Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) (50 page)

-Please, Lore, do not leave me. You stood beside me these many days, you have kept me safe. Will you abandon me now?-

Nova pleaded.

-But I failed him.-

Lore replied.

Kile sat down beside him. “You did all that you could,” she told him. “Could your master ask anything more?”

-But I failed him. How can I go on without him?-

He asked.

“You didn’t fail him, you did everything you could. It was the darkness that took him. Those voices you hear in the shadows, those whisperings in the back of your mind, they are responsible for your master’s death, not you.”

The old dog hesitated for a moment, then slowly looked up at Kile. There was an edge to his words.

-Can these voices be silenced?-

“I don’t know, but I plan on trying.”

-Then I will join you on your quest to silence these voices, if you will have me.-

-If you will have us.-

Nova added, stepping forward.

Kile smiled. “It has been a while, since I was a pack member.”

-Then I will seek healing at the hands of your… friend.-

Lore agreed, and grudgingly approached Daniel.

Falling into his Edge, Daniel knelt down beside Lore and placed his hands upon the old dog. Kile watched as blue strands of magic slowly weave their way through the wound on his side. The smell of a sea breeze filled the small room. Within minutes, Lore’s side was completely healed and the smell was gone, replaced by the dampness of the old mill.

Lore moved around the room, as if testing his body.

“We should get these two something to eat,” Daniel suggested, getting to his feet.

“It will have to be quick,” Kile replied. “We can’t hang around here. It won’t be long before the Valgar return.”

“You think they’re coming back?” he asked.

“They’ll be back, because they know we’re here.”

Together they managed to lift Lore and Nova over the millstone. When they finally exited the building, they were greeted by an excited Alex.

“New recruits,” he shouted, running up to the dogs. He fell to his knees in front of them. “Hi, my name is Alex, what’s yours?” he asked.

Nova quickly approached him while Lore just gave Kile a confused look.

“He means well,” she told him.

-Vir.-

Was all Lore would say, he made no attempt to approach the lad. Nova, on the other hand, was all too happy to get her head scratched.

“Alex, this is Lore and Nova,” Kile said, introducing them.

The young bard jumped to his feet. “So, they are coming with us?” he asked

“Yes, they are coming with us,” she replied.

“Great,” he exclaimed and ran backwards with Nova chasing him.

-To be a pup again.-

Lore said wistfully.

Kile pulled herself up onto Grim’s back. “We should be getting back to the others,” she told them. “We should stock up on food and water, and anything else we can find, before heading into the wasteland.”

“Ki, what did you mean back there, about shadows and voices?” Daniel asked her.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I won’t, unless you tell me. Let me help you.”

She looked at her old friend for a moment, and then took a deep breath.

“I think, something is trying to invade the natural world,” she tried to explain. “It might even be a part of it, I don’t know. But I know it's some corruption, some poison which shouldn’t be there… and it’s alive.”

“What do you mean, alive?”

“It’s calling out, trying to get into our minds. It hasn’t reached your world yet, but it’s in mine, and I can hear it, just like Lore, Nova, Grim, even Vesper. We’ve all heard it.”

“What’s it saying?”

“I don’t know. I can’t understand it. But I know one thing-- it laughs a lot.”

When they returned to town, Perha Squad was already collecting supplies from the surrounding shops, and moving them into the street. Sandson, with the help of Larks, was inspecting the merchandise, while Marcus found his own supplies, and was deep in a mug of ale when he spotted them approaching.

“And our fearless leader returns… again,” he said, holding up the mug.

“I’m not the leader,” Kile replied, dismounting. “Technically, you are.”

“I’m the leader?” he said, pointing to himself in disbelief.

“Yes, now help Browne and Tullner search these buildings for food and anything else we might need.”

“For someone who’s not the leader, you give a lot of orders,” he grumbled.

“That’s only because you suck at being in command,” she told him.

“There’s some truth to that,” he replied, getting to his feet. He headed toward the tavern, when Kile stopped him.

