Hunter's Ending (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 5)

by Garry Spoor

  “What do you mean?”

  “Power,” Mandy said. “They crave it, they need it, and they are afraid to lose it. That’s why they’re coming after us. They fear us because we could take that power away from them, not by conflict, but just by being. Once more Hunters see this and understand this, they’ll abandon the Terrabin Hunters and come over to the Veller Hunters.”

  “So, why call yourself the Veller Hunters?” Alex asked.

  “Well, that was Duncan,” Mandy replied. “Arron Duncan, a good man. He believes in the old way and wants to recreate the Hunters the way they used to be. He says since they wish to follow the teachings of Terrabin D’al, we’ll follow the teachings of Kile Veller.”

  “So, who is this Arron Duncan?” Erin asked.

  “Well, I’m not sure where he came from. He’s a Certified Level One Hunter, and he’s got the paperwork to prove it. He knows the code back to front and back again, and he honestly believes in this Kile Veller.”

  “So, you’ve never actually met… Kile Veller?” Daniel asked.

  “No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard quite a bit about her. I’m taking it you’ve met her.”

  “Met her? We graduated the Academy with her,” Alex said.

  “Is that so?” Mandy grinned. “Well, I’d like to hear about her, if you have the time. To hear the tails Master Duncan tells, she’s larger than life, if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh, sure, I can tell you hundreds of stories about her, like the time we—”

  “I don’t think this is the time for that, Alex,” Daniel said.

  “Yes, your friend is right. Maybe later, when we aren’t so pressed.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, it will be easier if I’m not on the back of a horse. Then I can really tell you some stories about her.”

  “That may not be a bad idea,” Erin added.

  “What are you saying?” Daniel asked.

  “I’m saying Alex should go with Charles and Mandy to Wooddale, while you and I head west.”

  “But Master Folkstaff sent us to find you,” Charles said.

  “And you found me.”

  “But Folkstaff…”

  “Master Folkstaff will understand. Tell him I have an assignment I must complete first. I will come to Wooddale when I can.”

  “Fair enough,” Mandy said. “You’ll be able to find us at the Barshed farm. Seems the old colonel left it to Duncan on his passing. He’s trying to convert it into a new Academy, although he has a ways to go. Look for Miles at the general store. He’ll be able to point you in the right direction.”

  “Thank you, I’ll do that. Alex, you go with Charles and Mandy.”

  “Oh, come on,” Alex protested. “I’m always left out of the adventures. I want to go with you guys. That’s where the real story is. Besides, Kile promised she’d tell me how she got off that island.”

  “And I’m sure she’ll keep her promise,” Erin said, “but at the moment, I think you would be of great help to Master Folkstaff.”

  “Yeah, how? What can I do?”

  “Mandy, has Master Folkstaff made any arrangements with the mystics to teach the recruits?”

  “Hardly,” Mandy replied. “We haven’t heard anything from the Tower. They’ve been keeping to themselves.”

  “Okay, okay, I get the point,” Alex said. “You want to use me to contact the Tower, I get it.”

  “No, Alex. I want you to help Master Folkstaff work out a deal with the Tower.”

  Alex grinned. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I’m not really cut out for fieldwork anymore.” He slid off the back of Daniel’s horse. “Besides, there’s a whole new audience that hasn’t heard any of my Wild Hunter stores.”

  Mandy reached down to help the young bard up. “You’ll be all right?” he asked Erin.

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Just tell Folkstaff I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Will do,” Mandy said.

  He rode off after his brother. Erin sat quietly as she watched them go.

  “You made the right choice, sending Alex away,” Daniel said, interrupting the silence. “He’s not cut out for this anymore.”

  “Don’t sell him short,” Erin said. “He’s got a lot more talent than you think. He may even become a Veller Hunter.” She laughed. “Besides, he has an influence over Emara, who has influence over the Tower. Folkstaff is going to need the mystic’s support if he’s starting up a new academy.”

  “I suppose,” Daniel said. “So, now what?”

  “So now, you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on? Where is Kile?”

  “I’m not sure I…”

  “Don’t play me for a fool, Daniel. Grim is here, Vesper is here. The horses, the birds, the squirrels… the skunks, that horse, what’s going on?”

  “Well, I… I can’t really…”

  Kile moved alongside Daniel and started pulling on the hem of his shirt with her teeth. Not exactly the most dignified approach, but it got his attention.

  “What do you want?” he asked, and it dawned on him. “Oh, yeah right.”

  Reaching into his shirt, he pulled out a rolled-up beige cloth and held it out to the horse, who picked it up with her mouth before walking off into the woods. Ten minutes later, Kile stepped out of the woods wearing a wrinkled old beige dress. Her hair was a tangled mess and she had no shoes. She was definitely living up to the Wild Hunter title.

  -Oh man, you’re ugly again,- Grim commented on seeing her.

  She looked over at the mountain pony. “That’s enough out of you,” she warned him before turning to Erin. “I’m sorry about the deception. I told Daniel not to tell anyone.”

  “Although I had a feeling, I couldn’t believe it,” Erin said. “How is this even possible?”

