“What’s her name?” the Hunter asked as he stood in the doorway, his back still to the lawman.
Knitting his brow a bit, the sheriff shortly replied, “I’m pretty sure it was Iriya. Say, are you a ventriloquist or something?”
Giving no reply, the Hunter stepped outside, where the hoarse voice from the vicinity of his left hip said, “Strange connection we’ve got here. Imagine meeting her here, of all places.”
“Does that interest you?” D asked in his own voice.
The hoarse voice cleared its throat, replying in a not-on-your-life tone, “Well, putting that aside for the time being, the sheriff did say something about a hot spring, didn’t he? Seems the waters have all kinds of stuff that does a body good. So long as it’s not running water, you should probably suck it up and give it a try. What do you say we go for a dip?”
D’s cyborg horse was tethered to a fence on the opposite side of the street. As he was crossing it, a trio of men coming from his left brushed past him.
“Hey!” the leftmost man shouted menacingly. “The corner of your coat hit me! Ain’t you got nothing to say about that?”
“Sorry, pal,” said a hoarse voice that didn’t sound like it belonged to the Hunter at all, but there was no mistaking the utter contempt in its tone.
“Are you screwing with us, you bastard?” the same man shouted, and all three of them surrounded D.
“Hey, mister—you don’t mind this, do you?” another said as he reached for D’s chest.
A heartbeat later the man’s wrist broke noisily, and as he was flipped over, his elbow shattered. Since he hit the ground headfirst, he suffered a horrendous concussion as well as having a cervical vertebra dislocated.
The expressions of the other two changed, and as they shouted curses and reached for the swords on their hips, the hoarse voice said simply, “You’re gonna die,” and froze them on the spot.
The hot spring in question, which lay on the east end of town, was shrouded in steam. Thanks to the patrons of the hot springs who came from other regions on hearing its praises, as well as to the money those people spent there, Silver Strings Town enjoyed a high standard of living that was rare in the Frontier sectors. Many paid for admission to the baths with goods such as colossal vegetables or synthesized beef, to the point where those running the establishments had to hire wagons six times a year to haul the bounty off to the food distribution center.
The springs were divided into a total of thirty-six different therapeutic baths, large and small: the public baths, the more curative medicinal baths, and the healing baths, where you could see the effects firsthand. The medicinal baths were three times as expensive as the public ones, while the healing baths cost ten times as much.
Some establishments had a common entrance for all three kinds of bath, while others kept separate entrances, and in early afternoon, while the sun was still high, the girl rode her cyborg horse to the healing baths. The carriages, cars, and wheelchairs of the seriously injured or the infirm usually were lined up at the exclusive entrance regardless of the cost, but today carriages were few and far between, so the girl didn’t have to wait before paying twice the healing baths’ normal fee to the staff who eyed her crimson garb with wonder, and then requesting a private bathing area.
The path of stones and concrete was covered with droplets of condensation. Light spilling in through windows nearly thirty feet up cast dappled patterns on the floor. The girl’s feet marched right through them.
Iron doors came into view, set into the wall to either side of her. Occurring at intervals of about thirty feet, they stretched on seemingly forever. The receptionist had given the girl number 49.
It took her seven minutes to reach the door with that number plate. Turning a brass knob, she heard the sound of the lock disengaging. A changing room that looked to be ten paces square appeared before her. The private hot spring the girl had requested was actually one intended for multiple occupants. She probably wanted ample space to relax alone.
Placing the last of her clothes into a cubbyhole in the wall, the girl slid open a glass door and entered the bathing area.
The vast bathing area was easily twice as large as the changing room, a rustic-looking place where natural black stone had been dissolved and mixed with concrete before being sprayed on the walls and floors, while steam and pools of milky-white therapeutic waters filled the room.
The girl was stark naked, carrying not so much as a hand towel. Without even a dagger for defense, her unguarded and glorious nakedness made her look like an ordinary hot spring patron instead of suggesting any connection to her line of work.
The bath was divided into a number of pools, each with a sign posted on the wall:
Internal ailments: 3–5 dips of 5 minutes each. Drink no more than1 teaspoon.
External injuries and skin conditions: 5 minutes or less.
External injuries and muscular problems: 10 minutes or less.
External injuries and internal-organ problems: 5 minutes or less.
External injuries and skeletal problems: 2 minutes or less.
The girl selected “muscular problems” and immersed herself in the warm water. According to the sign’s brief description, the waters treated not only muscle aches, but also cuts and scrapes. The posted limit of ten minutes was how long it should take for a completerecovery, and at the same time the sign stated that it would be dangerous to stay in the bath beyond that point.
With her eyes closed, her face took on an expression just as peaceful as that of any other hot spring patron.
Before two minutes had passed, the glass door slid open and dark figures charged in, plowing through the white steam with an air of murderous intent. Four men gazed down at the pool.
The girl opened her eyes, took a look at their vicious scowls, and quickly closed them again. Her expression had become one ofterrible boredom.
“And what might I be able to do for you?”
