“That was close.” Andrew whispered to her as Kasia strode into the cantina for breakfast. “You’re later than last time.”
Feeling eyes on her, Kasia glanced to see Harold was glaring at her from where he sat.
She frowned, but ignored him. She was far more concerned with getting caught, “I left at dawn, the same as last time.”
“Well, you owe us.” He grinned at her. “Janine here is quite the liar.”
Kasia blanched, “What happened?! Did someone come looking for me?”
Andrew jerked his head towards Harold. “The asshole did.”
Kasia’s eyebrows shot up and she glanced over at Harold for a moment. “What did he want? What did you say?”
“He wanted to know where you were. For what, he didn’t say.”
“What did you tell him?” Kasia asked Janine.
“That you stayed up late talking to your Wujek and probably slept in the castle.” Janine shrugged.
Kasia’s face relaxed into a smile, “Thank you, Janine. You’re the best.”
“So. How far are things going with you and that incubus?”
“Incubus?” Kasia raised an eyebrow, scoffing.
Janine ticked on her finger, “He doesn’t want a relationship, he’s not looking for love, he isn’t interested in marriage, and he wants to bang you. And…” Janine paused, studying Kasia's face, “you’re actually thinking about doing it!” she gasped.
Kasia flushed and turned away, muttering something incoherent.
“Holy shit- are you planning to have sex with him?!” Janine’s brown eyes were full of impish delight as she pressed Kasia for details.
“Maybe. I don’t know…” Kasia shrugged noncommittally. “We might have gotten close last night, but Sondra walked in—”
“---SONDRA WALKED IN?!”Janine screeched, jumping to her feet.
Andrew quickly grabbed his girlfriend and forced her back down, covering her mouth with his hand.
Kasia looked around guiltily to see if anyone had overheard.
There were a few faces turned towards them. Most were more curious about the noise than what had been said.
"Shut up, woman!" Andrew hissed. "This isn't the place."
“Nothing happened!” Kasia hissed quickly, “We just cuddled and talked...naked”
Janine’s face turned dreamy, “For a man who claims not to be interested in love, he sure is romantic. And I’m impressed at how slow he has been moving. Not like that awful Louis who tried to fuck you within two weeks and then bailed when you wouldn’t.”
Kasia nodded, “I know. He seems genuinely interested in me and my company… I just wish I believed he wouldn’t grow bored with me.”
Janine made a sympathetic face and laid her hand over Kasia’s, “I’m sorry. I know how much you like him. But it really does sound like you could have a wonderful time together. Maybe even a lasting friendship. I know you haven’t found any men here that interest you– but you’re going to travel the world, remember? You’re going to meet so many new people and see so many new things!”
Kasia brightened, “That’s true. You’ll come with me, of course?” she looked at Andrew and Janine hopefully.
"Maybe. Knights often travel alone." Andrew became saddened. He had tried not to think about what would happen when they did become knights.
“Not always! My Tatu? and his brats often traveled together. Kornosz took his best friend Rudolph with him to England, and my cousins Warsz and Zarsz are almost always at their Tata’s side. Why shouldn’t we go together? It would be safer!”
The cantina was empty of initiates. "Shit! We're going to be late! You know, sometimes I hate your Wujek." But Andrew was smiling as he hurried to put his food away.
Kasia sighed, “I adore my Wujek, but I don’t think I’ve ever once looked forward to his training…” Kasia and Janine followed Andrew, clearing their trays, hurrying to the training yard.
They made it just in time. "So close. I would have loved to give the three of you laps." Ren smiled wickedly at them.
After checking to make sure no one was looking, Kasia stuck her tongue out at her uncle.
"Now, twice around the castle to warm up. And find sparring partners."
As they ran Harold ran alongside them. "Partner."
"Go the fuck away Harold." Andrew growled protectively.
“What he said.” Kasia grunted, not even bothering to look at Harold. “Go partner with someone who can become a real knight, you sexist bastard.”
Janine blew a raspberry at him.
"Beat me again and I'll drop it."
That caught Kasia’s interest. She eyed Harold, trying to find the trap in his words. “And if I lose?”
"You keep your agreement. Or admit that you're a quitter and leave." Harold shrugged. "I don't care which."
Kasia pursed her lips, “I don’t understand why you want to train with someone you’re so insistent is beneath you and always will be. But fine. I’ll partner with you today.”
“Kick him in the dick, Kasia!” Janine cheered, making Kasia laugh.
