by Garry Spoor
Kile laugh. It all seemed easy, looking back on it now.
“I kind of felt bad doing that to Jax. But I was only probationary. I was afraid if anyone found out I had anything to do with the Minotaur, they would boot me out of the Guild. All I wanted to do was complete my first delivery.”
“Delivery,” Valery exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “My first class D deliver, and I almost forget.”
“Class D?” Emara asked.
“A class D deliver is a delivery of a high-priority package or mail through hostile territory,” Kile explained. She was all too familiar with class D delivers. She’d only had one, and it didn’t go well. “Who’s it for?”
Valery pulled a rolled-up message from her courier’s bag and handed it to Kile. “It’s for you. I only received the assignment a couple of days ago,” she said. “I was going to go to the Tower since that was the last place you were seen, but Alex said you were eventually coming here.”
Kile slowly unrolled the parchment and read it over a few times. It didn’t say much. It was a simple summons to the palace in Azintar, and it was signed by King Roland Waltair. Why would the king send her a summons? Was this his way of getting her to come back? She did try to sneak out on him.
“Is everything all right, Ki?” Emara asked.
She must have made a face or something. Everyone was now staring at her.
“I didn’t mess up, did I? Waiting the few extra days?” Valery asked nervously. “I mean, I could have gone to Littenbeck to deliver it, I mean I should have gone, but it’s nearly a two-day ride and I was afraid you’d be here when I was there, and by the time I arrived back here, and you’d be there.”
“No, it’s fine,” Kile assured her.
The letter should have been sent to the Guild house in Littenbeck and delivered to the Tower. Why it was sent to Baxter’s Bay instead and put in the hands of a probationary Hunter was anyone’s guess.
“Do you have the script?” Kile asked.
“The what?”
“The script. I’m supposed to sign a delivery script, which you should have given me before the letter.”
“Oh, shoot, you’re right.” Valery dove into her courier’s bag again. “I messed up. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re still new at this.”
“That’s no excuse,” she said, pulling a handful of crumpled papers out of her bag. She threw them on the table and unfolded a few before she found the one she wanted. After trying to flatten it out with little success, she nervously handed it to Kile.
“Cut yourself some slack.” Kile said, looking over the paper. “Mistakes are part of the job. Believe me, I’ve made more than my share.”
“Still, this is a class D assignment. They don’t usually hand those out to probationary Hunters. This could be the assignment that earns me my Level Five.”
“You remember what Master Adams always said about assignments?” Alex asked. “Nobody cares how you do it…”
“… as long as it gets done,” Kile finished with him.
“I’ll have to remember that,” Valery said.
“Did you happen to remember to bring something to write with?”
“Ah… no… sorry.”
“You should always have something to write with because you don’t know where you’ll be when you deliver the letter,” Alex explained.
“I’ll have to remember that, too.” Valery looked sheepish.
With a sudden flourish of her hand, Emara produced a quill pen from, seemingly, nowhere. “I always carry a few.” She handed it to Kile.
“What about ink?” Kile asked.
“Don’t need any.”
“Of course not.” She scribbled her name across the bottom of the script. The quill wrote in a bright shade of pink. “Sorry about that.” Kile handed the paper back to Valery.
“As long as I get paid, I don’t care what color it’s in.”
“Now you’re talking like a true Hunter,” Alex laughed.
“We were finishing supper if you care to join us,” Emara said with a mischievous grin.
Kile was sure the mystic only wanted the young woman to join them so she could find out exactly how well she knew Alex.
“I’m afraid not. I have a delivery to make in Humton,” the young Hunter said.
“Humton, and you’re leaving now?” Alex exclaimed. “Humton’s a good day’s ride from here, and it’s getting late.”
“Not to worry. I like traveling at night. My grandfather said I was part bat.” She grinned.
She had no idea what it meant to be part bat, Kile thought as she watched Valery shove the rest of the loose paper back into her courier’s bag. When the Hunter finished, she stood beside the table for a moment and looked as if she was trying to work up the courage to say something more. Taking a deep breath, she blurted out. “May I ask a favor of you, Hunter Veller?”
“Uh, sure, but please, it’s just Kile.”
“I don’t know if I can call you that.”
“What do you need?”
“Well, how do I say this? I heard… you can… talk to horses.”
“Where did you hear that?” Kile asked.
“Kinda everywhere, but mostly from Luke. He’s the stable hand at the Academy. And, of course, I assumed most of the stories Master Bartlow told us are, at least, partially true.”
“Of course she can,” Alex cheerfully answered for her. “She had a long conversation with my horse when we were still at the Academy. I didn’t realize it at the time, but ever since then, he’s been pretty reasonable.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Valery said. “My horse is wonderful, only, I heard the horses can tell you their true names.”
It was true, Kile often spoke with the horses back at the Academy. It only seemed polite to address them by their true names as opposed to the ones their owners gave them. The vir names were so unoriginal, and a few were rather insulting. That’s not to say all horses disliked their vir names. Some, like Alex’s, preferred them over their true names while others never had a true name to begin with.
