We continue along the traveler's path for about an hour before the sounds of a stream drift to my ears. I slow to a stop and tell Jorge before he agrees, and we both lead our mounts off the path and into the Wilds more properly. I can smell the sweet, fresh scent of water lilies in bloom the closer we get to the sounds of the moving water. Before too long, the trees and shrubbery start to thin, and I can see the gravel and stone banks of the stream in question. Little fish dart around from swirling pool to swirling pool, and birds chirp and sing from tall overhanging branches.

This is a peaceful enough spot for me, so I dismount and pat Ranger a few times before walking over to a copse of small trees with a couple of large, primarily flat boulders jutting out to their front. Jorge ties his horse up next to some grasses and shrubbery that the horse can nibble on without trouble and then follows me to sit down on and against the natural shaded seating.

"Not a bad choice, Orion, not bad at all."

"Yeah, it looked pretty good. Want me to start a little fire?"

"I can do that for you; you just need to get yourself comfortable. It's been too long since I had a little time away from the village, and it'll do me some good to set up a fire the old way."

I nod to Jorge, seeing no reason to argue with him wanting to do the prep work and starting a little fire there. While I silently rest with my back against one of the boulders, I pull my bow and quiver off and set them down next to me, easily within reach. I can never tell what might happen in the Wilds, so I always go out prepared just in case. After that, I carefully take out my carved wooden smoking pipe from where I cautiously tucked it in my belt before finally untying the little pouch of dried smoking leaf herb and pulling it off my belt.

Humorously, I watch Jorge struggle to get a fire going in the small ring of rocks he's made just a few feet before me. He has everything set up, but he's trying to hand spin a stick to start the fire rather than get up to find some flint, and it's a pretty funny struggle to watch. He cusses and grunts with each failure, and my amusement grows at seeing the old fey struggle with a task I do almost every day or night for hunting or trading groups I'm with.

"Want some help?"

"Nope, Orion, I got it. Just don't want to cooperate, but I'll make it."

"Alright, if you're sure."

I don't hide the amusement in my voice, and he looks at me with his eyes narrowed in fake suspicion. He laughs a few moments later and drops the straight stick he was trying to spin rapidly between his hands to get an ember started.

"Let's see you get it started quicker."

I grin at him and scoot forward a few feet on my back end, not bothering to get up.

"Want to put a little bet on it? I bet I can start this fire in less than ten seconds."

"Ten seconds! Boy, you are confident, aren't you? Alright, what are you trying to bet?"

"If I get it started in ten seconds–or less–you have to make me a dagger."

"Ohh really, what do I get if I win? Because I'm going to."

"I'll get you three deer with skins intact."

"Three bucks; I need them antlers for lots of things around the village."

"Deal."

Jorge nods and then leans back, crossing his thick arms over his broad chest, waiting to see what I do. I give him the most obnoxious grin ever, then reach into my belt and pull out the cheap metal gas station lighter I used during the night terrors event. Before Jorge can even protest, I scoot forward and light the kindling under the fire, which immediately catches. Jorge starts to bellow in protest when he sees what I'm doing, and I laugh and laugh, sliding the lighter back into its protective pouch.

"You little shit! That's cheating!"

"Nuh uh, we never said how I'd start that fire!"

Jorge bellows in full-throated laughter and points a finger at me while he does.

"That's pretty good, Orion, pretty good indeed. Alright, what kind of a dagger do you want? It'll take a little bit of time, but you did technically sucker me in there, and I'm not a poor sport."

"What type? Hell, Jorge, I don't know the types of daggers. I should probably have a better knife than this old one." I gesture to the tiny whittling knife on my belt.

"Still got that old thing? Yeah, I'll see about getting you something done up a little better than that."

We joke a little bit about my sneakiness and sly win while I break down a little bit of the herb and use it in the smoking pipe. Lighting it with a small stick from the fire, I inhale and allow the potent Wilds' smoking leaf to relax my body and mind. Exhaling a long drought of smoke from my lungs, I offer the smooth and polished–yet somewhat worn–pipe in Jorge's direction. We share back and forth in peaceful camaraderie before the pipe's bowl is finished. I tap out the pipe next to the fire, then lean back against the boulders resting underneath the branches of the trees overhead. The floating and relaxing sensation is pleasant, helping to brush my worries and anxiety aside. Merrill was right; I needed to do this.

Jorge, for his part, sits next to me and loads another bit of the smoking leaf into the pipe. I wave off his first offer to share the pipe with me, and he grins at me before blowing a smoke ring out. He has the entire thing to himself; only once do I choose to sit up and take a long inhale before handing it right back to him.

