“Has anybody ever tried?” She asked.

Luke had to think about that one for a moment, then reluctantly shook his head.

“Then it is possible for a mountain pony to be a hunter’s mount.” She reasoned.

“Well… yeah it is possible... in theory.”

“Then I want to keep him, I owe him at least that much.”

“Maybe, but it would appear that he does not wish to be your mount. If I’m not mistaken, your next class with Master Pike is in one week. If he is willing to carry you by then… then you may select him as your mount, otherwise you will be required to choose another horse and… Grim… will be sent to the Northern Province.” Luke replied as he walked away.

 

Kile stood outside the stables. She had one week, one week to prove to Luke that she could ride Grim. No, she thought for a moment, that wasn’t the deal. He said Grim had to be willing to let her ride him. That wasn’t going to be easy with his natural dislike for the vir. She would have to cross that river when she came to it, at the moment there was another thing she had to attend to first.

Kile headed up the hill toward the great hall and Morgan’s tower. She had thought about going back to her cell to get cleaned up first but this was more important, maybe not so much for her appearance, but for her own piece of mind. She didn’t want the same mistake to happen again, she couldn’t allow it.  She knocked three times on the mystic’s door, and then entered.

“Sir?” She called out from the foyer, but there was no answer. She was a little hesitant to enter, not wishing to track in the mud. Maybe she should have gone back to her cell first to clean up, but then the thought of having to deal with the stench of that uniform that had lingered in her room all day, turned her against that idea. By now the smell had probably gotten into everything, she may be sleeping in the stables with Grim tonight.

She quietly entered and peeked around the corner to see Morgan pouring over a few rather large and weighty volumes. He moved from one to another, turning pages and jotting things down on papers that he had scattered about. It would have been an ordinary sight had it not been for the fact that the table that he was sitting at, and the chair that he was sitting on, weren’t there.  She was always under the impression that Mystics did that sort of thing in the presence of the average person to show off, now it would appear that it come quite naturally to them. He seemed to be busy and she didn’t want to disturb him so she started to retreat. Kaza, on the other hand, was not so discrete. Upon seeing her, the crow flew down from his perch and landed on the mystic’s head. Morgan didn’t even try to shoo him away, he just looked up from his books.

“Good afternoon Miss Veller.” He said in an exasperated voice, without even turning around.

“Sorry sir, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” She said from the door. “I’ll leave.”

“Nonsense, just get this bird off my head.”

The two made such a comical pair it was a shame they couldn’t communicate with one another. They were very much alike, they just didn’t know it.

“Kaza, please.”

The Crow obeyed as it launched itself off the mystics head and flew back up to his perch.

“Thank-you.” Morgan replied as he straightened his hair and turned around. “Now what I can do for… what in all the spheres happen to you?”

“Oh.” She said as she looked down at her clothes and the fact that she was creating a small puddle on his floor. “I got a little wet during class.” She said holding up her arms.

“Wet? Child you positively soaked.” Morgan said, and then uttered a few soft words. She could feel the water start to evaporate from her clothes, even from the floor around her feet. Within a matter of seconds she was completely dry, and her clothes looked a lot cleaner than when she had put them on this morning.

“Wow, thanks.” She said as she felt the sleeves of her tunic.

“I’m sure laundry service was not what you came for.” Morgan said, then stopped, grabbed his notebook and began flipping through the pages. “We don’t have an appointment today… do we?”

“No sir.”

He seemed a bit relieved as he set the notebook aside and snapped his fingers. The volumes he had been reading closed and returned to their places on the shelves. She was not sure if the chair and the table, that weren’t there in the first place, simple, ceased to exist, or folded themselves away somewhere in the room.

“Then why are you here?” He asked, pulling his yellow robes around him.

“It’s about the… Maligar.”

Morgan nodded knowingly and directed her toward one of the overstuffed wing backed chairs. As she crossed the room, she couldn’t help but wave her hand through the empty space where the table and chair that weren’t… were.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No thank you.” She said as she took her seat.

“So, you used the Maligar today, without meaning to… didn’t you?”

She stared at the old mystic who smiled at her as he stirred his cup. “How did you know?” She asked.

“Child, I have been teaching students the mystic arts for more years than you’ve been alive… probably more years than your parents have been alive for that matter. I knew it would happen… eventually.”

“How, why?”

“Well, simply put. It is power and power that is not controlled is uncontrollable. I didn’t want you to lean the Maligar merely because it was an intriguing ability, which it is, I wanted you to learn how to use it so you could control it.” He said as he took his seat opposite her.

“Do you know why the Mystics agreed to help the Hunter’s Guild with their testing and teachings?” He asked as he took a sip of his tea.

“Well… no, not really.”

“It was because the Mystic Council learned that cadets were being trained by regular Hunters on the use of their edges, Hunters that hardly had a grasp of their own edge were teaching cadets how to use theirs, it was a recipe for disaster. Accidents were bound to… and did happen.

“You will always have the ability, it is within you, whether you choose to use it or not, but if you can not control it, if you try to ignore it. There is no telling when, where and how it will manifest itself. That was what happened, wasn’t it?”

“Yes sir.” She replied. “I’m not really sure how it happened. One moment I was trying to get him to listen… and the next… I was just getting so angry that he was ignoring me that, it just happened.”

“Why don’t you explain it, from the start?” Morgan said as he leaned back in his chair.

Kile went into the full explanation, even further than she had originally planned. She didn’t want to tell him about the feelings that she had both during and especially after she broke contact, but she felt at this point everything needed to be said. It took the better part of an hour, and Morgan said nothing as he listened to every word. It felt good to get it off her chest, to talk to someone that might actually understand what she was going through. Only when she was finished did Morgan scratches his beard and nod.

“It is what I feared.” He finally said.

It wasn’t the best way he could have started the explanation.

“From what you have told me the Maligar is not as simple as I had originally thought, it is not just a means of controlling animals, but a merger of sorts, this is very interesting and it reinforces what I have come to believe.”

“Such as?” She asked.

“It is a merging of wills, or… sprit, if you like. You join with that of the animal, and become a part of it. When the connection is broken, it may not always be as clean as you would like, but rather a shared one. You come away with something and I would assume vice versa.”

“What do you mean...? I took something from Grim.”

“I’m not talking about taking something as in a physical object, more like absorbing a part of him… his… essences… his soul… his spirit, in this case his emotions, take your pick.”

“It seems a little… creepy.”

“Well, I don’t know about creepy, but depending upon the will of the animal being controlled, it can have interesting side effects.”

“Side effects!”

“Nothing lasting… at least I don’t think it would be lasting, it’s rather difficult to say when talking about the soul or spirit. In order to really understand that aspect of the Maligar, we would have to consult a necromancer.”

“A necromancers… I don’t think I really want to know that much about it, I just don’t want it to happen again.”

“Yes, I think that’s probably for the best. Necromancers can be rather dodgy individuals to deal with.”

“Then you knew something like this could happen?”

“In theory… yes. Whenever you merge two things together, you seldom have a clean break, and then it relies upon the two things you are merging, which is the more dominant.”

“You mean I could have lost my will to Grim.”

“In a sense you did, just not permanently. Do you know why I selected a rabbit for our first test? It wasn’t because it was the only animal available; it was because it was safe.”

“Not for him.”

“No… for you. Blame me if you will, and I will take half that blame, but I was thinking more of my student than of the test subject. I was unsure of how strong your will was. If I brought in a more dominant creature, a predator perhaps, maybe a dog, something more aggressive, what would have happened if your will was not as strong as his? I could not take that chance.”

What would have happened if she had lost her will, surely not to the rabbit but possible to Grim, would she have become the horse, or maybe just think she was a horse? It was hard to image something like that could actually happen.

“We will just have to deal with this one step at a time.” Morgan said as he got up from his seat. “But not tonight. I am glad that you brought this to my attention Kile, it was something that weighted heavily on me.”

“That doesn’t sound too comforting.”

“No, not this particular incident, but you, as opposed to the other cadets, has a rather unique problem.”

“Problem sir?” She asked. Why was it always her that had the problems?

“Edges have a tendency to… change over time. Things, that you may have found difficult to do early on, become easier, things that you found easy you may later find impossible. The way you do things now, may not be the way you do things a year from now. If there is one thing that is consistent about the mystic arts, it is that they are inconsistent.”

“Are you saying that there may come a time when I… can’t speak with Vesper… or Kaza or any of them?”

“No, I don’t think that would happen, but the means at which you communicate may change, and that might pose a problem. Someone who is influenced by a sphere such as water or fire can apply what he or she has learned to those new skills. They might find that their edge has changed, but the fundamental of using that skill do not. You, on the other hand, have no fundamentals to fall back on. Therefore, if any of these changes should occur, I would hope that you come to me for help.”

 

When Kile finally left Morgan’s tower, she was feeling a lot better. Not only had she learned a great deal about her own edge, but she also learned that she wasn’t losing her mind any quicker than anyone else. As she headed back down the hill it was already getting dark. The activity was now centered on the dinning hall signaling the supper shift as food and drink were being carried from the kitchen to the hall by the first year cadets. She had only pulled that chore once during her entire year and she did not envy the new kids their task. It felt so long ago now, and so much had changed, although mostly it was just her. She looked back up toward the main hall, it was a shame she didn’t have the key with her, she would have liked to see those paintings again, if just for a moment.

She started back down the hill toward the kitchen when she spied a tall, lean man with a pony tail and a funny looking mustache. Unfortunately he spotted her as well, and just when she was starting to feel better.

“Cadet Veller.” Master Pike called out as he approached. “Am I to believe that you left training early, without my permission?”

“I’m sorry sir.”

“Sorry is not a good enough, cadet. That is in direct violation of code.”

“I had to return the horse back to the stables sir. I was on my way back when I was summoned to Morgan’s.” She lied. It was always good to have a half truth in your back pocket to use in cases like this. The training in Mystic arts holds precedence over all other forms of training, a mandate set down in the code. If it was true, she wouldn’t need Master’s Pike’s permission, but then he had no way of knowing that.

“Morgan’s?” Master Pike replied and then looked up toward the hill where she had just come from. At least that worked in her favor. “You should have at least gotten word to me.”

“I’m sorry sir, I did try, but I didn’t really know where you would be, all you said was that you were taking the rest of the cadets across the country side. I was going to look for you, but I did not wish to keep Morgan waiting.”

“Yes… yes I… I suppose that is acceptable.” Master Pike replied. “I was just speaking to the stable hand, Luke. He informed me that they have recently received some extra horses, so you will be able to choose another mount for the next class.”

“Thank you sir.” Kile replied, at least she wasn’t the only one that was lying during this conversation.

“You are dismissed.” Master Pike said as he walked off.

Dismissed? When was she at attention?

She ignored Pike. She wouldn’t have to put up with him for the rest of the week, not until the next class. All she had to worry about now was Boraro as they continued their weapons training tomorrow, that and the fact that there was a uniform that was still reeking in her cell, but even that could wait.

She stopped at the kitchen and watched as the first year cadets struggled with their plates. She waited until the last one passed before she poked her head into the kitchen area.

“Excuse me… Master Spece.”

“Kile” The big man exclaimed as he wattle to the door. He had been gone all summer, supposedly visiting friends down south, but it looked as if he was doing more eating than visiting. The man looked a lot wider than he had the last time she had seen him and was living up to his nickname of Big Joe.

“What can I do for you Kile?” He asked, wiping his hands upon his apron.

“What do horses like to eat?” She asked him.

“Horses… I don’t usually cook for horses.” The big man grinned. “My horse, he likes the carrots.”

He has a horse, and a strong animal that must be she thought.

“You wouldn’t happen to have some spare, would you?” She asked.

“But of course.” He said as he turned and headed back into the kitchen. The staff easily flowed around him, never breaking their stride as they prepared the evening meals. He disappeared into the back room; a room that Kile knew all too well, and emerged with a bunch of carrots and waddled back across the kitchen floor.

“Your horse, he will like these.” He said as he handed them to her.

“Thank you Master Spece.”

“Oh please… it’s Big Joe.” The man grinned.

“Thank you again… Big Joe.” She replied as she waved goodbye. It was difficult to actually bring herself to call someone Big Joe.

She avoided the dinning hall, and instead went over to the stables. There was nobody there, as she had figured, since they would all be at supper. The stables were now filled as most of the stalls had horses to occupy them. On the front of each stall was a wooden plaque that bore the name of the horse as well as the name of the owner. Each one was written by a different hand, which would indicate that cadets were responsible for painting their own plaques.

She walked the line, reading out each name. Thunder, Lightening, Snowy, Wind, she found two with the name of Cloud, although one was Storm Cloud and one was Summer Cloud. Summer Cloud was mildly original; at least the owner was trying to think outside the box.

“Midnight, a black horse, what a surprise.” She said as she stroked the stallion’s nose. “Poor thing, I bet you don’t want to be called Midnight.”

