The Forsaken Hero

”They did what?” Aerion asked, staring at Selena.

His voice was low and serious, his soul emitting jagged spikes of aura that made my tail twitch nervously. Scarcely had Selena, Elise, and I gathered in the Sunsinger study than Selena had informed him of the attempt on our lives. His reaction was...uncharacteristic, to say the least. I hadn’t seen him this angry about anything, not even the treatment of his family by the great houses.

”You’re certain they were from the church?” he asked, his gaze flickering to me, then back to his sister. ”You saw them yourself?”

”That’s low, Aerion, even for you. Xiviyah may be at odds with the church, but not even you could believe she would lie about this. Honestly, I’m not even sure she’s capable of that.” Selena said, narrowing her eyes at him. ”So yes, I can say with absolute confidence that it was inquisitors from the southern continent that struck our manor. They hit in two coordinated strike teams, wounding several of the Whitemarsh elites and very nearly killing me and Xiviyah as well. If it weren’t for her infernal allies, the only thing you’d have left to return to would be ash.”

”Damn it,” he hissed, collapsing in his chair. He gripped the armrest tightly, making the wood creak. ”Those bastards. It was foolish of you to ascend while I was away, but to think they’d actually attempt to interfere.”

”They were trying to kill me,” I said, flinching as his ire turned to me. ”They planned to cause her spell to fail and use the resulting backlash to break my magic and abilities. It would have worked if Luke hadn’t gotten here.”

Aerion’s frown deepened. ”Luke? I’ve not heard that name.”

”He’s Xiviyah’s...friend,” Selena said, giving me an inquisitive look. I ducked my head, and her lips curved in a smile. ”But it would be better for you to know him as the Apostle of the Descent.”

Aerion sucked in a sharp breath. ”Truly? The leader of the infernal hordes? The one you’ve come to negotiate for?” he asked, addressing Elise.

Elise nodded. ”The same. But he’s not what you would call politically savvy, so he’s continued to entrust me with speaking on his behalf. None of the houses are aware of his identity, though rumors of a black-haired demonkin dwelling here have begun to circulate.”

”Why does it bother you so much that the church attacked our manor? You already knew they sought Xiviyah’s life, and it only makes sense they would strike when we were weakest,” Selena said.

He paused, then let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. ”Because I’m a fool, that’s why. And because of it, you almost died.”

”It wasn’t your fault,” Selena said, laying a hand on his arm. ”You did what you thought was best. Someone had to lead the army, and you were the best one for the job. Your results proved that.”

He rose, walking to the window, where he stared out over the gardens. ”This isn’t about the war,” he said, turning to face us again. ”That event Commander Whitemarsh had to attend...do you know who sponsored it?”

Selena shook her head, a faint crease forming on her brow. ”I know it was held at their estate, but not much else.”

”The Splitbarks put it on at the church’s behest. How convenient, that such a thing would lead to him being unable to lead, and me rising to take its place, don’t you think?”

”They were planning for this from the start,” Elise gasped, covering her mouth. ”But...why? And how did they know everything would work out so well? That you would volunteer to lead and that Selena would try to break through? And how did they know of the deal Xiviyah made with the Whitemarshes for their soldiers? They split their teams up before hitting us, meaning they had predicted Fable would be apart from Xiviyah.”

”Good questions. Ones I’ll be spending the next few days finding answers for,” he said. ”But this...Luke. I would like to speak with him. Alone, if possible.”

”He’s currently sparring with the fire demon, if I recall correctly,” Selena said.

I jerked, giving her a surprised look. Was that why he hadn’t accompanied us this morning? I’d find it curious Fyren hadn’t tagged along, but to think they were sparring again. And judging from how steady the ambient mana of the manor had been, they were likely avoiding using magic or arts. But it had been hours, by now. Weren’t they bored yet?

”Hmm, I might go observe for a while before introducing myself,” Aerion said, stroking his chin. ”You can learn much about a man from his sword.”

