The Forsaken Hero-Chapter 931: A Gilded Cage

"I can’t believe that guy," Korra said, staring after Fyren with a frown. "The temerity to use us like that..."

"He’s just worried about Xiviyah," Luke said, dismissing her with a turn of his head, looking at me. His expression softened, his voice falling to a whisper. "Like I am."

His violet eyes stared into mine. My heart skipped a beat, a familiar warmth blossoming in my chest. I drifted closer, gripping my skirt. His eyes caught the twitch of my tail, and flicked over to Korra. She dipped her head in a slight, encouraging nod, and he reached out, smoothing a hand over my shoulder, the other brushing my hip. My cheeks reddened, overly conscious of Korra’s amused smile, but I relaxed, enjoying the strength with which he took me in his arms, his hand sliding up my back, the other holding my head against his chest. His heart pounded against my cheek, and I took a deep breath, breathing in his familiar scent, mingled with lingering ash.

"I was scared," I whispered, resting my hands against his chest. My fingers curled, gripping the charred fabric of his tunic.

"Me too."

I looked up, tail twitching once. He smiled faintly.

"The instant I saw you, I just...moved," he said, brushing an errant tear from my cheek with his thumb. "I’ll never accept you getting hurt, even if that means I take your place. I suppose that’s what Fyren wanted to see."

"Oh, Luke..." I murmured, resting my head against his chest again. "I don’t like it when you’re hurt, either."

"Then be more careful," he said, a teasing lilt entering his voice as he gave my cheek a light pinch. "And take better care of yourself."

"It’s not my fault! I was just watching," I protested, turning my head away to hide a pout. But I couldn’t hide my tail, which curled contentedly around his ankle.

Korra cleared her throat, struggling to hide a grin. "If you two are done, how about we hit the inn for some drinks?"

"The inn?" Luke asked, glancing at her, then at me. "You have an inn here?"

"You didn’t know?" Korra gasped, clutching her chest in mock horror. "You mean to tell me you’ve been getting your butt kicked by Fyren for weeks on an empty stomach? And here I thought you just hated having fun."

He chuckled, giving me a final squeeze before pulling away. His hand lingered on my back a heartbeat longer before leaving, taking my hand as it did.

"Come on," I said, pulling him toward the gap between the mountain walls. "Let me introduce you to Rivlitt."

A fire blazed in the hearth of the First Light Inn when we arrived, and to my surprise, a few remnants were seated in the common room. They all noticed us, of course, but none bothered to greet us. Aside from the lack of food and drink, they behaved like patrons of mortal inns I’d seen in Enusia: talking, laughing, and swapping stories."

"What are they doing here?" I asked as Rivlitt pointed us to a table right before the fire.

He glanced at them, then shrugged. "With all the mortals in and out of Haven, there’s been rumors you’ll be opening the realm more. After thousands of years, it’s probably good for them to have normal conversations again."

"They’re just practicing?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Something like that," Rivlitt agreed. "Now, what can I get for you?"

"What do you ghosts even serve here?" Luke asked, looking around the empty tables. "Do I need to be dead to eat it?"

"Ooh, I know exactly what you need," Korra interrupted. "You have to try the Morning Glaze. It’s Xiviyah’s favorite."

"Korra!" I protested, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.

Luke raised an eyebrow. I shrank back, my fingers tightening around his hand as I looked away.

"Well... it is good," I mumbled.

"Then I’ll give it a shot. Can’t be worse than tea, right?"

We found our table, glasses of warm, golden Glaze in hand. As we settled, Rivlitt set a plate of pastries, cream-filled, of course, and I scooched my chair a little closer to Luke’s. Somehow, Korra noticed and grinned at me, but I ignored her. What did she have to smile about, anyway? It wasn’t like she didn’t do the same for Gayron.

Luke took a sip, his eyebrows lifting in genuine surprise. "Not quite what I imagined, but not bad at all. Certainly better than tea."

