by Garry Spoor
“Will you calm down?” she told him. “She’s still about ten or fifteen minutes out.”
Reaching out to Fort, it wasn’t long before Kile connected with the horse. He and Erin were running flat-out across the field, toward the river, but they were not alone. She missed it the first time because she wasn’t looking, but there was a second rider. They were still too far away for her to get any clear information. All she knew was the second rider was a man on a mare named Linthoria, which was more information than anyone else could have gathered from that distance, but it still didn’t help. Her first impression was that Erin and Fort were being chased, but she sensed no urgency in the horse. As they got closer, it became clear they were running side by side.
She was going to tell Daniel, but he seemed nervous enough without the extra information. She kept tabs on the riders until they reached the river and headed upstream. It was only when they passed the bridge, Kile realized who the second rider was. Breaking the connection with Fort, she jumped down from the rock.
“What is it?” Daniel asked.
“Company,” she said.
Erin and Fort came up the river first, followed by a man on the back of a light bay mare. He was a tall, dark man with short cropped black hair and a neatly trimmed beard, traditional of the Hunters of old. Slipping off the horse with ease, he dropped down beside Linthoria but held back until Erin dismounted.
“You,” Kile exclaimed. “I have a bone to pick with you!” She marched across the field toward him.
Erin quickly stepped between them. “Wait, Kile, you don’t understand. He’s with me. This is Master Arron Duncan.”
“Oh, I know who he is,” Kile said.
Duncan laughed. “Well met, Hunter Veller. It is good to see you again.”
“Don’t give me that. What’s the idea of naming a group of Hunters after me?”
“Look, I’m sorry about that, but in my defense, I did believe you were dead.”
“Not good enough. And what’s this talk about my teachings? I haven’t taught anybody anything.”
“That’s not entirely true.” He held up a finger. “You have taught me more than you know. You are one of the few who understands what it means to be a Hunter.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve been watching you for a while. Since your entry examination. From the moment you came to the aid of a fellow student in need when everyone else turned away, I knew you were something special. The fact you didn’t resort to physical violence but instead used a taka fruit to resolve the conflict was inspirational. You were also the only student in the history of the exam to complete the final test.”
“I nearly destroyed the Tower,” Kile said.
“Yes… there was that, but you still completed the test.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I take it you’ve met before?” Erin asked.
Kile looked at Erin and back at Duncan. “She doesn’t know?”
“No. Why would she?” he said.
“Don’t you think you should tell her?”
“Tell me what?” Erin asked.
Duncan looked at Kile and shrugged.
“Fine, whatever.” She threw her hands up and turned her back on him. Right now, she had more important things on her mind. “Did you happen to find me some pants?” she asked Erin.
“Oh, yes, here.” Erin handed Kile a small bundle of clothing. “I also got you a pair of boots,” she added.
Kile took the footwear, and for one brief moment, she wasn’t sure what to do with them. Walking around in bare feet was so natural, she no longer worried about it. Taking the clothing and the boots, Kile thanked Erin and headed over to where Grim was waiting. Using the mountain pony as a screen, she changed on his other side.
“So, what are you not telling me?” Erin asked Duncan.
“It’s nothing important,” he answered dismissively.
“Tell her already, or I will,” Kile called over.
“What possible purpose could it serve?” Duncan asked.
Kile stepped out from behind Grim. She was now wearing an old, yet rather comfortable grey shirt and a pair of heavy brown work pants. It was a far cry from the first outfit Erin had gotten her, but it was better than the dress. She was still carrying the boots.
“You need allies to rebuild the Hunters,” she told Duncan. “How can you have allies if you don’t have trust?”
Duncan was about to reply but must have thought better of it. He slowly nodded his head. “And you say you’ve never taught anyone anything,” he said with a mischievous grin. “Very well, if you insist.”
Without saying another word, he started to change. He shrunk about two inches, his skin grew lighter, and his hair grew longer. His facial features distorted and his nose got smaller while his eyes grew bigger. Before they realized what was happening, Duncan was gone, and in his place was…
“Master Latherby?” Erin exclaimed in disbelief.
Kile sighed and shook her head. “Wonderful,” she said. “You didn’t have to freak her out—you could have simply told her.”
“Yeah, I suppose that might have been better,” Mathew said.
“Yah think?”
“How is this even possible?” Daniel asked. He had been so quiet, off to the side, Kile forgot he was there.”
“It’s his Edge,” she explained.
“I’ve never seen an Edge like that.”
“He’s another miscellaneous. We’re everywhere, didn’t you know?”
“Sir,” Erin said, taking a cautious step toward him. She was having a hard time believing what she was seeing. “I… I thought you were…”
“Dead,” he said. “Not quite. I’m sorry for the deception, Erin. I had to keep a low profile. The Terrabin Hunters were hounding me. Guild Master Parker would not let me retire so easily.”
“He’s also Colonel Barshed,” Kile added.
“Colonel Barshed?” Erin looked between the two of them.
