CHAPTER SIX
HUNTER AND HUNTED
The villagers were sat around a makeshift fire, laughing and joking with one another as Rush and Nasta returned to join them. It was hardly the vengeful mob Rush had expected. The rice wine flowed and food being passed around while he was stood there, the terrible memory of his dead niece fresh in his mind. He could feel the anger inside him bubbling away just below the surface. Gods, he hated these people! Self-centred, hypocritical—
“Ah! You’re back!” A man wearing a short blue tunic stood up from the group, wiping juice away from his mouth and waving a jug of wine at him. “Come, join us! Rush, wasn’t it? Nasta told us all about you. Quite the accomplished healer, I believe.” He took a swig of the wine. “What the hell are you doing living like a hermit out here in the woods? With your skills, you’d make a fortune in the city.”
Rush opened his mouth to speak before Nasta placed a restraining hand upon his shoulder. “Rush, please, I know you. Don’t start anything… for Blossom’s sake, please.”
Blossom? Damn him for bringing her into this. Damn them all! Rush couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What the hell was the point of them coming out here in the dead of night if they were just going to sit around eating and drinking? Not one of them had proper clothing for this weather, and few of them were barely old enough to shave, let alone be out at this hour. He cringed—some had even brought their girlfriends as well, by the look of it. It was all one big exciting adventure for them, wasn’t it?
“Do I know you?” Rush asked levelly.
The man belched, a smirk spreading across his young face. “Oh! Sorry about that, yes.” He bowed slightly. “The name’s Nile. I work for the governor’s office as the new regional deputy.”
Rush nodded back in reply, noting the man’s sneer at his lack of decorum. This ‘Nile’ looked as soft as he’d expect for a local official. His pale skin and soft hands spoke volumes. That, and his flippant attitude.
“Do you have a plan, then?”
“A plan?” The deputy scratched his head. “Of course we have a plan!”
“And what is that exactly?”
“We track it down and kill it, obviously!” The deputy turned to the crowd of villagers, holding up the jug to which he received a round of raucous cheers.
He held the jug to Rush, who shook his head. “I mean, how do you intend to track this thing in the middle of the night?”
The young man looked at Rush as if he’d just asked why the moon was round. “Well, that’s where you come in, isn’t it, my reclusive friend? These hills are your home, and I’m certain you know them like the back of your hand.”
Rush wanted to wipe that stupid smirk right off his face, the arrogant young pup. This whole situation was foolish—in fact, it was nigh on suicidal. As much as the grief and anger he felt made him want to rush off into the night and kill the thing that had murdered his niece, it was more likely they’d end up with hypothermia. Worse still, in the darkness of the forest, it was easy to become lost, possibly falling down one of the many slopes or gullies, and gods help you getting help then.
He spat on the ground. Just look at them! Drunken young men and women, some not much older than Blossom had been, running about in the middle of the night like it was some sort of silly bloody game they were playing. He turned away.
“Hey, where are you going?” the deputy shouted, his tone of voice changing suddenly. “You can’t just walk off; we need you!”
Rush stopped, his heart racing and blood near boiling point with barely controlled rage. “You need me? Why? What the hell are you going to do with a bunch of kids at this time of night? It’s pitch black out here, and half of them are so drunk that they can barely stand already. The hills are no place for fools.”
Nasta facepalmed. “Oh gods, Rush…”
“Fools?” The smirk on the deputy’s face was gone in an instant, replaced with a look of haughty contempt. “That’s what you think of us? We’ve come here to find the killer of your niece, and you insult us?”
Rush turned to look him in the face, advancing a pace before Cray intervened, standing between the two and shaking his head. Rush glared at the deputy.
“Only a fool would traipse around the forest in the dark. Can’t you see you’re inviting disaster? Look at them! They’re nothing but children! Besides, I’m a bloody reed worker, not a tracker. What you need is a hunter, someone who has the skills to track this beast.”
“What? You… You can’t track it?”
“What made you think I could?” he shot back.
“You know the hills! You live here, don’t you?”
“Believe it or not, I don’t need to track down reeds, they grow in the river. They don’t wander about in the bloody forest!”
Nile’s mouth opened and closed several times before he glanced back at the villagers by the fire. They’d stopped their revelry to listen and were watching him intently. He apparently didn’t like being the centre of attention all of a sudden.
He adjusted his shirt and shoved the jug of wine into Cray’s hands. “Ha, I knew it! Some backwoods expert you are. You’re just a foolish old recluse who lives in a shack on a hillside. No wonder everyone thinks you’re crazy! The madman of the forest, crazy old Rush.”
