The Last Hunter: Collected Edition (Antarktos Saga #1-5)

“When we advance in rank,” the woman says, “and for some of us that will be sooner than later.”


One of the men laughs. The other does not. And without opening my eyes I get a sense of what is going on. The hunters are youths. Perhaps older than me. Maybe younger. But they are not yet full-fledged hunters and they have been partnered with Xin. It’s likely he knows the subterranean realm better than they do, and is a far better tracker, hence their reliance on him leaving a trail.

But what stands out most is that they believe I have escaped! I open my eyes and find myself tucked into a curved alcove that hides my body from the hunters in the tunnel outside. I can see that I am covered in blood—Xin’s, and far more of it than before. He’s masked my scent with his.

He must have reopened his wounds before putting me in here.

“Which way did he go?” the woman asks.

“Toward the gate,” Xin answers. “He had no trouble eluding Behemoth. In fact, the pair seemed to be working together. I suspect the spirit of Nephil in him gives him power over the beast.”

I hear a gasp, and I smile. He’s building a mythology around me that these youth are buying like it’s a 50% off sale. Word will spread and as my infamy grows, so will my enemy’s fear of me. I could probably leap out and send them all running. But I resist the urge. I’m awake, but my body is exhausted.

“What should we do?” the second young man asks. “Go after him?”

“Riodon, you’re as stupid as Xin,” the woman says, giving me a name for one of the voices. “If Behemoth is with him, we cannot hope to take him without the masters.”

“Even without Behemoth, you would not be able to best him,” Xin says.

“What did you just say?” Riodan is angry. I can hear him stepping closer to Xin, no doubt raising his hand to strike.

“He finished his training in record time,” Xin says quickly, “and knocked the crown from the master Ull’s head during his second trial. He defeated Ninnis in his first. Ninnis! And you saw what he did to Kainda.”

“She said her injuries came from the beast slain by her hammer,” the woman says.

“She would say that, Preeg,” Xin says. I have two names, now. The woman is Preeg. “How could she reach the creature’s head to strike it down while her leg was broken?”

There’s a silence in the tunnel so profound that I hold my breath for fear of being heard.

“None of us is a match for Ull the hunter,” Xin says. “All of us together could not subdue him.”

Xin and I both know this is a lie. He could have taken me by himself. But I appreciate the pep talk.

“He is the best of us,” Xin finishes. “We must go for help.”

No one argues.

“Then why does he run?” one of the men asks.

“He’s gone mad,” says the woman. “Too weak for the blood of Nephil.”

“I could handle it,” Riodan says.

This gets a laugh from the other two.

Between laughs, Preeg says, “Pyke is twice the hunter you are, Riodan, and not even he would think of taking the blood of Nephil.”

“Hey,” says the man known as Pyke.

“It’s true!” Preeg says.

“Whatever,” Pyke says. “If we’re going to get help, we need to do it now. If Ull is heading for the gate, the masters will want to know. Delivering that news might be enough to advance. At least for some of us.”

“Shut up,” Riodan says.

“Xin,” Pyke says. “What’s the fastest way to Asgard?”

“I’ll take you myself, just as soon as my wounds heal.”

“You’ll take us now,” Pyke commands.

I know Xin could fight back. He could probably wipe their minds clean and leave them a heap of human vegetables. But he somehow restrains himself, most likely reverting to a role he has played throughout his entire life. But he does not give me up. Some part of him is rebelling, learning to be more than his masters believe him to be.

I have found my first ally in this dark place. An outcast, like myself. Thanks to him, these hunters are miles off my trail despite being just feet away.

“Up,” Preeg orders. I hear a slap and I think she’s struck Xin again. “Lead the way.”

I see four shadows pass by the entrance to my hiding spot. The last of the four pauses a moment, sniffing the air. Then he’s gone. A more experienced hunter might have detected my lingering odor mixed with the strong scent of Xin’s blood, but the focus of these three is more on themselves than on the world around them. If any of them pass just one of the tests, I’ll be surprised.

Solomon.