Silently, Will climbed higher into the tree until he found a spot where he had a solid perch and a clear view. He could see Halt and the two horses moving slowly down the trail.
As they reached the next bend, Halt urged Tug to keep going, then halted Abelard and swung down from the saddle. He dropped to his knees, seeming to study the ground for signs of tracks.
Now Will could hear the other horse behind them. He looked back the way they had come, but another bend hid their follower from sight.
Then, the soft hoofbeats ceased.
Will's mouth was dry and his heart beat faster and faster inside his ribcage. He was sure the sound must be audible to anyone within fifty meters or so. But his training asserted itself and he stood motionless on the tree branch, among the leaves and dappled shadows, watching the trail behind them.
A movement!
He saw it from the corner of his eye, then it was gone. He peered closely at the spot for a second or two, then remembered Halt's lessons.
Don't focus your attention on one spot. Keep a wide focus all the time and keep scanning. You'll see him as a movement, not as a figure. Remember, he's a Ranger too and he's been trained in the art of not being seen.
Will widened his focus and scanned the forest behind them. Within seconds, he was rewarded by another sign of movement. A branch swung back into place as an unseen figure passed silently by.
Then, ten meters farther on, a bush swayed slightly. Then he saw a clump of tall grass springing slowly back into position from where a passing foot had crushed it momentarily. Will stayed stock-still. He marveled at the fact that their pursuer could move through the forest without his seeing him. Obviously, the other Ranger had left his horse behind and was stalking Halt on foot. Will's eyes swiveled for a quick glance at Halt. His teacher still seemed to be preoccupied with some sign on the ground.
Another movement came from the forest. The unseen Ranger had passed Will's hiding place now and was moving back toward the trail, intent on surprising Halt from behind.
Suddenly, a tall figure in a gray-green cloak seemed to rise out of the ground in the middle of the trail, some twenty meters behind the kneeling figure of Halt. Will blinked, One moment the figure hadn't been there. Next, he seemed to materialize out of thin air. Will's hand began to move toward the quiver of arrows slung over his back, then he halted the movement. Halt had told him the night before:
Wait until we're talking. If he's not talking, he'll hear the slightest movement you make.
Will gulped, hoping that the tall figure hadn't heard the movement of his hand toward the quiver. But it seemed that he'd stopped in time. Below him, he heard a cheerful voice call out.
"Halt, Halt!" Halt turned and rose slowly to his feet, brushing the dirt from his knees as he rose. He put his head on one side and studied the figure in the middle of the trail, who was leaning easily on a longbow identical to Halt's own.
"Well, Gilan," he called, "I see you're still making that old joke." The tall Ranger shrugged and replied cheerfully, "The joke appears to be on you this year, Halt." As Gilan spoke, Will's hand moved quickly but quietly to his quiver and selected an arrow, laying it ready on the bowstring. Halt was speaking again now.
"Really, Gilan? And what joke would that be, I wonder?"
The amusement was evident in Gilan's voice as he replied to his old master.
"Come now, Halt. Admit it. For once I've got the best of you – and you know how many years I've been trying."
Halt rubbed one hand over his grizzled beard thoughtfully. "It beats me why you keep on trying, Gilan, as a matter of fact." Gilan laughed. " You should know how much pleasure it gives an ex-apprentice to get the better of his master, Halt. Now come on. Admit it. This year, I've won. " As the tall figure spoke, Will carefully drew back the arrow, sighting on a tree trunk some two meters to Gilan's left. Halt's instructions echoed in his ears:
Choose a target close enough to startle him when you shoot. But for pity's sake not too close. If he moves, I don't want you putting an arrow through him!
Halt hadn't moved from his position in the center of the trail. Gilan was now shifting his weight uneasily from one foot to another. Halt's unperturbed manner was beginning to bother him. It appeared that, all of a sudden, he wasn't totally sure that Halt was merely trying to bluff his way out of the trap.
Halt's next words added to his suspicions.
"Ah, yes… apprentices and masters. They're a strange combination, all right. But tell me, Gilan, my old apprentice, aren't you forgetting something this year?
