Shad and Fray had just left Oakhaven when they noticed the man standing ahead of them.
He stood several meters away in the middle of the road, alone.
He appeared to be in his forties, perhaps a little older. His hair was completely white, falling neatly around his face, and his eyes were a strange transparent crimson.
Even without releasing his Flow, the man carried a weight that made the air around him feel heavier.
Strong.
Very strong.
Shad noticed it immediately.
So did Fray.
Neither of them showed it.
They continued walking toward him.
As they drew closer, the man remained where he was, watching them with a faint smile.
Shad kept his eyes on him.
Fray did the same.
When they were only a few steps away, they simply walked past.
One step.
Then another.
Neither looked back.
A voice came from behind them.
"Ah."
They stopped.
"It is not every day that one sees an Albelihu and a Reptilus traveling together around here."
Shad's brows tightened slightly.
Albelihu?
He was familiar with the term High Blood.
That was what the people around here called them.
But Albelihu?
He had never heard anyone refer to them that way before.
Fray slowly turned around.
Shad followed.
The white-haired man was looking directly at them.
Fray smiled.
"And what makes the great Commander Veyris grace us with his presence?"
He paused.
"Or should I ask what crime we have committed?"
The man's smile widened.
"Commander Veyris?"
He tilted his head.
"So you know who I am."
"Not personally."
"Then how?"
"I have spent enough time outside the forest to hear stories."
"Stories about me?"
"Some good. Some frightening. Most probably exaggerated."
Veyris laughed softly.
"You speak as though you've known me for years."
"Not at all."
Fray's expression remained relaxed.
"I simply know how rumors work."
Veyris studied him.
His eyes lingered on Fray's face.
More specifically, his eyes.
A reptilian pupil, Vertical, Narrow, unmistakable.
The commander's smile faded slightly.
"A Reptilus."
The words carried no disgust.
Only surprise.
"So the rumor was true."
Fray gave a small shrug.
"Depends on which rumor."
"I heard there were two High Bloods who had recently entered my province."
Veyris glanced at Shad.
"One of them, apparently, was an Albelihu."
His eyes returned to Fray.
"The other was a Reptilus."
Fray chuckled.
"And you came all the way here because of a rumor?"
"Rumors involving High Bloods are rarely harmless enough to ignore."
Veyris folded his arms.
"It has been some time since one came into my province."
His expression became thoughtful.
"The last was Rosalind."
Fray's smile disappeared for a moment.
Veyris continued.
"Then we discovered that our precious guild master in Gravelyn was actually a Reptilus."
He gave a small shake of his head.
"That caused enough trouble in the central province."
"So when I heard two more had suddenly appeared, I decided it was worth seeing for myself."
Shad barely understood the exchange.
He caught only scattered words.
Albelihu, Reptilus, Rosalind, Province.
He looked at Fray.
Fray noticed.
"They're talking about us," he said quietly in their simpler language.
Shad glanced at him.
"Why?"
Fray sighed.
"He heard that two High Bloods entered the province."
Shad looked at Veyris.
"High Blood?"
"Yes."
"He thinks us?"
Fray nodded.
Shad said nothing.
He had already learned that appearances mattered more than truth in this place.
Veyris looked at Shad for a little longer.
Something about him was strange.
At first glance, he looked like an Albelihu.
But not quite.
An Albelihu's most recognizable feature was the eyes.
Transparent colors.
Clear and almost luminous even without Flow.
Shad's eyes carried something similar.
Yet there was something missing.
Or perhaps something added.
Veyris couldn't quite determine which.
He was close enough to recognize that Shad did not feel like a normal Albelihu.
He did not feel as complete as one.
Yet Veyris did not mistake that for weakness.
Not yet.
A High Blood was still a High Blood.
At least until proven otherwise.
And Veyris himself was one.
He was an Albelihu.
That alone made him understand better than most why matters involving their kind could not simply be ignored.
Veyris looked back toward Fray.
His attention settled on him again.
"You, however, are unmistakable."
Fray raised an eyebrow.
"A compliment?"
"A fact."
Veyris smiled.
"Your eyes are enough."
Fray's own green, reptilian eyes narrowed slightly.
"Most people don't appreciate being identified so easily."
"Most people do not announce themselves with their eyes."
Their exchange remained strangely cordial.