A small, pleased smile tugged at my lips, and I took my own sip. It was thick and viscous, and sweet, like honey, and filled my entire stomach with warmth. Like drinking liquid sunshine.

Luke took another long draft, setting the glass down with a satisfied sigh. His gaze drifted around the inn, then out the window, gazing out into the sky of stars and floating islands.

"You know, Xiviyah," he said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "I can’t help but feel there’s more to this place. Like we’re wasting its potential."

I blinked, lowering my glass. "Wasting it? What do you mean?"

"He’s right," Korra chimed in. "This realm has everything you need to live, and more. There’s so much ambient mana here—I feel like I improve by leaps and bounds every time I train, and that’s only for a few hours a day. Imagine what an entire army could do if they spent all their time here."

"Not to mention the benefit of being instantly accessible wherever you are," Luke added. "You could deploy forces behind enemy lines, or summon more guards, in an instant."

"But the remnants..." I said, my voice shrinking. "I couldn’t... this is their home. I can’t bring the war here. It’s so peaceful, and free..."

Korra nodded sympathetically. "That’s true, but you heard Rivlitt. Don’t you think this place is kinda lonely?" She gestured around at the inn. "All this space, all this beauty, and no one to enjoy it. I bet most of them wouldn’t mind a little bustle. I mean, every single one I’ve asked to spar with was ecstatic and accepted immediately. They have so much to give, so much knowledge and skill to share, but no one to give it to."

"But I..." I bit my lip, my tail curling beneath the chair. "I don’t like it..."

"At the very least, you should consider leaving some of the Devoted here. They draw a lot of attention in the city, but if you kept them here, they’d be available the instant something happened," Luke reasoned. "Take Borealis, for instance. He could—"

"No!" I blurted out.

Luke blinked, startled, while Korra raised an eyebrow. I blushed, realizing I’d shouted, and covered my mouth.

"Huh? What’s wrong?" Korra asked.

I fidgeted, smoothing my skirt with the hand that wasn’t gripping Luke’s in a death grip. "I, um... he can’t be here."

"Why not? It seems like such an obvious tactical advantage," she pressed.

"It’s just, um... when I read, he sits on my lap." The silence stretched out for a heartbeat as they stared at me. My face burned, and feeling the need to explain, I added, "It helps me concentrate."

Another heartbeat passed before Korra burst into laughter. Luke stared at me, his expression blank, before a slow, amused smile spread across his face.

"You’re too much, Xiviyah," Korra wheezed. "Seriously, too freaking adorable."

"Sari likes him too," I mumbled, staring at my lap.

"It’s such a huge advantage for us, but if that’s the way you feel, I won’t push," Luke said, "But you should think about it. Promise?"

I looked at him, at the earnestness in his face, even as he failed to hide his smile. He wasn’t even bothering to pretend this wouldn’t suit his goals immensely, or disguise it as something good for me.

For a moment, I saw Soltair where he was sitting. He would have smiled, too—a warm, amused grin. But in the end, he never would have accepted wasting so much potential simply because I liked holding a demon. He would have called Haven a "cheat code" and somehow persuaded me into wielding it as a weapon. Just like he had with my abilities, and even my own body and soul. He never would have sacrificed a chance to increase his own power just to spare my feelings.

But Luke did. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I promise," I whispered, a lump forming in my throat.

Content with that, they let the subject rest, and the conversation turned to sparring, the elves’ future, and even our dance practice, but I barely heard them.

The question gnawed at me. I thought of the offhanded remarks the remnants had made in the past—Gathrin saying they needed a purpose; Emlica pointing out the vastness of her unused library; Villie expressing her boredom. I had assumed they were flippant complaints, but...were they? Was I keeping them safe, or was I hiding the key to their cage?

A cold weight settled in my stomach. I looked out the window, watching a remnant drift across the silent sky. Alone.

I stood up. Luke paused mid-sentence, his brow furrowing as he saw my face.

"I think," I said, taking a steadying breath to settle the nerves in my stomach. "I’m going to go talk with Fate."