Hunter's Academy (Veller)

by Spoor, Garry

  Kile dislodged the long knife from the other window and pushed open the shutters.

  “Watch out, I’m coming down.” She warned the dog as she dropped from the window, landing softly on the grass below. “Who did this to you?”

  -Tricked me, led me here, tied me up.-

  “Who tied you up? Who led you here?” Kile asked as she tried to untie the knot. She should have brought the long knife down with her. It was strange that Eric would leave a long knife to bar the window when any old piece of metal would work, but if Eric used the knife there had to be a reason for it. Was he expecting her to use it on Hunar in order to escape? That seemed a little drastic, even for Eric.

  - Don’t tell Gorum-

  Kile had to smile at that one; Gorum was always lecturing Hunar on her being too rash and headstrong. If he found out that she was so easily tricked, she would never hear the end of it.

  “Don’t worry, this will be our secret.”

  With that reassurance, Hunar’s disposition changed. She was no longer embarrassed, now she was only fuming.

  -Boys will pay.-

  The dog growled, and Kile received a very vivid image of what Hunar was planning to do to the boys, one that sent a chill down her spine.

  “Hunar you can’t.”

  -Why?-

  “Because, you don’t respond to a practical joke by disemboweling.”

  -Why?-

  “You just don’t okay. Promise me that if I release you, you won’t do anything rash.”

  -Fine.-

  “Thank you. Now, let me go back up and get the knife, I can’t seem to untie this rope.”

  “What’s going on here? Stay away from that dog, are you crazy? What do you think you're doing with my dog?”

  Kile spun around and looked up at the huge man that was racing across the field. She did not think that Oblum could run that fast. She didn’t think Oblum could run.

  “That dog will tear you to shreds.”

  Kile backed away from the rope as Oblum stood between her and Hunar. He glared down at her with his one good eye.

  “You better have a damn good explanation.”

  “Sir, she was tied up to this tree, I was just trying to free her.”

  “Free her?” He asked as he looked back at Hunar as if seeing the rope for the first time. “How do I know that? You could have been tying her up.”

  Good point, she thought.

  “I… I was on my way to class and I saw her tied up. I knew she shouldn’t be here so I was going to free her.”

  Oblum looked suspiciously at Kile, then back and Hunar, then back at Kile. Hunar walked around her master and came to Kile’s side. She dropped her head under Kile’s right hand, and Kile scratched the mastiff behind her ear. Oblum seamed to be torn between what he wanted to believe and what he had to believe.

  “Well… I guess if you DID tie Hunar up, she would have torn you apart by now.” The headmaster replied. This was a reluctant way of saying he believed her and was sorry that he accused her. He pulled out his own long knife, bent down and started to cut the rope.

  “Who did this to you girl?” He asked her, but unlike Kile he didn’t expect an answer. “If I find out who did this to you, I will personally kick them so far out of the academy that they won’t land until they reach the sea.”

  Oblum held onto the rope after he cut Hunar free, he didn’t want to risk Hunar seeking revenge.

  “You better get back to class… cadet.” Oblum said as he led the rather embarrassed dog away.

  ***~~~***

  4

  Eric had succeeded in delaying Kile for nearly and hour, by now most of the good horses, if not all of the good horses, had already been taken. Hopefully that was all he had planned for her today. When she finally reached the western gates, she was grateful to see the other cadets in a large, wide open field just outside the walls. It meant that she was in the right place. There were only about forty cadets left in the second year and they were spread out over the field, each one standing beside their newly selected mounts. Daniel was right about one thing she thought as she slowed down and started to walk across the field to where Master Pike was waiting, the horses were top quality, but then she wasn’t an expert on horses. The only horse her family ever owned was an old gray nag, and she couldn’t compare that to these.

  “Nice of you to make time for us cadet Veller.” Master Pike shouted while she was still halfway across the field. It was not meant for communicating, just to focus the attention of the class on her. She didn’t bother shouting back. Partially because she didn’t want to embarrass herself any further, but mostly due to the fact that she had just run across the compound and was so out of breath at the moment that, if she had tried to shout, she would have just squeaked and probably fallen over.

  Master Pike was a tall, lean man with long brown hair that he kept tied in a tail, and a bushy mustache that looked awkward on his long narrow face. He looked very much like the horses that he rode as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. She had seen him around, often lurking behind Master Boraro and she wondered if he was as much a toady as Master West was.

  “Sorry I’m late sir.” Kile said as she got closer.

  “I assume you have an excuse.” Not that he really wanted to hear one.

  “I was doing something for Sir Oblum.” She replied with a simple smile.

  “I see.” Master Pike said, but then he really didn’t and it wasn’t as if he was going to go running back to find out if she was telling the truth or not. “Very well then…” He added with a grin that made Kile uneasy. “You may… select your horse.” He finished with a sweep of his arm.

