Gareth began to lift the body of his best friend towards the back of his horse before hearing a growl behind him. He turned to see the yellow eyes of a much larger wolf staring into his own. This particular wolf didn’t have snow white fur like the other Hunters had described. Instead it was slightly gray. Dried blood covered its entire face.
The Hunter froze, his fingertips inches from the hilt of his sword. The White Ghost stalked around him, the beast’s giant frame preventing it from lowering itself too far.
“You don’t walk like Mandel, are you really a wolf? Or are you something else?”
The Ghost moved its eyes to Mandel and back to Gareth before it put one paw forward, sinking gently into the snow. Without hesitation, Gareth ripped his sword from its scabbard, holding it out in front of him. Before the giant wolf it looked like nothing more than a toothpick. The beast all but ignored Gareth and now had its sights set on Mandel, slinking over to the dead animal before securing its kill in its massive jaws.
Gareth backed away, not willing to get in the way of the larger creature. Under its chin, Gareth could see blood, a mark no doubt left by Mandel. He rushed forward in a mad frenzy, taking advantage of the preoccupied monster. Even with the fresh corpse of Mandel in its mouth the Ghost was nimble. A second later it was snapping at Gareth as he ran past.
“Gareth, what the fuck are you doing! Run!”
The Islander rode forward firing a multitude of bolts as he came, the White Ghost turning to protect its head from the onslaught. Abner rode into fray, his sword swinging as Nagor stormed past the wolfs head. The blade made contact forcing a howl of pain from the wolf’s throat. Lois let loose a savage roar, one that rivaled Gunthos in ferocity as she leapt onto the Ghost’s back.
Her broadsword swung through the air, the blade singing in the cold wind as it arched down into the head of the White Ghost. With a twist of the massive blade, the wolf slumped down, dead. Lois looked up with a vicious smile. “Got it!”
“Right grab it’s ears or paw and let’s get out of here,” Abner said. He looked satisfied with their work.
“Why did you come back?” Gareth asked as he slid his sword back into its sheath.
“Thought we’d use you as bait. It worked out pretty well,” Gunthos said. “We’ve hunted these things for the last eight years so we know a thing or two about them. Your wolf presented the perfect opportunity.”
“You used me as bait?” Gareth asked
“Get on your horse and let’s move,” Gunthos said. “Lois you nearly done with the bounty?”
“Just about. This bastard is tougher than the last one we had to cut up,” Lois said. “Surprised my sword got through its skull.”
“Hurry it up, I don’t want to be caught by two of them,” Abner said. He glanced around the mountains. The sun was setting at a rapid pace now leaving an orange glow on the snow. “Gunthos did you manage to spot any caves on our way here?”
“Nothing substantial. The horses are going to have to run into the early hours of the night if we’re to put any distance between us and the Ghosts. If we can get out of these hills the better it’ll be for us.”
Two more howls rose in the wind causing the Hunters to ready their weapons. Human screams followed the beastly cries seconds later. Gareth began to look sick, his skin flushing whiter than the snow he stood on.
“We need to help them.”
“Fuck off, if we help them we’ll die all the same,” Gunthos said. “We were lucky enough to trap this one with you.”
“They’re already dead,” Abner said.
“They don’t sound dead to me,” Gareth said.
Abner turned onto the young Hunter he had taken under his wing with a savage frown. “You haven’t been a Hunter long, have you?”
“A year, longer than some,” Gareth said.
“You need to learn there are some things in life you can’t fix. This is one of them. We got our kill, we can go home now. The Ghosts should only be engaged on terms that benefit us, not them!”
“What about those people? They’re my people! I can’t let them die!”
At last the humans fell silent and the Ghosts sent out one final call to the rest of their pack. Abner turned to the Islander.
“What do you hear, Gunthos?”
“The Ghosts, feeding, Ab. There’s no people down there anymore.”
Abner turned back to face Gareth. “And you?”
“Nothing,” he said.
