The Forsaken Hero

”All that just to kill you?” Luke asked when I had finished sharing my vision.

”It’s been like that since they learned I held Fate’s divinity,” I said.

”Yes, but...so all this has been a sham? They don’t care about Sylvarus at all. It’s just an excuse to keep you here, in a city where you can barely defend yourself. They’re using the elves as shields.”

”I know, but...” I sighed, slumping against him helplessly. ”What else can we do?”

He was quiet for a moment. I looked up as he tensed. He was holding his breath and avoiding my gaze.

”What is it?” I asked. ”You can say it.”

He hesitated a moment longer before saying, ”Fine, but you won’t like it. We have two choices, not just the one you think. We could leave. If the church is really after you, the inquisitors and their forces will follow. They’ll never summon the archon, never initiate a war between the factions. Never cause the thousands you saw to die.”

”But then...what? Do you think they’ll surrender to you if we leave?”

”I...no. But you’ll be safe. I can promise that much.”

I rested against Luke, sitting with the thought. It formed a heavy weight in my stomach.

”So, in the end, will it all be for naught? You’ll raze this land regardless?”

”No, not entirely. I’ll just need to break their ability to threaten us and our forces. I’ll spare as many as I can. And you can still have the shards.”

I shook my head, twisting in his lap to search his eyes. They were dark but earnest.

”I can’t accept that,” I whispered, falling back against him again.

He nodded, as if he’d expected that. ”Then we’ll go with the other option. But don’t say you didn’t have a choice.”

”I know,” I said, then grinned at him. ”I’ll always have a choice when I’m with you, right? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to say?”

He flashed me a smile. ”I see you get it. Now, didn’t you say you wanted to talk to everyone about this?”

”Yes, but not yet,” I murmured, snuggling against him. ”Just a little longer.”

”Sounds lovely,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes, soaking in his warmth as the last, lingering chills of the vision faded away, and then some. Slowly, as if the longer he held me, the more confident he felt, his grip on me tightened. His hand, resting conservatively on my side, drifted lower, resting on my hip. His thumb brushed against my stomach, causing butterflies to erupt beneath it.

But those faded, too, as the silence stretched, leaving only the comfortable warmth of being in his arms. It felt right, natural even. I sighed contentedly. My tail, which I’d forgotten, was still around his waist, curling a little tighter.

”Xiviyah,” he whispered, breaking the silence.

I opened my eyes, tilting my head up to look at him. He swallowed hard, a faint red coloring his cheeks.

”I think we should go,” he mumbled, avoiding my gaze.

”Oh.” A pang of disappointment shot through me. ”Okay.”

He cleared his throat, gently easing me off his lap and onto the grass beside him. As I pushed myself up, smoothing my dress, he stood and offered me a hand. I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. He didn’t let go.

”Haven,” I said, glancing to the side.

Haven materialized with an unreadable expression. ”Yes, my Lady?”

Luke flinched as it appeared, letting a curse slip under his breath. The spirit’s lip twitched in the beginnings of a bemused smile.

”Would you share this with Fate?” I asked, reaching out to it just as I did Fyren or Borealis. When I felt its mind resonate, I shared a stream of soul speak, communicating the memories of my recent vision.”

”You just did,” it said, smiling faintly. ”Not just her, but every remnant knows now.”

”What/” I blinked, my tail going rigid.

It let out a chuckle. ”I would have warned you, but you’d never done that before. I’m not a person, but a manifestation of this realm. To communicate with me is to imprint that information across the realm. Anyone in tune or listening could be able to hear it.”

”I...I see. I didn’t know,” I said, ducking my chin.

”It’s alright, they’d all know sooner rather than later,” Luke said.

”No, it’s...they saw me dying in that vision. I hope they even let us leave,” I said worriedly.

”Perhaps I can help with that,” Haven said, snapping. The world blurred, my stomach turning over on itself. When I was oriented, we were standing on the entrance island, the spirit nowhere to be seen.

”Thanks,” I said, speaking to the empty air.

Before a remnant could appear, we hurried through the portal. Once safe on the grass of the Sunsinger gardens, I closed it with a thought and touched my ring, summoning Arnynth. I’d intended to have him set up a meeting with Aerion, but that thought vanished as he found us within a minute. His face was pale, and trembled as he saluted.

