“Not a one, I’ve been around the site three times, couldn’t find a trace of anything.”

“Did you… you know?”

“Listen to the earth. First thing I did, and it’s not telling me anything I didn’t already know.”

“So, what do you make of it?” She asked.

Folkstaff got up and dusted off his pants, then looked around the forest once again, as if trying to find something that he missed. He finally just shook his head and grinned.

“Damn. I’m impressed. I underestimated her. She’s a lot better than I gave her credit for.”

“So, you’re sure it Kile?” She asked, matching his grin.

“If it was anyone else, they would have taken the horses or even tried to do us in. She just took the supplies. It looks like she got just about everything too. You do realize that we have to catch her now, just to find out how she did it.”

“I suppose we’ll have to head back to Littenbeck to stock up, that’s going to put us, at least another day or two behind her.”

“More than that.” Folkstaff replied.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I wasn’t joking when I said I couldn’t find any trace of her.”

“Are you serious?” She asked. She thought he was thinking along the same lines as she was. Anything to give Kile a little extra time. But if the girl somehow managed to hide her tracks even from him, then they had no idea of where she was heading.

“You might as well get sleeping beauty up, I’ll wake Daniel.” She sighed as she dropped her blanket on the ground beside the spent fire and kicked the young Hunter’s boot.

“What? Is it morning already?” Daniel yawned.

“It’s been morning for the last hour.” She replied. “Come on, get up, we have a small problem.”

“Problem, what… Is someone hurt?” He asked as he struggled to get out of his tightly wrapped blanket.

“No, no ones hurt.” She replied.

“What… What’s going on?” Grey shouted as the Hunter quickly jumped to his feet, reaching for his weapon, but his hands felt only the empty seat at his side. He cursed as he looked around the campsite.

Erin looked to her own blade, but found it still intact. She glanced over at Folkstaff, who was still wearing his weapon. It would appear that Kile had targeted certain other items.

“Where the hell are my boots?” Grey shouted.

“What’s going on?” Daniel asked, finally freeing himself from his blanket. Maybe next time he’ll learn not to wrap himself up so tightly Erin thought to herself.

“It would appear that we’ve been… robbed.” Folkstaff replied.

“Robbed? What are you talking out, who robbed us?” Grey continued to shout.

It was too early for all this noise.

“At the moment we’re not sure.” Erin replied trying to calm him down. “But whoever they were, they managed to get most, if not all of our supplies as well as a few… choice items.”

“This is an outrage.” Grey shouted. “We have to track them down, find the bastards who did this and make them pay.”

“There are no tracks.” Folkstaff added.

“There has to be tracks. No one can enter a campsite and walk away with all our stuff without leaving tracks.” Grey continued to shout. He started to look around as if he would find something that Folkstaff missed

“You’re not going to find anything.” Folkstaff replied.

“And I’m sure you tried everything. You know who did this don’t you? It was that girl, the fugitive Veller.”

“We can’t be sure of that.” Erin added.

“We’ll just see what the earth says about that.” Grey replied as he clamped his hands together, closed his eyes and fell into his edge.

Earthspeak was a high level art, obviously influenced by the sphere of earth. It was a means of learning information from the surrounding area, and was quite effective when executed properly. Erin knew of only one Hunter that had truly mastered the skill, and that was Folkstaff, and if he said the earth revealed nothing, then there was nothing to reveal. She waited until Grey came back to his senses with a familiar confused look on his face.

“And what have you learned?” Folkstaff asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nothing.” Grey reluctantly replied. “There is no sign of her, she was never in this camp… no one was.”

“The earth… actually speaks to you?” Daniel asked.

“No, not quite.” Folkstaff explain. “It’s more like reading the flow of energy around the earth to see the passing of things. It’s like dropping a rock in the lake, we know where the rock landed from the ripples it creates, the same thing can be read from the energy of the earth, but unlike a lake, the ripples last longer.”

“Then if nobody was here, how did our stuff disappear?”

Folkstaff took off his hat and scratched his head. “Haven’t a clue. It is possible that if you walk fast enough and are light enough, you could pass without leaving ripples, just like certain insects can walk on the surface of the water.”

“How small would you have to be not to leave ripples on the earth?”

“You wouldn’t have to be as small as an insect, if that’s what you mean, Probably the size of a… cat or possibly a small dog, something in that area might be able to pull it off.”

Erin watched Daniel nod in agreement and knew the boy was onto something, although he wouldn’t say, but was that even possible. How far did Kile’s control over animals extend?

“If it was Kile, we know she didn’t head back to Littenbeck. Grey, go east a couple of leagues, Folkstaff, try south. Daniel and I will go west. Return here in an hour, maybe we can find something that will lead us in the right direction.”

“What about my boots?”

“What do you want me to do Grey?” Erin asked with a shrug as she motioned for Daniel to follow her. “I’d lend you mine, but I don’t think they’ll fit.”

They had put some distance between them and the campsite before Erin slowed down. She had to hand it to Daniel. He was still trying to look for tracks, even if he didn’t know what he was looking for. She was pretty sure that Kile didn’t come this way. It just didn’t make any sense. She waited until they were far enough away from the others before she stopped him.

“So, what were you thinking back there?” She asked.

“Sorry.” Daniel said, looking up rather startled. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh sure you do, those questions about how small would you have to be to not leave ripples on the earth. It seemed like a leading question.”

“I was just curious, that’s all.”

The subtle route wasn’t going to get her very far.

“How strong is her control over the animals?” She asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Whose control?”

“Please Daniel. I really don’t have the time, or the patience for these types of games.” She said as she stared at the younger Hunter. Daniel just grinned and shook his head.

“She doesn’t control animals.”

“You know I spoke with Morgan, you know he told me about Kile’s edge. I know she can communicate with the natural world, I just don’t know how far her control goes.”

“That’s just it, you don’t know.” He said as he turned away from Erin. “Kile was right, just like every other Hunter, you need to control things to understand them. She doesn’t control the animals, she talks to them, and she listens to them.”

“Then how does she make them do what she wants them to do? How did she make the bats cover her escape? How did she make the horses defy their riders and return to the stables? How did she make… what ever it was that entered our campsite last night, clean us out?”

“She asked them, and they help her.” Daniel said and watched the look on Erin’s face as the realization of what just happened finally sunk in. “Now you get it” He said with a grin. “You’re not looking for one girl on the run with no one to turn to. You’re looking for a girl that has friends in every tree, in every bush, in every field, in ever forest. Hell, she might even have friends in the rivers for all I know. I’ve seen her get directions from birds. I’ve seen her convince guard dogs to look the other way when she passes. I’ve seen squirrels help her forage for food. What ever got into our camp and cleaned us out last night did it, not because it had to, not because she made it, but because it wanted to.”

And things just got a whole lot more complicated.

“We better head back to camp.” Erin replied as she started to digest the new information. If what Daniel said was true, and she had no reason to disbelieve him, then Kile was a lot more dangerous than anyone could have ever thought. It’s clear that the council knew nothing about this when they posted the bounty on her. If they had, they might not have been so quick to do it.

When they returned to camp, Grey was already limping in from the west. He looked more displeased than when he had left.

“Did you find anything?” She asked him, trying not to laugh at his discomfort.

“Yeah, a whole lot of rocks.” He grumbled as he sat down against one of the trees and rubbed his feet. “You. Healer, help me out here.”

Daniel reluctantly approached. Healers didn’t have the luxury of refusing to tend to the wounds of Hunters, even if those wounds were so minute as to not even warrant his abilities. Erin grabbed her blanket from the ground and walked toward the horses, where she looked at the mounts in a whole new light. If she had the ability to speak with animals, what information could they give her? What did the horses see last night? What information had they given Kile?

Elemia had been her mount for what seemed like an eternity, although it was probably closer to eight years. She always through she knew her horse well, all her little inconsistency, her mood swings, the different ways she acted when he wasn’t feeling well or when she was scared. She always thought she had a close bond with her horse, but now she wasn’t so sure, now that bond didn’t seem to be so strong. If she could speak with her, what could she say, what would she say? She had always been skittish around strangers, she had always warned Erin when anything was near their camp, and yet last night she said nothing. She let Kile walk in an out without so much as neigh.

Erin draped the blanket over the horse’s back and Elemia shook out her mane and pawed the ground nodding her head toward the tree that was in front of her.

“What’s the matter girl?” She asked her, even though she knew she would never truly receive an answer, but Elemia kept doing it until Erin was forced to look at the tree.

There in the crook of two branches was an old book and the mare wouldn’t stop nodding until she picked it up.

The book was old, faded and badly burned, but she knew it hadn’t been there when they set up camp last night. Had Kile left it for her? She flipped through the pages, reading the soft spidery print. There was no name on the book, no way of knowing whose it was, but there were a few leaves marking the pages. For what reason she wasn’t sure, but she closed the book and stuffed it into her belt pouch when she heard Folkstaff talking.

“What did you find?” She asked as she returned to camp.

“The trail actually picks up not far from here.” He said as he took a seat against the tree.

“That’s it. We know where she’s going.” Grey announced.

“Not quite, the tracks lead in this direction.”

“So… she was heading south like we thought, but she turned around.” Erin said sitting down beside the Hunter.

“It would seem that way.” Folkstaff replied. “She came at us from the east side, but from that point on her tracks just… disappeared.”

“She was coming for us, she planned this.” Grey said as he jumped to his feet, only to remember that he didn’t have any shoes on, he cursed as he quickly sat back down.

“I think we were more of a sidetrack.” Folkstaff replied.

“What do you mean?” Erin asked. “You don’t think she was looking for us.”

“No, from the tracks that I did find, she was heading in a more northeasterly direction. She must have spotted our campfire, from that point on, nothing.”

“So, she realized how close we were getting and covered her tracks.” Erin said as she got to her feet. “I did find some signs over by the horses that I would like you to take a look at.”

“Lead the way.”

He removed his glove as he crouched down, running his hand over the earth. “Somebody was here, but with all the traffic that we’ve had, I can’t be too sure.” He said looking up at Erin. “But even someone as green as Daniel could have told you that.”

“I realized that.” She said pulling the book out. “I wanted to show you this.”

“What is it?”

“It was left here in the crook of the tree.”

“By Kile?”

“That's what I think.”

“You can’t be sure.” He said, turning the book over in his hand. “It could have been left out here for quite some time. It doesn’t look to be in the best of conditions.”

“Yes, it’s possible, but my horse wouldn’t stop pointing to it.”

“Your horse pointed to the book?”

“Well… in a way he did. If Kile put it there, which I believe she did, I don’t know why, and I’m not sure where she even got the book, but I think she wanted me to read it. A few of the passages have been marked.”

“Why would someone trying to escape give us help finding her?”

“Her pattern is definitely not one of an escaping bounty. She’s looking for something, or someone.”

“That’s still speculation.” Folkstaff replied as he approached his own horse. “We don’t really know if she left the book here in the first place, or if she was even here. Maybe we’re giving her too much credit.”

“You could be right.” Erin said as she closed the book and returned it to the pouch on her belt.

“Or I could be wrong.” Folkstaff said as he held up a small piece of paper that had been placed between Pathfinders ears. He read the note that had been written and shook his head in confusion.

“What does it say? Is it a note from Kile?”

“If it is, it doesn’t make any sense.” He replied as he handed the paper to Erin.

She read it and found it equally confusing.

“All it says is ‘his real name is Belegar’”

When Pathfinder heard his name spoken out loud, he stomped his hoof and shook out his mane. Folkstaff looked at his horse, then back at Erin, she just handed him back the paper.

“I guess you're going to have to start calling him Belegar from now on.” She told him.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

15

 

Kile was jolted awake as Grim came to a stop on the hill overlooking the small town of Riverport. The sun was up. In fact it was already a couple hours past noon. They had been traveling for the better part of two days, stopping only for a quick meal and maybe a little rest before starting off again. They had kept up the pace in an attempt to put as much distance between them and Erin Silvia as possible. Kile only hoped that her little visit to Erin’s campsite had bought her at least a few more hours if not a few more days, if nothing else it did provide her with some needed supplies.

Guild Master Latherby once told her that the Hunter’s Guild had, at one time, entertained the thought of using Mountain Ponies as mounts for their members due to the horse's strength and nearly endless energy, and it was true. Even after two days and two nights of walking across the countryside, over hills and through the thicker parts of the forest, Grim wasn’t even winded. If it wasn’t for the fact that Mountain Ponies had a rather bad disposition, and were nearly impossible to train, they would have made great mounts.

She slid off Grim’s back, landing on her feet and nearly falling on the ground as she dismounted. The horse may be able to go two days without rest, but she was exhausted and she wasn’t even walking. She stretched out her legs, then her back as she walked around in circled to get her circulation started again. Her butt had fallen asleep some time during the night and it had yet to wake up.

Vesper jumped from his place between Grim’s ears, landing on her shoulder.

-So, this is where you came from?-

Grim asked as he looked down over the field that was now thick with spring flowers.

-Place nice.-

Vesper added.

“Let’s not get too sentimental.” She replied as she stepped up alongside her horse, but it was easier said than done. Across the field, through the narrow band of trees, over the river and on the other side of town was the Veller farm. She hadn’t seen it in over four years, and was beginning to wonder if it still looked the same now that her father was no longer alive, but it wasn’t something that she was eager to find out.

“We are here to find William Rothershire. He used to live just outside of town.”

-And you think he knows something about these assassinations?-

“Well… maybe not the assassinations, but he might know something about this so called dark conspiracy since the Rothershire’s name was in the book.” She said as she reached for her pouch before she remembered that she had left the book with Erin. Whether that was the right thing to do or not, only time will tell. Erin had more connections, she’s been doing this type of work a lot longer than Kile, hopefully she can make more sense of the book, maybe find something that she missed. Of course it could just lead Erin right to where Kile was now, but she had to take that chance.

“Come on, the sooner we find this Rothershire and learn what we can, the faster we can get out of this place.”

-Fine by me. Hop on.-

“No, I think I’ll walk a little ways if it’s all the same.” She said as she started down the hill toward the small town of Riverport.

They had crossed the field and followed the tree line around the outer edge of town. It would have been faster to cut through the center, but the less she saw of the old place, the better she thought she’d be. As it was, Rothershire’s farm was where it had always been, on the very edge of the town, along the eastern side, but she knew, before it even came into view, that she wasn’t going to find any answers there.

The Rothershire farm had been burned to the ground.

It was now only a few charred sticks protruding from the earth, and the fields had gone wild. How long ago had this happened she wondered?