“Right, I’m ready to go,” Lois said. She rose from beside the Ghost, barely passing its shoulder. “Hopefully that should cover our escape. They’ll know we did it and they’ll follow us.”
“When that one appeared, there was something wrong with it,” Gareth said. A raised eyebrow from Abner made him continue. “It seemed more intelligent than other animals, almost human, somehow.”
“They’re on par with the Vampires. The only two creatures on Taagras we can’t hunt with normal human weapons. Do you have any idea how much that frustrates me as a Seeker?” Lois said.
“Mandel was my Seeker and they took him from me,” Gareth said. “I won’t rest until they’re all dead.”
Abner smiled underneath his hat. “Good, stay with us and we’ll see more of them dead. Let’s go.”
8
Mistrust
The Tyrain Huntrey was a welcome sight after being away for so long. In the month they had been gone nothing in the landscape had changed. Sentries still patrolled the wall that lined the base of the mountain, their covered heads visible above the battlements far high above. As they saw the Hunters below them riding slowly towards the gate, they began to raise it, the steel clunking and churning behind the wall.
“What you’re not going to let me in?” Gareth asked. He nearly collected the wall that was invisible to him.
“Gunner, care to do the honors?” Lois asked. “I let the last one in.”
Gunthos turned his horse back towards the young Hunter that was waiting for them. “I suppose so, milady,” he said.
Abner and Lois tilted their heads in the direction of the sentries as they passed under the wall only to be stopped by Tori. A spark lit in her eye and her mouth curved into a wicked smile as Gunthos came into view.
“You’re finally back took you long enough. Did you find them?”
“We found one, and a new friend,” Abner said pointing to Gareth.
“Alilletian?” Tori asked.
“Of course,” Abner said. “He seemed to know what he was doing, just couldn’t get the execution right. He’s from Renor, but I’ll ask the Board if he can stay on with us.”
Tori nodded, casting her eyes over Abner’s shoulder to look at the boy. “Alright, it’s got my vote. You best go report back to the Board, I’ve got a patrol heading out soon, but I’ll be back just after dark.”
“How’s Alex?” Lois asked.
“Good, he returned from his hunt last week. Should be in the tavern just before dusk. You know how he is these days.” The collected Hunters nodded. “I want you tonight, big boy,” she said. She licked her lips at Gunthos.
“Consider me accepting your offer,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight, beautiful.”
“Ab, don’t we have things to do or are we just going to stand around here all day?” Lois said.
“Yeah, I don’t know about you but I’d like to get some food,” Gareth said.
Abner rolled his eyes, flicking the reigns of Nagor forward. The horse trotted forwards, following the path that led up to the main Huntrey tower rested atop the plateau. Birds swooped low overhead, one diving too far, hitting the invisible barrier. The bird collapsed in a heap, never to rise again.
The further the Hunters rode up the mountain side, the louder the activities of the Huntrey became. Their ears were filled with the sounds of swords being bashed together in combat drills rung around the plateau as did the sound of weapons being forged. As they rode into the stables, Abner paused to look out over the plain below. He imagined the Vampire h
ordes gathering below him thousands of years ago when Tal’davin had led them here and how terrified the first Hunters would have been.
Once Nagor was attended to, the Hunters headed in the direction of the Huntrey tower, encountering many numerous faces, including several fresh ones. They raised their heads in order to look at Gareth who passed most of them with a shallow nod.
“Why are they all looking at me?” he asked.
“You’re new, they’ll get over it,” Abner said.
Gunthos laughed, interrupting their conversation. “What the fuck is Jayde doing?”
A young novice, no older than the age of eight was hanging upside down from a large tree, an arrow clinging onto the end of a branch almost thirty feet above the ground. Her arm were spinning wildly and most other Hunters seemed to ignore her, seemingly fixated on Gareth. Lois ran over to the child, leaping into the air to snatch the child from the grasp of the tree.
“Forget about the arrow,” Lois said.
