by Spoor, Garry
“What is it boy, what do you ya got.” The guard asked as tightened his grip on the leash. He scanned the forest but could see nothing through the dense rain. Only by the random flashes of lightning did he have any hopes of seeing anything in the darkness. He placed his hand gently upon the hilt of his sword. He knew the rules, he knew what to expect, but he wasn’t taking any chances. The dog pulled at the leash and the guard crouched down beside him.
“You got something boy, you got something?” He said, egging on the dog as he released the clasp. Once freed the dog shot off into the high grass the guard drew his sword and followed.
He cursed as he cut his way through the thick brush, the rain soaked branches hanging lower made it even harder for him to keep up, and he only stopped when the forest suddenly went quiet.
“Javoon?” He called out, but there was no reply. “Javoon, where are ya boy?”
He was answered only by the distant sound of thunder. The city guard pressed on through the high grass, stumbling out the other side, what he saw was not what he expected.
A young girl with long red hair sat face to face with the guard dog, they were staring at each other in a small clearing under a large pine tree.
“Hey… hey you there.” The guard called out, walking slowly. “You better be careful there miss, that dog’s dangerous.”
Neither the dog, nor the young girl looked up, or paid him any mind as he started to get closer, if he didn’t know better, he would have sworn they were carrying on a conversation. He took a few more steps in their direction when something or someone stopped him as he felt a hand press against his chest. He gripped his sword and was ready to defend himself, but he couldn’t see who to defend himself against.
“We don’t want to hurt you.”
The Guard spun around and nearly fell over backwards. It was the largest man he had ever seen, standing nearly seven feet tall with his head in the trees, dressed in black armor with a helmet that was crafted into the shape of a grinning white skull. He held a battle ax that was so large, it could have cut the guard in two with one swing. How this juggernaut managed to sneak up behind him so easily defied logic.
“You may want to put your sword down.” The grinning skull said.
Although the voice sounded a bit meek considering the bulk that it was coming from, the guard decided that the few extra coins the Hunter’s Guild was offering wasn’t worth it. He dropped his sword.
“Thank you.”
A tall slim man stepped out from behind one of the trees. His face was barely visible from under the hood of his cloak, but the guard could make out that he was rather young.
“We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.” He said as he raised one glowing blue hand and touched the guard’s forehead. It was the last thing the guard remembered of that night.
“You killed him?” Alex cried as he walked through the glowing skulled juggernaut that slowly faded out of existence.
“Of course not.” Daniel replied. He knelt down beside the guard, placing his finger along side the man’s neck just to make sure he hadn’t. “He’s fine.”
“Did you know that was going to work?” Carter asked.
“Truthfully… no. I had never tried that before.” He replied.
“How long is he going to be out?”
“A couple of hours at the most.”
Carter picked up the guards fallen sword and turned it over in his hand, feeling the weight and the balance. “Why do you think they would use outsiders?” He asked. “You would think that Hunter’s would have been better suited.”
“That would require hunters to use their edge against other hunters, and it is strictly prohibited in the hunter’s code.” Alex chimed in.
“I think it’s a little more than just that.” Daniel added.
“Who knows?”
Carter gently sets the sword beside the sleeping guard, and then turned and looked to where Kile and the dog were still sitting face to face.
“She’s really talking to that dog… isn’t she?” He asked.
“Yep.” Daniel replied.
“I mean… really talking to the dog. Like, actually carrying on a two way conversation.”
“Yep.”
“Is that… normal?”
“It depends on your definition of normal.” Daniel explained. “If you’re asking if it’s rare, then yes, it’s a very rare edge, I’m not sure of any other Hunter that can do it, past or present, but then you can’t really be sure since Hunter’s keep their edges secret.”
“So… she can talk to other animals too, like that rodent of hers.”
“Vesper? Oh yeah, she talks to Vesper. She can also talk to squirrels.”
“What does that have to do with… the squirrels… with the apples… that was her?”
“Yep.”
Carter sat down against the tree shaking his head.
“And here I am suggesting that she probably cheated during the first survival exercise.”
“Yep.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“A hunter’s edge is known only by the hunter and the mystic that teaches him, and anybody else the hunter wants to tell. If she wanted to tell you, she would have.”
“She told you.”
“That's different. I think up until now she was a little self conscious about her edge. Now she’s finally seeing how useful it is.”
“If it can get us some information about what’s going on in that camp, it will be very useful, we still don’t’ know how many guards are in there, or even if our last orb is there.”
“Five guards, minus the one you guys took care of.” Kile said as she and the guard dog approached. “And yes there is a box in the tent on the east side of the camp, as to whether or not our orb is in there that waits to be seen, but it does match the description of the other boxes, oh… and this is Javoon, he’s agreed to help.”
“Why?” Carter asked as he looked between the guard dog and Kile. He was still coming to grips that she was actually talking to the animal.
