The Forsaken Hero

”It seems good,” Elise said, looking up from the treaty. ”It’s basically what I told you earlier. No demon is allowed within ten miles of an empire settlement unless invited by the governing body. In return, the empire promises to rescind all aid to other nations, allow the demon hordes to move through their lands, and allow one demon of your choice to enter each city and take the shard. There are a few provisions and other things, but they won’t impact the horde’s ability to take the rest of the continent.”

”Allow me a moment to interject,” Grand Duke Barthen said. ”It is the imperial majesty’s will to make an additional guarantee as a sign of good faith. Upon confirmation of your ambassador’s claims against the church, the empire will evict all divine influence and personnel from our borders. The church will not be allowed to plot against you while in these lands.”

”A generous concession,” Luke said.

The Duke shook his head. ”Hardly a concession. If they were the ones responsible for the massacre of our people, it is our right and obligation to do as much.”

”And when will you determine that?”

Elaine, standing quietly in the corner, spoke up. ”The culprits are not with the church’s delegation here, save the one inquisitor your apostle interrogated.”

Jessia smirked.

Elaine continued, ”The others, including Lord Evlon, are at large somewhere within the empire’s borders. Once they are apprehended, confirming the rest of the story will be a small matter.”

Luke dipped his head, and Barthen moved to gather the scroll. Elise stepped back to my side, her shoulders sagging in relief. I took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

The Grand Duke took the scroll before the Throne, bowing low and spreading it between his hands before the emperor.

The emperor stood from his Throne, looking around the room. Not one of the nobles returned his gaze.

”It is with a heavy heart that I declare the Blacksand Empire’s surrender to the demon hordes. May your word be as true as your strength, Apostle.”

With that solemn proclamation, the emperor cast a chantless first-circle spell. A small wind blade appeared at the tip of his finger, visible as a faint warping in the air.

Without hesitating, he slashed his other hand, drawing a thin, crimson line across his palm. I flinched, but the emperor showed no reaction, raising it proudly before the court even as blood streamed down his wrist. He pressed his hand to the scroll, leaving a handprint in the space beneath the treaty’s terms.

In a loud voice, the emperor said, ”May the gods witness my oath and bind my blood to my honor.”

Saying that, he injected his mana into the scroll. There was a flash of light as the myriad spells activated all at once. Thousand of ribbons of mana soaked into other blood, then erupted outward, entwining around the emperor’s soul. The man took a long, shuddering breath, his eyes closed.

After a second, they retreated, leaving a faint wisp of curse mana connecting his soul to the scroll. That, too, faded after a second, but I could still sense its presence, dim as it was.

”What is that? ” I whispered to Elise.

”The scroll is a powerful artifact that binds the souls who sign it. It inflicts a terrible judgment on any who break their word as recorded within, ” she whispered back.

The emperor sat down heavily, his shoulders bowed. He half-heartedly waved Barther away.

The Grand Duke returned the scroll to the table, orienting it to face us.

”Apostle, if you would?” he asked, gesturing to the scroll.

Luke strode forward and raised his hand, soul casting a curse spell. A shimmering, violet blade appeared in his hand. He cut his palm and clenched his fist, blood oozing through his fingers. He looked around at the assembled nobles, lowering at them. Like the emperor, they avoided his gaze, but there was no respect in the motion, only fear.

After staring down the last one, he opened his hand and left a bloody handprint on the scroll.

”May the heavens darken, and the Divine wither. I accept this treaty with my blood.”

Luke injected his mana, and the same thing happened again. Mana infused his blood, then connected to his soul. When it was finished, Luke returned to his place with a swagger, but there was a slight wobble in his step and his tail brushing against the ground.

Following Luke, the other three apostles left their blood on the magical treaty. Each one suffered the same drain as the rest. Evla, the last to go, even stumbled as she returned to her seat, white tail limp and dragging.

I clutched Elise’s sleeve, trembling. She glanced down at my hand, then at my tail curled around her ankle.

”What is it?” she whispered, brow furrowed with worry.

