The Forsaken Hero

”It is, isn’t it?” Selena laughed, resting her chin on her hand, staring at the city as it passed. ”But long lives are the only advantage we elves have over the other mortal races. Families, history, and longevity are the pillars of our society. I was wondering, though,” she said, glancing at me, ”Where did your demon friend get to. Fyren, was it?”

”Oh, um...let me check.”

Her eyes widened. ”You can do that?”

”Probably.”

I closed my eyes, grasping at the nebulous bond of the Infernal Mark. Thousands of souls flooded my mind, bringing sensations and emotions from all over Sylvarus. I smelt the sewers beneath the city, felt the cool morning breeze beneath a shadowed grove, and even saw a glimpse of the very carriage I travelled on, winding through the city. A sense of icy chill accompanied that last one, the clack of crystals, and the tickle of feathers against my cheek. I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips, and sent a greeting back to Borealis.

I cast my thoughts further into the river of souls, fishing for one that smelled of ash and cinder. The presence of each soul was dictated by the power of the demon and the distance from me, making it easy to sift through the countless scions and evolved demons and find the ones shining like beacons. The first fire demon I found responded in surprise as my mind brushed his, and I frowned. Incinderus.

Before I could slip past, his mind caught mine, establishing a flow of soulspeak. It reminded me of Fyren, only Incinderus’s mind was stern and structured, with fewer but more powerful thoughts and feelings. I knew at once that they’d crossed the forest in our wake, tracking the scent of my soul across Sylvarus. But, at some point, they turned to circle the city, finding a large swathe of abandoned forest about halfway between Duskwood and the border of the Ornth Kingdom. There was a small abandoned town nearby, with a population that might have once reached two thousand. Traces of Black Mist were everywhere, but it hadn’t impacted any of the demons yet.

”Find him?” Selena asked.

I sent my gratitude to Incidenus, as well as a few requests, and opened my eyes again. ”Not yet. But the Devoted arrived in Syvlarus, somewhere between here and Ornth.”

”OH?” Her eyes narrowed. ”Where, exactly?”

I shook my head. ”I’m sorry, I don’t know. He said it was about halfway, but I don’t even know how far away Ornth is. There’s an abandoned town nearby, though. I asked him to keep the Risen in check, and keep an eye on any elves nearby.”

”Let’s keep that information to ourselves, hmm?” Selena said, nodding to herself. ”I’m already uncertain how you’ll be accepted, much less the demons in your retinue. And an army?”

She chuckled wryly, shaking her head. ”Better safe than sorry.”

”You don’t trust them? But they’re your own people.”

”And the heroes were yours.”

I flinched, staring at the carriage floor. Selena sighed, sitting back in her chair.

”Trust is a difficult thing in this day and age. And though I respect the laws and culture of my people, I don’t disagree with Aerion, either. But for me, the most important thing is making sure our people continue, and we’re safe from both demons and gods.”

”I...didn’t realize.”

She waved her hand. ”Think nothing of it. Now, are you going to find that other demon of yours?”

I closed my eyes again and returned to the stream of souls. Searching came easier to me than before, both because I’d familiarized myself with which demons weren’t Fyren, and the practice. In only a few minutes, I found him.

My favorite aspect of soulspeak was that intentions could be implied. The moment my mind connected with his, I sent a memory of waking up in the dark of morning and the rattle of the carriage, coloring it with a touch of nervousness, and the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

I hummed softly as I wove the sensations together into a seamless stream. There was something satisfying about soulspeak, something almost...addicting. It made my heart warm to know that when I communicated this way, I could be truly known and understood, that my feelings would be fully appreciated.

My hum died as Fyren responded, shattering my bliss. My eyes burned with smoke, the taste of blood sharp on my tongue. Flames licked the sky, rising from blazing homes and market stalls. Blood ran underfoot, and bones crunched with every step. A swirling mass of infernal energy rose overhead, crackling like lightning.

I choked, bile rising in my throat, as the vivid senses impressed upon my own. Selena sat bolt upright.

”Xiviyah? What are you...”