“Believe it or not, because of Gorum.” Kile replied with a sigh. “When the guards were at the academy getting their instruction and picking up their boxes, the guard dogs were with Gorum and Hunar. It would appear that Gorum asked them to help us out.”
“Gorum? Oblum’s dog? Asked them to help us.” Carter said, now he was in complete disbelief.
“Well, actually, he asked them to help me, and since I’m with you it kind of works out the same way.”
“But why would Oblum’s dog want to help us… I mean… you?”
“That's what friends do.” Kile replied with a shrug. “Come on, we should get back to Murphy and find out what’s happening in the camp and figure out what to do next.”
“What about sleeping beauty?” Alex asked.
“If you want to kiss him and wake him up, be my guess, but wait until we leave first.” Daniel suggested.
“I ain’t kissing no dude.” Alex replied as he quickly caught up with the others.
They set about backtracking up through the forest with Kile and Javoon leading the way, it didn’t take them long to find Murphy who was crouched down beside one of the larger trees, completely in his stone form to mask his scent from the dogs. He turned when they approached, looking between Kile and the Guard Dog, if he thought anything was strange about the pair, he didn’t say.
“What have we learned?” Kile asked as she came up behind him.
They had found the encampment not long after Vesper had detected the guards, although it wasn’t that difficult to find. It was situated in the center of a wide clearing, four tents erected around a good size cooking fire. A large pot of something that smelled edible hung over the flames. On either edge of the clearing two guards stood with their backs to the fire, looking out in the darkness of the woods around them.
“There are only the three guards, along with two dogs.” Murphy said as they pulled back from the edge of the hill.
“Th
at means there is still one guard and one dog unaccounted for.” Kile concluded.
“More than likely they’re out on patrol. So now what?” Carter asked.
“That’s easy.” She answered, pulling the key out of her tunic and then from around her neck. She handed it to Carter. “You’re going to get the orb.”
“Me?”
“With your edge you can be in and out without anyone seeing you.”
“I can get past the men, but not the dog. You told me that yourself.”
“That’s where Javoon come in. He’s going to convince the dogs not to pay any attention to you.”
“Aren’t they going to be a little suspicious when the dog comes back alone?” Daniel asked.
“Surprisingly not, it seems to be a regular occurrence.”
“Let's hope so.” Carter said as he gripped the key tightly in his hand and slowly faded out of sight.
“You’re on Javoon.” Kile whispered to the dog.
The guard dog casually walked into camp, under the watchful eye of the one of the guards. He didn’t hesitate as he trotted over to the other dogs and lay down among them.
“Was that Javoon?” Another guard asked as he came out of one of the tents. He must have been sleeping as he ran one gloved hand through his hair and cursed the rain.
“Who else.” The guard on post answered.
“Where Angelo?”
“Probably somewhere out there, looking for Javoon?” The guard at the post laughed.
“By the gods what an idiot, tell me again why he has to be in our squad.”
“He’s your brother-in-law.”
Carter slipped quietly between the two guards as they spoke and cross the campsite to the tent, which happen to be the one the guard dogs were laying in front of. He hoped that Javoon had carried out his part of the plan, and then realized that he was relying on a dog to convince his pack to look the other way.
One of the dogs did look up briefly as Carter was stepping over him, but soon laid his head back down on his paws and closed his eyes. Only when Carter was inside the tent did he start to breath again.
It wasn’t difficult to find the golden box. It was the only other thing in the tent beside the table that it was sitting on. Carter inserted the key and gently turned it. A muffled click was all the noise that it made. He looked back toward the opening of the tent to see if he had attracted any unwanted attention, but the dogs remained still and the guards were too far away. Slowly he opened the box and removed the red orb from inside. He was nearly out of the tent when the missing patrol returned.
“Hey, you see Angelo out there.” The guard asked the new man.
“I couldn’t see squat with all this rain.” He replied as he got closer to the campsite, it was then that his dog began to growl.
“What is it girl?”
Carter moved back, away from the opening of the tent. If the dog was going to try anything, he would need an escape. He could go out the back but there was a guard on that side of the camp as well. A tent ripping itself apart from the inside out was kind of a dead give away that something wasn’t quite right.
The new man held onto the leash as the dog strained to get free.
“Have you checked on the package?”
“Well… no, not lately, but nothings happen here since you left, it’s been quiet. Maybe she’s a little spooked by the thunder.”
“Kenor does not get spooked.” The man replied. He held the dog back as she pulled on the leash. There was no mistaken the direction that she wanted to go in.
It was Javoon that made the next move as the larger guard dog rose slowly from the pack and made his way toward Kenor. Carter watched as there was an exchange between the two dogs. He had never considered dogs being able to communicate with one another, but seeing Javoon and Kenor, he was beginning to have second thoughts. The female guard dog eased out of her defensive posture.
“What’s the matter girl, did you lose it?” The man asked, he was still not completely convinced and even released the dog so see where she would go. Kenor followed Javoon back to the pack where she settled down.
