Math awoke, chilled. A thin layer of frost covered the cold, hard rock beneath his blanket. They had each taken a turn at watch during the night, and each had made sure the fire kept blazing. They had been traveling for a week now, and each night had gotten colder. There was no need to worry that an enemy might see the fire when the enemy traveled underground. Even so, with the temperature dropping they wouldn’t be able to spend many more nights out in the open.

The decision to continue had been an easy one, in the end. They couldn’t go back, so they had to go forward. They couldn’t bring Rai back, but they could work to bring retribution for his death. They couldn’t tell Ana that her son was dead, but maybe that was a mercy. On the other hand, someone else was bound to look for them at Trey’s farm. Or to look for Trey. And if that someone else didn’t get pulled below the dirt themselves then they would probably be bringing news of the demise of all three of them back to Ana and Walter.

None of that could be helped. If the Kobali were on the move the town wasn’t safe anyways. If the creatures got to the town then everyone in town, including Ana and Walter, were in danger of becoming a meal to a burrowing nightmare. If the town survived an infestation of kobalds, then there was the small matter of a Dragon breaking free from its thousand-year-old prison.

So that was the decision, by default. Stop the Kobali. Stop the Dragon. There was nowhere else to go.

Not that they knew how to do either.

They had left the road four days ago, striking off into the dense forest. Khel had expected them to arrive at their destination today. The forest around them was thick and deep. The territory was completely unfamiliar to Math, but Khel and Rowan seemed right at home. Math had expected to have to fight for every yard through the vegetation, but the two Sidhe had led them through paths difficult to see even when they were traveling right on them. Though they did often need to walk the horses, they were making good progress. Following these hidden trails, Math was not surprised that nobody had seen the Sidhe in centuries.

Math heard the faint call of some distant forest animal, but now he recognized it for the signal it was. Khel and Rowan kept in contact with these animal calls. Math could see the usefulness: besides not alerting any nearby enemy unfamiliar with the sound, it kept them from surprising each other. Until Math got used to the different calls, he was caught flat-footed more than once as Rowan or Khel stepped silently out of the brush in front of him. The men could move with no more noise than a breeze when they wanted to. The animal calls are probably why they didn’t skewer each other with their long curved swords out of surprise when sneaking up on one another.

Khel and Rowan whispered quietly to each other up ahead. Math strained his ears to listen but couldn’t make out their conversation. He had begun focusing on using the gifts of his newly discovered heritage. He found it difficult to know if his sight and hearing were better than they should be, because he was accustomed to his own senses. But at night, he had taken a couple opportunities to step off into the woods. He found he was able to walk through the dark woods by starlight and see his way well enough in the dark.

Then again, he was trying to listen in on a conversation between two people who knew exactly how well their own people could hear. They would know quite well how softly they would need to whisper.

Not that they were trying to be secretive, merely cautious. They were very open with Math and Thea. He probably could have just walked up and asked them what they were talking about. But then he wouldn’t get to do these little tests.

Even the need to ask was eliminated when Khel walked back to Math and Thea and updated them. They would be at the Sidhe settlement within the hour. Sentries had already sent ahead word of their arrival.

Math hadn’t been sure what to expect at a Sidhe settlement. Maybe they would live in wondrous vaulted wood treehouses, built in and through the trees, marvelous wooden walkways soaring gracefully between the branches. That’s the way it was in the fairy stories. Or maybe they would live in dark, damp caves, like the troll antagonists in those same stories. Would they be swarmed by the mystical Sidhe, rare outsiders in their private world? Would they be hostile and aggressive, or welcome the strangers?

As they arrived at the settlement, Math saw the even more unexpected truth. Everything was… completely normal. He could have been walking into any other wooded village. Smoke curled from the stone chimneys of a few simple log cabins nestled in the trees. Semi-permanent tents were erected in other places, heavy canvas over a fixed wooden frame. The constructions would be enough to keep the wind out and, with the help of a fire in the center of the floor, enough to keep the cold out. Men and women went about their business like they would in any other village. There was no curiosity, or aggression, or hostility. Those they passed offered a polite greeting, as if they were passing any other stranger on the street. Those further away paid them no mind at all.

After a few minutes of adjustment and observation, he did notice a few odd details. There would be no place to grow crops in the dense forest. There was no livestock. Certainly, they could hunt, but hunting day in and day out to feed the settlement would be a difficult task and would quickly kill off the wildlife in the immediate area. On top of that, there seemed to be a hidden order to everything. This was more than just a few random tents in the woods. There was an almost military feel to it. That sense was reinforced by the fact that a large number of men and women carried the familiar long, curved swords strapped to their backs, or heavy recurve bows, or both.

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They approached one of the canvas tents on the outskirts of the small camp. As they drew near, a Sidhe couple stepped out. Both were tall, fair and beautiful, like all their people. The man had dark hair, a sharp contrast to the woman’s pale gold. Both wore it long, fastened behind their necks with leather ties. They embraced Khel and Rowan in turn, speaking in low concerned tones. Math and Thea stood back out of courtesy, not wanting to interrupt. Math could easily tell when Khel and Rowan passed on the news of their fallen.

