Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 36

Kylin left the waiting area, feeling rather rattled.

This was possibly the best scenario for it all to play out. Selim making no attempt to contact the soldiers or otherwise put Amelia in harm's way meant that they did not have to view him as a threat. But Kylin didn't know how to process Selim knowing about the obsession potion and deciding to play along. Given the fact that Selim didn't remember Kylin, or at least didn't remember him well enough to know that he wasn't friendly towards him under the influence, Kylin could only surmise that Selim began fighting it while he wasn't around.

Oh dear. How would Amelia take it?

He tried to imagine her reaction to being told that she was being deceived. Given her state of mind, perhaps right before they were to take off wasn't a good time to tell her. He resolved to inform her after they reached Hallowhaven.

As she promised, Amelia was waiting for him at the foot of the tree, her horse's reins in hand.

"You'll drive, right?" she asked, handing him the reins.

"It appears that's the case." He mounted first, then offered his hand to help her up. She settled behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso to hold on. When he was sure that she was secure in her seat, he nudged the horse on.

Her horse was a huge adjustment from Vicious. Part of it was a good adjustment. Calef, the trusty steed was named, had long accepted his lot in life and could not be bothered to play tricks on his rider. The flipside was that he also could not be bothered to go faster than a reluctant trot. And the moment he felt that he could, he slowed himself back to a lumbering walk.

"Is he always like this?" Kylin wondered aloud.

"He has to think something is an emergency in order to get going," Amelia explained. "I think he figures since I ride him fast and hard when I'm needed, he can take his time on less urgent rides."

"This is going to take much longer than I thought," Kylin muttered.

"Vicky will make up for it," she responded.

He twisted to try to look at her face as much as possible. "Vicky?"

"I still do not like the name Vicious," she said stubbornly. "She has to go through the rest of her life like that."

"When we arrive at Hallowhaven, you can ride her," Kylin said. "And then after that, you can tell just how much the name doesn't fit."

Amelia made a tutting noise but said nothing else. Kylin preferred that she had. If they could continue the conversation, he would not have to think about the Selim issue and having to tell her about it.

Thankfully, it did not take long before Amelia found another thing to talk about. She had spotted the wilting leaves of a plant on the ground and was reminded of a potion she was curious to try. She regaled Kylin with all the details of the experiment she had in mind and the hopes she had that it would become a useful medicine during the winter. Kylin barely understood half of what she was telling him, having no study in potion making himself, but he knew enough to know the right questions to ask.

They stopped for the evening by a couple of trees that had collapsed into each other, creating a little alcove where both of them could just barely fit. A situation that suited them just fine- with nights being so cold, the dying fire was not enough to keep them warm and huddling together under Kylin's cloak was warranted. Poor Calef was left to his own devices.