“Strange, where is everyone?” she asked.
“Only time the wall watch can be away from their post is when there’s a direct threat to the Board’s life or lives. Something must have happened,” Abner said.
Lois sniffed the air. “Only Vampire I can smell around here is you.”
“You say that like an insult. I smell lovely, haven’t sweat all day.” He climbed off at Nagor and kicked the horse in the sides. “If it wasn’t Vampires it’d have to be someone on the inside.”
“We’ve only been gone for a week. Surely Gunthos wouldn’t have had the temper to take it out on the Board?”
Abner shrugged. “Anything is possible now days. Maybe Razal finally pushed him over the edge.”
“Sure hope not,” Lois said. “I’ve missed our big bastard.”
On the plateau it seemed as if every Hunter was gathered at the base of the Huntrey, Approximately half of them had a their crossbow drawn pointed at the door whilst the other half had their heads on a swivel. Some turned as the horses approached, their fingers ready to pull the trigger at any second.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Lois asked. “Why are there no guards on the wall!”
“Ah the wolf hunter and his bitch are back,” Razal said. He pushed his way through the crowd to the back. “Your child is creating havoc in there. Listen.” Screams came from the Huntrey tower. “Why did you bring him here.”
“Child, you mean Gareth?”
“I’m not sending anyone else in to stop him. He stopped into the Board’s room and decimated it. Myself and other Board members were lucky to escape with our lives. He’s become effected by the Bloodrush,” Razal said.
“And you want us to go in there and drag him out?” Lois said. She placed her hands on her hips looking unimpressed.
“He’s your problem, go in and fish him out,” Razal said. Spittle flew from his mouth.
The Huntrey door opened and the Hunters tensed with their crossbows, waiting to see who emerged. A figure much larger than Gareth stepped out into the light, revealing Gunthos. At his side he dragged an unconscious Gareth.
“What’s the problem? I’ve got it under control.”
The Hunters collectively lowered their crossbows and Razal gave the command for them to enter the building. Covered in blood and gore, Gunthos pushed through those entering the Huntrey until he reached his friends and Razal. His right eye was swollen shut. He presented Gareth’s unconscious body to the coin master.
“Do I get a prize?”
“Absolutely not. You bought him here so if there’s any damages inside the Huntrey that were caused by his actions you shall be held accountable!” Razal turned red. “I’ve never seen such a thing in all my life.”
“No need to blow a gasket, Razal. I was just asking you a simple question,” Gunthos said.
“How did you take him out,” Lois asked.
“Caught up to him and punched him in the face. It’s not that hard.”
“Such tact, Gunthos,” Razal said as he walked away.
“What are we going to do with him?” Abner asked. “Wait until he wakes up and pretend this never happened?”
“He’s going to not be able to forget. There’s bodies in there. Haven’t seen a Bloodrush that bad before, Ab.”
“Alright so we hide him until this all blows over and then what? How many bodies did he leave in there, Gunner?” Lois asked.
“I last counted six, there could be more,” Gunthos said. “Only way to be sure would be to go through the whole Huntrey. He tore it up.” Gareth emitted a groan from the ground. Gunthos turned to him and readied his crossbow. “Hope he’s come down off it now.”
Gareth’s eyes snapped open and they were still blood red, full of the rush. Gunthos fired a near point blank shot, but Gareth leapt over the bolt and tried to wrestle the crossbow from Gunthos. He tore it away, from the Hunter and leapt after it.
“Fucking shoot him!” Gunthos drew his sword and chased after Gareth,
Lois shrugged, now reaching for her crossbow. “He needs to be stopped and we don’t owe him anything.”
“I took him under my wing, I said he’d learn from me. Do we have any nets?”
He was cut off by more Hunters that ran past him, there’d be no turning back for Gareth now. Bolts filled the air as quickly as Gareth would dodge each one headed in his direction. The infected Hunter shrieked at his brothers firing at him, then made for the cliff face. Without pausing he sailed over the edge and vanished from sight.