She pushed open the gate to the fence that surrounded the small farm, and walked the dirt road between the weed covered fields up to the remains of the old man’s home. There was nothing left of it but an empty foundation and a few stone steps leading up to nowhere.

“I think we’re too late.”

-Doesn’t look as if anyone’s been here for quite some time.-

She sniffed at the air, but there were no odors that she could detect, only the smell of the natural world reclaiming what had been taken from it and the distant smell of jasmine. There wasn’t even a decent section of the fireplace left she thought, as she kicked in the stones of the hearth. There was no chance of finding any lost hiding places here; there would be no secrets that had survived this fire.

“I’m afraid that’s it.” She said as she sat down on the stone steps. “We’re at a dead end. I don’t know where to go from here.”

-We don’t know if he’s dead.-

There was some truth to that, although it was a thin truth. From what she had seen of Talley’s house, she was sure that Rothershire would have been found in much the same condition as the others. Of course that did mean that she was on the right track. This had to be the Rothershire that had been mentioned in the Talley book, but that didn’t help her much at this moment.

“Garth.” She said as she got to her feet.

-Garth? What is a Garth?-

“Not a what. A who. Garth is the gravedigger. If anyone died here, he would know.”

-Then you are planning on going into town.-

“I don’t have much of a choice. If Rothershire is dead, Garth would know.”

-You go into town you run the chance of being seen.-

“Why Grim, that sounds almost as if you care.”

-If you get caught, I get shipped back to the northlands, where I’ll end up on someone’s plate. That is not an outcome I’m willing to accept.-

“Fair enough, I just won’t get caught. Anyway, I’ve been away for four years, I doubt if anyone will recognize me.” She said as she climbed up on Grim’s back. She set Vesper down between his ears.

-You forget. Your face has been posted in every Guild House in Aru.-

Grim reminded her.

“Well… yeah, but Riverport doesn’t have a Guild House, we didn’t even know about Hunter’s until one came through.”

-This does not bode well.-

Grim mumbled his protest as he started back up the dirt path, away from the remains of the Rothershire farm and toward the small town of Riverport.

 

***

 

The town looked very much as it always had, which shouldn’t have surprised her, since nothing ever changed in Riverport. It was a small town, nestled in the far northeastern part of Aru with the mountains closing in on three sides. It was as typical a town as one would see anywhere in the kingdom, the only novelty that Riverport possessed was its name. That was the one thing about the town that she could never understand. The closest river was the Shai, which marked the border between the Shai Province and that of Fennel, and that was nearly a hundred leagues south of Riverport. The closest thing to a river in Riverport would have to be the small ice streams that ran down from the mountains, providing the water for the farmlands. Not only were there no ports on the so called rivers, but they weren’t even deep enough to float a boat on.

The cemetery was located on the western part of town, away from the center, which only made sense since nobody wanted to live beside it, and most of the towns people never even thought about it unless they had need of it.

She dismounted and led Grim up past the stone walls that marked the outer edge of the cemetery, although a few tombstones were on the wrong side of the wall since the wall had been built long after the cemetery had been started. The lone tombstones bore no markings or dates and nobody knew if anyone was actually buried beneath them, but no one was willing to risk the ire of the dead by moving them to the other side of the wall.

She had never been to the cemetery, although she had seen it from a distance on those rare occasions when they went into town, and she remembered looking upon it with a mixture of sadness and fear. Sadness for the loss that all the stones marked, and fear because her brother told her that if she squealed on him again, the dead would come and drag her back to the cemetery. Needless to say she had nightmares about it until she was ten. Now that she walked among those stones, the only thing she felt was lonely.

-Are you sure this is wise?-

Grim asked as he followed silently behind her with Vesper sitting on his head.

“I’m telling you, nobody is going to recognize me.”

“Kile… Kile Veller.”

“Except possibly Keith Wints.” She said, gritting her teeth and turning around with a forced smile.

He stood beside one of the graves, a shovel in his hands and a goofy smile on his face. “By the Gods it is you.” He said as he came forward.

Keith Wints was Leon Veller’s best friends. The two did everything together, including making Kile’s life miserable when she was younger. Even though the young boy had teased her relentlessly, she had a secret crush on him back then, now… not so much. He was still good looking in that farm boy fashion, with his pale blond hair that was almost white and icy blue eyes, but he had that goofy smile that often made him look simple. The connection just wasn’t there anymore. It could be due to the fact that, at the moment, she was a wanted felon and had more things on her mind than finding him attractive, or it could simply be that she was no longer the naive farm girl that didn’t have anything to compare him to.

“It is you? Isn’t it?” He said as he stuck the shovel in the ground.

“How are you doing Keith?” She asked, although she didn’t really care one way or the other.

“I knew it was you. I would recognize that red pony tail anywhere.”

Of course he would, he yanked on it enough times.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“I work here.”

“You’re the new gravedigger?”

“Well, not exactly, Garth still holds that title, I guess I’m more like his assistant.”

Assistant to the gravedigger, now there was something to aspire to.

“So… is Garth around, I kind of needed to ask him something?”

“I can show you where they’re resting if you want, it's just up the hill a ways.”

“What? Where who are resting?”

“Why… your parents, that was who you came to see… wasn’t it?”

“My parents?”

“Oh no… you didn’t know about your mother… did you?”

“When did it happen?”

“It was only a couple of months ago, she passed quietly in her sleep. Leon and Jenny were with her.” Keith said, appearing a little uncomfortable as he started up the hill.

She reluctantly followed.

She knew her mother was ill, she had always been ill although some days were better than others, but the last letter she had received from Leon told her that their mother was doing better, and that she was getting stronger. Kile always thought that once their father was gone, their mother's health would improve. It wasn’t that he was an abusive man, just a very demanding one, and she was just too frail to handle his demands.

“Here they are.” He said as he waved his arm over three stones that stood in a silent row. “I’ll… go find Garth for you. He’s probably in the caretaker’s shack.” He added as he made an awkward, if not gracious, departure.

She said nothing as she stared at the headstones reading the names off silently to herself over and over again in a vain attempt to make it real, but no matter how many times she read them, they were just words on a stone. Was this what the old guard dog meant by the cycle of life, to live and die and live again?

The first stone, the smaller and by far the oldest, bore the name of Andrew Veller, the brother she had never met. He died before she was born, he was only four. In many ways it was because of him that she was even born, although it wasn’t what their father had in mind when her parents tried for another child. The second stone belonged to her father, Harold Veller.

She could remember the day her father died, that was about three years ago. She was still at the Academy when she received the letter from her brother Leon. Headmaster Oblum had given her permission to go home for the funeral, but she really didn’t have any desire to see her father or to say goodbye to him. Their relationship was less this hospitable. He had no use for a daughter and had often reminded her of that fact. He didn’t want her to become a hunter and had arranged to have her marry Oric Talon’s son Pordist in exchange for some bottomland to expand the farm. When she went away to become a Hunter, he told her that she was no longer welcome and to never come back, of course not in those exact words.

The new stone bore her mother’s name, Elizabeth Veller, nobody had ever called her Elizabeth, she was always known as Beth. The date was nearly three months ago, about the time that the Hunter’s Guild had put a stop to all class E deliveries because of the so called accidents. That was why she never received word of her passing, if she had, would she have returned? She could lie to herself and say she would have, and she might have, but she didn’t really know. If she had received the letter and she had returned to Riverport, she wouldn’t have received the assignment that sent her to David Draw’s house, and she wouldn’t be where she was now. She ran her hand over the stone hoping to capture the warmth of her mother, but she could only feel the cold marble. To live, to die, to live again, that was the cycle of life she reminded herself as she plucked a blade of grass that grew on the grave and held it to her chest.

“I was told you wanted to see me.”

She turned to see an old man stooped with age dressed in a tattered brown tunic standing just outside the row of headstones.

“Yes.” Kile said as she got up, sliding the blade of grass into her pouch and dusting the earth from her knees. She felt strangely detached from the situation as she turned to face the old man. “I need to know what you know about William Rothershire.”

“Rothershire?” The old man said as he stared off into the heavens, reading the name on some unseen list. He nodded his head, turned and led her away from her family.

“I had a feeling someone would be coming, looking for William” The old man said as he glanced at a few of the stones before turning into a one of the rows. He stopped before a marble marker that bore the name of William Rothershire.

“So he is dead.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“What did you mean you had a feeling someone would be coming from him?”

The old man smiled, he never looked at her, just kept looking at the tombstone, as if he could see his old friend lying there beneath the ground.

“I knew William when he first came to Riverport, that was about twenty years ago. He knew nothing about farming back them but damn he was a scrapper.”

“A scrapper?”

“Oh yeah, the number of times he cleared out Flint’s tavern after having a few, you knew that man was trained to fight, but he could drink too. That was the problem you see, he was being chased by his own demons, and no matter how far and how fast he ran from them, they always caught up with him, that was when he started hiding from them in the bottom of a bottle. It wasn’t until about eight or nine years ago he came to grips with his past and cleaned himself up, but I guess his past caught up with him in the end.”

“So, this wasn’t an accident.”

“Accident, not likely, although there are some in town that would like you to believe so, no, if you ask me William Rothershire was murdered, for what, I don’t know, but he probably did.”

“Do you know where he came from?”

“He never said exactly, but I gathered from the way he spoke and the way he held himself, he was something important. He was a proud and honorable man, so whatever he did must have been so terrible to bring him so low.”

“He never told you.”

Garth shook his head. “I think, in the beginning he was too ashamed to talk about his past, but later on he… just wanted to forget. I figured that past would just catch up to him eventually. In the end he faced his demons and this was his punishment.”

Or his reward Kile thought as she looked down at the simple tombstone that only bore his name. There was no date of birth, no date of death; there wasn’t even an epitaph, only his name chiseled into the face of the stone. This was all that was left to mark a vir’s life.

“Garth, have you seen anything like this before?” Kile asked as she showed him the ring she had found in Tally’s house.

He had to squint to see it better, but eventually nodded. “Yes… yes I have. William had a ring just like that.”

Somehow that was what she expected.

“Are you sure?”

“Sure I’m sure, he used to stare at it from the bottom of a bottle almost every night.”

“Did he say anything about it? Did he say where he got it?”

“Not likely, but he did prize it. It was the only thing he kept from his old life.”

That was something she thought as she touched the ring, that was another connection between Tally and Rothershire, but who was Rothershire.

“Thank-you sir.” Kile said as she stepped away from Garth, but the old man place a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry about your mother Mrs. Veller. Beth was a good woman, a kind heart.

“Thank-you sir.” She said again as she crossed the cemetery back to where Grim was standing.

The huge long haired black hairy horse standing in the middle of the graveyard as the sun began to set was an unnerving sight, but place a small white yarrow on his head, and it was just an oddity.

-What did he have to say?-

Grim asked as she got closer.

“A lot.” She replied as she led the pony back down the path to the stone wall. “I’ll tell you about it as soon as we’re back on the road.”

-Where to now.-

“I’m not sure.”

She had hoped to get out of town and be back on the road before anybody even knew she was around, and the last person she wanted to see was the first person she ran into, standing just outside the cemetery walls.

“Ki?”

He was older than she had remembered, he had grown up in the last four years, but then he was forced to, with what he had to go through in that time. He was taller than she was, but then most people were, and his curly mop of red hair had been cut short, and the mustache only made him look more like their father.

“Leon?”

“I guess I owe Keith and apology.” He said scratching his head as he always did when he was nervous. “When did you get in? Why didn’t you write?”

“Sorry Leon… I…”

“You weren’t planning on stopping by the farm, were you?”

“No. Not really.”

He looked down at his boots and scratched his head again. Maybe that was what happened to his mass of red curls.

“This has something to do with the Hunters that came through here a couple weeks past asking questions. Questions about you. Had I seen you recently? Had I received any letters or messages from you? What have you gotten yourself into Ki?”

“It’s a little… complicated, but it’s not true.”

“Everything with you is complicated.” He replied shaking his head. “Come on then.”

“Come on where?”

“Home. Jenny’s cooking supper, she usually makes too much and you’ll save me from having to eat leftovers tomorrow.”

“I can’t go home with… wait, who is Jenny anyway.”

“Jenny… Jenny Shelding.”

“The little freckled face girl with pig tails that use to live down the road from us?”

“That’s the one.”

“What’s she doing, cooking your supper?”

“She’s my wife.”

“What? When? Wait… you married Jenny Shelding. You couldn’t stand her.”

“Things change, she grew up. If you'd stopped home once in a while, you would have known these things.”

“I’ve only been gone for four years, when did this happen?”

“Not long after pa died.” Leon said as he scratched his head again. “It was… hard, taking care of the farm and ma as well. She came to help and well… one thing led to another…”

“So you decided it was just easier to marry her than to pay her a decent wage.”

“Yeah, something like that.” He laughed. “Actually she helped me get through a really tough time and we got to know each other rather well.”

“I’m glad.” Kile said as she followed him out of the cemetery and up the road toward town. “I would hate to think of you alone in that house, now that… mom’s gone.”

“She was proud of you, you know that don’t you. When we heard that you were accepted into the Academy, she couldn’t be happier.”

“Thanks. That helps.”

“I was proud of you too.”

“Yeah, well that doesn’t help as much.”

“And dad was proud of you.”

“Now I know you’re lying.”

“Okay, maybe proud wasn’t the right word. By the way… why is that ugly horse following us.”

“That so called ugly horse happens to be my friend. His name is Grim.”

“Yes… yes he is.”

As they reached the edge of town, a horse drawn wagon, loaded down with supplies waited for Leon as he hopped up onto the front seat.

“That’s new.” She remarked.

“Had no choice.” He said as he took the reins. “The old buckboard made its last run two winters back when the wheels decided to fall off as I was returning from town.”

“So the farm is doing well then?”

“As much as can be expected. We did manage to secure some of the bottomland that father was after, and last season's crops did come in better than estimated, of course the money you sent home had a lot to do with that, not that I’m gong to ask where you got it from.” He said as he looked over at her from the seat of the carriage. “That doesn’t have anything to do with why Hunters are looking for you, does it?”

“I thought you weren’t going to ask.”

“Fare enough.” He replied.

They took the northern road, although it was longer, it didn’t pass through town. Whether Leon choose this route for a reason, he didn’t say, but she was a little more recognizable than what she had thought. If the Hunter’s had already come through asking questions about her once, it was probably best if she wasn’t seen by anyone else.

