Chapter 9
"Let's see your arm," Will said the next day as we stood in the forests surrounding Castle Redmont. The morning seemed crisp and fresh, and as if to prove it, frost lay on the grass underfoot, crunching gently when pressure was applied. The majority of the trees were bare and the dry fallen leaves created a carpet of red and brown tones. The wind blowed gently, howling through large boughs and branches and causing a soft whistling sound, almost like a flute.
"Sounds like the damn stone flutes out here," Halt muttered under his breath and I had no idea what he was talking about. I made a mental note to ask him later; he often had many wondrous tales of adventures to tell.
I brought my attention back to Will and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what in Araluen he could want with my arm. Halt chuckled quietly and raised an eyebrow as well. Gilan looked over from where he was tying his boot lace and adopted the same facial expression.
"Is there something on my face?" Will asked, seeing all three of us with a raised left eyebrow and wondering what could have caused it. He wiped his mouth and then raised an eyebrow as well when he didn't answer.
"Why are you all copying me?" I asked, realizing that I had been the initiator of this. Everyone now stood around in silence waiting for an answer as we all unraised our eyebrows. Early this morning, Halt had woken the three of us up and said that we were heading into the forest. We had got dressed quietly and walked down, without any horses or dogs.
"I'm impressed," Halt said.
"Why?" I asked raising my eyebrow again. It had always been a facial expression that I preferred and now it seemed that Halt and both his apprentices used it as quite often as well.
"You can raise your left eyebrow without raising your right one," Halt answered and I grinned, purposely raising and unraising it.
"That's not impressive," Will said. "When I was your age, it took a lot more to impress Halt."
"Usually something that involved killing a beast," Gilan added agreeing. "He's going soft." They both seemed to be in this familiar mood again. One where the former apprentices would try to rile up their former master and today there were no wives present to stop it. Two young wolves narking an old grey bear.
"I am not going soft," Halt replied immediately with a snort. "My eyebrow expression is not easy to master."
"No, you just like to think that," Will said with a grin.
"I'll have you know that it took you a whole year to copy it exactly," Halt answered.
"No it didn't," Will scoffed.
"It did," Gilan grinned. "I remember watching you sit by the Tarbus River and look at your reflection for hours on end."
"Really?" I asked Gilan.
"Complete truth," Gilan answered with wink.
"Well at least I can do it now," Will relented, giving up. "Horace still can't raise an eyebrow to save a life."
"Because he's too busy saving your ass to have time to practice," Gilan said. Halt and I chuckled and Will just sniffed, seeming hurt, but then grinned as well.
"Not like you can talk, Gilan," Halt added almost as an afterthought. Gilan narrowed his eyebrows and Will just smirked.
"What did Gilan do?" I asked my curiosity getting the better of me.
"He would go to sleep with his fingers holding his left eyebrow up," Halt said and then continued with a shake of his head. "Poor boy seemed to think his eyebrow would be able to be permanently raised as a result." I burst out laughing.
"I did not!" Gilan retorted immediately but even now Will was laughing at him. "Shut up, Will." He turned to me, scowling thunderously. "This is why you don't want Halt as your master," he growled. "He's an annoying grizzled old Ranger."
"Never tires of making fun of his apprentices," Will added.
"Not like your shenanigans are much better," Halt said.
"What have we ever done to you?" Will asked innocently. Almost too innocently.
"Do I need to remind you of a certain song you made up?" Halt said dangerously and Will actually took half a step back. He was hiding a grin though.
"Greybeard Halt?" I asked cautiously.
"Gorlog's beard!" Halt exclaimed. "Does the whole of Araluen know the words?" We laughed at the look on Halt's face.
"You weren't laughing when I made you spend the night in that tree," Halt said his voice low and dangerous again, but I saw the humour in his eyes. Will's laugh faded as he remembered what he had told me had been a cold and terrifying night for him. He had told me that an owl had landed near his head and hooted so loudly that he had almost fell out of the tree. The next morning he had had to beg Halt's forgiveness for fear of being left in the tree for longer.