“I think you found enough in there. Help Browne in the general store.

“You do know how to handle him,” Daniel laughed.

“Marcus is okay, if he wasn’t constantly thinking about himself,” she replied.

Kile crossed the clearing to where Sandson and Larks were cataloging supplies. There was a huge pile of stuff stacked off to one side which they meant to take with them. She couldn’t help but wonder how essential it actually was.

“New recruits,” Sandson remarked, looking at the two dogs.

“This is Lore and this Nova, they’ll be coming with us,” she told him.

“Whatever you say, Commander.”

“Don’t you start,” she said, picking through the essential supplies. “Do you really think we’re going to need all this?”

“It’s not like we’re going to find any place to stock up out there,” he told her.

“Still, I wasn’t planning to set up residency.”

“You might want to take a look through those things,” he added, pointing to another pile. “The quality is pretty good and you may find something useful.”

Kile turned to the discarded pile. Most of the objects looked as if they had come from either the blacksmith’s shop, or the tanner’s. It was an assortment of weapons and articles of leather. There were a variety of boots, jackets and belts, but it was a set of bracers which caught her eye. She fished them out and inspected them.

“Yeah, I saw those, they’re pretty decent, and they’ll come in handy.” Sandson told her.

Kile turned them over in her hand a few times, looking at the intricate patterns, before tossing them back onto the pile.

“What’s the matter?” Daniel asked, “a little too ornate?”

“What? No,” she said, shaking her head. “I was just remembering something. Back in Coopervill, after I got my first assignment, I went into the tanners to see about getting a jacket altered. There were a pair of bracers, just like those, on display. I told myself I’d buy them with my first pay, but I never did.”

“So, what’s the problem? Now you have them,” Sandson replied.

“That’s just it, I didn’t buy them.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Those aren’t mine. I didn’t pay for them so I have no right to take them.”

“But Ki, this place has been razed, it’s not like anyone is going to miss them,” Daniel added.

“You don’t know that, someone might come back for them. The food and water, they’re one thing, but these, I’d feel guilty every time I wore them.”

Sandson laughed. “You are definitely one of a kind,” he said, returning to his inventory.

Tullner approached them, carrying a large crate with even more, so called, essential items protruding from the top. “Well, that’s anything worth anything,” he said, handing the crate to Sandson. “I think with the extra canteens and the food, we should be good for at least a week; two if we ration ourselves.”

Sandson was already sorting through the new stuff. “Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long,” he replied.

“What difference does it make?” Anurr asked. “One week, two weeks. We don’t have much to come back to. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re AWOL.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Sandson said, looking up from the strange object he was examining. “I think it will depend on how we come back.”

“You mean dead or alive.” Anurr replied.

Sandson laughed. “Not quite,” he said. “But, if we come back with something of value, information maybe, or something better, I think Command will be reasonable.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Well, let’s just say, there have been more setbacks in this war than progresses recently,” he explained. “The loss of Denal, and Blackmoore, the rebellion in Callor, I mean, take a look at this place. We are losing ground all along the front line. If we come back with something, anything, I think Command may just look the other way.”

“That makes a strange sort of sense.” Tullner agreed.

Kile stared at him in disbelief. “How does that make sense?” she asked.

“I think what Sandson is saying is, if we succeed, it would look really bad for Command if they followed through with disciplinary actions. They don’t want to lose face,” Daniel explained.

“Yeah, if anything, Command will say they backed us all the way; that it was their idea from the start.” Tullner added.

“So, they’ll just take the credit for what we did, or are about to do.”

Sandson laughed. “Welcome to the military.”

“Well, they can have the credit, all I want is to find Carter,” she told them.

“And we will,” Tullner promised. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning. We should reach the destination by evening tomorrow.”

“Actually, I think we should leave tonight.”

“What’s the rush? If your information is correct, your friend won’t be at the rendezvoused point until late tomorrow night. That should give us more than enough time.”

“Yeah, we don’t exactly want to be sitting out on the wastelands twiddling our thumbs, waiting,” Anurr added.

