Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (18 page)

“Well… supposedly you set fire to the house right after you killed him. There wasn’t much left in the debris but his body and the Lann, and several witnesses saw a young redheaded girl leaving the vicinity”

“Great… where is his house then.”

“It’s over on Quinton Street, on the north side of town, but you’re not going to find anything there. Hunter’s have searched the area but came up empty.”

“It’s either that, or the mystic tower, and I’m not looking forward to going there.”

“What’s at the mystic tower?”

“Hopefully Emara.”

“Emara Lon… nobody’s heard from her since the abduction.”

“Which they think I did.”

“Well, they did find that golden pin, you know, the one shaped like a tree that you wear. It was at the site where she was last seen.”

“Are you kidding me? So what you’re saying is that I left a pin at the site I abducted Emara, a sword near the house that I burned down, and my long knife in the back of some man out in the woods, and I’m not even sure what I’m suppose to have done to this Linny guy. I would have to be the worse assassin to leave bits and pieces of myself at the site of every murder.”

“Or you’re being framed.”

“You thought of that all by yourself.”

“Sorry, but when you put it that way, it does sound a little fishy.”

“Look, my only hope at this point is to find out what these men had in common and try to find out who killed them.”

“There are Hunter’s already investigating this, leave it to them.” Daniel said as he looked over her shoulder. There was a slight change of expression on his face, one that she didn’t miss, and then she caught the somewhat familiar scent. She had smelled that vir before.

“The Hunter’s that are investigating this
already think that I did it. They are looking for me, not the real assassin.” She tried to explain, but Daniel wasn’t really paying attention as he was watching the entrance.

He entered the recovery room from the opposite door, his heavy steel toed boots striking the marble floor. He had the stench of tobacco mixed with the
strong smell of ginger that only grew stronger as he got closer.

“Daniel. Working late again I see.”
The man said in a deep strong voice.

“Hunter Gray, I didn’t realize you
were back.” Daniel replied. “Is there a problem that I can help you with? Have you been injured?”

“No, but I think I can help you.”
Grey said as he suddenly grabbed the robes on the chair, pulling them aside, only to find the chair empty. “Where is she?”

“Where is who?” Daniel asked. He seemed as equally surprised to see the chair vacant as the Hunter did.

“The fugitive Kile Veller. That was who you were talking to?”

“Kile Veller? I haven’t seen her since my days at the Academy
. I’ve already told you that.”

Kile watched from her hiding place on top the cabinet, concealed in the shadows. As long as the Hunter didn’t look up, he wasn’t likely to see her. He was a big man, with short cropped black hair that was starting to turn
gray. He had a face that was more weathered and rugged then the padded leather armor that he wore. This was a true level one Hunter and probably had been for quite some time, not like that Hunter back in Coopervill.

“Where is she Daniel?” Grey asked in that low calm voice “This will go easier on you if you just tell me where she went.”

“She hasn’t been here.”

Daniel may be lying for her now, but he didn’t try to warn her or help her when Grey entered the room. Was he planning on letting Grey catch her? If Grey had managed to take them by surprised, Daniel could claim ignorance. She wouldn’t have blamed him for her arrested that was if she hadn’t smelled Grey first. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn’t trust her old friend.

She crawled her way down the row of cabinets and through a narrow breeze window, dropping into the next room, from there she made her way back out into the hall. Without her white robes to conceal her she was a bit obvious, but the robed staff members didn’t take much interest in her. They must not read the bounty boards either. She exited through the side door, crossed the street and ducked into one of the darker alleys. Waiting in the shadows she saw Grey leave the hospital alone.

He stood in the center of the street, closed his eyes and waited. Kile could smell the energy of his edge pouring off of him. She wasn’t sure what he was capable of doing, but she knew she shouldn’t be anywhere near him. She moved deeper into the shadows, jumping the wall between alleys and ran up the parallel street. If
Grey had noticed her, or detected her, he wasn’t following her. She slowed down as she looked around at the buildings that now grew about her. All she had to do was find Quinton Street.

***~~~***

11

Unhindered by the need for secrecy, Erin Silva arrives in Littenbeck as the sun begins to set and twilight descends upon the city. It had only been six days since she had ridden into Littenbeck completely clueless about what was going on, now she was back and she still didn’t have the answers that she had hoped to find, but she did have more questions. At this point she was almost certain that Kile was innocent of the charges that the Council had laid upon her, but she still had to find the girl.

“It is getting late.” Folkstaff said as he stopped his horse outside the Guild Hall stables. “Do we
go to the mystic’s tower to see about this Emara Lon first, or should we leave it to the morning?”

“It’s not like mystics live in the same time zone we do.”
Erin replied.

“Perhaps  not, but we have been riding for nearly two days straight and I wouldn’t say no to a hot meal and a soft bed.”

“You? Aren’t you the hunter that spent most of his early career living in the wild? Now you want a hot meal and a soft bed?”

“I’m not as young as I use to be.”

“Oh, well that goes without saying.” Erin laughed as she dismounted. “Tell me, if you just got into a town that you’ve never been to before, what would be the first thing you’d do.”

“Get a hot meal and a soft bed.” Folkstaff replied.

“Yes, possibly, but how would you find them?”

“I’d ask.”

“Who would you ask?”

“I didn’t think this was going to be twenty questions.”

