The Forsaken Hero

Chapter 1154: Bait

The two eighth-level lances struck the center of the valley, just shy of the jagged hole the inquisitors had torn in the mists. The resulting explosion dyed the sky crimson, turning night into bloody dawn. The resulting shockwave scythed across the ground as strong as any wind blade, flattening trees and toppling what remained of the ruined towers and walls. Raging fires followed in their wake, sucking the air dry and ascending the peaks in spinning vortexes. Hundreds of soldiers vanished in the inferno, reduced to ash.

The skyship’s wards flared in a sphere around the vessel as the shockwave reached us. To my surprise, they barely flickered before stabilizing. That shockwave was at least sixth-level!

I ran back to the railing, looking down, fear twisting my tail. But I needn’t have worried. In the second it took the shockwave to hit the fort, the Crimson Dawn had ducked beneath the bulwark. I hadn’t noticed before, but somehow, they had found the time and talent to enchant the walls.

But that didn’t make sense. How could a few third- and fourth-level mages break through, then? I could have sworn they’d crafted them straight from the ground, but somehow, seams were running throughout, showing worked stone. And since when were those walls so tall? They had to be almost seventy feet high! The entire architecture looked reminiscent of Starfall Keep.

The toll must be getting to me. I was going crazy.

"This should be enough," murmured Luxxa, staring toward the rift in the mists. "There’s no way they can hold back now.

True to her words, I felt foreign auras stir against the mists, and winced. Sun mana had always rubbed me wrong, but like this, connected to fate as I was, it was like pouring salt in an open wound.

"How long till you can shoot again?" I asked.

Captain Ellis frowned, his sixth-level soul picking up the inquisitors as well. "A few minutes. Those guns take a long time to charge.

"That’s fine. We’ll hold them. Just...hurry."

Giving him what I hoped was a reassuring smile, I nodded at Luxxa. She picked me up, and flew over the edge. I wrapped my arms around her neck, shuddering as gravity took hold.

"What’s your plan? The Apostle is still fighting the one, but that leaves an eighth-level inquisitor, and his gang of seventh."

"Can you hold the seventh? There are four of them, I think. Plus a few sixth."

She grimaced. "No. Without Kahlen, I’m our only seventh. We couldn’t take more than two."

"That might be enough. Once they’re inside, we hold nothing back."

"And if that final one is a ninth?"

"Then we pray. Fate has taken us this far. It won’t abandon us now."

She didn’t ask whether I meant the goddess or fate itself, and to be honest, I didn’t know either. Once, I could confidently have said Fate held no power in the outside world, but she’d reached out to Rodrick and guided the whole of High Valley for years. Who knew what other influences or power she was hiding? Maybe, just maybe, there was one that could save us now.

But I wasn’t going to count on her.

We landed on the wall beside Captain Andres. he ran up to us, almost bouncing in awe.

"Lady Xiviyah! When you said you wouldn’t abandon us, I had no idea you had something so grand in mind!"

I smiled faintly. "Me either. I’m just glad we were in time."

"In the nick of it, I’d say," he said, stroking his bristly stubble. "You saved a good many of us right here. Maybe all of us, and we won’t soon forget it. Brought hope right when we’d run out."

A deafening blast stole the words from my mouth, and I flinched as a shockwave broke over us. I looked up, but it had already ended, leaving several ribbons of sunlight dissipating in the wake of the attack. The same spell the inquisitor had used to stall Evla had just struck the skyship.

My heart skipped a beat as I waited for the turbulent winds to clear the smoke. A dark silhouette cut through the ash, and the skyship burst from the clouds, completely unharmed.

Another six rays of light split the sky, striking before I realized they’d even been fired, but with the same result. Whatever Emlica had done to those wards was beyond the inquisitors’ seventh-level magic.

"At least that shows they noticed," Luxxa muttered.

Gith and Jenna alighted beside us. At the same time, seven white-robed figures entered the valley, leading another thousand soldiers with them. More marched after, but the writhing mists obscured their numbers. Just what was going on outside? Why were the demons letting so many slip by?