  Kile turned around to see that the only horse left in the paddock could hardly be called a horse, although it did sort of resemble one. It was probably one of the most dreadful creatures she had ever had the misfortune of setting her eyes one. It was stockier then the normal horse, but even that was difficult to say for certain, since it was covered in a long, black, shaggy coat that draped around it like an old mop. Its legs were rather thick and ended in huge tufts of hair that covered hoofs the size of serving platters. Even its face was difficult to see since the hair that grew from its head fell down over its eyes. It stood there unapologetically looking at her, as if daring her to come closer.

  “I’m afraid that is all that we have left, at least until we get a new shipment of horses in.” Master Pike replied unsympathetically, and although he said it with a straight face, she was sure he was laughing behind that facade.

  “When will that be sir?” She dared to ask.

  “Oh, by next month I should think, or possibly the month after that, don’t really know. Until then… he should suffice.”

  “Yes sir.” Was all she could say.

  “Well, mount up.” He told her as he started to walk off. “We will be riding up the road a bit, and then through the countryside to get better acquainted with our mounts. I’m sure one of your… friends… will be glad to hang back and tell you what you’ve missed.”

  He didn’t wait to see if anyone did stay back, he just walked over to his own horse, a tall black mare, slipped on his riding gloves, grabbed hold of the pommel and effortlessly threw himself into the saddle. He raised one hand to motion the riders to follow him and then set off down the road without looking back.

  Kile watched as those that knew how to ride quickly fell in behind Master Pike and those that didn’t had a little more trouble getting their mounts started, but once most of the horses began to move, the other soon followed in spite of the naiveté of their passengers. Hunters were suppose to be some of the finest horseman in all of Aru, and as she watched the cadets bobbing around on the backs of their mounts, she had a hard time believing that one year was going to make that possible.

  When she was sure that Master Pike and the rest of the cadets were out of earshot, she turned back to the shaggy black horse.

  “Hello, my name is Kile.” She said, but there was no reply. The
horse just stood there and stared at her. At least she thought it stared at her, it was difficult to tell without being able to see his eyes.

  “Do you have a name?” She asked, but there was still no reply. Could he even understand her? Could she even speak to horses? She had spoken to one in the stables last year, surely it couldn’t be all that much different. Maybe he just didn’t understand her she though as she looked closer at the horse, or maybe he was just ignoring her.

  “Where have you been?” Daniel asked as he rode up to her on a dappled gray. “I tried to stall as long as I could but Master Pike wasn’t going for it.”

  “Got a little side tracked.” She replied.

  “Did it happen to have something to do with Eric and his gang?” Daniel asked as he dismounted. She could tell that he was one of those that already knew how to ride by the ease at which he dismounted.

  “What makes you ask that?”

  “He came back just before class started, and he seamed abnormally pleased with himself.” He said as he picked up Kile’s academy issued saddle. She looked from it to the horse and had her doubts that it was even going to fit.

  “I should be doing that.” She said, although she made no attempt to take the saddle from him. He had chosen to go to class rather than escort her back to her room so that she could change. Of course she had told him to go, but that wasn’t the point. If he had been a gentleman he would have ignored her wishes and stayed with her or something like that. Either way he had some blame in her getting stuck with this hairy monstrosity, she would just have to figure out how.

  “I’ll saddle him today, we can go over the rest later.”

  Daniel definitely knew his way around horses and could have probably saddled Kile’s mount with very little effort that was if the horse had been more cooperative. Every time he tried to throw the saddle on, the horse stepped out from under it. It was one of those old heavy saddles, not like the ones the hunters used today, so each repeated attempt wasn’t even as close as the last one.

  “I think he’s doing it deliberately.” Daniel replied after the third try, dropping the saddle on the ground in order to catch his breath.

  “I know he’s doing it deliberately.”

  “Well, talk to him, make him understand.”

  “You don’t think I’ve tried?” She replied as she attempted to hold the horse still for one last try, but the beast was just too strong for her and pushed her over as he sidestepped the saddle again.

  “You can always go bareback.” Daniel suggested as he dropped the saddle.

  Kile got up and dusted the dirt from her pants. There was probably some academy regulation about riding bareback, but if they hung around here too long fooling with the saddle, Master Pike would be returning with the rest of the cadets. She was determined to get on this horse one way or another.

  “Doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.” She replied. “Just help me get on him.”

  “Okay, come around to his left side.”

  “Why, what difference does it make?”

  “Don’t really know, but my father always says you should mount from the left side.”

  “It’s like waiting on tables.” She mumbled to herself, “Serve on the left, remove from the right. I’m showing courtesy to a horse that ignores me.”

  “Just get on before Master Pike and the others get too far ahead.”

  Kile gripped a handful of mane, and there was quite a bit to grab, as Daniel boosted her up. The horse unexpectedly lurched forward and she quickly lost her balance, tumbling off the back and landing hard on the ground. She looked up at the backside of the animal, and the horse turned its head to look at her. If she didn’t know better she would have sworn he laughed.

  “Are you okay?” Daniel asked running to her side.

  “Oh, just fine. If I’m not dumped on my ass at least once a week it just wouldn’t be the academy.”

  “Look you can’t ride this thing.” Daniel said as he helped her to her feet. “Why don’t you take my horse and I’ll wait until the next shipment comes in. I already know how to ride, I won’t miss too much.”