Her greeting was so reasonable—and in this case, entirelyunexpected—that the men fell silent for a moment and exchanged glances before their lips twisted into grins.
A rough-looking giant of a man who had to be their leader said, “Sorry to barge in on you during your bath, though it’s doing wonders for our eyes!” Licking his lips, he continued, “And for our wallets, too. We’d love to drag you outta there and really stick it to you, but we were hired to take you down right where you are. You can soak there in your own blood!”
III
All of the men had weapons. When the leader tossed his chin, the man to his right tightened his grip on a short spear. The others remained empty handed, either out of complete confidence in the skill of the first man, or because their target—Iriya—looked like nothing more than an ordinary girl scared out of her wits.
In the bath, Iriya pushed off with her hands and feet, retreating to the far end of the little pool. Perhaps that only stoked his bullying nature, because the face of the man with the spear was warped by naked lust as he gripped the weapon as if it were a harpoon. He intended to throw it and finish her off.
But a stunned look spread across his face. Iriya’s head had unexpectedly arched back, and she’d submerged in the warm water. The milky-white bathwater didn’t allow the killers so much as a blurry glimpse of her form.
“Damn it!” the man groaned, and the spear left his hands. Although he’d made a diagonal thrust toward where he believed the girl’s chest to be, his spear had touched nothing.
“That bitch!”
Drawing the machete from his hip, the spearman leapt into the bath. The water was only thigh deep. As he kicked his way through the water willy-nilly, to his rear the leader called out to him, “Watch yourself!”
At that instant, the spear was thrust up from below the man, its head piercing him through the pit of his stomach and poking clear out through his back. His death rattle was like the cry of a wild animal.
Though staggering, the man didn’t fall, but rather grabbed hold of the sp
ear and pulled it free, throwing both it and the machete he held down at his compatriots’ feet before smiling broadly and collapsing through a mountain of steam. The bathwater that splashed up was stained red.
“She ain’t got a weapon!” the leader shouted. “But don’t go in there. We wait till she comes up. She’ll be outta breath soon enough. You—bow!”
The man he’d addressed already had his bowstring taut, and he let his arrow fly at the water’s surface. The other two had longswords drawn. They’d seen that what looked to be an ordinary girl was the exact opposite.
Five seconds . . . Ten . . . Twenty . . . The time that slipped past felt both long and short to those gambling their lives.
“Any second now,” the leader groaned, and at that moment two things happened simultaneously. There was the sound of the bathwater churning, which made the men stand ready, and the sound of the glass door sliding open.
“Go!” the leader bellowed, pushing the compatriots who flanked him toward the bath before he turned around.
The approaching figure in black was so gorgeous, the very steam that clung to him seemed to glow.
“You ain’t Nazlo—who are you?”
Both the voice that shouted those words and the sword the man held ready trembled at the unearthly air of the approaching figure. The leader didn’t seem to notice when terrific screams echoed from the direction of the bath.
“We want to hear about Viscount Kraken—so leave one alive.”
All the leader heard were those frank but disturbing words. No matter whom it was he now faced, the fact that this person knew the viscount’s name meant that he definitely needed to meet his end.
Bracing his broadsword by his hip, the leader shouted, “Kill ’im!” and charged toward the figure, wildly waving his steel all the while.
There were three of them, and they were certain their blades fell on the figure first, yet to their great frustration they slashed only empty space. A flash of light shot out between them—and two heads sailed through the air. The vivid vermilion stains didn’t spread through the steam and across the floor until after the pair of heads had sunk into the waters of a distant bath.
Still gripping his sword, the leader was rooted between the two corpses. While the sword tip in front of his chest had been thrust at him with ungodly speed, it was the beauty before him that robbed him of his soul—the beauty of a youthful face, with a traveler’s hat down low over the eyes.
“D!”
Though the young man heard that cry from the bath, he didn’t turn in its direction. Rather, it was the leader who reacted.
“D . . .” he muttered like a demented soul, sinking as his legs turned to jelly.
He knew the name D. The knowledge was gleaned from rumors ghastly enough to take the legs right out from under the man.
“You saved me,” the girl said. “But what are you doing here?”
“I just finished mopping up three hoods, and when they were begging for their lives, an interesting name came up,” the hoarse voice said from the vicinity of D’s left hip. “Anyway, the idle chitchat will keep till later. You sure are stacked, aren’t you?”
“What?” she cried, and there was the sound of something slapped over flesh and an intense feeling of misgivings.
“And here you thought I couldn’t see you through all this steam? In your dreams! But I don’t suppose you feel much like soaking in bloodied bathwater. Hurry up and get some clothes on. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my eyes shut, and this guy doesn’t have a shred of interest in naked ladies.”
“You sure you won’t look?”
“Of course. You have my word as a gentleman.”
Even when there was the sound of wet feet stepping out of the bath and pattering right past him, D made no attempt to turn.
“Where’s Viscount Kraken?” he inquired.
The tip of his sword was right under the nose of the slumped leader.
“I don’t know . . . Who are you talking about?”
“The Noble who ordered the lot of you to kill that girl just now.”
