Huntress

by S. J. Sanders

  Throwing the tunic to the ground, she picked her armor back up and laced it up again. Leather against bare skin was uncomfortable and would get worse the longer she went without a tunic. If she wasn’t mistaken, though, she was certain that there would be another settlement just beyond the mountains. She wouldn’t be able to expect something as decent as the previous village being further out in the wilds, but a simple woven tunic shouldn’t be difficult to locate.

  Once her armor was tied securely, and her weapons belted back in place, Heidi took out her knife and tore her tunic into several long strips. Those she would reserve to use later she stuck in the band of her belt, leaving out one long strip. This she took and wrapped around the head of one of her branches.

  “Orth, come hold this for me,” she called out.

  The male approached reluctantly, though there was a light of curiosity in his eyes as he took her rudimentary torch and watched her dig out her flint and steel. From a small pouch, she pulled out some of her prepared tinder which she nestled in the head of the torch. Satisfied, she brought up the flint and steel and struck them together, sending a spray of sparks. Orth noticeably winced but held steady.

  “Careful, Orth. She might catch your fur on fire,” Tah teased.

  Orth shot his brother a venomous look. “She will not.” He followed with a firmer glower at Heidi. “Do not light my fur on fire.”

  Holding back a smile at his tone, she nodded and repositioned herself in hope that the change of angle would reduce the sparks flying toward the male. It took several tries, but the sparks finally caught, smoked, and with gentle encouragement, the fire built up, slowly catching onto the fabric. The hard part was over. Once it showed signs of starting to burn down, she could prepare another torch and transfer the flame.

  “Thank you, Orth,” she said as she retrieved the torch. “I’ll feel much better with this.”

  He nodded and then began to check the fur along his arms for any singed spots. Heidi sucked in her cheeks to keep from laughing and instead struck off into the tunnel, following on Tah’s heels. The male gave her a bit of a disapproving look that she didn’t wait to be safely attached to Orth’s side between the other two males, but she disregarded it. As long as she was behind Tah, they really couldn’t object too strenuously.

  She was aware of Tah exchanging a meaningful glance over her head with Gund, who in turn sighed. Tah jerked his head in a rough nod and turned abruptly into the tunnel. Though pale silver, he seemed to disappear almost immediately into the inky depths. Heidi felt a shiver skate up her spine as she followed.

  The darkness felt like it swallowed her whole. She could see very little around her outside of the few inches provided by the light from the torch. A hand came out of nowhere, grabbing her shoulder, and Heidi jumped, jerking forward out of the grip. As she carried her dagger in her opposite hand, prepared for anything, she spun around to attack her assailant. Instead of some ghoul, Orth stared at her with wide yellow eyes as he held his palms up in the universal gesture of surrender.

  A curse fell from her lips as she glared at him.

  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” she hissed. “Never sneak up on me like that again.”

  He grinned, something bordering on playful in his expression. “What did you think I was?”

  Her expression flattened as she scanned the darkness warily. “The Ragoru are not the only species that were dumped on this hellhole our planet has become.”

  The male’s smile flickered. “You are playing with me.”

  “Not even a little. There are no fewer than four other species that were placed here for the same reason as the Ragoru. Those are the ones that we know about. There is no knowing how many species were relocated due to compatibility with humans.”

  “You know of this?” His voice turned sharp with surprise.

  Heidi snorted mirthfully. “It is not common knowledge. It may have once been, but the Order is good at burying information.”

  “What are the other species?” he whispered as he edged closer to her.

  She chewed her lip as they progressed together deeper into the tunnel. “Most of them are scattered to the different continents, to give each species a fighting chance. On the Northern Continent where we live, there are at least two others. We all know that the Ragoru roam our forests, but few in our lands know of the others. In the lands south of the Black Hills, there is believed to be a species that lives in the tallest of mountain ranges. They are beautiful and monstrous all at once, an alien species that resembles fiery birds called the Atlavans. In the deepest part of the plains, there are the bull-like Mintars… but there is rumor of a third on our continent.”

