The Forsaken Hero

”I’m still hung up on this,” Selena said, ”You’re telling me that your ability negates all forms of damage and effects from any spell that’s seventh-level or below? What about techniques or enchantments? Aura’s? Collateral effects?”

”All of it,” I said in a small voice.

Given the distance, it wouldn’t be strange if my voice fell short of her, but she stiffened, her eyes going wide.

”All of it?” she repeated vacantly.”That’s...insane. Forgive me if I don’t believe you right away.”

”That’s why we’re here to test it,” Aerion said.

”Right.” Selena shook her head, recovering her composure. ”Forgive me. You simply caught me off guard.” She raised her staff, pointing it toward Fable. ”Holy Purge!”

Seven magic circles materialized around her on the ground, shining brighter than the sun. I let out a squeak as the power washed over me, gripping Elise’s arm tightly. The radiance continued to build until my flesh crawled, and my horns itched worse than they had in the desert.

”Are you alright?” Elise asked worriedly. ”I don’t feel anything. Is the barrier not working?”

I licked my lips, struggling to speak past the lump in my throat. ”Just...ugh.”

As the spell completed, a pulse of pure white mana leaped from the tip of Selena’s staff, crashing against the barrier like ocean waves running up cliffs. The barrier wavered, and even without the Oracle of Eternity, I could see it eroding in real time. My grip on Elise tightened as it cracked, my heart skipping a beat.

But before it could break, the light died down. I leaned forward anxiously, searching for Fable among the curling ribbons of blinding light. At last, I found him sitting on the ground, looking around curiously. His coat hadn’t even been singed.

”Looks like it works,” Korra said, turning to us. ”Did you recognize that spell?”

”Holy Purge,” Elise replied. ”It’s a large-scale sun spell with dispelling properties. I heard the only way to learn it is to be rewarded a favor at the Divine Throne, so it’s considered a signature spell of Fathers.”

Korra raised her eyebrows. ”How’d you hear that?”

Elise squeezed my hand, smiling at me. ”I used to be cursed with the ability only to cast sun magic spells. I, uh, didn’t want to get discouraged, so I studied hard to be the best I could. That was before Xiviyah healed me.”

The barrier came down, and Selena and R’lissea jogged over. Behind them, Aerion had gathered the elves and was speaking to them in a low, serious voice. Fable slipped behind me, forming a wall of silver fur that acted as a backrest for the bench. He rested his head in my lap, the fur of his ears tickling my chin.

”I’ll be damned,” Selena said, folding her arms as she scrutinized me. ”You really can negate seventh-level magic.”

”How did it feel? Is it damaged?” R’lissea asked.

I shook my head, absently rubbing one of Fable’s horns. ”No, it felt...right. It’s always scary to trust high-level magic to it, but I don’t think there’s a reason not to.”

R’lissea’s face softened, a relieved smile showing. ”I’m glad.”

”I’d like to discuss this more, but there will be plenty of time later, as we help you recover your grasp of your soul,” Selena said, then, turning to the life hero, added, ”But right now we should review our duel in great detail. It’s fresh in our minds, and I want to share some of the insights I had into your style and personality.”

R’lissea gave me an apologetic wave as Selena dragged her off. Korra yawned, stretching her arms over her head.

”That was pretty exciting, but I can’t say it didn’t leave me itching for a little spar myself,” she said.

Fable’s ears pricked, dragging across my face as they rose. I squeaked and jerked my head back, breaking into a giggle as he looked up in confusion.

”You’re too big to act like this anymore,” I said, patting his nose. ”You need to learn another version of condense or something.”

”Why does he keep getting bigger in this form?” Elise asked, tilting her head curiously.

I shrugged. ”Who knows, but my guess is that when he condenses, it’s proportional to his true form’s size and power. He was just the size of a normal wolf when he first condensed, but now...”

He gestured to him helplessly.

”How strong is

he?” Korra asked, a familiar light entering her eye. ”His full form is huge, right?””Over a hundred feet, last time.” I hesitated, chewing on my lip. ”But that was during the battle against the dragons. He managed to fight on par with Fyren then, but he’s gotten a lot stronger now. It’s almost unfair. He doesn’t even do anything other than laze around and the occasional fight spar with a remnant in Haven.”

