The Winter's Hunt

by R. K. Rickson

  “Why would anyone want to willingly set the village up for failure, let alone you?” Ryland asked.

  “Jarls can be challenged by nearly anyone at any time: however, support of a village and council must be in place to do so. Otherwise, it would be a daily free-for-all for the position if they weren’t there as a check for the challenge system. Now, that being said: the village view is starting to sway unkindly for me. They see me as weak and incapable, especially with another round of our food stores gone. Even if I’m taking part in more of the hunts with my men, it’s doing little to help change the opinion around here. If I can’t find a way to prove my suspicions, I could very well be subject to challenge soon.”

  “Jarl Torga, while we try not to involve ourselves with the issues of other locales, it seems like there may be a link between the two. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lyle and Boswick were helping drain the village of the things you listed. To that end, we’re willing to help by taking down our targets. In doing so, if we find proof of their collusion with your own people, we will happily get it to you. You have mine and Kaito’s word on that.”

  “Even more so,” Kaito interjected, “Ryland and I spoke last night on the idea of making a potential two-pronged attack on the matter if you’re willing to let us do so. Ryland will go with one of the villagers to search the land here, while Jeff and I head back to Port Burmir and investigate there, see if anything arises. Of course, we ask of your permission to do so, first.”

  Torga smiled as a look of relief washed over his face, as he thanked them, “That means quite a bit to me. In such trying times, I need allies more than ever.”

  Ryland nodded confidently and assured him, “If you’re a friend of Jeff, then we’d be glad to aid you. Do you have an idea who may be behind all of this?”

  “One of my closest advisors, sadly: a man named Erik the Scorned. Of course, I’ve no evidence to bring to the village if I made such a claim, but I do believe he’s orchestrating this. Of recent, he’s been absent more, popping up with new things, and others of the village talking about how he could fix things here. I try not to be overly paranoid, but those few things, as well as a gut feeling, do not lie.”

  “If Erik’s getting outside help, then it stands to reason Lyle and Boswick fit in there somewhere. We’re getting help from Olvir in a couple of days to help navigate us through the woods once he’s done with what he has to do. Says if it will help the village and you, he’s glad to aid us.”

  “That’s excellent to hear. Good to know Olvir is still on my side. Listen, why not begin sooner if you like? My daughter is knowledgeable of the outskirts of our land, she can help you navigate.”

  Jeff looked to Ryland as Ryland eagerly replied, “We’ll do it! Let’s get started then.”

  Torga stood up and headed to the door, opened it, and said, “Come this way, and I’ll introduce you to her!”

  The trio got up from the table, exited the battle room, and walked behind the jarl across the commons area. As they did, Torga asked one of his servants to summon his daughter, which they left to do so.

  After a minute, the servant returned with a beautiful young woman with her long red hair braided up. She wore a long green dress and had a jeweled metal circlet on her head. Her green eyes seemed to burn brightly in the flickering flames as Kaito’s expression became one of surprise, but not nearly as surprised as Ryland’s. Ryland’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he looked upon the young woman, and she had a similar reaction to him when she arrived.

  “Ryland, Kaito: I’d like you to meet my daughter, Leila Torgasdottir,” Torga happily said.

  Leila composed herself amongst her visible shock, slightly bowed her head and said, “A wonderful pleasure to see you again.”

  “Oh, you’ve met them before?” Torga asked, sending Ryland’s mind into a rush of how to best answer the question. How else would one explain that they fought a jarl’s daughter the night before at a tavern without sounding disrespectful? Would that completely throw all of their plans out of the window? Ryland felt his blood begin to pump quicker, as the situation grew tense.

  “We saw each other in the village last night briefly, while I was on my way to the tavern,” Leila calmly replied, which brought a rush of relief and surprise to Ryland when she didn’t outright tell what actually happened.

  “Well then, you’ll get to know each other better today! I need you to lead Ryland and Kaito throughout the wilderness to help find their targets,” Torga said.