As they turned off the road, down the path that Kile thought she would never travel again, the Veller farm came into view. Much like the town around it, nothing had changed in the last four years. The old barn looked in need of a new roof and the tool shed did appear to lean a little more to one side, but beyond that, everything else looked pretty much like the day she left it, except for the house. It took her a while to grasp the changes that had been made. With curtains in the windows and flowers in the front yard, this was not the same house she was raised in. Her father had always believed that if something was going to be grown in the yard, it had better be edible by either the family or the livestock. Growing flowers was just another form of idleness. If you had time to grow flowers you had time to grow vegetables, and as for curtains, they just served no purpose that he knew of. To see the house like this would have annoyed her father to no end, which was probably why she liked the changes.

As they came into the yard, a young boy came running out of the barn. He stopped when he saw Kile on the Mountain Pony and then looked to Leon for some confirmation.

“Tad. Unhitch the horse and brush him down, then get the supplies stored away.”

“Yes Mr. Veller.” The young boy replied.

“And put my sister’s… horse. It is a horse isn’t it?”

Kile just rolled her eyes.

“Put my sister’s horse up in the barn.”

“Um… better not.” She said, stopping the boy short of actually coming into contact with Grim, who was not very pleased by the attention.

“I already told you that you’re staying for supper.” Leon replied, jumping off the carriage.

“It’s not that.” She said as she dismounted. “Grim is a bit… difficult. Are the stalls in the back still empty, the ones Father used to keep the grain in?”

“Yeah, there always empty this time of year.” Leon replied.

She reached up to pull Grim’s head down as she whispered in his ear the best she could. “You got that, take one of the stalls on the left hand side, all the way in the back and behave yourself. I don’t need you making trouble for my brother.”

-You're taking all the fun out of this, you know that don’t you.-

“Don’t give me that, not here, not now. Behave yourself or I’ll be the one shipping you back to the north folk.”

-Fine, whatever-

Grim said as he started to trot away. Vesper leapt from the Mountain Pony’s head onto Kile’s arm and sat up on her shoulder, she moved him down to the belt pouch in spite of his protest, it was best not to frighten the relatives.

The young boy named Tad watched in awe as the Mountain Pony walked past him and entered the barn without any more fuss. Even Leon was impressed by the site.

“You’re going to tell me how you did that.” Her brother informed her as he scratched his head again and headed for the farmhouse with Kile following behind.

She stepped up onto the front porch that still creaked when she put her weight on the third board from the left. Some things never change. Leon opened the door and the smell of food cooking in the kitchen came wafting out, reminding her of how hunger she actually was.

“Jenny, I have company.” Leon called out from the front door as he hung up his jacket.

A young fresh faced girl with reddish brown hair tied in pigtails came around the door into the living room. She was wearing a simple grey house dress with a white apron tied around her waist. She didn’t look anything like the little freckled faced girl with pigtails that Kile remembered, of course she still had the pigtails but she wasn’t nearly as little as she was back then. The expression on her face went from mild annoyance, to confusion, to shock then to an expression that was a little more welcoming.

“Jenny, you remember my sister.”

“Of course I do.” Jenny replied as she whipped her hands on her apron and quickly crossed the room. “When you said company I thought you meant Keith. Kile isn't not company, she’s family.”

Jenny threw her arms around Kile who was forced to awkwardly do the same.

“Is supper ready, I’m starving?” Leon announced.

“If you’d had eaten your lunch as you were suppose to, you wouldn’t be so hungry now.” Jenny shot back.

“Yes dear.”

“As it is, Supper is already on the table.”

Kile watched the exchange with a little amusement. At least Leon wasn’t treating his wife the way their father treated their mother. She followed Leon into the dinning room that didn’t look anything like she had remembered. It was lighter and definitely brighter than it had been, even with the curtains drawn. There were nick-knacks and useless little trinkets on every shelf, a white linen table cloth draped over, what she had to believe was the old family table, even the walls looked a lighter shade of beige, if that was even possible. The entire atmosphere of the house was different.

“Is something wrong?” Leon asked.

“Wrong? No, nothing’s wrong.” She said as she took her old seat at the table, feeling like the uninvited guest that she was. The table was set for two with a large bowl of something sitting between the two settings.

Jenny retrieved a bowl from the cupboard, setting it on the table in front of Kile and began to ladle out a large helping of what had to be a form of stew. It was a mixture of potatoes and vegetable with a little meat thrown in.  Kile had a problem eating meat, not because of any religious belief that she held, of course that was what she told people since it was easier to explain than the real reason. Once she learned she could communicate with animals, she found it hard to eat them, just on principle alone. It was kind of like dinning on a friend. She had to force herself to make an exception, the last thing she wanted to do was to upset her sister-in-law. Imagine that, she had a sister-in-law.

“I wish I knew you were coming, I would have made you something special.” Jenny added.

“Oh no, this is wonderful.” Kile replied. “I don’t get to eat this well on the road.”

“So, what brings you back to Riverport?” Jenny asked as she took her seat at the table.

Kile couldn’t help but think that there was more to that question than just curiosity.

“I was investigating a man by the name of Rothershire.” Kile replied as she dipped into her stew. She wasn’t lying, that was what she was doing.

“You mean William Rothershire, the old man that lives outside of town?” Leon asked.

“The same. Unfortunately it seems that I’m a little too late.”

“Yeah, it happened about two years ago. A couple of the men spotted the fire, when they went to investigate they found his body lying just outside his house, his head bashed in and everything. They’re saying bandits, but I have my doubts.”

“Must we talk about such gruesome things over the dinner table?” Jenny asked as she shot a look at Leon that clearly stated he better not answer that question. She turned her attention back to Kile and somehow, that smiled looked a little more forced.

“So, where will you be heading off to now?”

To translate, that would be, when are you leaving?

“I don’t really know. Rothershire was kind of my last lead. I’ll have to rethink my next move.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to figure it out.” Leon replied.

There it was that icy look from his wife that clearly stated he had overstepped his boundaries.

“I don’t think that would be necessary, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense.” Leon said, taking a mouthful of the stew. “You can have your old room, it’s not occupied. Isn’t that right Jenny?”

“Of course.” Jenny replied, although she was kind of forced to. “But I’m afraid we’ve been using it as… well storage.”

“It won’t take us long to dig out the bed.” Leon added.

“But I don’t know if the mattress is still on the bed. If I had only known ahead of time I could have gotten it all cleaned up.”

“Please, I can stay in the barn tonight.” Kile protested. In many ways, staying with Grim was looking far more inviting.

“Well, we could always move Andrew into our room tonight and she can stay in my old room.” Leon suggested.

This was getting too complicated.

“No please… who’s Andrew?”

“Andrew? Oh, of course, you don’t know. Andrew is your nephew.”

“My nephew?” She asked in disbelief.

In the four years since she had been gone, her brother had gotten married, expanded the farm, and had a son that he named after their deceased brother. In many ways their father would have been very happy.

“So it’s settled. We’ll move Andrew into our room for the night and you can sleep in his, and we’ll get your room set up tomorrow so you can stay as long as you need.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. I won’t be staying that long, I’ll have to be leaving soon.”

“Nonsense.” Leon said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You said yourself that you didn’t know where you were going next, this way you can have some time to think.”

The idea of actually stopping for a moment to put her thoughts together and come up with a better plan than just riding around in circles was rather tempting, but she knew that Erin wouldn’t be that far behind. It was only a matter of time before the Hunters picked up her trail again, and they would soon be arriving in Riverport.

A sharp pain in her leg brought Kile back to her senses and she looked under the table to see Vesper looking up at her.

-Horse.-

The yarrow said, and the word brought with it a vision of a rider coming up the path. Kile quickly rose from her seat and moved across the room to the window, sniffing the air. She had gotten careless again, she had become complacent, she had forgotten what Master Folkstaff had taught her about survival and now she was trapped again. She pulled back the curtains as she reached for her Lann, unfortunately her weapon was a little out of reach. In fact her weapon was still with her supplies which were still with Grim on the other side of the yard. Could she be any more foolish?

“What's the matter Ki?” Leon asked.

She had momentarily forgotten about her brother, his wife, and their son. It was not just her that was in danger now, it was all of them. She didn’t think that a Hunter would willingly harm civilians, but she couldn’t be sure what would happen if things went sour. She knew Leon would try to intervene on her behalf and that would only make matters worse.

“Ki?”

“We have a visitor.” She told him.

Leon moved to the window over the sink, pulling the curtain aside he looked out onto the yard.

“I don’t see…” He started to say “anybody” but stopped as a rider came through the front gates of the Veller farm. Tad was already out in the yard to greet him.

This was going to get complicated, she thought as she looked around the room. If this got violent she would need space to maneuver, the last thing she wanted was to destroy her sister-in-law’s collection of unless nick knacks. She reached for the door, but somebody grabbed her arm, she turned on her brother and he quickly backed away, even Jenny was on her feet moving to the back of the room, to where the stairs led up to the second floor. There was definitely a look of concern on her face, no, not concern, it was fear. Was she trying to protect her son from the man outside, or from Kile?

Kile quickly pulled open the door and stepped out into the night. It was already getting dark, but she could see the man clearly, she could smell him, she could almost hear the beating of his heart, all her senses were alive for that one brief moment, until…

“Hey Kile, so Leon found you.” Keith said as he ruffled Tad’s hair before the young boy lead his horse off to the barn.

“Keith?”

Kile felt as if her body was crashing as reality fell in on top of her and dropped her back to normal, or as normal as it was around her.

“I told him I saw you at the cemetery, but he didn’t believe me. He’s in, isn’t he?”

“Uh, yeah, he was just sitting down to supper.”

“Oh good, I’m not too late.” Keith replied as he rubbed his hands together and headed for the farmhouse door. He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned around. “Oh, before I forget Garth wanted me to relay a message. He said Rothershire often spoke of a man by the name of… Saybela. Said something about him working in Windfoil if that means anything to you.”

“Oh yes, thank you… and uh… thank Garth the next time you see him will you.” She replied.

“Sure thing, it was good seeing you again Kile, You’ve really grown. You’re staying around a bit aren’t you?” Keith asked with a funny looking smile on his face that Kile wanted no part of.

“I don’t know. I may have to leave sooner than I thought.” She replied quickly headed off toward the barn. Keith watched her every step of the way which only made her feel even more uncomfortable. Only when she reached the safety of the barn did dare turn around. Keith was still standing there with that goofy grin that made him look simple. She slipped into the barn and fell against the wall, but it wasn’t Keith’s sudden attraction for her that had her worried, it was what happened earlier. What was it that had come over her? What were those feelings? It was as if everything was so much more alive than it should have been, and why was Leon so scared of her? That was probably the one question that worried her the most. She had never been able to scare Leon before, or had ever seen her brother as terrified as he was when he looked at her at that moment.

- Are we leaving now? -

Grim’s voice echoed in her head, driving out the questions. She could always count on him to get straight to the point.

“That depends.” She said as she walked the length of the barn “You wouldn’t know what Windfoil is, would you?”

“As a matter of fact ma’am, yes I do.”

Kile had forgotten all about Tad. He was still tending to Keith’s horse as he stepped out from one the stalls, the brush still in his hand. He was a young boy, probably about ten or eleven with short honey brown hair that stuck out all over the place. He looked at his feet when she looked at him.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“Yes ma’am, I was just on my way home when Mr. Wints arrived.” The young boy replied still diverting his eyes.

“Where do you live?”

“Not far ma’am, just down the road a ways.”

“Then you better be off.” She said “Knowing my brother he’s not one to pay overtime.”

“No ma’am.” The boy replied and even allowed himself a slight chuckle. “I will as soon as I take care of Road Dust.”

“Road Dust?”

“Mr. Wints’ horse.”

Kile turned her attention to the soft brown stallion that waited patiently in the stall, and she thought Hunter’s had strange names for their mounts.

“I can brush down… Road Dust if you’d like.”

“You ma’am, but… you’re a… a Hunter, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but I use to work in the stable at the academy, one of my jobs was to take care of the horses.”

Tad forced himself to look at Kile for a moment, and then turned to the horse.

“Go on, get home, I’ll take care of the horse. If my brother has a problem with that, you tell him to come and talk to me.”

“Thank-you ma’am.” Tad said as he handed the brush to her. He was almost out the door when she stopped him.

“One moment.” She called, “You said you knew what Windfoil was.”

“Yes ma’am. Windfoil is the old name for Waltair Castle, where the old kings use to rule.” Tad replied and was out the door before she could ask him anything else.

Waltair Castle, it was one thing to walk into Littenbeck where the Hunter’s Guild was located, or even to come home where she was bound to be noticed, but to walk up to the castle’s front doors and ask to speak to a Mr. Saybela, now that was going a little too far.

 

***

 

Kile pulled the straw from her hair as she stretched the kinks out of her back. She didn’t dare go back to the house last night. She couldn’t bear to see the terrified look on her brother’s face. Instead she found one of the old horse blankets and had taken the empty stall beside Grim. That was after she had taken care of the horse with the unfortunate name of Road Dust. He had the name for so long that he had forgotten his real name. Something that she thought was rather depressing. Keith had come to reclaim his horse latter that evening, and although he called out to her, she made it a point not to be seen. She watched him from the hay loft as he made a quick search of the barn, but eventually gave up looking for her and departed.

As the sun’s light streamed through the slits in the wall boards, she knew she should be on her way. Leon would be up soon and she wanted to apologize for last night and then take Grim north, to the Waltair Castle, otherwise known as Windfoil. What she would do there she wasn’t sure, but she had to take it one step at a time.

Folding up the blanket she set it back with the others, then ventured out of the barn. It was strange being home, mainly because it wasn’t home. It wasn’t home back then because she never felt wanted. Maybe that was why it didn’t feel like home now. She walked across the front yard and up the steps to the pouch, making sure to avoid the otherwise squeaky board. She stopped by the window when she heard the voices inside.

“But she’s my sister.” She heard her brother exclaim, although she could tell that he didn’t put much heart into that statement.

“I don’t care Leon, you saw her last night, and you saw what happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Her eyes Leon, you saw her eyes, that's not normal. I don’t know what they did to her at that… that academy, but it’s… not normal.”

“It was… it was just a trick of the light.”

“Don’t give me that, you saw it.”

“I don’t know what I saw, all I know is she’s my sister, she’s family.”

“We’re family Leon. I’m your wife, this is your son. We’re your family. Where was she when your father died, where was she when your mother was too sick to leave her bed.”

“That’s not the point.”

“That's exactly the point.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to get rid of her. I don’t want her around our son… I don’t trust her Leon.”

