Authors' Note: Soooooo sorry it took so long. I actually had to do some school work if I wanted to pass my classes. Thanks so much to those who reviewed they meant the world to us and inspire us to write. We always accept ideas, because sometimes we run out of filler to get from point A to point B of our story. Leave them in a review and we will dedicate the chapter if we use it. Anyways here is the next chapter, I will warn you now this is a filler chapter so it might be a little boring. This was in no way my favorite chapter and I wanted to get 5000 words at least but we can guarantee that the next chapter will be way better. Please review and tell us what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own RA

Chapter 5

Scattered Fire

"What can I get for you?" Mrs. Padavick asked from behind the counter. I tilted the cowl of the Ranger cloak back a bit and smiled at the innkeeper's wife. She took a step back not expecting me. "Silas." She lowered her voice. "What on earth are you doing here and dressed like your grandfather."

"Don't ask but I need something and you are the only one I know who can help me with this."

I knew I had to get the Rangers help, but I also knew how Ranger's were trained to think. I could go and find a Ranger and it would take a few days to travel to the nearest one. If I tell them then sure enough they will take care of it like true gentlemen and leave the helpless woman behind. I could go myself but I couldn't call myself a Ranger and if I killed anyone then I would hang, that or I would burn at the stake if my magic is discovered. Any type of magic to these people will be considered the Black Art. No, there was only one way I knew that they would have to take me with them. I would have to become something worthy of a Ranger's attention and I would have to let myself get caught.

I waited until the lunch rush was done, then I could talk with Mrs. Padavick privately. She led me to an empty room and we sat down at a table. I took out a piece of parchment and laid it on the table in front of her, flattening it out so the picture I had drawn would be seen clearly.

"What's this?" She picked it up and looked at it.

"I need you to make this for me; I will of course pay you for your troubles."

"Are you sure you want this? It looks awfully unflattering."

"Don't worry it will do what I need it too." I said with a devilish smile.

"I just hope that job isn't attracting men."

"Which reminds me of the next thing that I need your help with." I pulled out another drawing and she looked at it confused. "I need you to make a special corset for me."

"And what do these knives have to do with it?"

"Those are the dimensions of my knives that I need to be able to hide in the corset." She nodded. "I also need this corset to make it look as if I am a man and if someone were to feel for weapons they wouldn't be able to find any."

"Silas, why on earth would you need this? All my hard work to turn you into a lady and now you want me to do the opposite!"

"It's Beckett." I said sadly, reminded of how he was taken yesterday. Mrs. Padavick's face softened. "Something happened to him and I have to help get him back."

She didn't say a word after that. She squeezed my hand and attempted to get more information out of me, but I simply told her that it would be best if she didn't find out what I was planning. She measured me so that they would fit perfectly. With a promise that she would finish as quickly as possible I left, knowing that she wouldn't fail me. I had other tasks to perform before I started my plan.

I rode a depressed Celeg back to the house and riding fast back to the forest. I spent all night figuring out a plan that would surely get a Ranger's attention. I wouldn't need my disguise for a while and I could just wear my cloak tonight. After all it might take a while to figure out how to hide my bow and arrows in a place where a Ranger wouldn't be able to find them. My knives would be hidden inside my corset, but I wouldn't be able to use them when I wear it. My only weapon that I will be able to use is my bow so it will have to be hidden, but also I have to be able to have them ready within a few seconds. Mrs. Padavick is helping me with making my costume but she doesn't know what I have planned for it. All I hope is that she won't put it all together because I don't know what she'll do when she figures out that I will be the sorcerer tormenting the town. The robe she is making me will be hidden under my cloak and I'll be mostly invisible, plus I will be masqueraded as a man. Already, I had everything planned out except for a few small details. I had already figured out how I was going to keep any Ranger from seeing my face and knowing how humble Rangers they will respect my wishes. I would have to start that tomorrow, first I had to teach Celeg a few new tricks.

