Kaleth's final nap before the end of his journey into Heron was far more fitful than his first, a fact which he thought had a lot to do with his sleep being an effect of his boredom rather than his exhaustion. As it was, he found himself fading in and out of consciousness for the rest of the way. He found himself watching in a daze as the cart rolled down a steep mountain road towards a city nestled between a gigantic lake and a breathtaking view of the snowy mountains. Some of the buildings he could see appeared to be made of stone, while newer-looking structures stood around them which appeared to be made of wood.
Kaleth frowned as he watched the village draw closer. He couldn't believe a place could be so beautiful. "This is a border town?"
Aennin tore his eyes from the road to look at Kaleth. "No, we're well past the border. The place you are thinking of would be Pierswood, but fuck that place."
"What's wrong with that place?" Kaleth asked, confused. "I thought we were in a hurry to find shelter!"
Aennin shook his head and rolled his eyes impatiently. "What we need is a populous hideout with strong fortifications. Pierswood has the latter, but it's a bad idea to try going that way because they shoot on sight there. We'd be fine, but the place is useless to us if I have to kill half of its defenders to get in. So we are going to Dalaska instead."
Kaleth's eyes widened with realization. "The capitol? Isn't that in the center of the country? We'll never make it that far in this thing!"
Aennin gave Kaleth a smirk. "My tireless friends have already seen us through the Lowlands. We're just going to stop here in Eydisthorpe to gather some supplies. It's mostly uphill from here, so we've got an entire day longer before we get there. But as long as you stay close, it should be fine if we get out of this wagon to stretch our legs and eat something."
Kaleth's bewilderment didn't remotely subside from this answer. "How did we get through the Lowlands so quickly? Have I been sleeping for the past week or something?"
Aennin snickered and shook his head. "Are you comparing my maulans to horses?"
"It didn't even feel like we were going that fast!" Kaleth countered as he glanced fruitlessly at the road behind them.
Aennin seemed to stare searchingly at the young oni's face. "It didn't, you say? Well, I wonder about that. Uldo and Mendo are some of the fastest maulans I've ever seen, but even they aren't that fast. I think somebody is looking out for us."
"What do you mean?" Kaleth asked with a feeling of apprehension.
"Well, I think we both know someone who is able to screw with the rules of time. Clearly your father is protecting you somehow. Or did you not notice how quickly you were moving back in Orion?"
Kaleth did remember at that moment. His seemingly impossible escape from those soldiers would certainly have been an object of curiosity for him normally, but the continued danger, meeting his unlikely savior, and the prospect of entering a hostile human country had overwhelmed this important question. As he fled from the undead warriors, he had moved more quickly than he ever thought possible, but how? No, it was more than that. He was not simply outrunning the sai'mul, everything else seemed to be moving more slowly around him.
Kaleth nodded in recognition. "It seemed like the entire world was slowing down around me."
"Yeah, that is one of the powers Kartal gets from Geos. I can't figure out how the hell he's managing to use the magic on you, though. I've been looking and I'm pretty confident he isn't around."
Kaleth's fleeting hope that his father would suddenly show up was immediately dashed. "I should hope not. Shouldn't the Avatars be doing something about this?"
Aennin rolled his eyes and scoffed. "We're not invincible or infallible, you know. We were all caught unprepared for this, and we're not getting anything done until we regroup."
Kaleth thought of what he knew of the Avatars. Most of them, including Aennin, lived in Resta. If any of them were still alive, they would only find safety in the north. Suddenly, the reason for Aennin's chosen destination seemed clear. "So, are we going to Dalaska to look for the other Avatars?"
Aennin gave the oni a smug smile. "You know, carrying you through Heron is made all the easier by the fact that you're not an idiot. Yes, that was the plan. The capitol is the first place they'll go. If your father's magic really is helping us, he's definitely alive. That being the case, I'm sure that's where your parents will be."
"Unless he's in Tanis right now, looking for me," Kaleth mumbled with a shudder.
