Chapter 16

At the same time, about 150 miles to the north, in the demon country of Forsaken Reach. A girl hides in a thorn bush as her mother calls in the distance.

"Lilly! Please come out! Don't be scared!"

The bushes rustle behind me. I held my breath and tried to be as quiet as possible. Whatever it was got closer as it pushed its way through the pointy vines. I backed away, but kept watching until he stepped through. He stood well above me at 180 cm tall to my 127, and stared down at me for a moment before speaking.

"...Hey."

"Hey."

The woman continues to call out in the distance.

"Veyr! Have you found her?! Do not hesitate! Show your sister mercy by killing your her quickly so she does not suffer! Veyr?!"

Veyr grabbed the horn on the right side of his head with is right hand and let his arm hang down. It was what he did when he felt nervous. "Sorry."

"It's ok. It's not your fault." I told him.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go then. Stay close."

I adjusted my backpack as Veyr moved past me and started making a path for us through the thorns, while I followed. It helped that he was much bigger, but it wasn't perfect. From time to time, I still got scratched or poked. I didn't complain, though. He had it much worse in more ways than one. Sometimes he had to stop to pull the vines off his horns. I did too, but I only had the one.

Eventually, we made it out of the bushes and into the cool night air. I tried to avoid the stones and only walk on the sand in case they made noise, but Veyr was much faster with his longer legs, so I had to abandon that and focus on keeping up as we ran. In the distance, Mom's voice faded away until it couldn't be heard anymore. I didn't know how I felt about that.

After running for an unknown amount of time, we made it to the water. A beach of jagged rocks, and cold, misty air. We stopped and caught our breath. Veyr turned to me.

"Do you remember where we're going?"

"The boat."

"Hahaha. I mean, after that?"

"Oh. West, to the beastkin's land, Felaris. Named after the twin gods who made the feline and canine beastkin. Felsorr and Caris."

"Wow. Your books tell you all that?"

"Yup. But… um, you think we'll be welcome there?"

I noticed the hesitation before he spoke.

"I do. The beastkin people respect power and different kinds of strength. Demons have both of those. Do your books tell you that?"

"Yeah. They also say that the beastkin became skeptical of other races after their current Kitsune was repeatedly tricked by them long ago, and that most people consider demons monsters."

"That's old. Before Ixchel opened a doorway out of the third floor. It's been over 20 years now. People are probably used to it. As for the beastkin part, she's probably never met a demon. We will just have to make a good first impression."

I wasn't convinced. But it's not like there were any other choices.

"Ok."

I followed him over the rocks, careful not to get hurt. The boat was in a spot that was more sand than rocks, covered in a dark cloth that blended in with the surroundings. Not that anyone would've come here to look for one anyway. He pulled it off and dragged it to the edge of the water.

"Veyr, is it safe?"

"There are no holes in it. I tried it yesterday to be sure."

"You know, Felaris is really far away. Can we really make it?"

"Are you scared now? It's ok. I'm strong. I can row us there, so don't worry."

"But... what if there's a storm and it tips over? Or a monster attacks us? I can't swim."

"I can swim. If I have to, I'll swim us all the way there while fighting monsters in a storm. Now hurry. Mother might have already let the hellhounds out."

"Ok."

I climbed into the boat. The water was crashing against the shore, sending cold mist into my face. I took my pack off and hugged it to my chest, but that left my back cold. Veyr pushed the boat out until the water was at his knees and jumped in. Probably seeing how scared I was, he smiled at me as he picked up the paddles. He didn't have any reason to leave, but he was doing it for me. It made me feel a mixture of sad and happy, but I smiled back at him. Maybe it would make him feel more at ease, too.

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Two days after William's escape. 125 miles west of the capital, in a town called Mapleharrow. A group of guards drinks in The Split Log tavern. Their captain is approached by his second in command, interrupting their fun.

I could tell he had something I didn't want to hear before he even got to the table. "Ugh! Can't you see we're busy, Schmidt!?"

He ignored me. "Sir, I need to talk to you outside. It's urgent."

He was an annoying guy, but he was my second in command for a reason. Always taking his job seriously and overworking. Annoying, but it let me slack off, so I put up with it most of the time. I sighed deeply before getting up.

"My next rounds on you, then."

He nodded, and I followed him out. It was another cold night. I hated spending nights in this town. The cold air came down from the mountains and made it unbearable even in summer.

"Well? What's so important that you had to drag me away from a warm tavern and ale?"

"Sir, I had another person report the same thing. That makes it three times now. A silver-furred beastkin girl roaming the mountainside and occasionally coming into town. The shopkeeper dismisses it and claims it's not true, but to have three separate people all with the same claims? It's strange, sir."

I rolled my eyes. Some people were a bit too ambitious. It made them see opportunity where there was none. "You're still on about that? I-"

He cut me off. "That's not all this time, sir. A miner claims he went into the mountains to search for ores."

"Bah! Lies, the townsfolk say there's some sort of horrible monster in the mountains that escaped from the nearby dungeons thanks to adventurers months ago. It's the whole reason we even come through here. To keep them safe in case it comes down the mountain while we wait for an adventurer party to take the damn quest!"

"I know, sir, but he said he went up there because he was desperate for money and knew where some gold might be. But while he was up there, he claims he saw a little girl with multiple tails."

...

"He didn't even know about the silver-haired one. He had no reason to make up something like that. I don't even think he knows what that means."

"A bunch of rumors."

"Sir! Please! We have to at least-"

"-But if you're right, this could be huge. It's not worth even risking. I'll send a courier back to Crownspire immediately. We'll know what to do in four days. Until then, we'll continue as planned, head to Dunvalen tomorrow, then Wayfell, then back here. When we arrive back here, we'll wait an extra day for the response."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, sir."

"Thank you? If you're right about this, we're either going to receive a lot of promotions, or we're all going to be dead. So you better be prepared for what you've started."

"I... Don't you think you're exaggerating, Sir?"

"Schmidt, I'd prefer to join the front line of the war against demons than to take 10, hardly fit for combat men to deal with a Kitsune. Not to mention, there's probably a silver wolf with her."

"Sh- she's young, though. If the rumors are to be believed, she's just a child. Thi- this would be our chance to stomp it out."

"You know, each nation has its own great power capable of asserting itself as a major nation, right? If humans have four heroes and the beastkin have one Kitsune, that means they can keep 4 heroes in check. You really so confident just because it's young?"

He didn't have anything to say that, though the color drained from his face a bit more.

I sighed before speaking again. "It's probably nothing anyway. If the previous Kitsune had died, even we would've heard about it. It doesn't make sense for there to be a second one, and it makes even less sense for it to be here. If anything, it's probably just the silver wolf. Our squad can handle that. Now, go. Rest for once. Take the night off and relax. Might not get to for a while in a few days."