Author's Note: No I have not gotten myself re-obsessed with Brotherband Chronicles, what are you talking about...it just happens to be really, really awesome.

And that is totally not why I am so very late with a new chapter...no, not at all...

Who am I kidding, it's totally why. Well, that and the news - all of my stuff is now cross-posted on Ao3, under the same pen name Dorano1.

Siggy: ...you are correct, and I apologize, I have failed you all. Halt is, in fact, younger than Crowley.

Will accepted the book from Crowley with a bit of a smile on his face.

"Something's happened," Halt said quietly, signaling for his two companions to rein in their horses.

"Of course," Gilan sighed.

The three riders had cantered the last half a kilometer to the Gathering Ground. Now, as they crested a slight rise, the open space among the trees lay just below them, a hundred meters away. Small, one-man tents stretched in ordered ranks, and the smoke of cooking fires scented the air. An archery range had been set up to one side of the open space, and several dozen horses, all small and shaggy Ranger horses, were grazing close to the trees.

"Doesn't sound too far removed from a typical army camp," Duncan observed.

Crowley shook his head. "It's not, actually. Less blacksmiths and more archers, of course, but the basic structure is quite similar."

Even from where they sat on their horses, they could make out an air of urgency and activity throughout the camp. In the center of the tent lines was a larger pavilion, easily four meters by four meters and with enough head room for a tall man to stand. The sides were currently rolled up and Will could see a group of green and grey clad men standing around a table, apparently deep in conversation. As they watched, one of the group detached himself, running to a horse waiting just outside the entrance. He mounted and spun the horse on its back legs, setting out through the camp at a gallop, heading for the narrow track through the trees at the far side.

Crowley's eyes narrowed briefly as he tried to recall who that might have been. He thought it could have been Lewin.

He had barely disappeared into the deep shadows under the trees when another rider appeared from the opposite direction, galloping through the lines and reining in outside the large tent. His horse had barely stopped before he swung down and headed in to join the group inside.

"What is it?" Will asked. Frowning, he realized that several of the small tents were being struck and rolled up by their owners.

"Not sure," Halt replied.

"The world must be ending," Alyss said with a grin. Halt turned to glare at her, but she smiled innocently and he sighed.

He gestured to the tent lines. "See if you can find us a decent campsite. I'll see what's going on."

"'I'll see what's going on,' he says," Crowley muttered. "Like he's just going out to pick up the groceries -"

"Are you done?" Halt interrupted acidly.

Crowley nodded, grinning.

He urged Abelard forward, then turned and called back: "Don't pitch the tents yet. From the looks of things, we may not be needing them." Then Abelard's hooves were drumming on the turf as he galloped toward the center of camp.

"With more explanation than he usually gives us," Will commented, with Gilan and Horace both nodding in fervent agreement.

Will and Gilan found a campsite under a large tree, reasonably close to the central gathering area. Then, uncertain as to what they should do next, they sat on a log, waiting for Halt's return. As a senior Ranger in the Corps, Halt had access to the larger pavilion, which Gilan explained was the command tent. The Corps commandant, a Ranger named Crowley, would meet with his staff there each day to organize activities and to collate and evaluate the reports and information that individual Rangers brought to the Gathering.

Most of the tents near the two younger Rangers were unoccupied, but there was a thin gangly Ranger outside one, pacing impatiently back and forth, looking every bit as confused as Gilan and Will. Seeing them on the log, he moved over to join them.

"Any news?" he said immediately, and his face fell when Gilan answered.

"We were just about to ask you the same question." He held out his hand in greeting. "It's Merron, isn't it?" he said and they shook hands.

"Was that the same Ranger as from Norgate?" Horace asked, leaning forward curiously.

Will shook his head. "That was Meralon," he corrected his friend.

Horace nodded and settled back in his seat.

"Who's this Meralon?" King Duncan asked curiously, not recalling the name.

"Former Ranger of Norgate Fief," Crowley answered. "And about as useless as a Ranger can get."

"Which is incredibly useless," Sir Rodney contributed, earning him glared from all the assembled Rangers (as well as Horace, Alyss, and Lady Pauline). "You know what I'm talking about!" he protested, directing his words at Halt and Crowley.

Halt nodded. "Morgarath's Rangers were rather useless," he pointed out to Crowley, who was still bristling at the insult to his beloved Corps, and merely grunted. Nevertheless, he dropped the glare.

"That's right. And you're Gilan if I remember correctly." Gilan introduced Will, and the newcomer, who appeared to be in his early thirties, looked at him speculatively.

"So you're Halt's new apprentice," he said. "We wondered what you'd be like. I was going to be one of your assessors, you know."

"Going to - what did you do." Alyss did not spare the thought for a question mark as she frowned mock-seriously at Will.