”And sneak into gates,” Elise said, chuckling.

My expression darkened, and I gripped Fable’s fur, tugging his head so his eyes looked up at me. They were wide and innocent, but I firmed my will.

”Are you going to tell me what that was about?” I asked, forcing myself to sound stern.

He shrugged, a motion that rocked the entire bench.

”Of course not,” I muttered, tail twitching slightly. ”I’ll just have to ask Fyren. Sounds like it’s his fault, anyway.”

We talked a bit longer, until Fable suddenly sat up, looking toward the manor. Two figures approached us, with Borealis on the shoulder of the first. Korra reacted before I could identify them, jumping to her feet with a sharp gasp.

”Gayron!” she cried, streaking toward the newcomers in a blur.

She all but tackled him, throwing her arms around his neck. Gayron laughed and held her around the waist, spinning with her momentum a full circle before setting her back down on her feet. She didn’t let go, and his hand rose, holding her head to his chest.

My heart sank as I realized the other one was Fyren. My fingers curled into my skirt, gripping the silken fabric tightly.

”Don’t look like that. I did what had to be done,” Fyren said, frowning at me.

”It’s...not that,” I mumbled, struggling to lift my expression. ”I just...” I shook my head, mustering what little anger I could to hide my disappointment. ”Why were you fighting at the gate? And why Fable?”

He sighed, rubbing his chin. ”There was a...situation. One of Zephyriss’s demons scouted a cult of demonkin and beastkin in the northern lands above Duskwood.”

A chill ran down my tail, all thoughts of Luke forgotten as dread filled my heart.

”No...” I whispered.

He nodded. ”I’m afraid so. They were acting independent of the horde, without any apostle’s direction. Sylvarus has been so peaceful there hasn’t been enough infernal mana to summon a gate, but they...well, let’s just say they changed that. From the looks of things, they gathered several towns’ worth of people, and–”

”No!” I squeezed my eyes shut, covering my ears. I knew what he was going to say, but I couldn’t bear to hear it.

Fyren’s expression softened. ”I’m sorry.”

”This is bad,” Elise said softly. ”Really, really bad. What are the chances the church was in on it?”

”Low. I...interrogated their leaders and learned nothing of any Divine presence.”

”Then Gayron...” I looked at the demonkin, now talking and laughing with Korra. Their hands were clasped, their faces close enough that a stiff breeze might make them kiss.

”No, I happened to come across him before Zephyriss tipped me off. He was coming from the south, chasing after Xiviyah. Apparently, he planned on returning with you on Fable, but that never happened.”

I looked at the ground, tail curling. ”Is...is this going to get in the way of our negotiations?”

”Likely,” Aerion said.

I jumped, looking up sharply to see him standing beside Fyren. How long had he been there? What had he heard?

The elf’s face looked worn, with wrinkles on his brow. ”The city has already been on high alert against outsiders. But with this development...” He shook his head, sighing. ”It will be difficult to disprove the church wrong, now. There’s no way anyone would care for the internal politics of the demons, or a rebellious faction acting on its own.”

”I agree,” ELise said, clutching her head. ”This is going to be quite the headache. Do we know what the cult’s aim was? Are they going to strike again?”

Fyren let out a dark chuckle. ”Unlikely. Not even their ash remains.”

Her eyes widened, a stammer in her voice. ”But they’re...how many were there?”

”Close to four hundred.”

Aerion gave him an appreciative look. ”That many? And not one escaped?”

Fyren returned a flat look. ”I cleared the gate, too.”

The elf’s eyes widened, genuine surprise flashing through his eyes. ”I wasn’t aware demons could enter gates.”

”I’m not your typical demon.”

”What kind of gate was it? I’ve never seen demons or terrain like that,” I asked.

Fyren made a face. ”Mind demons. The worst kind, in my opinion. They prey on your thoughts and fears, building dreamscapes of your own most powerful enemies to conquer. The more powerful the gate, the more of your enemy’s power they can replicate.”

”Is that why you called Fable?”