"Perhaps it was the way Halt laid a little extra stress on the word "apprentice," but suddenly Gilan became aware that he had made a mistake. His head began to turn, searching for the apprentice that he'd forgotten.
As he began the movement, Will released his arrow.
The shaft hissed through the air past the tall Ranger and thudded, quivering, into the tree that Will had selected. Gilan jerked back with shock, then his eyes swung into the branches of the tree where Will stood concealed. Will marveled that, even caught by surprise as he was, Gilan was still able to react so quickly in identifying the direction from which his attacker had shot.
Gilan shook his head ruefully. His keen eyes could make out the small gray and green clad figure concealed in the shadows of the tree's foliage. "Come down, Will," Halt called. "And meet Gilan, one of our more careless Rangers." He shook his head at Gilan. "I told you when you were a boy, didn't I? Never be too hasty. Don't rush into things." Gilan nodded, somewhat crestfallen. He looked even more so when Will dropped to the ground from the lowest branch and the tall Ranger saw how small and young the apprentice was. "It appears," he said, "that I was so intent on catching myself an old gray fox that I overlooked the small monkey hiding in the trees." He grinned at his own mistake.
"Monkey, is it?" Halt said gruffly. "I'd say he's made a monkey out of you today. Will, this is Gilan, my former apprentice and now Ranger of Meric Fief – although what they did to deserve him is beyond me."
Gilan's grin widened and he held out his hand to Will. "And just as I was thinking I'd finally got the better of you, Halt," he said cheerfully. "So you're Will," he continued, shaking hands firmly. "I'm pleased to meet you. That was a neat piece of work, young fellow." Will grinned at Halt and the older Ranger made a slight, meaningful movement of his head. Will remembered the final instructions that Halt had given him the night before: Once you best a man, never gloat. Be generous and find something in his actions to praise. He won't enjoy being bested, but he'll make a good face of it. Show him you appreciate it. Praise can win you a friend. Gloating will only ever make enemies.
"Yes, I'm Will," he said. Then he added, "Could you perhaps teach me how you move like that? It was brilliant."
Gilan laughed ruefully. "Not too brilliant, I think. You obviously saw me coming from a long way away." Will shook his head, remembering how hard he'd tried to spot Gilan. Now that he thought of it, his praise and his request were more genuine than he'd realized. "I saw you when you arrived," he said. "And I saw where you'd been. But I never once saw you from the time you rounded that bend. I wish I could move like that." Gilan's face showed his pleasure at Will's obvious sincerity. "Well, Halt," he said," I see this young fellow doesn't merely have talent. He has excellent manners as well." Halt regarded the two of them: his current apprentice and his former student. He nodded to Will, approving his tactful words. "Unseen movement was always Gilan's best skill," he said. "You'd do well if he agreed to tutor you." He moved toward his ex-apprentice and placed his arm around the taller man's shoulders. "It's good to see you again."
They embraced each other warmly. Then Halt held the other man at arm's length, studying him carefully. "You get lankier every year," he said finally. "When are you going to put some meat on those bones?" Gilan smiled. It was obviously an old joke between them. "You appear to have enough for both of us," he said. He poked Halt in the ribs, none too gently. "Is that the beginnings of a potbelly I see ther
e?" He grinned at Will. "I'll wager he's sitting around the cabin letting you do all the housework these days?" Before Halt or Will could reply, he turned away and let out a whistle. A few seconds later, his horse trotted around the bend in the road. As the tall young Ranger moved toward his horse and mounted, Will noticed a sword hanging in a scabbard from the saddle. He turned to Halt, puzzled.
"I thought we weren't allowed to have swords," he said quietly. Halt frowned for a moment, not understanding, then followed Will's gaze and realized what had prompted the question. "It's not that we're not allowed," he explained, as they both mounted. "It's a matter of priorities. It takes years to become a good swordsman and we don't have the time. We have other skills to develop."
He saw the next question forming on Will's lips and went on. "Gilan's father is a knight, so Gilan had already been training with the sword for some years before he joined the Rangers. He was considered a special case and he was allowed to continue that training when he was apprenticed to me."
