aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (28 page)

“That
is why they need Hunters.” Ardal put his hands around his coffee mug. “We can
fill the void for the people who are being wronged.”

Catal
pulled out a chair beside Ardal. “Explain.”

“Last
night we took care of such a problem.” Ardal glanced over at Fiona. “The law
protected a man who deserved to die.”

Niail
nodded. “So we do what others on this planet won’t.”

“Yes.”

Silence
filled the room. Ardal knew that he was right, but his men needed to believe it
also. He could have blindly demanded they obey, but he wanted them to be part
of the decision. This was the one truth that he had learned last night. It was
wrong for others to dictate and control your life. If he were to continue to
command his men, they must agree to it.

The
Kaladin had used Hunters for their own purposes. They altered them, trained
them, and demanded they do their killing. This was who he was and he would not
deny his breed. What he found hard to forgive was that the Kaladin had denied
them the simple gift of a mate.

They
had done this out of fear and power.

No
more. Ardal had broken with the past the moment he disobeyed the execution
order. This was a new world with new rules. He would continue as he had begun.

“So
we fight for those who cannot defend themselves.” Firbin’s voice held interest.
“Do we charge for this service?”

“We
must.” Lorcan spoke now. “There is no other way to survive on this planet.”

“You
can charge those who can afford it.” Fiona moved to Ardal’s side. “You can
trade services or favors with those who have no money.”

He
reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. She put her arm around his neck.
He was complete. Fiona had given him that, not the Kaladin. He almost reeled
under the surge of fierce protectiveness for Fiona.

Ardal
looked at Lorcan. “How do we do this?”

“We
advertise.” Lorcan crossed his arms over his chest.

“What
do we call ourselves?” Catal leaned forward on the table. “We need a new name
if our mission is to change.”

“Suggestions?”
Ardal looked back at his men.

“We
are Hunters, so people must understand that is what they are hiring.” Niail
glanced down at his coffee.

“You
need something simple.” Fiona leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Hunters
for Hire.”
Catal grinned. “That’s something you’d
see in the want ads.”

“Funny.”
Lorcan shook his head. “I hope you don’t think that we’ll advertise in the
newspapers.”

“The
Internet is the best place.” Catal tapped his finger on the table. “It will
give us the anonymity that we need and the ability to access it from anywhere
in the world. If we do it right, no one will find us.”

“We
will be safe?” Ardal was not going to risk anymore of his men’s lives.

“Completely.”
Catal nodded. “Now we need a name for the website.”

“aHunter4Hire.com.”
Fiona’s voice rose in excitement. “Use the number 4 instead of the word for.”

“That
would work.” Lorcan rubbed his chin. “You’d have to be careful that people
won’t misuse us, though.”

Ardal
frowned.
“In what way?”

“Have
us kill someone who wasn’t guilty of any wrongs.” Lorcan’s voice was full of
disdain. “Humans will often lie to get what they want.”

“Then
we will kill them.” Niail spoke with quiet certainty.

Ardal
locked eyes with Niail. He understood. There would be no room for mercy if a
Hunter’s honor was tarnished. The only recourse would be death. The code was
very clear on this.

“Agreed.”
His decision was final. “We are Hunters. We will maintain our honor at all
costs.”

“That
needs to be made clear on the website.” Fiona’s voice wavered. “You don’t want
any mistakes.”

“The
contract will be very precise and we will do surveillance before accepting a
mission.” Ardal looked at each of the Hunters around the table. “If we do this
we must all agree.”

Everyone
gave their nod.

“I
will contact the others and let them know the plan.” Ardal pushed back his
chair. “Now we need to find safety. Gur and Turlo will go west with Niail. The
rest stay with me. We will set up the site and find a place to operate from.”

Niail
stood. “We leave in five minutes.”

Everyone
started to rise, but Lorcan’s voice stopped them. “What about her?”

“Fiona
stays with me.” Ardal fought the urge to hit the man. “She is my mate. No
Hunter can break that bond.”

“Is
that in the code that you’re constantly quoting?” Lorcan’s voice held
suspicion.

“No.”
Ardal held Lorcan’s gaze. “It will be though. We are no longer on Cygnus and
neither the Holman nor the Kaladin control us. We are free men without
implants. I may be the first to find my pair bond and mate, but I will not be
the last.”

“We’ve
been on this planet longer than you and we’ve never found a mate.”

“We
didn’t think that it was possible.” Catal cleared his throat. “If we’d found
our pair bond, would we have believed it?”

Lorcan
looked at him for a few seconds before shaking his head. “No.”