“But that was my favorite!” the child said.
“We’re Hunters, we don’t have these things in our lives for long,” Lois said. “Take better care of it and yourself next time.”
“You love her, don’t you Ab?” Gunthos asked. “When are you going to do it?”
Abner slid his hand to the small pouch that was hooked underneath his belt, tucked safely away from the rest of the world. “Soon, just with everything that’s been going on there hasn’t been a right time.”
“Get your shit together and do it soon. Lois speaks the truth. We never have anything for long,” Gunthos said. “And let me know beforehand so I can help you with it, you oaf.”
“What do you mean?” Abner said. “I’ve got more grace than you with a sword or axe of any kind.”
“You’ll turn back into that little kid, like you used to be around her. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back,” Gunthos said.
“Glad to hear it,” Abner said.
“Ab, we better hurry up and get to the Board. They’d be expecting us,” Lois said as she walked over with a grin on her face.
Instead of following her instructions, Abner strode to her and embraced her with a tight grip. “I haven’t been able to do that for a long time.”
Lois laughed. “We fucked in the tent before we fought the wolves. Hardly that long ago, Ab.”
Gunthos groaned in the background. “Get on with it already.”
“Get on with what?” Lois asked.
“Don’t worry,” Abner said. “When we’ve got time I’ll have to ask you something.”
Minutes later the Hunters stood before the Board, their hands behind their backs. In the past eight years, two of the members had died and been replaced with younger successors. Tori’s familiar friendly face greeted them, smiling down from above, as Abner’s team bought forward the paw, in a heavy hessian bag.
“Abner, Gunthos, Lois, I see you have returned to us,” Tori said.
“Aye, indeed we have, and we bring news of another wolf kill,” Abner said, holding the bag over his head.
“Don’t you have a patrol heading out?” Gunthos frowned at his lover.
“Wanted to see what you had to say,” Tori said.
“Excuse me, we have business,” the gray-haired Hunter known as Crix said. “Show us your bounty.”
Abner dropped the bag, before kicking it forwards, sending the now rotting paw sprawling towards the members of the Board. Each of them looked at it in disgust from their high table above the cold, black floor. Crix assessed the mutilated part of the beast before glancing at his other Board members, a non-verbal conversation passing between each of them.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Toldar, but we just can’t accept this offering and give you full pay. We know the Ghosts are this Huntrey’s top priority, but simply put, we’re running out of money. The Tyrain Councilor is beginning to stop supporting us, due to actions taken inside his own court, and our other benefactors are beginning to dry up, as if they’re being targeted. We’ve offered protection to those that still support us but it comes at a cost.”
“Well isn’t it possible that a Vampire could be taking them down,” Lois said.
“Thanks for stating the fucking obvious,” Gunthos said. “Let me guess, Board members, you wish for us to stop tracking what wolves we can and take these Vampires down?”
“No, we need you to rest. I’m assuming you came back because you lost the trail of the Ghosts,” Crix said. “We’ll send you out as soon as anyone reports back with a location.”
“We came back, because we didn’t want to be killed, and because we found a new friend.” Gunthos gestured to Gareth. “An Alilletian that was having some trouble with a Desire inside a pub. Thought he could come back here and learn from the best.”
Gareth stepped out from behind the giant shadow of Gunthos, finally making eye contact with the Board. He took a deep bow, before stepping back.
“He’s young, barely out of the Huntrey,” Tori said. “I’m sure time with the highest grossing Hunters party would only help him.”
“The boy shows great promise. He’s athletic and with us should be able to learn more quickly. We know that Renor has not been the best with its training of late,” Abner said. “I take full responsibility.
“I don’t need you to take responsibility of me, Toldar. I’m capable of looking after myself,” Gareth said.
“Not what I saw back in Etia.”
“Enough!” Crix said. “Gareth, you will accompany Abner and the others as they hunt the White Ghosts. That is now decided. You are all dismissed.”
