With a deep Thrum the arrow whistled away from Will's long bow on the palisade guarding the Oberjarl's Palace. Will stared out into the flickering torch light of the main city. He had seen one of them, he was sure of it. He was also certain he had hit the Genovesan that was creeping around out there.
"This is by far the worst situation we've ever faced," Horace muttered a few meters away, his sword held loosely at his side.
"We've faced armies before," Will commented his eyes scanning the streets. "We took a castle with a single wolfship crew, this is nothing."
"This is exactly like in Nihon-Ja, except we are at even more of a disadvantage," Horace moved carefully across the wooden floorboards toward Will.
"Really? What makes you say that?"
"No reinforcements," Horace whispered coming to stand beside his long time comrade. "Did you hit him?"
"Yes," he was not going to give himself any room for doubt. Will had hit that man trying to sneak up to the palace. "Are the archers assembled yet?"
"They should be coming into position," Horace looked behind them to the yard, the archers were gathering into rows. He nodded even though he knew no one would see him. "They're forming up."
"Good, I think it's about to begin."
It was nearing midnight. Maddie would be arriving at any minute with Johnny and Angie and they were meaning to flush the purple clad assassins from hiding. The senior jarls had ordered all of the women and children to their homes, all the men were stationed to defend the gates of the palace, and every building had been inspected and closed up. The archers were going to fire volley after volley into the streets with the Skandians upending everything that could provide shelter.
There was no way these Genovesans were going to complete their contract. Not if Will had any say in the matter. And fortunately, Will had a lot of say in this matter. He glanced over his shoulder at the archers, satisfied at how quickly they were organizing themselves. As soon as the others arrived they would begin the purge of the city.
"Where are they?" Horace asked staring out over the wall.
"I'm sure they're coming," He knew they would be there soon. Maddie would not allow anything to happen to the children, and they had been given a very simple task. Nothing should have bothered them.
"We need to start," Horace whispered a minute later when there was still no sign of Maddie and the apprentices. "If we wait too long their nerves with get the better of them," the old friends looked over the wall at the seawolves mulling about.
The Skandians would not get nervous, they would just grow bored. Will nodded, looking up with his eyes to scan the street. Where were they?
"Okay, give the order." Will slipped his longbow over his shoulder, pulling his cowl low over his face. "I'll be back soon."
"I'm not going to have them fire while you're out there," Horace grabbed Will's arm before he could start down the steps to the yard. "What are you doing?" he searched his friends face for some indication.
"I'm going to find them. They should be here," Will slipped his arm from Horace's grasp and started down the stair. "Give the order Horace, we'll be fine."
Will moved past the Skandians at the gate, offering gruff encouragement as he passed and telling them the party was about to begin. The Skandians grinned sending their weapons spinning around them in anticipation. Will moved on, lurking in the shadows toward the green where Maddie was supposed to rendezvous with Angie and Johnny.
There was a single figure in the green, her mottled cloak mostly hiding her from sight. Will sighed in relief; they just had not arrived yet. He raced across the green to his former apprentice and knelt at her side.
"They should be here already," Maddie whispered looking toward the storage area by the docks. "I saw the last of the seawolves come out already," she cast Will a worried glance.
"Did the seawolves report anything?" Will asked, his eyes scanning the area around them for threats.
"They said it was all clear," Maddie adjusted slightly. "Do you think the Genovesans were down there?"
"It's possible," Will hoped that was not true. He would have preferred the apprentices to be lost somewhere, at least then they would be safe. "But you would have heard something."
"I heard your bow, did you get him?" Will nodded. "So there are only three now."
"That's three too many," Will said darkly. "And I'm not sure how much damage I caused the one I hit. It was a close thing."
"Are we going to look for them?"
Again Will nodded, "Horace is giving the order, the sweep is about to begin." The Rangers rose to their feet and started down the street.
The storages were empty, the torches extinguished. One of them was missing, the bracket still warm from where the fire had burned. Maddie lit another of the torches holding it aloft for them to see by.
"They followed the Skandians out," Will knelt by a wide circle of steps. Where Angie had stood while the Skandians where in their storages. He saw the signs of where Johnny had stood next to her, he followed her tracks in to and out of the four units on the end and then down the walk after the Skandians. "Come on, this way."
The tracks wove through the streets in a random pattern, moving farther and farther from the green. Will followed them with a frown creasing his features. They had no reason to come this way.
