The Knights of the Vulture's Claw

Hunter

Ginevra froze in her tracks. Who was this man? She had been so close. She was wearing the ring on her finger! She stared into his dark flashing eyes, taking in his features: spiky jet black hair, gelled upward, small mustache, light beard, single silver earring. He looked oddly familiar, and he was in her way, just staring at her with an odd little smile on his face."Yes," he seemed to be suppressing a laugh. "Well done, Ginevra Artolius."

"How do you know my name?" asked Ginevra, even more suspicious of him. "Did you set this up? Have you been following me? Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"Only one out of three, I'm afraid," and now the man did laugh. "I haven't been following you, It isn't a sick joke, but—" an odd shadow passed across his face. "I did set it up."

Ginevra felt her rage close to breaking. "Who are you? What's going on? What is this? Who are you?"

"Ginevra, please! Give me a chance to explain. My name, if you would call it that, is Hunter. This ring is important, because in a way you do not know, it'll stop the world from going insane. Oh, yes." He noticed a look of incredulity on Ginevra's face. "Yes, it can. How, that is not for you to know— yet."

Ginevra just stared. "But I don't get it. Why aren't you answering me? Your explaining is driving me crazy! It's just giving me more questions! Who are you, really?"

"Ginevra. I do not have time to listen to the complaints of a confused teenager!" Hunter sounded annoyed now. But Ginevra was satisfied. She had finally made him mad.

"Now Ginevra, listen. I'm going to lead you out of here. We're going to collect your friends Bella and Dragomir, and we are going to go somewhere, somewhere where the ring belongs."

Ginevra just stared. "Huh?"

Hunter smiled, and began walking out of the beautiful clearing, back through the crystal cavern.

"Hey! HEY!"

Ginevra ran after him, as fast as she could. She emerged a second after he did, again into the cavern of magnificent crystals. She looked on rather dumbly as Hunter approached Bella, who whirled around.

"Dragomir, that isn't funny. Take off that disguise."

Ginevra suddenly realized why he looked so familiar. He reminded her of Dragomir. Were they related somehow?"

Dragomir turned and stared at Hunter. "Bella?" he said weakly. "That's...that's not me."

Bella's face took on a look of understanding all too well. She brought up Ginevra's sword, but Hunter flicked it away with his little finger. "It wouldn't be advisable to do that," he stated calmly. "because I have just found you, and Ginevra has to show you something.

Bella and Dragomir's eyes finally found Ginevra, who stuck out her hand. They saw the ring gleaming on her finger, and reacted. Bella stared, Dragomir jumped in the air and shrieked, "Yeah, baby!"

"Dragomir, be quiet."

"Sorry Bella, I—its..."

"The ring!" Bella gasped. "Ginevra, how? And who is that?"

Hunter walked up to her, standing so their faces were just an inch apart. She jerked back, and demanded, "Who are you?" He pulled back and replied. "My name is Hunter. I daresay you'll want to come with me, to hear what I have to say." He then thrust his face into Dragomir's, who held his gaze without flinching. "Ah, my boy." Ginevra noticed that Hunter's face had softened. "You look exactly like him."

"Excuse me," said Dragomir in a slightly rough voice, "But who is him?"

"You'll figure out in due course, Mr. Zurichov. Or if you'll let me, Dragomir?"

"Look here, Hunter, I'm no mister. What do you mean, you'll find out?"

"Dragomir. Nice name. I say he probably chose it himself." Hunter turned to Bella. "Miss Black, what say you?"

Bella was at a loss for words. "I—uh," She took a breath. "I'm no miss, as Dragomir said. I don't know who you are, for all I know you could be one of those hooligans who broke into my house."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "If I were they," he snarled, "You'd all three be dead on the floor by now."

Ginevra suddenly felt the power of speech come back to her. "Yeah! Hunter's okay." They turned to look at her, and Ginevra flushed. "I mean, well, what he said did make sense, except—"

"For the part that didn't," snarled Dragomir.

Ginevra rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Exactly. I think we ought to trust him. He said he'll show us where the ring belongs. I think we—well, I think we should go with him. Just so we know," she raised her voice a bit, because Bella and Dragomir had both opened their mouths. "So we know that he's telling the truth. Then we can figure out what's going on, and as you said, Dragomir, the parts that didn't make sense." she ended rather shakily, turning to look at Hunter, who was taller than her and Bella, but nearly the same height as Dragomir, who was rather tall for his age.