“We need to get after him!” Lois said.
“We’re not going to catch him,” Abner said. “Like that he’s too fast, and we’ll have a definite trail to follow.”
“He’s a danger to anyone he comes across. Let me go out and you two can catch up!”
“Lois! You know what happened last time we got separated and I want you to be safe,” Abner said.
“What? Don’t look at me like that!” Gunthos said after Abner raised his eyebrow. “I don’t want to be involved in your domestic.”
“We’re going after him,” Lois said again.
“Alright it’s your call,” Abner said. Gunthos wasn’t going to back him in this case. “If you want to go off, go off, I’ll get more food and water and catch up to you soon.”
Lois leant in on her horse and brushed her lips against his, for all but a second. She pulled back and smiled. “I knew you’d see things my way.”
19
Spark of White
Two days in and the hunt was not going well for the young Hunters. They had left Gunthos at the Huntrey and were now riding through the northern forests of Tyrain heading back towards Alilletia. Snow filled the linings of their boots and covered them from head to toe. Lois remained silent, her red eyes following the path left behind by Gareth, who judging from his movement still appeared out of control.
The snow came down harder as the day quickly turned to night. With Lois’ seeking vision and Abner’s Vampire sight they could continue through the night without stopping. The horses continued to walk along, their heads down, the only protection against the snow.
“His path is becoming faint,” Lois said. “I’m beginning to lose him.”
“He’s not that far ahead of us though,” Abner said. “He’d be an hour or two at most.”
“I don’t know what’s happening. I’ve never seen this happen before,” Lois said. “Vampire or man once I get the scent I’ve got it until I’ve found them.”
“Well we’ve only got Etia to the north. That’s all I can think of that has any kind of relevance around here. It’d have to be where he’s going,” Abner said.
“It’s a big place, Ab, lot of searching for the two of us to do if he’s there.”
“Yeah, I know but -” An ear splitting howl rang over the forest. “Not now.”
“Fuck,” Lois said. “That was close. We could have used Gunner.”
“It’s alright,” Abner said. He put a hand on her thigh to comfort her. “We’ve killed them before and we’ll kill them again. It’s close.”
“That wasn’t a hunting call,” Lois said. “It sounded like it was in pain.”
“Maybe then we should take advantage.” Abner said. “It’d be nice to get some revenge for Alex.” The Ghost howled again. “It’s up ahead.
The Hunters pushed their horses forward into the thickening tree line, crossbows on their laps as they maneuvered through the labyrinth of trees. It didn’t last long as the tree line receded and gave way to a small ice-covered lake. There was a break in the ice at the edge of the lake and a pile of clothes only meters away.
“Someone’s gone in,” Lois said.
“They must be mad,” Abner said.
As they approached the lake, the water began to bubble and seconds later a man with white hair leapt out of the water, almost flying like an arrow. He landed on his feet and went to retrieve his clothes. The strange man looked up and saw the Hunters approaching. A red flash flickered through h
is eyes bright blue eyes.
“Vampire!” Lois said.
“No, he’s our wolf! Try not to hurt him, I want to speak to him!”
The Ghost let out a howl, throwing his head back, his white hair standing on edge. His body began to shudder and grow, white fur sprouting all across his skin. He began to run at the Hunters as he dropped to all fours. Abner opened fire taking it head on, signaling for Lois to take the flank. Their bolts failing into its shoulders.
Abner threw his crossbow to the ground and drew his sword, the runes on its blade hungry for blood. He steadied himself on Nagor and as the wolf leapt, so did Abner. The beast sailed over Nagor, its claws outstretched to grab Abner. It missed, Abner landing on its back with his sword now held at its throat. The Ghost landed, unable to shake Abner.
“Submit beast, I wish to talk to you.” The Ghost responded with a low grumble. “I’ll cut your head off. Change back.”
