Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy: The Templar Chronicles: Book 2 (16 page)

Daniel reached in and felt around inside the pouch, stringing out the tension for as long as possible. Finally, he ceremoniously pulled out a single piece of paper and opened it. He turned the paper to face out to the group.

I felt my stomach sink.

It wasn’t Will’s name.

It was mine.

Daniel turned to me and pointed. “You have submitted your name and have been selected. Do you accept?”

I turned and saw Will glaring at me, his face burning red with anger. “You just couldn’t let me have this, could you?” he whispered.

“I didn’t put my name in, I swear,” I whispered back. “Someone set this up.”

“Why would anyone do that?” Will asked.

Daniel walked up to me. “Do you accept the trial?”

I stood up. The air was deathly quiet. Every eye was trained on me. “Uh…I…there’s been a mistake. I didn’t put my name in.”

A rumble of conversation rolled through the hunters. I could hear snippets of conversation.

“Chickened out.”

“Coward.”

“Some nerve that guy has.”

Daniel barely suppressed a grin. Suddenly, with perfect clarity, I realized Daniel had set this up. I remembered Midge talking to Darter under the Templar Tree.
First time Master ‘quinas goes on one ‘uv ‘er trips, he’s got a somethin’ real good going for ‘im,
he had said about Daniel. And here I was walking right into his trap.

“Wait…wait, everyone,” Daniel said. “This is a serious accusation. Are you accusing another hunter of breaking the rules? Do you have proof?”

Heads swiveled my direction. 

“No, I have no proof, other than to tell you I didn’t put my name in there,” I said. A chorus of catcalls came from the group. “Think about it. No one saw me do it so it’s not like I was trying to look brave and hope I didn’t get chosen. So, why would I possibly put my name in if I didn’t want the attention? It makes no sense.” I noticed this argument was reaching some in the crowd. The tenor of the conversation changed from outrage to debate.

I spotted Eva standing outside the group. I looked to her for help but she only gave me a barely discernible shake of the head. I was on my own with this one.

“I’m a fair person,” Daniel said. “We will put it to a vote to your peers. Who here believes Jack Smith should be allowed to withdraw from the trial?” Only Will and Xavier raised their hands. “And who believes he should be held accountable and forced to compete, or face the consequences any other hunter would have if he were to withdraw?” A roar of approval came from the group. Daniel smiled, no longer bothering to hide how much he was enjoying this public spectacle. “Well?”

I knew I should still decline. I knew that this entire circus was only a distraction from my goal to find my father. But reason was long gone. I was being called out by the school bully and how I handled it would mark me forever.

“Let me help you,” Daniel said, producing a bag from his side. “This contains the names of every instructor here. Let’s find out who you would face.”

He wiggled his hands through the bag dramatically before pulling out a piece of paper and holding it up for the group. Scrawled on it was a single word.

Daniel .

He looked up at me but his grin disappeared when he saw the expression on my face. Suddenly he looked nervous. Really nervous. He could tell that his name was the one I was hoping for. Nothing could have made me happier than to have the chance to go one-on-one against him.

“In that case,” I said flatly, “I accept. Let’s do this.” 

“You shouldn’t do this,” Eva said. She had walked me off the field back into the dorm, Will and T-Rex right behind her. I pulled out my armor from my travel bag and started to put it on.

“I know,” I said. “But your boyfriend didn’t leave me much of choice, did he?”

“My boyfr…is that what you think?” Eva stammered. “Anyway, that’s not the point here, is it?”

“What is the point then, Eva?” I asked. “Because if there is one, I’d like you to get to it because I’m about to get my butt kicked by the biggest jerk in this school. Even though I never put my name in, by the way,” I said, directing the comment at Will. I struggled to tie the straps that held my armor in place down my side.

Will had hovered around the edge of the conversation until now. He stepped up and pulled the straps tight for me. “You mean you really didn’t put your name in?”

“Of course not,” I said. “For the same reasons I asked you not to do it.”

“Then why are you going through with it?” Eva asked.

“Because I said I would,” I answered.
And because I’ve wanted to take a swing at Daniel the moment I saw him put his arm around you
,
I wanted to say but didn’t.

