Free Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) by Garry Spoor Page A

didn’t really like the direction this was going in. She didn’t want to be known for how many kills she racked up, that was not her way. She would have been quite happy to let the gulrik leave in peace and report back to Sergeant Wargner, but Tullner was right. Without the proof, he would never have believed her, not that it had much of an impact on his plans.
    “Is it true you’ve actually seen the valrik?” Essoris asked.
    “Yes. I’ve seen them,” she replied.
    How could she not, she was captured by them and taken into the wastelands, although it seemed so long ago now.
    “I heard they are… well… quite vicious,” Nasom added.
    Vicious seemed to be an over exaggeration. They weren’t exactly friendly, if that’s what he meant, but she wouldn’t go as far as to label them vicious.
    “Haven’t any of you encountered the valrik?” she asked.
    She knew they weren’t battle hardened veterans, or at least, not all of them. Even Corporal Tullner hinted at that, but she figured they must have had a few skirmishes. Why else would they have been selected to walk into enemy territory if they didn’t have the proper training?
    The three soldiers looked at each other sheepishly and she already knew the answer before Sandson said it.
    “No, ma’am.”
    “It’s as I said before,” Tullner added, “most of these boys, myself included, didn’t even know about the war until we were told to report to Carhay.”
    “I was working with my father, when Lord Coroona’s men arrived,” Sandson replied. “I can remember it clearly. I was taking Miss Belford’s measurements when the shop doors opened and three soldiers entered. My father seemed to know what they were there for and spoke to them in the back room. They left without saying a word to me. My father just kept staring at me for the rest of the afternoon and I knew something was wrong. It wasn’t until closing time that he finally told me I had three days to report to Carhay for basic training.”
    “I was making deliveries when they came for me,” Essoris said with a laugh. “I had just dropped off my last order and was on my way back when I saw the soldiers leaving. I thought it was my father they came for. Image my surprise when I was told to report to Carhay. I guess I should have been more worried about it at the time, but my only concern was, how my father was going to continue without me. He’s not a young man anymore.”
    “My father was forced to choose which of his sons to send,” Nasom said, pushing up his glasses and looking at the others. “I have six brothers and two sisters. My father is ill, so Danny, my oldest brother, takes care of the farm. Ricky and Timothy help Danny, Todd and Ritchie are too young so I was the most expendable.”
    “I wouldn’t say that.” Kile replied. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for your father to make the choice.”
    “Yeah, maybe,” Nasom sighed as he stared off into the distance.
    “I didn’t have a father to make the decision,” another soldier said, falling back to join the conversation. He was a round, heavy set, young man, with short red hair and a large red nose. She remembered him as the soldier who couldn’t get on his horse, back at base camp. He seemed happy enough when he joined the group.
    “Yeah, I was working at my shop, I own a small bakery on the east side of Torran, when the goons showed up. They gave me five days to close up my business and report to Carhay for training.”
    “This is Private Halgar Haland,” Sandson said, introducing the round young man. “He’s our resident cook.”
    “So, it’s true, you actually did trounce the gulrik?” Haland asked with a laugh.
    “That’s what they’re saying,” Kile replied.
    “Yeah, you should have seen it. She snuck right up on them. They didn’t even know she was there,” Tullner added.
    “I don’t know why they didn’t send you out in the first place, like you asked.” Sandson said. “I’m beginning to wonder