by Gunhus, Jeff
While she talked to him in hushed tones, Will and I walked to the tables filled with food.
“You’re making friends quick here,” Will said.
“You seem to be doing OK,” I replied, sounding harsher than I intended.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Will said.
“Nothing,” I said, feeling miserable for myself. We stood at the end of the line in silence. By the time we reached the food, the trays of chicken, vegetables and pasta were picked over fairly well. T-Rex was in the kitchen, away from the serving line, so we weren’t able to talk to him.
Bacho stood behind the younger Ratlings, barking instructions to them. When he saw me, his face lit up and he stepped forward, knocking the Ratling server out of the way with his hips.
“Hey Bacho,” Will called out.
“Hey yer’selves,” he leaned in conspiratorially. “Hope yous didn’t mind none me ringing the bell a few minutes on the early side there. Seemed like you boys might be a bit hungry.”
“You did that?” I asked.
The big Ratling beamed with pride. He reached under the table and pulled out two full plates of food and handed them over. “Right, ’ere you goes. Pulled out some of the best pieces, I did.”
Will grabbed his plate and ate a piece of meat hungrily. “You’re the best, Bacho.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I really mean it.”
A crashing of pots erupted from the far end of the serving line. “These young’uns,” Bacho groaned. “They give me the ones with nothin’ but thumbs. Go on. Enjoy yer lunches.”
Bacho hurried off to berate a poor Ratling on his hands and knees picking up the mess he had made. We turned and looked for a table.
Will noticed a group of hunters that had been in his morning group. They waved him over to come sit with them. When I looked over, the waves disappeared and the boys looked away. Will was right. I wasn’t making many friends.
“Go on,” I told Will. “You can sit with them. I won’t mind.”
Will gave a tell-tale look toward the table even as he shrugged the comment off. “Who, them? Nah, there’s an empty table over there. Let’s grab it so we can spread out.”
Even though I knew he was just being nice, I was happy to have the company.
We walked through the lunch area, some hunters doing better than others at hiding the sidelong glances in my direction. We sat at the table and dug into our food.
“You know what?” Will asked. “The guys in our group were pretty cool. Maybe you could join us after lunch in the next rotation.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said, not meaning it.
Will put his food down and leaned in. “Look, I know we just got here, but I really like it. I’ve never, you know, belonged anywhere before. I feel like this is my chance to really be part of something.”
“I agree.”
“I guess what I’m saying is, could you try a little harder to fit in?” He lowered his voice even more. “I mean, screaming in the middle of the practice field that you were raised by a devil-werewolf on the first day? A little much, isn’t it?”
I put down my fork, suddenly not hungry. “What should I have done, just let him say those things? Not defend her? Are you forgetting that she basically raised you too?”
“I know. I’m just saying you could sort of ease into things a little.”
“Ease into things, huh?” I snapped. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do about that.”
Will backed off a little, my tone taking him by surprise. “Hey, I’m like one of three friends you seem to have here…four with Bacho over there. All I’m asking for, as your friend, is that you give this place more of a chance. For me.”
I took a deep breath and forced myself to settle down. Will was right. I was letting this place get to me. I needed to have a little bit of patience and see what I could learn, especially from Aquinas. Once I found what I needed, then I could get back on the road and go find my father.
I nodded at Will. “You’re right. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
“And you’re sorry for being such a jerk?” Will added, smiling.
I returned the smile. “Yeah, that too.”
“C’mon, say it,” he said.
“I’m sorry you’re such a jerk.”
“Oww! Boom, right in the heart,” Will joked. He put his knuckles out and I gave him a fist bump. “So you’ll chill out a little?” Will asked.
“I’ll chill out,” I said.
“Good,” Will replied.
“Because tonight we’re sneaking into the Templar Tree to see what we can find.”
Will stared at me, then finally shook his head and grabbed my plate of food for himself and started shoveling it in.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I figured this might be my last meal. I want to make it a good one.”
As he ate, my eyes wandered over to the second floor balcony of the great oak tree. Even though the opening was black with shadows, I could have sworn I saw an inky shape dissolve back into the room. I squinted but saw nothing more. I wondered if Aquinas had been watching me the entire time.
“What do you expect to find anyway?” asked Will, following my line of sight.
“The only thing I came here for,” I said. “Answers.”
The rest of the day passed by without incident. While the classes continued into the afternoon, there was more of an emphasis on weapons training and physical fitness. The groups rotated through stations of exercises, including sprints, agility courses and strength conditioning. It felt like gym class back in school, except for the little fact that if we failed, we were most likely going to be food for something big and nasty.
I enjoyed these sections because the physical activity helped work off the tension and stress that had built up through the morning. My body, which had gone through the ‘Change’ right before my fourteenth birthday, felt stronger than ever. I was still getting used to my new strength and was pleasantly surprised to discover I was by far the fastest hunter in the training session. I wasn’t about to try to draw even more attention to myself after what had happened earlier that day so I made sure to dial my performance back and come in second or third in all of our races and competitions.
