Page 13 of Hunter

Hopefully it won’t come to that, Kana replied, but thank you.

Watch your back, Ember finished.

The techs had apparently completed whatever they were doing with the microphones because the hunter and Stephen were settling into their respective spots on the set, and people were moving to get out of the camera shot.

Oliver stood in front of the main camera with the clapperboard, and at Stephen’s nod, he clapped it and then hustled out of the way.

“Welcome back to the Daily Biz on Channel Seven News!” Stephen said, his plastic-reporter smile firmly in place. “Today we have a special guest with us, Ary Smith, a hunter tasked with keeping us safe from all the things that go bump in the night. Ary, thank you so much for coming on the show!”

“Thanks for having me,” Ary replied with a smile. His voice was smooth and unassuming, the sort of tone that made people want to open up and talk to him. He had probably been trained to sound like that. Ary’s name was likely also an alias.

“For our viewers at home who might not know, can you tell us about the job of a hunter?”

Ary laughed softly as if he was pleased Stephen had asked. “It’s much like you already said, Stephen. I hunt the creatures that refuse to obey the rules of society. Those that are a threat to humans.”

Stephen waited a beat to see if Ary would elaborate before jumping into the next question to force the matter. “Is there a specific creature you hunt?”

Ary shrugged. “I don’t specialize. If a creature needs to be hunted, I’m prepared. I heard you had a vampire problem not too long ago?”

“We did,” Stephen said, eagerly jumping into the story he had broken. “A whole coven had moved to the city, but there was some sort of internal strife, and the vampires vanished. Do you have any insight on why that might have happened?”

“Werewolves and vampires don’t always get along, so it’s entirely possible the werewolves won that fight. If I remember your coverage of that event correctly, wasn’t there a witch involved?”

Kana sucked in a breath. He could have asked about the number of wolves or vampires, or about Stephen’s time inside the vampire compound, but had instead asked about the witch. Ary was definitely interested in finding Kana.

“We haven’t been able to confirm that report,” Stephen replied, much to Kana’s relief.

“I’ll have to visit the werewolves while I’m here to ask them,” Ary said.

Kana unlocked his phone and quickly typed: The hunter is planning to visit the werewolves to ask about the witch who helped fight the vampires.

Got it. We’ll take precautions, Ember replied immediately.

“Tell us about a day in the life of a hunter. What do you usually do when you’re on the job?” Stephen asked.

“Depends on the job,” Ary said with a laugh. “When I’m called in because a creature has gone mad, it can be violent. I’m highly trained, of course, but engaging with a bloodthirsty or murderous creature can be dangerous. Sometimes, though, it’s simple. For example, I traveled to Albany only to remind any creatures in your city that hunters are here and will hold them accountable. Sometimes that is enough deterrent to keep the creatures playing by the rules.”

Something in Ary’s smooth tone didn’t feel right to Kana. Ary might be lying. He wasn’t here as a deterrent; rather, he was here to investigate the death of the vampires and identify the witch involved. Why else would Samantha be with him?

“That is very good to hear. I’m sure all our viewers are relieved to know they have nothing to fear. Can you tell us about your remarkable weapon?” Stephen asked.

Ary lifted his spear from where he had rested it against the side of the couch. “Absolutely. I prefer the spear because it gives me the tactical advantage of enforcing distance between me and my target. The tip is pure silver, hardened using a special method secret to the hunter’s association. Silver is effective against werewolves and a large number of other creatures. The wood of the shaft has also been specially treated to withstand what can be incredible forces during a fight, and the bottom”—he lifted the spear so the cameras could see the bottom of the spear where the wood was tapered to a point—“is sharp enough to use to stake a vampire.”

“That’s incredible!” Stephen gushed. “How do I get one of my own?”

Ary laughed. “Undergo a few hundred hours of training, and they’ll give you one when you graduate.”

“I see…” Stephen trailed off awkwardly, but luckily for him the editing department would take care of that before the interview aired in the morning. He glanced back at the teleprompter as he regrouped. “You’re doing a lot of good work while you’re here, but do you have anything fun planned?”

“I was hoping to go jogging on the Mohawk-Hudson Trail while I’m here. I’ve heard the locks are quite pretty.”

“Oh, they are!” Stephen, who had probably never been on those trails in his life, replied. Kana tried to go at least once a summer, if only to get out of his apartment, but he had a feeling Ary’s “jogging” was a little more intense than Kana’s usual stroll.

“Thank you so much for joining us today, Hunter Ary Smith!” Stephen said to close out the interview. “We hope you have a pleasant stay in Albany.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you for having me.”

Stephen and Ary smiled at each other for a long moment before the director yelled, “And cut!”

---