“Our pay, when will we get it?” Gunthos asked.
“Before you depart, until then, rest, and ensure you’re ready at a moment’s call. Now leave us.”
“So you heard about the Board not paying us in full now didn’t you?” Alex asked his question in a hushed whisper as his three friends gathered around the table alongside Gareth. In the eight years since the fall of West Anacore, Alex had only grown as a person and as a Hunter, his cold eyes once cold towards Abner and Lois now held a warm glow to them. “Rumor has it that Razal is the one behind this motion. Keeping more wealth for the Huntrey, and himself.”
“Keep your voice down lad, you don’t know where Razal’s supporters lie,” Gunthos said. He took a glance around the packed tavern.
The night was still young, but every Hunter and their Novice was inside the spacious tavern, with a drink of some kind in hand. Many didn’t wear their uniforms, merely a plain white undershirt and long black pants with a dagger visible on their belts. A fireplace roared alone in the corner of the room, spreading copious amounts of warmth to all.
“Crix wouldn’t lie to us,” Lois said. “If he says they’re going broke, they’re going broke.”
“And who controls the coin flow within the Tyrainian Huntrey?” Gunthos asked.
Lois bit her lower lip and looked around the table at her four friends. “How are we going to stop him then? He’s a Board member.”
“We can’t, he’s got too much power and too many supporters within the Huntrey, that would no doubt be on his payroll. We’re stuck with Razal,” Abner said.
“I could get a knife in his throat,” Gareth said.
“You what?” Gunthos asked.
“I’m new, nobody knows me here, and I’d never have to come back. To most Hunters I’m nobody, just another face in the crowd. If you can get me close to him, I’ll do it,” Gareth said. He folded his arms over his chest.
“What you’re talking about is treason, Gareth,” Abner said. “And I won’t act against Razal until we have gathered enough evidence to suggest that he is guilty of these crimes that the rumors have circulated around.”
Gareth leaned in across the table. “You heard the Board, we’ve got time to rest. If we go out on another hunt, we can find someone to continue the investigation.”
“I don’t need to go on a hunt for a while, I’ve been paid enough in recent months. I’ll ask around
, discretely of course, to see if anyone else is being short changed. Being raised as a Lord’s son had its advantages you know. If I could get a look at Razal’s books, I’d be able to see what’s going on.”
“You need a distraction then,” Gareth said. “I’ll give you a hand.”
Alex smiled around at the rest of the group. “I like this guy already. Where are you from?”
“Renor, here or there. The Huntrey took me in when I was a child.”
“Ah, of course,” Alex said. “The land of the either dried up or tough bastards.”
Gareth’s upper lip began to curl at the last word. One glance at Gareth told Abner all he needed to know. He slammed his fist down on the table, grabbing Gareth’s attention. “Right, after all that travel I know I need a long sleep in my bed. Let’s finish our drinks and get out of here.”
9
The Pack
The sound of steel clashing together rang out across the Huntrey underneath the temperate winter’s sun. Its warming rays filled the training field with much needed heat as Hunters began to emerge in great number from their lodgings. Abner and Lois were among the first out in the field, sparring while they waited for Gareth to awake.
They spotted the Alilletian stalking across the field as the first horn sounded that rallied the Novices to their classes for the day. Gareth carried his entire arsenal of weapons over his shoulder, except for the broad smile that spread across his face like a virus.
“What are you so happy for?” Lois asked.
“Well I had a late night last night, but it was rather productive,” he said.
“Well do share, don’t hold back on us,” Abner said. He raised his eyebrows in anticipation. “Based on how your luck went in Alilletia I’m surprised it’s changed here.”
“If you must know, I did not lie with a woman, but rather spent a few hours this morning digging into background information on our mutual friend, Razal. Did you happen to know he originally wasn’t meant to be a Hunter? It was only when he was nearly beaten to death by a couple of Novices that he pissed off, did they accept him,” Gareth said.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 47
