ENJOY!!..

Chapter 12 – The Story About Will

Halt got about two hours sleep that night. Gilan woke him just before dawn proposing that they could leave later if he wanted but Halt would hear none of it. Just because he was tired didn't mean Will should suffer.

The Unit woke not much longer after that and Gilan also woke Joel. After he did this he ordered Joel to remove his shirt so that he could look at the injuries. Gilan gasped. Covering Joel's body were numerous cuts and bruises from various tools. Gilan applied a healing salve but at the present that was all he could do.

Breakfast was small and cold before setting out once again. As each man carried his own supplies there were no spare horses, so Joel had to ride double with Gilan.

Halt, Gilan and Joel rode in front of the Unit as they were the ones doing the tracking. After a while Gilan felt Joel breath in deeply, obviously in thought.

"Something on your mind?" he asked. He couldn't see the younger male's face but he guessed it was in a frown.

"No..well, yes...but not really...I don't know..." Joel replied, totally lost.

Gilan laughed slightly. "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't answer a question thoroughly." He paused, then asked, "Do you want to tell me about it."

There was silence for a moment until Gilan felt Joel breath in again, this time to speak.

"Speaking of telling about things...you were going to tell me about Will, were you not?"

Because that's not changing the subject at all, Gilan thought to himself.

At the mention of his lost apprentice Halt looked at Joel.

"Well?" he jabbed impatiently.

Halt sighed. Even if Gilan didn't know how Halt felt about Will, the fact that he showed outward sadness was enough for him to know just how much losing him meant.

"Will is my apprentice." Halt said finally.

Joel nodded. "And? What's the big fuss about him."

Gilan could see how painful it was for Halt to relive the moment again so he took over.

"Halt and Will live at Redmont and a couple of days ago Will was kidnapped. We don't know who by. Will was beaten and when Halt found him he was beaten as well. Halt woke up and went to the castle for the Baron's help to find him. A courier was sent to me and I left as soon as it reached me. I set out with the Unit you see now and Halt left after because he was still recovering from his beatings. Last night Halt caught up and well...here we are." Gilan finished. He noticed that sometime during his telling the story Halt dropped back to talk to the Captain of the Unit.

"Oh..." Joel said.

After that Halt rode up and joined them again and the three rode in silence. Around two hours before midday Halt and Gilan were forced to dismount and study the ground before them. Up until now there were tracks for four horses. One of the tracks was considerably more indented than the others, presumably because the horse was not only carrying the rider but Will as well.

Now though, it seemed that another two horses, coming from the opposite direction had joined them. The now six horse party had then split into two groups. Three horses went straight ahead and the other three veered off into the forest that they had been travelling alongside. The Rangers were now deciding whether to follow the forest group, the straight ahead group or split themselves into two groups and follow both. Generally Halt was against splitting your forces while tracking an unknown enemy and not knowing where you were going but this situation called for it. Gilan would take the forest tracks with Joel and half the Unit, while Halt took the road tracks with the other half.

"They are probably just trying to throw us off," Halt said. "But we can't risk not knowing. We need to know our enemy."

Before they parted Halt took Gilan aside, alone. "Keep an eye on that boy," he said.

"You don't trust him?" his first apprentice asked him, slightly surprised.

"It's not that, something's just not right."

Gilan nodded. "Ok."

Halt watched as Gilan led the half-Unit through the trees. Then he turned to his own, "Let's go," he said quietly.

only short...I know I know...but I was bored so I just shoved it on....

also I'm updating WWHI??..Book 4 rly soon because my #1 fan *glares lovingly at HKD* keeps on bugging me.....

luv u all..

passion.