Will held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't do anything!"

"Going to be?" Gilan asked quickly, and Merron looked at him.

"Yes. I doubt we'll continue with the Gathering now." He hesitated, then added, "You mean you haven't heard?" The two newcomers shook their heads.

"Morgarath is up to something again," he said quietly, and Will felt a shiver of fear up his spine at the mention of that evil name.

The reaction repeated itself around the table, the previous good humor from Will and Alyss's exchange vanishing like dew under the noonday sun.

"What's happened?" Gilan asked, his eyes narrowing. Merron shook his head, stirring the dirt in front of him with the toe of his boot in a frustrated gesture.

"There's no clear news so far. Only garbled reports. But it looks as if a force of Wargals broke out of Three Step Pass some days ago. They overran the sentries there and headed north."

"Wonderful, just what we wanted to hear," Gilan said with false cheer.

"How is that considered 'garbled'?" Jenny wondered. "It seems fairly clear."

"Was Morgarath with them?" Gilan asked. Will remained wide-eyed and silent. He couldn't bring himself to ask any questions - couldn't bring himself to actually mention Morgarath's name.

(Will rolled his eyes and his younger self's blatant melodrama.)

Merron shrugged in reply. "We don't know. Don't think so at this stage, but Crowley has been sending scouts out for the past two days. Could be it's just a raid. But if it's more than that, it could mean the start of another war. If so, it's a bad time to lose Lord Lorriac."

Gilan looked up, concern in his voice. "Lorriac is dead?" he asked, and Merron nodded.

"A stroke apparently. Or his heart. He was found dead a few days ago, not a mark on him. Staring straight ahead. Stone cold dead."

"But he was in his prime!" Gilan said. "I saw him only a month ago and he was as healthy as a bull."

Merron shrugged. He had no explanation. He only knew the facts for the matter. "I suppose it can happen to anyone," he said. "You just never know."

"I thought you Rangers were supposed to be a suspicious lot?" Baron Arald asked. Sir Rodney muttered something to his friend that got him kicked under the table.

Crowley sniggered.

"Who's Lord Lorriac?" Will asked Gilan quietly.

"Commander of the heavy cavalry," Sir Rodney supplied instantly.

The young Ranger shook his head thoughtfully as he answered.

"Lorriac of Steden. He was the leader of the King's heavy cavalry. Probably our best cavalry commander. As Merron said, if there's a war, he'll be sorely missed."

The corners of Crowley's mouth twitched. "Some things never change."

Rodney shrugged.

A cold hand of fear closed around Will's heart. All his life people had spoken in whispers of Morgarath, if they had spoken of him at all. The Great Enemy - "Great Enemy, oh please," Crowley muttered - had assumed the proportions almost of a myth - a legend from the old, dark days. Now the myth was becoming reality once more - a terrifying reality. He looked at Gilan for reassurance, but the young Ranger's face showed nothing but doubt and concern for the future.

"As well it should," Duncan said darkly, recalling quite clearly what had happened the first time Morgarath tried to take over.

It was almost an hour before Halt rejoined them. As it was after midday, Will and Gilan had prepared a meal of bread, cold meat and dried fruit. The gray haired Ranger slid down from Abelard's saddle and accepted a plate from Will, eating the food in quick bites.

"The Gathering's over," he said shortly, between mouthfuls.

"Really," Will said, perfectly deadpan. Halt glared at his apprentice, who stared back innocently.

"Those two ought to play poker some time," Alyss said.

"You would win," Will told her quietly (coincidentally, Halt said much the same thing to Lady Pauline at the same time).

Seeing the senior Ranger's arrival, Merron had drifted back to joined their group. He and Halt greeted each other briefly, then Merron posed the question that was on all their minds.

"Is it war?" he asked anxiously, and Halt shook his head.

"Not yet, anyway," Horace amended.

"Mind you, it wasn't a very long war," Rodney said thoughtfully, nodding at Horace. "Thanks to someone."

Horace flushed.

"We don't know for certain. Latest reports show that Morgarath is still in the mountains."

"Then why did the Wargals break out?" Will asked. Everyone knew that Wargals only did the will of Morgarath. They never would have performed such a radical act without his direction. Halt's face was grim as he answered.

"They're only a small party - perhaps fifty of them. They were intended to act as a diversion. While our guards were busy chasing the Wargals, Crowley thinks that the two Kalkara slipped out of the mountains and are holed up somewhere on the Solitary Plain."

The room was silent, until

Gilan gave a low whistle. Merron actually took a step back in surprise. Both the younger Rangers' faces showed their utter horror at the news. Will had no idea what the Kalkara might be, but judging from Halt's expression and the reactions of Gilan and Merron, they were obviously not good news.

