Their words entered , slicing through the darkness like the first ray of the morning sun. I hadn’t dared hope that the reason they returned for was for...well, . Hearing them say it dispersed whatever doubts I’d been holding on to, forcing to face what they had been trying to tell the entire ti.
As I grappled with this newfound perception, Dyson frowned, lacing his fingers together. Glad we got that settled, but one thing bothers about this Alverin fellow. Why did he give away their base location? Even if he thought Starlight would attack on her own, and thus be easily caught, why risk it? Why not set up another ambush like they did last ti?"
I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat. It was too much to admit the possessive nature of the slavers, and how desperately they wanted to enslave again, to claim . Fortunately, there was another reason, too, though it was Vithrass who gave it to .
My hands held a slight tremble as I looked around the table, focusing on the faces I so desperately wanted to trust. I had taken a big step earlier in admitting my true na and identity, but they had already known that. This was much harder, a secret I didn’t want anyone to know.
"I’m, um, good at magic," I said in a choked whisper.
Rasce snorted. "That’s an understatent. But you can’t even use combat magic, and even if he wanted to enslave a mage, why didn’t he do it when you talked?"
"Hey, let her finish," Tana said.
He rolled his eyes but gestured for to continue. After another breath, I’d gathered enough courage to say, "There’s so law they follow that prevented him from acting, but now that Vithrass is dead, there’s...sorry, what I was trying to say is that I accidentally perfected the curse magic they’ve been working on–the Heart Crest."
"You accidentally invented a new spell?" Rasce asked, disbelieving.
I flushed red, looking away.
"It wouldn’t be the first ti," Tana said, coming to my rescue. "She taught a bunch of arrays she developed."
"Tana," Helron said slowly, "you rember who she is, right? If my sources are right, she didn’t just develop a few arrays. She invented them."
I froze, a shiver running down my tail. That was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, known only to the upper echelons of the Inquisitors. How could a guild master in a small country city possibly know sothing about that?
"What?" Tana asked, her eyes growing wide.
Helron nodded. "It’s true. Starlight, or, perhaps, more accurately, Xiviyah, is the Fate Hero. An acquaintance of mine fought beside her in the double gate incident, when the demons first threatened to overthrow Brithlite. The story he told is quite different than the narrative the church gave, though that’s hardly surprising. The church also said you’re a full-blooded demon, Starlight, and even if I haven’t known you long, that’s clearly not true."
"Of course she isn’t," Dyson said, shocking with his vehence. "She’s as kind and gentle a girl as any I’ve t. Only a fool would believe the rumors the inquisitors spread about her."
"Exactly my point. Anyway, my friend said she used magic he’s never seen before, sohow combining weaker spells into stronger ones, casting fifth-circle magic at fourth level. She effectively closed the gate by herself, killing the sixth level Gate Commander by herself."
His words sent another chill down my spine, and I looked at him, unable to restrain my next question. "Who is your friend?"
He smiled, his stern face losing the hardness that he’d been wearing ever since I entered. "We’ve known each other a long ti. His na is Bethiv, a rcenary contracted under the crown of Brithlite."
"Wait, Bethiv? As in Captain Bethiv? Even here in Heartland, he’s a legend, known for hunting dangerous monsters all over the northern band of the continent. His team was one of the only Diamond-ranked adventuring teams before they took up strictly rcenary work," Sorrin said excitedly.
Helron nodded, eyes glowing with nostalgia. "We often went adventuring together in our younger days, before all of that. Eventually, he drifted on to bigger things, and I got stuck here in managent. We still talk from ti to ti, whenever I get a chance to slip over to Brithlite. Shortly before we found you in the woods, Starlight, he told about the battle at the Gate, and the valor of the Hero who defended it. Said you saved them all from a rogue demonkin attack early on, too, and then led them to victory over hordes of demons as vast as the sea itself. A couple hundred against tens of thousands, and yet you ca up on top."
The rest of the Glory Chasers stared at , wide-eyed, and I blushed, suddenly conscious of my red, bleary eyes and tear-stained cheek. "It wasn’t like that, they’re the ones who sacrificed themselves. I only did what I could to protect them, and even then I fell short. So many died because I wasn’t good enough to save them."
"I know that’s not true. With the pressure the demons are putting on Brithlite, if even a few demons had escaped from the ice gate, the whole kingdom might have fallen by now. It’s only because of the church’s support they are holding the line, but with the disappearance of the Earth Hero, their grip is tenuous."
"Is it really that bad?" I asked softly. Thinking of Levin made feel like crying again, though I wasn’t sure why. Even if he was partly responsible for my fate at the hands of Lord Byron, he hadn’t asked to be summoned here, nor for his role as a hero.
