Chapter 26

The Hunt

Seven days had passed since Ashinji had made his declaration and Sadaiyo his proposition, and during that time, Jelena had managed to avoid both brothers.

Ashinji had not sought her out, either; for this, Jelena felt great relief, because her resolve to lie to him about her true feelings had evaporated. She simply could not summon the strength of will to attempt to destroy the bond between them. Better that she avoid him altogether, at least for the time being, until she could figure out a course of action.

As for Sadaiyo, he had been kept very busy entertaining his new in-laws, too busy to spare any more attention for her, thank the gods.

Lord Sen kept her well occupied with carrying messages—orders, mostly, to all of the minor lords of the district. As their liege, part of Lord Sen’s job involved directing his vassals in their preparations for the upcoming confrontation with the Soldarans. Much remained to be done. Alasiri had been at peace for over a century, and it was Lord Sen’s considered opinion that the elven people had grown soft and complacent.

Today, though, Jelena had no messages to carry. Lord Sen had given most of the staff the day off, and as a bonus, a hunt had been organized for the recreation of Lord Dai and his entourage. The newlyweds were to lead it. Kami had told Jelena that staff members who were not on duty were always welcome to attend organized hunts, provided that they stayed to the rear and did not take any shots without express permission from the lords, a rare and unlikely occurrence. As a messenger, Jelena was entitled to follow on horseback. Reluctant at first, she eventually allowed Aneko and some of the other guards to persuade her into joining them.

The warmth of the morning offered a preview of the day’s heat. The lower yard buzzed with activity. Those staff members entitled to ride busied themselves preparing their own mounts while the grooms readied the mounts of the noble folk. A cluster of castle staff, mainly groundskeepers, laborers and kitchen workers, stood off to one side, well out of the way. They all intended to follow the hunt on foot, keeping up as best they could.

Jelena stood with her guard friends, absently stroking the nose of her favorite horse, Willow. Aneko came stumping up, a little smirk twisting her full mouth. “Kami won’t be riding out with us this fine morning, I’m afraid. She’s green as an unripe apple and puking her guts out in the privies this very moment.”

For the past week, Kami had been ill, especially upon rising in the morning. Jelena’s chest tightened with concern. “Maybe she should go see a doctor. Something very wrong could be with her,” she said. Aneko roared with laughter, as did several others. Jelena felt terribly confused, wondering if she had made some especially ridiculous mistake with her Siri-dar.

“Oh, she’ll be needing the doctor all right, but she’s not sick, just pregnant,” Aneko explained patiently.

Jelena blushed, embarrassed at her own ignorance. “Does Captain Miri know he is to be a father?” she asked.

“He’ll know soon enough,” Aneko replied. “I dare say he’ll be putting in for that wage increase sooner than he expected. I s’pose their wedding will be moved up as well. Ai, the lords are mounting up. Let’s go!”

Jelena climbed onto Willow and settled her bow across the saddle horn and a quiver of arrows at her knee. Aneko had suggested she carry the bow in case an opportunity for the commoners to shoot—unlikely, but still possible—presented itself.

She scanned the group of nobles and caught sight of Ashinji, astride the big black gelding he favored. Her breath caught in her throat. In the midst of talking to Lord Dai’s son Ibeji, he abruptly looked up, like a hound scenting a rabbit. Slowly, as if an unseen force pulled at him, he swiveled in his saddle until he sat facing in her direction, catching her in his gaze.

She felt dizzy, and that curious sensation she had experienced before—like thoughts and words not her own were trying to form in her mind—washed over her. A voice called her name; it sounded like Ashinji’s but his lips weren’t moving.

Lord Sen interposed himself between Ashinji and Ibeji, blocking her view and abruptly the sensation vanished. She exhaled loudly and rubbed her forehead.

“Is your head hurting you?” Aneko asked.

“No…No. I am well,” Jelena replied. “All excitement, my first hunt…” She smiled and indicated the hubbub with a wave of her hand.

