Vesper asked as he sat on the edge of the tub.

“No… yes… I don’t know.” She replied.

-Alisa sad. She worried.-

“I know.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have shouted. It’s just… I was so stupid.”

-Kile not stupid.-

“Yes I was. I was stupid to get caught. It was so obvious, I wasn’t paying attention, I wasn’t using my edge the way I should have been. I got careless, and that’s something I can’t afford to do. I survived this time. Who’s to say what will happen the next time… and worst of all, I lost you.”

-Vesper not lost… Vesper here.-

“Yeah, I know.” She smiled. “You’re here now but I didn’t know what happed to you. I was worried about you.”

-Alisa take care of me. Alisa nice.-

“Yes, yes she is.”

-Alisa take care of me, Alisa worry about you.-

“Yeah, okay, rub it in a little more, it’s not like I feel bad enough.” She said as she pulled herself out of the tub and began to dry off.

She sorted through the clothes Alisa had dropped on the bed, even when the woman was younger, she was still bigger than Kile, and had a rather bold fashion sense. The best she could find, or at least what she was willing to wear, was a pale green blouse with a little too much lace, a darker green vest with matching scarf and a pair of well warn leather breeches. Alisa also provided her with a pair of knee high leather riding boots, which Kile was reluctant to put on at the moment since her feet were still sore.

“Come on Vesper. Let’s go see what Alisa found in the kitchen.” She said as she held out her hand for the yarrow to climb on. He ran up her arm and sat on her shoulder.

-Alisa worry about you.-

“Yes Vesper. I will apologize.”

She took the stairs down to the kitchen where Alisa had set some food on the table. There was an assortment of fruits, breads and vegetable as well as an apple pie, which really didn’t surprise her. She was grateful that Alisa remembered she was a vegetarian. Of course Kile never knew what a vegetarian was until Rick had told her last year, she had just stopped eating meat when she learned that she could communicate with animals. It was just too hard for her to eat something that she could have spoken with.

“Well, you look more presentable.” Alisa said upon seeing her enter the kitchen.

“I guess it’s better than the rags.” Kile replied as she pulled at the lace on the sleeve of the blouse. “Did you always dress like this?”

“Always.”

“I feel sorry for you.”

“Hey, I like dressing like this.”

“No one dresses like this if they didn’t have to.”

“I’ll have you know, that was one of my favorite blouses.”

Kile held up her hands which were concealed by the soft green sleeves of the blouse. “Man you had some long arms.” She said as she shook them to get her hands free.

“Please, just because you're short doesn’t mean everyone is.” Alisa replied. “Now sit down and eat, or you won’t get any pie.”

“Yes mother.” Kile replied, taking a seat at the opposite side of the table.

“Look… Kile… I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“No, you had every right to. With what you just told me I was starting to doubt myself. I shouldn’t have snapped at you the way I did.”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. Originally I had planned to speak with Kane, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Why not?”

“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure who I can trust.”

“You can trust me, and you can stay here as long as you need.”

“Thanks Alisa, you don’t know how much that means to me.”

-And me.-

“Oh yeah, and Vesper.” She added.

“Well, Vesper is welcome anytime.”

“I should probably talk to Grim first.” Kile said as she took a bite of the bread, and then slowly looked up at Alisa who was staring at her. “I mean… I should probably… check… on Grim first.”

“Well, Grim’s fine, although he does seem a bit depressed.” Alisa replied. “So, who is this Emara girl?”

“Emara? She’s a mystic from the Tower. She was the one who helped me escape. She should be at the tower by now. That should at least clear some of this up.”

“Well, what about the rest of it? What about this man in Littenbeck?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anybody in Littenbeck, well, besides Daniel.”

“And who’s Daniel?”

“Just somebody I went to the Academy with. Last I know he was working at the hospital in Littenbeck.”

“Well, if he worked at the hospital, he should know who this guy is.” Alisa replied “I mean, if he died and all, maybe he was taken to the hospital first.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“What’s not a bad idea?”

“Going to Littenbeck.” Kile replied. “If I go, maybe I can find out who this guy was and why they think I killed him. I can also talk to Emara. She’ll be able to tell them exactly where I was when all this happened.”

“Are you crazy? You can’t go to Littenbeck. Isn’t that where the Hunter’s Guild is located?”

“Yeah, well, there is that.” Kile replied. “But it just seems like the best place to start.”

“Oh sure, every hunter in the country is looking for you and you’re going to walk in the front door and ask for directions.”

“Okay, I get your point. Maybe there’s another way around it, but I can’t really think about it right now I’m just too tired.”

“You can use the spare room. It’s the door at the end of the hall.”

Kile excused herself from the table without her pie. Even though she was hungry she was too tired to eat. She hoped things would look better in the morning.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

8

 

A small paw tapping on her nose finally woke her up. It was not the best way to be woken up in the morning, but it was far better than what she had gotten used to in the dungeon. In fact she thought she was still in the cell until she was able to move her arms to remove the yarrow from her chest.

“This better be good Vesper.” She grumbled.

-Alisa in trouble… Hunters.-

“Hunters? Here?”

Kile threw off her sheets and quickly slipped from the bed. How did they know she was here? How did they find her so fast? Well, they were Hunters after all, and that was what Hunters do.

She should have had more time, a day or two at the most before they came back to the farm searching for her, or at least that was what she thought as she made her way down the hall to Alisa bedroom. The room was empty, but she hadn’t expected to find her friend still in bed. She moved to the window and pulled back the curtain enough for her to see the front yard below. Sure enough Alisa was standing in front of the farm house, speaking with two men.

One of the men she recognized instantly as Certified level three Hunter James Ril’em Steele who was posted to the same Guild house she was. As for the Hunter standing next to him, she had never seen the man before but she didn’t like the way he smelled. He wore a long dark cloak, the hood covering his head, making it nearly impossible to actually see what he looked like from the upstairs window. He was standing in front of Alisa, a step ahead of Steele which meant that this was the Hunter in charge of the investigation, Steele was only there as a courtesy, to represent the Guild House of the town of Coopervill.

Alisa had said that Steele brought two Hunters to visit the last time, and it didn’t take her long to find the second man. He was standing in the shadows of the stables, concealed in a long dark green cloak, similar to the one his partner wore, and holding what was unmistakably a crossbow, cocked and loaded. This was the standard two man apprehension formation she had learned about it in Master Adams tactics and logistics class back at the academy, but she never thought it would be aimed at her. If she managed to overpower the first Hunter at the door, an unlikely scenario, the second hunter was well within his rights to shoot her. They had not come to ask questions this time, they had come to arrest someone, and she was sure she knew who that someone was.

She started to move away from the window when something else caught her eye, something she could easily identify, it was one of her Lann. The same Lann that Guild Master Lathery gave her the year she graduated from the academy and it was being held by Steele. She had assumed that they had been taken from her by the uhyre when she was captured, but if that was the case, how did the Hunters have it in their possession. There was only one way to find out, and that was to ask them.

Returning to her room she quickly got dressed, putting the light green frilly blouse on the she had chosen last night as well as the darker green vest and matching scarf. The boots were about a size too big for her, but at least her feet weren’t as sore as they were last night. Vesper climbed onto her shoulders as she headed for the stairs. She had thought about setting the yarrow down, but she had a feeling that things were going to get bad fast and she might not have a chance to come back for him.

She entered the kitchen and grabbed the only weapon she could find, somebody’s walking stick that was leaning up against the door. It wasn’t very lethal, but she had no intention of killing anyone, especially not another hunter. She opened the kitchen door and stepped out onto the porch, standing in the shadow of the awning.

“That is not how we do things Kevin.”

That was Steele’s voice, she knew that voice anywhere. He tried to hit on her the first time he saw her in the Guild House.

“She is harboring a criminal.” The Hunter, now known as Kevin, replied.

“We don’t know that.”

“I know that, and if she does not step aside, I will have no other choice but to take action.” 

“Then you better take action because I have no intention of moving, I am not letting some over opinionated popinjay set one foot in my house.” Alisa shouted.

“I don’t think you realize who you are addressing ma’am.”

“I know exactly who I’m addressing. Some egotistical blowhard who, for some reason thinks that just because he has a piece of paper signed by some man I don’t give a damn about can circumvent my rights. I am a citizen of the province of Denal, and of the Kingdom of Aru, and unless that little piece of paper that you’re so fond of waving around has either his Lordship’s name on it or that of the King, I don’t acknowledge it or you, so you can please leave.”

“Not without the fugitive.”  The Hunter shouted as he took a step forward.

It was probably more for intimidation purposes rather than an actually confrontational act. Most people were usually unsettled by the appearance of a Hunter on their doorstep, but Alisa wasn’t backing down as she stood her ground, her arms folded across her chest.

“It would appear that you leave me with no other choice.” The Hunter said calmly as his hand casually dropped to his sword. This was another intimidation tactic, even the way he kept his voice level, never raising it, never showing anger. This Hunter was doing everything by the book, word for word.

“I can’t let you do that.” Steele said as he took a step forward, placing himself between the Hunter and Alisa.

“What do you think you’re doing Steele?”

“I am a Hunter assigned to the Guild House of Coopervill and therefore the citizens of this town are under my protection.”

“You better think very carefully about what you do next.”

“I have.” Steele replied, and his hands fell to the pummel of his own sword.

The man with the crossbow stepped from the shadows of the barn.

“I can have you shot.” Kevin said in that same calm voice.

“You could. I am sure there are members of the council who could spin it in their favor, but that doesn’t mean what you’re doing is right.”

“You know as well as I that the apprehension of Kile Veller is our top priority, and we will do anything we have to, to bring her in. We will not have a traitor in our ranks.”

“Does this ‘we’ you refer to include the Hunter’s Guild, or just the Son’s of Terrabin?” Kile called out from the front door of the farmhouse as she slowly descended the steps, concealing the walking stick behind her back. She could see the situation was getting ugly and the last thing she wanted was for anyone to get hurt because of her.

The cloaked Hunter turned toward her, and although she couldn’t see his eyes from beneath his hood, she could see his lips as they curled into a smile. Of course he would be smiling, he had just caught the most wanted criminal in all of Aru, or at least he thought he had.

“So, I’m impressed, you decided to show yourself after all.”

“I would have been down sooner, but you arrived so early, I wasn’t dressed. Don’t you know that you have to give a girl time get ready before you come to pick her up?”  She said as she walked slowly across the grounds, adjusting her grip on the walking stick. She was only going to get one chance at this.

As she got closer she fell into her edge, stretching out to touch every animal in the immediate area, but there was only one that she was looking for, and when she found him, he knew it.

“Then you’re turning yourself in?” Kevin asked as he drew his sword.

She couldn’t tell whether the idea of her surrendering made him happy or not. She was sure that this vir was looking for an excuse to get violent.

“That is one scenario, although I really hadn’t considered it.” She replied. “I mean, what chance would I have of a fair trial, assuming that I even reached Littenbeck in one piece?” She said a she stopped just a few yards in front of him.

She looked Kevin over. He was young, fit, and probably good at what he did. He would have to be either a level two or a level one to be sent out to bring back such a wanted bounty which meant he was probably very good at what he did. She had no idea what his edge was, which was the biggest obstacle, but on the other hand, he had no idea what her edge was either.

They stood for a while staring at one another, size each other up. He had to be wondering how she eluded capture for so long, that was if he actually believed what the rumors had to say about her. He wasn’t going to make the first move, he was playing it by the book, but then Kile had read that book, in fact she read most of the books that Master Adams had in his small library. There was little else for her to do back at the Academy.

Steel had pulled Alisa back and was now standing between her and them. She wasn’t sure if he would get involved, it was difficult to tell. He didn’t appear to be completely on their side, but on the other hand he was still a hunter and she was an open bounty. The man with the crossbow was slowly maneuvering himself to get a clear shot at her, since she put Kevin between them. She waited until he made the mistake of standing in front of the stable doors, but then he didn’t know any better.

It was like a crack of thunder that rang through the early morning. The crossbow wielding hunter didn’t have a chance of getting clear of the stable doors as they flew off their hinges, slamming into his back, knocking him clean off his feet. He scrambled for his crossbow but a platter sized hoof attached to a really ticked off Mountain pony quickly put an end to that as it crushed the weapon and, more than likely, a few of the man’s fingers as he screamed in pain. Kevin instinctively turned to see what had happened behind him and Kile brought the walking stick down across his wrist, forcing him to drop his sword, she quickly spun into him and brought the stick across the back of his head before he could react. He suddenly dropped to the ground, she hadn’t expected it to work that well. As she grabbed the fallen sword she noticed the ring on his finger. She didn’t know why she noticed it, it was a Hunter’s ring, similar to the one she had, but there was something different about it. Unfortunately she couldn’t compare it to hers, since hers was taken along with the rest of her stuff, and she didn’t really have time to contemplate it.

She quickly turned to face Steele, gripping the rather large and awkward sword, but before she could find out whose side he was on, a very intense, very vivid image filled her head.

“GRIM NO!” She shouted, turning toward the Mountain Pony.

She didn’t have to see what he was about to do, she could feel it in every bone in her body as the Mountain pony stood posed with his hoof over the fallen hunter’s head.

-Why?-

He asked calmly, and that calmness sent a chill down her spine.

“Because it’s not right.”

-Who’s to say?-

She had no doubt that the Mountain pony would have thought nothing of crushing the bowman’s head, and that was what scared her.

“I say.”

He paused for a moment, his hoof still hovering over the man’s head. The Hunter was staring up at the Mountain pony with fear in his eyes.

“Please Grim, don’t do it.” She pleaded with him as she tried to keep an eye on Steele, but the Hunter was more interested in what happening with the pony than with trying to stop her.

Grim snorted and slammed his foot down, about three inches away from the bowman’s right ear. He lowered his massive head toward the man and snorted again, blowing the hood back away from his face. Kile had never seen the man before, but she had a feeling she would never see him again. The Mountain Pony eventually backed away.

-It’s not worth it, trying to get a vir’s brains out of your hoof is a nightmare.-

It was not a very nice image that he presented to Kile, and she wondered why it was so detailed. As Grim moved across the yard toward her, he got dangerously close to the unconscious Kevin.

“Don’t even think about it.” She told him.

-Just a leg, it will slow him down a bit.-

“No, nothing.”

-I see being taken by the uhyre hasn’t diminished your nobility.-

That was either an insult or a compliment, she would have to sort that out later.

“So, what are you going to do?” She asked Steele who was still watching the exchange between her and her horse.

He removed his hand from his sword and held them apart.

“Although I should arrest you, and collected the sizable bounty on your script, it is clear that you overpower me and got away.”

