"Block, underhand, overhand, spin, up, duck, now," Angie's saxe spun over her hand as she spun to lunge past Will's defenses. Her hand wrapped around the leather binding of the hilt as she thrust her saxe where Will's side was exposed. His small throwing knife slapped the flat of her heavy saxe, throwing her arm wide. Unbalanced Angie stumbled out of Will's defenses, losing the precious advantage she so desperately fought to win. Will's other hand struck across Angie's shoulders, knocking her face first to the ground.
"Ow," she whined rolling over to look up at the Ranger. "Was that really necessary?"
"Would you rather I had demonstrated all the ways I could have just killed or crippled you?" He arched his brow at her, sliding his knives back into their scabbard.
"Cut the hamstring, knife in the side, slit my throat, break my arm," she sighed climbing to her feet and dusting herself off. "You killed and crippled me five times today already."
"And you still haven't learned." He looked down on his apprentice, who was still failing to grasp the basic concept of the exercise. "Now, what did you do wrong?"
"I was off balance, my foot slipped," she held the offending foot up for Will's inspection, "and you moved!"
"I wasn't going to let you stab me," Will pushed Angie's foot down. "And that shouldn't have been enough to dislodge you. Always be firm, hold your position."
"I was moving," she groaned, using her hands to fully express the aggravation of Will's cryptic instructions. "You can't hold position and move at the same time."
"That's why you have to stay firm, your arm could have moved but your body should not have," Will explained.
Angie sighed stretching her arms and rolling her shoulders. "Moving and not moving," she shook her head getting ready and drew her knives. "Something like this?" She lunged at Will.
His knives leapt to his hands, blocking her advances. Angie spun, ducking under Will's arms and coming in for a jab with the hilt of her saxe. She hit his side, spinning out aiming a hit with her throwing knife. Will's arm dropped on Angie's, knocking the blade from her hand and sending it spinning away from them. Angie was still moving, her saxe blocking against Will's. Will pulled out with his saxe, aiming for her legs while the throwing knife moved up through her defenses.
The heel of Angie's right hand stopped a hair's breadth from Will's chin. Will had a knife at her throat and his saxe hovering over the back of her knee, ready to cut her hamstring. Angie's saxe was prone to dig into Will's ribcage, the tip lightly touching his tunic.
"Right?" she asked, grinning up at her mentor, her eye twitching in an attempt to mimic Will's expression.
"Tell me, what do you think would happen if we went one step farther?" He had one brow raised, a slight smile pulling at his lips.
"I'd knock you back with my hand and stab you with my saxe," Angie instantly responded, tapping Will's chin with her hand and his side with her saxe. Will nodded like he had been expecting that response.
"But I have two knives on you." Angie looked down to see what Will was talking about. She had completely forgotten his knives. Her brow furrowed looking at the knife under her chin. "And you would have stepped right into one of them when you hit me."
Angie gulped stepping back from Will sliding her saxe in the scabbard. "So I lose again?"
"It's a draw," Will put his knives away, watching Angie retrieve the throwing knife he had knocked from her hand. "I think that's enough for today. Why don't you go find the others and we'll go for a patrol."
"You're taking the children on patrol?" She had been with Will for five weeks before she got to go on a patrol. He had claimed she still needed to refine her skills, and Angie had begged for an entire week before Will finally took her out. They had started working on tracking while they were out that first day too, making Angie slightly regretful that she had begged so much to go. The others had only arrived the day before, and he was taking them out on a patrol.
"They've gone on patrols before. They're more than capable," he responded starting back for the cabin. "I think Evan is inside working on his cartography."
"And the girls are?" Angie looked around the clearing for some sign of the three girls. There was no sign of them, or the dog. She looked back at Will, hoping he would give some clue to their whereabouts. The man said nothing as he climbed the steps to the veranda.
The only clear course of action was to ask Evan if he had seen which direction the girls had gone. She charged up the steps and followed Will into the cabin looking for Evan, who had joined the others in the vanishing act.
"He's not here," she announced exiting Will's room.
"Saddle up, let's go find them."
Evan slipped out of his saddle looking down at the tracks in the soft ground. The girls had passed through there on foot. He scratched his temple looking for signs of the horses, they had been taken from the cabin but the girls were traveling without them.
"I don't get it Storm," he stood up looking around the woods. "Where'd the horses go?"
After the girls, Storm answered.
"You're a wealth of information," Evan muttered swinging up in his saddle. "Anymore suggestions, like where that is?"
I'm just a horse, Storm shook his head starting along the trail the girls had taken.
Evan leaned over Storm's neck watching the ground. Normally Evan would not have cared if the girls ran away, but Will was working with Angie and had not noticed the girls leaving. Redmont was a large Fief, filled with who knew what kind of outlaws. The girls were trained to defend themselves but they were still only little girls.
"Why would they just run off?" he asked himself aloud. "They've wanted to stay with Will since they were seven."
