Sage was too much of a fighter to actually want to die. However, if she wanted out, death seemed the only reasonable option--even if the death was a fraud. If she did it properly, the village would assume that she had been killed by wolves or a bear.

Then the mysterious captain would have no reason to kill Lily or burn Rynnlee to the ground. She could slip off into the sunset with no one the wiser.

The town was better off without her anyway. It always had been.

Sage scanned the street. No one seemed to be paying any attention to her or her house which was set back from the street. Taking a deep breath, the brunette hugged her small satchel and hurried off into the woods.

She had barely made it half way when she heard someone approaching her from behind. Sage ducked from behind a tree and cursing herself inwardly as she realized that she was being followed.

The thin soldier, called Ansel, came into view and examined the ground. The spot where she had pivoted to hide had a deep shoe print of hers clearly in the mud.

"Come out!" the soldier said in an eerie sing-song melody. "I just want to know what you are doing walking alone in the woods. I would be very happy to join you."

Sage could only guess what would happen if she revealed herself. The man's thin face spoke of past horrors he had committed, and the brunette did not want to be the next on his list. She cursed herself for not being more careful.

Of course the soldier would follow her. He had changed clothes and spent time leering at her while she was at work. The woman realized she was foolish to think his actions would end there.

The thin faced soldier closed his eyes and listened intently to the forest around him. Sage held her breath. Picking up a stone, she threw the pebble over the man's head and disturbed the branches above him. Snapping his eyes open, he looked upward toward the source and squinted into the trees.

"I do not think you are that good of a climber," he cooed. "Which means you must be nearby, little bird. Come out before your wings get clipped."

Something skittered off in the distance beyond the soldier. Ansel turned his face away from her and walked slowly in that direction. It was the break Sage was looking for.

Once his steps had fully receded, Sage released her breath slowly through a small part in her lips. Taking off her shoes and holding them in her hand, the lady padded silently through the woods in the opposite direction.

Soon enough, she reached the stream. With a long glance over her shoulder, Sage then listened with her eyes closed as the soldier had. All the brunette heard was forest noises, but that could change at any moment. She needed to hurry.

Pulling out the clothes and the knife, the lovely woman went to work. Her hands trembled as she tore the dress that looked quite similar to the one she was wearing. 'Hopefully no one would notice the difference.' Cutting and ripping, Sage made a haphazard pattern, even throwing slices of the cloth in the river to be washed away.

Then came the hardest part. Although Sage had contemplated faking her death when she ran away from Lakyle, this was the part she simply could not stomach. Puffing out her cheeks, the brunette cut her hand, letting the red liquid spill onto the garment. The wound stung, but the pain in her heart stung more as she actually felt a tear run down her cheek.

The woman couldn't remember the last time she had truly cried, if ever. She wiped her face with her sleeve and continued to work. The small amount of blood mixed with water from the river soaked the dress, making it look quite convincing. Sage was satisfied, and a little sickened, by the results.

Bending down to adjust one of the stray strips of cloth, Sage felt an arm come around her waist and throw her to the ground. The noise of the river had covered up the man's approach. Ansel straddled her with his knees, pushing her further into the soft earth. However, she was not completely defenseless.

In one quick motion, Sage flicked her wrist, pulling out the knife which was tucked in her waistband. She held the weapon to the neck of her assailant.

Ansel faced her with a wolfish grin. He slowly lifted his hands in the air and scooted back onto his knees. Whatever he had planned to do was thwarted, yet his smile remained. "You best not hurt me with that dagger or the captain will not be pleased."

Sage considered the statement. The soldier had been with the captain earlier in her home, which probably meant he was valuable. Maybe she could use Ansel as leverage to stop their plan.

But it was just as likely that the captain would hurt them all in retaliation. Sage lowered her weapon slightly. She stood, and stepped to the side in order to pull his attention from the river and give her a direction to run.

"You have changed clothes," she commented nonchalantly. She had no desire to let him know how afraid she actually was.

"A soldier sticks out in this town. I needed to blend in. Don't worry, I'll be back in my uniform and collecting the tribute shortly." Ansel circled her. "What are you doing out in the forest? I know you were not thinking about running." He pushed his toe at the bloody dress.

"Of course not," Sage lied. "I am just washing clothes."

Ansel was cocked his head. "Interesting technique. If I did not know better, I would say you were trying to make it look like you met some misfortune at the river."

Sage rolled her eyes and threw her weight into one hip as she placed her free hand on it. "You cannot blame a girl for having a back up plan. Silver will come after me once I betray him. Best if he thinks someone beat him to it."

"You do not need to worry about all that. Once you prove yourself, our dear Captain will protect you." Ansel assured her. He stepped toward Sage, and she raised her knife, making him stop.

The soldier shook his head. "I had another reason for following you, My Lady."

"I am sure you did." Sage gripped her knife tightly. Her obvious disgust pushed Ansel to the brink.

The woman watched as three or four expressions crossed the man's face before he lurched forward and grabbed Sage's arm. "You think you are so smart," he growled. "That knife won't protect you if you make me angry…Now, I need to know what you said to your friends."

Sage tried to wrench her arm from the man's grip, but his feet were firmly planted, and he pulled her close to him instead. She could smell the stench of his breath and gagged. "I said nothing about you or your boss if that is your concern. The 'friends' were just worried about me."

Ansel searched her face. His tall frame towered over her as she glared at him, fighting the urge to vomit from his halitosis. Satisfied, he released her. Pushing against him to create some distance, she left a red handprint on his brown tunic.

Sage checked her arm for bruises and then wrapped her cut in a small piece of cloth from her satchel. She stared daggers at the man. Ansel had no right to touch her and he knew it, yet twice he had accosted her in one day.

Regaining his calm, the thin man looked down at his tunic and shrugged. Unlike Sage, he has seen a fair share of blood.

"Allow me to escort you home, My Lady," the soldier gave her a smile that did not reach his eyes. "We wouldn't want your boyfriend to miss you."

"Silver will never fall for this." Sage taunted. "You are wasting your time."

Ansel shook his head in mock sadness, "He better fall for it, or you know what will happen. You better sell your performance."

Sage arched her brow before flashing a flirtatious smile. "I'll have you know I'm a superb actress. I have had years of pretending to find small men's petty discussions wildly interesting." She batted her eyes at him.

The soldier frowned. Ansel could see she was playing him for a fool. "Then I will just have to sell my performance too. I hope your hand heals quickly, or your cries may not be fake." He sneered.

Any satisfaction Sage had from her insult was suddenly gone. The threat was all too clear. Ansel smiled as he knew his point hit home.

"Now let's get you home, My Lady. It is time to earn your freedom." He reached out to shove the woman toward Rynnlee, but she moved out of his grasp.

"I can find the way on my own," she assured him. "I would hate for my knife to find its way into your stomach."

"Your threat is empty. You would have done it by now if you were going to." Ansel chuckled.

He was right. Sage did not have the nerve to see what would happen to her friends if she attacked. Although Ansel had made himself visible, it was very possible that others were watching beyond the trees. The proud woman squared her shoulders.

"Fine, let's go." She began her steady walk toward town, working to rebuild the wall of indifference that she had begun to crumble. Feeling nothing was the only way to get through life. She had forgotten that key fact of survival.

'Without a heart, you never would have ended up in this situation,' she repeated in her head. 'Without a heart, no one can hurt you. Without a heart, you are free.'

Slowly, she felt numb.