The Hunter's Gambit

by Nicholas McIntire

  “I’m going to let go of your hand for a moment.” Aleksei said gently. “There’s something I have to fetch from the water. Don’t move, alright?”

  “I won’t.”

  She heard his boots squelching through mud. A fibrous ripping cut across the babble of the stream and Tamara’s throat constricted with fear. Gods, but some sounds were unsettling in the darkness.

  There were few more thumps, and then something was coming towards her. This realization was punctuated only by the understanding that she could see something. It was faint, but it seemed to be getting brighter as it grew closer.

  “Alright.” Aleksei’s voice came from only a few inches away, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the princess. “It’s alright. We need to wait a moment for the light to get bright enough. There’s nothing around that you need to fear.”

  “I’m sorry, you startled me, that’s all.” she whispered irritably. The joy of their escape had quickly eroded under her growing exhaustion and extreme discomfort.

  After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence Tamara realized that the space she had been staring into was more visible. She jumped at seeing Aleksei there, his dark golden eyes watching her, glittering in the ghostly light.

  When he noticed that she could see him, he looked away. She followed his gaze to the bizarre object he held in his hand.

  It appeared to be the stump of an unusually large mushroom, and it was glowing a brilliant blue.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “It’s called a rella fungus. The Ri-Vhan use them to see at night.”

  “What makes it glow like that?”

  Aleksei shrugged, “This forest is home to all sorts of plants and animals. Some can be useful. The rella fungus is simply one of many examples I could name.”

  “So where do we go now?” she asked, looking around for the first time and appreciating how massive the Seil Wood was, how the trees towered hundreds of paces above them. From their place on the path, Tamara couldn’t even make out the upper branches that made up the canopy.

  “Now we find the Hunter’s Horn.” Aleksei muttered to himself, swinging the rella mushroom back and forth.

  The pale luminescence splashed across the water of the brook, the trunks of the colossal trees that surrounded them and finally settled on the path.

  “It’s a little farther down that way.” he said, pointing with his strange torch.

  “Did the Wood tell you that?” she asked as he began to walk.

  “No,” he responded absently, “I can smell it.”

  Tamara sniffed at the air experimentally, but all that came to her was the omnipresent fog of moldering underbrush.

  It felt like another solid hour had passed when they walked around an enormous oak and found a stunted willow tree bathed in moonlight.

  Tamara was relieved the darkness hid her amazement. His senses were uncanny. He had led her unerringly through the labyrinth that was the Kalinori sewer system, then through a pitch-black forest, down paths with twists and abrupt turns, some seemingly hidden entirely save for a break in the foliage where an animal had passed through earlier. The more time she had to study him, the more she became convinced that Aleksei Drago was somehow…joined with nature.

  “Hold this.” he said, passing the rella mushroom to her.

  She took the glowing stalk tentatively, fearing it might be hot, but found it surprisingly cool to the touch.

  Aleksei knelt in front of the little tree and bit the end of a long, twisted branch. He removed his mouth from the tree and Tamara realized that the branch’s end was shaped like the mouthpiece of a trumpet.

  “Someone should be along shortly.” he muttered, taking the rella mushroom from her and tossing it casually to the side.

  “Won’t we need that?” she asked softly, not yet willing to abandon their only source of light in the cavernous Wood.

  “We shouldn’t.”

  “Shouldn’t what?” A new voice asked.

  Aleksei turned, unperturbed by the sudden presence of another.

  “Gael, thanks for responding so quickly.”

  The man, a tall blond with the bluest eyes Tamara had ever seen, smiled warmly, “No thanks are necessary, Hunter.” He glanced over at Tamara and his eyes flicked to Aleksei quizzically.

  “Gael, may I present the Princess Tamara? Highness, Gael of the Ri-Vhan.”

  Tamara nodded her head slightly, thanking the gods that she wasn’t in the presence of anyone whose rank required her to curtsy. Under the present circumstances, she didn’t think she was capable of it.

