by Garry Spoor
The sound of a wall, being torn down, followed by a chorus of dogs growling, silenced the room. When she was sure she wasn’t struck deaf, she carefully looked around the edge of the crate, and stared up at a mountain pony, who was now standing in the middle of the mess hall.
-What do you think you’re doing?-
Grim asked.
Getting to her feet, Kile surveyed the room. The damage the drunken brawl did was nothing compared to the large hole in the side of the wall created by the mountain pony. Six Callor hounds surrounded her, and were holding the soldiers at bay, but it wasn’t the dogs, or the horse, the men were staring at.
“I think it’s time to go,” she told Grim, covering her face and heading for the new exit.
She didn’t look at the soldiers. She couldn’t. She knew what she would see.
“Damn it, Kile, what the hell…” Jax shouted, climbing through the hole. He stopped when he saw her.
“It’s all right,” she assured him.
“No… it’s not. Kile, what… happened?”
“It’s nothing,” She said, and pushed past him.
Once outside, under the sky, it was a little better, but it didn’t help to relieve her anxiety. Every nerve in her body was on fire. Every instinct told her to run, to get as far away from the vir as she could. They didn’t want her, they feared her, and she couldn’t blame them. Somewhere, deep inside, she knew she had, for one brief moment, fallen off that line. The fine line she walked, which divided the wild natural world from the civilized mortal one. Usually, when she slipped, she’d land on the mortal side, the civilized side, and became a vir once again. This time it was different. She completely lost herself for no apparent reason, and she feared the thoughts which ran through her mind when she did.
“Hey, Kile, you alright?”
She spun around at the touch of a hand on her shoulder and stared at the young vir who stood behind her.
Who was he?
“Kile. It’s me… Danny.”
Of course it was. It took her a moment to calm down enough to recognize him. How could she forget Daniel?
“Are you all right?” he asked again.
“Yeah… yeah, I’m all right,” she lied.
-Kile mad?-
Vesper asked.
She had forgotten he was still hiding in her shirt. The sound of his voice in her head pushed out the last of the dark thoughts and she was able to think clearly once again. He was an anchor, one she took for granted. She reached into her shirt and pulled him out.
“No, I’m not mad,” She laughed upon seeing him. “I thought I lost you. Where have you been, what happen to you?”
-Building fell.-
He was always one to state the obvious, but in those simple words she saw the kastelya come crashing down around him. He chewed through the rope which secured the keystone and was caught in the collapse. It was only due to his speed, agility, and in no small part, to his size, that he was able to avoid being crushed altogether. In short, he rode the outpost down. Of course, being a yarrow, once he was safe, his first instinct was to seek out food. Naturally, it would lead him to the mess hall.
-Oh, wonderful, I see the little fur ball is back.-
Grim commented, coming up behind them.
“You missed him as much as I did, and don’t deny it,” she replied.
-Yeah, well, he keeps the top of my head warm.-
“Kile, are you sure you’re okay?” Daniel asked. There was a note of concern in his voice, which she couldn’t miss.
“Yeah, why?” she asked.
-Because you wigged out back there and there wasn’t a saladog in sight.-
Grim answered.
“I did no such thing,” Kile replied.
-Lie to him all you want, you can’t lie to me. I heard you, child. I know what you saw, what you were thinking.-
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, turning her back on the pony.
-Fine, it makes no difference to me, but you might be interested to know, you got the whole scary eye thing going again.-
As soon as Grim said the words, Kile got a quick glimpse of herself through the pony’s eyes. With her dirty face, tattered clothing and unkempt hair, the eyes only added to the wild appearance. If she had seen anyone looking half as crazy as she did now, she would have run in the opposite direction. It was no wonder the soldiers acted the way they did. She tried to flatten her tangled hair down with her hands.
-Like that’s going to work.-
Grim snorted.
“You’re not helping,” She shouted, sitting on the crumbled wall and dropping her head in her hands. She wanted to cry, but knew it wasn’t going to solve anything.
Daniel sat down beside her. “Kile, what’s going on?” He asked.
She looked up at him through her fingers.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going insane.”
“You are not going insane. You’re just…”
“I’m just what?”
“Having a bad hair day,” he shrugged.
Kile laughed. “I think it’s a bit more than that,” she said.
It felt good to laugh, but it felt better just to talk to Daniel. He was the first person she had revealed her Edge to, even when she didn’t understand it herself.
“Ever since I was on the run last year, I’ve been feeling myself slipping. I think I’m losing my grasp on reality.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Daniel said. “Do you remember, back in Master Adam’s class, when he tried explaining to us the theory of the three realms?”
“I’ve been thinking about that quite a bit lately,” she replied.
“I heard it before, back in Procton.” He said. “Quigley tried to explain it to me, but I never gave it much credit. I always thought it was some kind of religious mumbo-jumbo. You know what I mean. The gods live in the divine realm, man lives in the mortal realm and then there was the realm devoted to nature. It always seemed like they were trying to explain the unexplainable. Then you came along, and you are definitely unexplainable.”