"I think they noticed," Jenna said. "But what now? I hope we had more to the plan than just getting their attention."

"We lure them in, and then kill them quickly. If they confirm Lady Xiviyah’s presence, and manage to escape, this battle will be lost," Luxxa said.

"Captain," I said, looking at Andres. "Please work with the Fatesworn to protect the valley. We won’t be able to support you any longer."

He saluted sharply. "Understood, my Lady. Not one of those church bastards will set foot in High Valley. You have my word."

Their courage caused my eyes to moisten, and I nodded, wishing I could hug him. The Crimson Guard were battered and bloody, down almost a fifth of their numbers, yet their resolve didn’t waver. How could Radia have ever rejected such wonderful souls?

"Fable," I said, brushing a tear from the corner of my eye. "Please, I need you now."

The great silver wolf was there before I finished the sentence, kicking up a stiff wind that caught my hair. He bowed his head as he stood before me, letting me run my hand through his ruff.

"If that seventh soul makes a move, I’m counting on you."

He whined in response, and I shook my head.

"No, if you start the fight with us, they’ll be expecting you. It’s okay, we’ll be alright. Just...be there."

I could feel his discontentment, but couldn’t give in to his pleading eyes, no matter how cute they were. He and the skyship were our only trump cards, and we couldn’t afford to expose them early. I needed to understand what we were up against, first.

"The inquisitors are getting closer," Gith said, alerting us. "It won’t be long before they reach the front lines. When that happens, we’ll need to make a move, or they’ll quickly overwhelm our forces."

"Right." I nodded and clasped my hands, gathering my mana. Summoning the skyship had pushed me to the brink, but between my natural recovery and the well within the Aethereal Prism, I had enough.

The mists reacted to my spell, and I gasped, nearly losing hold of my magic as its power poured into me. The flow was frigid and raw, but there was enough Haven in the Enusian weave that it wasn’t completely misaligned. I adapted to it quickly, finding it not so different than channeling the infernal mana of a demon gate. As for why it was helping, I didn’t know, nor did I care.

"Celestial Grace!" I breathed.

Glowing stars and flower petals erupted from my hands, washing over the keep and rising into the sky. Soldiers stopped what they were doing, gazing at the heavens, awestruck as they bathed in its light. Their bodies loosened, growing lighter, their souls brighter. Both the Fatesworn and Crimson Guard were affected, each boosted beyond the capacity of their current level.

Luxxa, Gith, and Jenna had the worst of it, literally shivering as their already powerful souls expanded. Luxxa’s aura swelled to the point that even my soul registered it, a subtle feeling, a warning. The same I felt around Luke, Korra, and Soltair. I knew she would ever hurt me, but she could now.

"This power...it’s been so long since you’ve cast that spell. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like," Jenna breathed, her eyes flickering with lightning.

"You weren’t sixth-level back then," Gith said. "But I know what you mean. Right now, I feel like I could break through with a single art."

"Try not to," Luxxa said, drawing her sword. "We can’t risk you incapacitated by the world’s blessing."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Now, can we get to kicking some inquisitor ass?"

At my nod, the three took off, taking the air. Now that the inquisitors had entered High Valley, there was no need to hide our power. But I still hung back, panting lightly. The Aethereal Prism burned hot against my thigh. Never before had I cast such a taxing spell on so many, without the support of a Nexus. Were it not for the realm’s support, it would have been impossible.

But it had been worth it. Now we had an army of fifth- and sixth-level soldiers under my command.

The armies clashed, shattering the tentative peace that had crept in after the skyship obliterated the church’s vanguard. Thousands of enemy soldiers, a veritable tide of white and red tabards, charged into the valley. Spells exploded across the top of the wall, including directly atop us. I shielded my eyes against the dazzling sunbursts. When the black dots faded, the world was unchanged. The Crimson Guard’s wards, which had wavered with every hit, burned a steady blue over the ramparts.

"Hold steady!" Captain Andres cried, raising his sword. "For High Valley!"