The Forsaken Hero

The moment I left Elinore’s tent, I was caught up in a whirl of noise and activity. The transition was sharp, but it fled my mind as I nearly stumbled over Fable, who was draped in front of the tent’s entrance.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly like I could ’trip’ over something the size of a heavy war horse. Instead, I just took a step back and glared at him. He raised his great head and licked my hand, slathering my fingers in saliva.

”Hey!” I protested, wiping my hand back on his fur. ”And where do you think you’ve been?”

When I awoke the day before, he was strangely absent from the camp. I’d spent the entire night alone and the morning until this point worrying about him. I could feel his presence, and the others assured me he had been fine, but they also didn’t know where he disappeared to.

Fable yawned wide and ambled to his feet. He moved slowly but still faster than I could react, encircling me with his silver tail and nuzzling me with his cheek. My frown slipped away, and I held his head in my hands, hugging him to my chest. His familiar scent and warmth washed over me, and I closed my eyes, lost in the moment.

”I see you’ve reunited,” a deep, metallic voice said.

I jumped, startled by the sound of Kahlen’s voice. I quickly pushed Fable away and hid my twitching tail behind me, though I could do little about the slight blush warming my cheeks. Why did everyone always have to sneak up on me whenever I lowered my guard like that?

The blade demon’s core resonated with amusement, and he crossed two of his bladed appendages behind him. ”I trust you have resolved the matter with your Life Mage?”

I nodded, grateful he chose not to bring up my earlier vulnerability. ”Yes. I’m heading to inform Commander Bethiv of my decision now.”

”Decision? So then, you’re really going through with it?” Jenna’s voice came from behind us, and I turned to see the rest of the Star Guard just a few paces away. When had they gotten there? Was everyone trying to startle me today?

It took me a second to realize they were still waiting for an answer, and I quickly nodded. ”I have to. I have to get stronger so no one else ever has to die.”

Luxxa’s hand rose self-consciously to her chest, resting against where she’d been stabbed. ”It wasn’t your fault, my lady. Orion knew the risks; we all did. I was ready to die to protect you, and perhaps I should have. If you had saved your magic for him, you might have–”

”Oh, come on,” Jenna said, snorting. ”You know that’s not how it works. Orion died with a sword in his hand, and I’m certain he wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Luxxa glared at her. ”Would it kill you to be more respectful of those who have passed on? Besides, I’m only trying to comfort her; it’s not like I actually plan on dying anytime soon.”

Jenna huffed and replied with another retort, and I smiled sadly. Normally, around this point, Orion would cuff them both on the head or silence them with a word. How quickly things changed and times I took for granted were lost. But that only made this next step even more important.

I took a breath and held up my hand, catching both the bickering women’s attention. ”Jenna, Luxxa, please...”

”As you wish, my lady. I apologize for my behavior,” Luxxa replied with a sharp salute.

Jenna just sniffed and turned her head sharply. I didn’t comment further or even expect more from them. They were just as hurt I was at Orion’s loss, perhaps more. They had been members of the company since its days as a monster-hunting mercenary band. It was that experience and trust that Bethiv had in them that earned them a place in the Star Guard, to begin with. They had a right to grieve and compensate for the loss in their own way.

The Last Light Company camp was huge, even bigger than I remembered from before the battle. Thousands of soldiers and almost as many tents sprawled across the frozen tundra, a veritable maze of canvas and gleaming steel. Small, inconsistent spurts of snow streaked through the air, driven by the arctic winds that radiated from the center of the anomaly. I Could feel it pulsing in my soul, faint and distant yet closer than it had ever been before.

The command tent was on the other side of the camp, and my legs grew weak before we’d even made it halfway there. As we passed by one of the fields designated as a mage training ground, I slipped on a half-buried tent spike. Luxxa was there in an instant and steadied me, and before I could so much as squeak, promptly lifted me up onto Fable’s back.

”That’s enough walking for now,” she said, talking over my protests. ”What’s the point of having a wolf the size of a horse if you don’t even want to ride it? Besides, it eases our minds knowing he’s close to you and can protect you if we’re ambushed.”

I nearly pointed out that we were in the middle of an army, but thought better of it. It was a good point, and it’s not like I had much pride left, anyway. It was embarrassing enough tripping on a tent pole, but I really was tired. Being unconscious, not to mention the power of the Divine Curse, had sapped my strength and torn down whatever strength I’d built from marching with the company over the last few months.