“Is that what you’re going to tell them?” She asked him as she lowered the sword.

“Does it really matter, unless of course you do plan on turning yourself in, then I would escort you to Littenbeck.”

“I don’t think that would be very healthy, for me or for you.”

“No, you’re probably right. Things have changed in the council, and not all for the good.”

“What about Guild Master Latherby, can’t he do something to stop this?”

“I’m afraid the Guild Master has lost influence within the council.”

“What do you mean? He’s still the Guild Master… isn’t he?”

“Oh yes, he’s still the Guild Master, but at the moment Master Andrew Drain pulls all the strings.”

“How is that possible?”

“I hate to say it Kile, but one reason is… you.”

“Me?”

“Maybe not intentionally, but your presence in the Guild as well as the events that have transpired the last few weeks have all led up to the shift in power. Because Guild Master Lathery supported you through the Academy, members of the council feel he is to blame for your, shall we say, misdeeds.”

“But I haven’t done anything.”

“According to the council, you’re wanted for the murders of David Draw, Brain Tally, and Arthur Linny as well as the abduction of Emara Lon, not to mention your possible involvement in the disappearance and death of over twenty eight Hunters.”

“But I haven’t done any of that… I don’t even know who those people are… and… and as for Emara, she’s fine. I parted ways with her… two days ago. She should be back at the Tower by now. She should be able to clear all this up.”

“I hope you're right.” Steele replied. “But for now, you should probably keep a low profile.”

“She’ll stay here.”

Kile had forgotten that Alisa was still there, standing off to one side, watching the events unfold and listening to the long list of charges that had been placed upon her head.

“I can’t.” She told her. “Don’t you see? They already know I was here, they’ll keep coming back. As long as I’m here you’re in danger, and I won’t put anyone else in danger.”

-Then we’re leaving?-

Grim asked, as he stepped up behind her.

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

-It’s about time.-

She ignored his remark. She knew he was as reluctant to leave the Apple Blossom livery as she was. The fact that he came back here when she was captured was proof of that. She grabbed hold of his mane and pulled herself up onto his back.

“You’re going to need this.” Steele said as he handed Kile back her Lann. “It was found at one of the… sites.”

“You better give Kevin back his sword when he wakes up.” Kile replied as she handed the Hunter’s blade to Steele. “And tell him I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“I’ll tell him, but he won’t believe me.” Steele said with a hint of a smile.

“Wait right here.” Alisa told her and she quickly ran back into the house leaving Kile alone with Steele.

“She’ll be alright, won’t she?” She asked as she watched the farmhouse door close. The last thing she wanted was to bring this onto Alisa.

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Steele said with that familiar grin, the same grin he tried to use to pick her up at the Guild house. “I think you're right, once you’re gone, the Hunters will have no reason to make trouble for her.”

“I hope so. She’s kind of the only friend I have in this town.”

“Hey, what about me?” Steele said, tapping his chest.

“Please, I know you too well.”

“So, where will you go?”

“The less you know the better.” She replied. She had often wondered if there were any Hunters with the edge to read minds.

Alisa came charging out of the door with a large sack that looked as if it had been her table cloth. “Wait.” She called out as she came down the steps.

“What’s that?”

“Just a few things you might need for the road. Some food, a change of clothing, just a few odds and ends I pulled together.” Alisa said as she handed the sack to Steele who proceeded to tie it on Grim’s back.

There was a worried look on Alisa’s face, and Kile really couldn’t blame her. She was now being tracked by Hunters, and her chance of clearing this mess up just got a whole lot worse.

“Don’t worry.” She told her. “I’ll be okay. I have Vesper to watch over me.”

Vesper added his squeak of assurance as he took his place between Grim’s ears.

“You better come back. You still owe me two months of back pay on your stable fees.” Alisa added.

Whenever it came to business or money, Kile was never sure if Alisa was joking.

“Just promise me one thing. If anyone comes looking for me…”

“I won’t tell them anything.”

“No, I want you to tell them. Tell them everything you know. Don’t lie to them, not for me. I don’t want you dragged into this any further than you already have been. There’s really nothing you could tell them that would help them anyway.”

-I don’t think I can take any more of these sappy goodbyes-

Grim added as he headed toward the road.

She let the Mountain pony go where he wanted. It wasn’t as if she knew where to go at the moment. As they hit the road Kile looked back to see Alisa still standing in the yard watching her. Steele was walking over to the bowman who, only now, was getting to his feet, clutching his hand. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to see Coopervill again, at least not for a very long time.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

9

 

“Coopervill.” Folkstaff called out as he passed the sign that was leaning slightly to one side “Ever been here?”

“Can’t say that I have.” Erin replied. “We should probably visit the Guild House first.”

“Go through the proper channels you mean.”

“Something like that. They may even be able to give us some more information on Kile’s…”

“Psyche?”

“Whereabouts.”

“If they knew, I would assume they would have already checked them out.”

“Not necessarily.” Erin replied. “Where were you first assigned when you left the Academy?”

Folkstaff laughed. “It was a small town on the edge of nowhere; I believe it was called Petemore. I don’t even think it exist anymore.”

“And how many Hunters were assigned to the Guild House there?”

“Including me? Two.”

“Exactly. Most of these places don’t have more than two or three Hunters total, and those Hunters would be preoccupied with other activities. They may not have had time to search the surrounding areas.”

“But I’m sure the number of investigators the Council has sent out would have.” Folkstaff remarked. “It would appear that Master Drain has been very thorough in that area.”

“A little too thorough if you ask me.”

They reached the raised stone dais in the center of town, just outside the Bird and Bay Inn. The sight of two more Hunters didn’t appear to raise any curiosity as the people went about their business.

Erin fell into her edge as she scanned the horizon. It didn’t take her long to find the green banner that hung outside the Guild House, even it if was still half a mile away. She steered her horse toward the bridge and the river road while Folkstaff fell in behind her.

“Quiet place.” He said as he watched the people go about their business.

The children on the bridge were really the only ones to acknowledge the Hunters passing as they stopped their games and watched the strangers on horseback, but even that was short lived as the floating leaves in the river’s water seemed to be more interesting.

Erin dismounted outside the Guild House and grabbed the files from her saddlebag before heading up to the door.

The old Guild House looked just like the one she had been assigned to, back when she was first certified, right down to the Hunter’s symbol on the left hand side, and the obsolete chapter number over the entrance. She pushed open the door and stepped into the dark gloom of the House. There was a damp, musty smell to the place and it appeared to have been abandoned years ago. That is if it hadn’t been for the old man standing behind the reception window filling out forms. Folkstaff came in behind her and made his way to the bulletin board that had been papered with requests as Erin approached the old man. She pulled open her file and briefly read the first few pages.

“You would be Samuel Kane?” She asked.

The old man looked up from his paperwork, pushed his glasses up his nose with on thin finger and looked her over.

“Yes.” He said and then went back to his paper work.

When the old man didn’t look as if he was going to add anything more to that, Erin glanced over at Folkstaff who could only shrug his shoulders.

“Is certified level five Hunter Kile Veller assigned to this Guild House?” She asked.

The old man looked up again and again adjusted his glasses.

“No.” He said after a brief pause and then grabbed another form from the stack of papers beside him and started to fill it out.

Erin looked over to Folkstaff again, this time the Hunter turned his attention back to the bulletin board. She could tell that her companion was enjoying this far too much. She took a deep breath then opened her files again, reading the report a little further.

“I don’t understand. I have it written here that Kile Veller was assigned to this Guild House on the fourth day of the sixth month in the year twelve eighty two.”

“She was.” Kane replied this time he didn’t bother to look up.

“Then why did you just lie to me sir?”

“Lie to you? I did not lie to you. You asked if she was assigned to this Guild House, the answer is no. According to the last report I received from the Hunter’s Guild, Kile Veller’s status as a Hunter has been revoked. Therefor she is no longer a Certified Hunter, therefor she is no longer assigned to this Guild House.”

“Then she has been in the past.”

“If you already know the answers, then why are you asking me the questions?” Kane replied as he picked up his papers and headed into the back room.

Erin waited a few minutes before looking over to where Folkstaff was now viewing the open bounties board.

“I don’t think he’s coming back.” He remarked with a grin.

“You’d have more luck getting straight answers from Farmer Witt’s pigs than you will from Old Kane.”

The Hunters turned to see a young dark haired man descend the stairs.

“And you would be?”

“Allow me to introduce myself. The name is James Ril’em Steele.” Steele said as he extended his hand to Erin, who was reluctant to accept it. Instead she opened the files once again and flipped through a few of the pages before coming to the section that she needed.

“Steele. That would be Certified Level three Hunter Steele.”

“I see my reputation has exceeded me.” He grinned.

“Not quite. I am Certified Level one Hunter Erin Silvia and this is Certified Level one Hunter Robert Folkstaff. We are currently searching for the fugitive known as Kile Veller.”

“I should have figured.” Steele replied dropping his hand to his side as the smile faded from his face. “Sorry, can’t help you there.” He added and turned for the door.

“Can’t… or won’t?” Folkstaff asked him.

“Does it make a difference?”

“It makes a great deal of difference. One indicates that you are ignorant, the other, that you are foolish.”

“Or loyal.”

“Loyal to whom?”

“Has the council outlawed loyalty as well?”

“We’re not questioning your loyalties Steele.” Erin interrupted. “We just want to find Kile before anything happens to her.”

Steele held Erin’s gaze for a while, and then slowly shook his head.

“She was here, but she left.”

“Left… When?”

“About two days ago, she headed south, that's all I know.”

“I’m sure there’s more to it than that. What can you tell us of the past couple of days?” Erin asked.

“Truth be told, not much.” Steele replied. “I wasn’t here when she got her assignment, I only learned about it when I came back from an escort mission. The Apple Blossom Livery sent word to the Guild House that Kile’s Horse came back without her. I went to investigate, spoke with the owner of the livery, and then retraced her path to a Mr. David Draw. When I got there he was already dead. I searched the surrounding area but was unable to find any sign of her, so I came back to the Guild House to report what happen.”

“How long did that take you?” Folkstaff asked.

“There and back… about a day.”

He tilted back his hat and looked over to Erin, then back to Steele. “It took us two days to get from Draw’s house to here.” He said.

“Let’s just say my edge is a little faster than yours, and leave it at that.” Steele replied.

“That doesn’t matter.” Erin interrupted again. “What happened after you sent word to the Council.”

“We had a few Hunters up here asking questions and searching the area. One Hunter… a Kevin Crobb tried to harass the proprietor of the Apple Blossom, he felt that Kile was holding up there. I didn’t think so myself but… the second time we went out there… there she was.”

“How did you find her?”

“Didn’t have to find her. She just walked out, as bold as brass. Then her horse goes crazy, takes out a barn door, incapacitates another Hunter, she disarms Kevin, mounts her horse and was out of there.”

“Did you try to apprehend her?” Folkstaff asked.

Steele just shrugged. “It happened so fast. I was protecting Alisa Reaba, the owner of the stables.”

Erin scribbled down a few things on the back of one of the sheets of paper before continuing. “Where are these two other hunters now?” She asked Steele.

“Don’t know really. They spent a few days with the healer, and then they were off. I told them that she headed south but they took the eastern road out of town. That’s really all I can tell you. Now, if you don’t mind, I have my own assignment to handle.” Steele said as he waved his script in the air. “If you want any more information, you should really talk to Alisa at the Apple Blossom.”

“Where can we find this place?”

“You had to have passed it on the way in if you came in by the main road. Just go back the way you came, you’ll find it on your right hand side, you really can’t miss it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Thank you, we won’t keep you any longer.” Erin said as she guided Folkstaff to the door. She waited until they were outside before speaking to him.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s clear that they both believe she’s innocent and that she’s being used as some kind of scapegoat by the council but are reluctant to actually come out and say so without knowing whose side we’re on. Although Steele was rather forthcoming with the information, he did leave a few things out.”

“Such as?”

“If he didn’t help her escape, he surely didn’t try to stop her, and who was he trying to protect this Alisa Reaba from. It wasn’t Veller, otherwise why would she seek out this Alisa after arriving back into town, which means it would have been either the Hunter Kevin or just an excuse for letting Veller get away. I also don’t believe she was in town for very long, so where was she all this time?”

“And Samuel Kane, you think he believes she’s innocent as well.”

“You saw the open bounty board; Kile’s picture wasn’t up there, which means he never posted it. That would be in direct violation of the Council’s rules. Kane appears to be the type of man that does everything by the book.”

“So we should probably talk to this Alisa Reaba and find out what she knows.”

It didn’t’ take them long to reach the Apple Blossom Livery which was where Steele had told them it would be. A rather large, slightly balding man approached them wiping his hands on his pants as he took the reins of Erin’s horse.

“Stable your horse ma’am?” He asked.

“No, we won’t be here for long.” Erin replied as she dismounted. “We need to speak with an Alisa Reaba.”

“What would that be about ma’am?” The man asked with a note of suspicion in his voice. “Mistress Reaba is quite busy.”

Folkstaff stepped forward, pulling his riding gloves off slowly. “And your name would be?” He asked the balding man.

The man looked the larger hunter over before answering.

“Carl, sir.”

“Well Carl, tell your mistress that we have a business proposition for her.”

“Business? What type of businesses sir?”

“Does you mistress often discuss her business dealing with you?”

Carl hesitated, it was clear that he didn’t believe the larger hunter, nor did he wish to be proven wrong if in fact Folkstaff was telling the truth. He motioned for them to wait and headed toward the farmhouse.

“A business deal?” Erin asked when Carl disappeared into the house.

“Call it a hunch.” Folkstaff replied as he crouched down and ran his hand over the ground. “I’m sure he would have tried to give us the runaround had we told him we were Hunters.”

He fell into his edge and listened to the ground, reading the signs that no other hunter could read. When the land told him all that it knew, he slowly got to his feet. Erin waited for him to put his gloves back on.

“So, out with it.”

“Well, from what I can tell, and what the sands tell me. It went down pretty much the way Steele said it did. She was over there when she disarmed the Hunter. It was rather quick, not much of a fight. He also wasn’t lying when he said that she headed south. She cut right across the orchard.”

“She didn’t want to risk going through town, not if she knew that she was wanted.” Erin added.

“And see the stable doors.” Folkstaff said as she pointed to the old barn. “They’ve been repaired recently. But it doesn’t explain why her horse went crazy, or why it attacked the other hunter.”

“I think I know the answer to that mystery.” Erin said as she looked at the stables. “You do know she rides a Mountain Pony.”