Lois grabbed Nagor’s reigns and collected Abner’s crossbow from the ground as the wolf transformed back into the man. Abner held his sword inches from the Ghost’s throat. Lois remained mounted and trained her crossbow on the shift wolf. Seconds later the human was crouched underneath the Hunters weapons.
“Are you content Hunter?” He glared up at them, his blue eyes as cold as the ice he’d swum under.
“We want to ask you some questions, are you going to cooperate?” Abner asked.
The Ghost bowed his head, his white hair fell just shy of his shoulders. “Of course, Hunter. You’ve destroyed my home and in time I will destroy you.”
“How do you know we were there?” Lois asked. “We killed the only wolves that we found.”
“Your scent is unforgettable, Lois. I’ve been there since the first time we made ourselves known to you, watching in the shadows as you killed my brother. Learning how to adapt to your style.”
“What’s your name, Ghost?” Abner asked.
He smiled and looked up into the Hunter’s eyes. Abner felt a chill come over him. “My name is Zarazenih. Zarazenih Toldar. Hello brother.”
“My father didn’t have any other children. You’re a freak!”
“That I am. However, I am still your brother bound by blood. Would you like me to show you?” Zarazenih asked.
“Show you that you can transform back into your Ghost self and tear us to shreds? I think I’ll pass,” Abner said.
“If you allow me to stand, I can show you I’m more alike you than you can imagine.”
“One wrong move and you’re dead, dog,” Lois said.
“Ah so this is what your fire is like up close. I believe congratulations are in order for you two. Will there be a wedding invite?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Lois said levelling her crossbow.
“Lois, please. Zarazenih please show us what you can do,” Abner said.
Zarazenih rose to his feet, and he appeared taller than Lois on horseback, almost reaching the height of an Alilletian. He shrieked and bent forward as if regurgitating. After two convulsions, he roared. His skin flushed a shade of gray, and fangs shot out of his mouth.
“A Vampire wolf, how fascinating,” Lois said. Her voice was moist with sarcasm.
“The only one in existence. I was tasked by our father, Abner, to hunt Hunters and destroy them. I was made to be the perfect killing machine and for over eight years I have been successful in my mission. But what you did at his request to my family and to my home was inexcusable.”
“How could we have done it at his request. Barros died before the first time we met?”
Zarazenih let out a cackle, something half wolf, half human. “Ah brother, Barros has been alive and well for all these years. He has control of more than you can possibly know. I was on my way to Etia to kill him personally.”
“He lives in Etia?” Abner asked.
“Of course, where else do you think he’s been all these years. He’s a wealthy man in the city and I intend to bring his world crashing down upon him in a storm of hell and fire.”
“We’re hunting one of our fallen brothers that appears to be heading to Etia. Would you like a hand in stopping Barros?”
Zarazenih flashed a toothy grin. “Two fallen Hunters to be taken down in the same city. Something that I was born to do. What trouble did your Hunter cause?”
“Fell to the Bloodrush and we were unable to contain him. He’s dangerous,” Abner said.
“Not as dangerous as me,” the Ghost said. “And don’t say anything Lois. You’re the most ineffective of your regular group.” Zarazenih paused. “Speak of the devil himself, where is your retainer, Gunthos? I would have liked to have snapped his neck for the amount of my brother’s he’s killed.”
“If I remember correctly, he had one of your brothers rip out of the throat of his first,” Lois said.
“He stayed at the Huntrey to take care of other matters there,” Abner said. “We assumed we’d only be a day at most, but our friend has been very elusive.”
“That is a shame, brother,” Zarazenih said, completely ignoring Lois. “I shall have to look forward to tasting his blood another time. As for now should we hunt down my father and make him suffer for what he has done to the both of us?”
“I thought he was dead.” Abner shook his head. “Eight years and this is what I get. I can guarantee you one Hunter, Zarazenih, if what you say is true. None if you’re lying.”
