The weather was balmy, with patches of clouds in the sky, the kind that looked quilted. A light breeze blew, bringing relief to the sweating hunters preparing for the battle ahead. I worked alongside, and planted another spear into the earth.

The open field in which we worked was covered with them, their hafts wrapped with wire. More protected the approaches to the ballistae atop the two hills overlooking this field of spears. The trees surrounding the field were similarly garlanded, wire coiled around the trunks and draped from their branches. The hope was that they’d interfere with the King’s lightning and draw it away.

While Voorhei’s hunters prepared, so did the dolbecs on Banan’s team. Agath and Moon placed weapons and extra shields in the field’s center. It’d be their responsibility to keep the King in place while the others attacked. Meanwhile, Banan and the other team leaders huddled at the border between forest and field to discuss last minute details.

I pulled a figurine in the shape of an otter out from under my new mail and arming jacket. It was carved from bone by Aluali and hung on a necklace beaded by Billisha. I rubbed it between my fingers for luck.

That wasn’t just superstition either.

Blessings Aluali Eightsward (Human) Billisha Eightsward (Human) Diriktot (Fallen Clockwork God) Helen Miriam Sandoval (Spirit) Ikfael Glen (Spirit, Temporary)

The description underlying Bilisha and Aluali’s Blessings was the same: “A Blessing containing the love and gratitude of a child toward their zasha. Provides a small bonus to Luck in dangerous situations.”

Alas, there was also another new entry. My first curse:

Curses Ghitha Woldecsbrotter (Human)

The description read: “An enmity born of frustration and a formless recognition of your role in impeding his desires. Creates a small negative influence on Luck. Its effect is heightened when in the presence of other cursed individuals.”

I learned of the curse last night when I checked my Status before heading out with the rest of the hunters. My reaction was grim and… honestly, I was just tired of the man. I’d brought his Family’s bodies back to him, and here he was wishing for my death on the eve of a dangerous hunt.

Unfortunately, mi abuela’s practices didn’t work in this world, and the curse remained stuck to me. I promised myself, though, that I’d find a way to deal with it once the hunt was over. As for Ghitha himself, his fate was already sealed. It was only a matter of time.

Tegen caught me playing with the otter figurine. “Are you nervous, Eight?”

My stomach fluttered, an animalistic fear lurking within. “Yes.”

Tegen nodded. “A hunt like today’s is a true test of one’s path and the path we share together as brothers and sisters of the lodge. It’s reasonable to be afraid. And yet we must hunt and slay our fear as much as we do our prey, so that it doesn’t rule over us.” He looked out at all the hunters preparing. “Trust in us, your brothers and sisters, and the plan we’ve developed together. Trust in the spirits and gods who watch over us. And trust in yourself and your training, Eight. Follow the path, and it will lead you through.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said.

“We all will,” he said. “Now, only a few more spears and we can rest.”

The plan was to lure the King of the Forest to this field (Otwei’s job) and surround him in concentric circles. Banan’s team, Borba, and Inleio would fight the bear directly in the center, while Kesa and Mumu’s teams used hit and run tactics from the second circle out. The remaining hunters and the ballistae were placed further out and would fight from a distance.

There was also a first aid station well away from where the fighting would take place. That was the fallback for any hunters who needed to escape the fighting.

I had my own fallbacks as well. There was no way I’d fight the King of the Forest without a Plan B, C, and D. There was even a Plan E, but it was a last resort. I considered the Evil Mushroom Glade a method for mutually assured destruction.

I’d use it if I had to though. For Ikfael Glen. For the kids.

Beside me, Bearbane lay on the ground, ready to be taken up. The spear was beautiful--its ebony haft and silver-gray head glimmered and drew the eyes of the hunters working nearby.

No one said anything, nor did they approach the spear. Not even Inleio, whose Family it once belonged to. He’d given it to Ikfael, and there was no going back from that exchange.

The spear was a work of art--something that, under different circumstances, might be considered a national treasure and placed in a museum. Yet Ikfael had rented it to me for a single trout baked in clay. I teared up at the time, and thought she’d make fun of me for it. But she didn’t. All she said was: “You use it. You bring it back. Not anyone else. Just you.”

###

The last of the spears were planted. The hunters dispersed to the shade of the trees. There were a couple of hours until the fighting began. More than a few of the hunters slept.

“I don’t know how they do it,” I said.

“Everything is practice,” Tegen said. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His focus was on examining the wires stitched to his jacket. The cloth had been cut too, to create vents so that any vaporized water could easily escape. The jacket was ruined for any other use, but it was a small price to pay to avoid severe burns.

“Right,” I said. “I guess I’ll try it too.”

But sleep eluded me. Anytime I started to nod off, I startled awake. So I meditated instead, and rode the feelings welling up--the gnawing fear and worry, the doubt and pointed apprehension. They came in waves, radiating up from my belly, but sitting with them helped me to see through them. I was scared--that didn’t change--but I eventually found a calm place beyond my feelings. I rested there.

###

“Eight.” Mumu’s voice roused me. “It’s almost time.”

I opened my eyes to find her crouched nearby. “Are you ready?”

Yuki?

We’re ready, and Sun-on-Snow is on standby.

The lightning qi potion?

The potion’s effects are fully distributed. It’s still affecting our ability to Spark, but we were able to reduce its interference of our qi circulation.

Thank you, Yuki. For this and everything else.

Thank you, Ollie/Eight. Also for everything.

A bit of a smile came to my lips. “I’m ready.”

“Good,” Tegen said. “Just remember to stay with the team.”

I nodded to show I understood.

“Let’s join the others then.”

