Night of the Hunter

Escape

“What do you think will happen to you?” The question seemed to hang in the silence that followed. Darya and the other younglings exchanged glances. This Kaitlynn woman had a point, the only thing that mattered to the Sultan was that you either were of the Free Races or you weren’t. Only the United Council and the Hunter’s Guild kept her narrowly on the side of the laws set down for ‘monitoring’ the Aether-Touched. The woman was not above g******e. She feared the Aether and what those who were of it- or could channel it- could do.

“We aren’t safe here, are we?” Darya finally broke the silence.

“Truthfully? Nowhere will be safe in the coming days, really, but Sirdin least of them all. I refuse to leave a youngling to the fate our people will face here. There are places I could bring you to where you could hide, but I would not pretend to guarantee you they would not be found.” Kaitlynn shrugged.

“Coming with us will be meeting with danger head on, in the heart of the battle ahead. However, you would also have the protection and guidance of two, powerful, trained Aether-Touched of royal blood- not to be braggadocious, but a simple statement of fact. What it comes down to is whether or not you still trust me enough to follow.” Gabe said gently, beginning once more to putter around the shop.

“I know you don’t like it, Dary,” Evie added quietly, taking her friend by the hand. “But… But I think this is the best choice we have, for us and all the little ones like Lexi. And- and if revolution is inevitable, I’d rather be a part of it than to die without a fight. I- I understand if you don’t feel the same way, but we’ve been together since we were toddlers. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have my back now.”

Dorian and Tholen stared at Evie in surprise. She was normally the quietest of them all and abhorred violence, acting as a gentle surrogate mother to her friends at times. It was utterly shocking that she had made the pledge to the royal house of Aardein to begin with. That she was even going so far as to advocate it to Darya was dumbfounding to the pair. Tholen recovered first, however, and nodded emphatically at Darya while elbowing Dorian’s arm.

Grey eyes widened and his mouth formed an ‘o’ before he quickly schooled his face into, he hoped, an encouraging smile. “Yes! We want you with us if you’re willing to take this chance alongside us.”

Darya twisted a strand of hair anxiously around a finger of her free hand and breathed deeply, “What exactly is this ‘chance’? What would I be getting myself into? What would this mean for Alexei? He’s already lost our mother and never knew our father; I won’t abandon him too.”

“Now those are precisely the questions I would ask in your shoes. You possess a shrewd mind. It is something I can certainly appreciate.” Kaitlynn nodded, resting back on one hand and sipping her tea.

“To first answer the question I’m sure you find the most important: Alexei would remain with us under my personal guard. It is, without a doubt, the safest place the boy could be and I would give my life before I saw him harmed.”

“Why?” The duskling asked, clearly dubious of that kind of conviction regarding an unknown person- toddler or not.

“Because anyone who would harm one so small and defenseless deserves anything I can and would do to them.” Fire seemed to spark in the older female’s determined expression and her dark, cold tone sent chills down the spines of the four teenagers. She received a meek nod of acknowledgment from Darya.

“As for what you are getting into, that depends on what you are willing to do,” Kaitlynn continued airily, as if the previous moments had never happened. “Generally, you will be in the direct sights of the royal guard of every kingdom or empire we pass through, and the Hunter’s Guild itself, just for traveling by my side. I won’t lie to you, and I hold no illusion that I won’t make enough waves to remain hidden until my task is complete.”

“So, what is your task, Lady Aardein?” Dorian asked with curiosity, head tilted slightly.

“It is time for the Great Hunt, and I am to facilitate that.” She replied simply.

Gabe choked on the snack he had just picked up for himself, before quickly regaining his composure. He didn’t say anything, but cast a glance toward the seated group before changing around a few of the items he had begun packing into a small belt pouch. Tholen met his eye questioningly, but Gabe only shook his head and gestured to Kaitlynn. Somewhat reluctantly, he turned away from the older male and back to the conversation.

“Gweat Humt?” Alexei looked up at Kaitlynn from where his head rested on her shoulder.

“Yes, little one. The Great Hunt. Have you heard the story before?” She asked him.

“No.” He answered, perking up.

“None of us have. What is that? Should we have heard of it?” Tholen looked between the pair of adults for an answer.