Bella broke the awkward silence. "Fine. Let's go with this Hunter guy. But Ginevra?" She smiled slightly. "If he tries to do us in, I'll never speak to you again. And Drago? If you even mention food, I'll fry you to a crisp."

Ginevra and Dragomir exchanged an incredulous glance. "Well, lets go, then." She led the way out of the cave, but on the face of the cliff, Hunter stopped them.

"No," he said. "Your car won't be much help here, be assured of that. My own private transport will pick us up shortly." He pressed a few buttons that were on some gadget he wore on his wrist. "If you'll be kind enough to wait, oh five to ten seconds?" He'd barely finished speaking when a loud rattle sounded from the dark clouds above.

Ginevra felt Dragomir and Bella tense behind her, but for a reason unnamed, she did not feel the same fear. She felt as if she knew Hunter, as if he was a part of her mysterious past.

The helicopter, if Ginevra could call it that, was hovering with a grinding of rotors a few meters up. As they silently watched, a hatch in the bottom opened, and a rope ladder dangled out of the sinister black machine. Hunter smiled, he looked extremely relived. He motioned to the ladder. Dragomir and Bella hung back, extremely reticent, but Ginevra, feeling no fear, only her own curiosity, seized the rope ladder and climbed up. She could feel Hunter behind her, and soon more weight told her that Bella and Dragomir had also started up. She smiled to herself, then hauled herself inside.

The copter was being controlled by a blond man, wearing thick black flight goggles, and dressed completely in black. He grinned at her as she walked in, and Ginevra grinned right back. A few moments later, Bella and Dragomir were inside as well, eyes shooting daggers at the man flying the copter. Ginevra felt strangely annoyed.

Bella seized the back of Ginevra's jacket. "What were you thinking?"

"Let me go, Bella, get off me!" Ginevra wrenched herself free. "Look, this isn't going to be so bad—"

Dragomir cut her off. "It'd be nice if you two stopped, because then we could do a nice bit of eavesdropping. Bella let go of Ginevra with a look on her face that told Ginevra she was impressed against her will.

They turned to watch Hunter as he spoke to the driver in a low voice. "Is it them, Hunter?" the man asked, after Hunter was done.

"Yes, Tobias, it's them." Hunter ran his hand through his hair. "Convincing them was rather easier than I had expected."

Ginevra felt Dragomir and Bella tense again, and had to admit she felt wary herself. Yet she still felt that Hunter was all right. Ginevra couldn't explain herself, but she felt as if she knew him still.

The man called Tobias was nodding. "Yes, I thought it would be. The boy looks just like him."

Hunter smirked. "Mason will make a job of it, see if he doesn't." They were silent for a few moments. Ginevra, Bella and Dragomir exchanged glances. What was going on?

Dragomir suddenly whispered "Ginevra, do you know this guy?"

Ginevra decided to tell the truth. "No, but in some crazy way, I feel like I know him, like he's a part of my life somehow. Why?"

Dragomir looked like he was going to faint. "Because I feel the same way, almost. I still haven't ruled out Bella's kill theory."

Bella looked unconcerned. "I don't know him, I have no clue who he is, but whoever he is—" she was cut off,

Hunter walked up to them. "The landing will take place in thirteen seconds. Brace yourselves."

Ginevra and Bella flattened themselves against the wall, but Dragomir didn't. When the copter began to spiral towards the Earth, Dragomir fell on his face. When they touched ground and grew still, Dragomir looked up, his black shirt almost gray with the dust accumulated on the floor.

Ginevra and Bella were giggling, Dragomir scowling, when Hunter opened the door and hopped out, Tobias following him. Dragomir struggled to his feet, and the three of them hopped out, nonetheless glad to be on solid ground again.

They were in a bizarre complex of white marble structures, on an island Ginevra guessed was far out to sea. Huge colored towers sprung up around them, and many tunnels and doors led of to other buildings. Tobias and Hunter exchanged a brief handshake, then Tobias walked off through one of the passages to below the place, which gave off a slightly medieval air.

"Welcome," said Hunter, his face impassive, "to Infinity Isle."