Fox Hunt: Chapter 9

I dismount when I can finally hear the rushing of the falls. I'd walk the rest of the way, and give the horse a break; we had made better time than expected. With luck, I wouldn't be waiting too long for the militiaman I'd be working with to show up. I can feel my lips twisting in disdain at the thought of him. Priamos had assured me he was good, that he would be helpful, but it didn't change the fact I didn't want a partner. I was more than capable of handling this myself. Yet, orders were orders.

I finally break through the trees into the clearing around the pool the falls had made. My eyes narrow as I take in the sight. I'd hardly call these falls. Past the pond, the ground slopes up, rising to meet the hill land that rises up to mountains further on. The falls are made by this incline and the boulders that point to the rocky terrain further south. Rapids would be a more part term in my opinion for the falls I find myself looking at.

My attention doesn't remain fixed on the falls long though. The black militia uniform stands in stark contrast to the green of the forest behind the man, and the pale tan boulder he sits perched on as he watches the water flow from the pool to the slower moving stream heading south. This must be Raphael. If he's heard me, he hasn't turned. If he's seen me, he's chosen not to acknowledge me. His horse does though, it’s head turning toward me as it’s ears twitch.

I can feel my annoyance rising again. Priamos had warned me that he might be a little resistant to helping. If the order hadn't come from Priamos, he wouldn't have come. And if Priamos hadn't recommended him as the best for this job, I would have insisted on someone else being chosen. I didn't have the time or the patience to deal with obstinance.

Tying my horse next to his, I begin to close the distance between us. It's not until I'm standing by the boulder he sits on that he finally looks over at me. Now that he's looking at me, I can tell his posture wasn't one of relaxation, it was one of boredom.

"Took you long enough to get here," he drawls, tone even bored.

I don't bother fighting the scowl that comes in response to his tone. "The sooner you help, the sooner you are free to leave."

His attention turns back to the water. "We're both wasting our time here," he says definitively, rising from his crouch. "The girl has a four-day lead on us. I know this area. This," he waves his hands about the area, "As a starting point, gives me nothing to work with. There's no trail for me to find, no leads to follow. She could be hiding anywhere. And you may be one of the best Hunters but, no offense, you're not a miracle worker."

I cross my arms. "I've gotten this far with no trails or leads. This isn't over until I'm convinced there's nothing more to find."

Raphael sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. Waste my time. Fill me in."

My eyes narrow as I feel a flicker of surprise. "Priamos didn't fill you in?"

Raphael smiles lackadaisly at me. "Didn't talk to him."

I can feel my expression blanking. Of course, he hadn't. Surely, Priamos could have actually found me someone willing to help? "The target is a girl, Sylvaine. Everything I found points to her having come this way."

"And we have no idea where she's heading next. Tell me, just how are we supposed to work with nothing? Are we going to shut down the nearby towns to search them for her?"

"May not do any good. She's had survival training."

Raphael stares at me for a moment. "So, we're supposed to find a girl who doesn't want to be found and has the training to remain unfound using a trail that's four days old? Just why is this girl so important?"

"She's not." I pull her picture from my pocket, tossing it to Raphael. "It's what she has that is important. She was taken in and raised by a doctor. Premier Constantine believes the doctor's work could be of help. Unfortunately, there was a series of miscommunications, the doctor is in a comma and the girl is in the wind with his work." Raphael is intently studying the picture. I can't tell if he's listening, but I carry on. "The doctor's work is our-"

I break off, blinking in surprise when Raphael laughs. He shakes his head, tossing the picture to me before brushing past me.

"We're wasting our time here," he says as he heads for his horse.

My annoyance surges up. Not this again. "You don't know that. There may be something here-"

"She's heading east."

I blink in surprise again, head turning east. Priamos trusts him, so I know I should, but I don't. "And how do you know that?"

"Because she was in town," he says, mounting his horse. "If you had sent her picture ahead of yourself, you could have saved us both a lot of time."

xXxXx

By the time we reach the town, the sun is beginning to set. I expect him to lead us to where he had seen Sylvaine, but instead, he leads us to the barracks. I give him a look as he dismounts.

"Humor me," he calls over his shoulder as he heads for the door.

I clench my jaw as I dismount to follow him. He had been getting on my case for wasting time, yet here we were wasting time. I do my best to shove my annoyance down as I follow him inside. Maybe there was a reason for this. Maybe he had noticed her because she had done something and he had placed a tail on her. Yet as he walks to the desk with the monitor on duty, I can feel my eyes narrowing.

"Did that girl I mention earlier ever come by?" He asks the monitor casually.

As the monitor shakes his head, I can't fight the scowl that comes up. "We stopped to see if you had a date?"

Raphael doesn't so much as glance at me as he brushes past me. "You could certainly use one." I refuse to respond as I turn to follow after him. He's heading for the dining hall. "If we're going to be stuck together you could at least try to loosen up."

"No. And what do you think you're doing? We need to go after her before the trail gets any colder."

"There are towns in every direction from here. So, unless you have something to scent her with," he pauses, glancing back at me. When I don't say anything, he nods. "Then there is nothing we can do tonight. The only thing we can do is send that picture to the other towns and tell them to be on alert. She's been on alert, but with luck, after today, she'll start to think she's in the clear, maybe slip up little."

I consider his words, nodding. It all seemed sound and yet. . . "You seem very sure of what that."

Raphael shrugs. "I spoke with her."

I want to bash my head against a wall. I bite down on my tongue to keep from snapping at him. I tell myself it's not his fault she got away this time; he didn't know who she was. It does nothing to temper my rising annoyance that the fox had gotten away again.

"She seemed on edge. I suppose now I know why. How old is she?"

Considering it's not relevant, I ignore his question. "Did you happen to figure out where she was going?"

"According to her story, the next town over in about a day's travel which, if she wasn't lying, narrows it down to. . . three towns. Four depending on how fast she can travel."

Four then. Wonderful. I glance around the ground floor of the barracks.

"Where's the barrack master's office?"

Raphael pauses, glancing over his shoulder at me. "You don't need to check in with him."

"I need to call Premier Constantine."

Raphael is quick to look away, but I don't miss his darkening expression. "Surely, that isn't necessary." His tone is hard.

"It is," I reply, matching his tone. He knew more about Dr. Smith than I did. Maybe this new direction would mean something to him.

Raphael waves dismissively toward the stairs. "Up the stairs, go left, last hall, last door on the left."

I don't bother so much as nodding as I turn away from him. The barrack master is in his office, but he easily recognizes what and who I am, leaving me in the office when I tell him I need to call Premier Constantine.

Once again, I get his secretary first who once again tells me to wait. This time though, the wait is much shorter.

"Find her already?" Premier Constantine asks by way of greeting, surprise obvious in his voice.

"No, but we can't be far behind her now," I tell him. The line is silent. I wait a moment to be sure he isn't going to speak before continuing. "She went east from the falls. She was spotted earlier today in this town, but I'm certain it's safe to assume she's long gone by now. I'm going to look around in the morning, see if I can-"

For the second time today, I'm cut off by a laugh. Once again, I feel my annoyance growing.

"She went east, of course," Premier Constantine says, though it seems more like he's speaking to himself. "I should have known; she's headed for Sorchal." Premier Constantine's voice is calm, sure. "I'll have the border militia be on the lookout for her. Keep following after her. Take the most direct route. That's no doubt what he told her to do. With luck, you'll catch her before she reaches the border. Continue to keep things quiet. Everyone assumes she's missing. Let's keep it that way. And let's also keep her wondering if we're looking for her. This mission remains need to know."