“In case you’ve forgotten Moran, the Uhyre were communicating in ways we couldn’t understand. I now believe it was through the Valgar,” she told them.

“What Kile is trying to say is she thinks the Valgar may be linked somehow. What one knows, they all know,” Daniel explained.

“Danny, you ever thought about being an interpreter?” Sandson asked.

“No thank you,” he replied. “I am quite happy being a healer. I just want to go back to Littenbeck, and my hospital, where I know it’s safe.”

“So, you think the Uhyre know we’re here?” Tullner asked.

“I think I don’t want to take any chances,” she replied. “Let them think we’re here, as long as we’re not.”

Tullner nodded and turned to Sandson. “You heard the Commander, let’s get the supplies loaded up and get going in an hour. We eat on the way.”

“Oh, wonderful, hardtack and water again,” Lark moaned.

***~~~***

23

It took longer to get ready than they originally thought, so the one-hour deadline came and went. While the men packed the horses, Kile sat with Lore and Nova, who were now fed and well rested. Using her Edge, she kept a careful watch over the surrounding area, but there was no sign of the Valgar, or anything else, for that matter. If the enemy knew they were still in Treesand, they weren’t coming for them. They had either avoided detection, or the enemy thought they weren’t worth the effort.

Her new pack kept her grounded, even if it only consisted of the two dogs, a mountain pony, an old raven and a yarrow. It was the strong sense of belonging to something larger than she was that kept her focus. Going off on her own was no longer an option. If she wanted to stay sane, and in control, she needed the pack. Having them there, feeling the connection, was something she had been missing all her life. Family.

She opened her eyes when Tullner approached.

“Anything?” he asked.

“Nothing, at least as far as I can reach,” she told him. “How are we doing?”

“We’re ready when you are, Commander.”

“Then let’s get moving,” she said, getting to her feet. “We’re already loosing light.”

“You should eat first. Browne recovered some fruits and vegetable from the general store.”

“I can eat on the way,” she said, walking back with him to the center of town. The horses were loaded and the riders were ready. Even Grim was carrying some extra baggage. She still doubted whether most of it was needed, but it was too late to complain about it now.

“The information you have, is it accurate?” Tullner asked.

“Colonel Barshed gave it to me. I really don’t believe he’d try to mislead us.”

“Yeah, but where did he get the information?”

“Guild Master Latherby, more than likely. He would have been the one who set up the rendezvous points in the first place,” she explained.

Of course she left out the fact that Guild Master Latherby and Colonel Barshed were one and the same.

Mounting up, they headed west, following the road out of town. It didn’t actually go into the wastelands. Why would it? It rounded back and turned south, but they continued west, leaving the road behind and heading toward the setting sun.

There were no signs posted, marking the edge of Aru, warning travelers, they were entering the wastelands, there didn’t have to be. There was a visible edge. From the lush green fields to the cracked, dried soil, one could actually step back and forth between the two worlds.

“What could have caused this?” Larks asked, as he followed behind.

“You could say it was a curse, or just uncontrollable magic. Take your pick,” Alex replied. “It’s the reason the mystics don’t get involved in conflicts. They don’t want to repeat the mistakes which were made.”

“Who made the mistake?” Tullner asked.

“Well, that’s the big question,” Alex said. “Nobody really knows. All this land used to be lush and green, as far as the eye could see, from the mountains all the way down to the ocean. This was where the Alva lived long before the coming of the Aruvians, before even the great castle of Windfoil was constructed.”

All eyes were on Alex, listening as though he was telling one of his stories on stage.

“In the beginning, the Alva welcomed the Aruvians, and even helped them tame the lands which we now know as Aru, and the two races lived side by side. They even formed an alliance against the Uhyre, during the first mountain conflicts, but as time wore on, they became distrustful of one another. There were huge cultural differences between the two races. They could never see eye to eye on anything. Each side claimed the other was trying to drive them from their land, which, in a matter of speaking, was true. That’s when it happened.”