The Hunter's Gambit

by Nicholas McIntire

  Aya sighed, “Very well.”

  She glanced at Jonas, glowering as she reached into the glittering swells of the Archanium. It was a relatively easy spell to locate, as it shared no resemblance to any spell she’d ever seen.

  But bringing it to fruition was another matter entirely.

  Aya felt herself begin to shrink. She focused on an image in her mind, one that she had studied for hours upon hours for this very reason. Her shape would be determined by the image in her mind. If that picture was changed in even the most subtle way, that change would be reflected in her form.

  Finally there was no more space to shrink, no more fur to grow. She opened her eyes and found herself a fraction of what she had been. Not far away she saw the now-enormous shape of Jonas' left boot.

  “I told you it wouldn’t be hard.” Jonas muttered. “I have total faith in you. Just use your head and follow the wall. You’ll be fine.”

  Aya took as big a breath as she could into her tiny lungs and gave an angry flick of her tail before scurrying off towards the main doorway.

  CHAPTER 45

  Darting in the Dark

  THE WHITE PALACE walls glimmered in the moonlight. Aleksei stared up at their snowy prominence, clenching his jaw.

  Since crashing through Tamara’s window, he had been swept up in his primary duty: getting her to safety.

  But now that the princess was secure and he had returned to Kalinor, the magnitude of what had happened was sinking in.

  These people had invaded his home without cause or justification, and he would do everything in his power to protect himself and those he loved. Kalinor had become a sanctuary for him, but as he gazed up at the great walls of the city that had harbored him, he felt no welcome. Only a cold expanse of stone, separating him from what he loved most.

  Roux walked up and placed his hand against the smooth white stone, closing his eyes. Aleksei understood little of the Magi’s Archanium, and less still about the way the Treedarters touched it to leap from place to place. But from what little he did understand, he was asking something difficult of his cousin. Difficult, but not impossible.

  “Do you know how thick these walls are?” Roux asked after a long pause.

  “Seven paces. There are gardens lining the other side, with flowerbeds three paces wide. Make it eleven just to be safe.”

  Roux closed his eyes, focusing on the space beyond the wall. And then they were standing alone in the Palace garden.

  Aleksei grinned and clapped his cousin on the back, “Perfect. Very impressive.”

  Roux allowed himself a small chuckle, “Well, you would say that now that we’ve survived. I have a feeling you’d be singing a different tune if we’d appeared inside a wall somewhere.”

  “Hello boys.”

  Roux practically leapt out his skin at the sound of Jonas' voice behind them. Aleksei turned and embraced his prince. Roux studied the flower beds with an unusual intensity at the passionate kiss the two men shared. It had been brief, but hardly lacking in ardor.

  “It’s about time you showed up.” Aleksei breathed.

  “Sorry about that.” Jonas grumbled, “I’ve had my hands full. Some problems arose that were altogether unavoidable.”

  Aleksei nodded, “How are we doing?”

  “Andariana is in a storeroom under the south wing. Aya is with her, but she has a heavy guard, so some creativity might be necessary. We would have freed her ourselves, but Bael’s Magi will be watching the area for any violent displays of the Archanium. The rest of our Magi have been rounded up and locked in the Cathedral of Mokosh.”

  A large grin broke across Aleksei’s face.

  Jonas smiled his shared understanding, “We can get them out through the crypt if we’re careful.”

  “The same way Bael escaped with the Prime Key.” Aleksei chuckled. “What about the Guard?”

  “Colonel Ander has regrouped whoever’s left and they’re holed up in the lower east wing. Last I checked they were under heavy attack but holding their position.”

  Aleksei took a moment to think, then looked back at his prince. “Any ideas how to go about it?”

  “A few,” Jonas admitted, “but nothing set in stone.”

  Aleksei nodded, “Alright. Roux, you’ll follow me to the Cathedral. I’m going to need you to Dart one last time. I’ll explain the particulars when we get there.

