The Forsaken Hero

Trithe. I’d barely seen her for years, even in vision, but as I watched her fight, it was like no time had passed at all. She moved with the grace of a cat, fast and unpredictable, her long, blonde hair gathered in a high ponytail that chased her like a rippling flame. Her gear had been strengthened with eighth-level enchantments, but was still tight and revealing, clinging to her like a second skin. I’d come across many beautiful people during my travels, yet she still ranked among them, with a lithe, slender form contrasted by ample curves.

It was no wonder Soltair wanted her by his side.

Her allies were less impressive, but no less intimidating. All three were elves, each striking in their own way. One fought alongside Trithe, wielding an ornate, slender longsword like the ones favored by House Ellenwinter. She had blazing red hair, complementing Trithe’s fire with her own flames.

The other two circled the fight from afar. There was an expressionless ranger with a bow, and a mage with raven black hair. Something about the mage stirred my memory, and names filtered through my mind. The warrior was Kirla. I’d felt that blade against my heart before. That meant the ranger was Niece, and the mage Rochelle. Three elves chosen in Sylvarus years ago to serve as Ronin’s companions, and voluntarily accepted a slave crest so they could bully me in the arena.

”My Lady?” Luxxa asked, giving me a worried look. ”Is something the matter? Do you recognize them?”

I shook my head, forcing myself to relax. There was no reason to tense, no reason for my tail to curl. I wasn’t the same girl they’d bullied back then.

”Luxxa, Kahlen, give Korra some room. Gith, keep the archer off them. Jenna, see if you can interrupt the mage’s spells.”

They sprang into action. Gith led with an arrow that blazed across the valley, exploding just an inch from Niece’s neck. She froze, turning toward us with a jerk, flinching as another arrow shattered over her.

”Ambush!” She cried shrilly, nothing like the calm, collected ranger I remembered.

”Air Burst!” Jenna’s spell conjured a compressed wave of air that washed across the battlefield, blasting the combatants apart. Korra managed to catch the current, using it to soar high into the air, escaping a fireball from Rochelle. Trithe’s eyes narrowed irritably as she glanced toward us, searching for the source of the disturbance.

I shivered as her gaze locked with mine, resisting the urge to look down. Every instinct pulled at my tail, but it lay limp, frozen in place. She didn’t move, either, just staring in disbelief.

”Xiviyah! You came!” Korra cried excitedly, landing beside me. She offered me a hand, and when I didn’t move, she grabbed my hand and pulled me off of Fable’s back.

”About time.”

I jumped and let out a squeak, startled back to reality by Gayron appearing next to us. His other clones flickered and died, releasing their drain on his mana.

”That was quite the fight you had up there,” Korra said, nodding toward the mountains. Her eyes never left our opponents. ”I was a little worried when we felt that blast. It leveled almost half the city below. Where’s R’lissea?”

”She’s....fine. Just resting in Haven.”

”Good. I hate to admit it, but these guys have us backed into a corner,” Korra said.

Those of whom she spoke so cavalierly had taken full advantage of the breather our arrival created, regrouping only a hundred feet away. A few of the soldiers and mages surrounding us threw spells and arrows at us, so I soul cast a seventh-level barrier, hemming them out. We couldn’t afford any distractions right now.

”Xiviyah.” Trith’s voice made my chest tighten, heavy with anger. She strode a few steps, her face lit with self-righteous anger. ”You dare come back here? After everything you’ve done?”

A tremor ran through me, and I clutched Korra’s hand tighter.

”We saved you!” she cried, her aura flaring around her in the form of white-hot flames. ”Soltair dragged you from the depths of that warehouse himself. He protected you from the church. He offered you everything. And you betrayed it all.”

”That’s enough out of you,” Korra spat. ”You should know better than anyone what he did to Xiv. What you all did. You have no right to preach, no high ground to take.”

”What would you know of that, betrayer?” This time, it was Verity who spoke, calm yet sharp. ”The gods called you, gave you power, and a path. Yet you scorned that destiny for what? A filthblood?”

”Yeah, what of it? Better than...” Korra trailed off, giving me a look. ”There’s no point, is there?”

I shook my head, biting my lip.

”Luxxa,” I whispered, ”Please, give us some room. Make sure no one messes with the barrier.

”You’re going to fight?” she asked, surprised. ”Let us fight alongside you. We might not be as strong, but we’re not weaker than the War Hero’s harem.”

