by Garry Spoor
“Sorry I didn’t make it easier for you,” she replied.
“You don’t know the half of,” He laughed. “They came to me first, you know, Folkstaff and Barshed. When I heard they were planning on sending a recon into Denal to scope out Coopervill, I knew I had to do something. I persuaded them to look somewhere else, as you already know. But what you didn’t know was that I paid a little visit to old Sergeant Wargner that same day. You see, the one thing I discovered about my power, my Edge, is that it’s changing, it’s getting stronger. I was able to plant a suggestion into that thick skull of his. I convinced him of his military superiority, and that no valrik could stand in his way. All he had to do was retake Coopervill and he could win the war. When he left camp and headed into the Denal province, he believed the Uhyre would flee before him. I never dreamed it would work so well. To think, the idiot would attack an entire garrison with only a handful of soldiers.” he laughed. “What a fool! And you know what’s even funnier? He didn’t need that much convincing.”
“You sent those men to their deaths.”
Marcus shrugged and drained the contents of the stein, before setting it back on the table. “It’s war, Kile. They’re soldiers. Die today, die tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. They would have died eventually. The problem was, I never thought they would send you with them. You were only a Level Five. You weren’t qualified to be a scout for the military. If anything, I figured they would send Steele.”
“I thought Steele was your friend.”
“Friend? Hunters don’t have friends. They are independent. They are alone. Sure, Steele had his uses, and besides, with his Edge, he could have probably gotten out before the fighting started.”
“Enough of this,” Ravenshadow shouted. “If she will not help us willingly, then use that gift of yours and persuade her.”
“Oh, I can’t do that.” Marcus said with a grin. “It doesn’t work on her.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, it doesn’t work on her, she immune, for some reason.”
Ravenshadow was furious, although, without being able to see his face, it was difficult to tell. He rose from his seat and almost appeared to float across the room to stand in front of Marcus.
“I said persuade her,” he hissed.
“I said, it’s impossible,” Marcus replied.
Ravenshadow looked at Kile. “I should have known. She is more animal than vir. I guess we’ll have to find another way to… persuade her.”
“That’s your problem. Hunters don’t harm Hunters, so you’re on your own.”
“I see. Very well then. Perhaps her friends could be of assistance.” He said as he slowly turned to face her, and that was what she was waiting for.
“Thank you, I guess I don’t need this anymore,” She said, throwing the stone high into the air. Ravenshadow lunged for it, as did three of the valrik, but as his fingers touched the stone, it disappeared. The sack, beside the wall, shimmered out of existence and Alex jumped to his feet. Kile grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chamber and back into the network of caves. The commotion behind them was short lived, she had hoped for more of a distraction.
“Did you get the information?” Alex asked.
“I know where they are.” She told him as she pulled him along behind her. When she reached the intersecting tunnels, she turned right.
“We’re going the wrong way.” Alex shouted. “The exit’s the other way.”
“I know. Sandson will have to handle the rescue by himself. We have to be somewhere else.”
It didn’t take long before Eric and the valrik were on her trail. Kile turned down one of the smaller tunnels and Alex used his Edge to create an illusion of the cave wall to hide behind. They held their breaths and waited until Eric passed. When she was sure he was far enough away, she removed Vesper from her shoulder, or at least it was Vesper a moment ago, now it was Rowd.
Ravenshadow’s link to Bakara was even greater than he understood. The moment he thought about the prisoners, Bakara knew their location, and the moment Bakara knew, Kile knew. All she had to do now, was relay that information to Rowd, that and get out of the mines alive.
“Find Sandson, find the others,” she told the fox, and sent him on his way.
“Then who are we looking for?” Alex asked.
“Zaheeg,” she replied.
“How long are we going to wait?” Browne asked. He was growing impatient as he paced back and forth nervously, only pausing long enough to stare down at the stone city, and even then he kept tapping his foot.
Anurr looked up from the long bow he was waxing. “Sit down, you are making me nervous,” he told him.
Sandson sighed. “We wait until we receive Kile’s signal,” he said. It felt as if he was repeating himself every ten minutes, but he had to admit, he was getting a bit anxious. The whole plan hinged on so many small factors out of his control.
“How do we know she hasn’t been captured as well?” Browne asked. “I don’t like this plan. I said it from the start.”
“Duly noted,” Sandson replied. “But, while neither Kile nor Tullner are here, I am, unfortunately, in command, and I say, we wait.”
“Just give them a few more minutes.” Daniel said as he climbed up the hill toward them. He was carrying freshly filled water skins which he handed to the soldiers. He had spent all afternoon purifying the water with his Edge. It might have made the water bitter, but it was now safe to drink. “I know Kile, and while her plans may seem… well… just give them a few more minutes.”
“I don’t like waiting.” Browne remarked and took a mouthful of water.
“Nobody would have guessed,” Anurr replied.
Sandson just shook his head. “Are the Ogre on board? Did Margog get off alright” he asked Daniel when the healer took a seat beside him on the rock.
“As far as I know,” Daniel replied. “Margog should be back in his village with the egg by now, if he followed the same path we did. As for the others, they seem as eager to get back at the valrik as we are.”