  “Once inside, tell the Magus Ilyana who you are. She’ll help you get the others’ attention. Below the Cathedral is a crypt. At the back of the crypt is a tunnel that leads into the sewer system. Take the Magi back to the Wood. I’ll meet you at the end of the sewer line.”

  “What if they won’t listen to me?”

  “As I said, find Ilyana. She’ll help you.”

  Aleksei turned to Jonas, “While I’m getting Andariana out I need you to go to the east wing. There has to be a way to get Ander and his men out of there. Look for a sewer line. If you can’t find one, make one. There’s another line that empties to the west of the city. Take the men west and they should meet up with Rysun as he swings up from the Sulaq Hills.”

  Jonas sighed, “As you say. I suppose there isn’t much more for me to do here at the moment.”

  Aleksei glanced out into the Lawn, then met Jonas' green eyes. “I love you. We’re going to get through this alive, alright? I need you to believe that.”

  Jonas quirked a smile. And then he shifted into a sparrow and flitted away into the darkness.

  Aleksei heaved a sigh, then turned back to Roux, “Ready?”

  The Ri-Hnon nodded, though Aleksei suspected he was a touch apprehensive about what was waiting for them in dark.

  Roux followed Aleksei through the maze of white buildings that were scattered across the Lawn. Ranging from chapels to small palaces, the structures provided excellent cover as they made their way towards the destination Aleksei had in mind.

  Roux’s nose told him where Aleksei was headed a moment before they reached it.

  The stables.

  “I’m going to go in and get a rough count.” Aleksei murmured, “When you hear me draw my sword, come in and shut the stable doors. Got it?”

  Roux nodded, his nerves seeming to evaporate as the thrill of the Hunt descended.

  Aleksei took a deep breath, preparing himself for the violence he was about to unleash. Then he stepped around the corner and walked confidently into the stable.

  A Fist of men sat at the entrance, playing cards by lantern light. As he approached they looked up, more in curiosity than alarm.

  “What do you want?” asked one in the back of the group.

  Aleksei nodded towards the back of the stables, “My horse.”

  There was a moment of confusion as the men argued whether they’d been given the authorization to remove any of the horses. Finally the man in the back turned to Aleksei, “Son, who sent you?”

  Aleksei’s face darkened, “No one sent me. I have merely come to retrieve my horse. And if that’s not a problem, I’ll be on my way.”

  Realization slowly dawned.

  “You wandered into the wrong place, son.” the man at the back growled.

  Aleksei smiled pleasantly, “Really?”

  “He’s with the Queen!” one of the men roared, ripping his sword free of its scabbard.

  A moment later his head rolled across the stable floor.

  The stable doors swung shut as Aleksei turned to the next man, who was struggling to pull his sword out. He stepped forward and raked his blade across the rebel’s stomach, following up with a quick cut across his throat to keep the man from screaming. He left the man clutching helplessly at his guts.

  The remaining three rebels had finally managed to pull their weapons. He silently cursed himself for not being faster. Three men at once could be a challenge.

  He was about to engage them when a flash of motion caught his attention. He blinked at the space right behind one of the men as Roux appear
ed out of nothing, tore his knife across the man’s throat, and vanished just as suddenly. Aleksei’s head snapped over to the left as Roux popped into existence, cut, then Darted away again.

  As the first two bodies struck the floor, the third man backed away.

  Aleksei was about to take advantage of the situation when Roux appeared behind the man, not even bothering with his knife this time.

  One moment the man was standing there, looking for all the world like he was about to piss himself, and the next he was simply gone.

  As the man vanished, there was a muffled crash to Aleksei’s left.

  The Knight turned sharply to see a section of the stable wall jutting out, dust drifting towards them, and something sticking out of the whitewashed plaster.

  Was that an arm?

  Roux stepped out of the shadows on the far side of the room and approached cheerily, stopping by one of the corpses to clean his knife before returning it to the sheath strapped across his chest.

  “Not bad, Cousin.” he noted as he stepped over the last corpse and surveyed the damage. “Though at first I was afraid you were going to talk them to death.”