I patted Celeg on the neck as we waited patiently for the sun to lower in the sky. He wasn't quite ready, but I would wait a few more days before I really needed him. I peered around the boulder at the village, everyone now coming home after a long days work. We hid in a field of boulders under the shelter of a cliff face, below the cliff-face, a little east of the forest. That way people wouldn't think that it was automatically Beckett and I's cottage. It was also the best spot to make magic seen. I whispered to Celeg an order to stay still, even my whispers were carried through the rocks and bounced off the walls. It was all perfect in theory, but I would have to wait a bit longer until everyone was relaxed before testing it out. My cloak was inside out on purpose. I wanted people to see a sorcerer and this will help people see me better. I walked proudly into plain sight letting the last of the sunrays to cast a long shadow behind me. I concentrated and my shadow danced every other step as I walked, just so it would catch the eye of anyone looking in the area. As casually as I could, even though I wished nothing more than to slip back into the shadows, I took out my flint and steel and started a fire. Pretending to be normal was never my forte. I let the fire lick at the logs until the flames crackled with loud sparks and jumped towards the sky.

The shadows casted by the fire leapt on the surrounding rocks, allowing me to make more silhouettes dance around me. I stood up raising my arms dramatically, which felt rather silly if you ask me. My shadows ran faster around me as I willed them. I dropped my arms and the shadows zoomed into the fire as if they were absorbed by the light and then completely disappeared by the swallowing flame. I took a handful of powered out of my pocket. I had no idea what it might do to the fire but my senses, my magic senses, knew that this would get their attention. I placed equal amounts in each hand and took a step back. I was willing to throw it into the fire without knowing what might happen, but that doesn't mean that I would risky getting my hair burn off. I threw one handful into the bonfire and it exploded with sparks along with a loud crack. It looked as if I was trying to create more stars. I threw the next handful in and with an ear shattering crack the fire burst into floating embers. The crack echoed through the rocks, this one even louder than the last. If my shadows didn't get anyone's attention, then I will definitely have caused some kind of arousal now. The logs were completely splintered and tried feebly to keep the fire going but did nothing but keep the coal warm.

I put out the fire completely and left the ashes scattered on the ground. No doubt people would come and investigate tomorrow, but the strangest thing they will find will be that there are no tracts and no person responsible for it in the snow. I covered my tracks and hurried back to Celeg. I calmed him down, even though the only sign of fear was in his eyes. It was smart to leave him tonight, and when I actually need him he might be used to the sounds. "Don't worry boy," I handed him an apple knowing that he would need it. "Sorry if I scared you, but this is for Becks." I whispered to him.

I hid among the shadows, leaning against a wall. It was mid day, but peoples' eyes passed over me as if I wasn't even there. I wore the Ranger cloak so there would be no way people could link me to the sorcerer that first appeared last night. I observed the busy morning from under my cowl. The only thing that moved was my eyes as they scanned the early risers getting ready for the day. My Ranger trained ears picked up every conversation, but I knew what I was looking for. As I suspected only some people had seen what had happened on the hill last night, but it was enough to spread through the gossiping women of this town. Many more eyes will keep a sharp eye out tonight and that is just what I am hoping for.

For the next three nights, I did the exact same thing as the first night. Just so that everyone in the village would have the chance to see it and believe. Believing is what I needed to convince the people. If they didn't believe, then they wouldn't buy what I was planning for next week. I wouldn't be able to do this every night because the people would get use to it and then would be less afraid of me. Sure enough the next day people actually went up the hill and began investigating, knowing that it would be safe in the day to go. I won't come again until next week just so the comfort that they are feeling will be gone. But if everything works correctly, I should see some Rangers coming for me by the end of the month.

