Hunter of Legends (Fate of Legends Series Book 1)

by Clayton Wood

  She vanished into the darkness, and soon he did as well. He felt her grab his arm, pulling him to her side. They walked together, and even though Hunter could barely see, Vi strode forward without hesitation, weaving through the tunnel. Hunter allowed himself to be led, trusting that Vi knew what she was doing. After all, she’d never not known what she was doing, in his experience.

  He felt a sharp pain in his chest as he walked, and rubbed it again. If it hadn’t been for her, he would have died there. Would’ve drowned, floating downstream until his bloated body washed ashore. And that would have been that. The idea terrified him…that it was so easy for him to lose his life, the most precious gift of all. That it could be taken from him just like that. He’d always assumed he was special, that the universe would somehow take care of him.

  Now he knew he’d been fooling himself all along.

  “Quit dragging your feet,” Vi ordered, pulling him forward. He realized he’d slowed down a bit, and sped up to match her stride. He saw a faint light ahead, another beam of moonlight piercing through the ceiling. It reminded him of the light that had shone through the crack in the storehouse wall when the Ironclad had slammed into it.

  “What was that thing, anyway?” Hunter asked, remembering the bone Vi had retrieved from the storehouse.

  “Gonna have to be more specific.”

  “That thing you got from the storehouse,” he clarified.

  “Just an artifact,” she answered.

  “Duh,” he grumbled. “Why’d we have to go grab it?” he pressed. “We had a clear line through the Ironclad to jump in the lake instead of going to the storehouse.”

  “It was for a job,” she explained. “I always come through for my clients. That’s why I’m the best.”

  “What job?”

  She didn’t answer, continuing forward. A brighter light appeared in the distance, and as they moved forward he realized that it was the end of the tunnel. He spotted some trees silhouetted beyond, bathed in the pale light of this world’s three moons.

  “We could’ve died trying to get that thing,” he pressed, annoyed by her silence. “You could at least tell me what it is.”

  “You saw it,” Vi replied, sounding just as annoyed as he was. “You figure it out.”

  He thought back, trying to remember what it’d been. A bone, he recalled. A small, curved bone. It’d looked almost like a rib.

  A rib.

  He stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Vi as she continued down the tunnel. She stopped as well, glancing back at him.

  “Come on,” she urged. He stayed where he was, feeling a chill run down his spine. He’d seen that bone before, on the paper Thorius had given them for their first Trial. The bone they’d been tasked with retrieving.

  “You took it,” he blurted out. Vi just stared at him. He shook his head, taking a step backward. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Hunter…”

  “My friend died because of you!” he accused, jabbing a finger at her. “We spent all that time looking for that damn bone when you had it all along!”

  “Just listen for a second,” she retorted.

  “That thing almost killed me!” he continued, glaring at her. “It broke Sukri’s leg!”

  “And I saved your ass, remember?” Vi shot back. “Now shut up and listen to me.”

  Hunter stared at her silently, his heart pounding in his chest.

  “I was hired to get that Ossae,” she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. “So I got it. And when I saw a bunch of kids strolling through the Fringe, how exactly was I supposed to know what you were doing there? Hmm?”

  Hunter said nothing.

  “I wasn’t expecting Thorius to send a bunch of clueless initiates on a damn suicide mission,” she continued. “There’s a reason my employer hired me to do the job, you know.” She pointed at her own chest. “I’m the best there is, kiddo.”

  “If that were true,” Hunter retorted, “…my friend would still be alive.”

  “Bullshit,” Vi shot back. “I didn’t even know you were jumped until I heard you guys screaming. I was practically at the Deadlands then. I booked it all the way back, just in time to see that thing ready to murder you.”

  “And yet when I told you why we were there afterward, you didn’t say a damn thing. You could have told me, you know.” He pointed at her again. “My friends are either dead or disqualified because they didn’t bring that thing back. And I probably will be too. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “It means,” Vi replied icily, “…you were never meant to get it.”

  “Right,” Hunter grumbled. “Sure.”

  “Think about it,” she insisted. “Why would Thorius send you out to the Fringe to get this?” She pulled the bone from her shirt, holding it in front of her. “Something he knew I’d already been hired to get?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied, throwing up his hands. “Tell me.”

  “Because they never wanted you to get it,” she replied. “Thorius wanted you dead. Wanted you dead, not your friends. They were just collateral damage, kiddo.” She stuffed the bone back down her shirt, walking up to him and poking him in the chest with one finger. “Your friend died because of you.”

  Hunter stared at her silently, swallowing past a sudden lump in his throat. She glared at him for a moment longer, then turned around abruptly, striding down the tunnel.

  “You’re an asshole,” he snapped, staying right where he was.

  “And you’re an ingrate,” she shot back.

  “Well you know what? You won’t have to bother with me any longer,” Hunter called after her. “I’m done with you.” Vi stopped, turning to face him. She put her hands on her hips.

  “Oh really.”

  “Damn right,” he replied. “I don’t have to put up with your shit, you know. I can go back to Tykus and get laid every fucking night if I want to.”

  “Yeah, you go do that.”

