Hunters - Saying Goodbye. Chp 8.

Saying Goodbye

Under Construction

The Hunters rose early well before the cold rays of first light, well before the rest of the village had awoken. Only Rowan was there to see them off, he had business to attend to. Farewelling them with the traditional Highlander way, in a gripping bear hug, Rowan backed away and waved a final time.

‘See you when the sun rises before dawn. Now let’s hope we don’t have to cross a floodplain’, shouted Piero as the horses began to canter out of the village. Rowan was now too far away to reply. Piero, Barros and Abner rode north with the latter clinging to his father. The air became warmer as the day went on, and towards midday the mountains began to slope downwards.

Beyond the horizon and rapidly approaching were the grassy plains of Renor, which would be covered in snow at this time of year. They opened onto the sweeping steppes of Tyrain. It was here that the Hunters would go further north to Bulldrag Lake and find Malvrok’s exiled camp.

They expected little trouble from the Renori plainspeople and they expected even less from the farm folk and outlying villages of the peace capital of the world, Tyrain. The mountains soon disappeared into the distance like a person in the fog as the Hunters travelled further north. Soon the predominate feature of the landscape was the winding grasses that were nearly as high as Abner was long.

The horses ran through the clearing a path in the snowy grass unhindered or phased. Every way that Barros looked he saw no sign of civilization or any living thing save for an eagle which rode the thermals out of sight. Now and again a snow covered tree would spurt out of the grass like a weed, and then vanish again. It was a boring trip through this uninhabited harsh environment. Hopefully one day it would be populated and full of life.

Several days and hundreds of kilometres passed when the Hunters reached the Tyrain – Renori border. Gone were the long snowy grasses of the plains, and what replaced them where small hills and small pocketed lakes throughout. Tyrain was a place of majestic beauty. The lakes where linked by the roaring Bulldrag River. If the Hunters took a boat, their horses would be left stranded to fend for themselves, and a Hunter didn’t do much hunting on foot.

Bulldrag Lake was at the centre of the chain of lakes that were fed by the Bulldrag River and the Hunters still needed to travel further north. The Hunters spend another day traversing the lakes and hills until they came across Bulldrag Lake. The others were tiny in comparison and a small trail of smoke emerged from behind a throng of trees. The trees backed onto the lake and hardwood of a large fortified encampment was visible.
Fishermen were on the lake in small boats fishing for their camp, which was more like a town. Staying deep inside the tree line the Hunters made their way for the front gate following the dirt path that Malvrok’s people had created. The gate was lined with guards when the Hunters approached. Dinted but shiny chest plates were a common sight among the guards that stood motionless on the walls, warily watching the Hunters slow approach. Malvrok had trained his people well; however their equipment was a downfall. Something Malvrok would be sure to fix in the near future. It was all about money.

The guard wearing a full face helmet directly above the gate raised his hand and called for the Hunters to halt. ‘What is your business here and who are you!’ he shouted.

Barros turned to Piero rolling his eyes. ‘How rude are these people. No common courtesy these days’. Piero’s reply was to let out a quick sharp laugh. Turning to the guards on the ramparts he spoke with a loud, commanding and persuasive voice.

‘Barros Toldar and Piero Raldfast, the West Anacore Huntrey is our home. On strict business here to see Malvrok. We’ve got a package for him’.

‘Can we see this so called package’, called back the guard.

Piero lifted his hand at Barros who raised Abner level with his face. The guard look taken back but held his tight frown. ‘Open the gate’, he ordered.

The Hunters nudged forward their horses with their knees. The gate was large enough for them to easily pass underneath without dismounting. What Malvrok had gotten his people to do in such a short time was outstanding. Houses made of hardened mortar lined the streets their grey outer layers absorbing the sun’s rays.

Side streets split off trailing some into the forest towards other gates. Malvrok lived in the same conditions as the rest of his people in a small mortared hut that housed him. An escort of eight guards accompanied the Hunters screening them, two in front, two behind and two on either side.