The deputy picked up the swords from beside the fire and shoved them back into his belt. “We don’t need you. We’ll find the thing on our own. Be assured, Rush, when we return with its head, someone will come and let you know that we’ve avenged your niece. It’s a shame you’d rather sit in your lonely house and rot away than help us find her killer.”
Rush’s hand grabbed the hilt of his reed knife, and he narrowed his eyes. “You—”
The hulking form of Cray filled his vision, shaking his head. “Don’t, Rush.”
Nasta watched the deputy go before speaking quietly, “I said not to lose your temper, didn’t I? Now look where it’s got you. For the gods’ sake, Rush, you really don’t want to rile up the authorities.”
Rush took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. “I can’t believe this! Drunken children stumbling about on a hillside in winter, at night, looking for something that can kill a human? Did I mention none of them can track? This is madness! Surely both of you can see that?”
Cray smiled sadly. “We’re not all fools, Rush, but someone’s got to go and keep an eye on the youngsters. Are you sure you won’t come?”
The reed worker hung his head. Was he really the ‘madman of the forest’? ‘Crazy old Rush’? He sighed. Yes, to them he probably was. People didn’t live that long in the hills, and he was already approaching middle age. To them, he probably looked ancient—the unkempt appearance certainly didn’t help endear him to them.
Letting his hands fall to his sides, he walked past the blacksmith and stood before the deputy, who glowered at him. Rush knew he was going to regret this. “You want a guide? Then I’ll do it, but you listen to me, do you understand?”
The smirk returned. “Ha! I knew we could rely on you, Rush. You’re our man!”
Rush sighed then addressed the villagers. “Just remember, all of you, that the hills are dangerous enough without trying to track something down. All of you have to stay together. No wandering off, any of you, even if you have to go pee. It’s cold, so keeping moving will help keep you warm, but we’ll take breaks if we can. I know I’ve already said I’m no hunter, but I promise I’ll do my best to help us find this thing and get us all home safely.”
Nasta clapped him on the shoulder. “No one could ask for more, my old friend.”
Again with the ‘old’! Damn it, this was keeping him away from Snow, and he needed to check up on her. He spat on the ground as the villagers picked themselves along with their makeshift weapons. The quicker they got this nonsense over with, the better.
“Don’t look so worried, old man!” The deputy laughed, walking up to Rush. “There’s strength in numbers.”
“Mmmm.” Rush wasn’t convinced. It was more likely that they would just make a more tempting meal choice for whatever it was out there.
Nasta tapped him on the shoulder. “What’s bothering you so much? Is it Blossom? Rush, I want to find this thing as much as you do, you know.”
Rush shook his head. “I want the bloody thing dead, Nasta, but that’s not what’s bothering me right now. If there was one thing I learned from my service in the lord’s household, it was ‘know your enemy’, and that’s the main issue here for me. We haven’t got a clue, not only about where it is, but more importantly, what it is.”
“There’s enough of us to handle a late hibernating bear or a rogue wolf, Rush. Have some faith.” Nasta glanced at the rest of the villagers. “If we can keep them together, we’ll be fine.”
Rush checked to see if his knife was free in its scabbard. “That’s not my point, Nasta. You saw those tracks. They weren’t from any bear or wolf I’ve ever seen. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know what the hell they were from.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I’d ‘suggest’ coming back in the morning with professional trackers, hunters, and soldiers from the lord’s household. But then, who’s going to listen to the ‘madman of the forest’, eh?”
Nasta shrugged. “Come on, let’s get this foolishness over with. They’ll soon get cold and start wanting to go home, especially our fiery young deputy over there.”
Rush looked across to the campfire where the deputy had scooped up a young woman and was tickling her in earnest. Her giggles made the rest of them fall about laughing.
“Gods’ help us,” Rush muttered.
The three of them talked quietly about their plan for finding the creature when the deputy re-appeared once again, tucking in his collar and readjusting his sword. “Right then! Lead on, brave Rush of the Hills, let us find the monster and avenge your honour!”
Several cheered, some laughed. Rush just clenched his fists. That bloody fool…
Backtracking to the village pond, it was clear the tracks had come from the forest, but the area had been so churned up by the villagers that it was almost impossible to tell whether they were dealing with one of the things or more. But what was it? It wasn’t a horse, certainly no elk, not a bear and not a wolf. Whatever it was wasn’t native to the hills then.