Mrs. Padavick sent over the grey robe I asked her to make, but was still working on the corset. She even had to re-measure two times because it was something she had never done before. Having the robe finally gave me an idea of how to hide my bow. I put Celeg in his stable because I knew how much magic freaked him out and set off in the woods. I finally found a tree that had the same colouring as my bow that would work perfectly to conceal it. Reluctantly, I unstrung both of my bows the recurve and the long bow uncomfortable having my weapons as useless as sticks. I placed them on a thin branch and concentrated. I haven't exactly mastered using my magic because I wasn't allowed, but I knew that I could will the tree into moving for me. It did take a lot of concentration as well as a lot of energy. Luckily the weather had started to warm up and the tree was starting to thaw, meaning that bending its branches would be a little easier. The branches twisted around my bows so that they looked nothing but a part of the staff. And what kind of sorcerer doesn't have his magic staff? I sawed off the branches with my Saxe knife and placed my new staff on the ground. It looked relatively normal and the bows didn't look like their normal shape so hopefully I can get away with them. Since the branches were merely wound around the bows meant that could easily get them in and out if I needed. I just hope I don't need them in a hurry because an unstrung bow would be useless.

I tried to continue my training without Becks, but it was hard to focus because I would constantly look over my shoulder to see his approval. I would just have to think of this as my very own Ranger mission. That way I will have only myself to depend on and can't always rely on grim old Ranger teachers for advice. Of course I didn't feel the slightest bit ready to be a full Ranger yet; I didn't have the most important tool to being a Ranger. More push ups for me then.

I wore my grey robe and my starry blue cloak inside out. Apparently, it doesn't turn me invisible when I'm wearing it inside out so that will help me cast the scary sorcerer's shadow. I also put my long bow, unstrung, in the staff with my other one. I should start pretending to use it if I'm going to make this work. I also put my Ranger cloak over so people would just assume that I'm Becks when I come out of this forest. "Come on Celeg." I clicked for the horse to come. He did, but he didn't look very happy about it. "Seriously stop being such a chicken, what kind of Ranger horse are you if you can fool someone into thinking you're a dragon."

'At least you don't have to wear a ridiculous costume.' I arched an eyebrow at him.

"You're not going to be seen and don't talk to me about costumes. You're not the one who has to trick a Ranger into believing that I'm a sorcerer."

'And who'd idea was that?' I was getting really annoyed with this horse.

"Do you trust anyone else to get Becks back?" I had won this one because Celeg remained silent. "Now shut up we have work we have to do." I threw a bag over my shoulder and leaped onto Celeg's back. It took a while to train Celeg a few new tricks; about the same amount of time it took for me to master mine. We raced through the trees, going around the long way so it would be less likely for people to see us. Celeg ran quickly and lightly on his hooves barely making any noise on the soft wet ground. It would be a little easier to cover my tracts tonight, all I would have to do would make sure that we didn't step in any mud and stayed on the dry dirt, we would be untraceable. When I reached the rocks, I took off the cloak so if people see me in the low light from the setting sun they would see the sorcerer and not the Ranger. I stacked the logs I had brought with me in a nice pyramid, that way if people happened to look this way they could see that something will happen tonight.

Celeg didn't look very happy in his make-shift costume. I had made them myself because Mrs. Padavick would start figuring out what I was up to if I asked her to make horns, wings, and a tale. I had already tried to make a dragon out of shadows, without having a base and it was only a foot high, not very intimidating I might add. I then tried manipulating Celeg's shadow and I could make a much more realistic shape and I could make it way bigger. "I don't know what you are complaining about; I think you look rather cute." I tried hiding my laughter, but it came out as a snort.

'This is why there is no girl Rangers in the Corps.' The horse thought darkly. My jaw dropped in disbelief. I thought the horse and I were friends; I had grown up with him.

"And here I thought you were on my side."

'Take this costume off and I might take it back.'

"It's only for a few times until we have the Ranger's attention and no one is going to see you." He rolled his eyes and allowed me to put him into position, hidden in the rocks. And then I turned to light the fire.

