into the nest
We've been on the road for five minutes - me, Kieran, Decoy, and Sola. Not one of us has said a word since we left the summit. Leave it to Decoy to break the silence.
"Did I miss something? You two look like you're having a moment."
She says it so casually, as she patters along. This twelve-year-old Ferin girl, just grilling us, off-the-cuff.
"Me and August just had a little disagreement is all."
Kieran's voice is clipped, and though his words are polite, I catch the faint tension in his tone - a shadow of our earlier conversation. I roll my eyes, but then decide to be the bigger man.
"We did, but I'm not upset with him at all. I wish we were talking, honestly."
As we keep walking, I hear Kieran's exasperated breath. He wants the same thing, of course. But he doesn't know how to talk and not be weird about it.
"Hm! Kieran. Why not tell August what we heard in the village?" It's Sola's voice. Though others still can't hear her, Kieran can. That's because of the link he has as my Vessel.
I turn. I'm interested to hear. I try not to visit the village often, now that I've learned I'm something of an Encephalim magnet. The Ferin village just doesn't have the defenses to protect against Encephalim attacks. I can't afford to make it a target.
"Oh, yeah," Kieran starts. Good for Sola for breaking the silence. I know she doesn't like to speak up when there are others around who can't hear her, like Decoy.
"In Asteria, they're mobilizing for something big. They've moved almost all their military out of the castle and town, to the northern border. Rumors of famine in the northern land. There's a worry that people will try to cross into Asteria."
"They're worried that hungry people might come look for food?" I close my eyes. "Typical humans. They see people in need, and they respond with a military operation."
"But if they're having a bad famine, they must all be lousy farmers," Decoy mumbles as she skips along the rocks. No matter of bad terrain seems to faze her, and she's able to leap over obstacles three feet tall with effortless grace. Not all Ferin are blessed with such natural athleticism, but ones with fox traits like her have it in spades. Ferin with cat traits, like Rav, also have a tendency to be quite agile as well.
"And if they're lousy farmers, then of course nobody wants 'em. Ferin code - if you wanna eat, you better learn how to make and hunt your own food!"
"Food should be a universal right," I argue. "Why make a society at all if you can't even get food to everyone who needs it?"
"It's not that easy, August," Kieran remarks, sounding slightly annoyed. "Someone's got to grow that food. And they expect to be rewarded for their efforts."
"Why do they need a reward?" I ask. "They already have food. They're just sharing the extra, no?"
Kieran huffs. I know he's not from the human world, so he doesn't understand all the nuances either.
"Humans don't own the land they live on," Decoy says. "None of 'em. The government of Asteria makes them pay 'taxes' just to have a place to sleep! Yeesh!"
"There's a lot none of us understand about the human world." My words are more of a random thought than a contribution to the conversation, but I get my point across. Without a human with us, we can't discuss it fully.
"So, Deek, where is this nest anyway?"
"Oh, not too far," she giggles. "I found it right off Rime Pass! There's a little valley there, and it was a big nest! I bet that Manticore's been there a while! Probably all fat and stuff, should be an easy kill!"
Decoy leads us through a ravine. There's a point where, to get down to the Ferin Village, we'd normally turn right. She takes us left, to a part of the mountain I've only seen from a distance. This is Rime Pass, and it leads toward the 'Wild Lands'. Rav tells me it's a place that has never been claimed by any kingdom, but several Ferin tribes live in the wild. It's a forest that stretches as far as the eye can see, punctured only by the presence of even greater trees that stand nearly a mile high.
One of those mammoth trees served as the battlefield for Rav's showdown against the 'God of Storms'. That must have been a sight to see. To this day, the rain over that part of the Wild Lands is near-endless, and it's transformed the land itself.
Before I know it, we're peering over the side of Rime Pass, down to a tangled mess of trees below. It's a steep drop down, but from here we can get a good view of much of the Wild Lands.
"You have a plan to get down there?" Kieran says, biting his lip as he looks over the edge. I've gotten used to heights, but he's a little anxious around them.
I take a breath. "I think she does, but I don't like what she's going to say."
Decoy winks at me. "Oh, no! Even I wouldn't jump from here!"
Thank goodness. It looks like a long fall.
"Don't worry. There's a safer way down a little further out."
We follow her down the pass, and sure enough, about a quarter mile further, there's a long ramp that we could scramble down to get to the lower part of the valley. From there, it's just a little bit of a switchback until we find ourselves in the tangled forest.
There's a noticeable temperature shift as we descend under the treeline, through the fog, and eventually to the forest floor. It's cold down here, and damp. The sound of bugs and frogs brings the forest to life. As I look through the trees and breathe in the cool, musky air, I notice there's a faint blue hue to the fog.
"Hmm," Decoy says. "I only saw the nest from up above, but I think it was this way..."
She stumbles around in the thick brush. All of the forest's trees (and much of the ground) are covered in thick, dangly vines. I'm not sure where they're coming from, but they've coated nearly everything. It's visually suffocating, and adds a layer of unease to this place.
"These vines kinda look like Manticore hair, don't they?" Decoy hums to herself as she jumps over a knotted root growing out of the ground.
"I haven't seen one to know," I admit.
"Well, you will soon!"
We walk a little bit further, and we all see it at the same time. A gaping maw erupts from a nearby tree, large enough for an elephant to walk through. The entrance is covered in vines and sinks into the earth, a fleshy trench of vine. It's where a Manticore calls home. A nest.
Decoy hums a little tune but pauses at the sight claw before us. For a split second, her ears flatten before she skips ahead again, her voice a touch louder than before.
The area in front of the nest is haphazardly cleared - vegetation stomped out and chewed through. Carcasses litter the ground - chewed-up deer, even what remains of a bear smashed against a now-fallen tree. Nearby trees bear deep triple-pronged claw marks. All clear signs of a monstrous beast, as if the nest weren't enough of a tell.
Kieran stops short, his gaze lingering on the smashed remains of the bear. His hand brushes his sword hilt, a reflex I've seen a dozen times before. He's become quite the swordsman, truth be told.
We peer into the abyss in front of us. I'm not saturated enough in the darkness for my eyes to activate, so I can't see too well in there.
"You think she's home?" Kieran wonders.
"She?" Decoy says, frazzled. "We'd better hope it's not a 'she'! I don't need any little Manticore children running at me. I prefer a nice, big, beta. A Man-Manticore. You feel me, Kier?"
"No way to know without gettin' in there. That's what Rav always says! But then he always uses me as bait..."
"As a decoy?" I laugh. She doesn't seem to get the joke.
As we step inside, the vines seem to pulse faintly, almost as if alive, and the air grows heavier, carrying the metallic tang of something...predatory. Each step squelches against damp earth, and a low, almost imperceptible hum echoes through the cavern. A faint, rhythmic clicking echoes from within, barely louder than the rustling vines. The air inside is colder, almost clammy, like stepping into a rotting refrigerator.
We descend into the nest. If there's a Manticore in here, we'll find it. And judging by the turgid odor of animal that overwhelms me the moment we push past the viney entrance, I know we'll find something.