Hunter's Academy

By G.T. Spoor

Kile Veller continues her quest to become a Hunter despite the obstacle set in her way, but those obstacles are nothing compared to what she is about to encounter. As her time at the Academy comes to an end, the outside world is changing. Plans have been set into motion, which cannot be stopped. Hunters are dying, and some have gone missing. Pirates have been seen on the Southern Seas. The valrik have crossed into Denal, and the uhyre, long thought gone from the world, are amassing in the wastelands under a single shadow, which has reached the Academy. The rumors of war on the western border may be real, and if all that wasn’t enough, she still needs to pass her final evaluation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G.T. Spoor
• Release date: Mar 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301751341

Book preview

Chapter 1

Morgan set the book down on the table, which wasn’t there. He flipped a few pages forward, then a few pages back. It was obvious he couldn’t find what he was looking for, but he refused to give up. Kile sat in the overstuffed winged back chair with her cup of rosemary tea, minus the rum, watching him with little interest. She didn’t really like the taste of the tea but thought it impolite to refuse the offer. The globe of fire, which once warmed the small tower in the dead of winter, was now blue and cooling the same room. She wondered if she could get one of these for her room as the hot summer days made sleeping unbearable.

Summer at the Academy was as boring as she feared it would be. With no one to talk to, or train with, she went through her days with little enthusiasm. The only thing she had to look forward to, was watching the Hunters appear for the gathering. One or two arrived nearly every day and although she didn’t know any of them by name, she was still down at the field to watch them ride in. She thought of all the places they must have visited, and the things they must have done, and to be associated with them, even if she were only a cadet, was inspiring. Sadly, those moments were brief and far between. For the most part, the Hunters remained sequestered within the main building, nobody was allowed in without an invitation.

As for the rest of her time, it was spent in solitude. Those cadets who remained at the Academy avoided her, blaming her for Charles Bane’s expulsion. Ever since the fiasco with the crossbow, she became something of a pariah. What progress she made over the first year was wiped away by something she had no control over. They wouldn’t look at her, they wouldn’t speak to her, and if she made any attempt to approach them, they nearly fell over themselves trying to get away from her. She was sure Eric had something to do with the rumors. She even caught him telling stories about her to some of the new cadets before he left for the summer. Now, whenever she walked by, they looked upon her with something between fear and loathing. She had no idea what Eric told them. It didn’t matter he spent most of his time making their lives miserable, they still believed him over her. She was truly living up to the moniker of jinx. If it weren’t for Vesper, she would have been lost in her loneliness. The yarrow stayed by her side throughout the summer and became a permanent fixture on her shoulder whenever possible.

Mealtime was even worse. The dining hall was usually empty. Most of the instructors, who weren’t at the gathering, ate in town. Those who did take their meals in the hall would sit in the staff section. The cadets would then fill one side of the room while Kile sat alone. That lasted about two days. She couldn’t take the quick glances and the quiet remarks any longer and decided to eat alone in her room from that point on.

The nights were the only time she felt comfortable. She would slip out of her room after everyone was asleep and wander around the compound. There was little chance of anyone catching her, since the only ones up at that time of the night were the guards at the front gate and Oblum’s two mastiffs, Gorum and Hunar. On some nights she would even walk with the dogs while they patrol the grounds and play a game of fetch with them in the field just behind the stables, but most of the time she simply enjoyed the solitude. There was nobody around to silently judge her. It was on these nights she realized she could never go back home; she could never go back to what she was. She was becoming something more out here, but whether it was a Hunter, she wasn’t sure. All she knew were the ideas she once associated with the comforts of home, were no longer important to her.

She was a young woman of fifteen now, or at least that’s how the charter of Riverport would describe her. If she had remained on the farm, she would, at this very moment, be married to that little troll of a boy, Pordist Talon. It would have made her father happy, since it was his plan to barter her for the bottom land which ran along the southern border of the Veller farm. Oric Talon owned that land, and he would have given anything to marry off his son, but that was another life. She took the entry examination and, much to her surprise, passed it. She was now on her way to becoming a Hunter.

Of course, she was far from finished. Two more years of training, and one year of probation. There were still a lot of obstacles to overcome, the least of which was the staff at the Academy, as well as some of the members on the council. While not all of them were out to sabotage her success, they did seem to be in the majority. For whatever the reason, they did not want to see her become a Hunter.

What did these people, who she didn’t know, have against her?

She always thought her size would be her greatest hindrance, but Alex, who was smaller than her, was advancing as well as someone like him could advance. She did grow a bit, although she spent most of her time trying to hide it.

It turned out the obstacles she never considered were the hardest to overcome. Aside from being a girl, she was the daughter of a farmer, which, for some reason, was a mark against her. She also recently learned she had Orseen blood, or so some people would have her believe. It was news to her. She never knew what or who the Orseen were, but if certain scholars are to be heard, the Orseen were a forgotten nomadic race of people who had blood ties with the Ogres.

Kile took a sip of the rosemary tea and nearly choked. Being cold didn’t improve the flavor. How could anyone enjoy this, she wondered? Maybe Morgan had the right of it after all, maybe a shot of rum was enough to kill the bitter taste.

