Sage wanted to think that visiting his tribe was a mistake, but it was brought them closer together. Dalton was more open with his feelings and she'd felt like now that she understood how the spirit worked. Both it and Dalton just wanted connection. Now that she'd spent so much time with the Sorcerer she could offer what they were missing.

They visited her tribe six more times over the course of three weeks. In that time, she was able to help her tribe as sage and sit as a village elder inked her skin with the runes of the sages before her. They swirled down her arms as a reminder that the past was just as important as the present. She remembered the marks on her grandmother's arms, but she hadn't imagined she'd need to inherit them for a number of years.

She continued to travel to other places with Dalton. They visited the death spirals of Rillis, went open sailing on the lake of Terein, and visited the heart of the Zandaran forest to see the great trees. Dalton even took her deep into the mountains to meet the bull-men manu of legend. Sage was beginning to wonder if all the scary fireside stories were simply that—stories—since there was nothing brutal or beastly about the manu. Like the Sorcerer, they showed kindness and generosity.

Sage couldn't help but feel they were pressing their luck. After all, the Potentate was furious he'd lost his favorite prisoner. Still, she couldn't deny the need of her people. Dalton found new ways to bribe the Potentate's guards to look the other way, and she could reconnect with her tribe.

The more times she visited, the more she was able to reconnect with the land. The air sang louder and louder no matter where she went. It welcomed her like an old friend and she knew that it was her calling. Her purpose and her very being was to be more than a sage, just as Dalton was more than the Sorcerer.

They walked down the riverbank outside her tribe together, hand in hand. Sage could feel the weather growing cold. Her tribe was preparing for another deep and cold winter on the plains and she'd wanted some space with the Sorcerer. The wind seemed to agree. She followed its lead down the riverbank and away from the hustle and the bustle.

Every time she was with Dalton, she felt the air charge around them. Her heart raced when she took his hand each time to travel. She made her goal each day to keep him smiling. There was something so intoxicating about the Sorcerer's happiness. He lit up whenever Sage came in the room. She cherished his smile and never wanted it to fade.

She saw him clearly and with love. Dalton was more than her savior. He'd shown her the world, and he'd let her into his life. He was as close to home as she'd felt, even with her tribe. Even if she had a chance to stay safely with her people, she didn't think it would feel right without Dalton by her side. He was a part of her family that she couldn't let go.

She turned to meet his eyes, and she blushed at his smile. "Have you ever flown?"

The question seemed to catch the Sorcerer off guard. He paused in his steps and reached out to brush a strand of her loose hair behind her ears. "No, love. What's it like to fly?"

The air stirred around her. It had been a long time since she'd indulged in her childhood delights. Riding the wind was home, just like the Sorcerer and her tribe. She let it carry her feet off the ground and allowed the wind to hold her in place. Then she held out her hand and when he took it she pulled Dalton into the flurry of breeze so that he too could walk on the air.

Dalton looked at the ground unsteadily. Then as the wind drew them closer together, she put her arms around him to ease his discomfort. She called the air to blow them down the river as she relaxed against his warmth. It wasn't the time to race or recklessly whoop with joy. She just wanted Dalton to feel the freedom of the sky.

He threw back his head and laughed. She laid her head against his chest. He brushed his fingers through her hair slowly. Leaning in, Sage kissed him on the cheek, directly over his scar. He winced, but she brought her hand over his cheek.

"You are beautiful, Dalton, Just Redeemer," she said. "And I love you more every day."

"You don't mean that, love," he said.

Sage kissed him again, this time on the lips. "Yes, I do. There I no one I'd rather fly with. You've shown me so many fantastical things. This is the only way I can give you something you've never experienced."

"No woman has ever kissed me," he admitted.

Sage's face heated. "Then I guess it's two things. I love you, Dalton."

"Three things." He pressed his fingers to her lips. "You shouldn't make such confessions to the Sorcerer of Trabir. The spirit wants what it cannot have. Please, Sage, don't go down this path."

