Hullo citizens of Araluen,

I am sooooooooooo sorry about the update…ughhh writer's block….. You all know how it is. This chapter is a bit fillerish…ugggh I hate writing filler… Any way on a brighter note..well brighter for me XD.. I'm going to summer camp next Sunday for two weeks! I'll try to fit one more update before I go;)

Answer to guest reviews:

Unfocused And Confused: Hey! I'm so glad you dropped a review inJ You guys are both great betas and you are right about the McNeil/ MacNeil thing.

Thanks for review: Dash99, Lorrie the Ninja Elf and Unfocused and Confused

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Chapter 7- One Important Detail

-Seriya Silvermist

Crowley POV

The boy was shivering again; of anything…shivering. It was at least 90 degrees in Harin, and even more in the inn. His head was beaded with sweat making it very hard to stich it up, and of course the shivering was not helping at all. I was almost done; the large cut had taken hours to sew just over half way up.

The galloping hooves of a horse could be heard throughout the town; ringing against the flagstones that lined the marketplace. This I knew was not a familiar animal for no horse I had met would make that much noise, nor run through any town at that pace. That was why I questioned the sounds of the animal drawing near when Picad greeted the rider with a friendly nicker. Who could it be; no ranger horse would make that much sound even if they were riding that fast, and no knight he had often worked with would have the decency to arrive unannounced like this.

Focus Crowley! I scolded myself. I had one of my closest friend's son's life in my hands, and I was thinking about a galloping horse of all things! That was the curse of being a ranger, you tended to get distracted from the smallest of things that a normal person wouldn't notice…or at least I did. I absolutely did not doubt that Halt got distracted too.

"Crowley…..Crowley….CROWLEY!" A familiar voice sounded behind me. "Stop, the bo-"

"What are you doing here Halt, I've got it under control!" I was seething, Halt thinking I couldn't take care of a situation; like usual

"Under control?" Halt retorted sarcastically "you seemed to overlook one important detail"

"And what was that?" I shot back. Halt was a good friend, but he got….annoying at times. No annoying was not the right word…maybe…vexatious. Yes, vexatious; Halt was very vexatious.

"You saw the fight, Crowley, the punch; it couldn't have done that much damage."

"You thin-"

"I'm sure" This was bad. Halt thought the stranger had, had a blade in his hand; poisoned by how Gilan was suffering. I immediately stopped sewing, and started to undo the last stiches. If the blade had been poisoned we had to track it down and find out the type of toxin they had used. Now that would be a problem.

"Mira!" I called to the blonde girl. "Where did they take the man's body?"

"It's right-" Mira's voice trailed off.

"…..Mira, what's wrong" I was wary of the next thing the girl was going to say.

"It's not here" The serving girl muttered; almost in a trance.

"What do you mean it's not here?" I demanded feeling slightly perturbed

"It's gone." Than seeing the look of utter confusion; than the anger that replaced it she continued "Come and see for yourself, sir"

I pushed myself up from my spot on the floor, and hurried over to spot the body had been. What Mira had said was true…it was gone.

I screamed in frustration and defeat; then kicked the solid table next to me. Two lives;….two lives; my mistakes had almost cost me two lives;…almost. There was no way…whoever they are…was going to get away with almost killing my best friend, and basically…well…killing, his apprentice, but neither of them were dead….yet.

I mean all the corps knew Halt would get himself killed eventually….it was only a matter of time. Halt was what one would call….reckless…. and lawless for that matter.

But Gilan was still young. Of what I had seen from the apprentice I could tell he had promise. I didn't miss how light on his feet he was; most likely from sword training, or how he almost naturally was blending into the back ground when he stood still. Sure there were a couple of problems, like the fact that every single emotion played out clearly on his face, but that could be taken care of.

"Halt, come here" I commanded, slightly frustrated

"Crowley" Halt responded as stoic as usual

"Go outside and search for relatively fresh tracks; ones with two people riding one horse."

"And what do you wish to accomplish with this?" He asked sarcastically

"Well the body had to go somewhere" I retorted slightly annoyed with my friend

"I suppose you're right" He muttered defeated

I momentarily enjoyed my small victory. It was rare when I…or anyone for that matter got the better of Halt…Well rare was an understatement and I enjoyed beating the odds.

I was jolted back to reality when Mira asked "What about Gilan?"

"Ahhh….do you know where the closest healer is?"

"In Carney I believe" Carney was an even smaller town south of Harin, that was all I knew about.

"How far away is it?"

"About two days ride….Why do you ask?" She looked slightly perturbed

"…Can you ride a horse Mira?" This plan was not the greatest I had ever had….but it would have to do. What else could we have done in this situation? It's not as if we could have told Gilan to get up and walk there.

"You mean…." She turned stark white "I can't…I won't…I-"

"Will! You will!" She was starting to get on my nerves..and it was not often that I got angry. "Don't you realize this isn't about some little personal vendetta? Just because he was richer than you; maybe sat around in a castle with an easy life…. Well that's what it is…It's his life Mira."

The girl looked at me terrified. Then her jaw tightened and her back straightened; determined. She wiped the tears from her eyes and said "You're right…" She sat down in a chair.

"Mira, Mira look at me" I knelt down next to her. "If it helps any" I said with a small smile. "He's a ranger now not a noble….noble's don't go tromping around the woods or dancing with inn girls for that matter."

She laughed a little "I suppose you're right, but it's so hard not to despise nobles. They sit around in their castles and eat all day, sit behind a desk filling out paper work and have people serve them. They don't have to work to live; they don't work to live like everyone else!"

"I know Mira believe me… I know"

Mira turned towards the stables out back but suddenly turned back around and questioned "Sir…how did he ..you know…become a ranger?"

My eyes sparkled with mirth. "Not all of us don't get into battle school you know"

Did ya'll catch my reference? Comment it for a virtual cookie! And guess what…more Mira! I never expected to make her a relevant character... tell me what you think! Thanks to Savannah Silverstone for betaing!

-Silvermist