The Forsaken Hero

Their words entered me, slicing through the darkness like the first ray of the morning sun. I hadn’t dared hope that the reason they returned for me was for...well, me. Hearing them say it dispersed whatever doubts I’d been holding on to, forcing me to face what they had been trying to tell me the entire time.

As I grappled with this newfound perception, Dyson frowned, lacing his fingers together. Glad we got that settled, but one thing bothers me about this Alverin fellow. Why did he give away their base location? Even if he thought Starlight would attack on her own, and thus be easily caught, why risk it? Why not set up another ambush like they did last time?”

I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat. It was too much to admit the possessive nature of the slavers, and how desperately they wanted to enslave me again, to claim me. Fortunately, there was another reason, too, though it was Vithrass who gave it to me.

My hands held a slight tremble as I looked around the table, focusing on the faces I so desperately wanted to trust. I had taken a big step earlier in admitting my true name and identity, but they had already known that. This was much harder, a secret I didn’t want anyone to know.

”I’m, um, good at magic,” I said in a choked whisper.

Rasce snorted. ”That’s an understatement. But you can’t even use combat magic, and even if he wanted to enslave a mage, why didn’t he do it when you talked?”

”Hey, let her finish,” Tana said.

He rolled his eyes but gestured for me to continue. After another breath, I’d gathered enough courage to say, ”There’s some law they follow that prevented him from acting, but now that Vithrass is dead, there’s...sorry, what I was trying to say is that I accidentally perfected the curse magic they’ve been working on–the Heart Crest.”

”You accidentally invented a new spell?” Rasce asked, disbelieving.

I flushed red, looking away.

”It wouldn’t be the first time,” Tana said, coming to my rescue. ”She taught me a bunch of arrays she developed.”

”Tana,” Helron said slowly, ”you remember who she is, right? If my sources are right, she didn’t just develop a few arrays. She invented them.”

I froze, a shiver running down my tail. That was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, known only to the upper echelons of the Inquisitors. How could a guild master in a small country city possibly know something about that?

”What?” Tana asked, her eyes growing wide.

Helron nodded. ”It’s true. Starlight, or, perhaps, more accurately, Xiviyah, is the Fate Hero. An acquaintance of mine fought beside her in the double gate incident, when the demons first threatened to overthrow Brithlite. The story he told is quite different than the narrative the church gave, though that’s hardly surprising. The church also said you’re a full-blooded demon, Starlight, and even if I haven’t known you long, that’s clearly not true.”

”Of course she isn’t,” Dyson said, shocking me with his vehemence. ”She’s as kind and gentle a girl as any I’ve met. Only a fool would believe the rumors the inquisitors spread about her.”

”Exactly my point. Anyway, my friend said she used magic he’s never seen before, somehow combining weaker spells into stronger ones, casting fifth-circle magic at fourth level. She effectively closed the gate by herself, killing the sixth level Gate Commander by herself.”

His words sent another chill down my spine, and I looked at him, unable to restrain my next question. ”Who is your friend?”

He smiled, his stern face losing the hardness that he’d been wearing ever since I entered. ”We’ve known each other a long time. His name is Bethiv, a mercenary contracted under the crown of Brithlite.”

”Wait, Bethiv? As in Captain Bethiv? Even here in Heartland, he’s a legend, known for hunting dangerous monsters all over the northern band of the continent. His team was one of the only Diamond-ranked adventuring teams before they took up strictly mercenary work,” Sorrin said excitedly.

Helron nodded, eyes glowing with nostalgia. ”We often went adventuring together in our younger days, before all of that. Eventually, he drifted on to bigger things, and I got stuck here in management. We still talk from time to time, whenever I get a chance to slip over to Brithlite. Shortly before we found you in the woods, Starlight, he told me about the battle at the Gate, and the valor of the Hero who defended it. Said you saved them all from a rogue demonkin attack early on, too, and then led them to victory over hordes of demons as vast as the sea itself. A couple hundred against tens of thousands, and yet you came up on top.”

The rest of the Glory Chasers stared at me, wide-eyed, and I blushed, suddenly conscious of my red, bleary eyes and tear-stained cheek. ”It wasn’t like that, they’re the ones who sacrificed themselves. I only did what I could to protect them, and even then I fell short. So many died because I wasn’t good enough to save them.”

”I know that’s not true. With the pressure the demons are putting on Brithlite, if even a few demons had escaped from the ice gate, the whole kingdom might have fallen by now. It’s only because of the church’s support they are holding the line, but with the disappearance of the Earth Hero, their grip is tenuous.”

”Is it really that bad?” I asked softly. Thinking of Levin made me feel like crying again, though I wasn’t sure why. Even if he was partly responsible for my fate at the hands of Lord Byron, he hadn’t asked to be summoned here, nor for his role as a hero.

