The Forsaken Hero

”No, wait, don’t-agggh!”

I closed my eyes, turning away as the last guard flew across the room, ribs protruding from the gaping hole in his chest. The hallway was a mess of blood and gore–what little remained of a patrol of slavers–but hardly unique. We’d left several such massacres in our wake, brutally slaughtering every slaver we came across.

Fable shook the blood from his coat and padded over, looking at me curiously. I snuck another glance at the bodies strewn across the corridor, my tail curling despondently.

”I’m alright,” I said, my eyes flicking to the door behind where the slavers had stood. ”Let’s just get this over with.”

As my hand rested on the doorknob, I hesitated, anxiety twisting within me like a bow. This was it. The last slave room, marked with a big ”10” in the center. She was going to be here. She had to be.

With a deep breath, I threw the door open, revealing a dugout room filled with cages. Anxious eyes stared up at me, reflecting the fear and suspicion felt in their souls. Having done it nine times before, I raised a practice hand, casting Lock Pick on the cages. The slaves gasped as the spell flared and the locks clattered to the ground, the doors grinding open.

I started to give instructions on how they could escape the compound, but my voice trailed off brokenly as my eyes fell upon the final slave in the cage. A small, catkin woman with a scar across her cheek, tilted her head curiously at my lingering gaze.

”...just go that way,” I finished, my eyes dimming. ”There’s a wagon that broke through the tunnel. The people there will help you....probably”

As they filed past, eyeing my horns and limp tail, I felt the strength leave my body and I leaned against Fable.

”Where are you?” I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes once more.

I felt like curling up in a ball and crying. We had come so far, killed so many people, checked every branch and off-shoot, and yet...she wasn’t here.

Grasping my staff, I forced myself to turn from the last slave pen and stare into the darkness waiting for us beyond. The entire complex was built in a giant spiral, every hallway leading deeper into the depths of the earth. Like blood swirling down a butcher’s drain, it all led to one singular point–a place so dark and vile that the thought of it sent a shudder through my frame.

All too soon, we were there, at the end of the central corridor. Fable’s fur bristled against my leg, mirroring my unease, as I laid a tentative hand on the door. The rough, iron-banded wood spanned the entire hallway, denying access to the very heart of the complex. Countless, orderly runes hid within the wood, their pattern a far stronger ward than the spell on the entrance.

Fable growled, taking a step toward it, but came to a rest as I raised my staff, leveling it at the door. He might be able to break through it, given time, yet even here, Vithrass’s presence seemed to slither out from beneath the door. He had to have known we were here, and every second of hesitation only sharpened his advantage.

Yet, even knowing that, my staff trembled. Fear overshadowed my mind, scattering the runes of my spell even as I tried to form them. Vithrass was behind that door, the man who had sworn to claim me, and yet here I was, trying to break in. My every instinct screamed at me to run, or, at the very least, bury my face in Fable’s fur and cry, hoping the world would disappear.

But I couldn’t. Gritting my teeth, I wiped away a stray tear and gripped the glassy handle of my staff tightly, my knuckles turning white. My tail lashed involuntarily as I forced my panic down and embraced my mana, losing myself in the welcoming flow of power. Soothed by the familiar warmth, I took a deep breath, the runes of Dispel Magic seeming to form of their own accord.

The wards on the door were fifth-circle, possessing far too much mana for any ordinary fourth-circle mage to hope to break, yet they shuddered the moment the chaotic swells of my mana crashed into them. The door groaned in protest as the two spells battled for dominance, buckling and swaying against its hinges. After several long heartbeats, the defensive spell shattered, visible as a jagged shockwave of light that dissipated inches from my outstretched staff.

”Let’s go,” I said, my voice filled with a confidence I didn’t feel.

Before I could reach for the handle, Fable lunged forward, slamming into the door. Its magic gone, it didn’t stand a chance, splintering immediately and flooding the corridor with light. The shattered remnants of the portal hung loosely on the hinges, but did little to impede our way.

Blinking back the brightness, my vision slowly cleared, and I choked. The room reeked of blood and despair, stifling my sharpened senses. As the room took shape around me, my heart dropped, and a breathless gasp tore from my throat.

A small figure hung limply from an iron ring in the ceiling, chains binding his wrists and ankles. His body was bloodied and battered, his delicate fox ears and tail torn. For a moment, he was motionless, and my heart stopped until drew a shallow, labored breath.

”Ror!” I cried, reaching out toward him when a cold, familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

”Starlight? Well, this is certainly a surprise. A welcome one to be sure, but most unexpected. How ever did you make it down here?”

