The Forsaken Hero

We landed a second later, the impact accompanied by the sound of cracking rock. Fable absorbed most of the impact, but it still shook me, and I clung to his neck for nearly a minute before R’lissea finally persuaded me to open my eyes again.

”That was awesome!” she cried as she leapt from his back. ”Did you really travel through the whole of Blue Canyon like that?”

I landed hard and stumbled, the ground spinning beneath me. A silhouette loomed through my blurry vision, and a hand caught me.

”You alright?” Luke asked, steadying me.

His hand lingered on my shoulder a second longer than necessary before he allowed me to pull away. I lowered my head, as much to hide the faint tinge of red on my face as in gratitude.

I took a shaky breath, my hands curling into my skirt, gripping it tightly. ”W-why did you leave me? You could have taken me with you.”

Jessia shrugged, a faint grin on her face. ”Maybe.”

I glared at her, but her smile only widened.

R’lissea wore a faint smile. ”Don’t get scared yet. The best part is yet to come!”

Both Luke and Jessia nodded. Something about the excitement the three wore didn’t sit well with me. Didn’t they know how dangerous this was? How scary?

We all turned to Borealis, hovering over the canyon. He did a little flip in the air and released his aura. It carried across the mountain ridges and peaks with the force of a stiff breeze. I shielded my face as it rolled into us, carrying a wave of dust and debris that stung my eyes. When I looked back, the demon was veiled in a cloud of stars. It grew swiftly, swelling until it dominated my entire field of vision.

A deafening screech tore the air as Borealis stretched his wings, dispersing the stars. The demon was back to its previous size with a wingspan of over two hundred feet. He had regained his ferocious infernal features as well, from the cruel hook of his beak to the serrated edge of his massive talons. His feathers no longer looked soft and smooth, but deadly, like jagged glass. Each beat of his wings thumped loudly, sending small waves of compressed air spinning in eddies around him. The gales tugged and my hair, sending it streaming out behind me in crimson waves.

”How are we supposed to get on?” R’lissea asked, squinting against the dust.

Borealis screeched again and sank lower until his head was a few feet from the edge of the cliff. Despite his gargantuan size, he kept relatively stable, with his head bobbing up and down a few inches with every flap.

”Come on!” Luke said, nodding at Jessia. I gasped, barely holding back a squeak, as they leaped over the cliff and landed on the demon’s head.

Luke turned and held out his hand. ”Come.”

R’lissea gave me a worried look before jumping herself. She wasn’t nearly as athletic as the two, but Luke caught her hand before she could stumble the landing and steadied her.

Suddenly, I was the only one standing on the cliff. With a deep breath, I crept to the cliff’s edge and peered over, only to fall back a step, dropping to my knees. We were high. Too high. If I fell, there was nothing but a few hundred feet of air and then jagged rocks. The five feet gap between the cliff and Borealis’s head seemed like a mile now. I’d never even jumped that far on stable ground, much less off the edge of a cliff!

”I’ll catch you!” Luke cried over the thrum of the winds, extending his hand toward me.

I clenched my hands, tangling them in the folds of my skirt. My legs trembled, and I looked back at Fable hopefully. He could carry me across, right? Surely, he wouldn’t–

My mouth dropped as he soared over my head, landing daintily on the bird’s back. He turned with a mischievous glint in his eye and stared at me, lip curved in a wolfish grin.

”Traitor,” I mumbled, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.

”Just jump, already. It’s not that far,” Jessia said, folding her arms and scowling.

”It is!” I whimpered, crawling to the edge again.

”You can do it, Xiviyah.” For some reason, Luke’s voice penetrated my fear, soothing my heart.

Every part of me continued to tremble, but I managed to take a shaky breath. Slowly, with shaking legs, I rose to my feet. The cliff face spun below me, gravity clawing at my body, and I bit my lip hard.

”Please, catch me.”

My whimper was lost in the wind, but he held my gaze, sure and steadfast. Before I could stop myself, I jumped.

Terror seized me as the ground vanished beneath my feet. I cried out, the wind whipping at my face, stealing my breath. For a heart-stopping moment, I dangled helplessly, certain I was about to fall to my death.

