Time to Hunt #3
“We need to do this all on foot. The horses will give us away, and they are needed for this plan to work,” I instructed as I drew out my plan.
Once I was sure everyone understood their part and what to do, we scattered into the forest, melding with the shadows.
I tore off a sleeve of my white undershirt and tied pieces around my arrows, then tore off the other sleeve and every so often hooked a piece on a bush or tree, or under a rock—anything I could find to leave what would appear to be a frenzied trail.
Once I was out of cloth, I doubled back and met up with Richard, who had left his own trail.
We climbed into the trees, shadowed by the branches thick with leaves.
Now we waited to see what prey would land in our trap.
Richard and I had positioned ourselves opposite of the paths we’d made.
I knew the opposing team would think the trail was a setup and head away from it, thinking we were drawing them in.
This tactic would most likely only work with the trainees.
The veteran mercenaries would be much more cautious.
Sure enough, two trainees darted through the trees, pausing every so often to look for more clues.
I nocked an arrow and pulled back the string, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Once my target got close enough, I loosed my arrow, sending it to bury itself in the ground right in front of him.
He was so startled, he skidded to a stop, falling backward in his attempt to avoid the arrow.
Richard’s arrow hit the tree by the other victim seconds after mine.
Two down, six more to go.
Richard and I each shot an arrow into a huge oak tree we had picked out to keep track of how many we had caught. We took the two captives to our prison inside a cave and tied them up to keep them out of the way.
“Nice shot,” Richard praised once we left the cave.
“Thanks. It seems archery is the one thing I have a knack for.” I smiled, feeling happy to be complimented by someone other than my teachers.
“Cassarah.” I turned to see another group member, Dani, bring her captive to the cave. “Cole got Brit, but not before I managed to get this one.”
“So, from what we know, we have three of theirs, and they have one of ours,” I muttered to myself more than anyone else. “Those odds aren’t bad at all.”
“Yes, but keep in mind the ones they still have are veterans at this game. We need to be on high alert,” Richard reminded me.
“Now would be the perfect time to use the horses,” I decided.
This hunt was turning out to be way more fun than I thought it would be.
The three of us gathered the horses and tied ropes to their saddles, then to large branches.
We gathered lots of dried moss off the trees and rocks, tying them to the branches.
Once we were finished, Richard and I lit torches we had in our packs and set the moss ablaze.
Horses, no matter how well trained, reacted to the sight and smell of fire, and ours were no different.
They bolted off into the forest, dragging the fresh moss, which wouldn’t do anything but smoke horribly for hours.
Richard, Dani, and I spread out and waded into the wall of smoke that the horses spread around us.
Not only did it give us protection, but because we were upwind and had our faces covered, we didn’t choke on the stuff.
As for the other team, the wind blew it right in their faces, causing them to cough and gag uncontrollably, letting us find them quite easily.
I hoped the rest of our team remembered to keep their faces covered this whole time so they weren’t affected by the smoke. This was the part of the plan I’d been worried about—if they didn’t notice the smoke or hear the horses, then they would be in the same situation as the other team.
I came up silently behind a shadowed figure hacking uncontrollably behind a wall of shrubs.
All I had to do was touch them with my knife for me to win.
When I got close enough, I saw it was Abbott.
That meant I would need to approach carefully.
As I’d learned, he had a sixth sense—feeling other people near him.
When I was within striking distance, I dove for the back of him, trying to go for a neck shot.
“Too slow,” Abbott said as he dodged out of the way.
I tried to change my direction so I didn’t land in the bushes and be fumbled up by them, so I hit the ground and rolled, getting away from him and back on my feet.
“Let’s see what ya got,” Abbott goaded between coughs, wiping at his eyes.
I realized that with my face covered and the smoke lingering in the air, he didn’t know who I was.
This I could use. If he didn’t know it was me, he might not be able to predict my moves the same way he normally could.
The downside to always fighting with the same person was they learned all your tricks.
But that problem went both ways—I also knew his strengths and weaknesses.