"If you're wounded, head to the infirmary," I told the hunters, watching as the weary men shuffled their way into the warmth of the compound. "If not, shower, change, and then head to the hunter's lounge."
Then, when the last man made it through the door, I followed. The lights here were sparse, proving we'd made it back just after they'd gone out for the compound. That explained why I was so tired. It was late, almost dawn up there, and we'd been on the move since we'd leftbeforethe lights came on.
"Mr. Warren," Mr. Peterson said when I turned to head to the infirmary myself. "I'd like a moment, if you're well enough."
"Hm?" I noticed he was looking at my leg. "Oh. Yeah, I'm better than most of them."
Mr. Peterson nodded like he was pondering that for some reason. "Well, what did your team learn?"
"The enemy is working together. Dragons and wild men have teamed up. Each cluster of them is a mixed group, which means they have not only the animals, but the poison. Damisen had us going to the lights, but those appear to be simple campfires. Some clusters have one, others have a few, but it's always the heart of their defense."
Mr. Peterson murmured at that. "Can you get between them?"
"No."
He pulled back as if surprised. "No?"
"Sir, the dogs - "
"Dogs?"
I sighed. "The animals. Gideon called them hellhounds. All I know is they are not the beasts with trees on their heads. They are not the ones that fly. There are many beasts out there, and those fit what are called dogs, so we call them dogs."
"Ah, okay. What about them?"
"They know when we're coming."
"That's impossible!" he hissed.
I shrugged. "The Devil has powers we can't begin to understand, Mr. Peterson. Those dogs are faster than any man, they weigh almost as much as I do, and they have teeth that pierce through cloth and padding. They also seem to be controlled by the wild men and women."
"And women?" he asked, catching that part.
I nodded. "Yes, sir. There are women fighting us as well." And I remembered the device. "Oh! I pulled this from Damisen's body. I wasn't sure if it was important, but he said it would show the way."
"The compass?" Mr. Peterson asked, but instead of taking it, he closed my fingers around it. "Keep it, Tobias. It points north. The red end of that arm shows the magnetic north of the world. It will keep you from getting turned around out there, and sinceyou manage to keep coming back, I think it'd be good for you to have it."
"Thank you, sir."
"Now go get your leg attended to. When you're done, meet me in the council room."
"The..." I had to replay that in my head to make sure I hadn't misheard him. "The council room, Mr. Peterson, not the hunter's lounge?"
"Correct." And he gestured for me to carry on.
But there was one problem with finally warming up. It made my leg hurt even more. The injury was starting to throb, and moving that muscle hurt more now than it had before, so I limped my way to the infirmary. When I entered the room, the place was abuzz with activity, and yet one thing stood out.
Pouring ethanol over Elijah's hand was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Callah's pink-gold hair was pulled back into a sensible bun, and there was a smear of blood on her cheek, but the intensity on her face made her even more beautiful than I'd remembered.
"Hunter!" a girl called, gesturing for me.
I just pointed at Callah. "I'll wait until my wife is available. Thank you."
And Callah heard me. Her head snapped up, her eyes met mine, and even across the distance, I could see the relief on her face. Then she smiled.
"Are you wounded, Mr. Warren?" she asked.
"It's minor," I promised. "It's also late, and the girls still need sleep if they are to memorize their sermons. I can wait."