  “I will,” he growled. He turned away from her, walking in the other direction. Then he heard footsteps behind him, and turned just in time to see Vi run up and kick him in the hip. He fell onto his back, and Vi jumped on top of him, pressing his shoulders into the rocky ground with her hands. She leaned over until her face was inches from his, glaring down at him.

  “Get off me,” he protested.

  “I will not let you give up on me,” she retorted.

  “I’m not…”

  “You are,” she interjected. “I’m not your mother, kiddo.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m not going to leave you.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not going to leave you,” she repeated. Hunter stared up at her, swallowing past a sudden lump in his throat. She held him down for a moment longer, then got up, looking down at him. “You expect everyone you love to leave you, so you either refuse to get close to anyone, or leave them before they can leave you.”

  He laid there, staring back at her. He felt his lower lip quivering, and grit his teeth, hating that she could see it.

  “My parents gave up on me,” Vi continued. “Couldn’t stand that I liked girls. That I was different than everyone else. The two people in this world who I loved more than anything rejected me. And you know what that taught me?”

  Hunter swallowed, not answering.

  “That people were disposable,” she answered. “That I was disposable. You think I ever wanted to get close to anyone after that?”

  Hunter shook his head mutely.

  “Damn right,” she agreed. “So I joined the Seekers. The only people I thought would accept me. Except they didn’t either. So I set out on my own.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I had every reason to give up on you,” she continued. “To let that Ironclad kill you. To let you drown. But I didn’t.” She shook her head. “You want to push me away?” she asked. “Too fucking bad. You’re stuck with me, Hunter. I’m not giving up on you, and you sure as hell aren’t g
iving up on me.”

  She reached down then, offering a hand. Hunter hesitated, then grabbed it wordlessly, letting himself be hauled up onto his feet. She stared at him a moment longer, then turned around, walking away from him. He paused, then ran to catch up with her, slowing down to walk at her side. They reached the end of the cave, the tunnel opening up into dense forest. Hunter glanced back, seeing the cave entrance surrounded by a short cliff. To the left, he saw a large stream flowing away from them. He cleared his throat.

  “So what now?” he asked.

  “Now we go to Tykus,” she answered. “That was the message I got this morning,” she added. “My client asked to meet me in person.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “This particular client only met me once, over a decade ago. They usually communicate by proxy.”

  “And what about me?” he pressed.

  “What about you?”

  “What do I do?” he pressed. “Just go back to my apartment and wait?”

  “That’s right,” she answered. “I’ll meet with my client, then meet up with you.”

  They walked in silence for a time then, dead leaves and twigs crunching underfoot. After a few minutes, Hunter turned to look at Vi.

  “What?” she asked.

  “It’s not my fault my friend died,” he stated. “You were wrong to say that.”

  “I know,” she admitted. “You were pissing me off.”

  “Apology accepted,” he grumbled, knowing that was as much as he was going to get from her. She smirked at him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. He hesitated, then put an arm around her waist, giving her a squeeze. “Thanks for not giving up on me,” he offered. Vi squeezed him back.

  “Ditto.”

  They walked together in silence then, trudging through the forest, heading slowly and steadily toward the Deadlands.

  * * *

  The vast emptiness of the Deadlands spread out before Hunter and Vi, extending as far as the eye could see in all directions. They’d been walking at Vi’s brutal pace for hours now, having only stopped once while they were still in the forest, to get some water from the stream. The sun had long since risen above the horizon, its rays beating down on them mercilessly. Vi hardly seemed to mind, continuing forward with ease, but for Hunter it was an entirely different matter. Sweat trickled down his flanks, soaking his shirt. The weight of his sword – and the fact that it rubbed against the side of his leg when he walked – was becoming increasingly annoying.

  “Can we take another break?” he asked, grimacing at the burning in his legs. His shins were particularly sore, the muscles there unaccustomed to the weight of his boots. Vi shook her head.

  “Ironclad patrol the Deadlands,” she replied. “I don’t want to risk them circling back and looking for us here. The sooner we get into the city, the better.”

  “Can’t you just kill them all?”

  “Maybe,” she answered. “But they might kill you in the process.”

  “I’ll run away. I promise.”

  “Uh huh,” she replied, smirking at him. “And they’ll catch you and tear your arm off.”

  “Hey,” he retorted, glaring at her. “Too soon.”

  “They run pretty fast,” she admitted. “Almost as fast as I do.”

  “You can outrun them?”

  “Probably,” she replied. “But you can’t…and I sure as hell ain’t carrying you.”

  “You know,” he grumbled, “…just when I’ve decided you’re a complete asshole, you say something nice and get me all confused.” She chuckled, slapping him on the back.

  “I’m a girl,” she replied. “It’s what we do.” Hunter gave her a sour look.

  “Maybe I should try dudes then,” he muttered. She arched an eyebrow.

  “Ever done it?”

  “No,” he replied. “Don’t plan on it either.”

  “Aww, come on,” she pressed, punching him on the shoulder. “You might like it.”

  “My dad,” he panted, “…used to say that when I got old enough, either girls would become magical, boys would become magical, or both.” He smirked then. “And then he’d add ‘or neither, and that’d be a shame.’”