-Not really-

The horse replied in a rather depressing voice.

It was still something she had to get used to, speaking with horses. Usually you make a comment like that you don’t expect to be answered.

“What is your name?” She asked in order to be polite.

-Garai-

“Garai.” She repeated the name, and like Miliea, the horse seemed to enjoy hearing his name spoken by a vir.

She could always tell the owner what the horse’s real name was, although she doubted if anyone would believe her, as it was she looked down at the plaque. Under the word owner was written Rimes, Eric. Oh, that figures she thought the only pure black horse in the pack and he would somehow manage to get it.

“Now I really feel sorry for you.” She said as she let the plaque fall. “If I was you I would take the first opportunity to run away.”

-No place to go.-

“I suppose not.” She said as she broke off one of the carrots and gave it to him. “Good luck.” She said as she moved on down the line.

It didn’t take her long to find Grim, he was off on his own, almost isolated. He watched her as she approached and she hoped that he wasn’t the jealous kind. Did he see her talking to Garai?

“Hello Grim.” She said as she held a carrot out to him. “I wanted to apologize again.”

He turned his nose up at the offering.

“Listen, if we work together, we can both get something out of this.” She told him, but Grim refused to speak.

“I want to help you. You don’t want to go back up to the north province, and I need a horse. It would only be for two years. Once I graduate the academy, I’ll personally take you anywhere you want to go, anywhere at all. I’ll set you free and you can live out your life. It’s not as if you can get away. You escape and they’ll find you, and then there’s no telling what they’ll do. This way it will all be proper. What do you say…. Will you do it?” She said as she held the carrot out to him again, and again he refused it. She set it on the rail.

“At least think about it. I’ll be back tomorrow.” Kile said as she moved off. She turned around to see him knock the carrot off the rail onto the stable floor. This was going to take a lot longer than she had thought and possibly longer than she had.

She broke off another carrot and began eating it herself. It he didn’t want them, she wasn’t going to let them go to waste

“Kile Girl.”

Kile turned around, the carrot still hanging out of her mouth.

“There you are. We wondered what happen to you.” Daniel shouted as he came down the hill towards her.

“Yeah, Carter thought you packed it in and took the walk of shame.” Alex added, referring to the paths that lead to the eastern gate and out of the Hunter’s Academy for good.

Carter slapped Alex upside the back of the head. “I did not.” He shouted.

“I had an appointment with Morgan.” She replied, taking the carrot out of her mouth first.

“Everything okay?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, it is now. Sorry… about before.”

“What… what happened before?” Alex asked.

“Knock it off chipmunk.” Carter said, slapping Alex again. “If they want to tell us all the sorted details… they will.”

“Nothing happened.” Daniel and Kile shouted together.

“Yeah, sounds like it.” Alex pouted, and then in true Alex fashion, changed the subject. “Did anyone here sign up for their chores? Tomorrows the last day? Don’t sign up by then and they’ll assign you one, usually latrine duty.”

“I have.” Daniel said, and then paused. “What?” He asked as everyone stopped and stared at him.

“Let me guess.” Carter replied scratching his chin. “Would it happen to be working for the healers?”

“Okay, so maybe it was obvious, but I still had to sign up for it.”

“If you didn’t sign up for that, they would have come looking for you.” Carter laughed. “What about you Kile, you choose yet?”

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t even thought about it.” She said as she took another bite from the carrot.

“I think I’m gonna sign up for Kitchen duty.” Alex chimed in.

“Kitchen duty… you hated kitchen duty.” Daniel said.

“Well yeah, but I don’t really like any of the others either, and if I don’t sign up for any of them, I’m bound to get kitchen duty away. Besides, it’s what I know.”

“There’s logic in that.” Kile said as she pointed her carrot at him. “He’s had kitchen duty more times then any other cadet going.”

When they reached the dorms there were people milling around the lobby and the halls, sniffing at the doors and the walls. A pungent odor was lingering in the air.

“What is that smell?” Alex asked as he pinched his nose.

“Nobody knows.” One of the cadets answered. “But it seems to be stronger further down the hall.”

Kile cringed. She had a feeling she knew exactly where the smell was coming from.

“Found it.” Somebody shouted. “It’s something in this room.” He said pointing to one of the doors.

“What is it?” Someone else asked.

“Don’t know, but it really strong in there, I can smell it right through the door.”

Maybe this was a good time for Kile to take the walk of shame she thought as she slowly back out of the dorms.

“Whose room is it?” Somebody else asked as cadets started to move down the hall.

“Isn’t that Cadet Rimes room?” Somebody else answered.

Kile stopped backing up. What was going on she wondered as she followed the other boys. She recognized the smell form the uniform she had left in the corner of her room, only a lot more pungent, but why would the smell be coming from Eric’s room?

“No, I think it’s in this room.” Someone else yelled, but this one came from behind her. Kile turned around to see a bunch of cadets clustered around a second door. What was going on here? She navigated the crowded hallway back to her own cell, which had somehow passed the sniff test. What ever Eric used to lock it was now gone. She pushed it open, looked in, and quickly slammed the door shut.

“What's the matter?” Daniel asked her.

Kile spun around, pressing her back against the door “Matter, nothing the matter?” She said nervously.

“I’d say you're acting strange, but lately, with you, I wouldn’t know how to gauge that.”

“Yeah.” She laughed, not really listening to what he was saying. “I… think… I’m going to bed. Good night.” She said as she opened the door just wide enough for her to slip through then closed it quickly behind her.

Kile turned with her back to the door, looking around the room that was completely filled with yarrow, yarrow and roses. They stood on every surface, every ledge, every shelf and across the entire floor holding in their hands and their mouths the last remnants of what must once have been a very robust rose bush. The whole room smelled of roses.

“What is gong on here?” She asked trying to keep her voice down. No sooner had she asked the question then her head exploded with hundreds of small voices all talking at once.

“No, no, no, no one at a time… one at a time.” She said waving her hands at them. They all fell silent, looked at one another, then all started up again.

“Wait, wait, please… where is Vesper?” She asked, she couldn’t see him among the masses, or maybe she just couldn’t pick him out.

Another head popped up from the bottom draw.

-Kile?-

He yelled as he leapt from the draw and ran across the heads of the other yarrow that filled the floor. Kile stooped down to pick him up.

“Vesper, what’s going on here?” She asked.

-Vesper family, family help.-

“Help? Help how?”

-Vesper family help-

He said and with those words came a vision of hundreds of yarrow tearing off small pieces of her spoiled uniform, carrying them through the walls of the dorm and hiding them within, what she could only image was Eric’s bedroom. Other yarrows brought in roses, pulled off of some poor ladies' bush, somewhere in town. The roses were meant to replace the smell of the old uniform.

“You did this for me?” She asked as she looked over the hundreds of yarrow staring back at her.

-Kile family-

Vesper replied, and so did every other yarrow in the room.

“I wasn’t expecting company, or I would have picked up something more on the way in.” She said as she set the carrots on the ground, and then sat on the floor with her new family.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

5

 

Kile stepped out of the healing hall, still holding her wrist. The healers had informed her that there were no broken bones, only severe bruising. It didn’t matter how they diagnosed it, it still hurt. She had been careless, she had left herself wide open and her sparing partner had seized the opportunity as anyone would have. Fortunately for her the cadet held no ill will toward her. He pulled his swing at the last moment, had he actually followed through he could have easily shattered her wrist. Had it been someone like Eric, or Rogers, she would be lucky to still have a wrist. Three days of sword play, three trips to the halls, if anything, she was getting worse.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to fight, she knew the moves; she just couldn’t perform them very well. The weapons were too heavy, too awkward in her hands. The whole concept and technique seemed foreign to her, and it didn’t help with Master Boraro standing behind her with every mistake she made, pointing it out to the entire class as an example of what not to do. Somewhere along the line the Weapon’s Master changed his tactics, now he was no longer interested in just having her quite, now he wanted to inflict as much pain and humiliation on her as possible before she did.

“What did they say?” Daniel asked, jumping up from this seat just outside the door as she walked by.

“Bruised, but still attached.” She said, waving her hand.

“It was a low blow.”

“No it wasn’t, it was a fair shot. I just couldn’t keep my guard up.”

“Still, he knew you were having trouble, he shouldn’t have been so hard on you.”

Kile stopped and looked at Daniel. She knew he meant well, but sometimes, some of the things he said really annoyed her.

“Why, because I’m a girl?” She asked.

“Well… no… it’s not that… it was just that you were having… you know… trouble. You couldn’t…”

“I couldn’t use a sword, that's what I couldn’t do.” She finished for him.

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“But that was what you were thinking. Do you think that if I was out in the wild on an assignment, that my enemy would go easy on me because I was having trouble?”

“No, but you're not out in the wild.”

“No, and I won’t be if I can’t defend myself.” She replied.

It was as simple as that, before she could graduate the academy, she had to show she could defend herself by some means, of course that usually meant being able to wield a sword effectively.

“I better get going, Luke will be wondering where I got off to.” She said. “Same time, behind the stables?”

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d be up to it.”

“Don’t have much of a choice do I?” She replied. “As Carter is want to say, I need all the practice I can get.”

“You also need to let that wrist heal.”

“Yes mother.” She said as she waved goodbye to him with her good arm.

Kile stepped out into the compound and headed up toward the stables. She knew Luke wouldn’t worry if she was late; he hardly seemed to care if she showed up at all.

She had gone over the list of available chores and when she found one opening for help in the stables, she jumped at the chance. It was far better than anything else they were offering and she enjoyed talking to the horses better than talking to the other cadets, of course she could only do that when Luke wasn’t around. She wasn’t sure what the stable hand would say if he caught her conversing with a few of the mounts.

Joe Spence was waiting by the kitchen door as she passed by.

“You’re late.” He told her.

“It took a little longer at the hall this time.” She said, holding up her bandaged wrist for him to see. The Cook just shook his head and sighed as he handed her the carrots.

“One of these days you are not going to leave that field in one piece young lady.”

“You’re probably right.” She replied as she tried to hurry away. She knew what was coming next. The speech about how young ladies shouldn’t do such reckless things, how she should take up knitting or sewing, learn to cook and settled down with a nice boy. That was not what she wanted to hear as she quickly ducked around the corner of the kitchen before he could get started.

Luke wasn’t around when she entered the stables so she greeted the horse one by one. By now she knew each of their names, both their real names and the silly labels that their owners had given them. Some of the horses actually liked their new names or their vir names as they came to call them. Alex’s horse, whose real name was Ralo, preferred to be called by his new vir name, Illusion. Where as Carter’s horse Sabal who he called Dirk, couldn’t care one way or the other. She had spent most of yesterday evening, after Luke had left, writing the horse’s true names on their plaques just below there vir names in the hopes that some of the cadets would actually use them, although she had her doubts whether they would even notice them.

“Hello Grim.” She said as she held out the carrot. “How about today? Will you at least say something to me today?”

Grim turned his nose up at the offering and ignored her by looking the other way as he had done the last three days she had tried to give him one of the carrots.

“Come on Grim. I said I was sorry, what more can I do?” She asked as she moved to stand in front of him, but the pony refused to look at her.

“Fine, maybe tomorrow.” She said reluctantly as she set the carrot on the gate as she did each night, and each night Grim knocked it off.

She picked up the two empty buckets and set about her chores. Working in the stables was actually a lot easier than she had thought and not much different than the work she had done back in Riverport. The horses were the responsibility of the cadets. As for the staff, for the most part, they looked after their own, so it was really only the spare horses that she had to care for. Beyond that, there wasn’t much for her to do. Luke had most of the tasks done by the time she arrived and was hardly ever there, not that he gave her much to do when he was there. She spent most of her time sitting and talking to the horses. They were not as articulate as Kaza, but they were more vocal than the yarrow.

One horse, that she did enjoy speaking with, was an old stallion that went by the name of Watersaber. He had received his vir name so long ago that he had forgotten his true name. He was raised and owned by Garrett Boraro, and while the Weapon’s Master had little use for Kile, Watersaber was eager to tell her every story that he knew and a few he must have made up.

She had learned quite a bit about the Weapons Master, and the deeds that he did in the service of the Hunter’s guild and almost felt guilty for disliking the man. She had learned that Boraro actually did, single handedly, capture the captain of the black water pirates, and that he had been honored by the king for his part in bringing in Prince Jonland’s assassin, but then most of the stories were from a loyal horse’s perspective, so she had to take them from where they came, which, ironically, was straight from the horse’s mouth.

As she took the two buckets to the well to get them filled, she hadn’t seen the stable hand standing in the shadows watching her.

“I just don’t get you.” He said as she passed him. His sudden presence startled her as she dropped both buckets and spun around, preparing to defend herself. When she saw it was just Luke, she scolded herself for being so jumpy.

“Nice stance.” He said as he emerged from the shadows to retrieve one of the fallen buckets.

“Sorry sir, I didn’t see you there.” She replied as she retrieved the other.