“Well, that’s something.” Sandson remarked. He still didn’t completely trust the Ogre. “What about the dogs? Do they know what they’re supposed to do?” he asked.
Daniel shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Man, I wish Kile was here.”
Anurr quickly got to his feet. “Hey, isn’t that one of her friends, now?” he said, pointing down the hill to where a small sand colored fox was heading in their direction.
“This might be it,” Sandson shouted. “Let the Ogre know what's happening, and… I suppose you should probably inform the dogs as well, if they even understand.”
Daniel laughed. “It gets interesting, doesn’t’ it?” He said as he started back down the hill.
The fox made a direct line toward Sandson, and then sat in front of the soldier, chattering away. Sandson looked to his men and shrugged.
“Can anyone speak fox?” He asked.
“Whatever he has to say, it’s a mouthful.” Anurr remarked.
“It kind of forces you to look at things a little differently, doesn’t it?” Sandson said, before kneeling down in front of the fox. “I’m sorry, little guy, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Daniel returned with Lore and Nova, while Taugh and Ertgoth waited at the bottom hill. The old dog approached the small fox, and whether they exchanged any kind of greeting or information was unclear, but he knew what he was supposed to do. When the fox ran off, He and Nova followed.
“Don’t let those dogs out of your sight,” Sandson said as he collected his supplies.
They started down the hill, toward the stone city, but they never reached it. Instead, Rowd turned east, skirting the outer edge, and rounding back toward the mountains. Although the fox was fast, and small, and often out of sight, Lore easily tracked him.
The farther they moved away from the city, the more Sandson was starting to believe, something had gone wrong in translation. Eit
her Lore wasn’t following the right fox, or the fox was leading them astray. He was debating whether or not to call off the hunt when Anurr got his attention. The soldier was out in front when he suddenly dropped to the ground and motioned for the others to do the same. Keeping low in the tall brush, Sandson made his way over to Anurr.
“Over there,” he whispered, pointing to a handful of cave entrances which dotted the face of the mountain. They looked to be abandoned mines, probably previous attempts by the Uhyre in their search for the dragon, if he even existed. But they weren’t completely abandoned. At least one of them was showing some sign of life.
“It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it?” Sandson said, kneeling down beside Anurr.
“What is?” he asked.
“Now it’s our turn to rescue Tullner from a cave.”
The soldier grinned. “At least they don’t have any of those saladogs,” he said.
“None that we’ve seen,” Sandson replied.
Daniel crawled up behind them. “What’s the plan?” he asked.
“First thing we do is take out the guards as quickly and as quietly as possible.” Sandson explained. “Then we try to get into the cave, which, I’m afraid, is where things are likely to get dicey.”
“We could really use one of your Hunter tricks right about now.” Anurr said as he strung his bow.
“I’m afraid this is beyond my area of expertise,” Daniel replied. “My skills come in after the battles over.”
Sandson placed a hand on the healer’s shoulder. “That’s why I want you sitting this one out,” he told him.
“You can’t leave me behind!”
“Look Danny, first off, you’ve never really been in a fight, and this isn’t exactly the place to sharpen your blade. It’s going to be pretty tight in there. Close quarter combat in an unfamiliar setting like this, is as bad as it gets. Secondly, you said it yourself. Your skills may be needed after this battle is over.”
“Not to mention the fact that Kile would skin him alive if anything happens to you.” Browne added when he joined them.
“Yeah, there’s that too.” Sandson replied.
“Well, if we don’t have any trickery, then we do this old school,” Anurr said as he sorted through his arrows. He examined each one carefully and set three aside. What made them different, or special, was known only to him. “I spot three guards. One on high, and two beside the entrance, anyone got something different?” he asked.
“No, that’s what I got.” Sandson replied. “Take out the one on high first.”
“I’m sorry, are you actually telling me my job?” Anurr asked.
“Fine, take them out in any order you want.”
Anurr crawled forward a little bit more, finding a spot which gave him a clear view of the mine’s entrance. He stuck the three arrows into the ground, strung his bow, and then tested the wind. When he was sure everything was in order, he nocked the first arrow. Drawing the bow, he took aim. He held for what seemed like an eternity before letting the arrow loose. The shaft flew silently through the air and found its mark. The valrik, who stood high over the entrance, toppled over backwards and disappeared from view.
“I see you went for the high one first.” Sandson commented.
“Seriously,” Anurr said, without turning around. “You’re going to distract me now.”
He drew back the bow once again and took aim. This time he had to wait for the right moment. When the second valrik’s back was turned, and he wasn’t looking at his companion, Anurr let the arrow fly. It quietly found its mark. He already had the third arrow drawn when the valrik turned back around. There was no time for it to raise an alarm, or even cry out, as the last arrow pierced its chest.
“Damn,” Was all Daniel could say.
“You just witnessed one of the finest archers in the Fennel Arms,” Bowne said, slapping Daniel on the back.
“Try the whole King’s Command.” Anurr replied.
“Daniel, you stay here with the dogs.” Sandson said as he moved past the others and headed down the hill. “Come on, keep low and move fast.” he commanded.
