The air was a little cold. The sky was mostly devoid of clouds, and there wasn’t much wind. It was the typical weather one encountered not long after fall and on the onset of winter.

Though not up here in these mountain ranges.

We were about half way to the Summit. We were passing over the last mountain range in this region, and honestly I had expected it to be stormy up here.

Instead it was rather nice. Though I knew Oplar and Renn would likely want a campfire tonight, as to stay warm.

“I’m telling you Vim, Hands has been acting weird lately. Link thinks he’s in love, but I just can’t see it. How’d that man even have the opportunity to meet someone, let alone notice they existed when he does?” Oplar wondered.

“His father had been a romantic. It’s not that surprising,” I said as I thought of Eyes.

“Had he…?” Oplar mumbled.

He had. I had not liked that man… though at the very end he had proven his worth.

He had been far better than anyone had known. I had been wrong about him completely.

If Hands lived a life just a fraction as honorable and great as his father’s then he’d succeed in life, in my opinion.

So far he’s done a good job of it. He’s never caused issues. He’s always fast to help and offer his aid, and although I felt the same strange annoyance towards him as I had for his father… it wasn’t anywhere near as bad. I’d not felt the need to kill him on sight as I had for Eyes.

“Vim’s mentioned him. Eyes, right?” Renn asked.

“Aye. I actually met him when I was younger, but he died not long after. With my parents,” Oplar told her.

“Ah…” Renn’s tiny noise was a sad one.

“Let the man have his moment of romance. It’s about time he had children anyway,” I said.

Oplar scoffed at me. “I can’t imagine him doing that. He’d forget the child as he got focused on some toy or mechanical mechanism. Poor kid would suffer with him as a father,” Oplar said.

Hm… I had thought the same of Eyes. Yet he hadn’t been that bad of a father as far as I was aware. In fact Celine had told me he had been a wonderful one.

“How old is Hands?” Renn asked.

“Hm…? A little older than me, right?” Oplar asked me.

I shrugged, since I knew why Renn had asked such a question.

“Hmm…” she hummed at me, and I ignored it.

A light breeze blew by, and I noted the smells upon it.

Animals. Trees. The scent of mist, likely from higher up the mountain.

Nothing odd. Nothing that I needed to worry or take note of.

“Jelti’s also married now, Vim,” Oplar told me.

“Oh? She grew brave enough did she?” I asked, amused. Good for her.

“The Chronicler told her it was okay. Guess she found out about it somehow… Everyone was a little surprised, but maybe she’s grown soft in her old age?” Oplar wondered.

“Wish we could have been there,” Renn said softly.

“It was just a simple ceremony. Just us members there, and a few of the human’s friends,” Oplar said.

I frowned as I wondered what had made the Chronicler allow it. She must have seen something.

Hopefully nothing odd happened before I returned to Telmik. I’ll need to remember to check on them, and ask about it and…

Some birds flew past overhead. They cawed loudly as they did.

I watched them for a moment, but the path we were on was heavily wooded. There wasn’t much sky to see, at least not clearly.

“I’ve never been to a wedding,” Renn then said.

“Oh…? I suppose they are rare for us, huh? Not only do we rarely actually marry, most aren’t religious so they don’t have such ceremonies,” Oplar said.

Saying nothing, I wondered if Oplar realized the truth in Renn’s words.

She wasn’t just saying she hadn’t witnessed a ceremony amongst our kind, but any at all. Not even a human’s.

It was a sad thought, really.

Made sadder by the fact that I would not be interested in doing such a thing at all. Hopefully she wouldn’t ask it of me. Especially since I wouldn’t know how to deny her such a simple experience or joy, since the only reason I didn’t want to participate in such a thing was purely personal. Oplar had perceived it as a religious thing, but in reality marriages and ceremonies were common even amongst those without gods or deities. Humans loved festivities no matter their beliefs or culture.

“I take it that means you’ve never been married then, Renn? I had heard you spent a lot of time with humans before joining us, though,” Oplar said.

“Hm…? I had, I guess… but not like that. Wait… what are people saying about my past to make you assume such a thing?” Renn asked, worried.

“Huh? Nothing really. Just that you lived amongst humans mostly before finding us and being happily surprised when you did. I just figured you’d be like the many others who had lived similar lives before joining the Society. Those who basically are born and raised amongst humans are usually like them,” Oplar said lightly, not realizing how seriously Renn was likely being about wanting to know about the rumors concerning her.

