The Forsaken Hero

I clutched my staff tightly to keep my hands from shaking as the inquisitors approached. My tail, however, had no such recourse and quivered behind me in fear. Korra had been an inquisitor, yet she hadn’t left any trails to connect us or lead them to me. We’d been traveling alone in the wilderness for almost a month now. Why were they here? And, more importantly, how did they find me?

”My Lady?” a voice sounded practically in my ear.

I jumped and, upon seeing it was only Orion, laid a relieved hand on my breast and took a deep breath. The veteran soldier followed my wide-eyed gaze and frowned, hand falling to his sword hilt.

”Ranks!” he bellowed, disrupting the training behind us. Then, in a quieter voice, ”What the hell are they doing here? We haven’t seen inquisitors for months, not since I turned away that brown-haired girl looking for you. They’d better not be the reinforcements the church promised to send.”

”They’re strong,” I whispered, ”The leader’s a full-fledged inquisitor at the peak of sixth level. The others are fourth and fifth.”

The rasp of steel behind us caused me to turn. Behind us, the soldiers had formed up into neat ranks again, their hands caught in a salute. I shifted a few feet closer to them, almost passing into their ranks, comforted by their protectiveness. They’d been fairly suspicious of me when I first appeared, yet the soldiers now turned that suspicion on the incoming inquisitors, their faces tight and angry.

After a tense minute, the inquisitors came to a stop before the company. The leader, a tall, proud man with dark eyes stepped in front, toe to toe with Orion. He carried a strange long spear with a two-foot spearhead sharpened like a short sword and curved at the tip like a paring knife. His cold eyes swept over the assembled soldiers as though they weren’t there, coming to rest on my slender body. They crawled over my horns and down to the quivering tip of my tail, which flicked back and forth in agitation.

A grim smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he tried to take a step forward, only to come up short as Orion crossed his arms, refusing to move out of his way. The two stared at each other for a moment before the inquisitor stepped back.

”What business have you in Blue Rock Canyon?” Orion asked expressionlessly.

The inquisitor’s eyes finally shifted off of me, flitting to the veteran’s face. ”We travel here on order of the Fate Hero, who has received a prophecy of the Divine. Our mission is to apprehend the blasphemer who dares defy the gods and retrieve the Staff of Fate.”

The breath left my body, driven out by words that struck harder than any fist. My heart pounded against the Staff of Fate held tight to my chest, and my head swam with confusion. I staggered back a step and might have fallen, but a gauntleted hand shot and caught me. I fell against an armored breastplate and slowly raised my head, finding that Solim had caught me. He, along with the other soldiers, glared fiercely at the inquisitors.

”Fate Hero?” Orion asked, shooting a subtle glance in my direction.

I was the Fate hero...or at least, I used to be. Did that mean...could such a thing be possible? They had deposed my goddess, and yet another stood in her place. Would they really go so far as to...

The inquisitor’s smile widened, predatory. ”The God of Fate has spoken through his vessel, the wielder of the Eyes of Fate and the Shining Star. His will cannot be denied. Hand over the blasphemer, soldier, and the divine artifact she has stolen. Your loyalty will be noted.”

Someone else had the Eyes of Fate? My title had become the Final Star, so this Shining Star could only be...I pressed a hand to my chest, my breath coming in short, erratic bursts. They hadn’t...no, they couldn’t have...

Orion uncrossed his arms, hand falling to his sword hilt. ”And if I refuse?” His voice was low, dangerous.

Solim’s arm tightened protectively around me. The other recruits took a step forward, shielding me from the hostile glares of the inquisitor and his followers.

The inquisitor wasn’t fazed, a cruel smile twisting across his lips. ”Then your names shall join hers in the books of history as traitors to humanity and allies of the demons.” He spread his arms wide, his soul igniting with mana, ”And if that’s the case, you can’t blame us for acting.”