Brown and Anurr were right behind him, Taugh and Ertgoth followed up the rear. They had just reached the flats before the cave entrance when one of the brunrik chose that very moment to step out. Needless to say, seeing two valrik, skewered with arrows, caused him some concern. He turned back to the cave and barked out a few words, and before long, he was joined by three more.
“Who is Zaheeg?” Alex asked.
“That depends.” Kile replied. “He’s either a god, or the last of the class A open scripts.”
Alex turned and stared at her. “No offense, Kile girl, but I don’t really want to find either one of those.”
“We don’t have much of a choice,” she said. “Ravenshadow has something planned and I want to know what it is.”
They waited a few more minutes before Alex released his illusion, just to make sure Eric wasn’t coming back. It was hard to tell how far the tunnels extended, and he could return at any moment.
Traveling was slow, since the only light they had was the small hooded lantern Alex borrowed from Sandson. He kept the light to a narrow beam, so as not to attract too much attention. It didn’t reveal much of what was in front of them, and barely enough to light the ground under their feet. Most of the time they stumbled along using their hands on the walls to guide them.
“This way,” Kile whispered, pulling Alex down one of the side shaft.
She didn’t know how she knew where to go, only that she knew, but one thing was for certain, the farther they were from the main line, the better off they would be.
The path turned and twisted, then dropped down a few feet before straightening out. It opened into a larger cavern and Alex adjusted the hood of the lantern for more light.
“These don’t look like the mines anymore,” he said as he held the lantern up higher. The soft glow of the lantern painted the walls a dull yellow, which only enhanced the subterranean feel of the place.
“No, this is more like a natural cave,” Kile replied. They looked very much like the caves the Ogre were living in under the stone city.
“Kile, over there,” Alex said, pointing the lantern at an isolated portion of the cavern. The ground was littered with large chunks of rocks which didn’t appear to come from the surrounding area. They were eerily familiar, and it didn’t take long for Kile to figure out where she had seen them before. She knelt down and picked up one of the pieces, turning it over in her hand. They were just like the sacred artifact of Zaheeg.
“Do you know what these are, Alex?” she asked.
“Not really,” he replied.
“They’re eggs,” she said, letting the piece drop from her hand. She took the lantern from Alex and, opening the shutter, filled the cavern with even more light. The ground was covered with the remains of the broken eggs. “They destroyed all of them,” she said in disbelief.
“These were dragon eggs?” Alex asked.
Kile turned to see him cradling one of the pieces in his hands. Alex had always been fascinated with stories and legends, but the ones about dragons were his favorite.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m afraid so,” she said
“Why would they do this? I mean, I know dragons can be scary and dangerous, but this, this is horrible.”
“Come on, we have to keep moving.”
Alex slipped the piece of egg into his pocket before taking the lantern back. He adjusted the shutter and scanned the walls of the cavern with the light, stopping only when he found a large opening. “That looks like the only other exit,” he said, walking toward it.
Kile followed, but only managed to take a few steps before she dropped to her knees. The attack was unexpected as the inside of her head virtually exploded. It was as if the world had suddenly lit up, but the colors were stripped from it so all she could see were shades of gray. A thick black ink was dripping from the walls of the cavern all around h
er, as shadows crept in behind them. The darkness was coming, and in that darkness, she heard the laughter.
“Alex, Go!” she shouted, reaching for her Lann.
“Kile, what is it? Are you all right?” he asked. Alex spun the lantern around, looking for the source of the danger, but he could see nothing.
“Alex, get out of here. Run!”
The shadows closed in around her, like the coming of a massive flood. Before she knew it, she was drowning in the darkness, cut off from the rest of the world, and the laughter only got louder. It was mocking her from some distant shore, no longer in sight. Kile adjusted her grip on the Lann; she knew what was coming. She had hoped she had seen the last of them, but this one emerged from the shadows right in front of her, breaking into her reality. Without hesitating, she charged forward. The Valgar was already moving, its muscular back legs propelling it over the ground at a surprising speed. They collided and the Valgar plowed her over, but it paid the price as she ran the blade down its underbelly. Quickly scrambling to her feet, she found the beast writhing in pain and drove the blade through its skull.
“Come on Kile, let’s get out of here,” Alex screamed.
Looking up from the Valgar, which now lay dead at her feet, she stared at the young vir. He was terrified. She could taste his fear. She could hear the beating of his heart and smell the blood coursing through is veins. She wondered what scared him more- the Valgar, or her.
Turning her back on him, she looked into the darkness. Where there was one, others were sure to follow. More were on their way. They were linked. They knew where she was now, and they were coming for her.
“Kile, please, we have to go,” the vir pleaded.
Why would she want to go? If the Valgar were coming here, it would save her the trouble of hunting them down.
He grabbed her arm and she looked at him without seeing him. She couldn’t even understand his sounds. He was just another vir, nothing more than prey to be played with, another morsel to feast upon. They slice up so well, but what do they taste like? She tightened her grip on the blade. He backed away from her. She took a step forward and her world shattered in a loud scream.