by Jeff Gunhus
Xavier fell to the deck, holding his shoulder. Will and T-Rex rushed up to help him, and Daniel took a protective position in front of them.
It wasn’t really needed as Eva continued her one-person destruction of the Creach. Soon, there was only one gillmonger left. Eva struck him with a brutal kick to the chest, and the creature collapsed to the deck. She was on him immediately, fangs bared, closing on the Creach’s neck.
“Eva!” I cried.
She cocked her head my direction and hissed. She looked just like the half-crazed, wild vampires we’d seen in the catacombs.
Eva launched herself at me. I had my sword but I didn’t use it. I dropped it to the ground and held up my hands to ward her off. Even though my Change the night before my fourteenth birthday had made me incredibly strong for my size, I was no match for her. She pinned my shoulders to the deck with one of her knees in the middle of my chest. She hissed again, her teeth sliding out farther as she lowered herself toward my exposed neck.
“No… Eva… it’s me….”
Her eyes were glazed over, driven by bloodlust.
“Eva… please… stop… it’s me… Jack….”
I felt her hot breath on my bare skin.
“Your name is Eva… you’re a fourth degree hunter of the Black Guard….”
A sting as one of the teeth broke my skin.
“You’re not a monster… you’re a monster hunter….”
Her body went rigid. She pulled back and blinked hard. Her eyes seemed to focus on me for the first time. Her hold on me lightened, but I held back the urge to throw her. I just lay there trying to sound as calm as possible.
“This isn’t you… Eva…. Fight it….”
She took a shuddering breath and released me. She slid to the side to lean up against the boat railing, her chest heaving from the exertion.
Daniel approached us slowly, stopping to shove the last gillmonger off the boat. He glanced over the side. By the look on his face, I could tell the Creach attack was over. He looked from me to Eva and then back to me again.
“I told you, we need to find the Jerusalem Stones as soon as we can,” he said.
“No,” Eva whispered. “Take me to Aquinas.” She closed her eyes and squinted in pain. “Please. Just take me to Aquinas.”
I looked to Daniel, and he reluctantly nodded his agreement. I let out a sigh of relief. Even though I’d been arguing for days that we go find Aquinas, the truth was that she had gone into hiding after the attack on the Monster Hunter Academy. I had no idea where to begin looking for her. Lucky for us, Daniel was one of the best trackers on the planet. If Aquinas could be found, he would be the one to find her.
Or at least I hoped.
Chapter 3
Even though Daniel never admitted it, I suspected he’d been trying hard to locate the remnants of the Academy ever since we left the place behind over a month ago. It was a sound strategy. If he could find them, it meant the Creach spies would be able to find them as well. Only that was assuming the Creach had anyone as skilled in tracking as Daniel. It was said he could track a sparrow flying in a moonless night. Obviously an exaggeration, but kind of poetical, and it gets the point across. He was good. He was very good.
But after two days, I was starting to worry he wasn’t good enough.
Aquinas had covered her tracks well. After the brazen attack on the Academy, the ancestral main fortress of the Black Guard in the French Alps, Aquinas made a decision to move the remaining monster hunter trainees to different locations. Part of her strategy was that no leader of any group would know the locations of the others. This would ensure that if anyone was captured and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of the other groups, everyone would remain safe. To this end, she had told them nothing about her own destination.
We’d abandoned the boat, too damaged by the pincher-crabs to be of much use, and made our way south toward Spain. Daniel knew of several safe houses used by the Black Guard in the Pyrenees, the mountains dividing Spain and France, and he thought that was our best chance to find Aquinas. We hitchhiked, playing the part of students on a European vacation, explaining away the sidelong looks at Eva with her hood up by telling people she was under the weather.
