by Spoor, Garry
“You saw so many fakes, you grew cynical.”
“That’s right, so when Morgan told me he had found a young cadet that could communicate with the natural world, I had mixed feelings. Part of me wanted so badly to come here to prove that you were a fake that I even agreed to instruct a class of cadets just to get into the academy.”
“And the other part?”
“The other part hoped that you were the real thing.”
“And am I?”
“I can’t very well say you’re a fake when my only means of proof is sitting on your shoulder.” Vanessa laughed. “I’ve had Seki every since she was born. Vinaldie was the name I gave her brother.”
-His cycle ended before it began.-
Seki whispered.
“I’m sorry.” Kile said.
“I’m not even sure what species of bird she is, where she comes from, what her real name is.”
“I’m afraid she doesn’t know the answers to those questions either.” Kile said.
“You’ve asked her?”
“It’s a little hard to explain, but yeah, in a way I think I did.”
“What did she say? Did she say anything?”
“It’s not so much what she says as what she feels. From what I understand, most animals don’t recognize species or breeds, they sort of go by feeling, they don’t… really have any definitive word that separates them from one another, so… although I can feel what breed she is, it’s not something that I can put into words.”
“I see, I guess that makes sense. We as scholars place those labels on them, they wouldn’t know one from another, what about where she comes from.”
“Well, that’s a little easier, but you’re not going to like it.”
“Why not?”
“Well… she comes from a room that overlooks the city, with green curtains on the windows, a single bed in the corner with a floral bed sheet, a painting of the ocean on the wall just over a small book shelf.”
Vanessa began to laugh. “My room at the tower.” She replied. “I should have figured that one. That was where she was born. Of course she wouldn’t know where she came from; she was only an egg when I received her. What about her real name, Morgan tells me you told him Kaza’s real name.”
-I’ve only known Seki.-
“Seki is her real name. You gave it to her when she hatched. You’ve been her mother and her friend since then and it’s the only name she’s known.”
As if to agree with Kile’s answers, Seki flew from Kile to Vanessa and landed on the mystics shoulder once again.
“Seki.” Vanessa replied as she scratched the bird's head. “But Kaza had another name.”
“Well yeah, Kaza was owned by another mystic before he was given to Morgan. He was already named. Seki never had a name until you gave her one.”
“It’s as simple as that, but I would advise against it.” Morgan told Daniel as they entered the room. It was such a cryptic statement that Kile wished she had sent Vesper with the boy when he left, just to know what he was so eager to talk to the mystic about.
“I think we should probably get going.” Kile said as she rose, with a little difficulty, from the overstuffed wing backed chair.
“Kile, I was wondering.” Vanessa said as she rose from her own chair with a little more grace. “Would it be possible for me to call on you in the future? I feel that you would be a great help with my studies. It would be so much easier for me to view the animals in their natural habitat and to learn from them rather than bring them back to my lab and study their behaviors. You could really save me a lot of time.”
“I would be honored ma’am… although I am kind of training to be a hunter.”
“Oh, I understand, it’s not like I’m gonna steal you away from the guild. Besides, I’m stuck here at the academy for the next three years anyway, so for the most part my research has been placed on hold, but when I’m finished here I may need the services of a hunter to escort me through the northwest region.”
“Well that works out.” Daniel replied. “By then you should be finished with your probationary year.”
“If I survive my probationary year.” Kile replied.
***~~~***
3
“They’re coming.” Daniel cried as he stopped at Kile’s door. She had it open in the hopes of catching a cross breeze from the window, as the stillness of the summer nights stubbornly lingered on. She looked up from the book she was trying to read, it was not the most stimulating pieces of literature but it was the only thing left on Master Adam’s shelf. She had read the last three sentences six times now and they still didn’t make any sense.
“What? Who?” She asked at random as she tried to come back to the land of the fully awake.
“The new cadets. Word from the gate is that the caravan has just turned onto the road, they should be here any time now.”
And this interested her… how?
“I should care?” She asked, but Daniel was long gone.
She pulled herself out of the bed, grabbed her hat and headed out into the hall with very little enthusiasm but it had to be better than falling asleep over a dull book on siege tactics. Vesper had gone out for the evening, she didn’t know where and if he came back with some of the vision that he had shared with her in the past, she didn’t want to know.
The hallway was filled with activity as the cadets rushed out of their dorms to witness the arrival of the new first years. Obviously this was a big thing, although she couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like this would be the last time they see the cadets, they would be seeing them around the compound for the next two years. As she stepped out into the night air she saw the fence line starting to fill up as second and third year cadets were scrambling for a place to view the new arrivals. The torches were lit all along the road, all the way up to the fenced in area where two graduating cadets stood by an open gate, waiting to close the new boys in. She had been on the receiving end of this last year, it felt kind of empowering to be one of the spectators and not the spectacle.
