The Forsaken Hero

Korra’s mouth dropped open at the revelation, her eyes stretching wider than I’d ever seen them before. ”N-ninth level?” she stuttered, taking a long moment to find her voice. ”You can do that? Summon something like that, I mean?”

Before I could respond, she shook her head. ”No, that doesn’t matter right now. I believe you. But why not have it crush those armies like it wanted? If it really is ninth level, something like that should be no problem, right?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but closed it again, unsure of what I was feeling, much less how to explain it.

If I allowed the spirit to massacre either army, it would undoubtedly use eighth or even ninth-level abilities. It had already leveled almost a tenth of the city in its initial rampage, and that was without using any meaningful spell or ability. Tens of thousands of innocents had been crushed in their homes or frozen by its aura. I was already struggling with what I had done while lost in my anguish, and the thought of butchering the entire city for such petty revenge made me sick.

But it was the question of the demon army that truly had me conflicted. I’d killed thousands of demons before, and planned on slaughtering many more, but I couldn’t bring myself to order their destruction. My cheeks colored slightly as I thought of the tall, dark-eyed demonkin at their head. He was my enemy, and had actively fought against me before, and yet...I couldn’t stand the thought of him dying. The thought left me feeling lost and confused. He was an apostle, the leader of the demons. Why didn’t I want to kill him here, when I had the chance?

But I could still see his warm, kind eyes, and the friendly manner he showed me. In Brithlite, in the Ice Gate, and my visions, I felt a sort of kinship with him, the same I felt with Selena, or even Tana.

I groaned and rubbed my horn, attempting to push the dark-eyed demonkin from my mind. Korra raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask my thoughts on slaughtering the armies again, an aged man broke out of a cluster of soldiers and strode toward us.

I glanced at him, at first grateful for the distraction, then overjoyed as I saw his face.

”Bethiv!” I cried, my eyes lighting up.

Before I knew it, my feet were moving on their own, stumbling as best they could toward the veteran. He met me halfway with a smile, but nearly staggered back a step as I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him in a desperate hug. I could feel him stiffen beneath his armor, and my tail twitched with embarrassment at my own shamelessness, but I ignored it all and hid my face against his breastplate. Tears trickled down my cheeks as he hesitantly returned the embrace, one hand on my back, the other stroking the back of my head.

”I’m sorry, Xiviyah,” he apologized quietly. ”I’ve betrayed you and my own men. We all did.”

At the mention of the Last Light Company, I looked up and found myself surrounded by soldiers. I didn’t recognize any but Luxxa and Orion, who flashed me relieved grins, likely grateful I’d finally returned to them and put an end to the storm killing their friends. I wilted at their smiles, but before I could stammer my apology, Bethiv’s hand tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes.

”I know this whole thing must have been hard for you,” he said, ”Just as it was for us. But we’re still here, now, fighting the same fight. Are you willing to stand beside us?”

”I should be asking that of you,” I said, barely holding back a sob. ”But yes, more than anything. If you’ll you’ll have me, that is.”

He chuckled softly and ruffled my hair. ”Of course. Now, what do you say you make it up to us for that damned storm of yours? We could use some of those wards on the front lines.”

I nodded, lingering just a moment longer in his arms before allowing him to step away. There were close to a hundred fifty friendly soldiers in the area, with about half of them currently fighting the enemy. The vanguard of the church’s forces had set up a forward position right outside the walls of the inner courtyard, as well as in the keep itself. We had destroyed the siege weaponry on the walls, but the ballistae and magic weapons in the keep cast spells and bolts at us with devastating effect. Our mages were skilled and experienced, but deflecting all of the attacks was rapidly draining their mana.

The hottest battleground was directly before the front gate shattered by Korra. The church’s soldiers ranged from first to third level, with their officers at fourth. When he was cursed, Bethiv had only selected the strongest elite of the Last Light Company to guard the shard with him, which left us an overwhelming advantage in sheer quality.

