by Spoor, Garry
The first indication that something was amiss that day was the lack of order. There were no third year cadets calling out the names, no third year cadets standing beside the gate, ready to close out any stragglers, in fact there was nobody running the morning routine. The cadets stood out there in the toe numbing cold for what seemed like half an hour, before the office door finally opened. Sir Oblum stood in the doorway, looking out over the compound. He stepped out into the snow and walked across the small stretch of ground to reach the fenced in area. His dogs didn’t escort him this time, which was another clear indication that all was not as it should have been. Oblum pushed open the gate and took his place before the cadets, saying nothing as his eyes scanned the group slowly. The always fierce look on his face had been replaced by one of a solemn nature; he suddenly looked very old and very tired.
Master Adams emerged from the office next. He didn’t even look at the cadets, but instead headed toward the notice board and started unrolling parchments, tacking them up one by one. When he was finished he returned to the office door and gave a slight nod to Oblum, who returned the gesture. What ever was going on was not going to be good.
“We have just received word that as of last month, an organized raid on three western outposts by the uhyre has resulted in the deaths of two hundred and twelve civilians… and fourteen hunters.” Oblum announced. His once powerful voice sounded as if it was on the verge of breaking. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Greenwater, Grover’s Den, and White Pines… are no more. If you have family or friends in those locations, then you have our condolences and the guild will provide any means at their disposal to help you in this time of tragedy. All the names will be posted upon the notice board. Classes have been canceled until further notice.”
He didn’t wait around to explain or answer questions, not that there were any questions being asked. The cadets just stood dumfounded in the snow. Two days before the happiest night of the year was not the time to be thinking about the death of so many. Some began to move back toward the Dinning hall, some looked toward the Eastern gate. Fourteen hunters had died; it was a wake up call. If the entry examination hadn’t shown the dangers that a hunter faces, then that cold hard fact did. A hand full made their way to the notice board, Kile was one of them.
The everyday messages such as the chore schedule, the mystic arts appointment, even the lost and found list had been covered up by five large sheets of parchment. Four of them were bone white and bore the name of each civilian in alphabetical order. Groups of them listed with the same last name indicated entire families had been massacred. There was no other information, no details, no ages, of which Kile was grateful. The anonymity of the names was bad enough; to know if they were children would have been unbearable. The last sheet was a soft green in color and edged in black. Written upon this were the names of all fourteen hunters. Kile found the name she was looking for, and wished she hadn’t. Third from the top, under the names of 'Sanders, Craig' and 'Prain, Peters' was written in a shaky hand the name 'Treeman, Garret K.' The only thing she could think of was that he had promised to be at her graduation.
“Well, there’s fourteen more openings for us when we graduate.”
Kile turned to see Eric, his greasy black hair framing a smug face, his finger resting upon Tree’s name and the only thing she wanted was to …
“You bitch.” She heard him curse as someone grabbed her from behind and was pulling her back. Master Adams had appeared from nowhere and was pushing cadets aside.
“We are not doing this, not now, not today.” He yelled although she didn’t know what he was yelling about, all she knew was that Eric was picking himself out of the snow clutching his nose as blood seeped through his fingers.
“Kile stop.” She heard Daniel yell in her ear as she tried to break free of his grip.
“That’s why girls shouldn’t be hunters’ they’re too damn emotional.” Eric shouted, although his voice sounded more comical since he was holding his nose to stem the bleeding. “If it wasn’t for Silvia pulling string, you wouldn’t even be here.”
“Enough.” Master Adams shouted. “Daniel, get Kile out of here, Robert, take Eric to the healers.”
“Come on Kile.” Daniel said through clenched teeth as he yanked her away, nearly falling over backward in the snow.
Carter ran over to grab her other arm to help move her way from the growing crowd. “Damn girl, what were you thinking?” He shouted.
She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, she wasn’t even sure what had just happened as she shook the boys off her.
“Just… let me go.”
Carter was the first to back off, then Daniel released her, but both boys stayed close enough to grab her again if she tried anything.
“What's the matter with you?” Daniel asked.
“What?”
“What? That’s a good way to get kicked out of the academy, it’s a good thing Master Adams was there and not Master Boraro, otherwise you’d be packing your bags now.”
“Why? What did I do?” She asked.
“You punched him dead in his face is what you did, you probably broke his nose.” Daniel told her.
“Damn good left hook if you ask me.” Carter laughed. “He never saw it coming, never had a chance.”
She looked down at her hand that was still clenched in a fist; traces of what had to be Eric’s blood were still on her hands. She had thought about doing it, she had wanted to do it; she didn’t think she actually did it.
“Well… he deserved it.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right, but that's no reason to lash out like that.”
“Tree’s name was on that list, you saw that didn’t you?” She asked, hoping that maybe she had gotten that wrong too. Maybe she had just misread someone else’s name.
“Yeah, I saw it.” Daniel said.