Along the way, Daniel disappeared for hours at a time, going to some tavern or coffeehouse along the way, checking for contact with other hunters. Even when he did meet another hunter, the information was slow in coming. Daniel reported that word of the attack on the Academy had gotten out, and all hunters now lived under a heightened sense of suspicion. He came back once covered with dried mud, rips in his clothes, and a fat lip. He explained that at one tavern, two hunters had tested him through a swordfight in the stables to see if he really was the fourth level hunter he claimed to be. Only after he’d bested them both with his bare hands, they’d grudgingly told Daniel the rumors they’d heard about Aquinas’s whereabouts. But it was stale news, nothing he hadn’t already heard from other people.
During this time, Eva had fallen back into silence. Somehow she seemed even more withdrawn than before, like she’d closed off the outside world completely and lived only in her own head. I found myself wondering whether this was her way to stop herself from attacking us. The vacant look I’d seen in her eyes when she was about to pierce my neck with her fangs caused me to shudder whenever I looked at her.
Part of me understood that the hunger I’d seen in her eyes couldn’t have just disappeared. It had to be lying just under the surface, fighting to come out. I wondered if her blocking us out was the equivalent to someone on a diet choosing not to look at the piece of cake or the slice of pizza sitting on the counter nearby. I was used to the Creach wanting to eat me. It was hard to adjust to the idea of having to fear Eva.
“I think I found them,” Daniel said proudly.
We were sitting near a rolling stream under the country stone bridge, the kind trolls always hide under to wait for their lunch to come strolling by. There was no troll under this one though. It did provide cover from prying eyes and the noonday sun. We hadn’t seen Daniel since the night before, but somehow he’d tracked us to this spot, hanging over the edge of the bridge to look at us. I half-wondered if one of us carried a GPS tracker or something that he used to find us.
He flipped over and executed a flip to land on his feet in the middle of our small camp. I noticed Eva jerk her head toward him for a second but then look back down at her hands cradled on her lap.
“You think or you know?” I asked.
“Ninety percent sure,” he replied. He held up his hand toward Will, who tossed him a protein bar from our stash of food. Daniel ripped it open and took a huge bite.
“What are the data points?” Xavier asked. When the rest of us gave him a quizzical look, he rephrased the question. “I mean, how did you figure it out?”
“When looking for something that can’t be found, the trick is to look for the evidence of the thing and not the thing itself,” Daniel said, obviously pleased with himself, his mouth annoyingly full of protein bar.
“Sure, everyone knows that,” Will mocked.
“Uhhh… I don’t get it,” T-Rex said.
“When you track a rabbit, you don’t look for the rabbit,” Daniel said. “You look for signs that the rabbit exists. Once you know he exists, you look for direction, speed. Things like tracks, a tuft of hair on a bramble, droppings.”
“Eww… you found some of Master Aquinas’s droppings?” T-Rex asked.
Daniel’s smile disappeared. “No, of course not, you idiot.”
I suppressed a grin as T-Rex turned bright red.
“So, what did you find?” I asked.
“Aquinas has need for certain herbs and powders for her medicines and potions. I’ve been canvassing apothecaries, mostly hunter-types but some regs too, who would carry the items she uses. I picked up a trail yesterday. She was cautious, never buying too much at any one place, but enough to notice if you’re looking for it.”
“That’s brilliant,”
I said.
“Great data points,” Xavier whispered. “I should have thought of that.”
“It’s okay, genius,” Will teased. “You can’t save us every time.”
“Awesome job, Daniel. How close are we?” I asked.
“That’s the best part,” Daniel said. “We were heading the right general direction. If we get lucky with a ride, we can be there well before sunset.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a while,” I said. “Okay guys, let’s head out.”
As the others gathered their things, I approached Eva, who still had her back to us. “Did you hear that? Daniel found Aquinas. We can be there by sunset.”
She nodded and then slowly twisted her body so she could look at me. She kept her chin tucked to her chest so her face was half-hidden by her right shoulder. I watched her eyes flash to my hands. One was on the hilt of my sword and the other hovered near the knife at my waist. I moved them, not even I aware that I’d subconsciously put them there, but the damage was done. It was clear that I didn’t trust her. Eva stood and stalked away, shooting me an angry glare.
