The Forsaken Hero

The first snowflakes fell before the end of the week. By the beginning of the second, the low hills and forests were blanketed in almost a foot of cold, wet snow. It turned to mud beneath the boots of the last light company, a fifty-foot-wide scar of brown in the world of white.

It was cold and miserable, but the weather only got worse the closer we got to the heart of the Brithlite Kingdom. The anomaly’s power was unlike anything I’d seen before, even the avatars it sent to answer my call. Millions of tiny threads of mana covered the sky, blotting out the sun and knitting a tapestry of winter clouds. Every few hours, a particularly strong current of mana flowed through the sky, followed quickly by a short blizzard. The snow fell so hard during those times the army was forced to wait it out, unable to see the soldier just a rank ahead.

In a normal army, the extreme conditions would have left thousands dead of cold and exposure, but in Enusia, men and women were strengthened with mana. The weakest among the Last Light Company was already third level, past the point where mundane temperatures were a concern. I, on the other hand, had the body of a first-level mage, and was forced to use my magic to shield myself from the bitter winter elements. It was a strain on my soul I didn’t need, limiting the amount of time and effort I could use to study and teach Sarra and Jenna soulcasting.

It was on the second day of our third week from fleeing Bluegate Keep that it happened. I rode at the front of the company beside Korra and the Star Guard, my long, crimson hair streaming behind me in the winter gusts. The snow melted an inch before colliding with my face, but the residual moisture left me damp and cold.

As we crested a gently sloping hill, a faint tingle of unrest rippled through my mana. I raised my head and looked around our surroundings, but the sky chose that particular moment to blast us with a white-out blizzard.

”Gith,” I called above the whine of the wind, ”Something’s coming!”

The ranger, visible only as a faint silhouette in the storm, perked up. His soul shone brightly for a moment as he channeled his ability, searching for any presence nearby. Since working with Korra on her magic arts, I’d gotten better at seeing the delicate weave of abilities, and I could just make out the faint network of thread-like mana sprang out from his soul, a spiderweb with him in its center.

The agitated energy in my soul increased, a whisper of chaos and infernal mana. I opened my mouth to call a warning, but Gith was faster.

”Demons!” he cried.

The rest of the Star Guard tensed, drawing their weapons, but his voice was swallowed by the blizzard, failing to alert anyone beyond us. Unfazed, the ranger drew an arrow back and used one of our newly invented magic arts, a fourth-level art called Flare Shot. The arrow shot into the sky with a low hum, streaming a brilliant trail of flame in its wake. Once it reached the zenith of its trajectory, it exploded in a shower of reds and yellows. The ensuing fireball evaporated the falling snow for a hundred feet in all directions and its light penetrated the flurries for double that. But it wasn’t the show of fire that would warn the army, but the resulting concussive shockwave that rolled over our forces.

”What is it?” Bethiv’s voice floated over the storm, coming from the head of the column a few dozen feet away.

”Demons!” Jackal shouted for me.

I was grateful for his carrying voice, for I doubted whether Korra, who stood just a few feet away, could hear me even if I shouted.

”There’s four of them,” Gith said, notching another arrow. He didn’t draw this time, but kept it pointed ahead of us, at the approaching demons. ”One’s a sixth-level, the others are five. Evolved demons, of course.”

I urged Fable forward and caught up to Bethiv. He was in the middle of issuing orders to his officers and only turned to me once he had finished.

”I don’t like this,” he said, squinting ahead through the flurries. ”Why are there so few of them? Even if the one’s sixth, we can crush them without a single casualty.”

Jackal stroked his beard, eyes narrowed. ”We should use our mages to annihilate them before they have a chance to attack. Orson broke through to sixth level last week, which gives us close to ten sixth-level mages. If even a few of them work together, we won’t have to risk anyone in combat.”

”What do you think, Jenna?” Bethiv asked, turning to the wind mage beside me. ”Can you land a spell with any sort of accuracy in this storm?”

”Naturally, though I’d expect a reward,” she said with a wink. ”But in all seriousness, it wouldn’t be too hard with Gith’s ability. Once he hones in on their location, it’s a simple matter to obliterate the entire region.”

Bethiv nodded. ”Good, then get a team together and start your spell. If they engage us before you’re ready we can–”

”Wait, please,” I interrupted.