Throughout the entire afternoon, the young red-headed Xavier stuck close to my side, pressing me with question after question about Tiberon and the pack of wolves in the forest. While it was clear that Xavier was some kind of genius, the strength of his mind did not carry over to his muscles. The poor kid could barely keep up with the exercises and each station found him more and more winded. At least this made him pause his relentless questioning.
At one station, we were supposed to climb up a heavy rope nearly twenty feet tall, scamper across a narrow wooden beam, then dive off into a pile of hay down below. The idea was that we were being chased by a werewolf and needed to utilize a quick exit. I stood next to Xavier as the others in our group went first. Even the strongest hunters were having trouble with the rope. I imagined that Xavier would be getting nervous, but when I looked at him, he seemed fine, eager for his turn.
“Do you want to go first?” I asked politely. “That way if you fall, I’ll try to catch you.”
Xavier smiled. “I’ll go first, but I’m not going to fall.”
I respected his confidence. After watching him all afternoon on the other exercises, I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but I liked it.
“Xavier, you’re up!” the station’s instructor, Darter, shouted. He was a muscle-bound teen with a square jaw and a Marine buzz cut who ran his station like basic training. “Go, go, go!” he yelled. “That werewolf’s gonna chew you up, Xavier. Probably spit you out for being too bony.”
Xavier strode up to the rope, looked up its length as if measuring the distance to the top.
“C’mon hunter,” Darter shouted. “Gotta moooove!”
Xavier whipped back his cloak and revealed a metal contraption attached to his belt. It looked like a small
fishing reel but tipped with a metal hook.
He pressed a button and the hook shot upward, dragging a fine, silvery line behind it. The hook reached the post at the top and dug into the wood.
“What are you doing, shooting my apparatus?” Darter yelled.
“Accomplishing the objective, sir,” Xavier replied. He pressed another button and the fishing reel on his waist turned into a winch, pulling him quickly up into the air.
We all cheered as he ascended and he waved at us like a rock star.
“Watch out!” I yelled.
But it was too late. The winch pulled him up so fast that he didn’t have time to slow down before reaching the top. Xavier smacked his head into the crossbar and the hook tore loose from the wood. The young hunter, arms and legs flailing, tumbled back down.
I reached out and grabbed him the best I could to break his fall. He landed hard on top of me and we both ended up sprawled together on the ground.
Darter walked up, his hands held together at the wrists and making a chomping action as if they were jaws.
“And the werewolf eats you,” said Darter. “Fail. OK, who’s next?”
As the next hunter struggled up the rope, Xavier and I picked ourselves up off the ground. “Are you OK?” I asked. “That was totally cool.”
“I really thought it would work this time,” Xavier said.
“This time? How many times have you tried it?”
“I think this is version eighteen,” Xavier said. “Experimentation is the centerpiece of invention.”
Overhearing, Darter added, “For you, it’s the centerpiece of getting yourself killed.”
Xavier shook the snow off his cloak. “These guys are locked in the past. We’re using the same weapons our ancestors did out of some idea of nobility and honor,” Xavier said. “I’m not saying we need to carry machine guns around, but a little technology can go a long way when it comes to monsters.”
“So, you have other inventions?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, tons,” Xavier said eagerly. “Nothing that really works quite yet, but some things are close.”
“So, you’re a scientist,” I said.
I hit a nerve with the comment and Xavier beamed. “I like to think so. My parents were both scientists, so it’s in my blood.”
A little cheer rose from our group and we turned to see that one of the hunters had successfully reached the top of the rope and was now straddled on the beam and inching along.
“That werewolf’s coming!” Darter yelled. “Don’t you think they can climb ropes too? You better get on your feet and run on that beam, boy. Or you ain’t gonna make it!”
I turned back to Xavier. “Where are your parents?”
Xavier turned to me. “You really don’t know anything, do you?” He pointed across the field. “Orphans, every single one of us.”
“I had no idea.”
“Most come from hunter families who can trace their membership in the Black Guard back through the centuries. Not as far back as you, of course,” he added. “But far. Some, like myself, were Reg orphans found by Master Aquinas. Throwaways who were destined to be lost in the system until she brought us into our new family.”
“How did they die, if you don’t mind…”
“No, it’s OK. I was really young. It was pretty ordinary, really. Just a car crash. No monsters, no swordfights, just a slick road on a stormy night. I had no other family; without Aquinas, who knows where I’d be.”
“And what does Aquinas think of your experiments and inventions?”
“Are you kidding? She’s the one who encourages it. In fact, I use the lab in the Templar Tree as my workshop. I’ll show you some time if you want.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’d like that.”
“Templar,” Darter growled. “You’re up. Let’s see if you can do any better than your wiz-kid friend there.”
I gave Xavier a nod. “Gotta run. It seems that there’s a werewolf chasing me,” I said. I gave him a slap on the back. “Don’t worry, version nineteen is going to be awesome.”
