by Alex Avrio
“Well now,” she said sternly. “What have you to say for yourselves?”
63 A SMALL REQUEST
JAEGER lowered his eyes, suddenly interested in the patterns of the floor tiles, apparently reluctant to lie to the sisters. Regina attempted a smile, which turned to a grimace as the cut on her lip cracked open.
“We heard screams in the forest, and went to investigate. We found these two children, who had been abducted. We took care of the scoundrels who held them, and then brought them back to the safety of the shrine where they could be properly cared for and nursed back to health until they can be reunited with their families,” she said
Sister Superior eyed them suspiciously. “You heard screams in the forest from here? Your hearing must be excellent. We are respectable and law-abiding people in this house and will not tolerate any abuse of our hospitality.”
“I give you my word as a Former Kapitan of the Imperial Army,” Jaeger said, “that we did nothing reproachable. But upon my honor, I fear can tell you nothing other than this: what we did was for the good of the Motherland.”
Regina had to admire Jaeger’s play of the Eressian patriotism card. It seemed to be extremely powerful in Nassay-Beden.
“I will take your word, Kapitan, for now,” sister superior said, dismissing them to rest in their rooms.
Regina slept, missing lunch, and finally roused herself in time for dinner. The simple straw-filled mattress, the threadbare but warm blankets, and a dry roof over her head, felt like the height of luxury. Her cut lip didn’t hurt as much, and looking at it in her little mirror she realized it was a good way towards healing. She went to find Jaeger but when she arrived at his room she found the door ajar, and could hear him talking. She poked her head round the door to see if she could interrupt and saw Emilia standing in front of him, head tilted up, looking into his eyes. Jaeger bent and kissed her. A surge of anger flooded Regina's veins. Without a sound, she turned and walked away.
Regina spent the evening with the rest of the group. Thomas and Charlie were dying to hear what the two captains had been up to, but Regina was reluctant to tell them anything, and no more than she had told sister superior. Rosamynd reported that the children were not conscious yet but showed signs of a slow recovery. Jaeger and Emilia remained silent throughout the evening. A modest supper was taken in the dining hall with the sisters. The company gave thanks with the sisters for the food they were about to receive.
After supper, they were left to their own devices in the common room, but knew they only had an hour before the sisters would call lights out. Regina and Jaeger ventured into the garden in the last twilight. Jaeger looked round the naked rose bushes and the brown borders with their sleeping bulbs.
“It must be pretty here in the spring,” he observed.
“What kind of bastard are you?” Regina spat.
“One you should by now know,” he replied, his eyes not hiding his surprise.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing with Emilia?” she demanded. “Aren’t we in enough trouble already?”
“The Emperor can kill us only once,” he said nonchalantly. “Doors are there for a reason, Fitzwaters. To keep nosy busybodies out.”
“He might only kill us once but he’ll draw it out if he finds you’ve been meddling with his sister. The door was open. If you want privacy, close it.”
“Emilia came to see me-” Jaeger began.
“That was obvious,” Regina cut him off. “What were you thinking? She’s a child. You should know better. What are you trying to do, anyway? What designs do you have on her? The way we are entangled, what can you possibly hope to achieve with her?”
Jaeger laughed. “I had no idea you were jealous, Fitzwaters.” He shook his head. “Let me explain some things to you. Neither Emilia nor Rosamynd are children, though they may act like children sometimes. Both are young ladies, have debuted in society and are of marriageable age. Rosamynd will be married as soon as we get her to the Winter Palace. I have no designs whatsoever on Emilia. She is far too high up the social scale for me. I have explained this to her. She can do far better than me, and I hope she does. In a month she’ll have forgotten me and turned her attentions to much more suitable young men. I have told her that as well, but it didn’t go down well. She is young and sees things differently. She thinks these things last forever, always beautiful and shiny like the new dawn. But we know better, don’t we?”
“I might believe you if you hadn’t kissed her,” Regina said, crossing her arms. Jaeger looked uncomfortable.