  “It’s a long story, one that I don’t even believe,” Kile said, pulling herself up onto Grim’s back. She was finding it hard to get comfortable on the mountain pony, what with wearing a dress. Riding sidesaddle was out of the question since she didn’t have a saddle. In the end, she was forced to sit on his back with her legs crossed.

  “So, how long have you been able to… turn into a horse?” Erin asked.

  “Not since the island and not only a horse,” she answered.

  “Does anyone else know?”

  “No, only you and Daniel, and of course Grim and Vesper. It’s not exactly something I want everyone knowing.”

  “You realize you still owe Alex a story,” Daniel reminded her.

  “Yeah, I know,” Kile said. “But he’s not the only one I owe.” She hauled off and punched Daniel in the arm as hard as she could.

  Daniel cursed. “What the hell was that for?”

  “For pulling my hair, damn it,” she said, riding away from him.

  Erin shook her head while she and Fort followed Kile up the road.

  ~~~***~~~

  Kile sat in silence, with her eyes closed, lost in her own thoughts, while Grim plodded along the road with no real destination. In many ways, it felt right, like old times, when all she had to worry about was delivering the mail. Now, things were chaotic. Those leisurely days of casually wandering through the forest were a distant memory. So much had happened since then. Time played a cruel trick on her. It led her to believe it was never ending, and now she sensed it was running out. What would happen when there was no more? Was this why she was here? Was this her final destiny? She never believed in fate—people made their own—but when she started to string the events of her life together, they all pointed in the same direction: toward the Maligar.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Erin asked.

  “Pants,” Kile said without opening her eyes. If there was one thing she’d learned from the chaos, it was to break it down into manageable parts. Taking it all on at one time, especially without pants, would be impractical.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Pants. I need pants. I am not going to ride into the wastelands without pants.”

>   “I think we can figure something out,” Erin said, stifling a laugh. “There’s a small village, not far from here. I should be able to barter for some supplies.”

  “We don’t have much to barter with,” Daniel remarked.

  “What about the pouch of coins you’ve been carrying around?” Kile asked.

  “What pouch?”

  “Please, the currency of the realm has a distinct odor.”

  “Are you saying you can… never mind.” Daniel reached into his shirt and pulled out a small leather pouch. He held it in his hand for a moment, weighing the contents before reluctantly passing it off to Erin.

  “I’ll try not to spend it all in one place,” she said. “There’s a river up ahead. Follow it upstream to where it forks in two. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Be careful,” Kile warned her. “Grey said we might have a script with our name on it floating around out there. I’m willing to believe you have more than one.”

  “I’ll be all right. I haven’t survived this long by being careless.”

  “I’m sorry, didn’t you just get yourself captured?”

  “Maybe it was all by design,” Erin said, turning Fort away from the road and galloping off across the field.

  -One down, one to go,- Grim said while he continued his ambling pace down the road.

  “She’s coming back,” Kile assured him.

  “Well, yeah, I hope so. I mean, that was the plan. Wasn’t it?” Daniel asked.

  “What? Yes, of course, I was just… oh never mind. Let’s get to the river.”

  Daniel rode up alongside her. “May I ask you something?”

  “As long as it has nothing to do with being a horse.”

  He laughed. “No. I don’t think I want to know about that. It was awkward enough if you know what I mean.”

  “Albatross,” Kile said.

  “What?”

  “Albatross, wasn’t that what you were going to ask? How did I get off the island? Well, I took the form of an albatross.”

  “Well, no, that’s not what I was going to ask.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It was about my coin purse. I was wondering if you actually smelled it.”

  Kile opened her eyes and slowly turned to look at him. “Are you kidding me? That’s what you wanted to know? If I could smell your money?”

  “Well… yeah. I was just…”

  “Oh, please. No, I can’t.”

  “Then how did you know I had any?”

  “Because I know you, Danny. You were flaunting it before we even left for the island.”

  “I wasn’t flaunting—”

  “Oh, yes you were. You paid for the damage Grim did to the stables. You offered to pay for rooms at the inn. For someone who used to complain about being broke, you seemed to have come into a windfall.”

  “Well… business was good.”

  “You’re paid by the Guild, like I am, and the only time I ever saw that much in my pay was when I had the run-in with the Minotaur.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s…”

  “Then, of course, you were paid when you came back from the island, and I’m sure it was a sizable amount.”

  “Well, yeah, I suppose.”

  “And you were chatting up that young woman in the market. I know you wouldn’t have been as bold if your pockets were empty.”

  “What? No… I… I wasn’t chatting up anybody. I was… um… you know, giving her directions.”

  “Giving her direction? Is that the story you’re sticking with?”

  “For now.”

  Kile laughed. “Look, Danny. It’s okay. You should find yourself someone and settle down. Get away from the Hunters and lead a normal life. I know if I had your talent, that’s what I would do.”

  “It’s not like I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

  “Seriously? Anybody I know?”

  “Not that.” Daniel blushed. “I mean, I’ve been considering my time with the Hunters.”

  “Well, I’m not surprised. The Guild is falling apart around our ears. If you don’t pick a side, you’re likely to get run over.”

  “It’s just that I might have a job lined up.”

  Kile looked at him. “Really.” She smiled. “That’s great, Danny. At least someone is going to make something of themselves. Well, besides Alex. So, what is it? What will you be doing? Well, I mean, I know what you’ll be doing. It’s must be something in the medical field, right?”

  “Oh, yeah, yeah, it’s still in the medical area. I mean, you have to play to your strengths,” he said with a nervous laugh and added, “don’t you?”

  “So, what is it? Come on, out with it.”

  “I… I don’t want to say right now. You know. I don’t want to jinx it or anything.”

  “Since when have you been superstitious?”

  “I just… don’t want to take any chances, okay?”

  “Well, suit yourself, but I hope it still means I get free medical treatment.”

  “Of course. I think the only reason you have me around is to keep you in one piece.”

