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Chapter 11 - In The Trees
"What was that?!"
Will held his breath and silently hoped that they would dismiss the noise. His hopes were dashed when someone said,
"Back there! There's someone in the trees!"
Will knew the mistake that most people made was to move and as much as he just wanted to run, his training kicked in and he stayed silent and still.
He felt, rather than saw, most of the men crowd around the base of the tree.
"I can't really see anything..."
"Maybe it was just an animal?"
"Someone go up there and check."
"I'm not doing it!"
"Neither am I!"
Will could hear the mutters of the men as they looked for him. It was dark, in the middle of a forest; no-one could actually see Will and they were small minded men. Will thought it safe to say that they were nervous. Then Will began to panic when one voice rose above the others.
"I'll do it."
All the men stopped talking. Will heard as he handed his sword to someone else and started climbing.
Will held his breath.
Whether he stayed as he was or moved, Will would be seen. It was just the simple matter of deciding which option was less risky.
He looked up and around. There was a branch of another tree overlapping a branch from the one he was on, just little way above him. If Will could make it unseen and unheard he might have a chance. That decided him. A chance, no matter how dangerous, was better than no.
As silently and slowly as he could manage Will, with both feet now on the good branch since the other broke, quietly crept up a couple of feet. So grateful that he still had his Ranger cloak to help camouflage. When he reached the height he needed he carefully balanced on the branch. He needed to walk out onto it a bit until he reached the crossover. Although the branch was sturdy it was also thin, once he started Will knew he wouldn't be able to turn back.
He took the first step.
Underneath him Will could vaguely hear the laboured breathing of the volunteered man. He was obviously not used to climbing whereas Will found it as easy as walking.
Will stood up and took the first couple of steps. There was turning back now.
"Can you see anything Troy?" someone below called.
"Not yet!" was the reply. Will was startled to hear how close the man, Troy, actually was. He may not have been the quietest or most comfortable climber but he was fast.
Will just reached the other branch when he heard Troy reach his height.
Not for the first time that night, Will froze. Hoping, wishing, praying that he would not be seen.
Luck was not on his side tonight.
"I found him!" Troy's triumphant voice suonded throughout the trees.
Will took the final step onto the other branch. Now that he had been seen there was no use keeping still.
"Hey!" Troy shouted. "Stop right there, you little sneak!" Then he called down to the other men, "He's going on to the next tree!"
As fast as he could Will moved along the branch. He had no idea what he was going to do. Now that they were aware of his presence Will wouldn't be able to get to the ground.
Troy took no care about his balance as he moved across the branches. His only thought was to get Will and he needed to catch up. Being the big man he was, it didn't take him long.
Will, now in the curve of the branch and the trunk, saw no other option. He turned to fight the oncoming man.
Troy threw a punch at Will - who nimbly dodged it. Expecting to meet a resisting force but coming up against none sent Troy off balance. Will took his chance and shouldered the bigger man, hoping to send him reeling out of the tree but he regained his balance just in time. As Will rammed into him he grabbed Will's head and brought his knee up to meet the boy's face, then he let go. Dazed, Will took a step back and lost his footing.
As he fell he linked his arms around the branch. Troy kicked him in the side of the head and then stood on his hands. Will cried out in pain. When Troy moved his feet Will's hands were on fire and he just couldn't hold on.
Troy gave him a wicked smile and Will fell.
Luckily there was a branch a few feet below Will and he landed on that. As he did his head smashed back against the hard surface.
The below men watched as Will's limp form fell onto the next branch and then to the ground.
He groaned. That had hurt, a lot.
Slowly he rolled himself over onto his back and pushed back the darkness that threatened his vision.
Will couldn't move. He was sure that he had broken at least his leg in the fall. He felt blood slowly oozing from the back of his head, where he hit it. It seemed like an eternity until someone finally came over. In the state that he was in Will did not realise that it was Troy, no-one else moved.
"He's still alive," Troy called. Although he called softly Will was forced to bring his almost dead hands to his ears as the voice roared and echoed through his pounding head. "And miraculously awake!"
Slowly the rest of the men gathered round. "We'd better take him back," a voice said after a time. The loud had gone to almost dead quiet and Will was not entirely sure if it was a good or bad thing that he couldn't stand the noise one moment and could barely hear a thing the next.
Troy bent down and dragged the boy up. Will cried out as his abused body screamed in protest of the movement and his leg gave way. Roughly, though it seemed much worse than that to Will, two men began to drag him. Somewhere, something in Will's muddled mind told him to fight back and not let these people just drag him away but as soon as he attempted to struggle he instantaneously regretted it. His body weak and mind grey with haze Will gave in and let himself be taken away.
Will was in a semiconscious state as he was dragged closer and closer to the destination that held a man that he was absolutely horrified by.
Eventually Will's journey stopped and he realised he was back inside that dreaded tent and that man was standing close by.
"Who found him?" Morgarath's icy voice cut through the air like an arrow as he addressed the men.
Troy was quick to jump up. "I did, my Lord. Sneaky little brat hid in the trees, we heard him and I went up and got him. Well, he fell but that was after he started to fight me, I can say I easily won the fight, if you can call it that." Troy boasted proudly.
Morgarath nodded slowly, digesting the information. "Very well," he said. "You may leave."
"But my Lord..." Troy protested.
"But what?" Morgarath turned his cold eyes onto him once again.
Troy took one look into the eyes and withdrew his complaint. "N-nothing my L-lord."
Truth be told Troy was hoping that because he recaptured Will he would be praised and promoted but obviously Morgarath had different ideas.
Will watched the exchange lethargically but too weak to take in any of its meaning.
Once the men left Morgarath turned to Will who was slumped in a chair, slightly off to the side.
"Dear Will," he cooed. "Whatever will I do with you? Hmm? You must understand that it isn't right for you to run off like that. I'm, unfortunately, going to have to punish you for this incident. Everything bad has its consequences and what you did was extremely bad."
He paused a moment to let the words sink in.
The words came to Will through a long tunnel and echoed every step of the way. After a minute or so Morgarath saw the fear creep into Will's dark eyes. He smiled but then frowned as he saw the fear replaced by a calm determination.
"I did nothing wrong." Will said slowly, knowing his words were true. "You are in the wrong. Torturing people, taking their lives. And one day you will pay. Halt will make sure of that."
Outraged, Morgarath stepped forward and slapped Will. He had been on the brink of unconsciousness since the fall and that tiny force of pain had Will welcoming its awaiting arms.
And it granted Will that one thing.
hope u enjoyed it...I wrote it while watching Harry Potter 3 and eating chocolate cake...
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