The Forsaken Hero

At the captain’s orders, two young elves perked up. They were on the ship, working on securing a crate to a set of large iron hooks, but they dropped everything and crossed the gangway, saluting him sharply.

”Olether, see that you show their guard around the ship. They’ll be acting as our escort, and I would that they were familiar with the vessel they’re charged with,” Captain Rys said.

Luxxa looked at me, and I nodded. She gestured to the rest of the Star Guard, who followed the young man onto the Windserpent. I watched nervously as they crossed the gangway, looking for any sign that the bridge shook or wobbled. To my relief, it was stable, and they crossed without incident.

Rys turned to the young woman, a girl who, if a human, would be in her early twenties. ”Bristla, take Lord and Lady Sunsinger and their guests to the passenger quarters. And ensure the crew knows we’ll be having civilian passengers.”

”Civilian?” I whispered.

”That’s us,” Elise whispered back. ”All the skyships in Sylvarus are operated by the military, and are exclusively used for scouting, transporting supplies, and battle. There are certain expectations of anyone onboard, crew or otherwise, that aren’t proper to impose on untrained civilians. Like fighting fires, or responding to monster attacks.”

”But we’re not...normal,” I said. ”Is that what Selena was talking about? How they don’t respect power or class like everyone else?”

She shrugged. ”Probably. Aerion said that even if we’re attacked, they might be offended if we offered to help.”

”They seemed to take advantage of the Star Guard,” I muttered, glancing at my escort. Jenna caught me watching and flashed me a smile.

”Because they’re actual soldiers. You, however, aren’t. Besides, I was able to waive your transport fee by offering their services.”

It was Aerion who answered, making me jump. I blushed, looking down at my feet, unaware he’d been listening.

”This way, please,” the elf girl, Bristla, said.

She led us over the gangway. Fable rubbed against my side as we walked, blocking my view of the edge of the bridge-like structure. Stepping onto the Windserpent, I looked around, taking in the unfamiliar sights. The deck was stable beneath my feet, no different than the dock had been. The middle of the lower deck was split open by several massive cargo doors, receiving crates from the rigging and pulleys affixed to the docs. Soldiers and crew moved about us, preparing the ship, stealing glances when they thought we weren’t looking. My horns itched at their gaze, but they mostly seemed curious.

The lower deck ended about three-quarters of the way from the prow to the stern. A set of stairs on either side led up to the upper deck, with several doors allowing entry inside the ship itself. Bristla led us into the middle one, which opened to a dim, narrow hallway lit by a single light crystal.

”If you’d please instruct your beast to wait outside?” the elf asked, turning to me.

I hesitated, but with the size of our party, there really wasn’t room for a twenty-foot wolf inside. Fable didn’t seem overly disappointed, sniffing the air and looking around curiously. I sighed and nodded, hugging Elise’s arm tighter as we moved into the ship.

I shivered as we passed inside, my chest and throat tightening in the cramped corridors. It reminded me too much of the slave quarters of Lord Byron’s mansion.

”Here’s your quarters,” Bristla said, stopping before two doors opposing each other in the hallway. ”The flight is only a day long, but you’re welcome to rest and wait here. The decks are also open, but we ask that you respect the space of the crew and not interfere with the workings of the ship. And please, refrain from entering the lower levels and cargo holds.”

She saluted us once more and then left. Selena opened a door, revealing a tight room with bunk beds mounted on the walls. The other side was the same, only it had a small circular window port. I didn’t remember seeing any windows on the outside of the ship. Were they magically concealed?

”Why don’t we head up onto the deck?” Elise suggested. ”I want to see what it looks like when the ship takes off.”

”That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Selena said. ”You girls go ahead. Aerion and I have something to discuss.”

”We do?” he asked.

She gave him a flat look, and he shrugged.

”Fine, whatever. Just don’t fall overboard. There are eyes everywhere, so refrain from exposing your abilities too freely. Like flying.” He gave Korra a meaningful look.

”You mean spies?” R’lissea asked.

He nodded. ”Hostile or not, everyone’s curious as to your abilities and purpose. The more information you give away now, the greater preparations they can make against you, should the need arise.”

”Take Xiviyah with you,” Fyren said.

I shrank back, gripping the bedpost tightly. ”I, um...can wait here. I’ll just read or practice some magic. I still have to reconnect with my soul.”

”Oh, you’re not escaping that easily,” Korra said, catching my free hand. ”Come on, it’ll be fun!”

”Aren’t you coming?” I asked, voice rising as she dragged me toward the door.

”I’ll be around, in case something happens,” Fyren said, smiling faintly.

