Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) (48 page)

“I don’t know what you mean.” Marcus laughed.

“The way you use your Edge, it borders on abuse.”

“Oh come on,” he replied with a grin. “I’m just having a little fun. Lighten up.”

“Fun? Do you ever wonder what your Edge does to these people? Did you even think there might be some lasting effects messing with someone’s mind like that?” she asked.

If his Edge was anything like her use of the Maligar, there were serious consequences.

“I assure you, there is no harm done,” he told her. “Most of the people don’t even know when it happens, and when it’s over, they think it was their idea all along. It’s just a simple persuasion.”

“It seems… unnatural.”

“Actually, it’s quite natural,” He explained. “You can’t persuade someone to do something they didn’t want to do in the first place. All I’m doing is just giving them a little nudge in the right directions. You’d be surprised what people secretly want to do. Why, I can tell you stories about the time I was in this little tavern down south and this barmaid…”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Kile shouted. “Just, keep it on the down low, will you.”

“Hey, whatever you say, you’re the boss.” Marcus laughed. “But if you ever want to hear some stories…”

“I’d like to hear them, if that’s okay?” Alex said, riding up beside him.

“Sure thing, son, pull up a horse and have a listen.” Marcus replied. “It was about six years ago and I had just defeated the Troll of Blackmore. You heard that story, didn’t you, well, this one’s better. You see, there were these two barmaids in a little tavern down along the southern border…”

Kile decided it was time to leave, and fell back to the end of the column.

“What’s happening up there?” Daniel asked.

“I fear we will have to cleanse Alex after this mission if he hangs around Marcus for much longer,” she told him.

“You can’t blame him. Marcus is kind of larger than life.”

“Oh please, not you too, Danny.”

“Hey, Marcus is becoming a legend and Alex is a first rate story teller. It was bound to happen.”

“Still, Marcus could be a bad influence on someone like Alex.”

“Alex knows what’s what. He’s told his fair share of questionable stories.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard a few of them,” Kile replied.

The morning melted into the afternoon, which eventually became evening. A meal of hardtack and water was the only food they ate since yesterday, if hard-tack could be called food. Kile still thought it tasted like spiced potting soil, but she managed to choke down a few mouthfuls. It was Larks, who was the first to ask the questions everyone was thinking.

“Where are we stopping for the night? Or are we stopping?” he asked.

The thought never crossed Kile’s mind. Riding on a mountain pony, one doesn’t necessarily stop, one just plods along.

“I don’t know, I’ve never been around here before,” she said, surveying the area. “These are your stomping grounds, Danny, what do you say?”

“Not mine,” he replied. “I’m from Callor, the east part of the province, this is Fennel.”

“I’ve lived in Fennel all my life.” Tullner added, “Just a lot further south.”

-There’s a lovely place we stopped at, not too long ago, and it’s not too far from here-

Tullner’s horse said.

-Oh, I remember the place,-

Sandson’s horse added.

-It was just on the other side of the river.-

-Yeah, that’s it.-

“Can you take us there?” Kile asked him.

-I don’t see why not.-

“Take you where?” Tullner asked.

“What?” Kile looked at the soldier and shook her head. “I was talking to…, I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name.”

“Know whose name?”

“Don’t even bother, Tullner, she’s not even talking to you,” Daniel assured him.

-They call me twenty six-

Tullner’s horse replied, although, he didn’t seem to care too much for the title.

-They call me forty seven-

Sandson’s horse said from behind them.

“What? That’s horrible,” Kile replied. “What are your real names?”

-Those are the only names we know-

Twenty six replied.

Kile slowly looked up as Tullner and Daniel laughed.

“I know that look,” he said. “I don’t know what your horse just told her, but you’re in trouble,” he warned the soldier.

“Hey, he’s not mine.” Tullner shouted, defensively. “I signed him out of the military stables. Anything he said is not my fault.”

“Did they tell you what his name was, before you signed him out?” she asked.

“Well, no, they just told me to take number twenty six.”

