The Forsaken Hero

Fyren stood, looking the three of us over. After a moment, he nodded.

”If we are to meet the Curse Apostle’s deadline, we can waste no more time here. I must confer with Incinderus and Zephyriss, and prepare the horde to depart.” He strode to the tent entrance, and hesitated halfway through the flap, looking back. ”I know you have many questions, but remember that nothing has changed. You were smiling before we spoke, and I wish that you would again after. I am your ally, and want what you want.”

”But I don’t know what I want,” I whispered, gripping my skirt in my lap.

”Yes, you do. You want mortals to be free to choose their fate. No matter the nature of her plan, that is what Fate is working toward, and I am here to ensure that it happens. Nothing I have done or will do will ever be contrary to that truth.”

I stood, smoothing my hand down my tail, pulling it off the cot. The tip moved slightly, but it stilled as I crossed the tent. Elise and R’lissea followed me with worried eyes, but I didn’t look away from Fyren.

”You promise?” I asked softly, biting my lip.

His face softened. ”I give you my word. With the primordial mark, you hold out lives in your hands. We, the Devoted, the fate demons, stand united behind you.”

”Then...I’ll trust you. But don’t lie to me again. It’s...scary.”

He bowed slightly, pressing his hand to his breast in a crude mimicry of the salute the Last Light Company used. ”As you wish, my lady.”

I wrinkled my nose, tail twitching. ”D-don’t be like that. Even with the Primordial Mark, I’m not your master or anything.”

His smile glimmered, and he reached out, ruffling my hair. ”Very well, Xiviyah.” His eyes flicked to R’lissea. ”Or do you prefer ’Xiv,’ now?”

”Just go already!” I cried, pushing him away. It was like pushing a mountain, but he moved away all the same, chuckling softly. I pulled the tent flap closed, tightly holding the flap seam together with both hands. I gripped it behind my back as I turned around to R’lissea and Elise, warmth creeping up my neck.

”Even after all that, you still trust him?” Elise asked, raising an eyebrow.

I let the flap go, collapsing onto the cot next to her. ”Yes, I do. There’s something...different about him that separates him from the other demons, even the demon lords. But even if he’s been tricking us, I want to believe in him.”

R’lissea smiled softly, reaching out and taking my hand. She squeezed it comfortingly.

”What?” I asked, blushing again.

”I’m proud of you,” she replied, ”I can’t imagine how hard it must be to say something like that. I don’t think you could have done it a few months ago.”

”M-maybe,” I stammered, looking down. After a moment, I looked up again. ”Do you think it’s okay?”

She shrugged. ”You’re right about him being different. The demon lords respect him a lot, maybe even to the point of fear. And he somehow knew about the Primordial Mark, something you said shouldn’t be possible. He also had that amulet you told us about, the Arbiter one.”

I sighed wistfully, looking back at the tent entrance. ”I wish he’d tell us who he really is, and what he really wants, but until he does, I’ll still trust him. He’s tied his life to mine now, and given us an army where we had none.”

”Indeed. Now, I think it’s time we listened to him. We have to find one of the elves’ shards, right?”

I nodded. ”Yeah, and the location of the one supporting the World Barrier. Unless we can do that, everything we just talked about will be in vain.”

Elise clapped, startling me. She grinned, bouncing to her feet. ”Then what are we waiting for? Come on, let’s get this tent down and get ready to move. Last one out doesn’t get to ride Fable!”

We scattered, gathering our things and preparing to leave. Before long, I was sitting atop Fable, watching as the demons massed around us. After speaking with Fate and Arantius, there really was no denying it.

The demons that had joined me with Fyren were far calmer, and more...golden than the ones who had come in the Descent. Their scales, fur, and armor shone with the soft light of my aura, and their eyes reflected the stars in my gaze. Even their mana was calmer, mimicking the soothing pattern of fate rather than the ravishing chaos of the infernal realms.

”Oracle, we’re ready to depart. Shall we march on the elves?” Zephyriss asked, falling out of the sky next to me.

