Gilan's P.O.V
Swiftly, silently, I slip through the forest. I can see him, kneeling down to examine something on the ground.
'Just a little closer.' I think, and take a step forward. A branch snaps under my foot. It's just a small sound, but he hears it. He stands up and turns around, and I freeze.
'Trust the cloak.' I remember the words my mentor had told me countless times. I stand completely still and allow the cloak I wear to help me blend into my surroundings.
"I see you," the man says. "You may as well come out." But I don't move. He's bluffing, trying to make me make a mistake.
"I know you're there," the man tries again, but still I don't move a muscle. After a short pause, the man says, "Gilan" and I know he really has seen me. I break my motionless position and walk over to him.
"How do you do it, Halt?" I ask him. "How do you always see me?"
"Practice," he replies. "You're getting better though. At least this time you remembered not to reveal yourself right away." I smile before I can stop myself. It's not big praise by anyone else's standard, but for Halt it's a lot. He sees the smile on my face and adds, "Of course, you'll have to get a lot better before you can pass you'll be able to pass your test at the Gathering." My smile fades as I remember the Gathering, less then a month away. Halt turns away and starts walking back toward the cabin. We walk in silence until we see the cabin-and our visitor. Crowley, the Corps Commandant, was standing on the verendah, waiting for us. Halt and Crowley were good friends and they often visited each other, but by the look on his face, I could tell this wasn't merely a social call.
"Any leads?"
"None at all. Whoever did it was careful about it."
Crowley, Gilan, and myself were sitting on the veranda with mugs of coffee. Crowley had just finished us about the dead ranger.
'Who would kill a Ranger?' I thought.
"What I want to know is who would kill a Ranger?" Gilan asked, echoing my thoughts.
Crowley shook his head. "Whoever it was had to be brave to even attempt it and very skilled to actually succeed. Could have been a Genovesan but nobody has seen one in any of the surrounding towns."
"That doesn't rule out the possibility." I put in.
"I realise that, but it reduces the possibility."
After a couple minutes silence, Gilan gets up.
"I'm gonna get some more coffee." He says. I nod my head slightly. He starts moving toward the front door, and an arrow thinks into the wall right behind where Gilan had stood mere seconds before.
Susan P.O.V
I watch as the three Rangers discuss the events in Norgate Fief. I am sitting behind one of the massive oak trees that surround the cabin so the Rangers won't see me as I load my crossbows. The wind is my favour today-it blows the sound of my crossbows clicking in place away from the Rangers and also carries their conversation to me. They talk in quiet tones so the most I can make out is murmurs, but it's all I need. I carefully peer around the edge of the tree when I hear their conversation pause. I hold my first crossbow in my left hand, waiting for an opportunity. The railing on the veranda where they sit prevents me from being able to hit anything vital from my position on the ground. I watch them as they all sit in silence. I recognise the one with the grizzled beard as Halt. He sits with a cold, grim, almost sad expression on his face. I feel a stab of guilt as I realise the Ranger I killed in Norgate Fief could have been a friend of his, and I try to push it down.
'No,' I tell myself fiercely. 'You can't let emotions get in your way. You have to do this.' But I can still feel the echo of the guilt. I examine the other two Rangers to distract myself. The man sitting to his right was about the same age as Halt and could only be the Corps Commandant, Crowley. He had the same expression on his face, but I didn't allow myself to feel any guilt this time. The last Ranger, Gilan, I had learned his name was, was the apprentice of Halt, and didn't look more than sixteen years old. I feel sick thinking about what I have to do. My mission was to kill Halt, but I couldn't leave the other two alive, there was too much risk attached. I would have to kill all three of them. Suddenly, the youngest Ranger stands up.
'This is my chance,' I think. 'If I kill this one, it should stun the other two long for me to kill them too.' I quickly take aim and release the arrow, but even as it speeds away I know I miscalculated. As the arrow misses him by inches and thuds into the wall behind him, I reach for my second crossbow.
A/N: Hope y'all are enjoying this story. Any suggestion or if any of my characters start seeming OOC just let me know. Thanks for reading! ?
