Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (15 page)

“Quiet place.” He said as he watched the people go about their business.

The children on the bridge were really the only ones to acknowledge the Hunters passing as they stopped their games and watched the strangers on horseback, but even that was short lived as the floating leaves in the river’s water seemed to be more interesting.

Erin
dismounted outside the Guild House and grabbed the files from her saddlebag before heading up to the door.

The old Guild House looked just like the one she had been assigned to, back when she was first certified, right down to the Hunter’s symbol on the left hand side, and the obsolete chapter number over the entrance. She pushed open the door and stepped into the dark gloom of the House. There was a damp, musty smell to the place and it appeared to have been abandoned years ago. That is if it hadn’t been for the old man standing behind the reception window filling out forms. Folkstaff came in behind her and made his way to the bulletin board that had been papered with requests as
Erin approached the old man. She pulled open her file and briefly read the first few pages.

“You would be Samuel Kane?” She asked.

The old man looked up from his paperwork, pushed his glasses up his nose with on thin finger and looked her over.

“Yes.” He said and then went back to his paper work.

When the old man didn’t look as if he was going to add anything more to that, Erin glanced over at Folkstaff who could only shrug his shoulders.

“Is certified level five Hunter Kile Veller assigned to this Guild House?” She asked.

The old man looked up again and again adjusted his glasses.

“No.” He said
after a brief pause and then grabbed another form from the stack of papers beside him and started to fill it out.

Erin
looked over to Folkstaff again, this time the Hunter turned his attention back to the bulletin board. She could tell that her companion was enjoying this far too much. She took a deep breath then opened her files again, reading the report a little further.

“I don’t understand.
I have it written here that Kile Veller was assigned to this Guild House on the fourth day of the sixth month in the year twelve eighty two.”

“She was.” Kane replied this time he didn’t bother to look up.

“Then why did you just lie to me sir?”

“Lie to you? I did not lie to you. You asked if she was assigned to this Guild House, the answer is no. According to the last report I received from the Hunter’s Guild, Kile Veller’s status as a Hunter has been revoked
. Therefor she is no longer a Certified Hunter, therefor she is no longer assigned to this Guild House.”

“Then she has been in the past.”

“If you already know the answers, then why are you asking me the questions?” Kane replied as he picked up his papers and headed into the back room.

Erin
waited a few minutes before looking over to where Folkstaff was now viewing the open bounties board.

“I don’t think he’s coming back.”
He remarked with a grin.

“You’d have more luck getting straight answers from Farmer Witt’s pigs than you will from Old Kane.”

The Hunters turned to see a young dark haired man descend the stairs.

“And you would be?”

“Allow me to introduce myself. The name is
James Ril’em Steele.” Steele said as he extended his hand to Erin, who was reluctant to accept it. Instead she opened the files once again and flipped through a few of the pages before coming to the section that she needed.

“Steele. That would be Certified Level three Hunter Steele.”

“I see my reputation has exceeded me.” He grinned.

“Not quite. I am Certified Level one Hunter Erin Silvia and this is Certified Level one Hunter Robert Folkstaff. We are currently searching for the fugitive known as Kile Veller.”

“I should have figured.” Steele replied dropping his hand to his side as the smile faded from his face. “Sorry, can’t help you there.” He added and turned for the door.

“Can’t… or won’t?” Folkstaff asked
him.

“Does it make a difference?”

“It makes a great deal of difference. One indicates that you are ignorant, the other, that you are foolish.”

“Or loyal.”

“Loyal to whom?”

“Has the council outlawed loyalty as well?”

“We’re not questioning your loyalties Steele.” Erin interrupted. “We just want to find Kile before anything happens to her.”

Steele held
Erin’s gaze for a while, and then slowly shook his head.

“She was here, but she left.”

“Left… When?”

“About two days ago, she headed south,
that's all I know.”

“I’m sure there’s more to it
than that. What can you tell us of the past couple of days?” Erin asked.

“Truth be told, not much.”
Steele replied. “I wasn’t here when she got her assignment, I only learned about it when I came back from an escort mission. The Apple Blossom Livery sent word to the Guild House that Kile’s Horse came back without her. I went to investigate, spoke with the owner of the livery, and then retraced her path to a Mr. David Draw. When I got there he was already dead. I searched the surrounding area but was unable to find any sign of her, so I came back to the Guild House to report what happen.”

“How long did that take you?” Folkstaff asked.

“There and back… about a day.”

He
tilted back his hat and looked over to Erin, then back to Steele. “It took us two days to get from Draw’s house to here.” He said.

“Let’s just say my edge is a little faster th
an yours, and leave it at that.” Steele replied.

“That doesn’t matter.”
Erin interrupted again. “What happened after you sent word to the Council.”

“We had a few Hunters up here asking questions and searching the area. One Hunter… a Kevin Crobb tried to harass the proprietor of the Apple Blossom, he felt that Kile was holding up
there. I didn’t think so myself but… the second time we went out there… there she was.”

“How did you find her?”

“Didn’t have to find her. She just walked out, as bold as brass. Then her horse goes crazy, takes out a barn door, incapacitates another Hunter, she disarms Kevin, mounts her horse and was out of there.”

“Did you try to apprehend her?” Folkstaff asked.

Steele just shrugged. “It happened so fast. I was protecting Alisa Reaba, the owner of the stables.”

