Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) (14 page)

When she was far enough east of Coopervill, and the mountains no longer provided security, she turned the herd south and made for the main road. There was only one road which ran through this part of the Denal province, and it linked up isolated towns. Coopervill sat north of this road, and there were two ways out of the mining town, west through the crags or east through the mountains. Kile was hoping the Uhyre chose the paths through the crags. They would eventually reach the road, but by the time they realized their mistake, the Squad should be half way to Moran. Even then, it won’t take the Uhyre long to catch up. She witnessed, first hand, the speed of the reptilian wolves. They could cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

Then, of course, there was a second scenario, one where the Uhyre split their forces and sent some by the mountain path. If this was the case, and she feared it might be, they could find themselves in a battle before they reached the outpost. With no weapons or supplies, the battle would be relatively short.

If she was alone, and riding Grim, she would have stayed in the wild, avoiding the road altogether. It would have taken her longer, but she would have reached the mountains and come at Moran from the north, but the deer were already showing signs of fatigue. They could not maintain this pace much longer. The road, although dangerous, was their own only hope. Even if they reached it, and found it clear, it was still a long way to Moran. She estimated they would reach the outpost by noon if they ran nonstop, but that didn’t look very promising.

“How are you holding up Fenola?” she asked.

-We are not used to running so far with such burdens.-

The doe replied. Kile could hear in the deer’s voice, she was reaching the end of her stamina.

They broke out of the forest as the dawn peeked over the mountains. The dew on the grass caught the first rays of the morning sun, and the field sparkled with diamonds. Kile slowed the herd down to a more leisurely pace when they finally reached the road.

“What do you think, Vesper?” she asked the yarrow who was perched on the head of Fenola.

-Don’t like, smell dog-

The yarrow replied.

Although Kile couldn’t smell them, she could feel them. Those reptilian wolves were still out there. How close they were, she couldn’t say.

“I’m a little nervous with the road ahead,” she told Fenola. “I don’t trust it. I don’t think we’ll be safe until we reach the outpost.”

-Then we must reach your outpost.-

Fenola replied.

“What’s the matter? Why have we slowed down?” Tullner asked, coming up alongside her.

Kile had to admit, the young soldier looked rather dashing upon his… deer.

“They’re getting tired,” she told him.

“I thought as much. I think we could all use a breather,” he replied.

Anurr was the next to ride up, forcing his mount forward.

“What is the hold up? Why are we slowing down?” he shouted.

“The deer need rest,” Tullner replied. “We should be safe, for now.”

“Rest?” the soldier shouted. “We’re almost at the outpost. We can be there in the couple of hours if we push these animals.”

“We will not push them,” Tullner said, turning on Anurr. “In case you have forgotten, they offered their help. We should be grateful to them, not treat them like beasts of burden.”

Kile was actually impressed with the Corporal. There was hope for this young man after all.

“You can’t be serious,” Anurr replied. “Look, I’m all for this, hug a tree love nature crap, but there is a time and a place for everything. These are just animals. They’re expendable, we are not.”

Kile glared at Anurr. Tullner saw something in the Hunter’s eyes, something which frightened him.

“Anurr, if I was you, I’d stop now and fall back into line,” he warned the soldier.

“Please,” Anurr replied dismissively. “Like I’m going to take orders from you, I’ll see you at the outpost, if you get there,” he said and spurred the deer forward.

“Stop,” Kile whispered.

All the deer, including the one Anurr was riding, came to a complete stop.

The young man looked around nervously, and tried to spur his mount forward, but it was no use, the deer was no longer listen to him.

“What is the meaning of this?” he shouted. “The valrik can’t be that far behind us, we have to keep moving.”

“Colista, you may unburden yourself of this vir, he means nothing to me,” Kile said in a casual tone.

Anurr’s mount began to buck, and it didn’t take long before he hit the ground hard with a string of curses.

“Kile, what are you doing?” Tullner asked.

She turned to look at him, and the Corporal flinched. He had seen those eyes before.