“I wasn’t born amongst humans. I was almost fully grown before I met my first one. And the humans I spent all my time with were… not like that. I basically raised two kids and then hid away with a nun,” Renn said.

“A nun…? Really? Explains your fascination with the humans' religion,” Oplar noted.

Of all the things to notice from what she said of course it was that. But that was what bothered Oplar the most, so it was understandable.

“I’m more surprised you call Telmik home with your aversion to it, honestly,” Renn said.

“Haha! Right! But that’s the point, Renn! If I run away that means they win. My parents didn’t raise no coward,” Oplar said proudly.

Funny. She basically was one, honestly.

She ran the moment she saw blood, or expected it to be drawn.

Though that wasn’t too surprising. Those like Renn were the rarity, not the norm. But… well…

“Oh…!” Renn clapped a little, sounding very impressed. Likely was.

She likely thought Oplar really was brave, staying in a place that was essentially the capital and home base of her enemy.

It’d be true if not for the fact Oplar was a bear. And strong.

If she hadn’t been such a coward about fighting she’d have been another Lilly or Landi. She was that strong. Or rather, she could have been.

Though maybe it was for the better she was the way she were. Did we really need more like Landi or Lilly?

“Plus, I’m not really alone there. Henrietta and the rest share my sentiments, and the twins too,” Oplar told her.

“Oh…? But didn’t Henrietta and her family work in the church?” Renn asked.

“Aye, they do. But in that perspective so do I, you know?” Oplar answered.

Renn hummed in a way that told me she wanted me to explain a little better.

“The dog family are not members of the cloth… but they’re very generous people. They believe in helping those who are less fortunate. If you’ll forgive me for sharing an opinion, I’d say they’re a better representation of that faith than most of those who preach it,” I said.

“Right! See? Vim’s on my side too. Though most would argue he don’t live there, it’s a place he often visits. So I’m not as alone as you’d think,” Oplar said, glad to hear me voice an opinion for once.

It wasn’t often I did in front of her, after all.

“How are they doing, by the way? How’s little Fizz doing?” Renn asked Oplar.

“Hm? She’s doing well, I think? Everyone was doing well when I last left,” Oplar said.

Renn hummed, and I wondered what it was like to remember everyone so… vividly.

It was likely she had heard Henrietta’s name and remembered everything about them. Every word spoken. Every action. Every moment.

Such vibrant memories would be strange and unsettling, I’d think. What would it be like to remember absolutely everything so deeply and accurately, within moments? It must make her memories feel fresh and recent because of such acuity. Which only made them all the more potent.

It… explained why she so often got melancholic sometimes, when talking about events in the past or the people involved in them. It also explained why she sometimes cried in her sleep when she herself didn’t seem too sad or depressed recently.

Odds are her dreams were vivid as well, because of her ability. It made sense to me, since my most vivid memories were what haunted my dreams too.

Though that might be me mistaking the cause and effect. Maybe I remembered them so clearly because I dreamed them, and not the other way around.

“Vim…?”

I blinked and slowed a tad as to turn and look at Renn. She had that smile on her face that told me I had ignored her again.

“Hm?” I smiled at her as an apology.

“Oplar asked how long it’s been since you’ve been to the Summit,” Renn said with a light gesture to her.

Ah. “Well… a few trips, I think. Maybe a decade or so?” I said as I thought about it.

Last time was when they had wanted another waterwheel… I think.

“A decade…? Really? Didn’t they ask for your help a few years ago? Something about a riverwheel?” Oplar asked.

“Waterwheel, yes. I think that was some time ago, wasn’t it? I didn’t go there last time I came this way, so it had to have been longer than that,” I said.

“Wait… so you’re banished… but you still get asked to build them stuff?” Renn asked.

“He’s requested for other reasons too, but most are like that I think, yes,” Oplar told her.

Renn hummed in a way that told me she had a very serious opinion on that, yet didn’t seem to want to voice it.

She likely would have had we been alone.

Though I’d noticed lately she’s been a little more… vocal. Especially about certain things. Honestly I was kind of glad she was starting to voice her more… specific opinions. Though in my own personal perspective, most of even her extreme positions weren’t that bad. But I knew to many in the Society they would be.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

It meant she was growing more comfortable, and confident, in herself and her position in the Society.