Gabe had just opened his mouth to reply when a wave of almost electric energy washed over his shop. The air tingled as if lightning had struck and a floral perfume seemed to float in its wake. Subconsciously, a smile slowly spread over his features as he stopped and took a slow deep breath. The feeling of the Aether flowing around him for the first time in an age was nearly intoxicating. However, the realization of what was happening sank in all too soon. Even the younglings’ expressions of wonder morphed to confusion, and then fear.

“It would seem, dear ones, that story time will have to wait.” Kaitlynn spoke evenly and calmly rose from her place on the floor with Alexei on her hip. She looked almost angelic in the aftermath of the pulse, her skin seeming to glow faintly, cheeks softly flushed peach, and her eyes brighter and sharper.

She turned to Tholen and Dorian, “How well do you know the catacombs below the city? I assume that’s where that trap door goes, at any rate.”

“We were practically raised in them.” Dorian stated eagerly.

“What do you need us to do?” Tholen jumped up and pulled his friend to his feet.

“Find the fastest route to the outside of the Western wall of the city, preferably also the farthest from any well known entrances to the tunnels you can manage. We need to make sure it’s clear and the two of you are less likely to draw attention than if all of us go now. Be sure to tell any you meet to leave the city as quickly and discreetly as they can. We don’t have long, I’m afraid.”

“On it. Let’s go, Dorian. I think we should check along the route toward the temple first.” He added to the other boy as he opened the trapdoor to descend the ladder.

Evie was getting up, as well, and moving towards a notch in the alcove wall. “Most of our things are here, already packed up just in case. Mr. Tahdol- I mean, Mr. Gabe has us store it this way just in case.”

“What do we do here until they come back? I trust you enough to follow you out of here, at least.” Darya shot at Gabe once she had begun to help Evie open the hidden compartment. “I’ve never heard of the Aether surging like this, just… being. Accessing it has always taken effort.”

“Now it’s just here. It’s so strange, isn’t it Dary?” Evie breathed. “It’s like it’s effortless! I could just-“

“We pack up and barricade the store, then we wait down below— Evangeline, not here. At least, not right now. I understand the temptation, but we need to avoid drawing attention within the city walls. You can test your abilities, and the new extent of them, once we’re safely at our next destination.” Gabe replied as he pointedly placed a last tome from his desk into the strange little belt pouch in his hand.

“Good to see that the bag is still in tact and functional after all these years.” Kaitlynn nodded in approval, swaying gently with Lexi. “Younglings, you may pass any belongings that may be less ‘necessary’ or that are heavier to Gabrethail. You’ll want your personal packs as light as possible.”

“But, how-??” Evie marveled passing a cloth bundle to Gabe and watching as he placed it into the pouch less than half its size with ease.

“It has limits, but these bags were issued to all entering the knighthood, and to cavalry and foot soldiers on tour, to keep travel light without sacrificing supplies. It’s made to be larger inside using the Aether to manipulate dimensional physics and mass.” He explained, tying the pouch to his belt loop. “I can’t place living creatures inside because there is no air, and trying to store water is a good way to make a mess. Not to mention misplaced or forgotten rations can cause rather… smelly predicaments.”

“I can only imagine.” Darya shook her head. “I hope the guys are managing alright.”

Tholen pressed himself against the damp stone wall, scarcely daring to breathe, and focused on blending with the shadows. His green skinned friend had slipped into the water that separated the two walking paths on either side of the tunnel only moments before. Faint voices near the junction ahead had alerted the pair that they weren’t alone any longer and with the ability to breathe submerged in the ink-dark waters (which also inhibited others from sensing the Aether he used to blend in), it was up to Dorian to investigate. It was safer, but not foolproof. If it were a patrol of the Sultan’s guard, or a small party of other Aether-Touched, he would likely be fine. A seasoned team from the Hunter’s Guild, on the other hand, and there was a real danger for the both of them.

He didn’t like sending his Aquani friend ahead to the unknown whispers. Waiting for Dorian to scout potential danger alone had always made him uncomfortable, no matter how many times they’d done similar maneuvers. Still, he held his position and didn’t dare follow without a signal yet. They had agreed upon ten minutes, so ten minutes he would wait. They had a job to do and Tholen refused to let his own anxieties muck it up.

