A few days later, the weather was especially favorable, and the men were well-rested. After a discussion with Ilex and the other veterans, I decided the time was right for the first expedition. Once I explained the plan to the squires who had accompanied us here a handful of them volunteered, and once the more experienced knights were added to their number, we had more than enough people. I was glad that I wouldn’t have to forcibly enlist anyone for my little venture, lest I cultivate resentment and make the rest of our stay at the border too awkward.

  Our objective was to push as far out from the wall as safely possible and take note of everything we saw along the way – the monsters’ numbers and behavior, any signs of nesting or habitation, unusual damage to trees, and so on. I hoped that the information gathered from a few of these expeditions would allow us to identify the root cause of the monsters’ unusual activity this year.

  To stay mobile and avoid scaring the monsters away entirely – as they had been unusually skittish up until this point – we decided to deploy a small team of a dozen people and not bring spare horses. The first excursion would ideally make clear how far we could safely travel in this configuration. Under normal circumstances we wouldn’t deploy a group this small during a Hunt, but for the purposes of scouting, it was more than enough so long as we stayed on our toes and returned before the sun began to set.

  While I believed the monsters were likely clustered to our northwest - between this outpost and the next - the first expedition would head due west instead, to reduce the risk of encountering a large or particularly aggressive pack of the creatures. With any luck we’d be able to catch sight of whatever lay to the north as we made our trek, but it was most important to avoid any injuries, so there was no harm in exercising caution.

  At the moment, I was supervising as the knights made their final preparations to set out. The sky was clear, and while the air was a bit chilly, we would have no problems staying warm between our armor and inner layers. I’d ordered everyone to bring spare blankets just in case, as for some reason I had a feeling it might be necessary.

  “You look nervous.”

  Rufus turned to face me as I spoke. “Yes… I suppose I am. How about you?”

  I laughed. “Of course. But don’t tell the others.”

  “I probably shouldn’t say this, Lady Frost, but…”

  I smiled and waited for him to continue.

  “Are you certain this is a good idea? Not the expedition itself, I mean, I’m not suggesting you came up with a bad plan, just… shouldn’t someone less important lead it? Or the first one, at least?”

  I frowned. “First and foremost, that would be setting a bad example. I came up with the idea, so I should be willing to stand behind it.”

  He didn’t seem convinced, so I kept making up excuses. “Second, what we’re doing isn’t that risky, so if anything, this is a chance for me to get more experience. Later expeditions will be taking more risks, most likely, and I plan to let the veterans handle those. Don’t tell the others, though, they’ll think I’m a coward.”

  He smiled, as it seemed he believed me. “Alright, if you’re sure. Maybe I’m just prone to worrying, after everything that’s happened…”

  I patted him on the back. “That’s only natural. In any case, if you promise to watch my back, I’ll watch yours, alright? Between you and Viren I hardly have anything to worry about. Once we return, we can make up some ridiculous stories to tell Ruby over drinks.”

  ------

  Well, shit.

  It seemed that our safe detour to the south of the expected epicenter wasn’t enough or had in fact sent us right towards its actual location. No more than 90 minutes into our little excursion, we had nearly blundered straight into a massive pack of monsters. We were proceeding slowly, of course, and thanks to the careful attention of the two knights who had taken point, we were able to stop before spooking the creatures or exposing ourselves.

  But they were aware of us. More than a dozen of them were standing upright, staring in our direction, and wagging their tails. I wasn’t sure what it meant for a lizard to wag its tail, but I assumed it wasn’t good.

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  “Dame Viren… you know these things better than I. Do they tend to pursue if you flee? Should we perhaps backpedal very slowly?”

  She swallowed. “Yes, they tend to do that… it’s normally not an issue since we outnumber them, but…”

  We did not outnumber them. We at least had a handful of advantages in this situation – a good distance between us and them, which would serve as a head start; speedy horses that were not yet exhausted; and most of all, we were all in good health and properly equipped.

  The knight to my left turned to me and wordlessly extended his hand, offering the binoculars he had been using. He looked terrified. “Ma’am… you should look further up the slope.”