Despite my protests, the four of us wound up on the deck of the ship again. Fable had vanished, undoubtedly lazing away on some undisturbed corner of the ship, but Borealis quickly found us, settling on my shoulder.

In the minutes we were gone, the final preparations had been completed. The cargo bay doors were closed, and soldiers were casting off the lines securing the ship from the docks. Captain Rys was the last one to cross the gangway, ordering a few workers on the pier to withdraw it.

He gave us a nod as he passed us, taking the stairs to the upper deck. Elise and Korra dragged me to the front of the ship, where we were out of the way of any of the crewmen and soldiers. Gith sat atop the brow, eyes scanning the warehouse.

”We haven’t even left yet,” Elise said, addressing the ranger.

He spared us a glance before returning his gaze to our surroundings.

”Not much of a talker?” Korra asked.

”Not particularly,” he answered.

”He’s always been like that,” I said.

I moved forward and stood beside him, laying my hands on the carved, ornate railing. It was smooth beneath my hands, pulsing with inner warmth. Mana.

”How do they get out?” I asked, looking around the warehouse.

No sooner had I spoken than a shout came from behind us, and a deep, resonant thrum filled the air. The skyship shuddered, the deck vibrating beneath my feet. My heart leaped as the ship rose a few inches, then fell back into the cradle.

”W-what’s happening?” I asked, knuckles whitening on the railing.

”The core powered up.” It was Gith who answered, unexpected. ”The bay doors will open next, and we’ll ascend.

I looked up, tail twitching, only to see he was right. A long split ran across the ceiling, defining the outline of massive doors that ran the entire length of the skyport. Workers and soldiers backed away from the ship, magical chimes ringing out alerts and warnings.

”How did you know that?” Korra asked. ”I thought they didn’t allow the Last Light in the city.

Gith gave her a flat look. ”They didn’t.”

”Wait, so you snuck–”

Her voice died as the ship jerked into the air. I let out a squeak, shrinking against Gith’s side. The ranger didn’t flinch as I pressed against him, his hand reflexively pressing against my back, steadying me. My friends all stumbled as I did, but almost instantly regained their balance. A perk of having superhuman reflexes.

”Careful, my Lady,” Gith said, quickly letting me go. ”Luxxa would kill me if you went overboard.”

I stared at him, forgetting for a moment that we were steadily rising into the air. Was that a bit of pink in his cheeks? Was he...embarrassed?

The thought left me as we cleared the roof of the warehouse. The steady hum of the skyship grew deeper, and Korra and Elise looked back at the rest of the ship.

”That’s weird, did the core deactivate?” Korra asked. ”I can still feel it in the deck, but it went silent.”

”I can still hear it,” R’lissea said. ”Xiviyah?”

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. We were high, now. Really high. Almost two hundred feet, matching the height of the walls and towers surrounding Brackencliff. What was worse was that we were still ascending. How high did they plan to go? Higher than the mountains? Higher than the birds?

”Must be out of our hearing range. Man, I never thought there would be so many perks for not being reborn as a human,” Korra said.

”DOn’t say that,” Elise hissed, giving me a nervous glance.

”Ah, right. Sorry, Xiv,” Korra said, rubbing the back of her head. ”I suppose things might have been a good deal different if you’d been a human in the beginning.”

”I-It’s alright,” I stammered, staring down at the rapidly retreating ground.

The warehouse looked no bigger than a regular house now. The elves in the streets could have been ants. At our current rate of ascension, it wouldn’t take more than a minute to rise above the mountains sheltering Brackencliff. Already, I could see the beginnings of the Last Light Company’s camp. They were in the midst of breaking, forming long columns in preparation to march.

Taking a deep breath, I turned from the sight, focusing on my friends. I tried to ease their worried gazes with a smile, but it came off stiff. I couldn’t get my hands to stop trembling, or the butterflies in my stomach to stand still.

”You were teasing, weren’t you?” I asked, looking at Korra.

She nodded, shifting uncomfortably. R’lissea looked about to say something, but bit her lip, averting her gaze. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was thinking. She had the perks of being a nonhuman, but hadn’t suffered a fraction of the cost I had.

As I looked at them, my heart warmed, and the terrible knot in my stomach loosened. My tail slowly relaxed, and my hand slipped from the railing, curling against my chest.

”It’s alright. Even if you weren’t teasing,” I said, meeting their gaze. ”I would rather be a demonkin and be here with all of you than a human living under the lie of the Divine. There’s no need to be sorry, because I’m not. I wouldn’t change my path for the world.”