So finally I am able to update faster than usual though you probably shouldn't get to used to this. I was going to hold back this chapter even though I had finished it but decided against it since I have been lame in my promise to update every two weeks or so. HOWEVER, I will say this is a cliff hanger so if you really really don't like cliff hangers maybe you should wait for the next one (I don't think I will take that long though it depends on how I feel with Horace.)
Yes, Horace is finally coming and I will confess since he is perhaps my favorite character in the whole series I've been a little reluctant about writing about him since I am afraid I will never be able to capture his true self. Maybe I do sound a little lame by this but hey...
In any case, I hope to update soon. Thank you for all those following and reviewing I really enjoy reading all this comments and please please help me out if I'm not doing what I'm supposed to. Keep reviewing!
:)
xx.
"Thanks." She whispered after some minutes of friendly silence.
Although it had been there for a while now, it wasn't until that moment that she suddenly became aware of his arm being so close to her back she could feel the warmth radiating from it. She wasn't sure she wanted him to move though knew she should keep her distance; whether it was Mazoniria or Araluen she doubted being too close to another person was publicly accepted in a special, unphrasable sort of way and had no intentions of allowing for lies to begin spreading about her. Besides, she had come to dislike the shaky, uncontrolled feeling she got when he came too close and knew if she didn't do something about it, she would later regret it as it would only injure her. That was the main code from the Academy: "Control leads to power. Emotions to slavery." Even though she knew she couldn't take it word for word, the idea was something that had allowed many who understood its true meaning to become successful and even when most of the teachings of the Academy were cruel and not approved by other cultures, she still thought that main code had no way to truly be debunked.
Thus, she lost no time in sending Gilan back to sleep, assuring him she was feeling better and thanking him again as she had truly enjoyed his company for the past couple of hours. She watched him settle in his blankets realizing how cold and lonely she felt without him and with a painful hit remembered that was how it was going to be for the next days until he came back with the report after doing some watching in the east and mobilizing the Rangers in those fiefs to keep their senses alert. That meant at least two or three weeks without seeing him and even though she enjoyed Halt's company she knew it wouldn't be the same without the long legged Ranger talking with her and sharing jokes and making her feel out of balance.
Lost in thought, she made herself comfortable and watched her surroundings, invisible to any passer-by yet as ready and alert as a wild cat when stalking its pray. The moon shifted above and the breeze rustled fallen leaves through the camp and swept the ashes from their fire. Maiah searched in the darkness for anything that could pose a threat suddenly realizing how different tonight was from all those before in which she had watched the camp. She remembered the first time Prowessa had trusted her with the sleeping men as they had advanced east to set down one of the rebellions that had broken out under the former queen. Some revolutionaries had caught her off guard and once her mentor learned of her mistake she had been punished accordingly. After that time as an apprentice she had forced her senses to become sharper than anyone in the empire not so that she could guard the troops or—in those occasions when they traveled together—the Seers and royals, but rather so that she wouldn't be punished again. Now, however, she found herself being alert and watchful in fear of something happening to those sleeping before her; unlike the past, this time she would do anything to keep the camp entrusted to her out of danger and safe until they put her down from that post.
Halt had watched the whispering pair since he heard Gilan move from his sleeping spot. He hadn't turned his head so as to keep them unaware of his consciousness though listened carefully as they spoke in the silence of the night. He couldn't help wondering what had made them believe they could actually talk in whispers without him waking up and hearing them though decided to keep them in their fantasy and wouldn't interfere with their conversation. In the last few days he had seen how his two traveling companions had slowly grown closer than they were before setting out on the trip and was glad they were making of the trip a less tiresome experience despite the gravity of their business. He wondered if there was something going on between them that he had been too "manly"—as Pauline used to tell him—to see it though as soon as the thought appeared he realized how foolish he was in thinking that as Maiah—due to how she had been brought up—probably knew too little on the matter for it to grow so quickly; simultaneously, he knew Gilan and knew by that goofy grin he had arrived with the night before departing and the sad glance when they left Redmont that he had someone else in mind and wouldn't go playing around in such a way. He didn't have to put much thought into who the lucky cook was either.
Although at first he had thought they had simply used this time to say their good byes without the old beardy man hovering over them—he almost laughed at their childish actions—he soon realized they weren't really talking about parting from each other. He didn't want to snoop on them and was sure if anything important or vital that was said Gilan would tell him though he couldn't help trying to overhear what was happening when he heard her sniffling quietly. Deciding Gilan truly had a way for people to open up to him and giving one last quick thought on the two of them being close friends and a nice working pair, Halt closed his eyes and went back to sleep until he heard Maiah whisper his name for the shift change.