“Just remember to stay to the rear.” Aneko pointed her thumb back over her shoulder.

The cacophony in the yard increased twofold as the hunt mistress brought up the castle’s pack of hounds. They were impressive animals, with lean, muscular bodies and whip-slim tails. Their coats gleamed like black satin in the sunlight. Deep, throaty howls filled the air—a raw, primal sound, visceral and wild. Jelena could not help but feel a rush of excitement.

The gates of the castle swung open, and the hunt flowed through. The hunt mistress and her assistants rode at the fore, the pack flowing like black water around their horses’ feet. Next came the field of noble folk, followed by the mounted commoners. The group on foot brought up the rear.

Back in Amsara, Jelena had never been allowed to participate in any hunts, and even if she had wanted to, her lowly status as a kitchen drudge would have meant that she’d have had to follow on foot. The idea of slogging through mud and brambles for hours just to witness other people bringing down game had never really appealed to her.

This, however, was entirely different. She had a horse to ride, and social status far beyond anything she had ever imagined for herself. She had friends who respected her. She had, for the first time in her life, a real home.

All of which she now stood to lose if she refused Sadaiyo.

Don’t think about any of that now. Just enjoy the day.

The field set out at a brisk jog, heading for a patch of woodland just across the river from the castle. The hounds fanned out and entered the trees, snuffling and growling. The field hung back to allow the dogs to do their work. A well-seasoned pack, they knew their business. Occasionally, the hunt mistress would whistle a series of tones. Jelena wondered what they meant.

After a short time, the hounds emerged, tongues lolling. They had failed to flush any game. The hunt mistress whistled again, and the pack reformed, ready to move on.

The hunt moved as one, a multi-legged beast loping through the golden fields of midsummer. They rode east, toward Saihama village, where, Aneko had informed Jelena, many deer had been spotted recently.

It did not take the dogs long to find game once they had slipped back into the forest. A huge stag careened out of the trees, eyes as big as saucers, the hounds in hot pursuit. The nobles rode hard after it, Sadaiyo and Misune leading the charge. Jelena and the rest of the mounted commoners held back a few moments, then followed at a slightly slower pace. Out of the corner of her eye, Jelena could see the people on foot cutting across at a diagonal to the stag’s flight, as if they instinctively knew which way he would run. She bent low over Willow’s neck and galloped on, exhilarated.

The stag pounded across an open meadow, trying desperately to loop back toward the shelter of the trees. The dogs leapt and snapped relentlessly at his heels until he abruptly turned and rushed them, head down, in an attempt to sweep them aside with his antlers. The dogs fell back, barking furiously, but they continued to keep the stag encircled, holding him for the hunters.

It ended quickly. Misune had the honor of the killing shot—a single, perfectly placed arrow that pierced the stag’s lungs and heart. The beast fell to his knees, gouts of bloody froth dripping from nose and mouth. With a groan, he slumped to his side and lay still.  The field let out a great cheer.

Jelena rode up just as Misune took her shot, enabling her to witness the kill at close range. She admired the newest Sakehera’s skill with the bow, but at the same time, she felt a twinge of sadness for the death of a noble creature. The stag had run well, and Misune had granted him a speedy, dignified end.

Jelena waited quietly, along with the rest of the common folk, while the nobles discussed where the hunt would ride next. Lord Sen suggested that they continue east to try the woods further on, and the rest agreed. Several servants were assigned to dress the carcass and carry it back to the castle.

The hunt resumed. The hounds soon caught a fresh scent and followed it into the trees. The hunt mistress cautiously went in after them, signaling to her assistants to hang back outside on the forest’s edge.

Jelena held her breath, afraid that even the softest of exhalations would break the concentration of dogs and hunters. Willow shifted beneath her with a creak of joint and muscle. The only other sound she could hear was the whisper of the wind in the treetops.

The blat-blatof the hunt mistress’s horn, along with the explosive barking of the hounds, alerted the waiting field that the game had been flushed.