"No one deserves that." Andrew replied as he winced in imaginary pain.
"Good." Was all Harold said in a grunt before running off to finish his laps.
"You're really going to partner with him again?"
“He promised to stop harassing me, how could I pass up on that offer?” Kasia replied, imagining the peace of never having to listen to his sneering insults ever again. The rest of the run passed in a blissful daydream…
"Everyone, find a partner and pick your weapons. Today–" Ren let out a malicious laugh.
Kasia knew that most of this was an act that her Uncle put on for the sake of the initiates. He didn't actually want them getting hurt, but a bit of fear and a shared enemy did wonders for motivating teenagers to train.
"---Is conditioning. Blunt weapons only. And don't hold back. With that said, any bones you break on your opponent, General Nathan will break on you."
"Break some bones!" Nathan could be heard yelling from the battlements.
Kasia couldn’t help but snort with laughter at how eager her Uncle Nathan sounded. She selected a longsword, since that was the weapon she had the most experience with. She couldn’t afford to play around today— Harold’s wagging tongue was on the line!
She grabbed a shield as well and walked over to where Harold was waiting for her.
When Ren signaled for them to start. Kasia went straight in, trying to use her speed to her advantage. But Harold was faster. That surprised her. He bashed her shield with his own, sending her staggering back– and then tripped her. She looked up to a blade pointed at her throat. Kasia’s mouth formed a small ‘O’ of surprise. Harold had gotten better. A lot better.
“I told you, Red. I’m the best.” He smirked at her.
Kasia angrily got back to her feet. She braced herself, shield ready. Harold charged her, swinging his sword in a vertical arc. She blocked it with her shield, but the strength of the blow almost made her knees buckle.
She lashed out with a horizontal cut, hitting Harold in the ribs. She grinned proudly, but it was short lived because Harold kicked her in the stomach so hard she had the wind knocked out of her.
“Kurwa…” she wheezed.
“You’re too soft.” Harold scorned her. But he didn’t let up. As soon as she gained her breath and stood up to face him he swung his sword again. This time aiming for her legs.
Kasia dodged back, avoiding the blow. “I don’t-” she panted, “--get you. You insult me endlessly, demand that I quit, but you also won’t leave me alone.” she continued catching her breath. “Why do you want me to train with you?”
His face was impossible to read. In response, he just shrugged, “Who better to train with than the daughter of the Bear?”
Among the three legendary brothers, Kasia’s father was known as the Bear. He was ferocious in battle. He had a singular mind when hunting and often would shrug off attacks even without the protection of armor. When he attacked, it was with sweeping powerful blows that were difficult to evade and impossible to recover from.
"Well according to you, literally anyone else would be better." Kasia’s face split in a crooked grin, “But that’s not really true, is it? You want to train with me because it’s a challenge. You really do think I’m good!” She darted around him, hoping her words would distract him as she attempted to strike him in the back.
“Shut up!” He scowled as he brought his shield around to block her strike. “I told you already. I want you to see how useless it is to continue, and quit.”
Kasia tried to find an opening to slide her blade past his shield, “But you did the opposite! You showed me I am so much better than I thought! You’ve been a source of inspiration for me!” she taunted him, laughing.
“I’ll correct that.” He snarled. He swung hard enough that her entire arm vibrated for several moments as his sword connected with her shield. As she stood there, stunned, he spun around to quickly follow up with a strike against her side.
“Partner.” He scowled as Kasia once again doubled over gasping for breath.
Kasia grimaced. “Three nights-” she panted, “-a week.” she rubbed her side, wincing. That would leave a bruise. “That is all you get.”
“Oh? You have plans for the other ones? I thought that you wanted to be a huntress.” Harold sneered.
“Yes.” Kasia replied coolly. “I guess I’ll see you tonight.” She limped over to the weapon racks and returned her sword and shield. Shit, she needed to soak these bruises. Everything hurt.
Not a single initiate wasn't groaning by the end of training.
"Good. You'll need to heal. Rest tomorrow. Focus on your studies. After tomorrow we'll do it again. I hope that you enjoy the pain. Or learn to fight better." Ren dismissed them.
"Really? Not a single broken bone? What a buzz kill." Nathan taunted the initiates, as he walked up the training yard to speak with Ren.
Kasia didn’t even have the energy to flip him off.
"Ivar, will you babysit me while I have dinner with Isaak?"
"What? Why? We have dinner here!"