  To find something delightful, no doubt. I put them to my eyes and surveyed the environment. The good news was that while the creatures closest to us were on alert, the rest of them seemed to be uninterested or unaware – they were playing in groups or resting idly on the ground. Something about the knowledge that they were smart enough to play made me nervous, but there were other things to worry about right now.

  For example, what I saw further back. The dense snowpack on the mountainside most directly exposed to the sun had begun to melt, and the gaps in the snow revealed vast amounts of ice concealed underneath. Ice with creatures trapped inside it. I shifted my focus to the edge of the mountainside closest to us and saw something that made my blood run cold.

  Two of the lizards were digging with their claws, and in front of them was another creature half exposed from the ice. As I watched, it blinked. The damn things were unearthing each other, and it seemed they somehow had survived being trapped in ice for who knows how long, waiting for the right weather to set them free.

  Viren cleared her throat to my right. “Um, Lady Frost? What is it? What do you see?”

  I handed her the binoculars. “Take a look at the end of the slope, straight ahead.”

  She did as instructed, confusion evident on her face. It soon turned into obvious distress. “Is that what I think it is?”

  I sighed. “Dame, do you suppose these creatures are cold-blooded?”

  She lowered the binoculars and handed them to Rufus, who was at present sweating bullets and staring at the two of us. “Sorry, you’ll have to explain that term to me… what does it mean?”

  It occurred to me that Helian knew a lot about lizards. If only she were here right now.

  I turned to the knight on my left. “Tell the others to prepare to return… slowly and quietly. We’ll go back the way we came.”

  He nodded and went to speak with the others.

  On the bright side, I felt as if I finally understood what was going on.

  It was natural for creatures’ physical traits to change from generation to generation, and alongside these changes could come changes in behavior or instinct. Normally these changes were quite slow, however, so that failed to explain why the monsters were acting so strangely this year.

  However, we weren’t dealing with generational changes. We were observing old behaviors, behaviors long since left behind as the creatures had adapted to changes in their environment. Now, as their environment changed once more, it seemed their ancestors – newly thawed from the ice – had taken the lead or were even teaching behaviors to the new generation. If the creatures were smart enough to play with each other, they were no doubt smart enough to learn.

  A loud crashing sound from behind us stirred me from my thoughts.

  Viren cursed. “What the hell?”

  The knight I had sent away returned in a hurry. “Lady Frost, bad news… it seems the path behind us has collapsed.”

  “Collapsed? It was dense snowpack, and we’re in the middle of the forest!”

  He swallowed. “It seems there was a river or something running through the forest, and it was frozen over… Olbert said he heard some loud cracking noises earlier as we passed, but he didn’t think it was worth mentioning… In any case, there’s basically a canyon full of frigid water and snow to our east now.”

  I sighed. “We’ll have to take a detour on the way back. Seeing as there’s a sheer drop to our south, we’ll have to cut north and try to find a place to cross the river and pass one by one to avoid disturbing it with our weight.” I made a mental note to ensure that future expeditions traveled in single file; I suspected we put too much strain on the frozen river’s surface by staying in formation, mounted on horses as we were.

  Rufus coughed. “Frost… I think they heard that noise…”

  He was still looking through the binoculars. “How bad is it, Rufus?”

  “Most of them are standing up now, and some of them are pacing back and forth.”

  Dame Viren patted him on the shoulder. “Alright then. Let’s get going.” She turned to face me. “Agreed?”

  I nodded. “Yes, there’s no time to waste. Rufus, take point and lead us back to the wall. Viren and I will take the rear.”

  He handed Viren the binoculars and set his horse to a slow trot, returning to the rest of the group, and began quietly relaying my orders.

  The dame cleared her throat. “Frost, I think we should-”

  Her suggestion was interrupted by a high-pitched squeal from our west. We both knew instinctively what it meant, and there was no longer a need for the binoculars.

  I pictured what I had seen earlier in my mind. The need for a detour meant the creatures would not struggle to catch up with us, and if even half their number pursued, we would be in for a difficult fight. Since we would not be retracing our steps, it was possible we could blunder into more of them and end up surrounded.

  “Viren. I’m going to do something stupid. I’ll be right behind you, so go.”