“This
is a new world and a new beginning for us.” Ardal let his words be understood
before continuing. “We are no longer just Hunters. We are able to be men.”

“You
think this is possible for all of us?” Firbin’s voice sounded hopeful.

“I
know that it is.” Ardal clenched his hand on the table. “The Kaladin denied us
much when they took away our ability to find mates. I understand how important
this gift is. I will not risk any of my brothers’ chances of losing their pair
bond.”

“So
a Hunter’s mate must be protected?” Lorcan’s voice held doubt.

“It
is fitting.” Niail spoke with quiet authority. “It is the honorable thing to
do.”

“Then
it is so.” Ardal pushed back his chair and stood with his arm around Fiona. “We
begin a new life here. We will use our skills and talents to better our
brotherhood. By Cygnus and Warrior we will thrive on this planet.”

“Hunters
true and right,” Niail said before leaving the house. Turlo and Gur followed
him.

The
others began to gather equipment. They would take what was necessary for their
new life. New identities and a new safe house were needed.

“Your
life as the mate of a Hunter will not be easy.” Ardal gathered her close.

Fiona
leaned up and kissed his chin. “I enjoy adventure and new places.”

“I
promise that it will not always be so.” Ardal brushed a strand of her hair from
her face. “One day it will be safe for us to settle, but not now.”

“I’ve
been on the run for over a year. I know the score.”

“I
would wish a different life for you.”

“I’ll
be happy so long as you’re by my side.” Fiona’s eye sparkled with mischief.
“Besides, who’s going to protect you in this strange new land?”

Ardal
squeezed her close and then set her free. “We need to leave.”

“I’m
ready.” Fiona twirled in a circle. “I travel light. The clothes that I came in
are all I have. You’re the one with the heavy equipment.”

Ardal
grinned. He could never have predicted where his decision to disobey the
execution order would lead him. Putting honor and duty to his men first, had
led him to his mate. The path ahead was unsure and he would have to make
choices, but there was doubt and question in all decisions.

From
the Sacred Code he knew that great risks could bring much honor and reward.

Fiona
was his reward. She gave him joy, purpose, and honor.

In
November 1953, an American F-89 was scrambled from Kinross Airbase, north of
Sault Ste. Marie, MI. to intercept an intruder that had shown up on radar. The
fighter flew over Lake Superior for about thirty minutes before it was seen on
radar to merge with the unknown aircraft, over Canadian airspace. After that,
the F-89 signal was lost, but the intruder continued on its course for a while
until its signal was also lost.

Algoma
Central Railroad crews 100 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, heard a
crash on the same night that the F-89 disappeared. There was also a report of a
low flying aircraft before the crash.

In
October of 1968 wreckage from an aircraft was found by two prospectors about 70
miles north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. At the time this wreckage was thought
to belong to the missing F-89, but the United States Airforce denied it.

In
the 1950’s, Wawa was an isolated area. The Algoma Central Railway was the only
means of getting in and out of the community. Highway 17, also known as the
Trans-Canada Highway, had not yet been completed. The search for the missing
fighter was done from the air, but no wreckage was ever found.

There
are many unanswered questions about this incident, beginning with why the
fighter was scrambled in the first place?

The
intruder was intercepted in Canadian airspace, so the concern over the
unidentified aircraft had to be serious to take this action.

The
official story was that the intruder was a C-47 aircraft that was flying 30
miles below its flight plan. The pilot of this aircraft denies that he was off
course and his instruments were in good working order. Furthermore, he was
contacted that night to see if he saw anything in the sky and reported that
there was nothing within his sight. This means that the airbase in Kinross knew
of his location and that he was flying in the area. He would not have been the
unidentified intruder.

This
raises numerous questions:

Where
is the wreckage of the F-89?

What
happened to the intruder?

What
crashed in the Limer area that night?

Were
there any survivors?

Do
Hunters walk among us?

For further information
about this particular incident there is a more detailed account at:

http://www.ufobc.ca/kinross/index.htm

Cynthia Clement began
writing stories in her teens, but it wasn’t until her forties that she became
serious about writing. She lives in Canada with her husband of thirty years,
her teenaged son, and two dachshunds. She has an eclectic range of interests
including paranormal phenomena, ghost hunting, quilting, reading, gardening,
and great conversation.

Her first book, The
Seduction of Sarah, was a finalist in the HOLT Medallion Best First Book
Category. Her novels, whether historical, paranormal, or science fiction, all
focus on love, honor, and intrigue. To find out more information about her
writing and books please visit her website
www.cynthiaclement.com

Look
for more aHunter4Hire books.

Coming
Soon

aHunter4Saken