  “What, those are not enough?” Orth hissed.

  Heidi shook her head, her eyes straining against the dark. “The Drakni are creatures that dwell within the mountain, scaled creatures that resemble a fusion of man and the dragons of ancient lore. Those huntsmen who encounter them say they are secretive and hide away from humans. Many doubt that they exist, but there are too many rumors of odd events happening in the hidden places among the mountains and hills to those who are innocently passing through their territory.”

  “Okay, so we just hope that we do not fall under the notice of any other creatures,” he muttered.

  “There are also the men of the hills,” she said.

  Orth’s sigh of exasperation was loud in the tunnel. “Do I want to know?”

  “They are a variant of the wild men who dwell in the forests, people who were separated from the rest of civilization during the fall of our world. They escaped into the mountains to hide beneath the ground. But usually they live in caves, from what I’ve heard,” she said.

  “And here I thought the great forests were dangerous,” he growled.

  “In all fairness, the forests cover the greatest expanses of the continents and I would say are perhaps the most dangerous regions,” she soothed. “It is rare that anyone comes through the hinterlands between the vast territories of the provinces. The merchants tend to keep to the clearer paths going directly through the plains. I believe that the Mintars intentionally avoid them to keep their herds safe. There was a time when huntsmen prized their horns and the skins of their calves before the Mintars retreated and began to conceal themselves.”

  Orth grunted in response when Tah’s voice rumbled out at a surprisingly close distance to her.

  “I do not like that there is so much that we did not know of this world. Why didn’t we know? Our people have preserved our history as much possible, human compatibility being the only thing lost to us…”

  “To safeguard us,” Gund interrupted, directly behind her. It was only due to her training that she didn’t jump out of her skin at the unexpected proximity.

  “Yes,” Tah agreed. “But there is no reason that they would not have told us of other creatures with whom we are sharing this world. Why would they not? Or did our ancestors not know, and truly believed that they were the only race set here to join with humans and strengthen our lines?”

  “That is a good question,” Heidi murmured. “But I fear one that we will find no answer to.”

  The males growled in agreement as they continued to forge their way further into the depths of the tunnel. The deeper they went, the more Heidi’s misgivings grew. Why would the Master lay track going in this direction and carve his tunnel in the Black Hills themselves? The method was used elsewhere in traveling between the Citadels, but this route seemed highly unusual. It filled her with a sense of dread. The Master constructed everything with very clear intentions.

  This route to Dunvar was meant to be a dangerous one.

  Unfortunately, following the track was their only option. There was only one other way to get to Dunvar, or any of the Citadels, but that required an experienced guide who was familiar with the land routes. Few guides could be trusted with the safety of their clients, and most were expensive. She suspected many were frauds, and she had no doubt that some would attempt t
o enslave women who hired them, if any were so foolish as to want to travel anywhere near Dunvar. They certainly wouldn’t assist a Ragoru, though Gund could perhaps persuade one otherwise.

  No. Following the track was the smartest route. If only it didn’t mean that they would likely face greater dangers. Licking her lips, she whispered a fervent prayer under her breath for the first time in years.

  16

  Orth could barely see Tah’s pale fur in front of them. Gund to the rear of them was completely lost to darkness, except for the yellow eyes reflecting the torchlight whenever Orth chanced to glance back. Never in his life had he been afraid of the dark. The night and shadows had always been the friend of the Ragoru, and yet now, for the first time, he was afraid. Afraid of what he didn’t know.

  The revelations of the Order’s secrets had unnerved him; he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. For revolutions, he’d lived with the comfort of knowing that little could best a Ragoru. Even a huntsman would have great difficulty without numbers or traps. Discovering that there were others who could possibly rival a Ragoru made him uncertain and all the more wary as they went deeper into the hill.

