The Forsaken Hero

”Don’t keep us waiting, Jessia, and give us that report already. But I’ll save my thanks till these scouting efforts of yours prove useful,” Luke said.

”So mean,” she said with a pout. ”You don’t treat Xiviyah like that.”

”That’s because I love Xiviyah.”

”And not me?” she fluttered her eyelashes.

Luke actually laughed. I stared at him indignantly.

”Fine, fine, I’ll get to it now,” she said, seeming a lot happier now that she’d drawn his chuckle. ”Turns out the War Hero knew his stuff. Everything he admitted was accurate.”

”Ronin? You talked to Ronin?” I asked.

Luke nodded, pursing his lips. ”Fyren asked me to accompany him while you were asleep. After a few weeks in Remnant care, he was...amiable. We only had to--”

”No, please,” I said, shuddering. ”I don’t want to hear it.”

His gaze softened, and he hugged me closer. Jessia just rolled her eyes.

”Anyway, what he said was right. There are some million soldiers scattered around central and southern Radia. Almost five hundred thousand of them are stationed at Roann, with another hundred thousand deployed around the Divine Throne. They’ve got close to a hundred skyships, too, though most of them aren’t proper battleships. Not like what we saw at Sylvarus or Amberhold. Half of them are more like sky...boats. Yeah, skyboats. Not proper ships.”

”And the ninth-levels?” Luke asked.

She shrugged. ”They’re pretty well guarded, but I managed to close on a few of them. There’s like three mages in the Throne itself, but only one of them wears church colors. There’s the Grand Inquisitor himself, the Pope, and the Sun Hero. I heard they might try to summon some arbiters, but I couldn’t find anything definitive. Given the resources they have on hand, and how much they’ve lost, I suspect they won’t be able to call any true ninth-levels if they do.”

”What about the mage guarding the world shard?” I asked.

She froze, a hint of genuine surprise crossing her face. ”I’m not sure I’m familiar with that one.”

”Really?” I gaped at her. ”He’s in the archive. He’s a mind mage, I think. His magic invaded my mind, and...” I shivered, but for some reason, the memory was blurry. Just why, exactly, had we met? I had a feeling it had to do with Thron, but...Thron? Another blurry memory. I groaned, pressing a hand to my head. That one hurt, for some reason, all the more because I couldn’t remember why. I had a letter from him, I knew that much. And the paper was wrinkled with countless tears. Probably mine. The fold lines on it were so worn I had literally cast protective magic on the paper to keep it from disintegrating. But why?

”Xiv? Are you alright?” Luke asked, touching my forehead, gentle with concern.

I nodded, pushing aside the feelings that screamed at me inside. ”Just...thinking.”

”A mind mage, hmm? I can’t believe I missed him,” Jessia muttered.

”That leaves us too many to fight,” Luke said.

”Nithalee will help us,” I said, more confident than

I felt.

”Which gives us two. If you break through, three. Maybe more, given you can call a remnant, and both they and Fable are bound to your level,” he said thoughtfully.

”But still not enough. Even with all the heroes and apostles on our side, we don’t have the strength,” Jessia said. ”Aside from the armies and skyships and mana cannons and walls and arbiters, the church has countless artifacts and forgotten magics they’ll surely unleash if we push them too hard. They’ve gathered all the power of this world for millennia, hoarding it to make the people dependent on them.”

”It was never going to be an easy fight,” Luke agreed. ”But we’ve come too far to surrender. Jessia, would you please visit Commander Bethiv, and inform him of your discoveries? I’ll communicate with my hordes. And Xiviyah? It might be best to say your goodbyes. We’ll leave in the morning.”

The rest of the evening passed too quickly. The soldiers of the Crimson Guard had officially assimilated into the Fatesworn, with Captain Andres taking a Captain position alongside Jackal, replacing the slot left vacant by Joel, who now supported Elise.

That meant there were really only two people I had to say goodbye to, and for different reasons, they both made my stomach knot. They were both in the church, talking in low voices that fell silent when I passed the open threshold.

”Welcome, Lady Xiviyah,” Priest Rodrick said, bowing slightly. ”It’s good to see you up and well.”

Rylam gave me a stiff nod and a tight smile. The agitated twitch of his fox tail showed me he still hadn’t settled from this morning’s encounter.

”I’ve come to say goodbye,” I said. Already, tears threatened to fall, but I blinked them back, pressing my lips into a tight line.