Malvrok’s people gathered and families assembled under the little shelter that the lip of the roof provided. Visitors were a strange sight in this camp and everyone was anxious to find out about any new possible additions. Each and every new addition had to be seen by Malvrok. The first two guards paused in front of a heavy wooden door and the one on the left raised his hand. He rapped on it four times varying the time between the knocks.

A low male voice emerged from behind it. ‘Enter’, he said.

The Hunters entered the building and found it dim lit by several burning candles strategically placed in order to give the most light. A large desk was the centrepiece of the one and only room. Malvrok sat at the desk his head down, a quill in his right hand scratching away at the parchment. In the five years since Barros had last seen him, he hadn’t changed a bit.

Malvrok heard the footsteps and looked up from his work. A huge grin broke across his unmarked and clean face. He stood so fast that his chair fell backwards. He stood almost the same height as Barros, but was slightly skinner. His movements were fluid and he moved gracefully. Malvrok was one of the best swordsmen the world had ever seen, part of the reason why he had vanished to his exiled camp. He was ten years Barros’s junior and looked the part.

Malvrok had a flat nose, broken in a swordfight with an Alilletian he had quarrelled with recently. His hair was kept very close to his skull and he looked like a man not to mess with. Malvrok swept Barros into a heavy embrace; and stood back.

‘What brings you to my humble home brother?’ he enquired.

‘I have both a gift and a curse for you. I hope you’ll take care of it for me until I return for it’, said Barros. Malvrok raised his eyes. ‘I need you to look after my son, until he’s at least fifteen. You know why’.

‘I understand completely brother. Pamela my betrothed cannot bear a child. We’ll gladly take him as our own’, said Malvrok pausing, thinking. Barros could almost see him putting two and two together. ‘I know he is a gift being your son, my nephew, but how can his life be a curse?’

‘Do you not know who the boy’s mother is’, Piero asked from behind Barros. ‘For some fucked up reason, Barros went and had a child with her which now is before you here’, he said placing Abner on the table. ‘The mother was the Countess of Rhorn, Sophia’.

‘No fucking way!’ shouted Malvrok angrily. ‘You filthy hypocrite going back on your first rule. Never get involved with a Vampire, what a load of shit. Now it makes me wonder whether everything else you and father told me was worth listening to!’

‘Mal, you have every right to be angry - ’, started Barros.

‘Angry! This isn’t even the fucking start of how angry I am’, yelled Malvrok. Suddenly the door burst open and two guards came charging in with swords drawn, thinking Malvrok was in danger. They took in the situation, Malvrok in Barros’s face looking like a madman, Piero ready to lunge at Malvrok if he did anything drastic. Malvrok saw the guards, raised a hand and dismissed them.

‘Now back to what I was saying before. Ah yes. Look what happened the last time I followed your advice. Leave no witnesses you said. It wound me up here in this hole. Sure it’s grown on me now, but when I first escaped from the Renori, my life was lost. And I have you to thank brother’.

‘Shut it Mal’, said Barros. ‘Your mistakes were your own. I didn’t let you get captured by the Renori. Look, all I’m asking for is for you to take Abner for the time being. I’ll come and get him when he is ready’.

‘Yeah and what do I get, aside from the pleasure of keeping him. Nothing!’ yelled Malvrok.

‘Look’, said Barros gently clasping Malvrok by the shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes. ‘What I want you to do, need you to do is to raise him, properly in a safe, but a place that he can learn well in. You will train him, and you will be known as the man who trained the most fabled Hunter in all of history. Can you do this for me little brother?’

Malvrok’s chin rose and his eyes flashed proudly. He opened his mouth to speak but Barros silenced him immediately. ‘Take care of him brother. Take care of him’, he said.

With a turn of his heel Barros walked out the door with Piero right behind them their short cloaks flinging from side to side. Barros never saw his little brother again.