"But we don't have Isaak here." Kasia pointed out.
"Katarzyna, you already get to see him on your rest days. Isn't that enough?"
"Ooh are you asking to go see Isaak? Can we come?" Janine and Andrew materialized beside Kasia.
"Of course! I just need to get Ivar here to agree to babysit."
"Why should I waste my evening and my money so you can go make doe eyes at a man who is far too old for you?" Ivar whined.
"I'll pay for your dinner. And drinks." Kasia blurted.
"You don't make enough for that." Ivar shook his head, "Fine. But the three of you are polishing my weapons and armor."
"Is it too late to change our minds?" Andrew grinned while Janine elbowed him.
They borrowed some horses and rode to the inn. Kasia ran upstairs to get Isaak. He spent considerable effort trying to convince her that dinner should be had naked and in bed, but Kasia insisted that evening dinner was a more formal affair and required clothing.
When they rejoined Ivar, Janine, and Andrew they ordered a sizable amount of food from a delighted Sondra. Ivar was even kind enough to look the other way while Kasia and her friends had some wine with dinner.
They laughed and talked for several hours, then returned to the castle.
Thus began the biweekly tradition of dinner with Isaak. And, despite his never-ending complaints, Ivar appeared to enjoy going as well.
The following day, they were told to rest their bodies and instead train their minds. They were not allowed outside of the castle. Their orders were to study about monsters in the annals to practice researching for hunts.
Janine and Andrew had barricaded themselves inside Janine’s room to have a private ‘study session’ so Kasia decided to spend the day in Ren’s personal library.
She settled on a chaise lounge and was thumbing through the pages of a book that had heavy annotations written in the margins by her uncle. She enjoyed reading where he corrected the author about vampire predatory habits, ghouls preferred habitats, wights physical appearance, and so on.
Her uncle came and sat beside her, reading through reports and cross checking books. It was a day well spent.
When she was on her way to the Cantina, Harold blocked her path. "Let's go, Red."
Kasia begrudgingly nodded and followed him.
“Feeling sore?” He smirked mockingly at her. He was the reason she was bruised.
Kasia gave him a crooked smile, “I should probably be thanking you– after all, it’s probably the reason we got an extra rest day. You know, because I get so much special treatment.”
Harold growled. “Yeah. Probably.”
Harold led her to one of the empty rooms on the first floor of the castle. These were used for private training, particularly those that involved throwing weapons, though sometimes there would be classes held on creating blade oils or traps. The room was fairly large with nothing in the middle. There was a large padded mat to prevent injury. “I figure today we’ll go weaponless. It has been quite a while.”
Harold pulled his tunic off and threw it into a corner. He was decently built. Lean, but bigger than Andrew. His arms and shoulders had grown quite prominent since the previous year.
Kasia couldn’t help the flush that rose to her cheeks, “Why are you taking your shirt off?! You said weaponless, not shirtless.”
“It’s restrictive.” He shrugged. Then he studied her face. Whatever he saw there made him grin, “Embarrassed?”
Kasia turned away, gritting her teeth. “No! Maybe. I don’t know!”
She took a steadying breath. Isaak was far larger and she actually got to touch and kiss his naked torso. Harold’s shouldn’t affect her. Andrew’s never did. She shook her head, her hair swinging around her cheeks. There. All centered.
Kasia took up a defensive position a couple feet from him and waited, full of steely determination.
Harold was laughing. “Really? A knight with his shirt off and you swoon?”
Kasia scoffed, “You’re not a knight! And I wasn’t swooning!”
He stepped into the middle of the room and held his fists up, “Bring it.”
Kasia charged at him, just needing to hit the bastard.
“Obvious!” He stepped aside as she charged him and tried to trip her as she ran by. She heard his breathing speed up.
Kasia skipped over his leg as he tried to knock her off balance and lashed out with her own kick straight at his hip. See how he liked being bruised there!
He easily blocked her kick with a smirk on his face. “Try again.” He grabbed the ankle of the foot he just blocked and pulled her along, forcing her to hop on her other foot while she swore at him.
Harold’s eyes locked on Kasia’s side and he swung out a jab with his right arm.
Kasia groaned as the blow hit, right on top of a previous bruise. “Oww…Ty chuju jebany.” (fucking asshole) She tried to pin his arm to her side and twisted her body.
“Trying to hold my hand?” He scoffed as he pulled his arm away. With her back turned to him he shoved her with all of his strength.
