Chapter 2
A light rap on the door interrupted Duncan from his immediate thoughts that were swirling around in his brain. He looked up from the cover of the book to let the special visitors waiting outside be welcomed into his humble yet magnificent meeting quarters where a huge oak tree made table dominated almost the entire room, portraits of unknown Princes and famous Kings hung up in various places of the room. The well oiled hinges of the broad doors swung open silently as Halt peered his face in. After assessing the room in which he had been in many times before in his life he strolled in with much of the air and confidence he had about him keeping his face completely neutral. He was followed by Baron Arald who came quietly for once, then Will who was already gawping rather inconsiderately at the portraits on the walls, Alyss who was beside him muttered quietly in his ears while shaking her head and his expression immediately changed from gawping to embarrassment while his face blushed furiously. They were shortly accompanied by Lady Pauline who was as calm as she was known to be, Horace who was already stationed at Castle Araluan, Cassandra or otherwise called as Evanlyn, Jenny who bounced rather than walked on the floor and lastly Gilan who had the same idiotic expression as Will had when he walked in. They all waited a little awkwardly for a couple of seconds before Lady Pauline had the common sense to bring about conversation.
"My Lord you expected to see us?" Her face was puzzled as her tone rose in pitch at the end of the question. King Duncan met her gaze and everyone else's and coughed slightly to fill the silence that came with her question.
"Well er yes. Please all of you sit down in one of the chairs and I will explain what has happened." Everyone did as they were told while Baron Arald who couldn't resist the temptation asked.
"Sir has anything happened that has caused trouble to you or the Kingdom recently?" Will had just thought about the same thing until his thoughts got distracted when he saw a portrait of him on the cover of a book full of flames. This sounded like his time in Celtica he thought worriedly.
"What no, no don't worry Arald actually there is another reason why I called you all here." He said.
"Is it to do with the book Sire?" Will interrupted before he could help himself. Unlike others he had always managed to get to the heart of a situation quickly and he sensed rather than knew that this very special meeting must have had something to do with the book. Others around him had just realised there was a book in the room and stifled a gasp at the life like colours and at Will at the front cover. The King blushed a little. He was impressed at Will's ability to figure this out as was Halt who had ignored the book just as everyone else had done.
"Indeed you are right Will. As everyone will notice now, this book has Will on the front. How this is possible I do not know but I believe this is a book about Will's time in Celtica and with Will's full permission I intend that we all read it together."
"Granted this must be a special book Sir but how can we just leave our jobs for a week to read a book?" Lady Pauline asked concerned. Duncan gave her one of his rare wolfish smiles and replied
"Ask no questions and I'll tell no lies. It can be sorted somehow I'm sure Anthony will come up with something but for now I believe reading this book is vital." He picked up light book in his hands and flicked through the first couple of pages.
"I thought we could read the first chapter then go for a break. How does that sound?" Everyone nodded their assent and the King began to narrate.
HALT AND WILL HAD BEEN TRAILING THE WARGALS FOR three days. The four heavy-bodied, brutish creatures, foot soldiers of the rebel warlord Morgarath, had been sighted passing through Redmont Fief, heading north. Once word reached the Ranger, he had set out to intercept them, accompanied by his young apprentice.
"Where could they have come from, Halt?" Will asked during one of their short rest stops. "Surely we've got Three Step Pass well and truly bottled up by now."
"Never does good to assume too much Will." Gilan said cockily.
"Gilan if I recall correctly you said about the same thing three weeks ago." Halt told him dryly. Gilan turned a tomato red while the King continued reading.
Three Step Pass provided the only real access between the Kingdom of Araluen and the Mountains of Rain and Night, where Morgarath had his headquarters. Now that the kingdom was preparing for the coming war with Morgarath, a company of infantry and archers had been sent to reinforce the small permanent garrison at the narrow pass until the main army could assemble.
"Don't know what we would do without them." Duncan sighed.
"Most probably would have died sir." Halt answered cheekily. Pauline decided Halt had been having too much fun with these remarks and kept a closer watching on him.
"That's the only place where they can come in sizable numbers," Halt agreed."But a small party like this could slip into the kingdom by way of the barrier cliffs."
Morgarath's domain was an inhospitable mountain plateau thattowered high above thesouthernreaches of the kingdom. From Three Step Pass in the east, a line of sheer, precipitous cliffs ran roughly due west, forming the border between the plateau and Araluen. As the cliffs swung south west, they plunged into another obstacle called the Fissure
a huge split in the earth thatran out to the sea, andseparated Morgarath's lands from the kingdom of the Celts.
It was these natural fortifications that had kept Araluen, and neighbouring Celtica, safe from
Morgarath's armies for the past sixteen years. Conversely, they alsoprovided the rebel warlordwith protection from Araluen's forces.
A huge sigh escaped everyone's lips at the same time as they thought back to the days of Morgarath's wrath.
"I thought those cliffs were impassable," Will said.
