Page 28 of The Hunted

Arriving at the market square was always quite an event, for any number of reasons. The area with the square platform in the very center was the heart of the village and market. Its purpose was never designated to just one thing, but rather, many. Punishment, celebration, or otherwise. Today, it was where Mattue waited with a man who Eryx had only met a handful of times before.

Dismounting from his horse, but only after the waiting men had greeted him appropriately with a bow and a respectful “Prince,” Eryx handed the reins off to a waiting boy who didn’t linger long enough for the prince to thank him. Not that he minded. Climbing the steps to the square’s platform, Eryx noted how much better he could see the ships waiting at the port just a stone’s throw away from their current position.

Three ships, to be exact.

“A nice sight, isn’t it?” the man next to Mattue asked. “I’ve always enjoy seeing them on the water, when the waves aren’t knocking them damn near sideways.”

Eryx chuckled, shifting in his leather boots before clasping his gloved hands at his middle. “I have to wonder if that might have anything to do with the cost to replace a ship and less to do with the fact you actually care for the vessels.”

“Bit of both, your highness. A bit of both.”

“Corval, is it?”

The man nodded. “That is my name, yes. We haven’t been able to have a proper conversation yet, but Mattue has handled giving me all your directions. No worries on that.”

Eryx nodded once, turning his attention back to the man. Young, he thought, to be a hunter, given his hair was a stark white blond against the shine of the sun in the sky, and his face held no lines that spoke of age. It seemed the man preferred simple trousers, knee-high leather boots, and linen shirts that weren’t tied at the throat but rather, showed off the man’s dusting of chest hair.

It all spoke of the style and preference of a young man, and not one with any age or standing who had to care about his appearance. Then again, perhaps it was just easier for the man to dress the way he did, given his job.

Who was Eryx to judge?

It wasn’t just the ship captains who made the hunts of the merpeople work, but rather, actual hunters who went out with the ships. Men who planned the hunts with a specific skill set and knowledge of not only the water and land, but of the people beneath the surface of the sea.

A gust of wind blew through the square, sending dry dust spiraling from the ground. Mattue shook his head at the sight.

“The winds are starting.”

Corval grunted his agreement, stepping toward the edge of the platform before glancing over his shoulder. “A sure and good sign the storms will be returning for a spread—only the Gods know how long it’ll last this time around.”

Then, just as fast, the man jumped down from the platform. A waiting boy with a scruffy hat pulled down over his eyes waited there with a sheathed dagger in one hand, which Corval took with a thanks and a pat on the child’s head.

“Thanks for holding onto it for me.” He looked over his shoulder, his stare landing firmly on Eryx before the man smiled slyly. “Seven caught in this hunt—care to see if your little mermaid is one of them, Prince?”

Eryx smirked. “Absolutely.”

“Lead the way, Corval,” Mattue added.

The walk to the wharf was rather short and quiet. Neither of which Eryx minded because it allowed him to sink deeper into his thoughts. A place he quite liked to be, considering there wasn’t a soul around him who could possibly understand the things that constantly ran on repeat in his mind.

Mostly focused on the mermaid …

If only he could catch her.

Eryx’s joy at having been told seven merpeople were caught in the latest hunt was quickly ripped away at the sight of the nets hanging from the side of two of three ships at the end of the wharf. Even from a good forty steps away, he could plainly see that three nets held five figures that were far too large and muscular to be female.

It seemed the males had been left in their nets, and if Eryx had to guess, it probably had something to do with their outbursts and rather active behavior. Not to mention, aggressiveness.

“Well, I would have been a lot less excited, had you said five of the seven were males,” Eryx grumbled.

Corval cleared his throat but didn’t bother to glance back at Eryx or Mattue where they continued their trek behind the man. “Yes, well, the females—”

“I will look at the women.”

“Of course.”

“The females always tend to be frightened and quick to comply when needed,” Mattue noted. “And the males … well, it takes a ship full of men to control even one of them.”

“That depends on several factors, Mattue.”