Ch. 36: Hunter's Trial

As Sophi sailed out of sight, Strubin picked up Arius and slung him over his shoulder despite my brother’s hissed protests. Then he crawled up the tree with surprising speed and was soon out of view. Kirune, Maceren and I looked at each other warily before the tall Black Mane let out a low chuckle.

“Shall we follow them?”

Kirune shuffled his feet nervously. “Erm… I’m not the best with heights.”

“Neither am I.” I added softly, twitching my ears. “I’ve had enough with them for one day.”

Maceren’s gaze drifted between us for a moment, a smirk crossing his face. “I suppose you’ll have to stick with me.” He whipped around and dashed off, leaving us to follow him through the dense overgrowth.

As we ran, branches and leaves whipped our faces, leaving scratches and pollen etched on my nose. I sneezed a few times, then ducked under a fallen tree and swerved around a thick trunk. When I looked back up I could barely see Kirune’s blue fur against the backdrop of green. Maceren was nowhere to be seen, but I had a feeling he wasn’t far ahead.

Suddenly the dense foliage opened up into a small clearing, and I found we were back where we had initially started. Far off in the distance, the Hycross sat languidly in the grass, its head draped over its wing as it slept.

Off to my side Maceren emerged from the trees, his form intimidating amidst the small group of young aetyrim. Kirune was right behind him.

The Black Mane looked around. “Where are your friends, blue one?”

Kirune sniffed the air, eyes wide. He pointed to the canopy above us, and as if on cue three forms landed from the sky. Sophi alighted beside him gingerly while Strubin plummeted to the ground, sending debris flying around his feet. He smiled sheepishly as he put down Arius.

Sophi cocked her head, glancing at us. “Why didn’t you join us?” She pouted.

Kirune and I looked at each other. “It’s not our thing.”

“Shall we get moving?” Maceren asked, cutting us off. “We’re wasting daylight.”

We nodded and started towards the Hycross, but suddenly we heard a loud voice.

“Stop right there!”

Before we could take another step, suddenly a large form rose up out of the ground with a deep rumble. It was a massive serpent, made entirely of mud and stone. Gravel and moss dripped from it as it loomed over us, casting a long shadow across the earth. Two eyes made of bronze boulders shone within its depths, and it opened its maw to hiss, revealing jagged peaks lining a long mud-coated tongue.

Arius tried to scamper towards the monster, but his bondage to Strubin held him back. He scrabbled at the ground as he hissed at his makeshift jailer. “Let me go!” He growled, withdrawing his poison blade. “I’ll kill it before it stops us.”

Maceren held up his paw. “Wait. The creature means no harm.” He glanced over at Sophi, who was staring on in amazement, but somehow it seemed like she had encountered the creature before.

“Phofynn!” She called. “It’s just me! No need to send out your golem to attack us.”

The serpent paused, then with a low rumble sank back into the earth. Above where it disappeared, three forms leaped down from the trees, landing nimbly in front of us. They were clad in hunter’s clothes, green cloaks with leather straps and short scarves. Instantly I recognized the three figures. They were some of the aetyrim who had come from Xy’Kiln with Zerhea.

The leader, a heavyset tan aetyr with golden eyes, brushed his hair back and sniffed intently. “Where have you been, Sophi?” He twitched his nose when he spotted us. “Who are these aetyrim, and why are they on our hunting grounds? Someone from the Capital would’ve let us know if we had more joining us.”

Sophi laughed. “Nosim, don’t you remember? They conducted your Assessment Ceremony and came with us from Xy’Kiln.” She waved her hand to us. “It’s Aven, Arius, Strubin, Kirune, and… uh…” She grinned sheepishly when she got to Maceren. “Well, you haven’t met him yet. But he’s happy to meet you!”

“Indeed I am.” Maceren bowed, staring up at Nosim through slitted eyes. “Greetings, Hunter. I am Maceren.”

Nosim sniffed him warily. “Hm.” He nodded to the two aetyrim with him, both of which were female. One was dark tan with blue eyes and the other was teal and brown with seafoam eyes. “These are Phofynn and Imal, my mate-to-be and my sister. We are Hunters training in the Wild to bring back bounty for The Capital. Sophi was training with us after we were chosen to be the newest band of Hunters.”

For all this time, I was quiet. When Nosim paused, I took the opportunity to speak. “I never knew you were chosen to be a hunter, Nosim. Not to demean you, but you and the aetyrim with you are relatively new. Who’s your superior? We need to talk to them.”

Imal beside him cocked her head. “Sophi is training us. She was appointed by Huntsman Luxyll, a Black Mane from Portsbruk. He knew she had been a hunter far longer than the rest of us-”

“-Only for a season,” Sophi murmured in confusion.

“-And so wanted her to learn leadership,” Imal finished, giving her a stare. “Talk to her. She’s in charge.”

I looked over at Sophi and she grinned. I smiled sheepishly. “In that case, Sophi, is it okay if you come with us?”

She laughed. “I already told you I was coming, silly!”

Nosim raised an eyebrow. “Hold on. Where are you going, and why do you need her?”

“We were sent by Prince Illesior to accompany Maceren and Aven to the West,” Kirune replied, sweating. “What? Is she required to stay here?”

Phofynn furrowed her brow. “...Luxyll commanded her to stay here. You’d have to bring it up with him.”