Setting the cup down, on the table that wasn’t there, she stared into the flickering blue flames. While she thoroughly enjoyed the cooling effect on the hot summer day, she still didn’t trust anything associated with the mystic arts. Unfortunately, every Hunter must be affiliated with the arts in order to be a Hunter, it was something known as the Hunter’s Edge. This, in its own way, became yet another obstacle to overcome. She couldn’t be like every other Hunter who passed through the Academy, with an Edge that was both effective and common, no, she had to be different. Her Edge, her ability, was outside the norm and defied classification, therefore she was commonly referred to by the not so flattering term of freak. Of course, that’s what they would call her if anyone other than Morgan knew what she could do. She possessed the rather unique ability of communicating with the natural world. She could speak with animals. According to Morgan’s research, this Edge has never been seen in a Hunter as far back as their written history, and since they can trace that back to one year after the Hunter’s guild was established, it is safe to say no other Hunter has ever been able to communicate in this way. This was simply another thing that separated her from everyone else. Another wall placed between her and the rest of the cadets. To sum it up she was a short freaky farmer’s daughter with half ogre blood.

Well, funny enough, that didn’t improve her mood.

Morgan finally gave up searching for whatever it was he was searching for and slammed the book closed. The sudden noise startled Kile out of her daydream, and she almost spilled her tea.

There is nothing about it in here, he said, stroking his beard the way he frequently did when he was confused, which seemed to be quite often when she was around. It would appear what you described is not a documented ability of the álfar who I have been researching.

I’m sorry, she apologized, although she wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for.

No. No. Please. You don’t understand. This is amazing, fantastic even. If what you’re telling me is true, then what you have is unique. Like the álfar, but quite different. We have to explore this deeper, find out how far it goes.

I’m not sure I can, sir. It only happened once.

Well, we’ll only know by trying, won’t we?

She watched as Morgan frantically sorted through the plates within his cupboard and was starting to regret telling the mystic about the circumstances surrounding her finding the crossbow. She wasn’t sure she fully understood it herself, and while explaining it to him, she found it even more unbelievable. She could smell her crossbow in a room filled with crossbows. She picked up her own scent, or that’s how Vesper explained it. It sounded ridiculous, impossible and a little disturbing, but Morgan, on the other hand, thought the entire incident fascinating and kept asking questions which she couldn’t answer. Eventually he turned to the old books he brought with him from the tower, but now it appeared they had as many answers as she did.

Morgan suddenly turned around and presented her with two bowls he pulled from the shelf.

Which one was yours? he asked while holding them out to her.

She studied the bowls, but they were the same. Two bowls from a matching set. One she neither recognized nor owned.

Neither one, sir.

Come, come now, you’re not even trying. You ate out of one of these bowls, which one was it?

She looked over the bowls again. Once, last winter, Morgan invited her to share supper with him. It was the same day he gave her the globe of fire to warm her room, but it never occurred to her to examine the bowls. She didn’t think he was going to test her on it. Studying them closer, she pointed to the one on the left.

That one.

You’re guessing, he said. Smell the two bowls and see if you can pick up your scent.

Great, now he wanted her to sniff the bowls, she knew telling him was a bad idea. If he asks her to mark one, she was out of here.

Taking the first bowl, she took a long sniff. It didn’t smell like anything other than a wooden bowl. She then sniffed the second one and felt even more foolish. Both bowls smelled the same. She tried the first one again, and still nothing. What made the situation worse was Kaza sitting up on his high shelf trying to muffle a crow like snicker. She thought about picking one at random, just to end the humiliation, but it wouldn’t help her understand it any better.

I really can’t tell the difference, she said.

Morgan looked more defeated than she felt. He took back the bowls and examined each one carefully. I suppose I can’t blame you, he said. I have no idea which one is yours so I couldn’t tell you if you were right or not. He set the bowls back on the shelf. I suppose it’s possible the scent dissipates over time.

It really only happened that one time, sir.

Maybe it had something to do with the heat of the moment. Placed under a significant amount of stress we find we can do all sorts of things we otherwise didn’t know we could do.

It was a good thing she didn’t tell him she caught Eric’s scent the same day, when he entered the stables and spotted them trying to get Charles to confess. Morgan would parade cadets past her, while having her try to identify them by their smell. She could only imagine how well that would go over.

Of course, you could always be channeling the ability, he said.

Channeling? I don’t understand.

Well, you did say Vesper was with you. Yarrows are known to have a heightened sense of smell. It is quite possible Vesper was detecting your scent and you were just picking up on his reactions.

It did make a certain amount of sense, and it would explain why she couldn’t do it all the time, of course Vesper wasn’t around when she caught Eric scent. She sent him off to fetch Gorum and Huron, since she couldn’t go herself, and the yarrow didn’t return until the next morning. Although, she could have picked up the dog’s reactions. They all detected Eric at the same time, or maybe it was something even simpler. Maybe it wasn’t Eric’s smell that alerted her, maybe he made a noise when he entered, or maybe there was a change in the light when the stable door was opened. She didn’t think about it at the time, but it could have been any number of factors.