I knew eventually she’d find herself solidified in certain beliefs and perspectives that would make it… difficult. For not just her, but myself. Eventually she’d be at rough ends with certain people, and maybe even groups, in the Society. Which meant eventually she’d be if not entirely unwelcomed, at least disliked by others.

It had already happened in certain perspectives, what with her banishments, but… those had been out of fear. Out of concern. Not out of personal differences in beliefs or religious subscription.

“Are you banished from anywhere, Oplar?” Renn asked.

“Hm? Not as far as I’m aware, no. Landi don’t like me much, but she’s not banished me from her halls yet… and I don’t like some places, or people, but I don’t let it bother me. Even the people who don’t like me much are happy to see me when I show up, since I carry letters or items they requested. Basically I’m seen as someone who brings presents,” Oplar explained.

“Mhm,” Renn was glad to hear it based off the pitch of her hum.

“Oplar’s a predator, and noisy, but she’s well liked. It helps that she’s a complete pushover,” I said.

Oplar laughed. “That I am!” Her laugh echoed a little in the dense forest, sounding stranger and stranger as it did so.

“Do you usually travel alone, Oplar? When delivering letters?” Renn asked, further diving into Oplar’s life.

The bear hummed a little, which was a little uncharacteristic of her. Maybe she was trying to mimic Renn. “I do. Unless I’m escorting someone, or joining another along the way. I sometimes travel with Vim too, when our paths and destinations allow. But honestly I don’t venture too far usually. Most of the more common areas, like Lumen, can usually be dealt with by our human members. I’m usually going to the more secluded places, like the Crypt. Places the human members, or the weaker ones, can’t go to or don’t like to go. For reference Vim, I passed through Lumen and took the coastal route here,” Oplar said.

Oh? “How were the Geese and the rest?” I asked.

“Fine. Keven was there when I passed through,” Oplar said.

I nodded, glad to hear it. As was I to hear Keven was fine.

“Coastal route?” Renn asked.

“Remember the sea Lumen was on? If you travel along its southern coast you eventually head this way. You need to pass through marshlands and stuff, but it’s a quick route. A few weeks from Lumen is a large port town. There’s a family of geese there, alongside a few others, who are members of the Society. They run one of our trade depots there,” Oplar explained.

“And Keven…? You mean the captain of one of the ships, right?” Renn asked.

“Aye. He recently replaced Hector. Keven’s a captain of one of the larger trade ships the Society uses. Although in theory Lumen is the home port of the ship, Keven is actually a member of the Geese’s location. He’s not a goose though,” Oplar told her.

“Huh… I’d not gotten to meet him, but I had seen the ship,” Renn said.

Right. She had been waiting on the dock for me that day.

“Mighty aint it? Though I hear Vim’s newest addition is far fiercer! I didn’t get to see it though, they’d been out at sea when I passed through,” Oplar said.

“You mean Ronalldo’s ship,” Renn said, understanding.

“Aye. A mighty ship of war… which may be needed soon, what with all the recent chaos. Maybe that was fate at play, eh?” Oplar thought aloud.

Renn let out a tiny groan, and I heard her tail shift and brush against her leather clothes. “I hope not,” she commented.

As much as I would enjoy Ronalldo getting the experience one could get from war, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with it either.

War…

Studying a patch of scraggly looking bushes we were passing, I ignored Oplar and Renn for a moment. They were just talking about Oplar’s journey to us… something about some chicken she had seen on the way here. It had chased her for days, supposedly.

War was common. It happened more often than people realized. But the Society itself rarely got involved in such things. The last true wars the Society involved itself in were the ones hundreds of years ago. Before Celine died.

However, there had been wars since then. Merit’s kingdom had been at war. Landi’s been at war many times. Telmik’s nation, the Nation of the Blind, has been at war a few times too. One of them was so bad that I had even gotten involved, as to protect the Cathedral. We had lost a few members because of that war. It took me assassinating the neighboring nation’s king to end it.

Yet…

Did I really see the wars back then as true wars?

Honestly?

Even the ones during the Societies peak… had I even considered them actual wars?

I may have called them such, as did everyone else… but in reality…

No. When I thought of wars I did not think of men, human or not, marching on fields wearing armor. Nor did I think of ships swaying from cannon fire, or siege engines burning.

To me war was… something far different.

Something more personal. Something forgotten today.

There weren’t enough monarchs to wage war anymore.

Let alone their creators.

Not against me anyway.

“Vim.”

I blinked and turned, to look at Oplar. She had a grin on her face as she pointed with a thumb.

