The Forsaken Hero

I rode back to camp atop Fable, my tail shifting restlessly as I pondered the events that had just transpired. Before leaving for Haven, I’d had a nagging feeling that something was amiss, but the moment ”Elise” walked into my tent, I’d nearly lost my composure. Even now, my heart ached, and tears threatened to well up in my eyes. Why did it have to be Elise? I was so close to her, yet so agonizingly far.

I pushed away the memories and worries about Elise, unable to dwell on them any longer or I might actually break down. Thankfully, there was plenty else to occupy my mind, like the upcoming battle or the enigmatic Jessia.

The Apostle of Secrets was dangerous; that much was clear. She’d presented two different faces, names, and at least as many personalities, but I doubted any of them were her true self. Forget guessing her motivations—even trying to keep up with her left my head spinning. Was she light and flirtatious, or a commanding presence?

The only thing I’d managed to glean was that I wasn’t her primary target; she hadn’t lied about that, at least. Probably.

Instead, she seemed interested in me because of some deal with Alverin, or perhaps her relationship with Luke, whatever that might entail. I could understand somewhat if it was the latter, but Luke and I weren’t exactly close. We’d only spoken a handful of times, almost always in tense, hostile situations. It wasn’t like she could capture and use me as leverage against him. I knew from our entanglement that he was far too single-minded to care if an exiled ex-hero like me was in danger. Right?

Which left only the first possibility. Jessia had mocked the Brithlitian soldiers when I proved her curse had no effect on me, claiming her role was done and the rest was up to them. She clearly had no love for Alverin, constantly insulting him when the soldiers weren’t listening, so why ally with him?

She’d used a fake name, Anna, so could she be trying to sabotage them from within? It seemed possible, but if that were the case, then why work against us? If she’d just stayed out of it and let us attack, even if we lost, we would have weakened Alverin’s forces considerably, making it easier for the Infernal Horde to sweep through later.

We reached the camp before I could come to any sort of conclusion, or even sort through the tangle of emotions swirling within me. Our mission in Liceria had been a success, and we’d managed to thwart the first layer of Alverin’s plan, but Jessia’s presence cast a long, ominous shadow over everything. At the very least, she seemed detached from Brithlite now, and hopefully, she would allow events to unfold without further interference.

But the encounter had left me with a sense of unease. She’d been able to shield her soul and true nature from the Oracle of Eternity, presenting herself as anyone she wished without a single outward sign. Combined with her ability to disappear and possibly even teleport, she was a formidable and unpredictable opponent. One I had no idea how to face and, hopefully, would never have to. Fighting the Circle and church without an apostle was more than enough.

The camp buzzed with activity, Bethiv’s orders having arrived well before me. Everywhere I looked, soldiers scrambled about in the dark, many utilizing light spells in their preparations. I smiled faintly as I recognized them as the ones I’d invented, which could adjust their brightness depending on the needs of the caster. Somehow, it must have made its way around. Perhaps Sarra, or even Sari, had shown them. I’d been instructing them both daily, hoping to leave some of my techniques behind when I was gone.

My influence didn’t stop there, though. As I noticed the mages casting protective spells, ordinarily, they’d wait for minutes before the battle. Still, they’d modeled their own spells on mine, maximizing efficiency and removing many effects that unsustainably drained their mana. Some of the more clever ones had even managed to copy the parts that removed the shockwaves that caused protective magic to create a chaotic field of mana when it failed. And yet others were using arrays to combine multiple protective spells—something not even I had studied much.

Arrays had always been a topic of necessity for me, with the limitations of my injured soul. While combining different spell effects had been neat, they quickly became obsolete when I gained access to higher-circle spells. But for mages who couldn’t grow as powerful as I did so quickly, they were perfect to continue to cast oversteered spells and increase the efficiency of the few spells they could cast.

”Gith,” I said, turning to the ranger. He and the other Star Guard members followed a few paces behind, their eyes scanning the bustling camp. I couldn’t help but think their caution was excessive, but we were on the brink of war, and Brithlite was only an hour or two’s march away.

”Yes, my Lady?” he responded promptly.

”Where’s Elinore? I’d like to speak with her before we get moving.”