”They’re nothing here,” I said, finally looking up, letting go of Korra’s hands. My soul hummed as I gathered mana. ”They couldn’t even defeat me when I had a slave crest.”

”You cocky slut!” Rochelle shouted, ”You’re nothing more than a slave, carried on dreams of grandeur on the backs of your allies.”

”Where is Ronin? Was he not against you?” Kirla asked, ”What have you done with him? Where is he?”

”Enough from you,” Verity said, though her focus remained on me. ”That they’re here means your precious war hero lost. They might be evil and accursed, but that arrogance must be respected.”

Rochelle’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes widening. ”That’s...not possible! He could never lose to the likes of her!”

”I seem to recall a time he did just that,” Trithe muttered darkly. ”But that doesn’t matter. Xiviyah, you must know you can’t win here. And even if you do, you could never defeat Soltair. He grieves you, you know. He blames himself for what you’ve become. He’s too kind. Your betrayal really hurt him.”

My tail twitched, and my grip on my staff tightened. I found it hard to breathe.

”That’s rich,” Korra muttered. ”You seemed all too happy to have him to yourself after he sold Xiviyah to that monster. Funny how that worked out for you.”

Trithe’s face tightened, her eyes sliding to Verity for the briefest moment. She grimaced.

”I’ve heard enough. Oracle, you have something that belongs to me,” Verity said, taking a step forward. She raised her blade menacingly. ”Surrender it to me now, or I’ll cut it from your body.”

I looked down. ”I’m sorry,” I whispered.

”For what? Plunging this world into war?”

”For all that I must still do.” Reluctant as I was, this was a battle I wouldn’t run from. Her words were naught but wind in a storm: troubling for a moment, but nothing against my resolve. I clapped my hands, releasing the mana building in my soul. ”Mana Storm!”

The seventh-level spell exploded out in a ripple, visible only as a shimmer of distorted light. It rolled harmlessly over my allies, negated by the power of Adaptive Resistance, and tore into Verity and Trithe’s magic. Wards, enchantments, and spells popped and flared around them, leaving their souls vulnerable to the scathing currents of mana. They were strong enough to resist it, but the elves behind them cried out as the Mana Storm crashed over them, stripping their defenses and flooding the depths of their souls with discordance. They writhed and staggered, their faces contorting in agony.

”Get out of here!” Trithe cried, spinning toward her companions. ”You’ll only get in the way!”

The three fled in pain and fear, their bravado gone with their wards. I let them pass through my barrier. There was no reason to kill those who were already defeated.

”You’re mine!” Verity cried, lunging forward. She streaked faster than I could follow, leaving an afterimage behind.

I fell back, but I needn’t have flinched. There was a blur of silver, and Fable materialized in front of me. He let out a growl and raised a paw. Verity appeared with her sword against his claws, stopped dead in her tracks. She slashed several times, and I groaned, pressing a hand to my head as our souls entangled again and scores of potential fates bled into my mind.

The battle was impossible to follow, filled with such speed and power that I couldn’t comprehend. But as one second turned to two, and a single clash to dozens, it was to no avail. Not even with her foresight could she find a way to slip past him.

”What the hell?” Verity muttered, breaking away with a wide slash. ”What kind of monster is this?”

Fable answered with another growl, lunging forward. Though in his condensed form, he still dwarfed the slender girl, pouncing on her like a cat over a mouse. She parried his claws, but the sheer impact drove her back a hundred feet, leaving a deep furrow in the ground. He was on her in an instant, and she rolled beneath his snapping jaws, swinging at his neck.

Her sword bit deep, and Fable let out a howl, but before the blade had even drawn from his flesh, the wound was already beginning to close. She landed a few more hits in close succession, using her speed to outmaneuver his oversized paws, but the result was the same. Her foresight gave her unerring accuracy, and her soul significant power, but it was obvious she grew increasingly frustrated with her inability to end things the longer the fight dragged on.

”I’ll handle Soltair’s slut,” Korra said.

”I’m with you,” Gayron said, summoning a fire in his hand.

She threw her hand back as she flew forward, stalling him. ”I’ve got this. You keep an eye on Xiviyah. Something happens to her, you’re dead.”

”Damn it,” he muttered, easing his stance. He glanced at me and sighed. ”How does it always end like this?”

I gave him a strange look. Was he expecting pity? It was his fault for falling in love with someone as crazy as Korra. He could only blame himself.