Erin
scribbled down a few things on the back of one of the sheets of paper before continuing. “Where are these two other hunters now?” She asked Steele.

“Don’t know really. They spent a few days with the healer, and then they were off. I told them that she headed south but they took the eastern road out of town. That’s really all I can tell you. Now, if you don’t mind, I have my own assignment to handle.” Steele said as he waved his script in the air. “If you want any more information, you should really talk to Alisa at the Apple Blossom.”

“Where can we find this place?”

“You had to have passed it on the way in if you came
in by the main road. Just go back the way you came, you’ll find it on your right hand side, you really can’t miss it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Thank you, we won’t keep you any longer.”
Erin said as she guided Folkstaff to the door. She waited until they were outside before speaking to him.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s clear that they both believe she’s innocent and that she’s being used as some kind of scapegoat by the council but are reluctant to actually come out and say so without knowing whose side we’re on. Although Steele was rather forthcoming with the information, he did leave a few things out.”

“Such as?”

“If he didn’t help her escape, he surely didn’t try to stop her, and who was he trying to protect this Alisa Reaba from. It wasn’t Veller, otherwise why would she seek out this Alisa after arriving back into town, which means it would have been either the Hunter Kevin or just an excuse for letting Veller get away. I also don’t believe she was in town for very long, so where was she all this time?”

“And Samuel Kane, you
think he believes she’s innocent as well.”

“You saw the open bounty board; Kile’s picture wasn’t up there, which means he never posted it. That would be in direct violation
of the Council’s rules. Kane appears to be the type of man that does everything by the book.”

“So we should probably talk to this Alisa Reaba and find out what she knows.”

It didn’t’ take them long to reach the Apple Blossom Livery which was where Steele had told them it would be. A rather large, slightly balding man approached them wiping his hands on his pants as he took the reins of Erin’s horse.

“Stable your horse ma’am?” He asked.

“No, we won’t be here for long.” Erin replied as she dismounted. “We need to speak with an Alisa Reaba.”

“What would that be about ma’am?” The man asked with a note of suspicion in his voice. “Mistress Reaba is quite busy.”

Folkstaff stepped forward, pulling his riding gloves off slowly. “And your name would be?” He asked the balding man.

The man looked the larger hunter over before answering.

“Carl, sir.”

“Well Carl, tell your mistress that we have a business proposition for her.”

“Business? What type of businesses sir?”

“Does you mistress often discuss her business dealing with you?”

Carl hesitated, it was clear that he didn’t believe the larger hunter, nor did he wish to be proven wrong if in fact Folkstaff was telling the truth. He motioned for them to wait and headed toward the farmhouse.

“A business deal?”
Erin asked when Carl disappeared into the house.

“Call it a hunch.” Folkstaff replied as he crouched down and ran his hand over the ground. “I’m sure he would have tried to give us the runaround had we told him we were Hunters.”

He fell into his edge and listened to the ground, reading the signs that no other hunter could read. When the land told him all that it knew, he slowly got to his feet. Erin waited for him to put his gloves back on.

“So, out with it.”

“Well, from what I can tell, and what the sands tell me. It went down pretty much the way Steele said it did. She was over there when she disarmed the Hunter. It was rather quick, not much of a fight. He also wasn’t lying when he said that she headed south. She cut right across the orchard.”

“She didn’t want to risk going through town, not if she knew that she was wanted.”
Erin added.

“And see the stable doors.” Folkstaff said as she pointed to the old barn. “They’ve been repaired recently. But it doesn’t explain why her horse went crazy, or why it attacked the other hunter.”

“I think I know the answer to that mystery.” Erin said as she looked at the stables. “You do know she rides a Mountain Pony.”

“I had the chance of seeing one once back at the academy, when it chased Master Pick through the dinning hall and up a tree. Would that be the same Mountain Pony?”

“That’s the one.” Erin laughed.

“If she can tame a Mountain Pony, she’s a lot better th
an I thought she was.”

“I don’t think
it's so much as taming it, as teaming up with it.”

The front door of the farm housed opened and a young woman wearing a light green dress with an apron that was covered in flour came down the front steps. She didn’t look to be in the best of moods as she crossed the ground toward them.

“A business deal.” She said raising one eyebrow as she stood in front of the two hunters, her hand crossed over her chest. “Am I supposed to be gullible enough to believe that?”

“But it did bring you out to speak with us.” Folkstaff commented.

“I have nothing to hide. I can clearly see that you are Hunter’s from the Guild and that you are looking for Kile Veller, well, you’re too late. She left here two days ago heading south riding a Mountain Pony. I have no idea where she is going, nor do I know where she came from, all I know is that she is innocent of the charges that you have placed upon her, and if you don’t believe me, ask Emara Lon at the Mystic Tower. Now, if you have no more questions I have pies in the oven that need my attention more than you do.”

“Excuse me. What do you know about Emara Lon?”
Erin asked.

Alisa saw
Erin for the first time when the female Hunter stepped out from behind her horse. At first the young woman said nothing, she looked as if she was surprised, or confused and was trying to make up her mind about something. She stared at Erin for a while before turning to her stable hand.

“Carl, take the hoses into the stables, make sure they’re watered and fed.”

“But Miss Reaba…”

“Do as I say Carl. I’ll be alright.”

The stable hand was a little reluctant as he took the reins of the horses. He looked at Erin but his gaze fixed more steadily on Folkstaff. It would appear that he did not trust the man.