Turning the other way, I found Renn on my other side. She too had a grin, but it was a sadder one.

I had ignored her again.

“Yeah?”

“The Queen’s Lament. What’d you think of the new volume?” she asked after a tiny moment, unbothered that I had obviously ignored her once again.

“Hm? I told you, didn’t I? I know where the author is taking it. I see its ending, so it’s boring to me,” I said.

Oplar scoffed.

Renn noticed and frowned at her. “Why the scoff?” she asked her.

“Vim’s just being old. He’s saying he’s seen it before so it doesn’t bring him any joy to experience it again,” Oplar said.

“Really Vim?” Renn asked, worried.

“No… I did enjoy a few parts. There’s a part in the middle I found amusing, thanks to the way it unfolded,” I said. It had been cliché, a queen of a kingdom finding corruption and dark plots of their relatives… but it had been done in a way that made me smile. She had written a punishment that I knew every reader would have found interesting and unbelievable, but I’d seen it before myself.

Torture and death by pleasure was not a new concept at all.

“Which part?” Oplar asked.

“Renn hasn’t read it yet,” I said quickly before Oplar could say something to spoil it.

“Oh?” Oplar sounded surprised.

“I’ve been waiting. To savor it,” Renn told her.

Oplar hummed as she nodded in understanding.

“But overall you didn’t enjoy it much,” Renn said, returning the topic to me.

“No. But I’ve never cared for romantic stories. Plus it’s a little…” I wondered what word to use here to best describe it.

“Spicy?” Oplar suggested.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Renn giggled. “Which is why it’s mostly the women of our Society who seem to enjoy it so much,” she said.

“Not true. I’d say some of the biggest fans of it are men. Gerald for instance? He’s commissioned artwork of it. Of the characters and scenes,” Oplar pointed out.

“Wait really?” Renn asked, surprised.

“Hm. You’ve probably seen them. A few of those paintings are along the halls in the guild. In Lumen,” Oplar said.

Renn hummed as she very obviously searched her memory. “I very well likely have,” she said softly as she likely thought of the ones that made sense.

Most were just character portraits… but there were a few that displayed entire scenes, as Oplar said. One was a larger painting in the main hall, near Gerald’s office. It was the final scene of the first book. The climax moment where she becomes the queen, and defeats her despot father.

“Personally I found the books to be too serious. I don’t care much for fiction anyway, so when I do read stories I want them to be crazy and unbelievable. If I wanted real stories I’d just look around me,” Oplar said, giving her opinion on the series.

“Right… so are you saying you haven’t read, or won’t, the fourth book?” Renn asked.

“Eh maybe one day. But it’s not my thing. I’d rather watch you two flirt or something,” Oplar said.

“Flirt…!” Renn startled at the sudden teasing, but I heard her happy smile all the same.

“Now don’t you hold back on my account! I’ve heard of your endless talks through the night, and secret rendezvous! But I’ve not seen a lick of it since I’ve met you! It’s not nice at all keeping such juicy gossip from me. Mighty rude in fact!” Oplar said, her voice growing louder as she got heated.

“Rendez-what?” Renn asked with a higher pitched tone than normal. She was embarrassed.

I glanced back at her, and sure enough found her face a little flushed… but she was grinning ear to ear.

She liked Oplar it seemed. Likely had just opened her heart more to her in fact, thanks to what she had just said and declared. Renn liked it when others acknowledged, and helped, our relationship.

“Meetings, basically. She’s talking about when you and I sneak off alone to talk. Our little dates have been noticed, it seems,” I said, explaining it to her.

“Oh!” Renn glanced at me and her grin turned into a happy smirk.

“Indeed they have! But I asked around the Crypt and no one noticed any there, it seems… I’d blame my arrival, and the drama I brought, but you were there for weeks before I showed up and I know Vim doesn’t give a mite’s bite about the vote… So what’s the reason? Having relationship woes already? Surely not?” Oplar asked Renn, buffeting her with questions.

“Huh! But we did? We snuck off several times,” Renn however wasn’t ashamed at all, and happily rightened the score.

“So you did!” Oplar happily laughed at hearing so.

Shaking my head at them, I sighed and wondered how many of these so called rendezvous Oplar knew about. Or rather, what the Society knew about.

Renn and I did often enough linger away alone… but half the time it was for good reason. With tasks at hand, or for some goal… such as checking on the city we were in, or something.