“Thanks.”
“No, I mean it. You are unexplainable. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a historian and I am not a scholar and I am definitely not lore master, but I don’t recall ever hearing anything about anyone like you.”
“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” she asked.
“Is it helping?”
“Not in the slightest,”
“Look, all I’m trying to say is…”
“I know what you’re trying to say. Morgan told me a long time ago, I don’t fit the mold, I am a miscellaneous, but it doesn’t help. It only makes it worse.”
“Yes, but maybe it’s not that you’re going insane, maybe you’re just losing your grip on the mortal realm,” Daniel replied.
She slowly looked up at him. “And the difference is?” she asked.
“There’s a big difference. When you’re insane you’re like… crazy, you’re losing your grip on reality, but if you’re no longer in the moral realm than… well… you know… you’re not.”
“You have no idea where you’re going with that, do you?” she asked.
“It sounded better in my head,” he admitted.
“Thanks anyway, but I think Morgan is the only one who can help me right now.”
“That may be, but Morgan’s locked up in the Tower with the rest of the mystics. You can’t just go knocking on their front door and ask to see him.”
“Emara, she should be able to get me in. She is supposed to be the next Grand Magus or something.”
“And how are you going to get to her?” Daniel asked.
“Through Alex,” Kile replied. “They were sweet on each other last year. I seriously doubt if they broke off all contact.”
“I suppose,” Daniel said, scratching his chin the way he usually did when he was trying to think. “It shouldn’t be too difficult to find him either. I mean, he should still be in the Forthbar Hospital.”
“Now all I have to do is get to Forthbar.”
“Well, the Hunters do have a Guild house there, which they’ve been working out of. They’ve been using it as a relay hub during the siege of Norfrom. It shouldn’t be too hard to get transferred there.”
“Transferred?”
“Well, yeah, Kile. You can’t just up and go to Norfrom. There is a war going on in case you’ve forgotten. You are part of the King’s Command.”
“Then how do I go about getting a transfer?” she asked.
“I suppose you should talk to Master Folkstaff first.”
Jumping up, Kile headed for the gatehouse, which was serving as a temporary headquarters, when Daniel grabbed her by the arm. Yanking herself free, she turned and growled at him, and then quickly clapped her hands over her mouth. The look in his eyes matched the fear in hers.
Where did that come from, she wondered?
It wasn’t so much the feral noise she made, which scared her, although it was bad enough, it was the thoughts in her head which went along with it.
“I’m… sorry,” she said without taking her hands away from her mouth.
“I was just going to suggest you calm down a bit before you go rushing over there.” Daniel replied nervously.
She really scared him this time.
“You’re probably right.” She said, trying to pull back her tangled hair. “I should probably get cleaned up or something. What I wouldn’t do for a bath right about now.”
-There’s a watering trough near the stables.-
Grim added.
“I am not bathing in a watering trough,” she snapped.
- I didn’t say you should. Do you honestly think I want you bathing in my drinking water? You can at least wash the filth off your face.-
“Oh, yeah, that’s not a bad idea.”
“What’s not a bad idea?” Daniel asked.
“Grim suggested I use the water trough by the stables to wash up.”
“I’ll probably never really get used to that. It always looks like you’re talking to yourself.”
“Like it really matters anymore, I don’t think I can look any crazier than I feel” Kile said, heading for the stables.
The stables were not part of the kastelya, so they were virtually unaffected by the collapse. In fact, it was actually one of the few structures which still remain intact.
Grim led the way with Vesper riding on his head, followed closely by Kile. Daniel kept a safe distance. The stable hands watched them approach, but said nothing. They just stood to one side when the mountain pony pushed open the gate and entered. Grim continued to the back of the building where the watering trough was located. Without hesitating, Kile knelt beside the trough. She cupped a handful of water and splashed it on her face. The cold was a welcome relief and did seem to calm her senses down a bit.
Looking at her reflection in the water, her mind drifted back to the portrait of Risa Ta’re which once hung in the great hall. Actually, it never really hung in the great hall. It was more like it hung in a locked closet under the stairs. Regardless of where it hung, she was always drawn to the painting of the long forgotten Hunter. There was something in Risa Ta’re’s eyes, which held Kile spellbound every time she looked at them. She often wondered what Risa was thinking, when the portrait was painted. She had a sad, haunted look on her face, and now Kile was seeing that same look on the face staring back at her from the water trough. At least the eyes were normal.
“You all right?” Daniel asked.
She had almost forgotten he was standing behind her. She ran her hand through the water and watched herself distorted by the ripples.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” She replied, cupping more water in her hands and trying to pour it on her head. Her attempts to flatten down her hair were unsuccessful.
-Just stick your head in the water for crying out loud.-
Grim snorted.
“No, I don’t want to get that wet,” She replied, looking around the stall. “All I need is a cup or something.”
-Yeah, like horses use cups at a watering trough.-
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a cup,” she shouted. “That was just an example.”
