Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (28 page)

“Where do you live?”

“Not far ma’am, just down the road a ways.”

“Then you better be off.”
She said “Knowing my brother he’s not one to pay overtime.”

“No ma’am.” The boy replied and even
allowed himself a slight chuckle. “I will as soon as I take care of Road Dust.”

“Road Dust?”

“Mr. Wints’ horse.”

Kile turned her attention to the soft brown stallion that waited patiently in the stall, and she thought Hunter’s had strange names for their mounts.

“I can brush down… Road Dust if you’d like.”

“You ma’am, but… you’re a… a Hunter, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but I use to work in the stable at the academy, one of my jobs was to take care of the horses.”

Tad forced himself to look at Kile
for a moment, and then turned to the horse.

“Go on, get home, I’ll take care of the horse. If my brother has a problem with that,
you tell him to come and talk to me.”

“Thank-you ma’am.”
Tad said as he handed the brush to her. He was almost out the door when she stopped him.

“
One moment.” She called, “You said you knew what Windfoil was.”

“Yes ma’am.
Windfoil is the old name for Waltair Castle, where the old kings use to rule.” Tad replied and was out the door before she could ask him anything else.

Waltair Castle
, it was one thing to walk into Littenbeck where the Hunter’s Guild was located, or even to come home where she was bound to be noticed, but to walk up to the castle’s front doors and ask to speak to a Mr. Saybela, now that was going a little too far.

***

Kile pulled the straw from her hair as she stretched the kinks out of her back. She didn’t dare go back to the house last night. She couldn’t bear to see the terrified look on her brother’s face. Instead she found one of the old horse blankets and had taken the empty stall beside Grim. That was after she had taken care of the horse with the unfortunate name of Road Dust. He had the name for so long that he had forgotten his real name. Something that she thought was rather depressing. Keith had come to reclaim his horse latter that evening, and although he called out to her, she made it a point not to be seen. She watched him from the hay loft as he made a quick search of the barn, but eventually gave up looking for her and departed.

As the sun’s light streamed through the slits in the wall boards, she knew she should be on her way.
Leon would be up soon and she wanted to apologize for last night and then take Grim north, to the Waltair Castle, otherwise known as Windfoil. What she would do there she wasn’t sure, but she had to take it one step at a time.

Folding
up the blanket she set it back with the others, then ventured out of the barn. It was strange being home, mainly because it wasn’t home. It wasn’t home back then because she never felt wanted. Maybe that was why it didn’t feel like home now. She walked across the front yard and up the steps to the pouch, making sure to avoid the otherwise squeaky board. She stopped by the window when she heard the voices inside.

“But she’s my sister.” She heard her brother exclaim, although she could tell that he didn’t put much heart into that statement.

“I don’t care Leon, you saw her last night, and you saw what happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Her eyes Leon, you saw her eyes, that's not normal. I don’t know what they did to her at that… that academy, but it’s… not normal.”

“It was… it was just a trick of the light.”

“Don’t give me that, you saw it.”

“I don’t know what I saw, all I know is she’s my sister, she’s family.”

“We’re family Leon. I’m your wife, this is your son. We’re your family. Where was she when your father died, where was she when your mother was too sick to leave her bed.”

“
That’s not the point.”

“
That's exactly the point.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to get rid of her. I don’t want her around our son… I don’t trust her Leon.”

Kile wasn’t sure what
Leon’s reply was as she quietly moved away from the window and stepped off the porch. So much for staying as long as she needed, not that she had any intention of doing that. What hurt her most wasn’t Leon’s lack of conviction in his support of her, but that Jenny actually believed that Kile would harm their child, that she was some wild animal barely under control. What was even more disturbing was that Kile started to wonder if it was true. She didn’t feel much like she was in control last night, not when the fear of being captured took hold of her, but would she have actually harmed a child, could she even trust herself to answer that question honestly.

She
found herself walking up to the fields and watching as the rabbits were making an early meal of the vegetables.

***

It didn’t take Leon long to find her, and she waited in the field as he climbed the hill. The rabbit had other plans and quickly scattered when the heard him coming, leaving Kile alone to defend herself against the dreaded farmer.

“What are you doing up here?”
Leon asked as he pushed open the gate. He looked down at the crops that had been invaded by the rabbits and ran on hand through his thinning hair. She was surprised at how much he looked like their father at that moment.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She said as she got to her feet, dusting the soil from the seat of her pants.

“Look Ki… You see… It’s like this…”

“I have to be leaving sooner th
an I thought.” She said as she moved past him. She couldn’t bare to listen to him stammer an excuse.

“What do you mean?”

“Keith relayed a message from Garth last night. It would appear that my dead end wasn’t as dead as I thought it was. Rothershire mentioned something about… Grover’s den.”

She wasn’t sure why she thought about Grover’s den at that moment, the place where
Gerald Treeman died, the start of this impending war. She wasn’t even sure why she lied to her brother. Was it to keep him safe, or was it so he wouldn’t worry about her?

“Look Ki, you don’t have to leave so soon.”