Storm shook his head again. Evan sat up looking at Storm's head. The horse had nothing to say, that was surprising. The boy shook the surprise away looking back at the ground, he had to find the girls and get back to the cabin before Will noticed they were gone.
He rode in silence, watching to see if the girls had met up with their horses somewhere. At one point he had to dismount and crawl over a ridge overgrown with brambles, Storm circled around the tangled plants to meet Evan on the other side. It was there that the girls had joined with their horses, and started heading south, back toward the cabin.
"They're just out riding around," he exclaimed a little louder than he had anticipated. "I'm out here for nothing!"
He could have been at the cabin working on some skill, talking to Will, exploring Castle Redmont. He could have been doing a whole handful of other things. He clicked his tongue and got Storm going. He was going back to the cabin. The girls would be there when he got back and he would get in trouble for going off on his own, just like every other time he tried to keep them out of trouble.
"Stupid girls," he grumbled, urging Strom to a gallop.
"Whoa Striker," Olivia pulled back on the reins, standing up in the stirrups to get a better view. The red walls of Castle Redmont were smudges on the horizon. "We're heading the right way, I can see the red walls," she sat back in the saddle turning to Rachel and Peyton.
Peyton rolled her eyes, "I knew we were going the right way."
"You did not," Rachel ran her fingers through her hair, brushing twigs and leaves out in the process. "You were as lost as we were."
"You don't know anything," Peyton huffed crossing her arms. "I'm never lost."
"Except when you asked us how to get back to Will's," Olivia clicked her tongue to get Striker moving once again. "And we really do need to be getting back. They've probably noticed we're gone by now."
"We can handle ourselves," Peyton gave a very warm smile, like she was trying to persuade Olivia and Rachel. "I mean we are the children of Rangers."
"Exactly Peyton." Rachel chided. "We're children, and we didn't tell Will that we were leaving."
"It's not like this is the first time we went off without telling someone," Peyton flipped her braids over her shoulders.
"But this is our first time in Redmont," Olivia whispered leaning over Striker's neck. "We don't know our way around."
"Then Will should have engaged us," Peyton retorted. "We sat there all morning, and all he had us doing was busy work."
"He has an apprentice," Rachel tried to console her. "We knew it was going to be different. He can't spend all his time on us."
"Don't care," Peyton turned her nose up, looking away from Rachel and Olivia. "If Will didn't have the time to watch us, then we should have gone somewhere else."
Rachel sighed behind Peyton, shaking her head. They had all been told it was going to be different staying with a Ranger training an apprentice. The three of them had been told that Will would be more concerned with training Angie than finding fun activities for them. Gilan had repeated that to her at least a dozen times before she left Castle Araluen, the others must have received the same lecture.
"It was Will's turn," Rachel drew up beside Peyton. "And you were excited about it. We get to spend time with Angie."
"Some time," Peyton glared at Rachel. "All we did together was archery, and that wasn't even really together because she has a further range. And Will was giving you special treatment."
"Stop it Peyton," Olivia snapped from the other side. "Quit acting like some spoiled little brat. Rachel needed help with archery. And when we get to knife throwing or hand to hand, Will will give you special treatment because you'll need it."
Peyton turned on Olivia with a scowl. "And you're just perfect right?"
"She didn't say that Peyton."
"Be quiet Rachel," Peyton turned on Rachel. "I was yelling at Olivia."
"You shouldn't be yelling at anyone. Gilan told us all at the Gathering that we would end up staying with someone who has an apprentice. And everyone is bad at something, so stop it." Olivia narrowed her eyes at Peyton, her green eyes flashing dangerously.
"You can't boss me around. Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you're in charge," Peyton's blue eyes flashed. "I don't have to listen to you."
"I never said I was in charge," Olivia growled at Peyton. "And I don't want to be in charge of you, you're unbearable!"
"Unbearable?!" Peyton shrieked standing up in her stirrups so Olivia would have to look up at her.
"Yes! Unbearable," Olivia shouted back, standing up in her stirrups so she was on the same level as Peyton. "You act like you're so mistreated. All. The. Time!"
"Guys," Rachel leaned across Peyton to take hold on Striker's reins, stopping all three of the horses. "You need to stop, someone's watching us," she hissed looking between Peyton and Olivia.
"There's always someone watching us. We have Ranger cloaks," Olivia, always the voice of reason, offered taking Striker's reins back from Rachel. "There's no reason to worry."
"There is reason to worry. If you two would stop arguing you would have heard the warnings," Rachel whispered motioning with her eyes at Gust and Striker.
In the silence that followed Rachel's warning the girls could hear the low rumbles of the horses. Rachel stroked Gale's neck letting him know she had heard the warning. Olivia stared past Peyton's shoulder, scanning the area and continuing their conversation.
"And if you would just take the time to realize it's not all about you, I bet more people would like you."
Peyton scanned the trees over Olivia's shoulder. Her jaw dropped in mock surprise, "People like me."
"You're just unbearable," Olivia repeated quickly, tightening her grip on her reins. Striker's head bobbed to let Peyton and Rachel know she had seen who was following them.