Helron nodded seriously. "A few third and fourth level gates broke a few months back, just north of the Brithlite capitol. While they’re not particularly strong, the disaster at the twin gates resulted in the loss of most of the military power of the entire region, leaving them unable to properly mobilize against the demons. Church priests and paladins currently bear the brunt of the siege, but even they are barely holding on. The situation’s stable right now, but if more gates appear, I doubt we’ll be able to close them in ti, and the demon forces will grow beyond the country’s strength to resist. War will consu the entire continent then, giving the demons a chance to summon more gates and powerful demons to the world."
His words left the air feeling thick and heavy, stifling to even breathe. I held my tail in my lap, running my fingers over the smooth, familiar ridges. My final conversation with Fate, monts before she died, sprang into my mind, Though the mory was faint, dimd by the horrors of the torturous months at the hands of Lord Byron, I recalled my final conversation with Fate. Shortly before I was left in his foul hands, Fate appeared to in one last vision. I was supposed to have died long ago, before even awakening my abilities. Because I didn’t, because I survived, all of this had happened. A small skirmish with the demons was escalating to a full-blown war, and I was the cause. No wonder Connor saw my soul blacker than a demon.
A wave of despondency threatened to overwhelm what little light I’d recovered. Again, I found myself back in the chasm, torn between the shadows of the depths and Sorrin’s outstretched hand. Had I made the right choice? I had brought so much death and despair in my wake. Was it really alright, or even possible, for soone like to learn to trust and be happy?
"Absolutely," Tana said, her conviction breaking from my sorrowful reverie.
I looked up, blinking, only then realizing I had let that last thought slip out loud. Dyson reached out and rested a hand on mine, enclosing my fingers in his warm, calloused grip.
"We’re here for you," he said softly, just like you’ve always been there for us. Even if you have a hard ti trusting us, give it ti. We’ll continue to show you we care, and that you can trust us."
"Oh, cheer up," Rasce added. "You saved Ror, didn’t you?"
We all turned, looking at the sleeping foxkin on the floor beside us. Tana had healed his wounds, but he still trembled in his sleep, whining softly at so pain only he could understand. The sight of the child sent a shock through , and I sat up straight, eyes flying wide.
"Sari!" I gasped, clutching a hand to my breast. "They still have her!"
"Shhh, calm down," Tana soothed, "Do you know where she is?"
I shook my head, my tail twitching out of my lap. "Fable and I checked the entire lair, but she wasn’t there."
"Do you think it’s possible this Alverin fellow nabbed her?" Helron asked.
His words tickled my mory, and I nodded, growing agitated once more. "Vithrass said soone stole a shipnt from him, which can only an slaves. I think he was talking about the cages in the back rooms of the lower chambers, because it had just happened, and the other pens were full."
"That would explain why Ror was down there two. If they were taken at the sa ti, they would have been placed together."
A chill ran down my spine, and I jerked my head, staring at Tana. "Tana, you have to get rid of the Shadow Golem cores! They’ve been watching us through them the whole ti!"
She froze, her face going pale. A second later, two black crystal spheres were on the table. My eyes narrowed as I confird the subtle scrying magic within. Raising my hand, I summoned my staff and used what little mana I’d recovered, and cast Dispel Magic.
The black stones crumbled away, disintegrating into fine, black sand. Sorrin swiped his hand, generating a small wind blade that swept it off the table in a cloud of dust.
"Damn it all," he huffed. "I guess that’s the final piece in the puzzle. No wonder they were able to get a read on us so well. They knew where we were hitting and when. I wonder why they had any slaves in their lair at all, considering they knew we were coming back for the raid."
"I don’t think Vithrass had direct access to the magic," I said slowly, thinking it through. "Alverin seed to know far more than he, even telling to attack because he wouldn’t see coming."
"There might be factions in the Circle we’re not aware of yet," Helron said suddenly. "With an organization that size and with that extre of...hobbies, it only natural there will be clashing points of view."
"Vithrass ntioned sothing along those lines," I said, nodding.
"Whatever. That bastard’s dead now, so it doesn’t matter," Rasce said with a sigh. "We should take it easy and recover, then plan our next move."
"But Sari–" I began.
"–will be fine," Tana finished. "He probably grabbed her to use as bait against you, so nothing’s going to happen to her as long as you’re here. He needs you, Starlight, and the last thing we can do is let you run right into his trap."
As much as I hated to admit it, she was right, and I nodded. "...fine, but I’m going for her as soon as possible. I won’t let her stay a slave any longer than necessary. No matter what, I will see her free."
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