Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 10

Kylin swallowed hard, finding it very difficult as his throat had tightened in what he could only assume was some form of self-suffocation. His heart assisted by refusing to beat anymore. Still, he managed to spit out one word. "Glae."

Glae must have known how much his presence tormented Kylin, for he did not lower his gaze or soften his hated smile even after Kylin's acknowledgement.

Thankfully, Rei took over. As Rei began speaking, Kylin climbed the rest of the steps, retreating to the entrance of the cabin to hide in the shadows.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Glae?" Rei asked, his tone saying it was anything but pleasurable.

Glae finally stopped looking at Kylin and turned his attention to Rei. "To inform you of a crime one of your Rangers committed."

"I beg your pardon?!""Almost a fortnight ago, one of your Rangers approached a camp with an injured soldier," Glae explained. "That soldier was finally healed enough to inform us that he was responsible for the death of two others, as well as his maiming."

Kylin's stomach twisted into knots as the memory of that night flashed into his head.

"If the soldier you are speaking is called Jarven, I am aware of the situation," Rei growled. "It was not my Rangers who injured him and killed the other two. It was a pair of dobharchus."

"Dobharchus!" Glae let out a guffaw. "Oh Rei, please remember that I'm not like the rest of the soldiers. I've spent time out here. You can get away with that nonsense to the others who don't know the habits of the wild creatures very well, but I'm not going to fall for that. I know full well that dobharchus don't make their way up to the path."

"So good of you to remember what you were taught when you were young," Rei said, still growling, "but the fault still remains with dobharchus. The soldiers in question were warned not to continue on the path and cross them, and they ignored that advice."

"That's not how Jarven tells it," Glae said. "And when your Ranger gave Jarven over to other soldiers, he ignored orders to stay where he was, and to be interrogated." After he said this, Kylin could have sworn that Glae briefly glanced at him before looking at Rei again.

Even though he knew that he didn't anything to Jarven except make sure he got back to the camp alive, he felt a thin layer of sweat break out, and it became even harder to breathe.

"So you are presuming guilt because my Ranger didn't follow orders he had no obligation to follow?" Rei asked. "That is what you're using as your proof? Tell, me, commander, would you expect any under you to respect my orders?"

"In your territories, I would," Glae deflected. "The villages are part of our territories, so I would expect your Rangers to respect orders given to them by the soldiers."

"It's never worked like that, and you know it," Taileia said coldly.

Glae ignored her. "All the same, Jarven seemed uncertain of the Ranger's name or appearance. And those who dealt with the Ranger that night said his hood was drawn, so they could not see his face."

Kylin let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. Some of the knots in his stomach untangled, but there were still plenty more.

"They did, however, get a good look at the horse," Glae added. "We're looking for a Ranger with a bay horse that had a blaze on its face, yet had a brown star in the middle of the blaze."

That was Kylin's horse. It was his horse that had such a unique marking on its face. A horse Glae was all too familiar with. As Glae finished his description of the horse, his eyes looked over Rei's shoulder, to where Kylin stood in the shadows. Glae absolutely knew it was him.

"Perhaps," he said slowly, eyes still locked with Kylin, "you know a horse of that kind?"

Rei's face remained steady, not a single muscle betraying that he recognized the horse. "You expect me to memorize what all of the Rangers' horses look like?" Rei said, sneering slightly. "Not only that, but be able to match the horse with the Ranger? Could I expect the same of you with your own men?"

Glae did not immediately respond, still too preoccupied with staring down Kylin. Kylin wanted desperately to look away, but he was not about to let his brother win this. He knew the only reason Glae was not outright calling him out was because there was the possibility, however slight, that a different Ranger rode that horse that night. Glae's knowledge of Kylin was not evidence enough for the soldiers to risk putting on trial the wrong Ranger, and risk worsening the already bad relationship between the Rangers and soldiers. And the only reason Glae didn't drag him off as a potential suspect was that he stood on Ranger territory, and did not have Rei's consent to do anything more than accuse. In returning Glae's challenging stare, he hoped that some part of his brother was tormented with this knowledge, and the frustration of not being able to actually do anything. Even if Glae made no indication of that, perhaps it boiled deep within, just as Kylin did let the absolute dread that filled him show on his own face.

"Well then," Glae said at last, turning his attention back to Rei. "I hope you will take this seriously. Two soldiers are dead, and another injured. Your own stands accused. If we spot the Ranger with the horse, we will be arresting him and putting him on trial. Though it would be better for all of us if you investigated yourself, found the guilty Ranger, and presented him to our courts. Things go much smoother when both of us cooperate, wouldn't you say?"

"Bring a fair accusation -not one laced with lies- and then we can talk about cooperation," Rei said. "But until then, do not expect me to help in your search. You've taken your soldiers at their word, and I'll take my Rangers at their word."

The smile did not fade from Glae's mouth, but he narrowed his eyes at Rei's statement. Nothing was said as the two men sized each other up. In fact, it did not seem as though anyone was breathing. They all waited, watching the two with tensed muscles. Even the two soldiers Glae brought with him seemed to be waiting for an order of action.

The tension was broken by Glae. Not even giving a word of farewell, Glae turned on his heel, head still held high. The village children and Rangers watched him go in silence, not moving until all three were out of sight, and -presumably- out of earshot. Once the children deemed it safe, they formed a huddle to discuss what just happened.

Kylin released the breath he was holding and his muscles relaxed. The dread that filled all of his organs, however, remained. He looked up at Rei, hoping that his captain would provide some words of comfort, or say anything to ease the feeling of dread. He was confident that Rei would not turn him in, but being arrested and put on trial by the soldiers was not a prospect he looked forward to, especially knowing that a fair trial was not on their agenda.

"I want you to go and stay at the headquarters for a while," Rei said.

Kylin opened his mouth to protest. Being sent from the villages -and ultimately Amelia as well- felt like a punishment. As though he was actually at fault."I know you carry about as much guilt in this as that squirrel I keep hearing," Rei said, cutting him off, "but I wouldn't put it past the soldiers to act boldly and arrest you somewhere where they don't actually have jurisdiction. Especially if they truly believe you had a hand in those deaths and aren't trying to fabricate something to safely lash out at us. You'll be safer there."

"I wanted to stay around for Amelia's sake," Kylin protested. "I can't do that from headquarters.""I know you want to keep an eye on her during this time," Rei said impatiently. "But she has the rest of us. You'll be of no help in jail. It's a temporary solution."

"Temporary?" he repeated.

"Temporary," Rei confirmed. "I want you to leave tomorrow. If you continue to fight me, I'll send you out now." Rei turned to face him, his face set and determined. Kylin looked over to Taileia, silently pleading with her to argue for some leeway. However, she shook her head, her expression mirroring Rei's.

Recognizing the end of it, Kylin exhaled in frustration and went inside the cabin. He knew Rei had a point, and that going to headquarters was the surest way of preventing Kylin from being arrested, but it still felt like a sentence. Not a safety precaution. Glae certainly wouldn't let it go, knowing that he was involved.

Rei said it was a temporary solution, but Kylin feared it would become permanent.