In my mind, we couldn’t get to Aquinas soon enough.
The landscape changed radically over the last part of our journey. Gone were the level fields with their well-tended stone fences, replaced with a more rugged terrain of wild rock outcroppings and stands of ancient trees. The packed dirt looked impossible to till, yet we passed small farms with plots for vegetables or rows of grapevine. This was a hard land, and I guessed it took hard people to live on it. A few hours later, thanks to the kindness of a few farmers who offered us rides, we found ourselves only two miles away from our final destination.
Daniel pointed down a dirt road that curved away out of sight behind a hill.
“Come on, it’s not much farther,” he said. “Eyes open, though. If I was in charge, there would be traps set along the road.”
I hesitated as he said this, and I saw Will and T-Rex do the same. Only Xavier didn’t seem worried. When he caught my look, he just shrugged. “I’m just following right behind Daniel. If there’s a trap, he’ll set it off, not me. What do I have to worry about?”
Daniel shook his head. “Thanks for the concern.”
As we made the turn in the road, we saw two horse riders come at a gallop over the far hill in front of us.
“Into the bushes,” Daniel hissed.
We all sprinted for cover and crouched low to the ground. “I thought you knew this was the right place.”
“I said I was ninety percent sure, didn’t I?” Daniel replied. “Ten percent chance we’re here too late and this place is overrun with Creach.”
I pulled my sword. “Funny time to mention that part,” I said.
We watched as the two riders came closer. The horses could not have been more different from one another. One was an enormous white beast, thick-chested and tall, all muscle and sinew. Its mane flew in the air as it ran. The other horse was chestnut, its brown coat shining like satin in the light. Shorter and stockier than the other horse, it carried its head high, showing off its cocky attitude. The riders were what drew my attention though. They stood in their stirrups, leaning forward over their horses’ necks, arms pumping. The sight reminded me of professional jockeys in the middle of a high stakes race. As they got closer, I saw the tight braids of their hair and realized they were young girls.
I moved to step out from the brush cover and Daniel grabbed my arm.
“We don’t know who they are,” Daniel said.
I grinned. “But I’m pretty sure I know whose side they’re on. Stay here in case I’m wrong.”
I stepped out, stood in the middle of the road, and waited. The riders saw me and adjusted their course, turning toward my position. The ground shook as they drew nearer, the horses’ hooves pounding the hard earth. The riders hardly flinched at seeing me, but I did notice the one on the chestnut horse reach back in a fluid motion and pull a bow from a sling on her saddle. I readied myself in case she decided to fire first and ask questions later.
I left my hands by my sides, trying to balance not appearing to be a threat while still being ready to defend myself. The two riders galloped hard until they were right on me, pulling up only feet away, their charges stamping the ground, whinnying loudly. The girl on the chestnut had an arrow nocked on the far side of her body, hiding it from me.
“C’est une propriété privée,” the girl on the white horse called in French. Her brown eyes cutting through me. “Esta propiedad privada,” she tried in Spanish. “English?” she finally asked.
“That would be great,” I said. “But I think I got the point with the bow and arrow over there.”
The girl on the other horse dug her heel into her horse’s flank and spun around so that the pulled bow aimed at my chest. I saw that she couldn’t be more than eleven or twelve, with bright blue eyes that flashed intelligence and a calm that I found unnerving. I was clearly not the first person this girl had ever pointed a bow toward.
“That’s my sister, Emmy. I think you’re making her nervous,” the girl on the white horse said, her tone making it clear I wasn’t making either of them nervous at all. “When she’s nervous, her fingers tend to slip.”
“They’re feeling pretty slippery,” Emmy said, her voice too cold and expressionless for my taste. “Not sure how much longer I can hold on.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll be able to dodge that arrow.”
Emmy snorted a short laugh. “Oh, I’d like to see that. Kelsey, can I do it?”
Kelsey, the one on the white horse, the older of the two sisters, eyed me cautiously. “Only a demon could dodge an arrow. Is that what you are, then? A demon?’