The Hunter’s voice had suddenly turned hoarse. The leader’s eyes bugged out.
“Did you leave three of your flunkies behind and collect some new help on account of you’d heard how tough she was? But when just a few of you went into the ladies’ bath for a peek, you were jumping the gun. What—did you think because she was a woman it’d be easy? No matter, when you’re out looking for help, you might want to choose people who watch what they say. Of course, they aren’t saying anything anymore.”
The leader’s face went white as a sheet. He realized what had happened to the three men he’d sent to town.
“See, just before their heads flew, they said you were the only one who knew where to find Viscount Kraken. Well, I suppose it was better than having an arm and a leg hacked off.”
“I don’t know . . . I don’t know nothing . . .” the leader said, shaking his head. It wobbled from side to side as if he were drunk. Perhaps the scent of death had left his spirit besotted.
There was no sound as the Hunter’s blade glinted. It only appeared to be a single flash of steel, yet both the leader’s ears went flying. Squealing, he pressed the palms of his hands to the sides of his head, and from beneath them thick redness spilled.
“I’ll lop off your left arm next.”
The hoarse voice’s dispassionate announcement turned the leader’s body to cold stone. Nevertheless, he continued to say he didn’t know anything.
“I guess it’s no use, then. He’d rather die than talk. Time to chalk up another pointless death and pull out of here?”
Once again, the hoarse voice turned the leader into a corpse.
“Please, wait!” a voice called from behind the Hunter. Now dressed, Iriya ran over to stand beside D. “It was me Viscount Kraken was gunning for, right?” she said. “Good—that means Chulos must be there after all!”
D’s eyes slowly bored into Iriya’s face.
“You said ‘there,’ didn’t you? You know where he is?”
“Kraken’s castle and grave both moved two thousand years ago. Now he has a wandering fortress that prowls the water’s edge out on the Frontier.”
The fact that both these voices apparently belonged to D left Iriya’s head spinning.
“I heard something in the town of Semdonen from a traveling merchant. He said that when he’d passed through Daskankirul Gorge, in an area that’d only been hydrogen sulfide swamps before, he’d seen a gigantic, towering structure that looked like some kind of Noble’s castle. He saw that six months ago, and I heard it from him a month back.”
“Sad to say, but if you’re talking about Daskankirul, I passed through there on the way here. There was nothing there,” the hoarse voice said with regret, and then it said to the leader, “Hey, are you gonna come clean with us or what?”
The leader turned away in a snit.
D’s eyes gleamed. In them, the leader’s body grew thin, as if he’d been wrung dry. That’s what happened to humans who felt the approach of death.
“Please, wait,” Iriya said to stop him.
“You feeling pity, missy?” the hoarse voice asked teasingly.
“No.”
Circling around behind the leader, Iriya grabbed both his shoulders. Planting her knee in the center of his back, she pushed with it at the same time she pulled against his shoulders. The leader let out a deep breath.
“Now you’ll be able to fight, okay?”
The leader’s expression instantly became one of relief—and of surprise. Looking back over his shoulder at Iriya, he said, “You’re strange for a Hunter, you know that? I don’t mean to talk out of turn, but you should get outta that line and do something upstanding. You’ll make someone a real good bride. And for the record, Kraken’s castle has moved to Wendover Gorge now.”
Iriya’s mouth dropped open. Putting her fist over it, she said, “Thank you.”
The leader stood up. He was no longer trembling. W
hen he raised his broadsword high and dashed straight for D, Iriya shut her eyes.
Hunter
chapter 2
I
Some bath that turned out to be!” the hoarse voice said as the Hunter’s steed started to trot away with the girl riding by his side. The voice seemed to issue from the vicinity of his left hand, which gripped the reins.
When D had mounted up to ride off, Iriya had chased after him. They were on a road less than a hundred yards from the hot spring baths. To inform the spa staff of the tragic turn of events that’d taken place there, Iriya gave them a note recounting the incident and a lock of her hair. DNA analysis of the latter would confirm her identity as a registered Hunter. At the next town she’d appear before the local sheriff, where she’d have to answer some questions, but if the identities of the characters she’d dispatched had been discovered, a little money under the table would see her acquitted of any charges.
“There’s no way around it. Work is work, after all.”
“So, you don’t intend to give up, then?” the hoarse voice asked.
“No.”
“You heard what this guy said. And I agree with him. I mean, like, a hundred percent.”
Iriya snorted. Apparently she’d realized the true nature of the hoarse voice. “Is that some sort of parasite?” she asked.
“I suppose it is,” D said in an uncharacteristic reply.
There weren’t all that many human beings around playing host to parasitic creatures. They sacrificed some of their blood, their energy, or in extremely rare cases their life itself, and in return they gained the abilities of the parasite. Through this hazardous form of give-and-take, a host could gain strength beyond that of normal men or take on special jobs, such as being a Hunter.
“Could I have a look at it?” Iriya asked, reaching for D’s left hand as she edged her cyborg horse closer.
Iriya the Berserker Page 2
