1
Halt
IT WAS A COOL, BRISK NIGHT. STRANGELY QUIET, IT MOST certainly didn't suit the mood of the place. Crowley had been made the Ranger Corps' Commandment and, much to his dismay, Castle Araluen was celebrating. The King had insisted, for he and Crowley were good friends.
"Halt!" a man called from behind me.
"Which is it?" I asked, turning to glance at the young man who'd become my good, and pretty close to only, friend. Crowley was a tall young man in his early twenties who had sandy colored hair and bright, sea blue eyes.
"You just made a joke," Crowley said, staring in disbelief. "In the five years I've known you you've never done so where you could be heard by anyon—"
"I'm trying to be cheerful for your well-being," I replied. "And I supposed I don't care who hears at the moment."
"Don't. You'll make me, and everyone else for that matter, die of shock," he said with a wry smile. "Then you would have my position."
"No. I wouldn't. I don't exactly have everyone's trust."
"We're Rangers. No one 'exactly' trusts us."
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Lighten up some Halt," Crowley said, clapping me on the back.
"You told me not to," I pointed out.
He chuckled. "Where are you headed at this late hour?"
"Home."
"This late?" Crowley raised an eyebrow at me. "I know you hate celebrations and all, but you can stay here for the night."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I think it would be better off for everyone else if I just left."
"Be careful Halt," Crowley said, turning serious. "You know the rumors."
"Don't worry about me. Go enjoy the celebration."
"It's a damn shame that you can't enjoy it with me," he said, grinning.
"Damn shame it is. But duty calls," I said. "Congratulations Crowley."
"Thanks Halt."
The ride was slow on the way back to Redmont Fief. The old horse grew tired easily and wasn't very quiet as it clomped through the woods. Thinking to the day I left Hibernia five years ago and came across my first Araluen Fief, this horse probably wasn't the best choice, considering it was old then. But at the time it was all I could afford, or, at least, all I thought I should have spent at the time. I hadn't known much about horses then. Or how Araluen prices were.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a type of horse specially bred for Rangers? I thought, amused.
I froze, reining the horse to a stop. There was an odd sound breaking the silence about a mile or so to the east. It was a strange guttural sound, not quite loud enough to be a scream but not quite soft enough to be a normal conversation.
My mind made up, I set off in search of the unusual sound. What I found stopped me in my tracks.
There were probably ten or fifteen beasts like none I'd ever seen before. Misshapen and stocky, they had some human-like qualities, but had black fur and a muzzle that was long and savage with fangs that belonged to a bear. But it wasn't just the creatures that had my senses alert. Something else was out there, moving so quietly and unseeingly that only one with the skills of a Ranger could have detected. As it was, these strange beings were being driven insane by their inability to find it.
Movement on my left forced my attention away from the creatures, but it was already gone. I slowly scanned the area, not really focusing on any certain object. Then, again, I saw movement, right behind the biggest beast.
And that's when it made its mistake.
All heads turned to look at the figure that had frozen, one foot on a twig, the other in the air.
The monsters charged him with raised battle-axes and swords, ready to take him down fifteen to one. Now that I was sure that it was human I knew that I had to step in. But before I even had the chance to grab and notch an arrow, the man was in motion.
The first one that fell upon him he hit in the head with a fair-sized tree branch, knocking it unconscious. The next one raised its battle-axe and was just about to slice down on him while his back was turned when out of nowhere the man whirled around bringing the stick up, blocking the deadly blow. The monster pushed down harder, making him stagger backwards. The other ones rushed forward, eager to finish the job.
I notched an arrow and let it fly at the closest one to the man. I knew it hit home without even looking. Already I had taken several down. The remaining few turned my way but froze in terror, all eyes locked on the horse. Puzzled, I urged the horse forward and the misshapen things ran off, looking back to see if the horse was giving chase.
I looked down at the ones that I'd killed, wondering what they were.
"They're Wargals, sir."
I looked over at the man who'd I'd forgotten was there. What surprised me more was that it wasn't a man, just a boy about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was average height for his age, and he obviously had lots of strength. He had blue-gray eyes and short light brown hair. He clearly wasn't the full-grown knight I had thought him to be. Yet…I thought I recognized him from somewhere.
"Wargals, you say?" I asked while I was studying him.
"Yes sir," the boy nodded. He also had a slight almost indecipherable accent that I hadn't heard in ages.
"And how are you so sure about that?" I asked. "Aren't they pure fiction?"
"They must not be, sir," the boy replied. "They seemed real enough to me."