Kasia tripped over her own feet as Harold knocked her off balance, “Why would I want to hold your hand? I doubt I’d even take it if you tried to help me up!” She snapped. She was floundering today and it was embarrassing.
“I wouldn’t offer it to you.” He stopped and stood straight. He held his face out to her with a smirk. “Come on. Free hit.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Kasia got back to her feet. That smug fucking asshole! Fine! He wanted her to hit him? She was going to fucking hit him! She threw a punch straight at his face.
Harold’s head snapped back with the impact. As he turned back to look at her his smirk grew even wider. “Ow. That hurt.” he crooned.
Then he threw his fist towards her face. Kasia deflected it with the back of her arm and returned the attack with another punch of her own.
Harold crossed his arms and absorbed the hit. His foot swung around aiming for the side of her chest, right under her arms. Kasia grabbed his foot, mimicking what he’d done to her earlier and tried to hold it.
“Copying me?” He grunted as his sheer strength managed to pull his foot free. “What’s next, Red?”
He was absolutely dominating her today and growing smugger by the second because of it.
Fuck it. Kasia aimed a kick at his crotch.
Harold’s hands were fast as lightning as they dropped between his legs to block her foot.
A slight anger flashed in his eyes. “Dirty trick, Red.”
He dove at her waist attempting to tackle her to the ground but Kasia caught him by the shoulders and locked into a grapple with him. “I’m full of them. Keep pissing me off and I’ll be happy to show you more!” she growled as she wrestled with him.
He let himself fall to the ground. As he fell he twisted his body to bring Kasia down with him and fall on top of her.
Kasia managed to keep her hold on him, forcing him beneath her. While still straddling his waist, she pulled back her fist and decked him right in the eye. That would hurt him tomorrow.
“KURWA!” Harold screamed in pain as Kasia’s fist connected with his face.
He threw his own fist at her, anything he could reach. Her chest! Kasia slapped his arm away, letting out an outraged cry, “A tit punch? Really? And you got mad that I tried to kick you in the balls!”
Kasia went to hit him again, “Surrender!”
Harold blocked her arm and grabbed it tight. Kasia wrenched it free and attempted to punch him again but he blocked it, “Surrender, Harold!”
Kasia managed to pin his arms. Having nothing left to use as a weapon, she headbutt him.
Harold’s head was far harder than Kasia imagined. It hurt to hit him. And he seemed unphased.
Kasia was dazed from the headbutt. Stubborn ass had a harder head than her! But then she felt his face, his lips, far too close. His smell filled her nose as his lips pressed against hers, kissing her desperately.
She was so shocked it took her several moments to process what was happening, and when she did, she pulled back from him, their lips separating with a ‘pop’.
“W-what was that?!” Had that just happened? Did she hit her head so hard she hallucinated? That made far more sense than the idea of Harold kissing her. She searched his face wildly, trying to find something that would explain what had just happened.
Harold’s eyes were afire with that same hatred that he always looked at her with. But it was mixed with desire. And his face was as red as the rope around Kasia’s neck.
“What was what?” He tried to play it off. “You're the one straddling me! Get off!”
Kasia scrambled to obey, getting to her feet and backing away from him, still staring at him in bewilderment. “I don’t understand. You hate me…don’t you?”
Harold's eyes kept darting to her lips. He seemed flustered, “That? That was just to distract you. It worked so well that you got off of me on your own.”
A furrow appeared in Kasia’s brow. “Oh. Oh I guess it did.” She felt like she had hit her head harder than she might have realized. She felt disoriented and confused. “I… I think I’m done for tonight. Dobra noc, Harold.” she mumbled, backing away as she reached blindly for the door. Once she found it, she wasted no time in making her escape.
Once she’d made enough distance that she was certain she wouldn’t accidentally bump into Harold, Kasia finally slowed. As she walked, her fingers ghosted over her lips where Harold had kissed her. What the fuck was that? Did he like her? Was all of his anger and bluster because he liked her and she made a big show of wanting to be a knight instead of a wife? Or was she being too narcissistic and he’d just acted on impulse?
She joined her friends in the cantina for dinner, still in a daze. She decided not to tell them about what had just happened with Harold—not until she, herself, understood what was going on.
Kasia, Andrew, and Janine approached the front gates to leave for breakfast at Sondra’s. To their surprise the Lord Commander stood guard at the gate.
