Hunter's Academy (Veller) (55 page)

“I couldn’t sleep sir.” She said as she walked across the field toward him.

“Worried about the graduation ceremony?” He asked.

The ceremony wasn’t that big of a deal, the
fourth year cadets sat in the Great Hall as Sir Oblum called out their names, they then had to collect small ceremonial items from the staff and guild members before receiving their final papers. It was a simple process that could easily be handled by a messenger, but it did worry her.

“It’s an easy ceremony.” He assured her.

“Oh, I know sir. I saw Tree’s.”

“Trees?” He said looking
around; clearly not understand what she meant.

“
Sorry sir, I meant I saw Garret Treeman’s ceremony when he graduated three years ago.”

“Oh yes, Treeman.” Oblum replied, and she could tell by the look on his face that he remembered the name. “He was a good cadet and a good Hunter. It was a shame what happened to him. I’ve noticed that you wear his pin. Did you know him?”

Her hand instinctively went to the small sliver tree pin that she wore on her collar.

“Only briefly sir.”
She replied. “He was going off on his probationary year when I started.”

“Yes… yes of course.”

Hunar returned with the stick and this time dropped it at Kile’s feet. It made her a little uncomfortable to be taking the game away from Oblum.

“Looks like she wants a younger arm to throw it.” He laughed.

She picked up the wet stick and tossed it as far as she could, she couldn’t’ really say it went further than the Headmaster’s throw, but Hunar didn’t care.

“You’re nervous about your year of probation?” Oblum asked as he sat down beside Gorum. The old dog placed his head in his master’s lap.

“I guess I am sir...a little.” She replied.

“You, you shouldn’t have a problem. I can see you receiving your level five certification in no time. If it was up to me I’d certify you now, what with you
r action during your final year here at the academy.”

“What sir, you mean burning it down?”

“Is that how you see it?” He laughed. “Well, it doesn’t matter, you can’t be judged based upon the three years here, only what happens out there, when you’re on your own, but I’m sure the council will keep your academy years in mind. I can see you getting your level five in maybe two, three months tops.”

“I thought I had to go the entire year before I was eligible for certification.”

“What, No. What are these instructors teaching you? You can be certified anytime during the next year. Why, I was certified four months after leaving the academy. I mean if you survive the year you’re automatically certified, but if you prove yourself and you do a good job, you’ll receive your certification earlier.”

“I never knew that.”

She could become a certified level five hunter before the current year was out.

“Yeah, but it’s a curse in disguise.”
He warned her. “The guild only pays your way while you’re on probation. Once you receive your level five certification, then you’ll have to pay your own way. Room, board, stable fees, guild dues, it all adds up.”

“I never considered that.”
She replied. She barely had enough money to get to the entry examination, could she actually make it on her own.  “Does the guild, pay well sir?”

“Pay well? Not likely, that’s why a lot of hunters seek o
ut open scripts, but I wouldn’t be too worried about it. You do get paid while you on probations so keep that in mind, and there are a lot of inns and stables that give hunter’s discounts, they think it drums up business, you just have to keep an eye out and look around for the best deals.”

“I guess I never considered that side of it.”

“Most new Hunter’s seldom do.” He said as he struggled to get to his feet. “That’s why the drop out rate is so high after the first year of probation. It’s not as if you will be completely on your own. The guild does look out for its own. If you find yourself in a tight spot there are always the guild houses where you can stay and eat for free. I’ve spent my share of nights in those and I can tell you… I wouldn’t’ recommend it.”

“Thanks sir.” She said although he wasn’t
making much of a case for the guild.

“Well, you can always do what Folkstaff did. I don’t think
he’s ever paid for a room, he spent most of his nights sleeping under the stars and living off the land.”

That was always an option
she thought, but a nice soft bed would be nice once in a while.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t be too worried about it.” Oblum said again, and each time he told her not to be too worried about it, it only made her worry more.

The headmaster motioned to Hunar that the game was over. “I think you’ll be just fine Cadet. Better get ready; a new day is starting soon.”

Almost on cue, the moment Oblum said it, Kile hear Master West ring the bell.

The advantage of being a fourth year cadet in a three year academy was that they weren’t required to do anything for the first few days, until they received their destination papers, so it was considered to be a well deserved yet small vacation. That was unless of course you were recommended by instructors to escort the new cadets around, like Daniel had been. They couldn’t
make you do it, but they strongly suggested that you did, and Master Adams had informed them that from this moment on, everything that they did would go toward their evaluation and ultimately determine whether they would be certified or not.

Survive your probationary year, you’re certified, prove yourselves during your probationary year and you’ll be certified earlier, screw up and your out. It was pretty clear, even to the most easily confused cadets such as Alex. The problem that
she had with the whole idea was that they kept saying survive your probationary year, which was an indication that some cadet at some time, probably didn’t. Then there was always the vague notion of screwing up, how does one actually screw up their probationary year. When asked, Master Adams would just tell them not to do anything that went against the code, but that didn’t cover much. The best advice he could give was just “do your job” and “keep your head down”. As long as you don’t make waves, you couldn’t be blamed for anything.

She
decided she was going to keep her head down from the start and hid away in the stables while the other forth year cadets were escorting the first year cadets around the compound. She wasn’t asked, which really didn’t surprise her, and she definitely wasn’t going to volunteer. There were still members of the Guild Council that wanted her gone, and now she could put a name to them, the so called sons of Terrabin. She didn’t fit in with the direction that they wanted to push the guild and so she was an obstacle waiting to be removed. She was sure Erin Silva was having the same problems being the only other female Hunter, but she had been in the game a lot longer than Kile. Erin was a certified level one Hunter and not someone that could easily be gotten rid of, Kile didn’t have that luxury. She wasn’t going to fool herself or tell herself otherwise, the council would be watching her closely. One screw up, one missed step and she could still find herself out of the academy after putting in her three years. She knew she had at least one friend on the council, if she could dare call Guild Master Latherby a friend, he had been watching out for her, but that didn’t make her safe. She couldn’t give the guild a reason to throw her out.