"You mean they still exist?" Merron said. "I thought they died out years ago."

"Oh, they still exist all right," Halt said. "There are only two of them left, buts that's enough to worry about."

There was a long silence between them. Finally, hesitantly, Will had to ask:

"What are they?"

Halt shook his head sadly. It was not a subject that he wanted to discuss with someone as young as Will. But, knowing what lay ahead of them all, he had no choice. The boy had to know.

"When Morgarath was planning his rebellion, he wanted more than an ordinary army. He knew that if he could terrify his enemies, his task would be far easier. So over the years, he made several expeditions into the Mountains of Rain and Night, searching."

"Searching for what?" Will asked, although he had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew what the answer would be.

'For allies he could use against the kingdom. The Mountains are an ancient, undisturbed part of the world. They've remained unchanged for centuries and there were rumors that strange beasts and ancient monsters still lived there. The rumors turned out to be all too true."

"Like the Wargals," Will put in, and Hat nodded.

"Yes. Like the Wargals. And he very quickly enslaved them and bent them to his will," he said with a touch of bitterness in his voice.

"But then he found the Kalkara. And they're worse than Wargals. Much, much worse."

Will said nothing. The thought of beasts that were worse than Wargals was a disturbing one, to say the least.

"There were three of them. But one was killed about eight years ago, so we know a little more about them. Think of a creature somewhere between an ape and a bear, that walks upright, and you'll have an idea of what a Kalkara looks like."

"So they are...ape-bear assassins," Jenny said carefully, trying (and failing) to keep the skepticism out of her voice. Cassandra snorted.

"...you know, they don't sound as terrifying when you put it like that," Gilan muttered. Jenny grinned.

"So does Morgarath control them with is mind, like the Wargals?" Will asked. Halt shook his head.

"No. They're more intelligent than Wargals. But they are totally obsessed with silver. They worship it and hoard it and Morgarath apparently gives it to them in large amounts so they'll do his bidding. And they do it well. They can be incredibly cunning while they stalk their prey."

"Prey?" Will asked. "What sort of prey?"

"People," Halt said grimly, rubbing his leg unconsciously.

Will and Gilan both noticed the motion, and a muscle around Will's eyebrow started twitching.

Halt and Gilan exchanged a glance and Will could see that his mentor was reluctant to talk about the subject. For a moment, he thought Halt was going to begin another dissertations on Will's endless questions. But then he realized this was a far more serious matter than idle curiosity as the grizzled Ranger replied quietly, "The Kalkara are assassins. Once they've been given a specific victim, they will do anything in their power to reach that person and kill them."

"Ape-bear assassins," Jenny muttered again, shaking her head.

"Can't we stop them?" Will asked, his gaze shifting briefly to Halt's massive longbow and the bristling quiver of black arrows.

"They're very difficult to kill. They have a thick hair covering that's matted and bonded together so that it's almost like scales. An arrow will hardly penetrate. A battleax or a broadsword is best against them. Or a good thrust with a heavy spear might do the job."

Will felt a moment of relief. The Kalkara had started to sound almost invincible. But there were plenty of accomplished knights in the Kingdom who would doubtless be able to account for them.

"Hah," Sir Rodney said dully.

"So was it a knight who killed the one eight years ago?" he asked. Halt shook his head.

"Not a knight. Three. It took three fully armed knights to kill it, and only one of them survived the battle. What's more, he was crippled for life," Halt finished grimly.

King Duncan nodded. He'd known the knight in question - Sir Haddington. He'd been a good man. Dead, nearly fifteen years past. His wife and son had been devastated. Of course, his son Tevon was a knight himself now.

"Three men? All of them knights?" Will said incredulously. "But how-"

Gilan interrupted him before he could finish. "The problem is, if you get close enough to use a sword or spear, the Kalkara can usually stop you before you have a chance."

Gilan was doing the same thing now, with a slightly distant look in his eyes.

As he spoke, his fingers drummed lightly on the hilt of the sword that he wore at his waist.

"How does it stop you?" Will asked, the momentary feeling of relief instantly dispelled by Gilan's words. This time it was Merron who answered.

"Its eyes," the gangly Ranger said. "If you look into its eyes, you are frozen helpless-the way a snake freezes a bird with its gaze before it kills it."

A muscle in Baron Arald's jaw jumped. Sir Rodney nudged him gently.

Will looked from one to the other of the three men, uncomprehending. What Merron was saying seemed too far-fetched to be true. Yet Halt wasn't contradicting him.

"Freezes you…how can it do that? Are you talking about magic here?"

"Hypnosis," Horace said. Everyone looked at him. He shrugged uncomfortably.