“I had the chance of seeing one once back at the academy, when it chased Master Pick through the dinning hall and up a tree. Would that be the same Mountain Pony?”

“That’s the one.” Erin laughed.

“If she can tame a Mountain Pony, she’s a lot better than I thought she was.”

“I don’t think it's so much as taming it, as teaming up with it.”

The front door of the farm housed opened and a young woman wearing a light green dress with an apron that was covered in flour came down the front steps. She didn’t look to be in the best of moods as she crossed the ground toward them.

“A business deal.” She said raising one eyebrow as she stood in front of the two hunters, her hand crossed over her chest. “Am I supposed to be gullible enough to believe that?”

“But it did bring you out to speak with us.” Folkstaff commented.

“I have nothing to hide. I can clearly see that you are Hunter’s from the Guild and that you are looking for Kile Veller, well, you’re too late. She left here two days ago heading south riding a Mountain Pony. I have no idea where she is going, nor do I know where she came from, all I know is that she is innocent of the charges that you have placed upon her, and if you don’t believe me, ask Emara Lon at the Mystic Tower. Now, if you have no more questions I have pies in the oven that need my attention more than you do.”

“Excuse me. What do you know about Emara Lon?” Erin asked.

Alisa saw Erin for the first time when the female Hunter stepped out from behind her horse. At first the young woman said nothing, she looked as if she was surprised, or confused and was trying to make up her mind about something. She stared at Erin for a while before turning to her stable hand.

“Carl, take the hoses into the stables, make sure they’re watered and fed.”

“But Miss Reaba…”

“Do as I say Carl. I’ll be alright.”

The stable hand was a little reluctant as he took the reins of the horses. He looked at Erin but his gaze fixed more steadily on Folkstaff. It would appear that he did not trust the man.

“You are Erin Silvia… are you not?” Alisa asked.

“Yes I am.”

“Please, come inside where we can talk.” She said as she started toward the farmhouse, not waiting to see if they were following.

Erin turned to Folkstaff who just shrugged and motioned for her to go first. They followed the young woman into the house which was filled with the smell of freshly baked apple pies, which, since they covered all the flat surfaces in the kitchen, should not have come as a surprise.

“Please be seated.” Alisa said, directing them to the chairs around the table as she put a pot of water on. “I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer you, unless you like pie.” She laughed.

“That’s quite alright.” Erin replied.

“Speak for yourself, I’d love a slice.” Folkstaff added.

Alisa took a couple of cups from the cupboard and set them on the table. She looked Erin over again, as if still deciding what she wanted to say.

“Look.” She said as she started to cut into one of the pies. “Kile spoke a lot about you, which is why I feel I have to trust you. But you have to answer me this one question first. Do you really think she did what they’re saying she did?”

She set the slice of pie down in front of Folkstaff but was looking at Erin.

“No, I don’t think she did any of it.” Erin said. “Unfortunately the evidence against her is damaging, and we have not heard her side of the story.”

“Do you think she’ll have a chance to tell it?” Alisa asked.

“Not if we don’t get to her first.”

The young woman nodded, as if assuring herself that she was doing the right thing before she walked into the other room, when she came back she was carrying a small cloth bag.

“Her horse arrived back here without her that was about four days after she left on her assignment. She told me she was going to be right back, that it was a simple delivery. She disappeared for a week, when she did come back she was wearing this.” Alisa said as she handed the cloth bag to Erin. “I was going to burn it, but I thought it might support her story or something.”

The moment Erin opened the bag Folkstaff turned his head and pushed his half eaten pie away.

“Close it.” He said calmly. “I can tell you what wore that before her. It’s got the stench of the uhyre on it.”

“Why would she be wearing something like that?” Alisa asked.

Erin closed the bag and quickly set it off to one side. “She wouldn’t, unless she absolutely had to.”

“Did she say anything else, anything at all about where she was for the missing week?”

“No, she was rather reluctant to say anything about what happened. Well... there was that one thing she had said. She did mention that she was shackled to a wall for a week with only a rat to talk to. She even had the scars on her wrist to prove it.”

“Do you have any idea where Kile could be heading?”

“I’m afraid not.” Alisa replied. “She didn’t want to tell me because she didn’t want me involved, but she did mention finding Emara Lon.”

“Emara Lon, why her?”

“Well, Kile said that they helped each other to escape. They split up or something, I didn’t really understand and she didn’t really explain. Who is this Emara Lon anyway?”

“Emara Lon is quite possibly the next grand Magus of the Mystic Tower.” Folkstaff added.

“The what?” Erin asked, this time it was her turn to be confused. She had only read the name in the report, the exact nature of the girl was left out.

“Grand Magus. The mystics believe that every generation or so there is a young man or woman that is influenced by all eight of the mystic spheres and that he, or she, will become the next Grand Magus and lead the Mystic Tower into a new direction with a new purpose.”

“What purpose?”

“It’s different for every Grand Magus. The last one had his sights set more on internal affairs. That’s why, for the last four decades, the Mystic Tower has been keeping mostly to themselves. The one before that was looking for some sunken city in the black sea, although I believed he drowned shortly after being sworn in.”

Erin looked at Folkstaff “How do you know all this?” She asked.

“My brother is a mystic.” Folkstaff replied as he picked up his fork and proceeded to finish off his apple pie.

“Well, can’t she help? This Emara Lon, can’t she prove Kile couldn’t have done what they said she did?” Alisa asked.

“Assuming we could find her.” Folkstaff added. “Mystic’s aren’t exactly forthcoming with their whereabouts. It’s a bit of a surprise that they even informed the Council of her disappearance it the first place.”

“Which means we return to Littenbeck, where we started.” Erin said as she got up from the table.

“There is one more thing.” Alisa added. “I don’t know if it means anything, it could just be my imagination.”

“What do you mean? What is it?”

“Well… Kile seems a little different, a little… I don’t know… disconnected.”

“Disconnected?”

“From… well… people, almost as if she didn’t belong anymore.”

“Is this recently, since she came back?” Folkstaff asked.

“Well, not really. I mean I’ve noticed that she’s been spending more and more time alone, in the woods with Vesper, and she doesn’t really socialize with anyone in town, and she spent last winter’s feast in my barn with her horse. I just passed that off as being, well… Kile. But since she came back it’s been… different. More noticeable. She referred to people as vir, and she carried on a conversation with her horse just before she left, and then there was… the bath.”

“What about the bath?”

“I was pestering her about where she was and what she did and she got mad, that’s when she told me about the week she spent in shackles… but… well, maybe I just imagined it.”

“Imagined what Alisa? Anything that you can tell us will only help.”

“When she got mad she seemed almost… well… how can I explain it? We had a stray cat in the barn a couple of years back. I fed it every day and he seemed nice enough, he even let me stroke him. When winter came I started to feel sorry for him so I tried to bring it into the house… it just went wild. He started hissing and scratching and I had to let him go. I never saw it after that. That’s what she looked like when she got mad, for that split second she looked just like that wild animal, and I would almost swear her eyes turned yellow.”

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

10

 

Kile spent the next four days traveling north through the woods on her way to Littenbeck. She only ventured on the road at night and that was only to make sure she was going it the right direction. The traveling was slower, but she knew that if the Hunters were looking for her, they would be looking for her on the road.

She was forced to ditch a lot of the stuff that Alisa had packed for her in the table cloth. It was a nice gesture, something that she was grateful for, but most of the items were a bit impractical, as was most of the clothing. She wasn’t sure why Alisa had packed so many pots, pans, bowls and baking utensils in the bag, although she did keep one small pot, the rest had to be left behind. She could only hope that when this was all over, and if she was still around to do so, she would be able to find the spot that she left half of Alisa kitchen so that she could return it to her. Otherwise she had a lot of items to replace.

The money was a welcomed surprise, as was the food, especially the apple pies, even if they didn’t survive Alisa’s packing very well. They had gotten mixed in with the clothes and Grim had to eat them off of a frilly blouse and a pair of slacks, not that Kile had any intention of wearing the clothing. It was clear that Alisa had never been on the run before, since bright pastel dresses were not something that one could wear in town without going unnoticed. The rest of the food that Kile managed to sort out included a variety of fruit, along with the fruit bowl, a squashed loaf of bread and a jar of honey that, for some reason, didn’t have a lid, but it did take care of the rest of the clothing.

With her sack of supplies greatly reduced, she was making good time when she crossed the boarder into the Lunvalt province. Unfortunately, by then, she was forced to take to the roads since the province was known more for their open lands than they were for their forests. She would stick out like a sore thumb, riding on the back of a large black Mountain Pony across the open plains.

It had been four years since she was last in Littenbeck, and that was as a nervous fourteen year old girl, away from home for the first time, trying to take the entry examination for the Hunter’s Academy. She was lost, confused and scared out of her wits. Strange how some things never change.

She entered the city through the western gates and felt every guard’s eye upon her. Did they know who she was? Did they recognize her? Did they recognize Grim? Nobody had told her to stop, that alone was a good sign. It was possible that Littenbeck might have been the only city that wasn’t crawling with Hunters looking for her. What Hunter in their right mind would look for her here? The Hunter’s Library, the Hunter’s Hospital and of course the Hunter’s Guild were all located in Littenbeck. She had virtually walked into the dragons den. Thankfully all the dragons were out looking for her.

She stopped at the first stables she saw. It was not the best of places. It looked as if it was one sneeze away from being a vacant lot, but she couldn’t risk riding Grim through the streets. Not too many people rode Mountain Ponies.

-You can’t be serious.-

Grim commented as he took one look at the old two story barn.

“You have to stay somewhere, and if I put you up in too fine a place, you’re likely to be noticed. Besides, I’d like to be able to return some of the money back to Alisa.”

-If you survive this.-

“Thanks, it’s not like that hasn’t crossed my mind.”

“Can I help you ma’am?” A dark haired man asked as he stepped out of the stables. She wasn’t sure if he had seen her talking to Grim or not, but he did keep a respectable distance. Then again, it could be out of fear of the Mountain Pony.

“I was wondering if I can stable my horse here.”

“Really.” He replied as he looked Grim over.

She wasn’t sure if he was surprised because she wanted to stable the Pony with them, or surprised that she wanted to stable anything with them. The place didn’t look as if it did much business, but the more people that stay away, the less Grim would be seen.

“It would only be for a day at the most.” She added as she dismounted.

Vesper jumped from Grim’s head onto Kile’s shoulder as she approached the dark haired man. He eyed her suspiciously, but he appeared to be more interested in her funds than her travel companions.

“It’s the same price whether it's the day or half a day.” He told her.

She dipped into her pocket and pulled out a few coins, dropping them into the man’s outstretched hand. He checked them over once before waving at the stables. Two young boys appeared from within.

“Please be good.” She pleaded with Grim before the boys could take him away. She watched him disappear into the depths of the barn and was starting to have second thoughts. Not so much about leaving him, but about leaving him unattended, he had a way of making trouble. Regrettably she didn’t have much of a choice as she turned back to the dark haired man.

“I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find the Hunter’s Guild Hospital.”

“Surely you can see that from here.” He said, pointing down the street.

She tried to see what he was pointing at, but had very little luck since none of the buildings actually looked like a hospital, not that she knew what a hospital should look like.

“I’m afraid I’ve never been to Littenbeck before.” She lied. He didn’t have to know about the first time.

“There.” He said, pointing again. “Look up the street, see where that Green banner is waving. That’s the Hunter’s Guild Hall. The Hospital is right behind it.”

“So close to the Guild Hall.”

“Of course it’s close to the Guild Hall. It’s in the same building.”

She thanked the dark haired man as she headed down the street. She hadn’t considered the fact that the Hospital was actually part of the Hall. She had assumed that the two places would be in different buildings, preferably on different ends of the city. It was one thing to walk into the dragon’s den. It was another to walk into the dragon’s mouth.

The city of Littenbeck was not as she had remembered it, but she had only seen the one street, and even then she had been caught up in the crowd. If it hadn’t been for the guard that escorted her to the mystic tower, she would never have arrived at the entry examination. She turned to the south, looking over the tops of the building to where the dark, misshapen structure of the mystic tower stood against the sky. That, if nothing else, was exactly how she remembered it. Emara would have to be in there somewhere.

She was not looking forward to actually visiting the Tower again. She had promised herself that she would never go back, but she didn’t really have much of a choice. If she could find Emara, then the young mystic could explain to the council that she couldn’t have been running around the countryside assassinating people if she was shackled to the wall in some stronghold deep in the wastelands.

“Hey.” Someone cried as Kile ran into them. She fell backwards onto the sidewalk among a flurry of papers. Vesper cursed loudly in her ear.

“Look where you’re going child.” The man shouted.

“I am...”

She was about to say ‘not a child’, but then she saw the ring on the man’s finger as he picked up the papers. He was a Hunter.

“Sorry” She replied. “I am really sorry.”

“Well you should watch where your going, instead of gawking at that damn tower.”

“That is the mystic tower, isn’t it sir.” She said as she started to help him pick up his papers. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“Yeah, that’s the Mystic Tower.” The man replied. He didn’t seem very pleased with it, but then she couldn’t blame him. Most Hunters don’t have very fond memories of their time in the tower. It was one big mind game designed to confuse reality with illusion.

She handed him the stack of papers and that was when the Hunter took a good look at her, and especially at the yarrow that was still sitting on her shoulder. She was pushing her luck, she knew it, but if she ran away he would become suspicious.

“Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so sir.” She replied as she looked him over, pretending to actually care if he did or not.

He was a tall man, short reddish blonde hair, narrow eyes, and small nose. She would have described him as having the face of the typical Hunter. He took the papers from her, mumbled something and continued on his way down the street.

“You better get into the pouch Vesper. We don’t want to attract too much attention.” She said as she opened the pouch that she wore on her belt and slipped the yarrow inside. It was smaller than the one she usually wore, but she had lost that one along with just about everything else she owned, thankfully Alisa had a spare.

As the green banner began to get closer, she was seeing more and more young men along the sidewalks carrying papers and packages. She knew most of these had to be Hunters, more than likely they were level fives or fours if they were still transporting packages. They didn’t take much notice of her as they passed her in the street. They wouldn’t be taking much notice in anything beyond their current deliveries. If they only knew who it was that was walking among them, she was almost a guaranteed promotion to the first one that stopped her.

The Guild Hall was pretty much as Kile had imagined it. A huge white marble building standing three stories high with rows of columns spanning the front and a flight of stairs leading up to a pair of large wooden doors etched with golden filigree. There were guards dressed in the green livery of the Guild posted at every entrance.

“Are you lost Miss?”