  He was sure that they had been traveling through the tunnel for well over half a day, if not more. It was difficult to tell when underground. All he knew was that the tunnel never seemed to end. It was an interminable black pit in front of them. The only thing that made it possible to endure was the light of the torch. Six times they had stopped to make a new one to transfer the flame. They were now on their last remaining torch. He only hoped that they would come across something before it too burned out.

  His ear twitched at a rustling sound skimming by them. Drawing up short, he gripped Heidi with one hand, both ears perking toward the sound.

  “What are you—?” Heidi whispered.

  “Shh… There is something out there.”

  “Agreed,” Gund growled softly at their back.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” Heidi objected. Orth didn’t miss the note of worry in her voice. “Where is Tah?”

  Orth turned to point out his brother and froze. “Tah?”

  A loud snarl echoed down the tunnel. It was followed by a loud clatter and several muffled thumps that terminated on a shrill wail. As the cry stopped, silence filled the tunnel and Orth sprung forward, dragging Heidi behind him.

  “I am fine,” Tah growled, his silvery body coming into view as they neared. As they drew to his side, Orth noticed that vivid red blood was splashed over his arms and chest. “It is not mine,” Tah clarified when he noticed the direction of their attention.

  He jerked his head toward the track. Sprawled across it was a grayish-white corpse. It was completely hairless, with a misshapen skull, from what Orth could tell.

  “That is not the only thing. Someone has been feeding it. Look,” Tah gestured.

  Heidi moved away from Orth’s side, lifting the torch closer. Her gasp was loud in the confined space. Orth crept closer to her, his nose wrinkling as he took in the sight. Strewn up and down this section of the track were scattered fragments of bone. Human remains.

  With his upper arm, he nudged Heidi away from the remains. Whoever these unfortunate people were, they were beyond saving. He wanted to get out of the damn tunnel immediately. Whatever that thing was that Tah had killed, he preferred not to linger and see if there were any more of them. Heidi swallowed as she turned away from the sight. Relieved, he followed close behind her.

  He was still glancing warily around the tunnel when Heidi stopped in front of him, forcing him to collide into her. She swayed under the impact, and one of his hands shot out to steady her. Concerned, he looked down into her pale face.

  “Oh, Blessed Ones…” She turned her head away and shuddered.

  Orth glanced over her head and tucked her behind him, his fur bristling. His body vibrated with tension as he looked down on the bloody remains of what had once been a human female. There was very little recognizable left of her. Her dark hair was smeared with blood and her face looked mauled as if something had bitten into it with savage teeth. She was missing an arm, blood splashing down her side, and the remaining limbs were chewed right down to the bone. A large pool of blood had formed under her belly. He didn’t have to touch her to know that whatever had killed her had likely started gnawing on her soft belly and other tissue before flipping her over. There were only tattered fragments of clothing that remained, barely clinging to the corpse.

  “That sick, twisted fucker!” Heidi gasped. “For that much blood… he had to have thrown her to them still alive.”

  The light flickered erratically, and the female’s breathing picked up. Or maybe that was his breathing? It was hard to tell at that moment while his entire body tensed. It wasn’t right. There shouldn’t be a breeze through the tunnel—unless a passage had opened up.

  “Something is coming,” Tah growled warily, echoing Orth’s thoughts. The other male edged closer to Heidi, his fur bristling as he swept one hand against her arm in a rare show of comfort.

  “We leave, now!” Gund barked. “Orth, grab her and move!”

  Not about to argue, Orth turned, grabbing the torch with one hand as he snatched Heidi off her feet. He threw her over his shoulder and heard her wheeze from the impact, but he didn’t have time to apologize. He felt her fingers dig into his fur, and she wheezed and struggled to breathe as he tore down the tunnel at full speed.

  He didn’t know when the shrieking started. All he knew was that suddenly it was choking the air around him with its deafening sound. The tunnel seemed to vibrate with the sounds of numerous feet pounding toward them. Orth grunted, his muscles straining as he whispered half-forgotten prayers from when he was a rog. Praying that the end of the tunnel was near. At least he wasn’t alone. Tah and Gund were nearly level with him, panting as they raced through the dark.