Suddenly I heard a low growl from behind me. “The Prince told us to take her,” Arius snapped, dragging Strubin forward with him to face the three Hunters. “His word is above this so-called ‘Huntsman’. If you’re so worried, go whine about it to him.”

“We’re only following royal orders,” Strubin rumbled.

Nosim shot a look between us. Strubin and Arius were standing menacingly, Kirune looked resolute, Maceren was gazing on with a sly smirk, and I fixed him with a dead-set look that belied the fear just beneath the surface: Fear that they would somehow keep the fiery aetyr from coming with us. Only Sophi seemed unaware of the tension between our two groups.

Finally Nosim let out a growl. “...Fine. But we’ll be sure to report this to Huntsman Luxyll. He’ll have a talk with the Prince personally.” Beside him, Phofynn and Imal nodded in agreement.

I felt a shiver of both relief and underlying dread run down my spine. I was glad that he was intimidated by our group, but at the same time his attitude was unnerving. When I had first met Nosim, he was happy-go-lucky and overall a very friendly person. Now he was stern and intimidating. Even his heavy-set form, once body fat, was obviously now steely, burly muscle.

If this was what being a Hunter was like, then why was Sophi the same outgoing aetyr? She hadn’t changed- for the worse, at least.

“You’d best be leaving now,” Imal interrupted my thoughts, stepping forward with a menacing sneer. “The more aetyrim are in the wild like this, the more likely you’ll be caught by a monster.”

“T-thank you,” Kirune stammered, dipping his head hastily. “We appreciate your compliance.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t have let her go if it wasn’t for your dear friend here,” Imal replied, shooting Maceren a dark look. “Black Manes always think they’re in the right. That’s the problem with them- always conflicting, never straightforward.”

Maceren raised an eyebrow as he stalked past her. “I beg your pardon, Hunter? I believe I was very straightforward with my needs.”

Imal only snorted in reply. “First the Prince wants Emberiss to stay with us under Luxyll’s orders, then he wants her to leave. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you in the Capital walls, either.”

Phofynn suddenly stepped forward, blocking our path. “How do we know this isn’t some elaborate plan to get Sophi out of the wilds? We need the Prince’s word.”

Everyone in our group gave a collective groan. I pushed forward to face the three opposing Hunters. “I have no idea if Sophi has told you, but I am the Prince’s confidant,” I stated. “And as his confidant, he sent me out specifically to bring everyone you see here with me to journey to the West. I cannot disclose why we are on this quest due to his wishes, but I can tell you that if you hinder us on our way then he will punish you accordingly.” I looked over each of them. “Any other questions?”

“We asked for his word,” Phofynn snarled. “Not yours. Sophi never said you were his confidant before, and you are far too young to be one. In fact you’re too young to even be in the Capital. We need proof.”

“And I have proof.” I reached into my cloak and pulled out an object. Instantly their eyes widened.

“The Darkdawn Insignia?” Phofynn and Imal stepped forward to get a better look at what I was holding while Nosim hung back, watching through dubious eyes.

I was holding the golden bracelet that Illesior had given me back when he had disguised me as his slave. It must have had more worth than I realized, however, because rather than looking on in disdain, the Hunters were staring in awe and reverence.

“It’s pure gold,” Imal murmured. “And the rose is carved from ruby. How did you receive this?”

“The Prince gave it to me to mark me as his,” I replied, sliding it on my arm. “Now you know we speak the truth. Maceren and I are the leaders of this group.”

Nosim finally cleared his throat, his voice low. “Let them go. They’ve proven themselves.” He nodded to Sophi. “I hope to see you again, Emberiss. Safe travels, and bring us tales of your adventures beyond the God’s Headrest.”

“You too, Nosim!” Sophi purred, still seeming unaware of the tensions between us. She nudged his shoulder playfully as we walked past them. “Stay safe!”

“You as well,” Imal called.

Our group passed between them, and as we headed for the other side of the clearing I dared to look back. The Hunters were still watching through dark eyes, gleaming with anticipation. Maybe they were watching to make sure we left their woods before they returned to hunting or to report to Luxyll.

We reached the Hycross and started climbing onto its back while it slept. Suddenly I came face-to-face with Zerhea. She was alert, ready for action, and helped steady me when I nearly collided with her.

“Sorry, Zerhea.” I apologized, brushing myself off while the others got settled.

She nodded briskly. “I saw everything that transpired.”

I was confused. “Why didn’t you try to corroborate our claims, then?”

“I knew you could convince them.” She replied simply. “If it had come down to violence I knew you could fight them off. Hunters are stronger than most White Manes, but you and Maceren are stronger still.”

“What about the others?” I asked in a low voice. “Aren’t they strong?”

“Arius is weary and Strubin does not have the magic sufficient to fend off three Hunters at once, only brute strength.” Zerhea replied. “And Kirune is inexperienced. He is still in early training. K’Heali does not work his students hard like Hunters do.”

As I processed her reply, she added under her breath, “And I am not one to barge into a conversation that I am not needed in. I was wrong to help you at the Palace gates when Reika and Karei were taunting you. Given enough time, you would’ve achieved the same results I had, if not more. I do not want people to rely on my presence. They must find that power for themselves.”

“I still appreciate that you helped me,” I replied. “It’s not about whether or not I can do it on my own. It’s about if you care enough to help.”

Zerhea was quiet after that.