Nine minutes and forty-seven seconds had elapsed when Dorian’s head broke the surface of the water nearby, though no farther than the bridge of his nose. Carefully, he lifted one webbed hand above the water and signed for Tholen to move back to a small footbridge at the previous junction and cross over to the path they had just come down. A brief flash of pale hair in the darkness told him he had been understood before all signs of Tholen blended away again. He smiled to himself and slipped beneath the flowing stream once more.

In this darkness, his inability to see clearly didn’t matter. Dorian sensed every vibration in the water as it passed over his face and neck, and he could feel the eddies against the cracked stone walls on either side of him, marking his boundaries. Here he was at home. In fact, he was somewhat loathe to return to the surface when he reached his destination to regroup with Tholen, but he did all the same.

“A full patrol of the Sultan’s guards. Maybe five or six of them? I think they had a Guild initiate with them. They were talking about a summons to go back for more orders. I think it has something to do with those weird pendants from the other technomancer shops that Gabe was telling us about a few months ago. They’re some kind of communications device, just like he thought.” Dorian whispered as Tholen crouched on the edge of the walkway.

“Okay, so then let’s head North here for maybe two intersections? Then west for the last three. It should be clear this way and then we’ll be able to collect the others back at the shop.” Tholen straightened.

“I just hope it stays clear once we have everyone. I have a bad feeling about those new orders. I’m glad we stopped at the encampment and told them to clear out.” Dorian nodded, rubbing anxiously at the decorative line of blue fin on his neck. “I’m going to stay down here just in case. If they don’t pull all the guards out, then it’ll be easier to scout if I’m already in the waterway.”

The Duskling gave a soft grunt of agreement as he slipped back into the deepest shadows near the wall. Kaitlynn had been wise to send them ahead. Normally the catacombs were quiet with few guards, but they had already avoided two patrols where they often would see none. He made a mental note to send the others at the encampment this direction on the way back if it remained safe. A decision he would find himself proud of in the very near future.

WHAM! The door to Tahndol’s Technomancy rattled on its hinges as Gabe shut and barricaded the door to the catacombs behind him. Looking over his shoulder to the stone floor below, he saw Kaitlynn pass Alexei to Darya and place a finger over her lips, herding the three younglings toward the entrance to the tunnels proper. Once he was certain they were clear, he stepped out away from the ladder and simply dropped the twenty feet to the ground below to land softly on a cushion of collected darkness. This earned him a pair of soft, but sharply inhaled, breaths from Darya and Evie and an eye roll from Kaitlynn. He shrugged just as their attention was pulled from him, to the floor above their heads as it shuddered and rained dust on to their heads while a muffled, heavy thudding echoed. Shouting followed soon after, and the sounds of heavy footfalls and toppling shelves began to make the teenage younglings wince.

“What is going on up there?” Dorian appeared, wading out of the nearby waterway into the small nook set just off the tunnel.

Tholen came around the corner a half second later, “We found a good path and I tried to send those at the camp ahead of us. We should miss the guards if we’re quick enough.”

Another, louder thud overhead sent more dust raining down. Tholen’s head jerked upwards, “Wha-“

Evie’s hand clamped over his mouth and she whispered hurridly, “Captain Hila. Now move. Get us out of here.”

“Evangeline is right. We’ll explain later.” Kaitlynn gave the finned female a gentle shove towards the water and made a ‘shooing’ motion at the others. “The Voorhavit will fare best in the water and move more quietly ahead if needed. You little Duumhavit stay close to the wall and to Gabe. I’ll bring up the rear. Lead on.”

As if to emphasize her point, the door over head began to rattle as if it were being pulled on. Gabe didn’t look back, “Go!”

They had followed along the path for little more than an hour, and by Tholen’s estimate they were closing in on the Aether-Touched encampment. That was their halfway marker, and a place to pick up any stragglers. Kaitlynn was pleased with the progress thus far, but still kept a careful ear out for the tell-tale clinking of armor. She would relax only once they had reached the spring hidden in the heart of the jungle. In particular, she had to ensure her guard did not drop too soon for the sake of the young ones now under the protection of both Gabe and herself.

