Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (33 page)

As the
y got closer, she stepped out from the trees and stood on the side of the road. She wasn’t sure what they would do, whether they would pass her by without a second glance, or stop to give aid. As it was the driver of the lead carriage pulled his team to a halt and with a simple wave of his hand, the entire train slowly rolled to a stop.

“What do we have here?” He bellowed.

He was a loud heavy set jovial man with a round face and a neatly trimmed white beard. His clothes were finally tailored and had to be custom made to fit his girth so perfectly.

“Excuse me sir, I don’t mean
to be of any trouble.”

She
said as she came up beside the round barrel.

A rather plump woman stuck her head out of
one of the windows.

“What is it dear, why have we stopped?”

“I seemed to have found a stray.” The large man laughed.

The
plump old woman craned her neck around to see what her husband was referring to and when her eyes fell on Kile, they widened in surprised. At first she thought that she might have been recognized by this woman and was about to make a hasty retreat when the wagon began rocking. The back door suddenly popped open and the plump old woman climbed out. Two men from the second wagon also got down and followed the woman to where Kile was standing. One of the men was rather young, stocky build with honey brown hair and bore a striking resemblance to the large man leading the craven, but it was the other man that Kile was a little leery of. He was slightly older, slightly taller with an angular face and long blonde hair that was tied back in a tail. He wore a sword at his side and walked like a man that knew how to use it.

“Oh
, you poor dear.”  The plump woman exclaimed as she got closer drawing Kile’s attention away from the blonde haired man. “Torin, go fetch Leeta”

“Yes mum.” The younger of the two men said as he quickly dashed off to the second caravan.

“You come here child.” The woman said as she took hold of Kile’s hand gingerly and led her to the back of the wagon. She flipped down a small seat, or it could have been a step, and directed her to sit.

“What is your name child?”
She asked.

Kile didn’t answer at first as she caught sight of the green signet ring on the blonde haired man
’s hand and realized that she may have just made a terrible mistake. The idea of traveling with the caravan into the city to avoid suspicion had crossed her mind. Merchant caravans are governed by the Merchant’s guild and therefore care little and have little knowledge of the current events within the cities. These people may not have recognized someone wanted by the crown, but the green signet ring was a clear sign that this man was not a member of the Merchant’s guild and was, in fact, a Member of the Hunter’s guild.

“I think she’s in shock.” The plump woman remarked.

“What? Oh, sorry, no, I’m fine. My name is… Alisa, Alisa Reaba.” She lied.

“What brings you out here Mrs.
Reaba?” The hunter asked.

She
looked at the hunter for a moment, she had to be careful. If he was a hunter, and the ring identified him as one, then he would know who and what she was, and then there was the small matter of his edge. What was it? As far as she knew there was no edge that allowed a hunter to read the minds of another vir or detect lies, but then again, there wasn’t supposed to be an edge that allowed a hunter to speak with animals either.

“I was
on my way to Azintar and I seemed to have lost my way.”

“You travel rather light, for someone on the road.
Are you afoot?” The hunter asked.

“No, my horse is in the wood waiting for
me.” She replied.

“And where are coming out of?” The hunter asked.

“That's enough Robert, can’t you see the child is hurt. You have to forgive Robert. He’s a hunter and is overly suspicious of anyone we meet.”

“One
cannot be too careful Mrs. Undack.” Robert remarked.

“So you keep telling me Robert, but I will not badger a child
out of paranoia.”

“I think she’s safe Robert.” Mr. Undack laughed as he jumped down fro
m his driver seat. The entire wagon rocked as it was suddenly released from under the big man’s weight. Kile had to grip the side of the seat as not to be thrown off. “She doesn’t look as if she could cause much harm.”

“No, I suppose you’re right.” The hunter remarked. “Accept my apologize Mrs.
Reaba, I meant no ill by them.”

“No harm done.” Kile replied, although she couldn’t help but wonder how much the hunter thought he knew.

The young man named Tobin arrived with an even young girl in tow. She couldn’t be any older then fifteen with her long honey brown hair tied up in pig tails and her round smiling face so much like Mrs. Undack. She carried with her a small pouch that she set down on the end of the carriage.

“May I look at your arm?” She asked, taking Kile’s arm and slowly removing the bandages.

“This is my second eldest daughter Leeta.” Mrs.
Undack said, placing a motherly arm on the girl. “Don’t you worry now, she’s a trained healer, Better than any of the doctor’s in Littenbeck she is.”

“Mother.”
Leeta protested sharply.

“We should probably see about getting your horse
Mrs. Reaba.” Mr. Undack remarked. “Come on Tobin, give me a hand.”

“Yes father.” The younger man said, rushing off after
the larger man.

Leeta
cleaned the wound with an ointment that had a rather strong acidic smell to it. She quickly glanced over at Robert who was now pacing along side of the road. Hunter’s never liked to be kept waiting if they didn’t have to, time was money.

“Mother, look at this.”

Mrs. Undack came up behind her daughter and looked at Kile’s arm.

“This is a sword wound.” The young girl said.

Kile looked between the two of them, and when her eyes connected with those of Mrs. Undack, the older woman smiled.

“Looks like a simple cut to me, bind it.”
The older woman said calmly.

“Yes mother.” Leeta replied as she spread some foul smelling ointment on Kile’s arm and gently wrapped it with some clean gauze she took from her pouch.

“I just discovered the funniest thing.” Mr. Undack bellowed as he came out of the woods with his son in tow. “There is a mountain pony in the woods with a rat sitting on his head.”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous Gunthor” Mrs. Undack replied.

