Fox Hunt; Chapter 6

I slowly meander down the street, mulling over everything I had learned. Sylvaine wouldn't be easy to catch. She was smart, resourceful, and she knew how to take care of herself. Even if anyone managed to catch up to her, if they weren't careful, she was clever enough to slip away. Clever and sly. This fox wouldn't be easy to catch.

My eyes drift to the sinking sun before turning north.

Was she heading north? Or had that been senseless rambling? Yet she had no family here and nowhere else to go. What was to the north? An old colleague of the doctor's? An old friend? Xechrins's border to the north stretched all the way to the frozen tundra. There would be nothing there; no escape either. Why north? What could possibly be along that path for her to turn to?

I pause outside the militia barracks, staring to the north. "What are you still hiding, fox?" I mutter to myself before heading inside.

A few eyes turn up in the lounge, but they quickly lose interest, turning back to whatever had their attention before.

"Ah, Adrastus." I look towards the sound of Priamos's voice. He lounges at a table with the commander of the barracks, waving me over. I comply, settling into one of the two remaining empty chairs. "I doubt that retired soldier gave you that much trouble. Go for a nice walk?" His voice is easy, relaxed.

I shake my head. "No. I was following a hunch."

"Well, I suppose hunches are better than nothing at the moment. Both teams reported in a little while ago. They haven't found anything."

"As I said, I didn't expect them to. Just covering bases. Call them back; no point in wasting any more time out there."

Priamos blinks in surprise. "Hunch pay off?"

"Odds are she's heading north."

"North?" I can tell from his eyes that he's running the same calculations I had earlier. "That'd be a dead-end for her."

I shrug, rising from the table. "There'll be nothing else to find. I need to report to the Premier."

"Feel free to use my office," the barrack commander finally speaks. "That line can be secured."

I nod to him as I turn for the stairs. His office is easy to find. It's marked and at the end of the hall on the second floor. The militiaman standing guard outside the door says nothing as I enter the office. The commander's office looks like any outpost office: small, impersonal, and highly organized; ready for a change of command at any moment.

I cross the room to the desk. Though I round the desk, I don't bother sitting. I doubt this will take long. Pressing call, I pluck the phone from the cradle and hold it to my ear. Three beeps sound before the voice asks for my authorization code. I enter my code, finishing it off with the pound sign.

"Please wait while we secure the line," the voice says. The line goes silent for a moment then there's a series of beeps. "Line secured. Please enter the number of the party you wish to reach and press call to be connected."

I punch in the number that Premier Constantine had given me to call when I had news. After I press call, the line rings three times before it's answered.

"Premier Constantine's office," the secretary's prim voice says over the line. "Name and reason for this call."

"Hunter Welkins," I respond. "I'm calling to give Premier Constantine a report on my findings."

"One moment." She doesn't wait for a response, immediately putting me on hold.

I allow myself to lean against the desk while I wait. With nothing else to do, I watch the second hand make its trek around the clock's face. A full minute and a half have passed before the line is answered again.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting," Premier Constantine's voice says evenly. "I didn't expect a call so soon. If I'm not mistaken, you've only been there for about a day." I can hear him sigh over the line. "I suppose I did ask for a miracle," I can hear the disappointment in his voice.

"This wasn't a complete waste. I've just come to an end of useful information here."

"And what do we know?"

"Sylvaine's escape was planned. Dr. Smith had been preparing for this for years. She's been taught how to fight, she's had survival training, she can blend in just about anywhere from the sound of it, and she does have limited training in the street arts."

"So, she won't be easy to catch. Which would be useful if we knew where she was. Any update on that front?"

"I have reason to suspect she's heading north."

"You found something?"

"No. It's the best lead I have on where she's heading though. Someone that knows her thinks that's where she may be heading. Granted, she made a point of the fact that Sylvaine was half delirious when she had been rambling about the north, but" the hunter's wife's words echo through my mind. I still couldn't shake the feeling it was important like she had been reciting something that had been drilled into her. She had been in the woods after all. If the doctor had given her directions, everything could have triggered them to be on her mind. "My instinct is to follow that lead."

The line is silent. I wait silently for a response.

"Just north?" He finally asks.

I nod. "She's following the river north to the falls." The falls mean nothing to me, but maybe they'll mean something to him.

The pause this time is much shorter before I hear Premier Constantine chuckle. "Clever," he muses. He falls silent for a second. Before I can ask how he wants me to proceed, he beings speaking again. "Don't waste any time trying to track her in the woods. Go straight to the falls and work from there." He pauses to cough. "I need Priamos back at the capital, but I'll have him assign another militiaman to you." I feel a twinge of irritation at his words, but I keep silent. If he wanted someone else looking for Sylvaine with me, it wasn't my place to say otherwise. "You have my permission to do whatever you deem necessary but try not to hurt her too much; I want her alive, but Dr. Smith's work is your priority. If anything happens to it-" his voice breaks off in a coughing fit. I wait silently as it passes. "Well done, Adrastus. Call me again when you have more news."

The line goes dead. I drop the phone back into the cradle, staring at the wall. Priamos, I could stand. He knew how to stand back and let me do my job. The thought of someone else following me around. . . I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I suppose I'd have to trust him to pick someone who was capable of helping me yet also capable of keeping out of my way.

When I reach the table again, the commander of the barracks is gone. Priamos is studying something on his communicator. Had he already gotten word from Premier Constantine? He glances up as I stop by the table.

"It would seem we both have new marching orders," he says, leaning back. "Any request for your new friend?"

I scowl in response while he just smiles at me. I would prefer another Hunter, but I also understood why another wouldn't be assigned. While we might be able to cooperate with the militia, we found it much harder to work together. All of us Hunters tended to prefer working alone and usually ended up working alone when put together. I would tolerate whoever was assigned to me, but I certainly wasn't trying to make friends.

I sit down across from him, pondering what would be most useful. I was trained in tracking and my heightened sight and smell would help, but another set of watchful eyes wouldn't hurt. I was also in unfamiliar territory. If all went well, she wouldn't get much further away. I let my eyes focus on Priamos.

"I need someone who is good at tracking, who knows the area in the north."

Priamos nods, thinking for a moment. "Unless he's been transferred, I think I know just who you'll need. I'll make some calls. I'll let you know what town you're heading to next."

"No. Send them to the falls." Priamos tilts his head at my words. "I should be able to make it there in a day. Time is running short. I won't risk losing any trails."

Priamos nods. "Very well." He rises from the table. "I'll start making those calls. I'll have everything set to go in the morning as well."