“You think yourself so superior to us,” she said calmly, a little too calmly. “If he feels we are expendable, then let him continue without us. We will see who reaches the outpost first.”

“Kile, you can’t just leave him behind,” Tullner replied.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because, he’ll never make it to Moran on foot. If the Uhyre catch him, they’ll kill him.”

“And do you not think, running us all the way to this outpost will not kill us. Why is his life more important than ours? Do we not deserve to live as well?”

“Well… it’s just that…”

“You don’t understand. For a moment I thought you did, but you’re no different than the rest of them,” she said.

“Kile… please,” he begged.

When she looked at him again, her eyes were normal, but just because her eye were, didn’t mean she was. There was still something there, something had changed, and Tullner was worried.

“Fine,” she said. “But, if he wishes to ride, it will be Colista’s decision

“But…”

“They are sacrificing their lives for you. I will not have them disrespected,” she told him.

By now the rest of the deer, along with their reluctant riders, circled Anurr and Colista.

Tullner looked at his men, and then at Kile. One word from this Hunter, and they could all find themselves walking.

“What does he have to do?” he asked.

“Apologize,” she replied, as if the answer was obvious.

“Private Anurr, you heard her, apologize,” he commanded the young soldier.

Anurr appeared very small and very frightened. Standing on the side of the road, he looked up at Kile.

“I’m… I’m sorry ma’am, I meant no disrespect,” he stammered.

“Not to me, you idiot,” she said, pointing to Colista “To her.”

Anurr looked at the deer, then at Tullner. The Corporal shrugged.

“I’m… sorry?” He said, addressing the deer.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Kile said, leaning down so Anurr could hear her. “Animals always know when you are being insincere.”

He looked at Tullner again, and then at the other soldier. Every moment they delayed gave the Uhyre time to catch up. The soldiers looked nervous. The deer looked agitated, only Kile remained calm. Wiping the sweat from his face, Anurr turned to Colista.

“I am truly sorry if I offended you… ma’am.”

Colista hesitated before approaching the young soldier.

“Do you still want to carry him all the way to the outpost?” Kile asked her

-I will bear him only as far as the outpost, and no farther.-

She replied.

Kile shrugged. “So be it,” she said, turning to Anurr “She has accepted your apology, as it was, but if I was you, I’d watch what I said from this point on.”

Kile and Fenola rode on ahead while the other soldiers waited until Anurr mounted.

-Kile all right?-

Vesper asked.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t really know anymore,” she replied.

They rode in silence, keeping a leisurely pace, Kile out in front and the soldiers a respectable distance behind. It appeared none of the men felt comfortable riding beside her, not even Tullner. The sun was rising higher, but the clouds were growing thicker. There was the smell of rain on the air. She could only hope they reached the outpost before it started.

Closing her eyes, she fell into her Edge. She was reluctant at first. After the incident back in the cave, she was afraid to reach out. Whatever happened, it left her frayed and vulnerable. It felt as if she was losing that balance between the mortal realm and the natural realm she maintained for so long. A little nudge and she felt she would fall into the shadows, and this time she may never find her way out.

Instead of looking for the reptilian wolves, she sought something safer. She called to the birds for help. It didn’t take long before they responded. It never took long before they responded. They always seemed eager to help, and they flocked to her, landing on any surface which would carry them. Most found places on Fenola’s back, a few were satisfied with Kile’s hat. They hopped around, and spoke to her in their high pitched melodic voices.

When she closed her eyes and opened herself to them, she was bombarded with images of the surrounding lands and for a brief moment she was flying again. She was able to leave the world behind, the problems, the responsibilities, even the war. There was nothing keeping her on the ground while she soared through the clouds. She looked far to the west, past Denal, over the wastelands and into the lush green horizon. Someday, she kept promising herself, but that day would have to wait, there were more urgent matters at hand. She looked east and could now see the outpost sitting silently upon the road, marking the border between Denal and Callor. It still flew the Callor colors, which meant, it had not yet fallen, so there was hope, but that hope was soon threatened. From the north, the reptilian wolves came, and they were closing in fast. She got careless again. She let her defenses down.