Luke walked with her down to the well, something that actually made her a little nervous. He usually didn’t hang around when she was working, he usually made himself scarce.

“For three days I have watched you ask that Mountain pony for forgiveness, what is it that you expect him to do? What is it that you did that you require his forgiveness for?”

Okay, maybe he wasn’t so scarce. Had he been watching her for the last three days? Had he actually seen her talking to Grim, or the other horses for that matter?

“I’m not sure what you mean sir.” She said as she filled one of the buckets and took the second one from him.

“Don’t you?” He asked. “I’ve also seen the cadet’s plaques, new names were written on them. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

“Names sir? I don’t think I understand what you mean.” She said as she filled the second bucket. She didn’t really like lying to Luke; she just didn’t really know how to explain everything to him without looking like a fool. Picking up both buckets, and ignoring the pain in her wrist, she made for the stables.

“Did you know those names are similar to the names the alverie gave their horses?”

That little bit of information had stopped Kile in her tracks. That was something she hadn’t known, but then why would she. She didn’t make up the names; they were the names that the horses told her.

Luke took the bucket from her right hand and proceeded ahead of her to the stable. She had to run to catch up.

“You see, back when the alva lived on this land, they had, what some would call, a horse mistress or a Lamai. She was a wise woman, whose job it was to watch and care for the horses. When an alverie rider selected a mount, they would take it to the Lamai and she would tell the rider the horse’s true name. Strangely enough, those names were similar to the ones written upon the plaques.”

“How did she know their names?” Kile dared to ask. The last thing she really wanted was to prolong this line of conversation, but she had to know the answers.

“It was said that she ask them, and they told her.” Luke replied as he emptied the bucket into a large trough that supplied water to several stalls. It usually took six or seven trips to the well to completely fill it up.

“Do you believe that’s possible?” She asked.

“The alverie considered the horse to be one of the sacred animals, blessed by the goddess Thaladona. The Lamai was, in some ways, a priestess of Thaladona. Whether she spoke with the goddess or the horses themselves was known only to her.  She would only pass this knowledge down to the next Lamai.”

“Are there any Lamai left?”

Luke fell silent for a moment, and then took the second bucket from Kile. He didn’t say anything, he just poured the water into the trough, and although he stood beside her, he seemed miles away.

“I don’t know.” He finally answered. “There are none in this land. The alverie left Aru… centuries ago, when they could no longer live side by side with the vir. Whether they still exist somewhere out there is anyone’s guess.”

There was a sad, far away look in the man’s eyes, one that suggested to Kile not to ask anymore questions about the alverie.

“Why don’t you call it a day?” He told her as he took the empty water bucket from her. “You should rest that wrist.”

“But there are things that need to be done.”

“I’ve been doing fine for years without any help; I think I can manage one day, besides, if you’re planning to practice with your friends tonight, you’ll need all the rest you can get.” He said as he walked off.

She stared after the man that knew a lot more about what was going on than he led anyone to believe.

 

Kile never went back to her cell. She went out behind the stables and sat in the secret little place that she had hidden in for the beginning part of the first year. There was a cool breeze blowing in from the north which heralded the coming of winter once again. Where had the time gone she wondered as she ate the carrots that Grim had refused. She was actually acquiring a taste for them, which would have made her mother laugh. She had the hardest time trying to get Kile to eat her vegetable, now it was pretty much all she did eat.

Between thinking of home and wondering what the Weapon Master had in store for her tomorrow, she must have dozed off, because she was suddenly awakened by a hyperactive chipmunk.

“Hey Kile Girl. See guys, I told you she would be here.”

Kile blinked her eyes opened to see Alex standing in front of her, pointing as he called out to the others. He could be really annoying sometimes she thought, and if she had a little bit more energy, she would show him just how annoying he could be.

“What time is it?” She asked as she looked up at the sky. The blue had given away to gray as there was a bit of overcast. It looked as if they would be treated to rain tomorrow. She loved the rainy days, she just didn’t like training in them.

“You missed supper, if that’s what you’re asking.” Carter told her as he shoved the two practice swords into the ground and began to pull on his gloves.

“I ate already.” She replied.

“You can’t live off vegetables. That’s why you can’t hold a sword, you’re too weak.”

Spoken like a true carnivore she thought.

“How’s the wrist?” Daniel asked as he took her arm and felt the bandages.

“It’s still there.” She told him, pulling her hand away.

“Hey, did you hear the news? Somebody broke into one of the exhibits in the Great Hall.” Alex exclaimed. “They’re saying that a couple of artifacts went missing.”

“What exhibit?” She asked, although she was afraid she already knew.

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. It was that dragon slayer guy.” Carter replied, waving it off. “What was his name? Quinton Nash wasn’t it?”

“No, it was Qualon Nissa… or was that Nassa, something like that.” Alex added. “He slew the Gattor dragon.”

“Quaineess Nyn, the slayer of Gator the Ash Creator.” Kile corrected as she returned to her seat

“Yeah… that's him, the Quinessa dude.”

“What was missing?” She asked.

“Oh… they said a set of scales, but I don’t remember seeing any scales in the great hall.”

“Not scales that you weigh with stupid, scales like in… fish scales.” Carter replied.

“Oh… I don’t remember seeing any fish scales either.”

“That’s because they were supposed to be Dragon scales.” Daniel corrected.

So, that was what he was after, the two dragon scales, but why? What possible interest were dragon scales to Eric? Was there any monetary value in the sale of dragon scales, or was it something more than wealth? She couldn’t really see Eric risking his chances at the academy simple to pad his purse, there had to be more to this than meets the eye.

“You okay Kile?” Daniel asked.

She focused back to reality.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She said. “I was just thinking.”

“Dragon scales or fish scales, I don’t care one way or the other.” Carter said as he pulled one of the swords from the ground and looking down the blade. “All that matters to me right now is getting in a little practice.”

He tossed the sword to Kile, who grabbed it in her right hand and regretted the action when a sharp pain ran up her arm. She quickly switched to her left hand; if nothing else it drove any thoughts of scales out of her head.

“You’re really going to fight left handed against me.” Carter remarked as he took his place in the small circle that they had made. The object was to stay in the circle, but it usually got a little out of hand and they would end up just about anywhere but the circle.

“Actually I thought I would just try to survive with my left hand.” Kile replied as she reluctantly took her place opposite him.

“Suit yourself.” Carter said before launching into his first attack.

She found herself put on the defensive, but then that was where she usually ended up. It wasn’t that she couldn’t read his moves. That was the easy part. It was trying to get her sword up between his weapon and her body that she was having trouble with, and forget about countering. By the time she reacted to his openings he was well into his next move.

Her only means was to grip the sword with both hands, but this had a tendency to throw her off balance, and what with her right wrist hurting as much as it did, she wasn’t able to follow through with any of the swings. Eventually Carter had pushed her back to the stable walls.

“Yield.” She said reluctantly as she stuck the sword in the ground.

“Come on Kile, you’re not even trying.” Carter frowned as he backed off.

“The sword's just too… awkward.”

“You’re going to have to get the hang of it if you want to graduate.” Daniel reminded her.

“Surely there are lighter, better balanced swords.”

“Well yeah, kind of.” Carter replied. “But this is the standard size and weight.”

“So, why can’t she just use a lighter one?” Daniel asked.

“Actually these are the lighter ones.” Carter explained. “If you want to go even lighter, then you’re looking at the common short sword, which is like… half this length.”

“Good way to get yourself sliced up.” Alex added.

“There’s always the chance of you picking up one of the other weapons to study, like the mace, the flail, the battle hammer, even the battle ax.” Carter added.

“Oh yeah, I can hardly lift a sword, you expect me to swing those things around.”

Alex started to laugh. “Yeah, she’ll get herself going with one good swing and we won’t be able to stop her. She’d probably screw herself into the ground.” He said.

“What about the staff?” Daniel suggested. “You were pretty good with that.”

“Staff won’t cut it.” Carter replied. “It has to be a lethal weapon, as explained by guild law.”

“Well, that’s just something else I’ll have to worry about later.” Kile sighed as she pulled the sword from the ground. “You’re next.” She said, holding it out to Daniel.

Daniel took the sword and took his place in the circle, opposite Alex, who instantly launched into a wild attack. He had no style, no finesse and yet would probably pass his Weapon examination where as Kile wouldn’t.

“Don’t sweat it.” Carter said as he came to sit down beside her. “You’re getting better; you just have to work on some upper body strength.”

“Somehow I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” She replied.

 

Could days get any worse she wondered? She wasn’t sure how, but then she thought that same thing yesterday, and possibly the day before. She stood in the rain, ankle deep in mud with sword in hand staring across at her opponent. Murphy stood opposite her with a malicious grin on his face and she knew that no matter what happened it would not end well.

As soon as Master Boraro signaled the start of the dual, Murphy launched his first attack; an over the head cleaving shot which she found was typical of most of the boys at the academy. It appeared to be the ‘lets end this as quickly as possible’ maneuver, it seldom worked. She diverted that shot and knew it would probably be the last one that she could deflect that easily, she even managed to attempt a counter attack, but she was too slow. When she attacked, he wasn’t there, in fact, she had lost him completely. She spun around to see him picking himself up out of the mud.

Kile waited until Murphy got to his feet, he had to wipe mud from his face and out of his mouth before he could do anything. She could have ended the battle quickly by scoring a hit when he was down. This, although unsportsmanlike, was acceptable in Master Boraro’s world, but she just couldn’t do it. She had been the one picking herself up off the ground enough times to know that it was humiliating enough.

When he was finally able to see, he couldn’t find his sword. Kile nudged it over to him and he grumbled a thanks before retrieving it and getting back into position. He launched his second attack, learning from his first. This one was lower and slower. She parried and used the slickness of the mud to slide around him as he came in on her again. He went down on one knee and she held her counter attack. He didn’t even bother trying to get to his feet; he simply lunged at her from his kneeling position. It took her a bit by surprise as she jumped back out of the way and never regained her footing on the slick ground, this time they both found themselves in the mud. Kile quickly rolled to her feet falling into a defense stance only to see Murphy go down again. She stuck her sword into the ground and went to help him up.

“What are you doing Cadet Veller?” Boraro demanded as he came up behind her.

“Sir?” She asked, almost dropping Murphy after being startled by the Weapon Master’s voice.

“He is your enemy Cadet. Would you show that much compassion for a valrik that was trying to cut off your head in battle?”

“No sir.” She calmly replied as she got Murphy to his feet, although she wasn’t sure how much help she was since the guy was twice her size.

“Then what do you think you’re doing?” Boraro demanded.

“I am showing compassion for a fellow cadet who is not trying to cut off my head in battle… sir.”

Mouthing off to Master Boraro was not the smartest thing to do as she stared at the pulsing vane in his head. Other instructors might have belittled her or ridiculed her in their class if she tried to be too smart, Master Boraro on the other hand was a simple man. He would just knock her upside the head, preferably with a mace or a large club. As it was he just turned and walked away.

“What crawled into his shorts this morning?” She mumbled as she handed Murphy his sword.

“Thanks” The boy replied, and this time she realized he meant it.

“Look, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the mud today, how about we just… you know… take it a little easy.”

“Yeah… okay.” Murphy nodded as he took his position. “You wanna… try attacking me for a change?”

“Are you sure?” She asked. She was a little surprised that he would even suggest such a thing.

“I could use some more practice defending myself.”

“Well… yeah, okay.” She said as she took her position, but before she could start, Murphy held up his hand.

“Hold on a second.” He said as he looked around the List, she was beginning to think that he had changed his mind.

There were cadets falling all over the place, sliding in the muck covered from head to toe in mud. This was defiantly not the environment for sword fighting as the rain fell constantly. Kile looked back over to Murphy to see what it was that he was waiting for and the big man had his eyes closed and was mumbling something under his breath. She had seen Morgan do this before, and realized that the cadet was using his edge. Her first thought was to defend herself but she decided to give Murphy the benefit of the doubt. It was a serious violation of the code for one hunter to use his edge against another, and even though they weren’t hunters yet, it still applied to cadets, and she couldn’t believe Murphy was willing to break that code. It was a one way ticket out of the academy.

She suddenly felt the ground beneath her feet harden and the mud began to dry. Where the rest of the field had been nearly six inches of mud, around where they stood, it was less than an inch. He looked up, smiled and nodded that he was ready. Kile launched her first attack.

She couldn’t say she learned a lot from Murphy, but it was a refreshing change to actually leave the List without having to go to the healers afterwards.

“You know Murphy, if you really want to practice your defense, you can always spar with us.” She told the big man as they set their swords back on the rack after the training session was over.

“Really?” He asked, there was a note of excitement in his voice, but it quickly died. Kile glanced over in the direction that Murphy was looking. Eric was standing beside the fence with Roger, and the two did not look very pleased.

“That might not be a good idea.” He added.