“Here they come!” someone shouted. Jelena saw a flash of brown and white just within the trees—a doe on the run. Instead of making a break for it out in the open, however, the terrified animal turned at the last moment and headed back into the forest. The hunt mistress’s horn sounded again, and her two assistants spurred their horses into the trees.

Jelena could see that the nobles really didn’t want to ride among the trees in pursuit. She surmised that they would much rather give chase out in the open where they could have clear lines of sight for shooting.

The barking of the hounds grew fainter as the quarry moved deeper into cover.

Sadaiyo cursed and shouted, “Come on! It’s getting away!” He spurred his horse forward and quickly disappeared from view. Like water through a breached dam, the field surged after the Heir, guiding their mounts as quickly as they could between the boles of the trees. Jelena started to follow, then realized that the common people were all hanging back. She turned to Aneko with a questioning look.

“They’ll never catch that doe in those trees, not as long as they stay a-horse,” Aneko commented. “None of this lot…” she indicated the walkers with a flick of her hand, “…feel like getting trampled while the noble folk blunder about in there. Naw, we’ll just wait right here ‘til they get tired and come out.”

Jelena fidgeted in her saddle, anxious not to miss out on a single moment of this, her first hunt. She made a decision. “I go in after, “she announced. Aneko shrugged and smiled lopsidedly, as if to say that it was no use, but Jelena could do as she liked.

Jelena drummed her heels into Willow’s sturdy flanks, and the horse plunged eagerly into the cool shadows beneath the forest canopy. Shouts and whistles echoed among the trees, making it difficult to discern which way the hunt had gone. She decided to let Willow choose the path, for the mare strode along with purpose, as if she knew exactly where to go.

Jelena could hear the dogs now, howling joyfully. They must be closing in on the doe, she thought.

Without warning, Willow shied violently. Only sheer luck kept Jelena from being thrown. As she fought to control the mare, she caught a glimpse of a heavy, dark shape in the undergrowth. Bushes shook and leaves flew as an enormous gray-black beast exploded from a thicket beneath Willow’s nose and hurtled forward past the plunging horse. An ear-piercing squeal tore at Jelena’s ears.

A wild boar! 

She and Willow had inadvertently blundered into its hiding place and flushed it out, but the tusker appeared more interested in escape than confrontation. It tore off through the trees and disappeared from sight, leaving both horse and girl shaking with reaction.

Having regained control, Jelena urged Willow forward, now more anxious than ever to catch up to the rest of the hunt. Off to her right, she heard a man call out and decided to head in that general direction. Perhaps she would run into Ashinji. Her heart, having just slowed down, sped up again at the thought of seeing the man she loved.

A man astride a big bay horse came into view—Lord Sen. He sat gazing ahead into the trees, his expression thoughtful, as if trying to decide whether to ride on or stay put. Jelena opened her mouth to call out to him, but he kicked the bay and trotted off. She urged Willow to follow.

Suddenly, the thicket ahead erupted with a furious squeal. Lord Sen’s horse screamed in panic and reared, hurling the Lord of Kerala from the saddle. Jelena watched in horror as Lord Sen hit the ground with bone-breaking force and lay unmoving. The horse bolted away into the trees.

The boar stood poised, his small black eyes glittering with porcine fury. His massive head, adorned with a pair of wickedly curved tusks, swung from side to side, snout twitching. Jelena could feel Willow preparing to bolt. Just then, Lord Sen stirred and groaned. With a snort, the boar charged.

Later, Jelena would have no explanation for what happened next; perhaps the One Goddess guided her hands, perhaps the magic within her aided the deed.

She felt her consciousness tear loose from her body and float free to hover above the scene now unfolding in slow motion below her. She watched as, seemingly without enough time to make a shot, she raised her bow, withdrew an arrow from the quiver at her knee, nocked, drew, and fired. The arrow ignited in a flash of blue flame and impaled the boar through its right eye, killing it instantly. The beast crashed to the ground and slid forward in a tangle of limbs to fetch up against the semi-conscious Lord Sen.

