When breakfast is ready, we can finally talk about “the problem.” The number of monsters in Tamarel and the Dunnian Woods has been on the increase for months.
Numbers always fluctuate, with seasonal changes and prey migration. A long and hard winter will bring wolves and wargs to Tamarel livestock pastures. A summer drought brings deer into Tamarel crops, with predators following close behind. There can be human causes, too, such as when people dam a waterway or overfish a river or overhunt a forest or start a new settlement.
While the monster hunters always pay attention to increased activity, they hadn’t been overly worried until recently—when our expedition to return Tiera had ventured into the woods and found dropbears where there’d never been dropbears before. There, we met Yvain and her daughter and granddaughters, who were tracking the dropbears and concerned about their movement eastward.
Yvain’s village is the farthest western settlement in Tamarel, and they’d been the first to notice the migration of both animals and monsters. It hadn’t worried them until the dropbears appeared. And now we’ve had the colocolo stampede and the harpies, which Wilmot and Yvain and Cedany all agree have rarely been seen this far east.
“So we have a problem in Tamarel because the monsters are heading that way,” I say. “But we also have a problem at the root, wherever this is happening. We need to tackle both.”
Rhydd nods. “The logical solution is that I return to Tamarel with the hunters, and Rowan continues on with Wilmot to investigate.”
Wilmot shakes his head. “Your mother would pin my hide on her wall if I waltzed off into the mountains with Rowan.”
“So you’re the one who’s been scaring Dain with tales of what my mother will do,” I say.
“Fine,” Wilmot says. “She wouldn’t nail my hide to her wall. She’d just very nicely ask me to go look after some tiny monster problem in the deepest, darkest part of the woods…where I’d conveniently stumble into a jba-fofi burrow.”
“That’s not so bad,” I say. “I dove right into one, and I’m fine.”
Cedany looks over. “You dove—?”
“Don’t ask,” Dain says. “Please.”
“I believe Wilmot’s concern is that he’s acting as your guardian,” Yvain says. “I agree that separating would be the most efficient solution, but not if it will upset the queen. We can get to the horses by nightfall, and someone can ride ahead to speak to Mariela. That way, she is notified, and we’ll lose no more than a couple of days before she sends back her agreement.”
Rhydd and I look at each other and burst out laughing. Alianor snickers. Even Wilmot’s and Dain’s lips twitch.
“You haven’t spent enough time around our queen,” Alianor says. “There is no way she’s going to tell a messenger it’s fine to let Rowan continue on to the mountains.”
“She’ll refuse,” Rhydd says. “Then we’ll need to argue our case. Eventually she’ll see the point. As much as she’ll hate sending Rowan into the mountains, she trusts Wilmot and she knows this is right for the kingdom.”
“However,” I say, “by that time, Heward will have heard. He’ll insist on a council vote, which means we’ll have to start the whole thing again, stating and arguing our case to them.”
“And he’ll stall,” Alianor says. “That way, if the migrating monsters do cause trouble, he can say Rowan didn’t do her job.”
Cedany’s face screws up. “Why would he—? Oh yes, if Princess Rowan fails, his children take the sword and throne. What a terrible little man.”
“He’s not that little,” Alianor says. “Quite tall, actually.”
“I mean that his spirit is little. He needs to feel bigger, which he would if his children ruled.”
“We can debate this all we want,” Rhydd says. “But…”
“The monsters are migrating,” I say. “We need to move.”
My brother nods. “As the heir to the throne, I believe I outrank everyone on this expedition, and while I hate to point that out, it comes in handy here. Rowan will continue on with Wilmot. The hunters will return to deal with any monsters who cross our borders. I’ll go with them and tell my mother. If she is absolutely against Rowan’s expedition, she can send a fast rider to catch up. Kaylein should stay with Rowan, as her guard. Everyone else is free to make their own choices.”
“I stay with Wilmot,” Dain says.
“I’ll go with Rowan,” Alianor says.
“And I will say my goodbyes here,” Yvain says.
I sit upright. “So soon?”
Her face creases in a smile. “I would have thought you’d be happy to be rid of a cranky old lady.”
“You aren’t cranky. Not in a bad way, at least.”
She chuckles. “I take that as a compliment.”
“It is,” Rhydd says. “You’re also family, and while we understand you need to leave, we hope to see you again soon. We had little contact with our father’s clan growing up.”
Her eyes shadow. “That would be our fault. When his parents died and Clan Dacre offered fostering, his clan thought it was best to let him go. He was clearly destined for great things, and we did not wish to interfere. He never forgot us, though. When we sent delegates to the castle, he made sure to host them himself. When he died, we held our own clan funeral, as we did not wish to interfere with yours.”
“It wouldn’t have been interfering,” Rhydd says softly.
“I see that now. So while I will take my leave here, we will see you again soon. Your sister’s group will travel faster if it remains small, attracting as little notice as possible. Meanwhile, we will release those dropbears and then return home and keep a watch on the rivers.”
Rhydd nods. “Thank you.” He