"Is it true that you trim your beard with a hunting knife?" I asked innocently, knowing that it would rile Halt up. If fact, last night Will had told me dozens of funny stories about Halt and had told me to mention 'Greybeard Halt' just to annoy his old master and I was all too happy to comply. I wasn't scared of Halt.
"Now you're just teasing me," Halt said, picking up on it immediately. "And I thought you would be different from Will and Gilan."
"She's already spent too much time with us," Gilan said. "She's caught the bug."
Halt grumbled incoherently he moved to inspect the time by looking at the position of the sun.
"Halt, Halt," I said cheekily getting a look from him and an approving smile from Gilan.
"If you keep this up, I'm going to throw you into the Tarbus River," Halt said narrowing his eyebrows at me. "Nice cold swim you'll have." I looked into his black eyes and knew that he was serious. I took a step back in fear and then they all laughed at me now.
"Shut up, guys," I said with a grin. I already felt like I was amongst friends. They were all so easy going and I knew that they probably became serious at times, but right now I was enjoying all their company.
"Time to get started," Halt said, "if we want to be back for supper."
"Let's see your arm," Will repeated and this time I resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow.
"Why?" I asked.
"We have to see what we have to work with."
"Alright then," I said dubious as Will inspected my upper right arm, particularly the size of the muscles.
"She's pretty weak," he said and I didn't know whether to be insulted or not.
"She's a girl after all. We can't expect her to have huge muscles or anything," Gilan said inspecting my arm as well.
"Not that you two had any muscles when you first became my apprentices," Halt said. "You were both so skinny and wiry. Like baby sheep."
"Fair enough," Will said. "But it would have been good if she did. It would give us something to work with."
"You know I can hear what you guys are saying," I said witheringly, thinking that I had had enough of them talking about me like that in front of my face.
"We know," they replied happily and in unison.
"Fine," I replied, still slightly hurt.
"Have you ever used a bow before?" Will asked and I shook my head. Halt handed me a bow and I touched the wood gently, feeling the shape of the beautiful weapon. The tips curled back on itself and I noticed that it was nothing like the bows that all three of them carried in addition to their quiver of arrows.
Halt seemed to read my mind. "That's a recurve bow. It's pretty uncommon but the riders from the Eastern Steppes use them. It will be what you will use at first because you won't have the strength to use a full sized long bow like us. Because of the double curve you will still be able to shoot quite far, just with less muscle strength."
I nodded my understanding then frowned. "Is this because I'm a girl?"
"All Ranger's apprentices start with a recurve bow," Will laughed.
"We both did," Gilan added. I noticed for the first time that in addition to the typical Ranger apparel and weapons of a green and grey mottled cloak, a double scabbard with a throwing knife and saxe, a quiver of arrows and a bow, Gilan also had a sword.
"Why do you have a sword?" I asked Gilan. "I thought Ranger's didn't use swords."
"He's an exception," Halt said and I gestured for them to continue to explain.
"I was already training to be a knight when I decided to be a Ranger, so I was already skilled at using a sword. Halt agreed that I should learn both and not completely abandon my sword skills," Gilan said, and I decided that I would ask for a full story later.
"He's one of the best swordsmen in the land," Will said. When I glanced at him, I saw the genuine praise in his face.
"Like Sir Horace?" I asked. Princess Cassandra's husband, Sir Horace, was just as famous as Will and Halt. He had become a knight after only two years of battle school, defeated the Dark Lord Morgarath in single combat, helped save Skandia, rescued Macindaw, helped to defeat the preacher Tennyson and been instrumental in helping the Emperor of Nihonja. Then he had married into royalty and was quite a celebrity around Araluen.
"They're both up there," Halt said. "It would be interesting to watch them duel." He stroked his beard, considering it.
"No thanks," Gilan said putting his hands up. "I wouldn't want to hurt the future king and I wouldn't want to be hurt either."
"Back to work," Halt said impatiently, tapping his foot, deciding that we had talked for long enough.
