A/N Okay, so I'm terribly sorry about the wait. I could give you tons of excuses, but I won't. Anyway, my updates are going to be pretty sporadic during the school year, I spend two nights out of the week at home.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. Except the plot and Kel, of course.

~Will POV~

Will Lay staring up at the ceiling. Occasionally, shivers racked his small frame.

The only good thing about the cold, Will thought, is that it numbs the pain.

And indeed it did. Besides killing the pain, the struggle to stay warm left him so e, it obliterated his thoughts. For that, Will was grateful. If he dwelled on memories of Halt, Horace, Gilan, or Alice, it would break him, he knew. Then his captors would have no problem getting whatever information they wanted out of him.

Waves of homesickness washed over him again, but he pushed the emotions away. Will heard the thud of a booted foot coming down the corridor. He emptied his face of emotion and sat up.

A small group of Temujai (A/N I just figured out I was misspelling it) stood outside his cell.

"You will come with us. And you will answer our questions," one said in Araluen. He knew it would cost him, but Will couldn't help his reply,

"And if I don't?"

All he received in response was an evil grin. Sighing, Will stood. The Temujai opened his cell and tied his hands.

The room they led him to was small. The only things inside it were torches burning on the walls.

"What is your name?"

"I'm called Will." They really couldn't get too much from his name he supposed. They most likely already knew it anyway.

"Are you the one who aided the Skandians in defeating us?"

Figuring he had nothing to lose, Will said,

"I am."

"And are you an Araluen Ranger?"

"Yeas, but you knew that already, didn't you?"

There was a crack as the man questioning brought a whip down on his back.

"Don't be insolent, boy," the man spat. Will grunted in pain.

"You will tell us what you know about your king and your Rangers."

"You seem so sure," Will replied smiling grimly. "But I'll never betray the Corps, or Araluen."

"Oh, I think you will."

The idea struck him as funny for some absurd reason. He was laughing when the whip fell repeatedly across his back.

Will had lost count of the number of lashes it took before he was unable to laugh. IT was an endless number. Another eternity later, the lashes slowed, then they ceased.

Barely conscious, he felt his captors lift his limp body. They dumped him unceremoniously on the floor of his cell.

They won't get anything out of me, Will resolved.

~Horace POV~

Excitement stirred the blood in his veins. He couldn't be still. They were finally going after Will. Well, not exactly Will, but his murderers anyway.

"Don't bounce off the side of the boat."

Horace grinned down at Halt.

"I'm sure you'd be terribly sorry to see me go," he replied. The Ranger never took his eyes from the sea, but his jaw tightened.

"No one is going anywhere." The words were ground out between clenched teeth. Horace's eyes widened.

"Oh, Halt! I'm sorry! I didn't mean—! Not like that!"

Halt tore his gaze from the water to look at Horace.

"I know you didn't mean it that way, Horace. But Will's hardly in the ground. And I don't know if the world will ever be right again."

"Aw, Halt, Will wouldn't want you to act so, um, grim. He'd want you to be happy. Well, as happy as you can be anyway, being you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Halt raised an eyebrow. Horace swallowed.

"Well, you're pretty much always grumpy and, well, you know," Horace replied, blushing slightly. "But if you ever want to...talk, I think it would help."

Halt seemed to consider this. Horace had given up waiting and turned his back. There was a sigh, then Halt began to speak.

A/N Please Review!