Free Hunting Will by Alex Albrinck Page B

banter between old friends.”
    “How does one act if one’s had too much to drink?” Aramis asked, curious.
    “Act stupid and slur your words. In other words, pretty much how you normally act.”
    “I do not slur my words—”
    The rest of Aramis’ reply was silenced as the Hunters watched two horses gallop past them. The Hunters gaped as the animals raced by without saddle, reins, or humans in sight.
    “Now there’s something you don’t see every day,” Porthos quipped.
    Athos frowned. “Why would horses be running in this direction? I thought Clint had a barn and a paddock where…” He broke off, and then made the connection. “I think The Assassin has finished his work by setting the barn on fire. That’s going to attract attention. And it’s going to give Clint a way to get out of the house before we get there.” He sat up, opened his door, and hopped out. “We need to get to that barn. Right now.” The other Hunters followed him.
    The barn was easy to find. The raging inferno consuming the building could be seen from hundreds of yards away. Clint’s horses were escaping through an open paddock gate, but anything — or anyone — left in the barn would never take another breath. A small crowd of party goers was moving in the direction of the barn, shouts of concern echoing out as they tried to determine if anything living — human or animal — was still inside the burning structure.
    They spotted Clint moving toward the crowd as well. He stumbled a bit, as if drowsy, and the Hunters realized that the serum was taking effect. The man stared at the barn, stunned, as he watched the building gradually collapse on itself.
    “Split up,” Athos murmured. He moved to the left, Porthos moved to the right. Aramis moved directly toward Clint. This was standard practice: if their target was stunned, it was best to get Aramis on him immediately to Damper him. If the man tried to escape, Porthos the Tracker and Athos would be prepared to chase him. They’d attempt to circle around out of sight in the dark and encircle Clint before he could move, trying to keep him in sight of the humans watching the barn, where he wouldn’t be so likely to try anything special to escape their capture.
    Clint saw Aramis coming and thought quickly. “The barn is clearly a total loss,” he told the handful of people gathered with him. “If I can ask a favor of everyone? Spread out and look for the horses. Hopefully, all of them got free and we’ll be able to track them down. They should all have bridles on; you can safely guide them back here into the paddock using those.” He dispatched everyone roughly in the direction of the Hunters, and then headed away from the crowd alone.
    Athos and Porthos started jogging to close the gap. Aramis continued walking toward the barn. A woman walked toward him. “Are you looking for the escaped horses?”
    “Yes, I am,” Aramis replied. “I think I saw one heading in this direction, and another in the direction you’re going. If we both keep moving we can catch both of them.” The woman nodded, her agreement amplified by an empathic Energy push from Aramis. She continued on her way, away from where Clint and the Hunters would meet.
    Once out of the range of human eyes and ears, the Hunters launched their assault.
    “Target forward two hundred yards from my position,” Porthos said.
    “Copy that,” Athos said. “Aramis, you take the forward position. Porthos, you’re back left. I’ll be back right. On my mark, we go. Three, two, one, mark!”
    All three Hunters teleported ahead, appearing in a circle surrounding Clint, who nearly ran into Aramis and ended the Hunt before it had started. He recovered and fired an Energy blast at Aramis, catching the Hunter in the sternum and knocking him to the ground, giving Clint an opening to continue running. Athos teleported in front of him, attempting to grab the suspect’s arm, but Clint teleported away.
    “Got him,” Porthos said,