"I'm worried about that disappearing village, Jorge, like really worried. It is so close to our village, and no one knows what happened. There's just too many weird things that happened about it."

"Normally, well, if we were part of a tribe, I'd say you could request an inquiry, but you're not, so they'd just ignore anything that came from you, Orion."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Doesn't mean we can't do it, though."

I tilt and turn my head his way, which feels like a lot of effort, and the magical feeling of the Wilds' grown smoking leaf fully flows over my body and mind.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, why do you think those Blackham came when Hannah sent that reafan to tell them about the loose wiretail and the lost rider?"

"To come and get Ranger and look for their person?"

The wiretail nearby perks up at hearing his name, but when it's clear I wasn't calling him, he rolls over onto his back in the shade and goes back to sprawling.

"Please! They have hundreds of cats in that city of theirs; they won't care about one getting loose so far from home. Did they even look for the rider?"

"Hundreds? Wow." I exhale through my mouth with a little woosh of air before continuing, "No, we just went out to get Ranger, and I think that was pretty much it. Wait, what? What are you saying?"

"They came because Hannah asked them to come. Because you were worried."

I sit up slightly, my arms propping my upper body on my elbows. I turn my head to look over at Jorge as he breaks down a little more of the flower for the pipe.

"I thought people didn't know who she was."

"Come on, Orion. Your kind can live for an age if nothing terrible happens; you think there aren't faeries who dealt with Hannah before and don't remember her?" He makes a little "pshhht" sounding noise before talking again. "I think they came because of who was asking, not because of what was asked."

I nod my head slowly. Though I'm definitely under the influence of the smoking leaf, my thoughts are relatively clear, and what he's saying makes sense. As Jorge lights another round of the smoking leaf in the pipe I brought with us, I lay back with my shoulders on the ground again and stare up at the bright sky through the shaded tree branches above me.

"So, she could ask for an inquiry."

"She would, too, if you asked her to. But she hasn't because she doesn't want the attention it might bring to our village. We moved away to get away from the tribes and their stupid politics."

"I just don't understand why it's not a concern; it's like a whole village of people–our people–Jorge, shouldn't we want people to care if we're gone? What if that'd have been us and someone else happened upon our disappearance?"

"You have a good heart, Orion, even though you think you don't. To tell you the truth, most people would take from that village, thinking it was abandoned, and carry on their way, not thinking a lick about it. That's why I asked why you took goods from there when you returned from the trading run. I wanted to know what kind of man you are now. When you showed your concern about the people and said if they showed back up, we should help them, I knew then that you have a good heart."

He inhales from the pipe and then exhales a small cloud of smoke, through which he grins at me.

"This is some good smoking leaf. Did Merrill have it?"

"Yeah, she gave it to me."

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"She fancies you?"

"Yeah, I think so." I sigh.

"Normally, I'd say good on you, young buck, but that noise you made with the long face tells me something else." He turns his kind eyes back to me more seriously, silently urging me to get it off my chest.

"I think I got hit by a rock to the head, Jorge. I feel like Óengus seeking out a woman he's only dreamed of or only knows in passing."

"You talking about that vampire lady, Orion?"

"Yeah, that's the one." I sigh.

"Well, I got good news for you, then!"

"You do?" I gaze more intently at him. "What good news?"

"Óengus was a right prick, and you aren't that, so you don't have to worry none about having his troubles with women and the world."

I laugh a little bit in response, which draws out a little smile from Jorge before he takes another puff from the pipe and offers it to me. I accept, and while Jorge keeps talking, I breathe in the herbal and magical substance, enjoying the slight hum it sends through my veins.

"What people do determines if they're bad or good. A guy falling for one of those vampire sorts isn't automatically a bad guy, but some might say if he does it while being ignorant of their kind's, well, tendencies makes him a bit slow."

"I know, 'don't trust them' etcetera etcetera."

"Not just that. There are other things about them that most folks don't know. They get territorial about stuff, which can be a bad time, so you must be aware. Another thing is that they're half of an animal, half of the person they used to be. That's why they can flip-flop between crazed and completely normal-seeming. No balance in their internals."

"Are they fey?"

"Naw, I think they're something else, like the shapeshifters in the human divide. There are others, too, but I don't know much about all that if I'm honest. I'm just a simple metal and woodworker. I like it that way."

"Simple? I saw the hammer you made. It was glowing against the wall. That's not simple, Jorge."