“Look Murphy, I don’t want to tell you your business or anything, but there were a few things that Master Boraro actually said that made sense, and one of them was that being a hunter meant being alone. That may not be exactly true, but it does mean that you’re going to have to make decisions for yourself.”

“Yeah, well… sometimes that’s easier said than done.” The big man said as he started to walk away.

“If you change your mind, we meet on the far side of the stable, just after the chores. You’re always welcome.”

“Thanks” He mumbled, and then turned and walked away.

She wasn’t sure what the others would say with her inviting Murphy to their sparring sessions that was if he even came. She never really had any problems with him, unless he was around Eric, and that was just the older boy’s influence.

 

Kile changed her uniform, retrieved her carrots from Big Joe and made her way to the stables. Assigned chores usually don’t start until after the supper shift, and that was still an hour away, but Kile had very little else to occupy her time, and if she could avoid the dining hall, that was even better.

The stables were quiet, and Luke was nowhere to be seen, of course now she knew that didn’t actually mean he wasn’t around. She decided that if he wanted to watch her there was little she could do about it, but it wasn’t going to stop her from doing what she usually did, so she made her round, greeting the horses one by one.

She looked over to where Grim was now watching her. She might have converted one individual today in the way of Murphy, maybe she could convert two.

“Good evening Grim.” She said as she separated the carrots and held one out to him.

Grim turned his nose up at the treat and then turned to look the other way.

“That’s it.” She said as she followed his head around and held the carrot under his nose again. “I can be as stubborn as you. I’m not moving until you take this.”

Grim gave a loud snort, spraying her with what she could only imagine was horse snot as he turned around in his stall, showing her his backside.

“Oh no you don’t” She said as she walked around the stall. “Give me one good reason why you won’t take my peace offering.”

-I don’t like carrots.-

The sudden response caught her off guard. His voice was hard and unforgiving but not nearly as loud as when he first spoke to her.

“You don’t?” She asked. She was under the impression that all horses liked carrots. “What do you like?”

He said nothing, and just stood there staring at her. At first she thought he was going back to his silent treatment.

-Apples-

“You like apples. I’m not sure if the cook has any but I can find out. You wait right here.” She said as she set the carrots down and ran back down to the kitchen.

“What… you need more of the carrots.” Big Joe said upon seeing her.

“No.” She said, catching her breath. “He doesn’t like carrots.”

“Not like carrots. What? He tells you this. Suppose he tell you what he does like.”

“Actually, he says he likes apples.”

“Apples?”

“If you have any.”

“I did. I don’t now.”

“Why not, what happen?” She asked.

“I make apple pie for the staff’s supper.” The cook replied with a shrug.

Kile wasn’t sure what bothered her more, that fact that he had no apples to give her, or the fact that the staff gets apple pie with their supper. Now what, she wondered, apples were apples. What difference could it make?

“May I have a piece of the pie then?” She asked.

“What? For your horse?”

“Why not.” She replied. It wasn’t like there was anything in the pie that the horse wouldn’t eat, and it was better than coming back with no apples at all.

“I tell you what. I give you two pieces, one for your horse and one for you.” Big Joe laughed as he sliced two pieces of pie and placed them on a platter, but only gave her one fork. She thanked him for the pie and quickly returned to the stables.

She was glad to see that Luke still wasn’t around; at least she didn’t think he was around. She wasn’t sure if he would understand her feeding pie to her horse, and she really didn’t know how to explain it.

“Apples.” She said as she pulled back the cover from the platter and showed Grim the two slices of pie.

He looked at them, then at her, then back at the pies.

-What is it?-

“Okay, they didn’t have any apples, but they did have apple pie.”

-Apple… pie?-

“Yeah, it’s made from apples. If you like apples, you’ll like this.” She said, although she wasn’t sure if that was true.

She gently picked up one of the slices and held it out to him. Grim sniffed it for a moment, then opened his rather large mouth and took the pie and her hand with one bit, although he actually didn’t bite down, he just sort of sucked the pie off, leaving her with a rather slimy hand.

“Glad you like it.” She said as she wiped her hand on her tunic.

-Apple pie.-

Grim said again, and those words carried with it a strong feeling, this horse didn’t just like apple pie, he loved it.

Kile quickly scooped up the second piece of pie and held it out to Grim, who again swallowed it, whole.

“We’re going to have to work on your table manners.” She said, wiping her hand on her tunic again.

-More?-

“Oh come on, you had two slices.” She said as she set the platter aside. “I suppose I can’t tempt you with a carrot stick then?”

Grim snorted.

“Worth a try.” She said as she took a bite of the carrot.

-I… forgive you.-

“Really?”

-I said it didn’t I?-

“Yes… thank you Grim, and I am sorry about what I did.” She said.

-Then there is no need for you to come back here any more.-

There was a note of sadness, of loneliness in those words as he turned his head away from her. Had he actually been refusing to forgive her because he was afraid that she would stop visiting him?

“Don’t you want me to come back?” She asked him.

-There would be no point.-

“Couldn’t I just… come visit you?”

Grim turned to face her.

-Visit?-

“Well… yeah, you know, visit you. See how you’re doing. I can’t promise to bring you apple pies every day, but maybe once in a while, when I can get the cook to part with some.”

-Visit? I can’t stop you if you wish to visit-

As harsh as this horse was, she was beginning to understand him. He had lost everything to the vir, his freedom, his family, his land, the only thing he had left was his dignity, and he was holding onto that with all four hoofs. He would never let on that he enjoyed her visits, but she could see it in the images that came with his words.

“I better get my chores started.” She said.

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

6

 

“I am not looking forward to this.” Alex said as he slid the empty tray to one side, even when he was depressed he never lost his appetite. “Illusion doesn’t even listen to me, how am I going to put him through his paces?”

“His paces?” Kile asked.

“That’s right. You missed the first class didn’t you?” Carter said as he finished the last of his breakfast. “Master Pike wants to see how well we can control our mounts.”

“We’ve only just started riding, or I should you guys only started riding.” Kile replied.

“I don’t think it’s anything major, just a sort of, obstacle course to see how well we can ride, sort of an evaluation.”

“What kind of obstacle course?”

“Nothing too special, I wouldn’t think. A couple of jumps, maybe a hill or two, you know, the usual stuff.” Carter explained. “But you don’t have to worry about it. You still have to choose your mount.”

Kile wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to this day or not. Master Pike had informed her that new horses were being brought down from the north field for her to choose from. Although she was thrilled with the idea of choosing a more suitable mount, she did feel sorry for Grim. For some reason the Mountain pony had all but ignored her, the last two days. All the progress she had made in gaining his trust was for nothing. Luke had told her that if Grim wouldn’t allow her to ride him for the next class, then she would be forced to choose another horse and Grim would be sent to the Northern Province. The next class was today and Grim didn’t look as if he had changed his mind.

“Hey, Kile, you’re good with animals.” Alex stated, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“What? What do you mean by that?” She asked defensively. She shot a look at Daniel who just shook his head. Had Daniel been telling the guys about her edge? She felt kind of bad keeping it from them, but on the other hand she didn’t want to be teased about it either. It was one more thing about her that just didn’t fit in.

“I only meant that you work in the stables and seemed very comfortable around animals they just seemed to take to you.” Alex replied. “I was just wondering if you could, you know, give me some pointers or something. Tell me how to get on his good side. Let me know what I’m doing wrong.”

“Like I did so well with Grim.” She replied.

“That wasn’t your fault.” Daniel added. “That horse was just… well… evil.”

Evil? She wondered. Who was evil in their first encounter? She didn’t like the answer to that question.

“I’m not sure I’m the one you should be asking.”

“Please Kile. I’ve seen you with the horses in the stables and they really seem to like you.”

When had he seen her with the horses?

“Fine, okay.” She finally agreed. “I guess I can talk to him if you want.”

“Talk to… who?”

“YOU, I mean I can talk to you if you want.”

“Ooookay.” Alex said as he slowly got up from the table. “Looks like Kile girls out of it again.”

“Very funny.” She said as she grabbed her own tray and got up. “Why did you name him Illusion anyway, don’t you think it’s a bit of a give away?”

“First name that came to mind, it’s better than Dirk.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with Dirk?” Carter asked as he pushed past Alex and tossed his tray onto the counter.

“What is a Dirk?” Alex emphasized the word each time he used it, making it sound as if he was cursing.

“A Dirk happens to be a small sword, or a large dagger, depending on how you want to look at it.”

“A weapon, you named your horse after a weapon, how original.”

“Better than Illoooooosion.” Carter mocked.

“Dirk” Alex replied under his breath as they walked out of the Dining hall.

They headed toward the stables to retrieve their mounts for the coming class; Kile just went along for the walk. Her horse would be in the paddock just outside the western gate, although it wasn’t her horse yet. She still had to choose from the horses that had been brought in from the north field.

She leaned up again the rail and watched as the other cadets took advantage of the little time they had before class in a vain attempt to get better acquainted with their mounts. Most of theses cadets hadn’t seen their horses all week, not since the first class, even if it was their job to care for them. They just parked them in the stalls and forgot about them, expecting them to be there upon their returned. Horses were supposed to be the most important aspect of the Hunter, if they didn’t care for their mounts, what kind of Hunter would they turn out to be?

For the last week she had fed them, watered them and even brushed them down, although it wasn’t exactly part of her chores. She knew each one of these horses better than their owners would ever know them, and it pained her to see which owners each horse was saddled with.

She watched as the cadets tripped over each other and their equipment trying to saddle their mounts.  It was easy to tell the difference between those that did know how to ride and those who didn’t. She could hear the complaints of not only the cadets, but the horses as well, and in some ways it amused her on how similar they both were. There was one rider having a little more trouble than any of the others as his horse started to shift from side to side and even attempted to buck him off when he finally did get settled into the saddle. She didn’t know the cadet, but she knew the horse, and the mare wasn’t usually this temperamental.

“Excuse me.” She said as she started to cross the field of cadets and horses. The cadets paid her little mind, the horses stopped as she passed. She had explained to them before that she couldn’t talk to them when there were other vir around, but it didn’t stop them from greeting her as she walked by.

“What do you want?” The boy asked from high atop his horse.

He was a tall thin gawky kid and although she had seen him around, she couldn’t place a name to the face, not that she really cared all that much about trying. The Horse, on the other hand, she did know by name. The gawky unknown kid had named her Sun Dancer, which, compared to some of the other names, wasn’t that bad, but of course that was her Vir name. Her true name, the name that Kile knew was Lionora. She was a quiet, polite horse, rather laid back when compared to some of the others, so for her to behave in such a manner, Kile knew there had to be a reason.

“You appear to be having some trouble.” She said as she got closer.

“What’s it to you?”

It was never easy, she thought as she ignored the tall thin gawky boy and took hold of the reigns to calm Lionora down. She ran her hand across the horse's nose and whispered in her ear so only she could hear.

“What’s the matter?”

-Pain-

It was a single word, but to Kile its meaning was strong.

“Where?” She asked.

-Side-

“What do you think you’re doing?” The boy asked as he tried to pull the reigns from her hand and move the horse away, but Lionora wasn’t obeying her rider, she was listening to Kile. By now a small group of cadets had gathered around them, everyone wanted to see what the strange girl was up to now. She was starting to get used to being a spectacle, she didn’t like it, but she was getting used to it.

“Which side?” Kile asked, keeping her voice down so as not to be heard.

“What? What are you talking about? What are you, some kind of nut, let go of my horse.”

-Left side-

Kile moved around to the left side of Lionora, never releasing her reigns, never giving control back the gawky cadet. She ran her hand down the horse’s side, sliding it under the saddle blanket and soon found the problem. A small metal fastener on the saddle had sheared off; leaving a sharp edge that was now sticking into the mare’s flesh. The wound was fresh, the blood was warm. Every time the rider shifted his weight it drove the metal shard deeper into the horse’s side, it was no wonder Lionora was in the state she was in. The rider, in his rush to get to the training field, obviously had never inspected his saddled before throwing it on the back of his horses. She slid her hand between the metal and Lionora’s side to keep the horse calm.

“Get off.” She told the gawky cadet in no uncertain terms. She could have been more polite about it, but she was more worried about Lionora than the cadet’s feelings.

“What?” He responded.

“I said get off, you’re hurting her.”

“Says who?”

Kile was just about to pull the kid off his mount, although she wasn’t sure if she physically could, when she heard murmurs among the other cadets as they began to part.

“What’s going on here?”

She was relieved to see Luke emerge from the stables. He was maneuvering his way through the crowd that had gathered to watch the show.

“This… girl… is telling me to get off my horse.”

How anyone could say the word ‘girl’ with such negativity was beyond her.

“Kile, what’s the problem?” Luke asked.

“Lionora’s hurt.” She answered using the horse’s true name. “It’s the saddle.”

“That’s stupid.” The boy replied.

“Please dismount.” Luke said. It was a bit more polite than how Kile had asked, but it carried with it a little more authority.

“It’s my horse.” To boy protested.