“I think I can help you,” Kile said, getting up from the table.
Valery looked startled. “Right now?”
“You wanted to get on the road, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but I didn’t want to bother you right now.”
“It’s no bother. We were finished anyway.”
“This I’ve got to see.” Alex jumped to his feet.
Emara sighed. “Oh, wonderful, we get to go to the stables.”
~~~***~~~
The streets weren’t nearly as crowded now. Only a handful of shops remained open. This part of the town closed down early, but the rest of Baxter’s Bay was still active. From what Kile understood, the town never slept and there was always something going on somewhere. She could even hear the distant sound of laughter, which always felt like it was just out of her reach.
Opening her satchel, Kile let Vesper climb up her arm and ride on her shoulder. The sight of the yarrow set Valery at ease as she scratched his head.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you’re quite different from what Master Bartlow described in his stories,” the young Hunter remarked.
“How so?” Kile asked.
“You always seemed… angry and… kinda scary, and your hair was red.”
“The hair color is temporary,” Alex interjected. His comment was followed by the sound of Emara, slapping him upside the head.
“Master Bartlow tends to exaggerate,” the mystic added.
When they reached the stables, they found them empty, save for a single shielded stallion with black socks. Valery pulled a carrot from her courier’s bag and fed it to the horse while stroking his nose.
“He’s very well-behaved and has never given me any trouble. But after talking with Luke, I always felt bad that I couldn’t use his real name.”
“Good evening,” Kile said as she approached the stallion. “My name is Kile V
eller, and you are?”
-Sootfoot,- the horse answered, and it wasn’t difficult to tell he did not like his vir-given name.
“Sootfoot?” Kile repeated, turning to Valery. “You named him… Sootfoot?”
The young Hunter’s eyes widened. “So, it’s true, you can speak with animals.”
Kile turned back to the horse.
“I am so sorry,” she told him. “What is your true name?”
Sootfoot didn’t hesitate. - Nothas-
Kile could feel the pride within the name. “Nothas, I like it. It suits you.”
When the horse heard his name spoken out loud, he shook back his mane and stomped his foot.
“So, Nothas, how is Valery treating you otherwise?”
-Mistress has been good to me. She treats me well. She feeds carrots, although I prefer apples. I also enjoy her singing when we go riding.-
The horse’s words filled her with a deep sense of caring and trust. There was already a strong bond between him and the young Hunter.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Kile stroked his nose.
“What did he tell you?” Valery asked nervously.
“His name is Nothas. He says he prefers apples to carrots and he likes it when you sing to him.”
The young Hunter blushed. “He told you that?”
“He cares a lot about you.”
“I care a lot about him. Thank you, Miss… I mean, thank you, Kile.”
“It’s the least I could do,” she said. “I know you’re eager to get going, and I have to get back to the Tower if I’m going to get an early start tomorrow. Take care, probationary Hunter Valery.”
Kile was about to leave when Nothas called out to her. -I have a message for you if you are who they say you are.-
“A message? From whom?” she asked. Why would a horse she had never met before have a message for her? She didn’t like where this was going.
-Gorum,- Nothas answered, and in his words, she could see the old mastiff patrolling the stables. It’d been a long time since she had spoken with her old friend.
“How? I mean. What did he say?”
-He told us, should we find you, we are to tell you the Sons of Terrabin have not been idle. They are growing in number and in power. They are recruiting, even within the Academy. You are not safe.-
~~~***~~~
“So, what did the horse tell you?” Alex asked.
“Only what I told Valery,” Kile said.
They stood in the street, outside the stables, watching Valery Jax ride off to Humton. It reminded Kile of her first assignment. A simple delivery to the town of Tobery. It wasn’t that long ago, although it felt like a few lifetimes. She was so excited back then, so eager to prove herself. At the time, being a Hunter meant everything to her. Now, not so much. When did it all come crashing down? When did she become so jaded? It was probably when the Hunters accused her of murder and tried to kill her. Yeah, that could pretty much change anyone’s opinion.
“I mean after that,” Alex demanded. “That horse told you something else, didn’t he? Did he know why you were being summoned to the palace? Did it have something to do with the secret mission?”
“What secret mission?” Kile asked.
Alex looked up and down the street as if he expected the shadows to be listening in on their conversation. “I heard,” he whispered, “the king is searching for a secret Alva artifact. One that will end the war and bring back the wastelands. They may have found it on a lost island, somewhere across the ocean. I also heard the king was assembling an expedition to go and bring it back.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I may not be a Hunter anymore, but I still have my connections. I have ears and eyes in every city.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Well, maybe not in every city, but I do have my connections.”
“Please, you don’t have connections. You’re barely up on your rumors,” she laughed and looked over at Emara.
The mystic slapped Alex upside his head. “You weren’t supposed to tell anyone,” she said through clenched teeth.
