“Evan, my boy,” Lord Erris said, interrupting my brooding, “I was hoping that, once we have set up camp in the Beastlands tonight, you might be willing to spare some time for this old man. His Highness and I discussed it before our departure, and there is something I wish to share with you once we are no longer on Vraynian soil.”

His words gave me pause. Lord Erris was someone I’d known since I was child, and I trusted his intentions. However, his request that we only speak after leaving Vrayna seemed unusual, even if I couldn't quite figure out why. He was known for being eccentric, but I didn’t get the impression this was related to that.

“Of course, Lord Erris,” I replied without hesitation.

Lord Erris smiled warmly, then glanced over at Vargas, “And perhaps we could find a beastman kind enough to ensure our safety if we were to step away from the camp?”

Vargas raised an eyebrow at Lord Erris, “I guess that’s your way of asking me to do it?”

“Ah, I suppose I wasn’t being very subtle, was I?” Lord Erris answered, looking pleased that Vargas had followed his line of thinking, “But yes, I would indeed like to request your assistance in this matter. If the answer is no, that’s perfectly fine. There are plenty of others we could ask.”

Vargas nodded, “I got nothing better to do. I can keep you safe if all you’re doing is walking the perimeter of camp. If you wanna go any farther, we’ll need a few more.”

“Is the Beastlands that dangerous?” I asked, the prospect of running into monsters piquing my interest. I'd be useless against them, but I'd enjoy watching the fight.

Vargas noticed my sudden interest and snorted, “Nope. But I’ll be in a pile of shit if the old guy here gets eaten by a direwolf on my watch.”

“We can stick to the perimeter,” Lord Erris conceded immediately, “I merely wish to ensure that we aren’t overheard. His Highness said this was for Evan’s ears only. It's just some final instructions for his mission and personal greetings, but His Highness commanded and I must obey. However, I don’t dare place too much faith in my sound barrier, effective as it normally is, as we don’t know what effects entering the Beastlands will have on my magic. Or, rather, I can’t say for certain what effects it will have on the magic of others. Either way, I'd rather be overly vigilant than careless. There are too many variables to consider, so it is better to ensure we will be alone.”

As he spoke, I was reminded of why the group of magic users had come along in the first place. It wasn’t just to study with the shamans, something they could have done on Vraynian soil, but also to see what effects the magic of the land would have on their abilities.

I was interested in that as well. After all, Falyn had awakened minor abilities just from being in the Beastlands, despite being from an entirely non-magic house. I would never admit it aloud, but I secretly hoped that I might be able to do the same. Despite knowing it was just a wild fantasy, I couldn’t quite give up on the idea. Evan de Vray, magic user. It sounded far too good.

I decided I would ask Falyn about his magic when I had the chance. With the notable exceptions of the Houses of Erris and Brighton, whose magic survived the creation of the borderland, Falyn was the first and only human to show any indication of possessing magic in hundreds of years. If anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be him.

However, if I understood correctly, I’d have to spend some time in the Beastlands before it could even be possible, so there was no point in rushing. Besides, knowing my luck, it was probably considered blasphemous for a Royal to wield magic. That sounded like something the church would say. The last thing I needed was to cause even more trouble for myself. Better to wait until the humans were gone, just in case.

Although, it couldn’t hurt to ask Lord Erris tonight…

Trying to learn magic could wait. Finding out if it was possible could not.

We passed through the borderland, which took nearly a full movement to cross, and entered the forest of the Beastlands. At first, if I hadn’t already known, I might not have realized we’d left Vrayna at all. There was nothing at all to indicate we were in a different land.

But soon, the scenery began to change. Plants I'd never seen before began to appear along the path and the sounds of unknown animals scurrying about could be heard. The underbrush became thicker, the paths more narrow, and there was something in the air that made everything seem louder, more vibrant, more alive.

Even without a proper path to follow, the army seemed to know exactly where they were leading us. Through thickets of trees and tangles of vines, we pushed forward into the deep forest that served as an additional barrier between Vrayna and the villages of the Beastlands.

The trees here were taller than any I’d seen before, with enormous leaves that blocked out the sun. Shorter trees grew in between the giants; some bearing fruit or berries, others tangled in vines with drooping leaves like a willow. The forest floor was covered in lush vegetation and boldly colored wildflowers. Overhead, I heard the cries of unfamiliar birds, brighter and more varied than the common birds of Vrayna.

It was warmer than I was used to, like the worst heat of the day in midsummer. The thick canopy provided us with endless shade, but it trapped the warmth of the sun within, creating a sticky, humid environment that reminded me of the steam rooms in the Golden Palace.

“Ooh, ooh, aah! Ah! Ahh!”

A cry rang out from the branches above, too shrill to be human or beastman, yet somehow similar in tone.

As the first cry was still echoing around us, dozens of other voices were raised in response, mimicking the high-pitched screech. My heart raced as I envisioned an army of horrible monsters about to emerge from the dense trees.

Then, something struck me on the forehead, thrown by an unknown assailant.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” came a fierce cry from beside me, and the piece of fruit that hit me fell to the ground, smashed and inedible.

Sitting on a tree branch above me was the strangest creature I had ever seen. At most, it was three feet tall. It had hands where its feet should have been and comically long arms. Its vaguely humanesque face had thick, leathery skin, but the rest of its body was covered in fur. The creature pointed at me and laughed victoriously as juice dripped down my face from the point of impact.

More of the diminutive creatures appeared in the trees, chittering angrily as they threw more overripe fruit at humans and beastmen alike. Since their weapons of choice were edible and they looked like an army of ugly toddlers, they didn't seem to pose much of a threat. The beastmen around me just laughed at their impotent rage.

“What in the name of the Gods are those things?” I muttered miserably, wiping my face with my traveling cloak.

“Monkeys,” Vargas supplied, shaking his head in annoyance as he dismounted his horse. He picked up an undamaged piece of fruit from the ground back and threw it at the offending monkey, “Take that ya little shit! Anyway, they’re harmless, just territorial. The fruit is their way of telling us to fuck off.”

“We just need to keep moving,” Falyn added, smiling fondly at the annoying little creatures that continued to screech at us, “They won’t trouble us once we're out of their territory. Besides, they’re kind of cute, don’t you think?”

“Cute?” I asked, baffled as to how those ugly little fruit throwers were supposed to be cute.

“He also thinks Andrian is cute, so don’t trust his judgement,” Vargas informed me, making no effort to lower his voice.

I couldn’t help but snicker as both Andrian and Falyn turned to glare at him, just in time for another piece of fruit to come flying from behind and crash into the back of Vargas’s head.