Hunter's Academy (Veller)

by Spoor, Garry

  “Hey what’s keeping you two… whoa Kile, you look good?” Carter remarked as he came down the hall. He started circling her, trying to get a look at her from every angle.

  “Great, from the stutter to the subtle.” Kile said a she pushed past Carter. “Well, are you guys coming or not.”

  “Those are a really nice pair of…”

  “The next words out of your mouth better be boots.” Kile said without turning around.

  “Actually I was going to say blades.” Carter replied.

  “Oh.”

  “Can I see one?” He asked as he dropped his bundle of clothing on Daniel, since Daniel didn’t appear to be moving very far from his spot. She drew one of the Lann and carefully handed it to Carter.

  “Where did you get them?” He asked as he held the blade with the utmost respect, turning it over in his hands, looking down the length and even testing the weight.

  “It was a gift, from an old friend.” She said. She really didn’t want to go into a lengthy explanation.

  “I’ll say.” Carter replied. “This is old Kile, really old. I may not know much about this type of blade but I’ve never seen craftsmanship like this before. It’s a little light for my taste but it’s balanced really well.” He remarked and the handed the blade back to her.

  She hesitated before sheathing it, not really wanting to look foolish or clumsy while doing so, but she did manage to get in on the second try. Maybe she would get the hang of it with a little practice.

  “We should probably find Murphy and Alex, and then get this stuff back to the quartermasters.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Carter remarked. “You coming Danny?”

  “Huh.”

  “He’s not here right now.” Kile replied as she dropped her own uniform onto Daniel bundle.

  “Yeah, I can kinda guess where he is.” Carter grinned

  “Don’t even go there.” She said as she headed out the front door of the dorms, no sooner had she stepped outside than she heard the familiar call.

  “Kile Girl.”

  There was a definite difference in the tone of Alex’s voice and she didn’t miss it, as for Murphy, the big man just diverted his eyes which really didn’t make her feel any more comfortable

  “Can we go now?” She asked walking past them; she should have grabbed her cloak on the way out.

  They dropped off their uniforms at the quartermaster’s first, and then headed up to the Dinning Hall for breakfast. The only other people in the there were more fourth year cadets, some already wearing their uniforms, others having their breakfast first before going to the quartermasters. Since the rest of the classes were still doing their calisthenics under the watchful eye of a third year cadet, they could get in a quiet meal before the morning rituals let out. A simple salad was all she picked up from the counter, anything more and her new uniform would be even tighter than it already was.

  “So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?” Alex asked as he shoveled the food into this mouth.

  It amazed her, the amount of food the boy could eat. She worried what would happen when he became certified and had to pay for his own meals. She set her salad down and Vesper jumped up on the table to get his share. He had become a common fixture at their table and no one said a word as the yarrow pulled the lettuce out of Kile’s bowl.

  “We could always get in some practice, you know, try out our new weapons.” Carter replied between mouthfuls. He was another one that could eat, although he was a little bit choosier when it came to what he ate.

  “Oh come on, we’re graduating, we don’t have to practice anymore.” Alex whined.

  “You can always use more practice.” Daniel said. “You barely passed your weapons exam. If Master West hadn’t been distracted by the weapon’s rack falling over, you wouldn’t be graduating right now.”

  “Yeah, and you never did thank me for that.” Carter remarked.

  “Wait, are you telling me you guys cheated?” Kile asked.

  “Cheated is such a harsh word.” Carter replied. “Let’s just say we improvised.”

  “Good morning Hunters” Master Adams greeted them.

  He came over to where they were seated, struggling under a large box and setting it down on the end of the table, or maybe he dropped it on the end of the table, as he caught his breath. “Don’t we look sharp in our new uniforms?”

  “Some of us look sharper than others.” Carter mumbled. Kile threw a cucumber at him.

  “What’s in the box sir?” Daniel asked.

  “Glad you asked.” Master Adams replied as he opened the top and pulled out a soft leather bound book. Kile figured he was going to do it even if no one had asked.

  “These are your official code books.” He said as he started to hand them out.

  Alex grinned as he quickly leafed through the pages. “Code books, you mean like our own secret code?” He asked.

  Master Adams just sighed.

  “He means the Hunter’s code of conduct.”

  “Thank you Kile. Yes, this is the Hunter’s code of conduct. In it you will find the rules and regulations that every hunter must abide by. This is, in essence, your instruction manual. Read it, learn it, memorize it…”

  “Then dispose of the evidence so no one can break our code.” Alex added.

  Master Adams sighed again; he did that a lot around Alex.

  “Just ignore him sir.”

  “Yeah, we all do.”

  “Well, after today, I won’t have to, will I?” The hunter smiled. “You’re going to want to read section 2B, that covers what you are supposed to do when you get to, well, where ever it is you’re going to be sent.”

  “Then you don’t know where we’re going to end up?” Carter asked.

  He was hoping to get a heads up before his destination papers were handed out. It didn’t seem fair that Daniel was the only one who knew where he would be next week.

  “I’m afraid not.” Master Adams replied. “That is taken care of by the guild council. They send the sealed documents to Sir Oblum who received them this morning by a certified level three hunter.”