Then, a strong hand grasped mine, pulling me forward. My foot landed on something solid, but the world spun around me, a dizzying kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Luke’s grip was the only thing anchoring me to reality.

”Don’t worry, Xiviyah, I’ve got—’

His words were cut short as I stumbled, collapsing against him. He stiffened, his surprise evident in the sudden tension of his body. I clung to him, burying my face against the cold hardness of his breastplate, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Luke’s gaze darted between R’lissea and Jessia, his hands hovering uncertainly over my shoulders. I huddled closer, a whimper escaping my lips. He was going to push me away or laugh like the others.

Luke’s arms closed around me, a hand on my back, the other holding my head against his chest. The tension flowed from my body, leaving me weak in his arms. His armor was cold, but the warmth of his body seeped through it, drawing me into his embrace. A few errant tears trickled free, but my sobs slowed as he started to stroke my hair, smoothing the long, wind-tousled waves of crimson down my back.

”You’re okay. I’ve got you,” he murmured.

It took a few uneven breaths before I realized the fluttering in my heart had nothing to do with fear. It was something different, something...unfamiliar. His hand in my hair, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the gentility with which he cradled me in his arms...

”I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words muffled by his armor.

His grip on me tightened. ”Don’t be. I would catch you a thousand times, Xiviyah,” he said.

I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes again. ”I...I was afraid...I couldn’t trust you. Because... you were...like him. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

My throat constricted in another sob, but his response was lost as Borealis took flight. The winds rushed around us, growing sharp and bitter, but they broke against Luke. He held me close, sheltering me with his own body as I wept in his arms.

The clouds rushed closer with every beat of the demon’s icy wings. Within seconds, we plunged into their midst, the vapors cool and wet against my trembling body. Then we were free, soaring above the clouds, nothing but the endless blue sky in all directions.

Borealis screeched a few times, letting the notes ring off the clouds, and the others made their way down his neck to his broad, more stable back. I held tight to Luke, all but forcing him to carry me to join them.

”Why didn’t you take me?” I whispered as we stopped between the demon’s wings, keeping my face hidden against Luke’s chest.

”Hmm?” His hand stopped mid-stroke, fingers laced through my hair.

I peeked up at him, blushing as he met my gaze with a tender smile. ”You could have carried me...”

”But you did it all on your own.”

R’lissea nodded. ”Just as we knew you could.”

My tail started to curl, twisting about at my feet. ”But I--”

”You didn’t want anyone to hold your hand, right?” She smiled as I fidgeted. My tail swished back and forth, curling around Luke’s ankle. ”You were the only one who didn’t think you could do it. But you did.”

”...it was scary,” I mumbled. The tip of my tail brushed against Luke’s leg, curling up his calf.

Jessia plopped onto Borealis’s back, sitting with her chin on her hand, grinning at me. ”Too cute.”

R’lissea covered her mouth with her hand, eyes twinkling. ”I already miss when she’d cling to me instead. It’s like holding a cat.”

My blush grew darker when Luke smiled, the vibrations of his chuckle reverberating against my cheek. I glared up at him, and he quickly smoothed his face over.

”Are you alright if we sit?” he asked.

I hesitated, then nodded. My legs still felt shaky, but Luke helped me ease into a sitting position. When I was settled, he started to move away, but my fingers instinctively clung to his sleeve. He paused, then chuckled, settling back down beside me.

I started to relax, resting my head on his shoulder, before noticing the other’s stares. I blinked, tilting my head slightly, before it hit me.

”I-it’s not like that!” I cried, head jerking up

”Not like what?” Jessia asked, eyes glittering.

My grip on Luke’s sleeve tightened. ”I’m just...we’re so high...and I...”

Luke sighed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and giving her a reproachful look. ”It’s alright, Xiviyah, she’s just teasing you. You can hold on to me for as long as you want.”

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. He was right, they were just teasing. Luke had simply caught me, that’s all. Everything else, all of these feelings, were just a byproduct of the stress, the adrenaline. Flying, the jump...it was all getting to me. That’s why my heart was racing. It had to be.