“And that’s what he says his name is,” she shouted. “How can you give him a name that’s not even a name?”

“I didn’t name him, they just told me to take number twenty six,” Tullner tried to explain, but he already knew he lost the battle.

-I don’t mind the name,-

Twenty six replied.

“But it’s not a name, it’s a number,” Kile explained. “I can’t really call you twenty six.”

“How about Twen?” Daniel suggested.

“It’s a bit better. What do you think, Twen?”

-Twen, Twen, yeah, I like Twen.-

              “Then Twen it is, which would make you Fort,” she said, turning to Sandson’s horse.

- Fort?–

Fort repeated his name several times as if trying it on.

“Browne, who are you riding?” Kile called out.

“I beg your pardon?” Browne asked, turning around to look at her.

“What horse did you sign out?” Tullner asked.

“What difference does it make?” he replied.

“Just tell us the number of your horse, Private,” Tullner demanded.

“Ninety six, sir,” Browne shouted in true military fashion.

“What about you, Private Anurr?” Tullner asked, turning to look at the soldier who was listening to the exchange.

“Forty five, sir,” he replied.

“Well, Browne’s easy,” Kile said. “He’s riding a mare, so we’ll call her Nina, but as for Anurr, I already gave Fort his name, so we’ll go with Fiv. Is that okay?”

-I can live with Fiv-

Fiv said with a chuckle.

-Thank you, Kile. No one’s ever given us names before,-

Nina added.

“Well, it’s only right. You are part of this team,” she told them. “Now, Twen, can you take us to this place.”

-I can, if he stops steering.-

              “Tullner, lay off the reins for a while.”

Twen was true to his word and led them to a small clearing on the east side of the river. From what Kile learned, Twen, Fort and about a dozen other horses, along with their riders, stopped here on their way to Forthbar some time ago. Most of the animals, Kile communicated with, had an abstract sense of time, so “some time ago” could be anywhere between yesterday and last year.

Anurr collected wood and Sandson started the fire with a vial of liquid kindling. It was a strange, viscous liquid created by the alchemist of Littenbeck. A single drop on some dried leaves could start a fire in seconds. Browne broke out a large pot from his supplies and with Lark’s help, started cooking a stew. Daniel and Alex watered and tended to the horses while Tullner, with some help from Marcus, started setting up tents. They worked so well together, Kile almost felt left out. She was never one for working alongside others, and when she did, it felt awkward. Even being around these few people, people she knew and liked, she felt uncomfortable. Leaving the campsite, she headed deeper into the woods.

-Kile sad?-

Vesper asked from his place on her shoulder.

She stroked the yarrow and smiled. “Not sad, just… confused.”

-About what?-

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess that’s why I’m confused.”

-Friendly man make sad?-

Vesper asked, and with those words she was back in Windfoil, where she met Roland for the very first time. She had mistaken him for a librarian, or a scholar, having never seen any member of the royal family before. She made a complete fool out of herself, pretending to be some servant in the castle, and he saw right through her. He could have called the guards and had her arrested, but instead he sat with her and listened to her ramble on. And what does she do when she meets him again in Forthbar? She crushes a jelly filled cake in his hand. If anything he should have been angry, or at the very least, disgusted with her, but he wasn’t. Instead, he kissed her, and Vesper had to show her that vision as well. She saw the whole thing play out through the yarrow’s eyes and she looked like a naive peasant girl. And what did Roland mean when he said, don’t you know? She didn’t know. She still doesn’t know. This was all new territory for her, and there’s no one she could talk to about it.

It was moments like these she missed her mother the most, although they never had conversations pertaining to these particular problems and feelings. Kile always thought her mother would be there when the time came. She never even got a chance to say goodbye to her.

“What are you doing out here alone?” Daniel asked, stepping into the clearing behind her.

“I just needed some time,” she replied without turning around.

“You know you’re always doing this. You’re always running off.”

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s for the best.”

“You can’t believe that,” he told her.

“I don’t know what I believe,” she replied, shrugging it off.

“Does this have anything to do with King Roland?”

