Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (39 page)

“So what’s going on Vesper, what’s happened?”

-Kile hurt healer help.-

The yarrow replied and through his words
she saw what Daniel had done as he worked his arts healing the wound on her side. It also didn’t go unnoticed that he was the one to secure her to the hospital bed. Had he done such a poor job deliberately she wondered? Was this a means of giving her a way to escape? She lay back down on the bed, closing her eyes. Did she even want to escape? And if she did, where would she go next? Maybe it was time for her to face the music. It wasn’t as if she had any more bright ideas. In some strange way it was surprisingly comforting not to be running anymore, not to be constantly looking over her shoulder.

-Gorum, Hunar help.-

The yarrow added and Kile could see the two Shinar Mastiffs as well as the other guard dogs sitting just outside the door, keeping everyone at bay. That did amuse her as she fell into her edge and reached out to Gorum. Within minutes the soft pads of his feet could be heard on the Hall’s floor.

-You live pup?-

Gorum asked as he came up to the side of her bed.

“I guess my cycle hasn’t quite come to an end yet.”
She replied.

-It would appear that way.-

“Thank you, for everything you and the others have done for me, but I think it’s over now.”

-Are you sure pup?-

“Not really, but I don’t want to see you guys get into anymore trouble because of me. Thank them for me, and ask them to stand down.”

-You already have.-

Sure enough, she could feel the dogs concern for her as they reluctantly left their posts around the healing halls.

“Kile… Kile are you alright.” Daniel cried as he came into the room. The sound of his voice, although welcoming, was rather annoying as her head throbbed. Gorum turned on Daniel, which silence the awkward boy.

“I’m fine Danny.” She said as she tried to pull herself up to a sitting position.

“It’s just… when I saw the dogs leaving… I thought.”

“What? That I died?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Don’t have much confidence in your work, do you.” She said pulling at the chains that bound her to the bed. “Your handy work as well I believe.”

“Sorry Kile, They didn’t give me much of a choice, it was the only way they would let me heal you.”

“I figured as much.” She said as she let the chain fall. “Is Erin still out there?”

“Yeah, she’s still here, not that the dogs have let her into the building
, or anyone for that matter, except for me.”

“Can you tell her I wish to see
her?”

He
looked at her for a moment before he gave a solemn nod and left.

“You should get going too.”
She told the Mastiff. “Oblum will be worried.”

-He knows where I am.-

“Yeah, but I don’t want you to get into any more trouble than you probably already are.”

-Let me worry about that pup.-

Gorum said, and turned as Erin entered the hall. She paused for a moment at the door, waiting to see what the Mastiff would do. Gorum moved around to the far side of the bed and sat, watching her.

Erin
took the vacant seat beside the bed. Kile couldn’t help but noticed that she looked older than she had before, even tired.

“Is… Master Boraro okay?”
She asked.

“He’ll live.”
Erin replied.

“I really didn’t mean to hurt him, I doubt if he would forgive something like that. Actually he might if it was anybody but me.”

“He didn’t leave you much of a choice.”

“That’s not entirely true. I had choices
. I guess I must have made the wrong ones. So, what now, you’re going to take me back to Littenbeck.”

“Those are my orders.”
Erin replied, and sounded as reluctant as the guard dogs felt.

“Don’t worry.”
She said waving her free hand. “I promise I won’t give you any trouble.”

“That’s it then, you’re giving up?”
Erin asked.

“Believe me, it’
s not my first choice, but I don’t know what else I can do to prove my innocence. I found the assassin and she’s gotten away from me, not once but twice, and there are no more names on the list. I suppose I could keep shadowing Master Boraro, but I can’t see that as being very productive.”

“Is that really it?”

She paused for a moment, and then shook her head.

“No, not really
… I’m afraid.”

“Afraid? Of what?”

“Of me, of what I’m becoming, of what I’ve done. I really need to speak to Morgan, but I don’t think the mystic’s have much use for me these days.”

“I’ll speak to Morgan for you, if you wish.”

“It doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?” She said as she laid back and closed her eyes. If the Hunter’s Guild has their way, she won’t be needing mystics or anyone’s help any longer.

***

They didn’t stay at the academy for very long, and in fact had set off the very next day. Their presence there was too much of a distraction as the cadets were eager to see the prisoner who had eluded the entire hunter’s guild for so long. They left early that day, making their way by the shortest route back to the city of Littenbeck and the Guild Halls. Kile rode upon a borrowed horse by the name of Tengara, or as the vir would have her believe, Cinnamon and was escorted by Erin, Folkstaff, Daniel and the every present Grey who couldn’t resist the not so subtle comments that he threw in her direction, that was until Folkstaff made it quite clear that Grey was to remain silent for the duration of the trip. They were also accompanied by several hunters that Kile had not seen before and guessed that they were members of the Azintar Chapter.

Grim had been left in the stables of the Vetta back in Azintar as no one was willing to even try to retrieve him. Vesper was
allowed to stay with her until they reached Littenbeck, where she handed him over to Daniel and begged him to be good. She was led through the rear entrance of the Guild hall, down a flight of stairs through a heavy, oak door and into small damp room where a man dressed in Hunter Green put her name down in a thick book and lead her through yet another door. Beyond this door was a hallway that seemed to lead deeper into the depth of the city, lined on both sides with small cells measuring no more than ten foot square. It was here that her journey, for the moment, had ended.