-Fine, get up. Let me help.-
Getting to her feet, Kile turned to face the mountain pony. She should have known better.
“What could you possibly…”
Before she could even finish the sentence, the pony’s head came up, knocking her backwards into the watering trough. She could hear Grim laughing in her head.
“Kile, you okay?” Daniel cried, running toward her.
She was completely soaked as she struggled to climb out of the trough. Daniel tried to help, but he was laughing just as hard as the pony.
-There, now you don’t have to worry about getting wet.-
“This was not what I had in mind,” Kile shouted. She shook herself out, much like a dog would after a similar soaking. Her hair was now sticking out all over the place. What would Alisa say if she could see her now?
-You look cleaner.-
Grim remarked.
“You know, there’s a glue factory in Callor, and I think they’re looking for donations.”
-Kile look funny-
Vesper laughed from his perch on the mountain pony’s head and she suddenly saw herself through the yarrows eyes. She had to laugh.
“Do I even have to ask?”
Folkstaff was standing in the yard, alongside Captain Jax, Lord Bollen and a few of the Lord’s men. This was not the audience she would have liked.
“Sorry, sir,” She said, standing at attention. “I was just trying to… clean up, sir.”
“Of course,” Folkstaff replied with a shrug.
Jax laughed. “Funny, Master Folkstaff, you don’t appear to be too surprised.” He said. “Is this typical behavior?”
“For her, yes,” Folkstaff replied.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Kile asked.
“That was quite a show you and your horse put on back there.” Lord Bollen remarked, stepping forward. He was dressed in a more fitting outfit, something which better represented his station. Gone were the trappings of war and in their place he wore silk and lace. His new attire made him appear less formidable. His hands were clasped behind his back as he slowly walked around the mountain pony, looking him over. Kile kept an eye on Grim and hoped the pony didn’t get one of his wicked ideas.
Lord Bollen suddenly, but cautiously, stepped back. “It’s a mountain pony, isn’t it?” he asked. From his reaction it was clear, he knew exactly what a mountain pony was and what a mountain pony was likely to do, if annoyed.
“Yes, sir,” Kile replied.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone actually riding one of these,” he said, looking to his men for conformation.
“It’s not very common, my Lord,” one of the soldiers replied. “They tend to be too wild.”
“I see,” Lord Bollen nodded. He turned back to Kile. “How is it that you managed to tame such a beast?” he asked.
Grim didn’t take kindly to being called a beast, or to the assumption he could be tamed. He made a sudden move toward Lord Bollen, who didn’t see it, since his back was to the pony. Kile quickly jumped between them.
“What was that, sir?” She asked.
“Tame him, how did you tame him?” Lord Bollen asked again.
“Well… I didn’t.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We have come to accept, your Lordship, that Hunter Veller didn’t so much as tame the mountain pony, as she has… teamed up with it,” Folkstaff remarked.
Jax laughed. “That, I can believe.”
Kile glared at the Captain.
“And what is this curiosity?” Lord Bollen asked, pointing to Vesper. “I do not believe it is common for a rat to ride on the head of a mountain pony.”
“I believe it is a yarrow, my Lord.” The soldier added.
Finally, someone who can di
stinguish between a yarrow and a rat.
“I’d be careful with that one, my Lord.” Jax added. “He can be quite dangerous.”
“Can he now?” Lord Bollen laughed. “He doesn’t appear very dangerous.”
“I can assure you, my Lord, his looks are deceiving. I personally witnessed him take out an entire platoon of valrik as well as a rampaging Minotaur single handedly.”
“If I didn’t know you better Captain, I would say you have been dipping into the mead.” Lord Bollen replied.
“I can assure you, sir, it is true.” Jax said, stepping forward. “It was this very yarrow which dropped the kastelya and sealed the mainway of Moran.”
“So Captain, you are saying that this… yarrow… is responsible for the destruction of my outpost.”
“Your outpost?” Kile laughed “If it was your outpost, why didn’t I see you on the wall?”
“I think that’s quite enough, Hunter Veller!” Folkstaff said. He turned to Lord Bollen. “My apologies, your Lordship, she is rather young and a bit outspoken.”
Jax snorted “A bit.”
“No, please, Master Folkstaff,” Lord Bollen laughed. “It is refreshing to hear someone actually speak their mind and not be silenced by formalities. I fear most of my subjects would not tell me my britches were on fire for fear of offending me.”
“You have nothing to fear there my Lord,” Jax added. “She has no problem offending people.”
Kile shot the Captain another look.
“Splendid.” Lord Bollen replied, heading back to his men. “She shall ride in front with me tomorrow and I shall listen to all she has to say, that is, after she finishes cleaning up. I’ll send the nonay to help you get ready”
“What? Ride where?”
Master Folkstaff stayed behind while Lord Bollen disappeared around the side of the stables, followed closely by his men and Captain Jax. Kile was expecting to get a long lecture from her survival instructor, but the big man just shook his head and sighed.
“He has taken a liking to you, although I do not know why,” he remarked.