  Aleksei ignored him. Roux had a different perspective towards killing Ilyari soldiers. He didn’t consider them his countrymen. These men were no different than animals to the Ri-Hnon.

  “Where do you want to stash the bodies?” Roux asked, turning one over with a light kick.

  “I have a plan for them, actually.” Aleksei said, glancing around the stable for the materials he needed.

  Roux looked perplexed, but didn’t press any further questions.

  He followed Aleksei into one of the supply enclosures and watched the Knight sort through a variety of tackle and equipment before finally settling on a small cart.

  Roux’s curiosity got the better of him, “What’s that for?”

  “For the bodies.” Aleksei grunted tersely. “Now come help me, I can’t pull this on my own.”

  Roux joined his cousin, taking one of the hafts of the cart and pulling it out into the center of the stable.

  Aleksei stepped back into the enclosure and retrieved a harness built for two horses. He brought it back and dropped it in front of the cart.

  “Help me load the bodies. When I come back I’m not going to have time.”

  They lifted the still-bleeding corpses and dumped them unceremoniously into the cart. When the corpses were loaded, the two men stepped back to inspect their work.

  “Well,” Roux said, noting that some of the men’s eyes were still open, “the darkest field in the Aftershadow is reserved for rapists and traitors.”

  “With good reason.” Aleksei spat, turning and walking deeper into the stables.

  “Where are you going now?” Roux called.

  “I have to check on a few things. I’ll only be a minute.” Aleksei responded, before vanishing from sight.

  Aleksei hurried past the stalls until he reached the one he had been searching for.

  Agriphon stood alert and ready. At the sight of his master, the great black warhorse stepped forward and grunted mightily.

  Aleksei grinned and ran his hand along the stallion’s nose, “You didn’t think I’d leave without you?”

  He climbed into the stall and took down Agriphon’s tackle, saddling the horse swiftly. As he tightened the last strap, the horse danced in excitement. But Aleksei placed a calming hand on the stallion’s flank. “Not yet, boy. There’s a bit more to be done.”

  The horse snuffled in irritation.

  The Knight smiled and patted the stallion, then vaulted back over the stall.

  He journeyed deeper into the stable, finally coming to the stall of the oldest horse.

  “Dash.” he whispered, “Dash, it’s me.”

  Upon seeing Aleksei, Dash perked up and trotted forward.

  “Dash,” Aleksei said, “we’ve got a lot of work to do tonight. I’m going to need you to do something very important.”

  The horse shook his head, and Aleksei grinned. He climbed over the stall and saddled the draft horse, then patted Dash’s golden nose, “I’ll be back soon, boy.”

  The Knight slipped back over the stall, winked at his horse, and hurried back to the front of the stable.

  Roux was waiting for him, leaning against the stable wall, twirling his knife across his knuckles. Aleksei fought back a laugh as the Ri-Hnon regarded him with almost the exact same expression he had just seen in the eyes of his horses.

  “I suppose we can go now?”

  “We can. The Cathedral isn’t very far from here.”

  They slipped out into the night, hugging the shadows of each building they passed, until Aleksei brought Roux onto the edge of the South Lawn.

  “There it is.” he whispered, pointing into the expanse of the South Lawn and the only structure it contained. The Cathedral of Mokosh.

  Roux glanced from the edifice of the cathedral to the steady stream of soldiers, both fresh and wounded moving in and out of the Palace.

  “We’ll never get there without being seen.” Roux grumbled.

  Aleksei stared at his cousin for a moment before whispering, “Which is why you’re going to Dart from here into the shadows. You’ll be against the northern wall. About ten paces inside is the altar. It’s about a pace and a half off the ground. If you can Dart above it, you won’t have to worry about running into anyone.”

  Darting into occupied space was every Treedarter’s greatest fear, and with good reason. The best result of any miscalculation was an immediate and extraordinarily unpleasant death.