Without knowing the exact circumstances surrounding why this ability occurred, we can’t really study it. We need more information. Morgan scribbled a few notes down in his book, then held his pen up and looked at Kile. Have you noticed any changes in other areas, say your sense of tastes, your hearing, even your eyesight?

You think those could be affected as well?

It’s quite possible. We know animal senses are far superior to our own. Rodents have a better sense of smell while birds have better eyesight, and it may not even stop there.

What do you mean?

Well, there is a certain amount of interaction between male and female—

Whoa, stop right there, she said holding her hands up.

It’s something—

No, we are not going there, we are NEVER going there.

It’s something to think about. Morgan scribbled a few more notes in his book. One of these days she would have to get a hold of that book and find out exactly what he keeps writing about. There was something else I found, something I wanted to explore first, he said after setting the book aside.

And what would that be? she asked, dreading the answer. If it was another one of his tests, she knew she wasn’t going to like the outcome.

The álfar called it the Maligar.

The what?

The Maligar. I couldn’t find much about it, but according to the text it has something to do with influencing an animal’s behavior.

How’s that going to help me?

Well, we won’t know until we try, will we?

Morgan walked into the back room and returned carrying a large brass cage, he set it down on the table. Kile climbed out of the overstuffed wingback chair to get a better look. She had no idea what the mystic had in mind, or how he was planning to use it.

At first, it appeared the cage was empty, only piles of sawdust and some shredded pieces of parchment. She was about to pass it off as one of the mystic’s daft experiments, but then one of the larger pieces started to move. When she looked closer, she could see, hiding under the paper, a small brown and white rabbit. He seemed unsure of his surroundings and extremely nervous. She couldn’t blame him. One moment hopping around in a field minding its own business, and the next stuck in a brass cage with two vir staring at him.

Hello there. She stuck her finger between the bars and tried to pet the rabbit, but it quickly moved out of reach. It’s all right.

Scared.

His voice was soft, and difficult to hear it, but she could feel his fear. Like her conversations with Vesper the words carried more feeling them meaning.

I know you are. Everything’s going to be alright.

Morgan grabbed his notebook and quickly scribbled down some notes. Can you understand him? he asked.

It’s difficult, but I understand what he means. Maybe we shouldn’t use him for the test. We can use Vesper, like I’ve been doing.

I take test?

Vesper was now sitting in her vacant seat, basking in the cooling effects of the flame. The yarrow enjoyed most of the mystic’s tests since he didn’t have to do anything and was still rewarded.

I’m afraid he won’t do, Morgan said. We already know you can communicate with Vesper, and he would do just about anything you ask of him. What we need is a subject that is wild, one that is not likely to do what you ask. The Maligar is about control, about commanding an animal to do something which it wouldn’t normally do.

About domination.

Kile looked up at Kaza. What do you mean domination? she asked.

It’s nothing to do with domination. Morgan said. It’s control through influence, a blending of the minds.

The crow came off the shelf and settled on Kile’s shoulder, completely ignoring the mystic. Morgan made it quite clear, he did not want Kaza interfering with Kile’s studies. There was significant change in the way he viewed his one-time pet, knowing the crow understood everything he said.

He means you must dominate the rabbit’s will. Control, command and ultimately dominate.

That’s horrible. Kile looked at the rabbit still huddling in the cage.

Free?

It whispered to her, and she could feel the cool winds of the meadow, the warmth of the sunshine and the smell of the clove surrounding that single word.

We have to let him go; he doesn’t want to be here.

Nobody wants to be here, but it’s only a simple test, Morgan said. When we finish, I promise, I will release him at the same place I caught him.

You promise? She looked at the small white rabbit still curled up under the large piece of parchment.

Command, control, dominate.

Kaza repeated.

Just this one test, she told Morgan. Nobody’s going to hurt you, little one, she said to the rabbit. We’re just going to do a simple test and then you can go free.

Free?

Yes, you can go free, after the test… okay?

Free.

She wasn’t sure if the rabbit understood her, some of the wilder animals, Morgan brought in for her to communicate with, often didn’t. Only those who were around humans, whether by choice or by accident, were the ones she could truly communicate with.

You shouldn’t converse too much with it, Kile, Morgan said as he led her away from the cage. I don’t want it to get too attached. This experiment must be controlled. I have to know if you can influence it with your Edge and not your kindest towards it.

She didn’t like the way Morgan kept referring to the rabbit as an it, it was a he, and a young one at that. The mystic often regarded the animals they used for the experiments as objects and not living, breathing creatures. She would have thought he would have learned by now, but he appeared to be more driven by the results than the actual tests.

What do I have to do? she asked reluctantly.

Well, it’s quite simple really. You have to concentrate on the subject until your mind is locked with theirs, and then command it to do something.

It seemed simple enough, she thought.

It’s the domination of the will.

Kaza added.

It’s only a test, she told the crow, but it was more to convince herself. The whole idea didn’t sit right with her, and she simply wanted to get it over with.

Turning to the cage, she took a deep breath and tried to focus on the small white rabbit, but she was quickly overcome with fear and confusion.

I can’t do this, she said, breaking off the connection.