  The man bowed deeply, then straightened and looked around the Wood curiously. “Is she the only one you brought?”

  “For the moment, but there will undoubtedly be more. I need to speak with Roux immediately.”

  “I’m sure the Ri-Hnon will be most eager to aid in any way he can.” Gael said as he reached out for their hands. Aleksei took his right and, after a moment’s hesitation, Tamara took his left.

  The world lurched violently. She closed her eyes against the sudden barrage of white and pale gray shapes flashing past her. Everything was moving too fast and too slow at the same time. And then, just as quickly as it had begun, the sensation vanished and she found herself standing in the middle of a vast wooden platform.

  Small huts surrounded her, their walls constructed of heavy vines growing up and around their supports until the circular walls took shape. Their roofs were thatched in ferns and river reeds.

  She was speechless.

  Of course she had heard of this place, but only in the context of legend. The secret Ri-Vhan city of Arbre-Saule.

  After a few moments she realized that Aleksei and Gael were staring at her. She shook herself out of her reverie and smiled warmly, “Master Gael, your city is a marvel. I have dreamed of Arbre-Saule, but I never imagined I’d see it myself.”

  Gael looked puzzled, then smiled, “Ah, you know it by a much older name. We now simply refer to it as the village. I hope you aren’t disappointed by what you find here. But thank you for your kindness, in any event.”

  Tamara stared as they began walking toward the far end of the village, “Right now, this is the most wonderful place in the world.”

  She walked next to Aleksei for several minutes in silence, listening to the conversation he’d struck up with the other man. They were discussing hunting from the sound of it. She had never felt so keenly out of her element.

  They passed another grouping of huts before finally stopping before what Tamara assumed was the equivalent to a manor house in this strange floating city. It was grown from the center of one of the mammoth oak trees that supported the various platforms of the village.

  The roof was formed from the great, leafy branches of the tree that supported it, and the walls were infinitely complex mazes of bark and flowering vines. The door, if it could be called such a thing, was a plain sheet of reeds.

  The door opened, revealing the most exotically beautiful man Tamara had ever seen.

  His eyes were gold. Aleksei’s eyes shone a plain brown in comparison. His hair was a mass of tangled curls. He was bare-chested, clothed only in a kilt of interwoven leaves and hide. Under his gaze, Tamara suddenly felt very different. Like prey.

  Roux Devaan smiled and gave an all-but-imperceptible nod of his head, “You’re Princess Tamara?”

  She returned his smile and bowed her head a fraction more than he. “Greetings, Ri-Hnon.” she said formally. “I’ve come to you to beg sanctuary of your house and hearth.”

  “The Ri-Vhan welcomes you with open arms, Daughter of Ilyar.” he responded, and she felt her face heat.

  He looked up and seemed to see Aleksei for the first time. A broad grin broke across his face, and he stepped forward to embrace his cousin.

  As Aleksei stepped back, his face was grave, “We need to talk.”

  Roux nodded and stepped back into the doorway, inviting his guests t
o enter. He dismissed Gael with a nod.

  Inside, Aleksei quickly introduced Tamara to Roux’s father. The old man bowed gallantly, then led Tamara from the room with promises of clean clothes and a comfortable bed.

  Aleksei waited until both Theo and Tamara were out of earshot, then he turned to his cousin, “Roux, I need get back to Kalinor immediately. Now that Tamara is safe, there’s so much I have to deal with in the Palace.”

  Roux nodded, “No worries, Cousin. I didn’t think you arrived by accident. I’ll grab my knife and we can go.”

  “Go…wait, Roux you’re not coming with me.”

  The Ri-Hnon arched an eyebrow, “You must be mistaken. I most certainly am.”

  Aleksei opened his mouth to protest, but Roux forestalled him, “Aleksei Drago, like it or not, you are Ri-Vhan. You may be our Hunter, but I am your Ri-Hnon, and I’ll be damned if I’ll be kept from fulfilling my obligation to you. To refuse would not only be an abandonment of familial duty but a betrayal of my people. Your people.