"How do you guys get anything done?" I asked with a smirk. They got distracted every few seconds.
"You're the distraction I think," Will said and the other two nodded their agreement. I stuck my tongue out at them and they raised their eyebrows in unison at my immaturity. Sometimes a girl had to act her age in front of older men.
"Let's see you throw your saxe," Halt said, indicating the knife. I nodded and took it out of its sheath after laying the recurve bow gently on the ground.
"What should I aim for?" I asked and Halt looked around for a target.
"That patch of moss on that tree," Halt said indicating a tiny thumb sized piece of green moss on a tree about twenty metres away.
"Seriously?" I asked, not thinking that I would be able to hit it and not wanting to embarrass myself.
"I think you can do it," Halt said. I immediately felt my confidence rise. Halt believed in me. I could do it.
I took a deep breath and held the knife in my right hand. I had a firm grasp on it but didn't hold it tightly, knowing that you needed the right pressure. The wind was blowing slightly but with such a short distance and at the speed I was going to throw the knife, it wouldn't make a difference. I brought the knife back and took another deep breath, centering myself. I closed my eyes, visualizing the target, and when I opened them again I was ready. I took a step forward with my right foot and simultaneously brought my right hand forward, keeping my aim straight. I let go of the knife and as soon as I did I knew the throw was good. A few seconds later, I heard a low thud and took a step forward to see my saxe knife imbedded in the green moss. I heard Gilan and Will whistle in amazement and blushed.
"She's good," Will said.
"Very good," Gilan added. I looked at Halt and although he didn't say anything, there was a small smile of his face and I knew that he thought I had done a good job.
"But that's not the only part of being a Ranger," Halt said, indicating for me to pick up the bow again as Will retrieved my saxe for me.
"Here," Gilan said as he handed me a grey shafted arrow. I felt the tip and nearly drew blood because it was so sharp. It could cut through skin like a knife cut through soft butter. The three red fletchings were on the other side and I knew they were to help for balance and stability. I assumed that I should have a go at shooting the arrow and they would teach me how to do it properly later. I nocked the arrow and then held the bow in a way I had seen archers do before. I took a breath, pulled back the arrow back with my thumb and forefinger and fired. Instantly I heard a loud smack and felt a pain on my right wrist. I didn't care where the arrow had gone and looked down at my arm to see a red welt forming.
I looked up to see Will and Gilan chuckling to themselves.
"What?" I snapped, holding up my arm. "It's not funny. I'm hurt. I bet you did so much better on your first try."
"We did exactly the same," Will admitted with a laugh.
"I remember that pain," Gilan added. I looked at up and noticed for the first time that they all wore some sort of leather cuff on their forearms, presumably to protect their skin from the snap the bow.
"No fair," I said. "You didn't tell me about the cuff." I looked at Halt accusingly and he just raised an eyebrow. That blasted eyebrow.
"I didn't tell you to fire, did I?" Halt said, and I was just about to make a witty comeback when I realized that he was right. Gilan had just handed me the arrow and I had assumed all too quickly.
"Then how should I fire it?" I asked.
"First, here's your brace," Halt said, taking a long, leather cuff out of his pocket and sliding it onto my arm. He handed me an arrow as well, which I took tentatively.
"Try again," Halt said. I placed the arrow on the string.
"Let your arrow rest between the first and second fingers on the string," Will said and I followed his advice until I had nocked it correctly.
"Good job," Gilan said and I smiled widely at him.
"I want Gilan to be my master," I joked. "He's at least encouraging."
"But he snores," Will said, shaking his head at Gilan.
"I do not," Gilan said indignantly, defending himself.
"Not what Jenny told me," Will replied grinning as Gilan grinned back.
"Use your back muscles," Halt advised, seeing that I was having difficulty pulling the string back, because although it looked easy, it was in fact hard. I followed his instructions and there was an immediate improvement.
"Fire," Will whispered, seeing that I was just standing there, not knowing whether I should let go or not. I aimed for the moss again and the arrow flew quite wide of it, but at least it flew through the air well.