“The horses are the property of the academy until such time that you have proven yourself worthy of the tile of Hunter.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?” The cadet asked.

“It means get off the damn horse.” Kile shouted. By now every time the boy shifted his weight the shard of metal was digging deeper into her hand.

The cadet looked at Luke, and then reluctantly dismounted. Only when the saddle was free of his weight did Kile pulled her hand out from under it. There as a nice, long, deep laceration on the back, but she didn’t let that stop her as she quickly unfastened the saddle and let it drop to the ground. She could feel Lionora’s relief with the saddle no longer on her back and the metal shard no longer digging into her side.

“Did you inspect your saddle cadet?” Luke asked as he pulled aside the saddle blanket and revealed the open wound on the horse’s side.

“Well… yeah of course I did.” The cadet lied. He, like every other cadet, was just in a hurry to get to class. The welfare of the horse ran second to the training.

“Then you should have noticed that the saddle was damaged, and was causing your horse discomfort.” Luke told him.

Kile had to admire Luke’s demeanor. He had a way of scolding somebody without raising his voice, and yet that person knew he was being scolded. Kile’s method would have differed greatly. Of course it would have required a large lump of wood and enough room to swing it. She flipped over the saddle and found what she was looking for.

“Here it is.” She said, pointing it out.

Luke knelt down beside her and ran his hands over the exposed metal and shook his head.

“You will take this down to the quartermaster and have it replaced.” He told the cadet. “Then return here and treat your horse’s wounds. You can explain to Master Pike why you are late, but I warn you, his love of horses is greater than his love of cadets.”

“Yes sir.” The cadet replied, now that he knew he was in the wrong, he appeared a lot more civil, of course Kile couldn’t comment about that. She had not approached the situation is a very civil manner.

“I’m sorry.” The cadet told her as he picked the saddle up. “I… I didn’t understand.”

It was because he didn’t want to understand she thought, but she bit her tongue. He was trying to apologize and it wouldn’t do for her to make any more enemies.

“Forget about it.” She replied.

To her surprise he extended his hand, she hesitated a moment before accepting it. That was when the boy noticed that she was still bleeding from the cut.

“Oh.” The cadet said, pulling his hand back. “Are you alright?” There was a general note of concern in his voice that made her smile.

“I’ll be fine, just get that saddle seen to.” She told him.

The cadet nodded, his eyes never leaving the blood on her hand, as he hoisted the saddle on his shoulder. Struggling under the weight he turned and started off down the hill.

“There you go again, helping the helpless.” Daniel said as he stepped from the crowd that was now beginning to disperse. They appeared a little disappointed. They were probably hoping for a good fight or at least for her to get knocked down, that always seemed to improve their mood.

“Yeah well… if we don’t then who will?”

“But you always seem to come out on the hurting end.”

“Yeah, but that’s why I keep you around.” She said as she held her hand out to him.

“I’m gonna start charging you for this.” Daniel told her as he effortlessly fell into his own edge and ran his finger down the new injury. She could feel his energy pulling the laceration closed. It was the easiest type of wound to heal, or so he told her, just fuse the skin back together, or at least that was how he described it. It was still an amazing skill that never ceased to impress her as she wiped away the blood from her hand to find no sign of the cut.

“How about Lionora?” She asked.

“Lionora, you mean the horse?”

“Yeah, you can heal her too, can’t you?”

Daniel looked at the horse, then at Luke who just took a step back. It was his way of giving Daniel his approval, although he would never ask the cadet to do it. Daniel moved to the mare’s side, laying both his hands on the exposed wound, he quickly fell into this edge. If Kile didn’t know better, she would have sworn she saw the flow of energy from Daniel’s hand into the horse’s side, like glowing blue tendrils that flowed like water, unlike the black molasses that she had experienced with the Maligar, yet there seemed to be some connection. Did the arts actually have color she wondered?

When Denial stepped away the wound was healed, and Luke ran his hand over the horse’s side with a note of admiration.

“You do realize that he will not learn much from this.” Luke pointed out as he took Lionora by the reigns and lead her back into the stables.

-Thank you-

The mare replied as she followed the stable hand.

Kile watched Lionora go and felt as if she had accomplished at least one good thing today. She turned around to return to the others, and almost collided with Alex who was jumping up and down in front of her.

“That was so cool, how did you know?” He asked.

“That?” Kile said, waving it off. “That was… nothing, I just noticed that the horse was uncomfortable.”

“You are so helping me with Illusion.” Alex replied as he ran off into the stables.

“You keep this up; you’re going to gain yourself a reputation.” Daniel grinned.

“I thought I already had one of those.” She replied.

 

Kile spoke with Illusion, who, it would appear, was a bit of a practical joker and was just having fun at his vir’s expense. The stallion did agree not to over do it during training and to behave himself, and Kile could only take his word for it. She did give Alex a few pointers, although her knowledge of horsemanship was limited, it gave him the feeling that he was in control of the horse and not the other way around. It was funny how the truth was so far from reality.

She walked over to Grim and stroked the mountain pony’s nose.

“I brought you something.” She said as she produced an apple from her pouch. “I’m afraid it’s not a pie, but that would have been a little difficult to explain.”

Grim took the apples gently from her hand, and in one bite it was gone.

“I better get going. They’re expecting me to choose my horse before class.” She said as she turned to leave. “I wish you were out there.”

“Are you coming?” Daniel asked as he led Miliea out of the stables.

She bid Grim good bye and reluctantly followed.

Miliea was still a little uncomfortable around Kile, and she couldn’t blame the mare. She had seen her at her worse, totally consumed by the Maligar. She wasn’t sure how, or why, but the power of the Maligar invoked feelings of fear and dread in the animals around her, it was one of the reasons why she swore she would never use it again, and now she found she had to learn how to use it in order not to use it.

Daniel pulled her up behind him in the saddled and they followed Carter and Alex out the eastern gate. The open field outside the walls was already starting to fill up with a number of cadets that had the same idea, to get as much time in with their mounts as possible before Master Pike Showed up. Kile dismounted and walked over to the paddock where six new horses grazed. One of these, she thought, would be her mount. Although they were all very beautiful horses, none of them really stood out, not that she would tell them that. She moved from one to the other, greeting each one in turn. They all seemed pleasant enough, she thought, but it was a bit awkward to select one of theses horses as her own, it was kind of like shopping at the rumored slavery auctions in Calastoon.

Another group of horses exited the Eastern Gate as more cadets began to arrive. Leading this new group, upon a large black charger was Master Pike. The man never looked very happy, and she wondered why he even wanted to teach at the academy, it was clear he didn’t like his job. He rode to the open field, dismounted and started removing his gloves. It was a ritual for him as he made a show of pulling off each one and neatly folding them, then slipping them into his belt. The cadets began to line up alongside their mounts in the field around him, Kile could only stand off to one side and watch.

He examined the cadets but more importantly he examined their horses, making sure that they were well kept and well cared for. She may not have liked the man, but she could respect his love of horses. She even went as far as to reevaluate her first impression of him, maybe he wasn’t as bad as she had first thought, but that was until he turned around and looked at her. He rolled his eyes and sighed as he started to walk towards her and she braced herself for what was about to come.

He hadn’t said two words before a loud crash rang out from somewhere inside the academy. It was loud enough to silence even Master Pike. The guards on the walls left their post to investigate and the cadets stood watching in silence. When nothing happened that was very noteworthy they turned their attention back to their own business, which happened to be Kile.

“Are you ready to choose your mount cadet Veller?” Master Pike asked as he pulled his gloves from his belt and flapped them in her direction.

“Yes sir.” She replied, and she turned toward the paddock.

“Take your time.” He said, although it sounded more like ‘hurry up’ as he stood right behind her, slapping his gloves into the open palm of his hand. “A hunter and his mount are as one. You are alone in the wild, the only one you can count on is you mount, choose carefully.”

Nothing like a little added pressure, he must get his material from Master Boraro. Both men seem to focus on the lonely existence of the hunter.

She tried to ignore the horse master as she walked passed the six horses once again. If this was to be her mount, she wanted to make a careful decision, not be pressured into it by an impatient man and his slapping gloves. She had already narrowed down the selection and was torn between a gray mare by the name of Fionlia and a brown stallion named Karisia.

The occasional sigh from Master Pike to hurry her up was only going to slow her down. She suspected that he must have had some knowledge of what kept her from class the last week and why she had ended up with Grim in the first place. For one reason, why had Grim been there? Surely someone like Master Pike, who prides himself on his knowledge of horses, would never have overlooked a mountain pony among the herd. It was because he had used Grim as a punishment that she didn’t care that he had to wait for her. The other cadets were also getting impatient as was evident by a few muffled comments thrown in her direction.

She had finally reached her decision, and was about to select the gray mare when a thunderous crash from the academy put a stop to it. The two guards on the western gate were off their post again as they ran inside. Whatever was making the noises was rather loud and very aggressive.

“Wait here.” Master Pike informed the cadets as he started toward the commotion. He had only gotten four or maybe five steps when something struck the western gate from the other side. Something inside the academy wanted out, and wanted out now. One of the hunters was thrown back as the gate flung open, the other was lucky enough to jump aside. Master Pike didn’t advance any further, he reached for his sword, unfortunately he was wearing one.

There was an eerie silence as everyone stared at the open gate waiting to see what would emerge. They didn’t have to wait long. A large black, hairy mass stepped through the western gate, two guards with ropes were trying to hold it back, but their efforts were in vain. Grim stopped, only for a moment to get his bearings, then started down the road at a slow, even pace, dragging the two hunters behind him. They were no more than rag dolls hanging on bits of string and the Mountain Pony didn’t seem to take much notice as he turned to the open field, heading toward the cadets. When he hit the grassy ridge the guards could no longer hold the ropes and were finally forced to let go, that’s when the mountain pony turned his attention to the paddock. As he reached the fence that held the horses he lifted one large platter sized hoof and brought it straight down over the wooden cross beams, easily splintering them under his weight. With nothing to stop him he entered the paddock and pushed his way past the other horses to stand in front of Kile. One stern look from the large black mountain pony, and the other horses quickly backed down. Everyone stood in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

-Sorry I’m late.-

His voice boomed in Kile head, and she could tell that the Mountain Pony enjoyed the entrance.

“I think I’ve selected my mount.” Kile called out to Master Pike.

“Impossible.” He roared as he came stomping up behind her. “This is an outrage. This ill mannered beast of burden is not a suitable mount for a hunter.”

There was actually a compliment hidden in that statement since he did refer to Kile as a hunter, although she was sure that he didn’t mean it.

“You told me to choose a mount sir. He was suitable last week.”

“The circumstances then were different.” Master Pike replied as he grabbed one of the ropes that were still tied around Grim’s neck. “He is going back to the stables.”

Grim suddenly whipped his head around, pulling the rope and the Horse Master with it. Master Pike was yanked from his feet and tossed unceremoniously onto the ground. This wasn't helping Kile's position.

“This ill mannered, flea bitten, beast of burden…” he cursed as he got to his feet. “This… this THING will never be a Hunter’s mount.”

“On the contrary, I don’t see a problem with it.”

“Nobody cares what you think.” Master Pike remarked as he turned around to see a tall dark haired man with a well trimmed mustache standing behind him. “Guild Master Latherby, I... I’m sorry, I… I didn’t know it was you.”

“That’s hardly an excuse is it?” Mathew Latherby replied as he walked past Pike to where Grim was now standing. He slowly untied the ropes and let them fall to the paddock floor. “It would appear that your mount has been chosen for you.” He said to Kile.

“It would appear that way sir.” She replied.

“Do you accept him?”

“Master Latherby, you can’t be serious.” Master Pike protested.

“There is truth in that, I can never be serious, it’s so boring.” Latherby replied as he winked at Kile. “But it would appear that this is out of my hands. He has chosen her as his rider, who are we to deny that.”

“It is not the way things are done… it’s… it’s not even a proper horses.” Pike exclaimed.

“As a matter of interested Horse Master, there was a time when the hunters thought about uses Mountain Ponies as their official mounts.”

“Really sir?” Kile asked, she had never read anything like that in the history books.

“Oh yes.” Master Lathery replied. “They are wonderful animals. They can travel great distances without the need for rest, food or water. They can navigate rough terrain and icy surfaces even rocky hill tops. They were well suited for the Hunter’s needs.”

“Then… why don’t any Hunters ride them?”

“Because, they are foul tempered, ill mannered and stubborn creatures.” Latherby replied with a shrug. “Nobody was able to tame one… until now it would appear.”

Kile wouldn’t have said tame, she was sure that nobody tamed Grim. She just managed to befriend him somehow.

“She still must pass the evaluation and ultimately the final exam.” Master Pike pointed out. “If she can’t control it, if she can’t pass the final exam, then she can’t become a hunter. That is written in the Hunter’s Code.”

“What do you say cadet Veller, wish to give it a try?”

