Hunting Will Read Online Free PDF Page B

hilt. Porthos thought he heard Stark whisper the words “not again,” as the man started to collapse into the Hunter.
    Porthos sensed Stark’s Energy levels fading quickly, and wondered if he’d just delivered the fatal blow ending the life of Will Stark. Gravely injured, his eyes glazing over from the injury, Will Stark vanished from sight, taking the embedded sword with him. Athos, who’d leaped forward in an attempt to knock the man fully unconscious, waved the hilt of the sword at the empty air where Will Stark had stood an instant earlier. Athos collapsed on the ground in frustration, the pain in his cheek suddenly much more pronounced.
    Porthos sighed, as the crew of the craft gaped at the scene. They were accustomed to teleportation, though not at the distances Stark could achieve. Though there were many, like the three Hunters, who could teleport themselves at will, the Energy demands increased with the distance traveled. The Hunters could each teleport about fifty miles, and that was stretching their limits. They were limited in practical terms to about twenty miles; any additional distance was too likely to leave them drained of all Energy reserves, and they’d arrive at their destinations helpless. Stark’s Energy levels likely meant the man could travel anywhere in the world, instantly, and still be stronger than any he’d meet upon his arrival. His power was truly immense and legendary.
    The crew was shocked at the appearance of the three Hunters. Athos sat on the grass, blood streaming from a large gash just below his right eye, still in shock at his injury and Stark’s disappearance despite his potentially fatal wounds. Aramis was curled into a fetal position on the grass, arms still wrapped around his head. His screams of pain had been replaced by less agonizing whimpers. Porthos’ face was pale, his gaze distant as he remembered the sword he’d just buried into Will Stark’s body.
    “Sir, why didn’t you stop him before he teleported?”
    “Will you be able to track him now that he has?”
    “It takes more than one Hunter to be able to stop Will Stark at full strength, gentlemen,” Porthos whispered, “Even when he’s been stabbed through vital organs. And as to whether I’ll be able to Track him?”
    He shook his head, thinking of the grievous injuries and sagging Energy levels, levels that were falling without Aramis’ interference. “I fear that I’ll only find him when he wants me to find him. And that’s assuming he’s still alive tomorrow.”
    The crew’s faces matched the Hunters, shocked at the possibility. Was it true? Was it possible that Will Stark, the greatest of the Aliomenti and the leader of the Alliance, was dead?
    Only time would tell.

Part II
    Manor House

    “I am not happy.”
    The Leader’s voice, as it so often did, put a chill into the hearts of the Hunters. He was a man difficult to please, a man who did not tolerate failure. The reasons for the failure were rarely acknowledged. The fact was that the Hunters had been sent to retrieve Will Stark, had been provided with an ideal environment to do so, and still failed to return with the fugitive. He was also a practical man; abhorrent though the thought might be, Stark was still roaming free, and they needed to learn from the mistakes made to better handle his capture in their next encounter.
    Assuming the man still lived.
    They worked their way through the day’s events, looking to pinpoint the causes of the failure. None of the Hunters emerged unscathed.
    Aramis was scolded for leaving his post without communicating his change of plans to Athos and Porthos. Had he indicated what he was planning to do, the team would have had the information they needed to push Stark to his location, but without the stress. Aramis noted, in his own defense, that the clear frustration displayed by Athos and Porthos had likely driven Stark in his direction. Could they use such a tactic in the future? Could they set up an