  Roux nodded, sweat beading on his forehead. “Here’s to hoping I don’t end up like that chap in the barn…. Wish me well, Cousin.”

  The Ri-Hnon closed his eyes, focusing entirely on the Archanium. He ignored all the distractions that surrounded him. Aleksei’s steady breathing a pace away, the oddity of having the earth firm and flat beneath his feet, the moans of the wounded being transported back to the enemy camp; everything evaporated in the fires of his concentration.

  He directed his intent forward, into the shadows of the great cathedral. And then he willed himself through the space between.

  Roux opened his eyes a hairsbreadth from the cathedral wall. He turned in time to see Aleksei vanish into the shadows of the West Lawn.

  The Ri-Hnon stared out into the darkness after his cousin for a long moment, then turned back to the task at hand. He was on his own in a strange land, and he needed to do exactly as instructed before things took a rapidly dangerous turn for the worse.

  Walking to what he guessed was the center of the cathedral, Roux measured a pace and a half off the ground. He stepped back and set his eyes on the spot on the wall. It would probably be safer to Dart a pace higher, just in case there was something Aleksei had forgotten to mention about the layout of the cathedral.

  Roux took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. And then he Darted into the unknown space of a room he had never seen. Before the danger of it could even truly sink in, it was over. He appeared in the air over a heavy stone slab. In that instant he could see several hundred people packed into the expanse of the cathedral. For a heartbeat he went unnoticed, and then six hundred pairs of eyes found him.

  Roux descended as gravity caught up with him. He landed in a crouch, dropping his hand to steady himself. And then six hundred voices roared towards him, along with about fifty bodies.

  “Who are you?” an angry man demanded, pounding his fist on the altar.

  Roux knew other questions were being shouted at him, but they were all lost in the cacophony.

  For a moment Roux felt the weight of panic sink into his stomach. He had made a terrible mistake. These people would never listen to him. What if someone attacked him before he had a chance to explain? Would he have to defend himself? He didn’t want to have to hurt any of these people, but he knew that he would if it came to that.

  And then his years of leadership took
over. He drew himself up. He had quieted more unruly mobs than this, and with less authority.

  “Quiet!” he roared, stamping his bare foot angrily on the cold stone.

  Six hundred shocked faces answered in silence.

  “Now then,” Roux growled, “I have been sent by Aleksei Drago—”

  The shouting returned immediately. Some were outraged, others sounded hopeful, and a few were just sullen.

  “He told you to be quiet!” a woman shouted.

  Order immediately returned, a few people stepping away from the woman who had spoken.

  Despite her size, she pushed her way through the crowd of Magi and Knights until she reached the altar, “Forgive them, Ri-Hnon. They’re not used to listening to anyone but themselves.”

  Roux nodded, taken aback that she knew who he was.

  “Would you happen to be Ilyana?” he asked hopefully.

  “I am.”

  “Lord Captain Drago has asked me to deliver you from your captivity.”

  Ilyana closed her eyes for a moment in a whispered prayer of thanks, then smiled up at the Ri-Hnon, “Thank you for coming. For our own part, we have been quite at a loss.”

  Roux stepped down from the altar, “We need to go down into the crypts. At the back lies a tunnel leading out into the countryside.”

  Ilyana frowned, “A tunnel?”

  “It leads through the sewers.”

  The Magus' eyes lit up as the realization dawned on her. “Brilliant.”

  Roux looked up, addressing the larger group, “Once in the countryside, we will make for the Seil Wood. Lord Captain Drago has asked that the Ri-Vhan harbor you until more appropriate arrangements can be made.”

  Small groups of Magi and Knights began to mutter about having to live in the trees.

  “Idiots,” Ilyana muttered. “Apologies, Ri-Hnon. I promise it’s not normally the custom of these people to be so rude.”

  Roux shrugged, “They’re only hurting themselves, Lady Ilyana. The more they argue, the longer they’ll be waiting in this cathedral, at the mercy of enemy Magi who can and will kill them.”