The demon’s wings caught her a foot above the ground, putting her head level with mine as I sat upon my wolf. I glanced from the demon lord over my horde again, and nodded.

”To Syvarus,” I said softly. ”But we’re not going to invade, but to save them. Let’s make a good impression.”

She hesitated, lightning crackling uncertainty in her wings. ”I’m...uncertain how that might be. Any sane mortal will recognize us as a threat the moment we engage.”

”Then we’ll have to find some that aren’t,” I said, nodding toward the distant swell of mountains that served as Sylvarus’s border. ”Have some faith in me, Zephyriss. We’re not as alone in this war as you might think.”

She raised a blue-gray eyebrow. ”You have friends here?”

I smiled softly, eyes shining. ”Two, I hope. Maybe more. I only pray we’ll meet them sooner rather than later.”

Her wings fluttered, carrying her into the sky again. A pulse leaped from her soul, carrying my wishes to the horde, and she turned back to me.

”If you ask for my faith, then my faith I shall give. The horde marches.”

She streaked away, releasing a miniature sonic boom that caused my hair to ripple. I winced, rubbing my sensitive ears and sending a half-hearted scowl after her.

”Come on,” I said, patting Fable’s neck. Let’s not get left behind.”

R’lissea and Elise joined me as we moved amongst the horde, making our way to the front. Fyren and Incinderus waited for us there. Together, we left the hills that had been our camp behind. It was growing late, but there were a few hours of daylight left remaining, and it wasn’t as if anyone but myself actually had to rest for the night. I was more than happy to curl up next to R’lissea or Elise and nap as the hills passed by, one after the other, and stars traced across the sky.

We reached the first scattered groves of Syvarus late the next morning. The greenery was a welcome sight after the endless rolling prairie of the Arboreal Plains, but after the breath of fresh air came a tightening in my chest, and a pit in my stomach.

The feeling grew worse as we came into the foothills, and the occasional thicket became a true, if sparse, forest. Despite my confident words to Zephyriss, and the many visions I’d seen of this place, I couldn’t shake the growing unease. There was a lot more riding on our success here than I’d originally thought. Not just the fate of this world but, perhaps, the Divine Cycle itself. We were among the few remaining fighting for what the Father had begun so very long ago.

As the sun began to descend toward the distant mountains, Fyren suddenly stopped, resting his hand on his sword. Before I could ask what was wrong, Zephyriss appeared, zigzagging through the treeline, a few storm scions on her heels.

”Report,” Fyren barked.

She gave him a hard look, hands on her hips. ”I don’t report to you, Lord of Ash.”

He rolled his eyes. ”Just say it.”

She stuck her tongue out, drifting ahead of us with lazy flaps of her wings as we continued to move. She sobered up as she faced me, hands slipping from her hips.

”We’ve encountered a few wisps of Black Mist,” she said, reaching out to pat the head of a storm scion. ”Some of my scouts killed a few Risen, perhaps a dozen, not two miles ahead.”

”Risen? This far from Blacksand?” Fyren asked, eyes narrowing. ”Just what is that Undead Hero up to?’

”He’s reaching for the Southern Kingdoms,” I said, tail rustling into my lap. ”The church left him to slow us down as much as possible, giving them time to perfect their World Barrier and southern continent’s defenses. After he takes Ornth and the other small kingdoms Luke is aiming for, he’ll try to infect the rest of the continent. Blacksand is strong enough to fend him off, so everything north of them isn’t in danger, but...”

”But the elves are straight west of Ornth,” Elise said, biting her lip. ”They’ll be facing the brunt of the Risen.”

I nodded. ”I’d hoped we’d get there first, but it seems we won’t get that lucky. And if there is already Risen here, it means there must be a lich. Zephyriss, have you seen any signs of villages or anything?”

She shrugged. ”We’re still outside Sylvarus’s borders, but I can have my demons look around. There’s always a few outliers. You think they might have fallen to the Black Mist?”

”I hope not, but if they have...”

Fyren nodded. ”Then we’ll burn them out.”