The next morning there wasn't much talk as they got ready for the road. Halt could tell Gilan seemed a little sad though managed to hide it most of the times while Maiah only distanced herself and kept her inscrutable expression on at all times. Halt rolled his eyes more than a couple times though said nothing, instead busying himself with the packing and building of the fire for some coffee not wanting to make the whole thing worse than it already was. He was worried about both his former apprentices going away on their own to the coast where the attack was 99.9% for sure going to come from, especially Will, though Gilan was also being put at risk. He was still struggling to find the right way to remind the tall Ranger to be careful without sounding like he didn't trust him but still telling him he would miss him and he cared for him. For the millionth time in his life he wished Pauline was there to help him out or at least that some of his wife's tactfulness had rubbed off on him in the past years.
Finally, they cleared camp and loaded the horses. As she saddled Mane, Maiah noticed the two Rangers getting their beasts ready next to each other and most possibly talking. She wondered if Gilan—who seemed to be the one speaking as Halt only nodded—was telling his friend about what she had said the night before. She didn't really mind him telling Halt as long as the latter didn't spread it to the King and his advisors. It wasn't that she was not ashamed to tell the grizzly Ranger of her actions in the past but rather that she knew he would understand and perhaps it would help them figure out this whole problem they had at the time.
"Well, we will ride together to the fork. From there we'll be heading to Araluen Castle, Maiah." Halt finally said mounting Abelard and heading to the road with the other two following.
"How far are we?" Maiah asked sounding rather childish even to her ears. Frowning as she came to this conclusion, she pushed Mane to catch up before adding, "Not that it matters since we're still going to have to go through it. Just ignore my question."
"Life would be much easier if apprentices said that more often." Halt replied, hiding a smile at the speed with which she mended her slip. He doubted as an apprentice she had been that fast and hoped it had only taken one time for her to learn Prowessa probably wouldn't stand around for such a thing. "Gilan could easily tell you what the answer to that question is."
" 'If you had studied your maps like you were meant to you wouldn't be uncertain at the moment; and uncertainty is your worst enemy.' " The Ranger sang, letting her know he had heard it plenty of times to learn it by heart.
"However," Halt continued, "since I know you haven't really had a map in your hands I'll say by midday we'll be having a warm meal at an inn before meeting with the King."
She didn't inquire further though was dying to ask Gilan how his trip was going to go. Too late, she realized the fork Halt had talked about was in sight and in just a few seconds they were upon it. Just like their separation with Will days earlier, there was little exchanged as they went separate ways as the Rangers had probably said all they needed in that time they had spoken when they were readying their horses. As he rode away, Gilan turned back and waved at the pair who returned the gesture; nevertheless, when Maiah saw the small figure disappear in the distance, she realized she hadn't said goodbye except for the weak wave they had just exchanged. She wondered if it had been intended for her at all.
Will sat at the inn eating his stew quietly, somewhat disappointed in his trip to Gillmount. He had sneaked into the cave at night just like planned and waited for hours until the men guarding the boxes became too tired to care. To his surprise and utter disappointment, the boxes had turned out to be filled with rotting fish from the product that hadn't sold that day. His Ranger instinct still told him there was something missing from his inspection but as it was, he had been too tired to think clearly and as the current shift came to an end and the new, alert watch approached he decided to move on an perhaps come back later; when his eyelids could stay open and his senses were not just focusing on sleep. He knew it wasn't something to be proud of and for a while had tried to stay and finish the job but at the same time, he realized he had had four hours of sleep sixty-five hours ago without accounting for the twenty minutes of the quick nap he had taken at sunset.
Excusing himself, therefore, he sneaked back out and mounting Tug, they headed south to the nearest village just an hour away. He decided he would do some inquiry in the morning and as the day drew to a close would go back to Gillmount to search the cave. His initial plan had been to stay away from the population to prevent any suspicion from arising yet now he began to think if anything had been going on it would be a local who knew about it; especially if it had happened a few days ago.
