The third installment is here! Sorry, I've been working on this when I had the chance but I do have several tests that I have to get done, plus an essay.
Please review and enjoy!
A New Choice: Victory or Defeat Chapter 1
Halt rode on Abelard with Will and Tug right behind him. They were trailing four Wargals that had broken out of the Mountains of Rain and Night and headed north. Halt glanced back at his apprentice every now and again. He knew that Will was nervous and scared, not that his apprentice would admit it. However, unknown to Will, Halt had been at side every night for the past week while Will struggled through constant nightmares.
Last night, however, something strange happened. Will had started having the normal nightmare of fighting the Kalkara but unable to run or fight as the beast lunged at him. Then it changed. Will started mumbling incoherently about something burning. At first Halt thought that Will was smelling the campfire smoke and his already bad dream turned it into something much worse. However, the thought was quickly dispelled as he started mumbling about Horace, telling the knight apprentice to run. Then he started saying that it was his only choice, the only shot they had. Before the dream could go any further, however, Will was jerked awake by the sound of an owl.
Now, as Halt looked back at him for the twentieth time, he saw Will's face was pale. Also, Will had hardly spoken a word to Halt all morning. Inwardly, Halt was starting to miss the constant barge of questions. Tug noticed Halt's look and turned to look at his master. Then he snorted and looked back at Halt. Something was bothering Will and it had Tug worried.
Halt called back, none to gently, "Well, now I know something is wrong. Speak."
"It's nothing, Halt," Will replied quietly.
Halt reined in Abelard, letting Tug come alongside, and looked at his apprentice, "I still have both of my ears so no, everything is not fine."
"I'm telling the truth!" Will snapped.
Halt raised an eyebrow at the young boy, "That so?"
"Yes…well…maybe not entirely nothing," Will muttered, averting his gaze.
Signaled for Tug to stop as he stopped Abelard. Gently he laid his hand on the boy's left shoulder. Will would not look up at him. Inwardly Halt do nothing more than hug his young apprentice. However, such a move would not fit with the persona that he created. Yet, he could see the genuine fear and pain in Will. Whatever it was, Halt had a bad feeling that it was more important than he first thought. Better that Will got it out now.
Halt leaned over and whispered encouraging, "Come on, Will. You know that I won't tell anyone else. You will feel better when you get it out."
"Halt…" Will choked, his voice cracking in fear. Halt's heart twisted deep inside his chest but he waited for Will to speak. "I've been having nightmares about the Kalkara. Last night, however, it changed. The Kalkara charged me but then it was gone, replaced by something massive burning. Horace was there, at my side. I could sense danger all around us so I started yelling for him to run. We were surrounded by monsters…" Will dissolved into tears of fright.
Halt patted Will's shoulder, "It was just a dream, Will. It's not real and never will be. The only monsters left in the world are Wargals, and they only attack us when Morgarath tells them to. Once he is gone, the Wargals will vanish again."
Will nodded, accepting his mentor's words. Halt squeezed his shoulder gently. The young apprentice looked at his mentor and smiled. Halt nodded, seeing that his attitude had changed. He spurred Abelard onward. Will did the same with Tug.
Halt called over his shoulder, "Now let's see if we can catch these Wargals."
Just then a scream rang out, followed by the clash of weapons.
Will watched as Halt brought down the Wargal that had stabbed the man proclaiming to be on a mission for Morgarath. Now the other four charged forward. One Wargal fell quickly from Halt's second arrow. Will rolled his shoulder, bringing his bow into position. An arrow landed on the string then shot away. It missed its target but got the other following it. Tug snorted and reared as the monster came close. But something was wrong, something was different…
This Wargal did not fear horses!
Will barely managed to pull Tug out of reach of the Wargal's spear. The beast snarled and approach slowly. It had been trained by Morgarath to not fear horses, to see the beasts as enemies. Will saw the brutish hate in the eyes as it came again. This time he did not use his arrow but actually his bow. The weapon slammed into the Wargal's snout. With a high-pitch scream, the monster backed off. Leaping from the saddle, Will grabbed the monster's thick neck. It was threatening Tug, his loyal and trustworthy friend. Tug neighed frantically as Will and the Wargal collapsed to the ground.
Rolling to his feet, Will prepared for a full on fight. His left held his throwing knife while his right held the powerful saxe. The Wargal saw the blades and snarled triumphantly. Such weapons could not beat the spear. Lunging forward, the brute planned to impale Will. Will leaped left while his arm lashed out. The saxe cut through the wood as if it was melted butter. The spearhead dropped his the ground. Then the Wargal screamed as Will's throwing knife cut into its throat. It dropped dead at Will's feet.
Halt pulled Abelard to a stop and leaped to the ground. Will stood there, completely still except for trembling muscles. His brown eyes were locked on the Wargal, wide with terror and anger. Gently Halt took away his knives and pulled him into an embrace. Will sighed weakly, feeling all of his emotions slide away. The monster had come so close to hurting Tug. Yet, as it charged him, Will could only imagine the Kalkara. He shivered as that picture came to his mind again. Halt gently whispered to him, giving him encouragement and telling him that everything was alright. Tug stepped forward and nudged his master.
"Why did you go and do a stupid thing like that?" Tug admonished.
Will pulled his horse close to him and stroked Tug's soft nose, "Don't ever do that again. You could have been seriously hurt!" Quietly he added, "What would I do without you?"
"I can handle myself. You need to be careful. You're not invincible!" Tug snorted.
Will looked at his horse and growled, "Neither are you!"
"I at least have the use of all my legs," was the rumbling reply.
Will opened his mouth then closed it. He was never going to have the end word. Halt watched this with amusement in his eyes. He had a certain degree of understanding of what the conversation was about. Gently he nudged Will towards the campsite. They found that the man was Dirk Reacher and that he was carrying a detailed report of Morgarath's plan of attack. Mounting up, the two galloped back to Redmont. The king had to be informed.
However, they did not know of the man hidden in the trees downwind of the horses. He nodded, reminding himself of what the boy looked like. Morgarath would want to know that the boy who had destroyed his plan was still alive. Also, they had the plans. Morgarath would partially pleased with the results.
"Pray you never meet Morgarath in person, apprentice," the man whispered as he headed south. "He will love to make you pay."