She spun around to see a tall, bookish young man with wired rimed glasses perched on the end of crooked nose. He was carrying a stack of books, some of which Kile had actually read at the Academy. This would be one of the academic varieties of Hunters. The ones that seldom went out on true assignments. They spent most of their time making up laws and regulations to torture the Hunters that worked in the wild.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He said as he changed his grip on the books and straightened his glasses. “You just appeared to be lost.”

“I was just… admiring the buildings. It appears to be very active.”

“Yes, it would be, that is the Guild Hall. That is where all Hunter activities are regulated. From this hall we communicate with all the Guild Houses throughout the Kingdom of Aru. That’s the difference between us Hunters and the common mercenary.”

“You’re a Hunter?” Kile asked with a forced wild eyed admiration.

The young man threw his chest out and grinned. “I am a certified level four Hunter.”

“Level four? So you’re really important.”

“Well… I don’t want to blow my own horn, but… yeah, I would say what I do is very important.”

“And you know your way around this place, it's just so big. Why, back home I get lost just walking to the barn.”

The young man laughed.

It was just as Alisa had told her, act stupid and bat your eyes and young men will fall all over themselves to do for you. It was actually quite sickening.

“Oh, it’s not that difficult, kind of like a small town divided into a few buildings, but I can see where some people would think it was confusing.”

“Well, like, what’s that one over there?” She asked as she pointed to one across the street.

“That… that’s the armory, and beside that is the blacksmith, and next to that is the stables.”

“Then what about those over there?”

“There we have the dinning hall, next to that is guest housing, over there is the hospital and next to that is the quartermasters and finally the library. If you’re really interested, I can show you around. I just have to drop these books off at the library and that’s pretty much it for the day.”

“I would have thought you would be busy, what with all the Hunters that have died or vanished.”

“I assure you that the stories are greatly exaggerated. A few miscommunications, that’s all. Nothing to be worried about.”

“Yeah, well all the same, I should really be going, I wouldn’t want to keep you from anything important.”

“Maybe I’ll catch you later.” The young man said with a grin.

“Don’t count on it.” She mumbled as she quickly moved away from him.

-Who was that?-

Vesper asked.

“Just another glorified delivery man with delusions of grandeur.”

 

***

 

Kile kept to the far side of the street as she approached the Hospital. Being stopped by two Hunters, that didn’t recognize her, was pushing her luck just a bit too far. It was only a matter of time before she ran into a hunter that actually read the open bounties board.

The Hospital was a singled floored flat building with a roof that extended out on all sides and was supported by rows of columns. As she got closer she concentrated more on the smell of the place, rather than what it looked like. It may have looked odd to anyone that might have been watching her, but she was getting very good at discerning different odors and the Hospital was full of them. The strongest was that of the vir, but there were also herbs and medicines as well as the strong scent of death. She really didn’t have to ask directions, she could have found it by its stench alone. As she broke down the individual smells she was able to find the vir she was looking for.

Crossing the street she walked down the alley between the hospital and the quartermasters where there were no guards. She tried the side doors one by one and eventually found a window that was open. Making sure that she wasn’t going to be seen, she jumped up onto the sill and quietly slipped in, being small had its advantages.

She found herself in one of the treatment rooms, fortunately one that wasn’t being used at the time. Moving to the door she opened it a peeked out into the hall. It was a pretty busy place, one that was too busy for her to go unnoticed. She searched through the closets of the room before she found one of the long white robes that most of the staff seemed to be fond of wearing, it even came with a hood. They probably got them from the same robe dealer as the mystics at the tower did. She slipped it on, only to discover that it was made for a much taller person. The sleeves were incredibly baggy and she also lost her way in the folds of the cloth. Pulling the slack up the best she could, she ventured out into the hall.

She let her nose lead the way, following the familiar scent as she navigated the halls of the hospital, eventually finding her way into one of the main recovery rooms, which was where she spotted Daniel Leary.

It had only been a year since she had seen him, but she would have sworn that he had grown another few inches since his time at the academy. His tall, lanky frame seemed to tower over that of the other hospital workers, but he still had that wild unkempt blonde hair and the lopsided smile that he wore when he was confused or just thinking about something.

She pulled up the hems of the robes and moved between the rows of beds. She was grateful to see that most of them were empty and that Daniel wasn’t very busy. Now all she had to do was determine whether his friendship with her was greater than his loyalty to the guild.

“Have time for another patient.” She asked, trying to keep the pitch of her voice as low as possible. Staff workers were Hunters, and there were only two female Hunters in the Guild.

“What? Oh, yes, please, have him take a seat; I’ll be right with him.” Daniel replied as he flipped through his notes.

Taking the seat she pulled the robes in around her until she sank into a pile of cloth. She didn’t look so much like a patient as she did a pile of laundry.

“Now, what seems to be… oh.” He paused as he looked down at her then around the rest of the room to see if he hadn’t made a mistake. “You’re the patient, I see… so… what seems to be the problem.”

“My wrists.” She replied, still trying to disguise her voice.

“Um… where are your wrists?” Daniel asked as she pulled at the layers of cloth.

She lifted one arm and he had to pull back nearly two feet of sleeve before he could find her hand.

“This looks pretty bad, what happened?”

“Does it matter?” She asked as she felt his hands gently touch the bruises and the burns that the shackles and Emara had left behind. His hands were as soothing as she remembered them and her wrist felt better even before he started to use his edge. She could feel the gentle flow of energy as it moved between them.

Daniel was uncommon among hunters. Although his edge was influenced by the sphere of water, it was in the healing arts, something that was rare, even among the mystics. He could seal a wound mend a broken bone or even bring a yarrow back from the edge of death.

“Haven’t I seen those hands before?” He asked.

“You should have, you’ve repaired my fingers enough times.” She remarked.

“Oh no… please don’t let this be who I think it is.” Dannie prayed as he quickly pulled back Kile’s hood.

“Long time no see.” She grinned.

He pulled the hood back over her head.

“There you go, all healed, you better get back to work now.” He said quickly as he started to move away.

“You still have the other one to do.”

“What are you trying to do? Get me arrested too?”

“I came here for information.”

“I don’t know anything.” He told her as he looked around the hall. “Don’t you realize that I’m being watched? They questioned me for twelve hours straight about you.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Nothing. What could I tell them? We spent four years at the Academy together and I still know anything about you.”

“Don’t even tell me you think I did what they say I did.”

“No… no of course not, it just... they’ve been saying a lot of things, and they’ve been keeping a watch on me night and day. I don’t know if they think I’ve been giving you information or that you would eventually come looking for some, but you can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s not like I have a lot of places to go.”

“You could always turn yourself in.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“They’ll go easier on you if you do. I could bring you in.”

“What… so you could collect the bounty on my script. Thanks a lot.  You're right, it was a mistake coming here.” She said as she tried to get up, but Daniel pushed her back into her seat.

“No, that's not what I meant, it’s just… there are a lot of Hunters looking for you, and It’s not just for the bounty. There’s something more going on.”

“And you think that me sitting in a cell is going to be safer. Tried that… didn’t work.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I want to find Tally.”

“Brian Tally? He’s dead, you killed him.”

“I didn’t kill anyone.” She replied, a little too loudly. A few of the white robed workers looked in their direction.

“Will you keep it down?” Daniel told her. “Look, they found one of your… swords at the man’s house. You know those weird ones that you use.”

“They're called Lann. Is that all they have as evidence?”

“Well… supposedly you set fire to the house right after you killed him. There wasn’t much left in the debris but his body and the Lann, and several witnesses saw a young redheaded girl leaving the vicinity”

“Great… where is his house then.”

“It’s over on Quinton Street, on the north side of town, but you’re not going to find anything there. Hunter’s have searched the area but came up empty.”

“It’s either that, or the mystic tower, and I’m not looking forward to going there.”

“What’s at the mystic tower?”

“Hopefully Emara.”

“Emara Lon… nobody’s heard from her since the abduction.”

“Which they think I did.”

“Well, they did find that golden pin, you know, the one shaped like a tree that you wear. It was at the site where she was last seen.”

“Are you kidding me? So what you’re saying is that I left a pin at the site I abducted Emara, a sword near the house that I burned down, and my long knife in the back of some man out in the woods, and I’m not even sure what I’m suppose to have done to this Linny guy. I would have to be the worse assassin to leave bits and pieces of myself at the site of every murder.”

“Or you’re being framed.”

“You thought of that all by yourself.”

“Sorry, but when you put it that way, it does sound a little fishy.”

“Look, my only hope at this point is to find out what these men had in common and try to find out who killed them.”

“There are Hunter’s already investigating this, leave it to them.” Daniel said as he looked over her shoulder. There was a slight change of expression on his face, one that she didn’t miss, and then she caught the somewhat familiar scent. She had smelled that vir before.

“The Hunter’s that are investigating this already think that I did it. They are looking for me, not the real assassin.” She tried to explain, but Daniel wasn’t really paying attention as he was watching the entrance.

He entered the recovery room from the opposite door, his heavy steel toed boots striking the marble floor. He had the stench of tobacco mixed with the strong smell of ginger that only grew stronger as he got closer.

“Daniel. Working late again I see.” The man said in a deep strong voice.

“Hunter Gray, I didn’t realize you were back.” Daniel replied. “Is there a problem that I can help you with? Have you been injured?”

“No, but I think I can help you.” Grey said as he suddenly grabbed the robes on the chair, pulling them aside, only to find the chair empty. “Where is she?”

“Where is who?” Daniel asked. He seemed as equally surprised to see the chair vacant as the Hunter did.

“The fugitive Kile Veller. That was who you were talking to?”

“Kile Veller? I haven’t seen her since my days at the Academy. I’ve already told you that.”

Kile watched from her hiding place on top the cabinet, concealed in the shadows. As long as the Hunter didn’t look up, he wasn’t likely to see her. He was a big man, with short cropped black hair that was starting to turn gray. He had a face that was more weathered and rugged then the padded leather armor that he wore. This was a true level one Hunter and probably had been for quite some time, not like that Hunter back in Coopervill.

“Where is she Daniel?” Grey asked in that low calm voice “This will go easier on you if you just tell me where she went.”

“She hasn’t been here.”

Daniel may be lying for her now, but he didn’t try to warn her or help her when Grey entered the room. Was he planning on letting Grey catch her? If Grey had managed to take them by surprised, Daniel could claim ignorance. She wouldn’t have blamed him for her arrested that was if she hadn’t smelled Grey first. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn’t trust her old friend.

She crawled her way down the row of cabinets and through a narrow breeze window, dropping into the next room, from there she made her way back out into the hall. Without her white robes to conceal her she was a bit obvious, but the robed staff members didn’t take much interest in her. They must not read the bounty boards either. She exited through the side door, crossed the street and ducked into one of the darker alleys. Waiting in the shadows she saw Grey leave the hospital alone.

He stood in the center of the street, closed his eyes and waited. Kile could smell the energy of his edge pouring off of him. She wasn’t sure what he was capable of doing, but she knew she shouldn’t be anywhere near him. She moved deeper into the shadows, jumping the wall between alleys and ran up the parallel street. If Grey had noticed her, or detected her, he wasn’t following her. She slowed down as she looked around at the buildings that now grew about her. All she had to do was find Quinton Street.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

11

 

Unhindered by the need for secrecy, Erin Silva arrives in Littenbeck as the sun begins to set and twilight descends upon the city. It had only been six days since she had ridden into Littenbeck completely clueless about what was going on, now she was back and she still didn’t have the answers that she had hoped to find, but she did have more questions. At this point she was almost certain that Kile was innocent of the charges that the Council had laid upon her, but she still had to find the girl.

“It is getting late.” Folkstaff said as he stopped his horse outside the Guild Hall stables. “Do we go to the mystic’s tower to see about this Emara Lon first, or should we leave it to the morning?”

“It’s not like mystics live in the same time zone we do.” Erin replied.

“Perhaps  not, but we have been riding for nearly two days straight and I wouldn’t say no to a hot meal and a soft bed.”

“You? Aren’t you the hunter that spent most of his early career living in the wild? Now you want a hot meal and a soft bed?”

“I’m not as young as I use to be.”

“Oh, well that goes without saying.” Erin laughed as she dismounted. “Tell me, if you just got into a town that you’ve never been to before, what would be the first thing you’d do.”

“Get a hot meal and a soft bed.” Folkstaff replied.

“Yes, possibly, but how would you find them?”

“I’d ask.”

“Who would you ask?”

“I didn’t think this was going to be twenty questions.”

“No, think about it. You just arrived in a town that you’ve never been to before. You probably don’t have much money. You don’t want to be seen. Who would you ask for directions?”

“I don’t know.” Folkstaff replied as he stroked his beard. “Obviously someone that I knew I could trust not to set me up. Someone like… an old friend.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Certified level five Hunter Daniel Leary was assigned to the Guild Hospital.”

“Isn’t that a bit obvious. She would know that he was being watched.”

“Maybe it was worth the risk.” Erin replied.

“So much for a hot meal and a soft bed.”

Erin crossed the road to the Guild Hospital just as a tall dark haired man was leaving. He looked at her once, but said nothing as he moved into the center of the street, closing his eyes he stretched out his hands falling into a trance like state. Erin could tell that he was using his edge, but such a public display of one’s abilities was not a common sight. Most Hunters kept their edges to themselves, using them in public only when absolutely necessary. It was said that there were only two people that knew a hunter’s edge, the hunter and the mystic that taught them. She watched as the man went through the motions, although she was unable to ascertain what his edge was, she could tell that he didn’t have much success with it. He turned to her again with an accusing look, as if she was somehow responsible for his failure, and then stormed off.

“Who was that?” She asked.

“That, my dear, was the Hunter Samuel Gray.” Folkstaff answered as he came up behind her. “He is said to be one of the more… tenacious Hunters.”

“I’ve heard of him. He’s Andrew Drain’s man.” She replied.

If Drain’s man was here, then Kile must have been here too.

She pushed open the door to the Hospital. It didn’t take her long to find Daniel as they almost collided in the doorway. He hadn’t seen her, but he did see Folkstaff as the big man blocked his exit.

“What’s the rush son?” Folkstaff asked.

“Rush? No rush.” Daniel replied as he tried to look over the Hunter’s shoulder. He may be tall, but he wasn't that tall.

“If you're wondering, he didn’t get her.” Erin commented.

Daniel turned around seeing Erin for the first time. “Ma’am… I’m not sure I know what you mean.” He stammered.

“Sure you don’t.” Folkstaff replied. “Is it possible that you’ve been visited earlier today by an old friend?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Grey attempted to use his edge, some form of location art I would imagine, probably connected to the earth sphere.” Erin added. “He didn’t find who he was looking for. Why? I don’t know, but I don’t think it was because she wasn’t around. Now, why don’t you do her a favor and tell us what it was that she came here for.”