Will pulled the last strap tight and handed me my helmet. “Sorry I doubted you like that,” he said. “Won’t happen again. I promise.”

I clapped him on the shoulder. “Just make sure to pick up all the pieces of me when we’re done.” I turned to say something to Eva, but when I looked over at her, she was already gone. “I hate it when she does that,” I said.

The entire Academy gathered around the front gate. Daniel arrived, flanked by Darter and Midge. He was dressed in a loose winter camouflage over black body armor and was equipped with an arsenal of weapons. A sword at his side, a bow and quiver of arrows on his back, and a heavy, barbed spear in his hands. I looked down at my solitary sword and suddenly felt naked.

Daniel walked up to me until he was so close I could feel his hot breath on my face. “Are you ready, Smith?”

“The name’s Templar,” I said. “Yeah, I’m ready. What are the rules?”

“The only rule you need to know is that the better man always wins,” Daniel said only loud enough for me to hear. “Always.”

“Do we fight here?” I asked.

Daniel laughed. Raising his voice, he played to the crowd. “No, out there,” Daniel said, pointing beyond the walls. “This is a special trial of my own making. Are you ready for it?”

The assembled hunters yelled and cheered. Daniel basked in it.

“All right,” he shouted. “Here it is. The first hunter to track and defeat the targeted monster and return to the Academy wins.”

Eva stepped forward and spoke low enough so the younger hunters couldn’t hear. I was close enough that I heard every word. “Aquinas would never agree to this if she were here. She doesn’t want him in harm’s way.”

“But she’s not here, is she?” Daniel growled. “And I’m in charge until she returns.”

“Exactly, so you shouldn’t leave the Academy unguarded,” she said.

“I’m not,” Daniel smiled. He turned to the assembled crowd. “Eva will be in charge while we are gone.” He turned to me. “Unless you’ve had a change of heart?”

“Not a chance. What’s the targeted monster?”

Daniel bellowed, “The targeted monster is Tiberon, King of the Black Wolves. Neither of us can return until he is eliminated as a threat.”

The crowd roared in delight.

“No…that’s not what…” I said.

“You can still withdraw, Smith,” Daniel hissed. He leaned into me so no one else could hear. “You’ll be branded a coward for the rest of your life. You can serve mashed potatoes with your Ratling friends and wash the dishes of real hunters. If you don’t have the stomach to do what must be done, then you can just quit.”

“You set this all up, didn’t you? Ever since you found out I had contact with Tiberon.”

Daniel leaned in closer. “Are you in or are you out?”

“Out. I’d rather be called a coward than be part of this.”

“And how about Eva?” Daniel whispered. “She vouched for you. If you refuse the trial, she will be punished along with you. Are you willing to see her stripped of her ranking?”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Why is this so important to you?”

“Last chance, Jack Smith!” Daniel shouted for everyone to hear. “Are you in or are you out?”

My mind whirled. I tried to see all the angles at one time, but every thread I pulled led to a terrible outcome. Withdraw and hurt Eva. Compete and lead Daniel to Tiberon. Even winning the trial meant killing Tiberon. There was no solution, so I chose the option that simply gave me more time to think. “I’m in,” I said. “I’m in.”

The crowd cheered as Daniel hefted one of two already packed backpacks onto his shoulders. I walked up to the other and hefted it onto my back. Whatever was in there was heavy. If it was food, it seemed as if we were expected to be gone for a while.

When I turned around, Will, Eva, and T-Rex were standing in front of me. By the looks on their faces, I decided I might be in more trouble than I originally thought.

Eva spoke first. “If you’re doing this for me, don’t. I’m asking you to withdraw. Do you think I care about my ranking?”

I shook my head. There was no way I could do that to her.

The crowd cheered louder as Darter led two horses out from the stables. A massive black Percheron mare, the same horse that I’d seen Daniel ride before. She looked majestic with her shiny coat and glistening silver armor. From behind her stepped a swaybacked pony that looked as old as the Academy itself. Apparently my horse for this quest.

