by Gunhus, Jeff
“Jack? Are you in there?”
I almost slipped and fell onto the floor. It was Eva.
“Yeah,” I called. “Don’t come in here.” I searched the room. The towels were way on the other side.
“Are you all right?” Eva called, closer now.
“I’m fine. I said don’t come in here. You heard me, right?”
“What?” she called out. “You need a hand?”
I saw movement near the doorway. “No!” I shouted, just as Eva turned the corner. “I’m naked!”
Just in time, Eva whirled around, keeping her back to me. “Whoa, why didn’t you say so?” Eva asked.
I ran across the room to the shelf of towels and wrapped one around my waist. “What did you expect I’d be doing in the shower?” I asked.
“Are you decent?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said.
She turned around and studied me. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I heard Daniel’s better.”
“His fever broke. He’s eating food now so the danger has passed. The poison has worked its way out. He should be back to full strength in a day or two.”
“That quick?” I asked. “That’s fantastic. I thought he was in real trouble.”
“He was. You saved his life by getting him back here the way you did,” Eva said.
“It was nothing,” I said, a little embarrassed by the attention.
“It was the kind of nothing that took a lot out of you. Do you realize you slept for over twenty-four hours?” Eva asked.
“Really?”
My body must have needed it. And I could feel the difference. Ever since my Change the night before my fourteenth birthday, my body had been freakishly stronger. Now it seemed like it repaired itself faster, too. I stretched my neck to look at my back in one of the mirrors on the wall. The deep scratches from scraping against the trees in our escape from the shriekers were just faint red lines. It was exciting, but it scared me a little at the same time. My body wasn’t done changing…and I wasn’t entirely sure what it was changing into.
“Hello?” Eva said. “Anyone there? You just went a million miles away.”
“Sorry, just a lot to process. There’s something I need to tell you but I think I should tell Aquinas at the same time. Will you come with me?”
Eva could see I was serious. She nodded. “Of course. Can I make a suggestion, though?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe put some pants on first,” she said, nodding to the towel around my waist.
Minutes later, fully dressed, Eva and I walked across the training field toward the Templar Tree. The hunter trainees glanced over at us as we passed despite the instructors shouting at them to maintain their focus on the exercise they were doing. I spotted Will on the opposite side of the field, locked in a mock knife fight with one of the older boys. I headed in that direction, Eva keeping up beside me.
As we walked up, Will executed a brilliant move, sliding on the snowy ground through the legs of his sparring partner, jumping up and jamming the blunt wooden practice knife between the older boy’s shoulder blades.
The other boys cheered for him. Will beamed and waved off the applause, but I could tell he loved it. He saw me and the smile disappeared, replaced with a concerned look. He patted his sparring partner on the back and walked over to us.
“Look who’s risen from the dead,” he said. “I thought you were going to sleep until Christmas.”
“Nice move,” I said.
“A little showy for my taste,” Eva muttered.
“Got the job done,” Will said.
“Can you come with us? I have to tell Aquinas something and I’d like you to hear it too,” I said.
Will glanced over to the instructor hovering nearby who nodded his head. “Sounds exciting,” Will said. “Let’s go.”
The three of us walked back through the training field. Eva turned toward the tree but I stopped her. “Not yet. We’re still missing one.”
We found T-Rex in the kitchen scrubbing pots. He looked up and rushed to me, giving me a huge, wet, soapy hug.
“C’mon,” I said. “There’s something you need to be a part of.”
As we walked out of the kitchen I heard T-Rex whisper to Will. “Any idea what this is all about?”
“No idea. Better than washing dishes though, right?” Will said.
One final time, the four of us strode across the training field. Now, even the instructors stopped what they were doing to watch us make our way through the snow. All activity stopped on the yard as we neared the tree.
None of us spoke. Even without telling them what I was about to do, my friends could sense something serious was about to happen. I felt stronger with them next to me. I just didn’t know how they were going to react when I told them I had decided to embark on the most dangerous journey possible.
And that I would be doing it on my own.
We sat in the deep cushioned couches in the far corner, away from where Daniel was still recovering. I described to Aqunias in detail everything that had happened in the woods. How the challenge from Daniel had come about, the attack by the shriekers, the appearance of the wolves and how we had hidden in the cave. I didn’t recount the story that Daniel had told me about the day Ren Lucre killed his family. I was sure Aquinas already knew and it was Daniel’s story to tell the others if he chose.
It was when I came to the part of the story about Tiberon that Aquinas rose from her chair and paced the room as I spoke. I shared the visions of the past that Tiberon had shown me and how he had become the creature he was today. I told them everything, except the terms of the pact I had made with him.
“He said that he told my father the location of the five Jerusalem Stones,” I said.
“Impossible, he would have told me,” Aquinas said.
“He was sworn to secrecy,” I explained. “And when he went for the Stones, he was captured.”
“And you trust Tiberon?” Eva chimed in, with one eye trained on Aquinas. “You said so yourself—he betrayed the Order. He’s a traitor.”
“My father trusted him. That’s good enough for me. Besides, he saved us from the shriekers. If he wanted to kill me, he could have just done it while we were out there,” I said.
