The Forsaken Hero

The world lurched again as he shot upward, flames curling after us like a comet’s tail. I closed my eyes, squeezing my arm around him. The ship drew nearer, the shimmering ward growing larger and more defined, a dome of light that crackled against the storm.

”Can you break it?” he asked. ”I can’t risk using that kind of power while having you with me.”

”I’ll need a moment. Luxxa, you take the Star Guard back a little. It’s going to be dangerous for a second, so stay clear till we get through,” I ordered.

She looked about to protest, but Jenna grabbed her arm, and she nodded. ”As you wish, my Lady.”

They retreated to a safer distance, both from our enemies and the immediacy of Zephyriss’s storm.

Taking a deep breath, I let go of him with one hand and summoned my staff. Its familiar weight grounded me, and I focused on the ward, opening myself up to the Oracle of Eternity again. The ward was powerful, but hastily erected in the ambush. It didn’t take long to find a particularly messy vertex of mana.

As I began to gather mana, a searing stream of white-hot sun mana erupted from the sphere, lancing toward us. Fyren dove under it, and I looked to see that one of the mana cannons had managed to charge enough for a shot. More spells and arrows shot from the deck as soldiers and inquisitors rallied, aimed at us and Zephyriss, who flew erratically above the ship, launching lightning into the barrier.

”Of course, it’s a one-way ward. Hurry,” Fyren growled, barely dodging a seventh-level Solar Flare. The proximity of sun magic sent chills down my spine, nearly disrupting my concentration.

As he came up again, giving me a clear view of the ward once more, he said, ”I know you can absorb their magic, but so do they, and I want to avoid them discovering you here as long as possible.”

”Almost,” I said, urging him through our mark to get a little closer. ”If I can just...there! Dispel Magic!”

A ten-foot magic circle flared to life before my hand, a dense sphere of mana swirling within. A heartbeat later, the sphere burst, collapsing into a concentrated stream of discordant mana that shot toward the ship. Fyren banked sharply as it flew, but my aim held true. The stream connected with the messy tangle of mana I’d spotted, piercing it cleanly. Like a tapestry with one thread pulled too hard, the whole ward shuddered violently, then collapsed.

At the exact same moment, Zephyriss unleashed a massive chain of lightning, tearing a chasm into the deck. The explosion enveloped one of the mana cannons, vaporizing its crew and triggering a secondary explosion that nearly tore the entire two-hundred-foot-long ship in half. A wave of satisfying glee washed over our bond as she spun around the carnage, taunting the survivors with a laugh that rolled across the skies.

”Damn it,” Fyren muttered, prodding the storm demon through the mark. ”Don’t destroy it! We need that bastard hero alive!”

If she heard, she gave no such indication, sending a gust of wind that blew another few soldiers off the edge, sending them plummeting, screaming, into the city. I shivered at the sight, holding Fyren a little tighter.

With the ward gone, Fyren landed on the broken prow of the ship, releasing a wave of fire that, while harmless to me, washed over the deck, charring anyone unlucky enough to have survived Zephyriss’s rampage. My legs trembled as he set me on my feet, but I leaned on my staff, unwilling to burden him any longer.

The roar of the thunder and drone of the wind stilled as the storm shifted, taking us into the eye at its heart. The only sounds left were the crackle of flames, the groaning of timber, and the panicked shouts of soldiers. I couldn’t see her anymore, but Zephyriss must have retreated, having already succeeded in her role.

Billowing smoke cut us off from their efforts, but I could feel their auras gathering, trying to mount some form of resistance against the storm. And further back, at the helm, were two beacons to my soul, emanating such power that it made the Oracle of Eternity send warning shivers through my soul.

”Fyren...they’re strong,” I whispered, gripping my staff tighter.

”Can you handle the mage?” he asked in a low voice.

I shook my head. ”I can’t...not if he uses an eighth-level spell, that is. But I don’t have very much mana I can use. R’lissea said she’ll be mad if I use more than half my pool today.”