I shook my head. “We’re here to see–”
“We?” Kelsey said, cutting me off. She pulled the sword from her side. “Where are they? I should trample you with my horse and crush you into the ground right now.”
“Oh, I don’t think you could do that,” I said.
Kelsey dug in her heels and spurred the great white horse on. I don’t know if her intention was to brush by me to give me a scare or if she really meant to crush me like she threatened, but neither happened. The big horse didn’t move a muscle. In fact, it lowered its head and made soft nuzzling sounds. It stepped up to me and placed its soft nose against my chest, nudging up against my chin.
“Saladin, old boy,” I said, rubbing the warhorse’s nose. “How have you been?” I’d ridden him at the Academy, the same horse that had saved my life against the screechers. The same one I’d ridden against the dragons at the Monster Hunter Academy. The fact that he was here meant we’d finally found Aquinas.
The others stepped out of the bushes, and Emmy lowered her bow.
“I’m Jack Templar,” I said. “Nice to meet you both.”
The girls flushed with embarrassment, obviously recognizing my name. “Sorry, we were told to not let anyone near… no one… you understand….”
“It’s all right,” I said. “No harm, no foul. Now if you could just take us to –”
Saladin reared back, nostrils flared, and whinnied a high-pitched shriek. His eyes rolled in his head, wild. Kelsey held on confidently and rode him out as he bucked and twisted. The other horse did the same, nearly bucking Emmy of his back.
“Quiet, Flash,” Emmy said softly. “It’s all right, boy.”
The words worked and after a few harrowing moments, both of the horses settled down, although their ears remained pressed flat to their heads and their skin twitched. Saladin especially looked agitated. I’d seen him maintain his cool while being chased by a fire-breathing dragon through the middle of a goblin army. I couldn’t imagine what had him so spooked.
We all turned and saw that Eva had stepped from the bushes. Saladin was her horse, one of her closest friends. And he was terrified of her.
Chapter 4
“Jack! Good to see you, lad,” Bocho bellowed as he wrapped me up in an enormous bear hug that lifted me
off my feet. The head Ratling lowered me to the ground, his scruffy beard and long hair giving him a wild look, although his eyes remained full of joy and mischief. “You’re not s’pposed to be here, now are you?” he asked with a smile. “Master Aquinas is goin’ to ’ave a fit when she sees you lot.”
Bocho made the rounds through our entire group, patting each shoulder or head as if to make sure we were real. When he came to Eva, he stopped short, the smile disappearing.
“It’s okay, Bocho,” I said.
Tears sprang to the big man’s eyes. “Oh, lad, no it’s not all right,” he said with a trembling voice. “What ’ave they done to you, Ms. Eva? How could they do this to you of all people?”
Eva looked up from the ground and met Bocho eye to eye. She seemed confused. Suddenly, I realized she didn’t recognize him.
Bocho noticed it too. “But I’ve known you since you were just a little girl. It’s me. Bocho.”
She squinted her eyes. After a few seconds, she shook her head and looked back at the ground.
Bocho appeared devastated at first, but then he stood up straighter and squared his shoulders. “Well, Miss, we’re just goin’ to have tah get you fixed up is all. “Jack, I’ll take you and Eva to Aquinas. You others go into the main house and get some food. You look thin as skeletons. And you all could use a bath too.”
“I’m coming with you,” Daniel said.
Bocho shook his head. “Not smelling like that, you aren’t. Besides, Aquinas will want to see Jack alone. I’m sure of it.”
“What would you say if I told you I don’t care much what Aquinas wants?” Daniel asked.
Bocho glowered and his face turned red. “Then I’d say you and me were goin’ tah ’ave a problem, Master Daniel.”
Daniel took a step toward the big man. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Enough,” I said. “It’s been a long trip. We’re all tired and on edge.” I turned to Bocho. “We’re a team. Anyone who wants to come with me can come. That’s just the way it is.”