"Well, you got me there, young buck." He holds his hand out for the pipe, and I pass it to him. He inhales a long draught of smoke from the pipe before speaking again. "I used to make real fine weapons and armor at the Shining City's forges; that's how Hannah and I met. She needed some work done for a blade and some armor, and she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen in my life. Ruined three blades before she figured out I was doing it on purpose just to get her to come back in for a 'weighting' check. I thought I was a clever one."

He laughs a bit to himself and then exhales the rest of the way before looking at me.

"Sometimes you just feel it. You just know it."

"That's how I feel about Cassandra."

"She didn't come back with you though."

"Yeah, I thought maybe she felt the same way as I do, but then… yeah…"

My voice trails off, and my brain replays, watching Cassandra ride off on the back of her wiretail down the traveler's path. I close my eyes and exhale another sigh.

"You're still worried about her, huh?"

"Can't help it." I lift my shoulders off the ground slightly in a shrug.

"Well, if she's back at Blackham City–which she probably is–you could go and reintroduce yourself."

"Yeah, but Kline would be there."

"Yeah, right prick that guy was. Hannah should have let me wring his neck for how he came to our village."

"For real." I agree with a laugh.

"Okay, so you don't go to Blackham City, but you could send someone to send a message or a reafan if you can convince Gallen to let you use one." He winks, suggesting that won't be too hard to do.

"What if she doesn't come? That sounds awful, too."

"Well, then you'd know for sure now, wouldn't you? Sometimes things aren't meant to be, even if they feel like they are."

I tilt my head over to look at Jorge again while he sits and smokes up all my smoking leaf as if it barely has much of an effect on him at all. I smile slightly at him, realizing he's genuinely a good man, and I'm lucky to know him.

"Yeah, I think you're right. It's the not knowing that's the worst."

"Uh huh, now that I know for sure is the absolute truth."

"I think I'll get a reafan sent there for Cassandra and just see what happens."

"There you go, Orion! Progress!" Jorge claps his hands on his legs. "Now then, what about this village business?"

"What do you think about it?"

Jorge shifts his bulky weight around and leans his back against the rocky outcropping. He slaps out the old and burnt flower from the end of the pipe, but he doesn't immediately refill it this time. Instead, he sets the pipe down and folds his thick fingers across his stomach while he leans there.

"I share some of your concerns, but for a different reason."

"What's that?"

"Well, you guys brought that Cait Sidhe back with you–what was his name?"

"Silas."

"Silas! That's it. Well, see, what Hannah didn't say–and she should've but far be for me to step on any of her toes when she's telling or not-telling–is that seams only open in one location on either side like a literal doorway between rooms. I'm saying that where that cat came from was where those people went. And it's real strange that Silas didn't clarify where he came from or what he was doing there, ain't it?"

"Maybe he was in shell shock or something, or maybe he didn't think it was important?"

"Or maybe he is another sneaky devil who answered your questions without answering all of the truth."

"Aria told us what to do; we didn't even know he'd answer our questions at all, though we could have done better questions, I guess, thinking back on it. We weren't very specific, and Aria told us to be specific. But he did say he didn't know where he came from, and he didn't even know where here was when we found him."

"You don't have to know the name of a place to know where you came from. He could have been a little more detailed and told you what kind of city or town was nearby, but he chose not to."

"Why would he do that?" The words sound puzzled as they come out of my mouth.

"Why do sneaky shits do sneaky things in general? Nobody knows, but it's in their nature, so that's what they do."

"Khalil can talk to him; maybe I can get Khalil to ask him again in a different way."

Jorge shakes his head a little ruefully. He looks over where he put his horse to make sure it's still there–it is, happily munching down on the shrubbery, tiny berries, and grasses.

"If Silas didn't want to answer at first, he won't answer now."

"I can make him answer."

"Sure about that? Big difference between beasts and beasts that come straight from the Wilds' own magic, Orion."

I hesitate a little bit, but then I carefully add.

"Aren't reafans and wiretails magical beasts from the Wilds? I can control them if I concentrate really hard."

"You can? Well, hot damn young buck! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, I think?"

"You should be proud of yourself! That's not a trait just anyone can do, you know? When did you find that out?"

"I'd been practicing on smaller creatures for a while, but last week, when I encountered Ranger for the first time, he was half-feral and threatening to kill everyone. I don't know, I'd had a rough night–with the night terrors and all that–and I just had this like sense of calm come over me, real serious-like, and I just knew I could take control over him. So, when he made me choose to have to because he was so pissed at being caught in the net, I did. I don't know how else to describe it; I just… you know, did it."