"Practice makes perfect," Gilan chimed and I sighed, realizing that being a Ranger was going to be hard work.
"Now you can't keep on throwing your saxe like that, because although I admit it's impressive, the knife is made for close quarter fighting, rather than throwing," Halt said, and I nodded, listening to his every word. He handed me a short knife that was a weird shape. It was thinner towards the hilt and then widened later on before forming a tip.
"This is for throwing," Will said as they all nodded at me to go.
"Are you sure there's not something you're not telling me?" I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes. I had already been duped once and it wasn't going to happen a second time.
"She learns from her mistakes," Gilan noted.
"And is suspicious," Will added. "Good qualities in a Ranger." It was weird hearing them assessing me out loud, in front of me.
"Throw it," Halt confirmed and I relaxed, getting into my zone. I felt the knife in my hand adjusting for weight. It was much lighter and smaller than the saxe but was still well balanced. I aimed for the piece of moss again and three seconds later the throwing knife was imbedded ten centimetres into the trunk of the tree.
"Now it's time to learn the art of invisibility," Will said waving his arms around with his eyes wide.
"Shut up," I said, laughing at his antics.
"It's not sorcery," Halt added and I felt embarrassed, remembering the time he had stepped out of the tree.
"Gilan will teach you," Halt said. "While Will and I make some lunch." As if to prove that it was lunch time, my stomach grumbled and we laughed. It had been a long morning.
Gilan was in fact a master of unseen movement. As he demonstrated, I never actually once saw him. I had seen where he'd been—a branch falling back into place, a slight brush in the grass, but that was it. He began to teach me how to move with the shadows and the wind, which I picked up quite easily. Years as a thief had taught me the importance of not being seen and blending in with your surroundings. I was actually disappointed when Halt called us over for lunch.
"He's amazing, isn't he?" Will said, looking up from the pot he was stirring and seeing my look of awe towards Gilan.
"The art of unseen movement was always Gilan's best skill," Halt concurred, helping himself to the savoury-smelling stew.
"Will's best skill is cooking," Gilan said, digging in after handing me a bowl of the stew. I spooned some in my mouth and smacked my lips.
"Gilan's right," I said looking at Will who looked pleased to see people enjoying his food. "What's Halt's best skill?"
"Everything," Halt replied instantly.
"No way, he burns water when he boils it," Will said and I laughed.
"He'd burn a bloody salad!" Gilan added, eyes wide in mock seriousness.
"You obviously don't have the skill of making new jokes," Halt muttered under his breath.
"When will I start my formal training?" I asked. "And who will be my master?" The three Rangers looked at each other.
"You no doubt have the skills," Will said. "But you still need more training."
"But she is a girl," Gilan said. "And there's never been a female Ranger before."
"When?" I asked giving them puppy dog eyes, wanting to know.
"When you have Crowley's blessing," Halt answered.
A few hours later, at dusk, Halt decided that I had had enough of a one day Ranger masterclass and that it was time to go home. As we walked past the village there was no one on the street and all the shutters on the windows were closed.
"What the devil is going on?" Halt asked, pointing it out to us.
"Maybe there's going to be a storm?" Gilan suggested as everyone's curiosity was piqued.
Soon we arrived at Halt's apartment to find a distraught Pauline. Her eyes were red and she looked flustered as she walked around the room, reading pieces of parchment with urgency. I hadn't known Pauline for very long but I had gleaned that she was a diplomat and able to keep her composure, so this shocked me. Then when I saw the looks on the three Rangers' faces I knew that something must be up because they looked just as shocked as me.
"What wrong, Pauline?" Halt asked and Pauline turned around looking relieved to see us.
"Gorlog's teeth!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been all day? All three Rangers gone just when you need them the most!"
Will looked alarmed and asked anxiously, "Is Daniel alright?"
"He's fine," she answered as a tear slipped down her cheek. Halt walked over to his wife and embraced her.
"What's wrong then?" he asked.
Pauline looked up, her face showing her clear and utter shock. "King Duncan's been murdered."