"But I thought…" Will began and then hesitated. Gilan was trotting his horse toward them and he wasn't sure if it would be polite to ask his next question in front of him.
"Never say that in front of Halt," Gilan said, overhearing Will's last words. "He'll simply reply, "You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think; or, if you thought about it, you wouldn't ask."
Will had to smile. Halt had used those exact words to him on more than one occasion, and Gilan's impersonation of the older Ranger was uncanny. Now, however, both men were looking expectantly at him, waiting to hear the question he had been about to ask, so he plunged ahead. "If Gilan's father was a knight, wasn't he automatically eligible for Battleschool? Or did they think he was too small as well?" Halt and Gilan exchanged a look. Halt raised one eyebrow, then gestured for Gilan to reply. "I could have gone to Battleschool," he said. " But I chose to join the Rangers."
"Some of us do, you know," Halt put in mildly. Will thought this over. He had always assumed that the Rangers did not come from the ranks of the Kingdom's nobles. Apparently he was wrong.
"But I thought…" he began and instantly realized his mistake. Halt and Gilan looked at him, then looked at each other, and said in chorus: "You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think. " Then they wheeled their horses and trotted off. Will hurriedly retrieved Tug and cantered after them. As he caught up, the two Rangers edged their horses to either side, allowing him space to ride between them. Gilan grinned once at him. Halt was as grim as ever. But as they continued in a companionable silence, Will became aware of the comforting realization that he was now a part of an exclusive, tightly knit group.
It was a warm sense of belonging, as if, somehow, he had arrived home for the first time in his life.
Chapter 24
"SOMETHING'S HAPPENED," HALT SAID QUIETLY, SIGNALING for his two companions to rein in their horses.
The three riders had cantered the last half a kilometer to the Gathering Ground. Now, as they crested a slight rise, the open space among the trees lay just below them, a hundred meters away. Small, one-man tents stretched in ordered ranks, and the smoke of cooking fires scented the air. An archery range had been set up to one side of the open space, and several dozen horses, all small and shaggy Ranger horses, were grazing close to the trees.
Even from where they sat on their horses, they could make out an air of urgency and activity throughout the camp. In the center of the tent lines was a larger pavilion, easily four meters by four meters and with enough headroom for a tall man to stand. The sides were currently rolled up and Will could see a group of green and gray clad men standing around a table, apparently deep in conversation. As they watched, one of the group detached himself, running to a horse waiting just outside the entrance. He mounted and spun the horse on its back legs, setting out through the camp at a gallop, heading for the narrow track through the trees at the far side.
He had barely disappeared into the deep shadows under the trees when another rider appeared from the opposite direction, galloping through the lines and reining in outside the large tent. His horse had barely stopped before he swung down and headed in to join the group inside.
"What is it?" Will asked. Frowning, he realized that several of the small tents were being struck and rolled up by their owners. "Not sure," Halt replied. He gestured to the tent lines. "See if you can find us a decent campsite. I'll see what's going on." He urged Abelard forward, then turned and called back: "Don't pitch the tents yet. From the looks of things, we may not be needing them." Then Abelard's hooves were drumming on the turf as he galloped toward the center of the camp.
Will and Gilan found a campsite under a large tree, reasonably close to the central gathering area. Then, uncertain as to what they should do next, they sat on a log, waiting for Halt's return. As a senior Ranger in the Corps, Halt had access to the larger pavilion, which Gilan explained was the command tent. The Corps Commandant, a Ranger named Crowley, would meet with his staff there each day to organize activities and to collate and evaluate the reports and information that individual Rangers brought to the Gathering.
Most of the tents near the two younger Rangers were unoccupied, but there was a thin gangly Ranger outside one, pacing impatiently back and forth, looking every bit as confused as Gilan and Will. Seeing them on the log, he moved over to join them.
"Any news?" he said immediately, and his face fell when Gilan answered. "We were just about to ask you the same question. " He held out his hand in greeting. "It's Merton, isn't it?" he said and they shook hands. "That's right. And you're Gilan if I remember correctly."
Gilan introduced Will, and the newcomer, who appeared to be in his early thirties, looked at him speculatively. "So you're Halt's new apprentice," he said.