”My Lady, you’ve finally returned,” he said, out of breath.

”Speak. Did something happen?” Luke asked, tightening his grip protectively.

The servant nodded, speaking between pants. ”We just received word. Lord Splitbark introduced a resolution to hold the vote tomorrow. Lord Ellenwinter forced the majority, bypassing Lady Whitemarsh entirely.”

”Tomorrow?” I gasped. My heart rose in my throat. ”But that’s...it’s already evening!”

”Then we’d best hurry,” Luke said. ”Where is Aerion?”

”Meeting with Lady Lastlight and Lady Sunsinger. He asked me to bring you as soon as you’d returned from...there,” he said, nodding where the portal had vanished from.

We followed him across the gardens and into the manor, our feet clicking hurriedly on the polished marble floor. The entire manor seemed to have heard the news. The servants whispered as we passed, giving us anxious looks.

Anrynth bowed as he opened the door to Aerion’s study, closing it gently behind us. Aerion sat behind his desk, a stormy look on his face. Elise sat across with her arms folded, lips pursed in a frown, while Selena leaned against the wall, scowling at the floor. They all looked up as we entered, and Elise let out a pent-up breath.

”Thank the gods you’re here? You heard?” she asked, standing.

”We did. And Aerion, whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.”

”Pardon?” He blinked, looking at me in confusion. Feigned, or genuine, I couldn’t tell. It was a perfect mask.

”The war. The uprising. Rebellion. Whatever you want to call it,” I said, somewhat frantically. ”Please, you have to believe me. It will end in ash.”

”Rebellion? What are you scheming?” Selena asked, shooting him a hard look.

”I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Aerion said, raising his hands innocently.

”The red threads. Don’t tell me you have no part in it,” I said, pleading with my eyes. ”Please...that’s you, isn’t it? The Crimson Dawn.”

He was motionless for a moment, then slowly lowered his hands. He fixed me with his gaze, more curious than angry.

”I see you did know, after all. I suspected as much, after the deal with the Dark Guild, but...tell me what you know.”

Elise offered me her seat, dragging one from the wall to sit beside me. Aerion listened intently as I described my vision of the coming of the archon and its grim conclusion. But as I described Victor’s presence at the Verdant Grove, R’lissea burst through the door. She opened her mouth, but paused as she saw me, and took her place quietly next to Luke. Her expression shifted as he whispered to her, catching her up to where I was.

The temperature of the room plunged as I explained the vision’s grim conclusion, and I turned, struggling to breathe beneath the Life Hero’s aura.

”Victor?” She hissed, struggling to restrain her soul. ”He swore he’d never support them! I healed him, Xiviyah, and you spared him? How could he do this?”

”R’lissea...” I said, biting my lip. As much as I wanted to soothe her anger, I had no answer. Not when I, too, felt the bitterness of his betrayal in my heart. It had taken so much courage for me to forgive him the first time, and for him to turn around and do this...?

”He chose to remain blind to the church for this long. What more does it take for him to close his eyes again?” Luke asked. He shook his head. ”Every time I think the Divine has reached a new low, they go on to prove that I don’t hate them enough already.”

”Past feelings aside, none of that matters. We know their strategy now, and the forces they’re bringing to bear against us,” Selena said.

”Not us, exactly,” Aerion said, steepling his fingers, studying me. My tail curled before his gaze, and I felt for Elise’s hand, finding it cold and trembling. Like my own. ”The church only cares about you, for whatever reason. I can confirm that with certainty. But do you know why? My leads have led to nothing on that matter.”

I glanced at Elise, then Luke. Elise wouldn’t meet my gaze, but Luke gave a short nod. Reassurance, perhaps, but more of a reminder. I had a choice: to flee with him or to make the sacrifices necessary to fight.

I clenched my fists in my lap, forcing my voice above a whisper. ”The truth is, I have their divinity. And they want it back.”

I didn’t trust Aerion and knew that, perhaps, he’d actively worked against us at times. If I wanted to stay and fight for Sylvarus, my friends, and the shards, I couldn’t afford to keep any secrets. It was a gamble, exposing myself to him, but he was the only one with the power, influence, and cunning to get me through it alive. If that was my sacrifice, then so be it.