Jelena’s mind slammed back into her body with such force that she nearly tumbled from her saddle. Shaking her head dizzily, she scrambled off the trembling Willow and ran over to crouch beside Lord Sen.

“My lord! Can you speak? Are you hurt?” she cried, struggling not to gag on the rank aroma of the dead boar. Lord Sen’s eyes fluttered open and for one terrible moment, Jelena saw only blankness, then a heartbeat later, a glimmer of recognition.

“My messenger. Where did you come from?” Sen asked. He sounded genuinely puzzled.

Jelena sighed with heartfelt relief. “Do you know what now just happened, my lord?” she asked. He struggled to sit up, and Jelena gladly lent her shoulder for assistance. She peered intently into his face. He looked pale and shaky but seemed more or less intact.

“I startled a boar. My horse threw me. The last thing I remember is thinking that I was going to be very sore tomorrow after taking such a fall.” He let out a small chuckle, then gasped and clutched at his side.

“You hurt, where in pain, my lord?” she asked, but he just shook his head, staring first at the slain tusker, then at the bow Jelena still clutched in her hand.

“You saved my life, girl,” he said slowly. “Do you realize what that means?” He pointed at the arrow protruding from the boar’s eye. Jelena shook her head. “It means that you have earned the right to ask of me whatever you want, and I am obligated to give it to you, no matter the cost to me.”

Jelena drew in a sharp breath, not quite believing what she had just heard. Lord Sen regarded her intently, and Jelena saw something in his eyes that she had never before seen in the gaze of a powerful man—respect. She shivered with awe.

“Here, take this,” Sen wheezed, his right hand pressed tightly to his injured side. He fumbled with his other hand to release a small ivory horn from his belt. “Blow three short blasts, then three long ones. It will signal the others that there’s a rider down.” He held the horn out to Jelena, who took it and pressed it hesitantly to her lips.

Her first effort produced a sickly squawk. “Blow harder,” Sen instructed. Nodding in understanding, Jelena took a deep breath and blew with all the strength she could muster. Sen bobbed his head in approval.

Almost simultaneously, several horns sounded nearby, answering the distress call. Jelena could feel the vibrations of approaching riders in the litter-covered earth beneath her knees. She glanced worriedly at Lord Sen and silently prayed for them to hurry.

Ashinji reached them first. He tumbled off his horse and threw himself down beside his father. “Father! Are you hurt? What happened?” he cried.

“I’m all right, Son,” Sen soothed. “Just a little fall, that’s all.”

“He is being brave…for you,” Jelena stated quietly. “He fell…very hard.”

Ashinji looked at Jelena, then his eyes skipped over to the dead boar. “Jelena, you shot this boar, didn’t you?” He reached out to touch a fingertip to the bow in her hand. “You saved my father’s life.” Love and gratitude sparked in his eyes. Jelena wanted to break down and cry; only sheer willpower held back her tears.

Ashinji turned his attention back to Sen. “Father, you must not try to minimize this. Please tell me where you hurt.” His tone indicated that he would tolerate no nonsense.

Sen held up his hand as if in surrender. “I think I may have broken a rib here on my right side. That’s the worst of it,” he said, almost meek in the face of his son’s stern concern.

“Great Goddess! Father, you’re down!”

Sadaiyo had arrived, along with Misune and Lord Dai. He jumped from his horse and strode over to where Sen lay. “Out of my way, girl,” he growled, shoving Jelena roughly aside, sending her sprawling. He squatted beside his father and said, “Are you hurt?”

Jelena scrambled to her feet, still clutching her bow, spitting leaves from her mouth. Her face burned with humiliation. She saw Lord Sen’s eyes narrow in anger. “My messenger here shot this beast while I lay helpless. If she had not killed it, you would now be Lord,” he said tightly. “I owe her my life.”