“On one condition.” Daniel replied. “That you take me with you. Let me help you find her.”

“Why would we do that?” Folkstaff asked.

“Because I know where she’s going, and if you don’t I’ll just look for her myself. She is an open bounty after all.”

“She has been labeled a Class A open bounty, level fives do not bring in class A open bounties.”

“Why not, she did.”

“If you’re refereeing to the apprehension of the Minotaur of Calder Falls, there is still some debate over the validity of that situation.”

“You can come.” Erin finally said, although she had a feeling she may regret it.

Folkstaff raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. “Are you sure Erin?”

“He’s known her for four years. Maybe it’s enough, maybe not, but help is help.”

“Thank you.” Daniel replied. “I didn’t really do right by her when she needed me the most. I have to make it up to her. She came asking about Brian Tally.”

 

***

 

Brian Tally’s house wasn’t exactly where Daniel said it would be, but then he wasn’t very specific about his directions. The north end of Littenbeck is just as large as the every other end of Littenbeck and Quinton Street runs right the way through it. Kile felt she walked the entire length, which was not an easy task. The north end of Littenbeck was not exactly the happiest place to be. It’s run down buildings and litter filled streets marked it as the seedier section of town. She felt eyes on her, from every shadowy corner of every darkened window. Most of it had to be her imagination, although how could she be that sure. The only fortunate part, if there truly was a fortunate part, was that once she saw the house, she knew it was Tally’s. It was the only one that had been burned down, or at least the only one that had been burned down in say the last few weeks. She only knew that by the scent that lingered on the charred wood.

Remarkably the outer shell of the house remained intact, only the black soot from the burnt out windows showed any real sign of a fire, that and the fact that there was no roof, only a few brunt out rafters protruding up from the ashes.

“Somehow I don’t think we have to knock.” She told Vesper as she pushed open the door.

There was a strong odor, one that she had expected, but it still overpowered her. She coughed as she waved away the stench, not that it really helped, there was also the lingering sweetness of jasmine which seemed out of place in the middle of the city.

-Bad place.-

Vesper commented from the safety of the pouch.

“Yeah, but hopefully we can find something of value here.”

The fire had done its work, better than she could have imagined. The floors and walls were black, little charred lumps of what were once furniture were strewed across the floor, and the upstairs was now part of the downstairs as a bed laid across the remains of the dinning room table. How much of the damage was done by the fire and how much was done by the investigators was difficult to tell.

Carefully she made her way across the floor to what she believed had once been a desk. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, she just hoped she knew what it was when she found it. She pulled open one of the drawers, the handle came off in her hand, the leg of the desk crumbled beneath its weight, collapsing to the ground, spilling the contents on the floor.

“There’s nothing left here.” She said as she dropped the handle on the desk. “It was foolish to even come here. Anything that can help me is long gone, if there was anything here.”

-Ask the mice-

Vesper said as he showed her the vision of a mouse in the kitchen doorway.

Kile turned around and was surprised to see just that, a mouse in the kitchen doorway. There couldn’t be any food left in the kitchen, or if there was it would be as burnt as the rest of the house, but still the mice came back.

“Excuse me.” She said as she approached the small rodent.

The mouse didn’t move as it looked up at her. It was more curious than scared.

Now that she had its attention, what exactly was she going to ask it? Whether it knew why the owner had been assassinated. What would a mouse know of such things? Intrigue, deceit, assassinations, they just weren’t part of the natural world, and even if it had seen something, it wasn’t like she could bring him in to testify on her behalf.

“I was wondering if you could help me.” She said as she crouched in front of the mouse, extending her hand. It climbed into her palm, cocking its head to one side as he scratched its ear.

-How can I help?-

He asked.

He was a little more articulate than what she had anticipated, but then he did live in the city. It really all came down to the amount of contact that the animal had with the vir.

“What do you know of the vir who lived here?”

-Just a vir.-

“Can you tell me anything about him?”

-He ate well.-

The mouse replied and filled Kile’s head with visions of cheeses, breads, pastries, cakes and all sorts of delicacy. It seemed odd that a man who could afford such fineries was living in the northern part of Littenbeck.

“I was hoping you could tell me something about him? Who was he? What did he do?”

-He did vir things.-

The mouse replied, and filled Kile’s head with visions of a man, who she assumed was Brian Tally, doing just that, vir things. He was sitting in a chair reading a book, sitting at his desk writing notes, sitting at the table eating supper, pacing the floor, putting logs on the fire… no he wasn’t. He wasn’t putting logs on the fire, there was not fire in the hearth, but he was putting something in the hearth.

She turned toward the fireplace. It didn’t look as if it had been disturbed, aside from the fire that burned down the rest of the house. Did the Hunters even check the fireplace? Why would they? She wouldn’t have.

She carefully walked over to the fireplace. Setting the mouse down she wiped away the ashes within the hearth, what she found was a loose stone. Grabbing one of the andirons she managed to pry it up, revealing a small hideaway that was hiding away an even smaller box. Removing the box from its resting place she set it down on the floor. It was made out of copper and steel and even hidden under the stone hearth it didn’t escape the fury of the fire. There was no lock, nothing to keep her from opening it. Within she found only two things, a ring and a book.

The book had seen better days, it was partially destroyed and the edges were burned, but it wasn’t burned in the same fire that had burned the house. A fire had been set to the pages of this book long ago, which was evident by the fact that only half of the book showed any sign of damage. Had the fire reached it, it would have been completely destroyed. Why someone had decided to save it? She didn’t know. As she flipped through the pages she could barely read the words. It was written in a thin spidery hand and what the fire hadn’t destroyed, time took care of. The writing was too faded to read.

In contrast the ring was in excellent condition. Made of gold it bore an image that looked similar to that of the royal seal, but not exactly.

A man of wealth living on the poor side of town hiding a book and ring, could this have some connection with David Draw? Even if there was a link, it didn’t get her any closer to understand why they were killed, or why she was being framed for their murders.

“Were you here when the Vir died?” She asked the mouse.

-Vir killed vir.-

The mouse replied and with those words Kile was brought back to the night that Brian Tally died.

She couldn’t really see what was happening very well, since she was seeing it through the eyes of the mouse, and he was seeing it from between the cracks of the baseboard molding. What she did see did frighten her, because she was able to see the assassin that killed Brian Tally, and she was that assassin.

Although she couldn’t see the assassin’s face, he was about her height, her weight, with the same red hair, wearing her hat and her jacket, using her Lann. It was no wonder that people thought she was the killer, after seeing that, she started to believe she was the killer.

“Why?” She asked.

-Because vir are foolish.-

The mouse replied as he scurried off to the kitchen to see what might have survived the fire.

Kile sat on the floor beside the fireplace for a while thinking as she thumbed through the old burnt out pages of the book. Ravenshadow had gone through a lot of trouble to set her up, but that was only half of it. His goal was to eliminate these three men. He said it was for justice, but what justice warranted this?

-You must go now.-

A voice echoed in her head, but it wasn’t the mouse, the voice was too loud and the visions that it sent to her were strange. She wasn’t actually seeing as much as she was feeling or hearing the vir around her. She sniffed the air, and that was when the scent of tobacco and ginger told her that she had been there too long.

 

***

 

Erin saw the two hunters on the far side of Quinton Street, they were standing in the shadows waiting as a third was deep in his edge. Being influenced by the sphere of air herself, she recognized the art he was using. He was listening for movements in the house. The rest of the street was vacant. Nobody would dare get involved with this many Hunters out at night.

“You have no business here.”

She turned to see Grey crossing the street toward them, his steel boots clanging on the cobbled stone sounded loud on the otherwise dead street. Two city guards stood a respectable distance behind him. Grey looked at Erin, and then cast his gaze over at Daniel.

“It would appear that we found her without your help.” He told the young Hunter.

“Finding her and catching her are two different things.” Daniel replied.

“Oh, don’t worry. We will… catch her.” Grey smiled a cold smile as he turned to address Erin. “We don’t need any more help here, we have everything under control. You’ll only get in the way.”

“It would appear so.” Erin said with a nod in Grey direction and then motioned for Folkstaff and Daniel to follow her.

“You’re giving up?” Daniel asked.

Folkstaff placed his arm around the younger Hunter and guided him off the street.

“Nobody is giving up son, not yet anyway.” He told him as he pointed to Erin who was already well into her own edge.

“He’s got the place surrounded.” She said as she opened her eyes. “She’s in there alone, but there are at least three more Hunters on the parallel street moving in.”

“So we go up.” Folkstaff said pointing to the rooftops.

“Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that.” Erin replied as she looked up the side of the building. It didn’t look all that tall, but then it never did until you were on top looking down.

“Silvia doesn’t have a head for heights.” Folkstaff told Daniel after seeing the boy’s rather confused look over Erin’s hesitation.

“I’ll do it… Just give me a moment.”

“She may not have a moment.” He reminded.

The two Hunters that were in the shadows were now moving toward the house.

“Fine.” She said as she closed her eyes again and fell back into her edge.

Erin was influenced by the sphere of air, and even though she didn’t master one specific art, like most hunters she had a working grasp of a few. She took a deep breath and began to walk, but not so much in a straight line, as up. Each step she took raised her one step above the ground as if she was walking up a flight of stairs that only she could see. The wind walking art required an intense amount of concentration, loose the concentration and gravity takes over. As she continued her climb she had to change her direction, so as not to get too far away from the face of the building, only when she reached the top and took that last step onto the wooden roof peak was she able to release her hold on her edge.

“Come on son.” Folkstaff said as he directed Daniel away from the building. “The only thing we can do now is try to keep an eye on Grey.”

 

***

 

Kile ran to the window and looked out onto the Street. She could easily see the two Hunters approaching, even as they kept to the shadows. There was a third standing off to one side, but the smell of tobacco and ginger was getting even stronger. She didn’t have to check the back of the house; she already knew they were moving in from that direction too. She got careless and they surrounded her.

-Come up… Come up to the roofs-

She wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from, but she wasn’t going to question it. She had learned that those were the only voices that she could trust.

She made for the stairs but before she could reach it a hand broke through the floorboards, grabbing her ankle, and she fell forward onto the steps. She kicked at it, but the fingers were as hard as stone as a body began to emerge from the earth beneath the house.

“Not so fast.” The raspy voice laughed as the stone face gave way to flesh. “Did you really think you were going to get away that easily?”

Grey’s face looked at her from the living statue that he had turned himself into. He must be influenced by the sphere of earth to be able to pull this stunt off, but that didn’t help her now.

“I can’t let you leave here so soon.” He said as an evil grin crossed his lips.

His hand began to tighten around her ankle and she knew he had no intention of simply bringing her in, at least not in one piece. She opened the pouch on her belt and Vesper climbed out. She didn’t have to tell the yarrow where to go. She only had to think it. He ran up her leg, over the stone hand, down the Hunter’s arm and leapt for the only place Grey left vulnerable. Hunter’s should never boast, otherwise a yarrow might bite their nose. It wasn’t taught at the Academy, but it should have been.

Vesper clamped his teeth into the fleshy part of Grey’s nose. As a man of stone, the Hunter wasn’t able to move very fast as he slowly brought his hands up to his face, but by then the damage was done. Vesper leapt from the man’s face, onto his hand and then back onto the stairs as Kile quickly scooped him up.

The sudden pain caused Grey to lose his concentration as he turned back to his normal self, which really wasn’t that much of an improvement. He clutched his nose cursing. The blood was seeping through his fingers. The smell of it was almost intoxicating, but Kile didn’t wait around to see how much damage Vesper had done, she made for the top of the stairs.

The second floor was worse than the first, since the second floor no longer existed. Only a few floor joists and the main beam remained. She didn’t stop to think about falling or even look for a safer way around. She just ran the length of the wooden beam to the far side of the house where she leapt over the alley below and landed on the second floor of the abandoned house next door. Only then did she realize what she had done. Running the length of the beam was one thing, but the jump was easily a ten foot span. She should never have made it.

-No time to rest, they still come.-

The voice said even as it showed her the Hunters as well as the city guards closing in on her from all directions. They must have seen her make the jump as they were now converging on the abandoned house and were trying to break down the front door.

-Climb higher.-

She took the stairs up to the third floor…

-We will help you, as we can.-

…and she found herself standing in a room overflowing with bats. The entire ceiling was alive as they began to stir.

-Come, the night is upon us.-

They said in unsent as they awoke from their sleep.

The bats began to fill the room, flying around her head in an almost silent whirlwind as they escaped the upstairs room through a hole in the side of the building. As unnerved as she had always been about bats, she did not fear them now, she was more afraid of the vir that had reached the second floor and were on their way up.

She made for the opening that the bats were pouring out of and without thinking, leapt across to the building on the other side. The distance wasn’t as great as the first jump and the building was a bit shorter, but she still managed to land on her feet. She heard the curses and screams of the vir as they entered the bat’s room.

She afforded herself a moment of mirth, but still hoped that none of her new friends had been injured helping her escape, but she hadn’t escaped yet. She still had to get Grim and get out of Littenbeck before the Hunter’s could get her. Unfortunately she didn’t get very far.

“Kile stop.”

Erin Silvia stood before her on the rooftop, her sword in her hand.

“I can’t.” She replied catching her breath.

“Kile please, I don’t want to hurt you. Come with me and we can sort all this out.”

“Can you honestly say you believe that?”

“Yes I believe that.”

She shook her head as she drew the thin blade of the lann from the makeshift sheath. “Then I’m afraid I can’t trust you either.” She said as she tightened her grip on her blade.

“I don’t want to fight you.” Erin said as she took a step forward.

“That’s good.” Kile replied. “I don’t want to fight you either.”

There was no way she could win a fight against Erin Silvia, the best she could do was hold her own until she found an opening to escape, but that didn’t really seem likely under the circumstances.

“Then come with me, explain your case to the council.”

“I can’t do that.” She said as she started to back away, although there wasn’t much to back away to. “I have no case. They’ll never believe me, and that's assuming I live long enough to even try to explain it. Just let me go, let me find out who’s behind this and why.”

“You know I can’t do that. You’re an open bounty Kile, I’ve been charged with brining you in.”

“Then you’ll have to kill me first.”

“Don’t make me do this.”

“I’m not making you do anything Erin, what you do now is your choice.”

Erin never made the choice as the sky grew dark and the moon was blocked out by hundreds of leathery wings as they descended from above. She dropped her sword and covered her head as the bats flew circles around her and when they departed, Kile was gone.