People were stirring; most of them stayed close to their safe homes but some dare to take a few steps closer. They watched as I did my shadow tricks, the dark shapes dancing in a circle around me. Once more I cast my magic dust into the flame and the sparks cracked loudly and jumped from the fire. But this time I only threw in one, a sorcerer would need some light to be able to see where he is going. I picked up my staff from the ground and walked pompously away from the dimmed fire. "Come now my pet, it is time." I boomed in the most masculine voice I could muster and let it be carried by the echo in the rocks. I couldn't tell if anyone could've heard it but if they did then the rumors will be that much easier to start. I walked over to Celeg and waved for him to slowly come forth. He did what he was trained to do perfectly. All he had to do was walk slowly as if he was just waking up. I concentrated hard on his shadow. With every step closer I made the dragon on the wall bigger, I even managed to stretch out the wings out as if testing them. I put up my hand and Celeg the dragon came to a stop. He was still hidden behind the rocks so people's imagination would have to take over to see what he actually looks like, but I still had a few other tricks up my sleeve. My shadow vanished from the wall as I went to the marked stone. Right beside the mark I had made last night was a hole. I cupped my hands around my mouth and placed them against the hole. I felt like a five year old boy making monster roars, but I'll have to admit mine sounded more realistic. The sounds of my amplified and echoed roar was truly an unknown sound to these common people and the strange sound would definitely come from the thing that they see, especially since I made the shadow look as if it was roaring. I came back to Celeg and patted him between his horns. It would look like he was my pet for one and it was also the next sign that I taught him and he should get ready for it. I bent down and struck my flint and steel until the end of a stick was lit in a flame. This was the trickiest part, and I had only managed to get it a few times. I had seen one of the street performers do this, but it wasn't as easy as he made it look. I took a gulp of water from my water skin, and then breathed in through my nose until my lungs were completely filled with air. I breathed out the water onto the fire and it erupted into a column of flames in front of me. What kind of dragon would Celeg be if he couldn't breathe fire? I gave him the next sign and he tilted his head up to the sky so his shadows would match the direction the flames were going. And to finish my show the shadow dragon bent down low to the earth, tucking everything in close. Then with a powerful leap with his massive legs he shot up into the air. It was hard to control the shadow the farther it flew but it flew across the night sky, only visible as it crossed in front of the nearly full moon.

I threw a bit more of my magic dust into the fire and it exploded into nothing. The only light was the moon. I stealthily moved to Celeg, turning my cloak back the right way, so I could hide completely hide in the dark. Quickly I took off Celeg's costume and put everything back in my bag. He led the way home as I covered up our tracks. "Let's wait and see how much our audience enjoyed that performance shall we?"

"I saw the whole thing!" It was the talk of the town. Again I leaned casually against the wall in my Ranger cloak simply observing the early morning risers. Seems like the entire village was up this morning and everyone looks at the cliff face several times over their shoulders. "Did you hear about it?" And what better way to get information then to listen to the women gossiping.

"No, but Mary told me it was horrifying." Another lady said.

"I swear it was a dragon, even some of the men are going up there later." Good luck trying to find anything. It wasn't just the women talking about it; the men had started gathering volunteers looking for anyone brave enough and able to brand a sword to join in on their campaign. By the time everyone was up, the word had spread faster than wildfire.

"Follow me boys." A fool-hardy townsman called to the group of males behind him. In total there were a dozen of them, none of them with any real training with handling the makeshift weapons they carried. Against a real dragon these farmers would be nothing but burnt meat digesting in its stomach. I followed them silently. I wanted to make sure that they came back believing that there is a dragon and a sorcerer at play. They trudged up the hill until they reached the cliff face. Even though there was no sign of the monster, I saw several of the men grasp their weapons tighter. They were in no way soldiers, just men trying to prove their bravery. "Keep eyes open and stay together." Said the same man from before. Pretending to be with the group I moved a little closer, more into the open with an arrow knocked in my recurve bow. That way they wouldn't be freaked out if I just appeared like Rangers normally do. They probably would think I was the sorcerer if I did because they already had their suspicions about Rangers. They shuffled around the boulders, cautiously looking for any sign. Several jumped at the wind blowing through the branches.

