Baron Arald was down, Halt wasn't moving. Sir Rodney was standing seemingly paralyzed, staring into the kalkara's horrible gaze. Will's mind raced, trying to find some way to help when a flicker of light from the corner of his eye drew his attention. An idea forming, Will slipped from Tug's back and taking an arrow from his quiver he quickly knelt by the torch discarded earlier by Baron Arald. He rolled the tip of his arrow in the sticky, melted pitch, then ignited it in the flames. Knocking the arrow he took aim, raising his aim point to adjust for the extra weight on the tip of the arrow and released. The arrow shot away and Will knew the shot was good. Seeing the movement, the last kalkara turned to see what it was. In so doing, he sealed his fate, taking the arrow in the chest and moments later burst into flames shrieking in agony and fear. Sir Rodney, who had been standing locked in the monster's terrible stare, suddenly collapsed. The beast's screams intensified as he tried in vain to quell the flames, growing in pitch and intensity. Then abruptly, they it cut off. The monster was dead.
In the sudden silence that followed, Will quickly made his way through the maze of tumbled rocks to his fallen companions. He couldn't help it, he checked Halt first. The young boy anxiously knelt by the older man's side. The man who he had come to respect, to look up to, to love in the few months he had spent under his tutelage. Will was immensely relieved to find him alive. Looking him over, he took in the nasty gash on the ranger's forehead and the rough bandage tied hastily around his leg. It was soaked with blood, but he was alive. Relief flowed though the young boy as he watched the steady rise and fall of his mentor's chest.
Next he went to the Baron who was lying face down, his back showing several deep gashes where the kalkara had torn though his chain mail and into his flesh. He was covered in blood and unconscious, but remarkably, still alive.
Lastly Will approached Sir Rodney, his mind recalling Halt's theory on how the kalkara had killed Lord Loriack by simply holding him in that terrifying gaze for too long. Will had watched as the beast stood over the battle master, screaming his triumph to the night repeatedly. Will feared the worst. As he approached however, he saw that the man was breathing heavily and panting as if he had just run miles. Will knelt at his side, unsure of what to do or how to help.
Touching the man's arm, he said quietly, "Sir Rodney... it's okay now. The monster is dead. You're alright."
The battle master's eyes fluttered and for a moment he looked up into Will's concerned face but he made no other response. Then he closed his eyes again and Will could get nothing further out of him. The man heaved a heavy sigh and gradually his breathing eased a little and began to settle into a more even rhythm.
Hoping the man was simply exhausted from the strain of the encounter, Will looked around the recent battle field trying to decided what to do next. The night was dark and the sickle moon was beginning to rise in the sky. He felt very alone. Then a nudge on his shoulder caused him to look up. Tug's calm brown eyes were staring down at him. Will gently fondled the little horse's muzzle.
"Thank you my friend" he said, looking up at the horse, "You were amazing. You got us here in time to help Halt. You too Blaze", he added, reaching out to stroke the mare's face, she was not far behind the small gray pony.
Glancing around Will could just make out the form of another horse, Abelard he guessed, standing at the edge of the trees. The battle horses stood a little ways off grazing quietly. He could see their dim outlines in the weak light from the dying bond fire Halt had lit earlier in the night.
"Well, first things first", he said, standing and surveying the area. Will was unsure if he could move the unconscious men, especially the heavily built knights and wasn't sure if it would be wise to try. Instead he found a spot somewhat in the middle of where the three men lay and began to clear away the loose rocks to make a spot for a fire ring. He gathered wood and stacked it neatly then retrieved a burning branch from what was left of the bonfire.
The light and warmth put off by the small blaze lessoned his feeling of unease. It also provided the light he would need to work by. With the fire burning happily, he gathered some of his camping equipment and his first aid pack from Tug's saddle.
He heated water and began to clean the gash on Halt's head. Gently dabbing at the wound to clear away the dirt. Halt stirred once and Will froze, waiting to see if he would open his eyes but when the older man didn't, he went back to work cleaning and dressing the wound. In Will's first aid pack, there was a small container of a simi-transparent paste. Halt had told him that it was a wound salve used to reduce pain and stave off infection. The apprentice gently applied it to the wound on Halt's head and then wrapped it in a loose bandage. When he was satisfied with with his work, he turned his attention the blood-soaked bandage on his master's leg. Gently removing the bandage, Will found a gash that went several inches down the man's thigh. The wound didn't appear to be very deep and blood was seeping more than gushing out. Will felt confident that it was not life threatening. He cleaned the area and again applied the wound salve. Then taking a clean bandage, he wrapped the leg snugly to stem the blood loss and tied it neatly. Surveying his work, and finding it satisfactory he found a spare cloak, folded it as a pillow and placed it under Halt's head. Lastly he removed Halt's own cloak and placed it over the older man like a blanket. Satisfied that he had done all he could do for his mentor, he moved on to the Baron.
