Rangers Apprentice: Return of the Dead

Morning Blood

All three of the previously sleeping Rangers stood and immediately notched an arrow on their bow, Daniel following suit. Without a word they fanned out around the horse, their eyes scanning the tree line for signs of others or its rider. As they did this, they slowly approached the horse doing their best not to spook it. Daniel noted that the horse was watching them the entire time with that intelligent gaze he had seen before, only this time he could have sworn he saw a hint of humour.

When he thought this he lowered his bow, nothing bad was going to happen. He didn't know how he knew, but Daniel came to the conclusion that the horse wasn't going to attack them, that it wasn't a set up for a surprise attack. Stepping clear of the half circle away from the others, ignoring Halts agitated hiss for him to get back away from the horse. Instead Daniel did the opposite and put his arrow away and loosely held his bow at his side.

Reaching up he gently placed a hand on the horses velvety nose that was exposed from its head armour. The horse closed its eyes and bumped its head against his shoulder lightly. Now extending his hand to the creatures neck to further make it seem like the four Rangers weren't a threat he withdrew it immediately as the horse jerked away with its ears pinned back. Daniel was about to tell the others that it was nothing as he heard their movement of drawing back their arrows when he felt something warm on his hand.

Looking down at it, here noticed a red liquid smeared on his skin, running in little droplets and then falling down to the ground. Squinting in the low light at the horses neck he now noticed what must have been a dozen of shallow cuts that bled on the horses neck. Upon further gazing he could see that there where multiple places where the horse was cut and bleeding, that it's breath was coming in deep chested gasps as if it had just come from a long run. "It's injured," he said as he glanced back at the others.

Maddie followed Daniels example and replaced her arrow in her quiver as she stepped closer to him and the horse. "Looks as if it's been through a war," she said quietly, afraid of spooking the horse further. Then without warning the horse pricked its ears and reared slightly on its hind legs spinning slightly to face the way it had come. Both of the apprentices leapt back to avoid its forelegs as they swung in the air.

"What's it doing?" Maddie murmured softly. "Looks as if it's hearing something, like a command." Daniel looked to his right slightly to see that the senior Rangers had stepped forward to be level with their apprentices. "A command? D'you think that it's rider is nearby?" That was Maddie again, looking up at her mentor. Gilan nodded, "Without a doubt. What do you think Halt?" The older Ranger glanced briefly at him before switching his attention immediately back to the horse. "We follow it."

No sooner did the words leave his mouth when the horse bolted. It went from a steady rock still to a rocketing blur as it dashed back the way it had come, catching the Rangers by surprise. They had never seen a horse do that much speed than their own Ranger horses. "I guess we follow it now," he spoke as he and the others dashed forward in an attempt to follow the horse. Daniel, being the first one to take off after the horse, was a good paced ahead of them, but far behind the horse. Then without a outside signal or any warning, it froze in its tracks, from full speed to statue still.

Nearly avoiding crashing into the horses rump, Daniel tried to peer around the horse as he leaned slightly against it for support. To be rewarded with it shying forward making him almost fall flat on his face. But in doing so, the horse had given Daniel the chance to see into the small glade where the horse had stopped. What he saw chilled him to the bone. He rushed forward and kneeled on the wet ground. From blood or dew, he couldn't tell.

Laying on the ground was a Nightrider. Its dark, almost black cloths and cloak were stained an even darker color as its blood seeped from a dozen places. The worst from a large puncture wound in its stomach where it's hands were desperately trying to stench the flow of blood. The wound itself looked to have been made by a sword or a large knife. The horse was pawing the ground nervously and nuzzling the injured Nightrider, making a strange sound that reminded Daniel of a dog whining. The sound of the others finally emerging from the forest broke him out if his thoughts and he turned to look at them. Their faces of shock and horror were a reflection of his own.

"I'll get the medical kit," Gilan said in a firm voice and dashed back the way they had come. Halt and Maddie drew closer to the Nightrider and assessed the injuries and how much they could help without any supplies with them at the moment. "Daniel, cut the cloak into strips and start patching up the larger cuts. Maddie, do your best to put pressure on that wound, try and stop as much blood as possible. Grabbing his saxe knife, Daniel moved part of the cloak so he could get access to parts that weren't soaked in blood and started cutting them into strips.

Once he had a sufficient pile made he went about tying them on some of the worst cuts. As he moved to the neck were a jagged cut was slowly trickling blood, he felt the weak, but firm grip of the Nightriders hand on his forearm. He looked up to meet the eyes of the mysterious person, the only thing visible. "Please...take it...off..." The voice was hardly audible, but the eyes revealed a pleading light. Slowly, Daniel moved his other hand and gripped the hood and started to pull. Only to be stopped by Halt. "Daniel, what are you doing?" He looked up to his master and spoke in a low tone, "She asked me to."

Though as low as it was, he could tell from the weak voice that the Nightrider was in fact a woman. Just at that moment Gilan arrived with one of the basic medical kits all Rangers had with them and knelt on the ground beside Daniel. As he and Maddie went about their work, Halt watched as Daniel slowly and delicately removed the hood of the cloak and the piece of cloth that covered her mouth and nose. When the black cloth fell away, it revealed a mass of long, glossy black hair and high cheek bones with fading green eyes.

She looked up at him for a moment then weakly made a shooing motion as Gilan tried to put some numbing salve around the stomach wound. "No...don't waste it on me." Gilan looked at Halt then slowly put the salve away. The woman drew in breath and attempted to gather her strength for what she was about to say. "Listen and listen well, for I am about to tell you things that you do not understand." She closed her eyes a moment before opening them and continuing. "We are not the ones who kill and leave destruction behind us...We were betrayed by one of our own, who turned bitter at the world and decided to use our knowledge against his enemies...We tried to stop him...but there were so many who had turned as well...so many threats from every side that we were stretched thin..."

Her breathing was becoming worse, shallow and irregular. "You will find the answers you seek where the rain meets the sky and rock. Where the Eagle strikes his prey and claims rule to the sky..." She stopped talking. A distant look was forming in her eyes and a dull glaze was washing over them. Just when Daniel thought she was going to give away, a shimmer of alarm crossed her eyes and she spoke once more in nothing more than a hushed whisper. "...Madiko...Madiko..." The last thing she ever said.

Not knowing what to do, Daniel shakily closed her still open eyes and looked away. After a long pause of silence, he looked up at Halt, along with Maddie and Gilan. The older Ranger spoke in a firm voice.

"We leave for Castle Araluen immediately."

•BONJOUR! Look! An update! A long one! 2 in a row! Lol so sorry it took a little while but I have a busy week since I have testing and today was my birthday and drivers Ed and I got Pre-UIL this Friday....yeah....Anyway, just curious, but what do u think is the next big scene going to be in this book?

~SO•