That night he fell into a deep tired sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He didn't even bother with closing the window or taking his cloak off and had been lucky to remember to take off his bow, quiver, and belt before rushing to meet the precious and welcoming straw mattress that waited for him in the corner of the small room. He had decided as he climbed the stairs to stash away all the information to be processed until the next morning and even if he had wanted to think on it for a while before going to sleep he would have failed miserably.
The next morning, however, he was impressed at what eight hours of sleep could do for him as there was no trace of his long hours of sleep deprivation save the soreness of his muscles from waiting crouched for such a long time. The cold porridge the inn offered, accompanied with hard black bread, were not exactly what he expected for his breakfast after such a wonderful feeling of liveliness; nevertheless, he ate it gratefully and went outside to get Tug. He had expected to hear something from the guests at the inn though wasn't surprised when they kept their lips shut around the imposing figure of the Ranger. He would have to find his information somewhere else but knowing there was the probability of such thing happening had prepared a backup plan. If the village couldn't give him information, he would turn to the farms. Basically, those were the only two options he had but he preferred thinking of them as his two best ideas rather than his only two options; either way, he wasn't sure he would have much success on it.
There was little traffic on the road and he only encountered a couple of travelers on the way who of course avoided him when they saw him coming. Besides them, the road became deserted around noon and although they traveled with more care as they became lonelier Will also enjoyed traveling a little more freely than if he had to keep to all the beliefs people carried about Rangers; after all, these legends and sayings on the silent warriors was what came in handy when dealing with them.
After some time, Will began seeing more farms as the road took them to the country and felt naked as the trees thinned around the road and although some still stood to cover him if needed he didn't feel as comfortable as before. Tug must have felt his uneasiness as well for he quickened the pace until they passed the farmlands and were once again in the safety of the trees. He had just been able to breathe a little easier and was only about twenty minutes away from Gillmount when a piercing scream cut through the forest followed by more yelling. Tug stopped at Will's motion though neither made an attempt at getting closer to where they heard the commotion. Instead, after a few seconds of tracking the source and where it came from, they headed in the opposite direction to hide behind some thick bushes where they waited in silence.
The first scream had been a woman, Will recalled as he tried to arrange his thoughts and patiently waited for any more answers that could come his way. However, the following commotion had been of more than one individual, making it harder to distinguish what really was going on other than an attack at a nearby farm. Usually, there would be a group of bandits—no more than a dozen—burning and taking all they could manage. Once he had analyzed the situation and determined what he had to do, Will motioned for Tug to remain where he was at attention in case he was needed—he would know by the whistle Will would give in that scenario—and quietly and invisibly made his way across, following his hearing as it led him to the action and once he got close enough readied his bow.
He perused the perimeter, surprised when he didn't find a fire in the farm before him. He wished he had gotten there earlier for now it had all ended and there was no trace of the events that had happened seconds ago. He recalled the screams had been short lived and wondered for a second if it hadn't been children playing though pushed the thought away knowing quite well what he had heard was full of terror and pain; it hadn't been a game. And still there was no evidence as to what had happened. Asking himself that familiar question of What would Halt do if he was here? He walked closer to the farm, moving with the shadows so that he was still invisible.
It wasn't until he was almost against the fence that he began feeling a little queasier as he felt the prickling in the back of his neck as his hairs stood. The sun was warm and there were only a few clouds yet he kept shivering as his senses warned him and his instinct of survival screamed at him to turn on his heel and run back to safety. The wind rustling the crops had his teeth on edge as the silence seemed to be buzzing in his ears; he couldn't hear anything and was therefore blind at anything that would come his way. Yet, he somehow knew he wasn't afraid of what could happen as he was sure the aggressor was long gone; he was scared of what had happened and the tightening feeling in his stomach was not helping his nerves.
"Weeeeeeh!"
Will could have jumped out of his skin and cursed to the four winds if he hadn't been a trained Ranger when the squealing sow ran behind him and into the shelter of the trees. His heart was hammering inside his chest and for a second he had stopped breathing. He leaned against the pole to regain his breath and slow his heart, only then continuing in hands and knees through the field and in a flash at the house. The door had been left open, the squeaking of the hinges as it swung a few inches in and out rang in his ears. Inside the furniture had been turned over though after some time looking at the position of the table and the broken plates around it he realized it had been thrown at the door as if to set obstacles for whoever was chasing the person. Following the tiny prints of dirt, invisible to the inexperienced eye, Will crossed the kitchen to the sitting room where the family would have sat to have some biscuits and tea in special occasions. He didn't have to go any farther to find the source of the scream.