Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 4

Traveling off the path with a cart was miserable, to say the least. Traveling on uneven ground did little to ease the trip. In addition, traveling with young children made the going even slower. There were many times when the passengers were forced to get out of the cart so they could guide it through narrower areas or get it unstuck from whatever had caught it. While they were at time well behaved, and other times Myrtle tried to keep them under control all the while carrying the youngest on her hip, it wasn't uncommon for Numier or Kylin to have to race after one of them. The gloom of the trip was wearing off with the novelty of going through relatively untouched woods, and their imaginations would run wild at times. While the adults were working out issues with the cart, they would wonder off despite repeated warnings and commands to stay close by. Numier threatened to hobble them, which only encouraged them to continue to wander, this time deliberately, so they could see if he would actually do it. From that point on, it was Kylin who did all the chasing and scolding when he caught up with them and ushered them back.

When they had gone far enough, Numier took over chasing the children again so Kylin could scout ahead, keeping an ear out for the dobharchus, or any other dangerous creature that could be roaming the night. Not too long into their journey, Kylin believed that he had heard faint cries, and the image of the soldiers continuing on the path jumped to his mind. There was a slight pang of guilt at the thought. But what could be done? They had been warned, and he and Numier had a duty to Myrtle and her children. They certainly owed nothing to the soldiers. Pushing the matter out of his mind, he pushed on.

Night was an uneasy affair. When darkness fell on the forest, the children thankfully weren't so inclined to wander off. The gray shadows of trees that invited imagination in the daytime now turned into children-eating monsters with powers beyond the scope of their imagination. While it kept them quiet and discouraged them from wandering, it certainly did nothing to help them sleep. Myrtle sang them all the lullabies she knew thrice over, until her own eyes drooped and she struggled to sing the next line.

The children weren't the only ones having trouble sleeping. Numier had claimed the first watch, so Kylin tried to catch some sleep before he was awakened. The lullabies did nothing to help him either. After a while, he surrendered, and rose from the ground to join Numier.

"It won't do to have you tired on your shift," Numier said in a low voice. He glanced over at the children to make sure that if they were awake, they at the very least weren't listening in.

"Shall I pretend to sleep, then?" Kylin answered, settling himself next to Numier, but facing the direction Numier had his back to. "I will survive. It will not have been my first time operating after a night of no sleep."

"Shouldn't make a habit," was Numier's only criticism. For a while, the men said nothing, just watching and listening to the sounds of the forest.

"The dobharchu so far from the river concerns me," Kylin said finally. "There are few things quick enough for them to have to chase so far."

"I'm sure Rei will have some of us look into," Numier replied. "I can seek him out after we've finished with this group." He gestured with his head at the family behind him.

"Undoubtedly," Kylin agreed, "But . . . I am concerned that this is an indication of something much worse."

Numier turned his head, as though he were just checking the area to his right. For a long time, he did not say anything to Kylin. Then, "You mean the barrier?"

Kylin nodded. It made sense, really. From his understanding of what had happened last time that awful evil was roaming the forest, things were not as they were supposed to be. While dobharchus outside of their normal habitat was not a specifically listed consequence, it was in line with the other things that were happening, such as gentle creatures acting aggressive or stalking those who walked through the forest, or shifting trees. A small part of him tried to soothe him with the idea that it was only because he was put on edge with the news that the barrier was eroding, and that there was certainly a more logical reason for it, but it may have been a cricket chirping for all of the attention Kylin gave it.

Numier, on the other hand, followed the logic of the smaller voice. "I am not so ready to attribute it to that. After all, wasn't Rei only recently informed of the enchantment's condition? While I understand that the enchantment wearing has happened very quickly, I do not think the behavior of the forest and its inhabitants would change just as quickly. As unlikely as it is, I think we may find it's really just as simple as the dobharchu chasing something up this far."

Kylin gave him a noncommittal noise. They fell back into silence. Ears still listening for anything, Kyin's eyes turned from the forest beyond to the children who had now finally fallen asleep against their worn out mother. Even with the idea that it was only a fluke, that it was just one moment out of the ordinary, and everything would soon be normal, the unpredictability of it was uncomfortable. The Rangers did their best to make sure the path remained safe for travelers, especially since they were not always asked to travel the road with groups. While the Rangers could not control everything, it was a note of pride for Kylin to know that while the forest path was longer than the main road between the villages. Even with things beyond their control, Kylin hated the idea of the villagers having bad experiences with something related to the Rangers.

The soldiers were a different matter; they could take care of themselves, and that was often the problem.

Numier seemed to sense that he had not assured Kylin in anyway. He said, "Look, I promise I'll find Rei right after this, and we can take care of it. You said you were going to visit Amelia; don't let this get in the way of enjoying your time spent with her."

Those words did more than Numier's first claim of seeking out Rei. After his visit with Amelia, things wouldn't seem so dour. Just spending time in her little hut would make the other problems shrink. Amelia would be busy; she would be bustling in and out of the house as she made final preparations for winter and putting Kylin to work with the things that were difficult to do by herself. At least the first two days of his visit, she would insist on keeping the conversation to lighthearted topics, such as the ridiculous antics of her goats, or her mild irritations with the potions and medicines she was attempting work out. Such direction away from the darker realities of the state of the world would do him good.

All he needed was a day or so away with his sister before getting back into it.

Kylin allowed him a little more time to keep Numier company before getting a couple of hours of sleep for his actual watch of the night.