Page 4 of Hunter

“Librarian,” Kana called, trying to keep his voice low and respectful for a library, but hoping the librarian heard him anyway.

“Yes, dearie?” the librarian asked as they suddenly appeared at Kana’s side.

Kana jumped, and Sora hissed softly, but the librarian didn’t notice.

“Do you have this book available?” Kana asked. He held out the runology book and ran his fingernail under the title for the librarian to read.

The librarian immediately shook their head, and Kana’s hope dropped. “I’m sorry, dearie. We do not have that book in the library. However, I can add it to our ordering list.”

A hand vanished into their shapeless robes, and a second later the librarian pulled out a large round scroll. They unrolled it almost to the bottom, and Kana saw a very long list of titles. The librarian pulled out a quill and at the very end wrote the book Kana needed.

“Might take a bit to come in, dearie,” they said as they rolled up the scroll and tucked it away again.

A bit? Kana laughed to himself. He would guess years might be a better description, given how long that list was.

“Do you know if that book might be available anywhere else, so I can get it faster?” Kana asked.

The librarian reached into their robes again, and this time they pulled out a small tablet computer. They pressed some buttons and typed on the screen for a few moments, and then turned the tablet so Kana could see.

The Compendium was for sale online for… Kana sucked in a breath.

“Six hundred dollars?” he gasped.

The librarian nodded. “I’m sorry to say that is likely the best way to get the book if you’re in a hurry.”

Kana didn’t have six hundred dollars he could throw down to buy a spell book. But Ember had asked Kana to find an answer. Maybe he would let Kana borrow the money and pay him back later.

“Can you print that page out for me?” Kana asked.

The librarian nodded and pressed on the touchscreen. A few minutes later, a piece of paper came zipping through the air. The librarian grabbed it and then handed the paper to Kana.

“Can I help you with anything else, dearie?”

Kana looked around the library at the hundreds of books on shelves in every direction. There had to be a book here with the information he was looking for, but Kana had no idea what to ask the librarian to pull. At least he had a lead with The Compendium, and he could always come back here later on.

“Just how to get to the exit, please,” Kana said.

The librarian smiled, and when Kana blinked, next thing he knew, he was staring at the familiar brick wall in the library in Schenectady. Sora was sitting at his feet next to his backpack, where Mika was hiding, and Kana was holding the printout.

That was weird. Sora shook his head and then washed a front paw.

When we go back, I want to see everything! Mika insisted.

Yes, yes, Kana said, cutting in before they could start arguing. He bent to pick up his bag and started walking back to the doors, hopeful that this strange adventure would lead to something helpful for the wolves.

Chapter Two

KANA WASN’T PRESENT for the discussions, but after what he heard was a lengthy meeting, the werewolf pack had decided to keep the vampire’s house in the city. Some wanted to sell it to help with eliminating the bad memories, but it was impossible to find a fortified mansion with land this close to the Tri-Cities. Those arguing to keep the house to take advantage of its prime location won.

No changes were made to the outside of the property, which was protected by a ten-foot stone wall and a massive set of iron gates across the driveway. The guard house overlooked the gates and had a small door inset into the wall just to the right. As Kana approached, the door popped open, and a wolf stepped outside.

“Hey, Kana,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“Hey, Greg,” Kana replied with a friendly wave of his own. “Is Ember around?”

Greg nodded. “He’s organizing the dining hall, I think. I’ll show you the way.”

Greg held the door open for Kana and Sora to walk inside, then waited patiently while Kana let Mika out of his backpack, before continuing to lead the way. Every time Kana had been brought into the house when the vampires were in control, he had been taken in circles through the halls of the guard house first. Greg didn’t bother with the subterfuge now, quickly guiding Kana through the two hallways that led to the underground tunnel.

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