"I don't see anything!" One man gave up and was quickly shushed by the others. "There is no damn dragon." Most relaxed now knowing that there was no immediate harm. But that is the opposite of what I wanted.

"But what about last night?" Another asked speculative.

"But there is no proof!" They all turned to the leader of the pack. He wasn't really a figure with authority so he wasn't ready for any sort of actually leading.

"You, hunter." He pointed and they all looked at me. Did he not know a Ranger when he sees one? How dare he call a King's Ranger a hunter? Well I'm not technically a Ranger yet but still I'm insulted! A Ranger is no simple hunter. Smartly I didn't say anything. If they knew I was a Ranger then they probably would've freaked out by now. But how did they miss the signature cloak worn only by Rangers. "Can you track this beast?" They all waited for my answer.

"Of course." I said in my most manly voice. I made a salute secretly pulling my hood down a little bit further. They will pay for that hunter remark.

With the fire ashes everywhere and the claws marks plus several faint footprints, I easily made it clear to the men of this village that there is in fact a dragon. I found the marks I had made last night and showed them; really they were easy enough for the town idiot to see. Any person would've been able to find them; I just made the dragon that much more of a threat. I also made a guess to how scarred they should be of this beast by telling them how big it would be. They continued their search when they had no more use for me and attempted to find the dragon's den but came up short. Some were still on the sceptical side but they were at least weary.

Their attempts at heroics ended when they reluctantly headed back to their homes. But this search also reminded me that I will have to think of and fast. The men will be first to face the dragon once it shows it's shadow again but after them no doubt there will be knights. Knight will be as easily fooled but they will have the bravery to come closer so they can slay the beast. I had to figure that out before it's too late.

I had to get the Rangers here because battling one knight is easy, all I had to do was throw the some exploding fire onto them and they would be kept back. Then I was able to hide the dragon within the trees and attack the knight with the branches. It took almost everything I had to pretend to be a dragon but I was starting to worry that it wasn't going to be enough. The next time they would be more than one fool-hearty knight trying to save the innocent town. Luckily the ground was hard enough not to leave any marks that a normal hunter would be able to find because Celeg usually had to carry me back home and tuck me in.

I just finished building my flaming arrows; they would be tonight's newest feature. I had already mapped out which homes would suffer the least amount if they would to catch fire. They also were the houses that usually watched the sceptical so they would easily be able to put out the fire. I remember Becks saying something about not hurting civilians, but technically the outcomes far outweigh the risks and technically I wasn't going to hurt anyone just the building beside them.

I scrapped some rocks together making it sound like giant claws scrapping against the rocks underneath. It was also the signal I taught Celeg to quickly get out of there. The shadow on the cliff face looked as if the winged monster pounced high into the air. I saw the three sword drawn knights cover in fear of getting hit by the dragon. They wouldn't get to slay the beast tonight. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Celeg disappear into the darkness. Staying in the shadows myself I picked up my bow and chose one of the flaming arrows. Before I lit it I made the dragon roar from the hollow in the rocks. The knights never saw the cloaked figure light the flaming tip with expert precision, nor did they see the next five shot all in a row with speed that could only come with years of practice. That's because they weren't looking for the sorcerer, he wasn't that much of a threat. They only saw fires erupt from multiple places around the town and rushed to help.

Celeg nudged me from behind, when we were completely alone. The fire had died so no eyes would see the shapes watching the scene below. He nudged me again.

'I did my part now take off the costume.' I rolled my eyes at him and did what he asked. Cries come from below and we watched as people ran to douse the fires. I don't know what they're complaining about; the fire was only that high because the dry hay was on fire. They will realise that they arrived just in time to save their precious homes and they will soon be sleeping soundly with their families. This was the only way to get mine back.