”We can’t have that, can we,” he said with a mirthless chuckle.

The Star Guard landed beside us, looking around apprehensively.

”What are your orders, my Lady? It pains me to admit, but I’m not sure we can handle a battle between you and another hero,” Luxxa said.

Fyren glanced at them, a slight, irritated growl rumbling in his chest. ”Keep the soldiers off us. And watch your Lady’s back. The Justice Hero’s weapons aren’t bound to his hands, and can attack from every angle. I can’t promise I’ll always be able to deflect them.”

”I’ll take that role, if you don’t object,” Kahlen said, looking at Luxxa.

She nodded. ”Fitting, given your own fighting style.”

”Then I’m going to watch that storm demon a little more,” Jenna said, chuckling as the others turned to glare at her. ”What? Her magic’s incredible. It’s like the wind itself is eager to obey her.”

”At a time like this?” Luxxa asked, turning to glare at her. ”We’re not here to admire demons. Just...focus. Please

”Jenna stuck out her tongue, earning an irate snort. ”Nothing wrong with a little humor. Things are heavy enough as it is.”

”That’s enough out of you lot. Time to show your worth,” Fyren said, waving them off.

No sooner had they taken up positions than a powerful aura shattered the calm, blasting smoke and storm away from the ship. The rest of the skyship hadn’t suffered near as much damage as where we stood, with most of the soldiers, inquisitors, and defenses still in place. Both surviving mana cannons were charged, forced beyond the natural limits of their mounts to aim in our direction. Almost seventy souls stood against us, armed to the teeth and filled with righteous indignation.

At their front stood Victor, his armaments arrayed around him in the air. The spear, in particular, caught my eye, causing my throat to tighten. I swallowed hard, but its glistening point drew my gaze no matter where I looked.

Behind, at the helm, stood an inquisitor in holy white robes heavy with burnished ornamentation. An embroidered gold sun set on his chest, embellished as only High Inquisitors wore. He met my gaze and started in surprise, but he composed himself quickly, his lips twitching in a smirk. The expression seemed childish on his aged face.

”Xiviyah,” Victor practically spat my name, his eyes narrowed in hatred. ”What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the council, naively pleading for ’peace.’”

”Victor,” I whispered, my tail curling behind me. ”Why...? We saved you...”

”What salvation can any but the gods bring? I was foolish to listen to you then, but I’ve seen the truth now. There is no greater desire than serving the divine,” he growled.

Desire...?

My gaze snapped from him to the inquisitor, then back again. I reached for the Oracle’s power and gasped. A chill slithered through my veins, a shudder that coursed down my back and along my tail, causing the tip to coil.

”You didn’t...” I breathed, hardly able to speak through the horror knotted in my chest. ”How could you...?”

”I care not for your convictions,” Victor said.

But I wasn’t talking to him, my gaze was fixed on the inquisitor, on the golden ring banding his finger. His smirk widened, and he raised a hand, rubbing the ring with his thumb.

”The filthblood’s words are but poison to the ear, hero. Go, slay the traitors and demons that side with her, and bring her to me,” he said.

”Finally. Prepare yourself, filthblood. Justice comes for you.”

His armaments flew at us, a deadly whirlwind of glowing steel. The soldiers around him charged, storming across the broken deck with no regard for their own safety. Gith’s bow was the first to thrum, taking a mage in the throat as he started to chant. After that, all hell broke loose.

I ignored the soldiers, trusting them to the star guard, and focused instead on Victor. Fyren closed the distance between them with a lunge, bringing his sword around in a vicious arc. It forced Victor to recall his weapons, linking them together in a seamless parry. Their steel clashed with a deafening shriek, sending a shockwave rippling across the deck. It smashed against my wards, dealing a startling amount of damage.

Gathering my mana, I focused on Victor, on the black tangle of fine threads binding his soul. The curse I hadn’t seen in my vision. A heart crest.

With a fervent cry, I cast a spell. ”Liberation!”