She pushed them both away and started to run, or stumble through the snow. Her first thought was to go back to her cell, go back to bed and hope that when she woke up the next morning it would all have been a dream, but she knew that wasn’t very practical so she turned and made her way up to the stables.
“Kile wait.” She heard one of the boys yell, she didn’t look back to see which one it was, she just kept running, falling up the hill twice before she finally reached the stable doors. She threw them open, and expected a confrontation with Luke, but the stable hand was nowhere to be found. It didn’t matter, she didn’t want to speak with him anyway, she didn’t want to speak with anybody at the moment. She just needed some space to think, and made her way to the back of the stables, to the single stall that held the only Mountain pony.
“You ready?” She asked Grim as she pulled open his stall gate.
-For what?-
“To run.”
-Always.-
She grabbed hold of his mane with two hands and pulled herself up. She didn’t have to tell him where she wanted to go, he already knew, she didn’t really know herself, but Grim knew. They came out of the stables in a full gallop and headed for the western gate. The guards, seeing the hairy black beast bearing down on them did everything they could to get the gates open and get out of the way. The sound of the horse was deafening as it thundered past.
Maybe Eric was right, maybe she was overly emotional, maybe she was overreacting, but she just had to get out of there, she just had to get away. She didn’t have to stop; she didn’t have to put herself through that. She could run to the sea or to the mountains, anywhere was better than the academy, anywhere was better than being a name on a list. Was that what she was destined for, to be just another name on a list for some greasy haired son of a… Lord to point his finger at and mock. She wasn’t even supposed to be here, they didn’t want her here; they made that perfectly clear. She was only here because Silvia pulled strings, she was only here because the Guild needed another female hunter, it didn’t have to be her; it could have been anyone. If that was the case, then let them find someone else to fill the
ir quota.
Grim took the hill without slowing, as he ran straight up the side, his platter sized hoofs creating their own footholds, cutting through the ice and snow until he reached the top, only then did he slow down. They broke the tree line and stood upon the edge, looking out over the landscape once again. From up here she couldn’t see the misery, she couldn’t see the pain, she couldn’t see the death; all she could see was the snow. It was like a clean white blanket that covered the world, so soft, so quiet.
She slid off the side of Grim and fell on the ground. She cursed as she stood up and wiped the snow from her pants. There had to be a better way of getting down she thought.
There was no sound out here, only the whisper of the wind through the trees, and of course the harsh breathing of an oversized horse. Where to go now she wondered. She wasn’t wanted at the academy, she wasn’t wanted back home, but of course that did leave her the rest of the world. She had to belong somewhere. Grover’s Den came to mind. An entire town, a western outpost gone, Garrett Treeman gone. She sat down in the snow beside one of the trees. She wanted to cry but she couldn’t, the tears just wouldn’t come, so she just turned her face to the morning sun.
It only took fifteen minutes before they sent someone after her. She couldn’t see who it was, but she could smell him. A rider was somewhere on the road she had just taken, heading in her direction. It was a strange sensation as she picked up on the scent of leather and lavender. Whoever it was, they were getting closer. Would it be a guard, or one of the instructors? Are they coming to take her back? That didn’t seem likely, she had already concluded that they didn’t want her there; they were probably coming for Grim. What was it that Luke said? He’s only your horse when you become a hunter, and she wasn’t a hunter.
The horse and rider crested the hill, although it took her longer than it had taken Grim, and emerged from the trees.
“Found you again.” Erin said, as she slipped from her mount, landing a lot more gracefully than Kile had. She was dressed in a set of drab green traveling clothes, a thick cloak wrapped around her with the hood drawn back. She walked toward Kile, eyeing Grim who was watching her carefully. Kile didn’t think Grim would try anything, or hoped he wouldn’t, it was hard to tell what mood the mountain pony was in.
“Did you come to take me back?” She asked Erin when she got closer.
“No, not really.” The hunter replied as she walked over to the edge of the hill and looked out over the horizon. “I never get tired of this view.”
“I’m not going back.”
“Yeah… you are.” Erin replied. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to make you. You’re going to go back because… it’s what you want to do.”
“Hardly.”
“For starters, you left all your stuff back there as well as your friends, and what about supplies? How far do you think you’ll get without food, water, warm clothing? You know… the basics.”
“Well… maybe.”
“You belong there Kile.”
“You should know.”
Erin turned to look at her. “What’s that suppose to mean?” She asked. It was easy to see why this woman had made it as a hunter; she could look scary when she wanted to.
“You’re the one that pulled the strings that got me into the academy.”
Erin started laughing. “Is that what you think? Maybe you hadn’t been at the academy long enough. I’m in the same boat you are; it’s an elite male dominated organization. I don’t have strings to pull.”
“Eric said that the only reason I’m here is because of you.”
“Eric… Eric Rimes? That little punk, he’s one to talk. Failed the psych examination two times in a row, showed no evident of teamwork or even compassion for his fellow cadets, he couldn’t even fill out the essay correctly. His father, the high and mightily Lord Rimes had to grease a few palms to get his beloved delinquent of a son into the academy. Rule number one kid, in the real world, money talks.”