Kile wasn’t sure what Leon’s reply was as she quietly moved away from the window and stepped off the porch. So much for staying as long as she needed, not that she had any intention of doing that. What hurt her most wasn’t Leon’s lack of conviction in his support of her, but that Jenny actually believed that Kile would harm their child, that she was some wild animal barely under control. What was even more disturbing was that Kile started to wonder if it was true. She didn’t feel much like she was in control last night, not when the fear of being captured took hold of her, but would she have actually harmed a child, could she even trust herself to answer that question honestly.

She found herself walking up to the fields and watching as the rabbits were making an early meal of the vegetables.

 

***

 

It didn’t take Leon long to find her, and she waited in the field as he climbed the hill. The rabbit had other plans and quickly scattered when the heard him coming, leaving Kile alone to defend herself against the dreaded farmer.

“What are you doing up here?” Leon asked as he pushed open the gate. He looked down at the crops that had been invaded by the rabbits and ran on hand through his thinning hair. She was surprised at how much he looked like their father at that moment.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She said as she got to her feet, dusting the soil from the seat of her pants.

“Look Ki… You see… It’s like this…”

“I have to be leaving sooner than I thought.” She said as she moved past him. She couldn’t bare to listen to him stammer an excuse.

“What do you mean?”

“Keith relayed a message from Garth last night. It would appear that my dead end wasn’t as dead as I thought it was. Rothershire mentioned something about… Grover’s den.”

She wasn’t sure why she thought about Grover’s den at that moment, the place where Gerald Treeman died, the start of this impending war. She wasn’t even sure why she lied to her brother. Was it to keep him safe, or was it so he wouldn’t worry about her?

“Look Ki, you don’t have to leave so soon.”

“Yes I do.” She said as she turned to face him. At least the terror that she had seen last night was no longer lingering in his eyes. She couldn’t say the same about Jenny. She was sure her sister-in-law had her doubts about Kile the minute she stepped into the house last night. Was it a mother protecting her child? She gave Leon a weak smile and started down the hill, Leon caught up.

“About last night…” He started, but she wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. She couldn’t explain it, and she was sure he would understand if she could.

“You’re going to need to fence off about a quarter of an acre for the rabbits.” She told him.

“What?”

“The rabbits, they have agreed to leave the rest of the farm along if you give them a quarter of an acre, of course you’ll have to plant the stuff they like. Lettuce, carrots, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, it's simple. The rabbits have agreed to lay off the rest of the crops, but only if you supply them with at least a quarter an acre where they can feed. Most of their natural habitat has been taken over by the vir and their food source is scarce. They don’t want to steal from you, but they don’t have much of a choice. If you agree to plant food for them and separate it from the rest of the crops, they’ll leave you alone. If you don’t, they’re going to keep raiding your plants.”

“How do you know this?”

“Never mind how I know, just do it.” She said as she headed for the barn, but before she could even reach the old structure Grim had pushed the doors open and was walking towards her, Tad was right behind the big horse looking a little embarrassed.

“I’m sorry ma’am, he just… got away.” The young boy called out.

“It’s alright Tad.” She assured him.

-We are leaving now, aren’t we?-

Grim’s asked.

“Yes, we’re leaving.” She told him as she came to his side. He was her reassuring strength when she needed it.

“Look, Leon, about last night…”

“You’re right, there’s nothing to say.”

“Yes there is.” She said as she turned toward the house. Jenny was standing on the front porch holding Andrew in her arms, probably making sure that Kile was actually leaving. “I never meant to put your family in danger. If everything had worked out as planned, I would have been in and out of Riverport without you even knowing, it if hadn’t been for Keith...”

“Then I have something more I have to thank him for.” Leon said with a grin. “Kile, you’re still my sister and I’m the only family you have now.”

“Yes, but I’m not the only family you have.” She said as she pulled herself up onto Grim’s back. Vesper was watching from between the Mountain Pony’s ears. “Look Leon, they will be coming for me, maybe in a day, two if I’m lucky, but they’ll be here. Tell Erin that the answers are in that book, that those four men did have something in common and I have to get ahead of this if I’m to have any chance of clearing my name. There is also a hunter involved, someone by the name of Garret B. She may have a better idea of who that is.”

“Ki, what are you planning on doing?”

She looked at her brother, and she could tell that Leon knew she was going to do something that was completely stupid, she also knew that he wouldn’t try to stop her.

“Good by Leon.”

“Kile, this is your home. You know you’re always welcome here.”

She looked past her brother and stared into the eyes of Jenny. The young woman flinched and held her son closer to her chest.

“No… no I’m not.” She said as she steered Grim toward the road once again, now she truly had no place to call home.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

16

 

It was actually four days before Erin Silvia rode into Riverport. The loss of their supplies had cost them time, time that Erin was willing to spend. Any excuse to give Kile a little more freedom and to decipher the meaning of the strange little book that the girl had left her was worth it, but no matter how much she tried to stall, she would never dissuade Grey from the hunt. Grey was even more determined then ever to bring Kile in.

Erin passed through the center of town and was now heading up the road she had traveled almost ten years ago. Nothing had changed, it would appear that every tree, every stick, every rock, every blade of grass was exactly the same as it was back then, back when she came through Riverport looking for a lost nine year old girl.

All the pieces of that day came together now, now that she knew what that girl was capable of, and now she had to find her again, but this time it would be different.

As the Veller farm came into view Erin saw the red haired man walking across the yard with a grain sack on his back. He stopped when he saw the riders coming, set his load down and waited. He didn’t seem surprised to see them, which meant he must have known they were coming, which meant somebody must have told him, or warned him. Grey spurred his horse forward, out pacing Erin and quickly dismounted.

“Where is she? Where is the fugitive Veller?” He shouted as he came within inches of the red haired farmer’s face. Erin knew this must be Kile’s brother since the red haired farmer stood his ground before this irate hunter without flinching. Stubbornness must run in their family.

“Back off Grey.” Erin shouted as she rode into the Veller farm. “This is not how I run things.”

“This is how I run things.” The big man said, striking his chest

“Yeah, but I’m in charge.” Erin replied as she slipped from the back of her horse and came to stand between Grey and the farmer. It wasn’t until Folkstaff dismounted and stood beside Erin that Grey finally backed down.

“Fine, we’ll handle this your way… for now.” The last two words the hunter mumbled under his breath, but she heard them loud and clear. She was going to have to keep a shorter leash on Grey if she wanted to bring Kile back in one piece.

The farmer said nothing as he watched the exchange, almost as if he was bored by the events.

“You’re Leon Veller, aren’t you?” She asked.

“What’s it to you?” He replied. He crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. It was possible that if Grey hadn’t been so heavy handed in his greetings that Leon wouldn’t be so defensive, but she doubted it. He was Kile’s brother after all and he probably knew by now that they had come to take her in.

“Is she here?” Erin asked.

“No.” Leon replied and didn’t look as if he was going to give her any more information than that.

“Do you know where she is?”

“No.”

“Well, I see your way is getting us a load of information.” Grey commented.

She shot a look at Grey that went unnoticed, or ignored. Grey was going to make this as hard as he could for her. She looked at Folkstaff and he just shook his head.

“Do you mind if we search?” Folkstaff asked.

“You’re going to even if I say no.” Leon replied with a shrug “Knock yourselves out, you won't find her, she’s already gone.” He said as he retrieved the grain sack and started across the yard again.

“Take Grey and give the place a once over.” Erin told him, if anything it will keep the other Hunter occupied, maybe Leon would be more willing to talk under less hostile conditions. “I’ll take Daniel and see if we can’t get any information out of her brother. He may be more receptive if he knows Daniel was a friend of his sister.”

“You may want to focus your search in the barns and the fields, anywhere there is livestock.” Daniel added before following Erin. Folkstaff nodded and made his first point of interest the old barn that stood off to the side of the field.

Erin watched Leon as he filled the grain feed. There was some resemblance between him and Kile, they both shared the same red hair the same eyes, they even shared the same nose, but that was where the similarities ended. Leon was taller, broader; he would have made a fine Hunter if he had not chosen the life of a farmer, assuming that he actually chose this life and did not have it forced upon him. From what she knew of Kile’s father, that was more than likely what happened.

“You care about your sister, don’t you?” She asked.

“That's a silly question, of course I do.” He replied without turning around. It was clear that he wanted nothing to do with her, or maybe it was Hunter’s in general, but she couldn’t really blame him. If the guild was after her sister, she wouldn’t be very fond of talking with them either.

“Help me find her.”

“Why would I want to do that?” He asked turning suddenly as he dropped the sack, scatting a bit of the grain across the ground. That was another thing Kile shared with her bother, that lightning fast temper.

“Because if you don’t, someone else might get to her first, someone that might not just want to bring her in.”

“Wonderful, you turn my sister into a… a freak… and then you chase her across the countryside and you want me to help you. I don’t think so.”

“She is not a freak.” Daniel shouted as he stepped forward. “She’s different, yeah, but that doesn’t make her a freak, and the academy had nothing to do with it.”

“What do you know about it?” Leon asked.

“Probably more than you do.” Daniel replied.

“Listen, my sister was a normal girl before she set off to become a hunter. She had a normal life here with a caring family and…”

“Normal, Kile was never normal, not in the way you see normal, if anything’s she’s unique, and as for having a normal life and a caring family, did you know she never spoke of her family or her life here. She was ashamed of it, or frightened by it. If you believe what you're saying, then you don’t know your sister as well as you think you do, or maybe you just choose to ignore those things that don’t fit into your little world. Either way you’re not helping her by stone walling our investigation.”

Leon turned to look at Daniel. Erin was sure that fists would fly as she got ready to intervene but Leon just closed his eyes and sighed. He was defeated before he even started.

“You’re right.” He whispered. “She never did… fit in. Not in this world and by the sounds of, not in your world either.”

“Then help us.” Daniel pleaded.

“I don’t know what I can tell you.” Leon said as he ran one hand through his hair and started back toward the house. “All I can tell you is she came looking for information.”

“What information?” Erin asked.

“She was looking for someone, a man, an outsider by the name of William Rothershire.”

“Rothershire.” Erin repeated the name as she pulled the small tattered half burnt book from the pouch on her belt. She flipped quickly through the pages and stopped at one that had been marked by an oak leaf. This was one of the pages that Kile wanted her to read, the one she had deciphered. It was a list of names, and the third one down was Rothershire.

“You’re Erin.” Leon said as if looking at the Hunter for the first time. “You’re the one that found my sister when she was lost. You’re the one that put the idea of becoming a hunter in her head.”

“I’m sorry.” Erin replied.

“Don’t be.” Leon said shaking his head. “I may have been a bit abrupt earlier, but I truly believed that going off to become a hunter saved my sister.”

“Saved her from what?” Daniel asked.

“From this.” Leon replied with a wide sweep of his arms as he embraced the Veller farm. “There was always something about my sister, something I could never put a word to, but she was her own self and had she been forced to stay here, I think it would have… destroyed her, not that I believe the Hunters are any better. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against the Hunters aside from the fact that they are trying to capture my little sister, but they are still an organization of rules and regulation and I don’t think she can fit into that world any better than she fits into this one. ”

“I think I know what you mean.” Daniel replied with a slight grin. “She was the same way at the academy. She had a certain flare for annoying authority.”

“I guess something’s never change.” Leon replied.

“What can you tell me of Rothershire?” Erin asked.

“Nothing much I’m afraid. Rothershire was kind of an outcast in Riverport. From what I knew he only came into town to get drunk and start fights, I never really knew much more about him, I only heard about his death from Keith Wints who helped Garth prepare the grave. The thing is, she did uncover information, but she wouldn’t tell me what it was, she lied to me. She told me that Rothershire spoke of a place by the name of Grover’s den.”

“Grover’s den?” Daniel exclaimed, “You don’t think this has something to do with that do you? You don’t think she’s heading back there.”

“No, that’s just it.” Leon said turning to Daniel. “That was what she told me, but that wasn’t the truth. I spoke with Keith the next day and he told me what Garth message really was, that Rothershire spoke of a man by the name of Saybela and a place called Windfoil. I don’t know why she lied.”

“Windfoil.” Erin said as a worried look crossed her face.

“You’ve heard of it?” Daniel asked.

“Windfoil was the name of the seat where King Jusen I. reigned and some of the old timers still refer to the Waltair Castle as Windfoil, but I don’t see how that’s going to help.”

“Well, she did leave a message for you.”

“A message? For me?”

This was a little unusual. She never had a bounty that left messages or clues behind deliberately.

“She told me to tell you that the four names in the book are connected, and that if she wanted to clear her name she had to get a head of it. She also said that there was a Hunter involved by the name of Garret B.”

There was only one hunter by the name of Garret with the last initial of B that Erin could think of, but what would he have to do with all this? Was this another trick to try to throw them off her trail, like lying about Grover’s Den, but if so, then for what purpose? She was leaving clues to help them, but then steering them off in another direction.

“She wouldn’t.” Daniel exclaimed with a look of horror.

“She wouldn’t what?” Erin asked, although she didn’t really want to know the answer. The one thing she had learned from chasing Kile was that the girl was unpredictable.

“She said in order to clear her name she had to get ahead of it. You don’t think she would actually go to Waltair Castle and confront the High King himself.”

“I don’t think even Kile is that crazy.” Erin said but a look from Leon and she wasn’t so sure. “You’re not telling us everything… are you?” She asked him.

“That’s all I know.” Leon replied with a dismissive hand gesture that clearly stated he no longer wanted to discuss the matter. He turned and continued back to the house, but Erin wasn’t going to give up that easily. There was something more that Leon wasn’t telling them, something that he was reluctant to tell them. As she followed Leon, she saw for the first time, the young girl standing on the porch with a child in her arms. She had been listening to the exchange, and Erin couldn’t help notice the look of apprehension the girl wore.

“What happened here the night Kile left?” Erin asked, grabbing Leon’s arm.

“It was nothing.” He said, easily breaking the hold as he pulled back.

“It wasn’t nothing.” The young girl said from the front step.

“That’s enough Jenny.”

“No Leon, they have to know.”

“There is nothing more to say.” He said, silencing his wife, but then he was never able to silence her for long.

“She went crazy, she was like a wild animal, and she tried to harm our child.”

“Jenny!” Leon shouted and the young girl jumped.

“I don’t believe it.” Daniel exclaimed. “I’ve known Kile, and she wouldn’t harm anyone.”

“Well, you didn’t see her that night.” Jenny shot back, gripping the child closer to her chest as if just talking about the incident put her baby at risk.