Kile quickly spun around. “Nothing happened,” she said defensively.

“I didn’t say anything did.” Daniel grinned. “But now that you bring it up…”

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

“I saw him leavening the stables.”

“When?” she asked, but she already knew.

“Yesterday,” he said as he casually paced back and forth. He was acting like one of their instructors at the Academy, dressing them down. “Just before you met up with us near the gatehouse. I saw him leaving Cali’s Livery. He came out the front door, looking guilty for some reason. He pulled his hood over his head and headed off down the street rather quickly, but he kept looking over his shoulder, as if he thought someone was watching. Who would the King be sneaking out at night, to meet in some stable, I wondered? It seems a little suspicious, don’t you think?”

“He probably had his reasons,” Kile replied.

“Oh, I’m sure he did. I don’t really know how long he was in there. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours.”

“And this interests you?” she asked.

“Hey, he is the King after all.” Daniel replied. “And you’re my friend.”

“I don’t see how the…”

“Oh, come on Kile, I’m not an idiot. If you don’t want to talk about it, that's fine, but if you do, I’m here.” Daniel said. He was about to leave when she stopped him.

She wanted to tell him that Roland came to wish them luck, that he gave her his ring to help her on their mission, but what came out was…

“He kissed me,”

“Whoa, I was only joking about that.” Daniel exclaimed. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure? What kind of question is that? I was there, I’m pretty sure if someone kisses me or not, it’s not like it happens every day.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m just… well, it’s not what I expected.”

“It’s not what I expected either,” she replied.

“So, what did you do?”

“What do you mean, what did I do?”

“I mean… you know… did you… kiss him back?”

“I… I don’t know. I mean, it happened so fast I’m not really sure what I did. I think I just stood there.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t knee him.”

“Oh come on, give me some credit,” she replied.

“So, what happened after?”

“Nothing, that’s when he left, after he gave me his ring…”

“He gave you his what?”

“His ring,” she said, holding up her hand to show him. “He said if we run into any trouble, I was to use his name.”

“Oh, okay,” Daniel replied, nodding, he looked a little relieved.

“Why, what did you think?”

“Well, when you said he gave you his ring, I thought…”

“Oh, come on, Danny, grow up.”

“Hey, I’m not the one meeting the King in secret in the middle of the night.”

“It was hardly the middle of the night, and it wasn’t in secret.”

“Well, maybe.” Daniel replied. “But why didn’t you just show it to the guards at the gate.”

“Because,” she said, turning the ring on her finger. “It just didn’t feel right. I mean I would have, if I had to, but it just didn’t feel right.”

She stared at the ring on her finger for a while until Daniel brought her mind back to the here and now.

“The reason I came out here was to tell you the stew is ready, not that you’ll eat any of it, but Alex is telling one of his stories, so it’s supper and a show at the campfire.”

“Alright, I’ll be there shortly.”

“Yeah, sure you will.” he said with a dismissive wave before starting back toward the campsite.

“Danny,” she called out to him. “Don’t tell anyone what I told you, especially not Alex, he’ll just blow it all out of proportion.”

“No problem, but Kile, just… be careful,” he said, and disappeared into the woods.

She never returned to the campsite that night, but she was waiting for them when they woke up the next morning. They broke down the camp, got their supplies together and were back on the road before the sun rose above the treetops. New information from Bakara forced them to change course, or they would run headlong into a column of soldiers. They turned south, then west, keeping to the paths and trails as much as possible. By now, somebody, back in Forthbar, must know they were missing. Will Command send soldiers to track them down and bring them back? She really didn’t think it was likely, since any orders of that nature would have to be funneled through Colonel Barshed, and would probably be mislaid for a day or two. Even so, it was best to avoid any military contact. But that was easier said than done. The closer they got to the border, the harder it was becoming. They started to sleep during the day and travel at night, relying heavily on the constant updates from the ravens and other animals.

On the eve of the third day, Bakara found a path suspiciously devoid of any activity. It took them to the small town of Treesand, in the province of Fennel, on the very edge of the wastelands.