  ~~~***~~~

  It wasn’t long before they found the river Erin told them about, although it wasn’t hard to find. The road they were on crossed over it by way of an old stone bridge. It wasn’t terribly wide, nor was it deep, but it was a river. Leaving the road, they traveled along the bank until they reached the point where it was divided in two by a narrow strip of land.

  “This is where Erin told us to wait,” Kile said, trying to dismount. As soon as her feet hit the ground, her legs gave out from under her. She flopped down on her backside and heard Grim laughing.

  “You all right?” Daniel asked, jumping down from his horse.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. My legs are a little numb from riding that way. I’ll be okay in a minute as soon as I get some feeling back.”

  “Well, don’t do that again. You scared the life out of me.”

  “Why? Did you think I was having one of my episodes?” She laughed.

  “You never know.”

  “Please, Danny. I’ve been feral free since my stay at the Tower.”

  “Still, be careful.” He surveyed the clearing. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

  “This is where the river divides in two,” Kile said, carefully getting to her feet. Her right leg was doing fine. Her left leg, however, was still numb. She hopped over to where Grim was eating grass and leaned up against the mountain pony.

  “What’s the name of this river?” Daniel asked.

  Kile was stomping her foot, trying to get the circulation going.

  “How should I know?” she said. “Unlike on a map, rivers don’t have their names spelled out along one side.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said with that same nervous laughter. “That would be kinda weird, wouldn’t it?”

  “Anything wrong, Danny? You seem… uneasy.”

  “What? No, I’m fine.” He looked around the clearing again. “I… uh… I got to go find a tree.”

  -He’s acting a little squirrely, if you ask me,- Grim said as he watched Daniel disappear into the woods.

  “Yeah, I know. That’s what’s been bothering me.”

  -What, you think he’s up to something?-

  “I don’t know. He’s not acting like himself.”

  -Maybe he feels bad about leaving you on the island.-

  “Yeah, I guess, except he’s been acting that way since we met up outside the Tower.”

  Kile hobbled over to a large rock that jutted out into the river. Sitting down, she stuck her feet into the cold water and lay back on the warm stone. Staring up at the sky, she watched a flock of birds fly overhead. There was a time when she would have yearned to fly with them. Now, not so much. Although she still wanted to fly, she needed more practice. Closing her eyes and falling into her Edge, she let her consciousness stretch out over the valley.

  The warm summer days were upon them, and the natural world was
alive. The smell of fresh grass and wet earth was carried on a warm southern breeze. There was a hint of moisture in the air, which made it all the more bearable, but she wasn’t the only one who was enjoying the evening. She could sense a herd of deer drinking from the river farther upstream and a couple of foxes hunting in the tall grass on the far bank. A groundhog feasted on some thistle plants not far from where she lay, and a couple of chipmunks eavesdropped on someone’s conversation. Kile tried to hone in on the chipmunks. The only vir she could sense in the general vicinity was Daniel, but who would he be talking to? She didn’t make the connection in time and he was already on his way back to the clearing.

  When he stepped out of the woods, Kile thought he looked a little guilty. The only question was, what was he guilty of?

  “Everything all right?” she asked.

  “What? Oh, yeah, no problem.”

  “So, you found your tree.”

  “Yeah, yeah, there’s… a lot of them to choose from.”

  “I guess that’s why they call it a forest.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Sitting up, Kile turned to look at him. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I don’t know. You seem a little out of sorts.”

  “Well, it’s not every day I have Hunters hunting me.”

  “Yeah, I suppose not,” Kile said, lying back down on the stone. “I guess I got used to it.”

  Daniel paced. She tried to ignore him, but it wasn’t easy.

  “So, how long do we have to wait here?” he suddenly asked.

  “Oh, not too much longer, I shouldn’t think. If I’m not mistaken, that’s Erin now.”

  “Where? I don’t see anyone.”

  He stood in the clearing reacting to anything that moved or made a sound. Even the chipmunk, which ran across a fallen branch and ducked into a hole, startled him. Was he really that on edge about being hunted? It was possible, she thought. Although he graduated from the Academy, he was never cut out for the wild. Working in the Hospital made him too soft.