Mathew sighed. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“Well, now that we got that out of the way”—Kile opened one of Erin’s packs—“did you happen to find any food in the village, or am I going to have to forage for something?”
“No, I mean, yeah, here.” Erin handed her a different pack.
Kile opened it to find it stuffed with an assortment of fruit, bread, and cheese. It wasn’t the neatest packing job, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She was starving. The last meal she had was at the palace, right before she turned into a hawk. Pulling out a few apples for Grim and some dodgy-looking carrots for her and Vesper, she decided to let them continue their discussion without her.
“So who are you really?” Erin asked.
Then again, Kile thought, what’s the rush? The conversation was just starting to get interesting. Why didn’t she ever think to ask him that question?
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Mathew said, removing his cloak. He looked even more like a vagabond now that his clothes were too big for him. Duncan was heavier and taller than Mathew.
“Okay, how long have you been doing this?” Erin asked.
“For a very long time,” he said slowly. “I suppose it all started with Moran Leafler, I mean, that was the first true persona I kept up for any given period of time. Before that, it was simply a disguise I would don every so often, but Leafler was the first.”
“Moran Leafler, as in the first Hunter?” Daniel asked.
“Very good. It’s nice to know the history of the Hunters was not completely forgotten. The truth is, I became Moran because I found the vir trusted the vir more than they trusted the Alva. You see, when we started out, we were only a small group of thrill seekers. We wanted adventure. We wanted to see the world, but we found out too soon that seeking thrills doesn’t pay well. That’s when we formed the Hunters and hired ourselves out. We never considered how successful we’d become. However, as an Alva, I didn’t age as fast as my friends, so when
they started slowing down, I found myself working alone. I started looking around, seeking new companions, but nobody wanted to work with an Alva, and that’s when Moran was born. As Moran Leafler, it was easier to revive the Hunters, but it was never the same. The new Hunters seemed only interested in money, power, and prestige, but for me, it was all about helping those in need. That’s when I decided to start my own school. I wanted to find kids with potential, so I could teach them what it meant to be a Hunter.
“It was great at first, but soon my age became a problem again. I couldn’t reveal myself as an Alva, and I couldn’t stay a Moran forever, so Moran had to go. It was easier back then because I could simply hand the school over to myself. One headmaster would step down to be replaced by another. Nobody questioned it. The school grew, and the Guild was created, and I named myself the first Guild Master. It was becoming harder and harder to keep up the ruse. There were even a few years I lost control of the Academy and had to fight to get it back. To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure how many personas I’ve used over the years.”
“So, you’re one of the Alva?” Erin asked.
“I’m afraid so,” he said.
“Oh, please, what’s so great about the Alva?” Kile interrupted. “One tried to kill me and there’s another trying to wreak havoc on the kingdom, or have you forgotten?”
Mathew sighed. “So it’s true,” he said. “I feared as much.”
“Then you knew?”
“No, not really. I mean, I know what my kind are capable of, but I never thought they would try to bring back the blight that destroyed Kalistar.”
Kile laughed. “If only,” she said. “It’s not a blight they brought back from the island, it’s the Maligar, and it’s alive.”
“That’s ridiculous, Kile,” Daniel said, waving her off. “We didn’t bring back anything alive. Only that crystal, that Heart of Nilak thing.”
“That thing is Nilak, and he was an Orceen,” Kile tried to explain. “What you brought back was… I don’t know… some manifestation of his madness.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Possible or not, we have to find it and stop it or at least stop the Alva from releasing it.”
“But where do we look?” Mathew asked.
Daniel gave a casual shrug. “The wastelands,” he said. “That’s where they were supposed to take it.”
“That’s what Roland said, as well,” Kile added. “They were taking the Heart into the wastelands to defeat the valrik.”
“Seems like a waste of time to me, since we haven’t had any problems with the valrik since the end of autumn,” Erin said.
“Are you sure?”
“They’ve been quiet. At least we’ve had no problems with them on the southern front.”
“Intel from the Veller Hunters has it that a squad entered the wastelands through Denal, right before the spring,” Mathew said.
“What squad?” Erin asked.
“No one knows. They flew no banner, nor did they wear any insignia.”
“What? Like a secret squad?”
“Quite possible.”
“More like a squad of Terrabin Hunters,” Kile suggested.
“Quite probably,” Mathew agreed. “Anyway, regardless of what the Terrabin Hunters are doing, we should eat and get a good night’s sleep. We have a long road ahead of us.”
Kile took her apples and her carrots over to where Grim was waiting at the riverside. The mountain pony looked up when she approached.
-So, what’s the plan?- he asked.
“The plan is, be ready to leave.”
-Sneaking out again are we?-
“Let’s just say, it’s for the best. I don’t like what I’m thinking right now.” She held out the apple for him. Grim took it in one bite.
-Hey, it suits me fine. Ditch the deadweight,- he told her.
“It’s just that—”
-Heads up, you’ve got company.-
Kile turned to see Daniel walking toward her. He was holding a blanket.
