When the group finally cleared the forest, the first thing that drew Leopold’s eye was the great sparkling barrier in the distance. The second was the scarred line of scorched grass which led to it, but no further. Third, the tiny settlement not half a mile behind the barrier.

“Well, I think we know where they went next,” Bryan said from beside him, and they marched with the rest of the company across the grassy plain toward the small settlement.

Three men came out to meet them, but against a company of twenty they’d provide little to no resistance. Luckily the dean was able to assuage their fears of an armed platoon marching into town, although Leopold had no idea how. The three men parted and the company marched past. When Leopold stole a look into the leader’s eyes, they were glassy and defocused.

The first stop was the general store, which Dean Weatherby invited Leopold to come up with him as well. An older man sat behind the counter writing figures on a sheet of paper.

“Hello sir, I’ve come to ask some questions.”

The man pointed over his shoulder to the west. “About that?”

“Correct,” the dean said. “Have you always had that barrier there?”

“Nope,” the man said, and finally looked up from his sheet. His eyes looked weary and slightly-bored, as if they weren’t the first gawkers to come by seeking answers about this enormous piece of artifice. They were probably the first to come by with a company of soldiers though.

“And may I ask what caused it?”

“You can take a gander if you want. The body’s still out there, though little more than char. Not even the bones escaped the inferno.”

Leopold’s eyes widened and his heart leapt into his throat. “Did you see a young woman come though? She’d be really thin and probably have a limp. Was she…” He didn’t have the heart to ask the rest of the question.

“I saw her,” the man said. “Stayed in my off-room on the second floor for a night with another gal. And no, that’s not the body out there.”

Leopold let out a breath of relief. “Was she injured? Did she look like she was in trouble?” The dean laid a hand on his shoulder, but Leopold shrugged him off and took a step forward. “Where did she go from here?”

The older man narrowed his eyes at Leopold, sizing him up but in what way he didn’t know. Whatever it was, the old man grunted.

“Not anymore injured than she’d been when she came in. After she killed that thing they both left. If I remember correctly… south. Yes, they headed south.”

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The dean nodded. “Thank you, sir. Our men would like to purchase some provisions while we’re passing through. I’m sure that won’t be a problem?”

The old man shrugged. “Not much I can do if it is, is there?”

🜛

Leopold and the dean went ahead to inspect the barrier while the company stayed back in town getting supplied for the next leg of their journey. The barrier was much more impressive close-up: it was at least fifty feet high and three hundred feet wide, made of translucent golden essence which sparkled in the midday sun. To the touch it felt smoother than glass. Almost like ice in the winter, but without the cold. It reminded him of the sphere in the pocket of his cloak.

“I just can’t figure out why they’d turn here,” Leopold said. “I thought they were going west.”

“They are going west,” the dean said from a few paces away. He was taking measurements with a series of onyx blocks he’d produced from his cloak wired together with copper tape. He sighed.

“Well, this isn’t coming down anytime soon. A century? At the very least. All my instruments are topping out.”

“Wait, what do you mean they’re going west,” Leopold asked. “That man back there—”

“He lied to us,” the dean said as he replaced the blocks in his cloak and took up his staff again. He began to walk around the barrier.

“Why would he lie to us, and how do you know,” Leopold asked as he jogged to catch up.

“These wild people, they’re very private,” the dean said, finally rounding the edge of the barrier and heading toward the charred heap just beyond. “They’re also old fashioned—they take blood debts seriously, and they’ll protect anyone they consider their own. The only reason he said as much as he did was because of the soldiers we brought with us.”

“You’re saying he’s trying to lead us astray so we don’t catch up to her.”

The dean knelt down at the edge of the burnt husk. There wasn’t much left besides crumbling charcoal. Leopold thought he saw a blackened tooth.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. As for how I know they’re headed west… well, it’s the same reason I knew they were headed west from the beginning. That warbeast that attacked Durum came from the west, and this one did too. They’re headed to the source.”

“But why would Willow want to go there,” Leopold said. “To Asche. Do you think she’s being forced by the nurse?”

The dean shook his head and glanced back at the barrier. “Nothing capable of that could be forced by any person. If Willow’s heading west, she’s doing it because she wants to.”

The rest of the company left the settlement and closed the distance double-time. Leopold tried to locate Bryan through the shimmering golden barrier, but it diffracted the light too much to see clearly. The company turned left as a group and came around the barrier to stop before the dean. Rolf stepped forward.

“They bought provisions that would last at most a week. Willow and Annabelle were the only ones in the party, and they headed toward a ruin twenty miles due west. They were warned away from it, but the old man thinks they headed there anyway.”

“Thanks, Rolf,” the dean said, then turned and pointed down the charred path. “That’s our road.”

The company formed up again with Leopold and Bryan at the back. The guard wouldn’t meet Leopold’s eyes.

“You all sure found out a lot after we left,” Leopold prodded.

“I didn’t have anything to do with that,” Bryan said, and Leopold’s stomach turned. He looked back at the town as they marched out, but he could barely see the buildings through Willow’s shimmering barrier.