  “Level three, why’s he still delivering messages?” Alex asked.

  “The deliver of messages is an important part of the Hunter’s Guild.” Master Adams explained. “The more important messages being delivered by the most experienced Hunters.”

  “So we don’t even rate a level one Hunter?”

  “Level one Hunters have their own assignments, which you will know more about if you even get past level five.” Master Adams said as he grabbed the box from the table.

  “Let me help you with that sir.” Murphy offered as the big man got up and grabbed the box from the struggling instructor who willingly gave it up. He tossed it under one arm as if it weighed next to nothing and followed Master Adams across the dining hall to another table of fourth years where the instructor started to hand out more of the books.

  “Was that a dig?” Alex asked as he tossed his own book on the table. Kile was sure he would never read it.

  “Yeah, that was a dig.” Daniel grinned. He, at least, slipped his book in his belt pouch. Daniel would probably get around to it in a day or two.

  “He doesn’t know me very well does he? Why… I’ll become a level one hunter just like that. Why… I may even just skip levels two three and four just to prove I can.”

  “Keep dreaming little man.” Carter said, hitting Alex over the head with his code book. Carter was the type that would only read the book in the event of an emergency, if he remembered where he tossed it. “So, who’s up for some sparring?” He asked.

  “I am.” Alex shouted, jumping up from the table.

  “I guess I better come along, the last thing we need is wounded cadets at the graduation ceremony.” Daniel added.

  “How about you Kile, want to break in your new swords.”

  “You guys go ahead without me, I’ll be along shortly.” She said as she turned the pages of the c
ode book.

  “You didn’t really think she would join us.” Daniel remarked. “She found a book she hasn’t read yet.”

  The code book was just as Master Adams described it, an instruction manual for the Hunter. Within its pages was the proper procedure for just about every situation that hunters could find themselves in, and some that Kile thought were highly unlikely, but they were still in there. There was a section on what to do if you were stricken with lycanthropy, another if you were swallowed by a sea whale, a third if you were carried off by a cliff roc. Every situation that she could possibly think of, and some she couldn’t were all within the covers of the code book, but it was the sections at the back of the book that were the most informative, since they covered the actual rules that govern all Guild members.

  She began reading through the book, starting from page one and only stopped when the other cadets began to fill the dinning hall. The morning rituals would have been over so she sought a quieter place to read. She thought about going back to her cell but the less she saw of that place the better she would be, so she wound up in the new stables, which, if anyone knew her, was to be expected, but even the stables weren’t immune to the noises these days.

  Master Pike had started his lessons on horse care in his new classroom, teaching the third year cadets how to groom and manage their horses. Why the guild had decided on three classrooms for one instructor was beyond her, it was just a waist of space and coin, but if anyone could figure out what was on the minds of the Guild council members, they would be one step ahead of every other hunter out there. Fortunately she had a secret weapon. Grim, as one of the fourth year cadet horses, he had been moved back to the stables, and from what Kile had learned, Mr. Rever was eternally grateful. Master Pike had chosen the classroom as far away from the mountain pony as the width of the stables would allow, so Kile sat down in the empty stall beside Grim and read him section of the code book.

  “Hey Grim, you’ll like this one. It says here in 11-B section A paragraph 4C that a hunter should see to the satisfaction of his mount prior to seeking comfort for himself.”

  -Finally, a book that makes sense.-

  Grim snorted.

  She could sense that the big horse was as eager to get out of the academy as she was.

  “Yeah, but how much satisfaction does a mountain pony really need. That’s the problem with this book; the wording is a little ambiguous.”

  -It makes perfect sense to me.-

  “So what would make you satisfied before I could seek comfort?”

  -Shelter, water, apple pie.-

  “Well, I don’t know about that last one, there is nothing in this code book that says I’m allowed to give my mount apple pies.”

  -Then the book doesn’t know everything.-

  “Kile, you in here?”

  -Prime subject approaching.-

  Grim said as he backed deeper into his stall. Kile watched the horse, not sure what he was planning on doing, with Grim it could be just about anything.

  “I’m over here Danny, but you better be careful.” She warned.

  She kept an eye on Grim as the shaggy black mountain pony virtually merged with the shadows in his stall. Daniel came down the aisle followed by Carter. Both boys were sweaty and out of breath, their uniforms were wrinkled and a bit dusty.

  “Been looking all over for you.” Daniel said as he got closer. “This place is too big; it was easier to find you in the old building.”

  He was just in front of Grim’s stall when the mountain pony lunged from the shadows bearing his teeth and slamming his great hoofs into the ground. Daniel actually screamed as he fell backward into the empty stall on the opposite side of the isle, landing in a pile of hay. Carter, who hadn’t been close enough, stumbled backward tripping over his own feet and cursing as he fell on his ass.

  -Two.-

  Grim said as he slowly merged back into the shadows of his stall. Kile was too busy laughing to scold the horses.

  “Holy cow what the hell was that?” Daniel asked as he staggered to his feet, his heart was now racing and he was sweating even more than when he came in. He gave the stall, that now looked empty, a wide berth.

  “Something you’ve been teaching him?” He asked with a note of annoyance.