“Yes I do.” She said as she turned to face him. At least the terror that she had seen last night was no longer lingering in his eyes. She couldn’t say the same about Jenny. She was sure her sister-in-law had her doubts about Kile the minute she stepped into the house last night. Was it a mother protecting her child? She gave Leon a weak smile and started down the hill, Leon caught up.

“About last night…” He started, but
she wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. She couldn’t explain it, and she was sure he would understand if she could.

“You’re going to need to fence off about a quarter of an acre for the rabbits.” She told him.

“What?”

“The rabbits, they have agreed to leave the rest of the farm along if you give them a quarter of an acre, of course you’ll have to plant the stuff they like. Lettuce, carrots, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look,
it's simple. The rabbits have agreed to lay off the rest of the crops, but only if you supply them with at least a quarter an acre where they can feed. Most of their natural habitat has been taken over by the vir and their food source is scarce. They don’t want to steal from you, but they don’t have much of a choice. If you agree to plant food for them and separate it from the rest of the crops, they’ll leave you alone. If you don’t, they’re going to keep raiding your plants.”

“How do you know this?”

“Never mind how I know, just do it.” She said as she headed for the barn, but before she could even reach the old structure Grim had pushed the doors open and was walking towards her, Tad was right behind the big horse looking a little embarrassed.

“I’m sorry ma’am, he just… got away.” The young boy called out.

“It’s alright Tad.” She assured him.

-We are leaving now, aren’t we?-

Grim’s asked.

“Yes, we’re leaving.”
She told him as she came to his side. He was her reassuring strength when she needed it.

“Look,
Leon, about last night…”

“
You’re right, there’s nothing to say.”

“Yes there is.”
She said as she turned toward the house. Jenny was standing on the front porch holding Andrew in her arms, probably making sure that Kile was actually leaving. “I never meant to put your family in danger. If everything had worked out as planned, I would have been in and out of Riverport without you even knowing, it if hadn’t been for Keith...”

“Then I have something more
I have to thank him for.” Leon said with a grin. “Kile, you’re still my sister and I’m the only family you have now.”

“Yes, but I’m not the only family you have.” She said as she pulled herself up onto Grim’s back. Vesper was watching from between the Mountain Pony’s ears. “Look
Leon, they will be coming for me, maybe in a day, two if I’m lucky, but they’ll be here. Tell Erin that the answers are in that book, that those four men did have something in common and I have to get ahead of this if I’m to have any chance of clearing my name. There is also a hunter involved, someone by the name of Garret B. She may have a better idea of who that is.”

“Ki, what are you
planning on doing?”

She
looked at her brother, and she could tell that Leon knew she was going to do something that was completely stupid, she also knew that he wouldn’t try to stop her.

“Good by
Leon.”

“Kile, this is your home. You know you’re always welcome here.”

She looked past her brother and stared into the eyes of Jenny. The young woman flinched and held her son closer to her chest.

“No… no I’m not.”
She said as she steered Grim toward the road once again, now she truly had no place to call home.

***~~~***

16

It was actually four days before Erin Silvia rode into Riverport. The loss of their supplies had cost them time, time that Erin was willing to spend. Any excuse to give Kile a little more freedom and to decipher the meaning of the strange little book that the girl had left her was worth it, but no matter how much she tried to stall, she would never dissuade Grey from the hunt. Grey was even more determined then ever to bring Kile in.

Erin
passed through the center of town and was now heading up the road she had traveled almost ten years ago. Nothing had changed, it would appear that every tree, every stick, every rock, every blade of grass was exactly the same as it was back then, back when she came through Riverport looking for a lost nine year old girl.

All the pieces of that day came together now, now that she knew what
that girl was capable of, and now she had to find her again, but this time it would be different.

As the Veller farm came into view
Erin saw the red haired man walking across the yard with a grain sack on his back. He stopped when he saw the riders coming, set his load down and waited. He didn’t seem surprised to see them, which meant he must have known they were coming, which meant somebody must have told him, or warned him. Grey spurred his horse forward, out pacing Erin and quickly dismounted.

“Where is she
? Where is the fugitive Veller?” He shouted as he came within inches of the red haired farmer’s face. Erin knew this must be Kile’s brother since the red haired farmer stood his ground before this irate hunter without flinching. Stubbornness must run in their family.

“Back off Grey.”
Erin shouted as she rode into the Veller farm. “This is not how I run things.”

“This is how I run things.” The big man
said, striking his chest

“Yeah, but I’m in charge.”
Erin replied as she slipped from the back of her horse and came to stand between Grey and the farmer. It wasn’t until Folkstaff dismounted and stood beside Erin that Grey finally backed down.

“Fine, we’ll handle this your way… for now.” The last two words the hunter mumbled under his breath, but
she heard them loud and clear. She was going to have to keep a shorter leash on Grey if she wanted to bring Kile back in one piece.

The farmer said nothing as he watched the exchange, almost as if he was bored by the events.

“You’re Leon Veller, aren’t you?” She asked.

“What’s it to you?”
He replied. He crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. It was possible that if Grey hadn’t been so heavy handed in his greetings that Leon wouldn’t be so defensive, but she doubted it. He was Kile’s brother after all and he probably knew by now that they had come to take her in.