I tensed, wary of the great, seething mass of mana, and was startled to find the soldiers preparing as well. They fanned out, eyes locked on the inquisitor, as though they too could see the tempest raging within his soul. And then, I realized they could. The Oracle of Eternity allowed them to see the same as I did.

The inquisitor frowned slightly and his mana calmed, but didn’t fully disappear. ”Curious,” he muttered. ”They shouldn’t be able to–”

”What in the hells is happening here?”

I flinched, startled, as Joel’s furious voice swept over the field, penetrating the tension with the force of a falling mountain. He strode onto the training field, flanked by a small detachment of soldiers, stopping directly between Orion and the inquisitor. He glared first at Orion, then switched to the inquisitor, eyes widening slightly as he took in the white robes and overbearing aura native to the elite organization of the church.

”And you are...?” the inquisitor asked, raising an eyebrow.

”Lieutenant Joel, commanding officer of this region,” Joel responded, his voice clipped.

The inquisitor nodded slowly, then spread his arms wide. He offered an arrogant smile, voice thick with condescension. ”We are come to apprehend the traitor Xiviyah and retrieve the stolen Divine Artifact. It would most unwise to stand against our orders, which come directly from the Divine.”

Joel started to nod, but paused as Orion barked a mirthless chuckle.

”To think you so easily trample on the honor of the Brithlite Military. Lieutenant Joel, these...interlopers have trespassed against the orders of Commander Bethiv and defy your authority. They claim she’s a thief, yet she is an adventurer, subject to your command under martial authority. Furthermore, were we not ordered to keep Lady Xiviyah here and protect her with our lives?”

I glanced at Orion, surprised at his use of formal language and respect. Even more surprising was when Joel’s eyes narrowed and he turned his glare back to the inquisitors.

”Your title holds no weight in these lands, inquisitor,” he said, folding his arms neatly behind his back. ”As the duly appointed officer of this region, I receive commands only from superior officers. No matter how noble or prestigious your position in the church, it is a separate matter from military affairs. As an adventurer, Xiviyah falls under my jurisdiction, and by the laws of this kingdom, justice is administered internally. If you have a complaint, you are welcome to appeal through the established channels. Should you continue this illegal charade, I will see you charged with disrupting military affairs and challenging an officer in wartime. Might I remind you that in such dire circumstances, a crime such as this is punishable by immediate execution?”

”You dare threaten an inquisitor?” Though angry, the inquisitor was completely taken aback, his mouth practically dropping open.

Joel remained stone-faced. ”Before the law, all men are equal. Religious service merits great respect, but it does not allow you to trample against established authority.”

Eyes flashing dangerously, the inquisitor unleashed his aura, seizing the camp in his power. Though Joel was fifth, and the inquisitor sixth, he remained unfazed.

”I will give you a final chance to withdraw,” Joel said through gritted teeth. ”Or I will be forced to take action.”

The inquisitor’s lips curled in an arrogant smile. ”And what can a fifth-level man like you do against me? I am not subject to your laws, lieutenant, nor are you capable of enforcing them.”

Joel stiffened. ”How many will you kill?” he asked coldly.

”What?” the inquisitor raised an eyebrow. ”Kill?”

”The Last Light Company fights to the last man, inquisitor. We do not abandon our mission, cause, or even the least of our own. Even as a temporarily conscripted adventurer, until she is relieved of duty, Xiviyah is a member of this company. So I ask again. How many of us are you willing to kill?”

The inquisitor’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, the arrogance sliding off his face like water on a window. After a few, tense seconds, he spat on the ground. ”You’re making a mistake, Lieutenant. By rejecting us now, you make powerful enemies in places you can’t afford. What would happen if this little incident prevents you from receiving reinforcements from the church?”

”Honoring the law is never a mistake. You can threaten and bluster as you wish, but the integrity and honor of the Brithlite Military is not so easily compromised. If you pressure the church to seize its support, the blood of this kingdom shall be on your hands.”

The inquisitor spun on his heel, white cloak flaring out behind him. ”Watch yourself,” he said, eyes locking onto me. ”This isn’t over.”