“No, think about it. You just arrived in a town that you’ve never been to before. You probably don’t have much money. You don’t want to be seen. Who would you ask for directions?”

“I don’t know.” Folkstaff replied as he
stroked his beard. “Obviously someone that I knew I could trust not to set me up. Someone like… an old friend.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Certified level five Hunter Daniel Leary was assigned to the
Guild Hospital.”

“Isn’t that a bit obvious. She would know that he was being watched.”

“Maybe it was worth the risk.” Erin replied.

“So much for
a hot meal and a soft bed.”

Erin
crossed the road to the Guild Hospital just as a tall dark haired man was leaving. He looked at her once, but said nothing as he moved into the center of the street, closing his eyes he stretched out his hands falling into a trance like state. Erin could tell that he was using his edge, but such a public display of one’s abilities was not a common sight. Most Hunters kept their edges to themselves, using them in public only when absolutely necessary. It was said that there were only two people that knew a hunter’s edge, the hunter and the mystic that taught them. She watched as the man went through the motions, although she was unable to ascertain what his edge was, she could tell that he didn’t have much success with it. He turned to her again with an accusing look, as if she was somehow responsible for his failure, and then stormed off.

“Who was that?” She asked.

“That, my dear, was the Hunter Samuel Gray.” Folkstaff answered as he came up behind her. “He is said to be one of the more… tenacious Hunters.”

“I’ve heard of him. He’s Andrew Drain’s man.”
She replied.

If Drain’s man was here, then Kile must have been here too.

She pushed open the door to the Hospital. It didn’t take her long to find Daniel as they almost collided in the doorway. He hadn’t seen her, but he did see Folkstaff as the big man blocked his exit.

“What’s the rush son?” Folkstaff asked.

“Rush? No rush.” Daniel replied as he tried to look over the Hunter’s shoulder. He may be tall, but he wasn't that tall.

“If you
're wondering, he didn’t get her.” Erin commented.

Daniel turned around seeing
Erin for the first time. “Ma’am… I’m not sure I know what you mean.” He stammered.

“Sure you don’t.” Folkstaff replied. “Is it possible that you’ve been visited earlier today by an old friend?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Grey attempted to use his edge, some form of location art I would
imagine, probably connected to the earth sphere.” Erin added. “He didn’t find who he was looking for. Why? I don’t know, but I don’t think it was because she wasn’t around. Now, why don’t you do her a favor and tell us what it was that she came here for.”

“On one condition.” Daniel replied. “That you take me with you. Let me help you find her.”

“Why would we do that?” Folkstaff asked.

“Because I know where she’s going, and if you don’t I’ll just look for her myself. She is an open bounty after all.”

“She has been labeled a Class A open bounty, level fives do not bring in class A open bounties.”

“Why not, she did.”

“If you’re refereeing to the apprehension of the Minotaur of Calder Falls, there is still some debate over the validity of that situation.”

“You can come.”
Erin finally said, although she had a feeling she may regret it.

Folkstaff raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. “Are you sure
Erin?”

“He’s known her for four years.
Maybe it’s enough, maybe not, but help is help.”

“Thank you.” Daniel replied. “I didn’t really do right by her when she needed me the most
. I have to make it up to her. She came asking about Brian Tally.”

***

Brian Tally’s house wasn’t exactly where Daniel said it would be, but then he wasn’t very specific about his directions. The north end of Littenbeck is just as large as the every other end of Littenbeck and Quinton Street runs right the way through it. Kile felt she walked the entire length, which was not an easy task. The north end of Littenbeck was not exactly the happiest place to be. It’s run down buildings and litter filled streets marked it as the seedier section of town. She felt eyes on her, from every shadowy corner of every darkened window. Most of it had to be her imagination, although how could she be that sure. The only fortunate part, if there truly was a fortunate part, was that once she saw the house, she knew it was Tally’s. It was the only one that had been burned down, or at least the only one that had been burned down in say the last few weeks. She only knew that by the scent that lingered on the charred wood.

Remarkably the outer shell of the house remained intact, only the black soot from the burnt out windows showed any real sign of a fire, that and the fact that there was no roof, only a few brunt out rafters protruding up from the ashes.

“Somehow I don’t think we have to knock.” She told Vesper as she pushed open the door.

There was a strong odor, one that she had expected, but it still overpowered her. She coughed as she waved away the stench, not that it really helped
, there was also the lingering sweetness of jasmine which seemed out of place in the middle of the city.

-Bad place.-

Vesper commented from the safety of the pouch.

“Yeah, but hopefully we can find something of value here.”

The fire had done its work, better than she could have imagined. The floors and walls were black, little charred lumps of what were once furniture were strewed across the floor, and the upstairs was now part of the downstairs as a bed laid across the remains of the dinning room table. How much of the damage was done by the fire and how much was done by the investigators was difficult to tell.

Carefully she made her way across the floor to
what she believed had once been a desk. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, she just hoped she knew what it was when she found it. She pulled open one of the drawers, the handle came off in her hand, the leg of the desk crumbled beneath its weight, collapsing to the ground, spilling the contents on the floor.

“There’s nothing left here.” She said as she dropped the handle on the desk. “It was foolish to even come here. Anything that can help me is long gone, if there was anything here.”

-Ask the mice-