CHAPTER 18: Through the Veil of Night - Part 1

  Varne followed Ryse into the forest covering the cliff's peak. They stopped upon discovering a small river to catch their breath. The canopy of intertwined branches obstructed the moonlight, and the remnants were scarcely sufficient for even a Prana vision.

  Ryse leaned against an evergreen tree wider than his shoulders, while Varne sat on a rock, supporting himself with his hands behind him. The crickets and cicadas fell silent in the autumn forest, a stark contrast to the sounds of summer; instead, owls hooted from the darkness.

  “Bastards!” Varne exclaimed. “What were they thinking? They intended to kill me!”

  Ryse smiled, adopting an 'it's no big deal' expression.

  “Varn, first, please lower your voice. I worry about enemy trackers. They are Decimae and won't carry torches to reveal their position to us.”

  He disliked it when Ryse began with that expression because it meant they were in serious trouble. Like the time on the ship when Ryse said 'there will be a little wind,' but it turned out to be a great storm. Several sea monsters were thrown onto the deck, nearly wrecking the ship.

  “...after that, one event led to another, and I was accused of murdering King Ordofel. Since you happened to be around me, they assumed–”

  Varne stood up, glaring. “Happened to be? You drag me into this mess, and 'happened to be' is your explanation?” He finished his words with Ryse's jacket collar already in his grasp. Even living in a remote village far from the king's influence, he understood how serious the accusation was.

  “Please, keep it down. And kindly let go of my favorite jacket. Thank you.”

  “Bastard! This is all because you’re too meddlesome!”

  “I’ve to head east as soon as possible too. If Ordofel’s dead, I bet the whole city will be shut down for a while. Not just Renfru but the entire regions. You’ll be in trouble too. And..., if chaos happens, it's the regular folks who are going to suffer–”

  “What's your plan?”

  “Marfas. He can testify for me.”

  “You don't know where that intruder took him. They might have already killed him.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Ryse raised his hand, signaling Varne to be quiet. He looked around before replying, “If that's what she wanted, she'd have offed him right from the start. Lugging someone important around just begs for trouble; she wouldn't stay in this area. And the only way out of here is through the Thief Guild.”

  “Thief Guild? What's that?”

  “The Thief Guild is an unofficial guild. It's tucked away right under Renfru city, and its entrance is also in the city.”

  “We're going back to the city? We better escape as far as possible. To hell with all this.”

  “We can't. They've already sealed off the borders a while back. And now, messenger birds have made every border even tighter. But if we want to head back to the city, our best bet is to head south through the hills. The problem with those hills–”

  Ryse cut himself off. His instincts were right. The flickering flames of the pursuers' torches twinkled in the distance. They moved in a sweeping formation. Ryse signaled Varne to stay silent and follow him.

  Ryse's steps were like those of a seasoned hunter. His feet treaded without a sound, like dew landing on leaves, always stepping on rocks or roots to avoid leaving tracks. He avoided dry leaves, acorns and was careful not to break any tree branches.

  Compared to him, Varne felt like a baby, making noise with every step he took. Even though he had spent his childhood playing in the forests and knew the basics of hunting. The dry autumn leaves rustled at the slightest touch.

  Ryse made several hand signals he did not understand, but they seemed related to enemy trackers. Ryse would suddenly stop or turn or even backtrack on their trail. Sometimes he would hang from his hands, waiting for something Varne could not see to pass them by. Ryse could always choose branches that were not brittle and land on soft ground where the fallen leaves had decomposed.

  Varne heeded Ryse this time, as he knew what he was doing. The regulars' torches vanished one by one, indicating they had successfully eluded them. They arrived at the foot of the hill without encountering any enemy.

  The hill loomed before them like a wall that had suddenly appeared amidst the dense forest. Ryse's method of climbing was akin to his way through the forest: silent and swift. Varne followed his climbing path because, despite seeing, he could not find footholds like him.

  Ryse only spoke again once they reached the summit. “So, how did you find yourself in that sewer, anyway?” he asked, plucking strawberries from among brambles. Part of the hilltop was bare, the rest covered with shrubs, oaks, and pines.

  “That damn bugger Toril!” Varne walked around, surveying the surroundings. The castle was to the north and the city to the south. Both connected by a long corridor between a pair of cliffs. This hill itself ran from east to west before being cut off by the corridor.

  “He said he knew a way out of Renfru. Took me to the sewer and suddenly the city guards had surrounded me. I fought them off and found an exit. After that, I happened to be the King's murderer.”

  He said it to taunt Ryse but utterly failed.

  “Toril? He's always like that. He'll snatch your cash, set you up, and then squeeze even more money out of the city guards.”

  “Fucking bugger! I'll thrash him later!” Peered from the hill's western edge, rows of torches snaked along the corridor.

  “Ryse, what were you saying earlier about this hill? Hey, Ryse!” Varne turned after Ryse remained silent. And cursed. A dozen bandits emerged from the trees, torches in hand, encircling them.