  “And it was girls for you,” Vi guessed. Hunter nodded.

  “Can’t help what you like.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” she mused, shaking her head. “Life would’ve been a lot simpler if I liked dick.”

  “What I really like about you,” Hunter stated, “…is your ladylike way of saying things. So cultured and proper.”

  “Says the guy who falls in love with a whore.”

  “I wasn’t in love with her,” he retorted. Vi grinned at him.

  “But you loved what she did to you.”

  “Hell yeah,” he agreed. “Not gonna lie…it was pretty awesome.”

  “Then go back to her,” Vi replied. “You’ll get your chance soon enough.”

  “Nah,” he stated, shaking his head. “I don’t like the idea of people manipulating me. Making me feel something just because they’re there.”

  “I’m sure you affected her too,” Vi countered. “Bet she was a bit more clever and sarcastic around you after spending a night.”

  Hunter considered this, then nodded grudgingly.

  “She was, actually.” He hadn’t even noticed it at the time.

  Everyone affects everyone,” Vi explained. “No way around it. Doesn’t take absorbing their emotions to do it, either. It’s human nature. We’re all just a mixture of our own personalities and the people we meet.”

  “Yeah, well I like being in control of myself,” he insisted.

  “So do I,” she agreed. “But that takes practice. You’re a sponge for emotions, so it’s going to be a lot harder for you than it was for me. Thank god you’ve got a strong personality.”

  They continued forward, and Hunter glanced to the left, seeing the huge wooden posts of the King’s Road a hundred feet away. They’d been following it ever since they’d reached the Deadlands. He glanced at Vi, realizing that she’d pulled ahead of him, and couldn’t help but look down at her posterior. She had powerful legs, far more muscular than his, and she seemed to take the brutal walk in stride. Literally.

  “How’d you get so damn strong?” he asked, jogging to catch up with her.

  “I work out,” she replied. “Feeling inadequate?”

  “Little bit.”

  “Good,” she replied. “You should feel inadequate. Because, you know, you are.”

  “So you could really outrun an Ironclad?” he asked, ignoring her insult. She nodded.

  “Very likely,” she answered. Then she smirked. “Not that I’ve ever tried. Killing them just seems a whole lot easier.”

  “So you just work out all the time, and that’s how you got so strong.”

  “Mostly,” she replied, glancing at him sidelong. “I may have…tweaked things here and there.” Hunter frowned.

  “Tweaked?”

  “I’m a Seeker, she explained. “I retrieve artifacts for my clients…powerful ones. That means I have to transport them back to the city. A little quality time with some good artifacts can do a lot. And I may have…significantly delayed returning the ones I really liked.”

  “Ah.”

  “Of course, the guild frowns upon that,” she continued. “Technically there’s a law against it. But I’m not part of the guild…and my clients are usually just grateful that I always perform.” She patted her chest then, where she’d placed the Ossae earlier. “Like with this.”

  “What does it do?” Hunter inquired.

  “Not sure,” she admitted. “I kept it away from my other stuff just in case, at least till I could figure it out. That’s why it was in the storehouse. But I still can’t tell what it does.”

  “It’s not human,” he stated.

  “Obviously,” she agreed. “Never stopped me before.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I’ve…dabbled in using wild ar
tifacts and Ossae,” she confessed. “That stays between you and me, of course.”

  “Understood,” he replied. “Uh, what’s a wild artifact?”

  “Anything other than human,” she explained. “It’s highly illegal for anyone to knowingly expose themselves to wild artifacts,” she added. “At least in Tykus.”

  “Why?”

  “Because people who don’t know what they’re doing will lose their humanity,” she answered. “They’ll eventually turn into something else. And you know how nature feels about people,” she added darkly.

  “But you’ve done it?”

  “A little,” she admitted. “Nothing excessive, of course. Just enough to help me do my job.”

  “For example?” he pressed. She arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Aren’t you curious,” she replied. “Maybe one day you’ll figure it out on your own.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  “Anyway,” she continued, “…I’m very careful to keep my humanity. You noticed all the shit I had in my house?” Hunter nodded, remembering the stuffed animals on her bed, the dolls, and things that looked like children’s toys.

  “I didn’t want to say anything,” he admitted. “I mean, I think it’s cool that you still play with dolls and all, but some people might think that’s a little weird.”

  “They’re from my childhood,” Vi explained, ignoring his baiting. “When I was…pure. Sleeping with them reinforces my humanity. My sense of self.”

  “Uh huh,” he shot back, grinning at her. “Do you set up tea parties with yourself? Or do you bring women over and play dollies with them?”

  “Hey, sore subject asshole.”

  “Oh,” he mumbled. “Sorry.”

  “Anyway,” she continued, “…I keep my humanity, which means I’m allowed back in the city. Which means I can drop off artifacts to my clients. There’s one kingdom a few hundred kilometers from here where the laws against wild artifacts are looser. Been there a few times,” she added. “Strange place…creepy as shit.”

  The terrain angled upward, and Hunter struggled to keep pace with Vi, who strode up the incline as effortlessly as she did everything else.

  “Hey,” he called after her as she pulled further and further away. “Wait up!”