  Ryland didn’t miss the subtle look of frustration on her face as he and Kaito took a bow before her, and said, “Lady Leila, it would be a high honor to work with you in seeking our quarry.”

  “Oh no, the pleasure is all mine, Ryland. Let me change into my outdoor gear and I will gladly take you wherever you must go,” Leila retorting with a barb of her own, feigned as an innocent pleasantry.

  Jeff couldn’t help but grin and tried to hide it as he added, “I think this will be a grand excursion!”

  “Jeff! Why didn’t you tell me she was the jarl’s daughter last night?!” Ryland asked in a hushed voice as the three stood outside while they awaited Leila.

  “I tried, but you didn’t take my hints at the bar!” Jeff answered with a hearty laugh at the irony of the situation.

  Kaito couldn’t hide his amusement either as he quipped, “Jeff did indeed try to intervene, but you didn’t pick up on the subtle part of it.”

  As the two laughed at Ryland’s ire over the situation, Leila walked out of the doorway, fully donned in her outdoor outfit, more akin to the one she wore in the tavern the night before. Slung over her shoulder was a bow and quiver of arrows, with a sleek steel greataxe on her back.

  Looking at the trio, she nonchalantly said, “So, is this our expedition party?”

  “Just Ryland,” Jeff replied, patting him playfully on the back. “Kaito and I are going to investigate the port for leads with my crew there, see if anything turns up. I’ve some business to conduct there as well.”

  Ryland begrudgingly confirmed, “Yes, that is the plan.”

  Kaito gave a teasing smirk, and assured him, “You’ll be okay. We’ll reconvene at the Firwood Lodge later and share our results of what happened.” Looking to Leila, he added, “You’re more than welcome to join if you’d like.”

  “Considering we’re working together, regardless of how I feel on it, I may just do that,” Leila calmly replied, more receptive to Kaito’s disposition than Ryland’s.

  “Firwood Lodge by nightfall, then,” Ryland stated. “Be careful out there, you two.”

  Kaito held his fist up to Ryland as the two bumped fists, their customary reassurance, parting, and greeting gesture they made up after the exams.

  “Be well in the wild out there, my friend,” Kaito responded as he and Jeff began heading back for the port.

  Leila looked to Ryland and asked, “Well then, shall we begin our trek?”

  Ryland replied, “Let’s. We can get to helping your father sooner and hopefully finding our targets.”

  Leila walked past Ryland and started heading for one of the exits for the village that had a dense forest and snowcapped mountains in the distance, much more visible under the clear sky than the day before.

  “Let’s get moving, try not to fall behind,” Leila said casually, throwing a slight barb to Ryland.

  Ryland started out with her, thinking to himself the trek would at least be more tolerable if she stayed in a lesser foul mood than their meeting the night before.

  Chapter V: Investigation and Trepidation

  A half hour later, Ryland and Leila were treading terrain that held less snow than the village across the forest path they were on. The sound of birds chirping in the air and the sight of squirrels romping around the fir trees was a welcome respite compared to the wintery silence of the snow and blizzard over the last day.

  The walk had been silent up until that point between the two, a hanging tension in the air from the night before at th
e tavern. Ryland decided that he’d extend the olive branch to Leila and help lighten the mood with some conversation, if Leila bit on it.

  “So, you’re the jarl’s daughter, huh? What were you doing at a mere tavern: don’t you get access to the best drinks and fineries with your title?” Ryland asked, genuinely curious more than sardonic.

  “You sound like my father does,” Leila annoyingly replied. “He says I shouldn’t be at the tavern so much since I’m of royalty, but I like it there.”

  “Nothing wrong with that I suppose,” Ryland agreed, dispelling some of the tension. “Why there so much, though, if I may ask?”

  Leila shrugged and replied, “It’s fun. I’m around the locals more. I don’t see myself as someone that is better than others because of a birthright, I’m just a person like them. Not only that, but the friends I have there are much more genuine than the associates my dad keeps around his council.”