“Jenny, why don’t you go back inside?” Leon said, although it sounded like a request, it was much more than that. Jenny entered the farmhouse, letting the door swing shut behind her.

“What did happen?” Erin asked again.

“You have to forgive Jenny, she was upset.”

“About what?”

Leon said nothing for a while as if putting his thoughts together and feeling out his story before he told it. It was clear that he cared for his sister, so much so that he was unwilling to say anything that would have put Kile in a negative light.

“Ki only stayed with us for one night.” Leon started. “When Keith arrived, she must have thought it was someone coming for her. She kind of… lost it.”

“Lost it, what do you mean lost it?” Daniel asked. Erin placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. It would not do to antagonize Leon at this moment. She needed to know everything, and she had a feeling that this might have been what Morgan had warned her about.

“She kind of went… wild. When I tried to stop him from going outside, that’s when she turned on me, there was just this… this look and her eyes…”

“What about her eyes?” Daniel asked Leon, but it wasn’t Leon that answered.

“They turned golden, like those of a cat.” Erin said.

“That right… how did…”

“It doesn’t matter. Did she threaten you in any way? Did she threaten your child?”

“No, no, nothing like that. She just ran out of the house. I thought she was going to attack Keith but… nothing happened. She never came back that night, not that Jenny would have allowed her in anyway. I’m guessing she spent the night in the barn. The next morning I found her in the high fields. That's when she told me she was leaving… among other things.”

“What other things?” Erin asked.

“It wasn’t all that important.” Leon replied.

“Anything you can tell us will help.”

“Well, it was kind of strange. She told me to set apart a quart of an acre for the rabbits and they’d stop eating my crops. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.”

“I do.” Daniel replied. “And I’d do exactly what she said.”

Daniel gave Leon a nodding goodbye and headed off toward his horse, Erin quickly caught up. Only when they were far enough away from Leon did Daniel say anything.

“I don’t believe she had any intention of harming that child, it’s just not in her nature.”

“I’m not sure what her nature is.” Erin replied. “But I agree. I think that part of the story was from a frightened mother protecting her child.”

“Or someone trying to make more trouble for Kile. It doesn’t look like she was wanted here any more than she’s wanted anywhere else.”

“You may be right.” Erin said, looking over her shoulder at the farm house. Leon had just gone inside, probably to console his wife.

“How did you know about her eyes, and what does it mean?” Daniel asked.

She turned to face him.

“A woman back in Coopervill described them the same way, when Kile got angry after being questioned. I noticed that you weren’t all that surprised to hear about it. Is it part of her edge?”

“I never saw it back at the academy, and believe me, she had plenty of opportunities to be angry, but when she came to see me at the hospital, when Grey came into the ward, that’s when I saw it. It was only for a moment and I thought it was a figment of my imagination, but now… I’m not so sure.”

“Figment or not, this is not something we need to tell Grey.” Erin replied.

“Agreed.”

“What do you make of the rabbits then, was that significant.”

Daniel laughed.

“No, that’s just Kile being Kile. If I know her, she probably had a nice long chat with the boss rabbit and worked out some kind of deal. If Leon knows what’s good for him, he’ll honor his side of it.”

Folkstaff came walking across the yard, followed by a not so happy Grey, but then Erin couldn’t remember a time when he was happy.

“You learn anything?” Erin called out to them as she pulled herself up onto Elemia.

“About all I can say for sure is that she was here, but then we already knew that. I’d place her departure about three or four days ago. Beyond that, there isn’t much to be said. What about you, did her brother have anything to say.”

“Plenty, I’ll tell you on the way.”

“On the way to where?” Folkstaff asked as he mounted up.

“Windfoil.”

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

17

 

Waltair Castle wasn’t that difficult to find. Even on the worst of maps it was clearly marked, even those handed out by the Guild had its location plainly noted. It was once the seat of power, a centralizing point of the political structure of the Kingdom. It was where the High Kings held court in days gone by. It was so ingrained into the Aruian culture that every child knew where to find it. As it was, Kile got lost.

She had a general idea of where it was supposed to be, just north of Azintar, which in itself was North of Littenbeck. The last time it took her two days by coach road to get from Riverport to the city of Littenbeck. From there it was another day to get to the academy which was located just outside the walls of Azintar. She had to believe that it couldn’t take any longer than a day to get from Azintar to Waltair Castle. If her math was correct then the entire trip should have taken just four days, and that was if she went the round about way via Littenbeck, which she wasn’t going to attempt. It would not do for her to get too close to that City any time soon.

It was on the fifth day that she gave in to Grim’s complaints of traveling in circles that she asked for directions. The birds of the Northern Province were more than willing to help as they showed her the surrounding area, and that was when she noticed she had been traveling in the wrong direction. She should have been moving more westerly but instead had passed Windfoil and was now forced to backtrack.

She had hoped that her trail across the countryside as oppose to using the open roads would have saved her a day or two, as it was, it cost her time. She had no idea how much of a head start she had over Erin and the rest of the hunters, but it would appear that she lost most of it.

It was on the evening of the sixth day out of Riverport that Windfoil, otherwise known as Waltair Castle, came into view. The place was enormous when compared to anyplace else she had seen in her travels, and far older than she would have expected. According to the history books, Windfoil was the first structure built by the vir when they came to this land from where ever it was that they came from. The history books were never quite clear on that point. It stood upon higher ground than the rest of the land, and she was surprised she hadn’t seen it sooner as it loom over the trees and the tall towers seemed to rival the very mountains for domination over the skies.

An outer and an inner ring of walls sounded the main keep; each ring nearly thirty foot high with watch towers placed every forty feet. The main gates were composed of Iron and wood six inches thick and twenty feet high with killing holes along the sides and more vir then any town could claim walking the battlements. For nearly thirteen centuries no force had ever breached the walls, no enemy had ever set foot within the keep. Windfoil was virtually invulnerable.

-Now what?-

Grim asked as they stood upon the bluff starring out across the chasm at the walls of the stronghold.

“We just have to break in.” She replied.

-Oh, is that all. A vir child and a small rodent are going to break into the most fortified structure in all the kingdom.-

“How hard can it be, I broke out of one fortress, it should be easier to break into another. For starters, nobody is expecting for me, and besides you forgot to mention my trusty steed.”

-I didn’t forget, If you think I’m gonna help you break in there, you’re not a smart as I gave you credit for.-

“Fine, you stay here, Vesper and I will get in, speak to this Mr. Saybela and get out before you can say…”

-Treason-

“It’s not treason to visit the King.”

-It is if you’re not invited.-

“Besides, the King shouldn’t even be here. He holds court in Azintar, Windfoil is just his… summer get-away.”

She slipped off the back of Grim. Why did the castle seem so much larger now that she was standing on the ground?

“Well, it’s not like I could take you through the halls of the Windfoil anyway. You better stay here, I’ll see if I can find a way in.”

-Seriously, you really think you’re going to find a way inside.-

“I won’t know until I try, and beside, think of it this way. If Saybela is one of the people that Ravenshadow wants dead, he couldn’t have sent his assassin into Windfoil without it going unnoticed.”

There was some logic to that she thought as she made her way down the east wall of the chasm, but what that logic was and why it should matter at that moment was beyond her. As she slid down to the bottom she crossed over a small stream and began to the climb up the other side. When she reached the top rim the walls of Windfoil seamed to have grown twice their height and she started to think that this was not one of her better ideas.

Going through the front gate was out of the question. She couldn’t knock on the doors and ask for entry, they’d have her clapped in irons before she could set one foot into Windfoil. Climbing the walls was feasible, but not very practical. It would take far too long and she could hardly do it without being seen, besides, there was also the soldiers on the wall to deal with. Even if she did, by some miracle, manage to climb the first wall unseen, there was still the second one she would have to get over before she could reach the inner keep. The worse part was that the entire distance from where she was now, to where she wanted to get to, couldn't be more than two hundred, maybe three hundred yards. If it wasn’t for the walls, it would be an easy trip.

Maybe breaking out of a keep was easier than breaking in she thought, but even then she had help from Emara. If the mystic was here she could transport them directly into the keep, which was assuming they didn’t end up stuck in the loo or reappear half way across the country. Carter could have gotten in. With his edge of invisibility he could have walked through the front gates without anyone detecting him. Steele’s edge was speed. The hunter could have been in and out before anyone would notice. Even Marcus, with his edge of persuasion could have gotten in, although with Marcus he would probably just get himself invited. Why couldn’t she have been blessed with an edge that was a little more useful for a situation like this?

-Kile, visitor.-

Vesper said from her shoulder. She grabbed for the Lann strapped to her back, not that she had any intention of harming a guard, but she would defend herself if she had to. She quickly scanned the fields between her and the wall, but saw no one.

“Who did you see?” She asked as she sniffed at the air, but it wasn’t a vir she smelled. She moved further upstream until she found her little visitor. A red tailed fox sat on an old stump watching her with bemusement.

“Evening.” She said as she slipped the Lann back into its sheath.

-Strange.-

The fox replied and she wasn’t sure if the fox was referring to the fact that he hadn’t seen her around before, or to the way she was acting.

-You wish other side of flat mountain?-

The words the fox spoke brought visions of a flat mountain rising high out of the surrounding grass and it took her a moment to realize what he was saying.

“Yes, the wall, you know how to get to the other side of the wall.”

-I have been, take you if you wish.-

He replied and without another word it leapt from the stump and started back down the chasm. Kile had to run to keep up as the fox was moving quickly through the undergrowth with ease, running the length of the small stream. Only when it reached a rocky outcrop on the side of the hill did it stop and wait. At first she couldn’t see a reason for their destination and thought she had misinterpreted the fox’s visions after all, but before she could ask, the fox slipped between two of the stones and was gone. Kile got down on her hands and knees to pry one of the stones away, there, behind the rocks, was a small natural cave. It was not much taller than the fox, and not much wider than herself.

Somewhere deep inside was the source of the small stream. She climbed up the chasm wall and looked across the open field. If the small cave ran true, it led directly to the walls of Windfoil.

“Well, what do you think Vesper? You think it’s worth a try?”

-Find food.-

The yarrow replied as it leapt off of her shoulder and followed the fox through the small opening.

“What do I have to loose.” She said as she got down on her hands and knees. “I hope you two know where you’re going.”

-Other side of flat mountain-

The fox called back.

Getting down flat on her stomach he had to pull herself through the narrow opening, sliding along the shallow, ice cold stream. The opening was far too small to be called a cave, although she didn’t know what else to call it besides a tunnel or possible a rabbit hole. Whatever it was, it was fairly straight, which was a blessing in itself since she wasn’t sure if she could even make a turn in so constricted an area. It also raised a rather valid if not scary question. If this tunnel ended or got any tighter, how was she supposed to get herself out?

The journey was slow going since she wasn’t able to use her legs very well and was forced to pull herself along with just her arms, sliding through the mud and over some rather sharp stones. The darkness was absolute. Even with her sharpened eyesight, assuming that it had kicked in, she wasn’t able to see anything. She had to rely on other feelings, other senses that she didn’t understand. Mostly she had to rely on Vesper who she could sense was just a few feet ahead of her. When the darkness began to close in and she was starting to have second thoughts the walls suddenly opened up. It wasn’t a large opening, but it was large enough that she could actually crawl on her hands and knees which made traveling a little faster if not more uncomfortable. Kneeling on the sharp rocks wasn’t any better than being dragged a crossed them.

She reached out with her edge to connect with the Fox that was now navigating through the tunnel with ease as it had no doubt done countless other times. What guided it, or how it knew where to go she had no idea, but the fox never stopped or slowed up.

She had lost all track of time when she reached the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately that was the problem, it ended. There was a dull light seeping in through a small opening, or was that an exit, either way it was far too small for her to get through, but not so for the fox or for Vesper. She tried looking through the hole, but could see very little. The light appeared to be shining down into an area on the other side of her dead end. As her hands explored the wall, they discovered that it wasn’t the rough, natural wall of the tunnel, but a vir made structure composed of stone and mortar. Did she finally reach the outer wall of Windfoil? Although her time in the darkness seemed endless she was sure she traveled further than that, or at least hoped she traveled further than that.

Gripping the edge of the opening she found the bricks were loose. Their contact with the ground had eroded the mortar and with a little persuasion she was able to remove a few of them. Now she only had to worry about was half the Castle falling down on her head.

The first few bricks came away easily, but the other remained stubborn. For some reason they wanted to keep the wall up. Eventually she was able to widen the hole enough to for her head and shoulders. She squeezed through the narrow gap and realized too late that there was no floor on the other side as she tumbled head first into the trash pile.

“Oh wonderful.” She said as the smell assaulted her senses. Was this what had attracted the fox, the thought of scavenging rotting food from the refuse. It could have been worse she thought as she tried to stand on numb legs and braced herself against the side of the wall. There was only one way out now, and that was straight up through the grating in the ceiling, to the source of the light. Fortunately it wasn’t that far up, only about fifteen or so feet, and the conveniently placed service ladder would definitely help.

She waited until the pins and needles that pricked at her legs subsided before she even tried the ladder. Vesper climbed up onto her shoulder as she took hold of the first rung and hand over hand she made it up to the edge. Raising Vesper in her outstretched hand, the yarrow leapt through the grate and disappeared. It was only a few minutes before he returned.

-Empty-

The word carried with it visions of a kitchen void of vir life. When she was sure she understood the yarrow she pushed open the grate and pulled herself out of the garbage shoot. The kitchen may be asleep but there was no knowing how far away or how light a sleeper the cook was. She lay on the floor trying to catch her breath, but breathing at the moment was a bit difficult due to the odor that lingered about her. Vesper climbed back up on her shoulder as she got to her feet. She exited the small room that was situated off to one side. The main kitchen was an impressive area, nearly five times the size of the one back at the academy. There was a huge open fire pit in the center of the room, several pantries of meats and grains lined one wall as pots, pans and stoves lined the other. Herbs hung from hooks giving the place a wholesome aroma. She found barrels filled with apples and grabbed one. Cutting off a wedge she gave it to Vesper before eating the rest.

Given the size of the kitchen and estimating how far she had traveled through the dark little tunnel, she must be inside the keep, now all she had to do was find Saybela. The problem wasn’t really finding the man. The problem would be trying to explain to him how she had gotten in and why she was there in the first place before they dragged her off to the dungeon. If she could talk fast enough, maybe she could explain everything before he had time to call for the guards.

