Sorry it's been so long, but I've got this Friday off school, so I should get a chapter or 2 (hopefully .) done then. R&R please
The first thing Will knew was pain. A deep throbbing pain, rising from his legs to his head, he could still taste the remnants of the blood from his multiple head injuries. He heard voices and he decided it was time to open his eyes. Will wrenched his eyes open to the sight of a hessian bag. He strained his ears in an effort to hear what the voices were saying, trying to pick up any clue as to where he might be.
"Come on Baby... Get up Baby... No, not like that... Now count to one thousand... Now, let's see how Baby's little Ranger wannabe friend is doing... Not that Baby could ever make a friend..."
Will realised with a start that the voices were coming towards him. They were coming to check up on him. The heavy hessian sack was removed from his head and Will squinted in the sunlight. Judging by the position of the sun, he was going to be murdered by Halt when he got back to the cabin. He could see that he was still in the forest, sitting up against a tree facing Horace. The young warrior apprentice was hanging by his arms, battered and bruised, and being subjected to even more harm. This wasn't right.
"So, you're awake now are you?" Alda, the tall blonde second year apprentice sneered.
Will just looked at the leering figure. This turned out to be a bad idea, and Will realised just too late, he had left it for too long, and now he regretted staying quiet. The warrior apprentice's hard leather boots struck Will's ribs with tremendous force, making Will grunt.
"Ahhh, Ranger boy's trying to be a big brave boy!" The patronising comment came from Jerome. This made Will angry. He tried to stand, but he was pushed back down as the pain of his former beating set in again, and Bryn held him down.
"Look, he's so small he can't even stand up by himself!"This was the final straw for Will, with an almighty effort; Will rose from his position on the floor, and spat at the taller boy in front of him. Again, this was a bad move, but Will was in pain, delirious from the effort of standing, and could not have cared less at the moment. Horace, on the other hand, was trying desperately not to interrupt and distract the older boys from Will for a minute. Unfortunately, with the effort of holding himself up above the ground, with just a branch for support, he had lost a little too much of his self control, and had had to let go to refrain from speaking. He came crashing down in a heap on the floor, distracting the bullies from his friend. Horace had not planned it to go quite this way when he had applied for battle school, but life never did go according to plan.
Alda heard the thump, and with a quick swipe at Will, a forceful blow to the head that sent the bound apprentice sprawling on the floor, he turned to face the talented warrior apprentice.
"I thought we told you to count to one thousand before you let yourself down. I don't remember telling you to come down when you got tired, do you Bryn? Jerome?"
"No, I don't remember you saying that."
"Nor do I, but I certainly remember that we are busy right now, and we don't like being interrupted."
"And Baby just interrupted us! So Baby must learn his lesson, why don't we teach them both lessons? That way they will both learn."
The three older boys were advancing on Horace, who lay on the floor, groaning slightly with the ache of his tired muscles. Will wasn't sure whether or not he was ever going to make it back home or not, but eventually, he knew, Halt would come looking for him. He thought it must be around four o'clock now, he had to start cooking supper soon, and he had no idea where he was, due to his former lack of consciousness. In the distance, he could hear a faint thrumming sound, his groggy head wouldn't allow him access to the memory the sound encased, but he had a sudden rush of hope as the slush in his mind cleared away enough for him to realise it was a horse; small and agile, by the sounds of it, most likely a Ranger horse. He would be saved.
This thought gave him new-found strength, and Will was able to sit up a little. No longer sprawled in the dirt, Will could see Horace fighting with his final reserves of strength, trying desperately not to be bound like Will. But there were three of them, and only one Horace, he was fighting a losing battle.
Will could hear the thrumming louder now; it was coming fast, probably a steady gallop by the sounds of things. It was heading for him, Will could tell. He desperately hoped Halt had found him, he and Horace were both clearly in need of medical attention, and the Halt could be his only chance.
Will craned his neck to get a better view of the break in the trees where the horse was coming from, desperate to see Halt on Abelard, ready to take him home. The horse rounded the final bend, and it appeared through the trees, sliding to a stop in the middle of the clearing. Will was so relieved, for there, standing in the middle of the clearing was...
Cliff hanger time! Yay! R&R please, sorry its quite short, but I needed a good place to stop, and I didn't want to drag it out, so there you go, hopefully, the next chapter will be out on Friday or Saturday, but I have 2 essays due in soon, so I might not get it done that soon.