His gut instinct told him that this was something more than just a dangerous forest beast that had attacked a villager out of hunger. It had happened before and likely would happen again, but this time was different. There was a suggestion of intelligence here, an intelligence that made it a very dangerous opponent indeed. What he couldn’t understand was if it was a ‘sort’ of horse, then why would its rider allow it to kill a child? Maybe, like Snow, the beast had lost its rider and it was now roaming lost in the forest? Still, horses were herbivores, weren’t they? He shook his head. Gods, he didn’t have a clue about this creature, but if it was anything like the black ‘thing’ that had chased him back to his home, it certainly wasn’t afraid of people. That thought sent a shiver down his spine colder than any of winter’s chill.
Further into the forest, the snow showed the tracks clearly. Cray leaned forward, his eyes wide. “What on earth made these? My father was a deer stalker and taught me a little, but I’ve never seen anything like these.”
Rush traced the shape of one of the imprints, “What do you make of it, Cray?”
“It’s certainly from a four legged animal. By its stride, probably around six feet long I’d guess.”
“It’s heavy too,” Rush added. “See how the prints push past the snow and indent the ground?”
Cray nodded, pointing at it with a stick. “See how the grounds not been kicked up around the print? It wasn’t in a hurry, that’s for sure. The damned thing was probably full after its dinner.” He looked up suddenly. “Oh, gods. I’m sorry, Rush, I…”
“It’s alright, Cray. Look, let’s just keep moving. This lot will end up with hypothermia if we’re out here too long.”
Nasta walked up to peer at the print. “I know what you mean. We’ve already lost two of them. A couple of lovebirds wandered off back to the village a while ago”
“What?! Why didn’t you stop them?”
“I didn’t know they’d gone! The deputy was supposed to—”
Rush punched the ground. “Damn it all! This is what I dreaded. This is why you don’t bring bloody children along!”
Cray shrugged. “It’s not that far back to the village, Rush, and there’s two of them.”
Rush shook his head in dismay. Things were starting to unravel already, the villagers’ initial enthusiasm draining away in the cold night air of the forest. It was dangerous enough out here without them wandering off into the darkness. What on earth were they thinking? There had to be some way to bring this idiocy to an end, but how?
“Cray?”
The blacksmith stood up, brushing himself down. “Yes?”
“You’ve got some tracking experience. Stay up front with me. Nasta, go to the back, and for the gods’ sake, make sure no more of these fools wander off, alright?”
Nasta nodded. “Sure, Rush, I’ll keep them in line.”
The deputy sauntered up. “What is it? Have you found something?”
“No,” Rush replied. “The tracks disappear off into the valley. Look, Nile, most of the people here aren’t much more than children, and they’re tired. Why don’t you take them home and—”
“Nonsense! I was already in the lord’s retinue at their age. They’re perfectly capable of coping with staying up late and handling a little cold weather.”
Rush looked at them. They were ill-prepared for the rapidly dropping temperature, let alone a possible fight with an unknown and unseen foe. He shook his head in dismay.
“Right then, let’s go, but tell them to stay together, Nile. They’ll listen to you.”
The deputy rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine! Just get a move on, will you, Mister Rush? The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can all go home.”
The damned fool was arrogant in the extreme. Rush had seen his type before, always in a hurry to make a name for themselves in battle. They were usually the ones that were the first to run as well, when the reality of the battlefield dawned on them. The sounds, the smells, the screams—Rush knew them all too well. They could unnerve the best of them, and he never wanted to see another one as long as he lived. Adjusting his belt, he clapped Cray on the shoulder.
“Come on, you heard the man. Let’s go.”
Cray gave him a look that betrayed his nerves. Despite his size and strength, the blacksmith was worried, and rightly so. A horrible feeling of impending disaster crept through Rush’s mind. His earlier assertion that he wanted to take the life of the monster that had murdered his niece was rapidly being replaced with a realisation that they might be walking right into the jaws of the very thing they hunted. It wasn’t a comforting thought.
The two of them followed the tracks into the forest’s depths, the wind moaning through the bamboo and rustling the long, thin leaves. There hadn’t been any fresh snowfall to cover the tracks, and they were still quite visible. There only seemed to be one set, though, despite Nasta’s claims there were two sets at the pond. Had he missed something? Cray had more experience tracking than he had, and by his own admission that was limited. Rush rubbed his arms, trying to get some warmth into them. He was really starting to feel the cold now, and the heaviness of fatigue pulled at his tired muscles. He was no spring chicken, but even so, he was more used to the rugged life in the hills than the villagers clustered behind him. He looked over his shoulder at them. The earlier jovial nature had long since gone, replaced by sullen expressions and universal grumbling. Soon, even that bloody-minded young deputy would want to go home to his warm bed, probably wrapped up with one the maids at the manor.
Cray held up a hand, stopping him. “You hear that?”
Rush listened; the tell-tale roar was one he was very familiar with. “Water. We’re near the river.”