She climbed the small flight of steps and pressed her ear to the door. She couldn’t hear anything on the other side, so she slowly opened it and stepped out into the hall. A welcoming breeze came from somewhere as she brushed back her hair and followed the familiar scent. It led her to a large room, a dining hall of some description, if the rows of tables and chairs were any indication. The room was as tall as it was wide and lined with touches, a few of which remained lit, and even though she couldn’t see the ceiling, she knew there had to be windows high among the rafter for the night air to enter. The floor was of polished marble and her boots echoed off of it as she moved across the empty chamber. Ahead of her was a raised dais with a single table and several very impressive looking chairs lined up behind it. Could this be the Kings dinning hall she wondered, but she didn’t wonder for long. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

-Who are you?-

She turned slowly and found herself staring at a rather old, but very large, dog. He stood nearly as tall as she did with a coat of short wiry hair and eyes of milky white.

-I may not be able to see you very well, but I know I have not smelled you before.-

“No sir, my name is Kile Veller.”

-Kile Veller.-

The dog said as if pondering the words carefully.

-Your scent is… familiar. It reminds me of something… I cannot remember.-

The old dog said before turning around and heading back to the dark corner of the room.

“Is that all?” She asked.

-What more is there?-

He replied.

“I just broke into your home and all you ask for is my name.”

-To tell you the truth, I was surprised to receive even that.-

“But aren’t you supposed to be… well, you know… guarding.”

-Guarding, guarding what?-

“This place for starters.”

-Let the vir guard, my time for such foolishness is ended. All I wish now is to sleep and smell the night air.-

Those final words carried with it a sense of calm so deep and so final that she knew what the old dog meant even if he didn’t say it.

“I suppose you don’t get very many intruders inside the castle at night, do you?”

-None that I can recall.-

He replied as he laid back down on a blanket that had been set in the corner for him.

“What is your name sir, if I might ask?”

-The vir call me Tyler so Tyler it is.-

He replied with a casual yawn as he laid down his head.

-So pup, why is it that you and your rodent have decided to invade Windfoil.-

“Good question, I’m supposed to be looking for someone, but I don’t know where to start, and I’m afraid that if I do find him, he’s more than likely to lock me away than to help me.”

-And who is it that you seek that does not wish to be found.-

“His name is Saybela, have you heard of him?”

-Saybela.-

Tyler raised his head slowly and looked to the windows that neither he nor Kile could see. He sniffed at the night air.

-I’m afraid my memory isn’t what it used to be.-

The old dog replied.

-I do not recall anyone by the name of Saybela, but then I don’t recall many of the vir titles. Perhaps there are other’s in the castle that may be able to help you in your search.-

“I’m afraid not too many people are going to be willing to help me.” She said as she sat down beside Tyler. “If you remember, I’m not supposed to be here.”

-No, this is true.-

She stroked the old dog, and he laid his head upon her lap.

“You’re dying… aren’t you?”

It may not have been the most tactful way of asking the question, but it was the only way she could think of.  She learned a long time ago from another old dog that the natural world does not view death as the vir world does, they do not fear it, but accept it.

-You are very astute, for a vir… but then you are not like other vir. I would even go as far as to say that you are not wholly a vir but something… different.-

“I’ve been told that most of my life.” She replied.

-You are correct though, my cycle is nearly over. I no longer count the days nor the hour but only the minutes.-

“Aren’t you… afraid?”

-Fear? No, not really. For with the passing of that which is me, my body will feed new life and in many ways, I will live on.-

“But to lay here, alone, in the dark…” she said as she stared up at the ceiling, wishing that she could see the stars through the windows that were up there somewhere.

-But I am not alone, you are here. And at the end of thing, I am glad to have someone to speak with.-

“I’ll sit with you, for a while.” She said as she stroked the old dog’s head.

-I will not be alone for long, my master comes.-

Master? That was something that she hadn’t considered, but it did make sense. Somebody had to have set the old dog up in the dinning hall in the first place. She knew she couldn’t be here when the dog’s master arrived, but on the other hand, she just couldn’t bring herself to leave the dog alone in the dark. Unfortunately she didn’t have to make that decision as someone entered the dining hall through the far doors.

“You all right Tyler?” A man’s voice called out.

The old dog’ tail began to wag.

“Sorry I was so long, I had to…” He never finished his sentence as he stared at the redheaded girl that was now sitting with his dog’s head resting in her lap.

“Hi.” Kile said with a slight wave, for lack of anything else to say.

He was tall, slender, and fairly young with his hair cut short and a neatly trimmed beard. She would even go as far as to say he was good looking, but nothing beyond that. He stood there watching her for a moment, dressed in an old tunic and pants, carrying a bowl in his hands.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” He asked before taking a step closer.

“I don’t think so.” She replied a bit nervously. This wasn’t exactly what she had planned.

He set the bowl down in front of Tyler who weakly sniffed at the food.

“You look… familiar.” The man replied, and much to Kile’s surprise, sat on the floor beside her and Tyler.

“Maybe you’ve seen me working around the castle.” She replied.

“I suppose it’s possible.” The man said, still studying her face, but she knew he didn’t believe her. “What is your name?”

“My name.”

He laughed.

“You do have a name… don’t you.”

“Kile… Kile… Leary.” She said.

If Daniel ever heard she borrowed his family name, she would never live it down.

“It’s nice to meet you Kile. I suppose I don’t really have to introduce myself.” He asked watched her as if studying her reaction.

“Yes… yes of course.” She lied. She did kind of tell him she worked in the castle even if he doubted her. To be able to walk around the castle at night he was probably some head butler or someone of importance. If she confessed she didn’t know him, he would know she wasn’t supposed to be there. She casually sniffed him when he wasn’t looking. The smell of roses, soap and old books reminded her of a library. The fact that he was neatly groomed and his hands bore no marks of labor meant he was probably a scholar of some description.

“This is Tyler.” He said introducing the old dog, although Kile already knew his name. “I’m afraid he’s not as young as he use to be, are you boy. He’s been a bit listless lately.”

-He has not left my side for these past three nights.-

The old dog replied as he looked up at the man, and within those words Kile felt compassion, the love of a dog for his master.

“That’s why you’ve been sitting with him these past nights.” She replied.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I… must have seen you.”

“Not too many people walk around this part of the keep at night.” He replied.

“Yes… well, you see… I was looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone?” The man asked. He didn’t seem suspicious as much as he was amused. “Who could you is looking for around here?”

“A Mr. Saybela, I was told to… report to him for… work.”

“Saybela, you were told to report to Mr. Saybela.”

“Yes sir.”

The look on the man’s face told her that she had gotten it wrong. It was too much to hope for.

“Elmer Saybela?”

“Yes.” She replied slowly.

“You do know that Elmer retired and moved away.”

“Retired! Moved away! When… where?”

Retired was better than dead, but moved away meant he wasn’t in the castle anymore, which meant he was as safe as she thought.

“I’d say, about… thirty years ago.”

“Thirty years. Are you sure?”

“I should think so. It was right after the trial.”

“What trial?”

“The trial of Prince Jonland’s assassin.” The man replied, as if the entire incident should have been common knowledge and it probably was to most people, but anything involving the political hierarchy of the country was lost to people in Riverport, or was it just lost on Kile. Besides, it wasn’t like it was a current event. It was long before she was born.

“I’m afraid my knowledge of the royal family is… rather limited. I probably should have paid more attention back at the academy.”

“I’m beginning to believe that.” The man laughed. “But I can fill you in if you’d like.”

That at least confirmed he was some kind of scholar she thought, probably an apprentice or research assistant based on the shabby condition of his clothing.

“It would help, if it’s not too long.” She replied.

“Well, there’s really not that much to tell. Prince Jonland Waltair III was the oldest son of King Jusen Waltair II and was destined to become High King of Aru. That was until his assassination, which was back in the spring of ‘54 on the eve of Hobin’s day nearly thirty years ago. The assassin was caught the next day. The trial was brief and the man was sentenced to life in Blackmoore. Elmer Saybela was Prince Jonland’s and… Prince Roland’s teacher, but after the death of Jonland, Elmer retired. The last I heard he’s living on the south side of Azintar, Pickman’s square I believe.”

“So, he’s in Azintar now.” She replied. “But, what was that about Blackmoore.”

“Not the province, mind you, but the prison. There’s an old prison located in the swamps of Blackmoore, it actually goes by a few different names. You may have heard it referred to as Blackwater, Blackshadow, Raven’s Watch, but most people know it as Blackmoore.”

“Raven’s watch.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve only seen the place once, but I can tell you it’s not a place you’d want to be locked up in. The thing I remember most was when the ravens were flying around the watchtowers. From what I was told it was a common occurrence. That’s why it’s often called Raven’s watch.”

“Or raven’s shadow.” She replied.

“Yeah, I think it’s been called that once or twice too.”

“Ravenshadow, now it’s beginning to make sense.”

“Sorry.”

“A bit too complicated to explain.” She said.

“Fair enough.” The man replied as he looked down at his dog. The dog gave a feeble wag of its tail before looking at the young man.

“Take it easy boy.” He said with a reassuring hand on Tyler’s head.

-Can you tell him farewell from me, and that he should not mourn for my passing.-

Tyler asked Kile.

“I can tell him, but I know from experience that it’s doesn’t help.” She said as she cradled the dog’s head in her arms.

“I’m sorry.” He said, looking at her.

She took a deep breath, how was she going to talk her way out of this one she wondered.

“Tyler wanted me to bid you farewell, and told me to tell you not to mourn for him.”

“How do you know this?” He asked, now the look on his face wasn’t as amused as it was before, it was almost troubling.

“He’s not afraid to die. They never are. They accept death as a part of the cycle, with his death new life begins. It’s what he believes, so he’s not afraid to die. But he thanks you for the kindness that you’ve shown him these past years, and he says to remember him when you walk the white fields in the summer.”

“How can you know this?” He asked, but what she told him must have meant something to him. As he looked down at his dog, he had to blink back the tears.

“But I shall miss him. I don’t want him to leave me.” He said, barely above a whisper.

“He knows, and I can assure you, the feeling is mutual.” She replied, now she was forced to blink back her own tears, why did the sappy stuff always get to her.

“Thank you Kile.”

Before she could say another word, the doors to the far end of the dining hall opened again, and heavy boots hit the floor. She got a strong scent of steel and leather, and knew that one of the guards was approaching. Slowly slipping out from under Tyler she gently laid his head down upon the pillow. The old dog looked at her and knew something was wrong as she got to her feet. A man dressed in the livery of the King approached.

“Sir, I was told you were in here, the men are making another sweep of the grounds. So far they haven’t found… her.” The guard shouted the last word as he pointed at Kile.

“Guards!” He bellowed, and his voice filled the room, echoing off the walls and probably wakening everyone in a quarter of a mile. She thought only her weapon’s master at the academy could yell that loud.

“I think that my queue to get out of here.” She said backing to the wall. “You still with me Vesper?”

-Dogs come-

The yarrow warned from the safety of his pouch, but she didn’t need that warning since she could hear the baying of the hounds as the halls began to fill up with more men in heavy boots.

The lone guard drew his weapon and the sound of steel sliding from its sheath sent a chill down her spine. He stepped between her and the man she had been talking to. It was obvious he had intended to protect the man and his dog from her, but he had also managed to block her access to the kitchen, and her only means of escape, unless she wanted to try running for the front door.

“By the order of the High King of Aru, you are under arrest.” The guard shouted.

“This is not necessary.” The man yelled from behind him as he got to his feet.

“She is wanted for crimes against the crown my lord.” The Guard replied, but he had no intention of waiting to see if she was going to surrender as he launched his first attack at her. She easily avoided the stroke of his sword and recognized his stance as the clumsy maneuvers they taught at the Academy. She was sure she could defeat this one guard if she had to but there were already more coming through the doors. She had no desire to harm an innocent man, especially when she was trying to clear her own name.

The hounds were released at the front of the room and quickly covered the ground between their handlers and Kile, but, much to everyone’s surprise, they stopped short of actually attacking. There was a momentary pause as all four dogs sat down in the middle of the hall and stared at her.

-Watch out pup.-

Tyler’s voice echoed in Kile’s head, and even though she wasn’t looking, she could see through the words of the old dog the guard had seized on her momentary distraction. She turned just in time to see the flash of his blade and spun away from his attack, but she wasn’t fast enough as she felt the tip of his sword bite into her arm. There was a deafening bark as one of the four hounds charged, plowing into the lone guard, sending him sprawling across the marble floor.

-Get out of here pup.-

Tyler shouted, filling Kile’s head with a sense of urgency.

She leapt over the fallen guard and sprinted to the open door that led back to the kitchen. As she exited the room, two hounds were right behind her and more guards were coming in through the dining hall doors.

“She went that way.”

She heard one of the guards yell.

“Are you alright your majesty?”

Another guard was asking the man she had recently been speaking with.

She stopped suddenly and turned around.

“That was the King?”

-Get down.-

She quickly fell to the ground as one of the large hounds leapt over her, barreling into a guard that had come up the other side of the hall, knocking the man back hard onto the floor. Jumping to her feet she maneuvered around him and ducked back into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her and throwing the deadbolt. She made for the back of the room and had only just pulled up the grate when she heard the something strike the kitchen door.

-We leave now?-

Vesper asked.

“Yeah, I think it’s time to go.” She said as she swung down into the hole and pulled the grate shut.

She was only three rungs down when the door shattered.

“Search the room, find her, she couldn’t have gone far.”

Kile descended down to the refuse pile, crossed over to the hole in the wall, pulling herself through she was gone.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

18

 

The wound wasn’t nearly as bad as it felt, but she managed to clean it in a small stream and wrap it in a clean cloth, or as clean a cloth as he could find, before setting off to Azintar. The day was already breaking when she reached Grim on the ridge, and although she should have stopped to rest she knew the guards would be searching for her. Why were the guards looking for her? How did they know she was going to be there? She didn’t even know she was going to be there until she actually arrived but somehow the guards had been alerted. Did somebody figure out the connection between Saybela and the other men, or did they already know.

-You’ve been quiet.-

Grim remarked as he plodded across the field, moving in a southerly direction. They knew the city of Azintar had to be around here somewhere.

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought.” She said as she shifted her weight on the pony and laid crossed his back to stare up at the sky. “All the pieces are starting to fall together, but something is missing.”

-And that would be.-

“If I knew what it was, it wouldn’t be missing.”

-Perhaps you are looking at it from the wrong point of view.-

“What do you mean?”

