Chapter 1: Explosion

Will paused, turning slightly to take one last look at Castle Redmont. He was leaving his home, and ward-mates, the people he had grown up with. He knew that he'd see them around, at the festivals and such, but it would always be short lived moments.

His pack was half full, only a few clothes and some small keepsakes tucked into the brown leather sack. Sighing slightly and giving the three towers a last wistful look, he turned and started again, heading for his new home.

Halt the Ranger, in a rather unusual turn of events, had chosen him, Will No-Name, for his apprentice. He wasn't sure how he should feel. Sure, he didn't have to work as a farmhand, but at the same time he didn't achieve his dream of battle-school. Add to the fact that Halt was a legend, one of the scary but most known Rangers, and Will was understandably a bit out of sorts over the whole deal.

'I'm doomed...' He thought miserably, scuffing his shoes on the dirt of the road, eyes fixed to the patch of ground directly in front of him. Thus it was a surprise when a loud explosion shook the ground, disorienting him and shocking him into dropping his pack.

He stared, eyes wide, at the amount of smoke coming from the woods. A little ways in, he found the explosion site. The wreck in front of him was astonishing.

The blast, caused by something powerful, had stripped the trees of their leaves, a few of the branches smoking slightly at their tips. The ground was ripped up, dirt flung in a wide circle, the center of which was hidden by a cloud of steam that spiraled lazily into the sky.

Cautiously, Will, scooted forward, peering around in case anything was lurking nearby. Sensing nothing, he edged closer, leaning over slightly to look over the lip of the crater.

He blinked, for there, sitting in the center of the blast radius, was a huge stone.

It was beautiful, a little longer than his arm and three times as thick. Steam curled around it, little tendrils caressing the smooth surface before disappearing. Curiosity getting the better of him, Will slid down the short pile of dirt and stopped next to it, crouching to get a better look.

It appeared as smooth as the finest glass, shiny and polished despite the mess around it. The color was odd, a strange mixture of green, gray and brown that seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't recall where he had seen it before. Silvery-gray veins traced a spider web across the entire surface, meshing with the background color and making the stone itself seem alien in appearance. Tilting his head a little, Will reached forward and poked the stone with a wary finger, already expecting to burn his fingertip.

'Well that's odd...' He blinked, frowning slightly and poking it again, as if to be sure he wasn't imagining things. As he had expected, it was smooth, but what he had not expected was the stone to be cool, like any typical river stone, not burning hot like he would have expected. Sitting back, he thought, staring past the burnt trees as if they weren't there, his gaze focused on nothing and everything.

'I should probably bring this to Halt. Who knows what it could be...' He mused quietly. Though he was wary of the elder Ranger, he was smart enough to know that with something as odd as the stone and its sudden appearance, it should be brought to attention.

Carefully, and still marveling at how cool it was to the touch, he picked up the stone and headed back to his pack. Rearranging a few things, he slid it in, cushioning it with a few of his shirts before tying the pack closed again. Then, still musing about the experience, he started towards the small hut settled in the distance.

Will fidgeted slightly, standing in front of Halt and waiting to be recognized. After a few minutes silence, the older man finally looked up, a single eyebrow raised in question.

"I'm finished." He ducked his head a little, feeling a bit inadequate under that piercing gray gaze. Halt's eyes roved around the small cabin, taking in the swept floors, clean carpet, fresh firewood, and gleaming pots. He knew that the water outside was full, having checked it earlier that day. Finally, he shrugged a little, going back to his letters.

"Good." Halt acknowledged, flipping over an official looking form. Will almost jumped with joy, then waited, suspicious. "But don't get too excited. You'll have to do it all again tomorrow." Sighing, Will nodded, faintly proud of himself for figuring that there was more to the initial statement and proud of his work. Sitting in a chair, he swung his feet, watching them idly and humming a tuneless little number in his head. After a few moment's silence, Halt spoke again, startling him a little.

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Um... Well no, Sir-" Will stuttered, surprised by the odd question.

"Of course you don't! And that means I'll have to show you how."

Will followed behind Halt as the older man led him to the small stove nearby. Once there he was told to fill one of the pots with water. Once done, Halt set him to dicing herbs, and chopping vegetables while Halt cut meat into strips and added various spices, all the while explaining how and when to add things, how much to add, and various other details needed for moving about the kitchen efficiently.

They waited outside on the veranda while the food cooked over the stove. As Halt read over more reports, Will sat on the edge of the porch, staring up at the clouds and thinking over his day. He blinked, realizing that he had forgotten to tell Halt about the odd stone, and turned a little to look at the silent man.

"Um... Halt?" Halt's eyes flickered over for a second, his head tilting in a way that let Will know the man was listening. "Could I go get something from my pack?"

Halt simply nodded, turning his focus back to a document from the Baron. Will scrambled up, walking quickly into the small room that was now his. It was plain, just a bed, side-table, and wardrobe for clothes. His pack was still lying on the bed, waiting for him to unpack and put things away, and he pulled it open, shifting the clothes to reveal the stone in all its mossy colored glory. Slipping it out of the bag, he put his clothes back before cradling it carefully and made his way back to Halt.

"Halt?" He started quietly. Halt looked up, gray eyes narrowed a little in annoyance.

"What is it?" He asked gruffly. Will shifted a little, tightening his grip on the stone.

"Well, I found this stone..."

"A stone?" Halt interrupted. 'Why is the boy trying to show me stone?' He thought, bewildered... "What is so important about this stone that you must show it to me right now?"

"Well, you see, I think it is something that you should know about.'" Will murmured back, ducking his head a little. Halt rolled his eyes, and eyed the admittedly odd looking stone, curious despite himself. "You see, while I was walking here, there was an explosion. It was close by so I went to see what had happened. This stone," Here, he held up said artifact, the light of a nearby candle glinting off the silver veins. "was lying in the center of a small crater. When nothing else happened for a while, I picked it up and brought it here to see if you knew anything about it."

Halt nodded, one finger tapping his chin thoughtfully. Finally he held out a hand, taking the stone gently when Will handed it over. While he inspected it, he questioned Will.

" I thought I'd heard something, but I wrote it off as one of Master Chubb's new apprentices getting something wrong- it happens more often than not… Do you remember where this place is?"

"Yes. Do you want me to take you there?"

"As soon as we've eaten, yes. The sooner I can take a look, the better. How far is it?"

"It's not too far, only a half hour's walk from here."

"Good. I'm glad you told me." Will smiled a little, proud of himself. "But, next time, if there is an explosion, come and get me before going in by yourself. You can never tell what caused it, or if it will happen again."

"Yes, sir." Will nodded, feeling slightly put down, but seeing the wisdom in the words, and took the stone back, returning to his room to tuck it away in his wardrobe.