Shad understood almost none of it.
He simply watched.
Eventually, Veyris's attention returned to him.
"And you?"
Shad waited.
Fray translated.
"He wants to know about you."
Shad looked at Veyris.
"What?"
"Why are you here? Where you came from. What you are."
Shad was silent for a few seconds.
He did not know the man.
He had no reason to explain himself.
"Forest."
Fray stared at him.
Then laughed.
Veyris noticed.
"That is your answer?"
Fray translated the question.
Shad shrugged.
"Forest."
Fray smiled helplessly.
"He doesn't like long explanations."
"Apparently."
Veyris studied Shad again.
There was something unusual about him.
His clothes were rough, His manner was quiet, His speech was sparse ,yet there was no fear.
The commander could feel that much.
That interested him.
Before he could ask another question, the sound of wheels approached from behind.
A wagon appeared on the road.
A few armed people traveled with it.
A female rode at the front, with male with a rat like nose nearby and the third also a male with a rabbit like ears walking beside the wagon.
They slowed when they noticed Veyris.
"My lord commander."
The lady dismounted.
The others followed her lead.
Veyris nodded.
"I expected you to have left already."
"We were delayed."
Her eyes shifted toward Shad and Fray.
"Were these two the reason?"
Veyris smiled.
"They are the reason I came."
Her expression changed slightly.
Veyris turned toward the northern road.
"You are still heading toward the northern outpost?"
"Yes."
"Then I have a proposition."
"But before then i should introduce them to you"
"Lyra this is Fray and Shad" he pointed towards Fray and Shad.
"And this is Lyra, That is Orin and Garren."
They both greeted in tense atmosphere while Fray and Shad seem not to mind at all.
Fray looked at him.
"A proposition?"
"I want the two of them to accompany you."
Lyra looked at Shad, then Fray.
"Why?"
"Because they are already connected to the matter."
Veyris's gaze moved to Shad.
"The researcher in Gravelyn attempted to reproduce his ability."
Then to Fray.
"You were both present when he attacked."
He looked toward the northern road again.
"Several days ago, the North-Road Outpost stopped sending reports."
Orin frowned.
"We have not been able to establish why."
"The matter has not yet been classified as a crisis," Veyris said, "but I would prefer to understand what is happening before it becomes one."
Fray considered him.
"And what exactly are you offering?"
"A reward."
That caught Shad's attention.
Veyris noticed. He smiled faintly.
"Three days ago, the North-Road Outpost stopped responding to Oakhaven."
Veyris's expression lost its amusement.
"We sent two scouts to investigate. Neither returned."
He looked toward the northern road.
"That road supplies several settlements beyond the defile. If the outpost has fallen, we need to know before whatever happened there reaches the rest of the province."
His eyes settled on Shad.
"And according to the reports from Gravelyn, someone using a strange form of your Cold was involved in the attack there and don't ask me how i know about your cold ability."
"I want to know whether the two incidents are connected."
Fray folded his arms. "And if they are?"
Veyris's gaze hardened.
"Then I want to know before anyone else in my province discovers it the hard way."
"And the reward?"
"Bring me the truth, and you will be compensated accordingly."
Fray laughed.
"A dangerous way to negotiate."
"You are free to refuse."
Fray glanced at Shad.
Shad looked toward the northern road.
The strange cold, the researcher, the assassins.
Now an outpost that had stopped sending reports.
There were too many connections to ignore.
He looked back at Fray.
"Go."
Fray nodded.
Then he turned toward Veyris.
"We accept."
"Good."
Veyris stepped aside.
"One more thing."
Fray looked at him.
"Do not mistake my interest for trust."
Fray smiled.
"I wasn't planning to."
Veyris looked directly at Shad.
"And I suggest you keep that same attitude."
Shad simply stared at him.
The commander smiled once more before turning away.
As they resumed their journey, Fray walked beside Shad.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Fray said quietly, "You attracted the commander's attention."
Shad glanced at him.
"Why?"
Fray smiled.
"You look strange and your ability seems to attract lots of unwanted attentions."
Shad looked ahead.
"So does he."
Fray laughed.
"That is true."
The road north stretched between the distant ridges.
Shad walked in silence.
He did not care about the commander.
He did not care about the province.
But the strange cold was moving north.
And now there was a reward waiting at the end of the trail.