-If you look at it through the eyes of this… Ravenshade…-

“Ravenshadow... and I have been doing just that. If Ravenshadow was the original assassin, why would he be so caught up in revenge, I mean, he was the one that was in the wrong, he can’t very well blame everyone else for doing what they were suppose to do.”

-Was he in the wrong?-

“Of course he was. He killed the Prince, if that wasn’t wrong then what is?”

-But this Ravenshadow didn’t say he wanted revenge.-

“No, he didn’t, did he.” She replied, sitting back up. “He said he wanted justice, but justice for what?”

-What does a vir know of justice anyway?-

“But that still doesn’t explain why these five men. What did these men have in common? Was it something to do with the prince? If that were the case, why were they all in hiding? Could Ravenshadow actually be innocent of the crime?”

It was not that far fetched of an idea. She was innocent of the crimes she was being hounded for, why not Ravenshadow. Could these five men have conspired somehow to arrest an innocent man?

No matter how many times she spun the pieces, no matter how many times she put them together, the puzzle just didn’t look like the box cover. Something was definitely off, and maybe it was in Azintar.

She stopped Grim along the side of the road.

-What is the matter now?-

The pony grumbled.

“I was just thinking. We can’t enter Azintar.”

-And why not?-

“Well, to put it simply, you’re too well known there.”

-Me.-

“Yes you.” She said as she slid off his back. “Don’t forget all the attention you drew last year at the academy.”

-I was not the one that burned down the Great Hall.-

“I did not burn down the Great Hall.” She shouted. “That was an accident, and it wasn’t even me. That was Eric’s doing.”

-If you say so.-

“And if I’m not mistaken, you did walk through the stable wall.”

-That was to save your life.-

“And what about chasing the horse master through the dinning hall and up a tree, was that to save my life? Do you think that went unnoticed?”

-He was an annoying little vir.-

“The point is we both have a reputation, but I can probably hide among the vir, you can not hide among the other horses, you stick out like a sore thumb.”

-And you don’t.-

Grim replied with a harsh snort.

“And what’s that suppose to mean?”

-You smell like a compost heap.-

She had to admit he was right, she hadn’t been able to change or bath for some time now and crawling through the refuse pile within Windfoil didn’t help in the hygiene department.

“Well… I can’t do much about that now, can I?” She said. “We’re going to have to find a place for you to hide.”

-Fine, then once again, I shall wait while you go and get yourself stabbed.-

“That wasn’t my fault.” She said as she touched the bandage on her arm. “And it’s not like I plan to get myself in a situation like that again anyway.”

-Vir come.-

Vesper said from his place between Grim’s ears.

She quickly sniffed the air, but the mixture of smells made it difficult to figure out who these vir were, all she knew was that they were heading in her directions. She moved further back from the road with Grim and waited. It wasn’t until they got closer that she could hear them singing. They definitely weren’t professional entertainers with the noise they were making, banging on boxes and blowing small horns. Their voices weren’t even in harmony and she wasn’t even sure they were all singing the same song, but they did sound like they were having fun.

As the caravan came into view she could tell by the number of carriages that it had to be one of the merchant trains. Grim must have stumbled onto the trade routes. The lead carriages were round barrels. Large wagons with round back that were often used as portable houses for long journeys. Following behind them were a series of flat bed wagons carrying an assortment of sacks, barrels and boxes. Where ever they were coming from, they had traveled a great distance.

As they got closer, she stepped out from the trees and stood on the side of the road. She wasn’t sure what they would do, whether they would pass her by without a second glance, or stop to give aid. As it was the driver of the lead carriage pulled his team to a halt and with a simple wave of his hand, the entire train slowly rolled to a stop.

“What do we have here?” He bellowed.

He was a loud heavy set jovial man with a round face and a neatly trimmed white beard. His clothes were finally tailored and had to be custom made to fit his girth so perfectly.

“Excuse me sir, I don’t mean to be of any trouble.”

She said as she came up beside the round barrel.

A rather plump woman stuck her head out of one of the windows.

“What is it dear, why have we stopped?”

“I seemed to have found a stray.” The large man laughed.

The plump old woman craned her neck around to see what her husband was referring to and when her eyes fell on Kile, they widened in surprised. At first she thought that she might have been recognized by this woman and was about to make a hasty retreat when the wagon began rocking. The back door suddenly popped open and the plump old woman climbed out. Two men from the second wagon also got down and followed the woman to where Kile was standing. One of the men was rather young, stocky build with honey brown hair and bore a striking resemblance to the large man leading the craven, but it was the other man that Kile was a little leery of. He was slightly older, slightly taller with an angular face and long blonde hair that was tied back in a tail. He wore a sword at his side and walked like a man that knew how to use it.

“Oh, you poor dear.”  The plump woman exclaimed as she got closer drawing Kile’s attention away from the blonde haired man. “Torin, go fetch Leeta”

“Yes mum.” The younger of the two men said as he quickly dashed off to the second caravan.

“You come here child.” The woman said as she took hold of Kile’s hand gingerly and led her to the back of the wagon. She flipped down a small seat, or it could have been a step, and directed her to sit.

“What is your name child?” She asked.

Kile didn’t answer at first as she caught sight of the green signet ring on the blonde haired man’s hand and realized that she may have just made a terrible mistake. The idea of traveling with the caravan into the city to avoid suspicion had crossed her mind. Merchant caravans are governed by the Merchant’s guild and therefore care little and have little knowledge of the current events within the cities. These people may not have recognized someone wanted by the crown, but the green signet ring was a clear sign that this man was not a member of the Merchant’s guild and was, in fact, a Member of the Hunter’s guild.

“I think she’s in shock.” The plump woman remarked.

“What? Oh, sorry, no, I’m fine. My name is… Alisa, Alisa Reaba.” She lied.

“What brings you out here Mrs. Reaba?” The hunter asked.

She looked at the hunter for a moment, she had to be careful. If he was a hunter, and the ring identified him as one, then he would know who and what she was, and then there was the small matter of his edge. What was it? As far as she knew there was no edge that allowed a hunter to read the minds of another vir or detect lies, but then again, there wasn’t supposed to be an edge that allowed a hunter to speak with animals either.

“I was on my way to Azintar and I seemed to have lost my way.”

“You travel rather light, for someone on the road. Are you afoot?” The hunter asked.

“No, my horse is in the wood waiting for me.” She replied.

“And where are coming out of?” The hunter asked.

“That's enough Robert, can’t you see the child is hurt. You have to forgive Robert. He’s a hunter and is overly suspicious of anyone we meet.”

“One cannot be too careful Mrs. Undack.” Robert remarked.

“So you keep telling me Robert, but I will not badger a child out of paranoia.”

“I think she’s safe Robert.” Mr. Undack laughed as he jumped down from his driver seat. The entire wagon rocked as it was suddenly released from under the big man’s weight. Kile had to grip the side of the seat as not to be thrown off. “She doesn’t look as if she could cause much harm.”

“No, I suppose you’re right.” The hunter remarked. “Accept my apologize Mrs. Reaba, I meant no ill by them.”

“No harm done.” Kile replied, although she couldn’t help but wonder how much the hunter thought he knew.

The young man named Tobin arrived with an even young girl in tow. She couldn’t be any older then fifteen with her long honey brown hair tied up in pig tails and her round smiling face so much like Mrs. Undack. She carried with her a small pouch that she set down on the end of the carriage.

“May I look at your arm?” She asked, taking Kile’s arm and slowly removing the bandages.

“This is my second eldest daughter Leeta.” Mrs. Undack said, placing a motherly arm on the girl. “Don’t you worry now, she’s a trained healer, Better than any of the doctor’s in Littenbeck she is.”

“Mother.” Leeta protested sharply.

“We should probably see about getting your horse Mrs. Reaba.” Mr. Undack remarked. “Come on Tobin, give me a hand.”

“Yes father.” The younger man said, rushing off after the larger man.

Leeta cleaned the wound with an ointment that had a rather strong acidic smell to it. She quickly glanced over at Robert who was now pacing along side of the road. Hunter’s never liked to be kept waiting if they didn’t have to, time was money.

“Mother, look at this.”

Mrs. Undack came up behind her daughter and looked at Kile’s arm.

“This is a sword wound.” The young girl said.

Kile looked between the two of them, and when her eyes connected with those of Mrs. Undack, the older woman smiled.

“Looks like a simple cut to me, bind it.” The older woman said calmly.

“Yes mother.” Leeta replied as she spread some foul smelling ointment on Kile’s arm and gently wrapped it with some clean gauze she took from her pouch.

“I just discovered the funniest thing.” Mr. Undack bellowed as he came out of the woods with his son in tow. “There is a mountain pony in the woods with a rat sitting on his head.”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous Gunthor” Mrs. Undack replied.

“I’m quite serious.” Mr. Undack laughed. “Damnest thing I ever saw, ain’t that right Tobin.”

“Its true mother, he’s just standing out there. Shouldn’t get close to it though, Mountain ponies have a bad disposition.”

Kile looked to the hunter who was now looking at her. Did he know about the girl that rode the mountain pony? She fell into her edge and calmly called to Grim, and she knew he heard her and was coming.

“I’m afraid that’s my horse.” She said.

“Is it now?” The hunter asked as he came over. “Not too many people ride mountain ponies.”

“I suppose not.” Kile replied.

“Well then, I should probably check on the other wagons, let them know what’s going on.” The hunter said, then, much to Kile’s surprise he nodded to her and tapped his signet ring before heading off down the train.

Leeta gasped and Mrs. Undack whispered something under her breath that sounded a lot like a prayer for protection as a large black shaggy eyesore emerged from the forest. Grim walked passed Mr. Undack and Tobin to stand beside Kile. Vesper leapt from the horse's head onto Kile’s head and then onto her shoulder.

“My word.” Was all Mrs. Undack would say.

 

***

 

After a tepid bath in one of the wagons, Kile was dressed in a rather comfortable, snug fitting cotton tunic and pants as she sat with Mrs. Undack’s daughters in the third round barrel wagon on the train line. She had learned that the first wagon belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Undack who ran the Undack Merchant Line and had traveled the trade routes between Baala and Aru for nearly forty years. The second wagon was for the Undack’s oldest son Tobin and his wife Ester and their four year old child Mary. The third belonged to the Undack daughters of which there were three, Magan, Leeta and Jennie, and the fourth wagon was for the Undack sons Gilbert and Chriss. Following up the rear were twelve flatbed carriages carting supplies from east into Aru on their way to Azintar.

As the carriages started to roll, the drivers started to sing the same, somewhat nonsensical song that Kile had heard earlier. Something about a fish traveling through the forest, that was if she understood the words correctly. She had to admit that the driver of the round barrel wagon, she found herself in, had a rather thick eastern accent and it was difficult to make out the words. It also didn’t help that the Undack’s son, Gilbert she believed, rode with the eastern driver and was banging on a crudely made drum to keep the beat.

She shared the wagon with only two of the Undack’s daughters, Leeta and Jennie who seemed more interested in playing with Vesper than to badger Kile with too many questions. The eldest daughter Magan, whose clothes she had borrowed, rode on one of the supple wagons. If the stores that the two youngest Undack daughters told her were true, it would appear that Magan was smitten with one of the easterners and were to be married upon their return to Baala. Grim had been tied off, with some difficulty, among the other horses that were being brought to Azintar, none of which were mountain ponies so there was still a chance of that being a problem, but for now it was out of her hands. She lay back on the small cot and in spite of the rocking carriage, the banging drum and the strange eastern song, or maybe it was because of them, she slowly fell into a carefree sleep.

It wasn’t until a gentle hand nudged her awake that Kile opened her eyes and found herself staring up in the face of the kindly Mrs. Undack.

“Sorry to wake you dear.” She said with a sympathetic smile.

“Are we in Azintar?” Kile asked.

“No, not yet, we should reach it by nightfall, but it’s supper time and I figured you would be hungry.”

It was funny how a simple word could affect one’s appetite. She had not realized she was hungry until Mrs. Undack mentioned it.

She rolled out of the warm cot and followed Mrs. Undack out of the carriage. The air was damp but not uncomfortable and a cold wind was coming down from the mountains. The carriages had been lined up around a clearing on the side of the road where a large crackly fire now blazed and the air was filled with the aroma of food.

It would appear that the Undack Merchant Line employed quite a few people besides their own family members as men and women moved about the fire, filling up their plates, drinking, talking and eating. It reminded Kile of her first winter’s feast back at the academy. Mrs. Undack led her to one side of the fire where a thin, dark featured woman was ladling out a hearty smelling stew and handed a bowl of it to her, she took it rather reluctantly.

“Is everything alright?” The woman asked in a thick eastern accent.

“Oh… no… it’s fine.” Kile replied looking down at the stew.

“I assure you, it’s edible.”

The loud booming voice of Mr. Undack almost made her spill the stew as he came up behind her, probably seeking another helping.

“Oh, I’m sure it is, it's just that… I’m a vegetarian.” She heard herself say, and then silently scolded herself.

What was it that Master Folkstaff told her about survival? The two biggest obstacles where complacence and the desire for comfort, this was definitely the latter. One cannot afford to turn down food because it doesn’t meet with one’s expectations.

“But it's okay.” She quickly added.

Mr. Undack laughed.

“Child, we are all vegetarians, that is the way of the Toreen.”

“The what?”

“The Toreen.” Mr. Undack repeated as he guided her off to one of the benches that had been set around the fire. “We are the Eastern Folk, not of Baala, not of Aru, but a nomadic people. We are the children of the land and the wind.”

“So you don’t actually have a… a home.”

“A Home, of course we have a home. Our home is where the caravan stops. It is the only home that I know. I have been traveling all my life. In fact…” He paused and turned to look at the round barrel wagons that lined the road. “See that wagon there.” He said, pointing to the second one in line. “That was the wagon I was born in. I spent most of my youth it in it. I met my Helen on the caravan. We had our children in that very same wagon that I was born in. When my father passed away some thirty odd years ago now, I took over the caravan, and when my time comes, Tobin will take over where I leave off.”

“I was born on a farm. Farming was the only thing I knew.”

“That would be a difficult life, to be traveling farmer.” Mr. Undack laughed. “But your family wasn’t always farmers.”

“As far as I know they were.” Kile replied sampling the stew. “My father was born and raised on the farm as was my grandfather before him. The farm has been in the Veller family for generations.”

“What about your mother, surely she was one of us.”

“I don’t really know, my mother never spoke much of her side of the family, but why would you say that I was one of you, I’ve never heard of the Toreen before.”