Good for you.

Morgan glared at the crow. He didn’t have to understand what Kaza said to know the crow was against the whole thing from the start. It is a simple test to see the limits of your Edge, he explained. You may be protesting for no reason, you may not even be able to do it in the first place, but we shall never know if we do not try.

As much as she hated to admit it, Morgan had a point. Without knowing the full extent of her Edge, how could she use it effectively, and he might be right, she might not even be able to dominate the will of an animal.

Clearing her mind, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and fell into her Edge. She reached out to the rabbit again, and again she felt his fear, but this time she pushed passed it until she was in the recesses of his mind. There, she could see many things, although seeing wasn’t the right word, feeling was closer to the mark. She could feel his life, his home, his family. She could feel the ground beneath his feet, smell the spring air, and taste the clover. She could hear the wind blowing through the grass. Every sensation she experienced was a memory, a memory they now both shared. It was deeper than the connection she made with Vesper, so deep she was finding it hard to tell where her life ended and that of the rabbit’s began.

It was the rabbit who shot Master West in the ass with a crossbow bolt as she was running through the field in search of clover. It was the rabbit who took the entry examination when she was snuggled up with her brothers and sisters in a dark, warm hole. It was the rabbit who broke the feed grain lever in the old barn while she was running from a fox who got too close. It was the rabbit who was told, time and time again, how useless he was by his father; she was lying in the sun beside her mother. As much as she loved the idea of escaping her life, this was not the way to do it, this was wrong.

That’s it, Kile, you have gained control, now command the rabbit, Morgan whispered in all four of her ears.

Black tendrils, like sticky molasses, reached out toward the rabbit.

What command do I give him? she struggled to ask.

There was a momentary pause before Morgan answered.

I don’t know, I didn’t think that far ahead, I wasn’t even sure you could do it. Why don’t you try something unusual? Make it dance.

Dance, she thought, that would be unusual since she didn’t even know how to dance. She wasn’t sure if she made the command, but the black tendrils seemed to grow thicker, and the rabbit slowly rose onto his hind legs and began to move in a sporadic fashion. It made her sick and she attempted to break the connection, but the harder she tried, the more the rabbit danced. He moved quickly on his hind legs until his unnatural movements rocked the cage off the edge of the table. When it hit the floor, the door sprung open, and the rabbit tried to escape. He probably could have made it, if it weren’t for the thick black strands of molasses still connecting them. As he shot out across the floor, he was having trouble controlling his back legs, and he took out a candle stand, knocked over a stack of books and upended a large box of curiosities.

She could hear Morgan cursing as he chased the rabbit around the room, but even with no control over his hind legs, he was still faster than the mystic.

Kile, get control over it, Morgan shouted.

She was finding it harder to focus as the rabbit’s thoughts were now stronger. The one thing on his mind was freedom, but when she finally broke through, and regained control, it felt so much worse than it did before. It was the same feeling she had when she connected with the cat, the night she rescued Vesper. It was a sickening feeling, and they were now tangled in the sticky black strands of molasses. She could feel herself being drawn into the mind of the rabbit as he tried to escape the tower.

You must command it; you must control it.

You must dominate it.

While he never said the words, she could still hear them. They echoed in each black strand joining them together. Command, control, dominate, and behind it all, way down in the darkness, she could hear laughter.

This wasn’t right. This can’t be how it’s supposed to work.

You must exert your will; you must learn control.

She was jumping between herself and the rabbit. First, she was on the floor, then she was standing in the middle of the room watching herself on the floor. All the while she could hear Morgan shouting. The rabbit kept pulling at the strands, and they were getting more and more tangled until she wasn’t sure who she was anymore.

Kile, stop. Kile what’s wrong?

Now Morgan’s voice was frantic, he was scared, and the tendrils kept getting more and more tangled. The laughter in the darkness was growing louder until she realized she was the one who was laughing, and all she could do was scream…

STOP.

And it did.

Morgan stopped, the stands of molasses stopped, the laughter stopped, and worst of all, the rabbit stopped.

Her head was pounding as she fell to her knees. She watched as the mystic approached the rabbit, who now lay motionless on the floor. He bent down and scooped him up, his head lolled to one side and Kile knew, without even looking, he was dead.

Pity, was all Morgan said as he set the body of the rabbit on the table.

He still didn’t understand. He would never understand.

She spoke to him, she heard him, she felt him, and in the end, she killed him, and all the while, she laughed about it.

Kile felt her stomach drop as she got to her feet; she wasn’t even sure if her legs would hold her as she walked to the table. Slowly, she placed her hand upon the rabbit. There was no motion, no feeling, and no warmth. She ran her hand over his soft fur, willing him to wake, praying he would, but knowing it was beyond anything she could do. Tears gently rolled down her cheek.

I suppose next time we should pick something a little more… durable. Morgan said as he jotted down a few more notes in his elusive book. At that moment she hated him, but not as much as she hated herself.

No, she whispered while gently wrapping the rabbit in an old cloth she found on the table.

No? Come now it was just a failed experiment, we learn from our mistakes—

No, I won’t do it again, never again.