Will knelt beside the bulky knight who was lying on his stomach with his head turned to one side. Carefully he leaned over the still figure, assessing the gashes across his back. There was no way Will could remove what was left of the tattered chain mail shirt. He could not lift the man and try to wriggle him free of the heavy shirt on his own. So instead he tried to clean the wound as best he could. Using his knife, Will was soon able to remove the remaining links holding the tattered shreds of the mail shirt together across the wounds. Then having better access to the gashes on the man's back, he began to clear away the blood and bits of clothing and broken chain. Gently, he cleaned the area with the warm water and applied the salve. The cuts were deep and wide left by the massive talons. Will was unsure but he guess they would need stitching before they could be bandaged. That was not a job he felt skilled enough to attempt and he considered simply bandaging it until better help could be found. That however, stumped him as he didn't see how he could possibly bandage the wound with the remains of the mail shirt still on the man. It was simply not a job for one person he concluded and placed a soft linen cloth over the area to help keep it clean while the man slept. Will then placed a clean cloth under the man's face so he was not lying in the dirt and covered him with a blanket. That was the best he could do for now.
Lastly, he then turned his attention to the battle master. Rodney was lying still and breathing deeply and evenly now. There were no exterior wounds or injuries that Will could find so he simply fashioned a pillow for the man and covered him with a blanket to give him some protection from the chilly night that had now settled around them.
It must be well after midnight, Will thought glancing up at the sliver of the moon over head. He added some more wood to the fire then checked on his master again. Halt was sleeping peacefully so he turned his attention to the horses, unsaddling them and rubbing them down as best he could. First Tug, then Blaze and soon Abelard had joined them. He laid the three saddles neatly on a log, and giving Tug one last pat he turned back to the makeshift campsite.
How he longed for sleep! His eyes burned and his body ached. He had slept little in the last two days and the endless hours in the saddle had bee taxing to say the least, but he just couldn't allow himself to lie down and sleep with no one to watch the camp. Even though he knew they were dead, the terror of the monsters they had tracked and then killed still weighed on his mind. The chances that more evil would be lurking about tonight was not great, he reasoned, but with all three men injured or unconscious, he felt it best if someone stayed awake to watch over things until morning. He could sleep then, he consoled himself, and taking his bow, he selected a spot atop the crumbling wall to his right as a good place to keep watch over the little camp. Silently he climbed up and settled on a rock, exhaustion and anxiety for his friends warring with each other in his mind as he began his long vigil.
********
Halt awoke slowly, silently assessing his body and injuries he had sustained. His eyes opened, taking in his surroundings. He was lying on the ground, a folded cloak under his head as a pillow, not far from the wall he had jumped from while trying to escape from the kalkara. Slowly he began putting together the events of the previous evening in his mind. He remembered his battle with the monsters and recognized that waking at all was a lucky thing for him.
Based on the stars above him and the absolute stillness of the night Halt judged it to be two or three hours before dawn. There was a small fire near by, burning low. Beyond it, he could just make out the forms of two other men sleeping. He could hear their soft breathing in the silent night. Sir Rodney and the Baron, he surmised. He remembered their timely arrival in coming to his aid.
But where was Will? Ever mindful of his young charge, he wanted to make sure the boy was okay. He remembered the Baron shouting for Will to get back as the two knights charged the hideous monster pursuing him. The logical conclusion was that they had managed to kill the thing, as they were all now lying quietly by the fire.
Slowly he propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes anxiously scanned the area around the fire, searching for the small boy. As he did so, he registered a dull ache in his head from where he must have crashed into the rocks when the kalkara sent him tumbling forward. Reaching up to touch his forehead he found a bandage loosely wrapped around his head. At his slight movement he also felt a faint throbbing pain in his left leg from where the monster's talons had slashed into him. Moving aside the cloak that covered him, he saw that the wound had been cleaned and neatly bandaged.
