Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) by Garry Spoor

Wargner said when he came up the bank, but Kile didn’t hear him. She was reaching out with her Edge, stretching it across the wild, but all she could feel was the emptiness. There was nothing there, or at least, nothing natural. Whatever they were, they were high in the crags and they were waiting.
     
     
     
    ***~~~***
     

 
     
    7
     
    Quickly spurring Grim forward, she cut Sergeant Wargner off.
    “Stop, you can’t go any further,” she told him.
    “What is the meaning of this?” Wargner shouted.
    “They’re waiting for us. It’s an ambush,” she replied.
    “What are you on about? Who are waiting for us?”
    That was actually a good question. Who were they? It wasn’t the valrik, or the gulrik this time, that much she was certain of, but there was something else out there, something which didn’t quite fit. The last time she had these feelings, was when she encountered the Minotaur of Calder falls. The Minotaur existed in two worlds, the natural world, and the world of the vir, but this was different. Whatever was out there waiting for them, whatever was stalking them, was something she had never encountered before. They were creatures torn between the world of nature, and someplace entirely different.
    “We have to go back. I don’t know what’s out there, but whatever it is… it’s not right,” she told the Sergeant.
    “If you are scared then go back to the end of the column,” Corporal Duffy shouted, Wargner held up his hand to silence him.
    “Ready the men,” wall all he said.
    “Yes, sir,” Duffy replied, although, he didn’t seem too happy about it.
    Across a field of wild flowers and tall grass, the walls of the mountain rose sharply, blocking their way, save for a single entrance. This was the opening to the crags, a natural maze of high hills and low valleys, created by rivers of water cascading down the mountain for countless years. A network of paths which meandered their way through the lowlands, where a careless traveler could easily find himself returning to the place he started from, if he was lucky.
    It took less than an hour for the men to ready themselves. Riding wear was put away for something more durable, and they donned helmets. Lances were handed out and every man bore a shield adorn with the Fennel crest.
    Sergeant Wargner stared at the crags.
    Kile only ventured into the crags on one occasion, and that was out of sheer boredom. Of course, back then, she wasn’t being stalked by some unseen, unknown creatures. She had to wonder, was Wargner’s decision to ready the men based on her fears or his?
    The column advanced slowly across the field, Wargner led the way with Duffy by his side. Kile had to give the sergeant credit. He never flinched or hesitated when he came within the shadows of the valley. Was it ignorance, bravery or stubborn pride which pushed him on? He either knew the path to take, or he was just heading east, keeping the setting sun to his back. Before they knew it, Perha Squad was deep in the crags.
    Kile followed up the rear with Tullner on one side and Sandson on the other. The two men were now armed and were keeping an eye on the cliffs. Although no one could see anything, there was a general feeling of uneasiness.
    -Don’t like-
    Vesper said from his perch atop Grim’s head.
    “What’s out there Vesper? Do you know?” she asked.
    -Not sure, don’t like, don’t know-
    The words he spoke carried with them visions of something clouded and hidden. Vesper didn’t know what he felt, but his feelings created a murky picture which Kile had to concentrate on to see. At times it felt very much like a wolf, but she always had a strong familiarity with wolves and this was no wolf. At other times it was almost reptilian, but whatever they were, they were not natural.
    She didn’t want to do it, but she knew she had no choice. Closing her eyes, she fell into her Edge and reached out with her consciousness. It didn’t take her long before she found them.