You’re being unreasonable. It was just a rabbit—

I SAID NO. She shouted and the old mystic stumbled back, bracing himself against the table. Clutching the rabbit to her chest, she ran from the tower.

Kile, wait.

She heard him call out to her, but she was never going to listen to him again.

Running was the only thing she could do because that’s what he wanted to do. She needed to run, she needed to escape, not from Morgan, but from herself. She needed to escape from the darkness and from the laughter she heard from that darkness. She stopped when she reached the far north wall of the compound and there was no place else to run. There, under the shade of an oak tree, she fell to her knees and wept as she held the rabbit close to her chest. She spoke to him, and he spoke to her. he was scared and she told him it would be all right, and now he was gone, and it was her fault.

She laid him on a small patch of clover and started to dig. She didn’t have anything to dig with, only her hands and so she clawed at the dirt with her fingers. It only seemed fitting, if she was becoming an animal, she might as well act like one.

Several minutes passed before she heard the soft rustle of feathers. Kaza landed on a low branch above her. If the crow found her, Morgan wouldn’t be far behind.

Are you all right, Kile?

No, Kaza. I killed him. I told him everything would be okay, and then I killed him.

You didn’t mean to, Kile, you know it was an accident.

Does it really make that much of a difference? I can’t tell him that, not anymore.

Kaza landed on the ground beside her and began to scratch at the dirt. He wasn’t making much headway, but the sentiment was there, and she was grateful for it.

Kile. The old man was out of shape and out of breath. Kile, I’m sorry… I didn’t think.

I’m not doing it again, never.

No, I would never ask you to.

Morgan set Vesper on the ground beside her. The yarrow didn’t say anything, but he never had to. She knew what he was thinking. She scared him about as much as she scared herself, but he would always be there for her. He got between her hands and helped her dig.

Morgan could have easily opened the entire hillside with a single word, but instead he knelt beside her and dug with his bare hands. She wanted to thank him, but she couldn’t stop crying.

Chapter 2

Kile slipped silently out of her window and looked out into the darkness of the compound. She stayed closed to the walls so as not to alert the guards at the gate, although their attention was focused outside the walls of the Academy. When she could no longer see them, she risked crossing the open field. Once she reached the top of the hill, she could move more freely. On most nights she would wander aimlessly about the dark, moving from one location to another on little more than a whim, but tonight she had a destination. The little brown and white rabbit haunted her thoughts. She couldn’t eat or sleep and needed to see his grave one more time. She realized, to anyone else, anyone normal that is, her reaction to the situation would appear to be over the top. She knew Morgan didn’t understand, although he did help her dig the grave. He did it more because he felt bad for her, not for the rabbit. To him, it was simply a rabbit. Rabbits die every day. They get eaten, poisoned, run over by runaway carriages, the life of a rabbit is fraught with danger. People have seen dead rabbits lying in the middle of the road, or hanging in the butcher’s shop, and although they might pause for a moment and feel sorry for them, it last only until they turned the corner and can no longer see them. What if it had been a man lying in the road or hanging in the butcher’s shop, okay, that is a little gruesome, but the vision would stick with the person long after they turned the corner. Is it because they feel on the same level as the man? They could have known him, they could have talked to him, they could have liked him or disliked him, whereas the rabbit was just another dumb animal, and yet she spoke with the rabbit. She may not have carried on a conversation with him, but she knew him. She saw where he lived, where he ate, who the members of his den were, she got to know the rabbit, and in the brief time they shared, she liked him, and then she killed him. It was like meeting someone in the street for the first time, striking up a conversation with them and learning about all their likes and their dislikes, where they lived, what they did, talking about their family, and when the conversation ended, beat them over the head with a large club. Oh, it was simply an accident.

She must have been distracted because she almost stumbled over Gorum who was sitting in her path.

Fine thief you would make.

His low guttural voice echoed in her head.

Sorry Gorum. I guess I was preoccupied.

I’ll say. Hunar came up behind her. I’ve been following you since you crossed the field and you never noticed.

You seemed troubled. Gorum said as he walked alongside her.

Hunar followed, keeping her distance. She was not as sociable as Gorum, or it could have been a pack thing. Kile never really understood the social structures of a dog’s life.

I killed a rabbit today.

Way to go, how did it taste? Hunar asked.

I didn’t eat him. I buried him.

For later?

Out of Respect. Gorum answered, but was it the right answer? Did she do it out of respect or to ease her own guilt?

Seems a waist. Hunar said.

Why does it trouble you so? Gorum asked.

It shouldn’t have happened; I couldn’t control myself.

Did you do it because you wanted to?

No, of course not.

Because you had to?

Yeah right. Hunar laughed. Like the rabbit tried to attack her, dangerous creatures those things are.

Gorum turned suddenly and gave her a loud bark. It didn’t carry words, but Kile could hear the meaning. Mind your place. Hunar backed down.

If it wasn’t because you wanted to, and it wasn’t because you had to, then why did you kill it?

We were doing an experiment, and I told it to stop, and… it did.

It wasn’t your intention to kill it.

But that’s not the point; it was because of me he died.

Did you know what you were doing would have killed it?

