The Last War (Book #9 of the Sage Saga) Read Online Free PDF Page B

asked.
    “We know that there are a lot of dangers out there,” James replied. “And we would be able to defend you. We’re Sages.”
    “Don’t you have plenty to do then?” Rupert asked.
    “What do you mean?”
    “The Sage Academy…it’s been destroyed. There’s nothing left of it.”
    James looked over at Catherine and their eyes locked, but she didn’t say anything. She cast her gaze down to the grass.
    James turned back to Rupert. “We were out on a mission,” he said, his voice cracking a little. “But…it doesn’t matter. We’re not fighting in this war. We just want to live in peace.”
    “Fine,” Rupert huffed, “but if you try anything, I’m going to beat you up.”
    “Agreed,” James laughed, throwing his hands up in the air. “And of course, you can still sleep in your beds. We’ll take the floor.”
    “They can sleep in my bed,” Benny said, and Rupert rubbed his hand through the little kid’s hair. James and Catherine each took a step to the side, allowing the children to pass between them. James sighed and Catherine shook her head.
    “The Sage Academy...I wonder what happened exactly.”
    “It’s Harry and Lucy’s responsibility now,” he said. “But I would understand if you want us to go over there.”
    “No, no,” she said, rubbing her forearm. “I think this is good for us. Getting involved will only bring us more heartache.”
    “I’ve had enough of that,” he said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her. “And I need this time to heal.”
    “I know,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “And I want to see you through every step of the way.”
     
    *              *              *
     
    “How’s the shoulder?” Daisy asked as Scarlet grunted in response. “That good, huh?”
    “Shut up!” the Delilah guard whispered as he hit Daisy in the back of the head with his rifle. The blow caused her to stumble and immediately, two more guards came to her side and picked her up by the arms.
    “How much further do we have to walk?” Marie groaned. The guard behind her raised his gun when one of his comrades came to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know that she wasn’t to be harmed so harshly. She couldn’t heal like the others.
    “We need quiet,” the leader of the pack ordered. “We’re going to be coming across an important sect of the Cimmerian army. You’re going to help us take them down. Don’t worry, you’ll still be watched closely, and any defiance will be met with resistance.”
    “I can’t be there,” Marie said as she limped along. The bullet that had gone through her foot had been taken out, but her wound hadn’t been dressed up properly. By putting so much weight on it, she could see herself bleeding through the tightly woven bandages.
    “We’ve heard that you’re a strategist,” the leader said, looking back at her for a second. “You will stay back with me and assess the battlefield.”
    “If things go bad, I won’t be any help.”
    “It’s not my concern. Perhaps your friends will do their job and keep you safe.”
    Marie glared at the back of his head. “Whatever deal Tyuin made with you, it’s not worth it. You actually think he’ll honor it to the end? Just because you’re on top right now, it might not stay that way.”
    “We’re ensuring that it will stay that way,” he said as he lifted his fist in the air. The guards behind him dropped to one knee after kicking their prisoners to the ground. Daisy ended up scraping her cheek up against a rock.
    “If the information is correct, there should be fifty,” the leader said to his second-in-command. “We have twelve plus the Sages. We have to be careful. Unshackle them and send them out first. I want four of us in the treetops above them at all times with poison armament at the ready. If it looks like any of them are going to escape, then feel free to kill them. We don’t need any rogues in the