Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (7 page)

-I’m afraid this is all I can bring you today.-

He said as he climbed the wall with it in his mouth, walked along the thick chains, onto her arm and all the way up to her shoulder in order to get it near enough to her mouth so that she could take a bite. Raw potato would not have been her first choice of a meal, but it was better than nothing, and definitely better than the gray slop that was now congealing on the cell floor. It would be at least another six or seven hours before the guard came in to remove the bowl.

-It has been difficult to get into the kitchen with so many
vir.-

To
think that men were working alongside the uhyre. Of course she had no way of knowing if they were doing it voluntarily.

“They’re preparing for something.”
She replied a bit nervously. She was just hoping that whatever it was that they were preparing for didn’t include her.

-There is talk of a visitor coming today, someone important,
someone the black robed man wants to make comfortable. Someone he needs.-

“Needs? Needs for what?”

-His plan.-

“I don’t suppose you know what his plan is?”

-Don’t know. He never speaks of it, not even to the little cruel one.-

She
finished the last bit of her potato as the rat climbed back down to the cell floor.

-Try to find Kile better food tomorrow-

He said as he headed toward the corner of the room, to where a small hole in the stone wall was located.

“Thank you Reginald.”
She called after, but the rat was long gone.

From what she had learned from Reginald’s visits she now knew that the
keep or stronghold was populated by the uhyre, except for the kitchen staff which seemed to be made up of mostly vir. That wasn’t really surprising since there appeared to be at least two vir in charge, and she figured they wouldn’t want to eat the gray slop either.

One of the
vir the rats called the black robed man, for what she could only assume was because he wore a black robe and the other was referred to as the little cruel one. She had not seen either man since she had been imprisoned, but that was probably because they thought she had not regained consciousness. It was also clear that the black robed man was in charge, since according to Reginald, he had often bossed the little cruel one around.

The knowledge didn’t really help her situation, but then as Master Adams back at the Academy always said, information was power. It was the job of all good Hunters to gather as much information as they could, and that was all that
she could do at the moment, gather information, but if the situation didn’t improve, what good was the information.

She
closed her eyes and her mind and melted into the silence of the cell, it was only a matter of time before whatever was going to happen happened and she had to be ready for it. She must have dozed off since she was awakened by the sound of the dungeon doors opening again. Was it meal time already? It was difficult to tell time in the darkness of the cell, she had no way of telling night from day. Maybe they were just coming for the bowl, or maybe they were coming for her this time.

“Unhand me.” She heard a young woman scream. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

It was the first time she had heard real words spoken in the darkness, most of the time it was just the guttural speech of the uhyre. She risked looking up toward the small window of the door, but she couldn’t see anything from her place on the floor.

“Put her in with the hunter, they can keep each other company.”

The second voice was that of a man, who sounded strangely familiar, and the way he spit out the word Hunter showed a strong hatred towards the Guild.

“I will not be handled like this. Do you hear me? Do you know who I am?”

The door to the cell opened rather abruptly as it swung into the wall with a loud bang, probably because the valrik who was handling the young woman pushed her through it. She landed hard on the cold stone floor, knocking over the rest of the gray slop that Kile had come to call Shrool, even if it might not have been. Her hand and her feet had been bound, and she wiggled across the room toward the door that was closed and locked behind her.

“Don’t! Don’t lock me in here.” She cried out.

“You will stay in there until you are ready to cooperate.” The man said.

Kile knew she had heard that voice before, and she even dared to look up toward the small window of the door to catch a glimpse of her captor, but all she could see was the dark silhouette of
the man's head, blocking out the only light that she had. From the silhouette she couldn’t tell if it was the black robed man or the little cruel one. If she had to guess she would say it was the little cruel one, why have minions working for you if not to do all the dirty work.

“Wait… come back… please.” The young girl pleaded, but the man just made a dismissive sound and disappeared from the window.

Kile waited until she heard the dungeon doors close again, leaving her in the dark, but not alone this time.

“Are you alright?”
She asked the shadows.

“Stay away from me. Don’t come any closer.”
The young girl shouted as she started to wiggle her way across the room. She didn’t stop until she reached the corner and had nowhere else to go. “Just… Just stay away from me.”

“Well, I’m hardly in any position to get any closer.” Kile replied as she shook her arms the best she could in order to get the chains
rattling.

She couldn’t see the young girl on the other side of the room, not in the darkness of the cell. Where was that exceptional eye sight now that she needed
it, she wondered? That was the problem with certain aspects of her edge. They seem to come and go at the worst possible moment.

“You’re… you’re a prisoner here too?”

No Kile thought, I’m just here for the spa treatment. She was not the brightest person to be locked up in a cell with.

“It would appear that way. The name is Kile… Kile Veller. What’s yours?”

“Emara Lon.” The young girl replied.

She seemed a little calmer now, now that she knew that Kile wasn’t some creature locked in the small room with her. Emara? She had heard that name before but she wasn’t sure where.

“Why are you here Emara?”

“Because I was captured.”

“I mean, why were you captured?”

“Oh… I don’t
know… I mean I know… but… I don’t know.”

Yes,
definitely not one of the brightest people to be locked up with.