"We wondered what you'd be like. I was going to be one of your assessors, you know."
"Going to be?" Gilan asked quickly, and Merron looked at him. "Yes. I doubt we'll continue with the Gathering now." He hesitated, then added, "You mean you haven't heard?" The two newcomers shook their heads. "Morgarath is up to something again," he said quietly, and Will felt a shiver of fear up his spine at the mention of that evil name. "What's happened?" Gilan asked, his eyes narrowing. Merron shook his head, stirring the dirt in front of him with the toe of his boot in a frustrated gesture. "There's no clear news so far. Only garbled reports. But it looks as if a force of Wargals broke out of Three Step Pass some days ago. They overran the sentries there and headed north."
"Was Morgarath with them?" Gilan asked. Will remained wide-eyed and silent. He couldn't bring himself to ask any questions, couldn't bring himself to actually mention Morgarath's name.
Merron shrugged in reply. "We don't know. Don't think so at this stage, but Crowley has been sending scouts out for the past two days. Could be it's just a raid. But if it's more than that, it could mean the start of another war. If so, it's a bad time to lose Lord Lorriac."
Gilan looked up, concern in his voice. "Lorriac is dead?" he asked, and Merron nodded.
"A stroke apparently. Or his heart. He was found dead a few days ago, with not a mark on him. Staring straight ahead. Stone cold dead."
"But he was in his prime!" Gilan said. "I saw him only a month ago and he was as healthy as a bull."
Merron shrugged. He had no explanation. He only knew the facts of the matter. "I suppose it can happen to anyone," he said. "You just never know"
"Who's Lord Lorriac?" Will asked Gilan quietly. The young Ranger shook his head thoughtfully as he answered. "Lorriac of Steden. He was the leader of the King's heavy cavalry. Probably our best cavalry commander. As Merron said, if there's war, he'll be sorely missed." A cold hand of fear closed around Will's heart. All his life people had spoken in whispers of Morgarath, if they had spoken of him at all. The Great Enemy had assumed the proportions almost of a myth-a legend from the old, dark days. Now the myth was becoming reality once more-a confronting, terrifying reality. He looked at Gilan for reassurance, but the young Ranger's handsome face show
ed nothing but doubt and concern for the future.
It was almost an hour before Halt rejoined them. As it was after midday, Will and Gilan had prepared a meal of bread, cold meat and dried fruit. The gray-haired Ranger slid down from Abelard's saddle and accepted a plate from Will, eating the food in quick bites. "The Gathering's over," he said shortly, between mouthfuls. Seeing the senior Ranger's arrival, Merron had drifted back to join their group. He and Halt greeted each other briefly, then Merron posed the question that was on all their minds. "Is it war?" he asked anxiously, and Halt shook his head. "We don't know for certain. Latest reports show that Morgarath is still in the mountains."
"Then why did the Wargals break out?" Will asked. Everyone knew that Wargals only did the will of Morgarath.
They never would have performed such a radical act without his direction. Halt's face was grim as he answered.
"They're only a small party-perhaps fifty of them. They were intended to act as a diversion. While our guards were busy chasing the Wargals, Crowley thinks that the two Kalkara slipped out of the Mountains and are holed up somewhere on the Solitary Plain."
Gilan gave a low whistle. Merron actually took a step back in surprise. Both the younger Rangers' faces showed their utter horror at the news. Will had no idea what the Kalkara might be, but judging from Halt's expression and the reactions of Gilan and Merron, they were obviously not good news. "You mean they still exist?" Merron said. "I thought they died out years ago."
"Oh, they still exist all right," Halt said. "There are only two of them left, but that's enough to worry about. " There was a long silence between them, Finally, hesitantly, Will had to ask: "What are they?" Halt shook his head sadly. It was not a subject that he wanted to discuss with someone as young as Will. But, knowing what lay ahead of them all, he had no choice. The boy had to know. "When Morgarath was planning his rebellion, he wanted more than an ordinary army. He knew that if he could terrify his enemies, his task would be far easier. So over the years, he made several expeditions into the Mountains of Rain and Night, searching."
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