But the number of enemies continued to grow, slowly forcing our allies back. A small field hospital had been nestled behind one of the small segments of the tower wall that had remained standing. Life Mages were treating the injured sliders as best they could, but they too were running out of mana.

The situation was looking grim, perhaps I should have ordered the elemental to at least clear out the soldiers directly attacking us first. But what’s done is done, and I refused to allow myself room to regret. Bethiv was right, what’s done is done, and I needed to move forward regardless.

Mustering my strength, I took a deep breath and raised my voice to address the courtyard. ”Nexus!”

With the near-infinite mana of the shard, I initiated the spell on the soldiers of the Last Light Company around the courtyard. Magic circles blossomed under each one, taking but a few seconds to resolve and add them to the Nexus. There was a collective surge of aura as they came under my protection, immediately shrugging off incoming spells and techniques that would have left them crippled.

As the final soldiers were added to my flock, I sent a blaze of spells rocketing into the Nexus. The first task was to renew Mirror Sphere and Blade Ward for any that had lost it. As an afterthought, I shared Adaptive Resistance. Mirror Sphere could hold any spell up to the beginning levels of sixth circle, yet my ability also granted a measure of protection against magical techniques, which, due to their nature, sometimes slipped through the ward.

After adding a few lower-circle buff spells, I turned my attention to the wounded soldiers who lay strewn about the tower. Many had been rescued and sheltered behind the remaining portions of walls, but we needed them on the front lines. I could sense the approaching forces of the church, mere seconds away from reinforcing the advance parties.

”Regenerate!”

Life magic flowed out of me in waves, washing through the Nexus and restoring our wounded to full health. Bones cracked and twisted into proper place, lost limbs regrew, and even the worst cuts and burns faded away. Soldiers picked themselves up off the ground, filling the air with a fresh cry of resolve.

”Rally the company, Orion. Defend the gate!” Bethiv ordered sharply.

”Yes sir!” the veteran cried, snapping a sharp salute. He cast me a final glance before turning away, his eyes shining with pride. I swelled with emotion, a half-smile making its way across my lips. Unleashing destruction upon the city had left me feeling dirty and sick, but this...this was my role in battle. Healing, supporting, and guiding. It felt right.

”Good to fight beside you again,” Bethiv said, favoring me with a smile. Then his face sobered, and he looked out over the frozen city. The roads swam with confusion, a mixture of terrified, screaming civilians and soldiers struggling their way to the city’s center. His gaze ended up back where it started, seeming to lay a weight across my shoulders. ”What are your orders, my lady?”

I glanced at Korra, who dipped her head in an encouraging nod. ”We need to hold this position,” I answered, increasing in confidence with every word. ”Lieutenant Joel and my ice spirit will lead the rest of the Last Light Company out of harm’s way. But...it’s going to be tough for us. With everything I’ve done, I’ve practically bared my soul to the demons. They’ll be fighting tooth and claw to reach me, and the church isn’t any different. The fortress is their main asset in this battle, and we’re clogging up the entrance. If they can’t sure up this line, they won’t be able to stand against the demons.”

”So both sides will be throwing everything they have at us,” Bethiv mused, ”Sounds like old times, only this time we’re fighting our own countrymen in addition to those damnable demons.”

”Things are different now.” I reached out to stroke Fable’s coat and then shared a look with Korra. ”We’re not alone this time, and we’re fighting for something more than ourselves. If we fall here, there’s no one to stop Alverin or the church from implementing their insanity. We can’t afford to lose, and we’re not going to.”

”How can you be so sure?” Korra asked, though not doubtfully.

I gestured up, drawing their attention to the three arrays I’d been casting in concert. ”I’ve invited some friends.”

Before their jaws could drop, I clenched my hand into a fist and completed the spells. They flashed as mana from the shard, as well as the great gate over the city, flowed into them, and my summoning call rang out once more. ”Elemental Spirits: Ice.”