“Well, you might not be of Toreen blood, but you are definitely Orceen.”

“Why? Why do you say that?” She asked, a little too quickly.

“Birds of a feather my child.  The Toreen, the Voseen and the Orceen have often traveled these lands together.”

“But what happened to them? Who are they?”

“I’m afraid that was even before my time. As far as I know the Voseen settled down in the south, abandoning their nomadic way, as for the Orceen, they just disappeared, probably headed back west to where ever they came from. The Toreen are the only ones that still travel the old roads, but we are few in number these days, and I fear that soon none of the nomadic tribes will be remembered.” Mr. Undack sighed and stared into the fire, but then shook his head and smile. “May I be long gone before then.” He laughed. “But these are happy times, and we should not think of sad things.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Kile said, although happy times might be too strong a phrase.

“Of course I’m right.” Mr. Undack replied. “But I should warn you, if you are to use a false name in your travels, you should be more careful.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, as she tried to remember what she had said that would have given her away.

“You mentioned your farm had remained in the Veller family for generations, and seeing as you are not married, I must assume that your family name is Veller.”

“Please sir, not so loud.” She said as she looked around the clearing, but the people of the Undack Merchant line neither heard nor cared who she was.

“It is my belief that you are in trouble.” Mr. Undack said, thankfully lowering his voice to just above a whisper.

“You might say that.” She replied. “I’m kind of… wanted for something that I didn’t do, and in order to clear my name I have to get into Azintar and find a man by the name of Saybela, if he’s still alive that is.”

She wasn’t sure why she was telling him this, it could be his jovial face or the fact that he and his family had been so kind to her for no reason that she could think of. To pick up someone on the side of a road and make them feel so at home was a rare quality in this day and age, but for whatever reason, she had told him. Now she had to hope that she didn’t misjudge him.

“I see.” Mr. Undack replied rubbing his chin. “Then we will have to get you into the city without too much fuss, but until then, eat and be welcome.”

He did a sort of salute to her before leaving, something with his hands that she didn’t quite catch, must be a regional thing she thought. Whatever he was planning now, it was out of her control. She turned back to the fire and continued to eat the stew. It wasn’t long before something crawled up her legs and made itself at home on her lap.

“And where have you been?” She asked the yarrow.

-Fun with vir.-

Vesper replied and Kile was shown a vision of the yarrow as he rode with Leeta visiting the other wagons. At least someone was making friends she thought as she looked around at the other people. Even here she was an outsider. Even here she still felt she didn’t belong.

The eating gave way to singing and the singing lead to dancing and Kile made herself scarce. If they did this every time they stopped for a meal, it was a wonder they ever got anyplace on time. She headed back to the round barrel carriage.

“Not much for the festivities?”

The Hunter was leaning up against the door to her carriage.

“I guess I’m still a little tired.” She answered cautiously.

“I’m not surprised. You’ve been running for quite some time.” The Hunter replied as he pushed himself away from the door. “I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself correctly. I am certified level three hunter Robert Swait, at your service.” He said and extended a hand, Kile hesitate before accepting it.

“I am…”

“I know who you are. I have to admit that I wasn’t one hundred percent sure at first, but I think the horse gave you away.”

“I was afraid he would.” She replied, dropping all pretext. “Now what?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m being honest with you. The least you could do is to be honest with me.”

“You do realize that if I bring you in now, I’m almost guaranteed a second level certification.”

“And?”

“The problem is, then I would be doing work for the sons of Terrabin, and I won’t play that game. Of course, if I actually through you were guilty of half the thing they have accused you of, I wouldn’t hesitate to take you back to Littenbeck.”

“So, you think I’m innocent.”

“Innocent is such a subjective word, who is truly innocent these days.” The hunter said as he stepped past her. “I don’t suppose I’ll be seeing you again any time soon. Good luck.”

She watched the man go as a slight glimmer of hope stirred within her. Could there really be members of the Hunter’s Guild that don’t want to see her gone, that are still, in their own way, fighting the sons of Terrabin. She opened the door to the carriage and climbed in.

 

***

 

 

It wasn’t long before the carriages were on their way again and with each bumping, rocking, minute, they were getting closer to Azintar. How close was Erin she began to wonder. How much did she know by now? She had Tally’s book, but had she started to put the pieces together? Was she having better luck at it than Kile, or did she abandon the puzzle for her duties? Kile had a feeling that Saybela may be her last chance to clear her name, and yet she still didn’t know if he was dead or alive.

The door to the carriage suddenly opened, startling her from her musings. Leeta climbed in first, followed by Megan who closed the door behind her.

“We are just outside the walls of Azintar.” Megan told her in a hushed whisper as she started to rummage through her clothes. “Father says you are to stay in here, no matter what.”

“They don’t normally look in the round barrels.” Leeta said as she leaned out the window to get a better look at what was happing at the gate.

“Who doesn’t, what’s going on?” She asked.

“Tobin has just returned and informed father that the city guards are on high alert, they are looking for you.”

“For me?”

“The rumored is that you broke into Waltair Castle to assassinate the High King.” Megan said.

“You failed, obviously.” Leeta added.

“But I didn’t… I mean I did break in but I didn’t assassinate anyone or even try to assassinate anyone.”

“Of course you didn’t” Magan replied calmly as she pulled a long blue and green gown from out of the trunk. “I would be a fine Toreen if I couldn’t tell the difference between truth and lies. Now put this on quickly.” She said, handing the gown to Kile.

“The city guards don’t have much say over Merchant Guild caravans.” Leeta explained as she covered her own head with a pale blue scarf. “It will be the Merchant Guild guards you have to worry about, but seeing as you haven’t committed any crimes against them, they aren’t likely to get involved.

“I haven’t committed any crimes against anyone.” Kile replied, although that wasn’t quite true.

“But if the Merchant Guild gets a request by the High King, then they may detain you for the city guard or the Hunter’s Guild.”

“Wonderful and they think I tried to assassinate the King.”

“That may be a problem” Magan replied.

The carriages began to roll again but soon stopped as the sound of talking could be heard just outside the windows. Leeta poked her head out for another look.

“They’ve just finished with Mom and Dad’s wagon and are starting on Tobin’s. They don’t look as if they are very committed.”

“They never are.” Magan added as she pulled yet another scarf out of her trunk and started to tie it around Kile’s head.

“Hello.” Leeta called out in a sweet voice as she pulled her head back in. “Here we go.”

Kile reached under the cot and felt the worn wooden handle of her Lann, Magan touched her arm.

“Trust me, say nothing.” She said.

The door to the carriage opened.

“Do you mind?” Magan snapped at the guard. “Gentlemen usually knock before entering a ladies room.”

The sudden change in Magan character startled even Kile. She went from the otherwise calm, carefree girl to something bordering a harpy.

“M...my apologize ma’am.” The guard stammered taking a step back.

“How crude these people of Azintar are.” Magan mumbled as she continued to fix Kile’s scarf and turned a rather frightening look onto the guard, a look that would have many a valrik running for cover. “Yes, what is it? What do you want?” She demanded.

“We… we are looking for a fugitive.”

“And, well, do you see one?” She asked, looking around the cabin.

“Well no ma’am.” The guard replied.

“Then there isn’t any need to bother us.” Megan said and dismissed the guard with a wave of her hand.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. If you could remove your scarf miss…”

“Her what!” Magan shouted, nearly lunging at the man, the guard stumbled backward. “You dare ask a Toreen to remove her Begal on her wedding day.”

“Well yes ma’am… I… I mean no ma’am. It’ just…”

“It’s just? It's just what?” She shouted. “You are not her husband sir, and only he may see me without my Begal.”

“But the fugitive.”

“Again with the fugitive.” Magan said, throwing up her hand in exasperation. “Who is this fugitive?”

“She goes by the name of Kile Veller, and is wanted for crimes against the Crown, the Tower and her own Guild.”

“And what Guild would that be?”

“The Hunter’s Guild.”

“Then ask a Hunter where she is, how should we know? Honestly, such foolish questions. Do I look like the type of person that would consort with Hunters? I only know of one Hunter and that’s the young man that has been traveling with the caravan. If your fugitive was here, he would know, wouldn’t he?”

“We asked, and he has claimed not to have seen her.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“We have reason to believe that she will try to enter Azintar.”

“For what?”

“We’re not quite sure ma’am.”

“Then isn’t it more likely that this fugitive will not enter Azintar since you already know she will, I mean only a fool would enter a place that they know is being watched.”

“Well… yes I suppose...”

“Well, there you go. Now, if you please, I must help my sister prepare for her wedding.”

The guard fumbled with the clipboard that he had been holding.

“Yes ma’am, I’m sorry to have troubled you ma’am.” He said as he closed the door. Magan collapsed on the cot.

“You were wonderful.” Leeta laughed.

“Thank you, thank you.” Magan replied taking a bow.

“I can’t believe he fell for that.” Kile remarked shaking her head.

“You would be surprised at the number of people that fear the Toreen. Many believe we weave spells and tell fortunes. It’s all nonsense but there you go.”

“I don’t know how I can thank you or your family.”

“Oh there’s no need too, what are sisters for.”

The carriage bumbled along again and the noise outside grew louder. Kile could see from the open window that they had passed beneath the gates of Azintar and were now in the outer city. They rolled on a little further before coming to a stop once again.

“This would be the Vetta.” Magan told her.

“The Vetta, what’s that?” Kile asked.

“It’s a place just inside the first walls of Azintar where the carriages wait to be searched by the Merchant’s Guild.”

“Searched? Searched for what.”

“Don’t worry.” Leeta replied. “They don’t usually look for people, only contraband.”

“According to the Merchant’s guild, certain goods can only be transported by certain caravans, and only sold by certain merchants. It allows them to regulate the prices. If too many merchants sell the same things, it drives down the prices and the guild looses its share of the profits.”

“It sounds complicated.” Kile said.

“Not if you live with it long enough. Hang around a few seasons, and you’d get the gist of it.”

“Sorry, but I don’t think I’d want to. What if they find something that they’re not supposed to?”

“If they find illegal goods in the caravan, the caravan line can have their certification pulled.

Kile hoped she wasn’t considered illegal goods. She would hate to think she caused the end of the Undack Merchant Line.

A knock on the door prevented any more question from being asked. Meagan pushed it open and Robert Swait leaned in.

“Come on, we have to go.” He said, not quite looking at the girls but over his shoulder.

“What’s the matter? What is it?” Magan asked.

“Is it the Guild?” Leeta asked.

“That would depend on which guild you mean.” Robert replied still looking over his shoulder. “Something’s happened, but I’m not sure what. It would appear that the Merchant’s guild is no longer looking for Kile.”

“I don’t understand.” Kile said as she fastened on the old belt pouch around her waist. Vesper quickly climbed in.

“From what I gathered, up until three days ago the Merchant’s guild was requested by the crown to search all wagons coming into and out of Azintar. Now it would appear that they have abandoned the search.”

“By why would they do that?” She asked.

“That I don’t know.” Robert replied.

“Then if they’re not looking for me, what’s the rush.”

“The Merchant’s Guild may have stopped looking for you, but he Hunter’s Guild hasn’t, and the entire House is on its way here as we speak.”

“I’ve got to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Undack.”

“There’s no time for that.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You were assigned to one of the boarder houses, weren’t you?”

“And if I was?”

“How many Hunter’s were assigned to your house, three, four?”

“Just three, including me.” Kile replied, which wasn’t exactly true since her Hunter’s certificate had been revoked, which meant she was no longer a hunter and therefore no longer assigned to any house.

“The Guild house in Azintar holds forty three hunters. I’m not sure how many are still in the city, but I can safely say it’s more than three.”

Forty three hunters heading her way, searching for her, those were odds she wasn’t willing to take. How much damage could that many hunters with that many edges do to the caravans in the Vetta?

“Say goodbye to your parents for me.” Kile said as she grabbed Megan’s hand. “Tell them thanks for everything.”

“I will, just get going.” Megan replied.

She quickly followed Robert across the Vetta to where the horses were tied. It was hard keeping up with his long strides as she ran alongside him.

“Why are you helping me?” She asked, hoping that he was actually helping her and not leading her into a trap. That was always a possibility.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I could lose my certificate, be busted down to a level four for giving aid to a wanted bounty.”

“Then go.” She said suddenly stopping.

Robert turned.

“What?”

“Go, I don’t want to get you or anyone else into more trouble than I’ve already have. If they see you with me you’re as good finished in the Guild and since you’ve been assigned to the caravan that will only bring the Undacks more problems.”

Robert looked at the horses, then back at the caravan. It was true. If he was found aiding her, if he was even seen with her, he would lose more then just his certificate. He turned to Kile but said nothing.

“You’ve helped me enough, but if they find you missing or even suspect that I was on that caravan.”

“Your horse was set off from the others, he’s safe. I don’t think anyone recognized it, but they will if you go riding him through town.”

“Then he’ll have to stay there until I’m finished. I need to find Pickman’s square.”

“Pickman’s square, that’s the seedier side of Azintar on the western end.” Robert replied “You’re going to have to cross the aqueduct, Head north from here until you reach Sandson Park. Head west and take Reed’s bridge, on the other side of the bridge you’ll see the old Thayan church, that marks the outer edge of Pickman’s square. It’s not a very safe place to be.”

“There are no safe places for me at the moment.” She replied.

“Keep your guard up and watch your back, and take this.”

He grabbed Kile’s hand, turned it over and placed his Hunter’s signet ring in it.

“Does this mean we’re engaged?” She said with a nervous laugh.

“There are some that still respect the old ways. A hunter shall never harm a hunter.”

“But I’m not a hunter anymore, and I doubt I ever will be.”

“I’ve seen stranger things happen, now get out of her while you still can.”

She thanked Robert and made for the back alley, it would not do for her to run into forty some odd hunters by taking the main road.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

19

 

With all the hunters of Azintar racing to the Vetta, there was little chance of Kile running into any of them, and with all the people that naturally inhabited the great city, she easily disappeared among the populous.

Azintar was by far one of the greatest and oldest cities of Aru if not the strangest. The entire city was built upon the side of a rather steep hill as a series of steps or platforms. The eastern gate which housed the Merchant guild and the Vetta as well as most of the government structures was set high over the city proper on the highest tier, and as one descended into the lower levels, the status of the inhabitant also decreased. There were stairs and tunnels, roads and bridges all twisting and turning with no rhyme or reason. There were at least a dozen ways to get to some places and no conceivable way to get to others, it was as if the entire city was built upon its own back, and it was slowly breaking.