Korra was waiting for us outside of the command tent, a small smile on her face. As we arrived, I slipped off Fable’s back and gave her a half-hug, careful not to upset the sunpurge.

”Looks like you succeeded,” she said, gently squeezing me.

I nodded and let out an exasperated breath. ”Yeah, though it wasn’t easy. Still, Elinore recognized the importance of the moment and even gave me a magic salve she’d been saving for something like this. It should be enough to get me through the healing process, but I doubt I’ll be able to help if anything happens.”

Korra nodded and released me, waving toward the tent. ”Go on in; he’s waiting for you. Meanwhile,” she directed her gaze at the fire demon trailing us. ”You, demon. Spar with me and show me those techniques again.”

”Y-yes, Hero,” the demon stammered.

A small smile tugged at my lips as Korra dragged it off, bringing Luxxa and Gith. If I hadn’t known demons were incapable of fear, I might have thought he was nervous. Had Korra somehow managed to evolve her understanding of magical arts again? Perhaps she was incorporating some of the demon’s techniques into her own. I’d done a similar thing with spell casting and invented Soul Casting. Perhaps this was the final step she needed to perfect the process of her arts.

I hesitated at the entrance flap to Bethiv’s tent, fighting the urge to follow her. But, with a sigh, I turned. In a perfect, peaceful world, I would have liked nothing more than to explore and experiment with magic and mana, but my life wasn’t like that. Perhaps one day it would be, but that was only a distant dream. For now, I had responsibilities and a mission I couldn’t ignore.

”Ah, you’re looking well, my lady,” Bethiv greeted me as I entered. Kahlen and Jenna entered with me, Gith opting to join the others in training. Fable waited outside, even his condensed form being judged too large for the enclosed space.

”Thank you, Bethiv,” I said, giving him a slight curtsey. ”Also, I noticed you called Korra by her name. Why do you only speak to me like I’m some sort of nobility?”

He raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with some of his advisors around the war table. They shrugged, and he looked back at me. ”Well...isn’t that natural? You’re the Oracle of Eternity, and while we don’t exactly know what that means, it’s clear you’re not someone we can treat casually.”

”But Korra’s a hero!” I complained, settling into a waiting chair.

He shrugged. ”After we reunited, she pulled me aside and threatened to thrash anyone who dared give her an honorific or title. I could hardly refuse.”

I blinked several times, my tail twitching in surprise. ”She did?”

One of the other advisors, a tall man named Jordan, nodded. ”Perhaps she wouldn’t care anymore, but she’s sort of...one of us, now. It would be strange to refer to her as anything else.”

”Oh.” I looked down at my lap, clasping my hands together tightly. My tail twitched back and forth behind me, but I didn’t notice, biting my lip anxiously. Did that mean I wasn’t ’one of them?’ That they didn’t feel comfortable around me?

”My lady...” Bethiv said, sounding a bit helpless. ”Please, don’t look like that. We just...respect you.”

I raised my eyes and met his, feeling a slight flush color my cheeks. I bit my lip and mustered my courage, speaking as soon as I found my voice. ”Could you, um, maybe call me Xiviyah? Like you do Korra?”

Bethiv took a breath, beginning to shake his head, but paused as he saw the moisture glistening in my eyes. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, and to them, I’m sure it wasn’t. It had bothered me from the first time I heard it, but I simply hadn’t been able to express it to them. Being called ’my lady,’ or by any other title, was too close to the word ’master’ for me, and I flinched every time I heard it. I couldn’t be like them, like those who had enslaved and tortured me. I just couldn’t.

”Very well, my lad–Xiviyah,” Bethiv finally answered, his voice sounding forced. ”I’ll notify the company of your preference at once.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, feeling strangely drained of energy. I hadn’t realized it had weighed on me so much, but now that it was gone, I felt free.

”How interesting,” Kahlen suddenly said, gazing at me with a twinkle in his core. ”To think you would prefer the name given you by the gods as a symbol of your disgrace over a title of nobility. You certainly are curious, Xiviyah.”

I hadn’t expected it to adhere to my request either, as demons strictly believed in titles and used names very little. But I wasn’t disappointed and favored it with a smile.

”Thank you...I think. Now then,” I said, turning back to Bethiv. ”I’ve made the decision to go forward with Kahlen’s suggestion. Please, prepare the army to secure the gate. We’re going to heal my soul.”