 

***

 

Kile didn’t go very far, she dropped down through one of the holes in the roof to the room below, and then made her way to the first floor. From there she climbed out the window onto a lower roof and dropped back into the alley. The bats were keeping the Hunter’s occupied, so they never saw her leave Quinton Street. Keeping to the shadows she emerged onto a parallel street with the ironic name of Hunter’s Way.

The street was a little more occupied, with a few people hanging out around the outside of buildings that didn’t look as if anyone should be living in them. Littenbeck was supposed to be one of the fairest cities in all of Aru, and yet there were still vir living in conditions that most animals would object to.

As she moved closer to the center of the city, the number of civilians increased. She had to force herself to walk, so as not to bring attention to herself. She stopped a few times to get her bearings, sniffing at the air and hoping that nobody took much notice in her, but since she was a girl in a light green frilly shirt, it was hard to go unnoticed.

She couldn’t smell Grey or Erin for that matter, but then this scent thing was still kind of new to her and the smells around the city were too numerous and some even too disgusting to try to distinguish. When she was sure she wasn’t being followed, she stopped at a green vender who was just packing up his wares for the night. She handed the man a few coins for a couple of apples before proceeding deeper into the city.

It was slow going, keeping to the more populated areas and out of sight of the city watch. When she finally did reach the old stables that Grim was, she didn't approach, instead she stopped in the alley across the street. There didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary, but that was the problem, it didn’t feel right. It could just be her paranoia acting up again, but under the circumstances, she was willing to listen to it.

There were two men looking through a darkened store window on the far side of the street, two more men sitting on a park bench further down, they weren’t talking to one another, they were just sitting there. Even further down there was a man leaning up against one of the lamp posts, if he didn’t look suspicious, none of them did. Then, of course, the fact that there were no women hanging out with these men at night made it even more doubtful. Just another reason why there should be more female Hunters. Kile receded back into the shadows of the alley.

-We go now?-

Vesper asked.

“Unfortunately we can’t, not right now. Not with all these Hunters around.” Kile replied as she leaned against the wall and finished off her apple.

-Hunters?-

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. They must have found Grim. My guess it the vir at the stables must have recognized me.” She said as she looked to the roof tops. “There’s no telling how many are watching this place. I’d probably get shot the second I leave the alley.”

She lifted Vesper out of her pouch and set him down on the sidewalk.

“It’s up to you now Vesper. You have to get in there and get Grim out. I’ll try to lead them away from the stables.”

-Vesper get Grim.-

The yarrow said as he took off across the street. He went unnoticed by the Hunter as he disappeared through a small hole in the side of the stables. It didn’t take long before Kile heard that familiar crash of Grim kicking open the stall doors. There was another loud crash, followed by some rather fluent cursing as a man stumbled out of the stables into the courtyard. The Hunters finally realized that something was wrong as they moved from their places of surveillance.

As the Hunters converged onto the stables, Kile emerged from her hiding place in the shadows. With the apple core in hand she threw it at the back of the first Hunter’s head that she saw, at least she hoped it was a Hunter and she didn’t just assault an innocent civilian.

The man shouted as he spun around in the streets.

Kile just waved to him as she ran off in the opposite direction.

“She’s over there.”

“No she’s not, she’s in there.”

There was a decent amount of confusion as to whether or not Kile was who she appeared to be, but a few Hunters did take up the pursuit as she turned down one of the side roads, the last thing she heard was the stable doors, and possibly the entire stables, crashing down.

She had attempted to make a short circle through the streets and meet up with Grim, but it was no use, not only were the Hunters after her, but it would appear that the city guard had been alerted to her presence as armored men blocked the side streets. She slid to a stop and scrambled to change direction as the watch gave pursuit.

“This was not one of my best ideas.” She said as she tried turning down yet another street, but this one had been blocked as well.

Her only option now was to take an alternate route as she pushed past a shop owner who was just starting to close up for the night.

“You can’t come in here.” He shouted, although he made no attempt to stop her.

“Sorry.” She called out as she ran through the shop and into the back room.

“Are you kidding me? I pick the only shop in Littenbeck without an alley exit?”  She shouted as she slammed her hands against the wall. She quickly turned around and ran back into the showroom. She could already see the guards coming up the street through the shop’s window.

“Get out, you can’t be in here, I’m closed. Leave now or I’ll call for the watch.” The shop owner yelled as she ran past him again.

“Too late, they’re already on their way.” She replied as she took the stairs up to the second floor. She excused herself as she slipped past and older woman, probably the shop owner's wife and into one of the bedrooms. Pulling open the dormer windows, she crawled out onto the shop’s rather steep roof. She could already hear the sound of men on the second floor as she climbed to the peak.

Something barely missed her head as it struck the clay tiles beside her and slid harmlessly down to the street below. Of course there were bowmen on the opposite side of the street. Why wouldn’t there be?

Scrambling up the sloped roof as quickly as she could and sliding down the other side before another shot bounced off the tiles, she jumped the narrow alley to a flat roofed building. She could already hear the whistles that called to the city watch. By now it felt as if half the city was after her.

There was no turning back now as she ran across the rooftops, trying to stay ahead of the Hunters. The noises at the street level caught her attention and she stopped when she saw a large black horse barreling down the streets with four mounted guards closing in on him.

“Grim. South Gate.” She shouted as the Mountain Pony pasted just below her.

She didn’t wait to see if he heard. Her own pursuers were getting too close.

The next building was a good distance away, but she didn’t hesitate as she jumped the span, landing hard on the opposite side. She knew the pursuing Hunters couldn’t make that jump, she wasn’t even sure why she was able to make that jump, but she used the time to catch her breath.

One of her pursuers sought an alternate route, but the second hunters started to walk across the gap over an unseen bridge. It was an impressive trick, one that she wished she knew, but she wasn’t going to wait around and ask him to teach it to her.

“Let’s see him try this one.” She said as she jumped the street to the next building. It was a lot further than she had estimated and she barely made it, landing on the very edge of the wall. She had to throw herself forward, rolling hard across the roof’s surface before getting to her feet. It was an impossible jump, one that nobody should have been able to make. Even the Hunter with his wind walking edge wasn’t going to try it. He stood on the far side, shaking his head and staring in awe. She looked across the span, then down to the street below. By all accounts, that was where she should have landed, broken in the middle of the street.

The city was now waking up, not because it wanted to, but because the guards were moving from house to shop, entering buildings in an attempt to get to the rooftops. Civilians were pouring out into the streets to see what all the commotion was about which only added to the confusion on the ground level. The sound of screaming caught her attention as people were diving for cover when a large, hairy black horse turned the corner and was making one final run for the Southern Gate.

Kile jumped down to the lower buildings and ran along the edge of the awnings as she called out to Grim. The Mountain Pony slowed up just long enough for her to make one desperate leap off the edge and onto his back. It was not the most graceful maneuver as she landed with her feet on one side and her head on the other, the impact driving the air from her lungs, even Grim felt it as he cursed loudly. She had never known a horse to have as foul a mouth as the Mountain Pony.

-Can we go now?-

Grim asked.

“Yeah, I think we outstayed our welcome.” Kile shouted as she tried to right herself on his back. They turned the last corner and the Southern Gate was now in their sights.

Fortunately only the Lord of the city could order the gates closed, and it would appear that the watch hadn’t gotten that order as the gates remained open. The only thing standing between them and their freedom were the guards blocking the road, but only Kile saw them as an obstacle, Grim saw them as a target. The Mountain Pony never slowed as he barreled down on the men. Those that didn’t move out of the way fast enough were thrown aside by the Pony sprinted through the open gate.

-Kile… Friends-

Vesper called out from his place between Grim’s ears.

The bats hadn’t abandoned her yet, as swarms of the flying vermin kept the men on the gates busy, now the only thing left were the riders still in pursuit. Although she would have preferred to ask the horses not to follow her, and she was sure that they would have listened, the guards on top of them may not be as understating.

Kile turned around on Grim’s back to face her pursuers. Blocking out the thunderous sound of the Mountain Pony’s hoofs, she reached out to them with the Maligar. The thick strands of her edge stretched out across the distance to merge with the Guard’s mounts. Instantly she was linked with them and could actually see herself riding away from herself. She didn’t try to reason it out, or to prolong the strain, she just left them one command before she broke the connection. Snapping back to her own reality was the worse part as it usually left her dazed, and she almost fell off Grim’s back as he charged down the road, but she managed to hold on and watched as the horses started to return to the city, much to the confusion of their riders.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

12

 

“You let her get away.”

Andrew Drain slammed his hands on his desk, knocking off a few books and a small wooden box that spilled its contents on the floor. Grey stooped to pick it up, but one look from Drain and he thought better of it.

“A Level one Hunter and you can’t bring me one child… a little girl.” He shouted as he brushed back what little hair he had.

Andrew Drain was a round, vain man who fought against aging every step of the way. He wore a girdle under his fine silk clothing, dyed his hair with coal oil and combed it in creative ways to cover the fact that he had very little of it. None of it actually worked, and now he only looked older as he dropped back into his chair, burying his face in his hands.

“We ran into a little… bad luck sir.” Grey remarked, although with his nose bandaged up, he didn’t sound very convincing.

Drain looked up from between his fingers. “Bad luck?” He repeated. “You had a little bad luck?”

“Well… yes sir. We had her surrounded, we were closing in but… well sir… the bats.”

“Bat?”

“Yes sir, it would appear that my men ran into a nest of… bats.”

“Bats, so you’re saying bats stopped you from capturing her?”

“Well… no, not exactly sir… they just…”

“They just what? Did they carry her off? Did they cover for her? Maybe the deliberately helped her to escape, that’s it, isn’t it Grey, The bats actually helped her escape is that what you telling me.”

“Well… it kind of seemed so.”

“I give you three level one Hunters, two experienced trackers, six soldiers and you give me… bats.”

Erin sat silently beside the door, watching the exchange. Although she enjoyed seeing Grey chews out by Drain, she couldn’t help but think that the old man might be on the right track. How else could she explain where the bats came from, or why they attacked her on the rooftop, okay, maybe attack is a strong word, they didn’t do any harm, they just interfered. She had never heard of anyone being able to summon bats as a defense before but there had been rumors of certain Hunters that had unusual or unique edges. They had often been referred to as freaks. Was Kile one of these freaks? Then again the jump she made across the alley could have been a type of wind walking art, although Erin never saw her actually use the edge. The more she thought about it, the more question it rose.

“Certified level one Hunter Erin Silvia.”

Erin looked up to see Drain staring at her. She quickly got to her feet and stood beside Gray who seemed relieved that Drain had another target to aim his frustrations at.

“Sorry Councilman Drain.” Erin replied.

“Am I to believe that you are after the fugitive Kile Veller as well?” He asked, although it was clear by the tone that he already knew the answer.

“Yes sir, I was appointed the task of bringing her in.”

“By whom?”

Again, he already knew the answer.

“Guild Master Latherby.”

“I see.” Drain replied.

She was grateful to see that the name of Latherby still held a little power in the council room as Drain’s temperament subsided, although it wasn’t all that much.

“So, Guild Master Lathery has appointed you to bring in Veller?”

“Yes sir.”

“What success have you had?”

Prudence was necessary at this point. Although Drain couldn’t reside over Kile’s hearing, should it get that far, he would still hold sway over the council. That meant that any evidence that Erin revealed at this point could be manipulated against her.

“Well sir, we tracked her to Coopervill, but a clumsy attempt by a couple of overzealous Hunter to bring her in resulted in her fleeing before we got there. We continued our investigations which lead us back to Littenbeck, but our assistance was denied, and it would appear that she had gotten away again.”

“I see.” Drain calmly replied as his eyes shifted over to Grey. “Do you know where she could be heading now?”

“I’m afraid not sir. The guards that pursued her outside the wall returned… unexpectedly.”

“Why was that?”

Although she wanted to tell him it was because the guard’s mounts had decided they wanted to return home, much to the guard’s embarrassment, she didn’t want to set the old man off again.

“They did not say sir.”

“So, this young girl has not only managed to elude some of the best Hunters, but the entire Littenbeck guard.  How do you account for that Hunter Silvia?”

“I have no explanation sir.”

“It would seem to me, that at this junction, we should be pooling our resources. I wish to have Hunter Grey assist you in bringing in the fugitive Kile Veller.”

“But sir, I don’t think that's necessary.” She objected.

“Nonsense.” Drain replied with a wave of his hand as if he was doing her a favor. “I insist. Grey has an excellent retrieval record. He could be of great help to you in tracking down and apprehending this fugitive.”

“Yes sir… of course sir.” She replied.

Although she would prefer to be as far away from Grey as possible, she also knew that having him close meant she could keep an eye on him. His attempt to bring Kile in at the Tally house was too heavy handed. It appeared to be more of an extermination rather than an apprehension.

“Then it’s settled.” Drain said, rubbing his hands together. “If you would wait outside Hunter Silvia, I have a personal matter that I must discuss with Hunter Grey.”

“Yes sir.” She replied with a nodding bow.

It was never a good sign when Councilmen Drain was happy.

She stepped out into the hall, letting the door close behind her. Why did his office always feel like it was stuck in the middle of winter she wondered as she rubbed her arms?

“So, how did it go?”

“Not too good sir, I think he’s up to something.” Erin replied.

“I know he’s up to something, I just don’t know what… yet.”

Mathew Latherby stepped out of the shadows as he stared at the closed door.

“I don’t think he has any intentions of brining Kile in… alive.”

“I was afraid of that.” Latherby replied.

The door opened as Grey stepped out. He didn’t look nearly as annoyed as he had when he first learned he would be working with Erin, which only meant that the personal matter that Drain needed to speak to him about, was something that set the Hunter’s mind at ease. It was either that or the fact that his bandaged nose made him look too comical to take seriously.

“Who were you talking to?” Grey asked.

Erin looked down the hall, but Latherby was gone.

“Nobody, so, are you ready.”

“I suppose.”  He said as he fell in step behind her. “So, what now?”

“Information, but first we get something to eat.” She added.

 

***

 

The Iron Table was a small establishment just outside the ring of Guild buildings, which meant that most of the Hunter came there to eat, and today was no exception. The topic of conversation at each of the tables didn’t really come as a surprise to Erin as she walked to the back of the room with Grey in tow. It was all about the mass confusion throughout the streets of Littenbeck, even if most of the hunters didn’t really know what it was all about. Hearing the different takes on the events of last night was rather amusing as they covered everything from a rabid dog to an escape Wili.

She found Daniel and Folkstaff sitting at one of the tables, tucked away in the back of the room, away from the crowds. Daniel stood up as Erin approached.