No, I didn’t think it would. Although she wasn’t entirely sure. She had a bad feeling about the experiment, but she went along with it anyway. She could have stopped it before it started, but truth be told, she wanted to know as much about the Maligar as Morgan did.

Then that is just the end of it.

Kile stopped and shook her head. She would have thought Gorum would have understood.

His death was pointless; it made no sense.

Sense has little to do with death. Gorum said as he turned around and sat in front of her.

You place a lot of importance on yourself, pup. You feel you can manipulate life and death, but you have no control over the cycle. It is like the seasons. Winter gives way to spring, without winter we cannot have spring, without death we cannot have life. The cycle of the rabbit ended, whether it was sooner than nature intended, you could not know that. Nature may have marked the cycle of that creature to end when it did, whether you had a hand in it or not. Now his body will return to the ground, and the cycle will continue. With his death, there will be life, and he will live on in that new life.

When you put it that way it seems so simple.

The cycle of life is simple. It is the vir who place burdens within their paths; it is the vir who make living the cycle complicated. Why do you suffer these burdens? When your cycle is near its end, as mine is, you will see the burdens you suffer are meaningless. If anything, you should rejoice you were a part of the rabbit’s life, if only for a little while, and if you did have a hand in ending its cycle, then you were only doing as nature intended.

It was like being lectured to by one of her instructors; only the lecture was shorter and more meaningful.

So, pup, show us this resting site of your rabbit friend so that we too may show respect.

She led them up to the northern wall where a patch of freshly turned dirt and a small stone rabbit, created by Morgan from a simple rock, marked the location. Both Gorum and Hunar sniffed around the perimeter of the ground before sitting beside her.

I still say it’s a waist.

Hunar mumbled under her breath.

Although she still felt guilty over the death of the rabbit, Gorum’s explanation of the simplicity of life did ease the pain. After sitting for a few moments in silence, they retreated to the far side of the stables where they could play a game of fetch undisturbed.

Kile threw the stick as far as she could and Hunar tore after it. She could never understand the dog’s fascination with the game and tried to get Hunar to explain it, but all the dog would tell her was that it was fun, and throw the damn stick. Gorum was less enthusiastic about fetch, but then the male mastiff was quite a bit older than his female counterpart. She didn’t know how old Gorum was and never really gave it much thought until he spoke about the cycle of life and his coming to an end. She always believed animals were ignorant about their mortality, but it turned out they were simply more accepting of it. Sitting beside Gorum, she stroked the dog while waiting for Hunar to return with the stick. Hunar had a habit of getting sidetracked easily by a stray sound or a new smell, so it usually took some time before she returned.

Did you see any of the gathering? she asked Gorum.

I was present.

You were? What did they talk about? What was it like?

More things for the vir to worry about, more burdens for them to place upon their path. If they did not have enough burdens, they would look for them, and then complain when they found them.

What burdens did they find?

The burdens of the vir matter little to me these days. Gorum turned his head so she could scratch his other ear. They spoke mostly of war in the western lands, from there I do not know, nor did I care to listen. Ask of Hunar, she appeared more interested in the vir’s business.

Don’t believe him. Hunar said as she dropped the stick beside Kile’s leg. He was just as interested, He’s just too old and could no longer stay awake to hear it all.

There is truth in that too. Gorum laughed as he lay on his side so Kile could scratch his belly.

What was that about a war?

They didn’t call it a war; they called it…something else.

A conflict. Gorum said.

A conflict? With whom?

The uhyre. They’ve crossed the western border and conducted raids on the vir dens, and then they retreated over the border where the vir cannot reach them.

It was not a good time to be in western Aru, but that was where Tree was now, a small unknown border town by the name of Grover’s Den. In two more years, when she graduated, would they send her to someplace like that, some place out of sight and out of mind, someplace on the border facing the threat of an invasion? And what of the uhyre, were they really the valrik and gulrik of legend, the ones she faced in battle at the mystic’s tower. The thought of those creatures being real was a bit unsettling.

Gorum! Hunar!

Master’s voice. Hunar said as her ears pricked up.

Master would mean Oblum, and Kile didn’t want Sir Oblum finding her out of bed after lights out, and not with his precious dogs. She scrambled to her feet, waking Gorum.

What is it? He asked.

Master calls. Hunar said.

Gorum! Hunar!

The silhouette of a large man topped the hill and Kile slipped off to the darker places of the night, hiding within the shadows of the stable walls.

Is someone there? Oblum stood at the top of the hill. Show yourself.

The dogs ran to greet him, and he paused for a moment before crouching down and scratching their heads. While he did, he stared directly at Kile. She waited for him to call out to her, but although he was lookin directly at her, it would appear he couldn’t see her. Eventually, he gave up and turned his back on her before heading up the hill.

Come on guys, let’s get your supper, he said as the dogs followed him.

Chapter 3

Hey Kile girl, you awake in there.

Kile was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, dreading another summer day at the Academy. She quickly sat up when she heard the call from outside her window. There was only one person who thought they could get away with calling her Kile girl, and if he kept it up any longer, he would regret it. She quickly rolled out of bed and ran to the window. Throwing open the shutters she looked down to see a small boy grinning up at her.

