Chương 86: [Disturbance in the Lower Wilds]

The amusement that had filled the room a moment ago evaporated. Shai's hand dropped from Rika's mouth as she straightened in her chair.

"They found tracks," Yara continued.

"What ever it is walks on two legs. From the tracks left behind its far larger than anything we're used to seeing this far south, maybe something has came down from the upper wilds. The scouts also found two goblin settlements. Not raided. Destroyed. Structures collapsed, half a tree lodged in one of their huts. Whatever moved through there didn't try to go around, it smashes it's way in. Maybe looking for food." Yara leaned slightly forward.

"The scouts found a trail leading away from the wreckage. Smaller trees were uprooted and tossed aside. The larger ones look to have been hit with something heavy. Whatever it was, it used enough force to crack the timber in half, six or seven feet up. There's splintered wood everywhere." Torren's brow furrowed. He looked at his hands, then back to Yara.

"To crack an oak like that... at that height. The creatures got to be larger than most buildings in Stonehall. We're going to have to prepare for something bigger incase it decides to make its way south."

"Well, thats the thing." Yara said.

"It's the movement is strange. It doesn't seem to be following a trail or hunting. It's erratic. The scouts said the path loops back on itself, cutting through the thickest parts of the forest. It's either looking for something in the area or doesn't have anything in mind and is just wandering. We're not sure which." Shai shifted, the wood of her chair creaking.

"Did they find bodies?"

"None. The goblins were either long gone before it arrived or it ate the few it caught. If any did stay to fight it, then they lost."

"This explains the incursion then," Rika said, her voice dropping low.

"The hobgoblin and the pack we dealt with at the town walls. They weren't raiding. They were being pushed out." Yara nodded.

"I guess if the choice is north or south," Shai continued.

"South is definitely the safer option, even with our walls. They took the risk on the south because facing our steel was better than staying where they were or heading further north where worse things make their home."

"This means more incursions are likely to happen sooner or later. Either that or whatever this thing is, will eventually show up." added Rika.

"Exactly. A single pack of goblins isn't a threat to us, but a flood of them hitting the town's half-finished defenses is a mess we don't need," Yara said.

"We can't afford to be blind if this sort of thing is at risk of happening again. I'll keep the scouts on rotation, but a rider on a horse is too slow if something happens." Shai leaned forward.

"Actually, I was going to send word about this today. We've found another layer to the UI. The guys told me its similar to something called direct messages or DMs for short." Yara's brow arched.

"More magic?"

"It's like the codex, but for people," Shai explained, glancing at Torren.

"They use it to send words back to their own world, but it works just as well for someone standing in the village to talk to someone in the town. It's instant." Yara went still, her gaze shifting to the map on the table, still off to the side.

"Instant words. No matter the distance?"

"As long as they both have the UI," Shai said.

"If we get one of them to live here in the village, they can act as a bridge. They see what we see, they tap at the air, and Mike hears it in the same heartbeat. No horses, no delay." Yara walked over to the map and began tracing the line between Stonehall and the town.

"You're saying we could have our people on the road before the town even realizes they're under pressure." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Exactly," Shai said.

"Talk to Mike," Koss said, rejoining the conversation.

"Ask if he knows someone trustworthy who would like to live here for a time. We can show them how our people live. Our food, our culture, and how we handle the wilds. In exchange, they act as our link to the town." Merin blew a thin trail of smoke toward the fire.

"Practical. It turns their magic into a border watch, but it does more than that. Bringing one of them into the walls like a guest is a good idea even without a threat in the woods. It's hard to stay strangers when you're sharing a hearth and a meal."

"We'll keep the patrols running," Yara said.

"I'm extending the range slightly, enough to cover the ground between here and the town. If something starts moving in our direction we'll know well before it becomes a problem." She looked at the three of them.

"Don't lose sleep over it. We'll have word before anything reaches you." That settled it. Shai nodded once and sat back. Merin turned his pipe over.

"There's one more thing we wanted to talk to you about before you head back." He looked at Koss. Koss straightened, setting her cup down with a deliberate click.

"The summer harvest festival. It's in three weeks, and we're already into the preparations." She looked between the three of them.

"It would be a good opportunity for your friends to see Stonehall properly. Away from the training grounds."

"The five of them especially," Koss added.

"And perhaps a few from the council, if Mike can spare them. A proper introduction to how we celebrate." Shai looked at her.

"Is this actually about the festival, or is this you trying to play matchmaker again?" Koss straightened her tunic.

"Do you really think so little of me?"

"I know you well enough to see what you have in mind."

"Well." Koss picked up her cup again.

"Why can't I do both?" Merin's pipe was back between his teeth. Yara was looking out the window, her mind clearly already back on the northern border. Shai looked at Torren. He didn't look back; he was busy picking at a loose thread on his cuff.

"Fine," Shai said.

"There's no point arguing. We'll invite them." She reached for her own cup.

"It'll be nice to be the ones showing them around for a change." Koss finished her drink. Rika looked around the room.

"Is there anything else, or is that everything?"

"That's everything," Koss said.

"Go on. Get back to your movie." They headed out, the door latch clicking into place behind them. The space in front of the hall was quiet, voices from further up the path carried to them on the wind. A breeze pulled woodsmoke through the streets from the lower quarter. Shai kept her hands in her pockets as they walked.

"So," Rika said.

"No."

"I haven't said anything yet."

"You have that look," Shai said, hands deep in her pockets.

"The one where you think you're being subtle and everyone in the village can see your wings twitching." Rika's wings snapped tight against her back.

"The festival is in a few weeks. It's the first time they'll see anything besides that dusty field in front of their gate or the inside of their town. Koss is obviously going to try setting something up, but look at the bright side—we get to show them our home. It'll be fun."

"I know," Shai said.

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Think about their faces when they see the square lit up," Rika continued.

"They love the idea of other worlds and races, right? That's obvious from the things we've seen in their movies, or what Phil told us about their anime. Those games they bring up. Seeing our home is going to be so different for them."

"Yes, I know. I know they'll enjoy it," Shai said.

"I'm just worried about what Koss tries to pull. You know how she can be." Torren walked between them, his stride steady.

"She's not that bad. You probably think she is because you only ever see the side of her trying to push you to find someone. She's helped a lot of people from Stonehall meet, and many of them are still together. She's good at what she does and she enjoys it. What's the harm in letting her have her fun if it helps you out anyway?" Shai looked at him.

"Torren, I get that, but I don't even know what I want. What if I go along with whatever she sets up and something goes wrong? What if that makes things different? They are our friends, but what if this makes things uncomfortable for them?" Torren didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the path, his hands loose at his sides.

"I think they're already uncomfortable, Shai. They're living in a world much more dangerous than the one they left behind, with loved ones out of reach. They might enjoy training and magic, but you can tell—for some of them more than others, maybe—that they worry. A little bit of 'uncomfortable' because of a festival dance is probably a lot more normal than what they've faced since they got here." Shai fell silent. The logic was hard to argue with.

Maybe she was looking at this the wrong way; it could be more of a way for the lads to relax and less about how she was starting to notice Leo more often, or how he would pop up in her thoughts from time to time. If she could treat it as a duty—a way to help them settle in—it felt safer.

"I suppose," she said quietly.

"It'll be fine, Shai," Rika said, her wings finally lowering into a relaxed position.