“You think so?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” I replied. I ran over to the rope and scampered up as Darter yelled instructions at me from below.
By the time dinner came around, I was famished. Will had already grabbed his food so I stood in line by myself. T-Rex was on the serving line this time and beamed at me when I reached him.
“I’ll take a slice of Pappagallo’s pizza with pepperoni and pineapple, please,” I joked.
“Man, I wish,” said T-Rex. “I’m trying to convince Bacho to let me make pizzas, though. I’ll see what I can do. Until then, it’s meat and potatoes.” He heaped an extra portion of mashed potatoes and pot roast onto my plate.
“Thanks, buddy,” I said. “Are you doing OK?”
“Are you kidding?” T-Rex beamed. “These guys are great. We eat all day when you guys aren’t around. And we don’t have to do any of that nutty running around and exercising. I love it.”
The next hunter in line nudged me forward. “Looks like I’ve got to go,” I said.
“My public waits. I’ll catch you later, Jack,” T-Rex said, happily scooping food for the next hunter.
I walked back to the table where Will and I sat for lunch. A group of five boys huddled around Will, laughing and kidding around with him. I took a deep breath and walked up to them.
“Hey guys,” I said.
The boys stopped talking and said their good-byes to Will and moved away to another table. Will looked their direction and, even though he worked hard to mask his emotions from me, I knew he wanted to join them. He was just too good of a friend to show it. I decided it was about time to return the favor.
“I’m beat,” I said. “If it’s OK with you, I’m going to hit my bunk and rest.”
“Yeah,” Will said excitedly. “That’s fine. No worries. I’ll catch you later, OK?”
“We’re on for tonight, right? The Templar Tree?”
Will was already on his feet and headed toward the group of his new friends. “Of course,” he called back. “You can count on me. You know that.”
He gave me a wink and jogged over to the group of guys. He was soon laughing right along with them. I watched, a pang of jealousy in my chest, but happy to see Will fit in so well. That’s when I decided I needed to do my extracurricular activities that night on my own.
“Looks like you’re a million miles away,” a voice said, startling me. I turned and saw Eva. “Busy day, huh?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I was about to hit the sack.”
A group of instructors walked past and I saw Daniel in the middle of them. One of the other instructors called out, “Come on, Eva. Let’s go.”
Eva waved them off and turned back to me. “You want to come along?”
“I thought instructors couldn’t hang out with trainees,” I said.
“You look like you could use a friend,” she said.
I eyed Daniel in the group waiting for her and shook my head. “I’m good. Thanks though.”
Eva turned to leave, but stopped. “You know, it’ll get better. These are good people here. They just need a little time. Don’t give up on this, OK?”
I nodded. “Thanks. I mean it.”
“Besides, I’m looking forward to kicking your butt during drills tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing the butt kicking.”
The instructors called out for her again. Eva flashed me a smile and took off, jogging after them.
I glanced over to the oak tree and saw a small light flickering inside. I imagined Aquinas sitting there reading through her dusty old books, filled with the information I needed. Nighttime couldn’t come fast enough. I was ready to find out the answers to my questions, even if I had to break into Aquinas’s library to do it.
Chapter Six
Hours later, when I rolled out of bed, the rest of the dorm was filled with the sounds of fifty sleeping boys.
Snores, grunts, heavy breathing and even a few whimpers from nightmares about the monsters they were training to hunt. It created a perfect cover for the sounds of my creaking mattress as I carefully got out of bed.
Will was fast asleep on the bunk above me. I second-guessed whether I should wake him or not, but I decided it was better to do this alone. He was right that the Academy was going to be great for him. I didn’t want to mess up his chance to finally belong somewhere, even if I never would.
I peered out the door, looking for sentries. The grounds were empty but I saw shadows pacing along the tops of the main wall. But these hunters were all looking out into the forest. If there was going to be a threat to the Academy, it was going to come from that direction, not from inside. Satisfied that I was in the clear, I set off on a sprint toward the tree, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.
I reached the base of the tree without any trouble and stood with my back against the massive trunk. I glanced around nervously, certain someone would sound an alarm any second. But no alarm came. I was safe. So far, anyway.
The stairs were open and unguarded but I decided they were too exposed. Anyone on the wall who happened to turn around while I was climbing them was sure to see me.
Instead, I worked my way around to the backside of the tree, searching for another way up. The first level of branches were twenty feet off the ground. If I could just reach those, I’d be able to easily climb to any part of the structure.
Finally, I spotted what I was looking for. A series of gnarled knots that formed a path up the trunk. I grabbed onto the first knot and pulled myself up. I worked hand over hand, trying not to grunt from the effort, scrambling with my toes to find a foothold. I was halfway up when I heard someone cough nearby.
I froze. My fingers dug into a good handhold, but my feet dangled beneath me. The sound had come from just round the bend in the tree. Close enough that I wondered if they had already heard my climbing and were coming to get me. I clung to the side of the tree about fifteen feet off the ground, not daring to move.