Token Huntress (6 page)

Grabbing my sword, I looked over my team. Usually it was eight but now it was ten. I couldn’t help but look at the apprentices again begrudgingly. “Hurry with your weapons, we leave now. Depending on your speed, we may camp an hour away from the city before surveillance tomorrow. Everyone is to take the usual positions. Dillian, James, and I at the front. Teary, Pac, you both take the sides. Kora, Kasey, and Corso, take the back. As for you two apprentices, you are to stay at all times within this boundary. You are not to change position, and you will not argue about it. Where we are going we may come across a pack of sabers. You are to be on guard, and most of all quiet.”

With that I was satisfied that everyone would quickly gather their equipment and follow. I smoothly walked past Campture, my eyes conveying my mistrust in her judgment of the situation. I had a lingering feeling that having these two apprentices
and
the chainsaw as Corso’s weapon was not going to lead to a pleasant outcome.

T
he mist that steamed from the ground was cooler during the mornings. The already dead leaves that littered our path were shrouded in a dew. Although I imagined a normal human would feel such  coolness of temperature, I was comfortable in my sleeveless leather shirt.

              We were greeted outside the gates by the small transportation team. It was a small carriage with only two horses to pull it. A team of four hunters surrounded the cart. One sat at the front with the ropes to control the horses. This was the main mode of transportation now, although we could use the vehicles that were used until the 2150s. But of course they drew too much attention from vampires. Also, it seemed a waste to place our supply of gas that we found on raids in such vehicles.

“Good morning, Esmore,” the Token Hunter of the transport team said. Golipse was always polite; he was different to the rest of his moody team. Perhaps it was because he was older. He was well-acquainted with my parents, and I think because of this he often went out of his way to speak to me. He had wiry white hair and milky white eyes. They were once white, but the haze over them now clearly indicated blindness. He had once been a part of the raids, but at the young age of twenty-four he was ambushed by the Council, and other members, including his Token Hunter, were killed. He was kidnapped and tortured for information about where we were located. Luckily for my mother’s raid team, Golipse’s gift was sensory, so he was able to feel the surroundings around him with exceptional awareness. He was also able to distort them. So when my mother’s team was close to where his kidnappers had taken him, his gift rang a siren of sorts, sending signals to her. They found the young Golipse and killed the members of the Council that had taken him. Unfortunately, his sight was already destroyed. They had dropped acid into his eyes; fortunately it hadn’t further reached into his body through his bloodstream, which would have killed him entirely.

The older we got the more we learnt of our ability. Golipse was not only able to sense his surroundings, including if vampires approached them, but he could also disturb the environment. That meant that if he felt a vampire approaching, he could summon the atoms surrounding us so that we seemed invisible. This was a necessary ability to protect large cargos of supplies or human transportation. Although old and blind, he was still a fierce fighter from his many years in the raid team. Now looking into his white glazed eyes, I questioned how he must have felt when taken off the raid team. It was unusual to happen, once you were selected for your position you would usually stay in such a place until your death. But Golipse, well, perhaps they took pity on him and pushed him into the transport team. Ten years after that, Golipse was now Token Hunter in that department.

              “And a good morning to the fine Dillian as well,” his smile stretched wider. Dillian was not too far from the carriage, folding back the thick material to reveal the young girl I had found yesterday. She shook vigorously even under her thick clothing. Her eyes lit up when she saw Dillian.

              “You will be safe,” he said, reassuring her with sad eyes. It was something about him I had to try to hide from most. I couldn’t understand Dillian’s anguish over the human kind. Empathy was not something another hunter would fail to notice. Often I had to shield Dillian from the others, so they would not stare at him in mortification as he soothed the humans. Mercy and kindness were not common traits amongst our kind. Although I didn’t understand, I would not attempt to stop him either.

              “Be quick today, Golipse. I feel that the air may be far chiller this morning. Perhaps we are in the presence of rain, something which we cannot afford to be trapped in,” I said, looking into the sky. Although through the trees I could see a light glimmer of light, it was almost non-existent, and if it stayed that way for the next hour or so it would probably rain. If we were caught in the rain, this trip could go wrong quickly. The rain only heightened and thickened the fog, leaving some of the hunters almost blind. The rain within these parts was quick to flood.

              “You do not have to inform me, young one. I can feel the moisture in the air against my skin,” he said with a crisp smile. I felt foolish after I had said it, of course he could. That, after all, was his gift. I was informing the wrong person entirely. I wished him a safe journey as he transported the human to the camp. The large doors creaked shut behind us. Golipse and his members began at a quickened pace toward the south-east trail we had created for the transportation of the humans. At the horses’ full pace, they would arrive there hopefully within two days. Although they had to walk at night and in darkness, it was unavoidable. We could not have the human camp and our Guild so close together in case vampires found either one.

              “Let’s move,” I said, taking the lead place. Although the apprentices seemed clumsy, they fell into position quickly. Once out of sight of the Guild, I breathed in heavily, slightly tightening the straps on the small bag I carried. We all had a bag which had a few supplies inside for the nights that we would have to stay out in the open. Inhaling deeply once more and soothing my raging nerves, I looked at James and nodded to him. It was now time to quicken our pace.

              It was something the Guild had taught us at a young age. There was running at our natural speed, which was still faster than any human, and then there was our heightened speed, which took an extreme amount of concentration. You had to train your mind on every movement within your body, moving your muscles forcibly and in sync to propel you forward. This was draining, but something we had to do to cover more ground without horses.

              The trees around us became a blur, the cool air tingling against our skin as we jolted heavily through the thick fog. We had to concentrate on our every step so as to avoid the gaping cracks in the ground. As I suspected, the fog thickened as we ran, which led me to believe that it was soon to rain.