She hung around the stables, talking to the new horses and writing down their names upon the plaques beside their stalls. She had a feeling that their owners wouldn’t use the names, but it made the horse
s feel better and it gave her something to do. Whenever one of the groups was given a tour of the stables, she made herself scarce, taking a leaf out of old Luke’s book and sinking into the shadows. It was times like these that she envied Carter and his edge.

“Hey Kile, you in here?” Daniel called out as he came through the stable doors with fifteen first year cadets in tow.

“Nope, try someplace else.” She replied as she sat in the hayloft watching them.

“Come on, someone wants to meet you.”

She really didn’t want to get involved with the old cadet passing on wisdom to the new cadet tradition, but since it was Daniel, a brief appearance couldn’t hurt. She jumped down from the hayloft, landing among the new cadets and scaring the life out of a few of them. She was happy to see that she was actually taller than most of them, which either meant she had grown since her first year here or that the guild was getting desperate.

“
Geez Kile, could you at least warn me if you’re going to do that.” Daniel said, trying to catch his breath. She hadn’t realized she had scared the life out of him as well. If nothing else it got the cadets laughing.

“Who wanted to see me?”
She asked.

Daniel motioned for one of the boys to step forward, the frail young kid that had gotten knocked down last night.

“Cadet Tommy Lens.” She acknowledged. The boy’s eyes lit up, probably because she had remembered his name.

“I… I wanted to…
um… I wanted to thank you for… you know.”

He was not a very eloquent child, a little shy, a little awkward,
and rather small. Kile didn’t really think that he would last the first year, but then most cadets didn’t think she would last the first year and now she was graduating.

“Don’t mention it.” She said, not that he actually had managed to mention it. “All you have to do is believe in yourself and you’ll do fine here.” She told him, clapping him on the shoulder and walking through the crowd of first years. She was getting a little uncomfortable with them surrounding her.

“Are you really the only girl at the academy?” One kid asked.

“For the next three days, I suppose I am.” She replied.

“Do you know the hunter Erin Silvia?” Another one asked.

“Well, yeah, I suppose I do, she was the one that sponsored me.”

“Is it true that you burned down the stables?”

“No, I burned down the Great hall, someone else burned down the stables.”

“Did you really shoot an instructor with a crossbow?”

“Yeah, that was
me.” She replied.

“And I heard she beat up the weapons instructor.” Another cadet added.

“Well, he did kind of deserve it.” She said as she gave a desperate and puzzled look to Daniel. What did someone do, write a paper about her?

“I think we’ve taken up enough of cadet Veller’s time.” Daniel laughed as he led his squad of first years out through the back. “We’re going to head up to the new great
hall, which is where most of your classes will be held.” She heard him say as they disappeared.

“How does it feel to be famous?”

“How do they know so much about me?” She asked Luke who had stepped from the shadows behind her. She knew he was there, she was familiar with his scent and the old stable hand hadn’t been able to sneak up on her for some time.

“Word does get around.” He grinned.

If she didn’t know better, she would have said he had something to do with it.

***~~~***

20

The day of graduation didn’t come soon enough as Kile greeted the morning through the open window of her cell and looked out upon the academy for what would be her last day. Actually, it wasn’t her last day. The ceremony would be tonight at the New Great hall and then she would probably spend the night in her cell and leave early tomorrow morning, so she was actually looking out upon the academy for her second to last day.

She had thought about getting a head start on her packing, but realized she didn’t have much to pack save for a few odds and ends that she had collected. The clothes she had brought from home no longer fit her and had to be discarded.
The only clothes she owned were those that were supplied by the guild and those would have to be returned to the Quartermaster that morning, where she would pick up her official Hunter’s uniform, although she had never seen a Hunter wear a uniform.

The only things she had that were worth taking were the few leather straps that she tied her hair up with, her toiletry, such as the brush and comb that
had belonged to her mother, four small ebony boxes although she wasn’t sure what she was going to do with them or why she even kept them, her brother’s old hat and of course Risa Ta’re’s Lann.

She pulled them out from under
her bed, where she had kept them since the day the Guild master had given them to her. The blades were still wrapped in the same cloth; she hadn’t touched them, or even looked at them since she hid them under there. Eventually she would have to wear them, otherwise what good would they be.

She set the bundle upon the bed and slowly peeled back the
old tattered cloth. There were actually three blades, one she hadn’t seen before. It was a long knife about sixteen inches from end to end with a twelve inch blade and a sheath that would strap it to the small of her back. She hadn’t noticed if Risa Ta’re was wearing it in the portrait, but then the alverian hunter was sitting and it would have been difficult to see. She knew that the long knife belonged to the Hunter since the wooden grip was identical to those of the Lann. She gently caressed the hard wood of the hilt, which was incredibly smooth from wear and hesitated before wrapping her fingers around it and drawing it from its sheath. There wasn’t a mark, a scratch or chip on the long slender blade. She realized that she was probably the only other person besides Risa Ta’re to hold it, at least that's what she wanted to believe. Guild Master Latherby probably held them once or twice, and he did say they had been on display for a while so there was no telling how many cadets might have touched the weapons or handled them, and then of course they had been moved around from place to place before their final storage in the small room under the stairs, so maybe a dozen or more people had touched them before she had, it still didn’t lessen the link between her and the hunter.