When she opened her eyes, she was back on Fenola, riding east. It took her a moment to regain her earth bound identity. How she wished she could fly without relying on just the birds’ visions, but that was an impossibility, and at the moment, not a major concern.

“Fenola, are you rested enough?”

-What is it?-

The deer asked.

“The Uhyre are coming in from the north, I think they’re going to try and cut us off from the outpost.”

-Then let us get there before them.-

Fenola replied.

“Come on, Vesper. You’ll be safer in your bag,” she told the yarrow, lifting him from the deer’s head and placed him in the courier bag.

“Move it,” she yelled, sending the message to the herd and filling it with the images of the Uhyre. They quickly picked up the pace, but she wasn’t sure if it would be enough. The deer were fast, but so were the reptilian wolves.

“Kile, what’s going on?” Tullner asked when the herd finally caught up to her.

“The Uhyre are coming in from the north. As it is, we may not reach the outpost before they reach us.”

“Can’t you… slow them down?” Tullner asked.

“You don’t want me to try that again,” she told him.

She thought about cutting through the fields to save time, the deer could move at great speed over the uneven land, but so could the reptilian wolves, and sticking to the road, meant there was less of a chance of getting separated, or even lost.

“From the south,” Nasom yelled from behind.

For one brief moment, Kile thought they were saved. The outpost, or even the King's army, was riding to reinforce them. But she was mistaken. She didn’t have to look. She could feel it on the very edges of her senses. It was what she feared. The wolves from the south would drive them into the wolves from the north. If they got caught between the two forces, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

She urged the herd on faster. They couldn’t be very far from the outpost now. If her letter reached Captain Jax, they may even be waiting for them.

The trees were now passing in a green blur and the deer were pushing themselves to the very limit of their endurance to win the outpost, but they weren’t fast enough.

“Rider down!”

The call carried up the line and it sent a chill down her spine.

“Keep going,” she commanded, stopping Fenola and turning her around. She started running against the herd, closing in on the fallen soldier and his mount.

She didn’t recognize the rider at first. He was on the ground trying to get to his feet, but she recognized the black hoofed deer who stood over him. It was Gadella, the youngest of the herd to volunteer. She was injured, but she was still able to keep the wolves at bay.

Drawing her blade, Kile fell into her Edge. She knew she couldn’t control the wolf, to try, would be disastrous, but she could distract it. It would be like poking a badger with a stick, a quick hit and run into the reptilian wolf’s psyche. She focused on one name, one vision, Risa Ta’re. She wasn’t sure why the long past Hunter suddenly came to her at that moment, she hadn’t thought of Ta’re for ages, but it must have worked. The wolf stumbled, but quickly recovered. It turned its attention from the young soldier to Kile. This was not one of her better ideas.

As Fenola closed the distance between them, she made a sharp turn and Kile lashed out with the blade just as the wolf lunged. She cut a line across the beast’s nose. The fallen soldier seized his opportunity to grab hold of Gadella and pull himself up.

“Get going,” she shouted when she saw him hesitate.

It was Private Danhild Tinny, a quiet young man who she didn’t get the chance to know, and probably never would, if he didn’t get moving.

Fenola made a sharp turn around the wolf again, and was catching up to Tinny when another emerged from the tall grass, moving fast. With two wolves now closing in on them, fighting was no longer an option. They had to rely on speed, but the rain, which was now starting to fall, wasn’t helping. Tinny was light, and Gadella was young. The two quickly pulled ahead. She could see the terror on Tinny’s face, when he looked back at her. He didn’t want to leave her behind, but he was no soldier, and he urged Gadella to move faster.

The rain was starting to come down harder now, and visibility was limited. She could hear the wolves closing in on her. She could almost feel their breath on the back of her neck, when she spotted two riders coming out of the rain toward her. One was Tullner, his blade already drawn, the other was Sandson.