The Forsaken Hero

Bound together, our souls lapsed back into fate. I was completely drained and chilled to the point of numbness. Yet fate didn’t seem to care, stirring as we entered my soul space. The Oracle of Eternity thrummed, dragging us into a vision.

The spiraling lights wove us into a small, cozy inn room. There was a cheery fire in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the simple papered walls and wooden floor. Flurries fell outside the window, visible in the night only as they caught the fire’s light. Two girls were lounging on the bed. I recognized Marge, the rabbit kin, from my other vision, and the other a red-haired girl I recognized as Jill, Alex’s other companion. Neither of them wore a stitch of clothing, and they were lazily caressing each other, exchanging the occasional kiss.

The Fire Hero himself sat at a desk, with a wrinkled tunic hastily thrown over his head. My cheeks flushed as I realized he, too, was naked beneath, and I hurriedly shifted so the table covered the essentials. Only then did I realize two things. First, Luke was also there, and second, he was staring at a magic crystal. It glowed faintly, projecting the war council of the Divine Throne over the table.

"What is this? A vision?" Luke asked, floating toward me. He glanced at Alex and the girls, then back at me, and his lips pursed. I wanted to cover his eyes, feeling a strange tightness in my chest at the thought of him looking at another girl like that, but I stiffened as I realized how this probably seemed to him.

My blush darkened as I shook my head, waving my hands. "I-It’s not like that! I didn’t mean to..."

I was saved then, from a rough, gravelly voice coming from the crystal. "King Vorinth was very displeased with our decision to pull the coalition army back to the Divine Throne. He believes Roann is too heavily damaged to defend itself when the next strike comes."

"It is regrettable, but our concern is with the survival of the world. We’ve lost too many men, and our foes are too numerous, to risk dividing our forces," a general said.

A murmur of assent rounded the room, accompanied by reluctant nods.

"Perhaps if that army hadn’t been annihilated at High Valley..." an elderly officer muttered, glancing in a place the small projection didn’t quite reach. Was that where Fate and the others were?

"Gods, this is so boring. Why did they have to hold an emergency meeting now?" Alex groaned, sitting back in his chair. He glanced at the bed, a longing look on his face. "Say, one of you want to entertain me?"

Jill rolled her eyes. "And risk one of them finding out?"

"It kind of sounds exciting," Marge admitted.

"Exactly!" Alex beamed. "The thrill of discovery makes it all the better. Come, don’t you want to help your master out? I’ve got so much stress I need to blow off."

As Marge slid off the bed and made for the table on her hands and knees, Soltair’s voice came through the crystal.

"Alex, what was that message you sent me? And where are you?"

"Erk!" Alex stiffened, sitting up straight and hurriedly adjusting his collar. He tapped the crystal, and it started blinking softly. When Marge didn’t stop moving and crawled between his legs, his expression strained. "I’m, er, doing some recon away from the Throne. Nowhere important. But about that, I was just wondering why we don’t lead a strike force to take the Fate Hero. We know where she is now, and even Lord Fate isn’t inclined to go himself, it would be a simple matter to sneak past their defenses and take her."

"Out of the question," a Father said, glancing in the direction where Fate was. "Even if the demon hordes were not mustering there by the millions, we cannot risk any more of our high-level combatants on such a mission. Among the ninth-levels at our command, all are guarding places we cannot afford to fall."

"Then what about the others? There are at least three of them that live there, but don’t do anything," Alex said. He seemed about to add something, but winced, pressing his lips in a firm line.

"Those unaligned with the Divine might have some loyalty to this world, but they have grown reluctant to act after so many have perished or vanished," another Father said. "Never mind Nithalee’s disappearance, but the horde has slain more than four ninth-level beings."

"Traitors," Fate growled, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.

"If you were to take action, you could compel them to move," a Father said.

Fate’s silence was the only answer.

"So that’s a no? What about if I did it?" Alex asked.

"Alex, don’t be stupid. She’s already beaten Ronin and Connor. The other traitors have also joined her, remember? What if Korra and Grace are there? Do you really think they’d let you off lightly?" Soltair asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe they’re not around her all the time. We only need to grab Xiviyah. Maybe we’ll even figure out what happened to Ronin."