“No, wait,” Eva said. She ran from the group and returned leading a saddled Saladin by the reins. She handed them to me. “Make certain you bring him back,” she said.

“I promise,” I said.

“I was talking to him,” Eva said, cocking her head toward Saladin.

“But I thought you were the only one who could ride him,” I said.

“We had a little talk about that, didn’t we, boy?” Eva purred. Saladin nodded his head up and down, his mane flying. “We agreed just this once it would be all right.”

I nodded and patted Saladin on the nose. He snorted as if annoyed by the whole thing. The crowd cheered and the gates rolled open.

“Stay in the trees at night,” Eva said, suddenly serious. “There are provisions in the pack for three days. Five if you stretch out the food.”

“Judging by how many wolves chased us on the way in here, I don’t think I’ll need to worry about food lasting for five days,” I said.

Eva looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it. She put her hand to her chest, then extended her arm in the hunter’s salute. “Hunt well, kill swiftly. Do your duty, come what may,” she said.

Will walked up, hand outstretched. I shook it and he pulled me into a tight hug.

“Try not to die out there, OK?” Will asked.

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

“Then just stick to the plan,” T-Rex chimed in, big tears running down his cheeks.

I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring look, then put my foot in the stirrup and hefted myself up on the saddle. Without asking him, Saladin reared up and whinnied like a warhorse before tearing out of the gate. At least he was ready for the adventure ahead of us, because I sure wasn’t.

Chapter Nine

W
e made our way on horseback down the snow-covered trail through the woods. Neither of us said anything in the first few hours since we left camp. It had taken a mile or two before Saladin stopped tossing his mane and snorting because I made him walk behind Daniel’s horse. He was accustomed to being in the lead, even if it was just walking down a trail. 

I had no idea what was supposed to happen next. Since it was a competition, it made sense for me to break away from Daniel and head out on my own. But the thought of wandering through the forest by myself didn’t seem like a good idea to me, so I stayed right behind Daniel.

All I could think about was how to get myself out of this mess.

“You never answered my question,” I finally said. Daniel ignored me. “Why do you hate this wolf so much?”

Daniel adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and quickened his pace. I stopped in my tracks and Saladin and I stood in the middle of the road. Daniel was twenty yards away before he stopped and turned around to face me.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“We don’t need to stay together,” I said. “I mean, that’s the point, right? To do our own thing?”

Daniel turned his horse and walked back to me. “No, the point of this whole thing is for me to kill the werewolf. Whatever connection you have to that creature, I intend to use to my benefit.”

“I’m the bait,” I said.

“And Eva said you weren’t very bright,” Daniel said. Even though I knew he was just trying to get to me, the comment still stung. “Yes, you’re the bait. Now come on. There’s a good camp we should get to before sundown. Wolves aren’t the only thing in this forest we have to worry about.”

We marched on through the afternoon. I followed behind Daniel, walking in his footsteps in the snow. I kept an eye out in the woods on either side of us, waiting for the telltale flash of movement between the trees.

The forest was still. Snow hung on the towering pines around us. Periodically, a pile of snow would come loose from a bird landing on a branch, cascading down the tree in a waterfall of powder. Small tracks of deer, rabbits and squirrels crisscrossed the trail. At one point we came across a small waterfall that had frozen in place, the ice glowing a deep blue in the cold, winter sun. I found myself enjoying the ride through the forest and had to remind myself that serious business lay ahead.

Somehow, I had to find a way to end this challenge without Tiberon being killed in the process. The more I picked at the problem over the hours of riding silently through the forest, the more impossible it seemed. The answer, if there even was an answer, lay in getting Daniel to see that Tiberon, werewolf or not, wasn’t the evil creature he thought him to be. But how to accomplish that feat? I had no idea.

We arrived at the camping spot near dusk. It was a deep draw with a decent elevation so we could see what was happening below us. We tied the horses and each of us cleared the snow away from a small area where we could sit.

“Are we going to start a fire?” I asked, hoping the answer was yes. Even with the additional cloak and gloves, it felt like the cold had seeped in through my skin and found its way into my bone marrow. I was too proud to admit it to Daniel, but I was freezing.