Her voice came in and out of focus as Fyren sent more memories. There was a demongate, a camp of mottled camp of demonkin with wild, bloodshot eyes. The experiences were sharp and vivid, as if I were experiencing them myself. It made my attempts at soulspeak seem primitive at best.

Just as quickly as it had started, the train of sensations cut off, and Fyren’s voice sounded in my mind.

”Forgive me, I see I overwhelmed you a touch,” Fyren said. ”After you so beautifully expressed yourself, I thought...no, never mind that now.”

He didn’t truly speak in words, but with concepts more solid and real than his soulspeak before. I had to carefully interpret each one, deciding what word he intended to say, and even then, I wasn’t sure I had it right. But after the flood of terror, fire, and blood, it was a relief.

”I’ve taken care of things here, but I expect you’ll have trouble in the city over this,” he continued. ”I wished to be back in time for the audience, but you’ll have to face that alone. I’ll be back soon after the sun rises tomorrow.”

There were a few other concepts I couldn’t quite place, including one that served as the word ’Apostle’ in Fyren’s mind. My heart skipped a beat at the thought. Did he find Luke? He’d promised to come for me in a week, and it was almost that time!

But no, I had to focus. I took a deep breath and severed my connection with Fyren, looking at Selena. Her eyes shone with concern, and she was holding my hands. They trembled in her grip, my tail curling around my legs. I hadn’t even realized.

”I’m...fine,” I said, taking a shaky breath. ”Just a little...startled. Something, um, happened, I think. There were lots of demonkin, and dead elves...and so much blood.”

Her composure stiffened, her face taking on a careful, measured look. ”How bad?”

I shook my head. ”Hundreds dead, maybe. I don’t know.”

She scrutinzed me a little longer, before letting out a breath, and relaxing. I gripped her hands as she started to let go, not quite ready for her to pull back. She smiled gently.

”Well, I guess that means he won’t be back in time. But there’s something else I’ve been meaning to tell you. I was going to wait until after, gods know you’re nerouvs enough already, but it can’t wait anymore. It might even be related.”

”What is it?

”I was informed last night that two weeks ago, the Tribunal levied certain policies across the city to manage public safety and reduce crime. I’m not certain the exact policies, but they’re likely heavily restrictive to anyone who isn’t of elvish blood. But be careful, and under no circumstances are you to wander off on your own. Your status and power mean nothing here, and should you be caught unawares, you may be subject to...unpreferable treatment.”

”Oh. SO nothing’s new,” I muttered, resting my chin on my hand. I tried not to sound too disappointed, but her face tightened at the note of bitterness in my voice.

”It’s not like that, Xiviyah. The elves are nothing like the church.”

I nodded dully, letting out another long breath before forcing myself to straighten, smiling as best I could.

”So, um, speaking of houses, why are you and Aerion the strongest if you’re from such a small, notable house?”

She smiled in relief, as grateful as I was for changing the subject. ”That, on the other hand, is a topic I know well. Aerion’s always been driven, so it’s natural he excelled above the others, who relied on status and blood to climb the ladder. I suppose I felt some pressure at being overtaken by him, but it wasn’t until we entered the military that we really took off. Aerion became an adventurer and had several fortuitous encounters. At the same time, I managed to become one of only a dozen elves in the last hundred years to study at the Divine Throne. In our own way, we both reached the top.”

”And even with all your power, you weren’t able to join one of the more powerful houses or anything?”

She made a face. ”There were...opportunities, to say the least. But the most common method of joining a house is marriage, and I’m not particularly interested in that right now. The only other way would be accepting a private security or military contract. And those come with a host of other problems from hard working conditions to poor pay.”

”I just don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head. ”How could a kingdom like this ever survive? Don’t they know you could destroy the entire capital city with a single spell? And there would be nothing any of them could do to stop you.”

”I suppose it’s because of the world we live in,” she said slowly, ”We’re united by common suffering at the hands of the church, and now the demons. Why would an elf fight another elf when our entire people is being suppressed?”

It still didn’t feel right, but before I could say anything further, the carriage came to a stop. We had arrived.