“No one leaves the castle grounds today.” He and Erik stood in front of them.
“I beg your pardon, Lord Commander, but may I ask why?”
“Tonight is the full moon. No one leaves. You’ll have to spend your rest day here.”
Kasia nodded. She wanted to argue, but it made sense. The knights believed it was a werewolf, but with no confirmed sightings, there was still the possibility of it being something else. "May I invite Isaak here, sir?" She didn't think it likely, but she had to ask.
The Lord Commander shook his head. “You know the rules.”
But apparently he could invite Isaak to the castle. At swordpoint no less.
"Yes, Lord Commander." She did her best to keep her tone neutral. To hide her emotions. What if she snuck out using the secret passage? Ooh but the chances of her father or someone else coming to check on her…
She saluted the Lord Commander, as did Janine and Andrew, and they turned around to go have breakfast in the Cantina.
Kasia chewed her lip the entire time as she wrestled with the urge to sneak out.
Janine watched Kasia with great amusement. She put a hand on Kasia's shoulder in comfort as they got in line to receive their porridge.
“You’re not seriously contemplating sneaking out, are you?” Andrew asked.
“No!” Kasia stomped her foot. “I just… Ugh!”
Janine chuckled, “You poor lovesick puppy. It’ll be good for him to miss you.”
“He won’t.” Kasia snarled angrily, “Because he doesn’t fucking care about anything. ‘I just live in the moment. I don’t get sad or unhappy or lovesick. If my girl is there, I’m happy. If she’s not, I don’t really notice because life is a joke and everything is funny! Har har har!” Her mock Isaak voice could use some work.
Janine looked more serious, “I don’t think you really believe that. And if you do, you shouldn’t be seeing him. No one deserves to be treated like that.”
Kasia’s shoulders slumped, “You’re right. I don’t believe it… it just hurts that I like him more than he likes me.” She accepted her tray from one of Hugo’s sisters, who worked in the Cantina, with then found an empty table for herself and her friends to sit at. “I hate this! I hate what I’ve let him turn me into! Some whining, simpering fool!”
Andrew chuckled trying to keep his laughter down. “Welcome to the world, Kasia. You’re no different than the rest of us.”
Kasia slammed her fist on the table, “You two never did! You just kissed once and then suddenly were together! And that was it! It was so easy! Why can’t it be easy?!”
Janine put her hand over Kasia’s fist, “It’s not always easy. Sometimes we have fights. Sometimes I don’t know how we’re going to get through them. And we didn’t start out planning to marry. We were children when we got together. We sort of grew into our relationship. But it started out very much like yours and Isaak’s— just wanting to be together. Loving each other’s company.”
Janine hesitated, and Kasia could tell that she was holding something back.
“What?!” It came out far harsher than she had intended. Kasia took a deep breath and tried again, “Sorry. Please tell me what you are thinking.”
Janine nodded, “I am starting to get concerned at how serious you are getting with Isaak, though. He made it clear he was just here to have some fun and move on and you say you understand this, but with the way you keep talking about him… I’m starting to wonder if you think he’s going to stay. For you.. And that when he does leave, it’ll break your heart.”
Kasia rubbed at her eyes irritably, “Well— maybe I’ll just leave with him!”
Janine and Andrew both blanched. This time it was Andrew who reached out to take Kasia’s shoulder, “Kasia… I know I’m not really in a position to judge given that I am still with my first love, but you’re not acting like yourself. I’m worried about you. The entire time I’ve known you the only thing you’ve ever wanted was to become a monster hunter as famous as your Ojciec– and now you want to throw all of that out the window for a guy?”
Kasia felt so ashamed. She wanted to be anywhere but here. Andrew wasn’t wrong. Neither was Janine. Everything they were saying made sense, but the second she saw him, nothing else felt important anymore. She had heard people talk this way about men who loved their drink too much and forgot about their families… It was like she was an alcoholic and Isaak was her drink of choice. Not even that– she wanted no other drink but him.
She realized her friends had been speaking to her this entire time and hoped they hadn’t noticed her disappear into her own thoughts.
“---But I miss Janine at night. It’s hard not to sneak over to your barracks every night. You’ll be okay being away for a day. And if he misses you, it’ll show. And it will help.”
Kasia smiled gratefully at her friends. They were right to point all of this out– and the fact that they did proved how much they loved her. “Thank you guys for sticking around even though I’m a complete mess. I..will try to figure out how to be less, um, unhinged?”