“What’s he doing here?” He asked as he pointed a finger at Grey.

“He’s going to help us.” She said, and as the words left her lips, she found them hard to believe.

“The more the merrier I suppose.” Folkstaff replied in his casual way.

“So, did you get in contact with him?” She asked a she took a seat opposite Folkstaff.

“I found him.” Folkstaff replied. “And I told him you wished to speak with him. Whether he actually comes or not, well, you know how they can be.”

“I suppose I do.”

“And who are we suppose to be meeting here?” Grey asked.

“I’m hoping someone who can give us a little more information on our target.”

“Kile is not a target.” Daniel shouted.

“Ease up boy, your scaring the civilians.” Folkstaff replied. “It’s just a figure of speech.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t like it.”

“Maybe we should leave the… kid at home.” Grey added.

“Kid! I’ll have you know that I’m the same age as Kile, and from where I’m sitting it looks like she kicked your ass pretty good.”

“Is that what you think kid?” Gray asked as he pushed out his chair.

“Oh come on. It’s like watching a pair of first years. We don’t have time, and I don’t have the patience.” Erin interrupted.

Grey slowly sank back into his seat, his eyes never leaving Daniel as he addressed Erin. “So, who is this informant we’re supposed to meet.”

“I’m assuming that would be me.” Morgan Vain replied as he appeared in the vacant seat beside Erin. He was a tall, slim balding man with narrow eyes and sunken cheeks, a pair of thin wired rimmed glasses perched on the end of a pointed nose. He wore the yellow robes of a scholar mystic. Daniel almost fell off his chair at the sudden appearance of his mystic arts instructor. Even Grey seemed unnerved by the old man, only Folkstaff showed no reaction.

“I’m glad you could make time for us.” Erin said as she tried to hide the fact that even she had been startled by his sudden appearance.

“Time… I do not make time, I use the time that is available to me.” Morgan said as he produced a cup of rosemary tea from the air in front of him.

“And I’ll try not to take up any more of your time than necessary.” Erin replied. “I just have a few questions, what do you know of Emara Lon.”

“Emara Lon. What does she have to do with finding Veller?” Grey demanded.

“This is my investigation Grey. If you don’t like the way it’s going, you’re more than welcome to return to Councilmen Drain and ask him for another assignment.” Erin told him. Grey leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Emara Lon is a very skilled mystic, or she would be if she would concentrate more on her studies.”

“So she’s returned to the tower?” Daniel asked.

“No, as far as I know she had not. She went missing over a week ago. We have yet to find her.”

“She was taken by the fugitive Veller.” Grey replied. “She’s probably dead by now.”

Morgan casually took a sip of his tea, before replying. “If you truly believe that, then you know very little of your subject.”

“So you don’t think Kile could have done it?” Erin asked.

“I’ve taught her for three years at the Academy. Not one of my best students when it came to the mystic arts, but definitely up there. If you believe that she killed, let alone kidnapped Emara Lon, then I’m afraid you’ll never find her.”

“What’s that suppose to mean.”

“It means… you’re obviously looking for the wrong girl. The Kile you’re looking for, does not exist.”

“So you say.” Grey replied. “If you’re her mystic instructor, then what’s her edge?”

“Even you should know that I cannot tell you that. The edge of a Hunter is known only by the Hunter and the mystic that teaches them.”

“Her Hunter status has been revoked. She is no longer a hunter and therefore is no longer afforded the privilege of your silence. So, what is her edge?”

“So, she has been tried already?”

“Tried… well no, not yet.”

“Not even in abstention.”

“Um… no, not exactly.”

“Then I’m afraid I can not tell you anything. Your council may have revoked her status as a hunter, but that does not mean I have. Until she is found guilty of the crimes you believe she has committed, she is still a hunter.”

“Is there anything you could tell us about her, anything that might help?” Erin asked.

Morgan set his cup down on the table, leaning forward as he stroked his beard the way most mystics did when they were thinking. He looked at Erin carefully, and when mystics look at anyone carefully, it was difficult to know what they were actually seeing, but what he saw did force him to hesitate.

“I understand.” He said, nodding his head slowly, although Erin wasn’t sure what he understood. “I will tell you what you need to know, but only you.”

“Doesn’t work that way mystic.” Grey replied. “We’re looking for Veller together, whatever you tell her, you tell me.”

“Of course, I did not mean to be rude.” Morgan said as he leaned back in his chair, pushing his glasses back up his nose. “But not here, too many ears. There is a lovely spot just outside the city walls. I will meet you there, but I can’t stay long, there is so much for me to do.”

“If we must. Shall we go then?” Grey asked as he pushed himself away from the table and got to his feet.

“Of course, I will meet you there.” Morgan said as he held out one hand to Erin. “Do you require a lift my dear?”

“A lift?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth then she felt as if she was being pulled through a hole in space, only to find herself sitting in an overstuffed wing back chair in the middle of a field. Morgan sat across from her in a matching chair, his yellow robes pooled about him, the cup of tea still in his hand.

“Such an obnoxious individual.” Morgan commented.

“Where are we?” Erin asked as she looked around the clearing, but she couldn’t see anything that looked familiar, not that there was anything to look at, the only things around them were a few trees and a lot of grass.

“Don’t worry. We’re still in Aru, the Setton province to be exact.” Morgan replied.

“Setton… the Setton Province. You said a spot just outside the city walls.”

“We are outside the city walls.”

“We’re about a three day trek outside the city walls.” Erin exclaimed.

“That would depend on what city you are referring to.” Morgan replied. “I never specified, now ask me your questions, and I will answer the best I can.”

The problem when dealing with mystics was that they never did anything the easy way.

“I need to know what Kile can do.”

“You want to know her edge.” Morgan said with a grin as he waved his hand. The cup of rosemary tea disappeared. “How much do you think you know?”

“It is an edge like nothing I’ve ever seen or heard of before.”

“This is true.”

“She’s a freak… isn’t she?”

Morgan rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Such a harsh word for something we don’t yet understand. I prefer the word that Kile used, she is a… miscellaneous.”

“Call it what you want, it still doesn’t fit the definition of the mystic arts that I was taught when I was at the academy.”

“Not to put too fine a point on it dear, but what Hunters know about the mystic arts is about as much as a blade of grass in an open meadow.” He said as he stretched out his arms.

“Fine, I’m not really here to discuss the merits of what the Hunters know. I need to know what Kile is capable of if I’m to bring her in.”

“Regrettably, I cannot help you.”

“Why not? You said you would.”

“And I will, but I can not tell you what she is capable of, since I don’t know.”

“But you’re her teacher.”

“Please understand, yes I was her teacher, but as you have pointed out, she is… in your words… a freak. Her edge does not fall into the same categories as most hunters, she is unique, and because she is unique, I have no idea what she is capable of. What I do know, from my time with her at the academy, is that she has a strong connection with the natural realm, possibly a bit too strong, and that may be the problem.”

“Problem? What do you mean?”

“As I observed her during my time as her mystic arts instructor, I noticed a few qualities about her edge. To start with, she can communicate with animals, to such a degree that she can actually experience what they experience. She can see what they see, feel what they feel, it is a very unusual gift, one that I have not seen and have only read about in old books dealing with the alva. She also has the ability to command, or control animals when she puts her mind to it, an ability that affects her… quite deeply.”

“Deeply? How deeply?”

“I fear that it may strain her very psyche.”

“Are you saying she could go… mad?”

“It is possible. What you have to understand is that she walks the line between our world and the natural world. As long as she maintains that balancing act, she is fine.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“There’s no telling what could happen. It is unprecedented in the mystic history. You must realize at this point that she identifies more with the natural world than she does with our world.”

“Thank you Morgan.” Erin said as she got up, with a little difficulty, from the overstuffed wingback chair.

“I hope that what I’ve told you will help.” The mystic replied. “But think on this, you are not hunting just a girl, nor are you hunting an animal, but some combination of both. At the moment, she is running and that makes her unpredictable, corner her, and that makes her dangerous.”

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind.” Erin replied.

“Then with that, I bid you good luck.” Morgan said as he got up from his own chair. “And please give my regards to your obnoxious friend. Tell him I just couldn’t wait any longer.”

Before Erin could say anything more, the yellow mystic waved his hands and she felt herself being pulled back through reality to stand once again inside the Iron Table. Grey quickly jumped to his feet at her sudden appearance.

“Where did you go? What did he tell you?” The Hunter demanded.

“That’s not important.” Erin replied dismissively. “What is important is we have to find out where she’s going now.”

“Last report from the guards that tried to pursue her was that she was heading south, and at a good clip too.” Folkstaff replied.

“Then I guess that’s where we’re going.”

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

13

 

“This doesn’t make any sense what so ever.” Kile said as she flipped through the burnt pages of the book. “It’s just too damaged.”

The girl was reclining on the back of the Mountain Pony, her head on his neck her feet propped up on his backside as Grim kept a steady pace going absolutely nowhere. Vesper rode between the Pony’s ears keeping a look out since the yarrow had proven that his eyesight was sharper than either of theirs. A simple squeak of a warning and the Mountain Pony would move off the road to avoid any unwanted attention.

“Okay, what do you make of this one.” Kile said as she bent the book back and started to read. “What we did, we did for King and country, and the deeds that I have written within these pages may have just doomed us all, but if history cannot forgive us our sins, I can only pray that the gods may. It is…”

-It is what?-

Grim asked.

“That's just it, I can’t make out anything more, the handwriting is too faded and half the page is missing. Didn’t this guy think to use decent ink?”

-Why do you even care? Obviously the book is useless.-

“Then why try to burn it?”

-Because it’s boring… It was probably just burned in the fire.-

“No, this was burned long before the fire. I think whatever was in this book. Brian Tally probably didn’t want anyone to read, so he tried to burn it.”

-Sounds like a good idea to me.-

“Yeah. But then why save it? Why hide it away?”

-Why read it?-

“There may be something important in this, something that will give me a clue as to why this Brian Tally was killed.”

-Probably because he wrote a boring book.-

“I’m guessing it’s something more than that.” She replied. “He’s saying that he did something that history may not forgive him for.”

-Because he wrote a boring book.-

“You’re not helping Grim.”

-I’m a Mountain Pony, what do I know about literature.-

“Not much, that’s for sure.”

-Well old learned one. We are coming to a fork in the road. Which way now?-

She looked up from the book, craning her neck to look behind her, or more precisely in the direction Grim was moving, but nothing looked familiar, not that she thought anything would. She had never been this far south before and had no idea where she should be going. At this point, until she had a better idea of what was going on, one place was as good as another, besides, if she didn’t know where she was going, how could the Hunter get there ahead of her.

“I don’t know.” She replied dismissively as she turned her attentions back to the book, flipping through a few more pages. “You choose this time.”

-I chose last time.-

“Fine, just… keep going right.”

-We keep going right and we’ll end up back where we started from.-

Grim replied as he casually took the road to the right.

-You’re missing one possible connection in your book.-

“And what would that be?”

-He said ‘what we did’, who are the ‘we’? Maybe your dead friend in the forest is part of that ‘we’-

“What, you think David Draw helped Brian Tally do what ever it is that he did.”

-And got himself killed for it.-

“Then Arthur Linny was probably also a member of this group. So all we have to do is find out who the other members are. If we could get to them before the assassin does, then we can catch the assassin.”

-That’s assuming that there are any more members left.-

“Well…. yeah, I guess so. Otherwise all the members are dead and we’re back to where we started from. But then again there was another something in here that might help.” She replied as she quickly flipped through the book. She stopped on a particular bunt page and started to read. “Of the young Hunter, he has received his pay for the part that he has played in this dark conspiracy. If the king had truly known what this man’s part had been would he have understood? Would he have knighted this hunter? For my part, I do not believe so.”

“What do you think? You think he meant a Hunter as in a Guild Hunter, one of us?”

-You’re no longer a hunter.-

“Thanks, like I needed you to rub that in.”

-Just pointing out the obvious.-

“If it’s actually a Guild Hunter, then not all the men in this dark conspiracy were assassinated, since none of the men were Hunters.”

-Twenty one hunters have gone missing, eight more were found dead. How do you know that one of them wasn’t the hunter in the book.-

“Where did you get those numbers from?”

-Some of the other horses were talking.-

“Well, I suppose it is possible, but giving the flair that the assassin went about carrying out these assassinations, and the general age of the three men that are already dead, I figured the hunter would be a lot older, and if he was killed, we would already know about it.”

-The book did say it was a young hunter.-

“Yeah, but the books old.” She said as she spun around and sat up on the Pony’s back. “This is what I got so far. A group of men needed a hunter to help them do something that they believed to be right, but was so bad that they all went into hiding. Now someone is seeking revenge for what they did, and is killing them off one by one.”

-An interesting story, but what did they do? And who wants revenge?-

“No, not just revenge… justice. Ravenshadow said he wanted justice. These men must have done something to Ravenshadow and now he’s seeking his justice, and I was supposed to be kept out of the way long enough so that he could frame me.”

-That’s a bit egotistical, why you.-

“Steele said that Guild Master Latherby supported me at the academy and because of what happened he’s losing support within the council. If I went on a killing spree, he loses his credibility with the council and the Sons of Terrabin take over.”

-And why would this Ravenshadow want the Sons of Terrabin to control the Hunter’s Guild?-

“I have no idea.” She replied. “But so far you can’t deny it does make a certain kind of sense.”

-There are a lot of things that make a certain kind of sense, that doesn’t mean they are right.-

“Well, no, but it’s the best I can come it with so far.”

-What about the ring?-

She looked down at the ring she was wearing on her finger, it seemed like the safest place to keep it at the moment. There was a familiarity about the crest on the ring, she had seen in on a few of the bounties that had been posted to the board back at the Guild house, including her own. Those bounties would have been the ones scripted by the crown. The crest was similar to that of the royal crest, but as similar as it was, there were distinct differences. The most noticeable difference was that the royal crest had the symbol of a bird over the engraving of a tree. This one had a horse beside a similar looking tree. That meant the ring could have belonged to royalty or it could have been a forgery, she knew as much about jewelry as she did the royal family and that wasn’t all that much.

They plodded along in silence a little further down the road when she started to flip through the pages of the book again. She had been through it back to front and back again but it was the only piece of evidence that she had, and the only thing that even suggested that it knew what was going on. If only she could talk to books, then maybe she’d get some answers, of course, with the damage this book had sustained, it was probably very sick or possible dead already.