  “Now then, if you have no further objections, I’ll fetch my knife.”

  And then he was gone. Aleksei sighed, but couldn’t help feel a little more confident. It would be a nice change to have someone fighting alongside him, and honestly someone of Roux’s particular talents would come in handy. In any event, Aleksei was in a sorry position to refuse aid.

  Roux returned moments later, his appearance altered only by the leather bands strapped across his chest. A small, curved knife was sheathed where the band crossed over his heart. Its handle was carved from the horn from an animal Aleksei didn’t recognize.

  “Ready?” he asked, sounding almost cheerful.

  Aleksei nodded.

  Roux stepped closer to the Knight and held out his hand. Aleksei was taken aback until he realized that there was no reason for them to walk all the way out into the middle of the village only to Dart down to the ground. It was just as easy to do it from where they stood. He took Roux’s hand and the world lurched, flickering into white and gray before resolving into the organized chaos of the forest floor.

  Aleksei took a moment to reorient himself to his surroundings, then turned to Roux. “Last chance. I won’t think any less of you if you turn back.”

  Roux pointed to the path a few paces away, “That will take us to the Wood’s western edge.”

  Aleksei cleared his sword in its scabbard, making sure it would come easily should he need it. Then he stepped onto the path beside Roux.

  It was going to be a very long night.

  Jonas padded lightly down the hall, his eyes taking in both the deeply familiar corridors he had spent his life navigating and the endless roiling storm of the Archanium.

  Each of Bael’s Magi burned like a tiny flame across the Great Sphere, and it took little effort on Jonas' part to spot them in the relative confines of the Palace.

  He rounded a corner, gripping a spell he’d chosen only a moment before.

  Jonas focused the full weight of his intent upon the man, and upon his connection to the Archanium.

  It was like snuffing a candle.

  There was a sound, like the splintering of a barrel, and the man dropped lifeless to the floor.

  A solider came into view as the Magus fell. A second later, Jonas' thunderbolt cut effortlessly through his torso, dropping him to the priceless carpet in steaming sections.

  Yet for every man or Magus he struck down, there were three Kalinori bodies to match. Worse, this close to his own apartments the faces were all familiar. While he was unpracticed at using the Archanium in such a brutal way, the cold satisfaction he felt for every life taken still served all to temper his rage.

  Somewhat.

  Jonas reached the end of the corridor and stopped, surveying the damage he had caused. No matter how many men and women he brought down, Jonas knew that it would never be enough to make a true difference.

  He had killed perhaps half a dozen Magi, all in the same manner, all without resorting to fireballs or thunderbolts. But the crushing trick he’d discovered only worked if they were decidedly weaker in the Archanium than he. A more talented Magus wouldn’t be so easily defeated, and the gods only knew how such a battle would end.

  Jonas glanced out through one of the shattered windows and saw that the moon was almost directly over Kalinor, casting an unearthly glow upon the multitude of white buildings on Lawn. The beauty of it made his heart sick.

  This place, his home, would soon belong to the enemy. No matter how many men and Magi he killed this night, that was not going to change. But some things still remained within his power to control.

  Jonas shifted into a sparrow and flitted out the window, into the cool of the night.

  He had told Aya where to meet him should the Demon’s forces get through the gates. He only hoped she hadn’t already been captured. Or killed.

  The Lawn was remarkably still considering the turmoil taking place within the Palace. It seemed everyone was either battling for control of the Voralla or the Palace.He knew that Colonel Ander was holed up in the bottom of the east wing with what remained of the Palace Guard, so it seemed likely that the heaviest concentration of Krasik’s forces would be leveled there.

  Jonas landed lightly on the grass and hopped into the shadows of one of the smaller chapels. He shifted from a bird into a coyote and stalked quietly along the edge of the building, using his now-superior eyesight to search for the prophet.

