Fox Hunt; Chapter 5

It's not hard to get pointed to where we can find David. Apparently, his stint as the town jailer had turned into his full-time job. We're nearing the jailhouse when Priamos's communicator beeps. He pauses, reading whatever has been sent to him.

"It would seem I'm needed back at the barracks," he muses, looking up at me. "I'll see you back there."

I nod. "Hopefully, later rather than sooner."

Priamos pats my shoulder. "Take all the time you need. Call if you need help."

I don't bother responding as he continues to walk away. I doubt I would be needing help. I hadn't needed him following me around this morning. He had just been doing his job though, overseeing this botched retrieval. I suppose his willingness to leave me on my own was a testament to his faith in my abilities. I turn my attention back to the jailhouse.

I walk in, pausing to observe the surroundings. Unlike the cells at the militia barracks, this is a simple one-room house. The front room is spacious enough with just two desks, one for the main keeper and another for his assistant. Halfway back, I can see the hall for the cells. The walls facing the main room are made of brick, shutting off the view of inside the cells. Considering the silence, I can't tell if they're currently occupied. The only person I can see is the older man sitting at the main keeper's desk. He sits with his feet propped up on the desk while reading the paper. At the moment, he's lowered the paper to look at me. If he's surprised to have a Hunter standing in his jailhouse, he doesn't show it. He simply lifts the paper back up.

"What do you want?" He asks gruffly, no hint of actual interest in his voice.

"I'm looking for information," I say just as bluntly.

"You have an interesting choice of sources. I don't know anything outside of what the papers tell me."

"I was told you knew Sylvaine."

The paper doesn't lower as he shrugs. "Can't help you there."

"Are denying knowing her?"

"No. I'm just saying I can't help you. As you so eloquently said, I knew Sylvaine. Keyword being knew, as in used to, i.e., it was in the past."

I can feel my eyes narrowing. Well, it was probably safe to assume this was David, the retired soldier. He clearly wasn't one to mince words. Fine by me. "Did you train her?"

"If you need to ask, you are bad at your job." The paper comes down so he can level his eyes on mine. "It's not exactly a secret." He lifts the paper back up.

"Why?" I ask, ignoring his slight.

"Dr. Smith asked me to. She was small, pretty, and had a knack for wandering off and finding herself in trouble. He was concerned for her safety."

"Are you aware of the fact she's missing?"

He gives the paper a small shake. "I don't live under a rock, boy."

I feel a twinge of annoyance. I hadn't been spoken to so irreverently since I was in training. He must have been a ranking officer to feel he could speak so glibly to me. I shove down my annoyance. This was an easy game to play. As long as I show him respect, he'll be willing to talk.

"Forgive me if I sound irreverent, but you don't seem too concerned."

A simple shrug. "The girl knows how to take care of herself in a fight."

Was he operating under the assumption that she had escaped whoever came for Tiberius and her? "She could be lost in the forest."

The paper remains where it is. "I suppose she very well could be."

Perfectly calm. Not the least bit concerned. "Did you give her any survival training?"

"Nope." The paper closes long enough for him to turn the page. "Not my kid, not my problem."

"Yet you have no concerns over the fact she could be lost in the forest?"

"She's a smart and resourceful girl. I'm sure she'll be fine."

I study him for a moment. I hadn't really learned anything from him, but coming here hadn't proved completely useless. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of it sooner. If he had made sure she had the skills to hide and survive in towns, it was only logical, since he had been preparing her to run, that he had also seen to it she knew how to survive in the wilds. Yet if David had only taught her how to fight, someone else would have had to teach her survival. I now had a better idea of who I was looking for for the fourth, unknown teacher.

"Is there a hunter in town?" I ask. I figure it can't hurt to ask him first.

The paper slowly lowers itself once more. He doesn't speak though; just sits in silence as he levels his gaze with mine, expression unimpressed. His point was clear enough though.

I scowl. "Do I really need to spell out what I mean?"

David huffs a single chuckle, lips quirking up in a small smirk. It would seem I'd finally gotten his approval. The paper comes back up though. "A couple. If you want the best, you're looking for Charlie."

"And where can I find Charlie?"