“Maybe it was just payback,” T-Rex said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Yeah, T-Rex might be onto something,” Will said. “You saved his bacon that first night, right? That whole thing with the arrow. So he owed you one.”
“A blood debt,” Eva said.
“Yeah, a blood debt,” Will agreed. “He paid you back out in the woods and now you’re even. What’s to say he’s not just trying to get you out there one more time so he can bite your head off?”
“Ewww…” T-Rex groaned. “I just pictured Jack’s head getting bitten off. Can we use a different figure of speech?”
“I don’t think it’s a figure of speech. The wolf is big enough to take Jack’s head clear off in one bite. You’re lucky you survived,” Eva marveled.
The three of them turned to me and waited. I glanced up at Aquinas who seemed deep in thought.
“You weren’t there,” I said. “I was able to communicate with him. Like I was inside his mind. I think I would have felt it if he meant to hurt me.”
Aquinas tapped the floor with her walking staff. The rest of us fell silent. “As you know, I recently traveled from the Academy,” Aquinas said. “Although I perhaps could have stopped all this from happening if I stayed, the trip was not without merit. Certain allies of the Black Guard were able to share with me that Ren Lucre’s preparations have reached new heights. They speak of a goblin army being raised and Creach infiltrators worming their way into the halls of power of the great nations.”
“All the more reason we need not only the Jerusalem Stones, but the Templar Ring as well,” I said.
Aquinas shook her head. “It’s too early. You’re not yet ready.”
“
There is no time!” I exclaimed, raising my voice. “I have to do this. I wanted your understanding but I’m not here to ask your permission.”
“Enough!” Aquinas bellowed, her eyes flashing anger. “You gave me your oath that you would stay at the Academy until you became a full hunter. I expect you to honor that pledge, young Templar.” She walked up to me and stared me in the eye. “Or will you prove yourself not worthy of that name and go back on your word?”
“I think he intends to keep his pledge to you, Master Aquinas,” Eva whispered. “Jack, I know what you’re thinking. You can’t.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I have no choice.” I turned and strode toward the stairs. Aquinas seemed to realize too late what I had planned.
“Wait, Jack,” Aquinas called out. “Have patience.”
“Sorry,” I called over my shoulder. “Turns out that patience doesn’t run in the family.”
I ran down the staircase, ignoring Eva, Will and T-Rex’s calls behind me. The training field fell quiet at the spectacle of the three of them chasing me down the stairs and across the field.
I made a straight line to the rock in the center of the training area and climbed up to the bell. I grabbed the hammer and held it in my hand as the hunter trainees and instructors gathered around.
“Jack, let’s talk about this,” Eva called out. “Once you strike the bell, there’s no turning back.”
“I know,” I said. With all my might, I struck the bell on the side three times.
CLANG
CLANG
CLANG
Three bells to drop out.
Five bells to accept the Trial of the Cave.
If I passed the trial, I would be a full monster hunter and fulfill my oath to Aquinas. With the Templar Ring in my possession, I could free Tiberon as payment for the rest of the information about the Jerusalem Stones.
It was the only way.
I gripped the hammer and swung hard twice.
CLANG
CLANG
It was done.
That night I was going to enter the caves and either emerge as a hunter or not emerge at all. By the look of horror on Eva’s face when I had climbed down off the rock, I could tell which result she thought most likely. To tell the truth, if I had seen that look before I had rung the bell, I might have second-guessed my decision.
“What?” I said to her. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”
“Whatever you’re thinking it’s like,” Eva said, “it’s way worse.”
A few of the younger hunters began to clap. It caught on and soon the entire group was cheering wildly. I pumped my fist in the air, trying to act more confident than I felt. I looked up to the tree and saw Aquinas watching from the balcony. She shook her head, turned and disappeared back inside.
I swallowed hard and steeled myself for the challenge ahead. For better or worse, I was committed. One thing was certain. It was bound to be an adventure.
I just hoped it was one I would survive.
Chapter Twelve
With Will’s help, I pulled the chainmail over my long-sleeve shirt. T-Rex stood nearby, fumbling with the leather straps on the armor breastplate. This was the same troll armor I had used in my fight against Ren Lucre. It not only fit surprisingly well, but had proven effective against the Dark Lord of all the Creach. So I figured it could handle whatever battles waited for me in the caves.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Will asked, snatching the armor from T-Rex and lowering it over my head.
“No more than you do,” said Eva, coming into the room. “You’re putting that armor on backwards.”
“I thought that looked weird,” T-Rex said.
“Who are you kidding? You had no idea,” Will said.
She put her hand on Will’s shoulder. “Here, let me.”
Will stepped aside and Eva lifted the armor up over my head, rotated it and lowered it back down. She and I then stood face-to-face.
“You don’t have a sensible bone in your body, do you, Jack Templar?” she said softly.
I grinned. “Oh, I don’t know. My kneecap is pretty sensible. Stays right where it’s supposed to pretty much all the time.” I felt pressure on my knee and looked down to see her boot pressed up against it.
“This kneecap right here?” she asked. “You know, I could break it in one move. Put you in the infirmary for a month. Probably save your life if I did.”
