Boelik

  ***

  In the forest, moonlight filtered through the trees in the clear night. Thunder rumbled from somewhere in the far distance, breaking the silence brought by the darkness. Boelik breathed deeply, letting the pungent scents of the woods fill his lungs. They were at once strange and familiar to him.

  Glancing back, Boelik spotted Ryan standing just outside the protection of the trees, staring with wide eyes up at the overhanging branches. “Come on,” he encouraged. “The woods won’t bite.”

  “It is a little creepy, though,” Ryan said quietly, stepping under the high boughs. He kept his head low, and peered over his shoulder.

  “Creepy?” Boelik asked. “Well, I’ll admit it’s a little eerie when it’s nighttime and things are quiet, but it’s certainly a much more hiding-friendly place than that huge moor.”

  “There are so many trees in the way,” Ryan mumbled, his eyes darting around to watch every shadow.

  “I told you; use your other senses. Hearing is your friend in the forests of the world.”

  “But I…” Ryan began before trailing off.

  “You what?”

  “I can’t hear much out of this ear,” Ryan admitted as he glanced back to Boelik, pointing to his right ear.

  “Don’t worry. If there’s anything large enough to be a threat, it’ll make enough noise that you’ll hear it.”

  “If you say so.”

  Boelik listened to the forest himself: he didn’t hear much life as of yet, but he did hear the burbling of moving water. He motioned for Ryan to follow him and they moved deeper into the forest. The trees grew around them as they walked, the boughs stretching to touch the stars.

  A large creek soon emerged, a wooden bridge making a path across the water that ran in rapids from another day’s rain. Boelik stepped onto the wood, testing it with his weight to find it in good repair. Peering into the water, he noted that the stream was fairly large: it was about twice his height across, and seemed almost as deep as he was tall. Judging by the bridge, he figured that there were people nearby. Glancing at the other side, he spotted a well-worn path.

  “Stay here,” he told Ryan, leaving the sacks he was carrying beside the bridge on the side that Ryan waited on.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Scouting. I’ll be back quickly: sit, and don’t be rash.”

  With that, Boelik sped along the silver path traced by the moon, turning and twisting along the snake trail around trees and leading him to, hopefully, a village. He had to move slower than he wanted in order to scout, stopping every few meters to check that he was alone and to listen to the woods around him.

  Ultimately Boelik arrived at what he expected: the edge of the forest. And, not far beyond that stood a peaceful little hamlet. Now relaxed, Boelik started back towards Ryan, marking the forest around the path in his memory. Will my memory ever overflow? he wondered vaguely as he added this forest to dozens of others.

  When the bridge was in view once more, Boelik called out for Ryan. “Ryan?” he called again when no answer came. Walking over to where he’d left the boy, he found only his hat and the potato sacks. “Ryan?” Boelik called out again, a panic rising in his chest.

  “Bo!” he heard faintly from downstream.

  “Ryan!” Boelik shouted. He charged down the bank of the stream to where he heard the cry, and found himself watching from the shore as Ryan clung to a rock in the middle of the rushing water.

  “Ryan, just swim over here,” Boelik said calmly, crouching and holding out his human hand.

  “I can’t!” Ryan cried, readjusting his grip on the rock.

  “Yes, you can,” Boelik urged, stretching his hand out further.

  “No, I can’t! I don’t know how to swim,” he whimpered. “Help me, please!” The stream washed over his face and he emerged spluttering.

  “Don’t worry,” Boelik said, standing. “Don’t panic. I’m going to help you. Trust me.” He took off his boots and cloak and stepped into the water, but quickly retreated as he almost lost his footing. The water was stronger than he expected. He tried again, but, shaking his head, he pulled out and looked up the bank.

  “Bo…?” Ryan started, his voice small. He coughed as water came into his mouth, undesired and unrelenting.

  “I’m just going to go upstream some. I’ll dive in there and get you, all right? Just don’t let go.

  “Well, I certainly won’t try to!”

  Boelik went upstream and checked the water, judging the current. Casting a glance at Ryan, he dived in, letting the stream pull him toward the rock while he focused on getting lined up. He soon found the stone in his side as the breath whooshed out of him in an oof.

  “Are you okay?” Ryan asked as Boelik grabbed the rock, beside him.

  Boelik laughed. “You’re the one nearly drowning, and you’re asking if I’m all right!?”

  Ryan just gave him a panicked glare, so Boelik reached over the rock with his left hand, straddling it. He shouted for Ryan to grab his other hand. The boy flailed out and took Boelik’s hand and cried, “Now what?”

  “We swim to shore,” Boelik replied.

  “But—!”