  “Orth, you really need to run faster,” Heidi said, her hand bracing against his shoulder as she tried to keep her belly from flopping against his arm.

  “If you think this is easy, how about you run and I lay over your shoulder?” he returned between ragged breaths.

  She pitched suddenly on his shoulder to the side, and he worked to maintain his grip on her as she muttered to herself. “Hell no! I am not going to be dinner for a horde of mutants,” she hissed.

  In the corner of his peripheral eye, he noted a glint of metal as she slid a blade free from her belt.

  “Just how long is the tunnel?” Gund demanded as he cut a concerned look toward them.

  “No way of knowing,” Heidi said. “It depends on the size of the hill.”

  “There! I see a stone wall ahead. I think that is the end!” Tah shouted. Orth squinted and exhaled with relief. He too could see the stone barrier in the weak light.

  “Perfect! I hope we can find the latch before they catch up,” Heidi said.

  They skidded to a stop within an arm’s length of the wall and Orth crouched down to deposit Heidi on her feet. She patted his arm gently in thanks. All four of them hurriedly set about feeling along the walls. Orth’s blood pounded in his ears, his anxiety growing in proportion to the noise as their pursuers drew closer. From the sound of the horde coming their way, they were tragically outnumbered.

  “Here! I have found it,” Gund shouted with relief. His arm jerked up, and the Orth heard the familiar popping sound as the machinery along the inner walls pushed the wall out and slowly began to slide it out of the way.

  Very slowly.

  Too slowly!

  Orth growled with frustration just as Heidi cursed and spun around to face the darkness. The torch flickered again, the flame shrinking. A beam of weak sunlight drifted in through the growing gap in the wall. It looked like early evening light. He only hoped that the remaining sunlight would be enough to deter the creatures from following them very far outside.

  Tah snarled and threw his shoulder against the rock as if the effort would hasten its movement. It didn’t do much other than make the huntress scold him
.

  “Don’t do that! If you break the mechanism, we will be stuck in here!”

  “Move away from the door,” Gund ground out. Tah growled in return, but their lead didn’t seem to think anything of it. Instead, Gund stood stiffly in the last vestiges of light, poised and ready for combat.

  Orth wished he could feel so confident. This was too much unlike any fight he’d ever recklessly leaped into at whim.

  “I refuse to die in here,” Tah bit out as he stalked back and forth in front of their only exit.

  “Good plan,” Orth grunted, trying desperately for a bit of levity.

  Tah looked over at him, his expression startled, but then a grin stretched over his face. “I thought it was,” he chuckled uneasily.

  Standing between them, Heidi reached beneath her cape and pulled out a long blade that had been strapped to her back. “Well then, let’s make sure that we keep them off us long enough to get out of here with our skin intact.”

  “Literally,” Gund deadpanned, earning a laugh from Orth.

  The door screeched as the first of the creatures came into view. Like the one that had attacked Tah, they were gangly. Their bodies varied in size, though most seemed to be shorter than Heidi. What they lacked in height, they made up for in fierceness. Though they looked vaguely human, despite their oddly shaped heads and limbs, they had sharp teeth that didn’t look natural in the humanoid face. Their eyes were milky, and they squinted, crying out at the light of the dying torch. It was not, however, enough to keep them from rushing forward in a frenzy.

  Behind the initial surge, Orth could see the shadowy forms of even more running just behind them. It was like a sea of ravenous bodies coming directly at them, their shrill cries bouncing off the walls of the tunnel, piercing Orth’s ears painfully.

  Heidi stepped forward, her cape moving around her with her swinging steps as she brought the blades in her hands up to meet the first of the creatures that lunged forward. Foul, hot blood gushed from its wound as it screamed. Yet even in its pain it attempted to grab her. She meticulously drew up her other blade and cut deep into its neck before Orth darted forward to slash at another of the creatures that attempted to leap upon Heidi’s exposed side. With a snarl, he heaved his upper arms, throwing the squealing creature into the swarm.