The Forsaken Hero

Elise tensed, gripping her sleeves, but managed to keep a smooth face. Her voice, however, wavered slightly.

”I haven’t come to speak of myself, Lord Splitbark, but to plead for your support of my cause. We have every intention of saving as many elves as possible, but only with your cooperation can we–”

”Like Talonvein?” Lord Splitbark asked, his tone frosting over. ”And Erethdew? Not to mention the dozen or so villages scattered north of here. It was demons who razed them, who piled their children on altars made of their parents’ corpses and let their blood run in the gutters.”

”So you’ve heard,” Elise whispered, face pale.

”I see you’re not surprised,” he replied, eyes narrow. ”And yet you’ve chosen to come here anyway. I wonder whether you have as much authority to command the demons as you think you do.”

”I assure you, no demon participated in the atrocities,” Elise said, recovering some of her composure. ”Those who did so belonged to a cult unassociated with the leaders of the horde or the demons. They acted on their own and were promptly disposed of for doing so.”

”Oh?” He arched an eyebrow, giving the inquisitor the barest hint of a look. ”I was under the impression they failed in opening a demon gate and lost their souls in the backlash.”

”I’m afraid your source was mistaken. One of our own, a fire demon by the name Lord of Ash, tracked them down and annihilated their cult, then entered the gate and personally destroyed the core.”

”Have you any proof of your words?” Lord Splitback asked.

Elise met his gaze defiantly. ”Have you?”

The two stared at each other for what felt like forever before Lord Splitbark eased back, tapping on the armrest of his throne.

”I see. I can think of no reason you would be here save your words were the truth,” he said slowly.

The inquisitor stiffened, leaning forward. ”My Lord, I insist that–”

The ancient elf raised a hand, silencing him. The inquisitor shot us a hateful glare.

”However, putting this matter aside, I remain disinclined to surrender the dignity and sovereignty of the elven nations, especially considering what...benefits there are to reap from standing united against the demons.”

Elise took a deep breath, letting the tension and angst of the previous topic go. From what I’d overheard from her and Aerion’s plans, this was what we had come to discuss.

”And what are these conditions you speak of?” Elise asked.

”Rather straightforward, really,” Lord Splitbark began.

But before he could continue, the inquisitor coughed.

”My Lord, are you certain you wish to discuss this openly?”

”Whyever wouldn’t I?” the Lord asked.

The inquisitor shifted, his words taking on an edge. ”You’re aware of the rather...tentative agreement on specifics. The Divine’s mercy isn’t endless, as you know, and the church is already making great sacrifices. It wouldn’t be prudent to push the boundaries.”

”Are you threatening me? Are you truly willing to renege on our agreement over something never explicitly put into terms?” If Lord Splitbark’s tone had been cold before, it was ice now. ”Such conduct is unbecoming of an agent representing their organization in a transaction. It puts into question not only your own character, but that of those you represent.”

”Of course not, my Lord,” The inquisitor said hastily. ”I’m merely recommending caution. Discussing the details of our deal with an enemy might not be wise.”

”Your

enemy. Whether they are mine depends on what happens going forward,” Lord Splitbark corrected. ”And I have no intention of keeping our deal secret. Why would we? It’s made for the benefit of all elves.”He gave the inquisitor one last irritated look before returning his gaze to Elise. He cleared his throat, drinking from a chalice offered by a servant.

”Thank you,” he said, nodding at them. Then, to Elise, he said, ”Our contract with the church is relatively simple. Refuse to bend before the demons, delaying them at all costs. Our blood and effort shall buy redemption for our people, and the favor of the church in negotiating trade, treaty, and alliance contracts with the rest of the world.”

Elise’s brow furrowed. ”Redemption? You mean...?”

”That’s right. No longer shall we elves be considered inferior to others. By this small sacrifice, those who remain will have earned their place as a part of the Divine’s chosen. Discrimination may take time to fade, but time is nothing we elves concern ourselves with. And when it’s gone, our people will be able to prosper.”

”If you fight the demons, you’ll all be wiped out! You would trade the lives of millions for a few tens of thousands on the Southern Continent? And most of those are currently enslaved! Who would be there to ensure the church upholds their end of the bargain?” she asked, face aghast.

”I highly doubt the demons will bother with the majority of our people. After all, looking back across the destruction they’ve left in their wake, it’s only the major population centers that are hit hard. And the church assures me that’s only because of the shards.”