She walked across the field to the fence line and wondered if Oblum would get the opportunity to give his entire speech. It was only because Gorum and Hunar refused to listen to him and sat down in front of Kile that Oblum cut it short the last time. Even then the dogs knew she was different. They knew before she did.
She walked over to where Daniel, Alex and Carter had staked out their claim along the path.
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming.” Daniel said as he moved to one side, giving her a little more room to see.
“I wasn’t, but I figured this beats siege machines and supply lines.” She replied as she climbed up on the rails. The road was deserted, and she was starting to think that maybe siege machines were more interesting.
“Here they come.” One of the guards upon the gate called out. This sent a ripple of excitement down the fence line, somehow it must have jumped over Kile since she was not at all thrilled and could barely stifle a yawn.
Within moments the lights of the first carriage could be seen, it took a few more minutes before the carriage actually rolled under the gates of the academy, followed closely by another, and then another. There was fifteen carriages total, all bearing the mark of the hunter’s guild on the door. The last one, of course, was the supply wagon, the one that Kile arrived in last year, but it only carried supplies this time. Fourteen carriages, each holding roughly around eight cadets for a grand total of one hundred and twelve, give or take a cadet, since not all the carriages were full. Had they taken up that many carriages when they arrived at the academy last year? She looked down the fence line at the other second year cadets, now they wouldn’t even fill half that many.
She was surprised to see that so many second year cadets failed to show up after the summer, there was technically still time, since the last day to sign in was tomorrow, but she doubted there would be a stampede for the door as the sun came up. Even the staff were a bit surprised by the number of dr
opouts. She would hate to think that she was the cause of it; no one would be that petty. The only other reason she could think of would be the looming rumors of war in the west, or the south depending on whose looming rumors they were listening to. Unfortunately the ones she wished had dropped out had returned. Eric was back along with his little group of miscreants. Oddly enough Eric appeared to be preoccupied and had ignored Kile on two separate occasions, not that she was complaining.
The carriage doors opened and a group of young, shell shocked kids fell out. They were only a year younger than her but the age difference seemed so much greater. Had they looked that wide eyed and naive when they first arrived?
The barbs and the insults were soon flying and it was clear to Kile that they were hitting their marks as the young cadets grouped tighter together and were moving in mass up toward the open field. It must be a boy thing she figured as she listened to the remarks being made. She had been on the receive end of those comments and didn’t like it, why then would she want to be on the giving end.
It seamed unproductive, the new cadets were already scared enough, especially considering what they had been through over the last week, what with the entry examination and all. She knew she was pretty frightened seeing all the cadets hanging on the fence yelling obscenities and mocking them as they walked the narrow path up to the field. To come into such a hostile territory, it was no wonder the dropout rate was so high. It was one of the most un-hunter like behavior she had witnessed. She was glad to see that Daniel had refrained from slinging insults, but the same couldn’t be said of Carter or Alex who were trying to outdo one another.
Once the new kids were locked safely within the fenced in area of the field, the second year and third year cadets began to swarm around them, climbing up on the fence and surrounding them. The comments still came, references to new blood, fresh meat, girly boys and the favorite comment about scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
“Why can’t they just cut them some slack?” Kile asked, although she wasn’t asking anyone in particular, she was still answered.
“Tradition.”
She turned to see a blond haired boy leaning over the fence, looking about as interested in the proceedings as she was. There was something strangely familiar about him, but she just couldn’t place her finger on it. She was sure she had never seen him before, but she felt she met him once or twice. Why were all these people she had never met before so familiar to her?
“Tradition isn’t really an excuse.” She replied. “They put these kids through a lot, only to be torn down and ridiculed when they succeed, if anything they should be welcoming the new kids, not tormenting them.”
“Oh, I agree.” The boy replied. “But what can you do about it?”
“Change it.”
“But it is tradition, they’ve done it every year, and next year, these kids will be doing it to another group of new recruits.”
“Just because it’s been done every year, doesn’t make it right.”
“So, are you going to do something about it?” The blonde haired boy asked. There was a look on his face that anticipated her answer. Surely he didn’t want her to run out into the field and put a stop to it right now.
“If I was anyone else but myself, I would. But the last thing these boys need is for me to stand up and defend them. That would only make matters worse.” She replied.
“True” He said with a nod. “But if you had the power to do it, the authority to make the changes that go against tradition… would you?”
“Of course I would. Tradition doesn’t make something right, it just makes it repetitive. If it was wrong back then it’s still wrong now, no mater how many times you do it.”
“That’s good to know.” The Kid said with a smile. “I’ll see you around Kile.”
He pushed himself off the fence and moved into the thick of the spectators before she could stop him.
Daniel came up behind her. “Who was that?” He asked.
“I have no idea.” She replied.
“He knew your name.”