It was only the first half of the book that had been burned, after a certain number of pages, the second half, although having nothing of any real importance written in it, had not sustained as much damage. That was about twenty-three pages into a book that contained nearly fifty. She opened the book to the twenty-third page and held it out in her hand as the man who had tried to destroy it must have done. What was on that page that Brian Tally wanted to watch burn? What was on that page that he had second thoughts about destroying? She turned the book around, looking at it from a different angle.

“Hold up Grim.” She called out to the Mountain Pony that stopped in the middle of the road. The light was beginning to fade as the sun was starting to set, but she was still able to make out the row of boxes and the funny lines at the bottom of the page.

“It’s a code.” She said as she turned the book around a few times. It was difficult to tell which side of the code was up. “It’s an old code. Master Adams taught us these back at the academy, one of the few things I stayed awake for.”

-So, what does it say?-

“I don’t know.”

-Oh, well that's a big help.-

“I mean I don’t know right now. I think I can break it if I can remember the keys. Come on, we’ll set up here for the night.”

They moved off the road a ways, into the denser part of the wooded area until they found a small gully with high embankments. It was not well suited as a camp site since the ground was still pretty damp and would only get worse before the morning, but at least it would hide the light of the small fire that she needed to read the book by.  They foraged for food which amounted to a handful of berries and a few green leaves that the local rabbit population swore by, and the only blanket that she had to keep herself warm was the table cloth that Alisa had wrapped her supplies in.

Starting the fire was pretty simple, even without the aid of a tinderbox. She had learned the technique from a crow, a very intelligent crow by the name of Kaza. What annoyed her most was that Kaza would probably know the keys to the code that she was trying to decipher.

A few tries and a few failures and a few words that she created that she couldn’t even pronounce, but she knew she was on the right track when she spelled out the name of David Draw.

“Grim you were right?” She exclaimed as she held the book up.

-Of course I was.-

The Mountain pony replied as he looked over at her still half asleep.

-What was I right about?-

“David Draw and Brian Tally were both in on it, and I’m guessing this name was Author Linny, but I don’t know who Garret B- is, the rest of his family name was destroyed as were the two names after his, all I know is one starts with an A and the other one with an E. But this name I do recognize, Rothershire.”

-Never heard of him… good night.-

“There was an old man that lived just outside of Riverport by the name of Rothershire, William Rothershire. If nothing else, maybe he’s a relative.”

-Riverport… Home?-

Vesper asked from his sleeping place beside the fire.

“No. Not quite.” Kile replied as she closed the book and lay back on the table cloth. It wasn’t exactly home. It was just the place she grew up.

 

When the dawn came, the ground proved even damper than Kile had first anticipated, it even extinguished the fire. For breakfast they finished off the last of the berries and the green leaves, for which she would have to thank the rabbits for. They tasted a lot better than they smelled which really wasn’t saying much. She shook out her tablecloth and rolled what little supplies she still had inside before tying them to Grim.

-Oh come on, it’s still early.-

Grim complained as she checked the straps.

“I know. I want to get an early start.”

She said as she pulled herself up onto the back of the Mountain Pony. Once they got to the main road they headed north, she might not have known exactly where she was, but she knew that Riverport was far enough north that she was bound to stumble upon something she remembered from her maps if she headed in that direction.

They kept to the road for most of the morning, but as the day progressed, there appeared to be more and more traffic. With the increase in the number of merchants using the road, they were probably in the eastern trade routs by now, which meant the chance of them being recognized increased. There just weren’t too many young red headed girls riding mountain ponies these days. Daytime travel was too dangerous so she steered Grim toward the open fields where they found a safe place to wait until nightfall. As she sat against one of the trees, she studied the old book, but found no more useful information. The odd code was just that, an oddity, and was not repeated on any of the other pages.

She managed to speak with a few of the local birds and got a pretty good sense of where she was from their descriptions and their visions of the surrounding area. The nearest city was that of Noroton, a place that she was familiar with. At the age of fourteen, it was the first city she had seen outside of Riverport, not that Riverport could ever be called a city. She had arrived in the back of a merchant’s wagon. From there she purchased a carriage ticket to take her the rest of the way to Littenbeck where she took the entry examination for the Hunter’s Academy. That was nearly four years ago. In that short space of time she had not only taken and passed the examination, but she had also been admitted to and graduated from the Academy, became a Hunter, had her status as a hunter revoked and was now the most wanted criminal in all of Aru. Strange how things turned out.

-Fire.-

Vesper shouted in her head, bringing her back to reality. She didn’t have to actually see what the yarrow was seeing; the image that he attached to the word was enough to recognize it as a campfire.

“Hold up Grim.”

The Mountain Pony stopped in the middle of the field and it took them a few moments to see the light that the yarrow pointed out. It was still a good distance away, hidden among the trees. It was a single, open fire, not something the merchants would have set up. Their campsites tend to be larger as they circle their wagons and usually have three or four of them going at one time. A single fire usually meant a small group of travelers crossing through the wild, and if people were crossing through the wild, they usually hired a Hunter.

-We should avoid it.-

Grim replied as he started to move away from the fire.

“Hold a minute.” She said as strained to see the campfire better. “I think this deserves a closer look.”

-Fine… whatever.-

She slid off the back of the Pony, falling lightly to the grass. Vesper jumped from his place between the horse’s ears to her shoulder.

“Stay here Grim.”

-Like I was even going to get any closer.-

She ignored him as she slowly approached the camp, keeping as low and as quite as the surrounding grass allowed. She found it easy moving through the night. Oddly enough it wasn’t as dark as it used to be. Morgan had told her that she was channeling the night vision of Vesper when she tried to explain it to the mystic, but now she wasn’t so sure. Even when Vesper wasn’t with her she found she could see very well in even the darkest of nights.

Stopping well away from the campsite she crouched down in the tall grass and sniffed at the air. The smells were familiar, as she had feared. It was difficult to actually describe a smell, but everyone’s scent was different, and she knew these smells. It was almost as if she knew who would be at the campsite before she even saw it.

The smell of lavender and leather meant that Erin Silvia was closer than she had thought. It wasn’t as if she had been trying to cover her tracks. She had anticipated at least a two day head start over the Hunter, but that no longer seemed to be the case. Of course she had spent most of that time wandering aimless looking for a direction to travel in, now that she had it, it took her back over her previous trail. The scent of mushrooms and earth better explained why they were able to follow her so quickly, that was Master Folkstaff’s scent. He was her survival instructor at the academy. If anyone could track anyone through anything, it was surely him.

There was also the smell of herbs and peppermint, the scent that she associated with Daniel Leary, but it couldn’t be him. Daniel was a healer at the hospital. He didn’t have much field experience. If he was out here, he was a long way out of his element.

The scent that unnerved her most was the strong odor of tobacco and ginger, which was the unknown hunter that had tried to kill her at the Tally house. Why was he traveling with Erin and the others? It could only mean one thing, that the encounter at the Tally house was a trap. They must have been in on it together. Did that mean that Daniel betrayed her? There was really no other explanation. It was a trap and she walked right into it, and Daniel was the one that baited it for them.

She moved around the outer perimeter of the campsite as she approached the Hunters’ horses.

-Kile?-

A beautiful dapple grey mare turned her head toward the girl when she got closer.

“Hello Miliea.” She whispered as she stroked the horse’s nose. “Is Daniel treating you well?”

-Yes, Daniel master.-

Miliea replied and with those words came the feelings of a very happy content horse.

It was great to see that the dapple grey was doing so well. She was one yes away from becoming Kile’s, but sheer stubbornness prevented that. Kile couldn’t abandon Grim back then, even if the Mountain Pony wasn’t being very receptive.

“Hello Elemia, do you remember me?” Kile asked the horse next to Miliea. She had only seen Elemia once and didn’t have the opportunity to speak with her, but the horse was only too happy to see the girl.

-Remember Kile.-

Elemia replied, and it was strange to see their first meeting through the eyes of the horse as she remembered it.

“And who do we have here?” Kile asked as she moved down the line.

-Pathfinder.-

The horse replied.

It wasn’t too difficult to figure out whose horse this was. Most hunters had a habit of overstating the obvious. Only one of the best trackers in the guild would have named their horse pathfinder.

“So, you belong to Master Folkstaff. What is your real name?”

-Belegar.-

Pathfinder replied.

“Belegar, I think that name suits you better.” Kile smiled.

Pathfinder or Belegar shook out his mane and seemed genuinely pleased to hear his name spoken by a vir.

“And what about you, what do they call you?” Kile asked as she approached the black and grey stallion that was watching her closely.

-Storm Cloud.-

The horse replied reluctantly.

There it was again, a complete lack of originality on behalf of a hunter.

“What’s your real name?” She asked as she stroked the stallion’s nose.

-Kenara-

The horse replied.

“It’s nice to meet you Kenara. Could you tell me who your rider is?”

-Name is Grey…Samuel Grey.-

As Kenara spoke the name, it carried with it visions of a man doing things that Kile wished she had not seen. A very cruel, manipulative man that had only one agenda and that was to get ahead by any means necessary. At least now she knew who the greatest threat in the group was.

“So, where are you guys heading?” She asked.

-We follow Belegar.-

Elemia replied.

“And where is Belegar going?”

-I go where master tells me to go.-

It was always difficult to get a straight answer from a horse. They are usually completely devoted to their masters, even ones that they don’t like, and they care very little about the day to day problems. As long as they have food, water and a warm place to sleep, they were generally happy, but then that really went for most of the natural world, it was only vir that insist on placing obstacles in their paths.

“How long have you guys been on the road?”

-Two sleeps under sky.-

Kenara replied.

That was easy, two sleeps meant two days. They must have left the city of Littenbeck two days ago, which meant they were covering more ground than she was. In another day or two, at the rate she was going, they would have overtaken her.

“You couldn’t like, slow down or maybe go off course?”

-Why do that?-

Belegar asked.

“Never mind.” Kile said, shaking her head. It was no use trying to persuade them to go against their rider's wishes, it just wasn’t in the nature of horses, at least it wasn’t in the nature of normal horses. Grim was another case altogether.

“I’ll see you guys later. Okay?” She said as she moved away from the horses, back around the outer edge of the campsite.

She didn’t dare get too close, although they didn’t have anyone on watch, but that really didn’t surprise her. They were in the southern provinces, which was as safe as the wild could be, and they were only two days out of Littenbeck, besides, the only threat the Hunter would have on an assignment like this, was from the bounty they were chasing, and that would be Kile. If she looked at it that way, it was kind of like an insult. If she was supposed to be this deadly assassin, shouldn’t they be more careful.

Keeping a safe distance from the campsite she fell into her edge and reached out through the forest, touching every animal she could sense, until she found the ones she wanted. It didn’t take long before six curious raccoons answered her call.

“Just the guys I’m looking for.” She said as she turned to see their black masked faces. “I was wondering if you could help me out. There’s food in it for you if you do.”

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

14

 

Erin awoke to the sound of the birds in the trees as she pulled the blanket over her head and tried to block out the noise. There were very few assignments that she had been assigned that she was reluctant to see through, and this was one of them. Whether it was the bounty that she was required to bring in at any coast, or the company she was forced to cooperate with to bring in that bounty, this was one assignment she wished she never accepted, although she wasn’t given much of a choice.

The entire thing was blown out of proportion from the start. If it had been any other Hunter that had been accused of the crimes that Kile was accused of, he would have been given the opportunity to turn himself in and explain his actions before the council. Not only was Kile not given that option, but Erin was starting to believe that the council had no intentions of giving her the opportunity to explain her side, and yet Erin still had to bring her in and what made it worse, was that now Kile thought Erin was in on it as well.

Right now the girl was out there alone with the feeling that no one believed in her, that no one was on her side, and in some ways she was right. There really wasn’t anyone looking into the assassinations. The council had already closed that case even after the recent deaths. It is their belief that Kile was the assassin and no other explanation was needed. Instead of a trial, Erin was brining the girl in for her execution, which only confirmed Kile’s accusation, that Erin was just another part of it.

They had left Littenbeck two days ago and picked up Kile’s trail before the end of the first day. It wasn’t that difficult. She had only recently graduated from the Academy, she was only a level five hunter, she wasn’t very skilled in wilderness survival, and the trail was so easy to follow that any first year worth his admittance into the Academy could have done it. At the rate they were going and the signs that Kile was leaving behind, they would be able to overtake her by day’s end. In some ways it was a relief. It would mark an end to the assignment, but at what cost?

She turned over and closed her eyes. Maybe she could give Kile just a few more hours of freedom.

“It’s no use. You’re going to have to get up sometime.” Folkstaff said from his place beside the tree. She was beginning to wonder if the man ever slept.

“What’s the rush?” She mumbled.

“Oh… no rush.” He replied.

Erin opened her eyes.

Was that a note of amusement in his voice?

“Is this good news of bad news, and do I want to hear it?” She asked from under her blanket.

“That would depend on how you look at it.”

There was no getting around it. She would have to get up sooner or later to see what obstacles the day had just dumped on her. It was clear that Folkstaff wasn’t going to just tell her. She sat up, letting the blanket fall from her face, running her hands through her hair as she yawned, stretched and tried to assure herself that this was all going to turn out for the best. She looked around the campsite, so much for optimism.

“Where are supplies?” She asked calmly.

“Gone.” Folkstaff replied.

Daniel was still sleeping on one side of the fire that had long gone out, wrapped tightly in his blanket. She would have to tell him that no Hunter wraps himself in his blanket when he sleeps, it only makes it that much harder if they have to get up fast in the night. Aside from the little tricks of the trade he still needed to learn, she was impressed with the young Hunter. He hardly said a word during their rather rapid travel of the last two days, even though she knew he wanted to. Most fifth level hunters she had the displeasure of working with usually did. They weren’t used to spending that much time in the saddle. He was a good boy, but he wasn’t cut out to be a field Hunter. If the rumors about his abilities and his edge were even half true, his place was definitely in the hospital.

Then there was certified level one hunter Grey, who was fast asleep on the opposite side of the camp. If she had her way she would leave him behind at the first opportunity that she got, and if it was in the middle of the ocean, or in the center of the wasteland, so much the better.

She got up, stretched the kinks out of her back, shook out her blanket and rolled it up before looking over the campsite once again hoping that maybe her first assessment of the situation was an over exaggeration. Unfortunately it wasn’t. The backpacks that sat off to one side, the spare pack that was sitting by the fire, even the water skins that were hanging from a nearby branch were all missing.

“All the supplies are gone?” She asked.

“It would seem that way.” Folkstaff replied.

He was sitting beneath one of the trees, weaving together blades of grass into a long chain. Why he did this, she never did ask, it was just something he did to pass the time.

“The horses?”

“They're still here.”

“Tracks?”