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you let magic define who you are? I love you, Dalton. I do. I know who you are and you know all of me. Don't let the spirit dictate your decisions. You are home, Just Redeemer. Nothing can take me away from you."

Dalton deflated. "The spirit can. Please Sage, don't ask this of me. Neither of us can endure it."

"Purvi told me that every sorcerer has a trial of love," Sage said. "But once you complete it, you'll be free. The spirit will find a new host."

"Purvi shouldn't meddle in things that don't concern her," Dalton's voice edged with a growl. "I've told you, Sage Bianca, leave this be. Stay with your tribe. I can't take you back to the castle."

His body glowed red, and he sank to the ground on his own with his head down. Sage pushed the wind to land beside him. She reached out to take his hand, but he jerked away. His entire body was stiff and his breathing had quickened. When he looked up at her she saw his eyes were glowing with red energy.

"Stop it," Sage didn't know if she was commanding the spirit or Dalton himself.

The air tensed around her. She could feel the wind at her fingertips, ready to spring into action. It pulsed and gusted as it suddenly threw itself at the Sorcerer as if it was trying to knock sense into her. He seemed to shake, and the light dimmed in his eyes as the air rushed around him before fading into nothing.

"Sage, I'm sorry," he said. "I guess you don't know the real me."

She shook with rage. "But I do. And you know me. I'm Wind Rider, Bianca, and the Sage. I want to free you, just like you freed me. All you have to do is give me a chance."

Dalton walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, love. This has gone on long enough. I can't give you what you deserve."

She sank against him. Sage wouldn't accept this without a fight. It was tortuous being under someone else's control. They both knew that. She would free Dalton from the spirit if it was the last thing she did.

"Don't give up to the spirit," she whispered into his shoulder. "Promise me you won't give in."

"Oh, my sage," he said. "Never let anyone dim your light. You love are an element and more powerful than you know. You won't be able to stay with me forever. The elements always gather to change the world and fight. I can't join you for that."

Sage looked up at him. "I only want you."

He laughed. "A youthful sentiment. There will be time—"

His entire body stiffened, and he pulled away from her. His eyes glowed red and a burst of light flew from his hand. Sage felt a mixture of heat and cold burst all around them. For a moment she was confused, but she heard what he did before the battalion of bare-chested warriors came into view led by the Potentate on a white horse.

"Run," Dalton murmured.

"I won't leave you," Sage said.

She was an element. He'd just said that she was powerful. The last time the Potentate found her, she'd been caught off guard. This time, she could sense the very air around her coming to her aid. A gust of wind picked her up, and she wondered if she could free her people from this monster and end this here and now.

Power surged around her. She took a deep breath and let all of her rage and anger at the Potentate out at his army. The soldiers were thrown around by the wind. Some of the men swung their axes wildly at the air. She walked forward in a tornado of air and wind. The soldiers parted before her, thrown like leaves in a storm.

"Don't lose yourself," the Sorcerer said from somewhere behind her.

The words brought her back to her senses. She remembered that the Sorcerer himself was created from elemental rage. Her powers magnified by anger, were too dangerous. She needed something else to fuel the fire. Sage turned to see the Sorcerer at the corner of her eye. His name was Just Redeemer, and hers was Wind Rider.

They could flee this place. It was as easy as breathing. She let the air dissipate around her and she floated up. Sage reached out and pulled Dalton into the air with her. She readied the wind and a whipping noise filled the air. She turned to see something metal flying at her that snapped around her neck.

All the power left her body. She grasped at the collar around her skin just like before. It choked the magic out of her, and she fell from the sky. She screamed for Dalton, but he was falling, too. Sage begged silently for his magic to save them, but she hit the ground head fist and knew no more.

This was the chapter that was the hardest to write. I hate tragedies, and this story always ends badly.  It reminded me of Paramore's song "All I Wanted." Sage ultimately puts herself out there and loses everything. Fortunately, this is just where Sage's story begins and I plan to do more things with this character. 

"I could follow you to the beginning 

Just to relive the start 

Maybe then we'll remember to slow down 

At all of our favorite parts 

 All I wanted was you."