“Should you be telling me this?” She asked.
“Probably not.” Erin replied with a shrug, “But then there are only the horses to hear and they’re not going to tell anyone.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that she thought as she looked over at Grim who was still watching Erin carefully.
“So… you didn’t influence the guild?”
“As if the guild would listen to me. The only thing I did, the only thing I could do was sponsor you, although I had my doubts.”
“About what?”
“Well, not about you being a hunter, about putting you through this. I knew you could make it as a hunter, but I also knew you would have to go through all this… garbage first, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t get any easier once you graduate.”
“Then why do I want to do it.”
“Because of that.” Erin said as she pointed to the horizon. “Sure you’re going to have to deal with the guild and you’re going to have to deal with clients that are hesitant to accept you because of your sex, but the freedom, when you’re out there, on your own, then you’ll understand.”
“And you think I can do that?”
“I know you can, it's your destiny.”
“I don’t believe much in destiny.” Kile replied as she kicked at the snow.
“Neither do I.” Erin laughed. “But let me tell you a story. This was some time back and I was several years younger. I just became a level two hunter and was on my first bounty assignment. I chased this one gulrik across three provinces and finally caught up with him in the Fennel woods, some distance from here. I got careless and he got behind me. Needless the say I managed to apprehend him, but not before he gave me a descent scar in an indecent place, one that I can’t really show you here. It’s a little too cold.
“On my way back to the guild house, I decided to take a side trip to Baxter’s Bay, ever been there?”
“Me, I’ve never been out of Riverport until now.” Kile replied.
“If you ever get a chance to go, take it. It’s a beautiful place, good food, great shopping, a lot of bargains, and the spas, I can’t begin to describe the spas. I figured I deserved a little time off to recuperate, but when I reached the crossroads, I saw the most beautiful white stag.”
“White stag? Aren’t’ they suppose to be… like omens or something?”
“That's what I thought.” Erin replied. “So there I am, torn between following this white stag or taking a holiday at Baxter’s bay. Obviously I followed the stag, I figured I could go to Baxter’s Bay anytime, a white stag was a once in a lifetime experience.”
“So… what happen?”
“Well, I followed this stag for most of the day, but eventually I lost it when I came to a small farming town. One of the farmers spotted me and asked for my help. It seamed that earlier that morning, a child had gone missing in the woods and they couldn’t find her. The parent’s were beside themselves with worry.”
“Somehow I doubt the father was.” Kile added as she got up and wiped the snow from her pants.
“Okay, now you’re going to spoil my story.”
She folded her arms across her chest and stared at Erin in disbelief. “You’re telling me that you followed a white stage into Riverport?”
“I might have.”
“How much of that is true?”
“That’s for you to figure out.” Erin grinned. “The point is. I arrived in Riverport that same day you got lost.”
“I didn’t GET lost.”
“Do you remember the first time we met?”
“Well… yeah.”
“I thought I was looking for this lost little girl, I figured I would find her huddled under a tree crying her eyes out, instead I find you sitting on a rock staring at me with this, what took you so long expression. I knew right then and there that there was something unique about this little girl.”
“So you thought, hey, she would be a great hunter, let’s torture her.”
“You
don’t remember much of that night… do you?”
“Yeah… kind of.” Kile replied. It was true that she had forgotten quite a bit about what happened on the night she was lost, although the dreams that followed did keep her up at night for the next few months, she could never put the events in a proper sequence. No matter how much she tried, there was just something missing.
“What do you remember?” Erin asked.
What did she remember?
“Well, after you found me, you started setting up camp, which I never really understood since it didn’t take you so long to find me; you could have simply brought me back home that night.”
“Well, yeah we probably could have, but I saw how angry your father was and I figure that if his little girl was missing the entire night, maybe he would be a little more sympatric when he got you back.”
Now it was Kile’s turn to laugh. “Fat chance.” She said. “If anything it only annoyed him more.” After she had returned home the next morning, her father was furious and had grounded her for nearly a month and that was after the so called discussion he had with her.
“Yeah… sorry about that.”
“You couldn’t have known.” She said, waving it off.
“What else do you remember about that night?”
“Well. I remember you cooking up some kind of stew, and I remember the peppermint imps.” She said with a grin. “From that point… It gets a little confusing.”
“Do you remember the wolves?”
“Wolves?” Kile repeated, not really looking at Erin, but looking past her trying to recall the events of that night nearly six years ago. Yes, she had remembered the wolves… sort of. “They came down from the hills.” She said more to herself than to the hunter. “I think there were five of them. I remember they circled us, and you drew your sword. The largest one attacked and you struck it… then another one came at you… and… I don’t know… you chased them off somehow… you saved my life.” She said, although that was the part that never really fit together. It was like a story with a few pages torn out, from the wolves attacking to them running off. What did happen in between?