The Forsaken Hero

Morning arrived quickly, beginning as soft, gray light seeped through the curtains. I twitched as sunbeams fell across my face, slowly rising from the realms of sleep. The air was still and peaceful, carrying a cold that drove me deeper into Fable’s fur. The wolf growled softly, nuzzling my face with his snout, gently urging me to face the day.

”Just a little longer,” I groaned, burying my face in his chest, breathing deep his familiar scent.

With the morning chill as it was, having such a warm, thick coat just wasn’t fair, and I was loathe to let it go. For some reason, surprising even to me, Fable decided to tolerate my selfishness and settled down, tail swishing across the floor. The noise was soft and soothing, nearly lulling to sleep once more.

The sunlight began to intensify, slowly warming the air and drawing the last of my drowsiness away. Yawning wide, I opened my eyes to slits against the sunlight, blinking rapidly as my eyes began to adjust. Fable gazed at me patiently, his tail slowing to a lazy arc. With another yawn, I struggled to pull away, somehow rising to sit with my back against his stomach. The air was sharp and cool, slipping through my sheer nightdress to caress my skin, sending a shiver down my tail.

Letting out a breath of condensation, I subconsciously reached for my mana, intent on warming the air with a spell, only to find my soul strained and dry. I sat there, motionless for a moment, before shaking my head. What was going on? Had I somehow cast something in my sleep? The only thing that felt clear was that this chill was getting a little ridiculous. It was summer, the morning should be getting warmer, not colder. Something was wro–

The anomaly.

With that one thought, the morning peace shattered, scenes of last night’s vision crashing upon me like the floods of a broken dam. The sudden rush of memories took my breath away, leaving me trembling against Fable’s side, my tail curling into my lap. Sensing my distress, Fable pressed against me, supporting me with his weight.

Brithlite, demons, the storm, Levin. Elise and Sari. How had I forgotten? The revelations spun around my head, ricocheting until even thinking became painful. I gripped my horn and squeezed my eyes tight, a dull ache reverberating in the back of my skull, slowly growing as I struggled to organize the sudden flow of information.

”Starlight?” A familiar voice cut through the storm, startling me from the memories.

My eyes snapped up, jumping around the room until they fell on a feminine figure in the doorway. The woman’s eyes glistened as she took a step into the room, her face slowly registering in the disorientated confusion of my mind.

”T-Tana?”

She hesitated, pressing an uncertain hand to her breast. ”I’m sorry for intruding, but I wanted to tell you that Ror woke up.”

”Ror?” Sari’s face, broken and hollow, flashed through my mind. ”Is he alright?”

”He’s fine.” She reached out and wrapped her hand around my fingers, pressing her hand into my palm. After a second, her grip tightened, a crease appearing on her brow. ”But never mind that now. What’s going on? You’re practically trembling!”

”Just...a bad dream,” I stammered, not meeting her eyes. She frowned, her eyes flashing, driving a spike of guilt through my heart. Before she could say anything, I met her eyes, pleading. ”Please, I promise I to tell you later, but right now...please, where’s Ror.”

She studied me silently for a few long heartbeats, her eyes searching my face, before letting out a sigh. ”Alright, I’ll trust you. But you’d better not do anything dangerous again, not without telling me.”

I nodded, sagging in relief. Her grip tightened, and I allowed her to pull me up. Before I’d even straightened, Fable sprung to his feet and gave his coat a shake before padding over to the door. The massive wolf paused at the threshold, giving me a stern look, before padding down the hallway. I hadn’t slept in that late, had I? And where was he even going, anyway?

Tana covered her mouth with her hand, smothering a smile. I gave her what I hoped was a resentful glare, but that only pushed her mirth into a giggle. I’d have to work on that, it seemed.

Wearing a slight frown, I crossed my arms beneath my breasts. ”Ror?”

That wiped the smile off her face, replaced by a glimmer of sorrow, her voice growing apprehensive. ”Sorry, you’re right. Bilev put him in one of the spare guest rooms. He woke up this morning, but won’t talk or eat. He won’t even look at me when I try and talk to him. You were the one who saved him, so I was hoping you might have better luck.”

I nodded, my tail twitching anxiously. He had suffered so much at the hands of Vithrass, tortured and pushed to the brink of breaking. The carefree innocence of his childhood had been torn away. I desperately hoped for a miracle, that he could move past the darkness and regain his child-like hope once more. If I could do it, then surely...Caught up in my thoughts, I moved to leave but ran into Tana’s raised hand.