  “Not me, and besides, I told you to be careful.”

  “You could have been a little bit more forthcoming about what I was supposed to be careful of.”

  “Hey, I didn’t know.” She laughed as he looked over at Carter. The boy was keeping his distance from Grim’s stall. “Come on Carter I think he satisfied enough so you can seek your comfort.” She laughed.

  “Hell no, I ain’t walking in front of that stall, that horse is sick Kile, he’s not right, he’s evil.”

  “He’s okay, once you get to know him.”

  “I don’t want to know him, he’s a mentally disturbed animal, he’s evil.” Carter said, as he dusted himself off, although it didn’t really help much since he was already dirty.

  “What did you come in here for anyway?” She asked.

  “Don’t you know what time it is, the graduation starts in two hours.”

  Kile quickly closed the book and got to her feet. She hadn’t noticed that it was getting late, there were no windows where she was sitting, and Grim, even if he did know, probably wouldn’t have told her.

  “What about you guys, you’re all sweaty.” She said with a note of disgust. Why they wanted to spar before the graduation ceremony was beyond her.

  “What?” Carter said, looking down at himself as if he couldn’t figure out what she was talking about. “All I have to do is towel off and brush my hair.”

  “Come on.” She said rolling her eyes and pushing Daniel passed Grim’s stall. “Where’s Alex and Murphy.”

  “Murphy’s been helping Master Adams all afternoon handing out those stupid little books.” Carter remarked. “And Alex is already getting cleaned up.”

  She stopped before Grim’s stall.

  “How many people have you actually done that to?” She asked the horse

  -Twenty three-

  “Twenty three.” She said, shaking her head. Maybe Carter was right, maybe Grim was evil.

  The New Great hall wasn’t yet filled, but there was still some time before the graduation ceremony. More and more people began to show up, most of whom Kile had never seen before. There were hunters and relatives of hunters, all wanting to see the new blood graduate, and Kile felt suddenly left out.

  It was the first time she had stepped into the New Great Hall since it had been completely redecorated. She wasn’t sure why the cadets were still calling it the New Great Hall, it wasn’t as if they had to rebuild it from the ground up, and what happens if they did in the future, would the next one be known as the New New Great Hall. If anything the stables should be known as the new stables, they, at least, where build from the ground up, but no one called them the new stables. Actually the whole thing was ridiculous.

  New displays were out, along side some of the old ones which had survived the fire, and there were even some new exaggerated portraits hanging on the walls. Where they had gotten these ones, she had no idea. She walked along the gallery reading out the names to Vesper who wasn’t very interested in the history of the hunters.

  “Now he was here before.” She told the yarrow as she pointed to a rather dapper young hunter posing before a fire, the name plate beneath the painting read Sir Jameson Flint. He currently had nothing on display, but that wasn’t surprising since that was the one that had been destroyed by Eric before the fire. Sir Jameson Flint had something to do with the alleged magic stones, but that was now out of her hands.

  “Quite a few new ones, don’t you think?”

  She hadn’t heard Sir Oblum sneak up behind her, for a large man he was quite when he wanted to be. He was dressed in his finest, with a red and gold silk shirt and dark black slacks, he even had his eye patch on, probably didn’t want to scare the civilians. He held a d
rink in his hand as he spoke.

  “I want to show you someone.” He said, motioning for her to follow.

  Vesper made a discrete disappearing act back into the courier bag as she followed the headmaster through the crowd that was growing in number by the minute.

  Oblum stopped and pointed to one of the paintings. It was older than the others, the artwork was different. It was before the whole “larger than life” style that had dominated the later portraits. It was of a man dressed in fine clothing, standing with one hand out and one hand on his chest like an orator.

  “He looks like a politician.” She remarked.

  Oblum nodded in agreement and stepped aside so she could read the name on the plague. Etched on the brass plate embedded in the frame was the name Terrabin D’al.

  “As in the sons of Terrabin?” She asked.

  “The same.” He replied.

  “What’s he doing here?”

  It was not a good sign when one of the least liked hunter’s portrait was now hanging in the gallery.

  “It would depend upon who you are asking. The Guild Council says they wanted as many portraits up in the Great Hall to replace the ones that were lost in the fire, all for the graduation, but if you ask me, it just means that the movement is growing in strength.”

  “Should we be concerned sir?” She asked, although she really didn’t need his permission to be worried.

  “That would also depend.” He said as he pointed out another portrait, one that she had seen before and was even more surprised to see hanging in the Gallery.

  “Catherine Y’lew.” She said, before she even looked at the nameplate.

  “It would appear that you are familiar with this hunter.”

  “I had assumed that these were all destroyed.”

  “This one survived, and the Guild Council did want as many portraits up in the Great Hall as possible.”

  She looked at the portrait of the fiery red headed hunter closely and noted that the edging had been slightly burned and the frame was new. It was a shame that it wasn’t Risa Ta’re, but at least one of the female hunters had survived the fire.

  “I suppose I better go… mingle… with the civilians.” Sir Oblum said as downed the glass that he was carrying in one gulp. It was clear that the old hunter didn’t enjoy this part of his job.