Janine scoffed at the absurdity of the statement, “We’ve been waiting at least a decade to watch you have your first feeling.” and Andrew burst out laughing. Kasia accepted the ribbing graciously.
“Want to go to my mom’s house and make pa?zki? That always cheers you up.” Janine offered, and Kasia nodded.
After breakfast the trio trooped to Janine’s home and were greeted warmly by her mother.
Pani Lewandowska was a beautiful woman, and Janine strongly resembled her. They both had a warm golden glow about them that seemed to follow them everywhere like a halo.
Janine’s mom happily shared her kitchen with her daughter’s friends, listening with delight to Janine gossip about how love struck Kasia was, and even joined in on teasing her.
Kasia blushed and cleared her throat a lot, but did her best to take everything in stride.
They told Janine’s mom about how they were not allowed to leave the castle grounds because tonight was a full moon.
"What about your family, Andrew? Will they be safe?" Pani Lewandowska turned to Andrew with concern. She already viewed him as her son in law. The actual marriage would just be a formality.
Andrew grimaced but nodded, "I warned them the last two family days to not go out after sunset, especially on the full moon and to bar the doors and windows. I think they'll listen. Though I worry my Tata will do something stupid like try to protect the animals…" if the werewolf killed his family’s livestock, it might as well kill them, too. It was their sole livelihood.
Pani Lewandowska pulled Andrew into a tight hug, the kind only a mother could give, and held him close.
"The Knights wouldn’t let them starve, Andrew. Right, Kasia? Things will be alright, dear."
Andrew's eyes were moist, and he hugged Janine's mother back fiercely.
Kasia felt a small bit of jealousy watching. Andrew had not one mother, but two. And then she felt horrifically guilty for being jealous of her friend. She was happy for him. Truly. She just wished she could have known her own mother. Sondra tried; she was kind and warm and always made time for Kasia, but it was hard not to long for her own mother.
Sometimes Kasia would wake up from a dream smelling her mother's perfume so strongly that she'd start to cry. She would sneak into her father's room to the chest that held all of her mother's things and find her old perfume bottle, the whisper of a smell still clinging to it like a ghost. Her father would find her later, wrapped in her mother's shawl, clutching the perfume bottle to her chest, hiding in his closet. He would pick her up and wrap her in his big arms and they would cry together until morning.
"We're going to spend the night here." Janine told Kasia as they sat by the fireplace eating fresh pa?zki. "Do you want to stay, too?"
Janine always invited Kasia and Kasia almost always said no. She wasn't sure why, but it felt too much like intruding on their family.
"I'm going to go visit my mamuska." Kasia smiled gently.
Janine's face grew somber and she nodded, "Well, tell her ‘hi’ for me."
"And that she's looking great. Hasn't aged a day– oww!" Andrew yelped as Janine elbowed him.
Kasia laughed gratefully. She liked the gallows humor. "I will. Goodnight guys, goodnight Pani Lewandowska. Thank you for your hospitality."
Janine’s mom got up and hugged Kasia, handing her a plate loaded with pa?zki on the way out.
Kasia went to the graveyard. It was empty save for Bruno's widow and children. Kasia's heart ached for them. She went to the back, to her mother's grave and sat down.
"Look, Mama– pa?zki! Just like you used to make." She spoke to her mother. She told her about Isaak and her own unruly heart. About Wojciek and Harold. About her desires to be free and travel, but to also be loved and belong and how none of those things seemed to go together.
She spoke to her mother until the sun set. Speaking to her mom was always a dual edged sword. It was a relief to unburden her heart to someone who, in Kasia’s memories, loved her perfectly. She could never reproach or judge Kasia, or chastise her for being foolish. But she could also never comfort her daughter, or advise her about things that only a mother could.
Kasia brushed the crumbs off her chin and returned to the castle.
The castle was bustling with knights preparing for the hunt. Before they had been caught off guard. They hadn’t known if the creature that had attacked the hart had simply been passing through. This time, they were ready; they had set up patrols and watches, made traps and oils and trained hard, eager to avenge their fallen brother.
“A month’s free drinks to whomever kills the beast.”
“I’ll find me a lass after I’ve killed it.”
“I wager my sword that the creature is mine!”
Excitement radiated from all the hunters as they got ready. Tonight they would take the fight to the beast.