“What is it that you do?”

“Me? I… I’m just a student. I’m studying the Mystic Arts.”

“You’re a mystic?”

“Well… yeah, sort of. I’ve only been studying there for a couple of years. I’m not really a full mystic… not yet.”

“But you know the arts… don’t you?”

“I’m one of the few people who are influenced by all eight spheres, so they say.” She announced proudly.

Kile knew very little about the mystic arts, and trusted them even less. She only knew what her instructor back at the Academy had told her, and that wasn’t very informative.

“Can you manipulate metal?” She asked.

“Metal? I’m afraid I’m not all that good with metal. Funny… that’s what Ravenshadow asked me.”

“Ravenshadow?”

“Yeah, that old man in the long dark robes, he calls himself Ravenshadow. Said I was free to go if I did some metal manipulations for him. I told him to go jump in a lake and then they threw me in here. Not exactly the most hospitable person, but then anyone that hangs around with
valrik can’t be all that nice.”

“So you can’t manipulate metal.” Kile replied as her hopes started to die.

“Well… I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know how, or you don’t know if you can.”

“Well, my instructors say I can, but I haven’t had very much luck with it to tell you the truth.”

“Could you try on these shackles? Make them larger. If you can free my hands maybe we can try to get out of here.”

Kile had seen some wondrous things done through the mystic arts, she had seen her instructor create a figure of a rabbit out of a lump of stone, but even he couldn’t manipulate metal.

“I can’t.” Emara replied.

“But you could try.”

“No, I mean… I can’t, not with my hands tied. I haven’t learned how to work the arts without moving my hands.”

“How are your hands tied?” Kile asked, straining her eyes to see the young girl through the darkness, but all she could make out was a faint shape pressed up against the far wall.

“Together.” Emara replied.

“I meant, what are they tied with, is it just a rope?”

“Yeah, I think so… why?”

“I might be able to get your hands free.”

She
closed her eyes and reached out with her edge. It was a new trick she had been practicing since leaving the Academy. Not only could she detect the presence of the natural world, but she had learned how to call to it. She wasn’t really sure how it worked, it was kind of hit or miss and the range was limited, but she could connect with certain animals at certain times. It didn’t take her long before she found Reginald, he wasn’t that far away. She hadn’t really figured out how to tell him what she needed him for, just that she needed him, and she knew in her mind that he understood.

Within moments she heard the familiar sound in the damp straw on the far side of the cell.

“What… what was that?” Emara asked.

She had heard the sound as well.

-Kile?-

“Reginald.”

“Reginald? Who are you talking to Kile? Is there someone else in the cell?”

“Reginald, do you think you can gnaw through Emara’s ropes?”

-Gnaw through ropes. Well, it wouldn’t be my first choice but of course I will.-

Reginald and four of his family members ran across the cell toward Emara. Kile only then realized she should have warned Emara when she heard the young girl scream.

“RATS!”

Her high shrill scream echoed through the dungeon as Emara tried in vain to get away from the rodents. Hopefully the guards would enjoy the thought of the young girl being savaged by rats rather th
an come to her aide.

“Emara, calm down please.”

“There are rats in here.”

“Yes, I know, they only want to help.”

“Help? Help who?”

“Just calm down, they’re not going to harm you.”

“I don’t like rats.” Emara shouted.

“Do you want to get out of here or not?” Kile asked calmly. She wanted to shout
as well but feared that if the guards hear two voices they may get suspicious and come to investigate. As far as they knew, Kile was still sedated.

“I don’t like rats.” Emara shouted again.

“You can’t see the rats.”

“I know they’re there.”

“Think of them as kittens, little furry kittens, you like kittens… don’t you?”

-No, not really.-

“You’re not helping Reg.”

“Kittens… little furry kittens.” Emara repeated over and over to herself. With her new mantra well rehearsed Reginald and his family of little furry rat kittens went to work on the ropes that bound the young mystic hands.

It took them longer than Kile would have thought to gnaw through the ropes, but she knew when they were done when Emara jumped to her feet screaming.

“Get them off, get them off.”

So much for the little furry kittens.

-Well… she’s free, for all the good it will do you.-

Reginald replied as he and his family sought refuge beside Kile to get away from the flailing Emara.

“Thanks guys. That’s another one I owe you.”

-Kile is family and family doesn’t owe family.-

It was a nice sentiment, although a little strange to be considered a member of a rat’s family.

“If you’re finished jumping around, you might want to lend a hand here.”

“But they were on me. Those icky dirty rats were all over me.” Emara whined.

-You're welcome-

Reginald shouted, but then Emara wouldn’t have understood him anyhow.

“Well, they’re not anymore, so if you can please try to get these shackles off, I would be eternally grateful.”

As Emara got closer, Kile was able to get a better look at the young mystic. She was about the same age, although she didn’t act it. She was slim and pale, with a round face and wild bright pink hair, the tips of which were even touched with a hint of blue.

“By the arts are you alright?” She asked as she got a closer look at Kile.

The
gentle touch of the young mystic hand on her wrist seemed more painful than the steel shackles as she winced.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I’ll get you out of those, I promise.” Emara replied as she set her hands on the shackles and began to chant.