Oplar had come here through Lumen… so it had to have been there that she had heard such rumors and gossip. Before Lumen Renn and I hadn’t really been that… well… Flirty had we?

Maybe we had…?

As I thought of how we had acted in the beginning, I noticed something through Oplar and Renn’s loud voices. Something large had just took in a deep breath nearby.

A flash of white drew my eyes, alerting me to what I had heard, and I had to blink at what I found.

Peering our way, hidden behind branches and leaves… was a massive elk.

And it was a startling white in color. With red eyes.

An albino.

Even the massive antlers were white. A few of the tips were darker, but that was likely stains. Either from blood, from fights with other elk or predators, or maybe digging in the ground.

The great creature glanced our way, but didn’t focus or seem to even notice us. It turned its mighty head back the other way down the path, and then stepped forward. It must have felt the path was clear and safe.

It was neither afraid or on guard… but I couldn’t blame it. It was one of the largest elks I’d ever seen, that was natural born at least. It was big enough that it likely didn’t need to fear human hunters, or even typical predators. It stood taller, even not taking its antlers into account, than a large bear would even on two legs. For it to have lived long enough to grow so large while being as white as snow was… well…

The creature was a rarity. A true anomaly.

“Wow…” Oplar whispered in awe as the massive elk strode onto the path ahead of us.

I stood still as Renn and Oplar paused as well. They stood on either side of me as we watched the white furred creature slowly stride across the path, not even glancing at us.

The three of us watched the creature finish crossing the path and re-enter the dense woods. We were able to follow it for a moment, thanks to its bright white fur, but it eventually faded from view… getting lost in the foliage and dense trees.

“I’ll be… Not only is that the biggest one I’ve ever seen, I’d say it was the most beautiful to boot,” Oplar whispered humbly.

“It didn’t even care we were here,” Renn noted.

“Why would it? Its head was so high off the ground I’d have to jump to reach it… and even then I might have only hit that dangly bit,” Oplar wondered.

Dangly bit. “That’s a fold of skin. It’s how you can differentiate certain elks from the larger species,” I said.

“That was definitely large,” Oplar stated.

It had been.

Returning to walking, I searched my memories for another that size.

“Did you see its eyes? Red rubies,” Oplar said.

“Its horns were bigger than me,” Renn said.

They had been. Interesting…

Hadn’t I seen a massive spider back at the Crypt? In Sharp’s glass jars? That had been huge too.

Maybe something odd was occurring. I’ll need to start paying attention to the animals and bugs… and also maybe start listening to rumors and bar stories. Humans always exaggerated but…

“Must have come from the snow. Wonder why it’s here,” Renn wondered.

“Its snow white appearance was from a body disorder. Not its environment,” I said.

“Disorder…?” Renn asked.

I flinched as I realized I should have just stayed quiet. Now I’m going to have to explain to her what albinism was, and likely then who know what else as to explain that.

If it was just the two of us it’d not be that big a deal… but…

“So it was sick?” Oplar asked.

“No. It’s fine. It’s actually very resilient to have survived so long with its white appearance,” I said. Maybe this region was lacking in larger predators.

“Isn’t that the truth. If any human seen that thing they’d either worship it as some forest spirit, or hunt it for its pelt and antlers to hang on the wall,” Oplar said with disgust.

Renn hummed, and I knew it was because she knew I had just gotten out of having to answer her.

As we returned to our path… I thanked Oplar’s constant gossip as she went on to tell Renn all about the massive bird she had seen a few months ago.

The two happily went to telling each other stories of unique animals they’d seen over the years.

I was a little surprised the two had dropped their earlier conversation. But I knew it was only temporary. It’d not be long before their fascination with unique and strange animals would fade, and Oplar would re-ignite the passion of gossip within her. And Renn, being the woman she was, would not just indulge Oplar’s fascinations… she’d likely join her in doing so.

Their chatter and yapping would undoubtedly become annoying eventually… but right now…

It was far better than questions.

And not just questions about what I’d recently said, or hinted at.

Questions about my health. My abilities. The vote. The Society… So many things, and then some.

I knew Renn would not forget the questions in the back of her mind. Her memory was too perfect.

She’d inevitably ask them again when she could. Likely soon, if we’d be alone as I expected us to be once we reached our next location.

But thanks to Oplar’s presence, those questions couldn’t be levied. They had to remain within her mind, even as they squirmed.

So…

I happily indulged in the safety of Oplar’s ramblings, while I could.