"Of course they were real," I snapped, wondering if the boy was trying to be smart.
The boy wisely said nothing.
"How did you move like that?"
He looked up at me. "Move like what?"
"You honestly don't know?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about." The boy seemed sincere enough.
"What's your name, boy?"
"Saab."
"Saab what?" I asked quickly. The name was just as familiar as the boy himself. Yet I didn't know why.
"Just Saab, sir." He looked embarrassed and maybe the slightest bit sad. "I don't know what my other name is."
"Where are you from?" I asked a little bit more gently.
"Gorlan Fief."
"And what are you doing out here all alone at night?"
"I, uh, umm…" Saab looked at a loss for words, like he was debating whether or not to lie. "Getting out," he said truthfully.
I nodded my head in approval which, thankfully, the boy didn't see. "Why?"
"I was told to leave because I ticked my guardian off."
"And how did you do that?"
"By my presence being in the same room as his."
"Come on, then."
"Sorry?"
"Well I'm certainly not letting some boy who's seemed to have lost his mind wander around aimlessly in the dark trying to figure out his way back to his home with more of those things running around."
"Thank you sir."
While making our way to Gorlan Fief I would have just assumed to traveling in silence, but after ten minutes of silence, this was not the case.
"You don't seem evil."
I turned in the saddle to look at him. "What?"
Saab looked up confused, and then coming to a realization said, "Oh. It's just…Rangers are said to be evil and self-centered."
I chuckled inwardly. Self-centered? That was a new one.
"But it doesn't seem like it," he continued hastily. "You saved my life, which isn't exactly a self-centered or evil action if you ask me."
"Did anyone ask you?"
"Well, no…" He seemed to think about it. "But they are wrong. Especially Baron Morgarath."
I glanced sharply at him. I hated the man he was referring to, but there was no reason for a mere boy to be speaking that way about a full grown man.
"Has no one taught you respect?"
"No! I mean I didn't mean any disrespect. I learned years ago not to speak badly of the man," he said hurriedly. "I only meant to right a wrong."
"I would leave that up to them," I cautioned him. "You won't believe what kind of trouble that can get you in.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me you're sorry. Just shut-up and learn from your mistakes."
From then on it was quiet all the way to Gorlan Fief.
"What are you doing here?" the low, sharp voice of Morgarath cut into the air across the room harshly. Exceptionally tall and thin with long, dead white hair, and adorned in black clothes, Baron Morgarath was a fearful sight.
"This boy claims to be under your watch," I said, not shrinking under his dark gaze like he was used to having people do.
He tore his eyes away from mine and looked sternly at Saab. Saab met his eyes evenly and dipped his head in acknowledgement.
"I thought I told you to stay away from their sort." He didn't even try to hide the rudeness and pure hatred in his words.
"Yes sir. You did."
"And yet you linger around not just any Ranger, but him?"
"Who is 'him', sir?" The boy was getting impatient, but I was impressed with how polite his tone still was.
"That doesn't matter," Morgarath said, ignoring him. "Where were you?"
"Out, sir."
"Out?"
Saab nodded.
"Why?"
"You told me to leave and never come back."
"And?"
"And?"
Morgarath clenched his jaw. "Where did you go?"
"Out of Gorlan."
"No kidding, you idiot. Where?"
"In the woods."
"Care to elaborate?"
"No."
"No?"
"That's right sir."
Morgarath's eyes narrowed in distrust. "Go to the Battlemaster."
Saab stiffened slightly. "The Battlemaster?"
"Go!" Morgarath bellowed. The boy left without any further arguments.
I looked up at the Baron wondering how he came to have authority over the young boy. Surely no one in their right mind would willingly hand over their child to someone like this, dying or not.
"Where did he come from?" I asked, knowing the answer I would receive before I even spoke.
"That's really none of your concern Ranger," he said, making the word 'Ranger' seem like it was some foul disease.
"Actually, it is."
Morgarath raised an eyebrow at me, a grin tugging at his lips, like he couldn't wait to contradict my response. "And why would that be?"
"I want him for my apprentice."
A/N: So please let me know what you thought about the last two chapters! I would love to hear some feed-back. My deal for my other stories is that however many reviews I get, that's how many chapters you get when I make an update (if I have enough), and at this point I do have enough.
And oh how I hate Morgarath…grr….wish I could kill him off now! But that's Horace's job…
So let me know through a review and we'll just see what happens! Please come back for chapter two! We shall see what happens.
Until then…