Aennin shook his head. "Impossible. The only reason we got out of there alive was because we were quick enough to escape at the very start of the invasion. If you had seen how many of them there were, we would understand that he wouldn't be alive to help you now if he had been stupid enough to follow us. You can see for yourself when we get to Dalaska."
But first, there was Eydisthorpe, the mountain village by the lake. As they drew nearer, however, Kaleth spotted a pair of rusty black cars parked end to end across the road. Upon noticing this road block, Aennin clicked his tongue.
"These people are being cautious, I'll give them that," the Avatar muttered impatiently. "Uldo! Stop a tail's length away from the cars! We need to find someone to move them!"
As the maulans obeyed his instruction to the letter with a grunt, Kaleth felt the rolling sensation beneath him finally subside. With that, Aennin jumped out of the wagon and said, "You'd better come with me. I'm sure you can handle yourself, but if you sit in here looking so vulnerable all day, someone is going to wind up getting hurt."
With a huff of annoyance, Kaleth attempted to mimic Aennin's graceful dismount from the wagon, only to stumble with a wince. The elf only smirked and beckoned for Kaleth to follow as he walked casually around the cars and began to look around patiently. He found what he was looking for moments later in the form of two guards wearing full suits of armor, draped with teal and blue heraldry.
"Leave all of the talking to me," Aennin said firmly. "Say nothing unless they address you directly."
The first of the guards to speak was a short man, who spoke in a booming voice. "What business do ya have in Eydisthorpe, elf?"
Aennin was seemed cold and stoic and said, "I am Aennin, the Avatar of Maula, and I am on my way to Dalaska to regroup with the other Avatars."
The short man looked prepared to argue, but the taller guard had spotted Uldo and Mendo and interjected, "You'll just be passing through, then?"
Aennin shook his head. "We've been traveling quite a while as it is and we're ready for a break and a good meal."
The shorter guard guffawed. "We don't have any of them nuts and berries ya'll like to eat in the forest!"
Aennin rolled his eyes. "My friend's from Resta and I actually kill people. I think we can both handle whatever protein-rich cuisine the locals eat, so don't worry about our stomachs. What I need is for someone to move these cars for a moment so we can get our wagon through."
Kaleth glanced nervously at Aennin. The guards didn't seem to want them to stay, so could he really afford to push his luck? The short one with the booming voice in particular didn't seem very friendly.
The taller guard stepped in before the short man could retort. "Things bein' the way they are now, I'm gonna let you through, but don't be surprised if nobody opens their doors to you. Everybody's frightened, and havin' such an unusual visitor won't be helpin' anybody's nerves."
Kaleth felt a rush of relief as Aennin nodded and replied, "We'll keep to ourselves and be model guests as long as nobody tries to stop us. We'll be back on the road by dusk."
The guards nodded in unison as the taller one said, "In that case, I hope you enjoy your brief stay in Eydisthorpe. Come on, Carl, let's go move the cars so they can get on through!"
As the guards each entered the driver's seat of one the cars blocking the road, Kaleth whispered. "Is it really okay to leave so late? Won't your maulans lose their footing in the dark?"
Aennin shook his head and whispered back. "They can see just as well at night as they do during the day. We'll be fine."
The guards promptly started the cars and drove away, leaving the road clear for the wagon to continue. With that, Aennin said, "Alright, let's get going! I am starving!"
He and Kaleth climbed back into the wagon and set off down the last mile that separated them from civilization. Before they could enter the city, however, Aennin had one final warning.
"While we're here, keep your magic to yourself," he whispered severely. "They're already suspicious of us because of the ears, we don't need to go off scaring people who aren't used to seeing it."
Kaleth nodded as they rode by the first of the city's many buildings. Being where he was made him feel more threatened than he had ever felt at home or in Tanis, which made Aennin's advice even more chilling. He always looked to his magic to protect himself, so the prospect of keeping it a secret was not a welcoming one. His only distraction from these concerns was the marvelous sight of the buildings up close. As unsafe as he felt at that moment, he could truly appreciate the beauty of the world around him, if nothing else.
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