Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 3

The first night passed without incident. The soldiers kept their distance, but had slept through the night, apparently confident that the two Rangers would protect or warn them of danger.

Kylin took the lead, letting Numier deal with being the one between them and the soldiers this time. The morning was gray and chill, the occasional patter of water informing the travelers below that rain was to be expected at some point. The damp soil quieted the beats of the horses' hooves, allowing them to very easily hear the noises of the forest, such as the cracking of far off branches and the occasional twitter of a bird.

Kylin took advantage of the quietness and closed his eyes, keeping an ear out for anything that would indicate he had to pay attention. He had taken the second shift of the night, and thus was awake when everyone else woke up and got ready to go. Short nights weren't uncommon for him, but that didn't mean he didn't miss the extra sleep. His horse had traveled the path enough that it was able to pick its way with little guidance from him, so he was not concerned about leading the party astray.

It certainly a little. He straightened and opened his eyes after the relative silence of the atmosphere was disturbed by the voices of the children in the cart. It sounded as though they were attempting to keep the youngest quiet, as the child had started to make a fuss.

How long had they been traveling? He and Numier could continue on for a while yet, but the cry of the child had reminded him they were likely going to have to pause more often. He looked back at the widow, opening his mouth to ask his question. She guessed at what he was going to say, determinedly shaking her head, the look in here eyes slightly pleading. Just as he was about to insist, the child's siblings had quieted her for the time being.

He shrugged and turned back. If she felt that they could continue, he wasn't going to argue. Not unless he had reason to. The more ground they could cover, the better.

They were given a bit more time of silence until one of the children jumped to her feet, crying out, "What is that?!"Kylin quickly pulled his horse to stop, heart pounding from both the sudden cry and concern for what the child was seeing. Did he miss something? Did he not see something in time? He peered out to where the child was pointing, hand reaching for one of his weapons. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Numier positioning himself better so he could see, and the soldiers were already poised to attack.

But he couldn't see anything. Nothing but gray shadows of trees and undergrowth. He strained to hear anything that would give away the mysterious being's position, eyes still probing the foggy gray. The child was still pointing, her eyes wide, indicating she was still seeing it. Myrtle had a hand out, holding back all of her children as though they would be inclined to jump out of the cart.

When nothing made itself obvious, Kylin backed up until he had reached the cart. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Could you perhaps help me see what you're seeing?"

"Over there!" the child said, in the same volume as before. She continued to point into the trees.

"Shh, shh," Kylin said gently. "There is no need to be so loud. Help me find the shape. What are you seeing?"

In an obvious attempt to be quieter, though not very successful, she answered, "It's got massive horns! It's so big, and it's leering at us!"

Numier and Kylin glanced at each other before looking back out. Nothing with horns was making itself apparent, let alone anything leering at them. Until Kylin's eyes rested on the remains of a dead tree. He leaned back far enough that he was almost in Numier's line of vision. From that point, it was possible to make out horn like appendages and a couple of holes in the bark that looked like eyes. Seeing it, the pounding in his heart slowed and his muscles relaxed. He pointed out the dead tree to Numier before sitting upright. When Numier saw it, he began chuckling, shaking his head.