Y-you didn’t say it was a curse,” I croaked.

”A curse? It’s just a spell to...oh.”

”They can’t!” I whispered, gripping her sleeve even more desperately. ”They want to curse me again!”

Elise hesitated, looking nervously around the room. Evla was almost back to her place; I was out of time.

”Xiviyah, you have to. Everything’s riding on this. I promise you, this is a normal contract, and nothing in there could hurt you. I helped write it myself. You have to trust me. ”

”Is something the matter?” Grand Duke Barther asked. ”It is the Oracle’s turn.”

The room quieted, all eyes turning to me. My heart thudded in my chest, my throat constricting painfully. I willed myself to move, but the only part of my body to respond was my tail, lashing anxiously as I stared at the scroll. It loomed, overshadowing everything else in the room.

”She’s fine!” Elise said quickly, pleading to me with her eyes.

”Thank you, Elise, but your presence hardly matters. We need the Oracle’s oath and blood to notarize the treaty.”

Elise shrank back, her lower lip quivering. A few nobles, all young and arrogant-looking, smirked.

Everything rode on this. If I refused to sign it, the treaty would fall through, and the empire would immediately turn hostile. They would attack us immediately, and with two Ninth-level beings, one of which was in this very room, we would all die.

I looked at Luke and found his violet eyes fixed on me. His tail twitched slightly, and a wrinkle of worry creased his brow. He had trusted me to come here, even if it meant walking into a trap.

Slowly, my heart calmed, and I turned to Elise. Her eyelashes glimmered with gathered moisture, but she looked up as my tail fell off her ankle. There glimmer of hope in her eyes made my heart tremble. I squeezed her hand and then let her go.

Everyone let out an unconscious breath as I turned toward the table. Even Grand Duke Barther, stoic as ever, let a small, relieved smile slip. It wasn’t just Luke who needed this treaty.

The scroll seemed a lot bigger now that I was in front of it. The writing was beautiful, like Elise’s, but the words blurred together. Seeds of panic lingered, tightening my chest. All the courage in the world couldn’t get me to stop trembling.

I looked at my hand, curling my fingers to get them to stop shaking. Blood. I needed blood.

”Is something the matter?” Barther asked apprehensively.

”I can’t,” I whispered, flushing slightly.

”Can’t? You won’t sign the treaty?”

Whatever tension dissipated returned. A dozen icy auras filled the air, coming from both sides. I shivered, fighting the urge the cry.

”That’s quite enough of this,” Elaine said.

The Ninth-level woman materialized at my side, frowning deeply at Barthen. I jumped, but she emanated warmth, staving off the hostile gazes around me. Instinctively, I drew closer to her, like a flower to the sun.

”Lady Elaine?” Barther asked, eyes narrow. ”If the apostle won’t sign it–”

She snorted, folding her arms. ”And here I thought you were supposed to be this empire’s best diplomat. Have you no shame?”

Barther’s stance tightened, his eyes narrowing. ”Lady Elaine, this is most improper. If you have an issue with how I conduct myself, I would prefer you to discuss it with me in a private setting.”

”You lecture me, little Bar?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. ”I hardly think that’s ever appropriate, given I remember the day you used to steal custard pies from the kitchen. You had the audacity to lie to the cooks with custard all over your face!”

The man’s face flushed. A few muted whispers traveled around the court, the eyes refocusing on the Grand Duke.

Barther gritted his teeth and slowly bowed his head. ”Forgive me, Lady Elaine. In what ways do I err?”

”See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Elaine smiled fondly. ”And here I thought I’d have to share how hard it was for the maids to change your diapers when you were little.”

It was a strange thing to hear from a woman who looked no older than thirty, but no one dared rebuke her. Most nobles watched the emperor from the corner of their eyes. The emperor himself merely watched on curiously.

”The Oracle is a very special child,” Elaine said. She smiled motherly, brushing a tear from the corner of my eye. ”It seems the church may have...misrepresented her abilities when they briefed us on her threats. The truth is, she can’t use combat magic, like the kind required to draw blood.”

The Throne room went silent.