Halt allowed himself a grim smile. "Nowhere is ever really impassable. Particularly if you haveno respect for how many lives you lose trying to prove the fact. My guess is that they used ropes and grapnels and waited for a moonless night and bad weather. That way, they could slip past theborder patrols."
He stood, signifying that their rest stop was at an end. Will rose with him and they moved toward their horses. Halt gave a small grunt as he swung into the saddle. The wound he had suffered in the battle with the two Kalkara still troubled him a little.
"That is definitely true." Halt murmured. Of all the injuries he had received getting one from a huge beast was by far one of the top ten. He remembered those times and shook his shoulder that was injured as a reflex. Pauline who was sitting beside him put her hand on his shoulder supportively.
"My main concern isn't where they came from," hecontinued. "It's where they're heading, andwhat they have in mind."
The words were barely spoken when they heard a shout from somewhere ahead of them, followed by a commotion of grunting and, finally, the clash of weapons.
The knights in the room raised their eyebrows a little as they heard the possibility of a fight head everyone's way.
"And we may be about tofind out!" Halt finished.
"Nice cliff hanger going on there Halt. Do you do that a lot?" Jenny asked. She rarely had much nerve to speak to the grim ranger despite her two friends being past apprentices but the atmosphere in the room had lightened a little and she wanted to know the answer to her question.
"Oh he does that all the time. It's kind of like his trade mark isn't it?" Will asked everyone in the room. They all chorused a "yes" and Halt was left looking like a very sour goose.
"Can we please continue with the story" Halt told the King. Duncan continued.
He urged Abelard into a gallop, controlling the horse with his knees as his hands effortlessly
selected an arrow and nockedit to the string of his massive longbow. Will scrambled into Tug's saddle and galloped after him. Hecouldn't match Halt's hands-free riding skill. He needed his right hand for the reins as he held his own bow ready in his left.
"Don't worry it took me three years to manage it as well as Halt." Gilan told Will sympathetically.
"And you still can't do it as well as I can." Halt added smugly. That did it Pauline thought. Courier though she might be she had an excellent grasp of how to aim and her foot landed roughly on Halts shin. He gasped a little in pain but otherwise maintained an outward façade of calm. He was in trouble he knew.
They were riding through sparse woodland, leaving it to the surefooted Ranger horses to pick the best route. Suddenly, they burst clear of the trees into a wide meadow. Abelard,under his rider's urging, slid to a stop, Tug following suit besidehim. Dropping the reins to Tug's neck,Willinstinctively reached for an arrow from his quiver and nocked it ready. A large fig tree grew in the middle of the cleared ground. At the base of it there was a small camp. A wisp of smoke still curled from the fireplace and a pack and blanket roll lay beside it. The four Wargals they had been tracking surrounded a single man, who had his back to the tree. For the moment his long sword held them at bay, but the Wargals were making small feinting movements toward him, trying to find an advantage. They were armed with short swords and axes and one carried a heavy iron spear. Will drew in a sharp breath at the sight of the creatures. After following their trail for so long, it was a shock to come upon them so suddenly in plain sight. Bearlike in build, they had long muzzles and massive yellow canine fangs, exposed now as they snarled at their prey. They were covered in shaggy fur and wore black leather armour. The man was dressed similarly and his voice cracked in fear as he repelled their tentative attacks.
Everyone who hadn't seen the Wargals before took an intake of breath at the horrid way Will described them in the book. Alyss held Will's hand a little firmer so he looked up and squeezed her hand a little to help her.
"Stand back! I'm on a mission for Lord Morgarath. Standback, I order you! I order you in Lord Morgarath's name!"
"Who is that?" Baron Arald asked to no one in particular. "He is lying isn't he?"
Horace assessed the baron and saw he was way too excited for a middle aged man. He was practically jumping up and down in his seat.
Halt nudged Abelard around, allowing him room to draw the arrow he had ready on the string.
"Drop your weapons! All of you!" he shouted. Five pairs of eyes swung toward him as the four
Wargals and their prey turned in surprise. The Wargal with the spear recovered first. Realizing that the swordsman was distracted, he darted forward and ran the spear into his body. A secondlater, Halt's arrow buried itself in the Wargal's heart and he fell deadbeside his stricken prey. Asthe swordsman sank to his knees, the other Wargals charged at the two Rangers. Shambling and bearlike as they might be, they covered ground with incredible speed.
Halt's second shot dropped the left-hand Wargal. Will fired at the one on the right and realizedinstantly that he had misjudged the brute's speed. Thearrow hissed through the space where the Wargal had been a second before. His hand flew to his quiver for another arrow and he heard ahoarse grunt of pain as Halt's third shot buried itself in thechest of the middle creature. Then
Will loosed his second arrow at the surviving Wargal, now terrifyingly close. Panicked by those savage eyes and yellow fangs, he snatched as he released the arrow and knew it would fly wide.
Will shook his head still convinced at his lack of ability. Alyss and Lady Pauline saw the movement.
"Will anyone would have been scared to face a Wargal that was so close you have nothing to worry about." Alyss crooned.
