Ch.31

Michel coughed loudly in an attempt to get their attention. He shook his head as he motioned toward Evander and Elestra.

Then the older boy carefully pointed toward the house, hoping that none of them would see this as a threat. "What if we just killed them?" he asked. It didn't need to be said that the voices would only become louder once they realized that the elves were gone. The last thing the hunters needed was for any of them to start screaming and shouting at each other.

Fir nodded. "And what if we explained later, or maybe told them that they had attacked us first? That way they wouldn't know who was telling the truth. There's no way they could prove which one of them did something against us."

"That sounds like a good idea," replied Michel. "At least as long as the other one is the leader of the group. As far as I'm concerned, Fir is the strongest of the three."

Ebert shifted around in his seat, eyeing the other two with his cold blue eyes. "I suppose that depends on what happens next‌…" he muttered. "We still haven't figured out exactly how we're going to keep from being caught by any of them."

From where he sat, Fir looked over at him. "Our best bet might be to find somewhere to hide‌… or to stay together for as long as possible." He gave Michel a warning look. "If anyone attacks us again, we're going to have to be ready to fight. Not just in order to protect ourselves, but to ensure that our mission isn't interrupted. Even if that means taking out all of these hunters before they have any chance to reach us. At least for now.

"After we accomplish what we need to do, we'll be able to search for more people in the area. Once word gets out, our help will be appreciated. Or they can come back and get us then, if they want."

The lupis man shifted closer, looking down at the dark elf. "That's how it has to be, no matter what."

Ebert slowly nodded, turning away from the others. It seemed almost certain that he was thinking about leaving them here. After all, their task could be done faster without a hunter here to slow them down. And Fir wouldn't need any help‌… at least not until later, if the man kept his promise.

Michel shot him a concerned look. "What are you planning?" he asked. "Is there someplace else that we can go? Somewhere I don't know about yet?"

Ebert reached out and rested his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "I think you'd better get used to the idea," he said. "Fir needs a place to stay, as well as someone he can trust. Someone who knows how to survive in this part of the world. That won't be me."

"You're right, of course. But what are we going to do after that?" asked Michel.

Ebert hesitated. "Actually‌… it depends on what we find when we leave here. At the very least, we will need some sort of transportation. You may be the only one of us who knows how to ride a horse, but none of us are going to be able to haul all the supplies by ourselves. A carriage would certainly come in handy."

"Do you think you can arrange something for us?" the older boy asked. "A cart or something? Something we can use to get to wherever we end up?"

Ebert shook his head. "Not yet. What I mean is that there is no way that I'm letting anyone take you to The Four Horsemen. Even if it means sneaking away and coming back on my own. If I had any hope of finding you again, I would have done so long ago."

Michel didn't say anything for several seconds. He knew that Ebert meant what he was saying. And that left only two possible choices for the group.

Find Evander a place where they could stay for a few days‌… or go looking for more people on their own. They'd have to hurry, though, before more hunters arrived. Hopefully, with them out of the picture, Elestra and Fir would be safe enough to figure out what they wanted to do.

Then he looked over at Michel, nodding his head in resignation. "Well, this isn't exactly the plan I was hoping for, but we have no choice. I guess I should get to work then. We'll be leaving before the sun's even fully set."

"Where are you going to start?" asked Fir.

The boy nodded toward Michel. "He needs to find a place where we can lay low while we wait for word to get around. A place that's not too far from here, but hopefully something none of the people they hunt will see us coming. I've got some ideas on where we might be able to find it, but I doubt any of them are much good. If that were true, then someone else would have already built it up before now."

Fir turned to Ebert, leaning close to him. "You know," he whispered. "It occurs to me that this is just about the perfect time to leave. Once you've led them into another trap, no one will bother to look for us anymore. And by that time, it might be dangerous to stay around here. Especially if there are any other hunters nearby."

Michel gave them both an annoyed stare. "If anyone gets caught, Ebert will let himself die first. No matter what." He looked back at Ebert, leaning in slightly. "And I mean that with everything I am. So don't you dare try anything stupid!"

Ebert smiled a little. "I can see that you're a very loyal friend, Michel." Then he pushed the boy away and turned back toward the others. "Are we all agreed on what we need to do? Then let's get started."

***

Evander started to say something when he noticed that Elestra was standing, reaching her hand out toward the young man. When he took it, the two stood up, walking past Ebert and Fir to enter the cabin.

After they were gone, Michel stared over at the others. "It would take a lot of money to make sure that everyone knows who did it," he muttered. "Especially if the person is dead and can't defend themselves."

Ebert gave him an amused look. "Michel, I'm willing to pay you quite well right now. Would you like to be our leader? Or perhaps you'd prefer to lead your own group instead."

The dark elf pursed his lips. "I don't want to abandon them. And I'd never lead anyone away from my friends either, no matter what."

"Of course not," said Fir, nodding. Then he glanced up at Ebert. "All we have to do is catch our prey before anyone else does. And maybe take out a few hunters along the way. It wouldn't hurt if they got away at least once. That way they won't suspect anything after what we did here."

Michel looked over at the older boy. "Can we afford to keep looking for someone while we're here‌… and somewhere else, as well?"

Ebert shrugged. "Perhaps. But why bother? This is the most important task we've had so far‌… even more than killing one of their leaders. All we have to do is stay together and make sure no one finds us. We'll be safe enough until things are done with our main quarry. After that, we'll find a place to hide in the meantime. One where the others can't find us‌…"

His words trailed off, leaving nothing else for his companions to say. The lupis man leaned closer to them, watching as Ebert turned away and went inside, followed by Elestra. Then he turned back toward Michel, still staring at the older boy's face.

Fir noticed him watching their reactions. He wasn't sure if he liked Ebert's response, but he also knew that they needed some sort of guidance if they were going to be successful. Although all three of them knew that there was a very real chance that they might not succeed in what they were planning.