The Forsaken Hero

Whiteriver Village. The first place I’d ever tried to save. The first official quest of my adventure with Soltair. Or maybe it was more accurate to call it his adventure. The ground felt completely foreign beneath my boots.

"You recognize this village?" Luke asked.

"Whiteriver Village. We saved the people from a basilisk, and...well, we tried," I said, my voice small. More memories flowed into my mind, breaching the fog. I stumbled toward the barn, and nearly fell, but Fable pushed against my side. More tears welled up in my eyes.

"What are you doing? The best place to sleep will be the inn," Luke said, following behind me.

"I can’t," I whispered brokenly. "I have to know."

The doors hung ajar, the hinges broken. Snow had begun to gather on the eaves and rough upward-facing ridges of the wall planks. I pushed on the door, putting all of my weight against it, but it didn’t budge.

Wordlessly, Luke pulled me back by the shoulder and then placed his hand against the door. He barely moved his fingers, and the door fell inward, splintering into rotted fragments.

"Xiviyah, it was already open. If you couldn’t even open that, you must rest now."

I slipped past him, into the darkness. Thick swirls of dust and snow clouded the air like a heavy fog. A few dozen silhouettes were faintly visible, spread throughout the main floor of the barn. Broken stone crunched beneath my feet, tripping me up.

"No," I whimpered, letting my aura blow aside the dust. "No! Please, no!"

Statues of stone were scattered all over. Some stood whole, others lay in broken fragments, or shattered pieces. All of them had once been men, women, and children wearing the plain clothes of villagers. I fell to my knees, coughing weakly through choked sobs. I reached out, my hand brushing the aged face of an old woman. The stone was weak and chalky, flaking off at my touch.

"I don’t understand," Luke said, resting a hand on my shoulder, looking around in confusion. "Statues?"

"The Basilisk’s curse. I told them that killing it wouldn’t work, but they..." I bowed my head.

"They wouldn’t accept help from a demonkin," Luke said what I couldn’t out loud.

I nodded morosely. "This whole time, I hoped I had been wrong. That somewhere in the mountains of Radia, there was a village that had been freed because of me. But all I’ve brought anywhere is death."

"Such is the nature of war. But Xiviyah, you know that’s not true. You’ve brought life and light to so many. And when this war is over, you won’t be able to count the small villages that continued because you were there when all other stars had faded away."

I let Luke lift me to my feet, embracing him. He patted my back, and then guided me from the barn. I looked back, watching as the shadows disappeared in the gloom behind us again. My lips moved in a silent apology and a promise, the same that I’d made to Rylam just days before, though it felt like an eternity. I wouldn’t leave anyone behind again.

The inn was in a state of disrepair. The windows were dull and cracked, and the eaves sagged with the weight of abandonment. I no longer wondered why the people had left. They must have lost a third of their numbers to the basilisk. Surviving alone was no longer an option.

"It’s a bit dusty, but it’ll keep the snow out," Luke said, looking around the common room. "The rooms will be upstairs, I assume."

I nodded, remembering the small, cozy quarters Soltair, Trithe, and I had stayed in. The small villages in the Solori Mountains, as I remembered them being called, rarely saw visitors, but every one had a hearth for the bitter winters that seized the region. Soltair quickly searched the building and claimed the innkeeper’s personal quarters for me. He laid me on the bed, lit a fire with his mana, and then made to leave. I caught his sleeve.

"Stay," I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

He was still for a single heartbeat. He gave me a nod and sat on the bed, creasing it with his weight. His hand covered mine, and my racing heartbeat calmed slightly. His touch, so gentle and firm, drew a warmth that was a match for the flames dancing on the hearth.

"Don’t leave me," I whispered, my eyes growing heavy. I tried to keep them open, to make sure he wasn’t going to slip away, but it was futile. As I sank into darkness, I felt the bed rock again, and Luke’s arms slid around me, holding me from behind. A tender kiss touched my temple, and a breath of a sigh caressed my skin.

I slept without dream or vision, succumbing entirely to the poison and fatigue. For the first time in what felt like an age, I truly slept.

When I awoke, I was cold. I shivered, semi-consciously soul casting a weak spell to warm the air. Then, the implications of that hit me, and I shuddered, groping groggily for Luke. My panic faded as I found him lying on the other side of the bed, facing away from me. A small smile touched my lips. He must roll around a lot in his sleep. That was...unexpected.

Light streamed through the broken windows, revealing the sun had already crested its zenith. Fable was stretched out at the foot of the bed, resting his head on his paws. He watched me as I yawned, stretching incredibly stiff muscles. I was sore all over, but the truth was, I felt better than I had in a long time.

Waving my hand, I conjured a mirror and scrutinized myself. My veins were still dark and visible beneath my skin, but a warm, healthy flush had replaced the sickly gray pallor of my cheeks. The poison lingered, but its grip had lessened. My soul answered my call easily, and I was able to stand by myself without issue.

"This won’t do," I murmured, picking at the ruined scraps of my dress. My face warmed as I thought of Luke hugging me when I was dressed so scantily. It would only have taken a gust of wind, or a careless brush of his hand, and...

My blush darkened, and I glanced at Luke, making sure he was facing away. His chest rose and fell evenly, but I wouldn’t take the appearance of sleep for granted. He’d tricked me before. I decided to conjure a shimmering veil of mist as a sort of changing partition. It would have been easy to find another room, but I couldn’t bear to put even a single wall between us right now.

Then, my heart trembling, I hurriedly stripped the rags and pulled on a red silken Heartland dress, and tied it with a black sash. I sat back on the bed and began to brush my hair, wincing as I fought through the snags and tangles. My hair was bad enough on a good day, but after spending a day in battle and a night literally tied to a tree, it was a mess.

As I worked out the last few tangles, the bed creaked. A shadow fell over me, and I turned to see Luke kneeling on the bed, gazing at me with a faint smile.

"What?" I said, blushing slightly.

"Nothing. Just...watching."

"You can help, if you want," I said, gesturing at him with the comb.

He coughed. "I, uh, don’t know about that. Your hair is too soft and delicate for fingers like these." He held up his hand, showing his thick fingers and hard callouses. "I’d just make it worse."

I nodded, content to finish myself, but the comment tickled at me. I hummed softly, imagining Luke running his hands through my hair, tenderly working through the tangles. I didn’t want to admit how much I liked the idea.

"I’m glad you’re feeling better," he murmured.

"Hmm?" I glanced at him, and he shrugged, rubbing one of his horns.

"You’re humming. That only happens when you’re in a good mood. I’m just glad you have the heart for it now."

My cheeks warmed, and I bit my lip, my tail twisting. "Am not."

His grin grew, and his tail drew close to mine. I pretended not to notice, and my tail curled against his, basking in the gentle affection. He really did feel a lot softer than he had been before. Before, he had always kept me at arm’s length. Before...before when?

"We should get moving as soon as you’re ready," Luke said, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded, still looking at him, studying those violet eyes. Evla had said something similar, hadn’t she? That had to be the cause of his actions over the last few days, which had been antithetical to everything he was. Something had changed, and I didn’t know what, or understand why. But I was grateful all the same.

"Alright," I said, lowering my brush. "I’m ready. Let’s return to High Valley."