The Forsaken Hero

The situation was already being monitored within Haven’s walls. Fatesworn and Remnants gathered as I ran into Starfall Keep. Jasrin seemed to be in charge, gazing at the illusory maps projecting the peaks surrounding High Valley with his arms folded.

”Jasrin!” I cried, running up to him, panting hard.

He turned, his eyes widening slightly as I fell into him, wrapping my arms around his sides. ”Lady Xiviyah, to what do we owe the pleasure?” he asked with an easy grin.

I ducked my head as he ruffled my hair, but held him tight.

”You know what’s going on?”

”I think everyone here knows by now,” he chuckled. ”I’ll admit, even I didn’t see those demons showing up. Good thing they’re friendlies, eh?”

”Lord Jasrin,” said an elvish ranger, running into the room. At least, he looked like a ranger, but his cloak was a light, dusty blue instead of mottled brown and green like the others.

Jasrin carefully, but firmly, pried my hands off of him and gestured me back. The soldier hesitated as he looked at me, torn between bowing and saluting. He settled on the latter.

”Lady Xiviyah. Forgive me, I didn’t know you were here,” he said.

”What news?” Jasrin asked.

”Lady Emlica is at the skydock now. She thinks the new core will work.”

”Excellent. See if we can get those installed.”

”New Cores?” I asked, looking between the two rangers.

Jasrin flashed me a grin. ”Yep! That crazy librarian’s been working on improving our designs for a while.”

”I was...wait, why are they here?” I gestured at the Fatesworn, who looked at me in confusion. ”Er, I mean...I thought they were all deployed at Radia.”

”Most of them were, but we kept a skeleton crew here to maintain the keeps and farms and such. And the Skyknights, of course. Can’t go anywhere without their ships.”

I blinked, my mouth parted silently. Skyknights, too? Just what was going on here?

”That would be us, my Lady,” the ranger from before said, tugging at his cloak the same way I did the hem of my sleeves when I felt awkward. ”Lord Jasrin was quite determined to name us as such. Though I find it a little suspicious you waited until everyone had gone before doing so.”

Jasrin huffed, lifting his chin. ”It’s a good name. One you should feel proud to bear.”

The ranger...Skyknight...chuckled wryly, and shook his head. ”We’re plenty satisfied with ’Fatesworn,’ you know. But I suppose it’s wise to differentiate different troops based on their training.”

”Exactly!” Jasrin beamed. ”Now, get back there and get your boys on standby. We’ll be needing you soon.”

The soldier saluted, running off again.

”That’s Grand Captain Ellis. A natural-born leader, handpicked by mine own eye,” Jasrin said proudly.

And now there were ’Grand Captains,’ too. I shook my head in disbelief. This was the last time anyone let Jasrin be in charge of anything.

”Hey, don’t look like that. You should be happy I’m organizing things around here. Can you believe the rest of those guys were content to just leave it at ’Fatesworn?’” He snorted., and raised his hand, counting his fingers as he continued, saying, ”I’ve already gotten a few more branches sorted out. There’s the Nightwatch for the rangers and scouts, the Order of Dawn for our life mages, the Empyrean Circle, the--”

”Circle?”

he paused, and frowned. ”Ah, shoot, forgot that word had a stink on it. How about...order? Yeah, we could call them ’the order.’ That sounds good. And then there’s the Elite Guards, which you called the Star Guards, and--”

”I didn’t!” I protested, blushing lightly. ”I could never! They just...came up with it. It’s a little dramatic for me but...no, we’re getting distracted. Jasrin, whatever you do, run it by Bethiv first.”

His face scrunched up. ”Now why would I do that? He doesn’t care about stuffy, formal things like that. Leave the politics to me, yeah? I know a thing or two.”

”Politics?” I grasped my horn, letting out an exasperated sigh. Politics made me think of Aerion, and that...what did they have anything to do with giving people embarrassing names?

”Hmm, looks like they’ve started. Wow, those demons are weaker than I remember.”

I turned sharply, staring at the illusion. Jasrin had completely lost his frivolities, his eyes tracking every flicker of mana and movement among the hills. In the time since I’d gotten here, things had already escalated. The main force of the church was still beyond Haven’s range, but a few parties of scouts had clashed against the fringe packs of the horde. It was more skirmishes than battles, with neither side fully committing.