"That’s a no. And whatever ’scouting’ you’re doing, get back here now. We can’t afford you getting lost or taken in battle. Only together do we stand a chance of winning. And why the hell is your crystal white? That had better be a malfunction, because there’s no way you would forget to enable the anti-scrying wards again, right?"

Alex flinched, though I wasn’t sure it was because of Soltair’s rebuke. "O-of course not! I’ll check that out. And I’ve only got one more errand to run. It’s really important, but I’ll make it quick. I think you’ll like what I have to bring you."

He slapped the crystal, and the white glow turned a soft blue. The vision scattered, forcing Luke and me into the darkness.

"That was, er, interesting," Luke murmured, holding me close again.

I nodded, cheeks burning, mortified. My tail twisted back and forth, and I was grateful he held my head to his chest because that meant I didn’t have to look him in the eye.

I wasn’t sure at what point I became aware of it, but we were no longer within the weave of fate. I was cradled in Luke’s arms, sitting across his lap, my head on his shoulder. He was whole and substantial once more, though bits of shadow still tinged parts of his flesh.

I was the same, the shadow crawling over me like painless sunpurge, but the warmth in my heart overwhelmed my embarrassment from the vision, letting me forget both it and the horrible chill in my soul.

"I can’t believe it’s really you," I murmured, touching his face, caressing his cheek. It was rough with stubble.

He gave me a sad, tired smile. "I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I...wasn’t strong enough. Thank you for coming after me."

"It wasn’t me. I just made a bridge," I murmured, laying my head back down. "You were the one who had to fight your way back. I don’t know how you lasted so long. You must really have loved Elara."

He shivered. "I...didn’t know you knew that name."

"You never speak of her," I murmured, my eyes lidded. "I...read it. In your journal."

"Ah. Right."

He shifted, adjusting how he held me. He was much warmer than he should be after drifting so close to Oblivion.

The smell of fire and ash drifted through my nostrils, and I opened my eyes. They were damp with tears, but I could see Fyren’s blurred form standing in the entrance. I hadn’t even realized he left.

"You’re awake?" he rushed over, reverting to his human form in a whiff of sparks. "Emperors, you’re both saturated. How did you manage to pull him back?"

I shook my head. "I only did what felt right."

"Well, it worked. But I’m afraid you can’t rest now. The demons have assembled. They are holding their council as we speak."

My eyes widened. "How long–"

"It’s almost nightfall."

"Where are we?" Luke asked, standing. I was relieved he didn’t try to put me down. I doubted I could walk. "What’s going on with the demons? What happened after I fell?"

Fyren growled, sending a stream of soulspeak to him. Luke’s eyes narrowed.

"I see." After a second, he nodded to himself, his tail flicking irritably. "Then I must go."

"No, wait," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck, hugging him close. "Please, don’t leave me."

"You’re in no condition to move. Can you even walk?"

I hesitated, biting my lip. "But...you were there for so much longer! Why can you move around? It’s not fair."

He kissed me on the forehead. "If you behave, I’ll bring you with me."

My cheeks flushed. How could he do something like that when all he knew was anger and vengeance? It wasn’t fair for my heart.

Fyren grumbled something and turned away, clapping his hands. Fable pushed through the doors, reaching us in a single bound. He licked me with his huge, raspy tongue, and I giggled.

"I’m alright, I’m alright." I pushed his head away. "Just because he kisses me doesn’t mean I want you to."

Luke laid me on Fable’s back, and we left the church. Luke was already feeling up to flying, keeping pace with Fyren and Fable as we raced across High Valley.

"What is this place?" he asked as we neared the mist wall.

"An extension of Haven. It’s how we’ve hidden from Fate for so long."

"You mean you made it?"

"A long time ago, but...I’ll have to tell you later. There are so many things you missed, and so many people I want you to meet. Like Rylam, he was actually–"

He gave me a strange look, and I blushed, ducking my head. The corner of his lips twitched.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"No, I want to hear all about it. About you."

My tail swished. "Maybe later? After you deal with this?"

He nodded. "It’s a promise. When it’s just the two of us, I want to hear everything."