The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 289: On to Heartland City

Chapter 289: On to Heartland City

Sunlight dappled through the ancient, twisting canopy of Heartland Forest, each shifting leaf casting playful shadows across Fable’s back. His paws fell with muted thuds on the hard-packed dirt road, the rhythmic sway like gentle waves on the sea. The wind rushed around us, clawing at my hair, teasing it out behind me in rippling, crimson waves.

Shivering, I crouched lower over his shoulder, pressing myself into his soft, silver fur, hiding from the chill. The summer had reached the peak of its season, but the air held the taint of the anomaly, growing colder the further we traveled east.

"What’s the plan once we get there?" Korra’s voice floated over my shoulder.

She was sitting but a foot behind me, yet her voice was faint and distant, nearly torn from the air by the absurd speed we were traveling at. To hasten our travel, Fable had returned to his full, forty-foot size, bounding through the woods at his full, peak fourth-level speed.

"What is there to plan?" I called over my shoulder, shouting as loud as my soft voice allowed. "We can’t know how deeply the Circle’s still embedded in Heartland, so it would be best to hit the shard and move on. With any luck, the guards will let us through without any trouble, and we can be at the church before anything happens."

"And if not?"

I turned around and met her gaze. Much to my relief, Korra had ditched the white inquisitor’s robes and armor for something a lot more flexible, clothes she claimed were specially made to enhance her fighting style. She wore a white halter top and soft, fitted globes that crawled up her forearms. A flowing white cloth was drawn around her waist with a white sash and bow, streaming over her tight, leather pants and knee-high boots. Her entire outfit flowed like ocean surf and was laced with powerful protective enchantments.

Korra must have liked whatever she found in my expression because a wide, confident smile spread across her face. "Good. If you didn’t have at least this much resolve, I’d have persuaded you to give up now."

I nodded, offering her a small smile. "I’ve lived my whole life surrounded by enemies. Something like this is hardly anything new to me. I’m more worried about you than anything. Are you sure you can handle having the entire world against us?"

"Me?" Her eyes widened slightly before a mischievous grin entered her eyes. "I should have supposed as much. After all, you were the first hero to kill someone, not to mention what happened at Western University."

Although meant in good humor, her words dug into me, sending an uneasy shudder through my tail. My grip on Fable’s fur tightened, and I started to shrink back, but a thought emerged from the depths of my mind, stopping me in my tracks. Korra didn’t treat me differently. She talked and teased just as she did with any other, refraining from softening her voice or censoring her words. It felt harsh and abrasive at times, but already, I felt a little stronger, like the memories and experiences I’d feared and hidden from weren’t quite as scary. Was she doing it on purpose?

I took a deep breath, consciously stilling my tail and relaxing my grip. If I wanted to have normal relationships, I had to learn how to act and think like a normal person. Whether or not Korra was intentionally trying to teach me, I was determined to learn. It was, and probably would be uncomfortable, painful even, but facing fears and changing had never been easy.

Korra laid a hand on my shoulder, snapping me from my thoughts. "To answer your question, I’ll be just fine with whatever path you choose to walk. That was something I decided when I attacked the Divine Throne. Without that resolve, I might have just died during the Inquisitor’s indoctrination and training. I swear their goal must have been to show their apprentices an unsufferable hell so they would be able to identify it in their interrogations."

"I...thank you," I finally managed past the lump in my throat.

She sounded eerily close to Fyren when he had promised to stand by me, and I had to force myself to believe her. She wouldn’t abandon me, not like Fyren had. I needed to trust her.

We traveled in silence for another few hours. Fable’s massive gait ate up ground, blitzing through mountains and valleys in the blink of an eye. Although he was only on the cusp of the fifth level, his unique monstrous physiology placed his sheer speed closer to what Soltair and Trithe had attained at the seventh.

By the time the sun began to set, Fable crested the top of a particularly large peak, padding to a stop. Far below us, the magical lights of Heartland City were beginning to shine, welcoming the approaching dark. The road descended down the familiar mountainside below, slicing through craggy cliffs in a myriad of sharp switchbacks. Beneath the towering cliffs, the magical lights of Heartland City were beginning to awaken, flicking on to welcome the descending dusk.

Korra leaned over my shoulder, eyes widening as they searched the valley. "We’re already here? What was that, eight hours?"

I reached forward, stroking Fable behind one of his titanic horns. "Just a little further, to the gate, then take a good rest.

The wolf growled in agreement, the heavy vibrations in his chest resonating through my entire body. He coiled on his haunches, preparing to leap, and I tightened my grip, nestling as deep in his silver fur as I could. Korra opened her mouth, head tilted in confusion before her eyes widened.

Our sudden acceleration tore the scream from her lips, leaving it strung out in the air behind us. The wind whipped at my hair and clothes, bitterly cold now that the sun had dropped below the horizon. I had the thought to cast a spell to keep the elements at bay, but it was gone just as quickly, fragmenting as I risked a single glance.

We soared through the sky hundreds of feet from the nearest cliff, the shadowed ground rolling out like carpet, running seamlessly into the darkening sky. The city lights spun below us as our ascent slowed, leaving us hanging in the air before gravity rose to claim us. As we plummeted toward the ground, I bit my lip, holding in a breathless scream. Korra had no such inhibitions, though her voice was suspiciously high and energetic, almost like a laugh...no that wasn’t possible. How could anyone get excited amid such a terrifying descent?

Fable’s paws touched down on the ledge of a cliff some dozen switchbacks down the mountain, instantly blurring to shift our momentum and propelling us forward once more. After several more colossal bounds, he touched down in the base of the valley, absorbing most of the shock with his legs.

I clung to Fable for some time after we landed, unable to pry my shaking body from his fur. No matter how often I jumped the cliffs, it never got any easier. It was admittedly better with Fable–his mere presence was reassuring–but there was still no getting used to it.

Korra stood and stretched, wearing the goofiest grin I’d ever seen on her face. "That was awesome! That was the closest thing I’ve ever had to flying!"

I shook my head, mystified. Awesome? "Flying isn’t so great," I murmured, recalling the night I spent in the arms of the arbiter. That had been even more terrifying than this!

She laughed, falling back to lay on Fable’s coat. "I can’t believe you had your eyes closed the whole time. How’d you even end up scared of heights?"

Shaking my head, I finally succeeded in standing, though I nearly fell almost immediately, my legs stiff and shaky. "I...don’t remember. Maybe when Soltair...never mind. Let’s get to the city."

Fable crouched down and extended his forearm, giving a sort of ramp for me to climb down. After finally planting my feet on solid ground, I wrapped my arms around his colossal neck, burying my face in his silver mane.

"Thank you," I breathed, and looked up into his starry eyes. "You pushed yourself hard. Please, get some rest. I’ll call for you when we leave the city."

He whined softly, nudging me with his nose. Given his size, the gentle gesture pushed me with the force of a falling building.

"H-hey!" I cried, stumbling back a step, grasping at his fur to keep from falling. He whined again, his gaze no less intense, and I sighed, patting his nose. "Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. Korra’s with me, remember? Besides, if anything happens, I’ll summon you with the staff. Just be in small size, just in case. There’s no need to level half the city again."

After staring at me a moment longer, the gigantic wolf rose and padded off into the forest. In seconds, even the gleaming stars on his coat vanished, swallowed up by the night’s shadows. Meeting Korra’s eyes, I nodded. It was about time I revisited a