Sadaiyo raised one eyebrow in surprise and turned to look at Jelena, his expression speculative. She felt a chill race up her spine.

By this time, most of the other nobles had arrived, dismounted and had gathered around the fallen Lord of Kerala.  Everyone talked at once, completely ignoring Jelena, although many exclaimed in astonishment over the slain boar. Jelena stood quietly, just outside the noisy circle of people, wishing she could stand beside Ashinji.

As if he had somehow heard her wish, the crowd parted, and Ashinji stepped through and walked up to her. He took her hand and led her into the center of the group where Sen, now up and leaning heavily on Sadaiyo, awaited.

The Lord of Kerala cleared his throat as the crowd fell silent. “This girl here, Jelena is her name, came to Kerala last spring. My son Ashinji found her, wounded and lost, and needing my help. She is in search of her elven kin, and I promised that I would aid in her search. She has been in service to me as my messenger these last few weeks.”

Jelena felt like an exotic species of insect pinned under a glass for examination. She kept her eyes firmly affixed to the toes of her boots. Ashinji had released her hand but remained standing beside her, and the steady warmth of his presence gave her comfort.

Lord Sen continued. “When I flushed the boar, my horse reared and threw me. I lay unconscious…helpless. I thank The One that Jelena came when she did. T’was her shot that skewered the great, ugly beast, straight through his eye! I couldn’t have done better myself. I owe this girl my life, and she shall have her reward…Whatever she desires.” A ripple of shock flowed through the crowd.

“Jelena…Look at me, girl,” Sen commanded. Hesitantly, Jelena obeyed. “You shall be the honored guest at my table tonight,” he announced, “and I’ll make sure that you get the choicest morsels from yonder porker! Now, that’s all I have to say. Get me back home, sons.” He looked to Ashinji and Sadaiyo, grimacing in pain.

Jelena’s head reeled. The reversal of her fortunes had been both swift and shocking. As Sadaiyo and Ashinji assisted their father, Lord Dai assumed command of the hunt. Two riders were dispatched to fetch servants and bring them back to assist with the boar. A frenzy of barking heralded the arrival of the hunt mistress and the pack. Jelena overheard her telling Lord Dai that the carcass of the doe awaited dressing and removal.

Since nothing more seemed required of her, Jelena went in search of Willow. She found the chestnut mare quietly munching shoots a spear’s throw away. “There you are, girl,” she said, stroking the mare’s velvet nose. She hung her bow across the saddle horn, gathered up the reins, and scrambled ungracefully into the saddle.

Then it hit her.

A storm of trembles seized her body. Her thoughts tumbled over each other in a swirl of confusion.

What just happened? Did I really leave my body behind? Is this what it feels like to float on the aether in spirit form?

How did I cause the arrow to burst into flame, and why was it not consumed?

She hugged herself to stop the shaking.

The flame was blue! Blue fire…Magic!

The nobles had all remounted and were moving off. Ashinji and Sadaiyo had assisted Lord Sen back onto his horse and rode along on either side of their father in order to steady him, if needed. Jelena fell in behind, trailing the group at a respectful distance.

When they at last broke the cover of the trees, word had already reached the common folk of the events that had just transpired. A knot of riders immediately surrounded Jelena.

Aneko spoke first. “Is it true, Jelena? You really killed a tusker about to gore Lord Sen?” Jelena nodded weakly, still too shaken to speak. “D’you know what this means?” the older woman exulted. She didn’t bother to wait for an answer. “It means that you’ll get what you want, Jelena.” She reached over and gripped Jelena’s hand and squeezed hard. “It means that there’s hope!”

Jelena understood Aneko’s meaning, but she dared not let herself begin to believe. She knew Lord Sen meant what he had said—she could ask anything of him, and he would grant it—but she didn’t think that “anything” included Ashinji…Or did it?

As the hunt made its way back to the castle, despite all her efforts, Jelena felt herself surrendering to hope.