“Only one thing you’re forgetting,” I said.
“That you’d still go through with it with a broken knee?” she asked.
“You got it.”
“So maybe I’d need to take out an arm. Maybe bust open that head of yours. You wouldn’t miss it much, right?” Eva said. “It’s not like you’re accustomed to using it for anything like actual thought.”
T-Rex whispered to Will, “Is Eva going to beat Jack up?”
“Maybe,” Will whispered back. “That would be totally awesome, wouldn’t it?”
“I’m right here, guys. I can hear you,” I said. “Make yourselves useful and hand me those boots.” I turned back to Eva. “I’ve actually thought this through more than you think. This was the only way out I could see.”
“How about finishing your training? Become a hunter first so you have a chance of surviving past the first fifteen minutes?” she asked.
It would have been easier to have just told her the truth; that this was the deal I’d had to make with Tiberon to bargain for Daniel’s life. But I was self-conscious about seeming like I was trying to make myself look good, so I kept to my story that I was just impatient.
“And how long would that take to even reach first degree hunter? Five months? Six, if I pushed it?” I pulled on the leg armor that covered my knees. “You heard Aquinas, Ren Lucre is getting ready. Besides, I can’t let my father waste away in that dungeon. Not if I have a clear path on how to get the information I need to find him. No. There’s no time. I have to do this now.”
“Aquinas was right,” Eva said. “Your impatience will get you killed.”
I picked up my sword and gripped it with both hands. Even though I was trying to project confidence, my insides churned from the nerves. “She might be right. Let’s just hope she’s not right today.”
Eva looked at me hard and I thought for a second that I saw tears well in her eyes. And then, just as fast, the expression was gone, replaced by the aloofness of a professional doing a job. “All right, let’s see if we can’t give you a fighting chance.” She turned to the door and gave a low whistle. “Xavier, you can come in now.”
Xavier walked in carrying a backpack with him. He gave us all a sheepish grin and a wave. “Hi everyone. Sorry for lurking around out there. Eva told me to wait until she called for me.”
“Xavier is a bit of an expert at…well…everything,” Eva said. “I asked him to bring some of his toys with him today.”
Xavier rushed up to me, tripped over my helmet on the floor and nearly bit it in front of us. He gathered himself up and grabbed my hand, shaking it vigorously. “I just want to say how excited we all are for this, Jack. Everyone’s rooting for you.”
“How’s the betting pool going out there?” Will asked.
“Ahh…we kind of gave up on it. You’re the only one willing to bet Jack’s going to make it back alive,” Xavier said.
I looked over at T-Rex.
“What? I didn’t have any money,” T-Rex explained quickly.
“I’m glad everyone has so much faith,” I said.
Xavier unloaded items from his backpack and stacked them on the table next to us. “It’s just that no one’s attempted the trial in over a hundred years and the last three hunters who tried it were never seen again. They haven’t even opened the door since then. There’s no telling what’s back there nowadays.”
“Maybe whatever monsters were in there have all died off,” T-Rex suggested. “Maybe you’ll just walk right in, grab the ring, and walk right back out.”
I lik
ed the sound of that. I found myself grasping onto that idea. A dead, empty cave. A short, pleasant hike. I’d grab the ring and be back at the Academy an hour later for a hot meal and a shower. Could it really end up being so easy?
“Oh, I doubt that,” Xavier said. “That cave goes on for miles and miles. No one really knows how far. More likely it’s overrun with bizarre species we haven’t seen for decades. It really should be quite fascinating. Scientifically speaking.”
Eva cleared her throat and nodded to the assembled items Xavier had emptied from his backpack. “We don’t have much time. Maybe you could give Jack a quick run-through of the presents you brought him.”
“Of course,” Xavier said. “On such short notice, I just grabbed a few things I’ve been working on that I thought might be helpful.” He held up a bulkier version of the winching device I’d seen him use on the obstacle course. This one looked like a heavy gauge fishing reel, the kind used on deep-sea charters.
“You think Jack might be going up against a giant tuna in there?” Will asked.
Xavier clipped the reel to a belt around his waist. He pressed a button and a tiny spear exploded from the reel, trailing a silvery line behind it. The spear sunk into the wooden roof in the dorm. A whirring sound came from the reel and Xavier was lifted off the floor, dangling by his belt.
“That’s so cool,” T-Rex said.
“Did you fix that little glitch it had before?” I asked.
Xavier pressed another button and the reel spooled out the other direction and lowered him to the ground. “Absolutely. I think so, anyway.” Xavier then began digging through his items again.
“Check this out. This is an ultra-strong line I’ve developed. As strong as a rope an inch thick but only a fraction of the weight. There are four ejectable fasteners so don’t use them all at once.”
He handed me the belt and the reel and I stuffed it into my backpack.
“This is just like James Bond,” Will said. “What else to do have?”
“Sorry, no fancy guns or tracking devices, although that would have been a good idea now that I think about it.” Xavier pulled out a notebook and, suddenly lost in thought, scribbled a note to himself. “I could have combined a GPS transponder with an echo-location sensor. And that could have generated—”