“Hey Ivar! Bring me back its head.” Erik called out to his brother as he threw the man his spear. Ivar was known for his skill with polearms. He still carried the customary sword and daggers, but he rarely needed anything more than a spear or halberd. “Perhaps this is the kill that will earn you a wife.”
Erik laughed as Ivar made a vulgar gesture at his brother. Everyone could see the longing to join them in Erik’s eyes, but ever since Erik lost his leg in an upiór den, he’d been forced to remain behind and train others as well as lead the guard.
But Erik still got to have fun. “Alright, boys! Time to make those bets. Who will bring home the beast? I wager fifty gold that Ivar brings it home.”
“What?! Erik, that’s ludicrous!” Ivar protested at the outrageous amount that his brother had wagered.
“Make me proud, boy!” Was all that Erik replied.
Everyone rushed over and began to place bets with Erik. Mostly they bet on themselves. Though Wojciek and Tomira both had quite a few accounts in their favor as well.
Excited knights poured out of the castle gates as they prepared for their hunts.
“I call the herd! Stay away!”
“I don’t care if I win, I’m going near the village. Anyone else can come.”
“I’m going North and I’ll tie up anyone who tries to follow me.”
“Do you really think that it will come back here?” Guy asked. Guy had been sent from France to check on Louis’ progress among the knights and, as a knight himself, asked to join in on the hunt.
Outside of the Knight Hunters, only the nobility could become knights in the rest of the world. Knight Hunters, no matter their station, were recognized as honorary nobility as a show of respect for the sacrifice they made in protecting humanity from the spawn of the Abyss–and the short lives they would likely lead.
Guy, however, was born into nobility and trained since boyhood to serve his liege lord. Louis, too, was of this noble caste, but he had created enough trouble for his family that they had sent him to Poland to become one of the famed knight hunters.
Guy was a tall and well built man, covered head to toe in plate mail armor, unlike the hunter knights who favored chain mail or leather to maintain greater mobility and vision. On his back was a solid oak tower shield, almost as tall as he was. And alongside it, a spear. Like all soldiers he carried a longsword at his waist.
Ivar wandered through the woods. He’d gone to where Bruno had been found. With no clear clues to follow, the last ‘crime’ scene was the best place to start.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Ivar responded. “It’s a crapshoot guess where the monster will appear tonight. How’s your luck at games?”
“I took 20 gold off your comrades just last night in liar’s dice.” Guy responded proudly. “This werewolf will not see the morning.”
“If it is a werewolf.” Ivar replied. “If it is, then it is the largest werewolf anyone has ever witnessed. Be ready.”
“Wojciek…”
“Tomira…”
They both glared and hissed at each other as they began to dress themselves. They had run into each other in the woods while preparing for the hunt and decided to relieve some of the nerves that always came before a big hunt.
“Aspire all you want to become the Lord Commander. I’ll be the better huntress.” Tomira taunted him.
“I’ll slay this beast and hang it outside your door as a constant reminder of my superiority.” Wojciek countered. Then he turned East and marched off.
“Don’t get yourself killed.” He called over his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t mind if you did.” She called back as she marched West.
—---------------------------------------------------
The air smelled crisp and clean. It was going to be a cold spring night. The wolf smiled with glee as he watched the knights pour out of the castle. They had taken the bait. So many smiles. So much excitement. Tonight would be fun.
—------------------------------------------------------
The night grew dark as Wojciek continued to hunt for the creature. It had started as a bright night with the full moon overhead. But clouds began to cross its path, bathing the forest in darkness. Several times he heard a howl in the distance. And each time he’d changed his course to try and follow it. He’d show that bitch Tomira that he was better than her.
The village was quiet as the hunters patrolled around its edges. Not all of the knights shared the same need to protect the villagers as some. But those that did would forgo killing the beast if they had to, if it meant that they could keep the villagers safe. Some of them were family. Some friends. And some knew that without the village, the castle could not survive.
The villagers had quickly rushed to their homes as night fell. Lights showed from the crevasses of the doors and windows. But no sound of life came from any of the buildings.
Hugo made sure that there were sufficient knights around the village and then embarked to Andrew’s family farm.
Tomira spun around. Something had to be following her. “I’m not going to go another round right now, Wojciek. And you’d just lose if we fight.”
But no one was there. These damn clouds made it nearly impossible to see anything. She’d never really been wrong before. The air always felt different when she was being watched.
“Fuck. Calm down, Tomira. You’re a huntress. One of the best. You’ve killed countless monsters. This one will be no different.” She was annoyed that she was nervous. She hadn’t been nervous for a hunt in a very long time. But tonight had her on edge.