Though my voice barely rose above the blizzard, the seasoned veterans immediately fell silent and looked at me. I blushed slightly, the tip of my tail stirring across the soft snowpack. No matter how often it happened, I couldn’t seem to get used to the instant attention and expectation. I was used to being the one commanded, not the other way around!

”There’s something different about these demons. It’s hard to explain, but their souls feel off compared to the ones in Bluegate. I don’t think they’re with the demon horde there.”

”Are you sure?” Korra asked, ”That damned apostle might have changed his mind about letting us go. He knows about your power, and how valuable you could be to him. He seemed ruthless enough to do anything to accomplish his goals, including reneging on his word and trying to enslave or exploit you.”

The thought was uncomfortable, forming a pit in my stomach. Alverin, Levin, Soltair...the list went on. Luke wouldn’t join them. He couldn’t.

”T-they’re not the same,” I said in a small voice.

”She’s right,” Gith said, surprising all of us. ”They come from the northeast, the opposite direction of Bluegate. They might still be a part of the demon army, but they would have come from the northern forces.”

Luxxa nodded in agreement. ”And even that’s unlikely. Brithlite has most of its forces concentrated up there for now. King Alverin–”

”’That bastard’” Korra interjected.

Luxxa leveled a hard stare at the water hero. ”Even if he is our enemy, it is good to show proper respect for his title and authority. But regardless, he was relying on the Last Light Company and a church army to defend Bluegate. The brunt of his forces was up north, fighting the main army of the demons.”

”Then who the hell are these bastards?” Orion asked, gesturing in the direction of the approaching demons. ”The only other thing I can think of is that they recently broke free from an undocumented Demon Gate.

Korra shook her head. ”If that were true there would be an entire horde of scions with them.”

The Star Guard continued to discuss the matter in low voices, but I withdrew a few steps, lost in thought. The demons’ mana truly felt strange, bearing an underlying sense of order beneath the chaos. It reminded me of the Nexus, in a way, but left me with a feeling of smoke, like catching a whiff of ash on someone’s clothes the day after a fire.

There wasn’t much time left to decide. Jenna had found a few mages already, if they waited any longer there wouldn’t be enough time to cast a spell before the demons were onto us. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, that these demons weren’t our enemies. The very idea that we should kill them felt wrong.

A realization struck me like a lightning bolt, and I urged Fable forward again. This wasn’t just a feeling, but a push from fate itself. It was a manifestation of one of the more subtle, passive abilities I’d received from the Oracle of Eternity. It had guided me to Heartland, led me to Korra, and so much more.

I took a deep breath and moved to the discussing soldiers again. Now that I knew what I was feeling, ignoring it would only bring catastrophe. ”Bethiv! We can’t attack them. I think I should meet with the demons..”

Commander Bethiv’s eyes widened and he started to shake his head, but I held up a hand. I’d tried asking, and been rejected. Just like he’d promised: when I was weak, no one followed. So, with his guidance from Bluegate ringing in my ears, I tried a different tactic.

”Commander, have the company take a defensive position. Use magic to illuminate the storm and keep an eye out for any demons trying to catch us from behind. Korra and I, accompanied by the Star Guard, will approach them and discover their intentions. Don’t worry,” I said as everyone tried to protest at once, ”If things get hostile, Fable can get me away before anything happens, and you can do what you must.”

I held my breath, my tail flicking nervously, as an uneasy silence settled on my friends. Korra and the Star Guard seemed about to protest, but they all looked at Bethiv, awaiting his verdict. I’d mustered all the confidence I could, yet was it enough? Would they really trust me and have faith in my abilities?

A single second dragged into an eternity, but Bethiv finally nodded his head. ”As you command, my lady. Jackal! Joel! Get the troops in formation. Knights and soldiers in front, mages in back!”

”Yes, sir!” the two captains said, saluting.

”Thank you,” I said, dipping my head to him, a hand pressed to my breast. ”Korra, everyone, let’s go.”

They followed without complaint, and we moved into the storm. I cast a final glance back at Bethiv, who now stood alone at the front of the army. My heart quickened as I got a final glimpse of his face before the thickly falling snow obscured his features. He was smiling! It was small and faint, but filled with pride.

His lips moved, and though the wind stole the sound, their intent was clear. ”Well done, my lady. Well done.”