Hunter: Eclipse

Chapter 25

I'd just started a new level of Angry Birds when there was a knock on my door. Drew poked his head in, giving a tiny wave as he did so and I motioned for him to enter. He lingered near the doorway, and I ignored him as I finished my level, just as he started to speak.

"Look at you, in your own office, busy doing," he paused, looking at my screen. "Are you playing a game?"

"It's an important strategy building activity, that I like to do uninterrupted in my office." I lock the iPad, sitting back in my chair. "Welcome."

"Yeah okay. If that's strategy building then I'm next in line to become President." He laughed.

"Speaking of presidents, what's the deal with Julio. I like the guy, don't get me wrong, but could he be any more by the book?"

"Well, yeah. Some actually obey the rules, Ellie." He sits, looking around again. "It's a bit small isn't it?"

"I think it used to be a store room, but hey. I don't see you sitting your own office. Don't hate me cause you aint' me!"

"Fair call. I'm totally jealous of your broom closet. I mean office."

"Seriously though Mr. Van Helsing, what are you doing with that group?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "Got a call, thought I'd tag along. Sick of doing the same old thing, and this isn't quite that."

"Stopping vampires doing stupid shit. Kind of the same old thing?"

"I suppose so." He sighs. "Tom is sucking ass to try and land himself some position at a new Academy. Nigel is heading off to Romania with a couple of Hunters he met at a bar that think there's some big, bad ogre that is causing havoc in a small village somewhere in the mountains. He hasn't been right lately, I think he's going to get himself killed but Tom is too busy to care and no one listens to me anyway."

"Drew, I'm so sorry to hear that. You guys were always so close. Want me to make sure Tom doesn't get that job?" I offer, earning a tiny smile.

"No, its' fine. At least he isn't doing anything stupid."

"Can I try talking to Nigel? I could get Ailin to forbid it?" I try again.

"Go for it. Nothing I've said or done has helped. I don't know what else to do, but I ahve a bad feeling about this if he does go." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So you seemed pretty pissed about Ailin not destroying that portal thing."

"Asking for trouble in my opinion." I open my iPad and bringing up the network, type up a message for Nigel to report to the Council immediately. Barely a second later it had been read and accepted. "I just asked Nigel to come here. We can intervention him from doing something stupid."

"This is weird," Drew shakes his head. "The Elise Bunting, working for the Council, being a responsible adult. You've changed."

"Honestly, I don't work for the Council anymore. No more than any other Hunter anyway. I got fired for forging documents under Ailin's name, and just refused to give up this five star bit of property. It has a good wifi connection."

This makes him laugh and as his phone starts ringing he takes it out of his pocket. "That sounds more like it. Oh no, Julio is summoning me."

"Go. I'll catch up with you later okay?"

"Sounds good, thanks for your help with Nigel." He starts to leave, finally answering the call. "I'm on my way. No, I just had to drop some reports off to the archives."

The second he is gone, I'm looking up any reports of an ogre in Romania and find a few reports from a Slayer team about Dracula imposters and an underground fae blood trade that was stopped. Reports of a Yeti, giant and other large creatures a pack of werewolves were apparently finding members of their pack falling victim to something out there, but any team sent there were unable to find anything. Maybe it was more than a random, drunken decision to head out there.