The Forsaken Hero

An hour later, I was strolling across the realm, humming softly, a thick, musty tome tucked in my arms. There was no way Emlica should have let me take it, yet she’d been in such a good mood from receiving a mana cannon she couldn’t refuse. I might have felt bad manipulating her like that, but she was fully aware it was happening. And she was prickly enough to say something if it truly bothered her.

”What’s this?” Fyren asked.

I jumped as he settled to the ground beside me, the fires of his flight flickering away. ”D-don’t sneak up on me like that!”

He chuckled. ”I was hardly sneaking. You were simply too absorbed in your thoughts. You should be more aware in the future. It would be too easy for an assassin to close.”

”Not a lot I can do about it. Even if I knew they were coming, I’m too slow to react to anyone above sixth-level,” I admitted.

”True enough. I suppose that’s why those Dark Guild members were able to get so close before.”

”And that’s why you’re here, right? And the STar Guard.”

He nodded. ”Indeed. Now, to my question, is that a ninth-level tome I see? However did you convince that crockety old hag to give you that?”

I grinned, hugging the book a little tighter. ”That’s what the mana cannon was for. Now Elise and Selena have something to study. If she manages to break into ninth-level, the rest of the elves will have to listen to her.”

”Seen that in a vision?”

My smile faltered. ”Well...not exactly. But they do, right?”

”Perhaps.”

The slight frown on his face was far from encouraging

”It doesn’t hurt to hope, you know,” I muttered.

Haven’s cool breeze vanished as we stepped through the portal, replaced by the warm haze of Sylvarus’s humid air. A shock ran through my soul, resonating with the spellbook. It felt less solid than it had in Haven, taking on the familiar gold sheen of the remnants. There was a line drawn between it and my soul, continually siphoning mana. My natural recovery was faster, but not by much. If I had to expend a lot at once, it would take forever to recover.

I sheltered behind Fyren as a few errant shockwaves rolled over the garden, shaking the trees and flowers.

”Come, let’s get you inside,” Luxxa said, taking my arm, sheltering me with her aura.

”Have they been going at it this entire time?” I asked, shuddering as another wave upset my insides.

”Yeah, it’s getting out of hand. I suspect Lady Sunsinger’s going to snap at them soon.”

”Oh. I soul spoke to Fable, sharing my discomfort and a warning. He was focused and excited, too, so whether he heard or not was anyone’s guess.

”Excuse me,” I said, stopping a young maid as she passed us in the entrance hall. ”Have you seen Selena?”

”The Lady?” She tilted her head, pressing a finger to her lip. ”I’m not sure. I could find where she is, if you wanted.”

I nodded, letting go of her sleeve. She disappeared, coming back a few minutes later with directions to Selena’s study. The elf mage looked up as I slipped through the partially open door, hugging the glowing tome to my chest. Her eyes darted straight to it, and she rose, moving as if in a trance.

”That power, that mana...where did you get something like that?”

I laid the book on the desk, cover up, and slid it across to her. Her eyes widened as she laid a hand on it, a shiver running through her body. Her touch was soft and reverent.

”Arboreal World?” She whispered. Slowly, as if with great effort, she raised her eyes to look at me. ”What is this?”

”Oh, this?” I clasped my hands behind my back, trying to look as innocent as possible. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the corners of my lips from twitching. ”It’s just a ninth-circle spell.”

”A...ninth-circle? But how? Where? And why is it glowing?”

”It’s from Emlica, in the Library of Fate. I guess, technically, it’s still in Haven, but I’m using my power to sustain its existence in Enusia. It’s like a...an echo.”

Her thumb dipped under the cover, opening it to the first page. It was blank, save for a single rune burning gold in the center. The mark of Fate.

”From a god’s divine library? But how...? I thought they jealously guarded their knowledge!”

My smile widened. ”That’s why I needed a mana cannon. Emlica really wanted one, so I kind of traded it for this tome. It will only last as long as I continue to channel mana, and my abilities are going to be pretty limited until we send it back.”

”Then I’ll study as quickly as I can. But you should know most mages require decades to master their first ninth-level spell. I can’t promise you’ll see results any time soon.”

”That’s why I asked Emlica for the easiest one. She didn’t explain it very well, but it’s supposed to be super simple. The hardest part is just getting enough mana, actually, to cast it.”

”I wasn’t aware ninth-level spells could be...simple.”

I shrugged. ”Well, that’s just what she said. But Emlica’s a very powerful mage, so maybe her ’simple’ is different. But I believe in you.”

”No pressure,” she muttered, shaking her head wryly. ”Even so, this is a priceless gift. Just looking

at a ninth-level tome charges a king’s ransom, never mind actually sitting down to study it. Do you have any idea when the life hero will return? I suspect I’ll need her help if I’m to get anywhere.””Can’t say. But Icinderus will let me know when she leaves the front.”

”Then there’s no need to wait.” She started to sit down, pulling the book in front of her, before pausing. ”Was there anything else?”

I shook my head. ”Not really. Just...good luck.”

With that, I turned and left her to her own study. Whether she succeeded or not was all up to her. As for me, I had my own ninth-circle spell to study. I only wished I were actually capable of casting it.

The days bled together in a storm of visions, magic, and trips to Haven. True to our promise, soldiers arrived at the front gates every day, spending several hours sparring with Fable. I sometimes watched as they fought, not because I could actually see anything, but because the clash and combat took my mind from the weights of the visions that plagued my dreams. I saw noble houses in flames, elves locked in battle against elves, and Risen, demons, and inquisitors roaming Sylvarus. One particularly dark dream saw Aerion run his sword through another elf’s chest, grinning mercilessly as he drew out a long, dying scream.

Before I knew it, I awoke to find R’lissae knocking on my door.

”Is it true? Did you really find a ninth-circle spell?” she asked as I peeked past Luxa to see who had come at the early hour.

”I borrowed it from Haven. Selena’s studying it right now. I don’t think she’s slept all week.”

”Then she must be making progress. I should go join her.”

”Wait,” I called as she whirled around. ’What about you? Did you figure out a way to stop the Black Mist?”

She turned, looking over her shoulder with a grin. ”Yup! But we can talk about that later! I have magic to study.”

”...and there she goes,” I muttered, folding my arms. ”At least give me a hug next time.”

But she was already gone, much to my disappointment. At least she wasn’t as bad as Luke. She’d hug me next time, for sure.

Comforted by the thought, I quickly readied and went to the gardens, opening a gate to Haven as usual. After finding a small, flowery island to curl up on, I got to work, not on the Ninth-level Fate spell, but on Adaptive Resistance. There was no way my body could handle using enough mana for a ninth-level spell–even eight was pushing it. But, perhaps I could use the mana I siphoned from Adaptive Resistance to cast it in array form, like the spells I’d cast in the Ice Gate against Borealis’s progenitor demon. Strange to think those skills, born of sheer desperation, might prove valuable even now.

Unfortunately, I’d made only a little progress refining Emlica’s technique, reaching about thirty percent efficiency. And the next day, the air in the manor felt different. Servants moved around, whispering in muted voices, while the guards seemed on edge, with no clues as to why. I continued my day normally until a maid appeared with a missive from Aerion.

”He wants to meet?” I asked, tilting my head at Fyren. ”But why doesn’t he just find me?”

”Probably official business. Might have something to do with the upcoming offensive.”

”The Risen are attacking again? But I haven’t heard or seen anything,” I protested.

”No, not the Risen. The elves.”