”So soon? But it feels like you’ve only just arrived,” Rodrick said, clasping his hands.

”I know, but...” I shrugged helplessly. ”You could say we’ve lingered too long already. We must break the church while we have a chance.”

”I wish that weren’t so,” Rylam said, folding his arms and glaring at the ground. ”You deserve more than bloodshed and suffering.”

”Into the night,” I whispered, clasping my hand to my chest, gripping the Soul Binder. ”Isn’t that what we promised?”

His jaw clenched.

”Someone has to fight, someone has to shine. Someone has to stay behind when the light fades,” I said.

”Is that why you stay with him?”

I nodded, surprised to find my voice never wavered. ”The truth is, he stays with me. No matter where I go, light or dark, he’s not afraid to follow. And when I falter, when the darkness closes in, he’s there to take my hand and pull me through it.”

”Through it, eh?” He let out a long sigh, letting his arms slip to his sides. ”I suppose that’s the difference between us. I only wish to bring you out of it.”

”My path leads to the darkest of nights, perhaps for creation itself. And Luke...he promised to walk it with me.”

Rylam stepped forward, clasping my hand in both of his. He risked a small smile. ”You really are like her. So much so that it makes me sad to see you go, it’s like watching her be taken away all over again. And yet, seeing you choose, your courage, I can understand a little better why she made the choice she did. Will you be different? Will you come back to me someday?”

”I can’t promise that. I decided the moment I set foot on this path that I would follow it to the end, even if lead to oblivion. But I have no intention of dying or fading away quietly. That me was left behind long ago.”

”Then I’ll count that as a promise.”

”That’s not what I said!” I protested.

He smiled, patting my hand. ”It’s close enough. And until then, I’ll be its not time wasted. There are so many lost and wandering souls out there, both beastkin and human. Someone’s got to care about that, and it’s not going to be kings, emperors, or gods. It might as well be me.”

”I think Aurle would like that.”

”It’s going to get a lot easier now that the church isn’t guarding this place. Slaves and refugees are already streaming here from all over, drawn by hope and rumors. The least I can do is build the place they’re praying for.”

I stepped close, slipping my arms around him. He returned my hug loosely, patting me on the back.

”Thank you,” I said, resting my cheek against his chest just long enough to inhale Aurle’s familiar scent. ”I’m so glad fate brought our paths together.”

”Win,” he whispered, stroking my hair once, then twice, before carefully parting us. ”Please, I know you don’t care for vengeance, but there’s been too much blood shed, and too many tears spilled. Please avenge us. Avenge us all.”

I offered a helpless smile. ”I can’t answer your prayer, but I know someone who will. Rest assured. There will be a reckoning.”

Rylam nodded, accepting my oath. I watched him leave, feeling a small thrill as his tail brushed against mine. A small, fleeting memory, just like Aurle’s had.

”There will be a reckoning,” I repeated, balling my hands into fists. For her sake, and hers alone.

Rodrick, who I’d almost forgotten about, cleared his throat. ”I’m heartened by the conviction, both yours and his. With strength like that, Enusia will only have a brighter future.”

”It does,” I said softly, turning to face him, smiling. ”I’ve seen it. A future brighter than any of us now in the dark can imagine.”

Together, we walked deeper into the church until we reached the shimmering portal to Haven. The Star Guard flanking it moved toward us, relieving the escort assigned to me.

”Lady Luxxa says they will return to duty soon,” said one of the newcomers, an elf woman of the seventh level. ”Until then, please remain in our care.”

I nodded my thanks, staring into the starlit swirls of gold. I missed Luxxa and the others, but at this point, with Fable, Borealis, and Verity by my side, they sometimes felt decorative. But I guessed it was important for morale that our forces saw me safe and protected. And, perhaps, a point of pride for them.

”You mean to close it?” Rodrick asked. ”I knew it was inevitable, but it saddens me to see our light go. Haven is a truly remarkable place. Its influence reaches far, bathing us in the comforting light of fate even when you are far away.”

”I can’t sustain it from too far. Already, I don’t know how it didn’t close when I was taken to Whiteriver Village. That was well outside my aura.”

”Then let it be as it must.”

I waved toward the gate, searching for the ribbon of mana connecting it to my soul. It wasn’t there. I tried again, willing the swirl to fade. It refused to close.