The Forsaken Hero

”I leave for one hour, and this is what happens?”

I hung my head, helpless before Soltair’s exasperated question. ”It’s not like you being there makes it any better,” I muttered. It used to, but I had too many memories of him standing idly by.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. ”Fine, but you’d better win. I won’t have you bringing shame to our party, you hear? The City Lord and his councilors are already skeptical enough that we let a dragon slip away.”

I dipped my head submissively, grateful he didn’t accidentally punish me again. News of the duel had through the campus like wildfire, and Soltair asked us about it the instant we arrived at our lodgings within the Central Citadel.

Trithe sat on the couch beside Soltair, snuggling into his embrace. ”I’ve heard of this Prince Eric. The Fire Kingdom is well known for their, well, use of Fire Magic.”

”I hope so,” Fyren grinned. ”But I’m afraid our little prince has only dug himself a hole. How could a student’s flames, even if he claims to be a Dragon General, possibly compare to the real thing?”

”I suppose that’s true,” she said. ”I wonder what’s going through his head now. I’m sure he’s learned who you two really are by now.”

It didn’t take too much thought to picture it, not when I’d experienced Vorinth. I’m sure the match would be filled with nothing but disparaging remarks and abuse.

”In any case, make sure to get some sleep tonight. After your duel, we’re going to go hunt down the dragon.” Soltair explained.

I nodded and rose, heading to my room. As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I became conscious of the feelings swirling through me. It wasn’t fear, or even anticipation, as had characterized every duel I’d been forced in before. Instead, I felt...impatience.

The following morning, we met Elise at the library. Her appearance was as radiant as usual, practically gleaming in the morning sun, but her face looked tired and haggard. She sat on a couch in the inner library, staring at her hands, which were tightly folded in her lap.

”Elise!” I called, sitting beside her. We were close enough our thighs and shoulders brushed, but I didn’t recoil from her touch. For some reason, being near her filled me with warmth.

”Oh!” she looked up, startled. ”Xiviyah. I’m glad you’re safe.”

”Safe? Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

”It’s nothing,” she sighed, brushing a golden strand of hair away from her face. ”I just wasn’t sure if...never mind. Are you ready for the duel?”

”Of course. We spent a little bit of extra time training with just Fyren and me this morning against Soltair and Trithe. I’m confident we can handle anything they throw at us.”

”Soltair?” Her face brightened. ”He must be the Sun Hero. I’ve always wanted to meet him. Is he as strong as they say?”

”Pretty much, although he’s prone to getting overconfident at times. And he’s impossibly dense.

She covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle. ”Why am I not surprised? Even so, do you think you could introduce us?”

”He’s already got a girlfriend, though.”

Her eyes widened, and she blushed furiously. ”Not like that! As a princess, I already have a fiancée arranged for me back home, anyway. It’s just that the only magic I can use is Sun Magic, so I wanted to try and learn something from him.”

”Oh. I guess that’s why they call you the golden princess.” I’d never heard of anyone unable to use different types of magic. Even abilities only provided affinity, and I, with all my limitations, could still cast other types of magic. Perhaps she just wasn’t very good at them?

”Something like that.” She chuckled nervously. ”Anyway, has anyone told you the rules of the duel?”

I shook my head, and the smile returned to her face. ”Great! So, basically, he challenged us to a death match, which means anything goes. The arena protects you from dying, so there’s no need to hold back at all, and things like magical items are allowed. The battle continues until all three from one side are taken out, regardless of how many people remain on the winning side.”

My tail twitched as I rubbed my horn thoughtfully. ”What’s the limit the barriers can absorb?”

She glanced at me, curiously. ”I think it’s like eighth, but I’m not certain. It’s not like we can get that strong anyway, right?”

”Fyren?”

The adventurer chuckled, shaking his head. ”My fire may be stronger than it seems, but don’t worry. If the barrier’s that strong, we have nothing to worry about.”

”I know. I’m just worried the healing array won’t be able to repair the damage in time. Let’s tune things down a bit,” I said.

”Of course. But I don’t think I’m the one we should worry about. Isn’t Mirror Shield going to be too strong?”

”Yesterday, I found a way to modify it to reduce the reflective power. Instead of twofold, it’s nearly equivalent.”

Elise looked between us, her mouth agape. ”M-modify? Like, change the chant?”

”Something like that,” I avoided her gaze. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but some secrets were far too important to share with anyone.

”So we can expect them to be using powerful magic items. Any ideas of what they might bring out?”

Elise pursed her lips thoughtfully. ”I guess it depends on how many people they’ve told about it. A few months ago, one of the other Four Dragon Generals challenged the Undead Hero. They made it a big deal around the entire campus, and thousands of people came to watch. I can only assume they’ll be more careful, this time. Or, they might reveal some of their hidden trump cards. Each house has existed for hundreds of years and accumulated a lot of hidden powers and magic items. Even Titan, the weakest house, has a few things close to the level of Divine Artifacts.”

”Why did they challenge Connor?” I asked.

She shook her head, a wry smile tugging at her lips. ”A similar reason, actually. He refused to give the Dragon General face, and they overreacted. To be honest, I’ve never seen such a one-sided duel before. The Undead Hero could have ended it in a matter of seconds, but he dragged it out for several minutes, utterly humiliating the Dragon House.”

”So this is a grudge match, then,” Fyren speculated. ”I can’t imagine the best and brightest mages like being upstaged by newcomers like the heroes. We should be prepared for some underhand tricks.”

”Did the Titan House give you anything to help us?” I asked.

Elise dropped her gaze. ”They said it was too...personal, and that I shouldn’t besmirch the Titan name any more than I have.”

”Oh. Don’t worry, it won’t matter. We’re still going to win,” I assured her. She smiled, but a hint of sorrow lingered in her gaze.

”It’s time,” Fyren said, glancing up at the magic clock in the library.

Nodding, I stood and offered a hand to Elise. She stared at it for a moment, then grasped it tightly. A strange sense of warmth flowed into me as resolve settled into her features. Was this how Soltair felt when he pulled me from the warehouse all those months ago?

No, this was different. Soltair had never helped me stand, not on my own. He was only interested in the role of savior, of forcing others to depend on him. I wanted more for Elise. I wanted to help her gain confidence, and improve herself so when I left, she would be okay without me.

”I think it’s about time the Dragon House learns what happens when you offend heroes,” I murmured. ”If Connor couldn’t teach them, I suppose we’ll have to pick up the slack.”