“I could hardly deny her request. It was her first kiss and she wanted it from me.”
“A knight in shining armor.” Irony seeped into Regina’s voice like rust. “Maybe if she had a sister things might be easier?”
“That remark is beneath you, Regina.”
“I wasn’t aware that all I needed to do was request a kiss from you and it would be given,” Regina pressed on.
“All you needed to do was ask,” he said offhandedly.
“I have offered you my affections and you have turned your nose up at them.” Regina cheeks burnt with wounded pride. Without a word, Jaeger grabbed her and kissed her. Regina offered no resistance. She kissed him back. She’d no idea how much time had passed when they heard a cough and broke their embrace.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention,” Nathaniel said, “for quite a while now. Thank the Mother I finally got it.”
64 HOW TO BE A HUNTER IN YOUR SPARE TIME
REGINA and Jaeger reluctantly let each other go.
“What do you want? We've done your killing,” Jaeger snapped, a jagged edge to his voice.
“You’ll be doing plenty more killing in the future, soldier, if you live long enough,” Nathaniel said. “The people I have to work with nowadays! Used to be a time the Hunters were made of sterner stuff.”
“I didn’t hear you complain yesterday when we killed Mother Spider’s brood,” Jaeger said. On the third day of the full moon, pulling away from Regina felt like ripping off his own skin.
“Talking of Mother Spider, you made it sound like her children had no more sense than dumb beasts. You never said they were intelligent,” Regina complained.
“You could understand what they said?” Nathaniel asked slowly.
“And what Mother Spider said, which I would like to have a word about.”
“Oh, this is not good,” Nathaniel said, running his fingers though his hair.
“Some part of this situation has been good?” Jaeger rumbled.
“That you two could understand what Mother Spider’s brood was saying; it is because you are Abidari. You have more affinity with these creatures than any Hunters who've gone before,” Nathaniel explained.
“And that’s bad because?” Regina demanded.
“Because,” Jaeger offered with unexpected insight, “the Hunters City Guard, policing the balance. Hunters being Abidari is like Mr. Gold and Honesty running the City Guard.” Regina nodded slowly.
“Humans complain they are defenseless from the creatures of the night. The creatures of night complain they never get enough to stay their hunger. You both are stuck in the middle. Call it what you like. The City Guards, Keepers of the Peace, the Police.” Nathaniel shrugged.
“Great,” Jaeger said, “Regina Fitzwaters and Maximillian Jaeger, hated by the court of Pella, the court of Korthi, pirates- now by the Otherworld as well.”
“Excuse me, I was hated by nobody until I met you,” Regina said. “But what I want to know is why Mother Spider said that she was building an army against the dark that is coming.”
Nathaniel bit his lip. “Many creatures sense some great darkness coming from the Eastern Steppes. It is something that may or may not come to pass.”
“So we‘ve just ruined our best chance to defeat the dark?” Regina asked.
“Even if it is true, Mother Spider cannot build an army against darkness by devouring all the children in Eressia. We have to keep the b
alance,” Nathaniel said.
“Pfff,” Jaeger exclaimed, “children are overrated.” Nathaniel gave him a withering look.
“Why didn’t the Lord of Light task a Messari to be a Hunter?” Regina asked.
“The Hunters are human, it’s part of the balance. Immortal beings killing creatures of night might be more efficient, but humans feel the need to protect their own. Humans understand better what needs to be done.”
“I’m more concerned about practicalities than history,” Jaeger said. He found his flask and took a swig. He passed it to Regina. The temperature had dropped after the sun had set.
“Tell us how this works. Now we’ve got the job, we need specifics. How do we know when we’re needed? What weapons do we need? Will our job ever be considered done so someone else can take over?”
Nathaniel rubbed his palms together. “Getting to the heart of the matter now.” He put his hands inside his coat and held his waistcoat lapels. “I was hoping you’d be a bit brighter, Hunter. By now both of you must have noticed that you are changing. You are becoming stronger, faster, meaner. You, sir,” he addressed Jaeger, “do you think you could have ever decapitated an ice bear before you became what you are? Normal weapons become powerful in a Hunter’s hands, able to kill creatures of the night and dark. Huntress, have you noticed your wounds heal faster? You’re becoming tougher to hurt. Both of you.”