"I'd start with his cottage. North down the main street to the edge of the town. The log cabin standing alone by the tree line."

I leave without a word. He doesn't call after me either. As I make my way down the street, I do catch a few curious glances thrown my way, but no one approaches. I find the cabin right where he said it would be. I'm saved from wondering if he's home by the smoke rising from the chimney. Walking up to the door, I knock loudly.

A few seconds later, the door is opened by a little girl. She stares up at me for a moment. I force myself to smile at her.

"Is your father home?"

She stares at me for another second before she turns around. "MAMA!" A moment later, a woman rounds the far corner. Considering the apron over her dress and the flour on her hands, I assume she's been cooking. "He's looking for Daddy."

The woman blinks, looking from her daughter to me. She begins to cross the cabin, wiping her hands in her apron. "Thank you, Lydia. Go finish your chores." The girl trots off as the woman comes to a stop before me. "I'm sorry, but Charlie isn't home right now, and I don't know when he'll be back."

He was gone right now? "Is he looking for Sylvaine?"

The woman doesn't seem surprised by my question. She just shakes his head. "No, just hunting. He left before. . ." She shakes her head. "Sorry. It's just so horrible what happened."

"Did you know Sylvaine well?"

"Not as well as Charlie. He spent a lot more time with her on hunting trips after all." A ding sounds from the kitchen. She quickly glances back pointing towards the kitchen. "Would you mind if we continued talking in the kitchen? I'm in the middle of baking."

I nod. "Of course."

She smiles appreciatively as she turns towards the kitchen. I follow after her, closing the door as I enter. She's setting a pie down on the countertop as I enter the kitchen. She pulls the mitts off, tossing them onto the counter before returning to the table where her other project, some kind of dough, sits.

"As much as I could tell she didn't like every aspect of the hunting lessons, I'm glad she got them," she says, beginning to knead the dough.

"Was she not very good at hunting?" I ask.

The woman shakes her head. "Charlie said she did quite well once you got her out of her head. Sylvaine always seemed more suited to books and medicine to me. Learning to hunt and survive in the woods was Tiberius's idea, in case she ever wanted to do something else,” she says with a shrug.

"So, she'd be just fine on her own out there," I muse, thoughts swirling. The running, and her path, had been intentional. Where was she going?

She pauses, looking up curiously. "You think she got away from her kidnappers?"

We stand there for a moment, studying each other. She knew something. How to get it out of her without raising suspicion?

I shrug. "Frankly, I don't know what to think. If she had, and she has the skills to find her way back, wouldn't she have?"

She returns to kneading the dough with a shrug. "She's got no family here."

"She's an orphan. She doesn't have family anywhere. She has nowhere else to go."

Her kneading pauses again as she purses her lips. "She. . . might. . . have gone north."

I stare at her. Was this finally what I was looking for? "Why do you think that?"

She shakes her head. "It's just something she said once. It was probably nothing, she was delirious after all."

She's closing off. She thinks she's grasping straws.

"I have nothing to work with," I say as gently as I can. "Any lead is better than none, especially from someone that knew her."

Silence hangs for a moment before she nods, looking up. "Just don't put too much on it. She was half out of her mind. She got bit by something while she was out on a hunt with Charlie. He got her back here but was afraid to move her anymore. I was doing what I could to temper her fever while he went to get Tiberius. She kept muttering to herself. I couldn't make out much of it, but I did catch something about following the river until the bed turned to stone and something about the falls."

That was it? "That. . . Doesn't mean north."

A small smile touches her lips. "It does if you know the river." Her hands resume their work. "Down here, the bed is mud. Go far enough north, it ain't mud no more. Go even further, you'll reach the falls. Follow the river south, you'll only find the lake it feeds."

Finally. A direction. It would seem my hunting here was done. I bow my head to the woman. "Thank you. I'll get out of your way now."

The woman pauses, looking up. "Oh, of course." She moves to follow me as I turn towards the exit. "I'll let Charlie know you need to speak with him."

"That won't be necessary, you've been most helpful," I assure her as I step through the door. I pause on the porch, turning back to her. The last thing we'd need was a hunter that had known them poking around the investigation. "You don't need to worry. We have our best looking for her. She'll be found."