"Halt!" a quiet voice called, and the ranger turned to see a small, dark, familiar figure dropping lightly from what remained of the nearby wall. Bow in hand, he had obviously been keeping watch while the three men slept. The boy came quickly and silently to Halt's side, concern showing heavily in his very tired face.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, anxiously dropping to his knees beside the injured man.
"I'm fine" Halt replied reassuringly, pleased to see the boy was unharmed although he looked like he was near the point of exhaustion. "What happened..." he began to ask but another of the sleeping forms stirred and began to rise.
Sir Rodney, opened his eyes and slowly sat up shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. Looking around, he took in the campsite and low burning fire. Then his eyes landed on the ranger now in a sitting position and the young boy kneeling next to him.
"Halt, you alright?", he said in his deep steady voice.
The ranger inclined his head. "I'll live," he stated in his normal sardonic tone.
Taking the tone as a good indicator of the man's over all condition, Rodney stood surveying the campsite in more detail. Then turning to the apprentice he said, "That was a damn good shot".
Will smiled at him tiredly, the battle master seemed perfectly normal and unharmed from his encounter with the monster. More of Will's fears and concern for his comrades were set to rest. However as the worry was settled the exhaustion threatened to take over.
Sir Rodney glanced at Baron Arald and, looking a question at Will, began to move toward the still figure.
"He has some gashes on his back that look pretty deep." Will said, coming to his feet and swaying slightly as he did so. "They will need tending I think, but I cleaned it as best I could and treated it with a salve to prevent infection".
He glanced back at Halt for approval as he said this. Halt was watching the boy with growing concern. He looked close to the point of collapse from exhaustion but he met the young man's eyes and nodded.
Tired as he was, Will felt a surge of pleasure at the gesture, as he always did when he felt Halt's approval.
"Very good," replied Rodney. Looking down at the dully burning fire, he asked, "Have you kept watch all night?"
Will nodded slowly. "I didn't think it would be good to..." he started, glancing at Halt once more.
"You did well," his master said quietly. "I think it's time you had some rest."
The words surprised Will; he was not used to such verbal approval from his mentor. Rest however, sounded like a wonderful idea.
"Quite right," the battle master agreed, "I'll take over the watch from here.
"Yes sir," Will said turning back to Halt. "I'm glad you're okay", he whispered quietly, then without needing further encouragement, he simply sank to the ground where he stood and curled himself into a ball, wrapped in his cloak. The hard ground had never felt so good. He let out a long slow breath feeling the tension ease from his body. He was asleep almost instantly.
Halt watched the boy closely, musing over what the last 36 hours had held for his young apprentice. The older ranger was totally serious, at the start of this mission, when he told Gilan that he was taking with him the two rangers he trusted the most. Young he may be, but Will was dependable and resourceful and determined. Just the type of person you wanted at your back in a fight.
Rodney added more wood to the low burning fire creating light he would need to tend to the Baron's wounds. Finding his own horse a ways off in the dark he went and retrieved his own first aid kit. Returning, he knelt next to the still form and nodded approvingly as he inspected the job Will had done in cleaning the wound.
"That is some apprentice you have there, Halt," he said glancing over at the ranger.
Halt, who was still watching the sleeping boy, looked up meeting the other man's gaze.
"He certainly is," the Ranger replied quietly.
The battle master set to work stitching up the gashes on Arald's back. All knights were trained in such crude battle field wound care. He knew it would be best to get it done before the Baron regained consciousness. As it was, the unconscious man flinched and moaned a little while he worked. Then, just before Rodney had finished, the man came to with a cry of pain.
"I am sorry my lord," the knight said, placing his hand on the man's shoulder reassuringly "I'm almost done".
The Baron nodded to show he understood and bit back another cry as the battle master continued his doctoring.
The boy had jerked awake at the sound of the Baron's cry and started to rise. Halt placed a hand on his shoulder, and spoke softly, "It's okay. You can sleep."
Will relaxed at the touch and the sound of his master's voice. Meeting his Halt's eye he nodded then glancing briefly around he he lowered himself back to the ground, unconsciously edging closer to his mentor as he sank back into sleep. Halt smiled fondly at the boy. Such smiles were seldom seen, but in the dark, with Rodney busy attending to Arald, he felt he could allow it.
Once the stitching was complete, Rodney helped the Baron into a sitting position and tried to ease him out of what was left of his chain mail.
"That damn thing nearly had m-ugh," he said though gritted teeth, his last word getting cut off as he gasped in pain, when the mail shirt finally came free. The battle master then set to work wrapping the bandage tightly around the man's chest.
"The last thing I remember," Halt stated, "was jumping from the wall with the kalkara behind me. What happened after that?"
As the Baron's teeth were clenched against the pain of the ministrations he was receiving, Rodney thought it best if he told the whole story.
He described for Halt how they had arrived to find the mortally wounded kalkara in what remained of the tumbled courtyard. He described their charge that had propelled the beast into the fire that Halt has set, finishing it off.
Rodney, of course knew of Halt's uncanny ability with the bow, but that didn't stop him from being impressed by the way the ranger had single handedly managed to stop the first kalkara.
He recounted Will finding the shattered bow and their fear that the battle may have ended badly for the ranger. Then after Halt's sudden appearance over the wall, he described how the Baron had launched an attack on the beast followed by his own attack, once Arald was down.
"And I was caught in the thing's freezing stare," he said somewhat stiffly.
He glanced at the ranger and Halt met his gaze steadily.
"It's a terrifying feeling," Halt said quietly, letting the battle master know he understood and further explanation was not necessary. Rodney nodded at him, appreciating the understanding. "I couldn't move," he went on, but paused slightly again.
Halt could tell he was trying to get past the memory of the terrible sensation the gaze of the kalkara gave a person caught in its stare. A feeling of your body being totally paralyzed with fear. Helpless to simply watch and wait for your own death.
The Baron was looking at his battle master, a mixture of sympathy and shock on his face at the story Rodney told. He was about to ask how they were all still alive when the man managed to continue.
"Then," Rodney went on, "an arrow seemed to simply appear in the center of the brute's chest. The tip barely penetrated the animal's thick waxy fur, but it brought with it fire."
A slight smile touched the corner of Halt's mouth as he listened to the knight's story. Pride swelled inside him for his young apprentice. Will had saved them all.
The admiration was evident in the battle master's voice as he came to the conclusion that the young apprentice must have rolled the arrow tip in the pitch from the discarded torches, set it ablaze and then launched it at the beast, hitting it squarely in the chest. The hair had caught rapidly and the animal went up in a shower of red sparks and flames much like the first.
"And none too soon,' the battle master added, "I couldn't have lasted much longer. I must have collapsed shortly after and the last thing I remember was Will kneeling over me, assuring me that it was okay and the monster was dead.
"The boy is amazing," the Baron said, astonished at the unexpected turn of events in the battle master's story. "He proved his courage during that boar hunt, but I never would have expected this. It's an incredible feat for one so young."
Rodney nodded at the Baron. "It appears, he then set up camp, building a fire and tending to your wounds" he continued glancing from the Baron to Halt. "Then setting himself to watch while we slept. I cannot believe I turned down such a young man to be my apprentice," he finished, shaking his head.
Rodney marveled at the boy's resourcefulness, ability and initiative. Marveled at how one so small could accomplish so much. Halt smiled at the man's words knowing he meant no offense by what he said. In the battle master's world the biggest and the strongest were often the most capable. There was obvious praise and gratitude in the man's voice as he spoke of Will.
Halt, for himself, was impressed but not surprised. He was well aware of the young man's talents and abilities as well as his resourcefulness and ingenuity. He nodded at the battle master's praise of his apprentice.
"We owe him our lives," the Baron agreed simply. "We are lucky he is such a young man and so loyal to you, Halt".
When the ranger's gaze met his questioningly, he continued, "When he showed up at the castle, yesterday morning, having ridden though the night to inform us of what you were up to and what was going on, I tried to convince him to stay at the castle and rest but he wouldn't hear of it. He said he thought you were in danger, thought the kalkara were really hunting you and that his place was with you. I am very glad now that I allowed him to come with us."
Halt nodded again. "He is an amazing young man," he agreed quietly, taking the Baron's story and adding it to the rest of what he had learned about his apprentice's actions since riding off with Tug and Blaze the previous day. He looked down at the sleeping boy once more. Will's instincts in reading Halt's danger in the situation was impressive. The boy was showing exceptional aptitude even this early in his training. It was like he was born to be a ranger.
"We will have to think of some way to honor him," the Baron said before yawning widely. "I think I will try to get some more rest before morning finds us. You should do the same Halt," he added.
The Ranger nodded. " We have about an hour before first light," he said as he pulled his cloak over himself and laid back down.
Rodney stood to take up the sentry position and silence fell over the little camp again. Halt lay quietly thinking of his apprentice. He was immensely proud of Will.