“I sense a big ‘but’ coming,” Regina said.
“There’s no pension plan,” Jaeger said coldly. “Nathaniel already said we were called forth when the previous lot were killed.”
“That is true,” Nathaniel said sadly. “They were good people. I miss them.”
“Touched as I am,” Jaeger pressed on, “how will we fight in twenty years’ time? Or will a monster eat us when we’re not fit enough to slay it?”
Nathaniel hesitated. “I haven’t known a Hunter who died in their bed.”
Regina rolled her eyes.
“You’ll die. Everybody does,” Nathaniel told her, “but it’ll be later rather than sooner if you can just avoid getting killed. You have longer lives than humans. You age differently. One Hunter year is ten to a human.”
Regina breathed in. Jaeger went pale.
“It isn’t easy to be chosen, but it is an honor. It is the Lady of Light, Our Mother, you serve. Many will tell you what a Hunter should be. All will have their own motives for what they say. A Hunter must find their own way. A sword in the hand of a Hunter is no longer mortal steel. Nevertheless, there are creatures it cannot touch. You must choose your battles wisely.
“You can ask different people what a Hunter is and what they do, and each will give a different answer. Demetrius told you one truth, I tell you a different one, and Lady Nephthys yet another. Everyone will wish to use the Hunters for their own purposes. In the end, you must make your own decisions on how to use your powers. There are two of you, so each can correct the actions of the other. Together, you will find balance. If one is impetuous, the other can hold back and think things through. All things must have balance, and that includes Hunters. Alone, you would choose poorly. Together, you will not.”
Regina shifted her weight. She stamped her feet to get rid of the cold and give herself time to adjust to this new reality.
“About this curse we’re bound with,” Jaeger asked. “How can it be broken?”
“I would like to soothe your ears and tell you that you will get rid of it. It would suit my purposes to have you subdued with that promise, but it would be a lie. Lady Nephthys is no backwater hedge witch. A curse cast by the Queen of Night and second sister of Magic cannot be broken. It can only be taken away by Nephthys herself, and she takes too much pleasure in watching you suffer.”
“But the curse of Pella was broken.”
“The curse of Pella lasted a thousand years and was finally lifted by Nephthys herself, only to be renewed and moved on to yourselves. Do not delude yourselves that it is a brief misery. You must learn to live with it for the rest of your lives. Maybe succumbing to it would not be such a bad thing. Everything in nature is balanced, and such powerful physical attraction is difficult to resist. I do not even understand why you struggle against it. It is not like you are brother and sister.”
“I don’t expect you to understand. We resist because we want to express our feelings of our own accord, not have them pressed on us,” Jaeger snorted. “I do not like being on anyone’s leash.”
“And you chose a career in the army? As coals in the fire go, you are not the brightest. Why don’t you explore your feelings on a day outside of the full moon? Your feelings are your own then, still your own. Urge and lust come with the moon; the rest of the time the lust is of your own making.
“Being a Hunter and a Huntress is a sacred task and a great honor bestowed only upon the most worthy. That you were called means there is something in you suited for the task. Each of you will receive something that you yearn for, as well as do what needs be done.” Nathaniel looked at them in turn. “Maybe for one it will be redemption. For the other, perhaps finding a purpose.”
“So we are effectively buggered,” Jaeger said calmly.
“For all intents and purposes, yes,” Nathaniel said. “Now if I have answered some of your questions, Fidel will be wondering where I’ve got to.” He disappeared into the shadows, turning briefly to call out “By the way, the full moon ended last night.”
“Shit,” was all Jaeger said.
