Page 41 of Bound By Honey

"Would you ever want to do both? I mean, stay in the Charming Four and have a family?

His gaze turned to the fire. "It's a possibility. If she agreed and the others did as well. I don't know if that's possible, though."

"Why not?"

With a heavy sigh, Asher picked up a stick and poked at the hot coals, "There's ... someone. I mean, I have someone I like, but the way things currently are, it's not... We aren't possible."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sage said, her heart aching for him. She wanted to reach out and take his hand in comfort but felt it would be too familiar.

"Don't be. I can't make a promise to her that I'm not sure I can keep. I don't want to disappoint her when I can't be there for her."

Sage listened to the sound of the crackling fire as it slowly died down. She looked at the sky, the stars still twinkling in the night.

She felt a calmness wash over her. "Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be the right decision."

Asher nodded and offered her a small smile. "Thank you. I hope so."

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the night, their future hopes and dreams lingering in the air.

***

The moon was a sliver of silver in the night sky, its feeble light barely able to penetrate the thick blanket of fog that shrouded the countryside. Sage stirred in her sleep, her body waking to a small voice calling her name. She opened her eyes to the darkness, suddenly aware of the child beside her.

"Please, you must come with me," he said. His voice was small, trembling, and his eyes were wide with fear. "My mother is very ill and I need your help. Please."

Sage sat up and looked around the small camp. Asher lay sleeping beside her, undisturbed. She sensed that she had to act quickly.

She threw her cloak off her and pulled it over her shoulders, then stood and walked away from the dying embers of their fire to where the boy stood waiting. He was a small frail thing, his clothes thin and his eyes full of tears.

"Where is your mother?"

"Just beyond the trees," he said, pointing in the general direction of the woods.

Sage studied the boy, her heart aching for his fear and sorrow. He had no one else to turn to and she was his only hope. With a deep breath, she nodded and followed him into the receding flooded forest.

The air was chilly and thick with fog, the mist clinging to her skin like a thin layer of ice. She shivered as she walked, the boy close beside her, his hand gripping hers as if it were his only anchor.

The forest was dark and silent, and it seemed like they were the only two creatures alive in the world. The trees loomed above them like silent sentinels, and an owl hooted in the distance.

They reached a clearing, and the boy pointed out a small hut. Leaves thatched the roof and large, dark-brown stones made up the structure's walls. A window on each side and an open door with a small, smokeless fire. The moon above peeked through the clouds and reflected off the puddles in the mud surrounding the home.

Sage stepped forward, her feet sinking deep into the mud. She hesitated, her heart pounding, before pushing open the door.

Inside, the hut was dark, only lit by moonlight. A woman lay on a bed, her skin pale and breathing shallow. Sage could see that she was deathly ill.

She knelt beside the woman and touched her face, tears stinging her eyes.

"Please," a whisper broke the silence. “Help me,” the woman said.

Sage nodded and began pulling bottles and cloth from her bag. She prepared a potion of willow bark to break the fever and help her recover, adding a few drops of lavender oil for its calming properties. She then made an ointment of honey and garlic to help alleviate pain before finally making a healing salve of yarrow and olive leaf. She applied all these remedies topically.

Sage stayed with the woman through the night, massaging them into her skin, changing her bandages, and ensuring she was kept as comfortable as possible and could sleep peacefully.

By morning, the fever had broken, and Sage knew the woman would recover fully.

The woman smiled weakly at them both. "Thank you," she said softly. "You have saved my life."

Sage blushed under the woman's gaze and nodded. Without her help, this stranger would have died in this tiny hut lost in an ancient forest. She thanked the gods for guiding her here and giving her the courage to help a stranger in need even though she was so far from home.

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