The blacksmith nodded. “The tracks head down to the bank. If it’s gone across, we’ll have a hell of time finding it, and I don’t fancy trying to cross in this.”
Rush nodded. With any luck, it had done so, and he’d be able to pack this lot off home sooner rather than later. “Right, let’s have a look then.”
Sure enough, the tracks lead straight down to the mud of the riverbank and disappeared into the churning water. Cray shook his head as the deputy trotted up.
“Sorry, Deputy Nile, the tracks end at the water’s edge. We’ve lost it.”
The young warrior was incensed. “What?! You can’t be serious! We’ve been traipsing through these accursed hills for bloody hours and you’ve ‘lost it’?”
Rush sighed, kneeling beside the tracks. “Look, it’s gone into the river. We can’t track it; it’s impossible. I’m sorry, deputy, there’s no more we can do tonight.”
“Then cross the blasted river, man!”
“No.”
“You…! How dare you—”
Rush stood suddenly and advanced on the deputy, who backed up in alarm, his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword. The reed worker’s own hand shot out, his large fingers closing tightly around those of the younger man. Rush stared into his wide eyes.
“You listen to me, you young fool. You don’t know who or what you’re dealing with. Whatever it is knows it’s being followed. It knows how to cover its tracks by taking to the water. You try to cross this river tonight, and you’d better have coin with you to pay the ferryman. Do you understand me?”
“I…”
Rush squeezed the deputy’s hand. “I said, ‘Do you understand me?’”
“Y…Yes! Yes, I understand!”
The reed worker nodded slowly and smiled. “Good. Now, I’m going to let your hand go, Nile, but a word of warning. If you even think of drawing that sword of yours, I’ll split you like a length of bamboo, and nobody wants to see that. There’s been quite enough ‘excitement’ for one night already, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I…”
Rush released the deputy’s hand, and the young man stepped back, his eye twitching in barely constrained fury before he harrumphed and strode off back to the villagers. They looked on, clearly worried by the confrontation. Cray watched him go before he walked up beside Rush.
“Great gods, Rush, you’re playing with fire. Don’t you know who he is?”
“Oh, I know who he is alright,” Rush said, leaning on his spear. “A bloody idiot pup who thinks his bark is louder than the other dogs.”
“He could have killed you!”
“He could have tried,” Rush said sourly. “Our deputy may have youth on his side, but I’ve got something he hasn’t got.”
“What’s that? Experience?”
“No.” Rush leaned down to re-tighten his leg wraps. “I’m a sneaky bugger.”
The villagers had started a fire and were warming themselves up before embarking on the long trek back home. Nasta, a grim smile on his face, handed Cray and Rush a stick with grilled fish on it.
“Well, this turned out to be a disaster, didn’t it? What are we going to do now?”
Rush shrugged, taking a mouthful of the hot fish. “Go home, that's what.”
“But that thing’s still out there, Rush. It killed Blossom!”
“Do you think I’ve forgotten that? For the gods’ sake, Nasta, she was the only member of my natural family I had left!” Rush sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap, it’s just that I’m cold, tired, and we’ve now got to ferry a bunch of worn out kids back home before they get frostbite.”
Nasta grit his teeth. “But that thing could be miles away by now!”
“I know, Nasta, but you know as well as I do that this was never going to work. It was a bloody stupid idea in the first place. Anyway, can’t you use your influence to get some proper trackers and soldiers here in the morning? At the least someone who’s got something between their ears unlike the buffoon you brought with you tonight.”
Nasta suddenly chuckled. “You’re right. Of course I knew, but I had to try something, Rush. You understand that, don’t you?”
Rush nodded. “Of course. Go back to the others, Nasta. I’ll be along in a minute and we’ll get going.”
There was no singing now, no frivolity. The wine had been passed around, emptied and bellies filled. It still wasn’t enough to lift the mood of the villagers, who now just wanted to leave this place and get back home as quickly as possible. The bitter cold had sapped both their fervour and their strength this night.
Rush took a swig of water from his canteen, passing it to Cray who took it gratefully. “You see it?”
“Across the river. How many do you think there are?”
Taking back the canteen, Rush shouldered his spear. “Only one. I think it’s been following us this whole time.”
“My gods…”
“Don’t say anything to the others, Cray, they’ll panic. We go back at a steady pace, keep together, and we’ll get out of here in one piece.”
Nasta walked back over, shouldering his pack. “What is it?”
Rush shook his head. “Nothing. Come on, let’s get back. Nasta, go up front with Cray. I’ll take the rear. Don’t let anyone wander off, whatever you do.”