What are you doing here? she asked. You aren’t supposed to be back until next week.

Yeah, well, we got bored without you, Alex said.

It was probably not all together true, but it felt nice to hear it.

You’re all back?

I don’t know what you mean by all, but Daniel and Carter are with me, actually they’re reporting in right now.

She closed the shutters and quickly pulled on her slacks and tunic. It wouldn’t do for her to go running out to meet the guys in nothing but her underclothes.

Come on Vesper, let’s go find the boys, she said as she fastened the belt pouch around her waist. Vesper waited until she sat down to pull on her boots before he climbed in.

Healer back?

Yeah, Daniel’s back.

There were a lot more cadets in the dorm today; they must have come back early, while she was still asleep. She walked past open doors as boys, returning from their summer, were starting to put away their belongings. They didn’t pay her much mind, and she didn’t really care. She stepped out into the compound where the sun was already high in the eastern sky, and it was nearly noon. There was quite a bit of commotion as a few more carriages were arriving, she must have slept through all the noise. It marked the end of a long, drawn out, summer.

A tall awkward blond-haired boy stepping out of the main office and Kile could have sworn Daniel grew another couple of inches. His head seamed to bobble above the others as they pushed past him to report in. When he spotted Kile, a large, crooked grin stretched a crossed his face.

There you are, he called out as he stepped from the crowd. He looked so different in his civilian clothes, he looked almost normal. Carter was right behind him and where Daniel had grown up, Carter grew out. He appeared a lot broader than he did before he left.

Why are you back so soon? she asked. Not that I’m complaining mind you.

There was a caravan passing through Procton, heading in this direction so we figured we’d cut our summer short, Daniel said.

Really it was Carter who wanted to come back early, Alex added. He missed his sparring matches with you.

I said no such thing, Carter snapped, and he turned a rather deep shade of red.

Daniel picked up a sack, which was outside the office door, and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up another one and dragged it behind.

What’s all this? Kile asked.

When he left, he only took the one small bag.

Mother thought I needed a few more things for the next two years, he said with a shy grin.

Kile looked around at the other boys taking their own luggage to their own rooms and realized there was quite a bit more going in than what came out. It seemed more mothers thought the same way as Daniel’s did. It made sense really; nobody knew who was going to be accepted into the Academy last year, until they were accepted. Now they knew they had two more years to go, cadets were bringing more stuff from home to make those years a little easier.

She followed Daniel back to his room and watched him unpack.

So, how was Procton? Change much in a year’s time? she asked as she took the seat by the door.

Not really, Daniel said. I did go back to Quigley, but he’s already got himself another assistant, I figured he would, so he didn’t really need my help, although I did show him a few of the things I learned here. Mostly I helped my folks out the best I could and hung out with Alex. We did get in a little fishing. Carter joined us a few times when he wasn’t helping his father at the forge. All in all, it was pretty boring.

What did you expect? You were only gone for a year.

Yeah… I know, but it was… kind of weird too.

What do you mean?

I just didn’t feel like I belonged there anymore. I guess in many ways I don’t. If I survive my time here at the Academy, the guild will send me to who knows where, and that’s where I’ll be station, that will be my new home. Procton will just be another town.

I doubt that. Procton will always be the place where you grew up, it’s the place where your parents are, the place where you friends are, it will always be your home.

Yeah. I guess. Daniel opened his second back and started pulling out even more clothes. Do you still think of Riverport as your home?

Yeah, of course I do, she lied.

She never thought of Riverport as her home when she was living there, why would she start thinking of it as her home now?

Oh, I have something for you. Rummaging deeper into the pack, he pulled out a small, wrapped parcel and handed it to her.

What’s this? she asked. Was this another custom she was unfamiliar with, like winter’s feast?

It’s a sweater, for the cold nights. Mom made it.

For me?

She never met Daniel’s mother, why would the woman spend so much time on her?

I kind of mentioned you to her when I got home.

Mentioned? Alex laughed from the doorway. Kile never heard him come in and almost fell off her chair when he started talking. He was getting good at sneaking up on people. He didn’t stop talking about you the whole time we were home.

Daniel slammed the door in his face.

It wasn’t like that, he said, a little red faced as he went back to his unpacking. It’s just that mom was really interested in the only female cadet at the Academy. She also said if you didn’t want to go all the way back to Riverport during our next leave, you’re more than welcome in Procton.

Kile held the parcel close to her chest and suddenly missed her own mother. It’s not like she didn’t want to go back to Riverport, she couldn’t go back to Riverport, her father made it quite clear. She was no longer welcome back home; it’s quite possible she didn’t have a home to go back to.

Kile Okay?

Yeah, I’m okay, she said, but unlike Daniel, Vesper was able to see through her lies. He poked his head out of the pouch and looked up at her. Sort of okay. She corrected herself.

I’m sorry, did you say something? Daniel asked.

It’s all right. I was talking to Vesper.

There was a look of bewilderment on Daniel’s face, and she realize, he still had a hard time believing she could communicate with the yarrow, sometimes she had a hard time believing it herself.

So, what did you get up to while we were gone? Daniel asked.

