Will and Halt walked down the dirt road towards Old Man Henry's Tavern. Since the tavern was less than ten minutes away, the two Rangers decided to leave their horses back in the clearing where they would have plenty of grass to feed on. They didn't need to worry about their horses being stolen, because they were Ranger horses and didn't allow anyone to ride them unless that person has told them the password. If someone tried to mount without saying the password, the horse would buck that person off as soon as they sat down on the saddle. That was one of the many things that made a Ranger horse amazing.

Even though they didn't have their horses, the Rangers still had their weapons with them. They had their unique double scabbard which contained a saxe knife and a throwing knife, their strikers, and the ever-present long bow with two dozen arrows. Currently their bows were unstrung to protect the bow. But that wasn't a problem for Rangers because their training allowed them to quickly string the bow. Rangers were famous most for their skill and accuracy with a bow. Few would dare cross a ranger, even fewer would cross them when that ranger had his long bow within his reach. In addition to the weapons, the rangers had their mottled green and grey cloaks. These were especially helpful when trying to blend in with the environment.

As the Rangers walked down the road, they made casual conversation to cover up the fact that they were on high alert for anyone trying to follow them. While they did not pick up any noises indicating that someone was following them, or see anyone in their peripheral vision, Will still felt strongly that someone was indeed there.

They approached the tavern's front door.

"Anything?" Will muttered to Halt as he opened the door for the old ranger.

"Nothing. Although I sense the eyes just as much as you do." Halt replied as he strolled through the open door.

They walked through the tavern to counter near the back of the room. There were less than a dozen men seated in various spots near the counter. These were mostly the regulars who stayed here every moment they could, or always came here for their midday meal and drink. Many of them nodded to the Rangers but said little else. Rangers were not popular with most of the citizens of the kingdom. Many of them looked towards the Rangers with suspicion and fear. Or they avoided looking at Rangers completely if at all possible. This was mainly because the Rangers needed to keep to themselves to do their job properly. And their uncanny skills at moving completely silently somewhere often put people on edge. Therefore, the Rangers were used to the reactions of the people. The people in this fief were at least a little friendlier and willing to give a nod, but only because the stories of what Halt and Will have done for the kingdom in the past years has spread throughout the kingdom and earned them much respect.

As Halt waited at the counter for Henry to come out of the back room, Will spent the time scanning the tavern until he was satisfied that everything here seemed ok. This was standard habit for a ranger when first arriving somewhere.

Henry came out of the backroom. "How can I help…" he trailed off as he recognized the identities of the two men at his counter. "Oh…it's, it's the Rangers…" he stuttered. He appeared flustered as he walked up to the counter. "What do I…, what would you…, what can I get for you?" he stammered.

Halt noticed this behavior but said nothing of it. "Well Henry, we have been busy all morning with important stuff, and we have worked up quite an appetite for your finest cup of coffee. Can you get us each a nice hot cup?"

"Y… Yes sir." Henry stumbled off to the backroom.

Halt turned to Will. "Something's off with Henry. He seems a bit jittery today. What do you think is going on?"

"Hmm?" replied Will who had been lost in his thoughts. This was rare for a Ranger, for they were always attentive. But Will was worried about making the day perfect for Alyss. "I'm sure there is an explanation. Maybe he is tired today. He is always working himself too hard."

"Maybe so…" Halt muttered. At that moment, Henry returned from the backroom with two steaming cups of coffee. He placed them in front of the two rangers.

"Here you go" he stammered. Then he hurried off to the back room. Halt watched him go as he picked up his cup.

"I think we need to have a talk with Henry before we go. He isn't acting tired. He is worried about something."

"You're probably right. As much as I hate to say it, protecting the kingdom comes before surprising Alyss." Will took a sip of his coffee. In an even lower voice he asked, "have you noticed anything about our follower yet?"

"No. Either they made it in here before us, or they are waiting for us to come back outside." Halt took a drink of his coffee. "We should take the back exit to throw him off. Then we can sneak around and find a place to watch the front door. If we were indeed being followed, that person will get impatient eventually and just go in."

"You're right. We should get going as soon as possible." Will finished his coffee and stood up. "Now that we need to question Henry and watch for our unwanted follower, we may be pressed for time to finish setting up the…" Will trailed off.

Halt, who had already stood up, turned to look at Will when he trailed off and failed to continue, only to see Will collapse to the ground.

"Will!" He exclaimed. Halt started to move towards the fallen Ranger when his vision swam. He felt himself collapse to the floor. Darkness gathered in his vision. He vaguely noticed other people starting to gather around, as well as a bang, possibly from the door being thrown open? But that was as far as he got before the darkness overtook him.