65 TRUDGING THROUGH MUD
IN the morning, they rose early to a simple hearty breakfast. Regina bid a fond farewell to her comfortable bed and readied everyone for departure. Their clothes were freshly washed, but all the sisters’ care couldn’t restore them to their former glory. Regina and Jaeger had pulled the Korthi insignia off their jackets, leaving them clad in somber black, looking like they’d fallen on hard times. Regina had persuaded the ladies to stay in the simple clothes the sisters had provided, those being much less conspicuous and more suitable for traveling. Emilia and Rosamynd agreed with little argument. Schaefer and Charlie had already stowed their finery in their traveling bags, and wore plain but comfortable peasant clothes. The two horses Nathaniel had given them were a problem. A group of hard-at-luck travelers would barely be able to afford the two donkeys, but they were unwilling to give up such a godsend.
“Jackson, Eleven,” Jaeger said after some deliberation with Regina, “do you still have your Merchant Blades coats?”
“Safe in our packs,” Eleven replied.
“You have your coats to change into and you’re still wearing these rags?” Emilia asked.
“We all have our Blades coats in our bags,” Regina said, “but there are people looking for us.”
“Two’s fine. A company with two Blades on horseback won’t attract attention,” Jaeger said.
“Why don’t you ride, then?” Emilia pressed on.
“I look more like a woodcutter than a soldier right now. I’ve not shaved properly since Korthi. None of us have and it’s better that way. Merchant Blades are clean-shaven. Not looking the part gets you hanged.”
The sisters refused to take money for their hospitality and supplies, but Jaeger insisted and pressed some coins into their hands.
“I hope you’re keeping a record of this, grandpa,” Charlie whispered to Briggs, who was acting purser for the Blades.
“Who would have thought we’d live to see the day,” Briggs grumbled, “that we’d be borrowing money off you two pipsqueaks.” Thomas giggled.
They made their way slowly down the main road and passed a few groups of travelers. No one gave them a second look. At the end of the day they found a small village, and Jaeger got the priest’s permission to spend the night in the temple. She opened the temple up and gave them some thin blankets along with fresh water and some bread and cheese.
Early the following morning they were on their way again, eating fruit on the move, fruit from the village market, where they also stockpiled supplies for
the days ahead. After several hours, Jaeger pointed across a field. Regina realized they were to leave the road, trudging through muddy fields and grassland, Emilia and Rosamynd stopping to stare with wide-eyed wonder at the grazing cows and sheep. Occasionally a cow looked lazily back, swung her tail or moved her ears and returned her attention to the lush grass.
“I bet you don’t see much mud in your country,” Summers said to Amanates.
“Only near the river. Here you have no crocodiles,” Amanates replied.
“Nasty buggers,” Summers said, remembering what he’d seen in the South Across the Water. “We’ve got wolves.”
“Lions?” Amanates said.
“Bears,” Summers replied. They went on listing dangerous animals from each continent.
“Spiders,” Amanates went on.
“Let me tell you,” Regina commented as she passed them by, “we have dangerous spiders over here too.”
“We don’t have a pyramid with Nephthys in it,” Thomas piped up, which decided the argument.
At the end of one field a rudimentary fence had been erected to deter cattle from wandering too far. Eleven and Jackson had to dismount to get the horses safely through a narrow gate. Briggs and Thomas led the donkeys, followed by Charlie and Rosamynd. Emilia put her hands on the wooden gate and pushed. It cracked, creaked and sighed. She passed through and stood on the other side. Morgenstern waited his turn, but Emilia gestured for him to come closer; when he did, she planted a kiss on his lips. He jolted his head back abruptly, but Emilia just smiled at him.
“It’s a kissing gate, silly,” she said and moved along.
Morgenstern turned to Jaeger, puzzled.
“Don’t even think about it,” Jaeger told him, giving him a shove to get him moving. Emilia laughed. Regina bit her lip. That wasn’t a kissing gate. Emilia was stirring trouble. Regina believed Jaeger didn’t have any serious intentions towards Emilia, but Emilia’s intentions towards Jaeger were a potential problem. Making him jealous, for example: the oldest trick in the book.