by Garry Spoor
“It’s not lethal, but it does burn and if not treated I’m told it can get worse. Lucky for you, a friend of mine is a brilliant healer.”
She looked up when two wolves emerged from the forest.
“Don’t move,” she warned him and walked to where the wolves waited.
Tullner slowly looked around him. They were now surrounded by a total of five gray wolves as well as three dead gulrik.
-We are sorry, we lost it.-
The wolf, known as Tyloner, told Kile when she approached. His words were filled with visions of the gulrik moved faster and farther into the woods, until he was swallowed up by the darkness.
“It’s alright. I underestimated their speed, I didn’t think they could move that fast.”
-Is the vir okay?-
The second wolf asked, looking past Kile to where Tullner was even now trying to get to his feet.
“He’ll live,” Kile replied, although she couldn’t help but detect a serious lack of any sincerity in the wolf’s words.
-Too bad,-
The wolf replied and headed back to the others.
“Thank you again Tyloner, for your assistance.”
-Always Kile, you have but to ask. It has been many cycles since you have walked in these woods.-
“I’m afraid it might be a few more before I can come back,” she replied. “The vir are at war with the Uhyre.”
-Yes, we have heard such things.-
“Then you should move your pack further north, it may not be safe here anymore.”
-You may be right. The hunting has been bad as of late, although the journey will not be an easy one. You will rejoin your pack, then?-
“I don’t have much of a choice at the moment. I can’t leave them just yet. If I bring back one of the gulrik’s bodies, that might help them better understand.”
-We shall stay in the area for as long as your pack is here, should you need us again.-
“Thank you again, Tyloner.”
She bid the wolf goodbye and watched as he led his pack off into the woods, leaving her alone with Tullner. How much of this was she going to have to explain? Wiping her blade on the back of her leg, she sheathed it before returning to the wounded soldier.
“How’s the leg?” she asked.
“What exactly happened?”
“We won. Now, how’s your leg?”
“It's fine... I guess. How exactly did we win?”
“Can you walk on it?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It wasn’t that bad to begin with.”
“Good,” she said, and motioned to the dead gulrik. “Pick that thing up and let’s get back to camp.”
Tullner lugged the dead gulrik back through the woods. He wrapped it in his cloak to make it easier for him to carry, not so much physically, since the creatures were rather small, but mentally. He couldn’t take looking at it any longer.
He was surprised at just how far they had actually gone and realized, if he was alone, he wouldn’t have found his way back. Kile, on the other hand, knew exactly where they were going and led him right into the center of camp.
“Sergeant Wargner, they’re back,” a soldier cried out when the two emerged from the forest.
Wargner stormed across the campground toward them, looking more livid than he usually was.
“Where the hell have you been, Corporal?” he shouted. “Do you think this is some social gathering for your amusement?”
“No sir… we were…”
“You were what, Corporal?”
“It’s just that, sir…”
“You think you can wander off where you please. We are not back in your little hick town where you can take your girl off into the woods for a…”
“Don’t even go there,” Kile shouted, pushing between them.
“You’re already in a world of trouble, don’t even start with me.”
Turning, Kile grabbed the corner of the cloak which Tullner was carrying. She gave it a quick jerk and flipped the lifeless body of the gulrik in the air. It landed at the Sergeant’s feet, who, she was happy to see, actually jumped back in surprise.
“What the hell is that?” he shouted.
“That is a gulrik. And they have been following us for the last two days.”
“How is this possible?” he asked.
Kile looked down at the gulrik and shrugged.
“They have feet, they can walk.”
“That’s not what I meant,” the Sergeant said, grinding his teeth before taking a deep breath. He directed his next question to Tullner. “Was he the only one?”
“No, sir, there was a total of four, that I saw, could have been more. We were able to eliminate three of them, but one got away.”
The Sergeant went back to shouting.
“You let one escape?”
“It couldn’t be helped, sir.” Tullner replied.
“This is what I get for agreeing to have amateur in my squad,” he said turning his anger back on Kile. “Through your incompetence, they now know we are aware of them. You don’t think I already knew they were out there and following us?”
“Honestly, I don’t think you had a clue,” she replied, watching his face turn to a lovely shade of purple. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”
“Don’t you dare turn your back on me, missy.”
She already gave up trying to understand the Sergeant, so why would she want to stand there and debate him. He was going to believe what he wanted to believe and there was nothing she could say that would change his opinion of her. She turned her back and walked Grim into the woods.
***~~~***
6
Kile wanted so desperately to wake up and find them all gone. Sort of like a last ditch punishment from Sergeant Wargner, but she wasn’t that lucky. Perha Squad was still asleep when she got up. She was glad to see they had, at the very least, doubled the guards. There were now four men sitting around the dwindling campfire. She decided not to bother them and headed off into the wild to find breakfast.
