Hosus understood the need for secrecy in their work. Only she and Pral knew their fates, and how much depended on their success. The other members of their group had no idea what they were planning, and Hosus only hoped they would still follow Pral once they discovered their true goals.

            Sitting beneath a low hanging branch, Hosus reflected on that fateful night when she had met Pral and they had embarked on this journey.

 

*  *  *

 

            It had not been a day that foretold some momentous actions. It had been a cool day, but sunny, at the beginning of the previous autumn. The leaves had begun to change colors, and the birds were beginning to migrate, soaring over her homeland in large Vs or in giant flocks.

            She had been stalking game through her Highland forest home, hunting for her dinner. She had spotted her prey, a small doe that had gotten separated from her herd and had been wandering ceaselessly for two days. The deer was now refreshing itself at a small brook, but before Hosus began her final approach, she heard a soft rustling close to her right. It was not an animal noise. Hosus knew that for sure. Her attention became focused on this intruder, and, quieter than a mouse, made her way to a better vantage point to view this newcomer. It bothered her that she had only discovered his presence now, for she had been scouting about constantly whenever she lost her doe, and she had seen no other signs of human presence.

            Slinking along a backward route, she slowly circled around to where she had pinpointed the source of the noise. But when she came upon the spot, she saw nothing. Approaching carefully, she saw the slight indentations where a body had crouched in the soft earth.

            She sensed rather than saw the attack coming from behind. She dodged right, hoping the attacker was right-handed and his attack would leave him off-balance after missing. Turning quickly, she aimed a spinning kick where her opponent’s head should have been. But he had anticipated this maneuver, and had already retreated a few steps.

            Hosus drew her knives, one held in a defensive grip while the other was grasped to throw. But before she could begin her next attack, the man stood up to his full height and lowered his weapons. Though this was obviously the end of the round, Hosus was in no way prepared to call this the end of the fight.

            “As skillful as they claimed. And as wary.”

            “Who are you?” Hosus whispered, peering into the shadows of her assailant’s hidden face.

            “Someone who knows things. And knows people. For example, I know that you are one of the best scouts in the known world. I also know a certain person who requires your considerable talents to complete an endeavor.”

            “If you are but a messenger, give it to me and be gone. You have already lost me my meal.” Her voice held an edge of anger.

            “As perceptive and aware as I imagined. Possibly better. Few, if any, could have detected me at all, let alone evade a stealth attack.”

            “The message.” Though Hosus responded calmly, this man put her on edge. She wanted to be away from here as quickly as possible.

            “If you insist. Hosus, daughter of Trieth, sister to Lian, you are hereby requested to appear before the Council of Seven to discuss matters to be then disclosed. This meeting will take place in Terada, in one week’s time. If you decide to refuse this invitation, your sister will be killed...” Here the man paused. All Hosus could see was the glean of his teeth as he grinned nastily at her. “…by our appointed messenger.”

            He paused again, as if to allow Hosus to process this information. He said only one more thing before disappearing. “And trust me, little Lian and I will have much fun before she dies.”

            At this final jibe, Hosus launched her dagger at the man, aiming for his heart. But he was too fast, side-stepping the attack and melting into the brush as if he belonged to the forest.

            Hosus quickly retrieved her fallen weapon. She sensed nothing around her. The forest was full of natural sounds, and she figured the man would not bother her now that he had relayed his message. Sheathing her weapon, she began the day long journey that would take her back into civilized lands. It would take her at least another day to prepare for her trip to Terada, and then several more to reach her destination. The thought of not going never crossed her mind.

            Since their mother had died two years hence, Hosus and her younger sister Lian had become closer then ever. Where Hosus had learned and perfected the art of the forest, Lian had mastered those of people. Lian had become the most important person in Hosus’s life, and if that masked assailant could track and nearly trap her that easily, Lian would never stand a chance. The decision had been made for her, it seemed.

            It took her most of the day to leave the forest, and from there it took her a few more hours into the night to reach her home at the edge of the city Goril, approximately a three days journey by horseback from Terada.

            She slept until nearly noon the next day, allowing her body to recuperate after the harsh pace she had set herself the day before. When she finally did arise, she began her preparations immediately, stopping only to wolf down an apple or two. First, she went to her sister’s home, and told her everything of what had transpired. Although Lian was frightened for Hosus to be doing anything under such threats of violence, she had enough confidence in her sister to believe she would keep herself out of trouble. As for Lian, she would invite some tracker friends to stay with her for a time as added security.

            After saying a short and tearful goodbye, Hosus prepared all of her clothes, as well as laying out all of her knives. She sharpened each meticulously before storing them in hidden pockets about her person. By the time darkness fell, all was in order. In the morning, all she would need to do was saddle up her chestnut mare Waterlily, and she would be off. Though her mind was plagued by worries and doubts, Hosus quickly dropped into the deep and dreamless sleep that follows adrenaline.

            The night passed quickly, and Hosus woke with a start at dawn. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she made herself some sandwiches for the ride today. She quickly packed and saddled Waterlily, and before anyone could stop her, she had ridden off down the road. She paused only once in front of her sister’s home to mutter what she hoped would not be her final goodbye, but she knew not what fate had in store for her. With these final, gloomy thoughts clouding her mind, she heeled her mare into a slow trot off down the road.

            The three days and two nights the ride from Goril to Terada took passed uneventfully. She arrived in the bustling market metropolis a few days before her scheduled meeting, but she could not have stood to have stayed longer in her village.

            Hosus searched until she found a respectable looking inn, whose beds were decently priced, by the name of The Crying Onion. Throwing her pack on the soft down bed, she looked out of her small window onto a busy avenue just off the market street. She had three days left, and planned to use that time to discover as much about the Council of Seven as she could.

            As it turned out, the next few days revealed little to her, only what was common knowledge. No one knew their actual identities, and no one had a grudge. Even the riffraff praised their leaders. They ruled fairly, and judged righteously, according to all concerned. On the appointed day, Hosus approached the building that housed the Council chambers.

            They had not thought it necessary to give her an exact time, a small detail that would have saved Hosus a great deal of aggravation. As it was, she appeared shortly after breakfast and was immediately ushered down several short hallways to a room of middling size. Apparently, she was the object of importance today.

            Placed along the back wall of the room were seven chairs, all rather plain in appearance, which surprised Hosus. For such highly regarded rulers, she expected gilded and jewel-bedecked thrones. She expected this would not be her last surprise in this room.

            She stood waiting against the wall across from the chairs. There were two chairs positioned in the center of the room, facing the Seven, which she assumed she was to occupy at some point today. Who the other chair was meant for, she had no idea.

            Hosus did not have to wait long, but enough time elapsed to make a normal man uncomfortable. The door through which she had entered reopened and a towering man emerged. At first, Hosus believed it was the man from the forest, but when she looked more carefully, she did not see the same attitude in either his face or his bearing.

Dressed in a forest green cloak that fell to his ankles, he was handsome, with dark, penetrating eyes that had fading crow feet, as if he had once smiled a great deal but no longer. His black hair was cut short, except for a small topknot. His face was hard, his nose had that once broken look, and his cheeks and jaw were crisscrossed with dozens of small scars. Under his cloak, she could see hard muscle moving beneath his shirt. He had the look of a predator, and a successful one at that.

He looked only once at Hosus, but she felt that same appraising look that she had just given him. Without hesitation, he moved toward the middle of the room, and stood behind the proffered chair. He did not sit.

Hosus decided to follow his lead, and walked forward. She felt tiny standing beside him, but she did not let this slight discomfiture show. Wordlessly, they awaited the Seven.