Not tonight.
Tomira spun around as a shadow passed over her. But it was just a tree swaying in the wind.
“For fuck’s sake.”
“Did you hear that?” Ivar stopped suddenly with his hands up.
Guy stopped and listened. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Fuck, I thought that I did. But it’s hard to hear over your noisy ass. Did you really need to bring all your armor?”
“If I get hit, then I’ll be fine. I’ll stand between you and the monster.” Guy winked at Ivar, though the man likely didn’t see it in the dark.
“I’m sure that you’re a wonderful soldier, Guy. But you’d make a terrible hunter.” Ivar chuckled, but he was nervous. The hair on the back of his neck felt electric. Everything was silent.
Ivar suddenly spun around. A tall dark shadow towered behind Guy. Ivar rushed towards the creature with his spear up. The clouds shifted and the full moon revealed… nothing. The moonlight fell on a dropping branch from a nearby tree.
“You are quite on edge.” Guy commented with a chuckle.
“Yeah… you’re right. I am a bit on edge. We don’t normally have monsters this close to home. And even though we are out here hunting it, I still get the feeling that we are the ones being hunted.” Ivar admitted.
Luminous red eyes followed the two figures walking in the moonlight. These two smelled perfect for tonight. The creature’s blood pumped faster, excitement turned to joyous rage. It licked its teeth. Hopefully these two would be more fun than the last one.
Ivar’s eyes were drawn in the direction of the creature.
He saw nothing.
The two men continued to walk. Ivar was so tense that Guy began to grow nervous as well and pulled his spear off of his back.
Ivar finally spoke after several minutes of silence. “Now that… do you hear that, Guy?”
“I don’t hear anything.” Guy said calmly.
“Exactly! No birds, no insects, no beasts. Everything has gone silent.”
They heard a wolf howl in the distance.
“See, you worry too much. The werewolf is elsewhere.” Guy spoke boldly but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
Both men spun around at the sound of something small rushing through the bushes, their weapons at the ready. Neither breathed as they scanned the woods. Nothing else moved. Nothing else made a sound.
“Rabbit?” Guy suggested.
“Too small to be what we’re hunting.” Ivar added.
Tension hung in the air like a fog .
Are the others as nervous? Ivar wondered to himself. He knew that Tomira wouldn’t be. Either she was fearless or had a death wish. Wojciek, there’s no way he was afraid. He was the future Lord Commander, training directly under Jon the Bear.
Ivar sighed. He hated that he was still afraid when out on hunts. He had plenty of kills. They all did. He doubted anyone else was afraid.
“I’m often afraid before battle.” Guy said quietly.
Ivar startled, had Guy read his thoughts?
Guy smiled, “It's in your face. I have fear, too. There is a lot that I cannot control on the battlefield. I’m never afraid of the man trying to kill me from the front. But I have no control over who is trying to kill me from behind.”
“Thanks.” Fuck. The Frenchman had noticed. Despite Guy’s words, Ivar hated himself for being afraid. His heart pounded quick and hard in his chest, beating out a staccato rhythm.
There was another sound of something small moving quickly through the bushes. Both warriors jumped at the sound.
"See? You said that if the animals were quiet then the beast would be nearby. Clearly the bunnies are fine." Guy sounded more like he was trying to persuade himself that this was true.
Ivar still wasn't convinced. His hands began to sweat around the spear. The hairs on the back of his neck knew that something was not right.
"Keep your guard up, knight."
A strong wind picked up. A violent one that threatened to carry away misbehaving children and others that didn't eat their dinners or go to bed on time.
Ivar's head spun as he heard a loud groaning.
"Move!" He screamed and pushed Guy roughly from himself. The trunk of a mighty tree fell into the new space between them.
"Strong winds you have in Poland." Guy commented as he brushed off nonexistent dirt off of his armor. "Thank you."
"That wasn't the wind." Ivar was breathing heavily as he spoke. Fear threatened to overwhelm him. They were being toyed with. His eyes widened with realization. The beast was smart, and cruel.
"Nor were those rabbits, were they?" He called out to the darkness.
A deep and wicked chuckle resonated from the woods around them. The sound froze Ivar's blood. It was as feral as a wolf, as powerful as a bear, and as joyful as a songbird.
Did you like all the Hunter's POVs at the end, or was it too much?