“Yes sir.” Kile replied as she opened the gate to the Paddock and let Grim out, not that there was much left of the paddock after the mountain pony stepped on it. “Thank you.” She whispered to him as he passed.

“We don’t have saddles suitable for… that thing.” Pike pointed out.

“Do I need a saddle sir?” She asked the Guild Master.

He stood there for a moment, a finger on his chin as his eyes moved back and forth as if he was actually reading the code book in his head. When he was finished he looked down at her and grinned.

“I don’t believe there is any place within the Hunter’s code that says you must have a saddle, although I can see where it would come in handy.”

“Then mount up cadet.” Master Pike sneered as he stepped back, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for her to fail.

Kile had mounted him before, on several occasions, but she was usually thrown off soon after. Her technique was a little unorthodox, nothing that she wanted to attempted while the entire class was watching.

“How about a little help?” She whispered in Grim’s ear.

-Fine, but just this once.-

Grim said and he lowered himself to the ground. Kile grabbed a handful of mane, threw one leg over with a little difficulty and Grim slowly got back to his feet.

“Don’t see any problem there.” Latherby remarked.

“She still has to prove she can ride him.”

“Well, then this should be very entertaining.” Latherby added.

Master Pike walked to the center of the field. “Okay everyone, mount up, mount up.” He yelled. “You will be following the course that we took during the last training session. Up thought the hills, down through the river bed and back here. Those that don’t know it, just follow the horse in front of you, and don’t get lost.”

The horses began to move off one by one, all but Grim, who refused to move.

“Grim, what are you waiting for, come on.” She said as she tried to coax him into moving.

-Why?-

“What, what do you mean why. We have to follow the other horse before they get too far ahead. I don’t know where we’re supposed to go.”

-Here.-

“What?”

-Here… the trail ends here. Why do I have to walk all that way around the landscape just to come back here? We stay here and the rest of those stupid horses can find us.-

“It doesn’t work that way. We have to follow the trail.”

-Pointless.-

“So are a lot of things, but if we’re in this together, you have to trust me on this.”

“Is there a problem cadet Veller?” Master Pike asked as he walked up beside Grim.

“No sir, No problem.”

“You don’t appear to be moving. Is it that you can’t control this… monstrosity?” He laughed.

Monstrosity was probably the wrong word to use around Grim as the Mountain pony took his first step on the trail, driving a platter sized hoof straight down on Master Pike’s boot. There was a sickening crunch as his foot sank into the ground and the horse master screamed.

“Grim… move.” She told the horse.

Grim reluctantly lifted his hoof, and Pike pulled his foot from the mud as he hobbled off cursing. If the ground hadn’t been so soft, there was no telling how much damage Grim could have done to the horse master, as it was, he was still a massively heavy horse. Grim gave Pike a dismissive look, snorted then started off down the trail after the other, at his own pace.

“I would have thought that a Horse master would have known enough not to stand so close to an ill tempered horse.” Kile heard Lathery tell Master Pike as he helped him to his feet.

“You did that deliberately.” Kile whispered to Grim.

-Of course I did.-

Grim replied unapologetically.

-He was a condescending, annoying little fool.-

“That may be true, but he is still the instructor. You can’t keep crushing the instructor’s feet.”

-Of course not, he only has two feet, which gives me one more opportunity.-

“Look, we have to set some guidelines if this is going to work.” Kile sighed, “Rule number one, we do not crush instructors, no matter how much fun it might be.”

-Fine… suit yourself.-

It didn’t take them long before they finally reached the back of the group which was filled mostly with novice horseman who were doing everything they could to keep from falling off their mounts. Daniel, Carter, and Alex had held back, waiting for her as she and Grim moved between them.

“You can’t be serious.” Carter said as he eyed Grim. “You really plan on using that as you mount?” He asked.

“Of course, what’s wrong with him?”

“Well, he’s ugly for starters.” Carter laughed.

Kile wasn’t sure what Grim had in mind as he started to move toward Carter and Dirk. She gave the handful of mane she was clinging to a good jerk.

“Grim… no.”

-You're taking all the fun out of this.-

“Not during training.”

“You having a problem with that… thing?” Carter asked.

Grim slowly turned his head and stared at Carter from under the long locks of hair that covered his face.

“It may be beneficial to your health not to insult my horse.” Kile advised.

“Yeah… I think you might be right.” He said as he pulled Dirk back and maneuvered him so Daniel and Miliea rode between them.

“Does anyone know where we’re going?” She asked.

“Actually, you’re the only one that never completed the trail.” Alex replied.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She mumbled. “Maybe we should pick up the pace so we’re not last.”

“Can you ride that…” Carter glanced over at Grim who was stills staring at him. The mountain pony’s eyes had never left the cadet. “… that noble steed?”

He didn’t mean it, but Grim accepted it with a loud snort as he turned his attention back to the road.

“Only one way to find out.” Kile replied. “You ready for this Grim?”

-Why not-

Grim said and suddenly broke into a gallop. He may not have been as fast as the other horse, or look as graceful, but his movements were fluid and Kile had not trouble staying on. The others easily caught up. Carter and Alex even pulled out in front while Daniel kept in step with Kile.

Carter was defiantly the most gifted horseman of the group as he rode Dirk with ease, but then that really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The boy was cut out to be a hunter, everything he did bordered on perfection, and at times it made her jealous. Alex, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He was not as bad as some of the cadets but he was no where near as good as Carter or even Kile for that matter as he bobbed around on top of Illusion, doing his best to hold on. The thing with Alex is that he did not fear failure, if he fell off his horse he would just laugh at himself and jump back on, assuming that he survived. That was something that she hadn’t managed to achieve, she worried too much about what others thought. As for Daniel, he fell somewhere in-between the other two, which was probably why she found it easier to talk with Daniel than the other two.

The country side was incredible as they raced crossed the open field toward the forest. It was the first time in her life that Kile really felt free. She cared about nothing, only the feel of the horse and the sound of his hoofs and she knew that Grim was feeling that same freedom. As they hit the forest Carter and Alex were forced to slow down to navigate the trees, but Grim never did. He was starting to catch up with them and she let him run, she trusted that he knew where he was going, and a horse would never intentionally collide with a tree, at least she didn’t think so.

As the ground got steeper and the terrain got rockier, the riders began to slow down, but mountain ponies thrived in harsher environments. What posed as a barrier to the other horse was nothing but a small obstacle to Grim as he took the hill side in leaps and bound, never loosing his footing, never hesitating once, of course Kile wasn’t as confident and did close her eyes as he basically ran up the side of the hill. When he reached the top he stopped.

-You can open your eyes now.-

She looked out over the landscape and from her vantage point on top of the hill she could see farther than she had ever seen before. The whole world opened up before her and it was more beautiful than she had ever imagined. Past the forest, and the rivers, all the way to the mountains that loomed in the distant north, their high, snow capped peaks hidden in the clouds. The south gave way to great fields and planes, all the way to the sea, and although she couldn’t see it, she could picture it in her mind, as well as all the places she would love to visit.

“It’s beautiful.” She said as she took it all in, and it was all hers, not literally, but there was nothing stopping her from going. She could turn Grim any direction she wanted and just run. Up to the mountains or down to the sea, she was free to choose.

“What the heck was that?” Carter asked as he and Dirk finally reached the summit. “You don’t run a horse straight up the side of a hill that steep.”

“You do if he wants to.” Kile replied, never taking her eyes off the splendor of the view. Two more years she thought, then she would be out of the academy, another year on probation and she would be a certified level five hunter. She would be able to go anywhere she wanted, do anything she wanted.

“Hey, you alright?” Carter asked as he rode up beside her. “What’s the matter?”

“What do you mean?” She asked as she finally looked at him.

“It's just that… are you… crying?”

“What… no, no of course not.” She said wiping the tears from her eyes. “It’s just the sunlight.”

“Oh… okay.” Carter replied, although he did seem to believe her.

“Man that was cool.” Alex yelled as he and Illusion topped the hill. “I have never seen a horse run straight up the side of a hill like that, man you guys were almost vertical.”

“That would be an exaggeration.” Daniel added as he and Miliea arrived last. “But not much of one”

“Come on, we can’t hang around here all day.” Carter said as he turned Dirk back toward the trail.

Why not, she thought as she nudged Grim to follow. It wasn’t as if they had anything pressing to get back for. As she followed them back, she hadn’t realized how far off the trial they had gone. Grim went out of his way to find that spot and to show it to her.

“Let’s see if you’re as good going down hills as you are going up.” Carter challenged as he and Dirk broke into a gallop. Grim was not one to be outdone and quickly fell into pace. Sure enough, He could navigate down hills as easy, if not easier than he could climb them as he pass Dirk in what Kile would have sworn was a free-fall maneuver. Instead of pulling up as most of the riders had done, Grim ran head first straight down the hill, his large platter sized hoofs slamming into the ground. This time Kile kept her eyes open, much to her dismay. They had passed Riders who were, at one time, well ahead of them, as the hill didn’t slow the mountain pony down as it had done the other horses. Even the river, where some of the riders had stopped to water their mounts was not an obstacle. Grim thundered past the cadets, back through the forest, until he broke out into the clearing of the field, only then did he slow down.

-I assume we’re going back to the academy.-

He remarked as he slowed to a steadier, even pace. The fact that the horse wasn’t even winded had surprised Kile who, although she hadn’t been running, was still trying to catch her breath. She recalled the way Latherby had described the Mountain Pony, a mount that can go long distances without the need of food, water, or rest, and the way he navigated the rougher terrain put the other horses to shame. It was no wonder that the Hunters had considered the use of mountain ponies over the standard plains horse. She was kind of glad they didn’t thou, because if they had, Grim wouldn’t be unique.

“No rush.” She said, stroking his side. “We can wait for the others.”

-As you wish-

It was several minutes before Carter did catch up, a few other riders had passed them, but since this wasn’t a race, at least not that she was aware of, she really didn’t care.

“Okay, I give. If I ever say anything bad about that horse, you have the right to kick me in the ass.” Carter said as he rode up beside her.

“Agreed.” She replied.

“Hey you two, this is not a race.” Daniel yelled as he began to close ground, followed by a rather wobbly Alex.

“No one said it was.” Carter remarked.

“Well, you couldn’t tell by the way you two were bolting through the forest. We almost lost Alex twice.”

“I’m okay.”  Alex said as he rode up on Illusion. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

“He is behaving himself, isn’t he?” Kile asked.

“Actually he’s been pretty good all day. Whatever you said to him must have done the trick.” The smaller cadet laughed. “If only you had the same knack with instructors this year would be a breeze.”

They weren’t the first to arrive back at the academy grounds, but they definitely weren’t the last, and Kile knew, that if she and Grim had wanted to, they could have improved their time greatly, but she wouldn’t have given up that view for anything.

Master Pike stood in the center of the field, his boot was off and his foot was wrapped in a tight bandage. He appeared more annoyed than usual.

“You will take your horses back to the stables, brush them down and water them. After that… class is dismissed.” Master Pike said as they rode past him. Kile knew enough to keep Grim at a safe distance from the horse master, more for Master Pike’s sake than for Grim’s.

“Well, it would appear that we now have a hunter that rides a mountain pony.” Latherby called out from the paddock fence that he was sitting on. Kile nudged Grim towards him.

“I think I understand now, why they wanted to use mountain ponies.” She remarked when she got closer.

Latherby smiled as he stroked the pony’s nose. Grim didn’t really care for the attention but he was willing to tolerate it, but for how long she wasn’t sure.

“It’s a shame really.” Latherby replied as he stepped back from Grim. She wondered if he could feel the annoyance of the horse from being touched. “Mountain ponies are a wonderful breed. Strong, durable, it’s a shame what the north folk do with them.”

Grim’s memory of his herd being driven off the edge of the ravine suddenly struck her. In a way she had been there, she had seen it, and it still didn’t make sense.

“Why do they do it sir? Why do they kill so many of the horses, it seemed… senseless.”

“Well, to you and me it may seem senseless, but to the north folk… well, they have their reasons. You see they don’t only use the breed as beast of burden, they also use them as a food source.”

“They eat them?” Kile exclaimed, the thought of eating such an animal was barbaric, or at least it was to her.

“You have to understand Kile that different cultures have different beliefs, different values. You’ll realize this when you become a hunter, when you see first hand how other people live. Things that you take for granted, or think revolting, may be prized among other community. Don’t be so quick to judge other civilizations based upon your own yardstick, they seldom measure up… or down. I am sure that there are things that we do that can equally be considered strange or uncivilized to other cultures.”

“Yes sir.”

“You better get back to the stables and brush him down… there’s quite a lot to brush there.”

“Yes sir.”

“And you are going to take full responsibility for this horse?”

“Yes sir.”

Latherby ginned “Good, then I’m sure Luke has some repair work for you to do when you get back to the stables.” He said as he walked off. Somehow she was not comfortable with that grin.