Gith closed his eyes briefly, then nodded eastward. ”Over there. Looks like she’s with Sarra and Sari. I can sense Wisp there as well.”

”Thanks.”

Without waiting for me to nudge him, Fable turned on his own. As we approached, I glanced down at my lap and found myself absently rubbing my wrist where the bracelet had been. As much as I hated to admit it, that had been too close. I’d expected it, but the moment the Soul Binder clicked around my wrist, I’d nearly panicked. If Adaptive Resistance hadn’t immediately nullified the curse...

I shook my head, banishing the thought. It had worked. That was all that mattered.

Elinore was busy loading herbs and bandages into her spatial ring. Her apprentice Sarra diligently assisted her, collecting piles of herbs, drying plants, and carefully organizing potions.

”Xiviyah! You’re up early,” Sari greeted me cheerfully. She was perched on a cot outside their tent, her legs swinging idly. ”It’s not even dawn yet.”

I smiled and slid off Fable’s back, wincing as the landing jarred the sunpurge. Fable seemed to grow bigger by the day, his shoulders higher and higher off the ground. Or perhaps I was just becoming more sensitive to the pain.

”I’d like to speak with Elinore,” I said, glancing at the healer. ”If you’re not too busy, that is.”

She straightened from her work and looked me over, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the weary slump of my shoulders. ”Inside, I assume?”

”Yes, please,” I replied softly.

She waved me into the tent, letting the flap drop behind me, and I soul-cast a quick Silence spell. The Star Guard would protect us from any eavesdroppers, but there were some things I didn’t want even them to hear.

”You’re not looking good,” Elinore observed before I could open my mouth. ”Did something happen?”

I froze, my tail flicking once, before sighing. ”You’re too much, Elinore. You know that?”

She folded her arms, her voice stern. ”Out with it. What trouble did you get into this time?”

Without any preamble or excuse, I briefly outlined Jessia’s attempt to kidnap me. Elinore remained stone-faced throughout, idly tapping her fingers on the table.

”...and that’s it, I guess,” I finished, rubbing my arm nervously.

She raised an eyebrow. ”That’s it? Then why does it look like the sunpurge has taken another inch?”

I swallowed hard. ”I... I think it has. It started itching when I woke up, and didn’t stop until... well, I still don’t think it has. Every once in a while, it’ll crawl forward a bit. If it didn’t burn every time, I might not even notice it.”

”But it’s starting to add up,” she finished, and sighed. ”I suppose that’s not unexpected; I just wish we had a little more time.”

”At least it’s not spreading to my soul.”

”Not yet,” she cautioned. ”But it might at any time. Just as infernal corruption starts in the soul and jumps to the flesh, if our theories are correct, Sunpurge will do the opposite.”

She lapsed into silence, and I bit my lip, my tail twitching uneasily. After a few long, tense seconds, she rolled her eyes.

”Are you going to make me say everything?” she asked, a hint of exasperation in her voice. ”You came for some salve, right?”

”Can I?” I asked, perking up before quickly suppressing my excitement with a slight blush. ”I mean, um, is that alright?”

”There’s no need to be so modest,” she chuckled. ”We’ve got a battle in a few hours, and there’s no point in letting you run off hurting.”

”Thanks,” I murmured, a wave of gratitude washing over me. She retrieved the salve from her ring as I carefully slipped my dress over my head, shivering in the chilly autumn air. The days when I could simply tug my sleeve or lift my skirt were long gone. The sunpurge had advanced too far for that.

With swift yet gentle hands, Elinore smoothed the salve over my scars. I noted with a pang of worry that the container was nearly empty. From our previous conversations, I knew this was our last supply. I pushed the fear down, though. It wasn’t like I was going to need much more. At the rate it was spreading, and assuming nothing catastrophic happened during the upcoming battle, the sunpurge would claim me in a few weeks, a month at most, if I was lucky.

As she finished applying the salve and I carefully pulled my dress back on, a sharp knock echoed against the tent pole, startling me.

The tent flap opened, and Korra’s head poked through. Her eyes flickered between me and Elinore, then back to me. Her voice was filled with an unmistakable urgency.

”It’s time.”