The room had a single cot that had been secured to the wall, as well as a small metal bucket that she could guess its use, as a pungent odor seemed to linger around it.
She sat down on the cot with her back to the wall and waited.

Whether there was a lot to be done before her supposed trial, or they just wanted to torment her by keeping her secluded in the darkened cell, she was unsure, but what she was sure about was that the walls of her cell seemed to close in around her and after the second day she was ready to confess to the crimes she had not committed if it meant she could once again see the sky. The only visitor, if she could call it a visitor was the guard that had been posted three cells down toward the end of the
hall. His presence had to be for her benefit, since as far as she could tell she was the only prisoner within this section of the prison. The rest of the cells were eerily vacant.

On the fourth day of her confinement she heard the
door at the end of the hall open. She knew it couldn’t be the changing of the guard since they entered through a separate doorway that, more than likely, lead to a guard room. She refrained from pressing her face between the bars of the cell door in an eager attempt to get a look at the visitor and instead sat up on her cot and waited.

There were two sets of
footsteps, the heavy steel toed boots of the guard and the lighter softer boots of a hunter, or she assumed it had to be a hunter since who else would be down here in the bowels of the Guild Hall.

“Hello Kile.” The man said as he reached the cell door.

She looked up at a solemn face she hadn’t seen since her days at the academy.

“Master Adams. What are you doing here?”

“I will be representing you at the council hearing.”

He looked very much like he had a year ago. The young well kept hunter with his stack of books under his arm. He adjusted his glasses and gave her a smile that was a little out of place. He
had no more faith in that smile than she did.

“Represent me?”

“Yes, you will be given a fair trial…”

“Before they find me guilty and execute me.”

He said nothing as he adjusted his glasses again, which meant that her little joke wasn’t that far from the truth.

“
I need to ask you a few questions.” He said, pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to her through the bars. She took it and slowly unrolled it. On the parchment was a list of names, most of them she was not familiar with and only one caught her attention.

“Who are they?” She asked a bit nervously.

“Do you recognize any of them?”

“Some of the names seem familiar but there is only one that I really know, Murphy Sans.”

“From the academy?”

“Yes, you remember, he was the fifth member of our group during the survival e
xercise. He helped you hand out the code books during my third year.”

“Do you remember where he was assigned?”

“What happened to him?”

“Do you remember where he was assigned?”

“We all opened our destination papers after the graduation ceremony together. It was someplace I hadn’t heard of. I think it was Roth or something like that.”

“Luth.” Master Adams corrected her.

“Yeah, that’s it, Luth. I never did get around to looking it up. He’s dead, isn’t he?” She said as she watched for his reaction.

“Yes, I’m afraid he is.”

“They all are, aren’t they? All the names on this list.”

She handed the parchment back.

“I’m afraid so.” Adams replied as he slipped the list of names back among his books.

“You wanted to see my reaction.”

He said nothing.

“How did he… what happen to him.”

“It happened on a routine deliver, that’s all I really know. The problem is, he doesn’t fit the pattern.”

“Pattern, what pattern?”

“The rest of the hunters on the list were level three or higher, he was the only probationary hunter.”

“And you think he was singled out.”

“It is a possibility.”

“And you think I was the one that singled him out.”

“I didn’t say that, but you did know him and your relationship at the academy was less than hospitable. If I remember, he did break your nose once during a combat lesson.”

“Then your information is wrong, Robert broke my nose, Murphy saved my life. If you’re looking for
someone with a grudge against Murphy, then it’s Eric you want.”

Had Eric actually gone out of his way to kill Murphy? They had grown up together, even though Eric was the son
of the Lord of Callor and Murphy the son of a tin knocker. They had once been friends, if she could call it a friendship. Had Eric actually crossed that line? She couldn’t see Ravenshadow having anything to do with a probationary level Hunter, but then she couldn’t really see Ravenshadow having much to do with any of the hunters on the list.

“I do not
believe you killed Murphy, or any of them for that matter.” Master Adams said, shaking her from her thoughts. “But it will be brought up during the trail and I have to know where I stand if I’m to defend you.”

“What’s the use? It’s not like I have much of a chance.”

“We shall see. As you know the Crown has waived its claims, and although that doesn’t exonerate you of the death of those men, it does go a long way in supporting your case, but I won’t lie to you, it’s not looking very good.”

“Then… what’s going to happen to me?”

“Execution may be off the table, but that leaves Blackmoore.”

“Blackmoore.”

She had only heard of Blackmoore prison once, and the way the King had described it, it was not a place she wanted to go. The idea of being confined to a cell for the rest of her life, never seeing the sun or the moon, never feeling the wind or the rain, she would go mad. There was no doubt about it, she would not survive Blackmoore, she was better off if they just killed her outright.

“Don’t worry hun
. I would never let you go to Blackmoore.”

Kile spun around to see the form of a red haired woman emerge from the solid wall of her cell.

“What's the meaning of this.” Master Adams exclaimed as he stepped back from the bars.

“It’s a prison break you dolt.” Scarlet replied and grabbed Kile
by the arm.

For one brief
moment Kile thought she was saved, but then she realized that this woman had tried to kill her the last two times they met and that it was not in her best interest to go peacefully, but before she could prevent her escape, she already had. Like water through sand she was pulled through the floor of her cell.