Walking the compound in the dead of night, carrying on conversations with the guard dogs, and killing rabbits for no reason.

I got a bit of reading done, she said as she opened the parcel. Inside was a green hand-knitted sweater. It was beautifully made. She stood up and held it against herself while looking in the mirror. It was almost made to fit. How did your mother know what size I was?

Oh, you know. She must have guessed.

She guessed? She’s a good guesser. Kile folded the sweater and set it on the chair. She then stared at the back of Daniel’s head until he turned around.

She might have gotten… a little help, he said sheepishly.

From whom? She asked, as if she didn’t already know.

Alex kind of—

I’ll kill him.

Now, Kile…

I warned him, now I’ll kill him.

My mom wanted to see what you looked like, that’s all, and… well… Alex created you once—

Alex had nothing to do with creating me.

Sorry. I meant to say he created an illusion of you once.

Better, she said. It’s just a little… creepy if you know what I mean.

Daniel laughed. Yeah, especially with Alex doing it.

Somehow, she didn’t want to know the exact meaning of that laughter.

His illusions, you can’t… touch them… can you? That would have really creeped her out.

Not that I’m aware of.

Not a very reassuring answer.

I heard the new cadets should be arriving next week, Daniel said, changing the subject. It’s going to be odd watching from the other side of the fence.

It’s hard to believe we made it through the first year. I wonder if there will be any girls in this year’s group.

Kile wasn’t sure if she wanted to see another girl at the Academy. She wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through the same things she had to go through. On the other hand, if two girls passed the entry examination, then it wouldn’t be so bad, of course Boraro would have a fit. Who knows, he might even go as far as to quit, and that would be fine by her.

I doubt it. Daniel said, breaking into her little fantasy. It took her a moment to remember what he doubted.

You never know, there might be another girl among them.

Think about it. All the cadets knew about you when you arrived last year. I’m sure if there was a girl in the next group coming up, we would have known already.

Maybe their third-years were better at gathering information than our third-years.

Maybe, but again, I doubt it. Daniel said. Anyway, it looks as if they’re going to need as many Hunters as they can get.

What do you mean?

He quickly looked around the room, as if they wouldn’t have noticed someone else in there with them. When he was sure they were alone he sat on the end of the bed and leaned toward her.

Well, for starters, Carter told me, his father told him, there was an accident at the Blackmoore prison last year, and some of the inmates may have gotten free, and that’s why the Hunters have gathered, to discuss the so-called accident, but if you ask me, I think it has more to do with the pirates.

Pirates? It seemed a little cliché, but it wasn’t that farfetched. Even in Riverport they heard stories of pirates on the southern seas. Of course, they were only stories and no one, to her knowledge, which was limited in this matter, had seen a pirate in over a decade.

My father was telling me there was some trouble on the southern coastline. A few cargo ships have gone missing. Some are saying there’s a serpent in the Sun Colored Sea, but he thinks it might be pirates. From what he says, three cargo ships have gone missing since the spring thaw. Two coming from the southern continents, and one going. That’s why I think the Hunters are gathered.

Not quite. Kile said. From what I’ve heard, the topics of conversation were the uhyre raids on the western boarders. Of course, she wasn’t going to say where she got her information from.

Uhyre raids… what are the uhyre?

The valrik and gulrik? You know, the little ugly gray guys with the large swords.

But the valrik were wiped out. What little still exist wouldn’t amount to much.

Well, I guess nobody told them, because they’ve already attacked a few of the outer posts. I wonder if the events are related in some way.

What? You think the valrik, the disappearing cargo ships and the accident at the Blackmore prison are all connected? Seems a bit of a stretch.

Maybe, Kile thought, but it was rather suspicious.

Chapter 4

Daniel’s information proved to be less than accurate, but then it wouldn’t have been the first time. The caravans, with the new recruits, were scheduled to arrive tomorrow evening as opposed to next week. That morning, all the cadets were required to pick up their new uniforms from the quartermaster and turn in their old ones. They moved from the dull browns to the dull greens. It wasn’t much of a change, but it was one step closer to becoming a Hunter.

As Kile was returning with her new uniforms, she noticed Kaza sitting on her windowsill, tapping on her shutters trying to get her attention. Since she wasn’t in her room, his enthusiastic tapping was getting him nowhere. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to acknowledge the bird or not. She hadn’t seen Morgan since that day with the rabbit, and although she never blamed Kaza for what happened, she still wasn’t sure about the mystic.

Alex pointed at the crow and laughed. Looks like Kile’s got a visitor.

Probably after some bugs or something, Daniel said.

She wasn’t sure if she liked the implication there were bugs on her windowsill, but it was better than trying to explain the crow came to speak to her.

So, who’s up for some sparring this afternoon? Carter asked.

Reviews for Hunter's Academy

[Nic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story dragged a bit, and wasn't as engaging as the first, but I enjoyed reading the continuation of Kile's adventures. She came off as a bit martyrish in this outing, which I found annoying, but I'm still motivated to read the next book in the series. As in the first book, there are grammatical and other errors galore. The author would have been better served having some sort of editing done, but you can still generally understand what he was trying to say.