The woods sounded a little more alive and she couldn’t smell the presence of the gulrik anymore. She knew they didn’t all go home, back to the wastelands. That would be too much to hope for. She decided to call on a few of the birds for information. Usually, she tried to avoid speaking with the birds so early in the morning as their high pitched melodic voices often gave her a headache, but she made it a point not to let them know that. Surprisingly, the surrounding area was clear, which only worried her more. If the gulrik knew the soldiers were aware of them, then their need for stealth was at an end. It was only a matter of time before they would be an open confrontation.
Collecting some berries and some edible foliage, she headed back to her camp where she shared the food with Vesper. Even the yarrow was a little more at ease today.
- So are we leaving?-
Grim asked in his usual contemptuous tone.
“Are you going to ask me that every morning?”
-Only until you say yes.-
“I can’t just leave them here.”
-And why not?-
“To tell you the truth, I ask myself that same question every night, and about the only answer which come close is, if I returned to base camp with no soldiers, it wouldn’t look too good.”
-I suppose not, but why even go back there?-
“You’re talking desertion,” she said as she started to pack up her campsite. “You can’t just leave the military. I think they have a rule against that.”
Although, she hated to admit it, she did think about it more than once.
She tied her kit to Grim’s harness, set Vesper on the pony’s head and mounted up. The sounds of Perha Squad’s camp being dissembled reached her in the forest and she knew a new day was just about to start. Unfortunately, it too would be filled with problems. If Sergeant Wargner kept his course, and she had no doubt he would, they would be passing through the lowlands by mid-afternoon.
Sh
e spurred Grim forward to stand upon the outer edge of Perha Squad’s camp and watched the men go about their business. Again, she noticed a few of them glancing up at her while they completed their tasks, but those quick glances were not like the glances several days ago. These faces were filled with curiosity, as if they were noticing her for the very first time.
Sergeant Wargner stood on the opposite side of the camp. His look never changed; he still didn’t want her in Perha Squad, not that he had much of a choice.
The soldiers finally broke down the last of the camp, loaded it up on the horses and were on the move again. She waited until the column passed before taking her place at the end of the line. Not exactly the proper place for a scout, she thought, but at least she didn’t have to deal with the Sergeant.
As the column moved out, Tullner came back down the line to ride alongside her.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t left yet,” she told him.
The young soldier laughed.
“I really didn’t think you would,” he said. “I have a feeling you're too damn stubborn to let someone like Sergeant Wargner run you off.”
“It’s got nothing to do with being stubborn,” she said, although she wasn’t sure she believed it. Why was she really staying? It wasn’t just to be a thorn in Wargner’s side, although it was a contributing factor.
“Can I ask you a question, ma’am?”
Ma’am? Now she was ma’am, when did this happen?
“Fire away,” she replied.
“Last night, in the woods… the wolves?”
Looking over at Tullner, she could see the dilemma in the young soldier’s face. On one hand, he wanted to confirm his suspicions; on the other hand, he was still afraid of her. What did he see last night? What did she do to bring about this change in him? Was it just the wolves or was it something else? There was a moment last night when she almost lost it, when the darkness crept in on her and she almost let herself go. It was the hunt, when she smelled the gulrik, when she caught the scent of her prey. In that brief moment, she was alive. Had he not shown up when he did, what would have happened? Would she have lost herself to her feral side completely?
“You don’t really want to know, do you?” she asked with a grin.
Hesitating, he looked at her, but he couldn’t make eye contact for fear of what he might see. Tullner was a simple country boy who lived a simple country life. His knowledge of the world pretty much ended at the borders of Sprigtree. She knew, because she lived the same life back in Riverport. He didn’t want to know anything which might shake his foundation or question his belief system. She was sure, if he had his way, he would go back to his fields in Sprigtree as ignorant as when he was forced to leave them.
“Yeah, you’re probably right, I don’t really think I do,” he finally replied.
“Ma’am.”
Turning, she saw two more riders joined them at the end of the line. The one who spoke was a slim young man with short blonde hair and a long narrow face. He had a red splotch on the side of his neck, whether it was some rash or an unfortunate birthmark, she didn’t know. The other young soldier was pale with black hair and dark drooping eyes, giving him the appearance of a man half asleep.
“Is there a problem?” she asked
“No, ma’am,” the blonde haired soldier quickly replied. He appeared a little nervous, and seemed to be looking everywhere but at her. “It’s just that… well… we heard what Corporal Tullner told the Sergeant and, well, we were wondering if it was true.”
“I’m not sure,” she said, turning to look over at Tullner. “I didn’t hear what Corporal Tullner told the Sergeant.”
“I didn’t say anything which wasn’t true,” Tullner replied a little too quickly.
She turned back to the blonde haired boy.
“What exactly did you want to know, Private…?”
“Sandson, ma’am. Private William Sandson, and this is Private Dion Essoris, and over there, that’s Private Rayan Nasom.” He said, pointing to a third soldier who she hadn’t noticed before. He was a lot shorter than the others with shocking red hair and green eyes which were hidden behind a pair of ill-fitting glasses.