Khel stepped back and motioned towards Math and Thea.

“This is Maethius, one of the scions,” he said. The woman gave him a quizzical look, but he went on. “And this is Theodora, fiancée of Rhaiven, who fell to the Kobali with Ulric.”

“It’s our pleasure to welcome you into our tent. I am Catrain, my husband is Favian,” Catrain said, taking Math’s hand briefly between both of hers, then doing the same with Thea.

“Happy to meet you,” said Favian, “we are saddened to hear of your troubles.”

“Thank you,” Math replied.

“Come in,” said Faivan.

“Yes, come sit and eat with us. You’ve been on the road, rest with us for a bit,” Catrain added.

“Thank you,” said Thea. The Sidhe couple stepped into the tent. Khel and Rowan followed, Math and Thea stepping in right after.

The interior of the tent was clean and spacious. The flaps on the other side were tied open wide, letting light in. A small fire burned in the center, the smoke exiting through a hole in the center of the ceiling. The three closed walls trapped enough heat that the inside was comfortable. A plush carpet covered the ground. Khel noticed the Sidhe removing their shoes and boots before walking onto the carpet, so he and Thea did the same. A wooden table was set up against one wall of the canvas tent. It was set not only with bread and cheese, but a platter of carved meat and a variety of green vegetables. Pitchers of water and wine sat next to six wooden goblets. A stack of six plates sat at the other end, next to a row of forks. Math and Thea and their group had obviously been expected.

Another table sat under the open flaps, near the edge of the carpet. Simple wood and wicker chairs surrounded it. At Catrain’s invitation, the four travelers served themselves from the platters onto the plates and seated themselves around the table to eat.

“Thank you, this looks wonderful,” Thea said. Math nodded in agreement.

“You are very welcome,” Catrain replied as she handed Math the platter of meat.

“What is this place? Some sort of camp? Are you traveling somewhere?” Math asked. He speared a piece, passed it to Thea, then accepted the next plate from Catrain.

“You could say it’s a sort of camp, but we aren’t traveling anywhere but here,” Favian said. “Many of us adopt a semi-nomadic sort of lifestyle. When our people withdrew centuries ago, we were on the move quite a bit. Since that time, many of us have kept a love of moving from place to place, experiencing new places to live. Catrain and I have been here for a couple years now and may move on soon.”

“So there is no Sidhe ‘capital’?” Math asked.

“There is. Many of our people do live in permanent homes. Some people have been here for a very long time. They are the ones who live in the cabins you saw on the way in.”

“You have to carry all this with you when you move? You carry the furniture from place to place, and break down the tent frames?”

“No, we will leave it for anyone who may travel here. When we find a new place to live for a little while, they may have an empty tent that we can use. If not then we’ll make a stop at the nearest town and build or buy one.”

“You just give them away for free? Do you not use money?”

“Oh, we use money like anyone else, though we do a lot of bartering. But certain things, like shelters, are open to any who need them by custom.”

The conversation died down for a bit as everyone enjoyed the meal in front of them.

“It seems very organized for a camp,” Thea observed.

“Another hint of our roots as a people,” Catrain replied. “It very rarely happens anymore, but at times in the past we’ve been required to move very quickly. Once we withdrew, we were often hunted. Our first years as a separate society were tragically bloody, for both sides.”

Math took a few minutes to think as he ate.

“Do you hate us?” Math asked.

“Absolutely not,” Catrain answered. “Those hatreds are centuries in the past. Your people don’t seem to hate us either, outside of some superstitious tales that have gotten more and more far-fetched over the years.”

“Besides, it seems you are more one of us than one of your people,” Favian smiled.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around that,” Math replied.

“Well you’ll find we are a very welcoming people, if we trust you,” Catrain said. “Take your time and get to know us, there’s no rush.”

Favian continued, “Nor is there any reason you are suddenly forced to live with us. There are those of us who choose to live in your towns and cities. The choice will ultimately be yours.”

“Well apparently we have some travelling of our own to do before we settle back down anywhere,” Thea said.

Favian and Catrain both nodded.

“We don’t envy you that choice,” Favian said. “We’ll give you all the support we can.”

“We don’t even know what we need support for,” Math replied. “We don’t know what we’re supposed to do. As far as I can tell, neither do your people.”

“When you got near our settlement, we sent messengers to inform some of our elders. We expect that even a representative or two of the Creche will respond. We’ll figure out a plan.”

“In the meantime,” Khel cut in, “whatever the plan, you two will need to prepare. Have you ever used a bow?”

“Occasionally, of course, to hunt, or to shoot at trees as a boy. But I’m not very good,” Math replied.

“Same here,” Thea added.

“What about a sword? Or a spear?” Khel asked.

“I haven’t,” Thea said.

“Me neither,” said Math.

“Ok then. That’s step one. If I’m going to be traveling with a couple people who seem likely to attract unwanted attention, they’re going to have to be able to watch my back. We’ll set you up with a tent for the night. Take the afternoon to rest, eat, and wash up from the road. Training starts tomorrow.”