  “‘But’ nothing! It’s not that far; just trust me,” Boelik ordered. Ryan shut his mouth and watched him. “Good: now, when I say ‘go’, we both push off of the rock as hard as we can towards the shore. I’ll grab you and keep you from going under, all right?”

  Ryan nodded, and they both prepared to push off.

  “Are you ready?” Boelik asked, looking toward Ryan who nodded, his jaw set. “Okay…Go!” They pushed off and rocketed towards the bank, Boelik pulling Ryan close. He put his left hand out to grab the shore as they struck like stones. Managing to pull them both out some, he helped Ryan onto land first before dragging himself out.

  They remained flopped on the ground for a minute as they let the panic leave their bodies. Boelik began to be able to see his own breath and glanced over at Ryan. The boy was shivering from the cold water and cooling night air, breath coming in coughing spurts. Boelik forced himself up and tossed his dry cloak over Ryan, ignoring his groaning body.

  “Why, exactly, were you in the stream, anyway?” he panted.

  Ryan was putting the cloak around himself, sitting up. “I fell asleep waiting for you next to the bridge.”

  “Why didn’t you at least move inland to a tree or some other thing?” Boelik blustered. Why exactly am I so angry? he wondered in the back of his head.

  “You did tell me to stay put,” Ryan pointed out. Boelik was about to say something, but instead flung his hands up in irritation.

  “Just—get your clothes off and dry off,” he said, taking off his own shirt. He grabbed his boots and waited for Ryan to undress. Naked once again.

  Boelik sighed.

  “What do I do with them, Bo?” Ryan asked, draping the sopping clothes over his arms. At least he had Boelik’s cloak on.

  “What?” Boelik asked tersely, his eyes locking with Ryan’s in an instant.

  “Er, sorry, Boelik?” Ryan asked, stepping back and staring at Boelik, startled. His legs bent to dart away.

  Boelik shook his head and made himself relax. “Sorry, it’s not you. I just…I just haven’t been called ‘Bo’ in a long time.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Ryan still stared at Boelik.

  Boelik shook his head again and sighed. “It’s fine. Call me Bo if you want. It’s shorter and simpler. As for your clothes, just hold onto them for now. We’ll put them in a sack until we find a good spot to settle, then put them up to dry.”

  “All right,” Ryan said. He wore a blank expression, and it was clear that he still had no clue what was wrong with Boelik, though he did relax some.

  Boelik didn’t feel like explaining at the moment, so he just gestured for Ryan to follow him.

  Back at the bridge, they stuffed wet clothes into a less-filled potato sack. Ryan glanced at Boelik’s trousers after he put away the other clothes, then up at him. “No,
I’m keeping these on,” Boelik said. Ryan shrugged and closed the bag, grabbing his hat from the ground and pulling it back over his face.

  Boelik led the way over the bridge and off of the path until he was sure no people would bother wandering so far. He made sure the stream was audible but nowhere near visible; there was not a bit of him that wanted a recurrence of the day’s mishap. Then they made camp.

  The two draped their clothes over a low-lying branch and Boelik clawed out a fire-ring. He tossed in some wood, set up some tinder, and lit it to let it go from there. As the fire gained some power, the two fell asleep an arm’s-length apart.

  Both awakened around dawn. Boelik had to restart the fire and told Ryan to check the clothes. “Still wet,” he reported.

  “All right,” Boelik replied with a sigh. The two ate a breakfast of salted meat, which Boelik cooked over the fire, and sat to talk for the day.

  “So, I can just…call you Bo?” Ryan asked after lunch. They sat on opposite sides of the fire now. Boelik sat cross-legged, and Ryan tried to mimic him for a bit before settling for one leg stretched out and the other crossing it ankle-over-ankle.

  Boelik shrugged as if he didn’t care. “If you prefer it.”

  “Bo…” Ryan muttered, testing the name. “Why did you look so shocked?” he asked then, his focus returning to Bo’s strange attitude.

  Bo looked down at the ground below him and imagined Olea’s face beneath. “Because I was only ever called that by one person.” Then, somewhat softer, “And that person has been dead a very long time.” His hands clamped onto his knees.

  “I see,” Ryan mumbled, glancing to the ground himself. “I still don’t really know much about you,” he ventured.

  “It’s better that way,” Bo said.

  “Why?” Ryan’s gaze lifted to watch Bo again. His mouth was half frowning, half grimacing.

  “My story is long and dull. I’d put you to sleep before I got halfway to Ireland.”

  “Oh,” Ryan said. The topic switched after that, and they talked until they went to sleep. Then they woke and spoke some more, finally putting their clothes back on, as they were dry at last. Bo sighed in contentment as his cloak was once more around his shoulders.