She slowly turned and looked at Daniel. “I’m the only girl in the entire academy, by now everyone knows my name.”
At that moment the doors to the main office opened and there Sir Oblum stood in all his glory filling the door frame quite nicely. As he stepped out, the cadets fell silent and quickly parted, creating a path for him and his two dogs. Kile could now see that it was Gorum who entered first, followed by Hunar as they looked menacingly at the new boys. She knew the two dogs enjoyed this part of the ritual, and she couldn’t help but smile as the rest of the cadets watched nervously.
They walked to the center of the fenced in area and took their place, three feet apart, staring at the new recruits. Oblum entered next, walking across the field with military precisions, turning and stood between Gorum and Hunar. This part of the ritual was flawless as it had been last year.
“Line up, three deep.” Master Pike called from the back of the group. The new cadets fell into unorganized columns. Only when they settled down did Oblum speak.
“I am Sir Oblum.” He said in his strong loud voice. He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at each one of the new cadets, watching them cringe under his gaze.
“I was not only a certified level one Hunter, but a knight of the World, and it is my duty to make sure that you do not bring disgrace to this institution. You are here because you have passed the entry examinations and therefore must possess the qualities to become a Hunter, but by looking at you now, I find that hard to believe.”
This must be the same speech he gives every year Kile thought, but for some reason it just wasn’t as intimidating as it had been when she first heard it. Was it because she wasn’t on the receiving end, or was it because she had seen this man playing with his dogs in the early hours of the morning.
“Do not fool yourself into thinking that you are already a Hunter. You may have passed the entry examination, but that does not make you a Hunter, it only bestows upon you the privilege of attending this Academy. Survive here, prove yourself to me, graduate from these halls and then, and only then may you take the title of Hunter.
“Look around you, there are only two ways out of this compound, the western gate and the eastern gate.”
And we just conveniently forget about the large gate on the south wall that you just came through Kile thought as she pushed herself away from the fence. She looked up and down the line to see that the other cadets were hanging on Oblum’s every word. This was the same speech some of them had heard three times already, and they were still listening intently, that is, all but one. For some reason Eric didn’t seem to be very thrilled either as he quietly slipped away from the group. She wouldn’t have given it much thought, let him go, it wasn’t like she was going to miss him, but he wasn’t heading back to the dorms, he was heading up toward the great hall.
In spite of wanting to stay as far away from Eric as possible, she felt the need to follow. His behavior of late has been anything but normal, or at least normal from Eric’s point of view. With all the attention focused on the new recruits, no one saw Kile leave the group.
Whatever it was he was up to, it wasn’t good. He kept looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Kile stayed some distance behind him. It wasn’t difficult to figure out where he was going as she followed Eric all the way up to the doors of the Great Hall. He paused for a moment and looked around to make sure he was still alone before he entered. She waited until he was inside before running the last stretch across the open ground. She reached the door just before it closed and stopped it from latching. Holding her breath she slowly pushed it open. The entry doors to the Great Hall were never locked, only the individual rooms, but she was sure that cadets were not aloud in the Great Hall after dark.
She watched from the doorway as Eric moved from one exhibit to the next, he was looking for something but it didn’t look as if he knew what it was that he was looking for.
He had that sort of dazed look about him as someone who had so many things to choose from, but didn’t know which one he wanted. He finally stopped at the exhibit of Quaineess Nyn the Hunter that had defeated Gator the Ash Creator; that was if the story could be believed. He pulled out a small metal object from his belt and began to pry at the display case.
What was so interesting about this hunter, or more importantly, what this hunter had on display? As far as she knew there was nothing of real value in the gallery, just keepsakes from each hunter’s adventures. She slipped through the door, letting it close quietly behind her as she moved quickly to the left to get a better view. She had never noticed the simple armor display that stood beside the door. An old helmet perched on top of a wooden frame that showed off a battered shield. It was a shame she had not seen it before, she wouldn’t have run into it otherwise.
With quick reflexes that surprised even her, she snatched the helmet out of mid air just as it was about to hit the ground, unfortunately she never had a chance with the very large shield that struck the floor and echoed through the empty gallery likely the ringing of a gong that announced her arrival. Cringing as the echoes died down she looked over at the exhibit of Quaineess Nyn but Eric was long gone. Gorum was right; she would have made a lousy thief.
She set the helmet back on its wooden perch and walked over to the exhibit. The legendary dragon slayer loomed above her on his painted canvas, but she was more interested in his keepsakes. The only things he had on display were a few scales which supposedly belonged to Gator, as well as a long knife and a small golden ring. Which item could have possible interested Eric so much that he would risk stealing it?
“I should have figured it was you.”
Kile turned to see Eric step from the shadows to stand in the middle of the gallery, his right hand lit up in a ball of flame. Too bad she didn’t smell him this time; she wouldn’t have been so foolish as to get caught.