  It was a generous and extremely tempting offer as Kile looked from the black hairy mass that stood before her, to the sleek lines of the dapple gray, but she wasn’t going to be so easily defeated. She was the only cadet in the history of the entry exam that got that little ebony box out of the testing area. Even if it did major structural damage to the building and no one knew she had done it, but she had a reputation to uphold, and she wasn’t going to let this lumbering beast get the better of her.

  “You go on ahead.” She told Daniel. “I’ll be there shortly.”

  “How?” He asked, “On foot.”

  “Go, I’ll be along shortly.”

  “Well… if you say so.” Daniel replied as he walked over to his mare and mounted up. He made it look so easy that it actually annoyed her.

  “I’m not going fast, I’ll take my time.” He said as he turned toward the road. “You better catch up before I reach the others.”

  He had just started when Kile stopped him.

  “One moment.” She called out.

  “Changed your mind?” Daniel grinned.

  “Not likely.” She said as she walked up beside him and stroked the noise of the mare. “May I have a word?”

  “Of course you can.” Daniel replied a little confused.

  “Not with you.” She told him, and then turned back to the horse. “Could I speak with you?”

  -With me?-

  The mare replied with a bit of confusion. She had never spoken to a vir before, or no vir had ever tried to speak with her, but she seemed actually delighted to speak.

  “My name is Kile, what’s yours?”

  -Cloud-

  The mare replied, although Kile could tell that the mare didn’t really like that name.

  “Cloud?” Kile repeated as she looked up at Daniel. That wasn’t the mare’s name that was the name Daniel had given her. “Cloud?” She repeated.

  “Well… yeah… because she’s gray and all.” Daniel replied, trying to defend himself.

  “Oh please that is so cliché, do you know how many gray horses are named cloud?” She asked him. “Unless it’s a male horse, then they’re usually called Storm Cloud.” She said, turning back to the mare. “What is your name… your real name?”

  -Miliea-

  The mare answered, and this time there was a note of pride in her voice.

  “If I can’t call her cloud, what should I call her?” Daniel asked.

  “You should address her by her name, Miliea.”

  Miliea seamed to approve the sound of her name spoken out loud even by a vir.

  “Miliea huh? I like it. Okay Miliea it is.”

  “It’s not like you have much of a choice, it is her name. It would be like me meeting you and calling you Edward.”

  “How was I supposed to know her name? In case you’ve forgotten, not everyone can speak with horses.”

  “Fine, now that we’ve gotten that settled.” Kile said, as she turned back to the mare. “Miliea, what can you tell me about… him?” She asked, indicating the hairy four legged beast that stood in the paddock watching them suspiciously.

  -Not much-

  “Anything you could tell me, or show me would help.”

  -He traveled with us. I know nothing more-

  “How about a name?” Kile asked. “Did he have any names that you know of?”

  -The men called him many things, some not so nice. He did respond to… Grim-

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Kile said as she stepped away. “Thank you Miliea, you guys get going, I’ll catch up.”

  “Are you sure, I can stick around if you want.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.” She reassured Daniel, but she wasn’t all that sure herself.

  Daniel turned Miliea toward the road and they moved at a slow even pace. Kile watched them go and regretted not having taken him up on his offer of cla
iming Miliea, she seemed like a pleasant enough horse.

  “Grim.” She said as she turned around and the horse shook out his mane. “Look, I don’t know if you can understand me or not, because I don’t really know how this works, and at this moment I don’t really care. I’m not having the best day of my life here and you’re not making it any easier, so how about we just get through today with no more problems and we can work it out later, what do you say?”

  Grim said nothing as he stood there and stared at her, or at least she thought he was staring at her, it was still difficult to tell under all that hair. She moved around to his left side, got two handfuls of mane and pulled herself up on his back, and he launched her clear over the other side with a well timed buck. She hit the ground again and stared up at him from the dirt. This was taking spirited to a whole new level.

  “Enough.” She shouted as she got to her feet and turned on the horse. “You will calm down and let me ride you.”

  Grim did seem to calm, for a moment, but she still didn’t trust the beast.

  She moved back around to his left side and didn’t hesitate as she grabbed two handfuls of mane and jumped. She laid a crossed his back for a few minutes, expecting to be thrown off, but this time Grim didn’t move.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere.” She said as she swung her leg over and sat astride him with a little difficulty. He was a large horse with a wide flat back. If she had a blanket and pillow she could have made a bed out of him, but she doubted he would let her.

  “Go.” She commanded him, digging her heels into his side.

  Grim set off slowly.

  “Come on. Let’s try to catch up with the others.” She told him.

  He picked up his pace and moved with a strong steady gate. He was surprisingly smooth for a large beast, but not very quiet as his great serving platter sized hoofs struck the ground.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” Daniel called out as he saw her coming up quickly. “I would never have thought you could have done it. How did you…” But he stopped in mid sentence as she got closer, and his face when from excitement to concern. “Kile are you alright?” He called out to her.