Helron nodded seriously. ”A few third and fourth level gates broke a few months back, just north of the Brithlite capitol. While they’re not particularly strong, the disaster at the twin gates resulted in the loss of most of the military power of the entire region, leaving them unable to properly mobilize against the demons. Church priests and paladins currently bear the brunt of the siege, but even they are barely holding on. The situation’s stable right now, but if more gates appear, I doubt we’ll be able to close them in time, and the demon forces will grow beyond the country’s strength to resist. War will consume the entire continent then, giving the demons a chance to summon more gates and powerful demons to the world.”

His words left the air feeling thick and heavy, stifling to even breathe. I held my tail in my lap, running my fingers over the smooth, familiar ridges. My final conversation with Fate, moments before she died, sprang into my mind, Though the memory was faint, dimmed by the horrors of the torturous months at the hands of Lord Byron, I recalled my final conversation with Fate. Shortly before I was left in his foul hands, Fate appeared to me in one last vision. I was supposed to have died long ago, before even awakening my abilities. Because I didn’t, because I survived, all of this had happened. A small skirmish with the demons was escalating to a full-blown war, and I was the cause. No wonder Connor saw my soul blacker than a demon.

A wave of despondency threatened to overwhelm what little light I’d recovered. Again, I found myself back in the chasm, torn between the shadows of the depths and Sorrin’s outstretched hand. Had I made the right choice? I had brought so much death and despair in my wake. Was it really alright, or even possible, for someone like me to learn to trust and be happy?

”Absolutely,” Tana said, her conviction breaking me from my sorrowful reverie.

I looked up, blinking, only then realizing I had let that last thought slip out loud. Dyson reached out and rested a hand on mine, enclosing my fingers in his warm, calloused grip.

”We’re here for you,” he said softly, just like you’ve always been there for us. Even if you have a hard time trusting us, give it time. We’ll continue to show you we care, and that you can trust us.”

”Oh, cheer up,” Rasce added. ”You saved Ror, didn’t you?”

We all turned, looking at the sleeping foxkin on the floor beside us. Tana had healed his wounds, but he still trembled in his sleep, whining softly at some pain only he could understand. The sight of the child sent a shock through me, and I sat up straight, eyes flying wide.

”Sari!” I gasped, clutching a hand to my breast. ”They still have her!”

”Shhh, calm down,” Tana soothed, ”Do you know where she is?”

I shook my head, my tail twitching out of my lap. ”Fable and I checked the entire lair, but she wasn’t there.”

”Do you think it’s possible this Alverin fellow nabbed her?” Helron asked.

His words tickled my memory, and I nodded, growing agitated once more. ”Vithrass said someone stole a shipment from him, which can only mean slaves. I think he was talking about the cages in the back rooms of the lower chambers, because it had just happened, and the other pens were full.”

”That would explain why Ror was down there two. If they were taken at the same time, they would have been placed together.”

A chill ran down my spine, and I jerked my head, staring at Tana. ”Tana, you have to get rid of the Shadow Golem cores! They’ve been watching us through them the whole time!”

She froze, her face going pale. A second later, two black crystal spheres were on the table. My eyes narrowed as I confirmed the subtle scrying magic within. Raising my hand, I summoned my staff and used what little mana I’d recovered, and cast Dispel Magic.

The black stones crumbled away, disintegrating into fine, black sand. Sorrin swiped his hand, generating a small wind blade that swept it off the table in a cloud of dust.

”Damn it all,” he huffed. ”I guess that’s the final piece in the puzzle. No wonder they were able to get a read on us so well. They knew where we were hitting and when. I wonder why they had any slaves in their lair at all, considering they knew we were coming back for the raid.”

”I don’t think Vithrass had direct access to the magic,” I said slowly, thinking it through. ”Alverin seemed to know far more than he, even telling me to attack because he wouldn’t see me coming.”

”There might be factions in the Circle we’re not aware of yet,” Helron said suddenly. ”With an organization that size and with that extreme of...hobbies, it only natural there will be clashing points of view.”

”Vithrass mentioned something along those lines,” I said, nodding.

”Whatever. That bastard’s dead now, so it doesn’t matter,” Rasce said with a sigh. ”We should take it easy and recover, then plan our next move.”

”But Sari–” I began.

”–will be fine,” Tana finished. ”He probably grabbed her to use as bait against you, so nothing’s going to happen to her as long as you’re here. He needs you, Starlight, and the last thing we can do is let you run right into his trap.”

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right, and I nodded. ”...fine, but I’m going for her as soon as possible. I won’t let her stay a slave any longer than necessary. No matter what, I will see her free.”