"Look," Maddie stopped up ahead of Will while he checked to make sure they were going the right way. "They were followed," she motioned for Will to come and see what she had found.
Three sets of prints come in behind the apprentices. Had Angie suspected they were being followed and set off in search of a site for a confrontation? Or had she seen them and tailed after them to gather information? Both were likely options, exactly the kind of thing a Ranger would do.
"Where does this road go?" Maddie asked looking down the dark road they were following.
"If memory serves, it goes to the shipyard," Will answered straightening. "Let's go, I have a bad feeling about all of this."
They ran down the road. They were just passing out of the residential houses when they saw Johnny running down the road.
Will's throat constricted so quickly he could not breathe. Johnny was alone, he and Angie had come this way together and now Johnny was in a full retreat. Johnny came to a staggering halt between them, doubled over gasping for breath.
"The Genovesans are in the shipyard," he gasped looking up at Will. "I don't know how many, but they were trying to take us out. They know that we know."
"Where's Angie?" Will felt his stomach drop as Johnny shook his head, his eyes falling to the ground.
"She saved me," he ran his hand across his cheeks. "She pushed me out of the way."
"Where is she?" Will took the boy by the shoulders, hauling him upright. "What happened to her? Was she shot, is she hurt?"
Johnny looked away, he could not meet the Ranger's eyes, "she saved me," he repeated meekly. "Why would she do that, I didn't deserve to be saved. I should have," he could not finish the thought. "She wants you Will. I made her a promise, we have to save her."
Will dropped the boy, running as fast as he could down the road. Something was wrong, the Genovesans were out there, they were trying to kill Angie. Who was he trying to fool, they probably had killed her. He was going to run into a trap.
But he had no choice, Angie was out there, she needed him. He was her mentor, her guardian, the closest thing to a father the child would ever know. He would rush to her aide no matter the costs.
"I'm coming," he whispered leaving Maddie and Johnny behind in a flickering dome of light.
He ran into the ship yard, looking for Angie or the Genovesans. All he could see where the half constructed ships and piles of lumber. Where would they have set her? Where had the trap been laid?
Years of training took over as Will entered the yard. He looked for hiding places, advantage points, escape routes, likely ambush sites, and the signs of everyone who had come through there. Steadying his breathing Will entered the shipyard, his every move measured and every step checked.
Three people had come in ahead of or behind Angie and Johnny, the tracks on the road was all the proof Will needed. He had not seen anyone leave, the only recent tracks heading out belonged to Johnny. Will knew that would not mean anything, the Genovesans could have left via another route.
Three potential targets. Three potential threats. One disabled Ranger apprentice. And one Ranger. The odds were not looking good. But they never where. Will could manage this, he had been in tight spots before.
He pulled his bow from his shoulder and nocked an arrow, sliding against a pile of lumber as he moved deeper into the yard. He stopped at the end of the pile, taking a deep breath ready to rush to the next cover. He would assume they knew where he was.
Always expect the worst, you'll never be surprised.
What he would give for some of Halt's advice in this situation. Halt would already have a plan, Will had no idea what to do. He still had no idea where Angie was in this place and what her condition was.
He moved deeper in the yard, casting wary glances around every corner, running through the shadows waiting for the hum of a crossbow bolt flying for his chest. He was close to the center of the yard and still nothing. What where they waiting for?
He heard it before he saw anything. The low moan of a person in pain, no. They were in anguish. Will's stomach dropped again remembering what Johnny had said, "She pushed me out of the way." Had she been shot, was she being tormented?
Will pulled his saxe knife and held it up so her could see around the corner. The dim light of a dying torch provided just enough light for him to see the scattered wooden beams used for the skeleton of the wolfships. He could hide amid the strewn lumber while he determined what had happened to Angie. He slipped the knife back in the scabbard, returned the nocked arrow to his quiver and rushed to one of the logs.
He slid in on his knees, stretching out against the sanded wood with his bow tucked into his cloak. He had expected to be shot during his rush. He was waiting for the thud of the arrows hitting the wood. Slowly Will counted to twenty, nothing. He lifted his head looking around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Moving through the lumber was easier than he had expected. In the center of the mess he found Angie. She was stretched out on her stomach, one of her legs was broken in two places along with one of her arms. She was gasping for breath, straining against her own body, broken ribs. Will felt tears welling in his eyes, he would have preferred her to be shot with the poisonous crossbow bolts.
"Hello, signor."