              There was something odd about running together. It was as if everyone’s senses were heightened and because of that our thoughts became attuned. We could quickly halt at the same time if one of us requested it. One scattered mind could easily disturb the rest. It made me question whether vampires did the same. Much to my surprise, my initial judgment of the apprentices as weaklings was incorrect. They in no way affected our progress.

              Slowly, small spots of rain began to pour. A few hours had gone by and black clouds lingered over us. The fog had thickened and I was struggling, even with my keen sense of sight, to watch where I led my team, who were heavily dependent on mine and Dillian’s skill. We were almost entirely pillowed in white. It had been raining for some time now and we had run straight into the middle of the storm. Small streaks of blinding light flashed across the hazy colors of the sky. A loud bang rattled the ground, sending a quivering sensation up our legs as the lightning struck close.

              I felt one of my member’s losing their awareness, startled by the flash of lightning. I quickly spun on my heels, collecting the young apprentice, Fam, in my arms as he tripped over a slippery mud pile. Instantly everyone halted as I did. My strained eyes looked down at the startled apprentice as his white eyes scurried over where he imagined my face to be. Although I was holding him, he could not see me through the fog. It was only mine and Dillian’s eyes that could see in front of us, and now that everyone had reached their limits, we had to stop.

              The rain dripped off my lips onto the muddy ground beneath me. I searched through the slight outline of trees. We could run no further in this rain. I looked around me at the others who did a similar sweep of our surroundings, realizing they could not see past their hands. I could not lead them so blindly. Although I believed in my ability to lead them safely, I could not be so selfish as to force them to run without their sight. “Dillian!” I shouted over the rain, releasing the young Fam. Dillian knew what I wanted from him and he projected his far keener sight into the distance. He was locating cover for us somewhere nearby.

              “Esmore,” James said from behind. His wet hand slipped over mine and he grabbed me firmly. “Do you really want to stop here? At only midday?”

              His question and anticipation was valid, the less ground we covered today the more we would have to stretch tomorrow. And already our pace had slowed down because of the rain. I reassessed my team. I could not risk them. Before I answered James, Dillian responded quickly, as if answering James.

              “I can see an abandoned shed ahead. The house attached seems to have been burnt down, but the shed has still a solid foundation. It looks despite the storm,” Dillian shouted over the pounding rain.

              “And the radius around? How far can you see?” I asked, walking over to him. I could not see as far as him, but to know what direction I was leading everyone into was a very good start.

              “I am sorry, Esmore, I can only see for about a two-kilometer radius. The fog is thick and I am limited,” he shouted as another cracking bang rang out, dropping most of the hunters onto their knees as it rattled through their bodies. The thunder echoed around the trees.

              “Be on your guard!” I shouted at them. “We are going for shelter and giving today a rest.” I nodded to Dillian, telling him to lead us. Although our speed was not as great as it had been that morning, it was a pace that quickly delivered us to our destination. As Dillian had mentioned, there was a wooden shed, and it was not as small as I had envisioned. It might even have once been a barn.

              I searched the surroundings, even though Dillian had announced it clear. I nudged the door open, searching through the empty barn. There were a few rotted bundles of hay on the ground. It had been abandoned long ago. There was a small wooden ladder that led up to a thin plank of wood that lined the shed, with a few windows on either side. There were three windows; they would be our lookouts. Although water leaked from the old roof, the fog was not as thick, and we could comfortably rest in it. And best of all, there were no vampires.

              I flagged to everyone that it was safe in the shed. The rain was not over and I knew that we could have gone no further. The rain washed against the shards of glass in the windows. I had Dillian, James, and Corso each take a post by them. We would have to be cautious in such thick rain as this would be perfect timing for a pack of sabers to attack. They would be unaffected by such a predicament, hunting with their sense of smell.

              I rested my backpack beside me, taking a seat on the hard wood beside the entrance. Kora and Kasey gathered in the center with the apprentices, who already looked exhausted from only half a day’s run. I placed my crossbow beside me, took my sword from my sheath, and held it loosely by the handle as I pointed the tip to the ground. I was not at all happy with this holdback. We would now have to wait yet another day to venture into the city, where the fog would be only slightly thinner. My gaze crept up the young apprentice, Tori, who walked over to me with a tight expression.

              “We aren’t tired. Just because Fam had a small fall doesn’t mean we have to stop. We are fine and rested,” he protested. I tightened my grip around my sword, annoyed by his insolence.

              “Little apprentice, I did not stop because of you or your friend. We stopped because I ordered it so. And you simply do as I say,” I spat harshly. “How do you think you will get along in a raid team with such an attitude, once you are no longer an apprentice? Do you think other members will allow your tongue to speak so immaturely?”

              “Immature, have you even grown breasts? Look how young you yourself are... you...” Before I could teach the child a lesson, Teary’s firm and harsh grip dug into Tori’s shoulder, slamming his knees to the ground as she held him. Her foreign accent was even thicker when she was angry.

“Ye little maggot, ye’ll say no more. Esmore is one of tha brightest Token Huntresses we av’ within tha Guild. Ye will learn respect, boy, before I teach ye a lesson. Ye are far better off if it is me, than her herself.”

              Although I kept my stern expression, I was pleased by her kind words. It was nice to have someone say such thing. It did not matter how many of the older hunters I proved my worth against. They were always so insolent because of my age and my dull gray eyes. And, right on cue, this was voiced.

“She doesn’t even have the eyes of a hunter,” Tori snipped, trying to regain his composure. I allowed a demonic laugh to pass through my lips. I didn’t have the greatest sense of humor; my smiles and laughter had quickly vanished after my mother’s death. But getting a kick out of teaching a young apprentice a valuable lesson was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass.