Gilan was breathing hard as he swung his sword over his head with two hands and brought it down into the torso of the man in front of him.

The man fell and Gil spun around, jabbing at the man who was coming up behind him. His sword entered the man's chest and he fell as Gilan pulled back on his sword.

"Gil! Get out of the way!"

Gilan looked to see Will standing with his bow at full draw, pointed at another man who had somehow, in the heat of the battle, managed to go unnoticed by Gilan. But from his angle Will didn't have a good shot that made him sure he could hit the man, and not Gilan.

Immediately Gilan stepped out of the way and heard the twang as Will released his arrow.

Will's aim, of course, was true and it hit the man square in the chest. As he fell he stumbled, a dagger raised weakly, in Gilan's direction. Gilan was too busy grinning at Will to notice until he felt something cold run the length of his side.

Will's face changed from a grin to shock in a split second. "Gilan!" he yelled.

Gil looked down at his side and found blood pouring from it. At his feet lay the man Will had shot, now dead, his dagger stained with blood. Gilan's blood.

Gilan pressed his hand to his side as he collapsed to his knees. He needed to stop this bleeding.

Will rushed over to help his friend. He pulled his shirt off and pressed it to Gil's side.

Blaze trotted over, nuzzling Gilan's side impatiently. Get up. She seemed to be saying.

Gil smiled and weakly patted his horse's nose.

Will noticed how pale Gilan's face was becoming, and though he wouldn't show it, he was beginning to panic. At first glance Gilan's wound looked like nothing, but it was deeper than he had originally thought.

"Alright, Gil," he said. "Just hang in there alright?"

"Don't worry," Gilan gasped quietly. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"Good," I said. "Now come on, Halt will be wondering where we are. Let's get you back to Redmont, alright? It's the closest fief to us."

Gilan nodded and Will gathered his friend up in his arms. As he lifted him onto Blaze's back Gilan moaned quietly. Will tied his now blood-stained shirt around Gilan's side, in an attempt to clot the bleeding. "Hang in there, Gil," Will muttered, mounting Tug, and taking Blaze's reins as well.

They set out on as fast a pace as Gilan could handle. Will looked backwards to check on his friend every few minutes. Each time Gil seemed to be more pale than before.

"Gil? You doing okay?" Will asked, knowing what Gilan would say and knowing it would be a lie.

"Fine," Gilan said, quitely, matching Will's prediction. "I'm doing alright."

The next time Will looked back at Gilan he was slumped in his saddle, unconscious.

"Damn," Will muttered, and sped the two horses up.

Finally Halt's cabin in the woods where Will had spent so many years as an apprentice. "Halt!" Will hollered. "HALT!"

"Will, must you make so much noise?" Halt shook his head as he walked out the cabin door. "What's Gil doing with-oh..."

Halt trailed off as he caught sight of Will's blood-soaked shirt tied around Gilan's waist. "Get him inside," Halt snapped. "Now!"

Will nodded, dismounting Tug and pulling Gilan down off Blaze, half dragging, half carrying him into the Cabin. Will layed Gilan down on the bed theat had, at one point or another, been both his bed and Will's respectively while they had both been Halt's apprentice.

"What happened?" Halt demanded, bending over Gilan and taking Will's now crimson shirt off of Gilan's wound.

"Well...we were on our way back from Celtica...you know Crowley sent us, along with Horace , who's already back at Castle Araluen, to negotiate a treaty with them, and we were attacked by a band of bandits. Gil took care of most of them with his sword but there was one he didn't notice. I shot him...but he-he had a knife in his hand. When he fell...well, he fell against Gil and...well...that happened." He motioned to the cut that extended from the right side of Gilan's chest to his lower hip.

"Get me the bandages, Will," Halt demanded. "Quickly!"

Will scrambled out of the room, returning a few minutes later with bandages and a damp rag. "To clean it out," he explained, though he imagined Halt already knew what it's intention was.

Halt nodded and held out his hand for it. Will handed it to him and Halt dabbed the rag against the cut on Gil's side.

"Is he going to be okay, Halt? He's lost so much blood..."

"I don't know, Will," Halt admitted and from his emergency kit he produced a vile of the warmweed salve and and rubbed it on Gilan's side, before he wrapped it in bandages.

Will shifted, not liking the memories the oder of the warmweed brought back to him.

Halt notice. "Why don't you go take care of the horses, Will. I can handle Gilan until you get back."

Will nodded, and walked out of the cabin to where he had left Tug and Blaze.

Blaze looked up as he walked over. What's going on? she seemed to be asking.

"I wish I could tell you," Will muttered, patting her neck and setting to work unsaddling her, before moving on to Tug. He gave both horses an apple before returning to the cabin.

"How is he?" Will asked, sitting down next to Halt and Gilan.

"Well..." Halt trailed off and Will frowned. Halt wasn't normally one to hesitate and keep him in the dark.

"Halt?"

"I couldn't stop the bleeding, Will," Halt mumbled.

"You're not saying-"

"Will..." Will looked at Halt's face, seeing the sadness and not wanting to believe it. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be.

"No," Will muttered, feeling tears sting at his eyes. He looked at Gilan's now slightly blurred form. He looked at the vein in his exposed neck and knew there was no pulse. Gilan, the best unseen mover in the Corps, Gilan, Halt's former apprentice, Gilan, a member of the family, was gone.

"Halt...he's really...?"

Halt nodded sadly, and Will noticed tears threatening to spill over Halt's eyelids as well.

Halt had lost a son. Will had lost a brother. And Araluen had lost a great defender. The Ranger Corps, and the kingdom, were never going to be the same.

Okay...wow. That was depressing to write. And for those of you who are wondering no, the mission to Celtica isn't the same as in The Burning Bridge. (There was a mention of a treaty in that book though, right? I'm not going crazy am I?) Oh well. Hope you liked it...review?