"You were also in your second year of apprenticeship, to stand your ground even when beasts are running towards you is a huge achievement." Lady Pauline added in a motherly fashion. Will felt his spirits soar at the two female's responses.
As the Wargal snarled in triumph, Tug cameto his master's aid. The little horse reared and
lashed out with his front hooves at the horrific creature in front of him. Unexpectedly, he also danced forward a few steps, toward the threat, rather than retreating. Will, caught by surprise, clung to the pommel of the saddle.
"I never doubted your horse's ability." Horace said while grinning.
The Wargal was equally surprised. Like all its kind, it had a deep-seated instinctive fear of horses—a fear born at the Battle ofHackham Heath sixteen years ago, where Morgarath's firstWargal army had been decimated by Araluen cavalry. It hesitated now for a fatal second, stepping back before those flashing hooves.Halt's fourth arrow took it in the throat. At such short range, the arrow tore clean through. With afinal grunting shriek, the Wargal fell dead on the grass. White-faced, Will slid to the ground, his knees nearly giving way beneath him. He clung toTug's side to stay upright. Halt swung down quickly and moved to the boy's side. His arm wentaround him.
Everyone in the room smiled at Will and Halt while they both turned a bright shade of red at the unwanted attention from everyone.
"It's all right, Will." His deep voice cut through the fear thatfilled Will's mind. "It's over now."
All the females in the room smiled even broader even Cassandra, who found sentimentality annoying.
But Will shook his head, horrified by the rapid train of events.
"Halt, I missed…twice! I panicked and I missed!" He felt a deepsense of shame that he hadlet his teacher down so badly. Halt's arm tightened around him and he looked up at the bearded faceand the dark, deep-set eyes."There's a big difference between shooting at atarget and shooting at a charging Wargal. A target isn't usually trying to kill you." Halt added the last few words in amore gentle tone. Hecould see that Will was in shock. And no wonder, he thought grimly.
Everyone agreed with Halt in the room while Cassandra and Horace were shaking their heads at Will's lack of self esteem.
"But…I missed…"
"And next time you won't. Now you knowit's better to fire one good shot thantwo hurried ones," Halt said firmly. Then he took Will's arm and turned him toward the campsite under the fig tree. "Let's see what we have here," he said, putting an endto the subject.
The black-clad man and the Wargal lay dead beside one another. Halt knelt beside the man and turned him over, whistling softly in surprise.
"Dirk Reacher," he said, half to himself. "He's the last personIwould have expected to seehere."
"You know him?" Will asked. His insatiable curiosity was already helping him toput the horror of the previous few minutes to one side, as Halt had known it would.
Will smiled at how easy it was for Halt to understand him.
"I chased him out of the kingdom five or six years ago," theRanger told him. "He was a coward and a murderer. He deserted from thearmy and found a placewith Morgarath." He paused. "Morgarath seems to specialize in recruiting people like him. Butwhat was he doing here…?"
"He said he was on a missionfor Morgarath," Will suggested, but Halt shook his head.
"Unlikely. The Wargals were chasing him and only Morgarath could have ordered them to do that, which he'd hardly do if Reacher really was working for him. My guess is that he was deserting again. He'd run outon Morgarath and the Wargals were sent after him."
"Why?" Will asked. "Why desert?"
Halt shrugged. "There's a war coming. People likeDirk try to avoid that sort of unpleasantness."
He reached for the pack that lay by the campfire and began to rummage through it.
"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Will asked. Halt frowned ashe grew tired of looking through the pack and dumped its contents onto the ground instead.
"Well, it strikes me that if he were deserting Morgarath and coming back to Araluen, he'd have to bring something to bargain for his freedom. So…" His voicedied away as he reachedfor acarefully folded parchment among the spare clothes and eating utensils. He scanned it quickly. One eyebrow rose slightly. After almost a year with the grizzled Ranger, Will knew that was the equivalent of a shout of astonishment. He also knew that if he interrupted Halt before he had finished reading, his mentor would simply ignore him. He waited until Halt folded the parchment, stood slowly and looked a
t his apprentice, seeing the questionin the boy's eyes.
"Is it important?" Will asked.
"Oh, you could say so," Halt told him."We appear to have stumbled on Morgarath's battle plans for the coming war. I think we'dbetter get them back to Redmont."
He whistled softly and Abelard and Tug trotted to where their masters waited. From the trees several hundred meters away, carefully down-wind so that the Ranger horses would catch no scent of an intruder, unfriendly eyes were upon them. Their owner watched as the two Rangers rode away from the scene of the small battle. Then he turned south, toward the cliffs. It was time to report to Morgarath. His plan had been successful.
Duncan whistled in astonishment at the last couple of lines. Everyone felt as shocked as he did. Finally Halt spoke.
"And this is why we should never overestimate the ability of our horses." Will and Gilan both looked at each other and felt the lesson stick with them.
"Right that's the first chapter finished. We ought to have a break." King Duncan ordered while grinning.