  That night, after Ryan had fallen asleep, Bo was looking through the trees at the starry sky above, watching the lights glittering in the sky. He couldn’t seem to fall asleep, despite the warm, peaceful night, when even the crickets were muted.

  All at once, Bo’s head felt stuffy and a voice came from everywhere. “How is the pupil?”

  “Hello, Dayo,” Boelik greeted softly.

  “You don’t have to speak out loud, you realize,” the dragon said, sounding mildly amused.

  “No?”

  “I thought you would have figured it out by now. How is your head?”

  “It feels rather stuffy.”

  “So, you can detect me now. Good. Just think your words to me; I’ll hear them.”

  All right, Bo tried.

  “Good.”

  This feels how I imagine insanity.

  “It could possibly be deemed as such by an outsider. But you would seem more insane talking to yourself.”

  I did wonder how you could always hear me. Now I know it was due to you being inside my head.

  “Indeed. Anyway, the half-demon? How are you two faring?”

  We’re well, minus the fact that we’ve no house. His name is Ryan, by the way.

  “It sounds like you are becoming attached to him.”

  I suppose so. Somewhat.

  “Well, that’s good. Also, what is this about no house? I thought that cottage was where he was living?”

  He was. Until someone found it, I broke the door, a demon nearly killed us, and we burned it down with the body inside. In that order, not at the same time.

  “I see. So, what will you do now?

  Build a new house. Start in a fresh place.

  “Where will you get the materials?”

  There’s a town not too far off. Unless you want to make a special delivery? Boelik thought hopefully.

  “I will see what I can do. If I give you the materials, I would also request that you not use them as a demon’s funeral pyre as well.”

  I think we can manage that.

  “And how is his training?”

  …Uh…

  “Stop. Go no further. I can see you have not started.”

  We’ve been getting to know each other first. It doesn’t seem like he’s really tested out his abilities very much, so I figured that training could wait and a little personal contact could come first.

  “Fine, however you feel it will work the best.”

  I appreciate the leeway. Then, Bo added, teasing, So are you going to be more sociable now?

  Dayo didn’t answer for a long while, and if his head hadn’t still been stuffy Bo may have thought that the dragon had left.

  “Maybe,” Dayo finally said. Bo laughed a little. “You seem much happier,” Dayo noted. Bo sighed, content.

  I suppose that’s because I am.

  “Because you are not alone?”

  Maybe. I’m not exactly sure. But Ryan is a decent companion.

  “So this is good for you both.”

  Guess so. Ah, and Dayo?

  “Yes?”

  Exactly why did you stay quiet for four hundred years? For a short time, I’d almost thought you’d died.

  “Ha. No,” Dayo said. “No, I was just waiting for a half-demon to be born that wasn’t determined to take after their demon blood right away. Also, they are not born that often, if you hadn’t noticed. But for some reason, more have started to pop up lately.”

  Really?

  “Yes. Though most of them are killed in such a short time after their birth that it is meaningless to contact you.”

  That makes sense. Neither half of our parentage typically wants us, and to each species we’re abhorred and typically noted as abominations.

  “All the more reason for you to help as many as you can.”

  I suppose so. Bo turned onto his side, looking at Ryan who slept peacefully beside him. Other than his permanent snarl, his face appeared as innocent and normal as anyone else’s. Some of them don’t even know what they are.

  “No. How would they? Their parents often abandon them.”

  I know. But it makes the thought of it so much worse. I mean, when I told Ryan what he was…I’m not sure. It was like even he thought that he was a monster, just like the man who tracked him down and tried to kill him.

  “I know,” Dayo rumbled gently. “It is hard on all half-breeds. Myself included, though for different reasons.”

  Because a unicorn-dragon sounds preposterous and the title alone is utterly ridiculous? Bo teased.

  “That is one reason,” Dayo growled. Bo laughed again.

  Ah. That aside, were you simply checking in to check in, or…?

  “Just to check in. One reason to be glad half-demons aren’t so plentiful, I suppose, is that I don’t have to have you stumbling around to herd them all up like lost lambs.”

  I would try anyway.

  “I know you would. It’s why I’m glad I do not have to ask you to.”

  Glad you’re thinking of me, Bo thought with a smirk.

  “Don’t be cheeky, now. I could still swallow you in one bite, you know.”

  You’d have to catch me first.

  Dayo was quiet for a minute. “I think you are very tired.”

  I think you’re right. In fact, I know you’re right. I’m going to sleep now.

  “That is a good idea. I will drop off your resources within a matter of days.”

  All right. We’ll just tell stories until then.

  “Don’t give him nightmares,” Dayo teased before breaking the connection and allowing Bo’s head to clear.

  Why would I do that? I have my own, Bo thought before sleep stole him.