"I asked Malcolm about it. That was what he thought - some kind of hypnosis."

"Like Sir Keren," Alyss said.

Horace coughed awkwardly. "Er - yes," he stammered.

Will looked ready to kill something. It was quite unnerving.

Halt shrugged. Merron looked away uncomfortably. None of them liked discussing this subject.

"Some people call it magic," Halt finally said. "I think it's more likely a form of hypnotism. Either way, Merron is right. If a Kalkara can make you look into its eyes, you become paralyzed by sheer terror, unable to do anything to save yourself."

Baron Arald glanced at Sir Rodney, who shrugged halfheartedly. The rest of the people at the table got the distinct impression that most of a conversation had taken place without them knowing about it.

Perhaps that was why Halt had a perpetual scowl when he was in Redmont Fief.

Will glanced around anxiously, as if expecting any moment to see an ape-bear creature charging out of the silent trees. He could feel panic growing in his chest. Somehow, he'd come to think of Halt as invincible. Yet here he was, seeming to admit that there was no defense against these vile monsters.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" he asked in a hopeless voice. Halt shrugged.

"Legend has it that they are particularly vulnerable to fire."

"Fire arrows!" Will said with fake cheer. "Just don't burn yourself. It hurts."

"Yes, Will, I would imagine it would," Alyss said dryly.

Gilan just shook his head. "I can't believe we didn't think of that earlier," he muttered.

"Problem is, as before, getting close enough to do any damage. Carrying a naked flame makes it a little difficult to stalk a Kalkara. They tend to hunt at night and they can see you coming."

"Mind you," Baron Arald cut in, "if you don't have that open flame at night, you're liable to run face-first into a tree and do their killing for them."

"Just can't win," Cassandra muttered.

Will found it difficult to believe what he was hearing. Halt seemed so matter-of-fact about it all,

"Halt usually does," King Duncan said dryly, with a mock glare at the Ranger.

and Gilan and Merron were obviously disturbed by his news.

"Who wouldn't?!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Halt," was the unanimous reply.

There was an awkward silence, which Gilan broke by asking, "What makes Crowley think that Morgarath is using them?"

Halt hesitated. He'd been told Crowley's thoughts in private council. Then he shrugged. They'd all need to know about it sooner or later and they were all members of the Ranger Corps, even Will.

"Oh, thanks!" Will exclaimed, at the same time that Crowley snarked, "It's so nice to know I can count on you, Halt."

Halt looked as though he'd just been done great injury. Which is to say, he looked like someone had told him they didn't like coffee.

"He's already used them twice in the past year-to kill Lord Northolt and Lord Lorriac." The three younger men all exchanged puzzled glances, so he went on. "Northolt was thought to be killed by a bear, remember?"

"The claws," King Duncan muttered, understanding. Halt nodded.

Will nodded slowly. He remembered now. On his first day as Halt's apprentice, The Ranger had received news of the supreme commander's death. "I thought at the time that Northolt was too skilled a hunter to be killed that way. Crowley evidently agrees."

Halt gestured triumphantly to the book that held the words that Will had just read aloud. "There, you see?" he asked Pauline. "I didn't let it go."

"If you say so, dear."

"But what about Lorriac? Everyone said it was a stroke." It was Merron who asked this question.

"You'd heard that, had you? Well, his physician was most surprised. Said he'd never seen a healthier man. On the other hand…" He paused, and Gilan finished the thought.

"It could have been the work of the Kalkara."

Halt nodded. "Exactly. We don't know the full effects of the freezing stare they've developed. Maintained over a long enough time, the terror could well be enough to stop a man's heart. And there were vague reports that a larger, dark animal was seen in the area."

"And since it's out of season for bears..." Sir Rodney started, exchanging another of those maddeningly meaningful glances with Baron Arald, leaving Halt wondering just what on Earth those two were talking about and weren't saying.

Again, silence settled over the small group under the trees. Around them, Rangers bustled to and fro, striking camp and saddling their horses. Halt finally roused them all from their thoughts.

"We'd best be moving. Merron, you'll need to return to your fief. Crowley wants the army alerted and mobilized. Orders will be distributed in a few minutes."

"Always fun."

Merron nodded and turned away toward his campsite. He paused and turned back. Something in Halt's voice, the way he had said "you'll need to return to you fief," had made him think.

"What about you three?" he said. "Where are you going?"

Even before Halt answered, Will knew what he was going to say. But that didn't make it any less terrifying or blood-chilling when the words were said.

"We're going after the Kalkara."

"Yay," Will said dully.

Bahahaha. *mad laughter* Oh, you don't know the half of it, Will dear. Well, you do...but you've probably forgotten a few bits and pieces. Come to think of it, I probably have too.