”Jasrin,” I said, turning back to him. ”I need your help. Serious help.”

”Naming is serious. But yes, I’m already aware. Your idea is sound, though it will take time to prepare the Skyknights for battle.”

”Skyknights? Who said anything about the Skyknights?”

He gave me a quizzical look. ”But you did, didn’t you? Who else were you talking about when you were scheming with your guard?”

”But that’s...what?” I stared at him, my tail frozen in disbelief. ”But we don’t have any skyships! I was talking about you, and the other remnants. Haven said it couldn’t support anything too strong, but I was hoping it could project some of you in weaker forms. Just fifth or sixth level, enough to cause some damage and drag the inquisitors over.”

”That’s ridiculous.”

He said with obvious disdain, like I’d just confused a pine tree for an oak. My grip on my horn tightened, my knuckles whitening in frustration.

”Then what–” I sucked in a breath, forcing my hand down and balling it in my skirt. Clutching fabric wouldn’t make my head ache, though Jasrin was already accomplishing that on his own. ”I don’t understand. There aren’t enough Fatesworn left to make a difference, are there?”

”I...I don’t understand.”

”You will, in time. But now requires patience. That’s the hardest part of war, you know. The waiting. The waiting before the first clash, the waiting as your unit holds on orders, and the waiting to see if you’ll be the one coming out on top.”

”I don’t mind waiting,” I muttered, shivering slightly. ”Much better than being in the fight.”

He gave me a strange look. ”Now, you’re an odd one for a hero. I’m pretty sure unnatural bloodlust is a part of the heroic blessing.”

”That explains why I don’t have it. Then again, I didn’t even get the natural demonkin tendencies. I almost think it would be better if I had. Then things like this wouldn’t be so hard.”

His expression softened. ”Fate has a way of spinning people’s threads they need for their tapestry. From what I’ve seen, our skies needed a gentle, kind star much more than they needed another warrior.”

”You kinda broke the analogy there.”

His lip curved. ”Hmm, weird. I didn’t notice. But enough yapping. You’ve better things to do than stand around yapping with an old ranger.”

”I guess. Um, Jasrin?”

”Yeah, kid?”

I gave him a hesitant smile, and another hug. As strange as he was, he had a way of calming my fears unlike anyone else, like curling up in a cozy alcove with a good book.

Haven appeared as I left Starfall Keep, whisking me away to the Cathedral of Fate. She wasn’t there, to my dismay. There was no sign of Magic, either, though that suited me fine.

”She’s within the weave,” said Arantius as I looked around the solemn chapel. ”What need have you of her?”

”I just...” I lowered my head, tail swishing. ”I wanted to see her. And...ask her a few things.”

He floated to the floor, settling down right in front of me. I took a small step back.

He gave me a humorless smile. ”You needn’t be so on guard. I swore to protect you, and yet you’re always so skittish.”

I gathered my hands in my skirt. ”I know, but...”

”I’m scary?”

I hung my head, more than nodding it. ”You’re not like the others. They’re all light, and you’re...not.”

”No. I’m not.” His tone was soft, but certain. It sent a shiver down my tail.

”What was it you wished to inquire of the goddess?”

”I, well...things have been different. My aura is unstable, I think. First it was just difficulty controlling it, but with the Soul Binder, I’ve managed to stop the visions popping up everywhere.”

”And that doesn’t put you at ease?”

I shook my head. ”I can, um, project my soul places, and take others with me. And after coming to High Valley, and seeing that the stars are no different than Haven, I have to wonder. What’s going on?”

He settled back, giving me a thoughtful look. ”I thought Invika explained auras to you. An aura isn’t just a power. It’s a manifestation of an attribute.”

”She said it was like overwriting the rules of the world with your own personal rule.”

”That’s her way of looking at it. A scholar’s way. But I see it more like a demon’s attribute. It doesn’t simply cover up their scales, or change the element of their abilities. It transforms their very nature, their very soul. Other attributes become hostile to them. You’ve experienced that yourself, entering aligned realms like demon gates before.”

”Then my aura...?”

”To call your stars an aura is like saying a pond is an ocean. They’re both water, yes, made of the same substance. But yours bears the weight of divinity. That, combined with your mark, means what you have seen so far- the visions, the projections, the warmth- are but symptoms of its true power.”

My hand curled into a loose fist against my chest. ”What does my mark have anything to do with it?”