  “That’s understandable. Do you not like the council members he has?”

  “Yarvor, the oldest of the council since my grandfather was jarl, is like an uncle to me. He’s always looked out for my family. Bero and Nessa are newer and don’t quite know what they’re doing yet. Isolda and Erik, I don’t trust at all. They both have private meetings with one another in conspicuous ways that would raise suspicion for any ruler.”

  Leila led Ryland up to a slope where the path they were on split into a fork. Taking the right path, Ryland continued to follow Leila as they began to work against the growing incline that would lead them up a mountain ahead. The mountain was of dark stone, caked with snow around it, and had fog coming off the top from the sun’s rays shining down on it.

  “Up there would be a good start,” Leila explained, pointing to the top. “There’s a great lookout view from there, and where some of the lesser-known paths connect to.” Leila then pulled a necklace up from under her shirt with a metal whistle on it.

  Ryland watched as the young woman blew into it, and a faint high-pitched tune emitted out into the area, echoing as it went. After a few seconds, a wolf’s howl was heard, and Ryland stood at the ready for any trouble.

  Seeing his guard go up, Leila sighed and said, “Relax. I’m simply calling a friend of mine.”

  Ryland held off on drawing his axe when moments later, a large black wolf came trouncing and running through the snow for them. Its paws mashed and kicked up the snow at a full run and stood out against the white snow as it closed the gap between the pair and it. The wolf then slowed to a trot as Ryland saw Leila smile for the first time and happily greet the animal.

  “Hello, Gunnir! It’s good to see you again!” Leila greeted the wolf in an excited voice, a stark contrast to how Ryland had seen her up until that point. The wolf panted and whimpered it’s greeting back, excitedly licking her hands and letting the young woman pet its thick fur coat. Leila looked into its proud yellow eyes and explained, “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much of late. Lots of things have been going on, and I’ve been tending to them, but I’m here to find someone, and brought an ally to help.”

  Ryland enjoyed seeing the sight of Leila actually showing kindness to something, even if it wasn’t him. From Ryland’s experiences, anyone who was usually liked by animals was someone that could be trusted.

  Gunnir turned to face Ryland and Leila said to the wolf, “Don’t worry boy, that’s Ryland. He’s here to help.” Gunnir trotted over to Ryland and began sniffing his sleeves as Ryland stood calmly and held an upturned palm to him.

  After collecting his scent, Gunnir licked his palm as Ryland, delighted, said, “Well hello, friend! Good to meet you!” Gunnir excitedly bounded around Ryland’s legs, then ran back over to Leila.

  “He likes you. That’s a good sign,” Leila said before turning back to face the trail ahead. “Let’s get up to the top there, and we’ll see what we can find.”

  “Now hold on just a darned minute, you mean to tell me that you’re also missing supplies from your ships as well?” Jeff asked one of the other ship’s captains at one of the storehouses by the docks while Kaito watched the interactions go down.

  “Yes! We’ve had items go missing before on our last stop here a month ago, and still have no clue where they are!” replied the captain, an elvish male with long blond hair and brown eyes.

  Jeff leaned closer and lowered his voice to not let prying ears hear as he explained, “What happened when they went missing? Because it’s not just at the village if that’s the case.”

  “The inspectors here usually take our shipments and make sure all checks out, as well as makes note of our stock. However, one of our weapons creates just went missing without anyone knowing what happened to it.”

  “I see. There’s been cases of it happening around the village as well, and we’re trying to zero in who all is contributing to this. No doubt, some of the inspectors here are in cahoots with making other things disappear. Now just to find out who.”

  Jeff and the captain looked at one another, then glanced at one of the inspectors walking to the room where cargo was being looked over. The inspector fit the description for what his first mate had gotten the info on: a small man wearing an emerald necklace, with no hair and a portly build was one of the confirmed insiders working with the saboteurs. The man opened the door and stepped through, as Jeff looked to Kaito and gave him a nod, confirming they had a target.