”Why don’t you put something on, first? Sorrin’s there, and now that we’re married, I’d rather not have him staring at you.”

I glanced down, my cheeks turning red as I found myself still dressed in a thin nightdress. With an embarrassed squeak, I dove to the nightstand and snatched my ring. After finding a simple white dress, I slipped it over my head and began to adjust it. I struggled with the laces, my fingers trembled with trepidation at what I might find in that room, until Tana glided up behind me, smoothing my hands away.

”Allow me,” she murmured, her breath tickling my neck.

After hesitating for a second, I relaxed, shifting to allow her better access. Her practiced fingers were swift and nimble, practically flying up the laces. Before I knew it, we were passing through the door, heading to a guest room further down the hall.

Sorrin stood guard outside, his arms crossed before his chest, ears drooping. He glanced up as we appeared, nodding to me politely. ”Morning.”

Swallowing hard, I returned the greeting, looking past him into the room. The curtains were drawn against the morning light, the fire kindled against the chill nothing more than glowing embers. The room was dark and forlorn, shadows collecting like umbral mist around a small lumb in bedsheets.

”Ror?” My voice trembled as I leaned against the doorframe, holding a trembling hand to my chest.

The lump didn’t respond, motionless save for the shallow rise and fall of the sheets with every breath. I met Tana’s eyes and she nodded. Together, we entered, crossing around the bed until we faced Ror. He stared up at us blankly, his dull eyes reflecting the dying light of the embers. I dropped to my knees, heart heavy, and dug through the mass of sheets until I found his small, clammy hand.

”Ror, I’m here for you...just like you were for me.” My voice broke, and I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. Moisture gathered in my eyes, but refused to fall, held back by a rising surge of anger. How could anyone do this? How could anyone hurt such a precious, innocent child? Hadn’t my suffering been enough? Who could have required more?

Squeezing my eyes shut, I felt a single tear trickle down my cheek, dripping onto Ror’s hand. The boy’s fingers twitched in my grip, and I looked up, finding the foxkin’s eyes sharp, finally focusing on me.

”Starlight...I tried to stop them,” he groaned, ”but I...I wasn’t strong enough. T-They took her! They took Sari!”

”Shhhh, it’s alright.” I soothed. ”Everything’s going to be alright. Do you remember what happened?”

He stared up at me, eyes dancing with fear. A shiver passed through his small body, and his skin grew cold. After a long time, he licked his lips and I leaned forward, straining to hear his whisper.

”We were in the cage together, with the others. The scary man with horns was shouting and screaming at us. He took one of the other girls and...and...” Ror squeezed his eyes shut, taking a shaky breath before continuing, trembling profusely. ”After, he dragged me from the cage, leaving Sari behind. The chains were so hard, and cold, they hurt,” he sniffed, squeezing his eyes shut.

I shared a pained glance with Tana. Her lips pressed together in a firm line, anger dancing in her eyes.

After a shallow breath, Ror continued. ”When he was gone, another man just appeared in the room. He opened the cage and grabbed Sari. She...she screamed for me, to help her, but I couldn’t. The chains were too strong. I was supposed to be there, to protect her, but I wasn’t enough.”

He fell silent again, and I squeezed his hand. ”Did the man say anything? About why he wanted her?”

Ror nodded, a tear leaking from his eye. ”He said she was special, that he could use her. When he looked at me, I was so scared I couldn’t move. He took out something and threw it on the ground. A magic circle appeared underneath all the others in the cage, and they disappeared. She...she disappeared.”

Ror let out a choked sob and weakly struggled to rise, turning a tear-stained face toward me. Taking him in my arms, I held the child close, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. His furry ears tickled the Sunpurge, but the tingle of pain was nothing compared to the anguish in my heart. Alverin had known about Sari’s ability, and her relationship to me. It wasn’t likely he’d let her die, not when she was so useful to him, but someone as innocent and vulnerable as she might not have the strength to keep on living. Her eyes had been so dead and hollow...

Tana’s voice came behind me. ”Starlight, is he...?”

”He’s alright,” I whispered, hugging the boy close. ”Ror, I promise I’m going to save her. You need to rest and recover your strength so that when I bring her back, you can protect her again. Understand?”

He nodded, wiping away his tears. After a shaky breath, he met my eyes, and I gasped, taken aback by the fury and conviction I saw there. I smiled softly and ruffled his hair. It seemed I underestimated the small foxkin.

”Rest now,” I murmured one last time, lying him back down. ”I promise we’ll get her back.” Then, turning to Tana, ”Let’s go. There’s something I need to share with everyone.”