  “Jonas.”

  He stopped at the sound. Before him was something he’d taken to either be a sack of grain, or more likely a corpse.

  It was Aya.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, swiftly shifting to his human form.

  She nodded, coming to her feet. As she did, Jonas studied the curious garment she wore.

  It was a peasant’s frock, slashed and stained with a copious amount of blood. The blood had dried into a thick brown crust across the front of the bodice, making it stiff and gritty.

  She hugged him, then actually allowed herself to smile, “You didn’t think they could take me down that easily, did you?”

  He returned her smile, “Not for a moment. Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “They have her in the south wing, in one of the storerooms.” Her eyes began to water, “Jonas, they have two fists of men guarding her. If we don’t get her out tonight….”

  He pressed a finger to his lips, “Shh. We’ll get her out.”

  “When will Aleksei get back?”

  “I’m not sure. I think he’s on his way now, but it’s hard to tell. All I know is that he’s somewhere east of us.”

  “But he got Tamara to safety?” she pressed.

  Jonas nodded, “I just came from the west wing. While I was there I overhead a conversation between Krasik and Perron. They seem to be under the impression that Aleksei somehow spirited her out of the city before they could even break down the door.”

  Aya chuckled, though tears were slipping down her cheeks.

  Jonas allowed himself a small smile of pride. He wasn’t sure how Aleksei had managed it, but if he had learned one thing in his experience with the man, it was that his Knight was never to be underestimated.

  “So what now?” Aya asked.

  He knew how she felt. Now that Tamara was safe and they knew where Andariana was, it was hard to wait for Aleksei to return before making their next move. It could take him hours to navigate his way back into the Palace.

  “I need you to go to her.” Jonas said softly. “If nothing else, she needs to know that we’re working on a rescue attempt. Stay with her, just in case things take a turn for the worse.”

  “And how are you planning on getting me into the store room?”

  Jonas smiled, his emerald eyes mischievous, “You know that this Palace has an overabundance of mice.”

  The color drained from Aya’s face, “No. Jonas…I…no!”

  The prince folded his arms across h
is chest, “Aya, you are the only other Magus I know who can shift. Give me one good reason why you won’t, especially when the stakes are this high.”

  “I hate it.” she insisted. “It feels so unnatural.”

  “That’s because it is. But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the good of the realm. And right now we need to get to Andariana. The only way to do that, unless you’ve rediscovered the art of Fading in the past two hours, is to crawl under the door.”

  “I hate being so small.” Aya insisted. “What if someone steps on me?”

  Jonas rolled his eyes, “No one will step on you, Aya. No one will see you. But the longer we argue about this, the longer Andariana is going continue losing what’s left of her mind, and convincing herself she’s been abandoned.”

  Aya sighed deeply, then nodded. “Alright, fine. But this is the last time.”

  “Whatever you say.” Jonas said with a shrug.

  Aya resisted the urge to throttle the prince. It was all well and good for him to suggest shapeshifting. He made it seem as easy as breathing. But Aya had never been completely confident in her own abilities. It took a great deal of concentration to make herself so small, and even more to maintain her shape.

  The entire practice was a gross affront to the natural order of things. People were not made to take up so little space, and the longer she spent in a different shape, the more keenly she felt that abhorrence. The last time she had attempted it, she’d only managed to maintain the shape for three minutes. She’d been bedridden for a week afterward.

  They waited for a few minutes to make sure the Lawn was as vacant as it seemed. Then they took turns hurrying from the shadows of one building to another, pausing each time to make sure they hadn’t been spotted, that no one new had come outside when they weren’t watching.

  When they reached the main doors to the south wing, Jonas turned to Aya, “Are you ready?”

  “Now?” she hissed.

  “If you walk in there like this, you’ll be spotted in moments. Then you’ll have to fight your way out, which I doubt you’d enjoy. Krasik has almost a hundred Magi with him. Even I can’t handle more than one at a time.”