“Erin picked up a few of these as well since we don’t have much in the way of supplies,” he said, handing it to her. “I thought you might be able to use one. It still gets kind of cold at night.”
“Thanks.”
“Not a problem.” He started to walk away but stopped and hesitated for a moment as if trying to think of what to say. “Look, Kile. I don’t think you have to worry too much about this Heart of Nilak thing.”
“And why is that?” she asked him
“Well, the way Elmac spoke about it, it’s going to bring peace to the kingdom.”
“Peace to the kingdom,” she echoed. The words hung there between them for a while. Weren’t those the same words Grey used to justify the Terrabin Hunters? “And how is it supposed to do that?”
“Beats me.” Daniel shrugged. “That’s a bit out of my area, but I trust Elmac. He knows what he’s doing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure he does,” Kile said. “By the way, why didn’t you go with them?”
“What, you mean back into the wastelands? Not a chance. Besides, they didn’t need me. I’d be in the way.”
“But they needed you for the expedition,” she reminded him.
“Well, I guess things changed,” he said.
The only thing that changed, between the journey to Shenataesi and the journey into the wastelands, was Kile was no longer part of the company. Could it be she was right and the only reason they needed Daniel in the first place was to keep an eye on her?
“You know, I never asked about your trip back from the island. How did you survive the stormwall?”
“There wasn’t any.”
“What do you mean, there wasn’t any? Are you saying there wasn’t a storm?”
“No, no storm. It must have blown out or something,” he said with another one of his casual shrugs. “Well, I’ll… be over there if you need me.”
Kile waited until Daniel walked away before dropping the blanket. She turned to the mountain pony but wasn’t looking at him.
“This is all my fault,” she said.
-What are you talking about?-
“All of this. It’s all my fault. Don’t you see? The stormwall was natural, it was part of the wards to keep Nilak on the island or to keep others away, and I brought it down.”
-What? Now you’re a weather witch?-
“When I spoke to the box, I felt it break. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I must have calmed the storm. Don’t you see? It’s all because of me. I was the one who got them through the stormwall. I was the one who showed them the way to the island. I was the one who went down into the pit to bring back the Heart. I was the one who opened the box and released the Maligar, and now it would seem I’m responsible for their path home. If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have happened.”
-Boo-hoo.-
“What?”
-Boo-hoo. Cry me a river.-
“Thank you for your compassion.”
-Oh, come on, child. Did you, at any time, know what this Heart of Nilak was?-
“That’s not the point. I—”
-Did you at any time know what it was?-
“Grim, I”—
-Did you?”
“Yes,” she shouted. “Yes, okay? You happy? I knew, or at least I think I knew. I knew something was wrong, I knew it should have been left alone.”
-You were doing what you were told.-
“And that makes it right? Don’t you see? I knew it was wrong. I could have stopped it at any time. I should have let the storm sink the ship, or I should have told them I couldn’t find the box or the box wasn’t there. I could have told them I didn’t know how to open it or simply refused, but I didn’t. I went along with it.”
-So, why did you?-
“Because I thought they knew better than me. Because it’s what they wanted me to do.”
-Because you wanted to be useful?-
Kile stared at the mountain pony. Her eyes fla
shed yellow. “Don’t you dare bring my father into this,” she warned him.
-There she is,- Grim said.
“What?”
-You finished with the pity party? If you feel responsible, do something about it, but sitting here whining, isn’t going to solve anything.-
“You’re right.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
-Of course I’m right. I’m always right. Now, who is the Wild Hunter?-
“What?”
-Who is the Wild Hunter?-
“Come on, Grim.”
-Who is the Wild Hunter?-
“I am, all right?”
-Then say it.-
“I’m not going to say it.”
-Come on. Say it. Who is the Wild Hunter?-
“I am the Wild Hunter.”
-What? That was weak. Come on, say it like you mean it. Who is the Wild Hunter?-
“I am the Wild Hunter,” Kile shouted then regretted it when she turned around and saw the others staring at her.
-You are so easy.- Grim laughed.
“If I could get my hand around your neck, I would strangle you right now,” she whispered.
-You know you love me.-
~~~***~~~
She found herself standing in the middle of a forest. The canopy was so dense it blocked out the sun, casting the world in a murky green twilight. Even her feet were hidden beneath the thick undergrowth. She was drowning in a sea of vegetation. No matter which way she looked, she could see no clear path through the forest. She was lost.
“Hello, anyone there?” she called out.
-Help me,- came the reply.
At first, the voice was so soft, she wasn’t sure if she’d heard it.
“Hello,” she called out again, held her breath, and waited.
-Help me.-
It sounded far away, but at least now she had a direction. Slowly wading her way through the thick leaves, she started moving toward the sounds of the voice. With each step she took, the plants around her withered and died. Stopping, she looked back at the trail of destruction she created. The ground was parched and barren, the vegetation decayed.
-Help me,- the voice cried out again.