"Think we have the Rangers' attention yet?" I asked Celeg. He shrugged; well if horses could shrug Celeg would be doing so at this very moment. We waited until all the fires had been put out. The villagers all took a cautious glance at the sky before heading back inside. Don't worry there shouldn't be another attack anytime soon. Well unless that it was the key to getting the Rangers, then it might happen again.

It's getting close to a month since Becks has been away. I had everything I needed, every eventuality already accounted for. Mrs. Padavick made the corset perfectly; apparently there was no way to make it more comfortable. She showed me the compartments that could hide my knives and made me test them just in case. With the amount of padding on the outsides that would conceal if I was padded down, you would think she could put some to line the inside. To pay for it I had to spend a day with her with a couple of her suitors, worst part of it was that she got to dress me how she wanted. I wasn't the best company to have with as most of the young men found out quickly. I was busy running through my plan in my head over and over.

I was done dealing with soldiers trying to slay the best. I even put away the dragon for a bit because a sorcerer is a little trickier to deal with than a dragon. I put on more shows, using a little bit more of my magic just to make sure that the soldiers would stay clear until professionals are called. This is the fifth night in a row that I have sat in the back corner of the tavern of the inn, watching every single person who entered. I wore just a simple black cloak and my blue dress underneath. My hood covered my face so the dinking men would have more chances of ignoring me. I tapped my fingernails on the hard wooden table.

"I don't understand why you're here Silas." Mrs. Padavick poured me another cup of coffee, the last time before she headed up for bed. She had to be up early to start breakfast for her customers. I arched an eyebrow at her and took a sip from my steaming mug. "I know, I know, don't ask because this is all for Beckett." She put up her hand defeated and shook her head as she walked back to the bar. She knew she wouldn't be able to get any answers from me, but it didn't stop her from being curious and a little worried about me.

The bell from the door rang as it was pushed open. The only people to notice them were Mr. Padavick and me. To cloaked figures walked in and a victory smile crept across my face. It would be a safe guess to say that I was the only one who found the two grey and green cloaks comforting. What worried me was that there are two Rangers. The old saying went: one problem, one Ranger. Why are there two? I could consider that as a compliment but I had a hunch that it was something else all together. Plus I would have to rethink some parts of my plan. Without moving my head I followed them as they sat down at the table and to my luck the table next to mine. Of course I knew they would've chosen the next best seat in the house, one that's in the corner and that can watch the entrance. They said nothing but I could feel a set of eyes on me. It was now or never. I turned around in my seat and let my hood pulled my hood back, my long dark brown hair falling in curled locks. I smiled sweetly at them, as if I was a normal lady. "So are you two here to slay the dragon or the sorcerer?"

Authors' Note: OOOooo any guesses who the Rangers are? If you have no idea, then you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out but we think it's pretty obvious who they are. But what is going to happen next? That is the better question and that will be the way to keep you reading this story after this boring one. I hope it wasn't too bad but we do promise a very exciting chapter... Gilan might even be in it. We can't exactly be 100% but we promise he will be in the story eventually. Review please!

Love, C&M

Guest-leave your name next time so you know this is for you! You'll have to wait and find out how Becks and Luther come back into the story... Gilan will come... eventually :). Thanks for the review!

Kat-the-dreamer- Some of the characters will be in it but I haven't quite decided which ones. The only bad part about stretching it out is that you'll probably start coming after me asking when they will actually get together because I like to tease my readers. Thanks so much for the review it really means a lot.

Athena's Warrior- And you'll eventually find out why I needed to have sorcery in this story. I did not know that you could get bruises... I might put that in my story. Thanks for the review!

Adrianna- We will see Gilan... eventually as I have told everyone else. I love reading your reviews they actually make me laugh. Thanks so much for your review they really are awesome to get. I'll do my best to type as fast as I can.