Dismissing himself with a nod, he left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Elise let out a breath, sinking into her chair with a tired look.

”Thank the gods,” she murmured, ”I’ve never seen him that worked up before.”

”Oh, you needn’t worry about him, though I agree that his outrage was most uncharacteristic,” Selena said. ”But even on his worst days, he never truly lost his temper before. The most he’ll do is seethe.”

”Why did he want to see Luke?” I asked, twisting my tail in my hands. ”He doesn’t want to fight him, does he?”

Selena chuckled, shaking her head. ”No, though I won’t deny the thought probably crossed his mind. Even I’ve thought about it, actually. Who wouldn’t, knowing the leader of the greatest threat to the entire world was just a few rooms away?”

”Selena!” I gasped, filled with indignation.

She raised her hands defensively, a grin on her face. ”Relax, I’m teasing. Mostly. Aerion hates not having a handle on every facet of the current situation. He won’t be able to rest easy until knowing exactly what the apostle wants, and how he can use him to his benefit.”

”Yeah, that’s probably the case. But both being eighth-level, I’m sure you can expect them to spar at some point. It’s only natural,” Elise said.

I nodded, letting my tail slip back to the floor, where it flicked between the chair legs. ”Then...about the banquet. Is it really in two days?”

Elise gave me a knowing smile. ”Still worried about that? You could ask Anrynth for a few lessons of elvish etiquette, if you want.”

Selena nodded in agreement. ”He’s probably the most knowledgeable one in our entire house. He tutored Aerion and me as children, and our parents, too, if I remember. He particularly favors dancing, which, not to scare you, is a central part of elvish gatherings.”

”Right...” I mumbled, my stomach twisting into knots. ”I’ve...never done something like that.”

”It’ll be fun. The formal dances at Western University are some of my fondest memories with Jare,” Elise said, giving me a pat on the knee. ”You and Luke should both study up a little. Who knows, you might actually enjoy it!”

My first instinct was to reject it, but my tail stilled as I fell into thought, remembering what we’d talked about earlier. If Luke and I didn’t share any interests, maybe we could find a new one together. It was a long shot, but...

”I’ll think about it,” I said, forcing a smile.

Elise’s eyebrows rose, and she broke into a pleased smile. ”Wonderful. I’ll fill in Luke, if you want, and maybe give him a few pointers while I’m teaching Sari.” She made a face. ”That girl is hopeless, let me tell you.”

”Thanks,” I said, letting out a relieved breath. ”And don’t be too hard on Sari, she’s been through a lot. She might be young now, but she’s got a lot of potential. I don’t think you’ll regret befriending her.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, craning an eyebrow.

”Who knows?” I shrugged, not quite meeting her gaze.

She snorted. ”Real helpful, Xiv. Real helpful.”

Our conversation was cut short by a knock on the door. Korra poked her head in, her brown hair spilling over her shoulders. ”Hey, Xiv, you busy? I’m working on this new art, and I was wondering if I could borrow your eyes.” She paused, looking around the room, and her eyes narrowed. ”Wait, were you guys having a secret meeting? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

”We were just done,” I said, quickly rising. ”I’d love to help. Mind if we invite Sari? I’d like to help her practice with her ability a little more.”

She gave me a suspicious look, but I snagged her hand, holding it close. Before she could question us more, I pulled her away, sending a stream of soulspeak to Wisp, asking it to bring her to the training fields. It wasn’t like we had anything to hide, but there was so much I myself didn’t understand of the politics and situation that it would be hopeless for me to try and explain anything.

Looking back, I gave Elise a little wave. With any luck, she wouldn’t think too much about my words. I shouldn’t be so careless speaking of the few bright futures I’d seen, else, through my meddling, I feared they might never come to pass.

It was superstitious, perhaps, but I’d seen too many visions fail to materialize to risk the ones that truly mattered.