up soon. They've found us. I thought you said we'd lost Them. I thought you said we could get away! They're coming for us! I can feel Them, just like you taught me too. It grows cold in this world, and the night falls too fast. They'll be here soon, Mommy, and when they come, if you're not well, we're going to die. I don't know what to do to speed up the process, maybe..." Sylvia left her mother's side and walked to the drawer beside the bathroom door. She opened the bottom drawer and carefully removed all of her mother's clothing from the drawer revealing a dark leather bound book. She lifted the book with a grunt and set it down on the floor. She quickly put all her mother's clothes back in the drawer, lest a nurse were to come in and check up on her late that night. Sylvia took the book to the window seat hoping the moonlight woul dbe enough for her to read by, because she did not want to risk disturbing her mother by turning on the lamp beside the bed. She opened the old book, hearing its binding yawn from old age. She thumbed throughh the pages trying to find the one that she had marked. There it was.. Transference. She read and reread the spell. She had done everything right, and exceeded normal standards by transfering from an individual with healing powers. The only thing she could do was wait. She sighed, life wasn't easy for a witch... especially a Weald. All her life she had never known a single place, a single country, a single world, as her home. Her kind was always, forever, running from the Darklings. Sylvia's memories ran back centuries, trying to locate one single place that they had been able to live for longer than a few cycles. None came in to play. And now she and her mother were the last of their race that was left... Sylvia, though old in the standards of this world, was still just a child in hers. She still needed her Elders' guidance and protection... she needed her Mom, but if her Mom didn't get well soon, Sylvia knew she would have to run herself, and leave her own Mother behind. She felt a tear wetting her cheek, she had done everything right, it should work! She closed the book and brought it and her knees to her chest and cried silently, Please... Please Isis, hurry the process, we must get out of here. Please Isis, I need her.
She turned her head slightly leaning it against the cool window pane, the dark clouds outside loomed over the brightening horizon, hurry.