  The two got up and quietly made their way across the dimly lit storehouse for the door the little man went through. The area was mostly silent, save for some people wrapped in cloaks from the winter air, sitting at tables, talking to one another. Jeff heard some voices from behind the metal door, then some footsteps trail to the other side of the room.

  When all went quiet, Jeff slowly opened the door to peek through, and saw the cargo inspection room was empty: there was nothing but the doorway to the loading ramp outside, a desk for someone to check in and check out materials, run a ledger, and several crates from some of the ships.

  “Donnie truly helped us immensely with this,” Kaito whispered, grateful for the information lead.

  Jeff nodded and whispered back, “He’s a sharp lad. While we were in town, he was keeping an ear out for us to help you boys out. Doesn’t help the smugglers that Donnie caught on to one of our shipments already missing. Question is now, where did that little bastard inspector go?”

  As the pair moved about the inspection and staging room, Jeff began to look around the crates while Kaito moved to the desk. There were drawers on both sides as Kaito pulled them both open. The left side had some miscellaneous items of no significance, but the right held a book that said “Port Burmir Inventory Ledger” on the thick cover.

  Kaito pulled the book out of the drawer and began reading through the pages: the book went as far back as Hauntelglow 1005, three years back. Within the most recent three-month range, there were gaps in some of the shipments, showing a full inventory with lines marked out or erased. Delving deeper into the pages, a piece of paper slipped out from the back cover and fell on the desk.

  Kaito retrieved it and set the ledger down as he opened the folded parchment up. What he saw brought even more intrigue to his eyes.

  “Jeff…I found the ledger and this gem of evidence here,” Kaito quietly spoke. Jeff immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over to where Kaito was, joining in on reading the letter. His eyes popped wide as he stroked his sideburns on his thick jaw, perplexed by what he was reading.

  “Move one-hundred pieces of food crates to the back room. Keep some of the loot from the IHB tranquilizer arrows as well, we’re going to need them for the challenge…signed…Erik the Scorned,” Jeff slowly read, his face glued to the letter.

  “Not only that, but check the ledger on this page,” Kaito replied, handing Jeff the book and flipping to a particular part. Jeff took the book and laid eyes on what Kaito meant to show him, and his face immediately began to turn red.

  “They…THEY were the ones who took my shipment of jade on
that day?! It even has it marked here!” Jeff grumbled, his surprise melting to infuriation.

  “We have what we need, let’s get moving,” Kaito replied as the two exited the room to get back into the storehouse. As they did, a gathering of men wearing inspector’s outfits were all watching and awaiting them.

  “Oh ho! Looks like we’ve got some curious fellas that want to know more on the shipments,” the short man sneered, crossing his arms over his chest with a toothy grin. “You boys find what you were looking for?”

  Jeff replied, “Just the thing, actually! My question is, where are the real inspectors at?”

  “They’re currently on the other side of the docks handling the southern end storehouse. Not that it matters since you won’t be meeting them after we have…words with you.”

  The group of men all started to slowly inch towards Kaito and Jeff as the young sanken master put his hands up, ready to fight. Across the table, the elven captain gave Jeff a wink, and Jeff couldn’t help but grin.

  “We’ve got a numbers disadvantage here,” Kaito murmured to Jeff.

  Jeff laughed and replied loud enough for the others to hear, “Numbers? Well then, let’s even the odds!” Jeff pinched his index finger and thumb to his lips and whistled a sustained note. Seconds later, the sound of footsteps and voices were heard as half of the crew of The Raging Hammer burst in through the door, dropped down from the rafters, or pulled off cloaks from the tables and stood up, ready for a fight.

  The inspectors immediately took stock of their new opponents, shocked by the development. The short bald man also paused in his tracks, stunned by the arrival of the men.

  “I suppose you better have words with the whole crew and not just our captain!” Donnie proudly exclaimed as he stepped out from the ranks of the crew and began cracking his knuckles.