“I’m quite serious.” Mr. Undack laughed. “Damnest thing I ever saw, ain’t that right Tobin.”

“Its true mother, he’s just standing out there. Shouldn’t get close to it
though, Mountain ponies have a bad disposition.”

Kile looked to the hunter who was now looking at her. Did he know about the girl that rode the mountain pony? She fell into her edge and calmly called to Grim, and she knew he heard her and was coming.

“I’m afraid that’s my horse.” She said.

“Is it now?” The hunter asked as he came over. “Not too many people ride mountain pon
ies.”

“I suppose not.” Kile replied.

“Well then, I should probably check on the other wagons, let them know what’s going on.” The hunter said, then, much to Kile’s surprise he nodded to her and tapped his signet ring before heading off down the train.

Leeta gasped and Mrs. Undack
whispered something under her breath that sounded a lot like a prayer for protection as a large black shaggy eyesore emerged from the forest. Grim walked passed Mr. Undack and Tobin to stand beside Kile. Vesper leapt from the horse's head onto Kile’s head and then onto her shoulder.

“My word.” Was all Mrs. Undack would say.

***

After a tepid bath in one of the wagons, Kile was dressed in a rather comfortable
, snug fitting cotton tunic and pants as she sat with Mrs. Undack’s daughters in the third round barrel wagon on the train line. She had learned that the first wagon belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Undack who ran the Undack Merchant Line and had traveled the trade routes between Baala and Aru for nearly forty years. The second wagon was for the Undack’s oldest son Tobin and his wife Ester and their four year old child Mary. The third belonged to the Undack daughters of which there were three, Magan, Leeta and Jennie, and the fourth wagon was for the Undack sons Gilbert and Chriss. Following up the rear were twelve flatbed carriages carting supplies from east into Aru on their way to Azintar.

As the carriages started to roll, the drivers started to sing the same,
somewhat nonsensical song that Kile had heard earlier. Something about a fish traveling through the forest, that was if she understood the words correctly. She had to admit that the driver of the round barrel wagon, she found herself in, had a rather thick eastern accent and it was difficult to make out the words. It also didn’t help that the Undack’s son, Gilbert she believed, rode with the eastern driver and was banging on a crudely made drum to keep the beat.

She shared the wagon with only two of the Undack’s daughters, Leeta and Jennie who seemed more interested in playing with Vesper
than to badger Kile with too many questions. The eldest daughter Magan, whose clothes she had borrowed, rode on one of the supple wagons. If the stores that the two youngest Undack daughters told her were true, it would appear that Magan was smitten with one of the easterners and were to be married upon their return to Baala. Grim had been tied off, with some difficulty, among the other horses that were being brought to Azintar, none of which were mountain ponies so there was still a chance of that being a problem, but for now it was out of her hands. She lay back on the small cot and in spite of the rocking carriage, the banging drum and the strange eastern song, or maybe it was because of them, she slowly fell into a carefree sleep.

It wasn’t until a
gentle hand nudged her awake that Kile opened her eyes and found herself staring up in the face of the kindly Mrs. Undack.

“Sorry to wake you dear.”
She said with a sympathetic smile.

“Are we in Azintar?” Kile asked.

“No, not yet, we should reach it by nightfall, but it’s supper time and I figured you would be hungry.”

It was funny how a simple word could affect one’s appetite
. She had not realized she was hungry until Mrs. Undack mentioned it.

She rolled out of the warm cot and followed Mrs. Undack out of the carriage. The air was damp but not uncomfortable and a cold wind was coming down from the mountains.
The carriages had been lined up around a clearing on the side of the road where a large crackly fire now blazed and the air was filled with the aroma of food.

It would appear that the Undack Merchant Line employed quite a few people besides their own family members as men and women moved about the fire, filling up
their plates, drinking, talking and eating. It reminded Kile of her first winter’s feast back at the academy. Mrs. Undack led her to one side of the fire where a thin, dark featured woman was ladling out a hearty smelling stew and handed a bowl of it to her, she took it rather reluctantly.

“Is everything alright?” The woman asked in a thick eastern accent.

“Oh… no… it’s fine.” Kile replied looking down at the stew.

“I assure you, it’s edible.”

The loud booming voice of Mr. Undack almost made her spill the stew as he came up behind her, probably seeking another helping.

“Oh, I’m sure it is,
it's just that… I’m a vegetarian.” She heard herself say, and then silently scolded herself.

What was it that Master Folkstaff told her about survival
? The two biggest obstacles where complacence and the desire for comfort, this was definitely the latter. One cannot afford to turn down food because it doesn’t meet with one’s expectations.

“But
it's okay.” She quickly added.

Mr. Undack laughed.

“Child, we are all vegetarians, that is the way of the Toreen.”

“The what?”

“The Toreen.” Mr. Undack repeated as he guided her off to one of the benches that had been set around the fire. “We are the Eastern Folk, not of Baala, not of Aru, but a nomadic people. We are the children of the land and the wind.”

“So you don’t actually have a
… a home.”

“
A Home, of course we have a home. Our home is where the caravan stops. It is the only home that I know. I have been traveling all my life. In fact…” He paused and turned to look at the round barrel wagons that lined the road. “See that wagon there.” He said, pointing to the second one in line. “That was the wagon I was born in. I spent most of my youth it in it. I met my Helen on the caravan. We had our children in that very same wagon that I was born in. When my father passed away some thirty odd years ago now, I took over the caravan, and when my time comes, Tobin will take over where I leave off.”

“I was born on a
farm. Farming was the only thing I knew.”