Chương 111: Chapter 13: What the Beasts Remember

Kaelen POV The journey back to Fallowspire takes longer than I expect. The Hollowmane has spent most of it moving ahead of me, occasionally disappearing into the undergrowth before returning several minutes later as though checking whether I am still following. Whatever excitement drove it deeper into the forest yesterday seems to have faded now that the hunt is over, and I find myself watching it more often than I intend. The change is still there.

Small enough that I might have dismissed it if I hadn't seen it happen. Its body is slightly longer than it was when we left the city, while the muscles beneath its shoulders have become a little more defined. The mane around its neck is thicker as well, giving its head a broader appearance whenever it raises it to sniff the wind. None of the changes are dramatic, but knowing what caused them makes every difference impossible to ignore. I still don't know how far this ability extends.

One beaststone made the difference I can see. What would ten do? A hundred? The thought makes me glance toward the cub. It is currently investigating a fallen branch with considerably more enthusiasm than the question deserves.

"I suppose we'll find out eventually." The Hollowmane looks back at me. Its tail flicks once before it continues along the road. I smile and follow. By the time Fallowspire comes into view, the afternoon sun has begun its descent toward the western horizon. The city looks different from this side of the walls than it does from within, with the familiar towers and rooftops rising above the fields while thin trails of smoke drift upward from chimneys.

The sight brings with it a quiet sense of relief that surprises me. The guards at the southern gate recognize me as I approach, and one of them looks toward the Hollowmane before his eyes widen slightly.

"Was that creature smaller when you left?" I glance down. The cub looks up at me, "I think so." The guard laughs, "You're not sure?"

"I've had other things on my mind." He shakes his head and waves us through. The Hollowmane trots beside me as we enter the city, drawing more than a few curious looks from the people along the street. I am beginning to suspect that whatever anonymity I once had in Fallowspire disappeared around the same time the cub decided that my shoulders made a convenient place to sleep. Instead of heading toward the Adventurer's Guild, I turn east.

The Garden is closer, and I want to see everyone before dealing with the contract. The old estate gates come into view several minutes later. I push them open and step inside, immediately greeted by the familiar scent of earth, herbs and flowering plants. The Garden is quieter than the city beyond its walls, though not silent. Children are playing near the vegetable beds while Merrow sorts herbs beneath the canvas awning instructing Ciara on various herbs and their uses. Lorcan notices me first.

His expression brightens, "You've returned."

"I have." The Hollowmane walks past me. Lorcan's eyes follow it. He blinks. Then he looks at me. Then back at the cub, "Was it always that size?" I stop, "What?" Garrick, who has been standing near the edge of the Grove with Elyrion, turns toward us. His gaze settles on the Hollowmane, and his expression changes almost immediately.

"Actually..." He studies the cub for several seconds.

"Wasn't it smaller yesterday?"

"That's what the gate guard said." Lorcan steps closer. The Hollowmane seems entirely unconcerned by the attention and continues walking until it reaches the nearest Heartwood, where it settles beneath the shade and begins grooming itself. Lorcan crouches beside it. His eyes move over the cub's shoulders, paws and mane before his expression shifts into quiet understanding.

"You found a beaststone, didn't you?" I stare at him. For a moment, I wonder whether I have somehow misheard him, "How did you know that?" Lorcan looks up at me, "Because all magical beasts want one." I glance toward the Hollowmane. Then back at Lorcan, "I know that. The Guild told me what beaststones are." Lorcan shakes his head, "No. I mean they actually consume them." There is enough certainty in his voice that I find myself frowning, "So, the guild hid the truth?"

"No." He smiles faintly.

"You said the Guild told you what they are. That's different." I look toward Elyrion. The elf has been listening quietly from beside the Heartwood, and judging by his expression, he knows exactly where this conversation is going. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I fold my arms, "All right. Explain." Lorcan settles onto the grass beside the Hollowmane, though the cub barely acknowledges him.

It continues grooming one paw with the same indifference it showed after consuming the beaststone, leaving me with the distinct impression that everyone except me already understands what happened.

"Magical beasts don't all treat beaststones the same way," Lorcan begins.

"For most creatures, the beaststone is simply part of their body, a concentration of mana that develops as they grow. But they are capable of consuming them."

"All?" He nods.

"Usually the ones with stronger magical constitutions. Predators are more common among them, although I have seen other species that can do it as well." I glance toward the Hollowmane, "And what happens when they do?"

"They grow." I raise an eyebrow, "I noticed." Lorcan smiles.

"Not simply in size. The beaststone contains concentrated mana, and when another creature consumes it, some of that mana becomes part of its own body. The process accelerates natural growth, strengthens the creature's existing abilities and, depending on the beaststone, can sometimes awaken traits that wouldn't have developed otherwise." I look down at the Hollowmane again, "So, it absorbed the Veyrakh's mana."

"Some of it," Lorcan says.

"The rest is usually discarded by the body."

"Usually?"