"Well shit, you probably can make that little furry mass murderer of mice talk, but if you do, he's probably going to leave. And I know Khalil likes having him around, so you got to think of that."

"Maybe I can make him tell me without him realizing I'm making him tell me, so Khalil's not all heartbroken since Silas wouldn't leave then?"

"Up to you, Orion, up to you. That's one of those personal decisions you have to make yourself. Is knowing where those villagers wound up worth chasing off the cait sidhe your friend seems to have befriended and enjoys the company of?"

"Ugh, damn, why does everything have to be so complicated?!" My sudden voice raising makes Ranger jerk half up, winding on his side, his tail and its quills suddenly bristling in alarm.

"Sorry, Ranger, it's okay big guy."

The wiretail gives me about the dirtiest look his puma-like face can manage and flattens his ears against his head, the long black fur tufts twitching in irritation when he realizes I was randomly making a loud noise that doesn't apply to him. He growls and grumbles, this time in some irritation, to let me know he didn't appreciate the jump scare.

"Yeah, yeah, I know Ranger. Sorry, it's okay. You can go back to sleep or do whatever you were doing."

Though Ranger doesn't understand my words, he seems to get the drift that I'm trying to calm him down. He lays his head down, this time not rolling onto his back, and his burnt-orange and golden eyes slowly peer around the area. Jorge clears his throat a little bit before speaking.

"It's complicated, but not really at the same time. You either want to know, or you don't want to know. It may be worth it if you think it can help those people. If you think knowing won't do anything, then maybe best to let that sleeping dog lie."

"What would you do in my shoes?"

Jorge unfolds his thick and callused hands from across his stomach and stretches his arms above his head for a moment before grunting and then answering.

"If I was young and spry like you, with a conscience like you have? I'd talk to my friend Khalil beforehand and ask him his thoughts on it. And then, if he agrees, I'd damn sure find out the real truth from that little black fur ball of cantankerousness. First, though, I'd send that reafan out to Blackham City to see if that cold woman wants anything to do with me."

He raises his eyebrows at me and nods, and I return the nod.

"Thanks, Jorge."

"Any time, young buck, any time at all."

We sort out a few more pipes' worth of the smoking leaf while lapsing into good-natured and peaceful silence–with the occasional joke–over the next couple of hours. My muscles relax, and the tension melts away after our host of conversations and imbibition of smoking leaf. Finally, I can feel myself seeing a path forward to address all of the minor problems without being overwhelmed. I realize that was my problem the entire time–I was so inundated that I didn't know where to start.

Now that I have a good starting point, I'm re-energized. When the evening light starts to filter through the trees, I move to get up off the ground and put out the fire.

"Oh, is it time to go, Orion?"

"Yeah, I think I want to go ahead and head on back. I'll ask Hannah–"

"–No need to ask her; just tell me what you want the bird to relay, and I'll have her do that for you."

"Really? Thank you, but don't you think I should do it myself?"

"She already knows."

"What? She does?"

"Mmhmm." He nods his head cryptically, not explaining at all.

"Okay, well, I'd just like the bird to ask if it finds Cassandra, uh…" I pause, trying to put my thoughts into a simple message that a bird can understand and share. "Okay, just have it tell Cassandra that this message is from Orion, and I'd like to see her again at my village in the next couple nights if she doesn't mind. And if she does mind, at least tell me she won't come so I can have some closure."

I shift my weight a little from foot to foot as I uncomfortably say those words out loud to another person. I pick up the stones that circled our little fire and disperse them, then use some of the stream's water to put out the embers of the fire.

"That bird'll be in the air before we even start getting back to the village; you can be sure of that, Orion."

"Thank you–well, thank you both? I guess?" I give him a little weirded-out smile.

"Maybe someday I'll explain it to you, but you're welcome."

After cleaning up the rest of the fire, we both get our chosen mounts ready to go and set off back towards the village. Jorge races his horse far ahead while I laugh behind him. I know Ranger is so much faster than that chunky workhorse, so when I encourage him to max speed, it isn't but maybe twenty or thirty seconds before I wind up blurring past Jorge and his horse on the back of the wiretail underneath me. The strength and the speed of the cat beast never gets old, and I don't slow down until we get almost to the front gates. I grin and wait at the gates, and a few minutes later, Jorge comes racing up on his horse next to me.

"Damn, young buck, that Ranger is faster than I thought! What a specimen!"