”But there’s nothing left but desperate, selfish people afterward. In Brithlite alone, tens of thousands starved to death last winter, and the only one to provide or protect from the roving bandits and monsters and stronger bandits, warlords, really,” she protested. ”Is that the kind of future you want for Sylvarus?”

A hundred years of trouble for the following thousand? Even should the demons raze Sylvarus, our people will continue. We have no such guarantee with the demons, and when the divine’s forces inevitably defeat them, we’ll have nothing at all but a black mark on our history, a reason for the divine to persecute us.”

The inquisitor’s lip curled in a snide grin as Lord Splitbark continued to debate with Elise. I felt sick to my stomach, the twitch of my tail growing more and more agitated. Lord Splitbark couldn’t be serious, right? Even if the Divine won the war, they would still be in a position to enslave the world with heartcrests. Well, maybe not the northern continent now that the shards were all gone, but anywhere there would be magic and civilization, the elves would become puppets alongside their ’equals.’

The realization ran through me like a bolt of lightning. Forgetting my place, I stepped forward, opening my mouth to explain that to him. Surely, if he understood about the heartcrest, he would–

Arion grabbed my arm, dragging me back before I could speak. I stared up at him with wide eyes, and he pursed his lips, shaking his head.

”But I–”

”Not now! This isn’t the end, but the beginning of the negotiation,” he hissed. ”Elise is doing wonderful. Don’t you think I would have stepped in if she needed help?”

My tail curled at his censure, and I slunk back in his shadow, biting my lip. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I knew he didn’t mean to be so sharp, as even the slightest interruption might put Elise at a disadvantage, but it still stung. I just wanted to help.

The discussion continued for another twenty minutes. I soon became grateful I’d never spoken, as it became apparent just how out of my depth I was. They mentioned things from sea lanes to salt mines, things I’d barely heard mentioned before, much less had any understanding of. But Elise did, and though I had no idea what she was even arguing about most of the time, from the way the inquisitor’s forehead beaded with sweat to the depth of the furrows on Lord Splitbark’s forehead, she seemed to be doing well.

Before I knew it, we were leaving. After so many words, the silence of our descent through the tree was almost deafening. I tried to speak several times, only to be hushed by Elise or Aerion. Only when we reunited with our guard and sat secure in our carriage did Elise let out a huge breath, slumping against the carriage seat.

”That was exhausting,” she groaned, rubbing her forehead. ”How does anyone get a favorable deal off him?”

”It might not look like it, but you did well,” Aerion said, patting her on the shoulder. ”Lord Splitbark’s been negotiating contracts and trade deals since before your family ruled Ornth. His cunning and wiles are such that most merchants will cancel a meeting if they hear he’ll personally be in attendance, hoping that when they reschedule, they’ll be speaking with another.”

”That bad?” she asked, letting her hand fall limply to her lap. ”I guess it wasn’t so bad, then. I’m just grateful he seemed open to engaging. Not like Lord Ellenwinter.”

”He was? He didn’t seem at all willing,” I said.

Aerion smiled. ”It must seem that way to you, but if that were the case, he never would have shared the details of the agreement the tribunal reached with the church.”

”What? But he said that he shared them because–”

”I know what he said, but that’s only part of it,” he said quickly. ”The truth is, he was fishing for a better offer. That’s why I stopped you before. This was just the first offer, the beginning of a lot of haggling and negotiation. That’s how trade works, you know. If someone offers you five gold pieces, don’t accept them. First, go to their competitor and see if you can get six or seven. Only if you can’t do you settle for five.”

”But we’re not talking about gold, we’re talking about lives,” I cried, clutching my hands in my lap.

”Lives are but another currency,” Aerion muttered darkly. ”I wish it weren’t so, but that’s the truth. I’m more worried about the monetary gains his house is making due to their deal. Despite his grand intentions of improving the place of the elves in the world, it’s obvious his family will be benefiting the most. They control over eighty percent of the merchants that operate in Sylvarus. If they secure trade deals and treaties with the rest of the world, their affluence will be unmatched. They might even gain enough power in Sylvarus to truly take over, and leave the other two members of the tribunal as figureheads.”

”I got the same feeling. He’s a selfish old man, that one,” Elise agreed. ”After talking today, I’m confident we can construct an argument to demonstrate that the elves will be better off accepting a treaty with the demons than being ’redeemed’ with the church. At that point, he’ll have to make a decision.”

Aerion nodded. ”Indeed. A decision on whether his business and wealth are more important than the lives of his people.”