I dusted myself off and jogged over to my team’s hiding spot in the trees. Everyone was present except for Teila who was at the first aid station. We wished each other luck, but quickly fell silent. The same was true for the other teams. The forest became quiet as we waited for Otwei’s signal.

Yuki’s qi pinged--the portion of them inside Otwei let me know that she’d found the King and was preparing to lead him to us. It shouldn’t be long.

I felt calm-steady-anxious. I wiped my palms on my pants. I licked my lips and touched the otter figurine. My jitters from earlier hadn’t disappeared, but my heart felt steady. Not my physical heart--it beat fast, the blood pumping--but my inner heart. My meditation earlier connected me to the hunter hidden within me, and he watched the world and waited for his moment to strike.

So much depended on a successful hunt. There’d be no more invaders of Ikfael Glen everytime the sky thundered, and it would be a turning point for the village of Voorhei too. We had to succeed. Just had to.

Panic flared within Otwei. She’d been Camoflauged and quiet, making her preparations, when the King of the Forest sniffed her out. Now she ran, and the lightning bear gave chase.

Otwei signalled to Banan, and he hooted like an owl to let Voorhei’s hunters know that the King approached. It proved unnecessary. We all heard the sound of trees falling in the distance.

I gripped Bearbane, and merged with Yuki.

###

Otwei ran for her life. No matter what tricks she used, how quickly she ran, or how well she weaved through the forest, the King wouldn’t let her go. Trees cracked and snapped. The ground trembled. His roar sent birds flying and animals fleeing. She left poison spikes in her wake, but the lightning bear was unaffected. The decoy trails she’d arranged overnight also proved ineffective. Nothing impeded his single-minded pursuit. Her only good fortune was that he’d not shot his lightning at her. Instead, he seemed intent on capturing her whole.

Otwei specialized in avoiding danger, but she was no stranger to it. This bear, though, felt like a force of nature, his will over the forest supreme. What he wanted, he inevitably got, and she felt small and incapable of harming him.

That feeling--she hated it. Her spite rose up, and spurred her to run faster; to keep the panic at bay. She reached for the signaling stone around her neck and alerted her team of the emergency. To prepare to flee if necessary.

###

Our consciousnesses split, and I looked over at where Banan and Kuros hid. The bushes obscured their physical bodies, but I saw their spirits huddled together as they conferred.

“Banan’s team may run once they see the bear’s strength with their own eyes.”

The team looked at me in surprise. Mumu spoke for them: “What makes you say that?”

“They’ve cheated other hunters before,” I said. “They may do it again.”

“But their reputation--”

There wasn’t time for explanations. Otwei approached. Her blurred form shot from the forest and headed for where Agath and Moon stood ready.

The King of the Forest smashed through the trees to follow. He was as big as a tank and just as imposing, every line and muscle weighted with menace. Spotting Agath and Moon, he stood on his hind legs and towered over the field. The dolbecs looked like small children in comparison, and when he roared, all the spears trembled.

My mouth was dry, and my breathing ragged. My heart, already beating fast, thundered in my ears. Inside me, Yuki tuned down the amount of adrenaline pumping into my bloodstream, and I paired it with a calming breath. The hunter returned to his place in my heart.

I turned my attention to:

The King of the Forest, animal, dusk Talents: Lightning-Touched, Territorial, Unending Endurance, Domineering, Iron Belly, Gourmand

Nascent: ???, ???

The name had changed, and the Gourmand Talent was new. The rest was familiar.

Agath and Moon threw spears, but the King swept them from his body, not even annoyed with how they pricked him. He leaped and soared over the dolbecs to land where Otwei hid in Camouflage. Somehow he knew her location.

Moon charged, and his spear snapped against the bear’s body. He fell back to get another, while Agath took his place. Her strike must’ve hit something sensitive, because the King spun and swiped at her, crumpling her shield and sending her flying.

Moon thrust at his face to get his attention, and that’s when the ballistae fired. The bolts whistled through the air and smashed into the bear, the force visibly rippling through his musculature.

That made the King angry. He stood and roared again, and Borba took that as his signal to attack. He screamed an incoherent cry and charged onto the field. He was leaner than before, almost stick-like, but there was a ferocity to him. His hands and forearms were covered in red scales, and they glowed with a dim, rusty light.

Borba the Murderer, human, dusk Talents: Hard-Working, Lean, Enduring, Rage, Siphon, Hungry

Nascent: ???

Borba’s charge barely penetrated, but the rusty light spread to the bear’s body. The King didn’t like that--not one bit--and he slammed his paws down to crush Borba. The hunter rolled aside and stung with his spear again, the rusty light spreading.

From the opposite side, Inleio charged at the bear. The attack was without embellishments, every motion pure and sped up with a Dog’s Agility trained over a lifetime. It was like watching a humming bird’s wings. The impact staggered the bear.

Two more ballistae bolts struck the King, rocking his bulk. Kesa’s team emerged from hiding to attack with their spears, and they ran back out. Then Mumu led us out of hiding for our pass.

Her Spiral Pierce was marginally useful in penetrating the bear’s thick fur. The same was true for Tegen’s Bear’s Strength, so I scaled back my expectations. My aim was to distract more than to harm. If all went well, the real work would be done by the close-in fighters.

Bearbane made a liar out of my expectations. The spear cut through the thick hide easily, parting it to expose the red muscle underneath. There was no time to examine the wound though, as I quickly dashed away.

The hunter teams in the outer circles released their arrows. But the bear ignored them. He even ignored Borba, Inleio, and the dolbecs. Instead, the King turned to follow me with his eyes. Just as Banan and Kuros finally stepped out of hiding to attack, the King released his lightning.