“This isn’t anyone—this is Kile.”
Somehow, that didn’t sound very flattering.
“Still, you can’t simply blab about it.”
“It’s okay. I knew about the artifact,” Kile said.
“How did you know?” Alex’s eyes lit up. “Did the king confide in you?”
“No,” Kile answered, but that wasn’t entirely true. “I heard it from the mystic at Windfoil.”
“Elmac Okalis?” Emara asked.
“Yeah, that was him. I met him during the conference and he told me about the artifact, although I don’t think it was much of a secret. But he didn’t say anything about an expedition.”
“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but it’s true,” Emara said. “Late last summer, the king sent out a fleet of ships to find a way through the maelstrom, to where the Alva claimed this so-called ancient artifact is located. The Tower has already assigned Mystic Elmac as our representative on this voyage since he’s been involved with the research from the beginning.”
“You don’t sound as if you believe in this artifact,” Kile said.
The mystic laughed. “Oh, please. An ancient artifact that can bring back the wastelands and reestablish the Alva Empire? It’s a fairy tale worthy of Alex.”
“See, Ki, maybe your summons does have something to do with the secret mission,” Alex added.
“I seriously doubt it. If you remember, I tried to attack the Alva ambassadors. If anything, I think they’d want me as far away from the expedition as they can get me. No, I’m afraid I might know what this summons is all about.”
“What?” Alex asked.
“Just… something that was left unfinished. It doesn’t matter.”
“Something between you and Roland?” Emara asked.
“We should be heading back to the Tower,” Kile, said quickly.
She left them standing in the road, laughing.
3
Kile didn’t get much sleep. Most of the night she lay awake, listening to Emara snoring and staring at the hovering ball, which was now casting a dim blue light over the room. One of these days, she thought, that ball was going to fall. There was no reason it should remain up there. It was unnatural. Unfortunately, she’d probably never get to see it, unless it fell within the next couple of hours. She was leaving in the morning, heading back to Azintar. The early start would give her time to think, time to get her head on straight before she saw Roland again. She was also planning to take a little side trip back to the Academy. Since it was right outside the City of Azintar, it shouldn’t delay her too long. She had to see Gorum again, had to know what the Sons of Terrabin were up to.
It had been a long time since she’d heard that name. She thought the war would have put an end to their threat within the Guild or at least minimized it. But no such luck. If anything, it looked as if it might have done the opposite. They were growing in number and strength. She’d seen it herself but hadn’t realized it at the time.
The Sons of Terrabin were trying to steer the Guild in a different direction. Although Hunters usually worked alone, the Sons believed if they combined their skills, they could do so much more, but only for those who could afford them. Gone would be the days of delivering messages, protecting travelers, and helping the commoner. Instead, they would become a personal army for the rich and the powerful. Any merchant, lord, or, dare she say, king, could put down disputes, challenge rival landholders, or even seize entire towns if they were willing to pay for it.
She had seen it coming for a while. The increased fees the Guild charged made it nearly impossible for the average person to afford them. Every Guild house had a board, where scripts viewed as unimportant were hung. But who made that decision? Who decided what was important and what wasn’t? It all came down to who could pay. Those boards were usually filled with scripts that went ignored.
Not only di
d they want to control what jobs the Hunters took, but they also wanted to control who became a Hunter in the first place. They’d only accept sons of noble birth or wealthy families into the new Guild. People like Alex and Murphy would have been turned away at the front door. And forget about her. She wouldn’t have made it even that far. The runaway daughter of a peasant farmer with Orceen blood didn’t fit their ideal of the perfect Hunter, not by a long shot. As for the other members of their survival group, they probably would have accepted Daniel. His skill in the mystic arts alone would have made him a valuable member, and Carter would have had no trouble getting in. He was exactly what they were looking for.
Climbing out of bed, Kile opened the window. New day, new possibilities, new problems. The sun was already rising as the morning light crept its way up the streets of Littenbeck. It was only a matter of time before it reached the base of the Tower, not that the Tower would notice. There was a constant shadow over the courtyard. She was sure the mystics had something to do with that. What better way to say no solicitors than never-ending darkness.
She watched the city slowly wake as a few early risers already went about their business. It must be nice, she thought. They lived each day without realizing what was happening in the world around them. She could have lived like that, back in Riverport, if she had listened to her father and married that little troll of a boy who lived down the road from her.
What was he doing now?
That might not have been the life she wanted, but was the life she got any better?
They said she was cured. No, that wasn’t true. They said there wasn’t anything wrong with her to start with, and that’s what scared her. Yet hiding here in the Tower wasn’t much different from hiding in Riverport.
Kile grabbed her pack from the corner of the room, where it had sat for the last three months. She started stuffing what little she had into it.
“Do all Hunters get up this early?” Emara asked.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Kile said.
“So, you’re actually going?”
“I’m afraid so. I think I should get this over with.”