“What exactly did you want to know about, Private Sandson?” she asked.
He didn’t immediately answer her, and instead he looked over at the other two young men. There was a non-verbal exchange between them before Sandson would say anything. It appeared they elected him as their spokesman.
“It’s about the… gulrik… ma’am. Did you really kill all three of them?”
Did she kill all three of them? There were three dead gulrik in the end, but everything happened so quickly, she wasn’t sure. She remembered seeing Tullner run toward the lone gulrik, but gulrik never travel alone. That’s when the others appeared. They rose up out of the grass all around him. She remembered drawing her Lann, and felt the presence of the wolves in the area who she called out to, but beyond that, the rest was a blur.
“She sure did,” Tullner answered for her. “I only saw the one. I didn’t see any of the others. Before I knew it, I’m being attacked by two of them. If she hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t be here now.”
He said nothing about the wolves. Did he tell Sergeant Wargner about them, or did he conveniently leave them out of that story as well?
The three young soldiers spoke quietly together, although it was a rather animated discussion. She didn’t really like the direction this was going in. She didn’t want to be known for how many kills she racked up, that was not her way. She would have been quite happy to let the gulrik leave in peace and report back to Sergeant Wargner, but Tullner was right. Without the proof, he would never have believed her, not that it had much of an impact on his plans.
“Is it true you’ve actually seen the valrik?” Essoris asked.
“Yes. I’ve seen them,” she replied.
How could she not, she was captured by them and taken into the wastelands, although it seemed so long ago now.
“I heard they are… well… quite vicious,” Nasom added.
Vicious seemed to be an over exaggeration. They weren’t exactly friendly, if that’s what he meant, but she wouldn’t go as far as to label them vicious.
“Haven’t any of you encountered the valrik?” she asked.
She knew they weren’t battle hardened veterans, or at least, not all of them. Even Corporal Tullner hinted at that, but she figured they must have had a few skirmishes. Why else would they have been selected to walk into enemy territory if they didn’t have the proper training?
The three soldiers looked at each other sheepishly and she already knew the answer before Sandson said it.
“No, ma’am.”
“It’s as I said before,” Tullner added, “most of these boys, myself included, didn’t even know about the war until we were told to report to Carhay.”
“I was working with my father, when Lord Coroona’s men arrived,” Sandson replied. “I can remember it clearly. I was taking Miss Belford’s measurements when the shop doors opened and three soldiers entered. My father seemed to know what they were there for and spoke to them in the back room. They left without saying a word to me. My father just kept staring at me for the rest of the afternoon and I knew something was wrong. It wasn’t until closing time that he finally told me I had three days to report to Carhay for basic training.”
“I was making deliveries when they came for me,” Essoris said with a laugh. “I had just dropped off my last order and was on my way back when I saw the soldiers leaving. I thought it was my father they came for. Image my surprise when I was told to report to Carhay. I guess I should have been more worried about it at the time, but my only concern was, how my father was going to continue without me. He’s not a young man anymore.”
“My father was forced to choose which of his sons to send,” Nasom said, pushing up his glasses and looking at the others. “I have six brothers and two sisters. My father is ill, so Danny, my oldest brother, takes care o
f the farm. Ricky and Timothy help Danny, Todd and Ritchie are too young so I was the most expendable.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Kile replied. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for your father to make the choice.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Nasom sighed as he stared off into the distance.
“I didn’t have a father to make the decision,” another soldier said, falling back to join the conversation. He was a round, heavy set, young man, with short red hair and a large red nose. She remembered him as the soldier who couldn’t get on his horse, back at base camp. He seemed happy enough when he joined the group.
“Yeah, I was working at my shop, I own a small bakery on the east side of Torran, when the goons showed up. They gave me five days to close up my business and report to Carhay for training.”
“This is Private Halgar Haland,” Sandson said, introducing the round young man. “He’s our resident cook.”
“So, it’s true, you actually did trounce the gulrik?” Haland asked with a laugh.
“That’s what they’re saying,” Kile replied.
“Yeah, you should have seen it. She snuck right up on them. They didn’t even know she was there,” Tullner added.
“I don’t know why they didn’t send you out in the first place, like you asked.” Sandson said. “I’m beginning to wonder whose side Sergeant Wargner’s on.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Tullner snapped. “Sergeant Wargner is doing his best. If anybody can get us back home safely, it’s him.”
Kile had the distinct feeling Tullner didn’t really believe what he was saying.
The column suddenly came to a stop, and the men in the back were stretching their necks to see what was happening in the front, but Kile was sure she already knew. They reached the lowlands and a quick sniff of the air told her the lands were rather damp.
Within moments, Corporal Duffy came riding down the line. He was a little surprised to see Kile surrounded by other soldiers, especially when the other soldiers were not in formation.
“Sergeant Wargner wants you up front,” he said.
“Does he now?” she replied.