"There are always exceptions with magical creatures." Elyrion finally speaks from behind us, "The more important question is what kind of beaststone it consumed." I turn toward him. He rests both hands upon his travelling staff, his expression as calm as ever, "Why?"

"Because mana isn't identical between creatures." Lorcan nods.

"Every magical beast has an affinity. Some are naturally inclined toward fire, others toward water, wind, earth or other forms of mana. Some have more unusual affinities that are difficult to classify."

"And the beaststone carries that affinity?"

"To an extent." Lorcan reaches down and scratches the Hollowmane behind one ear. The cub immediately leans into his hand, apparently deciding that the conversation is no longer worth ignoring.

"Most creatures can process their own affinity without difficulty because their bodies developed around it. When another beast consumes a stone, however, the mana inside it becomes part of the creature's own system." I frown, "So, if the Hollowmane consumes enough stones..."

"It can become stronger," Lorcan says.

"Much stronger." The words settle uneasily in my thoughts. I look at the cub again. It looks harmless enough. Small, comfortable and entirely occupied with trying to remove a leaf caught in its fur.

"And the danger?" Lorcan's expression becomes more serious, "The affinity." I wait.

"If the beaststone comes from a creature with an affinity compatible with the Hollowmane's own nature, the process should be relatively safe. The foreign mana is absorbed, adapted and eventually incorporated into its body. But if the affinity is too different..." He pauses.

"What happens?"

"The mana can conflict." I straighten, "Conflict how?"

"At best, the beast fails to absorb it properly and becomes sick for a while. At worst, the opposing mana can damage its channels or disrupt the way its body handles magic." Elyrion gives a quiet nod, "Some creatures have died from it." I glance sharply toward him. Lorcan doesn't contradict him.

"So, I need to know what affinities the Hollowmane can tolerate before I let it consume another beaststone."

"Yes."

"How do I find that out?" Lorcan's expression becomes thoughtful, "That's harder." I sigh, "Of course it is."

"The Hollowmane's affinity should be detectable once it grows old enough for its mana to stabilize, but with a cub this young..." He looks toward it.

"There may not be enough for a proper reading yet."

"Then how did you know all of this?" Lorcan looks at me as though the answer should be obvious, "I'm a druid." I stare at him, "So am I. That doesn't explain anything." He laughs softly, "Our circles studied magical creatures extensively. Some specialized in them more than others. Animagus circles especially needed to understand how different creatures processed mana, because transformation isn't simply a matter of changing your body." That catches my attention, "You've studied this because of your animagus magic?"

"Partly." He looks down at the Hollowmane, "And because my circle has always had reasons to understand the creatures living around them." That answer makes sense. Elyrion's gaze remains on the cub.

"My people have recorded similar behavior among several magical predators." I look between them, "So, both of you knew this."

"Yes." I fold my arms, "And nobody thought to mention it?" Lorcan's smile becomes slightly sheepish, "You didn't ask." I stare at him, "I didn't know there was anything to ask."

"That is fair." A quiet laugh escapes Garrick from somewhere behind us. I turn toward him. He raises both hands.

"I'm staying out of this."

"Wise." I look back at the cub. It has finally managed to remove the leaf from its fur and is now staring at me with those large golden eyes. The whole situation feels strangely absurd. I have spent years studying magical creatures, memorizing their habitats, learning which plants they eat, understanding their territorial behavior and recognizing the signs they leave behind. I can identify tracks, distinguish feeding patterns and tell when a creature is sick from the way it moves through a forest.

Yet apparently there is an entire aspect of magical beast biology that I never knew. I think back to Elarion. As a seedkeeper, most of my work had been concerned with plants, soil and the health of the Grove. I had encountered magical beasts, certainly, but usually from a distance. I knew what was dangerous and what wasn't. I knew which creatures avoided our territory and which occasionally wandered too close. I had studied their behavior because a druid was expected to understand the forest around his Grove.

But this, this had never been part of my duties. I crouch beside the Hollowmane and run my fingers through the thicker fur around its neck.

"So, I need to be careful." Lorcan nods, "Very."

"Even if it finds another beaststone on its own?"

"Especially then." I glance toward the forest beyond the Garden walls. The thought of the cub finding another magical beast and consuming its stone before I can stop it suddenly seems considerably less amusing, "What should I do if it finds one?"

"Stop it if you don't know what the beast was," Lorcan says.

"At least until we can determine whether the affinity is compatible." I nod slowly, "And if I do know?"

"Then we can decide." I look toward Elyrion. He inclines his head, "Some affinities are easier to identify than others."

"So, this is going to become complicated." Lorcan smiles, "Probably." I sigh and look down at the Hollowmane. The cub yawns, "You seem remarkably unconcerned about all of this." It responds with a low, contented purr. I shake my head, "I suppose you're going to do whatever you want anyway." The purring continues. For a moment, I simply watch it. Then an uncomfortable thought occurs to me, "If consuming beaststones makes magical beasts stronger..." I glance toward Lorcan.

"... how strong could a Hollowmane become?" Neither Lorcan nor Elyrion answers immediately and that silence tells me more than either of them could have.