She rode Grim back down to the road and up to the western gates. The guards watched nervously as she passed, she just gave them a slight smile and a wave as they continued on. It wasn’t until she reached the stables that she realized what Latherby had hinted at. One of the stable doors was hanging on by one hinge as it clung to a splintered wall, the other door had been completely torn off and was now propped up against the side of the building, a large platter sized hole marked the center. Pieces of wood and debris littered the ground around the opening.

“Grim.”

-The door wasn’t open.-

Grim replied in that unapologetic tone that she was starting to get used to.

“So you walked through it?”

 

 

 

***~~~***

 

 

 

7

 

Winter had come sooner than expected as the first snow fell late in the evening and didn’t stop for two days. The academy on the other hand, continued as usual. The training moved from the physical to the academicals as weapons were put on hold until the spring thaw and books were kept well in hand, of which Kile was eternally grateful. It was a lot harder to be injured by a book than it was by a sword, unless Voreing decided to throw it. It was something that he occasionally did when a cadet gave the wrong answer during class, or worse, asked the wrong questions. She had been on the receiving end of a few of those books, but they were easily dodged.

Master Pike wasn’t ready to risk the horses in the snow even if the cadet’s were. His evaluation of the skill level of the class as a hole was less than glowing, and had moved their training into the stables and instructed the cadets on the upkeep and care of their mounts.

The cadets in general began to migrate toward the Dining halls during the evening hours to suffer the cold nights in the only warmth that the academy had to offer. All in all, everything was running about normal, until two days before winter’s feast.

This was the first year that Kile was actually looking forward to the festival, this was also the first year she knew about it in advance, and unfortunately this was also going to be the one that she would always remember.

The morning started like every other morning had started, with the tolling of the bell by Master West. Kile was already up and dressed as she waited in her cell until the last possible moment, not wishing to leave the warmth that Morgan’s floating ball of fire provided for her, but there was no postponing the inevitable. She closed the ball in its metal box, set it on the chest of draws and told Vesper to behave before venturing out into the hall. By this time the dorms were mostly empty, as only a very few determined cadets were willing to brave the cold for the sake of their privacy. She often wondered if Morgan hadn’t handed out more of those floating balls of fire than just the one he had given her.  Seeing the guilty looks on the faces of some of the cadets that emerged from their cells for roll call was a strong indication that he might have.

She pulled her brother’s hat down around her ears, it was either getting smaller, or her head was getting bigger, either way it was the only protection she had from the cold, aside from the winter cloak that was really too threadbare to keep the chill at bay. She took a deep breath charged out into the snow with half a dozen other cadets that were equally reluctant to brave the winter morning. The cold was a shock to her system as she stood waiting, jumping from one foot to the other in a vain attempt to keep warm. More cadets began to file out from the Dinning halls as they came down the hill and took their place within the field. If nothing else, the shear number of cadets standing around provided some physical warmth as well as shielding her from the winter winds.

The first indication that something was amiss that day was the lack of order. There were no third year cadets calling out the names, no third year cadets standing beside the gate, ready to close out any stragglers, in fact there was nobody running the morning routine. The cadets stood out there in the toe numbing cold for what seemed like half an hour, before the office door finally opened. Sir Oblum stood in the doorway, looking out over the compound. He stepped out into the snow and walked across the small stretch of ground to reach the fenced in area. His dogs didn’t escort him this time, which was another clear indication that all was not as it should have been. Oblum pushed open the gate and took his place before the cadets, saying nothing as his eyes scanned the group slowly. The always fierce look on his face had been replaced by one of a solemn nature; he suddenly looked very old and very tired.

Master Adams emerged from the office next. He didn’t even look at the cadets, but instead headed toward the notice board and started unrolling parchments, tacking them up one by one. When he was finished he returned to the office door and gave a slight nod to Oblum, who returned the gesture. What ever was going on was not going to be good.

“We have just received word that as of last month, an organized raid on three western outposts by the uhyre has resulted in the deaths of two hundred and twelve civilians… and fourteen hunters.” Oblum announced. His once powerful voice sounded as if it was on the verge of breaking. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Greenwater, Grover’s Den, and White Pines… are no more. If you have family or friends in those locations, then you have our condolences and the guild will provide any means at their disposal to help you in this time of tragedy. All the names will be posted upon the notice board. Classes have been canceled until further notice.”

He didn’t wait around to explain or answer questions, not that there were any questions being asked. The cadets just stood dumfounded in the snow. Two days before the happiest night of the year was not the time to be thinking about the death of so many. Some began to move back toward the Dinning hall, some looked toward the Eastern gate. Fourteen hunters had died; it was a wake up call. If the entry examination hadn’t shown the dangers that a hunter faces, then that cold hard fact did. A hand full made their way to the notice board, Kile was one of them.

The everyday messages such as the chore schedule, the mystic arts appointment, even the lost and found list had been covered up by five large sheets of parchment. Four of them were bone white and bore the name of each civilian in alphabetical order. Groups of them listed with the same last name indicated entire families had been massacred. There was no other information, no details, no ages, of which Kile was grateful. The anonymity of the names was bad enough; to know if they were children would have been unbearable. The last sheet was a soft green in color and edged in black. Written upon this were the names of all fourteen hunters. Kile found the name she was looking for, and wished she hadn’t. Third from the top, under the names of 'Sanders, Craig' and 'Prain, Peters' was written in a shaky hand the name 'Treeman, Garret K.' The only thing she could think of was that he had promised to be at her graduation.

“Well, there’s fourteen more openings for us when we graduate.”

Kile turned to see Eric, his greasy black hair framing a smug face, his finger resting upon Tree’s name and the only thing she wanted was to …

“You bitch.” She heard him curse as someone grabbed her from behind and was pulling her back. Master Adams had appeared from nowhere and was pushing cadets aside.

“We are not doing this, not now, not today.” He yelled although she didn’t know what he was yelling about, all she knew was that Eric was picking himself out of the snow clutching his nose as blood seeped through his fingers.

“Kile stop.” She heard Daniel yell in her ear as she tried to break free of his grip.

“That’s why girls shouldn’t be hunters’ they’re too damn emotional.”  Eric shouted, although his voice sounded more comical since he was holding his nose to stem the bleeding. “If it wasn’t for Silvia pulling string, you wouldn’t even be here.”

“Enough.” Master Adams shouted. “Daniel, get Kile out of here, Robert, take Eric to the healers.”

“Come on Kile.” Daniel said through clenched teeth as he yanked her away, nearly falling over backward in the snow.

Carter ran over to grab her other arm to help move her way from the growing crowd. “Damn girl, what were you thinking?” He shouted.

She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, she wasn’t even sure what had just happened as she shook the boys off her.

“Just… let me go.”

Carter was the first to back off, then Daniel released her, but both boys stayed close enough to grab her again if she tried anything.

“What's the matter with you?” Daniel asked.

“What?”

“What? That’s a good way to get kicked out of the academy, it’s a good thing Master Adams was there and not Master Boraro, otherwise you’d be packing your bags now.”

“Why? What did I do?” She asked.

“You punched him dead in his face is what you did, you probably broke his nose.” Daniel told her.

“Damn good left hook if you ask me.” Carter laughed. “He never saw it coming, never had a chance.”

She looked down at her hand that was still clenched in a fist; traces of what had to be Eric’s blood were still on her hands. She had thought about doing it, she had wanted to do it; she didn’t think she actually did it.

“Well… he deserved it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, but that's no reason to lash out like that.”

“Tree’s name was on that list, you saw that didn’t you?” She asked, hoping that maybe she had gotten that wrong too. Maybe she had just misread someone else’s name.

“Yeah, I saw it.” Daniel said.

She pushed them both away and started to run, or stumble through the snow. Her first thought was to go back to her cell, go back to bed and hope that when she woke up the next morning it would all have been a dream, but she knew that wasn’t very practical so she turned and made her way up to the stables.

“Kile wait.” She heard one of the boys yell, she didn’t look back to see which one it was, she just kept running, falling up the hill twice before she finally reached the stable doors. She threw them open, and expected a confrontation with Luke, but the stable hand was nowhere to be found. It didn’t matter, she didn’t want to speak with him anyway, she didn’t want to speak with anybody at the moment. She just needed some space to think, and made her way to the back of the stables, to the single stall that held the only Mountain pony.

“You ready?” She asked Grim as she pulled open his stall gate.

-For what?-

“To run.”

-Always.-

She grabbed hold of his mane with two hands and pulled herself up. She didn’t have to tell him where she wanted to go, he already knew, she didn’t really know herself, but Grim knew. They came out of the stables in a full gallop and headed for the western gate. The guards, seeing the hairy black beast bearing down on them did everything they could to get the gates open and get out of the way. The sound of the horse was deafening as it thundered past.

Maybe Eric was right, maybe she was overly emotional, maybe she was overreacting, but she just had to get out of there, she just had to get away. She didn’t have to stop; she didn’t have to put herself through that. She could run to the sea or to the mountains, anywhere was better than the academy, anywhere was better than being a name on a list. Was that what she was destined for, to be just another name on a list for some greasy haired son of a… Lord to point his finger at and mock. She wasn’t even supposed to be here, they didn’t want her here; they made that perfectly clear. She was only here because Silvia pulled strings, she was only here because the Guild needed another female hunter, it didn’t have to be her; it could have been anyone. If that was the case, then let them find someone else to fill their quota.

Grim took the hill without slowing, as he ran straight up the side, his platter sized hoofs creating their own footholds, cutting through the ice and snow until he reached the top, only then did he slow down. They broke the tree line and stood upon the edge, looking out over the landscape once again. From up here she couldn’t see the misery, she couldn’t see the pain, she couldn’t see the death; all she could see was the snow. It was like a clean white blanket that covered the world, so soft, so quiet.

She slid off the side of Grim and fell on the ground. She cursed as she stood up and wiped the snow from her pants. There had to be a better way of getting down she thought.

There was no sound out here, only the whisper of the wind through the trees, and of course the harsh breathing of an oversized horse. Where to go now she wondered. She wasn’t wanted at the academy, she wasn’t wanted back home, but of course that did leave her the rest of the world. She had to belong somewhere. Grover’s Den came to mind. An entire town, a western outpost gone, Garrett Treeman gone. She sat down in the snow beside one of the trees. She wanted to cry but she couldn’t, the tears just wouldn’t come, so she just turned her face to the morning sun.

It only took fifteen minutes before they sent someone after her. She couldn’t see who it was, but she could smell him. A rider was somewhere on the road she had just taken, heading in her direction. It was a strange sensation as she picked up on the scent of leather and lavender. Whoever it was, they were getting closer. Would it be a guard, or one of the instructors? Are they coming to take her back? That didn’t seem likely, she had already concluded that they didn’t want her there; they were probably coming for Grim. What was it that Luke said? He’s only your horse when you become a hunter, and she wasn’t a hunter.

The horse and rider crested the hill, although it took her longer than it had taken Grim, and emerged from the trees.

“Found you again.” Erin said, as she slipped from her mount, landing a lot more gracefully than Kile had. She was dressed in a set of drab green traveling clothes, a thick cloak wrapped around her with the hood drawn back.  She walked toward Kile, eyeing Grim who was watching her carefully. Kile didn’t think Grim would try anything, or hoped he wouldn’t, it was hard to tell what mood the mountain pony was in.

“Did you come to take me back?” She asked Erin when she got closer.

“No, not really.” The hunter replied as she walked over to the edge of the hill and looked out over the horizon. “I never get tired of this view.”

“I’m not going back.”

“Yeah… you are.” Erin replied. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to make you. You’re going to go back because… it’s what you want to do.”

“Hardly.”

“For starters, you left all your stuff back there as well as your friends, and what about supplies? How far do you think you’ll get without food, water, warm clothing? You know… the basics.”

“Well… maybe.”

“You belong there Kile.”

“You should know.”

Erin turned to look at her. “What’s that suppose to mean?” She asked. It was easy to see why this woman had made it as a hunter; she could look scary when she wanted to.

“You’re the one that pulled the strings that got me into the academy.”

Erin started laughing. “Is that what you think? Maybe you hadn’t been at the academy long enough. I’m in the same boat you are; it’s an elite male dominated organization. I don’t have strings to pull.”

“Eric said that the only reason I’m here is because of you.”

“Eric… Eric Rimes? That little punk, he’s one to talk. Failed the psych examination two times in a row, showed no evident of teamwork or even compassion for his fellow cadets, he couldn’t even fill out the essay correctly. His father, the high and mightily Lord Rimes had to grease a few palms to get his beloved delinquent of a son into the academy. Rule number one kid, in the real world, money talks.”

“Should you be telling me this?” She asked.

“Probably not.” Erin replied with a shrug, “But then there are only the horses to hear and they’re not going to tell anyone.”

I wouldn’t be so sure about that she thought as she looked over at Grim who was still watching Erin carefully.

“So… you didn’t influence the guild?”

