The Forsaken Hero

As the rest of the patrol filed away, the two guards beckoned us out of the alley. ”Come along. With the demons so close, it’s not safe after dark, so stay close.”

”The demons?” Jessia asked, her eyes wide with feigned fear. ”Are they really going to attack?”

”That’s what we believe,” Tom said, giving her a bright smile. ”They haven’t spared a single city in their march yet, but don’t worry, little lady, we’ll take care of them.”

She smiled back, fluttering her eyelids. ”I didn’t know we had such tall, strong soldiers protecting us. I feel safer already.”

I couldn’t help but suppress a groan, feeling the urge to roll my eyes. At least this charade had given me an excuse to lean on Luke. Not that I cared that it was Luke, specifically, but I didn’t have to carry myself around. If hearing her flirt with a few guards was the cost, then I’d happily pay it.

Despite my thoughts, however, I couldn’t help but hug Luke’s arm just a little tighter, resting my head on his shoulder. I felt so very tired and could think of little more than curling up with Fable. The warmth of Luke’s body was comforting, and I felt myself drifting, the darkness beckoning.

”Xiviyah...” Luke said softly so as not to attract the guards’ attention.

Blinking away the blur of exhaustion, I glanced up to see him staring at me awkwardly. With a start, I realized I’d gotten a little too close, my grip more intimate than I thought, and he was forced to support almost all of my weight. A flush warmed my cheeks, and I quickly stepped back, stumbling over a cobblestone ridge in my efforts to distance myself. I still let him support me a little, we had to keep some semblance of the ruse going, but I was careful not to let myself be lulled into security again.

For some reason, it was almost impossible for me to remain suspicious of Luke. I’d worked so hard in the last few months to learn to trust people, and he was exhibiting all the signs my friends had. Intellectually, I knew I couldn’t rely on him, that he would do anything to achieve his revenge, but I couldn’t truly believe it.

The worrying thing was that I had felt the same way about Soltair. The only real difference was that Soltair had said the things that Luke was showing me, while the apostle made no effort to hide that I was only alive because I was useful to him. But what if that changed, and he didn’t find me helpful anymore? What if the demon lords and emperors in charge of the invasion didn’t like me? What would Luke choose then? From the memories I’d gleaned during our entanglement, the choice was obvious. Nothing was as important to him as revenge.

While I wrestled with my conflicted feelings, Jessia worked her magic on the guards. They practically tripped over themselves to impress her, encouraged by her occasional compliment or flirtatious gesture. She wasn’t just a thief slipping through the shadows, but a charismatic actor, uncovering almost twice as much information through their loose tongues than our efforts scoping out the city. Sure, they didn’t have the detailed information the Oracle of Eternity provided, but troop numbers, deployments, and strategies were just as important. Knowing how many mana cannons there were was useless if you didn’t know how they found their targets or when they were expected to fire.

”We’re almost there,” one of the guards casually mentioned, gesturing toward a barracks a block away. ”Just a little more, and we’ll get your sister patched up.”

The other nodded, though his eyes were still locked on Jessia. ”You know, Claire,” he said, using the fake name she’d chosen on a whim. You seemed pretty interested in the barracks. If you wanted, I could give you a little tour. I know a few secluded places where I could show you some... interesting things.”

He turned to her, expecting her to flutter her eyelashes, or at least blush, but he hadn’t made it halfway before freezing, his eyes wide. Jessia stood directly behind him, a hand on his cheek, another holding a knife buried in his back. I, too, had missed the exact moment she moved, ending up just as startled as the guard.

”I’ve already got plans tonight,” she said, caressing his cheek even as blood bubbled between his lips. ”Thanks for the invitation, though.”

Luke moved the instant she did, blasting a chantless curse spell at the other guard. He didn’t even have time to scream before the black energy rolled over him, siphoning his soul in an instant. He collapsed to the ground, writhing, as his veins turned black beneath his skin, and his eyes went bloodshot. I turned away, bile rising in my throat, unable to watch the final moments of his agony.

”Sorry about that,” Luke said with unnerving calmness. ”But it wasn’t like we could actually follow them inside. They did get close enough to the keep, though, so it wasn’t all a waste.”

I gripped the hem of my sleeves tightly, tail quivering as the deaths finally became real. The swiftness and brutality of the attack shocked me. One moment they were walking beside us, and the next... gone. A cold dread settled over me. This was the reality of the apostles and the war raging across Enusia. There was no room for mercy, no time for hesitation.

”True,” Jessia said with a chilling smile. ”I think we got past, what, five patrols with their escort?” She nudged the guard who had tried to seduce her with her foot. ”And you did show me some neat things. They’ll be a big help in killing all your bastard friends.”

It took me a few seconds to regain my composure, but the disturbing scene left my heart with an uneven beat. Haven sensed my unease and began to push again, causing me to falter mid-step. Luke and Jessia turned towards me, Luke’s eyes filled with concern as he instinctively reached out to support me while Jessia remained impassive.

Her lack of reaction was unusual. I’d expected her to mock or tease Luke again, but now it was like she was wearing a mask. Her expression gave away nothing, but she only wore that mask when hiding her thoughts.

In an effort to distract myself from the war raging in my soul, I finally managed to voice the question that had been bothering me this entire trip. ”I...I was wondering why you’re so worried about this fortress. The things we’ve seen so far are intimidating, but they’re not that strong, right?”

They both stared at me, their expressions shifting from shock to disbelief. I tightened my grip on Luke’s sleeve, taken aback by their reaction, my tail flicking nervously.

”You’re eighth-circle, right?” I asked in an even smaller voice. ”There isn’t a single soul more powerful than yours here. Surely, within a few days, you could destroy all the defenses yourself. Jessia could defeat anyone who came to find you while you were recovering mana between spells.”

”You saw those crystals, didn’t you?” Luke asked after sharing a look with Jessia. ”Those are powerful crystals that can block almost any spell. Even if I could eventually overwhelm them, there are enough inquisitors here to swarm me. Not only am I a demon, but my magic also focuses on curses. Both of those make me particularly vulnerable to sun magic.”

”Which, for some reason, is what every inquisitor we’ve found here so far seems to specialize in,” Jessia added.

”Can’t say they don’t know their opponents,” Luke muttered.

I looked between them, not sure whether to laugh or cry. ”Luke, those crystals are only seventh-circle. I know you can cast an eighth-circle large-scale destruction spell.”

The temperature in the street plummeted, seeming to pierce my wards with ease. I froze, unable to so much as move my tail, as Luke’s eyes narrowed.

”You told her?” Jessia asked, aghast.

”Of course not!” Luke shook his head quickly, denying it. His gaze, when he fixed on me, was intense and dangerous, causing me to shrink back, regretting my choice to let him support me. ”How could you possibly know that? I’ve never used it in a battle,” he hissed.

”Relax, you’re scaring her,” Jessia said, coming to my aid. ”It was probably Gayron.”

”I had a vision,” I finally managed to stammer, surprising them both. ”I saw you use it in a battle. You killed Grace and Edrin.”

That caused them both to relax, and Luke just shook his head. I let out a breath as my instincts calmed down, no longer telling me to run as far from him as possible.

”Forgive me,” he muttered, ”I forget you can see things like that. No secrets are safe around you, huh?”

His attempt at a joke did little to quell my trembling, but I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. ”So, um... can’t you do it?”