My eyes flicked off Ror, landing on the cloaked man standing just behind him. Vithrass’ cruel gaze met mine, a strained smile curling his usually confident lips. Dark splotches of blood were splattered across the dark fabric of his cloak. Ror’s blood.

At my silence, Vithrass chuckled, his shock relaxing into arrogance as he regained his composure. ”You must have fought hard to get here, save your damnable mutt, you’re alone? Whatever happened to those ’friends’ you fought with? Have they perhaps...forsaken you?”

I shuddered at his vicious smile. His words crept into my heart, tearing at the walls I’d so desperately erected. ”I...I saw the truth,” I stammered, my voice a broken whisper.

”The truth...truth..” he tapped his chin for a second, then his eyes narrowed. ”Conflict of interest? No wonder we missed our shipment. Was it HE who stole my other batch too? That bastard! I don’t care if he’s the Lord of Chains or not, how dare he trample the law of first?”

I stumbled back as his sudden anger filled the room, his voice echoing sharply in my ears. For the second time, his mask was broken, revealing naked fury and hatred. Then, all at once, it vanished.

”No, that doesn’t make sense,” Vithrass said, his brow creasing thoughtfully, ”Why would he have appeared to you and not taken...unless that is...or perhaps...”

I edged forward, fully entering the room, as he fell into a series of mutters. I knew he hadn’t forgotten me, but his apparent distraction gave me a moment to get into position and observe our surroundings. The lower chamber was smaller than I was expecting, but several doors branched out of the room. We had already come across the slavers’ living quarters above, which meant this had to be his private room, or perhaps more slave chambers. I desperately hoped it was the latter, as it meant Sari might still be here.

Thinking of the young girl brought my attention back to her brother, who stirred slightly, his eyes fluttered. He took a shuddering breath, the rise of his chest sending a long, thin cut across his ribs slithering like a snake.

The sound broke Vithrass from his reverie, and he snapped, gaze fixing on me. ”No, that’s not possible. The only reason he would have come for you is if you were of worth to him. He already has more slaves than he deserves, and plenty of young girls to ravage, which only leaves...” his eyes widened for a split second before narrowing sharply. ”You did it, didn’t you? You completed the spell.”

I froze, my chest tightening, locking the air from my lungs. ”I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

”You know, Starlight, you’re a terrible liar. But he’s not. Knowing him, Alverin said he wants you because you’re special, because he can protect you and give you meaning. But for as much as preaches about truth, he certainly has a way of twisting it. He wants you for your magic, just like everyone else.”

”No, you’re wrong! Not everyone thinks that, like...like...” Elise, or Thron, or Selena. But their names died on the tip of my tongue, washed away in the grief of the Glory Chasers’ betrayal. Their rejection was only natural, the latest in a long line of those who had cast me aside. It was all my fault. Why hadn’t I just trusted them?

Tears welled up in my eyes, overflowing and spilling down my cheeks. Sensing the storm threatening to overwhelm me, Fable growled, taking a step toward Vithrass.

”Call off your mutt,” the demonkin spat, glaring at the wolf. ”We both know why you’re here. You’ve finally realized what I told you from the start, that you’re lost, in need of a master. Have no fear, even if you’re empty, you can be filled again. I will remind you of the Joys again, and in turn, you will give me all that you are.”

He was practically crooning by the end, his voice soft and seductive. I swooned, swaying unsteadily on my feet, fighting the urge to nod, to give in to temptations. My soul shivered at the thought of being bound again, but would it really be so bad? All I had to do was teach him the curse, and I wouldn’t even know it. Perhaps I could be at peace then, content to please my master in all things.

”Good girl,” Vithrass murmured as I lowered my staff, his voice soft and gentle. ”He probably wanted you to kill me, but none of that matters now, because you’re mine.”

He took a step toward me, the bloody foxkin boy forgotten, a triumphant smile tugging at his lips. His broad, dark-clad body loomed over mine, blocking out the brilliant light of the crystals and casting me in a shadow darker than a starless night.

Lowering my eyes submissively, I tightened my grip on my staff, groaning as a bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. A wave of exhaustion overtook me, the mana rushing from my soul like water from a broken dam.

”You can have me,” I whispered, raising my tired eyes to meet his own, ”but not them.”

Vithrass froze, letting out a strangled cry, as a torrent of mana erupted behind him, flooding the room with light. He threw himself aside, looking up just in time to catch sight of five individual magic circles merging together, emanating strength equal to his own aura.

I straightened, taking a deep breath, letting the power wash over me. ”You can’t have them, Vithrass. I won’t let you.”