Zarazenih flicked his hair back and smiled. “Let’s getting hunting then.”
20
Etia Again
Etia stood before Abner and Lois once again, the black walls of the citadel an ominous sight in the distance. Lois had begun to track their target again and the faint scent had led them to the city as per their suspicions. Zarazenih sat beside them in his wolf form, as big as one of the horses. Now they had spent time in his company they had become accustomed to him.
The Ghost now shifted to his human form to be able to communicate with the Hunters, his body writhing and twisting as he made the changes.
“We need to enter the city and I need to reach the citadel. Do you know where your Hunter lies?”
“Somewhere in the city,” Lois said. “I’m not entirely sure due to the amount of foot traffic going in and out of the walls.”
“Have patience, you will find him.” Zarazenih said. “I will find my target in the Citadel. If I find yours first I will slaughter him too.”
“Fair enough, just let us know when your job is done,” Lois said. “I don’t want to waste anymore time here than necessary.”
Zarazenih then crouched back to one knee and back to shift back into his wolf form. “Until we meet again Hunters, when I will get to kill you myself,” he said. Moments later he ran forwards and vanished into the snow.
“Such a cheerful fellow,” Abner said. “It’s almost a shame we’ll have to kill him at some point.”
“Shame your father turned him into what he is today, otherwise we could all be one big happy family,” Lois said.
“The Hunters are my family now, Lois, including you.”
“Doesn’t feel like it when all we’re doing is riding and fighting,” she said. “But that’s ok I have you by my side.” She shifted over to kiss him. “Ok, let’s find ourselves a rabid Hunter.”
Abner waited patiently whilst she processed the thousands of trails that had passed through the Etian gate in the past two days. She looked up from her work after a brief few seconds.
“He’s in there.”
“Can you track him?” Abner asked.
“Of course,” Lois said. “I can follow anybody. Come on.”
The two Hunters had stabled their horses at the first inn they could find, as darkness was beginning to fall under the shadow of the mountains. They went inside and sat down at the first table they saw to be approached by a serving girl, somewhat reminiscent of their last visit to Etia. As far as Abner could see she wasn’t a Vampire and was delighted by her pleasant manner.
“I’m pi
cking up that Gareth entered the city earlier today and that he’s not too far from here,” Lois said. She rested her knife and fork on her plate and whipped her mouth with her napkin. “He’s entered the city as normal and raised no suspicion otherwise there’d be guard patrols everywhere or a lot of dead bodies.”
“Is he still alive?” Abner asked.
“Of course, the trail runs out completely at the Citadel. I can see him entering and leaving once or twice, but that’s where it ends,” Lois said. “It’s like something is preventing me from seeing where he’s going.”
“Then we start there,” Abner said.
“But Ab, it’s the Citadel. If we’re found trespassing for whatever reason we’ll be hung.”
“We haven’t been caught before, what’ll be different?”
“I could see everything going on inside there if I had a scent to follow,” Lois said. “Now I can’t even tell you if a Hunter, who I should be able to track is in there or not. That’s why I’m worried. Something has changed. Someone or something incredibly powerful is acting like our shields at the Huntrey. We need to find out what.”
Abner was already rising from his seat as the last words fell from her mouth. “Well come on then what are we waiting for?” He held out his hand. “It’ll be a lovely night time stroll, just the two of us.”
“How could I possibly refuse, kind sir,” Lois said.
They stepped outside into the night and were immediately met with a blast of freezing cold air. Abner lifted his hood up to conceal his face, but the harsh wind of the Alilletian winter still cut through his coat.
“Perhaps a night run would be better?” he said.
The Hunters made good time to the Citadel on foot, the fortress that had once been the base of Councilor Graytooth’s operations towered overhead. Guards patrolled its entirely, their furs blocking out the cold wind that ripped through the city. The front entrance would not be an option, a small company of Alilletians patrolled it, the giant men Abner’s only real concern for capture.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 52