“As if the guild would listen to me. The only thing I did, the only thing I could do was sponsor you, although I had my doubts.”

“About what?”

“Well, not about you being a hunter, about putting you through this. I knew you could make it as a hunter, but I also knew you would have to go through all this… garbage first, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t get any easier once you graduate.”

“Then why do I want to do it.”

“Because of that.” Erin said as she pointed to the horizon. “Sure you’re going to have to deal with the guild and you’re going to have to deal with clients that are hesitant to accept you because of your sex, but the freedom, when you’re out there, on your own, then you’ll understand.”

“And you think I can do that?”

“I know you can, it's your destiny.”

“I don’t believe much in destiny.” Kile replied as she kicked at the snow.

“Neither do I.” Erin laughed. “But let me tell you a story.  This was some time back and I was several years younger. I just became a level two hunter and was on my first bounty assignment. I chased this one gulrik across three provinces and finally caught up with him in the Fennel woods, some distance from here. I got careless and he got behind me. Needless the say I managed to apprehend him, but not before he gave me a descent scar in an indecent place, one that I can’t really show you here. It’s a little too cold.

“On my way back to the guild house, I decided to take a side trip to Baxter’s Bay, ever been there?”

“Me, I’ve never been out of Riverport until now.” Kile replied.

“If you ever get a chance to go, take it. It’s a beautiful place, good food, great shopping, a lot of bargains, and the spas, I can’t begin to describe the spas. I figured I deserved a little time off to recuperate, but when I reached the crossroads, I saw the most beautiful white stag.”

“White stag? Aren’t’ they suppose to be… like omens or something?”

“That's what I thought.” Erin replied. “So there I am, torn between following this white stag or taking a holiday at Baxter’s bay. Obviously I followed the stag, I figured I could go to Baxter’s Bay anytime, a white stag was a once in a lifetime experience.”

“So… what happen?”

“Well, I followed this stag for most of the day, but eventually I lost it when I came to a small farming town. One of the farmers spotted me and asked for my help. It seamed that earlier that morning, a child had gone missing in the woods and they couldn’t find her. The parent’s were beside themselves with worry.”

“Somehow I doubt the father was.” Kile added as she got up and wiped the snow from her pants.

“Okay, now you’re going to spoil my story.”

She folded her arms across her chest and stared at Erin in disbelief. “You’re telling me that you followed a white stage into Riverport?”

“I might have.”

“How much of that is true?”

“That’s for you to figure out.” Erin grinned. “The point is. I arrived in Riverport that same day you got lost.”

“I didn’t GET lost.”

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Well… yeah.”

“I thought I was looking for this lost little girl, I figured I would find her huddled under a tree crying her eyes out, instead I find you sitting on a rock staring at me with this, what took you so long expression. I knew right then and there that there was something unique about this little girl.”

“So you thought, hey, she would be a great hunter, let’s torture her.”

“You don’t remember much of that night… do you?”

“Yeah… kind of.” Kile replied. It was true that she had forgotten quite a bit about what happened on the night she was lost, although the dreams that followed did keep her up at night for the next few months, she could never put the events in a proper sequence. No matter how much she tried, there was just something missing.

“What do you remember?” Erin asked.

What did she remember?

“Well, after you found me, you started setting up camp, which I never really understood since it didn’t take you so long to find me; you could have simply brought me back home that night.”

“Well, yeah we probably could have, but I saw how angry your father was and I figure that if his little girl was missing the entire night, maybe he would be a little more sympatric when he got you back.”

Now it was Kile’s turn to laugh. “Fat chance.” She said. “If anything it only annoyed him more.” After she had returned home the next morning, her father was furious and had grounded her for nearly a month and that was after the so called discussion he had with her.

“Yeah… sorry about that.”

“You couldn’t have known.” She said, waving it off.

“What else do you remember about that night?”

“Well. I remember you cooking up some kind of stew, and I remember the peppermint imps.” She said with a grin. “From that point… It gets a little confusing.”

“Do you remember the wolves?”

“Wolves?” Kile repeated, not really looking at Erin, but looking past her trying to recall the events of that night nearly six years ago. Yes, she had remembered the wolves… sort of. “They came down from the hills.” She said more to herself than to the hunter. “I think there were five of them. I remember they circled us, and you drew your sword. The largest one attacked and you struck it… then another one came at you… and… I don’t know… you chased them off somehow… you saved my life.” She said, although that was the part that never really fit together. It was like a story with a few pages torn out, from the wolves attacking to them running off. What did happen in between?

From that point on it did get a little clearer. Erin had brought her home in the morning, had the argument with her father and was asked to leave. She never did get a chance to say goodbye.

“That’s what I thought you believed.” Erin replied nodding her head. “I read your essay, the one where you explain why you wanted to be a hunter, the one you wrote during the entry examination. The problem was, that’s not what really happened.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t save your life that night Kile.”

“Then who did?”

“No one, you saved mine.”

Now she was confused as she looked at Erin, trying to understand, trying to bring the details of that night to the surface. Most of it was lost, but she never knew why, until now.

“When the wolves attacked, I knew we were in trouble.” Erin said a she looked out over the horizon again. “I realized that I had made a mistake. I knew I should have brought you home that afternoon, by then it was too late. I was hoping I could drive them off, kill one maybe two and the rest would scatter, but that’s not what happened. I struck at the first one as you remembered, got it pretty good, I never saw the second one attack me from behind, that should have been the end of it, the end of me, but you told it to stop… and it did, they all did. I’m not sure what happen that night, but those wolves listened to you, they just stood there waiting for you to tell them what to do. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. When you told them to run away, when you told them to go home, I think that’s what they did. All I know is that they did run away. When they were gone, you… collapsed. I put you to bed and sat up the rest of the night trying to figure out what had just happened. I knew then and there that there was something different about you, that you would make a great hunter, but I was hesitant to put your name forward. I knew what I had gone through and I didn’t want you to go through the same thing.”

The Maligar, somehow Kile must have used the Maligar even back then without even understanding how, she had merged with the wolves which would explain the dreams she had and why she couldn’t remember what happened.

Erin was watching Kile when the missing pieces of that night fell into place.” You know what happened that night now… don’t you?” She asked her. “You understand it now.”

“Yes, I think I do… but it’s…”

Erin held up her hand. “That's alright, I don’t need to know.” She said.  “I imagine it has something to do with your edge, am I correct.”

“It’s a part of it… yes.”

“Fair enough.” Erin replied “As long as one of us understands what happened that night, I can live with that.”

No one knows a hunter's edge but the hunter and the mystic that teaches him, or in this case, her. It was a long standing agreement in the Hunter’s code, and Erin wasn’t willing to breach that code.

“If you didn’t want me to go through this… then why did you sponsor me?” Kile asked.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t really know. Call it destiny if you want. For some strange reason, I believe I was supposed to be there that night, and I was supposed to find you, it only made sense that I was the one to put your name forward. I didn’t know if you would actually take the entry exam, but I knew what I had to do. I placed your name on that list the moment I got back to the guild hall. Imagine my surprise when I was informed your name was already listed.”

“What you do mean.”

“I mean, your name was already on the list. Somebody had beaten me to it.”

“Who?”

“I never did find out.” Erin replied. “Mystics can be rather closed mouthed about such things, but ask them a question related to their studies or about the arts or nature and you can’t shut them up. But at least that should tell you one thing; someone else thought you could become a hunter, someone else believed in you, and it would appear that they weren’t the only one.”

Erin reached into her tunic and pulled out something wrapped in a dingy white cloth and handed it to Kile.

She slowly took the small wrapped item from Erin’s hands. There was a scent to it that was both familiar and frighten, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what was inside. She carefully pulled back the wrappings of the cloth to reveal a small golden pendant in the shape of a tree, the one that Garrett Treeman wore the first time she saw him in the field, the one that his friends had purchased for him because they called him Tree, the one that had become his good luck charm, the one that he had never taken off. She looked down at the cloth that she held in her hand. It was the remnants of a larger piece that had been torn away, and it was stained with dark black spots.

“It was delivered by a hunter named Rick. He was supposed to give it to you personally, but thought it would be better this way.”

“Me… why me?” Kile asked, still staring at the stained cloth. She knew what those stains were, she knew who those stains belonged to.

“Because that was Garrett’s dying wish, for you to have it. He believed in you Kile, why don’t you believe in yourself?” Erin took the pendant from Kile and pinned it onto the girl’s tunic. Kile clutched the stain cloth in her hand.

“I guess I’m ready to go back now.” She said, “To face whatever punishment they feel is just.”

“Punishment… for what?” Erin asked.

“For what? For striking a fellow cadet, for stealing a horse, for leaving the grounds without permission, I’m sure there are probably few others violations they could think of.”

“That? I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Everyone’s on edge at the moment. Master Adams would never report the incident and from what I heard Eric deserved what he got. As for stealing a horse, he’s technically yours as long as you remain with the guild.”

“I did leave the academy without permission.” Kile confessed.

“Hey, you’re out here riding with me, and I am a certified level one hunter after all, I think that’s permission enough, but you’re probably right, we should be getting back to the academy.” Erin said as she grabbed her horse’s reins.

“What’s her name?” Kile asked.

“Elemia.” Erin replied as she quickly and gracefully mounted.

“How did you come up with that name?” She asked. It sounded a lot like the alverian names the horses use.

“Oh, that's another long story, I’ll have to tell you some time.” Erin said as she pulled her horse around and waited for Kile to mount.

Kile grabbed hold of Grim’s mane, she knew this wasn’t going to be nearly as graceful, but before she could even mount, Grim lowered himself to the ground.

“Thanks.” She whispered in the mountain pony’s ear as she swung her leg over his back and held one as he stood up. It was priceless to see the look on Erin’s face.

“So, you really ride that… thing.” Erin said, shaking her head.

“What? Grim?” Kile asked, stroking the horse’s side.

“I’ve seen mountain ponies before, even had a run in with one up north, but I’ve never seen anyone crazy enough to ride one.”

“Then you haven’t seen anything yet.” Kile said as she spurred Grim into motion. The pony charged forward and took the hillside in a dead run.

 

“So, what do you think?” She asked Grim as she walked him to his stall. “Do you think I’m making a mistake coming back here? I suppose you would have just kept running.”

-I think the female was right. I think you do belong here.-

“Really, a straight answer from you, will wonders never cease.”

-You asked, I told.-

“Well, what about you? You okay here?”

-For two more years?-

Grim sniffed at his morning feed that he had hardly touched.

-I suppose I can tolerate… another two years… providing.-

“Providing, providing what?”

-You bring me another pie-

“I’ll see what I can do.” She laughed and shook her head. How could a horse get so hooked on apple pie was beyond her. “They're not easy to get here at the academy… but… once we’re out there, on our own, things should be different.” She told him and for the first time she actually believed it.

She touched the pendant on her tunic as she headed out to the back of the stables. If she was going to keep her promise to Tree, then she would have to practice harder, and every chance she got. She walked around the outside of the building and stopped when she heard the boys arguing.

“Not by me you weren’t”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble.”

“Looks like you found some… buddy.”

“I only wanted to get some practice in I was told…”

“Practice, I’ll give you practice.”

“I invited him.” Kile said as she came around the side of the building. She recognized Murphy’s voice and realized that she may have forgotten to tell the others that she invited him to practice with them. That was a few months ago and she figured that he had no intention of taking her up on her offer.  It was as much a surprise to her that he was here as it was for the others.

“Kile girl.” Alex shouted, turning around.

“Where have you been?” Daniel asked, getting to his feet. He was the only one not involved in the argument, but that shouldn’t have surprised her. He was probably the most non-confrontational person she had ever met.

“I had to clear my head.” She said, “Sorry I ran off like that.”

“Did you really invite… him?” Carter asked, pointing one of the practice swords at Murphy who was standing a respectable distance away. Carter had gained quite a reputation in the List, and was turning out to be the guy to beat with a sword.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guy.” She apologized, and then turned to Murphy. “I really didn’t think you would come, but you’re more than welcome.”

“I’ve had a change of opinion lately.” Murphy replied. “I thought about what you said and… it made a lot of sense.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She looked at Carter who reluctantly lowered his blade.

“What? What did you tell him, what made sense.” Alex kept asking.

“Never you mind.” Carter said, slapping him upside the head.

“So… it’s okay if I join?” Murphy asked.

“I guess if Kile says it's okay, then… its okay.” Carter replied as he handed the big man one of the blank swords. “You offence or defense?”

“I need to work on my defense.” He replied.

“Good, that gives him someone else to beat on for a change.” Daniel added from the side line.

Carter and Murphy took their position in the make shift circle, although it had to be dug out of the snow first. It wasn’t long before the familiar sound of swords clashing rang in the cold winter air. Alex opted for a ringside seat as Kile took her place on the barrels beside the stable wall where it was only marginally warmer.

“So, where did you really go?” Daniel asked her.

“Riding.” She answered.

“There were some that said you took the walk of shame.”