Smoke and the scent of burning cloth reached her nose only moments before the screams and the clang of metal found her ears. Seven bodies froze in their tracks, all reaching the same conclusion nearly instantly. The camp was being ‘cleared out’ by force, and the Aether-Touched who lived there were not going quietly. Kaitlynn moved the forty or so paces up to the others and carefully drew their attention.

“You three sneak around the outside, beyond the firelight, and be ready. You’ll need to direct our people to the outlet in the wall as quickly as you can. You make sure Lexi is secure in that sling and stay out of sight.” Kaitlynn spoke first to the Stormrider twins and Tholen, then to Darya. There was no hesitation from them as the swiftly moved into position, much to her delight.

“Smoke Screen or Lights Out?” Gabe asked her, mischief gleaming in his eyes, as the crept along the corridor towards a steadily brightening orange glow dancing with shadows.

“Let’s try to get by with the Smoke Screen. I don’t want to show too many cards yet.” She answered and drew her hood up to hide her face.

“Alright. Cover your face, it’s about to get hard to breathe.” The Duumir grinned as his form shimmered and shifted into the large, robust form of an Ursei male with a black beard, golden skin, and heavy curving horns. As a Free Race like the Ursei, the guards would be reluctant to attack. His hulking form would give enough pause to the others that they, most likely, would see that he was fighting for them and not with them. Confusion was the name of this game

Gabe ran into the fray at the camp with a harsh bellow, the heavy smoke from the burning tents seeming to gather to him from every direction. Most thickly, it lay over the soldiers at the heart of the battle. Coughing and shouts from befuddled soldiers rapidly began to overtake the sound of swords clashing with daggers and with ‘magic,’ as they called it. He did his utmost to encourage that befuddlement and add to the panic beginning to rise.

Though many had long fled the way indicated by Tholen Jadedagger, a small number of the elderly and very young were left among those now in combat. They saw this new development as their chance to break away and took it, a small cloaked figure appearing from nowhere and directing them to the north-western tunnel. She seemed to glow with an unearthly light that made them feel safe and confident. They followed the way she indicated, finding familiar young faces to guide them on. These few felt as if they had been visited by a spirit of the Old Gods as they fled, one who had been sent to ensure their freedom. It was a tale that any who found others would repeat eagerly, recounting the cry of a chiming feminine voice heard as they escaped.

“For the Etheri! Forever reign the Empire unending!” Kaitlynn’s voice rang out, bouncing around the chamber walls and carrying over the noise of the dying fight.

The Aether-Touched adults found more and more openings to break away and escape as the sudden appearance of an Ursei drew more and more of the attacking guards away. The vibrations of manipulation in the Aether, now flowing more freely around them than any could remember, gave a message as clear as the shout reverberating through the catacombs and as forceful as their new comrade in arms. They were no longer alone. Whoever the mysterious cloaked woman was and for whatever reason this Ursei would join their fight, someone had finally appeared for them. The old gods had returned for them. They had not been forsaken, and, though many had fallen or been taken, for the first time many also felt a hope they had longed for. One they were more than glad to pass on.

Once the last of the now-refugees had passed her and moved on into the tunnels out, Kaitlynn gave a loud, trilling whistle. It was the cue for Gabe to remove himself from close quarters fighting, which he obliged quickly by bodily throwing one guard at two others. He pulled back from the thickest of the smoke as a tugging sensation began in his chest. It faded the father away he drew from the patrols trying to find their way out of the smoke he pooled around them.

Within mere moments, the sound of steel-clad bodies falling to the ground filled the air as Kaitlynn drew the Aether out of them. She restrained herself, despite how tiring as it could be to exert the kind of control required to target the area around the men and only take enough from them to leave them unconscious. It was necessary, regardless of the physical cost or even her own desires at that moment. Their unconsciousness would be attributed to their own idiocy at lighting the whole settlement ablaze in the poorly ventilated catacombs tucked underground. If she killed them? Well, that could only serve to make things worse for all of her people living inside Jundi City, or indeed, anywhere in Sirdin.

“That’s it, Kait. Time to grab the young ones and get out of here.” Gabe rested his hand on her head, himself again.

“Yeah. The sooner we get out of here the better. I’m sure that Captain Hila of yours is gaining ground. Ever the heartbreaker, Gabe. Just once I’d like to not be run out of town by a spiteful woman chasing you.” She chuckled.