The Forsaken Hero

Kahlen had left all of my questions unanswered, continuing to evade until I finally gave up. Nothing about the Lord of Ash made sense, from his existence to his motives. Gayron had warned me to stay away from him, and his advice seemed more and more sound by the minute. This demon lord was a wildcard, and despite his seeming goodwill, he was as dangerous as any hero or inquisitor.

”Fine then,” I said with a long, exasperated sigh. ”Would you at least tell me why you’re here? Like, right now, in my tent?”

”Of course, my lady. You should have just asked,” he said with a bemused smile, flashing a few too many teeth for my liking. ”The Lord of Ash requested I deliver a message.”

I rubbed my horn wearily. ”And that message is?”

”The Circle of Chains has a branch in Liceria.”

I sat up straight, my hand falling back into my lap. ”Liceria?” The name sounded vaguely familiar, and I wondered if I’d glimpsed it on the battle map earlier.

He nodded. ”Indeed. One of my Lord’s informants reported that the City Lord closed off access to the local Shard of Omniscience. She reported seeing several robed figures setting up some sort of apparatus around it but was caught trying to investigate further.”

”The Lord of Ash has spies? Human ones?”

”Perhaps, perhaps not. It is merely my intent to deliver his message.”

”Of course it is,” I muttered, sinking back onto the bed and letting my arms sprawl out on either side. The pose certainly left me vulnerable, but I was too frustrated with the demon to care.

”If you have no other questions, I desire to meet my brethren. It has been long since I met them, and there are several things the Lord of Ash wishes me to tell them.”

I didn’t even bother lifting my head from the pillow to dismiss him. ”Please, just leave.”

The demon’s chuckle echoed softly around the tent, lingering a few seconds after he vanished again. When it finally faded, I was left to myself with only the gentle rise and fall of my breath in the silence that followed. Kahlen’s visit had been unexpected, but perhaps, fate willing, I could still steal a few moments for myself. I really needed a chance to recover from the duel.

Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to be selfish. With a reluctant sigh, I rolled out of bed and stretched, trying to coax some life back into my heavy limbs. Fable perked up as I emerged from the tent, his beautiful golden eyes fixed on me with a questioning gaze. When I moved to walk past him, he rumbled a soft growl and stood, blocking my way.

”I know, I know,” I murmured, gently stroking his head. I’ll rest in a bit. First, would you take me to Bethiv? It’s important.”

He studied me for a moment, his tail flicking back and forth in indecision, before finally lowering himself to the ground with a reluctant sigh.

”Thanks, and don’t worry, I’ll be quick.” I let out a relieved breath and climbed onto his back. Fable was already difficult enough to convince, but if Elinore had still been there, sneaking away would have been impossible.

The midday meal had just ended, and soldiers were everywhere, talking, laughing, and filling the air with excited chatter. As we breezed through the rows of orderly tents, I heard more than snippets of conversation around the duel. Perhaps Luxxa was right, and it would take a few days for the enthusiasm to fade, but at least they were happy.

That was because the officers’ reports left me feeling slightly anxious about the young men and women who followed after me, introducing me to an entirely new aspect of people. I yearned to see Elise, to hear her laugh and see her smile, but it hadn’t occurred to me that others felt the same way about their homes and families—all the more reason to end this war quickly.

Bethiv was seated outside the command tent, watching a few young men sparring on a small green between the mess hall. They seemed no older than sixteen, one looking even younger than me, but their souls burned with third-level power.

Bethiv glanced at me as Fable landed beside him. ”Ah, Xiviyah. I’d heard from Elinore you’d retired to your tent already.”

Though Fable lowered himself to the ground, I still found myself tumbling from his back, my arm muscles a little too weak to execute a graceful dismount. I rubbed my side, wincing as a painful thrill shot through the sunpurge at the rough landing.

”I meant to rest,” I admitted sheepishly, ”but something came up, and I need to talk to you. Please don’t tell Elinore?”

Bethiv’s lips twitched into a conspiratorial smile. ”It’ll be our secret,” he assured me with a wink.

I breathed a sigh of relief, allowing myself to relax against Fable’s warm fur as he curled up behind me. ”Bethiv, do you know anything about Liceria?”

His brow furrowed, caught off guard by the abrupt question. ”Liceria? It’s a relatively large city between here and Brithlite’s capital. The only one, actually.”

”Really? Were we planning on stopping there?”

He chuckled and shook his head, causing me to blush slightly. ”How could we? This entire country is our enemy now, and Liceria has one of the strongest garrisons in the kingdom. There might even be a church presence there, for all we know. Why? Do you need something from there?”

”Well, not particularly,” I mumbled, clasping my hands together in my lap. If the Circle was embedded in Liceria, as Kahlen suggested, what could we possibly do? It wasn’t like Heartland, where the organization was underground and in hiding, but formally backed by the crown. The entire city was already our enemy; going near it would mean a full-scale battle.

I looked around at the laughing men and women, my heart sinking. A youth with bright eyes happened to meet my eyes mid-cheer and quickly looked away, blushing bashfully. I touched my cheek self-consciously, smoothing back a lock of crimson hair before letting my hand fall limply back to my lap.

Could I really ask them to sacrifice everything, maybe even their lives, so I could investigate a potential attempt to further the Heart Crest research?

Bethiv’s smile faded as he noticed the anxious twitch of my tail. ”Xiviyah, what is it?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

”Well, um, the Circle might have a presence there,” I stammered, ”Kahlen claimed they were setting up some kind of experiment or spell at the Shard. I think it might be another attempt to use the Heart Crest.”

Bethiv immediately stiffened, wisps of his aura rising like a chilling mist, causing nearby soldiers to tense and look around uneasily. He regained control quickly, but his voice had lost all warmth, replaced by a frigid fury.

”Is that so?” he asked, each word clipped and precise.

”I’m not certain yet,” I admitted hastily, ”but if it’s true...”

”We’ll kill the bastards,” he finished flatly.

I flinched at the curse and sank back against Fable, biting my lower lip. ”But if we go there, people are going to die. Can we—”

My sentence trailed off as he met my eyes, his gaze burning coldly. ”Xiviyah,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle, ”what did you think it meant when you declared war on Brithlite?”

”Well, I, um—”

”War is death, my Lady. You knew the cost, so why are you shrinking from it now? The Last Light Company exists to fight wars, to shed blood and give our own. Would you deprive us of the chance to fulfill our very purpose?”

I averted my eyes, overwhelmed by the weight of his gaze, and hugged my legs tightly against my chest. Exhausted and worn as I was, my heart felt particularly fragile right now, and the sheer intensity of the moment caused tears to blur my eyes and my tail to curl around my feet.

”I’m sorry,” I whispered, sniffling. ”I... I just... no, you’re right. I was being selfish.”

I had no right to take their agency away from them, to try and shield them from the consequences of their choices. They wanted to fight for the same reasons I did, and deserved every chance to do so. I was willing to die; why wouldn’t they be also?

”Good.” Bethiv settled back with a firm nod. ”Even if it’s you, I don’t want to have this conversation again, alright?”

I nodded meekly, opening my mouth to apologize once more, when a violent jolt coursed through my soul, silencing me. Bethiv frowned as my eyes widened in alarm. Before he could speak, I summoned my staff, channeling my fear into a single word.

”Open!”

The soldiers nearby startled, raising a chorus of alarms, as a small gate shimmered into existence in the air behind us. The moment it appeared, Fable gently gathered me against his side with his paw and leaped through. I had just enough time to call Bethiv to follow before we were swallowed up in the swirling vortex of mana.