“See, nothing to worry about. It was probably just a lover’s spat.” The guard said with a laugh.
“Yeah, maybe.” The man replied, although he didn’t believe it as he continued to head toward the tent.
There really wasn’t enough room in the tent for the two of them as Carter compressed himself against the side as much as he could, but the man wasn’t all that enthusiastic. He simply pulled back the flap and looked in to see that the box was still on the table.
“Everything there.” The guard on post said with just a hint of venom in his voice at the insinuation that he had somehow let the box be stolen.
“Hey, I’ve worked with these hunters before, you haven’t.” The man said. “They can be really tricky.”
“Come on, they're just kids.” The guard replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“Kids or not, they have… secret powers.”
He was looking around the forest as if he expected to be surrounded by cadets at any minute. Working with the hunters clearly made him nervous, but only made the guard on post laugh.
“Oh come on, don’t tell me you believe all that crap about the hunters, it’s a promotional gimmick to rake in more work for their guild.”
“If you’d seen what I’d seen Pete, you wouldn’t be so quick to judge.” The man said as he moved to the second tent. “I don’t think I’ll even be able to sleep tonight. They’ll be here soon, and when they do, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, yeah, just shut up and go to sleep already.”
Carter seized his opportunity as he stepped nimbly over the dogs that still paid him little mind, only Kenor looked in his direction as he passed. He crossed under the nose of the Guard on post, which he now knew as Pete and headed back up the hill with the third and last orb well in hand.
“Oh man that was close.” He said as he collapsed by the tree and slowly reappeared.
“It’s not over yet” Daniel said as he got to his feet. “Let’s get the hell out of here before we start to celebrate.”
They traveled just over an hour more through the wilderness before they decided to stop for the night, choosing the shelter of leaning rock to keep the wind at bay and tied together their cloaks to create a makeshift tent to keep out the rain. With the flint that he kept in his boot as a good luck charm and the small steel bladed knife that they found in the cave, Carter was able to start a fire even in the damp conditions they found themselves in.
They had to make sure that they were outside the guard’s patrol area, the last thing they wanted were the guards to come stumbling upon them by accident. They wouldn’t be searching for them until morning, if they actually went to those lengths. The Hunter’s Guild didn’t pay that much coin.
The guard they left sleeping in the forest would be awake by now and the story he had to tell would be too unbelievable to even be considered fact. Since they couldn’t open the box without the key to see that it was now empty, there would be no reason for them to go looking for anyone, including grinning skulled juggernauts or red headed forest nymphs conversing with dogs.
The rain, the damp condition, the lack of food and warmth did not distract from the fact that they had all three orbs in their possession. They had completed their part of the survival exercise and now they had two days to get back to the academy. Even if they took it slow they should easily arrive in time.
By the next morning the storm had blown over and the sun was now struggling to be seen through the clouds. The weather was getting warmer and the summer was well on its way. The new first year cadets would be arriving in two months, the old first year cadets would become second years and Kile would be in her third year at the academy. In nine months time she would be assigned to a Guild Hall who knows where to start her life as a hunter, the only thing on her mind was whether or not she was ready. This was not a time to ha
ve doubts she told herself as she followed the boys through the forest.
They had given her the pack that they salvaged from the cave. It was the pack that had been left behind by the unfortunate group that was forced to use the little ebony box as a last resort. In the pack, that now hung over her shoulder was the three orbs and Vesper who was quite happy to ride with his head poking out from the top. He appeared to like this one more than her old one, as it provided him with more room to curl up in.
The walk was more light hearted now as their only purpose now was to get from point “A” to point “B”. With no mountains to climb or valleys to traverse there didn’t appear to be any obstacles in their way. By late evening they stopped beside the river to fill themselves as well as their makeshift water skin.
“You know what we need.” Daniel said as he played around with the water skin. He was sure that he could find a way to cleanse water more efficiently with his edge than filtering cloth. He had gotten close once, but the water took on such a bitter taste that although it was clean, it was still undrinkable.
“This should be good.” Carter said. He was trying to show Alex how to start a fire, but wasn’t having much luck.
“We need fish.”
“Hey yeah, A fish fry.” Carter grinned. “The only problem is we don’t have a pole, string, hook or bait, but besides that....”
“I’m sure we can find something.” Daniel replied.
“How about Kile just call the fish to the surface and we grab them when they get there.” Alex chimed in, only to receive a slap upside the head by Carter.
“That’s horrible.” Kile exclaimed.
“It was just a suggestion.”
“Actually I was thinking more in the lines of Carter’s edge and how he caught those squirrels a couple of days back. He’s getting better at it.” Daniel suggested.
Carter shrugged. “I can give it a try, but I’m not promising anything.” He said as he started to remove his boots.
Barefooted he stood on the bank of the river and slowly faded out of existence as he started to wade in. Only the water as it flowed around him, gave any indication that someone was there. They waited on the banks of the river to see if he could actually pull this off.